A/N: All right, this is the longest chapter to date, so I really hope you enjoy it! It was one of my most fun to write because I got to flex some OG Trilogy muscles. I also want to quickly thank everyone who has left a review or followed this story! It means so much to me, especially as I haven't published any fic in a few years. I'm so glad people are enjoying this story! Thanks again!

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Chapter 11 – A planet Lando has recently acquired in a game of Sabaac

By the time they arrived at Lando's secret hideaway – a recent acquisition from a Sabaac win – Rey was barely hanging on. And Ben was doing far worse.

A medical team had met them on the landing platform with a gurney and within in moments they had him hooked up to a myriad of nutrients, machines and pain medication. The doctor tried to get details out of Rey regarding what had put Ben in this condition, but how could she possibly explain any of it? His injuries weren't normal.

It had been over three hours since their arrival and Ben was in the midst of another test. Scans of every part of his body, bloodwork, brain waves, heart monitors – there wasn't an inch of him that wasn't getting some type of attention.

Rey was beyond grateful although her patience was wearing thin. She just needed to know that he'd be okay. It was the only way she'd let them take a look at her own injuries despite the insistence of everyone, including Chewie and Lando, that she undergo her own battery of tests. Fortunately, a well-placed withering glare was all it took to silence those pleas.

She was staring at Ben now as he was fed through a circular machine that made a lot of noise and lit up like a holiday festival at random intervals. She could barely stand still. Despite years of experience waiting for anything to happen on Jakku, she was going out of her mind the longer it took them to assess Ben's condition.

"Miss Rey?"

A quiet voice by her elbow startled her and Rey glanced down to see a nurse droid at her side. She had been one of the first to help with Ben when they landed.

"Yes?"

"We have some of Mr. Solo's test results back. The doctor was hoping she could discuss them with you."

Rey nodded once and then spared Ben one final glance before following the tiny droid down the hall. She passed Chewie on the way, the large Wookiee doing his best to fit in an uncomfortable chair in the med center's waiting room. Meeting her gaze, she saw the question in his eyes and jerked her head up. "Come on, they've got some news."

The Wookiee fell into step beside her. "Where's Lando?" she asked. Chewie only had a shrug as an answer. Oh well, they could fill him in later.

They were led to an office with a desk and a few chairs, neither of which would accommodate Chewie's bulk. The Wookiee chose to stand behind Rey as the doctor entered after them and took her own seat.

"Well, we've spent quite a bit of time with Mr. Solo now."

"Is he going to make it?" Rey blurted, unable to suppress her anxiety.

The doctor frowned. "Based on what I've seen, it's a miracle he's still breathing. To me, that implies that he's far beyond stubborn. Unless something changes drastically, I don't see why he wouldn't pull through. Since he's made it this far."

Rey breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back in her seat, Chewie's heavy paw landing on her shoulder in a sign of solidarity.

"However, I am concerned with how long he's been in his current state," the doctor cautioned. "He's been like this for almost 24 hours now?"

Rey nodded. "Yes, it's a Force healing technique."

"I know very little about the intricacies of the Force, but if this isn't worrying you, than I'm going to say it's the least of our problems right now." Setting a data pad before her, the doctor pulled up a list of information and began to list off injuries, each one more gruesome than the last. "Shattered pelvis and right hip; broken left ankle that will require surgery; second and third degree burns along most of his torso; dislocated left shoulder; collapsed lung; too many abrasions and contusions to catalog. Plus, he's severely dehydrated, malnourished and has a ruptured ear drum.

"I'm also a bit concerned about his neuromuscular function. Being struck by lightning can really do a number on your nervous system. But until he wakes up there isn't really any way for us to assess the damage."

Rey swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. She knew it had been bad, but hearing Ben's injuries listed so starkly made her feel ill. "What is your recommendation then, doctor?"

With a sigh, the doctor leaned back and regarded both her and Chewie for a moment before considering. "Well, we need to repair the ankle and stabilize his hip and pelvis first, and the collapsed lung. We've already relocated his shoulder, and we're pumping him full of saline and nutrients. After those surgeries are done, I would say a week at least in a bacta tank will do him a world of good. We'll keep him sedated, on the off chance he might wake up ahead of time and then reassess his status as the bacta does its work."

Nodding, Rey tried not to let her own hopelessness take over. Another week of no contact with Ben. It was nearly impossible to have a connection with him now, even through the bond, but if they started giving him drugs to keep him under, she guessed it would only get worse.

"Mr. Calrissian has made all the arrangements and made accommodations for you and your companion," the doctor added, giving Chewie a glance. "However, I think now that we have a handle on Mr. Solo's injuries, it's time we started to take a look at yours."

Rey grimaced. Growing up without any type of access to medical care made her distrustful of all doctors. She hadn't ever encountered anything, no injury, no sickness, no pain that she couldn't overcome on her own. "A think a few days of sleep are about all I need."

Chewie whined his displeasure. Rey turned to glare at him, "Traitor."

"At least let us run some scans and just get a baseline for where you're at, Rey."

She knew she needed the help. Rey was simply being stubborn because it was her default setting, no other real reason. Taking a deep breath, she reached back out to Ben one more time, trying to see if there'd been any change in the past few hours. Ben? She followed the invisible tether to his mind, looking for a way in, looking for anything familiar, but it was just shades of gray at this point. There was still a spark, but it wasn't strong.

Ben? The spark flickered once and Rey felt a surge of hope that perhaps Ben knew she was there. It would have to do for now.

"All right, doctor," Rey said with a sigh. "Do your wors-"

She would have finished the sentence if rising from her seat hadn't caused her entire world to shift and in an instant blackness coated her vision and she was out.

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Ben was once again floating in the in-between. Somewhere, on the other side of whatever this was, was his life. Rey, and the universe and his future in the Force was just within reach, so close that it frustrated him to no end that he couldn't get there.

Despite his uncle's help however, he was still stuck in some type of limbo and what little patience he'd managed to hold on to had almost dwindled to nothing.

"Unfortunately, based on who your parents were, you never had any hope of patience."

Ben felt a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth as his mother's familiar presence washed over him. He could see now, in this weird gray twilight and she stood just a few feet from him, glowing in Force-ghost-blue. She was wearing an older outfit, one he had seen in holos as a child, when she'd handed medals to his father and uncle after the Battle of Yavin.

She was radiant.

"Can I go now?" Ben asked, not hiding the whine in his tone.

Leia cocked her head to one side and indulged him with a smile. "You think you're ready, huh?"

He paused. "I meant go back to the land of the living. Back to Rey." Waving a hand in her vague direction, he added, "I didn't mean wherever you are."

She smiled again. "No, of course not." Taking a moment to regard him, she paused, and then gestured to a space behind him. "Let's talk for a moment first, hm?"

Turning, Ben was startled to find an almost except replica of the living room of his childhood home had appeared. It was bathed in a strange, but warm yellow light that was in stark contrast to his mother's blue and his own odd gray.

Taking a hesitant seat on the sofa, he felt a wave of sense memory wash over him. How many nights had he spent on this couch, curled up in his mother's lap watch a holo program or jumped on the cushions as he and his father played space pirates?

He wondered oddly if the home on Chandrila was still standing. He wondered if he had the guts to go back there one day.

"I want to explain why I did what I did." His mother's gaze was fixed out a window, as if staring at the Chandrila skyline. "I think at the very least I owe you that."

Ben wasn't about to argue.

"When I found out who my father was, who he had become, I was devastated." Swallowing hard, his mother's voice grew softer as she said, "I said some really terrible things to your uncle, yelled at your father for absolutely no reason and in short, wanted nothing to do with the legacy of Darth Vader.

"It took me a very long time to stop being angry. Angry at everything your grandfather had done: to me, to your father, to your uncle, to the galaxy. To my mother." She paused again, her eyes falling to the ground. Ben could tell it was taking real strength for her to recount these things to him, and he wondered if this was how he would be talked about forty years from now. Is this how his children would try to explain Kylo Ren to his grandchild?

Unaware of his internal musings, his mother continued. "Your uncle of course, reminded me that anger was not the way of the Jedi, but I rejected him and their teachings. Even though I knew that that the only way to avoid repeating Vader's mistakes was to get a handle on whatever latent Force power I had, it was easy to avoid training when I was trying to help build a new government."

"What made you change your mind?" Ben had been surprised to learn that his mother had trained, but the evidence was currently resting with Rey – there was no doubt in his mind that she wielded his mother's lightsaber.

With a small smile, Leia turned to him and said, "Your father."

That stunned Ben. "Dad hates the Force."

Taking his hand suddenly, all of his mother's mirth disappeared. "That isn't true. I don't want you to believe that."

Frowning Ben, rose and paced the room. "Mom, I'm not stupid. Dad was afraid of me as a kid. That's why he didn't care when you sent me to Luke."

"Oh, I cared, kid."

Startled, Ben turned to see his father standing behind him, outlined in a blue haze. Knowing his father didn't have one lick of Force ability in him, Ben was confused as to how his dad could manifest like this, not once but twice.

"He's getting a little help," his mother replied to his unasked question. "There are a few people who think that us getting this right might be the most important thing for the galaxy for the next millennia or so."

The thought sobered Ben. He had assumed that something was keeping him anchored to this plane, that there was a reason he hadn't yet expired, despite the fact that every inch of his body had been broken or bruised. He had initially attributed it to Rey and their dyad, but now it seemed even greater forces were concerned for his continued well-being.

It was hard to imagine considering all of the destruction and pain he'd caused in the last ten years. "I don't deserve any of this," he whispered, the true weight of the sacrifices being made finally settling on his shoulders.

His father's reaction was immediate. "You certainly don't deserve to die. Not before you get a chance to really live." With a sigh, his dad approached him, and placed his hands on his shoulders, having to reach up a bit to do so. Ben had grown as tall as his father by the time he was 11.

"Son, what you did as Kylo Ren, under the influence of Snoke or Palaptine or whoever the hell it was, those are things you will have to live with. Your mother and I hope that you can find a way to reconcile your past with all the good you are going to do with your future, but that's a journey you'll need to face alone."

"Well, not alone," Leia stressed from the other side of the room.

With a smirk, Han added, "Yeah, I guess not. That Rey's a real piece of work, isn't she?"

Ben blushed. There was no way he was having that conversation with either of his parents. Forging on, he said, "I don't know if I'll ever be able to come to terms with what I did as Kylo Ren."

Meeting his father's gaze, Ben implored, "I killed people, just because Snoke ordered it. Eventually, it just got to be so … normal."

He saw the pain in his father's eyes. "I know, son. There hasn't been a day since you left for Luke's academy that I didn't wish there was a way I could help you. If there was any way for me to take on the burden of your past so you could live a free and easy life, I would do it in a heartbeat. I want you to believe that."

"We both would," his mother affirmed rising to stand beside his father. "But it seems that the Force has decided we're not the ones who are going to help you on this journey."

Once again, his thoughts strayed to Rey.

Which his mother seemed to know. "Regardless of what you did as Kylo Ren, the Force has decided that your fate should be tied to Rey's. If you're not strong enough to go on, she won't be either and I know you want more for her that that."

"The dyad." Ben swallowed hard. "That's the only reason I'm still alive. Well, sort of."

"Bingo, kid."

"Not even Luke really understands the dyad, but he knows that if one of you dies, the other will as well. It may not be immediate, but if you go, Rey will as well. She'll eventually just fade away," his mother told him.

The thought of Rey dying was abhorrent to him. Regardless of anything he had ever done, she deserved to live. "We'll have to find a way to break it," he said quietly. "Maybe there will be writings somewhere that will tell us how to separate the dyad. She can't be chained to me for the rest of her life."

"Before you go making any permanent decisions, you might want to run that idea by Rey," his father warned. "Because women always know. And if you try that without her knowledge, she will most assuredly kill you."

Ben couldn't help but smile at the idea. Indeed, Rey had shown she had a strong survival instinct, a result of her wretched childhood. She would not take Ben's decision to separate the dyad well, especially if he tried to do so without her knowing.

"And maybe let Rey decide what kind of future she wants," Leia admonished. "That girl is more than capable of making her own decisions. And you cannot second guess them for her." Taking Ben's hand in her own, she forced him to meet her gaze. "Listen to me, Benjamin. I know you, and like your uncle your martyr complex is strong. But you will not do Rey any favors if you think you know better than her when it comes to her future. If she says she wants to be with you, believe her. Accept it. Don't think you have to continue to suffer."

"She'd be safer away from me." Ben didn't like to admit that, but it was true. She'd probably be happier too.

"I swear, you Skywalkers just love to dwell in pity. It's like spice sticks to you guys," Han grumbled, taking a step back and crossing his arms over his chest. He fixed his withering glare on his wife, "You wanna fix this?"

Leia pulled a face in his direction, but turned her attention back to Ben. "Son, what part of 'the Force wills it, do you not understand?'"

"Was it the will of the Force for Snoke to invade my mind when I was just a child? Was it the will of the Force that Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader? Was it the will of the Force that led to Luke getting his hand chopped off? Or me slaughtering a village of innocent people? Or Rey being forced to suffer alone on that godforsaken planet? Was that all the "will of the Force" too?"

Taking a deep breath, his mother looked him straight in the eye and said, "Yes."

Staggering back a step, Ben wasn't sure he could truly acknowledge what his mother was saying. The back of his knees hit something and he found himself falling rather gracelessly into a chair. His memory was awash in snippets from his past, from all the moments he'd been alone or angry or ready to rage. All the moments he'd just wanted to come home. All the moments he'd been so disappointed in his mother or father or just the course of his life. That was all the will of the Force?

"So, it'll never matter what I do, I'll always just be a tool that the Force chooses to wield."

"No, Ben. Listen to me," his mother knelt before him, her aged, but beautiful face pleading with him to understand. "You do have choices, free will. You can make decisions for yourself and your life. There are things under your control. But the Force will always be there, guiding you, providing insight, giving you a sixth sense to rely on. The truth is, all of the things you mentioned were the will of the Force because choices were made and the Force willed them all to be true."

Taking another deep breath, she admitted, "If you had chosen not to join the Dark Side, the Force would have found a way for you and Rey to find each other. If Luke hadn't run off to face Vader before he was ready, he might have two flesh and blood hands. If Rey's parents hadn't left her behind on Jakku, she might have died with them. Or suffered a fate worse than a childhood spent in slavery."

Ben shuddered at the thought. Based on just the few things Rey had shared with him, he found it hard to imagine much that could be worse than fighting for scraps and scavenging to survive on a desert planet. Regardless, she would have managed though, because Rey was a fighter. And she had the Force, even though she didn't know it.

"However, the Force does seem to be unwavering on one fact." Ben looked at his mother, wondering what she thought was solid in all of this. "You and Rey were meant to meet, you were meant to forge a dyad. You were meant to defeat Palpatine. And I believe you were meant to be together. In whatever capacity you both want."

Sitting back, Ben tried to absorb this knowledge. It was clear to him as well that the dyad he shared with Rey was something special. While he didn't believe Palpatine was right about many things, he knew the decrepit emperor had told the truth about the rarity of their connection. It had seemed that a dyad was one thing Palpatine had not expected. While Ben held no illusions about who had really taken Palpatine down – that honor belonged to Rey alone – he knew that Ben and Rey fighting together had been a variable he hadn't considered.

"Palpatine said a dyad hadn't been seen for over a hundred years," Ben said softly. "That's how rare they are."

Leia nodded. "It would be an awful shame to throw away something so precious."

"You gotta hold on to stuff like that, kid," Han agreed. "At the end of the day, those types of connections are all that really matters."

Ben couldn't help needling his father. "Oh really? Not a good blaster at your side and a fast ship?"

Han grinned. "Well, I mean, that definitely helps." Leia playfully swiped at his side. "But no, what really matters are people like your mom and Rey. Relationships matter."

Ben thought of all the scorched earth he'd left in his wake in the past decade. How many relationships had he torched until they were beyond recognition? He had effectively destroyed every relationship he'd ever had, familial and friendly, until Rey had showed up. She was the one person he seemingly couldn't scare away. He didn't know if he should be thrilled or terrified at the idea.

The three of them maintained their silence for an untold amount of time. It could have been minutes or hours or days. But for once, Ben found he didn't mind the chance to sit with his thoughts and consider what he had learned. He still had doubts, about Rey, about whether she could truly love him or would ever truly want him.

Ben knew that he loved her. There were a million reasons why, but the one that Ben held on to the strongest was that she had come for him. When he had given her no reason to, Rey had found her way aboard the Supremacy and stood before Snoke in order to save him – no, even more daring, in order to save Kylo Ren. Rey had believed that Ben Solo still existed and she had shown up by his side to prove it. He would spend the rest of his life trying to show her how much that meant to him.

"Now what?" Ben looked between his parents.

Leia took a deep breath, before rising and putting her hand into Han's. She gave her husband a small smile, before turning back to her son, "Now, you get a second chance."

Ben rose quickly afraid they would disappear in a blink and he wouldn't get this chance. "I …" The words froze in his throat. He felt tears brimming in his eyes, but instead of trying to hide them as he had done for years, he faced his parents head on and met their gazes unflinchingly. "I love you both. So much. I always have. I'm sorry."

He felt relief flood his body as his parents stepped forward and wrapped him in their embrace. It had been years since the three of them had shared a hug like this and Ben wanted to bask in it. He tried to catalog how it felt so he could always remember. And for the first time in a long time, Ben actually felt comforted and loved.

"We're so proud of you," his mother whispered in his ear as her arms tightened for just a second around him.

"You're gonna be all right, kid. I know it," his father affirmed from the other side.

"We love you, Ben."

His mother's voice fading to nothing was the last thing he heard before blackness enveloped him and then, he was staring up at a too bright ceiling, the scent of bacta in his nose and absolutely no idea where he was.

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