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"Dyad's Blessing, Dyad's Curse"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 14

"We're not done yet."

"You're a monster!"

"It's just us now. Han Solo can't save you."

The flaming red blade that only minutes ago had pierced Han's chest, burning in Rey's eyes, expanding and blurring through her tears. Some part of her was screaming that no, this wasn't real, this was wrong, Han was still alive down in the shaft somewhere and Chewie would rescue him.

But that face . . .

That crazed, rageful face with the bloodshot eyes, looking like a madman about to lash out . . .

The monster . . .

The invisible push sending her flying into the trees . . .

Rey woke up mid-scream, taking several seconds to process that she wasn't back on Ilum, she was safe in the Coruscant hotel that Pooja was graciously renting for Resistance members for the time being. Safe, but that didn't change the fact that her nightmare had still happened.

She slid out of bed, the hotel room's too-smooth carpet irritating her bare feet as she stumbled over to the minifridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She wished she could still sleep on the Falcon, but like all the other Resistance ships, it was currently sitting in a garage until it would be needed again.

As she uncapped the bottle and let the cool liquid flow down her throat, she made her way to the large window that took up an entire wall. Why did Coruscantians have such huge windows – didn't they feel exposed? For that matter, anyone in any of the passing speeders could glance over and see her wearing only a t-shirt and underwear.

Yet here she was, staring out at those speeders zipping this way and that in their orderly rows, their lights creating eerie lines in the darkness. How did they keep the airlanes so straight? she wondered as she took another sip of water.

The twitch in her senses again, causing her to drop the bottle, spilling the water on her foot and the too-smooth carpet. Why now? Why did this keep happening when she just wanted to be alone?

She turned around as if a blasterbolt would go off if she moved too fast and there he was lying on the too-smooth carpet, still comatose, the tubes still in his arms and up his nostrils, droplets of Rey's water on his forehead. Suddenly her bare legs felt very, very exposed even though he wasn't awake to see them.

"Well, here you are again," she said with a long sigh. "I still don't know what I'm supposed to do here." She sighed again. "You probably can't even hear me, so why am I even talking to you?"

Silence.

With another sigh, she knelt by his side, the too-smooth carpet hurting her kneecaps, trying not to let the nightmare overtake her mind, though she couldn't stop her hands from shaking. "Ben, am I supposed to wake you up? I don't know how to do that. It's my fault you're in this coma in the first place!"

Despite having just had water, her throat felt dry. Those last words had come out without really thinking, but they were true . . . this was her fault. Maybe she really had done something wrong in her rush to keep him alive, maybe he wanted to die and she shouldn't have interfered with his wishes, maybe she should have just remained dead and this was punishment for interfering with the laws of nature.

No matter what, it was her fault.

She gently reached over and wiped the water droplets from his pale face, glowing eerily in the city lights. "I need a sign, Ben. Some sort of sign that you can wake up."

Silence again.

"Please, Ben. Your parents wouldn't want you to give up. If you won't wake up for yourself, at least wake up for them!"

Still silence. Without the beeping of his heart monitor, Rey could easily believe he was already dead were it not for the slight rising and falling of his chest.

Did she dare try again?

If transferring energy could bring her back from the dead, keep him alive when he was dying, could it . . .?

Or would it kill one or both of them?

They had each given nearly all their energy for the other. Their souls were bonded. Maybe that meant . . .

"Ben," she whispered, "I don't know what's going to happen. Maybe nothing will happen, but . . . this is my fault. I have to make it right."

She closed her eyes, took his hand in her left hand, placed her right hand on his chest, and concentrated on letting her energy flow.

. . .

"What's happening?"

Ben could barely choke out the words as he gripped his head, which was suddenly throbbing with pain. His body started shaking as if he'd been thrown into a blizzard, his stomach churned as if he had eaten something poisonous. He was barely aware of his father gently gripping his sides and helping him to his feet.

"I think you're wakin' up, son," Han said, a hint of joy in his voice.

"What? NO!" Ben threw his arms around his father as if that would keep him in the coma. "No, no, I can't wake up . . ."

"Ben, it's all right," Leia's voice said, seemingly coming out of nowhere, followed by her embrace, sandwiching Ben between his parents. "You can do this."

"No, no," Ben whimpered, "I can't."

"You can!" Leia insisted.

His teary eyes slowly opened, revealing, Luke, Anakin, and Padme standing a few feet away, all offering warm smiles, silently urging him on.

"It's all right, son," Han said in his most tender Dad voice, the voice he once used when soothing Ben after nightmares, "we're here for you."

"You won't be," sobbed Ben, unable to stop his body's shaking, feeling like he was about to fall apart. "I'll be alone."

"You're not alone," insisted Leia. "You've never been alone." She kissed his cheek. "We're always with you."

Han kissed his other cheek, ruffling his hair. "Say hi to Chewie, will ya?"

Ben barely managed a nod before closing his eyes again, absorbing his parents' embrace. "Will I remember this?" he whispered.

"Course you will, buddy," said Han.

"But what do I do out there? How can I face everything?"

Already he felt the world breaking away, consciousness pulling him out of the sanctuary, but he still heard his father's answer.

"That's up to you."