Rey, he whispers in his mind before taking off into a mad sprint.
Inside the temple, a young woman drops her eyes from the battle above her and a soft gasp escapes her lips. She blinks a few times and stares off in front of her. A stunned look crosses her face as she hears her name from his lips.
Ben, she whispers back.
Remembering who she is with, Rey slowly turns around to face her grandfather, the infamous Emperor Palpatine. He has given her an ultimatum: become Empress to save her friends or die alongside the resistance. Rey lifts her eyes to meet his dead, pale ones. Her head moves up and down in a nod. A creepy smile spreads across the Emperor's cold face.
"Good," he sneers in reply.
The wind whips past Ben as he stampedes towards the entrance to the cursed Temple of the Sith. His long legs don't take him long to reach the elevator platform. Without any hesitation Ben throws himself over the entryway and lands roughly on a large chain connecting the ground floor to what lays below. He curses at the pain of landing so hard and takes a moment to get his breath back. But all he thinks about is Rey and getting to her as quickly as he can. His eyes stare down at the floor below. He pushes himself off the chain and jumps down bit by bit until he reaches the bottom. The wind in the tunnel pushes his hair off his face as he continues running down the corridor, streaking alongside the lightning.
Rey holds her expression as calmly as she can. She can feel Ben growing closer to her as she looks at her grandfather.
"She will draw her weapon and step forth to take what is hers!" Emperor Palpatine's voice booms across the throne room.
The crowd responds with hellish chants as Rey follows his commands. Her hand slowly moves to her belt and she unclips her lightsaber and turns it on. The saber hums to life in her hand as she edges her way closer to her grandfather. Lightning flashes all about them.
As another bolt of lightning flashes, Ben draws his trusty blaster from his back and fires it at one of the Emperor's guards. It feels so good to have it in his hand after all these years. It had been a gift from his Uncle Lando. He senses a presence behind him as he runs and he shoots his target without even looking over his shoulder. Lightning strikes as his attacker falls down behind him. Ben slides through a narrow corridor with his blaster drawn in front of him. Seeing that the coast is clear, he swiftly begins running straight from his slide. He is stopped when a group of hooded figures crawl out from the shadows. Ben looks all around him and sees the Knights of Ren slowly swarming him. He backs up and the Knights circle him. Staring from one mask to another, Ben can feel their emotions and he knows they never truly served him. They had always served the Emperor.
Rey continues her way towards her grandfather with her lightsaber in hand. She grips it tightly while she stares at the horrid man before her.
"She will raise her weapon on high!" the Emperor shouts to the crowd.
Without saying a word, Ben pushes one of the Knights with the Force and the Knight crashes down onto the floor. He ducks underneath a swing of a deadly blade and avoids a swipe at his knees. But as he lands his foot, another Knight gets the jump on him and hits him in the back with his weapon. Ben drops to the floor with a growl and is hit in the face by a different knight. He gets quickly to his feet and stares them all down as they circle closer for the kill.
"And with the stroke of her saber, the Sith are reborn! The Jedi are DEAD!" the Emperor screams as lightning crashes loudly across the throne room.
Rey trembles as she holds her lightsaber at her side. Her breaths are shaky as she stares at the terrible man in front of her. Suddenly she feels the all too familiar pull of her bond she shares with Ben. But this time she is taken aback. It feels entirely different from all other connections they have shared before. As their bond strengthens, Rey's eyes widen as she sees Ben. Ben Solo. No longer shrouded by the doubt or clouded by the darkness. No longer Kylo Ren. This was the man she knew, she saw was inside all along.
The smile he gives her rocks Rey to her core and she struggles to keep her composure. She nods her head and he nods back, their exhales timed perfectly together. Seeing Rey and feeling her trust ignites something deep within Ben. He had come here to stand with her, support her. To see her smile at him gave him every bit of courage he would need for a lifetime and more. Feeling his confidence flood through her, Rey turns her attention back to the Emperor. She feels Ben's back right against hers as they savor one last moment of their special, secret bond together.
"DO IT! Make the sacrifice!" the Emperor commands with venom dripping from his words.
Rey snarls at him and hoists her saber behind her and over her head. Emperor Palpatine closes his eyes, relishing the moment he has been waiting so long for. As she holds the lightsaber behind her, Rey feels Ben's hand touched hers. It feels like one of the bolts of lightning that flashes around the throne room. Both Ben and Rey gasp at the feeling and relish their connection once more. Ben wishes he could hold onto her hand for the rest of his life but knows what needs to be done. His hand slides down to the middle of the saber and he grabs on tightly. Rey smiles as she reveals to her grandfather an empty hand. Emperor Palpatine's eyes widen at first then grow furious as he realizes what has been done.
Feeling the lightsaber hum heavenly in his grasp, Ben reveals the blade of his grandfather and his uncle to the knights surrounding him. They all take a step back, completely bewildered by the trick. With a smile, Ben shrugs at them before striking them all with a flash of blue. He whips around, swinging the lightsaber in a circle before blocking a strike from one of the knights. Rey smiles as she sees him battle through their bond. He feels much more free to her and she can't help but grin even more. She reaches behind her and grabs hold of another saber, the one that had once belonged to Ben's mother. It feels wonderful in Rey's hand as she activates the blade.
"GET HER!" the Emperor screams as he backs away.
Rey is instantly swarmed by his protectors. She looks around at each of them and feels one raise a blaster. As it fires Rey shoots her hand behind her to block the bolt and throw it at another guard. She whips her blade around like Ben had done as she blocks another bolt. As she blocks the bolt, Rey watches Ben twirl around masterfully to avoid a swing from one of the knights. He whips around and narrowly misses a hit to the face.
"Ben, look out!" Rey shouts through the bond as he blocks another blow.
He exhales and grins.
"Thanks Rey," he replies in the deep voice Rey loves.
He slashes at one of the knights as he pushes another one down a crevasse with the Force. The knight he blocked drops to the floor as Ben stabs another knight. He looks over his shoulder and flies into a backflip, taking a page out of Rey's book. Rey sees his flip and blushes at his move, knowing he learned it from her. She focuses her attention back on the guards and swings her blade around, blocking bolts from all over.
Ben finishes off the last of the knights and looks ahead, seeing Rey through their bond. She is the only thing that matters in this moment and he rushes to be at her side. Rey uses the Force to slam one of the last guards. He hits the ground hard as Rey stands back up. She glares at the last guard and readies herself. But before she can do anything, the guard is lifted up into the air and Rey's eyes widen when she sees it is Ben lifting him up. Ben slams him down hard onto the floor and looks up to lock eyes with Rey. They stare at each other from across the length of the throne room.
Not letting his gaze drop from hers, Ben runs over to stand before Rey. Her breath catches as she gazes at the man standing before her. Before she can say anything, he steps right in front of her and pulls her into a deep, passionate kiss. Rey wraps an arm around his neck and hugs him close as he lifts her up into the air. He spins her around gently once before setting her down. They come up for air and pant heavily from their battle against the knights and guard along their passion for one another. Ben cups her cheek tenderly and brushes his lips against hers again before pressing his forehead against hers.
"This feels like…" he begins.
"...home," she finishes.
They both chuckle softly before kissing again. This is what their journeys had been leading to...what they've been wanting for so long. And now they finally get to be together.
"Stand together...DIE TOGETHER!" the Emperor screams, breaking the peaceful moment between Rey and Ben.
Emperor Palpatine raises his arms as Ben and Rey turn to face him. They raise their lightsabers as one and deflect against the attack. The lightning coming from the Emperor's fingertips strikes off to the side. Rey and Ben stand strong together, staring down the Emperor. He growls and raises his arms again for another attack, pushing more lightning out with a howl. Ben and Rey cross their lightsabers and hold steady against the incoming lightning. Rey's heart races as she feels Ben's arm slide around her waist.
"I'm with you Rey," he whispers, giving her a gentle squeeze.
"I'm with you Ben," she whispers back as she leans into him.
The lightning hits their crossed sabers and bounces back directly at Emperor Palpatine. It hits him square in the chest and he screams. His painful cries fill the entire room but Ben and Rey do not let up. They hold true and continue pushing the lightning away into the horrid man before them. With one last scream, the lightning consumes the Emperor and a huge explosion occurs, knocking Rey and Ben back. Ben lands first and pulls Rey close, cushioning her fall so she lands on his chest. He holds her as tightly as he can to protect her from any aftershocks of the blast.
After the dust clears and silence fills the room, Rey shifts against Ben's chest. He carefully sits up and they look at one another. Rey slides her hand along his chest and around to his neck. She pulls him into a tight embrace and he returns it without hesitation. They hold each other for a long time. Rey pulls back slightly and hears Ben whimper slightly at the loss of contact. Tears threaten to spill out of both their eyes. Ben places a free hand on her cheek and strokes it lovingly. Rey closes her eyes as she nuzzles her face into his hand, kissing his palm as she holds his hand against her cheek.
"I knew you'd come Ben," she whispers softly.
Her eyes open and she uses her free hand to brush his hair out of his face gently. She sighs as she feels his thumb softly stroking her back up and down. A smile spreads across Ben's face as his eyes pool with tears.
"I'll always come for you Rey. You are my everything," he whispers back.
Rey smiles and chokes back a sob. Her heart feels so complete with Ben finally here with her the way she had seen in visions. She had been hoping for so long that he would return to her. Knowing they have found each other at last, they lean forward into a soft yet passionate kiss...no more words needing to be said at this moment. They are home.