Thanks for the reviews DS2010, Guest, and burketeresa4! No, this is not the end of the story burketeresa4, there is more to come yet :)

Rey wandered through the bookshelves of the castle's library, scanning the titles of books for anything remotely helpful. She had known coming here would be a lost cause but she wanted the illusion of doing something. She couldn't just sit in the ship and wait for the earth to crack underneath her. At least this way she could feel like she was doing something productive. And besides, maybe the answers she was looking for were inside one of these books. Somehow, however, Rey doubted that was the case.

If Rey had learned one thing from Luke and Leia it was that most parts of being a Jedi couldn't be learned from reading a book. There was no step-by-step guide to being a Jedi and Rey suspected the same was true of finding balance in their dyad. Sometimes, this knowledge made her want to scream into void at the Force ghosts she knew had to be listening. They knew what she needed to do so why didn't they just tell her? If the Daughter was really on her side then why didn't she help her?

Rey sighed out loud and pulled a random book off the shelf, rifling through it, before putting it back. Her thoughts flitted back to Kylo Ren and she wondered what he was doing. She felt a strong desire to return to him and quickly pushed it away. No, she had to focus. She couldn't get distracted; she needed to get them out of here. That was all that mattered.

He wanted to kiss you, a voice whispered in the back on her mind. And you almost let him.

No, Rey shook her head, pulling another book out of the shelf and forcing herself to read the title. It was another book on the ancient Force wielders of the planet Atoa. Not relevant.

Maybe, she should have asked Ren for help, Rey thought to herself before catching herself again. No, she needed to distance herself from him. They were getting too close for comfort and she did not want to give him the wrong idea. They might be a dyad but that didn't mean their relationship should be anything more than platonic. They could be friends, at best. Although even that seemed doubtful at times.

Rey groaned and shoved the book back on the shelf, pushing it so hard that the sound echoed through the entire room.

Even if she were ready for...that kind of relationship...she wouldn't pick Kylo Ren. It would be madness to fall in love with a man who had killed his own father just the year before. A man who had committed genocide, kidnapped her and hunted her across the galaxy...

No, if she did want to have a relationship with someone...which she didn't...she would pick someone like...someone like...

Rey pulled out another book and forced herself to skim the contents. She flipped through the book, unseeing, and then put it back.

Why did she think of him as Kylo Ren? His name was Ben Solo. She'd told him, and she believed, that Ben Solo was Kylo Ren...so why did she play along with his alter ego delusions?

Because you want them to be different people, the pesky voice in the back of her head whispered. You want to believe that somewhere inside of him there is a Ben Solo untainted by the crimes of Kylo Ren. And why do you want to believe that?

Shut up, Rey thought to herself, pushing these thoughts out of her head.

There were a million and one reasons to keep some distance from Kylo Ren or Ben Solo...whoever he was. And now that she thought of it, the fact that he couldn't even stand to refer to himself by his own name was one of them. How could a relationship with him ever end in anything but heartbreak? She had realized the hard way she couldn't turn him to the Light Side and even if she did...how was he supposed to live any kind of normal life after what he had done? He would have to live with the knowledge that he killed his own father and countless other innocent people for the rest of his life. It was no wonder, really, that he clung to the Darkness and insisted it was the only way. To return to the Light Side would be excruciatingly painful.

But then so was his existence now. Rey could feel the crushing weight of his torment every day and it was exhausting. But this, Rey realized with a sinking heart, was how it was always going to be. She would always feel what he felt because he was the other half of her dyad. His destiny was her destiny.

Rey ran her hands over her face, panic gripping her heart. The ground was, literally and metaphorically, cracking apart under her very feet and there was nothing she could do to stop it. It was the most powerless feeling in the world.

But no, the little voice perked up once more. She wasn't powerless. This was exactly the kind of situation Rey knew how to deal with. She had lived her entire life on hope alone and she had survived. Now, if she hoped for balance in the Force...if she dared to hope that Ben would one day come back to the Light Side...maybe, just maybe, she might get through this.

Fear filled Rey's stomach and Rey looked back in the direction she knew the Falcon to be in. She had hoped Ben would turn again. In fact, she had bet her life on it. And she had been let down. Was it really a good idea to revive that hope? Was it logical?

No, it wasn't logical. Rey realized. But maybe sometimes...it was better to hold onto an improbable hope than to give up.

Ben's face swam in front of her eyes, his expression so soft and vulnerable. Her heart squeezed uncomfortably at the thought of him. This man wasn't evil. He had been abused his entire life by a voice in his head that told him he would never measure up. He was sad and scared and lonely and if she gave up on him then what chance did they have at finding balance in their dyad?

Maybe this was the first step to finding balance - beginning to hope again.

Ren woke up to Rey's hand on his shoulder and inhaled sharply, his mind struggling to reorient itself. Rey pulled him into a hug and they sat like that for a while until the nausea passed and Ren's breathing returned to normal. This had become their morning routine and Ren had to admit there were worse ways to wake up. He would go through a million nightmares just to get a single hug from Rey if that's what it took.

Rey finally pulled back and smiled at him. Ren held her forearms, not wanting her to leave yet. She was like a drug; no matter how much time he spent with her, he wanted more. No matter how close she got, he wanted her closer.

"Good morning." Rey said, and Ren couldn't help but smile back at her. He had been doing that lately. Smiling. At first it had felt odd - as if he were doing something ridiculous. But sometimes it was just hard not to smile at Rey.

"How do you know it's a good morning?" Ren asked, and Rey laughed.

To his great disappointment, she stood up and crossed her arms. "It better be a good morning." She warned, pointing a finger at him.

He wanted to tell her not to leave but he bit his tongue, choosing to follow her into the kitchen instead. They made coffee and took it outside, sitting down on a couple of boulders. The castle loomed above them, casting shade over parts of the grove in which they sat.

"You slept a full five hours." Rey said, clearly pleased with this outcome.

"Did I?" Ren asked. He couldn't help but notice the benefit of the added sleep himself. His head felt clearer and he was remarkably more calm. It had been so long since he'd slept properly, he had completely forgotten what it felt like.

"You feel different." Rey said, looking at him curiously. "Like in the Force I mean."

Ren looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. "Are you going to go back to the library today?" He asked, to change the subject.

Rey sighed. "I don't know." She replied. "I just don't know if there's anything in there that can help us."

"Well you won't get any complaints from me." Ren replied.

Rey shot him a withering look and Ren felt his lips turn up in amusement. "You know..." He said, an irresistible idea forming in his mind. "My offer to teach you still stands." He said.

Rey blinked, her expression conflicted.

"Maybe it'll help us find balance." Ren said, despite inwardly finding the idea laughable.

Rey seemed to see through his attempt to convince her as well because she narrowed her eyes at him. "What would you teach me? How to use the Dark Side?"

"How to use a lightsaber." Ren said, despite the voice inside of him that exalted at the prospect of showing her what it felt like to use the Dark Side.

"Right..." Rey said skeptically.

"Your form could use some work." Ren said, ignoring the dirty look Rey was now giving him. "You have a lot of natural talent but you're sloppy. Also, you don't plan ahead. You just jump in without thinking about what the other person is going to do. One day that kind of attitude is going to get you killed and I'm not going to let that happen."

Rey stood up. "Thanks for the unsolicited advice but I already have a teacher. Your mother."

Ren couldn't help but wince at this, but he stood up anyway, refusing to give up yet. "You don't know when you'll see her again. We're at war, you can't afford to take this long of a break from your training."

"Ben, I don't want to be subjected to any of your Dark Side teaching methods." Rey said, and Ren could tell she was starting to get exasperated.

"Or maybe you're just afraid you might actually learn something." Ren said and Rey crossed her arms. He was really pushing his luck now.

"I beat you the first time I picked up a lightsaber." Rey snapped, and Ren couldn't help but cringe internally at the reminder of that night. He wished he could block that entire night out of his memory forever.

"I was distracted." He said. "And Chewie had just shot me with his bowcaster. You never would have beaten me otherwise."

"You don't know that." Rey said, a stubborn pride in her eyes.

"Prove me wrong." Ren taunted. "Fight me right now."

"I don't have a lightsaber." Rey said.

"You didn't have a lightsaber that night either." Ren said. Rey met his eyes and he felt her understanding through the Force.

He knew what she was going to do before she did it. In fact, it was exactly what he had been goading her to do. Anakin's lightsaber detached itself from his belt and flew through the air towards Rey. Ren caught it mid flight, the lightsaber caught hovering between the two of them. This brought back another memory he wished he could forget.

Distracted by the memory, Ren realized a second too late that his own lightsaber had now detached itself from his belt and was flying towards Rey's other outstretched hand. Rey dropped her hold on Anakin's lightsaber and it flew back into Ren's hand just as his own was caught by Rey. Rey lit his lightsaber, the red light burning like fire in her hands.

Ren blinked, shocked, before he turned on Anakin's lightsaber just in time to block a blow from Rey. Ren felt his heart soar with exhilaration as they began the deadly dance. He felt more alive than he had in a long time. The Force burned through him, setting every nerve of his body on fire. How many nights had he dreamed of fighting Rey again? Not to beat her or to capture her but just to fight with her. To feel her Force signature moving in a kind of rhythm with his own.

Rey, he could tell, felt the same way. He could feel her fiery determination through the Force. She loved the thrill of the fight just as much as he did. They were the same.

Ren moved on the offensive, speeding up his movements. Rey blocked him at every point, as if she could sense where he was going before he moved. And probably, she could. Because he could sense her intentions too. Their connection heightened the cues they would normally get from the Force until it felt as if they were moving almost as one. It was a continuous back and forth that was somehow both adversarial and coordinated.

"You've improved." Ren said, in between blows and Rey rolled her eyes.

"What did you think I was doing this past year?" Rey shot back.

"Hiding from me." Ren said, and Rey faltered for just a split second.

Ren seized the opportunity and quickly pinned her against the boulder, his lightsaber pointed at her neck. Rey stared at him, her eyes wide, and panting. Ren leaned in closer, his eyes roving over her face and landing on her mouth.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was kissing her. He felt Rey's shock and, to his own disbelief, desire through the Force. She kissed him back, a kind of hunger in the kiss that he had not expected from her.

But then, in an instant, her Force signature changed and she froze. He felt cold fear fill her and she pulled back, her eyes wide and horrified.

"No." She muttered, stumbling away from him. "No. This isn't happening. This can't happen. Do you hear me?"

"I don't understand-" Ren began, a sickening feeling growing inside of him. "I felt you want it-"

"I can't Ben!" Rey cried, her hands beginning to shake as she took two more steps away from him.

"Why not?" Ren asked, desperately.

Rey began to shake her head again, a look of panic on her face. "You're the Supreme Leader of the First Order." She said, as if it were obvious. "I'm part of an organization dedicated to bringing about your downfall."

"I don't care." Ren said, tightening his hands into fists to stop them from shaking.

"I do!" Rey cried. "I can't...you're my enemy. You've hurt my friends and killed innocent people. I can't just...ignore that!"

Ren felt like he had been punched in the gut and he struggled to breathe. "I thought...I thought we were starting to move past that-"

"Ben..." Rey begged, and Ren realized numbly she had unshed tears in her eyes. "I can't."

Ren felt a wave of crushing despair roll over him as she turned and left. He watched her go, feeling more empty than ever.