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Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Never have, never will. I simply play in their world.

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"He chose the

sweetest words to

get her heart,

and the most

poisonous actions to

break it."

-Zana

Rey

I look up at Ben, the stubborn set of his jaw tells me he's grinding his teeth together, the flash of black fire in his gaze a sign that he's holding onto his temper but just barely.

"Ben," my heart is squeezing so tight I feel like I'm slowly drowning, "what have you done?"

"What I must to end this war."

This crushing weight and I can't breath, I can't listen to what he's telling me.

His arm around my waist feels like a prison now.

I shove at him and rip his cloak from my body, stumbling to get away.

"No...No!"

He's reaching for me and I'm backing up. I can't believe we're going through this again.

"Rey listen to me-"

"No!" Tears burn in the back of my eyes but I refuse to let them fall as I gaze at this man I once had a mind to give my heart to.

A second chance to prove that he is the man I believed him to be.

"Don't speak. Whatever you're about to say is just excuses and I don't want to hear them!"

A red haze across my vision as anger spikes in my blood and my head is pounding.

My heart is screaming at me to go back, to not give up on him.

But I'm done listening to my heart it has led me astray for the last time.

The words I thought to speak, the confession I thought to make that had seemed so right dies like ash in the wake of rage at his deceit.

"I...what was all of this to you? A diversion to keep me complacent while you tracked down my friends like animals!"

He's moving towards me and I can't bear to look at him a moment longer and I flee for the stairs, vaulting over them so that I land next to his workbench.

The remnants of our meal and the tea he made for me nothing but a mockery now and I snap my hand out and our...no...my saber is in my grip.

I hear movement and I pivot, igniting the hilt so that the white walls are cast in blue shadows.

I see the shock cross his face and regret is a bitter taste in the back of my throat.

"I'm leaving. My friends have come for me."

"Are you certain they're here for you? I recall them leaving you in the desert to save their own skins."

Goading words and I clench my jaw as fury washes over me.

So much for peace. So much for...love.

Illusions, all of it.

I can't believe I...

"They didn't leave me! I told them to run. I gave myself up so they could get away and complete the mission."

He moves up the stairs, his dark eyes fixed on me and despite the saber I have leveled at him he continues to climb.

"What mission would that be? To find the emperor's wayfinder? To lead the Resistance to Exegol?"

My mind goes blank at his barrage of questions and unwillingly I look at the dagger. The one that only Threepio could read.

"You...you've read the runes..."

"You forget I am Sith Rey, of course I can read them. But," my attention snaps back to him and the dangerous purr in his voice, "you knew that coming here. So tell me, who is deceiving who?"

"I-"

His eyes narrow and the cold, remorseless stare of a Sith gazes back at me. His hand lifts and I bring my saber to deflect but he's faster and I'm shoved back from the stairs.

He vaults over the last remaining few, pivoting as I regain ground, his saber ablaze in his hand.

Blue and red clash against the walls creating hazy shadows.

We face each other with our weapons drawn but it seems that he is just as reluctant as I am to actually start this battle.

"I don't want to fight you Rey."

If only I could believe that.

"Then let me go."

A sigh, such a simple sound and yet the heaviness of it, as if I somehow dealt him a mortal blow.

"How many times are you going to run away from this Rey?"

A whisper across my mind, lighter than a spring breeze but the emotion behind it familiar.

It's Finn and somehow, someway, he's trying to contact me.

My concentration splits between Ben and Finn and I should have remembered all of our lessons together from the beginning.

Never show weakness to your opponent, it leaves opportunity for attack.

My distraction costs me and he moves with such speed that his hand thrusts in my face before I have time to even counter.

My vision blurs, my legs weakening.

"B-Ben," I'm fighting but his command of the Force is overwhelming me, "don't..."

My saber falls as I lose grip on consciousness but not before I feel him catch me in his arms, his voice low and speaking words I can't understand but his emotions flow through our Bond.

Anguish and regret.

You lied...you told me you're a Sith...but you're still Ben...

My hold on reality splinters and I tumble into the void.

…..

My head is reeling as I claw my way back from the darkness, my mouth dry and a sickly metallic taste in the back of my throat.

There is no sound, only deafening silence. Gritting my teeth I open my eyes and shake off the effects from his Force trick.

I'm cold from lying on the ground, my limbs stiff but my fingers brush against a familiar object.

The lightsaber that I dropped when Ben pushed me into unconsciousness.

I snatch it up and don't give myself time to think why he didn't take it when he had the chance.

I feel like I've forgotten something.

The more I think about it the more it slips away and it's like trying to grasp at water with your bare hands.

A feathered touch across my mind, lighter than a whisper, softer than a breeze.

Whatever I have forgotten fades as I concentrate on that feathered touch.

It comes again and with it a current of emotions and a familiar presence.

Finn, trying to reach me through the Force.

It's not like the connection I have with Ben where I can speak mind-to-mind with him. This is more like an echo.

I feel his urgency and sense that I need to be somewhere.

I have to breathe, focus my will and concentrate solely on Finn. The connection is tenuous and it's up to me to strengthen it.

Finn, I reach for him through the Force, where are you?

A flood of emotions that had I not already been on my knees would have knocked me flat on my back.

A rush of surprise, the spike of adrenaline as excitement takes over quickly shifting into concern and the acrid tang of fear.

I have to shut him down before he overloads me.

I don't understand...when Ben and I touch minds it's never like this.

I feel his emotions and he feels mine but not this chaos.

Finn's is a drowning torrent of rain while Ben's is the calm depth of the ocean.

I can't think about that now. Ben is gone, hunting them on his own ship and I don't have time to wonder about the difference.

I wade through Finn's emotions, clenching my jaw as they batter my mind and narrow my concentration to a single thought.

Where are you.

The roar of his emotions is still fluctuating but from them a single, clear image appears for a fraction of a second.

Falcon.

Relief makes me shake as I get to my feet using the workbench for leverage.

They've found the Falcon. I know where I need to be.

I'm on my way.

I don't wait for Finn's reply. I don't think I can take another barrage of his emotions and shut down the connection between us.

Blesses silence in my head and I can breath easier now.

My fingers brush something cold and hard and the echo of screams that touches my soul makes me flinch and snatch my hand back.

I stare at Ochi's dagger and I can't imagine how Ben could have held it long enough to read the runes carved into it.

Maybe it reacts differently to a Sith?

"He's not a Sith!"

My snarling denial reverberates around the room, startling me.

Where had that come from?

"I'm losing my goddamn mind."

With a disgusted sigh I grab the dagger as screams carve hollows into my bones.

"I don't have time for this," I growl as I shove it into the pocket of my pants, "so shut the hell up!"

The screams go abruptly silent and a weight is lifted off of me.

"Finally."

Time to go find my friends and complete our mission. That should have been my priority all along.

Not chasing ghosts.

Or useless feelings of love.

The door won't open.

"Damn it Ben, I am never going to forgive you for this!"

I am not some bird he can put in a cage!

I could try and find the hidden access panel and override the commands but that would take too long and I don't know how much of head start he has on me.

Thoughts of shoving my saber through the door and cracking it like an egg come to mind and I step back, intending to do just that.

It's better than standing around doing absolutely nothing.

"You've underestimated me Ben Solo if you think you can keep me trapped here."

The door slides open just as I'm about to execute my plan and I nearly drop my saber when I see the person on the other side.

General Hux is staring at me with ill-concealed disdain.

"Do you intend to stand there gaping at me like some lackwit?"

I don't relax my stance, instead I tighten my grip as I face him.

"What are you doing here?"

He lifts an eyebrow at me and brushes a piece of lint off of his jacket, seemingly bored with my less-than-welcoming tone.

I note that his left hand is still wrapped in bandages.

"Freeing you. Oh don't give me that look and let's go."

He turns his back to me and walks away and I feel like the lackwit he just called me.

He glances over his shoulder and the sneer in his voice spikes my temper to murderous degree's.

"Are all Resistance fighters this slow or is it just silly little girls from Jakku? I said let's go. I don't have all day."

I move away from Ben's quarters and follow him despite my instincts telling me to gut him and run.

This has to be trap.

"Why would you of all people be helping me?"

"Honestly I'm surrounded by idiots."

He pinches the bridge of his nose and halts with warning so that I have to backpedal before I run into him.

"Don't you get it? I'm the spy. Now enough of your irritating questions. I've diverted the guards from this sector and we haven't much time to get you to your...ugh...friends."

I'm dreaming. I'm still asleep from when Ben knocked me out and I'm hallucinating all of this.

It's the only plausible explanation.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on!"

"Why, for once, can't I find a civilized person who understands intelligent conversation."

If he insults me one more time I swear I'm going to take a page out of Ben's book and start breaking bones.

We'll see how civilized he is after he stops screaming.

"Fine. I can see you're not going trust me so I will use small words to make you understand. I passed on the information to the Resistance telling them about the First Orders plans. I am also the one who contacted your allies and told them where to find you. So unless you like being Ren's prisoner and want to be handed over to the emperor like some sacrificial beast, I suggest we get moving."

I level my saber inches from his face before he can take a single step.

"Oh for heaven's sake, what now?"

"How can you expect me to believe a man who spent his entire life serving the First Order has turned traitor and join our cause?"

"I'm not doing it for your cause. I don't care about this ridiculous war any longer."

Now I'm really confused.

"Then why?"

He turns and I have to lower my saber or risk decapitating him and I still want answers.

"I have only one goal now," his eyes take on a feral gleam, the kind that I've seen in rabid animals just before they strike, "to hurt Kylo Ren."

I take a step back, the malice radiating off of him making me sick to my stomach.

He doesn't seem to notice and that hectic gleam only glows brighter.

"I've been studying him for a year now, trying to find a weakness that I can exploit and I've finally found it."

There is something insane in his eyes. But it is a cold, calculating insanity.

"You. You are his one weakness. Every time you run from him, every time you escape him I get the satisfaction of watching him die a little more."

I'm...I'm killing Ben?

I shake my head refusing to believe the ranting of a madman.

"You're wrong."

The fanatic gleam in his eyes fades and he seems to come back to himself. He shrugs his shoulder at me and readjusts his collar.

"I don't care if you believe me. I know I'm right."

I hear the sound of metal on metal and Hux and I turn at the same time to see a Stormtrooper round the corner.

He stops and stares at us.

"General Hux this is a restricted area. You do not have the authority to be here."

He lifts his wrist to speak into his comm.

"Sir I have-ah!"

A charred hole in his chest and the trooper falls, dead before he even hits the ground.

I stare at Hux who removed a small, hidden pistol and took out the trooper.

"I had this customized," he's speaking to me as if discussing the weather, "small but able to shred armor as if it were paper. Now let's go."

He moves quickly down the corridor and I have no choice but to follow him.

You...running from him...dies a little more...

I can't get his words out of my head, squeezing my heart until I hear it breaking beneath the pressure.

It can't be true.

It just can't be...

Because that's exactly what I'm doing now.

We've come to a juncture and I'm surprised we haven't run into any more guards since the last one.

Hux's comm goes off.

"General, Resistance fighter spotted heading for hanger seven, we believe they're trying to escape on the embargoed ship."

Hux pulls the comm from his wrist and looks me dead in the eye as he brings it to his mouth.

"Well go after them you idiots! Wait...no I've spotted the scavenger, she's trying to escape. I want all troops to the eastern hanger now!"

It is a trap and I bring my saber up to defend myself.

He sighs and drops the comm crushing it beneath his boot.

"You've got two minutes to make it to hanger seven. Follow the yellow tracks of light and you'll reach your ship. Now go and don't let me catch you in my sight again."

"But you just called for troops."

"Yes," a nasty smile on his lips, "so I did. Completely in the wrong direction I might add." He takes a few steps in the opposite direction and I don't like it.

"Wait...where are you going?"

He stops and twists his head in my direction, rolling his eyes dismissively at me.

"Why to inform the Supreme Leader of your impending escape. I'll have him so turned around that'll you'll be gone from this system before he can blink. When he's learned you've escaped him again...well I can think of no finer reward than his pain."

Once again he turns his back to me.

I don't care if he's helping me, I've had enough.

I turn off my saber and reverse the grip and before he can so much as blink I slam the end into the side of his head.

He crumples to the ground, blood pooling at the temple.

"Thanks but I don't need your help."

I take the left path and follow the yellow lights.

At least he hadn't been lying about that. I round the corners, keeping an eye out for the guards.

For Ben.

I can feel him inside me, a strange burning light that let's me know he's alive but nothing more.

I can't seem to track him.

Hanger seven is straight ahead and I don't like the fact that I've not run into opposition.

This is too easy and I can't shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong.

I burst into the hanger and come to a dead stop.

There is nothing in here. No ship, no Finn or Poe or even Chewie.

Just the hull doors opened into empty space as chilling air rushes in.

"I tried to tell you Rey. They didn't come for you."

I swallow hard and turn at the sound of his cold, distorted voice.

Kylo Ren is standing in the doorway, his mask in place and his saber glowing in the dimly lit space.

Stormtroopers file in with their blasters leveled at me.

Kylo Ren before me and nothing but the midnight sky behind me.

I was right all along.

This was a trap.