Author's Note: Happy New Year Reylo family! I'm a day early with the update. Yay! You guys are seriously amazing. Thank you again for each and every comment, they put a smile on my face and keep me plugging away. Writing is so much a battle for finding and keeping the motivation flowing, and you are all seriously helping with that.

The heat is dialed back a little here to allow us to fan ourselves a bit, but don't worry… more to come 😉 Next update by Sunday.


Rey was thankful for Ben's silence as she tried to find the best way to diffuse the situation.

"The last time I saw you," Finn said, now settling for pointing his finger at Ben, since Poe had snatched away his blaster, "You were trying to kill her!"

I was never trying to kill her.

"Like hell you weren't! You were swinging a damned lightsaber at her!"

Rey put a hand up, trying to stop the argument while struggling to keep her own voice calm. "Ben had me beaten on Kef Bir but didn't strike me down. I was the aggressor. And I regret it."

She couldn't look at Ben as she spoke those words. She was not ready to face the shame of that moment quite yet and was glad when Finn moved on quickly.

"Okay, that's all well and good," Finn said, gesticulating wildly. "But he's still Kylo Ren. Supreme Leader of the First Order, Rey!"

She rubbed her temples in frustration. "Were you even listening when I told you what really happened on Exegol? This is not Kylo Ren. This is Ben Solo!"

Poe stepped into the fray with an expression of utter exasperation. "Excuse me, sorry to interrupt here… but I still can't see anyone except two of my friends who have completely lost their minds."

Finn ignored the comment. He was standing eerily still, fists clenched, glaring at Ben's ghostly blue outline. "What are you doing here?"

I'm not doing anything, I'm – Rey cut him off quickly, not trusting him to carry this conversation to a calm destination.

"Ben hasn't done anything that I haven't asked him to do," she said.

Poe and Rose shared confused looks, with Rose finally speaking up. "Wait, Kylo … err, Ben Solo is here?" she asked, then turned to Finn to answer her second question. "And you can see him?"

Finn nodded tensely, his icy stare thawing a bit under their questioning gaze. "I've been trying to tell you for days, Rey," he said. "I feel, I can feel things. I think I've been feeling the Force."

"Perfect," Rey said with a desperate sigh. "This is not how I wanted this to go."

"What did you expect, a welcome party for him?" Finn had his arms crossed now, still glaring.

"Can someone please explain what the hell is going on here?" Poe looked to the empty space that Finn seemed to be glaring at. "Let me rephrase that, can someone I can see please explain?"

Rey sucked in a deep breath, grabbing for Ben's hand for support and started in on the explanation she should have given them all from the beginning. Ben Solo had sacrificed himself to save her. They were two halves of one whole, a Dyad in the Force. And after Ben's death, it became clear that he wasn't really gone. He was stuck somewhere, in a place between life and death, but their Bond anchored him nearby, allowing him short visits as a Force Ghost. He is physically able to interact with her and the world for short periods of time and since it seems Finn is Force sensitive, he is able to see Ben, too.

"I think these remaining Sith Loyalists may be after the power our Dyad can bring. I just have no idea what they want it for."

When she finished the explanation, she was out of breath, leaving her three friends staring open-mouthed, a tight-lipped Ben still gripping her hand.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you were kissing him!" Finn snapped.

"Come on, Finn," Rose said, laying a hand on his arm.

He ripped out of her grasp. "No, I want to hear what she has to say!"

But Rey was livid now. Ben Solo had died for her and Finn refused to even respect his sacrifice. "I don't need to explain myself to you!" Her voice echoed off the enormous tree trunks surrounding them, causing a few roosting birds to burst from the nearby foliage in search of a calmer perch.

She recognized the rage coursing through her and a cold chill crawled across her skin. It caused her to step back, away from everyone to collect herself. Before… well, before something happened.

She felt a tiny soothing ripple of Force from the Bond, a warmth to thaw the chill of the dark side. She didn't need to be reminded of how close it lingered to the surface of her emotions. But Ben was there, with her now, continuing to send comfort. He understood. He had always understood.

After a few calming breaths she returned, clasping Ben's hand again and looking out at her friend's questioning faces.

She didn't have to explain herself to Finn, no, but Ben deserved to be spoken for. She cleared her throat, found some control over her voice, and offered the explanation Ben deserved. "I care about him." She was going to stop there, but when she stole a sidelong glance at Ben and saw the way his eyes had softened, she kept going. "And yes, I was kissing him. If that is a problem, let's talk about it now."

She felt a swell of pride crash through the Force and she didn't miss the self-satisfied expression on Ben's face.

Poe, Rose, and Finn stood completely still for a moment.

It was Rose who finally broke the tense silence. "Where is he?" she asked.

Rey pointed to where Ben stood at her side, clutching her hand. Rose approached and straightened her shoulders before speaking into the space she thought he was occupying. "Thank you for bringing our friend back to us."

A peace offering.

Ben smiled faintly. I couldn't image living with half of a soul. He looked down at Rey with such an expression of longing, she had to swallow against the emotion clamping down on her throat.

"He said – "

Rey began to translate, but Finn cut in, "He said, 'I couldn't imagine living with half of a soul.'" Finn's scowl had tempered noticeably by the time he'd finished repeating Ben's words.

"I'm not sure this could get any more awkward," Poe said.

"You're the ones making this awkward," Rose said with a fire in her tone. "Rey wants us to trust Ben. And I trust Rey. End of story."

"Okay, but you weren't tortured by the guy," Poe said, crossing his arms.

"And almost killed by him," Finn added under his breath.

Rey shot the two of them a look as sharp as a Sith dagger. "Leia's final act was to appear to Ben, to help him find this World Between Worlds, so he could have a hope of coming back. She never gave up on him."

A low blow to bring up Leia, but it deflated their tempers, the anger and disgust melting away from their expressions.

But Rey wasn't finished yet. She shared what she'd told Rose last night, of Palpatine's manipulation since Ben was a child. Of the unfortunate events of Luke's temple, of how Ben felt he had nowhere to go but to Snoke, and she repeated the details of Leia's last attempt to reach her son, and how Ben had listened. Without him, they would all have been destroyed by Palpatine.

It was completely dark now and Rey flicked on her lightsaber to see her friend's reactions.

"I'm still not sure someone like him deserves a second chance, no matter what Leia thought." Poe's voice was hopelessly unforgiving as he pulled his flashlight from his belt.

A vibration, like a plucked string pulled at their Bond and Rey knew what that meant.

Finn stepped closer to Ben, standing face to face now. Rey felt herself tense as she watched him eye Ben up and down. Ben stood tall, but kept his face neutral as he stared back. Finally, Finn spoke. "If the Force has chosen him to carry out its plan, then maybe we should see how this plays out."

Rey let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She offered Poe an expectant look, wanting see how this proclamation had affected him, but she was distracted by the sudden loss of Ben's warmth. When she looked down at her hand, it was empty and Ben was gone.

She should be happy he'd been with her for so long. Hours this time, but still, the feeling of the Bond being torn apart was hard to bear. It was the lack of control that was the most difficult in all of this.

Finn's expression changed from grudging acceptance to confusion in seconds. "Where did he go?"

Rey twisted at the fabric of her armbands, trying not to think too hard about how long it might be until she saw him again. "This is how it's been. We get only moments together, before the Force rips him away again."

Finn chewed the inside of his lip as he studied her deflated expression. "Rey," he said, shoulders heaving in a sigh, "I'm sorry. I do trust you, I really do. And if you care about… about Ben. Then we'll figure out how to help you." His voice still carried an edge of reluctance, but it was a start.

He glanced at Rose, who was nodding eagerly, and Poe, who looked slightly less enthused, but possibly willing to be dragged along into this.

"We do this together," Finn said, echoing a promise from days ago when they'd embarked on a different adventure.

Finn extended his arms, and she walked into them easily. Of course, she would forgive him, they'd come so far and at least he was trying to understand.

As the three walked back toward the hangar, she elbowed Finn in the side, trying to change the subject away from Ben. "So when were you planning on telling me about, you know?"

"I tried, it just never seemed like the right time."

Poe stopped in front of them on the path, slapping his hands against his knees. "Is that what you were going to tell her when we were in the sinking sands? Damn, that's been bothering me for a week."

A collective laugh rippled through the group, putting them at ease as they finished the walk back to the base.


Rey had finished dinner and helped her friends wrap up the day's duties. It was late by the time she moved to the main hangar where Chewie was tinkering around the underbelly of a particularly testy A-wing. The Wookiee had been quiet since Leia had passed, and was grieving the only way he knew how, by falling into his work.

Rey, Finn, Rose, and Poe were gathered around, lounging on crates and overturned buckets, sharing a bottle of Chandrilan Raava that one of the Free Worlds had sent as a thank you. Rey had hoped to avoid any more talk of Ben for the rest of the night, allowing them to settle into a comfortable acceptance before she broached the subject again. So far, she'd been successful, with the conversation now turning back to Finn's revelation about being able to sense the Force.

"I thought it was just you, I was sensing. You know, a best friend thing," he said, smiling and holding up his cup in salute. "But when I could feel Ren coming for you on Pasaana, I knew there was more to it."

Poe nodded, taking another sip from his own cup. "I wonder sometimes if the Force has guided me, too. It always feels like so much of what I do in the cockpit is instinct, but maybe there's more to it than that."

This was the first time she'd ever heard Poe Dameron acknowledge something abstract, something beyond his own skill as a pilot.

Rose was nodding along. "I've always felt like there was some kind of plan to all this." And Rey didn't miss the way she ran her fingers along the edge of her medallion.

They were enjoying each other's company, each other's friendship, and it felt good. She only wished Ben could be here, too. And she couldn't help but wonder if, over time, he would build friendships too.

Her chest tightened with longing, not realizing how important it was to her that he had that chance.

She took another swig of the Raava. It was sweet and hot going down, warming her insides and loosening her tongue.

"Have you guys ever heard of the Great Tree?" she asked, not bothering to segue smoothly into the new topic.

Chewie growled a response from below the ship's belly, rolling out from under the A-wing to join the conversation. "Large tree near Kerritamba Village. Sacred."

"No, I don't think it's the one on Kashyyyk," Rey said. "The text mentioned a Force-sensitive tree, whose roots could peer into the World Between Worlds."

Poe perked up suddenly, eyes wide. "The Great Tree huh?" he said, "You know, that damned tree's caused me a scat-load of trouble, if we're being completely honest."

A mischievous smile spread across his face as he basked in their obvious shock. Rey had to admit, she wasn't actually expecting anyone to knowabout the tree.

Poe took a sip of Raava through smug lips and started in on his story. "They're also called Uneti trees. One used to grow on Coruscant, at the center of the Jedi Temple before it was destroyed. Luke Skywalker managed to find a fragment of the tree that the Empire had kept hidden. He and my mom retrieved the cutting and planted it in our front yard. It's probably still there on Yavin IV."

Finn's disbelieving look made Rey laugh at loud.

"I'm not kidding. I had to nurse that thing back to health when I was a kid after an unfortunate accident with a couple of jury-rigged pod-racing engines."

Rose leaned forward with the raise of an eyebrow. "Nearly burning down an ancient, Force-sensitive tree after enacting some dangerously hare-brained plan?" She shook her head in mock disbelief. "Doesn't sound like you at all."

This time they all laughed and Poe raised his glass in a silent request for a toast. "To more hare-brained schemes."

Chewie growled his agreement.

"Many more," Rey said, raising her own glass as the other's echoed the toast.

After they drank to Poe's toast and their laughs had settled down a bit, Finn asked the question they were probably all thinking. "What do we need this Great Tree for?"

"In one of the Jedi texts, there are some passages about the tree being a way to peer into the World Between Worlds," she said. "There may be a way to get Ben back. But it's not just that. Ben senses something dark and Master Luke had a feeling a fight was coming. Something is wrong and it might all be related."

The drink seemed to be hitting Finn as his voice had shot up a few volume levels. "And today you just happened to read a passage about how the Great Tree could be of some help, and Poe just happened to have this same tree planted in his front yard?" Finn looked up, as if speaking to the universe. "Tell me the Force isn't real!"

Rose nodded in agreement, but Poe seemed especially interested in the bottom of his drink, swirling it around and staring at the contents. He repeated this process, alternating swirling and staring, swirling and staring until suddenly, he slammed the cup down on a nearby toolbox and leaned forward. "I can't believe I'm going to do this. But, I owe this to Leia. If the Force wants us to help her son, maybe we should."

Better late than never, Rey thought. Instead, she bit back the comment and thanked him gracefully.

He mumbled into his cup and downed the last of his Raava. "I guess it helps that I won't be able to see him."

"I wish I had that luxury," Finn muttered, taking another long draught.

Rey shifted uncomfortably. So much for avoiding the Ben subject for the night.

"You guys, come on. Can't you see how awkward this is for Rey?" Rose said. "You're talking about him like she's not even here."

Rey waved the comments away. "It's okay, Rose. I get it. He's done some terrible things."

"Yes, but you said it was Palpatine in his head the whole time." She shot the two men a disappointed look. "At least you two could give him a chance to prove himself. You of all people should understand second chances. And it's obvious she cares about him."

They both softened under Rose's hard gaze and the truth of what she was saying.

"I just don't get it, Rey," Finn said, looking genuinely confused. "Why him?"

She took several seconds to choose the words, recognizing that this would be important. If she wanted them to understand how she felt about Ben, she had to get this right.

"You know that feeling you get, Finn?" she began. "That little tingle inside when you can sense you are on the right path?"

He nodded. "Yeah?"

"Imagine if that feeling was bigger, more demanding. Imagine if the feeling was intensely magnetic, and you knew the Force itself was pulling you toward a particular person. Showing you flashes of this person's memories, their feelings, desires. Creating an insatiable need to be close to this person in every way."

Finn swallowed hard. His frown lines had begun to smooth, and his eyes had grown pensive. Finally, he was starting to understand.

"That is what it's like to be one half of a Dyad," she said. "To be bonded to someone in the Force. And that is why I need to get him back."

Finn's frustration had now dissolved completely into an expression of muted awe. "Woah, Rey. That's heavy stuff."

Rose shook her head slowly in reverential disbelief. "Like Force soulmates or something?"

It seemed they were all lost in thought, gazing out over the empty hangar into the jungle night. It was Poe who broke the spell, raising his eyebrow and offering a wicked-looking grin. "Woah, so have you guys, ummm…"

Rey rubbed the side of her face, trying and failing to hide her burning cheeks.

"Oh for gravity's sake, Poe. Give it a rest," Rose snapped.

"I haven't had nearly enough Raava to have this conversation," Finn said.

But they were all peering at her over the rims of their cups. Did they actually want her to answer?

"No," she said, but when they continued to stare, she repeated herself again with more force, closing the discussion. "No!"

Rose shook her head, a small smile pulling at one lip, and Poe was chuckling to himself.

"Well, we should figure out our next move, anyway," Finn said, gracefully attempting to change the subject.

Rey was happy to oblige. "My other thought was to talk to Maz," she said, feeling the warmth in her face gradually fade as she spoke. "Maybe she knows something more about the World Between Worlds."

Poe drummed his fingers against his empty cup. "I think she's staying close to Corellia at the moment, trying whatever she can to avoid an all-out war in the system."

"Does this mean we have a new mission?" Finn said, mouth upturned into a hopeful smile.

"Investigate this Great Tree and if we've got no leads there, get to Maz," Poe confirmed.

Rose stood, placing her hands on her hips as though they were leaving right this second. "And this time I'm going with you guys."

Rey smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."