Author's Note: Another apology to preface the chapter, I really am so sorry for the slow writing output. But I'm happy to say that I'm in a much better headspace, and the next chapter is already halfway written! I seem to have my groove back, which bodes well for a timely end to this story!

I hope everyone has stayed safe and healthy and that this little bit of distraction helps make this pandemic life more bearable. Thank you all so much for your continued encouragement. And a huge thank you to JenniferLadyBug for being so patient with me and for just being amazing in general.


"Everything is fine, commander. We're on our way up now."

Rey could just make out the scraping sound of gammaplast boots against the rocky entrance of the cave above as the Sith Trooper retreated.

She wondered how much time that would buy her as she let her gaze settle onto Ben. Shadows sculpted from moonlight clung to his face, so thick now she couldn't read his expression. His hair was hanging over one eye and his powerful shoulders heaved from exertion. She too, was still breathing hard from the exchange with Malak, her muscles tensed with the adrenaline of battle.

"We have to go back," he said, lifting his chin in the direction of the gateway. "Find a way to seal it off." But Ben was only speaking what she already knew. They needed to find out how to permanently seal the gateways from the World Between Worlds if they wanted to stop the Sith from coming through.

Not only that, they needed to deal with the immediate issue of the Sith Eternal. With the transport waiting for Malak on the surface and the Derriphan orbiting Ahch-To, there wasn't much room to breathe. Captain Sabrond would soon realize Malak's disappearance and come to the surface to investigate.

She nodded. "You're right," she said. "But I've got an idea for them, first." She looked up, indicating the Troopers in the transport on the surface.

Ben stepped forward, the tattered ends of his robe fanning out behind him, rippling the surface of the water as he approached and finally took her hands in his. The touch smoothed over any fear that had bubbled up over the last few minutes. "I've got a few ideas myself." His voice was low, a steady rumbling that filled every hollow place in her soul with warmth.

She smiled and she hoped he could see the love that she felt burning hot inside of her. She wondered if it was as obvious to him as it was to her. She felt it like a fire, consuming the cold and the darkness, leaving her warm and hopeful.

Even amidst the chaos. Rey was actually…

Happy.

She glanced down at his hands wrapped around hers. Hands that had murdered innocents, hands that had held the blade that struck down his father, ripped open her best friend, and met hers in battle. But it was those same hands that had trembled as they reached for her fingertips, hands that had given her more pleasure than she knew possible, hands that steadied her now.

His eyes darted to hers and he stepped closer, sensing the direction of her thoughts.

A tension now buzzed in the thick air around them. Like a wire being pulled taut, the air seemed to vibrate with it. Rey took in a breath, a gulping draught of air as though she'd been underwater.

"You sense it, too," he said.

She nodded.

He hummed his assent, lips pressing together but he did not turn his gaze away from hers. The intensity of him, of their presence together was becoming a tangible thing now as the air itself seemed to call for their embrace.

She was barely able to grate out the next words, moving her feet as though they'd been mired in sludge and pulled Ben along by the hand. "Come on, let's deal with them first."

She thought she heard him grunt an acknowledgment behind her.

Water lapped at their boots and Force continued to hum in her ears as she approached the rope anchored at the cavern's mouth above, painted in moonlight and swaying lightly. It took every ounce of will she had to drop Ben's hand and wrap her fingers around that rope instead. Every course scrape of material against her palm as she climbed reminded her of how much softer Ben's hand had felt in hers, how much she'd rather be touching him.

His energy thrummed behind her, making waves in the Island's Force signature as he followed her out of the cave.

Once on solid ground, Rey climbed the rock shelves back to where the transport had set down, gesturing for Ben to follow her. They scrambled up a few more faces, slickened by the mist that had clung to the island overnight. With the transport in view, Rey pulled on her hood and approached the four Troopers who stood at attention just outside the lowered transport ramp.

The mist was beginning to take on a purplish glow with the coming dawn as Rey addressed the leader bearing the pauldron of an officer on his right shoulder.

"Malak has been transported back to the World Between Worlds," she announced, calling upon the Force to steady her voice. "I need you to patch me through to the Derriphan. I need to speak with Captain Sabrond."

The trooper nodded, flipping open a hidden panel on his gauntlet and tapping a few commands. In moments, the eager voice of Captain Sabrond cut through the silence.

"Captain Sabrond here."

As she spoke, a holoprojection of Sabrond's sharp form materialized before them. More troopers had heard the exchange from the far side of the transport and gathered nearby to watch.

Rey banished the nervous thoughts that seemed to bubble from within her like a spring What am I doing? There's no way this is going to work.

She buried those voices. They had no place inside of her anymore. Of course she knew what she was doing. She clung to the balance of the Force and dared to project the power of the Dark Side, the appropriate costume for this exchange, and wore it as a veil over the black tunic Calsyn had given her.

"Captain, it's Rey Palpatine. Lord Malak has been transported back to the World Between Worlds. I am unsure about the mechanism that sent him there, but I've found some clues that indicate meditation on the Shadow may allow me to break through the gateway."

"This is an unfortunate turn of events." Rey didn't like the way her voice seemed to drip with sweetness, it was obviously a show, the sweet cadence just a dressing to hide the malice that lay beneath. Did she suspect Rey was to blame? "What of the other Sith, Mistress Palpatine?"

"The Grandson of Darth Vader was the first to come through," she said. "Kylo Ren will add his strength to the cause." Rey gave Ben a silent look that said say something.

His jaw clenched uneasily and Rey almost had to laugh at how awkward he looked. The mighty Kylo Ren looked like he could hardly handle telling this little white lie.

But he smoothed over those tells in an instant, becoming Kylo Ren as he regained command over himself and what seemed like all of the physical space around him. Darkness rippled from him and Rey understood, he didn't know how to exude command unless the power came from the Dark Side. She felt him reach out with the Force, tendrils of Shadow thrusting toward the Sith Eternal and each of them stiffened, turning to where Ben stood.

"Mistress Palpatine managed to break through to the World Between Worlds." As Ben spoke, she could see the immediate influence he was having over Captain Sabrond. Her overly sweet smile seemed to melt into something akin to veneration and Rey realized how this must look. Kylo Ren was dead as far as the rest of the galaxy knew. And now he had been resurrected. Even Captain Sabrond could not deny the power it would take to complete such a task. "My mastery over the Dark Side may be of some assistance in restoring the Sith."

Sabrond nodded respectfully.

A ripple of excitement sent gooseflesh erupting over Rey's arms and up the back of her neck. There was something so entrancing about Ben in this moment. The power he radiated, the use of the Dark Side. He was projecting something that made her want to be near him. And it didn't help that the air between them was still so charged with energy, she could swear the others would sense it.

Rey swallowed, trying to clear her mind to address the Captain.

"We were close to unleashing the Shadow and now, The Dark Side has chosen me as its conduit. I am the granddaughter of Darth Sidious and I am the voice of the Sith now, I request that this transport remain here as I work to recover the spirits of the remaining Sith."

At the mention of the Shadow and Sidious, Captain Sabrond's features tightened barely perceptibly. She would follow orders from the closest thing she had to a Sith and at the moment, that was Rey whether Sabrond liked it or not. She was, if nothing else, loyal to the Sith. Ben's show of power had definitely solidified their control.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather investigate from the comfort of the Derriphan? It must be-"

"No – "

Ben had interrupted, taking one large step forward, eyes blazing and Force crackling around him with pure energy. He narrowed his eyes and Sabrond's hand shot to her neck to loosen her collar. But Ben wasn't holding on anymore, it was just the ghost of a touch, a reminder of what they could do if she didn't obey their command.

Rey finally exhaled as the Captain spoke, she hadn't recognized she'd been holding her breath.

"Of course, Mistress Palpatine, Master Ren." She seemed to choke on that last word, rubbing her neck and swallowing hard before she continued. "The transport and any other resources you may need will remain for as long as you require. Please let us know how we may be of assistance to your mission."

"Captain, there is one more thing…" Rey glanced to Ben's tattered robes. If they were playing the part of the last of the Sith, he couldn't continue to wear rags. "Patch me through to Calsyn."


Four hours later, all but two troopers had been sent back to the Derriphan and fresh clothing had been delivered to the transport for Ben.

Now, the troopers had retreated to the cockpit to eat their packaged rations and Ben stood in the main cargo bay, looking at his reflection in the shiny Durasteel door.

How Calsyn had managed to put together such a perfectly tailored outfit in only a few hours was beyond her. She must have connections in every part of the galaxy.

Ben Solo, freshly showered and swathed in black, had made the transformation back to Kylo Ren flawlessly. He'd donned a tunic underneath a long jacket that wrapped asymmetrically across his chest. The jacket accentuated the angle of his shoulders, the cut of his chest and narrow hips before it flared out behind him, hanging down past his knees and trailing behind him in a graceful arc, revealing the coat's red inner lining. The sleeves were lined with black strips of fabric which stuck out at regular intervals, like the spines of a dragon. Leather boots and gloves were the final touches. All he needed was his helmet and he'd be back, at least in looks, to his prior Supreme Leader glory.

Rey felt him reach out through the Force to sense whether the troopers were within earshot before he spoke. The voice that escaped his lips when he finally did speak was completely at odds with the commanding physical presence he projected. "It feels strange to be dressed like this again," he said, his eyes fixed upon his reflection.

"It's just for now," she said. "Besides," Rey said, adding a hint of flirtation to her tone. "I think black is your color."

That got him. She saw the corner of his lip raise up in a smirk.

"Oh really?" he said, cocking his head to study her. His deep gaze demonstrating again, the sheer power he had to make her knees wobble.

"Really."

She didn't have time to be embarrassed by the squeak of her voice, because his arms were around her waist in an instant, pulling her into his chest, and she was struck again by the glorious realness of him. For so long she'd learned to settle for a shadow of Ben Solo, a fragment of his soul he'd managed to project from the World Between Worlds. But here he was, solid and perfect. He was actually here.

"Force, Rey. I've wanted to do this for so long. Just hold you. Just feel you in my arms."

He breathed deeply, inhaling her as he nuzzled against the top of her head.

She closed her eyes. Letting the scent of him wash over her. Real. Real.

And he loved her.

"I'm sorry, Ben. I – "

His finger was to her lips before she could finish.

"If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I should have listened to you in the first place. If I would have, if I could have gotten my head out of my ass after killing Snoke, we could have…"

It was Rey's turn to put a finger to his lips.

He smiled around her finger, lips curling up and wrinkling his cheeks, the edges of his eyes.

"Let's just call it even," she said, planting a kiss on her finger and putting it to his lips. "We've got a lot to figure out right now before we go dredging up the past."

He nodded grimly, squeezing her just a little tighter. "A legion of Sith Troopers on the verge of war with our friends. An eternity's worth of Sith waiting to break through and take control of time itself. The only bright side is they're stuck there like I was."

"True, but I worry Malak may find a way to communicate with the Sith Acolytes, and if he does, Captain Sabrond will be the first to know the truth of what happened down there in the cave."

"Can he do that?" Ben asked, puzzled. "I had a hard enough time communicating with you at first, even with the Bond."

"He's done it before. I'm sure of it. Who else could have warned the Sith Eternal that we were on Yavin IV? They destroyed the Great Tree less than a day after we arrived there."

Ben worried at his lip for a while before responding. "Unless what happened on Yavin was as simple as a tracking device."

She shook her head. "That just doesn't fit. When could they have planted it?"

"Even if it was Malak communicating with the acolytes on Yavin, things are different now. He needs you, he needs us to open the gateway again doesn't he? That was the only way any of us could have crossed over."

"I guess, so. Which means killing us is out, but I'm sure he'd be happy to find some new and exciting ways to torture us."

Ben was shaking his head now, brows drawn tight. "He knows we're coming back for him. And he'll be ready. But I don't think he'll risk harming his only way out. Trust me, he's waiting for us. They all are."

Rey inhaled deeply, trying to focus on peace and calm to temper the fear rising in her chest. "Okay, so we might have a little time there, but what about the Sith Eternal? What's stopping them from taking on the Free Worlds Fleet?"

"If they were going to strike they would have already. They are betting on the Sith themselves joining the battle. I think we have a little time there, too." As he reasoned this out, something began to play upon his features. A glimmer at first, but Rey was sure she saw something else hiding underneath the serious façade. A glint of mischief in his eyes, a hint of that roguish smile that always set her insides ablaze.

"What is it?" she asked, knowing full well what he was thinking.

Ben didn't answer right away, but there was no keeping secrets now. The Force was singing his intentions loud and clear. She heard it differently now, where before there had only been one voice like the drone of a far off sublight engine, now there was a harmony. She felt it more potently now, too. Like waves of a calm sea lapping against the shore. A pulse, a rhythm. The balance of life and it was calling her, pushing her toward him. A siren song that she was powerless to ignore.

He was studying her. Those scholarly eyes reading her every expression, sensing her thoughts. And it didn't scare her, because there was a trust there. He understood her in a way no one else could. They were one and the same. Two halves of a whole.

He kissed her then. She was cradled fully in his arms as it was, and he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. The tension in the air was fed by that kiss and the Force seemed to magnify the feeling of his lips against hers, his tongue sweeping hotly into her mouth, his hands running along her waist, her hips.

Her hands were greedy for him, too, wanting to feel the hardness of him, his chest, his shoulders, moving up to rake through his hair. Her body hungered for closeness and she pressed herself against him, using her weight to chase the slightest bit of friction from his thigh as she straddled closer.

He pushed her against that shiny Durasteel door, moving his kisses to her neck, his breath sending a shiver through her, heating her blood until that ache for him was back. A hungry ache. Not the kind she'd been used to after missing a meal on Jakku. No, this ache was a yearning ache, a burning kind of hunger that was only sated by more of him.

It drew a low moan from her that spurred a sudden change in Ben. He held her harder, kissed her more forcefully, his breath was growing more ragged, and he was pressing himself against her hip, hard, harder, until she couldn't think of anything else outside of him.

"Force, Rey," he breathed, "You feel so good."

She grunted her agreement as she nibbled kisses against his earlobe.

"I can't think of anything else," he panted.

"Mmm-hmmm." He was moving his hands now down the small of her back to cup the muscular curve of her rear, keeping a greedy massaging rhythm that sent her body rocking against him, chasing that blessed friction. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, her breath coming faster as her entire world became focused on the sensations he was drawing from her.

"Isn't there someplace else, shouldn't we – " Ben's protests were cut short with a sharp intake of breath as Rey shifted her hips, repositioning herself more fully against him, eliciting a ragged whine instead.

The Force was a roar in her ears now, as though this, their closeness, was somehow part of the plan. She felt Ben's pleasure as her hips made a rhythm against his body, felt it in the hardness of him and the urgent hum of the Force in her ears. The electricity of it had the hairs on her arm standing on end as she gripped his coat and pressed her mouth against his.

"Rey," his voice was so hoarse it came out as a whisper and Rey wasn't one hundred percent sure she'd heard him speak at all. She ground herself harder against him, not able to help herself, he felt so kriffing good. "Rey, please," now she was sure she'd heard him, but she didn't pay him too much mind. He was still responding to her kisses, his hands had moved to her breasts and were exploring there now, her nipples strained deliciously against her tunic and she was panting with the need for more of him. Oh yes, she was completely lost in the taste of him and she didn't much care to be found.

Then, suddenly, he was holding her at arms length, using the Force to focus his mind. She was suddenly empty all over, and the ache between her legs was throbbing.

"Errrgh, Ben!" The protest that escaped her lips was more growl than speech.

Now that she could see him, she knew by the flush on his cheeks and neck that he was feeling the same way.

"Rey, either I'm going to have to lay you down on the floor here or we're going to find a more appropriate place for us to lie together."

Standing there trapped in his Force, aching, flushed and so hungry for him, she laughed. He was right, of course. But she was so greedy for him that she'd just about taken him anywhere, even on a transport occupied by Sith Troopers.

He seemed relieved by this series of events. He'd likely been a little frightened by the prospects of interrupting her and now, his shoulders visibly relaxed with her laughter.

Other parts of him, she could see, were not so relaxed. And Ben was nearly writhing with the discomfort of that particular situation, which caused new peals of laughter to erupt from her, echoing through the cargo bay.

"Keep laughing, scavenger. Or I'm going to have to punish you."

"I'd like to see you try, Supreme Leader."

"I plan to. Now, would you like to suggest someplace more suitable?"

And even though the Sith were waiting for them in the In Between, and the Sith Eternal were orbiting nearby waiting for orders, Rey felt that the universe and its problems could wait for this. Because even the Force seemed to know that they had waited long enough.

"Come on, I have just the place."