Author's Note: Thank you all for your continued support and lovely comments on the last chapter! I'm so glad you liked it 😉 Can you believe I'm nearing the end of this fic? I haven't got an exact chapter count, but I suspect 3 more plus an Epilogue unless something on my outline goes longer than expected. The next update will be 2-3 weeks from now, as our wonderful illustrator JenniferLadybug has her dissertation due and will need all of her time to focus on that! Say hi to her on Twitter at owbensolo


Rey cracked open her eyes, not by choice, but to investigate the gnawing ache in her hip and the uncomfortable something stuck to the back of her legs. When she saw the huge, naked man half sprawled across her, his weight pressing her into the stone floor, she remembered.

They'd fallen asleep.

She squirmed underneath him, dislodging the sticky mess of discarded clothing she'd been sleeping on before trying to readjust Ben's arm. He was all dead weight as he snored on, lightly.

She took the time to study him then, wanting to memorize him just like this. He was a tangle of impossibly large limbs, sprawled in every direction. His face seemed younger, more boyish when it was relaxed like this, without the sharpness of his eyes or the wrinkle of his brooding brow. His full lips rested slightly open, beckoning her to kiss him awake.

She cuddled closer to him and did just that, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth, then nibbling gently on his bottom lip until she got a response.

He groaned, stretching languorously, and gathered her even closer against him, nestling her into the hollow between his neck and shoulder.

Gods, this was perfect. She had no idea how long they'd slept, but she couldn't remember a time when she'd slept more soundly. And she was pretty sure she never wanted to leave this hut again.

She watched the rise and fall of his chest, basking in the waves of contentment radiating down the Bond and flowing underneath it all - that pulse. Their pulse. Light and dark in an alternating rhythm. That heartbeat in the Force that was their new signature. And she nuzzled closer, smiling against his warm skin, inhaling his scent and letting their song lull her back to sleep.

His low, rumbling voice brought her back to reality. "We should really go save the galaxy now."

"Five more minutes," she whined.

His chest bounced with a laugh and he squeezed her close, kissing the top of her head.

"I feel the same way, I've never slept so good. How long were we out?" he asked.

She turned her head to look for the sunbeam that she'd used to track the time, but it was gone. It had travelled the length of the hut, and now the suns' glow had taken on a more orangey hue outside the window.

"Several hours I'd say, it's late afternoon already."

"Mmmmm." He nuzzled close, his breath tickling her ear. "We needed the rest." And she could hear the teasing lilt in his voice.

"Among other things," she said, creeping her hands across his chest, following the ridges of his abdomen, then tracing a feather-light trail down to his navel.

"Don't start something you're not prepared to finish," he warned.

"Oh, don't you worry. I'm fully prepared," she said.

"Frisky little felinx."

And Rey pulled herself onto him, straddling across his stomach, fully intending to smother him with kisses, but wincing as her legs stretched, finding she was more sore than she thought she would be.

She awkwardly draped her leg back over him and crawled in against his side.

He wrinkled his brows in concern. "You alright?"

"A bit sore."

"I'm sorry."

But Rey didn't miss that faintly self-satisfied tweak of his lip and promptly smacked him with the wadded-up tunic at her side.

"You little…" she started to scold him, but she couldn't completely hide the half-smile lurking underneath her frown. And since this obviously meant he wasn't really being chastised, Ben laughed again.

"You'd actually enjoy seeing me walk funny all afternoon wouldn't you?" she accused.

When his only response was biting down on his bottom lip to keep from laughing again, she pushed him away. "You're insufferable."

"Too bad you're stuck with me," he said, wrapping her tightly in those massive arms of his and pulling her close. "You could let me try to heal you there," his voice a low purr in her ear, "that could be fun."

She feigned indignation and pretended to struggle against him, but eventually, she let him win their play fight and settled against him. They shared a look then. The kind of deeply connected gaze that made her heart ache for its perfection. This was what could be hers. More of these moments, if they could find a way to permanently deal with the Sith.

She sighed, a long, ragged breath, and closed her eyes.

"How are we going to do this?" she asked.

"Well, it seemed easy enough last night," he began, that wicked gleam in his eye, "you see, I just get you all worked up and then I put my –"

"You really are impossible," she said, shaking her head.

"I know."

And just like that, a shiver in the Force, and the weight of anxiety crept across her skin, pressing down on her and she struggled to fill her lungs with a full breath. Ben squeezed her shoulder and she knew he felt it, too. Because they'd had a taste of what their life could be like together. Of how they might talk when there was no one else around. Of how it would feel to be always loved and protected.

And they knew they would have to fight to keep those things. They couldn't put it off any longer.

Ben sat up, and she could see those gears were turning as he began puzzling through this monumental problem. And she wondered if they'd made a mistake by sending Malak back to the In Between. Because now, all the Sith would be expecting them. There would be no element of surprise.

Unless…

"There are two vergences on the island," Rey said, suddenly, pushing herself to sit, too.

"But we don't know where the other is." He was shaking his head. "We've only found the one at the cave."

"What if the Force has been trying to show us all along?"

Ben knitted his brows, then, slowly his eyes widened as his thoughts caught up to hers.

"Can you hear that?" she asked, closing her eyes.

And they listened. To their pulse, their heartbeat as one in the Force. What had weighed on them earlier as a constant pressure, a ceaseless roar in their ears, had transformed into something new. Something more unified in sound. The signature of the Prime Jedi.

"Yes. Now I can hear it loud and clear," he said.

And they both lifted their heads to peer out the window at the clear blue sky, instinctively reaching out to hold each other, to intensify the oneness of their Force signature.

The pulse was louder, now.

"Where's it coming from?" he asked.

"I think I have an idea," she said. "But let's go find out for sure."

Rey leaned over, wincing a bit as she fumbled for her clothing. Everything was dusty, but she was able to pound out most of the dirt and look decent enough. All except her cloak, that mess would have to be left behind. Ben dressed, too, and in a moment, they were out in the afternoon suns, crossing the stony pathway towards the source of that timeless rhythm only they could hear.

She had to fight the urge to grab his hand to strengthen their connection, but just in case someone was watching from above, it was best to stay neutral. Even with the dampened sound, the pulse in the Force was unmistakable and they followed it, stepping in tune to that unmistakable siren song until they stood before the Jedi Temple.

The twin suns gilded the cavernous entrance. Cut from jagged stone, it seemed to yawn open like a giant toothy maw. Light spilled into the entry, reflecting like pools of liquid gold at their feet and as soon as they'd reached the shelter of the temple, she grasped for Ben's hand and listened.

He closed his eyes and she could feel his reach in the Force, toward the intertwining strands of energy connecting all life. She lent him her focus and joined him, as one.

Then they started moving, stepping together to the time of their heartbeat, not needing their eyes to know where they were going.

In that moment it was as if they'd always known, and they crossed the temple to the base of the mosaic pool depicting the Prime Jedi.

She remembered the mosaic clearly. The figure of the Prime Jedi was composed of inlaid stones in both white and black. Created in a meditation pose, the stones were arranged so that half of the figure's body was Light and the other half Dark, to symbolize Balance.

Ben stared down into the pool, wide-eyed. "This is it."

And there was no doubt about it, because their Force signature was thumping so loudly she could hardly hear his voice. Where the water had begun to ripple as they approached, it was now sloshing against the edges of the pool, spilling over the tiles onto the dusty floor.

Ben was chewing his lip now, staring off over her shoulder. "Balance. This is all about balance."

She nodded.

"When we fought Malak in the cave, do you remember what happened?" he asked.

"I do."

Rey thought back to every moment of that battle, reaching out with her feelings until one particular memory was sifted apart from the rest. She imagined reaching for that memory and grasped it. It was the one time during that fight that she'd felt the Force call her to do something, but she hadn't listened. She'd been too afraid. It had asked her to pull the Sith Lord closer. To grasp for him and pull him into balance. She didn't fully understand what that would accomplish, and she'd been afraid to find out. So, they'd pushed Malak through the gateway instead.

She heard Ben's sharp intake of breath and knew they were sharing this memory together.

After a long moment, they both opened their eyes.

Ben spoke first, his voice calm and focused. "I think, if we go back through this gateway, our gateway, into the World Between Worlds, and we…" he trailed off.

And do what? They were both still thinking. Rey focused on the memory again, turning it over, thinking back to everything else she'd learned since discovering the World Between Worlds. It was like trying to weave every thread of every thought and memory she'd had into some kind of meaningful tapestry, some greater vision the Force was trying to help them achieve.

A thought surfaced, something she hadn't considered for some time.

"The last line of the Grey Jedi Code," she said. "Do you remember?"

"The Force is all things and I am the Force," he said as if he'd rehearsed it a thousand times, and he probably had. She remembered their conversation about the Grey Jedi code when they'd spent the night together on the Falcon.

She watched the water ripple across the mosaic, further muddling the contrast between the light and dark stones. "We can't be afraid of the Sith. They are using the same Force we are. And we have to listen to the Force no matter what it tells us."

"Balance. The Force does not belong to the Jedi or the Sith. The Force is all things," he said.

"And the last line of the Jedi code?" she asked.

"There is no death; there is the Force," he answered.

As she stood gazing into the rippling water, Ben adjusted his hold on her hand, interlacing their fingers together. And as her fingers spread to make room for his, she looked down at the mosaic of the Prime Jedi. She knew Ben Solo, body and soul. She knew who he was and who he had been, in this life and in the last. And now, they would follow the will of the Force as one, through time itself to answer the call of destiny.

He turned to face her then and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. A simple gesture that spoke to her of how much she was cherished, of how he would do anything for her. A kiss that promised they were going to be okay.

She could only trust that he was right.


As they'd stood staring at the mosaic, their stomachs had growled in unison, interrupting grander plans and insisting they solve the simpler problem of finding something to eat first. And no matter how much Rey wanted to just finish this right now, Ben had logically pointed out the fact that they needed their strength. They weren't sure exactly what the Force would call them to do once they went through the gateway, but they knew they would need to be physically ready.

Besides grabbing some food, they could attempt to reach out to their friends. If they made an encrypted transmission on the transport's comm system, they could avoid confrontation with the Sith Eternal and give her friends an update regarding their plans. Rey had also decided it might be wise to check in with Captain Sabrond, to let her know she was rested and planned to resume contact with Malak. To buy more time.

So, they'd made their way back down to the transport, finding it difficult not to touch each other as they took the stairs side by side. Every brush of the back of their hands magnified that pulse behind them, as the Force tried to guide them back to the Prime Mosaic.

Soon. Soon this would all be over.

The transport door was closed when they returned, so Rey approached, pounding on the hull of the ship, hoping one of the Troopers would open the door. The sound rang loudly against the surrounding cliffs, and she repeated the motion.

No one answered.

"Maybe they fell asleep?" she said.

"Doesn't matter," Ben said, lifting a hand and manipulating the inner door controls. The release hissed and the ramp lowered to the ground with a dull thump.

Rey boarded the transport, heading straight to the supply hold to grab a few ration packets. She tossed one to Ben and he tore into it with his teeth and pulled out a veg-stick. He gave it a very brief, suspicious look before hunger won over and he tore off a bite.

Rey did the same as she made her way to the cockpit. She'd half expected to find the troopers here, sleeping on the job, but the entire ship was strangely empty.

"Probably changing shifts," Ben said.

She shrugged, still chewing on her veg-stick, which she'd decided was like trying to ingest fossilized seaweed.

She reached out with her feelings to see whether she could sense someone nearby. "They're nowhere near."

Ben swallowed the last of the greenish meat substitute and went for the tube of nutrient paste. "Gods, I hate this stuff."

He made an adorably disgusted face as he choked it down.

She shook her head, trying to focus. First, scanning the sensor array to ensure there were no communication devices already open to the Derriphan. She swept her eyes across the entire cockpit and, finding nothing, felt safe sharing her plans out loud.

"Okay, I'm going to try to get through to the Falcon. If I encrypt it on an alternate channel, it should take the Sith Eternal at least a few days to try to decipher it if they stumble upon it. But by then, we'll hopefully be through dealing with the Sith."

"Alright, what are you going to say?"

"I don't know – 'We're alright, we're here on Ahch-To and will be going back to the World Between Worlds to deal with the Sith. Please be careful of the Sith Eternal Fleet. We don't think they will risk an early confrontation but be on the lookout'." She glanced back to Ben, "Anything else I missed?"

"Not that I can think of," Ben said, pausing to stare at her lap. "You gonna eat that?" He pointed to her nutrition tube.

"Do you want it?"

"Not really, but I'm starving."

"Worked up an appetite, did you?" she said, giving him a wink.

"You could say that. Though, I could really do with one of those nuna drumsticks you spoke so highly of." He closed his eyes, looking like he'd just left this universe for a much more pleasurable alternate reality where the food didn't come dried or in plastiflex tubes.

She laughed. "If you're that bad off, we could see if we can pressure Calsyn into making another delivery."

"No, no. I'll just have to make do. But when this is all over, I'm taking you out for some drumsticks."

"That sounds amazing," she said.

But he was still staring at her, "So?" He said, gesturing to the tube.

"Enjoy," she said, handing it over. She watched him tip his head back and push the plunger to expel the nutrient paste. She curled her lip in disgust as he began to suck down the blue goo, before eventually turning back to the control console to begin typing in a message, running it through the encryption protocols.

"There's gotta be something else on this ship to eat besides those," he said. "I'm going to go look."

"Good luck," she said.

She heard his heavy footfalls meander up and down the halls, the cargo bay, the storage closets. Doors opened and closed as she finished typing and encrypting the message. She read it through one more time and sent it off with a press of her finger.

A red light blinked angrily on the console.

Message failed

"What in the – "

She was just about to retrace her encryption codes when a voice came through the comm.

"Mistress Palpatine, Master Ren, this is Captain Sabrond."

Ben was back with another dried ration pack in hand, gnawing at a second dehydrated stick of "meat substitute."

"We copy, Captain. Go ahead."

"I regret to inform you that your friends will not be able to receive any messages."

She felt the blood drain from her face and she looked to Ben on instinct. His veg-stick made a hollow thwack as it struck the floor.

"Lord Malak has made contact and informed us of your treachery."

Kriff. Kriff.

"You have exactly one hour to open that gateway and bring Malak and the Sith through. If you fail to complete this task, Lord Malak has instructed us to begin execution of your friends one by one."

Static filled her ears and she wondered if she was passing out. But soon, the static was replaced by Finn's panicked voice. "Rey, no. No don't listen to them. Don't do it. We'll be – "

More static as his voice was cut off.

Holo images filled the cockpit's viewport. The Free Worlds Fleet was surrounded on Mon Calamari. What remained of the First Order had positioned itself on one side and the Sith Eternal had encircled the other. There were so few of their allies. Why were there so few? What had happened? Then another holo, the Falcon being drawn in by a tractor beam. Then another flash, a frame of black, before an image coalesced from a blurred outline. Sith Troopers took shape, armor gleaming, blaster rifles pointed at the heads of four prisoners on their knees. One was a Wookiee.

Her stomach dropped as the world lurched.

No. No. No.

"One by one, Mistress Palpatine. Lord Malak has decided that your Force sensitive friend will be the first to be executed."

Ben was standing now, tendons standing out in his neck as he barked an order at Sabrond. "You tell Lord Malak he is in no position to be making demands, he –"

"Tell him yourself," said Captain Sabrond, her voice like the crack of a vibro-whip. "You have one hour."


P.S. If you're hungry for more Reylo writing a la sweetestcondition, check out my new fic, Knighted. A canonverse AU that spins off from the Rise of Kylo Ren comics. I wanted to answer the question, "what if Rey was already a Knight of Ren when Ben came to join them?" It's a dark, slow burn with plenty of angst, but of course, I do have a happy ending rule I need to follow. Check out Knighted under my profile.