The island trembled with thunder that night. The caretakers, anticipating what their guests did not, left fresh firewood outside their huts for the coming storm.

Rey was still fuming by the time she made it back. Already decided she wouldn't join Luke for another bowl of rank stew, she caught dinner on her own. She scraped away the scales and cleaned the meat off its bones in silence, looking up every few minutes. The sight of gray clouds slowly swallowing the sky filled her with dread.

Later, alone in her hut, belly full of fish, she lit her candles and piled more wood onto her small fire. She listened to the rain pouring against the stones outside. The wind howled and screeched, viciously pushing against the tarp covering her door. But it was the thunder, that frightening, booming noise that chilled Rey's skin. She wrapped her blanket around her shaky shoulders, cursing herself for not leaving earlier. Luke had refused the idea of returning the first time she'd asked as well, but she had pressed on. She had been naive, convinced she would be the one to find him and bring him home.

What a fool I was, she thought. The grumpy, stubborn old man wasn't interested in any on it. And something told her he would never be, no matter what she said or did. Another blast of thunder roared in the sky. The ground shook beneath her feet, and fear swarmed in her chest. She would pack her things. She would fire up the falcon at first light and send word to the Resistance of her return. She would leave this forsaken island. Empty-handed. Not one bit closer to figuring out how to help her friends. Or where she belonged.

She sighed, feeling the familiar loneliness begin to settle in her chest. A tear fell from her watering eyes.

"Rey?" someone called from outside.

Luke coming to apologize, she figured. "Go away!"

"Rey, I feel your fear all the way from my hut," said the voice. Kylo's voice. "It won't let me sleep. Can I come in?"

"No," she wiped a tear, her heart pounding. "I'm fine."

"You're not, and you know it."

She couldn't see him but felt the way he shivered from the cold. How numb his toes were from the long walk he had braved to come see her. She grabbed the lightsaber buried in her bag and hid it behind her back. Her thumb rested over the activator. She pulled aside the tarp and the chilly wind blew out her candles. The flames of her fire dimmed to an orange glow.

The cloak Kylo wore, long and gray, shielded him from the rain but did little to keep out the chill. Her gaze moved up his body and then met his eyes. Wet strands of his black hair poked out beneath his hood, hanging over his forehead. Her skin warmed at the sight of him.

"You're crying," he remarked. "You want to tell me again how you're fine?"

"It's not your problem-"

"It is when it interferes with my sleep," he said, wincing as more wind pushed him forward. He placed a hand atop the stone frame to keep from bumping into her. "What's the matter? Is it the storm?"

Rey kept silent, staring at his lips. Cold goosebumps spread across her skin, underneath her clothes.

"Luke?"

She frowned at hearing her master's name. That disappointing, sour, bearded old coot.

"Is it… Is it your parents?" He was careful with his words.

Rey blinked, dumbfounded. She had never told him about her parents. Not once. Not even Luke knew the whole truth. Yet, there was concern in his expression, as if afraid he might hurt her by simply mentioning them. She lowered the saber hidden behind her back.

"I'll go get Luke. If you'd rather not see me," he said, turning away.

As if by instinct, she reached for his hand, gripping it tight. "No. I don't want you to go."

He laced his fingers through hers. "I won't," he reassured her. "Will you invite me in then? I can't feel my legs anymore."

She led him inside and tacked the tarp back in place. Turning around, she found him stoking her fire, adding wood and blowing on the flames until they were bright and yellow again. He slipped off his cloak and sat on the stone bench the porg had slept on, warming his hands against the heat. "You still don't trust me," he nodded at the saber still in her hand.

"I don't trust anyone." She sat on the other bench and placed the saber back into her bag, within reach. Just in case.

"You trust the traitor," he said. Rey felt jealousy fuming through him, along with the effort he was making to hide it.

" Finn is my friend," she frowned. "He cares for me."

"So do I," he snapped, looking away.

"Do you? You have a funny way of showing it."

"It isn't a talent of mine. It's not something I'm used to."

"You don't walk through storms to comfort all your apprentices then?"

He smirked. "No. Just you."

A tiny smile curled her lips, but it vanished when a flash of light peeked in underneath the tarp. She shut her eyes tight and gripped the stone bench, flinching when a clap of thunder quickly followed.

"You know," Kylo said, "there's a trick you might find useful. Something my father taught me as a kid."

She moved to the edge of her bench, making room for him. "Will you show me?"

He didn't hesitate to come sit next to her, one leg on each side of the small bench. Being so close to him made her heart flutter with nerves. The kind she liked. Forgetting the saber completely, Rey reached out her hand, and he took it, caressing it. She liked the feel of his skin on hers. She liked the relief washing over her, hearing his voice.

"You breathe," he said quietly. "Relax. Now, when you hear it, count the seconds it takes to hear it again."

"That's it?"

"Try it," he nodded.

She closed her eyes, breathing, and quivered at the next blast. Holding his hand tighter, she began. "One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six -" Another rumble interrupted, much quieter than the last. Rey opened her eyes this time and looked into his, studying the features of his face. "One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight..." More thunder answered her, but, for once, she wasn't so afraid. Like a game. The storm seemed to be moving away.

"See?" Kylo smiled. "Not so bad."

She shied away from his gaze and stared at their hands still together. Oddly, she had no desire to let go. Next to them, the fire crackled.

"Will you tell me why you were crying now?" he asked.

Her fingers traced the lines of his palm. Hot tears gathered around her eyes. "I thought I'd find answers here. I thought it would lead me somewhere. Show me what I've been looking for. I was wrong," her voice cracked. "I've never felt so alone."

He took her other hand. "You're not alone, Rey. I promise you're not."

A tear spilled down her cheek. "Neither are you, Ben."

It took her a second to realize what she had called him, and her eyes widened. She waited for the grimace he gave whenever Luke called him Ben, but none came. Instead, he only smiled, looking down at her lips.

"Will you tell me something now?" she asked.

"Anything."

She gulped. "Why did you hate your father?"

His sigh was heavy, but he did not anger as she had expected. His thumbs ran gently over her knuckles. "I didn't hate him."

"Then why?"

"I might've thought you would know that. Your parents abandoned you, too. Threw you away."

"They didn't -"

"They did. Just like mine. But you can't stop needing them."

"Your father loved you," she sobbed, pulling her hands away. "He gave a damn about you!"

"If he did, I never knew," he said. "He never bothered to tell me anything other than how strange I was. You probably spent more time with him than I ever did."

"But - but your mother..."

"They were around," he said. "Just never around me. Once my power frightened them enough, they separated, and they passed me on to Luke. I hardly ever saw them again." His eyes cast down and he chewed the inside of his cheek. "It doesn't compare, I know. But it feels the same."

Never in a million years would she have thought his family to be anything but perfect. The family she had always dreamed of. Looking at Ben now, miserable and broken, she grasped that maybe he had not gotten there all by himself. "I'm sorry," Rey whispered. "It does feel nice to talk about it. To someone who understands."

"It does," Ben agreed. Outside, the storm had quieted to a drizzle once more, and the flames of her fire began to dim. "I should let you get some sleep. Wouldn't want you dozing off in the middle of your lesson and falling off that cliff," he grinned.

She sighed; a bit downhearted. "I'm - I'm not taking my lesson tomorrow."

"You're leaving?" he guessed, or rather read her mind. "Why?"

"Your uncle is impossible," she rolled her eyes and pulled her buns loose, combing her hair with her fingers.

"He never was a very good teacher," Ben nodded. "What if I taught you? A little."

Rey suppressed a grin. Her heart leapt with excitement at the idea. "How? He has a heart attack every time he catches us together."

"So, we'll meet in secret," he shrugged, smiling again. "Maybe after dinner? Once I'm done barfing that foul stew he gives me."

Her cheeks blushed. "I could teach you to fish, if – if you'd like. Unless you like the diarrhea. He seems to."

They both laughed, and the fire extinguished completely. In the dark, his hand found its way into hers again. "Tomorrow then."

He draped his cloak back on and she walked him to the door, their fingers lacing together again. They both knew the other didn't want to let go.

"Goodnight, Ben," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Rey," his eyes softened the more he looked at her.

Slowly, his hand slipped away, and he headed back the way he came, back into the night. Rey watched until he was out of sight and settled into her rigid bed. The soft rain outside soothed her senses, but it could not calm her beating heart. She fell asleep thinking of Ben Solo, knowing that, several huts away, he was thinking of her too.