Star Wars: A dyad in the Force Chapter 24: Defying Rey - Renege upon, a star wars fanfic

Warning: Major Spoilers of TRoS.

Note: This is a Reylo FanFiction (slow-burn)

「Part IV」

「Act 24: Defying Rey 」

「Renege」

Your tears don't fall, they crash around me

Her conscious calls, the guilty to come home

This battered room I've seen before

The broken bones they heal no more, no more

With my last breath, I'm choking

Will this ever end I'm hoping

My world is over one more time

...

Would she hear me, if I called her name?

Would she hold me, if she knew my shame?

There's always something different going on

The path I walk is in the wrong direction...

Millennium Falcon, 36 ABY

"You're alive?" Rey snarled, making no effort to hide the betrayal in her voice.

"I am..." Ben admitted.

Rey was enraged. The problem wasn't that he didn't understand—it was that he acted as though he didn't care. After all the pain they had gone through together, Rey had believed that Ben—even as Kylo Ren—had grasped her perspective. The bond they shared should have allowed him to read her like an open book, yet he had decided to lie for the first time in the most crucial moment. "Why did you let me believe you were dead?" she demanded, trying to keep her uncontrollable anger in check.

"I'm sorry, but I had my reasons," Ben answered distantly; she knew he was avoiding confrontation.

Would the truth imprison her, or would it set her free? One thing he knew for sure, the truth would hurt. Facing the truth, facing reality, was the hardest challenge that could be overcome. He knew that as a certainty. Many people ran from it, hid away, and tried to forget about it. However, he knew that no one could improve themselves without facing the truth, even when it hurt them.

Ben had spent an entire year hiding his existence from Rey. He had used his remaining strength to keep their connection closed. He had believed it was safer that way, not for himself, but Rey.

But now he knew he had been running, fleeing from the truth. Lying to himself, pretending that he could make everything right by hurting himself.

Rey's rebellious fighting spirit would never have allowed anyone to hurt Ben Solo if he had returned from Exegol with her. He had known that in his core, primal part of his being, so he had stayed away. Rey had spared his life many times; she had even saved his life at the cost of her own. He knew—he knew it well, too well—that she would compromise everything and everyone to protect him now that he had turned from the Darkside.

But, Ben hadn't wanted to be protected. He hadn't wanted to be rescued. He felt that he owed too much to the Galaxy to… live normally. After everything that he had done, he didn't deserve to be forgiven and extricated. The Resistance, The New Republic, the entire damn Galaxy, should punish him for his misdeeds...

The argument grew into a tornado. In her rage, Rey was blinded to Ben's beliefs. His answers weren't the answers she wanted, and that only broke the last of her weak control. Her anger, which was rooted in fear, exploded. The anger at him for keeping the truth buried and his existence secret, and fear that she would lose him again, detonated. In her blind rage, Rey couldn't and wouldn't understand his motivations. It was impossible for her even to see his thoughts.

She knew they were destined to find the answers together—not apart—and find a way to face any remaining problems. But Ben was stubborn. He resisted her ideas; he didn't seem even to care that he was hurting her. That he had hurt her, that every day without him had hurt her physically.

Rey stepped closer to him so that she was leaning over him with her nose only inches away. He didn't react, he didn't cower, and he didn't glare. Without any warning, she grabbed his arm, pulling up so that he had to face her. Her nails dug through the cheap fabric into his already bruised and tender skin, but Ben didn't flinch.

The insecurity of what would follow would hurt worse. Only a person like Ben exposed to all the abuse, and the Darkness could experience the internal brokenness through all his life. It was those mental scars that had been a factor in tapering the serenity of his Dark Side. They had caused agony that could only be felt by him, which could only be seen by him. No one else had felt, and no one else had seen because… well, no one had cared.

Something unique occurred when he had been bonded to Rey in the Force. That small connection had grown to a powerful bond. They had been and still were a dyad, and that dyad had awakened Ben Solo. And now that he was awake and had acknowledged his past, he didn't want to forget it. He would never let the past die. He wanted to take responsibility for his actions and pay any price he owed to the Galaxy.

He still didn't believe in forgiveness. He couldn't, shouldn't, be forgiven. Why did people trust him? Why would they forgive him? His father, His mother, and Rey had understood him and forgiven him. Recently even Chewie and Poe had seemed to try to forget his past.

They were wrong! He shouldn't be granted forgiveness. He shouldn't be saved and understood. Poe had put the Resistance and his friends at risk when they had come to save him. Save who? Kylo Ren? The monster who had killed so many innocents and almost brought the Galaxy to its doom. Why couldn't they accept that everyone would be better without him? That the Galaxy would be free from any harm with him gone. How could they have so much faith in him? Even if he was now Ben Solo and never repeated his old mistakes, he shouldn't be forgiven.

Rey, please understand. His inner voice pleaded. But the Jedi—even now the irony of that religion struck him in contrast with her attitude—was so far into the ocean of her anger that she couldn't hear his urging thoughts.

Rey pushed him from the main area towards the corridors in the back. She would make Ben Solo listen to her and explain his actions, whether he liked it or not.

Honestly, she couldn't understand why Ben would want to stay away. He was no longer Kylo Ren; he was no longer a threat to the Resistance or her friends. He had fought next to her side and even given his own life to save hers. Of course, Rey trusted Ben Solo. And she had forgiven him. She understood that he had to face his past and misdeeds, but pretending to be dead would not give him the retribution he wanted.

Finn watched uneasily as his friend demanded answers from Ben Solo and dragged him to the back of the Falcon to do who knew what to him.

He had seen Rey angry before, but he had never seen her in such a state. He had thought that she would not only be furious with Ben Solo but Poe, Chewie, and himself since they hadn't revealed the truth to her.

Finn felt a shudder run down his spine at the thought of dealing with an angry Rey. Then he walked towards the corridor and leaned closer to eavesdrop on the pair's argument.

Rey stared at Ben as she suddenly stopped in the middle of the corridor and pulled him up once more to face her. "Tell me the truth!" she demanded again, "Why didn't you want to be discovered?"

"I have nothing to say!" he insisted, and she believed him. He wouldn't explain it to her. Then he turned and walked away.

Rey watched him, bewildered and hurt. Long ago, when he had been Kylo Ren, he always told her the truth. He had yearned to talk to her, to listen to her advice. What had changed now? Why was he fighting to stay away from her and the dyad that connected them? "No," Rey growled, "You answer me. You tell me the truth. Stop!"

But Ben kept walking down the corridor—Rey took three long strides and grabbed him by his shoulder, turning him around. She gathered the Force in her fist, letting it enhance her muscles, and punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

Ben stared up at her from the floor in surprise. "The truth," she snarled, "Tell me, why?"

He lifted his arm and gripped the metal handle attached to the nearest wall, and hauled himself to his feet. Rey saw immediately that nothing had changed—he was still avoiding her, and he was going to walk away from her and retreat into himself to brood in silence. Furiously, she swung her hand to punch him again—but Ben reached out, the motion a blur, and before Rey could blink, he had blocked her blow, knocking her backward in the process.

Rey sprang back at him and pressed her attack. Her confidence grew as did her anger as she noted the sad bewilderment written across his face. This time Ben didn't dodge the hit, and her punch connected with his face, sending him crashing against the wall, defenseless.

Rey took a step closer, casting a deadly glare at Ben, who had managed to support his body with the wall. They looked at each other for a long moment, then Rey lowered her fists. "Tell me the truth," she said again.

Ben sighed and wiped the few drops of blood from his lips. For a moment, she thought that he would tell her. Then he muttered, "There is nothing to say."

Anger, pain, and sadness—so intertwined that words were helpless to describe them. Rey felt all of those emotions growing inside her. Anger, though, was growing fastest. She glared at the man before her, about to hit him.

Suddenly, before her punch could land, Finn grabbed her and wrestled her away from Ben.

"Rey, stop!" He yelled at her. He never liked to see Rey angry, and he didn't enjoy seeing her so obsessed with Ben Solo. "He doesn't want to speak to you!"

Rey cast one more deadly glare in Ben's direction, "This isn't over!" she muttered darkly, then she walked away, leaving Finn and Ben behind.

Finn stared after Rey for a moment, then turned back to the spy. Roughly grabbing the man's bloody wrist, Finn hauled Ren after him and thrust him into a cargo hold.

All but Ben's eyes were frozen as his mind raced wildly. The makeshift prison wasn't designed for its current purpose; it was just a regular room that Han Solo had once used to store his illegal cargo. The idea of containing him in it was ridiculous. Even the cuffs around his sore wrists could never keep Ben secured. If he used the Force, he could escape easily. However, Ben didn't fight back as the ex-stormtrooper cuffed both of his wrists to twin metal bars above his head.

After FN-2187—what was his name now—had 'securely' confined him to the room, he walked away—no unlocked doors. No windows. No way out.

Ben read Finn's thoughts and almost smirked despite the pain. He could escape even without using the Force. Ben Solo had grown up inside the Falcon; he knew every corner and every secret. There was a concealed hatch on his left that led under the floor grates to a second cargo hold with a broken lock.

He had often run doubled over through those tunnels during his boyhood. The memories broke his heart because it reminded him of Han Solo. Ben closed his eyes, trying to fight the tears and memories back.

Added to that was the constant tension at the back of his skull. Rey was trying to push through their connection to find out 'why.'

He closed his eyes as the Falcon was returned to Ajan Kloss.

「 Upcoming Chapter: Act Twenty-Five」

Okay, guys, that's all. I hope you enjoyed reading the 24th chapter.

Thank you all so much! Stay awesome! Stay sweet!

And be nice to each other, see you soon, in the next chapter!

Feel free to Review and Follow the story!

Feedback is always appreciated!

Adelgado28: Unfortunately, Ben will face more of Rey's anger soon. And neither will the rest escape from it though Rey is right!

amyunder: Honestly, I would want to have Ben and Poe becoming terrific friends.