A/N: Special thanks to Erika H. Daae (for favoriting every story that I write) and reyoflight (for leaving me encouraging, enthusiastic reviews).
Rey stays in the 'fresher a bit longer than necessary, letting the warm water ease her tired muscles and wash away the grime of the fight. She has never used a real 'fresher before. Grinning, she curls her toes, rinsing the last of Ben's shampoo from her hair.
She dries off quickly. The bacta is above the sink, just as Ben said. Rey smooths it over the cut on her arm and applies an adhesive bandage to it, sighing in near-instant relief. She wonders if the wound will scar – if she will be forever marked by the fight that solidified her belief in Ben.
Her dirty clothes have been replaced with a neat stack of black attire – standard-issue First Order sleep pants, and a large, soft top made of a sweater-like material. The hem reaches her knees, the sleeves nearly swallowing her arms with how long they are. She rolls them up to her wrists, grateful for the sweater's warmth on the cold ship.
Then it hits her.
This sweater is Ben's.
As Rey steps from the 'fresher and back into his room, a surge of possessiveness – not her own – washes over her, Ben's Force signature curling around her own. Rey looks up. From his place across the room, Ben's eyes are dark when they meet hers.
Suddenly self-conscious, Rey fidgets with the cuffed sleeve of her shirt. "What?"
In response, Ben presses a series of impressions into her mind. The scent of his shampoo in her damp hair. The sight of her wearing his sweater. The solidity of her presence here, with him. The overwhelming realization that she will stay.
"Oh." She does not know what else to say.
Ben tilts his head, considering her. "You think what I'm feeling comes from the dark side."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to." He takes even, slow steps until he is standing before her. "Passion is not dark or light. It is human, though the Jedi would tell you otherwise."
"I'm not a Jedi," Rey says adamantly. If there is one thing she took away from her time with Luke, it is this.
Ben dips his head in a quick nod. "Good." His gaze darts down to her mouth for a moment before it returns to her own.
Before she can think twice about it, Rey reaches out and brushes a strand of his hair back from his face. Ben freezes, his eyes wide. Not for the first time, his reaction to her gentleness makes her heart ache. How long has it been since someone treated him with compassion? It makes her want to be even gentler, and treat him with the tenderness that he so clearly craves.
Ben takes a deep breath. "I'm going to clean up, too," he says quietly. "There's a data pad on my desk, if you want to use it."
Rey gives him a small smile, resisting the urge to reach out and touch him again, no matter how much she wants to. "Thanks."
Ben has only been in the 'fresher for a few minutes when Rey hears the whispers.
They remind her of Maz's castle, where they led her to the lightsaber that started it all. Standing, Rey follows the silken murmurs out of Ben's study and into the room she had seen him disappear into earlier, before she went into the 'fresher.
Like the rest of his quarters, the walls, floor, and ceiling here are all black, lit only by a panel of white lighting that circles the very top of the room. A pedestal rests in the center, and on the pedestal lies a melted black helmet.
Rey gasps. She would know that helmet anywhere. Anyone would know that helmet anywhere. This is the last remaining piece of Darth Vader, Ben's grandfather, the man who destroyed Emperor Palpatine. She knows she should be frightened, but she isn't. Strangely, the whispers coming from the helmet are not malicious.
Hesitantly, Rey places a hand on the forehead of the helmet, certain that it is trying to show her something.
"I can see why he likes you."
Rey jumps, snatching her hand back at the sound of the voice. A man appears before her, flickering blue at the edges, his eyes crinkling as he smirks.
"You're strong, beautiful, and smart," the man continues. "I would say he doesn't deserve you, but I'm afraid that would be hypocritical."
Rey takes a step back. "What – how did – are you...?"
"I'm Anakin," the man says, smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Rey. I trust that my grandson has been a good and respectful host?"
Rey simply looks at him, her mind reeling. Anakin Skywalker, hated Sith and revered Jedi, is standing – or floating, she supposes – in front of her. Can this day get any stranger? She forces herself to answer, "Y-yes, he has been."
"Good, good." Anakin clasps his hands before him, his brown robes rustling with the motion. "I know this is all so new for you, seeing as your connection to the Force was awakened very recently, but I needed to speak with you without Ben around." His gaze turns serious. "You're his only hope, Rey. And because of that, you and he are the last hope this galaxy has of peace."
"What?"
"My masters mistakenly thought that I was the Chosen One, destined to bring balance to the light and dark. But it wasn't me. It's you, Rey. You and Ben, together."
"But..." Rey desperately tries to make sense of what Anakin is saying. "But we're two people. How can we be the Chosen One?"
"You and Ben are what the ancient scholars called a dyad in the Force," Anakin explains patiently. "Essentially, you are one soul divided into two physical beings. Though you are two in this reality, you are one in the eyes of the Force."
Rey almost laughs. Apparently, this day can get stranger.
Anakin suddenly glances to the side, as if he is listening to another person speak. "Forgive me, Rey, but I must leave. Obi-wan is not pleased that I have revealed all this to you in what he is calling 'an indelicate, blunt manner.'" He rolls his eyes dramatically. "But I promise that we will speak again soon."
With that, he flickers out of existence.
Rey rushes to the spot where he stood. "Anakin? Anakin, wait! I don't know what this means! What am I supposed to do?!"
But it isn't Anakin who answers.
"You shouldn't be in here."
Rey whirls to find Ben standing in the doorway, his expression so dark that she flinches. His hair hangs in limp, wet strands around his face, his scar vivid against the pale skin of his chest. He wears loose-fitting black pants and his feet are bare. Overall, his appearance looks unusually soft.
Except for the storm in his eyes.
Kylo Ren is furious.
A/N: Is Ben about to reenact the scene from "Beauty and the Beast" where Belle finds the rose in the West Wing, and the Beast loses it? …we shall see… :)