Well, I didn't think I would write again— since getting married and having a baby and all. But I happened to get sucked into the Star Wars fandom, specifically Ben Solo and Rey. Y'all, I'm traumatized from The Rise of Skywalker ending. I'm going to attempt to heal my heart and write the epilogue to the newest trilogy in my perspective. Though, it won't be as good as the originals of course! So behold, here it is. A slowburn romance, with facts checked on a few websites. I haven't been watching the EU or reading the comics, but I'll try to be as accurate as possible. If I mess up, forgive me please!

Summary — (Post-TROS) Rey Skywalker roams the galaxy, aiding in the effort of stabilizing the Star Republic in the aftermath of Exegol. The task served as a distraction from mulling over Ben's death. Until one day, on the anniversary of the battle of Exegol, she returns to his death site to say her final goodbye to her Force dyad. She was ready to let go... until she heard his voice once more.

Bear with me, the first chapter may drag a little!

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Star Wars X — A Force Beyond

Motionless

Warm tendrils of the Force curled around her spirit. She had fallen into the darkness after she had collapsed. It beckoned her to join it— to become whole. Balanced. Free. She gravitated towards its song, but something made her reluctant to continue. A twang in her heart anchored her in place. Something was calling for her. No... someone. She knows this person. His voice echoes her name in this plane of darkness. The Force continues to beckon to her soul, encouraging her to let go of her attachment to the physical world.

Rey, she hears. Come back, his voice whispers again.

Please.

He calls for her to return. She knows him. She feels his Force surrounding her soul, pleading for her to return to him. She feels conflict in his warmth— chaos and peace, yearning and fear, light and dark. It was not stable, not like the Force she initially felt. His Force calls to her— and she surrenders utterly to him. She will go to him, away from this dark plane, from the tempting light that the Force is.

His desperation wilted her desire to be one with the Force. He needed her to return, that much she was sure of. She continues to follow his voice, searching for its source. The closer she followed, the louder his hallowed voice became. Until...

Ben.

She felt his strong, warm hand on her abdomen. The darkness around her melted, his gentle face filled her blurry vision. He stared down at her, his soft brown eyes swirling with relief. For the briefest moment, she saw joy in his eyes. Shocked, herself, she shifted on his lap until her face leveled with his.

"Ben," she whispered his name, feeling complete in his arms. A flood of warmth spread through her being, it was him— he was projecting his feelings to her. He was happy that she was alive, truly. She leaned forward, capturing his lips into an inflamed kiss, unsure of what else to do.

He engulfed her tightly in his arms, the muscles of his arms rippled from the motion, almost as if he was afraid that she would vanish. His soft, warm lips were firmly pressed against hers, trembling with an emotion she couldn't quite understand. She felt the warm trickle of a lone tear that had slipped from his eye when she held his face close to hers. His raven tresses tickled her the tip of her fingers as she continued to pour the feelings of relief, gratitude... and... yearning into their kiss. Ben— he had brought her back.

She pulled back, questions forming in her head. How does she start? Too much had happened much too quickly. Her head was reeling.

An elated smile spread across his features. She felt her body warm at the thought, excited herself that she could be a part of his world again. His genuine smile brought tears to her eyes. That's Ben Solo without a doubt. The dark lord, Kylo Ren, is gone. Buried away by something brighter, gentler.

Then his smile faded, eyes going blank.

He crumpled backwards, she lurched forward with a hand behind his neck to soften the descent. What is happening? Her heart skipped a beat.

She clutched his hand in a voice grip, unwilling to let go. His name began to form on her tongue, just when she was ready to call for him, he vanished.

One with the Force.

No! NO!Tears that were brimming her eyes cascaded freely like rain. "Ben?" Her voice cracked, as she stared at the abandoned black sweater on the dusty ground.

I will always be with you.

A whisper brushed against her cheek, faded into silence. Her soul that was recently made whole again, shattered in half, leaving an empty void in its place.

"No, Ben! NO!" She screamed her anguish into the depths of the dark cavern, Ben's sweater clutched tightly against her chest.

—0—

Rey startled with a gasp, her eyes flashing open. Her breathing was labored, her chest heaving with every breath she took. Her sweat made her clothes cling to her body like a second skin. She dreamt of him again. Actually, it was more of her reliving the nightmare of his death.

The first few weeks after Ben's death had blurred together, life seemingly to go on despite her heartache. She bit back her tears as the galaxy cheered in victory, laid in her cot sobbing as the others in the Resistance base stayed up drinking and singing merrily. None knew of Ben Solo's sacrifice that had saved her. None knew of his redemption. Truthfully, none seem to notice her sad sighs and tormented eyes. None seem to notice except for Finn.

Oh, her dear friend Finn.

Finn would make excuses for her when she hid from the merriment; brought food to her room, and heck, he even made the suggestion to lay Leia's and Luke's sabers to rest by the Skywalker's home in the sands of Tatooine. Seeing her masters' warm, peaceful smiles of their Force Ghost eased some of the pain in her heart. Nonetheless, the gesture brought her some measure of peace.

Yes. Finn was a wonderful man. If he weren't so enamored with Rose, would her heart ache for him? A rueful smile adorned her lips at the thought. No, even if Finn wasn't with Rose, they would never be. In fact, she didn't want to be with anyone else. Her half heart belonged to him— Ben Solo, and only him. She knew with every five of her being he was her other half, her soulmate. Her savior.

She came to the realization too late. He is dead, leaving her empty and hollow inside.

Liar, she thought grimly. In that fleeting moment of this death, his soul, his Force lingered behind, whispering to get that he would always be with her. But he hadn't appeared to her as a Force Ghost, nor had she heard his voice since.

At first, she thought he needed time to adjust to the Force. When she saw Leia and Luke at Tatooine two weeks after the events at Exegol, she began to wonder. Why didn't Ben appear? Those first few nights where she cried and begged for him to appear were met with the silence of her room.

Nights turned into days, days into weeks, weeks to months. Her pleas for Ben went unanswered. Her friends began to worry, and worry often walked hand in hand with prying questions. Left with no other choice, Rey shielded out thoughts of Ben Solo, and poured her focus in the establishment of the Star Republic— the new governing organization of the galaxy.

It was easier to feel numb than feeling anything else at all when her thoughts came to Ben.

Tomorrow marked the first anniversary of the Star Republic's establishment, the day of her loved one's deaths. Poe, Finn and the remaining Resistance officers began organizing the new governing body with the Senators that escaped total annihilation on Hosnian Prime. It was nearly identical the New Republic, with exception to a very interesting article. The Jedi was to have a seat at the Senate, allowing the ancient Force religion a voice at intergalactic matters.

It shocked Rey, to say the least. In Jakku, one didn't read or find leisure in the arts or religion. In the scorching sand covered planet, survival was their religion. Find parts, trade for rations, survive. Opinions and political views didn't matter. The gnawing pains of hunger often overruled the desire to reform politics. Needless to say, Rey, as the last Jedi became the forefront of the Jedi Senate seat.

Rey resisted the seat of political power for months despite the insistence of the newly appointed Senators of Star Republic. She knew nothing of governing the Jedi or politics. All she knew was to survive, to adapt to her environment, to pilot the ships. Nothing in her experience prepared her to take on such an enormous challenge, one seemingly unfitting of her. The day Poe called her to sit in on one of the meetings, Rey felt the overwhelming urge to run.

—0— Flashback —0—

"I've got to get out of here," Rey mumbled under her breath. She couldn't possibly fulfill her role as the Jedi Senator. She understood politics like Unkar Plutt understood compassion. He doesn't, and he never will. He was oblivious to the notion of caring for something other than himself, just as she to politics.

She had to leave Corellia, tonight.

Dodging head nods and the greetings of the citizens of Cornet City, she raced back to her temporary room. She hadn't packed much, with good reason. The galaxy was still recovering from the aftermath of the First Order's influence. There were small uprisings from the Imperial loyalists on various planets, wanting to continue the reign of the First Order. She had moved all her belongings to the Millennium Falcon, having the notion to quell the uprisings with Chewie and BB-8 by her side.

But now, now they want her to stay on Corellia to become the voice of the Jedi. She scoffed at the thought. What Jedi? As far as she knew, besides herself, Finn was the only other Force sensitive in the galaxy. That was alive and breathing, of course. She was the last Jedi. What more could she govern but herself?

All the more reason to leave before giving the new Senate an answer.

Her spine tingled when a familiar signature of the Force filled her chamber.

"Rey."

Rey smiled, her previous fears and insecurities fluttered out the window. "Master Leia," she breathed, glad to be speaking to her master. "It's always lovely to see you."

"Like wise, my dear. Now, you wouldn't happen to be running away... are you?" Leia's tone was light and teasing. She sat on the edge of the bed, the soft material dipped with the added weight.

Engulfed by her serene presence, Rey nodded her head, ashamed. "I know nothing of politics. And there are no Jedi for me to govern. It's just me... alone."

"Oh, you're never truly alone, my dear Rey. The Force is always with you." A comfortable silence befell the two. After a short moment, Leia spoke again. "You know, Luke thought he was the last Jedi once. And look where we are now. Look what you've become."

"I'm not... quite understanding you. Are you saying there's more beings out there who are Force sensitive?"

Leia chuckled, loving eyes twinkled with amusement. "Of course, dear girl. The perfect example? Finn. The boy is Force sensitive. And I bet," she paused with a chuckle and a shake of her head. "He wouldn't deny your offer of training him in the ways of the Force."

The hair at the back of her neck stood up, goosebumps danced over her arms. The thought of finding and training others excited and scared her, both emotions equally strong, clashing within her. Was she strong enough? What if she steers them wrong... to the dark side? Could she allow herself to partake in such a tremendous task?

As if hearing her thoughts, Leia shook her head and placed a gentle hand over hers. "Without dark, there is no light. Without good, there is no evil, Rey. You, you have everything you need to become their teacher. You just have to believe, look within, and trust..."

"In the Force? I do," Rey whispers.

"No, dear girl. Trust in yourself." Leia gave her a smile so endearing, Rey could only imagine a mother giving her child that gentle tilt of her lips.

Tears brimmed Rey's eyes, threatening to spill forward at the kindness her Master and former general had shone. "Okay, I will. I'll look for them... I'll... train them," she said, blinking her tears away, still apprehensive at the thought. "But how? Where do I start?"

"Wherever, and everywhere," Leia stood up, crossing the room to look beyond the window. The sun had just began to set, the golden rays of the sun gave way to the indigo hue of the evening sky. "You can start by looking within. You'll find them."

Rey nodded. She couldn't help but wonder if Leia was thinking of Han, with her rueful eyes shining with longing. She wondered if she, herself, looked like that when she thinks of Ben.

A sigh parted her lips, "Ben."

Leia turns around to face her, questions brimming in her gaze. "Rey?"

"Just... Ben. Why hasn't he come to me yet?"

"I suppose it's not time yet," Leia replied, a cryptic smile formed on her lips. "Things are not always what they seem to be, Rey, as you'll soon find out. The Force works in mysterious ways."

The air began to tickle her senses as Leia's glowing blue projection began to fade. "Don't give up, Rey. Find them... find him..." Leia's voice echoed into the air.

"Wait! Leia!" Rey reached out for her, but her master was already gone, becoming one with the Force once more. Her brow furrowed inquisitively. Questions began to race through her head at Leia's parting words.

What did she mean, yet? Was Ben not one with the Force? Was that why he hadn't appeared before her? How would she be able to find him?

"Within," she whispered, repeating one of Leia's words with sudden clarity. Abandoning her task, Rey settles herself atop the rug in the center of the room, crossing her legs together. With slow steady breaths, she calmed her racing heart, surrendering her will to the Force.

She searches for a sign. Any sign. A glimpse of anything at all that could clue her into her next step. The galaxy was, for the most part, at peace. The Force trickled steadily around her, lulled by her newly found realization.

A twinkle in the stream of the Force caught her attention, flashing the vision of golden coins, racing fathiers, and playing cards behind her closed eyes.

There! That was her next destination. Rey wasn't sure about much, but she knew where she needed to go next. She may get to see him again, she just had to follow her instinct. The very thought put a spring in her step, an anticipating smile brightened her face. She shoved the rest of her belongings into her sack, eager to head back to the Falcon.

She was leaving without a doubt. Instead of running away this time, she is going to fulfill her role. The Senate can wait. She needed to see Ben again first.

—0—

Four months ago, she, Chewie, and BB-8 had journeyed to Canto Bight that night. They had followed Leia's words to let Rey's instinct with the Force guide their way. When they had arrived on the superficially beautiful city, she felt a pull, a force, that let her straight to Temiri Blagg. They had found him sweeping the floor, scrawny and willful.

And Force sensitive.

Rey had to hid her initial shock with seeing the boy. She should have sensed that the boy didn't emit Ben's signature, but she was thoroughly engulfed at the thought of seeing her other half that she failed to yield to her judgement. There had been three others with him, all of them— slaves to the stable runner, Bargwill the Cloddogran. It was easy enough to convince the children, they weren't much older than 8 years old, but Bargwill... was a different story.

The kriffing scrag had initially laughed in their faces at the offer of credits to purchase the children from him. The greedy cur vehemently refused, and shoved the children back into the stables, causing one to fall and scrape her knees.

Chewie bellowed in anger at the gesture, readying his bowcaster in defense of the child, but Rey stopped him. She spun quickly on her feet, her staff ready in her hands, and knocked the Cloddogran over with one strong sweep of her staff. When he fell over, sputtering curses and threats, Rey had leaned over him. With a wave of her hand over his face, she persuaded the cur that he had freed the children and returned them to the streets, and he will no longer buy child slaves again.

"You have set these children free, and no longer will you enslave and abuse children. You will find willing adults to work your stables." She remembered choosing her words carefully. Using the Force to twist minds for evil did not sit well with her. She was here to help change the galaxy, one task at a time.

Curiously, BB-8 had churned out a dozen of the golden casino coins onto the floor before the trio left with the children. It hadn't quite been stealing, right?

Still laying in bed, Rey smiles at the thought of the children they had brought back to D'Qar. Initially, the children were wary of them all, with good reason. They believed to have been sold to another slave driver. To their surprise, she and Chewie had tended to their superficial wounds and made some fresh food for them from the ship's pantry. Their eyes had lit up like saucers at the sight of food that hadn't been a powder or already half eaten. The poor things were starved.

Now, the children were resting comfortably in their Resistance base in D'Qar. Rey hadn't started teaching Temiri or Finn yet, well, not officially. She had given them access to the ancient Jedi texts to read through, with C-3P0 to translating if needed. She didn't feel ready to be their teacher. Not quite yet. She wanted to honor the sacrifice of all those who perished in the war against the First and Final Order first.

Without their sacrifice, the galaxy may have never known peace.

Without Ben, she would not be alive today.

She would not be on the Millennium Falcon now, flying to Exegol with BB-8 to the eidolic place she would prefer to never be in again. With heavy sigh, Rey pushed her blankets aside, and pulled on her shoes, unable to sleep any longer. She slipped out of the crew quarters that Chewie had graciously given her, and crossed the hall to the refresher. Her clothes, still clinging to her skin with sweat, needed to be gone. Naturally, it wouldn't have bothered her much. She had been accustomed to Jakku's dry heat— sweat, dirt, and grime clinging to her body. With tomorrow only hours away, she needed to be presentable when she visited his site. Moving quickly, she was clean and fresh within minutes.

BB-8 noticed her presence the moment she crossed into the cockpit of the Falcon. He chirped merrily, greeting her with enthusiasm. Chewie, mildly amused, bellowed a greeting.

"Hi Chewie," Rey offered a half smile and patted BB-8 affectionately on his head, "BB-8." She crossed the pit and settled into the second pilot seat of the falcon. "Chewie, why don't you go rest. You've been up all night. I've got it from here."

Chewie purred his response, delighted receive a break. They hadn't been traveling for too long, the need to conserve fuel and credits weighed heavily on her. She didn't want to abuse the funds the Resistance had provided for her. Lightspeed would consume too much fuel for a trip that only meant something to her.

She watched Chewie's retreating figure from the cockpit, content with BB-8's inquisitive beeping keeping her company. He rolled up beside her as she strapped herself into the pilot seat. He looked up at her and beeped a series of questions.

"What? No, BB-8. I'm okay, I promise," Rey laughed off his concerns. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all." BB-8 hummed skeptically at her response, not convinced.

"Nothing gets passed you huh, little droid?" She affectionately tapped his metal body. "I'll be alright, BB-8. I just... I just need to visit him... to see for myself. I dream of him all the time, I just... need to feel where he was last alive." Tears brimmed her eyes, yet they didn't fall. The hurt hasn't lessened any, but, it hasn't hurt her more.

Maybe seeing his place of sacrifice again will give her the closure she needed to feel... anything... again.

BB-8 groaned dejectedly, not wanting to ask anything else that may cause Rey further upset. For the remainder of the trip, they traveled in comfortable silence.

—0—

By the time the Falcon landed safely on Exegol, Chewie was prepared to unload the ship. Rey, however, had other plans in mind.

"Chewie, BB-8... do you mind... staying here? To guard the ship I mean." Rey asked, almost shamefully.

Chewie shook his head, and bellowed his response, clearly upset at the notion. BB-8 vehemtly denied her request.

"I know it could be dangerous still, but I need to do this. Alone," she placed a warm hand on Chewie's arm, her eyes pleading. "Please, Chewie."

Chewie looked down to BB-8, then back to Rey's face, then ba into BB-8, then to Rey. His shoulder slumps and he shrugs, grunting with reluctance. BB-8 flashed in concern, but he too, conceded to Rey's pleas. They both knew, this was something she had to do. They witnessed her sorrow firsthand. There is nothing they wouldn't do for their Rey

"Thank you, you two. I'll be careful, I promise." She squeezed Chewie's arm reassuringly before grabbing her staff, bag, lightsaber and com, and exited the ship.

Chewie and BB-8 looked at each other briefly, before returning their gaze at Rey's diminishing figure into the darkness of the caverns.

It was the same as it had been. Dark, musky, filled with lighting and the fading presence of the Sith. A part of her wondered if thr Sith were truly all gone. They had gathered in that rocky chamber when they were witnessing Palpatine's resurrection. Was that everyone? Were there stragglers left behind here, lurking in the shadows?

Rey reached out with the Force, searching for a sign of life. All seemed eerily calm— as if life and time ceased to exist. Her heart began to race, she could hear her blood rushing in her ears. She felt as if she traveled back in time— that she was on her way to face Palpatine. It unnerved her. It scared her. Was she ready? Did she truly need to see where Ben had vanished? She halted in her steps when she realized she was about to reach the great opening of the cavern.

Rey took a deep breath, inhaling the thick, dense air around her.

She could almost smell the burnt flesh of Palpatine. Her stomach roils in protest.

Yes.

She must face this. She must. There is no other way.

With a shaky breath, she takes a hesitant step forward. Then another, and another. She passed the burnt wall where Palpatine perished, refusing to acknowledge that that creature's blood courses through her veins.

She falters when she reached the small cluster of three stones she had stacked as a place marker of his death.

Ben...

Her legs gives out from under her, her knees hit the gravel covered rock ground behind her. She didn't feel the pain. No, no other pain was as strong as the one she was feeling in her heart. Salty tears cascaded down her cheeks, splattering silently onto her robes. She bit back a sob as she hesitantly reached out her hand, brushing her fingertips against the coarse gravemarker.

Like a broken dam, months of repressed grief and tears unleashed with a single touch. Sobs racked her body, leaving her unable to do much else but to lean forward on her elbows, her torso hovering over the three rocks... the location of where she remembered his heart laid before he vanished into thin air. She could almost feel heat radiating off his body as she hovered over where would've been his body

"Be-en! I'm... so-sorry," she croaked through sobs, unable to catch her breath.

The movement of her body pivoted her satchel forward, a metallic object clattered noisily against the stone ground, rolling until it touched the flesh of her arms.

His saber.

She had recalled his saber from the waters when she went to lay Leia's and Luke's to rest. She had been guarding it, carrying it with her wherever she went. Safekeeping it until... she hoped, if he ever came back. The very thought sprung tears anew.

Ben was not coming back.

She had been a fool to hold onto such hopeful thoughts.

Through her tear-blurred vision, she grabbed his saber with a trembling hand. She brought the metallic hilt to her lips, leaving a teary kiss on the cool metal. "I ... I wish I could see you again," she whispered, her voice cracking.

Like always, her pleas were left unanswered.

He wasn't coming to her. Not even here, his place of death. Not after all this time, not after all her pleas.

"Liar!" She bellowed into the empty cavern, sitting back atop her feet. A wave of anger washed over her as easily as the grief did. "You promised! You promised you were going to be with me! With the Force!"

Her words echoed off the walls, not a sign of another presence made itself known to her. Minutes, what felt like hours, had passed. Nothing has changed. She hung her head in defeat, sniffling as the tears began to subside.

Her com beeps, Chewie's voice growled through the small machine. He was concerned for her, she had been gone too long for his comfort.

Sniffling, she wiped her face with her sleeves, and attempted to catch her breath. With a little practiced effort, Rey answers her companion. "I'm okay, Chewie. I'm on my way back now."

She reaches her hand over his saber, running her fingers over the hilt with a feather light touch. Her last farewell.

"Goodbye, Ben...," she whispered into the dark. "I hope... the Force is with you."

Choking back another sob, she pushed herself back onto her feet, and turned her back to the grave. She felt as if she could sleep for days— her body drained, her soul weary.

She took a reluctant step towards the path she had came through. It was hard to say goodbye. She had to move on. She knew Ben wouldn't have wanted her to become a shell of herself. With that thought, one step became two, and two to three.

A sudden rush of regret washed over her, the intensity of it almost knocked her onto her knees. She staggered to a stop, breathless.

"Rey, I am with you. Hear me. I am here."

Rey whipped around at the beckon. She knew this voice. It was his voice, it was...

"Ben?!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

Outlined in an ethereal white, Ben stretched out his hand towards her.

"Rey," the ghost like apparition of Ben calls her name with relief. "I have been waiting for you."

All she could do was stare at him, motionless.

.

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Thanks for reading folks! I'm typing this on my phone... so spell check and typos may pop up here and there. I do have grammar problems, I am sorry!

I thought it was kinda cheesy naming the new organization the Star Republic... but I like cheese. Ha!

I would love to hear from y'all. Please review! Thanks for reading the drawn out first chapter!