Chapter Four - Luke

Luke paused before rounding the corner when he heard voices on the other side. Two voices he was particularly glad to hear talking. It had only been four days since nine-year-old Ben had arrived, but it was obvious the kid was smitten with Rey. And Rey had said her soul sang the moment Ben had walked out of the Falcon.

He angled himself to be able to watch them, but they'd be unlikely to see him without looking directly at him. Luckily, their focus was on each other.

"Ben, can I see your toy?" Rey asked.

Ben handed something to her. "It's an X-wing. Just like the one my uncle-, I mean Master Skywalker, used to fly."

Luke swallowed. It pained him to have to tell his nephew not to call him uncle, but it was necessary for him to fit in with the other Padawans.

Ben's voice exploded with excitement. Luke could barely hold in a chuckle at his words.
"Did you know he blew up the Death Star flying an X-wing?"

Rey laughed. "Yeah, I think everyone's heard that story." She handed him back the toy. Her face grew serious. "Ben, I've got to ask you something important."

"What?"

Rey took a deep breath. "Has there ever been anyone who's tried to tell you that that you are alone? That your parents don't love you? Or that you should be angry about things that you hadn't really been angry about before?"

Ben froze, his body trembling as he stared at her. "How do you know about the voices in my head?"

Luke's hand grabbed the wall, stunned. That was how they were manipulating him! The darkness that even now he sensed around young Ben wasn't coming from him. It was targeting him.

Rey's fingers gently traced down the side of his face. "I've heard that voice too." She took his hand. "His name is Snoke. He's a Sith Lord, trying to isolate you to turn you to the dark side."

"But the dark side is...evil."

"In many ways, yes."

"I don't want to be evil!" Ben cried. "But I'm afraid of the voice. Sometimes it makes my head hurt when I don't do what it wants."

"Fight it, Ben! Don't ever stop fighting it! Don't let it take you!" Rey pulled Ben into a fierce hug and he hugged her back. "You are so strong."

As Luke watched, he saw Rey's body jerk. He sighed, realizing she must have truly fixed the mistake she'd come so far to correct. He wished she could stay. He enjoyed having another Jedi to talk with, and even though she mainly focused on Ben, she'd also been helping a lot with the other Padawans' lessons. They all liked her.

Rey pulled away from Ben. "I'm so sorry, but I have to leave now."

Ben's eyes widened, tears forming. "No! Please don't leave, Rey!" His voice was anguish.

Rey cried now, her own tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to leave. It's not my choice. But I know you'll be safe here. Master Skywalker will protect you from the voice. You'll comm your parents tonight. And you have friends! Alkos said you're the best sparring partner he's ever had. And didn't he invite you to join them for swimming after meditation later?"

"Yes," Ben said, although his voice cracked.

Rey started to get up, but Ben grabbed her arm.

"I love you, Rey."

Luke's heart broke for the boy.

She choked at his words. Her fingers wove through his hair, gently holding his head. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I love you too, Ben." Then she untangled herself from him and ran. Luke saw her swiping tears off her cheeks.

He turned back to his private office, knowing that's where she would head. She panted as she raced to him. He threw open the door and ushered inside.

"It's starting. I haven't much time! You were watching, right?" She paced frantically across the room.

He nodded.

"The Emperor through Snoke is talking directly inside his head. You've got to teach him how to block it."

"I will." He followed her pacing movements. " Rey, is there any way you could stay? I'll finish your training and you can help me protect Ben."

A look of intense longing filled her face. "I wish with all my being I could. You were rather reluctant to train me the first time."

Luke was dismayed by how bitter of an old man he'd become in her future.

Rey continued. "But the device won't allow it. It said, 'To fix a mistake past, your mind you must cast to a specific place in time and space. When your task is done, home you shall come.'"

"What do I tell him about you, Rey?"

She stopped pacing, her arms wrapping around her body. "It's one secret you'll have to keep. If you tell him I came back in time for him, he'll want to know why. It's not fair for him to deal with the consequences of a life filled with cruelty and violence he'll hopefully never have to live."

Luke understood. He nodded.

Rey doubled over, clutching at her middle. She moaned loudly.

"Tell me how to help you, Rey." He laid a hand on her arm. Her body trembled under his touch.

She looked up at him, her voice high-pitched with fear. "I don't know! I'm so scared! Coming here was the worst pain I'd ever felt. Like being ripped apart." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Worse than when the Emperor drained the life force out of Ben and I. Worse than death."

She cried out, dropping to her knees. "I feel it!" she screamed.

Luke couldn't bear to see her in such pain. He gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at him again. His hands moved to cradle her head.

"Sleep, Rey. Sleep."

The suggestion penetrated into her brain and she collapsed on the floor in front of him. Her body still trembled despite her unconsciousness. He almost touched her, but it was a good thing he didn't.

As if an invisible force had entered his chambers, Rey's clothes were ripped off her body, disappearing into nowhere.

Luke stepped back, alarmed. While the analytical side of his mind tried to reason out this development, the primal side acknowledged her nakedness. Even though he'd taken a vow of celibacy, he couldn't help but admire her beauty.

He squinted at her skin, noticing the tanned hue changing to pink. As the pink enveloped her, it changed to red. It looked like she was getting sunburned inside the room!

Just as suddenly as had happened with her clothes, her skin ripped off her body and disappeared into nowhere.

Luke stumbled backwards, falling into the chair. In horror, he saw all of Rey's muscles that belonged under her skin. Some of them clenched and unclenched as she continued to tremble. Light shone on the exposed nerves.

A moment later, the muscles ripped away. Her skeleton lay at his feet, seeming to be grinning ghastly. Her organs stayed in place, defying gravity. Luke watched with grisly fascination as her heart beat and her lungs breathed in her chest. Blood flowed through her vessels with each heart beat.

Then she was gone.

Luke sat back in the chair, shocked at what he'd just watched. His heart broke for Rey that she'd had to experience such horror the first time, awake and alone.

"May the Force be with you, Rey," he said to the empty room.

Then he got up and went to the computer screen in the corner. He brought up the scheduler and set a reminder for twenty years from now. He made a note that said Rey, Jakku.

A/N: This is the only chapter in the story from a POV not Rey or Ben's. I needed someone to see how high of a cost it was to travel through time.

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