The warmth of the setting suns lingered at Ben's cheeks. Cool air brushed against his skin, and he felt a kind of peace he had never had the luxury of feeling before.

Opening his eyes, he slowly cast his gaze about him. He was unsure of his surroundings, though there was a settling within his chest that told him that it was familiar.

In that moment, all he knew for sure was that it was extraordinarily beautiful.

Ferns and flowers sprung from the damp soil all about him, swaying lazily in the breeze. Hills rolled before him, punctuated by a small cottage that rose from the oranges and violets of the foliage.

The cottage held panels that opened to the world around him, high sills creating the perfect space to gaze out into the beyond.

He knew they were, because his mind begun to remember.

It was the place he had called home for many years, during a childhood that had been free from torment.

A place where the memories in his mind held nothing but comfort and belonging.

"Ben," a voice called from behind him.

He turned slowly, and his dark eyes met those which were so similar they may as well have been a mirror reflection.

Leia Organa stood before him, her young face broad with a smile that reached the depths of her eyes.

She did not hesitate to wrap her strong arms around him, standing on her tiptoes to reach his height, as her muffled words fell into his hair.

"I am so proud of you," her arms released him then, and his eyes moved from hers to three other faces standing behind her.

Han moved in beside Leia, clapping Ben on the back and pulling him in roughly. His hand moved to Ben's head, ruffling his dark locks.

"I always knew you had it in you, son." Han laughed then, clapping his shoulder again as he moved from him.

"And I'm sorry that I didn't remember that sooner." Ben's eyes fell to Luke's. He had fallen to his formative years, just as his mother and father had. Green eyes blazed from under blonde hair that fell over them in waves.

A lump formed in Ben's throat, but he swallowed it forcefully.

He had never considered forgiving Luke, not in his wildest nightmares.

But he stood before him, younger than Ben, though no older than he had been when he faced Darth Vader and had taken on Palpatine.

It was like something clicked in place in Ben's chest, a mechanism that had been stuck before, finally shifting back to where it had needed to be.

Luke had sensed the darkness within Ben, but what he sensed was Palpatine.

What he sensed was the enemy to whom he had lost so much.

Ben nodded stiffly, the coldness that had concealed his heart finally beginning to melt, and he extended his fingers before him. Luke smiled, an expression so like his sisters, and took Ben's hand within his own.

As his fingers slowly dropped from their grip, Ben looked up to the third face, one he had not seen with his own eyes, but observing him now, there was no mistaking who he was.

Anakin Skywalker was a near spitting image of Luke, though his hair was heavily cropped bar a thin braid falling from the nape of his neck.

The corner of his lips upturned slightly, and he moved to Ben, resting a hand on his cheek.

He nodded deeply, not bothering to form words. Ben could feel what radiated through the action.

A deep pride ran through him, and Ben knew Anakin was grateful to him for what he had achieved.

He was grateful that Ben had finished what he had attempted so many years ago.

The contentment Ben felt was powerful, intoxicating. He knew he could rest, peacefully now.

But despite how powerful that feeling was, there was a niggling at the back of his mind.

He was forgetting something, but it tugged at him gently, asking for attention.

Ben's brows pulled tight as he focused on it, but it eluded him, dancing just out of his grasp.

His eyes moved back to Anakin's as his grandfather dropped his fingers from Ben's cheek, studying his expression before turning to the rest of his family.

A silent conversation passed between them, and Ben's gaze moved from each of their faces for an inkling, a clue to what their unspoken words contained.

Leia's eyes fell back to Ben's first, and she smiled serenely.

"You feel that pull, Ben?" He nodded slowly, again attempting to catch it, but it passed through his fingertips, as though he tried to hold onto the wind.

"You can be at peace here, Ben. You are one with the force, returning to the energy that bore you. But that pulling will always be there. That is your dyad bond. That is Rey. She is anchoring you to life. She will not willingly let you pass."

Ben's eyes fell to the flowers beneath his feet as he focused on the pull.

Rey.

His lips twitched and he almost laughed.

Of course her stubbornness would not allow him to leave the living.

"You have a choice, Ben." Han stated. His lopsided smirk filled his face, eyes sparkling.

Ben's eyes met each of theirs. He was with his family, as one, in a way he never imagined possible.

But he knew, despite the love and the contentment that flowed through his body, and without hesitation, what his choice would be.

He would always choose Rey.

Identical grins formed on Leia and Luke's faces, and Anakin laughed just a little, nodding his head.

"Good decision," he smirked, understanding flowing from him in waves.

Ben's lips quivered as he realised the implication, but Leia was there again, arms around him.

"We will always be with you, all of us. This is not the end." Leia kissed his cheek then, imploring his eyes.

"We will meet again." Anakin stated, nodding at his grandson.

"You weren't able to get rid of us that easily before, what makes you think it'll happen now?" Han smirked, pulling Ben into a one-armed hug.

Luke smiled at Ben and answered the question that had only just begun to form within his mind.

"Focus on Rey. She will pull you back. Just give in to that pull."

One last lesson, Ben thought wistfully, and Luke nodded, a small smile on his lips.

Ben nodded in response and took one last look at his family.

Together at last.

Closing his eyes, he found the tugging within his mind.

He no longer tried to grasp it, but instead he leaned into it, giving himself to the feeling.

Giving himself to her.

He could feel it. It was a pulling, as it always had been.

Ben had always been pulled towards her.

It grew stronger, and he could feel her now.

It was the rays of harsh sunlight battering the deserts of Jakku, and it was the cleansing wash of the starlight in the darkest depths of space.

It was the broken seed sprouting through the surface of the forest soil, and it was the cataclysm of a collapsing galaxy.

It was death, and it was life.

It was the light and the dark.

It cascaded and swirled within him at once, and it was all Rey.

oh my gooooosh! okay, I am so sorry to leave ya'll hanging at the end of the last chapter. I needed you to feel that suspense! sorry, again. really! anyway, I did fib in my last authors note, and I do for real have one more chapter after this and then an epilogue. they should be completed and posted by the first half of next week! thank you so so so much for the reviews (stepankahanusova86, pam48, RedPandaJoy and BrokenMentality!). honestly, it has been a bit of a tough time and they ABSOLUTELY made my day! also thank you and hello to those who have followed/favourited! so much love to you all! please be safe pals xxx