I should let it be known why this chapter wasn't posted on last Sunday...

I was out of town over the weekend, for a quick little vacation, and was unable to finish it in enough time. I am sorry, I should've let you guys know last chapter, but I failed to remember until I sat down to start this one.

Now, onto the real intro...

Alright, alright...

I should explain myself as to why I am putting so much detail into the fighting/battle scenes.

"This is a Reylo, right?" - Yes it is.

"Why is there so much fighting and less Ben on Rey action?" - Character development.

I am including these fight scenes for a reason. It builds up conflict inside each character, and progresses the external story forward with the war against the First Order.

With the two fighting side by side in the heat of battle, they really get to know each other.

Its a long arch, but so worth while when it is completed.

If I do a good enough job at writing, you should be able to feel the emotions of Rey and Ben. If I did an okay job, you should be able to feel a little bit of it.

All's well that ends well, I guess.

Hope you like it,

Part III

-London

Being good, doing good, believing in good.

Everyone thinks it will grant you good in return, be it in the form of karma or passage to a paradise far beyond the grave.

Eventually however, you will make a mistake, even the ones you never meant to make; even the ones you made while doing good.

Thus in war, so it seems, mercy is the mistake.

If that weren't the case, the war would've ended when Luke destroyed the first death star; the First Order would never have risen. Rey wouldn't have been dumped on Jakky by her parents, who were fleeing the grasp of their own parentage.

These were the reflective thoughts that went through Rey before she became aware that she was unaware of where she was.

I did everything right. Rey thought, staring into the blackness of her subconscious. I stuck to my plan, killed the troopers with swift strokes. I didn't exaggerate their pain, no! I was quick... I even let Zach go. For what? Rey was aware of what had happened, and how she ended up into this void. She could not, however, feel her body or her surroundings. All she saw was blackness, hearing her own thoughts manifest to become her voice in the void where she float. Just so I could get killed, by nobodies? Trained from birth nobodies?! No, don't get angry Rey, you are a nobody like them. Ha! No I'm not- I'm a Palpatine! No, not that, what I am is a very dead Jedi. She paused, taking a goof look around. Is this what it is like, in the afterlife? She questioned her own state, where she was. It seemed to echo around a few times, and for the first time since they landed on this planet to fight, Rey was scared. Hello! She called out into the nothingness, waiting a moment, but no response. Am I in hell? No- Rey that is impossible. You showed mercy, kindness, you saved Zach and many others, you are not in hell; you are not in hell! Fear drove her to yell, echoing again in the endless sheet of black fog. Why was she still stuck? This is something different... It wasn't long after that when the darkness parted to show light penetrate it, turning the color of her void to a yellowish grey. Am I, waking up? Or am I going to meet the Jedi who came before... The light grew stronger and stronger, turning her once black fog into a grey haze. Rey could faintly make out the sounds of the world she had though she left behind, but rather then welcome her back to reality the sounds split her conscious like a wasp stinging his unfortunate victim.

What she didn't know, was that Ben had saw what had happened, and in response had rushed to her aid. He had run up to her, after quickly taking care of his previous objective. Ben's legs trembled, despite the message his facial features would give off as he approached the body of Rey, who lay sprawled out like a cat bathing in the sun. Was he scared? Of course; as he ran to her fear made his limbs stiff, contrary to the leg wobble he was just experiencing. Ben had worked to hard saving his soul, saving her, to let Rey die this was. Once he had managed to get beside her body, he saw what he didn't see on the floor on Exegol.

Rey was breathing, even more so her eyes were closed.

The sun mixed with smoke, shining down on her face casting shadows that appeared like ghost dancing on her fair skin. His hands were shaking, from fear or from relief he couldn't tell, he cupped his gloved hand over her face. She was dirty; a small cut was bleeding blow her eye, but she would be okay. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her. Blaster fire sounded from Ben's left, reacting without taking his hand off Rey's cheek he held the shots in place, casting a faint red glow over the ancient influenced architecture of the garden where he kneel and she lay.

"I'll be back." He said with a soothing tone not to far removed from their night on Ahch-To. Rising to face their attackers, Ben ignited his saber, secretly longing for the fear-instilling sight that was his former blade. Rey blinked her eyes open, her soft eyes glazed from the impact of the Ion cannon. Ben didn't see this, as he was already headed towards the small squad of stormtroopers who had inflicted the pain on Rey and countless others, but Rey noticed him walking away from her.

"Wait..." Her voice was weak, and everything seemed delayed for Rey. Reaching her arm out to call for Ben, she grabbed nothing but air and her arm folded back onto her chest. "Ben!" She called with more vigor, propping herself up after regaining awareness of her situation. The world seemed fuzzy when she leaned up, using her arms to support herself. She watched for a moment Ben strike down a trooper before marching onto the next, before she closed her eyes and let out a gasp of pain, pursing her eyebrows in reaction to the agony of the piercing headache bestowed upon her. "Ahh.." She opened her eyes again, trying to block out the pain and stand up to help Ben, which he didn't need.

Whats wrong with me? Rey asked herself, as she staggered to her feet. Her head felt different, no, her whole body felt different and she hunched over to catch her breath just from the effort it took to stand up. With her hands on her knees, some of her focus began to come back to her.

Meanwhile, Ben was ripping apart the troopers who, as previous stated, had caused Rey this pain. His strikes clapped with thunderous might, taking off limbs and even cutting the ground in some instances. Controlling his anger was hard, in this moment but he was no longer Kylo Ren. Each of his moves were calculated with a somewhat clear train of thought, which made the power behind each swing that much more deadly.

Not far from the chaos Ben was causing, Rey had been reunited with her former insight to the battlefield. While the world was still fuzzy, and lightly confusing, she no longer needed her hands to support her standing. Looking around, she remembered what their plan was, and the cries of Ben's victims a few yards away reminded of her of why they were fighting- The people! With a surge of new energy coursing through her young veins, Rey gathered herself to run, ready to charge back into battle to help Ben and save the children!

Rey managed three steps before falling down, pain slashing through her side like fire ants eating away at her ribs. "Argghh!" She gritted her teeth, hitting the ground with a solid thud. Rey clutched the side that hurt, confused but determined to find out why. She lightly ran her hands over the soft red cloth of her outfit, finding nothing out of the ordinary on first inspection. She went back over her ribs a second time, applying more pressure than before, and this found the source of the flaming hot pain.

She winced, feeling the pain of what could be a fractured rib. Looking down and over to the sight of the pain, she really couldn't care any less about what it was, she just needed it to stop. Still on the cobblestone pathway where she fell, Rey looked back over to where Ben was still fighting. By the countless white motionless bodies, however, she knew he was almost done. Letting out a small yelp, she broke past the pain barrier and stood up.

In that instant, Rey felt the pain in her side diet down. Her mind left her body temporarily towards the wide spread destruction, the aura of death that filled the streets and blanked the city. The feeling struck her, compassion filled her bones. I hope everyone else is alright... Rey shook her head, she wouldn't know what to do if something happened to Finn, Poe or any of her friends. Determined not to let any of that happen, she marched on to meet up with Ben who had taken care of business with the remaining troopers.

With one hand clutching his ignited saber that was sunk deep into the chest of the last storm trooper, Ben twisted around to face the approaching Rey. His eyes lit up with sparks of joy, knowing we was alright, at least alright enough to get back up. She still clutched her side, and was walking with a slight limp. However, her eyes were determined, which Ben knew meant she was going to complete whatever she had in mind, even if she was in pain.

"Rey!" He took the saber out of the trooper, who dropped dead. "Are you alright?" Rey's hand dropped from her side to her thigh, upholstering her blaster. 'Rey..?" Ben was dumbfounded, Is she about to shoot me? He tried to push that thought away, it was preposterous! He looked in her in the eyes, but in the same motion she pointed the tip of her blaster right up to Ben and fired without hesitation, making him flinch, preparing to feel the siring pain of a blaster shot.

The shot went left passed his head however, where a storm trooper dropped to the ground a few meters behind him. Ben let out a sigh, and Rey dropped her blaster back into its holster. Turning around, her witnessed the recently hit trooper fall forwards onto the ground. Making a clank as he hit.

"Did you actually think I was going to shoot you?" The voice of Rey caused him to turn again. Facing her, he could see the anger and disappointment in her eyes. She walked up closer, and for a brief moment, Ben thought back to the forest where they fought. His delayed response only made Rey feel worse, and he could sense it.

"No," He looked down at her, "It's just instinct." Ben wasn't lying, countless times had he been the focus of blaster fire, it was only in his nature to be skeptical. Rey too, knew this, and thus she let out a sigh.

"I'm glad your alright." Her voice was soft, and before Ben could even open his mouth to express his gratitude, Rey stepped forward to embrace him with a hug. Wrapping her arms around his sturdy trunk, pressing herself against him deeper until she could feel his heart beat through his clothes and his skin. Awkwardly, due to her unexpected action and the nature of who Ben was, he hugged her back. After a moment or two of the embrace, Ben still hadn't the slightest clue on way to say back. How could she still be worried about his safety when she was the one who was injured? After a few more moments of silence, he began to trace it all back and he felt his legs go numb, but that could wait for later.

"Don't we have people to save?" He asked cheekily, a smile plastered onto his face because of his recent discovery. Rey sighed, reluctantly letting go of her grip around the former Supreme Leader's waist. Pulling away, she caught a glance at his smile, making her stomach flutter with anticipation for a split second.

"Let's hurry this time." Rey said, speaking mostly to herself rather then to Ben. He nodded his agreement as Rey brushed past him, feeling her shoulder nudge past his arm. Her eyes were locked on the door ahead of them, saber in her hand. Ben admired her determination, he noticed it since their first meeting on Takodana. It appeared again in the face of Snoke, always ready to fight, even if it meant she might not make it.

"What will we do when we get to them?" Ben asked, his voice hung on the air as if he was still Kylo Ren. Rey didn't turn to face him, instead answering while continuing to walk through the destroyed garden.

"I will wait until the battle is over, protecting them." Ben couldn't see her face, but her expression was intense as her eye brows contracted closer together. He let out a sigh, internally disagreeing with Rey's new plan.

"Why don't we just let your Resistance friends guard them." Rey tilted her head to listen better, confused as to why he wouldn't say their Resistance friends. "We could be of better use out there, fighting among your soldiers." Ben could sense her displeasure as soon as the last few words leaped form his tongue to her ears, and he instantly regretted it.

"You sound like Poe." Rey said bitterly, refusing to acknowledge his idea. If anything, at least she knew the two headstrong men would get along in time. Ben let out a sigh, the two had reached the large doors that marked the entrance to the capital.

"Well, Poe is right then." Ben said with grudgingly, which was another mistake on its own. Rey didn't even want respond this time, rolling her eyes instead she pressed her hands again the door attempting to pry it open.

"Help me with this door." Rey's tone was dry and she leaned harder against the door. Whether she liked it or not, she knew Ben had a point, but she wasn't going to turn her back on these people. Ben propped himself against the already heavy door, feeling its cool metal contrast with his warm hand. "Alright, on my count we push..." She paused for a moment, waiting for Ben to get fully prepared. "One, two three." The two pushed with their collective might, and still the door didn't budge. Rey grunted in displeasure, while Ben just took a step back reaching his arm out.

"Stand back." He ordered, and Rey glanced over at him. Curiosity brimming inside her head as she backed away from the door.

"Wh-" Before she could satisfy her curiousness, he felt a tug on the balance in the force and the door started to moan with the sounds of metal under stress. Rey cast a glance over at Ben, now fully aware of what he was doing. His eyes were closed, but his arm did not shake, as this effort was no exceedingly difficult for his power. The door seemed to groan and ache for a few moments more, before it was overcome by Ben's use of the force. The two pieces of the door flung off their hinges and were cast behind the two, sending a gust of wind that ruffled two straggling strands of Rey's hair. Ben let out a breath as if he was holding it.

"After you." He grinned. It felt good to flex his force muscles again, he was clearly his fathers' son as it was even more important for him to show off in front of Rey, who had already begun to walk inside.

It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the Capital building. The main hallway they entered was lit by lights that were made to imitate torches, Rey assumed this was a call back to the planets primal roots. Ben was no more than a few inches behind her, the two walked slowly down the dim hallway until they saw what seemed to be more slight towards the end of it.

"This reminds me a lot of a Star Destroyer, just less lit." Ben muttered, breaking the silence. Rey slowed up a bit so she could walk side by side to him, making for an easier conversation. Rey could sense his unease, but she also sensed guilt and on of that regret.

"Despite my best efforts, I managed to find myself on plenty of those." Rey quipped in, hoping to lighten up Ben's mood. She wasn't lying, after all. For a scavenger turned Resistance fighter she did find her way onto plenty of Star Destroyers, thanks partly in turn to him. Rey could sense his regret grow at her words, the opposite of what she had wanted to happen.

"They looked a lot like this, didn't they?" Ben reached his hand out to graze the walls of the hall they walked, as if he almost missed being on one. Rey nodded, looking over at him.

"I guess you could say that." She paused, thinking for a moment. Ben still had his hand against the walls. "I reminds me more of the crashed Imperial ones on Jakku, with all the sand erosion." Ben let out a snort, dropping his hand off the wall to let it rest at his side again.

"What was it like, being a scavenger?" The tone, and the question both caught Rey off guard. Ben, being a very important person ever since his birth, had no idea what life would be like being a nobody. He had some picture when he searched Rey's head on Star Killer Base, but it was forced and very different from a real conversation. He had been always longing for a real conversation with Rey, ever since their force connections the previous year. Rey could sense this, and she felt it too.

"Where to begin." Rey smirked to herself, making fun of how desolate her old life was on the desert world. "It was hard, at first, being so young and alone... but after awhile it just felt-" She briefly paused, searching for the right words while Ben waited patiently for her to finish. "It felt like normal life. Being a scavenger was all I had known, and everyone I knew was also a scavenger." Be frowned, feeling the loneliness creep into the aura of Rey's force. "I had always heard stories about life outside of Jakku, but I never wanted to leave. It felt like me, as if that life style made me who I am... and you already know I was waiting for my parents." Looking back, Rey realized how irrational her stay on Jakku was; but the long ache of wanting a family crept up inside her again, reminding her exactly why she had stayed. "I managed to find free time, you know?" Ben smiled, the warmth of the conversation heating up his chest and heart. "In between scavenging and keeping my house and speeder maintained, I had used an old Imperial flight simulator and practiced flying on that! Even though I thought would never leave..." Rey stopped, realizing how good it felt to talk about her life outside the force. No one had ever asked me that question before... not even Finn! Ben looked over at her, not knowing how to respond.

"That's where you learned how fly!" The lighthearted nature of his true voice almost made Rey tear up. For the longest time, it seemed, all she wanted was to have Ben Solo back. Now that he was here, it was something she needed to behold. "I always wondered where you got your talents." She smiled, it was a nice compliment.

"Ben." Rey tugged at his arm, signaling for him to stop walking. Her emotions were starting to get the better of her, and her eyes welled with steamy tears. Ben stopped on her command, looking down into her eyes. Flashbacks from the lift on Snoke's ship flooded his mind, but the feeling in the air was soaked with Rey's happiness. "I-I never got to thank you... for saving me-" She was cut off by Ben reaching forward to cup her mouth with his hand. Gazing into his eyes, they were warm and his smile beamed

"No, Rey." His smile grew "You, saved me." If Rey wasn't able to express her joy with words, no. The feelings she had, the tug deep inside as she reached around to put her arms around the neck was magnetic in nature. She had felt this before, on the floor on Exegol, and knew exactly what to do again. Closing her eyes, she slowly leaned up towards his face. Ben had removed his hand and by instinct he wrapped his free hand around her waist, pulling her closer. The force around them buzzed with energy and anticipation as the two leaned in for an embrace like no other. No words needed to be said, Rey was close enough now to feel his breath against her lips. It sent her body into an electric frenzy, the hair on her neck stood up like a flower in the spring, she was ready.

"Rey! Do you have a status on the Capital?" Poe's voice hissed through the com, shattering the tension and the moment. Rey's eyes shot open, her face was centimeters away from Ben's, the moment was ruined. Every fiber of her being wanted to stay locked together with Ben, but she reluctantly pulled away to answer the coms.

"We have it secured, what should we do with the civilians?" Rey's voice was scratchy, irritated, and Ben could tell. If anything, he wanted the kiss more. Ben had always wanted to kiss her. He just knew it would never happen, until it did. There was a brief pause, before Poe came back online.

"We have cleared the skies pretty good." Rey didn't expect it to be over so quickly, it was almost suspicious. "We only have the two Destroyers to take care of now, it would be safe to bring the, outside and signal for an extraction!" Ion cannon fire signaled Poe was done speaking, it seemed the day was all but won. Ben however, seemed to tense up.

"Sounds good, Black Leader." Rey clicked off the coms, not wanting another interruption again. Turning to Ben, she gave him a glance before brushing herself off and continuing their walk down the hall. Ben followed stiffly, something was wrong. "Are you alright?" Her voice was soothing, and Ben didn't want to frighten her.

"Yes, just puzzled. The First Order only retreats by direct order, if the Destroyers aren't leaving..." He trailed off, he didn't know for a fact they weren't already gone. "Doesn't matter, they are most likely already gone." Rey nodded, agreeing with what he said and the pair kept walking.

Moments later, they had reached what appeared to be a set of doors leading to a congressional hall, most likely where the people where seeking shelter from the attack. Rey was the first to approach the door, it was a huge structure made entirely from wood. She attempted to open it with Ben not far behind, and the door did not budge.

"I can feel their presence." Rey said, taking a deep breath and turning to face Ben. "They are afraid." She added, looking back at the large door. Ben walked up next to her. Using the force again to slowly push the mammoth of a door open. It creaked and groaned before coming to its resting position wide open. Rey smiled at the sight, hundreds of all kinds of life forms huddles together, all of their eyes on her and Ben. Their stares burned through her, some of the gazes looked relieved others looked petrified.

"I'll let you do the talking." Ben whispered to her, as he took a step into the congressional hall. In the same instant Ben's foot landed on the floor, half of the room gasped and jumped back. Noticing this, Ben put his hands up and stopped approaching, it was Rey's turn to shine.

"We are with the Resistance!" She called into the crowd, stepping up next to Ben, casting glances around the room. Murmuring in different languages broke out while she paused. "We have orders to evacuate you to a safer nearby location." Again, murmuring broke out and Ben looked over at Rey. She was so calm, a born leader it seemed.

"How can we trust ye?" An elderly male voice stood above the rest from the sea of voices, Rey's eyes softened at the question, as to where Ben almost took offense.

"You just have too, stay here and you're still in danger." She looked around at the group again, many of them were to frighten to question their rescue attempt. This was a good thing. "We have transport ships waiting outside for you, come along now!" Rey motioned with her hand, turning her back to the group, already starting her walk out. Ben folded his arms, nodding his approval as many of the civilians quickly followed the Jedi's orders.

"You'll be safe once we get you onto the transporters." Ben added before he too turned, followed by the thunderous sounds of many feet clamoring their way out of the hall.

As the first outside, Rey had noticed the Resistance had already landed about four transports and had set up defensive positions around the lawn. After what Ben had told her, she searched they sky for a Destroyer, and found only one. It was further away, but its bow was facing the city. How odd she thought briefly before turning to greet Ben and the herd of civilians behind him. Upon seeing this, five Officers came up to help escort the many people onto the ships. Rey nodded to Ben, sensing their job was complete she began to walk over to a small patch of grass to stand vigil over the process.

"Some of them didn't come with us." Ben muttered once he was beside Rey. "I don't understand why, maybe it was me." Rey cast him a look of disbelief, almost laughing at the absurdity of his statement.

"Nonsense Ben!" She gazed out to the groups of people behind loaded up. "I remember how unwilling I was to leave Jakku, it was my home, and it wasn't even a nice place!" Ben snorted at her last bit, turning his head to face her.

"I find Jakku to be a great place, especially in the summers!" Rey shook her head, let out a small bit of laughter whilst doing so. Ben loved her laugh, it was the most precious thing he had ever heard.

"Yea, you're right." Rey fought sarcasm with sarcasm, adding to his joke about her home world. Rey bit her lip, thinking hard for a moment, crossing her arms. "Ah!" She winced, feeling the fiery pain from her side ignite again. Ben quickly put an arm on her shoulder, sensing her pain.

"Rey, we need to get you to a doctor." He voice was stern, eerily familiar with that of Kylo Ren's, but Rey shook off the pain and kept her arms at her side, gazing back out as the first transporter took off.

"I'm fine, I'll visit a doc when we get back to Ajan Kloss." Ben nodded sodomy, seeing Rey in pain had always made him uneasy. The pair stood in silence for a good minute or two, only the sounds of talking and footsteps broke the silence. The occasional blaster fire did sometimes split the tranquility, but was quickly drown out by the noise the transport engines caused. The breeze caused by those engines blew both Ben's and Rey's hair in a calm and relaxing pattern. Rey felt good, despite her side pain, about what had happened here today. It embodied what it had meant for her to be a Jedi, what it had meant to be her. Their thoughts were broken up by the unmistakable sound of the Falcon coming in for a landing behind them. Ben turned to face Rey, who was already facing the landing freighter.

"Time to go, if you want too." Ben said, taking a few steps forward ahead of Rey. Who glanced back at the much smaller group of civilians waiting to be taken to the safe zone. She nodded and followed him towards the already deployed loading ramp of the Falcon. Walking up the steps, Ben was still surprised Chewie had excepted him so quickly, even though he had known the Wookie since birth.

Once inside, Chewie was ready to great them, giving them a welcoming call. Rey smiled at her friend, while Ben planted himself on a seat. Rey winced slightly as she made her way to the Captains seat, she was clearly in discomfort and Chewie took to notice this. He called over to her, where Rey flashed another smile.

"I'm fine, thank you- lets get out of here." Chewie didn't argue with that, and nether did Ben. He was still excited about her discovery from earlier, and he sat in the corner a smile plastered on his face. The two pilots flipped a few switched and the Falcon took off, hovering at first before speeding its was towards the sky. Looking down, Rey grew saddened by the mass amounts of destruction below her. The city was destroyed, buildings were crumbled and debris littered the streets. Rey sighed, knowing scavengers would soon arrive to the city to feast on the ruins of First Order and Resistance ships.

Clouds zoomed by, a sight that new got old for Rey. Chewie looked over at her, asking her if she was ready for the jump to hyperspace. Rey nodded back, reaching out and grabbing the lever to accelerate back too Ajan Kloss. Now more then ever, after seeing the smoldering city, did she want to go home.

The blue sky gave way to black and the stars stretched out like spaghetti, the world around them rushed and they were gone; heading home, for now.

There we are, finally done.

I apologize for not letting you know I would be out of town, so here is an extra long chapter to make up for the time lost.

Today, was a sad day.

We lost a legend, Kobe Bryant, in a tragic accident.

If things couldn't get worse; his thirteen year-old daughter was also on board the helicopter, she too, died.

May their souls rest in peace.

Again, I love the responses you guys share. I keeps me motivated and help me improve this story.

I may even start a new one on the side, who know.

Remember, Review and follow!

Until next time,

-London.