Chapter Ten

Finn was restless. Evening stretched into night and he felt no hint of sleep. The pale eyes of the Empress, wide with shock as he stunned her, were burned into his mind. They didn't look like Rey's eyes at all. Rey was his best friend in the galaxy, other than Poe, perhaps. Their lives had been dark and lonely before they had found each other. And now, suddenly, Finn had abandoned her and they had been thrust onto opposing sides of the war. Finn knew she was out there, alone and hurting, and the longer they left her like that, the more of a threat she became.

Sighing, Finn stopped his pacing and slipped into the corridor outside his room. He tapped softly on Poe's door.

"Hello," said a groggy voice from within.

"It's just me," Finn called.

"Oh, come in then."

Finn sat down on the bed. "Sorry to wake you—what are you doing?" Poe was tangled in his shirt, one sleeve over his arm, the rest caught on his head.

"Started putting this on before I knew it was you. Don't judge, I'm half asleep."

A smile played across Finn's lips, easing the tension in his head. He reached up to free his boyfriend.

"The real question," said Poe, "is what'd you wake me up for?"

"Can't sleep. I'm just real worried about Rey."

"We all are," Poe sighed.

"It's okay if you want to go back to sleep," said Finn. "I'd just…"

"You'd rather be here?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Finn slid into the bed, closing his eyes against the warmth of Poe's body. He knew that Poe cared for him. Could Rey say the same? Did she know that they would fight for her? If only he knew how.

Ben needed out. He couldn't think in this little room with stone walls and warm, humid air. Especially when she had been here and then vanished without a trace. He almost could have imagined it, the way he had vividly pictured his father on Kef Bir. The only proof that the Empress had been here were Ben's swollen lips and the aching in his chest.

Ben threw on the blue cloak and opened the door, finding his way immediately blocked by two guards.

"I just want to take a walk," he sighed. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Yeah, no. You're staying here," said one of the guards.

"I came all the way back from Exegol," Ben growled. "I'll come back from…this general area too."

"You were brought back from Exegol," the guard corrected.

Ben clenched his fists. He was sure using the Force on Resistance guards was not good form. And yet, though he had never really struggled with claustrophobia before, now it felt like the walls were closing in on him. "You will let me pass, alert no one that I am gone, and wait for my return."

One of the guards grew glassy eyed and repeated Ben's order. The other spat in the dirt at Ben's feet. "That's not going to work on me, Ren"

Ben's eyelid twitched as he stared down the guard. "You will let me pass, alert no one that I am gone, and wait for my return."

The guard blinked and lowered his blaster, stepping out of Ben's way. Ben flicked the hood of his cloak up over his head and paced off into the trees.

The guard was partially right about Exegol. Part of Ben had wanted to stay. He didn't want to leave Rey, not alone, not at all. Perhaps it was a good thing that Finn and Chewie hadn't given him much of a choice. Ben ached with conflict whenever he was around her. It was so easy to accept her as she came to him. There was no place in the galaxy for Ben Solo, but now he knew where Kylo Ren belonged: at the right hand of the Empress. If he had stayed, he would have turned to her sooner or later, and the galaxy would have been doomed. But Rey did have a place outside of the Empress. These were people that needed her. Frizz, he needed her too. Ever since the Force had first connected them, he had lived for the moments he would see her again. He would snatch minutes alone when he could, hoping beyond hope that the Force would bring them together again. And then, for a brief few hours they had both been in the light and then she was gone. Ben sank to his knees, his forehead pressed against rough tree bark.

Sooner or later they would have to fight. Rey was so much better suited to this than he was. If he'd had a choice, Ben would have switched places with her in an instant. In his place, Rey would do what needed to be done. She always had. She hadn't let feelings get in her way. Not like Ben was doing now. He wanted so badly to go to her—with no one watching him, he could steal a ship and head to Exegol right now. But even minutes with her always began to bring out what he had forcefully buried. He didn't miss the pain and misery of the Dark side. But was what he was feeling now any better? She had begged him to save her, or…kill me if you must. Ben closed his eyes. He was so sure he had seen a bit of Rey. She had called him by his name, sought out his comfort—he couldn't destroy that. Rey. Rey. He just wanted her back. Part of him was missing without her. He felt empty inside, and wondered if she felt the same way. Weak, said the voice that had ingrained itself into Ben's consciousness. These feelings make you weak. His breathing was rough as he pressed himself against the tree trunk.

Ben felt a hand on his shoulder. Had the Force connected him with Rey again so soon? He turned, but the Empress was not behind him. Instead, it was Leia, lit blue from within, her hand resting on Ben's shoulder.

"You'll do what you have to, Ben." The back of a finger brushed up his cheek. Ben closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was alone as ever.

The Empress had given Kylo Ren a chance. And he had disappointed her. For a moment, even, he had gotten the better of her. The scavenger had broken through, just long enough to panic about what the Empress was using her body for. What a pitiful former self. The Empress would be secure only when she had destroyed all that Rey had loved. And when Ben Solo and the Resistance were gone, who would dare oppose her?

She was ready. She had salvaged a troop carrier from the wrecks. It was plenty big enough to carry her small army. She had fixed what was broken, or at least, directed the stormtroopers in fixing it. She had fixed the broken troopers too, taking the life out of those that were beyond immediate repair and transferring it to those with lesser injuries. Now they worked like a well oiled machine. The Knights of Ren, too, obeyed her every command.

Ben had given her valuable information. He had been alone in a bedroom, and with everything to do around the Resistance base, that could only mean that it was evening on Ajan Kloss. It was the perfect time for an attack. By the time she arrived, most everyone would be sleeping, and few would suspect her plans. Not after they had seen her with nothing so recently. Ben would be destabilized, perhaps truly believing that she was still the scavenger. He wouldn't hurt her just after their evening encounter. She had called the Resistance base home for longer than anywhere other than Jakku—there was no way she could forget the coordinates. So the Resistance wanted her back? They would get her.

Author's Note: frizz is one of the seemingly lesser know Star Wars swears, often used by smugglers. Wonder where Ben could have picked that one up?

Also I just wanted to say that we are drawing close to the end of this story. I do have ideas for a sequel, but I wanted to let you all know more or less what to expect from the next week or so.