Rey stirred in her sleep onboard the Falcon. She looked around in the darkness, seeing only BB and D-O powered down for the night. She doesn't know why she is on this planet. She doesn't know why she came here. Maybe because she can feel Leia and Luke here? Maybe because that connection fooled her into thinking that she could reach him through them. So far, there was nothing. Nothing but sand and memories of a time long forgotten. Rey felt lost. She didn't know which path to take, the war for the Galaxy raged on with new threats rising every day to threaten the tenuous peace that had settled after the defeat of Palpatine. She could return to the Resistance; they would welcome her back with open arms. But the fight felt meaningless now. Everything felt meaningless now. Without him.

'Why?' she whispered into the void.

'Why give me this wonderful gift and then snatch it away?'

She felt Leia's energy around her, but she pushed her beloved mentor away. She didn't want to hear the words of comfort she would bestow upon her. She could tell her nothing of Ben, her words were just empty placebos. Either Luke and Leia were as clueless as she was as to why Ben had not made himself known to her, or they were hiding something. Rey suspected it was the latter.

'I've come to congratulate you, this is the longest you've slept since the battle,' Luke said, appearing before her, shimmering like a moonlit lake.

'Why can't I feel him?' she asked. Forgoing pleasantries. Luke knew her thoughts, there was no point trying to hide.

'I think, in time, you will. I think in time we all will.'

Rey stood.

'If you know something and you don't tell me…' she threatened pointing a finger at Luke.

Luke put up his hands in mock surrender as he sat opposite her.

'You'll what? You'll kill me? I hate to break it to ya but someone already beat you to it.'

Rey sat back down. Defeated.

'I just want him back, there's an ache inside of me, and I know it will always be there, unless I find him,' she put a hand over her chest and looked down at her feet.

Luke furrowed his brow.

'Maybe...no it's not possible.'

Rey crouched before him.

'What? Tell me, if there's any kind of chance, no matter how small, tell me.'

Luke shook his head.

'It's too dangerous. I couldn't let you. If something happened to you, Leia would never forgive me.'

Rey exhaled angrily, she stared at Luke intensely.

'Luke, listen to me very carefully, the moment that Ben Solo healed me, he cemented a thought that had been circling in my mind for some time. He and I are one. We are meant to be together. I will do whatever it takes to get him back. Don't treat me like a child. Tell me what you know and let me make my own choice.'

'There is one chance. But you will have to pay a price, and it might be more than you can pay.'

'Tell me,' Rey ordered him.

Rey swallowed hard, her heart beating fast in her chest as she once again piloted the Falcon to a place, she never thought she would return to again, the place when they had both died.

She was alone, choosing to leave her beloved droids behind. She didn't know what awaited her here, but she sensed that she needed to face it unaccompanied.

Exegol was still shrouded in shadows, but a peace had settled over the once active hive of dark energy. It felt more like a final resting place now.

How fitting. Rey thought to herself sadly.

Rey returned to the spot where Ben had fallen. She fell to her knees and touched the ground. Nothing. She felt nothing. Her heart sank in her chest. She told herself to remain hopeful, to follow Luke's instructions carefully.

Rey removed Ben's tunic from her pack. She stroked the soft material. Laying it down on the ground, she stood before it and took a deep breath letting it out slowly before she said the words that Luke had told her to memorise mere hours previously.

'I ask that this man be returned to me. I am willing to pay the price.'

A voice invaded her thoughts. It was soft and feminine. Rey did not sense it was a threat.

'What are you willing to give?'

'Anything,' Rey replied without hesitation.

'There is but one way, his crimes cannot be outweighed by this one act of selflessness.'

Rey frowned.

'Ben was never giving a change to atone,' she explained.

'That is not my concern, in order for him to be returned, his crimes must be erased.'

'Why?' Rey asked.

'That is not the right question,' the voice replied.

'How can I change what has already passed?' Rey asked helplessly.

Suddenly a being appeared before, a beautiful woman, taller than Rey, with glowing blonde hair and shimmering white robes. She smiled at Rey.

'That is the right question,' the being said with a smile before placing her hands onto Rey's chest.

Rey's body jolted violently as energy ran through her. Her arms flew out to her sides and her head fell back. Then she was hurtling through a deep, dark hole, falling for what seemed like an eternity. When she finally slammed into a hard surface, she felt lightheaded and dizzy.

She saw a dark shape come towards her, she recognised the boots first, then the imposing stride, then the mask. It was him. He was there. But how?

Rey managed to turn so she was lying face up on a hard metal grate. She was on some sort of ship.

'Ben?' she whispered.

'No one calls me that anymore,' said the deep distorted voice.

'I call you that,' she said blinking heavily. She wanted to sleep so badly.

'Who are you?' he asked, crouching over her and cocking his head to the side. The lifeless metal facade observed her. She wished she could see his face. He didn't know her? How could he not know her?

'I'm Rey, Ben it's me,' she said.

'Rey,' he said her name as if he was trying it out for the first time. There was no recognition. No understanding. Rey felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

'You don't know me,' she slurred as she fought to stay awake.

'No, but I have a feeling I should,' he replied.

That's when Rey lost her battle to stay conscious and her eyes closed as her head slumped against the metal grate.

Two stormtroopers approached the Supreme leader as he crouched over the intruder.

'Sir, shall we restrain her?'

Kylo looked down at the girl. There was something there. Something telling him, the girl was important. The thought of handing her over to the troopers was distasteful to him. He wanted to be the one to handle her. He needed to know how it felt.

'I'll deal with her.'

Kylo collected her into his arms. She was so light. Too light for a girl of her size. She hung limply in his arms but breathing steadily. Something about the sound brought him comfort.

'Curious…

'Should we prepare the interrogation room?'

'No, I'll take her to my quarters.'

The troopers looked at each other but stayed silent. Neither wanted the Supreme Leaders infamous temper directed at them.

Kylo strode down the corridor with his precious load.

'Who are you?' he murmured.

He heard his grandfather's voice in his head.

Be wary of her, she means to turn you against me…

There was something in the voice that he didn't recognise. A quality that had never made itself known to him in their previous conversation.

Fear. It was fear.

Kylo reached his quarters and placed Rey down on the bed gently. He sat down and took off his helmet. He watched her sleep for a long time before finally logic fought through his hazy musings and he realised that he could use the force to revive her.

He took off his glove gently and touched his bare hand to her head. He felt a multitude of things. Sadness, loneliness, determination, strength, it was overwhelming.

Her eyes sprang open and settled on his. He realised she could see his face. The mask still lay on the floor by his feet. The relief that radiated from her washed over him. He held his breath.

'Ben,' she called out again.

'That's not—'

She was off the bed now, spanning his lap, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He was too stunned to respond.

'I thought I would never see you again, I thought you were gone,' she sobbed.

It didn't make any sense; they had never met. What was she talking about?

She took his face in her hands, looking deep into his eyes. He could feel her desperation for him to show some sign that he knew her. He almost wished he could give her what she was looking for. Just to ease the tension they were both feeling.

'She sent me back,' the girl said suddenly. 'She sent me back to a time before we've met.'

'What are you talking about?' he asked. Still reeling from the fact that she was completely unconcerned that she had wrapped herself around him and showed no signs of moving.

'She sent me back to make it right,' she said with a smile.

The smile hit him like a saber burn. It seared itself across his memory.

'Make what right?' he asked quietly.

'You,' she said with a hopeful expression. Then she pressed her lips roughly to his and everything around him blurred out of focus and all he could see, feel, touch and taste, was her.