Twenty Five.

Snoke rose to his full height, towering over the assembled watchers, his eyes cold and filled with contempt. Rey backed away, her lightsaber raised as the shape turned his ire onto the dark shape of his murderer. Kylo Ren backed up, his eyes wide and saber raised. To Rey's eye, he was breathing faster than normal and appeared…shocked. Almost panicked.

"I killed you," he breathed.

"I know," Snoke growled. "You were very skilled, my apprentice. Almost worthy of my praise. You finally conquered your doubt and fear, the conflict that had riven you for years-but for her!" The word was spat as Rey backed up further. Yet Snoke's attention was focussed on the dark shape of Ren.

"It was the only choice," Ren said, though his voice was doubtful.

Why? Why was doing the unthinkable so necessary when I know what he can do?

"You are WEAK!" Snoke roared, looming. "You did exactly what I planned: allowing her to see your conflict through the Bond, baring your soul, letting her think that you could be turned because you are so riven…and then betraying her!"

Ren's eyes flicked up at the almost inaudible gasp that Rey gave. The words gave him a sudden pang of pain, though he couldn't recall the incident in detail. He recalled the focus, the fact he stood over her with his saber in his hand, his other hand subtly turning his grandfather's lightsaber on the arm of Snoke's throne. Of making the decision…

…WHY?…

…and igniting the lightsaber through Snoke's body, slicing him in two before he could even call out. Of sparing Rey who was held helpless before him, presented to him for him to slaughter like a sacrificial lamb.

Rey who he had never truly tried to kill since Starkiller.

"What Bond?' he asked. Snoke loomed closer.

"The Bond I forged between you to allow your minds to touch…" he sneered and then he narrowed his eyes, driving his mind through Ren's, brutally reaming the man's mind. A claw-like, elongated hand moved slightly as he tore through memories.

Kylo Ren screamed. The watchers-even Poe-winced at the sound and Rey danced round to crouch by her friends.

"Are you alright?" she murmured. Finn nodded.

"Yeah," he conceded. "Um…"

"You don't know who I am, do you?" she realised, seeing the confusion in their eyes. Pain wracked her heart at the loss of these people, who she loved as the family she had adopted in place of those who had abandoned her. Rose shook her head.

"Ren did something to our minds," she apologised. "And I am sure that somehow…we will remember. But for now, we trust you, Jedi…" She paused and with a stab of grief, Rey realised that Rose-loving, lovely Rose-couldn't even recall her name.

"Rey," she said through a thick throat. "Rey of Jakku."

Because I will never claim the name that I have. I will never be known as Rey Palpatine. Rose gifted her a bright smile.

"I'm Rose," she said "And I'm pleased to meet you…again…Rey," she said.

"Poe Dameron," he said, his eyes wary and still fingering his throat. "Thanks for the save, by the way." Rey offered the briefest flash of her brilliant smile.

"You're welcome," she said. Finn eyed her sorrowfully.

"Finn," he murmured. "Sorry. I-I sense that…you're very sad about…all of this…" She sighed.

"It's okay," she lied. "When we get off this rock, we can…catch up, I guess?" Accepting this, the former stormtrooper nodded. "But now, I would be much happier if you got away from here. Snoke and B…Ren are too powerful for you to stop. If you stay here, you'll get killed." Poe frowned.

"Lemme get this straight," he said, frowning. "You came back from the dead. Now Snoke came back from the dead. Who's next? Palpatine? Darth Vader?"

"Funny you should say that," an unfamiliar voice said. Rey's head snapped up as the others stared. They could sense a vague shape but to the young woman, the familiar form of Anakin coalesced. Lightning turned the sky a fearsome red and struck the ground, mere feet from the altar.

"This is unexpected," he commented. Rey frowned.

"Very," she murmured, her eyes trained on the two former Supreme Leaders. "Is he really back? Is Snoke alive again?"

"Dathomir is a very…unique place," he conceded. "The Nightsisters had the strange powers they accessed through the Force-which included the ability to raise the dead. This place is lousy with Force magic. And the combination of the altar and the Holocron have allowed Snoke to fashion a new body for himself."

"Can he be stopped?" Rey hissed urgently.

"You really don't recall anything about my grandson?" he asked, crouching down to look her in the eye.

"Who…?"

"Ben Solo. Kylo Ren," he reminded her.

"No. Except he's a monster, a patricide, a murderer…"

"He's your soul mate," he told her sternly. "You share…shared…a Force Bond. You are a Dyad, two souls joined, two that are one. It is how you defeated Palpatine."

"That's impossible!" she spat. "I would remember…" He shook his head.

"You lost your memories of him as the price for your resurrection," he revealed. "His sacrifice was greater. You saved him, Rey. You spared his life when you dealt him a mortal blow when you fought him…"

…the waves, crashing over them, lightsabers-blue and red-clashing amid the freezing spray…

"I-I don't…"

"He fought with you. He turned to the Light. He has fought so hard to remain the man you believed in: Ben Solo. His sacrifice was to surrender everything he has gained: the Light, his memories of you, the Force Bond you shared, his love…"

She recoiled.

"You're wrong!" she spat. "He's a vile monster. He killed his own father. He made his choice to seek power rather than choose his family!"

"Of course, you know best," Anakin told her, his tone disappointed. "But together, you can defeat Snoke, Separately, you will both fall and he will rise once more…"

She blinked at his tone but he was already gone.

You trust him, she reminded herself, then glanced at her friends. They were staring at her with surprise and more than a little wariness. "Get back!" she snapped. "This is beyond you! Get down and make sure you are safe. I can't concentrate on defeating him if I am having to keep half an eye on you!" There was a pause and the three nodded, retreating down the slope as she spun in her crouch and turned to face the confrontation.

Ren was on his knees, Snoke looming over him and brutally ravaging his mind. A memory flashed back, of her own interrogation, of the way he had prised her defences apart. And though she knew instinctively he was as cruel and determined as Snoke, she knew that he also possessed excellent shields so Snoke's invasion had to be backed by much greater power and cruelty. And the look on the monster's face made her shudder, for he was clearly relishing the torture.

The Force Bond you shared…

Yet there was no connection, nothing between them. She would have thought that something so special and unique couldn't just be sundered. The way Anakin had said the words implied a level of special that was beyond important. But glancing back at the rigid black-clad shape, she didn't need any Bond or connection to him to know he was in terrible pain: she could sense it through the Force. A large portion of her reminded her that he had inflicted as much pain-or even more-on countess others but there was a tiny part of her that reminded her that he was a human being and in pain…and that Snoke was the worse evil. And Anakin's words rolled around her head, however unwillingly.

Suddenly, Snoke dropped him, a vicious chuckle leaving his mouth.

"I had never imagined your betrayal, your weakness could be so overwhelming," he sneered. "Had I foreseen this, I would've left you to die after you escaped from Skywalker."

Ren was breathing heavily but Rey could almost feel the waves of hatred, radiating off his slumped shape.

"You hate me," Snoke sneered, leaning forward. Slowly, Ren raised his head.

"You encouraged me to hate everything," he breathed. "You made me a creature of anger and hatred. You stripped every other emotion from me. You promised me that killing my father would give me the clarity of purpose and strength I needed to silence all my doubts-and you betrayed me." He shoved himself up to his feet, his lightsaber in his hand, immediately pushing forward to lunge at the unarmed shape. But Snoke was ready, lightning pouring from his hand to slam the attacking shape, the blast flipping him end over end and slamming him right on the edge of the plateau. Stunned, he looked up as the lightsaber landed, yards away from his hand. Head ringing and body numb, he stared up at the monster who had seduced and moulded him into what he was. Snoke chuckled, stepping down from the altar and raising his hand again, to strike once more.

But Rey was in the way, parrying the lightning with her lightsaber, her eyes narrowed and an eerie sense of deja vu thrumming through her. Snoke burst out laughing, the wretched sound grating above the distant thunder.

"Even devoid of the Bond, she still comes to your rescue," he sneered. Balanced, her face set with anger, she never took her eyes from the tall shape but a slight gesture had the fallen lightsaber slapping into Ren's palm.

"Maybe I recall more than you think," she snapped, forcing her mind to clear. She knew that using some anger was helpful but allowing it to overwhelm her and cloud her judgement was a weakness. She was no longer the naive girl who had faced Snoke in his throne room on the Supremacy but her instincts told her that he was just as strong here, on this desolate plateau. And Anakin's words had convinced her that there was not going to be the same level of help available facing Snoke as there was in combating Palpatine. "But do you recall what you are, Snoke?" The curl of her lip as she faced him was deliberately insulting. "Tell me-how does it feel to be nothing, just a mash-up, created in a petri dish to serve a rotting relic of a fallen regime? A relic I destroyed?"

His eyes grew colder and she could feel the darkness swirling around him. But behind her, she was aware that Kylo Ren was clambering to his feet, the lightsaber ignited in his hand. Tensing, she felt a flicker of relief as he stood alongside her, his saber raised.

"So you choose her over me-again?" he sneered. Ren's hand tightened on the metal, the blade directed straight towards the shape of Snoke.

"The Sith are gone," he ground out, his knuckles white. "She's right. You are a relic of a failed scheme to take back control. You are nothing!"

Lightning arched down at them, both from his hands and from the sky, the energy crackling around the pair. Teeth gritted, Rey angled her lightsaber and she felt Ren match her, deflecting the strike. Snoke started laughing, his next attack slamming both back.

The Force Bond you shared.

She glanced over at the dark shape, seeing his dark hair falling across his pale features. He was the monster that had haunted her vision in Maz's castle, the creature that had killed his own father when Han Solo went to retrieve his son. He had tried to kill Finn and exterminate the Resistance on Crait. Luke had died to stop him. Leia had died to distract him. He had eliminated all of his family. How could she be bonded to such a vile, treacherous snake?

Because you have your own darkness, your own heritage of evil.

She blinked, hearing his voice in her head.

How can I hear you?

Your shields are pretty porous. I would have thought Luke would have taught you to shield better-especially since… There was the vaguest hint of regret in his tone. She ground her teeth.

Keep out of my mind! she snapped. I've been dead for Force knows how long and this is all a lot to take it… She could almost feel a flicker of amusement from his end.

As you wish, he replied. But it may help to co-ordinate against him. Because you are right: he cannot be allowed to live. There are First Order ships overhead, First Order stormtroopers closing on this position. And if we let him resume control, the Resistance will crumble.

I doubt that, she replied, taking station at his side, their lightsabers raised in unison. But the Galaxy doesn't need any more conflict. The First Order is mostly disbanded or destroyed. And Snoke…is too dangerous to allow to live.

On that, we agree, he replied as Snoke lashed out at them again. He reached out for her, feeling hesitancy…but also a familiarity. He stole a glance at her, his dark eyes taking in the determination on her face, her nose scrunched as she frowned. He could feel the power surging in her, far more dominant and complex than it had been when they fought Snoke last. Even since Kef Bir when she defeated him…

I wanted to take your hand. Ben's hand.

He blinked.

"You couldn't be weaker!" Snoke spat. "Still unable to stand on your own two feet, still craving for something more than you. My words, Vader's voice…and now the girl, a beacon of light to your darkness. And when she discards you…what then?"

Rey's hand shot out and clamped around his wrist, her saber crossing over his. Quietly, she closed her eyes and stealing a glance at her, he mirrored the action. Lightning webbed the sky and struck all around the attenuated, alien shape, causing the ground to turn to glass.

"Be with me," she murmured and she felt him brush gently against her mind. It was the opposite to their last encounter, a respectful request to join him rather than any species of attack. She took a breath and lowered her shields just enough to feel his mind rest against hers.

"Pathetic," Snoke condemned and drew up the lightning, the blackness of the Force drawing around him. But they were ready, the sabers reflecting the assault back so the energy scourged Snoke's shape. His howls mixed with their own cries as the Dark tore at them. But he was at her side, his strength supporting her own and when they struck, it was together. Snoke stumbled but did not fall, his scornful laugh echoing across the plateau. "Truly pitiful! Your ambition is worthy of your grandfather but your spirit…is weak as your worthless father."

She felt the surge of rage through the tentative link, the fury giving him power.

Anger was the easiest way to access the Dark Side, a path he had trodden so many times…and one she was not unfamiliar with. A part of her wanted to rage at Snoke as well but she needed to keep her head, remain calm and ready as Snoke struck again. Again, the lightning, the power boiled off the duality and she wondered how come she had never known they had this power. Or had she forgotten because she had died? Could Ren recall it? Why had Snoke created something that was such a danger to him?

But even as she thought it, he wrenched his arm away and flung himself forward, the saber swirling round and separating Snoke's head from his body. Further slashes carved his torso in two and disarticulated his legs from the remnants. In a rage, he brought the saber down on the Holocron and the altar, shattering them beyond repair. And then, breathing hard and eyes edged with red, he turned to her.

"Join me," he said, his voice tight with anger. "You are the heir to the Jedi and I the Sith. Between us, we can balance the Force and rule the Galaxy. It doesn't have to be First Order or Resistance. It just needs to bring order from chaos, peace from conflict, certainty…" He looked her in the eye and his voice dropped. "Please, Rey. Join me."

She backed away from him, her eyes wide with hurt and dismay. This seemed to be a bad dream, a deja vu that never seemed to end. Why couldn't he just for once acknowledge that his way was not the answer, that she couldn't sacrifice her friends, everything she believed in for his dead cause?

"I can't…" she whispered. "You know I can't. You've done…too much to ever be accepted as leader. You have killed too many, caused so much harm. Give it up…"

"NO!" he shouted, his face twisted with rage and betrayal. "I felt it then. Just for a moment-but we were together. I wasn't alone. You weren't alone. We were one. Rey…you have to understand…"

"NO!" she screamed at him. "You have to understand! I can't! Everything you stand for…is wrong! You rule and there will never be an end to conflict. You will cause resistance, rebels, whatever you call them to rise up against the evil Kylo Ren! You have to understand…it's impossible…"

His sabre was raised, the betrayal replaced by rage.

"Then you have chosen,' he said coldly. Rey raised her own weapon.

"Your time is over," she breathed.

He lunged forward, sabers clashing and energy boiling away. Sparks flew as the blades clashed again and again. They danced across the uneven surface, twisting and slashing, parries and lunges blocked.

"There is no one to save you now," he breathed. "No Luke, no Leia, no exploding planets or space battles or…"

"I don't need it," she bit out.

"You know your friends are lingering, refusing to go far?" he told her. "I feel them. And they will come charging back when you fall. Their deaths will follow your own."

"No," she breathed. "I told them to go."

"You know the traitor imagines he loves you?" he taunted her. "That he is worthy of a scavenger? I will enjoy finally killing him. And the girl. And the pilot…"

"You really are a monster!" she spat. "I had imagined…"

"You should get some new epithets!" he taunted her as her resolve crystallised in her chest. But a brief pang of pain hit at the same time, an eerie sense of dislocation and regret.

I wanted to take Ben's hand. But not Kylo's. Never Kylo's.

She spun under his swipe, anger and fear for her friends surging through her veins, and then drove her lightsaber blade straight through his chest.

-o0o-

A/N: Oops. For those of you who are worried, please recall there will be a happy ending. I'll just be hiding in this cave until the next update.