Author's Note: So I watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on Thursday, and afterward, this idea just kind of popped into my head. It's an alternate (and considerably less tragic ending) to Ben and Rey's story. Enjoy!

Tremblingly, Rey took his still warm hand in hers and lifted it to cup her cheek. It couldn't end. Not like this. Not when she was finally ready to take his hand. With a strangled cry, she fell over his body and wept, her broken sobs the only sounds in the utterly silent cavern.

We are with you, Rey. The melodic symphony of a thousand familiar voices echoed in her mind. Our power flows through you. Use it.

Her body seemed to act on its own as she reached out and pressed her palm against Ben's chest. She was no longer shaking; she had never felt so powerful in her life. Her eyes slid shut and her breathing calmed as she stretched her senses to feel the force around her. It was strong, so strong it was almost physically palpable.

Please, her heart begged as she channeled the abundance of energy into Ben's still form. Please bring him back to me.

When she finished, she remained motionless with her eyes closed. She couldn't open them. She was too afraid of what she would find, too afraid of what she would do if this hadn't worked—

Her breath caught as a hand, strong and warm, covered hers. "Rey."

She opened tearful eyes, gripping his hand tightly as she collapsed over him with a cry of joy. "Ben!"

She had been given another chance. And this time, she would never let go.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Rey!" Poe and Finn surged through the crowd of celebrating Resistance fighters to meet her, throwing their arms around her in a tight embrace.

"So good to see you, Rey!" Poe grinned, clapping her on the back.

"You're really ok!" Finn cried. "Back there, I thought for sure you had—"

"Finn, Poe, please," she said urgently. "Where can I find a medic?"

Finn frowned. "A medic?" He gripped her shoulders, looking over her in concern. "Are you hurt?"

"Not for me. For Ben."

Finn drew back as if he had been struck. "Ben?"

She nodded impatiently. "I left him waiting in the fighter plane. I managed to heal the worst of his injuries, but he still needs medical attention."

"He's here?" Finn hissed. "You brought the Supreme Leader of the First Order, who by the way has tried to kill you countless times, here?"

"He's just Ben now, Finn. He's changed. He savedmy life."

Finn looked ready to protest again, but Poe put a hand on his shoulder. "There's a medic tent over by the command center," he told her.

"Poe!" Finn said furiously. "You can't seriously be saying that you trust him!"

"I don't. But I trust Rey."

"Thank you." Rey stood on tiptoe and kissed each of them on the cheek. "Both of you."

Then, without a backward glance, she rushed off toward the command center.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rey sat by Ben's bedside, holding his hand in hers. She knew that he wasn't conscious of her touch, but she needed it for herself. It calmed her, reassured her that he was really there.

There was a light knock and she turned to see Finn standing in the doorway. He shifted his weight uncomfortably as he met her eyes. "Hey."

She smiled tiredly. "Hey."

"You should get some rest. They said he won't wake up until tomorrow anyway."

"I will soon. I just want to stay with him a little longer."

"You love him, don't you?"

She nodded, her eyes fixed on the gentle rise and fall of Ben's chest. "I think that I always have. It just took almost losing him for me to realize it."

"I see." He turned to go. "Goodnight, Rey."

"Finn, please wait. I…I'm sorry, for not being able to return your feelings."

He gave her a pained smile. "You knew then?"

"I could feel it." She wrung her hands nervously. "And for the longest time I thought I loved you too, but—"

"I know," he cut her off gently. "Sometimes that's just the way it is."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. As long as you're happy, I'm alright with it. But if he hurts you"—his voice darkened—"Jedi warrior or not, I'm going to make him wish he had stayed dead back in that Sith cave."

She laughed softly. "Thanks, Finn. I'll be sure to let him know."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hi." She squeezed Ben's hand as his eyes fluttered open the next day. "How do you feel?"

"Alright," he said, his voice husky from disuse.

She helped him get a drink of water, then eased him back down to his pillow.

"Thank you." Then, hesitantly, "How…?"

"How are you not dead?" She smiled slightly at the bemused look on his face. "The Jedi helped me bring you back, you have them to thank."

He nodded thoughtfully as his eyes cast about the room. "And where am I?"

"A Resistance hospital room."

His brow furrowed. "Not a prison cell?"

She shook her head. "I told them what happened, and they agreed to let you go."

"I…see." Rather than easing the lines of worry on his face, the news only seemed to

worsen them. His gaze fell briefly on their clasped hands before he quickly looked away.

"Ben?" she frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Is it really alright for you to be holding my hand like that?"

Now it was her turn to be confused. "What?"

"These hands are stained with the blood of my mother, father, and countless others,"

he said, his voice heavy with self-hatred. "After everything I've done, I can't help but wonder if I should have stayed dead."

"It doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks, or even what you think," she told him fiercely. "I need you alive. When I thought that I had lost you…" She choked down a sob as she struggled to continue. "I can't go through that again."

"I'm not worth it, Rey," he shook his head miserably. "I may have managed to do the right thing this time, but I'm still weak. I gave into the dark side once, who's to say I won't do it again?"

"I won't let you," she replied stubbornly. "I'll stay by your side for the rest of your life and help you, and you'll do the same for me. We'll balance each other out." She allowed herself a small smile. "It's what we do best, after all."

"Rey…" He looked into her eyes searchingly. "I love you."

"I know." She bent over and kissed him. "I love you, too."

"Will you marry me?"

She broke into a wide grin. "What do you think I just agreed to do? Of course, I'll marry you." She started to lean in again for another kiss but stopped herself. "I do have one question, though. What last name will I take?"

He smiled slightly. "Well…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rey watched in solemn silence as Luke and Leia's lightsabers disappeared under the earth. She had originally asked Ben if he wanted them—he had a blood right, after all—but he had insisted that they be buried. Now, here on the planet where everything had started, Luke and Leia's legacy—the legacy of the greatest Skywalkers—would forever rest.

"It's been so long since anyone's been here."

She turned toward the sound of the voice. Several yards away, a wizened old woman stood watching her, accompanied by a heavily laden pack beast.

"What's your name?" the woman asked.

"Rey."

"And your family name?"

She hesitated, glancing at the ring on her left hand. She loved Ben, but she still didn't know if she deserved to take his name like he wanted.

Rey. The two familiar voices whistled through her mind like the wind. She looked up sharply, eyes misting over when she saw the ghosts of Luke and Leia smiling at her with fond approval. Welcome to our family.

"Skywalker," she told the woman with a smile. "My name is Rey Skywalker."

Author's Note: Phew! There it is—my revised ending for the events up to the end of the movie. The next (and final) chapter will be an epilogue, set 10 years later, so please read on for my imagining of what Ben and Rey's married/family life would look like. Thank you so much for reading this far, and please do drop a review to let me know what you think!