Hello again everyone!

Long-time, no see! I'm sorry for the radio silence on my part. Here, we've had major earthquakes and typhoons and everything in between, so getting in the mood to write has been difficult.

Thank you for the favourites, follows and comments. They really do encourage me to keep going with this fic, even when sometimes I just want to slam my laptop closed and give up :D

So, let me know what you think in the reviews. Thanks!

Present Day…

Rey.

He'd been searching for hours, but even so, Ben once again stretched his mind out across the thousands of systems, desperate to sense her and feel her again.

Their souls were connected through the bond, and everything was dull when she wasn't there. It was as though all the colour and the light and the warmth had been bled from the galaxy, leaving him as only a husk of himself.

But wherever she was, he couldn't find her.

Her powers had been gradually growing over the years they'd been together, so slowly that at times he'd barely even noticed the changes within her. But to see her now able to shield her presence from him so completely was both terrifying and magnificent.

He fought harder against the blindness, putting all his strength into the bond and one final burst of power, but even after hours and hours of meditating, there was still nothing. She had hidden herself well.

He released his breath in one long blow as he threw himself backwards in his chair, and a series of small, metallic clangs echoed through the ship. Ben quickly turned and saw that anything that had not been fixed down was now haphazardly scattered across the floor.

He'd put all his focus into finding Rey, and consequently it seemed that his powers had manifested themselves into actions without him even realising it. His lack of self-control was another frustration in itself, and he slowly pulled himself out of the pilot's seat to deal with the chaos.

The First Order ship he'd stolen to make his escape from The Finalizer had been traded the moment he'd found a planet isolated enough to do so without raising suspicion. But the ship he'd gotten in return was practically a junker- the best of a bad lot on a planet that saw few outsiders and even fewer that had anything to trade.

But it was at least a safe space for him to use as he planned his next move.

He'd made a plenty of mistakes, that was undeniable. He'd underestimated the power the Knights of Ren wielded and overestimated that of Hux. And if they didn't before, the First Order now knew for sure that he was alive. His connection to Rey had also undoubtedly made her a target, especially in the eyes of Duna Ren, and to top it all off he had no idea where in the galaxy she could be.

He'd known that bringing her along on his mission and revealing her to the enemy had been a gamble, but he'd hoped to at least have something to show for the risk rather than just an ever-expanding list of his own failures.

No, he needed Rey by his side. But how could he do that if she wouldn't let him in?

His mind worked quickly. If she wouldn't let him come to her, then he would need to force her to return to him.

The very moment that Ben's ship made contact with the planet's surface and the ramp had finally lowered, he was off, striding towards the dusty streets ahead of him. His cloak was on and his hood up, but in that moment, he couldn't have cared less who saw him.

Being cut off from Rey had put him on edge. His lighter emotions felt less without her and allowed the dark to reign, and his senses had become much duller; it made him vulnerable, and this in turn made him much less likely to be patient or merciful. He didn't plan to stay on Bakura for long, but anyone who tried to stop him would feel the heat of his lightsaber on their skin.

Fortunately, though, there were few people darting around the streets at night, and he reached the small home quickly. But before he could lay a hand on the front door, it opened slowly on its old hinges. He pushed it open further to see Syndal already heading back inside, and all he could do was follow behind her.

'He's not here.' She said, and a thousand possibilities raced through his head. He instinctively reached down for his saber, but his reaction was no surprise to Syndal. She threw herself down heavily into an old chair in the corner of the room and waved her hand at him dismissively.

'There's no need for any of that nonsense. He's safe. Rey arrived before you, took him away with her.'

Ben searched his feelings and could easily sense that she was telling the truth. He pulled his cloak firmly back over his weapon.

'And did she say anything whilst she was here? Where she was going, perhaps.'

'Sorry, but she told me not to tell you anything.' Syndal said with a small smile, 'Not that there's anything to tell.'

She became silent but continued to stare at him from the other side of the room; it was a look that reminded him too much of the looks Maz would give him when he was a child. A look that seemed to say that she could read his mind, and whatever it was that she'd found, she wasn't impressed.

'So, what did you do?' She asked.

'What makes you think I did anything?'

One sarcastic eyebrow jumped up towards her hairline. 'Because I know you.'

He forced himself not to roll his eyes at her. The old bat knew next to nothing about him, yet she liked to convince herself that she was the ultimate knowledge in the universe. That no one could escape her all seeing eyes.

'I only tried to protect her.'

'And it backfired?'

Ben merely raised an eyebrow at the old woman in response.

She looked away from him, as though indifferent to the fact that he wasn't giving her anything. 'Sounds like you're not planning on giving me much of a story. But it doesn't matter to me, I'm not here to judge you.' But he knew from experience that it was eating her up inside to not be in the know, and it gave him a sick kind of pleasure to know that Rey had also not been willing to tell her anything.

'Though I do wonder why you're still here, listening to me, when you already know that she isn't.'

Ben contemplated whether he should even answer her. She made him feel as though he were a naughty child being asked by his mother to think about his bad behaviour. But he had to admit, throughout her many years Syndal had gathered enough of an understanding of the force that there was a chance she might just be of some use to him.

'I can't find her.' He started. 'She's closed herself off from me completely, and I have no way to counter that. Even if I knew which area of the galaxy to search, I'm not sure I'd be able to breach her defences.'

'Maybe it wasn't the best idea to teach her how to shut you out.' She smirked at him.

'I didn't. Somehow, she already knew how to close the bond between us. She's strong with the force, stronger than she knows.'

Syndal rubbed her finger over her mouth for several moments, thinking over the possibilities. 'Then maybe she isn't the one you should be searching for.'

He frowned at her suggestion. 'Who…?' There was no one else he was close enough to, that he shared a bond with, who he might be able to track. No one except, maybe…

'Anakin?' She nodded 'But that wouldn't work, not without some kind of tangible connection. The only reason I'm able to track Rey at all is because of the force bond and how much time we've had to strengthen it.'

'And you don't think there's a bond between you and the boy. I should think you would know better than anyone how strong the bond between a father and a son can be.'

Ben took a step forward menacingly but forced himself to ignore her barbed comment. In her own twisted way, she did seem to be trying to help him, even if what she was saying didn't truly make sense.

'He may be powerful, but he's still just a child. His presence in the force isn't strong enough yet for me to track him with any sort of reliability. It would never work.'

She shook her head in exasperation. 'Don't doubt me. Just try it.'

Her words didn't leave him any more convinced, but he closed his eyes anyway. Maybe when this didn't work, it would finally put pay to her mistaken belief that she was never wrong.

He breathed deeply, focusing his mind and bringing up thoughts of his son.

Anakin's force signature was imprinted on him, a perfect blend of himself and Rey that he would recognise even deep in a sea of a trillion other beings. He held within him the darkness that plagued his father, and the light that guided his mother. The two were entwined like the strands of a rope, in a way that would hopefully, one day, become a perfect balance of the force…

And there he was. Far across the galaxy.

Yet where Ben had expected to sense barely a flash of his son's energies, Anakin shone out brightly like a star. A beacon to guide his father home.

Ben pressed further, desperate for more, but something gave him pause. Rey had clearly tried to shield the boy, and it worried Ben how easily he made his way past her defences. If only she'd only let him in, he could check on her himself, instead of being forced to rely on her actually taking care of herself for once.

But that was something that would have to wait until he found them. For now, he was focused entirely on his son. He was a light so brilliant that Ben would easily be able to follow it, and he wrapped himself in the feeling of Anakin's presence around him, happy to once again be a part of his family.

Yet despite his desire to stay for longer, he knew that he couldn't. Anakin couldn't be allowed to notice his prying, and so Ben reluctantly retreated from his son's mind.

And as he slowly opened his eyes, he was greeted by something much less pleasant than his family- Syndal's smug grin levelled right at him.

She needed a plan. And she needed to find a place where Ben wouldn't be able to find them- at least until she knew for sure what his intentions were.

Rey was lay on her side across the small bunk, trying to find any energy to move. She'd been assigned a room to herself upon her return to the Resistance, and they were being treated well, no doubt at the General's order, and one of the engineers had even gifted Anakin some of the larger and less damaged spare parts from the garage to play with. He was sat on the floor, his back to her, but she could hear his small laughs as the parts floated through the air, occasionally banging into one another.

His happiness relieved some of her concern. It meant that he wasn't being distracted, that there were no voices in his head but his own. The mental shield she'd created for herself and extended to him seemed to be working well enough at keeping Ben out.

For now, at least.

'You know, he really does look like him, doesn't he?' The voice startled her, and she lifted her head from her pillow. She'd been so caught up in her own world, Rey hadn't noticed the door open and Finn walk into the room.

He came to sit beside her and caught her small smile at the ridiculous comment, 'I mean, from the back at least.'

Finn was right. Anakin's hair was jet black, still short but thick and with small waves going through it, and his ears were larger, sticking out a little more than they should beneath his curls. It made Rey's smile grow a little larger.

'You should see him from the front. You'd never even know I'd been involved.'

He smiled back at her, and for just a few moments they just enjoyed each other's company in peace. From inside that little room, it was easy to forget they were in the middle of a war.

'I'm glad your back.' He said. 'I know, it's not exactly under the best of circumstances. And I know you'd probably rather be just about anywhere else right now, but I can't help it. You were my first friend and I missed you.'

'I missed you too.'

He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side, and it made her feel guilty for what she was about to say to him.

'But we can't stay here, Finn. It's just not safe, for any of us.'

His face fell, as she knew it would. He deserved so much more than a friend who kept disappearing and leaving him behind. 'I'm sorry, but I can't risk Anakin around anyone I don't know. He's too powerful and one day people are going to start noticing what he can do. Power like that, there are those who will want to use him for it. I trust Leia to try and stop them for now, but we both know that she won't be around forever.'

'But surely the Resistance is still the safest place for you. We have weapons and supplies and ships. And how do you know that Kylo won't find you if you leave?' His voice was pleading, and all she could do in return was to try and make her own as reassuring as possible.

'I don't think that can be stopped. I've shielded Anakin for now so he can't track us. But if he wants to find us, he'll tear apart the galaxy to do it. I'd rather we were far away from here when that happens, I don't want anyone else dying for us.'

There was a pause as Finn considered her words.

'And what if I come with you this time?'

She pulled back from him in surprise. Of all the ways she'd seen this conversation going, this had never crossed her mind.

'No, Finn. You have a life here now. You have friends, and a family. I'd never take you away from all that. And what would Poe say?'

'You're right, I know. I-'

'Tell me about him.'

'You really want to know?' Rey gave him a small nod.

Finn's face instantly brightened at the thought of telling his friend all about his partner, and his happiness was infectious as the smile on his face even managed to raise Rey's own spirits.

'He's… where to even start? He's reckless and crazy, and he actually seems to enjoy scaring me half to death with his stunts.'

'He probably just wants to see how much you care.' She joked. She couldn't help but think that his description reminded her of someone else she knew very well.

'Probably.' He smirked back. 'But nothing makes him happier than being in the cockpit of a ship. When he's flying, Rey, you should see his face. It's complete happiness, like the whole galaxy just falls away and… why are you smiling like that?'

'I'm just thinking that his face probably looks a bit like yours does right now.' She reached out to take his hand in hers, stroking her thumb gently over the back of it. 'I'm glad you're happy.'

Her gripped her hand tightly in return. 'And what about you? Are you happy?' Her smile dropped.

'I was, when it was just the three of us. Ben and I, we spent so long running. It took everything we had just to keep each other alive. Even when we found out about Anakin, we couldn't stop. There were still people out there who knew about us and would do anything to see us dead. And then, when we were finally able to win some peace for ourselves, we get drawn back in. Sometimes I can't help but think that this all inevitable. That this is just what are lives were made to be.'

She pushed past the lump forming in her throat and forced herself not to think of their little home, on their little planet in the middle of nowhere.

'I don't believe that, Rey. You know…'

Finn suddenly stopped speaking and shuffled forward on the bed to get a closer look at her face. 'Hey, are you okay? You really don't look so good.'

'I'm fine.' She said, wearily, rubbing her free hand across her forehead. 'Cutting myself off from him just…'

Rey had no idea how to even begin explaining the bond that she and Ben shared, or its effects on her physically.

'…It changes things, Finn. Ben and I, we have a bond, a bond that connects us through the force no matter where we are or what we're doing. And when two force users share a link like this, it's difficult to just stop it. I'm sorry, it's hard to explain.'

His face scrunched up, partly in concern and partly in disgust. 'So, is he in your head, like all the time?'

His simple attitude to it all made her smile. 'No, it's not like that. It's-'

Anakin's head suddenly shot up from his toys, as though someone were calling his name, and getting her attention immediately. He squealed in delight, clapping his hands together, and several other smaller objects in the room began to lift into the air. He instinctively turned towards his mother behind him, before picking himself up and crawling over to her.

Rey pulled him into her arms, holding him close and gently pushed her own mind into his to see what was going on. And it took her only a moment to realise that hers was not the only outside presence there.

'Ben knows where we are. I can feel him inside Anakin's mind, he's tracking us.'

'I thought you said you were shielding the kid from him?' Finn asked, panicked.

'I am. I thought we'd have more time.' She looked over at him, feeling the need to explain herself, 'He's been doing this a lot longer than me, he's had a lot more practice.'

'How long do we have until he gets here? We can go now and get you a new ship and supplies from the hangar. I'm sure Leia will clear you both to fly if you explain what's going on.'

Rey closed her eyes, focusing her mind on the voice in her son's head. It was barely even noticeable, but she could feel it getting stronger with every second that passed.

He was close.

And when he noticed her presence beside his own, she could feel him trying to latch onto her mind as well, forcing her to retreat to a different battle ground.

Rey slowly lowered the defences on her mind, only a small amount, but enough that she could once again feel the bond that linked them. The relief for her body was instantaneous, but any happiness from this was instantly destroyed by what she sensed of him.

'No. There's no time. I was too distracted. I didn't notice him soon enough, and now he's too close for us to run.'

It caused her legs to tremble to feel the assault of his emotions on her own. The rage she felt coming through was difficult to keep at bay; it wanted nothing more than to force itself in and infect her own mind.

She looked over at him. 'Go. You know your way around the base better than me. Go tell the General that he's coming now.

He moved to leave the room, but she grabbed his arm and spun him back to her. 'And tell her that I can feel him. He's angry, so angry. I can't think of a better way to explain it, but I don't know if they'll be able to control him when he gets here. Tell them that everyone on the base needs to be put on high alert.'

Finn nodded at her, before running out of the room. It was just a few minutes later that she heard the alarms blaring throughout the base, and she hugged Anakin closer into her chest.

Ben threw himself down on the bunk, seating himself beside the texts. He'd set the ship to head in the direction of where he could sense his son, but he was in no rush to get there. Anakin seemed content for the moment, and the longer Rey had to calm down, the less violent her reaction would probably be when she saw him again.

He looked down at the books by his side. Their call was no quieter now than it had been before, and his fingers were practically twitching with the effort of holding himself back.

Ben, Ben… Beeennn… Sooolllooo…

He turned and grabbed the book closest to him, barely even taking note of its fragility, and rested it in his lap.

It was sudden, the sounds surrounding him all dissolved into nothing. The hum of the ship's engines, the quiet beeps coming from the cockpit, even the call of the books themselves, all gone. He stroked one hand over its cover slowly, before tearing off his glove to feel it completely with his fingers. The sense of familiarity washed over him.

Ben did not allow himself to think of the last time he'd held these books with his own hands, the memories of countless nights spent silently working with his uncle out in the unknown regions of the galaxy.

But he did allow himself just a moment to connect with them, to feel once more as he did when he was a child, first discovering more of his heritage, that which came with his force powers. These books were only a tiny part of something so much greater. Something that encapsulated the lives of not only himself but his whole family, the whole galaxy, and spanned its entire history.

Ben took a deep breath and moved to open the book, fingers careful not to damage it any further. But before he had the chance, the entire thing flipped open, pages flying until it stopped suddenly at one very specific entry.

He looked around, but could see no one else on the ship, could sense no other force presences that might have caused the book to open. And then his eyes landed back on what was in front of him.

It was only small, barely even filling the page. But it seemed to be about… it took him several moments to translate the title in his head, Force Bonds.

In his experience, there was no such thing as coincidence in the galaxy, and his eyes widened in realisation. Someone, or something, wanted him to see what was written on this page. Only this page.

Ben leapt from the bed, running to grab an old data pad from the cockpit before grabbing the book and throwing himself down into a meditative pose on the floor. He would need his mind completely clear if he wanted to retrieve more of the ancient language from within his memories.

The sounds of the ship once again dropped away, and he was left with only the silence surrounding him and the page in his head.

It took time, but slowly, fragments of the text began to make sense to him. Words were starting to jump out and catch his attention, Light, Love, Connection, Energy. Some parts he couldn't translate, no matter how hard he focused on them, yet he was able to discern their meaning from the context.

Ben didn't know how long he had been lost to his meditation, but when he finally opened his eyes again, they were aflame with his barely controlled rage. He slowly got to his feet, just as several of the bulbs at the opposite end of the cabin exploded, raining sparks down on the floor.

He knew he needed to get a tighter grip on his anger, but his mind wouldn't allow him peace as it kept going over and over the contents of the text.

'The creation of a force bond requires both great energy and great power if it is to be unnaturally forged. It cannot be built upon nothing. It demands that a primal connection must already exist between those being bonded. It is the strength of this connection, joined with the strength of the master involved, that will determine the strength of the bond.

It is the domain of the light to forge a bond such as this, as a bond can only grow through the love and familiarity of two beings. The powers of the dark could never hope to know and influence such matters.'

Ben released the breath he'd been holding, trying to rein in his feelings and the maelstrom tearing through his mind. Learning about the mechanics of a bond creation was useful, but it was not this information that he kept returning to.

It had never been Snoke. He had only lied for his own twisted pleasure.

Luke had been the source of their force bond.

He was the only person in the galaxy who had the kind of power necessary to create such a thing. Snoke had been aligned firmly with the dark side, and while Luke had made many fatal errors in his life, the man was light through and through.

But something still wasn't adding up, and it was difficult for him to think rationally when he felt how he did.

The foundations of their bond had been set when he and Rey had seen inside each other's heads on Starkiller. It had allowed him to see her history, and her to gain intimate knowledge of his training and skills.

But Luke couldn't have known any of that. Rey had told him before that when she'd first arrived on Ahch-To, his uncle had had no idea who she was and had wanted nothing to do with her. He'd turned her away. And it was only after that that they'd first seen each other through the bond.

Something had happened between Starkiller and that meeting to make Luke want to join them together permanently. To cause him to blow the bond wide open.

And then everything fell into place.

After the Resistance had possession of the map, and Skywalker's location, someone must have made contact with him and told him what had happened. Someone that Rey trusted enough that she would tell them about the interrogation and the connection that had been formed from it. And Ben had learned long ago that there was only one person in the galaxy that Luke would follow without question.

He took a firm hold of the controls, closing his eyes and finding the light of his son to show him the way back to his family.

Ben may have tried to protect his mother from the First Order. But now, she would be lucky if he didn't kill her himself.