A/N: First of all, thank you SO MUCH for all follows and faves, it makes me happy anyone would even want to read this fanfic :) And - here's the next chapter, hopefully you'll like it! I must admit I was going somewhere completely else with it, but then, the ending sort of went its own direction!
Disclaimer: As usually, all recognisable characters and locations, belong to their respective owners, I merely own the crazy plot!
Enjoy!
Chapter 007 – Ghost
"And is this enough for you?" Ben asked. Rey thought of that moment in Snoke's throne room, when he'd asked her to join him. There was the same kind of silent plea in his eyes now. Back then she had been certain of her own path, she had thought she would proudly walk on the light side of the Force.
Now? Not so much.
It's not that she wanted to kill. It was more of the lack of not wanting to kill. In hindsight, it was horribly wrong, but in the moment, it hadn't seemed of much significance.
And, as if her relationship with the Force wasn't complicated enough, there was Ben. Rey still believed that the vision of the future they shared was still possible. The odds were considerably worse now – and they were getting worse by the day – but there was still possibility that what she had seen so clearly for both of them, could happen.
There was no point pretending she didn't want it.
"No." she whispered. Of course, she wanted more. As incredible as this connection through the Force was, it was not enough. Not by a long shot.
But then, again, he'd made her the most wanted criminal in the galaxy, so any kind of reunion would surely mean her death sentence. Not the most alluring scenario.
"You could still join me." Ben said bluntly and Rey had to laugh.
"You put a prize on my head. How do you expect this to go?" she asked, "'Hey, listen everyone, this is the criminal who murdered Snoke, she will now rule the galaxy with me?' Great plan, Supreme Leader!"
"Why the hell not?!" he snapped, "I am the Supreme Leader after all, I can grant a pardon to anyone I want!"
"Are you out of your mind?! The moment you do that, Hux would announce a treason. Come on, even I am not stupid enough to believe you could get away with it and I am, like you said yourself, just a scavenger!" Rey was livid. How delusional was this man who, by what now seemed like a cosmic joke, was ruling the galaxy? "It's the most ridiculous plan I've ever heard of!"
"Not if you give me the Resistance," Ben said. It took a moment for these words to sink in. Rey shook her head, feeling tears welling up in her eyes again. This time these would be tears of frustration, though. Why was he so goddamn stubborn?
"Ben," she walked up to him and took his face into her hands. She forced herself to calm down "We both know this is not going to happen. No matter what we say now, we've played ourselves into a corner." She thought of kissing him, but, as naïve as it was, she didn't want to kiss someone who wasn't really there. Not for the first time, at least. Ben, however, didn't seem to have such objections. He took her hands into his and gently kissed the tips of her fingers. Rey thought she could hear her own heart breaking. Why was fate, or Force, or just universe so cruel, to bring them so close – but never close enough.
She only noticed she was crying, when Ben whispered, "Please, don't cry anymore, Rey."
"I don't know what to do," she said. Her reckless actions brought too much attention to her and it was unlikely she would even manage to leave Sullust. Besides, where would she go? It's not like she could re-join the Resistance – she was too much of a threat to them, still.
"First of all, I think you need to get yourself a new lightsaber." Ben suggested. Rey rolled her eyes. She couldn't afford to plan that far ahead, not with Quay of Ren and potentially all First Order forces stationing on Sullust after her.
"Where do I even begin?" Rey asked, pretending to ponder on the question "Let's see, first of all – I don't know how to make one. And even if I did, the kyber crystal from Luke's lightsaber is damaged, so I would need to find a new one. And it's not like they're just lying around! From what I've heard there's no more kyber crystals left in the galaxy!"
"First of all – you're wrong" Ben seemed amused, which annoyed Rey. How could he so easily switch from conversation about a murder she had committed, to practicalities of getting a new weapon. But then, again, he was where he was for a reason. "Kyber crystals can still be found in many places. Jedha, Eadu, you name it. There's not many left, but there are some, definitely. And if you actually bothered to read the Jedi books when you were on Ach-Too, you would have found very clear instructions how to make a lightsaber."
"It doesn't matter!" It was Rey's turn to snap. She wasn't going to admit having the books to Ben, besides, both planets Ben mentioned were halfway across the galaxy from Sullust and she didn't have a ship. "It doesn't matter, because I am the criminal who killed Snoke, so I won't be able to even get off this planet. Which part of this you don't get?!"
Ben looked at her thoughtfully. "You really do get angry quite easily," he said, corner of his lips twitching in amusement. Rey wanted to say something, but before she could think of any clever response, their Force connection was gone. She was alone.
After the incident in the cantina, she had blindly run across the city, not knowing where to hide. First she had taken a speeder (she pushed the owner off it) and raced through several districts, until she had seen a vast, busy street beneath her. She had waited, until she saw freighter passing beneath her slowly enough. Not thinking much, she had jumped onto its roof and stayed there for a few blocks. She had to admit, she was lucky the traffic was slow, otherwise she wouldn't have managed to hang onto the sleek metal surface of the freighter. She had jumped off, when it hovered close enough to a building with reasonably flat roof. From there, it wasn't difficult to find her way to the lower levels of the city, but she was still pretty much stuck in the city with no way out.
When the Force connected her with Kylo, she was hiding in an empty warehouse. She'd chosen it, because she could sense it really was empty, no squatters inside, no living creatures. She was tired and she needed some time to think what to do next.
"You made quite a mess, Rey" a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. Rey jumped to her feet. It can't be, she thought. Right in front of her, in a human form, but cloaked in an eerie light was Master Luke.
"You…you passed away," she muttered, terrified. "I felt it, I felt a shift in the Force."
"Death is not what I once thought it would be, Rey." Luke answered. This is it, I've officially lost my mind, Rey thought and reached out, as if to touch him, but quickly withdrew her hand. If he was actually there, she wasn't going to touch a ghost!
Back at Jakku, she had heard stories about ghosts hunting the deserts and searching for lost travellers to eat their souls, but she had never seen one and she lived in the actual desert ever since she'd remembered. But, then, back at Jakku, she didn't believe in many things. Like, Luke Skywalker for example. Until the day she'd met Finn and BB-8 she had believed Luke was merely a legend.
"Are you really here?" still, she had to ask. So much had happened, she would not be surprised in the slightest if she'd started hallucinating. Luke only smiled and waved his hand nonchalantly. Suddenly a metal pole came loose from one of the racking above her and hit her on the head. She screamed in pain and surprise.
"Is this real enough for you?" Luke asked. Rey touched her head and winced. She would have a painful bump for days.
"I've been watching you, Rey," Luke said with no further ado. Rey spread her arms in a helpless gesture and sat on the ground, right where she was standing. "They you've seen I've been doing…not great."
"That's an understatement of the year." Luke said. Rey knew very well how bad it was and looks like now she had a deceased teacher to tell her all about it. She shrugged. There was nothing to say, really.
"Rey, you must not give up –" Luke began, but Rey wouldn't have it. It was such a waste of time. "Master Luke, I killed innocent people. Lots of them. I am not a Jedi, nor will I ever be."
"So you think that your actions, however wrong and short-sighted, define you for the rest of your days?" Luke asked, with his signature amusement that annoyed Rey back at Ach-Too. Often, she had no clue whether he was serious or not. Or mad. She still wasn't entirely sure.
"Jedi do not kill people, period."
"Oh, then, I guess you are lost forever!" Luke spread his arms theatrically, although he still sounded slightly amused. "There is no point for you to continue, you might as well kill yourself here and now."
"Master Luke!" Rey cried out. Luke had a flair for dramatics when he was alive, he certainly kept it as a ghost. He knelt next to her and reached out, as if wanting to put his hand on her shoulder, but then, as if on second thought, he withdrew his hand. When he spoke, he sounded serious. "Years ago, my father, Darth Vader, seemed to have been lost to the light side forever. The atrocities he committed were unspeakable. I believed there was still good in him – much like you believe there is something of it left in Ben Solo – and, in the end, I was right, but it was he, himself who made the choice."
"So what are you saying, Master Luke?"
"There is a way back for everyone, if they're willing to take it. There was one for Vader, there is one for Ben, and you – you're not even close to the dark side, my child."
"But, but what about those people I killed? Surely it can't just be erased what I've done…"
"No, of course not," Luke said gravely, "This is the burden you will carry with you till the end of your days. But it does not determine your path."
"So, what should I do?"
"Maybe listen to Ben and get yourself a saber." Luke said, back to his not-so-serious tone. Rey's mouth dropped, but before she could say anything, Luke winked at her and vanished into thin air.
She sat there, in the middle of the warehouse, utterly stunned, until she sensed someone's presence. Soon, she heard the footsteps approaching.
No, it can't be….
She got up and reached for her blaster. She unlocked it and pointed towards the dark warehouse, but she already knew it would be to no use.
"You look lost." He said, coming out of the shadows.
"Ben," Rey breathed. She watched him walk up to her and take away her blaster. He didn't use Force, but gently took it from her hands. When their fingers touched, Rey inhaled sharply. This couldn't be true. And yet.
"You're really here."
"It was high time; don't you think?"
A/N: I think it was high time, too :) What do you think? Hit that review button and let me know! And, as every single time - thank you for taking time to read this!
More to come soon! xx