The lightsaber seems to burn in her hands as she holds it in her lap. This is stupid. Kylo Ren's attempts to reach his grandfather have all been in vain. What insanity has made her believe that she could possibly reach out to hers? Rey shuts her eyes. It's insane. She knows this, but she must try. Rey focuses her energy, finding that place of peace within herself. She taps into the memory where she had escaped from Plutt. The sunset sticks in her eyes. It was her first taste of freedom even if only for mere days.

Rey, my child…

Rey's eyes snap open. A dark hooded man stands at the end of the bed. Her lips part in a gasp. Can it really be? Rey shuts her eyes and reopens them. The translucent ghost still stands before her. His hands touch the front of his hood, drawing it away from his face. She had expected to see the scarred face that everyone had come to know during his reign, but she sees something else. His face is clear of the scarred features and his head is crowned with grey hair. He looks human.

"Grandfather…?" her voice is meak with a hint of insecurity.

It seems impossible. If her teacher cannot summon his grandfather, how is it possible that she so easily summoned hers? So many questions fill her mind.

"I have awaited the day we would finally meet for many, many years," he begins. "I have watched you since your birth, Rey. I have seen your suffering."

Panic spikes through her. "You've seen everything? "

"Yes, everything," he clarifies in a clipped tone.

Tears sting her eyes, but she fights them. This moment - it should bring her pride not sorrow. Rey squares her shoulders and sits up tall in her bed. Many questions run through her mind, but she settles on the one of most important.

"You can see things that I can't," Rey says. "I need to know the truth, grandfather. Who is Snoke and is he dangerous?"

A deafening silence seems to come over the room. She studies her grandfather's face. There's a sardonic half-smile that flits across his lips. Yet, there is also an odd mixture of pride and rage that resonates through the room.

"You've met him before, haven't you?" Rey asks.

"Snoke was once known by several different names. His birth name was Hego Damask," he pauses, an ironic sort of smile flashes over his lips for a second. "Most do not remember him by his birth name, but by the name Darth Plagueis. He trained me and taught me everything he knew. Then, I killed him. Or, so I thought."

The word killed seems to leave his lips so easily. There's no remorse. There isn't even a bit of gloating. He feels nothing. To her grandfather, killing seems to be a normal part of life.

"You killed your teacher?" Rey asks.

"It's not uncommon for a Sith to kill their master," her grandfather explains.

Rey's eyes lower to her lightsaber. Her master had kissed her the day before - the very same man she's so hopelessly attracted to. If that's what it takes to be a true Sith, she will never be able to continue her grandfather's legacy.

A dark cackle erupts through the room before he responses in a semi-mocking tone. "Don't despair, Rey. I do not foresee that you will have to murder Vader's heir. There are other ways to carry on my legacy."

"Other ways?" Rey's brow furrows.

"You will have to produce an heir to protect our family line."

Rey's breath catches in her throat. She thinks to all the time's she's been sold like a horse to men. To do what needs to be done to produce an heir seems impossible to her.

"You've seen all that's happened," Rey's words are quiet and vulnerable. "I don't think that is possible, grandfather."

The silence that falls is painful. Rey fights the tears that threaten to slip past her eyelids. Her grandfather was strong. Her grandfather was the most powerful Sith to exist of his time. She mustn't show him weakness.

"In order to regain your strength, you must confront what happened in Jakku and destroy it. Only then will you regain your power."

"How do I do that?" Rey asks.

"That time to take confront your past will come when you are ready," he advises. "For now, you must prepare yourself to meet Snoke. Your mind must be clear so that he does not see who you truly are."

"And, if he does?" Rey asks.

"He will kill you."

Rey opens her mouth to ask another question, but her grandfather fades before her eyes. She's left alone in the dimly lit room to her thoughts. How can she hide her thoughts from a being as powerful as Snoke? Rey looks down to her lightsaber. She hooks it to her belt and uncrosses her legs. She sets her feet on the floor and stands. This room that her grandmother provided for her - it feels so eerie.

Rey goes to the door and exits the room. She moves through the hall till she reaches the main room. Her grandmother sits before a coffee table with a tea set laid out before her. Rey looks into her green eyes and feels a sudden fleck of sorrow. Conflict stirs within her. She wants to tell her what had just occurred, but she isn't sure if she should.

Rey sits before in an empty black loveseat. Her grandmother is pouring her a steaming cup of fresh tea. Rey takes the warm cup in hand and sips. It has a soothing herbal taste to it that she's never dreamed could exist. She sets the cup back down on the saucer and looks to her grandmother.

"Today is my last day in Coruscant," her voice is dry but carries a hint of sadness. "I don't want to leave yet, but I have orders."

A sad sort of lilt resonates in her tone. She already feels as if she is losing a part of her. The sense of belonging she found in Coruscant seems to be slipping from her grasp. A sudden fear seems to rise within her. It is the fear that she may never return here.

"I wish I could stay," Rey whispers.

"I wish it just as much as you do," her grandmother says. "But, it cannot be. Not yet anyways. I understand that you have made commitments to The First Order."

"I don't know if I made the right choice," Rey says. "At the time, I didn't know any of this. If I had known who I was, I might not have."

"Don't dwell on what-ifs and could-haves ," she replies. "You made the best choice you could for yourself at the time. Ben Solo will be with you. I imagine that he will keep you safe."

A burning sensation comes over her. Kylo Ren's true name seems to stick in her mind. He was someone else before all this. She wonders who he was and where he came from.

"He will," Rey says this with confidence.

"I knew his grandfather, Lord Vader," her grandmother pauses and takes a sip of her tea. "I often wonder what his son is like."

"He's kind. Not to the people around him, but he is to me."

Their eyes meet. There's this moment of understanding that seems to pass between them. The wrinkles on her lips seem to turn into a whimsical smile that makes her appear ten years younger for just a moment. The smile fades as quick as it comes. Her eyes are soft with this knowing sort of look as she looks to Rey.

"I see."

There's a part of her that wants to blurt out all the strange feelings she harbors for Kylo Ren, but she stops herself. The taste of his lips still linger on hers. She feels so fragile at the thought of him. All of it is so confusing. She wants to say something to get it all out of her head, but she can't speak it. Saying it will make it all the more real, and she's not sure if she's ready to handle what will eventually transpire if it becomes real.

"I can't even contact you while I'm away," Rey says. "I can't ask to come back here. They'll find out the truth. I'm afraid I'll never get to see you again."

Her grandmother smiles to her once more and says, "The Force will bring us together when the time is right."

Rey expels a deep breath. Snoke lingers in the back of her mind. She wants to have faith. She needs to have faith. It might be the only thing that keeps her from falling prey to Snoke.