A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all the favs, follows, and reviews. You don't know how much they mean to mean, seriously. This chapter will be an exposition on the final Force Bond scene, written from Ben's perspective. Enjoy!

Something that echoed in the quiet space stilled the fury in his chest. He could feel that the rebels had just slipped through his fingers; had likely passed through this very room only a few moments ago, hastening towards their escape. But the knowledge didn't enrage him, as it might have a few short weeks ago. If anything, he felt numb towards them. Everything he thought he'd cared about had changed in only the last few hours; a temporal shift had occurred in his life, yet he felt more lost than ever.

Ben signaled for the Stormtroopers to fall back as he walked into the small command space. There was evidence scattered everywhere that the rebels had left in a hurry, heedless of what they were leaving behind and only concerned with what lay ahead of them. There's a lesson to be learned there, he thought solemnly. Stepping forward slightly, he looked around at the discarded, technologically ancient equipment... But a glint of something on the floor caught his eye. Looking down, he felt a spike of... something course through his chest upon recognizing those ridiculous gold dice. But it wasn't the anger he'd experienced earlier upon seeing the Falcon streaking through the sky. No...

This was pain.

He knelt on the dust-covered floor and scooped the dice into his gloved hand, staring down at them and trying to figure out where this pain was coming from. But before he could determine it, a familiar pull tugged at him, and deafening silence fell all around. He looked up quickly, finding Rey standing over him in the doorway. She was staring down at him, an unreadable expression in her eyes. In his mind's eye, he could see her again as she had been on the Supremacy: fearsome and powerful and everything he'd ever wanted. She looked almost the same now, only without her earlier ferocity.

A horrible, sinking feeling filled him then as he realized Snoke had lied. He hadn't done anything to connect them through the Force... not one, damn thing. If he had, then they wouldn't be staring each other in the face right now as Snoke's corpse was starting to rot. Wetness pricked at his eyes, and it took everything within him to hold it back. What a fool he had been; a selfish, childish fool. Ben felt his bottom lip tremble slightly from the effort of concealing his own shame.

But what did it matter now? He'd been so sure of the vision he'd seen of Rey's future—of their future. So then why had she rejected him? With the whole galaxy at their feet, laid out and ready for the taking, why was she still holding on to the past? Ben knew the answer to that already, but she'd wounded him more than he cared to admit. He knew now that the past could never really die; no matter how much he'd tried to run from it, he could never escape where he'd come from. First his father... and now Luke... they would haunt him forever.

Rey had been the one to show him that, and he'd spat in her face for it. Of course she was looking at him like that now; as if he was her greatest disappointment. Failing his family had been one thing, as had failing the Supreme Leader. But failing Rey was something entirely different. He felt hollow inside, as if both versions of himself had abandoned him. He felt like neither Ben Solo nor Kylo Ren; an empty shell, and nothing more.

He wanted her—needed her—back with him... But how to tell her? What could he say to make amends for all he had done? Yes, he had defied Snoke and saved her life. But then he'd turned right around and allowed his desires to distract him; to distract him from what he truly wanted. It was clear from the look on her face that the road to forgiveness would be a long one indeed. And faced with everything he'd done, he couldn't blame her for not wanting to forgive him yet.

She clenched her jaw and pressed the button to close the hatch, and his heart felt like it fell into his stomach. But her eyes didn't leave him, even as the hatch sealed shut. Ben flinched as their bond severed, and the last thing he felt was her resignation. To what, he could not be sure, but she seemed stronger to him, somehow. Where he was broken, still kneeling on the floor, she now stood tall and reborn. What he wouldn't give to be standing next to her.

Ben realized now that the vision he'd seen of her future had been destroyed by his own impulsive desires. If he'd been able to forget all the pain he'd suffered, he might have been able to see that vision come true with his own eyes. But it was too late for that now; she was gone, and he was the Supreme Leader of the First Order, power he had dreamt of for a lifetime; power that had left him feeling emptier than ever before.

Standing on aching knees, Ben exhaled the breath he'd been holding. He could feel the Falcon pulling away, somewhere up above him, and with it, the last wisps of his connection with Rey. Wiping away the wetness from his eyes, he turned away from the room and rejoined General Hux where he was waiting in the main chamber. Hux gave him that annoyingly knowing look he always had, but kept his mouth closed. That was the way he preferred it anyways.

A detachment of Stormtroopers was sweeping the furthest reaches of the cave, but Ben knew it was pointless. "They're gone," he shouted, drawing everyone's attention. "Return to your divisions; we leave at once." Sweeping his cloak out behind him, he stalked out of the mine into the blinding sunlight, shielding his eyes with his hand. If he never stepped foot on this salt-covered wasteland ever again, it would be too soon.

He could feel Hux behind him, following closely. "What are you orders, Supreme Leader?" he asked in a low voice.

Ben whirled around quickly to face the general, and it didn't escape his notice how Armitage flinched away from him. "Half our fleet has been destroyed, General," he seethed. "We need to regroup before even considering pursuing the Resistance."

"Then we will be pursuing... Sir?"

He bristled slightly at the general's implication, and had to resist the urge to strike him. But it didn't seem to matter as much as it once had. The image he'd foreseen of Rey grasping his hand—looking into his eyes and telling him that they could face anything together—calmed his ire. "We will discuss these matters when we return to the Finalizer, General," he said quietly, turning away without another word.

His light saber seemed to burn him where it hung at his hip. He had to assume that Rey had taken the pieces of Anakin's saber when she'd left him on the Supremacy. The thought didn't inflame him as it once did; the saber didn't matter anymore. He knew now that it was a pointless effort to aspire to be as powerful as Darth Vader. After all, now that he was Supreme Leader, he'd risen higher than Vader ever had. But what was that really worth? He'd lost something far more precious in the process; something he would do anything to get back.

Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you're interested in seeing any more—anything at all—let me know in a review! :D