A/N: Alright, chapter seven up and running. This chapter took a while to get right, as it veered slightly off course of what I had originally planned, but I hope you like it nonetheless. As usual, I own nothing but the plot and my OCs.


Chapter Seven

The first thing he does is try to sit up, but the sharp pain and the equipment he is hooked up to send him backwards. It takes him a while to remember, a long while, so he decides the best course of action is to take stock. It's a tent. He's in a tent so he must be back at base. He is lying on a cot and a med droid flies around him poking and prodding. He was wounded. Obviously he was wounded. But it doesn't feel like a blaster wound. Then he remembers, the lightsaber battle, Kylo Ren, Han. Kylo Ren had killed Han. Then he and Rey had went after him. Finn had fought him with the lightsaber, but Kylo Ren had cut him down. The last thing he remembers is falling, and seeing Kylo Ren heading toward Rey. The thought makes him want to move. He finds himself being pushed back down by two sets of hands.

"Easy there. You're still hurt." He sees General Organa standing next to him, looking to the doctor.

"What, what about Rey?" Finn grates out.

"Don't worry about her." General Organa smiles, trying to reassure him, but all it does is make him more anxious. "She's gone to find Luke."

"The map…?" Finn tries. "You found the other piece?"

"That little Artoo unit had it the whole time." Poe says. "Went online almost as soon as you guys got back to base."

Well damn! Finn grins, almost immediately afterwards it turns to a grimace as he feels the med droid poking. " Kylo Ren?"

General Organa frowns. "We don't know."

"Finn needs to rest." The doctor's voice is firm addressing General Organa and Poe before turning to Finn himself. "Your stitches just got removed. At this point, we can't take any chances."

"Right." Finn and Poe exchange a glance, Finn rolling his eyes. This really sucks.


Luke wakes up disoriented. It takes him a while to remember the events of the previous night: his father's unexpected Force visit, the nightmare and the change in the Force that had woken him. Something was different. He gets to his feet and walks down the hall, and sees the door to his room open just a crack. The sight that greets him sends a lump to his throat.

He sees Rey curled up on his bed, sound asleep but for slight tremors. She's dreaming. He isn't sure whether they are nightmares. Her face is calm, but for a slight pull of her forehead. He walks over to the bed, pulling the coverlet tighter around her. If she'd moved in the middle of the night, it mustn't have been an easy one. He'd leave her to sleep. His questions could wait.

As he turns to leave, he hears movement. "Master Skywalker!" She springs up grabbing her head as the speed of her movement causes her to bang it against the headboard. "I...I didn't…"

He stops holding up a hand to interrupt her. "It's alright."

She looks at him then. He notices her taking in everything in a way that's somehow different than before. There's a curiosity in the way that she stares as if she can't quite believe what she's seeing. She seems almost childlike in her drowsy appraisal. She looks away quickly, a question on her lips going unasked as she swings her legs off the bed, dropping down to the floor, deliberately on the opposite side. "I shouldn't have been in here. I'm sorry." Her words are clipped, the surprise gone from her tone almost as if it hadn't been there at all. The moment of vulnerability extinguished like a candle.

Luke finds himself disappointed by its sudden disappearance, another opportunity out of reach. As they exit the room, he sees Rey's gaze linger slightly longer than necessary on the trunk at the foot of his bed, the trunk he hadn't opened since the day he had lost everything. Even as he leaves the room behind, his mind wanders back to two of the items that are sealed inside, and once again he finds himself at a loss.

"Why can't Mommy and Daddy come with?" Ben glanced over the head of Drydryll to where Han stood on the porch next to Leia. "If I'm gonna be a Jedi, I want them to see."

"Mommies and Daddies get scared too easily!" Rey's answer came out before Luke could formulate a response. "You wouldn't be able to learn nothin'."

Ben's shoulders slump, but soon he's firing back with a response of his own. "Guess that's why you ain't a Jedi yet Rey-Rey. Uncle Luke's too scared to make ya one."

"That isn't true!" Rey snapped. "I just don't got the 'bility right Daddy?"

Luke doesn't answer. Truthfully he doesn't know whether Rey's sensitive or not. Whatever ability she might have hasn't come to the fore, but, he thinks, Ben might be right. If Rey did show a sign, would he really have the courage to train her? He turns to the porch where Han and Leia are standing and decides then. "Han, Leia!" He grabs Ben's hand as he walks the boy to his parents.

Han gives Luke a puzzled look. "Kid?"

"I need a few minutes to get the ship ready." Luke is surprised by how easily the half-truth slips out, but the smile on Ben's face is enough for him to know he did the right thing.

As he turns away he can hear some of the conversation. "You do what Uncle Luke tells you okay?"

"Yup." He can hear the sniffle in Ben's voice.

"Ben, you're gonna be great Kid." Han's advice reaches the furthest. Luke can almost see Han tilting the boy's chin toward him "Give it all you've got. Hey! Don't waste those tears. You don't need them."

"But…"

"You ain't losin us kiddo. You're gonna be a hero, just like Uncle Luke. Heroes don't cry."

"Will I see you again?" Ben's voice is small as he hurries to wipe the tears.

"You bet!" Han says. "And you know what?"

"What?"

"I'll bet that you'll have some pretty cool stories just like those games you like to play."

"I'll miss you Dad!" The tears come anew as Luke watches the two embrace from afar.

"You aren't losing us, remember that." Han voice is rough as he lets go and allows Leia to do the same.

"Go." Leia smiles as she turns her gaze to Luke. Here eyes say it all. Take care of him.

"Daddy, come on!" Luke hears Rey calling him from the co-pilot's chair and as Ben comes closer, he sees something change in the boy's face. It's as if in that moment, something important vanished as the reality sets in.

"Luke," Rey's voice brings him out of the memory, back to the present. He notices that she is on edge. He can tell by the way she's holding the spoon. Her knuckles are white, and as she looks at him, her guard is back up, but there is pain behind the steady gaze. He knows that whatever she is about to tell him, whatever she is about to ask, has to be handled carefully or he could lose her. She runs her tongue along her teeth pursing her lips before she continues. "I saw something, last night. If I tell you, will you be honest?"

He nods once waiting for whatever it is, and as she explains he feels his heart breaking. As she finishes, finally looking at him once again, there are tears in her eyes.

"Is it true? Am I your daughter?"

Luke feels the word, such a small word weighing down on his tongue like lead. He nods, and the action pries it loose. "Yes. You are Rey Orrere-Skywalker." His voice is hoarse, almost inaudible under the weight of this admission, buried for so long.

He watches her, hesitates to let the relief that the words bring show, for all he feels now that the truth has begun to be realized, is shame. Even though he has told her, there is still so much more that she does not know. He can easily fill in the blanks, but too much at once could be the very thing that destroys her, that destroys any chance that the resistance has.

"If you are my father," Her voice is level, but it is rising like the kettle on boil. "Why would you leave me?"

As she walks away, not giving him a chance to answer, he puts a hand to his cheek, and feels a single tear. What have I done?


He feels it, a jolt that wakes him and sends him to his feet. He knows Snoke wouldn't approve. He's still recovering from the beating she had given him, but the way that this presence, this unification feels under the weight of the mask, the way the tendrils of the Force taunt him still, it can't be ignored. Kylo Ren feels the pieces clicking into place, but there is one that resists. He knows without much strain that it is her, always the outlier in Skywalker's perfect little destiny, even after all these years. She refuses the name, bucking and caterwauling like a wild Bantha, and without the piece that Skywalker holds so close, still such a scared old man, she will never fully understand. He knows he can take advantage of that. He can remember the day that changed everything for them, it haunts him, the last remains, the ghost of Ben Solo. It is then he realizes while she still lives, he cannot die.

It has been a year since the day he had been pulled from his home, and he had received his first lightsaber. It was as bright as emeralds and as vibrant as the forest that surrounded them.

"Wow! You're a real Jedi now!" Rey squealed pulling him into a hug. It was all the boy could do to raise the weapon, so as not to stun her. Uncle Luke had told him, it was a training weapon, wouldn't do much more than send a light shock, but that didn't mean that it shouldn't be treated with as much care as a real lightsaber.

"It's so cool!" Ben laughed. "Check this out." He held the lightsaber aloft swinging it as Rey backed away grabbing a stick. The cousins exchanged blows as their laughter pealed through the forest. While Master's away… Ben shrugged to himself. He hadn't been able to spend as much time with Rey as he used to, so he'd take advantage of his Uncle's meditation. He could protect her. He was a Jedi now.

"Come on Ben!" Rey stuck her tongue out as she hung upside down from the tree. "You can catch Vader can'tcha?"

Ben ignited the weapon, scaling the tree after his cousin. He struck the stick out of her hand. "You have nowhere to go!" But then, as the stick fell, he heard a noise, something metallic.

"Benny!"

"Shh!" Ben covered Rey's mouth with his hand. "Listen."

"This planet's crawling with Force Sensitive scum. Find them!" A white helmet. Ben froze.

"Benny…" Rey pulled her cousin's hand away. "What's that?"

"Shut up…" Ben said. As Rey's eyes widened, he held her hand. "It's okay, we just gotta stay…"

Ben felt the branch they were sitting on start cracking. He could barely pull Rey to him before the branch fell and he saw a pale thin figure. Eyes like death. Ben shuddered ducking as the figure seemed to see him. See through him.

"Benny!" Rey screamed as her fingers slipped through his. "Help!"

Ben crouched watching helpless as Rey fell. He closed his eyes. The Force would catch him, he just had to…. fall. He tilted back, holding his hand out, hoping, praying. He felt slender fingers, but they were cold, too cold.

"A child?" The voice scoffed. Ben slit open his eyes. The eyes like death were staring at him.

"I'm a Jedi!" Ben shouted. "Let her go!"

The pale figure laughed turning back to where two Storm Troopers held Rey. "Keep her. She may be useful."

"Let her go!" Ben felt a wave, he was scared, but he knew he had to help Rey. He closed his eyes and felt the wave expel as the two soldiers crumpled, and Rey fell unconscious.

"Interesting." The figure let him go, but those eyes still examined him.

Ben's throat went dry. He wished Luke were here. "Wha...what do you want with us?"

"Tell me," The voice pierced him. "Do you know how much trouble your kind have caused?"

Ben tried to answer, found his voice gone, shook his head.

"Do you know what your master hides from you child?" As the question fogs up in his mind, Ben sees the eyes light up, like they know, like this ghost actually knows who Ben's master is, and this makes him angry.

"Master Skywalker tells me everything!"

The ghost figure laughed, full belly clutching laughter that causes him to drop Ben to the ground. Ben takes advantage and begins crawling towards Rey. "How trusting you are young one."

"Rey! Rey!" Ben ignores the words, shaking his cousin as he feels tears. "Rey, come on!"

"Ben!" Luke's voice cuts through the din. "What happened?"

Ben looks up searching for the figure, finds no sign. Sees only the crunched up stormtroopers next to them. Even so, finds himself explaining through a flood of tears, leaving out the last exchange. He knew Luke was already mad. He could feel it, the disappointment, knew that it was directed toward him. He didn't want to accuse his uncle, knew that the ghost had probably lied, even though it felt like it would choke him.

As Luke scooped up Rey, Ben kept his mouth shut listening as Luke lectured.

"You both could have been killed! Why would you even think coming out here was a good idea?"

"Did you see those troopers Uncle Luke? I crushed them." Ben couldn't help the excitement he felt. He had actually used the Force, on something bigger than a pebble or his toys, and he saved Rey's life. She was still breathing. He could hear her.

Luke's expression didn't change. He sighed. "It was reckless."

Ben watched wordlessly as Luke opened the door to their house and laid Rey on the couch. He put a hand to her forehead. "Uncle Luke!"

He didn't answer.

"Uncle Luke, I did save her." His voice was quiet as he took one last look and ran out the door toward the temple. He needed saber practice, and if Luke wouldn't help him, he'd practice himself.


A/N: Okay, things are happening now. What do you think will happen with Rey and Luke? This could be the last regularly posted chapter for a while, as I am starting back with classes on Wednesday, but as always, I'm open to feedback, suggestions, and just thoughts on the story. I love reading your reviews. As for a bit of a tidbit for the next chapter: Kylo Ren begins taking advantage of the situation as Luke struggles to connect with Rey in the wake of the big reveal. In flashback, Luke takes drastic action to protect Rey and Ben.