Training against dummies was an integral part of Jedi Temple daily life. Trainees were taught set sequences that they had to practice over and over and over again. It was much the same as the way Ailsa had been trained to be instinctive with her use of The Force; using it a fight regardless of the rules.

The young woman enjoyed her time with the training dummy. It was tall and solid; it did not yield to The Force, only to physical training. Spending time with it mean time in solitude, focus primarily on the dummy and the movements that had to be drilled into them.

Ailsa was practicing a more advanced move that particular day; one where she had to leap up and wrap her legs around the top of the statuesque, faceless figure and bring it down with a twist of the torso. She could break an opponent's neck with the move on the way down, or simply wind them before springing forward and away. It was hard though. She was able to do it on Skye with shorter folk. She was able to do it when it came to the crux of a matter, but doing it with a dummy that was a good foot taller than her was more than she had imagined possible.

And that was exactly why Luke had set her the task.

The Jedi Master stood to the side with his arms crossed as he watched her cycle her legs up, delivering high kicks to the head of the dummy in sequence and not actually performing the movement asked of her.

"You know you can get your foot up there." Luke stated with a small smile. She frowned in such an odd way when she was focusing, her lower lip caught in her teeth, one brow raised in an unusual fashion. Ben sat beside his uncle, hands pressed together. He was not one to train such movements; he was not built for it, his fighting style would only become unbalanced by such a lift.

"I know I can get my foot up, but I need to get my knee up." Ailsa punched the dummy before bouncing up and down on the spot.

"That is why you have to jump." Luke's tone was so flat and matter-of-fact. But his eyes were bright, his posture relaxed. "Just do it."

"Just do it." Grey eyes rolled. "You do it."

"Don't sass me."

"Sorry."

Skywalker let out a sigh and held a hand up to his nephew to silence a laugh he knew was coming. Ben pursed is lips and nodded, leaning back against his seat.

"Ailsa, just close your eyes. You feel your environment more acutely with The Force than we do. Feel where you must aim."

"Okay. Magic Force Voodoo sight." She rolled her shoulders, eyes locked on the spot she was supposed to get her knee to.

"What did I say about sass?" Luke pinched the bridge of his nose, peering at her over his fingers.

"Right. Sorry."

With that, Ailsa made the leap, launching up and managing to perform half the move, yet on the way down she did not twist well enough and ended up slamming onto her side on the mat. Wrapped hands and bare feet tensed in frustration. Her hair was a mess, the dummy sitting itself back up as if to mock her.

"Again." The master said simply. He watched her about to open her mouth and quickly cut Ailsa off. "Don't sass me."

She burst up from her position and hit the dummy again, this time finally managing the movement only to be thrown off by the blasted thing trying to move upright again. Ben could not help but laugh at this, her leg dragged up by the dummy and her form slipping across the mat before she came free.

Ailsa lay where she came to rest, staring at the ceiling of an ancient domed building. The light came in through multiple arched windows, the forest visible from all angles beyond.

"Don't." Luke cautioned her again, sensing that she wanted to say something about the exercise. "Go for a run. Come back and do it again."

The girl groaned but did not protest.

"I expect you to run back in here and perform that move flawlessly."

"After a run? It is snowing." She got up and stretched her arms above her head, limbs swinging down loosely as she came to terms with where the training was going.

"You wont be gone long. Around the lake once and right back in here." A pause, no movement. "Now, Ailsa. Go."

She smiled, sighed, and set off – bare feet padding out before falling silent against the snowy floor of the wood outside. She'd only be gone 5 minutes; long enough to clear her head, short enough to keep her energy up. It was plenty of time to keep moving; the cold spurring her own and helping keep the warmth in her unshod feet.

Luke sat himself down beside his nephew as she left and shook his head. "She's got spirit."

"She does." Ben mused, perhaps a little too easily. He cleared his throat and sat a little straighter, glancing at his uncle for a moment. "You're not fond of her, are you?"

"Does it matter?" Luke gave the boy a side-eye. "You are very fond of her. I know where you hide up in that tree."

"We're just hanging out. It's…intense here."

"It is supposed to be. You're supposed to get used to it, not find a way to escape. Her method with The Force will deviate from your own. You must not let her distract you, Ben."

The young man stared ahead, eyes upon the dummy as it continued to wobble after its assault. "I know my path, Uncle." His voice became distance, set. "I know what I am supposed to do."

"Good." Luke set a hand upon Ben's shoulder. "You have learned a lot. You are going to be a great Jedi. Greater than I…perhaps."

Ben had to smile at that, his family smiling too. Praise was hard to come by, and it was worth it. It felt good. Yet, the grin faded. He remembered nights of darkness and thought. For years something had been reaching out form the shadows to him, using The Force and stretching out to reach him. Only when Ailsa came did he find relief. Now he found himself feeling the draw again; he felt it clinging to the Light in him and casting a great shadow.

"Go easy on Ailsa." Ben looked to Skywalker. "It is still all new to her."

"After three months? At least she is addressing us properly."

"I don't think she'll be a Jedi."

"No." Luke confessed. "But she may sit well with The Light rather than traversing the danger of a grey path."

"Would that be so bad, to be grey? The people of Skye seem balanced. No darkness has come from there."

"Not that we know of. There is great darkness in the universe, Ben. It hides itself well and makes itself well known when it must."

Silence. The snowfall outside kept the world damp to noise. The woods seemed permanently shrouded in fog.

"Do you love her?" Luke asked clearly, hiding no secrets.

Ben swallowed. "She is a wonderful friend. I feel…like myself with her. I feel like I know my path."

"I know you love her as a friend. That is not what I was asking."

The young man was trying to find an answer when the young woman burst into the room, her motion much lighter as she tried to keep her feet moving. She was cold, her toes aching from the chill of the snow. She did as she had been asked, launching up at the dummy and executing the move as she should have.

Ailsa smiled and propped herself up on the mat before bringing her feet toward the heater near her mentor's chair. "Okay. Okay, I get why you did that. It was mean, but I get it."

Luke had to smile at her honesty. She hid very little, if anything at all. Some people needed a fire lit under them, but Ailsa was bred for the cold. A bit of snow under her feet and a chill in her bones made her flighty enough to reach the height needed for the exercise.

"You know I am going to ask you do to it again."

"I know. My feet hurt though."

"Focus on that. Let it help you."

"Pain? Is that not a poor path for the Jedi?"

"We all experience pain." Luke spoke to both young adults. "We all know it, we will all know it more with every passing day. It is how you approach it that makes the difference. Use it to your advantage; seek peace on the other side. Never embrace it, simply embrace the fact that it can help you in a moment."

Ben watched his old friend drill for the next hour, the dummy taking a beating. She was a little whirlwind; always moving, always trying to land a hit. It was impossible to see her as a child anymore. He remembered her as such; he remembered that joy. But now he knew what it was like for her to fall asleep beside him. He knew what she smelled like after a shower and what she felt like in the rain.

Watching her come in damp with sweat to sit beside the heater had him feeling relaxed. His uncle threw her a towel and acknowledged her work before having to check the time. He was late for his younger students.

"Make sure Ben meditates."

Ailsa nodded as she retied her hair, plaiting dark strands over her shoulder as she caught her breath. "Thank you, Master Luke."

He nodded at her in respect before leaving. Ben and Ailsa were left in that domed room. He laughed as she slumped back against the mat and stared at the patterns on the ceiling.

"You worked hard." Ben nudged her foot with his. "You're getting quicker."

"Mmm." She was happily tired. "You're supposed to meditate now with me."

"I know."

"What is it?" Ailsa looked up at him, brow furrowing at the change of tone in his voice.

Ben did not tell her of what he felt reached out to him at night. He did not say how such sensations occurred now when he meditated. Something was speaking to him through The Force. It was speaking and he was listening.

"It is nothing. I am just tired too."

"Yeah…you're getting old." She teased him, trying to lighten his mood. "You're as tall as you're going to get and you still haven't found a way to grow into those ears. I'd be tired too."

"That's cheeky."

"It's true." Ailsa exclaimed. "But I like it. I like your face. I love your eyes – you have such nice eyes."

"They're…brown…" He rounded the vowel out in brown, adding a question to the word and adding a sense of mischief to his voice.

"I like them."

"You loved them a second ago."

"I'm contrary."

"I know."

Ailsa smiled up at the ceiling, hands set at her sides as she began to cool down. He'd been with her almost all night, whispering and talking. He'd wanted to hear tales from Skye; stories of giants and faeries, of horses made of sea foam little trolls that brought good luck. He'd wanted to butt into every story, speaking over her, laughing, questioning the logic and the morality of many of the tales.

She'd had to put her fingers to his mouth many times just to finish a sentence, his laughter muffled against the blankets. He'd ended up pressing kisses along her spine as she spoke, being thoroughly distracting before leaving as the sun came up. She'd wrapped him in her arms before he'd gone, brushing fingers through his hair and pressing her lips to the circles under his eyes. "You have such nice eyes." She'd said. "Go. See you at breakfast. I'm going to steal your fruit."

"Okay." He'd not had a rebuttal for that. They'd been speaking all night of little things, of things he may not remember but would always appreciate hearing. "You can have my fruit if I can have half of your hot drink."

"No, I'm stealing your food. This is not a trade negotiation."

"We'll see."

He'd ended up tipping half of her drink into his throughout breakfast, many of the younger students giggling as Ailsa proceeded unaware and only noticed when she went to finish her cup and found it quite empty.

Being friends with Ben Solo was always an adventure.

They ended up back to back in the domed training room, meditating silently in their own ways.

"You're sweaty." He'd murmured over his shoulder. "It's gross."

"You're gross."

"You're sweaty."

"I know."

"So gross."

"You're a baby."

"Shhhh. We're meditating."

She elbowed him in the spine.

With a shaky breath Ben returned to his thoughts, returned to the flow of the Force and listened to what it had to say. It said to much to him, spoke in such voices that he could barely understand. One voice stood amongst the rest. It had been with him for years, whispering through The Force. Constantly there, making itself known like an old friend. It spoke of the future, of power, of ability. It spoke of other paths. Of pressures that did not involve being a child of Leia Organa or the grandson of Darth Vader.

Ailsa frowned. She was so near to him, so in touch with Ben for a moment. She could feel his pulse against her back, and she could hear a murmur that did not come from either of them. He had touched her with The Force before; using his talent with mind tricks to, not trick her, but to ease up against her and explore her more thoroughly. It had opened a venue between them. It had felt beautiful. And now it sounded like a disembodied voice that faded immediately as soon as her presence was sensed.

Ben's eyes opened. He knew she'd felt it.

Ailsa felt her jaw tighten, mind trying to work at what it was that had been there. "What was that?" She asked him easily. "Who was that?"

"It was just a sound in The Force. You should not have been in my head."

"I wasn't. You were in mine."

"I was not." Ben turned to her, watching as she twisted. He was a bit angry, up in arms. Defensive. "What did you see?"

She was confused now. "I don't know. I heard something. Someone maybe. Are you…"

"Am I what?" His voice grew clipped. "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing. Ben. I'm not saying anything. I'm just…I'd never…I don't know what that was. It…makes me anxious."

"Why? It is part of The Force. Are you not in touch with The Force?"

"Ben." She turned to face him. They were cross-legged staring at each other. Both a little angry now. "Ben, what was it?"

He shook his head. Eyes closing briefly in frustration. "Ailsa. Don't come into my head."

"I wasn't in your head!" She set her hands on his knees, leaning a little toward Ben. "I think…whatever…"

It was hard to explain. Something had just sparked. They'd removed all walls between them and sitting in such deep meditation with such close contact…Perhaps the Force itself wanted her to see in.

"Did you see what I was meditating on?"

Ben sighed. "Yeah. I felt it. It was peaceful."

"I was thinking of the snow."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

His heart rate seemed to settle, hers slowing too. "Ben…"

"Don't." Be blocked her out before she began, his forehead touching hers in silence. "Please don't, Ailsa."

She swallowed. She had been in they grey zone for a long time. She had learned of the Light. Now; now she knew she had experienced the Dark Side too. Grey was now punctuated by stark spots of black and white.

Ailsa exhaled and nodded. "Okay." She did not know if it was a lie; she did not know if she could not pursue it further. "Okay, Ben."

The way she said his name that time…it felt like it did not stick. It felt like Ben was someone else. Someone else had looked into who he was and now the name did not stick. He shook his head against her, hands tightly clenched at his sides. The man swallowed. Huffed. Eyes opened.

"Don't do that." He said. "Don't look in."

"I am in, Ben." Ailsa stared back at him. "You're in too. Here." She took his hand, peeling fingers open and setting his palm to her heart. "We cannot change that now."

"Maybe we shouldn't have gone there in the first place."

"Maybe. But I don't regret it."

"No." His fingers closed on hers, lips skimming the woman's ever so briefly. "No, me neither."

Maybe that was a lie too. He felt lost again, but not in her or on his path. Just…lost. Both sides called to him, screaming out. One had to scream louder. One had to be heard and drown all else out.

"It's not the same." He murmured.

"It isn't supposed to be." She replied.

Ben nodded. Swallowed. She did not know that she was confirming a direction for him. He did not know quite yet either. But he was turned, twisted, set to face down a path he had not seen before.

"Come on." Ailsa leant back. "I'm sweaty. I will have a shower. You can pretend like you're not snooping through my things."

He cracked a smile, fingers drifting down as hers left his. His hand came to rest upon her thigh. He knew the way her skin felt there; he knew it was soft and smooth beneath her clothing.

"Up." Her hand extended down to Ben as she stood.

With a grin he came to, rising but ducking his shoulder in toward her torso as he did so. He folded Ailsa over his arm, hoisting her up and blatantly ignoring her protests.

"What?"

"My ass is right beside your face."

"It is a good thing I like your ass then."

"Don't get smug." She twisted, wriggled, and even tried all she could to make his life uncomfortable. She succeeded by the time they had reached the door, so he tossed her into a snow-drift and dusted his hands off with ease.

"I am going to hurt you." The lithe brunette looked like she had been coated in cake powder. Her lashes were lined with snow, body quickly chilled. A snowball hit Ben square in the face.

He had to laugh as she tried to get up and ended up slipping on a patch of ice, trudging barefoot ahead of him in a silent rage. He infuriated her at times. When they could have had an all out argument they had drawn near, and when they could have had a nice walk back to the dormitory he had gone and thrown her into the snow.

Friendships that start in childhood retain an innocence that others may loose. They were both stubborn, both curious. And now he had made sure that her mind had wandered from their meditation session – at least for the moment. She'd need a warm shower, new clothes, and a few choice words with him before considering it all again.

It gave him space.

And soon the walls she had broken down were built up anew, this time blocking the light and casting shadows Ben soon began to explore; making sure that Ailsa never saw into that side of him again.

A/N: And so we begin to head toward the events of TFA. Let me know what you think so far! It is always so good to hear from you.
I hope you are enjoying the story. If you are reading please drop a short review! Constructive criticism is always welcome!