AN: As always, thanks to the readers and reviewers!

Nikki, since you haven't been reviewing with your username (maybe you don't have one), let me answer your question here. The person I was writing "Marital Bliss" with seems to have disappeared, so that story's been sitting in limbo for a while. Maybe I'll continue it someday, maybe I won't, but it's not on the front burner. After I finish this story, I plan on returning to my "Defenders of the Force" series, plus I have some short story ideas.

"Without a Heart"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 14

Kylo Ren knew he was dreaming. He had already been on this bridge; he had already passed his test here, so this had to be a dream. There was no reason to return. He had already killed Han Solo, after all.

Except that Han hadn't had the courtesy to stay dead.

He ran his teeth over his lower lip. Was that why his subconscious had decided to send him back here? Was it taunting his inability to complete that one simple task?

"I did kill Han Solo," he muttered out loud. "It was Snoke who saved him."

And there he was at the end of the bridge, no longer standing – instead crumpled on the floor, a hand, a foot, and a heart missing, a breathing machine in his chest, still the pathetic mess he was when Kylo was awake. He was gazing up at his son, the look in his eyes as desperate as it had been the first time here.

"Ben," he called out in his new rasp of a voice, but it still echoed around the chamber.

Kylo ground his teeth as he stepped closer to his father. "What are you doing here, Han Solo?"

"You said I called out to Leia," said Han. "You said I had a bit of the Force."

"Only a bit," Kylo interrupted. "Not enough to do anything useful."

Han's gaze hadn't left his son. "Well I apparently got enough to call out to you."

Kylo's teeth ground harder – by now he was towering over his father. "Do you ever give up?"

"Not where my son is concerned," said Han. "For a while I thought I had given up, but I never really did. You and your mother were always on my mind no matter what."

Now Kylo wondered what would happen if he pushed Han into the abyss. He could feel his father's actual consciousness here – they were sharing a dream. His hand clenched at the spot where his lightsaber usually was only to wrap around empty air.

Why did this dream take his lightsaber away?

"You are dreaming, Han Solo," he said, concentrating on keeping his voice steady and intimidating.

"And so're you," said Han. "I may be new to this whole havin' the Force thing, but I think I know how this works. We reach out to each other, we go to sleep, we share a dream."

"I was not reaching out to you," Kylo growled, his foot twitching with the urge to kick Han off the edge.

"You sure?" asked Han, his eyes still refusing to leave his son's. "I think I'm on your mind a lot right now."

Kylo growled again. A simple kick would be enough to send Han into the endless void and perhaps wake them both up . . . so why wasn't his foot moving? Had he lost the strength gained from sending Han into the void the first time?

"I know there's a lotta confusion in you, Ben," Han continued. "Whatever I did to make you hate me, I'm sorry."

"Sorry means nothing," Kylo spat.

Han still kept gazing at his son, his eyes glistening. "I tried to be a good father, I really did. I'm sorry I failed, but Ben, no matter what, your mother and I never stopped loving you."

"I love you, Ben."

Suddenly the memories Han had tormented Kylo with earlier came rushing back into his head like a tidal wave, poking every corner of his mind with his childhood. He saw his parents, his uncle, Chewie, his old home on Coruscant, his cousins on Naboo, he saw himself, a smiling child in his parents' tight embrace.

"I love you, Ben."

In some moments he almost believed he was still a child. In others it was like he was looking at a different person. In still others it was like a dream inside the dream he was already in.

"I love you, Ben."

His face scrunched, his eyes squeezed shut, his hands covered his ears as if he were being bombarded by loud noises. Sweat was dripping down his face and his heart was pounding against his ribs as if it wanted to burst out of his body just like Han's heart.

"I love you, Ben."

He remembered his parents' embrace, how they would both gather him into their arms at the same time and embrace each other while they were at it. It was warm, comforting, during those moments he almost believed the nightmares would go away . . .

No.

He wasn't going to succumb, no matter how much Han Solo tried to weaken him.

Finally his eyes opened. There was his father still gazing up at him, a glint of hope in his eyes.

And there was the ledge.

"Ben," Han whispered again.

No, Kylo wasn't going to acknowledge him even with a kick into the abyss. He had to get out of this dream, without his father.

He jumped.

. . .

Kylo instantly woke up, back in his familiar quarters, panting rapidly. It took several moments to gain control of his breath and several more moments to get his hands to stop shaking. The sweat that the dream had produced had followed him into the waking world, dampening his pillow.

"Han Solo . . ." he whispered out loud through his teeth, his hands slowly clenching into fists. How dare he! Now he was invading his son's dreams? Was nowhere safe from him?

He leapt out of bed and without turning on the lights, he rushed over to the spot where he knew his grandfather's helmet was. "Grandfather, I need your help," he said in a rapid, desperate voice. "Han Solo is weakening me again . . . I almost succumbed. Please Grandfather, give me strength . . ." He dropped to his knees as if praying to the helmet. "The light's pulling me again, Grandfather, I can feel it inside me . . . please help . . ."

Suddenly he stopped, his Force senses twitching. He took a deep, shaking breath, looking around his room even though it was dark, reaching out into the Force and finding something that made a small smile creep across his face.

The rescue party was coming for Han.

. . .

"How could you do this, Rey?" Luke exclaimed. "You knew Kylo Ren wanted you!"

Rey glared at her father. "Did you really expect me not to come?"

Luke sighed. "No, but I'm your father. I had hoped you would listen to me."

"My father?" Rey spat. "You've only been my father for a few days! Do you think you can just show up after years – no wait, you didn't show up, I had to come get you!" Her hands were clenching. "You have no right to start acting like you have some kind of authority over me when you abandoned me!"

Luke momentarily looked like he'd been punched in the stomach, but he quickly regained his composure. "Rey, you have every right to be angry at me, but this isn't about me – it's about you! Snoke wants you!"

"I know!" Rey snapped back. "But I'm not going to turn! Why can't you trust me?"

Leia stepped up to her niece, and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Rey, we do trust you, but you don't understand the dark side. I've already lost my son to it . . ."

"Your son!" Rey interrupted. "I'm NOTHING like your son!"

"Rey, please," Luke said in a softer voice, "stay here, for us."

Rey gave them a hard look. "I'm going with you for Han, and you're not going to stop me."

"Then can't you respect Han enough to stay here?" Leia asked, the hard look on her face echoing Rey's. "He was the one who warned me not to let you come!"

The inside of Rey's cheeks ran against her teeth, but her glare didn't falter. "I'm coming with you and you can't stop me. Han needs all of us."

Just then, the alarm that signaled that they were coming out of hyperspace sounded and Chewie called from the cockpit that they were coming in on Teth.

Rey ran towards the ship's exit before anyone could say anything else.