[A/N: Hi there! Thanks to all who have followed and reviewed! In case you were wondering, I'm not quite done with this idea yet sooo here's another chapter. I'm still exploring ideas and theories so we'll see where the wind takes me! XD]

As the few remaining Resistance members congregated throughout the ship, Rey found refuge in the Falcon's crew quarters. Three bunks were arranged around the perimeter of a small room with thin brown blankets on each. She wondered briefly how everyone on ship would be able to manage, given that they appeared to have half as many bunks as needed, despite the Resistance's meager numbers.

The important thing was that they'd escaped. With every minute that passed, they put more and more distance between themselves and the First Order. As she'd retreated from the celebratory chatter in the ship's main hold, Rey had overheard discussion amongst Leia and other members of the crew of an abandoned Rebel base far out along the Outer Rim. Comforted by the idea that, for now, they were finally safe, Rey sought an escape from the crowd.

Her mind was spinning as she planted herself on one of the bunks, resting her forearms over her knees and allowing herself to deflate for a moment in exhaustion. Pieces of hair hung freely in her face, bound by sweat and dirt and the lingering scent of battle. It felt strange to be in a quiet place after everything that had happened but it was the peace she needed. Once her adrenaline had subsided, she realized just how exhausted she was, both mentally and physically. Her muscles ached and almost seemed to throb against the exertion she'd put them through in fighting. The gash on her arm had stopped bleeding some time ago and as Rey glanced at it, images of her and Kylo fighting side by side flashed vividly across her memory. She furrowed her brow, exhaling deeply as she allowed herself to recline back onto the bed, resting her head on a pillow and planting her feet on the other side without removing her shoes.
She could still see his face, like a branding on her mind, staring up at her with those wistful eyes that had seduced her into seeking him out. Bent at the knee with his father's golden dice in his hand, his defeat was palpable and though she couldn't see his surroundings, she knew he was in the base's command center mere moments after the Resistance. He didn't say a word to her but the emotions she felt on his behalf were enough to make her hesitate. His eyes glistened with regret and the intensity of his contrition came through not only their bond but the haunting gaze he fixed upon her. For a moment, she'd thought of her vision: the two of them side by side and the future they could have shared. But Kylo had chosen differently. He'd betrayed the vision and her in his adamant rejection of the Light. She knew her disappointment was thinly-veiled and to what degree this mattered, she couldn't be sure. It seemed apparent that he'd made his decision and for this reason, they were divided.
She tried not to sink into a pit of self-directed chastisement over her failure to bring Kylo back to the Light. She tried not to linger on the hope of uniting with him or the connection they'd shared - the connection fabricated by Snoke…

That connection… how had it resurfaced even after his death? Truthfully that had been part of her shock in seeing him knelt before her when she'd known he wasn't truly there. The way all sound seemed to fade away around them, moments before she even noticed him staring at her… It was astonishing, to say the least, and the moment their connection dissipated, her newfound resolve faltered, if only for a moment. As the last of the Resistance members boarded the Falcon, Rey found herself feeling as though a geyser had opened in her chest. She'd furiously blinked away the threat of tears, forcing herself to smile reassuringly as the Falcon took off and the discord in her heart faded like a memory.

A knock on the door startled Rey, disrupting her thoughts as she nearly hit her head on the low-lying ceiling above the bed.

"Rey, are you in here?" Finn cautiously poked his head inside as Rey threw her legs over the edge of the bed. "Oh hey, we were looking for you."

"Is everything alright?" Rey asked, still prepared for the threat of danger despite their escape.

"Yeah, I think so," Finn nodded, a slight smile on his face. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. You kind of disappeared once we entered hyperspace…" He eyed her warily.

Rey gave a series of slight nods. "Yes, I'm… I'm fine," she said, hoping the constant barrage of thoughts streaming through her mind weren't obvious. "How's Rose?"

"She's stable," Finn replied, swiftly adapting to the subject change. "Her vitals are strong so that's good," He shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Good," Rey nodded with a tight smile. "Keep me posted on her condition?"

"Sure, of course," Finn said, hesitating as he followed Rey's downward gaze. "You're sure you're alright?"

She eyed him wearily. "Finn, I'm fine," she said with tired emphasis. "I just needed some space to think, I suppose. I don't need a caretaker," She smirked in an effort to put on a more light-hearted air. "You should be with Rose." She nodded to the door and his gaze followed in the same direction.

"Okay," he obliged, turning back to her with a smile. "But if you need anything…"

"You'll be the first I call," Rey replied with a good-natured roll of her eyes. "I'll be out shortly." she added, gesturing to the door with a slight tilt of her head.

"Okay," Finn said, seemingly satisfied with her response. "I'll see you when you come out."

As he pulled the metal door closed behind him, Rey sighed, lifting her gaze to the higher part of the ceiling. She'd spent so much of her life alone in her thoughts; she never realized the day would come when she coveted those moments of quiet almost as much as she longed for the company of those who cared for her. She cherished her newfound friends profoundly, particularly in the aftermath of some of the revelations Kylo had imparted on her - not that any of it surprised her when she was being honest with herself. She'd held onto a flickering glimmer of hope, realizing now that the object of one's hope was just as important as hope itself.

. . . . . . . .

The world around him was a distortion of shapes and colors that shifted with each turn of his head. Garbled voices echoed in his mind as an array of tans and browns morphed around him, finally solidifying into a single scene. He didn't recognize anyone's face and there was scarcely anyone around to identify in the first place. In the distance he saw a ship disappearing into the sky and a large figure pulling the hand of a small girl.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him across the scorching sand toward the figures in the distance. He could hear the girl's cries as she reached desperately toward the sky, her arm twisted roughly in the hand of the hulking Crolute.
"Noooo!" she cried, her voice guttural and distraught. "Come back!"

"Quiet, girl." The large creature instructed, pulling on her again as she tried in vain to follow the ship, raw desperation in her eyes.

"Noooo!"

. . . . . . . .

Kylo shot up from his bed on The Finalizer in a cold sweat. After the unsuccessful search of the base on Crait, Kylo and the rest of the First Order had returned to their ships in defeat. They'd launched back into space in a futile attempt to seek out the Resistance once again but this time, they had no string to follow and the disadvantage of lost time. Kylo had ignored the disdainful look on General Hux's face as he'd brushed past him, fuming and folding in on himself like a desert flower as he locked himself in his private quarters.

Panting, Kylo looked around the minimally decorated room with wild eyes and a pounding heart. Recognizing his surroundings, he finally settled down and clutched his head in one hand. His breathing gradually returned to normal, the recurrent dream fading away just as the curtain of sleep lifted.

It wasn't the first time he'd had this dream, though it'd been years since he'd last seen it. He'd been nothing more than a child at the time with little understanding of the power of the Force or the visions it produced. However, in the aftermath of his experiences with Rey, it didn't surprise him that the Force would show him something he'd seen decades prior. The vision had remained a deep-seeded memory twisted up in the history of Ben Solo, a past life, until learning of Rey's existence. He hadn't understood the vision as a child but now, its meaning carried more poignance than he was ready to withstand.

[A/N: By the way, if you want to talk theories, my inbox is WIDE OPEN. I am having a field day hypothesizing where things could go in IX and beyond. And my Star Wars obsession is continuing to grow - I spent several hours last night just reading about the different planets XD

I like to be as accurate as possible, hence the research, so if you see anything in my writing that doesn't fit facts, please let me know :)]