Chapter 1: The Savior

Ben's world was quiet. Too quiet. It was getting harder and harder to hear her—her aura in the Force, like sunlight and rain, was slipping away. Rey was fading. Ben shifted her limp body in his arms and placed his hand beneath her head. With a shaky inhale he lifted Rey up and took in the sight of her. Oh god. Her eyes were closed like she was in deep sleep, her skin frighteningly ashen and her lips still as stone. The rise and fall of her chest was so subtle it made Ben let out panicked breaths from his nose. But it was her deteriorating presence in the Force that made Ben's stomach lurch with panic. If it faded away completely he would be bereft—again. He didn't know if he could live in a world where he didn't feel Rey's presence, it was too painful to imagine.

A trembling sob was ripped from his chest with such violence he had to rock back and forth to catch his breath. Once he had his hysteria under control Ben drew Rey his chest and embraced her, his chin resting between her shoulder and neck. He desperately reached out to the Force, for fortification, for help. But now that he was free of the Dark side Ben's efforts were clumsy and unpracticed at best. He reached out, desperately trying to grab onto the wisps of Rey's signature, her soul, but they escaped through his fingers like sand. Please, please. This couldn't be happening. Ben had finally found himself, he had finally found her and now Rey was leaving. Why did everyone always try to leave him behind? He couldn't bear to let her die this way. He couldn't bear any more loneliness. Maybe that was why Ben suddenly felt a calm wash over him.

No. This wasn't going to happen, he wouldn't allow it.

The world didn't need or want him—it never had. But Rey was sunshine and rain and she was wanted, even loved by the world. The answer was simple in Ben's mind. He would give his life to her so Rey could live and more importantly, live free of the burdens of their past. Suddenly reaching into the Force became the easiest thing in the world. Ben brought her away from his chest and placed his hand on her small abdomen. He never could believe how small she was, but feeling it under his fingertips was something new entirely. How could someone with such power and heart feel so fragile?

Ben pushed his distracting thoughts aside and closed his eyes. He released a breath, this one determined and steady, and once again invoked the Force. Ben could feel its power, feel the energy connections all around him like electrical currents. The rebels fighting like hell above them, his own energy, and even the stars past their tiny human conflict. In a way, it felt like experiencing the Force for the first time again. He had forgotten how strong and warm it was when he used the Light. The Dark by comparison had always been slithering and cold—a push, not a pull.

Enmeshed within the Light, Ben reached again for the frighteningly scant remnants of Rey's soul, gold and ethereal as gossamer wings. But then he saw a great, black mass beside her—a nothing, an emptiness neither good nor bad. It was shaped like the grotesque mix of an insect and a cyborg, inky blackness dripping from it like a cape. In one hand it held the brightest portions of Rey's soul, and with the other, it extended its other knife-like fingers out to what remained of her, intent on ingesting every last piece.

Ben ignored the panic he felt—this was why he was here. The Dark quickly attempted to utilize his fear and seductively began to whisper in the back of his mind. Use me. Use me to save her. It's the only way. As Kylo he would have obeyed its call like a child. He would have used his protective anger to lash out with vengeance at the creature. But Kylo was no more and the whispers no longer tempted him as they once had. Instead, Ben went and placed himself between Rey's soul and the darkness, his will like iron but his intentions calm and determined.

The creature paused for a moment but then released an angered shriek, its body clicking and shuddering. The hold on Rey's brilliance tightened and Ben again ignored the terror that tried to overtake him. He stood firm. Even when it tried to move around him to get to Rey, Ben blocked each thrust and parried every lunge. Frustrated, the creature let out another otherworldly shriek. Then suddenly it grew even taller until it was the height of two men, and it's dark intent spilled from it like a sickness. It wanted Rey, and it would not be denied.

But Ben knew what he had to do. He tugged a small piece of his soul free from his chest, where it then formed into a floating sphere in his palm. His aura was blue like the ocean and didn't shine as Rey's did—it was luminescent like the moon. It was snow and embers. Ben then gently offered it to the darkness. The creature halted and went silent, Ben got the feeling it was assessing its next move. Then slowly it shrunk back down to its original size, and its quivering appendages went still. Ben stepped closer, extending his soul fragment even farther out in front of him. He had no idea if it could understand him, but when the creature continued to analyze him, Ben said: "Take it. Let her go and it's yours."

The creature curiously tilted its head to the side and reached for his hand. It lightly tapped the blue glow with a single finger. Ben grimaced as strange, numbing pain shot through him—but he kept his eyes level with the creature. The hand that grasped Rey's soul loosened and Ben knew in that moment it would accept his offer. Ben let out a breath. The creature fully grasped his soul piece, and brought it to its chest. The numb, tingling sensation returned but this time Ben couldn't stop the painful groan that escaped his mouth. Then for the briefest moment it looked as if the creature was going to hold onto both of them, Rey's soul in one hand, his in the other, and Ben panicked. But it reluctantly unclenched its fist around Rey and released her. Ben reached out both his hands, beckoning to her: "Rey."

A small portion quickly flew to him like a golden comet. Ben caught it and cradled the warm, vibrant sphere between his fingers.

"Come back to me, sweetheart." He whispered. At his voice, the sphere thrummed cheerfully bright. Ben smiled. "That's right, it's me."

The part of her then flew up and joined with the dulled remnants that floated behind him. Ben turned to the waiting darkness, it beckoned him, the anticipation for his soul palpable and Ben was ready. He pulled another part of his soul away and once again offered it up to the entity. It hungrily accepted his gift as another fragment of Rey's soul joined the others behind his back. The pain was unpleasant as the creature cradled it close, but Ben had endured far worse in the past.

Quickly they fell into a pattern. Ben continued to give his soul away in exchange for Rey's. Blue for gold. Snow and embers for sunshine and rain. Pain for peace. Ben didn't know how long they transposed souls but it felt like an eternity. And then the exchanges reached a pinnacle, Ben guessed he'd gotten about half of Rey's soul, for her glow had grown so bright at his back he could see his own shadow. He was surrounded by Rey, it felt like standing in the sunniest rainstorm. While it was wonderful being enveloped by her aura, Ben began to feel excruciating exhaustion. He now had to rip his soul fragments from his body, each one stinging like he was being electrocuted.

But his determination, and his feelings for Rey, continued to propel him onward and fortify him with strength. Images and sensations assaulted his mind as Ben fought through the increasing agony: all of them of Rey—her raising the blue saber to meet his challenge for the first time, the look on her face when he had killed Snoke, and the feeling of her fingertips against his. Dozens more filtered through him, all of their interactions since meeting each other over a year ago. She was everything to him. She was his salvation, and he would give his life a hundred times over so she could live.

Ben dug deep and produced from his body the largest blue sphere yet. It hurt—like fire and ice and electricity all at once. He managed to expel it towards the creature but once it was gone Ben fell to his knees from the pain. He weakly lifted his head to watch an equally large fragment of Rey release and gently collide with her nearly formed soul.

Then suddenly Rey was awake.

The golden spheres around him began to form into a solid, safely present shape. Rey's aura was so unbearably warm and strong. Spurred on by her awakening Ben managed to tear another piece of his soul away, but this time as it drifted away Ben felt his consciousness fade.

Ben?

Rey.

He used his last few conscious moments to pour out his feelings for her into the Force. He didn't have time for the words he so desperately needed to say, damn it, so feelings would have to do. He loved her, he always had. Ben was going to miss her. He was going to miss her so much. He realized he had innumerable regrets, ones that were going to die along with him, but saving her was not one of them.

Rey.

A voice called out to Rey from the darkness. It was deep and loving, but familiar somehow too. Confused, she looked all around her for the source of the sound. Who was it? What did they want? Then she spotted something. A glow, a round sphere of light that broke up the silent dark around her, and Rey felt relief wash into her being like waves on sand. It was blue, like moonlight—warm and steady. It felt like home. Something about it pulled Rey in with the force of a binary star, forever bound in its orbital cycle. This blue soul was meant for her, of that Rey was certain, though she didn't fully understand why. She went to the light, she needed to, closer and closer till she felt a portion of its warmth against her being.

Come back to me, sweetheart.

Its voice was so soothing and right like it was meant only for her alone. This was where she belonged, no mistake. Rey fully pressed herself against the soul's warmth and relished in its comforting aura. What greeted her was something like snow, falling gently in thick glittering flakes on a winter morning. They fell into infinite pearlescent banks, heavy and frigid against the earth. Yet beneath its cold weight, there was heat—crimson, smoldering, and feverish— it was crackling embers on a dying fire.

It was Ben.

That's right, it's me.

He was so gentle. The Light had revealed his true nature and it was beautiful beyond words. Not only did it feel pleasant, but each blue wave of Ben's aura she received filled Rey with strength—strength, and courage to leave the darkness. She could be free of its silently dreadful clutches like a bad dream, thank god, and Ben was the reason. Rey allowed herself to absorb his strength but for how much power she received they were the same, integral and transposable. A half to a whole.

But then suddenly Ben was giving too much. They weren't a part of each other anymore, Rey was bright and powerful, Ben was weak and dimmed. They were unbalanced. Frighteningly large portions of his soul tore away and the pain he felt was so powerful Rey couldn't help but absorb it too. It was like a supernova, the death of a star—Ben was dying. The realization woke Rey from her dreamy state, and the reality of the situation fell on her like a lead weight. She saw a great shuddering, clicking, insect-like creature, and it was collecting the blue soul in front of her, piece by piece. It was Ben, and the creature was stealing his life away. But he wasn't fighting or rebelling against the dark entity, he was giving himself away freely. All at once Rey knew what Ben was doing. He was doing this on purpose, Ben wanted to die and he wanted to die for her. Unease and fear crept into the brightness of her soul. This wasn't right, this wasn't what was supposed to happen. Afraid, she called out his name with the Force.

Ben? Her voice was echoing and strange like she was speaking in a hundred different people's voices all at once.

Rey.

When she got over the relief that he answered, Rey let the sound of his voice wash over her. The way he said her name was so warm, like the heat of a sun, tender and earnest. There were unspoken feelings and wistful wants, regrets, and sadness, but mostly there was love. And with that one word Rey knew, with unshakeable surety, that he loved her; deeply and truly. The revelation made it hard for her to focus on the task at hand—he was sacrificing himself and she had to stop him no matter what. Rey recentered herself. She could think of love later.

Rey, you're alive…Ben's relief was all-consuming, and it flowed into her along with his incessant ribbons of pain.

Yes, I am but you won't be.

That doesn't matter. You'll survive, that's all I care about.

Don't say that. There has to be another way.

No, Rey, my life is forfeit but you can live as you were meant to…free of your past.

That's not what I want! I want you to be able to do the same, you hear me? I don't want this.

Ben said nothing, but for some reason, Rey knew he had heard her.

Ben, stop. Stop it right now.

Rey heard a chuckle. I'm trying to save you here. Just this once let me save you for a change.

No, you—you're destroying yourself. That's enough now!

Ben's pain flared into their shared space with more intensity and strength.

Please you can't do this, it's not fair!

It took a while for him to answer but when he did his voice was soft. You'll die without this, Rey.

No, it's like you said we're a dyad, two that are one, remember? Don't take that away…not when we just finally found each other. Ben, please!

Almost like he hadn't heard her, he didn't say a word at first. I'm sorry, Rey. Truly.

Ben then went completely silent. His imprint had become weak and stuttering like it was shorting out from bad interference. The aura of his soul faded to a gray, textureless palette and it had to be one of the worst feelings Rey had ever experienced. It was so quiet—she was utterly, and inescapably alone. The sudden lack of his aura made her realize they had never really truly been alone since they had met on Takodana. The other's presence was a constant, powerful pull, an ever-present murmur at the back of their minds. Rey felt a powerful, panicked spark jolt throughout her. He was going to be lost forever if she didn't do something, and fast. The Force surely wasn't this cruel. The Force be damned, she wasn't that cruel. Rey wouldn't let Ben die for her sake, she refused to accept that as his fate. She steeled herself and focused.

"Do you want to save him?"

A steady, feminine voice came from the darkness and jolted Rey from her frantic concentration. Another light shone from her left and slowly a blue sphere manifested, which then grew into the shape of a person. A proud featured woman with a regal nose and a swirl of long, elegant hair atop her head. Her eyes were piercing but her smile was warm. If Rey was in her physical form there would have been tears down her face.

"Oh, Master…Leia. Y-you're here."

Leia smiled in her confident, all-knowing way. "I've always been here, Rey. Just as all the Jedi before you."

Rey paused and fought for words, as guilt oozed into her being. "I'm so sorry." She shuddered. "I almost killed your son before, and your sacrifice stopped me from making the worst mistake. I-I don't know what happened…Can you ever forgive me?"

"There's no need to ask for my forgiveness Rey, I didn't give my life so you could live in guilt. I did it so Ben could return to the Light, and overcome his demons. And that's exactly what happened, so I'd say it worked out as it meant to."

"But now it's about to be for nothing," Rey replied, her voice cracking. "I'm losing him, again."

Leia turned and looked at the gray mass of her son's soul and stared longingly at it for a moment. "No." She whispered. "You're not."

She turned back to Rey, her mouth in a determined line. "You're going to be able to save him, and I'm going to help you."

"How, Master?"

"Do you have so little faith in your teacher? I'm going to give you all that is left of my soul in this form, and you're going to use it to save my son."

Rey paused, stunned. "You're going to give up your immortality? That's possible?"

"Yes." Leia nodded calmly. "I will do it gladly if my Ben can live the life he was meant to. After my many mistakes, I owe him this much."

"But…"

"No buts about it, Rey. It's my choice and my choice alone."

Rey stared into her master with a difficult mixture of emotions. How she missed her, how she missed their conversations and their training sessions. But it was her unwavering strength and confidence that Rey mourned the loss of, as it had been her rock for the last few months.

"I don't want to lose you either," Rey whispered. "Not again."

Leia gave a pitying smile. "I'm sorry, I know loss is something you have always struggled to reconcile with. But I am an old woman now with many years of my life fulfilled, and Ben needs the opportunity to do the same. The Force agrees—it knows that this will bring balance once again."

"But what will I tell Ben?" Rey pleaded.

"Tell him I'm sorry…and that I've never been more proud of him. I've always been proud of him, even when he didn't think so. Tell him that I love him."

Rey sadly nodded. "I will…but I know he'll miss you. Just like I will, so much."

"I'll miss you too. You have saved this family in more ways than you know. You have single-handedly given each of us more light and joy than we could have hoped for, and that is why I want you to save my boy. He deserves that, and he deserves you."

Rey fought back a sob. "Thank you, thank you so much. I love you all, the Skywalkers and the Solos, more than anyone in the galaxy."

"We love you too, and we always will," Leia replied, holding her hand out to Rey, which she took quickly. "Now, are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready," Rey said with a steadying breath.

Leia's eyes turned mischievous. "Oh and when you see him, give Ben a stern talking to for me, hm? Martyrdom isn't a good look on him."

Rey snorted. "Of course."

"That's my girl," Leia smirked. She then pulled Rey close so they were a few inches apart and turned Rey's palms upwards. "Now breathe, Rey.

"Okay." Rey nodded, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

Leia placed her hands on the backs of Rey's hands and closed her eyes. Rey startled a little when energy, Leia's energy—windstorm and quartz—seeped into her like a snap of electricity. It was opaque but turbulent, brave and confident, it was Leia in her entirety. The way it flowed into Rey was slow at first, but then it sucked into her like the vacuum of space. They were suddenly two entities in one soul. Together they turned to the dark creature, their will and determination aligned, and offered themselves to it. Almost at once the entity turned its head and became fixated on their brightness, completely ignoring Ben's fading blue soul in its hands. Rey steadied herself.

"Now, Rey."

Rey couldn't fight back the sob from her voice this time. "Thank you, Leia. We both will never be able to repay you this. Never."

Rey felt the deepest love flow into her from her master. Two images grew from her silence, both of them a bit indistinct and muted like watercolor, but they were memories. The first of a young boy with wild raven hair, smiling up at her with a tooth missing and his eyes full of wonder. He held a small flower between his hands and offered it up to her with a sweet giggle."This is for you, mama." The other image, to Rey's surprise, was of herself. It was the moment she had stepped off the Falcon and fallen into Leia's arms after losing Han. Their mutual grief was evident on their faces but so was the comfort from each other's presence. There was nothing to say, nothing needed to be said, Leia loved them and this was what she wanted.

Then Rey knew it was time.

She felt Leia begin to peel away from her, all her intention on the darkness before them. Her fierce, crystalline aura was so assuring that the loss felt like a knife to the chest."Goodbye." Rey managed to choke out.

"Goodbye, Rey. Remember, the Force will be with you." Leia whispered. "Always."

Then she was gone. She used Rey's soul as a jumping-off point and catapulted herself, fearlessly, rebelliously at the darkness. Leia collided with the creature and it instantaneously relinquished Ben's soul. Then Leia's aura simply…vanished.

Rey went to scream but then the creature's darkness curled around itself and it too vanished into thin air. She stared in horror. It was over just like that? The area left by the two entries was so barren and quiet now it made Rey want to scream. Her master was gone forever, her aura never to return. She would have given into sorrow but the blue glow of Ben's soul kept her from it. It was bright and whole again, and whimsically floated about the space they shared. While Leia was gone, her son was alive, and that meant her sacrifice had not been in vain. Thank god. Rey reached out to Ben, like extending her arms for an embrace, and beckoned him closer. The blue orb came to her, slow and unhindered, and when she caught it Rey brought it close to her chest.

"Ben." She breathed. "It's time to go back. It's time to live."

"It's time to live."

Ben heard the voice of an angel and not just any angel, his angel. Suddenly everything was light. Like the sun shining through a rainstorm, and each ray that reflected off the glittering droplets blinded him.

He was saved.

Finally, Rey had enough fortitude and strength to feel her own physical body again. The sound and smell of the Emperor's cavern came to her senses, and with it so did Ben's arms around her body. Rey willed her limbs to life and forced her hand to move whether it wanted to or not. Rey placed it over Ben's immense hand on her abdomen and then did the one most important act of her life.

She relinquished Ben's soul back into his body.

The moment it returned to him, snow and embers flowing out like a river, Rey opened her eyes with a jolt. She saw the impossibly high, dark cliffs of Exogol and the nebulous sky beyond it. But then Ben was awake too, and she looked up to find him sitting above her, dark and impossibly broad. He let out a pained grimace and shut his eyes tightly, pain spilling out of him at an alarming rate. Though the pain was difficult for her to feel, Rey had never been happier to feel their connection than at this moment. She shifted in his arms and slowly brought herself up to a sitting position. Ben's face calmed as the pain ebbed by just a fraction and he met her gaze, staring deeply into her eyes. Kylo Ren was gone, for this man was not conflicted or entangled in darkness. This man by comparison was so alive and organic. This was the man she had saved. This was who she had been fighting for all along.

"Ben." Rey smiled.

There was so much to say, so many emotions to work through, but the ability to say his name was all she could focus on. Ben's raven eyes scanned her face, her lips, her cheeks, and then finally her eyes. She didn't know if Ben looked afraid, overjoyed, or like he was about to burst into tears. But Rey saw the moisture welling in his eyes and the way his lips trembled—he looked so raw and young. Maybe it was what made Rey bring her hand to his face and rest it tenderly on his cheek. The relief each of them felt was tangible and flowed into the other with the force of a hurricane. They were alive and they were together. So why did he look so apprehensive? What was there to fear?

Rey quickly probed Ben's emotions. There was remorse, shame, and fear. There were her own biting words from the past. The image of his scarlet saber raised to strike her down. But what else she felt was the surety of his love for her. It was fundamental and raw, warm and powerful, which reminded Rey of the embers within his aura. She could think of one easy way to show Ben that she loved him back, that she forgave him for their complicated past.

Rey kissed him.

She jolted forward and captured his lips with more intensity than she knew herself capable of. His lips were full and soft against hers, and it surprised Rey how quickly he reciprocated; pressing her deeper into their kiss with his hand on the back of her neck. Ben's chest was so wide it enveloped her in its solid warmth. This was where she was meant to be. When they pulled away Ben did not look afraid anymore—his eyes were like dark, liquid glass and they had never looked so hopeful. His love for her was so strong Rey felt it bloom beautifully within the Force. She almost closed her eyes to relish in it. But then something blinding manifested on Ben's face.

He smiled.

Rey felt like she could soar. He looked so incredibly different as his facial muscles shifted under his wide grin. It was beautiful and brilliant like the bright side of a planet moon. Rey stroked his cheek to savor the first, precious emergence of his happiness. She had seen glimpses of him before but this was him in his entirety. This was Ben. Her tears finally spilled, and she knew how much they had overcome to achieve this. A small, unbearably happy laugh escaped Ben's mouth and it took all Rey had not to kiss him again.

"Well, that was overdue." He chuckled. Rey had forgotten how deep and velvety his voice was. It sent a shiver down her back.

"It was." She laughed, her cheeks hurting. "It really was."

It was Ben's turn to cup her face and he brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb. The humorous glint in his eyes faded and his mouth turned down in a frown. His signature suddenly grew a bit duller than before. Rey flinched and felt her eyes go wide with fear. "Ben—"

It's alright. I'm just…tired. Ben reassured her through the Force. Now that she focused on his Force presence Rey could feel deep flares of pain in his leg and his ribs. The fall into the pit had taken a toll.

Thank…you…I love….

Was he trying to…? But then Ben's eyes grew heavy and his hand fell away from her face to the floor. Rey lurched forward and tried to support his back so she could help him lay gently on the ground. Well, she tried, but he was so big Rey couldn't reach very far past his shoulder blades. Ben fell flat onto his back with a thunk! and almost took her with him. Rey found herself pulled halfway on top of him, her face pressed into his sternum and both her hands on his chest. He was robust and so very warm underneath her—the ridges of his pectorals and abdomen hard to ignore through his thin shirt. Rey jolted up, her cheeks warm. She knew Ben so completely in the Force, but physically Rey knew him very little. Embarrassingly little. But as she heatedly assessed him, thank kriff, Ben had fallen unconscious. His eyes were closed in exhaustion and his ebony hair was splayed on the ground in sweaty stands.

Against all logic, Rey felt another burst of alarm course through her. Rey splayed her hand against his chest and reached out for him with her eyes closed. Snow and embers greeted her like a friend. Relieved, Rey let out an unsteady sigh and felt her fatigue rise to the surface. This has been the single most grueling day she's ever experienced, and it wasn't over yet. There was still the dilemma of climbing out of the throne room, getting to the x-wing and all the while somehow dragging Ben with her. Rey panicked and looked at him on the ground, he really was immense. This was the one time she wished he wasn't. How the hell was she supposed to get them out of here? Rey felt her chest heave with anxiety. She had worked so hard to keep the two of them alive, and it was about to be for nothing.

Rey swallowed, trying to stay calm, and looked around the destroyed throne room. The amount of empty, murky space was intimating and made her feel insignificant by comparison. She made a point of not looking at the destroyed remnants of the arena, where Palpatine's disciples had once congregated. There would be far too many bodies, far too many reminders of how Palapatine's reach had extended through the galaxy. She swore she could hear moans and cries of pain from the rubble but she was so far away, Rey couldn't be sure. She didn't want to be sure. They were gone, that was all she could deal with at the moment.

Shoving her frayed emotions down Rey forced herself to her feet and quickly regretted it. Blackness bled into her vision and she was nearly swallowed into unconsciousness. With a steadying shuffle, she caught her feet and managed to stay awake. No falling asleep yet. Ben was depending on her. Rey took a few steps toward where'd she come in, one foot in front of the other. But quickly she lost her footing and fell to her knees with a groan. Only then, on the destroyed ground, did the realization hit Rey.

They weren't going anywhere.

Not without help. They needed her friends, they needed the Resistance—it was their only hope. Rey rose to a sitting position and closed her eyes. Because of her exhaustion, the Force was hard to tap into, but finally, the energy worked its way into her body like veins of lava. Rey let out a deep, deep breath and reached out to the one person she knew would hear her. It took time to find the signature she wanted, but when she did, it made Rey's heart thrill with hope again. It was timber and sea spray.

Finn.

Unlike how she communicated directly with Ben, Rey simply projected images and feelings toward Finn in small fragments. Exhaustion. Fear. Need. Where she and Ben were located. Even though it was excruciating—she was so tired— Rey repeated them several times, over and over until she felt recognition jolt throughout his presence. Feelings of panic, fear, and then determination filled Finn like a rolling fog, and she knew he had gotten her message.

Rey sharply released the Force, like snapping a book shut, and felt happy to be rid of its oppressive weight from her body. Now free she somehow dragged herself back over to Ben. He was still out cold, his dark lashes brushing the pale skin of his angular cheeks. Rey couldn't help but brush the hairs by his cupid's bow with her palm. She had fought and screamed and agonized to bring Ben Solo back for so long, it almost didn't seem real that he was here next to her. Everything was going to work out now that they were together and their greatest enemy was destroyed. Finally, Rey's exhaustion caught up with her, everything hurt, everything was on fire—so she let herself fall into darkness. But even there, Ben's comforting presence, the half to her whole, stayed beside her and Rey felt no fear.

So I recently watched through allll the Star Wars movies chronologically, and I forgot how salty I actually was at Ben Solo's death and have been obsessed with him for like two months straight. So I decided to rebel against his death and write my own version of what I wanted to see happen! I hope I can make this into a full work because I really do love this franchise, and this character (and pairing!) Thank for reading, and hope to see you soon!

- Curly