Hi guys, I'm back with the updates! I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story... it's not finished yed, but I'm slowly completing it! Please, review so I'll know what you think :) Xx

Kylo Ren was tearing up. The bright glare of the lights reflected on the polished floor hurt his eyes. Two Stormtroopers were dragging him – again – towards his cell, but this time he was awake, although he was so exhausted he couldn't stay upright and the only direction he could aim his gaze was downwards.

It was the third day in a row that Snoke had demanded to see him to torture him personally. His probing and mind torture were lasting much longer than usual: the Supreme Leader was vicious and merciless, and even though thinking about his mother had proved to be the right strategy – Snoke exclusively focused on that, so Rey and the bond were safe – Kylo wished to die every single time. However, while his mind was being torn apart, Snoke had let some information trickle over: Kylo had been able to learn that the attack on Eufornis Minor had failed thanks to the Resistance. Hence Snoke's wrath, and probably also Leia's presence on the island.

Once he was left alone in his cell, Kylo's thoughts immediately turned to Rey. He didn't want to reach out to her – he still had to come to terms with the fact that, when she had invaded his mind, she had taken information he had intended to keep buried inside him forever. He could easily forgive the intrusion, having done the same to her, but he wished she could forget her discoveries. He cared about her, more than he should. And by now he had accepted he would suffer because she would never care about him – not that he deserved it – but he wanted to suffer in silence. He could do without her rejection.

Nevertheless, he just couldn't help it: by now there was no reason to deny that Rey made him feel better, no matter the circumstances. And not only that: she also made him want to be better, to be someone she wouldn't turn back from, someone she would call friend – albeit tentatively – instead of monster. She had become his refuge, his beacon of Light. He couldn't think about her without feeling his heart come to life. He didn't want to call to her yet, but she was his only way to cope with the painful mess that was tearing his heart and mind apart.

Rey couldn't see Kylo, but she could feel his presence, his tiredness, his lingering, ever-present pain. A dull ache invaded her chest: to feel his distress and to be forced to stay away was torture.

For days, she kept her attention to him, determined not to leave him alone even though he couldn't perceive her.

On the third day, a weird new sensation hit her: it was as if Kylo's mind was getting warmer and brighter. Confused, Rey probed a little deeper, managing to see Kylo's thoughts more clearly.

And she was completely stunned.

All his thoughts were of her. She saw herself as he saw her, and her breath hitched: in his eyes she was brave, powerful, kind, breathtakingly beautiful. And strong. Stronger than anyone in the galaxy. She was his refuge, she burned bright and cast a warm, all-encompassing light that filled his suffocating darkness with gleaming shadows.

Under these comforting thoughts she perceived something darker, a latent desperation, the dull ache of rejection, resignation, guilt. A deeper look into that revealed his state of mind to her. His feelings came to her as a quick succession of images: a myriad scars, the feeling of being cut off from everyone – and if such a feeling would have been welcomed before, now it filled him with anguish, because the scars were starting to open and bleed. Black, thunderous clouds, his conviction that his pain was a fair punishment. A cracked heart, the thought of his father and mother. A bleeding wound that wouldn't stop hurting, the thought of never seeing Rey again.

Rey slammed back in her body on the island, trembling, both excited and terrified. She felt her soul fill with rage at the thought of him locked up, away from her, hurting and having all those terrible thoughts and feelings. She wanted to let out a mighty cry of anguish, she wanted to fight, to hurt, to wipe out Snoke from the galaxy for going after little Ben and tarnishing his mind with so much pain.

Then, suddenly, her thoughts took a softer turn. She had seen the pain, but she had also seen Kylo looking for comfort: her. He had shown her exactly how much she meant to him, and she was terrified that she wouldn't live up to his expectations. She wasn't sure Kylo's image of her corresponded to reality and that thought alone, not being what he believed she was, filled her with dread. She realised that, more than anything, she wanted to be the Rey Kylo had in his mind. She wanted him to see her, the real her, and find comfort, and peace, and happiness, and she wanted him to–

Rey let out a laugh. Now she understood both Leia's and Kylo's words: she wasn't all Light. She felt passionately, she experienced the strongest emotions, both negative and positive. She was no Jedi. She was in between Light and Dark, just like K–Ben had said.

She made a decision then, closed her eyes and projected herself beside him.

"What are you doing here?" Kylo asked, as soon as he saw her. He was laying on his bed, the hand he had smashed against the wall curled on his chest in a weird position.

"I'm done leaving you alone. I'm not going away, even if you tell me to," she answered.

He watched her for a full minute, seemingly deep in thought. Then, he extended his good hand towards her, and she didn't hesitate to take it. He stroked her palm with shaking fingers, exhaling a long sigh.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?" Rey asked, softly.

"For being more stubborn than I am."

Rey laughed, kneeling by the bed and bringing his hand to her lips. She pressed them against his knuckles, trying to convey her relief through the contact.

They looked at each other in silence for a while. It wasn't uncomfortable, but they knew they were both mulling something over. At last Rey said, in a serious tone, "You have killed innocents. You have a lot to atone for. But I can see the good in you, and because of that, I've realised something about myself. You were right. I do have darkness inside me. We are the same, Ben."

She had been observing his face closely during her brief speech. His eyes were wide in wonder, but they started to shift as soon as she called him with his given name.

"Listen to me. Look at me. I know that name is painful, that it reminds you of another life… but Kylo Ren no longer exists, and I know you can feel it. You are Ben, the Ben Solo you were meant to be. Neither Light nor Dark, but the shadow in between."

He looked at her with eyes full of emotion, drinking her in like a thirsty man looking at a spring of fresh water.

"Alright," he swallowed. "Alright."

Rey smiled at him, closing her eyes briefly. She wanted to tell him so much more, but she knew she had to give him time to assimilate the impact of her words. She told him one other thing though. "Ben, I want you on the island with me. We need to get you away from here."

He turned his head, looking at the ceiling. "I can't leave," he said.

Rey arched an eyebrow, confused. "Why? They'll just go on torturing you and breaking into your mind!"

"I know. But I'm… I'm useful here. I can't leave yet. And please, don't insist. I know what I'm doing and Luke agrees."

"Luke agr– please don't tell me you two have been talking behind my back again," she seethed.

"We have. It's safer for you. I have it under control anyway."

"But y–"

"Please Rey," he interrupted her. "Like you said, I have lots to atone for. I'm doing just that. It'll never be enough but this is what I want."

Rey pursed her lips, suppressing a scream of frustration. At last she relented, although now she was determined to give Luke a piece of her mind. She watched Ben, noticing he was still cradling his injured hand to his chest. She took it gently. "Let's fix this disaster properly, yeah?"

"Thank you," he said again, hoping his words carried more than just their immediate meaning.

"You're angry with me" Luke observed. Rey had come back in her body, looking relieved beyond words. However, her relief had disappeared as soon as she had seen her master.

Rey watched him severely. "I am. Why didn't you tell me you asked Ben to spy on the First Order? With Snoke looking into his mind constantly, have you any idea how dangerous that is?"

"Of course I do, Rey. And Ben does too. But there are risks worth taking."

Rey snorted. "They aren't worth his life."

"I have faith in him Rey. You know how strong he is, and how capable with the Force. Snoke won't discover him."

"Yeah, no… I know." Rey bit her lip, wondering when Ben would show up. "Can you promise me something, though? If… if he's discovered or… if he reports something big, please… please can you promise me we'll go get him?"

Luke regarded her with a mixture of wonder and pride, then he nodded. "That I can promise."

A week later, Hux was back. Ben felt his presence the moment he stepped inside the base. He got up, readying himself to reach out to his mind, but something was wrong. There was a palpable excitement surrounding the General, a cruel glee that didn't bode well.

Ben stood, feeling Hux walking purposely towards his cell, flanked by a few Stormtroopers.

He was still wearing the Force-suppressor, so he felt dizzy and nauseous, but he was strong enough to fight with his fists if need be.

His door opened and Hux strutted inside, chin high and eyes malevolent, smirking when he saw him standing up.

"Take him," he ordered.

The soldiers grabbed Ben by the arms and he didn't resist. It looked like Hux had planned a normal torture session, and if he wanted information, he had to go along with whatever the General had in mind.

They brought him in the room usually reserved for him, they took off his black shirt, strapped him to a chair and left him alone with Hux. His good mood was annoying the hell out of Ben.

"Are you that happy to beat me up?" he asked, starting to probe the General's mind. It was much easier to search if Hux was distracted.

"I'm always happy to beat you up," he answered, pulling out a small, sharp knife from his coat pocket. He walked close to Ben, resting the side of the blade on his stomach. "But today I have another reason to celebrate. The Supreme Leader has approved my plan to obtain the planet Elbara Nine."

"Wh– Elbara Nine? Why? It's just an ice planet… there was a Rebellion base on it, a long time ago," Ben frowned.

"Aren't you smart?" Hux commented, while dragging the blade slowly along Ben's abdomen, gradually pushing and cutting the skin open. He clenched his jaw and focused on searching Hux's mind.

"It's isn't just an ice planet. It's in the Mid Rim. It belongs to the Resistance now, but it's inconsequential enough that they will give it to us, once we tell them what we're willing to bargain for it."

"And what is that?" Ben asked.

"You."