It was only when she shut the door to her room in her private quarters and locked it when she finally let it in. It was the tidal pull tugging at her from halfway across the galaxy.

Only now, that she was alone and weary, did she let him in. Instantly, she felt a warmth that could only come from Ben. She felt his touch, even if many suns and stars separated them. They didn't care. As far as they were concerned, they were always together in their lovers' darkness.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked.

Rey shook her head. "We took in a boy. Who helped the Wraith Squadrons. He was going to be a stormtrooper— you said you were done stealing children from their families, Ben."

He frowned. "Kyp Durron? Part of our welfare system is that children who are old enough who are abandoned in any way are taken into the Stormtrooper Academy until they're of age and can make the decision for themselves."

"He says the First Order burned down his parents' house," Rey said.

Ben frowned. "I remember that case. Someone committed arson, but it wasn't us."

"Then who was it?" Rey demanded.

"I don't know."

He hesitated. "Why is he important?"

"He's Force-sensitive—almost as strong as I was, if I had to guess," Rey said. "I agreed to train him."

"Yet you still won't train Jacen or Jaina," Ben said, something bitter about his voice.

"You know what I think," Rey said stiffly. "That's how Snoke got to you."

"Snoke was always there," Ben said. "But you're right— I didn't want to be a Jedi."

Rey smiled a little. "You said you wanted to be a pilot."

"Just like you told them I was," Ben said.

In planning for their unborn children, Rey remembered when they came up with her alibi— a man named Ben, a pilot from Chandrila, who was kind, quiet, and thoughtful. One of Luke's last students. A man who she never saw again.

Most of it was true— they never saw each other in person again after she sensed Jacen and Jaina growing in her stomach. It allowed her to share something about him with her children, without telling them the truth.

"Hold me," Rey said after a moment.

He obliged her, and hesitated before speaking. "I wish we could be together. That I could show Jacen how to wield a lightsaber, or take Jaina flying in the Falcon, like Han Solo did with me."

Rey looked to him with curious eyes. "You never mentioned that before. You don't mention anything good about your father."

"Because they were the only moments Snoke wasn't there," Ben said. "He didn't know about the shadows, the voice, any of it. Leia never told him. Every other part of my childhood was poisoned by him. But. . ."

There were tears in his eyes.

"I didn't realize how hard he was trying," he said. "Or how much he didn't know. Until it was too late."

"Oh, Ben," Rey murmured, reaching her hand up to his face, tracing the line where she had left her mark on him.

"I regretted it as soon as it all came back," Ben confessed. "My biggest regret is killing my father. If I hadn't done that, you would be at my side. We'd be raising Jacen and Jaina."

"But you've done so much good for the galaxy," Rey said.

His full lips twitched. "Don't let any of your friends hear you saying that."

"I promised Leia I would destroy the First Order— so I have to," Rey said.

"I know," he said. It wasn't the first time she'd told him this. Nor would it be the last time.

"It was her dying wish," Rey said, repeating her only justification for remaining on the side that she did. "I can't betray that, Ben. No matter how much I'd like to."

"I know," he said. "And I can't leave the First Order. Not after how much of my life I've put into changing it from within."

Across space and time, they held each other. They knew the rest of the world was against them. No one, not even their children, could know of their connection. But it was worth it, for the moments in their lovers' darkness.

"I should make them Jedi," Rey finally confessed after a moment. "I know I should train them. Especially Jaina. She wants to be one so badly. And Jacen loves exploring what he can do with his powers. He could use someone teaching him how to do it properly."

"Then what's stopping you?" Ben asked.

Rey hesitate. "I sense this darkness looming over them. I keep checking to see if it's Snoke, but every time I look, it's gone. Nothing beyond the normal shadow everyone has."

Ben frowned. "I've been sensing a darkness myself. I can't help but wonder if there's another player that's come up."

"I know what you mean," Rey said. "Everything has been far too still for a war. Something bad is coming."

"Shh," Ben said. "I only have a few more minutes. Let's not spend them talking about war. If you don't want to train the twins, you shouldn't. I trust you."

Rey smiled. "I love it when you say that."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Those words echoed in her head as they held each other. Then, in mere seconds that felt like a small, wonderful eternity, the connection shut off. He vanished, leaving Rey holding herself, all alone in her dark room.

That was when she heard the rapping on the door. She sensed the gentle rain of Jacen and the brilliant, blazing fire that was Jaina. Both halves of their father.

Rey forced herself to turn around and open the door to see an angry pair of twins in front of her.

"We need to talk," Jaina said.

"Now," Jacen added.