Kylo Ren sat in his chambers alone, completely still. Darth Vader's broken mask lay before him. Everything he had known was breaking in front of his eyes. Hux had essentially usurped his command, and did so publicly, so as to inflict the utmost humiliation.

Kylo Ren had sensed multiple force users in the room and even his considerable skill and knowledge of the Force was not enough to overcome the legion of troopers Hux had in place on the bridge.

I could have done it with Rey. He thought to himself, immediately the humiliation and pain of her rejection stung him again. If only she had stayed with him, he would never have to endure humiliation as he did today.

"Don't do this, Ben. Don't go this way." Her words replayed in his mind in a never ending loop.

Why didn't she let go? She couldn't see outside of her own point of view, couldn't see all that they could have accomplished side by side.

It's because she's just an uneducated scrapper. He thought to himself, trying to hold that image in his mind, but it never stuck. He always knew she was more than that. She knows she's more than that; he couldn't help but admit to himself.

He stared at the mask until he thought his eyes could bore a hole into the cool, rough metal twisted by flame and heat.

His comms unit sounded as a transmission from the bridge came through.

"Supreme Leader, I'm sorry to disturb you. We have intercepted multiple communications between several Populist leaning worlds that General Leia Organa has died. General Hux insisted you be told immediately."

Kylo Ren didn't move. He didn't breathe until his body began to ache from the lack of oxygen.

In one violent motion, his gloved hand swept Darth Vader's mask off the stand and bashed it into the floor in front of him.

"I did everything to follow you, Grandfather!" He shouted as he turned to slam the mask fragments into the comms unit that had just relayed the transmission. The mask shattered into half-melted, twisted, black shards scattered all over the floor around him until he was holding nothing but dust in his hand.

Kylo Ren's tall, dark figure fell to the floor on his knees.

"Rey!" He groaned, never more alone than in that moment. Teardrops mixed with the metal fragments in front of him.

Tatooine was an all too familiar-looking sight for Rey. She squinted her eyes against the harsh suns as she walked down the ramp of the Millennium Falcon into the desert, so similar to Jakku.

Finn stopped by her side, "Like old times, huh?" He tilted his chin up, jovially motioning to the open desert, dotted only with a few abandoned huts. Rey smiled, not wanting to hurt his feelings, she knew he remembered Jakku in a fonder light than she did.

Poe descended the ramp behind them, "Where are we meeting Vi Moradi?"

"Who?" Finn asked, glancing back.

"She's a spy, for the Resistance, she's recently escaped from the Battlecruiser Absolution." Rey answered, having been in the cockpit when Vi's transmission had come through, she had already asked all these questions.

"How did she get off the Absolution?" Finn asked incredulously.

"You know it?" Poe asked.

"Yeah, I know it. That's where they take all the kids they kidnapped and train them to be storm troopers."

Rey gave Finn a compassionate look, she wasn't the only one with a difficult past, "I'll see you soon. I need some time..." She said softly, not able to shake the conviction that everyone she cared about would leave her just as her parents had.

Finn squeezed her arm for a second as she passed by, silently understanding. Leia's passing had affected them all deeply.

Suddenly, he reached for his blaster and aimed at one of the disheveled huts. Rey spun to see two figures emerging from the low door.

Expecting storm troopers, and reaching for her own blaster, she was stunned to see two rather unassuming individuals holding their hands up toward Finn. Neither of them had missed his panicked action.

"Finn, what-" Poe asked looking the individuals over and back at Finn, "That's Vi, she's the one we're meeting."

"No, it's a trap! That's Cardinal, he's using her." He answered, "He's one of Hux's right hand officers. He trains children to be storm troopers!"

"Rey!"

Rey heard his voice, so full of sorrow, barely a groan.

She moved away from the group, their excited voices fading in her ears. She rounded the Millennium Falcon, finding only sand.

"Rey," he cried again, this time the voice felt more substantial, solid, but still mired in agony.

She saw him then, kneeling on the course sand beside one of the lonely huts, a Force projection again.

She ran to him, but as she did, he began to disappear, "No," she breathed, picking up her pace. She had to speak to him, but as she came closer, his image faded into nothing. She was standing alone by the hut, his form completely vanished from view, "Ben, why were you calling out to me?" She whispered.

Rey shifted uneasily in the large chair in which she had curled up, at least an hour before, hoping to find rest, maybe sleep, if she was lucky.

Vi Moradi had slipped by the room only moments ago, she looked exhausted but pleasant. Finn had eventually come to an understanding with Cardinal after Poe had convinced him to put his weapon down, but Rey felt like he was watching Cardinal closely throughout the evening.

She shifted again, willing sleep to come but her mind wouldn't let go of the image of Ben Solo, weeping and calling her name. He had seemed so broken, so desperate. Her mind flashed to his offer several days before. He had seemed torn then as he begged her to stay with him, but something was different about him this time.

As she sat wrapped in the blanket, remembering, reliving every feeling she sensed from him, she felt the connection open between them again. She could see him, clearly this time, sitting in front of her, almost as solid as if he were really there.

Ben Solo was looking at her. His face was haggard, his eyes swollen from tears.

"Rey," his voice was low and rough.

Her heart began to pound, her mind was crowding with everything she had promised Leia she would say but his next words stopped her.

"How did she die?"

Rey lowered her head, "Ben, I'm so sorry."

"Was it my fault?" His voice was calm but burning underneath the surface she could sense a fire.

"No," she shook her head, deciding on words carefully, "the First Order, they didn't hurt her, she...chose this somehow." It wasn't the actual answer to his question, but it was true enough for that moment.

His mouth contorted against his will, his composure evaporated. He leaned his elbows on his knees and lowered his head into his hands.

Rey pulled her feet out from under her and set them on the ground, leaning toward him, inching closer, longing to touch him. She saw his body shake in a silent sob.

Leia's words flooded back to her, quietly she said, "She wanted me to tell you...she made me promise."

He shook his head, never raising his eyes to look at her. Rey couldn't resist the pull she felt any longer, she placed a hand on his arm.

It wasn't like when they touched on Ahch-To, with force visions of the future surging into her mind. It was still, quiet. She wasn't even sure if he could feel her hand.

Then his hand moved to cover hers, warm and still wet from tears.

He raised his eyes to look in hers, "What did she say?"