A/N: Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry about the delay! Life got in the way, but I'm here to finish this story! Thanks to all who stuck around!

Lost

Chapter 13: Light Pt. 2

What happened? He stared down at her as they drove through space on autopilot. He watched her face scrunch up several times, small whimpers escaping every once in a while, wondering what had happened. He felt like he was getting closer to her with each attempt, but the more he tried, and the closer he got, the more forceful the rejection. It's like he was tripping a trap every time he got closer to finding her. Whatever happened, that dagger, or the darkness, had locked her deep within her own mind.

But then again, what was that light? Didn't it get rid of the darkness? Was it all just an act? The darkness has a way of manipulating what you want to see, right? So, what if that was what happened? Maybe he wanted the darkness banished so badly that it put on a show for him?

He released a heavy sigh as he held his forehead. A migraine was definitely coming on. Rey wiggled a little in his lap, resting her head in the crook of his neck. Her warm breath fluttered across his collarbone and he let out a soft sigh. She seemed to be resting soundly for the moment. Maybe it released its hold on her for a moment. He looked around and couldn't see the planet they'd left, so they must be far enough away that it didn't have too hard of a hold on her anymore. He only hoped that was the case. He gently rubbed her arm, making her sigh softly. "Ben..." she breathed. He glanced down at her quietly. "Don't leave..." she whimpered.

His eyes widened a fraction. Why would she think he was going to leave? He hesitantly reached out to her through their connection again. There was no resistance. He sighed in relief. He pushed further, delicately. He tried to sense her in her own mind, but it was so faint, he wondered if it was real. Whatever was going on, she was waging a war in her own head. He frowned as he felt the turbulent winds of emotions swirling in her mind. Something was causing her a lot of pain. He pushed on gently. There were so many dark corridors, if you would. It was like walking a maze, blind. He frowned as he tried to reach out to her. He got a faint tug when he did and he followed the direction of it. He felt the darkness closing in on him, but he pushed on stubbornly. "You'll never find her, you know." He turned on his heel and saw, what he imagined, was the sith version of Rey. She stood in a crimson dress, dark makeup and hair curled around her face. She looked hauntingly beautiful, but also very very wrong.

"Why won't I?" he asked as he glared at her.

She let out a condescending grin as she rolled her eyes. "Because she doesn't want to be found."

Ben's brows knitted in confusion. He looked at the floor in thought before turning his attention back to where the tug came from. It was gently pulling again, as if trying to get him to come to her. He stared for a moment. Then everything came together. It wasn't that he would never found her; it was that she didn't want the darkness to find her. He looked behind him at the sith Rey, who was wearing a haughty grin. "Ah, so you know where she is..." The dark Rey let out an evil laugh. "Well, now that you've led me right to her," she said as she reached out and plucked the string attaching Ben to, what he assumed was, Rey. "I guess I'll go ahead and finish the job!"

As she lunged off in the direction, Ben grabbed her by the arm and flung her backwards. He glared at her, bound and determined to defend the real Rey from this evil doppleganger. "You won't reach her." She ran at him again, but he force pushed her away, smacking her into the wall. He closed his fist, a sickening snap echoing through the hallway. Her lifeless body slid to the floor, and Ben felt a pang of guilt for a moment until he felt a stronger tug on the string leading him to Rey.

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

He'd been walking for hours. He'd fought the dark Rey thing several times. Each time, it got more exhausting. He tried to desensitize himself to it, but it still bothered him each time he killed her. And every time he killed her, she would make a stab at him. It would range from Rey would never love him, to he's wasting his time, to many other hurtful things that made him doubt himself every time. He felt the tugging getting stronger until he came up to some big double doors. He looked at the impressive structure, hesitantly putting his hand on the door. He called out to her through their connection.

Moments passed, but he heard a soft call on the other side of the door. He pushed and he was in.

Unfortunately, so was dark Rey. The room was bright, too bright. He blinked several times before his sight adjusted to Rey in the middle of the room. She looked normal, except for the look of overwhelming fear on her face. She was surrounded by light. Ben wondered what was going on, but then he realized he had stumbled into a fight. A fight for Rey's mind. "Rey-"

Dark Rey rushed at the original, sabers clashing, a flurry of red and blue. "Relinquish control. Give in to the darkness!"

Rey growled as she shoved her darker counterpart away. "Never!" she hissed. Sabers clashed again. He didn't know what to do. Should he interfere? Should he leave them be? Rey had to conquer the darkness by herself, true, but would he really just sit there and watch as it unfolded? What if he could stop it and he didn't? He frowned at that thought. His fingers played with the saber at his hip. He should help her. He unclipped it from his belt, but just as he resolved himself to make his way to the Rey's, a figure appeared in front of him.

"Seriously!?" he hissed as he glared at the wrinkly deformed man that was bent on tormenting him.

Snoke grinned menacingly at him. "Are you not happy to see me?" Ben glared in return. "Aw, come now, my boy. You can't be so blinded by this scavenger that you've forgotten-"

"I've forgotten nothing," he hissed as he turned his saber to Snoke.

Snoke's face turned to a nasty sneer. "Oh, but that's not accurate," Snoke responded with a sickening coo. "You've forgotten your manners," he hissed, hand reaching out as he channeled the force to repel Ben. Ben dug his feet into the floor, skidding backwards with a grunt. "After everything I've taught you! You still choose to lead a life full of useless distractions!" he snarled as he continued to push Ben.

Ben's heel hit the wall behind him, his body forcibly straightening against the wall with a grunt of discomfort as the pressure of the force started to squeeze the air from his chest. Snoke advanced on him, limping as Ben had remembered him doing when he was alive. With each step, Ben felt it more difficult to breathe. He didn't know if the darkness crowding in on him, or the force from Snoke was making it difficult to breathe. He glared angrily at the man before him that tormented him for several years. Just when he thought he was done and over him and all he's done to him, the darkness pulls him back in and torments him again.

Snoke stood within a few feet of Ben, sneering at him. "Now that I have your attention..." Ben glared at him. "I intend to finish what you were supposed to," he said as he held his other hand out toward Rey. Ben's eyes followed his hand, eyes wide. Just as Rey was winning the fight against the Dark Rey, Snoke gave her a little push, knocking her off balance long enough for the Dark Rey to gain the upper hand.

Ben growled, his anger rising exponentially. "That's it, my boy. Give in to that anger you've been trying to push away. Let it flow through you. Let it take over and open your mind!" Ben closed his eyes as he wrestled with his anger, trying to keep it down for fear of being completely dominated by the darkness. He heard a grunt and his eyes shot open. Snoke was gone. He looked around for a moment and saw him across the room, on the floor. And it occurred to him that he could breathe. He looked over at Rey.

"Don't give in, Ben," she whispered through their connection.

Ben stared for a moment, a small grin coming from his lips as he gently nodded. "Together then?"

Rey smiled and nodded. "Always," she said as she lifted herself off the ground and turned her attention back to her dark counterpart. Ben, once satisfied that she was all right, turned his attention back to Snoke. Their dyad thrummed within them as they raised their sabers at the same time, lunging at their targets. They'd end this; once and for all. They were keenly aware of each other's movements, but also each other's enemies. No matter what they did, they always stole glances to make sure the other was all right in their own fight. Sometimes their eyes would meet, but other times, it would just be a quick glance.

However, one time, Ben was too reckless. He lingered too long watching Rey and Snoke decided to take the opportunity to pin him against the wall again. Engulfed in his irritation, Ben broke free and force shoved Snoke off of him, pinning the old crone to the wall opposite him. All Snoke did was give that sickening grin at him and laugh. "That's it, my boy. Give in to that anger you've fought so hard to suppress."

Ben hesitated for a moment. A single moment. But that was all it took. All he heard was Rey screaming for him to look out, but as soon as he processed what she said, he felt the dagger plunge deep into his back. He grunted in pain, lurching forward as he stumbled to catch his balance. His eyes narrowed at Snoke, who was slowly slithering closer to him. He could barely make out the words. All he heard were Rey's frets in his head, asking if he were all right and begging him to stay conscious. He let out a long breath then. He had to fight.

He wouldn't give up. He couldn't. Not now. If he gave up, she would be alone. He forced himself to stand straight. Reaching backwards, he snatched the dagger out of his back, a small groan slipping from his lips in protest. He heard footsteps rushing to his side, but he didn't give it a second thought as he flung the dagger behind him, using the force to make sure the dagger struck true...

Right into Dark Rey's stomach. A gutteral cry of pain erupted from her lips as she fell to the ground. He never took his sight off of Snoke. As long as he was there, Rey would never win the fight for darkness. He hadn't done nearly enough damage to Rey, but the damage he'd caused Ben was irreparable. He lived on in Rey's memories, and as long as he was there, the darkness would never give up. She had to abandon the darkness. Ben closed his eyes as he sighed. He felt Rey's hand on his shoulder and one hovering over his back. It wasn't long before he felt a warmth he hadn't felt in quite some time. He looked over at her then, seeing her face full of concern and concentration.

Even in such a dire situation... she couldn't resist healing him. He loved that about her. He allowed himself a small smile as he reached out and gently moved the hair from her face. Earning her attention, he nodded quietly. Through the silent communication, she knew she had to fight her own battle since he won his. Together, they turned their attention back to what Ben thought was Snoke. They both watched as the figure shifted to the form of Dark Rey. Ben glanced behind them and saw nothing but the dagger lying on the ground, but no sign of Snoke. "Looking for someone?" she purred with an evil grin.

Ben glared at her silently. "What do you want?" he hissed at her.

Dark Rey rolled her eyes. "What do you think?" They were all silent. He knew what she wanted. The same thing all darkness wanted: control. The opportunity to run amuck without reprehension. "You know... you've warn out your use here, Ben. I think it's time for you to go. Don't you think Rey needs to fight her own battles? I mean... she can't very well rely on you to banish me, can she?" Ben hated this thing, but he knew she was right. He couldn't fight this battle for her. She had to banish the darkness by herself.

Rey took a step forward, an arm going out to the side, warning Ben to stand back. "She's right, Ben. This won't take long."