Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.

A/N: This story is my take on the events following Episode IX (so there are mild spoilers for the movie in this first chapter). This story is AU, so I have taken some liberties with some of the character's backstories. With that, enjoy! :)

Chapter 1 – Save the Galaxy

Ben slammed into the rocky cliff, the force of it knocking the breath out of him. He wished he could say being thrown into a bottomless chasm was the worst thing that had happened to him today, but it barely grazed the top ten. Being stabbed by Rey and having their bond energy ruthlessly sucked out by Palpatine had won the top spots. Gravel shifted underneath him and he slid towards another drop-off. He scrambled for a handhold as he flew off the edge of the slope. He barely managed to grab onto a ledge, leaving the rest of his body unsupported. He glanced down and immediately regretted it. The dark void beneath him had no end, just endless rows of black icicles rising out of the darkness like teeth in the maw of some ancient creature. Icy winds blasted out of nowhere and threatened his hold on the ledge. With his flagging strength, Ben didn't know if he would be able to hang on. This was the end for him. Fitting, really. Dropping to his death on the lost planet of the Sith. Even if he had tried to redeem himself by switching to the rebel's side – no, Rey's side – no one would miss him.

A high-pitched cry echoed down the crevasse, filled with pain. Blue and white streaks of Force-lightning lit up the sky impossibly high above him. No! Palpatine was using the Force-lightning to torture Rey. Determination like nothing he'd ever experienced overcame Ben. Not even his need to destroy Luke, find Rey during the early days of the war, or take over the galaxy came close. Newfound energy filled him to the brim and he lunged up with his other hand to catch the ledge. He pulled himself up, his muscles screaming at him. He ran up the slope, avoiding the patches of loose gravel. He pulled himself up the walls of the chasm, ignoring the jagged edges that sliced open his hands and knees. Rey needed him. He wouldn't fail, he could not fail. Minutes passed as he climbed, the crackle of lightning above him motivating him to keep pressing on. As he neared the top, the outcropping of rocks he had his hands on broke free and he fell downwards. He desperately reached out for a new handhold and found one. Agony raced through him as his leg was pierced by a transparent icicle. Bracing his other foot on a sturdy shelf, Ben jerked his leg free with a loud shout. He brought a trembling hand down to the gaping hole in his leg. How had Rey healed the saber wound in his abdomen? It'd felt like she'd channeled her life energy into it. Ben tried to do the same, diverting his energy to closing the huge hole. The pain lessened as arteries and veins healed and tissues knitted back together. It wasn't completely healed as Ben had little energy left and no idea what he was doing, but it was serviceable. He continued the climb, wincing every time he used his injured leg.

Suddenly, the rocks around him vibrated with the force of a thousand fathiers stampeding across an open field. Stone and icicles shattered around him as he tried to maintain a grip on the chasm walls. Bright white light illuminated every inch of space, so luminescent that Ben had to shut his eyes. A horrible screaming rent the air, drowning out the forceful crackle of lightning. Ben took solace in the fact it did not sound feminine. The light eventually died away, as did the screaming. An eerie silence took its place; not even the light taps of footsteps came from above. Ben quickened his movements as much as he could. The vibrations had rendered most of the handholds unusable, so Ben had to jump from section to section using the Force. He almost blacked out and lost his grip after one such jump; he breathed in deep and waited for the spots to clear from his vision. His muscles screamed at the brutal tension he was subjecting them to. He reached out and prayed for whoever he hadn't alienated to hear him and help him.

I have you, son.

His father's voice echoed in his ears and it seemed like helping hands were aiding him as he continued his climb. He reached the top of the chasm and dragged himself over the edge, finally setting foot on solid flat rock.

He looked up and fear enveloped him as he saw Rey lying unmoving on the ground in front of the throne. He couldn't feel her lifeforce. He forced himself to his feet and stumbled his way towards her, panting as his lungs protested. His injured leg gave out midway and he crashed to the ground; he refused to give up and stood, resting his weight on his good leg. He hopped his way to Rey, dragging his useless leg behind him. He finally made it and slumped to the floor next to Rey. Her white tunic was now ashen gray and her face matched that shade. Several brown strands of her hair had escaped her buns and were strewn across her face, lightly covering several bright red lacerations. Ben gathered her into his arms, supporting her weight with his legs. He felt for a pulse, but there was none. His heart broke into a million pieces. He pulled her close and buried his face in her hair as tears fell.

He was too late; he had failed Rey. Was this his destiny? To fail every single person he cared about? He'd failed his father, mother, Chewie, and countless others… even Uncle Luke. And now Rey was the newest addition to the list. No. He refused to accept this. He leaned back from Rey and looked down at her prone, pale face. If there was one person he refused to let suffer because of his actions, it would be Rey, the woman who had stood up to the evils of the galaxy like him, the First Order, and Palpatine, and had won. The woman who had wormed her way into his heart and changed him for the better.

He evened out his breathing and placed a hand on her abdomen. He closed his eyes and reached deep within him, searching for the energy than ran throughout him, that gave him life. Finally finding it, he pushed it into Rey, willing it to bring her back from death. The energy resisted, fighting to stay within him, to fulfill its purpose to keep him alive. But his resolve was stronger and he pushed it all into Rey. Nothing mattered except her.

He opened his eyes, hoping to see those beautiful hazel eyes gazing back at him. But nothing had changed. Rey was still deathly pale and unresponsive. It hadn't worked. Ben closed his eyes again as his strength flagged; he waited for death to claim him.

A small hand brushed over his hand on Rey's abdomen, barely there, yet extremely solid. Ben's eyes snapped open and his heart skipped a beat.

"Ben," Rey smiled up at him and raised a hand to caress his cheek and wipe away a tear.

Color was returning to her face and the red cuts were slowly closing. He'd done it. Rey sat up and brought up her other hand to cup his cheek. He leaned into the touch greedily.

"You saved me," Rey said, gazing at him wonderingly. "Again."

"Always," Ben smiled, truly smiled for the first time in years.

Rey beamed and pressed her lips to his. Ben wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her in closer. Their tongues tangled as they explored each other's mouths slowly in a sweet kiss. Ben wished this moment could last forever. Rey leaned back a little, her nose touching his. Their breath mingled together in the air in little white puffs.

Ben opened his mouth to say something, but the world suddenly whirled around him. The black stone blurred into an endless void and Rey's silhouette turned fuzzy. He realized his energy was deserting him at an alarmingly fast rate.

"Ben?" Rey's expression turned from happy to worried in the blink of an eye as he swayed.

He fought it; he needed to tell Rey how much he loved her. But it was not to be. He collapsed onto his back, the world slowing down around him.

"Ben!" Rey's desperate shout seemed to come from a distance.

The armada of exploding star destroyers was suspended in the sky like a macabre display of fireworks, surrounded by the tiny dots of Resistance starfighters. Rey's face appeared above him, yelling soundlessly. His vision speckled into a field of white and he knew no more.

-oOoOoOo-

"BEN!" Rey yelled, shaking Ben's shoulders forcefully.

They'd been sharing a magical kiss – her first one, actually – and now Ben was lying unresponsive on the cold ground. He stared unseeing at the sky, turning paler by the second. She reached out with the Force, but she could barely feel his lifeforce. No, she couldn't lose him now! It couldn't end like this. She pushed her healing energy into him, dragging him back from the brink of death, almost at the cost of her own health. Ben started breathing again, but Rey felt dizzy and had to cut off the transfer before she depleted her own dangerously low energy reserves. She realized Ben must have given her all his energy to save her, uncaring what it would mean for him. That made her love him all the more, yet at the same time she cursed his stupid gallantry. She opened herself again and pushed tiny amounts of energy to Ben, just enough to keep him alive and her conscious.

A huge crash sounded above and shards of icicles and stones rained down around them, cutting into their exposed skin. Rey covered Ben protectively to shield him from the barrage. When it lessened, Rey looked up. Chunks of obliterated star destroyers were falling from the sky and crashing into the Sith fortress. She had to get them out of here before they were buried by the falling rocks. She made sure the two lightsabers were clipped to her belt before standing and gathering Ben's tall figure into her arms with strength she didn't know she possessed and headed for the exit. She stumbled through the dark corridors, struggling to keep a grip on him and avoid the falling rocks and metal. Rey screamed as debris pummeled her from above. She pushed on, using the Force to navigate out.

Eventually, daylight breached the dark paths, lighting the way to the exit. They barely cleared the threshold of the fortress when the remnants of a destroyer smashed down close by, propelling glass towards them. Rey bit back a yelp as sharp pieces of glass burrowed into her back and shoulders, making her fall to her knees. Several large shards had also hit Ben in the leg. Rey compelled herself to push on, climbing back onto her feet and readjusting her grip on Ben. He seemed to get heavier with each step she took. Her X-wing was still parked where she'd left it. Alongside it was a TIE-fighter that Ben must have arrived in. She made her way towards the latter ship as its cockpit seemed larger. Ben was in no condition to fly, so she was going to have to be the pilot. The tip of a star destroyer appeared out of nowhere and smashed into the TIE-fighter, utterly destroying it. The X-wing it was then. Rey Force-leaped onto the wing and gasped in pain as the movement aggravated her back. She sat down in the small seat and draped Ben across her lap; his head was pushed up against the glass and his long legs were scrunched up by the seat once the cockpit was closed. The two of them barely fit in the one-pilot starfighter and it was a struggle for her to reach the controls. She winced in sympathy as the wounds on his legs bled more, but she couldn't address that at the moment.

Vibrations shook the small starfighter as the battalion of star destroyers rained down upon Exogol's surface, splitting the surface and causing craters. She inputted a take-off sequence and swerved out of the path of the flaming wreckages. She flew towards the fleet of Resistance fighters, who were finished destroying the Sith star destroyers and were entering the minefield surrounding Exogol. She followed them in, barely able to maintain enough focus to avoid the spiky obstacles in the red clouds. She took in deep breaths and called on what energy surrounded the ship. Tiny wisps of energy answered her call and she distributed them between her and Ben as she flew through the miles of interlocked stone within the red nebula. His lips were turning blue and it was alarming her, but she couldn't tend to him any more than she was, otherwise she'd crash. They wouldn't be able to jump to hyperspace until they exited the nebula.

Minutes later, she finally navigated them out of the nebula with minimum damage to the X-wing. With a press of a few buttons and a quick flip of a switch, they were launched into hyperspace towards Ajan Kloss, the jungle planet the Resistance base was currently located on. Now able to marginally relax, Rey tugged the shards of glass and stone from her back and shoulders, letting them plink to the floor of the starfighter. Then she did the same for Ben, gently easing the debris from his skin. She transferred extra energy to him now that she could focus more; the blue receded from his lips and his wounds stopped bleeding and knitted back together. She traced the jagged edges of a hole in his pants; there was a half-healed wound there. Ben must have sustained it earlier in the fight against Palpatine and had tried to heal it himself. It seemed fine, so she left it be.

Rey moved Ben's head to her shoulder so he wasn't smashed against the cockpit glass. She smiled down at his serene features. He looked so calm and peaceful when he was unconscious, so unlike the guarded expressions he wore during most of their encounters.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you," Rey whispered, moving a strand of that dark hair out of his face. "We've come so far and been through so much together. I'd be lost without you."

Even before she'd been sucked into this war, when she was scavenging for rusted parts on Jakku, she'd always felt like a part of her was missing. She'd thought it had been her parents, but that had all changed when she met a small astromech droid with a bent antenna and a defected stormtrooper. After being captured and meeting Ben for the first time, she'd been revolted by her attraction and immediate sense of connection to a member of the First Order, an organization wreaking havoc across the galaxy in their efforts to rule over it. The empty chasm inside her had reached out to the masked man, telling her he was the one who was missing from her life. She now knew that she'd been subconsciously reaching out to Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren. Their destinies were intertwined, for better or worse; the dyad bond they shared was only a part of it.

A button on the console beeped, signaling they were approaching the Cademimu Sector. Rey took hold of the controls as the X-wing exited hyperspace and the green moon blinked into existence. She followed the myriad of Resistance starfighters down onto the planet surface. She was so exhausted, she had trouble keeping the X-wing level and almost crashed into a B-wing upon landing. Sounds of cheering and jubilation filled the air as Rey opened the cockpit. She wished nothing more to join them; Emperor Palpatine and his fleet of Sith star destroyers were no more and the First Order was in disarray without a leader. But she and Ben might still die from the injuries they'd sustained in the final battle against Palpatine. Ben was in worse shape than she was; he was barely clinging to life as she was no longer able to heal him without falling unconscious herself. She climbed out of the X-wing with Ben and jumped onto the green vegetation and headed for the main encampment where the medical supplies were kept.

"Make way!" Rey yelled over the cheers. She pushed through the throngs of people hugging and kissing each other, keeping a steel grip on Ben. "I need a medic and bacta patches!"

People turned to look at her and they smiled as they recognized her. But then they registered who was in her arms and panic spread through the crowd. Screams of terror filled the air and the Resistance fighters around them pulled out their blasters.

"No, wait! He's harmless," Rey insisted. "Stand down."

But her assurances weren't enough for them and they opened fire on them. Rey drunkenly dodged the first blasts, stumbling and dropping Ben onto the mossy ground. She snatched a lightsaber from her belt and activated it; she hunched low to the ground and deflected the energy blasts, but her concentration was dipping. Several blasts managed to hit her and Ben and she screamed as she was hit in the hand and the lightsaber was thrown from her grasp. She collapsed to the ground, exhausted, trying to cover Ben as the shots continued.

"STOP FIRING!" A familiar voice shouted. "That's an order!"

The assault blessedly ended and Rey shuddered as she looked up, her body wracked with pain from the burns from the blasters. There were even a few holes in her arm. Ben wasn't much better. Footsteps pattered over the grass and knelt next to them. Rey looked up to see Finn and Poe. Thank goodness her friends were here.

"Rey, are you okay?" Finn desperately asked, holding her steady as she moved off Ben. He turned in the direction of the medical tents. "Medic! We need a medic over here!" He twisted back and paled as he saw Ben beneath her.

"Help us," Rey pleaded. She could do no more to save Ben, or herself for that matter. She was too weak.

"That's Kylo Ren," Poe breathed in disbelief. "What were you thinking, Rey? Bringing our enemy to the Resistance base?"

"Not the enemy anymore," Rey muttered, barely able to stay conscious. "Need help. Please."

Medics ran up with brown rucksacks but backed away in fright at the sight of the former Supreme Leader.

"We can't…" Poe shook his head, looking scared. "He's one of them."

"Poe, Finn, please," Rey pleaded as she felt Ben's lifeforce flicker. "Please help him."

A blue glow surrounded her and Ben, shocking the Resistance fighters into taking several steps back. The glow brightened and coalesced into several beings, their presence echoing throughout the Force. Tears filled her eyes as she recognized Leia and Han at Ben's side. They placed their hands on his chest and the wounds and burns knitted together; his lifeforce stabilized and he breathed easier. Another couple stood behind them, lending their energy to Ben as well. The man was tall like Ben with a wicked scar running down his cheek and dressed in traditional Jedi garb. There was a strange energy to him; incredible power radiated from him, yet it felt dangerous and safe at the same time. Rey thought the gorgeous woman at his side was brave to be holding hands with him. She stood proud and tall, her brown curls falling in waves to rest gently on her embroidered dress.

Rey wavered and swayed as her wounds started to register again. Hands gently landed on Rey's shoulders and steadied her; she looked up behind her to see Luke. He smiled reassuringly and she sighed in relief as the pain ebbed away. Another couple knelt on either side of her and her heart ached as she recognized her parents from her recently recovered memories. Her father shared the same blue eye color as Palpatine, yet they carried so much love and pride, something the fallen emperor could never experience. He drew her into a hug, enveloping her in strong arms. Her mother smiled lovingly and wiped the tears streaming down her face.

"We're so proud of you, Rey," she said, brushing her disheveled hair out of her face. "We love you so much."

She joined the embrace and Rey tucked her face into her mother's neck, sobbing her heart out, unable to contain the influx of sad and happy emotions. This is what she'd wanted for so long, something Palpatine had stolen from her until this moment. Warmth encircled her and entered her veins, racing through her and wiping away her injuries. She sensed several other presences in the vicinity, lending their support; they were people she didn't know, yet somehow they were familiar.

An extreme amount of fatigue gripped Rey, weighing down her limbs. She couldn't open her eyes, let alone move anywhere. She was gently laid down to rest on the soft ground. The blue glow faded away, as did the presence of the Force ghosts. Solid hands slid under her back and lifted her up.

"Get her to the infirmary," Poe said.

"What about him?" Finn said, clutching her more firmly to his chest.

"I'll take care of him," Poe said.

That sounded ominous, but Rey barely registered it. She was far too exhausted. She was jostled as Finn walked quickly through the camp, but Rey was unbothered by it as she fell into a deep, healing sleep.

-oOoOoOo-

Ben frowned in his sleep. There was an annoying buzzing at his ear. He swatted at it, but it refused to go away. He rose through the layers of sleep and lashed out again. His eyes flew open as he successfully punched the buzzing monitor, sending it crashing to the ground. He sat up and groaned as bones cracked and popped. He pressed a palm to his forehead as a spike of pain rushed through his brain. What in Sith hells had happened? Where was he? The last thing he remembered was facing Palpatine and then climbing up the chasm to save Rey and then… blacking out.

He whirled about, searching for Rey, but she wasn't anywhere in the room. From the shabbiness and lack of up-to-date equipment, this was a Resistance dwelling. Rey must have gotten them safely off Exogol and back to the Resistance base. But where was she? Was she alright? He wouldn't believe she was okay until he saw her with his own eyes. He shunted himself off the lumpy bed and dragged on his shirt and tucked the tails into his pants. He hurriedly tugged on the boots someone had left at the bedside before stumbling to the exit. The flap opened before he got there and Poe Dameron frantically rushed in, a hand on his blaster. Mixed emotions raced through Ben as he looked at the Resistance pilot who had once been his best friend.

"You're awake," Poe said, blocking the exit.

"Where's Rey?" Ben asked curtly. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Poe replied just as brusquely. He looked down at his boots. "Going somewhere?"

"I need to see Rey," Ben insisted, moving forward.

Poe pulled out his blaster and aimed it at Ben's stomach.

"I can't let you leave this room," Poe said. "Not until the Resistance leadership has decided what to do about you."

"Get out of my way," Ben said angrily.

No one was going to stop him from going to Rey's side. He thrust out a hand and shoved hard with the Force. Poe should have been thrown out of the tent, but he merely flinched. Ben was confused; he still felt the Force and he'd wielded it like he'd done a thousand times before. Black metal glinted on his wrist, Ben noticing it for the first time. A matching band was locked onto his other wrist too.

"You dare!" He growled, marching forward, uncaring of the weapon pointed at him.

Suppressor cuffs were extremely rare. They blocked a person's ability to harness the Force. He and Poe had come across them as children when they'd been fooling around and knocked his mother's belongings to the floor. A lockbox had opened and scattered several items onto the floor, including the twin bands. The black metal had felt alive and sucked gently at his energy as he picked them up; he'd just been sharing his observations with Poe when his mother caught them. That had been the only time Ben had seen his mother be truly angry. It seemed Poe had remembered that and knew where Leia had kept the cuffs.

"Did you expect anything less?" Poe shouted back, maintaining his ground. His hand holding the blaster shook a little, betraying his true emotions. "You're the enemy, Kylo. We can't trust you."

"Rey trusts me," Ben fired back. "That should be enough for you."

"Yeah, well it's not," Poe said. "Now step back."

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" Ben snapped back sarcastically.

He bet the trigger-happy moron was just waiting for such an opportunity. Ben might as well get it over with. He lunged forward and twisted to avoid the blast Poe fired at him. He knocked the blaster out of Poe's hand and grabbed his throat. He pushed the other man back until he hit a post and lifted him until Poe choked and thrashed under his grip.

"No one stands between me and Rey," Ben growled up at Poe. "That includes you."

A commotion sounded outside, no doubt summoned by the blaster discharge. Several people ran into the tent, blasters raised and pointed at him. Ben gritted his teeth as he recognized the traitorous stormtrooper leading them.

"Let him go!" FN-2187 commanded.

"Get out of my way and I'll consider it," Ben said, eyeing each Resistance fighter pensively. Most of them seemed relatively inexperienced; he doubted they could shoot a target if it was five feet in front of them. He'd get past them easily.

"You can't fight all of us," Poe wheezed in his grip.

"Of course I can," Ben smiled viciously. He'd been through worse odds.

"Not without the Force," Poe returned, struggling in Ben's grip as his lips turned blue.

"You underestimate my abilities," Ben said. Next to Snoke's praetorian guard and the Knights of Ren, the Resistance fighters were no challenge.

"Rey won't be happy if you hurt us," Poe coughed out as he scratched at Ben's hand.

Ben's eyes narrowed. That was true, unfortunately. Rey had bonded with the Resistance fighters as if they were her own family. He loosened his grip on Poe's neck and he dropped to the floor, coughing furiously. FN-2187 rushed to help Poe back onto his feet, supporting him and glaring at Ben.

"I'm fine, Finn," Poe assured the man.

"Take me to see Rey," Ben ordered again.

"No," Poe said roughly. "She's not awake yet anyway."

Ben gnashed his teeth. He disliked not being listened to. But at the same time, he grew worried for Rey. Why hadn't she woken up yet? Was she more injured than he remembered?

"I want three guards posted outside this door at all times," Poe ordered at the Resistance fighters. He stared at Ben. "Don't try and escape, or I'll stun you."

Ben leveled what he hoped was a menacing glare at him. A twinge of fear entered the fighter's eyes and the group left the room without lowering their blasters. Ben growled and paced the short length of the room, angry to be stuck here without any answers. His short temper snapping, he grabbed the stand next to the bed and threw it against a post in the tent wall. Wood snapped and splintered and supplies flew everywhere. How was he supposed to see Rey now? Even if she was asleep, he needed to see her, just to be sure that she was alive. He sucked in deep breaths and reached out with the Force. The suppressor cuffs may inhibit his ability to wield the Force, but he could still use it to find Rey.

Her presence washed over him, soothing his frayed emotions like a soft blanket. It vibrated in his mind like ocean waves lapping against the shore as she breathed in and out. He sat on the floor, cross-legged, as an idea came over him; he'd tried many times before to initiate a connection before, to no avail, but maybe this time would be different. He focused on her presence, willing their unique bond to obey his will. A slight shimmer materialized in the air and Ben smiled. He opened his eyes and his frazzled nerves finally calmed.

Rey was sleeping peacefully on her back, her chest rising and falling evenly. Her hair had been brushed out and it was fanned out around her head. Someone had also taken the time to redress her in a clean, loose-fitting white tunic and pants. Ben huffed; they certainly hadn't been that kind to him. He'd been left with the same grimy, semi-blood-soaked clothes he'd been wearing during the battle on Exogol.

He heard his guards muttering outside, unnerved by the sudden, eerie calm. He ignored them as insignificant. He had what he wanted. He sat there for who knows how long, content to just watch Rey sleep. Against all odds, they had both made it out of Exogol alive. He'd fully intended to give his life in exchange for hers, but it seems like the galaxy had different plans for him. He jumped as Rey let out a loud snore. He chuckled lightly and settled down again. It didn't matter why he was still alive. As long as he and Rey were together, he would be happy and be able to weather anything.