Force Destiny

Communication

Rey sighed deeply into the warmth of Kylo's arms, drifting in the comforting lull of their bond, waiting for the Force to inevitably separate them. At some point, he had turned from his side onto his back. His arm held her tightly against his side as he stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. It seemed like an eternity before either of them said anything. Rey wondered if they lay there long enough if the entire galaxy around them would disappear.

No Jedi, no Sith, no Resistance, no First Order, no war – just Ben and Rey, together, safe in our bond.

She lifted herself onto her elbow to study him; her hand was on his chest to support her weight. His dark, burning eyes were filled with pain and longing, and for the first time since they were bonded, she knew why. She had been on the other side; she had seen his life through those eyes. She told him she had understood him in the hut, but she realized now, she hadn't understood him at all. Had he ever truly understood her? He thought he did.

But so had she. She had known what his uncle had done and knew it contributed to his fall. It was simpler when there was someone to blame, when one choice could have prevented it all. But from the moment he was born, he lived in the shadow of a man he could neither become nor escape. His entire life had been a series of events that culminated in his fall. How could she fix that? How could she help him before it was too late?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kylo asked, breaking the heavy silence. His stare was still fixed on the ceiling.

"I was wondering how many times a boy can be called a monster before he believes it," Rey said softly, tentatively allowing her hand to follow the ridge of his collarbone, wondering if he would push her away. The ache was heavy in her heart. She had witnessed the loss of his mother, she couldn't stand imagining the moment he shut her out again.

I don't want to lose you.

"I am a monster." His voice was tight, and even if she didn't have the bond, she would have heard the truth of it. The bond was open, however, and not only did she hear it, but she felt it all. There was an agony inside him she could feel squeezing her own chest. "I killed my mother."

"Ben, that's not your burden to bear," she whispered, her hand settling over his pounding heart. "She knew she was dying; she just wanted to see you one last time, and she did. She said what she needed to say."

"Did she suffer?" he choked.

I wish you could have been there. I wish you could have shared her last moments with her. Maybe you would have seen how loved you are.

The idea settled over her like a warm beam of sunlight bursting through the clouds. She grabbed his wrist and brought his hand up to her temple.

"You can see, Ben... if you want to." His eyes widened with the understanding of exactly what she was offering him. She knew his father's dying face haunted him, but she trusted that witnessing Leia's death would be different. He nodded hesitantly, his heart conflicted. He blinked back tears, and his lips trembled in anticipation.

Rey closed her eyes and thought back to that moment at Leia's bedside after he had shut her out again. She felt his consciousness accessing her memory. It was agonizing for her to relive, but she suffered through it for him... and Leia. It was how he had felt, after all, when she forced him to relive his most painful memories. It was worth it to give him closure, something she feared she would never have in her own parents' deaths. At least she hoped it would give him closure, his emotions were... tumultuous. His sharpest reaction was to his mother's last words.

I love my son, Leia said in her final moments, and I still believe he has light left in him. But if losing Ben to darkness was the key to saving this galaxy, then I would choose that over watching my Jedi son die with the Resistance at the hands of another empire. So would Han. Maybe that was why the Force chose us to be his parents.