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“These are your first steps.”
Those are the words that echo through Rey's mind yet again as she surveys the motley crew gathered in front of her. Even the porgs look on in awe, and they should….
Of all the Rebel bases in all the planets in all the galaxy, he walks into theirs. He, the former Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren.
Not that that's his name anymore. It never was for Rey for a long time now, and she smiles as Ben explains the new evil that has arisen. She stands with him now, of one mind with him in this and many things.
Except for - of course - the one sticking point that she's denied him every time he's brought it up, at first and later on in their many conversations through the bond after Crait.
“You need a teacher. I could show you the ways of the Force.”
As soon as they leave the briefing where he explains everything, he is rushing to the hangar, eager to escape the questions and accusations abounding. She follows because she knows better….she's barely preventing him from splitting a toolbox in two when she arrives. The rest of the Rebellion is following behind, eager and curious to watch these two.
“Ben,” she growls, putting a hand on his right shoulder. “We need that. You're not in the First Order anymore.”
“I'm sorry,” he says, looking contrite. His eyes beg forgiveness now and always since he still hasn't figured out yet that she forgives him every single time, and always will. “I should've expected this. I failed you-”
“You're doing your best given the circumstances. However, this is part of why I don't want to be trained by only you,” she interrupts, immediately getting him off a dark path of recrimination.
Instead, he sputters, and his ears turn bright red as the familiar arguments come back. He turns to face her, eyes forbidding at being rejected by her once more, even if he is still in awe of her perseverance. He wants her to give in, but he loves this aspect of her so much because she always fights back. Today, however, the former part of him wins.
“If you're so proud of your precious teachers, then why don't you show me what they taught you, what they can do that I can't,” he returns, menacing.
In Rey's mind, she knows this pride will be his downfall, and she is excited by the prospect. Around her, everyone watching sees the excitement on her face
He's so dead,” says Finn, smiling.
“This should be entertaining,” says Poe, pointing at Rey's face because he recognizes this look all too well from spending so much time with her in the past year.
Ben ignores everyone as he watches the slight smirk form on Rey's face, and for a moment, he is terrified . He quickly dismisses that, though, keeping his face blank.
“Get in your TIE fighter, Ben.”
She desperately wants to call him flyboy in that moment. She resists. He's not ready.
“In ten minutes, come find me,” she says, taunting him as she turns and walks away. “I'll show you the ways of the Force.”
She can feel his anger simmering through their bond, and she loves it. She is finally going to get him where she wants him.
After ten minutes of jogging, she is in the middle of the desert in Jakku, and she feels more alive than ever before. Not because she's home, no.
Because he is coming. She can feel it, even now. He is quickly approaching, using their bond to pinpoint where she is instantly. He can feel her exhaustion, she can hear his dismissive remarks about why she would do that to herself. That she's as bad as Luke sometimes, and she wants to laugh.
As if she will ever be as dramatic as Ben, using the Force to bust a door off its hinges when everyone's attempts to lock him out didn't work. With black cape flowing in the wind and a martyred look on his face, he strode into the room like he owned it and announced that he had joined their side, just like that. As if they would all just accept him because he is powerful and has decided to join them.
Which brings it all down to this moment. Now, she's going to prove to him why there must always be a balance, of the old and new, as they train together. There is still more to pass on, more to learn so that they are ready for their fight, to become the legends they were meant to be.
Together.
Her heavy breathing stops as she concentrates and ignites her saber, focusing on her goal and remembering her training. Everyone in the Rebellion has made it to a rock formation in the distance, using binoculars to watch the spectacle. All have wondered for months what Rey practiced in the desert, and all are excited to see her in action.
She doesn't disappoint.
The TIE fighter speeds towards her, and when it's visible, Rey turns away from it, looks back once, and then starts running more, away from it. No one understands how or why she does it, but she does. Ben calls to her through the bond, telling her how he sees her, that he plans to collect her and work her hard.
Just as he gets close to her with his ship, Rey jumps, back-flipping in the air toward Ben. Rey is the only one breathing in that moment as the Rebellion watches in stunned silence, and Ben has forgotten how to speak coherently as she lands neatly on top of his ship. He's still looking at her in admiration when he finally speaks through the bond.
I think I love you.
Rey's heart soars as she smiles and tries to find a way into the ship, ready to use her repaired saber to make a way to him when Ben opens a side door for her. When her eyes meet his, her response through the bond is immediate.
I know. Me, too.
“It's not that I don't want to be trained by you, Ben. I do. However, I think there's a much wider world out there that you're unwilling to acknowledge. Join me, Ben,” she says as she takes a seat in his ship and reaches out a hand.
She can feel the churning feelings within him. He never seemed to understand that important point before; he does now.
“I'm all in,” he says, his unloved hand taking hers with confidence.
Much farther away, the Rebellion chatters excitedly about the cool stunt Rey just did. Just below them, on another rocky outcropping, stand three Force Ghosts, all looking smug.
“I can't believe it actually worked,” says Luke, looking pleased. “Just like that, he's willing.”
“You underestimate the skills that your father and I developed while training. We got lots of practice on Coruscant with jumping onto speeders, if you might recall,” says Obi-wan, looking proud. “She executed that move perfectly, and she didn't lose her lightsaber in the process.”
Anakin gives Obi-wan a look before saying, “True, you may have taught us and have many years of practice, old man, but I'm the one who knows my grandson best. One move like that from Padme, and I was all in, too. Like grandfather, like grandson.”