Chapter Text
Finn, Jannah, Chewie, and Lando all stood confused as Rey desperately shook a battle worn man in black. Following the destruction of the First Order ship Steadfast, Lando and Chewie rescued Finn and Jannah on the Millennium Falcon before they could crash along with the crumbling Steadfast into the surface of Exegol. What was relief at sensing Rey alive through the Force turned to worry when Finn felt his friend's distress, so they brought the Falcon down to the planet.
"No, no, no!" Tears poured down Rey's dirt covered cheeks as she continued shaking the man. "Help me!"
Chewie cried out in Shyriiwook, sounding just as distressed as Rey.
"Is he...?" Lando squatted down, checking the man's pulse.
"He's alive." Rey covered her face with her hands. "But just barely," she mumbled into her palms.
"Ok." Lando nodded and stood, turning to Chewie. "Can you carry him on board?"
Chewie cried out again, picking up the passed out man who now looked so small in the much larger Wookie's arms.
"Wait..." Finn trailed off, his eyes on the man as Chewie walked right in front of him. "Rey? That's–"
"Ben Solo," Rey cut him off, standing and brushing her hands on her pants. Not that it would help much. Her pants were dirty too. "His name is Ben Solo."
Lando shook his head looking as if he had seen a ghost. "Han and Leia were right." He chuckled to himself, taking a step to follow Chewie. "Kriff, I can't believe it. I haven't seen him since he was a child."
"Rey!" Finn grabbed her hand before she could walk away too. "Who is Ben Solo? That's Kylo Ren!"
Rey yanked her hand from Finn's grasp and pointed an angry finger at him. "You will not say that name again. His name is Ben Solo and he saved my life. He saved all our lives." And she stomped off towards the Falcon.
"Finn, are you sure?" Jannah asked, watching Rey disappear up the ship's ramp.
"I'm positive," Finn replied, "I fought him. On Starkiller? A person doesn't forget the face of the guy who slices their back open."
Jannah leaned in to whisper into his ear. "I thought the mask was part of his head or maybe a monster was underneath."
"Why are you whispering?" Finn leaned away, but also now whispering too.
Jannah pointed at the ship. "The Supreme Leader of the First Order is on that ship!" Her voice only got slightly louder. "Who is this Ben Solo Rey called him?"
Finn crossed his arms and frowned. Solo. The only Solo he knew was Han. "Come on. Let's go figure this out."
"There's nothing to figure out!" Jannah called after him, her feet pounding on the ground as she jogged to catch up. "That's Kylo Ren. What is there to figure out?!"
Jannah raised a very good point, but no one was about to get answers anytime soon. Lando and Chewie were quiet as they flew the ship back to the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss while Rey locked herself in a room with the so-called Ben Solo, so that left Finn and Jannah alone with their turbulent thoughts. The rush they had felt so recently at the First Order's defeat had rapidly deflated, replaced with a feeling of unwanted uncertainty. Was their fight ever going to be over? Finn wanted to celebrate with his friends. That's all.
They were the last to return to the base on Ajan Kloss. Finn exchanged hugs and congratulations with everyone before Poe pulled both he and Rey into his arms, the three friends sharing a moment together. But Rey didn't stay at the party, quickly following Chewie and Lando to the med bay, passing the questioning looks of everyone as their eyes lingered on the injured form in Chewie's arms.
It was well into the night, the party still going in full force, but Finn stepped away to go see what was happening in the med bay. Dr. Kalonia had come outstide a while ago, so things couldn't be too bad. What did bad even mean in this case, Finn wondered? Did he want things to go well for Kylo Ren? Ben Solo, he mentally reminded himself. This was important to Rey. His best friend Rey.
"He has a couple broken ribs and his leg..." Rey explained with a shrug, trailing off when the med bay doors whooshed closed behind Finn. "I don't know how he got out of that pit."
"Pit?" Finn questioned, stepping up to the bed to get a closer look. He was battered and bruised, but cleaned up. Kylo Ren. Finn thought for sure Rey's lightsaber hit back on Starkiller would have left a scar on his face.
"Palpatine sent him flying into a pit." Rey cringed at the memory. "I could feel his pain, but he was alive, though I thought we were both going to die anyway."
"You did die," Finn told her. "I felt it."
"You... felt it?" Rey teased despite the dour topic, a hint of a smile on her lips as she finally looked away from Kylo Ren and to Finn instead.
"Um..." Finn felt his face burn. "I've been trying to tell you. I'm–"
"I know, Finn."
"What?" Finn's jaw slacked. "You know?"
Rey nodded, still looking at him. "You're Force sensitive. I know. Have known for some time."
Finn looked back down at Kylo Ren, looking so peaceful like this. Nothing like the ruthless man he knew him to be. "You said he saved you?" He asked, needing to know how Rey went from dead to not dead.
Rey's fingers traced underneath a healing cut on the Supreme Leader's cheek, her face full of wonder. "I don't know how he did it but one minute our fleet's ships were exploding above and it all happened so fast... I heard all the Jedi encouraging me." She gulped, her throat bobbing as her fingers brushed some hair from Ren's forehead. "And then I felt like what it must be like to power up a droid and Ben was right there holding me. Force healing can't bring back the dead, so this was something else only he could do." She looked up at Finn, her eyes shining. "He's not that monster. Not anymore."
Finn huffed, crossing his arms and thoroughly unconvinced. "So he's this Ben Solo now? Just like that?"
"Finn," Rey's face hardened at his shift in tone, "this is Han and Leia's son. He was taken from them." She held up her hand to stop Finn from interrupting. "Palpatine took him mentally and he finally escaped. Surely you of all people can understand that?"
Finn looked away, not saying anything yet. He had been kidnapped as a small child for the First Order's stormtrooper program so he could see Rey's point, but Finn hadn't killed anyone.
"Palpatine's voice was in his head his whole life," Rey continued her defense, "tricking Ben through Snoke into thinking he was his only friend when he was lonely and scared, using his insecurities against him. That he was weak. And then his parents sent him away. It was the last time Han saw him until..." She swallowed thickly, looking back down at Ben. "He resisted the darkness until Luke tried to kill him."
Finn's eyes widened. "Luke Skywalker?"
Rey nodded. "His uncle. Drove him straight into the arms of the enemy, the last one who hadn't abandoned him. And now," she widened her arms, "here we are. I could feel his conflict. I knew there was still light in him. His hope shined so bright."
"How do you know all this?" Finn tilted his head, studying Rey's sad face. "I don't remember you spending much time with the First Order outside of fighting this man."
"We're a dyad in the Force."
"Come again? A dya-what?"
"We're two that are one in the Force," Rey told him, her whole face lighting up. "Our minds can connect across space." She took one of Ben's hands in both of hers and kissed the knuckles. "He's my other half. I want to know more about this, about him, about everything."
The door opened with a soft whoosh and Poe poked his head in. "Hey, Finn? Can you come out here?"
"I'm coming!" Finn told him, then turned back to Rey. "You ok here?"
Rey smiled gently and waved him off. "I'm good."
Finn went around the cot and bent down to give Rey a crushing hug. "You know I support you in anything, right?" He felt her nod into her chest. "If this is what you want, I trust you." He pulled away, squeezing her shoulder.
Rey reached up to squeeze his hand back. "Thanks, Finn. Does this mean you'll stay with me?" Her eyes searched his.
Finn knew she wasn't referring to right here in this med bay, but in her life in general. "I'm done running, Rey. You can't get rid of me that easily."
Rey still looked unsure. "We're the last known Force users in the entire galaxy. We need to stick together."
We. A future with Rey was now tied to Ben Solo, formerly Kylo Ren the Supreme Leader of the First Order. Finn nodded in reluctant acceptance and gave her shoulder one last squeeze before leaving the med bay.
"Well?" Poe stood there just outside the doors, impatient with his hands on his hips. "Did she explain why Kylo Ren is in our med bay?"
Finn cringed, looking behind him through the glass door at the man in question. "Rey said that's Ben Solo."
"Ben Solo is dead, Finn." Poe started pacing then stopped to look at the man on the cot. "It doesn't make sense. Kylo Ren killed him."
Finn shrugged, at a loss. "Rey said that he's Ben Solo, Han and Leia's son. I trust her."
Poe shook his head, not accepting it. "And how exactly would she know? Because Kylo Ren told her?"
"No. Not exactly." Great, now Finn was defending their former enemy. "She said they're a Force dyad? Something about their minds connecting across space?"
Poe scoffed. "Sounds like a great way for a darkside Force user to trick a Jedi."
"Look, why don't you ask Lando or Chewie?" Finn asked, mental exhaustion creeping in. "Wouldn't they recognize their best friend's kid?"
"I asked."
"And?" Finn prodded.
"They said that's Ben Solo."
Finn tossed up his arms, dropping them back to his sides with a smack.
"Finn," Poe started, rubbing his temple, "it's been a day and last I heard, Kylo Ren killed Ben sometime after the destruction of Luke's Jedi temple. Leia always insisted he was lost and would come home someday. We placeted her because she was so hopeful, but now you're telling me Kylo Ren is her son? Did she know?"
"She knew," Lando said behind them. "We all knew, or at least suspected."
"No." Poe continued to resist. "I watched Leia for years hold onto hope for her son. He," he jabbed a finger towards the cot in the med bay, "fought against everything she stood for."
Lando nodded along to Poe's short outburst, absorbing his words. "She knew that too."
"And she still...?" Poe's face scrunched up. "She still hoped for him?"
Lando grasped Poe's shoulder. "That's who she is– was, Poe." He let go to place a hand over his heart. "The Force works in mysterious ways. Remember that, even if you don't always understand."
Poe snorted. "I didn't know you had it in you to be so deep."
Lando flashed a brilliant, toothy smile. "Luke's raving mad Jedi tangents may have rubbed off on me." He spun around, his dark cape fluttering behind him as he entered the med bay. "Hey, kid," his voice came out slightly muffled through the glass. "Welcome home."
The former Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, propped up slightly on his cot, blinked slowly at his father's friend before his eyes widened in a look Finn never expected to see on his face: fear. He shook as Lando got closer, Rey hovering nervously nearby while Ben's chest heaved with his gasps until his loud wailing scream pierced the air. Lando grasped his red face with both hands and bent to kiss his forehead. Finn couldn't hear what, if anything, they were saying, but the younger man's eyes shined bright with tears when Lando pulled away. A look full of hope that Kylo Ren never had. Rey was right. This man had to be Ben Solo.