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A vortex of white snow swirls around the hooded black figure. Kylo Ren’s robes are a sharp contrast, sharp as the edges of broken glass, to the serene setting of the snowy forest. Prior to his arrival it had been a peaceful setting. A forest, undisturbed, with a slight dusting of untouched snow. Now, with his presence unavoidable, the snow stirs. He is the source of the disturbance.
He crashes through the trees. He has no regard for his surroundings. All that matters is his mission.
His mission is her. The scavenger. The desert rat from Jakku that had dared rebel against the power of the Dark Side. Rebelled, and won. If she will not join him, she must be destroyed.
He meets her in a clearing. Standing before him, in pale beige robes, is his nemesis.
“We have unfinished business.”
Rey nods in response. “I’m ready when you are, Ren.”
His lightsaber ignites with a roar. Red. Jagged. Chaotic.
Still wielding his uncle’s lightsaber, Rey ignites the blue blade, and falls back into a defensive stance. She did not seek this fight, but she will not flee from it.
Kylo Ren charges forward with his saber above him. They are a blur of red and blue. Dancers in the snow. He strikes, and she dodges. She swings, and he ducks. Their sabers tangle together with a crash.
A miscalculated thrust leaves Rey’s side open, and with a quick jerk of his arm, his elbow strikes into nose, knocking her backwards. She lands on her back with a thud, her lightsaber lost in the snow.
Your path to the Dark Side is almost complete. She is all that stands in your way. Destroy her. The voice of his master echoes in his head. He lowers the blade of his saber to inches below her chin.
“This isn’t who you are, Ben. This isn’t you.” Rey may be disarmed, but she has not yielded.
She is a threat. Destroy her. End it all and you will take your final step towards complete and total power.
Without a further thought, he grasps his saber with both hands and shoves the blade into Rey’s chest. She splutters and reaches for his face.
“Ben.”
The transformation is complete. He is no longer the weak boy who faltered at killing his father. He is a Sith Lord. Lord Ren. He is ready to take his place at the right hand of his master. He has completed his training. Kylo retracts his saber. He stands over the body of the scavenger. The desert rat who dared defy him. The woman… he loved?
He looks at his lightsaber in horror. His eyes flicker to Rey’s face.
Her body is lifeless. Her eyes still open.
“Stop. No, don’t look at me. Don’t look at me!” Kylo screams into the forest. In anger he throws the hilt of his saber as far away from him as possible.
You are weak. You have failed. You will never be as strong as Lord Vader.
“Ben. Ben! BEN!”
A violent shake awakens him. He blinks. His eyes slowly adjust to the darkness around him. Beneath him he feels a bed. Against his toes he feels sheets. These were the bedsheets he bought for the both of them. Rey was complaining that it was too cold in their room, and his old sheets weren’t warm enough. Sweat sticks to the back of his neck. He fights to control his breathing.
“Slow, okay? Slow your breathing down. In. Out. There we go.”
Rey is hovered above him. She is leaning on one elbow, with her other hand resting against his bare chest. He gives a deep sigh and closes his eyes. He needs a moment to catch his breath.
Since the end of the war, it was not uncommon for one of them to be awakened in the middle of the night to the other having a nightmare. Nightmares plagued the both of them after the atrocities of their lives finally had a chance to catch up with them. They had fought hard for peace, and instead were rewarded with the haunted memories of their past horrors.
Tonight, it was his turn.
Ben sighed. “We were on Starkiller, but this time, I killed you.” His voice broke halfway through his sentence.
He was so tired of these nightmares.
Ben opened his eyes to see Rey’s face, darkened by sadness.
Rey leaned down and pressed her lips into his shoulder. “I’m here. You’re here. We made it.”
Ben exhaled, finding it easier and easier to breathe evenly. “He was still in my head. He told me to end you, and I did it without question. Without hesitation. I was so lost, I was so brainwashed.”
Rey looks at him from over his shoulder. “Hey. I’m here.” She presses another kiss into his shoulder for emphasis.
Ben runs a hand through his hair. His hand sticks slightly in a tangle left from his fitful sleep. He closes his eyes. The vision of Rey’s lifeless form flashes through his mind.
“I’m not going anywhere, Ben Solo.”
Ben turns into Rey’s side, and Rey immediately moves to accommodate him. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and squeezes him as tight as she can. Ben buries his face in her chest while she gently runs soothing circles around his back with her nails.
“Listen to my heartbeat, okay?” Rey murmurs into his ear.
He presses his ear against the hollow between her breasts. Her heartbeat is even. Steady. Strong.
She’s here. She’s his. Nothing will take her from him.