—REN—

"What happened?"

I look up from Snoke's frozen face to find General Hux staring in horror at the carnage that surrounds us. "The girl murdered Snoke," I state, as casually as if we were discussing the weather. "She stole his escape craft."

The general stalks toward me, face contorted in rage. "You let them escape?!" He shouts through gritted teeth. I feel his fear seeping into the Force like a bleeding wound.

"Killing them would have gotten us no closer to the extermination of the rebels. Letting them live was the only way to find their hidden base." I step around the fuming general and stand in front of the Supreme Leader's throne. "Get all our forces prepared to follow them. Let's finish this."

"Finish this? Who do you think you're talking to?! You presume to command my army? Our Supreme Leader is dead! We have no ruler!" His tirade is cut short by a strangled gasp. I march toward him, hand outstretched as I use the Force to cut off his air supply.

"The Supreme Leader is dead," I snarl, now beyond irritated with the idiotic general.

Realization dawns and his gaze snaps to mine. "Long...live...the Supreme...Leader," he chokes out, eyes wide, hands clutching at the invisible grip around his throat.

"Prepare your army," I say again. Hux nods desperately and I lower my hand, flexing it at my side. He drops to his knees with a gasp and rubs at his neck. "NOW."

Hux scrambles to his feet and bows awkwardly. "Yes, Supreme Leader."

His footsteps echo and then fade, and I'm alone again. The power of my new position courses through me like adrenaline, but still I hesitate. I never thought I'd miss that presence in my mind, but here I am, lost in isolation in my own head.

"Damn you, Rey."

--REY--

"Rey, wake up. We're home."

I struggle to open my eyes and disorientation immediately takes over. Still floating in a semi-dream state, my eyes close again. Then I picture him and everything comes rushing back and I feel pain like hot desert sand scorching every inch of my body. Grief consumes me and I fight back tears of frustration with everything that transpired. The loss of his familiar presence in my mind is more painful than everything below the bandages wrapped around my abdomen.

I finally shake out of the daze and take in my surroundings. I'm in the Resistance shuttle, curled into the co-pilot seat. Finn is standing over me looking both concerned and afraid. "Can you stand?" He asks, holding out his right hand to help me up. His left arm is bandaged and held in a makeshift sling. I try to reach up and feel a sharp tug; my hands are bound in the same cuffs Snoke had used to disarm me.

"What's going on?" I demand, gesturing at my shackled wrists.

"It's a precaution," Poe explains, coming up behind Finn. His hair is matted with dried blood, and bruises are scattered across his face and neck. "For the safety of everyone on base. Until we figure out what happened to you."

"We have to be sure it won't happen again," Finn adds.

"What do you mean? What happened to me?" Something feels off but I can't put my finger on it, and the harder I try to remember, the fuzzier the memories get.

Poe rubs the back of his neck and looks away. "I think it'd be best if we had this conversation inside. Leia needs to hear your side of the story."

"The story? Poe, I don't remember anything. How can I tell my side of the story if I don't know what story I'm telling?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Finn asks, crouching gingerly in front of me.

I close my eyes, trying to recall the events of the previous day. The effort makes my head spin as brief moments flash by quickly enough I can't tell what's what. "I...I don't know. Can't you just tell me what happened?"

"We were unconscious for most of it." Poe holds his hand out for me to take, then drops it quickly. Like he remembered I'm a monster.

"I won't hurt anyone!" I protest, fighting the anger that's pushing its way to the surface. I glare at my two friends and struggle to my feet, ignoring the shooting pain from the deep wound I don't remember receiving. "I'm not a threat. Take these off me now."

Finn and Poe look at each other, then back at me. "We can't," Poe says sheepishly. "It was an order from the general."

"Fine. Take me to her," I command. "I'm not a monster. I don't deserve to be treated like him." My voice is unconvincing to my own ears, for I don't really know for certain that I won't black out and lose control again.

I walk down the boarding ramp flanked by Finn and Poe, my prison guards. Several Resistance fighters scurry out of our way while the rest watch warily from a safe distance. Whatever happened, word of our mission must have spread like wildfire.

"Back to work, all of you!" Leia's voice carries across the hangar from where she stands in the doorway waiting for us. Her gaze follow my movements warily. Dark circles under her eyes stand in contrast against her fair skin, and sadness pours from her like water from a jug. "Come inside, quickly. We have much to discuss, and I fear we're running out of time." She hurries down the corridor toward the control room.

"Running out of—wait! Why are we running out of time?" Finn demands, jogging unsteadily behind Leia. I hadn't noticed his limp before, but now I see the blood that has stiffened the fabric of his pants. The general glances over her shoulder and silences Finn with a scalding glare. "Sorry, General."

The doors slide open and we file in. Luke sits at the head of the large conference table, eyebrows knitted together in a deep scowl. He looks at me with a hint of apprehension when I take the seat beside him. "Master," I say in greeting. He nods at me without making eye contact.

Leia presses a button on the control panel beside the doors and they slide shut with a hiss. "Now," she begins, "mission report. Start from the beginning, leave no detail out."

The next hour is spent taking turns recounting every moment of our mission. My stomach drops when I speak Ben's name, and I find myself missing his once-constant presence in my mind. "I'm not sure what happened after that. I just blacked out, and when I awoke it was over."

"And the injuries you sustained, those happened while you were...unconscious?" Luke asks, gesturing at the bandages around my torso.

"Yes. To be honest, I didn't notice them until we arrived back here. Perhaps it was shock, or maybe The Force. Or adrenaline? Whatever it was, I didn't feel anything when I woke up in the throne room."

Leia stops pacing and slumps delicately into a chair. "Is Ben okay?"

"He's fine. Angry, but fine." My heart flip-flops again and I grimace.

"What do you two remember after Rey blacked out?" Luke asks, turning to Finn and Poe. They glance at each other, then at me.

"It was hard to tell when she blacked out. She never lost consciousness per say. Her eyes were open the whole time, and she never stumbled or anything. But her eyes..." Finn trails off, looking at Poe for assistance.

"This is gonna sound crazy, but her eyes changed color right before we were knocked unconscious." Poe's warm gaze meets mine and guilt ties knots in my stomach.

"Changed color?" Leia's eyes widen and she looks at her brother, who looks equally concerned. "What color?"

Poe shrugs. "I don't know, they were kinda orange, kinda red. Had a tinge of yellow. Ren was about to kill me but sh-"

"What?" Leia stands up, shock written across her face. "Ben tried to kill you?"

The memory of that moment comes rushing back, and tears burn my eyes. I can't believe I'd forgotten.

"Snoke told him to. Right after he told me Ben killed my parents." Fury sweeps through me and I blink back angry tears. Poe looks at me, expression unreadable, and my guilt multiplies. I never wanted any of this to happen. I wish more than anything that it was Poe I had this deep connection with.

"Anyway, he was about to slice me up when Rey screamed. Not a normal scream. It was...powerful. That's when I noticed her eyes were red, and whatever she did hurt him bad enough that he stopped. Next thing I know I'm waking up to the room on fire and Snoke's severed head on the floor." Poe absently rubs the bandage covering the lightsaber wound Ren inflicted.

"She hit him so hard it knocked us out," Finn adds. "I wish I'd been awake to watch her kick his ass. No offense, ma'am," he says quickly, remembering Leia is in the room. "When I came to, Rey was on the ground passed out. Ren was trying to save her. He told us everything that happened."

"And you believed him?" Luke asks Poe.

The pilot nods. "Yeah, we did. He was genuinely concerned about Rey. I don't know how I know, but he wasn't lying."

Silence fills the air and my truth burns like acid in my throat. "He told me I'm a Palpatine," I say quietly. "The granddaughter of the Emperor."

"Impossible," Leia whispers.

"No, not impossible." Luke stands and walks toward me, eyes grave. "I sensed it on Ahch-To during your training. The darkness in you felt familiar. I hoped I was mistaken."

"Hold on, Palpatine? As in the Emperor? From the War?" Poe's face drains of all color.

"What does this mean?" Leia asks, beginning to pace again. "Is the Empire rising again?"

"We need to find Ben," Luke states. "Maybe we can get the truth out of him."

"I doubt it," Finn replies. "The way he reacted to the news made me think he had no idea."

"How could he not know? He killed Rey's parents without knowing who they were?" Poe looks skeptical.

"Does this mean he's coming for her?"

"Is she his heir?"

"Are the Sith returning?"

"Is Kylo Ren one of them?"

Their voices run together until my ears are ringing and my senses are overloaded. Emotions I can't name run rampant in my mind and come pouring out uncontrollably. "ENOUGH!" I shout, hands trembling. All eyes turn to me and I glare at them each in turn. "I am right here and you're all acting like I'm not in the room! If you're finished arguing over my bloodline and my future, I'd like to say something." My chest is rising and falling rapidly, and I sense fear seeping from everyone in the room.

"I'm sorry, Rey. You're right." Leia gestures for everyone to sit, and silence reigns again.

"Thank you," I huff. "This doesn't change anything. I'm still the same person, I'm still a human being who can determine her own destiny. I will not join him, and I will figure out how to rid myself of this darkness. But for now, I need sleep. Don't bother me."

No one says anything as I push away from the table and storm from the room. People scurry out of my way as I make my way down the corridors that seem longer than usual. When I finally make it to my quarters and the door shuts behind me, I collapse onto the floor in tears. Shuddering sobs rack my body. After a while I muster the strength to crawl to my bed, where the exhaustion makes way for the sweet oblivion of deep sleep.

* * * * * * * * * *

A while later I'm awoken by the sound of light knocking at my door.

"Go away," I groan, turning over on my bed. But the knocks begin again, so I throw my blankets off and stomp over to the door. My face feels swollen and I swipe at my eyes before hitting the button to open my door. 

"I said don't b-" fear grabs my heart in a cold fist. Ben stands before me dressed in a soft black shirt and black training pants.

"You look terrible," he quips.

"How did you get in here?" I whisper, backing away from him. He follows me, the door shutting behind him, and doesn't stop until my legs hit the bed and I fall back on it.

"Never mind that. We need to talk."

"You're not really here, are you?"

"Rey," he says quietly. "Stop thinking so much."

"Why are you here?" I demand, fear receding.

"I want to talk about what happened," he says, sitting on the bed beside me.

"I don't want to talk about it," I protest, standing up and walking away from him.

He follows and grabs my wrist, spinning me around to face him. "There is something between us, Rey, something bigger than either of us fully comprehend."

"Yeah, and it died with Snoke."

Ben laughs. "No, Snoke has nothing to do with this. This is something we were born into, something created by the Force. We are destined for one another. You can't hide your feelings forever."

"No, I don't believe you. You mean nothing to me."

"Don't lie to me, Rey." His voice is a low growl, tone threatening but a plea nonetheless. "You can't deny what you feel. I see it in your eyes..." His hand comes up to rest gently against my neck. My heartbeat quickens. "...and feel it in your pulse."

"You're wrong," I protest fiercely. "That's fear, not love."

His chuckle is menacing. "Who said anything about love? I know you love me, you have no choice." His fingers trace slowly down and across my collarbone, down my arm, and come to rest against my hip. "But right now I'm talking about attraction..." He takes a step closer, "...desire..." fingers grip hard against my skin, "...and lust."

My breaths are coming in short gasps now. I'm terrified, but not of him. No, it's something else now. Something deep, powerful, and primitive. Raw in the Force, a feeling so demanding it's all I can think about. His smile is cocky. He knows the hold he has over me now.

"Don't you agree, Rey?" My name drips from his lips, like a poison thick as molasses, so sweet you can't help but taste it even though you know it'll kill you.

I know what he's doing. He's using my weakness against me. He knows how hard it is for me to resist the pull of the Dark Side, so he's using it to manipulate my mind.

"Get out of my head," I hiss, taking a step back. "You can't control me like that anymore."

"I never tried to control you, Rey. Not once." His voice is serious now. The cocky smile is gone, replaced by intense sincerity and anger. "This is all you. Every thought, every feeling, all of it was you."

I can't tell if he's lying or not. My mind is foggy now, like I've just woken from a nap.

"Don't fight it anymore. Embrace it. You owe it to yourself. To me." His words tug at my heart and I glance up into his eyes: those deep, gentle, conflicted hazel eyes that never fail to bring me to my knees.

"I won't join you, Kylo. I won't give in to the Dark Side, not again. I'm stronger than I was before. Stronger than you."

"Forget the fight, Rey! Forget the Dark, the Light, the Force! This is just about you..." He pulls me against his chest and my heart feels like it's going to explode. "...and me."

"Stop! Don't do this," I beg, fighting against his grip on me. "You're hurting me." His eyes flicker but his fingers don't loosen their hold on my arms.

"You want this." It's a statement, not a question. He's so sure of himself it makes my resolve waver ever so slightly. His face is so close to mine I can see myself reflected in his green-brown eyes.

"I..." My voice trails off. I can't focus. He's in my head again, but I don't seem to care this time.

"Tell me to stop. Tell me you don't want this." He slides his hands down my arms and releases his hold on me. I take a step back.

I don't tell him to stop. I can't. The words won't come.

"Tell me to leave and you won't see me again. You have my word." Something in me knows he's telling the truth. And I can't bear the thought of it.

"Say it."

I don't.

He pulls me hard against him, the action so quick and gentle it catches me off-guard and I don't have time to push him away before--

"REY!"

I sit up, gasping for air, and realize I'm still in my bed. Sweat covers me from head to toe, and my heart is beating so hard and fast it's making my head spin.

It was a dream.

"Oh, this can't be good."