Chapter Text
As soon as Ben touched down on Exegol, he could sense Rey’s fear. He knew exactly where she was, the pull was inescapable. She had come here, alone, and was faced with such darkness. Running towards her, Ben realized he had no plan at all, nothing but the blaster in his hand. No idea what he would do except stand with her against the Sith. The rest would take care of itself. One way or the other.
It had taken him some time to reach her. This place was huge. Ben kept calling to her through their Bond and was terrified as he felt Rey consider if the Darkness were her true path. He too had seen the vision of a Rey consumed by the Dark Side, dressed in black, wielding a red staff saber. No. You're not alone. I’m here. Don’t give up. Racing towards her, he encountered the Knights of Ren. He’d lost his blaster somewhere along the way. He was unarmed and in trouble when he felt her reach for him. She’d sensed his injuries, his dismay and tension at facing his former comrades. He’d looked up and it was like she was standing right in front of him. He was surrounded and she still managed to pass him a lightsaber. His grandfather’s lightsaber. The irony was not lost on him.
They had confronted Palpatine. Together. He had felt her joy and hope singing through their Bond as he approached. They prepared for his onslaught, moving together flawlessly. Starting in the lightsaber forms Luke and Leia had taught them. But Palpatine had powers Ben had not anticipated. The Sith did not share information with apprentices as the Jedi did. He had not known such an ability even existed. Much less that it would pull them both off their feet and leave him feeling unbelievably hollow and empty.
Ben rose to his feet to face Palpatine. Rey was still unconscious. He tried bravado, and was too startled to yell as he was jerked off his feet and sent flying backwards, bouncing hard against the rocks and then down into the darkness.
He felt the moment gravity took over and his trajectory started to shift. The darkness made it impossible to know for sure, but Ben tried to propel himself towards a cliff face rather than dropping into one of the yawning voids. He felt the second impact with unyielding stone and then nothing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The first thing Rey became aware of was the sound of the Force as it crackled and spat around her. Even before she opened her eyes, she knew Ben was no longer beside her. Lying there looking up to the stars, Rey could not believe the strength of Palpatine’s lightning. Driven by the essence he had siphoned off the two of them, it stretched off the face of the planet. How could she possibly do anything to stop him? Ben had come to help her and been ripped from her side. This terrifying thing claimed to be her grandfather. She felt that connection. She had seen the visions. She had sought a family for so long - a place to belong. No. NO. She would NOT. This was not her path.
Rey took a shaky breath. Then another, calmer. She was not alone. She was not. The Force…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Halfway down a dark chasm, Ben’s badly broken left leg dangled off a cliff.
He felt someone hovering over him and opened his eyes. “You’ve got to get up, Ben. Rey is going to need you. You didn’t fight this hard to die now.”
It was his mother’s face, though her features were smoother than he remembered. Her robes were dazzling white against the darkness. Reaching down, her hand connected, filling him with warm energy. His leg felt more solid. His broken hip realigned.
“That’s the best I can do, right now, I'm sorry. Can you stand? I need to go and - ” Her face tilted up, a moment of confusion flickered, followed by strong surprise. “Oh! I must go.” And then she disappeared in a blink.
Ben closed his eyes and reached for Rey through the link. She felt calm. But he could see the Force Lightning, so strong. He could feel it.
I’m coming. He somehow managed to get to his feet and started the slow climb upwards.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Be with me. Be with me.
Rey went deep within herself and felt the Force reaching out to her, the presence of dozens of Jedi strengthening her resolve. Ben’s echo was still there in the back of her mind. He lived. But he was in terrible pain.
Get up, child. A male voice she did not know.
As Rey struggled to her feet, she saw a flicker out of the corner of her eye. A shimmering form. She turned – he was human. Tall, broad shouldered, with a long, slim face. He came to stand at her left side.
“You won’t do this to another Jedi, Palpatine. Not again.”
She fought to maintain her focus as she brought up one saber. Lightning arced towards her. She managed to block it with her saber. Rey could feel another presence at her right. “You never could follow the rules, but this time, I think you're right.” A gravelly voice echoed from her left. Rey felt stronger with every step, the masters beside her.
And another presence at her left shoulder. Master Luke! “You can do this, Rey. Keep going.”
Palpatine gloated, “Even you three cannot help her now. I have the full power of the Sith at my command!” The evil thing before her cackled and brought more energy to bear.
Rey felt the Force guiding her. “But it’s not just them. All of the Jedi are with me.” One by one, Jedi Masters flickered into view. Their light began to surround her. Rey could sense their conviction, and their strength. She could hear their voices of encouragement in her mind.
And Leia. She felt the presence of her Master strongly.
She slowly made her way forward, finally bringing the other saber up, reflecting the force of his evil. The lightning was so loud. The sound echoed through the great chamber, rang through her bones. She could feel it through the Force like a loud, angry wail. Eclipsing everything else. And all of it focused on her.
The energy bounced painfully across her arms as she struggled to keep her sabers in place.
Rey wanted to scream, she wanted to flee. But she stood. One moment stretched into another. And another.
Palpatine shuddered as the lightning came back against him.
One more moment. Her arms ached. One more. She could do this. She would do this.
The Sith Lord began to fall apart before her eyes. It seemed to happen in slow motion, and then suddenly he was gone in a painful flash of brilliant light, sweeping away the ghosts of the Masters. The power of the blast washed over Rey like a tidal wave, causing stones to rain down from the edges of the great room, pouring onto the assembled gathered along the walls.
As the last of the grey dust flew away, Rey fell to her knees, trembling with fatigue and pain. Her head bowed, sabers falling from her hands. It had all been too much.
Ben was just a few feet away from the top of the cliff, when he heard the Force Lightning stop, and felt the tremendous explosion released by Palpatine’s death. The darkness above was fading quickly. But so was the Light. Rey. REY! He screamed into the link. There was no response. He felt her spirit slipping away. So quiet. So tired.
Rey! Ben's voice echoed through their Bond. She wasn’t alone. She could feel him getting closer, he wanted to see her. He was scared - no, scared for her. She tried to convey to him that she was alright, but she couldn’t seem to summon the strength.
The afterimage of the lightning on her eyes made everything blurry. Like being out on the sands for too long. Her body wouldn’t respond to her commands. The white spots grew as she slumped forward, lifeless.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ben finally made it over the edge of the cliff. He fell to hands and knees and stretched forward with the Force, frantically searching for Rey. He only found emptiness.
He could see her lying there, in the muted light of the ruined temple. She wasn’t moving.
No. Please, no. A repeated, desperate internal litany as he fought his way across to her, slipping on the broken stones. His body was screaming for him to stop, to rest, but her absence was a much more painful wound.
Ben had seen more than enough death to know the truth without touching her. Her eyes were open, staring into nothingness. He’d felt her die. The cold emptiness where the bright glow of her presence should be clawed at him. He reached instinctively for rage and it was not there. Only despair. His pain brought him no power. The Dark Side was no longer his place, and he hadn’t yet found his way completely into the Light.
Carefully, Ben picked her up, with the tenderness he should have always shown her. He’d never held her, never kissed her. Only told her how obsessed he was with her. Only offered her darkness.
Pulling her into his chest, their encounters flashed before his eyes. Lightsaber duels. Arguments. He’d tortured her, chased her, fought with her and beside her. And in her found a connection more intimate than anything he’d ever known. She’d heard his thoughts, his deepest fears, and never flinched. How could the Force let such a light be extinguished? I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Rey. You fought so hard for me and I failed you.
There was no help here. No droids, no bacta. Just him, and her rapidly dwindling presence. He could feel her confusion, and her sorrow as she drifted farther and farther away.
Rey had healed him on Kef Bir. Could he do the same for her and bring her back? Would the Light listen to him after everything he had done? Did he even have sufficient strength to pull this off? He felt so weak - Palpatine had taken so much energy from them both. But she might survive. And that would be enough.
Laying her down across his lap, Ben cradled Rey’s neck in his left hand and laid his right hand on her side. He closed his eyes and believed, in a way he had not done for years. He gave her every part of himself. He imagined her heart beating, blood flowing through her veins. Her laugh, her strength, her courage. Come back Rey, please. He whispered into their Bond. Please, I can’t lose you, not now. He felt her presence growing stronger.
And then, impossibly, Ben felt her draw a breath, and her hand fell across his own. Bit by bit, that intangible cord knit itself back together, healing the Bond between them. It was like stepping out into the sunlight.
Suddenly Rey was sitting up, color in her cheeks, as if someone had thrown a switch. She was smiling. Oh, by the stars, it worked. Her brown eyes seeking answers in him, asking through the Bond, Wasn’t I dead? What did you do?
Ben knew the truth. He was growing cold. The ache in his side intensified. He was losing sensation in his legs. But it didn’t matter. She was alive. That was everything.
Rey’s warm hand cradled his cheek and then she kissed him. A kiss that set his nerves on fire. Ben felt a smile crease his face, knew there were tears in his eyes. When was the last time he had smiled? That he had known genuine joy? He couldn’t even remember. The edges of his vision were closing in, and he knew he was running out of time.
He gathered every feeling of love and admiration that he possessed for her and poured it through the link. There was no way he could tell her all he wanted to, even if he had a hundred years, much less a few fleeting moments.
And then he was falling backwards, looking at Rey, haloed by the light coming through the ceiling. Ben! He heard her shout echo through the Bond. Felt the warmth of her hand on the back of his neck as he collapsed backwards.
Rey could always feel his stubbornness, the way he challenged everything, but now, there was simply acceptance, and even peace. His skin was so pale, purple shadows under his eyes. She grabbed his hand in her own, and felt his heart slowing, felt the Bond between them fraying. He was dying.
Rey refused to accept this. You will not leave me. She pushed life energy back into him, sustaining him for the moment, but she knew it wasn’t nearly enough to last. Keep breathing, she pleaded. Keep breathing for me. You wouldn’t let me go, why do you think I can let you go?
The Masters had been there before, maybe they would help her again. Be with me, be with me. Please…
Her desperation interfered with her concentration. Nothing was happening. Why was the Force quiet now? It seemed to take forever, but finally, someone returned. The very first Master to appear beside her.
He had the saddest eyes she’d ever seen as he looked down at her, and then at Ben. He dropped to one knee and laid a hand on either side of Ben’s face. “You’ll need to help me.”
Rey closed her eyes and focused on the Force, expanding her senses. There was so much Darkness in this place. But there was Light as well. She felt Leia appear behind her, followed almost immediately by Luke. Ben’s energy was faint, but still there. Together, she and the Masters began to heal some of Ben’s wounds. Rey felt along Ben’s spine, finding fractures. She could sense them. The Master in front of her guided her, as she imagined the injuries closing, his pain easing.
Ben’s heart rate increased sluggishly, and he felt warmer to the touch. Don’t leave me all alone again, she whispered into his mind.
Rey opened her eyes to see the Master’s form slightly faded, looking exhausted. She was about to ask his name when the realization hit her. “You’re Anakin, aren’t you.”
“Smart girl.” He smiled, blue eyes twinkling. “Please, tell my grandson that I am proud of him.” And then he simply faded from view.
She turned to the twins, “You’re not alone, Rey,” Leia told her.
Luke nodded in agreement. “We will see you again.” And then they disappeared.
Nothing could surprise Rey at this point. She was the granddaughter of a terrifying Sith Lord. Ben had come to fight for her. She had died.
Rey closed her eyes and concentrated. Ben seemed stable, but unconscious. How had he gotten this hurt? She had sensed multiple injuries before, what were they like now? She imagined him passing through a medical scanner. The pain in his body led her to what needed attention. He was going to be a black and blue tomorrow. A lump on the right side of his skull. His neck was fine. A crack in his right shoulder blade, and the joint was damaged. Some pain in his right arm and the left side of his rib cage was a mess. There was no longer damage in his back. Further down, there were still cracks in his right hip bone, the right thigh bone had a thin fracture, and his lower left leg was broken, the foot twisting inwards.
Focus on what you can fix. Set the leg while he’s out. What is useful? Looking around, Rey noticed the armor on the dead guards and a polearm. Keeping her senses open to Ben’s condition, she scrambled to her feet and got to work.
After setting Ben’s left leg, and scavenging what supplies she could find, she sat beside him and meditated for a time, holding his hand in hers.
Rey focused on the Force, on her breath, on regaining her strength so she could get them out of here. Physically she was whole. He had healed her completely, and given her every ounce of himself in the process.
Eventually she tried healing him again. Closing her eyes, she envisioned his mangled ribs knitting themselves back together, his lungs mending and strengthening. Seeing the fractures in his hip mending. Rey heard him cough and gasp, and felt him tremble beneath her hands. Looking down, she was thrilled to see that he was awake, but still far too pale. His dark eyes were huge. and filled with surprise.
“You don’t get to leave me so soon,” Rey told him.
“How - how did you manage this miracle?”
“You are asking me about miracles? And I had help. Twice. I will tell you every single thing, I swear. But I would very much like to do that somewhere else. Tell me exactly what hurts.”
Ben closed his eyes and admitted, “Everything.” Taking a shaky breath, he pushed her hands away. “But you don’t get to heal me anymore. Not a bit. I will get out of here or not, as the Force wills. But you WILL be leaving here on your own two feet. Nothing else matters.”
“You can’t mean that.”
“Oh, the hell I can’t.”
“Fine.” She handed him part of a polearm from one of the guards, the blade cut away. “I thought you might need this.”
Slowly, Rey helped him to stand. Ben looked down at the splint. “Thank you for setting my leg.”
“You’re welcome.” With his left arm over her shoulders and the makeshift staff in his right hand, they started slowly moving.
“You kissed me.” He sounded genuinely delighted.
“I did. And once you’re stronger, maybe I’ll do it again.”
Ben smirked. “I’d like that.”
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more to come
thanks for reading
serafine