-_XV_-

Epilogue.

Following the business with the kyber crystals on Ilum, the Resistance ships they had traveled with returned to their home base in the Eflion system, where the Jedi sympathizers with ample funding and their own kyber crystal mine dwelt.

"I suppose it's because the kyber crystals on Ilum are denser and more powerful," Rey was saying to a Resistance officer who happened to be transporting with them to the home base planet's surface. He was the stormtrooper traitor Kylo Ren had thought he'd gotten rid of on Starkiller Base. "These local ones don't have quite the formations Ilum kyberite does."

"Do you think that's why Ilum is the traditional kyber crystal site for the Jedi?" asked the traitor.

"I would think the quality of the crystals would be why," said Rey.

"You're probably right," said the traitor.

They had such an easy rapport. Kylo Ren despaired that he would never attain such ease.

"So…," said the traitor, glancing at Kylo, "do you think you could stop glaring at me now?"

"I'm not glaring at you," Kylo replied.

"Right," said the traitor, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, you'd think I'd be the one glaring at you for nearly killing me with a lightsaber."

"I didn't kill you," emphasized Kylo. "Nearly suggests mercy."

The traitor looked at Rey, who appeared apologetic.

"Just," said Rey, placating the traitor, "give him time."

The traitor let out a sigh and they moved on to talk about other things. It seemed so easy. He watched them with a type of fascination.

Landing on the surface, they left the transport and Rey took him to where he would stay. It was something like a village, within a temperate forest, with headquarters based in a nearby mountainside. It was nice. Messy. Interesting.

His home, for now, was to be a small cabin on the outskirts of the force-users training grounds. His black First Order clothing seemed out of place, here. He felt as if he stuck out like a sore thumb.

Rey opened the door to his cabin and gestured, so he ducked inside and she followed. It was quite simple. It was one small room, with a bed, a chest, a small table and a chair, and a bookshelf.

"I know it's not what you're used to," she began, but he held up a hand.

"It's fine," he said.

"Yes, but you're-,"

"Rey," he said, and she stopped. "I'm nothing."

"But not to me," she said with a small laugh.

He felt a moment of embarrassment over his failed proposal so long ago in Snoke's throne room. As he glanced over to her, she was leaning against his doorframe, in the glow of mid-afternoon sunlight.

"How did you know I was in trouble, Rey?" he asked.

She shifted her weight and crossed the threshold. He noticed she closed the door behind her.

"You were gone," she said, "… completely absent from the force. That's not like you."

"No, it isn't," he said.

"I mean," she said with a small laugh, "you almost died of heartbreak when I disappeared for two days."

He cleared his throat and glanced away, feeling obvious.

"So, I was sure your complete absence meant something had happened," she said, "I was already on alert, anyway. I was worried about you going back."

It felt nice, having someone worry about him.

"It was fortunate General Hux's planned execution of you wasn't a secret," she said. "It was easy to find out, he let it be made known. I don't think he thought in a million years that someone would come to rescue you, or that the Resistance had grown strong enough to do anything about it. For him it was a show of power. The only problem I faced was convincing General Organa and getting mobilized and there in time."

She let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm so glad she listened to me," said Rey.

"So am I," replied Ben.

"She loves you, Ben," said Rey.

He glanced away.

"Despite everything," Rey added.

He looked over Rey's face as he considered that. Perhaps he could do the same.

She moved to the bookshelf and pulled out a book, it looked familiar to him.

"I've put half of the sacred Jedi texts in here for you," she said. "I have the other half."

"What shall I want with those?" he asked.

"Well," she said, flipping idly through the pages of the text in her hands, "We are going to have to find what's right in these, and throw out what's wrong."

He gazed at the text in her hands, fully feeling, for the first time, the heavy responsibility of correcting the Jedi order.

"Rey," he said, moving to take the text from her hands.

She gave it to him freely, curious.

"We have to get this right," he said, feeling it in his bones.

Her face blossomed into a smile.

"With the force, we will," she said, and he knew they could. "Will you help me? With the force users?"

"Yes," he replied, carefully placing the text back on the shelf. "But we are going to have to change some things about the Jedi, immediately."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Attachment," he said, gazing at her.

He approached her, allowing his full height to force her to gaze up at him.

"I will not give up attachment," he said, with immoveable intent, making a stand, not just before her, but before the force, and before all the Jedi who had come and gone before. "It's not a weakness. It doesn't compromise my strength in the force. If anything, it enhances who I am and what I am capable of. It increases compassion. It enlarges my soul. Without it, I am unmoored, unanchored, tossed about by the shifting winds. With it, I know who I am and what I stand for."

She watched him, appearing fascinated.

"The days of viewing attachment to others as a weakness are over," he pronounced.

"Good," she said, softly, her eyes belying her attachment to him. "I agree… wholeheartedly."

He considered her, and he built his courage.

"Rey," he said, his voice having gained a certain gentleness. "It's time to let the old things die."

"The Jedi, the Sith," he went on, "What you and I are capable of creating could live on, even thrive, after the First Order and the Resistance have been long forgotten."

He removed his glove, and she watched as he did it.

"I want you to join me," he said, feeling his breath go short.

He hesitated, but finally shifted his eyes to her. Something about this made him feel nervous, yet he had to make amends for past failures. She had to know that this wasn't a one-sided affair; that if he was to join her, then she would surrender to him, as well. They were to be equals, in all things.

"We can rule together," he said, struggling to keep his voice solid, "We can bring a new order to the galaxy."

"Ben," she said, and familiar tears tinged her eyes.

"Join me," he said, holding out his hand for her, a plea, almost a begging, "… please."

He clutched his spare glove tightly in his other hand.

Her hand, her perfect hand, soft, tapered, golden, rose slowly to fall, relinquishing itself to his grasp at last. He exhaled all at once and brought it passionately to his mouth, kissing it, worshipping it, relieved.

"You Skywalkers are so dramatic," she said after a moment, a smile playing at her face. "That was a proposal, wasn't it?"

A small laugh, exasperated, escaped him, and he didn't know whether to laugh more or burst into mindless tears.

"What else could it be?" he asked, as waves of relief continued to wash through him.

She glanced down over his face, over the right side of his face.

"Ben," she said.

"Yes?" he asked.

She hesitated a moment.

"Can I look at your scar?" she asked.

"If you'd like," he replied, sitting down on what was to be his bed to remove his height from precluding her inspection.

She approached, looking down upon him, her eyes on the right side of his face. She reached out and curled a lock of his hair back in an almost-touch, away from his face, revealing the length of his scar to her view. He wasn't accustomed to such scrutiny. A chill ran across his back as her fingers touched his hair, but he attempted to behave normally.

Her eyes glanced down to where it disappeared into the collar of his tunic.

"I want to see all of it," she said, and he glanced up at her at once. "Lie down."

He obeyed her, though he found the synapses in his mind began misfiring with the unfamiliarity of the situation, he didn't know what to think, or what her purpose might be.

She sat beside his hip, touched the collar of his tunic, and began undoing the clasps.

"We are definitely going to have to get you some new clothes," she said, her voice soft, as he laid helpless beneath her dissection. "You stick out a bit in this. And besides… is it comfortable?"

"Yes," he said, unable to take his eyes from her face.

"I suppose it's made well enough," she said, pulling his tunic completely open on his right side, revealing the entirety of his scar, his shoulder, his heart. He wondered, briefly, if she might tear out his heart, now. He wondered just after if it would be worth it if she did. Maybe.

Her eyes wandered over his scar, to where it ended deeply in his upper chest. She sucked in a breath through her teeth and then sighed.

"It's terrible," she said. "It must have been so painful."

"No, I-," he began, but her fingertip touched it and he lost his ability to breathe. As she traced the length of his scar with her light, delicate fingertips he wrestled with his composure. Finally, he managed between breaths: "Lightsaber wounds are clean… cauterized. There's… little pain."

She lifted her gaze to his.

"At first," he finished.

Her eyes fell to his mouth and he thought she might kiss him, but she didn't. She touched his scar again, lightly.

"I'm sorry," she said, her fingertips faint, caressing, maddening. He couldn't imagine what she could be sorry for.

"For what?" he asked.

"For this, of course," she said, glancing down at his scar, as if it should have been obvious. Maybe it should have been. He was having difficulty concentrating. "Ever since I saw all of it, that day, through our connection in the force… there's something I've wanted to do."

"What is that?" he asked, willing to give her anything.

She leaned over him, and first it was her strands of hair that brushed against his chest, and then her mouth as she kissed the end of his scar, warm, almost hot, deafening and blinding. He drew a sharp breath.

"Rey," he breathed.

She kissed him again and again, diagonally, across the scar's length, over his collarbone, across the trembling pliancy of his neck, and to his jawline as his eyes closed on their own; he was overcome. She'd kissed his face, his brow, and the faint scar's end on his forehead before he was able to open his eyes again and look up at her in wonder.

"Why?" he whispered.

"Because," she began from above him, and he took her face in his hand, he cupped her cheek, he adored her.

"I love you," she finished. It was her declaration, stated as if important, yet as something that should have already been obvious.

He gazed up at her, not knowing what he had done to deserve this, probably nothing, probably everything. He caressed her face, he worshipped the perfect curve of her cheek with his fingertips, he touched her parted, welcoming lips. He found himself drowning in a wellspring of gratitude and his own imperfections. There were no words to express what he felt, but he hoped with the force he might make her see. With the force, he now had hope for all things.

"Thank you," he said, and he meant it.

-_-_-O-_-_-O-_-_-

-_T-H-E_E-N-D_-

-_-_-O-_-_-O-_-_-

A/N: Le SIGH. All good things have to come to an end, and this is the end of this story (I gave myself a final Epilogue so I could have a little extra self-indulgent Reylo time). I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with these wonderful, wonderful characters (especially Ben), living vicariously in the beautiful Star Wars universe. If you had asked me six months ago, I never would have thought I would be completing a SW fic right now, but life's crazy like that. I had to become a short order "expert" on Star Wars (I didn't really) but I studied and lived this trash the whole time, like a true nerd. I now know every scene between Kylo Ren and Rey backwards and forwards; I've studied all the theories and metas; I'm a devotee of Wookiepedia and Reylo on Tumblr. I did it all. It was worth it. I have a special place in my heart for Rey and Ben Solo.

I mentioned at the beginning of this fic that once I saw "The Last Jedi", I couldn't rest until I wrote this. That was true! That's a testament to how good and how compelling that movie is. I had to work through my thoughts on Ben Solo, and to work through the possibilities. Now, after completing this fic, I'll eat my hat if he isn't redeemed, I'm that sure of it happening. Also, I hope I'm right because I suspect hats taste gross.

When I started this fic I didn't know if I could do it; I didn't know if I could really get inside the head of Ben Solo. It was mostly an experiment in "can I do this?". Doing so ended up not only possible and rewarding, but cathartic. I think we've all got a little Ben Solo inside of us that needs dealing with. Taken under that perspective, his redemption reflects on all of us. If he's got a shot at being redeemed, then so can we. WHEW!

It was also important to me that, despite redemption, Ben maintain who he was. He has something of a split personality which represents what he takes from the light and the dark. He's figured out how to use them together; it's how he works. I didn't feel like he needed to go back to being 100% Ben Solo. He will always be part Kylo Ren. I felt like he needed to move forward, using the wisdom he had gained, and be who he is now, not regress into who he was before.

Also, I felt a little bit of a Matt the Radar Technician vibe while writing the scene with "the traitor" Finn at the beginning of this Epilogue. Just assume there would be a lot of scenes like that as he gets to know the rest of the Resistance crew. He's not a great fit in the group, but that's what makes him unintentionally funny. However, his dedication and tireless work ethic will make him invaluable to the Resistance. Not that he will care. All he cares about is Rey, and building a new order in the force to reform the Jedi. To him, the First Order and Resistance are transitory. The only permanence he recognizes is the force.

Lastly, I want to express my gratitude for all of the likes, favorites, and most of all beautiful reviews (and even short reviews, and even one-word reviews) that you have left on this fic. I did not expect it to be noticed, really. Thank you, thank you, for liking it, for reading, and for being beautifully gracious about any flaws it has.

Much love,

Writer-person