This is a companion piece to my story A Crystal Path. However, it is not necessary to have read that story to understand this one. :)

36 hours post-Exegol

Kylo sensed the girl before he even saw her, crouching like a frightened rabbit between two thick rows of trees, a blaster clutched awkwardly in one hand as she attempted to keep away from him. The terrain was unfamiliar to her, causing her to gasp with each of her unsteady steps, her leg muscles protesting the lack of give in the forest floor even as they wobbled in fear underneath her.

Good, he thought, his lips curling into a sneer behind his mask. Kylo far preferred it when his prisoners were already scared. It made his job that much easier.

He was getting closer now, so close he could practically smell the sand embedded in the scavenger's skin. Taking hold of his lightsaber, Kylo rounded a corner and ignited it, immediately blocking two successive shots from the girl's blaster. She let out a soft shriek as she fired again, quickly scrambling up a small incline as he followed, the warbling buzz from his shimmering crimson blade an eerie backdrop against the tranquility of the surrounding forest.

As soon as he appeared over the incline the girl fired again, her face twisting into a look of pure terror as he continued to advance, deflecting every shot from her blaster until he decided that he'd had enough and raised his free hand, freezing her in place.

And still she continued to struggle, which Kylo found more than a bit amusing. No one had ever managed to break free of one of his Force holds.

"The girl I've heard so much about," he said as he approached her, lightsaber at the ready.

She only glared at him in response. Such defiance, he thought. Especially from a lowly scavenger.

"The droid," he continued, thrusting his blade so close to the girl's cheek that it illuminated her smooth, sun-kissed skin. "Where is it?"

But the girl didn't answer, her wide eyes trained on the lightsaber blade even as her upper body continued to shake, her stubborn defiance only fueling his desire to break her.

"Where is it?" he asked again, gritting his teeth. Kylo was beginning to lose his patience, especially since from the sounds of things the skirmish was not going particularly well. "The droid? Where is it?"

But then, to his utter shock, the girl suddenly turned her head and looked him straight in the eye, her brow furrowing in concern.

"Ben, it's all right. I'm right here," she said, so kindly that it was almost painful. "I'm not afraid of you."

"What did you say?" Kylo practically roared, seething in fury at the mere mention of the name that he had tried so hard to bury, a name he hadn't heard in so long that he was shocked he'd still recognised it.

"Ben, it's all right," she said again, more emphatically this time, her hands somehow breaking free from his Force hold and reaching towards him. Kylo flinched as her beautiful lips curled into a smile, his entire upper body trembling as she rose onto her tiptoes and drew back his black hood. Then she grasped onto his mask, tenderly lifted it from his head and tossed it off to the side.

"You don't need that anymore, remember?" she murmured as she cupped his cheeks in her tiny hands, her thumbs brushing across his cheekbones. She had such a beautiful, melodic voice, like that of the mythic space angels he'd heard about as a young child. "No more masks. I only want to see the real you."

Stunned, Kylo could only gape at her, his mind racing for an appropriate retort and finding nothing.

"No," he finally spat out, his lower lip quivering as he shoved her hands off his face, slowly backing away from her touch. "No, you don't. No one wants to see the real me."

"But I do," she insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument. Her eyebrows knitted together as she reached for him again, looking straight into his eyes. "It's only a bad dream, Ben. You need to wake up."

"What?" demanded Kylo as fear clamped down from all around him, squeezing him so hard that his left side began to hurt. "What are you talking about?"

His foot slipped then, and he hissed in pain as his ankle gave way, the resulting snapping noise so loud that it echoed against the surrounding trees. He let out a stifled groan, tears burning his eyes as he bit down hard on his bottom lip, trying to channel the pain towards the hatred he was supposed to feel but only managing to make the pain that much worse.

"Ben, please wake up!" the girl pleaded, gently shaking his shoulders. "Please, you're only hurting yourself more!"

"Stop calling me that!" Kylo yelled. "That's not my name! Ben Solo is dead!"

The girl pursed her lips, eyeing him in such a no-nonsense fashion that he froze, trying to tear his gaze away from her but unable to do so.

"No, he is not," she stated. "Ben Solo is alive, and I know that because he's right in front of me. You just need to wake up! Now!"

Ben awoke with a start, gasping for breath against the searing pain in his left side as his eyes flicked nervously around the room, finally landing on the girl's worried face.

"It's all right, Ben, I'm here," she murmured as she held his left hand between her own, her fingertips trailing softly along his knuckles. "You're safe now."

A cold sweat broke out across Ben's forehead, his eyebrows knitting together as he struggled to remember where he was and how he'd arrived there.

And not three rapid heartbeats later it hit him, the rush of memories barrelling towards him like an out-of-control speeder.

The second Death Star wreckage on Kef Bir. Dueling with Rey. Hearing his mother call out to him through the Force right before Rey stabbed him with his own lightsaber. Rey healing his mortal wound with tears streaming down her face, and then telling him that she did want to take his hand, but only if he was Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren.

She cared about him. Not the power he held or what he could offer her, just him.

The events continued to whip through his mind in a blur. The memory of his father telling him that yes, he did have the strength to do what he needed to do. Making his way to Exegol. Facing down the Emperor. The nearly paralysing panic he felt when he could no longer sense Rey. The excruciating climb from the pit. Hugging Rey's dead body close. His elation as she woke in his arms, followed by confusion when he opened his eyes to find her staring down at him, her beautiful face twisted in worry.

Their kiss, a moment that will be branded onto his memory forever and ever.

Their harrowing escape from Exegol as the massive cathedral collapsed around them, with Rey having to practically drag Ben because of his broken leg.

Their arrival on Coruscant, and watching in awe as Rey bartered with the kind Togrutan innkeeper for food, clothing, and medical supplies to treat his injuries.

The sheer gentleness of her touch as she then proceeded to help him clean up, blotting his face and body clear of grime and blood and applying the precious Bacta patches to heal his broken bones.

And then, after he'd insisted that she take care of herself as well, having her crawl into his arms and lay her head down on his chest, her hand cupping his shoulder and her warm breath against his neck as he drifted off to sleep.

The Emperor was dead and the First Order was in disarray.

And Rey was with him.

Hope isn't dead, Ben thought. It's right in front of me.

"Rey," he forced past his tight throat, followed immediately by a harsh puff of air. His good arm was still curled around her slender waist, and he pressed her even closer to him, so close he could feel her heart thudding against his side. "I'm—I'm—"

"You're safe, Ben," she said again as she brushed the sweaty hair from his forehead. "It was just a bad dream."

It was just a bad dream.

"Rey," he said, the name like honey on his tongue. "Rey, you're—you're here. You're—"

"Yes, I'm here." Rey cupped his cheek in her hand, her tiny hand that was still so incredibly strong. "Tell me what you need. Something to drink?"

Ben sucked in a deep breath, shaking his head.

"No. I just… I just…" Tears stung his eyes as he recalled the terror on Rey's face the first time she saw him, back on Takodana.

He had frightened her so back then, and now—

"Shh," Rey whispered as she trailed her fingertips along his jaw. "Let the past die, right?"

Ben gave a nod, squeezing his eyes closed as he drew in another shuddering breath, revelling in the soft touch of her fingers against his cheek. Through the Force he could sense her, sense her concern for him, her compassion.

And, dare he admit, her desire.

Even if he couldn't quite believe that his eyes weren't deceiving him, he could still sense it as easily as he could feel the throbbing pain in his leg and ribs.

Rey cared for him. Maybe even loved him.

And for someone who had for so long been conditioned to live in the complete absence of emotion, feeling such strong emotions now was all so unfamiliar that Ben wasn't quite sure how to handle it.

"That past, yes," he said. "But I don't think it's gonna be that simple."

"It's all right, Ben," Rey murmured. "We'll figure it out."

"We," Ben said as his eyes flew open. Rey was still there, still looking at him with such tenderness that he almost couldn't bear it.

"Of course," Rey said, a soft smile spreading across her lips. "I wouldn't be here with you if I didn't want to be."

"I know you wouldn't," Ben replied, almost without thinking. He'd seen enough of Rey in action to know that no one could make her do anything that she didn't want to do.

"But it still surprises you?" she asked.

Ashamed, Ben tore his gaze away, his lower lip shaking. Rey could have walked away, left him behind in that collapsing temple without a backward glance and gone back to the Resistance, to the hero's welcome that she deserved, and he would've understood completely.

It's what she should've done.

But she didn't. She chose to stay with him, to run with him. To care for him.

She chose him.

"Yes," he said, so softly that Rey probably had to sense it rather than hear it.

Rey nodded, still caressing his cheek. "I hope it won't always," she said. Then she poured a bit of water onto a cloth and gently blotted his forehead, her touch so feather-light that Ben felt his pain begin to ebb away, replaced by what felt like butterflies fluttering inside him.

The very same sensation that he'd felt when she kissed him.

"You were pressing against the wall with your injured leg, that's why it's hurting again," Rey said as she carefully repositioned his bandaged leg. The bunk they were sharing was short, too short for Ben to stretch out in completely. Rey had propped his leg up on a spare pillow before they went to sleep, but in his thrashing about during his dream it must have fallen off.

"Are you sure you don't want something to eat or drink?" she asked.

"No," Ben said. He wasn't hungry in the slightest. Not for food, anyway.

"All right. Do you think you'd like to go back to sleep, then? It's still pretty dark outside."

"Is it—can I hold you again?" he shyly asked. For someone who had spent so much of his life avoiding human contact, he suddenly was craving it more than he'd ever craved anything in his life.

Craving her.

Rey instantly smiled, so brightly that it lit up the entire dim room like a burst of sunshine through a sky full of clouds.

"Yes," she said as a soft pink flush crept up her cheeks. "Yes, I'd like that."

Carefully, so as not to jostle him, Rey curled back up next to him, her head resting on his chest, over his heart with Ben's arm wrapped around her lithe body, holding her as tightly as he dared.

She's here, he thought. She's here with me because she wants to be.

"That's right," Rey whispered against his chest, and Ben gave a slight start. He still wasn't quite used to how strong their bond had grown.

Emboldened, Ben brought his free hand to her cheek, tipping her chin up as his eyes swept across her radiant face, landing on her beautiful plush lips. She was so small compared to him that his hand encompassed nearly the entire side of her head.

So small, and yet she was the strongest person that he had ever seen.

"Is it okay if I—if I kiss you?" he whispered.

Ben sensed her "yes" before he even heard it, his breath hitching when her small hand glided up his chest to his neck as she brought her lips to his, pressing them together in a gentle kiss. Sensation immediately flooded his body, both on his own accord and from across their bond, chasing away the rest of his pain and replacing it with something still so foreign to him that he almost didn't recognise it.

Peace.

And desire. A lot of desire.

So much that it almost frightened him.

"It's all right, Ben," Rey whispered once they broke apart, their foreheads pressed together. "You're not alone anymore."

Ben's heart lurched at her tone, so unabashedly loving, and suddenly he found himself wanting to tell her so badly, to tell Rey exactly how he felt about her. To say the words out loud, shout them from the rooftops if he had to.

But he'd never been very good with words, not with Rey, at least, and that plus the small, lingering voice inside his head, the one that constantly whispered that he'd never be good enough, never be worth anything or deserve anything, much less the love of a wonderful woman, halted him.

So he didn't.

He'd tell her soon, though. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep it inside him.

Then again, knowing Rey, she likely already knew.

"No, I'm not," he replied as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before tucking her head under his chin. "And neither are you."

And if he had his way she would never be alone again. And neither would he.

Hope isn't dead. It's right in front of me.

I'm planning for this story to have six parts, each posted weekly. :)

I can't wait to see what you think! Please don't hesitate to leave me a review!