fulfillourdestiny | Come Back For You

Come Back For You

He had willingly given up what was left of his life for her. Ben knew from the feeling in his own body he didn't really had much left anyway. That fall into the pit had severely injured him, dragging himself back out just made things worse. But if he could do that, if he could save Rey... Then he was okay with that. One good act, to end things on. Let her live, because he couldn't bare to see otherwise.

He felt himself fall backwards, felt everything melt away...

And then he was back, still lying on the cold floor and looking up at the vastness of space. What...? He slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, looking around. No one was there. He felt... sore. Amazingly sore, but he shouldn't be feeling sore at all? Slowly, slowly, he managed to get to his feet, retracing his steps back towards his ship. All around him were the littered wastes of the battle.

He needed to find Rey.

It hurt, climbing into his ship. It was still where he had landed, abadoned like too many others. He sat in the pilot's seat, taking a few minutes just to come back to himself. His eyes scrunched closed with the pain and he was breathing heavily. It dulled, becoming more managable, and his breathing evened. Eyes still shut, he reached out in the Force, searching.

His eyes opened, and he started the ship.

He was going to get Rey.

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Rey sighed, trying to smile for her friends the best that she could. While everyone around her was celebrating the thrilling defeat, Rey was much more subdued in her elation. She wasn't sad or depressed, didn't want her friends to worry for her, but there was a longing that she couldn't quite ignore.

Luke was gone. With him, Leia and Ben had followed. Maybe, she had hoped, she would see Ben as a force ghost like she had seen Luke, but she had been wrong. Slowly, she had made her way back to Ajan Kloss, to the rebel base and to Poe and Finn.

She watched, as Rose flirted with Finn and Poe flirted with everyone. She watched, her half drank cup in her hand. Rising to her feet, she slowly took a walk, away from the celebrations and back to where the ships were parked.

She knew she had to move on, but she missed Ben terribly. Pausing by the x-wing, she felt a shudder and reached out to the ship to steady herself. The force. Someone was reaching out through it. Her eyes closed and she tried to focus on it.

"Hello?"

Ben was already on the way to her, having gotten his ship into the air as quickly as he could. He didn't want to stay on this planet, steeped in the darkness that felt like it was swamping him. He wanted to find Rey, to say... He didn't know what he wanted to say to her, but he figured that he had the whole flight to her to work that bit out.

He hadn't expected her to feel his reaching out through the Force. His grip tightens around the controls, and he swallows nervously. What if she didn't want to hear from him? What if he had done the wrong thing? Too many what ifs.

...Rey.

Rey blinked, wobbling a little as she grabbed onto the fighter for stability. Ben? She would not call him Kylo. Now now. Not after everything that they had just been through. Her eyes closed and she tried to reach out to him. She should not have felt him. It was the briefest glimmer of the Force, a nothing really. Still, she'd felt it. She felt him.

Was it the bond, she thought to herself?

Ben? Are you a force ghost? Come to me like Luke did, please. I need to see you.

Ben was pulling the ship off the planet, retracing the path he had taken to get him as far away from the dead, dark planet as he could. If Rey kept their Bond open, if she didn't shut it off, then he could follow that. He could find his way to her, no matter where she was. He could find her again and then... Well, he didn't know what would happen, but he could see her. That could be enough.

I'm coming for you.

There was something in his words, something about what he was saying that Rey just couldn't understand. Not wanting to question too hard, she leaned against the fighter and focused on the bond that she was so very desperate to keep open.

Ben... Ben, what happened? I... I saw you disappear? You... You were gone. Like... Like Luke.

She sighed. Nothing was making sense. Where are you?

I'm ... not gone.

He doesn't know how to explain it in any other words. He had felt himself fade, felt himself drift out of being. And then he was just... back. Alive, and breathing and in quite a bit of pain that he was trying to ignore.

I'm coming for you.

I understand.

Stepping away from the fighter, Rey settled herself onto the ground, crossing her legs and making herself comfortable. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, trying to relax her mind and become one with the force. Like Luke. Like Leia, nobody is ever really gone when she could be one with the force. Maybe, she thought, he was having trouble making himself visible as a force ghost for the first time. After all, he wasn't Luke.

I'm here, Ben. Focus on me. Find me. She shifted herself a little so she was almost under the fighter, hoping to be hidden from Finn and the others.

I'm coming

The rebellion - resistance - base wasn't too far a flight from Exegol, and the ship he used to get there had a very good hyperdrive system. It would take ... He wasn't even sure, actually. Not as long as he suspected, but he couldn't put a time on it there and then.

I don't know how long it'll take.

Take?

She was confused, her brow furrowed a little as she tried to focus on him. As she reached out with the Force, she could sense him but she couldn't get a lock on his location. Her head slowly nodded as she sent out her location.

I'm here.

I'll be there, as soon as I can.

Hyperdrive was helping, if he was feeling her location through the Bond correctly. It felt like he was getting closer, it felt stronger the closer they were, it always had. At the point it felt it's closest he dropped out of hyper. He closed his eyes, and focused.

Where are you?

The more that she spoke to Ben, the more confused she got. Then again, dying probably wasn't a very easy thing either. She didn't want to begin to imagine what it could be like as a force ghost.

Ajan Kloss, the rebel base. Find me.

One of her hands reached out, palms extended as if trying to reach for him through the force. Ben, she wondered, where are you? Could Luke help guide Ben to her through the force?

Ben...

Ajan Kloss. He knew where that was, and began hitting in the coordinates. He could get there quickly, it wasn't far. He began moving the ship in the right direction. It wouldn't take long, he was sure of it.

I'm coming.

Rey smiled slightly. She still didn't understand what he meant, but she would wait for him. Where else was she going to go, she thought to herself quietly. A small sigh slipped out. Wading through the force always was a toll on her and she knew she would be tired after this.

We won. By the way... I don't know if you know that. I wouldn't have been able to do that without you. Thank you.

Yes, you would.

Rey could have done it because she was able to walk the line between Light and Dark a lot more easily than he ever had been able to. Ben didn't think being a technical Palpatine had anything to do with that - no, it was entirely Rey herself.

The planet was coming into view faster than he thought, and he was directing himself to the right area via the strength of the Bond.

I'll be there soon

You helped.

What may have only been seconds felt longer to her. Focusing on her breathing, she tried to seek him out.

That was when she heard it. A ship. A ship getting very close. Her eyes flew open and she scooted out from under the fighter to jump to her feet. Around her, she could hear others noticing it too. A huge ship appearing would not be able to go unnoticed.

It was him. His ship.

"Ben..."

He couldn't reply at the moment, focusing too much on trying to get the ship landed safely. He could see, as he flew overheard, the people of the resistance wondering who would dare to bring a first order ship in to land here but... He didn't care.

He landed. He got out of the ship, and went looking for Rey.

She didn't have to look behind her to feel Poe and Finn coming. She knew that the attention would pull them, and Rose too. Everyone would be drawn to the ship. Rey busted out in a jog the minute the ship was safely landed, wanting to be the first face he saw when he got out of the ship.

She would stand by him or everyone else could be angry with her. She did not care. "Ben?" Her eyes widened and there was a look of hope on her face. It couldn't be. He wasn't a force ghost. He was real. "Ben, really?"

She moved up to him, slowing down a little, almost skittish to do so. "It's you... You're alive."

He couldn't really believe it, that she was standing in front of him, within a reaching distance. There was a noise from him, something like a gasp and a laugh mixed into one, as he looked her over.

"I'm here," he nodded. "I said you weren't alone."

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Come Back For You

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