For long moments, Rey and Ben lay in that strange place between worlds as their bodies and minds healed from the trauma. The Force was amplified in that space, and Ben thought that his powers had never felt more whole than they did now with Rey. With the Force balanced and Palpatine's dark presence eliminated, all that remained was the steady beat of his and her Force signatures tumbling through the vast power of the Force.

They lay together, hands entwined, as they fought their way back to the present, but their minds and bodies were open and almost vulnerable to the Force. Through its power, they saw another vision and, this time, it was a vision they shared.

A small house.

Laughter.

The galaxy at peace.

But first…

Separation… Diverging plans that finally intersect. A field—I'll meet you there. On this path. In this way. There is freedom. There is peace.

For the galaxy.

For them.

But if they were selfish. If they did not allow the Force to work through them… then sadness.

Ben finally came back to himself with a shudder, eyes blinking in the low light as he tried to push himself up. He reluctantly disentangled his hand from Rey's and looked down at her. She was still, but awake. Her eyes flickered over to Ben, watching as he struggled to right himself.

Without the Emperor's presence, the cavernous space that surrounded them felt almost welcoming. Free from that dark influence, the Force pulsed in time with their heartbeats, urging them on, healing them from the inside out.

This is the path. This is the way. This is the truth… it seemed to beat, on and on, driving them both to move.

Rey spoke first, with considerable effort as she shifted herself up to sit. "Did you…?"

"See the vision? Yes."

Rey sighed. "Then you know."

We can talk about what it means once we're out of here, Ben suggested mentally, even though he was similarly affected by what they'd both seen.

The Force had a will of its own, but sometimes working in accordance with that will meant going against what one wanted—fighting against selfish or self-serving desires for the greater good. But hadn't they suffered? Hadn't they fought? Hadn't they sacrificed enough for the good of the galaxy?

Ben… I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it.

He didn't know what to say to that, didn't know how to confront that echo from the past, especially because he did know that she was strong and would be able to do what was asked of her—what the Force needed from them both.

Ben helped Rey stand before pulling her close against his body as they walked along the dark path. The exit waited, a beacon reflecting the image of Vader's fortress between the sharp points of the portal's entrance. The portal shimmered as they stepped through, thick with the power of space, time, and the Force as they pressed inward before popping out on the other side without much fanfare.

Rey looked around and Ben could feel that she was searching for the spectral guide who'd led them to the great altar.

He's…

Gone, Ben finished for her.

Rey shook her head as she took a look around. Not gone, free. Free from whatever was holding here. His purpose was fulfilled once the darkness was purged. Can you feel it? The entire planet feels free now…

The castle felt different as if the dark power that had lingered within had finally been cast aside revealing the truth of Mustafar and allowing it to heal. The planet did feel different. Whole—like it no longer had to fight against the dark influence that had been tethered there. Would it be the same for the galaxy, now that the Emperor was gone?

Rey walked closer to the altar, cocking her head as she stared at what could be used as a doorway to the world between worlds. "Leaving this here seems irresponsible," Rey said.

Ben reached out, hand tracing over the smooth stone altar. His gaze locked with Rey's as he declared, "Then we'll destroy it."

"How?" she asked as they both stepped away from the great stone structure.

Close your eyes and imagine what you want. See a fissure growing within the stone. A small crack that grows and grows until the altar is…

Torn apart… she mentally added.

A great crack sounded throughout the room as Rey did exactly as instructed and made short work of the altar. The stone crumbled before their eyes and Ben blinked in surprise before commenting, dryly, "That was a little faster than I expected, but you always have been a quick learner."

Rey shrugged. "I have a great teacher," she said before asking, "Do you think he's really gone?"

"I don't know. Everyone thought he was dead, and I suppose he was dead, but not gone. Maybe this time, the Emperor will stay where he belongs."

"Trapped in the Force until he lets go of that hate."

"Exactly," Ben agreed.

Rey scrunched her face as she thought. "But if he's still in there, still sentient, wouldn't that mean he could come back and… do this all over again?"

"I don't know. It felt like an undoing, but the Emperor's fate up to the will of the Force now."

Rey snickered a little as Ben frowned. "What?"

"It's just a little funny hearing you say something so… Jedi-like."

"Well, some of your good habits were bound to rub off on me, eventually."

"Eventually," Rey agreed as Ben reached out his hand.

Rey didn't have to be asked twice. Her fingers threaded with his as they slowly made their way out of the fortress. The silence stretched between them as each step took them closer and closer to what had to happen next. Ben could feel her inner turmoil at what the Emperor had revealed—the truth about her parents and her own dark urges and her reticence to talk about it.

Instead of boarding their ship, Rey pressed the release for the hatch and took a seat at the edge of the plank, and Ben joined her. Looking back on the dark obelisk-like structure of his grandfather's fortress, Ben could see the change and he could feel it. The planet seemed to tremble like it was stretching after a long slumber.

With the darkness receding and no longer being forcefully funneled through the fortress, the Force felt balanced. Almost similar to how Ben felt when he was with Rey. It was uncanny, but maybe that had been the point all along. When one aspect of the Force was pushed out of alignment, the result was unnatural and unbalanced. But together, working in unison, it felt strangely…

Whole, Rey echoed through his thoughts.

And now, with the Force balanced, there were other factors that needed to be dealt with. The First Order was still in power, though Rey and her friends seemed to think the tide was changing. Hux was no leader and Ben knew that the officers would turn on him at the slightest sign of weakness—maybe there was a way he could help in that regard?

"I think we broke your grandfather's fortress," Rey started first, dispersing some of the heaviness between them with a joke.

Ben snorted softly. "Yeah, seems like it needed to be broken."

"Seems like."

Some things need to be broken in order to be properly put back together—this place, maybe even me, Ben offered as he felt her feelings and thoughts start to spiral.

Rey gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Maybe."

"Mustafar is just the start," he assured her. "Before I left my uncle, we were searching for clues—pathways concerning the Jedi and the Sith; why they diverged and whether there was more to the picture than we realized."

"And what did you find?"

"More questions, some answers. Snoke realized that within me was the capacity for both Light and Dark—that true power existed when there was balance between both, but that is a power not easily manipulated."

"Do you think we can find a way to keep the Force whole instead of fractured?"

"I don't know. But I think it started today. This planet is a part of my family and tied to my life. The healing here… it feels necessary in a way that I can't quite put into words. Like I'm making amends for the past and stepping into the future at the same time. But it can't stop here. There are still so many questions that need answering."

And you can't do that if you come back with me.

No, I can't.

He could go back. But would his presence hinder or help? Maybe Ben Solo had one final sacrifice yet to make for her, for his mother, for the Resistance, and for the galaxy.

"I can't abandon my friends to stay with…," Rey explained haltingly. "I won't. Especially not after..."

Ben knew she was thinking about what happened with her parents and he tried to stop that train of thought. "You aren't responsible for that. Sometimes, an accident or a move made in desperation is nothing more than that. You were a child. You had your life stripped from you and your control taken away. None of that was your fault."

"It doesn't feel that way. I was… Ben, I couldn't see how things had gone with you, but I—I.…" she stammered.

"You don't need to do this. You don't owe me an explanation."

Rey shook her head. "I do. I do! How could I judge you for something that I… that I did? I killed them. I didn't mean to, but I did. There is a darkness within me and I don't know if I'll be able to contain it. Sometimes, I wonder if I even want to. There was a moment, when we were fighting, where it seemed so much easier to just let myself succumb to its will. Surrender to the darkness."

"Then fight for what you believe in. Fight to save the galaxy. Fight so that kids like you don't have to grow up alone on worlds like Jakku—so they can grow up with the knowledge that their powers don't make them something that needs to be feared."

Like us.

Rey took a deep breath. "They're starting from the inside, you know," she explained and Ben didn't actually know what she was talking about.

"The inside?"

"Of the First Order. Finn, he's got a plan. Actually, it's more than a plan at this point, it's straight-up infiltration."

"The stormtroopers?"

Rey nodded as she revealed the secrets of the Resistance. "Yeah, where there's one, why not more? His logic was that once someone is given a chance to choose, some might choose the right side. It's been going on for a while, from what I understand—especially on the outposts. It's easier to target troopers there and help them see that they don't have to make the wrong choices anymore."

"It also takes them away from the conditioning treatments they're forced into. That's smart work on the Resistance's part. Wouldn't have seen that coming," Ben admitted.

A small smile worked its way onto her face. "Who knows, they might have already won the war. Time didn't seem to follow any rules in that strange place."

"The Force works in mysterious ways," Ben agreed. "Shows us a path forward, but not one that's free from the consequences of the past."

Rey's smile disappeared from her face as his words and feelings landed. He hated to make her sad, but he needed to do this in order for them to have a future together. He needed to let go of the past, and she needed to be the one help him do it.

Ben took a deep breath, opening up his mind and heart to her as he said, "Rey, I need you to kill Kylo Ren."

"I beg your fucking pardon?" she sputtered and Ben realized that he really should have specified that he didn't mean literally.

"No, I mean. The idea—Kylo Ren. The Supreme Leader—all of it. Let it be a rallying point for the Resistance and for those who stand against it."

Rey blinked as Ben scrambled to explain himself. "Let me go. Lie to them. Tell them that Kylo Ren is gone and that you destroyed him. Make them believe and then lead your Resistance to its victory—or help them maintain it. Be the symbol of life the galaxy needs and I will be the death it needs."

"But how can I leave you when I've just gotten you back?"

Ben lifted his hand and gently cradled her cheek in his big palm, assuring her with his touch as much as his words. "You never leave me. You're always right here—" he said, pointing to his head and, finally, his heart.

Then we need a plan. I need something to look forward to at the end of this all. A place… just the two of us for a while.

I know just the place. I'll be there, waiting. Take my 'saber as proof.

"But what will you fight with?" Rey wondered, concern evident in her voice.

Ben pressed a tight kiss to her shoulder before assuring her, "I'll make another. I've done it before."

"Yeah, and the outcome was something that looks like an unstable firecracker," she shot back.

"Well, I was trying to do the wrong thing there—the original design was fine. And besides, this time, I have something good and beautiful to focus on while I make it."

"I'm not sure that the Jedi masters recommended thinking of your girlfriend while making a lightsaber, but I'm not sure much of what they taught had any sort of practical application."

A small smirk quirked at the corner of Ben's mouth. "Now, you're starting to sound like me."

Rey shrugged. "I guess we're both bad with rules. Or with expectations."

"Yet still, we're beholden to them—either with others or the Force, it doesn't seem that we get to make as many choices as I'd like."

Rey reached over to give Ben's knee a tight squeeze. "For now. We balanced the Force and we'll balance the rest of the galaxy too with what comes next."

Ben didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing. Together, they sat as the volatile sounds of a broken, but healing planet rumbled all around them. There was beauty in the destruction, but Ben knew that with the Force balance restored, the planet would be able to find its way back to equilibrium—he could feel it.

Just as he could feel the balance that was between himself and Rey. It wasn't right, either too much light or too much dark, but with the right balance… the resulting power was unparalleled.

Eventually, Rey started to stir beside him and she reached out her hands to help him up from where he sat. It was time to move on from Mustafar, even if that meant they would draw closer to their inevitable separation.

They boarded the ship and Rey was uncharacteristically quiet as they both made the preliminary checks. Once they were finished, Rey slid into the captain's chair and readied the vessel for takeoff.

Ben sat in the co-pilot's chair and followed her commands as she engaged the thrusters and gently took them from planet-side to space. She was a great pilot—better than most with more training and he couldn't help the surge of pride that, despite her circumstances, she'd managed to succeed where others with more opportunities failed.

She was remarkable, his Jedi, and he knew that she'd go on to inspire the Resistance and bring the First Order to her knees, with or without him. Rey punched in the coordinates for the last communicated location of the Resistance and engaged the hyperdrive.

After switching the controls to automatic, Rey stretched out her arms and said, "We have about twelve hours before we reach the rendezvous."

"That should be enough time, then," Ben replied as Rey swiveled out of the captain's chair.

"Enough time for what?" she asked, words ending with a little "Meep!" as Ben reached out to pull her into his lap.

"Oh," she said softly as realization dawned.

"Oh," he teased back before leaning forward to worry her earlobe between his teeth. They had one final night before they separated and Ben intended to make it last. And he absolutely did.

Later, half-dressed and drowsy, Rey sat in Ben's lap as the proximity alert started to blare. They were coming up on the Resistance's location and Chewie had commed ahead and was going to make the transfer. Rey was leaving him or he was leaving her. And it felt wrong. Both knew what it was to be lonely, misunderstood, and lost. Together, they were whole but, for the moment, they needed to act in accordance with the will of the Force. For the good of the galaxy and their future.

It wouldn't be goodbye forever. It was just goodbye for now, not that it made it hurt any less. Neither of them was good at goodbyes. In some ways, they were both still those same heartbroken kids, looking for guidance in an unkind world, with parents that couldn't understand their power, or didn't recognize it.

Rey snuggled in close, ducking her head against his chest as she nuzzled. Her lips brushed against his exposed chest as she declared, "Stay safe, Ben. Or I swear I'll bring you back only to kill you myself."

"Duly noted," he quipped before feeling her mood dip. His grip around her body tightened as he assured her, "You know what we saw and how this ends. We're going to see this vision through, and then we're going to get our happy ending."

"But where will you go?"

Ben shrugged and pressed his lips to her brow before answering. "I don't know. I'll probably search for kyber and make a new saber, first."

Rey growled a little before rasping her teeth against his collarbone. "It doesn't feel right. You leaving, I mean."

Ben sighed. He couldn't deny that there was a part of him that felt the wrongness that she was experiencing, he knew that this was one time in his life where he was going to do as the Force willed, for to do otherwise would set them on a path towards tragedy. At least, it was what they'd both seen.

"I'm never far from your heart and mind," he promised. "And, besides, how are you going to miss me if I never leave?"

He meant it teasingly, but as Rey looked into his eyes, Ben realized it wasn't the right thing to say.

"I don't want to miss you. I could spend a thousand lifetimes with you and never get sick of you."

He understood that feeling, but how else could he make the best of a bad situation? They didn't have much time left now. Soon, she'd be gone from his arms and he'd be… what? On the run? In hiding? It did feel wrong, but what other choice did they have?

The Force was showing them the way, so they had to trust in that and each other. To do otherwise would be foolish. Time felt short. Each heartbeat felt like it was ticking down to the end. And when the final moments did come, he let her go. Tears in both of their eyes as she gave him one final look before sliding into an escape pod and disappearing from sight.

It took a week before Ben realized that he'd been seeing it wrong. The separation was needed—but not in the way he'd first interpreted. A sinking feeling settled into his gut as the vision's meaning was finally revealed to him, but would it be too late?

Ben checked his coordinates and sent a call out into the galaxy and waited. And waited. Hours later, the comms panel flashed. Someone was waiting. And not just any someone, either.

Ben took a deep breath before answering, "Ben… Solo here." The name—his name—still felt strange on his lips. After so many years of denying his birth name, he still felt a little strange going back to it. Strange, but right.

A familiar voice quipped, "Was just about to send a search party out."

A smile made its way onto Ben's face. "Thought the galaxy would be better off without me."

"Since when has that ever been the case, Ben? And, more to the point. We miss you."

Ben didn't have to ask who she was talking about. Leaving Rey had felt all wrong, but going against the vision would have run the risk of destroying all they'd worked for, or so he thought.

She sounded happy and he almost felt like he could see her smile, especially when she added, "Took you long enough. Haven't you heard that the Supreme Leader is dead?"

"Yeah, I guess I have heard that," he replied.

"A little birdie told me that Ben Solo had a part in that—and maybe he could have a part in what happens next?" his mother suggested.

It was exactly what he wanted to hear. "I'm near the Trilon sector."

"I'll have the coordinates sent over for the rendezvous," his mother replied. Ben settled back into his seat to wait, but his mother's voice sounded one final time. "And Ben? Can't wait till you're home."

With his mother and Rey waiting for him, it would be. Ben Solo was finally going home to the one place in the galaxy where he truly belonged.

As is the way with life, nothing happened right away when Rey returned until everything seemed to be happening at once. The galaxy, it seemed, had detected a weakness in the First Order and allies from all corners of the galaxy had joined in the fight when their defeat was on the horizon, especially after the death of Kylo Ren was announced. Poe and Finn had managed to rally some of the more unsavory characters, but Rey knew that Leia didn't care. A body in the fight was a body in the fight, despite where they may have come from.

All that mattered was that they wanted to fight—for the right reasons—now. Han had been a spice smuggler once, Leia, the daughter of Darth Vader, and Rey… well, everyone deserved a chance to do the right thing. She'd learned that, now. Seen it in action with Ben Solo and, while some of the mercs and pirates might go back to their old ways, it would be with the knowledge that they'd banded together to do something good for the galaxy and, Rey hoped, that it would influence the kind of decisions they'd make in the future.

Fighting for goodness and peace in the face of adversity was a hard thing to forget and it was even harder to shake off that positive influence. The battle was practically won, but some holdouts for the First Order had yet to surrender. So, Rey waited for the signal before the final battle would finally begin as Chewie readied the ship from the co-pilot's seat.

Staring off into a landscape of stars and Star Destroyers, pirate vessels and TIEs, Rey's thoughts turned to Ben and, this time, instead of worry or loneliness, she sensed his resolve and… proximity?

Rey blinked, shook her head, and turned to stare out of the side viewport as a somewhat familiar ship came up along Rey's port side and commed her, but she didn't need to answer it to know who it was—someone who, when push came to shove, couldn't stay away from her.

"You should be riding with me," Rey said before anything else.

A small laugh rumbled through her headset. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Someone has to watch your back," Ben answered.

Rey laughed. It was a sort of separation, wasn't it? He was here and yet not with her. But together, they'd watch and help as the galaxy's freedom was finally restored.

"Ready?" Rey asked.

Answering calls from her coms rang in her ear, friends and former foes, and the love of her life coming together as they flew into the fight to extinguish the remnants of the First Order.

With the battle won, the galaxy was finally free from the influence of the First Order and Emperor Palpatine for the first time in decades. It felt like a revelation, almost. Ben couldn't quite describe it, but even he noticed the change. It would take time for things to get back to normal and for a new sort of Republic to fill the void, but he was hopeful.

Hux had managed to survive and would likely spend out of the remainder of his days in a New Republic cell, but some of the First Order had been given the chance to make things right, and had taken the opportunity long before the last battle had finished. Ben knew a thing or two about redemption and finally being given the chance to make the right choice and he hoped the former members of the First Order who'd chosen peace would find solace, as he had.

But more to the point, Ben was hopeful about his own life and situation. After the ceasefire had been negotiated, his mother and the remainder of the Republic had worked to restore some normalcy in the galaxy while Ben… Ben went back to Chandrila, to his old home, to help how he could with the local government there.

And it was going well, except for the fact that Rey was needed to help Leia ensure that the transition of power was peaceful, and to give the New Republic one good look at the galaxy's savior—it's Jedi. But with that finished, Ben stood and waited for a different kind of reconciliation. He knew as soon as her ship entered the planet's atmosphere. Could feel her Force signature as sure as his own heartbeat.

Rey. Rey. Rey. Rey, he called out to her.

Ben, she replied with warmth, love, and excitement.

It had been a while since they'd last seen each other, time enough for Kylo Ren to die and Ben Solo to rise up from his ashes. He felt reborn and whole in a way that was unfamiliar to him except, there was one piece yet missing—but she was on her way to him.

Her little starship set down in the middle of a grassy field and as soon as it was landed, he ran for it, not content to spend even a moment longer away from her than he had to. They had waited so long, fought so hard, and accomplished so much.

The battle for the galaxy was over, but its impact would linger in the days and years yet to come. Not everyone had made it and Ben could feel her sadness radiating off of her. He hated that he couldn't take that from her. If he had a choice, he'd make it so she never had to feel anything other than happiness ever again, but that was probably impossible.

After a few moments, the ship sputtered, and a hatch released and Rey popped her head out and grinned down at him.

"Looking good, Solo!" she said, voice choked with emotion.

You look like a goddess, Rey, he assured her because it was true. The sun was setting behind her as she shimmied from the ship, revealing every inch of her body to his ravenous gaze. But it was more than lust, it was a hunger to feel her close, to see that she was safe, and to know that he could spend every last moment of his waking life making her happy.

I missed you so much, he called to her.

I missed you more, she assured him while climbing down the ladder on the side of her ship. She wasn't even on the ground before Ben had her gathered up into his arms.

"Hey!" she squeaked.

"Hey," he replied while relishing her annoyance.

"I can walk, you know," she said while wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I don't want you any further away from me than absolutely necessary," he explained.

Rey huffed a little before settling into his arms as Ben started to carry them away from the ship.

"How far is your… Place? House?"

"About a five-minute walk."

Rey shook her head. "Too far, Ben. Let's go back to my ship. It's closer and the captain's bed is plenty big."

Not for everything I want to do with you, he assured her.

Rey gave him a look before searching his mind for meaning. Oh, she thought. I suppose you're right, it definitely isn't big enough for that.

So, Ben got his way and carried Rey back in his arms, all the way to the little house that he'd been living in, and proceed to show her in every way he could possibly think of just how much he missed her.

Later, when they were both spent and lying in each other's arms, Rey detailed how her mission had gone and what was going on his mother's side of the Republic. Ben half-listened while he played with Rey's hair. It had gotten longer in her absence and he was fond of it.

Fond of the way it feels twisted in my hand as I fuck you from behind, he thought, distracting Rey from her train of thought.

"Your mother did reassure me that you hate talking politics," she replied drolly, cheeks flushing even after all that they'd done.

I just like seeing if you still find me to be a distraction.

"Yeah, I guess that was true once, only now you're not a distraction."

Ben quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"No, now you're just mine."

I like the sounds of that, he shared through their bond.

I thought you might. Speaking of which, next time I'm sent out, you're coming with me. I don't want to have to live any more moments without you.

Deal, he assured her. Besides, it'll get me out of local politics.

Rey laughed. "Anything to get out of that."

Ben smiled at the woman in his arms. Time passed, the soft sounds of their voices and laughter filled his room and he watched Rey, his love, his life, talk her way through the former Resistance's gossip, his mother's plans, and her own dreams of the future.

And, for the moment, it was perfect and everything he'd never thought to hope for.

It wasn't a quiet life, their connection to the Force made certain of that, but it was a happy life and one that was full of friends, laughter, and love. They fought for good—sought out answers at the edges of the galaxy and beyond. So far, they hadn't found what they were looking for, only more questions and broken civilizations in the wake of a great and terrible evil that had been stymied somehow.

Ben suspected the Chiss civilization had something to do with preventing an invasion into the known galaxy, but they'd disappeared along with whatever evil they'd been combatting. For now, it seemed, the galaxy was at peace, but it would take work to keep that way.

It might take time, sacrifice, and heartache, but eventually what the Force wanted would come to pass. For now, Ben and Rey were contented to search for ways to protect themselves and their friends, even while new, unexpected adventures cropped up.

And that was how they found themselves being shot at by smugglers on Nam Choris, fighting for their lives while trying to recover supplies.

"This was a bad kriffing idea, Ben!" Rey yelled as a blaster bolt sizzled overhead.

"Add it to the list, Sweetheart!" he called before deflecting a bolt with his powers and redirecting the fire.

"Do we really need to recover these supplies now? Is it really worth getting holes shot in us for?" Rey cried as she ducked behind a crate.

"Well, if you want to be able to make it to Rose and Finn's wedding with good news, then yes."

Rey sighed. "You are so lucky I love you, Solo."

Ben winked as his lip curled into a smile, looking so much like his father that Rey couldn't believe it. Ben's scar had faded from an angry, red welt, and now she hardly noticed. He looked lighter, happier than she'd ever seen him, and it made her heart swell with love for him, even if he was the reason they were currently being shot at.

Medical supplies had been stolen from Resistance transports during the battle with the First Order, and they'd had seen an opportunity to act during one of their scouting missions and had taken it, though they'd been caught mid-load and were fighting over the remaining supplies.

Then things went a little sideways, but as Rey and Ben rushed into the cockpit of their starship, it looked like they'd be getting off-planet in one piece. Maybe Ben had picked up some of his father's luck, or the Force was smiling on them, but they made it out with their shipment—only minimally damaged.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Ben said with a wink.

Rey huffed. "Next time, let's do a little less getting shot at and a little more covert recon first, okay?"

"Says the one who's always going headfirst into danger, but sure. I'll keep that in mind," he replied with a grin—he was doing more of that now. Laughing too. Though ghosts of the past sometimes haunted them both, mostly at night when the daylight and busyness couldn't keep their mind's occupied enough, but they were working on that too.

Both Rey and Ben were working on forgiving themselves and some days, it was easy. And some days, it was hard, but they had each other to turn to. After all had been said and done, they'd carved out a piece of happiness in the wilds of the galaxy, and in the quiet moments with their friends and Leia.

No matter where the Force took them next, they had each other and the knowledge that they would never have to be alone again was enough to get Rey and Ben through every adversity, adventure, and beyond.

Author's Notes: WHOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I actually finished this. Thank god. lol. All mistakes are my own etc etc. Thank you all for reading and for being so lovely over the years. I love you all to bits and pieces and I hope all of your Christmas/Holiday wishes come true!