The night sky in the lake country was beautiful. The billions of stars that shone throughout the galaxy reflected on the lake's surface, illuminating the water and the surrounding mountains. In all her life, Rey had never seen anything so beautiful.

She stood on the balcony overlooking the lake, a soft breeze tousling the few wisps of hair that had escaped from the elegant chignon at the nape of her neck. She was dressed in a gown of pure white; the color of new-fallen snow. Sleeves made of beaded-lace warmed her upper arms, but left her shoulders bare. She wondered how she had become so lucky. In all of her wildest dreams, she never would have believed that she, a scavenger from Jakku, would end up here.

Her peaceful musings were interrupted by a pair of strong arms encircling her from behind.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked, leaving a trail of kisses on the back of her neck. She closed her eyes and leaned back against his chest, reveling in the feeling of his lips on her.

"Yes," she answered breathlessly. "This place is so beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it." He continued to nuzzle her neck. "Varykino has been in my family for generations and I always hoped that…"

"That what?"

"…That someday this place would be used by…our family"

Tears threatened in Rey's eyes. This was all she had ever wanted; a family of her own. This was what Maz had meant back on Takodana. Finally, she belonged. Standing there in the arms of her beloved, Rey knew that it was true. And above all, she felt a balance in the force, flowing through her, surrounding her, and connecting her to her equal in mind, body, and spirit. In her heart, she could feel that this was what the force had willed. They were meant for each other. This was her destiny.

"Thank you for showing this to me."

She felt him smile against her. "Anything for my beautiful wife on our wedding day."

She turned around to kiss her husband properly, and was met with the face of Kylo Ren.

"Rey!"

At the old rebel base on Dantooine, Rey woke with a start.

"Rey!" There was somebody knocking on her door. "Rey, are you okay in there? You missed breakfast!" It was Finn.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'll be out soon."

Rey let out the breath she was holding. Another kriffing night spent dreaming of him! Her heart was still racing, beating furiously against her chest. Sighing, she got up and began to dress for the day.

A month had passed since that day on Crait, and the bond had been silent. The force hadn't connected them again. At first, she thought that the bond had died with Snoke. Yet, as days passed, she realized that she could still feel him there, bonded to her, like a lingering thought in the back of her mind.

Her throat tightened as she recalled what happened in the dream. It had felt so real, almost as if she was actually there, being held by him. Loving him.

No! She wouldn't think of him anymore. He chose his path and she chose hers. He wouldn't turn, her vision was wrong.

"Hey," Finn said as she closed the door to her room, "breakfast is over, but I have a few ration bars if you want one."

Her stomach rolled at the thought of food.

"No thanks, I'm not really hungry." She could feel Finn's worried eyes on her as they walked side by side to the hangar.

"Rey…" he started.

"Finn, I'm fine." She tried to smile reassuringly, silently begging him to drop the subject. "Where's Rose this morning?"

"I think she's tinkering with that R3 unit she found the other day"

Rey didn't fail to notice how his lips quirked when he talked about Rose.

"Have you told her that you like her yet?"

"What! I don't- No, I-I, uh" he stammered. "How did you know?"

"How could I not? It's kind of obvious." She laughed, enjoying his embarrassment.

Finn gave her a playful nudge. "Just wait until you fall in love and then I can make fun you!"

As Finn went in search of Rose, the smile fell from Rey's face. What did it feel like to be in love? She knew that she loved her friends. She thought of Finn's loyalty, of Leia's unwavering strength, of Chewie's warm hugs, of BB-8's antics. Her heart warmed at the thought of them, her family. And yet…she still felt so alone.

"You're not alone," He had said.

Obviously he hadn't meant it. Kriff, why did she keep thinking of him? She tried to clear her mind as she entered the hangar.

"Hey Jedi girl," Poe said, giving her his signature smirk, "I found an old BTL-S3 that has a malfunctioning hyperdrive. You think you can handle that?"

"Just watch me, Captain Dameron,"

"It's Commander!"

Later that evening, Rey sat on her bed, a broken piece of the Skywalker lightsaber in each hand. It was true, Rey was good at fixing broken things, but she didn't know how she could fix this. And now there was no one left to show her. No one but him. She rose from the bed and walked over to the room's lone window, setting the broken pieces down on the ledge.

A lone tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away furiously. How many nights had it been that she had cried? She couldn't remember a night that she hadn't cried, hadn't been left alone with her own thoughts that threatened to consume her. She had shed tears for Luke, her teacher, now one with the force. She had shed tears for all the lives that had been senselessly lost. Like, Han.

She had shed tears for their steadfast General, who had lost her husband, her brother, and her son, yet still nurtured that tiny seed of hope for a better future. Sometimes during strategy meetings or debriefings, Rey studied the aging princess. Even when her mouth was drawn up into a solemn frown, her brown eyes still held fierce determination and strength. Rey wondered how a person could be so strong after losing so much. In times when things looked particularly bleak, Rey could feel the General's faith in the Resistance, and it calmed her. Leia's presence in the force was soft, but warm, and it wrapped around her like a blanket. She was the only maternal figure that Rey had ever known, and she loved her as if she were her own mother.

But most of all, Rey cried for Ben Solo. After Crait, she promised herself that she wouldn't feel compassion for him. But when she thought back to their last meeting through the force and remembered his haunted eyes filled with regret, she could not help but feel for him. She cried when she thought of her vision, Ben Solo's future, the future in which his conflict between the light side and the dark no longer tore him apart. He was balanced and happy. They fought together, not against each other. And he wasn't the Supreme Leader. No, he was a teacher, a scholar, a lover, maybe someday a father. And like in her dream, she was there, and they were….

Rey swallowed, finding it hard to admit the truth of what she had seen. In her dream and in her vision, they were made for each other. They were in love.

Just then, she felt that familiar presence in the force. She whirled around to face him.

"Kylo Ren!"