A/N: So, I had this thought after watching TROS. How different would the story be if the roles were reversed? If Ben had the life he deserved and Rey was raised by Palpatine. What if it was Ben who needed to save Rey? Could he do it? Would their bond be strong enough to overcome anything? Delve into this story and find out!

Ben's eyes slowly opened in the early hours of the morning. He had had the dream again. Every night for the past three years it had been the same dream. He had been standing in a large room, dark and ominous. He hadn't been alone. Beside him, stood a girl. He didn't know who she was, or what she looked like, but he could feel her just the same. She called to him like a moth to a flame. Her slim body was covered in black. Somehow he knew he should weary of her, but he never was. She called to him unlike anything ever had before, as if they were one. They stood side by side, their lightsabers drawn and ready to strike. He always woke up before the dream could end, but he hadn't been able to shake the presence of the girl.

After a few weeks of the same dream he had gone to his parents, Han and Leia Solo, and told them about it. When they seemed to have no answers for him he decided to keep it quiet from others, to figure out the dream for himself. As of yet, he had failed miserably. The girl was starting to haunt his waking moments, and what the dream meant often distracted him.

He rubbed his face, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, before slowly shaking his head. He needed to get a hold of himself. Uncle Luke, his teacher in the Force, was beginning to suspect something was amiss. Although he loved his uncle, their relationship was strained at best. He felt Luke held him back from his true potential in the Force. He knew he was capable of so much more, but Luke forbid it. Today, he would graduate from the Jedi Academy founded by his uncle and would become a pilot in the Resistance Fleet.

Ben wanted that more than anything, to be a Jedi like his mother and grandfather before her. The Skywalker blood ran deep in his veins, and he felt the call towards the Force. He knew the story of his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. He knew of how he had turned from the light side of the Force and embraced the darkness. Luke always told him a Skywalker lived with the strong pull from both the light and dark. He had trained him to only reach for the light… but….

The girl in his dreams. She was darkness, and he felt an equal pull towards her. How he knew this, he wasn't sure, but he felt the darkness with the light in his dream. Ben learned to hide his thoughts from Luke. If he couldn't explain it to himself how would he ever explain it to his Master? Even now, he felt the girl deep within his soul. When he closed his eyes, he swore he saw her, a darkened shadow, but her just the same.

Who was she? Where was she? These questions floated through his mind all morning. Was she trapped somewhere and needed his help? Is that why she called to him every night? Did he dare reach out further to find out? To do so would lead him down a path of darkness, of that he was sure.

Ben dressed in his padawan attire and walked from his quarters. He would be the first to arrive to the ceremony, but he needed to get his mind off of the dream. He smiled as he drew closer. He should have known they would already be here, their excitement just as palpable as his.

His three best friends, Poe, Finn and Rose would graduate alongside him. They had all started their Jedi training together at a young age. Each one came from different parts of the galaxy with different backgrounds, but they had become instant friends. Ben knew he wouldn't have made it through these years at the academy without them.

"There he is! You're late," Poe called, once he was in eyesight.

"Late? The ceremony doesn't start for another three hours," he said, chuckling.

They greeted him with handshakes and a hug from Rose. She was like a sister to him, to all of them, except Finn. The man was hopelessly in love with her, and Ben had encouraged him to tell her how he felt. He was yet to listen. Still, the man gravitated towards her like a puppy. He wasn't sure how Rose felt about Finn, but he caught her staring at the man when she thought no one was looking. Perhaps, she felt it too. Poe was a ladies man. He didn't just settle with one girl. He was the life and fun of their tight-knit group. Ben was the quiet one. They had pushed him towards several different girls over the years, but he always felt something was missing. It was as if his soul wasn't in it. Immediately, his mind conjured up the girl from his dreams and he pushed the image back down.

"Okay, just hear me out, the moment we graduate we take some speeders to the outskirts of town to the Cantina and celebrate," Poe said.

"Only you would make up a plan where we steal right after we graduate, Poe," Rose said, shaking her head in amusement.

"It's not stealing, Rose, not if we bring them back," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Ben smiled at his friend. Poe saw the best in every situation and loved bending the rules. He was a free spirit, and when his mind was made up on something it was hard to sway him. They had all gotten in trouble more times than he could count following Poe. Still, he wouldn't trade his friend for anything.

"We could finally get Ben laid," Finn said, laughing.

Ben rolled his eyes, "Worry about your own virginity, Finn, and I'll worry about mine," he said, his eyes cutting to Rose. Finn cleared his throat, mumbling something about kicking his ass, which only made him laugh.

For the rest of the time the four friends chatted about what their future held. Ben knew exactly what he wanted to do. He loved to fly, so he was planning to join the Resistance Fleet and become a pilot like his father. There would be time later on to be a Jedi Master, but for now he would fly. There was a war coming, everyone knew. They would need good men in the Fleet. He and Poe would be first in line. Ben wasn't sure what Finn would do, but he knew he would stick close to Rose. No matter what, the four would remain close whatever they chose.

Only recently had the rumors started that Emperor Palpatine was alive. Somehow, he had survived his fall after Ben's grandfather had saved Luke. No one knew how he had cheated death, and there were some who still didn't believe it. No one had seen evidence to prove Emperor Palpatine was alive, but Ben had overheard a conversation between Luke and his mother one night. Luke believed the rumor, had felt the disturbance in the force. Ben remembered the fear in his larger than life uncle. He had said a war was coming, a war that would shake the very foundation of every Force user. Something big was coming, something they had never seen, and it scared him. Ben knew he would be in that war when it came. It was what he had been trained for.

The ceremony began on time and before Ben knew what was happening he was a graduate of the Jedi Academy. It was over as fast as it began. He missed most of the ceremony, because his mind wandered off as it usually did. He felt a presence in his mind again, and he immediately thought of the girl from his dreams. He felt a power within her, and fear. So much fear that it almost drowned him. Ben tried to push as much assurance towards her wherever she was. He wasn't sure if it was working, or if he had finally lost his mind and was making stuff up. But, the fear and pain he felt inside his head disappeared.

He was about to speak to her when a thunderous applause erupted around him. Ben came back to the present and realized he was the only one sitting down while his peers were on their feet celebrating. He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs and stood to his feet. Poe, Finn and Rose was there to give him hugs and smiles. They had done it.

Ben searches the crowd for his parents and spotted them by his uncle. He made his way through the crowd to his mother's waiting arms. Her hug was warm and strong as she whispered how proud of him she was. When Leia finally let him go his father replaced her. Father and son embraced in a firm hug.

"I'm proud of you, son" Han said, emotion evident in his voice.

"Thanks, dad," Ben responded, his own emotions coming front and center.

He had made his parents proud, and that made him feel ecstatic. They had always supported him and had been there for him every step of the way. He had been angry at them for sending him away to the academy, but they had been an ever present voice throughout his life. He never doubted their love for him.

"I heard you are joining the Resistance Fleet," his Uncle Luke said.

Ben let go of his father and turned to his uncle, nodding his head.

"He will make a damn good pilot," Han said, pride shining through his words.

"That he will," Luke answered, softly. Ben watched something cross his uncle's face, some sort of emotion he couldn't quite name.

"Ben, yo, we gotta go!" Poe yelled from across the crowd.

"Whatever you kids are planning be safe and try to stay out of trouble," Leia said, kissing her son on the cheek.

Ben said his goodbyes to his parents and uncle and joined his friends. The moment he felt their excitement he forgot about the weird look Luke had given him. Tonight, he would allow himself the freedom of having fun and enjoying his life. He would forget his future. He would forget everything, even the girl from his dreams. Tonight, he would feel what it was like to be alive.

"To the future!" Finn yelled over the loud music.

The four of them raised their glasses in the air, the glasses clinking together in celebration. Ben brought the green liquid to his lips and downed it in one swallow. It burned the entire way down his throat, but the burn made him feel alive.

"To the two greatest fighter pilots the Resistance has ever seen! And those two," Poe said, laughing as he pointed to Finn and Rose.

"Ha ha, very funny," Rose said, "Just remember who will be making sure your X-Wing is in working order and doesn't crash and kill you."

"Yeah, without us you wouldn't be able to fly!" Finn added.

Ben smiled in his drink. Finn had decided to follow Rose as a mechanic in the Resistance. He knew Finn would, but he smiled nonetheless. The boy had it bad.

"Finn, you're a good pilot, too. You're wasting your talent on tinkering with the X-Wings instead of flying them," Poe said.

Finn shrugged his shoulders, "This is what I want." He stole a glance at Rose, but the girl was giggling at the band playing tonight.

"Let it go, Poe," Ben said, softly. Finn met his eyes, his thanks shining through his dark orbs.

"Whatever, I'm just saying…"

"We know what you're saying. Now, order us more drinks," Ben said, cutting him off.

Poe walked to the bar to get them another round, mumbling to himself the whole way. Ben shook his head, smiling at his friend.

"Thanks," Finn said.

He slapped his friend on the back. "You're welcome. Tell her," Ben said, only for Finn's ears.

By Ben's fourth drink he needed to go to the bathroom and relieve himself in the worst way. Poe was in the middle of telling one of his many stories when he excused himself from the table. He only got half way there before he felt a presence in his mind. It was there for a split second and then it was gone. But, it was enough to make him stop in his tracks. His eyes scanned the room, his mind wondering if someone was messing with him. No one seemed to be paying him any attention.

The door to the Cantina opened catching Ben's attention. When he looked outside into the darkness he could have sworn he saw a dark figure watching him. For a moment he was frozen, his mind reeling. The bathroom was forgotten as he made his way towards the door. Looking back at his unsuspecting friends, he walked outside.

The door closed behind him muffling the music. It was a quiet, clear night. There wasn't anyone hanging around outside. Ben slowly turned in every direction, but there was nothing amiss, nor was there anybody there. Perhaps he was more drunk than he thought. Ben softly shook his head, chuckling to himself and his overactive imagination.

He blew out a long breath, berating himself for being foolish. As he turned to go back inside a small voice floated to him upon the wind.

"Help me…"

Ben turned around suddenly, his eyes growing wide. There was nothing there but the darkness, but there was no doubt in his mind he had heard a voice. He swiftly moved around the old building to the back. His eyes strained in the darkness looking for someone who needed help, but he saw nothing.

He came to a sudden stop as a sharp pain burst through his head. He grabbed his head, leaning forward as a wave of dizziness hit him. The presence he had felt several times grew in strength.

"Who's there," he asked once the dizziness subsided. He felt foolish speaking out loud, but the foolish feeling died the moment he heard the voice again.

"H—hello?"

Ben took a step back, as if a powerful force punched him in the chest. His eyes grew wide, his body barely taking in air. There was no denying it now. He heard a voice as plain as day, but there was no one around him. He searched the darkness again, begging his eyes to see something… anything. He needed this to make sense. The seconds turned to minutes as the night grew quiet around him.

"Where are you. I can't see you," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

"I can't see you either," the voice replied.

Ben took a step back, his back slamming into the wall. He swallowed a few times, his throat feeling like sandpaper. The pressure in his head slowly subsided, but an excitement began to grow in its place.

"Are you still there," he asked the darkness.

"Yes," came the excited voice of a girl.

Suddenly, Ben felt a calm wash over him, a moment of peace. For the first time in his life he felt a belonging so strong it choked him.

—

Six year old Rey looked down at her feet, her eyes wide and fearful. Large tears clung to her eyelids as her small mind tried to process what she had just seen. Blood ran to the soles of her shoes and she took a step back, her tiny body shaking. Her father's eyes, the color of her own, stared up at her, unmoving. Her mother lay beside her father, but her face was hidden behind thick, dark hair.

The events leading up to this horrible moment had happened so fast. One minute she was a happy child living with her two loving parents on Jakku. The next, she was orphaned.

That fateful day, she knew something was wrong the moment her mother scooped her up into her arms, rocking her back and forth and telling her it was all going to be okay. Rey clung to the neck of the woman whose smile soothed her nightmares at night. She clung to her neck even as her father rushed to them and tried to pry her away.

"We have to go," her father said, his voice shaking.

He grabbed his wife and forced her arms from her child. Rey fell to the ground, her tears flowing freely. She ran towards her parents' fleeting back. They were headed towards a ship. They were leaving her behind.

"No!" she yelled, but they never stopped.

Someone grabbed her arm from behind, forcing her to stop running towards her parents. She fought against the hold, fought as hard as a six year old girl could fight. Her screams grew louder, but her parents never acknowledged her.

They reached the ship, but something made them abruptly stop. Hope surged in Rey that maybe they had changed their minds. They wouldn't leave her. Slowly, her parents crept backwards, their faces staring at something in the ship Rey couldn't see.

The person holding her pulled her back inside her hut. He stood between her and her parents and she fought to get past him. He allowed her to fight for a few moments before restraining her with ease.

"No, please," her father pleaded. Rey heard the fear thick as smoke in her father's voice, yet she could not get to him, could not see. "Run, Rey!" Her father screamed.

She couldn't even take a step while the monster held her. His beady eyes watched her, a small smile upon his face. Hot anger surged in her small body, and she wanted to claw that look off his face.

"Do you know what's happening, child," he asked, softly.

Rey didn't answer, but fought harder to get free. No, she didn't know what was happening. All she knew was that her peaceful existence had ended with her mother's scream and her father's begs. It was too much for her small mind to comprehend.

"Traitor," a new voice whispered.

Rey grew still at the sound of the voice she didn't recognize. Her wide eyes looked at the door, as if she could see through it.

"Punish me in whatever way that will satisfy your anger. They are innocent in all of this. I made the choice to leave and hide. They had no choice but to follow."

"Silence!" the new voice yelled.

"I beg you," her father whispered.

The sound of a blaster and her mother's scream choked the air from her little body. Her unshed tears fell from her eyes in tidal waves as her fear grew.

"Monster!" her mother screamed. "You will not win. No matter what you do, you will never win!"

A second blaster followed her mother's words as silence reigned down upon Rey. She stopped fighting, stopped breathing, as the seconds ticked away. The man holding her let her go and she forced her legs to move.

Rey ran outside the hut, but stopped the moment she saw what was in front of her. Both of her parents lay dead, their blood soaking Jakku's sandy surface. For just a moment, she could pretend they were just resting, but as she crept closer the horror became too real. Their blood made a straight line towards her feet as she jumped out of the way.

She was confused and terrified. Nothing made sense to her. They were dead, of that she was sure. Even at the age of six there was no disguising death.

She fell to the ground, a sob breaking from her lips. She crept over the blood, grabbing at her mother, but the woman didn't respond. Rey laid her head on her mother's shoulders and wept until the hot sun lulled her to sleep.

Rey awoke in the arms of someone carrying her. Her hooded eyes looked up into his face, yet she did not recognize him. His face was deformed and pale white, as if the sun had never kissed his skin. She should have been scared, but she was so tired. She chose to sleep.

When she came too again, Rey didn't recognize her new surroundings. Before her was a large plate of food. Meats, cheeses, breads and fruits assaulted her senses. She went straight for the plate and devoured as much as her small body could consume.

A door hissed open in front of her and she jumped back in surprise. The man she remembered carrying her from her parents' bodies entered the room. Their eyes met, and she felt a sudden pulsing fear within her. His scarred face scared her. He smiled, but it only made it worse. The smile looked foreign, as if he had not done enough smiling in his life.

"W—where am I?" she asked.

"You are aboard my ship, young Rey. Do you know who I am?" he asked.

She shook her head no. She had never seen him before.

"I am your grandfather," he said, softly. "Your father was my son."

The mention of her father brought back the tears even as she tried to sort out what he was saying. Her grandfather? Her father had never spoken of him, had never even said he was still alive.

"I don't have a grandfather," she whispered in her small voice.

"Silence!" he said, causing her to flinch. "I am your grandfather and you are my charge now. I came looking for your father only to find that I was too late. The Resistance had murdered him before I arrived"

"The Resistance," Rey echoed, keeping the name in her memory.

"Yes, yes," he said, softly. "And we will have our vengeance, young Rey. You and I. We will hunt down every member of the Resistance and destroy them in the name of your parents! Would you like that?"

Rey didn't know what she liked. She knew this man scared her more than anything, but if he was really her grandfather he was the only family she had left. Suddenly, she felt a presence in her head as images went by in a blur.

"I will show you what they did, what they are capable of doing to us," he whispered.

She had no choice but to watch as men wearing the Resistance emblem shot and killed both of her parents. She had seen their emblem before, had heard her father talking of the Resistance. He always seemed as though he was on their side, but they had killed him. By the time the visions ended Rey was shaking.

"We will make them pay, all of them. With you by my side I will destroy them once and for all. There is a power growing inside you, child! A power that will turn the tide of this war! They all will die," he said, laughter bubbling from his mouth.

Rey's eyes slowly came open. The darkened room welcomed her as her eyes adjusted to what little light shone through her window. She had had the dream again. The dream of her parents' deaths. That day fourteen years ago still seemed as though it had happened hours before. But, she was no longer a six years old child. She was now a woman of twenty.

Fourteen years she had lived in terror under her grandfather's thumb. Fourteen years had it been since she had set foot on a planet… any planet. He kept her hidden away with the stars upon his ship. The power he spoke of within her only grew as the years went by. It had always been there, but she didn't know what it was. Whatever it was, her grandfather used it for his own uses.

He was growing weaker as he grew older. Something had happened to him years ago, but he never spoke of it. It left him weakened. When she would ask him, he would grow angry with her and hurt her. She learned to stop asking. She didn't have the strength to anymore.

All Rey ever wanted was some semblance of a family she used to have, but he never gave that to her. He terrorized her instead, keeping a hold of her through fear. He had found a way to harness her power for himself. The only time he ever called for her was in his weakened state. To feed from her power. The more he took from her the more the darkness grew within her. She was his battery, charging him at his will. She hated him. She hated everything. The more time passed the quicker her descent into darkness. One day, she would kill him and take his empire for her own. Of that she was sure. In the end, she would take his power as he had taken hers. Until that time, she was just a prisoner.

There were no prison cells for her, though. She was able to roam the ship as she liked, but there was always eyes upon her. Watching her. A part of Rey would have rather had the cells, for this small freedom gave her a false sense of security. Only the dreams reminded her of what the situation actually was.

Her grandfather, who she now knew as Emperor Palpatine, had once been the leader of the Galactic Empire, but that rule had met its end before she was born. Now, he had his hands in the First Order, and some wanted him to reign supreme again. It was for this reason he had Rey. She kept him strong with her power, and he kept her at his side as his successor, grooming her for the day she would replace him as Empress.

But, there were some out there who opposed both her grandfather and the First Order. The Resistance. She loathed them more than she did her grandfather. Rey had never forgotten that they were the reason her parents were dead. They had killed them in cold blood. To her, the Resistance was no better than Palpatine. She would end them all. Both the Resistance and her grandfather, or die trying. Either way, it was a better option than the life she had now.

Rey sat up in bed, sleep leaving her for good. Her body ached from head to toe as she stretched. Palpatine had taken some of her power earlier that day and she was left with the repercussions. For hours, she sat rocking in her bed reminding herself of who she was. The horrible things she would see in those few short moments he used her made her physically sick. What scared her the most is how much she longed for that darkness he made her feel. It was like a drug to her. It was always like this. Her body felt tired, and her mind was out of control. Sometimes, she felt as though she left her body and was suspended in space.

Even as the darkness took hold of her there was something in the space between, some feeling or force calling out to her. Even though she couldn't see it she would grab a hold of it and it would calm her fears. It gave her the strength to endure the horrible visions and the darkness consuming her. Even if it were for a short time. It was enough to keep her grounded, and to keep some semblance of herself when Palpatine would take what wasn't his.

For the most part, she was left alone, unless Palpatine required her by his side for some false show of unity between them. Most of his crew feared her as much as they feared their Emperor. Rey didn't mind. It kept everyone at a distance. Everyone but one person. Palpatine's General. Hux was all that she knew him by. He had joined her grandfather a year before. General Hux had set his sights on Rey the moment he had boarded the ship. She had politely declined his advances, but politeness got her nowhere.

She was used to his fists, was used to no one coming to her aid. When he did not get his way with her, which was every time, she would walk away with a bruise somewhere. His mental abuse was worse, so she made it a habit to avoid him at all cost. What turned her stomach more than the abuse was the night she had overheard him asking her grandfather for her hand in marriage. He had asked to join the Emperor through family bond. So far, it had been a no, but that could change. Her grandfather was waiting for something… something to do with her, but she feared the day would come that he would realize he was waiting in vain. When that day came Hux would win. She would die before that happened.

Rey walked to her small window and looked out at the vast blackness of space. With each passing day she felt a void begin to swallow her as deep as the nothingness before her. The hope a child holds onto was slowly seeping away the older she got. Her choices were few, and none of them gave her hope.

"End it," she whispered to her reflection in the window. "End it and this pain will stop." She said these words to herself every morning she woke up, and every minute that passed through her day she would lose the courage to do it.

But, there was something different about today. Even as she said those words she felt a stirring within her. It felt familiar, as if she had felt it before, though not when she was in her right mind. It was small and barely there, and when she searched for it further it stayed just out of her grasp. She stared harder at her reflection, reaching deeper into her mind. Beads of sweat appeared on her brow as she fought harder to capture the new feeling. Suddenly, a shape of a face appeared where hers was only seconds before. She could see none of its features, but it was dramatically different from her own.

Rey took a step back, her eyes wide in surprise. Puffs of breath fell from her lips as the shadowy face disappeared. Her reflection appeared once more. Had she made it all up, she wondered as she stepped back towards the window. Her fingers skimmed across the cool surface of the window, but only her face remained.

The feeling was gone with the shadowy face, and emptiness took hold again. Minutes passed as Rey willed the feeling back, but there was nothing. It was as if a lightswitch had been turned off. As suddenly as it was there, it was gone.

She turned from the window and walked out of her room. There weren't many Stormtroopers around at this hour, which allowed Rey to roam freely without eyes upon her. She walked towards the hidden compartment that would take her to her favorite spot on the ship. It was the one place no one looked for her, the one place she could truly be alone.

The wind whipped around her as she sat down. Her legs dangled over the large reactor shaft. It was here she felt peace among the loud noises. She looked below her. It was so far down she could not see where the shaft ended. Rey closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. This was her way of getting ready to face whatever today had to offer. She needed these moments like she needed air to breathe.

"Help me," she whispered. Someone. Anyone.

"Who's there?" A voice whispered back.

Gasping, Rey's eyes flew open. She looked around expecting to see someone there, but she saw no one. She even looked into the reactor shaft, as if anyone would be in there. Had she finally lost her mind? She was hearing voices and seeing shadowy faces in windows. This day was beginning in the strangest of ways.

"H—hello?" she called out. It was hard to hear her own voice over the wind, but she could hear the new voice plainly.

"Where are you? I can't see you," the voice said in her mind.

"I can't see you either," she responded back.

There was silence, only the wind of the reactor shaft could be heard. It surprised her how desperate she was to hear the voice. Even if it meant she was going crazy. A feeling of peace and belonging came with the voice somehow.

"Are you still there?" The voice whispered.

"Yes," she said quickly, excited.

Her heart pounded against her chest. She felt alive for the first time in fourteen years. The voice sounded deep, masculine. It was a man talking, and she clung to it like a lifeline. Whoever this was, if it was anyone at all and not her leap into madness, could they possibly help her get out of here.

"Where are you?"

"I don't know. On a ship in the middle of nowhere" she answered.

A few seconds of silence fell between them, and she feared the voice was gone again.

"How am I hearing you?" it asked.

"I was hoping you would have those answers."

Rey relaxed her body, staring before her. She reached out with her mind, reached out to the voice that was somehow calling to her. The air in front of her sizzled as if an electrical current pulsed around her. A shadow appeared. It had no features, but it was solid.

"There you are," the voice called.

"I can see your shadow," she whispered, her excitement growing.

Slowly, she raised her hand to touch the shadow. To her surprise the shadow copied her movements. Whoever it was was reaching for her as well. Would she feel something solid? Or would it be as vapor? Her fingertips were inches from the shadows when the world around her shifted. The movement of the ship threw her backwards away from the shadow. She fell on her back, her head smacking against the hard floor. Rey grabbed her head as sharp pains made her dizzy.

"Ow," she said, rubbing her head and sitting back up.

When she looked back at where the shadow was it was gone. "Hello?" she called, urgently.

There was no response, just that of the wind. The ship rocked again, causing her to have to hold on to keep from slipping into the reactor shaft. She had lost her grip on the feeling and with it the voice. Rey stayed another half hour searching for the voice, but it remained out of her reach.