A/N: after seeing TROS for the third time, I decided that what made me most furious about the movie was the lack of a proper redemption arc for Ben Solo. Yes, he gets a "poetic" end to his story – doing what Vader couldn't and saving the woman he loves, and dying a hero like Anakin Skywalker. But what he loses in the process is the chance to actually atone for all the terrible things he did.

What I wanted for Ben was a "proper" redemption arc, such as the one Prince Zuko has in Avatar The Last Airbender. Zuko's arc is defined by a genuine desire to change and make right everything he did wrong, and also by a real struggle to gain the trust of his former enemies. It's not at all quick or easy for Zuko, but he pushes through, and because of it becomes a much richer, more meaningful character.

That's what I wanted to see for Ben in TROS. I wanted him to struggle, and really fight for the Resistance's trust, and come out stronger and more mature because of it. In my opinion, this would have been a far more meaningful ending for the character, who has always been so defined by struggle and conflict.

The more I think about it, the more I think we (and Ben Solo) were seriously short-changed by TROS. Ben deserved a proper redemption arc with a truly satisfying emotional ending, the kind that you can only get after really working and struggling for it.

So for my third draft of the TROS fix-it, I will be trying my very best to give Ben Solo the redemption arc I think he deserved. This fic will probably also be a form of therapy for me, so I can finally stop bothering all my family and friends with my complaints about how TROS should have ended, and at the same time make myself feel better over how awfully Ben Solo's character arc ended.

If you've actually read the entirety of this long and rather indignant author's note, then you're either extraordinarily patient or a fellow passionate advocate for #BenSoloDeservedBetter. Either way, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and I really hope you enjoy this story.

We start on Kef Bir.

Kylo pointed his lightsaber at Rey, the crash of a wave on the walkway behind them a thundering accompaniment to the pounding of his heart and the rushing of blood in his ears.

Rey glared up at him, eyes blazing with defiance even in the face of death, and he took a moment just to look at her before he brought the lightsaber down. All their duels through all the years had led to this moment, and yet he found himself hesitating, reluctant to finally end things.

It was a waste, that was all. That was why he was reluctant. Not because he had compassion for the girl like Snoke had suggested.

It was just such a waste.

He gritted his teeth and began to swing down his lightsaber –

And then all the air left his lungs as he felt a warm, familiar presence.

Mother.

"Ben," said Leia, her voice echoing through his mind as warm and comforting as ever.

"It's not too late," his mother said, and he was frozen listening to her voice. Memories flooded unbidden into his mind, memories of Leia hugging him close and whispering how much she loved him.

" I love you, Ben," she said now, just as she would when he was a little boy, and he felt the warmth of her presence in the Force wrap around him like a tender embrace.

"Come home," Leia said, and he could see her in his mind, her arms open and love pouring from her to him.

She gave him a last loving smile, a mother's pride filling her brown gaze. The echo of her last words to him whispered through the Force – "come home."

Then her warm presence faded from the Force, and he felt as if his soul had been torn in two.

He looked down, and saw the red lightsaber he hadn't even realised he had dropped sunk deep into his stomach.

His eyes found Rey, her face twisted with rage and hatred as she ran him through with his own lightsaber.

But even as she struck the killing blow, he saw she sensed Leia's passing.

"Leia," she whispered. Guilt, horror and grief replaced the rage in her gaze, and she sank to the ground beside him.

For a moment, all was silence, as though the galaxy itself mourned the passing of Leia Organa.

Then, through the tears welling in the brown-green depths of Rey's eyes, he saw resolve. She placed her palm flat on his chest, her eyes closing with concentration but her face never losing the heart-wrenching expression of loss.

Kylo watched her, unable to speak, Leia's last words refusing to leave his head.

It's not too late.

I love you.

Come home.

Ben.

He sucked in a sharp breath as he felt the jagged wound in his chest knit shut. Half-incredulous, he looked at Rey, finding her with her eyes still shut in concentration.

She opened her eyes and stood back, more grief than he had ever imagined possible etched onto her beautiful face.

"I did want to take your hand," she told him, and her voice was shattered. "Ben's hand."

Then she turned and ran, and a wave crashed onto the walkway between them before he could so much as find his feet.

He watched, helpless, as his ship rose into the air and left Kef Bir.

"Hey, kid," said a voice behind him, a voice so painfully familiar that it hurt him just to hear it.

"I miss you, son," said Han Solo.

"Your son is dead," he said raggedly.

"No," his father said, half-smiling. "Kylo Ren is dead. My son is alive."

"You're just a memory."

"Your memory," Han reminded him softly. "Come home."

The echo of his mother's words was just too much, and Kylo broke. " It's too late. She's gone."

Pain flashed across his father's face, and his voice was heavy as he nodded. "Your mother's gone. But what she stood for – what she fought for – that's not gone."

"Ben," Han prompted, voice full of love and encouragement.

He drew in a shuddering breath. "I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it."

He held out his lightsaber, just as he had that awful day on Starkiller Base, and his father smiled, reaching out a hand to brush his face.

The same words, the same actions. But this time, he knew it would end differently.

"You do," Han said with all the love and pride of a proud father.

"Dad…" Ben started, voice choked with emotion. But Han just smiled.

"I know."

Ben turned and threw the lightsaber into the waves, pitching it as far away as he could. And when he turned back, Han was gone.

But Ben smiled into the wind and waves. Thank you, Mother, he thought, and for just a second he thought he saw Leia's smile, white against the stormy sky.

The illusion faded, but his mother's parting gift lingered. Han Solo's memory seemed fresher than ever in his mind, and his parents' last words gave him the strength he needed to reach out with the Force and summon Rey's skimmer to him.

It wouldn't do to get him off-planet, but he remembered his father's lessons on ship repairs well enough that he was reasonably confident he could cobble something together with it and some TIE ruins he found in the old Death Star.

It wouldn't be easy, he reflected, looking down at the mess of parts at his feet with a scowl, and he would consider himself lucky if it survived one jump to hyperspace.

But he meant what he had said to his father. He knew what he had to do.

A/N: As you can see, I changed several things in this chapter: firstly, and perhaps most importantly, I gave Leia more dialogue. Now, I understand that JJ Abrams had limited audio of Carrie Fisher's voice to work with, and given what he had, I think he did quite well. However, I really believe that Kylo heard more than just a "Ben" from Leia – his reaction and especially his expression lead me to believe that there was more said than just his name. I've tried to add that as meaningfully as possible in this chapter.

Secondly, I fixed a minor plot hole – how Ben got off Kef Bir and to Exegol. While it's certainly not the movie's most glaring fault, it was a little thing that kept niggling at me until I fixed it.

Thirdly, you may have noticed that I've chosen to pace this fic quite slowly, taking special effort to go into what Ben is thinking and feeling at a particular moment, and why. This is because I think one of the biggest mistakes in TROS is trying to rush through too much plot in too little time, which leaves the viewers unsure of what exactly a character is feeling at a given time. I'm determined not to make the same mistake – if I'm going to do this thing, I'm going to do it properly.

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated - nothing makes me smile quite like reviews do. Anyway, thank you very much for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed the introduction to Making It Right.