It was faint, but it was still there. A flicker of hope danced across those broken copper orbs. There was almost a smile.

Weeks had pasted since their last session. So much had happened since their last talk. Between the touch, the battle, and the snap, Kylo had felt conflicted. She was the reason for his pain. She was the reason for his turmoil. Yet, he couldn't stop seeking her out. Despite being everything he feared and hated, she was also so much more. She was the first person to ever really see him, see him as more than just a tool or a turning point.

Still, with the snap came the aftermath. The crashing, the burning. His scorn and fury; her absence and distance.

He half-assumed that she never wanted to open up to him again and yet, there she was clear as day to him. Though the scene sprawled out before him wasn't something he had expected to feast his eyes upon.

Panic was plain as day on her ever-paling face. Her brows furrowed as creases dotted her usually attractive features. Perspiration dripped from her forehead as her knuckles flooded white as she tightened her grip around her sheets. Her lips were taut as she witnessed whatever nightmare plagued her. A slight kick of the leg before a rasping gasp followed.

She was dreaming and, from what his eyes could see, it wasn't the good kind.

He tore his gaze off her and told himself that he shouldn't be here. That this connection felt wrong. He was spying her in a time of vulnerability. She was weak and he invaded on her precious privacy.

Shuddering, Kylo stepped back from her bedside.

"I'm sorry," he whispered before pivoting on his heels. His black cloak fluttered over him as he made his retreat.

"Ben."

At first, he thought he had imagined things. That the croaking voice was in his mind. That is was his pathetic attempt to justify staying by her side. To favor his desire to look over her, to hold her.

But his name came again. This time it was more of a plead.

"P-please," her voice trembled as she uttered a new word for him.

Head turning, he caught her wide-eyed expression. It still felt wrong. Why was she calling out to him? What had he done to deserve to stay? Wasn't he a monster? The one who refused her offer? The one who refused to join the light?

He looked away. He mustn't stay.

Thud!

He whirled around to find her sprawled across the floor. Her leg was twisted in her sheets but that didn't seem to stop her. She was always the stubborn one.

Hand out-stretched, Rey reached for him. Her hazel eyes rippled with grief. With fear.

Just what had she dreamed that shook her to the very core? That caused her to reach out to him as if he were her savior. Her only hope.

Her fingertip brushed across the black material that sheathed his legs. Tears streaked down her face as her pitiful expression fell on him. Her matted hair and disheveled clothing made her look like the scavenger girl she was. And yet, she was still just as beautiful.

To leave would be a sin. She controlled him and he caved. He had to stay.

His nude hand fell delicately across her head. Patting her, he extended his other hand to aid her in standing. He offered her no smile but malice nor hate was nowhere to be found. He was simply trying to be neutral ground as he still wasn't sure where they stood. It would be foolish to assume all was well with how things previously ended.

As her slender hand slipped between his, he felt her fear. She was consumed by this terror and although he couldn't quite make out what her mind had seen, he knew that it revolved around loss. Be it death or defeat, he couldn't tell. And for whatever reason, it seemed to involve him, which was troubling in and of itself.

"Oof!"

Her firm jerk caught him off guard. Tumbling, he crashed down around her. No, into her.

Within seconds, her arms were all around him. They swallowed him whole with an emotion he had yet to experience.

Was it fear? Regret? No, no. He knew those feelings all too well. It had to be something else. Something benign.

It was his turn to look confused. To have a glimmer of fear streak across his face. Just what was she doing? And why?

Her nose burrowed into his chest. Her grip on his back tightened. Rey pulled him closer.

The Jedi pulled the Jedi Killer closer.

"What are you d-" he attempted to talk but as her muscles contracted around him, the will to speak died. Silence was the only answer. He just had to accept things as they were. She was his weakness.

A faint pitter-patter came from below him. As his copper eyes shifted down, all he could see was the back of her hair. Her messy brown hair a victim to gravity as it twisted down toward the ground beneath them. Following her roots to their ends and looking past her, he could see richer shades of black against his suit. They shimmered, as if wet.

Wet... with tears?

Brows furrowing, Kylo lifted his hand back up to her head. Another gentle pat followed.

They shared a feeling. A moment. All their pathways led to now.

The hands on his back slipped. They fell down.

As her hands slithered down his back, her head started to lift. Somber hazel eyes met his sedated copper pair.

As his lips spread to express, her head subtly shook no.

The o-shape he had formed collapsed as his full pair of lips closed. If she didn't want him to talk, he'd comply. He was at her mercy after all.

That hand that was still on her head continued to caress her until it slipped down to the nap of her neck. Gingerly, Kylo guided her forward.

Her lips pursed. There was a flicker of hope in those hazel eyes.

Kylo pulled her closer and she didn't resist. Maybe she wanted this just as much as he did.

Her eyes were aglow, shimmering like the stars. Whatever nightmare she had experienced was now a distant memory. She was living in the now. Enjoying the now.

Eyes closing, she embraced the moment.

Thud thud. Thud. Thud thud. Thud.

A crease fell between her brows. Eyes opening, she wasn't met with his eyes or his lips. Instead, her vision was wrapped in his black apparel. And that faint beating? That wasn't her heart. That was his.

Relaxing, she accepted this. Perhaps it was better this way. Just to lay there on his chest as he held her. She knew he'd chase away whatever demons dared visit her as she slept.

"Please stay," she spoke between a yawn.

"Of course," he almost cooed.

His warmth was so calming. She could feel every muscle in her body laze. Her eyes were starting to become heavy. Another yawn gripped her.

So warm, she told herself before hunkering down into him. This, this was exactly what she needed. Proof that her nightmare wasn't real. Proof that despite how things ended, he was still there. That no nightmare of his death would come true if she believed in him and in love.

A smile swept across her face for a fleeting moment. Her breathing slowed and soon her heart matched his rhythm.

Stroking her jaw, the Jedi Killer felt that foreign emotion again. Whatever it was, he liked it. And he sincerely hoped he'd feel it again even if it scared him.

Once he was certain that she wouldn't have to combat her nightmare again, he scooped Rey up into his arms. Carefully, daintily, he placed her back in her bed. The back of his hand danced across her soft features.

Hair as smooth as feathers tickled her face as he leaned into her. His lips graced her forehead before a small side grin appeared on his face.

He said not a word before ending their connection. It was best not to wake his sleeping beauty for the unspoken was louder than words tonight.