Rey. With a gasp, Rey's eyes snapped open and she spun around. That voice. She knew that voice. Rey. She let out a ragged breath. His voice. Rey scanned her surroundings, a thick forest, illuminated by the moon's light, but Ben was no where to be seen. Rey. Rey shuddered. It took all of her willpower not to melt at the sound of his deep, soothing voice. "Ben?" Rey called, her voice desperate and pleading. She had to find him, she was desperate to find him. Rey swallowed hard, fighting the urge to retch. Her stomach was churning. Rey pressed a hand to her abdomen, over the spot where Ben had rested his hand and suddenly felt weak. His presence was near. She could feel him. Rey looked through the trees. There was no one in sight. So then, where had the voice come from? Rey.

    With a growl, Rey began to run. She ran as fast as her feet would carry her through the woods. She was frustrated to be sure but still weary of how close the voice had been. Rey. He'd called her name five times now. But Rey still couldn't find him. She spun in circles, searching for him until she was dizzy. Rey bumped into a large tree and clutched the trunk for support so that she would not collapse to the ground. Her stomach groaned. Rey. Rey gasped when she felt a hand brush across her cheek. It hadn't been solid, or warm, like human flesh, but rather, a whisper of a touch. She blinked. It had been his touch. Of that much she was certain. She'd felt his presence and knew he was with her. But she couldn't see him.

   The hand brushed against her skin once more, this time on her arm. The cold mist that had been his presence, lingered on one spot particularly. Rey gasped in pain as the trail where his hand had crossed her skin began to burn. But it wasn't his touch that burned, it was her scar. Rey looked down at the twin marks that the Praetorian Guard's blade had left on her arm. It throbbed and stung, becoming red and inflamed. Rey hissed and winced as a sharp pain shot through her bicep. She opened her eyes and looked at the mark then and gasped. The skin had torn open again and the scars began to bleed. The hot, sticky substance dropped down her arm and Rey watched as the skin knit back together, leaving no trace of the scar.

Looking up, Rey saw a shadow. His shadow. Rey gasped and reached out, but her hand passed right through his non-physical form. He wasn't actually there. Rey let out a whimper and crumbled slightly. The pain in her stomach had grown worse. She gasped for air, trying to calm the growing nausea. Rey squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that whatever was happening would pass. Rey? He called her name ever so gently, this time as a question. Rey looked up as his finger hooked under her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. Though she could not see him, she knew he was there. "Ben." She said, not as a question, but as a confirmation. He smiled and Rey felt him rest his hand on her stomach. As soon as he laid his hand against her, the pain subsided. Rey sighed. She felt him lean in and place a kiss on her forehead and tears entered her gaze.

   Rey. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid, my love. You're not alone. I'm right here. You're not alone. Rey gasped and jolted out of bed. She blinked, her breathing rapid and shallow. She looked around and realized that she was in her bedroom at the Resistance's base. Had it all been a dream? Rey lifted a hand to her stomach where she still felt the steady hum of her child's life Force. Rey let out a steady breath, trying to calm herself. Too much excitement wasn't good for the baby. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep the tears from falling. They streamed down her cheeks like a falling river. Rey drew her knees up close to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, then rocked back and forth, trying to calm herself.

With shaking hands, Rey reached out and grabbed Ben's sweater and pulled it close to her face, holding it against her nose so that she could breath in his scent. It took several minutes before Rey was breathing normally again. The nightmares were nothing new, but this one had been so vivid. Rey looked down at her arm and winced. Reaching up with one hand, she hesitantly removed the cuff that covered her scar. Rey gasped. The scar was gone. Rey turned her arm in every direction to get a better look but for sure and for certain, the scar was gone. How long had it been gone? Rey shuddered. She hadn't noticed it was missing when she took a shower the previous day. Though, she hadn't really been paying attention. But the question that nagged Rey was "how?" Had Ben healed it when he healed her on Exegol? Or had her dream been more than a dream?

Shaking her head, Rey dropped her gaze. It wasn't possible. Unless... Perhaps Ben had become a ghost of the Force like Luke and Leia. Then why hadn't she been able to see him? Rey pinched her lips in thought. In her dream, he had healed her. Maybe Ben had found some other way to reach her from death. But even Anakin Skywalker has not been powerful enough to cross the barrier of death. She didn't think that Ben would be able to bypass the fine line that separated the living from the dead. But what then? Was the Force connecting them from the afterlife? Had their bond not died when Ben passed on? Rey's grandfather... Rey shuddered before finishing her thought. Rey's grandfather had called it a dyad. Could their dyad overcome death?

When she looked over at the clock it read nearly six am. Rey sighed. She may as well get up. Breakfast wouldn't be for another two hours, but the sun would be rising any minute. Perhaps she could get some meditation in. Rey stood to get dressed and dropped Ben's shirt. It fell to the ground with a clank. Rey's brow furrowed and she bent over to pick it up. She noticed it was heavier than it should have been.  Rey reached into the pocket and pulled out a chain with two gold plated dice. Rey sighed. Han's dice. Ben had kept them all this time and carried them with him. Rey sighed and held them close to her chest. She hadn't anything to remember Han by. But now his old dice would remind her of both him and Ben.

   Rey got dressed quickly in fresh clothes, throwing Ben's sweater on overtop, and exited her room. The halls were quiet. They had been rather quiet for the past few days. Rey continued down the hall, keeping an eye out for her friends and smiled to herself. She enjoyed seeing Finn and Rose and Poe and Zorii together. She was happy for her friends. Poe and Finn were so smitten that it made her heart swell. She liked seeing them so happy. Rey did miss spending time with her friends though. Finn spent much more time with Rose now that the war was over, and Poe was always preoccupied with duties or Zorii. Not that she blamed them. They had a right to be happy with the ones they loved, especially after the war. Nobody had had much time for such relationships during the war. So now that it was over, couples seemed to be blossoming all around. It was truly a joyous thing to behold, even considering the circumstances.

   Nobody was awake. The halls were bare and there wasn't a soul in sight. Rey sighed and made her way back to her room where she collected her staff and Luke's lightsaber. Leia's lightsaber had remained undisturbed since Ben had used it during the final battle. Rey didn't think she'd need Luke's lightsaber, but it was always better to be armed. There were still plenty of enemies out there, lurking in the shadows. As for her staff, she had always found comfort I'm having it near. It had been her constant companion and steady way of defense for as long as she could remember. Besides, she didn't want to have to use the lightsaber. If she could make do with her staff, then she'd be fine. Rey was hoping that there wouldn't be a need for either.

Making her way out to her old training course, Rey settled into a spot where she'd always used to meditating. Rocks of all shapes and sizes lay scattered across the jungle terrain. Rey sighed. No matter how hard she tried not to, she always managed to levitate the things around her. In this case, rocks. But it kept her calm and her power satisfied to keep up such a small task. If the majority of her power was focused on lifting rocks, then Rey was able to concentrate more properly. That way it balanced out the raging energy within her. Though, Rey wasn't so sure she'd have as much energy today.

Rey looked around and sighed as she remembered the kind words she had exchanged with Leia during their training sessions. She missed their dear General so deeply. She missed the words of wisdom Leia had spoken to her. Leia had been like a mother to Rey, just as Han had been like a father. Rey looked at the ground and kicked at a cloud of dirt. She missed them both terribly. She'd barely had any time with Han before... before his death. Rey bit her lip. She missed Luke too. He wasn't quite as much of a father figure as Han had been, but she loved him like family. She had loved Ben's entire family like they were her own. And perhaps they would have been.

    The possibilities never ceased to run through her mind. What if Ben had not died? Would she and he be married by now? They definitely would have married soon, considering the circumstances. Rey smiled sadly and placed a hand against her stomach. Ben would have been a wonderful father. Whether the baby be a boy or a girl, Rey knew he would have loved it with all his heart. Rey couldn't help but imagine what it would have been like. Especially if she had a daughter. Would she have been daddy's little girl? Or if she had a son would he be a momma's boy? No matter what it was, Rey would love it with all her heart. Just as Ben would have. Rey sighed. If Ben had lived and they had married, then Han and Leia would have been her in laws. She would have officially been a part of the family.

   With a sigh, Rey sat down on the large rock that sat in the middle of the little clearing. She sighed and closed her eyes as Leia had instructed her to do so many times before. Rey took a deep breath and attempted to clear her mind. She needed to be at complete and utter peace. Peace. Quiet. Joy. Sorrow. Life. Death. The Force between all living things. Balance. Rey struggled against the tears that threatened to sting her eyes. How could she be at peace when there was a war raging within her? She loved him so much and he was gone. A sob caught in her throat. Rey's breath hitched as she closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed but steadied.

   "Be with me." Rey whispered as she began to rise into the air. "Be with me." As she began to levitate, her legs remained crossed and her hands rested on her knees. She needed to keep perfect posture. Rocks began to rise around her. Rey took a deep breath. Peace. She must have peace. Death was a part of life. Life and death. Balance. But even after death, there was grief, and after grief came acceptance. But Rey couldn't find acceptance. She couldn't accept his death. Rey couldn't find the balance anymore. Her other half was gone. She and Ben were one, and without him a part of herself was missing. Without him, achieving the perfect balance would be impossible. So how could she ever find peace in the Force.

   As Rey meditated, she felt a disturbance in the Force. Well, not really a disturbance. Any little thing could be considered a disturbance if it threw off the precious balance, but something was off. It was an odd sensation, like a slight tip in the balance. Rey focused, forcing her mind across thousands of light years in search of the presence that threw off the balance. Rey couldn't find the presence that had thrown off the balance. Instead, she felt the darkness slipping. It was as if there was a void. Darkness rises, and light to meet it. But now? Now the darkness faded away. Rey squeezed her eyes shut. This wasn't right. The world was not split into good people and bad people, there was both light and dark in all of them. What mattered most was the part they chose to act on. That was who they really were. That was why the world needed both light and dark.

   In her distraction, Rey's mind wandered and she saw something else. An island. And beneath the island, a dark place. A cave. Darkness surrounded the cave. It was cold. Rey gasped. It was calling to her. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to be rid of the darkness that called to her. She fought the tears and the fear that clutched at her heart. Rey could never go back to that place. If she went back, then she would truly be alone. The darkness continued to call to her, beckoning her to the cave. But then the darkness gave away to light and the two intertwined. Rey relaxed, letting her body go limp as she watched the balance be restored. Light and dark combined, creating a crystal that floated in the center of the cave.

   Rey tilted her head and her eyes narrowed. She didn't understand it. Did this mean that balance had been restored to the galaxy? Did this crystal symbolize that balance? With a deep breath, Rey reached out. She knew full well that she wouldn't be able to actually touch the crystal, she'd learned that in her first lesson with Luke, but the call was so strong, Rey could not help but reach out towards it. It pulsed with newfound power. Power of both light and dark. Energy surged off of it, captivating Rey in her trance. She could feel it's strength. Rey gasped as she realized what it was. She'd only felt that kind of power once before, and it was not nearly as strong then. Only the raw power of a kyber crystal could create this kind of energy.

   Suddenly, Rey realized what she had to do. With one hand still outstretched towards the crystal, Rey lifted her other hand and used to Force to call her staff. The rod flew into her outstretched hand and Rey held it out in front of her. Releasing it, Rey held it in the air and examined it. When she figured out what parts she needed, she closed her eyes and began to pull it apart, using the Force. Piece by piece, Rey took apart her dear staff and collected the pieces that she could use to build her new lightsaber. When she gathered enough material to construct the hilt, Rey began to put it together. Rey gestured for the crystal to come forward and placed it in the center of her new lightsaber.

   When at last she finished, Rey opened her eyes to see the new hilt of her lightsaber. She reached forward to wield her weapon but as soon as she touched it, she came crashing down. Rey hit the ground with a thud, her head hitting a small rock as they fell around her. Gasping for air, Rey pushed herself up and took deep, steady intakes of air. She balanced herself on the palms of her hands and her knees, facing the ground, just incase the sudden urge came to vomit. Rey took a few steady breaths as the air slowly filled her lungs one again. That fall had knocked the wind out of her.

   When she finally gathered her wits, Rey pushed herself to her feet and looked around. Luke's lightsaber remained where she had left it but her staff was gone. She looked at the ground in front of her and saw its pieces scattered across the grass. The largest piece, the lightsaber hilt she had constructed, lay directly in front of her. The kyber crystal wasn't there. It was missing from the center of the saber. So what had just happened? Had she imagined it all? Had it all been a dream? No. She was awake. Had it been a vision? Rey shuddered. It had seemed so real. Had she been able to manipulate herself into thinking she had actually made her lightsaber? Well, she had made it, but the crystal hadn't been real.

Reaching out, Rey picked up the lightsaber hesitantly and stared at it. If it had been a vision, it had been very real. Rey shuddered as she played with the grooves in what used to be her staff. She had been having so many dreams and visions recently. What did it all mean? She knew that she missed Ben, but was this a logical response to grief? She'd never dealt with this kind of problem before. Rey didn't know how much longer she could take it. Every time she closed her eyes she saw him. She couldn't sleep without dreaming of him in one way or another and the dreams were just a constant reminder that he was gone.

Rey lifted a hand to her stomach. She was already so dearly in love with her child, but she didn't want the baby to grow up without a father. Like she had. Rey sighed as she remembered her encounter with her father. Had he too, been a dream? She couldn't remember. Everything was fuzzy from that day. From the moment she stabbed Ben and realized she'd almost killed him, to him giving her his life and his real death. Everything in between was a blur. Rey knew that she had died, and in her death, she had met her father for the first time. That hadn't been a dream, Rey was sure of it. It had been too real, and Rey held that moment too dear to render it a dream.

   Meditation didn't help. It only caused more problems and added more to her plate. Rey has enough to worry about without these visions trying to guide her into the unknown. Rey didn't know what she was going to do. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Rey sighed. She couldn't go on living like this. She had to find peace. She had to find some kind of balance or else she would never feel complete. Rey knew what she had to do, but she didn't know if she had the strength to do it. Rey closed her eyes, seeking guidance from anyone that would answer then she heard a voice. Go. Rey opened her eyes. Luke.

   Finally, Rey knew what she had to do. She had to go to Ahch-To... She had to return to the island. When she got there, she would have to go once more into the cave of reflections. Rey shuddered. Even the thought of that place made her feel alone. It was only a place of sorrow and longing. Though, Rey couldn't help but remember that some good had come of it. After she had left the cave, she had sought Ben's comfort. That was how she had come to truly understand and care for him him. Perhaps, by returning to that cave, she would be able to find some solace or comfort. And maybe, just maybe, she would be able to feel his presence near. Ahch-To was where they're bond had began. Maybe that was where she would feel him the strongest.

Rey loved Ben, and she would do anything it took to be near him. Even if it was only his presence through the Force. Rey sighed and clutched the hilt of her new lightsaber as of it were her lifeline. She couldn't hold on to her grief any longer. Rey knew she needed to move on. But she needed to find solid ground or she would never find peace. Rey closed her eyes as a tear streamed down her cheek. But she couldn't move on until she felt him at least one more time. Rey needed Ben to know that she loved him, and she needed him to know that she was going to be alright. Because he had given her the most wonderful gift anyone could ever give. He'd given her a child.

   With a newfound sense of determination, Rey set out to find Poe and Finn and tell them that she had to leave. They wouldn't be happy to say the least, but she had to do this. It wasn't something that couldn't be avoided. Rey would never find peace until she discovered whatever it was that was missing. Rey growled and shook her head. She knew what was missing. Ben was missing. But that wasn't exactly what she was seeking. Yes, Rey did think that going to Ahch-To would make her feel closer to Ben. But that wasn't entirely why she was going. She needed to find out what all these visions and dreams were about.

Author's Note:
Hello!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! I tried to incorporate a little bit of Rey's ongoing battle inwardly between good and evil and I couldn't help but add the quote by Sirius Black, it fit soooo well to the theme of this chapter. I enjoyed he building of her lightsaber. I've always loved Rey's staff and I was thrilled when I saw that she'd made her new lightsaber from it! So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, we don't have too many left but still a lot is yet to happen so please vote for this chapter and let me know what you think!!