So 50,000 words later that's it! Other than the mature chapters I like to think this could be a Star Wars story but really it's just a little fanfic. 

Canon notes

I tried to stick to canon largely although I'm not an expert. There were a few things that I didn't include as I didn't like them and what's the point of a fanfic if you can't change stuff!

I ditched "I'm Rey, Rey Skywalker," because I hated it. I also got rid of burying the lightsabers except for in a dream. I actually didn't mind 'retiring' the lightsabers but didn't like the scene in general with Rey finishing where she started, alone in a desert. It seemed to me that it negated her whole character arc. I guess maybe they were going for 'now she's stronger' or something but as it is my head canon I'm getting rid of it! 

The whole 'it was a kiss of gratitude' thing from the novel didn't ring true to me so I got rid of that too and made it romantic.  I think Lucasfilm were probably trying to back pedal a bit with that. 

Like a lot of people I didn't want Ben to die in TROS. However in reality I can't see how he would survive - firstly in Star Wars people have to 'atone' if they are on the Dark side and he still killed Han plus doing lots of other awful things like ordering the village massacre on Jakkuu. Secondly I also think that if he did survive he would be tried for War crimes and probably executed. As far as I could work out there weren't many people left alive that knew what his face looked like but I suspect a secret like that would get out. Being chased all over the Galaxy wouldn't be a great ending. The short expanded ending I wrote is meant to be a realistic way to finish the films in a more satisfying way. 

Luke's Academy - In 'The Rise of Kylo Ren' comics Ben pulls the hut down on Luke but when he gets outside lightning destroys the main temple and kills the students. He runs forwards to help but gets blasted backwards by an explosion. I guess it's open to interpretation but the way I saw it was that the lightning was Palpatine and Ben didn't kill his fellow students but got the blame. I thought as he was turning to the dark side he wouldn't care that he got the blame initially. It's also possible that the lightning was Ben but as he doesn't seem to have that power in the three films so it seems unlikely to me. 

Rey's double saber and the crystals

So in TROS she got a single yellow blade and Dark Rey had double red. She didn't get a double in the movie but with her using a staff the whole way through I really wanted her to so I added it in.  When Asoka Tano healed crystals from a stolen/taken saber in the Clone Wars it was a double blade and had two crystals. As a result I figured that if Rey had a double yellow she would need two crystals. 

If Asoka can heal crystals then I figured that it was ok to have Ben do it. As Ben and Rey are a Dyad I thought that their crystals might work for each other as two halves of one soul. I like the idea of Ben being a reformed character and so having white, plus it was what happened when Asoka healed red crystals.

Going to Christophsis comes from Wookiepedia as a location of crystals. There are several other planets excluding Illum, I wanted one that was relatively close to the Base on Ajan Kloss (as far as I could work out the locations from various maps).

Wellspring of Life/Force Planet

If Ben were going to come back there are a couple of possibilities (I think it's unlikely in canon ☹). There's the 'World between Worlds' theory from The Clone Wars but there already lots of fanfics that cover that so I wanted something different. Yoda goes to see the Force Priestesses and they teach him to maintain a corporeal presence after death. The Force Planet is meant to be the source of the living and cosmic forces and there are five priestesses led by Serenity. Yoda battles his Dark side while there so the equivalent would be Dark Rey from TROS. Seeing as the Priestesses are basically all powerful when it comes to the Force then I think they could bring him back if they wanted. The description of the planet, the geysers and the floating islands comes from the Clone Wars animated series.

Grey Guardians

Grey Jedi are a thing in the extended universe and there's hints of it in canon. According to Wookiepedia and similar sites Qui-Gon Jinn, and to a certain extent Mace Windu, were Grey Jedi, or close to it. I think that is where the Jedi should go next. I wanted a name that represented keeping peace but also referred to a balance between light and dark. 

"There must be both dark and light. I will do what I must to keep the balance, as the balance is what holds all life. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. There is passion, yet peace; serenity, yet emotion; chaos, yet order. I am a wielder of the flame; a champion of balance. I am a guardian of life. I am a Gray Jedi."

—Leor Danal reciting what would be the basis for the The Gray Jedi Code for the first time while in a Force Trance.

The Code

Flowing through all, there is balance

There is no peace without a passion to create

There is no passion without peace to guide

Knowledge fades without the strength to act

Power blinds without the serenity to see

There is freedom in life

There is purpose in death

The Force is all things and I am the Force

From: https://swfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Gray_Jedi_Code 

Poe and Finn

Between films 8 and 9 there was talk about whether there was something romantic between them. Then when TROS came out they introduced new love interests for both of them but with nothing happening. Rose was side-lined which was a waste, but I always thought that Finn wasn't as into her as she was him. Zori Bliss was a wasted character which they could have done more with (and the same goes for Phasma way back in film seven). With different species having relationships I don't think two guys should be controversial but I guess I'm not Disney! I reckon that Poe would just like who he likes without worrying about gender or species. 

Invented stuff

Dakodar was made up. I needed a villain and also it seems like the cycle of War in Star Wars is basically light versus dark. If it's going to stop I think that there would have to be balance so no pulling either way and a balanced Force. There needed to be a reason why he was after her and that got me thinking about the logistics of running an evil empire! There would have to be Arms suppliers, bank accounts, cleaners, kitchen staff, technical support and so on.  

I don't know how Rey visualises the Force but I wanted two parts that could ultimately be bought together through her connection with Ben (the webs). If the Force was split in the first place by rivalry and hate then what better way than to bring it back together with love. George Lucas (apparently) said that it was attachments that are the problem but that Jedi didn't have to be celibate so I guess booty calls are allowed?! In the expanded universe (which obviously now doesn't count) there are all sorts of love stories, hidden children, couples pining for each other etc. I think it would be interesting if some of that stuff made it's way back into canon. 

It's been fun to write this, I hope you have enjoyed reading it. It's my first attempt at writing something like this so there are probably a few (or more!) rough chapters. Thanks for sticking with it to the end. 

May the Force be with You.