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A large silhouette emerged from the cave—his hair blending with the darkness. Each footstep echoed closer and closer as she held her saber at the ready, until the figure stepped into the light.
She opened her mouth, but words failed her. After all this time, she saw his face. He who had fought alongside her on the Supremacy. He who had kissed her before vanishing suddenly. A face that haunted her dreams. She saw Han’s ruggedness, Leia’s strength, and his hope—her hope. The hope that one day he would come back to her, the Force bringing them together because it was meant to be. His eyes were soft, far from Kylo Ren’s hardened glare. The scar she had inflicted had completely disappeared that night on Exegol.
Now, what greeted her were his eyes.
Ben Solo… had returned. To her.
Her voice trembled as years of grief, loss, and hope bubbled up in her throat.
“Ben?”
It was cruel, the years gone by without each other—only the memories of their fights, his brief return, and his death repeating over and over in her mind, condemning her in a hellish cycle. Reliving the worst moments of her life. For the first time since she lost him, she felt like she could breathe anew. A weight she carried—her loss—was lifted. A chance at happiness presented itself.
She feared that if she moved, the sight of him might vanish. That it would be another one of her dreams—where she found him, where their reunion was filled with tight embraces and intimate moments. Every time she had one, it felt so real. So real that Rey could feel the warmth of his skin, the sight of his cocksure brow, the constellations scattered across his face. Waking up always shattered her heart.
She had found her other half at last. She—no, they—were whole again.
He saw the conflict and shock written all over her face. He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek. The warmth of his touch brought her back to life. Back to the present. Back to him.
He is real. This is real.
Shivers coursed through her body; their reunion sparked a resurgence in the Force. The energy surrounding them ignited and pulsed with renewal. It felt right.
The dyad.
“Rey,” he said gently.
He held her face in his hands. “I’m here.” This time, without malice or manipulation. Now it was a sign—a beacon—guiding him home. “I told you I would always be with you.”
She scoffed playfully, tears streaming down her face. “Took you long enough.”
He laughed. Then he lowered his face and pressed his lips to hers.
A kiss.
It started off gentle, quickly deepening into something more passionate. Time seemed to catch up with them, winding them together until they were spinning out of control. They didn’t know where one ended and the other began. All they knew was that there would never be enough time for this.
Rey surged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. She kissed him back fervently.
They were breathless. They were eager. They were desperate.
She needed more.
Her mouth fumbled against his; it was a clash of teeth and tongues, desperate to devour, to savor. Suddenly, his hands were everywhere, exploring her. He could have mistaken this for a dream.
“This is real,” she whispered, resting her head against his. “I’m real.”
A wide, toothy grin spread across his face. Their eyes met—his intensity was no longer something to fear; it stirred her. Memories flooded back, and it was as if, in that moment they shared one mind. One soul.
Two that are one. She remembered.
Her confession, his proposal, their kiss on Exegol.
Hazel met green.
“Yes, you’re real. The realest, truest thing I could have never dreamt of.” A lump formed in his throat, but he didn’t stop—not even to catch his breath. “You must know that there was never a moment I didn’t think of you.” His eyes melted into hers. “You—you guided me out of the darkness that kept me away for so long.”
His words reverberated in mind, stitched into her soul.
“Rey. You are my family. My other half. My dyad in the force—” he said, his voice steady with conviction.
The look on her lovely face—recognition of what this was, his vow—unwavering. Happiness overwhelmed her. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling. But he would always be there to wipe them away. To hold her.
Until the Force decided their fate once more.
“—You are my hope. And I love you… eternally.”
She gave him a knowing smile and whispered through her tears, “I know.”
He chuckled lightly. “Always. My Rey.”
“It’s Rey. Rey Solo.”
They would never forget that moment. For as long as they lived.
It was their story.
The beginning.