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HE TURNED HIS HEAD AT THE SOUND OF HER VOICE.
He had never forgotten her voice, for it was the song he always heard every night as he struggled to sleep. The thought of her had been rushing through his mind on a continuous loop. It was the one thing that kept him from falling completely into the darkness.
He tried to tell himself he didn't love her anymore—that any affection he once felt had died with Ben Solo—but as he looked at her right now, a large pit sank into his stomach and his knees began to tremble from being in her presence. She had always had this affect on him, even now, after he had broken her heart.
And that's how she looked as she slowly stepped closer to the small bridge he stood on. Her entire body trembled nervously and he could feel the beat of her heart, pounding against her ribcage as she stopped directly in front of him.
From the balcony above, Han Solo watched with horror sitting in his stomach at the wonders of what would come next. He remained frozen as the tanned woman stopped in front of his son. He tried to look away, trying to save himself from the inevitable pain, but it was like looking at a car accident. No matter how bad it was, he couldn't seem to divert his gaze.
Arabella thought of Han and Leia, just for a second there, and wondered if they would be proud of her if she brought Ben home. Would they forgive him for all the pain he had brought to the galaxy? Would they open their arms for him, as she did now, and give Arabella the chance for a complete family—one that she had always craved?
"Take off that mask," the girl pleaded in a trembling voice.
"And what happens if I do?" Kylo Ren challenged, in the distorted tone Arabella had not yet got used to.
"I want to see your face again," she began, taking a daring step closer so their chests almost touched. "You were so beautiful."
A moment of silence passed through the large room before Kylo Ren finally unhinged his mask, taking it off and letting it fall to the ground. It landed on the rickety, metal bridge with a loud thud that echoed through the room like a villainous laugh.
His black hair moved in the soft wind, and a deep red glow sprawled across his face. He remained expressionless, even as he felt the girl's hand intertwine with his
"I'm not giving up on you—" she began but was cut off by Kylo.
"Don't try to bring me back. I already told you, that boy is gone," he said inhumanely. "He was weak and foolish, so I got rid of him. He's dead, Arabella."
"No, he's not," she stated with a slight edge in her tone. "I know he's not, otherwise, you would have already kill me. You wouldn't have let me go back on Jakku. You would have tortured me relentlessly until you got your stupid information. You would have seen that I am useless, and you would be killing me right now if Ben Solo was truly dead...but that hasn't happened. There's still good in you, Ben, I know there is, otherwise you wouldn't be holding my hand right now."
The boy sucked in a deep breath as the girl reached out with her free hand and placed it on his cheek. She traced her thumb over his freckles as she had in the torture chamber before, only this time, there were tears in his eyes.
Arabella let out a shaky breath before looking straight into his watery eyes. "You have killed and tortured so many innocent lives. You hurt my friends and you hurt me—all to no avail. Though choices were yours, you've been brainwashed by Snoke. You have become a monster, Ben, but the light...it still calls for you...it's still waiting for you. Just let it in, Ben, let me in, please."
Slowly, the man began to cry.
"Come on, Ben," she continued, biting her lip. "Just leave all this mess behind. Come home with me. Leia, Han—we all miss you. You're better than this. Snoke has you fooled. He wants you to believe that love makes you weak, but it doesn't. I love you Ben and I want you to come home with me."
She saw the cracks in his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. He was starting to her hear pleas.
His lips quivered as he blinked back the tears. Arabella stepped closer to him ever so slightly. "I don't know what to think. I am being torn apart," he confessed. "All I want is to be free of this pain."
"You can be," the girl promised. "Just walk away from this. Please."
"I know what I have to do but I don't have the strength to do it," he continued. He looked her deep in the eyes and Arabella's knees weakened at his stare. "Will you help me?"
She let out a relieved sigh and smiled. Finally, Ben Solo was returning to the surface. She watched Kylo Ren die before her. The darkness had not yet consumed him. There was still hope for him. She could bring him back to the light, the way Luke had to his father all those years ago.
"Yes," she whispered. "Anything."
She kept her eyes on the boy as he retrieved his lightsaber and held it in the small space between them. Happiness flushed her face as Kylo handed it to her.
"I would do anything for you," she smiled and his face shattered.
"I hope so," he mumbled.
Arabella's fingers twisted around the cool metal hilt of Kylo Ren's lightsaber. Though she wasn't even really holding it, it felt heavy in her hands, and she knew why. Everything that Kylo Ren was, all the darkness and the souls he had taken were trapped in that lightsaber. The entirety of the Dark Side had been consumed in that weapon, and she felt it crying out.
The sun drifted behind the clouds and the room turned dark. Suddenly, all Arabella could see was Ben's face, illuminated by the red lights.
"I love you, Ben Solo," she said it as if it were a promise and the look in her eyes told him that she would always be there by his side; watching, waiting for him to go home.
Her heart ached when he didn't say it back, but she didn't let the sadness consume her. She watched the mental battle playing in his mind as he debated the sides. Arabella saw just how unstable the man standing before her was, but knew it was time he made a decision.
Silence fell across the room and Arabella felt her heart beating vigorously. She waited for a long time, tightening her grip around the lightsaber.
Just for a second, she smiled, because peace had fallen over them.
But it didn't last for long, as within the blink of an eye, Kylo Ren ignited the sabre and pierced it into the girl's heart.
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i'm crying and thinking of the cure lyric "please stop loving me. i am none of these things"
