Did you mean it?
The voice saunters into Ben's mind as he dresses in the morning. Luke left two weeks earlier.
Mean what? he responds, shirt in his hands. He needs to stay calm.
You'd trade yourself for her.
Yes. Yes, I meant it. The Light twinges inside him, warning him, but Ben doesn't care. If his life, if his goodness and his happiness, can buy Rey her freedom, buy their child from a life under Snoke's foot, he'll trade it. He'll give anything.
Because it's a tempting proposition, Snoke answers. It might just save Rey, and your baby.
You'd let her go?
No. I would let you raise the child. From the Dark Side.
That's not really raising their child, Ben knows. They'd be puppets, Snoke's dancing dolls.
Fine, Snoke sneers. You saw how lonely she is. Show her once more that her loved ones will always abandon her. That may well suit my own purposes.
No! Ben swallows, forcing himself to act normal, act normal, don't clue anyone in, as he slips his shirt over his head.
You still hope your friends in the Resistance will rescue her, Snoke purrs. How sweet. And how like you. How ignorant. You know, in your heart, that if you haven't found the slightest trace of her yet, you won't find her. Not in time.
Where are you? Ben asks directly.
Snoke howls with laughter, and Ben doubles over, pretending to adjust his belt with his shaking fingers.
Nice try. If you go out further in the Outer Rim, though, I think I can assure you that we will pick you up.
And Snoke whisks himself away, leaving Ben to ponder his choices.
Rey will kill him. He knows she will.
But he can't let Snoke do to her what he did to Ben. Or to their child.
With Luke gone on some quest to find a space pirate, Ben doesn't know what other choices he has. It's been weeks since Luke left. Rey will be what, almost seven months now? He doesn't have much time.
"Good morning!" sings Finn as he strolls through the door. "Ben? You okay?"
Ben nods. Inside, something latches into place. He's made his decision. "Finn? Why don't we practice outside today?"
YOU ARE READING
•LEGACY - A Reylo Story•
Fanfic*WRITTEN PRE-TROS, POST TLJ* When a ship crashes near the Resistance base, Finn and Poe are shocked to discover Kylo Ren. What does he want? And where is Rey? And as for Kylo, he must decide how much he can trust them with what he knows about Snoke...
