Reylo | We deserved better

The Dark and the Light Side

This is a thought I had while watching TROS for the second time and I thought that it would be a interesting part of Reys future story

This shot is set a few weeks after the ending of the first shot in this collection.

__________________________________________________________

"She will strike me down and pledge herself as a Sith.", an never ending echo followed those words Emperor Palpatine had spoken. Again and again and again she heard the words "as a Sith" in the distance, while staring at Palpatine. His old cruel face showed of a bright smile which almost made Rey shiwer. His yellow eyes locked with hers. "Kill me and my spirit will pass into you.", he repeated his words. "You know what happened. You can't escape me.", those last words ended in a laugh that caused Rey to scream.

Breathing heavily, her hair stuck to her sweaty forhead and her whole body shaking she sat in the bed. Tears builded up in her eyes, about to roll out and over her cheeks. It was the third night in a row that she had that dream. That she dreamed about that moment on Exegol, when she was close to killing Palpatine. The words he said. But the dream never showed what really happened in the end. That she did kill Palpatine. In her dream he just talked to her, told her that he would never leave her. And it scared Rey. She knew something was different inside of her since that day but until now she refused to think about it.
Something moved on her right side and a brief second later she felt a hand against her waist.
"Rey?", Bens voice was hoarse from the sleep but his eyes were fully awake, scooting over her body to make sure everything was okay. Even though he knew from the first second that she wasn't harmed at all physically, he sort of hoped for it. It was easier to deal with a wound on the outside than with one on the inside. He knew best.
"I'm sorry...", Rey muttered, holding his hand with hers. "It was just a dream.", it was hard for her to look into his eyes. To look at him, who had just found to himself, after so many years of inner conflicts and bad decisions and feeling as if one were in that same position now.
Now sitting upright Ben turned a bit around to look her straight into the face. "Tell me.", he simply said. He knew that something was wrong that went far deeper than "just a dream" and both of them knew that he wouldn't let go until she told him.
The brunette shook her head. "I... I don't know.", breathing heavily she looked up at him. "I'm dreaming about him.", she knew that she didn't have to say his name out loud. "Every night he repeats that his spirit passes to me, that I can't get rid of him.", a tear fell down her cheek and she squeezed her eyes shot. "I'm afraid he's right."
Ben hesitated for a moment. He reached for Rey and pulled her to his chest, holding her tight. "He is.", was the only thing he responsed and Rey froze. Her whole body stiffened before falling apart. He just held her while the tears ran down her face, onto his skin. It ripped his heart in half, seeing her like this. The strong, confident and irritating stubborn woman breaking down wasn't something he enjoyed to see.
It felt like an eternity until her sobs stopped and the dark haired man loosened his grib around her. His one hand grabbed her chin softly and forced her to look at him.
"He is right, Rey.", he repeated. She closed her eyes but he continued. "I felt it in the moment you came back. You were still Rey but there was something different.", he stroke one stand of hair out of her face. "The force inside of you felt different. It wasn't the almost pure light I've always felt. There was something darker within it. But not as dark that it would have changed who you are.", he paused, not sure if the words he was about to say even made sense, but it was the only logical thing he could think of. "I believe that you have both inside of you. The power of all the Jedi and all the Sith. The Light and the Dark Side."
Rey pulled away, shaking her head. "But that's not possible. You can't be both.", her voice pitched higher, implying that she was about to panic.
"Why not?", Ben simply asked. "What better balance could there be in one person than the same amount of both forces?", and it felt like the truth. Why should there always be to extremes, just the light or the dark, if both could be combined into one?
"I've never heard of something like that.", he continued as he looked at her, his fingers running over the skin of her face. "But we'll work it out."
"Together.", Rey answered, still not completely convinced but ready to accept that as a possibility. Even though it scared her to death, not knowing what exactly that meant.