Let the Light In

Chapter 70: Verge

Chapter 70: Verge

"Rey. Rey, it's time," Luke murmured, his face gaunt with worry.

Leia was not around.

Rey shook her head, the Force terror still stinging her mind's eye.

Oh, Force. Just when Rey had assumed the nightmares couldn't get any worse, the Force just had to prove her wrong, and she was naïve to think otherwise. Rey did her best to wipe away the stubborn bleariness in her eyes. Her body was lethargic, despite the urgency that wracked her mind. To see Ben-

Ben!

"Time? For what?" Her words were garbled through thick, numb lips, and she was honestly terrified of his answer.

How long had that nightmare been? For how long had she been prone on the bed?

There were only a million horrific things that it could be 'time' for, and Rey was not want to think into any that concerned Ben Solo.

"You can go see Ben. It's your turn."

Rey felt her entire being marginally ease at those words, but she wondered why Luke maintained his rueful expression. And 'her turn'? Rey supposed that meant he was still incarcerated. To be fair, it was not a surprise.

Rey regarded him apprehensively, "Luke...What happened?"

The old, resigned Jedi before her raked his artificial hand through his hair, then let it rest over his eyes with a shaky sigh.

"You should go see him, Rey. As soon as you can."

And she would, too, but Rey was not about to walk in blind.

"Please, Luke," Rey said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed to sit beside him, "Please don't hide anything from me. I can gather that I was...asleep...for a while. Something happened."

He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Luke."

With an infinitesimal shake of his head, Rey could feel that he had no resolve to resist her much farther. Rey placed a hand on his shoulder, and that was all it took to shatter Luke's will.

"He'd want to tell you himself, I suppose," Luke said, just above a whisper, "Despite Leia's best efforts, as well as myself, and Maz, and Chewbacca... Even Finn and Poe sent a few words. We all tried...You, you were struggling so much when you arrived...We felt it best to just let you rest, considering the Senators would only have targeted you had you been present-"

He was rambling, but Rey could be patient, despite the rising alarm in her throat.

"-It's been a day, and we tried Rey, I promise you we tried-"

At the mention of a day, Rey knew she most definitely could not be patient.

"Luke, what happened?"

A day.

One full day.

"-The verdict from Braam just came in, and we haven't had much time to think of a response," he carried on, seemingly ignoring her, or else avoiding the point, "-Leia felt it prudent you be woken up, even though you are far from the stability Maz and myself think you should have to deal with-"

Rey supposed she should be angry at them for leaving her out of the loop, just on their whim, but there were far more pressing matters on her mind and Luke Skywalker was not answering her most pointed question.

"Luke," Rey lost her cool, "What happened?"

He met her eyes then, unable to avoid it any longer. Rey could feel her chest clench with the apologetic compassion that welled in his gaze, along with too much pain.