Recoil

She shot up, sniffling, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yes, who is it?" She asked the visitor, drying off her face with the back of her hand. She could not let anyone see her crying. She did not want anyone to see such a fragile moment. She has never cried from such heartfelt pain. This was raw and new to her. She had no idea what to do with herself with the recoil of their connection. All Rey knew is that she must be strong. Not let this affect her. Not letting the dark drag her into a downward spiral as Kylo Ren had only moments ago. Rey was distraught.

"Rey? It's Leia. May I come in?" Rey shot from her bed and raced to the door. She opened the heavy wooden door to Leia, she looked disturbed and highly concerned. Leia had sensed something terrible through the Force. She could feel the violence thrashing through the Force, knowing it was her son and Rey who was involved. She just felt it deep in her bones that she had to find Rey and get some answers from her. Rey moved aside, gesturing for Leia to come in. She saw Rey's raw, red nose and that her eyes were swollen from crying. Leia's heart dropped at the sight, a dire need to know what had happened. Rey shut the door softly to her bedchambers as Leia gracefully strode into the room. Rey, embarrassed at her disheveled appearance tried to straighten her clothes and smooth back the flyaway pieces of hair. Her hands lightly drifted over her sore neck. The soft bruises were burning into her. Could Leia see them? Would she even ask Rey to explain the true nature of the markings?

"Rey, are you all right? I sensed trouble and came running. I did not know what had happened to you, only the sensed the violence." Leia asked concerned about Rey's fragile state. Rey cleared her throat and straightened her shirt as if to gain some false sense of composure. Leia waited patiently as Rey tried to come up with a way to explain such a terrifying moment. "Ben is fighting within Kylo Ren, there is still Light in him, General. I can sense it every time I see him. But today, I sensed that he was slipping into a dark spiral. I reached out through our bond to find him bloodied and in a state of rage. I could sense through our bond that Snoke can still reach out from beyond the dead and torture his mind, to fracture him further. Ben is strong, Leia, but the rage and pain within Kylo Ren is stronger" Rey reported to General Organa that Ben was still fighting. It gave her hope that her son could return home to her soon. When Leia did not reply to Rey, she kept going.

"He believed that when I appeared to him, that I was some type of evil trick of his mind. He was driven to his breaking point by whatever Snoke had shown him. He attacked me," Rey gestured to her throat, pointing out the soft bruises that lay there. "But I showed him who he could be, in the future and he just fell to the ground, crying." Leia's mouth dropped open at the information that Rey had laid out to her. Her heart panged with hurt. Unable to speak, she closed her eyes to imagine a happy little boy. Her boy. Leia's hand rested on her chest as a pang shot out again. What was she to do? She could not bring him here. Could She? It felt too risky for her son to come to Ahch-To, but maybe if he does then Rey and Leia could keep a watchful eye on Ben and Kylo Ren's inner fight.

"Leia, what do I do? I know that I cannot turn away from him because I know he needs someone more than anything right now. It was the look in his eyes as his hands clutched my throat that terrified me, making me doubt his ability to come back from the Dark. I was so scared. I felt my lungs gasping for air. Leia, I need your help. I cannot go to anyone else with this. I am alone." Rey's voice was shaking as she relived the experience, looking at Leia for guidance. Leia stood there looking at the child, her eyes saddened and scared as they stare at Leia's concerned face. Her lips pressed into a tight line. Rey was waiting in earnest for Leia's response, so scared and confused. Rey could feel tears swelling back in her eyes as her chest tightens.

"Rey, we both know that Kylo Ren is troubled by his past. Unable to let go of his pain and suffering. We must bring him to balance, somewhere in between, grey. I don't know if Ben could ever truly come out of Kylo Ren, but we can try to show him where he can coexist in the middle. I do not know if he could fully return to the Light, but I know he is able to balance his call of the Dark. I urge you, Rey, to be patient and let the Force guide you. It is as the Force wills. It will always seek balance. I believe this is why you two, forged at opposite ends of the spectrum, have been bonded together. It comes down to you and the Ben inside Kylo Ren to restore the balance of the galaxy,"

"When Anakin Skywalker, my father, killed the last of the Jedi Masters and the Padawans, the scales tipped. When my brother and I were born, again the Force sought to restore balance. But when Ben turned into Kylo Ren, Luke felt the era of the Jedi needed to come to an end. Luke shut himself off to the Force, causing the power of Kylo Ren to be unleashed on the galaxy unchecked. That is where you come in, Rey. You were born when Kylo Ren began to slip further into the grasp of the Dark side. Rey, he needs you. The galaxy needs you. The will of the Force wills you to answer its call to rise to the challenge." Leia just laid out the ultimate words of wisdom, as if the Force just spoke through her. Leia brought her delicate hands around Rey's calloused ones, bringing her eyes to Rey's face whose sight was cast downward to the dark stone floor. The pause in Leia's word forced her to look at Leia's eyes that searched Rey's face.

Rey felt reassured by the General and felt a wave of newfound confidence wash over her, but still questioning what steps she needed to take to achieve the reality that Leia spoke of. She clasped Leia's hands tighter as the question rose out of her. "But Leia, how can I get him to a place of balance? I struggle too with its call." Rey asked as her shoulders slumped over slightly. Leia did not know what else to say to Rey, knowing her eyes are searching her eyes for answers. "We must think about this. We will have a private meeting in my chambers later," Leia gave a little squeeze to Rey's hands lightly as she lets them go. "Now, go, get some food, I am sure Finn would love to see you." Rey nodded as the General turned towards the door, walking out.

Rey walked into the attached bathroom, leaning herself against the grey stone vanity as she stared down at her bare feet. Rey took a deep breath as her head rose to meet herself looking back in the mirror. Her hair was falling out of place and was loose. Her eyes were swollen and red and her nose felt raw. She stared herself in the eyes, trying to think of how things had spiraled so quickly. Rey straightened her posture as she pulled her day-old clothes off, setting them in a simple grass-woven basket. Her naked body laid out in front of her in the reflection of the mirror. She could not look at herself, she shamefully averted her eyes. The cold stone rippled through her feet as she walked over to a fresh pile of clothes laid out for her on the small table at the entryway. Picking up the beige vest that was made of a thin linen material. She draped it into the crook of her elbow, taking her free hand and lowering to pick up the remaining white long sleeve shirt that has cuts out at the shoulder, and the black form-fitting pants.

Rey dressed layer by layer, pulling each layer onto her body. She pulled the wide brown leather belt to her waist and cinched it tight to keep her tunic in place. Rey loosened her hair from the slack knots and the thick, brown hair fell in waves past her shoulders. She raked her fingers through her thick strands, combing out the knots slowly letting it calm her. Rey satisfied that her hair was smoothed, she pulled her hair into three knots. Her mind was beginning to clear and her thoughts began to calm, the hectic situation fell away from her.

Rey made her way to the heavy wooden door and opened it to a sunlit stone corridor. Stepping out into the hall she took an immediate left out of the entryway, she followed the long wall of rough stone, dragging the pads of her fingertips along the textured walls. Her arm dragged behind her as she found her way to the wrapping staircase. Her arm dropped to her side as her feet land on the ground floor. Life was all around. Various members of the Resistance filling the halls, walking with purpose as they carry out their tasks at hand. Watching them all around her she felt a sense of reassurance and purpose of her role in the fight to restore the Galactic Republic. She nodded internally as she began to make her way to the mess hall. Stepping through the large open archway she spotted her friends convening at a long, aged wooden table that looked to seat thirty on its' long benches. Finn's eyes caught Rey standing in the large stone archway and signaled her over to them. A smile touched her lips as she strode to the table with Finn, Rose, Poe, and BB-8 at their feet.

"Rey!" Finn called as she approached the table. Placing her hands on the edge of the table as she swung her legs one by one over the wooden bench. She sat to the left of Finn, at the edge of the group. "Rey, we were just talking about you. Where have you been? You have been a recluse since you got back. We are worried about you." the others gave small sounds of agreement as they nodded, staring at her waiting for an explanation to why their friend has been completely confined to her bedchamber. "I am fine, I promise. I have just been going through something that takes time to process. I don't even know where to begin to explain what has and is happening." She said as her eyes glanced over each of her friend's eyes. Poe piped up. "Rey, whatever you are going through, whether you want to talk about it or not, you have trust that we are here for you." BB-8 beeped in agreement with Poe. Rey reached for a piece of pre-sliced bread that sat in the middle of the table. "I don't want you to see me differently…" Rey trailed as she tore a piece of bread off and started to chew the bread.

"Rey… we are your friends. Nothing could ever change the way we see you. You are a badass who comes through time and time again." Rose replied, reaching a tender hand across the table towards Rey. Rey swallowed her bread. Torn between telling them about her intimate ties to the most infamous man in the galaxy. Knowing how each and every one of them have been deeply affected by them. Finn, the most obvious left with a rigid scar down his spine. Poe, captured and most likely tortured for information, then there is Rose. Her sister died fighting in the attack on the Mandator. All deeply affected by this man. Her mind tells her that now is not the time. The Resistance is still recouping from Hux's fury. "Trust me when I say that now is not the time. Let me gain some more footing before I have the words to even try to explain this situation." Her friends stare at her, knowing that the matter should be dropped.

"Now, this food looks delicious. Let's eat." Rey says, with a smile spreading across her face. Her friends laughed and began to eat. Enjoying their time together, for Rey and the others, for the first time in ages. Rey needed this time to just laugh and enjoy her friend's company, trying to escape the heavy cloud of Kylo Ren. It has been a month since she has been out of her chambers, only ever coming out to eat while no one was around. Trying to avoid anyone's inquisitive stares. But, this, her loved ones gathered around, enjoying food, talking, laughing feels just like what she needed.

"Did you hear about Kylo Ren?" Rey almost spits out the water out of her mouth at Rose's abrupt question. Fearing what may come next, she sets her cup down slowly on the wooden table silently. Not wanting to draw attention to her reaction. "No, what happened?" Poe asked, his eyebrows pushed together as he lifted his fork to his mouth, taking the bite into his mouth. Rey's heart began to quicken as the silence began to stretch into an eternity. She could feel the adrenaline as it began to pump through her veins. She balls her hands, letting her trimmed nails sink into the soft flesh in hopes that it would serve as a distraction to her state of anxiety.

"I cannot believe you haven't heard yet. It is all over the HoloNet. Seriously, guys, you need to stay informed. Anyhow, General Hux gave a statement saying that Kylo Ren is now the number one enemy against the entire galaxy and he must be brought the First Order. Kylo Ren has a pretty hefty price over his head of one million credits. Hux said that he is the one responsible for the death of the former Supreme Leader and must be brought to justice. Dead or alive." Rey knew that Kylo had killed Snoke, but she knew that he laid the blame on her. The First Order, to the best of their knowledge, was lying about Snoke's death. Hux wanted the First Order for himself, willing to kill its successor for it.