In a stark white room, Kylo stood above a case upon a table. The Resistance had provided him with the room, for his brief time he'd be with them. He'd been surprised at the offer when he'd attempted to return to his ship. This room was near Dr Kalonias' residence and the medical bay, and that was reflected by its outwardly appearance-clean and sterile. It suited Kylo's needs which were solitary confinement; he had no desire to mingle with members of the Resistance. Kylo had laid the case he'd brought from the Finalizer upon the table and opened it. The cover split in half and parted slowly downwards with a mechanical hum. Inside were the scorched remnants of his grandfather's helmet. Except Darth Vader had never really been his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker the man who'd saved his son and overthrown his master, that was his real grandfather. This helmet should have no hold over him, but his memories of that voice calling to him, showing him his path, speaking to him of his desires was hard to forget. The doors of the room hissing open made him shut the case abruptly. Kylo knew Rey was the one at the door before she barged through it.

"Ben.."

"Please stop calling me that," he cut her off, without turning to look at her.

She sighed, annoyed at him.

"That is the name of your true self; you've only forgotten."

"No." He turned to face her now. "I've not forgotten. I know exactly who I am. I am not Ben Solo. I have not turned, and I never will. I will always be of the dark. This is who I am."

They were close to each other, their conversation more of a heated argument without raised voices. Kylo hated that Rey did this, that she could do this. Cause him to question everything, get under his skin.

"You aren't Kylo Ren either. You're not wholly of the dark. You are of the light too fractured, split. You always have been."

He paused, considering a moment, she was right.

"I'm both, and I'm neither."

"The resolving of Grey through refined Jedi sight," she replied, it was what Suncas had said on Pasaana. His mouth gave the slightest twitch of a smile, but Rey saw it and openly smiled back. She took a step closer to him so that he stood above her peering down at her.

"You can't fix me, Rey."

"No, I can't only you can do that, but I learnt to do two things well on Jakku. One was to fix broken things. The other was to wait. I will wait for you to fix yourself."

No matter their impassioned positions in such close proximity to each other any argument verbal or otherwise couldn't be maintained. Their physical battles had always hinted at this lack of desire to cause real harm to the other because of this connection between them. it would be like hurting yourself. Being around each other gave such solace, relief though it seemed Rey was not giving up on the subject entirely. She reached out, brushing his fingers with her own. Electricity flickered and sparked between them as skin touched.

"Leia wants to see you."

"No."

"Ben..," she began again.

"No," he harshly cut her off again, stepping back from her, "I cannot give her that. Hope of my return, my turning back to the light, a reunion. I can't do that; it's not fair."

"But you have returned," Rey pleaded.

"No. I'm working with you, but I do not belong here or with the Resistance. I do not belong anywhere."

She stepped forwards now closing the space between them placing her hand upon his chest. Through her fingers, he could feel that electric tingle, the opposite sides of the Force sparking at their physical contact. She gazed up into his face, imploringly and it made his breath hitch in his throat.

"I do not belong here either, not really. I'm apart from even my closest friends- Finn Rose, Poe, Chewie all of them."

Kylo looked down at her feeling a confusing mixture of emotions in the Force, and he struggled to read her face.

"You're afraid, but not of me."

Rey was looking at her hand upon his tunic, her breath shuddering as though she were cold. Kylo watched her trying to read what she was trying to comprehend and explain, concern etching his features.

"I'm afraid of what I feel around you, how I feel when I'm with you," she paused closing her eyes embracing her feelings her fingers spreading slightly upon his chest. "I feel whole. Being with you, around you gives me such comfort, relief. Like.."

"Belonging," Kylo finished her sentiment.

She nodded.

"Because of who I am, what I am? Is that why it frightens you?"

She opened her eyes and gazed at him hurt that he should think that was why, "No."

"Then, why?"

"Everyone keeps telling me they know me. No one does."

Kylo rested his hand upon her jaw as his thumb traced her cheekbone.

"But I do."

She nodded at him as her eyes welled with tears. Their eyes locked onto each other. Their connection through their bond had silenced their surroundings, and the Force between them hummed with raw, powerful energy. Tentatively Kylo closed the gap between them lost in her beautiful, fierce eyes until he closed his and bent to touch his lips to hers in a tender caress. It was only a moment, but within that moment, there was a deepening of shared emotion, almost an eternity as their minds became one through the Force.

"I feel it too," he whispered against her lips as she pressed against him, and with his other hand, he pulled her closer. Their sweet kiss lingered and deepened, and said everything they had wanted to say to each other but had denied out of fear; no more hiding, no more fear.

"Am I interrupting something?"

They pulled away from each other embarrassed as Leia stood in the doorway, smiling knowingly.

"Leia, I'll give you two some privacy," Rey said as she excused herself, but Kylo grasped her hand, hiding his face from his mother with the other.

"I won't go far," Rey gave his hand a reassuring squeeze then pardoned herself as she exited behind Leia, offering a meek smile to her mentor as she did. Leia said nothing just stood quietly as her son refused to face her.

"I always knew you weren't gone, that I'd see you again."

He stood stiffly arms crossed tightly against his chest, not looking at her.

"Benjamin."

He lowered his head, submitting to her unspoken plea, she wasn't leaving, and he couldn't stand there avoiding her forever. Leia took a deep breath as he turned to look at her, and she failed to keep her serenity as she looked upon his face. He'd been a child when she'd last seen him, a willful teenager but still a child. A man stood before her now with the face of her son. His eyes burned with that same intensity a multitude of emotions visible within them.

"I didn't think it was possible you could get taller, but you have. You look so like him, your father." She gave a small shudder of grief. He turned away from her at that, and she watched his shoulders rise and fall heavy with pain.

"All I ever wanted was to be like him, a pilot, but he was afraid of me. Everyone was afraid of me, and then you sent me away."

She stepped towards him, turning him to face her, eyeing the severe scar that ran the full length of his face. Long hard years had impacted that mournful expression; pain, both physical and mental. Her son was literally and figuratively broken- torn asunder.

"I'm so sorry, Ben, that I failed to protect you from this, from the darkside, from Snoke."

"This," Kylo stated, pointing at his face," was Rey."

She shook her head.

"From the moment you were conceived, I felt the darkness pulling at you, Snoke hunting you. You were so powerful. I felt so ill-equipped to protect you from it. I was not strong enough," Leia pleaded.

"I never stood a chance. I was always theirs; it was inevitable." Kylo wasn't excusing her he did blame her: and his father but Palpatine and Snoke's manipulations would have always succeeded sooner or later.

"I thought that with my brother you'd be safe, that he'd be able to help you and protect you."

"He tried to murder me!" Kylo growled at her; now, he was angry.

Her reproachful face, however, made the growl end immediately.

"His greatest shame, that momentary lapse of judgement, but that's all it ever was Ben, he would never have harmed you. Never."

In the cave on Dagobah when Kylo had slain the vision of Luke out of anger and fear, it had been Snoke telling him of his Uncle's murderous intent. Snoke who'd told him his Uncle had feared his power. Had Luke meant to murder him? Had Snoke planted that idea? Had he been manipulated? Did he know the truth of anything? Leia watched this series of questions and emotions flicker across her son's face, but that was all it was, a flicker before he regained control. He was trying to shut down his emotions, and as a mother, Leia felt a necessary lesson was in order.

"It doesn't matter. It's the past and Skywalker is gone," Kylo answered back coldly.

Leia sighed and cocked her head, "No, he's not gone. He'll always be with you, like your father, like me."

Grief struck Kylo's face for just a moment before she watched him squash it down.

"I'm a monster. I've tortured, murdered, done unspeakable things...."

"Yes. Yes, you have. You have done monstrous things, but you are not a monster. You are my son, and you always will be. You will always have my love, always."

"Even when I dishonour you?" Kylo snarled at her angrily trying to get her to admit something that would never be true, before looking down at the floor in shame. Leia placed her hand upon his scared face, feeling the roiling emotions beneath.

"Especially then. Always."

His head shot up unbelieving of her statement before he collapsed into her embrace, and she held him. It was a strange reconciliation. To Leia, she felt as though she was holding that precious tiny baby, that scared little boy, not the towering figure of a man; they were all her son, and finally she had him back. When the embrace ended, they sat together.

"What is it that you're fighting for Ben?"

He looked at her, confused.

"The destruction of Palpatine. The legacy of the Skywalkers is to defeat the greatest evil there has ever been; Darth Sidious."

Leia smiled at him, amused.

"Your grandfather killed his master for the love of his son; your father became a General, helped bring about the fall of an empire because of his love for me. Your Uncle Luke, redeemed his father Darth Vader, the most feared and hated Sith that ever was through love. Attachment, compassion, love they don't make you weak; they make you strong. Without them, there is nothing. Love is the only thing worth fighting for; so what is it you're fighting for Ben?"

He turned from her abashed at her question.

"Do you feel for her, the way I think you do?"

He laid his head in his hands now his hair hiding his face.

"She loves you; I can see it. She doesn't know it's love, but it is."

He looked up startled searching her face. Leia smiled at him as she watched his emotions chase themselves across his face, felt the spikes in the Force that followed.

"Ah," she reached over and touched his face. "You do. You love her too. Use it; it'll give you strength you never dreamed possible. Love will give you the will to go on when all else has failed. Even the smallest candle can hold the darkness at bay, but love is more than a candle, love can ignite the stars."

Kylo sighed.

"Will you help me with something?" he asked her.

"Anything."

He stood and walked to the case upon the table, reopened it and removed the helmet. Leia instantly recognised that nightmarish form, misshapen and malformed as it was. She could never forget the countenance of Darth Vader and what she'd been subjected to at his hands.

"Where did you get that?" Leia asked, shocked.

"The apprentice of Supreme Leader Snoke has ways and means," Kylo answered. "After I destroyed Luke's templed and fled; I was obsessed. I wanted to be like him, as powerful as him. I hired a mercenary, she found it. It.. it showed me things, spoke to me."

"What do you mean?" Leia asked, concerned.

"I thought it was Anakin, guiding me, but it wasn't. It was Palpatine. He used my weakness, my desire to be as great as my grandfather, Darth Vader against me. I was such a fool."

Leia smiled understandingly.

"Your grandfather was redeemed when he saved Luke and with his death; this is just a helmet, nothing more."

"I know. I want to destroy it. I need to destroy it. To let the past die, to become what I was meant to be. Will you help me?"

"Of course. We'll do it together."

Leia considered it was only fitting that the helmet undergo the same fate it had had the first time she'd said farewell to her father, Darth Vader. Within the jungle of Yavin Four a small fire burned and within the depths of that fire, the malformed mask of Darth Vader burned anew. Smoke dark and billowing rose from the fire as though the evil that had swayed her son also burned. She hoped that was the case, but she knew harder times were ahead of him. He knew the truth now about the helmet, but that presence was now physical and leading the First Order- Letan Nex. What gave Leia comfort and courage was that her son stood beside her watching those flames. The darkness she'd always felt in him had faded, ever-present but different now and beside him holding his hand was Rey. What Leia could feel in the Force now was unlike anything she'd ever known. The Resistance and the Rebellion had only ever had a small chance against the Galatic Empire, and its spawn the First Order. Leia felt emboldened, the two of them together would defeat the Sith and the war would be over once and for all. Darth Sidious would meet his match in her son and the scavenger at his side. The legendary Skywalker bloodline would rise once more, and this time, just as before with Luke, the galaxy would be saved.