UPDATE: Sorry about the awful format of the story earlier!
"You nervous?" Anderson asked Rey, watching her tug at the sleeves of her blazer. "Hey, it doesn't matter how supposedly accomplished opposing counsel is; our case is rock solid."
"It's not that. It's not him. It's just- Am I really supposed to just sit quietly the whole time?" Rey avoided Anderson's gaze, speaking to her documents as she re-arranged them.
"Relax, kid. You're second chair, so just do as we discussed. Hand me documents when I need them, and take notes." Anderson's tone grated on Rey. She grit her teeth. "Luke trusts you, which is why you're here."
Before Rey could reply, the courtroom door opened and two lawyers strode in. The first wore a grim black suit and a sneer. "Mr. Hux," Anderson called, reaching over to shake the man's hand. "It's been awhile."
"Anderson," was Mr. Hux's curt acknowledgement, before he turned away.
"Ben Solo." Anderson spoke to the second man. Though his voice was steady, Rey noticed Anderson's death grip on the edge of their counsel table. "But it's Kylo Ren now, isn't it?"
Kylo Ren didn't bother to reply as his eyes slid from Anderson's to Rey's.
Before their eyes had locked, Rey thought Kylo Ren could've passed off as any one of the lawyers she'd met since she started working for Luke; he was quite ordinary in that sense. He looked like the typical New Yorker raised in privilege: slick, brooding, and authoritative.
Yet, there was something else, something more. There was something churning in his eyes, two black holes, something dangerous.
. . .
The preliminary hearing began. Police officers ushered in the defendant, Erebus Snoke. Hux began whispering to him immediately, though he paid little heed. An old man with pale skin and an expressionless face, Snoke had somehow managed to convince hundreds of poor Americans in New York that he was their salvation. He'd used them, sucked away their lives and ruined them.
It's up to Anderson and I to put him in jail, Rey thought. She wasn't proud, wasn't afraid, just filled with a grim determination to do what was right.
Anderson began speaking, introducing just a fraction of the evidence that he was absolutely sure would damn Snoke. His confidence seeped into every word he said, every motion he made. Rey knew she should've been the same as him; after all, the case they were developing was unsinkable. And yet…
"Your Honor," Kylo Ren glanced at Anderson and Rey before fixing his eyes on the judge. Rey listened as he started up, watching as Hux smirked and leaned back in his seat. A horrible realization hit her.
"Anderson," Rey whispered. "Anderson, I don't know why, but I think they want to deliberately stumble and do poorly here so the case moves from the preliminary hearing to an actual trial."
Anderson shrugged, not paying much attention to her. Rey tried again, but Anderson ignored her once more.
Knowing that convincing Anderson was hopeless, Rey frowned and attempted to piece things together herself.
"There's something coming," Rey murmured.
Sure enough, the judge set a trial date. Kylo Ren's face remained impassive, but Hux's smirk grew wider. Rey sighed as she began putting away her things.
. . .
Rey was walking towards the subway station when a limo pulled up beside her. She didn't turn to see who it belonged to, because instinctively, she knew who it was.
"You look like you could use a ride." Kylo Ren's voice still startled her anyway. Rey tried not to show it as she kept walking.
"Looks can be deceiving." Rey replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm guessing you're going to take public transportation instead?" Kylo Ren almost sounded amused. "I can't hurt you, you must realize that. If you ended up dead, they'd know immediately that it was me. Hux currently has an alibi."
She ignored him.
"Really, I wouldn't be able to even lay a finger on you." Kylo Ren tried again.
Rey swiveled to face him. "What's your deal? You don't even know who I am! Do you not see how weird, how creepy it is for you to ask me to get into your limousine? Am I expected to believe that you want to give me a ride because you're some kind of a selfless saint? After what you did to your own father? There's no way something like this could ever end well for me."
Though Kylo Ren's face remained passive, Rey thought she saw his jaw clench. Had she made him angry? Good, she thought savagely.
Kylo Ren was silent, his eyes still trained on hers. She stared back defiantly.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"Who are you?" It almost seemed like he was asking himself.
Rey turned and walked away.
NOTES:
Anderson is an OC that I've invented. He doesn't actually exist.
I'm sorry if I get any law stuff wrong. I'm working off of mock trial, google, and The Good Wife.
This is super short so far and it seems like there isn't really much happening, but please. Bear with me. It'll get better.
That's about it! I'm super excited about this and my new trash OTP. Hope you enjoy :)