Rey had been trapped in the rubble of the collapsed cave for two days now. Her leg had been thoroughly broken in the fall as the passing First Order strafe nailed the surface of the planet the Resistance had been doing reconnaissance on. At first she'd been concerned, terrified of their potential losses, but her communicator had been just as thoroughly broken in the collapse as her leg was and for two days she'd sat there, half pleading to anything out there that might hear her that the Resistance would find her and get her out of this place.

She was no stranger to broken bones- she'd had her fair share when she was younger and still learning to scale large Destroyers. The wrong step or slipped foot could kill you- broken bones were just getting off easy. But her leg had been crushed by the falling rubble and every time she thought about it, she cursed herself for thinking the rocky formation was enough to shield her from enemy fire.

She wasn't very familiar with caves after all.

What she could assess was that her leg was broken in multiple places and that made it a challenge. There wasn't really very much to splint it with, so she had used the force to wiggle out smaller rocks to her to try and make a set of sturdy walls to press on either side of her leg. It was less than useless, but at least for a few hours it had given her something to do, and one particular rock pull, which she was unable to recreate, had opened up a hole big enough to let a nice shaft of light through.

The only stroke of luck was that the cave had a slow drip-drip-drip of water pooling in a small naturally formed basin nearby that she used to drink from and stir in one of the few ration packs she habitually kept on her. Old habits died hard, and when she thought back to how her friends had kindly teased her about it, saying she didn't need to do that anymore, she was thanking her lucky stars that she'd ignored them or else she'd be starving to death.

Even so, her rations were running out- she seemed to need to eat so much more now- and her leg was looking worse by the hour, that her mind had started to become desperate.

Why haven't they found me yet? she thought vehemently.

…What? she heard a voice in her head reply.

Rey grew extremely still. Her eyes went wide, and cautiously, almost afraid of what she would find, she looked at either side of her. Nothing. She let go a sigh.

"Well that was weird," she said aloud, voice echoing gently off the walls.

She huffed suddenly and leaned back against the cave wall, scratching her arm. Her jacket was scuffed from the accident, but at least it still kept her warm.

That'll come in handy, she thought, when I start to go into shock.

She looked down the length of her body at her battered leg, tried to move it slightly, but bit down on her lip to stifle a whimper.

Why would you go into shock? the voice in her head said again.

It was definitely masculine. And almost practiced in how stoic it was. Her eyes wide again, she prodded in her mind.

….who's this? she ventured.

Who do you think? it bit off at her and she gasped.

"Nooo, no, no, no," she said aloud incredulously, trying to prop herself up better without disturbing her leg.

Are you really getting snippy with me inside my own mind, Kylo Ren? she snapped back. She could almost feel his smirk. Did feel his smirk. This was very odd.

Your mind? Don't you mean trespassing into mine? he replied with slight amusement and she curled her lip.

Hardly. What do you want?

Nothing at all. You're the one who came to me.

I did no such thing!

Rey frowned. She hadn't come to him. Thinking back, all she'd done was wonder when she'd be found, when the Resistance would finally come for her. They were coming, right? Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation that was akin to someone else other than her thinking.

You did, he finally said back. So what's the matter?

This surprised her. He was actually interested? Or was it just a ploy to get information? Her mind was racing. She wanted so desperately to get out of this gods-forsaken cave, but at what cost? If Kylo Ren could get her out, would it be worth it? He'd probably be saving her life- was this something she really wanted him to have over her? Or would he just come in to finish the job and kill her where she sat? Wouldn't it be better to just stay silent and take her chances and wait for the Resistance? She gingerly bit her lip.

I can sense your feelings, he said suddenly. You're clearly injured. What's happened?

Rey grew tense and pressed her lips together. That detail was no longer something to protect at least, she guessed.

It was your bomb squad, she replied. I got caught in the strafe. Falling rubble broke my damn leg.

Silence. She gave a tight smile to the empty space around her as the tiny shafts of light able to penetrate her tomb began to fade away and she was left more and more in darkness. She hated it and pulled her jacket closer.

How bad is it? she felt him say suddenly.

Pretty bad.

But your medics have taken care of it, yes?

This time it was her turn to pause. What should she tell him? Should she lie? By whatever means they were communicating, where he could supposedly feel her thoughts, could she even get away with a lie? The light had nearly fled from the cave completely and she sat there, subsumed in darkness, and she sighed as she faced the third cold night stranded. If she sat another day here like this, her leg would begin to go completely bad, infection spreading. She only knew a little about the consequences of that, but it never ended well. Sometimes the limb would have to be cut off, and—

Rey.

She swallowed hard.

Yes?

Answer honestly- are you in trouble?

She sighed. She hated this so much. As her face twisted into fearful tears, she covered her mouth with her hand and bumped her head against the smooth rock behind her.

"Yes," she said both internally and aloud, her voice tinged with the distress of everything that had happened catching up with her. Salvation was so close, but did it have to come in the form of him? Was it really salvation then?

There was silence. For several minutes Rey heard nothing and she thought maybe he'd decided her situation was a good thing and he'd just leave her there. The idea made her grind her teeth.

Where are you? he came back suddenly.

Rey closed her eyes. This was it, wasn't it? The moment where she had to choose. She still bitterly hated this.

Why should I tell you? she shot back. She could almost hear him sigh in something like exasperation.

If you've been sitting on a broken leg since that attack, you need a medic. That attack was days ago, Rey.

I know how long ago it was!

This time it was her turn to huff. The chill overtaking the cave seemed worse tonight, too. She wasn't sure if it had been this cold the night before or if she was just imagining it. Or if her body was finally starting to fail her. She shivered, frowning deeply as she tried to snuggle into her thin coat, when a radiating warmth seemed to drip down the back of her neck and spread slowly through her body. She couldn't help but sigh at the sudden relief.

Rey… she heard him again, but she was too busy relishing the warmth. Tell me where you are and I will consider it a neutral encounter.

She heard him but only half comprehended him.

And if you don't start listening I'll let you freeze again.

Her eyes flashed open. This feeling was him?He was keeping the cold at bay? Rey's heart pounded for a moment- she had no idea what to make of any of this, his help or his offer.

Why would you help me? she finally answered.

Because I'd rather not see you dead, came his simple reply.

She found herself chewing on her lip again.

What about the First Order? Why should I trust you?

She felt a bit itchy all the sudden and wasn't sure if it was him or her.

Let me worry about that, but you have my word, if you let me assist you, no harm will come to you.

How good was the word of a murderer? She sighed. Him, or her leg? At least with two legs, she stood a chance of escape.

Fine, she said decidedly. Now she was sure she could definitely feel his excitement. I'm still on the planet, she continued reluctantly. I was taking cover in a cave when it took fire and collapsed. I'm…honestly not entirely sure where I am other than that.

She felt a wave of comfort flow through her and it almost made her want to cry again. It's alright, his voice soon followed. It's enough. Wait for me.

Rey nodded to the empty cave, held on as tight as she could to the sensation of comfort he offered her, and slipped into sleep.

—

Rey awoke in a cold sweat to the clattering of stones at the cave's mouth and the unmistakable hiss of Kylo Ren's lightsaber. Her breath felt tight and shallow in her chest, but she was too caught up in the sight of the red glare trying to pry its way through the rubble.

"Stand back!" she heard a mechanized voice shout and she frowned.

Why did he bring others? He said… her thoughts slipped away from her as her head swam and she slid down the wall of the cave, her cheek pressing against the gravelly floor. There was a rumbled and light flooded into the darkness.

"Rey!" she heard the voice call again, and she could hear the crunch of footsteps and felt hands at her shoulders as she was suddenly propped up against something solid and warm.

"You!" the modulated voice called out again. "Get to work!"

There was a hiss and then something clattered to the ground as a more familiar voice took over. "Rey, can you hear me?"

Rey smiled lazily as she tried and failed to sit up. "Ohh, there he is!" she said with a slight chuckle, and she felt herself hauled upright. His hand was around her waist, and when she leaned back, she found herself propped against his torso. She watched as he tore off his glove and used his hand to feel her forehead and push back the tangle of hair from her face.

"Diagnosis?" he said breathily, still holding tight to her as her head slumped against his neck.

"It's as you suspected, sir. I should be able to reverse the damage, but I daresay if we had come a moment later—"

"I don't care about that," he barked. "Just get to work. Immediately."

Rey's eyes shifted to the medic as the older woman nodded obediently and pulled out an injection gun and applied it to Rey's destroyed leg. Rey hissed and she could feel his grip on her tighten.

"Shh," he said quietly, and he seemed to almost cradle her now. Rey noticed the medic taking side glances at the two of them and when her eyes met Rey's, Rey gave her a slight, tired smile. It seemed to ruffle the woman, and she never looked up again. Rey thought about laughing but it only came out as a cough instead.

What a sight we must be, she thought casually to herself.

It doesn't matter what we look like, she heard him reply almost instantly. What matters is that we stop the spread of infection.

Rey's brow flickered. Is it bad? she asked.

She felt his thumb brush against her cheek. Would you like me to lie to you or tell you the truth?

The medic was now pulling out a mean looking pair of splints and positioning them loosely around Rey's leg before looking back at Kylo Ren.

"I've numbed her and administered the anti-gang, but outside of a proper facility it's difficult for me to tell how effective it is. So if you could please, sir, keep the patient still…."

Kylo's eyes grew wide. "I am." he stated.

The medic pressed her lips together and stifled a sigh. "Yes, I can see that sir, but if you wouldn't mind bracing her leg…she really cannot be allowed to move for this to be done properly."

Kylo's nostrils flared as he reached over to push a firm hand down on her thigh. "Your commentary is unnecessary, MT-216—"

"Oh it's fine," Rey said rather loudly. Between the infection and the drugs, she wasn't entirely sure what was going on anymore but the last thing she wanted to hear was Kylo bickering. She turned her head against his shoulder to give the medic as big a smile as she could manage.

"Thank you," she said to the older woman earnestly. "for everything you're doing. I mean that." And she did mean it, even if she was drugged.

The medic frowned slightly at the thanks and tried to return the smile with a small one of her own, as much as she felt she could get away with with Kylo Ren breathing down her neck, but she soon saw his attention turned away from her and back to the girl.

Rey looked into Kylo's face as his body contorted to both hold her and press down steadily on her leg and she rested her head on his shoulder and took advantage of the moment to really look at him. The thin scar crossing his face was the most jarring. Oops, she felt herself say rather sheepishly, and suddenly his brows flickered into an annoyed scowl. She was about to laugh when suddenly she felt a tight, burning constriction around her leg and reflexively pushed herself back and gave a guttural yell.

She tried to pull her leg away but Kylo kept his grip firm and he growled as she almost slipped back and slammed into the cave wall. There was another jolt- a break setting into place- and he tugged her torso towards himself as she screamed into his shoulder. He closed his eyes, concentrating on holding her firm and also trying to shove some semblance of calm towards her through the force but it wasn't an emotion he was very good at anymore. When the third jolt setting the final break came, he found her arms had worked their way around his neck and he could feel her clawing into his shoulder blades as she cried out from the pain, and as he heard the medic call out from somewhere that it was all over, he felt himself breathing just as heavily as she was.

"I said it's over, sir. You can release her leg now. I'll administer more numbing and pain killers," the medic said calmly.

Kylo turned his head, as much as he could with Rey still clamped around him, and glared daggers at the woman. "Well maybe you should have thought about that BEFORE you did this!" he shouted, but he felt Rey's arms go tighter around him.

"N-no…" she gasped. He turned towards her instantly, letting up on her leg to wrap the arm across her back to hold her more thoroughly. "Don't…don't yell at her. It's my…my fault. Should never have…"

"Shhh," he found himself whispering awkwardly for the second time that day. "Not your fault. Maybe…maybe caves aren't the best place to hide out in. And maybe you should have reached out to me sooner, but—"

He felt a pinch between his shoulder blades and hissed. "Shush," he heard her say against his hair. He closed his eyes and sighed.

Carefully, he reached up and pulled her arms down from around him, shifted himself to lean back against the stone wall, and pulled her down to rest against his side. Instinctively she tucked her head against his neck and he felt a strange sensation pass over him as her hand clutched at his tunic over his chest.

"Is it all over now?" she asked quietly. Kylo looked down at her and then over at the medic who gave him a nod.

"Yes," he replied, carefully brushing a thumb against her arm.

"Thank you."

He tensed. "What did you say?"

Rey sigh and tried to wiggled up to his shoulder to look up at him. "I said thank you."

He looked down at her and Rey could feel his breath on her lips and she smiled sleepily. Maybe all this will prove to be a terrible idea later, but for now? Her leg was being fixed, and for once in this stupid cave, she wasn't cold. The view, she decided, wasn't bad either. Maybe that was the drugs, though.

The medic came over and held out a blanket.

"That will be all for now," he said as he took it, and the commandeering edge returned to his voice. "You may go back to the transport and await my orders. We are still observing radio silence- no transmissions of any kind without my express permission." he stated. The woman nodded and left. Kylo watched as she passed through the mouth of the cave, and as soon as her figure disappeared he turned back to see a smiling Rey still lazing against his shoulder.

He looked down at her and his brows knit briefly together. "You're welcome," he said in a half whisper, and as her smile widened, he felt something tug at the corner of his own mouth as well.

He used his free hand to unfurl the blanket and wrap it tightly around her and Rey sighed trying to hide her amusement as he made sure there weren't any draughts in his work, before tucking her carefully against him. Pain-free and warm, Rey drifted off quickly into sleep.

—

She started with a jolt. It was pitch black, and somehow, she was on the ground, but there was something soft beneath her. Something like fabric, but there was something else, too, that was also pretty solid and not made of stone. She was completely lost and her breath came fast and heavy.

"Rey, what's wrong?" a deep voice thick with sleep said next to her.

"Where am I?" she asked quickly. She heard a confused 'hmm?' and a few fumbling noises before a lamp was switched on nearby illuminating herself and a rather disheveled Kylo Ren. She gasped, and he rolled his eyes.

"You don't remember? Ahh, the drugs have probably worn off," he said casually, pushing himself up to face her. She went to move back but found she couldn't- her leg held stiffly in place by something hard and awkward around it.

Kylo turned his gaze towards her frightened eyes. "Do you remember what happened?"

Rey frowned, wanting to argue, but his patient tone made her reconsider. She remembered their conversation, waking up in a delirious sweat….she remembered the pain of her leg being set back into place and how he had pressed her close and she had wrapped her arms so tightly around him as he held her through the pain. She began to relax slightly but still stared at him strangely.

"….a bit," she said finally. His steady gaze never left her and she swallowed. "Most of it," she revised.

He nodded and seemed to stealthily let go of a sigh. "You can't leave yet. The medic doesn't want to let you go until she's sure the infection is under control. So, we're stuck here a bit longer. At least until sun up," he said.

She nodded carefully in return, and with that, he laid back down on the additional blanket that appeared while she'd been asleep. He looked over at her.

"You need rest," he stated simply. "The medic says the more you sleep, the faster the infection will recede."

"Oh," she replied lamely, and started to hunker down back beneath the blanket. He held out his arm for her and she hesitated.

He gave a slight frown. "You've been sleeping against me for the past several hours. I highly doubt a few more are going to make any difference. Besides, I'm much warmer than the cave floor."

She looked at him warily, fighting off the blush that had risen to her cheeks. He wasn't wrong, and soon she was tucked back against his side and as his arm went around her, he nudged her forward, forcing her arm to go across his chest. She was a bit reluctant at first, but as he stilled beneath her, she relaxed and spread her fingers against him.

"Rey?" he said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Don't take so long next time when you find yourself stranded."

She couldn't help but give a small laugh and his hand rose up to rest over hers. "What?" he asked.

"We'll see," she said non-committedly. "But what will happen now? What will you do once the infection has cleared?"

He tensed beside her and she felt as his arm gripped her a little more tightly. "I've thought about it. We brought an unmarked radio with us. We'll leave it with you and you can contact whoever you need to come pick you up."

She nodded against him and felt as he sucked in a breath. "But what will you tell them?"

She paused, and found herself nuzzling closer to his neck. "That…" she began. "That a passing party heard my cries for help. Tended to me. And left me a radio since I couldn't be moved."

He turned his head and brushed his lips against her forehead and she smiled.

"That should work," he said finally, and Rey could feel the words against her skin as he spoke them.

"Glad to have your approval," she replied snarkily, ensnaring his thumb in her hand and he gave a low laugh.

"Your humor's coming back. That's good," he commented, and carefully he kissed her forehead.

Rey took in a shaky breath and gripped onto him tightly, and as they both clung to each other in the low lamp light, Rey slipped back into sleep.

—

In the morning the medic had returned to find Rey placed rather absurdly snug beneath the covers and an annoyed looking Kylo Ren glaring at her every so often as he tried to comb through his tangled hair. She smiled smugly at him. Whatever had happened, the medic decided, she probably didn't want to know. Her boss being so friendly with another person- something she'd already thought utterly impossible after seeing the damage he wrought on the battlefield- was already weird enough.

After checking out Rey's leg, she decided she was officially on the mend and as long as she continued with the anti-gang injections, which they would leave her, she should be fine. Rey nodded and Kylo seemed to darkly acquiesce. The medic packed up to leave and Kylo followed her back to the ship in silence. She watched as he pressed open a compartment and pulled out a small communicator.

"We'll be leaving shortly. Observe previously stated protocol and await my return," he said, seeming more like his usual self. The medic nodded and took up a nearby seat as he stalked back out.

Rey was exactly where he'd left her when he reentered the cave. Kneeling down, he took a look at her leg himself and seemed to nod in approval.

"The color looks much better. More like flesh and less like death," he stated, pulling the blanket back over her.

"Well that's good news!" she said in a chipper voice, and he walked around to her side. He placed the transmitter down before her and the smile faltered on her face. Pushing out of the cocoon a bit, she raised herself up on one elbow and grimaced as she reached for the controls. Kylo sighed and, walking behind her, sat down beside her and pulled her back against his chest for support.

"Thank you," she said with a small grin, and he nodded tersely. Her fingers went back to manipulating the controls when she gasped.

"What?" he said with a frown.

"Turn your head!" she commanded. He looked back at her thoroughly confused.

"What?"

"I said turn your head. You don't need to know what frequencies the Resistance uses!" she said as she tilted her head at him. He shot her a look that said 'seriously?' but sighed and angled his face away with an annoyed huff. He could sense rather than see her grin when the transmitter seemed to lock in to a channel and Rey made her hail.

"This is Rey calling to the base…." she said tentatively. He could feel her nervousness at not knowing what she should really say. "Can anyone hear me?"

There was a crackle and then there was nothing. "Hello?" she tried again and he stifled a laugh. Rey scowled and elbowed him in the ribs, causing her support to falter momentarily before he recovered and gripped lightly but firmly at her offending elbow.

"Rey, is that really you?" came an excited voice through the speaker suddenly.

Rey nearly leapt for joy. "Poe! Yes! It's me! Can you come and get me?"

The crackle came again. "Thank the stars- it's been days! Where have you been? Of course we will!"

Rey gripped at the comm. "I'm still down at the planet. I'm injured!" she blurted out, and turned her head to look at Kylo who was still obediently turned away. "But I'll be alright if you come and get me," she concluded.

"Will do," Poe replied. "We're locking onto your signal and will be there in approximately 5 standard hours."

"Thank you!" she said with a grin.

"No problem," he said confidently. "Just hang tight, kiddo."

Rey nodded and the link went silent. She turned the transmitter around, hiding its frequency, and looked back at Kylo. She couldn't really believe he'd behaved and actually done like she asked, but she exhaled happily and, bringing up a hand against the other side of his cheek, she leaned over carefully and planted a small kiss against his exposed neck.

He turned back and the look in his eyes caught her momentarily off guard. He seemed shocked and half crazed at the same time and, not really knowing how to respond to that, she just smiled more broadly and looked up at him.

She felt his thumb against her check and suddenly his face was very close to hers. Rey sighed and as he moved in, their lips met, gently, as he pressed his mouth to hers and she felt the brush of his hair along the bridge of her nose. When she didn't pull away, he pushed closer, deepening the kiss, and when her arms wrapped around his neck he traced his tongue along her bottom lip and felt her gasp against him as he tugged it lightly between his teeth before pulling away.

She looked up at him, catching her breath slightly, and he rested his forehead against hers and smiled. She reciprocated, and decided then that she rather liked the look of his smile and he should do it more often. Suddenly he grinned widely and she slipped loose an arm to slap slightly against his cheek with her hand. "Stop reading my mind," she scolded in a mock tone and he feigned the hurt look on his face in reply.

"How can I when you're so maddeningly close?" he teased, and he leaned in to kiss her again. This time his lips found hers more insistently, his tongue racking against her desperate for entry, and when she did he pulled her against him and she felt her fingers trace against the contours of his face as her thoughts began to slip away from her and her mind went blank in favor of the warm feeling spreading across her middle. His hand cradled her chin as the other traced down her spine and gripped her tightly at the waist and a small moan escaped her lips as she leaned into him. Her fingers tangled into his hair, pulling him closer to her, when his kiss became maddeningly slow. She felt herself melt into him and when he suddenly pulled away, she felt more than a bit cheated.

She sighed and reached for him again but he resisted, eyes locked to her lips. "No," he whispered huskily.

"Why not?" she whispered back.

He ran his thumb, rough from swordplay, across her lips and a pained expression passed through his face.

"Your friends are coming. We need to be out of the sector before they arrive."

Rey whimpered. "But they said—"

"I know what they said," he cut her off, eyes flicking to hers, and as he gazed at her, he leaned down and sucked lightly at her bottom lip and she sighed against his cheek. He pulled away and rose to his feet. Rey was left to prop herself up on her own hands as she tried to pull herself back to the present and looked up at him.

He seemed different now to her, the hard edges missing in some way that she couldn't place. Maybe, when she got back to the base, she'd have more time to think about it. She watched as his eyes narrowed onto hers.

"Goodbye, Rey," and he turned to leave.

"Wait," she called, and damned the fact that she couldn't walk. Anger quickly replaced any previous warm feelings she'd had, but she was grateful when he really did stop. She stared at his back but he didn't turn around and she pressed her lips together in annoyance.

"I don't like goodbyes," she said, balling up the blanket beneath her hand. He was unmoved and she huffed.

Do you really intend for this to be goodbye? she thought at him. Somehow it was easier to think it than actually say it.

What else could it be? came his pained reply and she visibly shuddered.

Don't say that…

Silence. She didn't entirely understand why tears were hovering in her eyes but when she hit her hand against the hard stone floor she heard him breathe in.

I want to see you again, he said against her mind.

So why don't you? she shot back.

His face turned to the side and he allowed himself to glance at her momentarily and swallowed hard.

We'll meet again, he said finally, and as he stalked out of the cave, Rey could feel a comforting caress against her skin. She let go a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding and slumped back down against the blankets with a sigh.

Promise me, she ordered him as she heard their transport take off.

I promise.

A/N: This is a one-shot done for Tumblr's "Reylo Valentine's Day Gift Exchange 2016 done for bluebirdwhispers. The prompt was essentially that anything goes, so I kind of dribbled this out. I admit, it has some moments, and the response was pretty good over at ao3 so I thought I'd post it here as well since I've gotten literally nothing done on "PREY" today despite all the hours I've spent at the coffee shop *trying* to work on it. Ah well. Enjoy! Aaaaand there's a tiny chance it may go beyond a one-shot, but we'll see. Thanks for reading!