A/N: Hey everybody! Quick announcement here! First off, thanks to all of you crazy cool kids who reviewed/followed/favorited! It really pumped me up! I was able to crank this chapter out today and wanted to try and get it out by tonight so as not to keep you waiting.

NEXT, I'd like to announce that Mara's name is no longer 'Mara'. Those of you who read the original first chapter will notice that I have changed her name to 'Amara'. This is mainly to avoid confusion between her character and the other (already written) character of Mara Jade (she's in the Star Wars books, yes?). Just wanted to clear that up. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Amara was less than enthusiastic to wake up. Her limbs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds and her head felt light and fuzzy. When she finally did open her eyes she had to squint against the harsh light of the room. Not to mention that whatever she was laying on was acutely uncomfortable and when she tried to readjust her position she found that her wrists and ankles had been restrained.

This discovery woke her up.

Her eyes flashed open as she pulled weakly at the metal cuffs that held her to the…

What is this thing?

It was as if someone had taken a metal table and placed it on end so that she was practically standing up against it. The only thing that made it even remotely comfortable was the fact that it was tilted at about a 70 degree angle. She continued to shake against the restraints but it was useless. Sweat was beginning to tickle her neck and her breathing became erratic.

How am I going to get out of this mess?

It wasn't until she leaned back in defeat that she sensed another presence in the room. The sight of a black figure slowly stepping around her made her jump in her seat, doing nothing to help calm her nerves.

"What am I doing here?" Her voice was hoarse from screaming the night before.

Kylo Ren stepped in front of her, adorned in his usual dark attire and metallic helmet. His hands were tucked behind his back. Amara felt incredibly vulnerable being tied down below his towering form but she knew he wouldn't hurt her… Not after everything they went through...

He wouldn't.

"I don't suppose you remember me?" She tried when he didn't respond, daring to look directly into the dark pits of his eyes. His silence was unnerving.

"What did you do to Poe?" She asked.

"He's determined to be difficult," Kylo said finally, taking a step closer to her shaking form. "Though I should have expected to see you with him on Jakku. The two of you were always close." Amara resisted the urge to roll her eyes, though the huff she released gave off the same effect.

"He's my friend. He's always been my friend, especially after you… left." She sighed. "Ben," she started softly, "Take off the mask."

For a while he made no move to heed her demand until eventually he too sighed, removing his hood and clicking a button on the side of his helmet. She almost broke out into a grin at the sight of his true face but only just managed to repress it. He looked just as she remembered, though the dark bags under his eyes seemed to be a new development. Amara had unconsciously leant towards him like a magnet clinging to the only familiar thing in this place but cleared her throat when she realized the inappropriateness of her reaction.

"It's good to see you," she said quietly. "You look the same."

"You look… different," he said.

Amara said nothing. She couldn't think of anything to say. She tried to think back to all of the speeches she had prepared for when she saw him again but none came to mind. It was like they had been washed away in her sleep.

"Hey," she started angrily. "What did you do to me?"

"What?" He said, clearly confused at her sudden change in attitude.

"How did you knock me out earlier?"

He smiled and looked down at his feet.

"The Force is a very powerful thing." His gaze suddenly turned serious as he looked deep into her eyes. She felt a presence in her mind, almost as if someone was tickling the inner parts of her brain.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked shakily.

"You're scared," he hummed.

"No I'm not," she ground out. His presence in her head was growing uncomfortable.

"I can read you like an open book, Mars." Amara blinked at the nickname. It had been years since she'd heard him call her that. It felt so informal for her current predicament. She was, after all, strapped to a metal bed while he rummaged through her thoughts uninvited. He seemed to realize his slip up as well because his eyes softened and the dull ache in her head seeped away.

"Come home," she blurted. She hadn't meant to say it so bluntly but it spilled out of her like a hole in a pipe. "Ben, come home with me. You're not meant to be here and you know it. You can use your power for good, not… all of this," she nodded at the metal walls around them. "Please, just… come home."

Amara thought she had seen a flicker of emotion pass over his features but when she blinked it was gone. He was as stoic as ever.

"You don't seem to understand that what I'm doing is for the greater good." He took a menacing step forward so that she could feel his warm breath on her neck. It made her shiver. "I am making a difference. It's the Resistance that's tearing apart the order in the galaxy. I have the power to stop them."

"What about your parents, Ben? They're fighting for you. They want you back. That's all we want!"

"Stop," he said lowly but she couldn't slow down her thoughts now that they were pouring out of her.

"We want Ben back! Not this Kylo Ren facade. Please, Ben come back to us-"

Her pleas came to an abrupt halt as an invisible hand put pressure on her windpipe, leaving her to croak in surprise and terror. Her eyes grew wide and she turned to look at her assailant who had since turned and began pacing in front of her. One of his hands was clenched tight while he bit the knuckles of the other in distress.

"I said... stop," He growled darkly before releasing the grip he had on her neck. She gasped for air desperately and coughed at the sensation of air filling her lungs. When she had finally regained her composure she knew better than to speak. Instead she watched with wide, frightened eyes as he mumbled to himself. Quickly, he reached for his helmet and slipped it on. When he turned back to her she sank back in her seat, petrified of what else he might do to her.

"Sleep," he said, and with a wave of his hand she had slumped down in her restraints.

Kylo Ren stalked out of Amara's interrogation chambers.

"Put her in a holding cell," he told the two Stormtroopers standing guard.

He was on edge. Amara had started to widdle her way past his defenses and now he felt the light piercing through the dark. He had to fix this before the the conflict within him grew larger. Hurriedly, he made his way through the corridors until he reached his chambers. There was a door inside that led to a smaller room. A secret room. Few knew of its existence.

Only a pedestal resided inside and Kylo crouched before it, addressing the deformed mask resting on its surface.

"Forgive me, Grandfather," he said. "I have felt the pull to the light. My weakness has returned. Remind me of the strength I possess and I will prove myself to you. No matter what, I will finish what you started."

The melted Darth Vader mask glimmered back at him, and that was all Kylo needed to feel the power pulse in his veins once more.

A/N: Talk to me guys!

You can recommend things that you might like to see written or ask questions about what's going on. Right now I'm pretty much trying to get through the exposition so that we can get into the deeper stuff involving Kylo and Amara. Next chapter should be pretty exciting though!

P.S: Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit rushed... I was just too excited not to post an update!