Author's Note: Hey y'all. So sorry for the absence and dead air over here. I'm in the midst of moving so it's been really hectic. I am still writing this fanfic, I just haven't had time to get my stuff together and post as much as I typically do. So, please bear with me while I'm in the transition of moving. Once I'm settled in, we'll be back to the update happy standards we all know and love!
Thank you so much to those who left me reviews for this chapter and also messages to make sure I was okay. Y'all are so wonderful, really.
And as someone had mentioned, a lot of people don't realize that there is a sequel so not many people know this story exists. Hopefully that changes soon and more people will come and read this! We'll just have to wait and see, I guess!
Until then, remember to leave a review, let me know if you're still out there. Otherwise, enjoy!
She was back on StarKiller, sitting in the Maintenance Bay alongside Sid and the boys. They were playing a round of Sabacc as Grim shouted victoriously over his latest win, the group groaning as Sid stood next to Ashlyn. "I think he's cheating." He teased.
Ash smirked. "How so?"
"He keeps winning tonight, more than usual." Sid grinned. "That has to mean something. Can't you do one of those Force things to find out?"
She looked at him; her smirk still evident as she spoke. "The Commander wouldn't be happy if I used the Force to see if someone was cheating."
"Wouldn't he?" Sid turned his attention to the game again, groaning as Grim took another hand. "What do I know anyway?"
"You know a lot, Sid." The room suddenly shifted to an eerie silence as Ashlyn noticed that suddenly the boys were gone. The room now cold and dark; chilling. She stared in confusion that turned into horror as she looked back to Sid. His entire body was burned, charred and smoking. A visual that had forever been etched in her mind as he looked back at her, or at least, she could only assume he was.
"They're going to consume everything, kid." Sid said, his tone devoid of all emotion. "It's already too late." His body began to char and splinter before ultimately turning to ashes as he dropped to the floor.
"SID!" Ash yelled, reaching for him only to be too late. Like she had been over ten years ago; too late to save him. Too late for everything.
Ashlyn sat straight up in bed, gasping for air as a cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Her eyes scanning the barely lit room frantically only to come up empty handed for any sort of threat. She was in such a panic she almost forgot about the dark-haired man sleeping next to her as he sat up with her. His bare chest no longer covered by the thin fabric of their blanket as he quickly pulled her to him. "Starshine-" He shushed her as she tried to catch her breath.
She immediately pulled away from him, finding it harder to breathe in such confinement as she blinked away tears that pooled and pricked at the corners of her eyes. Still gasping, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and made a break for the refresher. The sink was on mere seconds after that as she splashed her face with cold water. Her chest rising and falling rapidly as her hands clutched the side of the sink tightly to the point her knuckles turned white.
She felt the weight of darkness as it stood in the doorway; his arms crossed over his chest as he looked on at the scene before him. Ash eyed him through the mirror, glaring. "Don't-" She begged breathlessly. She needed a moment.
He said nothing as he raised his hands defensively. As Ashlyn continued her attempt to compose herself but failing. However, his silence was not long lasting as he stomped into the bathroom and grabbed a nearby hand towel. He leaned over Ashlyn to have better access to the sink and ran cold water onto the towel. Once wet, he shut off the water and placed the cool material on the back of her neck. She jumped slightly, hissing as her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "You haven't dreamt about Sid in a while." He purposefully refrained from using the word nightmare when it came down to it.
It had been a long time, ten years to say the least. Something was wrong, it didn't feel like a typical nightmare. In fact, it felt like something much worse. Yet, Ashlyn was afraid to say her concerns. A part of her believing if she did, Kylo Ren would make it much harder for her to learn anything new about whatever was going on. Instead, she took a few deep breaths, and nodded quickly. "I'm okay." He didn't believe her. She could feel he didn't. "Promise."
She took the wet hand towel off her neck, unfolding it on the side of the sink to dry as she turned around. Her back pressing against the cold sink as she looked at her tired husband. He hadn't been sleeping well as of late either, it showed thanks to the bags under his eyes. Cautiously, she reached up and rested her hand on his cheek. The slight surge from the contact pulsing through both Force Users as he folded into her touch. Even after all this time, the bond still electrified them whenever they had any form of contact. Whether angry with each other or in perfect bliss, they felt it.
He moved his head slightly, his lips finding Ashlyn's palm as he kissed it lightly a few times. And even though he wouldn't say it out loud, he was worried about her dream for the same reason she was. It was a warning of things to come, a warning that neither one wanted to acknowledge otherwise it would seem too real. Instead, he'd keep her out of it as long as possible, like he promised. "You should try to sleep." He mumbled as he kissed her palm again. "We leave for Akiva in the morning."
She smiled knowingly. "Not we should sleep?" He gave her a pointed look as his hand found the one of his cheek, squeezing it lightly. "You need sleep too."
"Only if my wife demands it." Ren smirked.
"She does." Gently, he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her tightly. The two standing quietly in the refresher for a few moments; neither one needing to say anything.
Kylo Ren leaned down, kissing his wife's forehead before taking her hand and leading her back to the bedroom. Ashlyn shimmied under the blankets, finding a comfortable position as Kylo Ren slid into the bed behind her, his arm draping around her waist and pulling her close. He felt her struggle against the idea of sleep for a little while longer before ultimately relaxing and falling back asleep in his arms. The concerns of what tomorrow would be lingering in the back of his mind as he closed his eyes and slowly, almost painfully, drifted off into a dreamless slumber.
"Jacen, get dressed! I will not tell you again!" Echoed from the kitchen as Kylo Ren came to. His body twitching slightly from the sudden awake feeling as he opened his eyes, realizing he was still in bed. The sound of a young child running towards his own bedroom followed soon after; he was nervous, but also excited about their plans to leave Chandrila. However, ultimately blissfully unaware as to why they were leaving.
Frowning, and with a hushed groan, Kylo Ren swung his legs over the side of the bed and forced himself to sit upright. The morning sun was shining through the curtains of the balcony as he tried to rid himself of any grogginess. Easier said than done, but Kylo Ren was on his feet and grabbing a nearby shirt before wandering out into the main area to see Ashlyn cleaning up the remains of yesterday's breakfast fiasco.
She looked up from the counter, sensing his presence as he came closer. "Morning." She offered a smile.
"You didn't wake me?"
"You needed the sleep." Ash explained as though it wasn't a second thought, her focus shifting back to cleaning, although she was now awkwardly finding something to clean considering she had practically finished.
He smirked knowingly, walking over to the red haired woman and standing behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist as he pressed himself up against her back. "You're anxious."
"That obvious?" She asked as she felt him rest his chin on her shoulder. "He's never been off Chandrila."
Her concern suddenly making sense to him. Kylo Ren peered passed his wife and towards the open bedroom door where his son was getting ready; that uncertain excitement still rushing through him. He frowned slightly. "He'll be fine. He has you to watch over him." He felt a small twinge of something, perhaps resentment? Either way it was negative and it was coming from his wife. He squeezed her just a little tighter for a moment, as if to reassure her that things would be okay.
"And what if I can't protect him from whatever threat is out there?" She asked, the same conversation coming back into play as Kylo Ren pulled away from her, but only to turn her around to face him.
"They should be more worried about what you'd do to them should they go near our son." Ashlyn couldn't hide her grin as she stared up at her now smirking husband. The two in a silent stare down as a different feeling washed over her. Relief? He wasn't sure what he was feeling from her. However, Ashlyn found herself coming to terms with her role. Protecting her son was her number one priority and even if she still had little to no understanding of the threat Kylo Ren had mentioned, at least she wasn't being left completely out of it.
"Ugh-" The little voice groaned. "Are you two going to be kissing all day?" Ashlyn's upper body turned just enough to see Jacen standing in the kitchen with a packed satchel around his body. Kylo Ren watched him with an amused expression; his impatience came from his mother. "Don't we have to go?"
"Your son is keeping us on a tight schedule." Ren teased somewhat dryly.
Ash's grin widened as she looked back at her husband. "We best not keep him waiting then." Jacen groaned once more as his father leaned down to kiss his mother on the cheek. Public displays of affection was not something a ten year old boy really cared to see. It was gross in his eyes, especially when it came from his parents. He was more than happy when his parents left the kitchen to finish getting ready for their trip while he played around with the book on planets in an attempt to learn about Akiva.
When Ashlyn and Kylo Ren were in the master bedroom and out of earshot from their son, Ashlyn spoke. "Does Rey know we're coming?"
"I had a message sent to her last night." He explained as he dressed. "Leaving out the finer details, of course."
"Of course-" Ash repeated softly as she skimmed her closet for something to wear. She really didn't want to wear any of her dresses or proper wear, this wasn't a diplomatic mission. She was seeing her old friend and quite possibly fighting off seven deranged Force Users. She wanted to be comfortable and ready for anything. That was when her eyes fell on the faded olive green jumper. Smiling to herself, she wondered if it still even fit her. Her old uniform she wore ten years ago. She shimmied into the jumper; beaming now at the fact that it still fit after all these years.
Without much effort, she pulled her long red locks into a high ponytail and grabbed her tool belt. It sat around her waist like an old friend giving her a hug for the first time in a long time. Satisfied, she grabbed her lightsaber and clipped it on the belt.
"Haven't seen that Ash in a while." The baritone voice commented behind her. Ash turned, looking at him as he adjusted his left glove.
"You fell in love with this Ash." She reminded him.
"To be fair, I hated her first."
Ash grinned. "Yet you married her."
"Tried to kill her-" He added, moving closer to her.
"And changed your entire view on politics for this Ash."
He frowned, unable to hide his smirk as he stood in front of her. "Did I mention I tried to kill her? Multiple times?"
"You also had a child with her."
His frown completely faded then as his arms found their way behind her back, keeping her close. "This Ash destroyed my resolve-" Ren said. "And then completed me in every way possible."
Ashlyn smirked, her cheeks flushing a bright shade of red that nearly matched her hair. "Have I told you that you're a smooth talker?"
He chuckled, leaning down to quickly capture her lips with his. A gesture he felt was too rare these days. Partially due to his own absence; something he wanted to make up for. "Everything is going to be okay." Kylo Ren assured her, keeping his own doubts to himself as best as possible. "We're going to have backup and we're going to end this before it becomes a problem. You have my word."
She was feeling just a little bit better about it all. With his reassurance, maybe things would turn out for the best. Ashlyn Solo forced as much of the negatives from her mind as she could; all the warnings and red flags needed to go away for now. She had a son to protect, a son that could sense their distress. Instead, she was going to take this as it came, one step at a time. For now, they needed to leave Chandrila behind and make a new plan. And they needed to do it sooner rather than later as the impatient ten year old began to cause trouble in the living room.
"And they're coming here?" Finn asked, gently bouncing the four month old in his arms. She had been fussing, refusing to take a nap. "Why?"
Rey shrugged slightly, rereading the message from Kylo Ren over and over it. Although vague, she felt like it gave away more than anyone realized. Or perhaps she was sensing something across the stars, a hesitance coming from Ashlyn.
"Maybe he wants to see our progress?" Finn suggested in passing as he looked down at his youngest daughter. "We've made substantial progress from the last few reports, I guess it was only a matter of time before he'd want to come see-" He paused as he watched Rey fiddle with the datapad a little longer, avoiding the not-exactly rousing conversation about what exactly Kylo Ren was doing on the other side of the galaxy. And even though he lacked any and all skills pertaining to the Force, Finn knew his wife well. "Rey?" She merely hummed in reply, her eyes still on the pad. "What is it?"
Rey, unlike the other points of the triangle, was a Light User. And in that came the responsibility of holding the weight of guilt. Specifically the guilt of lying to her husband. Something she was seldom to do. "I'm not sure." She answered truthfully. "But something in my gut is telling me this isn't some sort of routine inspection. I can feel Ash, there's this weird tension."
Finn frowned. "Did you say she and Ren were having a bit of… marital problems?"
"Not exactly-" Rey explained. "You know Ash, she wants adventure. While the rest of us had closure after the arrival of the New Order, Ash was basically thrown into the domestic life while the rest of us had fun. I know she's happy with what she has and where she is, but I also know she'd also prefer it if he'd settle in too. It would make everyone's lives easier."
"Those two are not known for making things easy." Finn quipped. "Even years later." Rey smiled as she peered over the datapad at her husband. "But hey, it's worked for them this long. I'm sure they'll get back to their normal star-crossed-lover selves in no time."
"Assuming I'm wrong about this being more than it appears."
"You Force Users are always on edge." Finn teased. "I'm sure it's nothing."
"And if it's not?"
"Then we deal with it until it's nothing." He gave her a reassuring smile, cradling their youngest daughter in his arms. "We face every obstacle head on and together. As Leia has always told us, as long as we're together there's hope."
Rey smiled then, looking at her husband with hope. "I love you." Finn moved closer to Rey, leaning in and kissing her as lovingly as he could with a four month old in his arms. Her smile widened when he pulled away as her attention turned to the baby. Reaching forward, she took her daughter from Finn and kissed her cheek over and over again. "As for you, my young one. You need to take a nap." The baby in her arms beaming with a toothless smile at her mother's affections as Finn watched on; falling in love with Rey all over again. How could things be awful when everything in his world was just so damn good?
Ashlyn remained quiet on the outside as she stood in the flight deck of the large Chandrillian transporter. Her eyes scanning the crew as they ascended higher and higher up the atmosphere. Her husband taking charge and delegating their next plan accordingly, leaving out the finer details that only a shared collective understood. That shared collective being Phasma, Hux, and herself. Although, she had a feeling they once again knew more than she did. It always seemed to play out that way in the end.
Something was tugging at her; between her dream, the way things were heading. The imminent danger that seemed to be plaguing their every move. A danger that she was out of her league in fighting off, mainly due to not understanding what she was up against. However, like she found herself doing when it came down to her husband, she needed to blindly trust him and that he was going to take care of things. Even though she really didn't want to. But, the promise of getting away from all of this chaos when they did save the day was too tantalizing of a dream to not pursue.
Her lips forming a thin line, she felt another tug at her internal being. However, it wasn't from herself. It was from somewhere else on the ship. "Jacen…" She uttered to herself before leaving the deck and making her way to the back of the ship where she found her son sitting in the main seating area. He was staring at the encyclopedia on planets, something he was adamant about bringing along with him, yet he wasn't actually reading the page on Akiva but more like studying the image of it.
"You know-" Ashlyn interrupted his concentration as she came closer, sitting down next to him at the table. "Your dad was the one to show me this book. He had been to so many planets and I had only ever been to three when I met him. He let me keep the book so I could learn about as many planets as possible before we'd travel to them." She smiled. "I think he did that so I wouldn't get eaten by any of the creatures living on these planets." Jacen smiled only slightly at the joke. "What's wrong, my love?"
"You and dad are unhappy." He answered, somewhat sadly.
Of course he could feel the tension in the air. He was the son of Kylo Ren and Ashlyn Solo, two strong Force Users. He was intuitive, inquisitive and sometimes that was a headache when the two were desperately trying to keep him safe. "Sometimes adults have to deal with not so nice things and it makes them cranky." She explained. "You know your dad and I love each other very much, nothing is going to change that. We just have a lot to focus on right now."
"Is that why we're seeing Aunt Rey?" He asked innocently. "Is something bad happening?"
Ash inhaled deeply, placing her arm around her son and pulling him closer to her she tried to comfort him and ease his troubled mind. "There are a lot of good people in the galaxy. People who believe in the change we're trying to make for the better. But like the Force, good can't exist without the bad. Your dad is trying to keep the bad people from doing bad things."
"What if they find us on Akiva?" He asked.
She smiled warmly, giving Jacen a light squeeze. "I will protect you." He didn't seem too reassured and Ash could feel it. Reaching forward with her free hand to the book on planets, she flipped through the pages until she found the very familiar green one. A planet she hadn't seen in so long. "How about we make our own plan should things go wrong, a secret for just you and me?" He seemed to like that idea as he leaned forward to look at the planet Ashlyn was showing him. "This place is called Maridun. Its It's a very special place that your father and I have traveled too many times. If we are in trouble or ever separated, find your way here. You'll be safe." Jacen leaned into his mother's side a little more, she could feel him relaxing against her now as her smile grew. "No matter what happens, I will always be there to protect you."
A promise she was determined to keep as the ship began its trip into hyperspace, the uncertainty of what would be awaiting them on Akiva.
Final Thoughts: Mother/son moments are my favorite. So is destroying everything... that's also my favorite. I mean... oh hey. Remember to review and see y'all in the next chapter!
