A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the delay, had a little problem with the internet & the chapter turned out longer than expected. I hope you like it :)


Lira felt the air around her change, and was dimly aware that someone was watching her. She ignored them.

All morning she'd been meditating, trying to pinpoint her father's location using the Force. Like her, he was nearly impossible to find unless you knew what to look for, and even then, only if he wanted to be found.

Come on, Dad. Where are you?

Nothing.

She groaned. She'd wanted to tell him about her new "mission" and ask his advice – maybe get some assurance that she hadn't completely lost her mind. But if he was keeping quiet, there was a reason for it. Lira made a mental note to ask General Organa about it the next time she saw the older woman. The last thing Leia had told her, he'd made plans to speak with the Senate on Hosnian Prime.

Lot of good that will do. Bureaucratic politicians never get anything done.

Annoyed, she opened her eyes. A part of her had been expecting Ben: black clothes, no mask, confused. Instead she got Kylo Ren, in full First Order regalia. Mask on.

Well...this can't be good.

When he'd left her this morning, his bathroom had been open, and she'd taken full advantage of it. It had been a relief to use the services, and bathe. Water had a way of calming her, helping her focus and re-center in a way meditating couldn't.

Something tells me, I'm going to need it.

The air around him swirled with energy so strong, she could practically taste it. Anger, darkness, even hatred. This was not the person she'd spent the last two days with. A tiny part of her wondered if she had jumped the gun when she'd agreed to stay and try to "reconnect" Kylo Ren with Ben Solo; because from where she was sitting, that wasn't going to happen.

She cocked a brow at him, her stomach tightening.

"Surprise."

Definitely not good.


From behind his mask, Ren studied her.

She'd cleaned up. Her dark hair hung in loose cords around her face, highlighting the freckles that were scattered across her nose. But there was something more…something that had changed since he'd seen her in the morning. Even her eyes seemed greener than they had earlier.

He opened his mind and used the Force to try and pinpoint what it was. Maybe he could use it somehow.

There.

The faintest disturbance lingered in the room. He focused on it, tried pulling it back from the verge of oblivion. He knew it instantly and swore. It was a presence he had spent years trying to ignore – he would recognize it anywhere.

Luke Skywalker. He was here.

Furious, he threw his hand out and caught Lira with a Force choke, bringing her off the ground and pressing her against the wall. Surprise marred her features, but she recovered quickly. He could feel her will herself to relax.

"Where is he?" he ground out, ignoring the way her skin was flushing under his grip.

Unlike so many others, she didn't panic. Her lips parted as she tried to carefully take in air, forced herself to breath as normally as she could.

It angered him even more.

"WHERE IS HE?" he bellowed, slamming her back again.

She coughed, closed her eyes. Her palms pressed into the wall behind her in an attempt to offset her weight, but he knew it was pointless. She had no leverage to help herself.

"W-who?"

His grip tightened. "You know who. Luke Skywalker. He was here, I can feel it. You know where he is. Tell me."

When she looked at him again, there were tears in her eyes. Ren couldn't decide whether they were intentional or not, but they unnerved him. Reminded him too much of the night he and the Knights had raided the temple. In his outstretched hand he could feel her pulse as clearly as if he were touching her, and it raced. But there was no fear in her, no anger. No emotion he could use against her.

There was just…sadness. An impossible heartache. It came off of her so strongly it took his own breath away.

"Tell me where he is, Lira." He murmured, softening his grip so she could speak. He didn't want to hurt her, not if he didn't have to. But if she thought he was still Ben Solo, she was mistaken, and he needed to make sure she understood that. If she would just cooperate, this could all end differently…

Shakily she inhaled. Raised her chin at him in defiance.

"No."

If he hadn't been wearing his mask, she would have seen the flabbergasted expression on his face.

I don't…How can she be so stupid?! He can't protect her. Why is she trying to protect him?

"She's mocking you." The darkness hissed at him, stoking his anger and insecurities. "She doesn't think you're worth being afraid of. Show her. Show her the power of the Dark Side."

"Lira, TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

She flinched, his temper making her nervous. When she stayed silent, he let it get the best of him and raised her higher, let his grip tighten.

"Tell me what I want to know, or so help me…"

"W-What?" she gasped, her voice barely audible. "You'll k-kill me?" Even while being choked, she managed to roll her eyes at him. "There are worst th-things than death, Kylo Ren."

He released her, then. Let her fall to the floor in a heap and cough. As she recovered her color and composure, he paced the room, his anger well past boiling point. His old Master had made it past his defenses, and Ren hadn't detected him. Not only did it infuriate him. It terrified him. It meant Luke still had power and abilities Ren had yet to master.

What did he want? Why would he risk exposing himself like this?

Ren turned, and this time, he used the Force to push her back into the wall and kept her feet on the ground. He didn't want to choke her. It would be too easy to get carried away and kill her; and right now, he needed her alive if he was going to get answers.

"Where is Luke Skywalker?"

She glared, her eyes flashing green fire at him. "When are you going to get it through your head? I don't know; and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Move on."

Ren curled his fists, tried hard not to lash out at her again. Some battles had to be lost in order to win the war, and when it came to this, he knew she would never back down.

Too loyal. Too stubborn. Fine, we'll try a different approach, then.

"What did he want? How did he find you if you're invisible in the Force?"

Lira snorted. "He wanted to talk. As for finding me – anyone can find what they're looking for, if they know how. Except, apparently, the First Order."

No one knows how to be as cryptic as a Jedi.

He shook his head, trying to control his anger. Most of it remained, simmering just beneath the surface, but at least he was able to take the edge off.

"You should just answer my questions, Lira. This is all so….unnecessary. You think you can protect him? You can't. We'll find him. It's just a matter of time. Don't make me hurt you. He's not worth it."

Her eyes watched him, and even though Ren was protected by his mask, it felt as if she could see straight through him, and he hated it.

"You're right. This is unnecessary." She tried to use the Force to push back against him, but he'd given her a double dose of sedation this morning to keep her weak; and it was working. "But here we are."

A smile played at the corner of her mouth. "And I can't make you do anything Kylo Ren. Ben. Whoever you are. If you're going to hurt me, it's because you chose to, not because I made you. You're free to make your own choices and live with the consequences. Or are you just a pawn to be played?"

He snarled and cracked the wall behind her with the Force.

"Oh, touchy." She snapped back.

"If you won't tell me what I want to know, then I will just have to take it from you."

Ren raised his other hand and began to probe her mind for weaknesses, searching for anything that would give him answers. Or at the very least, let him in so he had a starting point.

She was strong, as she'd always been. As a student of Luke's should be, but as he fought for access to her thoughts, a small fissure in her defenses caught his attention. He focused on it, demanding it give way to him. For a moment he was sure he would fail, but then he felt the fissure crack and open. Heard her gasp. Saw the images flash quickly around him. He was in.

The memory washed over him, and instantly Ren knew he'd made a mistake, that this was not the memory he wanted; but he was desperate to explore, to find something about Luke. Anything that could lead him to his old Master.


A/N: WARNING - as I mentioned earlier, there are some things in the section below that can be a problem for anyone with a history of abuse of molestation (I say this as someone who knows) If you think it might be a problem for you, please skip ahead to the non-italicized writing. If it's not a problem, then enjoy :) xoxo


Lira knew she was in trouble the moment Kylo Ren threatened to take what he needed.

It was an old trigger. One she thought she'd mastered, but his aggression had brought it raging back to the surface. For the smallest moment of time, she was distracted, let her focus shift. It was enough. He noticed the crack in her wall and was there, pushing against it until it collapsed and he was able to enter her mind.

The memory rushed to life, despite her best attempts to stop it.

The first thing Lira registered was the pain. Not the sudden, sharp surprise of an injury. No, this was different. This was a bone deep, radiating agony that came from everywhere and nowhere. The kind that made her want to wail like a babe, despite the fact that she almost never cried. An attempt at breathing resulted in a gasp. Even that hurt.

"Lira?"

It was Luke's voice, weak and rough, coming from somewhere in the shadows. She whimpered, unable to see him.

"Shh. It's okay. We're safe, now."

A rustle. Something cool and damp was placed on her forehead, calmed her.

"Lira, listen to me. We need supplies. I have to go into town with R2-D2, but you must stay here. Do not leave the hut for any reason, understand?"

She wanted to answer him, to ask him what was going on, but everything in her mind was jumbled; clouded by the pain.

"It hurts." She managed. Tears leaking from her eyes.

Another rustle. A warm hand on the top of her head. "I know" he sighed, his breathing shaky. Briefly, Lira wondered why he hadn't lit a candle or started a fire, but he distracted her. "It's the loss of life. As someone sensitive to the Force, you feel such things more acutely than other people." His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "I need to leave now, but please. Don't go anywhere. This is not the kind of place you want to be wandering around."

Instead of speaking, she nodded, suddenly more tired than she'd ever been in her life. She heard them leave, the soft click of a door closing, before the darkness enveloped her once more and sent her drifting.

The sight of the boy hit her first. His small body covered in blood. The way he got heavier in her arms. Stone was next, dropping from above as she willed it down, pieces slamming into her. Bones breaking. She woke with a scream. Her face wet with tears and sweat. The room was still dark, suffocating.

"Luke?" she croaked, afraid to make a sound.

Nothing.

She tried to search for him in the Force, but something stopped her. An impenetrable wall blocked her every attempt. Panic crept into her like a cold mist. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep, or if anything had happened to Luke and R2. Worry settled in her stomach and made her want to vomit.

What if something has happened to them?

Mustering every ounce of strength she possessed, she rose from her mat. Each bone, each muscle and cell screamed at her. Urged her to stop moving. But the fear that something had happened to them drove her forward. There room was devoid of light and she couldn't find anything to use as a light source. If there were windows, she couldn't find them.

With her hands held out in front of her, she groped around for the door, ignoring the searing pain on her side as she held her arms up. Once or twice she stumbled, but soon found her mark and made it outside. The air cool and calming against her skin.

For a moment she stood there, soaking it all in. Reminded herself that it was real.

Music drifted across the air and made her turn. Here, it was bright enough for her to see and she felt a small bit of relief. The hut she'd been in was on the edge of an outpost, but if there was a watering hole – and there always was – maybe she could find Luke.

Focusing on that, she made her way to the building one grueling step at a time. Inside, a small band played in the corner. Groups and pairs of people talked, gambled, and brawled in scattered bunches throughout the basic room. A bartender against the back wall kept them happy.

Lira winced. Luke had said this wasn't a good place to wander about, and she had a sinking suspicion that he was talking about it being a smuggling outpost.

Slowly, she made her way across the floor to the bartender, very aware that her traveling clothes had been shredded and bloodied. Her mother would have killed her. The mental image of her mother made her even more self-conscious so she tugged her cloak a little closer.

"Excuse me? I'm looking for my…Uncle. He has a small droid with him, have you seen them?" she asked the barkeep. Her voice more uneasy than she would have liked.

You're in training to be a Jedi, Lira. Get it together.

The bartender hardly spared her a glance as he continued polishing glasses. "No."

"Okay…could you at least tell me how far it is in to town?"

"No." He walked to the other end of the bar and poured someone a drink.

Gee, thanks for the help.

"We can help you find your way into town, girl. For a price, of course." A low voice rumbled.

Lira turned to it, and found two men watching her. The one that had spoken was human. Bulky, blue eyed, and middle aged, a drink in his hand. His companion was a near-human with grey skin, red eyes, and a bald head. The way they looked at her made her jittery.

Trouble.

"No, that's okay. Thank you." She turned to leave, her stomach churning violently as chill swept over her.

Time to go.

"So, uh, you're Uncle leave you alone or something?" The near-human spoke, his voice teasing.

Lie.

"No. My aunt was worried. She sent me out to look for him."

Please believe it. Please believe it. Please believe it.

Something about these men radiated danger, and she wanted to be as far from them as possible. Without waiting for them to reply, she left the bar. Her instinct urged her to get back to her hut as quickly as possible, even though she just wanted to crash and sleep.

Ahead of her sat the hut, and she calculated that she'd made it halfway.

You can do it, she told herself. Trying to focus on the distance instead of the pain she was in.

A strong set of hands clasped her shoulder, spun her around.

"It's a little late for you to be walking home alone, girlie. Why don't you let us join you?" The human grinned, his blue eyes dead and cold. The hand he held her with squeezed and Lira felt a bruise she hadn't notice before come to life.

"It's fine, thank you." She grunted, trying not to let them know it hurt. "It's not that far."

The grey one spoke with a voice as slick as oil. "All the better. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, would we?"

Lira shook her head. Her instincts screaming at her to get away from them. "You need to let go of me." She said; her voice sharp. "I can get home on my own."

The two exchanged a glance, the grey one looking wounded and the human angry. "Look at that, Zita," the human said. "Here we were trying to be helpful, and this is how she thanks us?"

Zita shook his head sadly. "I think someone should teach her some manners, Des."

Something hot and fierce hit Lira in the chest. Without warning she took off, running as fast as she could toward the hut. Urging her body not to fall apart on her. Again, looked for Luke in the Force, but that wall blocked her. She tried to use it to Push the two men away from her as she ran, but nothing happened. It was as if she had been cut off from her connection to the Force, and that terrified her even more.

What is happening?!

Her lungs burned, pain seared her side; but she ignored it. There was no doubt in her mind that if they caught her, they would kill her. Or worse. As a woman, she'd only ever known love from a man, and she knew they would take that beauty, that gift, and shatter it.

Zita caught up to her first. Slammed into her at full speed and tackled her to the ground. She felt a rib crack and break, making her gasp, unable to breathe. She tried to turn, crawl away, but he grabbed her head and slammed it into the ground. Black spots exploded in front of her eyes.

Des caught up to them and wasted no time in delivering a repeated set of kicks to her abdomen. Air flew from her lungs and Lira choked. Pain unlike anything she'd ever imagined bringing tears to her eyes. Zita turned her over, straddled her. His red eyes gleeful and excited.

"What is it with women? Think you can ask for help and then refuse it when we say we'll give it to you? That's called teasing, and it's rude. Someone should have taught you better, made you learn your place. No wonder guys like us gotta take what we need."

His hands ran over her chest, reached for the "V" of her tunic and yanked it open. Swore when he found her undershirt was tucked into her pants.

Fight, Lira! Fight!

The will to fight was tempered by the physical and emotional agony that threatened to consume her. How much could one person be expected to take? She marveled.

Zita's hands yanked her undershirt up, exposing her bra. The cold breeze against her skin jarring her.

"NO!" she gasped, struggling to push him off of her; her hands pressing against his face, her feet kicking under him in an attempt to dislodge him. Des who had been standing nearby, fondling himself, dropped down and grabbed her legs, keeping her from getting any traction.

For the first time in her life, Lira decided to something she'd never done. She pulled in as much air as she could, ignored the horrible burning in her side, and screamed.

One of Zita's fist slammed into the side of her face, snapping her head sideways; his other one covered her mouth.

"Shut up, you stupid bitch! Maybe you'll even enjoy this." He snarled, trying to unclasp his pants.

Once his own member was free, Zita began working on her pants, desperately grabbing at any skin he could find. Lira panicked, a vulnerability unlike anything she'd ever known bringing bile to the back of her throat. She bucked, tried hard to dislodge him, but Des's grip on her ankles kept her in place. Again, Zita hit her, this time she could taste the metal of her own blood in her mouth.

"Hurry up, Zita. I want a taste, too, you know."

Luke, you should have let me die.

Zita's fumbling suddenly stopped. Both men going still. Lira took advantage of their pause and screamed, hoping that whatever had distracted them was a person. An elbow to her gut silenced her.

Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll die of my injuries before they get too far. I mean, a temple fell on me. Something broke. I can't breathe. I've got to die eventually, right?

Zita and Des exchanged a glance and then Zita's hands were back on her. Lira closed her eyes. She didn't want to see his face anymore. She didn't want to think. Or feel. She just wanted to drift in the darkness again. To float away from the horror that had been the last day of her life.

"Now then – "

Whatever Zita had been about to say, she would never know. Two blasts sounded and he collapsed beside her. Lira's eyes flew open and she saw the sky. Turning her head, she found Zita' red ones staring at her in surprise. Des swore and stood up, his pants at his ankles, but another blast had him lying in a heap next to his friend.

Lira didn't move, barely took a breath. Whatever or whoever was coming her way, she hoped it would end quickly.

A man she hadn't seen before came to a stop above her. His dark hair mused.

"Thank the Maker I found you," he gasped, dropping beside her. "Luke said you would be in the hut, but you weren't there. Scared me half to death."

Instinctively, she flinched away from him when he reached for her. Short of Luke or her father, she didn't think she ever wanted to be this close to a man, again. Not after Ben. Not after this.

"I'm a friend, Lira. I promise. I won't hurt you." He said gently. Slowly he removed his jacket and draped it over her chest.

Whether it was that one act of kindness after such terror, or the fact that everything she'd been through finally caught up with her, Lira didn't know; but suddenly she was crying. Tears burned her face, and her lungs ached, but she couldn't stop.

"Can you walk?" he asked, sadness written all over his face.

She shook her head. If she was being honest with herself, she probably couldn't even crawl.

"My name is Ari. Is it okay if I carry you?" his voice was smooth, calming, and she wondered briefly if he was trying to use the Force on her.

It didn't matter. She nodded.

Instantly she was in his arms, floating as he walked towards the hut. The steady drum of his heartbeat soothed her, and after a brief second of doubt, she was lost in oblivion; safely back in the embrace of the darkness.


Horrified, Ren stepped back. Dropped the hold he had on her and stared.

She was pale, her eyes unfocused as she studied the floor, still lost in the memory.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was standing in front of her; cupping her face as gently as he could, afraid she would shatter.

"Lira? Lira look at me."

He tipped her head back, made her look at him. The reflection of his mask in her emerald eyes startled him. A flicker of recognition passed over her face. Without warning she drove her knee into his groin and shoved him back.

"Get away from me!" she hissed, her voice cracking.

Ren ignored the pain and tried to steady his breathing.

"Let me out of this room, Kylo Ren, or so help me, I won't give you a choice but to kill me."

"Where do you think you will go?" he managed, standing. "The doors leading into the hall are coded to me, just like my bedroom door.

She turned from him, wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't care. I'd rather be in the tiny cell than in here with you."

He stared at her, warring with himself over what to do. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have stopped; he would have pressed until they broke and told him what he wanted.

But this is Lira; and you've broken her enough.

Silently, he waved the door open and let her leave. Cursing himself, he removed his mask, dropped it on the chair. He stood there, staring at the space where she'd stood until he heard her cell door open and close, followed immediately by her tiny bathroom door.

The sound of running water plus another, softer sound, drifted through the walls. Ren dropped onto his bed and rested his head in his hands, completely lost. He'd managed to crack through her defenses today, but somehow, she'd managed to create a fissure in his, too.