7th: A mother's tears
Leia Organa was pacing impatiently in the meeting room.
Han was supposed to be here at least ten minutes ago. Then again he is always late. He survived the explosion, she could feel it in the Force. He could escape. Then he noticed the weird TIE hunter, away from the other ships, and he went to investigate. What can take him so long?!
The door slid open, and a pilot came in, stating that Han Solo arrived with two.. rather extreme companions. Maybe he could capture two stromtroopers? Chewie certainly had an ability to implement solid fear into those, who do not know him...
The pilot left, and shortly after Han appeared at the door. Leia opened her arms, so she can hug him, but she froze. Han brought a young girl with him, and... their son.
Their son was there. With them.
Leia broke out in silent tears. The battle, the many loss from the Resistance topped with the sheer sight of her son was too much.
- Ben – she managed to say without tremors in her voice.
- Mother – Ren bowed his head.
Leia could not stop the tears flow from her eyes. She looked at Han and Rey, almost mouthing a thank you for them. They brought back him to her. Her only child. She wanted to close her arms around Ren, but the young man extended his, stopping Leia mid motion.
- Do not touch me – he stated coldly.
The tone brought Leia to an immediate stop. She tried to search for her son in the empty eyes of Kylo Ren, but she only could see a glimpse of his son. What he used to be. Other that that, Leia could see stone walls around him. Aside from the obvious closed behavior, the General's eyes sent peace and unconditional love to her son.
Han felt a sharp pain at Ben's words. Back in the days his child was inseparable from Leia. He would sit beside her, or listen to her telling stories, how she can see other people's emotions, and thoughts, they shared meals. Han felt almost excluded, when those two were together. He took him on space rides or showed him mechanical tricks, but he never got up to the level where Leia was.
He felt bitterness. How could Ben forget all this so easily?!
- This is no way to speak to your mother – he snapped sternly.
- Like you can give a hutt – Kylo's eyes only reflected rage, and Rey could find a hint of sadness.
Han looked at Leia, but the woman only drank in the sight of her son, standing in front of her.
The former scavenger girl looked anxiously at the building situation. It has so many outcomes. What if Ren simply Force-kills his parents? What could she do then? How could she stop him from doing so?
He won't hurt her, I can promise you that – she could hear the familiar voice inside her head.
How do you know that for so sure? – Rey asked wordlessly
Just from the way he looks at his mother. I remember my dearest clinging to Shmi so much, when we first met. Trust me. They never change in this aspect.
This aspect?
Watch his eyes. Those tell everything.
Right now he is ten kinds of angry...
Look closer.
Rey studied Kylo's features, and she could distinguish a slight difference between the feelings he felt towards the two elders. While Han was addressed with rage and bitterness Leia recieved shame and guilt, colored with abandonment.
- General, the enemy ships are gone, bit the remains of our fleet arrived – a pilot stepped into the room, but as she saw Kylo he stopped dead in his tracks – Shit...
Kylo just looked at him emotionlessly.
The pilot grabbed his blaster, and fired a shot at him, but Ren simply stopped the shot with the Force mid air.
- I start to think, that this is your kind of welcome – the young man stated – Flattering to see you again.
This must be Poe Dameron – Rey thought.
Looking at him, she had to admit, that he was kind of handsome. Brown hair, brown eyes, slightly bronze skin... The kind of man, women on Jakku would go for.
The blaster-shot vibrated slightly in the air, which gave away, that Kylo was currently in her head again, rummaging through her thoughts. Rey gritted her teeth and slammed the door for her thoughts shut. The black clad man was looking at Poe as if he would have done something offending which cannot be tolerated.
- What is this doing here? – Daemeron asked eyeing Kylo, blaster still aimed at the young man's heart.
Leia wrinkled her eyebrows, silently chiding Poe, as if she would scold a child for saying inappropriate words.
- He is here to stay – Leia told him in an even voice – Until I decide otherwise.
- As hostage? - Daemeron asked hopingly.
- As a guest.
That went way to easy – Rey thought, looking at Kylo, who still held the blast in the air.
Upon hearing this, Kylo's face reflected nothing, only his eyes have sent a grateful look at his mother, his features softening a bit. It was only for a split of second, but Rey smirked inwardly.
This is kind of cute - she sent to the being residing in her.
Told you – she could hear the voice – They can never say no to their mother...
You are lucky.
Kylo tried to ignore the voice, but if he wanted to be honest with himself, it was right. He missed his mother. But Solo... Still as useless, as ever.
You have the gift I could not have... Cherish it. You've turned away from it. That is not how it should be, not how it should HAVE BEEN in the first place. Look at them...
Kylo wanted to take his eyes off of his former family, and the scavenger girl. Daemeron kept on jumping from thought to thought about him and his killing instinct, but the laser trick was enough to shut him up, at least for a little while.
Then Leia stated that he will be there as a guest, and not captive, and he almost forget to keep his face intact. Somehow the hate towards Solo was not strong enough to keep some light away from him. He looked at Rey, who was eyeing him with a different look. Not hatred, not sadness, but a big amount of... Serenity. Peace. Happiness.
Kylo wanted to toss those away. Useless feelings, which leave him weak... who needs them...
She looked at me like that. On the day of our wedding...
They needed to keep their relationship a secret.
The ceremony was very small. Only a priest was there from her home planet, who vanished after he finished the speech, being to afraid to be exposed to the jedi council's wrath for breaking the codex. She was beautiful in her white gown, looking up at him with big, loving eyes. In that moment, he was the most powerful person in the world, holding the most precious angel of his...
- No one can take this away from us, right? – she asked.
- No – he nodded – I love you.
- I love you too, Ani. So much.
Kylo looked at Rey, who needed to grip a nearby chair tight because of the memory.
He knew, that his grandfather was Anakin Skywalker before he became Darth Vader, but... Could this Ani be the Anakin?
Took you longer, that I hoped it would, considering the fact, that you idolize my past bad decisions so much... – he could hear the voice again.
- Son? – Leia asked hesitantly.
She did not get much about his son's and the new girl's interaction, but she supposed, it has to do something with the Force. She could also sense it, but she could not point a finger on it.
Ren just looked at the girl, not saying a word, but even without any, she could feel something shifting.
The younger Skywalker twin did not want to take any Force-classes. She left that part for Luke, the lightsabers, telekinesis and such. The Vader heritage of their blood. Leia could only presume, that the instincts were coming from their mother. Such a voice told her in that moment, that even though, now she can only see Kylo Ren, Ben Solo is not that far away from the surface. All she needed to have now, was patience.
- Let it go – she said to Ren, pointing to the blast with her head – And avoid to hit anything.
He motioned the blast to impact near to Daemeron's head, into the wall. The pilot wanted to open his mouth to complain, but Rey shook her head, signing not to engage into any conflict.
- You two – Leia glanced at Rey and Ren with curiosity – are going to stay here with me. Han, please aid Poe with the plans the BB unit gave us. There is no one, who knows the galaxy better than you.
Han and Poe bowed their heads slightly in agreement, and Rey could catch a glimpse of hopelessness on the old man's face. She could not picture, what was the cause of Ren's backturning to the Light, but Han could play a major role in it...
The needed approval he thought he never got – she could hear the voice's sad laugh – They really are the same... You know, back the, there was no one, who could separate them from each other. They were the unbeatable duo during the war...
Who? – Rey asked wordlessly, while she sat to the table with Kylo next to her, and General Organa on the other side of it.
Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
Rey could not contain herself. She was looking at Kylo with the same amount of „what?!" as the young man was looking at her.
Who are you, to know these things? – she asked.
As odd as it sounds, I am Kylo Ren's grandmother. Well, partly. Another part of me is you. Or you are me. As you wish to phrase. But given the fact, that I am the silent one, you are you and I am your guide.
To what?! Craziness?! – Rey screamed in her head.
I assure you, that you are a sane person. I am here to guide you, how to tame a Skywalker.
Author's Note: Heyyyy guys :) Kinda nervous author here, but I guess that is not new. Sorry for the long non-update, but life decided no free-time for me. Cross fingers plz, as I am doing my driver's licence (or lisence? I will never know how that is written correctly...) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this part also, aaand if you have time, well review :) Untill next time :)
