The next morning, Kylo waits a full fifteen minutes before he inserts himself into Cade Biggs' conversation with his son. Emperor Ren breezes into the room knowing full well that his presence will have a chilling effect. And really, that's the point. These two need distance between them. "Carry on," Kylo instructs blithely as he seats himself at the table and pulls off his helmet. Rarely does he wear the helmet here within the private areas of his palace. But he has just come from meeting with his lawyers.

At his unannounced entrance, his boy outright blanches and immediately clams up. But the conversation soon restarts with a little gentle prodding from Biggs. All the while, his kid keeps sending furtive glances Kylo's way and his left knee keeps bouncing up and down with nervous energy. Kylo ignores it. He busies himself conducting his own covert inspection while he listens to his kid whine.

I'll always be a father to you, Titus, even if I'm not your real father. Even though you don't live with me.

What if I don't like it here? I don't think I'm going to like it here.

You will.

What if I want to go home?

This is your home now. We've been over this before.

This is because I get in too much trouble at school, right? That's why you don't want me as a son anymore-

Titus, you know that's not true. Now that we know that your real father is alive, we want you to get to know him. Emperor Ren can teach you things and give you opportunities that your mother and I can't.

Yeah? Well, what if I don't like him? What if he doesn't like me?

Emperor Ren is your father. You should love and respect him.

But what about Mom?

Titus, the matters between adults are not your concern. Malia and Sasha know that I cannot get along with their mother and that's why we divorced.

But you divorced her. You didn't put their mom in jail.No one does that. Who does that?

Their mother didn't try to kill me, Titus.

Mom tried to- Wait, what?

Titus, this is something you should talk to your father about another time.

I don't understand why I can't go home and live with you and Mom again. Who's going to make my breakfast and take me to school?

I'm sure there's someone here who can do that when summer is over. Listen, I know all this change is unexpected and hard, son . . . er . . . Titus. But we will all adjust.

If Mom gets to go home, why can't I go home?

You mother will be staying here now. I'm the only one going home.

Shit-are you saying that you and Mom are getting a divorce?

I'm not sure that your mother and I were ever legally married, to tell the truth.

Oh. But Mom will be here to make pancakes on Saturday mornings, right? And to bring the snacks for soccer games? We have a playoff game tomorrow night. I need to get back to Kuat for that.

Titus, you're going to have to be flexible. There will be a new school and a new soccer team probably. I doubt very much that you will be going back to Kuat.

I don't like this. I have a bad feeling about this.

Kylo listens a bit longer. This is running long and he's anxious to wrap it up. But he can't appear to rush anyone. For his part, Cade Biggs is doing as asked and helping to transition the boy. But the kid is balking. Mostly it's over stupid pretexts. The boy is afraid and feeling abandoned, Kylo sees. Finally, Biggs shuts down the discussion as kindly as possible. His boy looks ready to cry as Biggs gives him a brief hug. Then Milo appears to shepherd the boy away.

"That went about as well as could be expected," Kylo commends Biggs as they stand together in the hallway watching the boy trudge away.

Biggs says nothing.

"My staff will inform the Chancellor's office to fast track the annual contract renewal for Kuat. It was always a done deal so there is no reason for delay. This year the capital ship profit margin is a bit sweeter, I'm told." Kylo relays this news offhand as if it is a coincidence and not a direct result of the conversation he has just witnessed. Because Emperor Ren is never so base as to propose or confirm a quid pro quo, even if that is the effect.

"Thank you, Excellency."

"Rey will be along shortly. Vanee has gone to collect her." And true to his words, up marches a squad of stormtroopers with Rey in their midst and stately Vanee trailing behind. Rey's face has been wiped clean of makeup and blood. It now wears an expression that tells him to go to Hell. She is dressed in the loose shirt and baggy pull-on pants of a prisoner with the words 'IN CUSTODY' emblazoned on the front and back with the First Order medallion. Her feet are bare, Kylo sees, with pink toenails. Altogether, it is a bizarre sight compared to the primped and polished woman he first met last night in her finery.

"You're late." Kylo is displeased. He has been anxious for this confrontation between Rey and Biggs to occur. It's time to get on with it.

"We were delayed," the trooper squad leader answers apologetically. "The prisoner was uncooperative, Sir."

Rey looks sort of triumphant at this description.

Kylo sniffs. "What a surprise."

The lead trooper carries a plastic bag containing Rey's impressive jewelry that he hands to Biggs. "I believe it is all there. She put up a fight about the ring."

"Perhaps, she should keep it," Biggs immediately offers.

Kylo objects. "That will not be necessary." If Rey ever wears a wedding ring, it will be from him, Kylo decides.

"Yes, of course." Red faced Biggs automatically backs down.

"Good luck," Kylo tells Biggs man-to-man as he tucks his helmet under his arm and turns to leave. "You're going to need it once the tears start." The pitiful whining from his kid and now the arrival of Rey have him on edge. Kylo is ready to be gone.

"Excellency, you're not staying?" Biggs seems genuinely surprised.

"No. It would only add to the conflict. I will give you both your privacy. Say what you need to say to one another."

"Thank you," Biggs nods respectfully at this courtesy. "That is most generous of you."

He brushes off this gratitude. "You deserve the truth." Kylo ignores Rey entirely now as he sweeps past to leave.

"Running away, Kylo?"

It's Rey speaking sharply to him. Being noncooperative again. Plus, she's ruining his majestic exit. Kylo shouldn't stop, but he does. Grinding to a halt to whirl on her before witnesses. "I believe that you were the one who ran away."

Rey nods and does not dispute this point. Instead, she gets to the point. "Where is Titus? I want to see Titus."

"You've done enough damage to him with your lies, Rey. I'm not giving you a chance to do more."

"Where is my son? I want to see my son!" Rey is every inch an Empress as she commands him with her cultured voice, lifted chin, and steely look. Before any of the guards watching this exchange can think to stop her, Rey elbows them aside and brazenly marches forward to stand in his path.

"I believe Milo is going to enroll him in school today," Kylo informs her. "That's probably where he has gone."

"School? Really?" Rey looks so shocked and relieved at this news that it annoys him.

"Yes, school. He's twelve. He needs to go to school. You can't rule the galaxy without an education. You of all people should know that, Rey."

It's a low blow and Rey flushes. Her self-assurance seems to fade and her volume does too. "Yes. Of course." And now her brow is furrowed and her face concerned. Her eyes are red rimmed, Kylo notices for the first time. Probably from tears. "Kylo, please-don't hurt him," Rey says in a low voice. "Please don't hurt him. He's just a boy. Let him be."

And this too annoys Kylo. Rey has long thought him to be some sort of brutish lout. As if the sum total of his talents was violence. Well, he's a lot more than that, Kylo knows. Now, more so than ever. And, sure, he has no experience at being a parent. But he's not about to abuse his kid for Rey's misdeeds. And so, Kylo's words in response are succinct and to the point. "I don't blame him. I don't blame Biggs. I blame you."

She nods and suggests hopefully, "Then let Titus go back home with Cade. Let our boy live a normal life as a normal kid."

Kylo crosses his arms in his old Knight of Ren power stance. "You know I can't do that." There's no chance in Hell he will do that.

"Why not?"

"Because he's a Skywalker!" Kylo rasps impatiently. "He's a Chosen One. You know how much Force that kid has! That cannot be ignored. I will not have another generation of this family torn apart. Do I need to remind you of the history, Rey? When the Skywalkers are in opposition, it means civil war."

"Civil war?" Rey parrots his words as full understanding now dawns on her face. "You don't want a son—you want an Apprentice!" she accuses.

"Of course." Was there ever any doubt about this? This is how Snoke had always intended it: A Skywalker Sith Master grooming his son the Apprentice. Two men whose futures and goals were aligned, unlike the Sith of old. "Titus is my son. He needs my guidance."

Rey's eyes are huge with fright. "Oh, Kylo, no! Please don't make him into you." She says this as if it's a bad thing. And as far as he's concerned, it's yet another rejection from Rey.

Kylo is indignant now. "Why not? What's so bad about being the heir to the Empire?"

"You forget that I was there on the ride up, Kylo. I know what you did to get here. You killed your family as well as your foes. And look at you!" Rey gestures derisively to him now. "You don't seem very happy ruling your Empire." Her face looks troubled. Sad, really. "You're so different now," she whispers.

Yes, he is. "We're not kids anymore. You're different now too, Rey."

"I'm not talking about what we look like," she complains. "I'm talking about who you are, Kylo. I barely recognize you. You're so cold. All the best parts of you are gone now, aren't they? That isn't because of the war." She searches his eyes for a moment. "What happened to you?"

"You did."

The words come out as harsh as he means them. Rey takes a physical step back. But then she rallies. Rey always rallies, he remembers. And when she does, she attacks. "Don't blame me for your problems! And don't consign our son to the same unhappiness as you and the rest of the Skywalkers!" She shakes her head at him in nagging contempt. "You and your clan are the most fucked up people in all the galaxy."

Kylo just smirks at her profane outburst. "Do you really think Titus can go back to his old life now? Now that it's all been exposed as a lie?"

Again, he scores a hit. Rey loses her vehemence. "Just give him the choice," she proposes. "Let him try. You yourself had a choice, Kylo. Never forget that."

"No."

"Kylo, please. Let him go home and I'll . . . I'll-"

"You'll what?" he drawls, curious to hear what's coming next. Because Rey has no leverage in this situation.

Rey takes a deep breath. "I'll be your Light."

What? Has he heard right? Because fuck . . . if he heard right . . .

"I'll be your Light again," she repeats softly. She's looking up at him fearfully. Is she afraid to make the offer? Afraid he'll say yes? Or is it afraid he'll say no?

Kylo is caught off guard and that's a rare thing. He stands there, staring. Considering.

She's bargaining, he knows. That's what his scavenger girl does when she has the opportunity. Rey had starved thirsty in the desert rather than sell her body to the smugglers and spacers who wandered through Jakku. But now, she's ready to strike a deal for sex in a misguided attempt to help their son. Kylo is taken aback.

He's also impressed. For though she looks a desperate mess in the aftermath of last night's mental assault, Rey is still so beautiful to his eyes. Maybe never more beautiful than now as she offers up her sacrifice for their son. In a weird way, it's very Skywalker of her, he thinks. For the women in his clan have always been prone to these noble gestures. This is something Shmi Skywalker might have done for her boy. Or something Padme Skywalker might have done had she lived to have the chance. How Kylo wishes things would have gone differently and his fierce mama bear scavenger might be his wife and ally, and not his prisoner. But it's far too late for that now. And he's really not too keen on being in bed with a martyr.

"No," Kylo shakes his head with determination. "I'm not making that mistake again. I was a weak fool for you once, but never again, Rey." Kylo takes a deep breath to fortify himself. To bolster his resolve. "Never again," he vows. "You don't get to steal our son and live a lie with another man for years and then pick up where we left off! You don't get to ruin our family and destroy Biggs' life and then pretend like it never happened!" His tone is heated but now turns cold. "Rey, you were dead to me years ago. You will always be dead to me." And damn, it feels good to finally get the chance to reject her for a change. Usually, it's the other way around.

Belatedly Kylo realizes that Biggs, Vanee, and a squad of stormtroopers have witnessed this uncomfortably personal exchange. But somehow, once he and Rey had started bickering, all he could see was her. It's been like this since he first caught sight of her yesterday evening at the party, the lone woman in white standing while others knelt. His princess had whirled at the sound of her name and for a moment it had felt like all the oxygen had gone out of the room. There were a hundred or more people at that party, but all he had seen was Rey.

Kylo regains his equilibrium now and defaults to his habitual mode of command. "Say goodbye to Biggs," he orders. "Afterwards, you're going back to your cell for good, Princess." Kylo steps quickly past her now. Anxious to be away.

Kylo stomps off and keeps stomping. His anger surging with each step. For how dare she disrespect the first family of the Force. Rey herself might shirk her duty as a Force user, but the Skywalkers do not. No son of his is going to grow up ignorant of his place in the universe and disdainful of their patriarch's wise teachings. There is far too much power at stake. For that boy has serious potential. There's no way that Kylo will send Titus back to a humdrum life with Cade Biggs when the boy can make history one day here with him.

And then . . . then Rey had dared to tempt him. Throwing his forever weakness in his face. That brief second of temptation Kylo had felt was humiliating. And, actually, her Light had not been the humiliating part. For there is no shame in the call to the Light. It is a testament to the magnitude of his Dark power that the Force beckons him back a little towards the center. No, the humiliating part had been Rey herself. The allure that she still poses. The power she still holds over him. He can deny it all he wants to her face but he cannot deny it to himself. For part of him wants nothing more than to love Rey again and this time for her to love him back. Even if it's the lukewarm passion with which she loves Cade Biggs. These days, Kylo Ren can have all the sex he wants with beautiful women. And over the years he has found sufficient crutches for when he needs the Light. But he has yet to find a replacement for her.

Fuck! He hates that he is in this position. How like the Force to fuck with him in this way. Kylo finds a surprise son for an Apprentice and with him the promise of a Dark dynasty. But the boy comes along with his mother cloaked in the Light. She's a woman who Kylo now dares not kill lest he tip the balance of the Force too far and sow the seeds of his and his son's ruin. And so, no matter where he stashes his princess prisoner, he will never be free of her. Once, he had thought Rey to be his destiny. And now, he sees that she is. And that's not a good thing.

Angry about the situation, disappointed by his kid's lack of enthusiasm for him, and humiliated by his temptation, Kylo lights his sword and vents his frustration on the nearest wall. He swings again and again, the plasma blade of his saber leaving deep gouges and slashes on the melting stone. Kylo keeps going and going until his anger is spent. During the war, he indulged in these outbursts on a regular basis. Nestor used to joke about it, calling it 'redecorating.' But Kylo hasn't done this in many long years. He hasn't needed to. But Rey . . . well, she gets under his skin. She hasn't even been here twenty-four hours and look at what he is reduced to.

Kylo is panting with effort and the wall is a molten slab when he's through. Satisfied, Kylo steps back and deactivates his sword. He is stashing it back at his waist when he looks up to see the boy. Titus is standing staring from the end of the hallway. Looking both impressed and afraid. Well, mostly afraid.

And that's okay with him. An Apprentice ought to fear and respect his Master. And besides, fear is the path to the Dark Side. Because fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. And for a Sith, that which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

Kylo beckons the boy forward. He looks him up and down. Today, Titus wears one of slight old Milo's uniforms and even that is roomy on the skinny kid. But at least it's black and suitably Sith looking. Well, sort of hand-me-down, low rent Sith looking. But whatever. It will do for now. Looking over the boy, the resemblance between father and son is very clear. And it goes beyond the features to betray itself in expressions and mannerisms too. Watching this surprise child speak with Biggs earlier, Kylo had looked and looked to no avail for evidence of Rey in the boy. But this whiney, needy kid is uncomfortably like his own former self, the enfant terrible of his uncle's Jedi academy.

"You're angry." Titus states the obvious as his eyes wander towards the destroyed wall.

"Yes. For Force-users, it is best to release your anger. To give in to hatred now and then. Suppressing intense emotions only leads to unhappiness. Titus, life is meant to be experienced and lived."

The boy nods as if he understands but Kylo knows he doesn't. Probably because he's had years of teachers nagging him about self-control. "Who are you so angry at?" Titus asks with a worried look.

"Your mother," Kylo answers truthfully, looking away. "Everything in your life up until now has been a lie. I blame her. She has done us both a great wrong."

"So you really are my father?" Titus now asks, peering up at him. Kylo can't tell if he sees skepticism, hope, or fear in the kid's face.

"Yes. I am your father."

"Yeah, I thought so. It felt true when Mom said it yesterday. And it feels true now. We even sort of look alike. I guess I never knew that because of the mask."

"She knew." His words are bitter.

"Where is my mother?"

"In a cell where she belongs." Kylo omits mention that Rey is actually down the hall. He doesn't need a scene just now to detract from Biggs berating Rey. Biggs is the type who will be moved to moderation if the kid intervenes, Kylo suspects. And he needs the mild-mannered business executive to grow a pair and stand up to his lying wife.

"Can I see her?"

"No." Kylo turns the boy down flat. He sees it's the answer his son expects. But still, Kylo feels compelled to explain. "It's better this way for you. And . . . for me."

"Why?"

"Because she's gone from your life. She was gone from my life before you were born."

"Oh." Then, the kid repeats himself now in an even smaller die-away voice. "Oh." After a long, tense moment, the teary-eyed boy demands, "Are you going to kill her? Because I demand to see her before you kill her!" Titus has a hard, stern look about him way beyond his years as he plants his feet and stands his ground. Kylo can't help but approve of this budding little Sith who looks him in the eye and dares to escalate things further. Because before Kylo can even answer, the boy takes it one step further. "I don't care if you are the Emperor. If you kill my mother, one day I will kill you! Years from now when you are old and weak and I am grown and strong, I will kill you! Slowly, you fucking asshole. So watch out!"

Kylo blinks at this speech. And then he suppresses the urge to laugh out loud at the hundred pound kid who is threatening him. Because this is good. This is very good. This natural aggression and confidence in the face of danger is what gets his kid into fights. And this is what will make him a Sith. Plus, his boy's reflexive urge to patricide makes him a Skywalker to the core. Well, that and the Force. Because his kid has plenty of Force. Yes, this is very, very good. So the Sith plays along.

Kylo nods gravely as if the kid poses a sincere threat. "Your mother is safe in her cell unless she tries to escape or she tries to kill me."

And now his kid doubles down. "I don't care what Mom does, if you kill her, then I will come for you."

Kylo has to strive his very hardest to keep a straight face. If the kid is this aggressive at twelve, what will he be like when puberty fully kicks in? Kylo is probably going to have to warn all of Coruscant to lock up their daughters. "Very well, then," Kylo allows. "We understand each other."

His kid nods solemnly in response, despite his trembling lower lip. "Very well."

Time for a new topic, Kylo decides, before he bursts into laughter and ruins everything. "Milo is supposed to register you in school today. When the summer break is over, you're going to school."

"Yeah? It's gonna cost you," the boy brags. "My dad paid plenty to get me into the last school. He's rich, you know."

Again, Kylo suppresses a smile. "I can stand the credits. But let's put off school registration for a few days."

"Yeah?" the kid brightens at this prospect.

"Yeah," Kylo decides on a whim. "There's someplace I want you to see."

"Where?"

"Jakku."

"Jakku as in the Battle of Jakku?"

"Yes."

"That's in the Rim, right?"

"Yes, the far Western Reaches."

"Why would I want to go there?"

"No one wants to go there. It's not a fun place to go. It's hot and there's lots of sand."

"Then why go?"

"To find the truth."

"Why should I care about truth?"

"Because your whole life is a lie. You deserve the truth."