"Kriff. Kriff. Kriff." Poe's boots pounded the corridor until he at last climbed the crude staircase out of the hallway. The orange sky and stifling heat made it feel like he was climbing into an oven. For a moment he shielded his eyes and wondered if he'd made a terrible mistake. It was too late to turn back now. He stormed onto the Falcon and cried out, kicked a duffel bag and sent it flying.

Hux watched silently from his seat, handcuffs hanging silently behind him. "What happened?" The usual malice was gone from his voice. Now only curiosity remained.

Shocked at the reminder he wasn't alone, Poe wiped an angry tear away. "Fuck. I don't know. It's that place. They're – they're in there. We're getting the ship and then we're getting them out of there." He stormed over to Hux and tugged him to his feet. The cuffs made a metallic sching as they slid up the pipe. "Ben went into the temple like he was sucked into a tractor beam and Rey got really weird and-"

Hux wasn't listening. "That was it? They found the temple itself? It's supposed to be a maze leading to the main room. It should have taken you hours to find it. I didn't think you'd walk right to it in a matter of minutes." His face paled. "You left them inside?"

"Yes," Poe answered, bewildered. He knelt down and looked into the general's face. His knees brushed against Hux's, but neither man moved. As far as he could tell, the general was genuinely worried. It didn't seem like Hux's nature to lay a trap where his acting would be the selling point. "Ben and Rey are both inside," Poe confirmed. "What do you know about that place and why am I just hearing about it now?"

His hair shook into his face as he cut Poe off. "Get them out of the temple! They're in danger. Get them out!" He rattled his restraints and leaned forward. "You need my help." His face was mere inches from Poe's. "Bring me with you. If anyone can help them, I can."

Poe hesitated, shocked by the outburst and the closeness. "Rey said to get the Falcon and be ready to go. They're in danger?"

"Snoke," Hux hissed through his teeth. Then he shook his head and clanged his restraints frantically. "There's not time to explain. Free me. I'll help you. I know what Snoke's doing." Hux's eyes pleaded. "If you want your friends to live, you must trust me, Poe."

Without time to debate it, Poe removed the restraints. "All right," he said as the general stumbled to his feet. "Let's go."

Ben didn't feel like himself. Or maybe he'd never felt more like himself. He wasn't sure.

Passionate emotions flowed through him. Hatred. Pride. Jealousy. Love. Lust. Conflict. One after another, his emotions swung left and right, then wildly slammed up and down. It was exhausting and exhilarating all at once. Loyalties suddenly seemed fleeting, and his own motives paramount. It was like waking from a long dream or slipping into one.

He glanced back to the doorway. He could sense Rey lingering there, trying to decide if she should join him or return to the Falcon. Rey, he thought, suddenly ravenously hungry for her. How he wanted to take her and experience every inch of her body. He knew the general curve and strength from working so closely with her, but he needed more. She'd let him, he knew. Ben's mouth practically watered at the thought. Take her.

Even if she fought, what was her strength against his? She nestled against him at night and moaned his name in her sleep. He was a fool for not taking her the first time he wanted her. He imagined pressing her against the wall, kissing her, and letting his hands wander to her warmth before making her scream out for him, whether in ecstasy or agony. Either would do.

He felt his lips part as he studied her, but something cooled his desire. Fear seeped out of her. It stung like a blaster bolt. She was afraid of him? Suddenly of a mind to stalk to the door and grab her by the throat, his lip curled. How dare she fear him? He would punish her; fuck her until she collapsed. The thought quickened his pulse. He licked his lips.

Suddenly Rey moved fearlessly into the temple, stalking like a huntress toward him. He sniffed in surprise and his lip curled.

Strange idols rested on pedestals here and there, and symbols Rey didn't recognize were carved into the floor of the temple. The presence of fellow Force users had gone and was replaced by something bigger. Hungrier. The only sound was the cautious footfall of her soft boots. Every pat was an echoing announcement that she was there. Something was watching her. Something omnipotent.

Rey's eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat, but she only caught a glimpse of what looked like a pair of yellow topaz jewels glinting her way. Rey shivered and called out. "Ben?"

The sound sent a shock wave through him. A different kind of conflict. A pull out of the dark. He took a hesitant step forward. "Rey," he whispered as a reminder to himself. He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly aware that his limbs were heavier than he remembered. What had he done? What had come over him? "Rey," he called again, more urgently.

Kriff, he thought in terror. What was that? Of course he'd thought about being with her, tasting her skin, hearing his name on her lips, but he'd never hurt her. His lip trembled. Where did the thought come from? It wasn't a secret fantasy. Rey very obviously moved to kiss him several times during training or around camp, but he always successfully and tastefully evaded her. The Force chemistry alone between them was enough to make him weak in the knees. Ben didn't think either of them could handle physical intimacy. It was enough having someone in your mind.

So what the hell was that?

He had to find his way back to the light. He needed her. Why had he ever come into the temple?

Rey heard and moved toward him, her hand outstretched. Her saber glowed its clean, calming blue and Ben let it be a light out of the dark. Rey. Save me.

"Ben?" Rey whispered as she found him. He looked shocked and stood perfectly still. Only his eyes moved as he watched her draw near. She reached up to touch his face, suddenly not certain whether it was actually him. The face felt right and the tickle of the hair against her hand was the same as always. He cringed at her touch, but he often did shy away from her.

Rey sucked in a breath. Something in the air felt stale and sour and it was beginning to waft around them like someone had opened a window to create a breeze. She coughed, hoping to expel whatever was lingering there. Fearing what she'd feel, Rey cautiously opened herself to Ben through the Force. There a swirling mass of confusion she didn't recognize. On a normal day, Ben's Force signature was clear and warm, comforting and electrifying. Now it was a whirl of smoke, clouding anything she once recognized.

The breeze turned cold and Rey shivered. Cold sank into her bones and she shivered at the goosebumps exploding over her skin. Ben seemed unaffected. His hair ruffled in the wind and he watched her silently.

"Ben, let's go." Rey tugged at his sleeve. "Take my hand."

Rey's fingertips on his singed like coals pressing against his hand. He hissed in pain and glared at her.

"Your eyes," she gasped, backing away.

A fleeting thought of violence against her crossed Ben's mind. Leave here? How dare she. Her body would break against the floor if he only threw her. He didn't even need to use the Force. She wouldn't utter any more words, wouldn't try to pull him away from this place. Do it now!

Ben coughed as if something moved inside him. His stomach lurched and he leaned forward and retched. Get it out! He thought desperately.

Rey didn't move out of the way, but reached out to steady him. "Ben," she gasped. "What's happening?"

"Help me," he groaned. "It's – I'm not right." The Sith temple clearly had a hold on him. Ben cried out in frustration. He was stupid for letting himself fall for the trap. It was too easy. Why would the Knights of Ren meet in such a sacred, powerful place? Something lured him and Rey there. He gritted his teeth and mustered all the Force power he could to push the darkness from his mind.

In response, a violent wind kicked up around him. His hair blew around his face and his shirt fluttered as he reached for his saber. Before his hand touched the hilt, something knocked the wind from his chest and his feet from under him. He grunted in pain on the cool floor. Rey screamed and drew her saber. The blue blade glowed in the swirling darkness and he was relieved to see her face. Teeth bared, she was staring in to the dark, ready to take on whatever dwelled there. Rey, his student, his scavenger from Jakku, his everything. Ben could have cried.

He braced himself to stand, but something caught hold of him and dragged him backward, further from Rey. His boots squeaked along the floor as he tried to catch hold of something. "Rey!" he called desperately. A sharp shock lit up his spine and he heard his head smack against the stone pillar before he felt the searing flash of pain.

The conflict raging inside dulled and only emptiness remained. His own parents cast him out. Loathing lit up his uncle's eyes when he tried to kill him. He was alone then and he'd be alone again when Rey left him or betrayed him. The darkness understood him. It filled in the empty places.

Every muscle system in his body clenched as if fighting off the evil. His head throbbed and bled. Darkness settled over him, filled him, surrounded him.

His body and spirit broken, Ben Solo surrendered to the darkness.

Rey could only watch as something threw Ben across the temple and into a pillar. The air moved furiously, but she made a choice. She brandished her saber all around her, spinning to find the aggressor. "Give Ben Solo back to me or I will kill you. I'll find you and I'll kill you."

Deep laughter echoed from above and Rey turned rapidly, hunting for the source. It bounced off the walls and through her brain. She would have covered her ears if she wasn't swinging the saber wildly. "Show yourself!" she screamed, spittle spraying from her lips.

Suddenly a deep throated snarl broke the silence. Rey looked around for an animal but realized the sound was coming from the heap where Ben collapsed. He unsteadily got to his feet and glared at her. It was Ben's body, but couldn't have been Ben. Rey blinked to clear her vision, but he remained. In his place paced a feral man, teeth bared and lip curled. There was something wrong with his eyes; they glinted in an unnatural way that took the breath out of Rey's lungs and replaced it with a chill. Everything familiar about Ben Solo was gone. In his place was a caged animal trapped in a man's body.

She turned and sprinted away from him, unwilling to strike him down and too afraid to look back at her master.

Hux had never been so glad to stretch his legs. Each step they took through the dark corridor was refreshing, even though it filled his mind with dread. This was exactly what he left the Order for.

His time in captivity with the resistance had been infinitely different than he expected. Jokes. Home style meals every night. The charming pilot. Being carted on a mission with General Solo and his apprentice. He would have been happy with a damn cell. To say he was blown away was an understatement. General Armitage Hux was doubly shocked to find he cared, truly cared, whether the general and his apprentice died in the Mustafar Temple.

Commander Dameron easily kept pace beside him as the men ran through the long corridors. Poe counted torches, taking the turns Ben and Rey navigated around the first time. More than once he paused and doubted his choice, but they pushed on nonetheless. Hux had no choice but to trust him.

"Ignore everything you think," Hux called as the air chilled. "You won't understand what's happening. Focus only on bringing your friends back. It won't be as easy as it sounds."

The pilot glanced over. "What do you mean?"

Hux weighed his words carefully. Too much information could be as deadly as not enough. "It's Supreme Leader Snoke. His Force capabilities are considerable. Don't trust what you think."

"Oh, kriff," Poe panted. "Just what I want to be running in to. Bringing a blaster to a Force battle. Do you have the Force?"

"No," Hux said firmly. "I do not."

"Good. Two idiots can go get themselves killed, then." Poe forced a laugh that sounded more pained than humerous, then turned the final corner and slowed. "This is it! At the end of this corridor. The temple. Kriff. Rey must have gone in. I thought she'd wait for me!"

The men slowed to a walk. Poe steeled himself and then looked back to Hux. "If I don't make it out, take care of my droid!" He expected to find fear in the general's face at a taste of true combat, but there was only fierce resolve on Hux's face.

"Commander," the general said, saluting.

If his best friends weren't in dire distress, Poe would have found the sign of respect humorous. Instead, he offered a hasty salute in return before turning into the darkness of the temple.

Commander Poe Dameron wasn't afraid of danger. He lived for it. He wasn't overly worried about losing life or limb. Losing a friend was the only thing unbearable to him. Poe charged into the temple but immediately froze in his tracks.

Light sabers were zinging and sizzling through the air and Poe's heart jumped to his throat. At first his eyes didn't register the sight. Green and blue beams or light collided and clashed. Sparks exploded, creating a dazzling display. The air around him suddenly moved as if elevated by a static charge. It was a familiar, though eerie. The Knights must have been near! As he looked closer, he realized Ben was savagely swinging at Rey, not an enemy.

"Ben!" Poe exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing?"

"It's not Ben!" Rey shrieked, dodging a downward cut by tucking and rolling behind a pillar. Ben slashed his green saber through the stone a second too late. Rey had already danced away, moving like a shadow.

"Ben!" Poe called again. Ben turned toward him and Poe's breath immediately froze in his throat. Ben's eyes glowed a bizarre amber. The hum of his crossguard light saber cut through the sudden stillness as it cut downward and Poe dove out of the way of the remorseless slash. He cried out in disgust and drew his blaster. "Ben. What's that shit? You wouldn't kill me. What's wrong with you?"

"Poe! Run!" Rey called.

Ben snarled and turned back for Rey, saber poised to strike. The back of his shirt was soaked with blood and Poe wondered whose it was.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Poe called after him, desperately hoping Rey had a plan. "Leave her alone."

Ben paused once again and narrowed his eyes, sending a clear warning to Poe. "She's nothing to me," he snarled, taking deliberately slow steps toward the pilot, who staggered backward into a wall. "She tried to take me from this place. What does she know?" His voice was cold yet passionate; nothing like Ben Solo's usual tone.

Poe considered his options, then took a hesitant step forward, careful to take note of where the saber burned in the darkness. The green light had always been a reassuring presence. Poe was a hell of a fighter, but when Ben showed up with his blaster blazing and saber sizzling during a battle, a wave of relief always washed over him. With those weapons turned against him, Poe had no idea whether he would walk out of the temple alive. "General Solo," Poe said carefully. "We have to go. I know what you're thinking. You're wrong, Ben."

Ben cocked his head. The amber eyes narrowed, curiously this time. "And what am I thinking?"

Poe shrugged, one hand resting on his blaster. "You think it's your grandfather. You think this is Darth Vader trying to reach you."

Ben didn't react. Amber slits glowed back at him.

"Yeah. I know you, buddy," Poe continued, hoping to buy time for Hux. "I know how worried you are about turning down that path. But you're not a Skywalker. You're an Organa-Solo."

Ben's eyes flickered toward Rey as she crept from pillar to pillar, but Poe called out and stepped closer.

"Ben! Hey! This ain't it, chief. Darth Vader turned back toward our side in the end! This shit you're doing? This is Supreme Leader Snoke! Whatever he's telling you? Lies. You won't risk your entire rebellion just because some sorcerer is casting spells on you in here. Even I feel it. That's why you're going to put that saber down and we're gonna go back to the Falcon." Poe held out a hand. "How about it?"

"Traitor," Ben roared. He threw out his hand and sent a blast of energy at Poe.

Poe struggled to remain upright, but kept his footing. Ben could easily kill him, but didn't. There was still hope.

Blaster drawn, Hux crept along the walls of the temple toward Rey. He was careful to be quiet as a spectre. As long as the pilot had Solo distracted, he was probably safe. Controlling a strong Force user like Ben Solo would use most of Snoke's power. Still, better safe than sorry. He held steady and motioned for Rey to join him. He was hunkered behind a large altar at the far side of the temple opposite Poe and Ben. Nowhere was safe, but at least it gave the illusion of it.

Rey turned off her saber and crouched down beside him. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I'm here to help you. It's Snoke," he whispered. "I can only think of one thing that will save General Solo and I can't execute the plan without you." He peeked over the altar and cringed. Poe was doing his best to stall, but Hux knew Snoke's patience with the extra humans would wear thin quickly.

"You'll have to hurt him to save him," Hux explained quietly. "It's the only way."

Rey's lip twitched, but she nodded. "Tell me the plan."