Authors' note: Lucasfilm and Disney own the characters, we just play with them from time to time. This story was jointly written by DisappointedSon and FeministAwakens - we hope you enjoy it!

She'd flinched when he grabbed her wrist, dread coursing through her body. Nearly as quickly however, he'd slackened his grip, merely resting his hand on hers. As he looked back up at her a strange warmth cascaded over her, and she watched his cheeks redden; she was sure the sensation had originated from him, but as she curiously peered back at him, he quickly dropped his gaze once more. She continued to stare at him as he finished speaking. "You – you really believe that? You think you're fighting for a cause?" she asked, still bewildered and preoccupied by what had just transpired between them.

Looking back up to meet her gaze, he shrugged. "Well, yes. Why else would I align myself with the First Order?" He picked up a stick and poked at the fire. "The Republic was corrupt - the old and the new. The masses are not capable of governing themselves, and the Senate makes a mockery of justice. The First Order will bring peace and, well, order to the galaxy." It was the line he'd rehearsed in his mind - often enough that he truly believed it. Looking back to Rey now, though, he felt a pang of doubt. Frowning, he added, "I've come too far to believe anything else. I've made a commitment - to the First Order, to the Supreme Leader..." He could hear the uncertainty in his own voice, but he hoped, probably in vain, that she would not.

Her body was still smoldering from whatever had passed between them, but that didn't stop her from snorting in response to his slightly less than impassioned defense of the First Order. "And you don't make a mockery of justice?" She queried, incredulous. Not pausing to wait for an answer, Rey continued; "No, I suppose a group that wouldn't inconvenience itself with any concept of justice in the first place doesn't bother to put on a façade of observing it." She had wanted to ask why he was somehow better suited to lead than any in the Senate. Was it, perhaps, that his mother had been an Imperial Senator? She doubted he had seen the irony in the situation, though it was plain as day to her.

He sighed, shaking his head. How had the conversation turned this way? He didn't want to fight anymore, and yet he couldn't just leave it at that point. "It is not I who will lead. I am merely a soldier in this battle. Supreme Leader Snoke will be the one to lead the Galaxy into a new age of governance and prosperity." He watched the glowing fire before them. It was still burning brightly, but the flames were lower than they had been an hour earlier, and he realized with a shudder that it would probably burn out by morning. He briefly considered suggesting they bundle together for warmth, but immediately knew that Rey would have no part of that. "We should probably try to get some sleep," he simply said. "With any luck, the storm will have passed by morning, and we can get out of here."

"Snoke?" she scoffed. A little voice told her to drop it, but avoiding arguments with Kylo Ren was apparently not her strong suit. "Snoke is nothing more than a power hungry dictator. He's brainwashed all of his officers into following him; I'm rather surprised he managed to do the same to you." As soon as the words slipped off her tongue, she knew it was a mistake. 'What does it really matter though?' she thought. 'Either he's already been indoctrinated and my comment won't matter to him, or he can still think for himself, and it might make him think.' She yawned, then said flatly "Anyways, I'm going to sleep."

"Right. Sleep," he agreed with a nod. Her words about Leader Snoke had resonated with him, but he was too tired and drained both emotionally and physically, to discuss the matter any further. Her declaration of intent to go to sleep only sealed the deal. In truth, he'd started questioning the Supreme Leader shortly after the destruction of Starkiller Base. Ren had done everything Snoke had asked of him. Everything. And yet he did not feel any more at peace than when he'd first turned to the Dark Side. His father's last words rang through his memory often: "Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants, he'll crush you." Even then, deep down he knew it was true, but he'd fought the idea. As time went by, though, it was becoming harder and harder to refute. There was hardly a night that went by that he was not visited by Han Solo in his dreams. Whether it was the ghost of his father or his own conscience speaking to him, he never knew. Kylo sighed, lost in his thoughts. Bringing himself back to the present, he glanced at Rey. "We should probably sleep in close proximity… for warmth. You can keep my robes for the night if you wish."

She was about to protest when she realized he was probably right. She wasn't freezing, but she certainly wasn't warm, and it wasn't safe to sleep too close to the fire, especially in robes. "Oh, alright," she huffed. "But don't try anything when I'm asleep." She grimaced inwardly as she said it, hearing the innuendo behind it. 'Obviously not what I meant,' she thought. Resigning herself to spending the rest of the night uncomfortably close to him, she got up and walked over to the pile of her dry clothes. She collected them and returned to where he was sitting, offering him half of them. "I assume you'll want a pillow," she explained, folding her own in two. She lay with her back against the ground, ramrod straight, as she stared at the ceiling and waited for him to sprawl out next to her.

His lips twitched into a smile at her words. "Don't try anything?" he teased, tempted to remind her of the line he'd recited during her interrogation - 'you know I can take whatever I want.' But he decided reminding her of that experience would be counterproductive on a number of levels, so he kept his amusement private. "Don't worry. I will keep my hands to myself," he assured her, taking the clothes she'd handed him and wrapping them into a cylindrical shape. The ground was cold and hard, and the pampered pet of the Supreme Leader was not used to sleeping in such conditions, but there was no other option, so he lay down next to Rey with his back to her, tucking his legs up towards his belly in an attempt to conserve as much body warmth possible. It was awkward at first, sleeping so close to another person - much more so, considering that person was an attractive member of the opposite sex. But with a little effort, he was able to calm his mind and, just before closing his eyes he whispered, "Goodnight, Rey."

Her face burned at his teasing, and she flushed an even deeper shade at his assurances that he'd behave. She had half a mind to tell him that hadn't been what she meant, but as soon as she opened her mouth to say that, he had laid down, back to her. He was so close she could feel his body heat warming the air near her, but true to his word, they had absolutely no physical contact. "Goodnight Ren," she murmured, though she doubted that he heard her. His body relaxed and his breathing slowed as he fell asleep. Rey, on the other hand, lay wide awake, flinching at ever crackle from the fire or soft whisper of air. She grew more tired but still, her conscious would not release her. A rustle of fabric as Ren shifted in his sleep drew her attention to him, and in her late night delirium, she went so far as to draw her lightsaber from her robes and consider ending his life right there, freeing her from this struggle. As she clenched the hilt, reason won out, and she relaxed, letting it slip from her hand to the ground by her leg. She began to probe the sudden impulse to stab him as he had his father, when finally slumber overtook her. She slept fitfully, adjusting her cloak and tossing and turning in an unconscious effort to sleep peacefully.

Kylo Ren awoke to a dark cavern. The fire, that had been burning brightly earlier, had now devoured the majority of the wood he'd found, leaving only a core of glowing embers remaining. He couldn't tell whether it was morning yet, since the entrance to the cave wasn't visible from where they lay, but judging by the state of the fire, he knew several hours must have passed from when they had first lain down. 'Rey!' he thought, twisting to make sure she was still lying next to him. Sure enough, she was there, fast asleep. In the low glow from what was left of the fire, he could barely make out her silhouette. Her chest rose and fell with deep steady breaths, and from time to time, her eyes fluttered behind closed eyelids, indicating that she was dreaming. Rolling over to fully face her, the young knight propped himself on one elbow, resting his head in his hand. Now that she was asleep, he did not feel self-conscious looking at her, and he allowed himself the indulgence of simply watching her sleep for a few moments. She looked so peaceful, and beautiful, in an innocent, unspoiled purity, and he marveled at home a girl, abandoned by her family on such a harsh plant as Jakku, could maintain any semblance of innocence. Yet here she lay. Her hair, mostly pulled back in a series of buns, was fringed with fluttery wisps that kissed her face while she slept. Slowly and steadily, he reached out and gently brushed a lock of hair from her face and behind her ear, before pushing himself up into a seated position. Whether it was morning or not, he'd might as well get up.