A/N: A big thanks to Biekewieke and SirenBanshee. You are two amazing beta's!
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As he feared, Base Four wasn't any better than Base One; although, there was less contrast between the buildings and its surroundings, as it was located on a moon consisting purely of rock.
The director had insisted on Kylo watching the children march into the training hall and take formation. The eerie quiet and near perfection with which the children marched made Kylo just as uncomfortable as before.
The children's sleeping arrangements were practically bare, whereas the staff rooms were fit to home nobility. Since it was dinner time when the facility tour finished, Kylo strode into the dining hall—causing all the kids to promptly stop eating and stand. He looked at the porridge with disdain, but ordered himself a bowl to see what they were feeding the children. The director was quick to correct him and lead him to a smaller dining area next door, where fowl, vegetables, and bread were spread out as a buffet. Kylo decided to leave immediately.
As he returned to his ship and they had their own meal of rations, he remembered the last words the director had spoken. 'Any children that you'll be summoning?'
Kylo turned towards Phasma. "We need to figure out what both directors were referring to." He knew he didn't need to elaborate. The woman always seemed to be in tune with him.
"Yes, sir."
"Any ideas?"
"No, sir."
Kylo shrugged and left for his quarters. After deliberately calming himself down, he contacted Rey.
"I can still sense your anger, you know," she said as she appeared in front of him. He huffed in annoyance. "I can also feel you're trying to control it," she continued. "I'm proud of you, Ben."
Part of him was thrilled at her words, part of him annoyed. He felt like she was petting him on the head like you would do to an obedient dog. It must have shown on his face, if Rey's sudden burst of laughter was any indication. He huffed again and removed the outer layers of his clothes, leaving him only in pants and shirt. When he caught Rey staring, he smirked. The smirk grew when she quickly looked away and blushed.
"Are you sure you want me to teach you?" he asked, unable to keep the doubt from his voice. It seemed so strange to have her accept his teachings after having denied them for so long.
Rey shrugged. "Yes, Ben, who else is going to teach me?"
His breath hitched at her words. He quickly recovered and sat down, urging her to do the same with a wave of his hand. Just as when he'd given her the information needed to build a saber, they sat cross-legged, knees touching.
"Can you remember anything you did when you first invaded my mind?" he asked.
"Not really," she answered. "I just remember trying to fight you off with everything I had. At one point I wondered how you would feel if somebody did that to you, and before I knew it, I was in your head. Once there I- I don't know. It felt almost easy?"
He grimaced at the memory. "I wasn't prepared so I didn't put up a fight. That's why it felt easy, like swimming in a lake. If I were to try and keep you out, it would resemble swimming in mud."
"Swimming isn't easy!" Rey protested. "It's hard; I keep sinking!"
After a moment of surprise, Kylo burst out laughing. "It takes some practice, yes. You never learned how to swim?"
"Bit difficult on a desert planet, don't you think?"
"Yes, true."
Another snort escaped him at the image of Rey sinking as she tried to swim. Then he realised she would be wearing a swimsuit while trying and ideas of a totally different nature swarmed his head. He quickly schooled his features and pushed away those thoughts.
"Well," he finally said, "I think you will be fine as soon as you manage to create the connection. That's the hardest part."
"A connection?" Rey questioned.
"Yes. Before you can explore someone else's mind, you need to link your mind with theirs. In our case, the link was already there since I was trying to probe yours. When you thought of invading mine, the Force latched on to that and reversed the connection."
"It's like a stream?"
"I think you could say that. Either you are in another person's mind, or they are in yours. You can't be in both at the same time."
"And how do I make this connection?"
"You, uhm…" Kylo realised he hadn't thought this through. The way Snoke had taught him was not how he wanted to teach Rey, not anywhere close. "It helps if you visualise," he finally said. "Imagine the Force creating a string between your minds, or a bridge of sorts."
She was looking at him uncomprehending and he bit his lip in worry. Was he not explaining it well? Perhaps he should have proposed trying to teach her in a day or two, so he would have had the time to figure out what to say?
"Like an energy arc?" Rey eventually said, tilting her head.
Kylo sighed in relief. "Yes, like that."
"Oh. I think- I think I can do that."
"You want to try?"
"You would let me?"
"Well, it's my memories I wanted you to see."
"Yes, but- I'll be in your mind! And I wouldn't know what I was doing."
He reached out and touched her cheek. "Don't worry. I'll help you make the connection, and as long as you don't go on a rampage in my brain, I can keep you from seeing more than I want to."
"You will? You can? Can you teach me that too?"
He laughed at how eager she was. "Yes, but first this, alright?" She nodded and smiled. "Right, now, focus and try to make that bridge."
Kylo felt a touch of tenderness as she closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose in concentration. With the Force, he created a thin, barely there pathway between his mind and hers. He wasn't trying to truly connect, just providing something for Rey to latch onto and use to her advantage.
When she finally did connect, she smashed into his brain with enough strength to make him grunt. Immediately, she lost concentration.
"Ben! I'm sorry; did I hurt you?" She was reaching out for him, her fingers hovering over his face.
He shook his head. "It's okay. You lost concentration."
"Sorry…"
"No, that's not- It's okay. Try again."
"Are you sure?"
Nodding, he again created the tiny connection and fortified himself for her arrival. It seemed she was a quick learner, for her entry in his mind was already more controlled. He projected an image of the Supremacy's bridge.
"Can you see that?" he asked.
"Yes! Yes, I can!"
Her elation broke her concentration. Kylo had to tamper down his smile as he watched her pout.
"Try again," he merely said.
He did not know how long he trained her, but by the end, she was able to make the connection on her own and wasn't losing concentration as soon as something distracted her. He could feel how happy she was and he himself felt proud of her.
"You're doing great," he finally said.
She beamed at him and squeezed his hands. He hadn't noticed they were holding onto each other and he suddenly felt self-conscious.
"It uhm-" he stuttered. "You might want to try on other volunteers as practice. Our bond might be simplifying things."
Rey nodded and bit her lip. "Can I see now?" she asked. "Can I see what upset you so earlier?"
Kylo grimaced. "Are you sure?" Again, Rey nodded. He sighed in response. "Okay…"
It took them awhile to sort through the memories of both visits, even though he selected only the most important parts. When Rey returned to herself, there were tears in her eyes. She reached out and cupped his cheek.
"Oh, Ben…"
"I will do something about it," he stated firmly while leaning into her touch. "I promise."
"I know you will," she agreed. "Some of the kids are Force-sensitive?"
"Yes, three in Base One, one in Base Four. And it is as if the directors expected us to come inspect the children, as if that was something Snoke did regularly. I just don't understand why."
"Can't you look into it?"
Kylo nodded. "I've already set Phasma on it, but I doubt she will be successful. If Snoke wanted it hidden, there is no way he left a trail." To his surprise, Rey gave him a broad smile. "What are you smiling about?" he asked, bewildered.
"I'm just happy Phasma is your friend, that you are not alone."
He made to roll his eyes at her but stopped as an idea struck him. "Those Force-sensitive children," he said. "I can't leave them there." Rey shook her head in agreement. "But I have nowhere else to take them either," he continued, watching Rey's face scrunch up at his words. He took a breath and a leap of faith. "Could you take them?"
It took a couple of seconds before Rey caught on. "What?!"
"There's nothing I could do for them within the First Order, not right now. If I put them on a ship, would you take them in? Of course, first I need to check the other facilities as well. There might be more of them."
"You want to send them to the Resistance?"
Kylo grinned at the dumbfounded look on her face; he wanted to kiss her, make her see how very precious a person she was, but settled on chuckling instead.
"Yes and no," he answered. "I want to send them to you." His grin grew wider as she started blushing.
"Oh! I, uhm- I think I can arrange something with Maz," she answered, looking at their still linked hands.
"Great," he answered. A jostle told him they jumped out of lightspeed. It caused him to sigh with regret. "My ship is nearing the Supremacy; I have to go."
Kylo was surprised to see Rey's face sadden. Did she enjoy spending time with him as much as he enjoyed being with her? That seemed so … unlikely.
"Okay, Ben," she said as they both stood. "Let me know about the children, okay? And I know you will find a way to help all of them; I believe in you."
He couldn't help himself, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. "I will try; at the least, I will try," he murmured. "No child should live like that."
There was a knock on the door and Phasma's muffled voice calling out for him.
"I really have to go," Kylo said.
Rey nodded. "Bye, Ben; talk to you soon."
For a moment, he could only stare at the empty space in his arms where Rey had stood a second ago, wishing he could keep her forever.
