"Yes." He states matter-of-factly, brushing a strand of hair from my face. I stiffen at the response, prepared to jerk away from his touch as he continues. "But I'm quite fond of this distraction."

"Stop it." I scold, fighting the part of me wants to forget everything and melt into his arms. "That's not fair. I don't know if I want to kiss you or throw you off a bridge right now."

A sly smile creeps over his features. "Can I choose?"

"I'm trying to be serious."

"Yes, and it's very cute."

Jackass. I think as I make to punch his shoulder. He catches my fist, laughing softly at my quick response and entwines our fingers together.

"I get it. Serious." He assures me, brushing a soft kiss against my knuckles. "What sparked all of this anyway?"

My eyes drift down to our interlocked hands. "I had a nightmare."

"About Snoke." His words come out as more of a statement than a question.

"Kind of. And about you. And my brother. And.." I trail off, a flash of the girl in my mind. "and other things. But all of it got me thinking and I can't do this," I gesture back and forth between us. "Whatever this is, unless I know I'm not a burden or some kind of distraction. I don't want to be.. I'm not going to be a little lap dog, content to just follow orders forever and be a punching bag for Snoke. I spent half my life hiding from the outside world to not embarrass my family and I won't go back. So if my presence truly is, in your mind or Snoke or whoever's, a weakness, we should end this before it starts."

This time it's Kylo Ren's turn to be dumbfounded. I shrink a little beneath his unblinking stare. I chew on the inside of my cheek as his grasp on my hand loosens, assuming the absolute worst. After a moment, he sighs softly.

"Jira, I've been trained to view emotions as weakness." He begins. The usual emotionless mask he wears seems to melt away with every word, and I swear I see a different side of this broken man coming forward. He drops his hold on my hand completely, raking his fingers through the mess of dark waves on his head. "Even as a child, my uncle drilled into my mind that the Jedi do not have personal attachments to others. But, whatever this is," He mimics my hand gestures, "I have no intention of ending it."

His arms coil around my waist, pulling me against him tightly. I give in more easily than I'd like to admit and fall into him, burying my face into his chest. The sound of his steady heartbeat lulls me into a calm state as he holds me. Kylo Ren presses a kiss to the top of my head. "I have no intention of losing you." He mumbles.

Comfortable silence engulfs us for a few brief minutes before I speak, a realization washing over me. "Wait.. You chastised me for being awake, but why were you?"

"Someone woke me up with her late night training session." He smirks down at me.

"You could sense that?"

Kylo nods. "A little more training and you'll start to sense other force wielders too."

I squirm my way out of his grasp, a gleam of excitement in my eyes. "Well.. then lets train."

For the next few hours, into the first light of morning, he teaches me everything he knows about using the force. I hang on his every word.

I step back, focusing intensely on his directions and try once again to pull the bottle to my hand. As my fingers clasp around the cool metallic surface, I look up at Kylo Ren for a reaction. The pride glimmering in his eyes sends butterflies zipping through my stomach at full speed.

"That's the first time I've done that when I wasn't angry." I breathe.

"I told yo-"

"Commander," A stormtrooper interrupts what I can only hope would have been praise. "The General wants to speak with you and Captain Hux on the command bridge at 0800."

Kylo Ren waves him off dismissively. I bite back a smirk as the trooper nods respectfully and exits the room. I quickly gather my things to return to my room. 0800 hours is only 30 minutes away and I don't want to see the look on Ari's face if he knows Ren has seen me in this state. I almost chuckle at the thought of his reaction. As we separate without another word, heading to our own quarters, I can't help but worry about what lies ahead.

I hurriedly clean myself up once I'm inside my bedroom, splashing water on my face and twisting my hair into its usual braided style. I slip into a pair of tight-fitting black pants and a black raglan top, the back of which bares the First Order's emblem in bright red. A silver embellished belt hangs loosely from my hips with my lightsaber clipped against it. Once I'm remotely satisfied with my appearance, I begin making my way to the bridge.

I hear Armitage's voice the moment I near the door and memories of our last encounter flood back. Taking a deep breath, I step inside and glance around, shocked to not see him. Kylo Ren stands, hands clasped behind him, in front of a holopad projecting an image of my brother. He left for the base already? I think, surprised and disappointed all at once.

"We've traced the Millennium Falcon, and the droid to Takodana." Hux continues speaking, with little to no acknowledgment of my enterance into the room. I take my place next to Kylo Ren, listening closely as I stare at the hologram. "Phasma and her troopers will be in route to the planet as soon as the weapon is deployed."

"As will we, General." Ren nods diplomatically.

"I would like Captain Hux," He inclines his head to me with a soft smirk on his lips. "to prepare her team of TIE fighters for an air strike as well."

My eyes widen at the request. "Ar- um.. General, I thought my rank was stripped from me." My voice cracks as I speak.

"Are you declining my request, Captain?" His emphasis falls heavily on the title.

"No, sir." I smile enthusiastically. "We'll be ready."