"You may be the death of me yet, Erinn."
Erinn swore that she had heard those words before, but from Ben, not from her brother. Andrew had walked back into his chambers to find his sister still dressed in her tight fitting grey dress, but she had moved to sit at the table, her chin in her hand and her fingers drumming on the table as she waited for someone to come back to her.
Moving his hat from his head, Andrew looked to Erinn and sighed lowly before he saw her run a hand up and down her arm, almost as though she had turned cold all of a sudden. He removed his coat from his shoulders as she stood up and looked to Andrew, her arms folding over her waist as she regarded him and he regarded her back.
"What has happened?" Erinn asked of him.
"The Supreme Leader believes that you have no purpose here," Andrew informed her. "He intends to have Kylo Ren kill you to prove that he has no emotion towards you."
"I see," Erinn said.
She shouldn't be too shocked by such a revelation. What more could she expect from him? She was Ben's weakness. If Ben was really dead then Kylo would kill her, but Erinn suspected Ben wasn't completely dead. She almost refused to believe it. There was still some part of Ben and she had seen it.
"You see?" Andrew responded. "Erinn, you could sound a little more concerned. Does your life mean so little to you?"
"My life means nothing," Erinn said, moving closer to Andrew. "Let him kill me. I doubt he can, but I do not want him getting his hands on Lanette, Andrew. I want him nowhere near my daughter."
"Erinn," Andrew grumbled, moving his hands to his face and running them down his cheeks as he wandered around his sitting area and shook his head. "You have put me in an impossible position."
"Why?" Erinn demanded from him. "I just want you to protect your niece, Andrew."
"It is not just that," Andrew spoke. "Protecting Lanette would go against everything I stand for and believe in. I answer to the Supreme Leader. I cannot turn on him for you and this child. I cannot protect you. I am not part of the Resistance. I am General of the First Order. I believe in the First Order."
Dropping her hands to her hips, Erinn prepared to challenge Andrew as she saw him drag his gloves from his fingertips and unbutton the top button of his collar.
"And Kylo Ren?" Erinn wondered. "Do you believe in him?"
"You know that I do not," Andrew sniped back to Erinn. "I find Kylo Ren tempremental, but the Supreme Leader sees something in him that I do not. If they were ever to discover that I had hid your daughter or stopped them from finding her then I am dead."
"As is my daughter," Erinn whispered. "Lanette is a girl, Andrew. This evil…everything here is evil…and she does not deserve to be a part of it. I know that you believe that."
"I am not the little boy I was, Erinn," Andrew warned her.
"But you were raised by our mother," Erinn said and Andrew looked away, feeling something inside of him at the mention of that woman. "There is some of mother inside of you, Andrew. You are not father. I know that you are better than he is…kinder…do you think that I did not notice how you defended me against Kylo?"
Clucking his tongue, Andrew wondered if it was too soon for another alcoholic drink. He felt as though he needed one. He had never felt as conflicted as he felt at that moment in time. Everything inside of him was telling him that he had a duty to go through with. He had a duty and it was not to his sister and her daughter…his niece.
"I still see some good inside of you," Erinn shrugged. "You can deny it, Andrew, but I know that when the time comes you try to stop being father."
"Don't," Andrew warned her. "I already fought Kylo Ren over your life. Do not put me in this position."
"You were the one who took me back," Erinn responded. "You put yourself in this position."
"Because I didn't realise how hard it would be," Andrew complained to her. "I spent years hating you, Erinn. Your dead body meant nothing to me when I thought about you, but…seeing you…my own sister…perhaps Ren is right."
"About what?" Erinn wondered.
"You're as much my weakness as you are his."
Erinn looked to the ground then and Andrew moved his fingers to rub against his temple as a headache formed there and Erinn wondered if there was a way to comfort her brother. She had imagined feeling nothing for Andrew too, but it was different. She thought that there was no goodness left him, but she suspected that she was wrong.
"It is late," Hux suddenly spoke. "I need to sleep before tomorrow."
"What happens tomorrow?" Erinn dared to ask.
"Nothing to concern you," Hux remained coy. "The settee is rather comfortable. You can sleep in here for the evening. There are pillows in the cupboard by the window and the bathroom is through that door."
Nodding, Erinn watched her brother as he moved towards his own room and she heard the door slam shut. She contemplated showering, but she realised she had nothing to change into but the clothes she stood in. She would shower in the morning. Laying on the sofa, Erinn wondered if she would fall asleep as she heard her brother move about in the other room.
Andrew had changed from his uniform into a simple black top and bottoms. He had rested on the bed, his hands on his stomach as he tried to let some form of sleep come to him. He struggled and soon moved from the bed, switching the light on as he did so. Moving out of the room, he was shocked to see Erinn sleeping on the sofa, her legs curled to her stomach and her arm dangling over the side of the sofa. He could see the hairs on edge on her arm and he wondered if she was cold.
Closing his eyes, he remembered everything their mother had pleaded with him when he had helped her escape.
"If he finds her, promise me that you will look after her, Andrew." Marinet's plea had echoed in Andrew's ears as he spoke with her in her cell, her hand inside of his as she held it tightly in hers.
He shook his head. "He would not hurt her. Erinn is his daughter. She has a purpose."
"But she is still a traitor to him," Marinet spoke. "Promise me, Andrew. Promise me that you will keep her safe. She is your sister. You grew up with her. She is your little sister and you are her big brother. You promised each other to always care for each other when you were younger."
"We were naïve," Andrew shook his head.
"But she is still your sister," Marinet counteracted. "I know that there is still some of that little boy inside of you…I just want both of you to be safe. Erinn still loves you, Andrew. We both do. I know that you still love her. Remember that if your father ever finds her."
Opening his eyes again, Andrew looked to Erinn and sighed. He moved to pick his coat up from the chair he had laid it in and he slowly moved to drape it over her body in an attempt to keep her warm in the cool night air. Looking to her as she moved slightly, he shook his head and wondered if he could get her away from Kylo Ren.
…
Kylo knew that it was the middle of the night when he found himself stood outside of General Hux's chambers. He dismissed the stormtroopers from the door and he entered, not bothering to ask for permission. His helmet sat proudly on his head as he stepped into the room which was only illuminated by a small lamp.
Looking to the source of the light he saw Erinn laid beneath it on the settee, her body covered in a familiar looking coat as she slowly stirred at the noise of boots on the floor. She sat up, the coat falling to her lap as she barely noticed it, instead choosing to look to Kylo.
She contemplated shouting for Andrew, but if Ren was going to kill her she would prefer for him to do it sooner rather than later. Standing up, Erinn was uncertain on her feet and one side of her hair was bumpy from where she had rested on it.
"Come with me."
The voice was low and demanding and Erinn was about to curse him before she followed him from the chamber, wondering if she was making a mistake. She suspected she was. She struggled to keep up with his strides as he moved with haste and she remained a couple of steps behind. The corridors were empty as they went, the only noise coming from her breathing and his boots.
He came to stand outside a room, his fingers moving to enter a number and Erinn folded her arms over her chest as he stood beside the door as it opened, looking to her and urging for her to enter first. She moved into the room and Erinn looked around. It was slightly warmer than the rest of the base with another long window looking out onto the snow covered forest.
There were plenty of cushioned seats and a small bed sat at the other wall. There was a table and chair and that was it for furniture.
"Why am I here?" Erinn wondered, still slightly disorientated as the door shut behind Kylo and he moved into the room.
"This room is for our daughter," he informed her and Erinn looked around as Kylo observed the woman who had given birth to their child. "She shall have everything that she needs. The room is spacious enough and she shall be well provided for."
Erinn struggled to find the words she was searching for before she looked to Kylo and glowered at him, jutting her chin out and moving her head forwards slightly. "Take that helmet off."
He shifted then, tilting his head. "Why?"
"Because I want to look you in the eye and tell you how much of a bastard you are," Erinn seethed and Kylo admitted that he was slightly confused.
Had he expected this room to make her feel better about what he intended to do? Was he that stupid. As Erinn watched him, she suspected that he might be? Rage boiled inside of her as Kylo kept the mask on and Erinn advanced towards him, refusing to be intimdated.
"Do you think that a room will make any of this better?" she snarled at him. "Do you think that this will make everything fine? Do you think Lanette will forgive you for what you intend to do to her? Do you think that a bit of furniture will make up for this? You intend to take her from everyone she loves and make her your own weapon. She is your daughter! Do you have no compassion?"
Kylo kept silent and Erinn knew that behind the mask he was still thinking. She shook her head and dared to move her hands to push his chest, barely moving him as she felt the heavy black cloth he wore.
"Do you think that this will stop her from crying when you kill me?" she yelled. "Do you not remember your own father, Ben? He abandoned you often. Do you want to do that to Lanette?"
"Do not bring him up," finally he spoke and Erinn kept pushing at him as he grabbed her wrist and spun her with haste, her back pressing against his chest as he kept her arm awkwardly bent and she tried to push him back from her.
"Han Solo is no father to me," Kylo hissed. "I intend to be a better father than he ever could be. I will have Lanette by my side. I will not be absent in her life."
Erinn gritted her teeth together as she felt Kylo push her against the wall, his hands still restraining her.
"But you will destroy her," Erinn whispered, "just as Snoke destroyed you."
He said nothing then, knowing that arguing with Erinn was pointless. He let her go and she moved her hands to brace against the wall to stop her from falling down to the floor. She turned her back to rest on the wall as Kylo slowly moved to take his helmet from his head and Erinn remained where she was.
"She's the only thing you have, isn't she?"
The question took Erinn off guard as Kylo moved his hand through his hair and ruffled his black curls as he remained stood where he was, his eyes on Erinn as she avoided his stare as it only intensified and he nodded his head, understanding exactly what was happening inside of her mind. He could feel it. He pretended that he couldn't, but even after all these years he could feel it.
"She's the only good in your life," he said, his voice seemingly much softer without the harshness of the mask. "You have clung onto her for all these years…she's the only thing you have left to remind you of me."
Widening her eyes, Erinn looked to him, a fresh wave of annoyance crashing through her. "You promised never to read my mind."
He shook his head then. "I'm not," he promised her. "I don't need to look into your mind, Erinn. I can tell…everything about you shows me how lonely you have been. I can feel it. You have not been the same since nine years ago."
"Is there any reason?" Erinn sniped at him. "You left me, Ben. You ran away to become this…this thing that I do not recognise. Do you want the truth?"
He remained mute as Erinn told him anyway.
"The night we slept together you had this black jumper," she told him. "It was only a thin thing, but when you ran away I went back to that bed and I held that jumper. I kept it with me and talked down to it almost as though you could hear me. I begged for you to come home…I cried for days…and then I took that jumper with me. I keep it in my top drawer and I don't know why. It was the only reminder I had of you…the only thing to show me that maybe you aren't Kylo Ren…but maybe you can be Ben Solo again."
She suspected he remained unmoved by her declaration. The lack of emotion on his face told her as much. She shook her head and rolled her eyes before moving away from him and towards the door again. She didn't want to stay here and listen to him.
"Do you think that I don't remember," his voice was low as Erinn stood by the door. She froze and turned her head over her shoulder to glance back to him and he watched her with intrigue. "I remember everything, Erinn. It makes me weak to remember, but I do. I remember how you stood there and refused to come with me. Do you have any idea how it felt?"
She felt her mouth dry up and she nodded at him. "I can imagine," she whispered. "Because you refused to come with me too."
"Why do you do this?" his anger suddenly became apparent as he paced the room, his hands clenched in his fists. "Why do you do this and make me weak? I don't want to remember. I don't want to remember how it felt to wake up next to you every morning…or how it felt to feel you against me…any of it…I don't want to remember, Erinn. I hate you for making me remember."
Erinn's eyes widened as she shrugged her shoulders. "You want to hate me for making you feel happy?" she wondered from him. "I only feel happiness when I remember those times. Do you even know how happy we were?"
Shaking his head, Kylo pointed at her and refused to back down on the matter. "You made me pathetic," he snapped at her. "Happiness did not make me strong."
"You never wanted to be strong," Erinn snapped back. "You wanted to marry me and I wanted to marry you. That was all we wanted."
"Not anymore," Kylo responded, storming towards her and moving his hand to her throat. His grip wasn't firm, but it was enough to make Erinn stumbled backwards against the wall again.
He kept his fingers gently around her neck as his other hand moved to run down her cheek, his knuckles slowly caressing over her cheekbones as he searched her face, looking down to see her chest rise and fall raggedly. He moved his eyes back up to her face and his eyes met hers as his fingers danced over her skin, the tips tickling her throat as she remained still, her palms flat against the wall behind her.
"I need to kill you," he finally admitted to her and she let her eyes flutter shut. "I need to kill you and master the Force and the Dark Side. I need to finish it and move on."
Erinn said nothing, knowing that it was better to let his own thoughts shine through instead of trying to persuade him otherwise. His warm breath hit her cheek and she felt her eyes begin to water as his hand continued to stroke along the curve of her cheekbone.
"But I can't," he whispered. "I want to…I need to…but every time I picture your mangled body at my feet I feel ill. I feel everything crushed around me. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? I feel pathetic. I lied, but you are my biggest challenge. You are my only downfall and I know what I have to do to overcome it…I just worry that I can't do it…"
She moved her cheek away from him, turning her head to the side as Kylo moved to grab her chin, forcing her to look at him once more. She winced at the feeling of his fingers constricting around her face and she felt his other hand move to catch the tear falling down her cheek.
"Why did you do this to me, Erinn?" he whispered.
"I did nothing," Erinn responded. "I only fell in love with you."
Closing his eyes, a moment of weakness overcame him as she told him that. He bowed his head and Erinn moved with haste, wondering if she could overcome Kylo Ren. Maybe she could bring Ben back. There was still some of him left. She could see it. As soon as her head moved, she felt her lips press against him and he remained motionless. He was still as Erinn desperately moved her hands to his hair and moved her lips over his, refusing to relent.
It took a few more moments before his lips moved back and Erinn felt the neediness of his hands as they worked down her own hair, knotting into it and she almost smiled in slight relief as he moved her away from the wall and towards the table. Settling her on it, Erinn continued to press her lips down his throat, listening as a low moan escaped him and she wondered if she had finally gotten him back. Was this how it was to be.
It took another second before he grew restless, his hands moving to her thighs and pushing her dress upwards as she stopped him, her own hands moving to his to halt his movements. Looking to him again, she noted that his expression had changed as she gave him a soft smile.
He was still, his hands still curled around her thighs as she dared to lean forwards again, but this time he retreated before her lips could meet his. Standing back, he dropped his hands to his side and shook his head.
"How could I be so foolish?!" he roared at himself and Erinn remained perched on the table in a state of disarray.
"Ben…" she spoke hesitantly.
"No," he responded in a growl. "You keep quiet…you were trying to manipulate me…to change me…"
"No," Erinn denied and it was then when she saw him move for his lightsaber.
Pulling it from his belt, Erinn gasped in horror at the redness of it. The cross at the handles was intimidating and the fact that he had pointed it to her chin was even more intimidating as she remained sat where she was, trying not to breathe too harshly in fear. Kylo remained still, staring at her as the glow of his saber illuminated her pale skin.
"I was foolish to believe that there was any truth to your lies," he hissed and she began to shake slowly. "You cannot change me, Erinn, nor will you ever succeed. You should know that."
Just when she thought he might strike her as he pulled the lightsaber back, she felt the heat of it disappear and he turned with haste. She remained silent, only shrieking when she saw the lightsaber hit the leather seats, slicing them in two and destroying everything in its path. Kylo continued to move, the lightsaber hitting anything that stood in his way as Erinn watched on in horror. By the time he was done the entire room was destroyed.
And he didn't even look back to her as he stormed away.