Rosella had waited with bated breath in the control room, listening to Black Squadron over the crackly transmission. She could hear Poe's voice often, telling his squad what needed to be done. The shields were down and that should make their job easier. But if that thing exploded then they couldn't waste much time before it destroyed everything.

There had been a time when Rosella had seen the General bend slightly, hand on her stomach, almost as though she felt something inside of her. Rosella had not asked her what the matter was, sensing that she would not get an answer anyway. Leia had gone back to work moments after, taking control and demanding progress reports.

Rosella had let her mind go back to what Armitage had just said to her. She was still struggling to understand what she had heard from him. It made no sense. There had been a time, at the start of their marriage, when he had been amicable. But he had never loved her, not like how Poe loved her. He had never felt that and she was certain of it, regardless of what he said to her.

But if Armitage did not get off of Starkiller Base then that was it. He would be dead. He would be gone. Rosella did not know how she felt about that. Had Armitage shed tears when he discovered his wife had, supposedly, died? She doubted it. She imagined that he had gotten back to work within ten minutes.

Six years ago

She had been married to Armitage for two months and everything was not harmonious. They were stranded on some unknown planet as he planned for the return of the Empire in the form of the First Order. She had seen him hunched over blueprints in the evening, his shoulders heavy and his hair tousled.

"What is it you are looking at?" she asked of him, coming to stand by his side.

Arching a brow, Armitage peered across to his wife, looking at her before his eyes went back to the plans on the table. He was still a young man, determined to do the best job possible of taking down the Republic and everything that it stood for.

"Our new base," Armitage said and Rosella had been shocked that he had not snapped and dismissed her like he usually did. Instead he moved a hand over the plans. "It will be…almost…seven to ten times larger than the Death Star and more powerful. Once we have it built then nothing will stop us."

Rosella was uneasy with what she was hearing as she looked at the drawings and frowned, letting Armitage pick a pen up from the side and write something on it, his writing almost incomprehensible.

"Will it not be difficult to hide?" Rosella enquired. "If it is so large and the Republic discover what you are doing then will they not destroy it?"

He sneered. "The Republic do not see us a threat. My father informed me earlier today that they do not think we have the numbers to cause another war. Little do they know how we hide in the shadows until we are strong enough to come back."

She nodded and bit down on her lip before feeling his hand on the small of her back. She didn't stiffen at the feeling of his touch. Instead she let him run his hand up and down the space as she looked to the drawings.

"Father has requested we dine with him tonight," he mumbled to her. "I tried to escape, but he…well…you know how he is."

Rosella wanted to moan, but she held her tongue. She moved to peck her husband on the cheek before insisting she had to change before they went to dinner. Slipping into a green dress, Rosella brushed her hair with haste, pushing it behind her ears before returning to her husband.

The base they lived on was home to the soldiers they were recruiting, but they lived in a separate quarter, away from them. Hux had made sure of that. It was all very clinical, nothing homely about it. The worktops were steel and the floors a shiny concrete. It was cold and made everyone in it feel the same way.

Dinner with Brendol Hux did not fill Rosella with joy. She did her best not to think of it as they entered the man's chambers to find him already sat at the steel table, the lights dimmed and the food laid out ready. Brendol did not stand when they entered the room, nor did he make eye contact. Armitage pulled out a chair between his father and the spare chair, allowing Rosella to sit down.

"I trust the plans are coming along nicely?" Brendol demanded from his son. No time for pleasantries then.

Rosella took a sip of her water as Armitage answered.

"Well enough," Armitage responded.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Brendol demanded, shovelling a forkful of salad into his mouth as Rosella picked up her knife and fork and kept her eyes on her plate. "You know that we need this weapon built before the year ends."

"And it will be," Armitage said, also beginning to eat as he began to sweat in the black jumper he wore tucked into his black trousers. "I want to make sure everything is perfect. No detail is to be missing."

"You always have been slow, even as a child," Brendol said and Rosella almost winced at the tone.

Looking across to Armitage, she saw that there was some form of tick in his jaw as he chewed on his salad and remained mute. He said nothing further, but Rosella could see something inside of him change. He was always different around his father. If anyone else spoke to him like Brendol did then he would either lock them up or cast them out. But Brendol got away with it.

"I am thorough," he finally settled on saying.

"Weak, more like it," Brendol muttered and Armitage lowered his knife and fork and looked over to the young man. "I still don't understand how you were picked to lead them…it should have been me."

"Well, it was me," Armitage said, his voice even as Rosella felt her appetite leave her. "It was me who was chosen."

"Only because I made you what you are-"

"-How?" Armitage demanded. "You constantly belittle me and call me pathetic…weak…yes, you made all of these things and I do not deny it. But I rose up from your shadow and I only allow you to stay here out of courtesy due to the fact I have to call you my father."

Brendol began to shake then, his fist banging down on the table as Rosella jumped back in her chair, unable to look at the two arguing men as she finally quit with her meal, realising there was no chance of eating now. Brendol stood up and pointed to his son, his finger still shaking.

"If those people had not come along and done this…made you the General…then you would still be nothing, son, do you understand me? You are fortunate you had someone to fight your battles."

"I need no one to fight my battles," Armitage then stood and moved from behind the table, holding his hand down to his wife. Rosella quickly slipped her hand into his, pulling herself up from the table. But Armitage didn't let go. He kept his fingers around hers, his grip slightly too tight as he let his glower remain on his father.

"You will do well to remember that I am in charge now," he said in a dangerous tone. "You are nothing but a relic, father, a relic no one wants."

"You stupid boy!" Brendol snapped. "Do you think that you will be strong enough to lead this revolution? You are spineless, Armitage. You always have been. You couldn't even pick a decent wife. You married the first woman thrown at you."

"Enough!" Armitage snapped, Rosella swearing that he was going to break her hand as he took his turn to point at his father. "You do not speak about my wife in such a manner."

"Why?" Brendol wondered. "You make a good pair. Look at her; she cannot even defend herself."

"Stop," Armitage demanded, shaking his head. "I do not need to listen to you. There might have been a time when you could beat me into submission, father, but that time has long gone."

Feeling her stomach clench at those words, Rosella swore she saw Armitage's forehead throb as his cheeks reddened and he turned on his heel and dragged his wife with him. Storming back to his own chambers, Armitage punched in the code to open the door and then he locked it. His hand left Rosella's as she looked over to him, his forehead pressed against the door as his hands held his body upright, resting either side of the door.

"He beat you?" Rosella said in a small voice.

"I was a child," Armitage whispered.

"It was still wrong," Rosella told him, holding her hands in front of her. "Your father should never have done that."

"It matters not," Armitage said, straightening up and turning to look to Rosella. "I am now stronger and more capable than he ever was. I will not disgrace the name Hux like he did when the Empire fell."

"Armitage-"

"-I do not wish to talk of it," Armitage interrupted her, refusing to let her show him any sympathy. Sympathy was a sign of weakness and he did not need that from her. He did not need to cry in front of her and show him that he was affected.

Moving to the bedroom door, he saw the look in his wife's eye and saw the upset there. Sighing, he stood by her side, moving his hand to run down her arm before his fingers found hers and he looked down to the contact, knowing how strange it felt but ignoring that feeling. This was what he wanted. This was what he needed.

"He was wrong about you," he offered Rosella. "I chose you because of…many reasons."

He did not clarify those reasons, instead he bent down to peck her on the cheek and he wondered if she relished the feeling as much as he did as he let his lips linger against her skin. He moved his other to cup her cheek, holding it tenderly in his long, spindly fingers.

"Thank you," Rosella said to him and he nodded curtly before dropping her hand and moving to the bedroom.

Now

It was with nerves that Rosella found herself stood outside the base, waiting on the hill she and Poe always went to. Looking to the sky, she could see the ships returning to the planet, no doubt cheering with joy as the Starkiller Base erupted above them. Rosella had watched the planet blow up and a part of her had felt ill at the sight of it. Her hands had flown to her mouth and she knew she was not supposed to feel this way. She was supposed to be overjoyed. He was going to blow up D'Qar. He was going to kill everyone. He had killed so many already. She should not let a tear fall down her cheek for him, despite what he had just admitted to her.

He could have loved her. He had said that. He wanted to love her. Perhaps it could have been so different. She could have changed him and stopped all of this death and destruction. If she had done that then how many lives would she have saved? There had been times when he had let his guard down around her. Perhaps she should have taken an advantage of that? Perhaps things would be different.

But that would have meant that she would never have found Poe and she loved him. She loved him more than Armitage and she knew that. But perhaps she could have loved Armitage just as much if things had been different. She didn't know. All she knew was that she felt relief when she saw Poe rushing up the hill towards her, but a sombre look held his gaze.

"What is it?" Rosella asked, sweeping her thoughts aside as she moved to him and he shook his head.

"Finn," he spoke. "He came back in a bad way. Kylo Ren…he…he hurt him. He's being treated right now."

"No," Rosella said.

"And that's not it," Poe said. "Ren killed Han Solo."

"His own father?" Rosella bellowed and Poe shrugged.

"He doesn't see him as a father," he spoke. "The General is with Cheewie and Rey. Everyone else is celebrating. It just doesn't feel right to celebrate."

"I know," Rosella ran a hand down his arm.

"Apparently a lot of people on board Starkiller Base managed to evacuate," Poe informed her. "All the children were saved and…well…rumour has it that the General also got off."

Poe looked for any response from Rosella, but she was stoic. Instead she managed a nod before she felt her hands go to Poe's upper arms, holding them softly as he moved to step closer to her, kissing her on the forehead.

"I'm just glad you go back safe," she whispered. "But if he escaped then this isn't the end, Poe…they will come back."

"I know," Poe whispered to her, his hands going to her waist. "I know."

They remained stood there until the sun slowly set, both of them just marvelling in being each other's company. That would be enough for them for the time being. They were both safe and that was all that mattered now.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think! Not sure if many people are reading but it would mean a lot to let me know if you are!