A/N: I know it has been SO much longer than normal with this update, but I feel like this chapter has been a bear to write. I also went on vacation with my family for ten days. It still isn't exactly how I'd like it to be, but I'd never post it if I kept staring at it. So here it is!

Hope you all enjoy!

If Hux had to walk through one more sand infested village, he was going to kill someone.

Since their recent escape, the rage that Supreme Leader Snoke harbored towards a certain ninny and his new girlfriend had been redirected at Hux and his men. Now, he had to grovel at the Supreme Leader's feet just to get by. He'd been sent on a bantha chase across the galaxy because of a few reports from some wayward Outer Rim informants that insisted they'd seen the two traipsing about at one of their outposts. Hux knew that even if they'd been there at one point in time, they wouldn't be once the First Order arrived. Ren might be an idiot who couldn't think past the next minute and a half of his life, but the desert rat was not. She was clever. She'd know to move around, to never stay in one place for too long. But Hux knew better than to voice those opinions aloud.

Now, he had to deliver the news that the two were - unsurprisingly - nowhere to be found, and for some unfathomable reason, the Supreme Leader would be mad at him. As if he had any control over where two fugitives chose to hide.

But no matter. He'd find Ren and the girl eventually. And when he did, Hux would see to it personally that they were flushed into the cold vacuum of space to die a slow death.

He just had to make it out of this audience alive.

"General Hux," Snoke droned as he entered.

He sat slouched in his chair, his hands hanging limply from the armrests. At least he was in a good mood. Comparatively speaking.

"You had better have good news."

"I'm afraid I don't, Supreme Leader. It would appear that Ren and the girl are no longer residing on Beheboth."

Snoke didn't react immediately. Hux watched as his hands slowly curled themselves into fists, as his posture stiffened. He opened his mouth to continue, but Snoke growled and slammed his hand into his throne. Snoke raised his hand towards Hux and an invisible one closed around his throat.

"Find them," Snoke snarled.

Hux's boots dragged the ground as he inched toward the throne. He clawed at the hand he couldn't remove as it pulled on him, cutting off his air.

"Blow every planet in every system to ashes if you must. I want them beaten and bloodied at my feet."

He was so close to Snoke that spit flecked his cheeks.

"Kylo Ren will pay for his treachery. The scavenger will pay for her defiance. But if you don't find them, you will pay for them both."

Hux nodded to the best of his ability. Snoke released him and he collapsed, massaging his throat and inhaling as deeply as he could manage without his lungs aching.

Snoke's attention was turned from him to the doors at the back of the room when they opened. Hux ceased his sputtering and coughing to turn and look.

"Captain Phasma. I sincerely hope that your report is better than the General's."

Phasma stood at attention, her polished armor gleaming even in the dimness of Snoke's chamber. Hux scrambled to his feet, not about to be outdone by his inferior.

"An informant on Alvorine reported seeing a ship matching the description of the one our fugitives supposedly acquired on Beheboth. They said it entered the atmosphere a few days ago and still hasn't left. It's not a safe bet, but it's better than anything else we have."

Snoke sat back in his throne, the fingers on one hand tapping a steady rhythm on the arm. Hux tried not to twitch.

"Send troops there now. General Hux will oversee the operation." He turned to face him. "Be sure that it does not fail."

"Yes, Supreme Leader."

Snoke waved a hand. "Get out of my sight."

Both Hux and Phasma bowed. Then Hux turned on his heel and left. Quickly.

"Do you think they're looking for you?"

Rey paused in the middle of hanging a soaking tunic to turn and look. Kylo lounged in the shade of a tree, a twig rolling between his fingers. She blinked. "Do I think who are looking for me?"

"Your friends. The stormtrooper. The pilot."

She returned her attention to the clothesline. "Finn. And Poe."

"Yes, exactly."

She sighed, drying her hands on her pants as she went for another wet article of clothing. "I have no idea. It never really occurred to me, I guess."

"Liar."

So maybe she was. But she was afraid that she'd jinx herself if she voiced her thoughts aloud. If they were looking for her, they wouldn't find her if she said anything about it.

"I don't know...maybe."

"Do you still think they were the people who attacked Supremacy that day?"

She did. But she tried not to think about it. If they were, how many casualties had they caused? How many people had died trying to save her?

"Sometimes I wonder what might've happened if I'd stayed just a little while longer, yes."

"Oh."

She stiffened, suddenly hearing her words with his ears. "That's not to say I resent you for getting me out of there."

He shook his head, a strained smile on his face. "I wouldn't blame you even if you did. I'd rather you be with them than with me. I dragged you into this and, because of me, you're still in it. Don't feel bad for wishing you were somewhere else."

Rey ducked her head, trying to force away the blush of shame on her cheeks. "I don't entirely hate being here," she mumbled.

She meant it. Sure, it had been nearly unbearable in the beginning, but recently it wasn't so bad. And because she was here, she knew more about her strange connection with Kylo than she ever would have under Luke. If she could convince him to open up a little more, she might even be able to explore it fully. She could certainly think of worse outcomes than her current situation.

Kylo chuckled. "You don't have to try to make me feel better."

"Please. Don't flatter yourself; I wouldn't try that hard."

"Well, now I'm hurt."

Rey rolled her eyes. "I'd mean what I said even more if you'd come help."

He didn't answer, but she heard him stand. Seconds later, he appeared in her periphery, wet clothes in hand. They worked side by side in comfortable silence, and Rey marveled not the first time at how far their relationship had come in order for them to do so.

In the first few days of their shared company, Rey would've been paranoid that his silence was his way of plotting an escape, maybe even her murder. But now, she knew his silences were more dangerous for him than they were for her. Most times, they were just brief moments of introspection, nothing that she didn't do from time to time. But sometimes, he was letting his past swallow him whole. Rey learned to tell the difference, and when he got too silent, she engaged him in conversation. Though he never said anything, she knew he was grateful.

"I really don't hate being around you," she whispered. "Not anymore. It could be worse."

He glanced at her for a moment, but he didn't respond.

"I'm not just saying that."

Kylo didn't look at her this time, and she not at him, but she could hear his small smile when he spoke. "I know."

Rey couldn't help a smile of her own.

When they were finished, the sun was in the middle of the sky. Her stomach rumbled, and, as if on cue, Kylo's did too.

Rey laughed. "I guess that means it's lunchtime."

"We should eat outside today." Kylo stared at the sky. "It's nice."

Rey followed his gaze. She nodded. "It is."

"Stay here, I'll go get lunch."

She watched him go, then found a shady spot to sit while she waited.

He was right, it was nice here. Once she'd gotten past the humidity, she'd learned to appreciate the greenery and the coolness of the air. There was a water source nearby, and the thick trees made it ideal for hiding. Rey was sure that if she had the right people, she could stay here forever.

Kylo walked out of the ship balancing a canteen and a few ration packets in his hands. Rey chuckled and got up to help him, and he looked up when he noticed her coming. He opened his mouth, likely to make a sarcastic remark, but it never made it past his lips. His eyes widened and he dropped what was in his hands to sprint towards her.

"Rey, look out!"

On instinct, Rey spun around. The blaster bolt missed her by millimeters. Before she could react, Kylo bowled into her, taking her to the ground. Another bolt whizzed over their heads.

The force of the impact rolled the two of them into some of the bushes at the edge of the clearing. They used the relative cover to gain their bearings.

"Stormtroopers," Rey muttered, peering over the top of the brush.

"My blaster," Kylo whispered. "Rey, where's the blaster you took from me?"

"My bag."

He nodded, then got up, sprinting across the camp. His lightsaber, alive in his hands, spit fire as it batted away bolts of plasma. Rey found her footing, pulling her own lightsaber from her belt. The stormtroopers' backs were turned, their focus on Kylo. Rey had an easy time sneaking up on them. They were dead or otherwise incapacitated on the ground before they even knew she was behind them.

"Kylo?" she called.

"Rey?"

She broke through the trees back into their clearing and saw Kylo standing with his lightsaber in one hand, his blaster in the other.

"Are you okay?"

Rey nodded. "You?"

"I'm fine. I wanted to make sure we didn't give them an extra weapon," he said. "They don't know a thing about lightsabers, but these" - he waved the blaster around for emphasis - "are their lives."

"There's more of them coming. I can hear them. We have to leave."

Kylo's eyes were trained on a spot over her head. "Rey, I don't think we have time."

She turned to see what he saw, and as she did, a blaster bolt passed by. Wide by a long shot, but they would get more accurate the closer the stormtroopers came. This time, there were more than just a few of them.

"They sent a whole army."

"For us? I'm not surprised."

They shared a look. Kylo stuffed the blaster in his belt and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't die. Don't get caught."

"Same to you."

Then the stormtroopers were on top of them. While there were only a few, it was easy for Rey to bat aside the bolts they fired at her. Some, she even managed to direct back at the shooter. But then, there were hordes of them, and it was all Rey could do not to get shot.

They managed to separate the two of them, pushing Rey farther back into the trees. Eventually, she couldn't see Kylo anymore, and could only hope that he'd be able to handle himself. She did not want to take him back to his mother riddled with blaster bolt holes. Don't die. Don't get caught. Two simple instructions.

At least, they seemed simple.

Distracted, Rey slipped and fell backwards. She clearly did not have the time to worry about Kylo at the moment. It was all she could do to get back on her feet so the stormtroopers didn't trample her. She managed to cut a few off at the legs, decreasing their numbers. It made it easier for her to deflect their shots, and she got lucky enough to hit more than a couple stormtroopers with their own bolts. But still, they chased after her, the number of them only seeming to grow no matter how many she cut down.

She couldn't beat them, couldn't outplay them. Their numbers were too many. She didn't know the ins and outs of the Force well enough to do the kinds of things Kylo could do, and she wasn't going to risk her life by trying and failing now.

She'd have to outrun them.

Rey turned and bolted. She ran as fast as she could, never bothering to turn and look. She moved as sporadically as she could manage, twisting and turning to lose them. They followed her every step of the way.

Rey grew frantic. She was quickly tiring, and they'd catch up with her eventually. But she had to keep running. There was no sense in rolling over to die, not after everything she'd been through. There was a clearing she could see up ahead. That would be a good place to lose them.

She managed to push herself faster, to put more space between her and her pursuers. But when she broke into the clearing, she knew she'd been caught.

Stormtroopers lined every edge, all blasters trained on her. The ones who'd chased her filled in around their cohorts, also raising blasters.

"Put the weapon down."

Don't die. Don't get caught.

'Well,' she thought. 'It appears that it's one or the other.'

"I said put the weapon down! We will shoot!"

Rey knew that the last thing she wanted to do was put down her lightsaber. She held it tighter.

"Ready your weapons! Fire in 3!"

She squeezed her eyes shut. Kylo, now would be a really good time to show up and teach me how to stop blaster bolts.

"2!"

She'd at least have to try. With how many blasters they had trained on her, she'd be vaporized if she didn't do something.

"1!"

Please let this work.

She threw up her hands as they fired, imagining a hand closing around each of the bolts, stopping them. After a few beats of nothing happening, she opened her eyes. Dozens of blaster bolts were suspended in midair, some closer to her than others. The stormtroopers stood frozen in awe, and for a moment, Rey did too. Then, she remembered herself and dropped to her stomach, releasing the bolts so they soared over her and into the stormtroopers opposite their original shooter.

The few that survived ran in the other direction, and when Rey was sure that the threat had passed, she scrambled to her feet and ran back in the direction of camp.

She managed to find it, by some miracle. Their space was a wreck, but it was empty of people. That meant they'd managed to push Kylo back, too.

What if they'd sent more stormtroopers after him? He was probably a much bigger target than she was. Did he need help? Should she go after him?

No. He'd be fine. She needed to prepare their things so that as soon as he came back, they could leave.

But what if he didn't come back?

The thought caused her stomach to turn. She shook her head. He would. He would.

Everything of worth went back on the ship. Their bedrolls, their clothes, her bag. She was going back for the canteen when something burst through the trees at her right. She reared up, her hand going to her lightsaber. It was Kylo, sweaty and tattered, but alive.

She couldn't ignore her sigh of relief.

"They're right behind me; go!"

He didn't have to tell her twice. She turned and ran, turning her lightsaber on to bat away any stray bolts. Kylo followed close behind her.

Just as her foot found the edge of the ramp, Kylo called her name. He shoved her, and she tripped and fell, her head thumping against the metal. Her ears rang for a moment, and her vision swam, but she managed to regain her senses.

"You have to stop doing that!" she groaned, rolling to find her footing.

But when she turned around, Kylo lay curled on his side, a smoking hole on the left side of his abdomen. Her eyes widened.

"Kylo!"

She ducked as a bolt hit the hull of the ship beside her, bursting into a shower of sparks. Kylo yelped, failing in his attempts to pull himself up the ramp. She ran back down to meet him.

"Why would you do that?"

"You would have died."

She hooked her hands under his arms, but when she pulled, he howled in pain.

"I'm sorry. Kylo, it's going to hurt, but-"

"Just - go. Leave me here...leave me here; they want me."

"Like hell."

Another bolt passed dangerously close to them both, but Rey hardly noticed. She pulled harder, trying to ignore his discomfort. Pain in her side flared suddenly, hot and sharp, but she ignored it. Whatever it was, she could deal with it later.

A blaster bolt hit near her foot, and she stumbled.

"Get out of here, Rey."

"Not without you. I will not do that to your mother."

"Rey-"

"I said no!"

The stormtroopers were getting closer now, and if Rey couldn't manage to get them inside soon, they'd both die. "Kylo, I'm so sorry!"

"What are you-?"

She heaved him up over the edge of the ramp, ignoring his shouts of pain and surprise. It seemed that the ramp lasted forever, but finally, her feet hit the floor of the ship. They were both inside just in time, and Rey closed the door.

She situated Kylo as comfortably as she could. "You'll need to hold on to something."

He nodded and she raced off to the cockpit. Once she got there, she realized that getting off the ground would be the least of her problems. Those stormtroopers hadn't materialized out of thin air. They'd come from a larger ship, maybe even a commandship, by their numbers. Rey would either have to sneak past them or find another way out unless she wanted to face what could be a giant Star Destroyer waiting for her outside this planet's atmosphere.

A thought occurred to her, then. Han had jumped to hyperspace from inside a hangar. If he could do that, why couldn't she do it just a little bit too close to a planet? Sure, he was Han Solo, but she was Rey from Jakku, damn it - a Jedi in training - and she'd done much harder things than making a risky jump.

"Kylo, hang on," she mumbled, plugging in coordinates.

She lifted off the ground, wincing as blasterfire pelted the ship's hull. As soon as they were in the sky and had a clear shot, she said a prayer and threw the ship into hyperspace.

After a few seconds without anything blowing them up or crushing them, Rey assumed they were in the clear. She sagged in her seat, catching her breath.

"Rey!" she heard Kylo grunt from the front of the ship.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed, embarrassment at having forgotten him burning brightly before she tamped it down.

"I'm coming!"

He was hunched over on himself, his hands at his wound. Rey knelt next to him, reaching out to brush his hands away.

"Don't touch it."

"Kylo, I have to see how bad it is. You have to move your hands."

She peeled his arms back, and her heart palpitated when she saw the hole in his tunic, the charred flesh underneath.

"We have to get your shirt off. Can you raise your arms?"

He shook his head. "No," he hissed, "not the one on this side."

Rey sighed. She gently lifted his arm, then tore the tunic along the seam. "I'll stitch it later. Help me pull it off."

He helped her get the ruined fabric off. It would be a miracle if stitching fixed that tunic.

"Can you stand?"

She knew the answer would probably be no, but she wanted to ask anyway. It would be easier to work on him if he was on a cot.

"Hang on."

He closed his eyes for a moment. Rey frowned. "What are you-?"

"If you concentrate the Force around the wound, it numbs the pain, dulls it. But I can only do it for so long."

The color had returned to his face somewhat, so it had to be working on some level. But Rey suspected Kylo was overstating his pain decrease. Still, if he was willing to move, it would be better for them both.

"Let's go."

She managed to get him standing, and together, they walked to the pilot's cabin.

"You idiot," she mumbled as he lay down on the cot. "You're so stupid. Why would you do that?"

"I saved you. I may have gotten shot in the side, but if it had hit you, you would have died."

Rey fumbled for the medkit, the strips of cloth she'd torn from her old clothes. "Yes, well, you could've used the Force to shield me, not your body."

"I didn't see it in time."

Rey huffed. "That was still so...so stupid."

"Rey, look at me."

She ignored him, getting up to find the canteen. Hopefully, they'd filled it with water.

"Rey."

It was in her bag, half-full. It was better than nothing.

She sat back at his side, opening the canteen and wetting a strip of cloth.

"Look at me."

Kylo grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. He was insistent, but not harsh. Rey reluctantly met his eyes. "You would have died. I wasn't about to let that happen."

"Why?"

He stared at her for a long time. He didn't answer. Rey pulled her arm from his grip and continued wetting the cloth. Then, she pulled all the bacta patches from the medkit and set them in front of her.

"Don't use all of those on me. I'm not worth it-"

She put the wet cloth against his wound and he broke off in a hiss. He started to pull away, but she put a hand on his chest and forced him to lay back down.

"It might hurt, but I need to clean it. I don't want to risk infection. If it spreads, we won't have enough bacta."

He let her work in silence for awhile, which she was grateful for. She wanted to process everything that had happened before he did anything that would confuse her.

Why did you almost die for me? she wanted to ask. We're supposed to be enemies, not allies.

But were they enemies anymore?

He'd put himself in harm's way for her over and over again, it seemed. First bowing his head to let her kill him with Snoke, then saving her from the river, now this. The best thing she'd done for him so far was tell him she'd consider letting him leave, and she still wasn't sure if she'd even let him do that.

This change in him was becoming hard for her to process.

"Why do you find it so hard to believe I'd want to save you?"

She sighed, setting the cloth down. "I just don't understand why. Why don't you just let me die? All of your problems would go away if you let me die, and you wouldn't even have to live with killing me."

"Yes, I would."

The graveness of his tone was enough to set her on edge.

"Letting you die is just the same as killing you. I just don't want the galaxy to lose a person like you."

Rey snorted, a poor attempt to relieve some of the tension. "What do you mean by that?"

"I think you might be one of the only people in this galaxy who gives a damn what happens to it and all the people in it."

At this, Rey laughed for real. She picked up one of the bacta patches and gently pressed it over the wound. "That's definitely not true. There's an entire group of people who care about it just as much as I do."

"For their own reasons," Kylo said. "Personal vendettas, selfish motives. You're in it because it's the right thing to do. You don't have any skin in this game, not really."

"If I live in this galaxy, I have skin in the game."

"See, most people don't think about it like that," he insisted. "You lived on a backwater planet that barely sees any time front and center in galactic politics, and if the Order had come and redone everything, you wouldn't have hardly been affected. But you left that planet and came to fight because you cared about all the people who would have been affected. You're in it because it's the right thing to do, because standing up for others is something you believe in. There aren't very many people like that out there."

Rey was stunned into silence. She felt ashamed. She should have been able to say something. 'Thank you,' or 'I doubt there's as few as you think,' but she was shocked by the fact that he'd thought about why she fought for this cause, something she hadn't even really thought about herself. But she supposed he was at least partially right. She did it because she would've felt bad if she didn't fight.

"You never answered my question."

Rey shook her head. "The answer's not important."

"It is to me or I wouldn't have asked."

She applied the last bacta patch then reached for a long cloth strip. "I guess I've just always believed you had an ulterior motive. For everything you do, not just good things. Some of the things you've done, I just couldn't understand what your reasons would be, so I stopped trying to. Now, I just assume there's always a reason I'm not aware of. I...I don't know, I don't have a simple answer."

"I was hoping we were past that."

"Kylo," she sighed. "I'm not sure we'll ever be past that."

"So you'll never really trust me."

"No, I'm not sure I will."

"Why?"

"I'm not doing this right now." She held up the long cloth strip. "Can you sit up so I can wrap this?"

"If you'll tell me why."

Rey huffed. "Because."

"That's not an answer."

"I told you I don't really have one."

Now, he did sit up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, looking her straight in the eye. "Please, Rey," he whispered. "Tell me why."

Suddenly, Rey felt suffocated by their proximity. She sat back on her feet.

"No."

"Rey-"

"I already told you I'm not doing this! Please, just let me finish wrapping your wound."

"Not until you tell me why you-!"

"How could I trust you?" she shouted, flying to her feet. "How am I supposed to trust a man who killed his own father?"

Even before she'd finished speaking, Rey knew she'd crossed a line. She felt horrible. Nausea swept over her as she saw the change in Kylo's eyes, the change in his face. He looked like she'd taken every dream he'd ever had and smashed it to pieces.

"Kylo…" She was surprised to find herself blinking back tears. "Kylo, I didn't mean-"

"Yes, you did."

"No!" she insisted. "No, I didn't. I didn't, Kylo. I swear."

She knew she'd already lost him. He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Kylo, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for being right."

"But I'm-"

He shook his head. "Don't make it worse. Please. Just...get out. Go."

"Your bandage-"

"I can manage. Please, leave me alone."

Rey bit hard on the inside of her cheek to keep tears from slipping down her cheeks. "Kylo, please-"

"Get out!"

She started, jumping backwards. His snarl softened when he saw that he'd scared her, but his eyes did not. She sucked in a deep breath through her nose, then turned on her heel and marched out.

If he didn't want to talk to her, fine. It wasn't like her words hadn't held truth. How could she trust someone who'd murdered their own father? She'd been there when it had happened, experienced that pain and sense of betrayal firsthand, so she had every right to be wary.

But if it was the truth, if she was well within her rights to feel that way, why did she feel so awful for it?

"You had them within your grasp...and you failed again?"

Hux would kill them. Both of them. With his bare hands. He would beat them within an inch of their life, bring them to death's door, then dunk them in bacta and start all over again. Wash, rinse, repeat.

"Supreme Leader, there was nothing more we could have done. We sent down hundreds of men - our best operatives!"

"They were not good enough! You let them slip away!"

Or maybe he could set torture droids loose on them. Five of them. Each.

"They reported that they managed to wound Ren, maybe fatally."

Snoke leaned forward in his chair. "That means nothing to me. The girl might heal him. And even if he dies, the girl got away."

Or he could do a little bit of both. Use his bare hands until he was tired, then let the droids finish the job.

"This isn't yet over, Supreme Leader."

Snoke sat back. "At least you have one thing correct. This is far from over. I expect you to go out and find them yourself. Kill them. I don't care how or where. It had better hurt."

Hux couldn't help his smile. "Yes, Supreme Leader."

He bowed, turning to leave, but it seemed that Snoke was not yet finished. "General Hux."

"Yes, Supreme Leader?"

"If you do not come back with their heads, then do not come back at all. Is that clear?"

Hux nodded. "Crystal."

A/N: I don't really have anything to say here except that the next chapter should not take NEARLY as long as this one. My writing schedule is getting back to normal, so they should start coming pretty regularly now. Thank you all for being so patient!

As always thank you for reading! Until next chapter!