"Yes, he's dangerous. But we are far too close to victory for you to run away now. Rey, I need you."

Is he whining? It sort of sounds like he is whining, Kylo thinks. And is she even listening? Kylo can see from Rey's very animated, near shrill demeanor how threatened she feels in the wake of her confrontation with Hux. Of course, his girl wants to run. It's always fight or flight with his scavenger survivor. But every time she says she wants to leave is like a knife through his heart. Rey is so focused on self-preservation that there is no room for sadness at the thought of their parting. And if Rey has concerns for leaving him behind to fend for himself, they don't show either. And ouch, that hurts too.

"If you think I'm going to hang out here waiting for Hux to arrive with a squad of troopers to arrest me—or worse—you're wrong!" Rey informs him. They are in the privacy of his quarters so there is no one to overhear this argument thankfully. "My cover is blown! It's time for me to leave. Can I take your ship? It has all the clearances I need, right?" She's panicking, Kylo sees. Rey's words keep coming out in a stressed rush.

"You can't leave!" he tells her yet again. "We need to finish the deal and announce it. Besides, Army Hux is mostly talk. He's been threatening to kill me for at least ten years and I'm still alive."

"I know a threat when I hear one!" Rey snaps back. "And if Hux was all talk before, it was because Snoke was alive. That's the difference. He wants your job, Ben. That whole stunt just now was as much about the audience as it was about me."

The truth is that Rey isn't overreacting. Hux is a real threat. But what did Rey think she was getting into when she started living with Kylo Ren? He's a dangerous man and these are dangerous times. But Rey had his back in Snoke's throne room, so all along he has just assumed she would have his back versus Hux. But apparently not. She's going to run instead.

Kylo can't help but glare at her lack of loyalty. "I told you he was planning to make a move. This deal has sped things up. That's all." And, all in all, that might be a good thing. Bring it on, Hux. Kylo has been waiting years to have it out with that guy. "Rey, let me handle him. You just go finish the deal."

"I'm not hanging around to get killed in the crossfire of a coup!" Rey looks very resolute as she takes a deep breath. "This is goodbye, Ben," she decides grimly. "You know where to find me when things settle down."

Jakku? She wants to go back to that shithole Jakku? Rey is in at least as much danger there as she is here. But one thought rises to the forefront as he dashes after Rey. She's already headed for the door when Kylo intercepts her and drags her back. "You want to leave me? You really want to leave me?" His voice sounds stricken to his own ears. He's truly aghast at this outcome. Rey is walking out on him now when he needs her the most. And it's not just for his peace deal, it's for himself. In a very short time, this woman has become very important to him. He's lost everyone else in his life who has ever been important to him. He can't lose Rey too.

She must see his distress because her face softens. "Oh, Ben, it won't be for forever," she whispers. "Just until things die down."

"No," he shakes his head. "No." His voice is very controlled now. He's determined to get his way. "You don't get to leave. We are in this together, Rey. We rise or fall as one. I need that commitment from you." He can't get her to commit to him for anything else, but surely she will commit for this? "This peace process falls apart without you." And that's probably a stretch, but it's the best angle he has. Because if Rey won't stay for him, will she stay for peace? "The galaxy needs you. You are the only other voice for peace here. The future depends on you, Rey."

"But . . ." she falters and leaves the rest unsaid.

He presses his case. "Rey, you were brave on Jakku, you were brave on the Starkiller, and you were brave with Snoke. Be brave again for me now. Be brave for peace."

That plea gets through to his Jedi girl. She stares at him a long moment before she relents. "Okay, so what's your plan? And don't tell me that you've got the Force and Hux doesn't. Because that's no guarantee you will win."

"I have loyal troops too. It's just the senior commanders who are loyal to Hux."

Rey's eyes narrow. "How many is that?"

"Thirty, maybe forty men. Plus your negotiating team of political and legal advisors. Those guys are all in Hux's pocket too."

"So what's your plan?"

"I'm going to make Hux the Senate Chancellor. But to do that, I need a deal to announce first."

Rey shoots him a look. "Hux doesn't want a Senate. Why would he ever agree to be Senate Chancellor?"

"Leave that to me. Get me a deal, Rey. Come on, let's get you back to the conference room." He starts propelling her towards the door now. "You're getting that deadline you wanted. Coruscant and Corellia have twenty-four hours to agree to a deal or I start killing people."

"What happens after the deal?" Rey wants to know.

"You just keep all those advisors stuck in a room for me today and all day tomorrow. I need time to set everything up. We'll make this announcement very grand and that will keep everyone busy planning it."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Rey mutters as he jams back on his helmet. "Hux is not going to go for this."

"If he knows what's good for him, he will."

"What if he doesn't?" Rey presses. "If he doesn't, I'm not sticking around," she warns.

"If he doesn't, we go to Plan B."

"What's that?"

"We kill him. Unless you have a better idea."

Kylo deposits Rey back in the conference room. Then he storms in on the Coruscant and Corellia delegations to issue his deadline and accompanying threat with all the Dark zeal of a true Sith. Next, he summons Armitage Hux to his private office for a very important chat.

What they say is true, Kylo thinks as he waits. Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. That's good advice that he plans to take for General Hux. Kylo has thought about this long and hard in the months since he became Supreme Leader. Killing Hux solves Kylo's leadership crisis on a temporary basis, but it risks making Hux's cult of personality followers only more disgruntled in the long run. And a faction of senior naysayers is a dangerous thing since over time a successor to Hux will inevitably emerge. Plus, Hux is smart and, all things considered, Kylo would prefer to keep that rabid cur around. He needs Hux to be the face of his peace deal to keep continuity in leadership and to appease the First Order at large. Army Hux is a very recognizable and popular figure despite the Starkiller's loss. And so, Kylo's Plan A is that Hux will live. It's his power base of cronies who will have to go. And without them, it will be very hard for the general to stage a credible coup d'etat.

Kylo settles behind his desk in his private office as he waits for the troublesome general to appear. A lot is riding on this conversation. But Kylo reminds himself that he's not Skywalker's Padawan or Snoke's Apprentice any more. Kylo Ren is his own man. He will rule the galaxy and rule the Force in his own way and on his own terms. And woe be to anyone who stands in his way. And that includes General Armitage Hux.

And here he is. Kylo waves the door open and shut with the Force. He knows the Force intimidates Hux like it intimidates everyone else. Kylo watches in silence as his foe strides in. The man doesn't lack for confidence, that's for sure.

"Supreme Leader." Hux says his greeting in the most irritating way. There's always an element of mocking in his nasal tones that Kylo chooses to ignore.

"Senate Chancellor." That title stops Hux in his tracks. Good, he wasn't expecting that. He was expecting a fight that Kylo will now sidestep, if he can. "Sit down, General." Kylo waves him into a chair and that's not usually how he conducts interviews with subordinates, but he wants Hux on his side. So, he'll play the gracious Supreme Leader now. He'll be a peacemaker in all things. Kylo makes a show of lounging back in his chair while the uptight, stiff general perches on the edge of his like a little girl. There's nothing effete about Hux but the man is still prissy as can be.

They eye each other a long moment before Kylo begins. "General, this war is over in all but the formalities. It is time to move on. The future of the galaxy is now. I want you to be a part of it as my Senate Chancellor." Kylo slants the general some side eye. "I know you've seen the peace deal. Now, I want you to be part of it."

Hux glares at him. "The galaxy under the First Order was never supposed to have a Senate. We did not destroy the Republic to build it anew."

Kylo is anticipating this response. "Our Senate has weak constitutional powers and little true authority. It is a pale reflection of what the old Imperial Senate was. Think of it as a symbolic concession and a nod to the past. It will be an illusion of democracy, nothing more. Especially in your capable hands."

"There is no groundwork laid for any of this with our allies and supporters. You're just going to announce that we have negotiated peace and shock everyone with a Senate?" Hux looks askance.

"Yes," Kylo nods. "You and I are bold like that."

Hux looks indignant now. "I am a general commanding the armies of the First Order, not some hack politician doing backroom deals for a legislative body with no teeth."

Kylo disagrees. "In time of peace, my second in command is a politician. Palpatine was the Senate Chancellor," Kylo reminds him. "It will be a very prominent position. But if you wish to decline, I can offer it elsewhere to a lesser man."

"Democracy is not consistent with our values," Hux shoots back. "I won't put a pretty face on your treason, Ren."

Kylo chooses to ignore this outburst. "The new Senate Chancellor will announce the peace deal the day after tomorrow. He will be heralded as a statesman for the ages, finally bringing an end to thirty years of intermittent civil war." Kylo gives his nemesis a pointed look. "It will be a way for you to be known in the history books for more than just the Starkiller's loss."

"I saw your deal. It betrays the memory of all those who have died for our cause."

Kylo doesn't bother debating this. "Given our near total victory, surely we can be magnanimous in peace," he shrugs. "With the Supremacy repairs finished, I thought we would park it in orbit over Coruscant. It's a nice gesture. We'll use its amphitheater for the announcement. We'll fill it with the rank and file troops as you declare the war won. We'll get the PR guys to write you a speech. Everyone will be expecting a good speech."

"You're just looking to pin this on me," Hux accuses hotly.

"I don't do speeches. You know that. Everyone loves your speeches. The recording will be looping in replay on the holonet for days."

"And will you be standing behind me with your sword at my back?"

"I'll be here on the Finalizer. It will all be your show, General. I'll release a statement but you're the face of the First Order in this and all things going forward."

Hux looks sort of interested but not quite tempted. He leans forward in his chair now to ask, "What are you really up to, Ren? What are you and that Resistance girl cooking up?"

"Peace and order," Kylo answers blandly.

"She's Resistance. And she killed Snoke."

Ah, finally they are getting down to business. Kylo shoots the troublesome general a frank look. "You and I both know you never believed that lie. So stop pretending." Kylo makes his confession now. "I used the girl Rey to help kill Snoke. I'm using her now for peace. But if you decline to be my Senate Chancellor, I can always use her to kill you too. She's Resistance so she considers you to be the enemy. And she's such a misguided idealist that she will do anything I say." Kylo lets that threat settle in before he repeats it. "Snoke isn't around to protect you any longer, General. So get onboard and help me rule the galaxy or be yet another casualty of war."

"I am a man of principle," Hux grinds out. And it's true. The general is a very high-minded man. But Kylo knows Hux's first loyalty is always to himself. His icy blue eyes flash as the general repeats through gritted teeth, "I cannot be bought. I am a man of principle."

Kylo looks him in the eye and calls it like it is. "You are also an ambitious opportunist, the same as me. We understand each other, General. It's why we will make good allies."

"I am nothing like you."

Kylo sighs. Rather than letting this meeting degenerate into name calling, he reaches for his sword and places it on the desk before him. Because if the verbal threat of violence wasn't enough for Hux, maybe the actual threat of violence will do the trick.

The general's eyes never leave his lightsaber, Kylo notes. But still, Hux talks big in the moment. "You don't intimidate me."

"I know. But that won't stop me from killing you."

Hux squirms a bit in his chair and that's Kylo's cue to put away his sword. His point is made. "We've been at this rivals thing a long time now. Snoke played us off one another for years, you know that. He's gone. Now is our chance to break free of him and to lead for ourselves."

"With the Resistance girl? What's her angle in all of this?" Hux demands. "Who is she really?"

"She's an idealistic fool like Skywalker. I have her completely deceived. She thinks we are making peace to rule the galaxy as the kinder, gentler First Order. Ignore her. Once this deal is done, she dies. She has served her purpose."

"It's too late to kill her," Hux assesses. "She's already done her damage with this peace deal."

"That peace deal has her fingers all over it, but it is mine. Make no mistake, there's nothing in there I don't approve, General."

"It's treason!"

"It's common sense," he counters. "If we cannot completely destroy the enemy like on Hosnia, then we need an alternative path forward. I don't want to occupy the Core for the next ten years. Without a negotiated solution for peace, the war will continue. It will be pushed underground to fester as a guerrilla terrorist conflict. Just like in the Rebellion years. And we all know how that ended." Kylo shoots the general a frustrated look. "You know I'm right. I want better than that. You do too."

Kylo lifts his chin and pontificates a bit himself now. "You might quibble with my ways, General, but we both want the same thing. We are men whose ends justify the means. Whether that means is the Starkiller or a showy lie of a compromise for peace."

That speech appears to make headway. "What's your plan?"

"Rey is in the conference room finishing up a deal. She has a deadline of tomorrow afternoon. Leave her be and let them finish. You and I prepare for the assembly, getting the PR roll out ready and working on your speech. I want surrogates all over the holonet with the broad themes of our message starting tonight. This will need to be stage managed a bit." Kylo pauses to smirk conspiratorially at the general. "I want it triumphant and grand. We won the galaxy and our war hero Senate Chancellor is leading our victory lap rally with an impressive speech. Then, when you are at the assembly, I will kill Rey."

Hux, of course, sees this for what it is. "You need me to put a good face on your deal."

Kylo nods and lays on more flattery. The general's gargantuan ego has always been his weakness. "You are a respected, influential leader. Your endorsement matters. If anyone can sell the Senate to the hardline true believers, you can."

"You're not seriously going to abide by those deal terms I read, are you?"

Kylo shrugs. "Some of them, yes. Others, no. It's like I told you-this peace deal is a means to an end. And there's no recourse if we breach our agreement. After they agree, we can pick and choose how we govern for the most part." He smirks. "This is how ruthless I am, General. I will do anything for power, even make peace."

"But amnesty for the Resistance?" Hux looks and sounds pained by the very thought.

"The Resistance Jedi girl will die by my own hand. She's the only one left who is a credible threat. The rest are inconsequential and too few to matter."

"What about their precious princess?" the general gripes.

Kylo makes an involuntary face. "Forget Leia Organa. She's irrelevant. She's an old woman. She is the past."

"You should have killed her at Crait."

"I would have but for the Jedi girl swooping in to save the day." Kylo quickly changes the topic. "So, you'll do this?" he asks point blank.

"Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice," Kylo remarks, thinking of the old man in the conference room who had foolishly martyred himself for the political integrity of Corellia.

"Your sword is not a choice," Hux sniffs.

Kylo just smiles. "I'll take that as a yes."

But five minutes later as he watches the slim, ramrod straight general walk out of his office, it occurs to Kylo that conversation had gone too well. That felt a little too easy. Is that because he had disarmed Hux by his offer of an alliance? Or is something else afoot? Troubled, Kylo marches back to the conference room to check on Rey.

She's fine and the deal is nearly agreed. As Rey had predicted, the deadline with the mortal threat had spurred the enemy to compromise fast. There are a few open points left, but nothing of consequence that could derail a deal. So, Kylo heads for a conference room with Hux and the PR team. While there's nothing about Snoke in the peace accord, Kylo wants to make sure that his old Master's name is all over the media talking points. When in doubt, he's going to blame the Order's past excesses and missteps on his dead predecessor. The point is simple and will be stated repeatedly: Supreme Leader Snoke was a visionary but cruel man. Things will be different under the new leadership of Supreme Leader Ren.

Kylo decides that the rally will showcase the common man of the First Order. He gives orders to stuff the Supremacy amphitheater full of enlisted personnel, NCOs, and low level commissioned officers. No one wears a helmet at the rally, he decrees. I want the galaxy to see the faces of the First Order, he explains. Let them see our stormtroopers who won the galaxy. Let them see the men and women who rose up to reject the incompetence of the Republic. They are the silent majority who one day massed together and roared. If anyone thinks this to be ironic coming from the always-masked-in-public Kylo Ren, no one has the courage to speak up.

As a security precaution and to keep with the everyman visuals, Kylo decides that all mid and senior level officers will remain at their posts. A select group of the First Order high command will be privileged to watch the proceedings with the Supreme Leader himself on the Finalizer. Naturally, this will include the peace negotiators too. For all those who have worked hard for this historic deal will be recognized and celebrated, Kylo decrees. He orders promotions all around.

And, of course, the Supreme Leader will issue an official statement on the peace accord. It is a terse, to the point paragraph that does nothing to upstage the glorious rhetoric of General Hux. The First Order will release the statement to the press after the rally, for naturally the Supreme Leader will have the last word. With that done, bored Kylo forces himself to sit through all the discussion concerning the themes for the general's speech. Kylo has few opinions on any of it. He just wants to keep an eye on Hux. It is imperative that the general stick to his word to play along. And Kylo doesn't want him wandering off to make comcalls to mobilize a coup attempt. But so far, Hux is being a team player. He's loving all the attention and prominence, Kylo sees with contempt. So perhaps he has bought Hux's loyalty for the time being after all. Only time will tell.

The day drags on and finally it is done for him. But Rey remains holed up in a conference room for hours. When at last she walks in the door late that night, her glum face says it all. "Oh. Hi." Rey looks anxious and worn down from the stress of weeks spent negotiating that culminated this morning in her pulling her sword on Hux.

"There's my Jedi heroine," Kylo smiles and stands. Rey looks over to see that he is watching the First Order holonet news and sighs. Kylo immediately turns it off.

"Come here." She does and he envelopes her in his arms. He is feeling possessive tonight. Protective too. "Hungry?"

"Not really. I'm tired mostly. It's been a long day."

"Then let's skip the holochron tonight.

"Okay."

"How can I help?"

"This helps. This helps a lot."

He strokes her hair and pulls her closer. "I'm proud of you, Rey." He wants her to know this.

"Even though I pulled my sword?"

"You showed more restraint than I would have," he smirks. "Thank you for staying to see this deal through." He wants Rey to feel appreciated for her risk taking. He loves that she is doing this for him. "This will be worth it. You'll see."

"Can we talk about something else?" Rey grumbles into his chest.

"How about we don't talk at all?" he whispers as he nuzzles at her neck.

"Uhmmmm," Rey moans as she lifts her face for his kiss. Kylo is only too happy to respond. For he wants her with a desperation tonight. Because the more Rey pushes him away, the stronger his urge to hold her tight. And while his girl might reject his attempts at commitment, she never turns him down for sex. Rey loves sex.

Kylo starts stripping off her uniform as her hands fumble at his. She is as ready for this as he is, Kylo senses. But tonight, he forces himself to take his time. He wants to appreciate his Rey. But she's the one urging him to hurry up. She's so keyed up that she needs this release.

"Easy," he soothes as he lays her back on the bed and starts kissing up from her knee. "Let's take care of you first." He nestles himself between her legs to give her what she needs. Rey sinks her fingers deep into his hair and he loves that. As she quivers and gasps out her pleasure, he can feel her start to relax. "You can't leave me," he teases her. "Who else can do this for you?"

Rey just moans.

"Don't answer that," he warns, only half-joking. "I alone get to touch you. I'll kill any man who touches you."

"Stop talking," Rey complains grumpily as she sits up on her elbows.

Kylo smirks and gets back to work. Rey gets back to moaning. It's not long before her small animal cry of climax. "My turn," he grins. Kylo might be a late bloomer but he's got this bedroom thing down. And now he's got her ankles around his ears as he plows into her. She loves this too. Rey revels in it all, lifting her hips to meet him thrust for thrust. She has figured out just the angle she needs to find her moment of oblivion from this as well. Kylo is not the only fast learner when it comes to sex. And since they have been going at it like rabbits since that trip to Mustafar, he and Rey have had lots of practice. Rey might shy away from telling him that she cares with words, but the way she revels in his arms and eagerly reaches for him speak volumes. When it's all over, she's lying with her head on his chest. Rey is a cuddler and a snuggler. It's almost childlike at times. For if Kylo tends to be the clingy one with commitment, Rey is the clingy one with touch.

Kylo sighs and closes his eyes. For these few fleeting moments in each other's arms in the afterglow, all is right with the universe. There is no war, no Snoke, no Hux, no Force. Just he and Rey in blissful, drifting harmony. Oh, how he craves this feeling.

"I love you," Kylo suddenly blurts out.

Maybe it's too soon to tell his skittish, remote Rey this, but Kylo needs to say it for himself. He's an emotional guy who isn't used to bottling things up. That isn't the way of Darkness. The Dark Side gives free rein to feelings. It revels in indulgence and abandon. Disciples of the Shadow Force are rarely cold in nature. They tend to be hot, passionate men.

"Oh," comes Rey's delayed, very subdued response.

It's what he's expecting even if it's not what he's hoping for. "Shhhh." He kisses her as she lifts her head and looks at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw. "Don't say anything. You don't have to say anything." He knows Rey doesn't love him. Not yet. So he tells himself not to be disappointed because she can't reciprocate. Someday she will. His girl has a lot of trust issues thanks to her background. And trust is the foundation of love. But he can be patient for things worth waiting for. Rey will come around in the end.

Kylo says it again now because it feels good: "I love you. I just want you to know."

The truth is that Kylo has a nagging bad feeling about things right now too. He won't tell Rey that. He doesn't want to worry her. She's already spooked enough as it is. But just in case things go badly for either of them in the next two days, he wants to confess his love. For love is precious and too often fleeting, and no one knows that better than the much rejected Kylo Ren. Maybe this is too soon, he thinks. Yeah, it probably is. But just like the deadline he gave Coruscant and Corellia today to speed things up, this peace deal creates momentum for him too. And since Kylo Ren is nothing if not determined and aggressive, he keeps pushing ahead for more.

"Rey, I want you to be with me here on the Finalizer during the announcement. I want you at my side. There will be a group of senior officers here watching with me. Your negotiating team will be there too. This way I can keep you safe and you can have your moment of triumph. We both know you deserve all the credit for this."

Rey is still looking spooked as she absently replies, "No, thanks. I'm not part of the First Order. I'll watch alone in here."

That's a nonstarter as far as Kylo is concerned. He wants eyes on Rey the whole time to be sure she is safe. And remembering how well they fought the Praetorian guards together, he knows Rey will be good in a fight if it comes to that. But Kylo doesn't want to scare her further, so he omits that reason.

"You don't have to be in a uniform," he decides. Some women look great in a uniform. Rey isn't one of them. On her it looks bulky and stiff and very not her. "Hux has already exposed you so there's no need to keep up the charade. We'll get you a beautiful dress. White for the Light. White for peace."

"A dress? I've never worn a dress." Rey is skeptical. "I'm not sure I'm a dress kind of girl."

"Sure, you are," he smiles his encouragement. "Be my princess, Rey."

Rey screws up her face. "Ewww . . . I'm not your mother."

"No, you're not. And thank the Gods for that," he chuckles. Kylo pulls her back down into his arms. He's warming to his idea as he persists. "You will be there as yourself. As Rey the former Resistance girl with the Force who helped the First Order and the holdout worlds find common ground for peace."

"How are you going to explain that?" Her tone betrays her complete lack of enthusiasm.

"I'll tell everyone that we bridged our differences for the sake of the future. It will be a message of unity. No one will dare complain. Not if they want to live," he adds.

Rey sits up again to frown down at him. "Ben, people will start asking lots of questions. About me and about us. I'll be a political liability you don't need right now. The last thing you need is an unpopular association with a Resistance member to upset your officers."

"Association? You mean like as my girlfriend?" he goads.

"I'm not your girlfriend," Rey complains, sounding thoroughly annoyed now.

"Fine. Then we'll just tell everyone you are my wife." Kylo can't resist trying for this again. He's aggressive in all things.

"Drop it, Ben."

He doesn't. "Then be my consort instead. Rule the galaxy with me. We'll leave the personal part vague. No labels," he offers a compromise.

But Rey isn't in the mood. "No."

"Why not? The galaxy needs heroes, Rey."

"No."

"Why not?" he grumbles again. "You do realize that you've been doing it already for weeks now, right? You've been ruling the galaxy with me from a conference room while you negotiate peace."

"Oh." This thought has clearly never occurred to his girl.

"This is like the girlfriend thing. Because you're my girlfriend even if I can't call you my girlfriend." Kylo can't keep the tinge of resentment out of his voice. This is the legacy of Jakku, he knows. For Rey is shy about putting her faith in him after the disappointment of waiting so many years for her family who never came. And here he is offering her the belonging she craves. But it scares her. Rey wants closeness but it bewilders her too. And so, Rey's first urge is to back away. Kylo is trying to be patient about it. But he's failing tonight. Because when Rey had told him goodbye this morning, it had shaken him to the core.

"I'm your teacher too, you know," he informs her smugly. "Since you showed up here with Luke's books I've been teaching you the Force. Just not formally."

"Oh." This too apparently had not occurred to Rey. But it's the truth. As they stand side by side doing lightsaber forms for exercise every morning, he's teaching her. And every time they have ever had a conversation about the nature of the Force, he is imparting the knowledge he learned from Luke Skywalker and Snoke. Sure, it's not the traditional Master relationship. It's more collaborative and ad hoc. But that doesn't change the essence of what it is.

And so now, Kylo makes his pitch. "Let's stop pretending and make it official. All of it. Call it like it is, Rey. This will be our moment. Come hold my hand and let me introduce you as mine. I can't wait to see Hux's face when we tell him."

Again, she shies away. This time forcefully. Her tone says it all. "Ben, stop! Stop pressuring me! This is too much. And this is the wrong time for this."

"But—"

"I said back off!" Rey says this in the barking tone she had used with that rival scavenger on Jakku.

He sighs. Like his grandfather, Ben Solo grew up being taught to deny himself all attachments. But in the end, he was unwilling and unable to do so. Longing for his absent parents. And now, longing for Rey. Attachments are a family trait, for his grandfather too had failed to resist them. Power might be the goal for the Dark Side but for the Skywalker men, love is their forever aching, gaping need. For these powerful Dark priests of the Force are ruled foremost by their emotions. And so it is natural for them to love and to need love in return. For years, Kylo had languished in lonely, violent depression. But now Rey is here and he is determined to make her everything he has ever needed. Lover, friend, colleague, and soulmate. All in record time.

But even Kylo can see that he needs to slow down tonight. "Okay, okay," he backs down. "We'll keep things the way they are for now. Everything unofficial and off the record. It's enough that you are here with me."

"Ben, you're scaring me." Rey physically pulls away now. She scoots halfway across the bed.

But he reaches to tug her back. "There's nothing to be afraid of," he soothes. "Rey, I won't let you down."

But Rey now looks like a cornered animal desperate to flee. Her choking voice tells him she's about to cry. "I'm not in the F-First Order!" she stammers out. "I d-don't wear d-dresses. Ben, I d-don't think I can be who you want me to be." She is upset, angry, and sad all at once. Panicked yet again by his desire for a commitment and a public alliance.

Kylo pulls her closer still. "You already are everything I want. Don't change a thing."

Rey being Rey, her next move is to shut the conversation down. "Can we just go to sleep now? P-Please?"

"Sure."

"I'm going to s-sleep now."

"Alright." He wants to tell her that he loves her again. But he knows she doesn't want to hear it.