A/N: A big thanks to SirenBanshee. You are one amazing beta!

xXxXxXx

Her eyes grew wide at his words and she started blushing. "Yes, yes, I am. Force, uhm, sorry?" She pulled her hand away. "I guess I should go now? I don't want to be needy or anything."

"Stop!" he commanded as she moved to leave the bed, at the same time stretching out his freed hand and placing it on her waist. "Would you stop apologising for being here?" he continued, humour in his voice.

Rey ducked her head in what he assumed was further embarrassment. He was acutely aware of the position of his hand. Unthinkingly, he moved his thumb to rub along her ribs and watched as Rey closed her eyes in response.

Trying to get more comfortable, he scooted closer to her. He was surprised when she did the same, effectively causing his arm to slide around her to her back.

"I thought you wanted an explanation of what happened?" he said softly, trying to cover up his sudden sense of awkwardness. Where was he to put his hand?

Her eyes snapped open and he saw a mingle of emotions in them—curiosity, sadness, and something else, something he couldn't name.

"Well, yes!" she exclaimed, curiosity and excitement winning over the sadness. "How did you do it?"

"I'm not entirely sure." She scowled at him and he laughed. "I'm really not; it was weird, as if I went inside the Force."

"What? How's that even possible?"

He shrugged in response.

"Do you think you can show me how you did it?"

"Uhm…" He worried his lips. "I will explain to you what happened up to the moment it turned strange. I won't show you memories of what happened before; I had to go through some very personal memories of Ember to get there. Everything after I can show you."

"Oh. Okay, I understand."

He wasn't entirely sure he believed her, but she sent him another smile so he didn't ask.

"Now spill!" Rey commanded.

With a smile, he did just that. Rey stared at him the entire time, her eyes alight with curiosity and wonder. When he finally met them to share the memory of how he'd reconnected Ember to the Force, he felt a shiver run down his spine. With a start, he realised he felt secure laying next to her on his bed. It was as if the world outside his rooms didn't even exist.

His fingers started tracing patterns on her back as Rey instinctively covered her ears against the piercing sound in the memory. He ended the memory the moment the first shockwave threw him out of Ember's mind. Rey gasped and stared at him, looking shocked and scared. He pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then fought the urge to run from embarrassment.

"It's okay," he murmured. "It didn't hurt me, only drained my energy. Next time, I'll be more prepared."

"Next time?"

"I'm hoping Ember can convince the other Knights and I'm guessing the experience will be similar with them."

"Just let me know, next time, that you're going to do it? You scared me."

"I know, and I will." He let out a sigh. "Speaking of Ember, I really should go check on her. They're keeping her sedated until I'm there to deal with any possible backlash when she wakes up."

"You think something will happen?"

"No, I don't, but I'd rather not risk it."

Rey hummed in agreement. "How are you going to explain the destruction in the training room?"

"Well," he answered, giving her a crooked smile, "people have told me I have a rather volatile temper."

He felt immensely proud as Rey started laughing, the sound bringing joy to his heart. It made him hope that his behaviour concerning Temiri had been forgiven.

"You go check up on Ember; I should be getting back to the kids. I probably scared them as well." She sighed. "I'll figure something out to tell them, if Temiri hasn't offered them some sort of lie already." Rey looked up at him. "I really hope you can meet him one day. The kid is too smart for his own good, but I do fear he's missing out on his childhood, the way he takes care of the rest of them."

"How are the Base Z children doing?"

"Surprisingly good, actually. They're loosening up," Rey answered with a beaming smile. "Sirena has settled in quite nicely as well. She seems to be genuinely happy to be amongst those kids. She has started smiling more."

"I'm happy to hear that."

He moved to sit up, causing his hand to rest on her hip. Rey quickly followed his example.

"Ben?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes?" he answered, squeezing her hip slightly in encouragement.

"Can I come see you again tonight?"

"Of course." He wanted to hug her again. She seemed so vulnerable. "You can even sleep in my bed again," he continued with a wink.

She smiled at him. "I'll leave you to it then. Bye, Ben."

After he watched her disappear, he took a short shower before heading out.

"Are you feeling better, sir?" Phasma asked as soon as he appeared.

"Yes," he answered.

"And is she okay as well?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but she will be." He stopped walking and turned to Phasma. "You're awfully interested."

"Sir!" She saluted.

Kylo looked at her for a while then rolled his eyes. "You're as bad as I am," he murmured before clearing his throat and walking on. "Consider the apology accepted," he said.

"Sir!" she answered again.

He could hear the gratitude and relief in her voice. His lips twitched and he felt gratitude for knowing his regard had such meaning to her.

"What med bay is Ember in?"

"I had her moved to the one with the highest security level, sir."

He barked a laugh. "You moved her to my own personal med bay?"

"Yes, sir."

"So that any damage can be explained away by another temper tantrum?"

"Uhm…"

Kylo laughed again. "I'm sure having a bad day, it seems."

"So it would seem, indeed, sir," she answered with mirth.

They walked on in silence until they arrived at their destination. The Troopers in attendance saluted and immediately reported that there had been no disturbances. Kylo nodded at them and entered the med bay, closely followed by Phasma.

Ember was still wearing her bodysuit and tunic. A breathing mask rested over her nose and mouth, and a patch on her wrist checked her vitals. Seeing such a strong woman completely defenseless made him feel uneasy. This was Ember, the woman who had attacked him in his office and who didn't care about being abrasive. She was not supposed to be lying still on a medical bed.

Shaking off his disquiet, he turned to the med droid and demanded a full report. It informed him that there was nothing wrong with Ember besides exhaustion. She was being kept sedated but would wake up within minutes when the anti-sedative was given.

Kylo ordered the droid to wake Ember up before turning to Phasma. "Again, I don't know what will happen. Wait outside and do not come in."

"Sir!" She hesitated at the door. "Will she be okay, sir?"

He looked at her, surprised. "I thought you didn't like her?"

"I don't trust her, sir, and I doubt we'll ever be friends, but I don't wish her harm either."

"I think she'll be fine. This is merely a precaution."

Phasma nodded and left. A beep from the droid told him the anti-sedative had been given. Kylo breathed deeply and reached out for the Force. He didn't touch it yet—fearing it would trigger Ember—but kept it within easy reach.

He watched as Ember started twitching and then slowly opened her eyes. She rose her hands to her head and squeezed her eyes shut again.

"Headache?"

She shot up and turned towards him, then started swaying. Kylo quickly took hold of her elbow to steady her.

"Easy, now," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Headache is an understatement," she murmured.

Worrying his lips as not to laugh, he gestured to the droid to bring some medicine. Ember gratefully accepted. A couple minutes later, she visibly relaxed. Kylo gasped as she looked at him.

"What?"

"Your eyes."

"What's with my eyes?"

"There's a mirror in the corner; do you think you can walk there?"

She scoffed. "I'm not an invalid!"

Still grumbling, she slid off the bed and made her way towards the mirror. Kylo followed suit and watched the shock on Ember's face as she noticed how her former, dull eyes had turned into a vibrant, hazel brown. It was stunning to see how they seemed to glow from within, much like her name and the feeling of her mind.

She turned her stunned expression towards him. "How?"

"No idea."

"How can you not know?"

"For as far as I know, you're the first who's lost and then reconnected with the Force."

"I have the Force now?"

"You should, yes. Please refrain from reaching for it," he quickly added as he saw her close her eyes. "We don't want another uncontrolled outburst. We'll work on it. If you want to know for certain, I can easily determine it if you allow me to touch your mind again."

She frowned at him, then nodded. Kylo reached out with one hand to briefly touch her temple. He was astounded by the difference within her mind. It felt like a dried-out flower that had come back to life after being given water; it was still the same flower, but more vibrant, with more colours and depth.

He smiled at her. "You're reconnected, alright."

Ember looked at him, a strange expression in those newly burning eyes. Suddenly, she dropped to one knee, her fist bumping her heart and her head bent.

"My allegiance lies with you, Supreme Leader. For you I shall fight and lay down my life. Command me and I shall follow."

Startled, it took him a while to come up with a proper response. When he finally did, he made sure to put gravity into his words.

"Ember of Ren, your fealty is accepted and will be honoured. Now rise."

If he was honest with himself, the sudden pledge of loyalty made him feel out of his depth. He was glad to see Ember rise to her feet and move to put on the rest of her armour—which had been placed on a stool near her bed.

"So," she said once fully dressed, "when do we start?"

Kylo barked a laugh at her words and ill-concealed eagerness. "We can start now, if you want; I've got some time to spare. Let's head to a training room, one we didn't wreck."

"Wreck?"

He raised an eyebrow. "How much do you remember?"

"I remember you looking at my memories and asking me to restart the last one. Then, uhm-" She fell silent for a bit, tilting her head in an obvious attempt to recall her memory. "It gets confusing after that. I remember an awful sound, then a feeling as if an electric current was running through my body, then nothing."

"In that case, we'll go visit the training room first. Hopefully they haven't cleaned up yet and you get to see why you shouldn't reach out for the Force without some guidance first."

"That bad?"

"That bad."

He led her out of the med bay and then watched with amusement as Phasma narrowed her eyes, glanced from him to Ember, and then did a double take at seeing Ember's face.

"Have any reparations been made to the training room yet?" he asked to prevent any comments. Now that Ember had pledged fealty, he figured he had to make sure the two women got along.

"Not yet, sir, in case you wanted a closer inspection of what happened."

"Good." He nodded. "We'll go take a look now."

They marched off. Upon arrival, Kylo motioned for Ember to open the door. The knight stood stock still, eyes wide, as the door hissed open and the carnage behind it was revealed. After a prod from Kylo, she took a few hesitant steps inside.

"I see…" she finally said. "I'll heed your words."

Kylo merely nodded in response.