The following night, Rey walked around the large balcony surrounding the base, admiring each stone that was cemented into the rail along the way. She stopped to gaze down towards the trees below, watching as they waved in the wind, in tune with the oncoming storm that was approaching in the distance.

Sighing, Rey rolled her neck as she felt the tension creeping within her bones, having thought too much about her next move when it came to Kylo and the challenge day.

She couldn't help but appreciate his reasoning, finding the fact that he denied any thought towards the light just to keep her safe. Yet, this still forced unanswered questions to poke her mind.

If he were to remain supreme leader, what would that mean for the rest of the base? Would he ensure Rey's safety and still attack the Resistance? Rey was sure that the rebellion would not back down, and she had no idea if-

"Hey, stranger." A voice called from behind her. Rey was too deep in thought to realize that Poe Dameron now joined her on the balcony, his back leaning against the railing so that he could face her.

Rey offered a small smile, knowing that it was only a matter of time until she spoke with Poe alone. Since her injury with Sano, and having to move bases so suddenly, she found little time away from training to really settle down and speak with any of her friends besides Flora and Kai, for which she felt guilty.

"Poe! I'm sorry, I've just been trai-" Rey began, but was cut off when Poe smiled and spoke instead.

"It's okay. Anything I can do to help?" he asked, and the grin on his face made Rey unwillingly blush.

"Not really, thank you though..." she mumbled as she turned away to look at the clouds.

Poe nodded, visibly disappointed, but was determined to get closer either way. He turned around and towards the sky, following her gaze to the dark, grey clouds that loomed over them.

"You're not used to this, are you?" he asked, glancing to her. He chuckled when Rey looked at him curiously. "I mean the colors, the sky, the rain. Being from Jakku and all..."

"Ah, yes. It is different. The sky was always so dry, so empty. Any life, any plant... well, it was useless." Rey sighed as she remembered her home, the life she had before she joined forces with the resistance, and every trial she has faced since then.

Rey was quickly taken away from her memory when she felt Poe's warm hand reach towards her own that rested upon the railing, carefully covering her own.

She looked at it for a moment, feeling shy and rather awkward at the sudden affection, yet not surprised. However, she still did not like it.

Offering a quick smile to her friend, she withdrew her hand from Poe's and clasped it with her others, as if shielding her own hands from his.

Poe nodded and looked away from Rey, smiling to the ground, and Rey noted there was no humor behind the smile, but embarrassment flowed from him.

"Poe, I'm sorry, I just-"

"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have. You have someone, don't you?" Poe asked, his gaze meeting Rey's, and the look in his eyes made her heart stop. Poe was a dear friend of hers, someone she could fight beside, someone she trusted. She truly did not like the idea of hurting him in any way.

There was no denying that she felt some sort of affection towards him, but deep down, she knew it was not in the way he needed, or wanted.

Yet, the question he asked still threw her off.

Did she have someone? She wasn't sure.

Her thoughts flew to Ben, and the tension rolled back in waves, hitting her so intensely that she was unsure what to focus on first. Rey knew she cared for Ben, more than she should have, and in ways that were new to her. However, it was still complicated. He was both her ally, and her enemy.

And a question still pegged at the back of her mind,

If any harm came to the base, if Kylo Ren were to ever threaten the resistance, ever killed any one of her friends... If they stood toe to toe at war, would she be able to kill him?

She was not sure...

Again, Rey was ripped from her thoughts when Poe cleared his throat, making Rey jump back into the moment. She sighed, looking at her friend with a sorrowful look.

"I'm not sure how to answer that. There's a lot going on, and I care for you Poe, I truly do, and I appreciate our friendship very much, but I'm not able to offer anything more than that. Just friendship."

Poe sighed, feeling defeat creeping up on him, but did not let Rey see an inch of it. Instead, he smiled at her, nodding as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, genuinely surprised that she let him.

"No problem, Rey. I'm always here if you need me. Well, mostly. Leia has me watching over the cells for now. I think she just wants to keep me grounded, out of trouble." he shrugged as he guided Rey to look. towards the sky again, and they both stood there watching the sky.

"The cells? I thought we didn't have any prisoners when we landed on Pyron?" Rey questioned, her brows furrowed.

"Just one. Melo."

Rey was quickly reminded of the large man that Poe helped capture, the arms dealer and previous boss of Flora, Kai and Sano. With a quick mental note, Rey decided to pay a visit to the cells later on, thinking maybe she would be able to bribe some information fro-

A sudden vibration through the force surrounded Rey, and she felt a warm , tingling sensation crawl up her spine as she slowly turned her head towards Poe, who's arm was still wrapped around her shoulders, and saw out of the corner of her eye that Kylo Ren stood behind the pair, carefully studying the two in their embrace.

Rey gasped, whipping her head forward again, making Poe look down towards her with a question on his face. Rey quickly stepped away from him, knowing that if Kylo could see him from their physical contact, Poe would also be able to see Kylo.

"Rey? What's wron-" Poe began.

"Poe, can you give me a moment?" Rey asked, turning on her heel so that her back was against the stone railing, and Poe's back was to Kylo.

"Did I-"

"Please." Rey said sternly. Poe nodded, confused and feeling rather awkward, but still did as she asked and slowly left her alone.

Rey sighed as she watched Poe leave, turning her attention to Kylo, who was watching her with a stone cold expression, eyes blank and mouth formed into a thin line.

"It's not what you are thinking. Or assuming." Rey said, taking a step towards him. Kylo cocked an eyebrow at her, and Rey tried her hardest not to roll her eyes.

Instead, she turned her back to him, watching as the trees rustled harder with the wind.

"And what is it that you believe I'm thinking or assuming?" he asked, his voice low. Rey turned towards him, and studied his face. His eyes grew softer, but she noticed that dark circles surrounded his eyes, and his usual straight and tall form was slumping just a little bit.

"You're not sleeping again." she stated, casting his question to the side. Kylo glanced down to her shoes and back to her face, frustration crossing his own at being read.

"What of it? I'm training, I'm leading, I was fighting off the bond, however that gets me nowhere."

They let silence fall between them both as they studied one another, each trying to out-read the other.

"I can help. It worked that one time..." Rey suggested, referring back to the time she was able to cast her light over his darkness as he slept, ridding the nightmares away.

Before she could finish, Kylo was already shaking his head. "No. Too much of a risk." he said as he stepped towards her, standing at her side now.

"So, you get to do what you want, and make whatever decisions you'd like, but I can't even bring up a suggestion?" she asked sarcastically.

"Well, you get to do what you want as well, apparently with the lying pilot." Kylo said, venom seeping from his voice as he brought up Poe.

"Actually, I told him I only wanted to be friends, and I meant that. I belong to nobody." Rey's chin lifted into the air as if to jab him with is along with her words. She did not like being questioned, or accused, just as he didn't and she was determined to make it a fair playing ground.

Kylo smirked, the devilish and crooked smile that played at his lips was half of her words simply being humorous to him, and half at the challenge that was no presented to him.

"We'll see." he said, the exact same way he spoke to her when he interrogated her on his ship the first time they met.

The husky tone of his voice made Rey's cheeks burn and heart skip a beat, recalling the memory he meant to bring up. Her eyes narrowed at him as she involuntarily reached for her lightsaber as Kylo intently watched the movement, heat flaring in his abdomen as he waited for her next move.

When Rey realized what she was reaching for, she froze, her eyes widening as she quickly straightened herself, annoyed at herself for letting him get to her.

Kylo scoffed at her, teasing her some more, only making Rey shrug it off.

"It won't work. You're moody and exhausted. From what I hear, sleep deprivation is just any easier way for the dark to slip in." Rey stated, glaring at him with her arms crossed now.

"And who told you this? Anakin?" Kylo teased, although a hint of seriousness lay under his tone.

"No, actually. However, he did mention that he hears your pleas, but you ask the wrong questions." Rey brought up, pointing a finger towards his chest. The comment made Kylo go silent for a minute, and Rey knew she won this round at that.

"Liar." is all he came back with. Rey shook her head before she replied.

"No. It's the truth. I can only assume that he doesn't speak with you or answer your plea because you associate yourself with the dark."

"He was Darth Vader-"

"Yes, was. He came back to the light in his death. Therefore, he is of the light side now." Rey stated. Kylo glared at her, refusing to reply. Rey sighed as she glanced towards the ground, so many questions begging to be answered as the light and dark side of the force was brought up. She had no idea where to begin. "What will you do though? What will we do?" she asked with a sad and curious tone. She felt lost, and she knew neither one of them could provide answers about the oncoming war.

Kylo followed her gaze to the ground, an odd feeling washing over him that made him want to comfort her somehow, but there was no way. The choice was made, he was going to do what was necessary to keep her safe, all else would have to figure itself out, at least for now.

He sighed. "I need to deal with the challenge term. After that, we can discuss any concerns, although I'm not sure if I will have any answers." he said quietly.

Rey nodded, appreciating that he was at least acknowledging that there were topics and issues to be discussed, and she knew that he had to first win the title of official Supreme Leader before they could move on.

"How is the training going anyway?" Rey asked.

"Fine." Kylo replied, unable to hide his exhaustion now. His head hung low, his messy, dark hair covered half of his face as he threatened the sleepiness away.

Slowly and tentatively, Rey reached her hand up and brushed a lock of his hair away from his cheek, unsure of her own movement and if he would push her away. Thankfully, he didn't, and only froze as her soft hand made contact with his skin.

Kylo swallowed hard, not at all used to any contact from anyone, however this was different, and when their skin connected, he felt the bond ignite even more just as it had when they touched hands the first time. He was thrashed into a world of lightness and warmth, surrounded by the good that is Rey.

Only in these moments, alone with her, would he allow himself a second to escape to the universe she offered, and to Rey, she allowed this moment to escape to the galaxy he introduced to her.

Taken away by exhaustion and the affection, Kylo mindlessly let his head fall slowly to hers, resting his forehead on Rey's.

"The only answer I can give is that I will not let anything happen to you." he muttered.

The words enveloped Rey, surrounding her in a cushion of protection and care, something she was unfamiliar with entirely.

For a moment, she wished it all to go away, the war and the challenge day he faced, the choices they would be forced to make, the impossibilities and probabilities.

Rey knew what problems Kylo faced. If he were to defeat the challenger, he would then have to face the rest of the knights. And if he didn't defeat the challenger, he would lose his position as Supreme Leader, and lose any advantage he could give as far as protecting her goes.

She willed a way for a perfect ending to show itself, as if there was a way for Kylo Ren to secure his throne without any fight back from the rest of his old clan, without another war breakin-

A sudden idea flew through her mind, an idea that she was not sure she could take on.

An idea that would surely get her in trouble, and no doubt would be dangerous...

But, the man that stood before her was willing to risk it all, for her, willing to give up any chance on returning to the light just to ensure her own safety...

Without a further thought, Rey knew she had no other choice, and when the opportunity called for it, she would make her move.

Before she could give any more thought, Rey told herself to enjoy the moment she was having now, and gently placed a hand against Kylo's chest, feeling the hard beat of his heart. Eyes closed, Kylo let the bridge of his nose glide against Rey's jawline, down to the lobe of her ear and to the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent and basking in her warmth.

The feeling of Kylo's hair on her neck tickled Rey, but she was determined not to move in fear of ruining the moment. She had never been so close with another person, hated the idea of someone grabbing her hand like Finn did, or holding it like Poe. But with Kylo, it was different, it was pure. The feeling was new with him as well, and that fact gave her comfort. They took care with one another, and that made Rey comfortable.

Rey lifted her free hand to his cheek, brushing it with the back of her hand before turning it over and letting it rest against his face, her thumb running over the jagged edges of the scar she branded him with.

Slowly, Kylo leaned back away from Rey, his hodded gaze meeting Rey's heated one.

"Rey." he muttered.

"Ben." she returned.

In that moment, she was sure he would have moved into kiss her, the same way she had witnessed people do on Jakku, or at Finn and Rose's wedding, and the thought of how she should receive it made her eyes close as his head timidly bent towards hers.

A second later, with Kylo out of her sight, the force bond severed and Rey was left alone on the balcony of the base, drops of rain splattering on the ground.

Rey's sighed, her breathing quick and hard. A sudden splash of rain against her nose helped wake her up as she came to her senses, surprised with the disappointment that followed Kylo's departure and lack of further affection. The memory of his skin on hers made her blush hot pink, and the warmth along her neck stayed with her the remainder of the night.

Now that she was alone, she was able to continue her plan, but before she could set things in motion, she needed to speak with Melo, so she left the balcony to go to the prison cells, unknowingly leaving an intruder alone who witnessed Rey and Kylo Ren's moment together.

( x )

Author's Notes:

Hope you guys liked this one! It's more of a filler chapter, but it is needed. Thank you for reading! Comments are loved and worshiped :D