The droid rushed toward Kylo and swung a practice saber at his shoulder. He twisted to the side and raised his own saber with his left hand. The weak hand could not control the hilt with accuracy and allowed the droid the time to catch his attack. The humming white practice saber clashed and sparked against his crackling red blade.

Kylo flicked his right out. The tendons in his healing shoulder screamed at the movement, and he drew on the power of the Dark Side as he shoved the droid backwards with the Force. He tightened his left-handed grip on the vibrating saber hilt while he stalked toward his mechanical opponent.

The droid stabbed the practice saber forward. Kylo parried the attack and felt a familiar presence in the back of his mind. The presence invaded him further, and it was not the joyful feeling he occasionally felt since the encounter with the girl from Jakku. He lashed out with his sparking blade and watched it cut through the metal arm. The practice saber clattered to the floor, and Kylo twisted his crossguarded hilt in his hand to destroy the droid with a swipe through its middle.

The presence inside his mind increased to a dull pressure, and he deactivated the unstable blade. "Master."

Snoke's low voice reverberated in his mind. "I notice something different about you, my apprentice."

"The Light is gone – "

"The Light continues to vie for control of you." A sharp pain shot through Kylo, and he resisted the urge to fall to his knees as he doubled over. "And what do I see about the girl? The one you failed to bring to me?"

Kylo straightened and fixed his eyes upon his mask. It would not help him hide his thoughts from Snoke, but it steeled his thoughts. "I've sworn she is not a distraction."

Snoke fury emanated through the Force. "And that thought of following her? Leaving me? Me, the only one who has ever understood your powers?"

A pit formed in Kylo's stomach, and he shifted his right shoulder. The pain shot down his arm and up his neck through the partially healed cut. The Dark Side flowed stronger within him, and he used it to push back at the small spark of Light that constantly agonized him. "No… It was only a fleeting thought. I would never forfeit your guidance."

"Come to my chambers."

"Kylo? Kyyylo…"

A dull ache resonated through his shoulder as it shook, and he forced open his eyes to focus on Rey's face. The Dark rose up inside him at the sight of her, and he took several moments to realize where he was. Snoke no longer controlled him. He was safe with Rey and his Padawans.

Pain laced up his side from his injury as he sat up. Rey's eyes darted to the synthflesh covering the his from their crash, but her face lit up in a broad smile. "Morning, sleepy head."

Kylo raked a hand through his tangled hair and gave his wife a soft smile. Rey pressed her lips against his and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He rested his hands on her waist and pulled her close, feeling her affectionate and joyous presence through their bond that was so unlike the one he had dreamt about.

He rested his forehead against hers after a several minutes, and Rey moved her hands to his shoulders with a smile that dimpled her cheeks. "You slept better than you have in a while. I didn't sense any nightmares from you."

Kylo started to contradict her, but the Dark whispered that it had just been a dream. There was no need to worry Rey, especially now that the cuff was off. "Yeah. I slept fine." He pressed a light kiss to his wife's lips, ignoring the feel of the Dark Side within him. "And to what do I owe such a wonderful morning greeting?"

Rey smiled and pressed something small into the palm of his hand before she pressed a brief kiss to the tip of his nose. "Happy birthday."

Kylo blinked in surprise and glanced at the chronometer. Yes, the correct month displayed on the screen, but he had not celebrated his birthday since being under Luke's tutelage as a teen. He was not even sure what day he had been born on, which had suited them both in the past since Rey did not know her own birthday. "I never told you my…?"

Rey gave a soft laugh and crisscrossed her legs on the bed next to him. "Luke thought we could use a break from, well, everything. He has pictures of you and your family from that day." She nudged his hand. "Open it."

Kylo turned the small black bag in his hand and opened the drawstring to dump out a string of tiny blue stones. He examined the stones and looked up at Rey.

She grinned, and he could sense her excitement dance through their bond. "They're – "

" – quella stones. My mother had some from Alderaan." Kylo ran his fingertips over the stones, feeling the energy of the Force hum around them. "How did you find some?"

Rey slid closer to him and rested a hand on his knee. "You know Poe's trying to fix up the Falcon? I was helping him look at the engine cooler, and I found them through the grating in the floor."

Kylo paused and searched Rey's face. He could sense her honesty, but he took several moments to wrap his mind around her words. "These… actually belonged to her."

The small stones suddenly seemed so precious in his hands, and he felt the corners of his mouth pulling into a smile. Rey ran her thumb over the thin material of his trousers. "Do you remember her with them?"

A small chuckle escaped Kylo's lips. "My fa – Han gave them to her. He'd been off on some smuggling trip, and she was furious that he hadn't communicated in a week and just turned up one morning. She was yelling, and I think Chewie was trying to move me to my room when she stopped. And he was just holding these out to her." He slid the stones in his hand, feeling the minute ridges on their surfaces. "Turned out he'd gone on the trip because he'd heard some things from Alderaan had surfaced somewhere."

He looked up at Rey's beaming expression and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Thank you." Kylo pressed a brief kiss to Rey's lips before he carefully set the quella stones on the nightstand. "You didn't tell the others about my birthday, did you?"

"Of course not."

Relief flooded through Kylo as he slipped on the black layers of his usual Jedi attire. He did not want the Padawans distracted from their training nor did he want extra attention, not with the Dark flowing strong within him.

He wrapped his belt around his middle as a knock sounded on the door, and Finn's enthusiastic voice yelled, "Breakfast!"

Kylo looked sharply at Rey. "You didn't tell anyone?"

"I didn't!" She handed him his lightsaber, and a small pang of comfort went through him as he wrapped his fingers around the familiar hilt he had built after he had left the First Order. The crackling blade of his past with Snoke was long gone. "Luke told them."

"Rey – "

She laughed softly and shook her head, pushing him out the door. "Just enjoy it, Kylo."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and let Rey pull him into the kitchen. The four Padawans grinned up at Kylo as he sat down with Rey. Finn stood at the heating unit and glanced back at them. "I actually didn't think you two would be out so soon."

The former Stormtrooper piled food on three plates and balanced them in his hands. He took four steps toward them, and Kylo watched as the third plate wobbled and tumbled toward the floor. His hand shot out instinctively, and the plate stopped with the Force a few centimeters from the floor.

The general chatter that usually came from the Padawans quieted instantly. Kylo looked over to them, and the plate gave a soft clatter as it hit the floor. "What?"

The Padawans exchanged a glance, and Sonzy chewed his lower lip for a moment. "Nothing. It's just… strange to feel the Dark Side."

Kylo assumed Teela's smile was meant to be encouraging, but he could read her worry through the Force. "Especially when it's used to do something so mundane like stopping a plate from breaking."

"We have a present for you, Master Ren." Jessika pushed over a small box. "Happy birthday."

Rey squeezed Kylo's upper arm and slid closer to him. He took the box and tried to ignore the fact the Kaydel very pointedly would not meet his gaze. "And where is the instigator of all of this?"

"Master Skywalker was called away with Poe to view those holo vids from the Agamar Penitentiary." Finn took a bite of the breakfast and spoke around the food. "Seems they finally decoded the security on them."

The surprise reverberated through the Force, and Rey and Kylo spoke at once, "Wait, what?"

"The Senate didn't want Ren around to tamper with anything." He raised his hand to stop Kylo's protest. "I know, I know, you wouldn't. But that green flirt also couldn't come, so that's something."

Kylo fiddled with the box in his hands. "And have they messaged anything?"

Finn began to respond but stopped as Poe entered the kitchen. The pilot wore his full military uniform, complete with the general's stars on the sleeve around the Reformed Republic's seal. "So I was going to get you something, Ren, but I think telling you that we saw Kilnetel's hand blatantly move as Hux's cuffs opened is enough of a present."

Rey gasped loudly beside him, and her hand tightened around Kylo's arm. "So she'll finally be investigated?"

Poe flashed his trademark grin and stole a piece of fruit from Finn's plate. "They've actually ordered her to be detained. But there's more news." He swallowed the fruit, and his expression darkened. "Eeth's agreed to talk. But only to Ren."

"If you're not going to tell me where you've been, then indulge me with what this cuff does."

Eeth's jaw clenched as he glared at Kylo. A humming field surrounded the Zabrak, reminding Kylo of his time in the Agamar penitentiary; the field only allowed its occupant to use the Force within its bounds. He might have felt some pity for the former Padawan, but he was not restrained like Kylo had been as a prisoner after Snoke's defeat. "I'm guessing you discovered what it is right away. I see no more information that you need."

Kylo let out a slow breath and glanced at Jessika beside him before speaking. "How about getting it off?"

Eeth turned his dark eyes away from Kylo and pressed his lips together to remain silent. Kylo's fingers tapped the cuff around his wrist. It was loose enough that he could slip it off, and it only felt like a minor annoyance with the Dark roaring inside him. But the Zabrak did not need to know he had already removed the cuff. "You know how having the Force suppressed affects us."

The Zabrak gave a low snort and tapped the field around him. A soft sizzle reached Kylo's ears at the contact. "I do. Maybe I'll tell you if you shut off this field."

"You attacked a member of the medical staff as well as several guards since your stay here. Unfortunately, the field is necessary." Kylo crossed his arms over his chest to casually reveal his lightsaber. "I would like to know why you put it on me."

Eeth's lips twitched into a sneer. "Even with this field, I can sense the power of the Dark Side. Don't lie, Ren. You've already gotten it off." The Zabrak shifted his weight on his feet in an almost predatory way. "I'm assuming the only reason you haven't come in here yet to enter my mind is because you're afraid of using the Dark."

Kylo felt his eyebrow quirk up of its own volition. "I was in the Dark for years." He stepped forward so that he was only a few inches from the field. His voice lowered, and he wished for his old mask to modulate it into something more menacing. "You know nothing of the Dark, boy."

Eeth met his gaze evenly and tilted his head to the left. The bright lights of the room shone off the red tattoos of his face. "Then show me, Master."

Kylo's eyes flicked to the surveillance camera in the corner. He could sense the energy around the control panel in the next room. It would be a mere of twitch of his finger to turn off the field. The Dark flowed thick inside of him and whispered that Eeth would not stand a chance against him. Skywalker blood combined with a lifetime of training made him extremely sensitive to the Force. The Dark only made him stronger; he could easily restrain the Zabrak and enter his mind for all the information he needed.

"Master Ren?" Jessika's quiet voice cut through Kylo's thoughts, and a glance toward her found a worried expression on the Padawan's face. "I think it's time we head back."

Kylo cast his eyes over the former Padawan for a long moment. "I'll be back when you're ready to tell me something useful."

A Zabrak guard with deep yellow tattoos met them in the hall and led them toward the turbolifts. He studied Kylo for a long moment as they walked. "It's a shame about him. Eeth. He came from my tribe on Iridonia." The guard pressed the button for the lift. "Everyone was excited that he went to the Padawan program. They thought if he became a Jedi, it could help mend the reputation that Maul gave us before the Clone Wars."

Jessika gave the guard a soft smile as they stepped onto the turbolift, and Kylo sensed her sympathy. "We'll find out what happened to him. Maybe we can help."

The Padawan chatted with Zabrak guard about the unusual warm weather as Coruscant entered into its winter months. Kylo closed his eyes for a moment to feel the Force within himself. The Dark Side pulsed angrily within him, clambering to do something to prove to Eeth that he was not afraid.

The lift doors opened, and Kylo stepped out with Jessika. Guards that he recognized as former Stormtroopers in Finn's recovery program stood around the small entrance hall. The Coruscant prison administration heightened security since Hux's escape from Agamar and had hired the troopers due to understaffing. Not many people wanted to be guarding a place where a Dark Sider loyal to the First Order was being held.

The Zabrak guard clapped Jessika on the shoulder and bid her goodbye. The Padawan kept pace with Kylo as they strode to the scanners. Kylo began to say something encouraging to Jessika about her handling the guard well, but he paused as he felt a familiar presence nearby.

Two guards held onto Kilnetel's arms, and the Senator pulled against their hands, her green skin flush. "I don't understand why this is necessary. I am perfectly happy to explain what happened to the Senate." Her weak struggles stopped as she caught sight of Kylo. "You did this."

Her green lips curled into a snarl, and she ripped free of the guards' hold with unexpected strength. The two guards darted after her with a yell. Kylo's hand lifted, and the Force slammed the Twi'lek against the wall. He stalked toward her, the Dark throbbing excitedly within him as it held Kilnetel motionless. He stopped closer to her than he ever would have before the Dark Side had reclaimed him, and he felt his mouth twitch into a sneer. "It's over, Senator. You can't frame me."

"Master Ren!"

Kylo turned to see Jessika's yellow lightsaber humming in her hands. Several of the Stormtrooper guards converged on her, and four clutched blasters as they approached him.

A green hand grabbed the side of his face and forced Kylo to look back at Kilnetel. The Twi'lek smiled prettily up at him. "For the First Order."

Her lips smashed against Kylo's. His entire body froze in shock, and his back hit the wall. The Dark Side growled within him as he felt the Force constrict around him. He pulled on its power to fight back, but Kilnetel gave a soft laugh and pressed something wet over his mouth and nose. Kylo inhaled an awful-smelling substance, and black spots danced in his vision. "Happy birthday, Master Ren."

AN: Sorry.