Chapter 1: Five Long Years

Kylo carried the girl in his arms once more. Five years hadn't changed the way she felt in his arms. She was so light and he loved the way she instinctively curled into his chest. As he promised, he would leave the pitiful resistance be as he promised. He would give them a few hours and then the hunt would begin again. Maybe more time, he had every intent of spending some with his desert rose. She'd be moaning his name by nightfall, he was sure of it.

Oh he missed her body.

He turned toward the shuttle, the army of Stormtroopers standing silent and still facing the small band of rebels.

"Let her go!"

Kylo turned to see a small child with raven hair running towards him. The traitor, the pilot and some third person he didn't recognize ran forward, trying to catch up to the kid. Ren used the force to stop them in their tracks using the force, but let the child run towards him. The kid foolishly kicked his boot.

"Let her go!" The child foolishly screamed "Let her go! Monster!"

He smiled, amused by the foolish child. He was curious as to handle this situation. He knew his grandfather had murdered children, but he wasn't sure if this was the best way to go. Obviously he couldn't let the child go free after he (no matter how feebly) attempted to thwart the Supreme Leader.

A chill passed over him, sending tremors down his spin. It hit him instantly. The dark hair...those dark eyes...his force signature. He couldn't have been more than five.

Kylo was grateful for his mask.

"Take the boy-he's coming with me."

…

He looked back at Rey who he had laid to rest on his silken black bed. He had carried her in his arms, loving the way the resistance stared at him in loathing as he carried her away like she was his bride. Soon she would be. He was sure of it.

But his son, he carried using the force. He could have ordered one of his troopers to carry the boy he had forced unconscious, but he didn't trust a single one of them.

With his sweetheart getting a much needed rest, he finally had the chance to get to hold his young son. He couldn't have been more than five years of age. He had his dark curly hair and his oversized ears. He wished he could have inherited more of his mother than his father. But the boy was definitely cursed with his father's looks. He could only hope he inherited his mother's spirit.

It hit him at that moment that this, this child in his arms, was his son.

He held the boy for a few moments. He wasn't sure what to think. He had a son. He had had a son with Rey.

He was furious. She had hidden him from him for years. Years. She somehow was able to hide her pregnancy from him. Those months when their bond went silent...she must have been using all her energy to block it. The force would have wanted Kylo to know of his son. The force had wanted Vader to know of his son, but the Emperor had interfered.

Kylo untied the sack on the boys back, curious to what the boy was carrying-what he thought was the most important. There wasn't much. There were some rations. A few credits. But he smiled at the two largest items in the bundle. Two dolls-hand-sewn and obvious at that. Still decently made though. He laughed a bit. One was of Rey- her three buns and scarf draped across her body and all. The other one took him back. It was him. Long black hair, ebony quilted clothing and a thin scar.

The only thing that wasn't accurate was that the doll was smiling.

He brushed the boys curly locks out of his face. He looked so peaceful while he slept. Just like his mother.

The boy opened his eyes. His eyes went wide and he scrambled out of his arms. He let him escape. The boy would be in his arms by his own free will soon enough.

"Don't be afraid." Kylo said. "I won't hurt you."

"Liar!" The boy shouted. "You stole my mom! Where is she?!"

"Safe." He continued, "she's asleep in the other room. I didn't hurt her. I swear on my life, your mother is completely safe and unharmed."

"You're lying!" The boy screamed. "You're a monster."

Monster. Definitely his mother's boy.

"What are these?" Kylo held up the dolls that he had pulled from the wrap around the boys back.

"Those are mine!" He pouted, "Give them back!"

"I will. How about an exchange. I'll give you the dolls if you give me your name."

"My mom said to never give anyone my name."

"Your mother isn't here right now. She wouldn't find out if you told me."

"No. No. No. No."

"Then I'm just going to hold onto these." He turned over the dolls, holding up the one with black hair to the boy. "Who is this?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

The boy stuck his tongue out at him. Kylo smirked.

"It's your father, isn't it?"

The boy took a step back.

"No-no it isn't." The boy denied, trying his best to hide his fear.

"Yes, it is." Kylo continued. "I've met your father-this looks exactly like him, except I never saw him smile. His name was Ben Solo. Correct?"

The boy was silent, but he took another step back.

"Ben Solo." Kylo said, the name feeling strange on his lips. "That was your father. He was a jedi, the nephew of Luke Skywalker. I'd imagine, your mother told you I was the one who killed him."

The boy hit his back on the wall. Kylo still hadn't moved. He didn't want to scare the boy more than he already had.

"You look just like him." Kylo continued. "You have his dark hair. And his ears. And his eyes. You've got your mother's nose though."

The boy covered his nose with his hands, as if he was trying to take back Kylo being able to see him.

"We both know that I'm right. Your father was Ben Solo. Just say it."

"Yes." The boy whispered, tears starting to stream down his face. "My-my dad is Ben Solo. But-but mom never said that you were the one who-who killed him! You killed my father?!"

The boy was terrified. Kylo could sense it. Even if he couldn't sense through the force, the boy was an open book.

"What did she say happened to him?"

"She-she said that-that he was your prisoner. That he-he was trapped."

"She lied. Ben Solo is dead."

The boy broke and fell to his knees.

"Monster!" He cried, gritting his teeth. "You-you killed my dad!"

"Don't worry, I didn't kill your father." Kylo said, toying with the doll a bit. "Ben Solo isn't your father."

"Yes he is. Mom told me so."

"Your mother is a liar."

Kylo reached up and with a harsh hiss, he removed his helmet. The boy gasped.

"I am your father."

The boy stood silent for a moment, in complete shock and denial. Kylo Ren looked exactly like the doll his mother had made him of his father but instead of loving and soft, this man was coarse and cruel looking. It-it couldn't be his father.

"Liar!" The boy finally shouted. "My dad was Ben Solo!"

"I was Ben Solo." Kylo tried to explain. "I was Ben Solo when I was weak and foolish. I became Kylo Ren, the Supreme Leader of the First Order. You are my son."

"No-no." The boy whimpered, shaking his head and covering his mouth. "No-please no."

"When your mother wakes, you can ask her yourself."

"She wouldn't lie to me. She didn't lie to me. Mom. Mom...mommy I'm scared."

The boy was curled up in a ball now, rocking back and forth. Kylo decided to approach the boy. He tried to get away but Kylo firmly grabbed the boy's arm.

"My son." Kylo addressed the boy, still not knowing his name. "You have no reason to be scared of me. I would never harm you or your mother."

He tried to pet the boy's soft locks but the boy tried to bite his hand. Definitely had his mother's spirit.

"Though it seems I have to watch myself around you, lothcat." Kylo attempted to joke, failing epically.

"I-I want my mom." The boy said, remembering what he initially wanted. "Where's-where's my mom?"

"You'll see her soon."

Kylo waved his hand in front of the boy's face, causing him to fall asleep instantly. He caught him before he was able to fall more than an inch. He stood up and placed the boy on the couch in the living area. He wouldn't wake up for a while, not until Kylo wished him to wake. The boy obviously needed rest. Kylo removed his leather cloak and wrapped it around his son. He then slid the doll of his mother under his arm, the boy instinctively clutching it tight to his chest.

In a moment driven by pure emotion and desperation, Kylo planted a kiss to his son's forehead, stroking his soft hair as he did so.

"My son," Kylo whispered, vowing on his life. "I will give you the stars."

…

Rey was sleeping peacefully, curled into the silk sheets. That was until someone touched her shoulder, jolting her awake.

She saw him. The notorious Kylo Ren, sitting beside her in the bed. She sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest.

"Don't worry," Kylo said, not turning to face her. "I didn't touch you."

She didn't respond.

"I know you'd prefer to sleep on the floor on a damp cell than in my bed." Kylo whispered. "It wasn't always that way."

He clutched her face, pulling her towards him.

"Don't touch me." She snapped.

"I never took your affection by force." Kylo said, rather hurt at her suggestion. "Every embrace. Every kiss. Every...every act of love. It was never forced."

"It wasn't love."

"Funny," Kylo said, pulling her to his chest, tucking her head beneath his chin. "I distinctly remember us confessing our love before our first time."

"I don't love you. You're delusional."

He gave a cruel laugh.

"I'm not a liar." Kylo stroked her hair, taking in her scent, adoring her earthy aroma. "I loved you. I still love you, even though you lied...about everything."

She growled at his forceful behavior, trying her best to push herself off of him, but he was far stronger than her. He continued to whisper in her hair, reminiscing about the time they had spent together in the past.

"You're a liar, Rey." He whispered, anger clawing its way out from behind his remorse. "You lied about loving me. About never leaving me alone…"

Kylo bent down to her ear, nipping it before whispering those star shattering words.

"About your implant…"

She bolted up. He let her escape his grasp in that moment. She'd be by his side soon. He deserved that much after what she hid from him.

"What-what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, scavenger."

From his pocket, he pulled out a small object. A doll. Obviously hand stitched by a mother to give to her child. It was a man with long black hair, black clothing and a small scar over his eye.

Rey was shaking in range. Her fear was replaced with rage.

"What did you do to him?" Rey spat in his face.

He slowly wiped off her spit with the back of his gloved hand.

"I killed him." Kylo lied, curious if she would believe it. "Ran him through with the same saber I killed my father with and tossed him aside like garbage."

She looked like her entire world had just shattered. She lunged at him, ready to kill the monster. She would tear his throat out with her teeth if she had to. She wanted him to die. Slowly. In agony. Bleeding out on the floor.

He used her lunge against her, letting them both fall back onto the bed. He wrapped his legs around her, locking her hips to his. Oh how he missed how this felt.

She clawed and kicked and screamed before breaking down into tears, her heart broken. No, completely shattered.

How-how could he do something as vile. He-he murdered her son. He claimed to love her, professed it every chance he got. But-but he would do something so disgusting. He murdered her son. Her son. The one she had spent the last five years of her life protecting with all her soul. The boy she had hid from his monstrous father in fear of him discovering the truth...but she never thought he would-would…

Her little boy. She-she would never see his smile again. Never hear his laugh. Never hold him tight. Never kiss his forehead. Never feel his light that shined brighter than the lights of Coruscant. Never again.

And this man-this monster that was holding her tight, pressing her body against him in a way that should only be between lovers- was the reason she would never be with him again.

She sobbed harder.

He stroked her hair again and closed his eyes, enjoying her moment of weakness as she laid on top of him, weeping hysterically.

"You're a monster." She finally managed to say through her tears.

"Obviously you think that of me." Kylo said coldly. "You believed that I would kill my own son."

She silenced.

"You're disgusting." She spat at him again, livid. "You'd let a mother believe that you killed her child."

"I was curious as to how you'd react, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that." She tried wiping her eyes, the tears unable to stop. "You have no right to call me that after what you've done"

He rotated their positions, hovering over her.

"Don't be that way, Rey." Kylo whispered, longing to press his body into hers and fall asleep. "You're the mother of my heir."

He slid his knee between her legs. She was breathing heavily. He was scaring her. She deserved it for what she did to him. She left him alone for months when she had vowed to never leave him alone so she could birth his child and keep it hidden from him. He remembered those months, wondering if she had died. But no...she just disappeared to hide HIS son. HIS first born. He liked that thought- first born. It implies that soon they would have more children. He wanted a daughter, that was for certain.

"What happened to not forcing anything on me." Rey stammered, trembling beneath him.

"I won't." Kylo said, cruelly, loving the power he was holding over her. "That is, if you comply. I'm giving you a choice: you can either tell me everything about the boy, or you can join me in this bed where we will create more of my progeny."

"I'd rather sleep with all the men back on Jakku than with you."

"Then tell me about my son."

"I'd rather die."

"That's not an option. Neither is going to a cell. I have given you your choices-choose."

She remained silent, trying to collect herself. He was beyond cruel. To tell a mother that he had murdered her child...that was unforgivable. It was disgusting. Revolting. And now he was threatening to take her against her will in his bed.

"His name is Reb." Rey finally spoke.

"Reb. As in rebel?"

"Yes."

Kylo sat up, freeing her from himself.

"I refuse to call my first born that name. He should have one of my family's names or the name of someone with power, as he so clearly has. Rebel...it's filthy."

"Well you don't have the right to him as a son, let alone the right to what he is called."

"I'm his father."

"You don't deserve him. You're not his father."

"Anyone who looks at him can clearly see that I fathered him. He's mine. And so are you."

"You may have taken me prisoner, Supreme Leader," she spat in his face once more. "But I will never be your. Never again."

"So you admit there was a time when you were mine."

"I carried your supposed son for nine months." Rey whispered bitterly. "I think it's clear at some point…"

She sighed. His heart hurt. She sounded so tired, so broken, so hurt.

"I'm so sorry." Kylo said sincerely, reaching for her hand. "I should have been there, caring for you as you carried our son."

"Stop calling him your son." Rey snapped, snatching her hand away from his. "I've told you before that you have no claim over him. As for you being there...if I wanted you in my son's life, I would have told you. If I wanted you to wait on me hand and foot while I was expecting, I would have returned to you. If I wanted you to know that you forced a child onto me, I wouldn't have spent all of my energy fighting the force to keep it from connecting us."

Kylo gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. She knew he was growing furious, but she kept going.

"As for me lying about the implant, what about your pills to prevent you siring a child." Rey snarled. "You knew full well that the resistance was the one who gave me my implant-one that was old and had a chance of failing. But you, having access to the best contraceptives the galaxy has to offer, didn't feel the need to take them. You were hoping it would fail. You wanted this."

"You're right." Kylo admitted, "I would do anything to make you stay by my side. I thought after we had made love…"

"We slept together." Rey gritted her teeth. "But it wasn't love. What we had wasn't love. I don't love-"

His hand shot up to her throat. She was scratching at his hands, trying to free her windpipe.

"Don't you dare suggest that this bond we share is fake!" He screamed into her throat. "Don't you dare say that I don't love you! I have torn the galaxy apart to find you. And don't you dare say you didn't love me."

He tossed her back against the bed. She gasped for air and massaged her throat.

"And you…"She coughed, "wonder why...I hide him...from you...Where...where is he?"

"Asleep." Kylo said coldly, regretting putting his hand on her throat. "In the other room. We had a little talk before you woke up."

"What-what did you say to him?"

"That I was his father."