Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. Just writing for fun.

Chapter Thirty: Execute

Kijimii. It was the planet Kylo Ren had soon found himself in with his search for the scavenger. It was capped -25 degrees. Cold. Snow-dusted. Not a very friendly habitable place for anyone to be living in.

Needless to say Elle preferred the moderate temperature planets. She didn't like extreme weathers of polar opposites. She paced back and forth after he'd given her the information, telling her that Rey was close. He would find her. The First Order was going door to door to try and find them.

But part of her wondered if they would even be on that planet. And why Kijimmii of all places?

She couldn't take the nerves of wondering and waiting much longer, so she excused herself from the bridge, and walked down the corridors of the ship and into a small clearing where she halted suddenly, and turned to face…

"Poe?"

She couldn't believe her eyes at what she was seeing. Her heart was pounding wildly against her chest. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she should run to him, or keep going, or… she blinked and realized why he must've been here on the ship. Chewie. He was here for Chewie.

He could not believe himself what he was seeing after all this time. He kept his blaster against his chest, wary of her sudden appearance back into his life after a whole goddamn year. Was…Finn right all along? Had he been duped?

"Elle…is it really…you?" he asked.

Elle glanced sideways then stepped carefully forward. "It…it's me."

"Prove it."

"What?"

"I want you to prove that it's really the same Elle I fell in love with a long time ago," he said.

Elle's face fell a little but she nodded, and inhaled before she spoke, realizing she would've asked the same. "Luca Finn and Kaylee Amilynn."

Poe sighed with relief. "Thank God," he said, and walked right over. He strapped his blaster over his shoulder and pulled her in for a deep hug. She hugged him back

"Poe! Poe, we gotta move, they're on to us…." Finn cried, rushing into the room with Chewie at his side, shooting the other stormtroopers. Elle pulled apart and looked over at Finn. A stormtrooper suddenly blasted at Poe in the arm, causing him to fall on the ground. Finn backed up and aimed his own blaster at them, guarding Poe protectively.

"Stop right there! Drop your weapons! Drop them!" they said through their armor.

Poe, Finn, and Chewie glanced at one another before they reluctantly lowered their weapons.

"Hey Elle, you're a Jedi, can't you do something to these trash buckets?" Finn asked.

Elle winced. "Well, technically they think I'm on their side," she whispered.

"Oh, great," Finn rolled his eyes, and put his hands in the air.

"Plus, I'm not exactly a full-fledged Jedi. My training got cut a little short," she said, wincing.

"Course it did," Poe muttered with a grunt. He looked at the stormtroopers. "Hey guys."

"Shut up, rebel scum," one of the stormtroopers sneered. He looked at Elle. "Milady. What's our move?"

Elle licked her lips and looked down at her current predicament and then at the troopers.

"To Allegiant General. We'll see what he wants to do with them," she said.

They nodded.

"Yeah, this isn't awkward at all," Finn muttered after being taken up roughly by one of the stormtroopres that blocked him from escaping. He was close to Poe and Chewie was on the other side of him walking down the line and behind Elle as she kept up her Dark Side appearance.

"Shut up," Poe grimaced, still fighting the wound on his arm.

"Just sayin'. Haven't seen her in a year," he whispered.

"Yeah, well, I thought she was dead," Poe said, looking ahead of him.

"You gonna tell her about that time on Kijimmii, or we gonna pretend it didn't happen like the rest of your shifty ideas."

"Finn…" Poe glared at him with a warning.

"Just asking," Finn shrugged.

"What happened on Kijimmii?" Elle asked curiously.

"I'll tell you…later," Poe said, glaring at Finn. Elle chewed her bottom lip in bewilderment but forced herself to remain stoic as she entered the bridge.

"Allegiant General. The scavenger is not with them," One of the stormtroopers informed.

Elle was anxious again. Where the hell was Rey? She looked to Finn for answers but he was trying not to give way as to where she was afraid they might find out. She didn't blame him. But she was worried. This was just a very bad situation they were currently facing. She was trying to figure out how to get out of this.

She swallowed hard as she glanced over at General Hux that had appeared, ready for action.

"Elle? Terminate them," Pryde ordered. They were no more of a nuisance and should have been gone a long time ago. They had no need for them.

General Hux glanced widely and curiously at Pryde and Elle. "Sir? You want her to do it?"

Poe and Finn glanced one another.

"To test her will, yes," he nodded briskly. "I believe she's able to handle it, like a cool, calm, and capable woman such as yourself? I'm sure Kylo Ren taught you well."

Elle swallowed hard, and felt frozen, but felt herself nodding anyway.

"Y-yes," she stammered shakily.

"Good. Then take them to the main hangar and get rid of them," he ordered.

Elle blinked as he handed her a gun. Two stormtroopers went with her, taking the spots of Finn and Chewie.

She stood behind Poe. Lucky her.

Finn, Chewie, and Poe were forced to line up. Elle and the stormtroopers stood behind them. She was shaking. She didn't want to do this. She loved Poe. She frowned. She still loved Poe. She didn't want him to die.

She exhaled, and held her weapon in her hand at his head. This would be the second time she was forced into something she didn't want to do, telling her to kill someone she loved.

"Ready," the stormtroopers ordered.

She shook her head. She wasn't ready. God. She was so sorry, Poe. So so so sorry.

"I should've listened to you," Elle whispered.

Poe slightly glanced behind him. "You did what you had to do."

"Got me nowhere," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

"One-"

"Actually," General Hux stepped in, stopping the execution. "I'd like to do this myself."

Elle froze before she adjusted her fingers to her gun and dropped her finger away from the trigger. She almost felt relieved, but then not when she suddenly saw Hux still aiming at the boys.

"So, what were you going to tell Rey before?"

"You still on that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"

He grabbed Elle's weapon from her and she narrowed her eyes curiously at him, while she stepped aside.

Elle looked on worriedly even more.

"It sort of is a bad time…I'm sorry you have so much that you have to get so much off your chest-"

"Wait! No! Hux. Please. I'll do anything you want, I promise, just please don't hurt him! Please!" she begged. Ugh. She hated begging but she was desperate. She didn't mean to be desperate, but she didn't want him or Finn or Chewie to die either.

Hux glanced slightly at Elle's pleading, almost considering it, but then he cocked the gun and she felt her heart drop.

Poe looked sideways at Hux before Hux motioned a quick nod to Elle. Poe was quick to twirl around and quickly retrieve her before the blast could it her as he fired it at the two stormtroopers instead of them. Elle buried herself within Poe's protective arms, cringing at the blast made by Hux himself, killing his own men, and saving Elle from getting shot.

Elle and Poe looked up at one another and smiled before they turned around to face Hux.

"I'm the spy!" he announced.

"What?!" Poe inquired.

"Wait, you?" Finn asked skeptically.

Elle also had questions, but she had her own suspicions about Hux.

"We don't have much time," he said. "And, you're cover's blown. Pryde was testing you."

Elle bit her bottom lip worriedly.

"I knew it!" Poe exclaimed, holding Elle's hand tightly.

"No, you did not," Finn shook his head, as they followed Hux for a way out. Elle looked over at Chewie to make sure he was okay. He was, taking a couple weapons with him and getting back his own crossbow while Hux cut off their cuffs.

"We'll need to hurry, they'll figure it out soon. Follow me. The ship is in one of our main hangars," Hux said as he led the group down the halls.

"Go," Poe said, urging Elle forward, with him right behind her. They ran through the main hangar in search for the Falcon. She swore she could hear Threepio coming their way too.

"Threepio!" Elle cried out, waving the golden droid frantically over towards them.

"BB-8! Come on!" Poe shouted as well to his droid as they came into view.

"I shut down the computers, you've got seconds,"

"There she is," Poe grinned at the sight of the Falcon. "She's a survivor."

"One of the best," Elle mused lightly next to him, also grinning at the sight of her uncle's ship. Thank God. Poe and Elle gave one another a loving look.

"Wait, wait, blast me in the arm, quick," Hux demanded before they got on board.

"What?" Finn asked.

"Well, they'll know," Hux said. Finn sighed, and then he blasted him, making Hux cry out, biting his lip. "Why are you helping us?"

Hux gave him a glare. "I don't care if you win. I need Kylo Ren to loose," he sneered.

Elle frowned, stopping on the ramp before she followed Poe inside. She turned to Finn, wondering what he'd do next.

"Finn," Elle said. Finn looked at her and she motioned a quick nod for Finn to get up on board.

Finn looked at Hux as though he was lucky it was only in the leg and not anywhere else.

"Would you have done anything for me if I spared his life?" he asked.

"Yes, but I wouldn't have to like it," Elle replied confidently.

He glared at her. "I would have given you everything."

"I have everything I need," Elle retorted.

"So be it that death is in your future then."

Elle smiled softly and leaned over to him while he cringed in pain with his leg. "Death is everyone's future, Armitage. Eventually it'll catch up to you. What matters is what do you do with the time you have until your expiration date?"

She smiled and then pivoted on her heel, once everyone was on board the falcon. Poe managed to get it back up in the air, ready to leave the ship behind.

She walked back to the cockpit of the Falcon, passing by Threepio, BB-88, and another little droid that she had yet to meet.

Poe swerved the Falcon over to where Rey might be with Finn's help. "Keep her steady!" He yelled back to Chewie as he helped Poe pilot the ship in the air.

"Rey! Rey! Come on!" Finn cried out to her as they opened the hatch for her to escape to.

Elle looked out the windshield worriedly and saw that she was with Kylo Ren.

She ran at the Falcon and leaped into it with the help of Finn as he reached for her so she didn't fall off of it. They closed the hatch, pulled her in, and they escaped the destroyer, leaving Elle's cousin behind.

"Elle…"

Elle blinked at the sound of her cousin's voice in her mind while Poe punched in for lightspeed.

"I'm sorry. I still love him. I couldn't loose him."

"So be it."

Elle swallowed hard at the final sounding of his voice within her mind before she settled down in an empty seat behind Poe while he took control of the ship for a while, giving Finn and Rey some space.

"You all right?" Poe asked within the deafening silence.

Elle looked up from the floors of her uncle's ship, and nodded. "I will be. You?"

"Yeah, I think so….it's just…God, I looked for you everywhere, I thought you were dead. I didn't know what to say to the twins…"

Elle bit her lower lip ashamed, and she looked down. "I'm sorry. I really am. I was only supposed to be gone for like a day, not….a whole year," she said in a soft voice, realizing the pain she must've caused him and her family at home.

"Well, you're back now, that's what matters," he said, glancing at her and she looked at him.

"I can't wait to see them. I'm uh….kind of nervous actually," she wrung her hands together a bit.

"Don't be. They miss you. We missed you," Poe added.

Elle placed a hand on his arm. "I missed you too."

Poe was relieved to hear her say that. He was relieved to see her at all. Now he just wondered if this was a permanent thing or a temporary thing where she might run off to the Dark Side again. He hoped not.

~*SW*~

A/n: Elle's back! Yay! Been waiting to write this chapter forever! So, I hope everyone's staying safe and healthy and all that jazz. I figured I'd try to get a couple of updates in here for you all. I did start another SW if you're interested. I might change the title though. Not sure I like it. But I'm not sure what I want to call it yet. Anyway, thank you all for reading! Follows, favorites, and reviews are always welcomed and loved! Hope you guys are good and still with me!