A/N: Hey guys. Been a crazy few weeks. It feels like 12 years of events happened in the last week or so. Because of this pandemic my surgery got canceled, so no drug induced chapters. Haha. Been living through working from home, multiple earthquakes that have shaken the house like crazy, and now possible lock down from this pandemic. But on a lighter note, I think I am almost done with chapters. I have to write another 2-ish and this fic will be complete! Please let me know if you guys want to see Epilogues for each of the characters. I wouldn't mind writing some out, but I didn't know if you would care about everyone or just my dear Reylo.

Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you enjoy! Please let me know!


"Have you been able to get a hold of them?" Finn asked, tossing the communicator aside in frustration. It bounced across the couch cushion before falling in between a crack, seemingly forgotten for the time being. Poe shook his head and sat down on the couch opposite Finn's, head in his hands, eyes tracing the patterns in the luscious carpet beneath his dirty boots. He sighed and Finn couldn't help but understand exactly how Poe felt.

"I've tried reaching out to the Falcon too. There's no response."

"Rey wouldn't keep communication down this long, would she?" Finn pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew the answer. Finn gave a sigh himself and Poe looked up. "Have we heard from Ben?"

Poe frowned, teeth tight. "The last time the queen spoke to him was when he changed their plan. Which I still am not comfortable with."

"Cordella seemed to think it was a good idea," Finn defended. He was doing his best to give Ben the benefit of the doubt. Ben had done nothing since he had returned that made Finn uneasy and if Rey could trust him after everything that they had been through together, everything that Kylo had put her through, then that was good enough for him. Until Ben did something wrong, Finn would do his best to support and believe in the good. "I'm sure we'll hear from one of them soon."

"You can't be serious," Poe argued, the flash of anger in his tone surprising Finn.

"No," Finn admitted. "I'm not sure. But we don't know where they are or what they're doing. What's the point in fretting over the worst?"

"Because there is a worst!" Poe answered, getting back to his feet and starting in his very familiar pacing across their suite that felt a bit smaller than it normally did. Finn had noticed it really was Poe's coping mechanism. Anytime he wasn't sure about something or was upset, the pilot would take to wearing down the floor beneath his feet.

"Where's Zorii?" Finn questioned, hoping that it would distract Poe.

"She's trying to fix her ship from helping bring the queen back in," Poe answered, his feet pausing for only a moment before he continued.

"You two seem to be on better footing."

"Stop trying to change the subject. There's something wrong and you know there is!"

"Pardon me," a small voice said from the doorway. Both Finn and Poe looked up to see one of the many handmaidens that walked the palace. Her announcement was a bit stronger as she spoke again. "The Queen would like to see you in the transmission hall immediately."

Finn and Poe traded glances before breaking into a sprint to the room the handmaiden had indicated. They both rounded the corner and came to a stop in front of a large blue flickering hologram of Kylo Ren that was a top one large projector in the middle of the room, control panels around this main transmitter and other smaller consoles on the edges of the room. The man didn't have his mask, but the clothes were the same as before. Dark fabric covering every inch of him and he was wearing that cloak that scraped the floor by his boots.

Finn could feel Poe tense, but Finn pushed Poe further into the room so that they could hear what was happening. It looked like the Queen and him were already deep in conversation.

"... am concerned for-" Ben broke off as he saw the two men and his eyes quickly returned to the Queen, "-for her."

"Of course, Prince Solo," the Queen answered with a nod. She glanced over her shoulder and gave a small nudge of her head at the two men. They both stepped closer to the live transmission, but stayed silent.

"Have you heard from Rey?" Ben asked, catching Finn and Poe off guard. He didn't know either? It shattered both of their hopes that Rey would have at least kept one of them in the loop.

"She's not with you?" Finn questioned, taking a step closer.

"No. She's not with me," Ben clarified. "I can't reach her at all."

"She's not answering any of our communications either," Poe explained. "Where is she?"

"At least she's with Rose," Finn threw out, hoping to lighten the mood of the room.

"She's not with Rose," Ben muttered, causing both the men to glare up at him. "Rose is here on The Finalizer. She's safe," he quickly added at the concerned looks. "She doesn't know where Rey is either."

"Great," Poe grumbled, throwing his hands up in the air before letting them rest on his hips. "Great."

"Can you not use your force thingy to find her?" Finn asked, making the room go still. "Your dyad keeps you connected, doesn't it?"

"It-it does," Ben said, a gloved hand pushing back his hair. "As long as the pathway stays open. There's something blocking it. It might be her. If she doesn't want to speak to me..." he trailed off, lost in thought. That didn't sound right. She wouldn't just close him off.

That made both Finn and Poe again trade looks. Where was she? Why didn't she want them to know? Why was she hiding? Was she hurt? Had she finally decided that enough was enough and had run away for good? No one would blame her if that was the case, they all just wanted her safe.

"We need to find her," Finn whispered softly to Poe, concern in his voice. "Something is wrong."

"We'll find the Falcon and go from there," Poe agreed.

"Let's go pack."


On long nights when Ben couldn't sleep, which was most of them nowadays, he would take a trip to Rose's cell. She wasn't unpleasant to talk to. She was a bit on the chatty side, but she was really all he had. Sure, he could go bother Wayzac, but he thought it better to not antagonize her much. She was stronger now, more in control and he didn't want to push it.

Ben stopped as he entered the cell block and could see two figures that didn't belong in Rose's cell with her. She was struggling against them, yelling and kicking.

Ben rushed forward and ripped his glove off, his hand print opening the cell door. He took the back of one of the men's cloaks and pulled him back, tossing him aside easily with the help of the force.

Ben snatched up the second man who hadn't seemed to notice that his friend was missing. Ben shoved him against the cell's wall, hands tight on the collar of his shirt.

"What are you two doing?" Ben hissed. The man stared at him scared and wide eyed. His nose was crooked and Ben wanted nothing more to break it again in an experiment to see if he could straighten it back out. "Talk!" he ordered when neither of the men spoke.

"Irwilig told us to," the one in Ben's grasp finally got out. His breath was rancid and Ben fought the urge to gag at the assault. "Said that she needed to be punished."

"What for?" Ben demanded, fists growing tighter on the fabric in his grip. "She's been cooperating. There is absolutely no need."

"She didn't say," the man that was still on the floor said. "Just told us to."

"You do not touch this prisoner. Do I make myself clear?" Ben threw the other man to the floor beside his friend and both stared up at him. "I am the Supreme Leader, not her. All orders need to come through me."

"Yes, my Lord," the crooked nosed one said with an eager nod.

"Get out of here before I change my mind about not giving you a punishment," Ben grumbled, eyes like daggers on the two of them as they scrambled to their feet and raced from the cell block.

"You're getting a bit soft, Solo," Rose teased softly. Ben let his body relax from the tenseness and turned to glance at Rose who was wiping at a bloodied nose. Her top lip was swollen and was bleeding as well, but the rest of her seemed fine.

"I'm sorry they did that. I should-"

"Thank you," Rose interrupted, pulling up the corner of the small bed spread and using it to push against her nose. Ben gave a small nod and scooped up his fallen glove from the floor.

"Did they say anything else?"

Rose gave a small nod from behind the blanket. "Said that some other prisoner had lied about something and so I had to be punished. Not sure why me though." Her voice was muffled and Ben had to move a bit closer to hear her conclusion better. "Maybe Irwilig just doesn't like me."

"She doesn't like anyone," Ben grumbled as he lowered himself to his knees in front of Rose and pulled her hand down so he could look at her injuries. Rose was shocked at how gently he touched her face with his calloused fingers. Was he like this with Rey? – She wondered. "Your nose doesn't look broken. I'll get you a cooling pack for your lip."

"Thank you," she whispered as he rose to his feet and went across the hall to where a first aid kit hung. His hand print opened it and he snatched out a small white pack and shook it up to activate it before heading back into the cell and passing it to Rose. "Were you always this kind?"

Ben froze, hand outstretched with the cooling pack making his fingers twitch with cold. "I'm not a kind person, Rose," he muttered, hiding his hands behind his back once Rose took the pack. "I may have killed the old me, but I'm afraid the new me isn't much better."

Rose just gave a small smile knowing that that absolutely wasn't the case. Ben Solo was a very kind and good man. He was risking his life for the resistance, he had turned himself in, he made Rey happy. He was nothing like Kylo, but it wasn't her place to argue with him. It was something he needed to realize for himself.

"Any sign of Rey?"

Ben shook his head and turned away from Rose, leaving the cell and closing the door behind him before leaning against the clear wall. "No one knows where she is."

"Do you think-"

"She's still alive," Ben assured her. He would have surely felt the same horrid sinking feeling he had back on Exegol if she had died. "Are you sure she wasn't with you when you were brought here?" He was almost certain that Rey would be on this ship, hidden away under Wayzac's order, but he couldn't find where or anyone who would know. There was one stormtrooper he had been questioning intensely, but Ben just couldn't be cruel like he used to. He wasn't angry enough to run him through with the blade of a saber or use the force to cut off his airways, but Ben had been close to putting the man in an escape pod and ejecting him out into space with nothing more than the armor on his back.

"I'm positive," She assured him.

"And was there only one ship?"

"From what I could see, yes," Rose answered, finally dropping the blanket as her nose stopped bleeding. Ben nodded. It was possible, but Ben didn't believe it. Not Rose. He was positive, Rose was telling the truth, but Wayzac wasn't. Rey was here too. He didn't have any evidence to go off of, just a gut feeling, but it was enough. She wouldn't have gone all this time without contacting anyone.

Ben opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off at his name. He turned to see Wayzac standing in the doorway to the cell block. She glanced over the scene and gave a frown, obviously disappointed in the fact that Rose seemed fully intact.

"I need your help with an interrogation," Wayzac announced, making Ben's head tip in question. She shouldn't have been interrogating anyone. There wasn't a prisoner that they needed information from at the moment and he hadn't been informed of anyone new on the ship. Not to mention it was easily two or three in the morning. How long had she been at it?

"What interrogation?" Ben asked darkly, making Rose glance between the two of them curiously. She had never heard Kylo Ren speak before and she was sure that he was still more Ben than Kylo, but his tone was just as captivating and fear striking. "I feel like you didn't understand our conversation about how everything, everything-" he hissed the word, pointing to the tall woman, "-is supposed to go through me."

"Of course it is," she answered brightly, undeterred from his accusations. "I'm coming to you for help, aren't I? So let's not be so cross."

Rose stood, the cooling pack pressed to her lip as she walked over to the cell wall. She never would have questioned anything that Ben said in that tone of voice. Ben hadn't even used it on her when he was questioning her several days ago. It would put her in her place so quickly, but the woman wasn't afraid of him in the slightest. She had an almost teasing way about her, like it was a joy to antagonize him.

"Kylo, come help me, please. This one is hard to crack."

Ben glanced over at Rose who just returned the gaze, unsure of what else to do. Ben took several large steps to Wayzac, fists clenched tightly.

"We will discuss your inability to follow orders later," he said before leaving the room.

Wayzac clicked her tongue as she looked over Rose. "Looks like he found you just in time, didn't he?" Rose couldn't exactly place the look that the woman gave her. "Don't worry. I will make sure that is fixed." She gave Rose a brilliant smile before turning and leaving the room to follow after Ben.

"What do you need me for?" Ben asked as she finally caught up with him.

"She won't answer my questions. Normal tactics aren't working. I need you to pull the information from her," Wayzac explained, a giddy feeling in her chest. She couldn't wait for his reaction. She wasn't lying. The girl wasn't giving her any information to work with and they had been at it for hours, he would have to pull it from her. It was about the only thing he was useful for.

"And where did you pick her up?"

"She's been here for a few days," Wayzac answered, beating around the bush. Sometimes Kylo would just buy what she was telling him and she was under the impression that this would be one of those times.

"That is not what I asked you." But he didn't push it any further. Wayzac smiled. He was so easy to read without his stupid mask. The game wasn't quite as fun without her having to guess everything, but it definitely meant that she could ruin him easier. And there wasn't truly much else for her to do at the moment.

They stopped in front of a door to one of their holding cells. Ben had never particularly liked this part of the ship. It was where Snoke would torture those unlucky enough to cross him. It still held millions of screams within the walls and made Ben shift uncomfortably. He was no stranger to torture or inflicting pain, he was sure he had even enjoyed it at one point, but now it unsettled him. There were better ways to get what you wanted, things other than pain and mental abuse.

Whoever it was behind this door was important enough to warrant her being here, or at least Wayzac thought so.

When he didn't move, she opened the door for him and theatrically motioned him inside with a smirk. He eyed her carefully before stepping into the unusually dark room. The lights flickered on around them and Ben's heart dropped out of his chest.

Ben had to fight everything in him to keep his expression blank as his body screamed at him to run forward. His fingers shook at his side and he was grateful for the cloak he had to block the movement from Wayzac who was standing at his side with her arms folded over her chest as she stared at her handy work.

He had never had this many emotions run through him all at once and he was certain that his knees would give out under him. He had never once wanted to kill Wayzac so badly before. He had never once wanted to make Wayzac suffer, but as he stared at a bound and gagged Rey, he was having second thoughts.

He could tie Wayzac to a table and take his time with her. He wouldn't even feel bad if she lived for days on end, in fact, he would ensure it. Each day would be worse than the last. And she would beg and he would laugh just like she laughed at him.

But above that, Ben's mind wouldn't stop yelling at him, demanding to understand. Why was Rey here? Why was she still in this position? Ben hadn't sent the transmission. He had made sure of it. He had done everything he could to protect her and it hadn't been enough. He had never been enough. He would never be enough and now that was going to get the only person he cared about in this whole galaxy killed.

No. It wasn't. There was no way in hell that he would let her die. Not again. Not now, not anytime soon and she definitely wasn't going to die because of him. And not alone. Never alone. He would protect her even if it killed him again. He would make sure she got out of here.

Wayzac moved over to Rey who was slumped in the chair, eyes closed, breathing rapidly. Her wrists and ankles were bruised and cut from the ropes around them. Several of her fingers were swollen and bruised. Blood was shining on the gag that was over her mouth from her nose. Her clothes had been ripped in places that looked like they had been cut with a knife.

All in all, Wayzac hadn't been that hard on her. She didn't even use her favorite tool. It was a really nasty set of pliers that she used to rip off fingernails and toenails if it got to that. It might not have been as extravagant as some of the other items in the room to use, but it was nonetheless effective and it allowed her to get close. She loved the squirm in her hands, the trembling of pain, the cries and how everyone's eyes would fill so full of emotion that they were as large as a moon. Something in her life that she could actually control.

Wayzac was disappointed in all honesty at how little Kylo had reacted. She had truly hoped he would have ran to the girl, tried to save her, show his true colors, but he was just as cold as always. Maybe he would always be that way. Maybe she had read him wrong. Maybe he really hadn't changed in those several months he had been missing. Maybe he was still just as detached as he had always been.

Wayzac grabbed a handful of the girl's hair and tugged on it sharply, eyes up on Kylo to watch his face. He didn't so much as flinch. Where was the fun in this?

Rey gasped and straightened up, breathing hard from behind her gag. Her eyes were wide and looked around the room frantically before falling on Ben. A worry filled them and Ben couldn't believe that she would still be worried about him in a time like this.

He wished so badly to take her away. He had never wished so badly to go back in time and take up the offer of running away. Just the two of them and the stars. That's what they would do the moment they were free of this place. They would run and never look back and he would never let her out of his sight again, never let her hurt ever again.

"You do realize that if you want her to speak, she needs to be able to, right?" Ben challenged, his eyes tearing away and to where Wayzac still held tightly to Rey's hair. He stepped over to her, knelt down and carefully undid the gag, his fingers trailing over her skin for longer than they should have. "What are you wanting to know?"

"What do the set of broken keys go to?" Wayzac asked, finally releasing her hold on Rey's hair and stepping away to let Ben work.

Ben's eyes met Rey's and she shook her head, her eyes begging him to not tell Wayzac anything. There was no telling what would happen if Wayzac discovered the Vergence Scatter. She would wage wars across space and time. She would rule all of it with no one to stop her. She would be the Queen of the whole universe and it was scary to think how easily the idea fit her.

"You know that I have the power to dig through your mind. I would suggest telling Irwilig what she wants to know," Ben said, playing the part dutifully despite how it made his stomach churn. Rey shook her head and Ben reached his hand out to her, his fingers resting against her temple. He waited a moment before releasing his hold on her and standing upright. "They went to a camtono. The keys are lost and she doesn't know where the camtono is or what was in it. Exactly what the girl in cell block C said."

Wayzac didn't look impressed by the answer. "Then why were you hiding that from me so intently, darling?" she asked with a sickly sweet caress to her voice. She tugged Rey's hair in the other direction and Ben froze, afraid of what else he would do if he allowed himself to move. Rey whimpered with the movement.

"She needs to be taken to the infirmary," Ben instructed, shooting Wayzac a warning look. She loosened her grip on Rey's hair and stepped away. "If you want to keep interrogating her, she needs to be taken care of. She'll get sick."

"Fine. I'll trust you to escort her there." Wayzac sounded annoyed, but her expression stayed the same. "And I expect more information on the camtono."

"There's not anymore. What do you expect to learn?" Ben shot back, making her eyes go to his face sharply.

"I will do as I see fit."

Ben didn't answer. He ignored Wayzac, his mind far too focused on trying to find the best way to get everyone out of here. With Rose she had agreed that they could bide their time and wait for the right moment to get out, but with Wayzac so intent on doing whatever she could to Rey, he had to move fast.

Ben's hands worked as quickly and as carefully as they could to untie Rey's legs and wrists. Without something to hold her up any longer, she fell forward and Ben was swift to catch her and scoop her up into his arms.

Without another word to Wayzac, he left the room with a limp Rey in his arms on his way to the infirmary. He rested his head against hers and sighed. "I'm sorry," he muttered to her. "I will get you out of here. I promise."

"Ben," she whispered, her voice breathless in its beg. "She can't know."

Ben nodded and hushed her. "You're more important right now."

A/N: Thanks again to my sister and my wonderful beta, PitaGonzalezMe on twitter.