Standing in the control room, Rosella did her best to consider what might happen. Armitage had said that he would only speak with her. No one else was to be involved. She did her best to control her breathing, waiting to see her husband. Poe had tried to insist on coming in with her, but she had told him that she would be fine alone. Besides, she confessed that she was intrigued and wondered what Armitage wanted from her.

After a moment the hologram of Hux flickered on the table. She sat down on the stool at the table and waited for her husband to speak first. It took a moment before his eyes landed on her and he watched her rake a hand through her hair. It was a moment before he gulped and wondered what he was doing. He was being foolish. He was going to ruin everything, but he had to do it. He was not going to let Kylo Ren get away with this.

"Rosella," he spoke her name, his voice smooth and soft as she looked to him.

"Armitage," she responded.

It was another moment before she shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. Armitage was sat down in what looked like his own quarters, dressed in his usual black uniform. His hair was neatly coiffed and his face seemed even paler than usual, but that could just have been the connection between them.

"Are you alone?" he asked her.

"I am," she responded with a nod. "What is going on? They said you wanted to talk with me."

"I do," he said with a nod. "I want to help, Rosella."

"Help?" she echoed to him.

"Kylo Ren is too dangerous. He is volatile. He…he needs to be stopped. He cannot win. He cannot have the power that he so craves," Armitage said and Rosella's brows knitted together as she folded her arms on the table and dropped her head into her hand, her chin sitting in her palm. "Rosella, I am prepared to give you information to stop him."

"Why?" Rosella asked. "I don't believe this. It is some kind of trick."

"No," Armitage said quickly. "I am being honest, Rosella. I do not care what happens in this battle, but Kylo Ren needs to be stopped. He cannot win. I am willing to help, Rosella, but I need you."

"This is ridiculous," she complained, leaning back and placing her hands flat on the table then, shaking her head back and forth. "How long have we been married? All you have known is the First Order and even if you do hate Kylo Ren that much, you don't hate him enough to risk losing this battle."

"Believe me," Armitage said to her. "I do."

"I don't trust you," Rosella said.

"When have I betrayed your trust?" Armitage asked her. "Rosella, I have always been truthful with you. I have always told you what I want and you always knew how I would get it. I kept you hidden on Lothal from the First Order because I wanted you safe. I let you and that child escape on Crait because I did not want Kylo Ren near you. I might not be your perfect husband, Rosella, but I have always protected you and looked out for you…despite what you think."

Rosella remained silent then, knowing that he had a point. He had protected her. He had kept her close and safe. She was the one who had kept secrets from him. She was the one who had done that. But then she thought about it. She thought about why she had kept secrets and it was because her husband was a bad man. He did bad things. She knew that. But he had always looked out for her recently.

"Despite what you may think about me," Armitage said to her, "you are my wife and I am your husband and…I might not be good at expressing emotion, but I remember so much, Rosella. I remember what our marriage used to be like and you are the only one I trust to help me. I have no one else but you."

"Why me?" Rosella asked him.

He looked confused for a moment. "Because you are the only one-"

"-I meant why did you pick me?" Rosella interrupted him. "You could have married any girl, Armitage. You had your pick and you chose me. You told me once before that there were many reasons why, but you never explained."

"I never thought I had to," Armitage replied. "I…Rosella…it is true that there were numerous reasons. I saw you and spoke with you and you were smart…dry witted…beautiful…but…you looked at me like…like no one else had."

Rosella said nothing. She let him continue. He looked flustered. She rarely saw her husband flustered. He tugged on the collar of his shirt and closed his eyes for a moment.

"You never once asked me about my position in the First Order. You were not interested in my status. All you seemed to care about was my happiness. You asked me what I liked doing…my favourite book…if I had ever contemplated visiting certain planets…like you wanted to know me," Armitage said to her and finally looked her in the eye again. "No one had ever wanted to know me before, Rosella."

It was another moment before she nodded her head. She was either a fool or she was too trusting. She didn't know which. She didn't know if this was a mistake, but there was something inside of Armitage's voice that told her that he was not lying. He was telling the truth.

Looking him in the eye, she gulped. "I'll help you."

….

Poe was fuming. He was beyond fuming. He didn't think he had ever felt so angry in his entire life as he did in that moment. Rosella had told the General, Rey, Finn and Poe what Armitage had wanted and had spent over two hours persuading them that her husband was telling the truth. But Poe did not believe any of it. He had flown into a fit of rage once Rosella had told him that her mind was made up. She was going back to Lothal. She was going back there where the First Order were still patrolling. They would then take her to Armitage. She would have a special device to transmit information back to the Resistance.

"You should go after him," Rey said to Rosella once the General had left the room.

"He won't accept this."

"And can you blame him?" Finn asked her. "He loves you, Rosella. Force be good, he intends to marry you. This is dangerous."

"But it might end what is happening," Rosella said. "If I go then I can help. As it stands…I can't see the end of this war. I don't know when it will finish and if I can even help a little then I want to."

"I want this war to end as much as you do," Rey promised, holding her hands up. "But I just think that this could be too dangerous. I know you want to help, but there has to be a different way."

"Do you think so?" Rosella asked. "I don't know if I can think of anything."

"Not right now," Finn said, "but there will be something."

"And if there isn't?" Rosella asked. "I don't want to sit around and wait when we can know the First Order's plans and thwart them. There has to be a better way."

Rosella moved to her feet and began wandering off, leaving Rey and Finn to talk about her. She knew that she had to find Poe. Wandering the corridors, she finally came to their bunker, pulling the door open to see him sat on the edge of the bed, his head buried in his hands as he doubled over. Rosella closed the door softly, the noise clicking and Poe looked up and over to her.

"Don't do this," he said, the anger seeming to have disappeared from his voice. Instead he sounded lost. She went to sit down beside him, a hand going to hold onto his as Poe turned his upper body to the side to look at her. "Rose, I mean it, please, do not do this."

"Poe," she sighed his name, the sound gentle in his ear. "I…he was telling the truth. He thinks that this might help defeat Kylo Ren."

"And do you seriously believe him?" Poe demanded to know, wondering if she could be so naïve. Apparently she could if he were to judge the look of trust on her face. "Rosella, he would say anything to have you back! You know what he has done. You know who he is."

"Better than anyone," Rosella said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I am the only one who truly knows him and I know that he is telling the truth. He…he is not lying about this. Trust me. I know him."

"No," Poe snapped loudly, struggling to come to terms with what he was hearing. He let go of her hand and moved to his feet once more, hands going through his hair as he did his best to think about what he could say to make her see sense. He didn't want to argue with her, but they were not going to agree on this. He knew that much. "Rosella, this is ridiculous. You cannot go to him. It is too dangerous. Please, just see sense."

"I am," she responded, still sitting on the edge of the bed as she placed her arms around herself, feeling her stomach churn as she watched him. He looked lost. He looked hurt. He was scared and Rosella realised that she rarely saw Poe scared. He would jump into his X-Wing and fly off without a second thought. He was not scared. He was only scared for Rosella. It was his Rosella he was concerned about.

"No," Poe continued to talk, beginning to pace up and down in the bedroom. "Rosella, I cannot let you do this. I cannot risk you."

"Poe, this is not a case of what you want," she responded. "You are not the one who gets to make decisions for me. I already have a husband is more than able to do that."

"And that is the problem," he said to her. "He is playing you, Rosella. I only wish you could see it and see through him."

"I know when he is playing me," Rosella promised Poe and she went to move to her feet. She kept her arms folded over herself as her hair fell into her face and she bowed her head. She let out a deep breath, thinking back to what Armitage had said to her. "I know him and I know that he is telling me the truth. He wants to help bring Kylo Ren down and if this is the only way then I have to do something. I need to do something because people are dying…he is too powerful now and he ruining lives. If Armitage thinks my help can stop him then so be it."

"I love you," Poe said to her and he shrugged his shoulders in her direction as he struggled to think of what more he could say. "I want to marry you, Rosella. I want to grow old and have a family with you. If you do this…I worry…I worry that we won't be able to have any of that, Rose."

"I know," Rosella said to him and she moved towards him, taking hold of his hand, lacing their fingers together. "I know exactly how you feel because it is the same way I feel whenever you jump in your fighter and leave me behind."

Poe had no come back to that point. He didn't know what he could say in response. Instead he turned his head to the side and looked away as Rosella watched him. She went to drag his gaze back to hers, her fingers pressing to his cheek.

"I know this is scary," she promised him. "I am terrified, Poe, but I…I did a lot of things in the past…things I should have stood up and fought against. This is my chance now."

Wrapping her into his arms, he held her tightly as he let his chin rest on top of her head. He closed his eyes as she wrapped her own arms around his waist. She swore she felt a tear fall down onto her forehead as she closed her own eyes and wondered just what was going to happen.

A/N: Do let me know what you think!