Do not fear for Miss Daae. The Angel of Music has her under his wing. Make no attempt to see her again.


The moment they are alone again, Rey reaches for Kylo's mask, grasping the latches before Kylo has the chance to bend down for her. She pulls the helmet from his head with no regard, mussing his hair. Errant strands slash across his vision and catch against his mouth. Rey pushes them back, off of his face, before cupping his cheeks.

For a moment, Kylo thinks — hopes — that she will kiss him.

Instead, she asks, "Why did you hurt him? That officer — what did he do to make you so angry?"

Ah. So she means to kindly interrogate him. Kylo tries to hide his disappointment. Still, she needn't interrogate him at all. The memory is so fresh that it resides on the surface of his mind. Why wouldn't she just reach for it on her own, and discover the truth herself?

Perhaps she does not know that she can.

Kylo covers one of her hands with his own. "Take it."

"What?"

"The memory. Take it." He guides her hand to rest on the center of his forehead. "Reach out as you did before, but this time, reach for me. Take the memory you want. Single it out and pull it from my head."

"Won't that…" She trails off, brow furrowed. "Won't that hurt you?"

"It might."

Rey shakes her head. "I don't want to be cruel, Kylo."

"Then teach yourself to be gentle." He closes his eyes, opens his mind. "Take it, Rey."

He hears her inhale deeply before letting the breath out slowly. Her fingers flex against his forehead, a light Force pressure accompanying the motion.

Kylo is a beast about this, digging his claws into someone's thoughts and ripping until he finds what he wants, but Rey's mental touch is as soft as a whisper. She seeks the memory of his conversation with the officer with gentleness, taking hold of it when she finds it and drawing it to the forefront of his mind. The memory plays like a holo behind their eyes.

"Supreme Leader," the officer began with a deferential nod. "An urgent message from our contact in the Outer Rim has reached us."

Kylo hadn't looked up from the report before him. "Yes?"

The officer hesitated, and that was enough to draw Kylo's attention. He set aside the data pad with deliberate slowness. "Speak, Lieutenant."

Again, the man paused, but only for a moment this time. "Sir, the Resistance has left D'Qar."

Immediately, the familiar haze of Kylo's rage clouded his judgement, made him reach for the officer with the Force and drag him closer. "What?" he growled.

Struggling for breath, the officer said, "They — they received word of our impending attack. We've lost them — "

Kylo spun around, igniting his lightsaber, and viciously attacked the nearest walls. Every time he took one step closer to peace — balance— the rebels had to step in and ruin his plans. Would he ever be free of them?

When he regained his composure, he paused. "Anything else?"

The man swallowed audibly. Still, he continued to speak. "They know about the girl, sir."

Kylo's rage grew to a fever pitch at the mention of Rey. He did not realize that he was choking the officer until the man said "please." Kylo let him go, but he flung the man against the wall, unable to reign in his temper.

Rey releases the memory with a gasp. Her hand falls away from Kylo's forehead as he opens his eyes.

"The Resistance?" Rey whispers.

The words escape him before he can overthink. "They will not take you from me." Then, a growl: "I won't let them."

But Rey is shaking her head, her eyes full of worry. "No, that's not — " She bites her lip. "You were going to attack them?"

Kylo tilts his head, unable to hide his confusion. "They oppose my plans. They're so entrenched in the light that they can't see what balance will do for them. For the galaxy. If we want to fulfill my vision, they must be stopped."

"Stopped," she repeats slowly. "And how did you plan to stop them?"

Kylo frowns. He thought that Rey's harsh upbringing on Jakku would have opened her eyes, but it seems that he must spell this out for her. "We all make sacrifices in war. Their deaths will usher in the peace we need."

Rey steps back from him. Kylo does not need the Force to read her thoughts; they're written plainly on her face. She is horrified by this. By him. "You were going to kill them. You would murder innocent people just because they disagree with you?"

"If it means that I will stop senseless violence across the galaxy," he says, quickly losing his patience, "then yes. I would."

"And why should you decide what kind of violence is senseless? Your violence is senseless. You've hurt people just because they hurt me!"

"And I would do it again," Kylo replies, his tone sharp.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Rey whispers.

Kylo's impatience and anger rush out of him at the hushed words. "I'll never hurt you," he says, voice soft and gentle now, as if he is soothing a frightened animal. "You are safe with me, Rey."

"But no one else is."

Rey's eyes fill with tears. The sight breaks what is left of Kylo's heart. He lifts a hand, desperate to comfort her, but she flinches from his touch. "Rey — "

"Please don't." She turns and runs from the room, disappearing down the hall to their quarters.

Kylo stares after her, still reaching for her.


A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews! :)