A/N: This fic is cut down to comply with FFN's stick in the mud rules. The full version will be on my ao3, with additional tags and warnings for consumption. There is some minor character death, violence, and pregnancy (because lawd OUAT loved that plot device)

Chapter 1: The Lost Girl

Rey slumped against the door of her dinky apartment. Another day, another pitiful minimum wage job passed.

She had another shift early in the morning and her feet were killing her. She wanted to sleep. She really wanted to. Though, she was too wired to go pass out in her thin bed right away. Today was another year, her nineteenth year to be precise. No one to celebrate it with, a reality she's known since her birth.

Opening the cupboards, she found only one granola bar left in a box of a dozen.

Crawling into bed, she opened up her laptop with the granola bar in her mouth and opening up her email. More jobs with her experience (or lack thereof) popped up.

One, in particular, caught her eye. It was out of state—why would it be sent to her inbox—so for shits and giggles she indulged in it. What else did a nineteen-year-old orphan have to lose?

It was for an assistant position for a company, First Order Investments, up north in a town called Stelland.

Rey had to laugh. Why did the website send a notification about this place? She would likely be rejected, so she sent in her resume, the one made of odd jobs and part-time waitressing and barista positions she had since she was sixteen. Closing her email, she forced herself into a restless sleep.

When her phone alarm went off, Rey groaned and sat up, pressing the dismissal. She cracked open her laptop and stared at her email with bleary eyes.

An email response.

TO: Rey Niima

FROM: First Order Investments

RE: Your Application.

Hello Miss Niima.

We have reviewed your resume and accepted you into the position as Mr. Ren's personal assistant.

Your position begins tomorrow at precisely 9 am on the dot. Do not be late.

We look forward to having you here with us.

Amilyn Holdo

Human Resources

First Order Investments.

Rey furrowed her brow. How and why did she get this job after submitting her resume as a joke? She had no qualifications, she had none to speak of aside from learning how to deal with asshole customers. Maybe they needed her just for that expertise alone.

Still, that potential salary was too good to pass up and Rey was already calling her boss for her next shift that she will not be coming in and began packing her stuff. She would most likely end up sleeping in her car but she didn't care at this point, she was not about to lose this golden opportunity.

In the woods, as night waned and the dreary clouds blotted out the sunrise, a man in robes of ink-black stalked over the roots and dead leaves. A limp in his step did not deter him, not as he sought out his goal. His soul was wounded, hurting with excruciating pain.

He came across her, in silver robes, dead on the ground. The signs of battle lingered. The red robes of guards were collapsed in piles of leaves.

The man kneeled down to the woman, taking her into his arms and hugging her cold, lifeless body. Tears stained his cheeks. The love of his life, his literal other half in the Force, dead from her battle against some sick Sith cultists that threatened them all.

He never got to tell her how much he truly loved her.

But the Force was singing and his instincts were kicking in.

He released her from the hug and simply held her. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful slumber. She was so pretty like this, how cruel.

He placed a hand on her stomach and breathed.

Just.

Breathed.

He didn't know what he was doing, all he could think about was mending the wound that tore open his very soul, the wound caused by her death. How the world was worse off without her sunshine and compassion and fiery heart.

Her hand grasped his and he blinked. Warmth flooded his entire being as their bond was restored and she was alive and well.

Her eyes opened and she looked upon him with awe and something he couldn't quite place.

She sat up in his arms and smiled. "Ben," she said.

He smiled in turn, now crying out of joy. "Rey," he said in response. "I thought I lost you forever."

She reached up with her hand and rubbed her thumb over his cheek, her finger trailing over his scar, the one she had put there with her own sword. His spine shuddered and his blood ignited.

"You think death is going to prevent me from telling you that you're my idiot and I love you?" Rey teased with a smile before leaning forward and kissing him.

Ben had never in his life experienced a kiss like this. It was like she was pouring her entire heart out into the softest touch of lips. He clutched her close, afraid she might slip away again after spending so long finding her.

When Rey pulled away, she continued to stroke his cheek.

"Marry me," he breathed out. "Please."

Rey tilted her head, a quirk of her eyebrow giving away to her slight amusement at the question. "Ben, how long have we known each other?"

"Long enough," he said. "I love you, Rey. I don't want to waste any more time." He pressed his forehead to hers. "Not for one more second do I wish to be apart from you. So I ask you for the second time, in more eloquent terms." He earned a giggle from Rey at that. "Will you marry me, Rey?"

Rey tackled him with a hug, kissing his lips and all over his face. "Yes," she whispered. "I will marry you."

Rey drove for hours and hours, heading into a deep thicket of woods off the interstate. Her old clunker of a car was junk, but it was her junk that she took care of. It was her gateway to freedom out of the foster system once she saved up enough and haggled with Unkar Plutt at his scrapyard.

The town was for a lack of a better word, quaint, nestled on the edge of the ocean. The trees were sideways from the ocean wind constantly blowing. A silver blanket of clouds coated the sky. No rain but Rey wouldn't be surprised if it came later on tomorrow.

She followed her GPS until she parked on the side of a modern and sleek office building with stark gloss letters reading First Order Investments at the top. Rey primped herself in the rearview mirror with cheap makeup and smoothed out her twenty-dollar blazer and pencil skirt she thrifted at Good Will. The time read 8:50 by the time she was done and she got out of her car and made her way inside.

The lobby was lavish and spacey. Whoever owned this company had sunk in quite the fortune into the furnishings. At the front desk was a woman with unusual curly purple hair.

Rey felt like she couldn't even walk properly in the cheap heels she bought on a whim. She was a little girl out of her depth in this place, trying to act like a put-together adult who wasn't a total disaster with abandonment issues.

"Oh, you must be Rey," the woman greeted her. "I'm Amilyn."

Rey breathed a little easier. "Hi, Amilyn."

"It's so nice to meet you. You're a bit early but that's fine. Mr. Ren doesn't come in until five minutes after. Come, I'll show you his office."

Rey followed Amilyn to the third floor of the building to a door with the name Kylo Ren printed in gold letters.

"The coffee machine is on the second floor, Mr. Snoke's office is on the fourth floor. Mr. Ren will sometimes request you deliver something to him. Mr. Hux is down the hall. If you hear shouting or something being thrown just call up the furniture shop down the street for replacements for whatever is broken."

Rey tightened her brow but said nothing in response to the rather disturbing information. Just who was this guy?

Amilyn opened the door to a large and spacious office with a black couch and black curtains framing the ceiling-to-floor windows and… Well, he liked a lot of black, didn't he?

Rey sat down in one of the cold black leather chairs in front of the large mahogany desk and Amilyn closed the door.

Rey checked her phone for the time. 8:00. She had five minutes supposedly before Kylo Ren arrived.

She fiddled with her phone and smoothed out her skirt. She most likely stood out in this office like a sore thumb. She wore dark grey but now she was considering if she needed to get black to fit in.

Her thoughts were cut off when the door opened and someone with very heavy footsteps walked in. Rey stood up and took in her new boss.

He froze in the middle of his office, his eyes widening as he realized there was another occupant.

"Who are you?" he demanded in a rough tone.

"I'm Rey Niima, sir. Your new assistant."

Kylo Ren looked her up and down, as she did the same. He was… Tall. Very tall, and Rey wasn't exactly short by any means. But he towered over her even in her heels. His hair was wavy and soft looking, she wondered what product he uses for that wind-tousled look. His shirt—no—his entire stark-black suit was straining under his defined broad shoulders and arms and probably his thighs—

"Who hired you?" he said, harsh in his tone as if he would punch something if he didn't get his answer.

"Amilyn hired me, sir."

"Qualifications?"

"Er, she probably forwarded my resume to you, sir."

"Stop calling me that."

Rey had to restrain her eye twitch. "Then what should I call you then?"

His nostrils flared but no words of anger came out of his mouth. "Kylo. You call me Kylo."

"Of course. Kylo."

He went to his desk and sat down. "I prefer my coffee as hot as you can get it with only a tablespoon worth of the half and half."

He didn't even look at her as he rambled off his specific coffee order.

This time Rey did have her eye twitch in irritation. "Yes. I will go get it, Kylo."

She walked out of the office and wondering how many hours she could put up with this man before she killed him. Even if he was, for a lack of a better descriptor, hot.

Insufferably hot.

Snow poured over the forest in the dead of night, fanning the flames of a burning fortress.

Rey fretted as she kept up with her friend Finn despite being poorly dressed for the weather in only her desert scavenger rags. Flee the castle first, acquire better clothing later.

Shing! The glow of a red blade cut through the powder white snow. Rey and Finn froze mid-step in fear and apprehension. Rey took one step closer, her blood raging in her ears from anger, from grief.

The man—no, that was a generous word to describe the likes of Kylo Ren. Monster was more suitable. She had just witnessed him murdering his own father in cold blood mere minutes ago.

"We're not done yet," Kylo said, his breathing ragged as he attempted to ignore the fact he was bleeding out of his side.

"You're a monster!" Rey screamed. "You killed him!"

"You cling to your parents too much. Han Solo cannot save you. He cannot protect you."

Rey took a step back and tried to fire a dart but Kylo was faster, the Force slamming her against the tree.

"Rey!" Finn's voice was the last thing she heard before blacking out for a few moments.

When she opened her eyes, Finn was still dueling with Kylo Ren, glowing red sword clashing against blue.

Kylo tore the blade up Finn's back and reached out for the blue sword laying in the snow, dormant due to no one wielding it.

Rey surrendered to her instincts and used the Force to pull the blade to her grip, her flesh on the handle igniting the signature blue glow.

She hadn't noticed the look of awe and wonder in Kylo's eyes as he muttered "It is you."

Rey got his coffee and then proceeded to ask one important question: "Besides coffee, Kylo, what daily tasks do you want me to do?"

He didn't look up from his computer as he muttered in a blank tone.

"Aren't you supposed to know these things?"

Rey rolled her eyes while trying to ignore the hint of anxiety prickling at the back of her neck at the fact that yes, she has never done PA work before. "Excuse me, Kylo, but I'm not familiar with the system here nor your needs which I was hired to attend to."

He sighed in exasperation. "Organize my planner for one. Retrieve files for me is another. They're stored in the room across the hall. Also if Hux asks for anything from me, placate him."

Rey nodded. "Yes, Kylo."

She made double sure to make her heels echo as she left the room to observe the file room's organization.

When she was done, she headed back into Kylo's office only to find that he was yelling on the phone.

"For fuck's sake if you don't give me the payment tomorrow you know what will happen. I won't say it twice! There is nothing else I can do." He ended it with a jab of his thumb on the screen. His breathing was ragged and he threw the phone across the room. His fingers twitched for a stapler on his desk.

Rey had put up with a lot of bullshit in her life, moronic customers and raging drunks at pubs, but she was not about to put up with this nightmare for twenty-five bucks an hour every day. She reached for his hand and her fingers brushed against his before yanking the stapler away before he threw it.

"No," she stated.

He glared at her. "What the fuck? Who do you think you are?"

"Your personal assistant who isn't going to put up with physical damage to your office nor this behavior in general. Everyone else here might be able to tolerate you and your entitled raging ass but not me, sir."

Rey expected more anger but the shock on his face was better. It was priceless. She would have paid all of her pitiful bank account to see that surprised look on Kylo's face ten times over.

His abnormally large hand ran through his silky hair as he just stared. And stared. Rey wouldn't back down even as he took a step closer to her, forcing her to angle her head up to continue to glare into his amber eyes.

"Get back to work," he said, turning around to sit down at his desk. "And order lunch. My card is in my wallet."

His wallet sat on his desk. Rey grabbed it and practically stomped out of the office.

Standing up to him should have felt good. It should have felt better to know that she put him in his place.

But then reality came crashing back, she was working for him, and easily he can fire her ass.

Rey walked through the sprawling sands, her scavenged goods possibly enough to pay for today's bread. Her tongue was dry and gritty, her water skein empty. The trees of the forest were in sight, just a bit more distance and she could see relief from the heat.

Someone bumped into her and sent her tumbling to the ground.

"Hey!" she scolded. "Watch where you're going!"

She looked up and before her was a man in gleaming white armor, sweat beading on his brow. He was broad-shouldered—probably a guard from a castle somewhere—and he looked frantic and panicked.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm trying to get away from someone, well, an entire group of someones." He held out his hand. "I'm Finn."

Rey took his hand and stood back up. "Why are you running?"

Finn held up a tiny scroll in his hand. "The Knights of Ren are after this. A map to Luke Skywalker."

Rey's eyes widened. "Luke Skywalker? I thought he was a fairytale?"

Finn shrugged. "So did I."

The noise of galloping horses stopped their conversation.

Rey looked over the sand dune and her eyes widened. "Probably should leave."

Finn agreed. "Yeah um, let's go."

Rey stopped at the front desk. Amilyn looked up from the computer and gave her a pity smile.

"Do you need anything?" Amilyn said.

Rey sighed. "A new boss who isn't an arse and where to go to get food in this town."

"I cannot help you with the first one but I can help you with the second one. There's a place everyone frequents called Maz's."

Rey nodded. "Thank you. His Royal Arse Highness demanded food so I'm going out to get some. Any requests?"

Amilyn shook her head. "I'm fine."

As Rey walked out of the office building, she found that Maz's was within short walking distance, so, perking up about her chance to save money on gas, she decided to take a leisure tour.

Maz's was an old homely pub with old fainted gold lettering and a portrait of a small woman with dark umber brown skin and a wide grin on her lips.

Rey entered and all eyes were on her. Staring at the newcomer in town.

"Hey," the same woman with her portrait outside waved to her from the bar. "Haven't seen you before."

Rey sat down at an empty seat at the bar, glancing around to see that people for the most part stopped staring at her.

"I'm Maz Kanata," the small woman said, filling a glass with water. "You're the new girl."

Rey looked down in her lap. "That obvious?"

Maz laughed. "I know every single person in this town. I know a newcomer when I see them. What's your name?"

"Rey Niima. I was hired to be Kylo Ren's personal assistant." Rey reached for the glass of water and took a sip.

Maz raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Leia is going to want to meet you."

"Leia?"

"The mayor of this town. She likes newcomers."

A ding and someone else walked in.

"Hey, Maz."

Maz waved to the new person. "Hey Finn."

Rey looked to her left to see a man wearing a tawny leather jacket and looking like he just ran a marathon.

"The usual?" Maz asked, going to the back and pulling out two white paper bags and putting them on the counter.

"You are a lifesaver Maz," Finn said in relief. He looked to his left and spotted Rey. "Oh, hi. New in town?"

Rey nodded. "I'm Rey."

"Finn Storm. I work for Mayor Organa's financial department." He presented his hand to her to shake. "Welcome to Stelland."

Rey realized that this was the first person to fully welcome her to town. "Thank you," she said, shaking his hand.

Finn nodded. "Mayor Organa would like to meet you sometime. I gotta go deliver lunch but it was nice meeting you, Rey."

He grabbed the white bags and bid Maz farewell and out the door of the pub.

"So," Maz said, turning her attention back to Rey. "Want something?"

Rey just realized she didn't bother asking what Kylo would even eat or if he had any allergies to food. "Um, well I'm supposed to get lunch for me and Kylo…"

"Say no more, tell me what you want and I will take care of the rest."

Rey tugged at the ropes binding her body tight to a massive tree. The knight, cloaked in black and his helmet shimmering in the soft glow of the moonlight.

"Let me go," she spat out, trying to break free of her bindings.

"Why would I do that?" the knight said, his voice under distortion. "You have the map to Skywalker."

Rey glared but didn't say anything to confirm or refute his words.

"You still want to kill me," he said, tilting his head a little bit.

"That's what happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask."

Taking a step back from her, he reached up and removed his helmet to reveal perhaps the most handsome face Rey had ever laid eyes upon. He shook out his raven hair and somehow it inherited some sort of sorcery because his curls puffed up into perfection. He tossed the helmet to the ground and leaned forward to inspect her.

His eyes had specks of gold within.

"I know you've seen the map," he said, reaching up with his gloved hand near her temple but never touching, as if he was trying to respect her boundaries in some sick way. "It's in there, and now you'll give it to me."

He pushed into her mind and Rey forced herself to speak out despite the invasion and the rapid pulsing of her blood.

"Get out of my head."

Rey walked into the office and plopped the white paper bag in front of Kylo.

"Your lunch, Your Highness," Rey said, before turning on her heel. She had eaten before coming back here because she would rather not spend any more time in the same room as Kylo's raging arrogant ass.

"Can you get me a file on a person, Luke Skywalker?" Kylo asked, staring at the bag of food like it was going to bite him.

What a big drama baby.

"Yes, Kylo," Rey said, happy to get out of the room.

Well, at least he hasn't said a single thing about the earlier incident that probably should have gotten her fired on the spot.

She found the file in the cabinets and dropped them off on Kylo's desk without a word.

"Order a desk for yourself," Kylo said.

Rey stopped and turned around. "What?"

"I said, order a desk for your usage."

Why wasn't he firing her? Why was he making it sound like he was intending on keeping her around?

This man was more confusing than navigating ten different interstates during rush hour.

The day passed on without much incident, Kylo kept to himself, taking phone calls and sometimes yelling at his phone, but he hadn't touched the stapler on his desk. Somehow his phone was durable from being thrown at a wall because it was perfectly intact. Rey wondered if he specifically chose that phone in particular because of his habit of throwing it in a tantrum.

When the day ended, Kylo dismissed her unceremoniously.

"You can go now," he said, like he was holding her hostage.

A sinking feeling went straight to her gut as she realized she did have to leave and return to her car. There was no way she would be able to go to her apartment, sleep, and then wake up in a timely manner to drive all the way back here.

But she had no money to speak of for a place to stay, so she left towards the restroom to freshen up and sleep in her car that night.

On her way out she ran right into Kylo who opened his mouth to speak before promptly closing it and brushing past her.

Whatever his deal was, she had no idea.

Rey settled into her car with her blankets and made sure the doors were locked, falling into an uncomfortable sleep.

"General Hux," the knight, Kylo Ren, pulled his horse up to the man with ginger hair, a stark contrast against his uniform. "Where is the traitor?"

"He escaped with the map in his hand. I have my men scouring the entire forest for him and some girl he dragged into it."

Kylo Ren looked up. A sixth instinct in the back of his mind prickled in familiarity. His hand went up, causing Hux to almost flinch.

"What girl?" Kylo demanded.

Hux swallowed. "A scavenger girl from the outskirts of Jakku Desert. She stole a white horse from an outpost with grey spots on the legs…"

Kylo's blood rushed in his ears. Never had he thought he would hear of that particular stallion in his life ever again, nor would he be so curious about some scavenger from a nowhere desert.

"See that your men are competent enough to locate the girl and the traitor and retrieve the map before the Resistance fighters find them. Or else I will speak to His Majesty about Captain Phasma taking your role."

Hux's eye twitched. "Yes, Sir."

Rey woke up in the morning to a little piece of paper on her windshield. She sat up, fixed her hair, and put on her blazer before grabbing the paper which was a business card. One side had a phone number and the other side said "Leia Organa. Mayor of Stelland."

Who had put this here?

She stored the card in her purse for later. For now, she had to freshen up and do her job. Hopefully, she could find a place to shower during her lunch break.

As he walked into the building, a prickly ginger-haired man shoved past her to the elevator, not even sparing Amilyn at the front desk a glance.

"That's Armitage Hux," Amilyn said. "He's got a stick up his ass even more than Ren. Don't worry about him."

Rey had to suppress a snort. "Oh, don't worry, I was told to placate him by Kylo."

Amilyn raised an eyebrow. "Kylo?"

Rey shrugged. "He told me to call him that."

"Hmm, no one else dared to do so. It's always Ren."

Rey should be, by all accounts, flattered. Instead, she was irritated and it was only eight-o'-clock in the morning. Somehow he is singling her out and giving her special treatment and something bothered her about it.

She went to his office and began tidying up his desk and ordering files around and getting his daily coffee. By the time Kylo arrived, always five minutes late, he disregarded her without words and sat down.

He reached for his coffee, his hands comically dwarfing the cup as he pulled it to his lips.

"If Armitage comes knocking, please tell him to schedule an appointment," Kylo said.

"Yes, Kylo," Rey said, sitting down to arrange his calendar.

"Also, I have a meeting today. It's after lunch at one and won't end until four. Do what you want until then."

"Yes, Kylo."

That left her with mercy to find a place to shower.

"And…" He didn't look at her. "Thank you for the coffee."

A knock at the door.

"Of course," Rey answered, not entirely happy but at least he was more tolerable than yesterday.

Maybe this would work. She wasn't exactly here to be his friend after all, he was her boss. She did as he asked of her and handed her a nice paycheck.

Rey got up and answered to be faced with the stiff Hux.

"Who are you?" Hux said, looking his nose down at her.

Sure she was probably a mess barely put together but did he have to glare at her like she was a fly under shoe?

"I'm Mr. Ren's assistant."

"I need to speak with him immediately."

"Mr. Ren requires an appointment I'm afraid."

"Oh, he put you up to this, didn't he?"

Rey smiled, fake and sweetly. "I'm afraid I do not know what you mean Mr. Hux. Would you like me to make you an appointment?"

Hux hesitated before spitting out his answer. "Fine."

"I believe ten am on Thursday is open last I checked. Does that work for you?"

"Yes. And he better be here. I know Ren's tricks."

With that, Hux stomped away, his shoes echoing down the hall.

No wonder Kylo didn't want to deal with him.

"Han."

Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan held a tightly wrapped bundle in her arms as she rested on the bed. A beautiful baby boy with hair black like the night rested peacefully.

"Meet your son, Ben," Leia said.

Han, a scoundrel out of his depth, took the precious bundle from Leia's arms and looked down at his son.

"He's quiet. And small," Han remarked.

Leia laughed. "He will probably end up being really big when he gets older."

"I don't doubt it. Now I'm hoping he inherited the Solo looks and charm."

She rolled her eyes. "And Solo dumb luck."

The baby began to cry. And cry. And cry.

For weeks Leia was exhausted. Ben never stopped crying. He wouldn't even sleep for more than an hour or two at a time.

Hand one night decided to sit with him, switching shifts so Leia was during the day and Han took over at night.

He hummed a little tune he used to sing at the tavern with Lando and Chewie as he held little baby Ben on his chest.

Ben finally, finally stopped crying and went to sleep.

Han smiled, rubbing the back of his son in a soothing touch. "It's gonna be alright kid," he whispered.

Rey was thankful that there was a twenty-four gym in this small town and a blessed shower. The locker room was relatively quiet, but Rey had caught a glimpse of a short woman with long wavy hair pulling her hair up into a ponytail and slipping on workout shorts from a locker before leaving.

When Rey finished her bathing, she still had another two hours before she had to go crawling back to Kylo Ren's office.

So she decided to make an important phone call while sitting on a bench in a lovely party, wrapped up in her ratty scarf.

The voice on the other line was cheery. "Hello, Mayor's office."

"Hi," Rey stumbled on the syllable, thinking of how she was ill-prepared. "I'm Rey Niima. New girl in town. Maz er told me that—"

"Oh! Hi, welcome to Stelland, Rey. I'm Kaydel. The Mayor would love to meet you. She's actually free this afternoon. Will you come by?"

Rey had no idea how to take that. "Uh, sure?"

"Great! We'll see you then."

With that, Kaydel hung up. What the hell was that about?

Rey looked down at the card in between her fingers. Next to the phone number was an address.

She got into her car, fixed her hair in the mirror and drove to a lovely mansion that had a tower on the side, almost like a castle, and a gate. It was so large and spacious on its real estate Rey had to wonder if she wandered into the fourteenth-century version of Pemberley.

Maybe meeting the mayor like this was a mistake.

She parked and made her way to the front door.

A knock and someone answered, a butler from the looks of him. "Oh my, you must be Leia's appointment. Come in."

The old man stepped aside and led her to an office where a girl with braided hair looked up from her computer.

"Oh hi! Rey right? Leia is waiting for you. Thank you, Charles."

Charles bowed and walked away.

Mayor Organa's office was much warmer and more cheerful than Kylo's. It was also equally spacious but the floors were of deep redwood, a fireplace was going and the mantle was covered in what Rey supposed were family photos, but she didn't look too closely.

Leia Organa was at her desk, reading papers with a pen in her grasp and thick frames nestled on her nose. Her grey hair was in an uptight braided bun, and she looked worn for her age as if a thousand heartbreaks plagued her. She tore her gaze away from the papers and stood up as Kaydel closed the door.

"Hello Rey Niima," Leia said with a smile. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Welcome to our little town. What brought you here?"

Leia was so elegant and polite Rey forgot how to word for a second. "Um well, I was hired for a new job."

"Oh, where do you work?"

"I'm Kylo Ren's personal assistant at First Order Investments."

There was a glint in Leia's eye that Rey couldn't quite place.

"Ah, yes, I've heard of them. Well, the whole town does, I should say." Leia went to a table with snacks and tea. "Coffee?"

"I'm good, thank you, Mayor Organa."

Leia laughed. "Call me Leia dear. I'm not a fan of being overly stuffy. How are you fairing here?"

Rey swallowed. "I'm fine. Trying to find a place to live since I will be staying awhile."

"Oh, you need a place to stay?"

Rey cringed internally. "Yes but I will find a room to rent—"

"Why not stay here? We have plenty of room."

Rey shook her head. "I shouldn't…"

"I insist. Just until you get on your feet. I don't want any citizen in this town sleeping alone in their car or on the street."

Rey wanted to be irate with that comment but found she couldn't be, not with how kind Leia was, offering her a roof and a consistent shower.

"Thank you, Leia."

"I saw him, Leia. I saw our son. He was carrying a girl in his arms."

Leia normally would smile at that, her sensitive and dramatic son, falling fast and hard. She wondered just who the girl who captured his interest was. But currently, the matter was dire. Her son, her precious child, was in the darkness.

"Well," Leia said, looking up at Han as she stood up from her throne. "He is your son. Cannot say I'm surprised."

Han chuckled. "It's been too long."

Leia reached for his hands. "I know."

"I'm sorry. We…"

"I know. We failed him."

"You mean we lost him. Forever."

Leia shook her head. "No. He's not gone. There's still light in him, I know it. You can bring him back. Bring him home."

Han squeezed her hand back.

A man with golden hair entered the room. "Your Highness, I'm afraid the Knights of Ren are at the main gate. Whatever shall we do?"

"Hide with the servants, Charles. Inform Commander Dameron and Lady Holdo of our impending siege."

Leia looked to Han. Dread, fear, and regret seeped into her stomach at the thought of her going to battle with her own son.

Kylo Ren had many issues in the last two days. For one, he didn't expect some girl to pop up as his new personal assistant. He barely wanted an assistant, but after having to deal with Armitage Hux and his theatrics again he decided that yes, a new assistant was due.

The worst thing though was she was hired without his approval and her resume was very lacking in the assistant department. Amilyn's doing no doubt. Kylo found he couldn't really just get rid of the girl though.

Her name was Rey Niima and she was… Remarkable.

Pretty.

Fiery.

Familiar.

Kylo had never met her before, that much was clear. But there was something about her, as if he did know her from a passing dream he cannot remember.

Kylo sat in Snoke's office, watching as the older man poured himself a glass of bourbon.

"I hear you got a new assistant," Snoke said.

Kylo nodded, swallowing hard. "Yes. She's effective."

"She? I heard she's a newcomer in town. What's her name?"

"Rey Niima."

"Ah. Rey Niima. How old is she?"

Kylo snorted. "Like I would know. She's just a girl who came yesterday."

"Fair enough. In any case, I want to talk election strategy today," Snoke said, taking a sip from his glass.

A sinking feeling in Kylo's stomach formed. This was the right thing to do, to support Snoke who had taken him under his wing, even if it was to remove Leia Organa from a place of power.

"Do not let your interest in your assistant get in the way of our goals, boy," Snoke added.

Kylo nodded. "Yes, Snoke."

Why would his mentor think he was taking an interest in Rey? He had already butchered his first impression with her and she was only interested in a paycheck which was fine by Kylo.

"I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it," Kylo Ren whispered in the courtyard of his once-childhood home.

Han Solo listened. Not judging. Not ignoring, but actually listened.

Kylo knew he had to do what he was about to do. His master demanded it. The dark side within himself demanded the killing of his past.

"Will you," Kylo said, choking on his words. His eyes were glass in the dim torchlight as he reached for his sword. "Will you help me?"

"Yes. Anything."

Kylo held the sword in his grip, stained with the glowing blood of his enemies already, and now it would be stained with the blood of his father.

Han put his hand on his knuckles, making his heart squeeze in pain.

Ben Solo died as he plunged the sword into Han Solo's chest.

"No!" Rey screamed from above.

Kylo Ren looked into the dying eyes of Han and whispered, "Thank you."

He yanked the sword out. Another stain upon the blade forged in fire and anguish.

At the end of every day, when work was set and done, Leia would quietly have dinner by herself in the large, empty dining room and then bid goodnight to Charles and Kaydel.

Tonight however she had Rey to talk to.

"Do you have any hobbies?" Leia asked as she watched the girl try to restrain herself from devouring her plate of roasted potatoes and braised chicken.

Rey swallowed a large mouthful before answering. "Uh well, I like tinkering with my car if I have the free time."

"Oh? You like cars?"

"Very much so, yes."

Leia smiled. "I know of a few people who are very much into cars."

Rey beamed. "I saw the nice 1977 Ford Falcon out front."

"Maybe you can take a look at it sometime. It hasn't been used in years and she's been neglected in service."

Leia could have sworn there were stars in Rey's eyes.

Once Charles led Rey to her room, Leia bid her goodnight and left the house, not even looking at the Ford Falcon off to the side of the driveway over in a thin layer of dirt from disuse.

Leia got into her silver Raddus and drove until she came to Stelland Medical Hospital.

She made her way inside, the receptionist taking one glance and giving her a quiet hi. Down the halls to the long-term care ward. Security regarded her with a nod and she entered the room in which a man with greyed hair laid upon a bed, breathing evenly and eyes closed.

Leia sat down on a stool they placed just for her, know she would come every night at the end of a long day no matter what. She took the man's hand into hers, the slow beeping of his heartbeat the only sound in the room.

"Hi Han," Leia said. "I met a new girl today. She loves cars; she saw your Falcon. I know how much you care for the old hunk of junk so I thought she might want to keep it up in top form for when you wake up. I hope you don't mind, and even if you did, you trusted me with it in my driveway so you only have yourself to blame." Leia laughed to herself. "Anyways, the girl, she is working for our son. I know he'll take care of her or else I will personally kick his ass myself. Maybe I'm just a sentimental old hag but I dare to dream that this girl, Rey, can bring Ben home."

Leia could have sworn that Han squeezed her hand in return, but she didn't want to get her hopes up that he was actually waking up after all this time.