Halo

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A/N-thank you for the kind reviews on the last chapter.

Chapter Twelve-Not So Alone

Han was soon lagging behind his son. As he tried to increase his pace, the extra exertion brought on more breathlessness. Feeling dizzy, he stopped for a minute, leaning against the bole of a tree for support. "Damn, I'm getting too old for this." Taking in another gulp of air he squinted, trying to get his eyes to focus.

When his vision cleared enough for him to see, he swore under his breath. In the distance he saw a First Order command shuttle. When he looked closer, he saw a bevy of stormtroopers carrying Rey's unconscious form up the opened ramp. "Shit!" He muttered another oath as he left his post and began to jog through the remaining trees in a vain attempt to catch up with his son. "Ben." He gasped. "Don't do anything stupid!"

Kylo was beyond listening. He had already spotted Rey for himself. Rage built up inside him like deep water currents. He unleashed his anger, without thought or consequence. He reached for his crossguarded saber, igniting the fiery red blade as he strode toward the hapless troopers. They had no idea of the hurricane coming their way. Kylo's dark eyes burned with such fury that he looked almost inhuman. His anger burned like fire lacing his veins and creeping up his spine. All he could feel was desire; desire to hate. To harm those who had dared to hurt Rey. He felled the first trooper before the guy even had a chance to draw his weapon. A second followed, then a third. Chaos ensued as the other troopers charged the rest of the way up the ramp with their precious cargo, shocked to the core at the sight of Kylo Ren viciously cutting them down.

"Ben!" Han yelled as he finally reached the command shuttle. The lead trooper had activated the ramps controls in a desperate attempt to close it before Kylo reached the bottom. Han watched in horror as his son took a running jump at the ramp, using the Force to aid his trajectory as he tried to get inside the shuttle before it closed completely. The pilot was already trying to take off even with the ramp still partially open.

Han's breath came in short, shallow bursts as he watched his son fly through the air like a bird without wings. He knew that Kylo wasn't going to make it, the shuttle had already risen too far off the ground. With a sickening thud Kylo collided with the ramp as it sealed shut. He let out an almighty groan as his body somersaulted in mid-air before plummeting to the ground.

Kylo woke up coughing and spluttering as water was thrown on his face. He sat up abruptly, his every thought in high definition. Though his eyes were open he couldn't think of why; his heart was pounding, mind empty. It was as if a hypodermic of adrenaline had been emptied into his carotid.

"Ben?" Han's concerned face swam into view as he peered into his son's eyes. When Kylo failed to acknowledge him, he told Chewie to throw more water on his son. The tall Wookie happily obliged. Kylo suffered another drenching as the pair fought to bring him back to consciousness. "How are you now?" Han checked again when Kylo began to cough. He smiled in satisfaction when Kylo answered his enquiry with a vicious glare. "He's all good." He said in an aside to Chewie as he held out his hand to help his son back onto his feet.

Kylo wiped the water off his face with the back of his hand as he tried to focus. His head was pounding and every muscle in his body ached. He tried to walk but his limbs wouldn't obey him. Everything hurt now. Every damn thing. "Fuck!" He cussed under his breath.

Han rolled his eyes as he came to his son's aid. "That's what you get for acting like a reckless idiot." He chided Kylo as he acted as his crutch. "I'm surprised you didn't break every bone in your body."

Chewie let out a whine of agreement as he came up on Kylo's other side and helped carry some of his weight so Han wasn't too overburdened. Between them they began to steer Kylo toward the safety of the trees. Above their heads the Tie Fighters continued to bombard the castle, destroying centuries of ancient history in one fell swoop.

"I hope Maz got away." Han murmured.

Kylo was feeling groggy. He tried to steady himself, trying to comprehend what was going on around him and where he was. Something was nagging at the back of his frazzled mind as he tried to sort through his muddled thoughts. His body felt like it had been bruised in every corner. His legs were shaky and could not support his body yet his head was the only thing that felt heavy. He rested his fingers on his aching temples as he tried to remember what he had been doing before he knocked himself out. Then it all came back in a rush.

"Rey." Kylo choked on her name. His eyes squeezed closed and his face contorted. Never had he ever experienced such pain in his life. He could feel his head spinning, ultimately, he fell onto the ground, his jaw clenched. He grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling on it helped to ease the pain. Slowly the pain faded away and his hand released his black locks as he regained control over himself. Sweat trickled down his face, his breathing slowly turning back to a normal rhythm. Forcing himself to rise, he stood, his eyes finding Han's. "I'm going after her."

Han sighed in exasperation. "And how do you propose to do that? You can hardly stand."

Kylo shook off his fatigue as he called upon the Force to aid him. He called for his weapon and his saber flew into his opened palm. "You can't stop me." He responded through gritted teeth as he staggered off in the direction of the castle.

"I don't know where he gets his stubbornness from." Han complained to Chewie as he followed in his son's wake. Chewie made a sarcastic comment in Shyriiwook which caused Han to glare at him. "I dare you to name one time I've been stubborn or impulsive." He demanded as he narrowed his eyes at the tall Wookie.

Chewie began to list at least a dozen occasions when Han had acted the exact same way. Han flashed his hairy friend a disgruntled glance as he hurried to catch up with his son. Despite the injuries from his fall, Kylo was still setting a fast pace.

"Would you please stop and think for a minute." Han puffed as he reached out and grabbed Kylo's arm to try and slow him down. "Do you even have a plan?"

The ache in his heart was a dull pain, as if some lazy torturer was standing right behind him, only applying enough pressure to be an annoyance. Kylo's breathing was shallow as he turned his stricken gaze onto his father. "I'm going back."

Han's face paled as she shook his head. "To the First Order? Ben, you can't. You need to think this through…"

"There isn't time." Kylo was in so much pain his complexion was ashen. He stared at his father in despair. He closed his eyes briefly and sucked himself into a deeper place to cope with the morbid thoughts that threatened to ruin him. He opened his eyes again to find Han looking at him with empathy. "I have to go back. It's the only way I can save her. You have no idea of what they'll do to her…. if Snoke…." Kylo couldn't continue. He knew from personal experience the depths of Snoke's depravity. If his former master learned just how strong Rey was with the Force…. his reaction didn't bear thinking about.

"Why do you think you have to do this alone, Ben?" Han implored. He hated to see his son hurting this way. "Let us help you."

"You can't help me. You would just get in the way." Kylo said harshly.

Han ignored the brusqueness of Kylo's tone. He wasn't a fool; he had seen the way his son had looked at Rey. He had looked the same way at a certain young princess once upon a time. "We're coming with you, Ben, whether you like it or not." He said, motioning at Chewie, who roared his agreement. "We'll get her back. We just need some help."

"From who?" Kylo asked sarcastically.

Han tipped his head back and pointed up at the sky. Kylo frowned, his eyes tightening as the first of the Resistance X-wing fighters streaked across the sky.

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.