Chapter Eight: Fallout

"Rey!"

Kylo's voice was barely audible above the hubbub of the restaurant as she pushed her way through and headed for the door. For a long second, he wondered what he could do before common sense kicked in and he rose, tossing his napkin aside and going after her. His waiter intercepted him.

"Excuse me, sir-how will you be settling the check?" he asked and Kylo fumbled out his American Express.

"Put it on this with twenty percent tip," he said urgently, his eyes fixed on the door. "I'll be back to sign." The waiter took the card with a cold look.

"As you wish," he said as Kylo shoved him aside and ran from the restaurant. The cold air of the street hit his face and for once, he was grateful for his height, which meant he could peer over the throngs on the street and see the slender and elegant shape of Rey, walking away to his left, still pulling on her coat and not paying attention. Certainly not seeing the shape in a grubby hoody and beat up jeans who erupted from the narrow alley between buildings and grabbed at her purse.

"GET OFF!" she yelled, hanging on fiercely as Kylo broke into a run, shoving people aside. The mugger was pulling, almost dragging Rey off her feet and in one brutal change of tack, he cocked his fist and caught her across the face. The impact knocked her backwards but as he wrenched the purse free, Kylo came flying in, grabbing the man's arm and punching him full in the face. He pulled the purse free and tossed it to Rey, snatching a glimpse of her picking herself up from the floor. His face darkened and he allowed the rage to overwhelm him, turning back to the mugger, who was trying to scramble up and pinned him against the wall, raining punch after punch on the man. A lucky shot caught him in the mouth and he tasted blood but he scarcely flinched, redoubling his assault on the mugger.

Somehow they had ended up on the ground, Kylo on his knees still raining punches on the bloody would-be mugger. People were shouting and there were sirens. But all he could see was Rey, being punched and looking stunned and shocked, picking herself up from the sidewalk. Then an arm grasped his.

"Kylo!" she said, her voice sharp enough to cut through his red mist. "Stop. He's stopped fighting…" He turned to her, his eyes dark with fury and face twisted in his anger and she recoiled. Then other hands grabbed him and he struggled as the cops dragged him back. An officer was already asking Rey what had happened and several witnesses were coming forward. But Kylo stared back at the mugger, bloody and unconscious and felt the anger recede, leaving him feeling drained and ashamed. For a moment, he had allowed the darkness to rise and become the man he had hoped he left behind when he made his confession, when he served time and started his new life. But it seemed, he was never going to be free of the darkness. He could hear the siren of an ambulance and though the mugger had been the one who had attacked Rey, as he felt the cuffs click around his wrists, he guessed he was the one in worse trouble.

He glanced up, seeing the mark on Rey's face and his heart sunk. He had wanted to give her a special Valentine's Day but all he had managed was to make her feel insulted and his stupidity had driven her out at the wrong time to end up being attacked. And he had never gotten to explain that he would only have acted if he had wanted to go out with her. He had never lied to Rey-but now he guessed she would never trust him again.

-o0o-

Rey didn't respond to Rose, Poe or Finn's texts that night or the next morning so the friends had all come round to see what was wrong. All three had been shocked to find her dishevelled and miserable in her pyjamas with a loose old sweater over as she dully invited them in. There was a half-empty tub of cookie dough ice cream on the table and a by-the-numbers romcom on the TV. Rose moved to sit by Rey and wrapped her arms around her.

"Okay, spill," she said in a sympathetic voice. "What happened?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," she mumbled.

"You can't stay here moping," Poe pointed out.

"I can if I want to," Rey replied stubbornly.

"But we can't let you," Finn said, sitting on her other side and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Peanut-this is what a family does. Was your date horrible? Who was he? What did he do to you?" Rey curled in on herself.

"I am never going out on Valentine's again," she grumbled.

"Was it that bad?" Rose asked and she sighed.

"It was okay at first…" she conceded. "He was…nice to talk to. Fun. He seemed interested."

"Okay-elephant in the room," Poe interrupted. "Who is he?" She glanced over to the table, grabbed the tub and downed a large spoonful of ice cream before answering.

"Kylo Ren," she said at length.

"WHAT?"

"You're kidding?"

"Mr Almost-mute? The asshole in chief?"

"No, there are two of them. This was his evil twin," Rey retorted and her face fell…and then she burst into tears. Rose and Finn sandwiched her between them, hugging her until her tears subsided. Shame and embarrassment filled her, along with a rising tide of anger. Finally she pulled away and swiped her eyes, wiping them on the sleeve of her sweater. Finn gave her a hanky which she blew into with an embarrassing parp.

"What did he do?" Rose asked fiercely. She sniffed.

"You know, when I arrived I almost turned around and walked away…but his gifts were so thoughtful and his card…" She gestured vaguely at the elegant card placed on the shelf. Poe swooped over and read it before he wordlessly handed it to Finn.

"Smooth," Poe commented. "And almost not like an asshole."

"The message sounds genuine-and he did make a lot of effort with his presents-and the invitation," Finn added. "He must have pulled serious strings to get a table at New Republic. I tried but they had a two week wait list." Rose pulled out her phone and texted urgently. A reply pinged straight back.

"I'm getting Armie to come over," she told them firmly. "He's Ren's best friend."

"For whatever that means," Rey grumbled, stuffing another mouthful of ice cream into her mouth. "He's never even been the Kylo's apartment."

"Kylo?" Rose asked as Finn shared a glance with Poe.

"So what did he say?" Finn gently pressed. She sighed.

"He was…awkward. Self-conscious," she admitted. "I paused and he looked up and saw me…and for a moment he looked…hopeful. It was really cute…" Rose nudged Finn as Poe paced.

"Cute? Our manager who upset Rose over a piece of cake was cute?"

"Yeah," Rey conceded. "And when he saw me not moving, he looked sad…so I decided to see how things went."

"Bad bad bad bad idea," Poe told her. "Always follow your first instinct."

"I did-it was to go and speak to him," she told him and scraped the bottom of the tub. "Damn-I should buy larger tubs of ice cream…"

"And…?" Finn gently prodded her.

"We talked," she said. Thens he smiled. "He actually was easy to talk to. I think he hasn't had much practice but you could feel him loosen up during the evening. He has a sense of humour and a cute smile. With dimples."

"Whoa-too much information!" Poe said hasty as Finn chuckled. It was clear that Poe didn't like or trust Ren and Rey wondered what the back story was, though Finn seemed to be able to gently tease him about it.

"I told him about my lack of family and he…talked about his own family and a bit about his past," she revealed. "It was…very interesting." There was a knock on the door and Rose got up to let in Hux. Everyone stared, for he was wearing his grey formal winter coat over blue jeans, a white button-down and brogues though he didn't have a hair out of place. Rose reached up on tiptoes and kissed him and he self-consciously leant forward and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Armie! Thank goodness you're here!" she squeaked and determinedly took his hand, hauling him towards the friends. "You know Rey, Finn and Poe?" Hux nodded, offering his hand to the men and waving awkwardly at Rey, whose nose was red and eyes still watery.

"Hmm…we can see whose date went better," Poe commented to Finn as Rose sat Hux down in the one armchair.

"Rose told me there was a problem," Hux said, his clipped voice trying to sound sympathetic. Rey nodded and looked up half-fearful and half angry.

"Did you bet Ren to go out with me?" she asked.

There were audible gasps and everyone stared at him. But under the face of such scrutiny, he was icy calm.

"Of course," he said without shame. "There was no other chance that he would make a move unless he was pushed. Very hard."

"You don't deny it?" Rey asked, surprised.

"Look, Ren wagered me that I wouldn't ask Rose out because they were sick of me pining over the gorgeous Miss Tico without doing anything," he admitted without any self-consciousness. "It was the push I needed so that I could actually declare my feelings for her! I confessed to her straight away-well, I wouldn't want there to be any misunderstandings…" Then he stared at Rey. "How did you find out?"

"He kind of let it out almost at the end," she admitted, her voice thoughtful. "He said he was grateful Hux made him take the wager…" Shaking his head, Hux looked at her.

"I told him that you would be too sensitive about your own feelings of inadequacy to respond well to such information," he said.

"What? How dare you…?" Rey snapped and even Rose scowled at him.

"Armie!" she said reproachfully.

"May I point out why we're here?" Hux asked them, his cool pale blue gaze sweeping over the group. "I assume you didn't cope well. Did you even give him a chance to explain?"

"What's there to explain?" Rey snapped. "He only made the date to win a bet." But Hux started laughing, his face creased with helpless mirth.

"Ren? The social phobic? Taking a bet that involves him going out and involving himself in conversation with…anyone who isn't a relative? He would never expose himself just for a bet! No, he would only risk that if he really wanted to do it."

They stared at him in shock.

"I think you're not right," Finn said slowly. "We're talking about Ren here! He's unpleasant to everyone. He barely says please or thank you. He doesn't bother with anyone's names. He's bad karma personified."

"That's…harsh," Rey mumbled. "He always uses my name. He say please and thank you. He has been trying to make more conversation."

"To you," Poe grumbled. "He's the same with us."

"And his gifts were all chosen with extreme care from his observations of you," Hux revealed. "Because he has been watching you for months."

"Creepy much," Poe condemned.

"Not really," Hux cut in, his eyes hardening. "Ren has a very complex past. Let's just say…when he needed support, it was mostly absent. He ended up in a very dark place doing some very dark things. And the end result was that he did time."

"I knew it! I knew there was something not right about him!" Poe said triumphantly. Hux shook his head.

"This is in confidence!" he said sternly. "Ren would be mortified if word got out. This is NOT for office gossip. So if I find out anyone knows, Poe will be under formal warning."

"Hey!" the man protested, glaring at Hux.

"It's obvious that you bear some significant animosity to Ren and though he is an asshole at times, he is a decent man underneath," Hux told him sternly. "He's my friend and I don't want his past dragged through office gossip. He deserves a second chance."

"Does he?" Rey asked quietly, pulling her knees up to her chest. "When I walked out on him, I was attacked by a purse snatcher. He saw the man hit me and came flying in. He threw my purse back to me and then he really attacked the man-beat him up badly. The cops had to drag him off! And his face…it was like a completely different person. He looked…dangerous."

Hux sighed and rubbed his forehead wearily.

"Oh dear," he murmured.

"Is he dangerous?" Finn asked levelly.

"He used to be. But he gave his word to Leia and Han," Hux told them.

"He sounds dangerous," Poe pressed.

"I can see why you were so upset," Rose murmured, hugging Rey.

"I was starting to like him, to open up…and now, I have no clue who he really is," she said sadly, closing her eyes. "I mean, we shared so many things, we both are lonely and he is funny but…he just flipped. And I can't be with someone who could suddenly turn on me."

"That's not who he is," Hux insisted.

"But he was, wasn't he?" Poe guessed. Hux sighed.

"Honestly-I don't know all the details-but our owners and Chairman have trust in him. So do I. I will give him a chance until there is no other option because he is a good friend."

"You've never even been to his apartment!" Rey accused him. He chuckled, then nodded.

"That's true-but that doesn't mean that we're not friends," Hux chuckled. "The man is ashamed of his past and is trying very hard to erase it. He had no ill intent, Rey-of that I am certain. You cannot make Ren do something he would not truly want to do on a wager. So the fact that he planned your gifts so assiduously and carefully and then arranged a date means something."

"I-I think he may be right," Rose whispered. Rey nodded.

"I didn't let him explain," she sighed. "I was hurt and humiliated. I mean-this was my first ever Valentine's date and to find I was the result of a bet…doesn't make you feel special." Rose sighed.

"From what Armie says, you were very special," she told her friend. "It certainly sounds like he put a lot of effort into being your Valentine. And your gifts were all personal." She nodded as Hux's phone rang. There was a pause and then he lifted it to his ear.

"Hux?" he began and then listened. "Ren! Where are you?" There was another pause and he nodded. "I'm on my way. Stay put."

"Not much more I can do," came the obvious answer over the phone. Hux ended the call and turned to the gang.

"I have to go," he said. "I need to collect Ren." Rey's head snapped up.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice steadier. Hux sighed.

"He's spent the night in jail," he said as Rey gasped.

"What? Why? All he did was fight my attacker off…" she protested. "I made a statement to the police and there were witnesses…" His got to his feet and gave Rose a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll call you later, my petal," he said tenderly. "Ren has a police record and from what you said, he did lose control. I'm going to bail him out." Rey sighed.

"Can I do anything?" she asked. Hux walked to the door and sighed.

"Give him a chance," he asked softly. "Under all his problems, I believe he is a good man. And if no one perseveres with him, he will never get a chance to heal and prove to himself that he is worthwhile." He exhaled slowly. "I know no one can ask that you do it but I would ask you to consider it. Because he came to your rescue, lost control because you were in danger." Rey watched as he left and then she sighed.

"I don't know what to think," she sighed. Finn shrugged and hugged her.

"Talk us through it," he said. "Over pizza and Netflix." Rey nodded but her eyes trailed to the door. Somehow she wondered if she had made a horrible mistake.

-o0o-

Hux looked uncomfortable and out of place as he stood at the desk and signed for Ren's bail. The sergeant on the desk was unsupportive and downright hostile and Hux took to pacing back and forth until a tall, disheveled shape was brought out. Kylo looked dirty, bruised and dishevelled, his tie missing, white dress shirt spotted with blood and tuxedo askew. His knuckles were split and swollen and there was a self-loathing expression on his battered face.

"What happened to you?" Hux asked him bluntly.

"Can we do this in the car?" Ren growled, his tone exhausted. Seeing the man on the brink of losing his cool, Hux nodded curtly and headed out, marching to his sleek black Mercedes and clambering in. Ren silently got into the passenger seat and remained silent as Hux pulled away into the Saturday lunchtime traffic.

"What happened?" Hux insisted as Ren took a deep breath.

"I blew it," he said in a low voice.

"You told her about the wager," Hux said sternly. There was a beat and then Ren looked at him.

"How do you…?"

"One of the advantages of now going out with her best friend is that I suddenly get called into emergency romantic conferences," Hux told him shortly. "I explained the rationale that you needed to be pushed to act upon your latent feelings by the bet…but tried to intimate that you were too reticent to reveal them." Ren bowed his head. "Rey admitted that she may have acted hastily…"

"Except…"

"Except she was attacked, an attempted mugging," Hux murmured, changing lanes. "And you rushed in to rescue her-with some success…"

"I lost control," Ren murmured. "She saw me as I was. As the monster."

"You…what?" Hux looked over at him and swerved. A cacophony of horns met his erratic manoeuvre.

"I lost control when he hit her…when he hit me…" Ren mumbled, his voice dripping self-loathing. "I saw red. And I started hitting him. I probably wouldn't have stopped except she asked me to. She pulled me back. And she saw me, twisted by hatred and rage and violence…and she ran. She saw the monster. I blew it."

Mouth gaping like a fish, Hut glanced at his friend and then turned away, focussing on the road as Ren slumped back in the seat

"My record meant they kept me overnight. I'll pay bail. And they'll probably charge me with assault. I'll lose my job and go back to jail. I'll lose it all."

"Rey said she gave a statement. And witnesses. They saw the mugging."

"But you didn't see him," Ren exploded. "What I did to him. He was…a kid! Not much older than she was. And I just lost it when I saw him hit her…" His fists tightened, swollen and bloody knuckles visible against the pale skin. "I would have killed him. Can't you understand? That's why you have to keep away from me!" Hux sighed and pulled up outside Ren's apartment building.

"Ren-you sit in the adjacent office to mine. You work on the same team. I am your friend. And we both knew you had a murky past-well, you are an ex-convict. So forgive me if I don't run at the first sight of trouble. There is a way to fix this-and I am certain that you harbour feelings for her. If you didn't, you wouldn't have got so mad when you saw her hurt." He switched the engine off.

"It doesn't matter," Ren said, bowing his head. "She ran from me. She saw me for what I am. Soon everyone will know. I'll have to leave. I'll speak to my parents tomorrow. Just give me today to…"

"Not do anything stupid," Hux said, resting a hand on his arm. "Don't do anything. See what happens. If there is an issue in the office, speak to them on Monday-but not before. No offence, Kylo, but you are in no frame of mind to make any rational decisions-and you told me, when we first met, that you were prone to bad choices. So don't make one. Don't make any. Wait and see."

Ren opened the door and silently got out.

"I'll consider your offer," he said despondently. "And Hux? Thank you." Then he walked away as the ginger-haired man shook his head. Sighing, he drove away, wondering how he could possibly explain this to Rose.

Arriving at his apartment, Kylo felt his spirits plummet to his boots. He had left the previous evening in a state of…if not excitement, then possible optimism. And now he returned in the depths of despair, have driven Rey away and revealing his true face to her. He had been arrested and spent the night in the cells-which had raised some horrific memories-and he guessed he would end up forfeiting the chances he had been granted by his family.

Anger knotted his chest and he balled his fist. Desperate to drown the pain in his heart, he punched the wall over and over until his hand was agonising. He knew he had broken bones. The plaster was dented and smeared with blood and nothing had changed.

He had gone on his first Valentine's date and ruined his life. He had lost any chance with Rey and could go back to jail. And that would mean that Snoke would finally find him-and it would all be over.

Could things get any worse?