Wednesday dawned grey and miserable. A freezing fog filled the valley and crept into the cabin under the front door and down the chimney; the dampness inside doing more to make things uncomfortable than the cold did. Kylo had banked the fire the night before, but obviously not enough to combat the bitter chill. Outside, its supercooled droplets froze as soon as they touched anything, leaving a layer of ice around the doors and windows and hanging from every external point. Kylo woke to the crashing sounds of a tree brought down by the weight of ice on its boughs, and the shout from Rey as she heard it.

"Today's going to be bad," Kylo called as he dressed himself as quickly as he could in the darkened room. The wan glow through the skylight was filtered through the layer of ice that covered it. "I'll get the fire going – don't try getting up until the place is a bit warmer."

He put his coat on downstairs, then went to get to the last of wood on the porch. It took him three or four shoves to get the door to open, the ice that had cemented it in place cracking as Kylo broke through. The wood also had a thin layer of ice on it, but he was able to prise most of it off. There would be enough dry wood underneath to get the fire going at least, and he could stack the ice-covered pieces beside it. Cruel though the day was, he would have to haul another load down from the woodpile. At least today the snakes would be as immobile as they could get.

He was bringing the armful of wood through the door when he heard a cry from upstairs. Dropping the logs on the kitchen floor, he unholstered his gun and raced up the stairs. He burst through Rey's door, his heart racing and his eyes looking everywhere for the threat. Instead, Rey was sitting up in bed, her face red and her eyes bright.

"I heard something."

"I … I was dozing. I had a bad dream." She was wearing some sort of fluffy concoction that must have been too hot as she had unzipped the front all the way down. The edges were just far enough apart that her breasts were showing, small and perfect, flushed and erect. The dream must have been truly terrible.

"Oh." He holstered his gun, and backed out as she pulled the quilt up higher, covering most of the view. "Tell me about it at breakfast, if you want. I should have the heat up in a quarter hour."

He grabbed his towel and clean clothes before heading downstairs, trying to dispel the concern about his charge. She might be an adult, but she wasn't that far off childhood. The stress of the contract, being dragged up the mountains by a man she had never met before, being isolated from her friends and classmates – if all she was having were nightmares, she was fortunate beyond belief.

It didn't take long to pick the wood up from the kitchen floor. It had been built of the same stone that made up the hearth and fireplace, and the foundations of the cabin itself. Dropping a load of wood on the floor was far more detrimental to the wood than the flagstones, and this wasn't the first time a log had splintered into myriad pieces.

The fire was still smouldering from where he had banked it the night before, but only just. Kylo thanked his arsonist tendencies over the years as he carefully placed dry bark and thin slivers of shattered wood over the coals and breathed gently, bringing the glow up to a bright light then a tiny flame which took the offered fuel and grew rapidly. While the edges of a couple of the logs were damp, most were dry enough that he just heaped them on, knowing they'd burn well. He was more worried about ice than snow on the roof, but it wouldn't hurt to clear the buildup again, even if it meant he'd be outside in this bitter weather. He headed for a hot shower, confident in the knowledge that by the time he came out, the house would be a great deal warmer.

He passed Rey on the stairs as she headed for her own morning ablutions. She had a dressing gown on over her nightwear, which seemed to be fluffy all over if the fabric on her shins and feet was any indication.

"Oatmeal?"

"Please. It'll be perfect today." She couldn't meet his eyes, and he wondered how terrible the dream had been. Hopefully a warm shower and a hot breakfast would help calm her down.

It didn't. She ate her oatmeal slowly, and grimaced at the coffee, taking a while to drink it. The light outside faded even more, and the sound of the snow coming off the roof a half hour later made her jump and look as if she were going to cry.

Kylo's heart sank at the sight of her, dark rings around her puffy eyes. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"

"No … yes. Sort of." She stared down into her mug, seeking answers in the swirls.

"Is it because of what happened at your house? Plutt's death? The contract?"

Her shoulders dropped a little. "I wish I was back there. That's some of it – I know I'm here for my safety, but I can't help thinking I'd be safer back in Naboo. I could move into Poppy's place for a while. He has excellent protection."

"About that." Kylo took a deep breath, and decided that some orders needed to be disobeyed. Besides, which would be worse – being told your grandfather was ill and possibly dying then finding out he had died, or suddenly being told he was dead. "You can't go to your grandfather's house. It's not safe there either."

"He has Hux! And Snoke!" She looked up now, her eyes like those of a frightened deer trying to negotiate with a hunter. "What could get past them?"

"Rey?" He reached across the table and took both her hands in his. They were lost inside his large fists, her fingers barely filling the space. He held them firmly, his thumb gently rubbing the webbing between her thumb and palm. "He has the virus."

She gasped, and turned her hands to hold his. "How bad?" He paused, and she gripped tighter. "Don't lie to me. He told you not to tell me, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"How bad?"

"He thinks he's dying." Now it was his eyes that couldn't meet hers. "He might be right. He doesn't want to go to hospital, but if he gets worse, he might have to."

"I have to go back."

"No, you can't, Rey. If you do, if you go to his house, you are in danger. You'll catch it. You could die as well."

"But I need to look after him!"

"Miss Phasma's looking after him. And Hux. And the chances are high that they've got the virus too. No, you're much safer here." Finally he could look at her. It was her safety he was worried for, and as bodyguard, he was as responsible for protecting her from a virus as from a bullet. "I don't want you to die."

He said the words meaning I will keep you safe, but as soon as he said them, he knew he also meant I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. He had been given the responsibility for this woman's life as a job. Now, it was personal.

"I feel so helpless here." She shook her head. "I've been … powerless … so often. And when I am, bad things happen. If I could do something, make something happen… That's the nightmares I have. I'm frozen, terrified, held down or too scared to move, and something's coming for me. Something I can't stop. I could, if I could do something, but when I can't, the fear holds me."

"Things happened?"

She nodded, once more looking down onto the table. His heart breaking for her, Kylo went around to sit beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She put her head down on the table and he could tell from the shaking of her shoulders that she was crying.

"You don't have to tell me. Unless you want to." She shook her head, and he stroked her hair as he continued. "But I can teach you some things, show you ways to make you less passive. That's one of the worst things, I've noticed. If you're afraid and you freeze, you're helpless. Can I teach you ways to keep moving?"

Finally she nodded and raised her head, wiping her eyes with her hand. "Yes. Please. I'd like that. Everything I do, it's about not doing something. I need to change that."

"Then we'll start when you've finished your breakfast."

"Do I get to use your gun?"

"What? NO!" He pulled back, checking automatically that it was still in its holster.

"Why not?"

Sighing, he pulled it out, opened the chamber and shook the bullets out, checked there wasn't one in the barrel, and handed it to her. As he expected, she almost dropped it.

"You can barely hold it now. When it fires, it has one hell of a kick. You'd probably break your wrists."

"Show me."

He was about to object, then reconsidered. "After breakfast. I'll help you fire it once, to satisfy your curiosity. But that'll be it."

"Because it's dangerous?"

"Because it's illegal here. I really shouldn't even have it here in the National Park, but I need it for my job. We'll shoot at a tree.

"Okay. Thank you." She handed the gun back, and he reloaded it. Accidents don't happen by being too careful.

"If I was to have a gun, what sort should I have?"

"I don't think you should."

"You don't think women should have guns?"

"Not that. Not that at all. But I think that for the meantime, while all this is happening, you're safer without one." She gave him a look of extreme disbelief, and he took the chance to smooth back a lock of hair that had fallen onto her face. "Look, people with guns feel cocky. Especially if they're not properly trained."

"You trained?"

"Yes." At the Academy. "But a lot of the people you see with guns feel like just carrying one is a magical protection against danger. They're certain that if they're in a situation with a rampaging shooter, like one of those mass shootings you hear about, they'll definitely be able to take out the gunman. Most of the time, it means they stay standing when they should be taking cover, or they're wildly firing while the other person has a bead on them. If you don't have a gun, you'll try and get out of danger. You'll run, or hide. A much better option."

"What about if I found a hiding place and then tried to shoot back?"

"Well, yes, that would work, but that's not how most people act. They think that guns make them into this big, macho hero. It really makes them into ballistic targets. So no, until you've been properly trained, you don't get a gun."

She handed the revolver back reluctantly, then looked out the kitchen window to the snow behind the house. "So we need to go out in that?"

"'Fraid so. We need the wood, and I should clear the snow. I won't die. It's not that cold."

"I suppose. And it would be foolish to fire the gun inside."

"Foolish and deafening."

"I'll get my coat."

Kylo pinned a piece of paper to a tree that stood against the hill. With their backs to the house, he showed her first how to do it.

"Rules first. When someone hands you a gun, no matter what they've said or done, assume it's loaded. Even if you know it's empty, check it anyway. Do not put your finger on the trigger until you're ready to fire. Never point it at anything you don't want hurt or destroyed – whether it's another person, or your mother's favourite vase."

"I sense a story there."

"Concentrate." He opened the cylinder and showed her the bullets in their chambers. "This one is loaded and ready to go. Also, last rule: when shooting, make sure you know what's behind your target. The tree is fine, because it backs onto the slope. Now, just feel the weight."

Rey took the gun, and he saw her brace. Looking up at him, she grimaced. "I see what you mean."

He took it back carefully, then stood beside her and raised the gun to point at the tree.

"This is a double-action revolver. That means there are two ways to fire it. If I pull the hammer right back, I can pull the trigger with only a little force." The gun fired immediately, echoing through the valley. Twenty feet away from them, the piece of paper showed a large black spot slightly below its centre. "You never leave the hammer like that. While I would be surprised if it were easily knocked, you really don't want it to be that vulnerable. These guns don't have a safety, but as long as they're not cocked, they take a lot of effort.

Now that the hammer was against the pin, he lifted the gun again and fired it twice, the cylinder moving around each time. Two more marks showed on the paper. "Did you see how much more I had to pull? That's because it has to move to the next chamber each time."

"I saw."

"Your turn. Come here." He moved so that he was facing the target with her between his arms. Handing her the gun with the business end pointing towards the tree, he helped position her hands, one holding the gun and the other supporting her wrist. "We'll do the single action first. Is your finger on the outside of the trigger guard?"

She wiggled it to prove. "Yes. So I pull the hammer back?"

"Until it clicks." She did so, and he nodded. "Now, take a deep breath, point the nozzle towards the target, and gently squeeze the trigger."

"How hard … OH!" The gun discharged and kicked up hard. It was only Kylo's firm grip and anticipation that stopped the butt of the gun slamming into Rey's face. Rey gasped, and almost dropped the gun, but managed to hold onto it. "You're right. That could have been nasty."

"Do you want another?"

"Let me try." She took another deep breath, lifted the gun and squeezed the trigger. This time, from the resting position, the hammer moved very slowly back until it reached its zenith, then fired. She only managed the one shot, letting the gun sag down afterwards, but at least this time she had managed the recoil quite well.

There were no new marks on the paper.

"I see what you mean. My arms ache already." She went to hand the gun back to him, then stopped and flipped out the cylinder. "So one round left."

Kylo took the revolver and emptied out the cylinder, putting the spent jackets in his pocket and reloading it. "I prefer to keep it ready to go at all times."

"I'll remember that."

"For you, try and have something to rest the gun on. It'll help reduce that kick, and make you more likely to hit something. But we can try that another day. And the rules are, Kitten?"

"Always check to see if it's loaded, don't point it at anything you don't want to hurt, finger outside the trigger guard until you're about to fire, and check behind your target." She waited until he had reholstered it, then hugged him hard. "That was awesome. I've never done anything like that. Thank you."

Hugging her back felt wonderful, and he only reluctantly let her go. "I need to shovel that snow. Did you need anything out here?"

"You said there were some tools under the cabin."

"Over here." He led her back to the cabin, their arms around each other like a pair of victorious wingmen after a dogfight. On the side of the cabin, cut into the stone foundation, was a slatted wooden door with a combination lock on it. "Most of the larger tools are inside here – take what you need. The magic number is FN2187."

"Thanks. I'll have a look then I think I'll go back inside. I've got a huge set of exercises to do, and it's freezing here."

"Throw some more wood on the fire? What's there should last us until I get this next lot down. I'm going to stay out as briefly as I can get away with."

"I'll make sure there's some soup ready when you come in." She hugged him again, then bent to the trap door as he went to get the wood while things were still cold.

The woodheap was deathly quiet as he removed the wood as carefully and quickly as he could. There was still a good five feet between him and the snake pile, but he knew how fast they could move if they wanted to. As far as he could tell, none of them were awake, and he preferred it that way, but he did pick up one thing that caught his eye, and tucked it in his pocket. The new barrowload of wood was quickly stacked beside the house, and he made as fast work of shovelling the snow as he could before the melt solidified. This was unlike the snow he had shovelled on Sunday. That had been light and fluffy, easily scooped and tossed. This was icy, recalcitrant and obstreperous, and Kylo realised he would need to dump it further away from the side of the house else he would be building a snowbank that would block access until spring. By the time he finally finished, his shoulders were aching and he was thoroughly anticipating a long hot shower and soup for lunch.