Chapter 29

Rey woke feeling groggy and with a killer headache. If she didn't know any better she would have sworn she spent the night breathing in exhaust fumes from a speeder.

Taking a look around, she saw that she was alone in the bedroom. Kylo's bed was made with the same precision she had come to expect from the First Order. Everything was in its proper place, all sharp edges and crisp lines. Rey left her pallet in a heap. After all, what was the point of making her bed when she was just going to climb into it again?

For a second, Rey contemplated jumping in to Kylo's bed just to mess it up. The thought of his face as he took in her tiny rebellion brought a smile to her lips. However, she didn't act on the impulse. She would never admit it, but she was scared to touch his bed. It seemed like that might cross some kind of line and she was not sure if she was ready to face the fallout of that particular transgression.

Still, that didn't mean that he was going to cower her. Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, Rey strutted out of the bedroom with all the confidence that she could muster. She found Kylo in the dining room. He didn't look up at her as she entered the room. His attention was solely focused in the data pad in his hand.

Deciding to follow his example, Rey plopped down in the chair farthest away from him and surveyed the food options. It was quite a spread. If Rey didn't know any better, she would have thought that more people were going to join them but Kylo didn't seem like the type to socialize more than he had to.

Rey didn't waste any time selecting her food. Like anyone who had ever come close to starvation, Rey would never pass up the opportunity to eat. She selected one of everything. However, when she tried a piece of savory bread she got up for a second slice before she had even finished the first. It was delicious.

"How is your head?"

The questions shocked Rey so much that a piece of food fell out of her mouth. Luckily, Kylo's eyes were still glued to his data pad so he didn't see her little dining faux pas. Quickly closing her mouth and swallowing down the remaining food within it, Rey stuttered a response.

"It feels like a bantha sat on it. What in the name of the seven stars was that?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of Kylo's mouth. He set down the data pad poured himself a cup of coffee. Picking up the cup, he moved to sit next to her. Rey squirmed slightly in her seat. This was getting a little to jovial.

"What do you remember?"

"Not a lot. It is all very fuzzy. At first, I think it was nice. It felt like floating in warm bath water."

Kylo studied her face intently as she spoke.

"Wasn't that what you experienced?"

Kylo paused before answering. "No. My experience was…different. Dark meditation is a highly personal and unique experience. The user's psyche and emotions shape the environment so no two people experience the same thing."

"So, what is it like for you?"

"For me, it is like standing in a burning field."

Rey chocked a little before replying. "That sounds awful."

"It was quite painful at first. I had to learn to control the flames to keep from getting burned. Pain can be incredibly motivator."

The quiet horror of Kylo's words brought Rey back to her senses. This entire situation was madness. They were sitting here, having a seemingly polite conversation over breakfast all the while ignoring the fact that she was his prisoner.

Setting down her fork. Rey decided to confront the issue head on.

"What are we doing here Kylo?" She kept her voice quiet and reasonable. There was no hint of challenge in her tone.

"Right now, you are eating and I am drinking coffee. After you are done, we will begin a series of Force manipulation exercise before moving on to a sparring session."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do. The problem is that you don't. You think you understand who you are, what the rebellion stands for and what the Force is but all of your beliefs are based on incorrect assumptions and lopsided facts."

Kylo's voice became harder the more he spoke and Rey felt her anger growing with each word. Grasping the fork tightly in her hand, she bit out a menacing reply.

"You are insane. I thought it was just Snoke poisoning your mind but that isn't it at all. There is no redemption for you. You want this." Rey rose from her seat and gestured widely about the room. "You want all of this."

Kylo's stare was as hard as obsidian. Without a move or gesture to betray his intent, Rey felt herself flung out of the dining room and into living room. She toppled over the back of a couch but managed to land on her feet, fork still grasped in her hand.

Kylo rose menacingly and stalked towards her. "Fine, we will begin today with the sparing session."

With that, he launched himself into the attack, holding nothing back.

…

Rose told herself for the millionth time not to get annoyed. Finn was just concerned for his friend and he had every right to be worried if he was correct about who took Rey. Rose even liked Rey. While she wouldn't say that they were best friends she admired the young woman's pluck and strength.

It took a set of Phrik balls to steal Snoke's personal escape craft after taking out the Supreme Leader's personal guard.

Still, she didn't like how broody and morose Finn got every time something happened to the baby Jedi. It was like nothing else mattered the second that Rey got into trouble.

"Chewie can't this hunk of junk fly any faster?" It was the same question that Finn had asked the last three times.

Rose interceded before the temperamental Wookie could tear Finn's arms out. Chewie didn't take kindly to anyone insulting the Falcon.

Grabbing Finn by the back of his shirt, Rose pulled him out of the cockpit.

"Hey Rose, what gives?"

"Exactly, what gives? Everyone is doing all that we can to help Rey. Your incessant pestering is not helping matters. There is nothing else we can do except regroup with Leia and the rest of the resistance to plan out next sets. You are driving Chewie and me crazy and if you don't watch yourself you will find yourself floating back to Kashyyyk in an escape pod."

Finn's face twisted into a mask of indignation but before he could respond, Rose hit him with another question. This one stunned him nearly as bad as that time by the escape pods.

"What is the deal with you and Rey anyway? What are you two? Are you like a couple or something? Do you want to be a couple with Rey?"

"What?! No," Finn sputtered.

"Cause you sure act like it. In fact, every time Rey…"

Rose's comments were lost as Finn's mouth locked onto hers. Rose was so shocked that for a moment she didn't move. She couldn't get past the fact that Finn was kissing her. Her, not Rey.

Before Rose could really get into the kiss, Finn broke away.

Taking a deep breath, Finn replied "No, I am not interested in Rey like that. She is my friend. The first real friend that I ever had. She was the first person to look at me like I was a human being and not some cog in the wheel. That matters to me. She matters to me, and I need you to be okay with that if this is going to go any further."

Now it was Rose's turn to be at a loss. Her mind couldn't seem to process how that tables had turned on her. She was still stuck on the fact that he had kissed her.

Finn was looking down at her with an intense expression. Clearly, he was waiting for a response. Bringing her hand to her mouth and blinking several times, Rose came up with the wittiest, most eloquent response she could muster. "Okay," she mumbled.

"Good," Finn replied before kissing her again and moving back into the cockpit.

Rose stayed out in the hallway for several more moments before deciding to check on the damper fields. Yeah, she told herself. She had planned to check on the damper fields all along. It wasn't just because they were as far away from the cockpit and incidentally Finn as she could get. They just really needed to be checked.