Thanks for continuing on this journey with me :)
Now, y'all jumped on that baby bandwagon, didn't you?
... Here's where I would insert a gif of some wise words from Master Luke Skywalker
There are some time jumps with this chapter. I hope it isn't too confusing.
Crimson Lane - Chapter 26 - Pieces
Winter changed into spring and with it small bundles of hope that made each day pass a little easier than the last. Within a month of Ben returning to jail, the knights of Ren were rounded up, arrested and placed in a different jail across the other side of town.
And through good behaviour, Ben had finally earned the privilege of receiving phone calls from the outside world, up to three times a week for 15 minutes each.
At 3 pm, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Rey slipped away to the grass area in front of her apartment and paced barefoot, waiting for the call to connect.
"Hello?" Rey spoke quickly. "Yes, connect me to prisoner 5831, please. That's right, Ben Solo. It's his girlfriend. Yes—I'll hold."
She was getting used to the stern woman on the other end, having called her twice this week. She was abrupt and gave the never-ending sense that everything was far too much effort. But she'd deal with the devil himself if it meant she could talk to Ben.
It was a surprisingly humid day for Spring and with every step, Rey could feel the trickle of sweat beading down her back. She waited for him, heart pounding in her chest and the roar of waves playing in the background. She stared into the horizon where a storm was brewing, a high anvil cloud looming overhead, flashing dully above a cast-iron sea. She loved days like these, they had their own life about them.
The phone clicked, and Rey beamed at the familiar voice on the other end.
"Rey," Ben dragged out her name. "What did you do?"
She smirked. "Did something happen?"
"You know exactly what happened. Armitage Hux was dragged in here both kicking and screaming this morning."
Rey couldn't hold back her smile. "Oh, you got yourself a little friend?"
"I wouldn't go that far," he scoffed, and Rey pictured him smiling into the phone, that crooked eyetooth winking at her. "How did you guys manage to find that slippery eel anyway? The cops said it was a tip-off."
Rey sat on a faded yellow deck chair, one leg crossed over the other, the cool ocean breeze making her hair whip around her face.
"Can you believe it wasn't even me? Rose found him." Rey forced back a chuckle, thinking back to Rose's manic call. "Hux's cat went viral."
"What!?" She heard a cross between a grunt and a laugh, and her heart pulled at the sound of it.
"I'm serious. She was watching Funniest Cat Home Videos on YouTube and there was a clip of this fat ginger cat falling onto a sail shade from a third-story apartment and Armitage Hux screaming at the bottom trying to catch him."
Ben's laughter rang out like he couldn't get a breath in and Rey started giggling herself.
"Was he okay?" Ben asked.
"The cat? Yes. Armitage, not so much. The cat was so terrified he clawed his face."
"Now I know what caused the scratch marks."
"You can tell him he's famous now. Poe recognised the street from the video and from there it wasn't long before we were able to tip the cops off as to his whereabouts."
In the background, Rey heard the low growl of one of the guards, giving them a 30-second warning.
"Did you get your— " he struggled to say the word.
"I got it yesterday." Rey adjusted her underwear, the second day was always her heaviest. " I told you it would be okay."
"Thank God for that."
"I have no regrets, do you?"
He chuckled. "None at all."
In the background, the correctional officer ordered them to finish.
Ben went quiet. He always did at this point. The moment where they crashed back to reality.
"It makes my day, you know, hearing your voice," he said, words soft, almost like he was hiding them behind his hand.
"Mine too." A gust of wind rushed in from the ocean and the bi-fold doors slapped open and closed. She rushed to fasten them, aware that every second of silence was a second wasted.
"Say something."
She hesitated, searching for words. "I love you."
There was a quick exhale on the other end of the line and she hung on in silence, waiting.
And at last: "I know."
"Say it back, you dick!"
He laughed again and Rey's eyes began to pool. She wished she could see him laughing, it would never be enough just to hear it.
"Love you back, sweetheart."
Over the next three months, Rey worked diligently on the Snoke story, along with Poe and Finn. With some off-the-books help from Dom, they managed to create a pretty clear picture of Snoke's operations, including his brutal recruitment strategy, where he blackmailed his employees to stay until they were no longer needed. Before Ben, the only other Knights that left the order seem to have disappeared from existence or were forcibly removed, which also coincided with some career-destroying scandal.
In the summer, a new visitor arrived at the Island. Rey had watched the seaplane land with a few skips on the ocean before it taxied to the wharf and a tall and slender woman stepped onto the dock, dressed entirely in white, with black shoes and a large-brim black hat and glasses. She exuded class and sophistication, and Rey was fascinated by the sight of her. She approached the resort, dragging a pair of rose-gold designer suitcases and Rey balked at the colour of her hair, brilliant lavender styled in a 1920s faux bob.
"Ah, she's here!" Leia exclaimed at the breakfast table. "Amilyn, over here!"
At the sight of Leia waving, Amilyn tore her hat off and waved it back.
Rey would soon learn this powerhouse of grace, was one Amilyn Holdo, the most sought after criminal lawyer in Coruscant, and Leia's oldest friend.
"This is Ben's girlfriend, Rey," Leia said and Amilyn extended her hand.
She stared at it briefly; so this is the woman who could change their future.
Rey met her handshake enthusiastically and was surprised to find Amilyn's hold was loose and warm. It shouldn't have made her panic, but it did. Ben needed someone strong enough not to take his shit, to fight the devil and his demons for him. Would this woman be up for the challenge?
"My client speaks a lot about you," Amilyn told her with a smile that came through equally to her eyes. Rey noted the refined lilt of her accent, it sounded like she'd spent her young adult life bouncing between the world's most prestigious universities, which, she later learnt, wasn't far from the truth.
Rey blushed. She always did, when it came to Ben.
"Did Leia tell you we go to trial next month?"
"Already?" Rey's heart skipped a beat. She'd spoken to Ben every day this week and not once had he mentioned a trial date, or even that he'd gotten a lawyer.
"Yes, with the Knights of Ren arrested and the State vs the Estate of Alaistair Snoke trial, it was pushed forward. I thought he might have told you though."
"I— no, he hadn't mentioned it."
Amilyn's eyes narrowed and Rey had never felt so naked. She shrunk back in her chair, aware that the lawyer was scrutinising her every move.
"I mean, it hasn't come up yet. I'm sure he was planning on—" Amilyn quirked her head to the side, appearing keenly interested in Rey's body language.
You know, don't you? Rey thought. You know everything.
"Leia, I think it would be a good idea if Rey and I had a quick chat." Amilyn held her hand out expectantly. "Come for a walk with me?"
Rey glanced at Leia, and the older woman nodded, slowly. "We'll have lunch ready for when you get back."
"Excellent," Amalyn clapped her hands together and Rey stood to go with her
"She's very stubborn," Leia called out as they left.
The women paused, glancing at each other.
"Is she talking about me or you?" Rey asked.
"Both, I imagine."
On the beach, they kicked off their shoes and made their way to the waterfront where the sand was firmer. Amilyn hiked her dress pants above her knees and Rey tied her sheer black skirt by her thigh. The ocean was quiet today, lapping at their toes, the only noise was the swish of waves upon the sand and the blow-fly buzz of jet ski engines somewhere far in the distance.
Rey dawdled, staring at the shifting line between the water and sand, very aware that Amilyn continued to study her.
"I imagine this has been hard for you," she said at last.
"Of course." Rey shrugged her shoulders, still staring ahead. She'd never met a lawyer before, nevermind one of the country's most respected criminal lawyers. Everything she'd seen on television had made her believe they were cunning and only after the big paychecks that came with cases like this. But perhaps, being Leah's friend, this one was different.
"You miss him." Amilyn's lips pressed in a warm smile. "But I imagine that's not why it's hard."
"I'm not sure what you mean." Rey pushed down the nauseous feeling in her stomach. The one that swelled whenever she thought about the reason why Ben was in prison.
"It's not fair of Ben to expect you to wait here." Amilyn put her sunglasses on, they were purple-rimmed, just like her hair, dotted with tiny diamonds.
"I'm not planning on waiting here. When Leia and Han go to the mainland for the trial, I'll be going with them."
"He won't like it."
Rey kicked sand into an oncoming wave with a little more force than intended.
"Then he shouldn't have told the world he was Kylo Ren. Let's keep walking, shall we?"
Amilyn gave her a sly smile. "Ben's underestimated you. But that's typical for a man. They can never shake off that whole damsel in distress idea. Little do they realise, their damsel probably has her own ideas of how things are going to play out. Wouldn't you say?"
Rey stared ahead. "Is there much hope for him to get out of this?"
Amilyn's face pulled into that sympathetic expression, brows knitted together and a soft smile. "It will depend on many things. The judge, witnesses, how the Snoke case is progressing. It wasn't long ago that the bastard was winning awards for being a good citizen."
Rey mulled all of this over. They still had time. Another month and every day new information came out about Snoke and the First Order. But what if it still wasn't enough?
She hesitated. "If things go badly, I'm not going to just sit by."
"Rey," Amilyn stretched out her name, but once again there was gentleness and empathy to her voice.
"No. I won't have this on my conscience!" Rey snapped, Surprisingly, Amilyn didn't look put out at all by her outburst. If anything, she looked pleased.
"I won't do it unless I need to. I know it would destroy him after everything he's done to keep me safe but if they're going to put him away for years and years. I can't—"
"We'll avoid that if we can. Meanwhile, there is something you could do to help."
Rey paused. "Anything!"
"What do you know about Phasma Christie?"
The next month dragged. Tourist season was coming into its autumn lull and Rey was reaching the limit of digging she could do into Snoke and the First Order from Bespin. She still spoke to Ben every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but as the trial came closer their conversations were getting difficult. Ben was quiet and moody, even snapping at her on occasion, and each time she'd bite her tongue knowing the pressure he was facing. He never once mentioned the trial, and Rey suspected that he hoped she didn't know about it. To this, she played along, knowing anything else would have stressed him out.
Two days before the trial, Lando pulled up in his luxury yacht, the Lady Luck, and they packed their bags for the mainland.
The journey was an eight-hour boat ride across choppy, pewter seas. Once they arrived, Rey stepped onto the mainland, feeling like she was still walking on waves and clinging to the railing.
"What time is it?"
"Almost twelve," Leia replied.
Three more hours until she could call him.
Leia and Han taxied to the office of the Hosnian Herald. It should have been thrilling walking through those doors and showing her press pass, but all she could think about was Ben and the trial.
Poe gave her a quick hug and told her she looked like shit before he took her on a tour of the building. Rey nodded and smiled, and said pleased to meet you on cue, but inwardly was counting everything second until she could excuse herself and call Ben.
Finally, in the middle of a tour of the graphic's department, Rey gasped when she checked her phone and Poe rolled his eyes.
"Go call him."
"Thank you!" she said, excitedly. "I won't be long."
"Use the roof. It should be quiet up there."
Rey took the old elevator to the top of the fourth floor, from there she travelled up a dimly lit staircase leading to a large fire door. She pushed it with a sharp shove. It screeched, metal against metal, putting her nerves right on edge. The exposed roof was a tired and weathered area; cigarette butts lined the floor, a couple of pot plants were parched dry — most of them doubling as an ashtray.
But it would do.
Rey looked out over the city. The Hosnian Herald building was five stories high, so while she was still dwarfed by skyscrapers, the building was elevated enough that she could still see much of the city. Down below the streets were busy, and in the distance, she recognised the roof and courtyard of the Taco Dana Restaurant.
Shit, she'd forgotten about that place. She hadn't even said goodbye to Jess or handed Kennedy a letter of resignation. Images flashed in her mind, Ben and Snoke at the table, Rey's horror at seeing them there and suggesting Ben order a crab taco. He'd given her such an irritated smile at the time. How she'd hated him so much at that moment. Looking back they seemed like two other people, strangers from a lifetime ago.
Towards the east, there was a collection of low-rise buildings and terrace houses. Mustafar. She squinted, trying to make out the brothel, but the grey rooves all blended into one from here.
That shady part of the city would always fill her with contradiction. It was like she'd walked through hell and found herself a soul mate — speaking of which, she dialled the number of the jail, waiting as the phone rang.
The receiver picked up and she immediately recognised the low no-nonsense tone of the female officer on the other end.
"This is Rey, calling for Ben Solo, 5831."
"Hold." The phone line went dead and Rey waited. This was always the moment she dreaded most; when her body began to betray her: heartbeat racing and pulse throbbing. It was taking a long time. Rey watched the seconds pass on her watch with a growing sense of unease.
She paced, running her hand along the cement barrier, avoiding pigeon poo dotted along the top. Someone had scribbled Fuck You, Capitalism! and Rey traced the letters as she waited, wishing to hell that he'd pick up already.
There was a click.
"Hello." The voice was gravelly and low.
"Ben, is that you?"
He cleared his throat. "Yeah."
In the distance, Rey spotted a grey shape swooping down from the sky, her eyes darted to it, watching the falcon circle on the hunt for a fresh kill that wouldn't even know it was coming.
"Luke said you were sick."
There was a grunt. "Yeah."
"Is that why you couldn't speak last week?"
Rey watched the bird again, swooping at something she couldn't see, waiting for Ben to answer.
"Yes."
She rubbed her elbow. "You sound … are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Liar. In the months that had passed, she'd come to find Ben's moods pretty erratic, which wasn't surprising considering. Some days he would be cold and aloof, others ecstatic and romantic and then like this, depressed and quiet.
She tried to change the subject.
"You won't guess where I am?"
"No idea." Her chest tightened. She tried to ignore it. "I'm on the roof of the Hosnian Herald! Can you believe it?"
She waited, the horn from a commuter bus bleated from below as it pulled into traffic, cutting off a number of cars. The metal of the fire door screeched against the trim again as another employee came out for a break, bundled up in a grey trench coat and lighting a cigarette. Smoke swirled around her and she wrinkled her nose, trying to move away.
He released a long, strained breath. "What are you doing there?"
Cold. How could he be so cold?
"I'm here for the trial."
"Fuck, Rey!" he spat. "I told you not to come."
Her cheeks burned and she covered her hand over her mouth to keep their conversation private. "I want to support you. We all do. Your mum and dad are here too."
"Why didn't you stay where you were?"
"I—" Tears pricked at her eyes and the cityscape blurred below. "I wanted to see you. I thought I could come for visiting hour tomorrow."
Silence.
"If you wanted me to that is."
"One minute left," the guard's voice echoed in the background.
She pushed away her growing panic. "Do you want me to come?"
"I wanted you to stay on Bespin. I didn't want to you to—fuck!" He shouted the last word, and she heard the guard growl his name in warning.
"I'm sorry," Rey murmured, blindsided by his reaction. She tried not to let out the weak little sob that was harbouring in her chest, but it came anyway.
"Are you crying?"
"No," she said, sniffing.
"Look, Rey, I don't know what you're hoping for but the trial isn't going to go well."
"How do you know—"
"And I don't want you to hear about all the shit I've done. Are you prepared for that? To hear about every bone I've broken, every person's face I've smashed? Do you want to hear in detail about how I blew Lor San Tekka's fucking brains out," he was talking quickly and quietly now. "Do you think you can really hear all that and still want to be with me?"
"Time!" the guard's voice came in the background.
"I gotta go," he said, despondent. "Amilyn didn't ask you to testify, did she?"
"No, of course not." The door slammed again and the smoker was gone, although the smoke still lingered in a hazy cloud, burning her throat.
"Good," Ben said. "And promise me you won't come."
"Time!" the guard repeated, and this time she heard the sound of something hard smacking on metal.
"Rey?"
"Time!"
"Would you just fucking wait!?" He had that tone in his voice, the one that came before everything was eclipsed by his anger. "Promise me, damn it!"
The door screeched again, this time it was Finn popping his head out to look for her.
Rey quickly wiped her eyes.
"Rey?" Ben asked, and her heart broke at the panic in his voice.
"I—" The line went dead and Rey stared at the blank phone in her hand, trembling.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded, quickly, blinking away the tears. "Is it time for our meeting?"
Finn nodded and she breathed.
Push it down, push it all away.
It was something she knew how to do: compartmentalise, conceal and continue.
"Sure you're okay, peanut?"
She turned back to Finn, eyes dry, and a smile beaming. "I'm great. Let's go."
"This case is going to go terribly unless we have someone who was there the night Snoke died." Poe raked his fingers through his thick, curly hair, twisting a cold cup of coffee in his hands.
"I was there."
"Someone other than you."
Rey sunk in her chair. Here she was at the Hosnian Herald, sitting opposite the editor chair, while dozens of reporters tapped away on their keyboards, and conducted phone interviews. It should have been the best day of her life but the pain of her interaction with Ben was still there.
The glass door to Poe's office was in constant motion as a steady stream of people bustled in and out.
"Poe, what do you think of one of these as the front-page photo?" A young photographer with bangs and a polka-dot dress leaned over his desk as she flicked through a dozen images on her camera and Poe narrowed his eyes at them all, mumbling to himself.
"Can you try and find a photo of him not looking like a dementor?"
Rey raised an eyebrow.
"Your boy's trial is big news and we're going to lead with it tomorrow."
"You can't do that!"
"I know he's your boyfriend and all, but we gotta run with it. Every other news outlet will be doing the same thing. It's fair and unbiased reporting, Rey. I shouldn't need to remind you about that."
He leant forward, glasses slipping down his nose as he flicked through his emails.
"Fair and unbiased," she scoffed. "You really think the Ilum Times is going to do that?"
"We will. And who knows, perhaps an exclusive with his girlfriend might help. You could tell them how he cries when he makes love to you—"
"Forget it!" she snapped, and Poe started laughing.
Finn bustled in then, carrying lots of folders and a laptop. As he went to sit, he took one look at Rey and dumped them on Poe's desk crossly. "You didn't."
Poe sipped his coffee with a shrug, only to realise it was stone-cold and spat it out in the trash can.
"Ex-hooker teams up with Snoke's personal hit guy and falls in love. It's gold."
"Ignore him."
"I usually do," Rey said, trying to smirk but the corners of her lips fell.
"Why am I still paying you both?"
"Because no one else can stand you?" Rey snapped back and Poe laughed.
They'd been working together for six months now, but today was the first time they'd done it in the same space. Usually, their morning meetings were held over Zoom. In those days, the witty banter and excitement of what they were trying to achieve gave Rey enough fuel to face the rest of the day alone knowing that every second of it she spent fighting for Ben.
Finn pulled his chair closer and leaned over Poe's desk, looking through the many papers he'd dumped over the top of it.
"So final tally, what do we have?" Poe asked.
"Ordering the terror bombing on Resistance HQ, blackmail and bribery, specifically related to the government security contract, attempted murder by car bombing, assault, rape, grooming minors to work with him … to be honest, we could be here all day," Finn said.
"And what do we have specifically on Ben?"
"Our biggest issue is the San Tekka murder, and Snoke, obviously."
Rey opened her mouth to speak at that one, but Poe held his finger up. "Save it."
Poe continued: "there were a few misdemeanours that were still on the USB. That's since been turned over to the police. Word from Holdo's is Enric Pryde's prosecuting."
"What does that mean?" Finn asked.
"It means we're up shit creek without a paddle. Pryde plays dirty and he hates to lose. Plus, he's an Imperial supporter. He's not about to go easy because he's Leia Organa's son."
Rey sighed. "We need something else, something that could sway all of this." Poe tapped his index finger on the table.
"You guys anything?" Finn sat with his arms folded, legs stretched out, gazing out to the left as though he was trying to catch a thought and then to Rey, who was chewing on her lip.
"Amilyn and I talked about trying to get Phasma on the stand. She saw the whole thing," Rey said.
"From past conversations, I seem to recall she was no friend of yours," Poe answered, taping his pen in frantic beats on his table.
"She isn't." Rey thought back to her interactions with the imposing woman. "But she's all we have."
"Are you okay?" Amilyn asked, clearly noticing the way Rey gripped her hands on the car seat.
Rey nodded.
"I didn't realise she lived in Mustafar."
"We're not far now. Close your eyes if it's easier."
It wasn't easier because Rey knew these streets like the back of her hand. She knew the sounds and the smells. The waft of the kebab shop, the soundtrack of sirens and horns. She would always know these streets, from their graffitied boarded up shop windows and trendy open-air cafes, to the women in platform shoes and glitter skirts strolling along the pavement with their cappuccinos and lattes.
And she would know it by the turn off to the small lane ahead on their left.
"Can we drive past? it" Rey asked.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, please. I want to see it."
Amilyn put her blinker on and they turned onto Crimson Lane. They approached the brothel, charcoal-coloured in the evening sun. The curtains were drawn, and the door was still blood red. The light was off. Closed for business. For good, she hoped.
The biggest difference was a line of tape around the perimeter, bright yellow and blue, warning people to stay away: unsafe structure.
"Someone set fire to it about a month and a half ago. It's pretty much just a shell now."
Rey nodded slowly, expecting to feel something, but it was like every emotion had drained away. Her gaze travelled to the top floor: their room.
There was evidence of the fire now, the glass smashed and frame black and broken.
She wondered how it had come to burn.
"Do they know who did it?" Amilyn shook her head. "Probably just an opportunistic arsonist."
The longer Rey stared at Number 12, the more it seemed to suck her in, like she was watching the heart of a fire, twisting and burning with red flame and ash. She couldn't look away.
"Rey—" Amilyn said from some distant part of her mind.
How could one find peace looking at the place that had infiltrated her mind at night with the most horrific nightmares, playing over and over and over again in her mind?
And yet, such beauty she had found there, healing, forgiveness.
Amilyn placed a hand on her knee and Rey turned to face her, surprised to feel her face was wet with tears.
"Are you ready to go?"
Rey sniffed and nodded. "Yes, I'm done."
They continued their drive, away from the red-light district to a narrow street dotted with parking metres and Jacaranda trees.
"So, you think she lives there?" Amilyn asked, peering out at the two-story terrace house.
"I hope so."
It was nothing special, rusty-coloured bricks and terracotta tiles. It was a modern re-creation of the original terrace designs, with their ornate ironwork and cement walls. Along the street, there were bars on the windows of the lower floors, and some on the doors. But Phasma had none of those, as if to say to the world she could take on anyone.
They waited. The street was quiet, apart from the gentle twit of swallows flitting in and out of the eaves.
Rey tapped her fingers on the window frame nervously. "I spoke to Ben today."
Amilyn sipped her coffee, leaving a line of bright red lipstick on the rim of the paper cup. "I imagine that was pleasant."
Rey turned in time to catch Amilyn's smirk, disappearing as she sipped her drink. "He's been a snarky prat for the past month. Trust me, when I say you get him on his best behaviour."
Rey thought back to the conversation, to the tone of his voice: distant, defensive … caged.
"He's scared." She picked some twigs and grime out of the window slit. "I don't—"
The door of the townhouse opened and they froze as a tall, slender woman with short blonde hair and a silver, velvetine tracksuit came out the door and over to the mailbox.
"Go, go, go!" Amilyn hissed.
Rey jumped out of the car and made a beeline to meet her.
"Phasma!" The woman stopped, blinking once, twice, before turning on her heels to go back to the house.
Rey darted behind her, shadowing her so when they got to the front door, Rey slipped in too.
Phasma didn't pay her any attention, busying herself around the interior: boiling the chrome silver kettle, unpacking a half-empty dishwasher and opening the blinds, as a ginger-coloured cat rubbed up against her calf.
Hux's celebrity cat, Rey thought with a smile.
The terrace house was surprisingly domestic, there were placemats on the table, and a collection of abstract art in deep purple and orange dotted around the room. As she entered the kitchen, she smelt an audacious eau de toilette mixed with the subtle hint of marijuana.
Rey waited, backed up against the wall as the kettle boiled as Phasma poured the hot water into a rose-coloured glass teacup, sitting at the table and watching Rey with oculus sky-blue eyes.
Even now, in this small kitchen, the woman ruled her space like a goddess. Rey was determined not to let this game of silence intimidate her and with a shrug of her shoulders, she sat down and waited.
Phasma sipped the tea, gaze fixed out the window. Rey watched her unblinking, her fingers twitching to move, to play with the strip of fabric of her shirt, to pick at her nails or tap on the table.
But no, she kept them folded, legs crossed, shoulders straight. She would not be intimidated, not anymore.
Phasma placed the teacup on the table, dabbing at her lipstick with a small tissue she had stowed away in her pocket, and when she glimpsed at Rey again it was with an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. I'll bite. How's Kylo?"
Rey stiffened, she'd almost forgotten that name and everything it represented.
"Oh, like that, is it?" Phasma chuckled, taking another sip. "You don't need to tell me, I saw him last week. He looked like shit, but then you would know."
Rey looked down into her lap. "I haven't seen him."
Phasma smirked. "Hmm. Well, that's interesting."
"The reason I haven't seen him—" Rey snapped back, her voice a little too high and peevish— "is because I came to see you instead."
"How sweet!"
Phasma flashed her a quick smile, fixing those cold blue eyes on her once more, like a predator waiting to strike.
"You know, I slept with him once."
Rey blinked. Trying not to move, or breathe, or do anything that would show weakness. But Phasma seemed to find something, because she smiled contentedly, her long ring-clad fingers caressing the skin behind her neck.
"He's a brutal lover, like an animal."
Rey's jaw clamped shut, every breath she took whistled through her nose. Is that why Phasma saw him last week, why she warned him to stay away from the brothel, why she'd always seemed to hate Rey and lastly, why she'd let Rey go — to save him?
"You—" Rey reconsidered her words, she needed to be careful. All this time, when Phasma was playing Snoke's pet, had she really just wanted Ben to save her?
Phasma smirked again. "Actually, I don't think I've ever been fucked so hard."
"He's always gentle with me." She met her gaze. It wasn't entirely true, she'd seen that side of Ben too, the part of him that brimmed with fire and passion, an unquenchable urge to hold on, but fuck that there was no way she would share that.
"That's funny. Some nights, I could have sworn he wasn't gentle at all. But you still seemed to like it. I mean, the night he trashed the room—"
The air was growing warm or at least it seemed to, heat licked at Rey's neck and she felt her chest getting blotchy as her temper boiled over.
"Yes, he fucks me hard and I like it. And, other times he's gentle, and I like that too. And every time we talk he tells me how much he loves me, and I tell him the same."
Phasma smiled again, but this time it was tighter, smaller.
"I am sorry for whatever horrible things Snoke did to you, but from what I can see you got your revenge for both of us — 37 times."
Phasma stiffened.
"So, did Hux help you kill him in the end?"
She froze; teacup in hand, the rippling surface the only thing giving away how much she was trembling.
"You have no proof."
"I'm not looking for proof."
Phasma's body relaxed. "Well, there wasn't much to do after you finished with him — before you let Kylo take the fall for you that is."
"We can throw barbs at each other all day. But the fact is you were the only one there that night who can prove this was self-defence."
"And what about you?" Rey looked down at her hands, scratching at each other like something was clawing under her skin.
"He—" Rey blinked quickly. "He doesn't want me at the trial."
Phasma laughed, shrill like a banshee, it made Rey's skin crawl.
"You want me to lie on the stand? To say that Kylo knifed Snoke in the neck when you're just letting him take the fall for something you did. I'm not protecting you."
"I'm not asking you to, I'm asking you to help him," Rey shouted back. "And I'm sure in your whole fucked up existence working with Snoke he has helped you."
Phasma stared at her, face unreadable.
"Please, Phasma. He needs your help. You know what kind of charges he's up against … along with everything else."
Time slowed as Rey waited for an answer, outside she could make out Amilyn's mauve hair in the car, she must have been listening to music as her head bobbed side to side in time with the tap of her fingers.
"Is that his lawyer?" Rey jumped, she hadn't realised Phasma had been watching her also.
"Amilyn Holdo. She's supposed to be very good."
Phasma stared at the woman with a blank expression.
"According to her, we should have a good case for justified homicide, in both cases, considering all the evidence against Snoke and what he has done to Ben-I mean, Kylo, considering Snoke blackmailed him as a minor and what he did to him after he tried to leave the First Order."
Phasma tucked a curl behind her ear, eyes closing.
"I remember that night. Snoke was barbaric. Kylo's lucky he got away with just the scars that he did. Others have suffered much more for much less."
Rey nodded. "Funny; that was another time he suffered for you. He never would have asked to leave Snoke had he not met you."
"I—" Rey's face turned a deep shade of beetroot, the sting of Phasma's words striking her just where she meant them, in the heart, filling her with guilt and shame.
"He was so fucking shaken up by the pathetic girl who slept on a dog bed. The thought of you being forced into sex work ..." Phasma rolled her eyes. "And here you are." She gestured to Rey in a grand motion. "Kylo's little whore, getting away with murder."
Rey stiffened, her jaw locked so tight she felt like she'd crack her teeth. "You might want to reconsider that statement."
They glared at each other. In the distance, the bell of an ice cream truck rang out along with the tinny chimes of Greensleeves. Children would be rushing out to buy soft-serve cones. It was such a contrast to the cold standoff taking place in this dimly-lit kitchen.
Rey had hoped not to find an enemy here. In some warped, idealistic way, she might have found an ally, someone who understood the pain of being held captive within Snoke's cruel grip, to have been enslaved in the most undignified way.
She had not expected to find a jealous lover, rotting in her own bitterness.
Rey stood, scraping her chair along the kitchen tiles. "This is useless."
Phasma was on her feet almost instantly, but Rey didn't wait. Storming to the front door, she'd just opened it when Phasma called out to her.
"I'll do it. Not for you, but for him."
Rey didn't look back.
"Tell your lawyer, I'll play her game, but if Kylo goes down for this—"
"He won't."
"But if he does," Phasma gave her something between a smile and a sneer. "I'm throwing you under the bus, Desert Flower."
Rey gave her a lopsided smirk. "I'll see you in court, madam."
If you made it to the end, well done. Sorry about the Phasma thing. I figured it would have happened once at least with him being a regular paying client and all.
For those of you who are bummed about the no Reylo baby. I am sorry. As a mum of three I get the appeal, but I think Rey and Ben deserve some happy years together before we go down that road.
I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter. Any thoughts, praise or criticism - it's all welcome. If you've enjoyed this story, please be sure to recommend it to others who you may think would like it.
As always find me on on Tumblr ( blog/wayofthepathfinder) or Twitter ( /WayPathfinder).