A/N - Welcome back to the story!

Ben's rooms were much as he'd left them - trashed.

He clearly recalled the last conversation he'd had with Hux in these rooms. The general had informed him that Rey had been spotted with Finn, and that pushed him over the edge.

He'd already destroyed his apartment once after discovering her gone, but this time he'd ripped it to shreds, leveling it. Afterwards, he'd finally given up on his pride and vowed to hunt her down, vowed to make her pay for turning him into this insatiable monster. Instead, she'd quenched the savagery within him.

Now he was standing here, back in the rooms where it had all started, and he could feel the rising bloodlust as it pulsed through him. This time though, it would only be death that satisfied him.

Rose let out a low whistle as she stepped over some broken furniture.

"This Snoke guy must have a temper."

"I did this."

Rose's mouth dropped.

"Why would you… oh. Rey."

"Yes."

Ben nodded to the soldiers and began to pick his way carefully through the debris that littered the floor. The sitting room was in much the same condition as the living room, but as the room Rey had spent the majority of her time in, it was the most devastated. He'd tried to destroy anything that she may have touched, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to ruin it all.

"Wow," Finn breathed.

Ben didn't look back at them. He was not proud of what he'd been then. He had despised the lack of control that consumed him, the death and misery he had rained down upon the innocent. He couldn't take it back though, and right now he welcomed the thrumming power that came with the knowledge that Rey was being threatened, that came with letting the darkness creep in to take control again.

At the door of the suite, he pressed his hands to the wood and his eye to the peehole. He saw nothing out there, and sensed no one as his hands rested on the knob. He turned it bit by bit and stepped into the hallway. There was no one about, but he could hear running footsteps in the massive foyer below and shouts echoed off of the cavernous walls.

There were some walls breaking the openness of the hallway before him, but for the most part it was an open balcony to the main entryway below. They would be far too visible to the soldiers and people beneath them. Unfortunately, it was also the fastest way to the dungeons.

He turned and went the other way, disappearing deeper into the palace as he moved toward the servant's corridor. It would take longer, but this part of the hall was hidden in shadow and sheltered from view by massive walls. He had to turn sideways to make it down the stairs at the far back of the hall.

It didn't become any more comfortable as he finally stepped out of the stairwell and into the hallway the servants used to transport supplies, and had their rooms in. A man, stepping from his room, spotted them. His mouth dropped as recognition lit his eyes.

"Intru…"

Ben snagged hold of him and skewered him with his lightsaber before the man could finish the shout that had started to erupt from his throat. He stepped negligently over the servant's body as he continued down the hall.

Everything seemed to be going to plan, but there was a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't shake. He just had to find Rey, he'd be able to think better and be less on edge if he could just see her and hold her right now.

Ben was moving faster as they accessed another small hallway and the staircase that led to the dungeons. Even as he took the stairs he knew something was wrong, knew that Rey wasn't within the dark cells below.

A low growl escaped him, and his hands trembled as he pulled the door ajar and descended into the dungeon. He could sense her lingering presence, and the clamoring madness inside him was briefly pushed aside as a lump formed in his throat.

Sharp gasps accompanied his sudden arrival. People scurried like cockroaches from the light to the backs of their cells. Ben knew he deserved their terror, but he didn't have time for it.

He stopped before an open cell door, his hand twisted around the metal frame. For a moment he couldn't move as her presence overwhelmed him. Finally, he stepped away from the dingy, filthy cell, and turned to the man that stood in the middle of the one next to Rey's.

"What happened here?" He demanded. The man simply stared at him with a gaping mouth and bug eyes. "Where is she?"

Determined to get answers from the man, Ben seized hold of the cell door. He was about to yank it free when a faint whisper pierced the air.

"Rose?" Ben's head shot around at the name. "Poe? Finn?"

The three of them had crept to the bottom of the stairs, expressions horrified as they took in the dungeon. But Rose's face lit up as she took in the woman who had spoken her name.

"Paige!" Rose squealed, throwing herself towards her older sister, clutching her hands through the bars. "I… I didn't think you would still be alive."

"Neither did I," Paige whispered.

"What happened here?" Ben grated. The woman just glared at him, and Rose shot Ben a look.

"Paige, was Rey here?" Rose asked.

"I know she was here," Ben retorted.

Finn and Poe just shook their heads as they stepped forward. Paige continued to study Ben with a wary expression.

"You really trust him?" She inquired doubtfully.

"Yes. Please, Paige, was Rey here?" Rose pressed.

"She was here," she answered after a moment of hesitation.

"What happened?" Ben demanded. "Who took her from here?"

"No one took her," Paige told him. "Hux came for her, but she... got away."

There was amusement in her voice, and a few chuckles emerged from the cells surrounding them.

"Kicked his ass in the process, actually."

Ben didn't know if he was more proud or terrified by that revelation. He did know that he couldn't let Hux get his hands on her again.

A/N - Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

As always, please leave a review with your thoughts, suggestions, and predictions, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

~ Elizabeth (FanOfDeliciousFlavour)