Chapter 31: Bad Company

Pain.

He was in excruciating pain down his side. It leaked through his veins, into his organs, making it difficult to breathe. Kylo hissed as he took in a ragged breath, the harsh smell of disinfectant fulfilling his nostrils. There was an incessant beeping off to his right and murmured voices nearby. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

The stark white walls were a clear indication, if his other senses hadn't already put it together.

He was in a hospital.

"Ben!"

Turning his head hurt and he winced at the pain in his neck from the odd angle he'd slept on. Rey was there, clutching his hand. Her normally happy face was pale except for her cherry red nose and red rimmed eyes, which were full of tears.

Suddenly his pain was of little consequence. Seeing her raw and aching would always hurt worse than any physical wound.

"Oh my God," she gasped, hugging his arm. He could feel the hot tears hit his skin, as she openly sobbed into him. "Oh my God, you idiot. You stupid, stubborn man! What were you thinking?"

Kylo swallowed. His throat tightened knowing he was the reason why she was crying. He hadn't anticipated Plutt being able to wrangle the gun free. After years of practicing that move, he was convinced he'd be able to disarm the overweight assistant before he got a round off.

But he hadn't.

He'd failed, just as he failed at everything else in his life. Everything but the beautiful woman crying at his bedside.

"Sweetheart," he choked, hating how dry and rough his voice sounded.

"No," Rey reared back, tears streaming down her face. "Don't. The doctor will be back in a minute and your parents are here," she informed him.

He tried to tell her he didn't want to see them, but Rey was already up and moving across the room to the doorway. The murmured voices became clearer until he recognized Leia, Han, and even Luke. One by one they filtered inside, crowding around his bed. Rey resumed sitting next to him, her hand slipping into his the second she sat down.

"Ben Organa Solo," his mother was the first to break the solemn silence. "What the hell were you thinking? Common sense gone, no thought of self-preservation! You could have died! You could have been paralyzed." Oh good, at least his mother had her priorities sorted out. She turned to his girlfriend. "Of course I don't blame you, Rey."

"He came after my girl, mother," he grumbled. "He's the one you should be threatening."

"You better hope all I do is threaten you, Ben," Leia huffed, hands on the rail at the end of his bed.

She glared at him, then straightened up back to her perfect politician demeanor.

"Come on, Rey," Leia called, "Let's see if we can find something edible for dinner. The boys must be hungry."

"But-" Rey's eyes were frantic as she looked at him.

"It's ok, sweetheart," he squeezed her hand. "I want to talk to Luke. You go get something to eat."

"We aren't done talking, Ben," she told him, narrowing her eyes at him. She was downright terrifying when she wanted to be. "When you get out of here you and I are going to have a long talk about all of this."

"Sure thing," he smirked. "Until then, care to give me a goodbye kiss? I did save your life."

Rey rolled her eyes, but stood up, leaned over and kissed him fully on the mouth. "You're a right wanker when you want to be, you know that?"

He chuckled, despite the pain it caused to bubble up in his ribs. "And you're cute when you're mad."

Shaking her head she joined his mother, the two went off in search of food, shutting the door behind them.

Kylo waited a moment to be sure they didn't come back before he asked the main question on his mind. "Where is he?"

Luke sighed looking to Han, but Ben's father shot the same look back at his brother-in-law, "The police have him in custody," Luke began, "He was brought here first to-."

"He was here?" Kylo roared.

"Rey did a number on his face," Han stared proudly. "Pretty sure his nose will never look the same. Probably a good thing. It was never nice to begin with."

"Han," Luke swatted his arm.

"What? The cretin deserved it."

"He deserves to be in prison," Kylo growled from where he was confined to his bed.

"The evidence against him is enough to make sure he gets a life sentence," Luke confirmed. "Mon Mothma told me herself."

"Ah, the White Moth still reigns, huh?" Han questioned, "Good for her."

Ignoring his brother-in-law, Luke continued. "Plutt was taken to Mustafar Maximum Security."

Kylo's eyes widened. Mustafar was where his grandfather had been obtained for a time. His family didn't often speak about it, but Kylo knew from the articles he'd read about his grandfather's life outside of the ring that Anakin was a bit unpredictable later in his life, to the point where he borderlined on dangerous.

"He won't be able to afford a good lawyer," Luke added. "And San Tekka has agreed to come out of retirement to represent you and Rey at the hearing when they sentence him."

"Lor will be there?"

Kylo could hardly believe it. He hadn't seen the old man in years. The last they had spoke hadn't been under the best circumstances since he was going to the First Order. Kylo was surprised by the man's willingness to help. Then again, it was probably more for Leia and Luke than it was for him. Leia was owed a great many favors by people. It was one of the things which made her such a good politician.

Han spoke next, scratching the back of his neck, a nervous habit Kylo knew he'd picked up from his father. "The police want to interview you and Rey. I managed to hold them off until you were out of surgery and awake."

For the first time since he woke, Kylo glanced down at his wound. He couldn't see behind the bandaged area, but if the searing pain was any indication, the hit was a deep graze. Carefully, he pulled the sheets aside, searching the rest of his body. There were bruises formed around the area, a likely side effect from the toll of the trauma and the resulting surgery.

A knock on the door alerted all three men of the arrival of Kylo's surgeon. Dr. Kalonia was an older woman with streaks of gray in her hair and a no-nonsense attitude. She was accompanied by a nurse, who looked as though she couldn't be min older than Rey.

"Good evening, Mr. Ren," Dr. Kalonia greeted him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I could use a morphine drip," he replied with a roguish grin.

"Hmmm," she glanced down at her chart, reading through something on the tablet before she responded. "You are a professional fighter with the First Order?"

"Yes."

Dr. Kalonia smiled confidently back at him. "Then I believe you know MMA league regulations forbid the use of any and all narcotics."

"I'm retiring," Kylo informed her.

She checked her documents once more, before furrowing her brow. "Are you under the care of a Dr. Mitaka, Mr. Ren?"

"He's the First Order's physician, yes," he confirmed.

"Ah, well then," she handed the tablet over to her nurse. "He has marked your medical records with a note about your addictive personality and has cautioned all prescribing physicians to take this into account."

"What?" Kylo hollered, shifting to sit up straighter. He winced, the ache in his side flaring with the movement.

"Is that even legal?" Luke questioned.

"My son was shot!" Han reminded the doctor.

"I understand, Mr. Solo. And Mr. Skywalker. I do understand your concern, but as a medical practitioner I took an oath to do no harm, in any form that may be. Until I've ruled out the likelihood of Mr. Ren being an addict, I need to take precautions."

"Bullshit!" Han shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "This is a bullshit scam by Anthony Snoke."

"Mr. Solo, I assure you-."

Kylo rubbed his temples, suddenly less angry with the doctor and her refusal of a stronger pain medication and more annoyed with his dramatic family. He tried to tune out their bickering.

"How long is the recovery period?" he interrupted.

Dr. Kalonia appeared relieved to give her attention back to her actual patient, instead of his overzealous relatives. "Bullet wounds typically take about six months to fully recover from," she explained in a calm, clinic all manner. "Yours was a graze, not a through and through, so as long as you follow our protocols for wound care and limit your physical activity, you can expect to be back to normal in about four months."

"Four months?" Kylo groaned. He was not a sedentary individual. Four months of bedrest and 'taking it easy' felt like a death sentence.

"Mr. Ren," Dr. Kalonia fixed him with her stare. "May I remind you that you are lucky to be alive. Had the bullet been a through and through it is unlikely we would be having this conversation."

All three men were silent.

"Now, this is Tallie," she introduced the nurse, "and she'll be checking on you every few hours to make sure your wound stays clean and you aren't suffering any complications from the surgery. Do you have any other questions?"

"When can I go home?"

The hospital cafeteria was what one could expect. To Rey the setup was adequate, the attendants were kind and the food was mediocre. Having only had what she could provide for herself up until recently, Rey looked upon the place with gratefulness, but Leia wasn't satisfied.

"He's a big boy. He needs protein and better nutrition," she insisted, getting into an argument with the chef not even five minutes after they stepped foot into the room.

Rey bit her lip, attempting to ignore the curious stares the Senator was earning. "Leia," she placed a hand on the older woman's arm. "It's fine. Let them do their job. I'm sure Ben will like whatever we bring him."

The chef stared at them both, then with a sigh, he started, calmer, "Ladies, if your loved one is a patient here, his meals will be delivered based on his care team's reports. I can't in good conscious give you a meal for a patient. It may set him back from the plan they've designed for his recovery."

Leia's nostrils flared and Rey was reminded how Ben's temper came from both sides of his family. "Come on. Let's see if we can find something for Luke and Han, alright?" Keeping her hand on Leia's arm, Rey guided her away from the kitchen to the line. The chef gave her a thankful nod once she managed to drag Ben's mother away.

The last several hours felt like a dream, a terrible cruel nightmare. Every time she closed her eyes, Rey saw the blood, heard the gunshot going off, and felt Ben go slack in her hold. He'd passed out on the drive to the hospital. Rey had been holding his hand and when she felt him go limp her heart nearly stopped. Panicked, she floored the Vanquish, not even bothering to properly park when they arrived.

She had pulled directly up to the Emergency Room entrance, putting on the hazard lights and rushing around to the other side to help the staff load Ben onto a stretcher. Once they had him strapped in, an ER nurse began asking her questions, until they were interrupted by another employee asking her to move the vehicle.

By the time Rey returned, Ben had already been wheeled upstairs for surgery. The nurses told Rey it was a graze, but they cautioned her that it was deep and even for a man his size, he'd lost a lost of blood. With shaking fingers, she dialed Leia.

It had been the worst phone call Rey had ever made. The only solace she received was the fact both Han and Leia already knew. Luke called them as soon as he was able. They were already on their way.

Rey had sat alone in the waiting room, trembling, crying and ultimately blaming herself for Ben's situation. If she hadn't defied Plutt, he never would have put himself in front of her. She could have gone with Plutt. There was no legal way he could keep her forever. Rey had broken free once before, she could have done it again. Instead, she'd tried to be a hero and she wound up getting Ben shot.

Oh God, her heart felt as if it was being torn apart. What if he was paralyzed? What if he didn't make it out of surgery? Tears burned her eyes, blurring her vision until all she could do was choke down air and hug herself to absorb some of the blinding pain.

"Rey! Oh dear, Rey, come here now." It was Leia who had touched her first, pulling her into her chest and rocking her like a small child. Rey lost track of time, between her break down and being passed between all three members of Ben's family.

She hardly remembered Luke arriving or how he informed them all how Plutt was behind bars. Those details didn't matter to her, not when Ben's life was hanging in the balance.

At some point, her adrenaline rush from the shock dissipated. Exhaustion hung over her, dark and heavy, but Rey didn't succumb, unwilling to sleep until she knew Ben was alright.

It was hours before the surgeon came out with an update. All four of them rose, eager for news but simultaneously wary of what the woman would say.

"Good evening, I'm Dr. Harter Kalonia. Are you the family of Kylo Ren?"

"Ben," Leia immediately corrected. "His name is Ben."

The woman glanced down at her chart, then lifted her eyes with a soft smile, "Birth name Ben Organa Solo. Senator, it is a pleasure. I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances."

"Thank you," Leia whispered, one hand clutching Rey and her other clutching onto Han.

"Mr. Ren...Ben is a fighter," Dr. Kalonia started, "He took a serious hit to his left abdomen. The bullet penetrated your lower torso and hit a major artery. We were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damaged tissue."

"Thank God," Leia gasped, closing her eyes and squeezing Rey's hand.

Rey felt her throat tighten as more tears threatened to be released.

"My team is closing him up now. It may take a bit for him to wake up. We had him heavily sedated," Dr. Kalonia explained.

"Will he be alright?" Rey asked, unable to keep the question inside.

"Yes, of course," the doctor confirmed. "He's lucky he arrived when he did. We were able to get the bleeding under control and decrease the risk of infection."

Relief flooded through Rey, so great she staggered over to her seat. She sunk into the chair, barely able to feel her own body.

He was ok. Ben was ok. It was all ok.

She repeated the words in her head over and over again, trying to console herself as the doctor continued to speak with his parents and Luke.

The moment the nurse had come to alert them Ben had been moved to a room in the critical care unit, all four of them marched upstairs.

When Rey walked in and saw him, paler than normal and with a mess of bandages along his side, she fell apart all over again. They hadn't eaten since breakfast and she was convinced by now all the liquid in her body had come out as tears. She didn't know how she could possibly cry anymore. But she did.

Leia, Han and Luke circled around Ben's bedside, allowing her to take the chair next to him. With shaky hands, she held onto him, hating herself for being the reason he was lying in a hospital bed in the first place, but also unable to let him go.

When Ben woke, Rey was a storm of emotions. She was elated he was alive, scared he'd be upset with her, and furious with him for throwing her to the side. Her reaction was a half-laugh, half-threat as she greeted him.

His attitude had survived along with the rest of him. It was only once she was sure he was himself that she could be pried away from him.

Which was how she came to find herself in the cafe with Leia, rooting around prepackaged salads, wraps, sandwiches, and other options in an attempt to bring dinner back upstairs.

Despite not having eaten in over twelve hours, Rey had no appetite. Leia wordlessly grabbed a couple of everything, handing over her credit card before Rey could object.

"It's not your fault, you know," Ben's mother told her softly, as they rode the elevator up to his floor. "Ben has always been reckless."

"If I hadn't said those things to Plutt maybe he wouldn't have-"

"Unkar Plutt is the worst kind of scum," Leia interjected, her tone leaving no room for argument. Not that Rey would defend the man. "His choices were his own."

Rey hung her head, biting her inside of her cheek. No more tears, she willed herself. Ben was awake now, she couldn't fall to pieces. She needed to be strong for him.

"If anything, you're the reason Ben's alive," Leia continued. "You heard Dr. Kalonia. If he hadn't arrived when he did, the risk would have been far greater. You saved him, Rey."

"Can it be considered saving if I'm the reason he got shot in the first place?"

"Oh, Rey," Leia opened her mouth to say more, when the elevator doors chimed, delivering them to the critical care unit.

Before Ben's mother could justify the situation, Rey took the tray from her and carried it into Ben's room, handing out the various options to Han and Luke. Leia came in behind her, selecting one of the salads. Rey didn't touch anything, returning to her seat next to Ben.

"You aren't eating?" he asked concerned.

"Not hungry," she shrugged.

"Sweetheart, you have to eat," he told her.

"Later," Rey promised. "Just not right now, ok?"

"Alright," Ben nodded, sliding his hand over towards the edge of the bed. Rey wasted no time in placing her hand in his, relishing the spike in warmth his body now offered. It was a sign he was better.

The nurse brought in dinner for Ben while his family sat along the back wall munching on their meals. It was all liquid — soup, jello, tea, and pudding. He complained the second the nurse left, while Rey rolled her eyes.

"Just eat it," she commanded.

"I'll make you a deal," he smirked. "I'll eat if you do."

"Ben Solo," she snapped. "You are in the hospital. You are in no position to be making demands."

"Alright, well when the doctor comes back in here, I'm going to tell her I can't eat until my girlfriend does. It will be all your fault," Ben responded without missing a beat.

To her side, there was a round of stifled laughter. When she glanced over, Leia, Han and Luke were all oddly busy with their food. Narrowing her eyes, she turned her attention back to Ben.

"Fine," she relented, reaching over to grab a wrap, "happy?"

"Ecstatic," Ben smirked.

His parents and uncle left not long after dinner, being chased out of the room by Tallie. She would have forced Rey out too, had it not been for the fact her boyfriend was a huge fan of Kylo's and he agreed to sign all the merchandise she brought in.

"You know, if we were married this wouldn't have been a problem," Kylo commented, feigning nonchalance while Rey made up a cot bed aside of him.

She stilled, back rim-rod straight as she shook out the blanket Tallie had provided her. "Come again?"

"Or engaged," Kylo mentioned. "She couldn't kick you out if you were mine."

Rey shook her head, but kept her back to him. "I am yours and you're mine. Married or not."

Kylo grinned. It was exactly what he wanted to hear. If he was reading the tension in Rey's shoulder correctly, she was hiding her blush from him. He was reminded by her slip up about being pregnant. Maybe he wasn't the only one making plans for their future.

"We could do it, you know," he suggested. "They have priests here, you know for last rites and all that, but I'm sure if we paid enough one of them would-"

Rey whirled around, "Let me stop you right there, because if you think I'm going to marry you in some hospital after you just got out of surgery you have another thing coming to you, Ben Solo."

He chuckled, loving how flustered his idea made her. "I was only saying it's an option."

"I'm going to give you a free pass since you're on painkillers and clearly not thinking straight," she dismissed him.

Even on the low dose of painkillers the doctor was able to prescribe him, Kylo recognized the difference between what the drugs felt like and what he felt like. Wanting to marry Rey was real, probably the most real thing he ever wanted.

Of course, proposing in a hospital probably wasn't the best idea, but could anyone blame him? It wasn't as if he hadn't already considered asking Rey to marry him.

Kylo watched as she finished making up her bed, turned away from him once more. He considered pushing her buttons a bit more, if only to determine what her answer would be when he did officially ask. He decided against it. Like him, Rey had been through a lot today. Even though she chose to say, he sensed her drifting away.

"Sweetheart, aren't you going to kiss me goodnight? I'm kind of stuck over here," he gestured to his position in the bed, surrounded by tubes and wires.

Rey padded over, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to his lips. Kylo reached up, tangling his fingers in her hair as he kept her in place to deepen the kiss.

"Ben!" she shrieked, pulling away.

"What?" he chuckled. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

"You were shot today! You had abdominal surgery! Contain yourself," she snapped, but there was no real heat behind her words.

"I love you," he stated matter-of-factly. "There's no containing that."

Something shifted in her eyes and he watched the specks of gold fall back, as the emerald shone brilliant and strong. "Ben...," her voice was soft and small. "I'm sorry."

Kylo's smile fell from his face immediately. "What are you sorry about, Rey?"

"It's my fault," she admitted, a tear rolling down her cheek. "You shouldn't be here. It's all my-."

"No," he hissed, sitting up to grab both her hands. "No," he repeated. "Don't say that. Don't even think that. How could you possibly believe this was your fault, sweetheart?"

"If I hadn't hit him, maybe he wouldn't have-."

"Stop right there, Rey," Kylo growled, furious she'd even consider anything that happened had been a result of her defending herself. "You needed to do it. You told me yourself and I'm proud of you. I'm so incredibly proud of you, Rey."

"But you're here," she waved at the bed, more tears falling.

"Because you got me here," he reminded her. "And you didn't even wreck my car," he added, trying to make her laugh.

The hint of a smile played across her lips. "Hey," he cupped her chin. "I love you, sweetheart. I want to be with you the rest of my life. It's just you and me. Nothing else matters, alright?"

She nodded silently.

"Alright, Rey?"

"Alright," she breathed.

"Good," he kissed her chin, because it was all he could reach. "Now go to sleep."

Rey deposited one final kiss to his lips, before crawling onto the cot.

"Oh, and Rey?"

"Yes, Ben?"

"Once I'm out of here, we are revisiting the marriage discussion."

She let out a snort in disbelief. "Right," she replied sarcastically.

He fell asleep with a huge grin on his face. Rey could think he was joking all she wanted. He'd prove her wrong when he got down on one knee and showed her the ring.

Had it not been for her state of pure exhaustion, Rey knew she wouldn't have slept a wink after Ben's admission. It was just like him to throw something so life-changing it there and then go to sleep. Obviously it was a Solo trait.

He was still asleep, she noted thankfully, when she awoke. Tallie, his nurse, came in to check his vitals. The noise roused Rey, who immediately ducked into the bathroom to inspect her morning hair. Tallie had been kind enough to give her an extra pair of scrubs to sleep in the night before and Rey had to admit despite the sterile look they were comfortable.

When she emerged, Ben's eyes were on her. "Morning, sweetheart," he greeted her, while Tallie entered her notes into his chart.

"All good?" Rey asked, moving to stand across from the nurse on Ben's other side.

"Yes," Tallie confirmed. "There are no signs of infection or complications from the surgery. If he continues like this, you may be able to go home after the holiday."

"That soon?" Rey questioned, concerned about the aftercare. Here, Ben was restricted. Back at the apartment, she was certain he'd try to help her cook, clean and whatever else he thought necessary.

"He'll still need to follow the routine outlined by Dr. Kalonia," Tallie responded. "And no fighting," she added, narrowing her eyes at Ben.

"How about training?" he smirked at the nurse before winking at Rey suggestively.

She swore he was getting more and more like Han every day. Last night he had been so forward. She blamed it on the drugs. That was the only reason he could be so calm about something as serious as getting married, right?

"No major physical activity," Tallie argued.

Ben's attention snapped back to the nurse. "Not even-."

"Nope," she replied, knowing exactly what he was about to ask.

Rey watched his face contort into a frustrated scowl. "I'm gonna kill him," he growled. Tallie shook her head, ignoring his threat while she finished typing away on the tablet. "For how long?" Ben interrupted.

"Two weeks," Tallie informed him.

"Damn it," Ben hissed.

"After discharge," she amended.

"Fuck."

Rey took his hand in hers. This was not the conversation she planned on having this morning. Already they were off to a tense start. She'd have to shelve her curiosities about his wayward proposal until he calmed down.

"Mr. Ren," Tallie began, using her best bedside manner. "You suffered a gunshot wound to your left abdomen. Due to the severity of the graze, it would be unwise to practice any major activity until the wound has fully closed to lower the risk of infection and long-term impact to your health."

"Fine," he mumbled, squeezing Rey's hand. She queried back, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead.

"Two weeks isn't that long," she comforted him. "We waited longer than that before. We can do it again."

"I don't want to," he mumbled petulantly.

Smirking, she rested her lips against his ear, "There are other things we can do, Ben."

The grip he had on her hand tightened until it was nearly painful. "Right," he coughed, suddenly growing red in the face. She looked up at Tallie, who pointedly ignored the couple's discussion to finish her work.

"I'll have breakfast brought in for you both," the nurse said. "Visiting hours don't start for another ninety minutes, so if you could both remain in here, I'd appreciate it."

"Thanks, Tallie," Rey smiled.

"When you're on break, bring your boyfriend by," Ben instructed. "I'll sign whatever he wants."

"Thank you, Mr, Ren."

"You can call me Kylo, Tallie," he offered.

"Thank you...Kylo," she nodded and then she was off, heading out to see the other patients on her rotation.

"How did you sleep?" Ben asked her.

Rey rounded his bed, taking her seat from the day prior so she could be closer to him. "Fine. The cot was surprisingly comfortable," she replied.

"Any good dreams?" he pressed.

"Define good."

"Ones with me in them," he smirked.

"You're funny all doped up," Rey laughed.

"I'm not."

"What?" the smile fell from her face, as she stared at him.

"I'm not doped up," Ben clarified. "Dr. Mitaka put a note in my file. Harter wasn't able to give me a standard dose, just enough so I can function."

Rey felt all the air leave her lungs as her mind struggled to process what this meant. If Ben wasn't on painkillers had he meant what he said last night? All the teasing and all the playful jokes were not a result of his medication but of his own will?

"Sweetheart," he picked up her hand. "I meant what I said last night. I want to marry you. I'd marry you right here, right now if you'd let me."

"Ben!"

"I have the ring at home," he continued. "So before you start over-analyzing this and tell me no because you think I'm proposing since I'm in this bed, let me ease your conscious. That's not it at all. I want this, Rey. I want you."

"Ben," Rey bit her bottom lip, unable to articulate anything beyond his name.

The last twenty-four hours were tumultuous. She hadn't had the time to fully digest what occurred. Between Plutt showing up, the fight, the gunshot and rushing Ben here, Rey hadn't had a free moment to do anything more than worrying about her boyfriend. Despite the fact Plutt was behind bars, she was still scared, fearful what would happen at trial.

And now Ben was telling her he seriously wanted to get married.

As soon as he mentioned the ring, Rey felt a bit dizzy. When had he had the time to go ring shopping? How long had he been planning this? Should she have known? Was it bad she wanted to say yes? Was that crazy?

"Rey?" She stared at him, throat dry and head spinning. "Say something, sweetheart."

She opened her mouth, but as the words finally came, so did their breakfast.

Ben's focus shifted away from her face momentarily. He glowered at the kitchen staff as if the poor guy knew what he interrupted.

"M-Mr. R-Ren," the kid stuttered. He couldn't have been more than eighteen. If coming face to face with MMA royalty wasn't enough to startle him, the death glare Ben was issuing sure was.

"Thank you," Rey stood up, helping the nervous guy assemble Ben's bedside tray and laying out the breakfast items.

"Thank you, m'am," the kid responded, his hands shaking as he set down each item carefully.

Ben watched, silent as his anger radiated around him, pulsing like a hot beacon of energy.

"This looks great. Doesn't it, Ben?" Rey nudged her boyfriend. He shook his head, the heat of his frustration lessening. She gestured to the kitchen staff, who was backing away.

"Thanks, kid," Ben managed. Rey crossed her arms over her chest, shooting him an expectant look. "Hey, um, you want a selfie together to show your friends how cool your job is?"

"Really?" Instantly the guy's demeanor changed and Rey beamed at her boyfriend proudly.

She stepped around, allowing the boy to stand over Ben and snap a couple pictures. He thanked them both profusely, darting out of the room, his face buried in his phone.

"That was nice of you," Rey commented.

"You're making me soft," he feigned annoyance.

"You were already soft," she grinned. "You just forgot it was there under all the brooding."

"I don't brood," he argued.

"Right," she rolled her eyes.

They enjoyed their breakfast wordlessly, his earlier question hanging in the air between them. Rey ate quickly, her hunger undeniable after not eating much the day prior. Ben followed her example, pleased to be able to eat solid food now that he'd gotten a clean bill of health from Tallie.

As they finished, Rey shifted to sit on the edge of his bed. Ben slid the trays away, all else forgotten.

"Ben, I-."

A knock interrupted her for the second time. Ben slammed his fist down, knocking the trays and all their breakfast remains to the floor. Rey jumped up from her seat, startled by his outburst. "What?" he roared.

"K-Kylo?" Tallie peeked into the room.

"Shit," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry, Tallie. What can I do for you?"

"You have two visitors," she announced.

"Can you ask my parents to give us a minute, please?"

"We're not your parents," a familiar clipped voice corrected. Phasma and Hux walked into the room.

"Get out," Ben growled, sitting up as far as he was able. Rey instantly pressed a hand to his shoulder, a physical reminder he needed to rest. "I have nothing to say to either of you."

"That's fine," Phasma replied. "We're not here to talk, so just listen."

Once she made sure Ben was settled, Rey marched over to the two. "You have a lot of nerve coming here," she snapped.

"Almost as much nerve as pissing off the First Order?" Hux quipped.

Before she even realized what she was doing, Rey's hand flew across the space between them. There was a resounding slap of skin against skin as she struck the red-head across the face. Soon his cheek matched the color of his hair. He gaped at her, a hand coming up to cup his heated skin though there was nothing to help his bruised ego. Phasma didn't even flinch. She merely watched the spectacle before clearing her throat.

"Would it make you feel better if you hit me too, Rey?"

Narrowing her eyes at the statuesque blonde, Rey shook her head. "No," she hissed. "I think you should both leave. Visiting hours are for family and friends. You are neither."

Phasma's eyes went over her head to where Ben lay. There was a flicker of pain in her ice blue orbs, before she sighed and glanced back down at Rey. "We tried to prevent this. Whether you believe that or not, we did try," the taller woman confessed to Rey. "I must have left thirty messages for you," this she said to Ben.

Rey's stomach churned with realization as the underlying message of Phasma's words became clear. She stumbled back until her knees hit the chair and she collapsed into her seat. "Y-you knew?"

"It wasn't supposed to be Ren," Hux insisted, taking a step towards them.

His reply played over and over in her head, as Rey come to an even more sinister understanding. Suddenly the scrubs didn't feel comfortable. They felt restrictive and heavy, weighing her down. Her body burned beneath the itchy material as the temperature in the room increased. She remembered thinking it was odd Plutt had a gun. She remembered wondering why he called her a whore. He'd never used that word before, but she knew someone who did — someone who had used the word in reference to her, in fact.

Snoke.

Never before had she been hated. Abandoned, yes. Looked down upon, sure. But never hated, never despised so deeply that someone actually wanted her dead. It was a chilling thought to know someone out there had such little regard for her life.

"What the fuck! " Ben shouted.

In the tiny logical part of her brain which was still functioning, Rey knew she should tell him to remain calm. He was less than twelve hours out of surgery. It wouldn't do him any favors if there was a spike in his blood pressure.

"Ben." Her hand found his, even though she wasn't looking at him.

Her eyes were focused on the floor.

"What the fuck did you do?" Kylo demanded, his hand wrapped completely around Rey's as she sat in a nearly catatonic state at his side.

"We didn't do anything," Hux spat, his lips curled up in a sneer.

Phasma stepped between them, not that Kylo could do anything. He was confined to his bed. "I can't begin to tell you," his former assistant paused, glancing over to Rey, who hadn't moved an inch, "either of you, how sorry I am. If I had known how far Snoke was willing to go-."

"Don't pretend like you don't know what he's capable of, Gwen," Kylo snarled. "You've worked for him longer than I have."

"Exactly," Hux surged forward. "That is exactly why we sided with Snoke. If you leave the First Order, that's it! We're done!"

"What are you talking about?" Kylo asked.

Sighing, the red-haired man pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're not profitable without you. The revenue the company makes from your fights, your royalties, and everything else is what keeps us hitting our forecasted profit margins. Hell, over sixty percent of our endorsement deals are only because you signed with them first. If you go, they will all pull out. We'll be in the red upwards of five million dollars! And that's just the first year."

Kylo reeled at the information. He knew Snoke was a shady businessman, but he hadn't considered the old man would gamble everything on the career of his prized fighter.

"Hux and I owe you more than an apology," Phasma acknowledged, "which is why we've come. As soon as we found out what he was planning, we tried to warn you, but-"

"You didn't pick up your bloody phone," Hux inserted.

"I didn't want to speak to you," Kylo reminded him.

The two men openly glared at each other, tensions rising. Phasma looked to Rey once more, but his girlfriend remained silent and unmoving. Her lack of response was beginning to really worry him, but he needed to finish with Hux and Phasma first.

"As I was saying," the blonde glared at both men. "Snoke got Rey's information from the file I took out of your office. That's how he found out about Plutt. He figured with Plutt's history of violence, it would go down without question."

"He didn't figure on me," Kylo growled.

"No," Phasma agreed, "he didn't. You weren't supposed to get caught up in it. Snoke paid Plutt to 'deal with Rey' because he believed if she was gone, you'd come back and resign your contract."

"Bastard," Kylo seethed.

"But we got him," Hux produced a flash drive from his pocket. He handed it over to Kylo, who studied the small device curiously. "I found the financial transactions and made a copy. It links his dealings with Plutt to one of Snoke's lesser known accounts," he explained.

"And I may have been recording our last few meetings with him," Phasma mentioned with a devious grin.

Kylo quirked a brow, looking between his former colleagues. "Why? Why do this for me?"

"You were the best boss I ever had," Phasma conceded. "When you said you were going to retire, I was angry with you. I thought you were throwing your future away. You had a choice, the choice I never got. I had to give up that life. You were choosing to give it up," she shared with him. "I was so mad at you that I thought the only way I could save my job and your future was to align with Snoke. But after the gala…," she trailed off, looking to Hux.

"Snoke made threats as soon as we exited the ballroom and we knew," Hux took over. "I started doing some digging, all while under the guise of still being in his pocket. Turns out there are more unhappy employees at the First Order than happy ones, including Dr. Mitaka. Still, we didn't believe we had enough to go to the MMA board until he got it in his head he was going to have Plutt go after Rey."

Hux swallowed, looking rather uncomfortable. "For what it's worth, I am sorry." He said this to Rey, but she didn't appear aware of his apology or the conversation in general. Her gaze was fixated on the floor.

It struck a nerve for Kylo. He had dealt with Snoke for years. None of his abuse came close to this. No, the old man had crossed a line and now Kylo would cross one too.

"I'll kill him," he vowed.

"No."

Kylo jolted, startled by the sound of Rey's voice. Throughout the conversation she was silent, motionless and distant. Suddenly he saw fire in her eyes, the gold flecks nearly bronze with her rage. "We are the spark that will light the fire that will burn the First Order down."

"Sweetheart?" It was terrifying and arousing to see her this way.

"He came after me," Rey replied, looking over at him. "He came after us , Ben."

Suddenly, everything became clear to him.

"I know what I have to do."