A/N: I meant to include this in the last chapter just a good idea of everyones age. Rey is now 16, Ben, Poe and Hux are 27, Finn is 23.
Chapter 16
Kylo was in the middle of a meeting when he felt his bond with Rey open. He would have just ignored her and worked through it but when he was her standing there he just couldn't do it. He excused himself and told Hux to fill him in later and he left.
"Rey?" She didn't look like herself, she was dressed differently than he had ever seen her before and her hair was in some kind of fancy style, more importantly who was the boy next to her. On looking a little further Ben realized it was no boy it was that rebel pilot. He couldn't help but feel anger as he realized they were hand in hand, was Rey on a date?
As Rey turned to look at him he got a better view of her and he couldn't help but step forward his jaw dropping. What was she wearing? Rey in a dress, it didn't seem to compute properly in his mind so he just stared at her.
The fabric of the dress wrapped under her arms crisscrossing across her breast hugging her slim waist before falling gracefully to her ankles. The soft looking fabric started black from the top to the waist but changed as it fell loosely. The gradient of color had a vertical transition from red to purple to blue and at the bottom the colors meshed into a white. He imagined black cloak around over her shoulders didn't do much to keep her warm, only a bit more covered. Her hair was shortened by tight curls that were loosely woven into a loose braid that now hung over the shoulder. The way her eyes sparkled and her skin glowed in contrast to the black fabric and her dark hair, Kylo swallowed hard.
'Your mother did it' She spoke to his mind and even with the mention of his mother he couldn't find the usual rage that would come to him. He couldn't find himself able to respond to her comment so he asked her a question instead.
'Are you on a date with that Pilot?' Even through the bond Rey could feel Ren's discomfort at Poe's presence. She hadn't even realized Ben could see him until he glared at him. Upon Ben's question she dropped Poe's hand in haste not before giving Poe a shy smile.
'No' She didn't elaborate beyond that, but it seemed to be enough to keep his nerve in check.
"Rey? What are you looking at?" She snapped her attention to Poe to see him looking down the hall for a glimpse of what had captured her attention.
"hm? Oh nothing sorry, just lost in thought I suppose" Rey wondered briefly if Kylo could hear Poe.
"You're so beautiful Rey" It wasn't the words that tore her from her thoughts of Kylo Ren it was his tone. She looked up at Poe surprised he was speaking so candidly with her today. His eyes were a bronze color that looked like melted metal that could dip into her soul. "I wish I could have saved you Rey" He brought his hand to her face tracing her jawline with the smooth back of his index finger.
"You did save me" She didn't understand what he meant, he had stopped Luke Skywalker from slaying her on that island. If he hadn't come for her she wouldn't have survived. Poe didn't respond but Rey noticed he was growing closer to her slowly his eyes darting from hers to her lips.
'oh my god, he's going to kiss me, Poe Damerson wants to kiss me. Do I want to kiss him? Am I attracted to Poe? Luke said the Jedi can't have relationships' the thoughts in her brain her running wild and she didn't know what to do or how to react. She'd never been kissed before her mind fluttered to a buried memory of when Hux had tortured her, he'd come so close to kissing her then, it made Rey realize that kissing Poe probably wouldn't be so bad.
'You're projecting again' It was Ben's voice in her mind that startled her and as she turned her head to look at him Poe's lips made contact with her cheek. In truth Rey was relieved, she was sure that she had strong feelings for Poe but she'd never had a desire to kiss him before.
"I'm so sorry Rey" Poe muttered his face a deep red filled with embarrassment. "I don't know what I was thinking"
'He wasn't!' Ben called over her shoulder. 'Pilots are too busy thinking with their cockpits not their brains' Ben snickered at his own joke, but Rey didn't really get what was so funny.
'You did that on purpose' She accused glaring at Ben who was coming closer to her now still chuckling. 'He was going to kiss me!' Rey might have felt relief that the kiss never happened but she was still a little miffed that Ben had ruined what could have maybe been a great kiss.
'He shouldn't even look at you like that, you're still a child' Kylo called back growing angry at her upset with him. He immediately knew he'd made a mistake as he felt her anger spike.
'I'm not the same child I was when I was with you Kylo Ren' He'd never heard her sound so cold, but he was impressed she managed to keep her composure physically. As quickly as her anger appeared it morphed into something else.
"Why don't I take you to your room" Poe suggested noticing the sad look in Rey's eyes and without a word she nodded in agreement. Kylo followed Rey blindly trying to put thoughts to what she was feeling.
'You're not alone Rey' He said finally. His desire to comfort her winning against his understanding she needed time to think. She gave no indication that she'd even heard him she just kept walking with her head down.
Rey came to a stop and the pilot came back into view as Poe put his hands on Rey's shoulder. He had noticed her mood had shifted and he felt like he had caused her turn. 'Maybe I should have kissed her but maybe that is what made her so upset' Ren could hear his thoughts as long as he was making physical contact with Rey.
"Rey, I didn't mean to make you upset" His voice was soft and endearing. Rey looked up at him her eyes still reflecting the broken-ness she was feeling.
"It wasn't you. It's just so strange, I know I'm 16 but it doesn't feel real. I guess it started to sink in when Mrs. Organa put me in this dress, everyone is looking at me so differently." She took a shaky deep breath in. "I guess I just feel like a little girl still and I don't want to feel like that anymore" A tear slipped from her eye and Poe brushed it away with his index finger.
Kylo was surprised she was confessing her feelings to this pilot, maybe they were closer than he had realized. He was coming to regret calling her a child, she went through hell over the past few years and even before then her life had never been easy. He had called her a child when in truth her experiences had probably aged her far beyond her years. This was probably her first truly normal teenage experience, a crush on an older man who acted as though there was some kind of reciprocated feeling. Ben felt his anger flair as he began to think Poe was just taking advantage of an uneducated girl. Rey had never experienced much of love in her life, did she even know the difference between familial love and romantic love?
Poe caressed Rey's cheek and acted spontaneously, he leaned in and gave Rey a light, chaste kiss on her lips. Ben felt his blood run cold, while Rey felt her heart stutter. Poe straightened himself back up gave Rey a quick wink. "Even those with drama free childhoods find growing up hard, the best thing you can do is learn as much as you can" With that he disappeared from Ren's sight as he turned away from Rey and made his way down the hall.
Rey entered her new room in a daze, hardly realizing that Kylo Ren still there. When she finally sat down on her bed she looked up at him. "Did you see that?" She sounded self-conscious suddenly as Kylo nodded in response. He didn't know what to say, he knew Poe was right that the road to becoming an adult was rarely easy for anyone and that learning lessons was the only way to grow, but he still felt the need to murder that pilot for daring to touch Rey so affectionately.
"I thought a kiss would feel… more" Rey admitted her fingers brushing across her lips. "But the only other time I've ever come close to being kissed was by Hux" She said the name with a tone of disgust.
"Is that why you wanted to kiss him?" Kylo was still trying to process what he'd witnessed adding in the thought of her being with Hux made him shiver.
"On Ach-To there was only Luke being surrounded by all these people again I-" She paused looking down running her hands across the soft fabric resting on her knee's. "What is there are people like Hux here, I just wanted my first kiss to be with someone who I trust" The realization struck him then a she confessed her fears. He thought she had recovered from Hux torture quickly but now he could see that she would never forget. It was a scar that would wear at the back of her mind for the rest of her life.
"Well now that you've gotten it out of your system, don't go kissing anymore boys. You're too young still for that" He declared clearing his throat and crossing his arms.
"You don't get to tell me that! I bet kissed plenty of girls by my age!" She was back on her feet shouting up at him. He couldn't help his chuckle, her mind already off her history.
"Well you're not wrong, but you have to be careful. Kissing leads to other things, more dangerous things" Rey's face looked stricken with fear as her fingers met her lips again.
"Dangerous things? What things?" Kylo became bug eyed. It had never occurred to him that she was never properly educated on sexual relationships, it made sense why would Luke teach Rey anymore about bodily functions than necessary.
"Ask Leia." And with that the bond collapsed and they were both alone in their rooms.
Rey laughed to herself after Kylo had vanished thoroughly believing she had scared the force out of him. She may not know everything about sex but she wasn't as uneducated as he thought. A tiny sixteen year old girl had managed to scare one of the most feared men in the galaxy, Rey couldn't help the feeling of pride that swelled with in her.
Rey sat on her bed for another moment thinking about changing out of Leia's dress when her stomach rumbled uncomfortably. That was right, she hadn't eaten anything when she was in the refectory she decided against changing and left her room to find something to eat. The halls were a confusing maze but she managed to find the cafeteria after wandering through enough. There were only a handful of people eating now and she was grateful to escape attention. She picked up a tray and wandered through sparse lines of food before deciding on a sandwich and fried vegetable. She sat at a table by herself and ate her meal in peace wishing the base was on a warmer planet so she could go outside.
"Are you the jedi?" It was woman with shoulder length blonde hair, smiling down at Rey with a tray of her own. Rey nodded slowly not wanting to talk with food in her mouth. "May I sit with you?" Rey nodded again and the young woman sat across from her. "We've all heard so much about you, it's nice to finally have a face for a name… well titled. What is your name?" Rey smiled swallowing her last bite.
"I'm Rey"
"Gemini" The two woman smiled at each other and talked for a time. Rey found out that Gemini was 24 and orphaned same as her but she had a grandfather that took care of her. He wasn't kind and took to physical lessons but Gemini swore they made her stronger. Rey liked her spirit, she could understand being beaten down forcing yourself to keep moving forward. After what felt like ages Rey felt strangely comfortable around this girl.
"So what do you do?" Rey asked as they walked side by side down one of the corridors Gem leading the way.
"Well mostly make sure people stay in line and do what there told, you'd be surprised how much people hate to follow orders" Her laugh caused Rey to laugh with her. "But on occasion I get called away for special ops. That need a more delicate touch, or a quieter voice" Gemini took a more serious tone her eyes flashing with something darker.
"Are you a spy? I didn't know the resistance had spies!" Rey was excited to meet someone so elusive and Gemini simply laughed it off.
"Who would have thought a Jedi would be so excited to meet someone who goes beyond enemy lines" Another laugh but Rey didn't join her this time. The comment gave Rey a strange feeling. "My favorite thing to do though, is flying!" That took Rey's attention off her concern as her eyes lit up.
"You're a pilot too? I've always wanted to learn to fly, I had a couple lessons a long time ago but I don't remember much of them now" Rey thought briefly on her lessons with Chewie aboard the Millenium Falcon. Being able to fly would be so freeing, having the ability to go anywhere in the galaxy you want would be incredible!
"I could give you some lessons if you like? I have time" Rey was shocked.
"Right now?" Rey couldn't help but look down at the dress she was wearing. "I'm not at all dressed for a flying lesson" It felt like an absurd idea.
"That's okay we can snag a flight suit out of the anger. We can probably take the falcon that would be much easier to learn in and the copilot chair will keep us side by side." It made sense and before she knew it Rey was pulling a flight suit off a hanger in the locker room and slipping it on over her dress, though that admitably wasn't very comfortable.
Gemini insisted they would have to sneak aboard the falcon to get out. She said that ever since they'd arrived on this base they weren't letting anyone out for test flights which made the base on Hoth even more miserable. Rey could understand she had only been here a day and she already missed the fresh air and sunshine the outdoors provided.
Giggling the two girls snuck aboard the millennium Falcon and what seemed at the wave of her hand the hanger doors opened and they were gone. Gemini flew them out of the white planets atmosphere and then let Rey try her hand at flying. Gem coated Rey in compliments about what a natural flyer she was and Rey really didn't think they were deserved. After a couple hours in space Rey finally turned to her copilot.
"Shouldn't we head back, I'm sure it's late and they're probably furious we left" Rey couldn't help but let her mind wander to Poe and subsequently his kiss.
"Okay, I'm going to use the bathroom and I'll be right back" Gemini unharnessed herself and went to the back. Rey let the ship cruise through space leisurely as she let out a yawn. Yes, it was definitely getting late. She heard Gemini coming back up and leaned forward to turn to her when something wrapped around her in a flash snapping shut. Rey was confused she let her hand wander to the device, yes a device it was to bulk to be jewelry and it felt weird.
"There we go" Rey looked up at Gemini a small remote in her hands and she flicked a button. In an instant Rey felt her body go cold and heavy.
"What is this?" Rey unclicked her harness to stand face to face with her friend. The collar around her neck was emitting a soft hum. Rey put her hands on it again and tried to pull it off but she couldn't find the seam where it had clicked into place.
"I'm sorry Rey" Those words filled her with dread and she began ripping at the collar more erratically. "Don't do that you'll only hurt yourself, I know it's uncomfortable." Gemini leaned over the flight controls and input coordinates turning on the autopilot.
"What are you doing?" Rey's mind felt empty like thoughts weren't processing in her properly. What was this thing doing to her?
"Come sit with me, we'll talk" Gemini walked to the small table in the main room of the ship. Rey looked down at the falcon's controls. She could fly in open space but there was no way she'd beable to land this ship back at the base, so she decided to turn and follow Gemini.
"You see I'm a spy, but I don't work for the resistance. I've been waiting for you" Rey couldn't process what she was hearing. She was beginning to think how stupid she was for following someone she'd just met onto a starship, why would anyone on base want to teach her how to fly?
"So who are you then? You work for the First Order I assume." Gemini just offered her a soft smile and Rey couldn't help but wonder if this woman had actually wanted to be her friend or if it was all just an act.
"I was honest with you, I am Gemini" There was a short pause. "Gemini Ren" And Rey felt betrayal rip through her heart. Kylo Ren had sent someone to abduct her, even after she told him she would go to him on her own. Didn't he trust her?
"So Kylo sent you to pick me up then?" She didn't bother to hide the anger in her voice. The next time she was Ren she was going to tear him apart, verbally at least.
"Not exactly." Rey's anger was quickly replaced with something colder and much darker. "He is my Master yes, but not the only one I report too. It was Snoke who demanded I infiltrate the Resistance and wait for your return." Rey felt like she was suffocating. She wasn't ready to face Snoke, she had hardly recovered from facing Luke. "I've been with the resistance for a few years now waiting, I didn't think you were going to come back and when I heard the pilots talking about you I didn't have a choice" Gemini looked away from Rey appearing to be truly remorseful.
"I was planning to go back for Ben" Rey spoke quietly. Gemini was surprised to hear Kylo's old name, surprised that Rey even knew it.
"You know of Ben Solo?" Rey just nodded not planning to give any reason. Gemini dropped her curiosity and moved on. "Anyway, it will take us a day to reach the Supremacy. That collar on your neck restricts your ability to use the force and trust me you'll do more damage to yourself than you will to that so don't bother" Gemini gave a scoff of familiarity.
"Have you had to wear one of these?" Rey decided that the lack of force was what was making her feel so empty and strange, but why would a night of Ren ever be put in something that took away their greatest strength?
Gemini propped her leg on the table and pulled her pant sleeve up revealing a small chrome bracelet around her shin.
"Trust me, the one you have on is far more comfortable" The young knight sounded so defeated. She pushed her pant leg back down and made to sit across from Rey at the table. "Snoke is the one with a key, for both of them. I am sorry" She looked it.
"Have you had to wear that your whole time with the resistance?" Rey was appalled. How could a leader put one of his own soldiers across enemy lines with no back up and no way to call for help.
"Yeah, my reward for bringing you back is my power." The thought horrified Rey. The force was Gemini's gift and Snoke had no right to steal it so he could get what he wanted. "I wouldn't have done it otherwise. I tried to get out of it but I was dumb. Snoke asked for my presence alone and I hoped I had done something to be on his good graces. He explained his plan and I told him I wasn't the right person for the mission but he held me down and that red weasel snapped this on me." Rey didn't need the force to know who that red weasel was, had Hux put this idea into Snoke's mind. Did Hux just want her back to finish what he'd started years ago.
"I'm sorry that I can't keep you safe. Kylo spoke of you often when you first disappeared. He has a lot of respect for you" that surprised Rey, why would Kylo Ren feel anything towards her. She knew he cared about her wellbeing that was surprise enough but knowing he spoke of her after she was gone was something else entirely.
"What was your name? Before becoming a knight of Ren?" The question surprise Gem, no one had ever asked her name and she hadn't spoken her birth name since she introduced herself to Snoke who then declared her new name.
"It is Genevieve" Rey managed a smile at her.
"Genny it is then."
