After having spent awhile stretching her legs on the couch, Rey stood in front of the living room windows, watching the bright trees swaying in the wind. She felt her strength returning to her, a renewed vigor in her body. She looked to her left and noticed that one of the large windows had a smaller, person-sized window blocked off within it. A door?

Rey went over and pushed on it. Sure enough, it swung open, revealing a small staircase that led down to the grass below. Glancing towards the empty kitchen archway, she made her way down the steps, into the refreshing air outside.

She stood on the edge of the sloping grass hill that the house sat upon, overlooking the vast forest that stretched before her. She felt as if she were on top of the world, and she wished she could leap off of the hilltop and soar above the colorful trees below.

Rey sat down onto the grass, stretching her legs in front of her and enjoying the breeze in her hair until the blue sky began to develop shades of light orange, the sun starting to set. She looked around at the thick forest all around her, seeing no signs of civilization, of life. She wondered how far her friends were, if they were even still on Zephus.

She sensed a presence moving behind her, but she didn't turn around; she didn't need to to know who it was.

She waited for Kylo to speak as she sensed him standing behind her, but he didn't.

"It's beautiful here," Rey observed, wondering if she could get away with some casual conversation.

A few moments passed before she heard Kylo's deep voice. "It is."

"How long have you been here?"

"As long as I've needed to," he said cryptically. Rey assumed that he was using this place to hide out.

She hesitated before questioning him again, not wanting to set him off. "Don't you get lonely out here?" She turned her head over her shoulder, looking up at him. He stood a few short paces away, his dark eyes focused on the horizon ahead. She waited for him to answer, but unsurprisingly, he didn't.

Rey turned her head and faced in front of her once again. "I know I would," she said, her voice quieting.

They remained silent for a few more moments, the breeze picking up, blowing Rey's hair as she brushed it out of her face.

Kylo silently moved forward, standing next to where she sat. She observed him from the corner of her eye curiously, watching as the breeze rustled his thick black hair. He seemed distant, lost in thought.

"Kylo," she prompted, looking up at him.

His dark eyes met hers suspiciously.

"Why...why did you decide to join the dark side of the Force?" She asked. She pressed her hands into the grass on either side of her, ready to jump up in case he flew into a fit of rage.

His eyebrows quivered as he turned his gaze back to the landscape ahead. "That's not something I can explain," he said at last.

"Try," she challenged, and he looked back down at her, lowering his eyebrows.

"I can't," he said seriously.

"Yes you can."

"You wouldn't understand," he snapped, turning away from her.

Rey was growing frustrated at his refusal to answer her questions. "No, I probably wouldn't. But I still want to know."

He turned his face to look at her once more, and Rey thought she saw a flash of pained emotion flash momentarily through his eyes.

"Why did you break from Luke? Why did you betray him and the others?" She demanded, deciding to dig deeper. Kylo's face contorted.

"I didn't," he snapped, leaning away from her.

Rey knitted her brows. "You're lying. I saw you!" She exclaimed, slowly standing up.

Alarm flashed across Kylo's face. "Saw me?"

"Yes, I—I saw you in a vision. You had on your mask and your cloak. There were dead Jedi lying all around you in the dark, it was raining, and—" she cut herself off, regretting having told him about the vision she'd had when she had first picked up Luke's lightsaber. Kylo watched her carefully, blinking.

"You have visions too," he finally said, his voice distant.

"Yes, I had one," she said, puzzled. She crossed her arms.

"When?"

"Just once," she said quickly, afraid to reveal too much. His dark eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"What else was in this vision?" He probed.

"Nothing you need to know," she chided.

He straightened his posture, turning to face the horizon. "And I thought you wanted to have a heart-to-heart," he derided.

"You haven't even answered any of my questions," she blurted. She glared at him, then sighed. What if he could give her some insight about her Force vision?

"There wasn't much in the vision I had," Rey continued. "I saw Luke's hand, the mechanical one...it was on his droid." She thought for a moment, again wondering if it was safe to tell him more.

Kylo's eyes were trained carefully onto her face, and she knew he knew there was more to tell. "I also remember seeing a ship, it was leaving Jakku. I was calling out to it, I think it was my family. But something—someone was holding me back."

Kylo seemed to consider this for a short time, searching her face as he thought. He then turned and slowly paced a few steps back and forth, his arms folded, thinking.

"That vision, in the rain," he said. "I've had that one too." He suddenly stopped before her. "But it's not of the past. It's not what you think it is...It hasn't happened yet," he said.

"You mean, it's...a vision of the future? A premonition?"

Kylo nodded somberly.

"But, what does it mean?"

"I don't know…" Kylo said, shaking his head, but Rey wasn't sure if she believed him.

"Why would we be sharing visions?" She asked, this fact suddenly dawning on her. Kylo ran a hand through his hair, seemingly hesitant to speak. "Do all people connected to the Force share visions?"

He shook his head. "No. They don't," he said, his eyes slightly narrowing.

"Then...why?" She asked.

Kylo hesitated to speak. "It's something to do with the Force, a connectedness, if you will."

"Between...us?" Rey asked, bewildered.

Kylo glanced to the side momentarily before looking back her. "We share a Force Bond."

"Which is...what, exactly?" Rey was intrigued, but also slightly fearful.

"It is what it sounds like," he began, swallowing. "It's when two users of the Force are naturally connected, mentally. In theory, they can freely share each other's thoughts, among other things. Although from what I have read about it, it's usually something that develops over a great deal of time, between a master and an apprentice, or it's manually forged by someone."

"And...you didn't forge it?" Rey asked, suspicious.

"No. I don't know how to do that. Besides, why would I?" He asked, shooting her a sharp look.

Rey shrugged, thinking for a moment. She wasn't sure if she believed what he was saying, if she could believe it. "How are we connected mentally? I can't read your thoughts, and you don't usually seem to be able to read mine; it doesn't make sense."

He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself.

"What?"

He shook his head, avoiding her eyes.

"You aren't going to tell me more about this?" She asked, growing upset. She looked at him concernedly. "If we have a Force Bond, as you say, why can't we just read each other's thoughts?"

"Because we're blocking each other out," he said, "and rightfully so." His brows lowered over his dark eyes. "You can't read someone's mind if they are sufficiently guarded against it."

"So...what would happen if we did open our minds to each other's thoughts? What would happen?"

"I wouldn't advise that," he snapped, his voice growing dark.

"What if we figure out why we have a Force Bond?" Rey asked, her curiosity burgeoning.

"No. We've already read each other's thoughts before. You remember," he muttered, eyeing her askance. Of course Rey remembered when Ren had interrogated her on his ship, had forced his way into her mind, and she had been able to do the same to him in return. She remembered with clarity the mental connection she'd felt momentarily between them, a sinewy draw to him that she'd used to reach back into his own mind.

"Is this why you've helped me?" Rey asked, incredulous. "Because you think we share this bond?"

Rey stared at Kylo, and he grimaced as she attempted to break into his mind with all of her might. Her face tightened in concentration as she stared into his dark furious eyes.

"Rey, don't," he said sharply, his hands tensing at his sides. Rey could sense he was blocking her as hard as he could, but she also sensed his tiredness, his seeming inability to focus completely on blocking her. She could also sense her own strength, her own connection to the Force that was for some reason compelling her to force him to open his mind to her.

She took a step towards him. "You've broken into my mind, I'm only doing the same to you," she declared.

His eyes twitched as he strained to keep her out of his head. Again, Rey felt that their mental powers were almost evenly matched. She felt his mental wall was unstable, and she caught a glimpse of his apprehension, as she had before on his ship; however, it seemed more immediate, an awareness of an impending conflict with something, someone other than herself.

Kylo took a large step backwards, his expression remarkably similar to when she'd broken into his mind during the interrogation. "Get out. There are some things not meant to be seen," he warned, but she refused to let up.

Suddenly, Rey was shoved aggressively backwards onto the ground. She glared up at Kylo, and she intended to use the Force knock him over and down the hill, but he was too quick for her: Rey was frozen in place on the grass, her hand extended before her.

Kylo watched her for a few moments, breathing heavily. His extended arm seemed to shudder. "Don't do this," he said, shaking his head, and then he released her. Rey's head fell flat on the grass beneath her.

She sat back up, rubbing the grass out of her hair frustratedly. She scowled at Kylo as she watched him stalk lithely back to the staircase leading up to the house.

Rey waiting a few long minutes before making her own way back into the house. The sun had nearly set, the sky a deep orange. She went into her bedroom, sensing Kylo in his as she hurriedly passed down the hall.

Sitting on her bed, she decided to try and heal her ankles further, imitating the way Kylo had hovered his hand just above the site of injury. It was, however, to no use; Rey wasn't sure how to tap into the healing power. Was it something that required the use of the dark side?

Suddenly, Rey sensed something nearby. Something familiar, but not Kylo. It wasn't an awareness; it was a calling.

She got up slowly from her bed, silently making her way out of the bedroom, her hand tracing along the way as she tried to place the source of the presence.

Stepping into the foyer, she realized the Force was luring her outside, through the front doors. Rey tiptoed to the doors, opening them silently with the Force.

Outside was a dirt path that led from the front of the house to the thick forest ahead. Rey saw a shiny silver Flash Speeder parked out front of the house, reflecting the rich auburn of the sky above. Closing the doors behind her, she walked quickly to the Speeder, the calling of the Force growing stronger with each step.

A cloth sack was attached to the side of the Speeder, and it sagged; there was something inside.

Rey tentatively reached her hand into the bag, her eyes widening with recognition as her hand made contact with a slick metal surface.

She pulled out Luke's lightsaber—her lightsaber—and marvelled at the object in her hand. A flood of emotion rippled through her, so happy so was to be reunited with the saber. Where had Kylo found this?

Rey suddenly felt Kylo's approaching presence, and she flipped around to see him standing in the front doorway. "How did y—"

"This is mine," Rey declared. "It calls to me."

Kylo's shoulders tensed, but he stood in place. "It called to me once, too," he said, his voice rising. "Don't get too attached."

Rey's face twisted, trying to figure out whether or not he was lying. Kylo took a few calm steps towards her, then stopped, observing her closely. Remembering the Flash Speeder behind her, she took a step backwards, gripping the lightsaber tightly with both hands.

She suddenly felt conflicted, a confusing drive from the Force seeming to pull her both forwards and backwards. She glanced from her lightsaber to Kylo.

"I'm leaving," she suddenly declared, testing him. She took another step backwards, the back of her knee coming into contact with the bottom of the Speeder.

"And where are you going to go?" Kylo asked skeptically.

"To find my friends." With this, she turned to face the Speeder, breaking her gaze from Kylo at the last minute. She hopped from the ground and pulled herself onto the Speeder, looking at Kylo again.

"Your friends, they will turn against you," he declared, raising his eyebrows. Rey looked at him confusedly.

"What are you talking about?" She exclaimed, slipping the lightsaber back into the sack on the Speeder. "You're lying to me."

"I am not," he said, taking another step towards her. "You cannot leave."

Rey clenched her fists onto the Speeder's steering wheel, hesitantly powering it on. She looked at Kylo angrily as he stepped closer.

"Stop," Rey snapped. "I will not listen to you. You're a monster," she said sharply. Rey watched as Kylo's face contorted with emotion, if just for a moment. She quickly hit the gas and began speeding down the path through the darkening forest.

Looks like we're ending this chapter on a dark note, fam (or should I say, in a dark forest). What happened the last time Rey called Kylo Ren a 'monster?' As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. I realize there are typos here and there that I fail to catch in my proofreading, so I apologize for those and any more in the future. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so it really kills me when I look back and see typos. It makes me want to slash at my computer with a lightsaber. I'm looking to post chapter 12 within the next day, so stay tuned.