Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for the follows, faves and the wonderful feedback you've been posting. Every time the energy to write plummets, I turn to your kind words to keep me going.

She couldn't really tell whether the ground below her was real. All that existed at the moment was a strange sensation of weightlessness. Her eyes had drifted shut while her body refused to obey any rational command sent its way. Her head tilted back, willingly or under veiled coercion, she couldn't be sure. There was an inherent fear that came along with the lack of control she was experiencing as her hands clutched the dark fabric of his tunic.

When his lips landed on her collarbone, she exhaled a soft gasp that sounded like flagrant betrayal in the chasm of silence that existed between them. That only encouraged his mouth to venture upward, into the hollow of her neck, along the soft lines of her jaw… A slow, tortuous trek that led to the sanctuary of her parted lips. The treacherous moan that escaped from her throat got buried in the depths of his mouth as he hungrily deepened the kiss, tasting her thoroughly, taking so much more than anybody had ever asked for, and driving her speeding heartbeat into a frenzy.

His boldness caused her grip to tighten on the dark robe. She didn't quite know if it was to push him away or pull him even closer, but was shocked at her own disappointment when his lips abandoned hers to trail their lazy way along her cheek, planting a gossamer kiss at the tender spot right below her earlobe. His voice, dark and smooth, struck an emotional chord deep inside her.

Don't be afraid. I feel it too.

He pulled away, just a fraction, and she opened her eyes to stare at the mask of the monster, her own horror reflected in the metallic armor that framed its features.

Rey woke up with a start, a scream of sheer terror lodged in her throat. She was greeted by the sterile silence of the shuttle, which was bathed in the now familiar reddish glow of the stand-by lighting inside the cabin. Her heart pounded painfully inside her chest as she struggled to get her bearings. Tiny beads of sweat peppered her forehead and upper lip, and she took in a deep, shuddery breath in a desperate attempt to calm her jagged nerves.

Her eyes travelled to the pilot seat, where the subject of her recent nightmare rested, chest rising and falling, marking the peaceful rhythm of deep slumber. As her anxiousness began to dissolve, boundless curiosity drove her to observe him carefully. His size and presence seemed somehow less threatening in that sprawled, unguarded position. His head was tilted to the side, his lips slightly parted while his black lashes rested on his cheekbones in stark contrast to his pale skin. He wasn't exactly handsome, not in the way Rey had come to understand the universal code of conventional beauty, and yet there was something about him that was exceptionally attractive—frighteningly so. It could be the way his eyebrows were slightly creased in concentration, even in the clutches of deep sleep, or the way his hair fell in disarray over his forehead, or the defined shape of his jawline accentuated by the high collar of his tunic. Whatever that elusive quality was, it took away from the menacing image he insisted on portraying and made him slightly more human.

Or perhaps, Rey thought uncomfortably, it was just the opposite…

Her eyes fell on the two holstered lightsabers at his hip. It would be so easy to use that moment to take back what was rightfully hers. She pondered on it for a while before deciding against it. It wasn't the right time. It would be counterproductive. After all, her training had just begun…

There was a rapid shift behind his eyelids and a slight twitch of his brow, and Rey was more than a little surprised to realize he was caught in a dream. Her imagination had hit a roadblock when it came to him, couldn't even begin to guess what a Knight of Ren could possibly dream about. It was probably something dark and terrifying and absolutely none of her business.

So, what was making it so enticing to dive into his mind?

She quickly dismissed the temptation. It just wouldn't be right. He had been in her same position the night before and, for some reason, had granted her the courtesy of privacy while she slept. Shouldn't she offer him the same show of respect?

Ignoring the unspoken code of conduct shared by those with such abilities, Rey's mind drifted away from her despite her reticence.

No, this is wrong…

And yet, she became physically unable to put the brakes on. She knew she ought to stop her mind from wandering further, but by the time she wrapped her head around what was happening, it was already too late. She was already too far inside his mind to be able to summon up the will to pull back…

A small boy walked slowly down a long hallway. He couldn't have been older than five or six years old. Rey was unable to see his face, and soon realized she was perceiving her surroundings as the boy himself, the way Ren's mind had conjured it. She was forced to squint at the impossibly white walls on either side, reflecting a brightness that did not exist outside of the surreal realm of the subconscious. The boy kept walking slowly. A feeling of trust and absolute safety came over her. It was unlike anything she had experienced in the real world. She felt happy and loved…

She was home.

There was an open door at the end of the corridor. A soft, comforting rumbling could be heard beyond it. The boy crossed the threshold to discover a tall figure staring out a massive window, his back to the door as he gazed quietly into space. Both Rey and the boy smiled with joy the moment they recognized him.

Chewie!

The wookie turned around to face them, bowcaster firmly in hand. With a deafening grunt he took aim at them and pulled the trigger. The boy was propelled against the wall, then fell to the ground, his eyes staring at his executioner with the blank stare of death.

Rey screamed.

They were both thrown back into reality in an instant. Visibly shaken, Ren glared at Rey, anger twisting his features into something that, just mere moments ago, would have been unrecognizable. A stampede of viral emotions were trampling through her chest: regret, shame, fear, sadness... Rey couldn't pinpoint which one was doing the worst damage, but she would've given anything to make the agony stop.

"I'm sorry!" she breathed for a lack of a better way out. "I didn't mean to… It just happened!"

His ire was immediately evident, as was his struggle for self-control, and something dark and vile snapped inside of him. Rey felt a sudden pressure on her throat, like an iron fist that made it impossible for her to take air into her lungs. Gasping for oxygen, she brought her hands to her neck in a panic.

"Your curiosity comes at a price," he roared, rage rolling off him in violent waves.

Tears began prickling her eyes. She reached for his outstretched arm, gripping his wrist with both hands in a frantic attempt to divert the fury of his power. But as her terror became stronger, so did his unyielding grasp.

"Please, don't!"

Tears of desperation made her vision suddenly blurry. She felt her head spinning, about to black out.

"Control your fear!" he hissed.

But she couldn't. She was fighting a losing battle, couldn't even think straight as her lungs ached from the lack of oxygen.

"Control-your-fear!" he repeated, enunciating every word with a calmness that bordered on the psychotic. His eyes were darker than she'd ever seen them, piercing into her very soul.

Rey let his words sink in and stopped fighting. A moment of understanding stretched between them, where the heart-stopping fear that had held her prisoner just a second ago turned into a completely different emotion, one rooted in shadows and drenched with hatred. She held his stare, a clash of dark energy as the stronghold on her larynx began to gradually rip free from his controlling grip.

The raw power that surged through her veins was exhilarating like a drug, dangerous like an all-consuming black hole, absorbing every flicker of light into extinction. She fed off that power, pushing back with all her might until the cabin became so charged with their combined energy it felt as if it could spontaneously combust at any moment.

Rey noticed the almost imperceptible smile spreading across Ren's face and knew she had fallen into his trap.

"Stop!" she demanded.

"Make me!"

He seemed to be enjoying the whole exchange, reveling in her growing power. It was obvious the tension was beginning to weigh down on them both, it was now a game of stamina, rather than power, and Rey didn't think she could keep up the fight on her end for much longer. One final burst of energy pushed her over the verge of her endurance. She thought he would take the opportunity to show his supremacy, to punish her for her retaliation. But she was wrong. He appeared to be almost as exhausted as she was, his mind and body just as drained.

"You're finally learning to use the Force, Scavenger," he said, breathing heavily. "Next time I won't be this forgiving."

"You still want me to fear you," she told him, trying to bring her own breathing under control.

"Is that what you think?" He raised his eyebrow in silent query. "To be honest, I don't really care whether you fear me or not."

"But earlier you said—"

"Consider it a piece of friendly advice." Ren regarded her silently for a long moment, head tilted slightly to the side, his expression unreadable. "The dream," he finally whispered. The way he kept looking at her was making Rey extremely uncomfortable. "It touched you."

Rey felt a rush of heat shoot up to her cheeks.

"W—what dream?"

"You saw something you shouldn't have seen," he continued, his eyes fixed on hers. "Be careful, Scavenger. Curiosity can be quite dangerous."

Rey held his stare, determined not to be intimidated by his tactics. "I caught a glimpse of a happy childhood," she said evenly. "Something I never had. Something you chose to destroy."

"Is that jealousy I detect?" he said through a lopsided grin. "You would trade your lonely, pathetic childhood in the deserts of Jakku to have a loving family, a home… a giant furball for a playmate. It appears like such an obvious choice, doesn't it?"

"Isn't it?" she asked, swallowing down the grief for the life she never had.

"What if I told you, that which you believe to be a perfect life, is simply an illusion," he stated. Resting his elbows on his thighs, he leaned forward, spoke intimately. "What if I told you, you were actually the lucky one."

"I'd say you are crazy," she replied.

He nodded, his thoughts turned inwards. "Perhaps you're right."

"Though I'm more inclined to believe you're just evil."

"And you will not rest until you have me figured out," he said. The hint of seduction in his voice didn't go amiss by Rey.

"Don't flatter yourself," she said between clenched teeth. "We've entered into a partnership in which you are my teacher and I am your protégé. The only reason for our interaction is that we need each other to get out of this rock alive, otherwise I would have never agreed to such a perverse arrangement."

"How perverse do you find me, really, when your own subconscious longs for physical contact?"

Her eyes widened in shock and wonderment.

Does he…?

"I don't need to get inside your mind to feel it," he told her quietly. "You shouldn't fight it," he added casually. "Lust is an excellent conduit. You must hitch its power."

Rey shifted on her seat, her puzzled frown deepening. She despised tapping into the dark side of the Force, she did not appreciate him pointing out what she ought to be feeling, and she most definitely didn't like the turn the conversation was taking.

"I'm a bit tired," she mumbled, avoiding his eyes. "Tomorrow will be another exhausting day. I don't know about you, but I need to get some rest so, if you don't mind…"

She let her words trail and tried to get as comfortable as possible in the rigid aircraft seat. The airy fabric of the space blanket was her only shield, useless as it was against either physical or metaphysical assaults. Not that he had attempted the former outside of the rigorous training. As for the latter, she had been far guiltier on that count.

"I think I owe you an apology," she said, letting the words roll over her tongue reluctantly. "I shouldn't have pried into your mind while you were asleep."

"No, you shouldn't have," he agreed.

There wasn't much more she could say. She was not going to grovel for his forgiveness, although judging by his reaction it appeared he didn't really need or expect an apology. And yet, she got the sense that if it were ever to happen again, he wouldn't be nearly as forgiving.

Rey turned her back to him, curling into her seat with the blanket tightly wrapped around her body. With one last glance over her shoulder, she muttered, "Good night."

She heard the rustle of the seat as he leaned back, felt the intensity of his stare upon her and the eeriness of his enigmatic smile.

"Sweet dreams…" he finally whispered.

[TBC…]