The days crept along, and the scavenger girl still hadn't made an appearance. A bitter taste settled in Kylo Ren's mouth, knowing he was the cause of it all. Say what you would about the girl, but at least she talked to him. The two animals of guards had returned in her place, the only contact from them being an occasional loathing stare. The prisoner wanted to crack a smile at the thought of the miniature scavenger telling the large brutish guards what's what, frightening them into submission with the smallest movement of her hand to her hip. Rey may be one of the light, but there was no denying that she let the dark side of the force consume her from time to time.

It was about the fifth day in without Rey making an appearance when Kylo Ren had received a neatly folded piece of parchment along with his daily portion. The prisoner picked up the paper and briefly brushed a finger over where his named had been written in what could have misconstrued as chicken scratch. 'Terrible handwriting,' he thought to himself, unfolding the parchment and reading what had been written on the inside.

To Kylo Ren,

I have taken a momentary leave of absence in order to conduct business on behalf of the Resistance. While I am gone, I have instructed for you to be moved to the home base where you will have your own quarters assigned to you, strictly guarded by no less than three people. This will go into effect once you are delivered this letter. Under supervision, you will continue to be allowed the privilege to go outside for no less than one hour a day. Additionally, a physician has been instructed to monitor and assist in rebuilding your health with weekly, routine check-ups and physical therapy. Once you are determined to be in good enough health, you will be allowed the privilege of private strength training sessions in our facilities to finish out the process of rehabilitating your physical well-being. Though we may have our differences, you have successfully shown me that you are compliant enough with authority to receive these luxuries. If there is to be any occurrence where you are lacking in compliance, you will be shown back to your previous dwelling and your privileges will be revoked until a time where it is determined that you are willing to obey command. Hoping you are well.

Signed, Rey

Captain of the Resistance

'Ha. Captain. How quaint.' Kylo Ren sneered in revulsion, taking a great disrespect for anything resembling military. One of the many reasons he held such contempt for his own mother. Too busy playing out her pathetic war tactics to come visit her own son. 'I wonder if she hates me by now.'

"Hey!" One of the guards kicked the glass, capturing Kylo Ren's attention. "On your feet, scum. You're being moved," the guard growled with resentment. The prisoner clambered to his feet, silently allowing himself to be pushed along to his new home.

The first week at the home base was a nightmare. No matter where he was spotted, no matter by who, threats were shouted and objects were thrown. It wasn't until a statement had been made by a higher up regarding the behavior that the violence had ceased. Not like it had truly bothered Kylo Ren anyways. The prisoner would systemically go through the same routine every day. Wake up, wash, be escorted to the mess hall for his first meal before going outside. After that, he had physical therapy for his back with Dr. Kalonia, followed up by his second meal in the mess hall. The remainder of his day was spent within the confines of his room, his third meal restricted to his living quarters. Sleep came not long after, and the next day the process repeated. This continued on for a couple more weeks until strength training was added to his agenda. Not even that helped.

Say what you would about the First Order, but at least Kylo Ren felt as though he belonged there. The man could sit down at any table in the cafeteria unmasked, his identity unknown, and still enjoy a simple conversation with a member of the crew. Here, at the Resistance base, he had never felt so alone. Others took careful steps to avoid him, choosing to lean against a wall and eat instead of sharing a table with him when all of the others had filled up. A good month and half had passed like this before events changed.

Kylo Ren was sitting at a table alone, picking at his food which he had no appetite for. It was only the beginning of the lunch rush, so the mess hall was relatively quiet and peaceful. He had learned very quickly to come at earlier times to avoid multiple stares and to lessen the feeling of isolation when there were plenty of other tables empty for people to join. With a defeated sigh, he forced himself to eat his meal, not wanting to go hungry for several hours before the last meal of the day. Kylo Ren had become so used to tuning out the noises that were surrounding him that he didn't hear the hushed whispers approaching him.

"Why are we doing this again," one hushed voice asked. "I thought we both agreed that the man is a monster."

"We're doing this because he doesn't have anybody. There was a reason why Rey had him brought over here. If Rey can trust him, we can find it in ourselves to trust him. Besides, it's not like you have to talk to him. We're just going to sit with him so he has some company," the second person breathed.

The prisoner nearly jumped out of his skin when the table shook from its two new occupants taking a seat. Kylo Ren briefly glanced up from his tray to see who had joined him. The first one, the resistance pilot he had interrogated aboard The Finalizer, and the second one, the ex-stormtrooper, FN-2187. 'What are they doing here?' So incredibly out of his comfort zone, the prisoner finished his food in haste without seeming too obvious. As soon as the tray was empty, Kylo Ren scrambled to his feet and rushed off before a word could be spoken.

It continued on like this for several days, each time was a surprise when the pair took a seat across from Kylo Ren. Eventually, the surprise withered away into what could have been described as expectancy. The prisoner would wait to begin eating until the two had entered the mess hall. The three may not have spoken to each other, but their company alone was comforting. Kylo Ren would quietly listen to the two converse with one another about the simple things that had transpired around the base or new developments in the fight against the First Order.

"Hey, Ren." At first, the words didn't reach the prisoner's ears. It wasn't until his name was repeated that his attention was captured. "How is the physical therapy coming along? We hear Dr. Kalonia has been working you over like an eopie," the pilot commented, a friendly smile gracing his features.

Kylo Ren remained silent for quite some time, figuring out whether or not he should answer the man. "It's going well," he mustered up, neglecting to look at the other man who seemed to have been encouraged to keep talking by the curt reply.

"We never properly introduced ourselves to one another. I'm Poe. Poe Dameron. And of course you should already know who Finn is," Poe rattled on before sticking his hand out to Kylo Ren as Finn looked on in pure horror. The prisoner finally brought his gaze from the table to meet Poe's, uncertainty delaying the man's response before he reached out and took the pilot's hand, shaking it.

"Good to meet you," Kylo Ren spoke briefly before returning his attention back to the food in front of him. Finn looked as though he was going to have a coronary due to the pilot's audacity.

"I've noticed they keep you pretty cooped up in here. If I could get the approval, I could really use some help maintaining the x-wings out on the air field. It may not be much, but I figured it would get you outside a bit more than usual," Poe continued on unabashedly. "If that's something you'd like, of course. You don't have to say yes if you don't want to."

Genuinely surprised by the kind offer, all Kylo Ren could do is nod his head and mutter a quiet 'sure' before hurrying off to his quarters to avoid unnecessary awkwardness.

Poe kept good on his offer, and soon Kylo Ren began assisting the pilot every day after lunch. After a while, the ex-stormtrooper began speaking to the prisoner as well, though it was with great reluctance. Kylo Ren's life began to resemble something close to normalcy, but everything still felt so cold, so cut off.

It had been almost two months since Rey had taken her leave, and Kylo Ren felt more and more unsettled with every day that flew by. There was still a small part of him that had regretted his actions that day next to the stream. The scavenger girl was the first person to show kindness and genuine concern for him in years, and he treated her like trash, ultimately scaring her away. Even after those events, even in her absence, the scavenger was still managing to show him kindness from afar purely out of her influence over others. Though he may never publicly admit it, he missed the young Jedi apprentice. Whereas the presence of Poe and Finn felt so unnatural and forced, Rey's presence felt so soothingly natural. They may not have exactly enjoyed one another, but the force had always drummed with energy between the two, seemingly pulling the two together. The sensation had always warmed his when she visited him down in the dark abyss he used to call home.

Kylo Ren swung in anger at a wardrobe that sat in the corner of his room, his fist bursting through the other side of the wood. 'She wouldn't be gone if it weren't for me', he agonized, raw emotion boiling to the surface of his skin along with the blood dripping down his hand. This wasn't the first time an incident like this had occurred; Kylo Ren had been kept up many nights before when such pure emotion had pulsed through him. Sometimes he just had to find an outlet, which was unfortunate for many pieces of furniture in his room as well as his hands. Underneath the thick streams of blood, scars both old and new littered his skin, serving as a painful reminder of the intensity the scavenger brought out in him.

The prisoner was interrupted from his seething when a shrill alarm sounded throughout the base along with an emergency broadcast. "All hands on deck. I repeat, all hands on deck. Medical attention needed in the air field. Medical attention needed in the air field."

Kylo Ren opened his door and followed the many resistance fighters rushing to the outside, intrigued by what could be causing such a commotion. Several transporters had touched down on the air field and bodies were pulled from their confines, both alive and dead. Those who were uninjured stumbled out after them, mainly women and children covered in ash and blood that was not their own.

Several shouts and screams tore through the sky. "What happened?" "It was them; they wouldn't stop coming!" "The First Order, they did this. They burned everything down and shot at all of us!" The noise became drowned out as the intense sound of blood rushing pounded in Kylo Ren's ears and his body became warm as an odd sensation over took him. 'She's here.' Kylo Ren's gaze fell upon the Millennium Falcon which he did not notice before and he began rushing to its location. The closer he got, the more medical personnel seemed to populate the area.

The sight before him sent his heart dropping to his feet and his blood running cold. Rey rested on the ground in a small pool of her own blood and her skin was as pale as death…