A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews, guys! I love hearing feedback and questions you have so I know to address them and even come up with more plot line just from your reviews, so keep it up!

A Demon's Light

"Didn't it all seem new and exciting

I felt your arms twisting around me

I should've slept with one eye open at night."

-Taylor Swift 'Wonderland'

Chapter Five: Real or False?

Sleep proved to be much more effective than Josie originally thought. She woke up the next morning happy, refreshed, and entirely alert.

Even VB-23 was chirping happily, waking from his charging slumber. The little droid hovered over to her where she sat on the bed, beeping at her excitedly.

"I'll see if you can tag along, but Kylo Ren never seems to be someone who enjoys much company. Even if you are a droid," Josie said, giving VB a little hug. "But I bet you could be useful during training. Maybe you could be the one who makes him laugh."

The little droid backed back a bit appearing as shocked as a little droid could look without facial expressions.

Josie gave him a teasing smile. Right then she got up, showered, and ate the leftover fruit she had from yesterday with FN. Unfortunately, she would have to make another trip to get more greens and fruit already. Maybe she should have gotten a few trays full when she could have. It made her nervous knowing there were certain places where she was really out of place and places where she wasn't supposed to be. She had never had to follow such rules before. In the world of Takodana was almost limitless. Except, of course, Maz's castle.

Then again, she could always see if Kylo would walk her around and give her a tour. That appeared like the most exciting solution.

But, first things first, training.

Josie and VB walked out just in time to run into Kylo who was completely dressed again in all black including his helmet to match. VB beeped quietly at Josie in anxiousness.

"What is the droid doing?" Kylo asked.

"I thought he could join us. He's so bored inside that room."

"Very well." He escorted them back to the training room. He wasn't very talkative on the way there; not that Josie expected him to be, but all the while they were walking down the halls, she kept thinking about last night and how close she was to him.

The image never really left her head.

Once they got into the training room, VB kept his cold metal body tight to her leg. He was still so intimidated by Kylo. Josie wasn't sure how; as far as she was concerned he was like an overgrown Takodana cub. The thought made Josie smile and giggle to herself.

"What is so funny?" Kylo asked as he took out his saber.

"Forgive me. It was only a funny thought."

He didn't bother asking for details. "This time I want you to try and put up walls while I search your mind. If you feel me touching upon a memory, block me. Try not to keep your mind completely blank but focused on my movement in your head."

She nodded, waiting for him to probe her mind. Josie didn't like the idea because there were definitely thoughts that she didn't want him to see, but she managed to stay focused on his Force moving through her mind. He searched the furthest memories she had. As hard as she tried to block him, he managed to pull out the memory of her sitting on Maz's lap, one of her arms wrapped around her and the other holding up a book.

Josie didn't bother blocking that memory, she actually relished it as he played through it. Suddenly, the memory was gone and he pulled himself out of her mind.

"You are supposed to be blocking me, not letting me seeing what's inside your head."

"Well, I enjoyed that memory. I remember she used to always hold me when I was littler. Of course, once I grew that wasn't possible for her…"

Kylo struggled with his words. He didn't mean to say it so harshly, but it came out bluntly any way. "Those memories are false. They aren't real. They never happened. No doubt they were created by Luke and Maz to keep you as sheltered as possible."

Josie frowned. She had an inkling that something was false after seeing Kylo's memory, but she didn't think all of it was false. There had to be an explanation. "Can you somehow search through my head for the real memories?"

"Picking which memories and finding the false ones is a time-consuming and difficult task. But we know I have the real memory of how you began, so I'm sure that I can pick which ones are false and which are real. But like I said, it will take quite some time to sort them out."

"However long it takes, that's fine. I just want to know."

Kylo took his helmet off and set it aside. He offered his hand to her surprise. She stared at it for a moment, but then recognized that she was supposed to take it. She did and he led her back to the cushions where they sat the day before.

His eyes were blank as was his expression as he looked into her eyes, using his hands at her temple to probe through the deepest part of her mind. Every memory he pulled, he relayed to her so vividly.

She saw herself as a baby in the arms of Maz. Luke brought her to Maz. She wanted to adopt her having heard of her not having any parents. She was happy. Maz looked at Josie like she was holding the entire world in her arms.

"False," Josie heard Kylo whisper as he erased the memory from her mind. It felt like it was just something she read in a book or an experience that someone else told her about rather than her own memory that she experienced.

She felt the heaviness in her heart again.

He probed further finding a memory she couldn't ever recall, but it was there all the same. She was the same age it appeared to her as she was in Kylo's vision. She was holding a woman's hand, putting all the trust in this stranger. The woman took her to Maz's castle and the little creature led them both to a private room.

Little Josie looked up at the woman as she spoke. "Luke Skywalker has requested that I take this girl and give her to you. She was found on the Forest Moon of Endor. He also wrote this for you." The woman handed Maz a sealed letter.

Maz opened it and read it swiftly. Her younger self felt odd in the presence of someone who looked so inhuman like. She had met the Ewoks and they were kind and funny and friendly. This creature looked stern and rigid. She wasn't so sure about this Maz creature yet.

The creature sighed. "I can't believe this has happened. No parents? Poor child. Purely of the Force. What a great weight she will have on her shoulders when the time comes. I find it no coincidence that she was brought to this galaxy the very day Solo turned to the Dark Side. There must be a direct connection somehow between them."

The woman scrunched her brows. "Surely she should have proper parents. She can't possibly live in a castle with - no offense, Maz - a bunch of outcasts, smugglers, and criminals."

Maz shook her head. "I know. I do, but Luke believes this will be for the best. I won't keep her here. I will keep her in the forests away from any darkness."

"Alone?" the woman hissed. "That's so cruel."

"No. She will have company. Right now your part is over. Go to the Resistance as Luke asked. I will take the child from here."

Josie knew this is where the woman and herself would depart, so she let go of the lady's leg and watched her walk out. She turned to the creature with tears pricking her eyes. "I want to go back to the teddy bears."

Maz looked at her sadly. "I know, child. I'm sorry."

The memory ended.

"Real." Kylo's voice changed from a whisper to something cold.

Josie wasn't sure if she could handle much more truth than that. It scared her to know that Maz had to take away her memories and replace them with false ones. She was astounded to think that all this time...all these years she had believed a lie.

He picked at more memories. There she was at four again. Sitting on Maz's lap. He erased it. She was now six years old and she was teaching her all the name of the insects and animals of the forest. Erased. She was now at four again receiving VB-23. She was so excited, she hugged Maz, and Maz picked her up in a roar of laughter. Erased.

Instead, she now remembered following Maz with VB-23 through the woods that very day. She left her in the cottage and told her that she would be back with food and other necessities for them.

Josie remembered feeling very alone.

When Maz did come back, that's when she began to change her memories as Luke told her to. She did it reluctantly, but did it all the same.

Kylo took careful time to sift through every memory and erase those that were false bring the real ones to the forefront of her mind. As much as she appreciated him doing this and finally knowing truth, she felt more haunted than she thought she could ever feel.

Once he was finished, hours had passed by and meals had been skipped.

Josie put her head in her hands, looking back at the memories she now knew were just pretenses to protect her from knowing the truth. She never was held as a baby in the arms of Maz, she never sat on her guardian's lap while she read to her, and she never even had a past before the age of ten.

But what haunted her the most was that she had never truly been held by a loving parent or anyone for that matter. She would never get to truly remember having gotten piggy back rides or being twirled around in a tight embrace. She never got any of that.

Josie felt cold.

Kylo Ren heard all her thoughts loud and clear. She was too consumed with unbelief to block him as he continued reading her thoughts. He almost didn't have to be in her head at all to know what she felt.

"I feel it too," he said. It almost broke him when she turned to him with tears staining her cheeks. "I had parents when I was younger. My mother sent me away against my father's will and he left both of us without so much as a goodbye. I haven't seen either of them since and don't plan to. I know what it's like to feel lost and abandoned and alone. But I promise you that I will not leave you alone."

His eyes were intense now. He was wiping her tears away, and she could feel his breath on hers again. She imagined the feel of his lips on hers.

Just as she thought that, she heard Kylo chuckle. "You really need to learn how to quiet your thoughts. I can hear them as loudly as if it was in my own head."

Her cheeks burned red, hoping he wasn't speaking of her thought of him touching her. But before she could reply, he did exactly that. When he pressed his lips to hers, she felt everything melt away. All that matter in that moment was him.

Ben.

He wasn't Kylo in this moment. He was Ben.

The kiss was soft and gently at first. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer and suddenly, he placed both hands on her back and the kiss became something deeper and more passionate.

When she released the lock on their mouths, she looked into his eyes and the first time only saw Light.

But it faded quickly.

xxx

Josie looked out the large window into the galaxy. She thought about him, playing the image over and over in her head. The ever-growing smile wouldn't leave. Not that she wanted it to leave.

Surprisingly enough, she enjoyed the raging blush flushing her cheeks in a rosy tint.

VB beeped at her, trying to get her attention again. He hovered up to her face, letting a quiet, mocking beep.

"I am not thinking about it, VB-23! Okay, maybe I am. But only a little!" Josie said in a teasingly defensive tone.

It was strange and beautiful all at once that VB went from intimidating by Kylo to obsessing over the both of them together. Maybe he just loved to tease her so embarrassingly. VB beeped at her asking if she was alright with all that happened during their training session...if it could be called that. It seemed like something would run them off track when they tried to train.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. I feel Maz has betrayed me, but I'm sure it was all with good intentions. I will simply talk to her about it when I see her next."

Kylo had escorted her back to her room because Hux had ordered him to meet with someone named Snoke. She let him be, but sitting around in a room all day wasn't her cup of tea. She had felt like she waited long enough to go exploring.

"VB, I'm going to go exploring. You go ahead and stay here. If I get in trouble, I don't want you in trouble too."

He beeped sadly.

"I'll be back. And maybe I can take you with next time."

He beeped again but this time was a little more indignant.

"Oh hush up, VB. I'm not entirely abandoning you." With that, she walked out before her little droid could make anymore protests.

Josie felt an odd sense of dangerous adventure. As much as she didn't like disobedience or having a feeling of doing something wrong, this felt a little bit different but something quite close. It was like lurching into the dark unknown, searching for something without knowing if it would be good or bad. Maybe it was both. Maybe it was neither.

She decided to take turns that she hadn't before when she ran into FN. The more difference in path she took, the greater area she would cover and the more she could see.

She saw a double door that was big and grey. Feeling like this might have something interesting behind it, she pressed all the buttons until it finally opened for her. Walking in, she saw that there was nothing of much interest; only panels and wires and something that gave off quite a bit of heat. She shut the door, continuing down the hall. She finally ran into even more doors, but this time, they were black and much wider and taller.

Of course, it was too important looking to not look into, so she went in after pressing the button. Her bare feet hit the white tile floor. This room seemed a little brighter than the hallways. The walls were a light grey and the ceiling had rows upon rows of bright lights.

Beds with a couple of people and creatures lined the walls and made two rows in the middle with curtains covering some of them.

It was a medical bay.

One familiar woman stood up at her entry. "Can I help you? I don't believe I've seen you before."

"Well, I've seen you!" Josie exclaimed with a bright smile. She went up and hugged the tall woman who stood beautifully strong. Despite her scowl, Josie still loved how she was now standing in front of her knowing this was not a dream. "I'm Josie. I've met you before in a dream. You were wearing silver armor and held a mask just like the other troopers. But I think your face and presence is much too beautiful to cover up."

The compliment was not taken whatsoever with the female trooper.

"If you don't mind me escorting you to the general to be assessed, I would like to see that you are back wherever you are supposed to be. It certainly isn't here."

There was a nurse droid walking up to them. She handed out a bag of tablets with a long piece of paper taped to it. "Make sure you take one each morning before breakfast and one right before bed. They should help ease the pain in your shoulder."

The woman nodded then turned back to Josie.

"I will lead the way, but I warn you that if you stray away I will shoot you onsight."

Josie frowned as she watched the woman put her helmet back on, picking up a blaster. They walked back the way she came, but took an immediate left to a large area where there were at least a dozen people pounding their fingers away on screens and boards.

"Sir," the woman said. It almost took Josie aback to hear her voice distorted. "I have a wanderer. She came into the medical bay. I'm not sure who is supposed to be watching her, but she managed to escape."

It was that man that didn't like her - the one who called her a creature. His face was already unpleasant before, but now that he saw who it was, his face looked all the more disgusted.

"Why is Kylo Ren's pet here?"

"I wasn't aware she was under Kylo Ren's watch, sir. I just came to ask you what to do with her as I found her unchained and wandering the halls. I figured she was a prisoner ready to escape."

Hux walked up to Josie, looking down at her. Oddly enough, his face began to soften.

"You know what, I have a great idea. How about I show you our new super weapon. Have you ever heard of the ability to destroy an entire planet with a single ray of light, pet?" he asked.

Josie shook her head.

"Well, I will show you a demonstration." He laid a hand on her back, leading her to the big window on the other side of the area. None of the staff noticed her. They were all too enveloped in what they were working on to notice either of them.

The general stood beside her, both of them staring off into the galaxy.

"Now, pet. What do you see right there," he asked, using his finger to point to a purple planet off into the distance.

"I see a planet," she answered happily.

"Can you guess what is on that planet?"

She shook her head.

Hux smirked. "What's on that planet is vile. There are traitors, thieves, and murderers living on that planet. But with this super weapon here," he began to explain, moving to a circular podium. He pulled up a small model of the weapon that was imbedded in a spherical ship. When he pressed another button, the weapon released a ray of light. "We will be able to wipe out the planet of its criminals."

Josie shivered. "Why would you want to kill them?"

"Because they have killed some of our own," he said, looking at her firmly.

She looked at him, seeing something in his eyes that she couldn't quite put a finger on. "I'm sorry that they have done such a cruel thing."

He almost looked shocked. The general stood there for a moment, gazing at her then he put his hand on her back once more, leading her away from the ears of his staff.

"So I have heard all you have seen in your life is light. Is that what you see in me, pet?"

Josie decided to laugh a little at the nickname he gave her. She supposed he was going to stick with it. Wanting to answer as truthfully as possible, she looked at him, feeling through his mind but trying to be subtle like Kylo had been when he probed her mind. "I see… Yes, I do see light. I see a very determined man who wants to do all he can for what he truly believes in. I see a very strong man who doesn't give up, even if he is told someone else is better. Yes, those are good qualities to have, I think."

He smiled at her like he was very proud of himself and who he was. "Well, I must say you are pretty good at that. I think I mistook you for a dirty creature, but I see you have great potential on our side. How about a glass of wine some time. I can show you precisely our achievements as I have heard you know so little about the First Order."

"You know what," Josie said, "I like the sound of that. My friend doesn't speak much and hasn't said much about you guys at all. I would be very appreciative of that."

Hux smiled, but what she didn't notice was that is was much more mischievous than genuine. "Perfect. I will meet you at your door tomorrow evening. Now, I am sure you would like to get back to exploring the ship as Ren has so rudely not done yet? Would you like me to show you around?"

Finally! Someone who knows all about the giant ship. "Of course. I mean, it's fun to explore without knowing where you are going, but I think the quicker I learn where everything is at, the less I have to guess every time I walk out." He offered his elbow, but she was confused. "I don't know what that means. Admittedly, I have little human contact."

His smile grew wider at that. "It's a gentlemanly gesture to a lady. All you do is rest your hand here." He took her hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow. She felt her face heat up at the contact.

They walked the halls. He was explaining some of the rooms, others he didn't bother to talk about at all.

It was all casual and interesting, then it got moreso when Ren appeared.

Josie felt her heart flutter finally seeing him again.

"Josie," he said in a harsh, distorted voice. "I don't believe I recall you saying that you were going out of your chambers."

"I got antsy and - " Josie began, but Hux interrupted feeling pleased with himself.

"She should be shown the whole ship, Ren. I took the pleasure of showing her around. She is our guest after all. I'm surprised you didn't give her the courtesy as I have. Who would have thought Snoke's puppet wouldn't treat his new trainee as a proper guest on this ship."

Neither the girl or the general could see Kylo's face, but he was thankful for the helmet covering his beat red face. If it were possible, there would be steam shooting from his nose and ears.

"I think you've done enough, General. I will take it from here."

Josie felt uncomfortable. Hux went from casually prideful of the ship he commanded and now he was sneering and hissing at Ren like they were mortal enemies.

"Well," Hux said to Josie, turning his full body and attention to her. He picked her hand up to his mouth and pressed his lips to it. She felt her body start to sweat at the contact. "I will see you tomorrow. Don't forget," he whispered in her ear so Kylo couldn't hear. Hux then walked away leaving a fuming would-be Sith and a slightly confused would-be Jedi.

Josie turned to Kylo. "Are you alright? I feel you… You are angry again."

"Don't leave your rooms without telling me," was all he said before escorting her to her rooms in a furious silence.

A/N: NO! This is NOT Hux falling in love with her or her crushing on Hux. This is solely selfish on both parties actually. She just wants to know the ship better and he has his own curiosities and intentions.

Don't worry! This is most definitely not a Hux/OC/Kylo fic. Hahahaha

Thanks for reading! I wouldn't mind a review either :)