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He transported Rey to his ship, putting his disguise back on before leaving her prison, not wanting anyone to see him without his helmet and alert Phasma that something was out of the ordinary. Every living soul he encountered scattered in fear in front of him, clearing his path.
His mind was swimming, a haze covering everything but the feel of her weight in his arms.
His ship was a small Sentinel-class shuttle, modified to fit his needs. It had two folding wings on each side, a cockpit with 2 chairs, enough space behind it for about 5 Stormtroopers to sit, the engine room, a refresher and his private room in the back.
He reluctantly set her down on the co-pilot's chair, reclining it as much as he could and fastening the seatbelt. He needed to get out of here and fast. He checked on the supplies the crew had put earlier today in the engine room. Everything is still there, perfect.
He sat at his pilot's spot and initiated the lift off. He took a deep breath, his heart torn between fear and excitement. This was incredibly stupid and misguided, but he didn't care, he only cared about how it made him feel. Free.
He left Starkiller base behind without regret, putting about 3 random systems between him and the stronghold of the First Order before slowing down and activating the autopilot. He needed to check on Rey before figuring out what his destination would be.
He transported her to his bed and laid her down gently, still nestled in the black linen.
He stood up and walked to the engine room, retrieving the medical kit and bringing it next to her. Her heartbeat was still strong, so he decided against a transfusion. He removed her right arm from the cape and started there. The bleeding had stopped, the cuts shallow. Hux really hadn't meant to kill her, just hurt and defile her.
A sour taste in his mouth, he fought to reign in his temper, stifling the blast of fury encircling his heart. He couldn't afford to destroy his ship in a tantrum. He mended to her cuts instead, washing the blood from her skin, disinfecting them one by one.
Her arms and legs were easy, but when he got to the inside of her left thigh, his entire body shuddered and a torching guilt twisted his intestines in knots. This one was nasty, he could tell how eager Hux had been to cut her there. It would certainly scar. His fingers trembling, he got a needle and thread from the kit, stitching the gash methodically if not perfectly, focusing as much as he could on his task and not on the fact that she was practically naked.
What was left of her shirt was stained with dried blood, the fabric clotting to her skin. He inspected the rest of her body as diligently as he could manage without actually staring at her, vigorously struggling to keep his thoughts and feelings in check.
When he was satisfied with his work, he threw a clean blanket over her, thinking she would probably prefer waking up with sticky blood all over her than squeaky clean and humiliated.
He returned to the bridge, his plan taking form.
He didn't feel ties with the First Order, it was just a mean to an end. General Hux would be replaced by another cocky face soon enough. The Force, the Dark side, was really the only power he was craving. He could have the Dark side and Rey, Snoke just needed to believe she was dead.
Luke Skywalker had once talked to Ben Solo, back in his other life, about a certain type of planet. The kind that had a specific type of atmosphere that muddied or blocked completely the ability to find someone using the Force. Even to someone as skilled as Snoke. He'd always assumed that the old Jedi had disappeared to one of these planets, often inhabited because of an inhospitable climate. There were many, his old master had said. Maybe he could find one and keep Rey safely on it, away from the wrath of his master. Snoke would probably forgive him for killing Hux, if he thought Rey was dead as well, but would his master even believe him after he vanished for two days? Would Snoke feel his turmoil at keeping this secret? He would be punished harshly at the very least. He guessed it was a stretch, his plan mainly suicidal, but what other choice did he have? He couldn't send her back home, or to the Resistance and her friends. Well, maybe he could, but frankly, he didn't want to. First of all, it would annihilate his chances to fool Snoke, and also… well, she was dangerous now, if he let her loose, who knew what she would say to people in the Resistance about him? It would reach quickly enough the ears of his parents, even if she still had no idea about his lineage. He desperately didn't want them to know he'd done this uncharacteristically un-evil thing. It was better they believed him lost completely and forever. Finally, he knew if he let her leave, he would never see her again, except maybe someday in the battlefield, and he didn't want that. Just the thought of her being trained as a Jedi, for all intents and purposes taking his place amongst the ruins of his family, was making his stomach churn in agony.
Rey's eyes started to flutter, the light seeping through her eyelashes. Her head was pounding, pain radiating from everywhere. She battled with the fog of unconsciousness a few second more before her eyes opened, adjusting painfully to the cold artificial light. Her heart jumped in her chest as she took in her surroundings. A small sterile room with a bed, table and chair. Her memories started to fall back into place and she gasped, her eyes searching for a confirmation of what she remembered. Hux's assault on her body had not been completed, thank god, but he'd still left her some unwanted reminders. She inspected her arms, surprised to see them almost healed already, clean from the blood that she expected to find. She readjusted herself on the bed, crying out at the sharp pain pulsing from her left leg at the sudden movement. She glanced down at the deepest cut, her eyes widening, a nervous hiccup resounding in the silence. The margins were clumsily but effectively stitched together. She blushed furiously, her instincts telling her exactly who had done it. Oh, god.
She stood up, unnerved, but the world blurred, and sat back down at once.
Wow, I'm going to have to take it easy.
She grimaced, grabbing her head in her hand. She noticed how dirty her clothes were and touched her shirt hesitantly, bile rising in her throat at the feel of the wet gooey blood clinging to her chest, trailing between her breasts. She stifled a sob, forcing herself to steady her breathing.
Better, she said inwardly, calming her heartbeat down too.
Now that she had her bearings, she could tell she was on a rapidly moving ship. She used what little strength she had to scan it. Kylo Ren and she were the only ones on board; alone.
She stood up, slowly this time, putting less weight on her left leg and pushed the button on the door, praying it would open. She couldn't bear the idea of waking up to a new cage. Her prayers were answered, the door vanishing upwards in a sharp 'whoosh' sound.
You're awake, he whispered to her through the link.
His voice reverberated through her and the blush on her cheeks reappeared. Tears of humiliation reflected in her eyes, she couldn't even fathom how long she'd been out of it, or what could have happened during that time. He killed Hux, she reminded herself, and everything feels right there.
I didn't touch you, he declared crossly.
Stop reading my thoughts, you liar, she accused him.
I mean, I stitched you up, but that's it, he assured her, mad that she could think for a second he'd do anything of that sort to her while she was unconscious. How repulsive! Didn't she understand by now that if he was that kind of man, she would already know?
Why did you?
What?
Why am I even alive?
That was the question he had no answer to. Would you rather not be?
No- I-, she mumbled, frustrated and frightened, unable to retort something witty.
There's a shower right outside your door, if you want to clean up.
Why was he so nice to her? Why was she even breathing? Her eyebrows furrowed. She tried to figure out if this was a ruse, if this all could be just an act, but she could still taste the burnt flesh on her tongue. Hux was dead all right. But why then? What was he planning to do with her now? Where were they going?
She wrapped herself tightly into the blanket, crossing the distance to the refresher.
She opened the jet of water, making it as hot as she could, her skin screaming under the heat. She forcefully scrubbed the clots from her skin, even if it stung like hell. She desperately needed to feel clean again, but didn't know if it was even possible.
Back on Starkiller base, Snoke's hologram appeared in its usual place, but the person awaiting him was unusual.
"Talk, General Phasma," the guttural voice filled the room, echoing around the walls, making the newly promoted soldier shiver.
"Supreme leader, we have visual confirmation that Kylo Ren killed General Hux and disappeared with the girl."
"Show me."
Snoke looked at the hologram Phasma was holding in her hand. Hux was torturing the girl when Kylo Ren came in and killed him savagely, clearly drawing power from the Dark side of the Force to do so. His anger and hate were tangible in the recording. So far, nothing too serious, Snoke expected Hux and Kylo Ren to ultimately kill one another; it was always meant to end this way between them. However, his lips pressed into a grim line when he saw his young follower cradle the girl affectionately in his arms, unaware he was being filmed. That was an odious incident.
"Bring him to me, bring him at once!" Snoke ordered commandingly. Every second spent away from the First Order, away from his influence would erode the darkness. Staying away for too long would awaken Ben Solo, the sliver of light still present in his apprentice would grow beyond his control. He couldn't allow that to happen, Kylo Ren was too important. Not just as a prized possession, taken directly from the light, from a family so significant. No, he also had a role to play later, and Snoke couldn't afford to lose his hold over him.
"What about the girl?" Phasma asked, not wanting to make any mistake.
"Bring her too, I shall enjoy watching her burn," Snoke snarled joyfully.
I'm been really unsure about this, the last 2 chapters writing themselves, this one a bit harder. so please review. Elmo13