Chapter 5: Out of Hand
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars and any of the characters portrayed in this work except those that I myself create.
Kylo Ren: If I have to hear those words one more time.
Mysterywriter321: Kylo Ren so help me I will point a blaster to your face if you don't leave me alone.
A/N: It's finally happening. Strap yourselves in guys, it's going to be one hell of a ride! Also, I named the base myself, so if there's another one like that( though I didn't come across any in my research) it pure coincidence.
Edited. I really should be doing homework now but it's been too long since my last update so, to all my followers and those who liked this book and my reviewer, my thanks to you, this is.
Desire, greed, the thirst for power all mingled with every day thoughts and choices. There was also pain, loneliness and hurt. Somewhere in there I saw Kylo, his smug pleasure at having killed so many people. I saw myself too but pulled away before I could read those thoughts too.
"You're afraid to see," he said.
It was an observation.
"You're afraid to feel it too."
Another observation.
I played dumb for my own sake.
"Feel what?"
"Oh, so we're playing that game," he said invading my space.
I moved back but there really wasn't anywhere to go.
A part of me wanted this, the thrill of having him so close to me. The familiarity of his scent, I wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to have him touch me. But another part of me knew it was wrong. I shouldn't.
His finger and reached up to my face and brushed my temple and suddenly images swam into view. They looked familiar, his thoughts and mine combined. I saw myself in his arms, giving into the desire and I saw how that pleased him. How he ravaged my body and took it for his own.
I saw his desire to control, to dominate and how I willingly gave in.
I pulled away from him and tried to slow my breath.
Kylo Ren wanted me but I couldn't tell if he wanted me or my power. The lines were blurry, so many shades of grey.
"No," I said shaking my head.
"They're just thoughts Rey," he whispered. "But only I can make your dreams reality."
His voice was low and seductive and I couldn't deny how it made me feel.
"I can give you what you want."
As soon as those words left his lips, he was gone, back to his desk and I lay on the bed wondering how the hell things had gotten so out of hand.
It was days before I saw Kylo again, he would come back late and go early and I busied myself with reading and taking two showers a day, everyday. There was always food but that wasn't to say I felt like eating.
Occasionally I would overhear the troopers talking but it was nothing but gibberish to me. A few things I could make out were that this was LostStar base and that Jakku was so darn hot but that was just about it.
I found my thoughts wandering to Kylo often, how it felt when he touched me, the words he said. What would make him say those things he said to me?
I bit my lip and shut the book.
It wasn't right.
What I felt or him wasn't right, it had to stop, this burning desire inside of me had to stop. Somehow.
"Contact the Republic," Kylo Ren ordered.
"Contacting the Republic," one of the communications control experts said.
The words came up in the large screen and for a moment all that could be heard was the beeping of machines. It was always this way when Kylo was at headquarters. Ideally, this was more of Hux' area but he didn't exactly inspire relief either.
It was the mask, that much he knew. To not be able to see people's reactions was a scary thing. Because to not know what was coming was also as bad as knowing what was coming. And Kylo liked that, he liked the terror he saw in their eyes, the way they shook with fear.
He reveled in the dark side but the pull was not yet strong enough.
A face came up on the screen, it was one of the experts on the other side.
"I want to speak to General Leia Organa," Kylo said before the man had a chance to speak.
"I'm sorry but-"
"It's important."
He was late in making this call, it should have been done days ago but other things had been occupying his time entirely. Kylo refused to think of her as the man went offline for a second presumably to get the general. Seconds later the face of General Leia Organa appeared in the screen, she was as he remembered her except she had grown older. There were crinkles around her eyes and she looked tired.
Good.
It was easier to bargain with someone who couldn't tell left from right.
"Ben," she said addressing him by his old name.
"Kylo Ren," he corrected.
She didn't look happy to see him and why would she be? He had killed Han Solo, the man she loved, she had given up hope on him, he could see it. And it was about time she did. Kylo was working for the First Order, he wasn't going back to the light side. The dark side was his home.
His rightful place.
"You called," she said.
She had lost weight, he noticed.
"For diplomatic purposes, of course," he replied.
Before the events at the Starkiller base she would have taken it as a sign of hope if he called even it was to threaten to destroy D'Qu,r because he never called, but things were different now.
"You remember Rey," he said.
"What about her?"
"I have her. And I want you to come and get her."
She frowned and in the background Kylo could already here someone trying to tell her that this was a bad idea. Leia silenced her with a wave of her hand.
"Where is she?"
"Let's not make this too easy, a bit of fun won't hurt," he said.
She was silent as she took him in.
"And what if I don't come for her?"
"Then she'll end up where she belongs, the dark side."
"Ben, you wouldn't," she cried.
Ben wouldn't, the young and naive Jedi apprentice wouldn',t but he was Kylo now and Kylo would do anything to win.
"I will, general," he said in an even tone. "So I suggest your hurry."
He signalled for the call to be cut and turned to exit the room. General Hux fell into step with him.
"You think that's going to work?" he asked incredulously.
"I know it is," he said.
He'd painted a picture the Republic couldn't resist looking at. They would never let someone as strong with the force as Rey end up on the dark side. It happened twice before and they weren't up for a third round. They would come for her. They wouldn't be able to resist.
"What about the Supreme Leader's orders?"
"I'm sure you have that under control."
"You're not supposed to be here," Hux said.
Kylo was supposed to be training with Supreme Leader Snoak, his training was nearly done but Hux saying that statement let him know what he needed to know. The general saw him as a threat which was in its own way a good thing but could also be bad.
"I'm needed here," Kylo said.
Things with the general had always been... so-so, they'd never liked each other (Kylo couldn't remember the last time he liked someone for them and not what they could do or gove him), that much was obvious but they always found a way to work together. He sensed that was diminishing, the events on Starkiller base had changed Hux, he hated Kylo for what he'd done. Though it hadn't really been his fault, he didn't deter Hux from placing blame much. It just never worked.
"Do whatever you have to do," Kylo said waving a hand. "I'm going out."
"Where?"
"None of your business."
The doors opened and Kylo walked into the room. Surprised, I checked the time. It was late noon and I wondered what he was doing back so soon.
"Get dressed," he said walking to the table and depositing his helmet there.
I liked how he took it off when he came back, like he was okay with being a normal person around me and not the monster they all thought he was.
It's his room, of course he'll be comfortable here, I reasoned. It has nothing to do with you.
"I am dressed," I said motioning to my clothes.
He didn't even look at me as he walked to the closet and threw it open. There were black robes all ironed to perfection that hang neatly in there but apart from pairs of the black boots he wore, that was all. He groaned in frustration and walked out of the room. He came back moments later with a bunch of clothes in his hands and dumped them on the bed.
"What are those for?" I asked.
"For me," he said. "And you."
I couldn't believe this; Kylo Ren didn't have casual wear.
I laughed and he finally looked at me but it was like he wanted to strangle me.
"What's so funny?"
I picked out what I thought were the clothes he expected me to wear from the pile and walked to the bathroom shaking my head. "You don't have casual wear," I said almost to myself.
The trousers fit well but the top was a little loose. I smoothed my hair and held it up in a single bun before splashing water and emerging from the bathroom.
My jaw dropped to the ground.
There was Kylo looking perfectly normal in a pair of dark-washed jeans and a grey t-shirt, his black boots laced and his hair parted to perfection.
"What?" he said.
It was intended to be dismissive but I could tell he wanted to hear my answer.
"It so... casual," I said.
I had never seen Kylo in anything other than his black robes and until recently, his mask, all the time. Seeing him pull off the casual look was so shocking, I almost couldn't breathe.
"Good," he said. "We're leaving."
"Where are we going?" I ground out.
"Out."
"That was helpful," I cooed sarcasm lacing my voice.
He led me out of the room.
"Not as helpful as a few glasses of alcohol are going to be."
Kylo downed another glass and shut his eyes for a second.
He was out in Jakku, mingling with ordinary people and they didn't have a damn clue who he was. The bar he had taken them to wasn't the fanciest place on the planet but it was the most popular. And even at his time of day plenty of people were drinking and were drunk already.
"What's the problem then?" I asked still nursing my first drink.
Frankly, it tasted bad but I wasn't letting Kylo think that I hadn't drank before so I settled with taking small sips occasionally.
He raised an eyebrow.
"When people drink at this time of day, something's wrong," he said.
"I don't drink to forget," he said. "I'd rather not forget."
I heard the pain in his voice and my gaze softened but it was soon erased by another swig if his alcohol.
"Why'd you make me come?"
He'd most probably want to be alone knowing him.
"You interest me Rey," was all he said.
I sipped the bitter-tasting drink and squinted. God, it tasted so bad.
"You've never drank before?" he asked.
"Not really."
Curse his observant nature. He chuckled and finished off his drink.
"What's so funny?"
"You've never drank before," he said to himself.
Haha.
He paid for the drinks and stood.
"Come," he said.
"Where to?"
"Just follow me."