Chapter 3: The Deal

There's nothing sweeter than my baby

I'd never want once from the cherry tree

"What does that mean," she yelled at him. She could hear his voice like a whisper in her head and she wanted it out. He didn't answer he so she yelled it in her mind, in his mind. "What does that mean!"

Kylo grabbed his head in his hands at the sudden loud outburst she caused in his head. He could hardly breath at the notion of having her in his head, the light in his head, and she sure as hell wasn't making it any easier. "It's when two force-sensitives can influence each other," he could see the confused look on Rey's face, so he continued, "I can feel your emotions and read your thoughts, and you can do the same; we can speak to each other without saying a word. You can pull of my power, and I off yours. And it's... it's permanent."

Rey felt the air getting sucked out of her lungs like she was launched into the cold region of space. "What do you mean its permanent?" she whispered barely audible, but she knew he could hear. "This is all your fault! You did this!" She ran at him, tears streaming down her face and anger bubbling to the surface.

Advancing towards him with her staff he easily blocked her blows. He could feel her angry, hot and passionate, "Let your anger fuel your power. You are stronger with it," he told her while blocking the swings of her staff and doing his best to land a punch on her. Tears still poured from her brown eyes, Never, she yelled in his head. She landed a hit to his jaw, distraught, she kicked him where the Tie-Fighter shrapnel had once been.

Kneeling in the golden sand, clutching his side, he looked upped to her. She wasn't advancing anymore, she just stood there, silent tears streaking her dirty face. " You could kill me," he said, with what looked like sorrow in his eyes. "You could finish me off right here."

"No," she replied. No? he whispered in her head. "No, Kylo Ren. There is still light in you I can feel it. You push it away and pretend it's not there, but it is. You know Snoke is evil, and yet you still follow him. Why? Just give into the light that calls to you so desperately, it's still there, stop pretending it's not," I can feel it, she finished in his mind.

"You're wrong," he said standing up to his full height, his hand on his side.

She took a step back; "If I'm so wrong then how come you haven't killed me yet?" she asked with a slight smirk on her face. She could feel the confusion emanating off him, so she finished. "I know you have noticed your lightsaber on my belt, I saw you looking at it. If there is no light in you, you would have grabbed it and killed me without a seconds thought. But you didn't, there is still light in you."

"No there isn't," he replied with gritted teeth. There was no light in him, like there is on the ocean floor. He wondered why everyone thought he did; Snoke, Rey, his father, Hux, and even his mother. Because deep down, he himself knew it to be true. Then if there isn't, kill me, she said though the bond. She dropped his lightsaber on the ground at his feet and took a step towards him.

He stared at his saber wondering if she was bluffing. "No," he said. "A life for a life; you could have killed me, yet you chose to rescue me. And you said it yourself, it's not fair." He smirked, " When I kill you, and I will, I want it to be a fair fight." She smiled at his stoned cold face now; there was the light in him.

"You wouldn't have been able to anyway," she told him. What? he asked. "When you were unconscious I dismantled your saber. If you wanted to kill me you wouldn't have been able to. I would never willingly let you kill me; a fair fight is all I want." She smirked, no matter how far he turned away from the light into the dark; it would always call to him. Eventually, she knew, he would not resist and Ben Solo will be alive once again.

"How about a deal?" he asked. A deal? What kind of deal? She replied. "I don't kill you and you don't kill me, not until it's a fair fight. I'm going to have to stay here till I can find a way off this planet, and who knows when that'll be. So if you don't try to kill me in my sleep, I will do the same for you. And to make it a truly fair fight I'll teach you to use the force in ways Luke would never be able to, in return for my saber to be working again, of coarse."

"I will not fix your saber for you, I don't trust you enough to even leave you with a knife. But I will let you train me," he smiled. "But don't think for one second I would ever turn to the dark side for you; because if you do I will kill you, fair fight or not." So do we have a deal, he asked. "Yes."

She could feel pain in her side but it wasn't hers, it was Kylo's. She looked to his waist and saw where she had kicked his already injured side was still bleeding. "Come with me," she said.

"It's fine, nothing I can't heal myself." Now, she demanding, showing he was in no place to argue with her. Rey walked into her small cabin grabbing bandages and cleaning supplies. "Sit there," she ordered. "Take of your shirt I need to stop the bleeding."

I said it's fine, he insisted. "Just do as I say," she snapped. He removed his robe, his shirt, but kept his undershirt on, not wanting to be fully exposed. He felt like he was already showing too much skin with out his helmet which got destroyed just hours ago on the Finalizer.

Rey set the supplies besides Ren, lifted his undershirt and took off the bloody bandages. She put a cleansing gel on a cloth and he all but hissed when she put it to his side. She flinched back worrying he was angry or she had hurt him. He looked into her eyes, I'm fine, he somberly whispered in her mind, she nodded and continued cleaning the bloodied wound.

She wrapped his side with new bandages; finishing her work she took a step back making sure everything was good. "Thank you," he whispered. "But why do you care about my injuries?" We made a deal for a fair fight. It wouldn't be fair if I was unharmed and you had a giant cut on your side, she answered in his head as she started cleaning up the mess that had been made.

He helped her put the rest of medical supplies away and all she could think about was how strange all of this was. Kylo Ren of the Knights of Ren was in her home; she helped save his life multiple times that day, instead of killing him. He hadn't really tried to kill her either, though she gave him the chance, well sort of. The cruel beast from the Starkiller Base was standing right next to her but she didn't feel scared.

It was strange for him too. He was standing in the presence of the girl who he kidnapped six months ago, a girl who wanted to kill him so many times, the girl with the map to Skywalker, the girl with the staff. She oddly brings out the best in him though he barely knows her; yet somehow the blinding light she possesses is calling to the shred of light deep down in him.

He spent that night outside in the sand by Rey's little hut, she didn't trust him enough to let him stay inside, though there was nothing keeping him from walking through the doorway. He didn't blame her though; he's killed thousands, he's monster. To be honest he was surprised she agreed to the deal, but mostly to the fact that he was still alive.

He lay awake looking at the stars, just hours ago he fell from them to what could have been his death. But here he was alive and well because a lonely scavenger decided not to kill him. He could feel her slowly sinking into sleep, the very stars he fell from on her mind. Wonder filled her mind at the stars she one day hopes to travel, the same wonder used to be in his dreams, a dream that has now faded into oblivion.

He felt her escape into sleep wishing he could do the same. The bond they possessed was irreversible and he knew she hated the idea of being linked to this monster indefinitely. But there was nothing he could do.

Kylo Ren fell into a deep sleep along with Rey, the girl with the staff. They didn't know what the future would hold or what this bond will mean, so for right now they slept. They dreamt about the stars and an island surrounded by the bluest ocean, they were at peace for now among their place in the stars.

Authors note: Thanks for reading; I hope you guys liked it. Please review I love hearing what you have to say. I'm totally opened to any suggestions. More coming soon! :)