Author's Note: Oh snap! Another chapter!

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He watched as she sat directly across from him; the way she balanced the three metal balls in the air. Her precision still shaky, yet execution acceptable. He noticed the little give away emotions her face displayed when she lost focus and then tried to focus just a little harder. She was quite amusing to watch lately. Kylo Ren was almost relieved to an extent that Ashlyn had agreed to begin her sessions with him once more. In his mind, this helped get her out of his system. Like a drug, one use and he was good. He was never good with addiction and obsession. "You're getting better at this." He mentioned, his tone with a slight boredom yet a hint of pride that his pupil was actually learning something.

"I've had a nice week away from all of this. I needed it." Ash said, unable to mask her own teasing tone. "I needed to reconnect with myself and get away from you."

Ren gave her a pointed look. "You missed this, admit it."

She grinned. "That would be a lie, and lying is not very becoming of a Force user."

He snorted as he reluctantly and albeit cautiously agreed. "You do seem more focused today. Have you been meditating like I told you?"

"I have." Ash looked passed the metal balls and at the stone face before her. How he seemed to give so little emotion and yet so much all in the same. She wondered if that was something she could sense due to the Force or she really was just getting to know Kylo a little too much. "Besides, I might as well be as focused as possible. I have a bargain to live up to."

"A woman true to her word." He mentioned in passing, his stare intense.

She rolled her eyes. "Relax, Kylo. I am happy to be back at this. It seems to really be helping with the whole sensation overload thing."

"If you let the Force control you, you'll find it much more difficult to get back into a peaceful mindset. The meditation exercises should help." He reminded her with pursed his lips, taking a moment to pause before addressing the other elephant in the room. "You have not returned to your work on StarKiller. Now, while I'm selfish and enjoy winning our little agreement. The General will not be as pleased once he learns the truth."

Ash bit her lip, avoiding his gaze once more and returning her full attention to the metal balls. "I'm giving them time."

Kylo raised a brown. "Time? It's been two weeks, Ashlyn."

Ash's voice was small. "Would you think less of me if I said I was scared to face them?"

Kylo scoffed. "It's not like you did anything to them."

"I know, but someone has to take the repercussions of your actions."

Now he was letting his emotions get the best of him as he glared. "That's not for you to do."

Ash shrugged. "I put Taka in that position, of course it's my job to try and fix it."

The metal balls were suddenly ripped from Ashlyn's control and now jetted across the room thanks to an angry Kylo Ren. She looked at him, not so much with fear in her expression but more shock than anything. "You are not responsible for his actions." He spat. "You have no obligation to repair any of the damage caused by anyone but yourself. Is that clear?" She didn't answer. "Is that clear?" He repeated with a harsher tone.

"Kylo, you attacked the man for thinking about me." She reminded him dutifully. "I may not have been the direct cause for it, but it's still on my conscience. I get you have no conscience, but I do!"

"And you'll never be a great Force user if you cannot let that go." He snapped.

Ashlyn frowned, hating the negative heat that was radiating off the man before her. "Who pissed in your breakfast this morning?"

He was taken back by that comment as he sat back, letting his shoulders slump slightly. "I'm simply asking you not to take the actions of others to heart."

"I get it Kylo, and thank you." She said, attempting to make peace. Her tone was still stern regardless. "However, I work with a team and we work as a team. I can't lone wolf everything, like you do. Whatever affects my team, affects me too." He exhaled deeply, still frowning like a child. She sighed. "They were just scared, okay? It happens. I needed to give them space and I needed space as well."

He could feel Ash sink into herself; the way her mood shifted was not only draining on her but himself as he watched her gaze fall to the floor. Forcing a small smile that tugged at the side of his lips, he spoke. His tone light. "I could always talk to them." He was obviously kidding, yet the reaction of horrified shock from Ashlyn was enough to send him into a fit of laughter. The sudden shift in mood from Kylo Ren immediately sent comfort to Ashlyn as she found herself now laughing with him.

"That's not funny."

"Then why are you laughing?" Kylo asked, grinning wider now.

She let out an airy sigh, her arms stretching above her as the emotional weight seemed to lift from the room as the two settled in contentment. "I'll never get used to that."

"You will." He assured her. "It takes time, but you will. Just wait until you start hearing people."

Ash huffed. "You keep reminding me of that."

His mood shifted again, a tone not as dark but still different than the serenity they had been feeling just a moment ago. "You won't have any lessons for a while."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"Phasma and I have been called away on a mission." He reluctantly admitted. "Perhaps you should try to make amends until we return to continue your training." He didn't really want her to make amends with the maintenance crew. In fact, if she didn't that mean she'd train more with him. He wouldn't lose there. However, knowing Ash was tearing herself apart over the recent developments on StarKiller that he may, or may not have been directly involved in… well, that was much worse of a guilt trip tugging at his heartstrings.

Kylo Ren sensed Ashlyn's own reluctance now, her emotions shifting to something different. Something he hadn't expected as the girl unknowingly broadcasted her thoughts like she would tend to do. She didn't want him to leave. Whether she was beginning to enjoy his company or simply saw him as a safety blanket, she didn't want him to go."I suppose you're right." Ash finally said.

"I think you'll be fine without me for a while." He reassured her. "Besides, your lovable band of misfits can't do anything right without you."

Ash laughed. "They are quite lovable."

Kylo then frowned, his tone changing. "And since I know you haven't checked for yourself. And I also know you're afraid to ask or bring it up." Ash looked at him with curiosity, where was he going with this. "I didn't kill him." He said with the utmost contempt. He wished he had. "He woke up yesterday."

Ash let out a small smile. "Thanks, Kylo." He shrugged, although the feeling of total hatred for Taka still lingered in the air. "I promise I'll take care of myself while you're gone." She raised her right hand. "Scouts honor."

Kylo grinned. "We're done for today." He nodded to the door. "Go apologize profusely, like I can sense you plan to do." She smiled that same smile he could kill for, and almost had. That smile that drew him in and yet drained his very being from all sense and reasoning. As he watched Ashlyn leave the training room with a quick wave, and a stumbling 'see you soon', Kylo Ren realized now, more than ever… he was in a lot of trouble.

"How many systems are you extending to?" Hux asked, looking at the charts on his datapad, the latest findings laid out before him. By the stars did he hate these charts; Skywalker wasn't his problem.

"Two, it shouldn't take us more than two weeks." Phasma explained as she cleaned her helmet. "We will be taking twenty units, ready for combat."

Hux nodded. "And how is our other little issue developing?" Phasma stopped cleaning her helmet, her expression dropping which only caused Hux to panic as he noticed. "They're planning something, aren't they?" She said nothing as Hux groaned. "This base is never going to be finished."

"I don't want to report on them anymore." Phasma finally said.

Hux looked at her incredulously. "What?"

"They're not planning anything, at least from what I can tell." She reassured him with annoyance. "I'd like to continue training Ashlyn and have that be it. That girl needs time away from all the men-folk on this base anyway."

Hux was still dumbfounded at Phasma's sudden change of heart. She was never one to back down from a mission before. This was unlike her. "Then what is it?" He asked.

She smiled in disbelief as she shook her head. "She's changing him. It's so subtle but, she's changing him for the better." Phasma said. "And while I firmly believe emotions and any form of compromising situations should be left outside of work and this base… he's not just our Commander, just as you are not just our General."

Hux frowned. "So, what are you saying?"

"I believe Ren would do anything for Ashlyn." Phasma worded her sentences carefully. "If we tell the Supreme Leader and he has her killed… I cannot be certain that Ren will not destroy this base."

It seemed in that moment, everything clicked in Hux's mind. While Ren and Phasma were not exactly friends, they were still important parts of his base. They had been there from the start of it; Kylo Ren was an equal when it came to dealing with Snoke. Now, he had the hardest decision to make. Report Phasma's findings like he should, or keep it hidden for everyone's sake. He looked at Phasma before nodding sternly. "I will talk with Ren when you both return. This conversation does not leave this room, understand?" Phasma inhaled deeply, relief washing over her as she nodded. The two silently keeping the agreement that this information did not leave the room, and the two also agreeing that if it ever came to light that they knew; they too would also be punished by death.

Regardless, it was the right thing to do.

Ashlyn paced the hallway outside of Sid's office, her breaths sharp and dramatic as she tried to think of different ways to approach this situation. It had been two weeks and like Kylo said, that was plenty of time to let this settle.

She missed them, they were her family on StarKiller. The first one to welcome her to the base and make her feel at home. This shouldn't be so hard… yet it was. She hurt them, whether it was indirectly or not. She felt the one to be blamed at the end. If she hadn't left with Taka, if she hadn't let him be so comfortable to speak to her that way. Even if she still had no idea what Taka was thinking that set Kylo Ren off. She'd at least convince herself that she didn't have an idea, anyway. That was a whole other issue in itself that Ashlyn was simply not yet ready for.

Lost in her thoughts, she wasn't prepared for the door to Sid's office open. He had walked out with his datapad in hand, only to stop when he saw Ashlyn standing in the hallway. The two stood silently, staring at each other before Sid looked at his datapad, then back at Ashlyn. "You're late." He said, smiling. Ash didn't know when she started crying, but she had been. It didn't matter, Sid was already hugging her. "Hey, it's not your fault, kid. We're all happy you're back, I promise."

Ash hugged him tightly for a moment before pulling away and wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's been a crazy emotional week." She knew Kylo was probably feeling the pull from her sudden crying. She only prayed he wouldn't seek her out to find out what the heck was going on. "I wanted to come back sooner."

Sid shook his head. "You came back at the right time."

"How's the base?"

Sid sighed. "Falling apart without you." Ashlyn laughed. "I'm serious! The guys are great at what they do, but man can they not follow direction!" He nodded to the maintenance meeting room. "Come on, let's go see what they're up to." Ash nodded, her stomach swarming with butterflies as the two walked down the hall. Sid, with purpose, walked right into the room and made an announcement. "Alright guys, we are back in business." He said as Ashlyn walked into the room.

She saw the twins first, one twin immediately sighed with relief. "Thank the maker, I can't do this anymore." Which caused the room to laugh, even Ash smiled.

Grim had made his way to the front of the room; silence took over as everyone waited for what the rather large man would say. Ash stared up at him, ready for the worst. Instead, he smiled. "It's good to have you back."

Ash felt her heart thud in her chest as she found a smile of her own. "I'm happy to be back." Grim immediately wrapped her up in his arms and hugged her tightly. The twins had gotten up from their seats and now walked over to the two. The maintenance family was back together, well, say for the one maintenance worker who sat silently in the back as he watched the display of affection before him.

Taka had woken up two days prior from what felt like a never ending nightmare. He kept seeing that mask, the mask with the horrific distortion in his mind. The feeling of choking and suffocating never dissipating. Even then, when Ashlyn entered the room, he began to feel that collapsing feeling.

He had spoken to Sid, the only person who visited when Taka was awake, about his fears and concerns. Sid, while listening and taking everything into consideration, told Taka it was best to stay away from Ashlyn for a while. He reminded Taka of the possessive nature of upper management, without saying his name directly. Which Taka was grateful for.

However, he was unsatisfied with that. Why should he be the one to back off? As far as he was concerned, Ash didn't even like Kylo Ren. She had said as much many times over. It wasn't fair and for once, the little guy deserved the push. Not the higher ups.

But what could a guy like Taka do to a monster like Kylo Ren? Was being near Ashlyn honestly worth his life? Surely, she could keep the monster at bay. Or rather, Taka wanted to believe that. The actual execution of that belief completely irrational as per the bruises on his neck.

The only relief Taka had in the moment was knowing for the next two weeks or so, he'd have Ashlyn to himself without the fear of being attacked again. Whether it was worth the risk? Well, that was something the jury was still out on.

Regardless, Taka wanted to win and if that meant taking Ashlyn away from Kylo Ren all-together. He was for it. He was desperate and a desperate man made the worst kind of enemies.

Taka made a move the second day of Ashlyn's return, mostly due to her being extremely busy and his own reservations. Perhaps this hadn't been his best plan, but there was no backing out now. Their first interaction involved Taka bringing Ashlyn a canteen of water. She smiled, yet with a hidden reluctance as she took it. Ash was still feeling quite awful for the whole ordeal, which Taka would take to his advantage in speaking with her.

It wasn't until the third day, when Ash decided to take her lunch alone, mainly to refocus and meditate. That didn't last long when an albeit nervous force sat next to her. "Hey." He said, his voice still a little raspy.

Ash looked at Taka. "Hey." She repeated.

"Look, Ash." Taka began, sighing. "I don't want things to be awkward between us. I don't blame you at all for any of what happened."

Ashlyn bit her lip. "I'm still extremely sorry it happened, at all. Kylo-" She caught herself. "The Commander is just an unpredictable and unstable force."

Taka didn't like how comfortable Ashlyn was when speaking about Kylo Ren. "Well, your time here is almost up. I'm sure you're relieved you won't have to deal with him for much longer."

Ashlyn nodded slowly, taking into consideration that little fact. She had promised if her training went well, she'd stay longer. Four months ago, she would have been so very eager to leave StarKiller and never look back. Now? She had a family within maintenance. She got along really well with Phasma, her only exposure to another female on base. And then there was Kylo Ren… that jerk. The same guy who tormented her, yet brought out this new experience that she still was unsure if she had been grateful for or completely ruined over. For the first time in a long time, Ashlyn found herself anchoring to a new place and that was terrifying in itself.

Taka look concerned now. "You're still leaving in two months, right?"

Ash forced a laugh. "Trying to get rid of me?"

"No, not at all. In fact, I'd be really ecstatic if you did stay." Taka fumbled over his words. "But, I don't like the way the Commander has been treating you. You shouldn't be meddling with those affairs, your place is here with us."

He wasn't wrong. He wasn't right either. Ash didn't really like those odds. "Taka, my training with the Commander will continue." She said. "He's teaching me how to control this…thing I can do." She said, not willing to explain that further. "You guys are my family, don't ever forget that I'd do anything for you guys."

"And I'd-" He corrected himself. "We'd all do anything for you too. That's why we don't want to see you in danger. I wouldn't forgive myself if you got caught up in that circus upstairs."

Ash began to feel uncomfortable, now she was actually curious what Taka had been thinking in that moment. She wasn't stupid, she had an inkling over Taka's feelings. Heck, she could feel it thanks to the Force. That didn't make things any less difficult. Sure, Taka was a sweet guy, he was concerned with Ash's safety and best interests. That was something Ash hadn't really had for a while. Yet, at the same time, that blaring reminder about Kylo Ren kept flashing in her mind. He was her Master, training her in the Force. That was something she wasn't sure what that exactly meant. But, it meant something. It meant that Taka couldn't get close to her, it meant no one could. "Taka-" She sighed.

"Don't say anything right now." He said, his mood changing drastically to defeat as he forced a smile. "I'm just happy you're back, okay?"

Ash returned the smile. "Me too." It wasn't a lie. She truly was happy to be back with her crew. However, she couldn't shake this lingering feeling that came from Taka. It was pure, unadulterated anger. Yet, she had a sickening feeling that anger was not directed towards her.

The rest of the week, Taka kept at it. Without being too overbearing, he conversed with Ashlyn, ate lunch with her, and struck up conversations whenever he could. While Ashlyn and the other maintenance workers were just happy that things weren't awkward, Sid was not sharing in their sentiment. He knew the dangerous waters Taka was wading in. He knew Ashlyn wasn't the one pushing for it either. He warned Ashlyn for the rest of that week, and any chance he got to be mindful of the situation. She tried, she really tried.

Sid would be lying however, if he said he wasn't even just a little bit happy that his team was back together again. He made that very clear during their dinner. The group sat like they used to before Ashlyn began training, laughing and being the more roudier of tables among the dinner rush. The group laughing and conversing like nothing bad had ever happened. Ashlyn felt at peace, she felt the rush of positive energy as the group radiated it.

When the group retired for the night, Sid had kept close to Ashlyn as they walked towards her apartment. "It's good to have you back again, kid." He said sincerely. "We all missed you."

"I'm really happy to be back." She wasn't felt like they were falling back in place. Taka hadn't been too forward, but just enough of a force in her life she enjoyed again. Everyone was falling back into place. Ashlyn wondered how Kylo Ren would shake that up when he returned next week. Though, Ash secretly prayed he'd magically find a way to just get along with everything else in her life. She had found peace with Phasma and Ren when training and she had peace when she was with her crew. If only she could mold them together without anything exploding… or without anyone being nearly suffocated.

"I know Taka was being a little forward." Sid was always to the point, he never danced around it. "He seems to have settled down, probably trying to help you feel comfortable again around him."

Ash nodded. "I do feel comfortable. I feel right being back with everyone."

"But you're still hesitant with us versus your training with the Commander?"

Ash grinned. "You sure you're not Force Sensitive, Sid?"

He laughed. "Nah, not my cup of tea. All that mumbo-jumbo is way out of my league. But, I'd like to think I'm perceptive enough to know my team's needs. It's also easy to see you're almost a different person when you're with us versus them."

She sighed, he really was perceptive. "I know, I wish I could have a way to put everything together and find clarity. Working on StarKiller is important to me, but so is this other part of my life. I'm expanding my knowledge on the Force and I know I couldn't do that without Kylo Ren." She groaned. "It's complicated and it doesn't need to be."

Sid thought for a moment. "Maybe it's just the right amount of complicated and you just need to adjust with it."

"I just wish he wasn't so… hostile." Ash said with a nervous laugh. "I think that's what makes it hard. Everyone fears the Commander, I mean, I guess I do to an extent as well. But, it's like I have to lead two separate lives now because of the circumstances."

"Because of Taka?"

Ash shook her head. "No, this was something that started before that. There's Ash the mechanic and Ash the Force User and while I'm the same person, I can't be both all the time."

Sid scratched his head. "Maybe you can be." He said thoughtfully. "Maybe it's like with all that balancing the Force nonsense, maybe you have to apply that this too."

Ash gave him a pointed look then. "You really do know more about the Force than you're letting on, Sid."

"I've been in more meetings than I care to admit with Hux and Ren and their considerable bickering. It's brought up more than once, I assure you."

Ash laughed. "I don't understand those two."

"And hopefully you never will." Sid joked. "They're great leaders in their own right, but I swear Ren just enjoys messing with Hux a little too much."

"I gathered that." Ash said, the two now stopped outside her apartment. "Sid?" He answered with a hum. "I can't thank you enough, for all you do and all you've done for me. For everyone."

Sid blushed. "Ah, c'mon. You're getting all sentimental on me." He teased. "Listen, you're part of the crew. As far as I'm concerned, you're part of my family now. Now, I know you plan to leave once your work is done, and while I don't want you to, you should do what's best for you." He continued. "But you're a part of this family, and I'm happy to have met you."

Ash was beaming. "You're a good guy, Sid."

"Nah, just had a lot of experience around some not so nice people." He winked. "Go get some sleep, we have a ton of work to finish up this week."

Ash simply nodded as she entered her apartment. A smile on her face as she walked over to her bed and fell back on it. She stared up at the grey ceiling as the engines hummed around her. Maybe she had found home? Maybe staying was a good idea? The crew had become her family now; a group of people she could count on. She knew she could also count on Captain Phasma to deliver her unrelenting truths as well as someone who'd listen. Granted, she'd kick Ash's ass during training, but that's not the point. For the first time in a long time, after the loss of everyone she held dear, Ashlyn was finding herself opening up again.

And then there was Kylo Ren. She didn't know how she felt about him. Some days he was kind; he kept her safe all while being someone she felt close with. Someone she could talk to and find comfort with. The day StarKiller was down, he could have left her to die. Instead, he brought her to his apartment to give her a warm place to stay. He listened to her talk about her past and then tried to distract her with the many planets of the galaxy.

And then there was the Kylo Ren that teased her, forced her to train in the ways of the Force, oh, and almost killed her once. Yet, all of that seemed to grow less and less significant as the days went by as Ashlyn found herself eager for the week to end and Kylo Ren would come back.

Final Thoughts: Thanks for making it this far! Remember to review and see ya next time!