IMPORTANT: Good news and bad news! Good news: Here's another chapter! Bad news: I'm going away for 2 weeks and won't be posting until then! I'm sorry!

Until then… think we can get this story up to 60 reviews for me to come back to? Pretty please! I'd love to hear from you guys when I return!

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Trikova: I'm sorry! Here's an update to make up for it!

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Anyway, here's your story!

Ashlyn had been pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace in Kylo Ren's apartment for over a half hour now. Her thoughts racing a mile a minute as Kylo sat on the couch, watching her have a meltdown. "I mean-" She began, trying to form sentences. "You said yourself that they might not necessarily come true."

He exhaled sharply. "To an extent, yes."

She stopped pacing to look at him in disbelief. "An extent?" She repeated. "So that could actually happen?"

"It could." Kylo replied diplomatically.

Ashlyn looked defeated. "How do we stop it?"

He shrugged. "We might not have a choice."

She frowned. "How about you just don't do that then."

"Do what?" Kylo smirked as he played dumb.

"You know what!" She hissed.

He nodded. "Oh, right. Kiss you. Don't do that. Got it."

Hearing those words come directly from Kylo caused Ashlyn to feel butterflies swarm in her stomach. She wasn't sure if she was going to be sick or faint. "Is this our fate then?"

"Looks like it."

"And you're just totally fine with it?" She asked.

Kylo waved her off. "The Force works in ways we can't possibly fully understand. If that is what's meant to be, then no amount of fighting it is going to help." He noticed her expression drop even more. "Do you want me to just do it now and get it over with?" He asked dryly.

Ashlyn shook her head. "This isn't how it was done. You'll just make the Force mad."

He snorted. "Make the Force mad?" He repeated. "Ashlyn, it's not a vindictive being."

"It sure feels like it." She said, finally walking away from the fire and over to the couch where she plopped down dramatically next to Kylo. "It's like the Force has a personal vendetta against me."

"I can assure you, it does not." He said. "If anything, it just seems to have very distinct plans for you." He pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. "And for myself, apparently."

"I feel like I have no control over my life." She said. "It's like everything is predetermined."

Kylo sighed, he was slightly aggravated that his sleep was being interrupted by this panic attack. Not only that, Ashlyn wasn't letting them sleep with all these questions. Things were going so well and now they were back to square one. "Does anyone have control over their life?" He offered. "It just so happens you can see where the Force is taking you. Not many have that luxury."

Again, for the fourth time this week, Kylo Ren was right. The score was really becoming uneven now as Ashlyn inhaled deeply. She rested her head against the couch, looking up at the ceiling. "I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am." He said smugly. "I have more experience with this than you." She gave him a pointed look before returning her gaze back to the ceiling. "You've also been sleeping in my bed for over a week now. I'm fairly certain that should have been more of a concern for you than this." And now the score was really unbalanced as he made yet another good point. "Speaking of-" He looked back to the bed, wishing he could just get some sleep and not have Ashlyn Novafall be the reason for his sleepless nights anymore.

"I don't know if I can sleep after all this…" She looked for a word. "Excitement."

"You said that about Sid dying too." He was always so brutal when tired. "Let's go." Kylo said, removing himself from the couch and to the bed where he plopped down with purpose and shifted under the covers.

Ashlyn paused for a few moments, watching the man shift around in the bed to get comfortable. Maybe this really was the path she was heading down. It made sense, didn't it? Then why was she so afraid to keep moving towards it?

With bated breath, Ashlyn removed herself from the couch and followed Kylo's example. She walked over to the bed and nervously crawled over the man and lied down in the bed. After settling under the blankets, it didn't take long for her to find peace as her eyes fluttered closed.

Like previous mornings, Ash found herself tangled in the bed sheets and also tangled up with Kylo Ren. Her head resting on his shoulder and her legs wrapped around his. Kylo Ren learned quickly that she was an accidental cuddler, as he called it.

She yawned, shifting closer to the warm body that was next to her as she did. "You know, for someone so against the thought of us kissing... You are all over me."

Ash groaned. "Just once can we have a morning without snarky quips?"

"We could." He offered. "But where is the fun in that?"

She shrugged, still not moving away from Kylo. Something she typically was very quick to do. "Your idea of fun and my idea of fun are two different things."

"Clearly." He said, his arm still wrapped around her. Against his better judgement, he could get used to this. Kylo Ren had always hated contact, he hated the idea of needing a counterpart or the potential of needing one.

He had seen the disappointment in his Mother's eyes as he had grown up. She had loved his Father so deeply and truly, and perhaps there was a part of him that loved her just as much. Yet, it never showed. Especially in the times he left. And he left often. He watched their marriage fall apart and the idea of having someone like that in his life was always a turn-off. However, something in the way Ash felt lying next to him. Perhaps that wasn't all too bad.

Immediately, he shook the feeling from his mind. No, he wouldn't allow himself to end up like them. Even though he had told Ashlyn it was better to not fight what the Force had showed them, by the stars he'd be just as stubborn as she was. "Alright, get off me." He said, sounding aggravated with her.

Ash frowned as she rolled over and off Kylo Ren, watching him immediately remove himself from the bed altogether and heading for the bathroom. "Well good morning to you too." She said.

"We have meetings today." He said stiffly as he entered the bathroom.

He wasn't wrong, they did have meetings today. She was meeting with Hux along with Phasma and Kylo in regards to whatever the heck it was they were building for StarKiller. It was about time too, they had no sense of direction and her crew needed to know their next steps.

Ashlyn had been bringing her work uniform with her, it simply made things much easier. She got off the bed and walked over to where she had left her uniform, grabbing the black jumpsuit and staring at it for a moment. Everything was so different, in five months, things had changed so drastically. It was still so difficult to grasp at times. A lot of these changes had been the direct cause of the man that had reemerged from the bathroom. She looked over at him, thoughtfully, before offering a small smile. He was dressed for the day, minus his gloves, boots and helmet. That same perfect, black hair fluttering slightly as he walked.

He had stopped, realizing she had been looking at him. He noticed the smile on her face, it wasn't the smile but a smile. One that reassured him that she was going to ultimately be okay. "All yours." He said, trying to bring the attention back to their agenda.

Ash simply nodded and walked passed him and into the bathroom. She gently closed the door behind her and dressed. Her heart racing a mile a minute in her chest. Perhaps, her vision wasn't as farfetched as she originally thought.

Hux noticed that Kylo Ren and Ashlyn sat as far away from each other as possible. He also was quite aware as to their sleeping arrangements as of late. While his initial freakout was minimal, he did soon come to accept it made everyone's lives somewhat easier now that Kylo Ren was sleeping again. He was still adamant about keeping it a secret, however. Almost as adamant as Kylo Ren saying there was nothing going on. Hux only half believed him.

"We are more than happy to have you working on base, Ashlyn." Hux began the meeting. "StarKiller is progressing and now we must move on to the next steps of our latest project." The hologram appeared in the center of the conference table, as well as schematics sent to Ashlyn's datapad for closer inspection. The inner workings of the solar panels that the team had recently installed now looked more in-depth as Ashlyn began to analyze it. "We need a core reactor to be up and running as quickly as possible. This reactor needs to have the capability to withstand the energy of mass magnitudes."

She licked her lips. "Like a bright star." It wasn't a question.

Hux nodded. "Precisely"

Ash scrolled through the blueprints and schematics on her datapad. Her gut feeling telling her exactly what she was looking at. "It's a weapon?" Of course they had been building a weapon. Had Ashlyn truly forgotten who she had been working for this whole time.

"Think of it more as self-defense. It's our only chance to protect this central hub." Hux said.

Her next question, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to. "Sid knew about this?"

"He did." Hux confirmed. "Our goal is to be able to absorb dark energy that can be formed into-"

Ash interrupted. "A crystalline ray." She skimmed the schematics again. "You're going to need something more powerful than solar panels to help harness the magnitude of energy needed."

"That is where Commander Ren comes into play." Hux said, Ash turned her attention to the man across from her. He looked painfully aggravated to even be in the same room as this meeting.

"This planet is also home to an energy source called kyber crystals." Kylo informed the group. "There's a nearby cavern I've been meaning to take you to for training purposes as well as investigating the crystals themselves." She remembered reading something about kyber crystals in the book Kylo had given her. 'We'll discuss more in private…' He mentally informed her.

Ashlyn looked down at the datapad again. "You know what this weapon can do." It was rhetorical as she looked to the three leaders in the room. "You're all fully aware."

"A friendly reminder, Ms. Novafall-" She could feel Kylo tense over the tone Hux had taken. "We are at war."

Ash shook her head. "I understand that, General. I just want to make sure you understand what you're asking with this."

"Can you do it?" He asked impatiently.

"I can." She could, but did she want to? Ashlyn felt that suffocating feeling of not having a choice washing over her.

She knew what she was getting into by working here. The First Order weren't exactly the good guys. Then again, Ashlyn was a firm believer that no one was really on the 'good' side when it came to war. Nothing was so simply black and white when it came down to it. However, a weapon of this caliber was terrifying in its own right. She also knew this was something she couldn't really hide from the crew. They would figure it out sooner rather than later.

As Ashlyn left the conference room, she was joined by Kylo Ren as he shifted his helmet in his hands, ready to put it on. "You didn't tell me we were building a weapon." She said lowly.

"Neither did Sid." He reminded her dutifully.

She was really getting tired of his valid points lately. "Regardless, this is a lot bigger than I anticipated."

"You still signed up for this. Willingly, I might add." He said, placing the helmet on his head. His voice now distorted. "Meet me at the south wall entrance tonight. I will show you to the cave."

"Why can't we go now?" Ash asked.

"You have a lot on your plate. Besides, it'll be worth the wait." Kylo said.

Ash groaned. "I'm tired of all this cryptic crap." She threw her arms in the air. "But fine, I can wait." She really did have a lot going on, and the first thing involved informing Laynor of her decision. Then, she'd tell the crew the truth about StarKiller.

Laynor was less than supportive of Ashlyn's decisions. In fact, the word mistake came up at least twelve times followed by she was walking to her own death by staying. Ultimately, he didn't have a say and Ashlyn had already dug her grave. Now she had to lie in it. That also meant taking the responsibility of briefing her crew on all the ongoings of StarKiller.

They sat in Sid's office, Ashlyn refusing to sit in his chair and instead sat on his desk.

Her feet dangling off the side as she looked at the crew. She knew what she had to do. Ashlyn believed in transparency and she believed above all that her crew needed to be protected. That also meant their morals and their beliefs. She would never ask them to do something against their beliefs. "I was caught up on the next step on StarKiller." She nervously began, the group didn't have to be Force Sensitive to see it either. "I know we're all here for each other and whatever happens we have each other's backs." She said. "But if this is something you cannot do, I won't be against you fleeing."

"The hell is going on, Ash?" Taka asked, the group now concerned.

Ash sent the file to their datapads. The group opened the blueprints and stared in shock and awe. "This is the final stage to the StarKiller project. This machine will have the capability to harness the energy of nearby stars, taking in the dark matter and utilizing it to create a crystalline ray. This is a mass energy that has the capability of being devastating when used." The group was silent. "I understand if you cannot be a part of this."

Grim was the first to speak. "We aren't going anywhere." He spoke for the entire group. "This concerns all of us and we will do what we need to do as your team. Right, guys?" The team, somewhat reluctantly nodded and agreed. This weapon changed everything, yet they knew where they belonged and that was together.

Ash inhaled deeply. "I promise, we will do this right and if anyone has any issues going further we will handle it."

Taka smirked. "Since we're working on it, I'm sure we can always put a failsafe in it to turn it off." Ashlyn returned the smirk. He was right. At the end of the day, they had full control over the final say on StarKiller. Ash felt just a little better about the situation.

As promised, she met Kylo Ren after the sun had set on the south wall entrance. He kept his expression hidden under his helmet as she walked over to him. "You seem a little happier." He acknowledged. Ash noticed a pack slung over his shoulder.

She smiled. "Yes, I momentarily forgot how wonderful my team is until today."

He exhaled sharply. "Your merry band of misfits." He opened the door to the freezing cold outside. "Hope you dressed warm, it's quite cold."

Ash had become somewhat used to the cold on StarKiller now. She only needed one coat as opposed to her first encounter with snow. She said nothing as Kylo led her into the dark outside and into the woods. "Will you tell me where we're going?" She asked.

"A cave." He said flatly.

"That's so helpful." She replied, rolling her eyes. "Do you really need the helmet?"

"Keeps my head warm." His short replies made Ashlyn feel like she had done something wrong to deserve it. Then again, he was always a moody person. Some days more than others.

The two reached a clearing, in the darkness Ash could make out the entrance to the cave. They walked in silence to the entrance, walking in and began their long walk further into the cave. "Kind-of dark, no?" Ash commented as the darkness around them consumed her vision. Without another word, Kylo took out his lightsaber and ignited the blade. The crackle and fizz of the raw power exiting the hilt caused Ashlyn to jump. She had only really seen his lightsaber once or twice prior to this.

He led them further, Ash suddenly see a very bright light around the far corner. She had a feeling they were heading in that direction. It was only confirmed when Kylo retracted his saber and replaced it on his belt. The two turned the corner and Ash stood in complete awe. She had never seen kyber crystals before, they shone brightly with a white luminescence that showed off the entirety of the cave. It was huge. The cave went on for miles passed the build up of crystals. "Wow…" she breathed.

Kylo Ren had taken his helmet off now, placing it down on a nearby rock formation. "This isn't even the bigger pile of crystals." He said, walking closer to the mass. Ash followed suit as she tried to take in the wonder around her. "Pick one." He said, grinning as Ash looked at him in confusion. "Not just any one. Find the one that calls to you."

Ash forced herself to move forward, the overwhelming energy around her clogged her senses. She closed her eyes, trying to focus. Something Kylo had taught her to do many times before. Whenever she felt overstimulated by the world around her, if she closed her eyes she could find her center. As she did, she heard it, the hum from a nearby pile.

Walking closer to it, one crystal in general was pulsating in a way that was different than those around it. The hum was music to her ears among the other vibrations. She carefully reached out, her hand touching the crystal. It snapped off easily in her hand. She felt not just at peace with the crystal but also as though this kyber crystal was a part of her. It felt right.

She looked down at the crystal in her hand, it was no longer glowing. Perplexed, Ashlyn walked back over to Kylo Ren whom was now sitting on the cave floor with the bag he had brought from earlier. "Did I break it?"

He chuckled. "No, now sit." He gently commanded. Ashlyn did just that as Kylo emptied the contents of the bag. There were three different hilts, each varying in shape and size. "Choose your hilt."

She looked at them, immediately the one that called out to her was a hilt that was crooked at the bottom. She picked it up with her free hand. "This one."

"It suits you." He said as he ruffled through the bag again, grabbing a few tools before placing them in front of her. "Now, we make your lightsaber."

She looked at him in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"You need to be the one to put it together." He said. "Don't worry, I'll instruct you along the way. Although, I have no doubt you can do this blindfolded." Kylo had become quite convinced that the Force had granted Ashlyn not only the power of foresight but was also the reason for her skill in building and repairing any and all mechanical devices she came in contact with.

She looked at the hilt she had chosen, along with the kyber crystal in her other hand. "So what do I do?"

"First, we need to prepare the hilt for the kyber crystal. If done incorrectly, the crystal won't spark properly." He instructed as he watched Ash dive right in. She gently placed her crystal down and began working on the hilt. She opened the top compartment and looked inside. There was nothing really special about the hilt, in fact, it seemed to resemble the inner workings of the Z6 riot control baton. However, she knew it would house something much more powerful than the energy behind that particular weapon. "The crystal should be securely fastened within the hilt, once that's completed, you will need to close it properly."

Ash fiddled with the inner wiring of the hilt. It was as if she had known had to make a lightsaber all along. The Force was guiding her, she had a feeling that was the ultimate answer. Once satisfied with the setup of the hilt, she placed the crystal securely into the hilt and then began to seal up the compartment. Carefully, she screwed the components in place, blissfully unaware as the man in front of her watched diligently. Once everything was in place, Ash finally looked up at Kylo Ren, she smiled as she held the hilt in her hand. A feeling surging through her as she did.

"What happens next?" She asked.

"Tell me what you sense." Kylo instructed.

She thought for a moment, the electrical surge from the kyber crystals around her humming through her being as the two sat there. She could feel everything. She felt energy, raw energy coming from the cave, from her new saber and from the Force User across from her. It was peaceful and albeit intoxicating. "Power." She said. "Light, darkness." She continued. "I feel a sense of peace with both."

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Good." He was proud, whether or not he'd specifically say so. "Let's see what color you were given."

Ash looked at him curiously. "It's not going to be red?"

"The kyber crystal will choose a color more fitting to the user. Each crystal is selected by the Force to the Force User. Granted, you can have more than one, your chances of the colors changing from each crystal varies."

"Does each color represent something?" Ash asked.

"It does." He said. "Each color typically represents how the Force User harnesses their power best. Mine is red, my power comes from passion and anger."

Ash looked at the saber in her hand. "So how do I use it?"

"How do you do anything with the Force?" He replied sarcastically. "Use your gift."

She frowned, holding the saber upright and away from her body. She knew the damage this thing could wield. She had seen it first hand in the control room Kylo Ren destroyed. Her first encounter with the man. Boy, had things changed. She closed her eyes, focusing on the saber itself. She was almost reluctant to see what color her saber would give.

After a few moments, she felt the power surge through the hilt of the lightsaber. The light exiting the hilt with force and illuminating in the cave. She heard the hum of the saber in her ears; it drowned out the hum of all over kyber crystals in the area. This was hers, it was one with her now. "How interesting." She heard Kylo say before she finally opened her eyes. In front of her was a bright, amber colored light that radiated from the hilt.

"Amber?" She asked. "What does that mean?"

"Typically, the amber color is a mix of the dark and light side. Like I had always assumed, you draw your power from both sides. This particular color means you draw your power from the ones you love, shielding them give you strength. Protecting is a sign of the Light side, however, the selfishness of protecting your loved ones is a Dark side trait."

"It's selfish to protect the ones you love?"

"According to a Jedi, yes."

"If I'm neither Dark or Light, what am I?" She asked, somewhat concerned.

He thought for a moment, what did that make her? Kylo ultimately drew his power from the darker tendencies. Rarely did he dabble in what the light gave him. It wasn't as powerful. "I'd consider you grey. You have no true allegiance."

"Of course, I have to make it difficult." She joked.

"Naturally." Kylo smirked. His smirk faded almost as quickly as it came as he watched Ashlyn stare in awe at her lightsaber blade for a few more moments. He could feel how intune she felt being where they were. She was finally becoming one within the balance of the Force, at least in that moment.

After rescinding the blade back into the hilt of the lightsaber, Ash looked back up at him, noticing he had been staring for a while. The Force had a predetermined destination for everyone, regardless if they could feel it or not. It connected all beings, living and dead. It was all powerful and it knew the best path a person should take. Did she continue to fight it? Perhaps not. Yet, she couldn't escape the sinking feeling that every other vision had been a warning. Was the Force warning her about Kylo Ren? Or was there something else entirely that the girl had been missing all along? She shuddered slightly, feeling a chill crawl up her back as she decided she needed to look into all this just a little more. "Can we head back soon?" She asked.

Kylo frowned. "What is it?" He knew she had been deep and thought, and for once was respectful to not invade her inner monologue.

She smiled reassuringly. "Not that I am not enjoying my time here. I really am and I hope we can come back soon. This place is something else." She explained. "I just want to look into something, the book is in your apartment."

"While I should be happy in your eagerness to learn more, I am also quite concerned." He teased.

Ashlyn laughed. "I promise, it's all for good."

Kylo reminded her. "But you're not good, Ashlyn. Or evil for that matter. You're grey."

"A neutral party." She said, beginning to find comfort in her stance. "I like it."

He rolled his eyes before standing up and offering his hand to Ashlyn. "Alright, let's head back since you're so eager."

Ash playfully stuck out her tongue before taking Kylo's hand. A similar surge of electricity running through her, almost exactly like the one she felt in her vision. The two of them felt it as they stood there for a moment, neither one letting go of the other's hand for the longest time before Ash pulled away first. She laughed nervously, putting a strand of her red hair behind her ear. "It's so cold, I'm ready to sit in front of the fireplace." Kylo said nothing as he grabbed the pack her brought, then his helmet. After putting his helmet back on, he led Ashlyn back to the base in silence. Keeping his distance was proving to be a much harder task than he anticipated, especially when he was really enjoying the feeling of contact between them.

As Ash sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, her new favorite place to be especially after being out in the cold, she flipped through the Force book Kylo had given her to read. She wanted to know more about Force visions and anything at all about being considered "grey". It seemed any time she received some sort of answer, it would open up more questions in the long run. Which was highly annoying in her mind.

The book mentioned basically everything Kylo had already brought to her attention. Force Visions were not always set in stone but the likeliness of it happening was on the higher end. Sometimes the visions presented themselves as a warning, but more than likely, it was already too late to change the course. It seemed more and more inevitable that whatever path chosen for her and Kylo was destined to happen. She just wished more than anything that Kylo Ren had no idea. It was torture knowing he had that over her.

She managed to stumble upon the Light and Dark energies of the Force and how they were used in balance for a Force User. Different circumstances called for different pulls to a different side and yet some, the Jedi and the Sith, tend to pull only from one side. That pulled another question to her mind, was she a Jedi or a Sith?

"That doesn't matter." Kylo said in passing from the couch. "Those ways are gone. The Sith are long gone with it."

She pursed her lips as she turned to face him. "What about the Jedi?"

He simpered for a moment before answering. "They're almost gone."

"Because I pull from both sides, I don't have an allegiance to Jedi or Sith?"

"Not exactly." Kylo explained. "The terms for those type of Force Users are dated, their days were numbered and ended during the clone wars. It soon became the norm for users to balance on both sides of the spectrum meaning they could pull their powers from Light or Dark. It was better this way than to align with something that contradicted its own purpose."

"How were they contradicting?" She asked.

"It's like the war, Ash." Kylo said. "Nothing is simply black and white anymore. The sooner people accept that the sooner they can fulfill their destinies."

She turned back to the book, looking back at the pages. "And what is your destiny?"

He didn't immediately answer. That was a convoluted answer in itself. He wanted power, he wanted control, yet he also wanted balance. His allegiance was with the First Order yet he was chaotic. He stood on a fine line between his own selfish needs and the greater good of the Order. And then there was Ashlyn. Things weren't complicated enough before she arrived. "My destiny is creating order." He said sharply.

Ashlyn looked down at her lightsaber, picturing the amber glow of the blade in her mind. "I think my destiny is to protect the ones I love." She said thoughtfully. "To be the barrier between the bad things that try and hurt them."

"You can't protect everyone." He reminded her.

She forced a smile as she turned and looked back at him. "I can try."

Her place in all this made sense then, at least to Kylo Ren. Her Force Visions showed her previously what was going to happen to her loved ones. She tried to protect them and that's all the Force really asked of her. She was stubborn but she had a promise to herself, she'd protect whomever she could and take the blame when she couldn't. That was Ashlyn, even before he understood how the Force connected with her. He returned the small smile that she had given him. "I know you will."

Ash blushed slightly as she returned her attention to the book, realizing almost immediately she was way too distracted to keep reading now. Reluctantly, she closed the book and picked it up off the ground. She wandered over to where she had been keeping a few of her personal items and placed it gently on top. It was almost time to sleep soon anyway, perhaps it was for the best she stopped reading anyway.

She heard Kylo Ren get off the couch behind her and forced an awkward smile as she turned to face him, ready to make a joke about their sleeping arrangements. Only, she stopped. Her smile fading as she recognized the scene before her. The way Kylo Ren was looking at her from across the room. Her heart thudded in her chest as he cautiously moved closer.

She knew what was coming, they both did. They didn't understand it; the pull and need the kept gnawing at them from the inside. No matter how hard they tried to fight it, and against their better judgement, Kylo Ren gently placed his hands on either side of her face and lowered him head closer to hers. Their lips feeling like fire as they touched; an electrical surge unlike anything either one had felt before radiating through their bodies. There was no going back now and neither one cared.

Final Thought: Merry Christmas! It happened! Remember to review and see y'all in 2 weeks!