If you read me, you'll be happy: So... I seriously LOVED The Last Jedi. It was fantastic. As someone who has seen the prequels to now in theater (and of course, the originals when I was five thanks to my big brother!), it was exactly what I had hoped. Once again, no spoilers will be in these chapters for a while. I'm still debating what I want to take from it, so when I see it again today, I shall!

I was going to wait to give you another chapter, but then I came on and saw we had 130 reviews, 150 followers, 102 favorites and over 700 people reading this yesterday. Like. Holy cow. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you guys for being so wonderful, kind and supportive. Thank you all so much. Seriously, you're what makes this story thrive.

As a thank you... I'd like to give you an analogy of this chapter. The entire story so far has been a roller coaster, however it's only be the upward climb to the top. Last chapter, was the top. Now... well, you know what happens.

BUT I DIGRESS!

Reviews:

ravenclauses : Taka isn't exactly thinking things through with his brain so... let's see what happens with that! Hope you keep enjoying the story!

Andrea: It was so so so so so good! So happy I got to see it! Now I'm curious as to what scene you're talking about that I predicted!

LoveFiction2017: That face says it all!

Ellipse27: I guarantee you'll have more issues with Taka in chapters to come. Also, Ash has a lot to work on with the grey stuff and I'm really excited to bring that to light soon!

SoulSpeak: Taka is just asking for it at this point, me thinks. And trust me, we haven't seen the last of Damar and his evil ways

TishaLiz: I had totally thought about that, however, I decided to be just a little bit more evil! Bwahaha!

Keep the reviews coming! Now, for the hard stuff...

Love is a funny emotion; it can be true and bring even the strongest of men to their knees. And sometimes it can be displaced in all the wrong ways. Love could mean a few things; intimacy, passion, connection on a spiritual level that created a form of completion between two beings. It could also be the love between friends; a respect for another person whom you can trust, confide in, and still have a connection that no one else can feel. It could also bring out the worst in others when use in a selfish sense.

Kylo Ren and Ashlyn had an interesting relationship to say the least. They were in love in every sense, regardless if they were too stubborn to admit it out loud to one another. Sure, they constantly battled and pushed when it came to their overall power struggle. However, she was the only thing that kept his head above water. She humbled him; she brought out the selfless side that Kylo Ren didn't know existed within him. She gave him propose, a promise and took everything that would have made him insufferable and made him better. They had a meaningful, intimate and passionate connection. Granted, the Force Bond helped make that stronger and at times unbearably extreme. That never took away from their feelings or hindered them in any way. If soulmates existed, Kylo Ren and Ashlyn could possibly break that mold.

Taka had a displaced type of love. He was in love with the idea of Ashlyn Novafall, perhaps there was a time during her arrival on StarKiller her had truly cared or the girl. Once he realized he was losing her to Kylo Ren; a force not to be reckoned with a monster among men that had taken so much without giving anything in return, a being that held the capability of true and unfiltered power... He was envious. He always had been; from the time Ashlyn began to interact with the Commander, Taka began to grow possessive from a distance. In his mind, Ashlyn wasn't to be shared outside of maintenance. Yet, she was becoming another thing Kylo Ren was taking away. He had to be stopped.

Our passions and our fears tend to make people do the darnedest of things without truly thinking about the consequences. So that night, when he sent the message to the Supremacy of the compromising relationship between Kylo Ren and Ashlyn Novafall; he expected Kylo Ren to be the one to suffer. However, love; in any form, whether displaced or meaningful, blinds us to those consequences. Taka believed he'd get Ashlyn Novafall back; he couldn't have been more wrong.

It had been a few days since the return of Kylo Ren and Ashlyn, the base quieting down and returning to its normal chaotic state. The only missing piece was Captain Phasma. She was still on the Finalizer; delayed in her return. A necessary sacrifice on her part. That left the other two leaders of StarKiller to meet secretly.

"She did it." Hux mused with an accomplished smile as he sat at his desk. A glass of Gammorian whiskey in his hand. The two leaders of StarKiller sat in Hux's office; celebrating a little late in regards to the victory over Snoke and their transition to the next phase in the overall plan. The two also really needed a mental break; okay mostly Hux did. Kylo Ren was antsy as ever to keep moving forward. "She managed to keep him out."

Ren nodded, somewhat unhappy at the outcome. "At the cost of her own secrets."

Hux took a sip. "Does it matter how she did it? She chose to protect us."

"I suppose not." Kylo Ren agreed diplomatically. Granted, he'd rather the girl not suffer. Then again, they all had their own trials and struggles of suffering in this. "When does Phasma return?"

"Damar is holding her up." Hux said with distaste. "Because of course he is." Kylo rolled his eyes in reply. Damar was really keen on making life so much harder. "When do you continue with the next phase?"

"Soon." Kylo admitted. "I plan on following as many leads as I can think of. Someone has the missing piece, I just need to figure out who."

Hux took another sip. "It should prove to be a fruitful effort. You're smart enough to figure it out."

Ren smirked. "Was that a compliment?"

Hux scoffed. "Don't let it go to your head." The two men chuckled; their spirits somewhat high. They were passed the hardest hurdle. Or so they had thought. Hux's datapad began to vibrate violently. He lifted the pad and looked at the message displaying across the screen. The horror on his face as he looked back at Kylo Ren. "He wants to see you."

Quietly, Kylo Ren removed himself from his chair and left the room. Hux quickly chugged his glass. Perhaps a celebration was too soon.

He hesitated at the door for a few moments. An overwhelming sense of fear and uncertainty taking over him as he finally fought for the courage to walk into the cavern. He made his way, trying to conceal the nerves that were forming as he stopped in the center circle. Snoke appeared not much after he arrived. "My apprentice." He hissed. Something in his tone made him sound feral; dangerous.

"You wished to see me, Supreme Leader." It wasn't a question.

Snoke began, his voice a low growl. "I've been informed that your apprentice has bewitched you." Kylo Ren, though his face not showing it, his stomach sank to the bottom of his gut. "The grey Force User. She's pulling you to the light, keeping you from your true destiny. I could sense it."

"Supreme Leader-"

"SILENCE!" His voice echoed and shook the room. "Even now it's clear to me. You love this girl. The grey User who jeopardizes your training."

"I can end our training now. Keep her from learning more about the Force and have her return to only maintenance."

Snoke let out another low growl. "I believe it's too late for that." Kylo Ren's body stiffened as Snoke revealed his idea. "In order to delve into the darkest part of your training; to fulfill your destiny. You must smother the light that threatens you." Then the other shoe dropped. "I want her dead by morning."

"Supreme Leader…" He tried again.

"If you do not do this." Snoke threatened, the hologram beginning to fade. "Then I will."

Kylo Ren stood in the cavern alone. It felt like he had been stabbed through the chest repeatedly. Something had changed in Snoke, something had changed his mind. Or someone…

He had to kill Ashlyn. It didn't matter now. Kylo Ren was going to become the monster she had dreamed he'd be.

Hux brought the bottle of whiskey with him to the 100's console room. Reports from Storm Troopers being afraid of what was happening in that room only told him that the meeting had not gone as planned. He entered the room, seeing the Force User slashing and hacking away at the console angrily. He was yelling and screaming as angry tears streamed down his face.

Hux stood there, gripping the bottle tighter as Kylo Ren turned sharply to face him. Any other person, he would have killed right then and there. "We have a problem, don't we?" Hux asked, offering the bottle of whiskey.

Kylo Ren grabbed the bottle with his free hand and took a rather large swig. His saber the only light now in the room; illuminating the immediate area with red. Reluctantly, he handed the bottle back to Hux. "Snoke knows." He said, Hux's face dropped. "About Ashlyn and I." Hux regained some composure then. "Someone had to have told. He changed his mind about her. He wouldn't have otherwise." Kylo Ren was agitated, unable to calm down as his chest rose and fell rapidly.

"What does this mean then?" Hux asked, receiving no reply from Kylo Ren at first. "Ren!" He yelled, snapping Kylo Ren out of it.

"Supreme Leader has ordered me to end it."

Hux frowned. "End it how?" The anger was building up again within Kylo Ren. "End it how, Ren?"

"I have to kill her by morning."

Hux felt a wave of guilt, horror and pity wash over him. "Stars…" He whispered.

Kylo Ren yelled again, turning and once again hacking at the console. After a few more good hits, he stopped. His shoulders rising and falling with his staggered breaths. Finally, he retracted his lightsaber. Angry tears pooled in his brown eyes and streamed down his cheeks. In all his years working with Kylo Ren, Hux had never seen him this miserable.

Hux walked over to him, cautiously standing by his side and offering the bottle once more. "You're going to need this more than me." Kylo Ren didn't take the bottle this time as he tried to calm down. "So what are you going to do?"

"What choice have I?"

Hux shrugged. "None." He exhaled sharply. "You have none; I'm sorry." He was, and that only made Kylo Ren feel so much worse.

Ash waited in Kylo Ren's apartment, like she had always done since their sleeping arrangement had become permanent. She was becoming in tune once more to the Force after her draining last twenty-four hours. There was a tug at her mental state, she could feel a force of anger pushing through. Someone probably pissed off the other Force User on base. At least, that's what she hoped. The anger had subsided and Ashlyn was beginning to relax again on his couch.

He stormed into the apartment, stopping almost immediately as he stared at the girl on his couch. His face showing a hint of horror before quickly falling to a more serious tone. "Not expecting me?" Ash asked nervously. "I could go, if you'd like." She offered, scrambling to get off the couch.

"Stay." Kylo's voice was soft. He saw the caution on her face before fully deciding to sit down again. The red haired girl sitting unsuspectingly on her desk.

"Everything okay?" Ash asked. "I thought I could feel your anger before."

"I'm fine." He said quickly, trying not to cause any suspicion as he walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. "Everything is fine."

Ash chose to believe him in that moment, unsure why she did, but she did. "Okay." She said, smiling again. "It's nice to finally be able to sit with you and not worry about hiding." He said nothing, instead, he gently pulled Ashlyn to his side and held her there. She snuggled up next to him, enjoying the contact. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

"It's just been a long week." He tried to say as convincingly as possible.

"I know." She agreed. "I'm glad we get the night off to rest."

He kissed the top of her head lovingly. "Me too." He would have to do it; he'd have to end this. He'd have to end Ashlyn. There was no way around it and he knew that. He couldn't do the one thing he wanted and keep her safe. Morning would come quickly and Kylo Ren was running out of time. He'd milk it for what it was worth, make it last forever. How does a moment last forever? He'd try his damnedest to make it so.

After a quiet night of simply existing with Kylo Ren, Ash had fallen into a blissful sleep, ignorant to what was awaiting her by the morning. Kylo Ren held her close, memorizing the way she looked while she slept. The way she felt against him. He didn't want to do it, but what else could he do?

He glanced down at the sleeping girl in his arms and though he had looked at her a thousand times before, it never grew tiring or mundane. Every single time he'd find at least one more thing he loved about her, one minute detail that simply caused his breath to get caught in his lungs. He'd give anything to have more sunrises and sunsets just to continue to steal those glances for the rest of his days.

He didn't have forever and neither did she. This wasn't a fairytale, this wasn't his parents love story; a story he had heard thousands of times and growing up he was naive enough to believe a love like that could exist. Even as he grew older and saw the shambles their marriage had become, ever so slowly fading out of existence... He still held a glimmer of hope that maybe there was some truth to all of it.

Now he knew. He knew and he wished he hadn't. He felt it; that blissful feeling of a counterpart. That spark that he had been told only existed for the lucky and not everyone could ever be so lucky to harness it. Even if his parents couldn't keep it and hold it tight, it existed to them in some extent.

He was never prepared for it to happen to him. Yet, here he was; staring down at the one thing that made him feel whole. The one constant that never faltered from pulling him out of that darkness. His biggest distraction yet ultimately missing piece that brought him together and shattered him mercilessly at the seams in an instance.
He had to give her up. It was the only way that any of this could work. In another time and place, there was hope that everything would be fine. Maybe that time didn't exist, not anymore, but the only time he did know was quickly fleeting and his window of opportunity to do something about it was beginning to close.

Then, it all came together. Kylo Ren knew what he had to do. There wasn't much time, as he snuck out of the bed, careful to not disturb the girl. He just hoped he had the strength to do what needed to be done.

He woke Ashlyn up very early in the morning, the sun had not even begun to creep over the horizon line. She groaned, feeling his lips kissing her cheek feverishly, traveling down her jawline and to her neck, then back up. "You need to wake up." He said softly.

Her eyes fluttered open, looking over at the Force User lying next to her. "Five more minutes." She grumbled sleepily.

The corners of Kylo Ren's lips tugged upwards into an unwilling smile as he tried once more. "I need your expertise with a ship for a mission, and we need to do it now."

Ash yawned. "Now?"

He nodded. "Yes, now. I need to know how good your maintenance skills are."

She stretched lazily. "Is that a challenge?" Her tone teasing.

"Perhaps." He said, leaning closer again to kiss her cheek. "Get up, starshine."

Ash smiled sleepily, cuddling closer to the man's warm chest as she did. "Fine, we can go." She said. "But I expect us to come back and cuddle when we're done."

His breath caught in his chest. He had to remain calm, least he'd alert the redhead next to him. He almost backed out then and there… but he couldn't. He knew he couldn't. Snoke demanded results from him, he couldn't go against his demands. And that's why this would hurt for a really long time. "Let's go." His tone somewhat sharp as he reluctantly pulled away from Ashlyn and got out of the bed.

Ash rubbed her eyes, sitting up slowly as she looked around the dark room. She noticed how Kylo Ren wasted no time in getting dressed. She was slightly concerned at this sudden urgency, however, she trusted him. This was probably a bigger part of the game that Kylo Ren had created. Another mission that only she could help with. She trusted that whatever it is he needed from her, it was important and would have some sort of payoff later. So, she climbed out of bed and grabbed her jumper.

"Bring your saber too." Kylo said quickly.

Ash made a face, of course she'd bring her saber. She grabbed her tool belt, and made sure her saber was clipped to the side. "Alright."

He forced a dazzling smile as he walked over to Ashlyn, hugging her closely to his chest. A feeling he'd surely miss as he reassured her. "It's fine, it's nothing too crazy that we can't get done quickly. We'll be back here in no time." They wouldn't.

Ash relaxed slightly in his arms. "So, what are we doing?"

'We need to go to Launch Bay C."

She frowned. "We hardly use C."

"I know, but the work I need you to do is there." He said. "Let's go." Ash said nothing more as she followed Kylo Ren to the practically abandoned Launch Bay. Granted, it was also very early in the morning, of course no one would have been around.

The two walked silently through StarKiller, Ash exhausted and not connecting with the tension coming off the man next to her. She mostly just wanted to go back to bed. As they arrived into the Launch Bay, Ash saw an assortment of really old ships; a small shuttle transporter that fit roughly for five stood out in the lineup. She frowned, looking at the ship as Kylo Ren lead her to it. "Ever work on one of these before?" He asked.

"It's an older model, the newer series had a better stabilization component." Ash mentioned, realizing she was about to go into a whole rant about that particular model of ship. She quickly stopped herself. "I'm sure I can figure it out." She beamed, receiving a smirk back from Kylo Ren.

The two walked over to the transport, the ramp coming down with a hiss as Kylo Ren motioned to the ramp. "Ladies first." Ash wandered into the ship, giving Kylo Ren a moment to look around and make sure no one was in the immediate area. They were completely alone in the Launch Bay. He prefered it that way as he walked into the transporter, noticing Ash was already studying the console.

"There's an old tracking unit installed, we need this ship to end up at its destination without being traced. Can you turn it off?"

Ash scoffed. "If that's really what was so urgent, I might kick you."

"I have a few other things." He rolled his eyes at her impatience.

Ash looked at the console, noting where the tracking unit registered from. "It's easy, these old ships were basically flip switches. This can turn off no problem and your ship won't be followed." She said, playing around with a few buttons before a notification appeared on the screen stating the tracking system was turned off. "Next?"

Kylo Ren reached to his belt, pulling out a small flash drive and handing it to her. "Register these coordinates into the consoles autopilot."

Ash sighed, he was giving her such easy tasks that totally did not warrant waking her up this early. She plugged in the flash drive, the coordinates pulling up for a planet that was pretty far from the base. She looked at it thoughtfully, she had seen this planet before in Kylo Ren's book of planets but couldn't place the name. She looked back down and activated the autopilot. "Is any of this going to get challenging or are we still going to be doing the easy stuff?"

"One last thing. Install this into the commlink. They'll know what to do with this when the ship arrives." He said, now handing her a holo-comm. It was a message installed onto the device, a message that was probably meant for someone more important than she could ever fathom, especially if Kylo Ren needed it done.

She installed the holo-message, another easy task given to her. She looked at Kylo Ren once she finished, smiling. "What's next?"

This was it, he was running out of time. He couldn't stop himself as his hands gently gripped either side of her face, he leaned down to kiss her. He didn't want to do this. He had no choice, it was the only way and he knew that. Time was fleeting, it would be over soon.

When Kylo Ren finally pulled back, Ash smiled only to have it quickly drop when she realized he had tears pooling in his eyes. "Kylo?" She asked, now panic rising through her entire being. How could she not see it, something had been wrong.

He said nothing as he waved his hand and Ash's world went black. He caught her before she dropped on the floor. Holding her in his arms one last time, Kylo Ren looked at her, he really looked at her. This was the only way, he knew he'd have to convince himself of that for the rest of his days.

Slowly, he walked back towards one of the bunks and placed her down on it. His steps felt heavier than ever as he walked back to the cockpit, initiating the autopilot and walking out of the ship. The hiss off the ramp closing and whining behind him as it closed Ashlyn inside.

The old transport unit began to rise off the ground, initiating its takeoff sequence as it slowly lifted higher and higher and soon moving towards the Launch Bay doors. They opened automatically from the motion of the ship. The unit disappeared out the door and up towards the sky as Kylo Ren watched it leave, the doors closing after a few moments.

"You didn't kill her." He knew Hux had followed them; granted Hux could do nothing to stop him from whatever his plan was. Hux walked closer to Kylo Ren, now standing next to him as they watched the Launch Bay doors close fully.

"Of course not." Kylo said, his voice devoid of all emotion.

"She's better off this way; existing far away from whatever this is." Hux said with some distaste to their current situation. "Where did you send her?"

"The only place she could be safe. Snoke would hunt her down if I sent her back where she came from. He won't find her now."

Hux nodded, understanding the vagueness. "You won't tell me."

"It's not safe." He said, feeling the pull and strain on his being the further and further Ashlyn traveled. "If she knew; she'd tried to fight it. You know that as well as I do."

She was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. She'd lead a better life without him, this was her only chance of surviving. As much as it hurt, at least she'd have a chance for a better life, a life he could never give her.

He knew where she needed to go, even if she didn't know and had no say regardless. He knew someone who could keep her safe and also prevent her from trying to get back to him. Kylo Ren just needed to put those pieces in place and rip apart the completion he held dearly. While the connection with his contact was harder than he could have ever imagined, he broke down and did it.

It was for her. It was always for her.

He was on a scouting mission just on the outskirts of D'Qar among the asteroid and debris field. His X-Wing fluttered gently in space, the interior silent except for a few buzzing sounds from the ship itself. He sat back, looking outward at the sunrise on D'Qar, it was beautiful. A view he could never grow used to, especially from up there. He was a pilot, one of the best damn pilots some would say. Flying was his first love, he couldn't deny that. "I'll never get used to this view, buddy." He said thoughtfully, receiving a few beeps in agreement from the droid on board.

As he sat, relaxing as much he could in the safer territory, a blinking light began to flash on his dashboard. His ship had detected something moving at a rather fast pace towards D'Qar. He frowned, taking the controls of his ship in hand and turning just enough as he saw the old transport unit floating by. "What the…" He slammed his fist down on his communicator, turning on his commlink in his headset that communicated back to the main flight tower on D'Qar. "Ortho!" Urgency in his voice.

"Hey, Commander star boy, what's happening?" The rather excited Yarkora said through the link. "What can I do for ya?"

"We have an unmarked transport unit, an old one, heading for D'Qar. Can you get me a scan?" He asked.

There was sudden urgency now as Ortho quickly ordered for the scan. After a few beats of silence, Ortho spoke again. "The ship has one life form on it."

"Any weapons?" He asked.

"None that I can see." Ortho said.

"So what, this thing is flying through space? Do I engage?" He asked. There was rustling on the other end as Ortho tried to figure out what they should do with the rogue unit flying towards D'Qar. The ship was getting closer and closer and the pilot was losing his patience. "Ortho, am I blowing it up or what?!"

"Hold on, star boy!" Ortho hissed. "The General is here."

There was another beat of silence before the graceful and yet powerful voice of a woman came over the commlink. "Pilot, do not engage the ship. Follow it to wherever it will land, we will join you there." She said.

"General?" He asked.

"That's an order, Pilot." The commlink ended then.

The pilot looked back at the ship, watching as it hit the atmosphere of D'Qar. "Well…" He muttered. "General's orders…." With that, he sped after the ship and followed it until it landed; unsure of what was awaiting him inside.

Final Thought: I'm a monster. I'm sorry. You can yell at me in reviews. See y'all next chapter.