Author's Note: Do you guys want me to slow down on chapters? I want to make sure everyone has a chance to read... but I'm apparently a psychopath and post every like 2 days or something. Idk. Let me know.

Also. We're going to get into some heavy stuff soon... considering the next chapter is called "Family Reunion" ... so be ready.

Oh and. Definitely read the Final Thoughts. It's hopefully a good enough thank you for all the things you guys have done for this story and have continued to do...

On the outside, Ash looked unphased and as calm as possible. Internally, she was losing her mind at the sheer size of it all. This, of course, providing much entertainment to the man in black as they descended the ramp of the transport ship and were now in the launch bay of the new destroyer. Hundreds upon hundreds of officers working around them. Some, were awaiting for their arrival and saluted Kylo Ren. It was curious thing that anyone would willingly follow Kylo Ren. Sure, he was really good at what he did, but at the same time… he killed a lot of people to get where he was today.

Another curious thought was the energy radiating from Kylo Ren. He wasn't angry, or happy, or anything she had ever felt before. Wait… no, he was excited. He was actually legitimately excited about something. Perhaps it had to do with the army he had at his fingertips? No, it wasn't that. It clearly wasn't that when Ash saw the grinning and cocky smile of the familiar ginger accompanied by the strong blonde captain next to him.

Hux and Phasma were alive. They were alive and they did everything Kylo Ren had instructed with precise execution. That was why he was secretly excited. "It's about time you two joined us." Hux mused. Ash looked at Phasma who was trying to hide a smile of her own; then back to Hux. Still in disbelief that the two of them were here; leading the Ascension. "We have much to discuss." The group left the launch bay and eagerly made their way to the main debriefing room.

Once the door closed behind them and the group knew they were alone, Ash wasted no time in tightly hugging the taller woman. Which, ultimately was a huge surprise to Phasma as she hesitated before hugging back; chuckling when she did. "I've missed you too, Ash."

Ash pulled away, knowing Phasma was not the hugging type, but she still felt the need to hug her. She was happy to see Phasma alive and well. However, that still brought everything back to the blaring fact that Kylo Ren lied about something else and that Phasma and Hux probably knew more than she did. "So, who's going to tell me what's going on?" Ash asked somewhat sarcastically.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. We have so much to talk about and so little time to do so." Hux explained as he nodded to the chairs around the debriefing table. "Please."

Kylo placed his hand on Ash's lower back; a small gesture of assurance that everything was going to be okay as they walked to the table. Ash eagerly sat, waiting to hear it all.

"It's good to see you again, Ms. Novafall." Hux began.

"No need for formalities, Hux." Ash replied dryly. "I have a ton of questions and as I've learned with Kylo Ren, I have to ask the right questions in order to get the answers I need. I assume that's still the case here. First, was StarKiller even a First Order machine?"

He smirked knowingly as he looked at Kylo Ren before returning his gaze to Ashlyn. "While the downfall of StarKiller was not exactly what I wanted; the weapon ultimately was to be used to remove the political influence that is sustaining this war. You've seen both sides now, are you still blind to it?" He asked. "The Supreme Leader and the Republic are equally the enemy here. Granted, we dealt with the Republic already. The Resistance was blinded by the Republic. I am not, however, blinded by the Supreme Leader."

Ash nodded, understanding. The galaxy was in such a state of chaos; from what she understood, it truly was the powers at be that had done this. "Does the Resistance know about all of this? About the Ascension?"

Hux hesitated for a moment, a bold and yet oh-so-very-wrong move. "To an extent."

Ash didn't care for such an aloof answer. "What extent?"

"We assisted in their escape from D'Qar. They are unaware, at this time, who is behind the Ascension." Phasma chimed in then; she also hated playing games.

"Why not reach out to them then? Join forces and take down the First Order?"

"We've now reached the point where we need the Resistance as much as they need us." Hux bargained. "They've tried reaching out to us after our assistance. However, we know if we were to communicate with them, the negotiations would fail due to our… reputation. We need a bridge to bring us together."

She knew where this was going before he had a chance to say it. "I'm not going to be a tool used in this war and I will certainly not put my friends in danger."

Hux made a face that held mostly amusement as he asked. "Are we not your friends as well? You were so eager to see us, now knowing we can help, why not assist us?"

"Because, like everyone else, I thought you were the bad guys; the ones trying to take down the Resistance and destroy planets with a giant super weapon."

"You built that weapon, do not forget." Hux gladly reminded her.

Ash glared. "Friends also don't hide their overall intentions for a complete overhaul of governments."

"We wanted to tell you." Phasma said, realizing that the power struggle before her was not going anywhere. Both participants were hot headed and Kylo Ren was not helping the situation by sitting back and letting it happen. "We made plans to bring this to light. However, the maintenance worker that outed you and Ren made that impossible. Kylo Ren had to make the choice to terminate you, as per the Supreme Leader's wishes, or spare you and send you away."

Something in Ash's expression showed the group that she was still unaware of one rather large piece in all this. Taka. "Maintenance worker?" Ash asked, looking at Kylo only to see his face contort into distaste and hatred. She looked back at Hux and Phasma. "Taka was the one who told Snoke?"

Kylo Ren hadn't told her as much, whatever his reasons being for not rubbing that fact into her face. Granted, they were trying to rebuild what they had lost, surely he didn't want to sour it with the extra bit of information. He gave Ash only what she needed to know and that was the basics; someone outed them, Snoke found out, the rest was history.

"Everything happened so fast." Phasma explained, pulling everyone back to the conversation at hand. "We had to move and begin the next phase to our uprising."

Hux added, his tone less than amused. "Then your friends blew up StarKiller."

"A necessary loss." Ash retorted. "It was a too powerful weapon."

"Yet a helpful one." Hux kept on it. "But now the time has come, Ashlyn. You've been in contact with the Resistance and with us. We need to come together."

Ash pursed her lips, her eyes falling to her hands that rested on the table. "What happens when I do?" She asked. "What is the end goal? Once this is over, will you take them out?"

"I'd rather it not come to that." Hux explained. "We are only strong if we fight together. We can't simply reach out to send a message to General Organa." Kylo winced at the mention of his mother. "That's why we need you."

"I need to know that this won't cause another fight. I need to know that the Resistance and the Ascension can work together, takedown the real problems, and work together to fix the state of the galaxy."

Hux tensed. "I can't promise anything; it depends on what they-"

"No." Ash interrupted him. "I need some sort of assurance or no deal. I'm tired of working in uncertainty."

Hux looked at Phasma, then back to Kylo Ren and Ashlyn. Something had changed within the red haired girl he had come to know. The girl who wanted nothing to do with any of it was suddenly directly in the middle. Something was brought to the surface after all these months away. She became a fighter. In that sense, Hux realized she was the force needed to combat Kylo Ren; the other piece to balance the man behind the Ascension. She would do just find keeping him in line, and in that realization, Hux was proud of her. "Fine. You have my word that this won't get violent."

"Then I'll bring your case to General Organa." Ash agreed.

Hux then smirked. "Will you bring Ren with you? I'm sure his Mother would love to see him again."

"I have to, he's part of this whole prophecy." The blank expressions on Hux and Phasma's faces interested Ash as she realized something wonderful. For once, she had the upper hand. Phasma and Hux didn't know something. "Wait, are you both implying that I have information that you don't?" She gloated, smirking. "Finally, I know something."

Ren rolled his eyes. "The reason they did not know sooner is because of Snoke. Now, I can tell them."

"Oh, so they get to know without a fight?" Ash's blatant rhetorical and shot at Kylo Ren was not missed by Hux and Phasma.

"Is now really the time to bring this up?" Ren muttered angrily.

Hux sighed. "I hadn't missed their lover's quarrels, have you, Phasma?"

Ash, reluctantly, let it go as she looked back at Phasma and Hux. "So, what's our next move?"

"We have to go to Cularin. Sooner rather than later." Ren explained.

"I need to contact the Rey." Ash stood her ground. "We need her too; plus, that can be how we introduce the Ascension to the Resistance."

He hated that she had a point; it said so in his very clear and present glare. His eyes staying on her as he spoke. "Phasma, take Ash to the communication hub. Hux and I need to discuss a few things."

Before Ash could protest, Phasma was already standing from her seat and walking to Ash. "Let the boys have their moment. They really missed one another." Phasma teased, causing Ash to grin. Hux and Ren rolled their eyes practically at the exact same time as the women left the room.

"Something is different about you." Phasma noted as she watched Ash from across the communication hub. The girl had been here less than an hour and Phasma could already sense her aggravation. That was something she learned quickly about Ash, she wore her feelings on her sleeve. It was very clear that something had happened between her and Ren. "I cannot put my finger on it, but something is off. Perhaps it's the blatant aggression you and Ren have right now. Is everything okay in paradise?"

Ash frowned as she stared down at the hub, trying to pinpoint the location of Crait. "No, we've just had a rocky twenty-four hours."

"Go on."

"Since when do you care about my affairs?" Ash teased lightly.

Phasma smirked. "You know I don't. However, it's very clearly affecting you."

She huffed. "He still isn't telling me everything, after he promised he would."

"You really expected him to?" Phasma asked skeptically. "We've talked about this before. He keeps things hidden for a reason."

"And that reason is across the galaxy somewhere while we work to kill him." Ash retorted, realizing she was being just a little bit persnickety today. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. "I just really believed he would have at least tried to keep his promise, even a little. Especially now-" She stopped herself, realizing she had said too much. It was hard to keep it all in, especially considering how much she respected Phasma.

Phasma's brow quirked upward. "Why now specifically?"

Ash pursed her lips, they hadn't told anyone yet. Granted, they didn't have anyone to tell. They got married and immediately had to evacuate Naboo. Maybe telling Phasma wasn't the worst plan, consider how much she knew already about her relationship with Kylo Ren. "We… got married."

"What?!" Phasma exclaimed, her eyes widening. Ash had never seen such emotion coming from the otherwise very stoic woman.

Ash quickly tried to explain. "On Naboo, there was a celebration going on and people were doing it and we've talked about it before."

"Does anyone know about your impulsive union?" Ash's lack of answer was an answer. "You haven't told anyone."

"Who would I tell?" Ash's question was rhetorical. "We've been married for a few hours and all we've done in that time was run from the First Order and argue."

"Unfortunately for both of you, it's a pretty awful time to get married. We're in the middle of a war. You don't get to enjoy being newlyweds."

While she understood that, it still wasn't fair. Although Ash never really thought about getting married, she wouldn't deny how intoxicating the thought was of being able to at least enjoy some alone time with her new husband was. Even if she was a little annoyed with him. Okay, she was still really annoyed with him. "I know. We don't and that's one of the reasons we did it. We were going to do it eventually, but who knows, we could lose this and die tomorrow. What better time than now?"

Phasma suddenly smiled; as if everything suddenly made perfect sense. "The more I think about it, the more I like it. It suits you both." Ash let out a sarcastic laugh. "I'm serious. You are both stubborn and impulsive people; yet it works." Phasma began to make her way for the door. "Make contact with the Resistance, I will check on the boys and we will go from there."

Ash returned her attention to the hub, the coordinates for Crait flashing back at her. It was now or never, hopefully this wouldn't blow up in her face and Rey would answer.

"These three stones can take down Snoke?" Hux asked skeptically. He typically was skeptical when Kylo Ren gave him new information. It was habit at this point. However, things were different now. He could at least get more detailed information and not just a snippet considering their distance from Snoke.

Ren nodded. "Only together. Unfortunately, that means I have to work with that repulsive scavenger from Jakku." The distaste on his face said it all. "If it could be done with just Ash and I, believe me, I'd choose that."

"I'll be honest, Ren." Hux began. "You are now the leader of the Ascension. It's going to be difficult for you to be making plans from across the galaxy, should we need you."

He smirked. "Isn't that why I appointed you as my second? You're supposed to cover in my absence."

Hux didn't acknowledge that point; instead, he moved to a more pressing matter. "She doesn't know, does she?"

"She knows as much as she should right now. You know why I keep Ash in the dark." Kylo Ren explained. Even though he promised her he'd try and keep her in the know; there were just some things Kylo Ren needed to keep a secret. He knew Ash would react negatively without a thorough explanation. An explanation he just simply couldn't give to her right now. "She's too much of a wild card; being in the middle and all. If I told her, I can't guarantee what side she'll be on after that."

"I think she'll be angrier finding out too late." Hux said, amusement in his tone. "I'm almost proud of her for taking charge earlier. She's learning to best you. Finally, someone to beat your at your own game."

Ren frowned. "I still have a trick or two up my sleeve."

"Undoubtedly." Hux reluctantly agreed. He was almost certain Kylo Ren had more he kept to his chest; however, Hux was willing to follow him through it all. Kylo Ren couldn't be a worse leader than Snoke, right? "I know your people skills are-" He thought of the word. "Practically non-existent. But, please do remember you have a tornado in your arsenal, should Ash find out the wrong way."

The door slid open to the debriefing room as Phasma entered. "Oh good, more secrets." She mused dryly as she sat down at the table with the two men she had come to love and hate all the same. "Anything I should know?"

"Not much has changed, Phasma." Hux said. "Ren here is still keeping secrets from Ash; from all of us. However, our timetable has changed with news of these stones."

"Oh, wonderful. More secrets. Has he told you the latest one regarding him and Ashlyn?"

Kylo Ren frowned. "I assume she told you?"

"Told her what?" Hux asked, ready for the worst.

"I feel awful we didn't get you a wedding present, Ren." Phasma joked dryly.

Hux nearly fell over in his chair. He really did not miss their meetings; there was always something to give him a headache. "You two are married?"

"Newlyweds." Phasma informed him. "Married on Naboo merely hours before we found them."

Hux's head was now resting in his hands as he audibly groaned. "While a congratulations is probably in order, is there anything else you'd like to tell us before you make me lose my hair?"

Now Kylo Ren was smirking. "No, I think that's it."

"No secret children? Any terminal illnesses?" Hux rattled off.

"Oh, I've missed you, Armitage." Kylo Ren was truly enjoying making the man squirm.

Hux's eyes narrowed. "I cannot say the feeling is mutual."

Ren and Phasma exchanged glances. "He did, don't be fooled."

"I know he did, I can feel it."

Hux quickly went and changed the subject. "Has Ash made contact with the Resistance?"

"She's doing so now." Phasma explained. "I wanted to give her some privacy, as well as congratulate our Commander."

"Now, now, Phasma." Hux reminded her. "He's no longer our Commander."

Phasma rolled her eyes. "The next Supreme Leader or not, he will always be a Commander to me."

Shaking his head, Kylo Ren stood from his seat. "I should go check on the red head. Stars knows what trouble she can get in when left alone too long." Without much more to say, he left the room to do just that.

"He got married." Hux repeated, somewhat in disbelief. "You know it was probably his idea, right?"

Phasma smiled knowingly. "You forget, she's just as impulsive as he is. They both wanted this."

"Maybe she'll set him straight now."

"You know he'll be just as mischievous as ever." Hux hummed as he agreed. "I assume she's blissfully unaware that she is now the wife of the future Supreme Leader?"

Hux frowned. "You know the answer to that."

"Unfortunately, I do."

"We mustn't get into their personal affairs, Phasma. We have work to do regarding these stones."

"Please fill me in on that soon."

"Unlike Ren, I don't keep secrets from those I like."

Phasma's tone was teasing. "You like me, Armitage? How sweet."

"Stars, the rest of this war with you and Ren is going to be torture, isn't it?" Phasma simply laughed at his grief.

"This is Ashlyn Novafall of the Resistance, looking to make contact. Can anyone read me?" She spoke; waiting for some response. Nothing. She kept receiving dead air. She couldn't reach Rey at first and began to try for anyone at this point. With an exasperated sigh, she tried for a third time. "This is Ashlyn Novafall of the Resistance-"

"Ash?" The broken communication came through.

Excitedly, Ash called out to the communication again. "Yes, I'm here! Who am I speaking to?"

"This is General Organa." The communication was clearer. "We are relieved to hear your voice." She laughed lightly.

Ash smiled at the familiar voice. "I'm just as happy to hear yours. Who's all there?"

"You are speaking to myself, Admiral Ackbar, Luke, and Poe." Leia informed her. "We've been awaiting your communication. You had us worried."

"I know, I'm sorry we didn't check in sooner-" She paused a moment, realizing she had said 'we'. And although she was certain they knew who she was talking about, it didn't make it any less awkward. "There was an ambush on Naboo. The First Order found us. We almost didn't make it out."

A new voice came over the communication, a voice she was more than happy to hear. "Ash, it's Poe." She smiled hearing his voice. "What happened? How did you get out of there?"

"That's one of the reasons I needed to reach out." Ash admitted nervously. "We were rescued by the Ascension." The line was silent. "We were told they had come to your aid when D'Qar was attacked."

Leia returned to the communication. "They did. You are with them now?"

She hesitated. "I am." The door to the communication hub opened, Kylo Ren entered the room. She looked up at him as he walked over to the hub to stand across from her. "General Organa-" Ren flinched every so slightly at the name. "This war got a little more complicated."

"I can only imagine."

"The Ascension are defective First Order officers, Troopers; people who, like the Resistance, want to change the galaxy." Silence once more. "Leia, please, I know this sounds crazy and suspicious and you have every right to be skeptical, but-"

"Ash, we can't trust them." It was Poe again. "They're still First Order."

Kylo Ren decided to intervene then; regardless if it made matters worse. He also had a personal vendetta against the pilot. "We are talking to the woman in charge, not you." He snapped. The silence on the other end was deafening as Kylo Ren continued. "General Organa, this is Kylo Ren, Leader of the Ascension. We are at an impasse here. The only way to defeat the First Order and ultimately Supreme Leader Snoke is by working together." He explained. "I know you don't trust me, nor do you have any reason to. However, whether we like it or not, we are in this together."

Leia spoke once more; her tone stern for a multitude of reasons. "State your terms clearly, Ben."

Ash looked at Kylo Ren, his face like stone at hearing his Mother's voice; hearing her blatantly refuse to call him Kylo Ren. Yet, she could feel internally he was so very close to losing his mind over it. "I'm sure the scavenger and Skywalker have explained the importance of the stones to you, yes?"

"They have."

"I need to work with them; Ashlyn, Rey and myself need to work together to gather the stones and take down Snoke. In order to do that, I need to come to you. Can you guarantee me safe passage to your base, as well as any personnel I may bring?"

After what felt like an eternity, Leia gave her answer. "I will need to speak with my team. We will make contact with you on our decision."

Kylo Ren's eyes narrowed. "You have one hour." He said sharply, ending the communication.

"I could have handled it." Ash said disappointedly, once she knew the Resistance could no longer hear her.

"They needed to be told directly our terms, otherwise it wouldn't have gone anywhere." He explained with no emotion.

"Not everything needs to be handled with an iron fist, Ren."

His brown quirked upward as he looked at her. "When you're at war, you can't show weakness. Compassion only exists when the battle is won. We won't win this otherwise."

She shook her head. "You know I don't believe that."

Ren exhaled sharply. "I know." The two stood firmly on either side of the hub, staring intently at each other from across the way. "After we speak to the Resistance again; I'd like it if we retired to our room for the rest of the evening." Ash stared at him skeptically. "So we can enjoy some time together without getting shot at. It's our wedding night afterall."

Ash sighed, frustration escaping her as she forced a smile. "You are such a romantic, Ren."

He slowly walked around the hub until he was next to her. His taller frame towering over her smaller one as he looked down at her. "I'm sorry our wedding was less than perfect." His voice low as his hand found hers and rested on top of it. "When this war is over; you'll have everything. You won't be denied anything." He promised her. "I'll take care of you."

Her smile grew, mostly over how ridiculous that was. She didn't need the galaxy, she had the most important thing right in front of her. "I already have everything." The electric feeling whenever they kissed never seemed to go away; each and every time their lips connected, Ash felt it more and more. A need; a desire. It was there, in each and every kiss. This kiss was no different as it deepened, threatening to become something more as his lips trailed down her chin and to her neck. "We have to reach out to the Resistance." She painfully reminded him, loving the way his lips felt on her skin.

"We can be late." He argued; not wanting to stop.

She gently pushed him away; giving him a small smile before leaning up and pecking his lips once more. "Not this time." Reluctantly, he agreed.

"Find Phasma, have her take you to our apartment." Before Ash could protest, he explained. "I need to talk to General Organa alone."

"Are you sure?" She asked skeptically.

He nodded. "If I'm to be a Leader, I need to act like one. Besides, I need to speak to her as my Mother and as General." Against Ash's better judgement, she agreed to leave Kylo Ren alone. His reasoning was the only convincing factor she needed. Perhaps, this was a sign of the right direction. He wanted to speak to General Organa alone. As unsure as she was over his bargaining methods… she decided to let him try. The fate of the Ascension and the Resistance working together was left in Kylo Ren's capable hands as Ash left to find Phasma.

Leia was as surprised as she was reluctant to appease her son when he asked to speak to her in private. She could only imagine what tricks he had up his sleeves; an awful thought for a mother to have, but she had been burned by him before. "You're late." She said.

"I had good reason." He replied stiffly, not needing to explain himself to her. Even though his lateness had to do with an overload of doubt that overcame him. Luckily, the red head wasn't there to see it. However, Ashlyn's advice began to take over his mind. Perhaps, he needed to show compassion. At least, only when speaking to his Mother. "You took a chance when I need you; you kept Ashlyn safe when you had no reason to." He said. "I need you to take a chance one more time."

"I took that chance because the man that reached out to me at his most desperate time was my son. I thought there was still a glimmer of hope in all this chaos, and that you would come home." Leia explained. "The man reaching out to me now is the same man that killed his Father; the same man who has lied and cheated his way to get to where he is now."

He frowned. "I won't waste your time and mine on a fake apology that you and I both know won't mean anything. As my Mother, as the General of my only ally in this galaxy. Will you help me fulfill not just my own destiny, but Ash and Rey's destiny?"

"Only you are allowed on base." Leia stated her terms fully. "No one else from the Ascension. We will work with them when we need to, other than that, they keep their distance. Is that clear?"

It was a start. "Crystal."

"When do you plan to arrive on Crait?" Leia asked. "I need to make sure the base is ready."

He rolled his eyes at that. "The sooner the better; expect us in a day or so."

Her final statement was one that left a twinge of guilt within Kylo Ren. No; it left guilt in what was left of Ben Solo. "Ben… I'm counting on you to do the right thing."

He hesitated just for the briefest of moments. "Noted." Once again, he abruptly ended the communication. For a long while, Kylo Ren stood at the hub, taking in everything that had just occurred. Another piece was coming together, yet now things were going to become increasingly complicated, especially being around all of the Force Users once more.

"You really don't have to do this." Ash grimaced as she awkwardly shuffled on her feet. Phasma had shown the girl where her quarters were; a much larger room than Kylo Ren's previous quarters on StarKiller. Even the bed was bigger; it was definitely noticeable. She'd gush over the perks of being married to him later, but right now she had to stop Phasma from going overboard.

"Ashlyn, you just got married." Phasma explained; she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer at this point. "The least we could do is give you two a bottle of something and some food to celebrate."

Ash sighed, plopping down onto the couch in the apartment. "Fine, just don't go crazy please?" The girl was practically begging her.

"As much as I'd love to torture Ren and embarrass him, I wouldn't do that to you."

"Thank the stars…" She muttered under her breath. "Phasma… I'm really glad you and Hux are alright."

Phasma's pursed lips immediately shifted into the smallest of smiles. It was a smile that held a fondness that Ash hadn't seen from her. "I know they do stupid things; they're men after all-" She began. "But do remember, they care. In some twisted capacity; they really do care. That's what separates them from the rest of the evil in this galaxy." The door opened, revealing the very tense Force User as he stomped into the room. Phasma gave Ash a knowing grin before excusing herself. "I'll have food sent to you both soon." Without another word, she left.

Ren looked at Ash. "Something about food and wine to celebrate." She half explained. Kylo Ren made an 'Oh' with his lips as his eyes skimmed the room before silently approving of it. He then made his way to the couch, plopping down next to the red haired girl as his feet immediately stretched out to the coffee table. "How did the negotiations go?" Ash asked, being very careful not to bring up anything sensitive subjects such as Leia or the fact that Leia wouldn't call him anything but 'Ben'.

"We leave tomorrow morning for Crait." He explained. "Just you and me."

Ash smiled. "That's a good sign."

He frowned. "I'd rather have a team with me."

"You have me." She said. "I'll keep the big-bad Resistance at bay." He snorted as Ash looked around at their immediate surroundings, motioning to the space they had. "So, all this is a perk of being the Leader of something? Not bad. The bed's even bigger."

Ren smirked, his body turning ever so slightly as he now faced Ash. "Thinking about bed already, Starshine?"

Her cheeks turned a very cute shade of pink. "Behave yourself."

"You brought it up." He said, inching closer as Ash turned. Her back pressed firmly against the arm of the couch as Kylo Ren moved closer. He was now leaning over her; like an animal ready to pounce on its prey. He'd devour her.

Yet, Ash had her own agenda. A new devious plan; she wanted answers and she was going to get them. She made it very known as Kylo Ren tried to lean in to kiss her, only to have her stop him as she placed her hand firmly on his chest. With her own strength, along with the Force, she held him there. At first, he glared, but mostly from being denied, then smirked. "What are you doing?"

She returned his smirk with her own devious grin. "I'll let you play, on one condition." He waited patiently; or rather, impatiently, for her to explain. "The more questions you answer, the more freedom you can have." Perhaps Hux was right and the time when Ashlyn would best him really wasn't that far off. "How long have you been planning this uprising?"

Ren pursed his lips, debating on if the sex was really worth this aggravation. Stars, it was, and soon he found himself answering. "Roughly three years."

Ash pulled back just a little, which allowed Ren to move forward… but with very little ground gained. "How many troops are there?"

"Twenty-thousand." He answered what he believed to be her next question. "Troops that Phasma has been conditioning for said three years." Ash moved him a little closer again; to which he immediately objected. "I answered two questions in one, I deserve to be closer."

Ash grinned wickedly. "But I only asked one." He groaned. Ash was playing a dangerous game; a game inspired by his own style. A game where she had the upper hand, something he dreadfully became fully aware of as she leaned up just enough to barely touch his lips with hers. "Next question-" Her breath tickled his lips; she knew she was driving him crazy. Regardless of how emotionless he could be at times; he was still a male with very strong male tendencies. "How long have you known about the stones?"

His resolve was faltering and so was his patience. "Since the beginning of my training with Skywalker."

"And that they'd be used to defeat Snoke?"

He frowned; using the Force to push himself forward. "I answered a question." He reminded her.

She pushed him back, this time a little further than before. "And I make the rules." Ash replied sternly. "When did you realize you needed me to help you?"

His frown softened, but only slightly. "The day we bonded. I dreamt about it; that's when I realized the only way to take down Snoke was with the stones."

Satisfied; she pulled him closer. Now, he was merely inches from her. "What happens when this is all over?"

He had to be careful answering this one; lest he wanted hormones to get in the way. Ren licked his lips, taking a quick moment to prepare an answer. "We remove corruption from the galaxy and start a new order."

"How?" He sighed in frustration. "I need you to promise me that history won't repeat itself."

Kylo Ren's dark brown orbs locked with her eyes; noticing every little freckle in her green ones; every imperfection that made them perfect. "It won't."

Ash seemed satisfied with that answer; Kylo Ren immediately took that as a green light as he released himself from her Force hold and moved forward; closing the gap between them. Ash, pulled back again as Kylo Ren groaned loudly. "One last question-" She said; her tone changing from her earlier assertive and aggressive one. Now, her voice sounded small. "Do you love me?"

He pushed himself forward again, his lips capturing hers in an instance as they lingered there. Unlike most of their kisses that held a power struggle; a fiery passion of possessiveness. This one was simple; it was a promise. It was a sincere promise that everything was going to be okay. "You know I do."

Ash wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close to her as she leaned up and kissed him again. Although he kissed her back, he hesitated going any further, but only for a few seconds. In fear that Ash would have one more question that she'd ask at the most inopportune time.

Satisfied when she didn't, his hands found their way behind her back, locking together as he scooped her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist tightly as he stood from the couch; their lips never breaking contact as he carried her to the bed.

final Thought: The rest of this chapter is on my tumblr. For those of you who are new, find Sillyhazard. Remember to review and see y'all next time!