Author Notes: So, chapter 50 had some issues where the chapter posted but... some people didn't see it? Or they got the notification it was up but the link wasn't working. Hopefully it's fixed now, I saw it on the story before posting this. So if you're seeing this chapter and confused as to what the heck is happening, you probably missed a chapter.

Sorry for that!

And consensus says that I should just keep being trigger happy when posting. Hey, that's cool with me! As long as you guys are still there reading, reviewing and supporting, I'll keep posting like a mad woman!

Speaking of posting...

The crew member that had brought food and wine to Kylo Ren's apartment left everything outside the door, as per Phasma's instructions. She warned the crew member that if he didn't get a response on his first knock, he should leave the food and go, lest he wanted to lose his head.

Either way, Ash happily grabbed the tray and bottle of wine and brought it in. She was in the mood to celebrate.

She was wearing his black top; it fell loosely on her and she was practically swimming in it. She didn't care; she made that abundantly clear as she walked around in it. Kylo Ren didn't mind; in fact, she looked adorable in it. However, he'd rather her not be wearing anything at all.

Ash placed the tray of food down on the coffee table before sitting on Kylo Ren's lap with the bottle in her hand as she examined it. "They didn't give us glasses." She said with amusement as she began pulling at the cork.

Kylo Ren frowned at her. "If that explodes and gets all over me-"

"Then you'll be naked again and so will I, oh whatever shall we do?" Ash teased as Kylo Ren chuckled. The cork popped off the bottle, and luckily for Kylo Ren's bare chest, nothing spilled on him. Although, now he sort-of wished it did spill on his pants, he'd have an excuse to take Ashlyn to bed again.

Ash took a swig straight from the bottle, receiving a knowing look from Kylo Ren. "Really, Starshine?" She offered him the bottle as she swallowed the rather large gulp she took. Rolling his eyes playfully, he accepted and took a sip.

With a heavy sigh, Ash leaned into his chest, her body relaxing against his as Kylo Ren levitated the wine bottle over to the table. His arms wrapping around her as much as possible as the two sat there. "Will it always be like this?" She asked. "Our continuous power struggle mixed with moments like this."

"I think we're too stubborn for anything else." He agreed. "It makes for an interesting marriage."

She laughed. "I wonder how everyone on Crait will take the news?"

"It doesn't matter what they think." He replied stubbornly.

Ash frowned. "Regardless of what you think of her; she's still your mother and I'm sure she'd be happy for us."

"She'll be more shocked than anything." Ren said; somewhat amused. "I had a very firm belief over getting married." He explained. "But, again, she'll be shocked that's changed."

"It has?"

He gave her a knowing look. "I married you, didn't I?"

"That doesn't mean you still aren't critical over marriage."

"No, but I'm critical over their marriage."

"But their marriage is not ours." Ash snuggled just a little bit closer to his chest. "Like I told you before; you're stuck with me. Through all your misadventures, I'll be right beside you."

His lips pursed. "Are you sure about that?"

She looked up at him. "I'm still here aren't I? We impulsively got married, I'd say we're off to a good start on this whole misadventures thing."

Now he was grinning. "I suppose you have a point."

"Of course I do." Ash beamed for a brief moment before yawning; it was really late and the two were still wide awake. Or rather, he was. Ash had an inkling as to why. They'd be leaving for Crait in the morning and he'd be face to face with his Mother. Ash wasn't sure how long it had been since the two had seen each other; but she had a feeling it was going to be a rocky reunion.

"You should get some rest." He all but insisted.

"Not unless you sleep with me." She bargained.

With one swift motion; he scooped Ash up into his arms and stood from the couch again. This time, their motive was to sleep as he walked them over to the bed again. "Only because you asked so nicely." He said, placing her down onto the bed before lying down next to her.

"You're too good to me, husband." There it was; that smile. He felt like he hadn't seen that smile in forever. Yet, when he was fortunate enough to see it, he fell in love with her all over again. That same smile that changed everything for him. The smile he'd kill for; move planets for.

He leaned over to her, kissing her softly. She moved closer to him, snuggling into his side. Something she had never pictured herself doing almost a year ago. Stars, how things had changed. Yet, the one constant was how she felt about him. Even before she realized it. He was her everything. She knew tomorrow would be difficult for both of them, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to piece together the bridge that had been destroyed so long ago.

Ash sat up, the apartment was illuminated by a nearby moon from some Outer Rim territory she was unfamiliar

with. Next to her, Kylo Ren slept soundly. He looked peaceful. With a smile, she managed to sneak her way out of bed and walk over to the window. Outside she saw the Ascension fleet floating among the stars. Everything was silent except for the ship's engine. Something she wanted to check out on her own eventually. That would have to wait until they returned, of course.

"Grey User-" She knew that voice. She had heard it only a few times, but in those times, it left a scar on her. The low and breathy growl that reached through the depths of darkness. Ash turned, the apartment no longer behind her. Instead, the throne room. In the chair once again sat Snoke.

Unlike last time, however, Ash wasn't afraid. She didn't feel a strain on her mind. He wasn't trying to fight her. Cautiously, Ash walked forward and closer to the creature. "You're wasting your time."

He chuckled darkly. "Oh, am I?" He said. "I don't wish to hurt you, child. I've come to bargain."

"I'm not here to listen." Ash snapped. "Send me back."

"Such spunk; and from a Grey of all things."

Ash frowned, taking the bait. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sure you've been informed that as a Grey, your existence is only meant for one thing. Otherwise you shouldn't exist." Snoke said. "Not to me. I find your existence intriguing. A balance between the Light and the Dark. Absolute power over both sides; they should fear you." He explained. "A pity they don't see you for your true potential. What a waste of such power."

"Why should they fear me?" He had her.

"My dear, you have control over them; their balance, their Force. You are the bond that holds the very fabric of the Force together." He said. "The prophecy; the stones. You've come to understand so much and yet so little. He hides so much from you; preventing you from reaching your true potential."

The 'he' was clearly Kylo Ren. "He has his reasons for what he does."

Snoke chuckled. "Is that what he has you believing?" He knew he had her; the doubt she had over Kylo Ren keeping the truth from her; Snoke was playing her. "He has you believing that this prophecy must come true. That you mean to fight me; end my reign. But, I feel you know that if you fight me, you will lose."

Ash shook her head; vehemently denying that fact. "No, we won't. We won't lose and I think you're afraid of that."

"It's not dying, I'm afraid of. I'm an eternal being; death means nothing to me. It's the end of your path that scares me. Child, let me show you." He nodded behind her. Ash turned, seeing the throne room once more. This time, a dead Snoke lied on the floor; his body in two. Next to his throne, Rey and Kylo Ren were battling. The two looking to kill one another. Something had gone terribly wrong as they battled. Then, Ash saw herself running forward to stop them. She ran between them, her arms flying outward. She had done that before; pushing them away. Except this time, it didn't happen as Kylo Ren's red blade came forward, stabbing her in the chest.

She watched in horror as he pulled back; the regret and fear on his face as he dropped his saber, collapsing to his knees as he fell with Ash's body. He held her in his arms, staring at the now still red head. Rey, screaming at him for what had happened before running her own blade through his chest.

Tears fell down Ash's face as she looked back at Snoke. "That's not how it's going to happen."

"It is and it will." Snoke said. "You can't save them; you can't save yourself." He then leaned forward. "Stop them. Do what you were made to do; control the Light and Dark and I will let you all live. Keep them from completing their task; it's the only way you will survive. That he will survive." He was bargaining with the only piece he had; Kylo Ren. Ash was the Grey User to bring together the Light and Dark. Without her, it wasn't possible. She could stop this; she could end their silly search for the stones and let Snoke continue his reign. However, Snoke didn't count on one thing; Ash was a fighter.

Ash looked back at the scene behind her, Rey was on her knees now, sobbing. Kylo Ren was dead; she was lying limp in his arms. Only death awaited them; it seemed even clearer now. Yet, even in that uncertain future, Ash knew one thing was true. They had to stop Snoke. She turned back to Snoke; the creature who thought he had won. "Forgive me, Supreme Leader-" She began. "But you tried to kill me once; and I am quite the stubborn bitch who holds a grudge."

Snoke's expression changed to one of malice as he sneered. "You will die. You will all die in the most cruelest of ways. I am certain of this. I will end you; I will end them all."

"Bring it on, monster." With that, Ash's body was thrown backwards as she inevitably woke up.

There were times when the whole "Force Bond" thing was useful; it helped her see into Kylo Ren's emotions. It gave her a better understanding of how he was feeling and when things were going either right or completely wrong. This was not one of those times. Her eyes fluttered open and immediately she felt the wave of negative energy engulf the room as it began to suffocate her.

That was the biggest inconvenience of their bond. He felt everything too; he also had better insight when it came to accidentally seeing her dreams. Granted, most of the time it wasn't accidental and he did it on purpose. Ash wasn't exactly the best at not broadcasting these things.

Either way, she knew he saw her dream. She just had a feeling and the flipped over coffee table and burn marks in the walls only confirmed her suspicions as she sat up. Her knees pulled to her chest as she made herself appear smaller than she was; waiting for Kylo Ren to notice she was awake. He did and immediately stopped pacing. His chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. The distorted lightsaber blade retracting as he clutched the weapon tightly. His free hand ran through his dark locks as he tried to calm down. Easier said than done in his case.

"How long has he been reaching out to you?" He asked bitterly, turning to face the girl on the bed. His eyes dark like coal.

Ash's top teeth raked over her bottom lip as she kept her composure. "This is the second time; the first being Ahch-To."

His chest continued to rise and fall rapidly as he began to pace again. "Why is he reaching out to you?" He sounded like an adult reprimanding their child; Ash hated it.

"I think he's afraid." Ash explained. "Or he's just trying to scare us. Either way; he knows about our plan and the stones." She continued. "He thinks you're going to-"

"I know what he thinks!" Ren snapped; his pacing coming to another halt as Ash flinched. It wasn't her fault, but when Kylo Ren got like this, it was everyone's fault. He trudged over to the bed now; crouching down in front of the bed. His placed his lightsaber on the floor, to show he wasn't going to hurt her, not that she thought he was. His eyes softening when he looked at her, but the harshness still on his expression as he took her hands in his. "Nothing is going to happen to you."

She wasn't sure if she simply didn't believe him or was still shaken by his behavior. Either way, she kept that feeling to herself as much as possible. "I know." Her voice was less convincing of that.

Kylo Ren exhaled sharply through his nostrils; they flared slightly as his shoulders rose and fell along with it. "I'm going to keep you safe; whatever it takes."

"It's not me I'm worried about." She admitted sheepishly as she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. He reciprocate the gesture as his long arms found their way around her waist and was soon pulling her off the bed as he sat back on the floor. Ash was sitting on his lap. "We really might not make it through this…"

"Don't talk like that." He kept her close, kissing the top of her head gently. He wouldn't lie to her and say how everything would be fine and that they had nothing to worry about. They did; however, he'd promise to keep her safe. That was the closest thing he could do to reassuring her. But, this new development was also a reminder that their time was running short. They had work to do. "We need to leave for Crait." Ren reminded her gently.

Ash nodded as a small blip of excitement over seeing her friends again washed over her. She forced a smile; her defense mechanism coming through as she tried to joke through all dire situations. "Your mom is going to kill us."

Kylo Ren frowned. "She'll learn to deal with the news."

"I think she'll be more upset she wasn't invited."

He kissed her forehead. "No one was invited, Starshine." Ash removed herself from his lap as Kylo Ren stood. "Get ready. I won't tell you again." He instructed.

"Yes, sir." She mocked saluted him, receiving quite the glare from the very tall man as he removed himself from the situation. She watched Kylo Ren begin to get ready before ultimately getting ready herself. His overwhelming promise to keep her safe was still flooding her thoughts. While the idea should have been comforting; there was still something in her mind warning her as to how extreme Kylo Ren could be in keeping his promise.

Phasma and Hux made sure to be in the launch bay promptly before the two Force Users left the destroyer. They were also very curious as to how they were doing this morning; considering their bickering yesterday. Phasma had made a bet that the two would be just fine after their night off. Hux wasn't so convinced and gladly took that bet. Mainly; he was hoping Kylo Ren was still suffering from an angry wife.

That concept was still so new and weird to not Kylo Ren and Ash, but also to Phasma and Hux. They had known Kylo Ren for quite some time now; marriage was never something they had ever pictured for him. Hell, having a girlfriend was just as crazy of an idea. He wasn't exactly the best at interacting with people; he was also a total pain-in-the-ass. Which, they meant endearingly and quite seriously.

Yet, everything changed when Ashlyn arrived. He was slightly more tolerable than before and Hux only wanted to kill him five times per day verses the normal thirteen times. He counted once. It was thirteen.

In some disturbing sense, they were grateful that Kylo Ren murdered the original maintenance leader; that gave them the means to reach out and bring Ash on board. Ash was a happy and welcomed accident in their eyes. She brought out a better side of Kylo Ren. A side they weren't sure existed any longer. However, a lingering feeling stayed in the back of their minds was that Kylo Ren couldn't change fully. He would still be that cocky and arrogant Force User set on domination for the greater good. At least, his opinion of the greater good. And while they firmly pioneered for that change, they'd cautiously follow Kylo Ren to victory in hopes that a second uprising would not be needed. They also hoped Ash wouldn't kill him for hiding the whole 'Kylo Ren - Supreme Leader' thing and be an integral part in keeping Kylo Ren on a leash. That seemed even less likely.

Regardless, Phasma had won her bet as the two Force Users arrived to the launch bay. They were drastically less aggravated with one another. Phasma and Hux exchanged knowing glances as Hux determined now was the most appropriate time to tease the leader of the Ascension. "You were right, Phasma." He said. "A night alone together and they look… refreshed."

Ash's cheeks burned red at the implication while Kylo Ren just smirked. "You should try it sometime, stars knows you need it." He retorted. Hux grinned right back as Ash looked to Phasma, then back to Hux, realizing while they implied nothing; something was going on. And it took her this long to suspect it.

"Boys, there are ladies present." Phasma reminded them sharply.

"Phasma, you're no lady." Ren was clearly joking.

"No, but she's one hell-of-a-woman." Hux mentioned in passing. Yep. Something was going on. "Shouldn't you two be leaving?"

Ren gently nudged Ash; noticing her mind was working a mile a minute as she tried to process what was happening in front of her. There was no way she was that oblivious to it, right? Perhaps, Phasma and Hux were just that good at keeping it hidden. Either way, she was brought out of her internal process. "Keep all communications open, we'll be in touch once we finish negotiations." Ren said.

"Yes, sir." Hux's tone was mocking, but also serious.

Kylo Ren ushered Ash to a new ship; a transport unit that was much smaller than the yacht but still enjoyably bigger than the Silencer that Ash had come to really despise.

The two were cleared for takeoff as the transporter lifted off the floor of the launch bay and soon the two were airborne and leaving the safety of the Ascension. Ash took her seat in the copilot seat as Kylo Ren began to prepare them for hyperspace. "So…" Ash began, Kylo Ren waited patiently for her to say what she had been thinking. "Hux and Phasma?"

He chuckled. "For a Force User, you are quite oblivious sometimes."

She sat up straight. "It's really a thing?!"

"It's been a thing." Ren explained. "Although it's been a very quiet thing."

"They're really good at hiding it." The news sinking in then. "Unlike us."

Ren gave her a pointed look. "I thought we hid our relationship well." He clearly wasn't serious. "To be fair, they didn't have an invisible pull towards each other than made things very difficult to control at times."

Ash laughed, relaxing in her seat again. "True." She agreed. "Maybe they'll be the next to get married."

He scoffed. "Doubtful."

"Why's that?"

"They enjoy denying what they have too much." Kylo Ren informed her. "It's a fun game for them. If they got married that would ruin the illusion."

Ash shook her head. "That's just silly."

"Not everyone gets married, Starshine." He said, the ship entering hyperdrive.

"Well, if you believe that then maybe we should get divorced." The two exchanged knowing glances; grinning as they did. Ash's attempt at keeping Kylo Ren's spirit light was working… for now. But, that would all change once they landed on Crait.

Crait was in complete and utter chaos as the Resistance prepared for the arrival of Ashlyn Novafall and the man that they had all come to fear. Everyone was on edge, unsure what was going to happen once Kylo Ren stepped on base. Was this all secretly a trap? Was he going to kill every last one of them? Stars, the uncertainty was doing a nice job at killing everyone on the inside as they ran around like Endorian chickens with their heads cut off.

Leia kept her concerns internally as she stood by the entrance of the Resistance base; she stared out at the salt covered planet, her reservations internal as she remained as calm as possible. If she panicked, the base would explode.

Thankfully, She wasn't alone; Luke had joined her. The twins standing side-by-side as their eyes locked to the sky, awaiting any sign of Ash and Kylo Ren. "Did I make the right choice?" She asked her brother.

"Are there such things as right choices anymore?" Luke retorted, causing Leia to smile slightly. "We can only wait for whatever surprises come our way now."

"We're at war, my son apparently changed sides, and has fallen in love with a mechanic; nothing surprises me anymore." Leia mused.

"I think she's good for him."

"No-" Leia explained. "They're good for each other. At least, I'm hoping that's still the case."

Luke sensed his sisters reservations even more so now. "You haven't seen them together yet, have you?" He attempted to calm her concerns. "It was like seeing Ben Solo all over again; a piece of him pushing back to the surface."

"It feels like I've lost him forever."

Luke explained. "No one is truly ever gone. And while he will always embrace the Darkness; that doesn't mean he can't ever do the right thing. Our Father is an example of that."

The ship broke into the atmosphere; Leia's eyes locked onto it as she sighed. "I hope you're right; I hope my son can still be redeemed."

"Have faith, dear sister." Luke smiled; looking up at the ship as it came closer to the base. "And be ready for the biggest headache when he does arrive." Leia's smile was hard to hide then as the base behind them began to panic even more so.

As Kylo Ren landed the ship inside the base, he barely blinked. Ash noticed immediately as she stared at him; waiting for something to happen. "I'm okay, Ash." He informed her, as amusement spread across his face. There was a welcome party, consisting of dozens for Resistance members with blasters, waiting for them to exit the ship.

"I know you are-" Ash said. "I don't think I'm okay." She joked, laughing nervously.

"Afraid I won't behave?" He asked, removing himself from the pilot seat.

"You have no idea." She muttered, following him and darting for the ramp. "Let me go out first and calm everyone down, okay?" Kylo Ren rolled his eyes, gesturing for her to go ahead, although finding her worry unnecessary. He wasn't going to do anything… at least, he wasn't going to do anything unprovoked.

Ash descended the ramp first, her eyes scanning the Resistance members, taking in the wall of fear that was radiating from them as she offered a nervous smile. 'It's cool-' She thought. 'Be cool, everyone…'

'This is ridiculous'

'Just take it slow, Ren. Please! They're all trigger happy and ready to shoot you.'

'I dare them…' He was so unhelpful. However, Ash's fears soon dissolved as the familiar face of Rey came through the crowd. Ash ran down the ramp, ignoring the jittery Resistance members as they jumped at her sudden movement. The girls embracing tightly. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

"I was so worried." Rey admitted. "I didn't hear from you and then found out you were attacked-" The girls pulled away, looking at each other.

"I'm sorry, I wanted so much to contact you. Everything was happening so fast and we had to get out of Naboo."

"Ash?" The girl turned at the sound of her name, seeing a familiar face coming forward. Poe's face lit up immediately when he saw the red haired girl. She was safe and she was back where she belonged. He began to run over to her, ready to hug her after not seeing her for so long. Except, he didn't get to. About two feet from the girl his body stopped short, unable to move for a brief moment, before flying backwards. He yelped loudly, causing everyone to stare at him then back to the ramp of the ship.

Ash was mortified as the blasters of the 'welcome committee' aimed for the man in black that was standing on the ramp. His hands raised defensively as he simply said. "Oops."

She sighed, looking apologetically to Rey before trudging back up the ramp to stand by Kylo Ren. "Are you serious?!" She said through gritted teeth. "Everyone here already wants to kill you and you do that?"

He glared. "Again. Oops."

It was then Leia and Luke joined the fray; Leia looking disapprovingly at the two Force Users that had just arrived. "Both of you, come with me."

With even more reluctance at how this was already going, Ash followed. She missed, however the exchange in glares between Poe and Kylo Ren as Kylo Ren walked passed.

Rey disappeared while Leia spoke with Ash and Kylo Ren. She knew they needed to speak in person first before the rest of the group was involved. She took her few moments of free time to travel to one of the furthest explored areas of the base where she found Finn, sitting on a rock salt formation. "Hey." She offered a weak smile.

"Hey." He returned the gesture.

"Mind if I join you?" Rey asked, Finn only nodded as Rey found the only practical spot near him as she sat. "They just arrived."

Finn pursed his lips. "Figured. I didn't hear any shots, I assume it went well?"

Rey grimaced. "If by 'well' you mean everyone was okay with Kylo Ren tossing Poe backwards with the Force. Then sure, it went great."

Finn stared at Rey incredulously. "He did what?" She didn't respond. "Why did we allow him to come here again?"

"Unfortunately, we need him."

"That's a dangerous concept. He knows we need him; he'll just walk all over us."

Rey half-agreed with him. "I know you're going to say I'm crazy for this, but, he does mean well. Even if meaning well is only when Ash is involved."

Finn shook his head. "What does she see in that guy?"

"Something the rest of us clearly don't."

"He almost killed me. He almost killed you; Poe. He's pretty much almost killed everyone on this base and yet, here we are letting him walk around."

Rey understood where Finn was coming from; the two had been through a lot and most of that had to do with Kylo Ren. Yet, at the same time, they would have never met if it hadn't been for the murderous man. In her eyes, that was a decent trade. "I think we haven't seen the good that Kylo Ren has in him just yet." She explained. "And while I find him to be the most repulsive thing in this galaxy; there's something we don't see that he's capable of. Something Ash is convinced of. I trust her."

"I know you do." Finn said. "I trust her too; she helped me get you back. That doesn't make everything Kylo Ren has done okay."

"No, it doesn't." Rey agreed. "But maybe it's a start towards redemption."

Finn gave her a pointed look. "Kylo Ren? Redeemable?"

"Master Skywalker believes anyone can be redeemed." Rey nudged Finn slightly. "They just need the right people to help guide them."

He offered her a weak smile. "Alright, I'll play nice with Kylo Ren. Is that what you want to hear?"

"I'm just asking you not to shoot him when you see him."

Finn laughed. "Fine, but I'm not going to forgive him."

"You don't have to." She smiled brightly then; receiving a nudge back from Finn as the two sat comfortably for a little while longer. The two happy to be together again.

The two new arrivals followed Leia to the debriefing area, it was just the three of them now. For the first time in a long time, Kylo Ren actually stayed silent. Sure, he was cocky, arrogant and overconfident. But now that he was sitting face to face with his Mother; Kylo Ren lost that confidence. "Ben." Leia said, her voice even as she looked at her son for the first time in a very long one. The scar across his face was new; and even though it changed his features ever so slightly; his eyes remained the same. That was one hopeful thing Leia noticed.

"Mother." He reciprocated the tone, yet still keeping a slight edge to it as they had their staredown.

"You've brought chaos with you, like always." Leia mused. "The base is in an uproar over your arrival."

Kylo scoffed. "It's not like it was a surprise. They had ample warning we were coming." Kylo feigned shock. "Or, did you not warn them?"

"They knew." Leia wasn't so easily shaken by him. "They just weren't expecting you to throw a man across the room the moment you arrived."

Ren smirked. "He deserved it."

Ash rolled her eyes. "This is just going swimmingly, isn't it?"

Leia and Kylo Ren were locked in a stare down now; neither one looking away as Leia finally asked. "Ash, would you mind excusing me and my son for a moment?"

A little too eagerly, Ash stood from the seat. "You got it!" And raced out the door. She wasn't having this awkward situation and would much rather be with Rey.

Ren glowered at her excitement over leaving the room; he sat back in the chair, trying to seem as relaxed as possible and unphased by Leia. However, Leia knew better. "So-"

Leia got straight to the point. "What happened on Naboo?"

"We were ambushed." Ren explained flatly. "First Order found us."

"And now you're apparently leading the Ascension?"

He rolled his eyes. "I was always leading the Ascension. We were just separated before I could get to them."

"Did you plan on informing me of your army?" Leia asked bluntly.

"I was hoping to leave you out of it-" Ren explained sharply. "That I could take care of the problem without getting the Resistance involved."

Leia frowned slightly. "And how is that working out for you?"

Ren clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "Not so great; Snoke needs to be dealt with differently than what I originally thought. This whole prophecy thing is screwing everything up."

"And once you defeated Snoke; once the Galaxy had no ruler, then what? What was your play?" Leia was smart; she was intuitive and she knew her son well.

Ren was glaring now as he looked away. "You know the answer to that." Leia's lips formed a thin, straight line. "I would make a better Leader than him; there would be Order and there wouldn't be such turmoil."

"Being in charge is not so simple, Ben."

He snapped. "I get that."

"You can't just take over that role, there has to be a new established government; a new plan in place-"

"And I have one." He argued like a child at times.

"A hostile takeover is not going to work and you know that." Leia's tone was softer now; stern but comforting in a way only a mother could be. "Let me help you; let's work together to save the galaxy and fix the governing bodies. A democracy-"

He snorted. "Democracy doesn't work. You know that."

"Neither does totalitarianism." She replied knowingly. "Why are you doing all this, Ben? You hated politics ever since you were little. Why change that view now?"

Kylo Ren looked back at his mother, his arms folding across his chest. "I did hate politics; I hated how it took up your time. You were so focused on it, the Rebellion, rebuilding the Republic. I wanted to destroy it on principle; destroy what took you away. Then once it became corrupt, even with your guidance in trying to fix it, I had a new motivation."

Leia wasn't blind to their troubled past. She knew what politics did to her family, how it alienated her from them. When Han was disappearing more and more, Leia sank deeper into her role in the Senate. It kept her busy and ignorant to the missing piece in her life. It also destroyed her son; something she knew. Something she was powerless to control. "And I take full responsibility for pushing you away. While it wasn't my intention, I was holding onto a lot. I expected so much and pushed away my son in doing so. And your Father-" She paused, noticing the hurt that quickly washed over his face. "I don't forgive you for what you did to your Father." Leia's words were harsh, but necessary. "But I understand why you did it."

He bit the inside of his lip; trying to keep his emotions in check and not go off on a tirade. "It's much more complicated than that. I needed to kill him; that doesn't mean I wanted to."

"And now here we are." Ren exhaled sharply. "If you are really here for my help, and you really want to change the galaxy for the better; then I will help you. But, know this, the moment you betray that-"

He glared. "Are you sure you want to trust me so blindly? After all the things I've ruined for you."

"You're still my son. Don't make me regret trusting my son."

"Why?" He wanted her to hate him; he killed her husband after all. Why didn't she just hate him, it would make everything so much easier.

"Because even though you can never come back from the Darkness; you can still be a good person. The two aren't mutually exclusive." She said, taking what Luke had told her earlier to heart. "I firmly believe that and you've shown me as much with Ash."

He wasn't sure why he wanted to tell her; in fact, if this conversation hadn't happened he probably wouldn't have. Yet, Leia had that mysterious bond with him, the bond of a Mother and Son. Something he hated and yet secretly embraced. "We got married."

Leia's face remained unchanged. "I figured something else had happened on Naboo. I could feel it. Almost as much as I felt when you reached out to me in the first place; how much you cared for that girl."

"I'd rather you didn't tell her." Kylo said with a sigh. "I'll never hear the end of it."

"I'd never give away your secret." Leia agreed; smiling. "But you should."

Kylo scoffed. "What more could I say to her that she doesn't already know? If she wasn't so intune with my emotions, I doubt we'd be married right now."

"Marriage is hard; your Father and I realized it too late." Leia said, somewhat fondly at the memory of Han Solo. "Sometimes I wonder if I had just said or done something different, or if he had…"

"He was a fool." Kylo replied distastefully. That resentment for his Father's absence was always a lingering factor.

"He still tried as much as he could." Leia corrected him. "He was never meant for a domestic lifestyle; I should have never made him." She looked at Kylo Ren thoughtfully; not as a General giving advice, but as his Mother. "All I'm saying is do what you can while you can. As long as you both never stop fighting for it, you'll never lose." She then smiled warmly. "I also really like her a lot."

Kylo actually grinned. "That's what I was afraid of."

Final Thought: That wasn't so bad... right? Not the worst reunion? Oh... we're not done yet on Crait and we're FAR from done with Kylo Ren not getting along with people. Specifically a certain pilot. Anyway! Remember to review and see y'all next time!