Author's Super Important Note Please Read: So... the email situation on this site is weird. I apparently missed a lot of you last chapter in responding to you reviews and I am really freaking sorry about that! I also noticed I never got the email about this story updating last chapter.

So guys, I need a huge favor. In addition to a review, if you planned on leaving one, can you please let me know how you guys keep track of this story updating. Do you only know because of the automatic email via this site? Do you check daily? How do you know? If you do rely on the email, did you see one for last chapter?

If it's coming down to a battle between you guys knowing there's an update mainly by email and you're not getting one, I'm going to resort to tumblr to let you know when there's an update. I'll even post the gosh darn link so no one misses anything!

Just please let me know. Again, I'm really sorry to those I missed that reviewed last chapter and I didn't respond to.

Please accept my apology with this long chapter full of action and junk.

Cularin was hot, humid and not even the least bit enjoyable in the shade. At night the planet would cool, however, they arrived late in the afternoon and it was disgusting. According to Kylo Ren, the group arrived on one of the hottest days of their calendar year. No one appreciated that little piece of trivia, especially the very hairy Wookie that demanded he remained on the ship to stay cool.

Luckily for Ash and Rey, they weren't wearing anything too heavy that could cause them to overheat. Kylo Ren however was wearing all black and Ash knew how thick the material was. After twenty minutes of arguing with him that he was probably going to die from heat stroke (and Kylo Ren suggesting he simply go naked, which caused Rey to yell in disgust and Ash to let out a very long and exasperated sigh), Ren finally agreed to change at least his shirt. This caused another argument when the only clothes available were leftover clothes from Han Solo. Another twenty minutes of name calling between Rey and Kylo Ren, and within those twenty minutes Ash trying to calm down the argument, they finally got Kylo Ren to wear the damn shirt. It was a white shirt and Ash couldn't wrap her head around seeing him in anything other than black. However, he looked pretty attractive in a baggy, white cloth shirt. Regardless of its origins.

Even though he was in the grumpiest of moods, the shirt was much lighter than his previous one, and now the trio could finally leave the ship and continue their mission.

"What does a Ch'hala tree even look like?" Ash asked curiously, looking at the vast jungle around her. Everything looked the same, varying only a little in specific detail as the trio wandered deeper and deeper into the jungle.

"It's big and tall and looks like a tree." Ren replied sarcastically. Ash and Rey exchanged glances as the trio kept walking; stepping over fallen branches and other fauna in their path.

"How about you be just a little helpful and answer her question?" Rey basically sneered at the man.

He exhaled sharply as he continued to lead the trio through the jungle. "It's a rather large tree with a slim body and colorful, thin leaves. There won't be anything else like it around, considering, it's the only one left in existence."

Ash stopped walking as she stared at the back of his head in disbelief. "And we're going to destroy it..."

Ren groaned. "We've been over this, Starshine. It's just a stupid tree."

"A sacred tree." Rey reminded them with a sing-song voice.

Kylo Ren could sense that Ash had stopped walking as her mind tried to process all the implications of destroying the last of a species of tree would have. Although, to Kylo Ren, that was a useless way to spend any effort. "Keep moving, Ash. You don't want to get eaten."

"Eaten?" Rey asked with concern as she looked back at Ash who was now rushing to catch up to them.

"We're in a jungle, of course there are going to be predators lurking among the trees." Kylo Ren stated as a matter-of-fact.

Ash caught up to Rey, the two girls following a little closer to Kylo Ren now as Ash asked. "Like what?"

"Jungle Rancors." He looked back at the girls, smirking ever so slightly at the clear worry on their faces.

Ash quickly made a face resembling frustration and confusion as she realized her worry was unwarranted and was channeling Rey's emotion now. She didn't actually know what a Rancor was nor had ever seen one. "I assume that's bad?"

"They're nasty things." Rey explained. "I've seen one on Jakku, a man had one as a pet. It was a little bigger than BB-8. A baby Rancor, but it was mean. Apparently, they grow much bigger."

"Basically, you don't want to find one." Ren agreed with disinterest as he kept his eyes forward, looking for any sign of the aforementioned tree.

Now, Ash found a reason to have some sort of concern as she found some understanding as to what a Rancor was. "Got it. Avoid giant, mean creatures."

Rey smirked knowingly. "Perhaps that means you should avoid Kylo Ren too while you're at it."

Ash laughed as the man in question turned around once more to glare at them. Particularly at his wife who dared to laugh at that joke. She smiled innocently at him and shrugged. "The both of you are very cruel to me." His tone simple and feigning hurt. "I'm here trying to fulfill a prophecy, find a mythical tree-"

"Sacred." Ash corrected.

His glare did not lessen. "Sacred tree, and save the galaxy and all you two can do is make rude comments."

Rey rolled her eyes. "He can't be serious." She looked at Ash who was just as aware as she was at the situation before them.

"I'm very serious." Ren stated.

"No he's not." Ash countered. "Just find the stupid tree, Ren."

Now, he was grinning as he looked back at the girls again. "So, you admit it's stupid?"

Ash groaned as Rey threw her arms up in defeat. "Ben Solo, if you don't cut the crap and find the tree, I swear I'm going to beat you."

Rey made a face at the name. "I like 'Ben' better than 'Kylo Ren'."

"That's what I said!" Ash agreed quickly, before Kylo Ren could protest and yell at her.

Rey looked at the back of the man's head as they continued moving forward. His dark locks starting to stick to the nape of his neck from sweat; the heat was getting to the trio. "Why not go by Ben Solo again? Isn't Kylo Ren more of a First Order thing?"

Ash shrugged. "I tried that; he's sticking with Kylo Ren, even though I'm Ashlyn Solo."

"Perhaps we'll just call him 'Ben' going forward regardless of what he thinks." Rey suggested.

Kylo Ren snapped then, turning to face to two girls as they stopped in their tracks, his lightsaber clutched tightly in his hand as the blade sparked out of the hilt. "CALL ME 'BEN' ONE MORE TIME!" He shouted at them. Okay, Kylo Ren still had a lot of issues with being called Ben Solo.

Rey regained her composure as she stood her ground and challenged him right back. "Put the lightsaber away, Ren."

"You're not giving me a reason to not run you through, scavenger." Ren's glare was like daggers, boring into the scavenger.

Ash was ready for a fight the fight to break out; she clenched her fists tightly as she stood off to the side, ready to intervene and break them apart. However, something else caught her eye as she stared passed the Light and Dark Users that were at each other's throats. In the distance was a very small clearing; there stood a thin bodied tree with colorful leaves. The tree was tall and mighty; an aura of something much darker calling from it as she quickly exclaimed. "Hey! I think I found it!"

Rey and Kylo Ren took a step back from one another, turning their attention to where Ash was now rushing over to. With a quick flick of his wrist, his saber retracted. Rey immediately followed Ash over to the tree as Kylo Ren walked over a little slower.

The trio could agree on one thing; there was something peculiar about that tree. Something was calling to them from deep within its roots; resonating and vibrating below the surface. Ash and Rey stared up at it in wonderment and a twinge of fear. Kylo Ren came closer now as the calling seemed to specifically reach out to him just a little more than the others. "The stone is here; I can feel it."

"How do we get to it?" Rey asked, afraid of the answer.

Kylo Ren began to circle the tree, examining it for any weak spots that could prove useful in reaching the stone. There were two problems here, the stone was definitely underneath the tree. He didn't know just how deep under the tree it lied. Then of course, the problem of pissing off the scavenger if he destroyed the tree to get it, which in turn… would piss of Ash. This would all be easier if he wasn't so damn attached to that red-haired girl.

The fire began to spread within the maintenance hangar; smoke filling any open space before spilling out into the night sky on Lothal. Bodies of crew members and poor innocents that unfortunately got in the way were scattered all around the hangar. Some had gone down nobly, fighting their way to help the others. Out of the thirty living members and bystanders, only two survived the carnage. They were helpless and foolishly unprepared. Why should they expect an attack from the First Order? They had worked with them.

Surrounded by a dozen Storm Troopers, Tryphus was propped against the wall, holding his stomach as he began to bleed out from a blaster shot. However, he wasn't ready to die just yet. He needed to save the older man who was on his knees with blasters pointed at him.

The sneer on Damar's face as he walked toward the man, kneeling down to his level. He looked at the tired and worn out Laynor; the man didn't have much time left after the lengthy battle. "You're the owner of this fine establishment?"

"Leave him alone!" Tryphus spat, coughing blood as a nearby Trooper slapped him with the butt of his blaster to silence him.

Damar didn't even flinch as he kept his eyes on Laynor. "Don't take this personal, old man." Damar began. "We're after the girl."

"She's not here." Laynor replied defiantly as he glared at the man.

"No, she's not." Damar agreed. "But, you can get her back here for me. Can't you?" Layno tried to look away only to have Damar grab his chin and force him to keep eye contact. "She's got spirit, I see where she got it from. You took in the orphan out of the kindness of your heart, and now you're going to die for her. But not before you bring her to me." Damar spat. "You see, your little Ashlyn is the key to all of this. She's valuable to the Supreme Leader for many reasons. Me? I don't give a damn about all this prophecy bullshit. It's all mumbo jumbo to me anyway. No-" He smirked. "What I really want is what she controls. Not the Force, but the man in the mask; Kylo Ren. Foolish boy fell in love." He chuckled darkly. "Love? A waste of time. However, she tamed the beast. The lap dog of the First Order. Once I have her, I can stop their little pipe dream."

Laynor shook his head. "I will not give her up to you."

He replied with a toothy grin as he stood. "You will. You're going to send out a distress signal, one she won't be able to ignore."

Hours had passed and the Force Users had made little to no progress in obtaining the Eye of the Sun. Kylo Ren was crouching in front of the Ch'hala tree, his fingertips touching the soil below the tree. He could feel the vibrations from the stone as they traveled up each individual nerve in his fingers, up his arms and into his very core. The Eye of the Sun was calling to him, and rightfully so. He was the Dark User after all. But, there was also this sense of dread that was lingering inside him. A feeling that he would keep to himself to not alert the other Force Users. A feeling that he shouldn't touch the stone. Regardless of that inkling and internal battle, he knew he had no choice. He needed the stone, he just had no idea how to get it without knocking the tree over.

The two suns of Cularin were beginning to descend behind the trees, leaving the sky painted with orange and red hues as they started their descent to the other side of the planet. The impending night was going to make things all the more difficult, which was why Rey began to scavenge for branches and tinder to make a fire. At least they'd have some sort of light in the complete darkness of the jungle.

Ash was taking this opportunity to explore the nearby area, after being scolded like a child by Kylo Ren telling her not to wander off too far. She dared to adventure as much as she could by pushing that boundary as far as she could. Which, in turn, lead her to a nearby cave that was just barely still in sight of the other two Force Users. 'Don't even think about it…' The deep baritone voice echoed in her head. Surely, he was being too overprotective as Ash sighed and reluctantly turned back around to the tree.

"So, what's the deal?" She asked to no one in particular as Rey continued to build a fire and Kylo Ren still stared at the tree, waiting for an answer to be thrown at him.

Rey excitedly cheered at the fire that was now beginning to spark and spread in the little fire pit she made. She stood up, looking proud of her accomplishment as she looked at Ash. "Well, at least we have a fire."

Finally, Kylo Ren stood and turned back to the girls. His expression unreadable as he walked over to the fire; darkness beginning to fall all around them as he said without much emotion. "We're taking down the tree."

"We're not taking down the tree!" Rey fought back. "It's the only one left in existence!"

"Whoever owned the stone before us probably should have thought of that before burying it under a sacred tree. Not our problem now."

"It's still our problem!"

As Ash was about to interject and try to squash the argument once more (as she typically found herself doing lately) a mighty roar interrupted them as it ripped through the night sky. Nearby aviary wildlife sprung from their resting places in the trees from the disturbance as the trio grew dead silent, listening for any other sound to go with it. "Was that a….?"

"Rancor." Ren confirmed, looking at the girls. Through the tree line behind them, burst a very large and very angry creature. A creature Ash had never seen before and knew immediately she'd never want to see again as it roared once more. "MOVE!" Kylo Ren shouted, the girls wasting no time as they turned and ran.

The steps of the beast shook the earth beneath them, swinging and flailing as he dislodged trees and brought up earth with his mighty steps, as the trio ran to find some sort of cover. "Cave!" Ash pointed to the cave she found earlier. "Get in the cave!"

The Force Users barely made it inside as the Rancor followed them, missing them only by mere inches as he swatted in their direction. His fist clashing with the side of the cave, causing a few rocks to fall down. The Rancor's large hand reached forward, trying to grab at anything he could as the trio realized they were utterly trapped.

"Now what?!" Rey yelled.

"We need to get back out there." Ren said, grabbing his lightsaber and igniting it.

Ash and Rey followed his lead, grabbing their lightsabers and setting off the amber and blue blades, respectfully.

With a nervous determination, Ash held the hilt tightly in her hands and shook her head. "Well, what are we waiting for?" She exclaimed, stabbing down at the Rancor's hand. The beast let out a mighty roar as he pulled back from the cave to examine the damage.

In that moment of opportunity, the trio ran out of the cave, but not before Ash and Ren exchanged quick glances to one another. They knew what needed to be done. The Rancor wasted no time in following once more, roaring and clawing towards the intruders.

As they ran, the group noticed something else. In the beast's rage, he had dislodged the tree. While the tree still stood, it was now lopsided. With a mischievous grin, Kylo Ren looked over at Rey. "Looks like our friend here did the dirty work for us."

"Shut up, Ren!" Rey yelled back at him.

With another swipe, the rancor knocked down Ash as the trio kept running. Kylo Ren and Rey stopped; horrified expressions on their faces as the Rancor wrapped his hand tightly around Ash's midsection and began to pull her closer to him. The girl had dropped her lightsaber from the impact and was now struggling for release from the Rancor's grasp.

"ASH!" Rey screeched, running over to the Rancor. Her lightsaber in hand as she began to swipe at the Rancor in an attempt to free her friend. The Rancor using his free hand to swat at Rey as best he could.

Kylo Ren was about to join them, but stopped. His wife was in danger, he knew that, but he couldn't move towards her or the battle. No, something was pulling at him; calling to him. Like a hand reaching in the dark, it grabbed at Kylo Ren's arm and forced him to turn towards the tree. A piece of him knowing this was wrong and that he needed to save Ash, but that piece was immediately squashed by the hunger that was taking over him. Kylo Ren went to the lopsided tree and began to dig at the roots.

Rey rolled out of the way as an angry fist slammed down towards her, creating an indent in the ground from the force as Ash continued to struggle to get free from the Rancor's other hand. "Hold on, Ash!" Rey yelled, growling as she slashed at the one left of the Rancor.

The Rancor roared brutally at the pain from his thick leg, the new burn mark that looked as though it barely did anything as the Rancor only grew angrier. His hold on Ash tightening as she yelled. "Let GO!" She struggled more, punching at the creature's hand even though she knew it was pretty much doing nothing.

Rey then realized, someone was missing. She paused for a moment, looking around frantically for Kylo Ren only to see him kneeling by the tree. "Now is not the time, Kylo!" She called to him as the giant hand swiped at her, knocking her down with a thud.

Ash was unable to turn around to see what Kylo Ren was doing, but she had a feeling, which only made her angry as the Rancor returned his attention to her. He opened his large jaw; the stench of death on his breath as he roared at the girl in his grasp. Ash's eyes went wide as the Rancor began to bring his fist towards his mouth. "HE'S GOING TO EAT ME!" She cried out in realization as she struggled harder.

Rey, groaning from the impact, forced herself to her feet again. Clutching her saber, she ran back over to the Rancor. She had to do everything in her power to stop it from eating Ash, or squeezing her to death, whatever came first. She went for the leg again, slashing at it.

Distracted from Ashlyn, the Rancor let out a loud howl as it looked back down to Rey. In that distraction, two things happened, Ash was suddenly dropping to the ground while still wrapped in the Rancor's grip. The Rancor's hand was no longer attacked as a red lightsaber blade sliced through it like butter.

The Rancor stumbled backwards, bellowing at the sudden pain and missing appendage. Ash wiggled her way out of the severed hand of the Rancor and was on her feet. Her hand extended as she used the Force to call to her lightsaber. The hilt rising from somewhere in the grass and flying into her grasp as she looked over at Rey. Rey stumbled over to her, her body aching as well as the two shared a silent moment making sure the other was okay. Then, their attention turned to Kylo Ren. His lightsaber was in one hand, in the other, he was looking down at something.

Before any sort of argument or anything else could happen, the Rancor began to roar angrily again. The trio looked over at the Rancor, realizing it was ready to attack once more. Ren's hand with the stone closed tightly as he took a readied stance as the Rancor charged.

Ash and Rey were almost frozen as they watched Kylo Ren battle with the one-handed Rancor. Something was different about him, they could both sense it as raw power and strength emitted from him. Something dark and sinister was brewing within the man with the dark locks.

He slashed and cut at the Rancor and after those frozen moments of eternity, the beast collapsed and lied still as it let out an airy and final groan. Kylo Ren's shoulder were rising and falling rapidly as he stood in front of the beast, staring at his work.

Ash and Rey exchanged knowing glances, Rey was afraid to go near him. Ash moved first; walking over to Kylo Ren and standing next to him. He was looking down at the stone again, saying nothing as he did. Ash looked at the tiny rock in his hand, nothing extraordinary about it except that it apparently held an ancient power. Otherwise, Ash would have mistaken it for a simple rock and nothing more.

As she looked back up to Kylo Ren to say something, he immediately began to walk forward towards the direction of the Falcon. "We should leave."

Ash turned back to Rey, who could only shrug. The two were left in the dark, unsure of what they had just witnessed as they cautiously followed Kylo Ren back to the Falcon.

On board the Falcon, Kylo Ren was nowhere to be found after takeoff. He didn't want to be and as far as Rey was concerned no one wanted to find him anyway. Except for Ash; although her current state made it impossible to read. She was radiating pain more than anything. Her ribs were severely bruised from the tight grasp of the Rancor. Nothing was broken, thankfully.

Ash and Rey were in the common area once more, Rey was helping wrap Ash's ribs up tightly with bandages in hopes to help them heal. Once finished, Ash moved ever so slightly, hissing from the pain.

"Are you alright?" Rey asked concerned. Ash forced a frantic nod, not wanting to speak. She was afraid she'd say something to reveal the fact that she wasn't okay in the slightest. She couldn't do that to Rey, she needed to be strong for her and for everyone she cared about. She was the shield in all this after all; the protector. "Here, come sit." Rey offered, helping Ash over to a nearby chair. Ash sat, but not before wincing from the movement. Rey sat across from her, watching her carefully to make sure she was okay.

Ash forced a weary smile. "I'm not dying. It's just a bruise."

"I know." Rey smiled back.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked. "You took a few hits trying to get to me." She looked down sheepishly. "Thanks, by the way."

Rey wanted nothing more than to say something awful about Kylo Ren not being there the entire time to help, but, she didn't. She kept that to herself, knowing that Ash was really taking it to heart. She didn't need the extra retorts about her husband. "Happy to help." She said instead. Rey pursed her lips, she wasn't sure Ash even had an answer, but she needed to ask anyway. She needed to say it out loud; to maybe try and understand what they had seen in the jungle. "I know you felt it; whatever that… thing was. That darkness that was radiating from Kylo Ren…"

Ash shook her head. "I don't know what that was or what it did to him, but it was powerful-" She corrected herself. "No, he was powerful."

"Should we be concerned?"

"Not yet." Ash admitted. "Not until we know what it's doing and how the stones work. Maybe our stones will do the same for us."

Rey grimaced. "If it is anything like what we saw today with him, I'm not sure I want it."

Ash was certain she didn't either. Something felt wrong, they both knew it. Speaking of wrong, she could feel that straining tug from the other Force User on board. Forcing herself to her feet and hiding her pain, Ash clenched her jaw tightly until she was steadied enough to speak. "I'm going to check on him."

"Please be careful…" Rey wasn't just talking about Ash's injured side, and she knew that.

Kylo Ren had hid in his father's old sleeping quarters on the Falcon and wasted no time in ridding himself of his white shirt. He sat on the floor and took apart his lightsaber. He inserted the Eye of the Sun next to the already working kyber crystal and reassembled the hilt. The reaction of the newly added crystal sent a few sparks before the blade ignited. Something felt different about his lightsaber, while it looked the same in every other detail, it felt different.

He retracted the blade, holding the hilt in his hands as he felt every fiber of his being, every nerve in his body come alive. Then, he felt nauseous. He felt sick to his stomach, like everything inside his body was moving and morphing all at once. Splitting and realigning with itself as he quickly ran for the washroom and emptied the contents of his stomach. Cold sweat beads beginning to pool on his forehead as he heaved everything he could up.

This new darkness, this strange new feeling began to creep up on him; messing with the Force that was already inside him and began to tangle its way inside. It wrapped hold of him, painfully. Changing and shifting what was once Kylo Ren and turning him into the darkness he was always meant to be. The last remnants of Ben Solo disappearing forever as Kylo Ren finally grabbed hold of his true potential thanks to the Eye of the Sun.

He stood up straight, wiping his mouth of any remaining vomit before looking at himself in the mirror. Kylo Ren jumped at first, not recognizing who he saw staring back at him. It was his own reflection, only his eyes were completely black. He examined the dark pools that took over, and almost as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. His eyes looked normal, the white returning and his dark brown irises back to their normal color.

The knock on the door startled him, quickly he double checked to make sure his eyes were fine before walking out of the washroom just as Ash was entering the main cabin area. Neither one moving as they stared at each other, the door to the cabin closing behind her as she stared at her shirtless husband. "Everything okay?" She asked nervously.

He exhaled sharply, running his hand through his hair before walking over to the bed where his original top was. He grabbed it quickly and began to put it back on. "Everything is fine." No, it wasn't. She could sense it. Something was definitely not fine, and whether it was because of the way he felt, or the fact that he looked visibly ill. Ash knew better. "How is your side?"

Of course, he felt her pain; he knew she was pretty seriously hurt. He also knew that her pain was partially his fault, considering he did nothing to help her immediately. "Fine." She lied, he smirked ever-so-slightly as he walked over to her. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. "I didn't know how else to help you; the stone-"

Ash pulled back, wincing slightly. "What does the stone do?"

He hesitated in his answer as he turned away from her and unknowingly began to pace. He knew where this was going; Ash wanted answers. He promised her answers. "It enhances my Force abilities."

"How?"

"I don't know." He stopped pacing, staring at her with an intensity she hadn't seen in a while. "But it does. The stone that you will get will also enhance your Force abilities. We need them to if we're going to fight Snoke."

Ash bit her lip, uncertain over a few things when it came to these stones. But, her biggest concern was the man in front of her. "At what cost?" He gave her an unsure look. "Everything comes at a cost, right? What is this cost?"

"My Dark Side tendencies might be a little… out of control for a while I learn to wield the stone." He answered truthfully. Ash nodded, trying to take it all in as her side throbbed. Kylo Ren's aggravated expression turned more to a concerned aggravation. "Are you sure you're fine?"

Finally, she shook her head. "No, I'm not." For the first time, Ash admitted it. She wasn't focused on protecting everyone around her. She was falling apart. "I'm tired, Ben." She didn't care that she said his real name, he didn't flinch either at it. Instead, he listened. "I'm exhausted from not being to sleep without a nightmare; I'm exhausted living up to this expectation of being a Grey user-" She sighed. "I'm really tired of fighting with you and Rey every step of the way. I know you guys can't help it sometimes, it's just the way the Light and Dark work but-"

He crossed the room quickly again, gently placing his hands on either side of her cheeks as he looked down at her. "I know, Starshine." Ren said. "I wish there was something I could do to stop it. Unfortunately, we're not out of the woods yet. Things are only going to get much more difficult."

She gave a weak smile. "Whatever this stone is going to do to you; enhance the Darkness within you or whatever… just don't let it change you." She said quietly. "You're one of the only things getting me through this. And I'm sorry for putting that one you, but… I need you."

He leaned down and kissed her lips softly, gently. "And that is a burden I will always be willing to bear. You keep forgetting that you're my wife now. Whatever you need me for, whenever you need me, no matter how trivial or severe; I will always be by your side." His warm breath tickling her lips as her smile widened.

"I love you."

He kissed her back a little more feverishly this time. By the stars, how was he so deserving of her? He wasn't. He knew that. Yet, she was still his and his alone. Kylo Ren pulled her closer, momentarily forgetting about her pain as she jumped slightly, exhaling sharply as he pulled back from her, looking at her apologetically. "Damn it-" He hissed. "Sorry." Ash laughed, which only caused her to feel more pain as she kept laughing. Kylo Ren playfully rolled his eyes as he scolded her. "Stop doing that, you're going to make it hurt more."

"I know, I know, I know!" Ash gasped, trying to hold in her laughs as the pain continued.

"What am I going to do with you, Starshine?"

"You're going to tell me you love me and come back with me to the common area." She suggested with a timid smile.

He frowned slightly, kissing her again quickly before muttering into her lips. "Only because I do love you."

Ash took his hand into hers, lacing her fingers around his. While she was still apprehensive about the stone, the nightmares; basically, everything that has transpired this past month, she at least had Kylo Ren to help her through it.

When the two love birds walked into the common area, they felt an immediate shift when they noticed Rey was missing. Ash looked up at Kylo Ren, worried about where the Light User had gone off to. Pursing his lips, he gripped Ashlyn's hand tighter and lead her to the cockpit where Rey and Chewbacca were.

Rey looked horrified when she saw Ash; Chewbacca remained quiet as he kept his eyes forward. "What's going on?" Ash asked.

"We received a transmission from General Organa…" Rey revealed. "She tried reaching to your friends on Lothal, like you suggested to her." Ash felt her stomach clench, her face draining of all color as her throat tightened. "There's a distress signal from Lothal."

Ash swallowed hard, looking at Chewbacca. "Patch us to the signal from Lothal."

"Ash-" Rey said warningly.

"Do it!" She snapped.

Rey and Chewbacca had heard the distress signal from Lothal already and with the utmost reluctance, they patched the distress signal through the commlink. 'Ashlyn… if you're hearing this message… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.' The old man stuttered. 'Don't come to Lothal, whatever you do don't-' There were signs of a struggle as Laynor yelled in agony before the message abruptly cut.

The group stared at the red-head as she remained unmoving, everything building up inside her small frame as she asked. "Who did this?"

"I think we know who did this, Starshine." Kylo Ren only confirmed what Ash already knew.

A new sensation came over the red-haired girl as she grew angrier. A desperate need for vengeance rushing through every part of her as she clenched her jaw tightly. "Take me to Lothal."

"That's not a good idea." Kylo Ren immediately tried to squash her demand.

She turned her head sharply to look at him. "I need to help him. I need to help all of them. They're being attacked because of me. If you don't take me, you know I'm going to find my way there one way or another. Whether I have to take the escape pod or take over the damn ship myself."

He hated knowing that she wasn't bluffing. The two were locked in a mental stare down, waiting for either one to falter. Shockingly to Rey and Chewbacca, that person was Kylo Ren. "Chewie, get us to Lothal."

Rey stared at him incredulously. "Is this really a good idea?"

"Not at all, but my wife needs to see it for herself." Kylo Ren admitted coldly. "We'll fly low, evaluate the damage and maybe kill some First Order troops while we're at it."

Rey really didn't like this plan as Ash left the cockpit to get away for a moment. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Send a message to the Ascension and the Resistance that we are making a stop for Lothal, should they want to send us some backup." Kylo Ren ordered about to leave the cockpit to follow Ash, only to stop himself with one last piece of instruction. "And ask my mother if Skywalker figured out where the next stone is." He left without much more to say as Rey and Chewie exchanged glances.

Ash didn't make it very far considering her side was in pain, Kylo Ren caught up to her rather quickly, leaning down to her level and assisting her to the common area again. "With your side like this, we probably shouldn't provoke a fight with the First Order."

"They have Laynor." Ash reminded him sharply.

"And if they have us, what do you think will happen?" He asked; Ash clenched her jaw, hating that he was right. "We'll see if there's anything we can do, but, Starshine you have to be ready for the worst."

Ash's anger subsided ever so slightly as her expression looked more in pain than anything. "I don't want to lose anyone else." She felt herself losing faith again; that earlier moment of weakness returning. "And I know if we go, I'm just risking our safety as well, but…"

He gently shushed her, holding her close to him as the two entered the common area. He helped her into a chair before kneeling down in front of her. "We'll see what we can do. I can't guarantee much, if there's too many First Order ships, we have to back out. But, we can still try." Kylo Ren gave her a dazzling smile then. "What kind of husband would I be if I didn't do everything within my power for my wife?"

That made her smile. "Stop it."

"Never." Ren teased, standing up and kissing the top of her head. "I want you to take it easy, please. That means resting until we get there."

"Yes, husband." Ash agreed with a slight unwillingness. Kylo Ren left the common area to return to the cockpit of the Falcon, leaving Ash alone for a while. The more she thought about it, the more she understood the danger she was putting everyone in. However, Laynor was like a father to her. Another person in her life that would be ripped from her. She didn't want to lose anyone else. Yet, in this war, it would feel like Ash was constantly on the losing side of things.

The group had some time before the Falcon would reach Lothal; this gave everyone a chance to rest and recuperate as much as possible. Well, everyone except Kylo Ren. He had disappeared once more with in the ship the moment the burning sensation took over his entire body. His body hadn't adjusted to the angry and violent temperament of the Eye of the Sun stone. Even though the stone was nestled safely within his lightsaber, it still was causing a disruption within the man himself.

He could feel it; the corrupting darkness that pulsated throughout his body. The way it shifted and molded within him; powering him. His fire, passion, anger, fear and hate all seemed to explode at once. He felt every single emotion at once; it tingled and burned all the same.

Ren began to feel sick again; his hands grabbing at his hair tightly as he curled up on the floor. A part of him wanted the foreign power out. That was a dormant little voice that seemed to disappear the longer Kylo Ren remained exposed to the stone. It had become one with him, or rather was trying to become one with him. Something inside Kylo Ren wanted to fight it. He was desperately losing as the stone claimed him as its new master.

The girls were still in the common area, Rey had fallen asleep on the bench where the galactic hologram chess board resided. Ash wasn't so fortunate to be able to sleep. While Rey was blissfully unaware of the problem lurking within the ship; she was bonded to it. She could sense his pain, his struggle. And soon, Ash was forcing herself to her feet and stumbling around the Falcon to find him.

She found him in the deepest and darkest part of the Falcon, far away from where anyone could hear his struggle. He was still curled up on the floor, his body covered in sweat as he twitched ever so slightly.

He had said things would be out of control for a while, she could only assume this was what he had meant. Ignoring the pain shooting up in her side, Ash crawled down onto the floor behind him and wrapped her arm around his midsection; holding him close. Whatever he was going through, whatever he was feeling, she was going to be there through it all. Ashlyn Solo was determined now more than ever to not lose anyone else.

Final Thought: Something... funky is going down with Kylo Ren. Also, remember to review and please let me know about the question in the author note above. Thanks guys and see y'all next chapter!