Ben Solo stepped aboard the transport and allowed the troopers to direct him unceremoniously into a seat. Rey stepped in after him, fighting the troopers hold on her to the last.
The doors closed behind the last trooper, leaving Ben and Rey alone in the dimly lit transport vehicle holding bay.
"You can't do it, Ben." Rey said as soon as the doors closed.
"All he can do is kill me, I'm not afraid." Ben said staring straight ahead of him, refusing to look at her, "Don't worry, I won't give him what he wants."
Rey's lips pressed together and she looked away, hiding her face from him.
Ben watched her, unsure what he was seeing. Nobody had cared for him in such a long time. Anybody he had ever hoped would care had always seemed content to let him go. He expected no different from her. But she wouldn't look at him.
The transport vehicle lurched to a start but without any windows it was impossible to know where they were headed.
"Look at me, please." Ben asked, his voice low and rough.
He could see her swallow and take a jagged breath before slowly turning to face him. Rey's face was streaked with tears.
Everything inside him wanted to reach out to her. Every cell in his body wanted to gather her into his arms, hold her small frame against his and kiss her repeatedly; assuring her everything would be fine. Ben didn't move a millimeter. He really couldn't promise that.
"I don't think Hux will hurt you, Rey, he's only interested in you as you pertain to me. Once I'm out of the picture he'll leave this planet and get distracted on his victory tour as the new Supreme Leader." Ben spoke quietly, and softly, the way somebody would calm a frightened animal.
"I'm not worried for myself." She whispered.
Ben stared at her with terrified eyes. This woman he had wronged, mistreated, underestimated, and misjudged, this woman he cared for more than anything in the galaxy, what was she saying? He knew if he moved toward her even a little he might scare her, the look of her frightened eyes in the courtyard as he held her flashed into his mind. What if that hadn't only been because of Hux's Force hold? What if she had been truly frightened and repulsed by him?
"Am I not a monster to you?" He asked, his lips trembling as he spoke.
"No," she whispered, but she hadn't really whispered, she had just formed the word with her mouth and he had heard her shaking voice in his mind.
The transport bumped to a stop and instantly the doors flew open.
Hux himself greeted them at the door, "From here we will travel in my coach. I think that will give us the best look, really. How would I look for Kylo Ren to arrive at the Imperial Assembly in a lowly transport vehicle after all?" Hux motioned toward his vehicle, "After you."
Rey stood up to exit the transport. Ben crossed the transport in an instant; he was just behind her, his head bent low to her ear, so close she could feel his warm breath on her skin. "Follow my lead," he whispered.
Together, they stepped out of the transport and followed Hux to his vehicle.
Rey settled down in a seat that allowed her to stare openly at Hux. She studied his mannerism and demeanor. She eyed the ring. Such a small item seemed to carry a magnificent power inside it.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Hux said noticing her stare.
Rey didn't answer, only watched him steadily from across the coach.
"You want it for yourself," he laughed, "I sense the pull do the dark side within you as well. Yet you, of all people, managed to pull my most prominent apprentice into the light."
Rey broke her gaze, choosing instead to look out the window at the growing crowds.
Ben took a deep breath, giving his anger a moment to subside.
"What do you want me to say to them?" Ben asked.