-Rey-

Rey spent the rest of the day assuming it was going to be her last. She had made it obvious she would never turn to the dark side; so, what reason could Ren possibly have for keeping her alive?

The revelation that he was Han Solo's son had been… Surprising, to say the least. She wondered what he had been like as a child, when he still called himself Ben. Had he always carried such darkness and anger in him, or had there been a time when he was simply a carefree boy, going through life unaware of the darkness his future held?

Rey had never had a real childhood. The closest thing to a friend she had before Finn arrived on Jakku was the thatch doll she had made herself when she was still just a little girl. She didn't know why, but sitting in her quarters, silence hanging heavily on the air, thinking about that doll made her very sad.

I don't want to die. She thought to herself, tears pricking at her eyes.

'You won't. Not today.' Kylo Ren's voice spoke into her mind as the door opened and he stepped into her room, his mask covering his face and his robes donned. In the back of her mind, Rey chastised herself for once more not sensing him coming nearby. She quickly stood up, hastily rubbing her eyes, hoping he hadn't seen the tears that had previously been there.

"I will be leaving soon. I don't know how long I will be gone." Ren's voice, alien to her ears through the mask, spoke, his words quick and impersonal.

"Where are you going?" Rey asked, suddenly fearing the First Order had found the location of the Resistance.

"You'll be pleased to hear I have no idea where your lying, thieving friends are. I have other business to attend to." Kylo Ren said, sensing her fear.

Rey nodded, standing stock still. "Good luck, then." Her voice was hard, angered by his words. Without another word, Ren turned and left. But, as he walked away, Rey heard his voice in her head.

'Don't try anything stupid while I am away, scavenger.'

Rey smirked.

-Kylo Ren-

Kylo Ren stalked down the corridors towards the hangar bay of the facility he had made his residence in since Rey's capture. His command shuttle awaited him, it's destination already put into the hyperdrive.

Since his last meeting with Rey, when she had discovered the truth of his parentage, General Hux had tasked him with some miniscule mission or another. Beneath his mask, Ren scowled at the very thought of the red-haired leader of the First Order's military. Along with Captain Phasma, the short-tempered leader of the First Order's legions of stormtroopers, Hux and Ren made up the triumvirate that led the First Order in the name of the Supreme Leader. None of them particularly cared for eachother. One day, Ren knew, they would betray him or each other. Ren just hoped that day would be soon. More than once he had dreamed of running Hux through with his saber.

Ren boarded his command shuttle, several stormtroopers following behind him, and took a seat in co-pilot's chair at the bridge.

"Awaiting your command, sir." The pilot said, looking at Ren. He simply nodded, and the pilot took off, flying into atmosphere before making the jump into hyperspace.

Ren didn't particularly care what the mission was, or why he was off to some farflung system in the Outer Rim, but he remembered the general summary Hux had given him. A First Order outpost had been harassed by local villagers, and apparently this was worthy enough of Ren's supervision. Once more, he scowled. Hux simply had taken the opportunity to have Ren sent halfway across the galaxy from his technological terror. He leaned back into his chair, rubbing his wrist absentmindedly with his gloved hand. He didn't want to admit it, but he hated being so far away from Rey. He had grown very accustomed to the calming ecstasy that came from being near her. Being so far away from her felt like being without an anchor, without any tether to reality. Everything around him was like a blur, a piece of poorly done artwork. He closed his eyes, and willed himself to see into her mind. He knew the chances were slim, and that he was much too far away, but he tried regardlessly.

Suddenly, he was standing in the heart of a forest, the greens and brown blurred at first, but slowly, they came into clear view. He could feel the warm wind blow against his unmasked face, and he suddenly realised this was the forest on Takodana where Ren first met Rey. But, unlike at their first meeting, Ren didn't feel anger or hatred or conflict in his heart. He simply felt at peace. As if, once more, he truly was Ben Solo. Ben could feel Rey's presence nearby, and quickly realised that this was Rey's dream. But, besides her, he sensed another presence, a much darker force drawing near. He turned, and watched as he came into view.

Standing before him was himself, clad in his sinister black robes and wearing his dark mask, his brilliant crimson blade in hand.

"Ben! Ben, run!" A voice called to him, and unthinking, he ignited his own lightsaber, a beautiful green blade roaring to life in his hand. Ben smiled. He had missed his old saber for many years. Kylo Ren pointed his red blade at him.

"That lightsaber… It belongs to me!" He declared. Ben gripped it firmly in his hands.

"You aren't welcome here, Ren!" Ben could practically hear Ren scowl beneath his mask. Kylo Ren charged him, swinging his blade wildly at Ben, who stepped back and blocked the mad attacks easily. He could feel the dark, twisted emotions running throughout Ren's body and mind, all of which translated into his wild attacks. Ben blocked his attacks and pushed him several feet back with ease, whirling his blade back and forth.

"Where are they? Where are the Resistance leaders?!" Ren growled beneath his mask.

"You will have to get through me before you reach them, monster." Ben said cockily, feeling his lightsaber hum in his hand. Once more, Ren charged him, his swings lazy and his defense nearby-nonexistent.

Even as he fought, Ben could tell something wasn't right. Ren's temper was legendary, but even in combat, he was never this passionate, this non-refined. Ben swung against Kylo's leg, catching his knees and dropping him as Ren howled with pain, before Ben's blade flew against his mask. Ren fell back several feet, his breathing labored as his lightsaber flew away from him. Ben's lightsaber dis-ignited with a quiet whoosh as he stepped down besides his foe. His hand reached behind Ren's neck, and he cradled his head as he lifted Ren's face into view… Only to find that it wasn't Kylo Ren's face behind the half destroyed mask, but Rey's.

Kylo Ren jerked away aboard the bridge of his command shuttle, his breathing heavy. The pilot besides him payed him no mind, not wishing to raise the ire of the fiery warrior.

Ren quickly retreated back to his personal quarters near the aft of the shuttle. Just like his quarters on Starkiller Base, they were totally uniform and dull, and he took a seat besides the clean, undecorated steel desk.

That was nothing but a nightmare. Ren declared. A fear-ridden imagining by Rey.

But what if it had truly happened? What if Rey had succumbed to the dark side, only to become as twisted as the monster Snoke has made me?

Ren was taken back by his own treacherous mind.

No, no the Resistance are the monsters, and the New Republic as well. They are all thieves and liars, working against order and peace and supporting chaos and deviancy.

But Rey isn't a liar. Ren thought, taking his mask off before pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, his mind swirling. She's kind and just and as honest a person as I have ever met.

And she is ruining me.

Ren sighed loudly to himself.

-Rey-

Rey was startled awake, her nightmare sending shivers run up and down her spine. She had seen herself as Kylo Ren, a monster wielding a crimson blade, furiously hunting down the Resistance. Fury had fueled her hunt before she saw him. Ben Solo. Standing bravely alone in the forest, a magnificent green blade coming alive in his hands as he courageously fought her.

It had seemed so real. As real as everything that had happened to her in the past few weeks. More real, even.

Her breathing was shaky as she rose from the bed.

I can't ever let that happen. I won't. The dark side could call to her for the rest of her days, but she would never answer it. No matter the cost, Rey would stay the course.

That was when she felt a presence drawing near. A stormtrooper, a lone one, walking by her door. An idea suddenly sprang into her mind. She closed her eyes and willed herself into his mind. She found little resistance.

'You will unlock this door and leave with it open.' A few moments later, she heard the stormtrooper repeat her words aloud, before the door unlocked and opened. The stormtrooper began to turn around and leave, before she made another demand.

"And you'll drop your weapon!" She said hurriedly.

"And I'll drop my weapon." The trooper echoed before dropping his blaster lazily.

Rey smiled widely, proud of herself for her ability to trick the stormtrooper, before she hastily moved forward and collected the blaster, and, after checking no other First Order personnel were near, she stealthily crept down the corridor away from her quarters.

It took her a long time to find her way to the hangar, but she ultimately made it. Less than a dozen pilots and stormtroopers made their way around the docking bay, and Rey realized she wasn't at the main facility of the First Order's headquarters. She hard already realized she wasn't on board any kind of star destroyer, but now she saw Ren had taken her to a smaller facility. Regardless of where she was, though, she knew she needed to make her escape- and quickly. Ren had said he didn't know how long he would be gone, meaning any minute he could be returning.

She didn't trust that she could fly a TIE fighter, which seemed to be the only kind of starship present. She was about to take her chances and make a break for one when she noticed a small freighter, likely used for transporting troops or supplies, docked on the far side of the hangar bay. She smiled. Now that, she could fly. Ducking behind a crate of munitions, she began making her way around the hangar, her blaster firmly grasped in her hands as her eyes darted back and forth across the bay.

-Kylo Ren-

Kylo Ren's command shuttle suddenly appeared in the night sky over the small village, echoing the very scene in which Ren's force had stormed the Jakku village, and taken Poe Dameron prisoner. The fighting here was even shorter than then.

Kylo Ren descended the steps onto the marshy ground of the rainforest-covered planet, his robes flowing around him like a phantom as stormtroopers fired back and forth across the village. He marched forward, deflecting stray bolts with his lightsaber, his eyes scanning for any of his numerous targets.

A stormtrooper stepped towards him. "Sir! The village had harbored the targets, but they escaped before we made our landing."

Kylo Ren sighed angrily beneath his mask. "The Resistance aided their departure."

"Yes, sir, it appears that wa-" The stormtrooper began, before Ren cut him off.

"I know it does." The stormtrooper was silent for several moments.

"What about the villagers?" Kylo Ren was instantly reminded of that Jakku village he had completely slaughtered. He saw their faces, felt the fear they felt in their final moments. He was disgusted with himself, with what he had become.

"Leave them. We're returning to Starkiller Base. Now." He choked out, his voice sounding weak even with the mask on.

"Sir?" The stormtrooper asked, surprised.

"We're returning! Now!" Ren shouted, turning and stalking back to his ship.

Rey was right. Ben Solo refused to die, even despite all the evil Kylo Ren had committed.

-Rey-

Rey sat aboard the bridge of the empty First Order freighter. Lucky enough for her, the ship was prepped for launch, and filled with all manner of ammunition, fuel cells, and rations. Rey mused it was likely cleared for a departure as well, seeing as it was ready for a voyage. She smiled to herself, amazed at her luck. In the back of her head though, she doubted that was just mere luck.

She sat down at the helm and got acquainted with the controls. She assumed she would have only a matter of seconds after taking off before someone realized what was happening, so she would need all the help she could get. With a final shaky breath, she turned the freighter on, and it roared to life and took off, flying out of the hangar with a loud thrust. As she expected, it only took a matter of seconds before laser-turrets from the facility began firing at her, but, with the help of the Force, she easily dodged them, before she took a page out of Han Solo's handbook and made the jump into hyperspace while still in orbit. As the cabin lurched forward, she exhaled and smiled to herself once more.

"Getting pretty good at this." She leaned back, and suddenly became very melancholy. She felt as if her heart and mind were being torn back and forth in some kind of tug-of-war, like her soul was the battleground of some great war. "It's Kylo Ren. This must be how he feels." Rey frowned sadly, her pride forgotten. It amazed her how alike and still very different they were. Not for the first time, she sincerely wished she had known Ben Solo. "Maybe I could have done something to save him." She said aloud, her voice quiet. She shook her head. She had work to do. She was sure the First Order could easily track this ship, so as soon as she found another inhabited planet, she would jump ship and find other passage to the Illeenium system, where she remembered BB-8 had said the Resistance was based. She just hoped they were still there.

-Kylo Ren-

"No… No!" The master of the Knights of Ren shouted angrily as his lightsaber sliced through the wall of Rey's empty quarters. "She left… She escaped!" He roared, angry at her departure.

"Sir?" The stormtrooper behind him began, before Ren whirled about and sent the trooper crashing into the wall of the corridor, his armor cracking against the steel of the grey wall. Ren hastily stalked out, shouting commands to the passing stormtroopers.

"Find her! Now!"

Behind him, he heard Captain Phasma approaching. "Sir! A freighter left hangar bay four unpermitted only several minutes ago. We believe she was aboard. Our tracking says she is bound for Tatooine."

"She's going to find new passage to the Resistance base." Ren deduced, not even needing the aid of the Force to predict her actions.

"I'll send two squads after her-" Phasma began, before Ren cut her off.

"No! I'll see to it personally." Turning back towards his pilot, Ren spoke again, his voice very menacing beneath his mask. "Prepare my shuttle for launch. Now."

It only took a few minutes before Ren's command shuttle hard launched once more and was hurtling through hyperspace towards Tatooine. He assumed it had been purely because the planet was greatly like Jakku, and easy to avoid any unwanted attention, that had drove Rey to head there instead of any of the other planets that could have been her place to search for new craft, but to Ren, it was the perfect opportunity to prove his worthiness as Darth Vader's successor. Vader had grown up on the desert planet, and now, Kylo Ren would be destroying the last of the boy he had once been amid the Jundland Wastes. If Rey refused to bow to the dark side, then he would have to kill her. It was the only way. And along with her, Ben Solo would also die.

"Sir?" The pilot asked from behind him at the entrance to his quarters where he sat meditating. "Supreme Leader Snoke requests an audience."

Ren growled. "I'll update him as soon as possible."

Ren could sense the pilot was about to insist. "You are dismissed!"

The pilot hastily walked off.