The commander curses himself silently as the door slides shut, feeling flustered beyond his control. He'd spent years pushing those memories of Rey to the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind, in the hopes that one day they might disappear and he could be reborn anew. Much to his dismay, Kylo had never been able to extinguish them completely. Every now and then a memory would resurface, trickling through the cracks of his subconscious, haunting but repressible. With Rey back in the picture however, Kylo suddenly felt as if he were drowning in visions and emotions of the past. But the more he tried to rid himself of Ben Solo, the more Kylo became acutely aware of a single, unwavering truth: that he didn't want to forget… and he hated himself for that.

Pushing his abundant insecurities aside, Kylo strides down the hall with a seemingly confident gait. A trooper steps forward, offering up a small communication device. Ren waves him off, in favor of speaking with General Hux directly. Besides, the walk across ship would give him a chance to clear his head. Or it would have, if Kylo had any self control. But all he can do is think of Rey.

His mind involuntarily wanders back to the day they'd met. Even as a child Rey had been innately distrustful. Kylo recalls having to coax her out of her shell by showing off his force skills. He could still imagine Rey's melodic laugh as he had levitated that sand lizard. Things were so much simpler back then, and a small part of him wishes they could get back to that- the raw simplicity of it all.

Minutes later, Kylo joins the general at his post, neither of them so much as acknowledging the other as they look out upon the void of deep space before them. With both The Resistance and The First Order in shambles, the stars feel more like a graveyard than a field of infinite possibility.

"Any progress?" Hux sneers doubtfully.

"You would do well not to concern yourself with my business," Kylo retorts dryly.

Hux turns to face the commander. "Your business is my business Ren. If you fail it's on both our heads."

Kylo resents his competence being brought into question. "What do you want?" he growls, growing impatient.

Hux motions something at the troopers in the doorway. They nod and exit knowingly, leaving the two men alone.

"The supreme leader has moved up the timeline," Hux explains.

Kylo stiffens, thankful his counterpart can't see the concern that was presently rendered across his face.

The general eyes him with an unusual intensity. "You have a week to break her, Ren. If the girl chooses not to cooperate, Snoke wants her disposed of. And there will be consequences."

"It's impossible to navigate the ways of the force in a week," Kylo states resolutely.

Hux looks at his comrade, unsettled and uncertain. "If you ask me, I'd say he's rather counting on that."

Kylo narrows his gaze, reaches out with the force and grabs the general roughly. "What are you not telling me?" he demands.

Hux fights back, but only so much as to keep his dignity intact. "S-Snoke," he wheezes, "is prepared t- to replace us if you fail. He feels you're too personally involved to recognize the stakes."

Kylo releases his grasp and flings Hux away, infuriated. Eleven years. Eleven years of his life he'd dedicated to The First Order and the Knights of Ren, only to be replaced now? No... this was unacceptable. Kylo is seething with anger and confusion.

"This is it Ren. You said the girl has unusual ability... I suggest you figure something out- for all our sakes."

"Don't tell me how to do my job," Kylo reprimands sternly. On his way out the door, Ren reaches out and latches onto the general's mind with ease. "And you will tell no one what we spoke of here today."

"I will tell no one what we spoke of here today," Hux repeats robotically. The commander scoffs at how easily it is to manipulate him.

Kylo immediately storms off to his private chambers, removing his mask and slumping dejectedly against the door as it slides shut behind him. His breathing is ragged and uneasy as he contemplates what seems to be a hopeless situation.

"Arrrrrrrrawww!" He roars, hurling his helmet across the room in a fit of rage. Kylo's hands tremble uncontrollably as he brushes his hair back in distress. He knows Rey will never join the dark side. What's worse is he doesn't want her to, and he resents her for the unyielding hold she has over him. Regardless, he needed to make some decisions about how to move forward. He could kill Rey, and save his own skin. But if sacrificing his father hadn't snuffed out the light for good, then killing his childhood friend would surely not have the desired effect. It would only grant him borrowed time. The real problem, Kylo could see now, was within himself. His inability to conform to one side had already caused countless deaths and would likely result in many more. What the commander needed was a way out; and like it or not, that way out was through Rey.

Lost in her own thoughts, and attempting to piece together the broken images of her past, Rey neither hears nor senses Kylo as he enters the room unannounced. Ren stays back, resisting the urge to enter her unknowing mind. It was easy enough to guess what she must be thinking about.

When she does finally turn around, Rey gasps at his unexpected presence, startled to near-debilitation.

"My god, you can't just show up like that!" she declares defensively. But her agitation almost immediately fades as Rey notices something off in her captor's demeanor.

Eyes down, unmasked and exposed, Rey had never seen Kylo so vulnerable. Even his posture lacked its usual breadth and intensity, as if his sense of purpose had changed since they last spoke.

Eventually he clasps his hands behind his back and begins to pace the room thoughtfully, making Rey uneasy.

"Do you believe in destiny?" Kylo finally asks, his tone direct and sincere- a strange way to open the conversation.

Rey looks at him carefully as she chooses her words. "I like to think we have the power to change our fate. Especially if we see ourselves headed in the wrong direction."

Kylo smirks with wry amusement. "I used to think so too… but I've since learned that the universe is much too vast for coincidence. Especially if we're all supposedly acting of our own free will. No, I am inclined to believe that you and I were reunited for a reason."

Rey's eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. "I hardly think that being taken prisoner by an enemy you didn't realize you had any connection to can be considered a 'reunion'."

"I can see why you might think that." Kylo looks Rey in the eyes, and there is a kind of ardent intelligence in his face that Rey can't help but admire. "Of all the planets in every corner of the galaxy..." he begins, "what are the odds that information sought by The First Order would end up on Jakku? And of all the people on Jakku, who could've imagined that you would be the one to intercept the droid?" His voice is riddled with genuine curiosity.

Rey shrugs, unable to offer any sort of plausible explanation. "Look, I didn't ask for this-"

"Oh but you did," Kylo interjects.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? What do you want from me?" Rey asks impatiently.

"Nothing but your cooperation."

"I think I've been more than cooperative given the circumstances."

"And I hope that continues..." Ren remarks, holding out Luke's lightsaber indicatively.

Rey doesn't budge.

"Take it."

"I don't want it," she declares proudly.

Kylo swallows, willing himself to remain calm. "You will take it, and you will use it," he orders.

Rey shakes her head insistently.

"Are you afraid of your abilities?"

"No."

"Then listen to me, Rey!" Kylo grabs her shoulders with authority. "You are going to take this lightsaber and you are going to let me teach you."

"Why?" she asks stubbornly. "Why would I do that? And better yet, why would you do that?!"

"Because I WILL NOT ABANDON YOU AGAIN!" Kylo shouts violently. His body shakes with anger as echoes of his voice reverberate against the walls. He thrusts the lightsaber into Rey's hand against her will. "Now take it- before I change my mind!"

Kylo closes his eyes and massages his brow in frustration.

"Wh- what are you talking about?" Rey asks tentatively, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"All those years alone on a desert planet… all that pain, the unwavering hunger... the sleepless nights craving a sense of belonging and waiting for some faceless ally to return for you..."

Kylo pauses and clenches his jaw. She was going to find out sooner or later. "You were waiting for me, Rey. I'm the one who left you on Jakku."