A/N - Hey guys, so this is my first ever Star Wars fanfic, and I'm really excited to share it with you! This is also one of my very first times publishing a story on here, so I'm a little nervous, but hopefully this gets a good reception, if any.

Also, me being a super-nerd, I always include references in all of my stories and fics, so see if you can spot the one in this chapter!

Hint: The reference is said by Kylo.

Enjoy!

"What did you say?" The stormtrooper said stiffly. Rey took a deep breath.

"You will undo these restraints, and leave with the door open." She said calmly, willing the Force to work. The stormtrooper stared at her, and she wished they didn't wear those damn masks so she could read their expressions. Finally, the stormtrooper turned away, chuckling underneath his mask.

"Nice try." He said, before walking away. Rey groaned in frustration. I've got to get out of here.

Kylo Ren sat alone in his room, pondering his encounter with the girl. Rey. That was her name. He had expected it to be a run-of-the-mill interrogation. Get inside her head, find out what she knew. He had definitely not expected that she would be able to push him out, much less be able to get into his head. He should be furious at her, but he wasn't. Because something was off about Rey. She seemed… familiar. Kylo ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. He was supposed to give Snoke an update on his progress with Rey in a few minutes, but he hadn't made any progress. He needed a way to spin this, make it seem like he had accomplished something. He had insisted that their forces pull out, knowing that Rey had all the information they needed tucked away inside her pretty little head.

"Sir, Supreme Leader Snoke is ready for you now."

Kylo paused in front of the door, making one last effort to put his thoughts together. Then he opened the door and strode into the room. As he approached the hologram of Snoke, he could feel his presence in his mind. Kylo forced himself to keep his mind open as Snoke poked around, sorting through his memory of his interrogation session with Rey. Kylo stopped and knelt before the hologram, waiting for his master to speak first.

"How is it that an untrained little girl can push a Sith Lord out of her mind, and somehow peek into his?" Kylo winced at the biting remark. He was wearing his mask, thankfully, so Snoke couldn't see.

"My Lord, the girl, she is very strong in the Force. She has yet to realize her full potential, her true power." Kylo kept his voice level and calm. He felt Snoke delve into his mind again.

"Hmm, yes, I see that." Snoke replied. Another moment of silence while Snoke more closely examined his memories. "You took off your mask." He noted. Shit. Kylo had forgotten about that. Snoke heard his thoughts and laughed.

"Do not fret. It would seem by the girl's reaction that taking off your mask was an improvement. Now she sees you as human, not a 'creature in a mask', as she so eloquently stated." Kylo sighed inwardly with relief. Then he realized that Snoke was clearly trying to make a point.

"Master, what are you asking me to do?" Kylo asked.

"While the map to Luke Skywalker is of utter importance, it does not seem that the girl will give it up easily. You cannot force it from her mind, and I doubt she would respond to torture. She is too loyal. However, we may be able to use that to our advantage." Snoke said. Kylo was confused.

"How?" He asked, curious and perplexed.

"It's quite simple. We must gain the girl's loyalty. It does not look as though she will succumb to the Dark Side anytime soon, so for now we must make her loyal to someone." Snoke paused to let the message sink in. Kylo understood the meaning of his words.

"You mean me." Kylo said. It wasn't a question. "But the girl, Rey, she despises me. How will I ever gain her trust?"

"Find out what she responds best to. You will figure something out." And with that Kylo knew he was dismissed. He exited the room, mind racing to come up with ideas of how to gain Rey's loyalty.

Rey had given up struggling hours ago. Now she let her mind wander. She wondered how Finn was doing. She hoped he was okay. Had he ran after all? Or had the battle during which she'd been captured convinced him to stay? Rey still couldn't believe that he had been a stormtrooper. She knew she should be mad at him for lying, but mostly she missed him. She missed Han and Chewie as well. Hell, she even missed Maz, though she'd hardly talked to the woman for more than a few minutes. She would take anyone at this point. She heard the doors open, and she quickly closed her eyes, feigning sleep. Call her a coward, but she couldn't handle another interrogation. Not in her weakened state. However, she was too late.

"Don't bother." She opened her eyes to see Kylo Ren's masked face staring down at her. He moved forward and Rey tensed in her restraints. He raised a hand and she closed her eyes, preparing for the strike. It never came. Instead, she heard a click and felt her restraints lift. Her eyes snapped open in shock to see Kylo striding away from her. Her eyes followed him as he opened the cell door, and then paused to glance back at her.

"You will follow." He told her. She heard the threat in his voice. He disappeared through the door. She cautiously stepped off of the platform, and almost crumpled to the ground. This is what happens when someone is undernourished, Kylo Ren, she thought spitefully. She placed a hand on the wall to steady herself. She glanced at the door, considering her options. She could feel Kylo's presence outside the cell, but she wasn't eager to follow. When it came down to it though, she knew she didn't have a choice. With a sigh, she hesitantly stepped through door.

"Really taking your time, aren't you?" She turned to see Kylo only a few inches away from her. She opened her mouth to retort, then thought better of it. She did want to stay alive, after all, though what the chances of that were, she had no idea.

"Come with me." Kylo said. And with that he turned on his heel and began walking away. Rey was slightly shocked. She had no restraints, and he just expected her to follow him? She glanced down the opposite hallway, then back at Kylo. Was it worth a try? She took a hesitant step away, and immediately felt the Force pulling her back. She struggled to move, but couldn't. She heard the sound of Kylo's footsteps as he approached her from behind.

"You didn't really think you could get away, did you?" She heard him sneer. Rey didn't respond, knowing it was pointless. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and Kylo spun her around to face him, breaking his Force hold on her. "You will come with me willingly. Attempt something like that again and I will be forced to kill you." He told her coldly. Rey gulped. Kylo released her and started down the hallway. Knowing she had no other choice if she wanted to live, Rey tentatively followed.

They had been walking for what Rey estimated to be about five minutes when Kylo stopped suddenly in front of a door, causing her to nearly run into him. However, she caught herself at the last second. Kylo pushed open the door and entered the room without a word. Cautiously, Rey peeked around the edge of the door, and had to keep herself from gasping audibly. It was a bedroom, painted a gorgeous shade of blue, with furniture to match. There was a real bed, a couch, and even a bookshelf with a few books. What could she possibly be doing here? She stepped into the room, and spotted Kylo standing by the bed, hands clasped together in front of him. He was still wearing his mask. Rey hated that mask. She felt that perhaps if he would only take it off, talk to her face-to-face, maybe she'd find he wasn't as evil as he seemed to be.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Kylo strode towards her, prompting her to take multiple steps back. He ignored her, however, walking past her to the open door.

"These will be your quarters from now on." He informed her. He pointed to the opposite side of the room, where she spotted two doors she hadn't noticed. "That is a bathroom. The other is a closet." Rey stared at him in shock for a moment. Why was he giving her this room? It had to be some sort of trick. After a moment of inner debate, Rey hesitantly spoke up.

"Why?" She asked him. That was all she could force herself to say. Kylo Ren turned back to her. Although she couldn't see his face, she felt his eyes locked on hers.

"Why what?" He responded. Rey fought the temptation to roll her eyes. He knew what she was talking about.

"Why put me here? Why give me a bed, a bathroom, new clothes?" Rey asked. Kylo had wanted her to specify, so she had.

"Seeing as you will be staying with us for an extended period of time, I deemed it fit to allow you a more permanent residence." This time Rey didn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at his words. "Is something amusing to you?" Kylo said sharply. He had seen her eye roll. Rey looked at him.

"Not at all." She replied, mimicking his tone. "I apologize for my inappropriate response to your eloquent comment, and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience I've caused you." Rey knew it wasn't smart to make fun of Kylo's formal vocabulary, but part of her wanted to provoke him into action, to force him to reveal himself. Kylo was silent for a minute before he spoke, voice dangerously low.

"Are you-" He started, but she interrupted him.

"Mocking you?" She finished. "Why yes, yes I am." She said, flashing a smile. It wasn't a false one either. She knew that these were probably going to be her last minutes among the land of the living, and she was going to enjoy them, goddammit.

"And somehow you believe this is wise?" Kylo said slowly. Rey shrugged.

"You will kill me eventually, Kylo Ren. I know it. You know it. What is 'wise' does not matter to one who knows her end is approaching." She paused before going on. "An end that will be delivered by a coward. A coward who hides behind fancy words and a mask." In an instant Kylo was there, pinning her to the wall.

"I would not say such things if I were you." He hissed. His voice sounded strange coming from the mask. She could feel his hand wrapped tightly around her wrists, holding them to the wall. He was so close to her, she could feel his clothes brushing against hers. Rey took a deep breath. She was scared, but she was determined to finish this.

"Why? I'm only speaking the truth. I was in your mind, Kylo Ren, I saw your thoughts. You use your words and your mask to distance yourself from your past. You are terrified that one day it will come back to bite you, that you will lose your power. You are hiding behind that mask, and that makes you a coward." She finished.

At first Kylo didn't react, didn't move. Then, very slowly, he uncurled his fingers from her wrists, releasing her. He did not move away, and she could still feel how close he was to her. It should have made her extremely uncomfortable, but for some reason it didn't. She watched as Kylo raised his hands to his mask. Yes, she silently urged him, do it. She heard a click, and then the mask was off. Rey couldn't help but again be stunned by his features. Kylo didn't look evil. In fact, he looked more angelic. At least he would, if he wasn't wearing an expression of pure anger.

With slow, deliberate movements, Kylo dropped his mask on the ground. He looked straight into Rey's eyes. She could practically see the fire burning in them.

"How about now?" Kylo asked her, voice cold. "The mask is off, no more 'fancy language', as you put it. What does that make me?" He asked, moving even closer, his deep, brown eyes never leaving hers. Rey's mind raced with possible responses, but she couldn't make herself choose one. They were all derogatory, and somehow that didn't seem fitting under the circumstances. Yes, Kylo Ren was a coward, but she could sense there was so much more than that. Perhaps if she-

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a presence in her mind. His presence. She looked up, startled, to see Kylo's eyes closed, and she felt his presence in her mind intensify. Quickly Rey closed her eyes, desperate to push him out before he could see anything of importance. She tried to relax, focusing on her breathing. And slowly, she began to push back. She could feel him startle at the sudden resistance, but she refused to lose focus. Instead, she took advantage of his surprise, and with one final push, she was in his mind. Immediately, she was thrust into a memory.

Rey found herself in a dark cellar, filled with stacks of crates and boxes. She glanced to her left and was startled to see Kylo Ren standing next to her. He was wearing different armor, though his mask was the same. She noticed that he was quite a bit shorter. Suddenly, she became aware of muffled sobs coming from behind a stack of crates near the back of the room. She watched as Kylo drew his lightsaber. To her surprise, it wasn't his red custom lightsaber. Instead, it was a normal lightsaber, colored a light blue, similar to the lightsaber she had found, but not quite the same. Kylo Ren slowly approached the origin of the noise, and Rey followed. She rounded the corner with Kylo and gasped.

Behind the crate was a small, filthy, little girl, who could have been no more than eight or nine. The girl lifted her head, and she could see tears running down her grime-covered face. The girl had light skin and messy brown hair flowing down her back. She gasped and scrambled back against the wall when she saw Kylo. Kylo, however, made no move to approach the girl, who was staring up at him, hazel eyes wide with fear. Rey could tell that Kylo had been startled by this girl for some reason.

"P-please don't hurt me." The girl pleaded, voice cracking with fear. Kylo still did not move. For some reason, the sight of this young girl had sent him reeling. After a moment's pause, the girl spoke up again. "W-who are you? What do you w-want?" Rey stared at the girl, and at her surroundings. There was something so awfully familiar about all this, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

The little girl closed her eyes and Rey saw Kylo stiffen. The girl was trying to read his mind, Rey realized. She was slightly awed by the audacity of this young girl.

Then the girl's eyes snapped open.

"Ben!" She cried, and she flung herself into Kylo's arms. Kylo was so stunned that he dropped his lightsaber, which clattered to the ground, deactivated. Rey watched in amazement as Kylo slowly wrapped his arms around the younger girl, who was around seven inches shorter. The young girl looked up at Kylo, tears of joy and relief in her eyes.

"I-I'm so glad it's you. There are people… evil people. They're killing everyone. I had to hide. I couldn't… I couldn't fight. I couldn't save them." The girl buried her face in Kylo's robe, before looking up again. "Ben? Why are you wearing that mask? Please talk to me." The girl pleaded with him. Kylo withdrew from the little girl, and hesitated only a moment before sliding his mask off. Rey had to do a double take. She knew she was witnessing a younger Kylo Ren, but she hadn't realized just how young. He had to be around ten or eleven. He dropped his mask to the floor, just like he had in him and Rey's confrontation.

"It's okay." Kylo told the girl, taking her into his arms again. Rey was stunned at how soft and kind his voice was. "I'm here now. I won't let anyone hurt you. Not now, not ever." Suddenly, Kylo blinked, as if he was surprised by the words that had come out of his mouth.

Curious to know what he was thinking, Rey tried to use the Force to get in young Kylo's head. She didn't expect it to work, but it did. She could hear Kylo's thoughts.

'I'm lying to her,' Kylo was thinking. 'I can't promise to protect her. The place is crawling with soldiers. I could run away with her… but no, the First Order would come after me. I have to find somewhere to put her. Somewhere safe. And then I have to leave.'

Rey had heard enough, and she withdrew. Kylo knelt by the girl, taking her hand.

"Ready to get out of here?" Kylo asked her with a smile. The girl returned the smile, and Kylo led her out the door. Then everything faded to black.

A/N - So hopefully you enjoyed the first chapter! Looks like things are already getting interesting. Hmm, I wonder who that little girl could be?

Anyway, I would really appreciate if you gave me feedback on this story. I love to hear suggestions, and many times I've taken people's theories into account when writing.

Also, did anyone find the reference? Yes? No? Maybe? Or does no one care? Probably not, but if you do, here's another hint which will probably determine whether or not you'll know what it is; the reference is from the Princess Bride. Let me know if you find it!

Ciao for now, and I hope to update soon.

~ Sadie