A/N: A big thanks to SirenBanshee. You are one amazing beta!

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Kylo stepped out of the room so Rey could change. It felt somewhat jarring when she stepped out in First Order clothes. They just didn't belong on her. It seemed wrong somehow. He figured he would have to get used to it, like it or not. Maybe it was simply because he'd never seen her in anything other than her light, desert-oriented clothing.

"It's...weird," Rey noted.

Kylo nodded, then shrugged.

"What do I do with my old clothes?"

"Leave them. I'll make sure they're off the ship before it leaves." He tilted his head at the staff that was once more slung across her back. "Maybe the staff too. It's quite recognisable."

"You're sure it will get off the ship before it leaves?"

Kylo couldn't resist giving her a small peck on the lips. "I'm the Supreme Leader," he said. "This ship does exactly what I tell it to do."

Rey grinned up to him. They both braced when the ship jumped into lightspeed and Kylo sighed.

"I guess it's time to give that explanation," he said.

He took Rey's hand and guided her back to the heart of the ship, where the four Guard and Ember were waiting for them. Kylo could already feel a headache blooming, thinking about how often he would have to give this explanation. Only once more for the Guard, if the Knights temporarily took up position at the most crucial spots. If not, he'd have to explain to the Guard in two different shifts. Then once more for the Knights themselves, and once for the staff, and then there was Hux and Fu, who might need separate explanations.

"Well, that's definitely a different look," Ember noted, dryly, when they arrived.

"She needs to blend in," Kylo answered.

"You don't look like a Jedi anymore," Ember said. "Won't that give you an identity crisis?"

Rey eyed her. "I have no plans of becoming a Jedi," she answered.

A ripple went through the Guards, all the more visible as none were wearing their helmets.

"No?" Ember edged.

"No. Their views are rather outdated, don't you think?"

"Then what are you?"

"What are you?"

"You can't possibly intend to claim to be part of the Knights?"

Rey snorted. "Why would I do that?"

"You look down on us?"

"No, rather on the contrary, but being a Knight is a separate thing from being Jedi or Sith. So, Ember of Ren, I ask you again, what are you?"

Ember opened her mouth, then closed it again. She looked at Rey in confusion, then glanced at Kylo. He couldn't help her though. He didn't know where on the scale any of them were, or if the scale was even still applicable. It was something he needed to think about, even though it wasn't at the top of his priority list.

"A menace," Ember eventually murmured under her breath.

Rey grinned. Kylo shook his head.

"I promised you an explanation," he started, looking at the five of them. "Rey is my girlfriend." He felt giddy saying it and could feel that same giddiness reflected back at him through the bond. "I've been in communication with her, and the Resistance in extension, for quite some time now. As you may have figured out by now, the first group of children went to them as well."

The Guards nodded, as if they'd discussed it among themselves and had come to that exact conclusion. Ember, of course, already knew.

"What about the attacks?" Xian spoke up. "The ones that are reported on the intranet?"

"They are to keep up appearances and are all coordinated with the Resistance."

"How?"

"That is none of your concern."

Xian accepted his answer with a short greeting.

"The First Order as I inherited it," Kylo continued, "is not something I agree with. Initially, I was also ignorant of its workings. Snoke never intended to die and I was trained to fight, not to lead."

The fact that he'd learned much since then, and was still continuing to learn, made the revelation feel less like a weakness. At least, it wasn't anymore. He had learned much to this point and was still continuing to learn.

"Through Rey's insistence and Phasma's help, and later Ember's also, I've come to see the First Order for what it is and I'm planning to change it for the better. In order to prevent uprisings and challenges to my position, this needs to be done step by step."

"Inviting the Jedi-"

"Rey," Rey interrupted.

"Inviting Rey," Xian amended, "to join us is one of those steps?"

Kylo smiled down at Rey. "No. That's for purely selfish reasons."

"How much does she know?" Ember brusquely asked.

"Pretty much everything," Kylo answered, "apart from those things I've promised to keep to myself."

"The Resistance knows all our plans?" Ember exclaimed.

"I know those plans," Rey interrupted. "The Resistance does not. I only relayed what Ben wanted them to know."

"Ben?" Mysta asked.

"My birth name," Kylo answered. "No-one is allowed to use it except for her."

Ember smirked. "Is that so?"

"Don't," Rey snapped.

Her open expression had shifted into one ready for a fight. The Guard all seemed taken aback but Ember didn't so much as blink.

"Protective," she mocked.

Rey growled, her hand twitching for her saber.

"Rey," Kylo murmured. "Leave her be."

"From what you told me, I thought she had become less of an arrogant ass," Rey countered, holding Ember's eyes.

"That one?" Mysta cut in. "She's only pleasant if she likes you. If not, you're best ignoring her."

Ember turned her glare on Mysta, who gave her a saccharine smile.

"I see," Rey said, relaxing her stance. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Anytime."

"May I ask a question?" Joseph — a Guard who was usually quite reserved — asked.

"Of course," Kylo answered.

"How did you communicate with her? Unless you have a secure and coded line of communication directly between our Base and the Resistance one, I don't see how you would have felt comfortable sharing all that information."

Kylo glanced at Rey. They hadn't actually talked about whether or not they would reveal the bond between one another. Rey shrugged. Tell them the bare minimum, she whispered to him through that same bond. He nodded.

"We can communicate through the Force," he said.

"Over that great a distance?" Ember exclaimed.

"We don't know why or how, but the Force decided to link us together. It doesn't matter how far apart we are, we can always talk to one another."

Ember glanced from Kylo to Rey and back. "Weird."

"And now that she's here?" Joseph asked. "Can you still communicate with the Resistance?"

"Yes," Kylo confirmed. "Albeit in a somewhat roundabout way. It's still a secure connection, though."

Joseph nodded at his answer.

"Any other questions?" Kylo asked. When none was forthcoming, he let out a small sigh of relief. "Good. Keep this to yourself for now. I'll inform the others at Base separately."

He turned around, intent on talking to the pilot, but halted when Rey wasn't following him. He looked at her from over his shoulder.

"Go on," she said with a little wave of her hands. Wasn't the plan for Ember to get to know me?she added through the bond.

Kylo glanced at the others, assessing, then shrugged and left. It wouldn't do to come off as overprotective. Rey didn't need protecting, nor would she appreciate the sentiment.

Much to his relief, the rest of the crew required only a minimum of explanations and had very few questions to ask. The pilot even went as far as to say that he trusted Kylo's judgement and would not assume that he had any right to know more than he already did. And that he was honoured by Kylo's trust, as he assumed he now knew more than most.

Kylo had thus merely mentioned that he figured the crew understood the need for secrecy. He didn't ask them for an oath as he'd planned.

When he returned to the central area, he found Rey sitting on the floor with the four Guard around her, chatting and laughing at something she'd said. Rey glanced up at him as he entered, grinned, and dove right back into her story. Ember was standing somewhat to the side, watching it all unfold, and Kylo walked up to her.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"She's a menace."

"So you keep saying. What else?"

"Bubbly."

It was said with such exasperation that Kylo couldn't hold back the laugh it caused. Ember narrowed her eyes at him.

"Shadow is bubbly too," Kylo offered.

"Shadow is bubbly when she's nervous," Ember countered. "This one… It would seem she's permanently bubbly."

"I'm just glad to see her happy," Kylo softly said.

"She wasn't before?" Ember asked with a surprised glance his way.

Kylo minutely shook his head. "The Resistance treated her as different," he answered. "The rest of it is hers to tell."

"Different, huh," Ember muttered under her breath, returning her gaze to the group on the floor.

Kylo did as well. As soon as there was a break in the group's conversation, he contacted Rey through the bond.

"I'll leave you to it," he said. "They'll be less open when I'm near."

"Are you sure?" she thought back, looking up at him. "I don't think they'd mind."

"I'm still their Supreme Leader," he answered. "I won't be far off. Make friends. What are you talking about anyway?"

"Oh, just a story about how I beat some idiot's ass."

Kylo snorted, covered it with a cough, and turned away. He made his way to the far corner of the room and settled down in meditation. Soon after, Ember joined him. The background noise of Rey's talking and laughing soothed him, as well as the pleased hum of their bond now that they were so close together. Time became a fluid notion until a crew member came to alert him that they would arrive in half an hour. Kylo thanked the woman and stood.

"If I could steal Rey away from you?" he said as he approached the group of five that was still chatting away, exchanging stories.

"Of course," Xian said, offering a greeting. The others soon followed.

"See?" Kylo told Rey over the bond, offering her his hand to help her rise.

She didn't need that either, but he loved the fact that he could offer it and that she chose to accept it, in front of four Guard, no less. He walked her back to the empty room where she'd changed before.

"You were right," she said once they were out of earshot. "They definitely wouldn't have told all these stories about you if you'd been there."

"What?" he exclaimed. "What did they say?"

"No. I promised them not to tattle. You're notorious though. In a good way."

"Right," he said, not entirely convinced.

She poked him. "Truly," she insisted. "In a good way. They admire you."

He grumbled something under his breath, feeling stupidly shy. When he saw that Rey was about to say more, he promptly shut her up by kissing her. She giggled into it but complied.

"Does Ember really dislike me?" she asked as they broke apart.

"No," he said, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "She simply doesn't know what to do with you. Give her some time. She'll mellow soon enough."

"I hope so. It would be awkward if one of the people you trust to help dislikes me. I can't wait to meet Phasma though."

"I think the same can be said of her."

"You think so?"

"She wasn't happy to relinquish her position to Ember, and I don't think it was merely out of concern for me."

Rey giggled again and he felt pride bloom in his chest. He still felt inexplicably happy each and every time he managed to make Rey laugh.

"We need to discuss how to proceed once we reach Base," he said, loathe to turn the conversation serious, but he had to.

Rey answered with a hum, turning expectant eyes on him.

"The second ship will still be in the hangar. They're waiting for me to welcome them to the Base, explain the rules, have them settled in their rooms, and so on."

"They're waiting for you in case something goes wrong so you can command them to behave," Rey interrupted.

"Pretty much," Kylo admitted. "But it means that I'll be busy for quite some time and I won't be able to introduce you to the others. Phasma and Ember will stay with me, so to prevent any unforeseen problems-"

"You need me to stay out of sight," Rey supplied.

Kylo winced slightly. "Yes," he said. "I'm sorry but I never disclosed that someone was coming back with me and if they see a stranger walking the halls, the Guard will probably think you're an intruder. Even if they're notified there is someone they don't know, they might opt for caution and make things difficult for you. I don't want to have to worry."

Rey sighed and Kylo felt like an ass, even though he knew it was necessary.

"I'm sorry," he started, but Rey shook her head.

"I understand," she said. "I can wait another day to see your Base."

"I'll tell Derek to keep you company."

"Your administrator? The one that doesn't socialise much?"

"I'll tell him to answer your every question. Just... don't break him."

Rey laughed. "Break him?"

"Like you said, he doesn't socialise much. You'll notice soon enough that he doesn't fare well beyond the confines of his job."

"I'll try to keep him whole," Rey agreed with another little laugh. "I'll make sure he's still in working order when you come to pick him up."

Kylo wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "I'm sorry I have to hide you like this," he murmured.

"It's only for the day," she answered. "It's okay." She pulled back slightly, giving him a mischievous look. "Do you have a second set of clothes for me?" she asked, tilting her head innocently. "Or do you expect me to sleep in one of your shirts?"

Kylo growled and picked her up, once more slamming her against the wall as he claimed her lips. Even the drop out of lightspeed didn't deter him. It was only when the ship started to slow down that they broke apart and tried to fix their hair and clothes.