Kylo Ren's helmet locked into place with a few clicks of the hydroelectrics positioned on either side of Rey's hands. Rey kept her trembling fingers on the cold metal for only a few heart beats before she forced herself to pull them away. She couldn't see his eyes anymore, Ben was gone. She could only see the darkness of his mask and the shining of the long steel lines that ran across it. The metal already gleamed with malice under the reddening sun set around them. His hands were still latched onto her face when she let hers drop to her sides. Now they loosely hung there with a weight she had never known they had before. When her eyes closed his grip on her cheeks tightened. The hum under his touch was maddening. It became all that she could hear, all that she could feel. She longed to take a step back from the hands that she secretly hoped would never let her go but she found that she couldn't.

The sound of a throat clearing just behind her made her head snap to the right. Ren must have been startled as well because he literally pulled her to him by her cheeks. Rey's eyes flew open to the sight of his chest only inches from her face. She hadn't felt when his hands lifted from her face but now a heavy arm wrapped around her back to lock her in place and his right hand moved to grip her shoulder a little too tightly. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths that were quickly becoming shallow. The change in his body language was not a good one. Rey was tired and emotionally drained. She didn't want to fight with him right now but she also didn't have the will power to remain so close to him while her heart still ached for the things that could have been. She opened her mouth to weakly protest against the proximity with which he was keeping her but it quickly snapped closed when she rocked foreword from a sudden dizzy spell. She placed her hands flat against his chest to steady herself and to keep from planting her face there.

Another flash hit her and she ground her teeth at the intrusive memory. He was young, still tall but lanky and lean. He had the biggest smile plastered across his goofy face while he taught her of how he perceived the Force around him. It was very similar to how he explained it to her this morning but with far les tact and understanding. It comforted her to know that he hadn't been lying about him teaching her how he personally learned to interact with the Force and not some Dark Lord techniques that he was trying to corrupt her with. He was showing her how to absorb the Force around her and she beamed up at him while he proudly looked down on her. Several similar memories moved through her head like a kaleidoscope of shifting colors and images. Ren's Force moving around her seemed to affect the rate at which her memories pushed through her causing an avalanche of memories to engulf her at once.

Ben and Kira were so close. Nearly every memory he was in they were smiling, learning, playing or simply looking out for one another. It surprised her to know how adorable he was with her. Always careful of her feelings even when his were hurt from something going on around them that she was too young to understand yet. He was always mindful of the space he gave her even though she shadowed him like a lost little porg. Her big green and gold eyes were always on him and while he shied away from everyone else and drew barriers around himself, he always let her in. On occasion she had to work a barrier or two down but no matter what he was going through, he dropped everything if she needed him.

When she wasn't with him he was carefully watching her, always making sure she was never treated as the others treated him. Once or twice she'd been bullied just for her association with him and she'd given them a mouthful as though she were his size. They'd quickly put her in her place reminding Kira of her vulnerable size but Ben would always rally to her side and he'd eventually started teaching her how to fight. They practiced with their Force together in secret and she'd learned how to protect herself with it. She even used it offensively a time or two but she'd learned not to let him catch her. He had once and he about lost it on her, scolding her and yelling like she'd put her self in more danger then the group of bullies surrounding her had. She learned to hide it when she got angry, he would become disappointed with her over that to. He always encouraged her Light, scolding her when she pushed her power to far or abused the privileges that came with having her abilities.

She shook her head free of the intrusive images. Rey couldn't get enough air in her lungs so close to Ren. In an attempt to put some much needed space between them she pushed off of his chest with her palms only to be denied by his hands. She looked up to challenge him but she was instantly distracted by her point of view. Without the armor that normally ran up to the under side of his chin she could see how exposed and vulnerable his neck was under the helmet. She swallowed at the long slop of mouthwatering skin and the bobbing adam's apple that rested at the center. The kiss she'd so foolishly initiated left the taste of him in her mouth and now it seemed to be all she could think about every time her eyes found his skin. She longed to commit his flavor to every single taste bud she possessed. Her eyes traced the defined lines of his jaw and the soft of the underside of his throat but their greed didn't stop there... She let her eyes travel until she could see his dark hair peeking out of the back and sides of the helmet and she remembered when her fingers had gotten tangled up in it only this morning.

Her cheeks and neck heated and she knew she was blushing from the memory but she didn't feel embarrassed. It was just natural blood flow, she decided as the tips of her ears heated and her chest rose to fall with a new weight that she couldn't help but take note of. Further up hidden within the shadows she could almost see the out line of his lips, particularly his bottom, she worked hard to ignore any thoughts about that, the rest faded into the darkness that encased his face.

Standing below the line of his helmet his profile looked an awful lot like Ben's. Her brain fuzzed and she lost the present in the past. She had to shake her head to tell the two apart and when Rey caught herself unintentionally staring at his mouth she let out a deep breath through her nose. If she had remembered being separated from him years ago it would have been easier to see him as Kylo Ren but standing here beneath the silhouette of the face that just came back to her, Rey found she already had more memories of that boy then she did the man she was currently gaping at. It felt very unfair. She'd gotten him back and lost him again in a span of minutes.

"I'm not going to hurt her." Came the careful words of a familiar voice from behind her.

As badly as Rey needed to pull away from the man locking her in place, she couldn't help but cringe above the space of his chest when she recognized Luke's voice. She just wanted to bolt from the whole damn situation. She didn't want to face either of them right now, in fact, she suddenly longed for the cool dark housing of her At-At back on Jakku. Ren's grip on her shoulder tightened in response to her thoughts and agitation started to well in Rey's chest. Just because they had a moment doesn't mean he gets to control me! He doesn't own me! Her self preservation was fighting for her independence and she could feel her adrenaline starting to pump into her brain.

Ren could hear her thoughts louder then he could Luke's voice and while he was dying to take her somewhere private to let her explore her curiosity over every inch of him, right now he was really trying to stay focused on the Jedi who was starting a habit of picking the worst times to make his presence known. Not that it mattered, he knew she would deny her want for him just as openly as she denied his claim over her.

She is ours! We will posses her and she will accept us! His darkness poked it's head in to reassure his longing that it wasn't misplaced.

She will accept me in time, even if it kills me in the process. Ren reassured himself before he thought to much on it and became a threat to himself. Of course if she kept thinking the way she had been moments ago and didn't allow either of them to act on it, he was positive he would meet his end sooner rather then later. He was already aching for her. Force, he'd been sore since this morning. Her thoughts already initiated his torturous execution and from here it looked like it would be a slow, agonizing death but he would deal with Rey's self denial at a later time. He tried to understand that she was going through some pretty heavy issues at the moment but he was slowing growing angry over her stubbornness when it came to how much she belonged to him.

She'd kissed him for maker's sake! Now she was practically tasting him with her eyes... What did she expect him to do, walk away whistling like nothing had happened between them? If she wanted Ben then she wanted Kylo Ren it was as simple as that and her thoughts were loud and clear about what she wanted from Ben! He knew she didn't feel that way about him as a boy, she was to young. Force, in a way he supposed he should be thanking Luke for separating them so early on. Neither of them would have thought about the other the way they were feeling now if they had stayed together. They would have grown up like brother and sister. She would have found someone else along the way and he'd have been left on his own while she started a family. He cringed at the idea of anyone touching her the way he wanted to. That scenario was completely unacceptable!

Luke took a careful step forward and it brought Ren back to his current predicament. Rey was completely vulnerable in her current state, she kept rocking against him under the vertigo the memories were leaving her with... not to mention she was undeniably confused as her thoughts on him were undisputed proof of that! She wasn't sure if she wanted to fight him or kiss him again... welcome to my life little Scavenger... He thought sardonically.

Now she was recoiling at the sound of Skywalker's voice which could only mean she knows who took her. He couldn't help but pity her over that realization. He was all to familiar with how quickly the "good intentions of the Light" could screw things up and the permanent ramifications of the decisions that Luke Skywalker made were commonly catastrophic for Ben. Of course he'd done the same to Kira, leaving Rey to pick up the pieces just like Kylo had to. ...And the Master of the century award goes to...

"I can help steady her mind." Luke's words sent Rey further into Ren's chest and Ren into protective overdrive.

Ren let the weight of his left arm rest across the lower half of Rey's back and a warm shiver ran up her spine. "I think you've done enough to her mind Skywalker."

"Don't get self righteous on us Ben, you've been attacking her mind for months." It was a deliberate poke and Ren didn't miss that so when he took the bait, he did so carefully.

"Well... someone wanted to play hide and seek." His eyes narrowed at the Jedi as he masked the anger in his voice with sarcasm, he was good at that. If Luke wanted to pick a fight he'd have to do better.

"She wouldn't have to hide if you didn't bring the whole First Order down on her." Luke pushed.

"I wouldn't even be with the First Order if some one wouldn't have taken the only thing keeping me aligned with the Light... out of her bed... in the middle of the night... like a coward and a thief." Ren's chest heaved with his growing anger and he felt it, but he wouldn't back down.

"You were already slipping Ben... Kira couldn't have saved you from yourself." Luke's words sounded tired. He sounded defeated by the past.

"If you would have done your job and taken care of those you swore to guide and protect, perhaps I wouldn't have relied so heavily on the Light of a five year old for the strength you should have been providing." He could feel Rey's discomfort but he knew it wasn't from the conversation going on over her head, she wasn't privy to most of what was going on around her. Her senses were being overloaded by the memories flowing through them.

"You made a rash decision without thinking the consequences through and it cost you everything. You may hate me but it's not because of the sins I'm guilty of... it's because I'm a reminder of how bad you screwed up uncle. Of all of the things you've accomplished in your life time, I'm liable to be the one the universe remembers you by. I'm your legacy and you hate that! I can feel the darkness in you. I can feel your anger and your guilt Jedi!" Kylo's tone remained low but the passion with which he spoke lingered on every word.

Luke said nothing for a long time. He watched as his nephew's hand rhythmically swiped up and down the length of Rey's back. It was a slow repetitive process. Once maybe every twenty or so seconds his hand would rub up and down to comfort her. Kylo Ren was right about Luke. He was good at picking apart his uncle but he was terrible when it came to himself. Luke had expected him to explode when he'd accidentally taken the conversation to a personal level; Instead Ben stayed focused on comforting Rey while she shook. It didn't go over Luke's head that his nephew slash Kylo Ren seemed to put the girl before himself. Luke was not wrong in taking her away when he did. Because of it, she may be the only one able to bring Ben back. He was coddling his own destruction in the comfort of his arms and he wasn't even aware of it. She shook between his arms and Luke's heart squeezed in his chest.

"Enough of this... let me help her." Luke stepped forward still lost in his thoughts. For a moment he forgot who he was trying to take her from and Kylo stiffened.

Kylo was aware of it when Rey came back from her latest bout of memories. She was now conscious of those around her again and he knew he had to be careful with what came out of his mouth when he responded to Luke, which would be difficult while he goaded him on, brazenly attempting to collect the girl who was suffering because of him.

Rey came back to her senses to Ren's angry voice through his mask.

"Are you going to help like the time you sent her to another of your academies to further her training Master?" The last word came out of Kylo's mouth like he was spitting venom and maybe he had, Rey was pretty sure she herd Luke's foot shuffle back a step.

"Ben, I did what I had to do to protect her." Luke was putting effort into keeping his words monotone but Rey could hear the strain in his voice. She was surprised when Ren didn't take the time to correct the name Luke had used.

"Yeah, cause that worked out so well for her." He snapped.

What the Kriff was that supposed to mean... I turned out just fine! At least I'm not a mass murderer. She thought, defensively countering his statement.

Rens helmet shot down in her direction and she felt a sharp wave of hurt pierce through their line. She winced but it only lasted a second before it was replaced by his anger.

Great, I wonder how long he's been in my head? She thought. Her exasperation for the situation was already back and she shifted her weight from foot to foot trying to restore the blood flow from her locked knees before she made herself pass out in his arms... again!

"Long enough." Kylo clipped through their Force link. He didn't look at her when he responded but while she was unprepared for the invasion of his thoughts through her crowded mind, he sounded extremely loud and the realization that he may have heard her other thoughts brought a heat to her cheeks that she instantly resented.

"She survived and she's stronger for it; More importantly she's not like you." Luke responded with an urgency that left Rey surprised. She got the feeling that she hadn't caught the beginning of the spat.

When he muscles tensed at Luke's words, Kylo's arm tightened around Rey and he shook his head. "You should have stayed with us!" Ren accused over Rey's head. "And when you decided not to, you should have left well enough alone." Ren's words were sharp and Rey was betting that his eyes were dangerous right now.

Heat flowed between where they touched and thick waves of anger rolled through his end to drown her under their weight. Her brain was fogging and his nearness was not helping. She was already far to close to him. She was slowly taking the scent of his skin in through her mouth and nose. His musk pervaded her brain and to her discredit she momentarily forgot what was going on around her. She had to close her eyes for a moment just to regain her wits. Standing so close to him was not good for her reasoning. It confused her present with her memories and his voice didn't help. He spoke with Ben's mannerisms and while standing so close to the underside of his helmet his voice still sounded like Ben Solo. From here the only reminder that he was Kylo Ren was the modulation of his mask like an echo only a pera-second behind the words that she heard coming from within the helmet above her. It was Ben's voice, Ben's hands and Ben's face, but the thick black straps which ran across his upper chest to hold up the even thicker arm guards she found herself constantly peeking at assured that her movements were being restricted by Kylo Ren which was a very bad, very confusing thing.

"Your right, I should have stayed, but if you think I should have left her at the temple... where you could groom her to be a Dark sider like you, then you don't care for her like you think you do." It was an accusatory statement, one Rey was sure was not going to be taken lightly.

Somehow Luke kept his tone casual, like he was chatting about the weather while the warlord whose hands prevented her escape slowly clamped down on her tighter and tighter. From here she couldn't tell if Luke was trying to pick a fight or defending his past decisions but it didn't leave her in a safe spot between the two power house Force users she was currently stuck in the middle of. She unconsciously squeezed her eyes shut against the throbbing pain in her head.

Ren stiffened and his body began kicking off some serious heat. Rey took a slight step back but his arm pressed her body closer to him again. It was a silent tug o' war over space or freedom, she wasn't sure which yet. She could feel his muscles tense around her. An occasional flinch or tremor ran through his arm or his shoulder and probably through other places as well but she was limited to the parts that were halting her escape or visible to her line of sight. From her stand point this situation was escalating very quickly.

"I never encouraged her away from the Light. Never! We're not all as selfish as you old man!" His fingers dug into her shoulder as he spoke. Rey winced against the strength of his hand squeezing down on her muscles.

She couldn't help but feel like Luke was trying to get her killed again. Her agitation was peaking and she could feel it transitioning into anger. She was already putting to much energy into closing off their Force bond while simultaneously enduring the random memories that took their sweet time coming back to her. To add to her discomfort Ren's anger was creeping through their bond to pit in her stomach and she was becoming nauseous from fighting against it. Luke and Ren spoke between each other as if she wasn't the topic they were arguing about. It's like they forgot she was here, like she didn't exist out side of their little squabble and that was feeding her own anger.

"Oh, well that's even better... " Luke's words were cold and she could tell he was pausing because he was preparing to drop something harsh between them. Ren's muscles were bound dangerously tight waiting for his uncle to finish his sentence and Rey was stuck between an arm that covered most of her back and the solid wall of his chest at her front.

"So I guess she should've been there when you and your Dark Master destroyed the temple and massacred anyone who resided there." Luke finally drove an unexpected hit home and Ren snapped.

"You know nothing of what happened that night! Or any night for that matter because you were never there!" His Force exploded from his chest.

Rey expected to be thrown back from the burst of power but the wave radiated around her as though she were a physical extension of himself. She lowered her head as the heat of his anger rolled around her. She couldn't block him out now. His rage was poring into her through their bond and between Ren manhandling her and Luke bloody Skywalker goading him on, she was already struggling to hold her own growing anger back. She sucked in a painful breath as a long flash of a memory played behind her no closed eyes.

She and Ben were playing in her family's shuttle. He'd been teaching her how to fly for months and he'd let her operate everything she could reach, only interjecting when she needed quick assistance. It wasn't the first time she'd taken it off the ground in the pilot's seat but it always felt just as magical. They had never left Yavin four's atmosphere before and now he was allowing her to take it beyond the invisible shell that housed the moon below them. Her young eyes watched as the green planet faded below the murky outer layer of the cloudy atmosphere they burst through only seconds ago. Ben stared at her while she gaped in amazement through the large window in front of her.

They left the sky behind them when they flew through the nearly invisible layer and from there the blue around them quickly darkened into an endless velvet night. They shot into a space that went on as far the eye could see. The blackness around her felt so familiar. It remainder her of when she still lived with her parents. They were always in space. They never called one planet home over another because they never stayed still long enough to use anything but the small shuttle as their residency.

Kira sat on the edge of her chair swinging her feet rhythmically while gazing out into the mesmerizing spans. She imagined it as cool black sheets with little holes cut here and there to allow the heat and light of the little twinkling stars a place to shine through.

"Who thinks like that at five?" Her amazed copilot asked.

Kira pulled out of her trance and turned to face the voice that broke her through her imagination. Her little smile widened when she saw the face of the boy who taught her to shoot for the stars... literally. She shrugged at his curious expression. He was clearly debating the answer that would come out of her mouth.

"I'm almost six Ben." She huffed at him as though he should know better. He shook his head at her annoyed expression and she smiled again. "I'm the only five year old I've ever known." She admitted.

Something about that made him suddenly sad but it was also very enlightening. He leaned back in his seat and stared out at the stars. "Try not to grow up to fast ok." He didn't look over when she turned back in his direction. "It's not all it's cracked up to be." He omitted rather drably.

She stared at him for a time and when he gave her no response she mimicked him, turning back to stare out into the endless darkness they gently floated through. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, locking them in place with her laced fingers. She tucked herself in with her chin on her knees. Every once in a while Ben would glance over in her direction but she ignored his quick peeks. He would tell her what was bothering him when he was ready, he always did. She was surprised when he spoke up, it took less time for him to come out with what he was thinking then usual. She fought a smug smile. It was a small victory for her.

"Kira?" He asked with a high degree of uncertainty.

"Hmm?" She kept her eyes forward not taking the risk of him closing himself off again.

He'd been far to quiet this past month and she'd had to work especially hard to crack him back open. She heard him shift as though he were uncomfortable and it spiked the worry she was already trying really hard to shut out of her mind. Somehow he could always tell when something bothered her. Especially when it conceded himself. He shifted again in his chair and she couldn't help but turn her chin to half face his direction.

"If I were to leave the Jedi Temple..." He paused to analyze the face that she was keeping very blank. She arced a brow to let him know he had her attention. "...Would you consider coming with me?" He croaked out.

Her head lifted from her knees and her forehead scrunched. She eyed him far to carefully for such a young child. "Ben, we're in space... how much further do you want to go?" She questioned knowing that wasn't what he was asking.

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a sharp breath. She knew what he meant, he knew she did. She wanted him to elaborate, wanted him to spell it out for her so there was no misunderstanding about what he was asking. She was such a girl. "If I left for good would you come with me?" He asked quickly, his eyes looking everywhere but her direction.

She let her legs free from their hold and she turned so she was completely facing him. She moved to her knees and her hands gripped the arm of the chair so she was level to his hight. She hadn't even opened her mouth when he started rambling in quick sentences.

"I'll take care of you. You know I can keep you safe and we can travel everywhere together, just the two of us. Imagine all of the worlds we could see. We can explore them all if you want, I know you love discovering knew things..."

"Ben..." The single word stopped him in his verbal tracks. "You know I'll follow you anywhere. You don't even have to ask." There was a certainty to her tone that left him with no further questions about her loyalty and how positive she was about what she was saying. She was letting him know she was committed to staying with him and there was no miscommunication between them.

His face lightened and he let out another breath he'd been unconsciously holding. He was staring at her now. His big brown orbs bore right into her serious hazel eyes. He knew she wasn't done. He could tell by the stern face she made. He hated when she made that face over something he'd done or said. He's was almost nine years her senior and she had faces that made him feel like their ages were reversed.

"But why Ben?" She asked flatly.

Being thrown by her directness, he blinked several times. Her fingers gripped into the arm rest until her knuckles ran white and her eyes focused in on his as though she would be analyzing his answer through more then just his words. He opened his mouth to speak but she stopped him.

"You know I don't mean why are you asking me to come along... so don't even try it." She corrected him quickly nailing the situation on the head before he could even try to misdirect the path their conversation took. He sighed.

"You know your really intense for a kid right?" He flashed her a Ben Solo smile as she liked to call it,  knowing she hated when he called her a kid but she didn't let up. Her face told him she wasn't buying into the Solo family charm.

"What's wrong? Why do you want to leave?" She pushed her line of questioning. "What are you running from that we can't face at the academy with our Master and the others?"

"You mean the Master whose never around." He grumbled.

His eyes darkened and his face pulled into a scowl. The little lights on the control panels cast an eerie glow over his usually warm features and Kira had to squint to find the boy she knew as Ben behind the red and yellow that distorted his usually soft face. His jaw tensed and he suddenly looked much older. Something alarming moved behind his eyes and she could feel him shutting down.

Her voice rang through the thick silence like a singing bell. "It doesn't matter." She decided out loud. "No matter what it is, I'm with you. Always and forever. Whatever it is, we will face it together ok?" She said with a false bravado that she cleverly hid behind an overly chipper tone.

Kira knew he'd be scrutinizing her answer but she didn't care, she meant every word of what she said. She gave him a full white toothed smile in conjunction with that answer because she knew nothing would make her happier then staying by his side. She noticed he closed himself off quicker when he felt like she was catching onto something so she shielded her worry behind her innocent face. It was easier for her to stay closer to him when she acted her age. He'd warmed up quicker when she did that. For some reason he felt safer when she wasn't prying like one of the adults that were always poking at him.

He chewed his bottom lip as he carefully studied her. She was far to insightful for her age and it scared him but if he could leave it all behind then she'd never have to know what he was up against. She'd never have to know about the Darkness that was slowly catching up to him, slowly cornering him. She'd never have to know about his lineage... After a few moments of careful contemplation he finally turned back out towards the window. She followed suit with an over exaggerated huff.

"Like you even had to ask." She laughed as though only just realizing that he had been acting ridiculous. "Hey Ben?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think that space just keeps going and going?" She inquired trying to lesson the tension through her honest curiosity.

"Well, maybe together..." He smiled chancing a slight glance back in her direction. "...We'll find the edge one day." He added. She rewarded him with a beaming smile as she stared out into the black expanse.

"I can't wait!" She exclaimed before they both fell back into silence.

The memory felt long but she knew it flashed by in seconds. It was definitely one of the more detailed and it left her chest aching. She expected to cry again but she found she emotionally had nothing left to give to the pain of the heartbreak that welled inside of her empty chest cavity. Her eyes were sore and dry. Her cheeks were still damp from her previous tears and now they were puffy too. She felt ridiculous. She felt childish. She felt weak! Growing up alone she could never afford the time to give to worry. Rey had to be strong and independent to survive. Now she was suddenly terrified that she'd fall short of something that she couldn't place. She was afraid she'd be too weak to do something she felt she needed to do, but she had no idea what it was or why she needed to do it. All she knew for sure was that she was terrified of this sudden weakness.

Rey shifted under Ren's hold. As her thoughts settled she realized she could feel him in her mind. Her eyes opened and her head tilted up under the weight of his stare. With how connected they currently were, she knew he'd seen what she did. She couldn't tell how he felt about such memories coming to light, that mask left her in the dark and there was no way she was chancing a glance into his mind while she had no control over her own.

"I... I'm sorry, I can't control them." She admitted through their personal line. Even there she sounded pathetic and her head still reeled from the blinding colors that blurred her vision.

His head tilted up for a brief moment and she watched his jaw tick under the line of his helmet as he cautiously eyed Luke before his head dropped back down to her again. The sun was dipping behind the horizon and she could see it setting in his mask. A deep red reflected off of the silver lines as he looked down at her through the infernal blankness that hide the boy Ben or the man Kylo behind it, right now only he knew the true identity of the man behind the mask and the possibilities killed her.

      ~Hey my lovelies, so I know this chapter took a little while to come out but it was a very long arduous process full of lots of intense scenes. As you can probably imagine there is a lot emotionally going on with our main characters right now and I didn't want to rush their emotions or interactions here. I hope you guys enjoyed it and no worries as the next two chapters are already written and just need editing. I apologize if there are edits here that I missed as I've got a ton of new material to go over so I'll be positing this now for your enjoyment but I'll also be editing a bit here and there. Not to worry though it will not be story changing, just a few minor corrections here and there I'm sure.~

*Please ⭐️, comment, tell your friends and tell their friends... lol or not. Do what you want, just so long as you have fun in the process. 😘 *
         -DarkGuardian-