Clang!

The sound of the door banging shut startled Caia out of her pained stupor. She hastily sat up as straight as she could in the torture chair in an attempt to appear confident. She braced herself, knowing that what would come next would be far from pleasant.

But no amount of confidence could have prepared her for who she saw next.

Caia knew she was going to have to face him sooner or later. It was inevitable. It was destined to happen. But that didn't stop the soft gasp that slipped past her lips or the tears that immediately blurred her vision. Her throat closed up and the hollow feeling she harbored ever since he left her seemed to intensify in strength.

"Ben." She choked out in a hoarse whisper as her heart convulsed with longing and pain.

It had been so long since Caia last uttered his name. It rolled off of her tongue like a foreign syllable. His presence alone overwhelmed her as repressed memories of him threatened to resurface. He had this much of an effect on her even though his mask was still on.

"Ben is dead. He was weak; governed by petty emotions and relations. I am Kylo Ren."

Those words broke her heart. Caia knew him well enough to know when he was hurting. She hated to see him hurting. More than that, she hated who he had become. And she hated that he couldn't see who he had become. Ben wasn't gone. He couldn't be gone. At least, not completely. Caia took it upon herself to bring him back from the dark abyss he seemed to have fallen down. Not only for her, but for Leia and Han as well.

"You say you're Kylo Ren but all I see is a man so scared that he has to hide behind a mask." Caia said with a neutral expression painted across her face. She couldn't let him see the agony the whole ordeal was causing her. She needed to be strong for him. And for him, she would do anything.

A pregnant pause permeated the air as both entities stared at each other relentlessly. The moment was interrupted by Kylo Ren reaching up and wrapping his hand around the bottom of his helmet. A quiet hiss broke the silence as the helmet was pulled off in one swift movement. Ebony locks fell back into place to frame his face as they were freed from their confines. A thin layer of sweat covered his face most likely due to the fact that it was extremely hot inside the helmet.

Caia sucked in a steadying breath, hoping that her expression didn't betray her. He was as handsome as ever to her. In fact, the long separation only served to make him look even more attractive to her. The expression on his face, or lack thereof, on the other hand was not at all as welcoming as his familiar face. He looked lifeless. Like a statue. Like all the life had been drained out of him and the only thing left was an empty vessel. Caia was well acquainted with that feeling. After all that was how she felt when he left.

"Now, I need that information. There are two ways this could play out: the hard way and the easy way. I trust you to make the smart decision. Make this easier for the both of us." Kylo Ren stated, awaiting patiently for a response.

Caia hated the fact that her loyalties were torn between the Resistance and her past lover. It felt like someone was tearing her up from the inside. The emotional pain she was feeling took over her and left her numb. Deep inside, she knew what she had to do. This was not just a matter of her feelings. It was something that would affect the whole galaxy. And she couldn't let herself be the one who tipped the scale in favor of the dark side.

"I'm not telling you anything," Caia forced out as she desperately tried to swallow the lump that took residence in her throat ever since she saw Ben. He just gave her a blank look. His face didn't give away any emotions but his eyes seemed almost pained. He gazed at her intensely hoping she would change her mind. After a few moments, he realized that it was futile. This was Caia. He knew her well enough to know that no amount of persuasion would change her mind.

"That's too bad," Kylo Ren mused before taking a step toward Caia. He held his hand out in front of her face and hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether it was worth it. He once promised her that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. The irony of the situation almost made him laugh bitterly. He didn't want this. Eventually he banished his thoughts and returned to face the task at hand.

With a flick of his wrist, Caia started writhing in the chair. A sharp pain shot through her head and spread to encompass the entire area. She closed her eyes and arched her back in pure agony as she felt another presence probe her brain. An earsplitting scream pierced the once quiet atmosphere of the room. It felt like her head was on fire. It was a pain like no other. It consumed her to the point where she couldn't focus on anything apart from the raging pain in her head. More screams filled the air as Caia struggled against the restraints holding her down.

Kylo Ren watched her with a pained expression. He detested himself for doing such a thing to her. But he had to admit, he was curious as to what he would find in her mind. Would she be the same? He quickly got past her mental defenses and sifted through her memories to finally get to her thoughts. He cringed as a particularly loud scream erupted from her. To hear her scream in such a manner was killing him on the inside.

Suddenly the overwhelming pain Caia felt came to an abrupt halt. It stopped in a second, like someone had turned a switch off. She opened her eyes to see Ben standing further away than before with his eyes wide in shock. She gazed at him, confused with his behavior. Although she was grateful that the unbearable pain stopped, she was perplexed as well.

"You still love me? After all I did? After all I put you through?" Kylo Ren asked incredulously.

Caia's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before a sad smile spread across her face. "I always have and I always will," she sighed. She knew that no matter what he did, her love for him would never die. Maybe it was written that way. A beautiful tragedy. Kylo's shocked expression turned into one of despair. He loved her with all of his heart. He missed her every single day since the day he left. Her warm embrace and her bright smile. He hated being the reason her smile was no longer as bright as it was before. He felt torn. It's just that the situation was all wrong. Maybe in a different life they could've been happy together. Had a family together. But in this life, he just couldn't see that happening.

"I love you too," he whispered sadly. Caia's heart skipped a beat and a warm feeling pooled in her stomach as she heard those words. Tears sprung to her eyes. She hadn't heard those words in a long time. She thought she would never hear those words again.

"Then let's run away together. You and me against the Galaxy. We can escape this life. Start over somewhere else. We can do what we always dreamed of." Caia pleaded with tears freely flowing down her face. Hope shone through her eyes as she watched a flurry of emotions run across his face. She could see that he was definitely tempted by the offer. And that just served to raise her hopes up even more.

"I'm sorry. I just can't," he choked out before abruptly turning and leaving. Caia caught a few tears sliding down his cheeks before he disappeared from sight. The world turned into a blurry haze as she tried to process what had just happened. Her lungs felt like they had collapsed and breathing became a struggle. Ben didn't just leave her. He ripped her heart out and took it with him. A dull ache spread through her entire body. It was like experiencing her emotions in third person. She just sat there staring into oblivion for the longest time.

It wasn't until hours later that sobs wracked her body and she crumbled into a heaping mess full of self-loathing.

"Why me?" She whispered to no one in particular.