Summary

AU. The First Order has reached every corner of the Galaxy. The Resistance has all but fallen - General Organa is deep in hiding; Luke Skywalker has been tracked and killed by the First Order. Finn and Poe are missing, presumed dead. Rey has been captured by the First Order and receives a rather intriguing visitor.

Author's Note:Just a little idea! Enjoy! PS I am new to the Star Wars fandom, so don't come at me with pitchforks if the details aren't perfect!

Chapter One

The only thing that he recognizes is her hair.

The same style as so many years ago, when they fought on Starkiller; the three buns, pulled tightly to reveal her striking face. The face that looked at him with such hatred.

You're a monster.

Other than that, she is unrecognizable.

He steps in front of her cell, silently, watching. She either does not notice him or does not care. Either way, she makes no movement at his presence. His eyes glaze over her form, curled as tightly as possible into herself in the corner of the room. Her face is hidden, tucked down. She looks thin - unhealthily so. Growing up in such harsh conditions, he's always assumed she's been thin, but strong - now she just seems weak. Her arms are near skeletal, and her clothes - rags, really - hang off of her aching frame. She looks like she hasn't eaten in weeks. Months. Her once-tan skin has become deathly pale, no doubt from years of hiding and now weeks in this windowless cell, away from any possible sunlight.

The troopers say she hasn't said a single word since she's arrived. Hardly touched her food. Barely slept. Just sits there, in a catatonic state, making no movements.

Something slides in his chest, uncomfortably.

He whispers, so quietly he is sure she can't hear it.

"Rey."

II.

No, not him. Anyone but him.

I spend a few precious seconds debating whether or not to answer that grating voice. For four years I've been avoiding him, in every sense of reality. Fleeing from planet to planet with Master Luke. Pushing him out of my head. Screaming myself awake from the nightmares he plants.

And despite every effort, here he is, the Master of the Knights of Ren. The murderer of Han Solo, the son General Leia is convinced can still be saved, the man who has near single-handedly destroyed the entire galaxy.

Saying my name.

"Rey," he repeats, louder, more demanding. I can tell from the mechanical tone that he is wearing his mask. Slowly, I dare to bring my head up.

It's just us now.

Oh yes, Lord Ren, you went to every effort to ensure it would be just us. Ruthlessly slaughtering every person I've ever cared for until you're the only thing I can see. And I hate you for it.

My eyes meet his mask as I turn to face him, though I remain in my crouched position. I slide my arms uneasily to my sides, my hands resting on the cold metal floor of the cell. I force myself to breathe.

One, two, three seconds.

"Why - " I pause my question, surprised at the sound of my voice. It sounds rusty, wrong, after weeks of disuse. I clear my throat and raise my chin. "Why are you keeping me here?" The question that has been on my mind since my ship was intercepted; since they murdered my co-pilot and took me hostage.

You need a teacher.

That moment on Starkiller flashes in my mind, whether of my own volition or his, I cannot tell. Ren, unmasked, disheveled, his hair plastered to his face while his eyes shine with a brightness I would never expect from a would-be sith. Pleading with me to come to him, to let him show me the ways of the Force. I slam down my mental walls, blocking the image. None of that matters now. I repeat my question. "Why are you keeping me here?"

The monster's only response is to tilt his head to one side. I feel my blood begin to race with fury. I stand up as quickly as I can and, with as much dignity as I can muster, walk to the cell bars. Directly in front of him.

"Answer me." My voice trembles, but whether it is from fear or anger, I am not sure. Probably both. I try to remember Master Luke's teachings - stay calm, control your emotions - but I bitterly think of where that led him. I will be strong.

My fingers curl around the bars and he is inches away from me. "Answer me," I repeat. "Tell me why I am still alive. You've won your war. Why am I still here?" The questions on my mind tumble out quickly, and part of my wishes to scoop them up and hide them from him, pretend he never heard them. Too late.

His answer, devoid of all emotion through that horrific mask, sends shivers down my aching spine.

"You know why."

III.

It is a relief to see that she is not completely broken.

Some of her fire remains; that much is evident from how tightly she curls her fingers around the cell bars, how she stares at him with such obvious disgust.

"I will never join you." An answer given through gritted teeth.

"We'll see."

"You'll have to kill me first!" She pushes back from the bars, crouched, as if awaiting the killing blow at that moment. He chuckles.

"I have no intentions of killing you, Rey. You are far too valuable to me."

He sees the faint fire in her eyes flicker until it is gone, drowned out by the truth she is now just beginning to understand. Lord Ren intends to keep her here with him.

Forever.

IV.

I hear him speaking to me but none of it registers. There is a roaring in my ears as I realize I wasn't brought here to die, like my comrades.

No, I was brought here to be broken.

I imagine a thousand different ways that could happen and have to convince myself not to dwell on them. I've lived a thousand lives already, with all I've endured. This would not be my downfall.

While I manage to calm my breathing, clutching my chest as if to manually slow my rapidly beating heart, a part of my mind registers that the door is silently sliding open. The monster is entering, coming closer to me.

To break me.

I takes every effort I have to send my tray of uneaten food zooming toward him, hoping for the element of surprise by using the Force. I can tell from his posture that all this idiotic move did was irritate him and drain me. I stumble backwards from the added exhaustion, hitting the wall behind me. Every ounce of strength, clarity, and willpower is overshadowed by my ever-mounting fatigue. Lack of food and sleep have finally caught up with me.

I breathe as carefully as I can, trying to maintain my angered expression as Ren stalks up to me, stopping less than a foot away. I feel the familiar sensation settle over me - he is holding me in place with the Force.

"Take off that blasted mask," I manage through shallow breaths. I echo the words of his father. "You don't need it." I hope this is as painful a reminder to him as it is to me.

Of course, he betrays no emotion.

Monster.

I hear the hiss of his mask as he removes it, keeping his eyes locked on me. He places it on my unused cot, still never turning away from me. I sense he has been waiting for this moment - this reunion - for a long time.

So have I, but I imagined it going much differently.

I swallow as he continues to advance, now stopping mere inches away. He places a gloved hand on either side of the wall, trapping me - as if I could move anyway. I remember being in a very similar situation with Poe not many months ago, but that was a welcome advancement - no. I will not think of Poe, or the way he smiled at me, warming me, or the chances with him that were never able to be. I will not think Finn. Or anyone else. My mind is vulnerable to Ren. I will not think of -

"I've missed you."

I hold back a laugh at the incredulity of it all. He missed me? The most unstable, violent, sadistic man in the universe missed a desert rat - his most affectionate name for me in the many battles we've fought.

I fight to recoil as he plays with a strand of my hair. I do not know if it is meant as an affectionate gesture or as a sign of dominance. I meet his eyes, still unable to move.

"If that's true, then why the cell?"

"You couldn't be trusted."

"I still can't. Don't make the mistake of ever thinking I will come to the dark side."

He chuckles, seemingly still entranced with that lock of hair, twisting it around and around his gloved fingers as he moves ever closer. Our torsos are practically touching and I can smell the sweetness of his breath.

His eyes meet mine and I wait with baited breath for his response. Surely he will kill me if I continue to refuse? I find myself welcoming it at this point.

"Rey, I am less concerned with you joining the dark side than I am with you joining my side."

My brow furrows for just a moment before I blank my face and slam down mental shields. This is the moment he has been waiting for. I can see it in his hitched breath, the hungry look in his eyes. I look down, avoiding his penetrating gaze as I digest his words. They don't make sense to me. The dark side? His side? He is one of the highest leaders of the First Order, second only to Snoke. How are these "sides" not one in the same? I don't understand what he could possibly -

It clicks.

I swallow bile down in my throat. I'm faintly aware that his hand has moved to the rest of my hair, unpinning my buns. The last thing about me that I still recognize. My hair tumbles to my waist and he eyes it longingly.

He wants every part of me.

I try my best to instill venom in my voice but it still comes out tired, broken. "What exactly is it that you want me to do, Lord Ren?" I don't know why I bother. We both know the answer.

He smiles as his lips dip to mine. My first kiss.

"Marry me."