Chapter Twelve: Monster

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, but remember to always stay away from power couplings.

Unlike Finn and Rose, Poe had not opted to spend his first outing in the recreation area but instead the academy center where senior cadets were meant to be polished and groomed for active duty. His specific location was in the combat training chambers, the shooting range.

Initially, Rey wondered about that, since it seemed like a bad idea to allow a prisoner to visit a room full of blasters, the hot headed Poe Dameron. But then Kylo explained that the training center only had practice blasters, with harmless built-in settings that reduced the laser fire to little more than a sting should it make contact with an organic.

He led her into the heart of the , characteristically silent as he walked, his thoughts guarded though his aching pain was still throbbing at her through the Force, even after their brief embrace in his shuttle.

The guilt he was projecting was almost unbearable and she could only wonder at what he was anguishing over. Was he finally regretting all the innocent people he'd killed over the years? Did he regret nearly killing Finn? Was it about Han or Luke? She wished he would talk to her about it, knowing all too well how hard it was to keep things bottled up and festering, though she didn't want to nag him about it either, sensing that he would tell her when he was ready.

Why the Force was allowing her to feel his guilt so substantially was a mystery though. Unless, she guessed, it was to make her aware of it for some reason. But then, just as she told him, although she to help him, she didn't know how. If only she could take his pain and wish it away. On the other hand, this guilt he was feeling, perhaps it was a good thing, a step in the right direction.

If that was the case, she wouldn't be helping him any if she could somehow make it disappear. She sent him a miserable glance, one that he did not acknowledge as he forged onward down the hall. She would need to let him suffer through it, even if that meant suffering along with him.

"This is it," Kylo announced as he stepped up to a pair of double-doors that quickly yielded to his presence. By all appearances, he looked completely placid and stable, but inside, Rey knew he was still hurting, a mangled mess of emotion that threatened to burst forth at any moment.

With him in such a state, she wondered if visiting Poe was even still a good idea, knowing how much the pilot seemed to aggravate him. Deciding it was too late to back out now, she followed him into the training center and was instantly bombarded by the clamor of blaster fire hitting targets, mock explosions and drill officers shouting commands. Soldiers without white armor, cadets she guessed, filled the area and were either shooting at targets to her left or rolling and diving in drills on courses to her right.

It seemed like chaos and Rey wondered how in the world she was supposed to carry out a conversation during her visit with all the noise, yet Kylo marched onward through the chamber as if he were in a tranquil forest. Several paths diverged from their walkway, but he kept focused straight ahead as they passed one shooting lane after another until converging on one in particular that was conspicuously surrounded by a squad of fully armored troopers.

Poe soon came into view as she got closer, and although he didn't notice her approach right away, BB-8 quickly did and began beeping furiously and bumping his leg to alert him. Rey couldn't help but smile at the little droid, giving him a nod of a greeting before Poe turned to see her and pulled off the hearing protection he had been wearing. "Rey!" he exclaimed and pushed passed his guard of troopers to give her a quick hug, something she wasn't entirely uncomfortable with but was all too aware of the vein of agitation rolling off of Kylo. "You're not dead! What about Finn and Rose, are they ok?"

Rey pulled away from him, wary of Kylo's volatile temper as he spoke to the sergeant in charge of the squad, though his glare was aimed and practically shooting daggers at the pilot. The noise in the room was deafening and Rey didn't bother replying until she led Poe into a nearby and vacant obstacle course, where the durasteel walls on either side would at least help cut out of the racket.

"They're fine," she told him, noting absently how Kylo followed only a partial way onto the course and leaned against one wall, arms crossed, the squad of troopers standing guard behind him. With all the background noise, she guessed that she and Poe would be able to talk privately, at least for a moment, until Kylo's patience wore off. "I went to visit them first. Finn is still incorrigible and Rose is still excitable."

"And you?" Poe asked with clear concern as he placed one hand on her shoulder. "How are holding up?"

Rey didn't get a chance to reply as Poe's hand was suddenly flicked off her shoulder by an unseen force, followed by an obviously projected thought directed at Poe, though it was unclear if he had received the message properly. .

Rey turned to give Kylo an affronted look, he didn't appear to have moved an inch and regarded her placidly, though his expression was clearly perturbed. He didn't reply to her and gave no indication that he even heard her thought, but she knew for a fact he did; their link was absolute at this point.

Poe, going completely oblivious to their silent exchange, took a single step toward the Supreme Leader and made a rude gesture, raising his voice to be heard over the blasterfire in the background. "Hey, can we have moment here, pal?" So he received the warning...

Kylo merely raised his head a slight margin, another silent warning projected strongly toward the pilot. .

Rey wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the jealousy practically pouring out of him, his former burden of guilt momentarily forgotten. On one hand it was almost flattering that he felt the need to protect her in such a way, on the other hand it gave her a distinct sense of being owned, and that was not a feeling she appreciated on day. Unkar Plutt's tyranny flashed through her mind unbidden. She sent him another look, one much more severe and forceful. myself.

Again, he didn't reply, though he did glance her way for a telling instant. Whether or not Poe had received Kylo's second warning thoughts, the pilot was at least perceptive enough to catch the hint as he turned back to Rey with an insufferable expression. "Good grief, possessive much?"

Still in a miffed mood, Rey regarded him as well, unintentionally turning her ire on him. " ask if he's done anything to me, or if I'm pregnant, because he and I'm ." She was getting extremely tired of hearing those suggestions and was certainly not in the mood to hear them again.

"I- I wasn't going to ask that!" Poe stammered, either startled by her fierce tone or staggered by her insight into his thinking. He often followed a line of reasoning much like Finn's. He cleared his throat, probably hoping to reset his train of thought as a momentarily forgotten orange and white droid beeped out a question by their feet. "Yeah," he said with a nod. "When are we escaping?"

"What?" Rey snapped and ventured a cautious glance back to Kylo, but she doubted he could hear the conversation. "Poe, I already told you, that was never the plan."

"So what the plan, exactly?"

"I you," Rey said, feeling frustrated with him. "Keeping the three- four, sorry Bee- alive." She subconsciously formed fists at her sides and found herself frowning down at the droid distractedly. "I'm not exactly in a position to mount an escape-rescue, especially when you're on a separate ship from the others."