Chapter Text
"You're his granddaughter. You are a Palpatine." The words pierced Rey's chest like a lightsaber.
A million thoughts raced through her mind at lightspeed
"No, no, it can't be true, it's impossible
I am evil
What do I do now
Everyone will hate me
He's lying!"
as her vision of them on the throne of the Sith flashed before her eyes. But Kylo wasn't finished, somehow managing to speak smoothly even through the damnable vocoder in his mask. "My mother was the daughter of Vader. Your father was the son of the Emperor. What Palpatine doesn't know is we're a dyad in the Force, Rey. Two that are one. We'll kill him together and take the throne."
"He's lying, he's lying, he's lying." The thought repeated through her mind over and over again as if she repeated it enough it would be true. Kylo slowly removed his helmet, the scar she had given him stark in the unforgiving light. For the first time since Crait she looked into his almost black eyes, searching for any sign of deception and finding none. Her blood ran cold as she realized he was being truthful, at least from his perspective. She could see it in his eyes and could feel it in the Force.
"You know what you need to do. You know." As he spoke, he slowly extended his right hand, an offering.
She remembered his words from their earlier Force connection, "When I offer you my hand again, you'll take it." But, she also remembered when they touched hands in the hut, when, just for a moment she saw Ben Solo. Could he still be in there? Could the man standing before, cape billowing behind him with an army at his back truly house Han and Leia's son?
Thoughts continued to race through her mind.
Palpatine is the bigger threat
I can't destroy Palpatine alone
Finn, Chewie, and Poe are still in danger.
Once again she cast her conciousness out into the Force, seeking her friends' life signatures. Finn's bright light, Poe's turbulent aura, and Chewie's surprisingly soft green glimmer touched at the edge of her conciousness. They were okay, she needed to make sure they stayed that way. She owed them that for getting them into this mess. For almost killing Chewie.
She focused her thoughts on Kylo, probing the swirling cloud of darkness around him, encountering a high wall that she couldn't penetrate. She quickly took stock of the situation. There was no way any of them were getting off this ship. She was surrounded by stormtroopers, more than she could fight off alone, not to mention him. And after all this, there was still Palpatine to stop. There really was no other choice. But, she might be able to swing it in her favor.
With this new truth weighing heavily on her heart she took another small step forward, knowing the words that she was about to say were going to alter her destiny forever. She hoped her soul could survive the coming battle. "I will join you, but I have some conditions."
Kylo didn't realize he was holding his breath until she stood before him. He let it out slowly. How was it that her mere presence could affect him this way? He had barely dared dream that she would agree, that she would come to her senses and realize this was where she belonged. With him.
He shook himself out of his mental daze, taking a small step forward, as if to show to their new audience that he was still in control of the situation. "Name them," lowering his hand as he spoke.
"My friends are still on board this ship. I want them to be allowed to leave, today in the Millennium Falcon and the Bestoon Legacy, unharmed."
Fuck. He wanted that piece of junk ship melted down and the traitor to pay for his crimes against the Order, and to shut that cocky pilot up for good. Nothing would give him more satisfaction... except... maybe her cooperation. Was fulfilling those desires worth that cost? A more practical thought struck him as well. Given these insects proclivity for escaping, it might benefit him for them to be elsewhere.
He wasn't even sure why he was entertaining this ridiculous charade. She was trapped, on his ship, surrounded. Her friends were in a holding cell, at his mercy. She was his and there was no way in hell she was leaving. He'd detain her by sheer force of will if needed. She had no power here, no leverage. But she did, the voice in the back of his mind reminded him. Her willing cooperation will make it easier for her to turn. You want her here by choice. You want her to choose you.
His voice betrayed no emotion or thought as he answered, "Done." He would have more opportunities to deal with the members of the Resistance once Palpatine was gone and Rey stood by his side, for good. What was a few weeks?
Rey continued, "I want to speak with them alone before they leave. They deserve to know why I am doing this."
He mentally analyzed her request, his naturally suspicious nature taking him to the worst possible scenarios. Why was she asking for this, to be alone, with them? Surely a simple explanation of her decision could be accomplished with him present. Was she devising another plan of attack? Or, so she could share a moment with one of them. Her affection for the three wastes of skin currently in a holding cell infuriated him and the thought that she might have more than that for either the pilot or the traitor was enough to make his blood boil. "Alone, but with a camera and recorder, so that I can be sure you're not plotting to attack the Order.
He watched as Rey's mind worked it over. The tension in the air palpable."Done."
"Anything else?"
"You will not attack the Resistance until Palpatine is dealt with. This is not negotiable."
Fuck! He hadn't actually been planning on it, with Palpatine being the far bigger threat, but this directly challenged his power as Supreme Leader, and therefore could not stand.
But, he wanted her by his side. She was his only equal in the entire galaxy, and he wanted her to remain so. She was too perfect to be a subordinate. That would mean yielding some power to her. He carefully considered his words. "I will not actively seek them out, but if they launch an attack we will defend ourselves to our fullest."
The walls Rey had built up in her mind were too high for him to penetrate but he could sense her hesitation, he could feel the turmoil in her Force as she considered his rebuttal. "Done. Last, I will not train in the Dark. I join you, as a Jedi, in defeating our common enemy."
This. He had expected this. She was stubborn, this scavenger, but she would understand soon enough. The very blood in her veins ached to be one with the Dark, it was only a matter of time. "If the Force wills it."
He watched as a shadow of doubt flitted across her lovely face - and Maker was she lovely - before she nodded.
He smirked again. "I have a few of my own. You will not try to escape or contact the Resistance for as long as I hold my end of the bargain. This arrangement becomes void the second the Emperor is dead but I am willing to renegotiate once Palpatine has deposed. Oh, and this," her saber flew to his left hand, "stays with me. For now." He held out his right hand expectantly.
Her glare could have melted durasteel. His smirk somehow grew wider, knowing he had tainted such a pure creature with malice. He could feel the tendrils of her Force lightly probing his for information. He cast his Force out to meet hers, feeling the hesitancy and doubt in her decision, her anger at confiscating her saber, but also the concern for her friends. He could hardly stand to say the word, knowing she had once chosen them over him. They were unworthy. They were nothing. She would see that in time.
Apparently she was satisfied with what she found as she placed her hand lightly in his. He felt a shock go through his body as they touched, and flickers of visions passed across his eyes, too quickly to process fully.
Them on the throne of the Sith;
them in the forest on Takodana;
them surrounded by the bodies of their enemies;
the two of them in an embrace as the galaxy burned;
them in an open meadow watching the sunset.
They were all glimpses of them. He opened his eyes to see her staring at him, her hand trembling in his, knowing she had seen it as well. He tightened his grip on her wrist, enjoying the feel of her shaking in his grasp. She was his now. Whether she knew it or not, whether she accepted it or not. With a practiced motion he settled the mask back across his face. He removed it for her and no one else. "Come."