"I've earned it. His trust." I blurt, not two footsteps out of the elevator and into the little room. I'm too energized to mind that I'd given up any element of surprise by my immediate outburst, and so I am expectedly met by three blank stares.

"Are you sure you didn't already have it?" Marco responds after a beat of silence, eyebrows raised.

"I assure you I didn't." I cross my arms, thinking of the harsh words and insults Kylo and I had been throwing at each other only days ago.

But then I am thinking of him, and I can feel my face burning.

Marco doesn't quite answer me, instead typing at the holo in front of him rather vigorously. I scan over the room, catching Everett's polite smile and stopping on Avalon's scalding gaze.

In that moment, I am terrified that she can see right through me. Luckily enough, we are interrupted by a new voice which jolts me with surprise. I turn back to the holo, faintly grinning.

"Leia?" I step closer to the projection of the general of the Resistance, warmth filling my chest.

"I'm happy to see you, dear." She mirrors my elated face. Her eyes are tired, hair uncommonly loose, and I realize with a jolt just how miserable she must be at this trying time, suffering the loss of her husband- and at the hand of her only son.

She musters a sigh.

"While the eradication of StarKiller Base was a major victory for all of us, it doesn't erase what the First Order had come to know before the attack." She swallows, glancing down and back up again, determined. "They know our position, or system. And they are angry. It's only a matter of time before they strike." She continues.

It's been closer to three weeks since the night I'd stumbled through the snow to find Kylo's bleeding body, and heckled by Hux's sneers and eventual assault. So much had happened in that time that it felt as if it had occurred months ago, and I feel years older.

"We are preparing to abandon our base in the Illenium System. We are working as fast as we can, and we know that we're running out of time, but if any of the four of you could gather crucial intel as to when and what to be ready for, that would help us immensely." She finishes, glancing at all of our faces to register some kind of reaction, and I notice her thumbs fidgeting nervously over her clasped hands.

"We're on it, general." Marco affirms, nodding his head once.

"That's what I like to hear." She grins, winking at me. "Before we disconnect, could I have a word with Lyra? Alone?" She asks, and without saying anything the other three clear out of the room, squeezing into the elevator and shutting the door without pressing the 'up' button.

"I know it's been hard, but I can't tell you how overjoyed I am that you're still fighting, and on our side." There is real love in her tired eyes, and an uncommon feeling of belonging threatens to squeeze the breath out of me. I long to hug her, just for a moment, to feel the only motherly embrace I had ever come to know- but seeing her here, even as a flickering projection, is more than enough, I remind myself.

"I promised you, as soon as I regained strength, I would be here." I say, hoping desperately that she had never doubted my loyalty, even for a second.

"I always knew I could count on you." She divulges, immediately chasing away any doubt I'd been feeling.

"How is he?" Leia queries then, her voice notably quiet. She has expertly masked most of her feelings with her practiced politician's mask, but I still pick up on the glint of pain in her dark eyes, ones that are so strikingly similar to her son's.

"He's torn up over what he's done. I can feel it. But there's still hope in him, Leia. I felt that too." I condense it all into a few short sentences, nerves sparking in my stomach at how she'll take the information.

I can see it in her face that she doesn't entirely believe me.

"Thank you, Lyra. I need to go now, to oversee more transitional planning." She says quickly, disappearing before I can get a word in edgewise. Surprised at the sudden disconnection, I stare at the empty wall with my lips slightly parted for several seconds before my companions reenter the room.

"We discussed a few plans of action while we were waiting. I can run them by you, of course." Marco states, walking to the other side of the table and taking the holo in his hands.

"Please do." I push.

"There is an annual gala, at the end of the week, for First Order higher-ups and such. It'll be grim this year, after the big defeat at the Starkiller." Marco smirks to himself, meeting my eyes. " We want you to go with Kylo Ren. You could gather more intel than the three of us ever have in our time here combined." He elaborates.

"So I have to get him to ask me, like we're twelve years old." I supplement, feeling the urge to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

"Yes." He replies soberly. I raise my eyebrows, studying his soft face for a moment before coming to a decision.

"Fine." I grunt.

-

An hour after the briefing session, I'm perched at the edge of Kylo's bed, my eyes following him as he paces across the room.

"The Supreme Leader has barely said anything about that scavenger girl defeating me on the base and it's been three. Damned. Weeks." He rambles nervously, aggressively raking his curls back in a way that has to hurt.

I truly hate seeing him like this.

"Come here. Please?" I sigh, scooting over to make room for him and reaching my arm out expectantly. He freezes, eyes calculating the gesture before giving in after a beat of silence.

He removes his gloves and takes my hand, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it before slumping down, the mattress dipping beside me.

"I heard.. there's a gala you're invited to, in a few days." I start, hoping the change of subject will dull his anxieties, if only for a few moments. His eyebrows crash down over his dark eyes as he turns to look at me.

"How did you hear about that?" His lips twist, confusion clouding his features.

"I have a friends here other than you, you know." I tease, trying to contain a small smile in vain.

"So I'm just your 'friend?'" He snaps, his jaw pulsating irritably. My face grows warm as I pick up on the incredulity laced in his words, knowing that somehow this is all once again real, and he is there before me, wanting to be with me.

I try to ignore the shred of guilt these fond thoughts elicit.

"Stop trying to change the subject." At this, he turns away, clearly annoyed, and I have to fight back a giggle.

After a beat of silence, I reach out and begin to stroke his soft curls, my faint breath tickling my parted lips as I place my sole focus on admiring his side profile. The mended gash on his face has been reduced to a think bandage, a harsh streak on ivory skin. The purple beneath his eyes has grown more prominent, alluding to countless sleepless nights. The freckles I seem to have grown a slight obsession with are fewer than when he had been a teenager, but always just as prominent as stars in the night sky. His jawline is simultaneously soft and strong, like that of a prince's in a fairytale.

He closes his eyes and leans into my hand as I continue to play with his long curls, a low, satisfied hum that emanates from his throat sending shivers down my spine.

Had the air grown heavier?

"So, this gala. Are you allowed a plus one?" I break the silence, returning to the subject that had been the sole reasoning for my visit in the first place.

While the idea of attending the Commander's Gala had been rooted in gaining intel for the Resistance, I couldn't help but be a little excited at the prospect of something fun happening here, of all bloody places.

"I never go to those stupid galas. They're a pompous waste of time, and I hate talking to that many people in one night. In one week for that matter." Kylo grumbles, scowling at the pristine floor tiles.

I brush back his hair and press a lingering kiss to his temple, waiting for his gaze to flicker to my own. My tongue darts over my lower lip and I soften my sage eyes, trying to do my best impression of my late father's old dog, Wolf, begging for one more scrap of dinner.

His thumb brushes over my cheek, and I lean closer, resting my forehead on his. He searches my face, lips twitching. Finally, he stifles a sigh, pulling away and dropping his hand in defeat.

"I suppose... I could make an appearance. For you. A half an hour at most. And not a minute longer." He relents, and I can feel my grin stretching from ear to ear.

I throw my arms around his side and he awkwardly tenses for a second before melting into the embrace. He kisses the top of my head and I feel my heart flutter, his own thumping quickly through our connection in the back of my mind.

"Thank you, my love." I whisper.

If only we knew what we were getting ourselves into.

-

ugh they're my faves

i hope u liked this chapter!! let me know what u think!! don't forget to vote, comment, and share!

(also THANK U FOR GETTING THIS STORY AND COVET AS #1 IN ADAM DRIVER AND #1 IN KYLO REN IK IT WON'T LAST BUT IT MEANS THE WORLD THAT IT MADE IT THERE FOR A LIL WHILE SO THANK U)

-kait