These Violent Delights

Chapter 48: Fuck the Greater Good

Your eyes flew open as Kylo's voice rang in your ears.

With a surprised yelp tumbling through your lips, you shot up in bed and almost fucking died when you saw him standing across the room, casually leaning against the wall. The Supreme Leader. Here, in the bunker of his enemy's base, with the rest of the Resistance right outside your door.

You just stared at him, your mouth stupidly hanging open. You blinked once, twice, then multiple times, expecting his figure to disappear with the effort. But he didn't budge. If anything, his presence solidified before you when he smirked, his eyes gleaming wickedly as he returned your gaze.

"Please," Kylo mused, gesturing toward the bed. "Don't stop on my account."

"This isn't real," you whispered, unable to take your eyes off him. "This...this can't be real."

"Actually, it is," he said, pushing himself off the wall. He sauntered toward you, and you bolted out of bed, instinctively grabbing the first weapon you could find. You spun around and pointed Zeven's knife at him.

Kylo stopped in his tracks, hurt flashing across his face. "After all this time, you still think I would hurt you?"

"Yes. No. I don't know," you rambled, mind racing. You vehemently shook your head. "This...this isn't really you. This can't be you."

Kylo held up his hands and started to approach you again. "Kitten—"

"Stay back!" you panicked, thrusting a shaking hand in his direction.

He stopped, assessing you with those dark eyes as he pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. He said your name calmly, his low voice sending shivers down your spine. "Put the knife down. I am only here to talk to you."

"How? How are you here?" you asked, trembling as you kept the blade raised. "Did you track me from my dreamscape? Is the Order here, too? Did you already kill the others?"

"No, Kitten," Kylo said softly so as to not frighten you. "I'm not actually on your planet. Neither is the Order."

"Then...are you on Exegol? Is that how we are connected?"

"That's not it, either. This is a direct bond. This..." he trailed off, looking around the room as though he was now questioning how he was here. "This is something else."

"Well, what is it?" you asked, voice quavering. "What's going on?"

"There's a Force signature here. A strong one. That must be how I'm here in your physical space," Kylo muttered, more so to himself as he peered around the room. "I'm...I'm drawn to it. Unbelievably so."

You blinked, your hand faltering around the knife and dropping just a bit. "You mean, your mom's Force signature?"

"No. Not my mom's. It's something dark, something—" Abruptly stopping, Kylo pointed to your right. "It's that."

Head swimming with confusion, you turned to follow where he was motioning, brows knitting when you saw the only possible thing he could be talking about—the pendant Leia gave you. You looked at him, your tense posture loosening as your hand collapsed by your side. "My necklace?"

Kylo's entire body looked rigid, unmovable. "Yes. That's the crystal Luke tried to give me on Batuu," he said with a smothered temper, trying to hide his anger from you. But even with his efforts, you could tell that he was livid. "Which means I was right."

"About it having a Force thing attached to it, to mess with you or track you, or something like that? The thing they put in my head last time...?"

Unable to tear his eyes away from it, all Kylo did was give you a terse nod. Shifting your gaze between him and the necklace, you walked to the bedside table. You set down the knife—heat reaching your cheeks at your overreaction—and scooped up the pendant. The moment it hit your palm, you pulled in a sharp breath, your hand flying to your temple as your head began to pound. "Fuck."

Over the high-pitched whine in your ears, you heard Kylo demanding that you set it down. But you couldn't. Your mind felt like it was being torn apart, but all you could do was look at it, this thing that felt like it was a part of you now. Thump, thump, thump, your beating heart crashed against your sternum as the whine jumbled with low, muddled static in your eardrums, possessing you from the inside out, making you gasp for air and—

The pendant flew from your hand, crashing on the floor across from you and releasing you from the hold it had on you. "Fuck," you panted, stumbling forward to grip the table. "What was that?"

"Something far more dangerous than a beacon," you heard him mutter lividly. Swinging your heavy head toward him, you watched him transform into the Supreme Leader right before your eyes, pacing as he sprouted calculations about this unexpected revelation as though you weren't even there. "But a Force-destabilizer? No, no, it couldn't be. That wouldn't impact her. It would have to be something else malicious, something he forged from the power on Exegol."

"Um, Kylo? What's happening?"

He tightly turned to you, fuming. "Did Luke give that to you? Hm?" He tossed an acrid glance at the door. "Is he here?"

You flinched back, offended. "What? No. He's not."

"Don't lie to me, Kitten," he warned, glaring at you with his chin tipped down, the prominent ridge of his brow intensifying his dark gaze. "I will know if you're lying. I will know if—"

"Kylo, stop," you pleaded with a burst of footsteps toward him, putting your hands up in the slow-down motion. "I would never take anything from him, not after what he did to you. I only have it because Organa reminded me that it was mine when I was a kid, and before that, my mother's. Skywalker didn't give it to me—he isn't even here. I am telling the truth."

"But my mother is working with Skywalker, Kitten," he stressed, using his hands to speak. "Even if she gave it to you, it still came from him. They did something to it. It's full of powerful, dark energy designed to torment me. It's dangerous. You can't keep it. You have to—"

"I will give it back to her," you interrupted, trying to get ahead of his panicked down spiral. "I will destroy it if I can. I promise."

As he stared at your face, reading your authenticity, his expression softened minutely before training his eyes down your body, taking you in with a potent intensity. In the silence, you did the same, trying not to pay too close attention to his bare chest, littered with scars, or the way his sweatpants hung lowly along his waistline. Instead, you focused on his face. He looked exhausted, his cheekbones gaunt and void of color, while the dark bags encircling his eye sockets looked like bruises.

Bloodshot eyes snapped to yours. "Comfortable?"

You jolted back at the sudden coldness in his voice. "What?"

"That shirt," he seethed, stepping closer to you. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "Does Drox know that you're pleasuring yourself to me while you sleep in his shirt?"

You stepped back, your brows pulling together. "Uh..."


"Does he even know what happened between us, hm? Or did you just jump right back into his arms and pretend like we never met?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Don't play clueless," he warned, closing the space between you to tower over you, his fists balling by his sides. "There was someone next to you last night after you woke up, and now you're wearing a man's shirt. I know what's going on. I'm not fucking stupid."

You couldn't help it—you laughed in his face. "You think I fucked Drox?"

Glaring at you from the tip of his nose, his chest rose and fell with a swift, powerful effort. "Well?"

"I have no idea whose shirt this is. Stop being so dramatic," you said with an eye roll, looking down to tug on your oversized shirt. "I was given a bag of clothes when I got here. Everyone contributed."

"And last night?"

"Zeven," you said firmly, looking back up at him. "Look, I punched Drox in the face this morning. So I think it's safe to say I didn't sleep with him."

Kylo's eye twitched. "You punched him...in the face?

"Yes. I broke his nose." You shrugged one shoulder. "Blood was everywhere."

"Why?"

"He touched me," you said, wrapping your arms around your chest. "And said some not-very-nice-things."

Kylo became eerily still. "He touched you."

"Yes."

"Where did he touch you?"

You cocked your head to the side. "That vein on your forehead...looks like it's gonna burst."

"Where did he touch you?"

"Just my hair, for star's sake," you mumbled, giving him a dismissive flick of your hand as you turned to the bed. "It's fine. I handled it. He won't bother me again." You plopped down and eyed Kylo as he stayed in the center of your room. Other than letting out a deep sigh to release some of the tension in his shoulders, he remained unmoving as he watched you with a look that made butterflies swarm in your stomach. You wet your lips, having a hard time holding his gaze. "Kylo..."

He took a step closer to the bed. "Kitten?"

"I'm not going to pretend that I understand how you're here," you muttered, gesturing toward the crystal pendant on the floor. "But why are you here? What do you want from me?"

"I want to apologize."

Your mouth popped open. "What?"

"I want to apologize to you for all the things I have done. For hurting you. For diminishing your light."

"For diminishing my light?"

He nodded once, and you watched his face closely. He seemed authentic, and even though Kylo had been a giant pain in your ass since meeting him, he had never lied to you. You cleared your throat. "Thank you."

Outstretching his hand, he approached the bed. "Will you come back now?"

You jerked your head back. "I...it hasn't even been two weeks, Kylo. I need time. We need time...apart."

"No. We don't." As he loomed over the bed, he extended his hand farther, his bottom lip quivering. "I love you. You love me. I feel it. There is no reason to be apart. Take my hand," he pleaded, adding your name. "Just take it."

"Kylo..." You swallowed the lump in your throat, looking up at him as tears threatened to fall. "It's not that easy. It's—"

"No, no! You're still holding on! Let go!" he flared, swinging his hand with taut, precise movements for emphasis. "What else do you want from me? What else do I need to do to get you home? Tell me!"

Something inside of you snapped. You sprang off the bed and stood before him, planting your palms on his chest to shove him. "You wanna know what I want, Kylo? Huh?" You pushed him again, and he stumbled back, his mouth opening in surprise. "I want to go back to that night at Groman's Cantina and I want all of this to have never happened! So that I would see you here, in a Resistance bunker, and not hesitate to shove my blade through your kriffing heart!" you yelled, pushing him again, so his back collided with the wall behind him. "But nooo, instead, just fucking looking at you breaks my heart! It hurts me, Kylo. You hurt me. Because you're bad for me. You are a monster. But I can't help but fucking love you! And I—"

Firm hands grabbed your face, full lips clashed with yours. Your pulse quickened, your mind racing as he held your mouth to his. He had kissed you hundreds of times, but this felt different. Desperate, starved, primal, and deep down, you knew you shouldn't kiss him back. That your physical needs would cloud your judgment. But his lips were soft and warm, and he was cradling your face with an agonizing tenderness, and all you wanted right now, at this moment, was to get lost in his kiss. In his touch and body and the way he was pressing against you and making you feel something other than sadness. You melted against him and kissed him back.

Kylo acted quickly. Traveling his hands down your body, he stopped at your hips and bent down to hoist you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist and clung to him as he carried you across the room. He didn't break the kiss as he laid your back on the mattress. Hot, wet, passionate—the kiss consumed you, stoking the residual embers in your lower belly from earlier. You swung your hands around his neck and intertwined your fingers in his hair, twirling and tugging and playing with his locks as he groaned against your lips. You didn't dare pull away to speak, but you yelled at him from inside your mind to hurry.

Quickly pivoting to the side so that he was propped up on one elbow beside you, Kylo grabbed your shirt and pulled it up. The second he got it off, he buried his face in your neck and placed sloppy kisses along your skin, alternating with sucking and biting as his free hand traveled along your breasts. He palmed them one at a time, squeezing them and shaking them and massaging them before rough fingertips found your nipples and squeezed, eliciting the deep moan that spilled from your lips.

Kylo pulled away from your neck to tackle your mouth again. His lips feasted on yours like he was a starving man, unable to satiate himself with just a taste. Red hot passion coursed through your veins as his hand slid down your stomach and hovered above your sex. When you moaned, bucking into his hand, he finally broke the kiss, panting. "Open your legs for me."

You eagerly obliged, purring as he massaged you everywhere but where you needed it most. He teased the length of your slit with his index finger, grunting as he looked down the breadth of your body to watch what he was doing. You kept trying to lift your hips up to make him apply more pressure, but Kylo only let the tip of his finger in.

"Fuck, please," you whined, grabbing a fistful of his hair to pull on it.

With a grunt, Kylo sunk two fingers inside. You gasped as you arched your back, your hips rocking to the rhythm he set, already relentlessly pounding into you knuckles deep. His gaze remained fixated on his hand stuffed between your legs, working you with wet plunges. "Fuck. You're so wet for me."

"Yes, yes, yes," you whined, thrashing your head back and forth.

"Were you thinking about me as you played with this little pussy?" he rasped, pulling out to rub your clit. "Huh? Tell me what you were thinking about."

"I, I—" you tried to speak but couldn't. Kylo had you this close to coming already. You could only manage to lift your head and look down, watching the muscles ripple beneath his skin, ribbed with veins, as he stroked your clit with firm, precise circles. You cried out, swiping a leg out farther so that you were spread open for him as much as possible. Your breathing escalated, your lower body tensed. Your limbs began to twitch, and your hand shot out to grip Kylo's forearm, your nails digging into him as you whimpered and mewled.

Kylo leaned in to whisper in your ear, his fingers caressing against your wetness. "That's it, Kitten. Show me how you come for Daddy."

Your whole body went rigid. Your nipples hardened, the curve of your spine deepened, and for a moment, the only sound in the room was Kylo's guttural growl in your ear. So low and raspy and sinister, it set you over the edge, making you come so hard the lights dimmed in your room as you yelled. A small voice in the back of your head cautioned you for being too loud, but you were too enraptured by his touch to give a fuck.

The next few moments were just a blur. As soon as you went limp against him, he climbed on top of you and situated himself between your legs. You looked down to see Kylo tug down his pants and boxers to spring his cock free. With a hand curled around the top of your thigh, he pulled you closer, palmed his length, and sunk it into your pussy. You cried out in pain, in pleasure, and he grunted, pausing for the briefest of seconds before thrusting in and out at a pulverizing pace.

"Gods, I fucking missed this cunt," he breathed in your ear. "I've missed you."

I've missed you too, you thought, but when you tried to say it aloud, you sounded like you were being murdered...but enjoying it? Moaning wildly, you threaded your fingers in his hair and tugged on his scalp, directing his face to yours. Your lips locked with his as he dove into you harder to stuff you full of his cock, and time became incongruent. Kylo was ravaging into you like a beast, your bodies slamming together with a loud clap as they blended together, blurring the line where yours ended, and his began. When that familiar feeling started to build in your core, you had to break the kiss for air.

Kylo kept his face next to yours, clasped your hands in his, and pinned them above your head. He slowed his pace, sliding in and out of you with steady, slick thrusts. "You take this cock so well," he cooed, "isn't that right, my little slut?"

"Yes, Daddy," you moaned, arching up so your breasts smashed against his chest. Your wrists twitched in his grasp, and through your hazy gaze, you saw a wildness flash in his eyes.

Jaw tense, Kylo repositioned to secure your wrists with one hand, the other flying to your throat. Squeezing into your flesh, he held you still and peered right into your soul, increasing the voracity of his thrusts. His icy-cold tone flooded your skin with goosebumps. "When I tell you to, you're going to come again. Show me you understand, Kitten."

You nodded, unable to speak. All you could do was gasp for air as Kylo reamed into you. Your eyes closed, and your mouth hung open in a silent scream. You clenched around him as his cock seemed to grow firmer inside you, squeezing into your tight pussy and stretching you open. His hand remained unyielding around your throat, giving you just enough oxygen as the other abandoned your wrist to grab a fistful of your hair.

Kylo's lips fluttered together as he grunted, burying his face next to your ear. "Come for me."

The first wave of your orgasm hit you hard, spasming as the Force surrounded your clit, sucking and twirling while Kylo pounded you. Legs shaking, nails digging into his back, you clenched around him and cried out, coming on his cock even harder than the first time. Moments later, you felt him spill his cum inside you, twitching and throbbing as your walls still contracted around him.

"Fuck," Kylo hissed, dick pulsing as he heaved forward, giving you every last drop. With a deep sigh, he let go of your throat and slowly pulled out, sending a rush of warmth spilling out of your cunt and onto the sheets. Sweat beading on his forehead, he rolled off you and pulled you to his chest.

You leaned into him, your cheek resting on his rib cage as you traced your finger tenderly over one of his scars. Kylo lazily draped his arm around the smallest part of your waist, his heaving chest rocking your head up and down with each breath. As your post-orgasm daze brought on a wave of weightless bliss, every inch of your body hummed with pleasure, with contentment, and based on the energy emanating from Kylo, you knew he felt the same. But you knew that the glow would eventually subside, leaving nothing but the ugliness of the truth. You slammed your eyes shut, desperate to keep the feelings out just for a few more minutes, but your efforts proved futile.

Kylo's arm tightened around your waist. "What is it?"

"I want this," you whispered, fighting back tears. "I want you."

"Come back. Tell me where you are."

You steadied your breathing. "If I come back, will I be free?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation. He cleared his throat. "Yes."

You shakily pushed yourself off his chest. Grabbing the sheet, you pulled it up to cover your naked body, peering down at him with tears in your eyes. "Completely, entirely, I can do whatever-the-fuck-I-want free? "

Kylo's throat rippled as he swallowed. "Yes. We can...try that."

"What do you mean by try? Does that mean at any moment you could change your mind and lock me up again?"

"We don't have much time; the Force-bond is weakening. I feel it," he said urgently, sitting up to grab your arms. "Meet me on Coruscant at your happy place. Leave now. I will be there waiting for you, by the lake. We can talk—just us. Please."

You searched his face. A part of you wanted nothing more than to just jump back in his arms and stay there for the rest of your life. But your gut was telling you that Kylo just wanted to feed you what you wanted to hear, and you'd never forgive yourself if you fell for it and ended up a prisoner of war again. You leaned into him, choosing your words very carefully. "Kylo, please, listen to me. I do want this. More than anything, I just want things to be normal. With you, me, and Ani, but—"

Kylo jolted back, genuine surprise touching his features. "They didn't tell you."

You stiffly tipped your head to the side. "Tell me what?"

Your name sounded heavy as it fell from his mouth. "Ani is gone. Along with the Finalizer, and Hux, and everyone else that was on that ship."

"Gone? What? What do you mean? Where did they go?"

"The night of the celebration, the First Order sustained six separate attacks. The Finalizer was destroyed."

"Destroyed," you panicked, your voice cracking. "Destroyed by who? By what?"

"The Resistance, Kitten," he said with significance, watching your face with a penetrative gaze. "I thought they would have told you this."

"No, no," you shook your head, your hand flying to your chest. "No. They didn't tell me anything. They haven't said a word about it. This can't be true."

Kylo's lip twitched down. "I have no reason to lie to you about this."

His words punched you in the gut. You knew that he was telling you the truth—Ani was gone at the hands of the Resistance themselves. A small sob tore from your throat.

"I'm sorry," Kylo said with your name, placing a heavy hand on your knee. "I can get you another cat, just—"

You pushed yourself off the bed. "Why? Why did they do that?"

"This is war," he said with a sigh, slowly detangling himself from the sheets to swing his feet over the side of the bed. He followed you with tired eyes as you started to pace around the room. "And they are trying to win it."

"But Ani..."

"I know."

"Fuck Hux, but all those innocent workers? Custodial, medical, engineers..."

"I know."

"Seventy-five thousand people. All dead! For what? What did they gain from this? An upper hand, anything?"

When Kylo remained silent, you stopped pacing and looked right at him. "Well?"

"I'm not sure," is all he said, his mood suddenly shifting. His movements were slow and calculated as he grabbed his boxers and sweatpants and slid them on.

You knit your brows. "What do you mean you're not sure? You're the Supreme Leader! Will there be a counterattack? What's going on?"

"Unless you swear fealty to the Order..." Kylo started, a grim expression on his face, "that's still classified information, Kitten."

Your heart dropped. Reality came crashing down on top of you. The Resistance hadn't told you anything, and now, neither would Kylo. Why would they? You were just drifting aimlessly, desperately seeking a tether to hold on to. For a purpose. A home. As you staggered on your feet, Kylo crossed the room to hold you.

He started by saying your name. "Listen to me. Time is running out. I know that you know the Resistance isn't right for you, so why are you still there? Please, come back. Come home."

"I...I don't have a home," you whispered, desperately clutching onto him to stop yourself from collapsing. Your bleary eyes shot to his face as you stuttered over your words. "I don't know what to do, Kylo. I'm so lost, so afraid."

"Come to me. I will take care of you," he rasped, his form starting to lose shape in front of you. "Meet me at the lake. I will be waiting."

You tried to grip him, but his body began to feel less solid beneath your fingertips with each passing second. "Kylo, wait, I can't—"

Even as he began blurring into your surroundings, you could see a hardness settle into the lines of his face. "I am going to find you," he asserted, his low, dark voice sending chills up your spine. "And when I do, you'll know where your home is—with me."

As the last sharp edge of his promise cut into you, his figure dissipated entirely and slipped through your fingers like smoke. You crumpled to the ground, sobbing as you brought your knees to your chest and held them there in the fetal position. You knew he wasn't in the room anymore, but you could still feel him like he was right next to you. The hair on the back of your neck rose, and your whole body shook with chills as his voice reverberated through the room one last time.

"See you soon, Kitten."

Your cries came harder now. You were confused, and lost, and afraid, and that alone terrified you. You used to be so sure of yourself, but now doubt consumed you. You wanted Kylo, but you didn't want to be held captive again. You wanted to have a purpose, but you sure as hell wouldn't side with the Resistance or First Order. You had no idea what you wanted, except for Ani, to hold him while you fell asleep.

Ani is gone.

Pain shot through your heart. Guilt overcame you as your tears flowed until they ran dry, leaving nothing behind a residual numbness that made you feel exhausted and lethargic. You had to resist the urge to stay curled up on your floor, to lay here until Zeven would eventually find you. But even though you were confused and lost, your gut was telling you something you knew to be indisputable. And right now, that's all you had.

Forcing yourself off the floor, you threw on some clothes and fixed your face before grabbing the pendant by the chain. You tore through your door, attempting to keep your head high as you made your way to find the General. Eyes were on you the entire time—whether they heard you with Kylo earlier, or were just curious as to what you were doing, you didn't know or care. All you could focus on was what you had to do next, getting angrier and angrier as you made your way to the central cavern.

Once you arrived at the dark, musty room you were in earlier today, you saw General Organa speaking with your old comrade and her best pilot, Commander Poe Dameron. They were clearly discussing something important, judging by the way they were huddled together and whispering, but that didn't deter you. You stopped a few feet from their table and chucked the crystal pendant at the General's feet.

"How dare you?"

They both looked up at you, but you kept your eyes on Leia. She didn't look surprised. Keeping her voice calm and in control, she gestured to the seat next to her and pleasantly said your name. "Perfect timing. We were just discussing—"

"I knew you were shady, but manipulating me into taking my old necklace back just so it would lead Kylo directly to me? To drive him insane or make me go back to him and fix him or whatever deranged fucking reason of yours?" You spat out an angry scoff, hating how your hand shook as you pointed an accusing finger at her. "That's low, even for you, General."

Leia grimaced. "I was afraid this would happen," she muttered before glancing at Poe. "Leave us, Black Leader. Please."

With a nod and a shifty glance at you, Poe obeyed, leaving you alone with the General. She tried to approach you, but you stepped back, bringing her to a halt as she put her hands up in defense. She said your name. "Please, let me explain. I—"

"Oh, oh, now you want to explain?" you mocked, your brows raising as a contemptuous smile scorched your lips. You shook your head from side to side. "Nuh-uh. We're done here, General. I'm not waiting for your little friend to come give me the answers I deserve," you said, mimicking her from this morning. "Not when you lied to me about the pendant and failed to inform me that you just murdered an entire dreadnought of people. Again."

"Wait, wait," she pleaded, desperation crossing her face as she took a tiny step closer to you. "I didn't lie about the pendant, and—"

"Oh, lemme guess—you didn't lie about it, but you left out some very important facts about it, hm? Such as its ability to allow Kylo into my physical space? Huh, is that it? Real convenient if you ask me, seeing as how you're the one that forced us together in the first place."

Leia's slight shoulders rose with an inhale, her lips pressing into a hard line. "Look, I understand you're angry, but I have a very good reason for not divulging the whole truth to you." She pivoted to gesture behind her at the station. "Please, sit with me, and we can talk about it."

"No," you shot back, turning around. As you headed for the corridor, you called out over your shoulder. "I told you, we're done here. I'm getting my things, and then I'm—"

"Wait, please!" Organa yelled after you. "Luke Skywalker will be here any minute, just to see you!"

You stopped with your back to her, an array of emotions ripping through you. Shock, confusion, and a little bit of awe. But as you recalled what he did to Kylo and how you were only in this position because of him, you settled with anger. With tight movements, you turned to look at her and spoke with muted rage. "Since he failed with the pendant, he wants to put another beacon in my head, doesn't he? To help you with your little plan to bring me back to Kylo?"

"No. He's coming here to apologize to you." There was a significant pause as she struggled to bend down, picking up the pendant. It swung back and forth as she thrust it forward, holding it up for you to see. "To apologize for this."

"What is it?" You shifted your flinty glare between her and the crystal. "And don't give me a sob story about how it was my mothers."

"But it was your mother's," she said, urgently crossing the cavern to get to you. You stepped back as she approached. After what happened when you touched it, you didn't want to go anywhere near that thing. Lowering her eyes to roll the crystal between her fingers, Leia spoke with a soft, sad voice. "At least, she was wearing it when you were conceived."

You made an incredulous noise. "And how in the galaxy would you know that?"

"Because it's a kyber crystal," she continued, looking down at it as though she were in a trance. "A powerful one created by Emperor Palpatine many moons ago. Unlike the other one he designed to steal Force powers, this one acts as a vessel to grant them, just like it did to you when you were conceived." Finally, she set her big, brown eyes on you, her lips forming words that stole your breath away. "And that, my dear child, is why I'm giving this back to you. This crystal truly, unequivocally belongs to you. As does the power within it."

You blinked rapidly. Your whole body buzzed with shock, with denial; even though something deep, deep inside of you accepted her words without hesitation, you still resisted, swaying your head from side to side. "No," came your hoarse whisper. You tried again. "No. I don't have powers, I don't...I don't have anything."

She nodded, tears filling her eyes. "You're right, you don't. But you used to when you were a little girl. And when Ben came right to you in a room full of children, he was too young to understand, but the darkness within you...it's why you two gravitate toward each other, why the connection between you two is undeniable, cosmic. And that's why, after all these years, I made it my last mission to bring you back together."

You remained frozen, trembling and barely breathing as you just looked at her, trying to digest what she was saying. "I..." You had to stop, swallowing the lump in your throat. "What happened?"

Shame settled into the deep lines of her face. "Luke heard about Ben's attachment to you at the orphanage and wanted to see it for himself. When he found you, he knew right away that something was wrong. He sensed Palpatine's power in the necklace, in you, and the visions he saw upon looking in your head drove him to do the unspeakable. He stole the Force from you and transferred it back into this," she said, extending the pendant between your bodies. "And now, all you have to do is put it on, and your Force abilities will be restored."

You flinched back as she tried to hand it to you, recoiling as though she and the crystal were poisonous. "This...this can't be real," you said, gulping as you began to retreat. "You're lying."

Something in her face snapped. It came over her faster than a tidal wave, her eyes gleaming with a crazed passion as she frantically grabbed your hand, trying to stop you from leaving. "Wait, wait, please, you must take it, you must wear it! Luke was wrong. He was afraid you two would bring destruction to the galaxy, but he was wrong!" she raved, her grip on your wrist becoming painful. "Together, you will bring balance to the galaxy, to the Force! This will change everything! It will fix everything!"

You didn't allow yourself to believe a word she was saying. You stumbled back as you ripped away from her, whispering, "I want nothing to do with this."

"No, no, no," she pleaded, adding your name with desperation. You heard her chase after you as you spun around, hastening down the corridor. "Please, think about the greater good! Luke will—"

"Fuck the greater good," you spat, spinning around to look at Leia one last time. "And fuck Luke Skywalker."

Without looking back, you left General Organa and the Resistance behind, once and for all.