Hunted

XX. The Goodbye

"Please Kylo," she begged, "Please get me out of this place. I don't want to be in here. It's not good for the baby."

He swallowed, bracing himself for what he had to tell her now, but his mouth felt dry and the words too difficult to form.

Trying his best to ignore Phasma behind him and Serela's obvious heartbreak, he struggled to find the cold, impassive voice he had used everyday before he had met her. This was not a time he wanted to be aloof, but Snoke's words resounded in the corners of his heart as a warning.

She must convert or die.

Make sure you're convincing.

Looking down into her innocent eyes it was almost laughable to think that he could have ever converted her to the Dark side. Even here, in the Darkness of this ship of the First Order, he could feel the slight tugging of the Light at the door to his heart, beckoning him back to it if only he would come. Although he had rare instances of temptation by the Light before Serela, he realised that he had never been so tempted before her. There had always been something else, a wall there in his heart that he had long since crossed over but from time to he would climb back up to the top and look back at where he had come from, a part of him longing wistfully for the days on the other side.

Kylo shook his head, Snoke was right, he had been compromised. Now for the first time, he could actually feel his anger rising again, as it always had before her, but now he felt it brimming to the edge, directed at her and threatening to burst out of him involuntarily. It was so easy here to feel himself make the change back from Light to Dark. Even now in spite of her presence he could feel the hatred and anger burrowing away into his flesh to settle inside his heart, taking up residence as it tried to push out the Light that always crept in when he was with her.

The person you were on Takodana was another man's life, the Dark side seemed to scold him, anyone could pretend to be of the Light for a time, but now your true colors will shine through. She will see you here, in your element, a force to be reckoned with, and she will witness your power and authority, succumbing to it or serving her purpose and die.

The venomous turn his thoughts had taken alarmed him and he almost stumbled back, holding onto her hand for balance as she gazed up expectantly, waiting and hoping that he was here to set her free.

"I can't," he breathed, trying to hold himself back from reverting into the monster he had found himself becoming again even in her presence.

"What's happening Kylo, why am I here? What do they want with the baby?"

He steeled himself to answer her questions, all the while aware of Phasma's listening ears which connected to her running mouth, most likely running all the way back to Hux and Snoke.

"Our baby will be the product of half Light, half Dark. Unusually powerful even from a young age. His name will be Darth Renor, and he will grow to be a powerful Sith Lord for the First Order."

Her dim eyes looked at him in horror, "We were going to name him Han, for your father," she whispered.

Alarmed that Phasma had overheard this, he tried to cover up the truth in her words with a lie.

"That was never the plan. Han Solo was a traitor and a smuggler, and I killed him weeks ago before I came to you and learned of the child."

Serela's mouth was agape, "You killed your own father? Our child's grandfather?" she asked horrified.

The more he allowed the words of the Dark side to flow through him now, the easier they came.

"Yes."