Chapter Text

A Galaxy is Not Enough

Chapter 1

The Arrangement

The hall of the Ya’asidh temple on Ya’as, which they’d chosen for the meeting and for the ceremony to follow was not grand, though it was beautiful. Ornately carved wooden buttresses held Rey’s full attention when they’d marched their small contingency inside nearly an hour ago. But she didn’t have long to admire the architect’s work before the dark forces of the First Order made their appearance.

Though unarmed they still presented a formidable front, countless officers dressed in black, dark grey and navy, and stormtroopers in their stark white armor. It was all a display of power really, a way to emphasize the dire straights in which the Resistance was now to be found.

Rey’s eyes search the crowd of officers for the man she’s heard so much about. The one she’s never met, but who now holds her life and the life of her friends in his hands. As if on cue, the perfectly formed ranks of soldiers suddenly parted and a tall, thin man in white strides out to face General Leia Organa. It could only be the Grand Marshal. Armitage Hux. The once General and now right-hand man of the new Empire.

The one who killed Ben, Rey thinks, heart stuttering.

——

Armitage Hux dispensed with the pleasantries, they already know each other so there’s no need for introductions, and no it isn’t nice to see each other so, he won’t deign to fake cordiality. He purses his lips, eyes scrutinizing everything before him. He accounts for the pilot, the one he’d like to have executed as a public spectacle and then there’s the traitor, who he’d like to use as an example for his troops. All of them so fearful, he almost smiles.

Good. They ought to be afraid. He is a force to be reckoned with and underestimating him is foolishness.

Well, this is all foolishness really. Why the Emperor believes this to be a good plan, he can only guess. Hux wanted to bomb them, let them think they had come to an agreement and then let them all die in an explosion of fire. Who cares how many lost their lives, or the fact that they’d chosen a meeting place on sacred ground? But the Emperor has other designs, ones Hux was instrumental in fulfilling. Though he doubted the Resistance, let alone some desert rat Jedi girl would agree to follow the terms of their surrender. He wouldn’t, if he were in their place, he would go down fighting.

No, you wouldn’t, he thinks sourly. No, he didn’t go down fighting, not like Ren. He had the chance to challenge the Emperor back then, and he hadn’t. Instead, he’d bent the knee and given control of his beloved galaxy over to a new master. Too much pride, and yet not enough pride, he surmised. Or, not enough conviction. Or perhaps he just really was as useless and weak-willed as his father always believed.

Self-preservation, yes, he’d label it as such. He knew when he was beaten. And Armitage Hux was nothing if not a patient man. He’d waited out his father after all, hadn’t he?

And here is a chance to prove his loyalties, show the Emperor he could be shrewd and command respect. That he’s an asset to the new regime. 

It’s at that moment he spots the girl. Rey. She’s dressed in tattered clothing and wraps, all cream colored, nearly white like his dress uniform. He notes with interest that she doesn’t have her lightsaber clipped to her belt. So, she’d followed the request for an unarmed meeting. Not that she would need a lightsaber to fight anyway.

At least with the lightsaber, she might look more the part of a Jedi. He nearly chuckles to himself. All her wraps and coverings look silly. Like she’d tried to dress in her best clothes and had nothing but rags. And even the ridiculous fabric doesn’t hide the fact that she is far too thin, perhaps a few months of nutritious meals will have her looking less the part of a scavenger.

Still, she looks far too young, he frowns. Far too young for you. She’s in her twenties, he knows that, but he feels somewhat put out by the thought that she’ll be bound to someone who was a teen when she was born. A muscle in his jaw ticks as takes in her features, not displeasing by any means, though she could use some new clothing and perhaps a day at the spa. He’ll see to it that she receives that tonight. As well as a decent meal. He can’t have anyone saying he isn’t generous.

Though he’s still unsure if any amount of luxurious lifestyle would completely erase the unrefined behavioral tendencies of a desert rat.

——

Rey freezes when the Grand Marshal’s gaze lands on her. She meets his eyes fiercely. She won’t back down or be cowed into fear simply because he could have them all killed. If he chooses for things to go that way, at least—at least she can take him out before she dies. He frowns at her, obviously not liking what he sees before him.

How disappointing for him, she thinks, almost rolling her eyes.

His eyes rove, giving her an appraising look over. Cold and assessing, they snap back to General Organa.

“This is her?” He asks harshly. “the last Jedi?” His tone is mocking, but his cultivated accent is regal as if he was raised in a noble house on some other planet and not Arkanis. Rey notes that he’s actually somewhat attractive, or at least would be if he didn’t have a permanent scowl etched onto his pale face. All of his features are pleasing by themselves, and in other circumstances, she might appreciate those thick lips. Stars, even his hair is beautiful, a bright blood-orange that would be stunning if it wasn’t plastered to his head with far too much pomade.

Leia nods uncomfortably, eyes darting between Rey and the Grand Marshal in silent apology for his tone. “We would like to review the terms you’ve set again before the ceremony takes place.”

“Do you really think you’re in a position to bargain?” He asks, smirking. That damned smirk makes Rey want to wipe the floor with his face.

“We still have allies—“ Leia begins.

“You don’t even have a cent to your name,” he replies, voice menacing. “You might have some residual income from Naboo, but it wouldn’t be enough to change the terms of our agreement. Of the Emperor’s agreement.”

They know it’s true, what is left of the Resistance is small with barely any funding, let alone allies that might support them. In the past four years, the First Order has only grown in strength, while the Resistance has dwindled. That’s why they had to make this stupid bargain in the first place.

Albeit, if Grand Marshal Armitage Hux hadn’t been the first to agree to this particular term, they would all be dead. Her, Finn, Poe, Leia, Connix, Rose, and the small Resistance contingency that had survived the battle of Crait and the subsequent battles on Kayt’olis, Aldavi, and a plethora of other outer rim planets. 

In the year following the devastating battle on Crait, the Resistance had become weak. In hiding, with barely fifty members and no supporters outside their own fleet. Leia had sent out some of the pilots, Jessika Pava for one to garner support, but they returned with nothing to show for their efforts.  And with Kylo Ren hailing as the new Supreme Leader the First Order had become something else entirely, more than a regime. It had become a poison, seeping into the galaxy and leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

But then Kylo Ren. . .Ben. . .  Rey’s heart starts to pound wildly in her chest again. Here she is anxious over Ben when she’s about to give herself over to the First Order, to the Grand Marshal, for whatever perverse designs he might have for her. She licks her lips. It doesn’t matter, she’ll do it. But she’s going to make that arrogant ginger man pay for what he did to Ben.

It had been the singularly most painful event of Rey’s life, the day she’d felt the Force bond break. It was there one moment, and then suddenly it wasn’t. A sharp and blazing agony, followed by an endless emptiness. She was alone. And just like her Force bond, her heart had also shattered.

She realizes suddenly that Leia and the Grand Marshal have been speaking all this time and her thoughts have drifted away. Focusing back on their conversation, she hears Leia reply with clipped frustration.

——

“Don’t think you can scare me, General,” Leia replies tightly.

“Grand Marshal,” Hux interjects. Of course she’d pretend to forget his hard-earned title.

Leia Organa rolls her eyes and sniffs proudly, “I know how important she is to the First Order.—“

Hux struggles to maintain his composure, “Important if you’d like for all your people to stay alive. We can negate this contract right now, and it will only be a matter of time before my troops reign down fire upon you!”

His face is burning red with anger and his voice nearly hoarse, he hasn’t made a speech in over a week, and his voice was only just beginning to return to normal.

“I won’t hesitate to—“ He barks.

“Excuse me,” a voice breaks in, cutting him off.

“What?!” He snaps, looking from General Organa to the source of the voice.

It’s the girl. The Jedi girl. She’s stepped out of the row of Resistance members to stand next to General Organa.

Hux swallows, trying to let his temper settle. The girl blinks up at him, large hazel eyes that make him feel slightly uneasy.

“I already told the General that I’ve accepted the terms,” she says quietly, meeting Hux’s gaze with a burning determination.

“And you—you understand, the -ummm the terms?” Hux asks sharply, annoyed at the heat that rises in his cheeks. She’s caught him off guard, and he suddenly can’t find the right words.

The girl nods, pressing her lips together in a firm line before she answers, “I do.”

The Grand Marshal relaxes if only a little, “I—I good. Then, shall we proceed?”

She continues to look up at him with her wide dark eyes, and he feels unexpectedly self-conscious. Like she’s probing his mind, even though he knows she can’t, his mental defenses are too strong. Years of living under the power of Force Users have made him a cautious man.

“The ceremony, then?” General Organa interjects, protectively pulling the girl beside her tightly.

He’d expected them to balk, to change their minds and argue, to fight him for this. And they had. At least the General had. But he’d never expected the girl to be willing, truly willing to go along with this term. Or perhaps she was up to something. He’d have to remain cautious then.

“We’ll return to our prospective camps,” He says finally, giving the girl one more burning look. “The ceremony will be held tomorrow morning." 

With that, the Grand Marshal turns abruptly, leaving Rey and Leia to stare after him. Rey barely hears what he says over his shoulder as he departs. "After all, it isn’t good luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.”

Chapter Text

A Galaxy is Not Enough 

Chapter 2: Betrothal Gifts

Then.

“I have absolutely no interest in marrying some girl, some—some scavenger,” Armitage Hux growls angrily, eyes darting from the Emperor’s red guard back to the black-clad figure that now sits upon Snoke’s —no, Ren’s— throne.

Even just the idea is disgusting, some filthy girl from some backwater, good for nothing planet—Hux certainly deserves better. Not that he wants a wife or—or needs one.

A cold laugh echoes throughout the throne room, making the hairs on the back of Hux’s neck stand on end.

“Of course, you don’t,” The Emperor rasps, voice strange and crackling through the modulator helmet that the new ruler always wears. “But she is instrumental to my plans. And I cannot have her unless she is willing. And she must be willing.”

Hux swallows, throat tight and face oddly hot at the words the Emperor says, “willing?” His voice sounds strange and foreign to him. “Why willing?”

He can’t tell if the Emperor is smiling behind the mask, but he feels a charge in the air, either he’s upset the Emperor, or he’s pleased him. He’s not certain.

“Because, if she is willing, I can mold her,” the Emperor rasps. “Unwilling, she will always be fighting us.”

There is no us—Hux almost allows himself to think—before he changes his mind. Hux won’t give himself up that quickly, won’t let the Emperor know how much he is disgusted by this new regime.

“And how do I—I?” He pauses, focused again, and suddenly thoughtful. “How do I make her willing?”

The Emperor rises slowly, moving from the roughly carved onyx throne to stand before the Grand Marshal on the high dais.

“How does any great conqueror win the hearts of the conquered people?” The Emperor asks with mild humor.

Hux purses his lips and waits.

“By wooing,” the Emperor says.

For some reason, the thought is electrifying, but in a terrible way. A sort of shock radiates through his entire body at the word.

“So, woo her,” the Emperor commands.

———

Now.

It is late in the evening when the envoy arrives at the Resistance camp, led by masked Knight riding a speeder bike and flanked by a dozen armed stormtroopers.

"I come with a gift," the Knight says by way of introduction, climbing off the speeder bike and indicating several large sealed crates carried by their entourage. "For the Grand Marshal's future wife."

The word wife makes Rey wrinkle her nose momentarily. What kind of insulting things has the Grand Marshal sent her to ready her for their wedding night? She almost fears to look in the crates, expecting a grotesque spectacle, something vulgar that would add insult to the obvious injury of having had to make this agreement in the first place. But General Organa requires the crates inspected before they can be presented to Rey.

After the crates have been properly looked over, Leia herself glances at the contents, shaking her head she motions for Rey to come over and observe them herself. Rey swears she hears the General mutter something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like 'men.'

To Rey's surprise, the crates are filled with food. Real food not just ration bars, like they'd been fed for the past few years. Real, whole, fresh food. Fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses, and bread. There’s even a crate full of wine and teas. Rey works hard to keep her face impassive, but her traitorous stomach gives her away by growling loudly.

The tall Knight covered in a chrome and black mask doesn't betray anything as she cocks her head at Rey.

"Will you accept the gift?" The Knight asks, her voice tinged with something like amusement, discernible even through the modulator on her helmet. 

Rey looks from the Knight to the gathered group of Resistance soldiers and then to Leia. Leia's mouth is a hard line, but she gives Rey a nod, as if to say, it's up to you.

It only takes her a moment, as she decides, because if it is poisoned then perhaps this death would be better than going to the Grand Marshal's bed. Better than whatever he might expect of her there. And besides, she'd get to be with Ben again. Her heart lurches in her chest.

"Yes," she replies hastily, looking back to the Knight and nodding. "I will accept the gift."

"Good," the Knight says. "Since you have accepted this gift, the Grand Marshal has something else for you."

The Knight is formidable in her black durasteel armor as she comes to stand before Rey holding a small box wrapped in brown paper. She presents the gift to Rey, bowing her helmeted head slightly as she does.

"What is it?" Rey asks, not daring to reach out and take the box.

"Open it," the Knight says, holding it out to her. Rey hesitates for a moment before she finally takes the box from the Knight's gloved hand.

She carefully unwraps the package, painfully aware that all the eyes of the camp are on her now. The paper falls away, and she finds herself holding a red wooden box with a small clasp. She holds it gently with one hand, and with the other, she pries it open.

Inside sits a small band of some foreign metal, a ring. Confusion floods through her at the sight of it, a band the color of Jakku sand, but it shines, glimmering in the light. Atop the band sits a large orange-gold crystal beset on either side by two moonstone blue gems. Looking at the ring reminds her instantly of home, Jakku, with it's one large sun and two beautiful moons. It's almost as if the band was designed with that in mind. It's stunningly beautiful and obviously more expensive than anything Rey has ever owned.

Why this is worth more than five years portions, she's sure.

"Please try it on," the Knight says.

She lifts the ring out of the box, momentarily forgetting who sent her the gift, and glides it over her finger, it's slightly too big, and she frowns.

"It belongs on this finger," the Knight says patiently, pointing at the second to last finger on her left hand.

"Oh—" Rey whispers, feeling foolish. She tugs the ring off her pinky finger and slides it onto her other finger, flushing in embarrassment.

It fits perfectly. And she feels slightly compelled to hold her hand out in front of her to admire it. It's jewelry. Real jewelry. She's never owned a piece so lovely. But then she remembers who sent it and suddenly it feels more like a symbol of her captivity than a loving gift bestowed upon a blushing bride. She frowns.

"He wants me to have this?"

"He's quite generous," the Knight says matter-a-factly. "One of his better attributes to be sure." There's a hint of humor behind the mask again. Rey takes the ring off quickly, plopping it back into the box before she can even think of pawning it for rations, or allies, or even worse, using it to barter for bounty hunters.

There's an awkward moment of silence, following a nod from the Knight, "Please bring the ring to the ceremony tomorrow, it's only the engagement band. The Grand Marshal has something else, more extravagant planned for your wedding band."

More extravagant? Rey narrows her eyes; she can't be bought with expensive gifts. She won't be some—some kept woman.

"Shall I give him a message from you?" The Knight asks. "As we must take our leave shortly."

What words could she send the Grand Marshal? A thank you? How could she thank him for this awful choice she had to make? Perhaps she could thank him for bringing her to him, for making it easy for her. She'll be sleeping in his rooms, in his bed. And soon she'll be able to kill him. So yes, she supposes, a thank you is in order. Not for the food and not for the ring, but certainly for the chance to avenge Ben Solo.

"Yes," Rey replies slowly, trying to choose her words carefully. "Please thank the Grand Marshal for providing me with this opportunity."

The Knight nods, "Till tomorrow, Lady Rey." The stormtroopers and Knight leave the opened crates and mount their speeders.

"Wait," Rey says suddenly. "What are you called?"

The Knight glances up from her seat on her speeder bike, "Veserra Ren."

"Thank you," Rey whispers as the Knight, and her company departs, dust kicking up as their bikes glide over rough grass of the planet's surface. These gifts, and this Knight, if anything, the Grand Marshal has definitely begun to pique her interest.

Leia comes to stand next to Rey as they watch the troopers set off. She lays a gentle hand on Rey's shoulder.

"Well, this seems to be the start of something," Leia says with a laugh.

"Of what?"

"Something good, I hope," Leia replies. "May I see the ring?"

Rey nods and absently hands the box to Leia, who lifts the lid and peers inside. She studies the ring for a moment before passing it back to Rey.

"What do you think?" Rey asks anxiously.

Leia gives her a warm smile, "Well, I wouldn't be quick to judge a man. Maybe in my youth, but I've learned since then. It's a good sign that he's putting in such effort. Just be wary. As I know, you will."

Rey lets out a sigh.

"And that ring," Leia pauses. "That ring is stunning. He had to have help picking something like that out. From the looks of it, he's done his homework on you. He’s a smart man. But just remember what I told you, dear."

"I will," Rey replies. The speeder bikes are entirely out of view now, but Rey still stares after them. "And when I have the chance, I'll avenge Ben."

Leia bows her head, her arm draping over Rey's shoulder to pull her close, "I'm not sure that's what Ben would’ve wanted."

Eyes glistening with unshed tears, Rey turns to look into the kind eyes of Leia Organa, the woman she wishes had been her mother.

"I have to do something."

"I know," Leia replies, placing a soft kiss on the crown of Rey's head. "But you need to find out what happened first, we're not even certain it was the Grand Marshal who killed him."

Rey leans into Leia's embrace but purses her lips. "I know it was him."

"Just promise me something."

"What?"

"Promise me you'll think first and find out what you can before you act."

"I'll try," Rey says. "But if I have an opportunity, you know I'll take it."

"I know," Leia replies, tiredly. “I couldn’t talk any sense into Ben. It shouldn’t surprise me that you’re the same way.”

“I miss him so much,” Rey says through the lump in her throat.

“Me too.”

That night, the Resistance camp feasts like they haven't eaten in years.

Chapter Text

A GALAXY IS NOT ENOUGH

CHAPTER 3

The Ceremony

The next morning comes too early, and Rey is awakened by another arrival of Stormtroopers, this time accompanied by First Order beauticians. Apparently, they were to ready her for the ceremony today. They don’t speak but to give short orders to move or turn for their inspection.

Once they’ve looked her over, and quietly murmured amongst themselves, they bring out canisters of heated water and Rey is washed and cleaned and scrubbed till her skin is pink and raw. Then thick hot wax is spread over her legs and arms and between her legs, followed by strips of gauze. Rey yelps in surprise and pain as the beauticians, four somber looking women all with hair in buns and crisp uniforms, rip the gauze strips off her legs.

After they finish with her legs and armpits, her hair is brushed and oiled, it’s grown long over the years, falling just around her breasts. She sits patiently while they style her hair combing through it and tugging it and then heating it with some instrument till it falls in loose curls around her face. Then they begin to paint her face with all sorts of sticky things, and she shifts uncomfortably. 

She’s itching to move and hopes they’re nearly finished when Kaydel Ko Connix and Rose Tico poke their heads around the bustling group of First Order officers.

“You okay Rey?” Rose asks shyly, from behind a First Order officer. “Oh, woah! What did they do to you?? You look like an angel!”

One of the officers gives Rose a glare and snaps, “we made her look presentable. The rest of you Resistance scum could use a lesson in personal hygiene.”

Kaydel stifles a snort and meets Rose’s shocked face with an eye roll, “And you First Order stiffs could use a little lightening up.”

“But in all seriousness,” Kaydel says, turning back to Rey. “Rose is right. You look amazing. And your hair, I mean, why don’t you wear it down all the time?”

Rey tries to reply but is swiftly cut off by an officer dabbing something sticky and sweet over her lips.

“Do you know how long after the ceremony before we can see you again?” Rose asks, worried. “Or is he whisking you away to your honeymoon right away? Is he going to try and lock you in a tower, so we never get to see you again?”

The officers exchange looks but don’t say anything, though they move away from Rey a bit to allow her to speak.

“I don’t know,” Rey stammers, she hadn’t even thought of that. Well, she had. But she hadn’t wanted to dwell on it really. Because this was it. She was going to kill Grand Marshal Hux, she was going to avenge Ben Solo and then she would face whatever consequences came from that. She hadn’t thought about seeing her friends again. And that thought made her ache, even though they were standing in the same room with her.

“Can you ask him?” Kaydel says gently. “Tonight? See if he’s open to us visiting you or something?”

“I’m not going to ask,” Rey replies confidently. “I’m going to tell him.”

One of the officers snorts and shakes her head.

“Can I help you?” Kaydel asks in annoyance, cocking her head at the officer.

The officer gives her a smirk and replies, “I’m sure that will go over well.”

“Anyway,” Rose breaks in, “you let that man know your friends will be coming to check on you monthly, and we will be holo chatting with you every day.”

“Every day?” Rey asks, surprised.

“As often as you want,” Kaydel assures.

And just like that, the weight starts to lift. If Rey can somehow manage to kill him and get back to her friends. She might just find a way to truly live after she lost Ben.

——————

Rey fidgets, uncomfortable in the too tight ivory lace gown. It feels constricting, and she’s certain if it were any tighter, she wouldn’t be able to breathe. Or perhaps it’s all just nerves anyway. But she feels as if she’s been put on display, breasts pushed up obscenely high, face painted like a doll, and hair raked through and sprayed with too much product.

How could anyone fight in something this impractical? Though she has to admit, it makes her look lovely. She’s never really been one to worry about how she looks, she’s always just been worried about surviving another day.

And Leia had explained to her that sometimes to survive you have to do things you don’t want to. What’s more, what you wear can be just as much of a way to survive as any other.

Leia had also given her a talk, the talk as it were. The one about expectations. And about how to fulfill those expectations. Rey hadn’t really listened, just sat in awkward numb silence while Leia spoke. None of it seemed real yet. And besides, it wasn’t like she was completely uninformed on mating rituals, she’d grown up on Jakku after all.

Even as she stood across from the tall, stoic Grand Marshal, she couldn’t meet his eyes. And she couldn’t listen to the holy man as he spoke either. Instead, she found a piece of brightly colored transparisteel viewport to fixate on until she heard the vile word.

Marriage.

She scoffed. What a sham it would be. It wasn’t like this—this Grand Marshal could really even come close to the only man she had ever loved.

Aside from the fact that they had both held prominent seats within the First Order. They were nothing alike.

Ben, with his kind eyes and his soft looking lips. Ben, with his gentle voice and massive frame. This Grand Marshal was nothing like the man she’d loved.

Her eyes finally snap to meet her soon-to-be husband’s. What was his first name again? Odd that she couldn’t remember all of a sudden, perhaps her nerves were getting to her. At least she knew the surname she would take. Hux.

Rey Hux.

It didn’t sound pleasant. In fact, it was strange to think that out of the names she could have taken, it would be his that she ended up with.

She almost laughed out loud at that. Realizing that she couldn’t even remember her husband’s first name.

The Grand Marshal watches her, his mouth in a hard line as the holy man speaks. Hux hasn’t looked away from her during the entirety of the ceremony. Though his eyes dipped to the neckline of her dress briefly and he swallowed before a crimson flush bloomed across the apple of his cheek.

------

Hux listens to the holy man’s words. Marriage was one of those things he’s never planned on. Never wanted.

He’d seen his father’s marriage, just a hollow shell of something that produced nothing but bitterness and resentment. Ironically it hadn’t even produced him.

Had Maratelle Hux looked like this when she wed his father? He doubts it. She’d always been a harsh looking woman, but perhaps years of unhappy marriage might mar his bride the same way. His bride now, however, looks ethereal. A goddess in white lace curves elegantly outlined. Without meaning to, his eyes fall to her breasts, and he realizes he’s never actually seen a real live naked girl in the flesh. And tonight, is his wedding night. What might her expectations be? Hopefully, she doesn’t have too many.

He has an idea, well, he has a lot of ideas, but the reality might prove far more cumbersome than any fantasy he can muster. And it’s not as if he has absolutely no clue, he’s studied, he’s read things, and he feels that this knowledge ought to adequately prepare him for what’s to come. . . Shouldn’t it?

He swallows, tugging at the collar of his uniform, it’s suddenly become too tight.

Then there are the vows. Promises to each other to have and to hold. He feels the urge to chuckle at the absurdity of this whole affair. But he squelches the need with vicious thoughts of despair.

As if she’d want him near her.

She may be his wife, but he highly doubts she’ll submit to wifely duties. It’s not like she asked for this anyway. Not like she wanted this arrangement. It hadn’t been her idea surely. It must’ve been a last, desperate act of Leia Organa to form some political alliance. Rey was practically her daughter after all. Adopted anyway.

——

Rey tries not to gasp in surprise at the beauty of the ornate wedding band, as the Grand Marshal slides it on her finger. But then the light hits it, and she can’t suppress the intake of breath. It’s stunning, and the way the band shimmers in the light, it looks like a galaxy filled with glowing stars. It’s cut in such a way that it wraps around the three gems of her engagement band and makes them look like floating planets amidst a swirling galaxy.

The Knight had certainly been right about the rings.

Her eyes meet Hux’s for only the briefest moment, and she’s certain his furrowed brow is a question. Does she like it?

Really, how could she not? She’s never been given something like this. Besides, if she needs to, she can undoubtedly pawn the rings and retire in luxury on some outer rim planet.

——

Her face gives away little, her hazel eyes meeting Hux’s green without animosity this time. Perhaps there’s a little surprise, but Hux can’t actually tell if she likes the ring. Veserra Ren had reported that she seemed to like the engagement ring, but the Knight wasn’t exactly the chatty type, so Hux hadn’t gotten much more than that.

He clenches his jaw when he hears the holy man tell him to kiss his bride.

And then he leans forward to capture her mouth. Her soft lips are pliant and warm, and for a moment, he forgets that all of this is just an act.

Her mouth moves against his in tandem, and then he realizes if he doesn’t move away now, he’ll make an embarrassing show. So he pulls back quickly, leaving her startled at his sudden departure and he tries to think of anything other than the lovely creature standing before him lest the whole congregation note the burgeoning thickness in his trousers.

Rey is surprised by the kiss. Since the Grand Marshal looks so impassive and disdainful, she doesn’t expect the kiss to be gentle, almost needy.

And she swears she hears a little groan come from his parted lips when he suddenly pulls away, and she’s left standing awkwardly leaning toward him.

The holy man makes the announcement. They are man and wife.  But the congregation doesn’t break out into thunderous applause, or joyous words of congratulations and the quiet tension feels heavy and uncomfortable as the newlywed couple makes their way down the aisle.

Hux reaches to take Rey’s arm, but she doesn’t seem to notice, and they march gracelessly down the aisle and out into the sanctuary.

——

Once past the congregation and behind the solitude of closed doors, Rey let’s out a breath.

Her husband is looking at her, his jaw ticks, and he looks away. Unsure of what to say, Rey steps forward and offers him her arm.

“I suppose it’s the reception now?” She asks quietly. What does one even talk about with their husband?

It’s not like he’s a friend. Or even an ally. And when she gets her chance, she’s going to kill him anyway, so really, what does she have to fear? Why can’t she just say whatever she’s thinking?

He gives her arm a cursory glance and then looks away, ignoring it.

“There’s a small reception here,” he says finally. “A larger one when we arrive on Solitass.”

Rey nods, “Oh. I didn’t realize there would be two.”

He grimaces, “We’ll just have to suffer through them both, I suppose.”

She can’t help the small half-smile that comment brings, “this must all be some sort of new First Order torture I’m unfamiliar with.”

Did she imagine it? Did his mouth quirk slightly? She can’t be sure because it returned to a firm line almost as quickly.

“The worst kind of torture,” he quips. Was he joking? He was getting everything he wanted, wasn’t he? What did he have to be upset about? It’s infuriating.

“For one of us,” she snaps. He scowls, biting his lip and looking away from her again.

“This way,” he says, heading toward another hallway and not bothering to see if she follows.

Chapter Text

A Galaxy is Not Enough

Chapter 4: The First Reception

The large dining hall was lavishly decorated, rows of tables with crisp white cloths lined one side of the room, and a raised platform fits squarely in the center of the other side. Soft music fills the room, though Rey cannot determine the source.

And then there are the plants. There’s so many; the room is covered with thick green foliage, plants from all over the galaxy, their beautiful fronds and vines covering the room and making it look more like a jungle than a reception hall. Each table features a centerpiece of a different plant variety and vines that wrap around the columns which stand on either side of the several doorways. There are so many plants, so many flowering buds there must be a hundred different species, and Rey can’t help but gasp. They are sweet and fragrant as well, filling her nose with lovely scents she’s never before imagined.  

It’s so green. It’s without a doubt, one of the most beautiful sights she’s ever beheld.

Her husband gives her a look, raised brows and pinched lips like he wants to know if she likes it.

But just as she opens her mouth to speak, she’s nearly attacked by her friends. Poe, Finn, Connix, and Rose fill in around her, separating her from her new husband.

“You look amazing!” Poe exclaims, putting his arm around her shoulder and giving Hux a big grin. “Your husband tell you that yet?”

Before Hux or Rey can reply, a soft, but commanding voice speaks behind her.

“Poe’s right my dear,” it says. “You look stunning.”

Their small group turns to find General Leia Organa, dressed in a flowing cream and gold gown. Her hair is braided in coils around her head, with one long braid that reaches nearly to her elbow. She gives Rey a warm smile and stretches her arms out, beckoning. Rey doesn’t wait; she breaks from her friends to fall into the hug.

“You look beautiful,” Leia repeats. “A perfect bride.”

A lump has begun to form in Rey’s throat, and she blinks away the tears. She won’t cry now, perhaps tonight when she has a moment to be alone. But now, there are too many people looking at her, relying on her.

A small throat clear makes her open her eyes and glance back over her shoulder. Hux stands awkwardly, Poe and Finn on either side of him. They’re sizing him up, she’s seen this type of tactic before, on Jakku. Usually before a fight broke out. She releases Leia and whispers a tight “thank you” before she makes her way back to her husband.

Hux reaches his arm out to her, and she takes it, “what exactly happens now?”

He glances at Poe and then at Finn before responding, “we eat and dance— and I believe there is supposed to be cake.”

Cake. Rey can’t suppress the excitement.

She notices, only vaguely that the room has begun to fill. First Order officers, Resistance members, and a large number of stormtroopers fill out the seating at each of the tables. Hux beckons her to a table marked specially for the bride and groom; then dinner is served.

***

Hux is shaky, and he can't exactly pinpoint why. Perhaps he was nervous. But he really shouldn't be, it wasn't like he was the one being sold off to the Resistance. For one solid moment, before they'd entered the reception hall, he'd thought they might actually get along. She'd made a joke, and he'd started to laugh and quip back and then she'd unleashed some feminine fury his direction that reminded him that she was an enemy.

The food is delicious, mounds of things Rey could not name, but whatever they are, they're amazing. She stuffs forkful after forkful into her mouth until she notices Hux is staring at her. He looks concerned or disgusted; it's difficult to tell.

He snaps his mouth closed and frowns.

“What?” She asks, mouth full of food.

“Have you no manners?” He asks skeptically.

She manages to swallow the mouthful before responding, “my manners were perfectly suitable on Jakku.”

“Well, you're no longer on Jakku are you?” He mutters.

Putting her fork down slowly, she meets his eyes. He almost winces.

“I'm sorry,” He replies tightly. Its best to maintain civility after all. “Just please try to chew with your mouth closed, and for star's sake eat slowly.”

She looks away from him and sets her jaw but says nothing more.

Hux eats the remainder of his food in silence, more out of habit than actual hunger, and when it’s time for their first dance, he leads her to the dance floor. Her eyes dart about nervously, and He almost feels a bit sorry for her, but then he remembers the spite in her eyes when she'd snapped at him and suddenly felt as if she deserves this somehow.

Besides, it wasn't like this was his idea. He's not to blame for this, and yet she treats him like it was all his scheming that landed her the position of wife.

Wife.

Looking down at her, with one hand encircling her waist as he pulls her along to the rhythm of the music, he frowns. She is very pretty after all, much prettier than 'he'd at first thought. Though he 'wasn't sure how much of that is due to the talent of the First Order beauticians.

He'd never really been one to find himself staring at pretty girls, but he could most definitely admire art, and she did look something like a piece of art right now.

Her eyes glance up to meet his, and he suddenly stumbles, barely catching his foot before he can manage not to trip over her dress. She bites back a laugh and gives him a pointed look.

It's unsettling how much she can communicate with just her eyes. Frowning again, he tries to focus on the music, to follow the pull of it until the song finally—thankfully—ends and he's able to let go of her and give her a small bow.

****

The rest of the evening drags on for Hux. He sits sullenly in his place at their table, while Rey dances. Dance after dance, someone asks her. And Hux finds his annoyance increasing with each new song. She’s supposed to be his wife, but he’s only danced with her once, and that was just the first song. And what makes it worse, is that no one seems to differentiate, First Order officers and Resistance members alike file in a queue to have a dance with her.

Goddamn, Poe Dameron has already danced with her twice. Hux scowls, crossing his arms and decides he’s had enough, can’t they just leave? Aren’t her feet hurting yet?

He watches the effortless way she converses with Dameron, the bright smile he gives her and the way Rey giggles a little when Dameron whispers in her ear. Her eyes dart to Hux immediately and then back to the pilot. She gives Dameron a conspiratorial smirk.

Without thinking, Hux stands suddenly, pushing his chair back hard, and it clatters to the floor loudly. Rey and Dameron stop dancing for a fraction of a second and stare at Hux. He blushes crimson.

Stars, he seems to have forgotten himself, so he goes in search of something that will bring back his sanity.

He goes in search of a drink.

When he’s finally able to locate a drink, he sits back down at his table and tries to look around the room, searching for anyone to talk to, or a different dancing partner perhaps? He spots Mitaka, no, that won’t do. Mitaka is all nervous energy and Hux has a feeling that is the last thing he needs.

Besides, Mitaka is already deep in conversation with the short dark-haired girl. . . Hux scowls. That little girl was the one that bit him. He leans forward in his seat, watching them. Mitaka is red-faced and talking a mile a minute, but the dark-haired girl seems enthralled. Then she gives him a smile, and suddenly Mitaka straightens and offers her his hand and the two of them head to the dance floor.

Hux shakes his head. Mitaka can be so foolish. A pretty blonde, one that was standing next to the dark-haired girl, smiles at Hux. He doesn’t smile back; he just watches her. She looks familiar, but he can’t quite place her. And then she’s turned, and she’s heading straight for him.

Or is she? He looks about nervously, but then she’s standing in front of him.

“Let’s dance,” she orders and Hux balks.

“Excuse me?” He sneers. “Who are you?”

“Lt. Kaydel Ko Connix,” she beams. “Come on, let’s dance.”

“No, thank you, I’d rather not,” he replies dryly.

She looks him up and down, “I need to talk to you. It’s important. So, come on.”

He frowns, but his curiosity gets the better of him.

“Don’t worry,” she says, turning back towards the dance floor. “I’ll let you lead.”

“How generous,” he responds, setting his glass down and rising.

He follows her to the dance floor, feeling odd. Almost like he’s already betraying Rey by dancing with someone else. He bites his lip. He supposes that if Rey can dance with every single person here, then he can dance with at least one other partner.

Not sure what to make of this Lt. Connix, Hux eyes her warily as they dance. She doesn’t break eye contact, and after a moment, he looks away. Rey is dancing with FN-2187 now—again—Hux scowls.

“Rey is my friend,” Connix says.

“Hmmm,” Hux acknowledges.

“And I’m only going to say this once.”

She meets his eyes again, giving his face a scrutinizing look over.

“If you hurt her, in any way, there will be a long line of people ready to make you suffer,” Connix says evenly.

Hux is momentarily at a loss for words, but then he blinks, glaring down at this impudent Lieutenant.

“Tread very carefully, my dear.” Hux replies, “You wouldn’t want to threaten me.”

She smirks. 

“Just know that I will be checking in on Rey personally. If I find out that you’ve done anything to hurt her, I will come for you.”

Licking his lips Hux dips his head down to meet her ear and whispers, “I assure you, if you came for me, I have a thousand different ways I could make you suffer.”

He pulls back and gives her a cordial smile just as the song ends. Then he leaves her standing on the dance floor staring after him.

Damn these rebels and their insufferable nature and their unending foolishness.

It is high time he dances with his bride again. Another song has already started as he looks around for Rey and finds her dancing with one of his officers, Dophren Wemuller. It takes him a half a minute to reach them.

“May I cut in?”

Wemuller nods at him, “it’s not cutting in when it’s your wife.”

That makes Hux’s stomach clench tightly as he takes Rey’s hand and pulls her against him.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

“It’s more fun than I thought it would be,” Rey replies.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to tell you before,” he pauses. “But you do look lovely.”

“You had plenty of opportunities,” Rey snaps, looking around them as they move instead of meeting his face. “But thank you—I feel like I look ridiculous.”

Squaring his jaw, Hux swallows. “I’m not generous when it comes to compliments, so believe me when I tell you that you look stunning.”

“I—Thank you,” she almost whispers. “You look very nice as well.”

“May I speak freely?”

She snorts, “I’d appreciate it if you would.”

“I’d like for you to call your hounds off.”

“My what?”

“Your friends,” he says, spitting the word out with venom. “I don’t appreciate threats and its only because it's our wedding day that I will make the one exception. Otherwise, I would have her head.”

“Who’s?”

“Lt. Connix.”

“Oh—” Rey sighs. “She’s just being a good friend.”

“She’s insubordinate,” he grits out. “And she’s talking to a superior. Does she realize that?”

“I’ll talk to her.”

This time it’s Hux that snorts. “Just make sure she understands, if this doesn’t work out, then all that’s left of the Resistance will be destroyed.”

Rey nods solemnly, “I know. I’ll deal with her.”

“Good.”

The song ends and Hux gives her another small bow before he leaves her to another dance partner.

***

It is well past midnight when Hux and Rey are finally able to depart. Rather than the joyous farewells that might be observed at other weddings, they—or at least Rey—is met with hugs and tears from her friends. They’re to board his shuttle today and from there to move into his suite on the Star Destroyer Galactus.

Mitaka was still caught up in conversation with the dark-haired girl, and Connix was eyeing Hux from beside Dameron and the traitor.

There are promises of holocalls and well wishes and Hux finally lets out a breath as he eases into his seat aboard his shuttle. He avoids looking at his new bride, he doesn’t know what to say, and she’s most likely as uneasy as him. Instead, he stares out the viewport and watches the lights of the city fade and soon be replaced by countless stars.

It’s not long before a distinct and rather loud snoring fills his ears and he looks up to find his new bride, asleep, mouth agape as she leans against her seat. She shivers in the cold space air and Hux swallows again. Her collarbone and bare throat lay exposed in the soft synthetic light of the shuttle and his eyes dip over he again. She really is quite lovely.

He bites his lip and rises from his seat. As quietly as he can, he finds his black gaberwool officer’s coat; he’d left it aboard his shuttle specifically for cold space travel. Even though he’s a Grand Marshal now, with a white wool coat, he still likes the black. Something about the color speaks to him in a way the white doesn’t.

Slowly, he drapes the warm wool coat over his wife, tucking it in around her before he slumps back into his seat and closes his eyes.

 Entirely drained of energy he doesn’t even realize he’s fallen asleep until he’s jolted awake by the deployment of the landing gear as the shuttle docks.

Inside his chest, his heart is thundering, either from the shock of waking from sleep so suddenly or the fearsome realization that they’ve arrived home.

Chapter Text

 A Galaxy is Not Enough

Chapter 5: The Wedding Night

Rey is startled awake by the jolting movements of the shuttle as it lands. Sitting upright, she blinks tiredly and is met by the solemn face of her husband. Hux is shadowed in the pale artificial light as he leans back in his chair. When he looks at her, his face seems to soften for a moment.

“We’re here,” he says, rising and offering her his hand.

She takes it and allows him to help pull her up. It takes her a second before she realizes that she was covered with a blanket —or not a blanket— a coat. His coat, she can only assume. She grips onto it as she stands.

Hux clears his throat, taking the coat from her and without a word drapes it over her shoulders.

“You looked cold,” he says by way of explanation.

“I—thank you,” she replies as she follows him out of the shuttle and down the ramp. “What about our things?”

He waves a dismissive hand, “the droids will see to it.” He doesn’t turn to look back at her as he walks, and she finds it challenging to keep up with his long strides while she wears the ridiculous heels. She should’ve just taken them off, her feet ache from all the dancing.

She notes with some sorrow that the insides of the Galactus are familiar to her, similar to the Supremacy in design and capacity. Though she knows the ship is not a dreadnought, it is considerably larger than the Finalizer. The immensity of the structure doesn’t provide her with the same awe it might have before she came aboard the Supremacy, but it still serves as a reminder of how powerful her new husband has become.

Thankfully it isn’t a long walk to the turbo-lift, and soon they’re inside, flanked by a group of six heavily armed stormtroopers. Rey watches Hux as the lift moves, but he doesn’t look back at her. He stares straight ahead, his eyes fixed on a spot on the steel grey doors. She notes that his posture looks painful, back ramrod straight, and arms clasped behind him. She’s never seen someone so stiff.

There’s also a strange and palpable tension in the lift and Rey wonders if it might be from the Force or something else. It permeates everything, distorting her vision and making her feel slightly ill. Perhaps Hux is nervous, or maybe it’s the stormtroopers. Regardless, someone or something in the lift or on the ship is radiating fear, and it doesn’t dissipate when the doors finally open and Hux steps out. In fact, it grows exponentially with each step they take.  

Rey follows Hux into what she thinks is a hallway before she understands that the lift took them directly to a room, a large and luxuriously decorated sitting room with four plush chairs and a chaise. She admires the large viewport out into the starry dark of space and then sees that this is only the entrance to Hux’s apartments.

The stormtroopers re-enter the lift once Hux dismisses them and soon it is just the two of them inside the spacious room. Rey takes a moment to halt and observe the artwork hung up around the sitting room. One is a large painting of a city. The city resides on a hillside, nestled in a forest and though she hasn’t seen much of it, she can tell that the vast green and blue of the city and its woods are in the midst of a downpour. It must be Arkanis, it would only make sense.

She stifles another yawn and glances at her husband, the strange tension hangs thick in the air between them. Stars, if she weren’t so tired, she would just kill him now, but she did promise Leia that she would try to find out what had happened to Ben. She lets out a full yawn and leans against the wall to unstrap her heels.

“Tired?” Hux asks as he removes his overcoat and folds it over his arm.

“Yes, I’d like to use the fresher though,” she admits.

“F-follow me then,” He says softly, and she almost doesn’t catch the slight tremble of his words as he leads her through the lounge and into a sizable kitchenette. He opens a cupboard and pulls out two glasses and sets them on the counter, then he takes turns filling each with water and hands one to her.

“I’m sure this will seem like large accommodations to you, after the Resistance camps.” he begins with that air of confidence that reminds her of their first meeting. “But I do believe it might feel a bit small as the days go by. It is equipped with only a bedroom, refresher, kitchen, lounge, and an office. The closets are spacious, enough for your wardrobe—”

“I don’t have a wardrobe,” she interrupts.

He blinks, surprise and annoyance in his look before he responds, “Oh—well, I did take the liberty of ordering you a wardrobe, though I wasn’t certain you’d like the style of the garments. Anything you don’t like you can send back. I certainly won’t be offended.”

She gives him a confused look, “you ordered me clothing?” Like someone could just order a meal? Was it really that simple?

“I—Yes,” he frowns back at her, perplexed. “Anyway, since I realize you might find it a bit cramped in here as time passes, I’ve arranged for a training room specially equipped for you, and I had another room created for a private office for you, though it hasn’t been finished yet, so I apologize that—”

“I’m sure it’s fine, thank you,” she replies tightly, gulping down the rest of her water as she leans against the counter. He talks too much. But he really did appear to be as generous as the Knight had said, though she wasn’t one for gifts. She’d accept them of course, because she didn’t want to create a problem and she would do her best to put him at ease. Keep his guard down. It wouldn’t be long before she knew the truth and then, well, he’d be dead. And hopefully, she would be gone.

He takes a slow sip of his water and then sets it down. Then he draws himself up, back straight and arms folded behind him again.

“I’ll show you the rest of the apartment then?”

She nods and leaves her glass on the counter, following him down a hallway and into an extravagant bedroom. He enters the room purposefully while she lingers in the doorway.

“This is —is our room—and the fresher is through there,” he points to a closed door. Rey notices absently that his ears have turned a bright pink. “The closet is through there, and I’m afraid there’s only the one bed, I’m sorry, I didn’t think —perhaps you might want some privacy or to take things slow. . .”

He’s rambling, but he can’t help it. The collar of his shirt is too tight again, and his cheeks feel hot, and what was it he was going to say?

She glances around the room, her eyes settling on the bed. It’s a huge thing, massive almost. And Rey is sure that even this one bed could probably fit more than four people on it.

“Why would I have a different bed?” She asks curiously. He’s acting so strange, and he’s making barely any sense.

“If you felt you needed some space before — um —before we —the c—consummation,” he says hesitantly. His oratory skills have apparently decided to fail him today.

Her eyes dart from the bed and back to him, “I don’t need any time. We can just get it over with now and then we won’t have to worry about it anymore, right?”

Hux’s throat is suddenly dry, “We don’t have to—don’t need to do anything tonight.”

She scowls at him, “Of course we do. I won’t have you telling your Emperor that I didn’t fulfill my obligations. It’s all there in the agreement after all.”

“Stars,” Hux says with frustration. “The stipulation in the agreement gives us plenty of time before any consummation is expected. Didn’t you read it?”

Rey blinks, “I read it, but I don’t remember that.” Though she had only read it the one time.

“I amended it,” Hux says quickly. “I didn’t feel the expectation of immediate coitus was the right way to go about this union.”

“Oh,” Rey says, confused. “Oh, so you—we don’t have to do it tonight?”

Hux swallows and tries to smooth out the front of his uniform.

“No, we do not have to do it tonight.”

“Well,” Rey shrugs. “Alright, then.”

“Alright,” Hux replies, trying to wish away his red face and even redder ears.

Rey removes his gaberwool coat and tosses it on the bed, then she starts to pull the pins out of her hair. Hux stands awkwardly watching her for a moment, but when she begins to undo the back of her dress, he takes a sharp breath and announces he needs to use the fresher. He disappears quickly behind the fresher door.

She stares after him. He’s an odd one. She’s never really cared much about modesty. She was raised on Jakku after all, and there were always reasons to put modesty aside for survival and convenience.  So, she doesn’t give a thought to it when she manages to worm her way out of the tight lacy dress, and she’s left standing in a slip and undergarments.

She dumps the dress on the bed along with her heels and then pulls the slip up and over her head. She supposes she’ll wait for Hux to come out of the fresher so she can wash all the stiffness out of her limbs. She needs to clean up the mess on her face and wash her hair too. Fiddling with the pins in her hair she pulls out nearly sixty while she waits, and she places them on the nightstand by the bed. The chronometer that sits on it displays the time and its already 0218 into the night cycle. Probably best they don’t consummate tonight anyway, she’s exhausted, and her feet are sore.

When Hux finally returns from the fresher he’s already dressed in some black First Order sleep pants and t-shirt with a towel draped over his shoulders. He stops short when he sees her, sitting on the bed in white lacy undergarments that were obviously meant to match her dress. The crimson blush returns with a fury, and he starts to sputter.

“The—um—your clothes are in the closet,” he says, averting his eyes and studying the bristles of his towel with extreme focus.

“I know,” she replies evenly. “I needed to shower first, I didn’t want to get straight into clean clothes.”

“Oh,” he replies, still looking away. He moves aside from the door and gestures with one hand toward the door. “It’s all yours.”

Rising from the bed Rey glances at him as she heads to the fresher, he still won’t look at her, and she’s completely confused as to why he’s acting so bizarre. He’s a military man, after all, surely, they don’t care all that much about modesty either.

Hux finds himself all too acutely aware of Rey as she moves past him, his damn traitorous eyes can still see her tan body, covered in a white lace —barely nothing—as she slides around him in his peripheral vision. He makes a show of drying his hair off with his towel and then drops it in the laundry chute in the closet. Trying to pretend it doesn’t bother him, he picks up her heels off the bed and deposits them in the closet with the other shoes he’s procured for her. Then he hangs his gaberwool coat up in the closet and eyes the wedding dress.

He’s not sure what exactly to do with it, so he balls it up and stuffs it down the laundry chute. The service droids ought to know how to deal with something like that, shouldn’t they?

Finally, he settles himself into the bed and closes his eyes, until the sound of the fresher comes on, and then he finds himself staring at the door for a long moment.

His stomach twists in some sort of confused anticipation. What exactly had he hoped for tonight anyway? Licking his lips, he rolls over onto his side away from the door.

———

When Rey exits the fresher, she takes care to wrap herself in a towel, as she can only imagine how he might react if she were to walk around nude like she usually does. Then she dresses quietly in the large closet. She doesn’t spend much time admiring all the garments. Besides, there’s far more clothing than she’s ever seen in her entire life. Dresses and tunics and shoes, all sorts of shoes. And such a variety of colors and textures. She tries to smother her excitement.

Though she’s never been one to get that excited about clothing, that’s only been because she’s never owned much. And well, here is over half a room with clothing just for her. She dresses in black underwear and a thin black tunic that reaches her mid-thigh. Deciding that she will forego a breast band for now, since she normally doesn’t sleep with one anyway. She’s surprised that Hux even thought to acquire her clothing that is both comfortable and practical.

Hux is. . . Well, he’s surprisingly thoughtful. Not quite like the blazing lunatic, she’s seen in projections during Resistance meetings. And definitely not like the slimy and odious General that Finn has always portrayed him or the pompous and stiff prude that Poe likes to say he is. In fact, if she were to give him any description at all, it might be. . . Reserved. . . And maybe even a little. . . sweet? Though there is an arrogance about him, that seems forced, as it serves some sort of purpose, she can’t quite figure out.

She glances down at her hand, admiring the ring again. She’s snuck little looks at it since the ceremony because she didn’t really want to be seen staring at it. But it truly is beautiful. And the image of Jakku and its two moons make her ache with a longing she can’t quite comprehend. She doesn’t want to go back to Jakku, not now. She knows it holds nothing for her there. Not anymore. But to carry this reminder of who she is—was—is a gift, something she hadn’t even realized she wanted.

It’s not like the Grand Marshal knew how she felt about Jakku. But somehow, it gave her the distinct impression that he understood her more than she understood herself. And certainly, more than she understood him. If she could be honest, she didn’t understand him at all. She’d expected him to demand they consummate their wedding tonight. She’d imagined he might even be forceful. In fact, she hadn’t at all expected him to be shy or embarrassed or have made so many plans for her. To be honest, she hadn’t expected him to take her desires into consideration at all.

But he had, and that left her feeling. . . Strange. Confused and annoyed a bit. He was being too nice. Too concerned about her wellbeing, and it made her wary. He was up to something, and she would find out exactly what that was. She can play this game as well; she could pretend to be concerned about him too.

She can play that part, the concerned and doting wife, she decides.

Carefully she flicks the lights in the closet off and manages to find her way to the bed in the dark. She notices that all the things she’d laid on the bed are now gone, Hux, no doubt had a droid clean up after them. She pulls back the covers and climbs into the bed, sinking into the soft sheets with a sigh.

Hux stirs next to her, and she feels the bed dip a bit as he rolls onto his back.

“Goodnight Rey,” he offers quietly.

“Goodnight . . .” She replies, staring up at the dark ceiling of their room. Her new home.

“When is the next reception?” She asks suddenly.

“Tomorrow evening,” Hux whispers, his voice sounds oddly hoarse and strangely apprehensive.

“Oh,” she says. “Well, I suppose we can suffer through the torture together.”

He hears the humor in her tone, and he smiles in the dark, thankful she can’t see him.

“Oh, it will most certainly be torture,” he replies good-naturedly.

“Why do you say that?” She asks, turning to her side though she can’t see him.

“Because my mother will be there,” he says quietly.

Chapter Text

A GALAXY IS NOT ENOUGH

Chapter 6: The Second Reception – Part One

Rey awoke the next morning in a haze, her head heavy and her feet sore and aching. She stretched inside the bed, arms moving under the cool comfort of the covers. As she looked about, she realized that she was alone in the vast space, the other side was empty, but the blankets had been neatly pulled up. She yawned as she stretched again and sat up, Hux was gone, already up it seemed, and for how long?

Rising slowly from the bed, she made her way to the fresher first and then to the closet where she pulled on a pair of black leggings and thick black boots with a substantial sole. Then she removed her shirt and wrapped the breast band around her chest, binding it until it felt comfortable and secure. Lastly, she selected a knit cream top that was cut to her mid-thigh, and she finished by clicking her belt around her hips.

She felt naked without her lightsaber, she’d boxed it up, placing it with her stored items. She’d been instructed, as per their agreement, that she wasn’t to have it on her person. Though strangely enough, they hadn’t requested that she turn it over. But if she was seen using it, well, the marriage might be annulled, and so the treaty with the Resistance as well. Not that the agreement would matter much once she killed Hux. By then, she hoped that Leia and her friends would be in hiding again, or at the least, they could demonstrate no prior knowledge that Rey had intended to kill her husband.

Well, except for Leia, but Leia was too important for them to kill, wasn’t she?

Rey shook her head; she shouldn’t think so hard about what might happen after she killed Hux. Leia had told her not to worry about it, most likely because she doubted that Rey would survive, and it would all be up to the General to handle what came after.

She poured herself a glass of water in the kitchenette and downed it in seconds, she must’ve been dehydrated from all the drinking last night. Leaning against the counter, she surveyed her new home, it was beautiful in the synthetic daylight. It made her feel so foreign. Like she didn’t belong here in this cold metallic place.  

And where had her husband gotten off to?

Ducking around the corners warily, she looked for him. But he wasn’t in the lounge or the kitchen. That’s when she noticed the light peeking out from around the durasteel door of the office at the end of the hall. Since she wasn’t sure exactly what to do with herself till the reception that evening, she felt she ought to at least check in with Hux. Perhaps, he might direct her to the training room he’d created for her. After all, she felt like training, she needed some sort of exertion to get her frustrations out— perhaps on a droid or—or something.

Pressing the pad for the door, it slid open, startling Hux at his desk. He sat, stooped over a datapad with a cup of hot tea, and he had dark circles under his eyes. When the door opened, and she leaned into the doorway, he looked up, surprised, and curious. He gave her a tight, almost painful smile, and then grimaced. His eyes raked over the cream knit fabric of her tunic and the black boots and leggings.

Apparently, her choice of attire wasn’t exactly to his liking, but he’d ordered all her clothing, hadn’t he?

On the other hand, he was already dressed, a white uniform shirt, and though she couldn’t see his trousers from behind the desk, she assumed he was wearing the black ones that were part of the uniform. He also wore his gloves, though that wasn’t a surprise as he had rarely taken them off since she’d known him. His hair lay flat against his skull, already oppressively gelled back, and he looked as if he’d shaved only that morning. A pity, since it looked better when he appeared less formal.

She supposed they could both be disappointed with how the other looked, she wasn’t going to say anything.

“Good morning,” he offered kindly. “I trust you slept well?”

“Did you sleep at all?” She asked softly, dismissing his question. She wasn’t going to let him know that the bed was too comfortable, a luxury she felt she hardly deserved.

Oddly, she also felt embarrassed at the fact that he’d been up, most likely for hours while she had slept so soundly. It made her feel. . . Useless. Something she’d never quite felt before. Or perhaps she felt directionless. He had work to do, and she—she was nothing but a trophy.

“I rarely sleep,” he replied with a frown.

“Oh.”

The silence carried on for what felt like an eternity before Hux finally spoke again.

“What would you like to do today?” He asked, setting the datapad on the desk and leaning forward as he clasped his hands together.

“I—I don’t know what there is to do,” she said weakly. “I was hoping you might show me the training room?”

His eyes lit up at the suggestion, “of course, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I’d be happy to.” He almost jumped out of his seat, moving to stand next to her. He reached an arm out, and Rey thought he was going to take her hand. But then he gestured out the doorway.

“After you,” he said, a tinge of excitement in his voice.

______

The Galactus was indeed the most massive Star Destroyer that Rey had ever seen; for not being a dreadnought, it was enormous but felt more like a cruise ship rather than a battle station. Which might’ve been because the interior wasn’t the chrome and black, she’d seen on other First Order vessels.

Instead, the insides were white and plastetic, like the old Republic ships she’d scavenged. The interiors were a strange contrast to the dark grey of the exterior, and Rey mildly wondered why they had designed it to look more like an old Republic vessel, rather than its formidable Imperial Star Destroyer cousins.

Hux led her through twisting corridors and along a shaky walkway with no railings. Rey followed quietly, taking in the sights and sounds of the ship. There were stormtroopers and officers everywhere, bustling about on errands. Not to mention the droids and radar technicians, and she even saw some civilians working in a maintenance shaft.

It was almost overwhelming to be surrounded by so much action, but Rey tried to keep her nervous feelings to herself. No, this was a good thing. If she killed Hux, then it might be slightly easier for her to disappear amidst a sea of troops and fade into the galaxy. She just needed to think positively.

They finally came to a stop in front of a transparisteel viewport. Hux pressed a code into the keypad at the door, and it slid open. He stopped, bowing his head for a moment, and ushering her into the room with a smirk.

It was obvious he was extremely pleased with himself, even more so when he saw her reaction. Her eyes were the size of dinner plates as she marveled at her surroundings.

The training room was fitted with thick flooring mats and a hologram display. Melee weapons and other various styles of dangerous-looking things lined one wall. There was a rather strange looking black droid that stood motionless against the far wall, possibly a training droid, she couldn’t be sure. It was a design that seemed quite human, like the protocol droids but much larger and far more intimidating.

“This is—,” she started, realizing quickly that she didn’t possess the words to properly formulate her awe.

“It’s yours,” Hux said proudly, head tipped up and chin jutting out as he spoke. “I spared no expense. The best designer and top of the line—”

She cut him off, “It’s beautiful. But, I hope you realize that I would’ve been just as impressed if it only had a mat and a training droid.”

At that, Hux huffed, “Nonsense, nothing but the best for my wife.”

The word wife fell out of his mouth before he could stop himself, and suddenly his ears began to prick with heat. His cheeks flushed too, and he cleared his throat, trying not to meet Rey’s eyes. It was embarrassing, this thing he couldn’t name, that made him feel wholly inadequate when it came to conversing with her.

Rey swallowed too, feeling strangely comforted by Hux’s kind words as she went to the hologram display and began leafing through the simulation options.

“I can’t believe how many simulations there are,” she said in delight.

“Over 6.8 billion options for simulations,” Hux replied smugly. “But I’ve designed an algorithm that allows the artificial intelligence to select the best simulation based on your needs.”

Rey chanced a glance back at him, and his green eyes sparkled for a moment before he looked away. All these gifts made her feel so odd. She’d learned on Jakku that gifts were never given freely, most came with a price attached, and usually, one she couldn’t afford.

She studied her husband for a moment before she went back to examining the display, he was pretending to look about the room, eyes wandering to everything but her. With newfound excitement, she turned her attention to the weaponry lining the wall and pulled a long metal staff down from the rack. It was a lighter weight than it looked, and she spun it through her hands, back-and-forth, testing the balance.

“You’re free to come here any time,” Hux said politely, watching her as she twirled the staff over one shoulder and then the other. “Perhaps, in time, we could even spar together.”

It was a statement, but something in his tone made it come out as a question. Rey came to a halt and leaned against the staff as she pressed the butt of it to the ground.

“I know you’re military, but do you actually possess any training, or did you just become a General because of your father?” She asked suddenly.

Hux’s face heated again, but this time the look was unpleasant, withdrawn and distant.

“I will only say this once,” he said menacingly. “But don’t ever mention my father again.”

Rey blinked, confused. Somehow she’d stumbled upon a sore spot, and it intrigued her to no end. Why not mention his father? She’d read about Brendol Hux, only a little, but she still felt that she knew enough to assume that his son would admire the former leader who had founded the First Order. But perhaps there was something else that Rey didn’t know about the man.

“And I suppose,” Hux continued, “that while we’re on the subject of my father, I should warn you about my mother. She isn’t a particularly friendly person. Some would even call her cold and harsh. But she will be at the reception tonight, and I’d prefer it if you keep conversation with her to a minimum. She’s not to be trusted.”

His own mother? Not to be trusted?  Rey said nothing, just stared at him like she was trying to put together a puzzle that was missing too many pieces.

“Alright,” she replied tightly.

Hux balked, “that’s it? Just, alright?”

Rey nodded, “I’ll keep conversation to a minimum. Not that I’d even know what to talk with her about.”

Letting out a sigh, Hux leaned against the durasteel wall and gave her a wary look. “Very good.”

With that, he left her in the room alone, proclaiming that he’d come to fetch her when it was time to get ready for the reception.

——

The hours ticked by, far faster than Rey realized. She was kept busy with one hologram simulation after another, though she felt they didn’t quite provide the same level of training as the real thing. She was slightly afraid of trying the training droid, mostly because it looked far too menacing, and the helmeted shape in a way reminded her too much of Kylo Ren.

It wasn’t long before she felt the need to take a break. So she lay down on the mats, breathing heavy and staring up at the ceiling. She’d only just let her mind drift and her eyes fall closed for a second.

A throat clearing noise from across the room startled her, and she sat up abruptly to find Hux had returned. If it was possible, he looked even more exhausted than he had only that morning.

“Is it time to get ready for the reception?” She asked, slowly rising to her feet.

“Not exactly,” he said hesitantly. “I realized I brought you to training without providing you with breakfast. I—I often don’t eat till dinner, mostly just tea and stims, and I apologize I forget about food. And I didn’t consider that you might actually need to be fed.”

He was rambling again, so he snapped his mouth shut. Stars, the way he spoke to her, made it sound like she was a pet and not a person. 

“Oh,” Rey replied. “I don’t often eat more than once a day, but food would be—good.”

“Perfect,” he said approvingly. “Follow me.”

She thought at first that he would take her to the mess hall, like what she’d experienced with the Resistance. There was usually a large room where the Resistance members ate their meals and gossiped about the daily events. She assumed that the First Order held meals the same way, and Hux would eat with his crew. Instead, however, Hux led her back their quarters where a veritable feast was laid out on the dining table.

Then again, Rey supposed, Hux was a Grand Marshall, and even General Leia Organa often took her meals in her quarters.

——

While Rey surveyed the table, covered in platters of steaming dishes, with a large pot of caf and an equally large pot of tea in the center, Hux shifted uncomfortably.

Was it too much? Was he doing too much? Perhaps she would be offended that he’d taken more liberties? 

“I ordered for you,” Hux said quickly. “I wasn’t certain what you’d prefer to eat, and I assumed you might be hungry already—so I ordered—though next time you can look through the options—”

“Thank you.”

He swallowed anxiously, “you’re welcome.”

Without another word, he pulled out the chair for her to sit. She did, somewhat stunned at the gesture. It was a strange feeling to have someone doing everything for you. She’d always done everything herself. It was odd, though not unpleasant, to have someone take care of the minute details.

He was trying so hard, and it was rather kind of him. The training room, the clothing, her ring, his hesitancy about their wedding night, it all made Rey feel slightly guilty about her intention to kill him. If only a little. He’d still murdered Ben. And she couldn’t forgive him for it.

Hux took the seat opposite her and gestured to the two pots on the table.

“Tea or Caf?” He asked.

“Caf,” she replied quickly. He frowned slightly but poured her a mug and set it in front of her. Then he poured himself a mug of tea and blew on the steam that coiled up from the cup.

“Please, eat.”

Rey looked over the table again. There were so many things, so many options. Her mouth had begun to water, and she licked her lips before she began piling food on her plate. She didn’t need to be asked twice as she dug into the food. For a moment, she thought that Hux might reprimand her again as she gorged herself, but he said nothing, just watched her eat while he sipped his tea.

When she finally came up for air, she noticed the peculiar way he was looking at her. His eyes met hers for a moment before he looked away, back down at his tea.

“I’m sorry for—for how I spoke to you yesterday.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I commented on your table manners,” he said quietly. “It was rude of me. I had a rather harsh disciplinarian growing up, so I sometimes forget that others didn’t receive the same level of education I did.”

“You think I’m uneducated?” Rey snapped, eyes narrowing. “You think I’m some sad little desert rat without any manners?”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“Perhaps it’d be better if you didn’t talk at all.” She bit out. “If the only things that come out of your mouth are rude comments about my upbringing, it’d be better for both of us if you just shut up.”

Hux’s eyes blazed, “if me pointing out the truth to you makes you this upset, then perhaps you’re right, and we shouldn’t speak at all.”

He rose from the table, still scowling, and marched out of the room before she could reply. His steaming hot mug of tea sat forgotten behind him.  

——

It was four hours later that he finally returned, Rey had eaten so much food she’d become sleepy and laid down in the bed for a nap. The nap had only lasted a good thirty minutes before she was awakened by the arrival of more First Order beauticians. Apparently, they intended to make her what they’d determined as “presentable” for the second reception.

So when Hux returned to his quarters, he found Rey sitting on the chaise in a form-fitting white silk gown with impeccable her hair and makeup. Even if she was a desert scavenger with little to no formal education, she did manage to clean up well. He ignored her, however, and went to tend to his own preparations for the reception. It wouldn’t do for his mother to see him looking so tired. She would be sure to comment. And her comments were the last thing he needed right now.

He took a stim and then went to the fresher, where he scrubbed and cleaned himself. It would be difficult to match the level of elegance his wife had reached. She no longer looked the part of a scavenger, except when she was stuffing her mouth full of every piece of food available at the table. He stifled a laugh. She definitely wasn’t going to be easy to win over.

——

The second reception was held in the grand hall aboard the Galactus, and if possible, seemed even more decadent than the first. Small white floating lights had been placed about the room, creating a soft glow and dreamlike quality. Tables and chairs were set around the dance floor, and there were white marble columns of beautiful and ornately carved flowers and wild animals of various species. There was a dance floor set in the center of the room. And elegant drapes of silk around the edges of the room like a curtain.

It was stunning, and Rey couldn’t believe the number of lovely things she’d seen in only the past few days. The First Order may have been about the destruction of the Republic, but at least they could appreciate the beauty in things.

Hux hadn’t spoken so much as a word to her since his return but led her into the room on his arm. He looked stressed, and if she didn’t know better, Rey would’ve thought he looked slightly afraid.

A tall, dark-skinned woman with a full head of thick curly gray hair and dressed in a white Grand Admiral’s dress uniform greeted them as they entered.

“Armitage!” She said with delight, flashing them both a blindingly white smile. “You look so handsome, my dear.”

The woman rested a gentle hand on Hux’s shoulder and turned to Rey. Hux didn’t stiffen under her touch, and Rey couldn’t help but feel puzzled. 

What exactly was Hux’s relationship with this woman?

“I’m Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, and you must be Rey of Jakku.” She gave Hux a soft look before she turned back to Rey.

“I must be,” Rey said shyly. The woman had a presence about her, much like Leia. This woman, too, was important and strong-willed, and she made Rey feel every bit, the unrefined Jakku scavenger that she was.

“Well, well, Armitage,” Rae Sloane said with smirk. “Your wife is lovely, how did you manage to get so lucky?”

Hux’s cheeks blossomed pink again before he replied, “I’ve never been lucky in my life. I don’t believe in luck. You know that.”

“Well, luck might just be turning your way,” Rae Sloane replied, still smirking. “I’ve known Armitage since he was no taller than a Jawa. He’s grown a bit since then.”

Rey smiled back. The thought of Hux as a small boy, had he been so stiff then? This woman had known him since he was a child and had seen him grow into the man is now. And what did Grand Admiral Rae Sloane think of him?

“I’ll leave you two,” Rae said kindly. “I have to check on the food. It might surprise you to know this was quite an ordeal to orchestrate, and Maratelle has nearly driven me up the wall with her incessant complaining.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Grand Admiral,” Hux said, something like a genuine smile creeping onto his face. “For this and for putting up with my mother.”

“I don’t know why you insist on calling her that,” Rae Sloane said with a shake of her head. “She’s hardly been that to you. But you know I’d do anything for you, dear. It was lovely to meet you, Rey.”

With that, the Grand Admiral left them alone, and Hux’s mouth formed a disapproving line as he watched her go.

“Maratelle?” Rey asked curiously.

“You’ll refer to her as Madam,” Hux said sourly. Then he led her to their table for dinner.

——

This reception was much larger than the previous one, and Rey noted that there were no stormtroopers present. Officers were there, dressed in their formal attire, and there were a few lieutenants. However, the majority of officers in attendance were captains, generals, grand admirals, and other Grand Marshalls. There appeared to be nearly everyone within the First Order junta present, a pity that Rey was alone, and there weren’t any Resistance fighters with her. No friends here, she was all alone. 

She took to observing the room, noting the only nonhuman was a tall blue-skinned and red-eyed male in white that was discussing something with a human female with short-cropped black hair. Next to the blue-skinned male was another human, a tan-skinned male with short dark brown hair. The three of them looked very comfortable together like they could be friends, and it made Rey’s heart ache.

Hux pretended to focus on eating his dinner, one small bite at a time. He was still furious with Rey. Though in truth, it hadn’t been her fault that she’d found his sore spot. Once she met his mother, it might be even worse.

And almost as if conjured by some absurd irony, she appeared. Maratelle Hux, marching towards them with cold determination. Hux rose from his seat on instinct and gave Maratelle a slight bow, then held out his hand to Rey to help her stand as well.

“Rey of Jakku,” he said, some nervous tremor seeping through the steady tenor of his voice. “This is Maratelle Hux, my mother.”

Rey did the only thing that seemed sensible, she bowed. It was an awkward gesture, devoid of the grace that might’ve made it look natural.

“It’s lovely to meet you, madam,” Rey said sweetly, trying not to startle when Hux’s hand trembled in her grasp, and then he squeezed her fingers gently.

The woman, Maratelle, looked over her, through her even. Her mouth had wrinkles around it as if she took every effort to frown rather than smile. And she didn’t smile when she looked at Rey either, she squinted and scowled.

 “You’re awfully young,” Maratelle Hux said. “You’re still nearly a child.”

“I’m in my twenties,” Rey replied, taken aback. Hux’s face had gone pale, and his grip on her hand tightened.

“Still too young to be married to someone who could almost be your father,” Maratelle said coldly.

Though Rey knew Hux wasn’t that much older than her, she felt offended on his behalf and started to reply with something equally as disdainful when Maratelle cut her off.

“Fetch me a drink, Armitage.” She snapped.

Hux released Rey’s hand suddenly and headed to the bar immediately. Leaving Rey alone with this cruel woman.

They stared at each other, Rey trying to feel anything through the Force. She felt nothing but icy cold bitterness and hate. Hate towards Hux, hate towards her, towards life. A hatred so all-consuming that it made Rey feel sick, like even just being near such a poison, was enough to infect her.

“Have you consummated yet?” Maratelle asked dryly.

Rey couldn’t help the flush of her cheeks, “not yet.”

Maratelle snorted, “of course not. He’s a coward. He’s always been too weak to take action. He likes to hide behind others, the foolish little boy.”

If mothers were like this to their children, then Rey was decidedly glad that she didn’t have a mother. Now she understood Grand Admiral Rae Sloane’s comment, this woman was no mother at all.

“He’s not a coward,” Rey replied, white-hot anger beginning to simmer beneath her calm exterior. It was ridiculous that she should find herself defending this man. “He’s patient and methodical.”

“Oh?” Maratelle said. “You sound as if you’ve gotten to know him so well in the whole day you’ve been married. But, perhaps I ought to give you a piece of advice, my dear.”

Rey swallowed and pursed her lips. This woman was evil, whatever goodness she may have once possessed had all but burned away from years of resentment and anger.

“Count yourself lucky this is a political marriage and not one for love. The Hux men have a tendency to disappoint their wives.” Maratelle offered. “You may be able to hold his interest for a bit, while you’re still young and pretty. But he’s just like his father. He’ll throw you away once he’s done with you. Once he’s ruined you.”

Hux had returned, carrying two drinks, he stopped short at Maratelle’s words. His face had gone ashen, but he said nothing as he handed Maratelle a glass and then set the other one in front of Rey.

“Mother, I—” He started, but Maratelle gave him a silencing glare.

“I wish you both a happy marriage,” Maratelle scoffed. “However long that might be.”

She took a sip of her drink and turned on her heel, leaving Hux pale and shaken and staring after her. He Didn’t meet Rey’s eyes as he sat down beside her. He just stared at his plate. Then he darted up and mumbled something about needing a drink and headed back to the bar.

Chapter Text

A Galaxy is Not Enough

 CHAPTER 7

The Second Reception Part Two

When Hux returned from the bar with a full glass of some kind of brown liquid, he didn’t look any calmer. He sat down stiffly and focused all his attention on the dish before him, though he barely touched the food.

Rey glanced at him, trying to determine what she ought to say. His mother was an odious woman, the kind of person Rey wished to smack in the face with her staff. But she couldn’t, could she?

It was little wonder that a creature like that had spawned the smug Grand Marshal. But it was surprising that he had turned out to be far less cruel than his mother. Thoughtless, perhaps at times. Ambitious and cunning to be sure. But he wasn’t unintentionally callous.

At least, Rey found no maliciousness in his words. Though he’d made careless statements, he hadn’t been manipulative or hurtful. Not like his mother anyway. Perhaps she ought to give him another chance? Besides, he had put up with this woman for his entire life, and Rey felt the smallest bit of compassion for him for what he must’ve endured.

“Let’s dance,” she exclaimed suddenly, causing Hux to flinch.

“No, thank you,” Hux replied gently, taking a shaky sip of his drink.

“Please,” Rey whispered, reaching out tenderly, she took his hand. “I think we need a distraction.”

He didn’t let go of her hand, but he looked away from her. When he spoke, it was strained.

“I’m afraid I might be a bit too agitated to dance properly,” he said. There was a twinge of embarrassment in his voice.

“It’s alright,” Rey declared, squeezing his hand lightly. “I’ll help you. And besides, we can’t let that awful woman think she won, can we?”

At that, Hux turned back to look at her, studying her face with confusion.

“You don’t have to—“

“To what?” Rey asked. “Dance with my husband? I don’t, you’re right. But I want to.”

His face softened, “as long as you’re not just doing it out of pity.”

Rey smiled, “I’m not. I’m doing it to get back at your mother.”

He laughed. It was a small laugh, but it was a laugh all the same.

“Well, then,” Hux said, sliding his chair back and rising to his feet. He held her hand the whole time.

Somehow her words had given him the strength to move without hesitation, and he led her to the dance floor.

______

The music was melodious and soothing as Hux pulled Rey against him, though he still didn’t look directly at her. Instead, he fixated on everything around them, the officers and Generals, and decorations. Rey, on the other hand, wasn’t able to look anywhere else but at her husband.

Even in heels, she wasn’t tall enough to be eye-level with him. So, she stared up at him, noting his features were somewhat attractive in this light. His nose was straight and his cheekbones high and his lips. . . Her eyes rested on the thick lips for a moment before she looked back up at him and found he was staring down at her.

He shifted, awkwardly and swallowed, “thank you.”

Rey nodded and smiled, “you’re welcome.”

They danced in silence, his hand gently resting against her lower back and her arm around his neck. Hux looked stoic and reserved as always, but his eyes began to fall upon her more and more frequently as they moved about the room.

They danced for one song, then another, and another, until Rey was out of breath and Hux only had eyes for her.

After the third song, they decided to get another drink, and Rey let Hux lead her to the bar and order for her, something dry and sour. She loved it, it made her feel light and energetic and less anxious.

A bit later, after three more drinks, Rey’s head felt heavy, and she wanted nothing more than to return to their room and climb into the too-soft bed and curl up to sleep. But there were speeches and raised glasses and introductions to be made. Before she realized it, she had drunk two more full glasses of the alcoholic beverage, and things began to fuzz around the edges.

Hux introduced her over and over and over again. She began to tire of smiling and nodding and repeating her name. Some of the officers seemed kind and genuine towards her, while others eyed her warily and made her feel like the outsider that she was. One officer gave her a very pointed once over before he grinned. And the grin made Rey feel like she wanted to crawl under the table and hide.

That particular officer shook Hux’s hand and clapped him on the back and then leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Hux choked on his drink and blushed furiously and turned to the next officer as quickly as he could.

The tall blue-skinned, red-eyed Chiss greeted Rey as well. He seemed fascinated that she was from Jakku and asked her so many questions that Hux had to cut in. The woman with the short-cropped hair wasn’t far behind the Chiss, but she was short and to the point and moved along quickly.

Rey stifled a yawn, her legs ached, and her back hurt, and she wanted to get into bed. Finally, the line of officers dwindled down, and she was able to sit again.

She leaned back in her seat and wobbled a bit and almost missed the table when she went to set her glass down on it.

_____

Hux gave her a look, one she almost might have interpreted as concern, but at the moment, she just thought he looked upset.

Handsome, but upset.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, letting the ‘f’ drag out slowly. Forming words was becoming difficult. She could barely keep her eyes open.

“You’ve had quite a bit to drink,” he said, though it didn’t sound like a judgment. More a statement of fact.

“Mhmm,” she agreed. “I’m tired.”

He nodded, “Just sit tight for a moment, could you? We can leave as soon as all the fan fair ends.”

She sat patiently, head starting to ache a little. How many drinks had she had? It didn’t matter. She rarely drank, so any amount might be too much.

As soon as all the speeches and drinks were finished, Hux rose and thanked the party planners. Then said something about taking his beautiful bride home. Rey didn’t really listen. She couldn’t, all she could think about was how sleepy she felt.

Finally, Hux reached for her and clutched her hand.

“Time to go,” he said softly. “Let’s get you to bed.”

They’d barely moved before they were interrupted.

“Oh, Armitage,” came the cold voice behind Hux. “Had to get her drunk, did you?” It was followed by an icy laugh.

Hux froze, cheeks heating. Rey frowned, Maratelle was back.

“It’s alright, dear,” Maratelle said to Rey. “I had to spend much of my marriage like that, drinking just to get through the terrible days and the even worse nights.”

Rey stood, wobbly on her legs, but she still held Hux’s hand firmly. She turned to Maratelle and snapped, “If I were you, I would’ve drank too. It would be the only way I could live with being such an awful person.”

Hux’s mouth fell open, and his wide eyes darted quickly between Rey and Maratelle.

Maratelle laughed again.

“You poor, sad little girl,” she clucked, shaking her head. “I’d hate to be you tonight. Your husband had to get you drunk, so he could have his way with you.”

Ice flooded Rey’s veins, had Hux intended for her to drink this much? Was Maratelle right?

She shook her head, no, she’d been willing last night, if only to get it over with, and he had insisted that they wait. It was doubtful he would do such a despicable thing when she had offered it to him already.

She wanted Maratelle to leave Hux alone. What’s more, she felt the strong urge to spit venom back at the terrible woman.

“He doesn’t have to get me drunk,” Rey bit back angrily, losing all capacity for embarrassment. “He’s kind and handsome and caring, and he could have me whenever he wants! And it is a wonder he turned out so nice with such a cruel and horrible excuse for a mother!”

Stars, was she really going to defend Grand Marshall Armitage Hux to his own mother?

Hux gulped audibly and turned to Rey, his face flushed from the tips of his ears to his Adam’s apple, “Rey, that’s quite enough.”

“Oh,” Maratelle cut him off, “Armitage didn’t tell you then?”

Rey looked around perplexed. “Tell me what?”

“I’m not his birth mother,” Maratelle said with a smile. “He’s a bastard. His father liked to roll around in the mud with poorly bred little girls just like you. Got one of them pregnant. I already told you, didn’t I? The Hux men have a way of disappointing their wives.”

Rey looked back to Hux, who wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Have a wonderful night,” Maratelle continued. “And do be gentle with her Armitage, she’s still just a little girl after all.”

______

Hux led Rey back to their room in silence, staring straight ahead the whole time. He still wouldn’t look at her, though he continued to support her on his arm the entire way.

Rey no longer felt drunk, the adrenaline of her encounter with Maratelle had left her wide awake.

Back in their quarters, Hux remained silent, and they didn’t speak as they readied for bed. They cleaned their teeth and took turns in the fresher, and Rey felt terribly guilty for all the assumptions she’d made and unkind things she’d said to Hux.

It was apparent that Hux was embarrassed about being a bastard. But she didn’t understand why. People on Jakku rarely married. They had children, yes, but marriage seemed like a frivolous thing. Why did there need to be a contract between two people who cared for each other?

Infidelity, however, was different. If there was a marriage contract and someone strayed outside the bonds of that commitment . . . She supposed she could sort of understand why Hux would be ashamed.

But then, none of that had been his fault. Rey sighed, trying to catch her husband’s eye, but he dutifully continued to ignore her.

They settled into bed without speaking, and Hux turned off the lights. They sat in utter darkness for a heartbeat before Rey heard the sheets rustle and felt the covers pull back. The bed dipped, and she knew he’d gotten up.

“Are you alright?” She asked into the darkness.

There was a long silence before he answered. “I—I just need some water.”

And then he was gone.

She waited for him to return to bed, she counted the tiled pattern of the ceiling over and over. But he didn’t return.

She wasn’t sure of the time when she finally decided to check on him. But she rose as quietly as she could and padded out into the hall to look for him.

He didn’t see her as she peered around the corner.

Armitage Hux was seated at the table, his back to her. Rey felt something inside her tighten strangely as she looked at him, she could feel the emotions roiling around him, through him. They were like a burning fire inside him, raging around him. He’d always appeared so empty and devoid of emotion like he’d been holding all the feelings inside so tightly that they never came tumbling out.

But right now, he was feeling them. All of them. Hurt and guilt, and shame. Anger and sadness, and despair. It was so powerful Rey could barely breathe. Each and every separate emotion was so tangled, so twisted around the other that it would’ve been impossible for any normal person to separate them. Her heart thudded rapidly in her chest as she tried to breathe through the onslaught of sensations that flowed over her.

Hux was leaned forward in his seat, his face buried in his hands. He must push all these feelings to the side, she thought. When he’s going about his day. It must be absolutely exhausting for him, keeping these things all pressed inside himself.

It was smart, too. No Force user was able to discern his thoughts and desires. He kept them so tightly bound inside himself.

There was a little noise, almost like a sob. Then he let out a shaky breath.

Rey swallowed, the lump in her throat so thick and painful it hurt. She couldn’t. She couldn’t kill him right now, not like this. Could she?

Chapter Text

A Galaxy is Not Enough

Chapter 8: The Holocall

Rey watched Hux silently as he sat there at the table, face buried in his hands. She could kill him now. It would be over so swiftly, and he wouldn't even have time to react. It would all be over, and she could run, escape perhaps? Back to the Resistance? She wasn't even sure where they were, but she was good at hiding, and she was patient. If she killed him, it would be finished.

Still, she didn't move.

No , she couldn't kill him like this. He was already in so much pain simply from the altercation with his mother— step-mother?— earlier, and she would feel absolutely horrid ending his life on such a note.

Strange , because when she'd first met him she had so much pent up fury and wanted so badly to cut his throat right then and there, but she had promised Leia she would do her work and find out what had happened to Ben. Though, then she'd been quite sure she knew that Grand Marshal Armitage Hux was the one who'd killed Ben Solo.

Now, however. She wasn't sure what to think. Not that he wasn't capable of killing an enemy. No, he seemed very capable of that act. But perhaps it had been a tiny bit that Rey had  wanted  to believe that he'd done it, so she had someone on which to focus her anger. Hux made the perfect scapegoat. He was known to be arrogant, and he had been Kylo Ren's rival for years.

It made perfect sense to think that he had been the one to do the deed.

But after she'd gotten to know him a little, she didn't exactly feel like he had been the one to sever her Force bond. Or maybe she didn't  want  to believe it was him anymore.

She almost chuckled to herself because she knew she was always too eager to care about someone. Anyone showed her the smallest bit of kindness, and she bent over backward for them. Unkar Plutt had told her long ago that she was too soft. And maybe she was. But she'd almost always known when to fight and when to run. And she'd always been good at picking her fights.

Rey of Jakku was a scavenger, but she was also a Jedi. Being a Jedi meant she had a responsibility to the galaxy and to defend others, protect them, and the like. So maybe she should try protecting her husband? Perhaps he would open up more if he saw her as an ally rather than an enemy. Then she could learn what had truly happened to Ben.

It was all rather silly, really, it made her want to laugh. He was just one more cog in the wheel of the First Order that now reigned over the whole galaxy. And he was only one more thing standing in her way of freedom. Freedom for her. Freedom for the Galaxy.

She would let him live tonight, she decided. Because he could still be of use to her. Not for any other reason, of course.

Hux still sat at the table with his face in his hands, though he shook slightly, whether, from tears or anger, Rey couldn't quite tell. She would leave him to it, whatever this was. What responsibility did she have to interfere? But as Rey turned to tiptoe back into their bedroom, her foot made a gentle scraping sound against the flooring.

A flash of movement from the table and Hux was in front of her. He'd whirled and risen so quickly when Rey jumped back, momentarily frightened.

"What do you think you're doing?" He growled at her. "Were you spying on me?"

It was dark in the kitchen, but still light enough that she could make out the sharp angles of his features as he towered over her.

She didn't respond to his questions; she could barely formulate a sentence. When she didn't speak, Hux reached forward, gripping her wrist tightly.

"I said , were you spying on me?" He asked, his tone as sharp as a razor.

She shook her head, "I—I wasn't. I was just worried about you."

"Worried?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. Rey swallowed and started to pull her arm back, but at the same time, he dragged her forward and found herself right up against his chest. She felt the uneven stuttering breaths he took as he stared down at her in disbelief.

"Worried about me?" He whispered.

Though she was pressed against his chest, she managed to look up and meet his eyes. They looked odd in the light, too bright, too unfocused. He blinked down at her and licked his lips as if contemplating something.

"After everything with your mother, I was worried you were upset." She replied, voice cracking slightly under strain. She needed water, his raw emotions chilling the air around her had dried her throat.

His breathing was so rapid, and he was looking at her so enigmatically she shuddered. She could no longer read his emotions like she had a moment ago. He'd managed to swallow them all up again, leaving her unable to interpret his facial expressions or his thoughts. It made her feel incredibly helpless.

He closed his mouth, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he worked through what she'd said. He frowned and released her.

"You don't need to check on me." He muttered, crossing his arms. "I'm quite alright by myself."

This, she knew, was a lie. He had been handling things by himself until now and look at what it had cost him. He was never able to feel unless he was utterly alone. And then the emotions were so sharp and tangled, so horribly disfigured, how could anyone make sense of them? What was worse is that he'd allowed a terrible emptiness to fill him rather than experience even the slightest bit of something. It all made Rey's stomach coil painfully, but arguing with him now wouldn't help. He was already too defensive.

"Alright," she said with a nod. "But let's get back to bed, I—I really don't enjoy sleeping alone. I've done it enough." At the moment, she said it merely to make him feel needed, but as she thought about it, she had realized it was true. She'd slept alone for so long and then the Force bond, and she hadn't been alone for some time. She'd often woken to find Ben there, though he usually pretended to ignore her.  For a time . Until they started speaking to each other again. Until he'd apologized and tried to make amends.

He'd been on the verge of uniting with the Resistance. He'd been so close to coming home and then—then he'd been struck down. And with it, the bond. And then Rey was alone again. The emptiness of her Force bond like a gaping wound in her heart.

She didn't want to be alone anymore.

So, she reached out and grasped Hux by the hand, startling at the warmth. He'd had his gloves on every other time she'd touched him. But now, his hands were bare. His fingers were warm, and his skin was soft, not calloused like. . . She flushed a bit at the thought of Ben.

Shaking her head, she laced her fingers between each of his own. He didn't pull out of her grip, but he let his fingers hang loosely as he allowed her to lead him back to bed. When they entered the bedroom, he let his hand fall away and drew back the covers and climbed into the bed. Rey did the same on her side, and they lay in silence next to each other for some time.

Even with the Resistance, she hadn't quite felt like she belonged. She loved them. All of them. There was nothing that could replace the friends she'd found. But still, even with that love, something was lacking. Something that made her feel indescribably different from everyone else.

You're not alone.  

The words came to her unbidden, and she squeezed her eyes closed to keep the tears from falling. She didn't want to be alone. And right now, she didn't have to be, so she felt with her hand under the covers till she felt Hux.

——

Hux yelped in surprise at the feel of a hand on his chest. The hand moved, padding down his stomach, and he reached up quickly to pull her off by the wrist.

"What're you doing?" He demanded.

When she didn't immediately respond, he rolled onto his side to face her. He could barely see her in the dark, but he was able to make out the curves of her face and the glisten of her eyes as she looked at him.

She tugged her hand out of his grip and didn't look away as her hand trailed up his chest and over his shoulder. He realized finally what she was doing as her hand grazed his elbow and his forearm and then settled on his wrist.

He allowed her to splay open his palm with the tips of her fingers, and some electric current shot up his arm and into his stomach. The warmth of her skin pressing into his again made his abs contract tightly from the contact, and his breathing hitched.

Something deep inside him began to ache.

She didn't speak to him, but the pad of her thumb circled the skin on the back of his hand, and Hux felt his eyelids grow heavy.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd held someone's hand so tenderly.  Had he ever held someone's hand?  He wasn't sure. His thoughts drifted to Maratelle, to his real mother, and then to Rey.  Had she really been worried about him? 

"Did you mean what you said?" He asked into the darkness.

"What I said?"

"What you said to my mother," he paused, slightly embarrassed, "about me."

"Oh."

He couldn't see her, but he could imagine the blush, and it caused his own cheeks to heat.

"It's alright if you didn't."

He couldn't think of anything else to say. Of course, she had only been trying to get under Maratelle's skin. That had to be it. Of course, she didn't  actually  mean that she thought he was handsome or that he was welcome to bed her. Of course, she'd just been a bit drunk and trying to annoy his mother.

But if he were honest with himself, he didn't mind that. He might even say he liked that she'd stood up to Maratelle Hux. Even if she were lying about what she thought of him.

"I—I meant it," she whispered finally. "I just, I wouldn't have said all that if I hadn't been a bit, tipsy."

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand gently.

"Well, whether you meant it or not is really beside the point." He said. "You did something which no one but Grand Admiral Sloane has dared to do."

"Tell your mother off?" Rey asked, surprised.

He chuckled, "yes, she's horribly terrifying. No one has dared utter a word to her before."

"Well, she deserved it."

"That she did."

"Goodnight, Hux."

"Goodnight, Rey."

 That night, Hux slept soundly, his hand held firmly by his wife.

——

The next day was a whirlwind. Rey awoke to a decadent breakfast Hux had ordered and then spent four hours in the training room by herself while Hux worked.

He hadn't commented on their conversation from the previous night, but he did appear to be in much better spirits. He even smiled at Rey when she exclaimed about the amount of food, though he did caution her to eat slowly, lest she develop a stomachache.

Her training consisted of complicated simulations against multiple opponents. It was grueling work, but she enjoyed it. She needed something to focus her rage on. Not to mention that she desperately needed

to determine exactly where her investigation ought to start.

Should she ask Hux about what had happened to Ben? And if she did, would he lie to her? But surely, if anyone aboard the  Galactus  would know what had happened to the former Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, wouldn't it be Hux?

"Excuse me, um—miss, erm, Lady uhh—Rey?"

A dark-haired squirrely looking boy—no,  man —stood in the entrance to her training room. He wore the dark grey-blue uniform of a Lieutenant. She was sure she'd seen him before, back at the wedding ceremony. He'd spent almost the entirety of his time with Rose, and that had not gone unnoticed by Rey.

"Yes?"

"I was sent to inform you that you've received a holocall from your—uhh, your friends."

"Really?!" Rey exclaimed. "Where can I take it?"

"In your quarters, I believe, would be the best place," the Lieutenant offered shyly. "I'm here to escort you."

"Escort me?"

"Yes, and um, I'm to be present while you take the call."

"Why?"

"Orders," the officer shrugged, "from the Grand Marshall."

Rey frowned. They were having her calls monitored. Couldn't they just record them automatically? Why would they need an actual officer present? She didn't like this one bit.

"What's your name again?" Rey asked.

"Mitaka," he replied. "Dopheld Mitaka."

Rey nodded but didn't reply.

Back in her quarters, Lt. Mitaka opened up the frequency channel for her, letting her take the call in Hux's office as he wasn't back yet.

When the bright blue image sprang out of the desk holoprojector, Rey grinned. Connix and Rose came into view, instantly.

"Rey!!" They cried in unison.

"Hi!" Rey smiled brightly. She'd missed them so much, even in just a few days. "Where are you both? How're you being treated? What exactly has the Emperor done with all of you?"

"Woah, slow down," Kaydel said, putting a hand up. "We want to know about you first."

"Yeah," Rose said, leaning in. "Isn't he horrible? Has he hurt you? Oh, hi, Mitaka!"

Mitaka blushed bright crimson and gave a weak smile and a smaller, even weaker wave from his place behind the desk.

"Hello commander Tico," he said quietly, his voice a hoarse whisper.

"Commander Tico. . ." Kaydal said, mimicking Mitaka's tone, her mouth half-open as she eyed her friend. "The image may be blue, but I can still see your little friend over there blushing."

Rose gave Kaydel a glare. "Anyway, tell us everything!" She exclaimed, turning her attention back to Rey.

"Yeah, like, has he made you, ya know??" Kaydel interrupted again, giving Rey a meaningful look.

Mitaka coughed and looked away.

"Okay, well," Rey started. "I'll just be quick about everything. We had a second reception. I met his stepmother, she's awful. She only had nasty things to say, and Hux hasn't made me do anything. He's actually been a gentleman, quite sweet and thoughtful."

"Sweet and thoughtful!?" Rose cried flabbergasted. "That doesn't sound like him as all. He probably just wants something from you."

"I know what he wants," Kaydel snorted.

"He's a First Order creep," Rose interjected. " Of course , that's what he wants. Oh, sorry, Mitaka, no offense."

"None taken," Mitaka croaked, obviously pained.

"Look, he really is trying," Rey argued. "He's done so much for me."

"Did he destroy a star system for you?" Kaydel said unimpressed.

Rey grimaced, "Yes, I understand he's complicit in it. But he's also—"

"Rey," Rose said sadly, "he's trying to manipulate you. He's not a good guy."

"I  know , I just—he's quite different than I thought he would be."

"Different how?" Kaydel asked.

"Just different." Rey sighed. "More vulnerable. More thoughtful."

"Okay, what's he feeding you? Are you sure he hasn't given you anything?" Rose puzzled.

"I'm fine," Rey replied, feeling more irritation than she thought possible. "I'm just—tired."

It was a bland excuse and one that wasn't true. She'd slept better last night than she had in years. In that soft, warm bed with Hux's equally soft, warm fingers laced through her own. There was something incredibly intimate about it, and for a moment last night, she had considered planting a kiss on his cheek just for good measure. But she'd chickened out.

Kaydel frowned at her, "look, we're just worried about you. And everything we've ever heard about him is bad, so we're concerned, okay?"

"I know," Rey replied begrudgingly. They were right. She really had no reason to trust him and even less to like him.

"So—uh we've been relocated to Tracoltys Minor, and they are having us go through some integration program, it's not like stormtrooper brainwashing. But it's way too many propaganda videos about all the  supposed  good the First Order has done for the galaxy," Rose said when Rey didn't offer any further information.

"We're all getting new job placements, some people are being returned to their home planets. . . Others, well, you know, General Organa doesn't have a home planet. But she's been kept on as a political advisor—can you believe that? The First Order is going to take advice from  Leia Organa !" Kaydel said excitedly. "I'm trying not to be too hopeful, but still. It's a big step, I think."

"That's wonderful news!" Rey offered happily. She was glad that Leia would be helping with the political needs of the galaxy. Leia deserved to be in a place where she could help others. "What about you two?"

"Us?" Rose said in confusion. "I mean,  he  didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"We've been assigned to the  Galactus  we'll be sent out to you as soon as our integration is complete!" Kaydel said.

"What?! You're coming here?"

"Yep," Rose replied with a grin. "A week or so? Maybe?"

"It'll be wonderful to have you here, Commander Tico," Mitaka said shyly, making Rey jump. She had completely forgotten he was even in the room.

Rose smiled widely and then turned to look at Kaydel, who gave her a disapproving purse of her lips.

"Anyway," Kaydel interjected. "How are you keeping busy?"

Rey leaned back in the chair, thinking. This was a code, something they'd worked out prior. In case Rey needed to get out or if she felt there were threats to the remaining Resistance members.

Rey sighed, "Training has been grueling— I'm still searching for answers . But the First Order has been most gracious— So far, I've found no reason to worry, for now, we're safe ."

Rose gave a little approving nod and smiled. "We can't wait to see you, Rey. And I look forward to seeing you again, Lt." She said towards Mitaka.

Mitaka gave a half-smile as he looked down and chewed his bottom lip. He was blushing again, and Rey felt certain that she was missing something.

"Miss you, Rey," Kaydel said, though she was looking from Mitaka to Rose. "Keep us informed, okay? And don't be afraid to holocall us!"

"I won't," Rey said with a smile. The images flickered and then went out. Rey turned to look at the crimson faced Lt. "What's going on with you and Rose?"

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second. "Nothing, nothing at all. I assure you! I just believe she's a fascinating and intelligent woman—"

"Who is?" Hux asked from the doorway.

"Sir!" Mitaka exclaimed. "No one, I apologize—I should take my leave, sir, if you permit." He began edging towards the door nervously.

Rey almost laughed at him, then remembered she was upset with them. The First Order AND Hux. Upset that they were monitoring her calls so obviously. She'd expected them to watch her communication but not so blatantly. It was downright insulting!

"You may be dismissed, Lt." Hux nodded and stepped aside to allow Mitaka to leave, then he turned to Rey. Something like the beginning of a fond smile creeping across his features until he saw the frown on her face.

"Everything alright?" He inquired.

"It's fine," Rey replied, rising from the desk and brushing past him into the dining area. She was mad at him for treating her like an idiot, and she wasn't going to give him any special treatment today. Rose and Connix had been right. He had been manipulating her, and she wasn't going to fall for his tricks any longer. She trudged past the dining room, and Hux followed her, concerned.

"Your friends are doing well?"

"Yes," she said tersely as she entered the kitchen and began rifling through the cabinets for something to eat. She was always hungry, especially after such a long training session.

__ __

Hux stared after her, confused. She seemed upset. But she'd said she was fine, so he pressed on. "Well, if you're alright, I—I have some news."

"Oh?" She replied, not looking at him. "What news?"

"Well, I'm being sent on a diplomatic mission, for which the Emperor has determined you ought to accompany me. After which, we shall head to our honeymoon."

Rey still didn't look at him. But she leaned towards the counter and rested her hands on the cool tile of countertops. Hux bristled. He'd seen this posture before, Ren had done it time and again before he lashed out. So he braced himself for a fight.

"What's the diplomatic mission?" she asked instead.

"Negotiations with the Hutt's for trade routes and land usage," Hux said dismissively. "Are you sure you're alright?"

It would be the last time he asked. If she didn't want to tell him why she was angry, then what could he do? He wouldn't waste his time trying to find out. It wasn't his problem. And besides, if he asked too many times, he was confident that would make the problem worse.

"I said, I'm fine," she growled, finally looking at him. "But, I would like to know what you're so insulting to me?"

"Insulting?" He blanched. What had he done today but be cordial? "What do you mean?"

She glared at him, "you're really going to pretend like you don't know?"

His jaw clenched teeth grinding against each other as he narrowed his eyes at her. "How could I have any idea what's upset you today? You seem perpetually ready for a fight. And you seem to seek out a fight when one doesn't present itself!"

He hadn't yelled, but from the startled and hurt expression on her face, he may as well have. Her face went ashen, and something like tears prickled in the corners of her eyes.

"I AM NOT looking for a fight!" She almost screamed. "If you had any idea how tired I am of fighting. I've always had to fight. I wouldn't be alive today if I didn't fight. But of course, you wouldn't understand that you grew up like this, with all the food you could ever want!" She slammed her fist down on the counter.

"You met my mother, and you think you know everything about me?" He replied, struggling to maintain his composure. "You have no idea what my childhood was like. You—continue to be insulted only because I speak the truth."

Rey's eyes darted up to his and then back down, "whatever, fine, I don't know anything about you, and you don't know anything about me! Let's just keep it that way!"

She pushed past him forcefully and headed towards the lift, her heart pounding in her chest. He was so stupid, so so frustratingly stupid. Did he really not understand that she felt duped? She'd fallen for his act and realized how wrong she'd been. He wasn't kind or sweet or thoughtful like she'd thought. He was just doing all this to win her over, to change her mind, and to drive a wedge between her and her friends.

"Where are you going?" He called after her.

"Training," she shot back, dashing to the lift without looking back.

And then she was gone.

Chapter Text

A Galaxy is Not Enough

Chapter 9: The Discovery

Rey did not return to her training room. Instead, she wandered the hallways of the Galactus aimlessly, her frustration burning as she reflected on Hux’s behavior.

He had been kind to her, and his gifts were thoughtful, she couldn’t deny that. He’d genuinely done nothing to harm her physically or make her feel as if she ought to fear him. But still, her life on Jakku had taught her that people did not give gifts freely, and at some point, her husband would want something in return.

Though she doubted it was sex. Kaydel and Rose were wrong about that. Hux didn’t seem entirely interested in something so primitive. In fact, he almost seemed to be utterly disinterested in physical intimacy. At least as far as she could tell.

Well, they had held hands, and he appeared to enjoy that. But then again, he was so difficult to read. He seemed to be alright with the hand-holding, she supposed. And she hadn’t done anything else with him besides that and dancing. Leia had told her that men often liked to make the first move though they didn’t have to. Not that she wanted to make a move, of course. And holding hands wasn’t making a move as far as she was concerned. Finn had held her hand on numerous occasions and only as a friend.

That’s all it was, a supportive gesture. Yes, holding hands didn’t mean anything or give any indication of growing affection, aside from potential friendship, right?

It was odd, she thought, that Hux didn’t try anything or possibly he conscientiously didn’t initiate for fear that she would use the Force in retaliation. In the beginning, she believed that he would be the forceful sort, due to his imposing presence and smug face. She hadn’t expected him to be gentle or subdued. Much like her in a way, he would lash out when he was fearful, but otherwise, he was—soft-spoken, quiet even.

Yes, she’d certainly misjudged him on that account.

Perhaps she’d attributed the greasy pomade in his hair to the depth of his personality, a superficial judgment to be sure.

However, she hadn’t expected to like how his hand felt in her own. She thought she wouldn’t want to touch him at all, but his closed-off nature only increased her curiosity. That curiosity had stoked in her an even stronger desire to touch him.

Besides, he wasn’t bad to look at. True, he wasn’t Ben or Poe or even Finn, who she all found handsome, but he was—in his own way— quite good looking. She had admired those lips before and then been surprised by how incredibly soft they felt. The kiss during the wedding ceremony had been—well—it had stirred something inside her. And the thought of it now made her ache. It was nice, much nicer than she’d thought it would be.

She was lost in her thoughts as she meandered, one hand trailing against the lighted wall paneling of the First Order ship. Passing stormtroopers who did not seem to pay her any mind, Rey turned down one corridor. She found herself looking out over the command deck of the Galactus.

The view out into space was both lovely and painful at the same time. It reminded her that she was so far away from her friends. From Finn and Poe, from Kaydel and Rose, from Leia and BB-8. Looking out at the vast infinity of stars, she felt that hollowness deep inside.

So lonely.

She missed her friends. And if she was honest, she missed Ben. Tumultuous as their relationship had been, he was a part of her. Especially without the Force Bond. Now she felt an aching emptiness where it had been, like an open wound, it never really stopped hurting.

An officer on the command deck eyed her suspiciously as she stepped further onto the bridge and surveyed the busy First Order officers scurrying back and forth at their stations. She didn’t see anyone she recognized, not even Mitaka, and that made her feel even more lonely.

There was no one here with whom she could confide.

Several officers stopped their work when they noticed her looking down on them from above. They studied her with a nervous reverence, and she felt herself blush under their scrutiny. Slowly they returned to work, and Rey felt invisible again.

— —

Hux stared after the lift for a moment, equal parts annoyed and worried. Why were Force-users always so volatile? One moment Rey was taking his hand, and the next, she was yelling at him for Stars knows what. He didn’t understand her at all.

Not that he didn’t want to understand, he did. But he was tired and frustrated and painfully aware that Rey had seen a side of him last night that no one else ever had. Something which made him particularly wary about the direction of their relationship. He was fine with her staying in his living quarters and being a background part of his life. But he would absolutely not suffer such a melodramatic emotional outburst again.

He paced back and forth; hands clasped tightly behind his back. Then he stopped and ran a palm over his stiff hair.

No, he wouldn’t wait here for her to return, he would go about his day and see to his work, and she could busy herself. It wasn’t his job to look after her anyway. Perhaps they could be like roommates. Roommates who didn’t see each other or speak to each other. Or interact at all.

Yes, that might work. Possibly. Maybe. He wasn’t sure. But there were other options he could consider.

He could always have another room prepared for himself, one he could sleep in. Though why he should be the one to leave the lavish living quarters and not her, he didn’t know. He had earned this room, this life, and he wasn’t about to let some Jedi scavenger scum take it away from him.

She’s not some scavenger scum, she’s your wife. 

He could put her in her own room and keep his apartments and not even have to see her. That might be a solution to this messy problem. He shook his head. No, he didn’t like that idea. Maybe because he thought he ought to have her where he could watch her, just in case she decided to do something stupid for the Resistance. Or perhaps it bothered him that it felt like something he would’ve expected his father to do.

His pacing continued, slowing for a fraction of a second. His father. He was starting to sound like him. That brought on a scowl, and he sucked in a breath.

No, he would not be so easily frightened off. He’d told the Emperor that he would woo Rey of Jakku, and he fully intended to. Whether she liked it or not. Well, perhaps, if she didn’t like it, then this marriage wouldn’t last long.  

One thing was certain, he needed to maintain his position, and he could only do that by staying in the Emperor’s favor. He would win Rey over. He had to. 

— —

Rey turned away from the bridge and wandered down another long hallway and into a lift and soon found herself on a flight deck, with hundreds of stormtroopers and TIE fighters and another open viewport into space.

She sighed and turned around again, heading back the way she’d come. This craft was so large she might get lost.

As she rounded a corner, however, she had an idea. She might be able to find a service data console and check for holovid recordings. Surely, maintenance logs or security footage was held within the First Order Archive System, and she might be able to uncover precisely what had happened to Ben.

It was a long shot, but at the moment she couldn’t think of anything better to do with her free time. And she most certainly did not want to use the training room right now. it was only more evidence of her husband’s intention to buy her cooperation.

She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the Force to flow through her, trying to grasp onto it and let it guide her. Her eyes snapped open, and she headed left, down a different corridor and the opposite direction of her training room.

After three or four more turns, she ended up in a deserted hallway with six large doors, all requiring sequence codes for entry.

She cursed.

— —

Hux reached for the bottle of Corellian whisky he kept in the desk drawer of his office near the bridge and poured himself a large glass full. It had been a long while since he’d sat in his office and drank and sulked.

There was a pile of budgets and orders he needed to review, in addition to the even longer list of other arduous tasks he ought to start. Instead, he flicked on his hologram display. He began examining the latest designs of the new TIE fighter turbo canons and suggestions for modification.

Perhaps it was a bit indulgent of him to check on new tech, but this was always something he liked to do when he was stressed or frustrated. There was nothing quite like losing himself in the intricacies of weapons design.

___ ___

Rey looked around the hallway once more, determining if there was any other way, she might be able to enter one of the locked rooms. If only BB-8 was with her, the small, resourceful droid was always a great help, not only with mechanical problems but also with personal ones.

She huffed. She had experience hacking into ISDs back on Jakku. Back then, she had fewer resources and had to deal with broken or damaged mainframes. It might take her some time, but she had plenty of that. If anything, she was just going to take a look today. Besides, if it took too long, she could always come back another day and try again, perhaps with the proper tools.

It took her some time to pry open the side of the keypad panel. She may not have had a droid with her, but she could potentially reroute the security system based on what she knew of the First Order design. If she had enough time, she might get one or more of the doors open.

__ ___

Hux reclined in his seat and sighed. He’d written up a briefing for his commanders and dealt with the broader budget issues. After which, he finished the specs for the TIE fighter canons, and issued a bounty for several Resistance members that had yet to turn themselves over to the First Order.

He reached down and refilled his glass of whisky. The Correllian drink burned down his throat as he sipped it slowly, wondering what Rey was doing at the moment. If she was enjoying the training room, he built for her.

Last time he’d visited her while she was training, she was lying on the floor just breathing but covered in sweat. She looked lovely like a deadly cat stretched out in the sun. It made his breathing hitch just thinking about it even now. Part of him wanted to stretch out over her, and another part of him felt a strange longing to taste the salt of her sweat.

But he didn’t. Of course, he didn’t. Because, well. It would be highly inappropriate for him to do something like that. Wouldn’t it? 

Aside from the undeniable fact that she would most definitely not welcome his advancements. There was the fact that she was beautiful and strong, and a Jedi, and he was Grand Marshall and an enemy of the Resistance. There was no chance in the galaxy that she would be willing to—he swallowed. His heart pounded, and his ears burned.

But then again, he was her husband. Wasn’t he? 

After all, she had told his mother the other day that he could have her if he wanted. And he did want. Though when he’d asked her if she meant it—well— he stopped and shook his head.

Why should he sit and worry about what she might want or not want? He could simply ask her, couldn’t he? He could be direct, it would be just like when he interrogated prisoners, he could get to the bottom of this. He would find out if she meant it.

Another quick swig of whisky and he closed his eyes. He could see her there, in his memory, her chest rising and falling with each measured breath as she lay on the floor of the training room. In his mind, she seemed so tangible, so real. If he wanted, he could reach out and touch her. His stomach coiled strangely, pleasantly almost. An odd sensation and one he wasn’t used to.

Perhaps he should visit her, maybe he could fix whatever was bothering her? It was only right after all. He was her husband, and he was determined to stay just that.

Besides, he didn’t want to be like his father. And if there was one thing his father wouldn’t do; it was to actually have a constructive conversation with his wife. Communicate. Yes. That’s what he needed to do.

Hux rose from his plush office chair and downed the rest of his drink. He shut off the datapad and straightened the cuffs of his uniform, then ran a gloved hand over his hair.

Absently, he checked his appearance in the reflection of the viewport before he went in search of his wife.

__ __

Rey let out an excited squeal when one of the doors slid open. She hadn’t expected the rerouting to work. It seemed the First Order really needed to update their safety protocols because itt was almost too easy.

She closed the panel quickly as she rose, and cautiously entered the room. It was mostly bare, dimly lit, but for several podiums about the room that each held an item. Walking over to the nearest podium, she cocked her head and studied the strange object that sat atop it. It was flat and circular and appeared to be some smooth organic material such as rock or mineral with intricate carvings of a language she didn’t recognize. But she assumed it must’ve been hundreds if not thousands of years old.

The next podium held a cylindrical object that looked like an old lightsaber, one put together with pieces of scrap metal. It was brown and rusted, but still in its own way quite beautiful. There was another lightsaber on the next podium and another on the next. All different, built from a variety of strange materials. But she knew they were lightsabers; she could feel the burning Kyber crystals inside.

Suddenly, she came to a stop, heart pounding as she looked across the room.

The two podiums in the back of the room were next to each other, Rey could see them both in the dim light. But she still stepped closer to see the items more clearly. She had to be sure it wasn’t a trick of the light.

On one of the podiums, rested a lightsaber she knew well.

One that had belonged to Kylo Ren.

__ __

Hux frowned to himself as he looked over the training room. She wasn’t there. But where else could she be? Back in their quarters he supposed. He had been working for several hours. It’s possible she finished training and went back to their residence.

He eyed the training mat for a moment, the image of her laying there, burned into his mind. His throat tightened  and he swallowed before he turning on his heel and heading back to his apartments.

__ __

Rey swallowed the lump that formed in her throat at the sight of the weapon. It was Ben’s. She knows it too well. The red wire that runs along outside the barrel casing. Blinking back tears, she reached out and touched it.

The lights in the room flickered and pulsed for a moment as she caressed the saber. She sucked in a breath and pulled away from it. The Force gave her no answer here. No visions of the future or past. No stories of old.

Nothing but silence.

With shaking hands, she wiped away the tears in her eyes and pressed her forehead to the lightsaber hilt. Eyes closed tight; she tried to feel something through the Force.

Still nothing. No sign of Ben, no whisper of his spirit.

She shook her head and straightened herself, letting out a long-held breath.

“Please, Ben,” she whispered, “be with me.”

__ __

Inside their large apartments Hux immediately felt Rey’s absence. He wasn’t sure how, but the unsettling quiet of his quarters made him feel strangely alone. He’d never in his life felt quite so lonely.

Can he have already gotten used to her constant presence even after only a few short days? Doubtful, 

however much, he still felt disappointed that she wasn’t there.

Where else could she be? Not training and not here. He chose to assume that she just needed some time by herself, and that’s why she hadn’t returned to their rooms. Besides, how much trouble could she get up to aboard his ship?

He nearly poured himself another drink but thought better of it. If he did – well – perhaps his mother would be right about him. He needed to relax; he always felt so much pressure. His shoulders ached, and his head throbbed, and he sat down on the settee for a moment and closed his eyes.

Surely Rey would return soon, and then he could talk with her about everything.

__ __

Ben didn’t respond, and neither did the Force. Rey sniffed, wiping another tear away as she looked at the saber, so odd to not see it dwarfed by Ben’s large hands. She smiled for a moment at the thought. In the throne room, when she had pulled it off Ben’s belt and into her hand, and she could feel his astonishment through the Force as she charged Snoke.

For a moment, she thought it would end that way, her and Ben fighting together. They would die together. But things had gone another way.

Although it took all her strength, she tore her eyes away from the lightsaber and studied the podium beside it.

Atop it sat a strange object, she couldn’t identify. A triangular design, almost like a pyramid, and built with a resin frame. It glowed slowly, a pulsing of eerie green light inside it as Rey reached out and lifted it off the lectern.

The base was solid, and she looked over the cbyotaro waxen glass etched with star chart patterns. It was oddly beautiful, but something inside Rey twisted as she looked at it. Almost as if she had seen this somewhere before.

She lifted it up to eye level and focused on it. Closing her eyes again, she breathed in and out slowly, allowing the Force to funnel through her. The glowing inside grew brighter, pulsing faster, and the pyramid suddenly felt extremely hot in her hand.

Unable to hold it any longer, she nearly dropped the artifact back on its pedestal. It continued to glow a sickly green, and something inside Rey called back to it. A wave of nausea washed over her, and the room started to darken, lights flickering.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” a voice said quietly from the doorway.

It was the last thing Rey heard before the room closed in around her, and she collapsed.

Chapter Text

A Galaxy is Not Enough

Chapter 10: A Half-Truth

Playlist

In My Veins – Feat. Erin McCarley, Andrew Belle

Surrender – Natalie Taylor

Armor – Landon Austin

Hero – Feat. Christina Perri, Cash Cash

Strawberries & Cigarettes – Troye Sivan

I can’t Carry This Anymore – Anson Seabra

Older – Sasha Sloan

I’ll Be Good – Jaymes Young

Broken Ones (With Anna Clendening) – Illenium Ascend

Take on the World – You Me at Six

Fire N Gold – Bea Miller

Then.

The newly appointed Grand Marshal Armitage Hux stood stoically watching as one officer after another knelt before the Emperor, pledging their allegiance and fealty. Hux had already done so some time ago. And even though it had not provided him with the same level of impetus as when he first dedicated his life to the First Order, it did endow him with a certain amount of satisfaction.

He was alive, and Kylo Ren was not. He had seen it. All of it and because of it, he had cowed to the new Emperor.

Foolish Ren. Always thinking he could outmatch his opponent. If only Ren had been smart enough to wait. Patience was a virtue after all, and one Hux had in spades.

Idiotic Ren. After all, the Emperor wouldn’t have taken over had Ren not been a dolt who provoked and prodded everyone around him, much like he did with Hux. There was a delicate balance before, of Ren raging and Hux trying to make him see sense. But what more could Hux do? He didn’t possess the mystical force powers; he couldn’t persuade Ren to not be an idiot.

And now here he was. A Grand Marshal. The Emperor’s hand. And what was Ren? He was dead. 

It gave him a surge of frustration. He’d wanted this title, this responsibility, but he’d also wanted Ren alive to witness it. Where was the satisfaction when one’s rival was no longer there to shove it in their face?

He frowned, he’d gotten what he’d wanted, but somehow the victory was a hollow one.

Now.

Rey awoke slowly, disoriented and groggy she blinked, trying to concentrate. The room she was in her seemed to move nauseatingly, and she closed her eyes again. Her head throbbed dully as she sat up, eyes bleary and unfocused.

What happened?

She wasn’t in the room any longer—well— she was in a room, but it was not the room she’d collapsed in. It appeared that she was lying on a bed in the medical wing of the Galactus. 

It was a bare room, sterile and full of medical equipment, though she didn’t see any medical droids at the moment. Instead, there was only one other person in the room with her.   

Seated in the corner on a stiff-looking chair, sat her husband. His arms were folded over his chest, and a deep frown was etched onto his handsome features. He looked her over with a cold, assessing glare and scowled.

“Good, you’re awake,” he said dryly. “How do you feel?”

No sympathy, not even a hint of the softness she’d seen earlier that day. He was angry with her. That much she could tell. And realistically, she knew he had every right to be.

Rey blinked again and blushed. It was embarrassing to be found in such a state, how had she gotten to the medical wing? The last thing she remembered was a familiar voice behind her. But it hadn’t been Hux’s voice she’d heard.

“What happened?” She replied, not answering his question.

Hux chewed on his lip and looked at her with those green, penetrating eyes. He swallowed and leaned back in his chair as if waiting for her to answer him before he replied to her.

 She conceded first, “my head hurts.”

“That’s to be expected. Though you don’t have a concussion,” he said briskly, a note of weariness in each word. “Why were you sneaking around and hacking into our systems? If you can’t be trusted on your own, I'll have no choice but to assign you a guard.”

Or perhaps the slight tremor wasn’t weariness, but betrayal or disbelief? Had she betrayed his trust? Not that she cared about his trust, but shouldn’t he know that she was a Rebel and a rebel first? Or maybe he really had begun to trust her, and here she was destroying all that hard work.

It didn’t matter. She was going to kill him. She had to. She was going to avenge Ben and set things right.

Unless. . . unless he didn’t kill Ben. Then what was she to do with him?

Leaning back against the soft pillows of the bed, Rey closed her eyes, trying to will the headache to disappear. But it didn’t go away. She took a measured breath.

“I was looking for the answers,” she replied slowly, unsure of how much she should reveal. But her head throbbed too much for her to care at this point.

“Answers?” Hux asked. He was suddenly attentive, rising from his chair and pacing in front of her bed, hands clasped behind his back. “Answers to what?”

Rey forced herself to sit up, even though she felt so tired. She needed to look him in the eye when she asked. She had to gauge his reaction.

“I need to know what happened to Ben Solo.”

Hux halted, staring at her. His face a mess of confusion, like he was trying to calculate a mathematical problem but was missing most of the numbers.

“What do you mean?”

“I want to know how he died. What happened, who killed him.” She replied with annoyance. This was beginning to frustrate her.

“Yes, I understand that. I mean, why should you care?” Hux said, looking down at her from where he stood. “He tried to kill you. He kidnapped you. He tortured you. I don’t understand why you should even—.”

“It doesn’t matter why,” she snapped, not caring to explain anything further. She didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t want to think about it. It was too painful. It hurt too much to recall the softness in Ben’s eyes when she’d told him about her plunge into the cave. “I just want—need-to know.”

She waited for a moment, eyes wet and gleaming before she said, “please.”

___

Hux studied her cautiously. He couldn't imagine why she should care so much. General Organa, now that was another matter. Of course, General Organa might want to know what had happened to her son. But Rey?

"It matters quite a bit," he answered carefully. "I need to know your motivation before I can decide if I should tell you what happened. If it is simply for your knowledge and nothing more, then I shall tell you. But if you have some ulterior motive, it's best that you tell me. I don't take kindly to lies."

She swallowed and looked down.

"It's for me. I just, I need to know what happened."

He couldn't fathom it. Perhaps she merely needed the reassurance that Ben Solo had died, the way he deserved. That Hux could understand. There were many in his life he'd had the pleasure of disposing of. Many who had tortured him, bullied him and pushed him to do it. And although he did take a sort of pleasure in the removal of those persons, he knew the act was also necessary for his own survival.

It couldn't hurt to tell her how Ben Solo had suffered. This might even bring them together?  Ren had wounded Hux as well. Surely, they had this in common. Maybe she might look at him as a hero and not the coward he knew he was. He sucked in a breath and took a few steps forward, till he reached the edge of the bed. Raising a brow, he gestured to the bed, and when Rey nodded, he seated himself.

——

The bed dipped slightly under Hux's weight, and he settled himself, leaning back on both his hands. It was oddly intimate to Rey. He cleared his throat again before he turned to look at her, and his eyes softened.

"Where would you like me to start?" He asked slowly, one hand moving to rest over hers.

It was the perfect picture of a man trying to console someone, but she knew it was all an act. He could feign interest or sympathy, but she didn't believe he felt it. Not right now anyway.

"After he became Supreme Leader," Rey replied, her voice coming out hoarse and strange. It was difficult to get the words out. "He stayed Supreme Leader for some time, how did he get overthrown?"

Hux looked down and licked his lips, "like any leader, there were those who—disliked—his style of leadership. Several of his own knights in fact. There were murmurings of an uprising, Ren seemed to volatile and so easily upset. Many were afraid of him. But fear breeds desperation."

"So, there was a coup?"

She'd assumed as much. But she needed to know who, who was responsible for this aching wound leftover from a severed Force bond.

"A coup, yes," Hux replied with a nod. "I was there when it happened. When he died. There was a battle. He fought three or four of his own knights. And one, well, one ran him through with his own lightsaber."

——

Hux grimaced, “it was a messy business. I saw him fall—there wasn’t any blood. But the sounds he made—it must’ve been—agonizing.”

Some little bit of pride swelled inside him as he retold the story. Surely, she must want to know that Ren suffered for what he’d done to her? He was careful to leave out details, the Emperor’s appearance, why the Knights had turned on Ren. It wasn’t the information she needed anyway.

Rey let out a long breath and reached an arm up to wipe her face.

Tears? Was she really so relieved at Kylo Ren’s death?

“So, it wasn’t you?” She asked quietly.

“What wasn’t me?”

“The one who killed him. It wasn’t you?”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have the pleasure.”

“Which Knight was it?” Her voice wavered as she spoke.

Hux studied her for a moment before he replied, “What does it matter who killed him? Isn’t it enough that he’s dead?”

He wasn’t sure why he hesitated to tell her. It was information that didn’t seem quite so important, why shouldn’t he just tell her? But his intuition somehow deemed it necessary to make her work for this knowledge. She’d obviously found it valuable enough to try hacking in the First Order systems. It was important to her, so he needed to know why.

“Please,” she repeated, reaching to cover his hand and squeezing it.

He looked down at their hands, stacked on top of each other, and his fingers stiffened. It looked as if he was going to pull his hand away when he suddenly let it slacken and turned fully toward Rey. With his free hand, he tenderly cupped the side of her face.

“He can’t hurt you anymore,” he said softly. “Whatever he did to you, he can’t do it anymore. And even if he was alive, I wouldn’t let him hurt you. You’re my wife now, and I take that role very seriously.”

_____

“It’s not that. . .” She replied, letting the words trail off as she fidgeted.

“What is it then?”

Rey stared into his penetrating green eyes for a moment and then let her gaze fall to those full lips. She remembered how soft they felt and how—she’d leaned into him—and suddenly, her face felt very hot, and her heart was pounding again.

She shook her head, she needed to focus.

___

“I want to know who killed him,” she repeated, eyes pleading with him, face flushed and beautiful. He wanted to lean down and kiss her, to dry the tears she hadn’t yet cried, and to tell her that he would protect her. She brought that out in him somehow. She made him want to—to be someone else—someone who she could want. Someone who could sweep her off her feet and make her smile and bring her happiness.

But he didn’t. He couldn’t. The same thing in him that told him to do all these things also rationalized that she was playing him, he was foolish. That he was an idiot for falling victim to her charms and beauty. Because if he let someone in—then they would only use their position to wound him. As so many had before.

And he would not let that happen again.

Knowing that he was not going to allow himself to feel anything more for her reminded him, he didn't just give information away for free. There was a price. If she wanted something from him, she would need to provide him with something he wanted in return. But what did he want from her?

“I’ll tell you,” he assured. “I’ll tell you everything, but not now. Not when you’re lying in the medical ward. Perhaps once you’ve returned home and feel better.”

He needed to buy himself some time to figure out precisely what she would be willing to trade for such information. Or possibly to determine what it was that he needed from her.

She nodded slowly, still letting his hand trace the side of her cheek.

“At least tell me who found me and brought me here?” She whispered, embarrassed.

He stiffened, hesitating before speaking, “well, one of the Knights found you. I believe you already met Veserra Ren. She carried you back to the infirmary.”

“Carried me?”

“That’s correct.” Hux nodded.

“Oh,” Rey said, but she didn’t speak further, and Hux took it as a sign that there was nothing more to discuss and pulled away.

___

Upon Hux’s insistence, Rey was transported back to their quarters using a hover chair. Though she felt she was fully capable of walking, Hux had given her a look that invited no questions and gestured to the hover chair.

Unfortunately, once they arrived, Rey realized that the hover chair would not fit in the small kitchenette or the living area. So she slowed the chair and began to rise.

A heavy hand fell onto her shoulder, keeping her from moving. Before she realized what had happened, she was lifted gently.

Hux pulled her up and into his arms and then halted for a second to readjust her weight before continuing into their living quarters. He was firm, and she found herself resting her head against his shoulder and enjoying the smell of his cologne. He smelled so clean and so—something else, she didn’t know what to call it. But she liked the smell of it. It made her cheeks heat, bringing back the memory of that kiss. She wondered if it was only because it was their first kiss that it had felt so good.

Would a second kiss feel the same?

He brought her into the bedroom and slowly laid her onto the bed. Then he bent over her and pulled the covers up to her shoulder. 

“Thank you,” she said, feeling strangely awkward that this was the third time a member of the First Order had carried her like this.

“Of course,” he replied matter of fact. “Are you hungry or tired?”

“Both,” she confessed. “And I’d like to use the fresher—”

She noticed the bright pink shade Hux’s ears had turned before she even finished her sentence.

“I can manage by myself,” she continued, trying to keep him at ease.

He licked his lips and looked away, fixating on the wall, “I’m not sure that’s wise. I can help you in—place a stool in there for you—I won’t look.”

Rey hesitated, there was something else in his eyes, even though he was looking away, she caught the far-off stare and dark-hooded eyes. There was something bothering him, something he wanted to say, but instead, he swallowed and sighed and then looked back at her.

“You don’t have to do it alone,” he continued, his voice strangely hoarse. “I’ll help you. But, only as much as you’re comfortable.”

“Okay,” she agreed before he pulled her out of bed and carried her to the fresher.

___

It was a painstaking ordeal for Hux, his back felt little pins and needles every time he lifted her, but he couldn’t say anything. Why bother? On top of that, he had to help her out of her clothing to ready her for the fresher, which was difficult to do this while he tried not to look.

He still couldn’t help that his gaze lingered on the bare skin of her back before he looked away and dutifully helped her find a seat on the stool he’d placed in the fresher. His whole body had gone rigid at the mere thought of what she might look like naked. So, it required an immense amount of self-control to stare straight ahead and not even allow his traitorous eyes to piece together the blurry images from his peripheral vision.

He left her in the fresher by herself and ordered their dinner, even though it was far too late for the kitchens to be open. It didn’t matter. They would open back up for the Grand Marshal.

Rey showered for what felt like an entire cycle before Hux heard the water shutoff, and then he held out a towel for her, all the while studying the dark inlaid tiles inside the fresher.

When she was finished with the fresher, he wrapped her in his own robe and lifted her back up. Cursing in his head at the twinge of pain in his back. He really ought to have that back pain checked out.

“I’ll have your clothing cleaned,” he assured her before he laid her back down on the bed. He was trying not to think of the fact that she was only wearing his robe and nothing else. He willed his face to remain neutral as he pulled the bedding up and over to cover her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, finally letting his eyes rest on her face. “Dinner will be here shortly.”

Then he left her alone.

___

He had to get away, he needed space. From her. From everything about her. It was too much, and he’d only barely been able to repress the urge to tug the robe down and see all of her. He’d never been a man much controlled by his impulses, but for some reason, when it came to her, he could barely keep himself in check. When he looked at her face, his only thought was of kissing her, and when he looked at the rest of her, he had to remove himself because all the images that came to mind made him stiffen. 

A drink. Yes, or something stronger, that’s what he needed.

But even a drink and a stim did nothing to wash away the yearning that had built steadily over the past two days. He wanted her, but to what end. He couldn't be sure.

When dinner finally arrived, Hux had managed to rid himself of the insidious thoughts that had clouded his mind all day. The only thing that was able to pull her image from his mind was the tedious delirium of paperwork, and so he buried himself in it.

But when the food came, he was forced to see her again. Though he was able to make the encounter brief, only bringing her food and then collecting the empty trays once she was finished.

After that, he confined himself to his office to work until it was far too late, and he absolutely needed to go to bed. Otherwise, he was doubtful he’d get any sleep tonight.

Back in the room, he found her, asleep in the bed, still wearing nothing but his robe. She looked so peaceful with hair strewn about the pillow and mouth slightly open. Looking at her like this, he felt a rush of longing. He wasn’t entirely sure for what.

She was so beautiful, splayed out in his bed. His breathing hitched as he reached out a finger and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face. How had he been so lucky as to find himself wed to such a creature?

Surely if he had chosen a bride for himself, he would’ve picked someone just like this. He could only hope. He wasn’t sure. She was stunning, regardless of what she wore, he couldn’t look away from her.

Forcing himself to retreat, he used the fresher and readied himself for bed. Before he climbed under the covers, he hesitated and then removed his shirt. Rey was already asleep, and he didn’t like sleeping with a shirt on anyway. What could it hurt anyway?

Stretching out under the blankets, he yawned and closed his eyes, only to open them again and glance at the sleeping form of his wife. He drifted to sleep, thinking of her.

____

In sleep, Rey found no rest. Swimming images, red and black blurs of shapes she could not name. Rey tossed and turned, unable to escape the terrifying visages that haunted her dreams. Something sinister lurked in the dark recesses of her mind, and she could not leave it behind.

Then she saw him. Ben Solo. Not Kylo Ren. He stood in his Jedi robes, speaking with another boy. She reached out to him to Ben, but the image swirled until he disappeared, and Kylo Ren was in his place.

Kylo faced a hooded figure, a crooked and cloaked phantom. He stooped and leaned forward, bowing down. But it wasn’t Snoke. She had no memory of this. Past or present. She stepped forward to see more but found her limbs were weighted down. She tried to call out, but she had no voice.

It was then she felt the prickle at the back of her head and whirled around.

A ghostly touch pervaded her mind, sending daggers of pain from her head to her toes. It reminded her of when Snoke had entered her mind forcefully, and she screamed in terror and anguish.

Then another ghoul clasped a cold palm over her mouth, and she lashed out, striking blindly and hitting something real and solid.

She should’ve stopped when she felt bone and flesh, but she didn’t.

___

Rey groaned in her sleep, causing Hux to sigh and rollover. He pulled a pillow over his head, attempting to deafen the noises coming from his wife. He needed silence to sleep and sharing a bed with someone who talked in their sleep and grunted was not the least bit helpful. Regularly, he was only able to obtain three or four hours of sleep at most. Obviously, it was incredibly hard to stay asleep with such a boisterous bedfellow.

He sat up, unable to return to slumber, and glared at Rey. His furrowed brow instantly fell away to worry. Rey lay, sweaty and panting as she tossed and cried in her sleep, shaking violently. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was being tortured.

Hux looked around anxiously, unsure if he should wake her or let her be. But then the room began to vibrate, and every piece of furniture that wasn’t screwed into the durasteel ship began to rattle and tremble.

“Rey,” he called quietly. She still didn’t respond, and something fell from the bookshelves to crash into the floor. “Rey!”

The bed dipped and lifted off the ground, shaking slightly as it rose.

“Rey, wake up!” Hux all but screamed, frantic now as he reached to grip her arm and wake her with a shake.

She screamed loudly, and he clamped his hand over her mouth, afraid his guards would hear and rush into the room. The last thing he wanted was for his mother to hear about this. No doubt, his mother would hold something like this over his head, and he didn’t need her finding out about Rey having a fit in his bed. Moreover, he was loathed to deal with the rumors, though he knew there were always rumors.

The bed dropped suddenly, hitting the floor and almost sending Hux over the edge. But he pulled Rey around, trying to keep her from falling when her knee flew out of nowhere, hitting him in the stomach. He nearly retched at the unexpected impact. A fist connected with his face then, and her other hand pried his fingers from her mouth.

And then his arms were twisted painfully behind him, and he was pulled around and pressed, face first, into the bed.

Panic flooded his senses. He’d been in situations like this before, long ago. His whole body flooded with adrenaline before he was jerked around again and met with a knee to the throat, pinning him down.

He didn’t move, afraid she might use the Force to crush his throat. She glared down at him, one knee pressed into his esophagus and the other pinning his arm. The robe had come undone and was splayed open, giving a Hux an all too vivid picture of his wife.

They lay there, shaking and panting as they stared at each other.

___

“Are you awake now?” He asked, his voice coming out barely above a whisper.

She blinked down at him, finally seeing him and not the phantom in her dream. Relief flooded her, followed by embarrassment and shame. She’d attacked him, and he’d only been trying to wake her from a nightmare.

“Oh, Armitage, I—I’m so sorry, I had a dream, and—I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Quickly, she removed her knee from his throat and leaned back from him. Hux lay very still for a fraction of a second before he shifted, moving faster than Rey had thought him capable. He flipped her around and onto her back, one hand gripping her by the throat lightly. His legs rested on either side of her hips.

“If you ever attack me like that again,” he said, voice unsteady and eyes wild, “I cannot be held responsible for what I might do.”

He squeezed her throat meaningfully but lightly as his eyes met hers. She stared up at him with wide hazel eyes, and his hand shook slightly before he trailed his thumb down her neck to the hollow of her throat. She followed his gaze as it lingered over her bare skin, his jaw ticking before he swallowed.

Someone, long ago, had hurt him. She could tell. It was written in his eyes, in the wet gleam of them and the shaking of his hands and the set of his jaw. She could read it there, only because she knew the look so well.

She, too, had been hurt, had suffered some unspeakable injury and it had left a gaping hole inside her. One she wasn’t sure she could ever fill.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she whispered. “I was dreaming—I didn’t mean to.”

Hux didn’t move, his mouth formed a firm line, but his eyes softened slightly.

“I’m so sorry,” she muttered, her hands going to Hux’s, which still rested on her throat. He allowed her to peel his fingers off slowly one by one.

Then she gently laced her fingers through his own and squeezed them.

His face remained an impassive mask, but she felt the hard warmth of his body against her. And not just the force of his thighs and hands, but also the thick length of him, which pressed firmly against her stomach.

The feel of it, of him, made her entire body come alive, thrumming with some need she couldn’t describe. An all-consuming want to pull him down and feel his bare skin against her own.

Hux hadn’t been the one who killed Ben, he’d told her that. And she believed him. Somehow it eased the guilt she felt as she leaned up to kiss him. 

Chapter Text

A Galaxy is Not Enough

Chapter 11: A Faded Vision

____

Her lips pressed against Hux's, insisting, demanding as she pulled him down against her and her tongue prodded its way inside. Hux didn't respond for a moment but then acquiesced to her before he suddenly pulled away. He scrambled backward frantically, releasing his hold on her arm and tumbling—rather awkwardly—onto the floor.

Rey stared down at him from her place on the bed, confused by his behavior. Her heart thundering loudly in her chest, she felt her cheeks heat. He'd seemed to be enjoying the kiss before he pulled away.

Her stomach lurched uncomfortably. She felt like she might cry.

____

The press of her soft lips startled Hux for a moment. But then he gave in to the kiss, slowly letting her lead, as his heart was pounding too much for him to move. He was afraid that if he did move, he would ruin the moment. So, he sat frozen, his lips barely moving until he finally closed his eyes and leaned into it.

Her mouth was so hot and warm, and her skin so soft and sweet. Her tongue prodded at the seam of his lips, and he opened.

But then something swam across his vision, inside his mind. A choking haze, a scene of fire and ash, though he could see it all quite clearly, fire falling all around and Snoke's throne behind a shadowed figure. It was someone he recognized instantly. Kylo Ren stood before him, his gloved hand extended out as if he was beckoning Hux. Hux looked up at him to find not the hardened glare he expected, but soft eyes, full of concern and hope.

"Please," Ren whispered, his hand opening in an unspoken offer.

Hux pulled back, anger and rage bubbling up inside, scrambling back from Rey and her deadly lips. The vision faded just as rapidly as it had appeared, and everything snapped back into focus as Hux rushed back.

In his haste to pull away, he toppled off the bed and landed painfully on the duracrete floor.

What had she done? What was that? What had he seen?

He lay, immobile on the floor, shaking from the adrenaline, while a half-naked Rey looked down on him from the bed. The wind knocked out of him, and unable to call for assistance, he lay for a moment, catching his breath. But then he was startled by a loud boom behind him before realizing the door had been knocked in.

Filing in a formation that thoroughly demonstrated their training, the Grand Marshal's personal guard entered. They rushed into the room, led by an overzealous and out of breath Mitaka.

"Sir—I, oh, I—It sounded as if you were in trouble," Mitaka offered, somewhat exasperatedly. His eyes fell on the half-clothed form of Rey, and Mitaka blushed admirably before he looked back at the Hux. His words stumbled over themselves before he was able to form another coherent sentence.

"A—A—Are you alright, Sir?"

Hux blanched, his body was rigid, his entire being at attention because of this woman, and here was Mitaka, come to ruin any potential the night had held. Though he doubted, he would touch her again, not if he received strange visions every time.

Hux stood, unabashedly, and turned to Mitaka, "I'm quite alright. Fetch me another robe, please."

At that, Rey rose off the bed, pulling the robe around her so that it drew the attention of every person within a 1 km radius. Mitaka continued to blush furiously, and several of the stormtroopers stared stupidly at Rey. Hux, however, eyed her approvingly before he turned back to his guard.

"See to it that we are not disturbed for the remainder of the night," he commanded as he ushered his guard and Mitaka out of the room once they'd retrieved another robe. "And I want this door fixed first thing in the morning!"

The stormtroopers were able to pull the remainder of the door back into place, at least to offer the Grand Marshal and his wife a bit of privacy.

Hux felt a mingled pride and frustration in his guard. They'd certainly attempted to protect him. Though he wanted to blame them for ruining the night, he knew it was done for the moment he'd kissed Rey and seen the vision of Kylo Ren.

______

Rey sat upon the bed when they were alone again, anxious and horrified over her unexpected behavior. If he'd merely returned her kiss, that would have been one thing. But he'd pulled away from her, like he was disgusted with or her or terrified of her. She couldn't be sure which. He'd looked alarmed and surprised when he'd pulled away. But before that, she would've sworn that he wanted the kiss, and her and Rey had been hoping to see what could come after such a kiss. However, the intrusion from the First Order guard had set her in a completely different mood.

Hux, on the other hand, did not seem bothered; as soon has Mitaka and the Storm Troopers had left their quarters, he had turned his attention entirely back to her. He looked calm again, his face always a mask, not revealing much. He looked her over without speaking before he sat down on the bed again, farther away from her.

"What were you dreaming about?" He inquired; one brow quirked curiously as he studied her from across the bed.

Apparently, he'd decided that they were not going to discuss the kiss. Not that she wanted to—or did she?

She shrugged; she couldn't remember her dream. Something had attacked her, what she didn't know, and that something had come for her. It left a strange foreboding within her that she was loathed to share with anyone, let alone Hux.

"I'm not sure," she hesitated, "something—it was a presence. It tried to—to penetrate my mind and I—." For some reason, her voice broke. Perhaps because it reminded her of the throne room. Kylo had knelt while she was tortured, while Snoke went through every piece of her mind so painfully and so excruciatingly slowly. Her throat tightened, and her eyes pricked with tears. She looked away from Hux and back down at the bed.

"I gathered that much," he said gently. "I tried to wake you, but then you attacked me."

He wasn't accusatory; he sounded—pained. Hurt by the fact that she'd lashed out at him through her dream. He leaned forward slowly and hesitantly placed his hand over hers. He blinked expectantly at her hands before he slowly reached out, stroking the skin of her knuckles with his thumb.

"I'm sorry," she choked out, "I didn't mean to attack you. I was so—." Scared? Was that the correct word? She couldn't be sure. She had been terrified, but more than that, she'd been angry. She'd had only one thing racing through her brain when she struck out at her attacker—survive.

"It's alright," Hux said, smiling weakly. "I'm used to force users— asserting themselves like that. Though I hadn't expected it from you."

Rey looked up suddenly, eyes meeting his as his hand tightened over her own. "I'm not like that. I'm not—."

"Not that aggressive?" He cocked his head to the side, studying her. "You might not think you are, but you definitely come off that way."

She shrugged, "you try growing up in a place where there's no one to protect you but yourself. I don't try to be that way. I can't help it. Sometimes attacking first is the only way to survive."

"Well," he sighed, scooting slightly closer to her, "to that we can both agree."

They sat quietly for a moment before Rey gathered the courage to speak again. He may not want to talk about it, but she needed to.

"I'm sorry about the kiss—it—it won't happen again," she glanced up to see Hux watching her with a frown. "I think I was just startled by everything, and I've never—experienced something like this. Had someone treat me like you do."

Hux pursed his lips and then looked away again before he cleared his throat.

"That's probably for the best. Attachment is a tricky thing," he sighed, but his grip didn't loosen on her hand. "At some point, we'll have to—well, we'll have to make this marriage official. But I don't want you to feel pressured. This is new to both of us, and rushing it won't help anything."

It sounded like an excuse. Like a well-rehearsed speech. He was good at those.

 "Or," she shrugged, ever the devil's advocate. "We could just get it over with now. Sometimes when people have something hanging over them, it creates more pressure. If we just deal with it now, we might um—feel more comfortable with each other?"

She'd suggested it before, only earlier that week. But then it was actually her hope to do it and not have to think about it ever again. Only once. They just needed to do it once, and then their marriage would be considered consummated. Then she could stop thinking about it, worrying about it, and wondering what it would be like.

Now she suggested it because she felt slightly hurt at Hux's earlier rejection and wanted somewhat to see if he would continue to put it off.

______

Hux didn't say anything for a long time, his eyes slowly raking over her. She was still dressed in the black silk robe of his, and he'd already seen her mostly naked. He lifted his heavily lidded eyes back to her face before he spoke.

"I think we've had enough excitement for tonight." He whispered hoarsely. "Perhaps on our honeymoon, we can attempt to—fulfill the requirements of our marriage contract."

It was ridiculously cowardice of him to refuse her right now. But after the terrifying vision, he'd had when they'd kissed, he couldn't imagine what would happen if he did… anything else. The fear of that swirling vision of red and fire and pain had dissipated. Still, the lingering chill and adrenaline had left him with a level of anxiety he couldn't ignore. In fact, it had also left him with a deep pang of curiosity that had driven him to touch her again, just to be sure.

Since her skin didn't immediately cause him to fall into the strange dream state again, he felt reasonably certain that he could touch her without the visions happening. This leads him to conclude that it wasn't the touch alone but the touch coupled with some other aspect that led to the vision.

And Hux knew that eventually, his curiosity would win out over his fear. Eventually, he would kiss her again just to see if it would bring another vision. But tonight, he wasn't confident his body could handle any more excitement.

_____

He didn't want her.  He hadn't said the words, but she felt the sting of that rejection. It shouldn't hurt like this. In fact, it shouldn't hurt at all. She hadn't wanted him in the beginning. But finding that he was so different than she'd first suspected it had intrigued her. She wanted to know more, and for some strange reason, she felt compelled to want him to like her.

The way he spoke about things, such as the training program he'd designed, well—he held such pride in his work and his soldiers it made her long for him to speak of her the way he said of those things.

But he was perhaps at best, indifferent to her. Her stomach tightened painfully, and she did the only sensible thing she could do and nodded dumbly.

"Okay, yes, we can wait."

“I suppose, I ought to tell you,” he replied gently, his eyes softening, “I’ve had your friends reassigned. Lieutenant Connix and Commander Tico, they should arrive before we leave for our diplomatic mission, I believe.”

Rey swallowed numbly, she ought to be excited about this, about having her friends returned to her. Some of her friends anyway. Finn and Poe, they were still gone, and Leia … well Rey had resigned herself to never seeing her again.

She managed to give Hux a tight smile, “I know. They told me.”

“Did they?” Hux seemed genuinely surprised. “I didn’t realize they were even informed of their duty stations as of yet.”

“Aren’t you watching all of my communication? Mitaka said he was there on your orders,” Rey said with obvious frustration. “I don’t care if you monitor everything I do, it’s what I expected, but it’s downright insulting to have you assigning someone to follow me around.”

He gave her a strange look, almost one of exasperation before he squeezed her hand again and then released it as he stood up.

"I'm sure we could both use a good night's rest," he said softly as he left the room, her gaze trailed after him. He wasn't gone long and returned with a full glass of water and some sort of small blue pills.

"It's a sleeping pill," he offered, holding it out in his palm. "It should help us get a bit of shut-eye before we have to deal with the harsh realities of our marriage tomorrow." He said the last bit with a humorless chuckle, and Rey took the tiny pill from his hand without reply.

She swallowed the medication without preamble, ignoring the glass of water in Hux's hand before she rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight," Hux whispered. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck, and she shivered.

"Night," she replied, her throat tight and her eyes full of unshed tears.

She slept for the rest of the night without dreaming.

_______

Hux took the other pill and washed it down with a massive gulp of water from his glass. He’d been given much to contemplate tonight.

Something was amiss, and it left him uneasy. He hadn’t given Mitaka orders to monitor Rey. However, he was observing her communication; he’d been far too busy to review it. Was someone else keeping a watchful eye on his wife? He’d need to check with Mitaka in the morning. If his soldiers were receiving separate orders from the Emperor, then Hux would need to be cautious. 

He laid down on the soft bed and rolled to his side towards Rey. She wasn’t asleep, he could tell. But she wanted privacy, and that was something he understood. Part of him ached to pull her back against him, to thread his fingers through hers again and fall asleep tangled together.

Instead, he leaned forward and whispered, “goodnight” against the back of her neck.

It was barely a moment before she responded, “night.”

His wife was upset with him. His soldiers may have another master. He couldn’t even kiss his wife without the fear of a monstrous vision of some kind. His attempts at wooing her had all gone wrong.

He sighed and tried in vain to get comfortable, shifting his weight to his arm. But nothing helped. He was still aching for something, apparently even Mitaka’s interruption hadn’t entirely chased away the pangs of desire he’d felt only a short while ago. It nearly felt like a physical pain, saying no to her, asking her to wait. Because it was both something he shouldn’t want and something he shouldn’t need. He’d never been much for physical intimacy, and now suddenly, his mind seemed obsessed with creating scenarios in which he might receive a scrap of affection from his beautiful wife.

It was utter and complete ridiculousness, and he needed to remedy it tomorrow. He couldn’t allow these fantasies to continue. He’d always been good at suppressing things, and this was just another one of those things. If he buried it deep enough, he wouldn’t even have to think about it.

He rolled onto his back and groaned. His back ached terribly. He stared up at the ceiling until he inevitably fell asleep.

Chapter Text

A Galaxy is Not Enough

Chapter 12: Denial and Lace

Rey awoke the following day feeling even more groggy and bleary-eyed than she had the previous afternoon. Hux was already gone, and his spot on the bed was cold. She sat up stiffly and stretched her arms and neck. Still draped in Hux’s other black robe, she pulled it tighter around herself as she looked around.

 Another of Hux’s black robes —the one he’d worn yesterday— was draped over the chair in the corner of the room.

It brought about a painful sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She’d been so foolish yesterday in so many ways. First getting caught while on her mission to discover what had happened to Ben and then lashing out in her sleep.

And then there was the kiss.

Her stomach lurched uncomfortably as she recalled the way in which Hux had recoiled from her. Perhaps she hadn’t done it right, and that was why he pulled away so suddenly. Or . . . Or maybe she had crossed a line, an imaginary boundary in their relationship.

Maybe he didn’t want her like that. Maybe he never would. 

Sinking self-doubt flooded her. She was usually so self-assured because she had to be. On Jakku, there was no room for error. Survival was key. She had to pay attention to notice everything in order to survive. Here too, this den of vipers, well, it ought to keep her focused and sharp. Instead, it made her feel soft and vulnerable, especially where her new husband was concerned.

The husband who didn’t want her. 

The thought hurt immensely. She was so tired. Tired of feeling like she didn’t belong anywhere. Tired of searching for where she did belong.

For a brief moment, she had allowed herself to believe that she could possibly —maybe— have something here. A place as Hux’s wife didn’t exactly sound ideal, but it did offer her something she’d never had before.

Someone —someone to call her own.

She let out a shaky breath. Ben, she always came back to Ben. She always drifted back to him when she thought about the future. When she thought about the possibility of a relationship, it was Ben that she had pictured.

If Ben had only —well, if he’d only returned —if he’d chosen sooner before it was too late. They could’ve—they could’ve been. . .

The lump in her throat made it difficult to swallow. Her eyes felt heavy and wet. She didn’t want to cry now. She’d already done so much crying. And how would that help her? She needed so badly to find a way to move on, to move forward.

Was there a way she could do that while still holding Ben in her heart? She wasn’t sure. Was she betraying Ben by allowing these strange feelings for Hux to grow?

Hux’s warm fingers entwined with her own had let her sleep so peacefully and brought about the idea of a future. Of something. And whatever it was that had blossomed well, it wanted more.

For some reason, the image of Hux on top of her, his fingers tightening on her neck, swam before her eyes and made her cheeks heat. The feel of his thighs and his lips and—she blushed feverishly.

She needed to get out of bed even if she didn’t want to. She supposed she ought to see Hux.

He would be in his uniform and most likely at his desk in the office. It took some effort to drag herself out of bed and into the closet, where she paid little attention to the clothing, grabbing whatever was nearest.

Finally dressed in dark brown leggings and a fitted beige bodysuit. The bodysuit was like nothing she’d seen before. It was one piece and practically see-through, but it was so pretty. In the hygiene room, she glanced at herself in the mirror and pulled her long hair up and into a half-bun. Then she studied her reflection. She felt foolish after the events of the previous night, not to mention her horrible experience in that room with Ben’s lightsaber. But she was unsettled as the face that greeted her in the mirror was hardly recognizable.

It wasn’t that she looked more refreshed or that she had gained weight because she really hadn’t. It was the fact that she looked so much older. She looked like a woman, not the nineteen-year-old girl that had left Jakku all those years ago. Her hair was much longer, her skin lighter, less tanned but glowing. Leaving the Jakku sun had faded the hue of her skin and made her freckles much more noticeable.

She glanced at the beige tank top. It was beautiful, form-fitting, and made of lace. A pattern of swirls and cutouts around her breasts made them look ample. It was so pretty she just—she wished she’d been able to wear something like this with—well, maybe in something like this, Ben would’ve defected from the First Order, and he would still be alive.

But then, who knows.

It wouldn’t do to live in the past. She had a future now. A husband too. One who didn’t want her, but still, maybe she wanted him?

She sighed and left the fresher.

_____

The kitchen and the sitting room were both empty, as Rey had expected. But when she found the office empty as well, she was at a loss. She wanted to speak with Hux, and she wasn’t in the mood for training. Hux had also promised to tell her about Ben. After the rejection of last night, Rey now felt entitled to the explanation.

So she made her way to the bridge, though she got lost two or three times before she found it. It was such a large vessel she managed to get turned around a few times. She finally asked a group of stormtroopers for directions. She was met with blank stares and awkward stuttering until one trooper mumbled out a confused response and pointed her down another hallway.

When at last she arrived on the bridge, she spotted Hux immediately. He was dressed in his white and black uniform, and his hair a bright contrast to the stark blues and blacks of his crew. Hux was engaged in conversation with a General and a Captain as they surveyed the transparisteel viewport.

Rey watched him as he worked. She didn’t move, and she didn’t speak, simply eyed him studiously as he labored. Hux moved purposefully around the bridge, tapping a lieutenant on the shoulder and giving a command as he made his way across the room. He had a presence, and he carried himself in a way that made Rey feel strangely warm. He was so sure of himself, and it seemed that every stop he made around the room was intentional.

In fact, many of his lieutenants also followed him about the room with their gaze, which oddly left Rey feeling somewhat smug.

Hux didn’t notice her right away, not until several officers had turned to look at her. Then suddenly, she felt a heavy tension fall upon the bridge.

He looked at her from across the room, mouth half-open in surprise as if this was the last place he expected to find her. He wasted no time in crossing the bridge till they were only an arm's length apart.

“My dear,” he said. His voice sounded low and hoarse, “what brings you here? Is there something you need?”

Rey hesitated. He’d called her dear, and on top of that, everyone had stopped their conversations and was looking at them. Her cheeks burned, and she felt a strange warmth spreading in her stomach. Hux’s eyes dipped over her, and she felt her heartbeat faster for a moment as he reached out and took her hand in his own. His lips pursed before the muscle in his jaw ticked slightly, and he bit his lip, appraising her again.

He drew her a bit closer and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I don’t mean to alarm you, you look lovely, but I don’t believe that is a shirt. It’s a form of um— negligee or undergarment, and the bridge might find it a bit—distracting.”

“What do you mean?” She said, her throat dry and voice barely above a whisper.

Hux let out a long-suffering sigh though she sensed a bit of humor in it, “I believe that is um—lingerie? I um- I was told I should, that you should have some—I wasn’t suggesting you wear it for me in public.”

—

Hux’s ears had gone a deep red, and for some reason, he felt rather hot, but he couldn’t help the chuckle.  

Rey looked absolutely stunning, and though that wasn’t unusual, it was . . . troubling. One didn’t normally wear undergarments to the bridge as it might pull the focus away from their mission. Hux understood the importance of uniformity within the First Order. This would most definitely cause an issue. Even if he believed she was well-intentioned, she was also most certainly naïve.

Had she looked at herself before she’d come? 

It didn’t really matter. She was here now, and he had no intention of embarrassing her. She shouldn’t be burdened with all of the First Order regulations.

Keeping the wry smile at bay, he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“Did you come to see how we operate?” He asked quietly. “Is everything alright? You’re most welcome here any time.”

Rey only nodded slowly and then seemed to catch herself, obviously thrown off by the attention of all the First Order staff.

“No, I uh—I was hoping to speak with you? You promised to tell me about what happened to B—Kylo Ren.” She said it in a whisper, but Hux still looked around cautiously when she spoke the former Supreme Leader’s name.

“Of course,” he replied, still quiet but now hesitant. “Once I’m finished with my work, I believe we can sit down and speak candidly.”

Then he turned, looking out towards his loyal soldiers, his grip tightening on her hand as he led her forward.

“Attention, please,” he said firmly, always the gentleman. “Many of you have already heard or attended our reception. However, I am pleased to introduce you to my beautiful wife. This is lady Rey, formerly of Jakku, now the wife of your Grand Marshal. Please provide her with every respect you show me, and do not hesitate to make her feel welcome aboard the Galactus.”

While he spoke, Hux raised her hand up in some indication of her status and then lowered it, bringing her close against his side as he wrapped an arm around her hip and bent to gently kiss her head.

One of the Lieutenants frowned slightly, and another was beaming so obviously Hux felt the need to clear his throat.

“My dear? Anything you’d like to say?” He asked, turning to Rey with a raised brow.

“Oh, um, yes,” Rey replied reluctantly. She nodded to the crew and flashed a dazzling smile, “ Thank you all so much for your support and assistance, and thank you for making me feel so at home already.”

Hux nodded in satisfaction and gestured back to the viewport, “that being said, let’s all get back to it. We have work to do.”

Immediately the bridge was a bustle of excitement again as the troops returned to their previous attention, and Rey seemed to fade into the background. Though she is thankful for the distraction, she still felt the heat of her cheeks. Hux sniffed and cleared his throat, letting go of her hand in the same motion, and then he turned back to her. His eyes dipped to the lace of her tank top, and he swallowed thickly.

Now that everyone was distracted, the façade seemed to fade, and Hux blinked slowly before he met her gaze.

“Please do not mention the name of Kylo Ren in front of my troops again,” His voice came out clipped, annoyed, and somewhat tense. “The Emperor may find it distasteful.”

“And what about you?” Rey spits back, now equally frustrated. “Do you hate to hear his name too?”

Hux froze, the sound of the bridge drowning out the swish of his long coat as he turned toward her.

“Do you really want to know the truth?” His voice was a low and deadly rumble as he stalked back and towered over her.

She straightened up, glaring at him slightly but trying to still look as casual as she could to the observer. She mustn’t make a scene. She must simply get what she came for. Besides, who cares if her arrogant husband doesn’t want her? Right now, with his terrible attitude, she isn’t inclined to like him either.

“Yes,” she said confidently.

He licked his lips as he looked down on her, his hands behind his back.

“Kylo Ren nearly destroyed everything for me. He almost obliterated the First Order. He took everything I worked for, everything I strived to create. I am happy he’s dead.”

It felt like a slap to the face; Rey’s blood ran cold. Though he’d told her that he had nothing to do with Ben’s death, this confession felt as close to an admission of guilt as she was likely to get. Hux must’ve had a hand in Ben’s death, and even if he said he didn’t, could Rey honestly believe him? Could she even want him now? Someone so open to admitting his hatred of the only person she’d ever truly loved? He had told her he wasn’t involved. And she believed him – until now.

Surely, he had something to do with Ben’s death?

She didn’t reply. Instead, she shook her head, trying to keep the overwhelming emotions from spilling out.

Hux let out a shaky breath and looked down at the floor. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. He must’ve known how he sounded.

“Go take a seat in my office, and I’ll be there once I’ve finished up here. Then we can talk.”

That was it; he whirled around and marched off to the Captain and began an immediate discussion without so much as a backward glance at Rey.

----

Rey tried to look nonchalant as she left the bridge, walking slowly and determinedly, without giving her husband another look. Her heart felt impossibly pained after this revelation. It was not that she didn’t know Hux had hated Ben. It was that she hadn’t expected him to admit it with such vitriol, to exclaim with such disgust what he thought of Ben’s death. And just as she had been starting to consider that an actual relationship with Hux might be possible.

Once she found Hux’s office adjacent to the bridge entrance, she paced about the room in a fury. She was angry and hurt and sorrowful, and all she wanted was to take her lightsaber, ignite it, and cut slashes into the large desk. She wanted to punish Hux to make him feel the way she felt. To make him understand why it felt that her heart had been cut in two when Ben died. But Hux would never know the power of a Force bond.

What was it about him? How could he infuriate her so? Why should she even care what he thought? 

--------

Hux went about his work with little focus. Rey had shifted all his attention away from his duties. His thoughts wandered back to her incessantly.

That lacy piece of clothing that he’d selected because he’d been told he should—that every woman wanted something that looks like that. But he hadn’t expected her to wear it to the bridge.

Truthfully, he hadn’t expected her to wear anything he’d purchased for her. Least of all, the lingerie. It was a bit… it made his stomach coil pleasantly. Because she’d still left so much to the imagination, and his mind ran rampant with that knowledge.

Of course, he was a bit upset that she had mentioned Kylo Ren’s name. He didn’t want the Emperor to get wind of this whole affair, and her interest in Ren was simply unhealthy.

Ren was gone. She ought to feel safe. Hux would protect her.

When he could no longer focus on the work he ought to do, he excused himself from the bridge and made his way to his office.

She was there, in his office. Seated in his chair. And she looked furious.

-------

Hux stormed into his office, head held high and looking as arrogant as a parading peacock. But he took a step back when he saw her. She was seated in his chair, her legs crossed and hands folded on her knee.

Her husband eyed her suspiciously, his eyes catching on each of her curves before he grimaced and seemed to snap back to attention.

“Comfortable?”

Rey didn’t smile at his cheekiness; instead, she straightened in the seat and scowled back at him.

“It’s time to talk,” she said slowly, trying her best to sound confident.

“Yes,” Hux conceded, making his way around the desk to sit on the edge to her left. He made a show of removing one glove and then the other and folding them, setting them down on the desk before Rey.

The intention was clear. She should not get too comfortable; this was his office.

“I think,” he said, taking his time with each word, allowing them to roll off his tongue, “we ought to be transparent about what this is.”

“What what is?” Rey asked, suddenly confused.

“What we are,” Hux said. “What this is and our expectations of each other.”

“I thought that was the point of the contract?” She said, now even more befuddled.

“The contract is a stipulation of the Emperor’s,” Hux replied, somewhat exasperatedly. “We ought to establish our own expectations for our—for this relationship.”

“But first,” Rey said quickly, “I want to know the truth. I want to know what happened to Ben. All of it. No more lies. No more distractions. Tell me everything.” She was shaking, trying to keep her hands steady, so she unclasped them and clutched the armrests of her seat firmly.

Hux looked down at her from his perch on the desk, studying her curiously.

“Did he hurt you?”

“Who?”

“Ren. Did he hurt you?” Hux leaned forward, resting a reassuring palm on her white-knuckled hand, which was squeezing the armrest. “Back when you were brought on board the Finalizer. Back then, when he interrogated you. Did he hurt you?”

Rey blinked up at Hux, her eyes wide, frightened, and near tears.

“Yes,” she replied, looking him straight in the eyes. “He did.”

Hux seemed to relax a fraction, his hand still gently resting on hers.

“But that’s not all, is it?”

Rey looked away and took a deep breath.

“What does this have to do with anything?” She asked, annoyed.

“It has to do with us. I need to know. You need to trust me. I told you I would protect you,” Hux said softly. “He’s gone. He’s dead. And even if he wasn’t, I would never let anyone hurt you.”

Rey snorted, disbelieving. “You barely even know me. You just think of me as your property because we’re married. But you hardly know anything about me.”  

Hux gave her an oddly chastising look and cocked his head to the side, a muscle ticking in his cheek before he let out a sigh.

“You’re right,” he said wearily.

“I am?” She looked up at him, brows raised.

“I suppose I look at everything that way,” he said softly. “A contract protects the purchase of property, and a marriage contract is something like that as well.”

He went silent, shifting uncomfortably on his desk. He moved his hand away. Suppose they could get to know each other a bit? Suppose she wouldn’t hate what she saw in him? He could hope, and he could suppose, but he doubted she would like what she found beneath his Grand Marshall’s façade.

He didn’t like it very much himself.

And what about what he’d find under the layers of her tough exterior? Would he find someone with whom he could feel—something? Safe?

He shook his head and leaned forward, his hands gripping the edge of the desk as he spoke, “I apologize if I gave you the impression that I only view you as property. I—I’m not exactly sure how else I ought to view marriage. I haven’t had much guidance in this—area and —.”

Rey huffed and leaned back in the chair, away from him.

“I didn’t have the best example of marital bliss. You met my mother.”

It sounded like an excuse, if only because it was. At least partially. He’d seen other marriages that appeared happy. Not just within the First Order but on Arkanis. His grandparents for instance—he pursed his lips. He hadn’t thought about them in years.

“Maratelle Hux isn’t your mother,” Rey replied tightly. “But you won’t even talk to me about that. You just shut down, and every topic is off the table for conversation if it makes you feel the slightest bit upset.”

Hux blinked, staring down at her with an odd mixture of disbelief and admiration. She was right. He’d ultimately refused to let her know anything about him, and in turn, she was cold and cagey.

“I’m not your property,” she continued. “I can do what I want. The only reason I agreed to this marriage is to keep my friends safe. But, what about you? Why did you agree to this?”

They’d shifted from talking about Kylo Ren and their relationship to actually—just talking. It was a strange change but not unwelcome. Hux straightened; he’d tell her the truth. That was a reasonable basis for a relationship. If he were honest with himself, he did want some form of a happy marriage. Besides, the Emperor had told him to woo her, and he would. He would try.

Yes, he’d start with the truth.

“I didn’t want to get married,” he whispered, “I fought against this. I don’t think marriage is an institution one should enter into lightly. It can have severe consequences. But we are married now, and we ought to deal with that. If you want your friends to remain safe and all.”

He said the last part to show her that he had listened. It was merely a reminder that she had done it for a reason. But she glowered at him when he said it.

“Is that a threat?” She asked. “If I don’t do what you want, then my friends will get hurt?”

“That isn’t what I meant,” his words came out rough and hoarse. “I have no intention of threatening you or forcing you to do —things for me.”

She looked away, back down at the armrests of the chair, her knuckles still white as she grasped them.

“I don’t know if I can trust anything you say,” she murmured.

“Have I not kept my word thus far?” Hux asked. “I could have engaged in—in relations with you on our wedding night, I could have forced myself on you at any time since then. But I don’t like the idea of an unwilling partner, to put it mildly.”

“And when I was willing,” Rey said, her cheeks a bright crimson now, “you pushed me away. So, just tell me, what do you want from me?”

Hux frowned; standing suddenly, he paced around the desk, hands clasped behind his back.

“We have to fulfill all of the aspects of the contract at some point,” Rey said. “And I know you’re the kind of person who honors a contract. So, what is it?”

When Hux finally did speak, his voice was a low rumble, “I’ve never—I’ve never. . .”

He couldn’t quite get the words out. It might sound foolish to her that a man of some ten or fifteen years her senior had never done—that. Even thinking the word made his cheeks heat and his ears turn scarlet.

She just studied him, waiting for him to spit it out.

“Never what?” She asked finally when he didn’t continue.

His shoulders slumped slightly. This was so embarrassing.  

“I’ve never been with anyone,” he whispered. “Intimately, I mean. And I’m not exactly thrilled that my first experience should be with someone who’s unwilling.”

“Oh,” Rey replied. It was all she could think to say at the moment. She’d never expected this. She tried to lean into the Force to discern if Hux was actually telling her the truth, but he’d put up that mental shield, and she was unable to read him.

“Is that all?”

“I—what do you want me to say?” She asked.

“I don’t know,” Hux sighed, turning to face her now. He let out something that sounded like a laugh. “I don’t like feeling inadequate—and my lack of experience in this arena—well, I suppose it’s only fair you should know.”

Rey bit her lip and seemed to consider his words for a moment before she spoke.

“Well, I’ve never been with anyone either.” She said finally, meeting Hux’s eyes with a gentleness he hadn’t seen before. “There was —someone—before that I—well, I thought there was someone. But that’s over now.”

Hux watched her, his eyes narrowed but his face impassive. He wanted to ask her who, who it was that she had cared for. He wasn’t jealous. Though something like a wave of burning anger rose inside him at the thought of Rey with someone else. He wanted to know, perhaps so he could see how he matched up.

But he didn’t ask. He couldn’t bring himself to sound so pathetic.

There had been no one before her. In fact, he’d never even really considered having a relationship with someone.

“Now,” Rey said, suddenly seeming determined, “tell me what happened to Ben.”

It only took Hux a moment before he felt his stomach twist unpleasantly and something cold flood his veins. His throat tightened, and he saw the way she looked, her eyes moist and face flushed.

He realized at that moment who the someone was that Rey had loved.

Chapter Text

A GALAXY IS NOT ENOUGH

Chapter 13

A New Arrival

“Now,” Rey said, suddenly seeming determined, “tell me what happened to Ben.”

It only took Hux a moment before his stomach twisted unpleasantly, and something cold flooded his veins. His throat tightened, and he saw the way she looked, her eyes moist and face flushed.

He realized at that moment who the someone was that Rey had loved.

___

Rey looked up, meeting Hux’s eyes, almost pleading. His face had become a mask of cold calculation again. Only a second ago, he’d looked soft and concerned and dare say even, hopeful? Now he was stoic and distant as if he’d put up an invisible wall.

Was it some kind of strange Force-like ability? She wasn’t sure. He was incredibly adept at hiding his thoughts and emotions from others, and had he learned this somewhere?

“Ben,” Hux whispered the name, his voice rough and tense. “You want to know what happened to Ben Solo?”

Oh. Oh. Rey realized her mistake in calling Kylo Ren by just his first name —Ben—she’d made it quite evident that there was something more. Something beyond the rivalry of their Force abilities. An intimacy that had before only been known to her and Ben and Leia. She’d referred to him as Ben Solo before, to Hux even, but the way she’d said it just then, it was all but transparent.

Hux cleared his throat and watched Rey, his eyes hooded, and arms crossed behind his back. He took a resigned breath before he spoke.

“I told you that as Supreme Leader, he was not particularly well-liked,” Hux said slowly. “He was—rash and quick to anger. Though he was—“ He searched for another word. Something else. Anything else. “Powerful and determined. He was not a benevolent or a very strategic ruler.”

This Rey knew Ben was his father AND his mother. But his tactical expertise and understanding were not that of Hux’s. Ben used his natural skills, and for as intelligent as he was, his intelligence did not extend to his relationships. Ben was decidedly not keen on social inter-workings, and Hux seemed to have little expertise in that area as well. Though—had the two worked together, she doubted that anyone would have been able to take control of the First Order.

“He was cruel, at times. Foolish at others,” Hux said hesitantly as if even the mention of that cruelty would be too much for Rey to hear. “I—I hated him. And so did many others. There was a rage about him that was all-consuming. It fueled him though, it gave him power, I expect. But he was not in his right state of mind.”

He shifted awkwardly, taking a step toward Rey then pausing as though unsure if he was allowed to come further. She swallowed but kept eye contact, beckoning him toward her silently.

“If I’d known what his knights planned—perhaps—I could’ve done something,” he said quietly. “But I was ignorant of their aspirations.”

“His Knights turned on him,” Rey said. Hux had mentioned this before, but she needed more.

“Yes,” he bit his lip as if considering what he ought to tell her. “I thought his knights were his own. Friends or loyal subjects. But—when he—when complications arose. They turned against him.”

“What complications?”

Hux frowned and looked away, “Ren began seeking something an artifact or—or something, something to do with the Force. He was searching for it. Neglecting his duties to the First Order, letting things slip. His Knights—they didn’t want him searching for whatever it was.”

“An artifact?”

“Something,” Hux muttered irritably, shaking his head. “It was something to do with the Force—I—I can’t remember—a Holocron that belonged to someone. He said he’d had a vision of some kind; I’m not sure how that works.”

Rey bit her lip, not realizing she was imitating Hux. “Did he say if it was a Sith Holocron or a Jedi Holocron?”

“I—Sith, I believe. Why?”

“Because—well, do you know if he found it?” She said uneasily. If Ben had been seeking a Sith Holocron and he found a way to open it, well, was it possible that he had unleashed something? Was it the Holocron she touched that made her see visions? The one that was stored all too conveniently aboard this very ship?

“If it was found—I don’t know,” Hux shrugged. “It’s all the same, though, isn’t it? Something from that old religion being wanted for stars knows what purpose, and then everyone is fighting again.”

He sighed and leaned against the desk, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

It made sense to Rey. A Sith Holocron possessed power, possibly even some hidden knowledge about the Force. If Ben had been searching for it, then Rey needed to find out why. 

“Whatever it is, whatever he was searching for, the Knights didn’t want him to have it,” Hux murmured quietly. “They—confronted him, fought him, and he—he didn’t survive.”

That Rey could not believe, Ben was a skilled warrior, beyond anyone she’d known. He would’ve held his own, even against his Knights, and she knew that.

Hux bit his bottom lip and looked at her before letting out another huff.

Rey wasn’t sure if Hux’s hesitancy was due in some small part to his desire to spare her from the terrible details of Ben’s demise. But she had to know. She needed to hear it, no matter how much it might hurt.

“Tell me,” she said quietly. “Please.”

“His right-hand knight,” Hux paused, “she had an advantage, and she—.”

They were cut off by the voice of Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka as it crackled out of the overhead speaker.

“Sir, I apologize for the interruption; however, the Emperor has requested your immediate presence on a holocall. In the General’s conference room, Sir.”

Hux let out another frustrated sigh and gave Rey a look of incredulity.

“Apologies, my dear. We shall continue this later. Perhaps I’ll see you for dinner tonight?”

His eyes traced over the lace of her bodice for a moment, stilling at the column of her throat before they snapped back to meet her gaze. His face held an odd mixture of frustration and sorrow, but he didn’t wait for her response and exited the room, leaving Rey staring after him.

So, he got to have an abrupt exit while she was left sitting in his chair?

She rose, irritated at being cut off just before she learned which Knight had killed Ben. The speaker overhead crackled again, and again it was the hesitant voice of Lt. Dopheld Mitaka.

“Lady Rey, are you still there?”

She paused before answering, “yes….”

“Could I perhaps, have a private word with you?”

“Alright,” she replied tightly. What could the squirrelly Lieutenant have to speak to her about? She didn’t have to wait long as she’d barely seated herself again when the young man entered the office.

“Thank you for speaking with me,” Mitaka said; his hands were clasped behind his back, and he held his head high. He did not appear timid at the moment, but the façade tumbled away the moment he opened his mouth. “I—I wish to, to express to you my intentions and obtain your —.”

His eyes were settled firmly above Rey’s head, and as soon as they dropped to her neckline, his mouth fell slightly open.

“Just say whatever it is, won’t you? The longer you drag it on, the more painful it is.”

“Right, yes.” He muttered, snapping his eyes back up to hers. “You asked me about my relationship with Ms. Tico, and well, I thought I ought to make my intentions clear. I wish to—wish to court your friend Ms. Tico, and as such would be appropriate, I am making those intentions known to her commanding… officer—are you her commanding officer?”

Rey blinked at him, surprised and slightly amused. Something about the young man was strangely endearing, enough that she wondered if perhaps Rose might think so too.

“Court her? As in, interested in possibly marrying her or something?”

“W-well, marriage isn’t something to be rushed into, especially with someone she’s only known for a short time. . .” He trailed off, seemingly realizing with whom he was speaking.

“I don’t think you need to tell me. It’s more important that you express this to Rose and see if she’s interested.”

“Yes, I fully intend to make my intentions known,” Mitaka said quickly. “However, I am not sure how they will be received. We’ve only spoken a handful of times and—.”

“Wait? A handful? You spoke to her when I was on a hollocall with her and during my reception. You’ve spoken to her other times?”

Mitaka had gone quite pale, “Well, yes, I’ve called on her at least once a week since we met at your reception. I intended to call more often, but I’ve been attending to duties on the bridge multiple days and was unable to do so.”

Rey tried to hide her smile; she would let Rose be the one to make the decision as to whether or not a relationship with Lt. Mitaka was wise. Still, at least Rey knew that he was trying to be . . . honorable? Was that the right word?

“So you need my permission or blessing before you can begin courting her? It seems like you’ve already begun courtship with how often you’ve called on her,” Rey said with a soft smile.

“I only intended to get to know her a bit better before attempting to court her,” Mitaka replied hurriedly. “I can assure you that I would respect her decision, should she refuse—.”

“Fine by me,” Rey replied, putting her hand up to stop Mitaka’s word vomit. “I give you my blessing, or whatever it is. As long as you respect Rose’s wishes, then I’m perfectly happy with you —um courting her.”

Mitaka’s face flushed a bright crimson, and he nodded, the trace of a smile on the edge of his lips. He returned to attention and almost saluted before putting his hands behind his back again.

“Thank you, Rey.”

——

Rose. Rose and Mitaka. Mitaka and Rose.

The thought made her feel hollow, an empty pit forming deep in her stomach; she longed for something like that. A familiarity, a comfort. Someone who cared for her like that. Or at least wanted to see if they could care. Silly little desert rat, how swiftly she found herself caring for someone, how quickly she’d loved Ben, how fast she’d befriended Finn.

She would’ve done nearly anything for even a morsel of affection from someone then. Approval, affection, comfort, all things that had been sorely lacking on Jakku. But most of all, she’d longed for a friend, at the very least, a companion. Someone who could help her feel less alone.

Could Hux give her that? The way he’d looked at her —almost respectfully — even while she was dressed like this, it made her heartbeat just a bit faster. He’d thought to purchase her clothing like this, she ran her fingers over the fitted lace bodice, and she couldn’t help but feel that it meant something. After all, he was trying to provide her with every comfort.

Perhaps, approval and affection would come later? The hope burned deep inside her, spreading through her chest.

Suddenly, in desperate need of a release of some kind, Rey found her way to her training room and threw herself into combat. She ran through nearly twenty different scenarios before finding one that caused her difficulty. She could take on almost fifteen opponents at one time without having to blink, but that was if they had blasters. She was a natural in following the guidance of the Force when the shots fired in her direction.

Most of the time, her opponents were not on the same skill level, and she could win the simulation easily. She finds it much more challenging to hold her own against attackers who use melee weapons like lightsabers.

Deflecting blaster fire was one thing; avoiding the close combat swings of a blunt weapon was another altogether. As she’d grown up on Jakku, she tended to have more experience with hand-to-hand combat. Still, multiple opponents or at least more than seven or eight tended to be difficult for her.

She had to admit that the training room was incredibly impressive. The digital scenarios and simulations were vivid and terrifyingly realistic. Rey enjoyed pushing herself to the limit, testing her strength, and trying to reach new heights. Hux had created the perfect place for her to do this, and it really was quite thoughtful of him.

Something inside her warmed at the thought of her husband. He was so severe all the time; he was the exact opposite of Poe, who was always joking. Stars, was she beginning to enjoy that he was so prim and proper? Perhaps, at little and only because seeing him that way in public and then seeing him so undone in private was strangely rewarding.

And that Hux had never been with anyone. . . Her stomach coiled deliciously at the thought of it. Hux was nervous to bed her because he’d never done it before. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her; he was embarrassed. She grins to herself when she remembers how he blushed as he told her. Stars, it almost made her forget she was annoyed with him.

But then again, he had withheld the information about Ben. He’d also spied on her. And not to mention he’d rejected her multiple times. She frowned, suddenly aware of a pain in her shoulder. She needed to train. She liked to be exhausted, sweat sliding down her skin and muscles aching before she was done. Sometimes it was the only reason she was able to sleep on Jakku. She had to be so bone-tired that she couldn’t even lift a finger if she was going to sleep through the night.

Perhaps it was time she put the training bot to use? A new challenge was just what she needed after the frustration of her conversation with Hux. Whenever she got close to getting answers, something always blocked her path.

It was infuriating. She wanted the truth. She wanted to avenge Ben. She wanted —the sensation of Hux’s firm lips and his equally firm body washed over her suddenly. Her stomach coiled again pleasantly with the memory. There were other things she wanted too. But she needed to focus. She needed to— her core flooded with unexpected warmth, and every part of her suddenly felt sharp and —and tingling.

Perhaps, if her husband wanted the same things… she shook her head. This was a distraction, and it was pulling her focus away from her mission. Find out what happened to Ben. Avenge his death. And perhaps, if she had time, she would um… she would see to her husband.

Maybe. Whatever. This was ridiculous. Hux was very pretty though, she glanced over at the training bot and frowned. And Hux had given her so much. Well, so many material things. Possessions, a luxurious bed, and lifestyle, an endless supply of food.

What he hadn’t given her was more glaring.

She looked over the simulation options for training. Finally, she selected the training droid, using melee weapons at nearly the highest level.

She needed a different kind of distraction.

 __ __

 Hux half-listened to the discussions of the General’s, present only in the wavering blue of their holos. His mind was still rapidly reviewing his conversation with Rey, the look in her eye when she’d said Ben Solo’s name. The icy flare of jealousy that had filled his veins and made his jaw clench. It had rushed in, sudden and unexpected, and seated itself in his chest, seemingly to reside until further notice.

He knew she might’ve loved someone — before— before their marriage. Not that he expected her to love him. Love was unrealistic in this situation. Tolerable, finding each other tolerable was much more likely. But he’d somewhat hoped that he wouldn’t have to compete for her attention with someone else. Especially someone that was dead.

That being said, he also hadn’t expected to actually care about her attention. As far as he remembered, his father was never sentimental. He struggled in vain to recall if his father had ever shown even the slightest acknowledgment of Maratelle’s feelings.

In fact, what had his father told him about marriage? It was something about how a man shouldn’t worry about the woman’s feelings, as they had too many. But this seemed like an illogical error to Hux as he, too, had many feelings. So many, he had to hold them all tightly to his chest when he was around these Force users because they would exploit them.

So he kept them deep down, inside. He was so good at it, in fact, that even his new Emperor had no idea of his scheming. His distaste for this regime and his anger towards Kylo Ren. Hux was resentful. He’d been resentful of Kylo Ren back then, and now he knew that it was full-blown jealousy. Rey cared for Ben Solo; she loved him. As far as Hux knew, no one loved him. Perhaps his mother—his real mother.

But who knew. Perhaps his mother hadn’t loved him either. Hux frowned. Love made people weak. Love was a ridiculous notion, a fairytale. Hux was not in some fairytale; he was in space, fighting a war, ruling a galaxy. This wasn’t a fairytale; this was real life.

“And you’re ready, Grand Marshall?” The voice cut through his thoughts, snapping Hux to attention.

“For my mission?” He made it sound slightly more like a statement than a question. “Of course. I’m prepared.”

“And your bride?” The Emperor’s rasping voice said, nearly a whisper.

“I believe she will be quite helpful,” Hux offered confidently. “She’s powerful in the Force, and I’m sure that if you allow her to have her lightsaber—.”

“No lightsaber,” the Emperor says quickly. “I don’t want to take the chance that she will use it against us.”

“But you’ve allowed her to keep it,” Hux replies slowly. He’s wary of saying more but feels he ought to say something. It seems contrary for the Emperor to prevent Rey from using her lightsaber but still allow her to keep it in her possession.

“Do not speak to me of what I allow.” The Emperor booms harshly. “I have ordered her not to use it. That is final.”

“Yes, your Grace,” Hux says, bowing his head in concession, even though it makes no sense to him why the Emperor would allow Rey to keep her weapon and yet not use it.

“Good,” the Emperor says with a nod, and Hux can hear the smile behind the mask. The Emperor preens at this, reveling in the power of the throne. “That will be all; you are dismissed.”

The blue holocalls fade out, and Hux ends the call. Now that the meeting is over, Hux finds himself alone again, contemplating what he will do since his honeymoon is almost upon him.

They’ll be expected to—fulfill their contract. Something like a thrill rushes through him, and he feels the tension in his stomach again. That almost familiar feeling makes his blood heat. He will be alone with Rey on their honeymoon. Where he’s supposed to consummate their marriage. His cheeks flush, and he remembers how she pinned him to the bed so expertly, her robe open and body bare. His natural instincts had taken over then; he’d flipped her over onto her back and threatened her like he would any attacker. But part of him had wanted to do something else. Then she’d kissed him — Hux swallowed, even just the thought of her lips gave him that surge of warmth in his stomach again, that pleasant sensation.

If it hadn’t been for the vision, he had no doubt their marriage might’ve been consummated then and there. Stars, she was lovely. How would he be able to stay away from her? He couldn’t stomach another one of those visions, especially now knowing how she’d felt about Ben Solo. What if he saw something that made the icy sting of jealousy flair again?

He was sure that he wouldn’t be able to hold himself together, to keep that calm poise in check if he saw them together. His stomach lurched. Perhaps he could still consummate their marriage without having a vision? Maybe he just wouldn’t kiss her.

Though that meant he might not be able to distract her from his inexperience. Kissing would be a good distraction for his lack of knowledge. Well, he knew where things were supposed to go, but without much practical knowledge or practice, he wouldn’t bet that she would enjoy it much.

Frowning, he leaned forward in his chair and rested his forehead in his hands. This was going to be terrible. He was going to fail. He could feel it in his bones. He was going to make a fool of himself, and then she’d never let him touch her again. The warmth in his stomach tightened until it felt like a hard sinking weight. He needed to do some research; he needed to be confident he knew what to do when the time came.

Sighing, he lifted his data pad up and opened a private holonet search. He would be prepared for his mission as well as his marriage bed.

__ ___

The training bot was far more challenging than Rey had anticipated. The way it approached her with a blade, the slight tilt of its head reminded her of that time in the forest when Kylo—he wasn’t Ben to her then— had stalked her. She’d run, trembling, like a frightened skittermouse through the woods until he’d found her. 

Then there was that paralyzing fear as her whole body refused to move, held in place by what at the time had felt like magic, but she now knew to be the Force. Her body was not her own then, and he’d peered inside her mind like the brushing tendrils of a gentle caress. His touch was curious; Ben was always so curious.

Her heart ached in her chest when she thought about these things. Though she’d been afraid in the beginning, by the end, she believed that Ben would renounce the dark side and come to her. That Ben would join her, and they would fight together.

Now she was all alone in the world. She had friends, yes, but it wasn’t the same. She missed the constant pressure of his mind so near her own. That loneliness was devouring now, like a black abyss of pressure, reminding her every day that Ben was gone. She missed knowing that there was someone else out there who felt like she did. Who felt lost.

The bot swung at her from the left, knowing or perhaps calculating that this was her weaker side. She dodged the blow and rolled, sweeping her legs under the bot, so it trembled and nearly fell over. She ducked under its counter swing, and she used the Force to push it back off the mat. The bot wavered, halting for the briefest of moments before it rushed toward her again.

“You just don’t give up, do you?” She smirked, twirling her bo staff expertly between her fingers, meeting the bot with a swing to the side as she faked right but went left. The bot didn’t falter as it turned towards her, and then the training baton connected with her side, knocking the wind out of her.

Rey sputtered, but it wasn’t the first time someone had gotten the better of her during a fight, and she doubted it would be the last. She needed to retreat, even if only for a moment. Collect her bearings and determine where to strike next.

So she arched her back and pushed off the ground, executing a one-handed flip and then rolling onto her knees. The Force made such movements easy now, graceful and full of certainty.

The bot stood away from her on the other side of the mat; it was very still, observing her with an almost predatory stare.

A chill spread up her spine, making every hair on the back of her neck stand on edge. It took a slow step toward her, then another, one-by-one till it looked down at her, cocking its head to the side.

Rey took her chance and lunged up toward the bot, the end of her bo staff connecting right under its chin. But the bot moved quickly, grasping the Bo and swinging her around. It pulled her forward till it had her by the neck. It squeezed her with its vice-like grip under her throat; she could barely breathe.

In. Out. Breathe, dammit.

She closed her eyes, letting the Force guide her. She just needed to slip out of his grasp. She went limp, dropping down and then using her movement to slide out of the bot’s grasp. She dove forward and was immediately pulled back by the bot, its hand catching her boot. Turning to the side, she kicked out, her foot connecting with the side of the bot’s head, and she followed it with a strike to the bot’s chin using her bo.  The bot’s head snapped back, sparking wires, and then the bot teetered and fell to the ground.

“Stars, that was harder than I thought it would be,” she said to herself, panting from the exertion.

Rey collapsed on the mat, utterly exhausted. She wasn’t on the floor for very long before something pricked her senses, and she sat up to see a dark figure leaning against the durasteel door.

“You have excellent form,” the stranger said in a voice that was deep and rich and full of joviality.

“Thank you,” she said slowly; who was this man? A humanoid, tall and built, nearly Ben’s size. He wasn’t an officer or a stormtrooper, guessing by how he was dressed. He wore rough brown trousers and a loose beige shirt with a thick belt strapped at his hip and connecting to a hip holster. His hair was a sandy blonde, cut short, almost militaristic.

He offered her half a grin and then tipped his head, “though I thought he had you there, near the end.”

She frowned, looking up at the new arrival, “and how long were you standing there for?”

“Oh, I saw enough. Enough to know I wouldn’t like to go up against you hand to hand. You’re a fast little devil.”

“Just who are you?” She asked impatiently.

He gave her a full smile now, “Gavin Reiner, I’m surprised you haven’t already heard of me.”

“I don’t know who you are,” Rey said irritably. She hated feeling like she was being watched, and who was this man who thought he could just show up and start talking to her? He reminded her of Poe. Someone who thought a little too highly of himself.

“Well, I know who you are,” Gavin replied, trying a rakish grin. Did people really fall for that? Rey would’ve rolled her eyes, but she really didn’t want to encourage him.

“And who am I?” She asked, turning her back to him; she went and put the bo staff back with the other weapons and returned the baton as well. She’d let the bot sit there for a while; maybe she’d call someone to come service the droid. Or she’d have to tell Hux.

“You’re the ginger prude’s little rebel wife.”

She went still, glancing over to the man, “Is that so?”

“That’s what I hear,” he said with a shrug.

Rey gave him a glare, “And what exactly are you doing here?”

“Oh, me?” He pointed a gloved hand at his chest. “Well, obviously, I’m here to be the brains, the brawn, and after meeting you, well, I suppose I’ll have to be the looks too.”

“What are you going on about?” She said, exasperated.

“I’m here to help you.”

A chill went down Rey’s spine.

“Help me with what?” She asked.