Forget Me Not (Kylo Ren Story)

Noise

Athena stirred in her bed, sweat dripping down her forehead and making the fabric of her attire cling to her skin. She could not breathe, soft gasps sounding from her lips as she struggled. The chaos inside would not die down even in sleep. It was a constant battle for dominance, two people fighting, clawing to reach the surface. A whimper escaped in between her sharp inhales as the uproar continued to grow inside. She could not handle it anymore, she needed quiet. Athena recalled the early morning moment when his arms had wrapped around her, the relief it had provided her. Chasing that high, that burning need, she left her room in search of her salvation. She barely registered it was dark outside again or how cold she was in her simple black nightgown, a major change from the black sweater and pants she fell asleep in. Her brain hammered against her skull as she stared at the closed white door ahead. All voice of reason left her when she swallowed the lump in her throat stepping forward. Her movement caused the motion sensors to awaken and open the door. The noise urged Athena forward, tiptoeing in and stopping at the foot of the bed.

Before her, laid a dark sleeping figure, their mouth open ajar with soft spurts of air, barely audible, emitting from their lips. Athena bit her lip anxiously, her mind already quieting down just by the proximity of him. She stood still for a few minutes, hesitation gluing her in place. He looked just as he had when they were children and she would sneak into his room. So much had changed though.

Suddenly the figure opened their eyes and lifted their head off the silky dark purple pillow. "Athena?" His raspy voice sliced through the quiet night, an elbow propping him up. Athena finally felt unfrozen and she trembled stepping forward. "Ben." She whispered, climbing onto the other side of the bed. His dark eyebrows furrowed together in confusion from her actions, but he remained silent. Athena slid closer to him, weaving her arms around his bare torso. He tensed at the feeling, watching her lay her head down onto his chest. Slowly he laid back down, his black curls flopping against the silk. Athena let out a sigh of relief, the pain was gone, he was the remedy. "You make the noise go away." She mumbled, his presence and warmth lulling her back to sleep.

Poe was growing agitated. All his leads were going cold and his sources could not locate the Supreme Leader. All his informants could only report that Kylo Ren was not on any First Order base or ship and neither was his prisoner. It was like the man knew to run, to hide, and Poe had a sneaking suspicion on who tipped him off. To top it off, the General kept avoiding him. After her recent disclosure, Poe was left with only more concern. Athena was his best friend, besides for BB-8 or Finn, although Finn was something else entirely. He could not plan a top secret rescue mission if he did not know the location. He was becoming desperate and desperate times called for desperate measures.

It was late on the Resistance Base, most of the crew now retiring for the evening. Poe sat at the small table, foot tapping impatiently as he waited. He liked to think of himself as a man of reason, but he needed answers. So his approach had to change a little. The door to the living quarters flew open revealing just the woman he wanted to see. "Dameron." The General spoke calmly despite the unexpected visitor in her chambers. "Leia." The woman sighed as she stepped inside eyeing the young man. "You've been avoiding me and I think it's time for a little chat." Poe nodded his head towards the chair across the table from him. She nodded obviously displeased, but moved to sit down. "What do you want to discuss?" The General questioned, but she knew already. Poe knew she did. "Oh you know, the little matter of Athena and your son." Leia exhaled sharply rubbing at her forehead. "And I want everything." The General lifted her eyes to him, "The truth is hard." Poe went to protest, to convey that fact that he did not care, but he quickly shut his mouth. He watched the pained expression on her face, realizing the truth was not hard for him, it was painful for her. He remained silent as he waited, waiting for answers. "I knew Athena's biological parents, they were advisors to the New Republic on Chandrila." Poe stayed quiet, wishing for her to continue, internally processing the fact that the General had truly known Athena prior to her memory loss. Up until that moment, a part of him was still in denial. "When she was four, there was a horrible fire both of them perishing. I took Athena in as my own until her and Ben left to train with Luke." Poe's eyes bugged in shock. "Wait Athena's -" Leia only nodded and silenced him. "Do you want me to continue or not?" Poe murmured incoherently under his breath, gesturing for her to go on. "There as padawans, descendants of two great former Jedi's, their friendship transitioned into something more. I only witnessed it a few times, but it was beautiful." Leia discreetly tried to clear her throat. He could see the shift in her, the difficult memories resurfacing with each word. "But it wasn't enough, Snoke still seduced him. I-I didn't know what to think, what to believe, I thought my son killed her that night. I mourned not one child but two. Chandrila and the galaxy was led to believe Ben died that night, only a select few originally knowing the truth." Leia shook her head in annoyance, her eyes glassy. "Athena's body was never retrieved for obvious reasons, so we used a hologram for her as well."