A Place To Escape

Chapter 3: Battled And Bruised

((A/N: Just want to clarify that this chapter takes place right before The Last Jedi so before Kylo speaks to Snoke and wrecks his mask in the elevator.))

((Warnings?: Han Solo is DEAD, Kylo has FEELINGS and we're going to talk about it....oh yeah and there's smut sandwiched in between.))

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It wasn't long after being released from the medbay that Kylo Ren felt the urge to return to Paradise House. He was haunted, driven to the brink of madness.

Everywhere he turned, Kylo saw him—standing on that bridge, pleading for his son to come home.

Even in sleep, Kylo found no refuge. The memory played over and over and over again. Until it didn't seem worth it for Kylo to sleep at all.

But sometimes, the dream would shift, and he would take Han Solo's hand instead of shunning it. In those dreams, he let his father lead him back home.

Kylo thought destroying his father would snuff out the call from the light, but so far, it has only plagued him with nightmares.

That's why he needs to be here. Why he needs to be in Evangeline's presence. Her smile, her voice, her touch–she would take him away from everything else.

The great Kylo Ren needs a pretty face as a diversion—pathetic.

The internal voices mock him for being so weak.

Passion is a path to the dark side, but attachments are dangerous.

Kylo Ren is not attached. Evangeline is skilled at her profession, nothing more.

At least, that is what he tries to tell himself.

This time, Kylo chooses to stay hidden behind his mask. Where it once provided him with a sense of power. It now acts as a barrier between him and the judgment of others—concealing his shame of being bested by an enemy.

He and his knights make their way to their usual table. The Paradise Girls instantly come to greet them, but something is missing.

"Where is Evangeline?" The question silences the girls. They exchange nervous looks with one another, none of them answering.

An uneasy feeling squeezes at Kylo's chest.

His emotions quickly turn lethal, ready to lash out at the first unsuspecting soul he comes in contact with.

"Where?" He snarls, his voice crackling from behind the mask.

"She got hurt." It's Teagan who is finally brave enough to speak up. Her usual pink hair is replaced by long brown locks that compliment the natural hue of her skin. She grips onto Ushar's shoulder for support, refusing to be afraid.

Her mouth opens, but Kylo doesn't stay to listen to the rest.

A flurry of black flows behind him as he makes his way toward Evangeline's apartment.

Panic spikes within his veins. He is very aware that he is practically running to get to his destination.

"Why do you care? She's nothing more than a woman. There are a thousand others."

Kylo Ren doesn't have an answer to the voice in his head. All he cares about is getting to her.

The doors to the lift open, momentarily silencing his thoughts. When Evangeline's bedroom door doesn't open, he goes to the next one, revealing her kitchen and living room.

He sees her instantly, sitting on her couch with a book in her lap.

She is safe.

Relief spreads through his limbs like water.