#tobelong

Xmag: It looks like power turned Qi'ra mad. She really looked like she wasn't all there, in that scene. What a terrible life she has led.

Marauder23: I loved Qi'ra as a character in Solo and I've had a lot of fun writing her in this. She strikes me as a character who absolutely lost her way in her young adulthood. All she's known is power and control and views others as a means to an end. If she's not the one with power and the ability to control the situation she fears she will be manipulated and controlled. She fears that if she isn't the one with power, she will be powerless, weak, and taken advantage of. And yes. This way of thinking and living has gotten to her and warped her irreparably. I don't think we've seen the last of her yet...

Thanks for the comment and your thoughts on Qi'ra :)

“Is your lady friend with you? Mistress Rey?” T-2LC couldn’t possibly understand the pain and misery she had just caused with this question. Anger curled and twisted deep in his belly, licking his insides. This is what he got for running his mouth to the droid when he was here last. What a fool.

But as Ben turned to face the droid again, his anger shriveled and died leaving in its wake a hollow crushing despair instead. “No,” he replied softly. “She won’t be joining us, Elsie.” His head hung in a mixture of shame and dejection and he shuffled from the room. He made his way to the master suite and flung open the doors to the balcony. He somehow already felt suffocated in this house and the open air calmed him momentarily.

He felt a presence emerge, lingering in the corner of the doorway and turned, expecting to see Rey through the Bond. He was both disappointed that it was not Rey and shocked when he saw the man before him. “Grandfather?” 

The Force Ghost of Anakin Skywalker stood glaring at his grandson with his arms crossed across his chest, “What do you think you’re doing?”

To Belong, Chapter 14: Conceal is UP!

He woke with a sharp intake of breath, drenched in a cold sweat. His eyes snapped back and forth across the room, frenzied and wild. 

“Ben!” his father exclaimed gently, shaking his son’s shoulder, and Ben was able to focus again. He focused on his father, sitting on the edge of his bed, looking alarmed and concerned, his eyes scanning his son’s face. 

“Dad? What happened? Why’d you wake me up?” Han didn’t need to respond, his look said it all. Ben’s brow pinched and his lip trembled, his face crumpling in realization, “I did it again?” 

Han gathered him into his arms and momentarily, eight-year-old Ben Solo was comforted by his father’s embrace as he pressed his cheek to his chest and felt hot tears spill down his cheeks. He kept having night terrors. Screaming in his sleep and haunted by a voice in his head. His mother and father seemed to be banking on him growing out of it, and Ben tried to ignore the feeling that whatever it was that was plaguing him was getting worse and not better. “You’ve got to calm down, kid. You’re getting yourself worked up. It was only a nightmare. Go back to sleep, buddy.” This was a standard response from Han. You’re fine. Brush it off. Push it down. Han tried to be sympathetic, tried to understand his son. But his own tumultuous upbringing made him less understanding. His son had everything-- a mother and father who loved him, the best tutors money could buy, a comfortable home and the best caretaking droids on the market for when Han and Leia were away in their respective professions. What else could he possibly want and need?

He woke with a sharp intake of breath, drenched in a cold sweat, his eyes snapped back and forth across the room, frenzied and wild. 

“Ben!” his father exclaimed again gently, shaking his son’s shoulder, and Ben was able to focus again. He focused on his father, sitting on the edge of his bed, looking alarmed and concerned, his eyes scanning his son’s face. 

“Dad? What happened? Why’d you wake me up?” And Han didn’t need to respond. His look said it all. Ben’s brow pinched and his lip trembled, his face crumpling in realization. “I did it again?” 

Silence fell between the two friends and just when Rey was about to question further, she felt the bond flare open and Ben was running across the training bay, blood running down his face, his eyes wide and blazing in fury and fear. 

“Ben!” she screamed, horror filling her face and she couldn’t help a hand that reached out to him although she knew she could not reach him. He saw her then, but couldn’t come closer to her, looking like he was running full speed away from some distant attack she couldn’t see. 

“Rey! It was a setup! Black Sun double crossed us. You have to find--” but what she had to find she didn’t know. The bond slammed shut with no warning, wrenching her back to the training bay with Poe standing right by her, shaking her shoulder and looking wide-eyed and panicked.

“Rey!” He was saying, but his voice sounded distant and distorted in her ears, echoing from far away. Her ears were ringing and her mouth had gone dry. Why had the bond cut out like that? Was Ben ok? Was he… she couldn’t allow herself to finish that thought. She refused. Finally, she focused in on Poe’s worried face, the sound in the bay finally coming back into sharp focus. 

“It was a setup,” she whispered, and Poe leaned in closer, looking at her like she had gone mad. “Black Sun set them up. We need to lock down Headquarters now.”

Chapter 13: Run Away SNEAK PEEK

Silence fell between the two friends and just when Rey was about to question further, she felt the bond flare open and Ben was running across the training bay, blood running down his face, his eyes wide and blazing in fury and fear. 

“Ben!” she screamed, horror filling her face and she couldn’t help a hand that reached out to him although she knew she could not reach him. He saw her then, but couldn’t come closer to her, looking like he was running full speed away from some distant attack she couldn’t see. 

“Rey! It was a setup! Black Sun double crossed us. You have to find--” but what she had to find she didn’t know. The bond slammed shut with no warning, wrenching her back to the training bay with Poe standing right by her, shaking her shoulder and looking wide-eyed and panicked.

“Rey!” He was saying, but his voice sounded distant and distorted in her ears, echoing from far away. Her ears were ringing and her mouth had gone dry. Why had the bond cut out like that? Was Ben ok? Was he… she couldn’t allow herself to finish that thought. She refused. Finally, she focused in on Poe’s worried face, the sound in the bay finally coming back into sharp focus. 

“It was a setup,” she whispered, and Poe leaned in closer, looking at her like she had gone mad. “Black Sun set them up. We need to lock down Headquarters now.”

Sarah: Congrats on seeing your son through his first year. And now you know never t plan anything else to coincide with a child's birthday party, because that is insane!

Mostly, thank you for yet another excellent chapter. I wan't to complain about the cliffhanger on principle, but you're actually really good at writing them, so I can't.

Me: Lol. True. Never again will I plan something on a kid birthday party day. Lesson learned! And thank you so much for your comment!

I hated leaving you guys on a cliffhanger but damn, it had to be done. That's just where the story took me and where it had to be left. That said, the next chapter is written and just needs to be beta read.