Chapter Text
London, 2016
It was a crowded pub and the cider was too sweet, Kylo much preferred it with a sour kick. But right now he needed courage and he hoped the alcohol would give it to him. He’d come this far and couldn’t go back now.
Two blonds smiled at him from a booth and Kylo was sure at least one had to be Snoke’s. The old man always had Bond girl knockouts on his side and preferred to use them to do his dirty work too.
A redhead in the corner had to be Palpatine’s agent. The Oxford accent and tailored clothes were a dead give away of Palpatine’s upper class preferences.
Both men were foolish though, Kylo Ren born Benjamin Organa Solo had never been one to be fooled by a pretty face. He’d learned early on that women could and would manipulate from the master herself Leia Organa Solo. He’d also learned that marriage and family could not survive the pressures of government and corporate life. His mother and uncle owned Organa Securities, a top security firm that frequently was contracted by the government. The business was their life and Kylo had always come second best to it, as had Han, Kylo’s father. Han Solo was long gone and so was Ben Solo.
For the past seven years Kylo Ren had followed Andrew Snoke after his Uncle accused him of unethical business practices when it was Luke himself being unethical.
Fresh out of Harvard, Kylo had revealed in Andrew’s mentorship, until he realized the kind of things Exegol Industry was really up to. Kylo might hate his uncle and be estranged from his father but he still had a moral compass and things like murder, exhortation and arson were not what he signed up for. He served Snoke and Palpatine but kept his eyes and ears open, collecting evidence. Finally when he had enough, Kylo planned to run and show the world he was a hero not a failure.
Yet somehow Snoke and Palpatine knew, Kylo had left his apartment this morning with the intent of heading towards the embassy and their agents were everywhere.
Kylo was cornered in this pub and needed a way out, a distraction. He needed to get this to the embassy tonight before he was caught and killed.
Kylo glanced around at the crowd full of working class Londoners when he saw a girl of perhaps nineteen or twenty.
She was a pretty brunette with glasses, cheap drugstore makeup and clothes that had seen better days, she would do. There was no way with her appearance that she worked for anyone.
Kylo waltzed over to the girl, “Wanna dance?”
She turned to him and her hazel eyes scanned his large frame, a smile broke out on her face, “Sure.”
It was a genuine smile and for a moment, Kylo felt guilty.
Kylo pulled her into a dance, knowing all eyes were on him.
The girl was lithe and a good dancer and Kylo’s dick growled even though he was a man on a mission, it had been awhile.
Kylo pressed up close to her and whispered, “You’re a sweet thing.”
Kylo could feel her slightly tremble and smiled. Her interest was flattering and for just a moment he wished this could be real and wasn’t just part of a job.
But everything he was doing tonight for a greater good and a girl like this wasn’t his type. She was too sweet and smiley, which meant she had feelings and a heart.
“You can kiss me if you want,” the girl’s hazel eyes were soft.
Kylo swallowed the lump in his throat and pressed his lips against hers. He soon had the girl pressed up against a wall near an exit, kissing her while keeping an eye out for the blonds and the redhead.
The girl tasted like strawberry chapstick and Kylo felt her eagerness in his lips and tongue. Her skin was smooth under his and he wondered how much he’d get to sample before he was interrupted.
The owners were unbothered by the kiss and Kylo continued it. He moved his lips to the girls neck and whispered, “this okay sweetheart?”
“Yes,” she sighed happily, clinging to him. “You can do whatever you want.”
What an invitation.
Kylo placed his knee against her cunt and started to rub along the crease of her jeans, aiming for her folds. The girl began to gyrate against his knee, clearly getting off on him.
“That feels so good,” she murmured.
Kylo’s cock was hard as a rock and he longed for release. His hands trailed along the girls hips, one resting on her back while his other began to fondle her little breasts.
His knee continued to rub her cunt and her legs spread out for more.
Kylo’s fingers played with her nipples.
“Oh God,” She moaned in the most lovely of ways.
Kylo decided there was nothing for it. He pulled his cock out and made quick work of the girl's pants.
He thrust into her sopping folds and felt her melt around him. Damn it had been a while since he’d felt this release. He allowed himself to really get into it, enjoying every single moment of her walls clenched around his cock.
Kylo pushed into her, over and over again. He could tell they were getting closer and he forgot everything but the need to release. His mission, his burden, all of it gone as he was enfolded by the sweetness of this girl and her body.
“Can I come in you?” He murmured, hoping she would say yes.
“Yes please,” she purred.
The purr stoked his fire even more.
Kylo gave one final thrust and felt the release of his spend.
Suddenly he felt two hands grab him, rough and strong. He was pushed out of the pub and onto the ground outside.
It took him only a minute to bounce up and run.
Kylo ran as fast as he could towards a long line of cabs, aware he was probably being chased even now.
He dipped into a car, yelled, “American Embassy now!” The cab driver took one look at him and took off.
Kylo watched with satisfaction as he peered back at the blond and redhead searching for him in the crowd.
The car zoomed through the streets and pulled into front of the Embassy. Kylo prepared to step out of the car, ready to turn in his credentials when the explosions happened.
It was as if someone had simply thrown bombs at the traffic in front of the embassy. The car was on fire and Kylo scrambled to get out. His sleeve was stuck on the car and he couldn’t get out without taking his jacket off. This was madness, it was his life or the thumb disk.
Kylo tried to pull the jacket off but he couldn’t and he knew death was imminent if he didn’t do something.
“Damn it,” he swore and ripped himself from the jacket. He then reached back for the pieces of the jacket when another explosion hit the car and he was thrown several feet away.
Kylo felt dizzy and sick as the car burst into flames.
The city street was a mess with vehicles slammed against each other and several civilians injured.
Kylo knew the thumb drive was destroyed. Nothing could have survived the flames. He cursed himself for such stupidity. Now he had nothing and he was a wanted man.
There were police and medics everywhere and Kylo knew Snoke and Palpatine had to be looking for him.
There was only one thing to do and Kylo dreaded doing it. He left the scene and booked it out of there before he was spotted. He headed toward the nearest underground station.
He headed out of London, making sure he wasn’t followed and rode the overnight train to Edinburgh. He wouldn’t need a passport to go North.
Kylo was exhausted and sore, but he couldn’t sleep, for he didn’t trust his fellow passengers. He headed towards the American Consulate, weary and furious with himself. He flashed his passport and was let in.
Anthony, the consulate butler, greeted him at the door, “Master Ben, how delightful to see you.”
Kylo nodded, it had been years since he’d been called Ben but he wasn’t going to correct the man.
He asked. “Is my mother here?”
“She’s busy at the press conference after the arrests this morning,” Anthony said cheerfully, “It’s about time, that’s all I can say.”
Kylo stilled, “the arrests for what?”
“Haven’t you heard Master Ben, Andrew Snoke and Sheev Palpatine were arrested,” Anthony beamed.
Kylo Ren practically fell over, “But how?”
“Hello stranger,” Poe Dameron, Kylo’s adopted brother came down the stairway. “Seems someone on the inside has been collecting evidence against Snoke and Palpatine for years and it was turned in last night.” Poe smirked, “We have strong reason to believe that person was you.”
“What,” Kylo choked. He didn’t understand. “But my drive was ruined, all the evidence I collected burned in front of me.”
“Thank the Scavenger,'' Poe snorted, “She was raised on the London streets by one of Snoke’s low level thugs and is a regular tech genius and has been hacking into Exegol Industries Server since she was about fourteen. Apparently she realized someone was collecting information about Snoke and Palpapatine and made a backup of all the information. When the explosion outside the embassy happened last night, she took it to MI6. She’s the one who told us Kylo Ren did it as she could trace your technology signature, she also seemed to think you might be dead.”
“Have I met her?” Kylo was so confused. How in the world had a teenager had the smarts to know what he was doing?
Poe laughed, “She just mentioned running into you in a pub, said she put a tail on the information you collected on your thumb drive and followed you around London to see what you were doing with the info. When she realized you were fleeing Snoke and Palps she said she helped you escape a pub by causing a distraction?” Poe shrugged.
Kylo’s mouth hit the floor as he realized he had indeed met the scavenger. “Well where is she?’
Poe shrugged, “No idea, she’s only eighteen so she was thrown into witness protection faster than you can blink. I only know what I told you. She does have an American passport as her mom was originally from there so they will probably hide her in the middle of Kansas.”
“She’s eighteen!” Kylo snapped. He’d fucked an eighteen year kid, great.
“Relax man,” Poe snorted. “We all get shown up by a kid once in awhile.”
Kylo wasn’t about to correct his brother and tell him he’d slept with the kid. That was a secret he would take to his grave.
Poe clapped him on the back, “Now as for you, let’s have the world think Kylo Ren is dead. Ben Solo is back and Mom has a plan.”
Ben sighed, apparently doing the right thing meant ending up right where he started.
**************************
Present Day, Washington DC
The high end restaurant was one of DC’s finest. Ben had called in more than one favor to get a reservation here. But this was a big evening and Ben wanted the best. He even ordered the most expensive champagne and appetizer.
Bazine was in the best of moods and dressed in a red number that showed off her curves and Ben could tell she’d taken extra time to look good.
“Bazine,” Ben began.
“Yes!” Bazine shrieked, “A thousand times yes, I will marry you!”
Ben Solo stared at Bazine in complete and utter shock, “What?? I’m not proposing to you - just because I like having sex with you doesn’t mean I want to marry you. This is about my Mother finally letting me leave DC and take over the New York office.”
Poe was taking a year long sabbatical with his new husband and Leia had shocked Ben by handing him the reins of the office in New York. Finally Ben would be in charge of something.
Bazine stared at him and Ben could see the anger slowly but surely mounting on her face.
Ben wondered if perhaps he’d been a bit too brash. They had been dating for almost a year now which was a record for Benjamin Solo. But it’s not as if their relationship meant anything, surely Bazine knew that.
“You bastard,” Bazine hissed, “The girls in the office warned me that you were emotionally unavailable but I had no idea that you were such a pig too. Is this all this is to you, sex?” Pure fury radiated out of her eyes.
“I was pretty honest with you from the start that the only commitment I make is towards my job,” Ben tried to keep his cool, “I’m a career man first and refuse to drag a partner or wife or husband into this life, much less children.”
“Fuck you,” Bazine shouted and threw her thousand dollar glass of champagne on him. “Fuck you Ben Solo. I hope you die a miserable old man in some nursing home. Thanks for nothing!”
She marched out of the restaurant with her head held high.
Oh well, Ben was moving to New York anyway and Bazine had started getting clingy. She’d even dropped the hint a few weeks ago that she wanted to meet his family. Hell no, Ben’s mother wanted Ben to get married about as much as Ben didn’t want to get married.
“Would you like the check sir?” A waiter appeared.
“Nah I’ll still eat dinner,” Ben said cooly. There was no reason to waist a perfectly good dinner reservation.
New York
Ben arrived at his large corner office at 6:00 am and sighed with pleasure as he could see the city below.
He knew most of his employees wouldn’t be in for a few hours and Rose, his PA, wouldn't be in until seven thirty. So he made himself a cup of coffee and turned his computer on, this was the life he had dreamed of for years.
He knew Luke hated that his mom had given him this position but the old man had no say in the New York office.
It was seven thirty when Ben Solo’s world came to a halt.
Two girls and a boy ran into his office.
Ben blinked.
“Hi new boss man,” a little girl with hazel eyes and black braids said cheerfully. The three children then placed backpacks on the flood next to a table. They turned to a cupboard behind the table and began placing objects on the table.
‘Is that sand?” Ben sputtered. There was a child playing with sand in his corner office. He did not understand this.
“Yep,” the cheerful girl said, “Want to play sand monsters with me? Uncle Poe always liked to.”
“I don’t think he’s nice like Uncle Poe,” the other girl looked at him critically. She had black hair too but her eyes were brown not hazel and she very strangely reminded Ben of his mother.
“Of course he’s nice,” the hazel-eyed girl said, “he’s the new boss man. Bosses have to be nice.”
“Where are the pop tarts?” The boy suddenly demanded. He had black hair and green eyes with tan skin, “I’m hungry.”
“Pop tarts?” Ben stared at him. Who on earth were these children with their sand and pop tarts?
“Where are your parents?” Ben asked, hoping for a solution to this.
“My mom is telling Aunt Kaydel about how Dad got his fingers stuck in the dishwasher last night,” the boy said bluntly. “He swore a lot and used words you’re not supposed to.”
“I bet it was funny,” the brown eyed girl snickered. “Uncle Armie gets all red when he’s mad.
The hazel eyed girl was eyeing Ben in a frankly terrifying way. She marched over to him with two plastic figures in her hand and crawled on his lap, “Would you please play with me boss man, please!”
Ben Solo really had no words for such a situation.
“Mira it’s rude to sit on strangers laps,” the other girl said, “You can’t do that.”
“But the boss man likes me and wants to play with me, right?” Mira smiled a toothy smile at Ben.
How the hell was Ben supposed to answer that? There were now sandy dinosaurs on his desk.
“Mira, Brandon, Mara, I told you Uncle Poe wasn’t here anymore,” Rose Hux, Ben’s PA appeared.
“I’m so sorry Mr. Solo,” Rose was red in the face, “the kids used to come here before their school bus picks them up and I should have thought to stop them this morning. Come on kids.”
“But I want to stay,” Mira protested, tears welling up in her eyes. “Mr. Boss man, can I please stay and will you play with me, pretty, pretty please.”
“That’s enough,” Rose said sharply.
Ben Solo looked at the crying child on his lap and sighed. He remembered the countless mornings that he sat alone in his mother’s office before school.
“You can stay till you get on the bus,” he told the little girl.
“Really?’ Rose stared at him in shock. “You mean today?’
“He means everyday, right?’ Mira batted her eyelashes at him.
Ben Solo, a confirmed bachelor with a heart of steel groaned, “Yes.”
“Are you sure?” Rose looked at him as if he’d lost his head.
“Just make sure they get something better to eat than pop tarts,” Ben shook his head.
The little girl threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek, “You’re the best boss man ever.”
The kids stayed for another twenty minutes before packing up. Ben learned enough to realize Brandon was Rose’s child. Mara and Mira were the twin daughters of his IT security consultant Rey who was currently in a zoom meeting.
Brandon and Mara happily packed up for school but Mira had one more request from Ben before she left.
“Can I tell you a secret? I didn’t even tell Uncle Poe about this cause Mommy made me promise not to but Mommy hasn’t made me promise you so I can!”
Ben sighed wondering if he was going to have to buy this child a dog or a goldfish or perhaps even a fairy garden, “Yes.”
“Could you help me find my daddy please? Mommy thinks he’s dead, but I know in my heart he’s not,” Mira pleaded.
Ben was floored, there was no way he could give this child back their father.
“I can try,” Ben said awkwardly. What else was he supposed to say? Pity for this kid filled his heart. He knew what it meant to be fatherless.
Mira’s eyes lit up and she lowered her voice, “He was a secret agent and his name was Kylo Ren.”