Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Rey…”

She can’t stop them from coming. She dreams of his face every night. He haunts her dreams just as he once haunted her visions for over a year. Constantly reaching across the void to touch her mind. But this time she knows he’s not real. At least not in the same sense he used to be. 

Rey wishes she could make the dreams stop. Stop seeing the life drain from his face. That toothy smile fade to blue lips. Those lips that she had just caressed with her own in a desperate, needy hunger. Wanting to consume all of him. All of Ben. 

He gave her the belonging she’s craved her whole life, and she found it too late. She’s realized that it was never her parents that could give it to her. Rey suspects that she’s known since she watched all of those children on Pasaana, right before he appeared. Her parents gave her a place of knowing where she came from, that she was loved. Ben gave her a sense of knowing where she could go. That she could still be loved. That one day she could create her own family and they could do better than their parents.

But now that’s gone. And it’s because of her. 

Rey knows it’s selfish, that she would do anything to have him beside her when he willingly gave up his life for hers. She knows he’d want her to move on. If he were here he’d tell her to get off the bed and do something. To live. 

Since when has he ever been able to order her around?

But he’s not here. 

She gets up from the little bed, walks up the stairs, and ventures out of the little house into the cold early morning air. It’s still dark, but she couldn’t stay in that home one more second. It gets too stifling at times. Times when she’s surrounded by the ghosts it holds within its walls. 

A shiver runs through her spin so she clutches tighter to his sweater around her. The one that was left behind when his body disappeared in front of her eyes. Her only possession of his. 

She doesn’t know where he went, but she’s certain his soul hasn’t become one with the Force. If it had she knows he would’ve appeared by now as Luke and Leia have. He’d be here to tell her he’s at peace and she should move on. 

But yet he is here. 

He’s always here.

Every waking moment. His presence drives her mad. It won’t leave her alone. So close but yet so far out of her reach. He’s like a ghost following her around day to day, minute to minute. Over the few weeks here she often finds herself turning around as if he’ll be standing there. But he’s not. It’s just the wind against her back playing tricks with her.

“Rey…”

She hastily whips around, heart beating through her chest. She tells herself she’s crazy, that nothing’s there, but he just feels so close sometimes. Almost as if she can reach out and he’ll materialize in front of her. 

Before she realizes it, Rey finds herself speaking aloud to someone who isn’t there. She's had enough of the games.

“Why?” She whispers to the wind, her voice cracking.

“Why must you torture me like this?” Tears flood the corners of her eyes, her body softly beginning to tremble. “Was leaving me alone not enough? Now you have to haunt me too?” 

Rey feels the anger building up deep down in the pit of her stomach. The storm of her emotions brewing in a way they haven’t in a long time. 

“You told me I wasn’t alone once. Do you remember that?” She’s not surprised when there’s no answer, but continues despite it. “And I thought that neither of us would ever have to be alone again.” 

Her voice gets louder as her emotions bubble out through every pore. To an outsider she probably sounds like a crazy woman, yelling to the wind, but she doesn’t care. She cares less and less about anything every day she’s without him.

“And then you left me. You selfish bastard. You left me, but now you won’t leave me alone.”

Rey subconsciously grabs on tighter to his sweater without realizing it. She’s become blinded with her emotions. The Force starts to swirl around her, the wind picking up. The sand whips into her legs like pin pricks, but she doesn’t feel it. She’s too focused yelling to a ghost. 

“Leave!”  She rips and pulls at the sweater around her torso, the stitches tugging on each other around the hole she created from his own saber. “Leave me alone! Can’t you see I don’t want you here anymore?”

Her voice becomes strained from yelling, but she doesn’t let up. Weeks of frustrations overflow out of her like a pot that’s boiling over. The Force bursting out of her, a tornado of emotions that nothing can stop.

“JUST LEAVE! EVERYTHING WOULD BE EASIER IF YOU WEREN’T HERE! I WANT YOU GONE! LEAVE ME ALONE! I HATE YOU!”

Rrrrrrrriiiiiippppp

The sound stops her in her tracks. Looking down she sees that she has torn his sweater down the middle. The presence she felt moments ago has vanished and she’s left with nothing but coldness. The storm around her comes to a stark halt, sand settling back on the desert floor. Rey falls to her knees, clutching the sweater tightly around her torso. “No no no… I’m sorry,” she sobs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it...”

She closes her eyes tightly, her hands softly caressing the fabric. Caressing all that’s left of Ben. 

“Be with me.” Whispering to the air, tears begin to fall delicately down her cheeks onto the black cotton. “Please be with me.” Her pleas fall mute to the wind, but the presence seems to have filled her mind once more.

“I am,"  the voice in her mind whispers softly.

And he is. 

One of her hands drifts from the torn hole down to her lower stomach. It’s barely there, but she can already sense a tiny ball of light forming, becoming stronger every day. She feels that tiny spark inside her and she knows in a way he’s still with her. That he’ll always be with her. His body may have left this plane of existence, but somehow he seems to have left a piece of himself behind. She focuses on that spark to control her breathing and calm herself down from the storm inside herself.

The tendril brushes against her mind. “You’re not alone.”  

As if through magic, she feels warmth spread through her hand into her stomach, almost as if a hand was placed on top of her own. Taking in a shaky breath she leans into the slight comfort the feeling brings. At this moment she doesn’t care if it’s real or just her own imagination. All she cares about is that she feels him. For the first time since she arrived, she lets his presence fill the room and her body. She doesn’t squander or run away from it. She lets it manifest as it wants. And for the first time, she doesn’t feel as alone. 

That ball of light starts to swell inside her, almost as if it can also feel his presence. It seems to dance with happiness, giving her hope that she hasn’t felt since she lost him. 

Rey can’t help it, but she lets out a shaky laugh. Reaching her other hand up, she pulls the ties holding her buns in place. Hair cascades down her back in waves like it was that fateful night when she first saw Ben Solo. Really truly saw who he was underneath the facade of Kylo Ren. And in turn, she let him in to see all her fears and wants. It seems so long ago now, that night on Ahch-To in her hut. If she focuses hard enough she can still feel the sensation of his rough fingertips against hers. She can’t help thinking what his fingertips would’ve felt like all over her body. She wonders if her little ball of light will have those same hands one day. Strong and hardened from the life he led, or would they be more delicate like hers?

A whirring noise shakes her from her thoughts. Looking up, she realizes the twin suns have begun to rise above the horizon, their rays bringing the solar powered vaporators to life after a long night. Her and BB-8 have gotten the moisture farm back in working order since they arrived, Rey needing something to do to keep herself busy. To keep her mind off of things. Off of him. She slowly rises from the ground, her legs unsteady from resting on them for so long in her daze. 

She doesn’t know the reason yet, but the Force called her here. Back to Luke’s old home. No one was keen on her going alone, especially Finn, but she knew this was a journey for her and for her only. Poe lent her BB-8 and a commlink and wished her good luck. She hopped on the Falcon and was gone by morning. Rey remembers that she didn't let herself cry until she was safely alone in her bunk. Didn't want her friends to know just how badly she's handling all of this. They can't know she cried for Kylo Ren.

It baffles her as to why the Force led her to this place. A place that’s filled with such horrible memories for the family that she’s trying to honor. So much horror has been spilled on this sand. But yet she knows she’s not to leave. Not right now. She has a purpose here and she needs to find out what that is. Perhaps it’s to bring happiness back to a place that has haunted the Skywalkers for generations. Luke must’ve had a happy childhood here once, all those years ago. Maybe her purpose is to bring that back again with her spark of light. Make right of all the wrong that happened here.

The old woman asked who she was her first day here. It was such an odd question, it caught her off guard for a moment. She hadn’t had a moment to think of who she was, who she wanted to be. She could never accept that vile name. So much horror and suffering was caused at his hands. Then she felt Luke and Leia with her. She said the name Skywalker because it was too painful to say the name she truly wanted. The one name she can never have. At least right now. Maybe one day when the pain lessens. One day when the name Skywalker is nothing but a myth. One when she feels close enough to him to take the name Solo.

His soul caresses her mind one more time, before the world settles down to an ordinary morning on the desert planet. The sand beneath her feet is beginning to warm from the suns’ rays beating down, making her body heat up from the cold night air. Looking off into the sun rise she imagines him standing there. She believes that one day his spirit will finally become one with the Force and he’ll find his way to her. Rey doesn’t know where he could be, but she knows now that wherever his soul is, he’s fighting his way to reach her. Even if it’s just little bits at a time. Their bond crossed the galaxy before. She knows it’ll cross whatever is in between them now. 

At least, she has to believe. It’s the only thing that brings her solace in this place. If she didn’t have hope that one day they’ll be reunited, she’d go mad. That is, if she hasn’t already. Maybe she has. Maybe all of it has just been her imagination. 

“Fight.”

“Survive.”

“ Live, Rey.”

And for him she will. She has no other choice. She’ll live the life she knows Ben would want her to have. She’ll live for the spark of light growing brighter inside her every day. So that it’ll never know a day of sadness. Never know a childhood like either of the ones her or Ben had. The feeling of being abandoned by your parents. That you were unloved and alone. She vows to herself, to the Force, and especially to Ben that her little light will never know how it feels to be alone. 

She’ll tell them all about Ben. About who he truly was when it mattered the most. How Ben Solo came back for her. How he sacrificed his life for hers because he believed she deserved to live. That he created something so pure during his sacrifice. Something he’ll never get to hold in his own arms. But she knows he wouldn’t change it. He’d give his life for hers every time. His act of unconditional love poured life from every fiber of his being into her soul and body. 

Sidious’ words come back to her suddenly.

The life force of your bond… a power like life itself.

He had used it to heal his form to its original self, but the Force had other plans for their dyad. She just never thought it would be like this. His manipulation of it was for something so twisted and dark. But Ben took it and unintentionally created life. At first in her blind anger, she saw it as something selfish. That he didn’t want to live in a world without her. So instead he made her live without him. But it wasn’t. He didn’t use it for his own selfish gain. It’s the most selfless thing he’s ever done.

Her hand subconsciously strokes the skin that’s exposed from the tear in his sweater. The tear that she created in her anger. The touch tingles, almost transferring energy between her and the light inside her. It glowing brighter with her contact.

Rey smiles softly to herself. The presence that seemed to be just in her mind has spread outward surrounding her in hope. The Force coming alive on the dead, forgotten planet. “It’s alright, little Starfighter. I’m here.” She rubs tiny circles, the light bubbling over with joy. 

“A wise man once said no one’s ever really gone. I believe that.” Her mind drifts to Luke’s teachings as well as his failings. She won’t give up on Ben. Not for one second. After all, he was named after hope.

 “We’ll find him… One day. He’ll come back to us. I know he will.” 

Chapter Text

After breakfast Rey busies herself by mending the tear she ripped into his sweater. She hasn’t found the strength in her to wash it yet, wanting to keep his scent with her as long as possible because she knows the moment soap touches it she’ll never get to smell him again. Smell his musk from running through the caverns to save her. His scent is the only thing that calms her down since her time on Tatooine.

Menial tasks such as these keep her mind occupied during most of her days here. The less things she has to do, the more of a downward spiral she goes into. It’s not the healthiest coping mechanism, but she’s always been fairly good at distracting herself from her true emotions. Always keeping busy so she doesn’t wallow in her increasing loneliness. It’s a skill she picked up from her time on Jakku.

The light in her stomach flutters, stopping her from falling into despair again. It’s a constant reminder that she won’t ever be alone again. That a piece of Ben will always be with her. 

Her hands come down from her stitching to rest on her stomach. “Sorry, little one,” she speaks ever so gently. “It’s going to take a while to get used to you being here. You’ll have to be patient with me.”

She remembers the exact moment she knew. It all started with a feeling. The first few weeks after Exegol and the end of the war all happened in a blur. Emotions shrouded her, making her a shell of a person. There were so many negotiations that she just wasn’t keen on being apart of. Coming to Tatooine took her out of the stupor, but not for long. She fell into a rhythm of fixing the moisture farm and not doing much else. She doesn’t venture into town to meet with the other locals often unless it’s for supplies, so she spends most of her days in the homestead.

One day she just felt it. That slight tingle in the depth of her stomach. She doesn’t know how, but she knew exactly what it meant. It was like one day it wasn’t there and the next it was. The ball of light growing each day. Deep within her mind, the Force was telling her what had happened. That Ben left more life force in her than anticipated. 

It almost makes her laugh at how ridiculous it all sounds. That Ben created a new life while resurrecting her from the dead. The Force surely is a mystical thing indeed. It doesn’t give you what you want sometimes, but gives you what you need. It knows your destiny outside of time, and it must be her destiny to bear the next in the Skywalker family. To carry on Ben’s bloodline. 

Rey worries if she’ll do them justice. 

After all, she never had a mother, not really. She doesn’t know how to be one. During her time on Jakku she saw few pregnancies from the other scavenger women. All of them wearing the women down until there was almost nothing left. Motherhood and scavenging didn’t mix. It wasn’t possible to continue working after a certain point and most would go hungry or very close to if they had someone helping. While she still lived on Jakku, Rey vowed to never have children. To never bring a child into a world like that, fighting every day just to eat a measly half portion. Even the women who did bear children only ever had one. 

She wouldn’t know the first thing about how to be a mother. Her mother died trying to protect her as a child and Leia only was with her for a year. How is she supposed to know what to do without anyone teaching her how?

“You just know.”

Rey whips around. “Leia.”

“You’re strong, Rey. Once you see your child you just know. And you’ll learn from our mistakes.” Leia’s force ghost looks lovingly down at the young woman knowing too well how scary impending motherhood can be.

Rey looks pitifully at the woman who cared for her like a daughter. “How am I supposed to do it without him? I can barely take care of myself right now.” 

Leia reaches up as if to stroke the girl’s cheek. “You’re not alone, Rey. I will always be here to help you should you need it. As will Luke and the Jedi. Maker knows your child will be strong with the Force. Runs in the family if you can’t tell.”

Her slight joke at her own expense makes Rey laugh a little. With the blood of a Skywalker and a Palpatine strong her little light is bound to be. The very thought of raising a Force sensitive child terrifies her. She only knows what she’s read in the Jedi texts. 

“And you know, he’s always going to be with you.” 

The General’s words make her sober up. “I know. He’s told me.”

“Told you? But none of us have sensed him in this side of the Force.” Leia looks confused at the girl’s revelation.

“In addition to his child, your son seems to be residing in my mind somehow. Or not. I think the bond I have with Ben is keeping us connected no matter where we are in the Force.” Rey gets this determined look on her face. “It’s like I can still hear him sometimes, as if he’s reaching out for me. And then other times, I swear to you, it’s like he’s right out of my reach.”

She looks at Leia who’s brow is furrowed in thought. “You probably think I’m crazy.” 

“No, dear. Never crazy. If I’ve learned anything about the Force over my years, it’s that we’ll never begin to fathom just all that it can do.”

The specter of the woman she used to know brings her hand up by Rey’s cheek as if to cup it and for a second Rey imagines she can actually feel it. The phantom sensation gives her a little comfort. 

Leia looks down with a knowing smile. “We’ll keep a lookout on this side if that will give you comfort. I’ll make sure everyone is keeping their minds open to the Force to see if anyone can sense where he might be if you really do believe he’s somewhere. One of us is bound to find something out.”

Rey smiles gratefully. “That would mean a lot. There’s just something about it that doesn’t add up in my mind. He feels so close yet so far. If he truly became one with the Force he would be here, just like you and Luke. I have to believe that.”

Her old master gives Rey a pointed look. “It must be something strong if it can keep my son away from you. I agree that if he had the choice he’d no doubt be here with you.”

Rey blushes lightly, wanting Leia to stop looking at her like that. “Thank you, Leia. For the reassurance. And the promise.”

“It’s no problem, my dear. Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself, if not for you, then for my grandchild. I’ve waited thirty years for this moment.” Her eyes light up as she teases Rey.

Rey lets out a small chuckle. It feels refreshing to laugh after so long on Tatooine of being numb day after day. “I promise.” 

She watches as the apparition dissipates in front of her eyes. It’s still taking her a while to get used to the fact that they can convene with her whenever they feel like it. Though it is comforting to know that they’ll always show up when she needs them. 

After rubbing her hand across her torso one more time, she gets back to work with repairing the torn sweater. “Alright, little light, let’s fix this up.”

As she sews, Rey feels a lingering presence behind her, almost as if someone if leaning up against her back rubbing her arms tenderly. She takes a deep breath and instead of fighting the feeling she lets it fill her mind, sinking into the sensations and comfort the feeling brings. 

“I’m here, Rey…”  

Chapter Text

Slowly the days fade to weeks. Her stomach has begun to show and is getting rounder by the day. The ball of light inside her grows stronger and stronger, threatening to burst forth and shine through the darkness of her mind.

She spends most of her mornings meditating. Searching for him within the Force. Sometimes she swears she feels a fleeting glimpse of him, his signature sparking in front of her but just out of reach. If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear he was teasing her on purpose, pushing her to test her limits. Still wanting to be her teacher even from wherever he was. 

There’s times when she thinks of that day on Starkiller. Tries to imagine what things would be like if she had accepted his offer. And then again his offer on the Supremacy. Him and her ruling the galaxy. She wonders if they would’ve tried to make everything better for everyone, both coming from such unhappy backgrounds. There’s no use hypothesizing, but she does get saddened by the thought that whatever it would’ve been, they would’ve been together. No longer alone. 

But there’s no use wasting time on those thoughts. She can’t go back and change it. 

Her time on Tatooine has become a helpful routine for her to bury herself in. Every day focusing her thoughts on fixing and running the farm. She even goes into town once in a while for supplies, but never stays too long, wanting her own space. 

The old woman she met on her first day has become somewhat of her only acquaintance. Rey learned that her name was Doma and she seems to have quite a bit of knowledge about midwifery, even going as far to give Rey remedies for her awful morning sickness. She’s very kind to Rey despite her being a stranger that just appeared one day. Rey imagines she doesn’t have much else to do or anyone to talk to. Just like her. So she indulges the old woman, if not for the woman’s sake then her own. 

Her little ball of light has started to make its presence known more often. It’s not purposeful, but she feels its thoughts of contentment, almost like little tingles inside her mind. Her child often reminds her that they feel safe tucked inside the warmth of her womb. She often finds herself subconsciously rubbing the swell of her stomach as she’s lost in meditation. Almost as if it’s her anchor to the earth beneath her feet.

When she’s not meditating or fixing things she spends her time just talking out loud. Telling their child things about Ben. The little that she knows. Leia’s come to her from time to time and she’ll ask things about Ben’s childhood. Anything to get more stories to later recount to her little Starfighter. 

“Miss Rey?” 

A little voice calls out, breaking her from her thoughts. “Tai-Lin, how many times have I said that you can just call me Rey?”

The little boy just shrugs, but isn’t too phased by the question. “I’m done with the sweeping and collecting the water from the vaporators. Is there anything else you need?”

Rey smiles at the boy. “That is all. You can go and play. But don’t wander too far. Not past the horizon!” Her sentence is barely finished before Tai-Lin has run off in search of friends. Rey just rolls her eyes and shakes her head. He’s certainly an energetic one. Maker, she hopes her little Starfighter isn’t quite like that. Though knowing they’re half Ben and half her she knows she’s going to have her hands full.

Rubbing her bump, Rey thinks back to the day she met Tai-Lin. She was heading into town for supplies. 

---

A few weeks ago…

Rey is wandering through the little outpost gazing at all the imported foods. Being from Jakku and then a part of the Resistance she’s used to rationing meals, but the ball of light inside her has made her appetite increase. She’s finding herself being drawn to certain things she’s never even eaten before. Leia’s told her to honor her cravings as it’s her child telling her what nutrients she needs. 

She spies some Nabooian pears and goes to grab a handful. Every time she comes to the market she fills her bag, never seeming to get quite enough to last till she returns. Leia said that when she was carrying Ben they were one of her favorites as well. Though she mostly thinks it was just Ben’s favorite as he still loved them as a boy. 

Rey smiles and brushes a hand along her barely noticeable bump. The similarities make her feel closer to him. It’s one of the many things she hopes her little Starfighter gets from their father. 

Pulling out her satchel, she retrieves three credits to pay the Abednedo vendor. No longer does Rey have to worry about money. Leia has made sure that she wants for nothing. With no one else to leave anything to, Leia had given Rey her personal bank codes to access as needed. 

“Take them. You’re like a daughter. And you’re carrying my grandchild. They don’t deserve to have a fear of hunger a day in their life,” she said during one visit. 

Then as they were deconstructing the First Order bases they stumbled upon Kylo Ren’s personal accounts. The council of leaders had decided to leave it up to Rey what to do with it as she was the one to defeat him. They figured she might want the money to start a new temple.

“I don’t want them. The credits belong to the galaxy, where they were stolen from.”

“He’d want you to have it,” Leia said. “After that, he’d be proud of you to use it as you see fit.”

So now Rey has more credits than she could ever possibly need, and then some. Once she felt the life growing inside her, she took a small sum from the accounts. Just enough to ensure her and her child would be covered for life, and that her little light wouldn’t have to scavenge just to have a measly quarter portion. Once that was settled she decided to give the rest of it away. Donated it to the Republic reconstruction efforts that Poe was leading in the wake of the war.

Just as she’s handing the credits over to the man a commotion behind her causes her to turn around. A little boy, maybe around the age of ten years, is being chased from the outpost by two men. Rey watches as a variety of fruits fall from his overfull bag onto the ground, left behind as he weaves about the tables. 

She drops the credits and grabs her own bag before trying to follow the boy and whoever’s chasing him.

“Stop!” yells one of the men. “Thief!”

Rey places a hand on her saber hidden beneath her wrappings wanting to be prepared. She follows behind trying to catch up with them, but vendors moving around the market make it difficult for her to keep a close distance. 

A man carrying a large rug steps in her way, blocking her view.

“Sorry, excuse me!” she says at a near yell, trying hard to stay polite despite her concern for the child. 

She curves around the corner of one of the aisles and manages to see the three runners come back into sight just in time to see the little boy run into one of the stands. On contact there’s a frenzy of tents falling and fruit flying into the air. 

The boy goes flying backwards and before Rey can stretch a hand out to catch him with the Force something stops him just inches from hitting the ground. His hands are splayed out behind his back, yet not touching the dirt. It’s almost as if he’s floating for a brief moment. If Rey blinked she would’ve missed it. He then lands on the ground softly before getting up and running off, leaving the two men behind in the chaos. 

Rey walks over to the crowd that has gathered. Bending down, she picks up the now empty bag that the boy was running away with. Gazing out across the horizon where he disappeared she pockets the bag. She’ll find the boy eventually. She can’t get his fall out of her mind. How he didn’t hit the ground right away, and it wasn’t by her doing. Reaching out across the outpost she doesn’t sense any other signatures strong with the Force.

Seeing her only acquaintance, she walks up to Doma who seems to be collecting her own supplies. 

“Doma,” she greets the older woman.

“Hello, young Rey. How are you feeling today?”

She gives the woman a small smile. “I’m alright.” The hand not holding onto her satchel subconsciously rubs her stomach knowing the intentions of the woman’s question. “We’re alright. But I do have a question for you. Do you happen to know who that little boy was? The one running away from here.”

Doma peers at Rey, her eyes wise with age. “He’s one of those urchins that lives under the streets of Mos Eisley. Comes here to steal food every so often.” She gives Rey a knowing look. “Some have said that he’s known to be light handed when it comes to thievery.”

Rey’s brows furrow in confusion. “Light handed? What does that mean?”

The older woman stares her deep in the eyes. “There’s been whispers that he doesn’t need to touch the food to grab it. That's how he fills his bag to the straps.”

He doesn’t use his hands?  

Her eyes go wide as everything clicks into place. That’s how he was able to catch himself before he even touched the ground. 

The Force.

“Thank you, Doma,” she says to her somewhat friend. “I’ll see you around.” Quickly she says goodbye to the older woman and makes her way to the small speeder she got up and running her first few days on Tatooine.

She pulls out a pair of goggles from her bag and puts them on before getting on the speeder. After turning it on she follows the small footprints that are starting to disappear due to the shifting sand. 

It takes her a little while to reach the rundown town. She’s only been here once before to buy some specific parts for the farm. Parking the speeder, she gets off and tightens the wrappings around her abdomen in a subconscious way to protect it. The ball of light inside her must feel her apprehension because she feels its worried thoughts in her mind. She rubs her stomach trying to reassure them that everything is alright. 

Taking off her goggles Rey reaches out with the Force intent on locating the other signature. She can feel him winding through the crowded streets. Almost as if she can picture his path in her mind, she follows. His trail leads her through the grungier parts of the town down a narrow alley. At the sound of rustling she whips her head to the side. A shadow crosses her peripheral, dashing behind a pile of bins. 

With the Force to guide her Rey leaps towards the shadow with a hand outstretched. The figure freezes gently by the will of her hand. The small boy looks fearfully up at her, afraid he’s been caught by the men who were chasing him. As quickly as she caught him she let him go. She watches as he slides away from her, cowering next to the bins.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I wasn’t stealing anything!” His little voice cracks with fear. 

Rey calmly kneels down to his level with her hands out to the sides to show she means no harm. “It’s alright. You’re not in trouble. I’m not going to hurt you.” She speaks at a near whisper, not wanting to frighten the boy even more. Without another word, she reaches into her bag and grabs one of her pears. She slowly holds it out to the boy as a peace offering. 

He pulls it to his hand in one swift movement of his fingers, the pear flying over to him. Rey gasps a little at the act. So her hunch was correct. 

The boy takes a huge chomp from the side of the pear. A smile spreads across his face as the sweetness hits his tongue, and he lets out a soft sigh.

Rey can’t help but give a soft smile at his contentment. “What’s your name?”

“Tai-Lin,” he responds through a mouth full of pear.

She lets out a giggle. “Nice to meet you Tai-Lin. I’m Rey.”

Tai-Lin’s brow furrow in thought. “R-e-y,” he says slowly, the letters flowing over his tongue. “That’s a pretty name.”

“Thank you.” Rey remembers why she followed him in the first place. “Tai-Lin, why were you stealing from the outpost?” she asks tentatively, not wanting to spook him. 

He looks up at her with a look of guilt. “I needed food.”

“Well aren’t your parents around?”

Without speaking, he shakes his head slowly. Rey feels like an ass. She mentally kicks herself. He reminds her of herself. Those early days on Jakku. The result of needing to steal so you don’t starve to death from lack of rations. Her heart breaks for the young boy.

The ball of light inside her sends tingles through her. Placing a hand over her lower stomach, she nods in understanding. She agrees with the child inside her.

Holding a hand out to Tai-Lin, she smiles at him softly. “Would you like to come with me? You would never have to steal ever again.” She’s offering him a life that she never got. Saving him from a lonely life of fighting to survive every day. Offering a life full of love.

His eyes light up at her gesture, but on his face remains fear. He doesn’t know if he can trust her. She’s just a stranger. But something inside him tells him everything is going to be okay. Tells him to take her hand. To put his trust in this lady.

Nervously he places his small hand in hers. Fingers touch fingers and something bursts through the both of them. Tai-Lin yanks his hand back startled at the zap.

“It’s alright,” Rey reassures the boy once again. “You can do things that other people can’t, can’t you?” 

He nods timidly.

Rey looks around then back at the child still cowering in the bins. Without a word she lifts her hand and allows the Force to flow through her. Slowly pebbles from all around the two of them start to float up into the air. Tai-Lin’s eyes widen in amazement and wonder. There’s a gleam in them that Rey recognizes.

“You’re just like me,” she says. She waves her hand and the pebbles flow through the air and land into his empty hand. “I can teach you. If you’d like.” 

Her mind drifts back to Starkiller. She mentally rolls her eyes just knowing what Ben would say. That she’s a hypocrite. She knows it would be in jest, a smirk on his face. That he’s gotten over her refusal on that cliff. 

The young boy in front of her nods, his eyes gazing up at her in excitement. 

With a smile, Rey stands up and extends her hand back out. She waits patiently for him to take her hand in his. Doesn’t push him past his speed. It needs to be his choice. 

It’s time to right the wrongs of Masters before her.

Tai-Lin reaches up and wraps his tiny fingers around her hand. She gives a tug and pulls him up. Their hands let go and he feels a tad more nervous without the link between them. But he chooses to be brave. 

“Come on,” Rey says, breaking through his thoughts. She motions her head towards the outside of town. “Home is this way.”

Home.

He thinks he can get used to that.

---

Present...

Ever since she brought him back to the homestead with her he’s been quite helpful with the farm. Helps with chores, even going as far as waking up before her to get started for the day. She knows he probably feels indebted to her for her generosity, but he doesn't need to be. 

She knows in the Force she was meant to do this. To protect him. To train him. 

To be his surrogate mother. 

The thought makes her smile and the light inside her sparks in agreement. She supposes it’s the Force’s way of preparing her for motherhood. She places a hand over her stomach.

“You better get along with your brother, little Starfighter.” She feels a tingle in response.

Happiness.

Chapter Text

Not even a full minute after Rey has opened her eyes is she clutching her churning stomach. Without another thought she leaps off of her cot and runs to the fresher. She reaches the destination and effectively empties the little contents of her stomach into the bowl. Never did she think that something so small could wreak so much havoc on her body. 

All she knows is she wants it to end already. 

Doma has informed her that she’s about a third of the way along and the constant sickness should end soon. Though speaking with Leia she learned the General had it quite longer than the average woman. Let’s hope her little Starfighter isn’t like their father in that regard.

Wiping her mouth against her sleeve, Rey flushes and shakily leans back against the sink. The cool stone is refreshing on her back. She gently rubs her stomach and it’s like the ball of light is delighted in her misery. Tingles of joy fill her mind. 

“You’re going to be the end of me, aren’t you?” she murmurs. She’s acknowledged with more tingles. Rolling her eyes she sighs, a small smile gracing her lips.

After a while she begins to feel better so she gets up and heads to the kitchen. Maybe Tai is already awake. 

He’s sitting at the table with a glass of milk and some toast when she enters the room. There’s a look of contentment on his face as he nibbles on his breakfast. His face lights up as he notices her.

“Morning, Rey!”

She walks by and runs her fingers through his thick mop of hair. Hair that reminds her of Ben’s though curlier. Leaning down she places a small kiss on the top of his head. “Good morning, Tai. Did you sleep well?” She then walks by the counter to make herself a cup of tea brewed with special herbs Doma said would help keep the nausea at bay. 

“I slept fine, thank you. I even dreamt about flying a ship!”

The excitement in his voice makes her grin. “A ship you say? What kind of ship?”

“An X-wing. Like the old Resistance fighters.”

Rey’s lips twist in amusement. She doubts Poe would take kindly to being called old and the idea makes her laugh. “You know, I’ve flown one of those.”

Tai’s eyes widen. “You have?” The wonder in his voice is palpable. “What’s it like?”

The question stills her for a moment. The last time she was in an X-wing she was flying back to the Resistance. After Ben had disappeared from her arms. She shakes her head, collecting her thoughts. 

“You can go quite fast. Maybe one day you’ll meet a friend of mine. He’s a professional when it comes to flying X-wings. In fact, he would fly them with BB-8.”

The droid trills in excitement at the mention of Poe making the boy laugh. Tai pats the droid on the head. “I’d like to fly with BB-8. We’d do so many tricks.”

With her tea done brewing she takes a sip, savoring the warm feeling that’s calming her stomach. She sits down at the table. Rey glances back at the child who’s still beaming with imagination. “Maybe you will. One day.”

He smiles and waves his hand, a plate with a piece of toast sliding across the table to her. The gesture is small but sweet. Rey knows the boy has come to be quite fond of her. Just as she is him.

Taking a small bite out of the toast he made she replies, “You're getting to be very good at that you know.”

He shrugs nonchalantly. “It’s because you’re a good teacher.”

The sentiment is very touching considering Rey thinks she’s failing half the time. Tears form in the corners of her eyes, but she blinks them away. Damn hormones. That’s another thing Leia and Doma warned her about. Unpredictable moods. 

“Well you’re a good student,” she replies, her voice thick with emotion. She coughs to clear her throat. “Now how about you go get ready for the day. It was a little humid last night so the vaporators might be more full than normal.”

Tai jumps up from his seat and gives Rey a small hug. “Yes, ma’am!” Then he runs off to his room to change, BB-8 trailing behind him.

She can’t help but laugh at his antics. He’s definitely grown on her over the few weeks of knowing him. 

Rey finishes up her breakfast before walking over to the commlink Poe left with her. They leave the channel open in case there needs to be any contact between them. She finds herself checking it every day to see if they have any news. Any rumblings about Ben’s location. 

Today there’s nothing.

Just like every other day.

But still, she checks. Holding onto the hope that someone will hear something. Even just a whisper. 

She recalls the day she finally had to tell them. Tell them about Ben. About their child growing inside her. She knew she couldn’t keep it a secret for long. It’s not exactly something you can hide. It would’ve made it awkward if she just showed up one day with a child in tow. A child that looked suspiciously like Kylo Ren. 

Telling them went as good as one would expect it could go. Telling your best friends who had been tortured and maimed by the enemy, that said former enemy accidentally left you with child after resurrecting you from the dead. 

There was definitely a lot of shock and yelling with that one. Fortunately Rose understood the fastest and promised that she’d get the two knuckleheads to come around. Rey was very grateful for that. It took a few weeks but they eventually came to, albeit begrudgingly, accept the facts. That they would support her. And keep an ear out for musings on Ben.

But she didn’t tell them everything. Only the details they needed to know. How Ben returned to the Light and came to her aid on Exegol. How he helped her defeat the Emperor. Him sacrificing his life-force for her. Him leaving more life than either had anticipated. 

Everything else? The dyad and bond she shares with him. All the times the bond opened and he let her in to see more of Ben for who he truly was. Their fingers delicately touching across the galaxy. Him killing his master to save her life that night on the Supremacy.

It’s all hers. 

Hers to cherish. Hers to one day tell their child. Hers to keep with her until the day she becomes one with the Force. 

The days on Tatooine are mostly the same. They wake up and eat a light breakfast before Tai goes off and does work around the farm. She helps him when she can though it’s becoming more difficult to gather up the energy as her body becomes exhausted faster than it used to. Even through using the Force to lift the heavy buckets she still finds herself tiring more easily. It’s messing with her mind. She’s never felt so useless before. She hates it and knows it’s only going to get worse.

While Tai completes his morning chores Rey often meditates. Searches the Force for any hint of him. There’s times she’ll catch glimpses, but it’s always just his face smiling at her. Never his surroundings. But the feeling is what sticks with her most. He’s not quite whole, but not part of the Cosmic Force either.

He feels somewhere in between. 

Once done with their morning activities they’ll have lunch and tell stories. Rey will tell him all about her time at the Resistance. Tai will talk about the little he remembers from his parents and his life on Tatooine. Or he’ll talk about his vivid dreams from the night before. There’s even been times where he’ll talk to her stomach, making up little stories or talking about all the adventures he’s going to have with her little Starfighter. Those moments make her smile the most.

Tai found out about her condition a few days after he joined her. They were in the middle of collecting from the vaporators when the feeling overtook her. She tried to sprint back to the homestead to get to the fresher, but didn’t make it in time. She ended up vomiting in the sand not five feet from the door. Little did she know that he had followed her until she felt a tiny, cold hand on her back slowly rubbing it. In that moment she felt like their roles had reversed. That she was the sick child and he the parent. 

But it was also incredibly sweet. 

So she knew she had to tell him. Not how the child came to be, but that it was there residing inside her. She even taught him how to sense their signature within the Force. His smile was so big when he finally felt it. Every once in a while she’ll feel him reaching out, prodding at the small life-form in curiosity. Her little ball of light will respond with its own tingles causing the young boy to laugh. 

After lunch they’ll typically train, Rey teaching him basics about the Force. Different lightsaber stances. Lifting rocks. Honing in on feeling the Force flowing through your body. But he’s still just a boy. He has all the time in the galaxy to learn everything. And Rey would never want to push him.

She knows too well what happens to students who are pushed to be something they don’t want to be. So she works at his pace. 

After checking the commlink Rey finds herself sitting in the familiar pose, the same way she does every day. Her eyes closed. Her one hand resting on her thigh with palm facing upwards. The other hand gently resting on the swell of her stomach. A trance has come over her, her mind deep within the Force. 

“Be with me. Please be with me.”

Flashes of images assault her mind. Images from the past. Of Ben.

Ben taking off his mask for her, revealing a young man with light shining from his eyes instead of the disfigured monster she expected. 

“Be with me.”

Ben appearing on Ahch-To through the bond. Telling her he knows that he is a monster. That he didn’t hate Han. That she’s not alone. 

Images of the mirror cave flitter around in her mind. They remind her of how she wanted to speak to no one else but Ben about her experience there. His was the only comfort she sought. 

“Be with me.” Her tone is becoming desperate. 

Suddenly his face is all she sees. But not as she once knew him. He looks strangely older. More worn down. Her eyes remain closed, but the image makes her brow furrow. 

He looks back at her confused as if he’s shocked at her presence. His eyes scan up and down her body before coming to a stop at the hand upon her stomach. 

“Rey?” 

She can’t help but let out a gasp as his voice fills her mind. 

“Ben?” she asks back, reaching a hand out for him. He feels different this time.

But as quickly as he appeared he’s gone. Ripped from her grasp.

“No, Ben. No. Come back.” She’s desperate for more clues. Tears fill her eyes. “Come back.”

But it’s no use. He’s gone.

Rey opens her eyes and the tears fall down her cheeks. “Ben,” she whispers as she cries silently. She tries to make sense of what just happened. It was different than before. All the other times she had solely seen his face. This time it was like he could see her back. Could speak to her.

Almost as if her little ball of light can sense her sadness – or maybe even Ben’s presence – she feels a tiny flutter underneath her hand. She gasps loudly and shifts her gaze down towards her stomach in shock.

Another flutter.

Quiet laughter bubbles out from her chest. Rey just sits there in absolute awe. “You’re really there, aren’t you?” she asks. There’s a happy flutter in response causing her to let out another laugh.

She strokes her stomach, love seeming to pour from every fiber of her being.

“I promise to protect you. Always.”

Chapter Text

“Be with me.”

It’s been weeks since Rey last caught a glimpse of Ben while meditating. He hasn’t returned to her no matter how much she tries. No amount of searching has brought his image back to her. 

He’s still gone.

Yet she keeps trying. 

Huffing in frustration, she slowly gets up from the floor though it’s getting to be more difficult with each day that passes as she’s officially around the halfway point. Her stomach, now fully visible to anyone she meets, is no longer able to be disguised under her wrappings and Ben’s sweater. 

Along with the extra weight around her midsection, she’s finding new parts of her body that have begun to ache. Her feet, her hips, her breasts. Leia has assured her that all of that is normal. As inconvenient as it may be.

Fortunately though, the sickness has started to calm down. The nausea doesn’t hit her as much as it did before, and for that she’s so ever grateful. 

Every week brings more and more flutters from her little light, the child testing its new limited movement. Movements that constantly remind Rey that it's there just beneath the surface. 

She finds herself always subconsciously touching her stomach, energy passing between her fingers and the child. They’re always sending her their emotions. Reminders that they feel safe tucked away inside her. 

Leia has told her of the dark presence she felt while she was carrying Ben. Sensing Snoke preying on her child in the womb. She told Rey how she would feel his terror. Feel how he was not able to understand what was happening. Only that the presence in his mind wasn’t his mother or father. 

Because of that Rey constantly checks in. Desperate to find any threat before it harms her child. Fortunately all she feels are thoughts of contentment. Of comfort. And that makes her smile. Their child will have a better start in life than Ben did. 

Rey walks into the small kitchen. Tai is already there setting the table for dinner. Two bowls for the both of them. The stew she prepared earlier has been simmering on the fire all day. 

“Rey!” the little boy exclaims making her smile. She’s always enjoyed the unlimited enthusiasm he seems to have.

“Hello, Tai.” She grabs the bowls from him and walks over to the stovetop filling them up before placing the bowls back on the table. “Eat up.” She sits down next to him and the two dig into the warm bantha stew. 

“Did you see him?”

The question brings the sadness back, but she tries not to let him see. She tries to keep a positive mood with him around. Doesn’t want him to share that burden with her. 

She just shakes her head. “Not today. Maybe tomorrow,” she replies hoping she comes across as optimistic. 

“I think he’ll come back again. I know I wouldn’t want to leave you. Or BB-8. Or Starfighter. So he’s probably fighting his way back here cause that’s what I would do.”

The boy breaks her heart sometimes with his never-ending kindness. She was definitely more hardened by life at his age. 

While she hasn’t told him everything about Ben’s past she has told him the basics. Little stories she both experienced with Ben and also ones she’s learned from Luke and Leia during their visits. One day she’ll tell him the whole story. Just not now. He doesn’t need to know the destruction caused by Kylo Ren.

“Maybe,” she replies, her smile faltering slightly. She shakes her head to clear it. “But I have no intention of you leaving anytime soon, so don’t get any ideas.”

Tai bursts out in giggles. “I won’t. You and BB-8 are too much fun.” 

His laughter warms her heart. A heart that’s been cold since the day she left Exegol behind. Left half her soul behind in the ruins. 

Rey smiles. “Keep eating. The stew is going to get cold.” 

He takes her words to heart and starts engulfing his food. She eats hers at a slightly slower pace albeit still faster than the average person. Despite being away from Jakku for almost two years she hasn't quite gotten over the greediness while eating. On Jakku you scarf down any food you can get your hands on. Wait too long and it’ll be snatched from your fingers. Rey senses Tai’s lived a similar life. 

Once the two of them are done Tai helps her clean up the dishes. They put the leftover stew in the cooling chamber, ready to be reheated for lunch the next day. 

With the kitchen clean the two of them retire to the sitting room. Rey lights the fireplace as Tai goes to find the sabacc cards from his room. She’s been teaching him how to play during their evenings before bed. They don’t play with tokens, but he’s learning the basics of the game.

She slowly gets down on the floor with only some minor difficulty. Tai comes running back into the room, a big grin on his face. 

“Found them!”

“Good, now come here.” She pats the ground next to her. He takes a seat and starts dealing out the cards.

“So what do you remember?” she asks once all the cards have been dealt. 

“Well I remember—”

Suddenly she holds her hand up, stopping him mid sentence. “Shhh.”

There’s a tremor in the Force. 

“Rey?”

“Stop talking.” Her voice is kind but firm. 

She reaches out, but the answer comes before she has time to feel anything. Alarms start sounding throughout the homestead. 

Tuskens. 

Her eyes dart to his. She tries to remain calm, but she knows worry is smeared across her face and he can see it. 

“We have to move.” 

Rey tries to get up quickly, but it’s not proving to be an easy task so Tai jumps up from the floor lending his arm out to her to brace against. Once she’s standing she grabs his arms and leans down to his level. 

“Tai, listen to me. Promise me you’ll do what I say no matter what. If I tell you to run, you run. Promise me.”

She feels the fear radiating off of him, progressively getting worse with each moment that passes. He trembles, but nods his head. 

“I promise, Rey,” he replies, his voice shaking.

“Good. Now come on. And stay quiet.” She motions for him to follow. They weave their way through the tunnels of the underground homestead. Rey grabs her saberstaff as well as a blaster from her room. She looks around and finds a broom. Slamming it over her knee she snaps the head of it off.

“Here. If anyone comes at you, don't be afraid to give them a whack.” She hands the wooden stick to Tai and he takes it anxiously. “And remember, let the Force flow through you. It will tell you what to do.”

They come into the courtyard in the middle of the homestead. Rey punches in the code for one of the two way storage rooms. The only way to get in either door is with the code. He should be safe. “Hide in here. And don’t come out until I say otherwise. Got it?”

Tai just nods again. Fear is written over his face. Before entering the crawl space he quickly wraps his arms around Rey squeezing her tightly. She gives him a squeeze back before pushing him into the room.

“Remember. Not unless I say,” she whispers before shutting the door. 

Once Tai’s safely locked away Rey looks around. She can sense figures running around the perimeter above them. Hears their calls. 

Suddenly someone jumps down into the courtyard. Rey ignites her saber, ready for the attack. The creature comes running at her waving a staff around. She simply parries it, slicing the metal in half. The remaining half still in the raider’s hands comes flying towards her head. She ducks and spins before slicing the man through the abdomen. With a scream he falls to the ground. 

At the cry more Tuskens come bounding down into the courtyard intent on attacking her. They seem surprised and on alert the moment their gaze falls upon her saber. No one on Tatooine has caught wind of her being a Jedi. Only Tai and Doma know.

That’s probably not going to last though. At least not now.

They come flying at her, weapons waving around the air attempting to make contact. Rey begins to have difficulty fighting them all off at the same time. The extra weight is making fighting more difficult than she’s used to. Normally she’s agile and can move quickly, changing her stance as needed. Now her movements come out clunky and unsteady. 

But she presses on. She has to. Not just for herself, but for Tai and her child. 

One by one she presses her blade into each Tusken, her breath becoming increasingly heavier with each kill. Her energy is depleting fast. 

With no one left on her level Rey shifts her attention to the commotion heard above on the surface. The sound of metal clanging on metal causes her to turn around. 

A thermal detonator has been thrown into the courtyard. Mere inches away from the door that Tai is hidden behind. 

Rey’s eyes widen with panic. The quick string of beeps tells her there’s no time to mess with it. “TAI, RUN!” she screams before wrapping her arms protectively around her stomach. She turns her back towards the detonator and takes a step just in time for it to go off. 

BOOOOOMMMM. 

Rey gets thrown forward. Instinctively using the Force as her guide, she turns to land on her back. Arms still protecting her child. Then everything goes black.

“Rey, come on.”

The high pitched ringing in her ears is so deafening she barely hears the disembodied voice. It hurts to open her eyes. The few glimpses she gets is just dust and sand billowing in the air. 

“Rey, get up.”

The voice in her head is becoming insistent. The tone edged with concern. 

But she doesn’t do anything. She can’t. Everything hurts. Subconsciously her hand slides down her body to rest on her stomach. The signature underneath is dimmer than normal, but she’s relieved it’s still there. She doesn’t know what she would’ve done if her little light had been extinguished. The last bit of Ben erased from existence. 

Tears leak out the sides of her closed eyes despite her protest. She hears motion above, but still can’t will herself to move. 

“Rey, for the love of our child, get up!”

Her eyes shoot open, a large gasp releasing from her lips. His voice fills her mind. The ball of light inside her grows brighter at his presence. There’s a shift between her fingers and the child, like her little light is lending her some of their energy during her time of need. She hears a faint scream in the distance. 

Tai.

Gotta get to Tai. 

Throwing an arm to the side, she slowly pushes herself up off the ground. Everything hurts and her movements are jagged. She stands on shaky legs bending down to pick up the dropped saber and clips it to her side. She draws the blaster up into her hand. 

As fast as she can she goes racing up the stairs. Tuskens surround the place, some of them already trying to escape with the canisters full of water. The water they had just harvested the day before.

A few yards away she spies Tai fighting with a raider. The broken broom she gave him held tight in his hands as he tries to fend off the larger man. 

The man appears to have the upper hand so Rey throws out her arm and makes a tugging motion. The raider flies to the ground away from Tai. Without a second thought she lifts her blaster shooting the man dead. Tai looks up in shock as the raider stills. He finds her eyes and runs over to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her midsection. He’s near hyperventilating so she just holds him equally as tight, rubbing his back in comfort. 

“It’s alright, Love. I’m here. I’m here,” she murmurs into his hair. He’s trembling in fear and she feels her heart splintering apart.

The last three Tuskens, seeing that her guard is down, return to the attack and pounce on the two figures. Rey instinctively juts out her arm, blaster bolts connecting with each person’s chest. They fall to the ground with smoking, fatal wounds.

Rey vaguely hears the alarms turn off; no longer detecting a threat. Tai still has a vice-like grip around her. She feels warm tears starting to soak through her sweater. With all the adrenaline wearing off her exhaustion hits her like a freighter. The cold air of the desert at night sends a chill through her, but she pays no mind. Keeping her arms wrapped around the boy she sinks to her knees in the sand, Tai coming to rest practically in her lap. 

She gently rocks him back and forth, her lips in his hair pressing tiny kisses against his head. She faintly hears quiet whimpers amidst his tears.

“It’s alright. You’re safe,” she whispers, near crying herself. “Everything’s alright.”

They remain on the ground for a while stuck in the embrace. It’s comforting to both of them. There’s even a moment where Rey feels the weight of a hand on her shoulder, but she knows no one’s there. Just a familiar, protective presence washing over the three of them. Her child flutters around excitedly in response to the feeling of the bodiless Force signature. Rey holds Tai closer against her letting the warm sensation fill her mind.

Oh Ben, where are you? she thinks.

“I’m here, Rey. I’ve always been here,” the voice replies in her head. 

She calmly sighs, placing another kiss into the boy’s hair. There’s no words to express how relieved she is that both her children are still safe and alive.

Chapter Text

Rey is deep within the storage rooms at the Lars homestead rummaging through the items that were left behind. She’s been trying to clear everything out. Luke has been a nice help at deciding what is junk and what is more valuable when he’s come to visit her. 

No longer being able to do most chores around the farm or spar with Tai due to her ever expanding stomach has made Rey feel quite useless. But she knows that she’s still capable of cleaning so that’s what she spends most of her time doing. Tai helps her with the heavier things, using it as an opportunity to practice lifting things with the Force. 

He’s definitely picked up a lot from her teachings. She’s very proud of how far he’s come. 

After that night with the raiders Rey and Tai worked tirelessly to fortify the homestead. Rey created an electric fence with spare parts she both found laying around and bought from town. She needed to make sure they’d never be attacked again. Luckily they haven’t since.

She also vowed that she’d teach Tai more. Teach him more ways to defend himself. Actual combat. At first they practiced sparring with sticks she found. Nothing too fast but enough to make him calculate his movements.

It came to a point that sticks were rendered useless. He needed to practice with something real. Rey reluctantly unburied the sabers that she never thought she’d see again. The ones she laid to rest in the sand. But if anyone else was to use the Skywalker saber again, she’d want it to be Tai. Luke had also given his blessing to pass the saber along. At least until the boy was old enough to forge his own. 

Pretty soon Rey became too far along to fight with sabers anymore. She’s lost the physicality for it as her pregnancy progressed. He now practices with a training drone Rey found in the Falcon that she fixed up from its broken state. She teaches him from the sidelines as he perfects his form with the bright blue saber balanced in his hands. 

She’s been slowly going through one of the more cluttered storage compartments. The room had been filled to the brim with old things. She’s actually found quite a bit from Luke’s childhood. Stuff that she’s moved to the side. Toys and such. Things that she’s decided to keep for her little Starfighter. 

As she moves further into the room the contents shift, sending up a great cloud of dust. One of Rey’s hands comes to wrap protectively around her stomach, the other comes up to cover her mouth and nose as she goes into a coughing fit. 

Kriffing dust. 

The debris settles and something catches her eye. Moving closer to it Rey reaches out and her fingers come to rub against wooden railings. 

On contact she’s bombarded with visions from the past. A little blond baby wrapped tightly in a wool blanket. Arms placing the same child in a wooden bassinet. The baby reaching up and giggling at a woman above. 

Suddenly she’s thrown back in the present. “Luke...” she whispers. If the baby from her vision was Luke then the woman must’ve been his Aunt Beru. In her curiosity Rey starts moving items around to reveal the wooden object. Once everything’s cleared away she takes a good look at it. 

It’s the same bassinet from her vision. This must’ve been Luke’s all those years ago. She reaches out and tenderly runs her fingers along the old wood. She’s scared it might disintegrate beneath her hands from years of unuse. 

“Use it. For the little one,” she hears her old Master whisper in her mind. 

Rey closes her eyes realizing how stupid she’s been. She can’t believe she never even thought about where her child will sleep when they arrive. How can she be a mother when she can’t even think of the basic things she’s going to need? She’s definitely going to take some notes the next time Leia comes by to speak to her. 

Placing a hand out, she lets the Force flow through her. After a bit of teetering the bassinet lifts a few inches off the ground. Rey knows in her state she can’t keep it up for long without exhaustion taking over, so she quickly moves it out of the storage room into the clearing. It drops to the ground a little harder than she expected it to. Despite her tiredness, she walks over and makes sure nothing was broken in the fall. 

Considering the thing is over 50 years old it’s held together quite well. She suspects that most bassinets are usually made from durasteel, so something handcrafted like this must’ve been pretty special. Maybe Owen made it after Luke was given to them to raise. She can certainly feel the love woven into its fibers. It looks like it’s been sanded down with precision. 

She hasn’t asked much about it, but she figures his childhood mustn’t have been all that bad. He was protected from the Empire by two people who loved him. He didn’t have to worry about how he was going to eat that day. It’s the kind of childhood she hopes she can provide for her two younglings. 

A smile forms on her face as she remembers the first conversation she had with the Force ghosts of her former masters. Luke and Leia had come to visit her after that first day on Tatooine. After she realized what Ben had done. 

Seven standard months ago…

It started as any other day since she arrived; her and BB-8 repairing the moisture farm back to full working order. They’ve practically been working from suns up to suns down for the last week or two. She’s had to replace nearly every vaporator due to all of the old ones rusting away from 30 plus years of non-use. Luckily she’s been able to find new parts at the outpost. 

She’s currently fixing up the last vaporator. Today is a ferociously hot day and the suns have been beating down on Rey all morning. Sweat pours down her face, but she just wipes it away with her sleeve. The heat is near brutal as it reflects off of the sand and the metal in front of her. She doesn’t stop though. She’ll be fine. She’s used to the heat from living on Jakku. Plus they have to get this finished if they want to start producing any water themselves. 

Her vision begins to double, the wrench in her hand becoming blurry. She shakes her head to clear it, but the sudden movement makes her stumble forward. The wrench falls to the ground as her hands shoot out to brace herself against the vaporator. As soon as they make contact with the metal she yanks them back with a hiss. The scorching metal has burned her hands and she can feel the tiny blisters beginning to form. 

“Shit…” Rey murmurs. 

BB-8 trills beside her, concerned at what happened.

“It’s nothing, BB-8,” she replies as she prods gently at the burns. “I’m fine. Just need some water and bacta.”

Rey starts walking back to the underground homestead. The suns are still beating down and it’s just draining the life out of her. Every step takes more energy than the last. She has to blink just to keep her eyes open and focused. Sweat is drenching her clothes. 

Just as she takes another step everything goes black. The last thing she feels is the little ball of light inside her growing frantic and buzzing with energy, and then the feeling of her face hitting the hot sand below. BB-8 trills in distress at the unconscious woman beside him.

“Rey…”

---

Rey slowly comes to from the feeling of cool water being poured over her forehead. She blinks as her gaze focuses on the little droid running a wet cloth against her skin. A relieving sigh escapes her lips at the cooling sensation. It feels glorious on her overheated body. 

“Rey!” a familiar voice exclaims.

Her eyes dart in the direction of the voice. Leia and Luke are standing in the corner of the room. She looks around and finds she’s lying on her cot. How the hell did she get inside? Everything comes back to her. Burning her hands. Fainting in the sand. 

“Leia?” she asks in a hoarse whisper. She’s confused. They haven’t appeared to her since that first day despite her calling to them. 

“We were wondering when you’d wake up, kid.” 

Rey sits up slowly and looks at Luke. “How… how did I get in here? All I remember is falling into the sand.” She drops her gaze to her newly bandaged hands and it just makes her even more confused.

“BB-8 was so kind as to apply bacta to your wounds,” replies Leia as if she can read Rey’s thoughts. 

The droid trills next to her and rolls around in excitement causing Rey to smile. 

“Thank you, my friend.” She places a bandaged hand upon his dome. Looking back up at her previous masters she continues, “But that doesn’t explain how I’m here. There’s no way he was able to drag me in here himself.”

Luke takes a step closer to her. “We felt a Force signature calling out for help and assumed it was you. That was when we found you in the sand. Leia and myself drew on your link to the Force just long enough to bring you in here.”

Rey’s brow furrows. “But I didn’t call out for help. I couldn’t even walk straight.” There’s a small tingle inside her; a reminder that she’s not the only being here anymore. Eyes go wide as she subconsciously brings her hand down to her stomach. It couldn’t have been. Could it?

Leia watches the girl’s hand move and stop at a particular location making her eyebrows raise. Curiosity gets the better of her and she reaches out through the Force. Her prodding is met with a barely noticeable signature that is vaguely familiar. One that she hasn’t felt for a while. But that’s not possible.

“No…” she whispers while staring into Rey’s soul.

Rey meets her gaze, nerves radiating off of her. A thumb rubs against her stomach and her ball of light responds in kind, glowing bright under her hand at its mother’s presence. She knows Leia felt it through the Force from the woman’s reaction. She watches as her old master gasps gently in recognition. Her eyes seem to convey a question. 

Are you…?

Rey nods silently. 

“Oh stars, Rey…” Leia responds when her hypothesis is confirmed to be correct. 

Luke looks between the two women confused. “What? What’s going on?”

Leia turns to her brother who should really be better at sensing things around him at this point. “Rey’s right. She wasn't the one to call out to us. Someone else did though.”

Her brother's eyebrows scrunch together. He clearly thinks she’s speaking nonsense. 

She rolls her eyes. “Reach out. How many Force signatures do you sense in this room?”

Luke glares lightly at his twin. He’s supposed to be the Jedi Master here. With a huff he closes his eyes and opens his senses to the Force. He counts himself, Leia, Rey, and… another being. It’s small, but blindingly bright. It just further confuses him. The signature feels recognizable. 

“It feels almost like Ben. But at the same time not.” He doesn’t know what to make of it. It can’t possibly be Ben.

Rey presses her hand closer to her stomach while her light brightens at the mention of him. She closes her eyes in a pained way. She hasn’t heard his name since Exegol. At least, his name uttered by anyone else. She hears his name every night in her dreams. 

Leia watches as the girl starts to curl into herself. She can feel Rey retreating from the conversation. Everything clicks into place. “It’s his… isn’t it?” she asks. But the real question is how. 

Rey silently nods again, trying not to cry. 

“So that’s why you haven’t left Tatooine.” It’s starting to make sense. The reason why she’s stayed at the homestead for so long after burying the sabers. The Force must’ve called her here. 

The Jedi Master looks between both women again. He’s slowly putting the puzzle together. A tiny Force signature that’s reminiscent of Ben, but not Ben. His eyes go wide as the realization hits him like a freighter. “You’re with child?” It’s meant to be a question, but yet it comes out as a statement. 

For Rey the dam bursts. Tears begin to flow down her cheeks. The droid next to her holds up a cloth. She takes it and gently dabs the streaks running down her face. The little signature inside of her prods her timidly as if checking to see if she’s okay. She lets out a water laugh and rubs her stomach in reassurance. 

“It’s Ben’s,” she whispers, not having the courage to look either of them in the eyes. 

Leia looks at Luke before sitting down on the cot next to the crying girl. She wishes she could grab her hands and comfort her more, but it took so much energy from them to carry her inside that physical touch is no longer possible. 

“It wasn’t like that,” Rey continues. “We never…” She cuts off, blushing at the thought of it. 

Understanding her implication Leia nods. “But then how?” 

Rey finally raises her gaze to look the mother of her soul’s other half in the eyes. “When Ben saved me on Exegol… I think… somehow… he unknowingly transformed a bit of his life-force within me. That he created something new. Something to leave behind.” Her hand rubs her lower stomach subconsciously. Her little light dances at the touch.

“Well the Force is certainly a mysterious thing,” Luke replies. He doesn’t bring up the fact that his own father was a by-product of the Force meddling with fate.

Leia looks at Rey. Her eyes are soft and she feels tears threatening to form. “Mysterious indeed…” A part of her is completely bewildered. It shouldn’t be possible. Yet it is. 

And then another part of her can’t help but be a little happy. It wasn’t intentional on his part, but her little boy created a child of his own. He’s going to be a father. When they heard of the destruction of the Jedi temple and Ben’s disappearance she threw all hope for grandchildren out the airlock. And yet now she’s actually going to have one. And she couldn’t have picked a more wonderful woman to be their mother.

She looks at the overwhelmed girl beside her. “Rey, just know that Luke and I will be here anytime you need us. Please know that. You won’t do this alone.”

Tears prickle at the corner of Rey’s eyes again. Her mind flits back to that fateful night in her hut. The night he told her the same thing. 

You’re not alone.

She believed it then and she believes it now. “Thank you, Master,” she says, choking back a sob.

“Oh darling, I think we can now assume ourselves past that stage. Considering you’re carrying my grandchild I believe just Leia will suffice.” 

The woman smiling at her causes Rey to smile back. “Leia.” That’s definitely something she’s going to need to get used to. The fact that she’s carrying the grandchild of General Leia Organa. Of Han Solo. She can’t - won’t - fail them. Won’t fail her spark of light. 

She won't fail the one piece that Ben has left behind. She’ll do everything in her power to keep them safe. And loved. 

Leia stands up. “We will return in time. Until then, you are no longer allowed to overexert yourself. Understand me? Your number one priority is that child. The farm will fix itself in time.” Her tone is no nonsense, the way she usually is during business. 

Rey gives a small smile of shame. “Yes, ma’am.” It feels different to have a mother figure caring for your wellbeing, but she finds that she doesn’t mind. She actually welcomes it. It’s nice to feel that kind of maternal love. Love she hopes she can one day impart on her own child. 

“Good,” Leia says as she gives a curt nod. “We shall be back. Come on, farm boy.”

Luke glares at her again for the nickname. “Ok, Princess.” He turns to Rey. “Take care of yourself, kid. And take care of the little one. May the Force be with you.” 

He nods her way before the two apparitions fade from Rey’s view. “May the Force be with you.”

Back in the present…

Rey’s lucky. They didn’t have to support her. Didn’t have to stand by her side. But they did. Because of their love for her, and because of their love for Ben.

The sound of a lightsaber deactivating shakes her from her memories. She turns around to see the little boy holding the saber down to his side, the training drone floating in the air next to him. 

“Are you ok, Rey?” he asks with worried eyes. 

Her smile softens at the kind boy in front of her. She beckons him to come closer. “I’m alright, love. Just lost in thought, that's all.” She wraps her arms around him and places a small kiss on the top of his head. “I did find something though,” she says as she moves to reveal the bassinet.

Tai’s nose scrunches along with his eyebrows. “What is it?”

His blunt response makes Rey laugh. “It’s a cot, for a baby. It belonged to Master Luke when he was young. I figured Starfighter might like to use it. What do you think about that?”

She feels it as the little boy reaches out and gently prods the tiny life force residing in Rey. It responds as if it’s been tickled. Squirming around in her womb, sending out feelings of joy in bursts. 

Tai laughs at the response he gets. “Well if Starfighter likes it then so do I! But Rey…?” He cuts off, his mouth twisting in hesitation.

“Yes, my love?”

“Could we maybe paint it? I think it would look very pretty all painted up.”

Rey brings a hand to her stomach and her little spark glows brighter upon contact and she knows the answer. “I think Starfighter would love that.” The boy breaks out in a grin, and Rey has to stop herself from tearing up at his joy. Damn hormones again. “Come on then. Help me bring it into the kitchen. Then we can go to town.”

“Yes, ma’am!” 

---

Later that evening…

Rey finds herself sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea. She’s finishing up some of the Nabooian pears she bought at the outpost while they were finding supplies. Tai is bouncing around the room making sure they have everything they need. 

She moves her chair to sit closer to the bassinet since she can no longer get down nor off the floor without Tai’s help. It’s just easier to stay above the ground. Not to mention more comfortable. Tai comes over to her and hands her an old paintbrush. 

“Thank you. So what color did you pick, my love?” She doesn’t think she’s ever seen as big of a grin in her life than when she told him he could choose the paint color. He replied by saying he wanted it to be a surprise, so she gave him enough credits for painting supplies. While he found those she decided to stock up on some much needed items. 

Tai pulls a tin canister out of his satchel. He gently opens it for Rey to see. “I chose lavender.”

Sure enough in the tin resides a pale purple paint, strongly smelling of the off-world flowers it’s created from. 

“Why lavender?” she asks.

His reply is blunt and simple as if there was no other choice. “Because it matches Star’s aura.” He dips his brush in and starts painting the wooden railings, unbothered by her question.

“Aura?” She vaguely remembers Leia mentioning something about auras. That they were a special way to sense Force signatures. She said that Ben had an affinity for it. Would go around as a boy telling everybody what color they were to the point of exhaustion. “So Star is lavender?”

“Yup!” he replies, not looking up from his work.

Rey decides to dip her brush and join him. “Is that what you see? When you sense someone?”

He looks up at her, his mouth twisting in thought. “It’s not exactly seeing. More the feeling surrounding them. Their essence.”

Her little boy is exceptionally bright and it makes her smile. “So Star is lavender. Then what am I?”

His face lights up. “Oh that’s easy. You’re golden yellow. Like the sunset.”

Rey’s smile softens. “And what is yours?”

“I can’t sense my own. It doesn’t work like that, Rey,” he replies, shaking his head at her. 

She chooses to ignore the slight sass in his voice as she’s too busy enjoying the moment. “Ok then… how about… Luke,” she asks with a raised brow. She’s quizzing his abilities.

Tai squints as he focuses on painting. “Master Luke is a bright blue. Like the sky.”

“And Leia?”

“More of a deep, royal blue.”

Her smile twists to the side, trying not to laugh. “What about Doma?”

The question tickles him, making him break into giggles. “Doma’s aura is cream. Just like that tooka that follows her around all the time.”

Rey laughs along, the little boy’s mirth is contagious. She briefly wonders what color Ben’s aura is. 

Was. 

Is. 

Maybe Leia would know. 

As she was lost in thought Tai had gone back to painting the bassinet. His tongue sticks out the side of his mouth in concentration. Over his time here she’s noticed that’s a common occurrence when he’s super focused. He even does it during his training. She thinks it’s quite cute.

A mischievous smile works its way onto her face. Slowly she moves her brush towards him. Before he can notice she places a dab of paint on his nose. She bursts out in laughter at the shock on his face. 

“Rey!” he yells, sputtering in surprise. 

“Tai!” she says back in a light hearted teasing way. 

He stands up with his paint brush in the air. A tiny smirk adorns his face and Rey fights her way up from her chair. “No, Tai. Tai, that's not fair.” He attempts to thrust the brush at her which she narrowly dodges. “You know I can’t move fast!” She places her hands under her stomach to support it. Her enlarged belly is making her front-heavy and unbalanced. She uses the bassinet in between them as a shield. 

“That’s kinda the point, Rey,” he replies, giggles erupting from his chest. While he distracts her with the brush he taps into the Force. With his other hand he forms a tiny ball of paint. It floats up from the tin can behind him. Tai flicks his finger and the ball of paint flies at Rey’s face, splattering on contact.

Rey gasps loudly as paint splashes against her face. She blinks in surprise as the boy in front of her bursts into unstoppable laughter. Reaching up, she wipes the cold blob off of her cheek and stares at the purple beginning to stain her fingers. “Oh you’re in so much trouble, my love…” she threatens without any malice whatsoever.

“No! Rey!” he yells, taking off across the room. 

Stretching a hand out, Rey musters up as much energy as she can and focuses it on the escaping boy. He comes to a stop, frozen in place. Slowly she’s able to slide him back towards her. Once he’s close enough she wraps her arms around him and they gently fall down onto the bench next to the table. The little feat exhausted her. 

He starts to struggle in her arms, giggling still bursting through. “Rey, stop it!”

She just holds him tightly. “Never.” Bringing up her hand she presses the blob of paint across his face before pecking his cheek. “There. Now we match,” she says, smirking at him. 

“Reyyyyy” he whines, wiping the kiss from his cheek though he just smears the paint more.  

In all the commotion her ball of light has started to glow brightly as if wanting to join in in the fun. Rey holds Tai closer to her. He sinks into her side, finding the comfort of her arms. She runs her fingers through his unruly locks. She couldn’t be happier at this moment. 

A sudden, quick jolt to her ribs nearly knocks the wind out of her. She gasps quietly as she jerks forward. Her hand comes down to rub her stomach, trying to calm the child within her.

Tai sits up as his eyes go wide in concern. “Rey, are you okay?”

She brings a reassuring hand to his unpainted cheek. “I’m just fine, love. It’s just the baby. Star’s moving around and kicked a little too hard, that's all.”

He still doesn’t look too convinced, his tongue poking back out the side of his mouth. 

“I promise I’m fine.” She gently grabs his hand and brings it closer to her. “Here. Feel.” She presses his palm against her stomach, covering his hand with hers. Instantly there’s another kick as if the child inside her can feel their touch. 

Tai nearly rips his hand away in shock. His eyes are as wide as the Falcon and it makes Rey giggle. 

“That’s…?”

“Yes, love. That’s Star. Just beneath the surface.” 

The pure wonder on the boy’s face makes Rey smile. She feels as he prods slightly through the Force, poking the spark inside her. The response he gets is another kick causing him to giggle. Rey leans her head back, closing her eyes as the two of them react to each other. Today’s been exhausting for her, and she’s content in just enjoying the moment.

Tai moves his face close to Rey’s stomach with both of his hands placed on her. “Hi, Starfighter. I’m Tai,” he whispers in amazement. “We’re gonna be best friends, I just know it. I’ll teach you all about the Force and how to ride a speeder.” He’s practically resting his forehead against her belly. “I promise to always protect you.” 

Rey’s ball of light moves around in response, glowing brighter than ever. She can feel the love the two have for each other already and it warms her heart. 

But a small part of her heart also breaks. 

She would never give up Tai in a million lifetimes. He’s her son in every sense of the word and she loves him. And she loves how he’s so excited to meet her ball of light. 

But Ben deserves to be here. He deserves to be a part of these moments. Deserves to feel their child move under his hands. Deserves to be the one promising to protect their child. It shouldn’t be up to a little boy to promise that. 

She has to rub her eyes before any tears threaten to fall. She distracts herself by running her fingers through Tai’s hair as he talks to her stomach. He tells her little light about all the adventures they’re going to go on. All the planets across the galaxy they’re going to see. She smiles through tears as Tai calls Star his co-pilot. The child inside her dances in response, making him laugh.

After knowing the loneliness of hers and Ben’s childhoods, she’s glad neither of her children will ever be alone in life. They’ll always have each other to depend upon. That thought gives her hope.

Chapter Text

There’s a tightening sensation around her stomach as her muscles clench. Rey hums out a small moan, rubbing her stomach in an effort to relax. She’s been having small pains like this for the past few weeks. Doma has assured her that it’s just her body preparing for the real thing. Doesn’t make them not inconvenient though.

She’s sitting cross legged on her bed. One hand palm up on her thigh, the other dutifully in its proper spot resting upon her stomach. She’s been sitting here for Maker knows how long. Her calls to the Jedi have so far gone unanswered, and she’s getting frustrated. 

“Be with me.”

Nothing.

“Be with me,” she repeats, this time more insistent.

Still no response.

“Oh just kriffing be with me already.” Another small pain wraps its way around her stomach causing her breath to hitch slightly. It’s a little more painful than the last. 

Once it subsides she gets up and paces around the room. Lately sitting for too long has been causing her back to hurt. Though walking for too long makes her feet hurt so she can’t win either way. “Your family is certainly not in my good books right now, little light,” she says as she rubs her stomach. 

As if they can hear her complaints a voice pipes up from behind her. “You called?”

Rey whips around at the voice and two specters have appeared in her home. She glares at the both of them, trying to stand up taller. She hasn’t seen either of them in weeks and she’s not happy. They’ve been purposely avoiding her. She can feel it in her bones. And she thinks she knows the reason why.

“I know you know where he is,” she says accusingly.  

The two Force ghosts stay silent, but give each other a knowing look. 

Rey continues to pace, her anger growing by the second. “That’s why you’ve been ignoring me. You’ve found him. And you’ve been keeping it from me.” A sob nearly fights its way out of her mouth. “So please… just tell me where he is.”

Leia looks at her with empathy, but it probably just comes off as pity. “We’re really not supposed to interfere with the natural order of things, Rey.” Her heart breaks for the young woman. She knows what it’s like to mourn the person you love. 

“Well why the hell not?” Rey half yells. “He’s the other half of my soul. He's the father of my child. I have a right to know!” 

Luke and Leia just keep silent and it only frustrates her more. In a fit of desperation Rey raises her hand towards the twins. “You will tell me where Ben Solo is.” She pours out everything she has. Does everything she can do to influence them. But it doesn’t work. She has no effect on them and their lips stay sealed. 

Her raised hand comes crashing down to clutch her stomach as pain shoots through her pelvis and radiates to her back. “Ow,” she hisses out. The pain has sent her hunching over, hands on her knees, in order to remain on her feet. It’s almost like she can’t catch her breath.

The pair instantly become concerned as Rey clutches tightly to her stomach. “Rey, have you had any other pains today?” Leia asks, coming closer to the girl. 

It takes a minute but Rey’s breathing slowly begins to return to normal. She’s able to stand back up. “It’s been on and off since this morning. Until now it hasn’t been that bad. I figured it was just false pains like Doma said.”

“I think you should sit down,” Leia says, trying to usher Rey back towards the bed.

She just shakes her head and refuses to move an inch. “No no no. You don’t understand. I don’t need the bed. I need him. I just need you to tell me where he is.”

Leia sighs in her own frustration. “Rey, now is not the time. You’re in labor. You can’t just go galavanting across the galaxy.” It’s times like these where she wishes the girl wasn’t as stubborn as her other half. 

The storm inside her is brewing, but Rey can’t stop. Not even the calming feelings from her child are enough. “I don’t care. I need him. So just tell me where he is, dammit!” Just as the last word leaves her mouth Rey feels a small gush of warm liquid drip down her leg, soaking her pants. Her eyes go wide as she gasps, and any other words she wanted to say have vanished from her mind. 

“L… Leia…” she stutters out weakly. 

The older woman immediately goes into business mode. “Rey, come on. Let’s sit you down.” She ushers her to the bed and Rey finally lets her. “Tai!” she calls out to the other room. The little boy comes racing into the bedroom.

He sees the two concerned Force ghosts crowded around Rey who looks like she’s in a complete state of shock. “What happened? Is Rey okay?” he asks, instantly becoming worried. 

Leia smiles warmly at the boy in hopes to reassure him. “Rey is going to be just fine, my darling. But I need you to run and get Doma. Alright? Tell her it’s time. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, Grandma Leia!” He nods before looking back at Rey. 

She tries to give him a smile through her fear to signal she’s okay. “Go, my love. Get Doma.” With her reassurance he takes off out of the room. 

Luke gives his sister an amused look. “Grandma Leia?” He raises an eyebrow at her.

She gives him a slight glare back. “Oh you get that look off your face, Skywalker before I remove it myself. My son is gone. This might be my only chance. So I’m getting two grandchildren for the price of one.”

He snorts. “More like two grandchildren for the price of nothing seeing as the first one is completely unprecedented anyway.”

Rey lets out a groan between them as a contraction seizes through her back. She grabs tightly onto the blanket as she tries to breathe normally. Her vocal intrusion breaks them from bickering, reminding them that there are more pressing matters at hand.

Leia places a comforting hand on the girl’s thigh even though she knows Rey can’t actually feel it. She looks up at her brother in exasperation. “You just keep the boy busy once he gets back with Doma. This is women’s work. Neither you nor that boy need to be a part of this.”

Luke nods in agreement. “Will do. I’ll try to keep him as far away as possible. Maker knows he’ll just be worried about her.” He turns to Rey. “You’re gonna do great, kid,” he says in encouragement.

His only response is Rey weakly putting her thumb up as her contraction comes to an end. She’s too busy catching her breath to reply. Leaning close to his sister he whispers, “Take good care of her. He’d somehow find a way to kill you again if you don’t.”

She gives a small, sad smile back. “I know he would.”

Her brother nods once before taking his leave. Leia brings her attention back to the girl on the bed. “Come on, dear. Let’s get you out of these wet clothes, shall we?” 

Rey gives her a weak smile and very slowly gets up from the bed. She shakily walks over to the tiny dresser and starts to open one of the drawers where she keeps the few pairs of pants she owns when Leia’s voice interrupts her.

“Oh no, dear. You really won’t be needing those. There’s no need to have to wash more pants than necessary.” Leia comes up to the dresser and waves her hand along the drawers, assessing the contents residing in them. “Do you have any gowns or something?”

“No,” Rey replies, shaking her head. “The only thing that still fits larger than me is this,” she says, bringing attention to Ben’s sweater that’s currently draped over her torso. She blushes and looks away from the older woman. She knows that Leia knows she kept it, but it’s still embarrassing to say she wears it quite often. Especially now in her heavier state. 

Leia doesn’t seem fazed by it. She just smiles softly. “It’s perfect. You’re going to want something comfortable. So wear that if you’d like and put on some clean undershorts.” She turns around to give Rey a little privacy.

Rey has a difficult time bending over to slide her pants and underclothes off and slip on new ones. Admittedly a pair of clean, dry shorts does feel quite nice though. Once she’s all settled she comes back over and stands next to the bed. Her hands stroke her stomach in comfort. For her and for her child.

“Leia, please,” she begs. Her eyes are welling up with tears. “I know you know. So please… just tell me where he is.” 

I can’t do this alone anymore, goes unspoken.

Rey’s bottom lip trembles slightly and it destroys Leia’s heart. She can sense the fear and loneliness emanating from her former apprentice. She can’t help but cave at the sight. The other Jedi are not going to be very happy with her for this. “We’re not certain… but… there’s been inklings that he’s somehow stuck in between time and space,” she says, looking Rey in the eyes. “It’s a place called the World Between Worlds.”

At the girl’s look of confusion she continues. “My… father’s … former padawan Ahsoka Tano once mentioned it to Luke. Said that she was saved from certain death by someone pulling her through it. A few of the Jedi believe he could possibly be residing there. Unable to return to either side.”

Rey stands up straighter. He’s haunted her mind for so long and now she finally has a possible trail. Finally her hope for all of these months could mean something. It’s just enough of a lead to set her mind spinning like a womp rat on a wheel.

She starts to pace, well waddle, back and forth mumbling to herself. Leia had all but disappeared from her mind. “World Between Worlds… have to meditate… the Jedi texts…”

“Rey,” Leia tries to interrupt the girl’s thoughts before she goes into a spiral.

“Maybe if I meditate enough I can make contact with him again…”

Leia tries again, more sternly this time. “Rey.”

It’s no use. Rey just heads over to the small table in the corner of her room, frantically moving around scrolls and books. 

“If I make contact with him again maybe he can give some kind of clue… maybe a direction at least… coordinates…” 

“Rey!” 

“What?!” she snaps before pain shoots through her pelvis again. “Ughh,” she moans as she uses the table as a brace. Her fingers become white from the tightness of her grip.

“That’s it, dear,” Leia says as she comes up behind her. “Breathe through it.”

Rey grits her teeth and exhales though it comes out ragged. Her arms are shaking from holding her weight up as the contraction courses through her body. Slowly her breath returns to normal and she’s able to stand up a little straighter. She keeps her hands on the table for balance.

Leia has that ‘I told you so look’ on her face. “And this is exactly why we kept it from you. Rey, you’re impulsive, just like a certain somebody else. But now is not the time for impulsive rescue missions.”

Rey twists her head to the woman next to her. “Well maybe if you told me weeks ago I could’ve already found him,” she snaps even though she’s already too exhausted to add much heat to it.

“And risk you going into labor halfway across the galaxy all alone?” Leia looks at her bewildered. “Not a chance. I told you before, you have one priority, and it’s to take care of that child inside you. I know my son would say the same thing.”

“Rey, listen to my mother. Please.” His voice is pleading. 

“Oh not you too,” she mutters to the man inside her head. 

Leia gestures to everything on the table. “This? This doesn’t matter right now. Right now all you need to focus on is that child and conserving your energy.”

Rey’s lip quivers as she looks at the books. If it wasn’t for her current predicament she’d already be on the Falcon scouring the galaxy. “Fine,” she whispers in defeat.

---

“Where the hell is Tai and that damned old crone?” 

It’s been almost two hours since Tai left and Rey is getting worried. She’s also getting impatient. Being in pain isn’t making her a very pleasant person.

“Rey…” Leia admonishes like the mother she is. “There’s no need for names.”

She resists the urge to roll her eyes at the reprimand. “I'm sorry. It’s just they should be here by now. It only takes an hour to get to Doma’s hut and back.” Her hands are braced against her back as she continues to pace. Sitting down hurts her lower back too much. Also Leia told her that walking around will help speed things along.

“I’ll see if Luke can find them,” Leia says, sensing the girl’s worry. “I’ll be right back. You’ll be alright for a moment, won't you?”

Rey just nods mutely back at her through half closed eyes. Talking feels too tiring at the moment. She brings a hand up to rub her stomach as Leia disappears from her view. Her back and abdomen have been tense ever since her water broke and she is starting to realize they’re not going to relax any time soon. 

She hunches over and braces her hands against the bed as yet another contraction takes hold. “Kriff it all,” she hisses out, trying to focus on her breathing the way Leia taught her to. Maker, she wishes Ben was here. She knows he would sway with her and rub her back. That he’d press little kisses to her sweat covered forehead and tell her how well she’s doing. 

Tears fill her eyes before she can stop them. Some of them fall onto the bed below her. It’s not fair. She now knows he’s actually out there and can’t do anything about it. He should be here. For her. For their child. She doesn’t know if she can even do it without him by here side.

Leia reappears and rushes over to the crying woman. “Oh Rey, dear. Everything is going to be alright. Tai and Doma just ran into a little speeder trouble, but should be here in no time.” Sometimes being a Force ghost sucks, and it’s moments like this. When someone is in desperate need of comfort, yet Leia can’t do anything.

Rey looks up at her with tears still falling down her cheeks. “Leia, I’m scared… What if I can’t do it? What if I…?” she trails off. She never saw many pregnancies on Jakku, but she’s heard stories of the few births. Most mothers weren’t strong enough from lack of food and resources. Every time she saw a woman with child she knew that a mourning father probably wasn’t that far in the future. 

Leia looks her straight in the eye and she doesn't think she's ever been as serious. Not even when discussing Sidious or the war. “Rey, you are not going to die, you hear me? My son did not give up his life just for you to die birthing his child.” 

Rey looks back down at her hands, chewing on her lip to keep it from trembling. “But what if it’s the price we have to pay for me living when I should’ve died?”

“I can’t imagine the Force would be that cruel. And besides, I’m definitely not going to sit by and let my grandchildren be orphans,” Leia says, giving the girl a fierce look. “There have been more than enough orphans in this family to last a millennia. We’re going to have one generation in this damn family that works out the way it should. Force be damned.”

An understanding passes between the two women. Rey nods at Leia. She’s determined to make sure that her former master’s words comes true. This family deserves to be happy without the threat of war for once.

---

Rey paces for a while longer before her legs become too exhausted to stand anymore. She lays down on her bed for a little bit, her back leaning against the tiny headboard. There’s pillows behind her to take the pressure off of her lower back which has been killing her. It’s difficult, but she really tries to focus on her breathing with each pain that comes. Hands stroke her stomach trying to calm her child down. She can feel her little one’s confusion as to what’s happening. They can feel her erratic emotions and it’s distressing to her little light.

Finally Tai comes barging in with Doma in tow. He leaves the old woman at the door and makes a beeline towards his guardian. “Are you okay, Rey?”

She holds out a hand for him and beckons him close. He timidly moves closer to her and squeezes her hand. She tries to muster up as energetic a smile as she can. “I’m fine, my love. I promise. Don’t you worry.”

Tai isn't convinced, but reluctantly accepts her answer anyway. He can feel her pain through the Force. It’s radiating off of her and distorting her aura. The gold is fading and mixing with bits of red. 

Luke appears next to him. “Come on, kid. Doma and Leia have everything handled. They’ll take good care of Rey. How about we go practice your forms? You can show me what you’ve learned with the saber.” He nods towards the door. 

Tai looks back at Rey and she gives him another weary smile. 

“It’s ok, love. Go with Luke. I’m going to be just fine.”

Suddenly he wraps his arms tightly around her neck. His cheek nuzzles against her chest and he feels her kiss the top of his head. 

Rey pulls his face up, cupping his chin with her hand. “Go. I promise everything will be fine. Unfortunately this is the only way for Star to get here.” She pecks him on the cheek and nudges him towards the old Jedi Master. She nods at Luke with an understanding between them.

Take care of him.

Tai extracts himself from Rey and follows Luke out of the room. 

“I love you so much,” she calls out as he leaves. 

The second he’s out of the room Rey’s facade collapses. She grabs her stomach and clenches her teeth. “Oh thank the gods.” A contraction began the moment he hugged her, but she dug deep within herself and the Force to play it off as to not scare him any more than he already is.

Doma walks over to her and holds a hand out. Rey takes it instantly and squeezes tight as she breathes through the pain. “Thank you for coming,” she grits out to the older woman. 

“I promised you I’d help deliver your child when the time came and that’s what I intend to do,” Doma replies, patting their clasped hands with her free one. 

The response is touching and it helps Rey feel a bit better. Leia has been a great help, but as a Force ghost she can only do so much. It comforts Rey knowing there’s another living being around to help her. Doma’s midwifery experience is just a bonus.

---

Six long hours later…

Rey is back on her feet, swaying with her hands pressing into the mattress to help keep her balance. Her body is drenched in sweat and she’s rolled the sleeves of Ben’s sweater up to get some relief. Doma has given her cool cloths to rub over her skin. One of them adorns the back of her neck.

“Leia, if I ever do manage to get your son back… I am never doing this again,” she says, glaring at the blue specter by her side. 

Leia shares an amused look with Doma. “Most mothers say that. But once you see your baby the pain becomes a distant memory. Then your little baby grows up and doesn’t need you as much anymore, and you get that… stupid longing to do it all over again.”

Rey’s glare narrows as she pants. “That’s never going to happen. I’m one and done.”

“That’s exactly what I told Han. But then Ben had his 5th birthday,” Leia says, smiling softly at past memories.

The statement confuses her. “But you and Han never had any other children,” she states bluntly, her brows scrunching together.

Leia’s smile turns sadder, her mind stuck in the past. “It wasn’t for lack of trying, my dear. Though seeing how our parenting with Ben turned out maybe it was for the best.”

Along with her energy, Rey’s tact has also gone out the airlock. “I’m sorry…” 

Leia places a translucent hand over Rey’s. “No need. Ben was more than enough to love.” She stares at her son’s other half. He must’ve loved her so much to willingly give up his life for hers. Her son had always been very selfless as a boy. A bright little boy who was willing to help anyone and everyone. 

A low, guttural moan from Rey breaks her from her thoughts. 

Rey grabs onto the covers and squeezes until her knuckles are white. Her pelvis feels like it’s slowly cracking apart and it’s only getting worse. “Kriffing son of a bantha,” she mutters out between clenched teeth. “Doma, how much longer is this?” she asks the elderly woman.

Doma takes the cloth from her neck, re-dips it in the bowl of water, and then places it back on Rey. “Unfortunately that’s up to your child… and fate,” she replies with a look of wisdom yet pity. She’s seen many births in her time. “Some can last 7 hours, others 30.”

“Are you kriffing kidding me?” Rey exclaims, glaring at the old woman. “You’re telling me I could be like this for 30 hours?!” She very carefully sinks to her knees and kneels next to the bed in defeat, resting her arms and head on the mattress. “Just kill me now…” she mumbles.

“Not happening, Scavenger.”

His comment makes her snap. “Oh blow off, Ben. You try doing this all day long.” She knows she sounds like a crazy woman. Talking to voices inside her head. But at this moment she really doesn’t care. She just wants it all to stop.

Leia would reprimand the girl for all the swearing, but she knows it’s not the time for lectures. No good comes from poking a rancor that’s in pain. Maker, as if she didn’t do the exact same thing when she was in labor with Ben. Han was near worried she was going to pull a blaster on him if she had the chance to get her hands on one. She fully understands the exhaustion and pain, so she just keeps giving words of encouragement. It’s all she can do. 

---

Another five hours later…

“Ughhhhhhhhh,” Rey moans out. She’s so sweaty and warm that she ended up shedding Ben’s sweater about three hours ago. Since then she’s just moving about the room in her chest wrap and undershorts. Her back is on fire if she sits still for too long. Swaying on her feet and leaning against the bed seem to be her only bit of relief. Though that’s not saying much. Doma gently presses the wet cloth over her skin as she vocalizes her way through the pain. 

“You’re doing so good, Rey,” a voice says softly in her head. A phantom hand brushes her cheek and she nearly bursts out crying at the encouragement. 

It’s been a long day and Leia knows the girl is exhausted. She really wishes she could do something to help, but this isn’t exactly something the Force can help with. Babies come when they want to. 

“Doma, please. I’m begging you. Give me good news,” Rey begs as the older woman checks on her progress. “I’m so ready to be done.”

“Then you’re in luck. Now all you have left to do is the hard part,” responds Doma as she wipes her hands off with a sanitizing cloth.

“The hard part?” Rey asks incredulously. Her voice cracked in bewilderment. “You’re telling me that none of this has been the hard part?!”

Leia gives the older woman a look before turning towards Rey. “Unfortunately, no. But it’s ok, because we’re here to help you.” She gives Doma a nod, signaling her to proceed. 

Doma gently touches Rey’s back. “Come on Rey. Let’s get you on the bed. All fours if you would.” She slowly helps Rey climb onto the bed that’s adorned with towels, giving her all the time she needs. Once Rey’s settled she reaches into her bag and pulls out some durasteel bars that she screws together before fastening them across the bed. “If you need to lean on anything, just grab onto this. It’ll help keep you balanced.” 

Rey gives her a confused look, but is too tired to question it so she just nods.

Next Doma grabs a leather pouch and puts it on the bed next to her. The pouch unravels and the contents make Rey’s eyes widen in panic. 

“Doma, what the kriffing hell are those?” The sharp metal tools look very daunting. Rey spies different sized scissors, blades, a needle and thread, and other things she’s never seen before.

“Don’t worry, Rey. Most of them are just in case.”

“What do you mean just in case?” Rey replies, her voice getting higher. Her nerves have spiked into space.

The old woman places a comforting hand on Rey’s arm. “They’re for emergencies only. But that’s not going to happen, so you don’t need to worry.”

It does little to reassure her. 

Doma sits on the bed behind her while Leia takes up the front. They help her out of her undershorts so all she’s left in is her breast band. If she wasn’t in pain she’d feel exposed, but at the moment she finds she doesn’t care. 

The pressure starts to build in her pelvis again and she moans loudly through it as it takes hold. It feels like her hips are in a vice. 

“Ok, Rey. I want you to bear down as hard as you can,” Doma says, rubbing her lower back. “And remember, use the bar if you need it.”

Rey wraps her arms over the bar, holding on tightly. She’s shaking and looks Leia in the eyes. “Leia… I’m scared…” she whispers. 

“I know, my dear. But just think, pretty soon you’ll be holding that beautiful little baby in your arms,” she says, giving the girl an encouraging smile. “I’m right here. I’m not leaving.”

Rey’s lip quivers as she nods her head. She’s not alone. She’s not alone. She’s not alone.

“Alright Rey, and push,” Doma says, breaking up their moment.

Gathering everything in her, she pushes with all her might. Eyes squeeze tight as her pelvis lights on fire. A low, guttural groan leaves her lips. 

---

Over an hour later…

“I can’t do it, Leia,” Rey cries, tears streaming down her face mixing with sweat. She’s so exhausted. There’s no energy left to take from. “I can’t do it.”

Leia places a translucent hand over the girl’s cheek. “Yes you can. You’re doing so good, my dear.”

Leaning her full weight into the bar, she rests her forehead on her arms. “I can’t do it without him,” she whispers defeatedly.

“Yes you can,” Leia sternly replies. “You’re so close, Rey. Your baby is almost here. A little baby that’s part Ben. So let’s do it for him, yeah?”

Her lip trembles as she lifts her head and looks his mother in the eyes. The same eyes he has. The eyes she hopes her little light has. “For Ben…” she whispers in agreement. 

“Again, Rey. Push on three. One, two, three,” Doma commands.

Summoning up whatever energy she can find she bears down again. “Oh kriffing hell!” she half yells, squeezing tightly to the bar. She can feel every muscle stretching as her child moves lower in her pelvis. Maker, her child better not be as big as their father. 

“That’s it, Rey. Big push,” Leia chants along with her. 

She stops and quickly takes a breath before pushing again. “Ughhh, kriffing son of a bitch.” Her groans become louder, turning into howls. A part of her hopes Luke took Tai far enough away so he won’t hear her. She doesn’t want him to be afraid. But a bigger part of her is too focused on the fire inside of her to care how loud she’s being. 

Doma tells her to take a break and she collapses into the bar, huffing and puffing. Sweat is dripping off of her and drenching the bed. 

If Ben wasn’t dead, she’d kill him for putting her through this.

His quiet chuckle fills her head. She can tell that wherever he is he’s amused at her statement. There’s also guilt pouring off of him. Guilt that he’s the reason she’s in so much pain. 

A longing whispers leaves her lips. “Ben…”

“Ready, Rey? Another big push,” says Doma, interrupting her thoughts.

She nods and takes a huge gulp of air before giving it her all. The fire in her pelvis, if at all possible, gets even hotter and a rough scream tears through her throat.

“That’s it, Rey.”

His voice fills her head. His encouragement spurs her on. She pushes even harder.

“That’s it. Push, Rey.”

Everything becomes blindingly hot. Her body is screaming in pain, but she doesn’t let up. She just focuses on his voice. 

“There’s a head! Come on, Rey. Keep going!”

Leia continues to encourage her as well. “You’re doing fantastic, my dear. Another big push and your baby will be here.”

Rey takes another gulp of air and pushes as hard as she can. Her knees are shaking and her teeth begin to chatter from the effort. A phantom hand cups her cheek and it gives her the last bit of strength she needs. 

“Come on, Sweetheart. I’m so proud of you, Rey.”

With one more huge push she feels a gush between her legs as something slides out of her. A deep groan of relief leaves her mouth. She collapses onto the bar, completely exhausted. 

Leia is beaming at her. “You did it, Rey. You have a little baby.”

A sudden high pitched cry rings out through the room and Rey releases a shaky laugh of relief. 

A baby.

Ben’s baby.

Doma gets busy cleaning off the crying bundle and checking to see if everything is ok. “You can relax now, Rey. You did so well,” she says, encouraging the girl to finally rest against the bed.

Rey shakily turns over and falls back against pillows still propped up by the headboard. She can barely feel her legs after being on her knees for so long. None of that matters though. All that matters is the bundle in Doma’s arms. 

The older woman smiles at Rey as she walks beside the bed. “You have a beautiful baby girl.”

Rey’s lip trembles as she reaches her arms out. She's never held a baby before, she doesn't even know how. Her nerves are out past the atmosphere, but so is her excitement. Doma gently places the child in her arms and everything disappears. This baby has just become her whole world.

“Hi…” she whispers to the little girl. “I’m your mum.” 

She sniffles back her tears though she can feel the huge grin on her face. It doesn't matter that her hair is pasted to her forehead with sweat or that she's still practically naked. All that matters is the child in her arms. Her gaze sweeps over her little light. She counts ten fingers and ten toes. Rey’s finger gently brushes the dark tuft of hair before stroking along the tiny cheek. Round eyes blink up at her as they adjust to the brightness of the world, revealing pools of dark brown. A laugh of disbelief bubbles from her chest at the beautiful eyes. 

“Your father would love you so much,” she whispers, her nose nuzzling her baby’s cheek.

Leia hasn’t stopped beaming. All she can do is watch the younger woman being completely entranced by her granddaughter. Her mind goes back to the first time she held Ben in her arms. How her reason for living changed in an instant.

“So do you have a name in mind?” she asks softly.

Rey reluctantly tears her gaze from the baby in her arms. “I… I was thinking Hanna,” she stutters out nervously. 

The response melts Leia’s heart. “He would be very honored,” she replies, trying to not get too choked up. Han would've bragged about his namesake to anyone. He would've been so proud of his granddaughter. “It’s a beautiful name.”

Turning her gaze back to her daughter, Rey grins brightly. “I think so too. Hanna Solo.”

---

It’s been a few hours and Rey is all cleaned up and dressed. She’s barely put down Hanna since the moment she arrived. There’s just something mesmerizing about watching her. Rey can’t stop stroking the dark waves she inherited from her father. There’s no doubt that the little girl is definitely Ben’s daughter.

Doma has gone to make some tea and to clean towels. Rey needs to rest and doesn’t need to be doing any washing. Leia has been sitting silently beside her, equally as entranced with the child. 

There’s a timid knock on the door and it pulls Rey’s attention. “Yes?”

Luke’s voice rings out from behind it. “There’s someone out here who really wants to meet a little star.”

Another grin breaks out on her face. “Come in.”

Tai opens the door and reluctantly enters the room. Luke is behind him. “Are you ok now?” the boy asks warily. 

Rey holds her free hand out to the boy, giving him a comforting smile. “I’m perfectly fine, my love. Come here. There’s someone who wants to meet you.” He moves closer to her and grabs her hand. Nerves are radiating off of him, so she squeezes his hand and pulls him into her side. 

“Tai, this is Hanna.”

His eyes go wide as he looks down at the baby in Rey’s arms. He’s never seen a baby in real life before. “Hi…” he says quietly before looking back up at Rey. “So Starfighter is a girl?”

She giggles at his innocent question. “Why? Are you disappointed?”

He shakes his head and looks back at the baby with curious eyes. “No.” His finger brushes against her tiny fist as he gently prods against her mind. He’s not quite sure what to make of her now that she’s not a ball of light. 

Rey presses a kiss to his temple. “Well good.” She looks up at the Jedi Master who’s taking a spot next to his sister. “And did you behave for Master Luke?”

“Of course I did,” Tai replies, rolling his eyes.

Luke shakes his head at the child’s antics. “He was a nervous mess.”

“Master Luke! She wasn’t supposed to know…” he groans. So much for keeping secrets. 

The adults can’t help but laugh at him scolding the older man. Luke rolls his eyes right back. He takes a good look at Hanna before leaning in close to Rey. “You did good, kid,” he says as he gives her a wink.

The response makes her laugh. Ever since she’s known him he hasn’t been one to use many words. But she knows his praise goes deeper than that, so she just smiles back at him. “Thank you. I think she’s perfect too.”

Looking down at her daughter, an exact replica of her father, Rey can’t help but get a little sad. She hasn’t felt Ben since his last words of encouragement. Does he even know he has a daughter? A beautiful, perfect daughter. 

Her little light in the darkness of her mind. 

Right then and there she vows to find him. Not even for her own sake anymore. But for Hanna’s. They deserve to be in each others’ lives. And she’ll stop at nothing to make that happen. 

Chapter Text

Everything aches.

His head. His ribs. His leg.

It feels like he was thrown into a ferrocrete wall. 

Then everything comes back to him.

Sidious. The pit. Climbing out on broken bones. Seeing Rey’s cold, empty eyes. Giving everything he has to her.

The sweet, beautiful kiss she graced upon his unworthy lips.

And then darkness.

Loud groans escape his throat as he slowly rolls onto his side and his ribs scream in protest. With great difficulty his eyes open. 

A set of feet coming into view startle him causing him to fly backwards, his hands catching behind him. Pain shoots through his torso. His eyes drift upwards. A black cloak adorns the owner of the feet’s shoulders. A hood covers its face. 

A rumbling, deep voice comes from the figure. “Young Solo…”

“Who are you?” Ben demands, interrupting the faceless entity. “Where the hell am I?” A chill through the air caused his gaze to turn down at himself. “And where the kriff are my clothes?!” He’s completely bare. 

The cloaked figure says nothing. Skeletal-like fingers wave over his body. Tingles spread throughout his body, bones mending back into their proper places. A loud crack rings out. “Argh!” he screams as his tibia snaps back into place. Breathing becomes easier, the pain in his chest dissipating. He tenderly tests out his leg, his eyes widening in shock. He stretches it out and flexes his foot. 

Ben slowly stands feeling strangely rejuvenated. The stranger in front of him has him completely perplexed. They healed him, but still haven’t answered any of his questions. 

“Who are you?” he demands again.

“I am no one of consequence. All that matters is who you are,” the figure replies, thoroughly confusing him more. They tilt their head to the side. “Come. Follow me.”

Nothing is making any sense. What happened to Exegol? Where is Rey? Why is he naked?

As if the figure can read his mind a hand reaches out again and waves across his body. Dark smoke gathers around his body and he feels fibers weaving together. All that’s left when the smoke clears is black robes that he now finds himself dressed in. So now he’s been healed and clothed. That still doesn’t explain the rest. 

“Everything will be answered in due time. For now? Come,” beckons the figure again. 

Although he doesn’t trust them Ben follows despite his better judgment. He needs answers, and they’re the only way he’ll get them. 

They begin down a path heading towards a bridge surrounded by darkness. From above Ben sees other pathways all converging into each other. Along the paths appear to be ornate, white gateways. 

What the hell is this place?

“These are your first steps.”

The echoing voice startles him. It fills his entire being. He looks around quickly to see if he can find the owner, but no one is there. Just him and the figure. 

“Pass on what you have learned. The greatest teacher, failure is.”

“You underestimate my power!”

“Alas, you're no Vader. You're just a child in a mask.”

“There is still good in him.”

“The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead.”

“Ben, no!”

“Tell your sister you were right.”

Ben is assaulted from all angles. Multiple voices overlapping with each other. Some he recognizes and others he doesn’t. He catches quick glimpses through the gateways as they continue their walk along the bridge. His strange companion stays silent throughout the barrage of voices and it makes him wonder if he’s the only one to hear them. 

“I am what you made me.”

“Strike me down in anger and I'll always be with you. Just like your father.”

“I killed Han Solo… I didn’t hesitate!”

“My son is alive.”

“ You were unbalanced, bested by a girl who had never held a lightsaber! YOU FAILED!”

“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”

The voice catches his attention out of the rest. “Mom?” he asks almost nervously. He so badly wishes one of the gates would show him something. But nothing appears.

“No one’s ever really gone.”

“It’s not too late… I’ll help you.”

The breath is nearly sucked from his lungs. Her voice sounded so much closer than the rest. He turns around to find a gate right behind him. The image inside will haunt him forever. He watches as he falls from Rey’s arms before disappearing into thin air. His heart breaks at the sight of her crying, her tears falling onto the spot he was just laying. All that’s left behind are his clothes. Well that explains the nakedness.

He brings up a hand to reach out to her. His fingers smack against the gate, what feels like glass blocking him. Rey’s image fades to black. “No… no! Rey!” He slams his fist against the barrier before whipping around to face the cloaked figure. “What the hell is this place?” he demands yet again, this time his anger starting to get the best of him. “Where am I?”

If he died he should be with the Force. Or maybe he wasn’t worthy enough. Maybe it was too late to secure himself salvation in the eyes of the Force. 

“You, young Solo, are stuck.”

The answer does nothing to help him. “What does that mean? Stuck?”

The figure takes a step closer to him. “You are no longer part of the mortal realm. But are not yet ready to be part of the Cosmic Force. You are in between.”

So he’s not dead, but also not alive. Ben looks around at all of the paths and gateways. The Force is definitely strong wherever he is. It’s almost suffocating. “What is this place?”

“It is called the World Between Worlds. A realm between time and space. You are to walk through it, I as your guide.”

The World Between Worlds? How the hell did he ever get here? He moves forward and steps up to one of the other portals. His hands graze the ornate siding. “What do the gates do?” he asks, his mind running at lightspeed. 

“They are mirrors through time. They show what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen.”

Certainly a cryptic answer, but he accepts it nonetheless. He continues along the bridge to the next gateway. Just maybe. It might work. Raising a hand, he places it calmly against the glass. “Show me Rey,” he whispers, nervous about what will happen. 

The black haze dissipates as a planet of sand comes into view. His eyebrows furrow at the image. He knows this place. He traveled there with Luke and Lor San Tekka as a young man. Then after his fall he made his way back. Thought that it would help connect him with his grandfather. 

It didn’t. 

He looks through the mirror at the sands of Tatooine.

And then she’s there, appearing from inside of the stone structures. “Rey…” he whispers out at the sight of her. It’s almost as if she heard him because he watches as her head whips back and forth, like she’s trying to find him. There’s confusion and sadness on her face and he wishes he could speak to her, to tell her he’s right here. The window fades to black once again.

He completely forgets about his hooded guide, running to the next portal and once again asking for the girl who shares half of his soul. “Show me Rey.”

This time the window opens up to Rey working on the homestead, that damned droid he never found rolling around after her. Suddenly she falls forward into one of the vaporators she’s working on before yanking her hands back. Ben examines his hands the same time she does. He feels a very vague sense of heat on his palms. Burns from hers. It would appear that no matter where he is within the Force their connection remains. 

“It’s nothing, BB-8. I’m fine. Just need some water and bacta.”

Her voice brings his attention back to the mirror before him. The scene has changed and she appears to be walking back towards the entrance to the homestead. He sees her stumble before she faints face first into the sand. The vision goes black along with her consciousness.

“Rey!” he exclaims, worry overcoming him as he helplessly watches from beyond. 

A few seconds later a new scene appears. She’s sitting on a cot inside of the home. Hands wrapped in bandages. She seems to be talking to someone else. 

“BB-8 was so kind as to apply bacta to your wounds.”

He knows that voice. His breath hitches as the image pans over to two blue specters standing in the corner of the room. Both of his hands come up, bracing against the glass barrier. 

He hasn’t seen her in nearly a decade. For the longest time he ignored her prodding through the Force. Shoved it aside just like the light inside of him. It was a nuisance. Something he wanted destroyed. Except at the end. He came back to honor her. And to protect the woman she’s currently talking to.

But now she’s there. At least, a version of her.

“Mom…” he whispers longingly as his hand caresses the glass separating them. He spies the other person being Skywalker. 

Luke.

That old grudge bubbles up again, but he brushes it away. Now’s not the time to get angry at the old man. His main focus is on Rey. He should’ve known the two of them would visit her after becoming one with the Force. He knows the both of them cared greatly for her. Why wouldn’t they? She’s everything. 

In his nostalgia he’s missed that the scene has moved forward. His mother is looking at Rey with a strange look in her eyes as Rey’s hand is softly rubbing her stomach. They seem to be having some mental conversation that he and Luke are not privy to because Rey just nods. 

Another skip.

“You’re with child?”

All the air leaves his lungs at his uncle’s question. His head feels like it’s spinning and his heart slowly breaks into a million pieces. 

Rey’s with child?

His wall of defenses build back up. Walls he carried for so long. Walls put up to keep his true emotions in check. Of course she moved on. It’d be stupid of her not to. He’s no longer there. There’s no use wasting her life mourning a ghost. Maybe it’s the traitor’s he can’t help thinking, almost sneering at the idea of that man touching her like that. Or maybe it’s the pilot’s.

Ben leans back from the gateway and starts to turn around to walk away. She’s moved on. And he has to make peace with that. It’s what he’d want her to do. Even if it hurts him.

“It’s Ben's.”

Her whisper makes him freeze in his spot. If time existed here it’d be like it stands still. He slowly turns back around to face the gate. Maybe he heard her wrong. There’s no possible way. She must be mistaken.

“When Ben saved me on Exegol… I think… somehow… he created something new. Something to leave behind.”

“No…” He’s so confused. His heart is beating out of his chest. There’s a ringing in his ears that he knows is internal. It can’t be. It’s not possible. 

But seeing the look on Rey’s face he knows that she truly believes it to be true. If their connection still faintly remains then just... maybe? He thickly swallows his nerves and closes his eyes. Raising his hand he places it on the glass and reaches out with the Force. He finds Rey’s signature right away; that beautiful, dark golden-yellow. Pushing a little further he senses something else. Residing inside Rey is a tiny ball of light surrounded by an aura of the prettiest shade of pale purple. The little light responds to his prodding, growing brighter. Then the image goes black.

His hand comes slamming down to his side as he crashes to his knees on the bridge. His head is reeling. Rey’s with child.

His child.

It’s like he’s forgotten how to breathe. The world is spinning. He vaguely feels the cloaked figure come up behind him. He can’t peel his eyes away from the blank gateway. 

“I… I didn't know… I didn’t mean to…” he stutters out. He looks down at his hands part in shock, part in disgust. His gaze shoots up to the creature behind him. He feels the sudden urge to explain himself. Almost like he committed a great crime. “I didn’t mean to. All I wanted was to bring her back.” 

“I know,” the figure replies. “But the Force is a fickle thing. Especially when it comes to a power as strong as what you accomplished, young Solo. Such feats sometimes come with equally as large of consequences.”

Like dying.

Or apparently involuntarily creating life.

The life force of your bond… a power like life itself.

It would appear that the Force had more planned for their bond than just helping to revive the dark lord back to his former glory. An immense guilt washes over him. First he had to leave her, breaking her lonely heart in the process. Now she has to bear his child. A piece of him that she’ll have to live with for the rest of her life. She’ll never be able to fully move on from him. 

He also feels guilty for the little ball of light growing inside of her. No one should have to have him as a father. All he does is wreck things. He can’t even revive Rey properly without mucking it up. His child will forever be haunted by all of the horrible deeds he’s done. 

“We must continue on,” says the figure, interrupting his thoughts. “Come.”

Ben nods and slowly gets back up to his feet. The guide has moved on ahead on the path so he follows along mechanically, his mind still racing from the new information. He numbly walks behind the creature, ignoring all of the images appearing in the various gateways. 

“And then you left me. You selfish bastard.”

The anger in her voice catches his attention. Pausing along the path, he turns to the portal next to him. She’s outside in the dark. Crying. His sweater from Exegol is wrapped around her body and she tugs at the fabric while sand begins to swirl around her in her anguish. 

“JUST LEAVE! EVERYTHING WOULD BE EASIER IF YOU WEREN’T HERE! I WANT YOU GONE! LEAVE ME ALONE! I HATE YOU!”

The words hurt. But they don’t hurt as much as the look on her face when she notices that the sweater ripped. She looks like she’s lost him all over again. Tears pour down her cheeks and he can’t stand it. 

“Be with me. Please be with me.”

Ben can’t seem to tear his gaze away from the crying woman. “I am,” he says as he presses his hand against the glass. He watches her hand fall and press gently into her stomach. The gesture reminds him of the tiny presence. “You’re not alone.” He gently reaches out and feels the little star glow brighter and it’s overwhelming. He’s never felt anything so light in his life. A laugh of disbelief bubbles from his chest. A part of him is really there. Safe and warm inside of her. The image fades to black and he gets angry. He wasn’t done. 

He sprints to the next portal. “Show me Rey,” he demands. He needs more of her. 

More of their little star. 

The next image of her is her yet again talking to his mother’s Force ghost. She’s mending his torn sweater as the two converse about motherhood. He can feel her apprehension at her future role. He supposes it makes sense. She hasn’t had a mother since she was a young child. If it’s worth anything, he thinks she’ll make a great mother. If she can believe in him despite his past she can do anything. 

“And you know, he’s always going to be with you.” 

“I know. He’s told me… In addition to his child, your son seems to be residing in my mind somehow. Or not. I think the bond I have with Ben is keeping us connected no matter where we are in the Force.”

She can hear him? 

His mother disappears from view. Rey gets back to work on sewing his sweater. If she can hear him then maybe…? No. It probably wouldn’t work anyway. 

But what if?

Closing his eyes he reaches out through the Force. He uses all his might to envision his body standing behind hers as she works. To picture his arms wrapping around her and caressing her arms. Her sigh fills his mind and just for the briefest moment he can feel pressure upon his chest. Pressure like she’s leaning back into him. 

“I’m here, Rey,” he whispers as a promise. 

And as quickly as it came it’s gone. The mirror fades to black. 

He shakes the feeling of her warm body against him and quickly moves on to the next gateway. “Show me, Rey,” he yet again demands. The darkness fades and reveals a slightly rounder Rey. If he wasn’t looking for it he would’ve missed it. Taking in a shaky breath his fingers come up and caress the image of her stomach. Caressing their child growing safely inside. Seeing it makes it so much more real. 

The mirror shows a little boy all of the age of ten run up to her. It confuses him. If their child is still inside Rey’s womb then who is this other boy?

“I’m done with the sweeping and collecting the water from the vaporators. Is there anything else you need?”

It seems that she’s found help for the farm. Good. She shouldn’t be working too hard in her condition anyway. Though he knows she’d slap him for saying it. A small, sad smile graces his lips at the thought. She’s definitely not one to sit back while others do all the work. And he loves that about her. 

“That is all. You can go and play. But don’t wander too far. Not past the horizon!”

His eyebrows furrow slightly at the tone in her voice. She loves the boy. He can tell from the smile on her face and the anxiety she feels about letting him out of her sight. It reminds him a lot of his own mother growing up. 

“You better get along with your brother, little Starfighter.”

The nickname catches him off guard. Stars, he hasn’t heard that in forever. A whole other life ago. But he finds it fitting. Maybe his mother or Chewie mentioned it to Rey. The corner of his lip arches up as Rey lovingly rubs her small bump.

Their little Starfighter. 

He knows she doubts it, but he knows in his soul she’s going to be an excellent mom. She already seems to be if the little boy is anything to go by. Ben can feel the love the two already have for each other. That and the fact that she called him a brother to their child. The fact surprisingly makes him happy. Their little star won’t ever feel the loneliness either him or Rey felt. 

The smile on her face is the last thing he sees before the vision fades to black once again. He wishes he could burn it into his brain. He likes it so much better when she smiles instead of cries because of him. 

He runs from portal to portal seeing more images of her with the boy. The cloaked figure just silently follows behind him in his weaving across the path. It appears that the boy is also Force sensitive. That’s probably why she took him in. Ben sees her teaching him each form. How to hold a saber. How to lift rocks. She teaches him how to sense their child growing inside of her. He can feel the energy transfer as their little star responds to the prods. It makes him laugh in wonder. Their child is growing quite strong and inquisitive despite still being in Rey’s womb. 

“Show me Rey,” he says for what feels like the hundredth time as he comes up to the next gateway. The darkness clears and she seems to be meditating. One hand on her knee, the other resting over their little light. Her brows twitch as her eyes dart back and forth behind her eyelids. She’s deep within the Force.

“Be with me.”

His hand comes up and rests upon the glass. Trust me, Rey. I wish I could be, he thinks to himself. Suddenly it looks like she’s staring him straight in the eyes. Out of all the mirrors he’s seen that’s never happened before. She’s never once looked at him. 

Can she see him?

His confused eyes rake down her body coming to stop at her stomach before looking back into her eyes. “Rey?” he tentatively asks.

The response he receives is a huge gasp. 

“Ben?”

She replies with his name as her hand slowly comes up towards his own. He watches in anticipation before the mirror suddenly goes black. “No… Rey! Come back. I’m here Rey!” he yells in frustration. She was so close. So close to being able to talk to him. 

He whips around to the silent figure behind him. “What the hell was that?” he demands of his guide. “She saw me. I know she did. You told me the gates were just one way…”

“I never said that, young Solo.” The hooded figure just stares at him. “I merely said they were mirrors through time. You decided that they were one way.” With that the figure moves forwards along the path.

Ben stands there, mind still reeling from connecting with Rey. She saw him. She spoke to him. Maybe their bond is just that strong. Strong enough to prevail through time and space. Maybe he can connect with her again.

Nodding to himself he follows the figure onward to the next gate. He stops in front of it and raises his hand, yet again saying, “Show me Rey.”

Nothing.

“Show me Rey,” he repeats.

Still nothing.

“What the hell? Show me Rey now,” he demands, his anger starting to get the better of him. He bangs on the glass. Yet it still does nothing.

Oh kriff it.

He runs to the next mirror. “Show me Rey.” Nothing. Runs to the next one. “Show me Rey.” Nothing. Runs to the next one and pounds on it. “Show me Rey.” And nothing.

Ben runs through about ten mirrors and they all show the same thing. Just darkness. He yells out in frustration before stomping over to the next gate. Placing his hands on either side of the mirror he demands one last time, “Just kriffing show me Rey. Now.”

Finally an image fades into view and Ben is shocked. So much time has passed since the last image he saw. Rey is quite rounder than she was before and moves at a slightly slower pace. She’s progressed so much and he’s missed it. 

He’s missing it all. 

The scene is also not like the others. This one is very distressing. Rey is quickly leading the boy through the homestead, a blaster and a small portion of her staff in her hands. She looks worried, fear streaked across her face. Instantly Ben is on edge and tightens his grip on the sides of the gateway. 

“Hide in here. And don’t come out until I say otherwise. Got it?”

The boy gives her a hug. Ben feels the fear radiating off of him as well.

“Remember. Not unless I say.”

Her voice comes out as a whisper before she locks the boy in one of the storage rooms. The scene suddenly changes and she’s battling a creature he’s quite familiar with. Tuskens. The portion of her staff has become a beautiful deep yellow saberstaff and he can’t help but be proud. He can feel the exhaustion overtaking her as she cuts down each opponent in her current state. There’s a clink against metal before Rey’s eyes widen in fear. 

“RUN!”

She has just enough time to yell to the boy before an explosion happens before Ben’s eyes. He presses even closer to the glass, his whole body being filled with panic. He doesn’t dare move a muscle. Reaching out with the Force he tries to find her signature through the sand and dust.

It takes a few seconds, but a sigh of relief leaves his lips as he finds her. Her golden aura has become slightly darker, but still strong. His panic then switches over to the child residing inside her. He focuses hard on the pale purple light. 

Oh thank the gods. 

It’s dimmer than normal, but it’s still there and that’s all that matters. 

The only issue is that Rey won’t wake up. He can hear the Tuskens running about around her, and she’s just still laying there in the sand. 

“Rey, come on,” he whispers, placing his hands on the glass separating them. He changes his focus onto their connection. 

Please hear me.

She groans but doesn’t move.

“Rey, get up,” he says again, this time becoming more insistent. 

She groans again. Her only movement is her arm sliding onto her stomach as if to sense their child. The raiders seem to be getting louder around her and he’s trying not to panic. Frustration seeps over him as he can’t do anything. Can’t protect her. She needs to get up. She needs to move. Now. He won’t have the both of them die.

“Rey, for the love of our child, get up!” he yells as he bangs on the glass.

It seems to do the trick. She gasps as her eyes shoot open. He watches as she slowly gets up with difficulty. She holsters her saber and takes out her blaster. There’s a faint scream from the boy and he feels the panic rise up inside her. Her maternal instinct kicks in and then the scene changes.

Raiders are dead all around. The boy and Rey are in a tight embrace and they fall to the ground. Ben knows she’s completely wiped from fighting. She just rocks the boy back and forth, and presses kisses to the top of his head.

“It’s alright. You’re safe. Everything’s alright.”

Ben feels drawn to their embrace. Like there’s still danger and he needs to protect them. Closing his eyes he focuses on her. He places his palm flat against the glass, focusing all of his energy on her shoulder. He can almost feel the fabric beneath his hand. Their child glows brighter at the connection.

Her next thought fills his mind. 

Oh Ben, where are you?

His eyes open as her voice surrounds him. “I’m here, Rey. I’ve always been here,” he responds before the feeling of her shoulder fades from his palm. Fades away just like the image of her and the boy wrapped in the tight embrace.

Bringing his hand off of the glass he looks down at it. He’s trying to remember the feeling of her against his skin. It feels like forever since he’s touched her. He supposes that for her it’s been even longer. Months. He squeezes his hand into a fist before taking a deep breath and continuing along the path. 

He vaguely notices that he’s coming up to the last few gateways left on the bridge, but makes nothing of it. All he cares about right now is seeing her again. 

Stopping in front of the next gateway, he presses his fingers gently against the glass. “Please… Show me Rey.” His voice is almost a whisper. A plea.

Rey fades into view, but she’s different than before. Her stomach is even rounder, full with his child. She’s wearing just his sweater and nothing else. He nearly blushes at the thought, but shoves it down when he sees the look on her face. She appears to be leaning over the table in pain. He can vaguely feel her muscles tensing as she grips onto the table while gritting her teeth. Ben instantly becomes worried and steps closer to the mirror.

“That’s it, dear. Breathe through it.”

He watches as his mother comes into view. Breathe through it? What does she mean breathe thr—? The air leaves his lungs as he realizes what’s happening. 

Her appearance. The pain she’s feeling. His mother telling her to breathe through it.

Oh kriffing hell. 

Rey’s in labor. 

And he’s not there.

“Now is not the time for impulsive rescue missions.”

“Well maybe if you told me weeks ago I could’ve already found him.”

Rey and his mother are arguing and he’s not completely sure why. Though he suspects it has to do with him and his whereabouts. 

“And risk you going into labor halfway across the galaxy all alone? Not a chance. I told you before, you have one priority, and it’s to take care of that child inside you. I know my son would say the same thing.”

And he would. “Rey, listen to my mother. Please,” he pleads, bringing his palm up to the glass. 

“Oh not you too.”

Her reply to his connection makes him smile a bit as the scene fades to black. Still as disagreeable as ever. Just the way he likes her.

Another scene appears. This time Rey is leaning against the bed and groaning loudly. Sweat is dripping off of her forehead and her sleeves are rolled up. He suspects that quite a bit of time has gone by. Another older woman has joined her and his mother. He’s not sure about the stranger, but it appears that Rey trusts her so he reluctantly does too. After all she is helping his other half while he can’t. And for that he has to be thankful. 

“Doma, how much longer is this?”

“Unfortunately that’s up to your child… and fate. Some can last 7 hours, others 30.”

“Are you kriffing kidding me? You’re telling me I could be like this for 30 hours?!” 

He watches as Rey slowly sinks to the ground and leans her head against the bed in front of her.

“Just kill me now…”

“Not happening, Scavenger,” he replies as he rolls his eyes. He knows she’s in labor and completely miserable, but the joke isn’t funny to him. He’s not going to lose her again. Not when he can’t save her a second time.

“Oh blow off, Ben. You try doing this all day long.”

The guilt begins to set in as her image fades away. He’s the reason for her pain. For her misery. It’s killing him inside to see her in so much pain. And to know that he’s not even seeing a fraction of what she’s going through. He’s seeing mere glimpses in the probable hours she’s been suffering. 

What he wouldn’t give to be by her side cheering her along. 

The next image reveals an almost naked Rey. She’s become a sweaty mess, having shed his sweater and remaining in just her chest wrap and shorts. She may be drenched with her hair pasted to her forehead, but to him she’s never been as beautiful. 

The old woman with her is running wet cloths along her skin to help her cool down and Ben is grateful she’s there. Rey loudly moans as another pain takes over, and he can tell another few hours have gone by based on her worsening exhaustion. She’s been at this for quite a while. He closes his eyes and reaches across their connection. “You’re doing so good, Rey,” he says as he imagines his finger caressing her cheek. He knows she can feel it by the look on her face. It’s the last thing he sees before the mirror fades to black yet again.

The next image appears. Rey is on her bed on her hands and knees. She’s no longer wearing any shorts, but he focuses just on her face. Her face is distorted in pain as she screams, her arms braced up against some metal bar. The agony in her voice cuts him like a knife with each scream. He’s never felt so helpless.

“Kriffing son of a bitch.”

Well then. His eyebrows raise in shock. He didn’t realize she had the mouth of a smuggler. Then again she’s in a ridiculous amount of pain, so he understands the need to let it all out. The older woman tells her to relax and Ben watches as she rests her head on the bar.

If Ben wasn’t dead I’d kill him, he hears her think. He chuckles softly, amused at her cynicism. But then the guilt just fills his body again. She’s in so much pain and he can’t do anything about it. He’d take it all away if he could. Her exhausted face breaks his heart into a million pieces. 

“Ben…”

She can feel him across their connection. He puts both hands against the glass, wanting to be as close to her as he possibly can. He can’t take his eyes off of her. She’s a warrior for what she’s doing. And he feels awful that he’s the reason she has to do it in the first place. 

“Ready, Rey? Another big push.”

She nods before pain streaks across her face. He’ll remember the scream that tears through her throat until the end of time. Wanting to comfort her, he reaches out. 

“That’s it, Rey.”

He can’t take his eyes off of the image in front of him. He knows she feels him because he senses her resolve harden. Reaching out through the Force he allows her to take some of his strength. It’s the only thing he can do. 

“That’s it. Push, Rey,” he says again, encouraging her through the mirror. 

“There’s a head! Come on, Rey. Keep going!”

His nerves shoot past the atmosphere at the words, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of her. More screams rip through her throat, tearing holes into his being. He focuses all of his energy on his palm, imagining it coming up and cupping her sweet, sweaty cheek. “Come on, Sweetheart… I’m so proud of you, Rey.” If he was there he’d kiss every inch of her forehead as she squeezed his hand, giving her all of the encouragement she needed. 

With one more strong push a low relieving groan leaves her mouth. Ben watches as she collapses onto the bar, exhaustion taking over her. 

“You did it, Rey. You have a little baby.”

Ben hears a high pitched cry and time completely stops for a moment. The air leaves his lungs and it’s like he can’t breathe. Rey did it. They have a little baby. A laugh of disbelief rumbles in his chest. The last thing he sees is Rey’s relieved face before the mirror fades quickly to black.

Anger overcomes him. They didn’t let him see. He starts to pound on the glass so hard the gateway shakes and the bridge vibrates. “Wait…no. No! Rey! Come back!” He whips towards the silent figure. “Bring them back!” 

“I’ve told you, young Solo, I don't control the mirrors. They show what they want to show. And nothing more,” the figure replies calmly. 

Ben angrily steps away from the gate and moves closer to his hooded guide. “You bring them back or I’ll…” he threatens while sneering. 

“You’ll what?” the figure challenges him.

Without a saber he can’t do much damage, but he is a Solo after all. On impulse he sprints towards the creature, his fist cocked back. He takes a swing and the next thing he knows he’s on the floor on his hands and knees. He flew through the figure as if he just ran through smoke. 

He doesn’t move. He just stays there kneeling on the ground in defeat. There’s no use fighting the creature. He can’t win. Fighting him won’t bring Rey and their child back. His mind goes back to the cry he heard. That beautiful cry. It was like music to his ears. Their child certainly has a strong pair of lungs. 

It was a cry he’ll never get to hear again.

“Who are you?” he repeats from earlier. He just wants to finally make sense of this all. Of what his purpose here is.

The figure stands over him. “I told you, I am no one of consequence. I am solely here to guide you through.” A hand raises up before pointing a boney finger at the last gateway on their path. “You must continue on.”

Ben leans back on his heels and looks up at the faceless man. He glances at where the figure is pointing. “What happens when I get to the end?” he asks, wary about the answer.

“That is for the Force to decide.”

Great. Another cryptic answer.

Sighing, he gets up from the ground. He takes a deep breath before walking anxiously up to the last gate. The heart in his chest is beating so hard he’s sure the figure can hear it. The Force thrums through his veins. He closes his eyes and raises his hand one last time, pressing his fingers gently against the glass. 

“Ben?”

His eyes shoot open at her voice. She’s looking straight at him again, her hand raised and her fingers nearly touching his own. She’s soaked to the bone, not much different than that night when they touched hands. The image is so much clearer than any of the others.

“Rey?”

Chapter Text

New mother life has definitely been a change for Rey. She’s had to learn so much in so little time. Luckily the Force helps her with a bit of intuition, being able to reach out and sometimes sense what Hanna needs. At least to a point.

The past two months have not been easy. Having Hanna is so much more difficult than she ever could’ve imagined. Leia and Doma have been a huge help, giving her advice on newborn care. She’s never been around babies before. They were a very rare thing on Jakku, and it’s been a huge learning curve. That and the addition of still having Tai to take care of has made her completely exhausted.

While he’s not training with Luke or doing chores around the farm, Tai actually likes to help her take care of her little Starfighter. While he can’t assist with everything for biological reasons his favorite activity is bedtime. It’s when he tells Hanna stories either about his day or ones he makes up while Rey rocks her to sleep. Sometimes he even gets to hold her. 

He’s quite the helper. The bond between her daughter and Tai is already strong and it warms her heart. She can feel the love between her two children. 

According to Leia, Hanna is ever so her father’s daughter. Doesn’t smile all that much while having the same adorable pout Ben had. Her night black hair has grown out a bit, curling more at the ends. She has the same brown eyes that look like they’ve been around for centuries. Eyes that pierce into your soul and seem like they can see your deepest secrets. 

Rey hasn’t sensed him at all since Hanna’s birth when he encouraged her through the last bit. She still meditates everyday. Searches the Force for clues of him. She had wanted to leave straight away, to somehow find a way to the World Between Worlds, but the past Jedi forbade it. 

“Rey, you just gave birth a week ago,” Leia had said. “Your body needs to heal. Your child needs you.”

But don’t they know that Ben needs her too.

It had been hard to hear. She finally had a possible lead and she’s forbidden from following it for the next few months. The most she can do is rifle through the Jedi texts for any information. Information that would give her any clue of where to look. So when she’s not holding Hanna, she’s researching. That, and meditating. 

It’s all she’s been doing for two months and she’s getting frustrated. Mothering, reading, and meditating. Day in and day out. She should be out there scouring the galaxy. Doing something to bring him back. Back to her and their daughter. 

While her body is practically back to its fully healed state, she’s never been so exhausted. Scavenging on Jakku while starving and pregnancy are nothing compared to taking care of her little light. Doesn’t help when half of your support system are ghosts. And Doma isn’t always around. Sleep has become a precious, rare thing in her life. 

Just like tonight.

Rey walks around the room cradling a screaming bundle in her arms. How can something so small have such strong lungs? The crying began as she was getting ready for bed and now they’re well into the middle of the night. It’s been nonstop for hours and she’s close to her wit’s end. She’s even had to project a shield around Tai’s room so at least he can get some sleep. He doesn’t deserve to suffer from her failings at calming the child. 

Nothing is seeming to calm her little girl. Not feeding, not rocking. She changed her and nothing. Even through the Force she can’t seem to find a reason why her light is terribly upset. So she just keeps walking around and lightly bouncing her, trying to keep the tears away from her own eyes. 

“Leia!” she eventually calls out in desperation. 

The blue figure appears in a moment’s notice. Her face instantly turns to concern at the image before her. “Is everything okay, my dear?” she asks, worried for the mother of her granddaughter.

“No!” Rey cries out, her voice blending in with her baby’s own wail. “I don’t know what to do, Leia. It’s been hours. She won’t stop. I’ve tried everything. Nothing is helping.” Tears threaten to leave her own eyes. She gazes down at the puffy faced child that’s still screaming. “It’s like she doesn’t want me…” she whispers out, almost scared to utter the words. 

Leia’s face turns pensive while she muses about the past. About her own long nights with a screaming child. “There were times when Ben was a baby when the only thing that would settle him was old holos of Han,” she says to the younger woman. 

Rey’s brows furrow in thought. “Old holos of Han…” she whispers to herself. Her eyes go wide as an idea shoots through her mind. “Leia, will you watch her for a quick moment?”

“Of course, my dear.”

“Thank you.” Rey gently places Hanna, who’s still wailing, into the lavender bassinet and takes off out of the room. She quickly passes by Tai’s room and is relieved that the boy is soundly asleep in his bed. Making her way out of the underground home she makes a beeline straight towards the Falcon. 

The ramp descends and she doesn’t wait for it to fully touch the ground before she hops aboard and races through the corridors to one of the storage compartments near the back. She nearly rips the door open and begins to pull out boxes, one after another. It has to be here. She certainly didn’t remove it from its location, being too afraid to even touch it. Neither would Chewie. 

Finally she finds the box she’s looking for. She yanks it out of the tiny room and blows the dust from the top. A label on the lid reads ‘Ben’s Things’. Her heart beats a little faster as she takes the lid off and spies the jackpot. Grabbing the box, she makes her way back to the homestead. 

Upon reentering her room she plops the box on her bed and carefully picks up her still screaming daughter. “Shhh, little light. You’re alright. I brought something for you.” Freeing one of her hands, she dips it into the box and pulls out a tiny holoprojector. Rey walks over to the small table in her room and sits down at one of the chairs before placing the item on the table. Her heart nearly beats straight out of her chest and she has to swallow back her nerves.

She inhales and presses the button at the base.

The breath stills in her chest at his face. It’s much younger than she ever knew him as, but it’s still him in the flesh. He appears to be talking to Han and Chewie. They’re on the Falcon, Ben in Han’s lap, probably all of the age of six. His giggles are like music to her ears. It makes her think of his laugh right after that fateful kiss. She didn’t know he could even smile. And when he did it was beautiful.

A tiny hand wraps around her finger causing her to whip her head down. The child in her arms has stopped crying and is looking up at her curiously. It’s almost as if she can recognize her father despite his young age. “That’s right, my love. That’s your dad.” Her daughter’s signature seems to glow brighter at the mention of him. 

Rey tilts her arms so Hanna has a better look at the holo flashing before them. “See?” she says. Those ancient brown eyes widen in wonder. The same eyes don’t move, firmly captivated by the little boy in the image. 

“I believe we have a visitor,” Leia suddenly says, also entranced by the old holo. It feels like a lifetime ago when her son was that small.

Before Rey has a chance to question a small knock sounds from the door. “Come in, Tai,” she says softly. The boy pushes the door open and takes small steps into the room. 

She beckons him further into the room. “Are you alright?” There’s a tiny nod in response. “Did the crying wake you?” Rey asks, concerned that her shield wasn’t strong enough.

Tai shakes his head. “No. I just sensed her emotions all over the place. Her signature turned a dark purple and I got worried.”

“Oh my sweet sweet boy. Come here,” she says, gesturing to the chair beside her. 

He dashes over and sits next to her. His finger comes up and brushes against Hanna’s hand that still has a firm grip around Rey’s finger. “She seems to be better now though. She’s back to lavender.” His forehead creases as he takes in the holo before him. “What’s this?”

“These are old holos of Ben. I figured Starfighter might like them.”

His eyes widen as he looks on at the freckled faced boy sitting on a strange man’s lap. “Ben? You mean like our Ben?” 

Rey laughs at the specific possessive word he uses. “Yes. Our Ben. As in Leia’s son Ben.”

The holo comes to a stop, the image fading away. Two pairs of young eyes come up to meet hers. 

“Is there more?” Tai timidly asks. He wants to see more of the person who’s responsible for Rey being in his life. 

She takes a second to smile at Leia before pointing over to the box still on the bed. “Over there. You can pick any.”

Tai’s face breaks into a huge grin. He grabs the disk from the table before heading over to the box. His arm digs deep, the sides nearly coming up to his armpit. He grabs a new one and brings it back over to Rey and Hanna. 

He sits back down and she shows him how to press play on the little projector. Another image flares to life above the disk. This time it’s Leia kneeling next to a black haired baby not too much older than the one currently in her arms. The baby grabs onto Leia’s fingers and slowly pulls himself into a standing position. Multiple voices ring out in cheers and Rey knows that Leia isn’t alone. 

“Good job there, kid,” says a gruff, familiar voice.

Han.

She can hear the pride in his voice at Ben standing up for the first time. A small sniffle reaches her ear, and she turns around to find Leia standing there, eyes locked on the holo. 

A sudden roar from a Wookiee brings her attention back to the projection. Chewie has picked up the little boy who is now curling himself into the warm fur. Rey looks down at her own child, the spitting image of her father. Eyes have begun to drift closed, heavy with sleep. She rocks her little light as Tai goes off to find another holo to watch. 

He places it on the table and presses play. Ben and Han appear. He can’t be any older than Tai in the video. 

“Mom, please. I really wanna go with Dad and Uncle Chewie.”

“Yeah, Mom. Please,” Han echoes out, a smirk presenting towards the camera which Rey assumes is being held by Leia. The video shakes. Young Leia’s laughing at her two boys. 

Rey takes another look behind her and notices that the woman is gone. It’s just the three of them left in the room. She turns back towards the holo and wraps a free arm around Tai, pulling him close to her side. He leans his head on her shoulder but doesn’t remove his gaze from the older man and boy. She places a kiss against his mop of hair before leaning her cheek on his head. 

A sigh of happiness releases from her lips. Her little light has finally fallen back asleep. The little boy next to her gets to learn more about the man she’s connected to. Gets to learn who he used to be before everything fell apart. And she gets to hear his voice again. Albeit younger. She’s just lucky she gets to see him. 

Hanna, 5 months old…

“Rey, when are they going to get here?” Tai impatiently asks. He’s been bouncing around the homestead for the last week in anticipation of their expected guests. 

She lets out a small laugh. “They’ll get here when they get here, my love.” The three of them are at the table eating their breakfast. Rey is feeding Hanna mashed tangaroot between bites of her own toast. Tai is barely touching his plate in his excitement. 

“But I want them to get here nowww,” he whines.

Hanna gives a big smile as if amused by her honorary brother's antics. Rey gives her another spoonful of mash, the little girl opening her mouth wide. “Finish your breakfast please,” she reprimands while staying focused on feeding Hanna. 

The roaring of engines outside rings through the room and Rey knows she’s lost the meal time battle. Before she can even blink the boy has raced out of the room and up the stairs, BB-8 right at his heels. She sighs and cleans off Hanna’s face before picking the little girl up.

“You ready to meet Mama’s friends, little light?” she asks. All she gets in return is a gummy grin. Steeling herself, she follows after the boy and droid.

Tai races up the stairs and makes his way up through the door. BB-8 climbs up behind him and as they reach the surface goes speeding ahead of him. There, perched in the sand is an X-Wing and a small Resistance freighter. Tai’s eyes widen as the cockpit opens and up pops a man. The small droid trills in excitement and the pilot jumps out to greet BB-8 with hugs. 

The freighter ramp descends and out walks a man with dark skin followed by a more petite woman and bringing up the rear is the creature Tai recognizes from Ben’s holos. He slowly moves towards the new guests, his mind whirring out of control. He’s heard so much about them and now he gets to meet his heroes. 

Nothing comes to his brain except, “Kriffing hells, you’re Poe Dameron.”

“Tai-Lin! Language,” Rey scolds as she exits the door, Hanna held tightly on her hip. She sees her friends’ eyes narrow in on the little girl in her arms and her heart rate speeds up as her nerves spike. Her friends have come to understand her circumstance, but maybe actually seeing Hanna in person is too much. 

Rose is the first one to break her stare, a huge smile gracing her lips. “Rey,” she breathes out as she comes over to give her friend a long hug. “It’s been forever.” 

The child being squished in between them babbles as she feels her mother’s happiness. It draws a laugh from both women. “Hanna, this is your Auntie Rose,” Rey says, lifting the little girl’s hand up in a waving motion. 

“Oh Rey, she’s precious,” Rose coos back. 

Rey beams proudly while looking at her daughter. A sudden roar makes them jump slightly, but surprisingly doesn’t scare Hanna. They look over to a Wookiee coming barreling towards them. 

“Little Sun!” He wraps Rey into a big hug, being careful not to squeeze too tightly in fear of hurting the babe in her arms. He lets go and notices the little girl reaching out, seemingly interested in his fur. Taking in her features it’s like he’s sent thirty years in the past. She has the same mop of black hair and big, brown orbs. “Little Cub has a little cub,” he says, absolutely amazed. 

Smiling up at the Wookiee Rey nods, knowing exactly where his mind is going. “Chewie, this is Hanna.” She sees the instant the name hits him. His eyes soften and he lets out a tiny roar. She takes that as approval.

“So where's the little womp rat?” 

The question causes her to turn around. Poe and Finn are standing there, a slight awkwardness radiating off of them. Rey doesn't care though. She just steps forward and wraps her arm tightly around each of them in turn. There’s a huge grin on her face that just won’t go away. 

It’s been way too long.

“I’ve missed you two,” she nearly whispers as if speaking louder would make them disappear. She turns to the whole group. “I’ve missed you all so much.”

“We’ve missed you too, Rey,” replies Rose. “So much has happened. I mean you have a baby for Maker’s sake.”

Rey laughs at the comment. Honestly she can’t believe it either some days. She never imagined having either of her children. 

Finn and Poe just keep staring at the child in her arms. Neither one has uttered one word to her yet.

Poe subtly leans closer to Finn, his mouth crooking sideways to mutter something to the man beside him. “It’s scary how much she looks like him, isn’t it?” he mumbles. It’s like looking Kylo Ren in the eyes once again and it's unsettling. 

But Rey heard it. Instead of getting annoyed she just laughs. “Well he is her father, Poe.”

The older man shakes his head. “Yeah, that’s still a hard one to come to terms with.” Finn nods in agreement. 

“I might’ve delved a bit into the Force, but a magically conceived baby is definitely up there with unbelievable things, Rey,” Finn says, giving his friend a loving pat on the shoulder. 

Rey laughs. “I never said it made sense.”

An exaggerated cough comes from her side. “Reyyyyy…” Tai is looking at her with thinning patience, and tugs on her shirt.

“Oh that’s right!” she exclaims. She pushes the boy forward with her hand. “Everyone, this is Tai. Tai, this is Chewbacca, Rose, Finn, and—”

“Poe Dameron,” he says, cutting her off in his excitement. “You flew with BB-8 in your X-Wing during the war. You’re the Resistance’s best pilot.” 

A smirk graces Poe’s face. “So Rey’s been bragging about me, eh?” he says causing both women to roll their eyes. He places a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I hear you’ve been taking good care of my droid for me.”

Tai’s face perks up at the praise from his hero. “BB-8 and I have been the best of friends. One day we’re gonna fly together in an X-Wing just like yours.”

Poe gives Rey a look and instantly she understands the glance. He’s just as excited about the idea as the boy is. Sighing, she gives a tiny nod. 

He looks back at the boy. “You wanna make that day today?” he asks, trailing off enticingly. 

Tai’s head whips up to Rey’s looking for her approval. His eyes are as wide as the Falcon, imploring her to say yes. Excitement is radiating off of him in waves. She shifts Hanna up her hip more before staring him dead in the eyes. 

“I will allow it, but you have to listen to everything Poe says. You have to behave and do what he tells you, alright?”

The child wraps his arms tightly around her waist. “I will, I will! Thank you thank you thank you!” He removes his limbs and races over to the X-Wing with the droid causing Rey to laugh. 

She pokes the pilot in the chest. “You better take good care of my son or I will disable your hyperdrive so fast and so badly you’ll never be able to fix it.”

Poe rolls his eyes even though the threat does worry him a tad. “Will do, Mama.” He gives her a salute before heading over to the ship and helping Tai get situated before hopping in himself. 

Her grip around the little girl on her hip tightens, her nerves blossoming at the knowledge of her boy flying around in space without her. In an X-Wing with a fly-boy no less. 

She vaguely hears Rose and Chewie say something about going to collect their stuff from the freighter, but she pays no mind. She’s too focused on the ship that’s now lifting from the ground. Hanna pats at her chest, and Rey subconsciously grabs the little hand in hers in comfort. Her little light takes interest playing with her fingers. 

The ship takes off and with it goes half of her world.

“He’ll be fine, you know? Poe won’t let him get hurt,” Finn says, bumping his hip into hers.

Rey lets go of the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Turning to her oldest friend she replies, “I know. I just worry.” She gives him an anxious smile. 

Hanna suddenly babbles and reaches out rather intently towards the man standing next to her.

Not sure what to do, Rey just stands there. She doesn't want to push her friends too far too soon. Unfortunately her daughter just keeps reaching out, a pout gracing her face when no one complies with her wants. 

Finn stares at the little girl pouting at him with wide eyes. Sighing loudly in defeat, he reaches out and takes her from Rey. Hanna smiles up at him instantly. She grabs at his cheeks and a bit of his resolve crumbles. Then he looks up at his friend who’s smiling silently at the two of them and pretty soon the whole wall comes crashing down.

“I guess she's not so bad for being the spawn of Kylo Ren,” he starts, looking back down at the happy child in his arms. “She’s quite cute actually.”

“Ben, Finn. Her father is Ben,” Rey reminds. 

He rubs Hanna’s back and the little girl leans her head onto his chest. She seems to already be comfortable with him. Maybe it’s the Force in her sensing him and how much he cares about Rey. “You’ll have to be a bit patient with me,” he says quietly, staring his friend dead in the eyes. “It’s just a lot to process still. A year ago he was our enemy. Now he's the father of your daughter.” 

“I know,” replies Rey, bringing her hand up to caress the curly hair on her little light’s head. “He really did change though… in the end when it mattered. He stood by me. I wouldn’t have been able to win without him. Hell, I wouldn’t be here without him.”

“You love him,” Finn states. It’s not a question. 

Rey smiles sadly and nods. Her finger runs down Hanna’s cheek. The little girl is starting to doze off against Finn’s chest, quite content with where she is. “I do.” Her eyes harden and she looks up at her friend. “I’m going to find him, Finn. I just need more clues. But I’m going to find him. I won’t rest until I do.”

Finn has never seen his friend so serious before. Her words like a dagger of truth. He knows nothing will stop her from her goal. She’s always been steadfast and it’s what he loves about her. That, and her unwavering loyalty and belief in people. Even during their darkest moments. 

“If there’s anything you need us to do… just say the word,” he says, staring at her with a promise shining in his eyes. “We’re here for you. And Hanna.”

She gives him a soft smile, tears threatening the corners of her eyes. “Thank you, Finn.” Reaching out, she wraps him in a hug before they gently pass the sleeping child back to Rey’s arms. They both stare down at the little girl as she rocks her. The little girl who looks like her missing father.

But she’ll get him back. Rey and her friends will make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Hanna, 7.5 months old…

Time has gotten away from Rey. Between her friends’ visit, taking care of Hanna, and resuming helping Tai train, the weeks have just blurred together. 

Chewie ended up staying longer than planned, being completely enthralled with the little girl. But Rey thinks it’s mostly because being around Hanna made him feel closer to Ben. And to Han. He misses the two greatly. 

Truth be told, he was an immense help and Rey is truly grateful he stuck around. It was nice to have another being around instead of Force ghosts. Not that Luke and Leia aren’t helpful in their own ways, it’s just they can’t physically do much. 

Rey has spent a lot of her time recording holovids of Hanna. She wants to make sure she captures as many firsts as she can. That way when she gets Ben back he’ll be able to watch them, and maybe it’ll help him not feel like he’s missed so much. She regrets not having the wherewithal to record her pregnancy for the same reason. At the very least she should’ve kept a diary. But her headspace before she found Tai wasn’t exactly the best. 

She knows Ben will forgive her anyway. 

Unfortunately due to the increased chaos in her home, Rey has neglected her search for him. There just hasn’t been much time to read or meditate. The little time she gets is after Hanna goes to bed and Tai is winding down for the night. But by then she’s exhausted as well and doesn’t have the energy. 

At least until this past week.

Recently her dreams have been a jumble of images. Moments of her and Ben during their connections while she was on Ahch-To. She can’t figure out if the dreams are supposed to have meaning or if it’s just her subconscious missing Ben. 

The same man whose presence she hasn’t felt in seven months. 

She knows he hasn’t fully crossed into the Cosmic Force because Luke or Leia would have alerted her. He would’ve come to her. She knows he would’ve. So no, he’s still out there somewhere. Wherever this damn World Between Worlds is. 

It’s late tonight, but Rey doesn’t care. She just can’t seem to get her dreams of Ahch-To out of her mind. Both children are fast asleep in their beds and she knows she should get some rest as well, but she needs answers. The Jedi texts are all strewn about around her from her seat at the desk. She’s been reading for what feels like hours, and her eyelids are getting heavy. 

The letters begin to blur on the page. Then darkness overcomes her. 

Images of an island dance in and out of her sight. Mixed in between are flashes of Ben. Of the too few times she saw his face. He’s there standing in front of her, his hand outstretched towards her like he’s done multiple times before. His words from that fateful night in Snoke's throne room echo in her head.

“Join me… Please.”

She looks down to find her hand stretching out towards his. And then she does what she never had the nerve to do. 

She places her hand in his. 

He disappears like smoke, and Rey no longer finds her hand intertwined with his, but instead pressed against the mirror in the cave underneath Ahch-To. 

“Let me see let me see let me see,” echoes in her head. 

Two figures approach just like the last time before melding into one. Rey closes her eyes. She knows the next part. The fog will dissipate and all that will be left is her own reflection. Just one more disappointment. 

“Rey,” a voice whispers, the deep tone caressing her ears. 

Her eyes open and the fog behind the mirror starts to clear. Instead of her own face staring back at her, she sees him appearing from within the haze. He’s right behind her fingers. Just the mirror separating the two of them. 

Her eyes snap open. 

“Ben!” she yells, hastily jolting up from the table. Her chest is heaving, heart daring to burst out from behind her ribs. Gazing around the room she notices it’s still quite dark. She must’ve fallen asleep while researching. 

She briefly reaches out and finds both children still happily asleep in their beds. Good. Thank the Force she didn’t wake anyone with her shout. 

Ahch-To.

The mirror cave. 

She knows this time it wasn’t a dream. The Force is trying to tell her something. 

Brows furrow tightly along her forehead. Her mind races, carefully attempting to figure out the intricate puzzle. Reaching in front of her she grabs one of the books in particular and throws it open. “Ahch-To Ahch-To Ahch-To…” she mumbles as she flips through the tattered, old pages.

Ah ha.

Her eyes dance over the pages that mention everything about the island. In addition to the ancient text written by the ancient Jedi, Luke had made some updated notes. On the page is the drawn out star system with Ahch-To circled and labeled. 

“I’ve seen this map before…” mutters Rey. “Where have I seen this map before?”

Rey places the book to the side before tearing her way through all of the others. Pages shuffle quickly through her fingers, barely staying on one page for long. She scours text after text and nothing. 

But she knows she’s seen the same map somewhere else. If only she could remember.

A gasp escapes her lips as eyes go wide. 

“Where are they?” she whispers. Her eyes dart around the room. Flying up from the table she begins to tear through the room. Piles of scrolls are thrown about, clothes are tossed onto the bed. She flitters around upending everything she can get her hands on. 

Crashing to her hands and knees, she crawls about looking under all of the furniture. “They have to be here…” she whispers again. She makes her way closer to the bed and brings her head down to the rock floor to gaze under it. 

Her breath hitches.

There.

Underneath the bed lies the crumpled ball of slightly singed paper. Hesitantly she reaches out and grabs it, bringing it back towards her. Unfolding the delicate papers she gets a brief glance at writing. 

Exegol.

It happened a week after arriving on Tatooine. In a fit of desperation and anger she ripped the pages from the book determined to destroy them. She never wanted to think of the name Exegol ever again. Not after it took everything from her. She tore the pages in two and held them over the crude looking candle she found in the cabinet. Watched as the flame lapped against the fibers, igniting them. 

It wasn’t until the heat caressed her fingers that she realized what she was doing. She quickly blew out the flame and shook off the ashes. Guilt swept over her for destroying one of the last artifacts the Jedi have. The Jedi before her would’ve been ashamed. 

She still didn’t want to ever see the pages again, so she crumpled them up and threw them to the floor. Somehow they had ended up under the bed, just laying there waiting for her to need them again.

And now she does.

Getting up from the floor, she makes her way back over to the open book on the table. She unfolds the torn pages and places them side by side next to the page she’s turned to. Running her hands across the paper, she tries to iron out the creases. Her breath becomes steadily more shallow as she takes in the two maps in front of her. 

They’re nearly identical. It’s as if they’re mirrored.

“That’s it,” she whispers in disbelief. Fingers gently caress the circle symbolizing Ahch-To. A small smile breaks across her face as she coughs out a laugh. 

I’m on my way, Ben.

She slams the pages inside the book and cradles it in her arms as she heads towards the bed. Placing the book down, she goes to the small closet and hastily grabs a rucksack. There’s not a second to spare. She wastes no time throwing the book into the sack along with a few essentials. Rey walks over to the drawer where she keeps her saber and blaster.

“Rey, what are you doing?” a gruff voice asks.

She barely notices the new company, grabbing her saber and hooking it on her belt. “I know where he is,” she replies, not looking up as she halters her blaster. “He’s on Ahch-To. Well not on Ahch-To. More like underneath it. But I found it. I found an entrance to the World Between Worlds. It’s so obvious now. How did I not think of it before?” she continues, mostly talking to herself.

Luke moves closer to her, forcing her to stop what she’s doing and look up at him. “Rey, think about what you’re doing. It’s the middle of the night. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. And you have two children in this house that depend on you.”

The reminder of Tai and Hanna snaps her from her trance. Kriff. She was so caught up with finding Ben’s location and wanting to just up and leave that she forgot the two reasons why she can’t. Closing her eyes tightly, she sinks down onto the bed in defeat. 

“I’m not saying don’t go. Force knows you wouldn’t listen anyway,” Luke continues as he sits next to her. “But take the time to plan it out. Don’t be impulsive for once in your life. You can’t afford to be anymore.”

“I know,” Rey sighs. “It’s just been so long. And now I finally figured it out.” She looks her former master deep in the eyes. “I have to at least try.”

“And you will. After proper planning.” He gives a soft glare with mischievous eyes. 

“Yes, Master,” she replies, playful sarcasm touching her tone. 

It’s been over a week since she discovered the nexus points between Exegol, Ahch-To, and the World Between Worlds. During the interim she’s had multiple conversations with the Jedi of the past, all of them helping her create a plan. They all supplied her with as much of their knowledge as they're allowed to give. They ensured she’d be ready for almost any possible outcome.

Rey’s frantically winding through the house holding Hanna on her hip. Doma trails along behind her as she finishes getting her things ready to go. Doma has so nicely agreed to watch over the kids while she’s away on her mission. Despite trusting the older woman’s capabilities completely Rey is having a hard time letting go. She’s never been away from either of them and the guilt of leaving is catching up to her. 

“Doma, there’s milk and mashed tangaroot in the cooling chamber for Hanna. Tai is fairly good at getting his own meals, but I did make some stew for dinners,” she states, pointing at various things in the kitchen while the little girl in her arms grabs at her hair hanging loose around her shoulders. Hanna gives a small tug. 

“Ow, Hanna,” Rey says as she tries to extract her hair from the little one’s firm grip. Once free she passes her into Doma’s waiting arms. “She’s been quite intent on grabbing things lately so I’d watch out for that if I were you. I also think she’s starting to teethe and has been rather fussy because of that.”

“Rey,” the older woman kindly interrupts, effectively cutting off Rey’s rant. “I reared four children myself and have watched over many more. I think I know a thing or two about taking care of a child.”

An embarrassed blush rises to her face. “I know… I’m just…”

“Being a mother.” Doma gives her a warm smile. “It’s alright to be worried about your first time away. It’d be more alarming if you weren’t.” She places a hand on Rey’s arm. “But everything is going to be just fine. You have my word.”

Rey nods and reaches out to softly stroke Hanna’s cheek. “I know.” She wraps her arms around the smaller woman in thanks. 

A roar sounds from above the ground breaking the two women apart. 

Chewie’s here. 

He’s come to help her co-pilot the Falcon. After she figured out where Ben is she called Finn and Poe and they both agreed the Wookiee would be the best for the job. She knows he also just desperately wants to help her get Ben back. It’s fitting. He flew her to the Supremacy, to Ben. Now he’s flying her to Ben again. 

Rey grabs her rucksack and leans forward, pressing kisses all over her little light’s cheeks. “Goodbye, my darling. I’ll miss you.” She feels her baby’s signature bloom from the love she’s receiving to then turning into confusion as her mother walks away. 

She gives the older woman a curt nod before making her way up the stairs. Upon reaching the entrance she sees Chewie showing Tai all around his small transport ship. The boy, with BB-8 trailing his feet, excitedly takes in everything the Wookiee is saying. 

“Tai,” Rey calls out, making her way over to them. “Why don’t you head inside with Doma?”

He turns and runs up to her, the droid following behind him. “Rey, I wanna come too. I can help you find him,” he pleads with her. 

Rey drops her sack down by the Falcon’s ramp. Chewie walks over and grabs it before heading in. She kneels down, placing her hands on Tai’s arms. “I know you do,” she starts. A heavy sigh leaves her chest, tears begin to threaten at the corners of her eyes. “I just can’t risk losing you as well.” Her hands come up to cup his cheeks. “So I need you to be here. Safe.”

His lips droop into a pout, but he nods nonetheless. “You’ll bring him back, right?” he asks, voice timid.

She puts on a brave face, not wanting him to see her doubts and fears though she’s sure he can feel them. “Of course I will. Now give me a hug,” she says as she holds her arms out. 

He tucks himself into her, wrapping his arms tightly around her back. She brings her arms around him and holds him just as tightly back. Neither wants to be the first to let go. 

Eventually Rey breaks the hug and stands, placing a lingering kiss on the top of his head. “Be good for Doma, alright? And please help look after Starfighter.” He nods in reply. “I love you.”

Tai takes a step back. “I love you too, Rey.” He stands next to the entrance to the homestead. Bringing his arm up, he waves goodbye to her. His other hand rests dutifully on BB-8’s dome.

She smiles bravely and waves back before walking up the ramp into the Falcon. She weaves through the corridors until she reaches the cockpit where Chewie is already prepared for takeoff. Rey sits down in the captain’s chair and turns to the large Wookiee beside her. He roars softly, making her smile. 

“Let’s go bring him home,” she says as she punches the thrusters on. 

It took them a while, but they finally made the journey to Ahch-To. The familiar peaks of green come into view surrounded by a vastness of blue. The sheer serenity feels like so long ago. Rey lands the Falcon at the base of the island, just as they did almost three years back. 

Rey and Chewie make their way down the ramp. Rey has grabbed her rucksack containing her saber and her blaster. Her foot hits rock and she turns to her companion. 

“If I’m not back by nightfall,” she begins. “Come look for me.”

The Wookiee roars softly in reply. He leans down and gives her a comforting hug before nudging her forward. She smiles back at him and then begins her trek up the mountain. 

She walks and walks for what feels like hours, thighs burning from the steep makeshift rock stairs. As she gets closer the whispers get louder and louder. The darkness dances around her ears, threatening to invade her soul. It entices her once again with something she wants. Something she craves to have. 

After what seems like forever she finally reaches the mouth to the cave. The thick black vines still spew out of it like arms waiting to pull her down into the dark depths beneath. 

Rey remembers what the past Jedi said. 

“Pure intentions,” she whispers to herself. Despite her better judgment she knows it’s what is required, so she takes the sack from her shoulder and places it on the ground. No weapons allowed. Not if she wants what she hopes to retrieve. This is hallowed ground. And she dares not provoke the Force to fight back. 

She peers over the edge into the black void. Her nerves spike as she remembers the pool underneath and she gulps involuntarily. A shiver runs down her spine. With a deep breath she steps off the ledge and plunges into the depths below. 

The breath leaves her lungs the instant she hits the ice cold water. Panic rises up with her, but she wills herself to calm down. Reaching into the back of her mind she draws on the source of Ben’s knowledge just as she did that night on Starkiller. She didn’t realize it then, but during their intrusion into each other’s minds some of his skills were passed over to her and vice versa. That’s part of the reason she was able to defeat him that night. She used his own moves against him.

And right now his knowledge of swimming is coming quite in handy, just as she supposes it did last time. She kicks and flails her arms rather ungracefully until she breaks the surface and fills her lungs with a deep gulp of air. She swims until her hand makes contact with rock, then she hauls herself up onto the solid ground. 

As she gets to her feet, water pooling around her, she notices the whispers have gone quiet. It’s eerily silent. The only sound is her own thoughts echoing in her head. The heart inside her chest beats faster and faster as she approaches the mirror. Licking her lips nervously, she reaches up and places shaky fingers onto the glass. 

Her heart nearly slows to a stop, time becoming still around her. This is the moment. It’s now or never. It has to work. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if it doesn’t.

Rey closes her eyes tightly. “Pure intentions,” she says again. She takes a deep breath and whispers out, “Show me Ben… Please.” The Force flows through her hand into the glass beneath her fingers. She focuses on the energy surrounding her and pulls it into her grasp. It pours from her in torrential waves, emotions mixing in and strengthening the power. 

The glass begins to vibrate against her fingertips, and Rey feels a shift inside the cave as well as inside her. She opens her eyes and the air is stolen from her lungs. It's just like the vision. There he stands with eyes shut, just out of reach. His hand is raised like hers, his fingers nearly pressed against her own. The glass is the only thing separating the two of them. 

“Ben,” she gasps. 

He must’ve heard her because his eyes shoot open in shock. They do nothing but stare silently at each other for a few moments. “Rey?” he asks in disbelief, his brows furrowing together. His voice comes across muffled from the mirror between them. 

A choked laugh bubbles from her, the corners of her lips raising at the sight of him. But now’s not the time to celebrate. She hasn’t succeeded yet. Giving him a nod, she closes her eyes again and focuses the Force into the glass once again. 

She pours everything she has into the mirror. Teeth grit together as she begins to shake from the exertion. A bead of sweat mixes with the salty water falling from her hair and rolls down her temple. 

Suddenly there’s a shift in the mirror and her fingers move forward as if moving through a clear, viscous gel. She sinks further into the deep recesses of the Force and focuses on pushing her arm through the mirror. Bit by bit her arm disappears deeper through to the other side. She’s about up to her bicep when she feels a large hand wrap tightly around her forearm. Her eyes snap open to find Ben grasping onto her. Their bond sings at the touch and Rey feels stronger than she has in over a year. 

She begins to tug with all her might. 

The dark thrashes around, not willing to give up its prisoner so easily. There’s a sense of long, skeletal arms wrapping around Ben, holding him back out of her reach. They drag him further into the void as she’s pulling him towards the mirror. A tumultuous game of tug-o-war with Ben’s life being the prize.  

A prize she’s determined to win. 

“You pathetic child,” a snake-like voice echoes through her head. “You think you deserve his soul?”

“I do,” she chokes out while still pulling on Ben’s arm. Tears flood the corners of her eyes. “Because he’s mine. His soul is my own. And now I’m taking him back.” She shoves her other arm through the mirror and interlocks both of her hands around Ben’s forearm. Widening her stance for support, she tugs and tugs. 

A cyclone of wind picks up inside the cave. The Force becomes a powerful storm influenced by the present events. Thunder booms around Rey, but she doesn’t let up as the wind blasts against her. All she does is pull harder. 

Her arms start to move backwards through the mirror, Ben coming along with her. She moves a step away and tugs some more. His fingers make their way over to her side and both their eyes widen. Rey gives one last huge yank, praying it’s enough. 

There’s a flash of white light, and both of them are thrown violently to the ground. The wind falls to a stop, and everything calms down. Rey groans and rolls to her side. Opening her eyes she sees a large hand just inches from her own. She follows along the owner’s arm to their face. 

There, lying on his back, is Ben. In the flesh. 

Before he can even react Rey launches herself into his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He groans from the sudden weight on top of him, but then immediately sinks into the hug. Strong arms come to wrap around her waist, pulling her close. 

She nuzzles the crook of his neck, her tears - along with her wet clothes - soak his skin. He doesn’t seem to mind, just squeezes her tighter. Unison sighs of relief and bliss ring out through the cave. 

Ben stiffly sits up, shifting Rey on his lap. She leans back and stares at him with a ghost of a smile on her face. Her hands hover over his cheeks, but she doesn’t move them closer. Almost as if touching him would make him disappear. 

He stares into her eyes the same way he did when he revived the life inside her. Like she’s a treasure too precious to lose. His hand shakily comes up and cups her cheek. Her eyelids flutter shut in response as she leans into his hand. 

“Ben,” she sighs blissfully. 

Rey opens her eyes and finally grabs his cheeks. She savors the feeling on his solid skin under her palms. With a surge of courage she leans forward, pressing her lips against his. They’re quite inexperienced, just like the last time, but now there’s more of a hunger lingering underneath. A passion that has been simmering bursts forth into flames. 

She reluctantly pulls back and leans her forehead against his. Her lips continue to tingle from their kiss.

“You’re all wet,” Ben finally says. 

She chokes out a laugh. After a year and a half that’s all he has to say when they finally see each other again? “So are you. Sorry about that.” She runs her hand down his wet clothes before scrunching her brows together. “Wait… Where did you get the robes?”

Ben chuckles and shakes his head, his forehead moving against hers. “It’s a long story.” His eyes suddenly go wide and he pulls back from her before hastily grabbing her arms. He quickly scans her up and down pausing at her stomach before returning to her face. “What- What about the–” he stutters. “Our little star?”

Rey melts into a smile at his question, and strokes her thumb across his trembling cheek. “She’s perfect,” she softly replies. “Every bit her father’s daughter.”

He lets out a laugh that morphs into a sobbing gasp. “Sh– she?” he stammers out. He can’t help his chin from wobbling.

Her smile widens as she brushes the hair from his face. The myriad of emotions bubbling up inside of him is radiating outwards. Surprise, joy, panic. “Her name is Hanna,” she timidly says, not sure what his reaction will be. 

Ben carefully lifts her and places her on the ground before standing up slowly. He starts to pace around the cave. Laughter erupts from his chest through tears. He puts his head in his hands and runs fingers through his hair, his mind going back to the vision of his father. Turning his head to the skylight above him he looks to the heavens and shakes his head, a slight smile on his face.

He can picture the old bastard smirking down at him. Of course Rey would name their daughter after him. It’s the karma he deserves.

Holding a hand out he helps Rey to her feet. She’s staring up at him and her confusion at his response is palpable. He gently pushes her still wet hair behind her ear. “Hanna…” he muses. “I like it.” A smile graces her face at his approval. A smile he never wants to leave. “At least you didn’t name her after Skywalker,” he jests, the corner of his lip raising. 

Rey peels into laughter. “Why would I name her after a grumpy old man… when I could name her after a grumpy old man?” That crooked smile she adores so much shines on his face as he chuckles at her comment. She only saw the smile once before, but gods does she want to see it every day for the rest of time. Once again she wraps her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face into his chest.

“Stars, I missed you,” she whispers. 

His arms wrap around her back, pulling her closer. “I missed you too.” He pauses for a second, not quite wanting to voice his next thought. “…How long?” She looks up at the sound of his question. “How long was I gone? I mean obviously it was long enough for you to give birth,” he says bitterly though the anger is mostly sourced by the guilt eating at him from the inside.

She grabs his hand in hers and brings it up to her chest. Fingers lightly caress his knuckles. “About a year and a half. But I haven’t felt you since Hanna was born.”

Pained eyes shut tightly. “When was that?” he chokes out. The real question of ‘how much have I missed?’ goes unspoken between them, but Rey knows that's what he really means.

“Almost eight standard months,” she replies almost reluctantly. The agony radiating off of him hits her like a freighter. “But that doesn’t matter. You’re here now,” she rushes out, pressing kisses against his tightening fist. 

“Kriffing hells, Rey.” He squeezes her hand tightly and shakes his head in disbelief, or maybe disgust. “I knew time had passed based on the few glimpses I saw… but a year and a half? It only felt like a few hours to me,” he admits. A few horrible, achingly frustrating hours. 

All she does is repeat her previous statement. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.” Her other hand comes up and caresses his rough cheek. 

He nods against her fingers. Grabbing her hand he places kisses along each knuckle. He takes her in. The sight of her causes a surge of wonder to flood through him. She’s still damp, hair plastered everywhere, but he’s never seen something so beautiful in his life. 

“Is that my sweater?” he asks, his lips tilting up into a smug grin. 

The question causes a flush to bloom across her cheeks. Of course he knows it is. He saw her wearing it through the gateways. But that doesn’t mean he can’t tease her a bit. 

“At first it made me feel close to you. It was the only thing I had left,” she admits shyly. “I guess I just got used to wearing it. Then after a while it was the only thing that fit.” Her blush darkens at the thought of her heavily pregnant body. The thought that he would’ve found her wholly repulsive certainly crossed her mind multiple times near the end.

Ben remembers. The image of her full with his child was surely a sight to see. There was this primal feeling of her being completely his. That his child resting inside her was the ultimate claim. 

“You were beautiful,” he says, wanting to squash all of her doubts. She shakes her head in disagreement. “You are beautiful.” He ducks his head down, claiming her lips with his own. She reacts instantly, her arms moving up around his neck. It’s an innocent, chaste kiss, but the emotion behind it is so much more complex. 

Rey pulls back, slightly breathless. “If only we got to do more of that before.”

He chuckles. “We have time,” he assures, resting his forehead against hers. 

She sighs blissfully and smiles. “Mmmm, time…” Her eyes suddenly shoot open. “Time,” she says, panicked. Looking up out of the cave she notices the skylight is becoming dimmer. “We should head back. Chewie’s probably worried by now.” 

He rips away from her and freezes in his spot. Eyes fill with fear and remorse at the mention of Rey’s companion. 

Sensing his panic, she grabs his cheeks and forces him to look at her. “Hey, you don’t need to worry. He’s over it.”

His eyes widen even more, staring down at her incredulously. “Oh yeah? He’s over the fact that I murdered his best friend?” His tone takes on that of a secret whisper. Like what he’s saying shouldn’t be known. “Over the fact that I— that I tortured him?”

Rey only caresses his cheeks. “He’s had a long time to process it all. And Hanna’s helped. Mostly it’s made him realize he misses you.” She brushes a lock of hair behind his ear. “He was the one that flew me to the Supremacy, you know? If he truly hated you, do you think he would’ve done that?” The silence is the only answer she needs.

Stepping back, she lets her hands fall to her hips. “Besides, we both know he missed that blasterbolt shot on purpose.” A small smirk lets him know she’s teasing. 

He rolls his eyes in response, but deep down knows she’s right. He saw it when he interrogated the creature. The Wookiee couldn’t kill him despite what he had just done. So all he received was a wound to the side. It was enough to injure him, to act as a punishment, but it missed anything vital. 

She holds a hand out, waiting for him with a soft smile upon her face. “Now come on, Ben Solo. It’s time for you to finally come home.”

There’s no hesitation. He places his hand in hers, their fingers intertwining. Home? It’s not something he’s thought of in quite a while. Not until the vision of his father. And once he did, he realized something too late. He realized that he had been a fool. He realized that she’s his home.

---

They make their descent down the mountain side, neither breaking the clasp of their hands. They didn't even let go when Rey took out her saber to show him. He turned on the deep yellow saberstaff and beamed proudly at her. His response was “very fitting” before handing it back to her. She grinned back at the praise. 

It’s dark as the two approach the Falcon. The ramp descends and Rey can feel Ben’s anxiety spike into the atmosphere. She squeezes his hand for reassurance. 

It’s been nearly a decade since he’s stepped foot on the piece of junk. His father’s most prized possession. And to think two years ago he wanted it blown out of the sky. Had he known Rey was on it he might not have been so callous about it. 

Out walks the Wookiee and Ben takes a subconscious step back. Rey finally lets go of his hand and walks up to Chewie, giving him a hug. 

“Well I found him,” she states bluntly, though happiness coats every word. 

The furball lets out a huge roar before barreling towards him. Ben flinches backwards a good few feet, half a mind to run from the man who’s probably about to rip his arms off. 

But that doesn’t happen. In fact, quite the opposite.

Chewie wraps his arms around the young man, squeezing him tightly. Ben stays stiff in the embrace not knowing how to react. 

“Little Cub,” Chewie heartily roars. 

The nickname breaks the ice. Ben sinks into the hug, his hands coming up and grasping handfuls of fur tightly in his fists. The fur pressed against his face becomes cold and wet making Ben aware of the tears falling from his cheeks. 

“I’m so sorry, Chewie. For all of it,” he pleads into his uncle’s chest. 

A large, hairy hand comes up and presses against the back of his head. The gesture is so simple, but the significance behind it means everything to Ben. He squeezes his eyes and savors the moment. Savors the forgiveness that he doesn’t deserve. 

A soft cough breaks the men apart. Rey is standing up at the top of the ramp. “I hate to break up the reunion, but I have children to get back to.” Without another word she turns and heads down the corridor. 

Ben shakes his head in amusement, also to shake the tears from his cheeks. A large hand claps him on the back. He turns to see the Wookiee staring down at him. “What?” he asks, self conscious at the look. 

“You better make it up to her. Little Sun means a lot to many people and your death nearly destroyed her.”

The words hit hard. He swallows thickly and stares back at his honorary uncle. “I intend to. She’s everything to me.” The answer seems sufficient because he receives a nod. “Now come on, Furball. She’ll have our heads if we stall any longer,” he says, the corner of his lip tilting up. 

The Wookiee lets out a small, annoyed growl at the nickname, but Ben senses no fire beneath it. The two men walk up the ramp and he becomes assaulted by memories from his childhood. Running down the same corridor he currently stands in. His mother reading him to sleep in his bunk. His father teaching him how to fly in the very cockpit Rey is in. Learning to play dejarik with Chewie. 

The Wookiee leaves his side to go help Rey, but Ben takes his time. His hand trails along the walls which have somehow gotten grimier than he thought was physically possible. He reaches the cockpit and stills. There, hanging above Rey’s head is something he never thought he’d see again after Crait. After Skywalker so frustratingly projected them to him as a reminder. Above Rey’s head hangs his father’s dice. 

Without a word, he walks over and carefully pulls them down. He fears that they might break if he’s too rough. The weight of them is just like he remembers. He looks past them to find Rey staring up at him with a soft smile. He knows she can sense the whirlwind of emotions coursing through him. 

She silently stands and moves to the side, nodding her head down to the newly vacant chair. His brows furrow at the gesture. Ben shakes his head in confusion. 

Patting the chair, she replies, “Take us home, Captain Solo.” The grin on her face is encouraging. She’s expecting him to fly. 

He turns to the Wookiee sitting in the co-pilot’s seat. All he receives is a look of acceptance. “I—” But he doesn’t get to finish. Instead Rey pushes him down into the chair before taking a seat behind him. 

“You’re all set for Tatooine,” she simply says, beaming at him. 

Shaking his head nervously, he turns to stare down at the controls. It all comes flying back to him. He reaches up and returns the dice to their proper place then without hesitation he punches the buttons for takeoff. He quirks his head to the side as he turns on the thrusters. “To Tatooine.”

The trip was fairly quiet after they hit hyperspace. Rey left to wash the salted sea from her body and change. Once refreshed she came back and promptly fell asleep curled up in her chair. Ben knows she exerted a lot of energy to pull him across the mirror, so he lets her sleep. He had found a spare blanket from storage and laid it on top of her. Her lips unconsciously turned up in the corners at the gesture. He sat back in his chair, ignoring the knowing look the furball was giving him. 

That was hours ago.

Mostly it’s been him and Wookiee sitting in silence as stars rush by. Both men are deep in memories. It’s been a long time since they were both on the freighter at the same time. 

“How—,” Ben coughs to clear his throat. Kriff, this is uncomfortable. He’s awkwardly breaking the silence and hoping he doesn’t regret it. “How is your family?”

“They’re good. I was with them before this little rescue mission.”

“That’s good,” he replies curtly, not shifting his eyes from the viewport. The idea of family makes his mind drift. “Can— can you tell me… about her?” he asks timidly. He doesn’t clarify, but he knows the Wookiee knows who he’s alluding to. Ben finally turns to face his uncle, his eyes pleading for any information. 

Chewie’s posture relaxes and he looks at the younger man. “Little Star looks just like you did. Hair like the night. A very happy cub.” He watches as Ben listens intently to every word. “Little Sun has been archiving holos for your return.” The words must shock him because Ben’s brows scrunch together. “She’d be best to ask.”

Ben nods in agreement. Rey’s been recording their daughter for him? She was that sure of his return? He turns back to glance at the sleeping form of his other half. She’ll never stop amazing him. And he doesn’t want her to. 

He hopes their little star is just like her. 

---

The jolt from jumping out of lightspeed shakes Rey from her sleep. Groggily she looks out the viewport and sees the familiar planet coming into view. They’re about to land in the next few minutes. 

She groans as she moves her feet back to the ground. Her legs tingle from their previously cramped position, so she rubs her hands along her thighs to wake them up. The sound from her mouth must’ve alerted the two other passengers as they’re both staring at her when she finally looks up. 

Chewie lets out a small roar in greeting before turning back to the controls. There’s a strange look in Ben’s eyes though as he keeps his gaze on her. He’s closed his emotions off and she can’t go figure out what’s wrong. 

Suddenly he stands up and pats the Wookiee on the shoulder. “You got this, Furball?” he asks. After receiving a soft growl in response he turns and leaves the cockpit, his eyes never once reaching Rey’s again. 

Confusion washes over her. She gets up and follows him through the corridors. They reach the main compartment where he starts filing through different storage boxes without a word. 

“Ben, what are you doing?” 

He curtly replies, “Taking inventory.”

Rey’s brows scrunch together more and she holds back the urge to roll her eyes. “Ben… there’s no need to take inventory.” She walks up to him, placing a gentle hand on his back. “What’s really going on? There’s something you’re hiding. I can feel it.” The muscles beneath her hand begin to tremble. 

He takes a shaky breath before walking away from her and sitting down along the round bench. His gaze remains stuck on the floor under his feet. He doesn’t move when he hears her shuffling towards him. Or when her knees hit the floor. But he does flinch when her hands wrap around his own, forcing him to look at her.

She’s staring at him with pleading eyes and his heart breaks. How is he supposed to tell her? How is he supposed to say that entering Tatooine’s atmosphere has made everything so much more real? How is he supposed to tell her that he’s terrified? 

“What is it?” she says softly. Her fingers caress the backs of his hands. “Talk to me.” 

And he does. 

He tries to keep his chin from wobbling, but it’s all in vain. “What if— what if she hates me?” he finally confesses. 

Her fierce gaze softens at the spoken fears. “She’s not going to hate you. Every time your presence was near she would glow brighter. She knows who you are. She knows you’re her father.”

It only partly quells his anxiety. “I’m— I’m scared. What if I’m awful at it? It’s not like I had the best role model for how to be a father,” he snips with no heat to his tone.

Rey can’t help it, but she laughs a little. “And I did? My parents left me when I was a tiny child. I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m constantly scared.” Reaching up she gently strokes his cheek. “Leia told me that, unfortunately, it’s just part of the job.” 

He cups his hand over hers. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. That you had to do this all by yourself.” The guilt is eating away at him. From leaving her with child without her consent in the first place. To forcing her to go through pregnancy alone nonetheless giving birth without him. And then having to raise their child all alone. 

All she does is smile at him. Rising to her feet she pushes him back further into the bench before placing herself on his lap. His arms instantly wrap around her waist as hers come to rest around his neck. “I wasn’t alone,” she softly says. “I had help. And now I’ll have you.” Rey smiles and rests her forehead against his. “And you’ll have me. I’ll help you,” she trails off, not being able to keep the smirk from her face as she recalls the words she once whispered to him in the elevator. 

Ben rolls his eyes before a small smile graces his face. He nods, his nose nuzzling against hers. What in the stars did I do to deserve her? he thinks. She’s everything he isn’t. She’s intrinsically good. Even with her struggles with the dark she always chooses the light. And she loves so deeply. He shouldn’t be worthy of it, yet she gives it freely. 

The Falcon rumbles as it comes to a stop, its landing feet now firmly planted in the sand beneath. Ben looks up at Rey who has stood from her place on his lap. The anxiety soars out of his body. He can feel his eyes have gone wide and the blood has drained from his face. As much as he knows he should, he can't will his body to move. 

The Wookiee walks past them and opens the ramp. He doesn’t wait for them before disembarking from the ship. All they receive is a quiet roar saying they’ve arrived. A faint voice from outside yells “Chewie!” in excitement. It’s followed by a trill of beeps.

Rey holds a hand out to Ben, and waits patiently. She’ll give him as much time as he needs. “You want to come meet your daughter?” She gives an encouraging smile. 

Ben has trouble swallowing. He stiffly nods and puts a trembling hand in hers. It’s now or never. The nerves race through his body. The darkness laps against the fear, waiting to welcome him back. Wanting to pull him down into its depths. But he doesn’t let it. He focuses solely on Rey as she leads him down the ramp. 

The Lars homestead comes into view and it’s very different from the last time he visited. Whereas then it was a sand-filled graveyard, now it’s a fully functioning farm and home. All because of Rey. 

“Rey!”

The little Force sensitive boy from the gateways comes running up to them, BB unit rolling dutifully behind him. Ben watches as Rey wraps the boy in a huge embrace and presses kisses all over his cheeks. The droid trills its own hello. 

“Reyyyy…” the boy complains. He wipes the wetness off his cheeks despite the grin remaining on his face. The two definitely have an immense love between them. 

The boy then turns to look at him. “You’re— you’re—,” he stutters, wide eyed. 

Rey places her arms on the boy’s shoulders from behind, pushing him closer towards Ben. “Tai, this is Ben. Ben, this is Tai,” she introduces with a smile. 

Ben blinks. Maker, he hasn’t heard that name in forever. For a moment he allows himself to get lost in the past. Then he kneels down in front of the boy, both of them coming eye to eye. Rey must’ve told the boy about him from the excitement oozing from him. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” he says, holding out a hand. The boy nervously reaches out and shakes his hand. “You know, I knew a Tai once,” he continues somberly.

The boy’s eyes widen. “You did?”

He hums in agreement. “He was a very brave man.” One of the bravest, he thinks. If only he could go back in time and listen to his friend, how different things would’ve turned out to be. 

Tai’s face brightens. “I’m brave too! Rey and I fought off Tusken Raiders!” 

Ben playfully appears shocked. “Did you now?” he asks even though he knows Rey did most of the work. He flashes the briefest wink in her direction to which she smiles. “Well that certainly sounds like a scary ordeal. I wouldn’t want to have to fight Raiders.”

“But if you had to, you’d be very good at it,” Tai exclaims. “Rey says you’re really good with the Force. The strongest person she’s ever known.”

Rey wraps a hand around Tai’s mouth, effectively cutting him off from saying anything else. It also brings her attention somewhere else besides Ben’s curious gaze. She looks down to hide the blush that she’s sure he’s caught sight of. Tai certainly doesn’t have a filter sometimes. 

Tai throws her hand off and continues spilling all his secrets to his hero. “Grandma Leia said that you’re also very good with auras. Is that true?” 

Ben’s raised eyebrows meet Rey’s gaze. 

Grandma Leia? he questions in her mind. 

She rolls her eyes with a smile. She chose it. Two grandchildren for the price of one, she said. 

He shakes his head at his mother’s antics and brings his attention back to the boy in front of him. “That I am.”

“Tai here can sense them as well,” Rey says, squeezing the boy’s shoulders. 

The corner of Ben’s mouth raises. He’s never met anyone else who can see them. Being ever the scholar, he can’t keep himself from investigating further. “I’ll make you a deal. You tell me the color of mine and I’ll tell you yours.”

The boy breaks out into another huge grin. “Deal,” Tai replies, nearly buzzing with anticipation. He finally gets to learn the color of his own aura. And from Ben Solo no less. “Tell me. What’s mine?” he nearly demands.

Ben laughs at the speed at which the question is hurled at him. He closes his eyes and reaches into the Force. “Hmm… I’m sensing a deep orange. Like Tatooine at sunset.”

“Really?” Tai whispers, his eyes wide in wonder. The newfound information causes a surge of happiness. His aura is almost like Rey’s, like a sunset. He’s just a different portion of one. 

“Mhm hmm,” confirms Ben. He then raises an eyebrow. “What’s mine?”

Tai closes his eyes, his tongue popping out between his lips. His brows scrunch together as he focuses on the man in front of him. Concentrating hard he finds Ben’s essence. “I’m seeing… purple. But not like Starfighter’s purple. It’s more of a dark violet.” He opens his eyes to find the older man staring at him with surprise and pride. 

Ben nods, a small smile on his face. “Thank you, Tai.” The boy beams at the praise. Little does the kid know that he’s been waiting three decades for someone to be able to tell him that piece of information. 

“Speaking of,” Rey finally cuts in, “where are Doma and Hanna?”

As if on cue, a cry from inside the home alerts them of her presence. 

Ben shoots up at the sound. His panicked eyes meet Rey’s. The heart in his chest begins to beat faster. She’s in there. Really in there. Rey smiles softly at him, trying to reassure him before she waves him along. She turns and starts walking towards the front door, leaving both Tai, BB-8, and himself to follow, though his movements are a bit more mechanical in his nervous state. 

Tai sighs heavily. “She’s been fussy all day,” he complains. “The only times she’s not crying is when she’s eating. Even Doma can’t get her to stop.” He turns to Ben looking like he has a secret. “She doesn’t have the Force, but she definitely has magic powers.”

Ben glances at Tai, trying to keep a smirk off his face from the boy’s conspiratorial statement. “Does she now?”

Rey turns back to them rolling her eyes and lightly nudges Tai to walk in front of her. BB-8 speeds up to the boy as she falls in step with Ben. “She was a midwife and mothered four children of her own. Needless to say she has quite a few tricks up her sleeve.” A reminiscent smile graces her face. “She’s been very helpful to me. A good friend.”

“I’m glad,” Ben responds. “Was she the one who—?” He trails off not quite knowing how to ask his next question. He recalls a woman there with Rey during Hanna’s birth. The name Doma is vaguely familiar from what he remembers, though to be honest his focus was mostly on Rey. And his own sheer panic. 

Rey hums in confirmation. “She was with me the entire time I was carrying Hanna.” She reaches down and slips her hand into his. The wailing gets louder as they approach the door and she can feel Ben’s apprehension growing. “Honestly it just felt good to talk to someone other than a ghost.”

She means his mother and Skywalker. He swallows thickly at the thought. “Do– do you talk to them a lot?”

“Not at first,” she begins. “Leia started to come around more after finding out about Hanna. Then once I wasn’t able to, Luke would come and help Tai train. Now that Hanna’s here Leia visits as often as the Force allows.” She turns to find Ben staring at the ground, nodding along with all she’s saying. But she knows his mind is somewhere else. “You will have a chance to talk, don’t worry. They never stay away for long,” she says, squeezing his hand. 

He tries to give her a weak smile, but he knows it fails. He knows he needs to talk with his mother, but the idea absolutely terrifies him. How can he ever explain? How could she ever forgive what he’s done? 

They make their way down into the home, and Rey leads him through to the kitchen, never once letting go of his hand. The pair come to the clearing to find Tai, Chewie, and Doma all crowded around the little girl in her chair trying to cheer her up. BB-8 rolls around at everyone's feet making different trilling sounds to help as best as he can. 

Unfortunately for them it’s not working. The child just continues to cry.

Rey sighs and releases Ben’s hand, walking over and picking up her little light. “Shhh, my darling. It’s alright. I’m here,” she whispers as she gently bounces Hanna. Slowly the little girl starts to quiet down, whether it’s the hand rubbing at her back or the return of her mother’s calming presence. 

“Well now that you’ve returned I shall take my leave,” says the old woman. She places a palm on both Rey and Hanna’s cheeks in goodbye.

“Thank you, Doma,” Rey replies.

“Anything for you, my dear.” Doma walks up to Ben and grabs his robes, yanking him down to her level. “If you ever leave this girl alone again, you’ll have me to answer to,” she threatens. 

Ben gulps. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Doma,” repeats Rey, this time more pointed, signaling that her visit is done. 

The woman turns to look at Rey and raises her hands in an innocent gesture. As she turns to leave she stops and points at Ben, giving him one last glare causing him to flinch. Then she walks out of the room. 

Rey just sighs and shakes her head. She doesn’t need the old woman scaring him off the second she got him back. “Don’t mind her. She’s just a little intense sometimes,” she says to him in hopes of reassuring him. Then she turns to the boy next to her. “Tai, why don’t you and BB-8 go help Chewie work on the Falcon for a bit before dinner?” The ‘Ben and I need time to talk alone’ goes unsaid, and apparently also goes over the boy’s head. 

“But why?” he questions unabashed, his nose scrunched in confusion. 

Her eyes narrow at the slight sass. “Tai-Lin, go, now, please,” she orders, enunciating every word. 

Tai sighs dramatically and turns to the Wookiee with eyes rolling. “Come on, Chewie. We’re being kicked out.” He drags his feet out of the kitchen with the large companion and droid in tow. 

Rey rolls her eyes at the boy's antics. “Children,” she bemoans with no actual heat. Gazing over, she notices that Ben has taken to burning holes into the floor now that there’s no longer anyone else to distract them. 

“Ben,” she calls softly. 

His eyes dart up to hers then nervously move to the little girl in her arms. Hanna seems to finally take notice of the new presence in the room and reaches a hand out towards him. Blood starts pumping through his veins at lightspeed. There’s a ringing in his ears that wasn’t there before. He wants to run. Yet he can’t seem to take his eyes off of her. 

Off of his little star. 

She reaches out again, and squirms in Rey’s arms, becoming discontent with her location. Ben feels her little signature calling out to his. A fact that both frightens and excites him. 

“Take your time.”

Rey’s voice breaks his thoughts. She stands there with a smile, patiently waiting for him to get closer. He swallows thickly and forces his feet to move. Slowly he moves next to Rey, staring at the child that’s still reaching out to him. Hanna’s little fist grazes his arm and it’s like a lightning bolt shoots through him. A gasp escapes his lips before a shaky exhale, his chin wobbling. 

“Ben… this is Hanna,” Rey quietly says as to not spook him. 

“Hanna…” he whispers back like it’s the most precious word in the galaxy. Not once does he take his eyes off the little girl. His little girl. “Can— can I…?” He doesn’t finish his sentence. He doesn’t need to. Rey gets the gist and carefully hands Hanna over into his trembling arms.

He’s inexperienced, having never held an infant before. The closest he’s gotten was carrying around the younglings at the academy. But yet the instant she’s cradled tight in his arms everything feels right. Her Force signature glows strong and bright, nearly blinding the room. It connects and swirls with his own. 

He stares down into the little star’s eyes. His mother’s eyes. His own eyes. And the world around him disappears. A little hand comes up and touches his cheeks making him aware of the tears trailing down them. He chokes out a mix between a sob and a laugh. 

“Hi…” he whispers, entranced at the little being in his arms. Hanna cocks her head to the side as if trying to figure out who he is. Then she grabs onto his nose and lets out the most delightful giggle. The sound causes both Rey and Ben to let out a laugh themselves, albeit theirs is a bit more teary. 

Ben leans down and nuzzles his covered nose against his daughter’s cheek. I’m going to protect you. Always, he promises. She glows brighter, almost as if she heard his vow, and gives him a gummy smile.

Rey stands there with tears running down her cheeks, but she doesn’t care. She can’t take her eyes off her two loves. This is everything she’s ever wanted and it feels surreal. Like if she were to look away it would disappear. 

She steps closer and leans her head next to Ben’s, placing a kiss on Hanna’s cheek. Then she turns to Ben, a smile stretched from cheek to cheek. “I’m going to guess that means she doesn’t hate you,” she teases lightly.

He finally tears his gaze away from Hanna to roll his eyes. “Yeah yeah.” He gently strokes the midnight black curls she inherited from him. Just wait until she finds out about my past, he thinks but doesn’t voice. 

If she senses his anguish she doesn’t mention it. She just leans up and gently pecks his cheek. “Welcome home, Ben,” she says, still beaming at him. 

The corners of his lips lift upwards. Ben slowly leans down and places his lips against hers. Her body reacts in turn and she lifts on her tiptoes, desperate to be closer to him. He shifts Hanna to one arm and uses his free one to wrap around Rey’s waist, pulling her close against his chest. The movement allows him to deepen the kiss. Every time their lips meet it becomes more eager and hungry. 

A loud babble from in between them shatters the moment. Rey pulls away breathless and turns to the little girl who’s mouthing on her fist and looking up at her parents. Rey laughs at the apparent curiosity on Hanna’s face. 

Ben just holds back a groan, willing his hormones and pulse to return to normal levels. He looks down at the smiling baby in his arms with a playful glare. “You’re killing me, kid,” he jokes in exasperation. Hanna just giggles and grabs at his cheeks with her drool-covered hand causing Rey to burst out in laughter. Ben just sighs dramatically. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“Or you’ll what? Show her the power of the dark side?" Rey asks, still laughing. 

His face adopts a serious gaze. “Exactly.” But his eyes betray him. Teasing mirth shines though anyway. 

Rey rolls her eyes and moves to take Hanna from his arms. “Ok, Supreme Leader. Time to get ready for dinner.” 

---

Dinner felt like a fever dream. To his right, Rey was feeding Hanna in between bites of her own meal. To his left was Tai and Chewbacca, the boy talking more than eating. It hadn’t even felt like a full day since he was the leader of the First Order, and now he’s on Tatooine of all places surrounded by a family of his own. One Rey made for him. 

Before he knows it Chewie’s retires to the Falcon, leaving Rey, Tai, Hanna, and himself to wind down for the night in front of the fire. The boy spends what feels like hours talking to him about his training. Tells him everything he’s learned from Rey and Skywalker. Ben indulges him, testing his knowledge, asking him to show him various skills and forms. 

Hanna fell asleep on Rey’s chest a while ago after being rocked gently. Tai eventually quiets down and starts to doze off on the floor, the droid still tied to his side. Both children have had a pretty eventful day due to the new presence in their lives. 

Rey yawns and lays her head on Ben’s shoulder. His arm comes up and wraps around her and the little star in her arms. He pulls her tighter into his side. Tai is practically asleep at his feet. 

With everything calm and quiet, Ben’s mind begins to wander. He thinks about how his life has changed overnight. How he now has not one, but two children to take care of. How he’s sitting beside his other half in his uncle’s childhood home. How he’s never been so content in his whole life. 

A familiar presence creeps into his mind. He turns his head to the left, trying not to disturb Rey on his shoulder. His mouth opens slightly, his heart beating faster. 

Leia stands in the corner of the room. She’s smiling warmly at the scene of the small family all together at last. Her son finally returned to where he's meant to be.  

Ben opens his mouth a little more, intent on saying something. To say anything to the woman he hasn’t seen in a decade. All she does is smile knowingly at him and shake her head. The gesture says everything. 

We’ll talk later. Right now, enjoy. 

He gives a small nod and looks down at Rey. He places a kiss on her head before laying his head on hers. He plans to just savor the moment, like his mother wants him to. 

A bit more time passes. The only thing that has changed is now the room is filled with tiny snores coming from the floor. 

Rey very gently leans up from Ben’s shoulder, trying her best not to disturb the little girl in her arms. “We should probably put them to bed.” She stands carefully and nods her head down to the boy on the floor. Ben stands after her and slides his arms under Tai, picking him up with no effort. 

“This way,” she says, leading him down the hall. They stop at one of the doors. “This is Tai’s room. I’ll just be down the hall putting Hanna to bed.”

Ben nods and walks into the room. With a twitch of his head the blankets fold to the bottom of the bed. He places Tai down before pulling the covers up and tucking him in. 

“I knew you’d come back,” Tai says, voice thick with sleep. He doesn’t even open his eyes. “I’m glad you did.”

Ben’s brow scrunches slightly. He reaches up and brushes the hair away from the boy’s face. “I am too,” he says quietly. “Now sleep.” He stands up straight and makes his way to the door.

“G’night, Ben,” murmurs Tai. 

He smiles. “Goodnight, Tai.” He slowly closes the door and continues down the hall. Rey meets him, shutting Hanna’s door halfway. She then grabs his hand and leads him towards her bedroom. 

Once there, she proceeds to take her outer wraps and boots off before sitting down on the bed. Ben stands in the middle of the room awkwardly, not really sure what to do. He adjusts his jaw, his hands clenching into fists.

“I’ll just go sleep on the Falcon,” he rushes out. The sudden tension in the room is choking him. 

Rey’s gaze softens. “Ben… you’re not sleeping on the Falcon with Chewie,” she begins. She stands and walks over to him. Grabbing both of his hands, she drags him closer to the bed. “I just got you back. You’re not leaving my sight.”

“Rey…” he tries to protest. The blood is rushing to his ears, making them warm. 

She places her hand on his chest, and begins undoing his outer robe. “I want you in the bed.” A smirk forms on her lips. “And are you going to deny me of what I want?”

She’s trapped him. And she knows it. 

“No… Never,” he promises softly. His hands cover hers, helping her with his robe. It drops to the ground in a pile. A shiver runs through his body as her hands caress his now bare chest. He tries to breathe but it just comes out ragged. 

His arms wrap around her waist on their own volition. She stares up at him, a soft smile permanently plastered on her face. A new emotion shines through her eyes and fills the room. 

Lust.

Ben leans down and captures her lips, pouring all his feelings into the kiss. His gratitude for her saving him. For giving him a family. For always having hope in him. For loving him despite everything. 

Her arms slide up his chest, coming to rest around his neck. Rey pulls him down closer to her. She falls back onto the bed without breaking the kiss. He follows her down, planting his hands on either side of her like a protective cage. She sighs against his lips, her mind being consumed by pure bliss. 

The two melt together in a fit of passion and adoration. They take everything slowly, both cherishing the feeling of finally coming together. Of never having to be alone again. Savoring the feeling of being home in the other’s arms at last. 

Chapter Text

“Tai!”

Ben tears through the underground homestead, Hanna firmly on his hip. “Tai-Lin!” he calls again. The kid isn’t responding to anything. He looks at the little girl in his arms. “Where’s your brother, huh?” All he receives is a mostly gummy smile. 

He sighs and reaches out with the Force. Looking around by himself is wasting too much time. He searches until he finds the familiar orange signature. 

Oh no.

The kitchen.

Hanna giggles as her father books it through the house. Ben serpentines through the tunnels and reaches the kitchen just in time. 

“Tai-Lin Solo, drop the fork now!” he commands. 

The boy standing on the chair - hand stretched out in front of him - spooks at the booming tone. The fork that’s currently hovering inches away from the cake perched on top of the cupboard plummets to the ground, clinking against the floor. Tai’s eyes shoot open and whip towards Ben’s. His hand is still up in front of him. 

He’s been caught. 

Tai quickly comes up with an excuse. “You told me I couldn’t be near the cake. And I’m not,” he spits out. 

Ben’s eyebrow raises at the kid’s half-assed attempt at finding a loophole. “Using the Force still counts, kid,” he replies, walking over and gently pushing Tai’s arm down. 

“I just wanted a taste! I’ve never had cake before,” Tai half shouts, pout forming on his face. He focuses hard to create images of him - parentless and starving - on the streets of Mos Eisley in Ben’s mind. The ultimate guilt trip.

Ben rolls his eyes, and blocks out the attempt as easily as blowing a hair from his face. “You’re going to get a taste. After the ceremony with everyone else.”

Tai’s pout only deepens. “But that’s so far away from now,” he whines. 

Tempted to laugh, Ben presses his lips together, the corner raising just slightly. “And here I thought patience was a Jedi’s greatest virtue.” 

“Were you patient, Ben?” Tai retorts, arms folded and eyebrows raised in accusation. 

If it wasn’t for the little girl in his arms Ben would’ve copied the same pose. Alas all he can do is place his free hand on his hip and raise an eyebrow at the boy's cheek. 

At the older man’s displeased expression Tai’s eyes shoot to the ground. “Sorry. I take it back,” he mumbles.

With a sigh, Ben bends down a bit and grabs his shoulder. “To be honest, no… I wasn’t patient. And that’s why I wasn’t as good of a Jedi as you are.” The boy’s face brightens a tad at the praise. Ben turns Tai around and nudges him towards the hallway. “Now go get dressed. We should’ve been ready by now. Rey’s going to kill us if we’re late. Go.”

Tai grumbles and heads down the hall to his bedroom. 

Ben vaguely hears ‘I just wanted some cake for the first time in my life’ in the midst of Tai’s mumbles, and has to bite his lip to keep from snorting. He turns to Hanna who’s still content in her father’s arms. “What are we going to do with him, my little star?” he asks, dramatically shaking his head. His fingers dance across her belly and high pitched giggles erupt from the little girl.

The sound of his daughter’s laughter hits him to the core every single time and he never wants it to end. There’s moments where he can’t believe how much his life has changed. His whole world has been flipped on its head since Rey saved him three months ago. 

Fatherhood was definitely a strange development to get used to. From Supreme Leader of the First Order one day to father of two the next. It hasn’t been easy, and there’s times he curses his own father for not being a better role model. But he wouldn’t trade them for the whole galaxy. 

Rey’s been a great help at catching him up to speed. Especially his next to nothing knowledge about infants. The youngest he’s ever been around were the few younglings he would help Luke teach at the academy. A baby is completely different in every way. For the first little while she liked to get under his skin by telling him he just needs a teacher, to which he would end up rolling his eyes. She seems to get enjoyment out of teasing him about his not so smooth proposals. And he lets her. Because his whole world fills with light with each smile, each laugh, each nose scrunch that she bestows upon his unworthy soul. 

A large part of him mourns everything he missed while trapped within the Force. He would’ve given anything to have actually been there when Hanna was born, instead of witnessing glimpses through a portal. Would’ve given anything to have been able to hold his newborn daughter at Rey’s side. 

A small part in the back of his mind would’ve even been willing to surrender to the darkness again if it meant he could have been present in those moments. 

But he can’t. And he knows Rey would kill him for even having the thought, so he does his best to shove it away. 

When he has those moments he just grabs Hanna and holds his little star close to his chest. What he missed he’s damned determined to make up for now. There’s not a day that goes by that he doesn’t try to be the best father he can. 

He helps Tai with the homestead. In addition to that he helps him train. Pulls from his own learnings from Luke to help the kid hone his Force abilities. He also does every little thing he can with Hanna. Feeds her. Gives her her baths. Sings her old Alderaanian lullabies that he remembers from his own childhood while he rocks her to sleep at night.

Rey’s willingly relegated a lot of parental duties to him without ever saying a word. She knows he needs this, and he’s grateful. He’s also very much grateful for the plethora of holos she recorded for him. Every night for the first whole month, after the little ones were put to bed, Ben would spend his nights watching holo after holo. 

The grin on his face was unmatched seeing Hanna roll from her stomach to her back for the first time. Rey’s convinced he cried watching the holo of Hanna crawling, but he denies it every time. The videos would mesmerize him for hours on end. It didn’t even matter if he’d watch the same one over and over. And every night Rey would lay tucked into his side, her head on his shoulder. 

His mother finally visited him a week after his homecoming. Said she wanted to give him space and time to adjust, and to just enjoy. Though it didn’t stop the guilt and anguish he felt as he looked his mother in her eyes. 

She drew on his connection with the Force just enough to wrap her arms around him. To hold her son after so many years. He had stiffened like a statue before melting into the embrace. Tears fell without his knowledge or permission. 

They talked about Han. And she forgave him. 

And she apologized for sending him away. And for what happened with Luke. 

He didn’t understand how she could ever forgive him for what he did. How she could still love him.

“You will always be my son. And I only ever wanted you back. I’m so proud of you, Ben.”

She then informed him of the location of a very specific item. Something that belonged to her in life.

So two months later it didn’t come as a big surprise to anyone except Rey when he kneeled before her and gave his last and most tactful proposal for her hand, his mother’s double-stoned signet ring that he procured from Maz between his fingers. 

She was shocked into silence, and for a moment he worried she was going to reject his hand yet again. He had only been back for two months and it flashed through his mind that maybe it was too early. That he was moving too fast. 

That is, until she tackled him to the ground. Yeses flowed like a stream out of her mouth and across their linked minds. The sigh of relief that he released undoubtedly put him to shame until she intertwined her fingers in his, granting him yet again a soft kiss. 

And that led them to today. 

He never in his life envisioned himself getting married. After being sent to Luke’s academy they mostly lived by the Jedi code. It was ingrained into him since he was a boy. Then after his fall he had no desire to. All he wanted was power and to rid himself of the light, and that left very little room to think about attachments. 

Then one day she stormed into his life and upended everything he thought and knew. 

She intrigued him from the moment she shot her blaster in his direction. And he hasn’t been able to get her claws out of his heart since. The Force willed it. He was supposed to end up with this powerful, loving, fierce woman. The other half of his soul. 

If only he had stopped being an idiot a lot sooner. 

“Happy?” a voice breaks through his thoughts. “I’m ready.”

Ben turns around to find Tai all dressed in light blue robes with orange detailing along the seams. The boy’s arms are stretched out to display his attire, an annoyed look in his eyes. Ben ignores the attitude and just replies, “Much better. Now come here and hold Hanna for me.”

Tai walks over and takes Hanna from Ben’s arms, tickling the little girl and making faces. More squeals of joy fill the room. 

“Ok, come on. Sit,” Ben softly commands.

With Hanna still in his arms, Tai sits down on one of the kitchen chairs. The little girl immediately takes to playing with his robes, so Tai raises a hand and hovers over some Nabooian pears. They spin in a circle, effectively distracting Hanna. She reaches out to try and grab them. 

Ben diligently gets to work plaiting three braids down the crown of Tai’s ever growing hair. Braids to match his own hairstyle. 

Both Ben and Rey agreed to a small, traditional Tatooine ceremony, but Rey lovingly granted him a few Alderaanian customs. The relatively plain cake was the more difficult one to figure out. Tatooine isn’t renowned for having all the ingredients to make such a dessert, and they were forced to import some goods from Birren, along with some fabric and thread to sew special robes. With his true identity of being Kylo Ren very carefully covered up by Rey and others, the people of Birren were more than willing to help carry on the traditions for Leia’s son’s ceremony. 

Another custom that Ben had been insistent on was plaiting their hair in ceremonial braids. Just as something to honor his mother and her heritage by. He spent a good portion of the morning weaving Rey’s hair into the intricate bridal double crown. She sat patiently the whole time, so much that he thinks she might’ve even dozed off for a few minutes. Hanna was a little more difficult to get to sit still, so she only sports two tiny braids across the top of her head. 

Ben quickly finishes up Tai’s hair, securing it at the ends with a tie. “There. All done, kid,” he says as he taps Tai on the shoulder. Moving around the chair he lifts Hanna from the boy’s lap. “And you, my little star, have drool all over your face.” The little girl just smiles more as he picks up a rag and wipes her cheeks. “Now, is everyone finally ready?”

Tai replies with a raised eyebrow and a, “Are you ready, Ben?” 

The older man glances down, making sure his robes are all in order. The near black fabric with golden detailing is clean and not a wrinkle in sight. His hair is half up in three tidy braids, all coming together in a small bun at the back of his head. He looks at Tai, confusion streaked across his face. Tai taps his forehead.

Oh. He means mentally.

Is he ready? Sure he has nerves. Who doesn’t on their wedding day? Then again the past three months have been nothing but on and off nerves. 

“You worried she’s gonna stand you up?” Tai blurts out nonchalantly. 

Ben’s eyes widen, exasperation taking over. “Tai-Lin! Not helpful!”

“What? It’s entirely possible!” 

“Just– Take Hanna and go find Doma. Okay?” Ben stutters out, handing the little girl back to Tai. The kid is not helping boost his confidence. Tai rolls his eyes and carries Hanna out of the room. 

Now that he’s alone with his thoughts the fidgeting begins. He paces back and forth in the small kitchen, fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly. His jaw can’t seem to stay still. 

A soft roar interrupts his pacing, “You ready, Little Cub?” 

Ben turns to Chewie and suddenly every nervous thought running through his mind ceases and a deep calm rushes over him. He gives a confident nod at his oldest companion and follows him. They head up to the surface where a few benches have been laid out in rows, all facing a small table. On top rests a bowl and a strip of red silk. Next to the table is a small, old man in long robes. 

Their guest list is quite small, neither of them wanting to make too big of a deal about it. Also to not bring too much attention to themselves. Rey’s Resistance friends - Finn, Poe, and Rose - are all in attendance. They had visited about a month and a half after Ben returned. Needless to say it wasn’t the most comfortable of conversations, but eventually they got to an amicable enough place. 

Also sitting amongst the benches are Lando and Maz, the latter giving Chewie a wink and a wave. Ben has to bite his lip to hide his smirk at the furball’s discomfort. Lando gives him a barely perceptible wink as he passes. Standing off to the side are four droids; two of which he’s quite familiar with, the BB unit that technically doesn’t even belong to them, and a tiny, green one wheeled thing he’s never seen before. 

In the front row sits Tai and Doma, Hanna safely in the older woman’s arms. Ben stops and presses a kiss against his daughter’s forehead before giving Doma a peck on the cheek. He then ruffles the back of Tai’s hair, to which the boy shoves him off, making him chuckle. 

Now by the small table Ben turns to Chewie, the Wookiee sweeping him into a big hug. “Thanks, Furball,” he says lovingly. Chewie lets go and roars softly before going over to sit next to Finn. The small horde of porgs that live in the Falcon flock over to the Wookiee’s feet, jumping onto his shoulders. 

There’s a warm buzz forming at the edges of his consciousness, signaling him of her presence as it always does. Ben hears the shuffling of people and turns around. Every ounce of air leaves his lungs the second he lays eyes on her. 

She’s standing there smiling at him. She’s wearing a cream colored dress with sleeves cascading to the ground. Braided ropes detail the neckline and sleeves. Japor tree blossoms have been delicately woven into the braid he created earlier. 

She’s never looked so radiant.

Might want to pick your jaw up from the floor.

Her voice inside his mind makes him snap his mouth shut. His heart nearly beats out of his chest as she walks towards him. His gaze stays firmly locked onto hers. Next thing he knows she’s standing beside him, looking up at his face.

You’re so beautiful.

Rey’s smile grows, her nose scrunching at the compliment. 

The both of them turn to the man behind the table. It took some extensive connections through Maz, but eventually they found an old disciple from the Church of the Force. One who was willing to perform a bonding ceremony. 

The man instructs Ben to hold out his hands and for Rey to place hers in his. Ben can’t help but smirk at the act of her finally taking his hand, to which she rolls her eyes though the smile stays firmly on her face. The man then takes the red silk and weaves it around their clasped hands, tying them to each other. 

“The binding of hands represents the eternal bonds that you form today and the sacred vow you make to one another,” he states. “As this knot is tied, so are your lives bound.”

He then lifts up the bowl and places it in their intertwined hands. He then tells them to repeat his next phrase in unison. And then to sip from the water inside the bowl. 

“From the water which feeds all life, and the Force that binds all life, may we two become one and remain bound until the day we rejoin the Cosmic Force,” they both speak together.

In our case, again.

Rey can’t help but snicker at the dark comment alluding to both of their deaths.

Both of them take turns drinking from the bowl. The drinking of the water had meant a lot to Rey after her time on Tatooine. Being a desert planet, the act is a symbolic and sacred custom during weddings, and she wanted to include it. Luke had told her that his aunt and uncle had performed the same ritual at their wedding. 

The officiant declares them bound and unties their hands. He then rips the red silk in two and ties one half around each of their left wrists. After that he invites them to kiss. Ben doesn’t hesitate. He wraps his arm tightly around her waist, bringing her close before claiming her lips for his own. He can feel her smiling against his kiss. There’s the vague sound of cheering and applause, but neither seem to notice too much. 

After they finally pull apart, Ben rests his forehead against hers. Never in his life has he ever been so content. She brings her hands up and caresses his cheeks and the dimples permanently creased into his face from the smile that has not left since he saw her. In this moment it’s just the two of them. 

That is until they feel the droplets of water being sprinkled onto them. Rey bursts into laughter as they turn to find everyone flicking water at them from tiny bowls of their own; another Tatooine tradition. A blessing of the newlyweds. 

Warmth fills Ben’s chest when there in the distance, over the heads of their few guests, resides a few surprise spectators. Leia smiles brightly at him whereas Luke gives him a subtle nod. The two of them still have some issues to work on, but the same hatred isn’t there anymore. Ben nods back before turning back to Rey and pulling her in for another kiss. 

---

The reception had been small. Rey had made a big batch of bantha stew and baked some fresh loaves of bread for everyone to eat. Toasts were made with the Alderaanian toniray that Leia mentioned was hidden within the Falcon. Saved for one day when her, Luke, and Han were supposed to toast to something big. Sadly they never got to that point, so she offered it to him instead. 

The simple cake had practically been all but demolished. Tai, having taken multiple pieces, has crashed from the sugar rush and is asleep on a bench. Rey, who had also never experienced cake until today, had a second piece as well. They gave a small slice to Hanna and everyone watched and laughed as the little girl just ended up smashing it onto her face. 

There had been some dancing around a small fire to music they found on the holonet. Ben even found some old music from Alderaan and tried to teach Rey a dance his mother taught him when he was a boy. It was then that they discovered she has two left feet. 

Doma so nicely offered to put Hanna to bed and keep an eye out so they could enjoy the rest of the evening with their guests. There was plenty of talking, joking, droids rolling around between people. 

Pretty soon, after goodnights and congratulations were said, guests decided to retreat back to their respective freighters and ships for the night. 

And then it was just the two of them. The two of them plus the boy still sleeping along the bench. The cool desert night has begun to chill the air and Rey can’t help but shiver at Ben’s side; the place she has spent the whole evening. 

Ben wraps an arm around her shoulder and presses a kiss to her temple. “We should probably take him inside,” he says, jutting his chin towards the sleeping kid. A soft snore fills the air and they both can’t help but chuckle. 

With a sigh, Ben stands up and holds out his hand. “Come on, Mrs. Solo.”

If it were at all possible, Rey’s smile grows even wider. She places her hand in his and he helps her up from her chair. He then walks to the bench and lifts Tai up into his arms. 

“Kid’s out cold,” he muses. 

Rey laughs quietly. “He did have quite a bit of cake.”

The pair enter the house. Rey goes to change out of her dress as Ben goes to put Tai to bed. On his way back he stops by Hanna’s room and gives her a small kiss goodnight. 

After both kids are settled he finds Rey sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, wearing only his sweater. Since he’s been back her need to wear the garment has lessened. Now she only seems to wear it for bed. 

Ben sits down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Instantly she responds with resting her head against him. Grabbing his free hand, she takes it and intertwines her fingers into his. A soft, content sigh releases from her lips. 

“It was a good day,” Rey reflects.

Ben hums in agreement before bringing their hands up and pressing kisses against her fingers. “My mother was there. As was Luke.”

“I know. I felt them.” She glances up at him. There’s a far away look in his eyes. “Did you really think she wouldn’t be?”

He brings his troubled gaze down to meet hers. “I suppose not…” he trails off. “Though to be fair I never thought this day would ever exist in my life. So it’s not like I ever thought about her actually being there. Then after I… did what I did… I didn’t think she’d want to.”

Rey sits up and moves on top of his lap, straddling his thighs. She reaches up and caresses his cheeks. “She loves you. She loves us. Our family. Even the Force couldn’t keep her away from her son getting married.” She then leans in and places a soft kiss against his lips.

His hand moves from resting against her hip to winding up into her hair. He plucks one of the tiny flowers from her braid and twirls it between his fingers. “The japor blossoms were a pretty touch.”

“It was her idea you know,” she muses, nuzzling her nose into his cheek. “She mentioned that you used to love weaving flowers into her hair when you were little.”

A reminiscent smile echoes across his face. “I did.” He brushes a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. “Did you know that it’s also customary for one’s husband to remove the braids as well?” he asks, his smile turning into more of a roguish grin.

Rey raises an eyebrow at his changing expression. “No, I did not.” Her gaze flickers down to his lips as his tongue slips out to wet them. “And is there something specific I’m supposed to wear for this custom as well?”

Ben moves his lips to her neck. “Mhm hmm,” he hums against her throat. “The traditional attire being… nothing.”

She has to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Ben continues his ministrations against her pulse. “Oh really? Nothing? Nothing at all?”

“Nope,” he answers, his voice dropping into a softer, deeper tone. “Not a single kriffing thing.”

Before she can even laugh Ben growls and stands up, moving her legs firmly around his waist. “In fact we should go take them out right now. The sooner the better.” He all but races down the hall, Rey giggling quietly in his arms. When he reaches their room he skillfully closes the door behind them with the Force. 

It’s Hanna’s first birthday. Rey’s friends, Doma, and Chewie are all visiting to help celebrate. Ben hasn’t put her down all day. He’s too busy being excited and grateful to be a part of the day to let her go. 

Everyone has been catching up and doting on the little girl. Luke and Leia have even appeared, though Luke is mostly sticking close to Chewie and Tai talking about ships and training techniques. Leia on the other hand has not left Ben’s side, still completely enthralled with her granddaughter. Stories from Ben’s childhood have been spilling from her mouth since she showed up. Stories about his own first birthday.

They had made a very small cake using some leftover ingredients from the ones they imported for the wedding. Tai was equally as excited as Hanna, though more cake made it into his mouth than it did hers. 

Rey excuses herself from Finn and Poe and walks over to Ben. “The others have brought a few gifts. I was thinking we could open them before it gets too late,” she suggests while smoothing out the stray hairs from Hanna’s braids. 

“Yeah, ok. That works.” He turns to look at the little girl in his arms. “What do you think, my little star? Wanna open some presents?” he asks, bouncing her a bit. 

Hanna giggles. “Dada.”

“Exactly,” he replies as he and Leia follow Rey into the living room. Ben sits on the couch next to her with Hanna in his lap. The others join around them.

Rose comes over with an armful of wrapped packages. “The boys and I went a little all out,” she begins. “Ok it was me forcing them to. But it’s not everyday my goddaughter turns one.” She grins brightly at Hanna while handing Rey the gifts. 

Rey turns to Hanna, still in Ben’s lap. “You ready, my love? Wanna see what Aunt Rose, Uncle Finn, and Uncle Poe got you?” She opens the first package, Hanna gripping at the cloth in her own effort to help. “I’m going to guess this one’s from Poe,” she says laughing while revealing the tiny model of a black painted X-wing. 

Poe just shrugs. “Kid’s gotta learn to fly from somewhere,” he replies nonchalantly. 

An indignant laugh bursts from Ben. “Yes, because her father totally can’t teach her that at all,” he retorts.

“Glad we’re on the same page,” Poe smugly responds. 

A withering look from Rey and a warning of ‘Boys…’ makes them back off. She then returns to opening the next gift; some handmade wooden blocks from Finn. Rey thanks Finn, leaning over and giving him a hug. 

At the last package Rose half shouts, “This one’s from me!” causing the room to laugh at the excitement from the bubbly woman. 

Rey - with some help from Hanna - open Rose’s gift to find a handmade Resistance pilot doll. “Oh Rose, it’s wonderful.” 

“You told me about the old Rebel doll you had… just felt fitting,” Rose explains. 

Rey leans over and gives her a hug. “It’s very thoughtful. Thank you.”

A roar comes from the corner of the room. Chewie walks over with a crudely wrapped package. 

“And whatcha got there, Furball?” asks Ben while he takes it from the Wookiee’s hands. “Let’s see what Uncle Chewie got you.” He places the gift in Hanna’s lap and helps her unwrap it. The moment he does it’s like time stops. From underneath the wrapping is a purple and yellow tooka doll. 

Ben looks up at Chewie, his brows furrowed in shock and confusion. “How did you… where did you find this?”

“Find what?” Rey interrupts. She can feel the mood has changed in the room and within her husband. 

“Princess told me where I could find it. Deep within the Falcon,” Chewie replies. 

Ben shifts to look at his mother. He waves the doll in her direction. “You mean to tell me this has been on the Falcon for the last twenty-five years? And not actually lost like I was told?” he asks with an accusatory tone. 

Leia sighs and shakes her head with Luke trying to keep a smirk off of his face beside her. “Blame Han. I told him it was a bad idea. Apparently he wasn’t able to part with it himself,” she tries to explain.

“A bad idea?” he demands, his eyes widening. “I cried for weeks!”

“Wait,” Poe cuts in, his voice bubbling with restrained laughter. “You mean to tell me that the Supreme Leader … cried over a doll?” Finn snorts at his question. 

Ben turns to glare at them. “It was a tooka that Lando gave me. I was five. And kriff off,” he snaps. 

Before another retort can be uttered Rey steps in. “Hey, the three of you. Enough. Happy day, remember?” Then she takes the tooka from Ben’s clenched fist and hands it over to Hanna, who happily takes it in her arms. “Here you go, my love.” The soft fabric seems to be a new sensation because the little girl can’t seem to stop patting at it. 

All of Ben’s tension melts watching his daughter play with the doll he once loved so much as a child. A tiny smile graces his lips. “Thank you, Chewie.” He gives an appreciative nod towards the Wookiee, receiving a soft roar in reply. 

Leia gives a nod at Chewie, who brings over another package and places it in Hanna’s lap. “Unfortunately Force ghosts can’t buy anything new,” she cuts in. “But I had Maz dig through my old belongings and send over a special gift.” 

Ben gives his mother a curious look before beginning to open the package.

“She’s probably still a tad too young, but I know I definitely enjoyed her very much as a child.”

The wrappings unveil a round, red and white droid with two blue sensors and an antenna. Ben carefully lifts the droid and it springs to life. Two wings pop out and the droid begins to fly just above his hand like a bug. Hanna gazes up and reaches her hands out to grab it. Ben holds her hands down, a little distrustful of the strange thing.

The droid zooms around the room, assessing everyone. Hanna’s curious eyes follow the droid. It eventually settles by Leia, giving a trill of beeps in greeting to the one person she recognizes. It elicits a smile from the older woman.

“This is Lola. She’s one of my only remaining possessions from Alderaan. I’ve had her since I was a young girl,” explains Leia. “She meant a lot to me. And now I hope she’ll mean a lot to Hanna.”

Lola flies back over and hovers next to Rey. Ben looks at his mother. “I didn’t know you had a droid.” The little girl in his arms tries to reach for the astromech again. She seems enthralled with the flying thing, eyes wide as can be.

“Thank you, Leia,” Rey says, smiling at her old master. “If her attention is anything to go by, I’m sure she’ll love Lola.” She tickles Hanna’s stomach, and the little girl breaks into giggles, her attention thoroughly distracted by her mother’s hand.

Ben laughs at the giggling girl in his lap. “Yeah thank you, Mom,” he echoes Rey’s sentiment. 

“I wanted to get Starfighter a lightsaber, but Luke told me no,” pipes up Tai from the chair next to the sofa.

Luke rolls his eyes as the rest of the adults in the room break into laughter. Rey smiles at Ben, shaking her head at Tai’s antics. 

Ben reaches over and ruffles Tai’s hair and the boy shoves his arm away, making him chuckle more. Ben and Rey then descend upon the little girl in his lap, kisses peppering all over her cheeks as her giggles grow louder. 

Since her birthday Hanna has not gone a day without her father’s tooka doll by her side. Lola is not very far behind the little girl, always hovering in whatever room Hanna is in. Though she can’t play with the droid yet, she is quite entertained by Lola flying around the room. 

A few months later Ben finds himself spending time playing with Hanna on the kitchen floor while Rey fixes up some lunch. Tai is currently outside with BB-8 training with his practice bot. 

Ben holds a hand up and uses the Force to help her stack the blocks Finn gifted her in a single column. Once they’re all standing Hanna knocks them over with her hand resulting in a burst of giggles. It seems to be keeping his little star entertained so he continues doing it, over and over and over. 

Hanna once again knocks over the tower of blocks except this time one of them rolls too far out of her reach. Just as Ben leans over to grab it, the block zooms through the air back into Hanna’s hands. 

Ben’s eyes widen and whip over to the little girl who’s now happily chewing on the block. “Holy hells, Rey,” he calls to her. “She did it.”

From her place at the counter Rey turns around. “She did it?” she asks, confused. “Wait, she did it!? Like it it?” she repeats, rushing towards them. Her eyes widen just like his. Lunch has been forgotten, half finished on the counter. 

“Yes! She did it!” he exclaims. At lightspeed he stands up, scooping Hanna off the floor into his arms. Not being able to contain his pride he yells, “Holy kriffing hells! You did it, kid!” 

More giggles erupt from the little girl at her parents’ excitement. Both Ben and Rey dote on her, celebrating her first burst of Force activity. Kisses rain upon her cheeks. 

“My daughter is going to be the strongest Force user the galaxy has ever known!” he proclaims, lifting Hanna high in the air. Rey then gives him a disapproving look, so he adds, “If that’s what she wants.” He presses more kisses onto her cheeks. “I’d never force my little star to be something she didn’t want to be.”

The years go by. Tai and Hanna keep getting bigger. Tai learns more about the Force and how to really hone his skills with a lightsaber. Ben, Luke, and him focus on meditation and have moved onto the complexities of crafting a lightsaber for himself.

Hanna learns to walk and talk. She keeps Ben and Rey on their toes, always zooming around the house with her tooka and Lola at her side. She occasionally keeps having bursts of Force activity, but neither of them push her too much. She’s still young and there’s no need to make too big of a deal about it while she’s small. 

“I can’t believe our little light is already three,” Rey mourns as she crawls into bed the night of Hanna’s third birthday. Ben’s already all settled, reading on his holopad. “It’s all moving too fast.”

A chuckle leaves his lips as he places the holopad on the bedside table. “It’s not exactly like we can stop it, Sweetheart.”

Her eyes widen as she looks at him. “Maybe there is. Maybe there’s some sort of ancient Force thing that can freeze time,” she hurriedly says, being purposely self deluded. 

Ben laughs and strokes her cheek. “Unfortunately there isn’t. If there was, you would’ve found it long ago in those damn texts. We just have to accept the fact that both of them are going to get older whether we like it or not.”

Rey pouts and crawls onto his lap, her thighs on either side of his hips. “But I don’t want them to. I mean, Hanna turned three. Tai’s almost fifteen and already beginning his search for his own kyber crystal.” Her eyes gaze down at the blanket as she subconsciously picks at the frayed threads. “They’re not going to need me anymore, Ben,” she whispers.

He reaches out and lifts her chin with his finger. “Sweetheart, they’re always going to need you. And Hanna just turned three. She can’t even read, nonetheless get through life by herself.” His warm chuckle draws a small smile from her. “You’re not obsolete yet, my love. And even if there ever comes a time when they don’t need you anymore… I always will.”

Her smile grows at the sweet sentiment. She places a soft kiss upon his lips before leaning back with a furrowed brow. “Ben?” she begins timidly.

“Yes?” he asks, a finger softly trailing down her nose.

She chews on her lip. The next thought is suddenly difficult to voice. “I think… I think your mother was right.”

His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. “Right about what?”

“I— I do want to do it all over again,” she whispers, almost scared of his reaction. “With you this time.”

Ben’s eyes search hers, their minds connecting through all the words she’s not saying aloud. A small panic begins to rise in his chest. “You..?” he trails off, hoping she’ll confirm his understanding. 

It appears that he’s correct because she nods slowly. 

“I want another,” she softly says. A tiny smile forms in the corner of her lips. “Preferably the proper way this time.”

Ben chuckles before leaning his forehead against hers. “I will give you as many children as you want, and as many as the Force will grant us.” He gently kisses her lips. “Anything so our children shall never know loneliness a day in their lives.” He moves along to her jawline. “Kriff, I’ll steal more urchins from Mos Eisley if I have to,” he murmurs, softly nipping at her neck.

Rey gently slaps his arm in shock. “Ben!” she reprimands while laughing. 

He doesn’t stop kissing along her throat, his hands skimming up her back under his sweater that she still wears every night. “So when do we get started?” he asks not so innocently. 

She just laughs again. “Ben, I still have an implant.”

“So?” he retorts, smirking up at her. “Doesn’t mean we can’t practice.” He kisses his way down to her collarbone. “An eager padawan needs lots of training.”

“A padawan, huh?” she questions with eyebrows raised. Her lips are pursed in an effort to not laugh. Her fingers come up and run through his hair practically making him purr like a tooka. “And are you a good padawan, Ben?”

His smirk simply grows. Suddenly he flips them over, her now settling below him. “Always, Master Solo,” he replies, his eyes darkening with each moment. Rey giggles at his answer before she’s silenced with a deep kiss. The two of them then fall apart, coming together as one. 

Chapter Text

Rey makes her way up to the surface. She heard the ship touch ground just moments ago and she’s eager to reunite with the inhabitants. She opens the door just as the ramp of the Falcon descends. A lanky teenage boy runs down, not even waiting for the ramp to fully open. 

“Rey! I found it!” Tai yells in excitement as he runs over to meet her. 

She can’t help but laugh along with his joy. “Well go on then, show it to me.”

Tai reaches into his pocket and pulls out a clear crystal. He hands it over to her with the care of a newborn. There’s a grin on his face that she’s sure won’t leave anytime soon. Rey takes the crystal and looks it over. She examines every edge and divot. “That’s a fine kyber. I’m sure it’ll create an excellent saber for you,” she says with a proud smile. 

He takes it back and carefully puts it in his pocket for safekeeping. “Thanks. Getting it wasn’t the easiest, that's for sure.”

“It never is. I do have one last test for you, Young Padawan.” Tai rolls his eyes at her at the old nickname. “Can you sense anything different about me?”

Tai’s eyebrows scrunch up. “Oh that one’s easy. Your aura is different. Brighter than normal,” he replies swiftly. “Now can I go show Hanna, BB-8, and D-O my crystal?”

Rey laughs at his eagerness. “You may. But try not to rile her up too much. It’s late and she should be in bed, but she wanted to stay up for you two.” She attempts to kiss his cheek which he reluctantly obliges before he wipes his cheek with a grimace and races to the door. She stands there with a longing smile watching him leave, wondering where the ten year old boy who loved her affection went.

The other inhabitant of the Falcon follows up behind them as Tai takes off down into the homestead. Ben wraps his arms around Rey from behind, savoring the feeling of being near his wife again. Rey turns around to someone who does still appreciate her kisses and places her lips softly against his, something he immediately melts into. 

She pulls away first. “So how’d he do?” she asks.

Ben keeps his arms around her, pulling her closer. “For being fifteen he did really well. I think he’s a little miffed that he didn’t beat my time, but I think the excitement of building a saber of his own is overshadowing that.” 

“What color do you think he’ll have?”

“If I had to make an educated guess, knowing Tai and his personality, he’ll probably end up with green like Luke,” he answers.

Rey’s nose scrunches in confusion. “Is it not correlated to one’s aura? Mine are both yellow.”

He shakes his head. “Not necessarily. It’s common to match, but my saber was blue before and my aura is violet. And now my healed crystal is white. Doesn’t always have to be the same. Sometimes it’s more what your destiny within the Force is.” He then grabs her chin and forces her to face him. “Though speaking of, what’s this I hear about your aura being different?”

Rey starts to fidget a teeny bit. “Can’t you tell?” she asks, her nerves spiking under his scrutiny. 

“Wasn’t exactly looking before… but he’s right. You are brighter than normal.” Ben places his hands on her cheek and forehead. “Are you ok? Are you sick?”

She pulls his hands down. “Ben, I’m not sick.” Well, not that type of sick, she thinks. “Do you really not sense anything different about me?” she asks nervously.

“Should I?” She’s beginning to worry him now. He’s never seen her so nervous before. Well, not since he was chasing her down on Takodana and she was shooting at him. 

Rey rolls her eyes. Are all Skywalker men this clueless? “Ben, reach out and sense me.”

The demand confuses him, but he shuts his eyes and reaches out nonetheless. Her signature in the Force is as bright as it’s ever been, the usual deep gold becoming a warm, sunny yellow. There’s something else though. Reaching a little deeper, he senses it; a tiny blip in the Force. Not even big enough to have its own aura yet. He quickly pulls away, his eyes shooting open to find hers. She’s staring back at him with anxious eyes and biting her lip. 

“You’re…?” he barely speaks. He can’t even finish the question. 

Her brows furrow together as she gives a tentative nod. “Two,” she weakly says, holding up two fingers.

“Two?” he asks in confusion. His eyes drift to her stomach then back to her finger then back to her stomach. Immediately he places his hand over her womb, reaching out into the Force once more. He searches until he finds the blip once again. Then pressing further past it he discovers another tiny blip just beside the first one. With a gasp, he opens his eyes again. “Two…” he repeats, his voice is barely a whisper in his disbelief. 

Then he realizes he’s reacting like an idiot because she’s still standing in front of him, fear streaked across her face. He brings his hands up to her cheeks and pulls her in for a kiss. He breaks it with an airy laugh. “Kriffing hells, Rey. You’re— We’re— There’s—” 

Rey finally lets herself smile. “Yeah,” she cuts him off as it seems he can’t finish a sentence in his excitement. She grabs his hands and brings them back over her lower stomach. “It actually happened. You did it again, Solo… Just purposefully this time.” 

Ben gives her another deep kiss before lowering himself to his knees in front of her. He caresses her stomach like a piece of glass that will break if he’s too rough. “I can’t believe there’s two,” he replies in wonder. He places a kiss below his hands. “They don’t even have their own auras yet,” he tells her. “Just two tiny, white lights in the Force.”

She runs her fingers through his hair and hums along with his findings. The amount of relief she’s feeling is insurmountable. She doesn’t even know why she was so scared in the first place. They had been trying for Force’s sake. Granted not for twins, but still. She should’ve known he would be excited. 

He looks up at her from his place on the ground. “How long have you known?”

“I only felt them the other day. I thought about comm-ing you, but I rather wanted to tell you in person,” she answers with a smile. 

“I’m glad you did,” he says, planting another kiss on her stomach. “Is that how it was with Hanna? You just suddenly felt her?”

Rey gives him a nod. “It’s weird. It’s like one moment they aren’t there, and the next moment they are, and you just know what it is.”

“It could be the moment the Force manifests inside them as opposed to moment of conception,” Ben surmises, ever the scholar for the workings of the Cosmic Force. 

“Maybe.” Rey hesitates. “Are you sure you’re happy?”

Ben stands up and grabs her face in his hands. “Sweetheart, I told you. I will happily give you as many children as you want.” Tears begin to pool in the corners of his eyes. “The fact that I get to be here to witness it this time means more than you’ll ever know.” He presses his lips softly against hers. “You, Tai, Hanna, and now these two are my life, my entire reason for living. Don’t ever doubt that.”

The dam breaks, and tears stream down Rey’s face. She leans up and wraps her arms tightly around his neck. He pulls her in and holds her close. Her tears soak through his shirt but he doesn’t care. Nothing can pull him down from the high that he’s on right now. 

“I forgot how emotional this makes me,” she says as she leans back and sniffles. She groans loudly. “Ugh, I’m not looking forward to the sickness again. It was awful.”

Ben chuckles and leans his forehead against hers. “At least you'll have me to hold your hair back this time.” It draws out a laugh from her and he grins widely. It’s still his favorite sound in the world. “How are we going to survive twins?” he jokes.

Rey laughs again. “I don’t know, but I do know it’s your fault.”

“Yeah… those Skywalker genes are really good at making life more difficult,” he retorts self-deprecatingly. Ben grabs Rey’s hand and leads her towards the door. “Now come on. I believe we have a little star who’s up way past her bedtime. Maker knows Tai’s wound her all up with tales of his daring adventure.” He stops them right at the door but doesn’t go in. “Do you want to tell them?”

Rey brings her hand up and strokes his cheek. “Not yet,” she replies with a smile. “Let’s let him have his moment. He’s worked very hard for this. He’s earned the spotlight for a bit.” She pats his cheek and dips into the homestead, Ben following behind her. 

---

Eventually they did tell everyone. But only after a boy and crystal had bonded, and a hilt was crafted together through tedious meditation. The pair kept it a secret as a bright green blade ignited for the first time, and very shortly after clashed against a piercing white beam in a sparring match. Only when the excitement of the new saber subsided did they tell people.  

Tai, who’s much older and more knowledgeable this time around, reacted with an “Ew, I don’t want to think about you two doing that” before relenting and congratulating them. He even came around to being excited to have two more siblings to teach everything to. 

Hanna on the other hand, at the age of three and a half, could barely grasp the idea. Rose, being the best godmother she can be, has gotten the little girl multiple dolls, so there’s the vague concept of babies, but conceptualizing little beings inside Rey’s stomach is still too much for her. She is happy that her Mama and Dada are very happy and smiley though.

Leia broke into happy tears, and fed off of Ben’s life force just enough to wrap the expecting couple into a huge hug. She also couldn’t resist throwing an “I told you so” over to Rey, which they then had to explain to Ben who rolled his eyes at his mother’s antics and was equally as grossed out hearing about his parents attempts at conception.

Luke was Luke about it. Pretty much silent except for a few well timed winks and nods. Rey even swears he gave her a smile upon hearing it’s twins. Chewie on the other hand was ecstatic. Could barely stop roaring about his Little Cub and Sunshine having more cubs. He promised to make a trip to Tatooine as soon as he can. 

The holo call to Rey’s friends proved to be even crazier. Rose jumped for joy and was screaming about being godmother to two more beautiful babies. She started spouting off how she’ll need to start purchasing toys in twos. Finn was supportive as always and gave them a heartfelt congratulations. Poe on the other hand couldn’t help but give a quip about there being two more “Supreme” babies in the galaxy. Rey just rolled her eyes and they laughed at the annoyed look on Ben’s face. 

Doma found out when Rey went over to see her to ask for more of her morning sickness herbs. The old woman was thrilled for the pair and immediately told Rey everything she knows about birthing twins. She gave another promise to be there when the time came. 

The first few months passed relatively easily. The nausea came in full force, and had Rey bent over in the fresher most mornings - and sometimes into the evenings - with Ben dutifully behind her holding back her hair and pressing a cold cloth to the back of her neck. Rey swears that with two babies the sickness is being doubled. But she is glad to have Ben there for the comfort. 

Every night Ben reaches out and finds the tiny signatures within the Force. They’re beginning to shine brighter than they were before. Their auras are starting to change from white, though a specific color hasn't presented itself yet. Rey wonders if they’ll have the same shade or not. At night Ben talks to her stomach as she runs her fingers through his hair, content with him being here and being able to bond with the little lights inside of her. 

He can’t get enough of it. His children are growing inside of her. And this time he can actually put his hands on her and feel their signatures spark with recognition. Though he’s entirely grateful, he occasionally has his down moments. Moments where he’s heartbroken that he missed all these milestones when Rey was carrying Hanna. It still pains him to know he wasn’t there for any of it. When he gets sad, Rey just brings his hands to her stomach and runs her fingers through his hair. Sometimes she’ll even talk about the differences and similarities that her two pregnancies have. 

They’ve even begun trying to prepare their little girl for the changes in life to the best of their abilities. They know that newborn twins are going to take up quite a bit of their time, and they desperately don’t want any of their children to feel abandoned or ignored the way they felt. It’s not the easiest process to prepare a three year old, but they’re trying their best to explain it. Tai even tries to help by saying they’ll have more time to play games together, which Hanna seems quite excited about. 

Ben’s trying his best to not coddle Rey too much as she tries to do work around the farm, though he knows he’s failing as she’s reminded him many times she’s still capable of activities. 

“I fought Tuskens and won while I was carrying Hanna. I think I can collect water from the vaporators.”

“Yes but you don’t need to. I’m here, Tai’s here. Hell even the furball is here right now. Let us worry about the farm.”

All she did was raise an eyebrow and glare at him when he said that.

“Ben Solo, if you think I’m just going to lie around and do nothing just because I’m carrying your children, you’re sorely mistaken. I rebuilt this farm from the ground up while with Hanna, and I intend to work on it for as long as my body lets me.”

Needless to say that was the end of that conversation. Though she still glares every time he gives her a worried look. Something he’s always loved about her is her tenacity, but Force, is she sometimes too stubborn for her own good. 

The one thing he’s adamant about not letting her do is sparring with lightsabers. They fought about it at first, her arguing that she helped Tai train last time, but his counter was that he’s here this time. She doesn’t need to spar with Tai when he can. Also now because the kid is fifteen he just likes trying to beat Ben in a duel. Eventually she relented after a few days of silence. 

All in all the first few months flew by. Chewie visited and left with promises of returning when possible. Lando even came around for a small reunion and a toast to the new soon to be Solos. The toast ended up being a little more than a single drink for Ben and his honorary uncle. They both stayed up late into the night reminiscing and talking about Han. Lando told him how proud the old man would be, and they both took one last shot to honor him. The next morning wasn’t all that pleasant and had both Rey and Ben fighting off bouts of nausea. A fact that Rey took great amusement in between emptying the contents of her stomach.

“Maybe I need to hold your hair back.” 

He laughed at her joke before the sound of her heaving nearly made him lose his caf in the sink next to her.

About three months along… 

Rey stands in front of the small mirror they have in their room. She’s dressed only in her breast band and pants. Turning to the side she gazes in the mirror and softly rubs the small bump that gently protrudes from her stomach. 

“Whatcha doing?” Ben asks as he walks into the bedroom.

She doesn’t look up. Her attention still locked on the reflection in the mirror. “Nothing. Just looking. Last time I was barely showing at this point.”

He comes over and wraps his arms around her from behind, placing his hands over hers. He leans his head on the top of her head. “That’s because there’s two in there this time and they need all the room they can get.”

“It’s because their father is a giant,” she retorts with an eye roll.

Ben chuckles at the quip. “That’s true too.” He leans down and presses soft kisses along the side of her neck. “I like seeing you like this though. Our children safely growing inside you. I know you didn’t feel it last time, and I wasn’t there to tell you… but you’re so beautiful, Rey. And you’re just going to get more beautiful as the days go by.” 

Rey brings her gaze up from her stomach to meet his eyes in the mirror. She sniffles back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “Even when I’m eventually the size of a bantha?”

“You won’t be,” he replies with a laugh. “But yes, even then. You’re my wife, the other half of my soul, and the mother of my children. I thought you were beautiful the first time you shot at me on Takodana.”

“You were chasing me in a mask,” she interrupts, but he ignores her.

“You were beautiful when we touched hands. You were beautiful in the turbolift when you promised to help me. You were beautiful when you stabbed me with my own saber.” He laughs at the blush that rushes to her face as she remembers that awful moment. “You were beautiful when you graced me with that kiss I didn’t deserve.”

She opens her mouth to protest, but he holds up a hand to stop her.

“You were beautiful when you were carrying Hanna and I could only catch glimpses through gateways.” He kisses her temple softly. “You were beautiful on our wedding day. You’re beautiful now, and you’ll be beautiful when you’re nearly bursting with our twins.” 

The dam breaks and tears slide down her cheeks. “What did I do to deserve you?” she asks with a watery smile.

He grins at her through the mirror. “No…” He shakes his head. “It’s what did I do to deserve you. You are so… perfect, and I am truly unworthy to be in your presence let alone be your husband.”

Rey turns her head to the side and swiftly presses her lips against his. She swivels in his arms, winding her hands up through his hair. She pulls him down closer and deepens their kiss, something he wholeheartedly reacts to. His hands caress across her bump to her hips, where they grip to pull her flush against him. She sighs contentedly against his lips.

“You know, this is exactly how we got in this twin situation in the first place,” he jokes as he pulls away. 

She laughs and leans her cheek against his chest. “How was the outpost?”

“It was fine. Tai and I grabbed a bunch of staples so we should be good for a while.”

“Did you get those pears I like?”

“Two whole bags of them. We should be well stocked for the week. At the rate this house goes through Nabooian pears, we’re going to have to sell the farm,” he jokes. 

She slaps his arm lightly. “It’s not my fault. You’re the one who loves them, and I’m only craving them because it’s your children who are residing within me.”

Ben snorts. “Yes, but, Sweetheart, you eat enough pears to kill a Wookiee.” He gives her cheek a peck and dashes out of the room before she can give him a smack. His laughter rings through the hall.

Rey just shakes her head and sighs. She turns back to the mirror, her hands coming down to caress over her little lights. Their signatures glow brighter at the motion. 

“You two are going to be so loved, and have so many people be there for you,” she whispers while rubbing the swell of her stomach. “It won’t be the most conventional family, I’m afraid. It’s filled with people we’ve picked up along the way. But there’s so much love. And they all can’t wait to meet you.”

A few more months pass and Rey’s bump grows quicker than expected. Soon she’s at a point where she has to limit her chores around the farm, much to her displeasure. It’s way earlier than last time and she’s miffed. Ben on the other hand is quite glad for her long overdue requirement for rest. During the past few weeks he’s been getting close to having a heart attack every time she’s picked up a full water canister. 

Growing bumps mean growing babies, and Ben will forever remember the moment their auras became clear within the Force. Hanna was long in bed, Tai was in his room doing Maker knows what, and he and Rey were in the sitting room relaxing after a long day. Rey was in her own world reading a holonovel, and he was on the floor next to her, his hands splayed out on her stomach while he whispered to the twins.  

He remembers playing a game where he would gently prod their signatures and they would send tingles back, excited at the presence of their father. His pride would soar each time. Not even halfway through their time within Rey’s womb and they were already both so naturally strong with the Force. 

With his hands pressed against Rey’s ever expanding stomach, he prodded at the two tiny lights again. This time, instead of receiving the usual tingles, both lights flashed bright white so suddenly that it caused him to gasp and pull away. Rey immediately got worried, placing down her holonovel and asking him if anything was wrong. He didn’t say anything and just reached back out to check on the two small beings. When he found them he gasped again before laughing in disbelief and pressing his forehead against the swell of her stomach. 

“Ben, what is it?” she had asked, still dumbfounded by his reaction. She had reached out herself and found that the babies were both still safe and content, so her husband’s gasps were confusing her.

“They’re mesmerizing…” His voice was still soft in his wonderment. 

“What is?”

“Their auras…”

Under his hands and forehead, tucked away safely within Rey’s womb, shone the prettiest shades of cyan and teal he’s ever seen in his life. Their auras just alike enough as a result from their bond as twins, like his mother and Luke had been, but different enough to distinguish them as two separate beings. 

Ben didn’t even realize tears had been falling from his eyes until Rey wiped a hand across his cheek with a smile. He surged up and claimed her lips, happiness overwhelming him.

The next morning when Tai came into the kitchen for breakfast he had stopped in the door, sensing something was different than normal. Ben took it as a testing opportunity to which Tai passed with flying colors. As soon as he reached out two new, colorful auras hit him like a freighter. 

---

A few weeks after that Rey and Ben are in bed, Rey tossing and turning from the sheer lack of comfort that she’s being awarded these days. No matter how she lays, there’s no position that lulls her into the same deep sleep as the man next to her. 

After hours of fighting with sleep due to the children tumbling inside her, she brings out her holonovel and begins to read, just wanting something to pass the time and hopefully make her drowsy enough to sleep. Just as she’s swiping to the next page a tiny foot jabs into her ribs, resulting in a large gasp escaping her mouth. 

She’s been feeling flutters and movement for weeks now, but this is the first time where one of them has kicked hard enough to knock the wind out of her. 

Ben jumps up at her gasp, half awake, and looks around the room with eyes partially open. “Huh?” he mumbles, his voice still thick with sleep. He looks up to see Rey sitting up and rubbing her stomach with a grimace. It causes him to shift up straighter as panic seeps into the edges of his mind. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Rey shakes her head, a small smile beginning to form from the grimace. “I’m fine, Ben. In fact, here,” she says, holding her hand out for his. He allows her to grab his hand and she places it just under her ribs. 

“Reach out for them.”

He tentatively prods at the little Force signatures at her request. Almost instantly the two babies shift inside her. A foot juts up and makes contact with Ben’s palm. 

The gasp that comes out of him nearly startles her. His eyes meet hers and she doesn’t think he’s ever smiled so wide in his entire life. He looks like a child who’s been given the best toy in the galaxy. 

“That was Teal,” he whispers in awe. He sits up and places his other hand on a different part of her stomach. Reaching out, he feels for the cyan aura and gives a small prod. A hand jabs Rey’s side, palm to palm with Ben. The couple laugh at the reaction. Both of them have tears welling in their eyes.

Ben continues on playing with the twins, completely fascinated at the new milestone. He reaches out for them at different intervals to see their corresponding movement like it’s a game. It’s almost as if he’s mentally told them to lighten up because she thankfully doesn’t get kicked in the ribs again. 

“You know, Tai did that with Hanna before she was born,” she says after a while. “He’d give her a nudge and she would nudge him back. It was like their own version of hide and seek.”

Ben starts to look up but something stops him. “I’m glad they’re close.” And he is. Anyone with eyes can see the bond the kid and little girl have. Tai was there for everything Ben was not. He knows it’s irrational and pathetic, but sometimes a small part of him is jealous of the fifteen year old. 

“Oi. Come back to me,” Rey says softly, reaching over and tilting his head up with her finger. His eyes are distant in thought and take a moment to focus on her face. “You’re here now. You’re her father and she loves you. No one can compare to that bond. What you and Hanna have is different from what Tai and her have, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean she loves you any less.”

She places her hands on top of his. “And now they have you, and you’ll form your own bonds with them. It’s ok to be sad for what you missed, but try to focus on what you do have. Focus on now.”

Ben nods and grabs her hands in his. He places kisses silently to each of her knuckles. He doesn’t know how she does it; how she always knows exactly what to say to bring him out of one of his funks. 

Maker, he loves this woman. And he loves the family she’s created for him. They’re his reason to keep living, to push past his demons and regrets, and to fight to be better. 

“Hey, Tai! Get out here and help me with this!”

Tai’s in the sitting room peacefully meditating while BB-8 and D-O roll around when he hears the call. With a large sigh and an eye roll he gets up. “You two staying here or coming?” he asks the droids. 

“C-c-coming,” replies D-O. BB-8 trills in agreement. 

“Ok, let’s find out what Ben needs.” Tai picks up the cone headed droid and makes his way out of the homestead, BB-8 right on his heels. Once he reaches the surface, he puts D-O down. Both droids entertain themselves by rolling around and racing. 

Tai sees Ben give a wave and makes his way over to him. “Why are we staring at a pile of wood?” he asks with a raised eyebrow. Before them lays a heap of wood planks next to some tools.

Ben rolls his eyes. “It’s not going to stay a pile of wood. I figured that while Rey and Hanna are off visiting her friends, you and I could build a present for her.”

“We’re going to build something? You and me?”

“Yes. We’re going to build a gift for Rey. Considering we’re expecting two babies in the near future and we only have one bed, I thought we could build another bassinet.”

Tai looks at the pile doubtfully before looking back at Ben. “I don’t know if we should be the ones doing this. Rey is way better at building things.”

The kid wounds his pride. “Hey! I rebuilt a whole ship when I was your age. Plus I lived in that piece of junk for years,” Ben retorts, alluding to the Falcon’s ever needed repairs. “I’m just as capable as Rey is at building things.”

“I don’t know,” says Tai, shaking his head. “Maybe we should just use the Force. It’d be way easier… and probably turn out better.”

Ben gives Tai an exasperated look. “It’s not the same thing and you know it. Plus think of it as a Jedi trial in fortitude and manual labor,” he adds with a sarcastic grin. 

Tai squints his eyes and stares at Ben for a second, almost as if were analyzing him. “Are you just doing this because you were AWOL with Hanna and you feel guilty?” he asks with no tact whatsoever. 

Ben’s face drops as he glares at the kid next to him. “Gee, kid, thanks for reminding me that I missed my first born’s entire gestation because I was half dead.”

With a nonchalant grin Tai smacks his hands together. “You’re welcome. Happy to help. So where do we start?”

---

Two hours later they only have four pieces of wood cut and nailed together.

“When are you going to admit that we’re hopeless at this?” Tai bluntly after Ben has stared at the same piece for over five minutes.

“We’re not hopeless. We’re just not… adept at it,” comes Ben’s reply.

Tai snorts. “That’s certainly a way to put it. Why don’t we just wait for Rey to get back and she can tell us what to do?”

“Because I don’t need Rey to tell me how to build a bassinet for my children,” Ben lightly snaps. He doesn’t mean to. It’s not the kid he’s frustrated with. That old ache of wanting to take his saber to the pile of wood until there is nothing left but ash is beginning to creep up, and he’s not doing the best job at subduing it.

“Umm, it kind of seems like you do,” mumbles Tai out of the side of his mouth. 

Ben’s head whips over to the lanky boy to his left. “Don’t you have saber forms to practice or something?”

Tai brushes off being snapped at for the second time. He’s learned to live with Ben’s sometimes erratic moods over the last two years. “I thought you wanted to do this together,” he reminds him, probably too sarcastically for his own good.

“Yeah, well I changed my mind,” Ben states, looking back at the wooden plank in his hands. He turns it over, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Go... somewhere else,” he murmurs as he waves Tai away.

With a large, dramatic sigh Tai pats Ben’s shoulder. “Good luck, old man,” he says before taking his leave.

Ben silently thanks him. He’s going to need all the luck he can get.

---

The Falcon’s ramp descends and little feet can be heard pitter pattering across the grated floors. Once the ramp hits the sand those same tiny feet come bounding down, racing into Ben’s awaiting arms.

“Dada!” Hanna yells in excitement as she runs across the sand, Lola flying dutifully above. She jumps into Ben’s arms, who then spins her around before settling her on his hip. The little droid flies over to BB-8 and D-O and beeps in greeting. 

“Hello, my little star,” Ben replies just as enthusiastically. “And how was your trip?”

“We got to see Uncle Finn and Uncle Poe and Auntie Rosie!”

“Yeah? And what’d you do?”

“Uncle Finn and I played hide and seek in Uncle Poe’s office and he got mad at us,” she giggles remembering her Uncle Poe’s face when they accidentally knocked over a pile of important papers. “Then Auntie Rosie got me another dolly and then she told me all about her big sister Paige and she teached me how to be a big sister!” she informs him, a giant smile on her face.

“Did she now?”

“Uh huh!” Hanna says loudly, a huge grin on her face. 

Ben laughs at the happiness radiating from the little girl in his arms. His little star definitely got her bubbly personality from her mother. “Well that’s good. Hopefully you learned a lot.”

“I did!”

“And were you good for Mama?” he asks, turning to look at the woman making her way down the ramp. 

Rey comes waddling over at a much slower pace, hands braced under her now expansive stomach to take some of the weight from her back. “She’s your daughter. How do you think she was?” she laughs before grunting as she leans up to press a kiss against his cheek. “Hi, my love.”

Ben leans down and gives her a proper kiss. “Hello, Sweetheart. How are the boys and Rose?”

“They’re doing fine. Government business as usual. Though Rose is thinking of visiting in a few weeks.”

A voice pops up from behind Ben. “Do I hear a Starfighter talking about her daring space adventure?”

“Tai!” The little girl nearly leaps from Ben’s arm as the teenager emerges from underground. Ben puts her down and she runs into Tai’s arms. 

“Hanna!” he greets back dramatically while he tosses her up in the air aided by the Force. “How’s my favorite co-pilot?”

She giggles at the nickname. “I’m good. I missed you.”

“I missed you too, you little womp rat.” He tickles Hanna and shrieks of laughter fill the air. Once she calms down he gives Ben a pointed look and coughs none too subtly. 

Ben gets the hint. “Oh that’s right!” He turns to the little girl in Tai’s arms. “We have a surprise for Mama. Do you wanna help us give it to her?”

Hanna excitedly nods while Rey asks, “A surprise?” She looks between her two boys in suspicion as if to figure out their intentions. The two scheming behind her back is never a good thing. 

“Yes, a surprise. So close your eyes, Sweetheart.”

Rey rolls her eyes. “You know I can just use the Force to sense my surroundings right?”

“Sounds like you don’t want the surprise, Rey…” Tai trails off, subtly provoking her

“No, I want the surprise. I want the surprise,” she quickly amends.

“Then close your eyes and behave.” Ben waves a hand over her eyes in an attempt to get her to close them. His other hand gives her a tiny pinch on her rear to which she gives a tiny yelp before glaring lightly at him. He just looks at her innocently. 

“Yeah, Mama, behave,” adds Hanna. 

Rey can’t help but laugh at everyone ganging up on her. “Alright, alright.” She dramatically sighs and closes her eyes. Ben takes her hand, wrapping his other arm around her waist to keep her stable, and leads her carefully down into the homestead. 

Tai whispers in Hanna’s ear before holding his finger to his lips. They follow Ben and Rey. BB-8, D-O, and Lola are hot on their heels as they ascend into the underground home.

Ben guides the group into the sitting room. “Eyes still closed?”

“Yes, Ben,” she replies, mentally rolling her eyes. 

He gets behind her and places his palms over her eyes, his head braced on her shoulder. “You ready, Sweetheart?”

“Ben, just show me,” she demands impatiently. 

He smirks at his fiery wife. “Three… two… one,” he says, removing his hands. 

In the middle of the room stands a plain wooden bassinet. Tai, Hanna, and the droids stand next to it. 

“Surprise!” yells Hanna. Tai snorts next to her. He clearly told her to yell the word because she then asks him if she did good, to which he replies, "You did fantastic, Star." He just didn't expect the ferocity in which she would scream.

“S-s-surprise,” stutters D-O in an effort to echo the little girl. Even BB-8 holds up a fiery “thumbs” up. 

Rey gasps seeing the bassinet. Her hand comes up to her mouth as tears instantly well in the corners of her eyes. She walks up to it and gently strokes the sanded down wood. “You made this?” she whispers through tears, looking back at Ben.

“It’s not as intricate as the one Owen made but…” he trails off, watching the tears begin to streak down her cheeks. Oh great, she hates it. 

She’s stunned into silence for a few moments before whispering, “It’s beautiful.”

Not wanting Ben to get all the praise, Tai butts in, “I helped.” 

Rey walks over and hugs both of her boys in turn. “Thank you so much. It’s perfect.” Her grin is as wide as can be when she turns back to the bassinet. 

“Do you like your surprise, Mama?” pipes up Hanna from below. 

Wiping her cheeks, she looks down at her little light’s innocent face. “I love it. Now how about you come with me? Mama needs to sit down.” She takes Hanna’s hand and gives a happy but exhausted look at Ben. The two children residing inside her are wearing her out very easily these days. 

He gives her a quick kiss and caresses her stomach before she and the little girl walk away. Tai slides over to his side as soon as the girls depart. 

“You totally used the Force, didn't you?” Tai mutters out of the corner of his mouth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, kid,” replies Ben nonchalantly. He just keeps staring at his wife and daughter who have moved to the sofa so Rey can rest her feet. 

Tai simply raises an eyebrow, otherwise keeping a straight face. “Thirty credits and I won’t tell her you cheated.”

Rey looks over curiously and the boys smile back. Ben gives a loving wave then he mumbles, “Fifteen and I’ll so graciously let you keep half the credit of building it.”

Tai turns and narrows his eyes at the older man. “You drive a hard bargain, old man. Deal.”

Ben just smirks. “Well my father was a smuggler. Picked up a thing or two.”

“Wish you would’ve caved earlier though. Could’ve saved us a few hours and some splinters,” Tai grumbles, rubbing his hands. He must’ve plucked out four slivers of wood from his palms earlier. 

Shrugging his shoulder, Ben replies, “Like I said, kid, fortitude and manual labor.” 

Rey is in the kitchen with Tai and Hanna preparing a snack. Rose has been visiting the past week much to the excitement of Hanna as she loves when her Auntie Rosie visits. Rey stands at the counter cutting up some pears while Rose and Tai color with Hanna at the table.

“Rey, are you sure Tai or I can’t do that?” The smaller woman is worried about her friend being on her feet more than necessary, especially now with the twins being so close to being here. 

“It’s just cutting some fruit, Rose. I’m fine. I’ll sit when I’m done,” she replies. She goes back to chopping up some of the Nabooian pears Ben and Tai picked up from the outpost the other day. Suddenly a sharp pain shoots from her stomach to her back, causing her to gasp. The knife drops out of her hand and onto the floor as she grabs onto the counter for balance.

“Rey!” yells Tai, bursting up from his seat at the table. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” she gasps out. 

“Tai, go find Ben,” Rose demands. He hesitates, but then nods and takes off. She picks the knife up off the floor and puts it in the sink before turning to Rey. “So have you been in labor all day or did it just start?” 

“I’m not in labor,” grunts Rey. “It’s just false pains. I had them last time as well.”

“Like hell they are!” Rose fights back. “You’re doubled over in pain, Rey.”

“Mama?” The little girl is staring at her with concerned, wide eyes. The gasp and yelling must’ve scared her. 

“I’m alright, darling. Here you go.” She walks over and places the plate down in front of Hanna before kissing her mop of midnight curls. She turns to Rose. “I can’t be in labor. It’s too early. Doma said I still have a handful of weeks left.”

Ben and Tai come racing in, covering their faces and shaking sand off of them. Ben runs over to Rey, taking her face in his hands. “Are you ok? Tai said you nearly collapsed in pain.” 

She glares over at the boy. “I didn’t almost collapse. Just had a particularly strong false pain, that's all. Really, Ben, I’m fine.” She notices all the sand that’s been brought into her home. “But what’s with the two of you?” she purposely changes the subject from her, gesturing to their appearances.    

“Sandstorm picked up out of nowhere. I was just on my way in when I ran into Tai,” Ben explains. He’s still looking at her funnily despite the topic change. He’s known Rey long enough to know when she’s hiding the truth, and something doesn’t feel quite right over their bond. His senses are on edge. 

Rey suddenly gasps softly and keels into Ben, grasping tightly onto his shirt. He quickly grips her elbows to keep her from falling down.

“Rey?” he yelps, his worry returning full force. 

A warm gush trickles down her legs onto the floor. “Shit,” she stutters, her eyes flutter closed in defeat. Of course it was just her luck to go into labor during a kriffing sandstorm.

“Shit,” Ben echoes, panic setting in as he sees the look on her face then the puddle forming beneath her feet.

“Oh shit,” repeats Rose.

“Ew,” Tai unhelpfully supplies, nose scrunching. Disgust of the liquid streaming from Rey is slowly replacing his worry.

“Mama?”

The tiny voice breaks everyone from the moment. Rey’s eyes open and dart up to meet Ben’s. “Hanna…” she softly reminds him. They had both agreed that she was better off being preoccupied when the time came for Rey to give birth. Both of them were worried it might scar the little girl for life to see Rey like that. Their daughter has an affinity for sensing people’s emotions despite being only four, and they thought it would be best for her to be as far away as possible so as to not scare her.

Ben extracts himself from Rey’s grip and nods to Rose, who takes his place as Rey’s support. He picks up the little girl who’s looking at everyone in confusion. “Hey, my little star. How does going to play with Tai and Uncle Chewie sound?”

Hanna's normal grin doesn’t appear at the prospect. “Is Mama ok?” she timidly asks. She presses her pointer finger to her head then her chest. “Feels bad. Does she have an owie? We can kiss it better.”

Ben’s heart clenches at his thoughtful little star. He looks over at Rey, who’s still braced against the tinier Rose, before turning back to the little girl on his hip. “Mama does have an owie right now. A pretty big one because the babies are coming. But Dada and Auntie Rose are going to help her feel better. So while we do that, you and Tai are going to go stay with Uncle Chewie on the Falcon. Then when she is all better you’ll be able to meet your little siblings. Sound like a plan?”

The little girl doesn’t seem fully convinced, her brow still furrowed in concern for her mother. Rey grunts and stands up straight. Putting on a brave face, she waddles over to Ben and Hanna. “I’m fine, my love,” she says reassuringly while stroking Hanna’s curls. “You go have fun with Tai and Uncle Chewie, alright?” 

It seems to do the trick because the little girl nods. Rey wraps an arm around her and presses a kiss to her cheek before giving Ben a look. He nods back and begins to walk out of the room. 

“Quickly, Tai, before the sand really picks up,” he commands. The teen gives Rey a concerned smile before following Ben. Lola flies out after them.

---

A few minutes later Leia appears in the very spot Ben was previously occupying. “What’s going on? Ben summoned me and said it was urgent.”

Rey grunts and bends over the table as another contraction seizes the muscles within her pelvis. Rose dashes to her side and strokes her back.

The older woman sighs. “Rey, dear, must you deny you’re in labor every single time?” Leia tsks. The slight sass isn’t acknowledged by the young woman in pain. Though if it weren’t for the contraction momentarily disabling her from speaking, Leia suspects the girl would have some choice words if she could.

Ben comes marching back in, shaking off all the sand by the door. He looks up to see Rey hunched over the table and quickly runs over, letting her take his hand. She squeezes it tightly and tries to breathe through the pain. 

“That’s it, Sweetheart. Just breathe,” he says comfortingly, his lips pressing against her temple. 

Slowly the pain subsides and Rey is able to stand up straighter though still leans half of her weight towards Ben as she catches her breath. He just holds her right by the arms. “I’m good now. Wait! What about Doma? Someone needs to get Doma,” she says to Ben, voice becoming panicked. 

Ben shakes his head silently for a moment before looking at her with a sorry expression. “Rey, Love… the storm’s too bad. No one’s going outside anytime soon.” He readjusts his jaw in his discomfort at letting her down. “I barely got back here from the Falcon.”

Rey begins to panic more. “But… she promised,” she whispers, tears filling her eyes. “I can’t do this without her.”

Ben stands there silently, not sure how to reassure his wife, so Leia takes charge. “Rey, we can do this,” she states matter of factly. “You, me, Ben, and Rose. We’re all going to do this together.” She turns to the woman who’s hand is still gently rubbing Rey’s lower back. “Rose, you go find a holopad and learn everything you can on twin births. Ben, you and I are going to help Rey to the bedroom so she can change. Sound good? Good.” 

She doesn’t leave room for discussion. Rose takes off through the house to find her data pad. Ben nods at his mother before helping Rey stand up straight and carefully make their way to their bedroom. Once there, he helps her out of her cream colored dress and undershorts. Rey sits down on the bed, rubbing her stomach in an effort to calm the two souls within, while he goes to their closet to get another dress for her.

Upon learning about the twins, Leia insisted that Rey procure a few more loose shirts and dresses this time around. Her specter of a mother-in-law ended up being right as even Ben’s old sweater began to get a little tight near the end with two babies inside her. 

Ben grabs a plain, cream colored slip and brings it over. He notices tears streaming down Rey’s face. “Hey, hey,” he says softly. He puts the dress on the bed beside her and cups her cheeks. “What’s with the tears?”

She looks up at him and cries. “Ben, I’m scared. It’s too early. What if something happens? Doma said birthing twins can be tricky.”

He strokes his thumbs across her cheeks. “Hey nothing’s gonna happen, okay? And haven’t you said Rose is the smartest person you know? With a little research she’ll be an expert on childbirth,” he tries to joke in effort to alleviate the tension. The expression on Rey’s face lets him know it failed. He kneels down in front of her, putting his hands on her knees. “Look, Sweetheart, I’m scared too. I’m really kriffing scared. But we’re gonna do this together, okay? You and me.”

Her chin wobbles as tears continue to run down her face. Ben reaches a hand up and wipes them away. Eventually she nods despite her paralyzing fear. At least she has him. 

Another pain sears through her hips and back. One hand goes to clutch her stomach, the other grabs tightly onto Ben’s free hand. She grits her teeth and focuses on her breathing. 

“There you go, Rey. Breathe through it,” Ben says softly, letting her squeeze his hand as hard as she needs while she rides out the contraction. He looks up at his mother as Rey starts to untense. “What do we do now?”

Leia gives him a look of pity. “Unfortunately it’s just more of this for the indefinite future.”

“Oh, great,” he replies dryly. He turns to Rey and tries to give her an encouraging look. “Then we’ll just keep doing this.” He stands up and grabs the clean dress. “Here, Sweetheart,” he suggests, holding it towards her. Rey just lifts her arms tiredly. He gently undoes her breast band and slides the slip over her. He then cups her cheeks and presses a kiss to the middle of her forehead that’s already gleaming with a layer of sweat. “To the indefinite future I guess,” he sarcastically toasts. Rey puffs out an airy laugh and he decides to take it as a good sign. She may be in pain, but his Rey is still in there. 

---

Four hours later…

The wind from the sandstorm howls viciously outside. 

Rose sits at the tiny desk in their room. She hasn’t put the holopad down since she ran to retrieve it earlier. Leia sits patiently, splitting her time between talking to the studious woman beside her, keeping her son calm, and encouraging Rey. Tai and Hanna are still with Chewie in the Falcon, Luke having since appeared to keep the Wookiee and children company. 

Rey paces around the bedroom, Ben dutifully at her side with a hand on her arm and a hand on her waist. Once in a while he’ll kiss her forehead or cheek, murmuring words of encouragement and praise. He hasn’t stopped touching her since he came back from dropping off the kids at the Falcon. Not even the Force could tear him away from his wife now. 

She moans as another pain takes over. Her hands come up and grip behind Ben’s neck for support, the two of them swaying as she breathes through the contraction. 

“I got you, Sweetheart. I got you,” he whispers into her hair. His hands are braced underneath her stomach to help try and alleviate the strain on her back. 

“On a positive note, at least everything I’m reading suggests it’ll be quicker this time,” Rose tries to add helpfully 

“Yeah, except the part where I have to push two humanoids out of me,” snaps Rey. “Can’t you do this?” she whines to Ben.

He smiles slightly and just keeps swaying. “Yeah unfortunately the Force doesn’t work that way. I can bring you back to life, but apparently I can’t give birth for you.”

Rey groans in disappointment, and from pain. Her breath is finally returning to normal, so she looks up at Ben pitifully. “Why did I choose to do this again?”

He can’t help but give a loving smirk. “Because you remembered how cute they were when they couldn’t talk.” She gives a tired laugh in response. He kisses her sweaty forehead and lets her continue to lean on him. 

“Of all days, why did your children have to choose to come during a kriffing sandstorm?”

“They’re Skywalkers. We’re cursed with bad timing.” The answer is dry and self-deprecating, and Rose and Leia can’t help but laugh. 

---

Four more hours later…

A low, guttural moan echoes through the room. Rey is bent over the bed while Ben stands next to her, massaging her lower back and running a wet cloth along her neck and forehead. On the outside he’s trying his hardest to keep a calm composure, but on the inside he is slowly breaking at every moan and cry that comes from her lips. The guilt that he’s the reason for her pain is eating him up. Despite doing every suggestion to to lessen her discomfort, he feels very helpless. 

“This is all your fault,” she groans as she shifts to lean on his chest. Her breath comes out ragged while her muscles clench in pain in a vice-like grip. 

He drops the cloth on the bed and lets her brace against him. “I know,” he replies, rubbing her back. His mother taught him one thing, and it was that while Rey is in labor, no matter what she says, agree with it. It’s the pain talking and she doesn’t really mean it. And he took his mother’s words to heart.

Rey’s knees buckle as something shifts lower inside her. “Holy kriffing hells!” she cries, the pressure inside her pelvis building up and her hips and back on fire. The wind is knocked out of her, and her eyes nearly bulge from her head.

Ben acts quickly to catch her arms as her legs give out. “Rey!” He slowly helps her sink to the ground so she doesn’t hurt herself. His panic shoots straight through the atmosphere at the expression on her face. His eyes whip to his mother and Rose before settling back on the silent woman in front of him. “Come on, Rey, talk to me,” he’s near begging. “What’s wrong?”

She kneels and grips his arms with the strength of a rancor. “They’re coming,” she grunts.

His eyes go wide. “Like coming coming?”

Rey glares up at him. “Yes, Ben. Coming coming,” she snaps through gritted teeth “As in your child’s head is making its way out of me.” Another string of groans rumble from her chest.

Leia jumps into motion. “Rose, go get some towels, quickly.” The woman drops her holopad onto the desk and takes off. “Rey, let’s try to get you on the bed, my dear.”

“Nope,” she quickly corrects the specter. “It’s happening right here, and it’s happening now.” She lets go of Ben and braces on her hands and knees, groaning as her pelvis feels like it’s cracking in two.

Ben’s head whips up to his mother in panic. She just shakes her head and shrugs as if to say Rey’s the boss. “Floor it is then,” he concedes against his better judgment. He looks at his wife’s face, all scrunched up and tensed. “Come on, Rey, you gotta wait for Rose.”

“I’m trying,” she whimpers. 

“I know you are. You’re doing so good, Sweetheart,” he encourages her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He lets Rey rest her forehead on his shoulder. “Rose!” His voice nearly cracks as he yells, his calm composure finally breaking. 

The small woman runs back into the bedroom, arms full with towels and some other supplies. “They’re not as good as Doma’s, but I found what I could.” She places various tools, bacta, and antiseptic on the bed before walking over and placing a pot full of water over the fire.

Both Ben and Rose help Rey place a few towels underneath her to limit any mess, and to also cushion her knees from the hard floor. A pile of extra towels sits next to them. 

Rose moves to her position behind Rey and lifts her dress up for more access. “Oh for the love of the Maker…” she mumbles when she sees Rey on the verge of crowning. “Umm, Rey, when I say go you need to push.”

Rey just lets her head press into his shoulder, tears falling to the ground. “I’m so tired, Ben. I can’t do it,” she cries.

He gently lifts her face, pushing her hair back from her sweat covered forehead and wiping her cheeks. “Rey, look at me, Sweetheart. You can do this. I know you can because you're the strongest person I know. You defeated Palpatine for Force's sake. So you’re going to lean on me as much as you need to, and when I say to, I want you to give me the hardest push you can, okay? Can you do that for me?”

She sniffles back her tears, lip trembling, and stares at him. He’ll never know how grateful she is that he’s here with her this time, and that his mere presence gives her courage and strength. She gives him a small nod and he gives her a confident one back. 

Ben wraps his arms underneath her armpits and helps her straighten out into a kneel. She leans all of her upper body weight on him and claws at his biceps, but he doesn’t mind. He’s too focused on her and the babies’ lives to care if she scratches the kriff out of him or not. Broken fingers and scars can be healed later. If that’s what she needs to do now to get through this, he’ll gladly let her.

“On three, yeah?” he breathes with her. She matches his breath, looking scared, but he remains strong for her. “One… two… three.”

On three Rey bears down as hard as she can, a rough cry tearing through her throat. Her grip on Ben’s arms tighten as her pelvis lights on fire. 

“That’s it, Sweetheart. Keep pushing.” His thumbs caress her arms. He looks down towards Rose and gives her a questioning look. All he gets back is a thumbs up. “You’re doing so good, my love.”

Leia stands off to the side, occasionally offering her own encouragement, but she’s also staying back as much as possible. Her son has everything under control, and she couldn't be more proud at how far he's come. It's a good thing she’s not needed as much this time as opposed to last time when he was sadly absent, and she had a girl crying and pleading for him. 

Rey continues to push, her cries getting louder as her muscles stretch around her child. “I mean it this time, Ben. I’m not doing this again,” she grunts through gritted teeth. 

Ben doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry along with her. So he simply just lets her fingers dig into his arms and cheers her on. 

“Holy Maker above. That’s a head,” says Rose, tact thrown out into the storm. She quickly grabs one of the clean towels and lays it behind Rey. “Come on Rey, another big push.”

Just like witnessing Hanna’s birth through the gates, the mention of a head propels his nerves into space. His body tingles with anticipation. Though this time he’s had months to prepare for this moment instead of mere hours. “Come on, Sweetheart. You're so close.”

Rey takes a big gulp of air and bears down again. “Son of a bantha!” Then with one last push she feels the same release she felt with Hanna and gives a guttural groan in relief as she collapses into Ben’s chest.

“Oh my gods,” mutters Rose in disbelief as she stares at the baby in her hands.

“What?” Ben demands from his place in front of Rey. 

A high pitched cry fills the room.

“You guys have a little boy,” Rose replies happily. She has to sniff back the tears that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

Rey gives a small, relieved laugh into Ben. “A boy,” she says in disbelief. Ben expresses the same sentiment, a laugh bubbling from his chest as well. He presses kisses to the top of her head, tears running down his cheeks. 

Rose grabs two pieces of twine and ties them around the cord before dousing the shears in antiseptic. She cuts the cord, and wraps the crying baby in the towel. She lifts him up with a huge grin, but when she hears Rey begin to groan again her smile drops. “Oh no. What do we do with him? The three of us are going to be a little preoccupied with baby number two.”

“Give him to Leia,” grunts Rey, her tight grip on Ben’s arms returning as another contraction takes hold. 

The older woman comes forward. “Well I suppose I could, but that means I would have to–”

“Use me,” Ben quickly says. He turns his gaze to his mother from his place on the ground. “Use my connection, and hold your grandson.” Leia stares at him like he’s given her the best gift in the world. She nods and closes her eyes. He feels the moment she taps into his link with the Force. 

Rose lifts the tiny bundle into Leia’s waiting arms. Her grin widens as she looks at the new babe. “Your parents are a little busy at the moment, but they can’t wait to hold you,” she quietly says, gently rocking her grandson. 

Another low groan fills the room, bringing the attention back to the laboring woman on the floor. 

“That’s right! Baby number two,” Rose remembers. “Okay, Rey. Time to push again.”

Rey leans hard against Ben and sucks in a deep breath. Gritting her teeth, she bears down once again. Ben chants words of encouragement though some of his focus is on the other child in his mother’s arms. 

Eighteen minutes of pushing later Rey feels the same release. She swears she could cry in relief, knowing that it’s all over. She collapses against Ben again, and he helps reposition her so she’s sitting between his legs and leaning back into his chest. Another cry fills the air and the pair laugh in wonder, and exhaustion on Rey’s part.

Rose cleans off and bundles the new addition in a towel. She hands the baby into Rey’s outstretched arms. “You have another little girl,” she says with a grin. 

Rey brings the little girl close to her chest. Leia silently comes over and gently places the little boy into her other arm, a proud look upon her face. The two other women retreat, letting the family get acquainted with each other.

A relieved laugh bubbles from Rey’s chest as she gazes upon her tiny newborns. They’re small from being early, but after reaching out with the Force they seem perfectly healthy. She looks up at Ben with a watery smile to find tears streaming down his face as well. His eyes haven’t moved from the children in her arms. He gives her a shaky smile and presses a kiss into her temple despite her hair being pasted there from sweat. He doesn't think she's ever been as beautiful as she is in this moment. 

After a little bit Leia draws back on Ben’s connection to take both children temporarily while Rose and Ben help Rey with the afterbirth. Then the both of them help get her into a new, dry dress and into bed. Leia, who’s been more than happy holding her new grandchildren, places both babies back in Rey’s arms. Ben sits on the bed beside her, mesmerized by the two bundles. 

Leia quietly interrupts the pair, “I’ll go let the others know. You did well, Rey. Yet again.”

The pair smile up at the specter. “Thank you, Leia,” says Rey. 

“Yeah, thank you, Mom. For everything,” Ben adds. 

Leia gives a loving smile and wink before disappearing. Rose tells them she’s going start cleaning and also check on the sandstorm. The pair give their thanks and praise to her as well to which she waves them off with an, “I’d do anything for my godchildren.”

Once they’re alone, Ben leans his head down to kiss along Rey’s still sweaty neck. “You did beautifully,” he whispers into her hair, his voice full of awe. He has to sniffle back some tears. “They’re perfect.” His hand comes beside Rey and gently brushes the little tuff of brunette hair on his son’s head.

Rey grins broadly down at both of her children. “They are, aren’t they? We do make pretty great babies together,” she laughs, tears falling from her eyes again. “Who’s who?” 

He immediately understands her question. “The boy's is cyan and the girl's is teal,” he answers with a proud grin. 

Rey smiles back. “Do you want to hold your son?”

Immediately he seizes in fear. It’s one thing to look at them. Holding them is an entirely different matter. “I’ve never held a newborn,” he mumbles, feeling even more hesitant than he did holding Hanna for the first time. They're so small and delicate. His large, clumsy hands are bound to break them.

She just gives him a reassuring smile. “I never held one until Hanna, and we survived that. You’ll be fine. You just have to support his head.” He eventually nods, despite the fear remaining in eyes. 

Carefully they maneuver the little boy into Ben’s trembling arms without jostling their daughter too much. His mind goes blank the moment that baby is cradled up close to his chest. All the previous fear dissipates. He briefly wonders if this is how his father felt holding him for the first time, like nothing else matters in the entire galaxy but this tiny, little being. In this moment he silently vows to his son not to repeat his father’s mistakes. He also finally understands why his father was willing to risk his life to bring him home. 

Before he knows it, more tears are streaming down his face. Rey’s hand comes up and wipes his cheek with a knowing smile. She then leans up and presses her lips softly against his. “Thank you,” she says softly. His eyes become questioning so she adds, “Thank you for giving me a family.”

“I did the easy bit,” he jokes, glancing over at the little girl in Rey’s arm. “You’re the one who did all the hard work and deserves the credit, Sweetheart. You gave us Tai and Hanna, and now you gave us these two perfect babies. So thank you.” 

---

Hours later the sandstorm has finally calmed down. Rose has kept busy cleaning up all of the towels and preparing some food. The inhabitants of the Falcon have made their way over now that the weather permits it. They haven’t seen the kids since the day before and they’re quite excited to see their reactions. 

Leia appears in their room. “Are you two up for some visitors? I know of some children - and a Wookiee - who are eager to see the little ones.”

Ben and Rey look at the babies then smile at each other before nodding. Leia accepts the smiles as an answer and disappears again. Not a moment later there’s a knock on the door before it opens. Tai comes in with Hanna on his hip, Chewie, Luke, and three droids following behind. Rose and Leia make their way into the room as well to witness the introductions. 

“Mama!” Hanna exclaims upon seeing Rey again.

Ben places their son back in Rey’s arms next to their daughter, and gets up from the bed. He takes Hanna from Tai and brings her over to the bed. “Hey, little star. We gotta keep our voices down, okay? Your new siblings are very sleepy.”

“Oh okay,” she replies in a whisper. “Dada, is Mama better now?”

“I’m feeling much better, my love. Thank you for asking,” Rey replies for him. “There’s some people who’d really like to meet you though, but you have to be really careful. They’re very tiny, so gentle hands, okay?”

“Yes, Mama.”

After a nod from Rey, Ben sits back down on the bed with Hanna on his lap. She stares at the two bundles with wide eyes. Not being able to help herself, she reaches out and brushes her fingers against the baby girl’s hand. The baby squirms a bit in response, causing Hanna to giggle and look up at her mother. 

“They’re so small,” she says in wonder. Then she taps her head and her chest. “But they feel happy.”

Her parents smile brightly down at her. 

“What are their names?” interrupts Tai. Him and BB-8 come closer to the other side of Rey. He’s as intrigued by the two little ones as he was when Hanna was born. Their auras now shine as brightly as ever in the Force. 

Rey gives Ben a questioning look to which he nods. She smiles and looks down at her babies. “We’ve decided that the boy is going to be Asher, and the girl is Ayla.”

Everyone in the room gives their thoughts of approval, which Chewie giving as quiet of a roar as he can. BB-8 trills and gives a “thumbs” up, making Rey laugh. 

“A-A-Asher and A-A-Ayla S-S-Solo,” stutters D-O. 

“You did well, kid,” Luke says with a wink. “Both of you.”

“Thank you,” Rey replies with a grin. She looks over to Ben and he grins back. He leans in and gives her a kiss. Her heart is so full that it might actually burst. She has a husband who would follow her through Hell and back, a teenage son in every sense of the word who she’s prouder of every day, a daughter who’s a replica of her husband in both personality and looks, and now she has two beautiful, perfect twins. 

Though they appear to take after her with their hair she can already see Ben’s features in both of them. Asher has inherited his unfortunately large ears, much to Ben’s dismay. Whereas Ayla already has an arrangement of beauty marks adorning her face and chest, also to Ben’s dismay. He loves that the majority of their features belong to her. Time will tell if hazel eyes will deepen to a darker brown like their sister and father. 

The room has dissolved into endless, excited chatter about the babies. Both newborns are carefully passed around the room from family member to family member. Even Hanna gets a turn holding them with the help and support of Ben and Rey. 

I love you, she softly tells him across their minds once the babies are safely tucked back into hers and Ben’s arms and their company has departed. 

He smiles at her and nuzzles his nose against her cheek. I love you too, Sweetheart. 

Two little yawns fill the room, causing both of them to laugh quietly at the tired newborns. It’s been an exhausting day for all, but one that was completely worth it, and they can’t wait to see what the next day has in store.