Ever since her second child had come along, Rey had been on the go full time. Taking care of baby Ilea and three year old Lyko definitely provided a challenge for the young Jedi. Ben helped as much as he could, but his political duties kept him pretty busy. He was in meetings a lot and occasionally had to travel to different planets to help with various situations.
A couple of days ago though, Ben had informed her he'd requested a few weeks leave to give her some time off. At first Rey had balked at the plan. She hated to take her husband away from his important work of maintaining a peaceful galaxy. But, he convinced her this would be good family bonding time for them all. He'd insisted that she go out on the first day and enjoy some quality girl time with her best friend, Rose. Rey had been wary to leave him alone at first, but Ben assured her everything would be fine.
When it came time for her and Rose to leave for the day, Rey offered one more time to stay home. But, Ben basically threw her out and told them to go have fun.
The two girls decided to start the day shopping. At first Rey was only looking at some practical outfits, but Rose twisted her arm and convinced her to get a new dress too. Then they found the lingerie section and Rey found a couple of pieces that she couldn't wait to show Ben, but in private of course.
When they got back to their speeder from the store, Rey found a note from Ben. It included an all-expense paid afternoon at the spa for both women. Neither Rose nor Rey had done anything like that before, so they decided to give it a shot. They were pampered with a variety of treatments, of which the full body massage was definitely their favorite. Although, they both got a good laugh at how looked with the facial masks on.
Finally, they treated themselves to a nice meal. After the last bit of triple-chocolate cake had been cleaned off the plate, the two women just sat and visited for a bit. Rey expressed how nice it had been to go for several hours without having to change a dirty diaper. She thanked Rose for the wonderful day and both agreed they'd have to do it again soon. Rey dropped Rose off at her and Finn's place and then headed back home herself.
Rey was humming to herself as she walked back up the driveway to the large house she and Ben lived in. She felt rejuvenated after today and she couldn't help but notice her flowers seemed extra vibrant tonight. The lilac plants on either side of the path were in full bloom this time of year and their sweet scent filled the spring evening air.
As she approached the porch, Rey noticed things seemed awfully quiet. It was just past seven o'clock so she'd figured Ben and Lyko would still be up. But oddly, there were no lights visible through the windows. The wooden porch steps creaked as she climbed them, breaking the eerie silence. Rey was reaching her hand out for the door knob when loud metallic clang caused her to jump nearly a foot. She whirled around and saw her silver watering can lying on the ground at the far end of the porch. A small, brown squirrel sat on the railing where the can was usually stored. Realizing the curious rodent had simply knocked it off; Rey took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She scolded herself for being so jumpy.
Turning back, she opened the front door and stepped inside. Even before her eyes could fully adjust to the different light, Rey knew something was wrong. The vase that usually decorated the table across from the entrance lay smashed on the floor. Flowers Rey had arranged fresh that morning were already wilting from lack of water. The chair that was normally covered in coats and diaper bags looked like it had been thrown against the wall with tremendous force. It now resembled kindling more than anything you could sit on. Beams of light from the setting sun shone through the windows, casting long, forbidding shadows on the already unnerving scene.
Rey dropped her shopping bags on the floor with a gentle thump. She plunged her hand into her purse and hastily drew out her lightsaber. Even though the war was long over, she'd gotten in the habit of never being without it. The gray blade ignited with a gentle hum and its soft light reassured Rey slightly.
She tried to reach out to Ben through their bond, but encountered a worrying blankness. The only other time she had felt that was during a mission several years ago. Ben had been injured badly by an explosion and knocked out in the process. Rey had been unable to contact him then too. The uncanny parallels to that memory only caused her panic levels to rise even more
Stepping around the broken chair, Rey cautiously made her way to the kitchen. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw this room didn't look any better than the foyer. Pots, dishes, and silverware were scattered over multiple surfaces and on the floor. Rey's gaze locked onto her favorite chef's knife that was lodged 5" into the wall above her stove. Kitchen gadgets that were usually lined up neatly had been shoved around haphazardly. Two of the bar stools lay toppled over and one of them was missing a leg. A cool breeze ruffled Rey's brown hair and she realized there was a hole in the window over the sink.
Rey silently cursed herself for going out today. If she had been here, she could have helped fight off whoever, or whatever, had attacked. Ben was immensely strong and a skilled fighter, but he could be overpowered. Especially if he'd been distracted trying to protect the kids or if there had been multiple intruders. Rey knew deep down that if he had won this battle, Ben would have contacted her.
Just when Rey thought things couldn't get worse, she saw an enormous red stain on the light blue rug. A wave of nausea passed over Rey; she knew that no one could have survived that amount of blood loss. Her mind started racing, conjuring up horrible scenarios in her head of what could have happened. Had an old enemy found them? She knew there were rumblings of a group of First Order sympathizers. Did they still view Ben as a traitor and had tracked him down for revenge? Maybe someone from their new life didn't believe Ben had fully changed and thought the world was better off without him.
A small noise from the next room jarred her back to reality and Rey gripped her saber tighter. She quickly made her way towards the family room, fully prepared for a fight to defend her family. Rey pushed through the swinging door and her heart dropped as her eyes fixed on Ben's unconscious body, his tall frame sprawled across the sofa. His left arm dangled limply on the ground and his head twisted at an odd angle. Rey crossed the room in a heartbeat and knelt by his side, fearing she was already too late. As she scanned his body, trying to find any physical wounds, a small bundle cradled in Ben's right arm caught her eye. Trying to blink back the tears that were threatening to cloud her vision, Rey realized with a start that it was baby Ilea, sound asleep on Ben's broad chest.
Confused, Rey swiveled her head, scanning the rest of the room. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Lyko sound asleep in his play pen. He was holding tight to the small porg stuffed animal he'd gotten last Christmas. The mess from the rest of the house continued in here as well with toys strewn all over the floor. The coffee table held three cups of cold, half-drunk coffee, two dirty baby bottles, and an overturned box of animal crackers. A container of mashed peas was on the floor by the recliner chair, although most of the contents were splattered on the wall.
Realizing there didn't seem to be any immediate danger; Rey turned her attention back to Ben and began to examine him more closely. Various stains, that were most likely baby spit, covered his black shirt. His hair was a complete mess and there was something green, possibly mashed peas, caked on his forehead. Now that she was right next to him, Rey could feel the waves of exhaustion coming off of him. She watched his slow and gentle breathing for a moment and realized he was just asleep.
Rey deactivated her light saber and placed it down quietly on the table. Carefully picking up Ilea so as not to wake her, Rey carried her over to her crib. Just as she was tucking her in, Ben awoke with a start, his hands flying to his chest. "Ilea! Where..." He shouted, sitting up and trying to get his bearings.
"Ben, it's alright. She's in bed." Rey had to suppress a laugh. Ben's hair was sticking out in several different directions and his eyes were blood-shot and bleary. He looked liked some deranged person. "It looks like a war zone in here. What happened?" Rey asked as she sat down on the couch next to him, still trying not to giggle at her poor husband.
Ben rubbed his face and attempted to push his hair back into place, but it didn't do much good. "Ummmm, things were going pretty well until Lyko decided it was time to start discovering his Force powers."
Rey's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "I didn't realize they would manifest this young."
Ben picked up the nearest cup of coffee and took a sip, but made a disgusted face at the cold liquid. "You were an unusual case in that your powers didn't manifest until you were much older. For most it's during childhood."
Rey scooted closer and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help. You should have called me to come home."
Ben smiled and placed his hand over hers. "I wasn't about to ruin your first day out in a while. Figured I could handle it, but things did get a little out of hand I guess." It was then that he noticed her saber lying on the table and he looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"I might have possibly jumped to the wrong conclusion when I saw the mess throughout the house." Rey said.
Ben laughed his full belly laugh. "I can totally see you rushing in here to save the day. Declaring war on mashed peas and animal crackers."
Rey rolled her eyes and punched him playfully in the arm. "Yes, alright. Just laugh at my overreaction. But, you do have to admit that nasty stain on the rug didn't help."
Ben's face fell into a horrified look as the memory of what had happened dawned on him. "Oops, I meant to clean that up, but I kind of forgot about it. I made spaghetti for lunch and Lyko figured the container of leftover sauce would be a great object to practice levitation on. I was getting Ilea cleaned up and, by time I realized what was happening, Lyko decided to turn it upside down."
Now it was Rey's turn to laugh. "You really did have a crazy day."
Ben nodded in agreement. "Something tells me Ilea will be just as much of a handful too. I can see the same defiant spark in her that you had when we first met. You and I will both be glad we're Force users as they get older."
Rey looked at both of their beautiful children. "We knew this wouldn't be easy."
"No kidding. I think it was almost easier fighting off the Praetorian Guard than dealing with these two. I'm exhausted." Ben joked.
Rey watched Lyko as he lay sound asleep, undisturbed by their conversation. "Well, I was going to suggest you and I have some play time of our own, but if you're too tired..."
In a flash Ben had wrapped his arm around Rey's waist and pushed her backwards onto the couch. With Jedi like speed and agility, he moved gracefully on top of her. His knees were positioned on either side of her hips and he used one hand to pin her arms above her head. "Just watch me." He growled in his beautiful baritone voice, his eyes now alight with passion.
Rey closed her eyes and savored the feeling of his warm body against her own. Pulling one hand free she ran it down his muscular chest. She wanted to rip his shirt off right there, but her practical instincts kicked in and she stopped. "First, you need to move the crib back to the nursery while I put the little guy to bed. The rest of the mess we can deal with tomorrow, it will still be here."
Ben had been placing gentle kisses on Rey's neck, his free hand already running down her side and thigh. At the suggestion of cleaning up, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and groaned with disappointment.
Rey reached up and ran her fingers through his long hair. "Come on, lover boy. Sooner you move Ilea, the sooner we can get upstairs and I can show you the new….outfit….I got. I think you'll like it." She teased, trying to keep the image of her new nightgown out of her head. She knew Ben would lose all patience if he saw what awaited him.
With one last kiss, Ben reluctantly pulled away from her and turned his attention towards his daughter. Rey got up from the couch and clipped her lightsaber to her belt. Even though their oldest had apparently inherited his parent's powers, it was still way too early to let him near one of those. Rey reached down into the play pen and picked up Lyko, careful not to wake him. She glanced back to see her husband force lifting the whole crib up and moving it back into the nursery. A feeling of utter peace came over her as she thought about her family and how lucky she was to have them.
A/N I kept thinking of this idea where Ben had to take care of their kids and everything went wrong. But, I decided to write it from Rey's perspective so I could add a little mystery as well. At the moment I'm intending this as a one-shot, but might add to it if inspiration strikes. Hope you enjoyed it and please review! Also, if you want more Reylo please check out my Rescue Mission story.