It was always a struggle to get Cela ready for bed after a guest left, particular when the visitor was Luke or Poe. Cela would constantly ask when she could go meet the Ewoks on Endor, travel to a planet filled with water, or visit one of the shining stars in the sky. "When you're a little older," Rey would always say. But this time Cela followed up with a question Rey hadn't anticipated.
"Did daddy ever visit any other plants?"
Rey took a seat on the edge of Cela's bed, trying to hide the surprise from her face. She'd always been willing to talk to her daughter about her father, save for the details surrounding the prophecy of his death, or that Ben's spirit had once visited Rey. Those were conversations that would be held in later years.
"Daddy did visit other planets," Picking up Cela's wooden X-wing from it's resting spot on the nightstand, Rey said, "You remember how Mr. Poe said this was carved from a tree on Endor?" Cela nodded. "Ben- I mean, your dad- and I lived there for a while. We use to lie on the grass at night and watch the stars sparkle in the sky,"
Cela's eyes grew wide with amazement. "You would go outside? In the dark? Was it scary?"
Rey smiled. "It was hard to be scared of anything when your father was around. But no, the darkness wasn't scary. It was actually quite peaceful. One day we'll travel to Endor and you can meet the Ewoks. I know my friend Wicket will be very excited to meet you,"
"I wish I could meet daddy," Cela said.
Rey felt a pang of sadness. Cela was one of the few children in the daycare without a father. Where most children would introduce both a mother and father, Cela only had Rey. She must have had another encounter like this the other day.
"Hey you," Rey leaned down and gave her daughter a hug, which Cela was all too happy to return. It never ceased to amaze Rey the strength she could garner from such a simple gesture. "Your father loves you very much," Rey said. "And he loves me. I know this is hard to understand, but even though we can't see him, he's always with us. And no matter what happens we'll always be a family,"
Rey needed to hear these words as much as her daughter did. There were many times she'd felt lost or alone, but she always thought back to the words Ben had spoken:
"Promise you'll be strong for both of us."
And so Rey was. Every day.
Everything had changed without Ben, but Rey could not spend the rest of her days mourning his loss. Her husband had become one with the Force, like countless men and women who had gone before him. Time and love continually moved forward, and so must she.
"Now," Rey said as she leaned over to the shelf beside Cela's bed, "How about we read a story?"
After reading a short book to settle Cela down for the evening, Rey kissed her sleeping daughter on the forehead. "Goodnight my love," Rey whispered as she turned out the light. "And may the Force be with you always,"
The End
[I want to take this opportunity to give a big thank you to all who have read this series. Your views, reviews, and everything in between are the reason I keep posting fan fiction :)
If you are interested in reading the alternate ending to this series, you can view it under the title "Shared Destinies"]
