A/N: Merry Christmas! So, I know that this is a little late, but your Christmas gift from me is a long chapter! (I'm not kidding – it's about 5,000 words) Anyways, this chapter is about Finn experiencing a Skywalker Family dinner… yeah, I'm going to leave it there! So, please, read and enjoy!
P.S. - The four italicised 8s are line breaks.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, no matter how much I may want to. Xyva Coral was created by my best friend and Zantos Skywalker was created by my brother, which have been leant to me to use in this story. I also don't own "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe - I just had fun with it. I only own Alaina and Eve Skywalker (my ocs), and the shenanigans that I think the Skywalker family would get into at Christmastime!

Chapter 3 – Christmastime

Finn's POV

Ever since that day, I keep on trying to run into Rey. Whether leaving my apartment around the time she does, going to see her between rehearsals, or "happening" to bump into her in cafés, I am trying to see her as much as possible. I think she probably figured out what I was doing because now she will randomly show up and talk to me as well. We now try to talk every day, and I am falling for her a little more each time she smiles.

Christmas is just around the corner now, and I am honestly trying to figure out what I will be doing for the holidays. Eve and Rey both have Christmas off, so they are going home to be with family. Poe also has the holiday off so, despite his incessant protests, he is going home with Eve to meet her entire family. I thought I was going to spend Christmas with Kes and Shara, but they decided to take a Christmas cruise this year, so I am pretty much all alone. I would never admit this to anyone else, but the thought of spending Christmas by myself makes me feel pretty lonely.

The feeling of the subway slowing down pulls me out of my thoughts and I look up to see that we are at my stop. I grab my backpack and get off the subway, going up the steps to re-emerge back into the chaos of New York. My phone buzzes and I pull it out of my pocket to see a text from Rey.

REY: Hey, I finished rehearsals early. Do you want to meet at Starbucks for a coffee?

FINN: Sure thing! I'll see you there.

I pocket my phone and start walking up the street, looking out for the green and white sign. In fact, I am so focused on making sure I don't get hit by a car that I almost run smack into Eve and her roommate, Xyva. Both girls look up in surprise, but Eve smiles at me.

"Finn! It's so good to see you. How are you doing?" Eve asks me and I smile.

"I'm good! I'm actually on my way to Starbucks to meet up with Rey because she finished her extra rehearsals early." At this, Eve and Xyva share a look, which makes me just the littlest bit uneasy.

"You know what, we are on our way there too. Do you mind if we join you for your walk?" Xyva asks and I shrug.

"Sure, why not?" The three of us start walking and, although we are all silent, I can tell that someone is wanting to say something.

"So, Finn…" Xyva starts and I gulp. "Rey told me the other day that she keeps running into you and that every Sunday you both go to the market together, whether sunny, rainy, or -more fittingly- snowy. I never realized that you were one to go and look around what others may call junk." Xyva finishes, emphasizing the word "junk", and Eve's eyes widen.

"Wait, you are the one that Rey keeps meeting up with in the market? Finn, I thought you hated it there!" She exclaims and I shake my head.

"I do hate it. Digging through junk is definitely not high on my to do list, but it never seems as bad if I can see Rey there." I say without really thinking. From the look of suspicion on Xyva's face and the look of utter glee on Eve's face, I have a feeling that I am really going to regret this entire conversation.

Anyways, we are just arriving at Starbucks, so I pause and glance through the windows to see if I can find Rey through the crowd of people. I do not see her, however what I do see makes me stop in my tracks and frown. Sitting in one of the window seats is this guy with shoulder-length black hair with a scar on his face. He is wearing all black except for this huge, bright red scarf circled multiple times around his neck. He is holding a book of poetry and has what looks like a large, very complicated, coffee next to him. What really throws me off, however, is the rather menacing look he is giving me. I don't even realize that I have stopped until Eve and Xyva stop and turn around, coming back over to stand next to me. Eve stops next to me, takes one look at the guy in the window, and bursts out laughing. Xyva, on the other hand, groans in frustration before running inside. I look over at Eve in confusion and she shakes her head, still laughing.

"Don't worry about them, Finn. That's just her boyfriend." Xyva suddenly appears in the window next to him and, from what we can hear through the glass, starts yelling at him to be more sociable and stop creeping everybody out. I look over at Eve and we both chuckle before heading inside.

The place is packed with people, but the cash was miraculously empty, so we quickly bought our coffees before looking around. After a minute, I spot Rey sitting at one of the window seats on the opposite side of the coffee shop. I quickly move over to where she is sitting and, when she notices me, she gives me one of her smiles.

"Hey Finn! I'm so glad you made it." She motions to the seat next to her and I sit down, putting my backpack on the windowsill in front of us. Then, we start talking about pretty much anything and everything. From little things that our siblings do, to the joys (and struggles) of working in showbusiness, to the weird things you can witness in New York City, to the shenanigans of our family's pets - we literally talk about anything that we can think of. I love these conversations because I find it so easy to talk to Rey. It is almost like we know what the other is going to say before we even say it. We probably could have continued to talk longer if Eve had not popped in when she did. She looks at us and smiles.

"Well, hello! Fancy meeting you here! You know, I hate to crash your little date, but I'm pretty sure that we should all head to the theatres because, you know, we are actors (and a dancer) and we have our last shows tonight before a break for Christmas." Rey and I both look at her in shock for saying that we were on a date for a moment before we both snap out of it at the same time. I grab my phone and turn it on to see the time.

"Oh, wow! We do need to get going. I didn't even notice the time!" Rey says in surprise, glancing at the time on my phone before we both stand up, grabbing our coats and bags. Eve gives the two of us a knowing glance and shakes her head smiling. Soon, the three of us are going back out into the cold, noisy street.

"You know, we are lucky that Christmas is on a Monday this year so that we get the day off. I'm glad that Rey and I get to go home and see our family. Finn, what are you doing for Christmas?" Eve asks and I clear my throat a little awkwardly.

"I actually don't know. You see, Poe's parents are out of town for the holidays and you are taking Poe with you to meet your family, which I think is a very good thing." Eve smiles, relieved and I continue. "So, I don't know what I am going to do. Any suggestions?"

"Yes! Why don't you come home with us?" Rey blurts out and both Eve and I look at her in surprise.

"Really? You don't think your family would mind?" I ask, honestly caught between disbelief and hope.

"Mum already makes a feast, I don't see the harm in one more. Besides, I was allowed to invite someone and they have mentioned wanting to meet you sometime since I have mentioned you a few times.

"Numerous times!" Eve interjects and Rey looks away, a little embarrassed. I smile at Rey, nodding.

"Well, if it's no trouble, I would love to come." At this, Eve smirks, but when Rey smiles at me, I feel like it is going to be a really good Christmas.

8888

It's Christmas day and Poe, Eve, Rey, and I are all piled into Maz' Beetle for the drive to their house. The car is quite the vintage piece and I am personally waiting for it to break down on us. With each bump, it feels as though Rey and I are going to be launched from the backseat, but Eve doesn't seem to notice because she is too busy trying to give Poe directions to their home. Of course, Poe says that he doesn't need directions, but he has never been here before, so Eve gives them to him anyways.

Eventually, we somehow make it to the small community of Ach-to, which is right on the coast. Rey and I both let out a deep sigh of relief when we hear that Eve is telling Poe to turn onto the street their parents live on. Finally, a rather large, stone house at the end of the street comes into view and Rey leans forward, smiling. There are only a couple of cars at the house, but we park on the side of the road in front of the house so that we won't trap anyone in the driveway if this car decides to die on us. We all quickly pile out of the car, rather thankful that we can get out of what I was convinced would be our untimely demise, and grab presents from the trunk of the car. I grab a few presents that I got for Eve, Rey, their parents, and Poe, along with some cookies in case anyone else decided to show up. As we walk up to the door, I notice that the sign on the house says "The Skywalkers".

"I thought your last name was Antilles." I say quietly and Rey shakes her head, smiling.

"Oh, no. The Antilles were a family that took in our mother after our grandparents died. When our mum had us, she gave us each two middle names, with one of them being Antilles after the family. When Eve and I got into showbusiness, we were told to come up with a stage name, and we chose Antilles. But I am still a Skywalker." She explains, and I nod, glad I understand before I could possibly say something stupid.

As soon as we step inside, Eve and Rey are bombarded with hugs. A shorter, older woman is the first to latch onto them, going on about how much they have grown and asking how life is going. The next in line is an older man, who is quite a bit taller than the woman. He seems a little gruff, but he smiles very warmly at the girls. Then, the woman suddenly yells, scaring me more than I would like to admit.

"Luke! Get out here now! That turkey can wait!" I guess I look startled because Rey glances over at me and chuckles.

"Aunt Leia used to be a Drill Sergeant in the army. She is a bit of a force to be reckoned with, and she always forgets how loud she can be to strangers." She quietly explains and I nod. This is certainly going to be an interesting day.

"Aunt Leia, Uncle Han, this is my boyfriend, Poe Dameron. Poe, meet my aunt and uncle, Leia and Han Solo." Eve says, trying to make the introductions as quickly as possible. Leia takes a good look at him, raising her eyebrow a little, before she suddenly pulls him into a hug. Poe lets out a slightly distressed cry that makes Han snicker before he looks over at me.

"And who is this, Rey? Boyfriend of yours?" He states more than asks. Rey flushes and I look down, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, no. Uncle Han, this is my friend very good friend, Finn." Han looks me over before nodding, holding out his hand for me to shake. I shake his hand, relieved that I haven't gotten kicked out or smothered in a hug… yet.

Before Leia can say anything, another man appears around the corner. He is an older man with a beard and is wiping his hands on an apron that I think was once white. I guess this must be Luke. When he sees Eve and Rey, he smiles, and opens his arms."

"Girls! Welcome home!" He calls out and I notice Rey's smile widen even more as she runs over and throws her arms around him, soon followed by Eve.

"Hi Dad." Eve grins and I notice Poe pale a little.

I chuckle as Luke greets Poe, his mere presence seeming to terrify Poe. Another woman appears right after, hugging Eve and Rey tightly. She looks to be about the same age as Leia, but a little taller. She is soon introduced to me as Alaina, Luke's wife and Eve and Rey's mother. I immediately see the resemblance between Alaina and Eve because they both have brown hair and blue eyes. I must say, if I didn't know that Rey was adopted, I would never think she didn't belong in the family. I am introduced to Luke and Alaina before the invite us all into the living room.

The living room is nice and big with lots of places to sit but, before I really know what is going on, Leia shoves me down onto the loveseat next to Rey. Rey and I both look at each other in surprise and embarrassment. I glance around to see that all the single chairs are taken and Leia and Han are conveniently sitting on the sofa in just a way that no one else could squeeze in with them. I look back at Rey and we stare at each other in silence for a minute before we both burst out laughing.

"Well, isn't this comfortable! Everyone all together in a way that is nice and cozy." Leia says and Han rolls his eyes, which causes his wife to turn and give him a glare.

Before things can escalate further, the doorbell rings and Alaina jumps up, moving over to the door. I hear two more voices join hers at the door before she comes around the corner with Xyva and that guy from the coffee shop. Leia's face brightens more and she quickly beckons them over, miraculously making the sofa seat four instead of two. Xyva looks really happy to be here, but the other guy looks like he is facing a fate worse than death.

"Finn, Poe, this is our son, Ben, and I believe you already know his girlfriend, Xyva." Leia says and looks over at Ben, who refuses to look back at her. Ben is… nothing like his mother. Where Leia is short, Ben is tall, where Leia has lighter hair done meticulously, Ben has messy black hair, where Leia is friendly, Ben seems antisocial, and where Leia is welcoming... Ben looks like he wants to kill us.

"Ben, it's good to see you and Xyva again!" Eve smiles, seemingly unperturbed by his death glare, which surprisingly turns into a very small smile when he looks at his cousin.

"Thanks, Eve. Good to see you too. Is he your boyfriend?" He asks, glancing over at Poe. Eve nods.

"Yep! Ben, this is Poe, my boyfriend. Poe, this is my cousin, Ben." Poe stutters out a hello and Ben nods curtly before looking over at Rey and I.

"And this is your boyfriend, Rey? You've mentioned him a few times." Her eyes widen and she shakes her head.

"Oh, this is my very good friend Finn. We're not dating."

"Yet!" Leia calls out and we both look away, but Ben chuckles.

"Good. Otherwise, I would have to threaten two guys before your brother gets home." He smirks and Xyva cuffs him up the side of his head. There is silence for a second before Alaina suddenly stands up, grabbing Luke's hand.

"Luke and I need to check on the turkey to make sure it doesn't get dried out or burned. We'll only be a minute." The two smile before leaving the room. I smile and look back over at the others, only to find Ben giving me that creepy stare again.

"So, Finn, what do you and Poe do for a living?" Han asks and I turn to him.

"I'm an actor, which is actually how I got to know Eve. We are in the same show and Rey works at the theatre next to us. Xyva also sings at the club down the street from us."

"And I'm a pilot in the air force. However, I am currently stateside waiting for deployment." Poe interjects and Leia smiles.

"Yet another connection to the military - how nice!" She cheers and I look over at Rey in confusion.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. As you know, Aunt Leia was a drill sergeant, but that's not all. Dad joined the air force at age nineteen and continued to serve until his retirement a couple years ago. Mum served briefly as a medic in the army, but she mainly stayed with hospitals. My brother, Zantos, used to be in the air force, but is now a medic in the army. He has been on deployment for the past ten months… I hope he comes home soon. I just wish he could have made it home for Christmas." Rey says sadly.

"And who says wishes can't come true?" A voice calls out, causing all of us to look up. A tall man in a uniform is standing in the doorway to the living room, trying to brush snow off himself. Rey and Eve's faces both light up in delight and they jump out of their seats, running over, and throwing their arms around him.

"Zantos! You made it home!" Eve cries out in delight and Zantos laughs, hugging his sisters.

"Do you really think I would miss Christmas and Mum's cooking? Never!"

"What is going on out here?" Alaina asks, walking out of the kitchen, before looking up and freezing. "Zantos! You're here!" She exclaims, equally joyful, and rushes over to greet her son. Zantos lets go of his sisters and hugs Alaina, smiling as he greets her. Luke is the next to walk out of the kitchen, obviously confused at all the hollering. When he sees his son, however, his face breaks out into a huge grin as he walks over and hugs him.

"It's good to have you home. And just in time too. Alaina and I were on our way out to tell all of you that supper is ready. Please, come in to the dining room." He addresses the last part to all of us and I smile, glad that the whole family is together today.

A few seconds later, a girl rushes in, apologizing for being late, before freezing in her tracks, staring up at Zantos. He says something to her and she shrieks, jumping into his arms and kissing him. I suppose that my eyes must be abnormally large because Rey looks over, chuckles, and walks over to me.

"I don't suppose you've met her yet. This is Kaydel Connix, Zantos' girlfriend. We invited her over for Christmas because her family lives in another part of the country, and, from the looks of it, she didn't know Zantos was coming home either." It all clicks in my head and I nod in understanding.

Alaina and Luke disappear into the kitchen to serve the meal and we watch as everyone pairs up as they go into the dining room. Han with Leia, Ben with Xyva, Zantos with Kaydel, and Poe with Eve… which leaves just Rey and myself. She looks down a little awkwardly and I clear my throat, holding out my arm to her. She takes it, smiling, and we walk into the dining room, taking our seats at the large table. I happen to be sitting across from Ben, which I feel is going to make this meal a lot more awkward, but it could be worse. After all, Poe just happens to be seated across from Zantos, who is giving him the evil eye. A few seconds later, Luke comes out, pushing a cart that he swears Alaina got just for serving Christmas dinner. Alaina follows him and the two quickly place all of the delicious looking dishes on the table. He soon sits down at the head of the table, with Alaina on his right and Rey on his left. He looks at all of us and smiles before bowing his head and saying grace. We all do the same and, once he finishes thanking God for the meal, we all dig in.

8888

"I think it is safe to say that was one of the best birds you've ever roasted." Alaina says after we are all done and I think everyone else feels the same from the chorus of agreement to her statement. Luke smiles proudly.

"Well, you made sure I didn't burn it, but thank you, My Dear." He leans over and kisses her cheek before standing up. "Why don't we all go back to the living room to talk and let the turkey digest?" At this, everyone else stands up and makes their way back into the living room, moving more slowly than before.

We all make it back into the living room and I find myself shoved once again by Leia into the loveseat where Rey is sitting. Not that I'm complaining, mind you! I love being with Rey, It's just a little funny how persistent Leia is. Everyone else sits down together and Luke pulls his chair closer to Alaina's so he can wrap an arm around her. If this was any place else, I would most likely feel extremely awkward but, for some reason, I feel really comfortable here. Suddenly, Luke turns to me.

"Finn, it's so nice that you could make it! Rey really wanted you to come, but was worried that you would have plans." I look over at Rey in surprise, who looks like she wants to smack her father and, from the sound of it, her mother did just that. "Ow, Alaina!" He almost whines, making Alaina roll her eyes and Leia snicker.

"How about we all share stories? This always ends up being fun, though slightly embarrassing." Kaydel suggests and everyone nods. Xyva gets a funny look in her eyes before she sits up.

"Did I ever tell you all how Ben and I met?" She asks, mischievously and Ben looks at her in horror. Leia, eager to hear a funny story, leans forward, and motions for her to continue. "Well, a singer needs coffee, and there just happens to be a Starbucks on the street where I work. Every day I walked by it, and every day there was this guy who would stare out rather creepily at everyone while drinking his peppermint latte, or something like that. Well, one day I decided to go in and talk to him because I figured he was this emo guy who probably needed a friend. Anyways, I get a coffee, sit down next to him, try to make small talk, and he ignores me. I notice he that he is reading Edgar Allan Poe and Dracula is also there on the table with him. So, I try to make a joke about vampires liking peppermint lattes… it didn't work. He just glared at me and told me to be quiet. Now, anyone who knows me knows that asking me to be quiet is not a good idea because, when I get quiet, I am plotting my next move. So, I decide to have a little fun with The Raven and I said:

"Ah, I distinctly remember, it was the 2nd of December
And a creepy man was staring,
Like his soul was trampled on the floor…
'Will you ever find help?' I asked him
Quoth the Emo 'Nevermore'."

Xyva finishes rather dramatically and, by this point, we are all laughing pretty hard. Even Ben is chuckling a little, which is perhaps the most surprising thing of all. Stories continue to get shared around the room and I even find myself adding a thing or two. It suddenly hits me that I have had more fun this one day than the past year. It's funny, there is something about a large family that makes you feel like you belong - even if you have just met for the first time! Before I realize it, the time has flown and it is getting to the time that we all needed to head out if we wanted to get back to the city at a slightly reasonable hour. Luke and Alaina stand up to get our coats from one of the guestrooms and I suddenly notice the bag that I had left by the door earlier this evening. Alaina comes back and hands me my coat, which I take before handing her two packages, which causes her to look at me in confusion.

"This is for you and Luke. I was told that you should never go to a dinner without a little something for the host and hostess. Also, since it's Christmas, I wanted to get a little something for everyone else who I didn't know about. So, the cookies are for everyone else. Can you see that Leia, Han, Ben, Xyva, Zantos, and Kaydel get them?" I ask and Alaina smiles.

"Of course I will! Oh, you sweet boy, you didn't have to do this! Thank you very much." She gives me a hug before moving over to stand next to Luke. As she passes Rey she whispers "I like this Finn, invite him to come again!" causing both Rey and I to cough awkwardly. I turn my attention to Eve and Poe, who are over at the door.

"Are you sure that you don't want to come back with us in the deathtrap? We could surely use the company or someone to call the funeral home if we drive off the road." Poe says and Eve shakes her head, laughing.

"Rey and I took tomorrow off as well. We want a bit of time with our family. Take the Beetle back, Rey and I will get Zantos to drive us in on Wednesday." She smiles at him before reaching up and giving him a quick kiss. She then walks over to me and I pass her a gift. She smiles, thanking me, before moving away and pretty much shoving Rey towards me. Rey stumbles and, on instinct, I reach out to steady her. She looks up at me and smiles.

"Thank you so much for coming today. My family loves you and I loved having you here." I smile at her.

"I loved being here. Thanks for inviting me, Rey. This was one of the best Christmases I have ever had. Oh, and since I won't see you until Wednesday, this is for you. Merry Christmas." I say as I pass her a gift that I probably spent way too much time wrapping. Her eyes light up and she gives me one of her beautiful smiles.

"Thank you, Finn! I hope that you have a safe drive home in that car. I don't know how Eve does it, but she somehow manages to get drivable for each inspection." We both chuckle but, before I can leave, Leia gasps rather loudly, causing us both to look at her.

"Look at that! You two are standing under the mistletoe! You know the tradition…" She grins and Luke frowns.

"I don't remember hanging mistletoe there…" He mutters and Leia gives him an unimpressed look.

"Well, someone needed to." She mutters back before turning to us. "Now kiss!"

By this point, the rest of the family has come out of the living room to see what is going on. Poe is also standing behind us on the porch with the door open, wanting to see what will happen. Knowing that Leia will literally keep me from leaving until I do something, I lean down to kiss Rey on the cheek. However, before I can do so, she turns to look at me and I end up kissing her on the lips.

I am staring at her in complete shock, and she does the same for a second before she closes her eyes and gently kisses me back. Fireworks start going off in my mind and I honestly cannot believe that this is happening. I think I hear Eve mutter that it has taken us long enough, but I don't really care. All I can think about is Rey.

After what feels like an eternity and yet too soon at the same time, I gently pull away and look down at her. She bites her lip before looking up at me, smiling.

"Merry Christmas, Finn." She says quietly and I grin.

"Merry Christmas, Rey." With that, I step outside and walk with Poe down to the car. He is talking incessantly, but I'm not even listening. We get into the car and I look up to see Rey waving from the porch of the house. I wave back, smiling.

Yes, this has got to be the best Christmas ever.