AN: So...here's something really special...can you guess what it is?
"Come on! Let's plan something!" Rose almost begs. Rey rolls her eyes and adjusts Gemma under the blanket as she feeds. In the distance Ben is sparring with Luke, and she'd been quite enjoying watching before Rose had come over. "It's been such a long time since we had anything to celebrate!"
"We'll celebrate when this is all over." Rey insists.
"But if anything were to happen to one of you, wouldn't you want to have made it official?" Rose asks, and Rey tenses.
"Nothing's going to happen." she says, gritting her teeth.
"No, of course not." Rose says, biting her fingernails. "It's just...that's what Paige told me before she went out on her last bombing run."
"Oh...Rose, Im sorry." Rey takes her hand. "And you're right. We should make it official; but we weren't really going to plan anything big. I mean, I've never even been to a wedding, and Ben and I don't love attention…"
"It doesnt have to be big- just something pretty." Rose smiles, and squeezes her hand. "So you have pictures to show the kid someday."
"That would be nice." Rey admits.
"We could do it tonight!"
"Tonight?"
"Tonight!" Rose claps her hands together. "Small, just the Skywalkers, Chewy, Poe, Eloriah, Finn, the droids- it'll be perfect!"
"I mean... Sure." Rey shrugs.
"We've got to go find you something to wear!" Rose tugs on her arm like a child, and Rey laughs.
"Hold on, hold on. Nursing baby here!"
"Right- sorry."
"Don't get your hopes up too much. The nicest thing I have is the dress I wore when I left the Finalizer with Eloriah- and its covered in grass stains and several sizes too big now."
"Don't worry, we'll see what your future mother in law has in her wardrobe; most of us have something a little nice, especially in our more permanent bases." Rose explains. "Will Ben be okay with a wedding tonight?"
"Yes, he is." Rey grins.
"Oh, I'm sure he won't mind."
"Good!" Rose sits next to her again, and starts rambling about plans, but Rey's attention is back on the sparring match between her fiance, and her father figure.
"So, did you just agree that we're getting married tonight?" he asks through the bond, his voice a bit distant as he focuses on ducking out of Luke's hold.
"I did. But you said you didn't mind? I mean, I assume you've been eavesdropping this whole time."
"Is it really eavesdropping if we intentionally leave the bond open? I can't help it if I hear everything you hear." He insists. "And I don't. How could I, when I get to marry you? It just seems very sudden."
"Rose pointed out that we don't have much time left before...you know. We should live life to the fullest before we have to face him, just in case-"
"Nothing is going to happen to you."
"But if something did happen to one of us, Id want us to have been married first. And we can holovid the whole thing, so that Gemma can watch it one day."
"Gemma and our son." he insists. "and we will watch it with them. because we have a future, Rey. I know we do. I've seen it. It starts today."
"I think it started on Starkiller…" she says, sending him the memory of the moment he took off his helmet, and then the moment his hand touched her cheek and the bond was formed.
"That was the beginning of the first chapter."
"Is this the second?"
"Third."
"Third?"
"Starkiller was one. Gemma was two. Our family is three." Her lips curl into a smile as Gemma finishes her breakfast. She feels Ben's sudden frustration as Luke's saber singes his shirt.
"That's what you get for talking to some girl instead of focusing on your sparring match." She scolds.
"Don't think about your breasts when you know I'm in your head!" He growls, trying to turn his attention back to the spar.
"I'm feeding our daughter, are you going to hold that against me?"
"...No."
"I'm sorry for distracting you. I'm going with Rose. Apparently we're getting married tonight, so there's much to do!"
"We're getting married tonight…" He trails off, and nearly takes another blow from Luke.
"Focus!" Rey laughs out loud, and Rose looks at her like she's crazy. "Sorry!"
"Are you doing that weird...force bond thing?" Rose asks.
"Yes."
"So you haven't heard anything I've said?" Rose asks, and Rey shakes her head apologetically. "Well, then, I'm just going to assume you're okay with everything I said, and we're going to t run with it!"
"...Okay." Rey shrugs.
"Wow, you are so easy going!" Rose laughs. "Like, I could have said that I was going to have Chewbacca perform the ceremony in wookie tradition and dress you in mud and leaves."
"I guess...as long as I get to wake up tomorrow married to Ben...I'll be happy." She sighs. "But also, please don't dress me in mud and leaves."
"Don't worry, I said we wanted something pretty. And I don't think the general would approve of that particular fashion choice."
"I don't think Ben would like it much if I showed up mostly naked in front of other men." The primal, protective growl she hears through the bond is proof enough of that.
"Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't. And I don't want to face his wrath." She teases. "Come on, let's get to work!"
…
"Beautiful. Just...so beautiful." Leia says as she puts a few finishing touches on Rey's hair. She's taken the time to curl it softly, and put a crown of braids laced with white flowers along the top of her head, and Rey has never felt so extravagant. Leia had been so thrilled when she and Rose had come to tell her that they wanted to have the ceremony tonight; she'd told the rest of the generals and commanders that she was taking the rest of the day and she was going to see her son marry the woman he loved. She had even taken the one white dress she'd had in her own closet, a simple floor length dress with long drapey sleeves and a high neck, and adjusted it herself. Apparently, she'd been tailoring her own clothing for many years, since the destruction of her own home planet over thirty years ago. "Alright. Let's let you dressed."
"Leia, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me. Not just today, either. Since the first day I met you, you've done everything for me. Treated me like your own daughter. And I love you." Rey says as she stands up, and Leia embraces her tightly.
"I love you too, beautiful girl." Leia kisses her cheek, and grabs up the dress. "There is no one else that could have ever broken through my son's thick skull and brought him back to us." Rey laughs, and her future mother in law helps her into the simple white dress.
"Oh- Leia...it's so beautiful!" Rey gasps when she looks down at herself. The dress she'd put on that morning seems completely transformed. First of all, she's taken it in, and it fits her beautifully. The sleeves are still long and drapey, but now they fall at her elbows. The neckline has been opened, giving her just a hint of cleavage. Around the waist is a thick band of a rich purple fabric, leading to a simple, long white skirt that falls to her toes. It's so simple, but it's so incredible...it's perfect.
"I can't take all of the credit. I took it to a few of the pilot's wives who you stayed with back on Hoth. They were more than happy to do some of the sewing." Leia smiles. "Now, I just have one final touch." She goes to her closet, and pulls out an ornate wooden box. "How much do you know about my mother?"
"Her name was Padme, she was a queen, and she died in childbirth." Rey says.
"That's all correct. I never knew her, but I've heard so much about her...it's actually one of the only reasons I've ever tolerated my father's visits. He's told me so much about her. And I've seen holos of her, she was so beautiful...well, once I found out about my parentage, Naboo, her home planet, they gave me some of her things. I keep most of them in a safe place with an old friend, named Lando, but I've always kept a few things...mostly her jewelry." She gestures for Rey to come sit beside her on the bed, which she does. "And I want you to have something of hers."
"Oh- Leia, I couldn't. They were your mother's things." Rey shakes her head.
"They're our family heirlooms. And you're as much a part of the family as I am. And if not you, who do I pass these things down to? Ben? What would he do with them, except give them to you to wear? And someday, you can give whatever I give you to Gemma." Leia shrugs, and pulls out a golden chain with a perfect round purple stone dangling from an ornate golden flower. "I used the purple fabric to help add some length to the dress because I knew it would go match this necklace...and i thought you'd look beautiful in purple. I was right."
"It's beautiful...I…"
"You do deserve it. Come on. Let me put it on you. Move your hair." Rey knows better than to argue any more. The necklace falls below her collar bones, and she lifts her hands to touch the stone. "Now you're perfect." Rey can't seem to help it when she wraps her arms around Leia again. A knock sounds from the door, and Leia calls them in.
"Oh my gosh! You look so beautiful!" Rose gasps as she enters the room with Gemma in her arms.
"So do you!" Rey grins. Rose is wearing a simple ensemble, a clean white blouse and a knee length grey skirt. She's wearing her hair down for a change, and she looks so happy.
"Oh please, you're so gorgeous!" Rose rolls her eyes, and holds out Gemma. She's wearing her nicest outfit, a simple pink dress covered in ruffles, a gift from Leia. Rey takes her in her arms, and kisses her chubby little cheek.
"I think that Gemma is the one who is gorgeous...oh look at you!" Rey grins, and her daughter giggles. "Do you know what today is, my sweet one? Mama and papa are going to get married...Now, I've heard that usually, people get married and then have babies, but your papa and I aren't really...usual people. And I'm glad, because it means that we have you, and I love you so much. And really, you're lucky. Not every kid gets to be in their parent's wedding holos. You'll have Auntie Rose to thank for all of these memories. She sort of insisted."
"And she's going to thank me for it someday!" Rose insists. "Now, I've got everything all ready out there. Finn's going to film for us, I got a ton of old candles from supply, and the sun is just starting to set. Everything's ready. Ben is ready." Rey feels her heart thump unevenly. "Now, most brides carry flowers at their wedding, but I thought that you'd probably like to carry Gemma."
"You're right." Rey smiles, kissing her chubby cheek again. "Well...I guess we'd better go."
"Look at her- she's all anxious because she's had the bond closed all morning." Leia says with a smile.
"Because someone insisted." Rey shoots her a frown.
"Well, I didn't want him seeing you before it was time!" Leia insists. "And you should thank me, because after this there will be no reason to ever close it again; I was just giving you a last break from my son." The teasing edge in her voice makes Rey smile. But what makes the smile broader is the truth of her words. After today there would be no reason to shut up the bond again. After today she and Ben would be joined as one in every way humanly possible. Rose takes her free hand, and leads her out the door with Leia following close behind. They draw a lot of attention from the people milling through the halls.
Holy- who would have guessed that she was so hot underneath all those desert rags?
Oh my goodness, she looks so beautiful! And the general looks so happy- oh, I bet she just never thought that this day would come!
Didn't know Rose could actually look like a girl-
I didn't think she'd actually go through with it. The Jedi and the Sith. There's a holofilm waiting to happen.
Can't believe how much fuss the General made over this.
But today, the thoughts mean less than nothing to Rey. She feels lighter than air as Rose leads her out of the base, and as they turn off of the beaten path of the forest, Rey's heart beats faster, because she feels him more and more with each step. She knows exactly where they're going.
"Our somewhere green…" She says softly as they walk.
"Yeah, I uh, I asked Ben if there was a spot that he thought you'd like...I was just going to use the rec room, but he said that this place was important to the two of you. I kind of figured this actually was probably the place you'd go when you'd meditate, and disappear on us for an hour or three." Rose explains. "He said that he didn't think you'd mind sharing it for this."
"He's right." Rey smiles.
"Wait here." Rose says when they're just outside of the copse of trees that conceals the clearing. Leia puts a hand on her shoulder, and smiles at her.
"Will you walk with me?" Rey asks. She didn't know much about weddings, but from what she'd seen in the few holofilms she'd watched with Rose and Eloriah, a bride usually walked with her parents...and Leia was as close as she had.
"I would be honored." Leia says, her voice growing thick. Soft music begins to play from the clearing, and Leia blinks away tears. "This is music from Alderaan, my home world."
"It's beautiful." Rey grins.
"I don't think anyone's played it since I got married." Leia admits as she takes Rey's hand.
"Well, I'm glad they're playing it today."
"So am I. Shall we?" Leia asks, and Rey nods and adjusts her daughter. She let's Leia lead her, and she gasps when she enters the clearing. She'd always thought it was beautiful by sunset, but Rose and Eloriah had outdone themselves. Dozens of candles are strewn about in simple glass bowls that she recognizes from the mess hall. She briefly wonders how Rose got them to agree to let her use them, but she's distracted at once when she looks at Ben, and they open the bond at the same time.
"Beautiful." they both send, and she sees him roll his eyes.
"You are. To me." She insists, her lips curling into a smile. She's always thought he cut a fine figure in black, and she thinks no differently seeing him now in black trousers and his nicest black tunic. She meets his intense stare again, and her face turns pink as his mind fills with his absolute adoration. She casts her eyes to the other faces in the clearing. Luke, standing up front with Ben, ready to perform the ceremony. Rose standing next to Finn, who's holding the holocam and smiling. Eloriah holding Poe's hand and already looking teary eyed. Chewbacca smiling as he stares at Ben, and then at Rey, and then at Ben. BB-8 and R2 are next to him, with C3P0 on his other side. Even the droids seem to be radiating joy. Leia places her hand in Ben's, and takes Gemma from her arms.
"I love you." His soft voice fills her senses, and she lifts her hand to touch his cheek.
"I know." They turn their attention to Luke, who conducts the ceremony with great dignity. They speak and exchange the simple vows, their hearts beating as one in time with the slight pulse of light that seems to emanate from their joined hands. She's surprised when Luke asks for Rings, and R2 rolls forward and presents them from one of his compartments.
"When did you get these? Where did you get them?" Rey asks, as he slides the cool metal band over her finger.
"Maintenance." He smirks, and a closer look at them reveals that they were indeed cut and smoothed pieces of pipe. She grins up at him as she slides the larger ring over his finger, marking him as her own. "I thought you already did that?" He winks, drawing her attention to his scar- her scar, he liked to call it.
"And they love each other so much, they can't stop communicating with the force bond, even in the middle of their own wedding." Luke teases, and everyone laughs. When he finally says "You may kiss your bride." Ben takes her face in his large hands, and kisses her softly, reverently on the mouth before he pulls away and rests his forehead against hers.
"Did you really just marry me?" He asks quietly.
"Of course I did." She puts her hands on top of his, and smooths her thumb over the cool metal of his ring. "Because I love you."
"I love you." He kisses her softly again, and as soon as he pulls away, they're both enveloped in a wookie hug. Rey laughs as she wraps an arm around Chewy, delighted by the familiar scent of leaves and sunshine. He releases Rey, and wraps his arms around Ben, saying something to him with a voice quieter than Rey had ever heard him use, but she hears exactly what he says through the force bond.
"Your father would be happy that you married her. He loved Rey very much. He never said, but I knew. He loved you very much too. He had so much hope, at the end. He wanted you home so much. And you came home, little Ben. You came home." She feels tears sting her own eyes as her hand finds Ben's.
"Congratulations!" Rose cries, running up to hug her. "See, I told you I could plan a wedding in a day- I told you, didn't I?"
"You did. And you were right. Thank you, so much Rose. It was perfect." Rey grins, and squeezes her tightly. "This was exactly what we needed it to be."
"I'm glad." Rose smiles, and waves Finn over. He's still filming. "Get a close up of the bride- she's so beautiful, isn't she?"
"Almost as pretty as you." Finn nods, and Rey rolls her eyes.
"Shut up, everyone knows the bride is always the most beautiful." Rose says as she smacks his stomach gently.
"She's always the most beautiful." Ben says, and she glances over at him and smiles.
"You know, the silent communication thing is sweet, but also super confusing sometimes!" Rose laughs and shakes her head.
"Oh, now here comes the most beautiful girl- just you wait Finn!" Rey says as Leia approaches, and she takes Gemma in her arms. "Now just look at this face? How could I ever compete?"
"What do you think, Solo? Who's the prettiest girl at the wedding?" Poe challenges.
"It's a tie. I could never decide between these two." He says, taking Gemma in his arms and kissing her, and wrapping an arm around Rey to kiss her hair.
"That's so sweet!" Eloriah sighs. "I have never seen any couple more in love."
"Rude!" Finn cries with mock offense as he wraps an arm around Rose. Rey chuckles, and Leia wraps her arms around her son.
"My Ben...My boy...My son." She smiles, and puts her hands on his face, no doubt remembering when he was only Gemma's age.
"Mother- Mama, I'm so glad that you got to be here to see this." He says earnestly. "And I'm so sorry that...he- that father...that he wasn't."
"I know." Leia says, patting his cheek gently, brushing away a single tear with her thumb. Rey is glad that Finn has turned the camera onto an argument between BB-8 and C3P0. "And I think he does too." She turns to Rey, and gestures for her to join their hug, which she does without hesitation. "Well, what are you waiting for Luke? Get in here." She insists, and Luke lays a hand on Ben and Rey's shoulders. "I'm so glad that we're all here together. A family. Like we should be."
"I am too." Luke smiles.
"Now, there is some paperwork that needs to be signed." C3P0's voice gets louder.
"Come on, let's sign the papers before the protocol droid busts a circuit." Ben rolls his eyes, and Rey laughs.
"Here, I'll take the kid." Luke says, and Ben passes her over and takes Rey's hand.
"Okay 3P0, where are the papers?"
