Chapter 26: Weddings
In a jungle clearing on Ajan Kloss, Finn stood at the head of the altar in his tuxedo, nervously fiddling with his bow tie. Next to him, Ben - his Best Man - leaned over to hiss in his ear.
"Stop twitching!"
Finn couldn't, periodically glancing back towards the main hangar bay where his future wife was being kept away from him to be all beautified. "I'm not nervous," he voiced his inner thoughts out loud. "I've never wanted anything more than this moment in my entire life. It's just... I can't stand it any longer! I need to see my bride!" And he suddenly broke, sprinting up the aisle for the hangar bay.
"We got a bolter!" Ben hollered. Moving quickly, he, Poe and Beaumont Kin chased Finn back down and took him down in a flying tackle. The groom struggled, but they held fast as they hauled him to his feet.
"You boys gone crazy?" Finn wheezed.
"She'll be out here soon enough, Finn," Ben calmed him.
The groom and his boys took their places back at the aisle. Moments later, the wedding march began to play, and Rey led the way down the aisle as Matron of Honor. Connix and Zorri followed as bridesmaids, and then...
An angel descended, turning the corner.
Emmary was blushing but positively radiant as she strode up the aisle towards her future, Captain Wedge Antilles on her arm to give her away. Spying Finn, her smile became even more brilliant and she nearly ran to him. Wedge passed her off to Finn. Maz Kanata would officiate the ceremony.
"You look breathtaking," Finn whispered. "I just want to drag you into a dark corner and ravish you..."
Emmary swatted at him. "Finny!" she hissed, turning pink.
The couple passed each other the rings and exchanged vows. Upon being declared husband and wife, Finn took his bride in his arms.
"Never seen anyone so beautiful..."
Emmary smirked. "Shut up and kiss me."
They drew each other close, mouths falling open as tongues pushed through. Closing her eyes in utter contentment, Emmary threw her arms around her husband as he lifted her clean off her feet to cheers and wolf whistles.
At the reception, Emmary approached Rey. Eyes full of gratefulness and love, she pecked her new sister-in-law's cheek.
"Thank you," she choked up. "For saving me and bringing me to my Finn."
Rey beamed wetly. "Of course."
Ben took the blushing bride by the elbow. "I think there's someone else you need to see." Leading her through the crowd to the back of the jungle clearing, Emmary's eyes locked with a guest she hadn't seen before... and she lost her breath for the second time in one day, bursting into tears.
"Mama?!"
"We found her on Borao," Ben informed her. Hearing his wife's cry, Finn hurried over from the champagne bar to see what was going on.
Mrs. Solcott wrapped her daughter in the fiercest hug. "Oh, Emmary... you are the most beautiful, beautiful bride..."
Emmary hiccuped. "I'm so sorry, Mama... I'm so sorry..."
"Sssssh... None of that matters now."
Sporting a watery smile, Emmary looped her arm through Finn's. "Mama, this is Finn Nescius... my husband."
Finn regarded the old woman who was apparently now his mother-in-law. "It's an honor to meet you, ma'am. I love your daughter more than anyone."
Mrs. Solcott beckoned him forward. "Come closer, Finn Nescius."
Finn nervously obeyed and she peered at him for a long moment. "He has a good soul," she judged before whispering conspiratorially to her daughter. "And he's handsome, too!"
Finn deflated in relief. "Oh, I like her."
Emmary beamed. "I knew you would!", nuzzling her face into his neck.
Watching the sight from afar, Rey waltzed in her own husband's arms.
"I've been thinking," Ben rumbled suddenly.
"Hmm?" Rey burrowed her head deeper against his chest. "What about?"
"... Will you marry me? Again?"
She lifted her head off his chest to stare at him. Finally, glowing, she stood on her tiptoes to lightly brush his lips.
"Why, Ben Solo, I thought you'd never ask me!... Yes." Grinning roguishly, he dove back in for another kiss, but she stopped him. "But I want to make sure we get it right."
The day of her wedding, Rey allowed Emmary and Connix to help her into Leia's wedding dress. Surprisingly, and to her great relief, the dress was a perfect fit, right down to the bodice. As she checked herself in the mirror, she blinked in utter shock when a figure she thought she would never see again appeared in the reflection:
"It looks better on you."
Rey spun around with a gasp to see the Force Ghost of Leia Organa beaming at her. It had been so sad to lose her, right after Finn and Emmary had returned from their honeymoon. But Leia had given her blessing wholeheartedly, before she passed. "I always wanted a daughter. Someone I could dress up and make clothes for. I just never expected I would get one through my son."
Rey beamed at her, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Thank you," she said softly.
Leia hugged her and kissed her forehead. "I'll be there. You'll see me."
At that moment, Connix re-entered the Naboo palace to announce that it was time. Rey strode down to the terrace overlooking a sun-kissed lake, where the marquee was glistening in the sunlight. Once upon a time, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padme Amidala – Ben's grandparents – had married in secret here. Reaching the end of the aisle created by rows of white folding chairs, Rey giggled as she took in who would be escorting her.
"Chewie..." The Wookie, with only a too-small bow tie on his body, gave her an affectionate howl and held out a furry arm to her. Rey smiled at him warmly. The father she had never known was long dead, and probably would not have cared to give her away, even if he was still alive. If Han or Luke had survived, she supposed they would have fought like brothers over who would accompany her. But in this moment, Chewie served as a fine substitute.
The wedding march played and Rey glided down the aisle, trying to match her strides to Chewie's unnaturally long ones. All the time, she kept her eyes glued to the front of the altar. Ben looked so incredibly handsome in his tuxedo, and he had kept his hair at the length she liked, combing it nicely. Finn gave her a gentle grin, standing at the former Supreme Leader's side.
When Chewie handed Rey off the Ben at the altar, he blinked at her rather rapidly. Rey smiled weakly.
"What?"
"You're wearing daisies in your hair," he beamed, giving her ornate braid a loving flick. Rey beamed and blushed.
"I know they're your favorite."
It was then that she noticed that the podium was empty. Who would officiate?
The answer would come as a shock to all. For suddenly, who should be standing there, but the Force Ghost of Luke Skywalker himself. He smiled warmly at the couple.
"Now, in my day, and in my father's time, Jedi were not allowed to marry. So, I'm just gonna wing it."
Ben leaned over to whisper in Rey's ear. "Luke Skywalker? Winging it? This should be good."
Luke now gestured between each of his former pupils. "Rey, do you take my nephew to be your husband?"
Rey gazed up into Ben's eyes and beamed. "I do."
"Ben, do you take my apprentice to be your wife?"
"I do," Ben nodded, never surer about anything else in his life.
"Then by the power vested in me as a Jedi Master, I now pronounce you and husband and wife." There was a pause as nobody moved. Luke jerked his head over towards Rey, his eyes twinkling. "Well, kiss her, you nerfherder."
Ben thus swept Rey into his arms and gave her a breathless kiss as the whole marquee burst into applause. After the newlyweds broke apart, Luke gave his nephew a wink and echoed the words he had once spoken to him, and in more tragic circumstances. "See ya around, kid." And the Jedi Master disappeared.
The sunlight glistened off the Naboo lakeside castle as Rey and Ben approached. Suddenly, Ben swept Rey off her feet, so that she let out a surprised squeal. He grandly carried her inside.
"I'm nothing if not traditional," Ben smiled down at her.
"Says the man who once wanted to let the past die," Rey mused.
Ben kicked the door in with his foot. "Welcome home... Mrs. Solo."
Rey beamed and kissed him. "Say my new name again," she whispered against his lips.
Ben's smile looked like it was in danger of breaking his face. "Mrs. Solo," and every syllable dripped with bliss. He reverently deposited his bride on the bed and clambered on top of her. Kissing her again and again, he began to slowly undress her. At last, Rey's bridal gown was off, followed quickly by her undergarments. She now lay in all her glory before him.
An almost stunned Ben hesitantly reached out to touch her, as if he was afraid she might break. Or disappear entirely. "You're beautiful, you know. More than I dreamed."
Rey felt her face grow hot as she bit her lip in a frown. She glanced down at her waifish figure. Even after several months of good eating with the Resistance, there are parts of her that are still all skin-and-bones. Her breasts are not as voluptuous as they are on women of other worlds; in fact, she finds them quite flat. And the bushy rat's nest that she believes to be her womanhood... He'll think it's ugly or it's gross. "No, I'm not," she mumbled.
Ben lifted her chin with his finger, to make sure she looked him in the face. "You are," and his voice was filled with soft fire.
Rey's breath hitched and she gazed at him.
"I love you," Ben hissed, as if those are the only words he knows how to say. And as if to proof it, he suddenly brushed his... manliness up against the inside of her thigh. "You feel that? That's me - wanting you. Loving you."
Rey was stunned by how hard his anatomy feels. She could feel it straining, even after it was free from the pants that sheathe it. "Aren't you in any pain?" she asked, concerned.
Ben laughed. "Oh, believe me, it's been worse than this." And his eyes got a wistful look. "In the weeks after Crait, I would stroke myself to images of you in my head, alone in my chambers. Then, when I would cum, I would cleanse myself and imagine it was you lapping away the juices."
Rey flushed pink, gathering the courage to voice a dirty admission of her own. "I would sometimes... touch myself. When I was living on the Falcon. One night, I said your name out loud - I thought I was gonna wake up the whole Resistance!"
Ben chuckled. "My naughty little scavenger," he murmured into her neck, and began to kiss the freckles there. All the while, he rubbed his throbbing erection up against her thigh. After a few moments, it seemed as though his entire body was throbbing - and Rey was distressed to discover that it was because Ben was crying.
"What's... what's wrong?" Is he unsatisfied? Is he already bored with me?
"I just... can't believe you're real. And here. That an angel loves a monster like me!"
Rey laughed airily, followed quickly by a gasp as he sent a love bite into her skin. "I'm no angel. And you're not a monster. You're my beautiful, beautiful Ben."
Ben looked positively delighted by this testament. "Say it again," he sighed.
"Ben..." Rey groans his name.
"More... more..."
"Ben, Ben, Ben..." she babbled.
His entire body seized up before slowly relaxing. He came. All over the inside of her thigh. Rey could scarcely believe that the mere sound of his name on her lips would make him come undone. She could feel the stickiness coating her skin.
Ben rolled off of her, to catch his breath. After a moment's silence, he asked:
"Who told you that you were not an angel?"
Rey sat up, covering her sensitive areas so that she was hugging herself. "My parents, certainly. From what I can remember, they thought I was a burden."
Ben twisted away from her suddenly, as if burned, eyes smoldering. Rey's own irises filled with concern as she watched him get up and pace the bed. "Ben...?"
"I wish I could find whatever pauper's grave they are buried in!" he suddenly spat. "I wish I could dig them up, bring them back to life, and kill them all over again! Cut them down with my lightsaber!"
Rey's gaze softened. Ah, so that's what this is about. "Ben, it's over. Everything's all right..."
"No, it's not all right!" Ben shook with rage. "I don't think you understand! They had the treasure of the galaxy in their grasp and they threw it away with both hands!"
Rey shrugged. "To them, I was just a slave. Potential labor."
"And that's another thing!" Ben raised a finger, not finished. He was on a roll. "Being treated like thrash by that... what's his name? Udder Plop..."
"Unkar Plutt."
"Whatever. If I were still Supreme Leader, I would make whole star systems genuflect before you and call you their Queen."
Rey trilled out a laugh, and stared at him, eyes full of love and yet flushed by the praise he showers upon her. "I wouldn't want to be anybody's Queen, Ben..."
"And yet here you are," and Ben knelt beside the bed. "With a man on his knees for the woman he loves. Queen over me and my heart. And long may you reign! I am your humble servant." He submitted before her.
Rey grinned widely. All right, she'll play along. As regally as she could manage, she extended her hand, which Ben seized and reverently kissed.
"Very well, young man. I order you to make love to me!"
Ben eagerly clambered back on top of her, only this time, to truly make their bodies one. "Let me dwell inside of you," he murmured through a kiss to Rey's lips. "Please."
Rey showed him mercy, and nodded. Gently, inch by inch, Ben pushed into her. Tears pricked at Rey's eyes from the pain, and she kissed Ben deeply to help herself through it.
Ben was gentle as he attended to her, thrusting at a steady pace that was just as consistent in each increase of speed. Rey clawed at his back, her eyes wide as saucers at the pleasure building up inside of her.
"Ben... I LOVE YOU!" she screamed as she tightened around him.
"Fuck, Rey! I love you! So much!" And Ben quickly followed, emptying himself within her.
He remained within her for a moment before drawing out and sitting on the edge of the bed. Rey leaned herself against the mountain of pillows once more, basked in utter contentment.
Until she realized... Oh Force...
"You don't think your... family is watching us?" She meant the ghosts of the Skywalkers and Solos in the Netherworld of the Force.
Ben shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."
"Oh God..." and Rey buried her face in her hands, mortified, her face permanently flushed.
"Hey," Ben chuckled, reaching over to rub her arms. "Han Solo... Dad is probably the only one who might not give us any privacy." The comment didn't help, and Rey groaned at the thought of her father-in-law's spirit watching her have sex with his son.
"And what about... Luke?" she thought of the man who is now her uncle by marriage. "He blew apart an entire stone hut when he caught us just holding hands!"
"Yeah, old Skywalker never knew how to hang onto his Bantha cheese and crackers," Ben mused. "But, honestly, I think he would have struck me down by now."
It was many hours later. The sun was beginning to set over the ocean beyond. Ben was still sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the tide. Rey was lounging on the covers like a cat, still blissfully naked. She stroked the down comforter as she lost herself in her thoughts.
"Ben? Can you tell me what happened that night at the Temple?"
She watched him stiffen; felt the walls of his mind close just slightly, but not all the way, through their Bond. "I thought I told you everything you needed to know. And Sky... Uncle Luke." Rey only slightly registered that this is the first time she has ever heard him speak his uncle's first name.
"I... I need to know," she pleaded. "What did you feel?"
He was deathly silent for a moment. Then:
"Scared. Betrayed. Bitter. Resigned. I knew they all thought I was a burden. That I was dangerous. I could see it in the eyes of the Padawans I cut down. In Luke's eyes as he tried to murder me in my sleep. My parents. And yet... that night was peaceful. I'll never forget how the stars looked. I gazed up into the sky... I could see every last one of them twinkling. I could even see one of the neighboring planets of Ahch-To, and it was so... beautiful, Rey. The flames... from the Temple... just made them shine all the brighter. I couldn't tell where space ended and the earth began."
Rey gently scooted closer, rubbing a hand along Ben's arm as she processed the memories he had just shared. Probing into the Bond, she could see it all just as he has described. She glanced up into his face and smiled gently.
"I love you," she said simply.
He beamed at her adoringly. "I know."
