Three nights later, Rey woke in the wee hours of the morning and made a swift run to the fresher. This time her dinner from the night before did come up. As usual, BB-8 had left his post and followed her. But he stayed silent, and for that she was grateful; Poe was still sleeping and she wanted to keep it that way. After her roiling stomach finally calmed, Rey brushed her teeth and grabbed one of the resort's robes from the back of the fresher door. Putting it on, she walked on silent feet out of the bungalow and onto the deck. Two of Gundula's three visible moons were shining brightly over the ocean tonight, and Rey stood admiring them, breathing in the fresh air of this amazing place, hoping her thoughts would settle as quickly as her stomach had.
It was then she felt a familiar presence behind her. She heard BB-8 start to rock in agitation and quickly turned to face him. "It's okay, BB-8!" she whispered. "I'm sure you recognize a friend." Then she looked over toward the woman in question.
Leia Organa looked like the Princess she was, dressed in fine robes and surrounded by the mystical blue light that helped her achieve solid form through the Force. She stood looking at Rey with a bemused smile on her face.
"Master Organa," Rey said softly with reverence.
"Master Skywalker," Leia responded with a nod. She started walking forward until she reached the railing of the deck that Rey had been standing at. "So, you found Kennera."
Rey nodded, moving to stand next to her former mentor, the woman whom she had loved as a mother. "Thanks to your son," Rey said quietly.
Leia's smile grew and she nodded. "I had wondered if he had managed to speak with you, yet. Your connection while he was alive was so powerful, I never had any doubt he would find a way." She looked over at Rey with wonder. "Dyads are still not well understood, even in this realm."
"Do you see him?" Rey asked. "Can you speak to him?" She would feel so relieved knowing he was back with his mother.
"Our contact is limited, but yes," Leia responded. "As time goes on, I feel we'll be able to connect with each other more." Her smile grew sad. "He actually sees his grandfather more than anyone, I think. They share more than blood, now. Guilt is a powerful thing, though it eases with time."
Rey felt a shiver run up her spine. She couldn't even imagine the remorse and shame Ben must feel. She often felt that had he lived he never would have been able to have a normal life with the stigma of his past as Kylo Ren to endure. She had hoped that in death that regret would be erased.
Leia seemed to read her thoughts. "It will be. Eventually." She sighed. "He's in a sort of purgatory right now. Which is why Anakin can help him more than anyone; he's already been through that."
Rey looked at her with wonder. "You speak of your father with compassion," she said.
"He's earned it," Leia told her with a wry twist to her mouth. "But enough about us. I came to talk about you." She turned toward Rey. "I'm assuming you have learned the secret of this place?"
"You mean that it's the Kennarans themselves that are the bearers of the Light?"
Leia smiled. "Yes. How long did it take you to figure that out?"
"Too long," Rey answered. "We played tourist around the whole resort for most of the day while I tried to solve the mystery. It finally all came together that night."
Leia laughed. "So, a day? That's how long it took you?"
Rey nodded.
Leia shook her head. "Oh, Rey. It took me half a dozen visits to this planet before I worked it out. You just don't understand yet how powerful you are, do you?"
Rey blushed at the combined compliment and chastisement.
"You are still so innocent, just like Luke was, though you had a much rougher upbringing than he did." Leia looked back out over the ocean. "Don't ever change, Rey. That innocence is what keeps the Light so bright inside you. You aren't afraid of the Dark; you've defeated it too many times to fear it. I think it fears you," she added wryly. She turned toward Rey again. "I just wanted you to know how very proud we are of you. And how much we are all still in your corner. Don't ever forget that, even when things get tough."
"Are you telling me they're going to get tough?" Rey asked with worry. She knew this happily-ever-after couldn't last.
"You will have some rough moments ahead, yes," Leia nodded. "But you'll have more than enough moments like you've been having here on Kennera to make up for it." She grinned. "At least you've found yourself a worthy partner through it all." She looked over at BB-8. "And I'm not talking about the droid, no offense BB-8."
BB-8 had been following their conversation intently, and was a bit surprised when the 'ghost Leia' spoke to him.
Rey looked back as well, into the darkened room beyond the droid. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I have." She looked back at Leia. "Did you know?" she suddenly asked. "Did you know he watched me back then?"
"Why do you think I always assigned him as your protection whenever you had to go off world?" Leia replied mildly. "Finn and Chewie were more than capable of looking out for you, but I always tried to make sure they were doing something else whenever I sent you on an errand."
Rey laughed softly. "He always complained about it, too. Saying he was more than a bodyguard." She shook her head.
"At least you both figured it out." She stepped back away from the railing and started walking away. "And you'll figure this out, too."
Rey frowned. "Figure what out?"
Leia turned back to her and smiled. "Congratulations. It's a girl." With that, she faded into the night.
A feeling similar to a mild electric current shot through Rey at Leia's parting words. Her hands shot to her belly. "Oh. Wow." It wasn't something she ate after all. She reached out tentatively with the Force, focusing it on her body in a way similar to when she healed. And there it was. There she was. Waiting and growing and living. An individual presence in the Force already, her tiny heart beating a steady rhythm.
Her daughter.