Chapter 8: Like Coming Home
Four Years Prior…
Rey sat on the roof of the creaky old home. The tiles were chipped or missing. The rain gutters rusted over.
Another year. Another birthday alone.
The stars above were shimmering tonight, on her birthday. No wisps of clouds in sight, clear as can be.
All she could think about was some person a long time ago—perhaps when she was small and unable to have much clarity—promising that there was someone coming back for her. So she waited because she knew a lot about waiting. She had been waiting for fifteen years already, what was a few more years?
Abandoned on the steps of a church, barely a few days old. Unwanted.
But someone surely would want her.
She watched one of the younger kids go hours ago, under the dull light of day. Wanted. Loved. Secure.
One day, she would have that.
The waiting continued.
Present Day…
The purple fog faded. Rey was no longer laying in the hospital bed with the fluorescent lighting over her head.
She was standing exactly where she was when the curse whisked her away, holding Ben's hand in her own. A whole nineteen years had passed and yet, nothing had changed.
The evil presence of Snoke was nearby, making her hair prickle at the back of her neck. Ben squeezed her hand.
"Let's finish this, Rey," he said, his voice at a hard edge.
Rey glanced down and saw her own staff on the ground. She reached for it, the humming of her kyber crystal soothing to her soul. "Let's go."
They walked into the castle, the halls empty. Both of them had their glowing weapons out, violet and white clashing dancing along the walls.
They came upon the red throne room where Snoke stood, anger raw on his malformed face.
"I must admit, young Solo, that your trick with the curse delayed the inevitable. But now, I have a new golden opportunity before me," he said. "A new soul I can raise in the dark side, crush any goodness out of their soul before it ever takes root as it did with you."
Rey on raw instinct placed her hand on her abdomen and felt a small spark in the Force. Horror overcame the brief blip of joy she had at the soul forming, half of her and half of the man she loved. What Snoke was suggesting was disturbing and invasive on so many levels. The sheer rage of Ben radiated off of him, mixing with her own.
"You will never get my child you sick, twisted, bastard," Ben growled, pointing his sword right at Snoke. "You're finished. You lost. The curse is broken."
Rey placed her hand on Ben's arm, feeling his anger about to take the best of him.
He's baiting us, Ben. Don't lose yourself.
Snoke smirked as he fired lightning at Ben. Rey stepped in the way and blocked it with her staff.
"Rey no!" Ben cried out, grabbing her by the shoulder while she stood her ground, the electricity cracking along her arms. A white sword pushed up against her staff, redirecting the energy away from her.
"Such a pathetic girl would throw her life away for a failure of a boy," Snoke snickered, raising his other hand up to contribute more power and pressure on the duo.
"The most pitiful existence one could ever experience is one without love," Rey declared. "I will always protect my family!"
The pair, equals in everything, breathed in and out and focused with the Force, pushing the lightning back. Determination and love poured into their bond fueled their combined strength. Ben's warm hand was on her abdomen in a protective hold. The lightning rebounded onto Snoke, frying his skin and turning bits of him to ash. His face betrayed his shock.
The world was dizzy and spinning. Her limbs felt heavy and the bond was pure exhaustion.
Rey, energy drained, fell forward into slumber.
She blinked her eyes open. She was on a cot, a warm presence cuddling her from behind. She closed her eyes once more, reveling in the warmth of Ben's arm around her.
"You're awake," a voice spoke. Maz.
She, with reluctance, opened her eyes again to see Maz taking a seat next to her cot.
"You're safe now. You, Ben, and your child," she said. "Snoke is dead."
A huge relief was lifted from her shoulders. No more torment. No more pain constantly plaguing Ben or his family. It was truly, finally over.
"Rey?"
She sat up, taking a look at a sleeping Ben, peaceful. She looked to the doorway and saw Finn.
"You're alright. You're awake," he said, rushing over.
Rey smiled as she hugged her best friend. "I'm just glad everyone is in one piece and it is all over."
"Congrats on your baby," Finn said. "Err, Ren, I mean, Ben told me."
Rey placed a hand on her abdomen, feeling the little spark of life in the Force, sleeping, just like their father. "Thank you, Finn."
"Han and Amilyn explained the whole curse thing. We seized the First Order's castle and found you two on the ground and brought you back here. I must admit, it's a lot to take in, especially the part where you're pregnant with his baby."
Rey laughed. "I didn't expect to wake up from the curse pregnant, that is for sure. But I don't regret it, not one bit." The only part she regretted was how close she was to fleeing town in fear. She wasn't surprised that she tried such a stunt, but it hurt all the same.
A groan next to her alerted her. Ben was waking up, their bond opening wide.
"Rey?" he mumbled, reaching for her.
Finn chuckled. "I guess you two have a lot to talk about. I'll leave you to it."
Maz nodded, following Finn out of the infirmary. "I will go inform Leia."
Rey turned to face Ben who kept himself laying down, his hand on her belly. "You're okay," he muttered sleepily.
She brushed a stray lock of hair aside. "I'm glad you're okay too."
He smiled at her. A lazy, soft smile. He pointed a finger to his temple. "It's quiet here now… Mostly."
She raised an eyebrow. "Mostly?"
Considering I can hear your thinking and feel what you're feeling, it's not entirely quiet, but I'm not complaining.
Rey rolled her eyes. Of course, you would say that.
Your presence is like a balm to my soul. I like being able to feel you. You're sunshine.
Ben sat up, pressing a small kiss to her lips. "And I love you."
"I love you too."
He looked upon her like she was the reason he took every breath before frowning. "I'm sorry," Ben said, his voice tight with remorse. "For how I treated you."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry too. For trying to run. For pushing you when you weren't ready."
"I want to make things better after this. I really want to." He stroked her hair. "We have a wedding to plan after all."
She snorted. "It's been nineteen years since you proposed. Is that still valid?"
He chuckled. "Do you want to marry me still?"
"I might have to think about it. Maybe consult an outside source. My child's thoughts on the matter are very important."
The little spark was bouncing in contentment in the Force. Rey ran a soothing hand over her stomach. Nine months and she would be able to meet this little bundle of joy.
Ben reached for her hand, breathing in and out and feeling his child in the Force. "I cannot wait to meet them."
Rey sighed, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. "Me too."
"We should go meet up with my parents. I have to introduce my wife-to-be to them."
Walking into the main hall together, Rey's head was in the clouds. She couldn't believe she was this lucky in her life. She had friends. A lover. And soon, her family would grow.
Ben squeezed her hand, trying to reassure himself she wouldn't go anywhere. That she was his, as he was hers.
Ben stalled as he spotted his mother for the first time in years. The time between them in Stelland was different; didn't contain all the extra baggage of Ben's deeds, the burning of the Jedi Temple, the war.
He froze, watching Leia speak with Amilyn while folding blankets for the displaced folk in the crowded throne room.
Rey inched up on her tip-toes and kissed Ben on the cheek. "Go."
He nodded, making his way across the room, his shoulders hunched to make himself smaller and unnoticeable, but everyone noticed. Everyone.
Leia turned around, detecting her son's presence in the Force, and she smiled.
Ben bowed to her out of respect. "Princess Leia."
She grabbed his shoulders and tugged him into a hug. "Ben. My baby. My son. You're home."
Rey watched as mother and son reunited, memories and all.
"Thank you for bringing him home," Han spoke behind her. He smiled.
"Me?"
"I mean, you gave him what he needed when me and Leia didn't. That's more than what we could have asked for. Also congrats on getting knocked-up." Han smirked.
Rey laughed. "Congrats future grandpa."
"I feel so old from that statement."
The embrace between mother and son ended, and Leia gestured for Rey to come over. Before she could say anything Leia hugged her as well.
"Thank you for bringing him home," Leia said, pulling away.
"Mom," Ben gestured to Rey. "This is Rey. My fiancée."
Fiancée sounded so nice.
Leia raised an eyebrow. "Fiancée? And here I thought you would never find someone to marry."
Ben pouted. "I don't want to wait."
"You're so much like your father. He proposed the night the Empire fell and we were married within three days." Leia gave the two a warm grin. "Time to start planning the wedding I always wanted to plan for you."
"Leia." Amilyn walked over, Poe following not too far behind. "The town is here."
That was not what any of them expected.
"I… What?" Ben questioned. "Like, physically? Buildings and all?"
Poe nodded. "It's south of here in an open field on the edge of the forest."
Rey glanced at Ben, as baffled as he was. "A byproduct of the curse?"
"I mean, besides our child?"
"Wait wait," Poe gaped at the two. "Rey's pregnant?"
One month later...
"Do you, Rey, take Prince Ben Organa-Solo of Alderaan, to be your husband?" Leia spoke, officiating due to her power and title in the kingdom.
Rey stood at the altar in the most elegant of dresses, the skirts flaring out and the train draped over the stairs. She held Ben's bare hands in her own, gazing up into his wondrous, expressive amber eyes.
"I do," she said with all the certainty in the world.
"Do you, Prince Ben Organa-Solo of Alderaan, take Rey as your wife?"
His voice was choked with emotion, tears threatening to fall. "I do."
"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
Ben did not hesitate, reaching for Rey's waist and pressing the softest kiss to her mouth, butterflies flooding her stomach and tears flowing freely. The cheers of everyone in the great hall fell on deaf ears as Rey lost herself in the feel of her husband's lips.
I love you, she thought.
I love you too.
The entire night of festivities, Ben couldn't take his eyes off of Rey. She could feel his love, his devotion, his happiness in full bloom. Everything. Everywhere. It was infectious. He held her so tightly as they swayed across the ballroom floor.
"We need to think of names eventually," Ben said, pulling Rey out of her blissful reverie. "For the baby."
"We have eight months to go, Ben," she teased.
"You know me, I don't want to wait," he gave her a sly smile. "It's been torture waiting all night to take you to my bed."
"You're insatiable, Ben Solo."
"You married me, sweetheart, you know exactly what you're getting into. Anyways, names?"
Rey tilted her head. "Hmm. What do you want for our son or daughter?"
"No names based on my family. The burdens of legacy shouldn't be theirs to bear. Their name should be their own."
"Are you hoping for a boy or girl?"
"I would be happy with either." He spun her around, lost in thought as he came up with names. "Hmm, I like the name Kiera for a girl for some reason."
"I like Kayden for a boy. But we can consider other names. We have eight months left."
Ben kissed her forehead. "Eight months until we can meet them." Pulling her into his arms, he got a wicked glint in his eye. "Better conserve your energy, Princess Rey Organa-Solo."
Her spine shuddered.
Nine months later…
Rey watched as her husband went around the ballroom with a stupid grin on his face, holding his newborn baby girl in his arms and showing her off to everyone who came to the gathering.
"So," Finn said, standing next to her as she sat on a chair. She was exhausted from sleepless nights and feeding her baby, but it was worth it. "Did you expect to end up here, a princess, a warrior, and a mother?"
Rey laughed. "No, I didn't. Not even when I was in the desert of Jakku, scavenging around, or when I lived in a sad apartment in Portland."
She never thought she would be this happy. She never thought she would have all this. Finn. Poe. Rose. Amilyn. Maz. Chewie. Leia. Han. Ben.
And her little bundle of joy.
"How is your family," she asked Finn.
"Good. Great actually. I never thought I would find them but I did." Finn smiled brightly. "They want to visit everyone eventually."
"I want to meet them too."
Rose came over, Paige in tow. "Well," Rose said, hands on her hips. "You brought us all here to introduce your baby. So what's her name?"
The crowd all began to form a circle around her. Everyone was there, watching.
Rey didn't need to look to sense Ben and her little star was by her side again.
"You all need some patience," Ben huffed, handing the swaddled baby to Rey to hold.
"Says Ben Solo who was way too eager to meet this one for nine months straight," Rey said with a roll of her eyes. "Everyone, meet Princess Kiera Organa Solo of Alderaan."
"She's so cute," Poe remarked.
Paige smiled while Rose extended her finger to see the baby's face up close.
Maz closed her eyes while Chewie mumbled something behind her. "Yes indeed Chewie, she's just like her father with the dark hair. However, she's also strong in the Force."
"Finally, a name!" Han said, exasperated. "Holding out on us for weeks."
Leia elbowed him. "Oh hush, you weren't this eager when Ben came along to get to this part."
"Because I already knew his name and I'm not a fan of these types of shindigs."
Luke stepped forward. "Congratulations. May Kiera grow up to be as strong and kind as her parents."
Rey glanced at Ben, who was enthralled with his slumbering daughter.
She realized that, after so long, her family did come back for her. The wait was agony and painful and long and hard, but it was worth it, just to have this. A sense of home.
Rey never doubted Ben ever again. He always kept his promises.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Fun fact: the original name for the baby was Hope but I remembered that was also the name of Emma and Killian's daughter lol.
Thank you for reading!