Ben took one of his father's crystals from his shelf and held it up to the candlelight. "Are you going to tell me where you went?"
"Where do you think I went?"
"What did you do?"
"Tried to get the story out of Luke. Give him a good haunting. Tried to, anyway. Saw him. Managed to knock a bottle off the table. He didn't respond to me. Like he's closed himself off, or something." Han came around so Ben could look at him. "Promise me something, Ben. Make sure he opens himself up back to ghosts and everything so I can give him what for."
Ben laughed. "Really, Dad. What are you going to do?"
"I can haunt him."
"How are you going to do that?"
"I'll figure it out."
"Sure thing." Ben laughed and continued packing the crystals from his shelves.
Ben glanced in the rear view mirror of the SUV he had traded his rental car in for. Rose and Flesh Rey were chatting in the back seat with Real Rey leaning over the back rest, having no need for a seat belt. Finn was comparing his phone GPS to the paper atlas that had found under the seat. They had already been traveling several hours, and it was getting close to stopping.
"Finn, can you pull up an address for me?" Ben asked, unlocking his phone and handing it to the man in the passenger seat. "It's in my emails, from my mother. It's in an email with a lot of old photographs of my grandmother."
"Grandmother? I don't know what your grandmother looks like."
"Padme Amidala. Search Padme in my emails. It should be there."
"Alright."
"Where are we going? I thought your uncle was farther up north?" Rose asked, leaning between the front seats.
"We are. There's a memorial I wanted to stop at in DC. We'll stop there, and then head for dinner, then get back on the road."
"Which memorial?"
"One for my grandmother."
"Is this her?" Finn asked, holding up an email scrolled to a picture of his smiling grandmother.
Ben smiled and nodded. "That's her! The address should be in that email."
"I want to see ProSo's Grandmother," Rose chirped.
Finn handed the phone to her so she and Flesh Rey could ooh and ahh over the old photographs.
"It's going to be up here soon," Ben urged. "You wanna put the address in?"
"On it, Boss," Finn nodded, taking the phone back and typing the address into the GPS.
The roads it led them down were small and increasingly rural. Ben frowned at them until the trees opened up onto a gorgeous estate with a plaque at a gate declaring it the historic Naboo Senate House, stating that tours were hourly between 9am and 9pm, weather permitting.
"Naboo?" Rose cooed. "I came here on like a field trip in 4th grade! It's gorgeous! Your grandmother is one of the Naboo Senators?"
"What's Naboo?" Finn asked as they started driving up the cobblestone driveway that led up to the parking in front of the extravagant European inspired building.
"They're a coalition of politicians, senators mainly, who value democracy and the greater good. They were active from the beginning of the country, but fell out of vogue when Palpatine came into power. Which was terrifying because Palpatine was a Naboo Senator himself. He dismantled the coalition, and now they're a tourist attraction, rather than a legitimate political power." Rose sighed as she stared out the window.
"You really should become a teacher, Rose," Ben encouraged. "You're an impressive mechanic, but a history teacher who cares about the stories? You'd encourage your students to love history, too."
Rose blushed. "Thank you. I've really thought about it."
"You could always do both," Finn offered. "Maybe not both a mechanic and a teacher, but teaching both."
Rose nodded. "I could do that!"
Ben turned into a parking space and shut off the car. Everyone else tumbled out of the car, already excited to see Ben's family.
The museum was quiet and awe-inspiring. It felt like a place where important things happened. Ben led the way and paused at the information counter.
The young woman smiled at him. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, Do we need to be apart of a tour group or can we look around on our own?"
"Here's the brochure for our self guided tour. It has a map, a few factoids, and a timeline of important events. If you do want to join a group, feel free to follow as they pass by. They're open groups."
"Thank you."
They started off, looking up at paintings and portraits and photographs.
"So where do you think your grandmother is specifically?" Finn asked.
Ben shook his head. "No idea."
"What was her name again?" Rose asked.
"Padme Naberrie Amidala."
"Naberrie! I remember that name! It was on a statue! In the gardens!" Rose hopped out in front of them. "Come on!" She full out sprinted through the building.
"You shouldn't be running!" Ben called, speed walking to keep up.
"I'm not a teacher yet!"
They passed through the back door to an intricately manicured garden.
"The statues are through this way." Rose disappeared through an arch.
Ben let Finn pass in front of him as he paused to wait for Rey, for Flesh Rey and Real Rey. Flesh Rey was bright-eyed and happy, but she always seemed to be caught at 3/4 speed, like she wasn't quite all herself, which made sense, but it still caused Ben to worry. Real Rey though was always at her side, bolstering her up and keeping her focused and on task.
"How are you holding up?"
"Doing alright," Flesh Rey nodded. Real Rey nodded in unison.
Ben offered his hand to them. Flesh Rey smiled and took it. Real Rey beamed, looking down to her own hand. She could feel it, and she was ecstatic.
They passed through the arch, trailing after Finn and Rose. They found them a ways in, where there was a courtyard of statues of various politicians. Most were simple: a politician dressed in their best, carrying books or a scale or a feather quill. Rose and Finn stood before a fountain with a solitary statue perched atop it. The water was slow moving. The weather was getting colder, but the forecast hadn't quite called for snow yet, so the water still flowed until it had to be turned off for the winter. The bottom most level was filled with lily pads and coins. The statue, though, was being overrun with ivy. The woman's skirt was entirely covered with ivy, and it was already wrapping around her outstretched arms. The face was kind and noble, and the hair was formed into a large intricate braided bun.
"This is her, Padme Naberrie Amidala, Naboo Senator," Rose nodded, pointing to the plaque she was standing in front of.
"She's beautiful," Flesh Rey sighed.
"She is," Ben agreed.
"In memoriam of Padme Naberrie Amidala," Finn started reading. "Welcoming freedom and democracy to all. A beacon of hope. May the Force keep you."
Ben smiled at Finn and ruffled in his coat pocket. He pulled out his grandmother's necklace and set it atop the plaque. He closed his eyes and mouthed incantation after incantation. The water glowed and darkened. The ivy moved and curled back into place. The statue smiled at them and returned to her noble pose.
"She's not here," Real Rey whispered. "There's only memories here. Nothing of herself." She set her hand on Ben's arm.
He sighed and pocketed the necklace. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. "I could hope."
"She is beautiful."
"She is."
"You look like her."
He chuckled. "How so?"
"The shape of your mouth. I saw in the pictures that she has beauty marks, too."
He smiled, and he offered her a hug. She tried her best but sighed. "Rey," she cried softly. Flesh Rey turned to her and followed to join in on that hug. Real Rey had grown accustomed to feeling through Flesh Rey, and they both obliged to working together, excited for when they would be reunited. Ben's warmth and adoration just made it all the more worth it. Ben set his chin on Rey's head to look up at his grandmother's statue.
Once their fingers and ears and noses started getting cold, they decided to leave, and they ended up at a cozy hometown diner.
They ordered and chatted. The mood was solemn, but it was more from being tired and cold. Ben pushed the seasonal vegetables around his plate as he considered his grandmother. Flesh Rey was devouring the tallest stack of pancakes he had ever seen. Rose was sharing a basket of tater tots with Finn and was chatting about how she really should start changing her major to teaching.
Ben's phone started vibrating, and he pulled it from his pocket. "It's Maz." He answered.
"Unkar Plutt is screeching outside our fence 'where is Rey?' I hope that magic barrier keeps up until you get back," Maz informed. He could hear Plutt yelling in the background.
"You know how to keep it up, the garlic and salt and incantation around the perimeter. It sounds like my glamour ran out in his shop."
"Yes, it did. Plutt's all yelling about how she disappeared right in front of his eyes, and how he knows you did it."
"Well, keep safe, Maz. Stay inside. We'll be back as soon as we can."
"You keep Rey and the rest of them safe, too, Solo. You're responsible for them."
"I understand."
"And keep yourself safe, too. We can't do this right if you're dead on top of it."
Ben laughed. "See you." He put the phone back in his pocket. "The fake Rey I put in Plutt's shop finally disintegrated," he announced to the table. "He's yelling outside of Maz's. They'll be safe inside the perimeter. We have safety spells set up."
Finn nodded. "Maz'll be okay?"
"They all will."
Rose popped another tater tot in her mouth. "As long as we get back with a whole Rey, he can't do anything, right?"
"Right."