Ben wakes before Rey, and though he's hesitant to slide away from her soft, bare body, he forces himself to get up. After a quick shower and cleaning his teeth, Ben heads to the kitchen to start preparations for their day.

After he gets the turkey, dressing, and ham started, he starts on breakfast - pancakes and bacon - and lets his mind wander to the woman still snoozing in his bed.

The thought of her meeting his mother unnerved him last night. He doesn't know what exactly Leia said - if anything - but the possibilities make him anxious. His mother has always had a tendency to overshare and Ben doesn't want to know what kinds of things Leia might tell if she's around Rey for more than a few minutes.

There are things that Ben isn't ready for Rey to know about, but he's sure Leia would have no qualms about exposing aspects of Ben's past that he's not sure he'll ever be ready to share. And before he can stop his memory from going down that path, he's there. The darkness that had hung over him during that first year of law school. The pressure from his mother and Luke to be the best. The long hours put into something that he wasn't sure he had the passion for.

It had culminated in some bad decisions.

Before law school, Ben hadn't been a drinker. He hadn't ever even been intoxicated. But during that first year, Ben had broken under the pressure he'd put on himself. He'd been so wound up, so irritable from lack of sleep due to stress, that he'd gone out drinking one night with some classmates. And it felt so good - the calm that had come over him, the way his limbs had relaxed, and he'd slept for more than a couple of hours at a time for the first time in months.

It didn't take him long to realize he wanted to chase that feeling. So whenever he was beyond stressed, beside himself with anxiety, he would drink. And since Ben had always been a high-strung individual, he began drinking a lot. Then he started drinking alone.

At some point, he became so reliant on it that if he went a period of a few hours without a drink, his hand would tremble and his anxiety would spike to the point that he wanted to rip his own hair out.

He doesn't want Rey to know anything about that period in his life. Her parents had been addicts; and though he doesn't know exactly what their drug of choice had been, he doubts Rey would make the distinction that his own personal demon was alcohol. Is alcohol. Because he still feels the pull of it. Sitting in that bar on Halloween, he had thought more than once I can just have one, just one, just this once, I can handle it. But he knows he couldn't have, knows he would've fallen back into that pit and then would never have had a chance with Rey.

He can imagine how disgusted she would be if she knew. She'd probably hate him. Her mother had died of a drug overdose, so he doubts that she would be very understanding about his own addiction issues. Not that he has issues, per se. Ben hasn't had a drink in over two years and he trusts himself enough to know that he won't go down that path. But Rey has suffered enough because of other people's shortcomings and he isn't about to confess to her that he was too weak to deal with his anxiety and had to turn to a substance to help him cope.

Rey appears just as he's finishing the pancakes and swipes a piece of bacon off the plate. She eyes him curiously.

"What?" He asks, plating the pancakes.

"You're cooking breakfast and Thanksgiving dinner? Figured we'd just have some cereal or something since you're already cooking so much."

Ben scoffs and gives her a disbelieving look. "I don't keep cereal or toaster pastries or frozen waffles," he tells her. "I usually eat fruit for breakfast."

"Of course you do," she replies, grabbing another piece of bacon.

"But I suppose I could be persuaded to buy some sugary cereal," he says, placing a plate of pancakes on the counter in front of Rey. "You know, for when I have overnight guests."

She grins up at him and he fights the urge to grin back at her, knowing his smile isn't near as cute as hers. At least now he knows she's amenable to him keeping some food for her when she stays over.

After breakfast, Ben turns on the televised parade, and Rey watches in between tasks he gives her in the kitchen. Rey seems impressed that he can cook and admits that it is not a skill she's ever picked up on.

"My mom didn't cook either," she admits as she's mixing together ingredients for a peanut butter pie. "I had foster parents who cooked, but I mostly tried to stay out of their way." She shrugs, staring down into the contents of the mixing bowl and avoiding his eyes.

Ben realizes she's trying to give him a little bit of herself at a time, tiny pieces of her history that she can chip away at little by little so it's not too overwhelming for her. So he shares too.

"My mother is shit at cooking," he admits, and is amused when her eyes snap to him, her brows raising in surprise. "My family had a personal chef." He almost hates to reveal this because he knows how spoiled it makes him appear. Especially to someone who didn't have a permanent home for most of their childhood.

"I can't imagine," Rey says, her eyes moving back to the mix in the bowl and frowning slightly. "I have been beating this mixture for, like, three minutes and it's still clumpy."

Ben leans over and takes a look at the sugary mix. "Add the whipped topping," he suggests.

Rey wrinkles her nose - adorably - and then squints at the recipe laid out on the counter. "It says here not to add the whipped topping until the mixture is smooth." It definitely isn't smooth. The peanut butter and sugar are nothing more than clumps in the bowl.

"Trust me," Ben says. "Add the whipped topping."

Rey rolls her eyes and does as he tells her. "If this sucks, it's on you." She begins folding in the topping and gets back to the previous subject. "So, your family has always been well off?"

He snorts softly. "Well off?" He shakes his head. "Call it what it is, Rey. My family is wealthy."

"Hey, this is actually working," she says, peering into the bowl. "It's getting smoother. Huh. Anyway, so what, your mother was such a good lawyer that she made all the money that way…"

"No. It's old money. I-" Ben can't believe he's about to tell her this, but somehow she makes it easy to share things he's previously been uncomfortable telling people. "My grandfather, Bail Organa, was a politician as well, but before that, he was a very wealthy businessman. Smart, knew how to invest." Ben shrugs. "He left my mother with a lot of money. And her birth parents…"

This catches Rey's interest. Ben can tell because she immediately stills, and though she doesn't look at him, he can tell she's listening. So he goes on, "Her birth parents were Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala."

"Ah," she says quietly, "I was confused. I was wondering why she and your uncle had different last names."

"They're actually twins," he tells her. "My biological grandfather was…" Ben struggles to find a word that will encompass all that Anakin was - passionate, but volatile; intelligent, but short-sighted; dedicated, but also so destructive. "He was a mess," is what he settles on. "He was sent to prison when my grandmother was pregnant. She died in childbirth and my mom and uncle were adopted. The Organas were close with Padme, so my mom went to them. My grandfather had a stepbrother that took in Luke. But Padme came from a wealthy family herself, so Mom and Luke were left with a lot of money when she died. And then when Grandpa Organa died…" Ben trails off. He doesn't even know how much Leia is worth at this point, but it is enough that she never has to work again, enough that Ben never has to work again.

"Sounds like a messy family history," she comments, but he can tell she's distracted, and he knows somehow, knows that she's thinking that she would still rather have that messy family than none at all. She shakes her head a little. "So, lots of money, hence the personal chef. I guess that's why you eat so healthy and know how to cook then?" She peers up at him, finally.

He nods. "Charles is a great cook. He taught me everything I know. He's still in my mother's service, though he's getting up there in age. I'd spend hours with him in the kitchen." Quietly, he lets slip, "Mom was gone a lot."

He can feel her eyes on him and he's ashamed suddenly. He has no right to let any bitterness creep in his voice, no right to complain about his lonely childhood when he still has both his parents.

"Your dad was gone a lot too, I imagine," she says, her attention now back on the peanut butter mixture as she pours it into the pie crust. "You said he was a truck driver. I hear they aren't home a lot either."

"No, they're not," Ben confirms. He adds, in a rasping whisper, "I was alone a lot."

"I want to apologize," she says suddenly.

Ben's head jerks and he stares at her in confusion, wondering if he's missed something.

Rey sighs heavily as she places the lid over the pie and slips it into the fridge. She chews on her lip as though she's contemplating something, then moves closer to him. "I've always thought you must have had a charmed childhood. Even before I met your mother. You're successful, you have money, a good education…" She shrugs and drops her eyes to the floor. "I made assumptions based on what I saw. Honestly, I thought you were probably a spoiled brat."

"I was," Ben jokes gently.

A smile pulls at her mouth. "But I'm starting to see that leading what I consider a charmed life isn't always what it's cracked up to be. I figured you had a perfect childhood, but...it sounds like it got pretty lonely."

Ben says nothing because he feels he has no right too, even now, when Rey seems to have come to a realization about his life. She tilts her head as she scrutinizes him. Then she takes his hand.

"It's okay. I understand. I was lonely too. Those few months after my mom died, after I'd spent so long ignoring her and then I didn't have her anymore…" She's back to chewing her lip, a nervous habit of hers when she's not sure if she should discuss something. She takes a shuddering breath. "I'd never felt so alone."

Ben squeezes the hand he's still holding, runs his thumb over her knuckles. "You're not alone."

Her eyes snap to his face and, though there's some sadness there, some ghosts from the past that still haunt her, there's also warmth, and what he thinks might be happiness. Maybe even hope. "Neither are you," she tells him.

He pulls her to him by her hand, cupping her face with his free hand as he kisses her gently. He believes her. Believes that she's with him, that she'll be here for him, be someone that he can count on, and he's not sure if he's ever had something like that. Certainly not with a girlfriend. He feels like he can trust her and there's so few people he trusts - no one really. He will never figure out what she sees in him, but he doesn't want to question it either. She's a smart woman and if she trusts him with her heart, he won't let her down.

They spend the day eating and watching television and complaining that they're so full that they'll never eat again. Rey has never eaten so much at one time in her life. Ben is truly a great cook. By Thanksgiving night, they're sprawled on the couch, both wearing sweatpants and watching home improvement shows.

"This stuff fascinates me," Rey admits. "The idea that someone can take a run-down house and make it beautiful again - I'd love to try that one day."

She's lying on top of Ben, her chest to his, her head tucked under his chin and she worries she's crushing his full belly, but he hasn't complained.

"Doesn't seem appealing," Ben comments, trailing his fingers along her back. "I'd rather just buy everything new."

"Says the rich boy," Rey teases, poking at his ribs.

Ben jumps so much that he almost throws her off and she sits up, looking at him with wide eyes. "Ben Solo. Are you ticklish?"

He scowls at her. "No."

She quirks an eyebrow as she prods at another rib, earning the same reaction as before. "Oh, really?"

"Tickling is a form of torture," he grouses.

She laughs at the frown and goes to poke him again when knocking on the door startles her. Her head jerks towards the door and then back to Ben. "Expecting company?"

Ben's eyes are wide as he answers. "No…"

She moves off of him so that he can answer the door, but he stays put, still looking at her as though the knocking is unnerving him.

"Are you...going to get that?" She asks.

Ben works his jaw as he thinks about it, his brows drawn so low he almost looks menacing. "Maybe they'll go away," he says quietly.

As soon as the words leave his mouth, the knocking resumes and Rey watches him close his eyes as though he's praying for patience. He takes a deep breath and stands up slowly. He gives her something that looks like an apologetic look and Rey watches as he moves toward the door.

She stays seated on the couch, peering over the back as Ben unlocks and pulls open the door. Her eyes widen when she sees who's on the other side.

"Hello, sweetheart," Leia greets, turning her head so that Ben can bend down and peck her cheek. She holds out a pie. "I brought you a pecan pie," she smiles. "Homemade."

"By Charles?"

She rolls her eyes, "Of course. But still."

Ben's mother seems to sense another presence as her eyes sweep over the room behind Ben and land on Rey, doing a poor job of hiding on the couch. The older woman's dark eyes widen and her mouth forms an 'o' as her gaze snaps back to Ben, whose shoulders look tense.

"You have company," she says.

"I do," Ben answers. After a beat, he steps aside with a small sigh. "Come on in though. I hear you've already met."

"Yesterday," Leia confirms, stepping into the room, pie still in hand as she gives Rey a warm smile. Rey does her best to return it, but she's definitely feeling self-conscious. She's sitting on her boyfriend's couch wearing his ridiculously long sweatpants with the drawstring pulled tight to keep them up, as well as one of his sweatshirts. Her hair is thrown up in three buns and she has no makeup on.

Leia, on the other hand, is well put-together, dressed impeccably, even though it's after 8 o'clock at night on a holiday no less. She sinks further into the couch cushions, embarrassed to be seen like this.

Leia hands the pie to Ben and then makes her way to one of the large chairs and Rey realizes there's nowhere to hide. Ben is in the kitchen, probably cutting himself a slice of pie - he had mentioned earlier that he has never been able to make decent pecan pie, though he loves it - so Rey is left alone with her boyfriend's mother for the moment.

"It's good to see you again so soon," Leia says, and she's just so friendly and genuine and warm.

Rey nods and says, "You too, ma'am." She isn't sure if she's expected to call her Ms. Organa or Judge or what. Leia had insisted on Leia, but it seems too familiar.

"I hope Ben fed you well," she remarks as Ben makes his way back into the living room carrying two plates of pie, which instantly catches Rey's attention.

She's momentarily distracted by the delicious dessert and readily accepts the fork that Ben hands her. Rey digs in and it takes her a few moments to realize Leia is watching them, looking very pleased.

"So sweet of you to bring her a piece," she says, amusement evident in her voice. "Surprised you aren't sharing the same plate."

"She wouldn't allow it," Ben says. "She doesn't share food."

Rey slaps at his arm, though she can't deny it. If Ben had walked in with only one piece of pie, he may not have gotten to eat any.

"So I have to admit, there was a small part of me that thought you might not actually have plans and you were just holed up at home avoiding me," Leia smirks. "I suppose I was only half right."

Rey looks at Ben for some explanation, but he just throws a look towards his mother. "I told you I had plans."

"And who knew they'd last this late," Leia continues.

Rey feels her cheeks heating in embarrassment. She knows how this looks. It's getting late and Rey is comfortably lounging on Ben's couch in Ben's clothes and now his mother is here...she can't even look at her. Because to Leia it must look like - well, what it is.

Ben seems to have no shame regarding their situation though. They're sitting so close that she feels the movement of his shoulders when he shrugs. "She's staying for the long weekend."

Rey peeks up at Leia, who looks somehow both shocked and delighted. It's strange. Rey had thought that Leia wouldn't appreciate Ben having a woman at his apartment overnight that his mother barely knows. Then again, he's thirty-two years old. It's not as though he hasn't had overnight guests before. But still.

Leia chats while Ben mostly listens and eats his pie and Rey wonders what the deal is between the two of them. Ben's mom seems so nice, but Rey can tell he's tense the whole time she's there. She doesn't quite understand it, but she's too nervous to ask him about it.

Leia leaves, apologizing for interrupting their evening. Ben thanks her for the pie as she leaves and then closes the door with a huge sigh of relief. He stands against the door for a moment, looking over at her as she stands from the couch and stretches.

"Ready for bed?" He asks.

"For bed," she confirms. "Not for sleep."

Ben's eyes instantly darken and a smile curls on his lips. "After you, sweetheart."

Black Friday is not spent shopping.

Or at least not in the crowds. Ben hates crowds and just the thought of getting up at the butt crack of dawn to go stand in line and fight people over sales items makes him a bit panicky. Thankfully, Rey is content to browse the internet and do any necessary shopping online. Her bouts of online shopping are interspersed with sex.

Lots of it.

Ben hasn't been this consistently sexually active since college and he's kind of amazed that he still has a relatively short refractory period because he's not sure how else he would have managed fucking his girlfriend five times in the span of about eight hours.

He's having trouble keeping his hands off of her. And Rey is so responsive to everything he does, like she wants to be touched as much as he wants to touch her. And she wants to touch him all the time too. It's heady, being wanted so much by someone so alluring. He's pretty sure no other woman he's ever been with has been as...into him as Rey is.

For his part, Ben is sure he's never been as attracted to someone as he is to her. It's not just physical either - though he does find himself mesmerized by her perfect little tits, and the freckles sprinkled across her nose, and her beautiful smile. But he knows it's way more than how much he enjoys the feel of her ass in his hands.

He finds himself thinking about how resilient she is, how much she brightens his day, how her laugh sounds like music, and how her understanding and compassion makes him feel like he finally has someone who understands him. He's less angry when she's around, less stressed. She soothes him in ways nothing else ever has and he thinks if I had known that you were to be my new drug and I'd get hooked so quickly, I might have been more careful.

Because it's too late to be careful now. He hates the thought of when she'll have to leave, when they'll have to go back to work and life and all the shit that causes him stress in the first place. She feels like she belongs in his arms, or tucked against his side, or curled into his chest. Every moment with her makes him want another moment.

And because he has trouble keeping his mouth shut around her, he basically tells her all this between kisses. She's straddling his lap as they kiss on the couch. Neither of them is fully dressed.

"Can't get enough of you," he says into her mouth.

"Obviously, the feeling is mutual," she says as she moves her hips, grinding her center against his erection.

Ben's hands hold her hips tightly, his thumbs fitting into the indentation of her hip bones. She's still wearing her panties for now, and the thin cotton is soaked at the center, seeping through the material of his boxer briefs. Her hands are in his hair, which seems to be her favorite place for them. And he likes it. Likes how she runs her fingers through it, how her nails scrape against his scalp, how she tugs on it, the stinging in his scalp somehow amplifying the pleasure he feels.

She's still wearing his sweatshirt, and while he likes the look, right now it's impeding his need to get to her tits, so he pushes her back enough so that he can drag it off of her. He watches as her nipples pebble, either due to the chill in the room or because she knows what he's about to do, he doesn't know. He leans forward and takes one between his lips, loving how she arches into him, how she moans softly as he licks at the taut little bud.

"I'm never letting you leave my apartment," he says when he pulls off her nipple with a pop. "You and your sexy little tits have to stay here forever. Sorry."

She huffs a laugh, her breath ghosting across his face as he peers up at her. She's so beautiful like this - her hair a mess, her lips a little swollen from all the attention he's given them, and her eyes bright. "You don't sound very sorry."

"Yeah, I'm not," he says as he bends to take her other nipple into his mouth. "We'll just have to quit our jobs so I can do this all day."

She grinds her center against him and Ben groans against her breast. His fingers dig into her hips hard, but it only makes her grind down even more. One of his hands trails from her hip to her thigh and slides inward, pushing aside her wet panties so he can stroke his fingers along her slit.

She gasps and pushes her hips into his hand. He slips one digit into her and hisses at the tight, wet heat engulfing his finger. And even though they've been at it all day, she's still so tight. He pushes further inside, curling his finger until he feels the soft place he knows will make her squirm. He crooks into it and her cunt clenches.

"Ben," her voice in his ear sends a shudder through his body. She seems to notice because she leans closer, licking at the shell of his ear, then nibbling at the lobe.

He's so hard that the head of his cock is pushing out of the top of his underwear. As though sensing he needs attention, Rey's hand trails down from his hair, her fingers skimming his chest before her fingers brush over the sensitive head. He growls into her flesh as his hips jerk up to meet her fingers. Done with teasing, he removes his hand from her so that he can free his cock, then pushes aside her panties, not bothering to take them all the way off.

Ben doesn't know where to look - at her face as her eyes close and she bites into her bottom lip, or down at their bodies where he's pushing his way into her slowly. As wet as she is, it still looks like he's splitting her open, like if he doesn't go slow, she'll break around him. Once he disappears inside her, he pulls her face to his, licking into her open mouth.

Her hands go to his shoulders and she begins to lift herself, then sink back down and Ben is just...overwhelmed with how fucking amazing it feels. He slides down on the couch, angling his hips so he slides deeper and Rey moans. He watches her slow lift and descent, and though her eyes are closed, Ben can't take his own off of her.

He lets her take her pleasure as he drinks her in, watching her face as her mouth drops open, as her tongue darts out to wet her lip, as her throat moves with a swallow. His eyes trail down, watches as her chest heaves a little with her labored breath, as her tits jar slightly with her movement. He can't believe she's real. And she's his.

For now, anyway.

But he refuses to think about that part. So he grasps her hips again, taking over for her, grinding her onto him. He feels the bite of her nails in the skin of his shoulder and her eyes open as he pulls her forward, then pushes her back on his cock. He can feel her getting tighter, wetter, and he feels the tightening in his stomach, knows he's close too.

He drops one hand down, finding the spot just above where they're joined and pressing his thumb into it with firm circles. It takes a handful of seconds and then she's coming, her cunt gripping him so tight that his control snaps. He grabs her hips again, fingers digging into the flesh of her ass as he lifts her up and slams her back down, chasing his own release.

He comes with a long, low moan, collapsing back into the cushions and pulling Rey down to him, chest to chest. His mouth finds her and kisses her, perhaps a little sloppily, but she just hums in contentment and buries her face in his neck.

Unbidden, the unpleasant thoughts creep back in and he wonders what the hell he's going to do when she's no longer around.

Saturday is spent much the same as Friday, and by the time Rey wakes up on Sunday, she's noticed a trend.

Ben always wakes up before her. Apparently he doesn't have the ability to sleep in. Each morning that she's woken up since their break, she's found him in the kitchen making breakfast.

This morning it's blueberry muffins.

She's really going to hate going back to the real world tomorrow. She's going to miss all this extra time she got with him. They've spent every minute of the last few days together and Rey is pleasantly surprised to find that she isn't tired of him yet.

She's normally the kind of person that needs her space, but not once has she even thought of returning to her apartment. And Ben has made it pretty clear that he's averse to letting her go at the end of their long weekend too. She knows that this is some kind of honeymoon phase of dating, but it's nice, and if she could make it last a little longer, she would.

"I have an idea of what to do today," Ben says as he picks at his muffin.

Rey's already devoured one muffin and has started on the second. She looks up at him in surprise. Honestly, she expected for this day to pass like the others, cooped up with Ben, having lots of sex and being lazy in between. But she's not opposed to going out with him.

"Cool, what are we doing?" She asks.

"Not telling," he answers, dead serious. He doesn't look at her, but continues to pick at his muffin.

"Umm?"

He shrugs. "Maybe it's a surprise."

Rey groans. "I'm not sure I like surprises."

"Me either," Ben admits, "But I hope you'll make an exception."

"Fine," Rey huffs. "Do I need to dress up? Because if so, I'll need to swing back by my apartment."

Ben shakes his head. "No dressing up. However, you do need a change of clothes." He meets her eyes finally and one corner of his mouth turns up in a smirk. "You need to dress warm."