Summary: Honeymoon stuff

A/N: Moving is a pain. Thanks for being patient with me.

Mild TW: Brief mention of recreational drug use.

Also, this is a honeymoon chapter. Which means...we're gonna challenge our rating here. Still, I'll keep it clean, I promise! Mostly just make-out stuff described. If you want full smut, please find me on Ao3 (link in my bio) where I have the explicit version of the fic up.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:

And Seal the Secret with Fire

"So is it a rental?"

"Not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"Remember Uncle Lando?"

Rey laughed. "You honestly think I could forget?"

That bizarre trip into the desert to take furniture to a man Ben said was his dad's brother, even though Han didn't have any siblings, would forever live in Rey's mind as a surreal fever dream. Not only breaking down and spending the night under the stars with Ben, but the rest of it too. Meeting the eccentric man with his ridiculously fancy clothes, his little oasis in the middle of steep alien cliffs and sweeping plateaus, cactus standing eerie sentinel all around. If the landscape hadn't been strange enough, Lando offered them peyote. Rey had never done psychedelics before, and she still didn't know what compelled her to agree to them then, but she did. Ben did too. Lando put on a Grateful Dead album and the three of them sank into vibrant visions. Ben never really did tell her much about the details of his trip, just some vague mentions of misbehaving cacti and opening an avocado to find a rainbow world inside.

When she was really in the thick of it, Rey wandered away from both men, chasing the brilliant colors of sunset in the desert, drowning in deep reds and golds and purples, her whole soul vibrating in time with the music of the spheres. She experienced so many things that night, but the one that stuck with her most was how all her rage at being abandoned, her hate for her foster family, her desperate need to protect herself — all of it drained out into the soil of the desert. She saw each painful day scratched out in a march of endless tallies, and with a swipe of her hand, she erased them all. She stood over the grave of her past and dropped the last sandy soil over it. When Ben found her a mile away from Lando's house, he told her she looked like she was made of light. She told him she was okay now. Everything was all better. They went back and ate food that didn't seem to want to stay on their plates and watched the colors of Sugar Magnolia drip out of the stereo speakers.

Things were different after that. She found it a little easier to live despite her trauma. Like it didn't have such a harsh grip on her as before. And she'd seen Ben a little differently after that too. As if somehow he had shared in her catharsis.

"I mean, I'll never forget it, but I didn't want to assume," Ben chuckled, bringing her back from the memory of that crazy night. "So Lando plays in these really high stakes poker games. Like with billionaires and stuff. He's pretty good. When he wins, he wins big. And he won this place."

Rey's eyes widened and she glanced over at him. He kept his eyes on the road, but his plush lips twitched into a little grin.

"People can win houses?"

"Yeah. In his case, a luxury cabin happily situated on ten mountain acres."

"And it just sits empty?"

"Basically. Lando prefers the desert. He visits it maybe once a year. When I asked if I could use it, he wanted to know why I'd never asked before."

"Why haven't you?"

He shrugged. "Never saw a reason. My parents have their lake house if I want to get away from the city. And it seemed weird to come here by myself."

The winding dirt road plunging through a thick forest finally opened up into a little clearing. Gleaming white trunked aspens and fluffy proud pines surrounded the clearing, their leaves and needles fluttering in a crisp mountain breeze. The cabin set nestled in this pretty spot, a beautiful construction of both split logs and stonework. But Rey barely glanced at it because her attention immediately zeroed in on a glittering creek snaking through the clearing, sunlight sparkling over the shallow, babbling water. She sucked in a sharp breath and watched it intently as they pulled up.

She barely waited until the car came to a complete stop before she was out the door and flying over the soft loamy ground towards it. Well — flying as best she could, anyway. Her body was a bit more waddle and bit less grace these days, but she hardly cared about that right now. All that mattered was getting to that deliciously crystal clear water skimming lightly over a glossy pebbled creek bed. Somewhere along the way her shoes came flying off and when she got to the edge, she waded in without ceremony, savoring the icy burn of fresh glacial water engulfing her feet, up to a few inches above her ankles.

She laughed in delight, turning to see if her new husband had followed.

Husband. God, what a weird word to apply to Ben.

He came, though at a much slower pace, meandering to her with a funny look on his face. He stopped at the edge of the creek bed, folding his arms over his vast chest, and smirked.

"You're not cold? That water is pure snow melt."

She scoffed. "Cold. As if a little bit of circulation loss could stop me."

"I didn't realize you could go so feral for mountain streams."

"I didn't realize you've been holding out on me this whole time, with a pretty little spot like this in your back pocket." She motioned to the sun-dappled wilderness around her, and then to the cabin itself. It was a beautiful thing, all windows and lights and warm woods and weathered stone, just small enough to fall on the side of charming instead of ostentatious.

Ben hummed in thought. "Well, before today, you didn't qualify."

"Qualify?"

"The only person who gets to come here, or even know about this place, is my wife." A sly smile stole over his face just before he turned away and started sauntering towards the cabin.

Despite the icy water around her feet, Rey's face felt suddenly hot. "Hey! Where are you going? Get in here. It feels nice."

"I'll take your word for it," he called over his shoulder.

She scrambled after him, scooping up her shoes on the way in one awkward motion as she hastened to catch up to his long strides. "Going inside already? Looks like there's a lot to explore out here."

"There's a lot to explore in there too."

"Really?" She considered the cabin, glassy windows reflecting the vibrant shades of white and green of the aspen grove. Cute as it was, it didn't really look big enough to contain that many mysteries.

Ben's tone was coy. "Mm-hmm. You'll see."

"What about our bags?" she asked, glancing back at the car.

He took her hand and pulled her along, up the stone steps to the wide sprawling deck and the door centered at the back of it. "I'll get them later."

"Oh. Kind of eager, aren't you?"

"You could say that."

He braced the screen door open with his body, unlocked the handle, and pushed the inner door all the way open. Before Rey could walk through, however, he put an arm against the frame and blocked her, tsk'ing in disapproval.

"Now, now, we've thwarted almost every tradition today, let's at least respect this one."

Before Rey could ask him what the hell he was talking about, he bent forward and scooped her up, somehow maneuvering her unwieldy frame into his arms. She squeaked and looped her arms around his neck for support. With swift, confident footsteps, he carried her over the threshold and into the cool interior of the cabin. He didn't even sway against her new proportions, which was wildly impressive considering Rey herself felt unbalanced all the time. When they got inside, he gently set her back onto her feet, pressing a kiss into her forehead.

She laughed, winding her fingers into the fabric of his shirt and pulling him back in before he could get away. "Isn't that supposed to be the thing you do when we get our first home?"

"I'll do that too," he promised, soft and low. "Soon."

His hands skated down her back, pressing her in closer to him, nuzzling his nose against her hair. Rey tipped her head up and brushed her lips just beneath his jaw. "Hey, show me the house."

A low rumble moved through his chest. "I'm going to have to work harder to distract you."

She laughed, lightly pulled away from him. "I'm excited!"

"So am I," he said, letting her go with a sigh. "But not for the house."

Still, he showed her around. The tour was short, but amazing. The cabin had a living room with huge windows overlooking the creek and the forest, a fireplace, a big fluffy sectional sofa, and huge bookshelves filled with a wide variety of genres. There was a sleek modern kitchen, boasting a gas range and gleaming black pots with copper coated interiors hung next to a very expensive-looking stainless steel fridge. There was a little bedroom, furnished simply and modestly, attached to a small bathroom on the main level.

Rey decided the cabin was quaint and cozy. The huge windows gave her the unmistakable feeling of being outside, even while being sheltered inside. A lovely feeling, really. She was about to collapse happily onto the fluffy sectional when Ben caught her hand and pulled her back from it.

"We're not done yet," he murmured softly, his voice so low it made her shiver. There was mischief written into the familiar lines of his face, the twitch at the corner of his luscious lips.

"We're not? What else is there?"

"I'll show you." He tugged her over to the bookshelf. "Whoever owned this place before Uncle Lando must've had a flair for the dramatic. It's the only way I can explain this."

Running his fingers over the spines of the books contemplatively, he paused at a particular title. It was a worn out copy of We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

"Have you read that?" Rey remarked as his finger hovered above it in hesitation.

"No."

"Horrible," she sighed. "Wonderfully written. Chilling ending, though."

He hummed in reply, tugging the top of the spine out towards him so that the book dropped onto its binding. Somewhere there was a click. Ben grabbed hold of the book and pushed it to the side, the whole book case sliding against an angled track to push in behind its neighbor, revealing, to Rey's astonished excitement, a staircase curving up and away inside the wall.

She gasped. "You weren't kidding about the dramatic part."

Ben smirked, took her hand again, and tugged her up the stairs. "I wasn't."

The staircase spiraled up in a twist of tantalizing mystery, and Rey positively buzzed with anticipation as they rapidly ascended. Ben went quickly, apparently just as eager as she was.

The top opened up to the biggest bedroom Rey had ever seen. The vaulted timber roof framed huge panels of glass, making the whole room feel as if it were opened to the sky. Dusky purple twilight arced overheard. The room itself was a full suite, with a collection of cushions and loveseats arranged tidily in a conversation pit and an enormous bed taking a place of honor centered along one wall — it was way bigger than a king. Rey had no idea what you'd call a bed that big. She could see into a glittering bathroom on one end with an impressive shower, a sparkly glass box big enough for two with plenty of heads to spray water from all directions, and a stone bench set against one wall.

But it was the other side of the room that most intrigued her.

"What is that?" she gasped.

Because the far side of the room was made entirely of glass, except for one wall which held a cascade of stones forming a chimney flu and a fireplace. At the base of this fireplace sprawled a pool. Or a hot tub. Or the biggest bathtub Rey had ever seen. It was buried into the floor so that one had to descent steps to get into it, and the sapphire water, set over sleek dark blue tiles, ran all the way to the windows, providing unbroken views of the forest round it.

"It's not too hot," Ben assured her gently. "I came yesterday after work to make sure the temperature was safe."

Her eyes illuminated. She hadn't been able to get in a hot tub — not that she'd wanted to, with how blazingly sweaty she felt all summer — in ages, so the idea of lounging in this tiny pool in a secret room in the middle of the forest was too much to resist.

"I didn't bring a swimsuit," she realized with a pang of regret.

A full, surprised laugh escaped Ben. "Why on earth would you need a suit?"

When she realized what he meant, she blushed. "Oh. But I don't think you want to see me waddling around her without one."

"Trust me," he said. His voice dropped low. "That's exactly what I want."

"But I'm—"

"You're perfect." He smoothed his palm over her bump, a hungry look in his eye.

It was so hard to resent the new shape of her body for very long with Ben there constantly turned on by it. It made her feel sexy as hell, the way he looked at her now. She tugged her lip between her teeth and barely managed to suppress her smile, gaze falling as she failed to find any further protest.

He pulled her into him and kissed her once, gently. "Let me help you get out of these things so you can enjoy the tub and I can enjoy the view."

"Uh, no, you're coming in there with me."

"If you insist. All the better to get a closer look," he smirked, fingers finding the zipper at the back of her dress. He drew it down in a long, slow side, tugging the white lace sleeves off her shoulders. She threaded her arms through and dropped the fabric over her bump, letting it puddle at her feet. Ben rumbled his approval, grasping at the back of her neck, using a thumb to push her jaw up and hold her to him while he dipped down to press soft hot kisses just under her ear. Shivers ran down Rey's spine and a shaky exhale shuddered out of her.

"Ah," she breathed. "This is the part you wanted to show me."

"Mm-hmm," he affirmed, too consumed in his task to lift his head to speak.

One of his hands wrapped around her waist, splaying out over the small of her back. He held her against him as he pushed her backwards — to what, she had no idea. Her fingers worked down the ladder of his buttons, slipping each through its loop one by one.

He finally got her back against the wall, barely shrugging out of his now open shirt before he pinned her against it and kissed her hard. Like he'd been desperate for it. A much fiercer version than the chaste one in his parent's gazebo. Rey saw stars. His lips greeted hers in a hungry, devouring slide, exacting everything she had to give. It was all she could do to keep up.

Leveraging herself back against the wall, she wrapped her legs around his waist and he stepped forward, pushing her up until her head was above him, and through the crackling haze of her thoughts she marveled that they could do this — that there was still room — with a bowling ball between them. But Ben's body was huge, and he could still swallow her whole, hold her up like it was nothing.

They'd never done this before. Not in this way. Rey's heart thundered so hard in her chest she thought it might break free. Adrenaline and arousal coursed through her on heady currents. He was moving fast, madness and desire dripping from his every touch. He broke away from her lips with a gasp and moved his attention to her neck, licking and nipping the skin there, drawing chills and shivers with all his movements. One hand braced himself against the wall next to her, the other supporting her below. He trailed kisses down to the hollow where her neck met her shoulder.

There was a fire here that hadn't existed before. A heat, no longer content to simmer beneath the surface. Rey felt dragged down into it, helplessly burning. And oh, it was an exquisite way to die.

Ben wrapped an arm around her securely, pulling away from the wall. She couldn't get close enough to him to hang on tight enough, so she let her legs drop. He didn't set her all the way down, though, crowding her back towards the bed on her toes.

"You…" she said breathily, trying to bring her spinning mind back into focus. "You don't want to…in the pool?"

"We'll get to that," he rumbled. "This first."

Picking her up again, he deposited her gently on the huge bed, up against the fortress of pillows. She scooted up a bit, into a semi-reclined position. He joined her after a quick strip of his own, and this brief pause did nothing to diminish the force of his passion when he rejoined her, drawn to her lips like magnet to metal. It was like falling in slow motion and flying headlong into a burning wreckage all at the same time, like everything was too much and not enough. For the first time ever, Rey realized how much he'd been holding back all this time. How he'd respected the boundaries they'd thrown up to protect their friendship, how he'd managed to make her feel incredible without ever letting any of his flames touch her. Now he didn't hold back anything. He consumed.

His hands were everywhere she needed them to be, applying the right touch at the right time, trailing, rolling, gliding, grazing a thumb under her chin, tilting her lips into him. He took and took and took, and the more he pulled from her, the more she had to give. She couldn't make herself leave the bliss of his mouth, so she let her hands wander instead. Her fingers played along the vast stretch of muscles in his back, over his chest, wherever she could touch him.

"Ben," she sighed hungrily.

His gaze was intense, dark eyes brimming with that same insatiable hunger as before.

Ben had never looked at her like that. It was an approximation of the possessiveness he'd always betrayed when they were together, but this was so much more.

"What is it?" she asked softly, gliding her fingers over the side of his face.

"Do you understand?" he murmured. "Do you get it now?"

"Get what?"

"That you're mine." Rey shuddered, mind scorched into oblivion, the words having as powerful effect on her as anything. Carefully, carefully, he leaned over her, kissing her forehead, her cheek. "All of you belongs to me. My wife." Her lips. "And all of me belongs to you. I'm yours."

"Mine," she echoed. She wanted to hug him tight to her, to hold all of this ridiculous, possessive, gorgeous, caring man against her heart. But she couldn't. He'd crush her, and she really couldn't be crushed right now. Tears of emotion skated traitorously down the sides of her face, puddling in her ears. She leaned up and kissed him back, overwhelmed anew that this was her life, and that she was this loved. He could say these things and claim ownership over her because she trusted him enough to freely give them. She was safe with him. God, how was anyone supposed to contain love this strong? What did she do with it?

The only thing she knew was to say it. To let it out into the universe, as woefully inadequate as it sounded.

"I love you, Ben," she whispered unsteadily.

"I know." The words rumbled against her, echoing through her whole body.

It didn't take them long to climb towards a mutual ruin. The night had fallen, the stars winking down them like scattered diamonds, a glittering spray visible through the glass in the roof. Bodies cooled and hearts slowed.

"I don't know if I'll ever get enough," Ben admitted, rolling over to face her, drawing her in against him as if to punctuate his confession.

She laughed softly. "Well you just signed up for a lifetime, buddy, so I guess we'll find out."

He nuzzled into her hair, and issued a deep, contented sigh. "That's the best thing I've ever heard. A lifetime."

"More, actually, if the religious folks are right." She pressed a finger to the end of his nose. "Are you sure you're up for that?"

He caught her hand, gave the end of that finger a kiss. "Very sure."

Rey marveled that this is what it felt like to be so wanted. She'd always wondered. For a brief moment, she wistfully yearned for the ability to go back in time and tell her aching, love-starved younger self that it would all be worth it one day. That she'd find a place where she belonged.

"I should get you some dinner," Ben murmured softly after a minute of silence, trailing some of her hair back from her forehead. "You need to eat."

"If I eat too much this late I'll get heartburn." She glanced up at the glass ceiling. Having a cantaloupe crowding her stomach up against her esophagus had given her an unwanted acquaintance with nocturnal acid aching in her ribs and clawing at her throat. Just another of the things she was eager to be done with.

"A snack, then."

She nodded. "Okay. A snack."

He kissed her once on the mouth, and once on the top of her swell before sitting up and scooting off the enormous bed. She sat up too, admiring the tight muscles of his ass as he sauntered over to the fireplace and clicked it on, brilliant flames licking to life within the stone hearth. He grabbed a towel from beside the little pool and wrapped it around his waist before he turned around.

"Get in," he told her, motioning to the water. "I'll bring the food up here."

With that, he vanished down the spiral staircase. Rey maneuvered to the edge of the bed and went to the bathroom first, taking care of hygiene first. After she finished in the bathroom, she padded over to the pool. It was both exciting and incredibly awkward, standing before the dark windows stark naked, even knowing they were acres and acres deep into the property, far away from prying eyes. Still, she found the light switch and killed the lights before actually getting in the pool to give herself a better feeling of privacy.

Slipping beneath the water was bliss. It wasn't the same as leaping into Ben's parent's pool in the blazing heat of summer. This wasn't that kind of refreshing relief. If possible, this was somehow better. More welcoming, more relaxing. The water was just barely on the right side of too warm. The glow and heat from the fire gave the little oasis a cozy, sensual feeling. Rey melted into the water, loving the weightlessness that eased the pressure on her body, the way her muscles loosened and relaxed. She swam to the far edge, to the window, propping her arms up on the side and stared out into the deepening gloom.

This was a strange place. A curious, secluded little mystery tucked into the aspens. It didn't seem like it should be real.

Which made it entirely appropriate for Lando, a man who didn't seem quite real himself. Sometimes Rey honestly wondered if he was as imaginary as the peyote-induced hallucinations she'd seen the night they met him.

Still, just like that bizarre night, she felt the magic of this place getting under her skin anyway. She was enchanted. She couldn't imagine honeymooning anywhere else. No one could bother them here. They could explore the woods and wade in the stream and unriddle the mystery of this strange house. But above all, they could do what they just did again and again — and again. She couldn't wait.

Within her, Olive stirred. A jab. A stretch. This one made Rey wince.

"Oh," Ben said in mild surprise when he got back up the stairs, a platter in hand. "I see you've set the mood already."

Rey turned around, her heart skipping at the sight of her ridiculously attractive husband standing there in the firelight, only a towel preserving his modesty. The shadows enhanced his dark hair and dark eyes, the light played off his broad, hairless chest.

"Hey Ben?" she said, biting her lip in shy hesitation as she slid under the water until it lapped against her chin.

He set the platter of fruits, crackers, and cheese down next to the fireplace. "hm?"

"Hey, um, I don't know if I've ever told you, but you're really, really hot."

He smirked, straightened, and whipped his towel off with a dramatic flourish. "I know, baby."

Rey laughed. "And so humble, too."

He lowered himself into the pool and glided over to her, smooth as silk. "I'm kidding. You don't know what it does to me, hearing that from you."

His hands found her waist. She laughed, wrapped her legs over him and her arms around his neck. "I might have some idea."

"You do?" He leaned his forehead against hers, inhaling slowly. "Hm. Maybe you do."

He walked them over to the plate of food.

"Hey, tell me more about this place. Would your parents sleep up here and you'd sleep downstairs when you guys would come?" she asked, reaching for a cluster of grapes.

"My parents?" He set her down, and she discovered a bench set into the side of the tub She curled up on it, arms propped up out of the water on the side, bathed in the warmth of the fireplace.

"My parents have never been here," he said. "Thankfully. They don't even know about it. I wanted to bring you somewhere that was just ours. A place that had nothing to do with them."

Rey thrilled a little at the knowledge that they were hidden away from the world. No one knew where they were. Perhaps that was a proper beginning to a horror film, but she was petty sure it only meant good things for them in this case. "How do they not know about it?"

"Lando doesn't trust my dad not to try to win it from him. He's won a lot from Lando over the years. I'm not sure if he's a better poker player, or if he's a cheat."

Rey laughed. Ben settled in next to her, one arm out of the pool, picking at crackers and cheese, the other arm in the water, hand roaming idly over her bump.

"I didn't know your dad was a card shark," she said.

"The only reason he doesn't play in those high stakes games Lando plays in is my mom. She made him stop gambling when they got married, worried he'd squander her family fortune."

"Smart," Rey decided.

"I agree," said Ben. It was comfortably silent between them for a minute, and then he asked softly. "Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Today was...different. Probably not what you dreamed of."

"It's way better than anything I ever dreamed of," she admitted softly. "I'm really happy, Ben."

Color stole across his cheekbones and he looked away. "Me too."

Lost in a surge of affection, she scooted into him, forgetting the snacks for a minute so she could lean forward and plant a kiss on his rosy cheek.

He looked at her in surprise. "You missed."

She laughed, seized his face with both hands, and kissed him again, on the lips this time. "I love you, Ben Solo."

"And I love you, Rey Solo," he murmured against her mouth, and his lips beneath hers spread into a huge smile. "Wow. That feels kind of great to say."

She nuzzled into his neck. "It's weird for me. Might take some getting used to."

"I'm happy to say it as often as you need to hear it."

BEN

Ben couldn't have said what time it was when they finally went to bed that night. Neither of them had any notion of time. The secret suite didn't have a single clock anywhere, and Ben couldn't have been less interested in his phone if it had been made of stone. He didn't care how late it was, knowing it didn't matter how long they slept in the morning.

And anyway, he was far, far too in love with this day to let it end.

So he clung to it for as as long as he could. He kissed Rey in the pool for a long time, making out like a couple of randy teenagers, hoping to coax enough of his testosterone back into production for a second go before sleep. But his body seemed content to just attend to her mouth and nothing more for the time being. When they were both sufficiently pruned, they got out, dried off, extinguished the fireplace, and went to bed. It felt so good having her body snuggled up to his, warm skin against warm skin. They stared up at the brilliantly starry sky arching over their little refuge from the world. It reminded him so much of that night in the desert in the back of the truck. The same peace radiated softly through him now as did then.

He loved her. It was as simple as that. But for all its simplicity, it left a profound wake right through the core of him. Even long after she finally dozed off, her soft snores filling the air, he lay awake and marveling at the wide rift she'd carved into his heart. She was the only one who fit there. It belonged to her. And he couldn't quite make himself believe that any of this was real. That she was here, and she was his, and they'd really done what they did today.

Rey cried easily these days, and she'd shed plenty of tears today too. Ben had tried harder to keep it together, but he was a man of sweeping passions and it was damn near impossible not to tear up at every moment this day had brought. He'd lost it a little during the ceremony, and he was losing it a little bit now, holding her sleeping form close, staring up at the stars and feeling the magnitude of it all crash down on him. He couldn't help it when his vision blurred and the next blink knocked loose a few tears. He turned and pressed his cheek into her hair, letting them get lost in the soft familiar down of her head. He swallowed hard and tried to pull himself together.

At the place where her rounded middle was pressed against him, he felt movement. A knock against him from inside her. He lightly rested his hand there, not wanting to wake her, but wanting to acknowledge the greeting of his daughter. Even from here, he could feel how the baby moved and rolled. His chest ached, with longing to see her, with that flicker of fear, with an impossible amount of love.

"I married your mama today, little one," he said, his voice barely a whisper in the stillness. "Can you believe it?"

A nudge against his hand made him fantasize that she really could understand, even though he knew better.

"I've got you both, baby. We're going to be okay."

Rey sighed, stirred, made a soft little noise and snuggled deeper into him. His hand slid away from her stomach, over her waist, holding her close.

It took him a long time to fall asleep.

The morning seemed old and bright when they finally woke, the sun high enough to suggest it might not be morning for very much longer at all. Rey was tangled up with him, her eyes wide awake, staring at him.

"Good morning," he chuckled. "You know it's kind of creepy to watch people sleep?"

She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I went to the bathroom and couldn't go back to sleep."

She was getting up more frequently. Usually he woke when she left the bed, but he hadn't felt her stir even once last night, so this news surprised him. "And staring at me wasn't boring?"

She gave a breathless laugh, squirming against his hand. "No. I told you, you're hot. I like looking at your face all mashed into your pillow like that."

Before he could reply, Rey's stomach growled loudly, and they both listened as the sound went on and on, their eyes widening together. Rey laughed.

"I think you might be hungry," he observed, amused.

"Yeah," she admitted. "Starving."

He disentangled himself, rolling away from her to go find breakfast.

But she was up in a flash, pushing him back down against the mattress, deceptively strong. "Where do you think you're going, sir?"

"To make you food," he protested as she straddled him, hands firmly pinning his shoulders down. His own wrapped around her forearms.

"Just wait five minutes, Mister Provider. I'm not going to starve to death in the time it takes you to give me what I want."

Ben smirked in sudden amusement. "Are you sure? I'm not really a five minute kind of person."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'm sure."

Morning dalliances were rare for them. Mostly because before, when they were just friends, they didn't usually spend the night together. After everything changed and she'd started more or less living with him, she didn't usually feel great in the mornings. Over her second trimester they'd done it a couple of times. But Ben often had to leave for work in a bit of a rush — wanting to savor every last second in bed with her that he could and — things just usually didn't work out.

He definitely approved of this pleasant surprise.

It quickly became his favorite morning ever, instantly climbing to the top of his list of favorite memories, outpacing the others by miles and miles. Showing her how much he loved her was his new favorite thing. And Ben knew that if he lived a dozen lifetimes with her, he'd never tire of it.

..xXx..

They existed in a hazy, timeless world of relaxation, laughter, and intimacy. Rey napped. Ben read. He found a couple of CD's in a cupboard, and they put on some music, dancing slow songs in a close embrace. Sometimes, they dressed to go outside and wander the woods. A couple of times, the clothes didn't last, even out there, and soon Rey had Ben on his back in a pile of leaves, both of them aroused by the thrill and fear that they were so out in the open, so exposed.

A couple days in, Rey finally persuaded him to wade in the creek with her, and Ben teased her about finding the perfect spot to give birth. Neither of them had seen the video of the woman whelping at the shore of the river, but they could imagine it well enough. When they weren't outside, they were busy soiling every inch of Lando's cabin. Rey admitted that though her libido had been waning in the last couple weeks — something he knew already — whatever it was about this place, or the placebo effect of knowing she was technically on her honeymoon, it made her insatiable. Ben was only too happy to accommodate.

Ben had never been so at ease, or so utterly in love with life. He didn't care about anything except Rey. Every other concern faded blissfully from his mind. He forgot work, he forgot their friends, he forgot his parents, and he forgot house hunting or getting ready for fatherhood. Nothing mattered. Only this. Only her.

Mostly, the moments were soft and sweet. Like when they sat on the giant sectional watching the fire, Ben's head in her lap, Rey's fingers braiding his hair. They didn't really even speak, both too comfortable and content to need words. Or when Ben tucked Rey into bed one night after she'd fallen asleep reading. He'd gotten her giant pillow from the car after that first night, and arranged her around it now the way she liked. He pulled the covers up and over her, but before he'd pulled away, she caught his arm and looked at him with soft hazel eyes and told him again how she loved him. They were words he'd heard many times over the last few days, but for some reason the way she said them now made his heart squeeze tight with corresponding love of his own. He knew that she meant it. And it still blew his mind.

And neither of them wanted to go home when their dreamy days came to a close. They tidied up — Ben assured her that he'd paid for a cleaning crew to set Lando's place to rights again after they left — and said goodbye to their refuge. They turned their phones back on to discover a litany of work emails, texts from friends, and random missed calls. Nothing urgent, just the normal crush of every day life they'd managed to forget about. They each sighed and stowed the devices away.

Ben took her hand in one of his as he navigated the car back towards the highway. Their fingers fit together, as naturally and easily as the rest of them, heart and bone. She issued a wistful sigh.

They faced two more months of normal life until their daughter arrived and everything they ever knew overturned. It seemed like no time at all. But at least they'd had this moment to themselves. This perfect, pure moment. Ben left with a full and satisfied heart. Happy that the girl he'd loved all along was his at last.

A/N: Thanks for all your love! I'm sorry I'm so lame about responding to everyone's comments, but I promise I read and adore every single one. I love you guys! I'm glad this fluff is bringing you all a bit of happiness in this difficult time.