Published December 31, 2019

"The Invitation"

It wasn't so much that they were going to do anything. But Margaret, who lived at the other end of Queens all winter, had no idea that she was a last-row, last-seat kid in school with terrible marks in everything except reading. Margaret didn't know she told lies every other minute. No, she didn't know any of that. That's what made her such a perfect friend. ~ Patricia Reilly Giff, Lily's Crossing

It was the middle of the day on Hosnian Prime when Ben returned, and his fatigue finally caught up with him as he approached his mother's apartment. Finding both his parents absent, he went to his room and went to bed.

His rest was surprisingly peaceful, free of any memorable dreams. When he woke, it took him only a few seconds to remember what had happened the previous night. When he did, the emotions that coursed through him were so intense and so rarely felt by him that it took a moment for him to identify them.

Part of him was incredulous, but more than anything else, he was happy. Euphoric, even. Last night had been beyond anything he hoped or dreamed. He had never expected to find someone so special, or to be so special to someone else.

He touched his lips absently, remembering the kisses exchanged, the promises whispered in the darkness. The enormity of it all threatened to weigh him down, but at the same time he felt lighter and more hopeful than ever before.

It began to dawn on him how fragile and precious it all was, and that realization helped him understand why Rey had been afraid. In the austere, utilitarian environment of his mother's apartment, the magic of Nymeve Lake seemed far away, and the love they had found there seemed like a miracle.

Ben could hear his parents in the apartment, a few small rooms away. They would have a thousand questions for him, but he did not think he could adequately debrief them, even if he had wanted to.

He changed into fresh clothes, then braced himself and left his room. In the kitchen and dining area, he found his parents sitting at the table, apparently finishing a meal.

Han's greeting was friendly and casual. "Hey, kid. Wondered when you'd wake up."

Leia got straight to the point. "Did you see Rey?"

"Yes," Ben answered shortly.

"How did it go?"

Part of Ben wanted to be annoyed, to tell them to mind their own business and let him mind his; but he could not stop himself from smiling at the memories, and the fact that his parents knew so little of what had happened only made his smile widen.

"I take it things went well," Han said, more to Leia than to Ben.

Putting it that way was a supreme understatement, which only made Ben feel more amused. He decided to have a little fun while he could. "Do we have any caf?"

"Right here." Han gestured to the pot containing the beverage. Ben took his time getting a cup from the cupboard, filling it and drinking it.

Leia waved him to the table impatiently. "Don't hold us in suspense! What did you do?"

Ben sat and folded his arms on the table, considering the simplest way to sum up such a momentous night. "We had dinner at Maz's, and then we sat on the beach and talked."

"What did you talk about?"

"A lot, actually. I told Rey how I feel, and … she said she feels the same way."

At this, Han looked mildly surprised and impressed, while Leia turned quite serious and asked him to be more precise: "Are you in love with her?"

"I—well—yes."

"And you told her so?"

"Yes."

"And she said she loves you?"

"Do you want a transcript? She has a droid friend I can ask to make one."

Leia laughed. The sound startled Ben—it had been so long since he had heard it, and yet it was jarringly familiar, a sound he associated with his childhood. He exchanged a glance with Han, who shrugged in amusement as Leia's laughter subsided into giggles. "I'm sorry—it's just—if you knew how long it took your father and me to admit—"

"You were the one who wouldn't say how you really felt," Han accused.

"Do you know what he said, when I first told him I loved him?" Leia asked Ben, ignoring her husband. "He said—"

"'I know,'" Ben finished. He had heard bits of the story before.

"It was supposed to be reassuring, when we were about to be separated," Han protested. "And she said the same thing to me when I told her I loved her in the middle of a battle." He lifted his mug and nodded to Ben. "I'm just impressed you got Rey to say it so soon."

"I don't mean to make light of all this," Leia said. She covered Ben's hand with her own, smiling. "I'm glad this is happening for you, Ben. You've been alone so long. I'm glad you found someone who feels that way about you." He could feel the sincerity of her joy, like a glow inside her.

"Thanks, Mom."

Drawing her hand back, Leia asked, "Did you invite Rey and Maz to the party?"

In the midst of so many confessions, revelations, and promises, Ben had completely forgotten about the invitation. "I didn't get around to it. But," he added quickly, "I think she's more likely to come now."

Leia nodded, accepting this answer. "I thought of a wonderful venue: the hanging gardens. And that saves us the trouble of decorating."

It had been years since Ben had visited the hanging gardens, but he remembered their beauty. The atmosphere was cheerful during the day and tranquil at night. The verdure made it the kind of place Rey would love. In fact, Ben would have been happier to show it to her without the party, but maybe after the guests left they could stay there and enjoy it together. "Sure."

"Let us know if Rey is coming," Leia said. "I can't wait to meet her."

That reminded Ben of something very important. "There are … some things you should know about her before you meet her."

"Oh?"

Ben thought quickly but spoke slowly, carefully. "A while back, Rey got tangled up with another Force-user. We don't know who he is, but he's powerful, and cruel, and …" He trailed off, uncertain whether to share how intimately he knew the sorcerer or to get to the most comical-sounding part of the tragedy. He decided to try to avoid frightening his parents any more than necessary. Not that he expected them to be afraid, but the fact that he somehow knew this Dark Side figure might make them and Luke suspicious. Ben tried again. "I don't know how, but he can do things to people—weird things, like turn them into animals. And he tried to do that to Rey."

"Why? What'd she do to him?" Han asked.

"Nothing at all. He just sensed how powerful she was. I guess he wanted to scare her, put her in her place. But Maz helped her, so now the curse is cyclical. She's a normal human girl at night."

"And during the day?"

"She turns into a kind of bird called a porg."

Both of his parents stared at him for a long moment. Han looked about as incredulous as Ben had expected him to be. But Leia, though surprised, was thoughtful. "Sounds like a folk tale," she mused, "but I suppose most folk tales have a grain of truth in them."

"I know it sounds crazy," Ben said flatly. "I didn't believe Rey when she first told me, but I've seen her go back and forth, at sunrise and sunset."

"So that's why you've been coming and going at odd hours?"

Ben nodded. "I need to test whether the transformation still takes place if she's on another planet. If it does, we'll have to work around that to have her at the party."

"Is this … condition … permanent?" Han asked.

"We don't know for sure. We're going to try to find out. I talked to Uncle Luke about it, and he didn't seem overly concerned. He even agreed to help us."

His parents visibly relaxed when they heard Luke was involved. When it came to the Force, and particularly dealing with the Dark Side, there was no one they trusted more than him.

Ben stayed on Hosnian Prime long enough to have a meal, clean his borrowed shuttle (Han promised the Millennium Falcon would be ready for him the following day), bathe, and think about what lesson to give Rey next. Once he came up with an agenda, he gathered some supplies from his room, then flew back to Takodana.

It was an hour or two past sunset when Ben made planetfall. He did not see Rey on the lake, so he went into the castle. He found her repairing one of Maz's food dispensers. He waited without announcing himself until she seemed to be done. When she straightened up, she caught sight of him, and her countenance seemed to light up. Ben could not remember the last time someone had been so happy to see him, and knowing that he was the cause of her joy flattered him more than any politician's empty compliments ever had.

Rey wiped her greasy hands on a rag and leaped smoothly over the counter to join him. If they had been alone in the open night, they would have run to each other; but with other patrons all around and different pieces of furniture in the way, they moved at a moderate pace and met halfway, embracing each other briefly but warmly. Ben pressed a kiss to Rey's cheek before letting her go.

"How was your day?" he asked.

Rey shrugged, still smiling. "Uneventful. I slept for most of it."

"Good. Because we have a lot to do."

"Oh?"

He looked around and then pointed to an empty table. "Let's sit down. We'll need a flat surface for this lesson." He set his bag between them on the bench and took out a carved wooden case. He set it on the table, opened it and took out several sheets of paper, two small containers of ink, and a few brushes.

Rey watched with interest. "What is this?"

"My calligraphy set."

"Which is …"

"Writing supplies. I don't suppose you know how to write, do you?"

Rey tilted her head, curious and reflective. "No, I guess not."

"We finally found something you can't do?" Ben teased. Rey rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Hardly anyone does," Ben assured her. "No one uses paper to send messages anymore. Calligraphy takes writing a step further, makes it an art."

"I'm not sure how this ties in with being a Jedi."

"It takes patience and concentration." Ben held out a brush, daring her to accept the challenge. "Do you think you have that in you?"

She saw the look in his eyes, and accepted the brush with a flourish, twirling it like a miniature staff between her fingers. "We'll see."

Chuckling a little, Ben spread out the sheets of paper on the table. He showed her how to hold the brush properly, though he could tell it felt awkward to her. On one paper, he traced each of the letters of the aurebesh alphabet so she could see the brushstrokes needed for each one. Then he showed her how to write the three letters of her name, thinking that would be a good thing for her to practice.

He sensed Rey's frustration at times, but, not wanting to seem impatient or unfocused, she bit her lip and kept trying.

"May I?" Ben reached for her hand but stopped just inches away from it.

She smiled, appreciating his chivalry, holding him in suspense for a moment before she said, "Go ahead."

His hand closed over hers, his fingers aligning with each of hers, and guided her through the motions to write her name. After doing that a few times, he told her to practice on her own. He took a fresh sheet of paper and began to copy one of the digitized texts from the datapad Luke gave him.

When he looked back at Rey's work a few minutes later, he saw that she had stopped writing and started … doodling, if you could use that word when the utensil was a calligraphy brush.

"Rey …"

She giggled and tried to hide her sheet, but Ben managed to wrest it away. He saw that Rey had drawn a picture of BB-8 and of Maz's castle. But in another corner, she had written, I love you. Ben tried to give her a stern look, but her cheeky smile made it impossible.

"Will you show me how to write your name?" Rey asked. Then she would be able to address those written words to him.

"Sure." His name was one of the first things he had taught himself to write by hand. The strokes came almost automatically now, without him having to think much about it, except to slow down his movements.

It was only after he had written the first letter of his surname that he realized he still needed to explain it to her. Feeling like it was too late to stop, he wrote the remaining letters and set the brush aside, avoiding her gaze.

"'Solo'?" Rey read, looking at him quizzically.

"Uh … yeah. That's my family name."

"Ben Solo," Rey repeated thoughtfully. "Funny, that almost sounds like Han Solo. Do people ever call you that by mistake?"

Ben met her eyes, staring, incredulous that she could be so close to the truth without fully putting it together. Rey studied his expression, confused by this reaction. Her eyes narrowed, then suddenly widened, and then narrowed again. Ben could almost feel her thoughts moving together, like pieces in a mechanical puzzle.

Before she could say anything, he suddenly stood and began packing away the writing supplies. "Let's go for a walk."

Rey did not object. But as soon as they reached the lakeshore, she turned to him and demanded, "Are you related to Han Solo?"

"Yes," Ben said shortly.

"How? I mean, is he some distant cousin, or—"

"He's my father," Ben said tonelessly.

Rey gaped. Ben could only hold her gaze for a moment; then he found himself looking at her parted lips, and forced himself to look away. Then he heard her laugh. "Ben, that's incredible!" When he looked at her again, her face was bright with excitement. "I've heard stories about him."

"Of course you have," Ben said wryly.

Rey faltered, confused by his attitude. "What's wrong?"

"There's more. Knowing that, can you guess who my mother is?"

"Um … someone else from the Rebellion?"

"Yes. One of its leaders. Leia Organa."

Rey recognized that name. "The princess whose planet was destroyed? Luke Skywalker's long-lost sister?"

"That's the one."

"I didn't know she and Han got married," Rey mused.

Ben grunted. "For all the time they spend together, you might not think they were."

"So … if Leia Organa is your mother, then … Luke Skywalker—your Jedi master—is your uncle?"

"Yes."

Now Rey was mystified. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because when we met, you didn't treat me like everyone else does—like I have to live up to them. You looked at me and just saw me." When Rey continued to stare, Ben started to defend himself. "I didn't lie to you. I told you my parents are war veterans, my mother's a senator, and I'm training to be a Jedi. I thought you might figure it out on your own. I was planning to tell you, but with everything going on, well …"

To Ben's astonishment, Rey laughed, clapping her hands in delight. "Ben, this is wonderful!"

Now it was Ben's turn to be surprised. "Um … how so?"

"Of all the people in the galaxy, your family are the ones with the most experience fighting the Dark Side! If anyone can help me figure out how to break the curse, you and your family can."

Ben was not sure how to feel about this assessment. He had wanted Rey to let go of her fear, but he would have preferred for it to be because she had faith in him alone, in his own will and ability, not because of his family's legacy.

"So that ship you were telling me about, that your father is giving you … did you mean the Millennium Falcon?"

Ben folded his arms, looking at her with raised brow. "Are you interested in my offer now?"

"Well, I'd at least like to see it. Did it really make the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs?"

Ben smirked, imagining his father's indignation at hearing such a thing. "Twelve."

Rey shook her head in amazement. "That is ... this is … just when I think it can't get any better, it does."

She seemed to be in a good enough mood for him to introduce a related subject. "This does lead to something else I wanted to talk about. We need to test the limits of the curse, see if you can leave the planet."

Rey nodded, but his urgency surprised her. "Is there a particular reason we need to?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, there is."

She waited, curious. Ben swallowed. Compared to everything he had said last night, this should have felt easy. "My mother is throwing a party in a few days. For my birthday. I want you to come. That is, if you want to."

Rey blinked and suddenly seemed as nervous as Ben felt. "You want me to come—and meet your family?"

"Yes. They want to meet you, and it'll give us a chance to show Luke what you've learned, and ask him to let you come train at the temple."

Rey seemed uncertain. "I've never been to a party in my life. What … what do people do?"

"It depends on what kind of party it is."

"There are different kinds?"

Ben managed not to laugh outright at her ignorance. "Well, what I mean is—it depends on who's throwing it and who is invited. A family might have an informal party with games and activities for kids; a bunch of teenagers might have a kind of free-for-all; but politicians would have a fancy function, like a dinner."

"And what kind of party is this going to be?"

"My mother wants it to be somewhere between semi-formal and formal. She'll probably have music so people can dance."

Rey looked apprehensive at the mention of dancing. "Will I have to do that?"

"You don't have to do anything that you don't want to."

"I mean, will I be expected to?"

"Probably. You don't need to know anything complicated though. Obviously, the kind of dancing that happens depends on what kind of music is playing, how fast or slow, what kind of mood it creates."

"I never heard much music on Jakku. It's not the kind of place where people sing or play instruments." Rey cast a glance at Maz's castle. "They play music during the day, but no one dances."

"I had to take lessons when I was young. You'll just have to follow my lead. If you think you can manage that," Ben added jokingly. He looked at Rey's outfit and added, "We'll also have to find you something to wear."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean—most of the people will be dressed nicely. Not that there's anything wrong with your clothes," he said quickly, "but they're … kind of casual. This will be a little more formal."

Rey tugged self-consciously at the fabric of her tunic. "I don't have anything fancier than this."

Ben cupped his chin in his hand, thinking. "I could ask my mother for help. She'd probably have someone on her staff take you shopping."

"I don't want her spending money on me," Rey protested.

"Well …" An idea occurred to Ben. "Maybe … you could borrow something instead, just for the night. Would that be alright with you?"

Rey considered the suggestion, and finally she nodded. "That sounds fair."

"Of course, all of this depends on whether or not you turn into a porg when you leave the planet."

"Oh. Right."

Ben gestured to the open area where he had parked his shuttle. "Why don't we go on that test flight now?"

"Alright."

Ben held out his hand, and Rey accepted it and let him guide her to his shuttle. There were two seats behind the pilot's chair. He rotated the one on the right and, with exaggerated politeness, gestured for Rey to sit down.

"It's been a while since I was actually inside a ship," she said as she strapped herself into the seat.

"This one is owned by my dad's shipping company."

Rey raised her eyebrows. "So that's what the famous smuggler is up to these days?"

"That, and racing," Ben said casually.

She grinned. "That, I can believe."

Ben felt a little more self-conscious than usual as he prepped for takeoff. Even after everything that had been said and done last night, he still wanted to impress Rey, especially now that she knew he was the son of a renowned pilot. He could not do many tricks with a cargo shuttle, but he could at least not make a careless mistake doing something so routine.

"Are you ready?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at Rey.

"Yes."

"I'll fly low at first, then we'll try entering the planet's orbit."

The shuttle lifted off the ground without trouble. Rey spoke up as they flew over the forest. "It was daytime when I first came here. Before that, I didn't think there was this much green in the whole galaxy."

Ben looked over his shoulder at her. Rey was staring hungrily through the windows, so she did not see the soft expression on his face.

He could not wait to show her the hanging gardens.

Rey was tense as they ascended higher and higher. Ben watched her out of the corner of his eye, waiting to see if she would transform. But the human girl remained the same size, even when they passed through the atmosphere and entered outer space.

Ben finally slowed down after they began to orbit the planet. He turned around to face Rey, who was hugging herself. "Well, that's a good sign."

She relaxed and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah."

"I don't think we have time to visit another planet where it's daytime, but we can try that sometime."

Rey unfastened her seatbelt, stood, and came closer to the windows. "Do you get to see this a lot?"

"What? Outer space?"

"Yeah."

Ben shrugged. "Pretty often, I guess."

"It's beautiful."

It had been a long time since Ben had been impressed by the sight of planets near and far, or the rush of light from jumping in or out of hyperspace. Rey was almost like a child, experiencing so many things for the first time. Ben found her reactions endearing, but they also made him feel uneasy, though he did not know exactly why. Maybe it was sorrow that he had stopped marveling, or guilt that he had stopped appreciating all that he was able to experience. Or maybe it was pity for Rey's harsh upbringing.

"You said you taught yourself how to fly. Do you want to try the pilot's seat?"

"Really?"

"Well, if you're thinking of joining the crew of a ship like the Millennium Falcon, I need to see how well you can fly." Ben stood and stepped aside so Rey could take the seat. She approached slowly, looking back and forth between Ben, the chair, and the window.

"Don't be nervous," he said, touching her shoulder. "I trust you."

She smiled and put her hand over his. "I know."

Ben was tempted to kiss her then, but he decided to let her focus on flying instead.

He sat in the chair Rey had vacated. He did not strap himself in, but he wished he had when the ship suddenly jerked forward a short distance under Rey's guidance.

"Sorry!" Rey yelped. "Just getting a feel for it."

"That's fine," Ben said, surreptitiously fastening his seatbelt. It proved to be unnecessary: as he had suspected, Rey turned out to be a competent pilot. Ben pointed out which buttons and levers to use, but she remembered them all after being told only once. She guided the ship back to Takodana and then to Lake Nymeve.

"Easy," Ben cautioned as they made planetfall. Their landing was a little shaky, but overall he found Rey's piloting satisfactory.

"I guess it's official," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"What is?"

"There's nothing you can't do."

"Hmph." Rey laughed, but then she glanced thoughtfully through the window at the lake. "Actually, I thought of one thing I don't know how to do."

"What's that?"

"I don't know how to swim. As a human, that is. I can sort of manage it as a porg. I learned by watching them. But I never had a chance to learn on Jakku."

"No, I guess you wouldn't." Ben glanced at the lake and then back at Rey. "Do you want to learn?"

"At some point, yes. I don't think we have time now." Rey pointed at the sky, which was starting to brighten. "I better get going."

Ben stood and stopped Rey before she could disembark. "I'm going to talk to my parents, and if it's alright with them … I'd like to take you to Hosnian Prime tomorrow. We'll time it so that we leave at night on Takodana and arrive at night on Hosnian Prime." He thought Rey might be more comfortable at the party if she met his parents before then.

She nodded. "Alright. You can call Maz to let me know when you're coming. I'll wait for you then."

Ben smiled gratefully, touched her cheek, and pulled her gently into a kiss. He felt Rey's hands on his neck and shoulder, and when they parted she gave him one more fierce hug. "I love you, Ben Solo," she whispered.

"I love you, Rey." He kissed her forehead once more. "Stay safe."

"You too."

Once she was on the beach, they waved to each other before Ben took off, his mind spinning with the plans he would have to make.

Author's Notes

I was going to have Rey meet the Solos in this chapter, but each section was getting so long, I thought it made more sense to split it in two, so that will have to wait until next time!

After seeing the impact that The Rise of Skywalker had on the Reylo community, I feel compelled to say that if you are seeking a Reylo story with a happy ending, you may rest assured that I will do my best to deliver one in this story. In the meantime, you may enjoy or find healing in two short stories I've written: "Closure," a canon-compliant post-TROS short story; and "My Everything," a Reylo wedding short story.

I wish you all good health, happiness, and peace in the new year!