Alright… so this chapter, well just remember that I'm not a businessperson.
Thank you all for coming back to read! Oh! And I have a little surprise for you at the bottom!
At first the grainy picture on the screen just makes Ben and Rey squint in confusion but then the doctor says, "This little bean," he says as he circles the bean looking thing on the screen and yes it does look like one—"is your baby." more clicks. "When was your last period, Rey?"
"Ben, give me my phone— yes you can go into my purse. It was in May—" she swipes open the app she needs and says, "May 30th."
"Ah yes a March baby." More clicks and a smile. "Your due date is March 7th. While you're here, we'll go ahead and schedule all your appointments—yes, I know you are a busy COO but we call and email and text reminders."
All while he talks, pictures print, and the nurse turns the lights back on. "Alright mom, Dad. You both have the deer in headlights look. Ask me questions, please."
Ben and Rey's eyes meet. Rey looks back at the screen, then back to meet Ben's eyes. The joy she sees there makes her feel things she's never felt before, especially when this man she has fallen in love with asks, "Alright Doc, morning sickness. She has it and what can we do it fix it?"
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"You know, it makes sense," she says before she takes her next bite. As soon as Chewy saw them enter the diner he roared, she roared and moments later this huge breakfast appeared.
One for her and one for him.
He has to admit that the plate full of biscuits, gravy, sausage, bacon and scrambled and fried eggs is better than he wants to admit. He just knows that he should only eat this like once a year. But to sit here and watch his love, his Kitten, his Sweetheart eat like a sailor who's only have ship rations for months, does something to him.
How is it watching his baby mama chow down like there's no tomorrow—makes him so damn happy?
"What makes sense?" He replies around a mouthful of biscuit and gravy. Granted he never would have thought of trying those two foods together—but when she made him try a bite of hers—now he understands what all those southerners are talking about.
"That I need to eat something all the time."
"I don't think that—" but when he looks up and meets those green/hazel eyes of hers, "I hope the baby has your eyes."
The flush that inflames her cheeks makes him chuckle. But when she hurries to finish—"What are we going to do?"
He ducks his head. This is something that he's been thinking about for a while now, well since yesterday at least. "Well, as much as I'd love for you to just move in with me and all that, I think we should date, go to the movies, still go to Morosis, but like as a couple. You know, date."
She looks thoughtful as she stabs another bite of sausage. As she chews, she nods. "I think so."
"You think so, what?"
"That we should date. I mean we like each other fine now, even love one another. But what about when we are both having super bad days? How do we fight?"
"You want to fight?" he asks not sure where she's going with this.
"Maybe if it means we get to make up," she says with a wink. Then she asks, "Are we like starting over?"
"No-no, nothing like that. It's more of getting to know each other besides in the bedroom. I mean I know that you like—"
"Shhh—" she interrupts as she kicks him under the table. "I know these people."
"Alright," he chuckles. "But I know that but I don't know your favorite color."
She sheepishly looks down and he loves how pink her cheeks still are. "Green. How about you?"
"Well, you see, there's this girl I know and she has the prettiest green-hazel eyes I've ever seen. and I find myself loving that color more and more each and every day."
Those same eyes look up at him with a smile to match. "Ben—" she whispers.
"it's the truth." He reaches across the table for her hand. but before she can take it, his phone rings. He plans on ignoring it, but she nods as if she's saying to go ahead and answer.
"Hello?"
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"Stop it!" Rose hisses. "We're supposed to act normal, not whatever you think this is—"
"I am being nonchalant," Finn says.
"You walking around with your cell phone recording whatever you think you're recording—" suddenly the elevator opens and the one they are trying to find, Beaumont comes walking out. but before he can make it to his desk, Rose can feel her skin crawl when his eyes locks on hers.
"Hey, Rose. Is Rey in yet?" Beaumont asks.
As much as she wants to scream and cuss, and rip his eyes out, she says, "She's out. You should have a list of things she needs done on your desk."
Even Finn raises a brow at how bitter she sounds. Beaumont just ducks his head like Rose just beat him with her shoe and goes to his desk, that's thankfully behind a half wall and frosted glass so either one of them can't see the other anymore.
But it doesn't matter because Finn drags Rose into his.
Office that is. Rose closes the door behind them. she answers even before Finn speaks. "I know, I know. but I just think of Rey and what that ass, who even I trusted and what he's doing to the company, the same company we all worked so hard to rescue and to clean up then some dumbasses come along and think they can just take over. I don't think so."
"I know, you know we feel the same. Sheev left us the company and I don't want to lose it either," Rose adds.
"Have we figured out yet who Beaumont and Phasma are working for?" Rose asks as the two friends pace around each other. But before either one can answer, there's a soft knock on the door.
"It's me and Ben, can we come in?" Rey asks as she cracks open the door.
Rose, since she's right there at it, opens it for them. As soon as she closes it behind them, she asks, "What did the doctor say?"
"You went to the doctor?" Finn asks.
"Is Poe here? I know this sounds awful, but I only want to say this once," Rey says voice full of uncertainty.
"Should I face time Hux?" Rose asks.
"Yes, but not Phasma. Not until we figure out what they are up to," Ben answers. While Rose and Finn are texting and calling, Ben steals a kiss before Rey steals on right back.
Poe walks in a moment later and Rose has Hux turned around so he can see. "Well, it's official, I'm pregnant." Everyone starts to murmur excitedly, but Rey says, "Hang on, let me finish. Yes, it happened while we were in Vegas, not we aren't getting married—yet. We're going to start dating to make sure that we really like each other and it's not just about sex and BDSM—"
"Rey, you didn't have to tell them all that," Ben adds as Finn and Poe chuckle.
"He has no idea," Poe says. "No idea—"
"Actually, I would have told them that anyway—anyways, we're going to date and after that, hopefully we'll really like each other and not just love each other." Rey smiles.
"That's kind of sweet," Hux says from Rose's phone.
"The doctor did a ultrasound," Rey pulls the pictures out of her purse and Rose passes them around. "I'm almost six weeks along and the nugget is due March 6th."
Excited murmurs as their friends congratulate them and no one notices the traitor outside of Hux's office listening to every word.
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"Snoke is on line one for you—" Bazine peeks into his office. "Are you alright?"
He can't just tell her that he's on cloud nine and having to talk to his ex-boss would ruin that. besides he needs to hear what Snoke wants now, so they can prepare a counter. He picks up his desk phone instead of answering Bazine he answers Snoke— "Hello."
"My boy, I've been hearing some interesting things about—"
"Gossip? When did you start listening to gossip, old man?" Even he can hear the anger in his voice. Bazine must hear it too because he sees her peeking around the doorway.
"Well, well, well," Snoke counters. And Ben can just see him sitting at his desk trying to hide whatever it is he's feeling while still trying to be intimating. "Did the Skywalker heir—" Ben doesn't miss the snide way Snoke says his name. He's heard it enough through the years to know this tone- "Finally grow some balls? Tell me, is it true?"
As much as he wants to throw things and wrap his hands around Snoke's throat, he's almost calm when he says, "Is what true?" instead.
"That you got that Palpatine whore pregnant? You forget, I know all about your little habit of yours and how you like to demean the weaker sex to feed those dark places deep inside you. but then again, I think you knew all along who she was and this is your plan to come back to the First Order with the biggest offering to get into my good graces—"
With a roar, he throws his phone. as it hits the wall, there is a satisfying crunch as he stomps on it. then he goes into his bathroom-
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"Hux?" Rey answers her cell. "Do you need—"
"You. I need you. Artoo is coming to pick you up."
Dread bubbles up like the last time she vomited which was just this morning. "What happened?"
"Just get over here to Skywalker, please. Rose is coming—"
Rey looks up to her best friend as she walks into her office, looking as frazzled as she feels. "We're on the way." She doesn't even look to see if the call disconnected while she grabs her purse, throws the phone in and walks to the bank of elevators.
Unsurprisingly, Poe and Finn join them. But Rey waits until the swoop of the elevator going down before she asks, "What happened?"
"No idea, but it's bad." Finn adjusts his bag over his shoulder.
As if they just know, Poe leads the way, but instead of going to where their offices are, he leads them to their apartments. Just when Rey is ready to ask why they're in front of Ben's door, before they can knock, Hux opens it.
"Thank God you're here." he pulls Rey in first. "He won't go to the hospital."
Rey pushes past him and walks through the foyer but stops. "Ben?" she calls.
"In here," she hears coming from the bathroom. Finn beats her there but she still nudges him aside so she can see—
"What in the world happened?" She whispers. The white button up shirt she distracted him from putting on this morning is covered in blood, and he cradles his right hand.
"There was a phone call—"
"Who was it?" She asks as she tries to pry his hand away from his body. While she's not a professional, she's taken enough first aid courses at Morosis to kinda know if someone needs to go to the hospital. "Let me see it, please. look Finn even brought our first aid kit."
Ben is quiet while she takes his hand into hers. He just grunts when she moves his fingers for him. "What do you think? Do you think you broke it?"
He shrugs and still doesn't speak. She nudges Finn and motions for him to leave the bathroom for a moment with a nod of her head.
She still has his hand, and even brings it up so she can kiss it.
"He said some bad things," Ben whispers. Her heart flips, not sure if she wants to hear anymore, but then he continues, "He knows. Snoke knows that we—"
She freezes as the implications run through her head like a movie. "I think I've thought of every possible outcome of me continuing to go to Morosis. Let me guess, he said that if we let him have both companies, he wouldn't bring up the sex clubs? What did you destroy? The mirror?"
His indeterminate grunt is his answer, but he still won't look up at her. Suddenly everything comes crashing down it feels like and unsurprisingly, words just start flowing— "Why aren't you talking to me? Who ever said this stuff to you must be pretty damn important if you destroyed a mirror. At least I think it's a mirror, who knows, you won't fucking talk to me. Is this person more important than me and the baby?" She gently gives him his hand back. "I'm going home."
It takes everything she has to keep walking to his door. Their friends had to have heard everything she said because Rose moves to follow while Finn, Poe and Hux seem to be frozen in place, not sure who to follow.
But before she can reach the knob that leads to heartbreak—she hears, "Rey—don't go—" his voice raw from probably screaming brings tears to her eyes. His arms circle her waist as she turns.
"You have to talk to me. I promise, I'm a big girl, I can handle whatever it is," she pleads as she tries to hold his head up, so he'll meet her eyes instead of avoiding her like he currently is. "Look at me," she whispers.
She also doesn't miss how Rose watches them, while Hux still looks worried. Finn, ever-so-faithful friend with the first aid bag, then Poe watching over all of them.
But when he finally looks in her eyes, she's not ready for the swirling emotions she sees there. "We don't have to talk about the why, but I'm going to ask you again, do you need to go to the ER?"
"Once upon a time I boxed, so I actually know how to throw a punch. It's just bloody because of the broken glass," he admits.
"Alright, then. Back to the bathroom, let me make sure all the glass is gone. Hux? Can you call someone to go pick up the glass? Even though I should make you go do it—" Rey grumbles as her friends chuckle.
"Aww look, she just found out she's pregnant and she's already acting like a mom," Poe teases.
Ben laughs, while tears gather in Rey's eyes. "I sound like a mom—" she murmurs.
"Sweetheart?" Ben squeaks not sure what to do, but Rose does.
Her friend of forever puts her arms around her shoulders. "These are good tears," Rose says then guides the two of them together. "Go get him cleaned up, then you can tell us why we're here?"
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"So, let me get this straight—you two worked for Snoke? First order, Snoke?" Rey exclaims. "Just one question, were you two here to spy on us?"
"No, we moved back to New York to get out from under Snoke's thumb," Hux supplies. "We met you at the club and truly had no idea who you were."
Rey nods as Rose asks, "Alright, we believe you, but why is Snoke buying Palpatine stocks too?"
Ben murmurs, "Oh no."
While Hux shakes his head. "He always swore that he was going to do it. I just never figured he'd come after both companies."
"Where did he get the capital?" Poe asks.
"He must have made some interesting deals to get that much cash. Let's assume that Gwen sold her shares."
"I still have mine," Hux adds.
"And I still have mine. But even with Mom and Dad's, Snoke can still take over." Ben stands and stomps over to the window. "This is bullshit."
"Ben?" Rey asks behind him. "I have stock in Skywalker."
"What did you say?" he asks as he comes closer. "How much?"
"Five percent."
"You own—" Hux chuckles. "Damn it Solo, you did it again."
"He did what again?" Rose asks for all of them.
"No matter what, he always comes out of any deal smelling like a—excuse the pun, love—smelling like a Rose. I call it luck. How much does Han and Leia have? Six percent?"
"Something like that." His grin is infectious, but now she has to tell him the rest of it.
"But I can't sell it," she says.
"Why not?" Ben asks.
"Grandfather was—odd. He wanted the stocks to remain in the family or they go to—fuck," Rey stops, eyes wide, "if I try to sell them—"
"Snoke gets them," Poe finishes for her. "I always wondered why he said that in the will. Hell- I'm still not sure why he put that."
"Does Nonna have any?" Rey asks.
"Nope. She gave them to me when I moved to take over the company. Luke doesn't have any either. He gave his to mom then she sold hers." Something breaks in her when she sees him hang his head in defeat.
"Well, Ben—Kylo—master-" She sinks down on her knees in front of him. He reaches for her to pull her up, but she stops him with a shake of her head. "Let me finish because if I don't, I won't be brave enough to say this again. I adore you. I love you. Hell, your baby is in here," she looks down at where her hands are below her belly button. When she looks back up, there's tears in his eyes too. "And yes, I'm about to ask this because no one needs to have their legacy ripped from them, but I'm also asking you this because I do love you, you listen to what I have to say even though you like to tie-me-up and do things to me."
Their friends chuckle and it reminds Rey that they aren't alone but are surrounded by all the people who love them.
At that moment of joy, Ben slides down into the floor beside Rey. He doesn't take her hands but does reach into his pocket. "I've had this for a while—yes I bought it for you." He opens the box and it feels like her heart stops.
"You bought me a ring?" Rey whispers. A couple of sniffles and she just knows that Rose and Finn are crying too.
"I love you, Kitten. I don't want to live without you or little bit in there." he takes her hand and holds up the ring. "Now, let's ask together?"
She nods as she stares into his eyes. "Will you—" they begin and it feels like everything is perfect. "Marry me?" they ask at the same time.
"Yes," their whisper is loud in the room.
Like I said, suspend belief, I know nothing of stocks, I just wanted to get these two married already and I think they wanted to too!
Since I'm all caught up on everything, I've started a new fic. It's going to be A/B/O… and basically Ben is going to be a undercover agent going after a big crime family, while Rey is our resident baker who makes the men their daily dose of three dozen doughnuts. (and don't worry- they meet soon…)
"it's too early for this bullshit—" she mutters as she dips the fried dough out of the fryer. It's Friday, and there was a message at three a.m. requesting more doughnuts for today. Their daily order of three dozen doughnuts has been doubled to six. "They must be having a meeting today—"
Rey's the only one at the bakery this early and she loves it, even with last minute orders like this. Just her, the silence before the dawn, and flour. As she rolls out the dough, she's done this so many times that she almost gets lost in it the easy back and forth of her rolling pin, then the cutter, as it makes row upon row of pastries ready for the fryer. She supposes that sometime soon she should upgrade to a machine that can do this faster, but she supposes that it's her inner omega that loves the almost nesting quality of baking.
As for the them—the who's she's making doughnuts for it's the standing daily order of three dozen doughnuts for the guys who work—hell she's not even sure. Her little bakery fries the dough and once a week, Vicrul, who picks up the doughnuts and leaves a rolled-up wad of cash. After that first month of the total being paid plus a big tip, she doesn't even think about it anymore. After all, those tips are what paid for her new ovens.
But since she bought this building in the little mountain hometown on main, life has been far from boring—it's beautiful, really. Old brick from over a hundred years ago, the sides are exposed brick, with huge windows for people watching on main street with little and medium sized tables scattered around for those that don't have to rush off to their next to-do on the list. Her bakery looks like any other commercial kitchen, stainless steel and coolers. But all this works for her. As an omega with no mate, even though she wears a wedding ring like there is one. If she would had realized that there were so many alphas in this town, she probably would have went somewhere else to open a bakery in. But here she is, already established and too late to move.
A key in the lock at the back door is one thing, this early, makes her smile.
"I'm sorry! I overslept!" Rose, also an omega, gushes as she rushes in.
"It's alright." Rey continues to dip as Rose hangs up her coat and locks the back door.
Her best friend comes over and the friends air kiss before Rose walks over to check the board. It's there they post the orders for the next day, and while they both checked it yesterday, the cakes are already in the walk-in where they wait to go home with their families, the pies are ready for the ovens along with the breads.
While Rey finishes the doughnuts, Rose will start boxing and filling the cases. And since it's Friday—a knock on the back door has Rose rushing to the back—"I'm not late am I?"
Their old friend from high school, Finn Storm, who is an alpha, enters with a smile. His normal nine to five job is only Monday through Thursday and for some extra cash, he comes in to help with the Friday morning rush.
More kisses as everyone works together to get breakfast for everyone in their little town.