Published July 10, 2022

"Preparation"

Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion. ~ bell hooks

As news of Rey's retirement and engagement spread, people started to come up to her to confirm if it was true, or simply express their thoughts about it.

There was a fair amount of confusion, consternation, and anger. Some of the pilots and other staff members ceased speaking to Rey, or only did so when necessary. She felt their eyes watching her as she went about her business.

But she also gained support where she had not been sure of it. When she told Commander D'Acy and Lieutenant Connix, they voiced many questions and concerns. But if they harbored any disapproval, they did not let it show. Ultimately, they were happy for Rey's sake and pleased by the idea that Leia's family would live on.

"I did wonder where she got that bracelet," D'Acy confided afterwards. "She so rarely wears jewelry, I knew it must mean something."

Rey paid the retired Lando Calrissian a visit to give him the news and invite him to the wedding. He was thrilled, gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, and said she and her children could call him "Uncle Lando."

"Another scoundrel found his princess," he said, sounding proud.

"I'm not a princess," Rey muttered, blushing.

He raised his eyebrow at her. "If I'm not mistaken, you will be when you tie the knot."

The more people expressed support for Rey and Ben, the more irked and betrayed Poe felt. It was especially hard when he turned to Finn, expecting to be able to commiserate with him, only to find out that Finn already knew, and had half expected the engagement, and accepted it as a matter of course.

"I can't believe you support this," Poe groused to the other officers after a meeting about Rey's relocation.

Finn shrugged. "Sure, I think she could do better, but I learned the hard way you can't stop Rey."

"Things are going to be hard enough for her, living in exile," D'Acy pointed out. "We should do what we can to make it easier, not harder."

Connix admitted that she had sometimes suspected Rey was not entirely content in her role. "Poe, you're not with her enough to notice when she's not doing well; and you've never been with Ben Solo long enough to get to know him. She knows him best, and she knows herself best."

Poe did not appreciate being chided, even implicitly, by his colleagues. "Look, I let her visit as much as she wanted. I get that he saved her life. That's a special connection. Finn saved me—from him, incidentally—but you never saw Finn and me getting married."

No, but you argue as though you were, Chewbacca quipped. Finn tried to disguise his laughter as a cough, while D'Acy and Connix exchanged smiles; only Poe was unamused.

Ironically, it was Poe's on-again girlfriend, Zorii Bliss, who finally made him shape up. He relayed the news to her via holo, again looking for someone who would share his outrage. Zorii, however, reserved her judgment until her next visit to the Resistance base, when she was able to ask Rey in person. She had just two questions: "Do you love him?" and "Does he treat you well?" Upon hearing Rey answer in the affirmative, Zorii shrugged and said, "Well, I hope you're happy."

"… Thank you." Rey's smile was grateful, but also tired. "I thought you might take Poe's side."

"He still upset?"

Rey's tone was clipped as she answered, "He's making things more difficult than they need to be."

After confirming this with others in their circle, and seeing the coldness with which Poe treated Rey, Zorii cornered him and gave him a piece of her mind.

"I don't like Ren any more than you do," she said, "but the way you're treating Rey isn't right."

"So you're okay with her doing this?"

"This isn't about me, or you, or even him; it's about her. Stop shaming her for wanting something for herself—for wanting something other than war, or wanting someone you don't like. I don't blame her for wanting a peaceful retirement. If she can have that this way, I say good for her."

"I don't believe this—from you, of all people—"

Zorii interrupted him. "Don't you think if Ren had to marry anyone, it should be her? Last I checked, she's the only woman who likes him, and the only one who can keep him in line."

"Not everything that's pleasant is good for you," Poe said with the wisdom of a misanthrope.

Zorii leveled a look at him. "I guess you would know, wouldn't you?"

Poe fell silent after that. She did not need to say more: he understood the implications. It was true that his own record was not spotless, and his previous occupation as a spice runner may have ruined some people's lives.

"You're not gonna gain anything by fighting this," Zorii said. "But if you have to, don't make it so personal."

After a moment's thought, Poe nodded. "Thanks, sweetie. I'll take that to heart."

"Good. And don't call me that."

At the next officers' meeting, Poe brought a datapad and addressed Rey directly. "I'll help you move forward with this, but I have conditions."

She nodded, hopeful but wary. "Go on."

"First, I want Maz to assess Ren, alone. She's the best judge of character any of us knows."

"Okay."

"Second, I want you to read this." Poe handed her a data chip. "These are our records of every documented accusation against Kylo Ren. Some you know about, others you may not have heard. You should know who you're planning to marry; and if you still want to after reading that, I'll resign myself to it."

Rey took the chip, handling it as though it were a dead creature's bone. "Fine."

The other officers relayed these conditions to Ben via holo, and they arranged for Maz to visit him a few days later.

Ben's session with Maz was a difficult experience. The woman was unnerving at the best of times, and though she was kind at her core, she was also unpredictable. Ben still could not figure out if they were on good terms or not, considering the damage he had done to her castle all those years ago.

He let her look into his eyes, which she did for almost five whole minutes. Then she began the formal interview, asking him about his daily life, his emotional range and coping mechanisms, his short-term and long-term desires, and his relationship with Rey. He answered the questions to the best of his ability, but Maz left him with no clue whether he had passed or failed this test.

A day later, Maz announced her conclusion: she was convinced that Ben Solo was sincere in his contrition for past crimes and his intentions to be a better person in the future. In her much-sought-after opinion, he was no longer a threat to himself or others. Ben and Rey both felt like they had made a great step toward their destination after this.

It took longer for Rey to read through the dossier on Kylo Ren's crimes. She carried out this painful duty with strength and dignity.

"A crime report can't capture everything that was happening inside you at the time," she told him when the Force happened to connect them during her reading time.

"… Yeah." Suddenly, Ben thought of something. He glanced at the shelf where he kept his writing supplies. Not wanting to get up from where he was sitting, he raised one hand, and a moment later the journal zoomed through the air into his hand. Rey looked at him questioningly.

"This is the journal that Maz gave me, the day I came here. If … if you really want to know me—the light and the dark—you can read it." He held it out to her.

She accepted it with the same reverence with which she had accepted Luke's lightsaber whenever she had borrowed it from Leia. She could almost sense the emotional weight it carried. She rifled the pages, saw how many were full—more than half—and realized how many hours had been spent writing it. She looked up at him. "Ben …"

"Yes?"

Without taking her eyes off him, she set the journal carefully down where she was sitting, then caught his face in her hands and kissed him. Ben reacted instinctively, putting his arms around her and kissing her in return, slowly and deeply, savoring it.

He wondered if she would ever kiss him so eagerly again.

Although she wanted to get the task over with as quickly as possible, Rey found she could only read so much at a time, day by day, week by week. Both the dossier and the journal were fraught with painful and sometimes startling revelations.

She had thought she knew what a complicated person Ben Solo was, but his journal revealed that he was far better, and far worse, than she had imagined. And he had entrusted her with that knowledge, with his deepest secrets.

Ben was not privy to the worst of her emotions as she read about his past atrocities, but he caught glimmers of them when the Force connected them. It made both of their hearts feel heavy, but her sadness stemmed more from empathy, both for him and for his victims. She did not kiss him during this time, but she touched him tenderly and reassured him with both looks and words.

She found herself crying many times, reading Ben's recollections of his childhood, the joys and sorrows alike. He was painfully honest about both his good impulses and his evil actions, the conflict between hatred and compassion, all the times he had chosen hatred. His last few entries dealt with his conflicted feelings toward her and the prospect of having a family together.

At the very moment Rey finished reading the last entry, the Force connected them. She looked up to see Ben lying on the bed across the room.

For a moment she was still and silent, trying to process her own thoughts and feelings in light of her new knowledge.

He swallowed. "You finished it."

"Yes."

"Did you want to talk about it?"

After a beat of silence, Rey said quietly, "I have nothing to say … except 'thank you.'"

Ben blinked in surprise. "For what?"

"For showing me who you are—or who you were. I know that isn't easy. Thank you for trusting me with that."

He still looked afraid, as though she might deliver some bad news or lash out at him. Rey came up to him and touched his face and his hair, her eyes soft. "This doesn't change how much I love you."

"Really?"

She nodded. Having seen him at his worst and at his best, no new information about him could change her mind or her heart toward him.

"You were hurt, and you hurt other people," she acknowledged. "You did horrible things. I can't forget that, nor should I. But I still love you. I can hate what you did and love you at the same time. Do you understand?"

"I'm starting to."

She rested her forehead against his, and then kissed his cheek. Ben slowly took hold of her, until his arms were tight around her frame. "You are more than I deserve," he murmured.

"It's not about what you deserve," Rey insisted.

When their lips met, they learned together how sweet shared sadness could be.

Before the planning really got underway, Rey made a decision that surprised everyone, most of all Ben. "I want to go back to Jakku." It would be the first time she went there since the day she left with Finn and BB-8, and she intended for it to be the last time.

"Why would you do that?" Ben asked.

"It's one planet I've avoided visiting, and I don't want to keep wondering how things are there. I want to close the door on that part of my life, for good."

Ben did not entirely approve of this idea, but he kept his opinion to himself. He just wished her luck and asked her to be careful, as he usually did when he heard she was embarking on a mission.

He tried to put it out of his mind, not wanting her to feel him worrying. But then the Force connected them while she was still on Jakku. He felt a wave of grief that was distinct and familiar, though he had not felt this particular kind for years.

"Rey—what's wrong?"

She looked at him with bleary eyes. "Can you see my surroundings?"

"No."

She took his hand and guided it forward until it touched something solid and vertical. Then Ben could see it: a metal wall covered in thousands of tally marks. She was in her old home, seeing the evidence of her overwhelming isolation.

"Oh, sweetheart." He tried to turn her around, but she leaned her head against the wall and would not be moved, so he hugged her from behind and let her cry. She finally stepped away when her strength was spent, and she let Ben guide her down to the floor and into his lap. He held her close and pressed kisses to her hair and her face, comforting her as he wished he could have done for her when she most needed it, all those nights she had spent alone, aching.

He did not speak much verbally, but she heard him through the Force: You are not alone, darling. I'm here, I always have been, and I always will be. You're not alone. You are loved beyond all telling.

His words might have made her cry even harder; it was difficult to tell.

"I—I thought I was past this," Rey said, frustrated and half ashamed of herself. "I'm grown up; I have you, and my friends; I know what happened to my family—so why does it still hurt?"

Ben could only speak from his own experience. "I don't think this—pain, trauma—ever fully goes away. It's part of us. I used to think you could kill the past—like it was something you could cut out with surgery—but it's not that simple. Even when you can't go back to the past, it stays with you. But … it gets easier to carry. At least, it has for me." Thanks to you.

Rey nodded. She had experienced that too, in different ways, and she believed it when she heard it from him.

Rubbing her back, Ben went on talking. "I never really had a right to be, until recently, but—I'm proud of you. You've been so strong, and in spite of everything you went through, you held on to the light, to hope … you didn't let your suffering break you, or harden you. You kept your heart. I love that about you, Rey. You are the rarest, most precious thing that ever came out of this damned planet … which may not be saying much, but it just goes to show …"

She finally smiled at that, her head resting over his heart. "There were some good things here," she said.

"Were there?"

"The sunsets are nice. And sometimes I found flowers. I'd pick them and keep them in a cup … I thought, if they could survive here, then so could I."

"A desert flower," Ben murmured, the corners of his lips turning up. "Should I call you that?"

"What, like a pet name?"

"It sounds more romantic than 'scavenger.'"

Rey chuckled, but then said with some seriousness, "I think both are fitting."

Ben smiled slightly, then touched her face before settling his arms around her again. "When we're married," he murmured, "I'll show you how loved you are. That's what I'm most looking forward to."

They sat together for a while longer. When she was up to it, Rey described what she had found at Niima Outpost earlier that day. "I wanted to confront Unkar Plutt, to show what I can do, who I've become … I wasn't sure if I would leave him alive. But when I found him, he was worse off than before. He's not even a junk boss anymore. I guess after your ships attacked, he lost what little power he had; and when people heard about the Resistance, the scavengers ganged up on him."

"You must have given them hope. You're proof that anyone can change their life—or even become a hero."

"Hmm." Rey glanced outside. "I should leave before the sun sets." She did not want to spend the night in her AT-AT. Even if Ben held her while she fell asleep, he would be gone when she woke, and she did not want to find herself here, as she had on so many other mornings.

Ben agreed, and kissed her goodbye before letting her go. Rey fought the feeling of loneliness left in his wake.

She surveyed her surroundings, which were missing many of the personal effects she had left behind—animals or other scavengers had taken anything useful, like her bedding and eating utensils. But some items were still there, covered with dust and sand. She took the dried-out flowers from the makeshift vase, thinking to use the seeds in the greenhouse she planned to build on Ahch-To.

Facing the wall once more, she etched an ending underneath the tally marks: Rey left Jakku, fought in the Resistance against the First Order, became a Jedi, and found her family.

That would have to do, Rey decided. She could not claim credit for defeating the Emperor or the First Order without also mentioning Ben, Finn, Luke, Leia, and many others. She did not want to memorialize her bloodline, or publicize the identity of her husband-to-be, or reveal the location of their home. With so little information, she would most likely become a legend to the inhabitants of Jakku, like so many Rebellion heroes she had heard about as a child.

She smiled as she traced her fingers over the last few words. She had found her family—just not in the way she had always hoped. She had forged enduring friendships, learned the truth about her parents, and discovered the dyad that had always been there. Getting married and settling down was not so much her way of starting a family as of growing the one she already had.

Once Poe accepted that the marriage was going to take place, they had to work out the logistics.

They decided that official check-ins and supply drop-offs would cease, in light of Rey setting up new infrastructure to support herself and Ben over the long term. Visits from Finn, Rose, Chewbacca, and others would be unofficial in nature.

They unanimously decided that Chewbacca should receive custody of the Millennium Falcon, since he had been Han's copilot and had spent more time on that ship than anyone else now alive.

It was decided that Zorii would continue Rey's liberation efforts while Finn took the lead in mentoring Force-sensitive individuals. They had built a small network of people, most of them children or former stormtroopers. Rey posited her idea of having students visit the island to meet Ben, if they desired and if he was willing. Poe only approved this request on the condition that the individuals be adults.

The developing plans were communicated to Ben via holo. All these emerging details made him feel worse as the separation between Rey and her friends became more real. He did not like hearing about all the limitations being placed on her freedom, even if they involved more concessions for him.

"Any marriage involves giving up some freedom," Lando said when Ben vented about this in a holocall. "You're committing yourself to one path—one person, one relationship—instead of keeping your options open. When you choose one path, you close yourself off to all other possible paths. You give up your right to follow them."

"But is it right for me to let her do that?" Ben pressed.

"If it's her choice, and it makes her happy, then yes. You realize you'll be giving things up too, right?"

Ben stared. "What am I giving up?"

"Independence, privacy, the ability to put yourself first."

"I've had more than enough of that the past few years. I'm ready for it to end." Truthfully, Ben's time living alone had made him realize how much better it would be to live for someone else. "I think I'm getting the better end of the deal."

"Alright, just don't start taking her for granted."

Ben scoffed. "I'll take her for granted when Hoth boils over and Mustafar enters an ice age."

Despite his nonchalant demeanor, Lando was sympathetic, and tried to offer Ben the kind of support he should have been getting from his parents. "If you want a word of advice …"

Ben raised his brow, skeptical. "From you? On marriage?"

Lando held up his hands. "You can take it with a grain of spice. What I've learned from my experience is, the best thing to do is whatever makes your significant other happy."

"I think I've learned how to do that."

"Oh?" Lando raised his brow suggestively.

Ben scowled, but said nothing more.

There was, however, one matter that he required help with. After turning it over in his mind, he made a call through R2-D2. "Can you get Finn on the line?"

The general was quick to answer, and surprised to see who had called. "Hello?"

"Finn."

"Uh, hi. Everything okay?"

"Yeah—why wouldn't it be?"

"No reason. Just, last time we talked one-on-one was during an emergency."

Ben realized he was right. "Oh. No, everything's fine. I just wanted to talk. Uh—are you alone?"

Finn glanced over his shoulder. "Um—no. Rose is nearby. Is that okay?"

After a moment's thought Ben said, "Actually, I'd like to talk to both of you."

"Oh. Yeah—sure—I guess we probably should." Finn walked out of the hologram's view, then returned with Rose. The married couple drew up two chairs and sat down.

"Mr. Solo." Rose's greeting was formal, but her smile was almost playful. "I hear congratulations are in order."

Finn folded his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "You and Rey—you're really gonna do it?"

"We are." Ben clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides, resenting the first question he needed to ask. "Do you object?"

A wry smile tugged at Finn's mouth. "Would it make any difference if I did?"

"Not really." Ben tried to discern the other man's thoughts, something that was more difficult to do via holo. "You're not angry with me?"

Finn shook his head. "Nah. Of course I'll miss her, but I want her to be happy … and all things considered, you probably need her company more than we do." He paused and then asked, with some real concern, "We can visit each other, right?"

"Of course. You're welcome to come here, or pick her up to go offworld—I'll be fine with it, as long as she comes back."

Rose nodded. "We can make that work."

"I take it she invited you to the wedding?" Ben asked.

"Yeah."

"That's good, because I need your help with something."

Finn frowned in surprise. "Our help?"

"You might also need to consult some of my mother's old colleagues—the ones who worked with her near the end of her life. It would probably take your clearance as a general. But I'd also appreciate Rose's opinion."

Now the Ticos were somewhat wary. "What is it?" Rose asked.

"They arranged to have my mother's belongings placed in the family mausoleum on Naboo. There was some jewelry. I want you to go there and see if there are any good rings."

Rey's last weeks in the Resistance were some of the strangest in her time there, full of high and unexpected emotions. Part of her was impatient, wanting this period to go by quickly; but there was so much to do, it was difficult to fit everything in.

She made a few trips to Ahch-To with various companions. In fact, more people came and went from the temple island in the weeks leading up to the wedding than ever before, as they made arrangements for the ceremony and the future that would follow.

Chewbacca came at Ben's request to help alter his living space to be comfortable for two people instead of just one—but they would not let Rey see the results until after the wedding.

Rose and C-3PO came to help Rey talk to the Lanai about the reception that would be held after the ceremony. Despite their previously belligerent relationship with Rey, the caretakers were quite happy to hear that the two humans were getting married, and they agreed to help with decorations and join in the celebration.

All things considered, everything was going as smoothly as possible. The only drawback was that, ironically, while Rey and Ben were preparing to spend the rest of their lives together, they had very few opportunities to be together in privacy at this time. All they could really manage were stolen hugs and kisses, either through the Force or at the beginning or end of a visit.

"I can't quite believe that it's happening," Rey said to her friends at one point, in the midst of another conversation about the approaching day. "I won't be 'Rey of Jakku' or 'Rey of the Resistance,' or even 'just Rey.' I'll be Rey Solo."

"He has a whole string of last names, what with all the marriages and adoptions in his family tree," Rose pointed out. "You'll be a Skywalker, too."

She's been that for a long time, Chewbacca insisted.

Rey blushed at the compliment, which meant a lot coming from a being who had known the Skywalkers for so long. Then she had to laugh, as she reflected on the improbability of her marrying into the family that she had grown up hearing stories about. Then she felt close to tears, thinking of Leia, Han, and Luke, and how happy they would have been for Ben.

The process of preparing to move was a new experience for Rey. She had never moved anywhere with the intention of staying for a long time, and she had never owned many personal possessions. Before joining the Resistance, her daily life had very little variation, so she had never kept mementoes or records of past experiences. She had never had real money, either, since people on Jakku either bartered or stole the goods they wanted.

Now, as she took stock of her belongings, she found herself with more money and material goods than she had ever expected. Her payment and pension from the Resistance, while relatively modest, amounted to more than she could ever have imagined possessing. And as she cleaned out her quarters and the storage compartments on the Millennium Falcon, she realized that she had accumulated many items she wanted to keep, most of them having only sentimental importance: pictures of friends, logs from past missions, souvenirs from different planets she had visited.

She started to cry inexplicably as she went through one box, containing trinkets from various celebrations she had attended on different planets: the Aki-Aki Festival of the Ancestors on Pasaana; Life Day with Chewbacca's family on Kashyyyk; anniversaries of the war's end on Coruscant, Chandrila, and Naboo. Such community events delighted Rey—they seemed like a novelty after growing up on Jakku, which had little to no culture of its own. On those occasions, she had often wished Ben were with her to share in the experience; his presence would have made them perfect. Now it hit her that she would no longer be able to attend such events, or visit as many places—and if she did, it could never be with Ben.

She was grateful that it was Rose, and not Ben, who found her crying over this box. She could not have explained it to him; she could hardly understand it herself. And the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was at all reluctant or halfhearted about marrying him.

Rose was sympathetic, having recently been a bride herself. She tried to pass on the advice that her parents had given prior to her wedding. "It's okay to grieve the end of something, even if it means the beginning of something you want. It doesn't mean you want the new thing any less. And you're not losing your friendships—we'll just have to adapt them."

Rey smiled through her tears. "Thank you, Rose."

More support came from other people over time. Ever since the engagement was announced, many of Rey's friends and colleagues had been quiet and awkward around her, and some avoided her altogether. But during her last days on the base, people went out of their way to talk to her, and almost everyone she ran into stopped her to offer some kind words. Many expressed thanks for her service, and some even congratulated her and wished her luck. Although talking to so many people about the same topic was tiring, Rey was touched and appreciative of these gestures.

Poe surprised her at the last possible moment, on the night before the wedding itself. He approached her when she was in a lab room, sorting the seeds and plants she was going to bring for the garden and the greenhouse she hoped to build.

He stood in the doorway with his hands in his jacket pockets, with BB-8 at his heels. "Hey." Outside of formal meetings, it was the first time he had tried to talk to her since their fight.

"Hey," Rey returned cautiously.

"Everything in order?"

"Just about. I'll pack the last essentials in the morning." She stopped and glanced between Poe and BB-8, and decided to offer an olive branch. "There is room on the Falcon, if you want to come."

Poe's expression was pained. At his feet, BB-8 rotated its eye toward him and chirped, asking if they could go. Poe considered it for a long moment before finally, sadly, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Rey. Beebee-Ate can go with you, but … I can't."

Rey bit her lip and nodded stiffly. Before she could speak, Poe continued. "But, I didn't want to say goodbye without giving you something."

"Oh—you don't have to—"

He waved off her protest as he crossed over to a cabinet. "It's not really a wedding present. I'm giving one to Finn, too. I probably should've offered it sooner, but, well, there've always been other things going on." He took something out of the cabinet and turned around to show it to her.

It was a small terrarium containing a single potted plant, a tree shoot. It did not look like much, but Rey could have sworn she felt something in its presence. She stepped closer, and her sense of the Force within and around it grew stronger. "What's this?"

"It's a sapling from an uneti tree."

Rey's eyes widened, and as Poe handed the container to her, it felt heavier than it really was. "I've read about those—in the Jedi texts—they're rare now—where in the world did you get one?"

"In my parents' yard, on Yavin Four." Off of her incredulous look, Poe explained, "After the Rebellion, my mom helped Luke Skywalker recover fragments of a tree that grew in the Jedi temple on Coruscant. He gave one of them to her when she retired from the Rebel Alliance. I figured, if this is your retirement, and you want to pass on the Jedi stuff … you should have a piece of this."

Tears stung Rey's eyes. "Oh, Poe." She put the pot down on the counter and hugged him. They usually were not so openly affectionate with each other, but now they held each other tightly, for almost as long as they had the day the war ended.

Poe heaved a deep sigh, and patted her on the back. "I'm sorry about … the way I reacted. I shouldn't have disrespected you like that."

Rey smiled, wondering if it was easier for him to apologize when he did not have to look her in the face. She kissed his cheek before drawing back. "Thank you. This … this means a lot."

He mustered a smile as they let go of each other. "Will I see you again, after tomorrow?" he asked, his tone neutral.

"That's up to you. You can if you want. Just not as often."

He nodded. "Well … good luck. You'll need it."

"You too." Before he could leave, Rey added, "You're a good man, Poe. And a decent leader. Your mother and Leia would be proud—and I'm glad to have known you."

His smile was genuine now. "Me too."

The next morning, Poe was once again part of the circle of friends Rey sat with at breakfast. For perhaps the first time in her life, she ate without really noticing what she was eating; she was too preoccupied with thoughts of everything that this day would hold. She was a little startled when Poe got up, clapped her lightly on the shoulder, and said, "I'll see you in the hangar when you're ready to go."

"Oh—okay." It made sense that Poe, and perhaps the other officers, would see her off.

After confirming with Rose that everything was underway as planned, Rey went back to her quarters to pack her last few belongings and clean the space for the next person who would use it. She smiled to herself as she changed the sheets, thinking of the next bed she would sleep in, and who she would share it with.

As if it had sensed her thoughts, the Force connected her to Ben at that moment—the last moment either of them would be alone before getting married. At the sight of each other, they grinned and embraced without a word. It almost felt like holding on to the last moment of peace before a battle.

"Are you ready for this?" Ben asked, nuzzling her face.

She smiled against his chin. "You know I am. Are you?"

"To be married to you? Absolutely. To be in a wedding?" He laid his cheek on the top of her head. "I'll get through it."

"You could try to enjoy yourself," she suggested.

"I'll do my best."

Just then, Lando Calrissian's voice echoed in the hallway. "Rey! Are you almost ready?"

Rey turned her head to call back, "Yes, just a minute!"

When she turned to Ben again, his smile was equal parts excited and reluctant. "I guess this is it, then."

"That's right," she confirmed.

"May the Force be with us," he murmured, his tone mockingly ominous.

"I know it is," Rey admonished. "It brought us together."

Ben's eyes softened, and Rey could tell he wanted to kiss her; but before he could, she took his face in her hands and kissed his cheek. "For luck," she explained. He started to pout, but she pushed him away gently, insisting, "The sooner I leave, the sooner I'll get to you."

He chuckled. "Alright, I can't argue with that." He squeezed her hand one more time before letting go.

After Ben disappeared, Rey packed her last few personal belongings. Finally, she swept her eyes across the space one last time, then turned her back on it and walked away.

The halls were quieter than usual, almost eerily so. Rey did not hear or see any signs of life or mechanical beings until she approached the hangar, and even those sounds were unusually hushed.

When she turned the corner, though, she was greeted with cheers from a whole host of officers, pilots, mechanics, data analysts, and other Resistance members. It looked as though everyone on the base had gathered there, and they were all smiling, clapping, and calling out words of congratulations and farewell. D-O rolled away from BB-8 to unfurl a banner hanging from their appendages with a painted message: GOOD LUCK REY.

Rey's heart had already been full with emotion, but now the heaviness turned to a kind of levity. The next ten minutes were full of hugs and handshakes, smiles and tears and laughter, as Rey went around the room. Everyone looked her in the eye and acknowledged how important her presence had been, and how much her absence would be felt. Rey found she could say little more than "Thank you" and "You're welcome" and "Goodbye," but she tried to hold on to all the words addressed to her.

It helped somewhat that she did not need to say goodbye to her closest friends just yet. Finn, Rose, Chewbacca, Maz, Lando, C-3PO, BB-8, and D-O were all accompanying her. She was glad to share one more memory with them before they went separate ways.

When she had said goodbye to everyone, she addressed them from the ramp of the Millennium Falcon. "Thank you all. Truly. Being part of this—it's been an honor. I wish all of you all the best. May the Force be with you."

Although Chewbacca and Lando were piloting the ship, Rey accompanied them to the cockpit so she could look out the windows as they took off. Poe, his fellow officers, and many others offered salutes, while the rest waved. As Rey lifted her hand to wave back, the gold dice tied around her wrist clattered against each other. Remembering, she quickly untied the chain and hung it over the cockpit, ready for her last voyage before she returned them.

Author's Notes

Disclaimer: The storyline about Poe's mother, Shara Bey, and Luke's recovery of the uneti tree is told in the Marvel comic Star Wars: Shattered Empire IV written by Greg Rucka.

I decided to post the chapter with the actual wedding after I've had the chance to read The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis when it comes out next month, in case it has any details that would be relevant. I assume Lando was present at Han and Leia's wedding, so he might bring up some memories. You are all invited to attend the Solo wedding!