Glitter and Gold
Chapter 14
32 ABY – Ahch-To
For the first time in a long time – maybe her whole life – Vex felt safe, warm, and happy. The Lanai were busily making the hut into a home – they brought her food and bedding – they were clearly motherly creatures who wanted to help her.
But then the man had appeared. He was older, with shaggy, greying brownish-blond hair. He didn't look happy to see her. "Who are you and what the hell are you doing here!?" he demanded.
Vex slowly got to her feet from where she'd sat by the fire, hand going to her belt. The Lanai women tutted and scolded the man, but he ignored them. "This is a sacred place! You need to leave!" he growled at her.
"I needed sanctuary from the First Order. This is where the Force guided me," Vex said cautiously. The man's eyes widened at the sight of the lightsaber on her belt.
"You're a Jedi," he said in disbelief.
"Not exactly," she said in reply.
"A Sith, then,"
Vex shook her head again. She looked at him closely, seeing his synthetic hand. "You're Luke Skywalker!" she gasped, crossing the hut towards him, hesitation suddenly gone. He looked startled, taking a half-step back.
"I need your help, I need sanctuary. I need someone to teach me-"
"-I cannot be your teacher," Luke cut in. "And you can't stay here!"
Vex stopped dead, hope fading from her face. "What?"
"You cannot think it acceptable for a Sith to come here-"
"I am not a Sith! I am what Snoke made me – and I am asking for your help to find the light!" Vex cried. Luke said nothing, his gaze heavy and pained. "Use the Force to look inside me! Tell me I cannot be saved! My baby –" her hand went to her belly. His expression morphed into something of alarm. "– My baby deserves more than this! More than the First Order!"
Vex dropped to her knees before him. "Look into my mind, Master Skywalker, and tell me I cannot be saved," she said, voice cracking at the end.
Reluctantly, Luke reached out, placing his hand on her forehead. Vex felt his presence in her mind then, gentle and light as he combed through memories. "You poor child," he uttered. You had no choice in any of this, did you?
"Will you help me?" she asked, voice hoarse.
His answer did not come out at first. Luke still explored her most recent memories. Of the babies. Kylo Ren. "I will teach you and shelter you. With your most solemn oath that you will never reveal my location to a soul, alive or dead," he said, voice low and rough.
"I swear," Vex promised. His presence left her mind, and he helped her to her feet.
"Rest now – we begin tomorrow,"
/
The weeks passed quickly on Ahch-To, with Luke teaching how to take the pain and anger inside her and turn it into peace. Light. Vex could feel the darkness inside her receding, and it filled her with hope, even though it wasn't easy.
Her child grew, too, and with each week her belly expanded, and her appetite grew. She had passed the dreaded three-month mark, and her baby prospered. Now Vex had only a month and a half left in her pregnancy, launching into full-nesting mode. With the help of the Lanai and Luke, her little stone hut looked more and more like a home. Luke had even crafted a cradle for his grand-niece or nephew out of driftwood, and the Lanai had made a linen lining, stuffed with soft Porg feathers.
The Caretakers doted on Vex, bringing her fresh vegetables, fruit, and fish to eat, to be washed down with that strange blue milk. They made sure she ate her fill and rested often, shooing Luke away if they felt he was overworking her.
It was almost laughable – Vex, who had never known a mother's love or care, now had twelve little Lanai mothers watching over her. It hadn't been easy, but with Luke and EV's help, Vex had begun to grasp their language, and get to know the Caretakers. Alcida-Auka, the matron who had first welcomed her to the village, had seemed to take a personal stake in mothering Vex and preparing her for her child to come.
"Vex," Luke's voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up from her perch on the smooth, meditation rock on the ledge outside the Jedi temple. "What are you doing?" he asked. Vex didn't answer, casting her gaze back to the horizon before her. "You were looking for him, weren't you?" Luke said, resting a hand on the rock beside her.
Vex let out a low, exasperated breath. "I just want to know he's okay. Snoke – he would have made him suffer," she admitted.
Luke sighed. "Kylo Ren made his choice, Vex. I am thankful he decided to save you – but it is much more important that you keep yourself and your child safe. Stop reaching out, Vex. One day, Snoke might sense you and be able to follow your path back here," Luke warned.
Vex dragged a hand down her face, then rubbing it against her belly. Her expression shifted into a grimace as the baby kicked inside her, rubbing her hand more vigorously against her stomach. "Is it too much for me to want him to know our son is well?" she said.
Luke began to shake his head before he recognized her words. He looked up, eyes wide. A smile crept over Vex's lips. "Son?" he asked.
"I can feel it. His spirit, pure as snow. If you opened yourself, you could feel him too," Vex said, expression growing more peaceful.
Luke shuddered reluctantly, closing his eyes. He let out a low breath, reaching out and placing a tentative hand on Vex's stomach. "A boy," he said, as if in wonder. Her smile widened. "Have you begun to come with any names?" Luke asked.
The smile on Vex's lips turned more mischievous. "I've got one or two in mind,"
/
It was late. EV-9 had plugged into the mini-generator Luke had uncovered when her power started to run low. Vex had just placed another log on the fire in order to keep it going throughout the night, then sitting down heavily on her bed. She kicked off her shoes, groaning in relief. Her feet were utterly swollen at this point, and her shoes provided no relief. She closed her eyes for a moment. The sound in the hut and the rain plunking off the roof faded.
"Vex?"
Her eyes shot open. Standing just a few feet before her was Kylo Ren. "Kylo!?" she gasped. His hair was longer, skin paler. And his eyes… they were dark, tortured like she'd never seen them before. What had Snoke done to him, Vex wondered.
She straightened, starting to try and get up. Kylo quickly crossed to her, dropping to his knees at her feet. "Don't get up," he said, eyes raking in her form hungrily.
"How?" Vex asked, beginning to reach towards him. She paused just before touching him, as if afraid it wouldn't be real.
Kylo's gaze lifted from her swollen stomach to her eyes. "I felt you searching for me. I followed your path back," he answered, hastily taking off his glove and reaching to lay his hand on her belly.
They both sucked in an audible gasp when his touch didn't pass right through her. His hand settled on her stomach, solid and warm. Vex finished her own motion, fingers tracing along his jaw. He sighed, leaning into her hand. "You're well? Our baby is well?" Kylo asked, looking up at her anxiously.
Vex nodded. "He's kicking like crazy, Kylo, I think he can feel you here," she said, covering his hand with her own, moving it to where she felt the baby kicking.
His expression turned to wonder, pressing his hand against her harder. Then he looked up at her, face just as dopey as Luke's had been when she'd told him. "He?" Kylo questioned.
Vex smiled. "Yes, Kylo. A son," she said.
"A son," Kylo mused. He looked up suddenly. "Have you decided what to name him?"
She nodded, her smile gentling as his other hand joined the other, stroking her stomach. "Anakin," Vex told him.
A grin appeared on Kylo's features, dark eyes warming. "You honor my grandfather," he said.
Vex exhaled, shaking her head. Confusion took over Kylo's expression. "I don't honor Vader, Kylo. I honor his redemption at the hands of his son," she explained. He began to draw away, understanding dawning on his features. "Our son is my redemption, Kylo. He can be yours, too," Vex promised, hands covering his.
Kylo didn't reply, his eyes wide, darting from place to place. "It's your choice what you do, Kylo. I'm not going to argue with you. But you need to promise me something," Vex said.
Kylo shook off his wariness, eyes finding hers again. "What?" he asked.
"Do not try and find me again. I will not try to find you either," Vex said. "If Snoke were able to follow us…"
Kylo followed her logic. "He could hurt you and our son," he said, pain bleeding into his expression again. "I won't search for you," he promised.
"And I'll protect our son from everything else," Vex replied. He nodded, lips pursing for a moment. He leaned forward then, pressing his lips to hers.
"May the Force be with you," he whispered, drawing away. Vex opened her eyes and found herself alone in the hut once more. She bowed her head, wiping away the tears that came.
Review, Please.
I am posting as I finish chapters, but I can put more space between updates if needed. I've only gotten one review for the last two chapters. I know you're reading, please drop me a line or two. It really does make a difference when I'm trying to write.