Ever since the release of "The Rise of Skywalker", everyone has been in a frenzy in more ways than one, particularly with the "death" of Ben Solo (rumors being he's not really dead, trapped in this World Between Worlds), but either way, ever since I saw "The Force Awakens" for the first time, I longed to bring to life my first Reylo tale, and here ya go. :D I'm so excited I can't stand it. It even retells a beloved Harlequin romance favorite from teenagehood, events paraphrased, others changed while others stay the same.

I also did something very interesting that I am not sure anyone has done before, though I read a few modern-era stories where our characters live in our time and everything - but I came up with something that even my guy friend was excited over.

Short summary: Rey Kenobi (very good reason which will be revealed in due time) works for Anakin Skywalker at his mechanic shop, works hard and has a cynical view of life. Believes the kind of love in fairytales doesn't exist. Eventually, her boss's estranged grandson - who also doesn't believe in long-term - happens to find this pretty, no-nonsense girl waiting to pick him up upon arrival...just read and see what happens. ;D

Disclaimer: Star Wars and its characters all belong to George Lucas. "The Cinderella Bride" is Barbara Wallace's property.

Chapter One

Starship on the High Seas

Looking up at the skies, it made her wonder if her boys up in Bespin were having better luck than this. It was one of those days, and while it was relaxing to lounge at home, they were horrid working conditions. Grandpa used to love to talk about it, which he and his best buddy - her boss, as a matter of fact - both had tremendous fun in even if it got messy. You learned to adapt.

Everyone in the family went from one place to another a lot of times, and this was the latest. Most of the time, it was in the desert like in Jakku on her part, and now a beautiful place like this. She, her mother, and grandmother came out here since the death of her grandfather, and she'd gladly die happy here if she wanted to.

Alderaan was a jewel within the continent of Lah'mu in the western part of the world. When she was a little girl and came here with her family for a fresh start, she thought she was in a fairytale like the ones that her grandparents told her together. This place with its lush grasslands, vast bodies of water, and snowy mountains - it's the "soul" of the entire world, its landscapes a painter's dream.

But while it was a majesty that prided itself on art, music, and its culture, this was one of those days towards the end of the year when it rained just as heavily as any rainforest. The forecast predicted that she was glad she brought her rain jacket - but Rey Kenobi wished it had been heavier to keep her warm. At least the droid beside her was waterproof. "Your master - he really must be having a laugh about this, right, R2?" she shouted over the heavy winds, and he beeped in amusement and agreement, his head twirling a little and making her laugh.

However, she still had no idea why her employer would just send her of all people out here - or of all times - when she had better things to do in the garage with R2 here and C-3PO who didn't have to worry about this. Don't leave the port without his response - those were Anakin's words. And he never took no for an answer on anything strenuous.

The winds blew the waters so harshly it could almost be the oceanic facilities of Kamino. In Aldera City, at least the tall structures offered enough shade like a bubble, but out here on the seaports, it was raw mercilessness. A fine mist was in the air but allowed distant objects and the mountains beyond to be seen. And it was then that she managed to see a fighter in flight, low but a good distance above the raging waves. Rey recognized it as a starfighter, and from the way it zig-zagged to its destination, this must be the one the old man told her about.

The Grimtaash - named after the creature of legend - and in it is Anakin Skywalker's prodigal grandson. By the looks of it, he's not in a rush to come home.

She watched it come to land at the edge of the dock, the roaring of the engine drowning out the storm from her eardrums. R2 tittered excitedly; he'd been in the Skywalker family for generations, since Anakin was a young boy, along with his late wife. So he has every right to await this one without trouble. Except she wished she could say the same for herself when she noticed the mist turning into a real drizzle. Great, now the loose strands of hair sticking out from under her hood were plastered. When she got back to the mechanic shop, she was going to look like a drowned rat and she knew it. The little droid was gonna have a good laugh about it more than he was now; when 3PO complained about every little thing, R2 never let him live it down, either.

A loud, hard voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw the person standing at the base of the ramp which was now lowered. "Excuse me!" Rey had to squint to see that he was all in black, his coat with the surface lining and bumps clearly made better for this weather than hers was. Peeking from beneath that hat were plastered dark curls.

For the love of any gods, THIS was Ben Solo - the grandson she was made to retrieve?!

"I cleared for landing, but I should have guessed someone else would come to inspect anyways." He sounded really tired and grouchy, just like she was close to feeling. "I've never seen your face around here before; you part of the spaceport staff?"

Her fingers were so cold and clammy that it was getting harder to latch onto the datapads beneath her arm, and her legs were splattered with rainwater. But then he looked down, and a dorky kind of grin appeared on his face to soften him up a little. "R2, there you are!" He knelt and put his palm flat atop the droid's head. "Grandfather let you join this person?"

Rey lost her patience then and there, keeping her cool. "He did, and that's because I am Rey Kenobi - Anakin's assistant mechanic. And he wanted me to give this to you." She held out the datapads which were held together by the best wiring there was, as well as covered with waterproof protection.

Solo didn't respond, just looked her up and down as he took in her neutral-colored clothing and the dark raincoat which was thin compared to his. He said no words, glanced at the pads as if she was handing him a dead animal she found out here, and then turned to walk back towards his ship. Dismayed, Rey called after him. "Excuse me," she countered, "Master Solo!"

"Just bring them in and leave them here," was all he said over his shoulder. She rushed forward, R2 trailing after, both eager to get out of this storm. "What's in them - the latest dealerships and financials?"

"Yes, from the last three years," she answered in irritation.

He snorted. "Fine. Just leave them on the desk." She couldn't believe his attitude, but her boss said that Ben was estranged from the family, which had been since long ago, and by that time, she'd lost her grandfather and then came out here.

"It won't be that simple," Rey said. "Inside will also be a message, and your grandfather expects that reply."

He didn't so much as look at her as he wiped his hands on his thighs to dry them off; damn, he was taking it better than she was. "Of course. He expects everything. I stopped caring a long time ago about whether to always listen." So, you don't care about listening to your own grandfather? "Why are you still standing there?" he snapped when he saw she was still there.

She lifted her nose at him. "Just give me five minutes and then I'll leave your hair." He looked at her then, blinking, and that was when she noticed how his dark eyes went from simply analyzing to outright piercing. The blackness gave nothing away at first until you looked deeper and could see a multitude of secrets. There was also a hint of a warmth that sparked from the center of those pupils and radiated more heat through Rey which she hadn't felt since standing out there too long, waiting for him.

That raised eyebrow then told her he was waiting for her to continue. "To keep it short and blunt, Anakin expects me to go back to him with the answer. I have no choice, and that's it."

"You always do what he wants?" Solo asked her with a sniff.

"I have to, as part of my job," she countered, R2 beeping with her and making the grandson of his owner raise the other eyebrow to join.

"Assistant mechanic means you're in the shop making modifications, replacing this and that, but it's another thing to be out in the rain for just a 'simple' errand. It's above and beyond." You jerk, I just hate to end up without a job. And while sometimes it's too much - like today - I really enjoy working for the old man.

Aside from that, the man was a war hero just like her grandfather. And she loved to hear the stories of his deeds from his own mouth when Obi-Wan told her enough but left so much unsaid when he passed.

Now she felt she could use a good dose of standing in warmth right now when she found she had to shift her legs to regain some circulation.

"You yourself been aboard a ship besides for repairs? Piloting?"

"I know how to fly, but never did it the way my two best friends have. They're stationed at Bespin for their training." Which was where Anakin's son, this man's uncle, trained new pilots given he was one himself - just like his father before him. It was apparently a gene that ran in the family.

But at the hint of Luke Skywalker, Ben Solo's eyes darkened in an unnerving way, stoking to Anakin's estrangement story.

"I see," was all he said. He then turned his attention back to the console that had the seats for the pilot as well as the co-pilot. He told her that there was a real storm coming, so he made his way to secure the vessel to the dock so it didn't blow away from the platform. This thing was big enough to have a crew, but it appeared to only be him. The fact he was able to control this thing alone as well as care for it by the looks of the machinery was impressive. He handled it with the prideful finesse of a man who had done this more than she might have. She'd be lying if she said she was a true expert on this stuff.

Outside, the rain was just gonna get heavier. Maybe she took it too far with the dedication, but Master Anakin did say to stay until his wayward grandson gave his answer. He really knew him all too well and must have known Ben would play the game.

"You're lucky you didn't catch the freeze and die from it like the girl in a story I still remember my mother telling me. She walked through snow in the mountains of all places just to sell off Toniray - part of her family business. She got sick and died."

Rey didn't recall that story, since fables and myths as well as believing in the so-called "true love" was for her mother, little good that ever did. "Well, I have no intentions of dying from the cold and wet."

"Alderaan was known as the 'soul' of the galaxy, its landscapes a painter's dream - a land of fairytales and oases amid turmoil." (quoted from Generation Tech's "What if Luke Skywalker and Leia Switched Places At Birth?)

When Ben tells Rey she reminds him of the girl in a fable who freezes to death in the snow, it harkens back to the beginning of "The Cinderella Bride" when the male lead calls the lady Little Miss Match Girl.

Toniray was a teal, sparkling Alderaanian wine, made rare and sought after following the planet's destruction by the Death Star. Oh, and has anyone ever heard of the Grimtaash, besides being a name for Ben's ship which he flew after fleeing the destruction of his uncle's Jedi Temple? It's a divine, protective creature of Alderaanian legend and also is a prominent figure in the dejarik game.

So, in terms of Alderaan mentioned as a "country in the continent of Lah'mu (which is the homeworld of the Erso family in "Rogue One"), this is what I did: the planets in accordance to the similarity of landscapes and the likes are divided into respectable continents just like they are in canon in terms of the rims. This is what I have laid out so you all understand:

-(Fex, after the Sha Qarot moon) - whole planet just like Earth, but with the known SW planets in different continents

*Ice worlds like Hoth, Ilum, and others in respectable Arctic Circle and Antarctica positions (Crait I for the north and Crait II the south, named after the mineral planet in TLJ) - including the Bespin station in the clouds, for pilots and pilots in training

*Naboo, Coruscant, Alderaan, and other Core Worlds and Mid-Rim in the western continent (Lah'mu, Erso home planet in "Rogue One")

*Dagobah, Kashyyyk, Endor, Takodana, Yavin, and others South America (D'Qar, also a planet - where the Resistance base was before First Order attacked)

*Tatooine, Geonosis, Jakku, and other desert places like the Middle East (Savareen, from the climax of "Solo")

*Mustafar, Utapau, and others in Outer Rim in a continent like Africa (Sullust, a volcanic-surface planet where the Rebel Alliance briefed on destroying the Empire's shield generator in ROTJ)

*Jungle worlds and water worlds like Kamino (cloning facility) and Ahch-To are tropical islands scattered about the vast oceans

With that, this is still the Star Wars world we know and love, though everything is just like how planet Earth is organized, and everyone knows that certain alien species were inspired by real-life cultures, so I incorporated a little of that in terms of location. Therefore, still sci-fi but realistic in a way.

Reviews are much appreciated. :D I'm very excited about what is promised to be a touching story about love and family.