Chapter Eighteen – Rey
"Good morning, sleepyheads!" Mirabella said as she threw open the door.
Ben startled next to Rey as they woke up. He pulled the covers further up. "Mirie, get out!"
Rey covered her head with the pillow, embarrassed to be caught in such a position by Ben's sister. However, the rich smell of the specialty-blend caff drew her back out.
"I've brought you caff as a peace offering." She put a cup for each of them on the dresser, unfazed. "Besides, I don't think I can hold Mom off any longer. She's got clothes and toiletries for Rey she's bringing up. I figured you'd rather I woke you than her." She crossed the room to the window and threw open the curtains. Sunlight streamed in.
Rey and Ben flinched as their eyes reacted to the sudden brightness.
Mirabella pulled a piece of clothing off her shoulder and tossed it to Rey. "Sorry, I should have given you that nightshirt before I went to bed."
"Thanks!" Rey sat up and slipped the long, green nightshirt over her head without baring too much skin.
Mirabella peeked out the door. "Eek! I hear her coming up the stairs! Rey, get across the hall!"
Rey scrambled out of the bed and darted to the lavender room across from Ben's. She quickly, but quietly, closed the door behind her. When she turned around, her gaze fixed on the glorious view of the mountains through the wide window. It mesmerized her.
A light knock sounded on the door.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at how close Leia came to finding them tangled naked in bed together. "Come in."
Leia strolled into the room carrying a large pile of clothing, including the clothes Rey had shed yesterday in favor of the white gown. It appeared someone had cleaned them. A bag also hung from her arm. "Good morning! Since you'll be staying here for a while, I brought you some necessities. We can get you anything else you want. And Mirabella already told me you are welcome to share anything she has." Leia eyed the bed, still perfectly made.
Rey swallowed, but was saved by Ben as he stepped in the room. He now wore a pair of plaid sleeping pants and a red T-shirt, a cup of caff in each hand. "Mirie brought us caff." He handed Rey the cup. "Morning, Mom."
"Good morning, darling." Leia pecked him on the cheek.
"Wow, how considerate of Rey to make the bed." Ben commented.
"Mmm hmm," Leia hummed. "It almost looks as if nobody even slept in this bed." One eyebrow rose as she stared at her son.
He hid the faint blush spreading over his cheeks by gulping down his caff.
"Thank you so much for the clothes and things," Rey said to Leia, who smiled graciously at her.
"We'll get dressed and meet you downstairs for breakfast," Ben said.
Over the next two months, they fell into a routine. Despite the fact that they couldn't leave for fear of another attack, Rey had never been happier. She and Ben trained with their lightsabers for hours at a time. He used to pull his punches, but then she'd always best him. Once he finally learned his lesson, they had intense fighting matches, which invariably led to intense bedroom sessions.
She adored the library. Never had she seen so many books all in one place, seemingly on every subject that existed. She always had a book or two with her now. Swimming in the pool and curling up with Ben on the sofa to watch holovids delighted her as well.
One of the most interesting aspects of the house was learning that the entire back wing had been dedicated to the continued survival of the people of Alderaan. There'd been a few thousand of them living or traveling off-world when the Deathstar destroyed the planet. Now about forty of them lived here. Many of them worked as staff for the house; cooks, maids, landscapers, etc. But there were also historians and artists and writers. Rey enjoyed long conversations with them about their lost home world. One of the researchers had even attempted to find Finn for her. Unfortunately, without knowing his given name or what planet he'd come from, they found nothing. Rey tried not to be disappointed, hoping he led a fulfilling life without the scars of the First Order.
Somebody always stayed with them as backup, although everyone being together like with the concert rarely happened. Leia traveled often for diplomatic missions. Han still did shipping jobs, although sometimes he'd let it slip when Leia wasn't around that a few of them were more of the smuggling variety. Mirabella performed at planets all over the galaxy, but now she came back here during her down time instead of her apartment on Coruscant. Poe stopped in often. Rey couldn't help but notice his visit usually corresponded with Mirabella's. Definitely something going on there.
Luke's activities mystified them. He said he traveled back and forth to the Temple, but often when Ben tried to contact him, Alkos told him Luke wasn't there. Ben suspected he was hunting for Palpatine. Rey begged Luke to let them help with the search, but Luke denied everything. He demanded they stay put. Ben would never go against his master's commands and Rey couldn't complain about the idyllic life she now enjoyed.
One night, Rey lay awake in bed beside Ben as he slept. The pretense of them sleeping in separate beds had been dropped long ago. Her stomach bothered her, probably because she ate too much for dinner. She tossed and turned. Even though she tried not to wake Ben, he'd already asked her if she was alright, mumbled through sleepy lips.
Finally, Rey got up and dressed, pulling her Jedi robe over her clothes incase she got chilly. She hooked her lightsaber to her hip out of habit, preferring to always have it with her. Then she slipped down the stairs.
"Hey, Clem!" She waved to the security guard standing at the door leading out to the pool and gardens.
"You're up late, Miss Rey."
"Couldn't sleep. I thought I'd look at those flowers that glow fluorescent in the moonlight. Leia told me about them."
"They are quite lovely. Enjoy them. Miss Mirabella is out there as well, taking one of her favored midnight swims."
Rey smiled. She and Mirabella had grown quite close over the past two months. Rey even started calling her by Ben's nickname, Mirie, which Mirabella seemed to like. Never having had a sibling in her life, Rey relished this new-found relationship with a sister-figure, especially since Mirabella was only a year younger than her. Rey had never giggled so much as when Mirabella's manager sent over a heap of dresses for Mirabella to try on, and Mirabella had insisted Rey try them on as well. Some were so gorgeous, while others were just horrifying!
"Thank you, Clem," she grinned at him as she walked outside and strolled up the well-lit path to the pool.
The slightest hint of wrong brushed against her senses. She slowed down, looking around at her surroundings. Nothing out of place, but her hand automatically rested on her lightsaber. She moved off the path to make herself less visible and crept silently to the pool.
Two security guards lay in a pile just as she reached the outer ring of chairs around the pool. She checked for pulses, but neither had one, most likely due their broken necks. Rey cursed herself for not bringing her comm unit along, but she'd never needed one on the grounds before. She unclipped her lightsaber and skirted around the front of the pool, trying to stay in the shadows
The pool lay empty, the water undisturbed. No Mirabella.
A faint scrapping noise followed by a tiny groan of effort caught her attention farther down the path toward the gardens.
She hurried in that direction, taking cover behind hedges and trees as she moved to block herself from sight. Then she spotted two figures rushing off away from her. One of them moved with the effort of carrying something heavy, and Rey's stomach dropped as she realized it was Mirabella. With no movement from the singer, Rey assumed she'd been knocked out.
From her right, she heard a quick cry that would barely be noticeable if she hadn't been so alert. A third figure then joined the first two. All of them wore black and blended into the dark well.
At the very back of the property hovered a sleek, black ship. The only reason Rey saw it in the darkness was because the ramp was lowered and the small amount of light spilling out from inside reflected off the hull. The three figures ran up the ramp. Rey saw Mirabella's unconscious body carried in.
Rey sprinted for the ship as the ramp began to ascend and the thrusters warmed up. Damned if she was going to let these kidnappers get away with Mirabella! She managed to grab onto the very edge of the ramp with her fingers, slowing down its movement. With a grunt of effort, she lifted her body through the shrinking crack and rolled inside the ship. Mere seconds later, the ship rose away from the ground, probably virtually invisible at that point.
Rey crouched on the closed ramp with her lightsaber in her hands ready to be ignited. She glanced around the small hanger area at a few speeders but it was otherwise empty. They must have taken Mirabella further into the ship. She breathed a sigh of relief. Creeping down the closest hall, she froze when she heard voices.
"And nobody saw you, right?" a tough, feminine voice demanded.
"Nah. But we did have ta take out like six of them guards, and ya can see Bondy here didn't escape unscathed," slurred a male voice that sounded like his mouth had too many teeth in it.
"Kriff, Bondy! You better get up to the infirmary before you lose that arm!"
A third voice whimpered and stumbled away.
"This the girl?"
"Yep. She made it easy, swimming in the pool all by her lonesome. Grun got soaked gettin' the sleepy juice in her, but she didn't make a sound."
Rey heard a noise that sounded like a body hitting a soft surface.
The room went silent for a moment.
"What? Why you looked so shocked?" the male voice asked, obviously perplexed by his female companion's facial expression.
"THIS IS THE WRONG GIRL!" she roared. "You idiot! This is Mirabella Solo!"
"The singer?"
"Yes, the singer! Were you paying attention at the briefing meeting at all? I told you there was a possibility she'd be there!"
The male voiced huffed. "I ain't never seen Mirabella Solo. You said female human with white skin and brown hair. This is a female human with white skin and brown hair!"
A slapping sound echoed around the corner.
"You'll be lucky if Jay let's you live after this." The feminine voice had cooled quite significantly.
"Please, please! Turn this boat around! I'll get the right girl!" Now the male voice groveled.
"It's too late! By the time we got back and you got in there, security will have found their downed guards. We're finished with this job because of your incompetence! But..." Her voice turned thoughtful. "Mirabella Solo is famous and very beautiful. Surely someone on the black market will pay a hefty price for her. Or maybe a ransom. Her family is quite rich," she mused.
"Yeah! We should be able to get a whole buncha credits for her!"
"But not as much as that other girl!" The feminine voice turned sharp again. "How long will she sleep?"
"Hours."
"Leave her then. We've got to report to Jay."
Footsteps tramped out of the room in the other direction.
Rey inched into the room, her eyes darting around for any dangers. Empty. She ran over to Mirabella, who lay prone on a grimy sofa still wearing a wet bathing suit. "Mirabella!" Rey whispered harshly as she shook the young woman. Nothing. The sedative had completely knocked her out.
Slipping back around the corner to be out of sight, Rey put her back to the wall and concentrated hard on her bond with Ben.