A/N: Fun fact - I know two people who got super sloshed and got hitched in Vegas. They got it fixed... Then got married for real less than a year later. We all teased they should've stayed married the first time! A lot of Poe's dialogue comes from our teasing. Oh my college days...

~VII. Aftermath~

~i. The Truth Comes Out~

It took a while for Ben and Rey to return downstairs to their friends. After the second wave of shock of realizing their nuptials the night before, they wanted to genuinely know if they indeed tied the knot. Rey immediately texted Poe to ask the receptionist to return and explain the full story – or at least what she recalled because they were almost certain everyone had too much to drink last night. They knew what she would say, that she would confirm the truth. But they still wanted, no needed the validation.

Hux, Phasma, Rose and Finn excused themselves to check out the slot machines to give their friends some privacy. As much as this news was a shocker to everyone, they knew not to push it, especially because it just got a surprise twist.

"What's up you guys?" Zorii wondered why she was called over. Again, she straightaway made herself cozy on Poe's lap.

"Well you see beautiful, my two friends here… actually, all of us don't really remember what happened last night."

"Ah well, alcohol does that to you," she giggled. "It's an elixir for fun!"

"More like a memory wiper," Rey mumbled.

"Yeah no kidding," Ben agreed.

"And well, you kind of surprised us with the whole marriage thing between these two."

"Hold on," Zorii gathered. "You mean you guys don't remember any of that?"

She looked at Ben and Rey and they both shrugged, dropping their heads shamefully.

"Wow, okay… I mean, I can't say I haven't heard this before," she admitted. "But, it's not that bad is it? Somewhere down the road you two would've gotten married, right?"

More humiliation filled their heads and this time they couldn't look at each other.

Poe cackled at Zorii's question. "Actually, they just met last night."

"Oh…"

"When in Vegas, right?" Poe teased.

"Can you please tell us what you know?" Rey begged the receptionist.

After the initial shock, Zorii nodded. "Of course. Let's see…"

The evening, Zorii recalled, went a little something like this: Zorii had met up with Poe, Ben and Rey after her shift ended close to midnight. Poe was dancing on top of a table with his shirt off and two beers in hand when she met up with him, and he had pointed out Ben and Rey at a couch in the corner making out aggressively.

"I mean seriously girl you were like eating his face."

Poe muffled a laugh, while Rey blushed madly.

"And Ben, shoot his hands were all over Rey's body. I mean like ALL. OVER."

Again, Poe tried not to laugh. This time Ben joined in on the embarrassment.

By that time, Rey and Ben both assumed that they were super drunk and had let their sexual tension get the best of them. Alcohol you evil bitch.

Zorii then continued and shared that the four of them ended up going to a magic show because Poe kept insisting on it. A drunk Ben volunteered to assist with a magic trick: pulling out a bouquet of roses from the magician's hat. After successfully doing so, the magician told him to give the bouquet to his special lady, Rey. Ben walked over from the stage to Rey, who was sitting down, and kneeled in front of her to present the bouquet of flowers.

"This is where everything happened so fast. Forgive me if I forget anything, I was already on your guys' drunk level," Zorii giggled.

"No worries, please continue," Ben and Rey were feeling antsy. They knew it was coming.

The magician thought, given the position Ben was in, that he was proposing to Rey and had encouraged the audience to cheer for them. Rey, drunk and confused as hell, didn't understand what the cheering was about and asked Ben. Unfortunately, Ben was just as intoxicated and muddled so he asked the magician why everyone was cheering. Going by his assumptions, the magician told Ben he and Rey were. Ben and Rey were surprised at that news but weren't in the right mind to think straight so they thought he was telling the truth. So, Ben announced to the audience that they were getting married.

"Wait, wait. So the magician thought wrong and you guys thought Ben asked you?" Poe couldn't contain his amusement.

"Yes, yes. We get it. Alcohol is the enemy," Ben glared at his friend. "Please continue!"

Zorii took them to the only late night jeweler on the strip where Ben purchased a ring for Rey at a very good deal.

"Poe was able to schmooze the guy a couple hundred bucks off it too," Zorii said.

"Wow, even under the influence my magic still works," Poe boasted.

"This isn't about you right now, Poe!" Rey cried.

Once they purchased a ring, they headed over to a chapel and the two exchanged vows with Poe and Zorii as witnesses.

"And well, I'm sure you two know what happened next," she winked at the pair.

This made Rey and Ben blush for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Holy shit."

"My thoughts exactly."

"So, this is legit?" Poe wanted to clarify the whole thing.

"By the state of Nevada," Zorii said proudly.

"Wow, when in Vegas am I right?" he tried to lighten the mood.

Zorii was the only one amused.

Ben buried his face in his hands, ruffling his hair in stark realization. Rey heaved deeply, trying to make sense of it all as well. She took the ring they found upstairs out of her pocket and examined it. She couldn't believe this was all real. She got married.

"Oh Rey honey, don't lose that ring. Ben may have gotten it for a great deal but that's a real Cartier; 18k gold with 12 diamonds three quarters caret! Lucky girl," she said to the shocked 'bride'.

Holy Shit, Rey thought. Truthfully, they assumed it was a cheap piece of silver and zirconia that wedding chapels sell for their ceremonies, but now that they knew this piece of jewelry had a generous price tag, the weight of the thing got heavier. Literally and figurately.

"Hopefully I was able to clarify a few things. I need to get back to the front desk. Poe call me," Zorii said.

Before dashing off she turned to the pair.

"Mistake or not. You two really did seem to hit it off last night. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise." With that she smiled and walked away.

"So…" Poe beckoned, "Is there a congratulations in order?" He smirked.

"Bite me," Rey snarled at her friend.

"Ouch. I see you've got a feisty one over here, Solo," Poe teased his other friend.

This earned a slap to the back of his head from Rey.

"This is not a good time, Poe," Ben grumbled at his friend.

"You two are just glowing from the news. I see what they mean by marital bliss," he clowned one more time.

This glowing he spoke of was of tension, not bliss. Their staggering glares finally stopped the jokester from further prodding.

"Fine, fine," he signaled in defeat.

With that, Poe decided against his better judgment to not make things worse and got up, leaving to find the other couples in the casino, giving Ben and Rey some much needed space and a chance to talk.

A beat had passed and after finally getting the missing information from their late-night exploits, a steady calmness resonated.

"As soon as I get back home, I'm clearing out all the bloody alcohol in the pantry," Rey tried lightening the mood.

Ben chuckled. "Yeah, I might just go cold turkey too."

Rey lightly giggled, then heavily sighed. "And I thought talking to you post hook-up would be the hardest thing today."

He nodded in agreement. "Well, I mean… We obviously don't… we are… maybe… I don't really know what to say here, please help," he nervously chuckled.

Rey couldn't help but relieve some tension and laugh at the situation as well. Obviously, it was a clear misjudgment on their parts. There was no one really to blame.

"I guess, to sum it up… Crazy night."

"Very."

"Alcohol induced choices."

"Oh yeah."

"And just a quick trip to the courthouse to patch it up, then we'll both be on our ways."

"I couldn't agree more."

Although she was amazing and he seemed to have been attracted to her the moment they met, Ben knew this situation was just too bizarre. She wasn't emotionally available, and he needed to grow up and become a responsible adult. It was best for he and Rey to just go back to their usual lives.

"I had a really great time though," she said under her breath. Though it was enough for Ben to hear.

"Me too," his cheeks tinged with pink.

He definitely meant it. It was a fun time with good company, but they hardly knew each other, and they both felt unnerved with the entire situation. It was best for Rey and Ben to go their separate ways.

"We'll always have Vegas," he said to her.

"Yep, our crazy Vegas story," she chuckled.

~ii. Relaxing on the Balcony~

As a stupid rule – Rey's words - they had to request an annulment or divorce in their home state. Thankfully both Rey and Ben lived in California, so she suggested the first thing that they do when they got back to Los Angeles was to head to the courthouse. He agreed seeing as they had no other choice but to wait until Monday. That meant they had to stay newlyweds for one more day. Not that they would do anything about it, no matter how much their friends poked about it, but it was official until then.

The rest of the day was spent separately among the collective. Ben, Hux and Phasma checked out the local music scene, while Rey and Rose went to M&M world and Finn and Poe tried ziplining for the first time. At a steady hour in the late afternoon, they all found themselves back in the penthouse suite, coincidentally. Phasma and Ben were hunched over on the dining table ogling at the newly bought records the trio had found at a small shop and Poe was teaching Rose and Hux how to play Texas Hold 'em in the living room.

Finn and Rey opted not to waste the sunny day and reclined on pool chairs out in the balcony.

"If this is how the other side lives, I don't ever want to leave," Finn sighed happily.

"See that's how Vegas gets to you. It may be a freaking dessert, but alcohol, ginormous buffets and rooftop pools keep you from leaving… and burn a hole in your pocket," she kidded. "But I got to admit, I am relaxed."

"I'm glad Peanut. Honestly, you needed this the most. And not just because of Hobbie, but because you work so damn much, you deserve a break!"

"I don't work that much," she tried to be modest.

Finn nearly choked on his beer when he heard that silly lie. "Oh please! You are so involved with your nonprofit, which is admirable of course, but when you're not at work helping children, you're at home calling benefactors to help your cause! Don't you have a new project happening when we get back?"

"A gala, yes. We invite all our benefactors and potential donors to raise awareness."

"And I will gladly put my money that you're in charge," he quipped an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I'm not the outreach and planning and development coordinator for nothing you know," she winked at him before sipping her lemonade.

"AKA, Miss Workaholic! When we get back, we probably won't see you for six months!"

"Hey, I love my job," she slapped his arm. "And don't worry I'll see you guys! Poe's birthday is coming up, and Rose's sister will be in town. I'll try not to be a hermit."

"I wish I could believe you, Rey, but I know I won't see you until Christmas or something," he teased. "I'm proud of you though."

"Thanks Finn," she hugged her best friend. She laid back on her chaise and sunbathed a bit more. At last, Rey was truly relaxed since they got there.

"You know what the best part is about this trip so far?" Finn cleared his voice.

"What?" she asked blissfully.

"That you finally got some action to relieve your sexual frustration," he turned to her smugly.

"What frustration?!" she was wide-eyed, a blush evident all over her face.

"Oh come on, girl," Finn said playfully. "Don't even deny it. Sure, you only broke up with Hobbie a couple weeks ago, but I can sure as hell bet you two weren't intimate for quite some time before that."

"And how would you know? He was my fiancé if you didn't remember. We were on a pre-honeymoon high."

"Rey, I love you but that doesn't mean anything," Finn laughed. "Fiancé or not, you and Hob didn't really exude sex. And please, that's just a title," he scoffed.

"Excuse me! It's a romantic title, it's French!" Rey defended. "They invented romance!"

"Oh bullshit, Rey," Finn couldn't help it. "Because if you're all about the romantic titles, and this blissful high, then how come you're out here talking to me instead of in the bedroom wrecking the sheets with your legally bound husband, hmm?" If he weren't her best friend, she would've dumped her lemonade all over his smug face.

"Don't even go there!" she glared at him.

"Come on, Peanut. Don't you like him?" he smirked.

"I don't know Finn, I hardly know him," she admitted – more to herself than to Finn.

He glanced at her. That knowing glance, one that had Poe's moronic smirk written all over it.

"Oh shut it, you know what I mean," she shoved his shoulder.

"Okay, okay," he raised his arms to surrender. "But if you ask me, you and Ben seemed to really hit it off. Could've fooled me that you two weren't a happy couple - married or not."

"Why does everybody say that? We only hung out once. Shagged once. We're not even interested in one another," Rey crossed her arms in frustration.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Finn knew he should stop. "No one is judging you or Ben or anything. We're all adults here. Maybe not Poe, but we love you guys so if it's shame or embarrassment that you guys are worried about, don't be. But like you said, if you two aren't interested then we'll just let it go."

Rey eased up, letting her arms fall to her side. She knew he was right. Her friends were family and so understanding. And Ben seemed to have a strong closeness to Hux and Phasma. They expected the teasing and all the unnecessary attention, but at the end of the day everyone minded their own business. What was between her and Ben was only between the two of them. Maybe she was only mad at herself.

~iii. Music Doesn't Lie~

Another great amenity of the penthouse suite was the full entertainment system available in the comfort of their hotel room. There were flat screen televisions in every bedroom including the living room, and a fully equipped entertainment system with a media player, sound bar, gaming consoles, and best of all a vinyl record player for Ben and Phasma to hook up and listen to the LPs they bought earlier that day.

Ben picked up an old Black Keys album that he got for a steal at the record store. He couldn't believe he was missing this record in his collection more than he couldn't believe he found a good used copy in almost mint condition. He took the disc out and set it in place, guiding the needle to a specific song.

"Hey Phas, listen to this one," he got his friend's attention.

"This a new song?"

"No, it's an old record from 2010. I'm surprised I found the LP. Was sold out when the album first came out."

They listened to the first few instrumental bars in silence.

"Damn, that riff sounds cool," she noted.

"Yeah, it's my favorite song in the album. It's so bluesy," Ben nodded his head to the beat. "So glad I found this. The song sounds so much better on vinyl."

"Yeah this is an old one," she recognized the tune. "Still good though."

Ben continued getting lost in the music. So much that he let the lyrics speak to him. And the words… they were eerily poignant.

I wanted love, I needed love, Most of all, most of all. Someone said true love was dead, And I'm bound to fall, bound to fall, For you. Oh, what can I do? Yeah. Take my badge but my heart remains-

"Ben? Hello?" Phasma waved a hand in front of him.

"Huh?" he shook his head, snapping out of his musical hypnosis.

"Getting lost in the music?" she snickered.

"Oh… yeah sorry about that, just spaced out for a sec."

"Mhm…" she goaded him.

Too soon the song was over, to Ben's discontent. He was drawn to it so much that he lifted the needle to replay it.

"That's quite a song," she noticed he had put it on repeat.

"Yeah, got a nice rhythm to it," he pointed out.

"And lyrics," she added.

"That too I guess."

Phasma simply laughed.

"What?" he was confused.

"Oh please, are you even trying to be subtle?" she poked fun at him. "Obviously the music speaks to you."

"Yeah because it's good."

"Or because the lyrics relate to your current situation," she pointed out.

Current situation? He didn't immediately know what she meant by that.

"What?"

"That's cute Ben, but your naiveté doesn't fool me for one second."

"Okay for real, what are you talking about?" now he was genuinely lost.

"I'm talking about you and a certain female acquaintance you spent the night with… and other things," she nudged.

Now he understood. Nope, nice try Phasma.

"What? No, this song doesn't remind me of Rey," he defended.

"If you say so," she taunted.

"I mean, listen to it…"

He turned up the volume for just a bit for them to listen to the lyrics.

When I was young and moving fast, Nothing slowed me down, Oh slowed me down. Now I let the others pass, I've come around, Oh come around, 'Cause I've found…

He turned the volume back down. "See… that's not us."

"If you say so."

"We just hooked up. Nothing is coming of it."

"Mhm."

"And getting hitched? We're fixing that when we get back."

"Okay."

"Feeling's mutual. Moving on."

"Alright."

"I don't have a secret crush on her, Phas!" he hissed.

Phasma wasn't saying a thing, but he was riled up anyhow. She was thoroughly enjoying this.

"I'm not saying you do," she said matter-of-factly.

"Augh, now you've ruined the lyrics for me," he scowled at her.

Ben would have to admit that maybe the song actually was half about his current situation, but there was no way in hell he'd admit it to Phasma now.

"Fine I'll change the song," she picked up another record and was about to switch discs.

"Hey wait, it's still a good song. Just let it finish and change the disc afterwards," he said.

Phasma nodded, smiling to herself. Ben was being so transparent right now. He listened to the song and briefly glanced out to the balcony, hoping she wouldn't see him avert his gaze… elsewhere. She most certainly noticed.

"To quote Hendrix… music doesn't lie, Ben," Phasma told him. "It speaks the truth."

He rolled his eyes at her. That song had nothing to do with him and Rey… right?

A/N: The song Ben and Phasma were listening to is "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys.

A/N: Preview of next chapter: Wine And Good Conversation (Couch Discussion; And Then There Were Two)

"So Ben, what's your love life like? You know, aside from the one-night stand slash elopement with my best friend and all?"

"FINN!"

"Payback Peanut," he smirked at her.

Ben blushed. "Not currently in a relationship right now."

"More like 'it's complicated', but sure we'll go with that."