Chapter 3: Xanatos's Deception, Sidious's Revenge

It was not long after the angel of Ben Solo had visited her and made love to her that Rey began throwing up regularly.

Not long after that, Rey felt her body changing. Her stomach rounding. Her breasts ballooning as they were filled with a mother's milk.

After smuggling a pregnancy test out of Mos Eisley, and discovering the results that awaited her, Rey collapsed into a round of happy tears. The Force had provided a miracle that defied even death itself. A child sired by a father from beyond the grave. Ben Solo would have a legacy. The Skywalker name would not die with him, or even with her, for the blood of that family would flow through their child's veins.

Rey awaited motherhood with such breathless delight, BB8 - her loyal droid - must have thought that she had surely gone mad with happiness. His mistress would now take the helmet of the really bad man out of her closet - stroke it, caress it, kiss it, talk to it about the wonderful things she would show their child.

"He - well, I hope it's a boy, I want him to look like you - will learn to use the Force before he's even learned to walk!" Rey prattled on one night to the helmet excitedly. "Oh, if you could see it, Ben!"

As dusk fell, Rey donned Ben's black clothes and brushed her hair at her simple vanity. Caressing her pronounced baby bump, she kissed her swelling stomach, then the helmet - in its place of honor on a chair in one corner.

"Good night, my Ben. I love you... and our baby."

Suddenly, a shimmering blue streak of light burst forth from the mask. Rey backed away from it, both hands over her mouth in astonishment. The blue light coalesced into a human shape... and there he stood. The spirit of her Ben.

Smiling broadly, Rey ran into his arms and kissed. He returned the kiss quite exuberantly, his enthusiasm surprising her a little, but she swooned into it. After a long time, they broke apart, lips smacking.

Ben was jubilant. "Rey! I thought I'd never see you again!"

She giggled, sinking her fingers into his long hair. "What do mean, silly? We saw each other just a few standard weeks ago. Don't you remember when you appeared before me? We slept together? Well, I have a surprise for you..." And guiding his hands to rest over her swelling stomach, she bubbled, "We're having a baby."

But Ben frowned. "What are you talking about? That's not possible. I haven't seen you since Exogol."

Peering at him, Rey too furrowed her brow. Something coiled in her gut as the Force told her through her feelings: something wasn't right. "Ben...?"

"How do you know the baby is mine?"

She blinked. "Because you attended to me and made love to me..."

"Did I? I don't recall such a coupling. So I'll ask again: how do you know it's mine?" His eyes appeared sincere; he wasn't trying to hurt her or play a joke. Frowning, Rey waved her hand over her belly. There was the essence of her child, carrying a bit of her aura. And also the aura of...

Someone who wasn't Ben...

But... how... she was so sure it had been Ben's spirit who had come to her that night. She thought back to that evening. It had taken days for her to convince herself it hadn't been a dream, some girlish fantasy, and now...

Had Ben's spirit come out of the helmet that night? She hadn't seen it, and she told Ben so. She told Ben everything, in excruciating detail, and he listened keenly, not judging her for her naïveté. When Rey had finished her tale, her husband grew quiet, seeking the counsel of the Force. When his eyes snapped open, they were wild with terror, and the color drained from Rey's face.

"Xanatos," he growled a name, starting to pace like a tiger in a cage. Rey followed him with worried eyes.

"Ben?" she murmured softly. "Who's Xanatos?"

"He was a Sith acolyte just before my grandfather's time. He was the failed apprentice of my namesake's Master, about eighty or ninety years ago. Your grandfather's spirit manipulated him, transformed him to make him look like me..." His jaw clenched. "And Xanatos had you for himself. Your grandfather is using you to birth his descendant... and chosen the bloodline of a new apprentice to father it."

Gasping, Rey clutched at her womb, ashen. "He tricked me..." she breathed. Her breath came in rough gasps, her eyes filled with tears. "What... what do I do?"

"Get rid of it, Rey!" Ben spat, eyes huge with fright. "Even now, the Emperor may be feeding it lies even as it cocoons in your uterus. He will torment it just as he did me, mold his new disciple... and without the Skywalker light to thwart him this time." He gnashed his teeth before holding Rey by her shoulders lightly. "I must consult with my uncle and grandfather for answers. In the meantime, terminate the pregnancy- however you can!" Kissing her gently, Ben disappeared.

Rey stared at the space where he had vanished in shock, still cradling her womb. The baby growing inside her wasn't Ben's, so why keep it? But now that she had it... could she really give it up?