Chapter 3: Marry in Secret

The specter of being supervised in her courtship with Ben was not the only horror that Rey had to face. As soon as he was well, Ben was discharged from the med ward and immediately placed under arrest for his crimes as Kylo Ren. A tearful Rey begged and pleaded with Poe and Finn to release him to her, but the two Co-Generals were unmoved. They did, however, permit Rey to spend time with the prisoner on supervised visits for a single standard hour every day. And guess who was supervising these visits? That's right - Finn. On the whole, he wasn't the strict chaperone he had painted himself to be, that day in Ben's hospital room. And if that standard hour sometimes stretched closer to two, neither he nor Rey nor her paramour said anything about it.

When Rey couldn't physically be with Ben, the Force Bond was helpful in allowing her to appear to him behind the bars of his cell. It was during one of these stolen visits that Ben performed a very romantic gesture.

"Rey..." he crooned, taking her small hand in his and dropping down to one knee before her. "You are my entire galaxy, and you are the only one who has ever loved me for me. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

Closing her hand around his, the tiny golden band nestled between them, Rey's eyes swam with happy tears that now streaked down her cheeks. "Yes... Yes!" she happily squealed. A hand to her mouth, hiding an emotional smile, Rey joyfully watched as a bashful Ben slipped the ring on her finger.

One morning, Ben and Rey were quietly spending time together through their Force Bond when the door down the hall opened. Going up to the bars, Ben peered through them and actually brightened when he saw Poe Dameron's imperious figure approaching.

"Why don't you go and meditate, love?" Ben whispered to Rey discreetly. "There is an important matter I wish to discuss with the General."

"Poe won't see me," Rey assured him. Within the Bond as she was, she would be invisible to others outside of Ben. "But OK." She waited for the Bond to simply shut itself off, but it didn't. She frowned, and not for the first time wished that she and Ben had the power to control when the Bond turned on and off.

"Ah, General Dameron!" Ben greeted as Poe made final approach and unlocked the door to his cell. Invisible in the one corner, Rey couldn't help but eavesdrop. "Thank you for granting me an audience."

"I admit, your request to see me was intriguing, Supreme Leader, even if you are in no position to ask for favors," Poe drawled. "What do you want?"

Ben smiled. "I have asked Rey to marry me, and she has said Yes. I know it would mean a lot for her to have your blessing, as well as of that Finn fellow. And... I was hoping that you would also consent to marry us; we need someone to conduct the ceremony and -"

"No."

"I'm sorry?" Ben's polite smile wavered.

"No, you and Rey can't get married." Poe's voice was firm.

Ben gave a little, affronted laugh. "But... she agreed to my proposal. We both wish to get married."

Poe shrugged, eyes unmoved. "You don't have my permission. Or my blessing."

Unheard or unseen by the General, Rey let out a sharp gasp, her eyes filling with tears. She barely noticed Ben's crestfallen eyes dart to her before she buried her face in her palms and wept, just before the Bond cut out.

Rey ran through the Ajan Klossian jungle, little realizing or caring where she was going, her head in her hands as she sobbed. So it wasn't long before she crashed headlong into a warm body. Whimpering, glancing up and blinking wetly behind her lashes, Rey let loose another sob when she saw who it was and threw her arms around him.

"What in the Force...? Rey? What happened?" Finn gawked as his best friend came apart on his shoulder.

"Oh, Finny! I can't get married!"

"W-What?" Finn's voice wobbled, his dark face going white. "What do you mean, you can't get married? Did Ben say something?"

Rey whimpered and shivered against Finn's chest, her voice coming out in shuddering, alto sobs. "Ben... proposed to me! And I said Yes! We want to get married, but Poe won't let us! He won't give us his blessing!"

Finn awkwardly rubbed her back, his mind whirring.

"B...Ben asked for his permission, but Poe refused," Rey warbled.

"How do you know this? You and I already saw Ben this morning," Finn pointed out.

"I overheard," Rey mumbled, which was technically the truth. Staring up into his face, Rey was imploring. "Finny... I want to get married. And I want to be married to Ben. We need someone to marry us, and Poe won't do it. I would prefer to have you and Poe's blessing, but if I can't, I'll elope! Ben and I will run away together and we'll..."

"OK, calm down. Time out: first of all, no one is running away. Because technically, you would be aiding and abetting a fugitive, even if he is your husband. Second of all, though I might not entirely approve of it... you have my blessing. I can talk to Poe, if you'd like. And third of all... I could marry you."

Rey gazed at him, eyes shining, even as they still shimmered with tears. "Oh, thank you, Finny!" Flinging her arms about his neck again, she broke down completely anew. Finn just wore a strained grimace, patting her.

"You'll, um... you'll also need witnesses."

Rey peered up at him. "Where are we going to get those? Everyone on base hates Ben!"

"Not Chewie... mostly. And not the droids," Finn offered up. "They should be enough. Now, if you're OK saying I Do before only four robots and a walking carpet, that's your business, but..."

Rey let out a shaky laugh. "It's perfect!" Letting out another cry, she hugged Finn close. "Dearest Finn! Let's go! Let's go right now!"

"Whoa there, Jedi!" Finn chuckled. "How about tonight? After dark? I'll round up Chewie and the droids and let you into Ben's cell when Poe and the others are asleep."

That night, a full moon bathed Ben's jail cell in an iridescent, ethereal glow. Standing directly opposite each other, forming a meager aisle were C3PO and R2D2 on one side and BB8 and D-O on the other. Chewbacca walked a blushing Rey - clad in her white Jedi robes as her bridal gown; its hood acting as her veil - down this makeshift aisle and passed her off to his nephew. Ben had combed his hair and changed himself into clothes once belonging to his father, which Rey had found and smuggled to him from the Millennium Falcon. Standing before the groom and bride, one of the Jedi texts and a copy of the Good Holobook in his hands, Finn raised his arms and blessed the couple.

"Dearly beloved: we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony before the sight of these witnesses... and the sight of the Force. Who gives away this woman?"

Chewbacca grunted in Shriiywook.

"Excellent. May I have the rings, please?"

BB8 rolled forward and produced the set of simple golden bands from inside his center compartment. A beaming Rey accepted them from her little droid friend and passed one golden ring to Ben. Shyly, smiling into each other's eyes, Rey and Ben slipped the rings on each other's fingers.

"I, Ben Solo, take thee, Rey Palpatine, to be my wife. I promise to love you, to honor and cherish you, forever and ever, forsaking all others, until death do us part. With this ring, I thee wed."

"Hold on!" a shocked Finn blasted out, having held in his astonishment so as to respectfully allow Ben to finish his vows. "Rey... Palpatine?!"

Tears slipped from Rey's cheeks as she wept quietly, happily. "It doesn't matter now," she whispered. But glancing to Finn, her eyes promised him that she would tell him later. Turning back to Ben, Rey gave her own marriage vows:

"I... Rey Palpatine..." (she couldn't help but cringe at the utterance of her maiden name, even as the Jedi felt utter relief that she would need not ever speak it aloud again) "... take thee, Ben Solo, to be my husband. I promise to love you, to honor and cherish you, forever and ever, forsaking all others, until death do us part. With this ring, I thee wed." And then, spontaneously, she added, "I love you, Ben. It may seem simple, but I love you." Blessing Ben with a beaming smile, Rey bubbled, "I love my husband."

Glancing between the couple, Finn smiled in soft approval. "By the power vested in me as Co-General of the Resistance, I now pronounce this couple man and wife. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Daughter of Mortis, amen. Mr. Solo... you may kiss your bride."

Grinning like an idiot, Ben slipped his gentle hands about Rey's waist. Taking her in his arms, he kissed his wife deeply. Draping her arms about his neck, closing her eyes blissfully, Rey ecstatically kissed him back, giggling into her husband's lips as Ben lifted her clean off her feet. Her one foot popped without her noticing as Chewie roared and the droids burst into applause. Rey happily tossed her simple bridal bouquet of roses, daisies and jungle moss aside, not looking or caring to see where it landed as she and Ben happily deepened their wedding kiss. Artoo ultimately intercepted it.

Slowly, tenderly breaking the kiss at last, Rey sent Ben a beaming smile.

"We're married," she murmured against his lips.

Ben smirked. "That we are."

Rey softly kissed him again. "I love you!" she whispered into his mouth, her voice hoarse and choked with joyful tears.

Ben chuckled. "I know. I love you too, Rey."