A/N: Thanks for reviewing! This story will probably be 23 chapters, with a whole lot of fluff at the end to make up for the current angst :) Enjoy!

I feel the smile that I wish I had, but all these moments are projections of the past

At dawn the next morning, Rey left Tattooine. She left behind everything from her projects, taking only her blaster and lightsaber with her. Neither Force ghost appeared to her again, which was something of a relief. The concept of ghosts was not a pleasant one, nor was it something she knew a great deal about. Who had this power? How long would it last?

No answers were forthcoming so she took the small ship she'd borrowed and headed back toward the center of the galaxy. It would take the better part of a day to get there, but she was in no hurry. She sat in the cockpit, watching the lights flash and change as she flew past places she had never been, worlds she had never seen. Might never see.

She had been to more planets in the last year than she could ever have imagined visiting. If she had been lived somewhere other than Jakku, she could remember nothing before its shifting sands buried everything else. But now she had seen so much of the galaxy and it had brought her joy every time. Even seeing the wasteland of Tattooine had been a thrill – Luke Skywalker really had grown up in a similar situation to herself.

But what did that matter now? Any similarities she had to her childhood hero were meaningless. Her abilities came from the most evil man in the galaxy – her grandfather – not anything special about herself. She had been devastated when Ben had helped her admit that her parents were nobodies. But this was far worse. They could have hidden her anywhere – why Jakku? Was there really nothing they could have done to save her? Why had they not joined the Resistance, or even told anyone, that the Emperor was still alive? It made no sense.

Rey pulled herself from her thoughts when she realized that anything not tied down in the cockpit was floating haphazardly around her. They crashed down onto the floor as soon as she noticed, the jarring sound reflective of her own feelings. In the heat of battle, there had been little time to process her lineage. But now… She wasn't one of the heroes, a Skywalker or a Solo. She wasn't even a nobody. No, she was the descendent of pure evil. If she had been anyone else, she knew she could help the Resistance rebuild the galaxy. But what could the granddaughter of the person who had orchestrated this dystopia possibly offer anyone?

A few hours later, her ship dropped out of lightspeed. She wiped her hands on her trousers, aware that there was probably grease on her face and that her clothes were stained. Still, it had been nice to work on repairs instead of thinking. She headed back to the pilot's seat and flew the rest of the way into Coruscant. The city planet was overwhelming, especially after the quiet of the desert. It took her full concentration to find where she was going and to navigate there safely, even with the automation of the ship helping her along the way.

It still felt like a novelty that the Resistance was no longer in hiding, that she didn't have to take evasive maneuvers to return to them or go through any hidden channels to contact them. No, anyone could go to Coruscant and see her friends in the Capitol now. It was completely different from the last year of her life, and, she realized, her childhood as well. To live out in the open would be a very new experience.

She made contact with the tower and was given a landing site. It was a busy place, but she was excited at the prospect of walking through some of the city before likely being stuck indoors for some time – if her previous experience before she left for Tattooine was any indication. There had been a lot of stuffy rooms and fraught conversations that had made her think there must be something she could do until things died down a bit. Hopefully they had.

Since she hadn't told anyone she was returning today, she was surprised to find that people were waiting for her when she arrived. To her consternation, none of them were her friends – just regular people.

"The Jedi!"

"Are you going to restart the school?"

"How did you defeat the Emperor?"

"Did you kill Kylo Ren?"

"Is Luke Skywalker coming back?"

She wanted to cover her ears at the cacophony of questions, these and others she couldn't discern in the noise. Amid the questions were generic cheers about the Resistance and about her leading it, which was obviously not true. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to put on a friendly face and get away from the crowd as quickly as possible. They moved nearer to her ship and she wondered how they could possibly have known it was her inside.

Hands grabbed at her clothes, at the loose fabric of her sash and she withdrew sharply until her back was pressed against her ship. Her breath was coming short and she hastily put up an invisible barrier between her and the crowd, though not before one had pulled on the leather band on her arm with enough force for it to come off.

"Thank you for the kind words," she called, hoping to settle them as she covered her upper arm with the opposite hand. "Please move out of the way." The latter phrase was said with more Force and she was relieved that most obeyed her suggestion. It didn't work on everyone – such tricks never did – but it was enough for her to get out of the hangar and away. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a black cloak that could more effectively hide her in the crowd than her small hood. Thus disguised, she was relieved to make it to the building where she had been staying and where her friends were, mercifully, still residing.

"I'm sorry, but you can't come in – Rey!" Kaydel's familiar voice greeted her and Rey grinned.

"I suppose I should have sent a message I was coming," she admitted.

Kaydel pulled her in for a hug. "Of course not – you can always drop by. I've got a bunch of ambassadors I'm about to have to greet diplomatically, so you'd better head upstairs if you don't want to be part of the welcoming committee," she teased.

Laughing, Rey headed quickly for the elevator. "Thanks for the warning. It's great to see you," she added belatedly as the doors closed. A sigh escaped her as she rethought her idea to come here – what committees would she be expected to be part of? Luke had told her she could go anywhere – maybe she should reconsider that idea.

The elevator doors opened onto a large room with a few seats near the windows. It was empty except for Poe Dameron talking to a woman Rey didn't recognize. He noticed her and grinned.

"There's our Jedi. We were starting to get worried we'd be on our own in this," he said as he headed over to embrace her. The woman he'd been addressing turned around and watched the exchange uncertainly.

"Figured I shouldn't leave you in charge for too long," Rey replied with a smile.

Poe snorted. "Go see Finn and take that attitude with you. He's in the third room on the left," he added when Rey hesitated.

Following his directions, she hastened down the hallway to find that Finn was addressing a room full of people. Silently, she slipped in at the back and waited. Finn spotted her and couldn't hide his look of delight, though he continued his talk. Rose and Jannah were with him, and both smiled at her. Rose made her way over to stand with her while they waited. It did not take long for Finn to finish, talking about the unity of the galaxy or something.

"Rey!" Finn called happily as he hurried over with a grin. The people he'd been addressing began to file out, Jannah and Rose speaking to a few as they left. "I didn't think you'd be back for a while. It's great to see you!"

"Great to see you, too. All of you," she amended as she smiled at the other ladies.

"How was your Jedi quest?" Jannah asked somberly.

Rey swallowed and forced her smile to return. "It was good. Glad to be back, though."

Jannah nodded, glancing at Finn, who continued to smile at Rey.

"What happened to your arm band?" Rose wanted to know.

"It's nothing," Rey replied, hastily covering the spot on her upper arm with her hand. The silence stretched uncomfortably as Jannah and Finn exchanged a glance and Rose raised an eyebrow. For over a year, Rey had successfully hidden the scar and was dismayed at how poorly she was doing it now.

Fortunately, Poe chose that moment to come into the room. "Well, I think this calls for a celebration, don't you think? I know just the place."

Rose gave Finn a sidelong look but both were smiling. Jannah was harder for Rey to read, but looked pleased. It was clear that the others were supportive of this idea, so Rey kept silent, resigning herself to a much more expansive welcome than she had been hoping for.