When Rey awoke, it was in the arms of her beloved man.

Ben.

Her husband.

He was already awake, watching her sleep and twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. The curls were still intact and though she had washed her face before going to bed late last night, there were traces of makeup left around her eyes. It had been a long day. The best day of her life. And she was convinced that from now on, the days would only get better and better.

"Good morning, husband," she said, smiling up at him.

"Good morning, my beautiful wife," he responded in kind, hardly believing it was actually true. And yet here they were, lying together in bed as an officially married couple. Mr. and Mrs. Solo Skywalker. They had made the decision to take both names as opposed to just one, honoring both the Skywalker line and Ben's father. For Rey, it was more than she ever could have hoped for. Before, she had no family name. Not that she had known of, anyway. And now she didn't only have one, but two.

The party had lasted way into the night and by the time it was over and the guests had all gone home, Rey and Ben had been too tired to do anything else but go straight to bed. They had eaten until their bellies were full and danced until their feet were sore. Not to mention all the laughter they'd shared with all of their friends and family. The gifts they'd received had all been opened and thanked for; many of which would be useful once they found a place to settle down permanently. But for now, they would enjoy their honeymoon. They had the whole island to themselves for the next seven days and there were plenty of things to explore in the beautiful Lake Country.

It was past noon when they finally got out of bed to have their breakfast. They sat out on the terrace, basking in the glorious sunlight. It was the perfect day to take a boat ride out on the lake, so once they'd finished their meal, that's what they did. The Naberries had a couple of boats in handy at the retreat and Ryoo had told them they were more than welcome to use them during their stay. One boat was driven by an engine which caught Rey's interest. Perhaps they would use it for another day, but right now they felt like going for something simpler and opted for the little skiff which relied on oars to propel it. Ben was left in charge of the oars while Rey simply enjoyed looking at the view – and that did not only entail the environment. Ben was as beautiful as ever: his skin gleaming in the light of the sun and his aura completely relaxed. Through the Force, she could feel how happy and at peace he was and it rubbed off on her.

Rey dipped her hand into the teal colored water. It was lukewarm to the touch. She wondered whether it would feel the same if she were to dive underneath the surface. Living on a desert planet for most of her life, she had never learned how to swim properly. In that sense, the water scared her as much as it fascinated her. Right now, she was admiring the way it glittered in the bright daylight – too lost in thought to notice he was looking right at her with a knowing smile on his face. Only when he momentarily stopped rowing did she look up at him.

"Are you tired?" she asked, thinking his arms might be overworked and in need of rest. "We could switch, if you'd like." He shook his head and laughed and the sound made her heart flutter. It was so innocent and pure. Genuine. But she was also confused by it. "What?" she prodded with a chuckle of her own. She had to know what it was that he found so funny.

"Now I know why you imagined an ocean," he finally revealed. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone so enamored by water. Somehow, it makes me love you even more." Rey looked down, blushing. It was rather embarrassing, but she took it as a compliment.

They were closing in on a small island in the middle of the lake and, as far as Rey could tell, it seemed unoccupied at the moment. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Ben?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Do you know how to swim?" He gave her a nod.

"Yeah. Why?" She hesitated, but only for a moment. She had no reason to feel embarrassed. Not with him.

"I don't. Could you teach me how? We could go to that island," she said and pointed behind Ben. He looked over his shoulder and then turned back to her with another nod.

"Yeah, sure. I can teach you how to swim." Her face lit up as she was filled with an anticipation and excitement like that of a child eager to learn something new. Lucky for her, she had a great teacher who could help quench her thirst for knowledge.

If only Rey had thought of it sooner, they could have brought towels and perhaps some better swimwear, too. They would simply have to make do with what they had and trust that the sun would dry them afterwards. Rey kept her white camisole and knee-length trousers on, but Ben stripped himself to the waist, leaving his shirt in the skiff. She wasn't complaining. His chest was perfectly chiseled from years of training – a proof of his physical strength. She felt weightless whenever he carried her in his arms. He caught her staring and smirked.

"Enjoying the view?" Rey rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

"If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I could look the other way," she teased, knowing full well the only thing he could be feeling from being admired by her was pleasure.

"If there's anyone who's uncomfortable, it ought to be you." He stepped closer until he was standing right before her, looking down into her eyes. "At least that's how it was the first time, if you remember?" In spite of herself, she rolled her eyes yet again.

"How could I forget?" She remembered it as clear as day. It had been night-time on Ach-To when their Force-connection had willed itself open again, to her great dismay. And there he'd stood, chest bared and utterly shameless about it. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she questioned. "You wanted to make me feel uncomfortable."

"Maybe," he said and the look he gave her made her weak at the knees. He wasn't fooling anyone. She had seen right through his scheme and discovered all of his dirty tricks. He had known perfectly well what he'd been doing. And it had worked.

Rey tried not to seem so affected by his stare and started walking out into the water. "Are you going to teach me how to swim, or what?" she said and his smirk told her he had seen right through her as well. She couldn't fool him no more than he could fool her. Still, he was considerate enough not to point it out and simply followed her into the water.

Learning how to swim had not been as hard as she'd expected. Her learning experience wasn't unlike that of learning how to wield a lightsaber. The knowledge and the methods were somehow already inside of her. She remembered falling through the pit and into the water in the cave on Ach-To. She hadn't known how to swim then, but still managed to get out of the water somehow. At the time, she had thought it to be pure survival instinct, but now she realized maybe it wasn't? Maybe it was the power of their bond that had helped her? It made her wonder whether Ben had unconsciously learned a skill from her as well.

They stayed in the water for a long time before they grew tired and went to lie down on the beach to dry. The sand stuck to their wet skin and clothes, but they didn't mind. It would be easy enough to brush off once they were dry. They lay on their stomachs, resting their heads on their arms and facing each other. Soon enough, their eyes closed and their breaths grew deep and steady as they let the heat of the sun warm their bodies, almost to the point of sleeping. But before that happened, the sun began its inevitable descent and the sudden chill told them that it was time to head back to Varykino.

During the remainder of their stay, they took to exploring the rest of the Lake Country – hiking in the hills, swimming in the water or having picnics in the grass fields by the waterfalls. On the sixth day of their honeymoon, they lay down in the grass after having finished one such picnic, watching the clouds roll by. Rey was dressed in a lovely yellow summer gown which she'd received as a wedding gift from Ryoo. She had known already before putting it on that Ben would be pleased, as he'd explicitly stated he thought yellow would be a good color on her. After looking herself in the mirror, she had decided that she agreed with him. It was rather fun to wear something a bit more colorful for once.

Somewhere in the distance, they heard the sound of laughter. Curious, Rey pushed herself up into a sitting position and Ben followed suit. Not far from their picnic spot, they could see two young children – a boy and a girl – playing in the field. Their parents were there, too, keeping an eye on them. The mother was carrying a little baby in her arms. Rey smiled at the scene that played out in front of them and when she looked back to Ben, she noticed he was smiling, too. There was a distant, dreamy look in his eyes, as if he were somewhere far away and unaware of the fact that he was smiling.

"They look so happy," Rey noted, looking back at the family again. It reminded her of the Naberries and the conversation she'd had with Pooja and her daughter while preparing for the wedding. Not to mention what Maz had said later that same day. She had wanted to speak with Ben about it, but hadn't quite known how to approach the subject. Now, however, the opportunity was as good as ever. Perhaps she wouldn't get another chance like this again? When she was done contemplating, she spoke to him head-on.

"Ben, do you remember what Maz said at our wedding? About our…" She trailed off, not knowing if she could finish that sentence. At least not using the same word Maz had. Luckily, she didn't have to.

"About our offspring?" Ben said and Rey could tell he didn't like the word any more than she did.

"Yeah. I believe that's how she put it. You see, I sort of discussed it earlier with Pooja and her daughter. They asked me whether we'd talked about starting a family. You and I."

She was avoiding eye contact, looking down in the grass and pulling up straws from the ground, twirling them anxiously around her fingers. She stopped when his hand came to rest on her cheek, guiding her face towards him. Only two words fell from his lips:

"I do."

At first, she wasn't sure what he meant, but then she realized his words could only mean one thing. She hadn't even asked him and yet he had answered her most burning question all the same. "You do?" she asked and he chuckled fondly at her confused expression.

"Of course I want to start a family with you."

Once his message sank in, Rey took him completely by surprise by throwing herself on top of him. He fell backwards and was unable to catch himself, but thankfully managed to catch her, grabbing her by the waist and keeping her steady. Rey then crashed her lips against his with a sweet passion and he responded similarly. His hands moved from her waist and wandered up the length of her back, pulling her closer to him. He needed to feel she was really there – that it wasn't just another one of the dreams he'd had during that entire year of being in her absence. It had been nothing short of torture to wake up only to realize she wasn't there with him. But now his dream had become reality and it was sweeter than anything he could have ever imagined.

Instead of heading straight back to the retreat, Ben and Rey decided to take a walk along the shoreline of one of the lakes. After a while, the sun began to set, casting everything in a mild, fiery glow. They soon came upon a house that was built on a hill above the lake with a balcony facing the water. Rey stopped to look at it, seemingly enchanted by the sight. Without a word, she started walking up the slope and Ben followed her.

When they reached the top, they got a better look at the house. The walls were made of white stone and there was a flowerbed stretching around it filled with black pebbles and red flowers growing out of it. Rey thought it was adorable and yearned to have a closer look. "Do you think there's anyone at home?" she asked Ben, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Why don't we find out?"

They walked up to the front door and Rey knocked three times, waiting for an answer. None came. She knocked again and added her voice this time, calling, "Hello? Is there anyone home?" Still no answer. Then, a voice spoke up from behind them and they turned to see an older man dressed in dark brown robes slowly approaching. The top of his head was bald and he had a short beard covering his chin.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Hello," Rey greeted the man and offered an apologetic smile. "We didn't mean to intrude, we were just curious about the house. It's very beautiful."

"Indeed it is," the man said, stopping by the white stone wall to place his hand on it with a look of admiration and love on his face, as if the house was the most precious thing he owned. Which was why both Rey and Ben raised their brows in surprise when he said, "It's a shame no one lives here."

"Oh!" Rey said. "So this is not your house?"

"No," the man shook his head. "I live about two miles from here. I was just taking a stroll when I passed by and saw the two of you here. I was surprised, because no one's been here since the last owners moved out seven months ago."

"This house has been unoccupied for seven months?" Rey could hardly believe a house such as this could be standing empty for so long. She figured it must be very attractive at the housing market. But perhaps she was wrong. The man seemed to share her opinion.

"Yes and it's a real shame," he said. "It may be a little old and in need of renovation, but it's a beautiful home and this is a quiet and peaceful neighborhood. Perfect for raising a family." In other words: it was perfect for them.

Rey's heart began to race. Could it really be that simple? "Is the house for sale?" she hurried to ask and the man could confirm that it was. Her eyes then drifted to a vast, empty field nearby. "What about the adjacent field right over there?" The man followed the finger she was pointing with and his answer was once again highly encouraging.

"It's part of the property. Used to be farming land for keeping livestock and such."

Rey turned to confer with her partner, her eyes sparkling with hope and excitement. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" A smirk played on Ben's lips.

"That we could make this our home and build a new academy here?" Rey smiled.

"Exactly." She could already see it in her mind. On the field, they could build a nice, big school and still keep some of the area as outside training grounds. And down by the lake they could build accommodations for the students to live in while they were here. Something akin to the huts on Ach-To, perhaps?

"Who do we talk to if we want to make an offer?" Rey asked the kind man.

"You will have to contact the agency. Aquila Properties, I believe they're called. Their office is situated in Theed. I'm sure they would be thrilled to hear about your interest in the house." For Rey and Ben, it was an opportunity of the most perfect kind. They had been set on calling the Falcon their home for yet a while longer, but now it seemed maybe it wouldn't be for as long as they had thought after all.

"Thank you very much!" Rey said. "We appreciate it." Ben followed her example, expressing his own gratitude.

"Yes, thank you, sir. You've been very helpful." A big, toothy grin spread across the old man's face, seemingly filled with glee.

"Of course, young man, of course! I'm only happy to help. My name is Thaddeus, by the way." He stretched out his hand to properly greet them both, starting with Ben.

"A pleasure, sir," he said. "I'm Ben Solo and this is my wife, Rey." She didn't correct him when he left out their second last name. When it came down to it, it really wasn't all that necessary. Either way, Thaddeus would probably find out about it sooner or later.

"Nice to meet you," Rey said as she shook hands with him. Thaddeus beamed at the pair.

"What a lovely couple you make! Although we wouldn't be living next door, I would be glad to one day call you my neighbors. Something tells me our paths will cross again in time. Until then, I wish you the best of luck. Now I must be heading home before it gets dark, or my wife will be worried. Have a good night!"

They bid him a good night as well and waved him off as he headed back down the road. It was indeed getting dark and they would probably be wise to return to their own place. In the future, however, this would hopefully be the place to which they returned every single day for the rest of their lives.

A/N: And the story continues! Since this was their honeymoon, I decided to add a little steam, but still keeping it kid-friendly since this is a K+ rated fic ;) I can now confirm that there will be two more chapters in this story and once again, I want to thank everyone for your sweet reviews! It makes me happy to know that you find my writing enjoyable and healing after what happened in TROS. (Another note I'd like to add is that when I looked up the character of Pooja on Wookieepedia, apparently she met with Leia who told her they were cousins, but since I'd already established that Ryoo didn't know about it, I naturally assumed no one else in the Naberrie family did, either. But since this fic isn't canon to begin with, I figured it doesn't really matter XD.)