Author Note: Ok, a short, fluffy epilogue.
Epilogue
Leilani Animal Quarantine Facility
Leilani
Delaya
6 months later
"Go, Hebra, go!" Snoke shouted encouragingly, gazing through the force field separating him from the prong-nosed rat enclosure.
The Corellian black snake in question, his beloved Hebra, was sliding through the vegetation in search of a succulent meal, even as the rats chittered and scurried and ran for cover.
"Those poor rats!" Rey Solo exclaimed sorrowfully, her eyes filling with sympathetic tears.
Her husband Ben put a comforting arm around his wife, "Well, the snake needs to eat too."
"In addition," Snoke explained seriously, "the prong-nosed rats multiply quickly. The black snakes typically keep the population in check in the wild, so this is actually healthy for these rats to have a natural predator."
"That makes sense," Ben replied, his brown eyes glinting with enthusiasm. "Everyone needs some struggle in life, including prong nosed rats. It sharpens us, like a double bladed lightsaber. It challenges us, strengthens us ..."
His lyrical statement was cut off as Hebra suddenly launched forward and wrapped several loops of her body around a hapless rat, who died without so much as a squeak.
"Great job, Hebra!" Ben yelped enthusiastically, and Snoke pumped his skinny arms in excitement.
Rey burst into noisy tears.
Her husband turned in distress and leaned forward, attempting to wrap his long arms around her. She shook her head angrily and retreated a few steps.
"You don't even care about the rats!" she shouted, and ran from the room, leaving Ben wide eyed with shock and embarrassment.
He turned to look at his uncle and aunt and Snoke, and Mara smiled at him reassuringly, "Don't worry about it, Ben, it's totally normal. I remember crying over a muja juice commercial when I was pregnant with the twins."
Luke jerked in astonishment, "Rey's pregnant?"
"Of course she is," Mara replied irascibly. "She's tough as durasteel, you know that. Only pregnancy hormones could have her freaking out over rats."
The red haired woman glanced at Ben now, whose own face was slack with surprise, and she winced, "I'm sorry, Ben, was that supposed to be a secret?"
Ben ran a shaking hand through his rather long hair, "Um, yeah, but I guess it's Ok that you know 'cause she's kind of lost her mind. Yesterday it was blue roseberry jam that had her in tears. She said the smell makes her sick."
"Remember the time you threw jam at me during Cassian's pregnancy?" Luke asked his wife as a stray memory surfaced.
Mara blushed, "I wasn't trying to throw it. I just, er, it kind of slipped from my hand ..."
Her husband laughed and put his arm around her, "It's Ok. I don't think slipped is quite the word, but I know you weren't trying to throw it at me, just at the wall or something. What a mess! C-3PO complained for hours."
"I think I'd better check on Rey," Ben said, his eyes worried, and he walked out of the door.
Luke turned to Snoke, who had turned his back on the family drama and was staring lovingly at Hebra, who was carefully swallowing the prong nosed rat. His blue eyes were moist with emotion.
"I was a little worried about Hebra," the very tall man explained. "She was a bit lethargic last week and I thought maybe she was sick. But she took that rat with her old flair."
Luke patted the man's skinny arm carefully and stated, "So, Snoke, I think we're ready to let you loose on an unsuspecting galaxy."
Snoke turned around now, his eyes widened, his face shocked, "Really, Master Jedi?"
Skywalker chuckled, "Yes. You've been completely healed from Palpatine's poisonous influence, and you've done everything we've asked and more."
The man's hairless brow rose in concern, "But what about Hebra? Can I take her with me when I go?"
Luke smiled reassuringly, "Yes, you can, of course. But my niece Brehanna and I have talked to the zoo and animal quarantine people here on Leilani, and you have a job here if you want. The animal experts around here are amazed at your giftedness with snakes in particular, and animals in general."
Now the tears were falling unabashed from Snoke's eyes.
"I would truly love that," he said, his voice husky. "Thank you, Master Jedi. You've given me my life back."
"He does that kind of thing with wayward Emperor's Hands," Mara said, planting a quick kiss on her husband's lips.
Luke colored in embarrassment, "It's my honor and my pleasure. Really."
The door slid open and Ben walked in, his face relaxed.
"Is Rey all right?" Mara asked in concern.
"Yes, she's fine," Ben assured her. "Chewbacca followed us over this morning, but got distracted talking to another Wookiee who works here with the captive bolraida. When Rey showed up in tears, he was there for her. She's getting some hug therapy right now. She says it's like being wrapped in a sentient rug. She's good."
Mara relaxed, and Luke smiled, "Chewie's amazing, he really is. Sometimes I forget he's almost 200 years old."
A moment later, he frowned, and Mara lifted an eyebrow, "What is it, Farmboy?"
Luke absently looked out the window. Storm clouds were forming in the west, forming a dramatic contrast to the blue skies to the east. He turned back toward his wife and nephew with a sigh.
"Another stray memory from that peculiar nightmare of mine," he explained. "After Ben here lost his freaking mind and turned to the Dark Side and killed his dad, Chewbacca was upset, of course, but he was also just kind of ... passive. Later, Rey got this crazy idea in her head that she should surrender to Kylo Ren to bring him back from the Dark Side and Chewbacca just went along with it. He let her load herself into an escape pod and she was pulled into the enemy ship, where she could easily have been killed. That doesn't seem very ... Chewie like, does it?"
Ben's eyes widened, "No way! I can imagine Chewie jamming himself into a pod and leaping out and pulling my arms off, but letting Rey go off to sacrifice herself like an idiot? No way!"
"You surrendered to Vader," Mara pointed out to her husband.
Luke shrugged, "Yeah, and you can bet I made sure not to tell Chewbacca before I left. He would have had a fit. He's very protective."
"Yes, he is," Ben agreed. "Just another weirdness from that dream. I was hoping it was fading, Uncle Luke."
His uncle smiled, "It is. I get the odd memory occasionally but mostly it has disappeared, which is all to the good. So, Ben, how do you feel about impending fatherhood?"
Ben Solo paled noticeably.
"I'm scared out of my mind," he replied honestly.
"You and Rey will do great," Mara said reassuringly. "You'll be wonderful parents.
"Rey, I agree with," Ben replied, doing a few quick Alderaanian dance steps in an attempt to calm himself. "She's steady and loving and all that. I want to be a great father, I do, but I know I'm kind of quirky and weird sometimes. And given how strong Rey and I are in the Force, I'm thinking our kid will probably be pretty powerful too. What if we fail him or her? What if the kid turns to the Dark Side?"
Luke shook his head, "Oh, Ben, you will do great, trust me."
"Yeah, and even if you are lousy, you can't possibly be worse than I was," Anakin Skywalker stated, popping into sight with an abruptness that caused even his son to flinch, "and just look at how great your mom and uncle turned out!"
Ben frowned, "No offense, Grandfather, but I don't think I can trust that my child will turn out well if I turn to the Dark Side and become a psychopath."
"You're right, of course," the spectral blue form stated gravely. "But my point is that you shouldn't assume you have to be a perfect father for your kids to turn out well. Luke and Leia have exceeded anything I could have believed possible. On the other hand, my mother was a wonderful woman and the Jedi tried their best, and I went bonkers."
"You can't be saying that what I do as a father doesn't matter!" Ben exclaimed indignantly.
"No, of course not," Mara said firmly, stepping forward to place a comforting hand on her nephew's arm. "I grew up without parents because the Empire snatched me, and it affected me profoundly. Your mother and uncle suffered greatly because of their father's decisions. We're all emotionally scarred beings. But what Anakin is justified in saying is that parents can and should do their best, but the children still will make their own choices. My own daughter starred as an Ecclessis fig in an opera! I mean, really, what does that say about our parenting!?"
There was a shared chuckle from all present except for Snoke, who was back to gazing raptly at his precious Hebra.
"I think what we're saying, Ben," Luke began, then trailed off as the door opened and Rey came in, her smile shaky, with Chewbacca trailing behind her reassuringly.
"I'm sorry," Rey said apologetically to all, and Ben stepped forward to clasp her in his arms.
"It's Ok," he said lovingly.
"Ben and Rey," Luke continued with a smile, "parenting is a challenging job but if there is one thing that is true of our extended clan, it's that we help each other and stick together. You two are going to do just fine."
The End. Really. Unless ...