Chapter 25: Sign of the Times

Kylo hadn't seen his father in years but with one glance at the older man, he felt as if no time had passed at all. The familiar anger resurfaced and he stood in his doorway with his hands in fists.

"What are you doing here?"

"I left you a message saying I was coming to town and I wanted to see you," Han explained. "Didn't you get it?"

Kylo didn't recall getting any such voicemails on his cell, unless… Glancing over his shoulder, he caught the blinking red light of his answering machine.

Damn it!

He knew he should have checked his messages.

"I've been busy," he ground out, glaring at the older man. "What do you want?"

"Watch the tone," Han cautioned him. "You may not like it, kid, but I'm still your father."

"Since when?" Kylo snarled.

"Since the day you were born," Han shot back. "Now I know you and I don't see eye to eye on things, but that doesn't mean we can't work on it."

"Work on it?" Kylo frowned.

Where was this coming from? He hadn't seen or spoken to his father in years, not since the day Han had come to the First Order and interrupted Kylo's training. He wondered if Maz had gotten tired of waiting on him and had reached out.

"Lando called," Han said, shattering Kylo's initial theory.

Oh, so that's what this is about.

Kylo glowered at his father. "Well, if you already talked to him then you know now is not a good time for you to be here. My girlfriend-."

Han's face lit up instantly and he interrupted him. "So it's true? You actually have a girl?"

He felt absolutely murderous at his father's disbelief. "Yes," he replied through gritted teeth.

"I want to meet her," Han ordered without hesitation. "She's gotta be something special to put up with the likes of you."

"Funny," Kylo rebuffed, "that's what people used to say about you and Leia."

Han's smile faltered and his eyes narrowed. Pointing a finger at Kylo, he lowered his voice. "Listen here, kid, you can be pissed until the end of time with me, but you will show your mother some goddamn respect. You will not call her by her first name like she's a stranger. That woman gave you life."

"That's about all she gave me."

"She'd take it away if she heard you talking like this," Han stated.

"Probably," Kylo replied, crossing his arms over his chest. He then remembered he was only in his boxers. It wasn't the best way to receive his father. Han had been caught in dozens of precarious situations, but Kylo was pretty sure catching his son in a post-coital bliss was about to be at the top of his list. He could almost hear the way his father would squawk about it to his work colleges.

And then the kid had the nerve to answer the door shirtless. I mean, can you believe it? He's got stamina like his old man, that one.

Kylo groaned, shaking his head. There was an image he'd rather not think about. In all honestly, he'd rather not think of his father in any way, but least of all involving anything sexual. It was just wrong — almost as wrong as Han Solo being here in the first place.

He sighed, his anger at his father was exhausting what little energy he had left. Kylo needed his breakfast delivery to reinvigorate him before Cloud City. There had to be a way to get Han out of his apartment. He thought about what Maz had told him and about what Dr. Connix would say. Both women, though from vastly different walks of life, had never steered him wrong. They had both offered him advice which had changed the course of his life for the better. It had led him to Rey.

Rey!

Kylo felt himself blush to the tips of his ears. She was still in the shower. God, he hoped she wasn't waiting for him. His plans of joining her had been completely derailed by his father's unexpected arrival.

"So are you going to let me in or are you going to throw your old man out on the curb?" Han asked, interrupting Kylo's train of thought.

Obligated, Kylo took a step back, holding the door open to allow Han and his duffle-bag into the apartment. "Wow," his father let out a whistle, "you've certainly done well for yourself, kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Kylo responded, shutting the door and putting all the locks back in place. "You missed most of those years, remember?" He scolded himself for not checking the peep hole before opening the door. Perhaps if he had been so diligent about security sooner, he could have avoided this mess.

Han dropped his duffle-bag unceremoniously in the middle of the floor, before he moved into the living room. He settled down on the couch, spanning his arms across the back. "What do you want me to say, Ben? I'm sorry? I should have been there? I shouldn't have sent you off to live with Luke? Because I am sorry."

"I'm sure you are!" Kylo snarled, annoyed his father could look so calm while making such statements. There was a weight to their conversation, a decade of things left unsaid between them and Kylo couldn't fathom how his father always navigated such difficult conversations with the greatest of ease.

"If I could go back and do it all over again, I would."

"I bet," Kylo grumbled.

They fell into silence once more. Han had nothing else to add and Kylo was growing weary of their verbal sparring match. He wasn't sure what had prompted him to allow his father inside his home in the first place. When he had purchased the apartment, he had never intended on being in it much. It was only there for him to shower and sleep when he wasn't training at the First Order or traveling for matches. He had never intended for his family to see it. In fact, he hadn't intended for anyone to see it. He wasn't the type to host people or parties. That was Hux's m.o.

"You got anything to drink?"

Hell, yes.

At least there was one thing they could agree on. A strong drink was sure to help him concentrate enough to determine a way to rid himself of his father before he ruined what was left of Rey's birthday.

"Yeah," Kylo gestured to Han to follow him into the kitchen. He went to the top cabinet above his fridge where he had stashed a vintage bottle of Corellian whiskey.

"Ah, the good stuff," Han remarked as he watched Kylo set the bottle on the counter. "How much did that set you back?"

"More than the Resistance makes a year," Kylo answered without pause.

He wondered if his father cared. The smuggler turned hero was sure to have less concerns than Leia over how Kylo spent his money, especially if it was on liquor.

Kylo handed his father a glass before pouring them each a double. He didn't normally drink so early in the day, but Han's surprise visit warranted a generous dose of whiskey.

They both regarded the floor, unable to meet each other's eyes as they slowly sipped their drinks. Han was sandwiched in the corner of the kitchen, furthest away from the entry way and Kylo, was standing by the archway leading into the living room. He figured if his father made any more comments about his childhood, he'd need to put as much distance between them as possible. It was good to have an exit path.

Han broke the silence first. Again.

"Has your mother tried to guilt trip you into her charity ball yet?"

"She called a few weeks ago."

"Did you actually talk to her?"

"No," Kylo admitted, before taking another sip. "She left a message."

"Ah, so it was just my message you didn't get," Han rolled his eyes. "How convenient."

Kylo set his glass down on the counter next to him, ready to throw down a harsh rebuttal, when he heard Rey's voice from the back of the apartment.

"Ben?" She called from the bedroom.

Han locked eyes with his son. Kylo blanched. "Ben? You let her call you Ben?" Han asked, barely able to contain the smile erupting across his face.

"Don't start," Kylo hissed at his father.

"What?" Han wasn't about to let it go. "You don't let any of us call you by your name, Ben, and we're the ones who gave it to you."

"Shhh," he growled at his father lowly, before shouting back to Rey, "In the kitchen."

"You're not going to take a shower?"

Kylo wished the damned whiskey would kick in, so he could blame his burning red cheeks on the drink. He was an adult. Why did he feel like his father had caught his hand in the cookie jar? Oh right, because he had just lost his virginity to his girlfriend at the ripe age of thirty-two.

"I'll grab one later," he told her.

"Are you sure?"

All he wanted to do was go back there and pick up where they had left off, but he couldn't fathom doing that while Han was in his apartment. Apparently his uncle wasn't the only cockblock in the family. Kylo bit the inside of his cheek. Why were they always ruining things for him?

"Yeah, sweetheart."

Han raised a brow at the pet name. 'Sweetheart?' he mouthed at his son, before smirking and taking a long sip of his drink.

Before Kylo could snap at him, Rey called back down the hall towards the kitchen. "Alright. Be out in a minute."

Kylo turned back to his father to see the older man wearing a smug grin. "Guess I was around enough for you to learn a thing or two," Han commented. He kept his voice low enough there was no chance Rey could hear him.

"That's so like you to take credit for something you had entirely nothing to do with."

Han shrugged. "I helped make you, didn't I? That ought to count for something."

"It would count for a lot more if you left," Kylo remarked. "As you can tell, I already have company staying over."

His father dismissed his reasoning. "Are you trying to convince me you two are sleeping in separate rooms?"

"No, I-."

"Then you have space for your old man to crash a few nights."

"I don't actually, because my-." Kylo's argument died in his throat when he saw Rey walking towards him. He immediately realized he should have had the forethought to tell her his father was present. His practical side warred with his insatiable desire for her. On one hand, Han was about to have all the proof he needed that Kylo did, in fact, have a girlfriend. On the other hand, Kylo didn't like the idea of his father seeing his girlfriend so exposed.

She was dressed in his shirt from the night before. Her hair was a wet mess, the tendrils sticking to her jawline and her neck. Her skin was still flushed from the heat of the shower jets, turning her normally tanned glow into a rosy shine. Normally he didn't have guests and now he had two. Then again, normally one of the guests wasn't a woman walking around barefoot, leggy, and irresistible either. Though the sight of her immediately sparked a need in him to take her right then and there on the kitchen counter, the practical part of his brain was acutely aware of his father.

"What are you wearing?" Kylo asked, as Rey sauntered into the kitchen. He had to work to keep his voice level.

"A shirt."

"You mean my shirt?"

"Do you mind?" She asked, as she raised her arms to pull her hair back into a sloppy bun on the top of her head. As her locks moved away from her face and neck, he could see a purplish-blue bruise forming on her skin from the night prior. He also noticed how his shirt rose up, revealing more of her smooth thighs. He had to resist the urge to lunge forward and yank the shirt back down.

"No, not at all," he replied, keeping himself between her and his father. He had basically caged her in the entryway between the living room and the kitchen. He figured it wouldn't take her long to notice their very curious audience member, once she slipped past him, but he couldn't find a way to prevent her from entering.

"Good, because it's comfortable," Rey told Kylo, as she moved past him to make herself a cup of tea.

"Looks better on you anyway," Han declared, from where he stood in the corner. Rey nearly jumped out of her skin. She cursed, retreating behind Kylo when she spotted the owner of the voice. Kylo glared daggers at his father, feeling her hands on his back. She was trying to shield herself.

"Rey, you know my father, Han Solo." Kylo gritted out. He remained in between his dad and his girlfriend, effectively blocking her from view.

"You could have mentioned you had company," she snapped, swatting Kylo's arm. He saw her begin to fuss with the shirt, as she attempted to cover up more of herself.

"Ben's manners are lacking." Han pushed off the counter to stand at Rey's side. "Good morning, Rey. It's a pleasure to meet you." He picked up her hand, depositing a light kiss on it. Rey immediately began blushing. Turning back to Kylo, Han grinned. "That's a proper morning greeting for a beautiful woman, Ben. Take notes."

"Piss off, you freeloader."

"Are you staying here, Han?" Rey asked, peering around Kylo to where Han's duffle-bag was sitting on the living room floor.

"Certainly not," Kylo muttered. "He just showed up this morning."

"Without asking?" She looked rather amused by this. Kylo watched as her fingers rubbed the seam of the end of his shirt, a sign of her nerves, despite the friendly smile on her face. He momentarily forgot how annoyed he was with his dad's presence. She looked like she belonged here, standing in his kitchen, wearing his shirt. He was lost in her smile, admiring how beautiful she was and loving the fact she was all his. Han be damned. Kylo was glad Rey had spent the night. He wanted her to spend every night.

"I thought we were on the mend," Han feigned a hurt expression. "I'm still your father, after all." Kylo scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Um, I should go put on some pants," Rey said, backing up and nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste to get out of the kitchen.

"Don't change on my account." Han had the audacity to wink at her, resulting in Rey turning scarlet.

Kylo wanted to scream. Couldn't his father see that he wasn't being charming? He was just being an idiot and he was making both of them uncomfortable.

"That's enough out of you," Kylo growled.

"Hey, kid. She's a looker. You did good."

Staring at the floor, Kylo wished it would swallow him up. He had gotten a miracle in Rey and now it seemed that miracle was over. He was about to enter hell, courtesy of his father and his father's profound humiliation tactics.

Rey startled him by saying, "Ben's handsome." She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into his side.

"Where do you think he gets it from?" Han asked with a laugh.

"His mom, of course," Rey responded without missing a beat.

Had Kylo mentioned he loved his girlfriend? She was perfect.

Never in his life had Kylo seen his father struck speechless, but it happened. Rey's comment had thrown him off completely. For a full minute not a single one of them spoke. They were stuck in a strange three person stare down — Kylo glaring, Han in shock, and Rey smiling away, like her normal sunny self.

"I like her," Han chuckled eventually. Angling towards Rey, he said, "Leia is going to love you."

"Is your mom coming by too?" Rey asked, looking up at Kylo.

"No."

"Oh," her face fell slightly. Was she disappointed? "I'd like to meet her some time."

"You should come to the charity gala she's throwing," Han suggested. "That's why I'm in town."

"Ben didn't mention it," Rey replied.

Kylo saw her disappointment grow. He scrambled to think of a reason why they couldn't attend. He wouldn't be showing up there, if not to spite his parents, because he also didn't want to do Snoke any favors. Since Maz had told him about Snoke's strange fixation, Kylo had been losing interest in reappearing at the First Order gym. Though he loved fighting, the thought of setting foot in the establishment now made him feel uneasy.

It was as if blinders had been removed from before his eyes. He had started questioning past choices and decisions the organization had made in regards to him. All of them had been at the direct order of Snoke. Kylo was sure the old man was playing some sort of chess game. In his mind, he always kept several steps ahead of his opponent. Since he couldn't battle things out in the ring, he took victories using manipulation and legally binding contracts. Kylo had no interest in being part of either.

"Leia is hosting a charity ball next Saturday night," Han was saying to Rey. "One of those black tie things," he groaned. "She always ropes me into these shindigs. But if you and Ben came along, you'd give me someone to talk to."

"I don't know," Rey rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms. Kylo recognized the gesture. She was embarrassed. A formal event wasn't her typical event and she probably didn't have a dress to wear for it. If she had wanted to go, he'd buy her a dress — hell, he'd buy her a dozen — but not this event. He couldn't show up with his girlfriend at an event that both his parents and his employer were bound to be at. He wasn't ready to confront either.

"Oh, come on," Han encouraged her. "Ever since Lando got blacklisted, I have no one to chat with. Everyone else is so dull."

"Lando?" Rey queried, her interested peaked. "As in Lando Calrissian?"

"The one and only," Kylo's father beamed.

"We're meeting with him today!" Rey announced, unable to contain her excitement. "Ben is taking me on a private tour for my birthday."

"It's your birthday?"

"It was yesterday," Kylo interjected, giving his father a look over Rey's head. This was not going the way he wanted. How much clearer did he need to make it? Han was intruding on his home and his time alone with his girlfriend. He needed to leave.

"Happy Birthday, kid," Han ignored his son, giving her another charming smile.

Kid? Han only ever called him 'kid'. What was with that?

"Thank you!"

"If I had known," his father continued, "I would have gotten you a gift."

Rey started shaking her head, waving her hands back and forth to signal him no. "There's no need. Ben's spoiled me enough."

"Oh?" Han finally met Kylo's eyes.

"Yep," Rey circled her arms around Kylo's midsection once more, giving him a hug. "He sent me and my friends for a nice dinner in the city and then we went clubbing and today we're going to see the best engineering firm in the world!"

Han nodded, a smile gracing his weathered face, but his eyes stayed trained on Kylo. "Sounds like a nice time."

"It was."

"I'm sure Ben will be sure to invite Leia and I next year," Han commented. Kylo didn't miss the dig. "We'd like to celebrate with you both."

"Oh!" Rey was grinning ear to ear. "That would be so nice. I worked for Lei — Senator Organa before I started at Ahch-To."

"You work for Luke?" Kylo watched his father's attention snap to his girlfriend, as recognition dawned on his face.

"Yes," Rey continued, oblivious to how she was playing right into Han's hand. Kylo ground his teeth harder. The sly silver fox was working his charm on Rey, getting all the details he would surely use to report back to his wife. Kylo shook his head, glaring at his father, who ignored him.

"Hope the old farm boy is treating you well," Han chuckled.

"Master Luke is great," she confirmed. "He's been so patient with me."

"Don't know where he gets that from," Han remarked. "The Skywalkers are not a patient bunch, but you already know that. You're with Ben, after all."

Rey hugged Kylo around his side. "Ben's a gentleman. He's been good to me." She informed Han. "What they say about him in the papers is misconstrued. He has a good heart. I think he got that from his parents."

Kylo dropped his glower, glancing down at his girlfriend. She was positively radiant as she spoke about him. There wasn't a single second of hesitation in her answer, just pure adoration and confidence.

If he hadn't been in love with her before, he was in love with her now. He stopped listening to what she was saying and focused on how she said it. The words were meaningless because the look in her eyes and the way she gestured as she talked spoke volumes about how she felt about him. Kylo only saw her in that moment. The fact that his father had interrupted their morning together faded away. The nagging reminder that their delivery was indeed late, no longer held sway over him. No, all of it was unimportant when he had the love of the woman next to him.

She was perfect.

As if the universe wanted to taunt him, a knock came at the door. Kylo blinked, coming back to himself. Rey was still going on about him — about what a skilled fighter he was and how patient of a teacher he had been with her. She wasn't at all affected by the fact their food had finally arrived — another display of how important he was to her. Rey loved food.

"I'll get that," he announced, more to her than Han. Kylo glared at his father one final time, a warning look before kissing the top of Rey's head.

This better be breakfast , he thought angrily, as he stormed out of the kitchen. One interruption is one too many.

The moment Ben left the kitchen, Han approached Rey. Whereas before he had been filled with humor and light in his eyes, his expression was now somber. "I didn't mean to crash your birthday," he apologized. He rubbed the back of his neck, the way she had noticed Ben did sometimes when he was uncomfortable. "I thought if I called and left a message, he'd have the opportunity to call and tell me not to come. At least then I'd get to talk to him."

Rey started to feel the man's anxiety leaking into the air between them. As self-assured as he had always appeared in the media, the man before her seemed to be just as lost as his son. Neither one of them were good with talking about their feelings. It was easier for them to fall back into past habits than try to resolve their lingering issues. As curious as she was to understand what had happened between them, Rey didn't want to ask. She had vowed Ben would tell her when he was ready. She wasn't going to rush him or Han into discussing it.

"He's a very accomplished fighter," Rey beamed with pride, trying to get Han's mind off of Kylo's frosty reception, "despite his temper. If it hadn't been for his altercation with Nines, I never would have gotten the chance to know him — the real him."

Han stared at her, his expression unreadable. There was a glistening to his tired eyes, she recognized as tears. He took a deep breath and for the first time since she had met him, he didn't appear as the cock-sure pilot she had read about or seen on the news. He looked like a tired old man, trying to make peace with something.

"I never did right by him." Han admitted. "I was gone too often, never there when he needed me. Then one day I came home and he was all grown up. He moved out and we lost him." He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing in the silence between them. He took another deep breath. "Just like that."

When he met her gaze again, he no longer wore the amused expression he had upon her entrance to the kitchen. Han was serious now. Rey cleared her throat, moving to lean next to him on the counter.

"Maybe," she admitted. He turned his head to look over at her. "You may have lost him back then," she continued, "but you could reach him now. You're here for a reason, aren't you?"

"Yeah." The man chuckled, ruefully. "Because my ex-wife won't let me stay with her." Running a hand through his hand, he sighed. "What they don't tell you about being a hero is that it ruins your life. You save so many, but there is a cost. The ones you love the most pay for it."

"So tell him that," Rey suggested.

Han regarded her, hands running over each other in front of him, as he contemplated her advice. His hands were covered in calluses, like hers from years working under Plutt. She wondered if under his worn leather jacket if his body was scared from his many adventures. While he wore his physical scars, evidence of his past exploits, her scars were mostly hidden beneath the surface, yet, she felt a kinship to him.

He wasn't a bad man. True, he had failed his son, but it didn't make him bad. Han was here now. There was still time of him to make things right with Ben — to let their past die and start anew.

"I don't know how my son got you," he said, bringing her out of her reverie, "but I'm glad he did."

"That makes two of us."

Grinning, Han nudged her with his shoulder, pushing her slightly off balance. With a laugh, she repeated the gesture, shoving herself into him. He wasn't as easy to move.

"Rey, the food's here," Ben called from the living room.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Rey asked Han, still smiling.

"Nah, I'm going to let you two crazy kids eat in peace," he told her. "Besides, I grabbed a breakfast burrito from Mos Eisley on the way over."

"The bar?"

"Yeah," Han chuckled. "You know it?"

"My friends and I used to go there for Taco Tuesday," she informed him. "Dollar tacos and cheap drinks. It beats ramen and PBR every time."

Han grinned. "I know I said it before," he told her, patting her on the back, "but I like you, kid. I'm glad I got a chance to meet you before Ben screws it all up."

Rey's smile fell off her face. At the same exact moment, Ben stalked into the kitchen. "Get out," he snarled at his father.

"I was only kidding," Han held up his hands.

"No you weren't," Ben hissed. "Get out. Now!"

Before Rey could say anything to either of them, Ben was ushering his father out of the kitchen. She stared at the empty spot where he had been standing only seconds before. With a shrug — she was sure he'd be back — she rose to her tiptoes to search the cabinets for a tea kettle. Why were all of Ben's cabinets so tall? She couldn't reach anything!

On her third try, she found a tea kettle and a box of Earl Grey. It wasn't her Green Tea, but it would do. Using a spatula, she managed to knock both items down from the high shelf and into her waiting arms. She set about making her morning drink, ignoring the rising voices from the living room. There was the sound of a door slamming and then a shouted curse.

Rey took a deep breath and concentrated on figuring out his stove.

"Did you throw your father out?" She asked when Ben came back to the kitchen. She had her back turned to him while she waited for the tea kettle to heat up.

"It's not kicking him out if he wasn't invited in the first place."

"Ben," she laughed, turning around to stare at him. "He's your father."

"Only when it's convenient for him," he grumbled, staring at the floor, like a petulant toddler. Rey held back another laugh. How could a man as large as Ben manage to look like a child?

"He's trying," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest, as she leaned back against the stove top.

"By showing up out of the blue?"

Rey walked over to him, cupping his chin in her palms. "Ben," she said, softly. "Did you see how happy he was to be here?"

Ben mumbled something under his breath, too low for her to hear.

"What?"

He sighed, leaning back and running a hand through his hair. "He's only here because of you. He's probably scouting you out for my mom so they can make a big deal out of this thing."

"This?"

"Us," he gestured to her and then back to himself. "You and me."

"Us," Rey repeated, not hiding her growing smile.

"Because I'm yours," Ben told her, his agitation dissipating as he leaned down, "and you're mine." He pressed his lips to hers gently.

"And it's still my birthday," Rey added, as she pulled back.

He cocked an eyebrow, suspiciously.

"Which means what I say goes," she continued.

His face changed and she could tell he was beginning to put two and two together, but he waited for her to finish.

"And I think it would go a long way if you let your dad come with us to Cloud City."

"No."

"But Ben-."

"No, Rey!"

Her eyes widened and she backed away from him. He hadn't raised his voice to her like that before. Though a part of her wanted to snap right back at him, the initial shock of his fury disarmed her. She hadn't heard him use that tone since she overheard him in his uncle's office. Rey was transported back to the time when he had first arrived at Ahch-To — when he had said he didn't want her at the academy.

Their week together had been perfect, a complete fantasy. Rey had thought it would last forever. She thought they'd stay in their warm little bubble for the rest of their days and it would be magical, because Ben was different. Ben wouldn't abandon her.

It seemed she was wrong.

The all too familiar panic rose in her chest, as her inner demons taunted her. See? Told you he would end up disappointing you. Everyone always does, Rey. No one wants you. They only want to use you. Rey swallowed, trying to ignore the lump forming in her throat. She willed herself not to cry. She couldn't cry — not here, not in his apartment.

Her heart stammered in her chest. Last night she had been beyond excited to see his place, believing it was a step in the right direction for them. Now, she felt confined and trapped. She was nearly an hour away from her apartment — her sanctuary — and her phone was lost somewhere on his bedroom floor, probably hidden under the mess of their discarded clothes. Her body tingled with apprehension. She wanted to leave — wanted to get out of the apartment before he said anymore.

Turning, she walked straight into Ben's chest. He placed his hands on her upper arms, steadying her. Rey was vaguely aware of him staring down at her. She ignored him, fixing her gaze on the tiled floor. Ben swore. "Shit, I'm sorry, Rey. I didn't mean-."

His apology was cut off by the tea kettle whistling. Rey jumped at the sound, startled. She quickly returned her attention to preparing a cup of tea. The warm drink would soothe her rattled nerves and give her something to occupy her shaking hands with. Plus, she didn't want Ben to catch the tears in her eyes. This way, she could keep her back to him a bit longer, just enough time to get her emotions under control until she could figure a way to get home.

"Rey?" He came up behind her, tentatively placing his hands on her hips. She stiffened. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled like that."

She bit back her lower lip.

Ben's temper had gotten better since the day he had blown up in the academy office, but it was still very much a part of him. Rey tried to remind herself Han wasn't a traditional father figure. She tried to justify Ben's reaction, despite her hurt over how he had shouted at her.

Seeing Han here — in his son's home, genuinely interested in what Ben was doing — gave her hope. Perhaps the two could reconcile. If Ben gave his father a chance, perhaps the two could start over and have a relationship. It was what she would have wanted if her parents were ever to resurface. She believed it was what Ben wanted too… deep down.

Ben had told her about his strained relationship with his parents and how he had grown up with them absent for most of his life. She couldn't understand exactly what he had gone through, but she did understand how it felt to be abandoned, as if you weren't good enough for anyone to care for you. As much as Ben had tried to get away from his family, turning his back on them they way they had turned on him, she still saw the scared little boy sometimes. She could sense the hurt and loneliness in him.

"I shouldn't have overstepped," Rey managed to say, hating how her voice cracked as she did. "This is your home and I didn't mean to ruin your plans for today by inviting him."

"Rey," Ben pressed a kiss to the back of her head. "Sweetheart, if you want him to come with us, he can. It's your birthday. It's your choice."

She closed her eyes, taking stock of the moment. Rey felt him holding her, could smell his sweaty skin in the air around her, and could hear (and feel) his deep slow breaths. She appreciated the closeness of him, the careful way he had wrapped himself around her, overwhelming all her senses as he apologized. The Ben Solo she had met back in June would never have apologized to her and never so hastily after an argument.

"If there is an us," she told him, "then we need to start making choices as an us."

"Us," he repeated, as if tasting the word for the first time.

"Yeah," she enveloped her arms around his, keeping him firmly in place. "Us."

"Us," he said again. "I like the sound of it. It sounds like a future."

"Oh and girlfriend doesn't sound like a future thing?" she teased, dropping her arms.

"Of course it does," he insisted, trying to force her arms back into their former position where he was hugging her and she was hugging him against her. "But us sounds more…"

"Long term?" Rey offered, biting her lip after she said it. She mentally kicked herself for being so transparent. She didn't want to scare him. They had just had sex for the first time (and several times afterwards). There was no need to rush into any other major milestone discussions so quickly.

Like living together? a traitorous voice in her head chimed in.

Speaking of living together. Where was Han?

"Ben?" Rey began, "where exactly is your father?"

"In the spare bedroom."

"So the door slamming?"

"It was me. I told him to stay in there until I figured out what to do with him."

"Did he take his duffle with him?" Rey asked, thinking back on her conversation with Han.

"Yeah," Ben nodded. "Why?"

Her face broke into a large grin. "Because I'm pretty sure he's RSVP-ing for us to your mother's charity ball as we speak."

Ben's nostrils flared. "Shit!" He wheeled around and made for the spare bedroom, while Rey laughed.

A/N: I know a lot of you were expecting Snoke at the door and yes, he is going to make an appearance, but not yet. *evil laugh*. As always, thanks to my beta, abyssalspark.