Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter. Obviously, this is the wedding chapter. Now, some parts may be a little "sappy", but, hey, I'm a helpless romantic and I honestly do enjoy writing romantic scenes, so…
Let's get to it.
Irishman1996: I won't spoil anything about Palpatine's return. Also, I won't spoil if Jacen/Kylo Ren will be redeemed
Ty: I'm uncertain if I'm going to include Tenel Ka or Allana. If I am, though, you'll find out soon.
Chapter 64- A Wedding
(March 31, 2051)
As the sun rises over Samuel Adams' property, people are bustling about the property, rushing to get the last of the decorations set up as the sun rises further and the sky gets lighter and lighter. Because today is the day of Ben and Rey's wedding.
In the backyard, at the spot where the ceremony is going to be held, Calvin's wife Riley is in the middle of directing people to get all the seats up while Calvin himself tries to help get the flower-decorated arch into position.
"Come on, guys! Put your back into it, boys!" Riley calls out.
"We are putting our backs into it!" Calvin and Andrew's son Kevin shout back in unison as they are trying to push the arch upright. The arch is a little heavier than they expected. The two heave one more time and manage to get it upright and balanced.
"Yes!" Kyle cheers as he pats the arch, satisfied with himself.
"Umm, it's not positioned right. Move it a foot back and maybe six inches to the right," Riley says.
"Babe! Really?" Calvin cries out in exasperation.
"Sorry, babe. It all needs to be right," Riley says with a mischievous smirk on her face.
"Really, Aunt Riley?" Kyle blurts out.
"Get to it, boys," Riley says as she laughs and turns away to the cousins who are finishing setting up the chairs.
Calvin and Kyle look at each other and shake their heads. "I swear…" Kyle says, trailing off as he shakes his head again.
"Come on, let's do it," Calvin says. Together, the two start shuffling the arch across the grass to get into position.
Meanwhile, in the house, Ben is fixing his tie into place. He had debated whether he wanted to wear a traditional suit, or his Jedi robes. Eventually, his mom had convinced him to go with a suit since she thought it looked better for a wedding, but Ben was still not the biggest fan of his suit.
"Ben, can you help me with this?" Ben turns around and sees his cousin Kyle, who is his best man, struggling with his tie. Ben chuckles and walks over to his cousin. In just a few seconds, Ben has the tie perfectly tied. "Show off," Kyle mutters, which draws a laugh from Ben.
Ben looks over at his only other groomsman: Anakin Hall, who Ben had gotten to be good friends with over the years. Anakin is leaned against a wall on the far side of the room, in the process of solving a Rubik's cube, but holding it in midair with the Force and using the Force to manipulate the cube to solve it. Anakin had actually gotten pretty good at solving Rubik's Cubes, and had managed to solve 6x6 and dodecahedral cubes.
"Are you ready, Anakin?" Ben asks.
"Almost," Anakin responds. A few seconds later, he makes the final slip, and the cube is solved. Anakin tosses it aside with the Force and turns to face Ben. "Alright. I'm ready," he says with a smirk. Ben just rolls his eyes.
"Alright. You two, go make sure everything's getting ready. I need a moment alone," Ben says.
Kyle and Anakin both nod in response before they head out of the room. After they close the door, Ben sits down in one of the chairs and pulls out his phone. As he does, he does a few deep breaths to help try and calm his nerves. He then pulls out his phone and pulls up his photo gallery. The photo he pulls up is a photo of himself and Rey, taken at a NCAA March Madness basketball game on the court right after the game. He smiles down at the photo, happy memories flooding through his mind. At last, he's going to marry Rey. Even though it's only been two months since they got together and got engaged, he knows that in his heart, he's wanted this for a much longer time.
After a moment, he takes one more deep breath and closes the photo. He then goes back to his notepad on his phone and starts rehearsing his vows again.
Meanwhile, in another room in the house that is serving as the bride's room, Rey is in the walk-in closet serving as a changing room, finishing getting into her wedding dress. She's already done with her hair and makeup, and now is on the last step of the process. Using the Force to manipulate the buttons and straps in the back, she can do it without help. That way, she can surprise her bridal party, something Kelly had insisted on.
"Are you almost done, Rey?" Rey hears Kelly's voice call from the main room.
"Almost," Rey calls back. She finishes using the Force to fasten the buttons in the back. Then, she turns to look at herself in the mirror.
As she does, she feels some tears come to her eyes, and she can't help but cover her mouth with her hands. Her dress looks perfect. It's an A-line wedding dress, with a halter neckline and a skirt that flows a bit more. The bodice has some slight ruffles meant to resemble the outfit she wore for so long on Jakku. The bodice is decorated with some flowery designs in a slightly golden color, and she's wearing a belt decorated with fake jewels. Her hair is braided a little in the back, but mostly has been let free to flow and curled slightly.
As she looks at herself, Rey feels the tears begin to flow. With the rough life that she's lived, she had never really had a chance to feel beautiful. And now, she does.
She's not sure how long she stands there, but she's brought back to reality when she hears Kelly call out, "Rey, do you need any help?"
"No, I'm okay. I'm coming out," Rey calls back. She takes a deep breath before she opens the door and walks out.
As she walks out into the room, she sees Kelly, who is obviously her maid of honor, sitting just a few feet from the door, already wearing her bridesmaid dress. A few feet away from Kelly is Jared Hansen's daughter Brooklyn, who is serving as Rey's other bridesmaid. Rey had met Brooklyn not long after she first came to Earth when she was introduced to the Terran Jedi Order. Since then, the two had become friends, and Brooklyn was the only other woman that Rey felt close enough to ask to be a bridesmaid.
As Rey walks out, Kelly and Brooklyn both look at her and the biggest smiles break out on their faces. "Oh my gosh, you look beautiful, Rey! I love it!" Brooklyn almost squeals in excitement.
Kelly stands up and walks over to Rey. "You look wonderful, Rey. I am so proud of you, and so happy that you are joining our family," she says in a softer voice.
Rey feels more tears come to her eyes, and she embraces Kelly. "Thank you, mom," she says with a voice full of emotion. Kelly smiles and holds her tightly in return.
When they finally separate, Kelly smiles at her and says, "Alright. Let's get those last finishing touches done, and then let's get ready to head out to the ceremony spot."
As Rey and her bridesmaids finish getting ready, the guests invited to the wedding have all arrived and are making their way out to the backyard to find their seats, as the ceremony is soon to begin. The guests include members of the Terran Jedi Order, members of the Adams family, family friends of the Adams family, and members of the Resistance who had been asked to come to Earth to attend. Several American politicians and world dignitaries that know the Skywalkers or are good friends with Samuel Adams have also been invited and are present.
As guests are milling about and taking their seats, Ben makes his way up the aisle towards the arch. Although the nerves are definitely still there, he's starting to get extremely excited, and extremely impatient for the ceremony to start.
As he's about halfway up the aisle, Ben runs into President Nantz, who was obviously invited due to his position as the president of the US and an old friend of the Skywalkers from his time in the Marines. President Nantz is in the midst of a conversation with Emperor Hisahito of Japan, who had been invited due to having become friends with Kelly during the years since Luke's exile.
The two men turn towards Ben, and President Nantz gives him a big smile and a confident clap on the shoulder. "Good to see you, Ben. You ready for this?" he asks.
"Definitely ready, Mr. President. Scared out of my mind, but ready," Ben responds confidently.
Both Nantz and Hisahito laugh a little bit. "Only a fool isn't scared on their wedding day. Don't worry, my boy. You just stay committed to this and to your new wife, and you'll do fine," Nantz says as he laughs.
Emperor Hisahito then speaks up and says, "Marriage is a very scary endeavour. But dedication to each other will keep you going."
"Were you two scared when you got married?" Ben asks.
"Absolutely," Nantz says with a laugh.
"Of course I was," Hisahito adds.
Ben laughs a little bit before he says, "Well, at least I'm not alone."
"Well, you'd better get up there. Ceremony will be starting soon," Nantz says as he claps him on the back again. Ben nods and heads towards the arch as Nantz and Hisahito move to take their seats in the crowd.
Ben makes it just a few feet further down the aisle before he runs into someone he'd been hoping to see. Leia, dressed in a flowing dark green dress and with a big smile on her face. "There's my favorite nephew," she says as she pulls him into a big hug. Ben chuckles a bit as he returns the hug.
"Thank you so much for coming, Aunt Leia. I know that the Resistance has a lot going on, so thank you for taking the time to come," Ben thanks his aunt.
"Of course. There's no way I'd miss my own nephew's wedding and miss welcoming a new member of the family," Leia says. She then lowers her voice a bit and asks, "How is Rey doing with the baby?" Ben and Rey hadn't told a lot of people about the pregnancy, but they had told their family, including Leia.
"She's doing alright. Still dealing with a little bit of morning sickness, but she's glad that she's going to be done with the wedding before the end of the first trimester," Ben says with a slight chuckle.
"I'm sure," Leia chuckles as well, a few memories of her own pregnancy with the twins rushing through her mind and feeling a great sense of sympathy for Rey.
After a moment, she smiles at Ben and says, "Well, you better take your place. The ceremony is going to start soon." Ben nods and turns to head back to the arch, while Leia turns to find her seat.
As Ben gets to the arch, Ahsoka is there waiting for him, wearing a long, flowing blue dress. As Grandmaster of the Terran Jedi and a good family friend, Ahsoka had been asked to perform the wedding ceremony. "Good morning, Ben. You ready for this?" she asks.
"As ready as I can be," he responds.
"Good. Just stand there and try to listen to me," Ahsoka says with a little bit of a laugh.
A few moments later, Calvin walks up to the front of the aisle and calls out, "Can everyone please take their seats? We'll be starting in a few moments."
Everyone moves to take their seats. Ben nervously fidgets with his tie a bit before focusing his attention on the end of the aisle.
After about a minute, several musicians hired for the occasion begin playing their instruments, playing the song "Can't Help Falling in Love With You", Ben and Rey's favorite love song and one they felt described their love story.
After a few moments, at the end of the aisle, to Ben's surprise, his cousin Kevin appears. Ben is a little confused, since he couldn't remember giving Kevin a specific role in the wedding. Then, Kevin pulls a pair of shades out and slides them on. Then, he pulls back his suit coat, showing a fanny pack around his waist. He then begins strutting down the aisle, walking in an exaggerated cocky way, occasionally tossing out flower petals.
People in the crowd begin to laugh at the sight, and Ben momentarily turns away, hand on his forehead as he laughs. Figures his cousin would do something to try and embarrass him and bring humor to the ceremony.
As Kevin reaches the end of the aisle, he laughs and gives him a quick hug. Ben laughs a bit too, but whispers in Kevin's ear, "You are so dead after this."
Kevin steps aside and makes way for the people to come. Ben refocuses on the aisle, right as Anakin and Brooklyn enter the aisle, Brooklyn with her arm laced through Anakin's. Both are smiling brilliantly, and Ben can see a look of pride on both their faces as they look right at him. Following not far behind them is Kyle and Kelly.
As Kelly reaches the end of the aisle, she looks at Ben with a look of such pride that it almost makes him tear up. They exchange emotional smiles with each other before Kelly takes her place.
And then, just a moment later, Ben sees the most beautiful thing he's ever seen in his life. As he's looking at the end of the aisle, Rey appears in her wedding dress. At her side is Luke, who Rey has asked to walk her down the aisle.
Ben feels a surge of emotions as he focuses on Rey walking down the aisle. Both of them are just completely focused on each other, drawn into each other's eyes. It what feels like only a second, Rey is at the end of the aisle.
Luke hands over Rey to Ben, clapping his son on the shoulder before taking his seat. Ben and Rey then face each other, just staring at each other with love and joy.
After asking everyone to take their seats, Ahsoka begins the ceremony, "Friends and family from across galaxies, we are glad to have you here today to celebrate the union of Ben Skywalker and Rey in marriage. Love is the greatest force in this universe, and here today, Ben and Rey are here to show their love for each other and prove their dedication to each other."
As Ahsoka continues speaking, Ben and Rey can hardly hear her. They are just so focused on each other that they can hardly hear anything, and it feels like the world is just fading away around them. It's not until they hear Ahsoka say, "And now, Ben and Rey will exchange the vows that they have written for each other," that they refocus on what's happening around them.
Ben smiles as he takes a deep breath, hoping that he doesn't forget anything from his vows, before he begins to speak, "Rey, from the moment I first met you, I knew there was something special about you. But I never could've imagined where our paths together would take us. I never expected that I would fall so deeply in love with you. But I have, and my life has become the better for it. You have shown me a side of myself that I didn't know was there, and have made me a happier, better man. I promise that, come what may, I will always be by your side. I will be your friend, your confidant, your support, and your strength. I will love you always, and stay true and faithful to the end. I love you, Rey."
By the end, Rey is crying. It takes her a moment, and a gesture from Ahsoka, before she wipes her eyes and begins her vows, "Ben, for the first 18 years of my life, I didn't know what love was. All I had known was loneliness. When I first met you and your father, you showed me what it meant to be family. You made me want that feeling of family. But I never thought this is what would happen. I never expected to fall in love with you. And as I did, I wasn't sure how to deal with it. The day I knew you loved me in return was the happiest day of my life. I may not know all about life like you do, but I know that life with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I never want it to end. I will stand by you forever, as your companion, lover, and friend, no matter what obstacles lie in our path. And I promise to love you forever."
There is a few moments of silence where nobody speaks, and Ben and Rey just look at each other with passion in their eyes. Then, Ahsoka, with the biggest smile on her face, "That was beautiful." Ben and Rey chuckle a bit.
"Now, on to the final part," Ahsoka says before she looks at Ben and says, "Ben Skywalker, do you take Rey as your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish for the rest of your lives?"
"Yes, I do," Ben answers.
Turning to Rey, Ahsoka asks, "Rey, do you take Ben Skywalker as your lawful wedded husband, to love and to cherish for the rest of your lives?"
"I do," Rey answers.
"The, by the authority granted me as Grandmaster of the Terran Jedi Order, I hereby declare you husband and wife. Ben, you may kiss your bride," she says.
Ben smiles as he brings Rey into an embrace and kisses her more passionately than he has since the night of their engagement, and she returns the kiss with equal passion. As they kiss, the entire crowd stands up and begins applauding and cheering.
As the two separate, Ahsoka calls out, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Ben and Rey Skywalker!" This brings a fresh round of cheering from the crowd, and brilliant smiles from Ben and Rey as they face their guests. Today is a good day, and at last, Ben and Rey are married.
And, I'll end the chapter there. I didn't want it to get too long.
I hope you liked this one. As I said at the beginning, I'm a bit of a helpless romantic, so I enjoy writing chapters like this. I also hope you liked my little bit of Kevin goofing off as the flower boy. Because my brother did something very similar at my own wedding, I decided to include that bit.
Next chapter will be up soon. Until it's up, please leave a review, and stay tuned!