CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Despite Finn's best efforts to convince Poe to take things slow, only one more day passes before Poe declares himself no longer bedridden. Thus he arrives a few minutes late to breakfast, walking gingerly, clearly favoring his right arm, and only jokingly requesting applause for his bravery. He makes it through the entire hour-long meal — a luxurious affair compared to the frenzied scarfing down of food that was standard in wartime — before reluctantly admitting he needs a nap, and leaving Finn to run the base in his absence, though there's not much to run. It seems no one on any nearby planet is in dire need of assistance at the moment, which is a welcome break for everyone still on the base.

With no one in distress to attend to, the entire week ends up being marked by Poe's progressive improvement. He makes it to both breakfast and lunch by the third day, and by the fourth when he appears for dinner, Jannah makes a joke that it seems he's more motivated by food than he is his friends' company. By the fifth day, he and Finn take a short afternoon walk — BB-8 trailing cautiously behind them — and by the sixth day, they spend a full two hours visiting with everybody still left on the base.

This is, of course, a much easier undertaking now than it was a few weeks ago. At least three quarters of the people who were here at the end of the war are gone. The innumerable sea of faces Rey was met with when she exited the X-Wing have ebbed to a few now-familiar ones. The base feels larger, with so much more empty space, but the community feels distinctly smaller. And news travels quicker, with fewer ears to reach. That, as it turns out, is a positive for Rey and Ben.

Poe had been the missing piece, the final vote of confidence that convinced the people on the base that they're safe with Ben here. Those same rebels who used to turn their backs or eye him warily when he passed now wave, some say hi, even the most suspicious give him a nod of acknowledgement. Poe's newfound trust has had a similar effect on Ben himself, proving to him that he's really safe here as well. He walks around the base at full height now, he laughs out loud when Rose makes jokes at dinner, he reacts with his full face when Jannah tells stories of her time with Company 77.

Everything is different now. Everything is better.

So on the week anniversary of Poe's brush with death, it doesn't come as much of a shock that he announces tonight will be the night of their long-awaited party.

"We expect every single one of you in attendance," Finn says as he finishes the last of his breakfast.

"Or else," Poe adds in mock threat as he rises from the table and snatches an extra roll.

"As if there's any chance we'd miss it," Rose says.

"We've only been trying for it for, what, three weeks?" Jannah asks.

"Almost four," Rose frowns.

"Yeah, well I tried for the fall of the First Order for years before it happened. Some things take time." Poe takes a huge bite out of the roll before offering the rest of it to Finn, who has also stood up and is now working out a kink in his neck.

"Get some rest this afternoon because we're staying up all night," Finn says.

"That's an order," Poe adds as the two of them turn to leave.

"Yes, sir," Rose salutes.

"Oh, and by the way, just one more small detail," Poe turns back to face the rest of them. "This isn't just a party. It's also our wedding."


"I have to be honest I have no clue what to expect." Rey examines her cleanest, least-tattered pants-and-tunic set as Ben pulls the only shirt he hasn't accidentally torn in a training session over his head.

"I have a feeling it's not going to be quite like the few weddings I attended as a child," Ben muses.

"What were those like?"

"Formal, long, in new clothes usually."

"Well, I don't think this is going to be anything like that then," Rey says as she pulls at a loose thread on one of her arm wrappings.

She really should retire them. They're becoming so threadbare in spots that she doubts they could even protect her against the elements if she somehow found herself on another harsh desert planet. They can't even protect against the cold on particularly breezy nights here.

Still, they're comfortable and she feels oddly exposed without them, despite their lack of function or practicality.

"No," Ben laughs, pulling her back into the moment, "this one might actually be fun."

Rey chuckles at that. She doesn't need to tell Ben he's right.

"If I know Poe and Finn, then I doubt this wedding will be anything but fun."

She gives her shirt a final tug before bending down to put on her shoes.

"Have you ever been to one?" Ben asks. "A wedding?"

Rey thinks back to those empty swaths of desert, to the small groups of people passing through or trapped there, barely making eye contact with each other. She glimpses a flash of an image through her sand-dusted memory. A small group of revelers, a man and a woman at the center of them all, celebratory music played on broken instruments.

"I've seen them from a distance. Or, I've seen one from a distance. It seemed nice from what I can remember. I don't think I gave it much thought beyond that."

"Did you ever think about if you…" Ben trails off, a tinge of embarrassment coming through the bond, but before Rey can interpret its source, the bond closes off.

"We're probably going to be late if we don't head over soon," he says. "It sounds like everyone's starting to gather."

"Right. Do I look okay?"

Ben crosses the room to her in three strides.

"More than okay," he smiles, "always."

He hunches down to close the gap between them and she lifts herself onto her tiptoes so automatically it's practically instinct. Their lips meet, and as he wraps an arm around her waist, his hand secure and steady on her back as if she could possibly need help keeping her balance, she thinks she doesn't really mind if they just stay here for a while instead.

"We shouldn't be late," Ben says the words against her lips, barely moving to pull his mouth from hers.

"No, we really shouldn't."

Neither of them bothers to move, lips almost touching, not quite kissing but not quite… not.

She's about to suggest something. She's not even sure what she's about to suggest, but she can feel words forming, an invitation… when a bang on the door startles her out of it.

"We're about to start! Come on out, you two!" Jannah calls from the other side of the door.

"Or, get decent, then come out," Rose adds.

Rey can practically see Rose waggling her eyebrows suggestively even through the steel doors.

"Our friends are ridiculous," Ben rolls his eyes as if that will hide the tinge of pink on his cheeks.

He says it so casually Rey almost misses the significance.

Our friends. Not the "your friends" she's become accustomed to him saying. Our friends.

"What?" Ben asks, eyeing Rey quizzically.

"Nothing," she smiles. "We should probably get out there before our friends make any more innuendos."

She grabs Ben's hand, not bothering to stifle the grin spreading rapidly across her face.


The clearing is as beautiful as a base camp can possibly be. It's been modestly decorated with spare lanterns and flashlights carefully balanced in nearby trees. All the seats they usually use for meetings have been dragged to the center and dusted off. They're far past the capability of being polished, but at least they look clean for the first time in weeks. The ceremonial platform has been set up once again, spare fabric that looks like someone's bedsheets are draped across the floor.

The sun is just close enough to setting that it casts a golden glow on the entire scene.

Rey and Ben make their way through the growing crowd, waving and nodding hellos as they pass through, hands laced together tightly the whole time.

Everyone has put on whatever their version of their best outfit is, and Rose and Jannah have already claimed seats in the front row. When they spot Rey and Ben they wave them down and motion for the seats next to them.

Rey feels a little bit like she's floating. There's something about the atmosphere, the collective mood of everyone on that base that she's never quite experienced before. Yes, there was jubilation right after the battle of Exegol, but that was mixed with an equal amount of exhaustion and grief. There have been light-hearted times, bursts of laughter over dinner, jokey remarks made during meetings. There was the joy she felt when Ben was allowed to stay.

But this is something different. This feels devoid of all the baggage of war, of the wariness of a moment's relaxation. This feels… free. No one here is guarded or hedging their bets or waiting for the next disaster to befall them. No one is expecting the worst anymore.

"Imagine if everything felt like this everyday," Ben whispers in her ear as they take their seats.

"A person could go mad from so much happiness," she laughs a little disbelievingly.

"I think we'd be alright."

He's still hovering by her ear, closer than he needs to be. She leans in a little. Just enough to give him access to the full side of her head. He presses his lips to her temple, lingering for a moment as if they're in private rather than sitting in the front row of an all base gathering. He pulls back and puts a hand on her knee in one fluid motion.

"Yeah," he says, "we'd be fine."

The ceremony is short and one of the most beautiful things Rey has ever seen. Actually, it's so short Rey isn't even sure if it can be classified as a ceremony.

Finn and Poe only keep their guests waiting a few minutes more before walking down the makeshift aisle together, hand in hand. They stand on the platform looking awestruck and assured and in love. Maz stands between them and says a few words about commitment and partnership and all the other things Finn and Poe have already proven themselves to be so good at, and asks if they pledge themselves to each other. And really, they don't even need to say their "I do"s for everyone to already know as much. But they say it anyway, and everyone cheers. And then Poe gives Finn the ring he always wears around his neck, explaining that it was his mother's, then his, and now Finn's, and everyone cries. And then Maz pronounces them married and everyone cheers even harder than before.

And everything is perfect.

The glow of the sunset has faded into a dusky periwinkle by the time everyone has pushed their chairs to the edge of the clearing, turning the makeshift ceremony space into a makeshift reception space.

Rey stands in a little huddle with Rose and Kaydel and Jannah as they await their turn to congratulate Finn and Poe who are making the rounds. She's only half-listening to their idle chatter, distracted by Ben, who is across the clearing helping Lando and C-3PO finish setting up the night's drink selection, which mostly just consists of all the half-drunk bottles of booze everyone had been willing to donate from their personal stashes.

The lanterns are practically functioning as spotlights, illuminating tiny patches of the outskirts of the clearing, where a few revelers are standing, laughing freely and watching Finn and Poe as they move from group to group. The buoyant energy of the ceremony has only intensified. The entire planet seems to be encased in a bubble of joy.

This is the reason, Rey thinks, for why they even bothered to go to war in the first place. This is peace. This is the point.

She watches Lando place one hand on Ben's shoulder and another on C-3PO's, saying something that makes himself and the droid laugh and Ben blush, before Poe's voice rings out a foot away from her.

"My favorite ladies!" he exclaims, sounding like he may have already taken a shot or four of something.

"You're not supposed to show favoritism, General," Kaydel laughingly chides.

"We're not generals tonight," Poe says. "Just newlyweds."

"I should note that this is in no way a formal abdication of our roles on the base," Finn interjects, sounding half as drunk and twice as gleeful.

"Congratulations," Rose laughs. "We won't hold a tribunal tomorrow if this is just a temporary abandonment of your posts."

Poe and Finn salute in tandem and burst into laughter when they realize, which only serves to make everybody else laugh as well.

They're still laughing when Ben arrives with five metal cups in his hands. He hands the cups out to Rose, Kaydel, and Jannah, taking care not to spill the liquid inside.

"What's so funny?" he asks as he gives the fourth cup to Rey.

"Nothing," she turns to him and wraps her free arm around his. "Everything."

That seems to be a good enough answer for Ben, who simply smiles and bends down for a kiss.

She doesn't mind the audience or the exaggerated whoops coming from Poe and Jannah. In fact she feels a little like Poe and Finn must have today — on display, and proud of it — despite the fact that it's not much more than a simple peck.

Rey pulls back when she realizes she's dangerously close to spilling her drink.

"Okay," she says, a little red in the face as she lifts her cup. "To Finn and Poe!"

"To Finn and Poe!" the others all echo.

They clink their glasses together and drink, and Rey thinks that she could live a whole lifetime and never get enough moments like this.


One toast to Finn and Poe turns into another, then another, then another, and it doesn't take long for the party to get into full swing. Old drinking songs are sung, makeshift instruments are played, everyone dances at least a little bit.

Rey does it all. She dances with Ben and Chewie and Kaydel and Ben again. She laughs at Poe's jokes and tries to follow along with the song Lando teaches them. She holds Ben's hand and lets it go when he trots off to fetch them more drinks. And when he catches her staring at him from across the clearing as he pours wine for Beaumont and Maz, she only blushes for a second before she smiles at him and beckons all three of them to rejoin the group. She laughs loudly and trips over her feet and sings off-key and relishes the feeling of being totally carefree.

The whole world is swirling a little by the time Rey and Ben get a second alone.

They're walking along the edge of the clearing now, taking a few minutes' worth of a break from the center of the action. They walk in comfortable silence, resting their voices, until they come to a stop underneath a lantern that bathes them in a shallow pool of light.

They'll rejoin their friends and throw themselves back into the raucous fray soon, but it's nice to be able to stand back for a second and absorb the night in a way she'll be able to remember. It's so hard to see properly from the middle of it all.

Ben squeezes Rey's hand. She looks away from the golden glow of the party and up at him.

"Hey," he says, when their eyes meet each other.

There's something so relaxed in his demeanor right now. She tries not to think it in a way that he would hear through the bond. She doesn't want to mar this moment with regret and reminiscence. But every now and then, all the weight of those lost years of his life seems to disappear, and for a moment, she can see a glimmer of who Ben could have been — unburdened and unhaunted — in some different, unknowable version of history. It's never for longer a second or two, only enough for a bittersweet glimpse, but she cherishes those seconds all the same.

"Hey," she says, instead of any of that.

"Is this turning out to be all you'd imagined?"

Something about the way he says it tells her he isn't just asking about the party.

"Even better." She beams as she stretches to her tiptoes to kiss him.


The party goes on later than anyone has stayed up in months, until the last bottle of alcohol is gone and the last lantern has flickered out and everyone's throats are raw from singing. The slight chill in the air is enough to keep anyone from overheating and the stars are plentiful enough that no one quite misses the lanterns.

It's not until things are starting to wind down that Poe pulls Rey and Ben aside, claiming he wants their help in making sure they've gotten the good out of every bottle.

"You already know it's all gone," Rey laughs, her cheeks warm and her hand loosely intertwined with Ben's.

"Yeah, well, pretend it's not and come with me anyway," Poe says.

With no further explanation, he leads them away from the circle of revelers watching Rose and Jannah attempt (poorly) to explain the steps of the new dance they've invented and toward the empty bar, where Finn seems to be waiting for them.

"See?" Rey turns to Poe once they've come to a stop. "Every bottle's empty."

"Not that any of us really needed more anyway," Ben adds, correctly.

"Okay, fine, so that was a ruse to get you two alone," Poe says.

"And not a very good one," Finn adds. "But it'll all make sense in a second."

At that, Poe reaches into his pocket and presents a key strung through a length of cord. It's unassuming in every way, but the reverence with which Poe is holding it, the expectant glint in Finn's eyes, and the overly-wide grins both men are sporting tells Rey that this key must hold some yet unrevealed meaning.

Before Rey can ask why exactly they're making such a fuss over a single key, Poe launches into a speech.

"Now that Finn and I are an old married couple, we've gotten to thinking that maybe we'd like more of a proper home than the Falcon can provide. It's becoming clear that all of our time on the base is coming to a close, so soon enough we'll be figuring out where we want to live and setting up something a little more permanent. And until then, I'm still better off in the medical room. Which means…"

Poe tosses the key to Ben, who catches it with his free hand.

"The Falcon's all yours," Finn says.

Rey can hardly believe her ears. In fact she's certain for a second that the alcohol has gone to her head. Can drinking too much cause hallucinations? Is all of this some fever dream that's finally taken one too-good-to-be-true turns too many?

Ben must be similarly dumbfounded. All he can manage to say is "the Falcon doesn't have a key."

"I know," Poe laughs. "It's symbolic."

Rey looks up at Ben and watches him turn the key in his hand, staring at it as if it's crusted in precious gems.

"You still need a ship," she says to Poe.

"I do. But I'm thinking I'll find something more sleek. More modern. More Poe."

Finn performs the most loving eye-roll Rey's ever seen at that.

"The Falcon belongs to you two," he says. "It always should have."

"Technically it should belong to Chewie," Rey replies.

"Extra-technically it should be Lando's," Ben mumbles.

"I asked both of them already. They claimed they don't want it," Poe says. "Think of this as my wedding gift."

"Aren't we supposed to be the ones giving you gifts for your wedding?" Rey asks.

"You are! You're getting this old bucket of bolts off my hands."

Poe winks and offers no further explanation, as if that settles it.

Rey looks back up at Ben in disbelief, and he pulls his eyes from the non-functional key in his hand to look down at Rey. She could open the bond to ask him what they're supposed to do now, but all it takes is the slightest upturn at the side of Ben's mouth for her to know.

They have a home now. Together.

"Thank you," Rey says. She's not sure how she accomplishes the nearly impossible task of looking away from the smile blooming on Ben's face, but somehow she manages. "Both of you."

"We can't— I can't ever repay—" Ben chokes out.

"You don't need to," Finn says.

Rey moves first, but Ben is close behind, and suddenly they've closed the short distance between themselves and the two men, and all four of them are hugging. She feels Ben tighten his grip on the hand he's still holding, and she does the same.

The bond slips open the tiniest bit, not enough for a full conversation, but Rey can just barely make out a few words of Ben's thoughts.

Wildest dreams, she thinks she hears.


Rey and Ben stagger back to their room less than an hour later.

The party really had been almost over and saying their goodbyes hadn't taken long once they realized they were the soberest of all their friends.

Poe had urged them to stay in the Falcon tonight, but Rey had refused, citing the logistics of moving all their things so late at night and the ache in her feet from all the revelry.

While all of that was true, there was also a third reason she didn't particularly care to share with Finn and Poe — she'd been rather eager to get some true alone time with Ben for several hours and she didn't want to delay that for even another hour more.

And now, as they stumble toward their room, Ben wrapping a steadying arm around Rey's waist and her leaning into his very warm side and him bending down to kiss the top of her head, and her giggling in a way she's not sure she ever has, Rey's certain she made the right choice.

Her lips are on his before they've even fully stepped through the threshold.

His hands are firmly planted on her hips before the door has clicked shut.

There's an energy in the room that she's felt grow stronger day by day. Now it's so tangible she feels as though she could reach out and grab it.

She settles for running her hands through his hair instead.

She's not sure how long they stay like that, up against the door, moving in tandem, but it's long enough for her to forget the aching in her feet and the chill in the room and the fact that there's anyone on this planet beside the two of them.

Ben shifts, just a little, just enough to pick her up. Her legs lock around him automatically.

He carries her over to the bed and sits her down on the edge. She finds herself vaguely disappointed to not be lying down yet, until he sinks to his knees and takes off her shoes for her one by one.

"Ben," Rey barely recognizes the breathy rasp her voice has turned into. "What are we doing?"

"I don't know." He kisses her knee. "Whatever you want."

They lock eyes and it doesn't take her more than half a second to make her decision.

"Get in this bed with me," she says. "And please take your shirt off."

The speed with which Ben — grinning, giddy even — follows her instructions is almost dizzying.

One second, she's sitting shoeless on the edge of the bed and the next her head is settling onto the pillow, body pressed against Ben's firm, bare chest.

They're kissing again, more intensely, if that can be possible. Ben wraps a giant hand around her waist, runs it up to her ribcage. She deepens the kiss and her whole body feels charged, buzzing.

The layers between them disappear quickly — her tunic, his pants, her pants, until only her arm wrappings and their threadbare undergarments remain.

She pushes herself closer to him until they are fully pressed together. That familiar warmth spreads through her as her stomach does those oddly pleasant flips it always does when they're like this, so close, connected in every way. Almost every way.

He shifts just a little, using only a fraction of his strength, so that she rolls from her side to her back and he hovers above her, holding himself up on his elbows. He opens his mouth and she takes the opportunity to slide her tongue in, his meeting hers immediately.

She can sense his emotions — it's especially easy when she's this close to him, otherwise she might be too distracted to pick up on any of them. And everything she senses in him, sends relief to her. Because they're feeling the same. The exact same passion, the same care, the same desire. His mind is moving in all the directions hers has been since they left the party. Since long before that, if she's being honest.

She knows what comes next, more or less. But as she feels Ben's thumb curl around her hipbone, and his mouth attach itself to her neck… as she realizes just how little is left between them, rational thought returns to her just enough to help her form a sentence.

"Ben wait," she gasps, and he pulls his hand back as if she'd just threatened to slice it off.

"Yes?" he asks, lifting himself up enough to look her straight in the eye. His gaze is hazy, and heartbreakingly soft. Even without the force bond, she'd be able to read his thoughts — they're written all over his face. He thinks she's changed her mind. He thinks she doesn't want this. Or possibly even him.

"I just want you know," she reaches out, places a hand on his chest. "I've never… all of this is new for me. I haven't—"

"You want to stop."

"No!" Rey says perhaps a bit too aggressively.

"No?"

She's fairly certain the color of her cheeks would put a bled kyber crystal to shame.

"No," she tries again, more calmly. "I just wanted to make sure you knew."

"Oh. Well then." A crooked smile breaks out on his face and Rey thinks she could look at him like this, smiling and inches above her, forever. "I haven't either."

"Never?"

Ben moves back to her neck as he shakes his head, his hair brushing against her cheek so softly it almost tickles.

"But I'm glad I haven't," he moves to her earlobe and a shiver runs through her. "I was told once that it's best with someone you love."

He doesn't see as a wave of emotions too big for Rey to sort out washes over her, but she's sure he feels it.

They've as good as said it to each other before. They've acknowledged the depth of their bond, they've fought for each other, died for each other, and even better — lived for each other. But neither one has ever said the actual words. Never spoken so plainly about exactly what this is between them.

It's love. Both of them know it, have known it for a long time. But somehow, right now doesn't seem like the time to deliver a monologue on fate and destiny and forever, so she opts instead for another question.

"Do you think that's true?" she asks.

She can feel him smile as he kisses down her arm, landing at one of the wrappings she always wears.

"I guess we're about to find out," he murmurs.

"Lucky us."

Her voice sounds shaky. It's okay. So does his.

"Rey?"

"Hmm?"

"May I?"

It takes a second for her brain to catch up to his words, but he's fiddling with the edge of one of her arm wrappings, so it doesn't take too long to piece together his meaning.

"Yes, please."

Slowly, carefully, tenderly, Ben sets to work unspooling the wrapping around her arm. He's seen her arms bare a handful of times. He's watched her put these wrappings on in the morning and take them off late at night. He knows as well as she does that they serve no purpose beyond providing the comfort of routine.

And he knows — or at least she thinks he knows — that no one has ever taken them off but her. Until now.

The tattered cloth falls somewhere to the side of her and she finds she doesn't really care where it's landed. Ben runs a hand up her fully bare arm with something like reverence in his touch.

It isn't until he's moved to the other arm that she realizes how heavily she's breathing. Has she been breathing like that this whole time?

And it isn't until Ben has almost finished unfurling the second wrapping that she realizes his hands are shaking.

She takes his hands in her own, partly to stop the tremors and partly out of a selfish need to touch as much of him as possible at all times.

"Ben?"

"Yes?"

He brings their joined hands up to his lips and kisses the inside of her wrist so gently she could cry.

"In case it wasn't entirely clear, I love you too."

Ben smiles the way he only does around her, and leans forward to catch her lips with his, and that seems to end whatever hesitancy was left between them.

The last of the layers separating them are gone in an instant, along with any residual nerves either of them felt, replaced with hands and lips, connection and belonging, and that old familiar drumbeat of "alive, alive, we're alive," racing through her head and into his.

Yes, Rey thinks, this has all turned out so much better than she imagined.