Chapter Text
One year later…
“I’m going to kill my father,” Ben snarled.
“Considering he’s still in a wheelchair, you might want to think about what that will mean for your public image.” Rey secured her three sleek little hair buns with a pin and turned around to face Ben. “What did Han do now?”
“He ate the entire boxful of doughnuts we bought from that artisanal bakery yesterday,” Ben said, his tone wounded.
Rey couldn’t help grinning. “Is this really the murder-inducing situation you think it is?”
“A dozen doughnuts, Rey!” Ben protested. “You know I had my eye on that hazelnut cream with all the toasted nuts.”
Her mouth salivated at the memory of delectable pastries. “It seems unlikely Han was able to eat them all in one go.”
“Apparently he was up till three AM reading a book and the doughnuts were a perfect accompaniment,” Ben grumbled.
“You know,” Rey said, gazing at Ben with hands on hips, “you’re the one who decided it was a good idea to move back in with your parents.”
“Someone needed to look after those two,” he muttered.
“A noble aspiration, babe, but Leia warned you it was only a matter of time before Han drove you to patricide. Besides, they have Chewie, Threepio and Artoo to run their errands.” After a year with Ben, Rey had become more familiar with the extended Skywalker-Solo clan. Chewbacca was Han’s best friend from high school who helped manage his shipping company, Threepio had looked after the Skywalker household since Leia’s childhood, part butler and part secret keeper, and Artoo handled the senator’s work schedule and staff with cheerful efficiency.
Ben stopped pacing up and down the bedroom. “Don’t you like it here, Rey?”
She looked around, taking in the mammoth bedroom with its four-poster bed, cherry wood furniture and silk furnishings, the décor a symphony in sky blue and white. It was probably the nicest place she had called her own. “Are you kidding? I love it. You’re the one I’m worried about, muttering murderous threats against your father.”
Ben laughed, sweeping Rey into a bear hug so overwhelming her feet no longer touched the ground. “I’d be more worried if Han and I were getting along. Don’t you know, it’s one of the signs of the impending apocalypse?” And then he kissed her until she was breathless.
Rey still struggled to believe this was her life.
She and Ben didn’t have the most traditional start to their relationship. The first few weeks of their dating life consisted of hospital visits with Han and Leia and sombre discussions with doctors. Rey would drive to the hospital after clocking off at New Hope, and Ben would join her as soon as he was able to finish up in his department.
After hanging out with his parents, they would end up at Ben’s place. His penthouse wasn’t the chrome and black leather cave she had expected, but rather a tastefully minimalist space with lots of pale blonde wood and few embellishments. Ben admitted he’d paid a decorator from Hux’s firm to set him up since he had little time for such things, and after witnessing a day in his life, Rey believed him.
Dating a surgeon involved stealing moments wherever they could thanks to his busy schedule. Rey quickly realised Ben preferred Chinese takeaway at home on the couch which could lead to an extended session of sex and an early night’s sleep over dinner at a fancy restaurant after which he’d be so tired Rey would have to drive them home. It wasn’t long before she was spending more nights at Ben’s place than her own, which Rey didn’t mind despite the morning commute to New Hope.
It was the first time in her life she was learning to be one half of a couple and Rey was loving it. She enjoyed every second with Ben, and he couldn’t seem to get enough of her. They had so much sex their first fortnight together she eventually begged for a reprieve, which Ben translated to mean he could spend the next three evenings camped between her thighs, gliding his tongue over every inch of her throbbing pussy and making her orgasm like a fountain. It wasn’t quite what Rey meant, but enjoyable nonetheless.
In time, Han and Leia were allowed to leave the hospital and return to the Skywalker mansion. As Ben predicted, it didn’t take long before his mother was driving everyone crazy with her demands to be allowed to work from home. The severity of Han’s condition meant he was a more amenable patient at least initially, but he proved his mettle by pulling through the worst of his injuries. It was going to take extended rehabilitation before Han was able to walk without assistance, but his doctors were pleased with his progress.
Rey had been nervous about their reaction, but Han and Leia accepted her as Ben’s new girlfriend without batting an eyelid. The most interesting turnaround was the response they received from his friends. Three weeks after the accident, Poe organised dinner at an Italian restaurant in downtown Coruscant so the group could catch up. To Rey’s dismay, she arrived at the appointment before Ben. She was still learning that he almost always ran late thanks to hospital commitments.
Rey spent twenty minutes talking shop in a burgundy leather booth with Poe, Hux, Phasma and Bazine before Ben walked through the doors. He found her wedged between Phasma and Poe and immediately insisted they rearrange themselves so Rey could sit beside him. Phasma told Ben not to be ridiculous, that Rey was fine where she was, and to take the empty space next to her.
To Rey’s combined horror and amusement, Ben lost his temper. He snapped his fingers at the maître d’ and requested another table over the protestations of all his friends. When it became clear Phasma was still not going to bend, Ben leant over and picked Rey up by the waist, lifting her over a grinning Poe and a furious Phasma. The entire restaurant was staring by the time Rey and Ben slid into their new booth.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Rey hissed, her cheeks burning.
“Yes, I did,” Ben said crankily, flicking open the menu. “I didn’t spend all day working just so I could have a barrier between us while eating dinner.”
“I’m not sure Phasma’s going to talk to you ever again,” she warned.
“Well, that solves one problem,” he muttered.
As Ben ordered food from a bemused looking waitress and Rey tried not to dissolve in sheer embarrassment, they were joined by Hux.
“That was interesting,” he said, placing his steaming bowlful of crab linguini on their table. “So this isn’t just a shag-fest? You two actually like each other.”
Ben glared as Hux gracefully twirled pasta around the tines of his fork. “I told you guys, Rey’s my girlfriend.”
“I know,” Hux said, shrugging one shoulder, “but what does that mean, really?”
“It means I’m here to stay,” Rey snapped, looking hungrily at Hux’s food. She was starving now that her embarrassment had waned.
The redhead grinned. “Wanna bite from my plate?”
A growl issued from Ben’s throat.
“Duck and cover, Hux,” Poe’s voice declared. He had in his hands a platter of ravioli in cream sauce and a full glass of red wine. “So what were we talking about?”
Phasma and Bazine eventually joined their table as well, neither one happy about having to capitulate, but Ben had made his point about Rey’s place by his side in the most literal way possible. Rey spent the rest of the evening happily consuming wood smoked lasagne and most of the mash potatoes that came with Ben’s steak.
That was the night Rey finally remembered to tell Ben about his father’s hundred thousand dollar donation to New Hope. The shelter’s premises were in desperate need of refurbishment, and she intended to use the money for that purpose.
“What kind of refurbishment?” Hux asked curiously.
Rey realised here was a man who dealt with such details on a daily basis. “New paint and flooring,” she replied.
“I won’t be surprised if the wiring’s shot and the lights and heating will need to be redone,” Ben added.
“It’s also about time the beds in the dormitories were replaced,” Rey sighed.
“What about your office?” Ben asked. “You could do with a computer system and furniture from this century.”
Rey shook her head. “I’m okay. I’d rather focus on the kid’s living spaces…”
“Fine, I’ll do it!” The entire table turned to stare at Hux and he flushed under their disbelieving expressions. “What, can’t I be a humanitarian? First Order Enterprises could do with the publicity.”
“What just happened?” Poe demanded of no one in particular, and thus began Armitage Hux’s charitable involvement with New Hope.
The lanky redhead turned up the following week, elegant in a blue silk shirt and black jeans, his expression almost offended as he walked through the shelter’s front doors. Rey was reminded of Ben’s attitude all those months ago.
After greeting Hux, Rey handed him over to Rose. She was delegating more and more responsibilities to the younger woman, and had already decided Rose could be Hux’s point of contact when it came to the refurbishment project. It turned out to be a smart decision since Rose was more than capable of ensuring renovations were running smoothly, which took a considerable amount of pressure off Rey’s shoulders.
Five weeks later, Rey walked into a freshly painted dining room to find the pretty brunette straddling Hux atop an eight-seater table, both of them moaning enthusiastically. It was a curveball she hadn’t seen coming, and as Rey informed a sniggering Ben later that night, there was not enough bleach in the world to cleanse her brain of the sight. Neither Hux nor Rose were particularly repentant about the incident.
The day Ben decided to move back into his family home was the same day he asked Rey to officially move in with him as well. Unofficially, they hadn’t spent a night apart in over seven weeks. It was the easiest decision she’d ever made.
At first, Ben was concerned Rey might find living with his parents stifling, but the couple had an entire wing to themselves and plenty of personal space. It was true Leia was naturally bossy and Han could be a grouch and Ben’s relationship with his father remained volatile, but for Rey it was a wondrous time. She’d never been a part of a family quite like theirs.
“By the way, I have a surprise for you,” Ben said in the present day, releasing her from his embrace.
Rey frowned. “I’m not sure we have time.”
Today was the grand reopening of New Hope and thanks to Leia’s connections, they were expecting a crowd of dignitaries and reporters to arrive within the hour. Rey and Ben had had their own private tour of the freshly renovated shelter the day before which brought her to tears. Hux and Rose had done an incredible job, and their most genius idea was asking Finn to cover the entire front façade of the building with his artwork. Finn had created a swirling psychedelic blast of colour that was astounding to see.
“We don’t want to be late,” Rey said, but Ben wasn’t listening to her.
Rather like a magician, he revealed a cardboard box wrapped in red ribbon, placing it on their bed. “I’ve been trying to come up with a gift that would compare to the scrapbook you organised for my birthday last year.”
Rey approached the box cautiously. “My birthday is next week.”
“This can’t wait,” Ben said with a mischievous smile. “At least, he can’t wait.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked in confusion.
As she pulled open the flaps, up popped the most adorable little face with warm brown eyes, a pink tongue and floppy ears. The puppy had a distinctive tri-coloured coat with a black body, white chest and rust orange marking above its eyes, around its mouth and along its legs.
Rey squealed as she picked him up, snuggling the furry bundle against her chest. “He’s perfect!” she said, her voice gone high and squeaky.
“Oh, good,” Ben laughed. “I wanted a warm body near you on those evenings I’m stuck at the hospital.”
Rey burst into tears. “Th-that’s so s-sweet,” she sobbed.
Ben dropped a kiss on her wet cheek. “You’re scaring BB-8, sweetheart.”
“Am not,” she said, nevertheless checking on the pup’s inquiring face. “And what did you call him?”
“Oh, it’s not really his name, just the licensing number I received from the breeder. BB-8’s gonna get big, by the way. He’s a Bernese Mountain dog.”
“He’s beautiful,” Rey snuffled.
“Looks like I win,” Ben said exultantly.
Both Rey and pup stared at him. “Excuse me?”
“I win,” he repeated. “Your gift was good, but it certainly didn’t make me cry.”
“Ben Solo, gift giving is not a competition,” she began, when BB-8 wriggled in her arms and swiped her face with his tongue. She giggled. “Okay fine, you win.”
Ben tickled the pup behind its ears, making the silky head tilt closer into his hand. “I hope he’s happy here.”
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Rey said, eyes shining as she looked at her boyfriend. “My whole life I’ve never been as happy as when I’m with you.”
Rey stood on her tiptoes to kiss Dr Ben, and she swore she could hear an entire orchestra’s worth of soaring music fill the air.