Chapter Text
Life had turned back to normal the second you had returned back to work--well, not entirely. The simple fact that you now had someone who willingly dropped you off, took you to lunch, and picked you up whenever they could was something out of the ordinary (at least to you). The first day you had returned to work, Ben had walked the two of you from the art gallery to the floor of the Resistance hospital you worked on. There was no surprise that fellow nurses and doctors were going to gasp at the fact that you came back from your week vacation with a rock on your finger, but--surprisingly--it hadn't made you the slightest of anxious.
Almost everyday (whether you stayed at his condo, the loft, or the gallery) Ben walked you to and from work. Of course, sometimes he drove you, but he said walking was "much more intimate" and you agreed. It took you a bit to get used to, but after finding yourself no longer having lunch or dinner alone, and not having to wake up in a random spot in your home to no one--rather to Ben--it felt heartwarming and you were absolutely grateful.
Instead of working your twelve hour shifts, it lessened to eight as you found yourself constantly being taken away by Ben, not wanting you to overwork yourself and wanting to spend time with you; and as much as you did love your job, you appreciated it. You'd be lying if you said you weren't the least bit of blessed to have him in your life.
After a week had passed since your engagement, bens family hadn't found out yet about it whereas your mother eased off with the constant voicemails yelling at you. Eventually, she gave up and decided to leave you be as you were a grown woman and could make your own decisions. Plus, your mother was actually happy you ended up with Ben rather than anyone else, at least she knew his parents well enough and thought nothing but good things about him.
Then there was Rey, deciding to visit you during one of your breaks, she was the first in the Solo/Skywalker family to find out. "No way, already?! He actually asked you to marry him?!" Gasping, Reys shocked facial expression suddenly dropped as she let go of your hand. "I knew it."
"H-huh?" Your eyebrows furrowed. "Knew what, exactly?"
"The engagement. Ben kinda told me on Thanksgiving, said he was gonna do it and made it seem like he was joking but I knew well enough that he was not. That boy is madly in love with you, and clearly, you are as well with him." She chuckled with a nod. "I'm happy."
"Thanks," You smiled, "So am I."
"I hope so! I told you this was gonna happen soon! I mean, I didn't expect it to be like a week later...but it happened!" She cheered. "Now you can have an engagement party and this time not have it a bar where your best friend can get drunk and meet her best friends cousin and fall in love," Rey teased as you rolled your eyes. "Can't believe that's the story you're going to have to tell your kids some day!"
"Actually...we ran into each other on my way to work. That's how we met," You corrected her. "And we bumped into each other a few times after...he was the real reason why I didn't go to work that Friday...aside from the storm."
Raising her eyebrows, Rey crossed her arms. "I am the least bit of surprised...you must've been the one who used his NASA clothes."
"How did you-...never mind." Taking in a deep breath, you smiled as you looked at the ring. "I'm just really happy...I've never felt such way before, aside when I first got Astro and this job."
"What a dweeb," Rey chuckled before pulling you into a hug. "I'm happy for you, too." Leaning back, she held onto your shoulders. "There's just two tiny little problems."
"And that is?"
"Bens parents--who totally are going to flip because they've been dying for something like this to happen to Ben--and...Poe." Signing, you nodded.
"Bens parents aren't a problem, I'm actually excited to tell them," You smiled, "On the other hand...I don't know about Poe..."
"Well, im sure he'd understand...somehow?" Rey flinched the slightest. "If it comes up, you just tell him straight out-"
"That I fell in love with his best friend in two seconds and got engaged five seconds later? How is that smart?" You crossed your arms.
Slowly backing up, she shrugged. "Don't know, but I'm sure he'll handle it just fine!" Seeing her run off, your eyebrows knitted.
"Rey! What do you-ugh, forget it."
Telling Poe was something you weren't anticipating, but on the other hand, you had hoped and hoped Leia would run into you at the hospital and see it. But the days kept passing and it had yet to happen, so you waited it out, realizing you didn't want to tell her without Ben being by your side.
"I can't believe you're engaged! I mean, I didn't even know you were dating that guy until I saw him that Sunday with the Lucas family!" The nurse that had worked with you exclaimed. "I'm so thrilled, that is so exciting!"
Nodding your head as you were flipping through one of the infants files, your face scrunched up, rubbing your chest as you felt the slightest of discomfort. "Yeah...so am I." Narrowing your eyebrows, you pressed your hand against your breasts as your eyebrows scrunched up.
"You okay?"
"Huh?" Looking up from the files, you nodded. "Oh, yeah...I think my period is coming..."
"What? Your breasts hurt when your period comes?" The nurse questioned.
"Um...sort of? I haven't really noticed..." Placing the file down, you sighed. "It's been like this for a few days now."
Raising her eyebrows, the nurse tried fighting a grin. "Are you sure it's your period?"
"Yeah? Why else?" You chuckled as she lifted up her hands. "Although I'm a bit late, it's probably a sign that it's coming."
"How late?" She questioned.
"Well, lets see...I think I was supposed to get it last Monday-"
"Oh man," She raised her eyebrows as you narrowed your own.
"What?" Looking over at her, your jaw dropped. "You don't think? No...it can't be-"
"Seeing as you've missed it by a week and it still isn't here, and your breasts are probably sore...it could be-"
"But I don't think it would be-"
"There's a chance that it isn't that...but-"
"I think I'm fine, I don't think it is that..." You nervously chuckled. "Although it really could be since...never mind."
Arching an eyebrow, the nurse crossed her arms. "First you're engaged out of the blue, then you have unpro-"
"Whoa, hey! It isn't that bad..." You swatted a hand.
"How many times?"
"What do you-"
"How many times has it been?"
Sighing, you muttered, "About three..."
"You definitely know what I'm thinking," She nodded her head as you pouted the slightest.
"But I-...oh man..." Taking in a deep breath, your stomach turned. "What are the chances, though? I mean-"
"Take the test, it couldn't hurt." She shrugged as you nodded.
"Yeah, yeah...okay!" Feeling yourself slightly panicking, you tried your best to ease your mind off of it. "I'll do it...uh..."
"Go now, I'm sure one of the gynos wouldn't mind giving you a stick." Gulping, you nodded before rushing out, feeling the anticipation eat you alive.
Practically speed walking, you nearly crashed into someone as you turned a corner. "Y/n?" Looking over, your eyes widened the slightest. "What's got you in a h-OH MY!"
"H-hi, Leia!" You smiled as you swallowed hard, seeing her grab onto your hand and stare at the ring.
"Y/n! Oh, it's so beautiful! But since when were you dating someone?" She looked up at you as your heart raced.
"I-uh...I-it's..." Unable to form words, Leia gawked at the ring.
"Ben...Ben, it's Ben!"
"W-wh...huh?" Your eyebrows furrowed as your heart stopped.
"It has to be Ben, I know it is...I saw the way you two acted around one another," She smirked, "You two were clearly secretly dating-"
"WHAT?!" You shouted, causing a few nurses who walked by to eye you. "Sorry..."
"Oh, it's Ben! It must be Ben! I know you two had something going on...but an engagement? Oh, I am so happy!" Pulling you into a tight hug, you stood there blinking, unable to fathom what had been going on. "My Ben is such a man."
"I...Leia, how did you..."
"Aside from my son having a crush on you?" Blushing, Leia grinned, "Maz and I are great friends," She muttered with a wink, causing you to gasp. "Anyway! You seem in a hurry, where must you be going?"
"I...uh..." Gulping, you weren't sure what you were supposed to say as your mind drew a blank.
"Unbelievable...unbelievable!" Feeling your heart drop, your eyes widened as your breathing quickened. "So much is going on at once!"
"Wh-what...what do you mean?" You questioned with a nervous laugh.
"Oh, nothing! Nothing! Don't mind me, my...motherly instincts just kicked in," She waved a hand as you looked at her with such confusion. "Don't wanna hold you back from your important business! I'll talk to you later, dear!" Waving a hand, she walked off as you stood there, lost out of your mind only to rush off.
Darting down the halls, you nearly barged into one of the doctors offices, causing the woman to jump from the sudden intrusion. "Hey! Uh, quick thing, a patient was asking me for a pregnancy test...do you by any chance have any?"
"Hello, y/n...and, yes, I have..." Holding onto her chest as she stood up, you followed her over to one of the exam rooms as she pulled out a box for you. "Here you go," She handed the box over, "And, please, don't scare me again like that."
"Sorry, sorry!" Rushing off as you felt your heart race, you tried your best to hide the pregnancy test box as you slid into one of the bathrooms. "Okay...just relax, for all we know you're just late on your period and nothing more." Opening up the package, you gulped. "No need to panic...just pee on the damn stick."
The entire time you had been locked up in the bathroom, your anxiety levels were out of control, let alone, your paranoia. Not only had you been reunited with Ben, but you also recently just got engaged to him, all within a week...how was having a baby a good addition this soon? As much as the thought scared you, what frightened you the most was the thought of Ben not wanting to be a father--something you two never really spoke about except for when he mentioned that you were pregnant when you had passed.
Pacing back and forth as you waited for the results, you bit your tongue as you had become more and more nervous with every step you took. What if you were pregnant? How were you going to tell Ben? How were you going to tell your parents, let alone his own when they [at least not Han] still hadn't known you two were together? Your mind was being bombarded with dozens upon dozens of unanswered questions that you couldn't help but stress over.
Taking in a deep breath, you shut your eyes for a moment, "It's going to be okay...if it's positive, it's positive, if it's negative, it's negative. So be it." Opening your eyes, your heart fluttered against your chest at the sight of two parallel lines. "Positive..."
Picking everything up and rushing out, you barged into the nursery and rushed up to the nurse. "So what is it? Are you-" Nodding your head with wide eyes, she gasped only to cheer. "Oh my god!"
"Shhh! I can't have anyone knowing, okay? I-I don't even know how to take this myself? Let alone, how the hell am I supposed to tell him?" You loudly whispered. "It wasn't like we planned this!"
"Okay, okay...ease Ben into it? Ask about his thoughts on being a father-"
"What if he's against it?" You crossed your arms.
"Uh...well, make it seem like you think it's a great idea and maybe it'll convince him?"
"Jackie, that isn't helping at all...I can't just be like 'hey, what do you think about us having children? Great, right? Because I'm pregnant!'"
"Perfect!"
Shaking your head, you rubbed your face. "No, it is not perfect! What if he freaks out?! What if he doesn't want the baby?! What if-"
Pointing behind you, you cut yourself off as you followed the direction Jackie has been pointing in. "Oh...oh, lovely." Seeing Ben wave from behind the window, you waved back with a forced grin. "I don't know what to do?!" You snapped your head back over to Jackie.
"Do it in a way you think it's best, if he doesn't want to be a father than there are so many factors you can deal with. But, in my honest opinion, I think he loves you enough to want to have kids with you." She wholeheartedly smiled at you as you nodded.
"Okay...okay, thank you." You breathed, gathering your things. "Thank you, wish me luck!"
"You'll be okay," She softly smiled as you walked out.
Being engulfed in a hug as Ben kissed your cheek, you felt your stomach turn from how nervous you were. "Hey, babe, how was your day?" He asked, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as you walked alongside him.
"It-it was very...interesting," You nodded with a smile. "Yours?"
"Interesting as well..." He nodded, "Speaking of which, before we head home, I need to stop somewhere to pick up something if that's fine with you?"
"Oh, yeah! Totally...where?" You asked as your stomach swarmed with anxious butterflies.
"Maz's, just a few bills and what not, it'll be quick, I promise." Nodding, you smiled at him, trying your best to clam yourself down, not wanting to seem too obvious...even if you probably seemed as if you were hiding something.
. . .
"Now that we've settled, more or less, are you still considering selling the loft?" Ben asked you as you two walked along the busy sidewalk.
"Uh, yeah, it would make much more sense seeing as how small it is...you know," You shrugged, "What if we wanted...more pets? Or more room for, I don't know, guests? I think it'd be smarter to just sell the place instead of your condo." Nodding your head as the two of you now walked hand in hand, you took in small, deep breaths oh so quietly trying to ease your worried soul.
"As long as you're not emotionally invested in the place, then I guess we're good."
"Nope! Plus, I think it's a good idea to move on seeing as my life is taking big changes!" You awkwardly laughed, Ben not noticing how nervous you seemed.
"That is very true, plus, I think you like my bed too much to want to leave it," He teased as you chuckled. "Though, I will miss your place since we hung out there mostly...and because we've had a lot of great moments there, as well."
Gulping, you nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah we did...but, you know, change is good!"
"Change is good," He agreed. "Speaking of change, Phasmas finally going to be coming in to the gallery so we can't keep having you walk around in just your underwear and one of my t-shirts-"
"That was one time-"
"Last time I checked, you've been doing it the last couple of mornings, like today-"
"Shhh...its very relaxing, okay? Don't act like you don't like it," You rolled your eyes as Ben raised his eyebrows.
"Don't? I clearly do, thank you." He snickered as you bumped your shoulder into his arm. "Anyways, this should be quick, alright?"
"Okay," You smiled, Ben opening up the door and walking in as you followed behind.
"CONGRATS!" Nearly jumping out of your skin at everyone around you cheering and whistling, your heart was lodged up your throats as your grip on Ben's hand tightened from the sudden shock.
"W-wh..."
"Sorry, my mom kinda figured everything out a while back and actually saw the ring beforehand and...yeah..." Ben shrugged as you watched with wide eyes, everyone clapping.
"But she just found-wait...since when?" You asked.
"It's a story for itself that would take a long time to explain, but in the meantime, they are very happy for us," He smiled over at you as Leia rushed up.
"I am so very excited to have a new addition to the family," She teared up as you nearly choked, almost forgetting about the pregnancy. "A new Solo!"
Hearing everyone cheer as they raised their cups, you only swallowed hard. "Welcome to the family, kiddo," Han smiled as he placed a hand on your shoulder. "I thought Ben was never going to get engaged-"
"Dad!"
"What?! It's the truth..." Being pulled away by Luke, the man gave you a smile.
"Congratulations, y/n."
"Thank you, Luke..." You nodded, taking in a deep breath. "Ben...I need-"
"YAY!" Hearing squealing, you were nearly tackled in a hug as Rey grabbed you from behind as Finn hugged you from the front, the two squishing you. "We're so happy for the two of you, although Finn was lost majority of the time-"
"Wh-what do you mean?" You asked as you tried gasping for air.
"He never knew Ben had a huge crush on you, let alone, was madly in love so I had to fill him in..." Rey shrugged as Finn nodded.
"I...uh-"
"Anyway...congrats!" Rey kissed your cheek before pulling Finn away with her.
"Ben..." Turning to him, you were about to speak up until you heard someone call out to you.
"I can't believe this!" Looking at Poe, your heart sunk. He found out, too? "Congratulations! You honestly don't know how much I had to deal with him and his y/n this, y/n that...even though I was crushing on you, he had it far more worse." Blinking in confusion, you looked up at Ben who was shyly looking away. "Good to hear he made the big move." Pulling you into a hug, he then whispered, "I was well aware you were the one and only girlfriend all along, FYI." Patting your shoulder, he walked away as you gasped.
"Ben...I need to-"
"A toast! To Ben and Y/n!" Rey cheered.
"Ben, I need to talk to-"
"Oh, you two...I am so happy to hear this actually worked out!" Maz winked at you. "Fate works in marvelous ways, my dear," She whispered over to you before walking off.
Blinking, you turned your focus back to Ben as you tried catching his attention. "Ben, we seriously need to-"
"Also, this means we will be going on double dates, got it?" Rey pointed a finger at you and Ben.
"Ben, I seriously need to tell you-"
"To my son Ben, for finally getting the girl!" Han lifted up his cup as everyone clapped, you feeling more and more overwhelmed as you couldn't hold back any longer.
"BEN, IM PREGNANT!" You shouted out, causing everyone to suddenly quiet down as you instantly covered your mouth.
"You're-you're what?" He stuttered as he gazed down at you.
Feeling as if you were about to puke from embarrassment, you rushed off. It wasn't enough that everyone now knew about your engagement before you were even aware that they had, but now they know about the little surprise forming within you.
"WAIT!" Ben called out, looking over at everyone with slumped shoulders before rushing over to your side.
Barging into the women's bathroom, you rushed into one of the stalls and fell to your knees, puking your guts out. It didn't help that you were anxious as it was, but you were also severely nauseous, the anxiety making it far more worse.
"Y/n?" Ben softly called out as he walked over to where he heard the gagging coming from. "Aw, babe..." Crouching next to you as he helped hold your hair and rubbed your back, he left a kiss on the side of your head. "I'm sorry about all of this, I didn't mean for it to happen, but everyone found out and..." Taking in a deep breath, Ben couldn't find the will to go on.
Furrowing your eyebrows as you groaned from the burning sensation in your throat, your eyes welled up with tears. "A-and...?"
"And...now it isn't much of a secret anymore." Sighing the slightest, Ben fell back as he crossed his legs. "I intended on telling them with you but my mom has her ways and she's very sneaky so she insisted she throw something in honor. I knew it wasn't the best idea but...I didn't think it was the worst, either..."
Slowly looking over at him as you wore a small frown from how disgusted you felt, you could see how ashamed Ben was from it all. "It's-its fine...that's the least of my worries, actually..."
Seeing his eyes widened, you gulped. "You're pregnant..." He lightly spoke as you sat there, staring at him. "You're pregnant?" Nodding your head slowly, Bens eyes began blurring up with the newfound tears.
"I-I'm sorry? I...I know it's too early and I don't even know if you want children but-"
"Sorry?" He shook his head, "Why would you be sorry? I contributed to this, you know?" Ben chuckled.
"But-but...I-"
"Don't blame yourself, okay? It's understandable if you don't want the child..." Narrowing your eyebrows, you blinked at his response.
"W-wait...what? You're not mad? Wait...you think I don't want the baby?" You questioned as Ben looked at you with such bewilderment.
"Of course I'm not mad! Hello, we almost had children then, and we're getting them now!" He cheered as your eyes widened in shock. "And, I mean, you don't seem excited?"
"Th-that's because I was afraid you didn't want the baby! But-but you do?" Seeing him nod, you felt the weights on your chest disappear. "You do! You do...and-and so do I?" Looking away, you thought about it, only to smile. "And so do I!"
"We're going to be parents..." He nodded as you did the same. "Oh, god...that sounds weird seeing as all this happened in just two weeks," Ben narrowed his eyebrows for a small moment, only to shrug, "It's exciting!"
Covering your mouth as you chuckled, you went to flush the toilet before standing up to go rinse your mouth. "I'm sorry I ran out like that, I was just really nervous about it all and I kind of blurted it out without thinking."
Smiling as he walked over, Ben kissed the top of your head as he wrapped his arms around your waist, leaning his chin on your shoulder. "I guess we now have more of a reason to celebrate, then." Looking up at him through the mirror, you shut off the water and turned around to hug him. "This is just like that night of Rey's engagement party...do you tend to puke at engagement parties?"
"Shut up," You chuckled as you mumbled, holding tightly onto him. "I guess I don't have to worry about telling any of them..."
"Knowing my mom, she's bawling at the moment. You don't understand how long she's been dying for me to get married and start a family of my own," Ben scoffed as you laughed. "It was about damn time you walked into my life, sweets."
Smiling up at him, you winked, "Well aren't you glad I finally did?"
"Jeez! There you two are!" Rey called out as she walked in. "First, you announce you're pregnant, which--seriously? Already? Damn you guys are moving really f-"
"Rey..." Ben sighed.
"Then you disappear and, out of all places, I find you in the bathroom! Don't you think it's a bit unsanitary to have s-"
"Rey!" You and Ben chimed.
"Sorry, too much to drink, no filter." She nodded as you shook your head.
"I was puking, thanks for asking."
"Oh! Morning sickness?!" Rey gasped as you looked up at Ben who simply shrugged.
Letting go of Ben and walking up to Rey, you interlocked your arm with hers. "Why don't we go back to the party, shall we?"
Watching the two of you walk off, Ben followed behind with a wide grin on his face--everything he could have ever wanted suddenly appeared in his life when he had least expected it. The fact that he had gained you and your love again, was planning on marrying you, and now was expecting a child felt like such a fantasy he never wanted to slip away from.
His heart was warm and filled with nothing but pure love; if a second life was what it took to get the life he wished for, he was thankful for the second chance.
. . .
"I can't believe your mom cried..." You chuckled as you found yourself making small braids with Bens hair as he lied on your bare stomach, gently dragging the tip of his finger along the soft skin, "And the best part is that Rey did, too. I'm honestly surprised."
"I'm not," Ben muttered.
Narrowing your eyebrows, you loosened up one of the braids and brushed your fingers through his hair. "Why not?"
"Because, even though Rey is the way she is...she has a soft spot for me and my happiness, she'll just never admit to it," He lightly laughed as you smiled. "Knowing her, she's going to want to be the aunt figure."
"And I'll gladly let her," Nodding your head, Ben lifted up his own as he smiled over at you. "What?"
Shrugging, he pressed a kiss to your stomach, "Nothing, in just very happy how everything turned out."
"Well, so am I," Grabbing Ben and pulling him over to you, you wrapped your arms around him as you kissed his cheek.
"Everything we've done, the hell I put you through, all of what we've suffered...it's lead up to this," He mumbled into your shoulder, "I can't express my gratitude enough...I just, I feel so damn lucky, I never expected my life to turn out this way in such a short amount of time." Hearing slight sniffling, your eyebrows furrowed.
"Ben?"
"I'm sorry, I'm just-" Taking in a deep breath, he smiled against your shoulder as he held tightly onto you, "I really love you and I just can't believe any of this is happening, you have no clue just how happy I am."
Grabbing onto his cheeks and looking at him, you smiled, "This is all very real; I am your fiancé soon-to-be wife, I am carrying your child," Letting out a small chuckle as Ben smiled at you, you wiped away the few tears that trickled down his cheeks, "And I really really love you." Pulling him down to kiss him, you couldn't help but grin against it.
"What?" Ben mumbled against your lips.
"Nothing...it's just...I can't get over how quickly this all happened." You looked up at him. "In our other life it took us forever, but now...now it's in the matter of less than a month..."
"Fate has brought us back together-"
Flicking his nose, you rolled your eyes, "You're so cheesy." Hearing him gasp, you winked, "I like it."
Lying back down onto you as you let out a grunt, Ben nuzzled his face against your neck as you held onto him, gazing up at the ceiling--what you had right now, you wouldn't change it for the world.
. . .
"Okay, it's been about a month since Ben proposed, when's the wedding date?" Rey eagerly asked as she had been walking in and out of the kitchen, helping Leia set up the Christmas dinner.
Chuckling, you swatted a hand as you picked up one of the homemade cookies Leia had baked, "I should be asking you that."
"Shut it, you're the pregnant one, you need to get married now." Rey pointed a finger as you sat at the island table, watching Rey walk in and out.
"We're taking our time, thank you-"
"Wow? Really? You two actually taking time to do something?! No way!" Rolling your eyes as Rey faked a gasp, you tossed the stuffed elf that was sitting on the table as decoration at her.
"Leave us alone, we want to appreciate this time of being engaged, okay?"
"It isn't any different when you're married, let alone, have a child." Leaning her palms against the table, you sighed as you bit into the cookie. "Fine, I guess I'll have to wait..." Rey groaned as you grinned at her.
"Perfect, just like how I have to wait for your own," You winked at her as she dropped her head.
"Anyway...instead of eating all the cookies-" Snatching the plate away as you pouted, Rey placed them behind her on the counter, "Why don't you save your appetite for the dinner, you know...what comes before dessert," Rolling your eyes at her mocking tone, you stood up.
"I guess I should join Ben..." You muttered as Rey laughed.
"You're way too enthusiastic! Almost as enthusiastic as you were telling your parents everything-"
"Hey, it turned out far more better than I expected...even if my grandfather was furious, my parents are supportive and that's what matters." Nodding your head as you and Rey walked out of the kitchen, you instantly felt a pair of arms snake around your waist as a kiss was pressed against your cheek. "Hey, Ben."
"I expect this holiday dinner to be better than the last," He smilled as he moved over to stand in front of you, grabbing your hands.
"Well, seeing as we are spending it at your parents, I think it will." You smiled. "Although yesterday wasn't so bad being with my family...minus the whole fact that my mom kept bugging me about names and what I should name the baby..." Scrunching up your nose, Ben laughed.
"At least she's happy for us," Leaning down, he pressed a small kiss against your lips before Rey cleared her throat.
"Save the kissing for later, it's time to eat!" Looking at Ben as he slightly leaned away from the kiss, you looked over at Rey and shook your head.
"Party pooper," Grabbing your hand, Ben pulled you over to the table as you two took your seats next to one another.
"This is exciting! I can not believe everyone is here tonight! Rey and Finn, Y/n and Ben...and Jyn and Luke!" Leia pointed out only to have Rey gasp.
"Wait? What?!" Looking over her seat, she instantly shot up as she ran over to Luke and the woman you assumed to be Jyn.
"Who...who is Jyn?" You whispered to Ben.
"She is Rey's mom...I thought you knew this?" He asked as you shook your head.
"No, I mean, she's mentioned her mom but I've never seen her nor heard her name before..." Staring at the three, you couldn't help but gawk.
"Not even photos?" Ben asked.
"Yeah...but, I mean...I've never met her before!" You lowly exclaimed. "Its kind of important meeting your best friends mom, you know..."
Chuckling, Ben shrugged as Rey pulled the pair over to the table. "Mom, I think it's about time that you meet-"
"Y/n? The y/n Rey and Luke always talk about?" Looking at the women, your eyes widened. "You're the one Ben has a crush on?" Seeing her smile, you nodded as Ben simply sighed.
"Mom, she's the one he's engaged to..."
"Oh! That's right! Congratulations," She nodded, "I never thought this day would come."
"I know, right?" Han snickered as Ben kicked him under the table, giving him a face while Han lifted his hands up in defense.
"How about we eat dinner, alright?" Ben spoke up as Leia nodded in agreement.
"That, we should!" Leia clapped as Luke and Jyn took a seat before everyone dug in.
The entire evening of feasting, there was nothing but laughs and stories being shared amongst plenty of embarrassing moments. You couldn't get over the thought that you were soon going to marry into this family--the family who was once split apart in their past life, only to be put back together once again.
It was heart warming, seeing all the smiles being expressed as the ambience was one of pure happiness. It was something absolutely beautiful that you couldn't possibly get used to.
"I find this all absolutely lovely," Leia spoke up, "All of us together, one big family...it's something I thought I'd never see again."
Lightly narrowing your eyebrows, you looked at Leia as she teared up, Han placing a hand on her shoulder as he spoke up. "I couldn't agree more, especially with the new additions."
"Let's not forget, having a few of us back once again," Luke shifted his eyes from Jyn to Han, then from Han to you. "It's always hard to lose those that we love."
"I couldn't agree more," Rey nodded as you quietly sat there and blinked, unable to understand as to where the conversation was going.
"Especially to those we never thought we'd get back," Luke eyed Ben as Ben lowered his head, looking down at his hand that was now holding onto yours on his lap.
"Life has strange ways of giving us back those who have sacrificed themselves for the sake of their loved ones, and I think it's quite...marvelous seeing as how we've all ended up here once again." Smiling over at you and Han, Rey sniffled the slightest.
"I-I'm confused, what's going on?" You whispered to Ben.
"You'll understand soon enough." He muttered back.
"It's amazing how the Force still surrounds us, even in this life," Looking at Leia with wide eyes, you tilted your head a bit as if you weren't one hundred percent sure you heard her right.
"The...the F-Force?" You mumbled as Bens grip on your hand tightened. "What's...what are you trying to-" Unable to finish your sentence, you gulped as you had a sudden epiphany; thinking back to Leia's "motherly instincts" and Maz's "so you remember everything now" made your eyes widened as they shifted from Leia's, to the rest of the family. "You all knew?"
"Knew what?" Finn whispered as Rey elbowed him.
Seeing them one by one nod, you lightly gasped, "Since when?" Instantly standing up from the table, Ben quickly grabbed onto your hand. "Did you know about this?" Looking at Ben as you softly spoke, he slowly nodded.
Taking a small step back, Ben swiftly stood up as he held tightly onto your hand, "Wait, I didn't tell you for a reason." Narrowing your eyebrows, Ben sighed, "My family and I...we knew for a while now, minus Finn-"
"Yeah, I was out of the blue-"
"Shh!" Rey hushed as Finn sunk into his seat.
"It was sort of a domino effect--Maz and mom had known for a while, so did Luke. Dad barely did, Rey was completely wiped out and so was I. Then there was Poe and Finn, along with Jess and the rest." Ben stated as you looked up at him, eyebrows scrunched up as you could feel his hand shaking.
"How did they find out? How did Rey find out?" You curiously asked. "And how did Poe and Finn find out? Ben-"
"Mom and Maz wrote a book," Ben gulped.
Leaning back the slightest as you shook your head, you arched an eyebrow, "Wrote a book? Wrote what-" Cutting yourself off, you muttered, "Soul Mate...but-but how?"
"Let's just say that the Force works in wondrous ways, even if it isn't in our universe..." Leia spoke up.
"I didn't want to say anything to you, neither did Rey, because we wanted this all to happen naturally. If this really was a second chance for all of us, then this was a second chance for you and I...and I wanted to believe that fate was real and was bound to bring us back together," Ben gazed down at you. "And it's real, it's very real...clearly." He chuckled as you lightly smiled.
"So...everyone was in on this? Keeping it a secret?" You asked as everyone mumbled a yes.
"We were all very aware that you two had been secretly dating, I kind of helped give it the push as I asked for Ben to take you home that night," Rey winked.
"No, you didn't, I was the push myself when I had invited her to my place after we were stuck in traffic and soaked from the rain," Ben stated as he looked over at his cousin.
"Actually, it was I who gave the push," Leia stood up, "I told Ben to head over to Maz's to pick up some bills and what not which caused him to run into you," Leia grinned as Rey and Ben nodded with a sigh.
"She has a good point," Rey spoke up. "We all tried getting Ben to run into you, but it just never happened. All those times you visited me or we hung out, I tried getting Ben to come over but he was always busy being a business man," Rolling her eyes, Ben narrowed his eyes at her.
"Eventually it happened, alright?" Turning his attention back to you, Ben shyly smiled, messing with the engagement ring. "And now she's my fiance so everything worked out just fine." Looking at you, you only blushed.
"Okay, okay, enough of this," Han swatted a hand as he stood up, "Lets go open some gifts!" Hearing everyone instantly stand up, they made their way over to the formal living room as you and Ben stayed behind.
"If they knew all along...then why is everyone okay with one another?" You curiously asked as Ben snickered.
"You mean, why they're okay with me?" He looked over at you as the two of you walked side-by-side, holding hands. "After your passing, I decided to go gray, and when that happened...I sort of disassociated. I couldn't really go back home with all the trouble I caused; and as much as mom missed me, I couldn't have her men being skeptical the whole time with me being there. I just didn't feel like I belonged on any side, truly...light, dark, none of them really called to me...after everything, I just felt myself stuck in the gray zone."
Resting your head upon his arm, you took in a deep breath, "They must've missed you...that's why they forgave you and treat you the way they do now; they didn't want to lose you again."
Nodding his head in agreement, he sighed, "I definitely don't want to leave them again." Coming to a stop, Ben turned to face you as he held onto your hands. "And I definitely do not want to lose you ever again, whether it'd be death or somebody else."
Looking up at the archway you two had been standing under where the mistletoe hung, you grinned, "I don't think that's ever going to happen." Tiptoeing as you had let go of his hands to wrap your arms around his neck, Ben leaned down the slightest, "And if it does, we'll be fine." Leaning in, you whispered just before kissing him, "Cause we're soulmates."