Chapter Text
Ben crawled into the king size bed next to Ivy. Her soft snores were the last thing he heard before he passed out. Muffled voices woke him just before dawn. Ben wiped the sleep from his eyes and walked to the window. He pulled the curtain back just enough to see Artie walk through the courtyard, a very tall man in a hooded cape by his side.
Ben could hear the low tones of their voices but couldn't make out the words. He got an uneasy feeling from the tall man as he slunk toward the house next to Artie. As they passed beneath one of the security lights, Ben saw part of the tall man's disfigured face and an icy blue eye. He shuddered and let the curtain fall closed.
Torn, Ben didn’t know if he should stay with Ivy in case she woke early or go see if Artie was able to find Rey. His curiosity got the better of him, and he pulled on his jeans and padded down the carpeted hall with his bare feet.
He met Artie as he came in the door off of the kitchen. Artie jumped when Ben stepped out of the shadows, clearly surprised to see Ben out of bed at this hour.
“Artie...Did you find her?” Ben asked in a low voice that came out woven with desperation and aggression.
“Uh...no. I didn't see her or hear anything about her. Total waste of a night, honestly. I need to get to bed. Lotsa work to be done today. It's Halloween, you know?” Ben was taken aback by the nearly evil smile that spread across the man's face.
Ben laughed it off, “Of course I know! We had to bring Ivy’s costume so she could still go trick or treating! I’ll see you later. Get some rest, Artie.” He turned to head back to check on Ivy, but stopped and turned back toward Artie.
“Artie?” Ben took a few steps toward the man and clasped his shoulder. Artie felt cold, ice cold almost. “Thank you...for sticking around. It really means a lot to us, that she has someone around and isn't here by herself. I know how much she loves and trusts you, so thank you.”
Artie looked blankly at Ben for a minute before he responded. “Of course, young man. I would do anything for her. Anything.” Ben thought he saw something shift in Artie’s eyes when he spoke. There was so much he didn't know about the Fae and maybe that was normal.
Ben turned around and headed back to the bedroom. At the door he glanced down the hall and saw the door to the kitchen swing closed. He’s probably starving after being gone all night, Ben thought.
In the bedroom, Ivy continued to sleep soundly as Ben crawled back into bed. He was past the point of going back to sleep and concentrated on the sounds of the house as the sun came up. Behind the headboard, he could hear water running through the old pipes inside the walls and above him a floorboard creaked.
Out in the gardens Ben heard the birds vary between meek chirps and what sounded like panicked screeching. He went to the window and opened the curtains all the way, the sunlight blinding him momentarily. Birds circled above the far end of the courtyard where a space in the hedge opened up out into the meadow. They circled and dove down toward the hedge, screeching, and as they pulled out of the dive and rose back into the air, the other birds sang. Ben watched this for a few minutes before he heard soft snuffling behind him.
Ivy scrambled over to Ben as he walked toward the bed. “‘Morning Baby. Sleep well?” he asked, brushing the hair out of her eyes.
She nodded sleepily and buried her face in the crook of Ben’s neck as she stood up and hugged him. “I’m scared Daddy,” she murmured. “The bad men are here at Nonna’s and I need to be careful and stay with you.”
“What? No, Baby, you’re safe here. Nonna Padme and Artie are going to keep us safe. I promise.” He looked at her assuredly and held her tight against him. “I won’t let anything happen to you Baby. Hey...you know what today is don't you?”
Ivy let out an ear piercing squeak right next to Ben’s ear and squealed “HALLOWEEN! Can I wear my Princess dress to breakfast Daddy?”
Ears ringing, Ben nodded down at her and smiled, “Of course! Let’s get you dressed!”
Twenty minutes later, a princess and her bodyguard emerged from the bedroom. The hem of her purple satin dress barely touched the carpet as Ivy skittered with excitement toward the kitchen. Ben had carefully braided her hair and twisted it into a bun to anchor the tiny tiara in place.
“Look at you!” Ben heard Leia gush from the kitchen. “Princess Ivy, what would you like for breakfast?”
“Pancakes...with whip’ cream. Can I have that Nannie? Is that what princesses eat?” Ivy asked as Ben walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee
“Princesses can have whatever they want for breakfast, Doodlebug,” Padme quipped as she came into the kitchen. “Let’s see…”
Padme opened the refrigerator and pulled out eggs and milk. “Hmmm...Artie must still be gone. He makes oats every morning and leaves me the rest for my breakfast. The man never misses a meal,” she mused, laughing to herself.
“Oh no...he’s here. I saw him in the courtyard this morning. He was walking with someone just before dawn,” Ben mentioned casually between sips of coffee. “Really tall guy...taller than me.”
The sound of shattering glass made Ben jump. When he looked up, Padme was as white as a sheet. The mason jar of flour she had been holding was in a pile of white dust and green glass shards on the floor around her.
“Ben what did he look like...the tall man?” Padme said calmly, frozen in place.
Ben stood and went to Padme, picking up the bigger pieces of glass from around her slippered feet. “Um, he had a hood on, but I saw a little bit of his face when he walked under the light. His eyes were blue...real blue, icy blue, and his skin was rough, like it was burned or scarred. Mom, can you get the broom and dustpan? Nonna just stay…” Ben walked his handful of glass to the trash can, dropping it into the can carefully.
“Ben, you must keep Ivy in this house. She cannot go outside, especially to the courtyard or the gardens.” Padme choked out. “Artie isn't himself...He might not even be...We need to find him. Did he say where he was going or did you see him again?”
“He said he was going to go sleep but he went outside. At least I think he did...I saw the door swing closed when I looked back down the hall. What do you mean not himself ?” Ben said in a low voice.
“If something happened and he...passed...in the Fae realm, a skilled Fae could use his body, so to speak, and cross back here,” Padme grimaced as she explained.
“Jesus!” exclaimed Leia. “What do we do now? If Artie could be inhabited by an evil fairy and he’s somewhere in the house and we can't go outside, what are we supposed to do? ” Leia was nearing full blown panic, Ben could tell by the way she was gesticulating while she paced back and forth behind the table.
“What about the wards? Will they do anything to Artie if he's been bodysnatched?” Ben asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” she started. “His physical body isn’t affected by the ward like it would affect other Unseelie. Kriff! I need to think!”
“Just...stay calm Nonna.” Ben ordered, trying to sweep the broken glass and flour from around her feet. “We’ll be okay. We have to be.”
“Should we leave Theed? Naboo?” Leia asked, still nervously pacing.
“NO! ‘m not leaving without Mama!” Ivy yelled, her outburst snapping the lot of them out of the moment.
“No, Baby, of course we aren’t leaving without Mama.” Ben said calmly. His knuckles whitened around the handle of the whisk broom. He carefully slid the mask in place to hide his anxiety over their situation. They can’t leave, but staying isn’t a safe option, and neither of those choices are getting him closer to Rey.
Once Ben had the flour and glass off the floor and in the trash can, he went back to the bedroom to grab his messenger bag that kept some of Ivy’s coloring books and crayons.
“Baby, why don’t you color a picture for Mama while Nannie gets you some breakfast. Nonna, can I talk to you in the dining room?” Ben laid out a few coloring books and emptied the box of crayons onto the table in front of Ivy. Padme was almost to the swinging door leading to the formal dining room when he stood up.
Padme was standing at the far side of the room, positioned intentionally so their conversation wouldn’t carry back into the kitchen. Ben joined her and pulled out a chair for her then sat down next to her.
“Benny, this is bad,” Padme reached for Ben’s hands and clasped them together tightly. “You aren’t going to like this, but I fear it's our only option. I need to fix this...it’s all my fault.”
“What do you mean? It’s not your fault! What happened with you was years ago! He should have gotten over it!” The panic in Ben’s voice was on the verge of turning into rage.
“It’s time I made this right...for you and Ivy and for my parents.” Padme released Ben’s hands and stood up. She pressed a kiss on the top of his head and then ruffled his hair. “I need to get some things ready before I leave. Go back in there and keep them busy. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Ben thought he saw the air shimmer around her as she stretched her arms out before leaving the room.
When he walked back into the kitchen, Leia and Ivy were singing ‘You are my Sunshine’ and Ivy was coloring a picture while Leia buttered her toast.
“Where’s Nonna?” Leia said realizing Ben was alone.
“She needed to go do something. She said she would be right back though.” Ben tried to keep a calm demeanor so Leia wouldn’t panic, but some things were just beyond his control.
“Benjamin, go upstairs right now and make sure she’s ok! There is a very good possibility she is in danger.” Leia hissed the last part under her breath to try to keep Ivy from hearing her.
“Mom...She said to come back here and wait for her!” Ben countered.
“Benjamin! ” Leia stood up and pointed her finger. The finger. She only pointed that finger when she wanted you to know she meant business. The finger lost its power over Ben when he was about 14, but she did have a point.
“You know what? I’ll go, but if Nonna gets mad at me I’m going to tell her that this was your idea!” Ben stood up and walked out of the kitchen. The house was eerily quiet in the hallway, the only sound he could hear was his own heartbeat echoing in his ears.
Ben started up the stairs and when he reached the second floor landing he heard the crash that sounded like furniture falling over and breaking glass. He sprinted in the direction of the sound, and arrived outside of Padme’s bedroom. He tried the door knob but it was locked. Backing away from the door, he kicked the door plate hard with his right foot, splintering the door frame as it swung open.
Padme stood over Artie’s twitching body, a fireplace poker in one hand and a long chain with a silver medallion in the other.