Chapter Text
Once there was a girl called Sabreyna Smith. She lived in a grand house on the Long Island north shore – a mansion left over from another era. There was staff to clean each of its 10 bedrooms, gardeners to keep the four acres of lawn manicured, a chef to prepare every meal, even a tennis coach for the private court. There was also a chauffeur who drove Sabreyna in an elegant Rolls Royce to the exclusive private school she attended nearby. To anyone who cared to look, she lived a privileged, picture-perfect childhood.
But Sabreyna didn't really live in a fairytale. The grand house did not belong to her family, nor did they employ any staff. They did not own the elegant car. The school she attended was not paid for by her parents, but through financial aid based on her academic results. To anyone who truly looked, she was the very definition of a fish out of water.
Sabreyna Smith was not a Long Island princess. She was the only daughter of the aforementioned chauffeur who worked for Han Solo, the shipping magnate. It was that family’s grand house in which she and her father resided, the two of them together in an apartment over the garage. It was in their car that she was driven to and from the school that she never would have been accepted into if not for that family’s influence, excellent academic record or not.
Sabreyna was also the daughter of a man hiding his true identity.
Growing up, she knew she didn’t fit in with the family who employed her father. She played in their gardens and swam in their pools, and went to bed every night well fed and protected. She knew her place, however – not from any overt discussion with her father, but rather the quietly learned rules of what was allowed and what was not. Where she was allowed to play and which areas were out of bounds. Who was appropriate to talk to, and who was not.
Not only was the family wealthy beyond measure, they were well known. ‘Pillars of society’ her father had said once, when she was too young to understand what society was. Leia Organa, the matriarch of the Organa-Solo clan, was the senior Senator from New York, and held in the highest regard by her constituents. Senator Organa was part of a political dynasty that had held power to varying degrees for more than a century. It was no wonder, then, that their only son was destined for greatness.
Ben Solo was the sun, as far as Sabreyna was concerned, and she would have happily been the moon. When she was a child, Ben was a popular, gregarious teenager who put up with her hanging around when his friends were over. He called her ‘kid’ good-naturedly, and gave her toys and books he no longer had use for. He never made her feel like an annoyance or teased her about her tomboy ways.
When Sabreyna was a teenager, though, Ben Solo was something new altogether. Now he was a young man – a law student whose presence at the mansion was less frequent but just as cherished. When he was home from college, he was her everything. Tall, dark and handsome, Ben was the sole object of Sabreyna’s affections – the only man she ever wanted, even as the occasional boy at school showed an interest in her. No one held a candle to Ben, as far as she was concerned. She wanted desperately to tell him so, but he made her so nervous she would get the hiccups on the rare occasions he spoke to her. It never failed to send her scurrying back to the apartment above the garage, burning with embarrassment.
When she was 17, everything changed. Senator Organa was running for re-election and her opponent, looking for anything with which to smear her, uncovered the truth about Sabreyna’s father. He wasn’t John Smith, chauffeur to the Senator’s husband. His real name was Jonas Palpatine, son of the crooked hedge fund manager who years before had overseen a financial empire that was exposed as the largest ponzi scheme in history. Shreev Palpatine had been the most hated man in the country when he was finally brought to justice, not long after Sabreyna was born. He was the perpetrator of an evil that robbed thousands of their savings, destroyed families, and caused multiple suicides. He was also the very definition of dark money, with dozens of politicians paid off to do his bidding and help cover his fraudulent activities.
Jonas Palpatine, who had been estranged from his father for years, nonetheless felt the shame of bearing his name. To protect his daughter he had taken a new name and became John Smith, and moved to Long Island to give her a different, protected life. It wasn’t until the truth was discovered years later that Sabreyna learned about her grandfather who was now serving a sentence of over 150 years in prison for his numerous crimes.
The truth of her father’s lineage almost derailed Leia Organa’s re-election campaign, especially after Han Solo refused to fire his chauffeur out of loyalty, and a healthy dose of bullishness and distaste for the press. John Smith stayed. Senator Organa eventually won her re-election. But not before Sabreyna was sent away, back to their native England to protect her from those who sought to embarrass and malign the Senator. She left behind her father, her few friends, and most of all, Ben Solo.
She hadn’t wanted to leave. She had begged and pleaded with her father to stay. She cried bitter tears over being separated from Ben, bemoaning the fact he would forget all about her. It wasn’t until her father, not unkindly, reminded her that Ben couldn’t forget someone he didn’t even know existed. It was a cruel blow, one that made her hate her father in that brief moment.
Sabreyna only recognized it as the truth when a little time and distance separated them. She forgave her father, and did her best to forget about Ben Solo. She saw something of the world away from the north shore enclave and the family that had dictated so much of her life. It was away from their influence and patronage that she found herself.
It wasn’t until she was 23 and newly graduated from university that she returned to Long Island… which is when Sabreyna Smith’s story truly began.
∞∞∞∞∞
Rey stepped down off the Greyhound bus and inhaled deeply. Her destination was a quiet hamlet that was far removed from the busyness of the city or the surrounding towns on the north shore. It was everything she remembered, with little change in the past six years to mark the passage of time.
There was no one to greet her like the other passengers who got off at the same stop. She had purposely not told her father of her early arrival, wishing to surprise him by coming a full week before he expected her. Still, she glanced around in case she recognized anyone she knew. When there was nobody, Rey retrieved her suitcase and other bags and made her way to the nearest taxi rank in the middle of the main street.
While she waited she smoothed out her long, flowing dress. It had not been the most practical attire to wear on a bus journey, especially in the heat of a New York summer, but it was the most extravagant thing she had bought during her time studying in Paris. She told herself she wanted to look her best when she saw her father again. She even wore kitten heels for the occasion, something that would have appalled her teenage self.
Rey was peering down the street in search of an elusive taxi when she spotted the vintage red Ferrari parked a short distance away. There were plenty of wealthy residents in the area, and luxury European cars weren’t uncommon. She couldn’t help but wonder… Red had always been his favorite color, and a ludicrously expensive Italian sports car was exactly the sort of vehicle he’d…
She gulped when she saw the tall figure approach the car, parcel in hand. He was dressed in casual pants and a linen jacket, looking effortlessly handsome. His dark hair was a little longer than the last pictures she’d seen online, when she’d finally permitted herself to Google his name again after a self imposed moratorium. Rey knew he kept it that way to hide the ears he’d always complained were too big. She had never noticed any imperfections.
It was a shock to have him suddenly materialize, as if she had conjured him. She thought she had more time to prepare herself. And yet she couldn’t hide the smile that appeared, her heart beating faster at the mere sight of him. It broadened without her realizing it when he glanced up and noticed her staring. To Rey’s delight, Ben smiled back.
“Hi!” she exclaimed.
“Hi,” he replied. Ben placed the parcel into the back of the Ferrari, his eyes trained on her the whole time.
“I thought that was yours.”
“Oh yeah?”
“If I had to guess what car you drove these days, it would’ve been a red Ferrari,” Rey continued cheerily.
“Well, you know me,” he said a little more hesitantly as he took a few steps towards her.
“I do.” She smiled softly now, flooded with memories of the boy he was and fantasies of the man he had become.
Ben smiled again but his expression was clearly more puzzled. “Are you waiting for someone?”
“A taxi.”
“Do you need a ride?” He gestured back to the car. “I was just on my way home and I could drop you wherever you need to go.”
“Funnily enough we’re headed to the same place, Ben Solo.” Just saying his name was enough to cause a pleasant swooping sensation in her stomach.
“Must be my lucky day,” he said, his dark gaze not wavering.
Another thrill ran through her and Rey fought to stop herself from grinning like an idiot. She put it down to the shock of seeing him in the flesh. It was hard to not feel like the lovestruck teenager she’d been when she’d seen him last, six long years ago. Settling her expression into one of fake nonchalance, she collected her belongings and closed the distance between them.
When she was only a few steps away Rey shifted her sunglasses to the top of her head, pushing her short hair behind her ears. Her stare was unapologetic now, taking in the small changes to his features up close. The photos on social media showed none of them, but Rey knew his face almost better than she knew her own.
His parents were the famous ones, and the Ben she remembered had always been unassuming about his heritage and everything that came with it. Now, she found out online, name recognition was all important due to his own burgeoning political career. She recalled, too late, that he went by Ben Organa-Solo these days, no doubt to appeal to potential voters.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Rey asked demurely. She could feel the blush on her cheeks and hoped she didn’t look like the awkward kid she still felt like sometimes.
“It would be my pleasure.” Ben’s voice was low and sonorous, and his eyes which had been locked with hers flitted down the length of her and back again.
Rey’s whole face suddenly felt like it was on fire, a faint buzzing in her ears, as he reached over to pick up her suitcase. He still towered over her, even in heels. She caught a waft of his cologne, a new addition to the sensory overload that was Ben.
“You don’t travel light,” he was saying when she snapped back to attention, “but I’m sure I can make it all fit.”
Ben took her other bags and dropped them into the back of the car along with the suitcase. Rey walked mechanically to the passenger door and waited, not for reasons of chivalry but because she was unsure about touching the Ferrari. Ben opened it for her, offering her his hand as she got in.
Rey said little as they drove out of the township towards the Organa-Solo estate. While Ben attempted small talk she reminded herself that he was off limits in every way that mattered, most notably that he had a girlfriend. Not only was she a pediatric surgeon, Tallissan Lintra was the daughter of the Governor of New York. Rey’s father had broken the news six months ago on one of their regular phone calls, how the family was waiting for the inevitable announcement of their engagement. She knew her father wasn’t being intentionally hurtful – he had no idea of the torch she still carried for the son of his employer. Rey had feigned interest, all the while feeling like her heart was breaking even as she knew how ridiculous she was for thinking she ever had a chance with him.
She knew she could never compete with the likes of Ben’s girlfriend. She knew hers was a silly schoolgirl crush that had never gone away, even after she did. As she sat beside him now in his sports car, she mentally chastised herself and remembered that she was here to see her father, not Ben.
“So, I guess you’re here for the party tonight,” Ben said, interrupting her reverie.
Rey turned to look at him without offering a reply.
“My mother’s fundraiser. That’s why you’re here.”
She was grateful that her sunglasses, perched on her face once more, hid the confusion in her eyes.
“You must be new,” he continued. “I haven’t seen you at one of these things. I never forget a pretty face.”
Rey still didn’t reply, her chest tightening.
Ben glanced at her in between keeping his eyes on the road. “Are you with the catering crew? Or the band?”
“Oh,” was all she managed to say in response. She fixed her gaze firmly forward once more. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”
Rey didn’t blame him. She’d left the States as a shy, awkward 17 year old who could barely say two words to him without becoming self conscious. And despite the notoriety that her grandfather’s name brought her and her father, Rey was sure that to the likes of Ben Organa-Solo, she was and would remain a nobody.
He was looking at her again. “Shit. Have I put my foot in it?”
She chuckled mirthlessly. “No. I wouldn’t expect you to know me.”
“That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to.”
A small frown knitted her brow as that new and intriguing idea formed. Rey willed herself not to look at him.
“Don’t miss the turn off,” she said instead and pointed to the grand gates of the estate.
Ben focused his attention on the road again and drove smoothly through the open gates and down the long drive towards the house. He pulled up a short distance from the front doors, amid delivery trucks from which flowers and food were being unloaded. He turned to her but Rey was quickly out of the car.
“Wait, am I going to see you at the party later?” he asked and climbed out a little less gracefully in his haste.
“I doubt it.”
She went to retrieve her suitcase and Ben was there in an instant, his large hard covering hers on the handle. “Tell me where I can find you then.”
Rey withdrew her hand and let him lift out the heavy suitcase. “Thank you for the lift, Ben.”
“What’s your name?” he asked more urgently. “Give me something to go on.”
“Does it really matter?”
“Well, yeah. Yeah, it does. How else will I find you?”
“I think you’ll have more important people to talk to tonight than me.”
“Perhaps.” He shrugged, his dark eyes boring into hers. “But no one as beautiful. Come on, you can tell me your name at least.”
Rey smiled grimly at the compliment and wondered how true it could be. Ben was a notorious flirt, though never with her. It was impossible to believe it was anything but lip service, or maybe the effect of her Parisian dress and new hairstyle…
Ben took a step closer and her heart actually skipped a beat. It took the call of his name to break the spell she found herself under, and they both looked towards the house where Poe Dameron had emerged from the front door. He was trailed by a woman with a cell phone in each hand and a clipboard under her arm.
Poe was a couple of years older than Ben, a close friend of the family, and the two of them had grown up like brothers. She wasn’t surprised to see him there so many years later. Rey had never paid Poe much attention when Ben was around, but it was clear that the years had been kind to him as well. Or perhaps it was the dark jeans and white button-down he wore, and the curls that still graced his head. She felt herself smiling more effortlessly at another familiar face.
“You’re running late,” Poe said to Ben as he headed towards a town car that was parked nearby. “Your mother’s looking for you. Hello, Sabreyna.”
Ben’s eyes widened as Rey felt a flush of embarrassment. Poe had always been the more serious of the two, and it made sense that he was also the most observant.
“Hello, Poe,” she murmured. With a swift glance at Ben she snatched up her other bags and took hold of her suitcase.
“Sabreyna?” Ben echoed in disbelief.
“How was university?” Poe asked, barely pausing as he reached the car.
“Fine, thank you.” Rey saw that Ben was still staring at her, mouth slightly agape. “I need to go find my father.”
“Wait… Sabreyna?” he repeated incredulously as she backed away.
Rey turned and her steps quickened as she made her escape.
∞∞∞∞∞
She found her father polishing the precious Rolls Royce that Han Solo had imported two decades ago. She flew into his arms as his face registered shock, and hugged him as tightly as she could.
“What are you doing here?” he choked out before she loosened her grip on his shoulders. “You blessed girl, you weren’t supposed to arrive until next week!”
Rey pulled away with a watery grin. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“You succeeded.” Her father mopped absently at the corners of his eyes with the same cloth he’d been using on the car. “Why didn’t you call? I could have collected you in town.”
“I got a lift, it’s fine.” She took a few steps back and appraised him. “You look good, Dad.”
“Oh posh. I look like a middle aged man in decline. But I do feel better for seeing you. I’ve missed you, Sabreyna.”
“Rey,” she reminded him firmly. Her expression softened. “I missed you too.”
He nodded in defeat, and she was grateful that she didn’t have to reiterate why she’d changed her name. John Smith knew all about the desire to turn his back on his true identity.
“Come upstairs and I’ll make tea. I want to hear all your news.” He took charge of her suitcase and went to the stairs that led to the self contained apartment above.
“I’m not taking you away from anything, am I? I didn’t realize there was a party tonight.” Rey’s concern was thinly guised, and she hoped he didn’t pick up on her curiosity over the event.
“One of the Senator’s fundraisers. Mr. Solo will be firmly entrenched in his den by now, threatening not to come out when the guests arrive. Which means I have the afternoon off.”
Rey stepped inside the apartment, feeling like she was in a timewarp. Not a single thing had changed in her absence, apart from the addition of a few framed photographs that she’d sent him from university. She paused in front of a picture of the two of them, taken when she turned 16, and barely recognized that sullen looking teen with the long, dishevelled hair and bangs that fell to her eyes. It was no wonder that Ben hadn’t known her. She was different now and, she hoped, more stylish. Her time in Paris saw to that. She’d been fortunate to live with two glamorous roommates during her year at the Sorbonne who’d taken her under their wing and helped update her look, as well as her self confidence. The first thing they’d insisted upon was cutting her wavy hair to the ear length it was now.
“Put your things away while I brew the tea,” her father said. “I have your room all ready.”
Rey smiled in response and did as she was told, finding her room exactly as it had been left. She hadn’t been like other teenagers with posters on their walls or inspiring quotes stuck to the mirror. Her bedroom was plain and unadorned, as if it were a guest house and not a home, which is exactly how she always thought of it.
She sat on the bed and ran her hand over the cotton comforter, taking in the familiar space. After a moment she lay back so her head was next to the bedside table. There, on the edge of the white wood was a tiny B.S. with a heart around it written in Sharpie, in a spot only she could see. Rey touched her finger to it and sighed.
“Tea’s up!” came the call from the kitchen and she got up swiftly to rejoin her father.
∞∞∞∞∞
“Secretary Mothma is a late apology for this evening – an urgent matter she had to attend to, her assistant said,” Kaydel Connix stated as she ran through the list of the party attendees for the small group assembled.
Senator Leia Organa sat behind her large oak desk and nodded. “I thought as much. Snoke is up to his usual tricks ahead of the Cabinet meeting. Remind me to call her tomorrow.”
“And the Governor’s office confirmed he and his wife may still get here in time, but not to wait.”
“I’ll be sure to do that,” Leia said drolly and shared a knowing look with Poe who stood on the other side of her desk. She turned her attention to her son who sat in one of the armchairs to the side of the book-lined room. “It’s a shame Talli couldn’t be here tonight. When are you expecting her?”
“She won’t be back from California for another week, Mother,” Ben replied with obvious disinterest in both the conversation and the newspaper he was flicking through.
“You will make a point of talking to the Ematts tonight, won’t you?”
“For the third time, yes.”
“And the Gawats and Cassy Algara.”
“Yes, yes, alright.” Ben tossed the paper aside and stood up. “I’ll speak with all the old fogies and tell them how grateful I am for their support. Did you know Sabreyna was coming back today?”
Leia was engrossed by something on the iPad that she’d been handed and missed Poe’s frown. She glanced up at Ben.
“Hmm, what’s that? Sabreyna’s back? I thought she wasn’t arriving for another week.”
“You knew she was coming home and didn’t tell me?” Ben demanded.
“I didn’t know you’d be interested in the travel plans of the chauffeur’s daughter, darling.”
“She grew up here,” said Ben more circumspectly, his eyes darting between his mother and Poe. “Of course I’m interested.”
“I’ll be sure and stop by tomorrow to say hello to her,” Leia replied then nodded at Poe. “Go ahead and send the reply and then let Amilyn know.”
“Will do.” Poe took the tablet back and started tapping away on it.
“Why wait until tomorrow?” Ben interjected. “You could see her tonight.”
“I’ll be too busy tonight. I have calls to make and then I need to get ready.”
“Not if she came to the party,” he argued. “You could say hello then.”
Leia waved her hand dismissively. “Very well. Invite her to the party, if you like.”
Poe made a face and shook his head at the Senator, which Ben caught. His chin jutted out obstinately. “Thank you, I will.”
“You have more important people to focus on tonight, Ben,” Poe said in a warning tone.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t be hospitable when an old friend comes to visit.”
Poe sighed tiredly and rubbed a hand over his forehead.
∞∞∞∞∞
The guests were due to arrive in less than an hour. As Poe stood before a mirror in one of the numerous guest bedrooms to tie his black bowtie, Ben lounged on the bed already in his tuxedo. And, to Poe’s annoyance, he had yet to shut up about Sabreyna’s return.
“I mean, you saw her, right?” Ben said distractedly. “It’s not just me.”
“You have to concentrate less on Sabreyna and more on the people you need to impress tonight,” Poe replied in a stern tone. ”You haven’t even looked at the prep I gave you.”
“I don’t want to talk to them,” Ben whined, sounding like a petulant child. “They’re so fucking boring.”
Poe glared at Ben via the mirror. “They’re also rich and have plenty of rich friends. In case you forgot, you’re running for Congress. You need all the donors and influence you can get. Unless you want to dip into your trust fund.”
“Fine.” Ben picked up the folder beside him and flipped through the wad of paper inside. A minute later as Poe stepped into his shoes, he set it aside. “I just can’t get over how grown up she is now.”
“She’s been gone, what? Five, six years? What did you expect?”
“Not that. She’s a knockout.”
Poe glanced up from tying his laces. “Behave yourself, asshole.”
“I always do.”
Both of them knew that was a lie. Poe stood up with a huff and retrieved his tuxedo jacket.
“I mean it, Ben. I won’t waste my time on your campaign if you’re going to keep up these bullshit playboy antics. I have actual work to do at the Capitol but I’m doing this as a favor to your mother until you appoint a campaign manager.”
“You’re doing this because my mother told you to,” Ben grumbled. “You always do what she tells you to.”
“She’s my boss. And if you don’t get your head in the game, you won’t stand a chance in the primary.”
“God, you even sound like her!”
“One of us should, don’t you think?” Poe countered.
“You need to relax. You’re wound up so tight it’s a wonder you don’t have an aneurysm. It might do you good to flirt with a pretty girl now and again.”
“You flirt enough for the both of us,” Poe griped. “Do I need to remind you that you already have a knockout girlfriend? Tallie’s way too good for you but for some reason she loves your sorry ass. Don’t fuck it up just because she’s on the other side of the country for the week.”
Ben groaned. “Fuck. I know.”
Poe wasn’t done yet. “You getting caught up in an entanglement with the chauffeur's daughter is the stupidest thing you could do right about now.”
“An entanglement? Are you sure you’re two years older than me and not 20?”
Poe flipped him off as he walked out of the room. Once he was alone, a slow smile spread across Ben’s face as he remembered Rey’s shy acceptance when he’d called the apartment to invite her to the party. He stood and checked himself in the floor length mirror, nodding in approval at his reflection. What his girlfriend didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
∞∞∞∞∞
A short distance away in the apartment above the garage, Rey also checked her reflection with a mix of trepidation and excitement. She had no idea where the evening would take her, but it didn’t stop her from hoping. She’d waited six years for the opportunity to see Ben again, and now it was here.