Chapter Text
December 23rd, 6 PM
Former senator Padmé Skywalker wasn’t easily astounded. She had run a country during a war, secretly married one of her own security agents, and discovered she was pregnant with twins, all before she was thirty. Since then, she had watched her daughter charm the senate, bailed her husband out of jail after his doomed attempt to take over the presidency, and seen her son rise to the top of the legal world. She had even survived becoming a grandmother with her sanity mostly intact. Now she wanted what she had earned: retirement, quiet days, and a cabin far, far away from anyone with plans to topple a government or a dinner table.
Which is why her husband’s whining was starting to grate on her nerves like cheap tinsel.
“Honestly, Ani, it’s just one family weekend at the cabin. You’ll survive,” Padmé said, fiddling with the garland on the banister. She briefly considered using it to choke him out. “Plus, we haven’t seen Benny in months!”
“He could have come up on his own!” Anakin moaned. “He didn’t have to invite the whole company!”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic! It’s just our family and a few of Benny’s little coworkers.” Padmé rolled her eyes. Her husband was a former galactic-level terror and somehow the biggest baby in the house. “It’ll be a lovely time.”
“And Luke’s friends and Leia’s friends and Han’s hairy Russian friend! That one doesn’t even speak English! The list goes on!” Anakin threw his hands in the air. “We bought this place to escape from the city, now you’re bringing everyone here!”
“It’s just one weekend, and we have more than enough space. It’s not going to kill you,” Padmé said, finishing the garland and turning to glare at him. “And it’s Christmas. You don’t even have to stay inside with everyone. Go do fun snowy things with the guys.”
“But I don’t like snow! It’s wet and freezing and frustrating, and it melts everywhere!”
“Listen to me very carefully.” Padmé grabbed him by the ear and yanked him down to her level. “You can either get into the Christmas spirit, or I’ll tell Han who really left the dent in the Falcon last summer.”
Anakin’s eyes went wide. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Padmé smiled sweetly, the kind of smile that promised violence. “Just watch me.”
“Luke! Leia! Han! Chewbacca! Threepio! Art! I’m so glad you all could make it!”
Leia grinned at her father as she stepped inside. It had been months since she’d seen her parents or had a single day off, so this Christmas trip felt like a miracle. She hoped for peace, quiet, and maybe one holiday where no one ended up yelling. The fact that everyone had made it was almost suspicious, but she wasn’t about to complain.
“Wow, Mom, the place looks beautiful!” Leia glanced at the extravagant decorations. “Did you do all of this yourself?”
“Your father helped,” Padmé smirked. “A bit.”
“That sounds about right,” Luke said, hugging his mother as his father let out a noise that might have been a sigh or a small death rattle.
“It looks beautiful, Mrs. Skywalker, I must say!” Threepio said as he set down the luggage. “Art and I were just saying how incredible your taste is!”
“Thank you, Threepio. We’re glad everyone could make it.” Padmé smiled, then turned to glare at her husband. His attempt at a smile looked more like pain. “Ani, show them to their rooms, will you?”
When he didn’t move, she jabbed him in the ribs.
Anakin squeaked and then turned to the group. “Of course. Luke and Leia, you know your usual suites. Everyone else, up the stairs.”
Before disappearing with the crowd, Anakin turned to face his immediate family. “Han,” he spluttered, “how… nice to see you again.”
Leia quirked an eyebrow. Her father rarely managed more than a thin tolerance for her husband.
“Thanks,” Han breathed. When Anakin refused to break eye contact, he wrung his hands nervously. “I’m gonna go unpack. I’ll see you all in a bit.”
As Han shuffled off toward the ground-floor suite, Anakin shot Padmé a look that said this was entirely her fault before trudging upstairs.
Padmé cleared her throat. “Well, wasn’t that nice?” she said, linking arms with both her children. “Your father can be such a character.”
“Let’s just hope we don’t have a repeat of the Thanksgiving incident,” Luke whispered as they headed toward the couches.
Padmé giggled. “I hope not. I can’t afford to ruin another dining room table. Speaking of Thanksgiving, where’s Ben? I thought he was coming with you.”
“He had to stay late to finish things up at the office. He’s driving up with Poe,” Luke said.
“You work those boys too hard, Luke. It’s Christmas.” Padmé frowned. Ben had finally escaped the nightmare of First Order Law and joined Luke at The Resistance. She had expected fewer late nights, not more.
“Geez, Mom, thanks for the vote of confidence. He just wanted to finish things so he’d be free when his ‘special guest’ got here,” Luke smirked.
“Special guest?” Padmé blinked.
Leia grinned. “Mom, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I wanted to wait until we were in person.”
“Oh, here we go,” Luke muttered as Padmé looked between them.
Leia took a breath. “You see Ben, he…”
“He what?” Padmé’s eyes narrowed. “What am I missing?”
“He’s finally got a girlfriend!”
“What do you mean he’s finally got a girlfriend?” Anakin bellowed. Padmé rushed to close their bedroom door, shoving it shut with the quiet desperation of someone trying to contain a wild animal.
“So now we’re not only expecting that Dameron kid, we’re adding some girl and her grandfather?!”
“Keep it down, Ani!” Padmé clamped her hands over his mouth. “Do you want them to hear you? It’s just two more people! We have more than enough room!”
“Just two more people? They’re strangers!” Anakin flung his arms out like the very concept offended him. His cabin was about to hold nine more people than he had mentally prepared for. He had not moved to the mountains after years in jail just to open a bed-and-breakfast. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“Honestly, Ani, you’re worse than a child sometimes.” Padmé rolled her eyes. “This means so much to Leia. You know how long Ben has been alone. What he’s struggled with. If you won’t do it for me, do it for them.”
Anakin groaned, because of course she had to make it about feelings. Even after everything that terrible man had put them through, the very one Anakin tried hard not to picture whenever sharp objects were nearby, Padmé still knew exactly how to disarm him.
“All right. For you, I will.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “I guess we’ve made it through worse.”
“I’d say so.” Padmé laughed softly. “Besides, what’s Christmas without a little extra family drama?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way you two still haven’t done anything together,” Poe said, throwing his hands in the air from the passenger seat of Ben’s black Mercedes. “I don’t believe it.”
Ben’s ears were already pink. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?” Poe snorted. “You’ve been dating Rey for nine months and haven’t done anything?”
“We’re focusing on other things.” Ben’s grip on the wheel tightened. “Besides, her grandfather is… protective. We’ve never really had time alone.”
“You’re thirty years old and still a virgin!” Poe groaned. “Man, I don’t know whether to feel impressed or depressed.”
“Yeah, yeah. She wasn’t even allowed to come to the cabin unless her grandfather came too,” Ben sighed.
“I can’t believe your grandparents signed off on that.”
“They don’t know yet.” Ben frowned. “Uncle Luke promised he’d break the news before we got there, and Mom said it was fine. They know I wouldn’t spend Christmas without Rey.”
“I’m sure everyone will be thrilled once they find out about the engagement.” Poe grinned. “How bad could her grandfather really be?”
Once Ben and Poe arrived and everyone had unpacked, Padmé gathered them all in the spacious living room for pre-dinner drinks and appetizers.
“Well, Benny, I must say this is quite the surprise!” Padmé smiled up at her grandson, who was hunched on a stool, twiddling his thumbs and doing everything possible not to meet anyone’s eyes.
“I’ll say,” Anakin snorted. Padmé shot him a glare over her wineglass.
“I didn’t think he had it in him,” Han said, reaching for a handful of pretzels.
“Han!” Leia warned.
“What?” Han threw his hands up. “It's true! I didn’t think this day would ever come!”
Chewbacca rumbled his agreement.
“The kid has always been kinda awkward, Leia,” Luke stated.
Ben buried his face in his hands.
“What I am- what we are trying to say is,” Padmé stammered, patting her grandson on the back, “we are so happy for you and excited to meet her, sweetie!”
“Thanks, Grandma,” Ben groaned.
Then the sound of tires crunching up the driveway made him snap upright.
“Oh, she’s here! They’re here!” Padmé squeaked, abandoning her wineglass on the table like she had just been called to the Senate floor.
Everyone followed as she darted to the entryway, excitement building like a pack of nosy neighbours spying out the window.
They all crowded around as the front door creaked open.
“Ben?” A posh British voice called nervously.
“Rey!” Ben grinned, practically sprinting to the door.
“Oh, thank goodness it’s you!” Rey said, stepping inside. “We got lost on the way up, and I wasn’t sure if this was the right house. I would have called, but we didn’t have service.”
“Grandad’s getting the luggage,” she added as she brushed snow off her coat.
Ben’s smile lit up his entire face as he took her hands in his and turned to face his eager family.
“Grandma, Grandfather,” he said proudly, tugging Rey forward. “This is the girl you’ve heard so much about. Rey, these are my grandparents.”
“I’m so pleased to meet you,” Rey said, cheeks pink as all eyes locked on her. “Ben has told me so much about you!”
Padmé smiled at the girl’s impossibly sweet face. “It’s delightful to meet you!”
Padmé looked at Anakin, who was suddenly frozen beside her. She jabbed him with her elbow.
“What did you say your name was again?” Anakin asked, squinting like Rey had just presented him with a riddle.
“Oh, how rude of me, sorry,” Rey giggled nervously. “I’m Rey. Rey Palpatine. My grandfather and I are positively chuffed to bits to be spending Christmas with your family!”
“Don’t you mean our family, darling?” A dark voice oozed from the doorway. Every head turned as the air in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
Padmé’s stomach dropped. The man in the doorway was far too wrinkled to be this spry.
“You have a granddaughter?!” Anakin seethed out in horror.
Ex-senator Palpatine grinned from the doorway. “Soon a new grandson too, I hear.”
“What is he talking about?” Anakin whirled to face his grandson.
“Well, we’re all going to be family soon enough,” Rey said quickly. “Might as well get a head start on the titles, right?”
Rey gave a nervous little giggle, squeezing Ben’s hands like she was trying to telepathically beg him to save her.
“Well, Grandfather,” Ben said, pulling Rey close with a look that was half proud, half terrified. “What Rey’s trying to say is… we’re engaged!”
Padmé didn’t have time to grab Anakin before he hit the floor with a thud.
She folded her arms, surveying the stunned crowd. “Well, how about some eggnog?”
I'm getting married in the morning
Ding dong! The bells are gonna chime.
Drug me or jail me, Stamp me and mail me.
But get me to the church on time!