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Rey feels like she’s been on auto-pilot for days now. She’s taken to curling up on the couch and falling asleep in front of the TV for the past few nights, only getting up to take showers or cook herself meals. But right now her phone is ringing and vibrating underneath her pillow, and she wakes up to the sound of the news airing in the background.
“Earlier this week, eccentric millionaire and business mogul Luke Skywalker was found dead in his home at the age of 58. Founder and CEO of Jedi Tech Enterprises, Skywalker reportedly suffered a heart attack in his sleep, but investigation is still on-going as to the actual cause of his death—"
She turns the television off and picks up the phone, clearing her throat. “Hello?”
On the other line is Finn, sounding more somber and serious than she ever thought him capable of. “Hey, peanut,” he greets. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she replies in a tone that seems none too convincing. She clears her throat again. “A-and you? How are things over there?”
“Fine, but only because no one’s actually showed up yet.” He sighs, and Rey feels a pang of sympathy for her friend.
She had met Finn a couple of years back, when she was still fresh out of medical school and had just gotten her license. She was working at a hospital in Jakku for a few months until she suddenly got an offer to work as a personal nurse to a mysterious, wealthy man who lived in a mansion in the middle of nowhere.
If Rey was being honest, she didn't quite trust Luke at first — everything was just so sketchy, from the unbelievably generous salary, to the secluded location and total lack of neighbors. But Finn helped her feel at home in the mansion, and it wasn’t long before they became fast friends.
He told her that he used to be an orphan, just like her. But he ran away from his orphanage when he was only 6 and fell into a bad crowd, living on the streets and getting by picking pockets and shoplifting. Luke caught him trying to hotwire his car when he was 19, and instead of turning him in, he took Finn under his wing and gave him a roof over his head. He was even generous enough to put Finn through college and pay for his degree in Mechanical Engineering. In return, Finn dutifully looked after Luke, Rey, and the house.
“The funeral’s about to start soon.” Her friend’s voice interrupts her train of thought.
Rey shakes her head to clear it. “Uh, yeah...Yeah, alright...I’m on my way, be there in a bit.”
“Alright, be seeing you soon, peanut.”
And with that, the line goes dead. And for a long while, Rey just lets herself sit in silence and cry as the realization finally dawns on her.
In an hour from now, she would have to say goodbye and bury the man who gave her a home for almost 4 years, who treated her like the family she never thought she’d have again. There would be no more late-night games of Go or listening to his long-winded speeches about "what it means to be a Jedi."
It wasn’t just the loss of her home, her job, and her security she was crying over. She was crying because she lost one of the very few people in the world who ever felt like family to her. And she’d have to learn to be alone all over again.
Finn’s the first person she sees when she gets there, and she gives him a long hug in greeting. Looking around, there’s already a few dozen people there — family, friends, clients, and business associates — but no one else Rey feels like talking to. So she takes a glass of scotch (never mind that it’s not even noon yet) and sulks in the corner for a while to be by herself.
She nearly drops it in surprise when a sudden noise pierces the muted conversations of guests all around her.
HONK! HONK! HOOOOONK!
Setting her drink down, she walks towards the windows and pulls back the curtains to see a sleek black sports car roll into the driveway, a vintage Porsche Boxster.
“Unbelievable,” the man beside her mutters with a shake of his head. Apparently, he had come over to see what was causing all the commotion as well, and he didn’t seem too pleased about what he found either.
He's a few years older than her (5 or 6 if she had to guess) but not much taller. And though he's changed a bit since she last saw him, Rey still recognizes Luke's godson, the one Finn was always telling her about: the famous pilot and aeronautical engineer, Poe Dameron.
"Nice of you to finally show up," Poe sneers to someone behind her, and though Rey turns around anyway, she knows exactly who Poe’s talking to before she even sees him.
His hair is dark and wavy, too, like Poe's (even though Poe is adopted), but much longer and messier. And where Poe is all dark skin, roguish smiles, and low-lidded brown eyes, he is smooth alabaster skin dotted with moles and freckles, full lips, and a prominent nose that all somehow make him strangely handsome in his own way. At 6-foot-2, he eclipses every room he walks into, with his proud, almost regal posture and deep black eyes that burn with the intensity of his gaze.
Standing in the doorway is none other than Ben Solo, the black sheep of the Skywalker family.
Based on what she had gathered from the way everyone spoke about and acted around him, most of the family didn't really like Ben. They saw him as bratty, reckless, emotional, and irresponsible. He graduated magna cum laude from an ivy league university, but instead of taking on the family business and running the company like everyone expected, Ben had a falling out with Luke and decided to rebel by wasting his fortune on sports cars and luxury vacations to Europe.
"Contempt doesn't suit you, Dameron." He scoffs at Poe and purposely pushes past him to get to the living room.
But Poe's not having any of it. He follows Ben, fuming, "You're an hour late to Uncle's funeral! How am I supposed to feel, huh?"
Ben glares at his cousin, and for a moment, Rey worries things might start to get violent between them. She takes a step towards them, but Ben is already walking away from Poe, turning his attention elsewhere.
"Finn," he motions for the younger man to come over. "Hang my coat for me and get me a cup of coffee, would you? Black with two sugars."
"Hey, asshole! That's not his job!" Poe bristles, but Finn complies anyway and mumbles a stiff, "Sure thing, Ben," before leaving.
Just then, Ben's parents walk into the living room with the rest of the attendants, the eulogy having ended. And his mother bemoans, "Ben, what are you wearing ?"
Her son looks down at his clothes — a pair of dark slacks, a sweater, a black coat, and combat boots. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"You couldn't have bothered to put on a suit? Or shave ?" Leia scolds.
Ben rolls his eyes but kisses his mother hello nonetheless.
Leia Organa is — was, Rey corrects herself sternly — Luke's long-lost twin sister. A genius and an icon in her own right, Leia became the first female senator of Alderaan. She married Luke’s best friend, retired race car driver Han Solo.
He was something of a legend, too, back in the 90s when he was still racing for NASCAR. He got his start in illegal street racing, Luke had told Rey with a chuckle, and now spent most of his days designing sports cars for Jedi Tech together with Lando Calrissian, also a former racer, close family friend, and Poe’s adoptive father.
"Where have you been, kid? You're late!" Han exclaims, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "You missed the eulogy."
"But I'm early to the will reading," Ben says with a quirk of his eyebrows, a smirk tugging on his lips.
"Of course you are, you trust fund prick," someone laughs. Leaning against the staircase with her arms crossed and a grin on her face is a woman; tall – maybe even as tall as Ben – with an athletic build and cropped platinum blonde hair.
"Phasma," Ben greets her with a wry smile of his own. "Come to gang up on me, too?”
Gwendoline Phasma is the family attorney and wife of Armitage Hux, executive manager of Jedi Tech Enterprises and Luke's second-degree nephew. The three of them all went to boarding school together, and Rey still recalls a time when Leia had told her she once hoped Gwendoline and Ben would end up together.
The woman smiles and takes a deep breath before continuing, “Well, now that we're all here, shall we begin the will reading?"
Given the close relationship Phasma had had with the Skywalkers, it isn't her reading and carrying out Luke's will, but one of her colleagues from her law firm, Attorney Ackbar. He sits down at the desk and addresses everyone in the room, "Thank you all for coming here today. While it's not entirely necessary, it is important to make sure everyone that might be involved will be present as we read Mr. Skywalker's final will and testament to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings."
Among Rey, Finn, Poe, Ben, Phasma, Han, and Leia, the other members of the family in the room are: Poe's adoptive father, LandoCalrissian; Phasma's husband, Armitage Hux; and Han Solo's best friend, Charles "Chewie" Bacca.
Clearing his throat, the lawyer cracks open his briefcase and takes a manila envelope out of it. "Among Mr. Skywalker's assets," he reads. "Included: the mansion, which he owned outright…"
At that, Rey notices Han reach for Leia's hand and squeeze.
"A lump sum of 60 million dollars, deposited in various bank accounts and investments…"
Lando claps Chewie on the shoulder and smiles gleefully.
"And of course, sole ownership of his tech company, Jedi Industries."
Poe and Ben exchange tense looks with one another.
"Before I open the document, I'm legally obligated to inform you that Mr. Skywalker had changed his will a week prior to his death, and with it, he attached a letter he wrote for all of you."
The lawyer rips open the envelope and reads:
Dearest family,
Some of you may be surprised by the choice I have made here. Believe me, no pleasure was taken from the exclusion –
(At that, Rey sees Ben stiffen ever so slightly from the corner of her eye.)
And it's purpose is not to sow greater discord in the family, but quite the opposite. Please accept my decision with grace and without bitterness. Accept it and know it's for the best. I love you all.
Luke.
Without further ado, the lawyer takes his letter opener and tears open another, larger manila envelope, this one sealed with the Skywalker family crest. He puts on his glasses and begins to narrate the contents of the document:
"I, Luke Skywalker, being of sound mind and judgment, do hereby direct that all my assests, both liquid and otherwise, be left in entirety to…" The man's face falls, but he shakes his head and continues, "To my caretaker, nurse, and dear friend, Rey Niima."
There's a stunned silence that follows in the wake of his words. Slowly, everyone in the room turns to stare at where Rey is standing in the back, head still spinning with the news.
"Wh-What?" She eventually croaks, because they're all looking at her like they're waiting for her to say something.
"I don't understand," Leia turns to the lawyer and shakes her head.
"There must be some kind of mistake," Han all but shouts, getting up from his seat.
"I'm afraid not," the prosecutor answers firmly. "Mr. Skywalker was very clear. It says so right here: I leave the entirety of my possessions to my caretaker and nurse, Rey Solana ."
"Let me see that!" Phasma gets to her feet and takes the offending piece of paper away from the man's hands.
"Can he even do that?" Lando asks. "Is that even legal ?"
"Aren't there safeguards against this?" Poe's voice sounds panicked.
"She's not even a part of this family!" Hux interjects, clearly outraged. He approaches her menacingly, "Oh, you little bitch ! Did you know about this? Were you in on this?"
"Armie," Phasma tries to hold her husband back, but the others have already started to flock around her.
"Rey, what exactly was the nature of your relationship with my brother?" Leia asks, looking none too happy.
"What kind of medication did you put him on?" Han demanded. "Jeez, he must have been out of his goddamn mind when he wrote that!"
"I-I didn't…" Rey stutters, stepping back slowly. "I don't…I'm just as confused as you…"
"Were you sleeping with my Uncle?" Hux accused, the disgust evident in his tone. "Answer the question!"
"No!" Rey bristles.
"That can't be right, that can't be right," she hears Poe mutter as he reads the will over again.
" We're his family, not her!" Lando cries.
Not knowing what else to do, Rey makes her way towards the door with slow, unsteady footsteps. But drawing even her frantic, deer-in-the-headlights attention, rising above all the chaos and confusion, is Ben – sitting in the back, shaking his head.
Laughing.
It’s not long before everyone else turns to look at him, too.
Poe walks up dangerously close to Ben and demands, “You think this is funny, asshole?”
But Ben just keeps laughing. “What the genuine shit!” He exclaims almost gleefully.
Poe turns around and runs his fingers through his hair in evident frustration, clenching his jaw. Finn is by his side in a second, holding his shoulder to keep him calm. “What if this is what Luke wanted?” He offers, but even he doesn’t sound too convinced.
Lando and Chewie both shake their heads. "Why would he want this?" Lando asks Finn.
"What did you do, huh?" Hux is in her face again, crowding her space. "What did you do to him to make this happen?"
"Rey, you need to tell us what's going on," Leia insists.
"Did Uncle Luke discuss this with you?" Poe asks. "What did he tell you?"
"Hey, back off!" A hand comes up on her shoulder and waves them away. She snaps out of her trance a little to focus on his face — it's Finn.
"It doesn't make any sense!" Poe moans. "What's going on? Why would Uncle do this to us?"
"Please, I…" Rey takes another step backwards, suddenly light-headed. She starts to hyperventilate. "I just need to think…and…"
"Oh, no you don't!" Hux tries to grab her, but Finn shoves him away.
"We are not done here!" Phasma snaps, and it twists something in Rey's stomach.
"Rey!" Leia calls out. "You can't leave! We still need to sort everything out first!"
"Don't mob the poor girl! Can't you see she's in shock, too?" Finn yells at them, but they keep coming, attacking her with more questions.
And before Rey can even decide against it, she turns on her heel and makes a run for it.
She stumbles out of the house in a daze, the rest of the family hot on her heels in spite of Finn's best efforts to subdue them. With shaking hands, she opens the door to her car and takes a breath to steady herself.
She turns the engine on, but it's too late. They flood after her more ferociously than before and surround her car before she can so much as get out of the driveway. They're rapping on the window and banging on her engine to try to get her attention, shouting things she can no longer make out.
Oh god, she thinks to herself tearfully. Hux opens her door, but she manages to pull it back and slam it shut again. This is getting really out of hand.
She feels the panic rise inside her throat. Everything around her is swirling and echoing and painfully loud . She doesn't have the faintest idea what to do now. Then —
HONK! HONK! HOOOOONK!
She lifts her head from the steering wheel to see a car pull up right beside her. And past the frenzied crowd all around her, she makes out Ben, in his Porsche, waving at her to get in. She quickly pushes back against her door and jumps inside the car with him.
He slams his foot on the pedal and floors it, careening out of the driveway in a matter of seconds.
It isn't until his family's screaming and outrage fades into the background does Rey finally sigh in relief. She's still shell-shocked, but at least she has room to breathe now.
Ben turns to her then, stone-faced as ever. "Okay, but seriously — what the hell?"
It’s her turn to laugh now, hollow and humorless, her face flush and eyes prickling with hot tears. She shakes her head at him, unable to answer.
What the hell indeed.
They stop at a quaint little roadside diner along the highway and sit down at a table tucked away in the corner.
Rey is miserable and still feeling like she’s on the verge of a breakdown.
Ben, on the other hand, looks bemused as he takes out a handkerchief and hands it to her. She dabs her eyes with it.
He regards her closely, but doesn't say a word. It's only when the waitress comes by and sets down a plate of food on their table – a club sandwich, french fries, and some hash browns – that he speaks.
"Have you eaten anything all day? You look like you're close to fainting." He pushes the plate towards her, and she's too exhausted to be polite.
She joylessly shovels food into her mouth and groans, "This is a nightmare.”
He smirks a little at that. "I don’t doubt it. So tell me."
“Tell you what?”
"You know what.” He quirks his eyebrow at her, unfazed. “Why did my uncle leave you all of his money and cut us all out of his will a week before he died?"
Swallowing her food, she sets down her sandwich and heaves a heavy sigh. "I honestly don't know. But don't you think it has something more to do with your family than with me?"
There's a beat of silence between them, and for a second, Rey is terrified that she's said the wrong thing and alienated the only person in the entire family who seemed to be on her side.
"Yeah," he says eventually, running his hands through his hair. "Yeha, that makes sense."
"Did he really not tell you anything?"
He smiles sadly, cruelly. "Just that I wasn't getting a cent more from him."
"Ben," she reaches across the table to rest her hand on top of his. It's the first time she's ever done this, the first time they've ever spoken even a few passing words to each other. But in that moment, it feels natural, comforting. His touch is grounding her to the present moment just as much as hers is to him.
She strokes the back of his gently with the pad of her thumb. "He wanted you to be your own person. To build something from the ground up, like your parents."
He looks down at her hand on his arm, and then back up at her. There's something in his expression that she can't quite decipher, a mixture of surprise and...something else she can't quite place.
But then he scoffs and pulls away. "Like my parents? My mother's entire political campaign was funded by a million-dollar donation from my uncle. My father works for his company. Neither of them know what it means to build something from the ground up.”
"Maybe not. But maybe your uncle wanted you to be better than them, to not have to live in their shadow anymore."
He chews his lip thoughtfully, but in the end, dismisses her words with a shake of his head. "This isn't about me right now. What about you?"
She swallows her food nervously, almost afraid to ask, "What about me?"
“What are you going to do now?"
Rey frowns. She had been dreading that question from the moment the prosecutor read her name from that piece of paper. "This is the part where you convince me to give back the money, isn’t it? Tell me all the ways you and your family can make my life a living hell if I don't?"
To her surprise, he actually looks offended at that. "Why would I ever do that? Rey, if I still haven't made it clear, I'm on your side."
His voice sounds sincere, but his face is as unreadable as ever.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asks hesitantly. "This isn't you. Why are you doing all this?"
He leans across the table and all but growls at her, "Because fuck — my — family. You're not giving up the money, and you're certainly not giving any of them shit. This is what my uncle wanted for you, for all of us."
Slowly, she nods. While she certainly never wanted anything from Luke, she also knew his family wasn't always the kindest to him. They only ever called when they needed something, only ever dropped by to ask for more money. He'd go on and on to her about how they all seemed to care more about the company than him, much to Rey's indignation.
"And because…" He fixes his dark eyes on her, and his mouth quivers the slightest bit. "You're the only person in that house who has never treated me like I was a waste of space."
The emotional declaration startles her, and suddenly, she is flushed with warm feelings for him. "Nobody thinks you're a waste of space, Ben," she reaches for him but he pulls away again.
"You've met my family, right? That's basically describing all of them." He scowls and the moment is lost.
Rey shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "So what now?"
"Now you let me help you. We'll try to figure this out together, and I'll do everything I can to protect you from my family. I'll teach you what to do with the money, the company, and then you can give me my cut of the inheritance."
She takes a deep breath. "That's it, huh?"
He nods. "That's it. The perfect ending, everyone wins."
Rey is abruptly woken up by the sharp, incessant rapping at her door. At first she tries to go back to sleep and ignore it, but eventually her roommate bursts into the room and shakes her awake.
"Rey, get up! Oh my god, Rey!" Rose all but screams into her ear. "What the hell is happening? There's a guy here and a bunch of paparazzi outside. Everything's so crazy and holy hell , are you rich now?"
"What?" Rey lifts her head, barely. "Maybe. I don't know."
"No, don't go back to sleep!" Rose pulls the pillow from under her and Rey cries in protest. "Get up! Get up!"
"Fine, fine! I'm up!" She rolls out of her single and grabs her phone from the nightstand — 7 missed calls; 5 from Ben and 2 from Finn. She's faintly aware that Rose is trying to tell her something, but she's still half-asleep and stumbling her way to the living room.
"And then I turned on the telly and saw that you were on it so I — "
"Wait, what?" She snaps into attention.
"Yeah, you're on the news! Look!" Rose turns up the volume.
On TV, there's a female news anchor reciting, "We again don't know much about Rey Niima or the exact relationship she had to Luke Skywalker, beyond being his home nurse. Meanwhile, the Skywalker family is yet to release a statement…"
She gapes at the footage of her apartment window and quickly runs to the window. "Is that here ? Are they actually outside right now?"
"I told you." Rose pulls back the blinds. There are several reporters surrounding the street across them, in vans with their cameras at the ready. All of them are looking up into her window, and the moment she opens them, she's assaulted by a rapid succession of blinding flashes.
"Ugh! Unbelievable!" She shrieks.
"I know. It's insane! It's a miracle your friend even made it past the front door."
Rey blinks. "Wait, you said there was a guy here?"
Right on cue, Ben walks out the kitchen and into the living room, casually sipping a cup of coffee. “Good morning," he greets her nonchalantly.
Behind him, Rose is silently screaming at Rey, "Oh — my — GOD!"
"Um, morning,” She replies with as much composure as she can, still blinking back some of her groginess and disbelief.
He’s dressed in nothing but a sweater and some jeans today, but she’s still sure his entire outfit costs more than her rent, if the Rolex on his wrist and fancy dress shoes are anything to go by.
"Sorry to drop by unannounced, but you weren't answering your phone."
"That's because I was asleep. Speaking of which, never call me at 7am again."
He gives her a wary look. "Aren't nurses supposed to work 24-hours?"
"I'm off duty," she retorts. "And I had a pretty crazy day yesterday, in case you’d forgotten."
"Right. Speaking of which, I came to tell you that you have an appointment later at 10."
She glances up at her clock. "Where am I going an hour from now?"
"I think you mean we. I'm taking you to meet a lawyer, a friend of mine named Maz Kanata. She'll help us sort all this out."
"Really?" Rey tries not to sound too hopeful.
He nods. "She's the best of the best. Even Phasma's afraid of her. Now come on, her office is at 1209 Takodana Road."
Rose shoots her another suggestive look. "Oooh, a date," she mouths excitedly.
Rey tries to glare at Rose but she doubts she’s mustered the energy to look very intimidating. So she sighs at both of them instead, "Give me thirty minutes."
“Twenty. And I’ll pick up breakfast while you get ready so we don’t waste time.”
She rolls her eyes but leaves it at that. Now there's the Ben Solo she's so used to.
As they walk side by side, their shoulders occasionally brushing against each other, Rey can't help but steal glances at Ben. They don't talk much on the way to meet Maz, but thankfully, it goes smoothly enough.
Maz tells her that claiming the inheritance should be a quick and easy process, but Ben is still convinced they need to watch out for his family. He warns they might try to take the fortune away by ruining her image and claiming she had undue influence over Luke, but Maz assures her they won't be able to build a strong enough case for it to hold in court.
Still, the news doesn't bring much reassurance to Rey. If anything, it's only making her more anxious about the legal troubles ahead of her.
"You alright?" Ben asks as they're leaving the office and about to get into the car.
She hadn't realized she'd been biting her lip. She stops. "I'm fine."
"Doesn't sound like you are. What's wrong?"
She sighs and rubs her forehead, "Besides the fact that I have somehow managed to abscond with your uncle's million-dollar fortune? And your family will probably try to make my life a living hell for it?"
He steps closer and grips her by the forearms gently. "Hey, I'm not going to let that happen, alright? That's what I'm here for, so you let me worry about that. Okay?”
She swallows the lump in her throat, feeling a rush of emotions she can't quite put into words. She blinks up at him and slowly, hesitantly, nods. "Okay."
"Good," he lets go of her then but doesn't step back. Their eyes lock for a moment, and she finds herself captivated by the intensity in his gaze. The air around them suddenly feels warmer, and she becomes acutely aware of their proximity. He's so close that she can count all the moles and freckles on the planes of his smooth, fair skin.
Without a word, Ben reaches down and gently brushes a strand of hair away from her face, his touch sending shivers down her spine. Her heart flutters, and she finds herself leaning closer, drawn to him like a magnet.
"You want to drive this time? It might cheer you up."
It breaks her out of her trance, but her face slowly melts into a smile when his words dawn on her. Eyes wide and nodding eagerly, she grabs the keys before he can change his mind and rushes to the driver's seat.
Ben, on the other hand, climbs into the front seat and says nothing as she revs up the engine in excitement.
She grips the clutch and quirks her lips slightly at him. "You regret helping me yet?"
"No, but I regret not taking a less expensive car."
"Don't worry. If I scratch it, I'll buy it from you," she smirks before flooring it.
“This…this feels wrong,” Rey frowns.
Her and Ben are sitting side by side at a desk in Rey's living room, surrounded by stacks of papers and folders containing all the evidence they've gathered so far to use against his family in court when they contest her right to Luke’s inheritance. The room is dimly lit, with only the soft glow of the desk lamp illuminating their faces.
“These people, they…they were Luke’s family. And Luke was my family and I…I just can’t believe they could do this to him.”
Beside her, Ben just nods, still concentrating on the correspondence he’s reading. “I told you. My family’s a lot worse than they seem. I'm not even surprised by half of this stuff, to tell you the truth,” he tells her almost absently.
“Still. They’re family, Ben. Yours and Luke’s.” There’s an awful taste in her mouth when she says, “Didn’t they care about him at all?”
He waves bank statements at her, ones that prove Hux had been embezzling funds from Jedi Tech for months. “This proves that they didn’t. Or at least, not as much as they cared about his money anyway.” Ben smiles bitterly, sarcastically.
In the span of a few days, the two of them worked hard to gather any evidence that Luke had a justified reason for cutting them out of his will, like Maz insisted. And what they found was more than Rey knew what to deal with.
“Is this why you hate them so much?” She asks before she can think better of it.
Ben lets out a frustrated sigh, finally putting the papers down to rub his temples. “Well, I didn’t know about this, but I always knew they had a…morally questionable history. You have no idea what it’s like, Rey, being born into this family. The things they’ve done, all their expectations and the pressure to conform. It’s suffocating.”
“I can only imagine.” She reaches out and places a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering a small, reassuring squeeze. “But you don't have to be defined by your family's legacy. You can forge your own path.”
He looks at her with a strained smile and more than tiredness in his eyes. “Easier said than done, isn't it?”
“Maybe,” she answers softly. “But it's not impossible. You just need to be true to who you are and find what makes you happy.”
Their eyes meet and there’s a moment of silence as her words seem to resonate with him. Slowly, he nods. “You have a way of making things seem simpler.”
She laughs. “Probably because my life is a lot simpler than yours.”
“This money might change that, you know,” he warns her, not unkindly. “Are you ready for that to happen?”
Rey looks down at her lap and frowns thoughtfully. “I don’t know. But I do know it’s what Luke wanted, and I have to respect that.”
“Have you even thought about what you’re gonna do with all that money?”
"I think so. I want to start a Luke Skywalker Foundation to honor Luke’s legacy and help other people the way he helped me.”
She looks over at Ben and sees the rare expression of surprise on his face. It's clear her answer caught him off guard, but he nods all the same. “I’m sure that would mean a lot to him.”
"In case I forget to say it, thanks for all the help," she smiles at him gratefully. "Having you by my side through all of this has made everything a little less overwhelming."
"You don't need to thank me. If anyone in this family deserves my help, it's you. You were kind to Luke, not because of his money or what he could do for you, but because he was your friend. And he and I may have had our differences, but for that, you will always have my gratitude and my respect.”
His words pull at the strings of her heart and she's sure he can see it in the tender look she gives him. He thinks of me as part of the family? Rey’s cheeks flush with warmth at the thought. It's certainly more value than anyone other than Luke and Finn have ever given her.
The air between them feels charged now, after his heartfelt confession, and she can't help but feel as if they're dancing on the precipice of something. She takes a moment to compose herself before she speaks again.
“We should probably let Maz know what we found,” she tells him in a small voice.
He clears his throat and nods. “Of course.”
It's getting harder and harder, Rey admits to herself, to be alone with Ben and not feel the tension building between them. All the stolen glances and lingering touches have been driving her mad with thoughts of what it all meant, and tonight is no exception.
On the third day or so of their research into the Skywalker family, they find themselves alone in the quiet of what used to be Luke’s study and personal library. This had always been Rey's favorite place.
She sits on the edge of a desk, flipping through some old family photographs, and Ben is standing close by. Silently, absentmindedly, he runs his fingers over the spine of the book he's reading.
“Found anything yet?” She asks just to break the silence.
He clears his throat and nods. “I think so. These letters…” He hands her an envelope he stuffed in the pages. “The way Luke talks about you in them…they prove that he had good reason to trust you and leave you his fortune.”
Rey takes the envelope and starts to read, her heart warming at the fond memories and kind words Luke had written about her. "He really cared about me," she whispers, her voice barely audible.
"He did." Ben moves closer, and Rey is surprised to find that he's shaking his head and chuckling. "He used to invite Poe and me to brunch with you and Finn every Sunday so he could make sure you weren’t just letting him win at all the board games.”
Rey remembers that. Sometimes Poe showed up, but Ben never did. When she looks up from the letters to meet his gaze, she can see now how much he regrets it. His eyes are dark with a mix of emotions — remorse, longing, and something else she can't quite place.
“What are you thinking about?” She asks after a beat of heavy silence, his mind clearly elsewhere.
“Nothing. Everything.” He laughs hesitantly, his jaw tense.
When he doesn’t look away, she tries again. “What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugs and tucks his hands away into his pockets. “If things would be different if I had gone? Between Luke and me…and me and you…”
Rey can't help but feel her heart flutter at the way he says "me and you." Her mind races, trying to process the implications of his words. Is he suggesting what she thinks he is?
He takes a step closer and leans in, his eyes searching hers for something, and she can feel the intensity of his emotions almost like a physical force.
"Ben, I..." she starts to say, but the words catch in her throat.
She’s transfixed by the way his lips move when he starts to speak again, softly. ”I know it's not the best time to say this, with everything that's going on, but ever since we started spending time together, I can’t stop thinking about you, Rey. And I don't want to."
Without another word, he closes the distance between them and captures her lips in a passionate, desperate kiss.
For a moment, she's taken aback, but the pull between them is too strong to resist. She melts into the kiss, her hands finding their way to his chest as he tangles his fingers in her hair, pulling lightly. She can’t help but sigh and immediately feels him smile against the kiss.
He wraps his arms around her waist to pull her closer, and she reaches up to grab his shoulders, his hair, his jaw, anything she could touch to feel the warmth of his skin.
But just as the kiss deepens, they hear footsteps approaching the library. Panic flashes in their eyes as they quickly pull away from each other, both breathless and flushed.
“Rey? Is everything okay?” Finn asks her. “You’ve been up here for hours.”
Rey shoots Ben a nervous glance before plastering what she hopes is an assuring smile for Finn, her hands still trembling slightly from the intensity of earlier. “Everything’s fine, Finn. We’ll head downstairs soon, thanks.”
But Finn furrows his brow, unconvinced. "Did I interrupt something?"
"No! No," Rey stammers, trying to regain her composure. "We were just...reading."
“Reading, huh?” Finn rubs his chin thoughtfully. “I could’ve sworn I just saw the two of you playing tonsil hockey up against the bookshelves.”
Rey's cheeks turn crimson, and before she can think better of it, she grabs the first book she can find and hurls it at Finn's direction. He dodges it and breaks out into a fit of maniacal laughter.
"You cheeky arse!"
When Ben leaves and Finn finally stops laughing at them, he and Rey go downstairs to catch up on the past few days over tea. And Finn’s initial delight at getting the chance to embarrass his best friend is quickly replaced by a sense of bewilderment, not so much by the fact that Luke had left her the entire family's fortune, but that Ben Solo of all people wanted to help her.
"And you believe him?" He asks her incredulously when she comes back to the mansion less than a week after the disastrous will-reading.
They're having tea in the living room, and if it weren't for the very empty chair beside them where Luke always sat, it would feel just like every other afternoon.
Rey sets down her cup and frowns. "Yes. I trust him, Finn."
Finn still seems conflicted, torn between his concern for his best friend and his trust in her judgment. "I just don't want to see you get hurt, Peanut, putting your trust in the wrong people. You deserve better than that."
She reaches across the table to squeeze his hand. "I know, Finn, but Ben has shown me that he's different now, and I believe him. He may be the only person in the whole family I can trust."
"Except for Poe, you mean?"
She winces, and Finn laughs.
"Oh come on, just because you guys don't get along doesn't mean he's out to get you or anything."
She rolls her eyes playfully at his teasing, glad to feel some semblance of normalcy again. "Fine. But if I'm going to trust Poe, you're going to have to trust Ben, too."
Finn takes a moment to digest her words before he finally sighs, relenting. "Alright, alright, I'll trust your judgment on this one. But you better be careful, Rey. The Skywalker family drama can get pretty messy."
She nods, and then hugs Finn for good measure. “Thank you,” she closes her eyes tightly. “For always looking out for me.”
“Of course, Peanut,” he pats her back soothingly. “Wouldn’t want you to forget how good of a friend I am now that you’re filthy rich.”
Rey laughs harder than she has in days. "I knew it," she jokes as she playfully shoves him away from her.
As they continue chatting and enjoying each other's company, Rey's heart feels lighter knowing that she has Finn's support and understanding. And as the afternoon sun bathes them in a warm glow, she can't help but feel hopeful about the days to come.
All the courtroom drama unravels in the span of a month or so, and with it, all the good relationships Rey thought she once had with most of Luke's family. Hux and Phasma, unsurprisingly, hate her. Leia grows wary of her, but accepts the verdict graciously. Han is thankfully still kind to her, but doesn't seem to have much else to say to her now that Luke's gone. And though Poe remains civil and friendly towards her, she suspects it's more because she's Finn's friend than anything else.
It doesn't matter, Rey thinks, because the only person she wants to talk to about any of this is Ben. Almost immediately after the verdict is given —
"After careful consideration and examination of the evidence presented, the court hereby rules in favor of Ms. Rey Niima. The will of the deceased, Luke Skywalker, is upheld, and his estate will be rightfully inherited by Ms. Niima."
— Her eyes search the crowds of the courtroom until they meet Ben's.
He's standing at the back and giving her a small, secret smile.
“We did it!" She beams as she makes her way over and, before she can talk herself out of it, reaches up to hug him.
He stiffens for only a moment before returning her embrace tightly. "Congratulations. You deserve it."
"Listen, Ben, there's something I've been wanting to tell you," she tells him as she pulls away. "Since I now own all of Luke’s company and don’t know much about running a business, it might be best if I leave it to someone else for now while I go back to school and get myself a business degree.”
“That sounds like a good idea. But you’ll need someone you can trust for that. Do you know who you’re going to ask?”
“Yes. You.”
Ben's eyes widen the slightest bit at her words, and for a moment, he seems at a loss for words. "Me?"
Rey nods, her gaze unwavering. "Yes, you. You know the company inside out, and I know Luke believed in you. He mentored you in hopes that you'd run it one day, but didn't want to burden you with it. That's why I'm telling you now, it's your choice to make.”
Ben's eyes flicker with a mix of emotions — surprise, uncertainty, and a glimmer of hope. It’s clear he never expected this offer, and it leaves him feeling torn.
“I know you said you wanted to forge your own path in life,” she continues. “But this could be your chance to do just that! I believe you have the skills and the dedication to not only honor Luke's legacy, but make something more out of it, too. Something that matters to you ."
"This used to be all I wanted when I was younger," he says solemnly.
"I know you'll do great things, Ben. Luke saw so much potential in you, and I've seen it too. Not just talent and intelligence, but goodness, too."
Ben's gaze softens, and he takes a step closer to Rey. "You really think I can do this?"
Rey smiles warmly, her belief in him unwavering. "I do. Luke saw something special in you, and I see it too. You have the chance to make a difference, not just for yourself, but for the people who rely on Jedi Tech."
He takes a moment to absorb her words. Then, with newfound determination, he says, "You believe in me, and that means everything. So yes, I accept your offer. I'll run Jedi Tech the way Luke would have wanted, with integrity and innovation."
Rey's smile widens, and she can't help but give him another quick hug. Her heart is swelling with gratitude for his unwavering support.
"But," he crosses his arms. "I have one condition."
She rolls her eyes playfully. "Can we leave the business negotiations for another day?"
"Nope, because this one's non-negotiable. I'll only run Jedi Tech Enterprises if you promise to come back and be my COO."
Her heart swells with happiness at that, knowing that he believes in her abilities just as much as she believes in his. "You really want me by your side?"
"More than anything," he replies earnestly. And his voice is filled with so much sincerity that Rey’s doubts begin to fade away, replaced by a sense of hope and excitement for the future. Something she’d never felt before.
"Alright, you've got yourself a deal," she says, playfully extending her hand for a handshake.
He shakes her hand and the contact sends a spark of electricity through her. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and maybe it always had been, but now seems to be the first time their growing feelings outweigh their fear of consequences.
“Ben…” She starts before she can even think better of it, her heart pounding in her chest. “I don’t want to keep hiding how I feel.”
She reaches for his hand and his breath hitches almost imperceptibly at her touch. "Rey..."
And maybe it's the way he's looking at her with such a mix of longing and hesitation, or the weight of his hand in hers, but Rey finally lets herself give in to the magnetic pull she's felt since the moment they met and all the feelings that have been simmering beneath the surface. She’s kissing him before she can even second-guess herself.
His response is immediate, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her closer. He responds to the kiss with equal intensity, and she feels like her skin’s been set ablaze with his touch.
The kiss is electric, and with it, she wants to silence every doubt she has about the burgeoning feelings between them and what they hold for the future. All that matters, she decides, is being with him here, now.
When they finally break apart for air, their foreheads resting against each other, Ben looks at her, his dark eyes intense yet gentle. "You've changed everything for me, Rey."
She smiles, her heart full and pounding wildly. "And you've changed everything for me, Ben."
And she feels an overwhelming sense of contentment wash over her at that moment. The doubts that had plagued her before have faded away, replaced by the profound understanding that they're meant to be together.