Chapter Text
40 ABY, Dulathia
"It's just a little odd don't you think," Poe exclaimed a little too loudly. "She takes that kriffin' porg everywhere, even training. Finn says it was there this morning the entire time, watching him and giving him the evil eye if he even touched Rey with his saber. And how weird is it that Rey brought the animal to this wedding?"
Rose and Kaydel exchanged a look.
"I mean we don't mind," Kay took Rose's hand. "If Rey wants to have her pet porg here, we're fine with it. We don't care if it attends, believe me it's far more pleasant than some of the guests." Kaydel nodded in the direction of Beaumont Kin who was currently reciting the history of Dulathian wedding rituals to Kaydel's mother.
Rose nodded, "Exactly, I'd rather have the porg than Kin but he found out about the wedding and showed up unannounced. Poe you can't tell me that porg isn't absolutely adorable. Despite my best efforts at finding her a partner, Rey has chosen to live life alone so just let her have her pet."
Poe raised his eyebrows, "It's not just a porg, it's an evil creature, inhabited by a dark force ghost or something. That thing," Poe gestured to where the porg was perched on Rey's shoulder as she chatted to Finn's padawan Temiri Blegg and hissed, "might even be a Sith."
As if the black furry creature heard Poe, it's head turned to Poe and appeared to glare at him.
Kaydel burst into laughter, "That porg has your number Senator Dameron. Come on lighten up, you've got only five more days with the beast, if you can survive the Senate you can survive it."
Rose tried very hard to cover her smile.
"Laugh all you want," Poe frowned, "But one day I'm gonna prove you all right. It's not just a porg, I'd bet you any amount of credits it's something more."
Finn arrived at the table with refills and Jannah and said with much solemness, "Poe's right, the porg is haunted by someone, I can feel it, it reminds me of someone I've felt before, I just can't figure it out."
Jannah snorted, "You all have clearly had too much to drink if you are this worried about an animal."
"We will prove it," Poe wiggled his finger at the girls.
"Great," Kaydel rolled her eyes, "But it's my wedding so stop talking about it and get me and my beautiful bride something to drink!" Kaydel stood up on the table and pulled Rose up beside her and announced to the large crowd "As the Chancellor of the Senate I command you all to drink and eat to your heart's content."
The hundreds of guest present cheered.
Poe shook his head and muttered, "Thank kriff we eloped."
The young people didn't notice that within earshot sat two heroes of both the Republic and New Republic, enjoying a shot of Corellian whiskey, Lando Carlissian and Chewbacca. Lando shook his head and muttered to Chewie, "Young people heh? Like my daughter said, Poe has to be drunk if he thinks a porg is a Sith. Hey did you notice Rey's hair, I can't imagine where she found a hairdresser to do her hair like that? Haven't seen that in style in so long," the old general whistled.
Chewie, a Wookie of few grunts, eyed the young Jedi and spoke for the first time all night, "What do you mean? Rey's hair looks pretty."
"Oh it does," Lando agreed, "But it's braided in an Alderaanian arrangement, it's hard to find anyone who knows that art anymore."
Chewie glanced at the little porg with it's abundance of black fur and noticed that it sat almost possessively on Rey's shoulder as Beaumont Kin approached. He had not really noticed the creature before but it was obvious that it didn't like Beau.
Rey winced at something Beau said and the porg leaped off of Rey and onto Beau's shoes.
"The kriffin' porg shit on my shoes!" Beaumont howled loud enough for entire room to hear. "I have porg shit on my shoes!" Beaumont angrily fled the room.
Kaydel raised her glass and laughed loudly, "Hey Senator you're right, that porg is possessed and I love it."
Chewie watched the porg fly back to Rey's shoulder and for a second he swore that it wore a smirk.
"What does Rey's hair mean?" Chewie asked casually.
"Well my Alderaanian hair style knowledge is a little rusty but I'm pretty sure her hair means, "Beloved," Lando frowned. "I wonder if Rey has some secret Alderaan Prince on the side?" There was wistful chuckle. "Ben could have braided hair like that of course," Lando's eyes glassed over and he poured himself another shot. "Wish he was here, wish Leia was here and Han, hard to believe," the man coughed, "that none of them got a happy ending. Why even bother being a hero if it ends like that."
Chewie glanced at the porg thoughtfully, it's fur was midnight, just like the locks of a boy he'd loved so long ago.
10 ABY
"Unca Chewie, Unca Chewie wake up," a small voice called, interrupting Chewie's dream and he could feel a pair of small hands pulling his fur. He patted the hands and attempted to continue to sleep.
The voice persisted, "It's my birthday, Unca Chewie, you and me and Dad, we're gonna go fishing today, please get up!"
Chewie reluctantly rolled over, he very much enjoyed the luxurious shimmersilk sheets of the Organa-Solo household as well the fluffy pillows and mattress. They were far superior to the hard bunk on the Falcon and even to the soft wool of his bed on Kashyyk. Although to be fair, Kashyyk had the added enticement of Malla who made feel Chewie feel welcome no matter how many times Han dragged him around the galaxy.
"Come on Unca Chewie!" Benjamin Chewbacca Organa Solo pleaded, his brown eyes full of excitement. "Mom said we could even take honeycakes and jogan fruit with us, and then we're gonna have a really big cake for dinner," Ben stretched his hands out to emphasize how big his birthday cake would be,"It's gonna be the best birthday ever."
Chewie sighed and sat up, "Can't we wait, just a little?" he moaned. He was dead exhausted after a late night run with Han.
Ben shook his head and said very solemnly, "I looked fishing up on the Holonet and it said that fishing works the best when you get there early."
Chewie gave the six year old a glance that would have leveled a Hutt, "Ben your father and I got home from Onederon three hours ago and it was rough."
"That's not my fault," Ben folded his arms over his chest non deterred, "You promised me, both of you to take me fishing on my birthday, please," there was a note of vulnerability in Ben's voice. "Last year Dad wasn't here on my birthday and he's finally home."
Chewie felt the sorrow behind these words and knew Ben was often a victim of his Han's incessant need to strike a deal and Leia's desire to "fix" the galaxy. The Princess and the Scoundrel loved their cub, that much was true, but they weren't so skilled at showing it.
Chewie patted Ben's head, "I'll get up and we'll go."
The toothy smile Ben gave Chewie was a reward. Chewie didn't have many regrets in life, his nature was not reflective, but he did regret the carelessness that lead to his son Waroo being captured by the Empire. Chewie missed out on his son's childhood and he knew that Han would miss out on Ben's if he was not careful.
"Let me go get dad!" Ben ran out of the room.
Chewie laughed at the thought of Han being woken up and hoped the caf machine was on.
However the sounds that came out of Han's room were not loud protests but instead a strangled cry, "NOOOO!"
Chewie left up and ran into the Master Bedroom.
Ben was sobbing on his parents' bed, the sheets strangely pristine.
"Mom took Dad with her," Ben sobbed into the bed, "There was a meeting in the Senate, and she had to go. She didn't even say," Ben gulped, "Happy Birthday, just that she'll be back in a few days and that you can take me to Uncle Luke until she does."
Chewie awkwardly patted Ben's back. The cub was clearly broken hearted and rightly so.
"I'm sorry," Chewie said, apologizing for something that wasn't his fault. "We can go fishing still before you leave, you don't have to go see your Uncle yet."
Ben raised his head and looked at him with red rimmed eyes, "But my Dad was supposed to be here, he promised." The hurt was so evident that Chewie wanted to yell at both of his friends.
Chewie could offer no words that would make this right, "I know I'm not your Dad but I would really like to go fishing with you."
"Why would you want to be with me when no one else does?" Ben sobbed. "Because my mom and dad always say they want to be with me but they are never here. Something is always more important than me."
Chewie wished Malla was here and momentarily contemplated taking Ben to Kashyyyk, yet he'd never dared to question Han and Leia's parenting and didn't dare now. He would just have to follow their wishes.
Chewie cupped Ben's face and stared at his godson, "You are the most important thing to me today, I promise that I have time to take you fishing."
Ben looked into Chewie's eyes and for a moment the Wookie wondered if the cub was using the Force.
"You really do mean it," Ben's voice cracked and he wiped his eyes. "Let's go fishing then."
"Cub, I promise, I'll always look out for you," Chewie vowed.
Ben threw his arms around Chewie's big body, "I love you," his muffled voice said.
"Love you too," Chewie replied meaning it. He meant to keep his vow, this kid needed extra protection and he would give it. Even if Han and Leia couldn't see how much this kid needed them, he did.
*************
Present
Chewie watched Lando continue to drink his sorrows away and finally had to call Jannah to help him put the old man to bed.
"Weddings always do this to him," Jannah apologized after dumping her father on the coach. "Goodnight, I'll handle it, thanks."
Chewie knew he wasn't needed and headed towards his room on the lavish estate Kaydel's family had rented out.
Sleep evaded Chewie as the past came to haunt him in a plethora of images, a little boy with deep brown eyes, those same eyes looking at Han and the red flash of a saber. Rey's shining eyes filled with hope as she set off to rescue Ben, her same eyes empty of emotion when she returned, as if her whole world had been crushed. Kylo Ren's face when his eyes's met Chewie's on the Steadfast. His anger burned brilliantly in them and Chewie had simply said, "I'm sorry for breaking my promise."
Kylo Ren had stormed off without a word a moments later Chewie had been rescued.
Then the war had continued and Rey had slain her grandfather on Exegol. She'd disappeared for weeks afterwards and Chewie was certain that she had been simply tired. The force aged people. Chewie had seen that in Luke. Rey had clearly paid a price for her victory.
But now Chewie wondered if the force had done something else.
Rey's hair so intricately done, the porg never ever leaving her side.
Could that porg be not a Sith as Poe Dameron suggested, but someone else?
Chewie tossed off his covers, he had to find out.