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Rey stood in the baby’s nursery, hands on her belly. They were packed and ready to leave for Spira, and she was having one last look at the room before they left. “It’ll all be here when we get back,” Rey heard.
“I know that,” she replied, looking up at her husband, “it’s just... so soon.”
He put his hand on her shoulder. “I feel your fear, and you have no reason to be afraid. You’ll make a great mother.”
“I don’t remember my own, Ben,” she exclaimed weakly. “I have no idea what to do.”
“That’s what my mom is for. Hell, we might never get to hold her if Leia Organa has anything to do with it.” She knew he meant that the General would be very affectionate with the baby, not that she would take Ava away. “And I know you. You love me, and I’m a total fuck up. Ava’s half you, so she likely will not be a fuck up, therefor easier to love.”
Rey smirked and got up on her tippy toes, kissing his cheek. “You like to think that you’re so difficult to love, but I hate to tell you that you aren’t.” She walked out of the room, Ben behind her, following her to the foyer. Rey saw all their luggage ready to be taken onto their private shuttle and smiled at the thought of a getaway trip with her husband. “Are you sure you don’t want me to pilot?”
“You get exhausted easily, so no, I can handle it.” Ben opened the door, ushering the droid in to take their luggage down to the shuttle. “Come, wife,” he said, holding out his hand to her.
“That sounds so barbaric,” Rey thought aloud, smirking.
“Barbaric?” Ben looked at her as they walked out into the hallway.
“Come, wife! Kriff, woman! It makes me sound like I’m just your plaything,” she explained with a smile on her face.
“I thought you liked being my plaything,” he mused, smirking at the feel of her squeezing his hand a bit tighter. “I try to take care of my plaything.”
“Oh you do a very good job at it, too.” Rey wrapped her arms around his neck as he typed in the code to lock the door.
“Obviously. I did knock you up.” They stared into each other’s eyes Ben kissed her deeply, tongue immediately plunging into her mouth.
“Were you two not going to tell me goodbye?” they heard behind them. Breaking apart, they both turned to see Ben’s mother.
“I’m regretting telling you about the apartment next door,” Ben muttered, slamming his hand to his face, a single finger tracing the scar his wife had gifted him.
“Ben!” Rey said, scolding him yet laughing at the same time. “I’m so sorry General.” Rey walked toward her mother-in-law, hugging her. “He’s just being himself.”
“I know. He came out of me,” Leia chuckled, hugging the girl. “You all will hopefully have a nice trip. This will be good for you. That beach is so perfect, and you need to relax before she gets here.” She let go of Rey, both of them looking toward Ben. “You won’t be regretting having me next door when you both are exhausted beyond belief and need a third set of hands to help.”
“You’re right,” Ben huffed, looking back at the two women. One gave him life and the other had given him his life back. “For that, thank you.” Ben walked toward his mother and hugged her, towering over her much shorter frame.
“You’ve been looking a lot like your father lately,” Leia told him in a soft voice. “When you were little, Luke used to make jokes that you looked like neither of us, but as you’ve gotten older, you very much resemble your father.”
“I tell him that quite a bit,” Rey replied, smiling gently.
“She does,” Ben half-whispered into his mother’s hair. “Well, mother, thank you for the cottage, and we’ll be back shortly.” The mother and son broke apart, looking at each other affectionately. “I love you.”
“Love you too, son.” He once more held out his hand for Rey to take; she took it. “Love you, Rey.”
“I love you, too,” Rey replied, looking into the General’s eyes. “Thank you for this.”
“No, thank you, Rey,” Leia replied, trying not to get too emotional of the sight of her baby, her Ben, back to his truest self, married with a baby on the way. She had been so sure once upon a time that it was something she’d never see. The meaning of her words did not escape Rey or Ben.
Rey began to move around the shuttle once they entered light-speed, leaving Ben in the cockpit. She holo’d Finn, telling him to get Poe away from their travels, back home before Ava was born. They said their goodbyes and Ava kicked, causing Rey to giggle.
“What’s funny?” she heard Ben say from behind her. Rey turned in her chair, smiling at him.
“Your child thinks I’ll forget about her if she’s not constantly kicking me,” Rey exclaimed and Ben knelt in front of her. She took his hand and put it on her stomach.
“Ava, Ava, Ava,” Ben whispered to her belly, “Mommy can’t forget you because you are inside of her, driving her crazy.”
“She’s not driving me crazy,” she said, her hand still over his, “but I want her out.”
“Wouldn’t be too good for her right now,” Ben said, very matter-of-factly.
“I know, but I want to hold her, and kiss her, rock her to sleep, dress her up, normal things.” He nodded, laying a soft kiss on her belly.
“The time will be here soon enough,” Ben reminded her, not willing to let his touch leave her stomach. “You said that she probably would like to be talked to, right?”
“Yes.” Rey looked at her husband with more love than she knew was possible as he began to speak to their baby.
“You don’t hear me as much, but that’s because you’re not inside of me, and honestly, thank goodness for that. I don’t think you’d want me carrying you around. I curse too much and I’m not as cheerful as your mom.” Rey laughed, and Ava kicked right at Ben’s hand. “How do you stand this?”
“It’s worth it,” she replied, looking down at him. “It’s worth it.”
A few hours into the trip, they began to talk about an upcoming gala event that his mother way organizing. They lay on top of the shuttle's only bed, Rey leaning back onto him. “I bought a new dress. I feel guilty buying new things, but it was so pretty.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty. You aren’t on Jakku anymore, Rey.” Roy nodded, knowingly.
“It’s mossy green and has long sleeves. It’s tight over my belly, too. Might be considered scandalous, but I liked it.” She looked down at their intertwined hands.
“So I’m going to have to hear the thoughts of all those people again, about how fuckable you look,” Ben said, laughing. “Not that I mind, I just want them to know you’re taken.”
“I think they can tell from the shape of my stomach that I’m taken,” she replied with a smile.
“Maybe, but it doesn’t stop you from being very attractive.”
Rey sighed, closing her eyes. “How much longer, Ben?”
“A few hours.” She nodded into his chest and yawned as he ran his fingers through her long hair. Her lashes spread out over her cheeks and he smiled to himself at her beauty. He thought she was gorgeous, but that certainly wasn’t the only reason he loved her. She was kind, selfless, brave, honest to a fault, and loved with her entire being. Somehow, she loved him back. Soon they would welcome their baby into the world and their lives would change forever. Rey had said multiple times that she was positive that their daughter would look like him, and if that was the case, he hoped she was the perfect combination of them both. He thought about the Force abilities that their daughter would certainly have and was thankful that Snoke was no longer alive to sway her like Ben himself had been swayed, though they would still be very protective of her, because they both knew that the darkness still crept in the shadows, waiting on the perfect time to attack. This baby would have two super-attentive parents ready to fight those forces off, unlike himself, something that he had finally forgiven his mother for.
“Ben, we’ll be okay,” he heard, broken out of his trance by his wife. “We’ll protect her.”
“I know,” he replied, burying his face in her hair, smelling the flowers and honey from her lather. “Thank you for her.”
“Couldn’t have done it without you, literally,” she said back, getting a chuckle out of him.