Epilogue Part Three

Rey bit her tongue, and struggled to shrug on her shirt and pants to stumble after him.

Ben strode through the ship, his broad shoulders slung back. He had come to terms with what would happen if he was caught a long time ago. Rey could sense that he wasn't afraid. His only emotion was sadness.

She reached out to him with her mind. Don't do this, she whispered, there must be another way.

There is no other way. Ben halted as she came up behind him, glancing over her shoulder. He stared at her with his dark brown eyes, a resigned look in his features telling her that any arguing would be pointless. His jaw tightened, as he stared at her. He glanced at her belly, knowing the secret it held, and the possible future that could be lost in the next few moments. Finally, pressed the hatch door and the seals hissed.

The bright late afternoon sun found him in the darkness, and he looked down the landing ramp. I will always love you.

Rey exhaled, leaning up against the control panel. No. This couldn't be happening. Why? Hadn't they been through enough? She leaned forward, feeling her knees lose their strength. She couldn't go on without him. She didn't want to go on without him. Rey didn't want to raise their child without him. This was to be their happiness. This was supposed to be their final freedom and joy. Would they ever truly be free? She swallowed hard, angry tears welling up in her eyes. No. She couldn't let him do this.

She willed herself to straighten, and then followed Ben down the ramp. She wouldn't let him stand alone. They were in this together now.

The bright late afternoon light blinded her and she blinked as she trotted down the ramp behind Ben. As her eyes adjusted, she looked up to see a class A attack ship landing just inside the clearing. It was an Alliance cruise fighter, capable of carrying over a dozen crew members.

"Wait!" Rey called over the sounds of the cruiser's landing engines, "Wait!"

Ben turned to her, surprise evident as his mouth dropped open. Please, Rey, he whispered. Just stay there. Please.

Rey halted. This was the closest to begging that she had ever seen him come. She felt her lip start to tremble, and her eyes finally let loose the tears that she had held back for so long. Alright, she whispered back. Alright.

He turned away, hesitating a moment before he walked the rest of the way down the ramp. He still held his shoulders slung back, and his dark hair blew across his face in the afternoon wind. His clothes, now worn so thin that they were nearly see-through, were tugged by the wind. Ben was so different now than when she had first met him that fated day in the forest. Under the name of Kylo Ren, he had worn a mask and black cloth to hide himself from the universe. Now Ben Solo stood at the bottom of the landing ramp, his clothes thread-bare and worn, while his boots were dirty and falling apart. Yet he stood there, more powerful than ever before. Ben Solo stood at the bottom of the landing ramp, willing to pay for Kylo Ren's sins. His sins. All that he did. All that he was. To Ben, death would be his only true escape. Rey had been his one peace, and their time together had been brilliant but brief. Now he walked to his inescapable destruction.

Rey could see this now as he walked away, and it made her heart shatter into more pieces than she thought possible. It left her breathless. She was going to lose him.

He strode down the landing ramp and then toward the cruiser, unflinching as the attack ship's ramp came down with a hiss as its engines powered down.

Charging down the landing ramp, a dozen tall Wookie warriors came at them. They were huge, each easily over seven feet tall, armed to the teeth, and ready to fight.

Rey recognized them instantly. These Wookies were General Organa's personal bodyguard. She had chosen the finest Wookie fighters to be her bodyguard in the middle of the war, when the Resistance had saved their entire home planet. They served her dutifully, unflinchingly, and to the death.

Letting out a roar, the Wookies surrounded Ben, aiming their weapons at his chest.

Then, following slower than the rest, an older Wookie came up. He limped, and the white streaks through his hair made him easily identifiable.

Ben stared up at the older Wookie as the rest parted in ranks to let him through, "Are you going to kill me, Chewie?" His voice was low, but without malice.

Chewie let out a low growl deep in his chest. The sound of it echoed in the silence around them, and it chilled Rey's blood.

With the strength and speed of a lightning bolt, Chewie's giant hand came up and then across Ben's face with enough force to send him rolling in the dirt.

Ben's head hit the ground, and his body rolled a few feet from the power of the Wookie's punch. Slowly, he got to his knees, as blood dripped from his nose and fell to the dusty ground beneath him.

Rey fought the urge to come to his aid, and took a step closer as she tried to restrain herself.

Ben looked up at the Wookie he'd known since birth. "Chewie, I-"

Letting out a roar, the aged Wookie reached down and grabbed Ben's thick black hair and yanked him up. Holding Ben by the hair momentarily, he howled again in pain and anger only to stop after he landed another vicious blow to Ben's skull.

He flew even further this time, rolling in the dirt and making a small cloud of dust rise around him.

Get up, Rey pleaded in her mind, Ben, run!

Stirring, Ben let out a low moan as he lay face down in the dirt.

Grimacing, Rey felt his pain in her own head, and she reached up to touch her throbbing temple. Wookies were so strong, they could rip a human apart. In truth, Chewie was pulling his punches. If the giant Wookie hit Ben as hard as he could, he would instantly kill him.

Ben didn't get up this time.

Chewie reached down, grunting, and dragging Ben up to his knees by his shirt. Reaching his furry hand up he clenched his fist to get ready to land another shattering punch to Ben's face.

Ben watched it all from beneath a thick layer of dirt mixed with blood. He didn't fight it, and he didn't say anything. Blood poured from his nose and a cut in his lip, but he only gazed up at the Wookie in silence.

"Chewie!" A familiar voice called.

Rey looked up to see General Organa walk down the landing ramp, "I believe your honor has been appeased?"

Chewie hesitated, glancing down at Ben's bloody features. Letting out another low growl, Chewie let go of Ben's collar.

Ben dropped to the ground, now on his hands and knees.

The Wookie bodyguards parted, letting the tiny General Organa pass between them to stand in front of her son. She wore a gray jumpsuit, with no insignia of her rank or title, and her hair was pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head.

Slowly, Ben raised his head to gaze up at his mother. "Are you here to take me away?" He asked, his voice only a barely audible mumble.

Leia rose her chin, and a cool breeze brushed against them. She stood motionless.

"It doesn't matter," Ben muttered, "I know I am unforgivable," he looked over his shoulder and spat blood out of his mouth, "And I know it will never be enough. But I am sorry," his shoulders sagged as he rocked back to kneel in the dirt, "For everything. I am sorry, mother." His head bowed and he gazed down at his hands, "But please… Don't involve Rey."

Leia met Rey's stare, seeing into her heart instantly as she stood helpless at the end of North Wind's landing Ramp. Then, she exhaled and knelt in front of Ben, wrapping her arms around her son's neck and pulling him close.

Ben froze for a moment, shock rippling off him in waves. Then, he gasped, embracing his mother as his entire body shook on silent sobs.

Rey watched all of this, her mouth dropping open. Quietly, she placed her hand on her stomach, feeling the small light inside her belly rejoice in the moment as she did. A mother's love was strong enough to heal even the deepest wounds. It was something Rey had never experienced. However, she already felt a deep love for the tiny child growing inside her.

After a few minutes, Ben and Leia stood, and Leia motioned for Rey to approach them.

Rey did so slowly, and as she did, Ben reached out his hand. She took his hand, and he brought her close, wrapping his arms around her. Rey exhaled, holding him tightly in that moment.

"Finn told me," Leia said, her voice quiet, "He told me everything."

Blinking, Rey and Ben turned to Leia in surprise.

"Well he didn't tell me everything," Leia acknowledged, glancing at Rey's stomach, "I figured some things out on my own."

Rey took in a deep breath as Ben placed his large palm over the small bump below her belly button. "You figured it out?"

"It's not that hard to see the signs," Leia admitted, "Especially if you are careful to watch for them."

"So what now?" Rey asked, her voice still strained, "What are you going to do to us?"

Leia took Rey's hand in her own, letting out a sigh. "What am I going to do?" She glanced up at Ben, a lifetime of sadness and regret suddenly visible in her eyes, "I am going to enjoy the rest of my vacation. That is what the New Republic believes I am doing. All of this is unofficial. I put a tracking device in your ship, leading me here."

Rey glanced over her shoulder at the beat up cruiser she had flown in on. "You put a tracker on my ship?"

Leia nodded, "Forgive me. I just couldn't let you go without saying goodbye."

Glancing up at Ben, Rey brushed his hair out of his face, and in so doing wiping some dirt away with her sleeve.

Ben pulled her close to his side, letting out an exhausted sigh.

Leia stared at both of them, "So you're leaving?"

They nodded.

"You know your father asked me to leave with him once," Leia said, gazing up at Ben, her voice soft. "Back then I thought he was being selfish. Running away from the responsibility that we owed the galaxy."

Rey lowered her head, swallowing hard at Leia's words.

"But now," Leia took a step closer to them, "I realize that we had done what was needed. I should have left with him like he asked. In the end, it would have been better. For all of us."

Ben said nothing, only leaning his chin against the top of Rey's head.

"To the Republic, Kylo Ren is dead," Leia said, her voice growing stronger now, "Go make a life for yourselves. And remember I will always love you."

Together, they all embraced. A family once torn apart, now rebuilt.

One Hour Later

Rey sat opposite Ben in the cockpit of the North Wind. The subspace engines hummed, and slowly Rey brought the ship into the blue sky above. She could feel Ben's gaze on her, and she glanced at him, "What?"

Ben gave her a half smile, his dark eyes taking in everything that she was. "Nothing. It's just…" he glanced around, "Let's go home."

Nodding, Rey flipped on the sublight engines. As the data computer keyed up, the hyperdrive starting purring, "Together?"

Ben reached for her free hand, holding it tightly in his.

Rey pressed a button, sending their ship into hyperspace. Stars became starlines, and they dove deeper into the outer rim than either of them had ever ventured before. It was a big universe out there, and they would find their way. Together.

They would live.

They would love.

They would face all the challenges, and they would rise above.

They had found balance in their love, and in their love, the universe found peace. Because it is only through love, that life is made better. So that is how it was, Ben and Rey, always moving and growing in the stars above, wild and free.

-The End.

A.N. I love you all, and I hope you have a great year. I'm sorry it took me so long to finish it, but here it is. Thank you especially to my readers whose first language isn't English. Kudos to you, you have much more determination than I. Thank you to all my long term readers who have stuck with me since the beginning, you're awesome. Goodbye. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.