Chapter 1: I Love You, Rey Solo

The light of the full moon reflects almost brilliantly off the unusually still waters of Ahch-To, as well as the white satin dress of the bride now climbing the planet's island cliffs.

If Rey has ever thought about her wedding... well, actually, she never has, not even as a little girl on Jakku. Back then, she had always assumed that she would die an old spinster and childless somewhere deep in the desert. Fighting for her own survival had left little time to fantasize about romance or starting a family. So she never, in her wildest dreams, imagined getting married on an island with anyone as witnesses. Never mind that she just married the man who was once her sworn enemy. Kylo Ren, no... Ben Solo. He will always be Ben to her, for that was the man she fell in love with. Thinking of him makes her mind drift back to the reception she just slipped away from, promising her new... husband (it is still surreal to use that word) that she needs some time alone and will be back soon.

Pausing on the slopes, she gazes out at the gentle waves lapping in the distance and sighs happily. She and Ben are fortunate that Ahch-To's common thunderstorms stayed away this evening and night, allowing for a clear-weather wedding and after-party. The night is still, broken only by the faintest of winds.

And then, suddenly, a voice that Rey has not heard for a long while, and that she thought she would never hear again, also breaks the silence of the dark. She thought she was alone.

"For a Jedi, you look beautiful."

Rey spins about, gasping. "Master! Master Luke!"

The spirit of Luke Skywalker himself emerges from behind some boulders. He strolls aimlessly up to her, smiling gently. Rey thinks it is the first time she has ever seen him smile, and it oddly suits him. He is wearing the robes in which he died, the ones Rey found on the outcropping when the Resistance swung by while fleeing from Crait. But his beard is far more clean-cut than it ever was when he was alive.

"You know, whenever I would hear talk about bringing balance to the Force, I never imagined that would mean you making an honest man out of my nephew!" His smile fades as his voice grows deeply sincere. "But you did it, Rey. You brought Ben back. I am... so proud of you."

Rey's heart melts. Before she can stop herself, she throws herself into Luke's arms. "Thank you, Master... and Uncle." She bites back a shy smile.

Luke blinks at her addressing him so, then smiles softly. "Bless you... my niece."

"Get used to saying that, kid. We're all getting old." And here comes Han Solo, still with his signature swagger. Rey briefly wonders how he could come back as a spirit without having been in tune with the Force, but then she sees Leia trailing behind him, and she doesn't care, for she is now flinging herself into a group hug with them too. "Oh, Han! Leia!"

Leia breaks away to kiss Rey on her forehead. Even Han bestows one on her cheek, despite the move being uncharacteristic of his tough persona.

"We are proud to call you our new daughter," Leia expresses with every sincerity.

"What she said," Han grunts. Though his eyes are twinkling.

Rey now lets the tears flow freely down her face. "I can't believe I finally have a family! I thought I was..."

"Nothing?" Luke finishes for her. "What Ben told you in the throne room was true, Rey... from a certain point of view."

"About my parents?" Rey guesses.

Luke sighs before regarding his niece-in-law sadly. "Rey, I'm afraid your parents passed away, a long time ago. When you were still young."

Rey turns away, trying to process this, so that she speaks slowly and carefully her reply. "You mean... I'm a nobody, after all."

"But not to us," Leia adds softly, strangely echoing the words her son once spoke.

"Never to us," Han promises.

A hand suddenly clasps Rey's, making her spin around so she is staring up into the eyes of her husband. "I love you, Rey Solo."

Rey beams at him tenderly. "And I love you," she sighs. The couple embrace.

"This is where we leave you. Pass on what you have learned - all that you have learned. We will never be too far away." Luke gestures between himself, Han and Leia.

And the newlyweds watch as the Force ghosts vanish into the night.