ELEVEN YEARS LATER. . .

Rey Solo-Durron and Kylo Durron walked down the hall of the Star Destroyer, with Shmi skipping and leaping ahead while Jaden and Jysella, the twins, toddled on either parent, chubby hands enclosed in those worn ones of their parents. The footsteps of the seven-year-old girl's boots clanking against the floors of the Star Destroyer.

From the doors to Emperor Caedus's throne room came a regal girl with red Hapan braids and the trademark Solo smirk.

"Allie!" Shmi cried, and she hugged her cousin. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"So am I," Allana said in a voice as serious as Tenel Ka's. "Come on, Daddy, Mother, Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Luke and Uncle Ben and Aunt Zannah and Aunt Tahiri and Uncle Anakin!"

She paused for breath briefly after reciting all of the relatives' name. It was Armstice Day, the anniversary marking the day the treaty was signed that ended the war between the First Order and the Resistance, and ushered in the New Republic and the New Empire. This was a day that the whole family celebrated together. With all the Jedi and Queen Mother and Chancellor and Jedi Grandmaster and General duties, they rarely met together, so this was a rare treat.

Rey was proud of how far she'd come. She used to be a scavenger and orphan on Jakku with no hopes of ever leaving. Now she was a Jedi Master, on her own Uncle Luke's council and head of lightsaber training in the New Jedi Order. She had parents,and brothers, and a husband and three wonderful children of her own.

Kylo was equally as proud of his journey. Although he was not proud of his childhood as the Knights of Ren and as a cultist, he was grateful that he had changed. He was a Jedi Master as well, the head of lightsaber design in the Jedi Order. Thank the Force he didn't leave wires hanging out anymore (except for his old lightsaber, which he refused to fix out of the things he never wanted to forget associated with them, including the memorable time it had gotten lodged into his abdomen during a crash that had led him to Rey).

He was also proud of his true origins. Now he knew why he had felt so tied to the Vader legend. He was the grandson of Sabé, the decoy to Padmé Amidala (who she had named his mother after), and was born on Naboo, a famous place where Vader fell in love with Amidala and had had his first victory.

When the doors opened, he saw his mother and his siblings with their families waving. He went over to greet them as Rey embraced her twin, who had just turned away from Tenel Ka. Tenel Ka and Jacen had a strained but invincible marriage. Even though they had been separated often, and the court occasionally insisted that Tenel Ka sleep with someone else for publicity purposes and their own sick twisted senses of humor (not nearly as twisted as Jacen's, since he helped pick them out), they were still as fond with one another as ever.

Tahiri was chatting with Leia as she rubbed her prominent tummy and Anakin held her hand while engaging in conversation with Han.

"How's the Emperor business going?" Rey asked her brother.

Jacen shrugged. "You get used to it, after a time, but it's still stressful as always."

While he would keep the office for his lifetime, he had decreed that the moment he died, that they would elect Emperors in for terms, much like Chancellors. After all, Allana had enough to be getting on with with the Hapes business alone, much less if she was to inherit the office of Empress from her father (although they all suspected that she'd be elected into office anyway).

Rey smiled and walked away as Jacen continued to romance Tenel Ka. She walked over to Ben and Zannah, who were the only holdouts so far on having children, although Tahiri and Anakin had held out for a good eleven years against Leia's pressure to have more grandchildren.

"How are you, cuz?" She asked, ruffling his red-gold hair, which sent his wife into a bubbly fit of laughter.

"Doing fine, a few missions, one really nasty one on Korriban," Ben said. "And you?"

"Between twin terrors, Shmi, and Jedi Master Duty?" Rey asked, feeling a little older than she was. "Fine."

They all laughed at that.

"How's being a Jedi Sentinel working out for you, Zan?" Rey asked her (sister-in-law? Cousin-in-law?).

"I'm one of the best ones the galaxy's got," she said cockily as she snaked her arm around Ben's waist. "Infiltrating Sith organizations and smugglers' dens, and recruiting more little Jedi to protect the galaxy."

Rey grinned.

Shmi and Allana and their cousins on the Durron side took turn playing party games and Jysella and Jaden were enthralled by Great-Uncle Luke.

As Rey stared across the room, mug of caff in her hand, she couldn't help but think that this was a wonderful life indeed, especially as her husband kissed her on the cheek.