Rey could not remember the last time she had been so happy. The arrival of her son, bittersweet as it was, brought an explosion of joy to her life that was unmatched by anything. She had considered motherhood throughout the pregnancy, unsure of how it would be or even if she would make a good mother. She wondered how holding her child or seeing their smile for the first time would make her feel. Nothing she had imagined even came close.

Though it was awkward and alarming at first trying to figure out how to care for an infant, she loved her son unconditionally. From the first time he was placed in her arms, she knew that this was someone she would do anything for. Because of this, Rey dedicated her time to trying to figure out how best to care for him.

Luke helped somewhat, but he had never been a father before. He had only observed Leia's care of Ben, and those observations weren't constant. C3P0 was more helpful, as he had infant care programmed into his database. Leia had done this after Ben was born so that the droid could be helpful in case she and Han ever had a second child. Rey was grateful for the help, and took all the pointers she could from him.

Though the baby's birth was a happy time, Rey knew it couldn't last. Snoke, according to the transmissions from the Resistance base, was already combing the galaxy for the boy. They had been fortunate so far that he had not found them on their secluded planet, but Rey and Luke knew it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.

Rey knew the reason for their safety was Ben's doing. He had been true to his word and was doing everything he could to distract the Supreme Leader's attentions from their location. It was a huge risk, going against Snoke like that, but Rey was grateful. She hoped that this meant Ben would at last turn fully away from the Dark Side and join them in their cause to bring down the First Order.

She was also nervous about seeing her former lover face to face again. Their Force visions were one thing, since she knew those were only real in their minds. In them, they were free to feel and act how they wanted. However, in real life it would be much more complicated. Ben had killed his father, destroyed everything Luke had worked for, and ruined the lives of countless others. He would have to atone for these wrongs, and Rey was unsure how those like Poe and Finn would take to him seeking redemption. Even she was still on the fence with how she felt about him besides her physical need for him. One thing she was sure of though was that if he wanted redemption, she would stand by his side to help him achieve it.

Three months after the baby's birth, Rey sat on a rock outside her hut rocking him to sleep. She had just nursed him and was trying to get him to nap so she could train with Luke for a little while. Balancing motherhood with Jedi training was tricky. Rey could see why the Jedi order in the past did not allow attachments, as it distracted from what was being learned. However, since their numbers were so small now, Luke had bent some of the rules of the order. He knew Rey's potential with the Force, so even though she came to him pregnant he still accepted her as a pupil.

While she sat, some movement overhead caught her eye. At first, she felt a cold, sickening fear take hold of her when she saw that it was a ship headed right for their island. As it got closer though, she relaxed. It was a Resistance ship, not a First Order one. Then she got excited; it was Leia, Finn, and Poe coming to visit. They said they would soon, so they must have chosen today.

The ship set down next to Rey's, and she got up carefully to go greet their visitors. Her son's nap would just have to wait since his grandmother would definitely want to hold him for a while.

Luke joined her as they waited for the trio to disembark. Finn's face lit up when he saw Rey and he bolted over to her.

"It's so good to see you again, Rey," he said, giving her a one-armed hug since she was holding the baby. "Oh, and here's little baby Finn looking so cute and sweet."

Rey rolled her eyes. "I told you, I am not naming him Finn."

Finn's bottom lip stuck out in a fake pout. "Come on, Rey, you know you want to name him after your best friend."

"What am I then?" asked Poe, striding over.

"How are you her best friend?" Finn demanded. "You've only spoken to her during the transmissions."

Poe put his hands on his chest. "Hey, I felt a great connection with Rey during those transmissions. She and I talked for hours about flying and ships and mechanics. I feel like we really bonded."

"Uh-huh, sure," said Finn, exchanging an amused look with Rey.

"We did! That's why I know she's about to introduce us to baby Poe."

Rey laughed. "For the final time, I am not naming my son after either of you. I'm naming him BB-8!"

The two men looked horrified for a moment before it dawned on them that Rey was not serious. They then shared in the laugh.

"Seriously though, he is cute," said Poe. "May I hold him? It's been a long time since I got to hold a baby."

While Finn and Poe admired the baby and continued to bicker over why he should be named after one of them, Rey went to Leia and hugged her tightly.

"You're losing the baby weight fast," Leia noted when they broke apart. "I swear, I didn't lose mine until Ben was a teenager!"

Rey giggled. "Well, Jedi training is a lot of hard work and exercise. Plus our diet out here is pretty limited."

Leia and Luke embraced one another next, and it warmed Rey's heart to see the siblings reunited. They had such a strong bond and love for one another, being twins and all. It made her long for a sibling of her own, and she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of them. But then she looked over at Finn and Poe, both smiling down at the baby in Poe's arms, and realized she didn't need to be jealous. Those two were like the brothers she never had. After all, family wasn't necessarily those related to you by blood.

"It's getting bad out there," Leia told them gravely. "The First Order has become more violent now. We fight them, but they just keep coming back, even after their base was destroyed. They're like a wounded animal, lashing out because they know they've been weakened."

Rey always felt sick whenever she heard news like that. After all, it would be up to her and Luke to try and fix things once her training was completed. Such a task seemed so daunting since she felt she still had a long ways to go before she was ready to take them on. In the meantime, people were dying and she felt so helpless so stop it.

"We've got to take out Snoke," she said. "Once he's gone, the First Order will die down too."

Luke's jaw clenched. "I don't think that's true," he admitted reluctantly. "Snoke is only one piece of the puzzle. You take him away, there's still an entire group of people who will continue to fight for that cause."

"Then what should we do?" asked Leia. She sounded weary, and Rey felt her heart go out to her. The loss of Han had hit her very hard. Though she was a strong woman, being without her lover had taken its toll. Rey had never seen her cry, but she knew that his death at the hand of her son was tearing her apart.

"We need to take out Snoke first," Rey insisted. "He has to pay for what he's done. It's because of him that Ben turned to the Dark Side in the first place. If we kill him, we can at least weaken the Order."

"Rey, what have I taught you?" Luke reprimanded. "Jedi aren't supposed to take the vengeful path. That's what leads to the Dark Side."

Now it was her turn to clench her jaw. It frustrated Rey that Luke, even after everything, still wanted peaceful solutions to things. She didn't think it was right for Jedi to always do that. Rey felt that sometimes violence was the answer. And this was one of those times.

"Let's talk about this later," Leia interceded. She could probably sense the frustration building up in Rey and wanted to stop it before it could surge out. "Alright boys, let me hold my grandson."

With the focus shifted to the baby, the afternoon turned into a happier one. Rey did see Leia cry for the first time when she held her grandson, and she knew why. He must have looked a good deal like his father when he was a baby. It was bringing back difficult memories to Leia about how she failed to save her own son from his downfall. The moment was bittersweet for her; bitter because he looked like her son, but sweet because she was happy to be a grandmother.

"What are you going to name him?" Leia asked Rey while the group was eating their lunch. She still held her grandson and seemed to have no desire to relinquish him to anyone else just yet.

"That's why I was waiting until you arrived," she replied, suddenly feeling a little nervous. She wasn't sure how her request would go over with Luke and Leia. "I was thinking about naming him Anakin, after your father."

Silence fell over the group after that. Even Finn and Poe stopped talking to look over incredulously at Rey. Leia's expression was unreadable, but Luke looked thoughtful at the idea.

"I am fine with that," he said. "After all, when Vader was Anakin, he was still a good man. I think the name goes along with a happier time in our father's life."

Rey held her breath waiting for Leia to respond. Luke had told her how Leia had never fully forgiven her father for what he had done. That was the main reason she was nervous to ask about it. Still, she wanted to try. She felt that Anakin was the best choice of name for their child and she was certain that Ben would approve.

"Alright," said Leia after a few moments of deliberation. "Our father gave in to the Dark Side, but I think naming your child Anakin is a good omen. I think he will be faced with the same challenges and rise above them because he has a good, strong mother to look out for him."

"Thank you," Rey said, feeling relief wash over her. "Then that's what he's going to be called: Anakin…well, I don't really have a last name, so I suppose he would be Anakin Solo then."

Poe made a face. "Yeah, 'Anakin Ren' doesn't really have a nice ring to it."

Rey smiled. "I agree, that sounds awful. Okay, Anakin Solo it is then."

She was happy that her son's name was finally legitimized. In her mind, she had been calling him Anakin since he was born. She did not know why the name stuck with her, but she was happy with it. And when Ben heard about it, she knew he would be happy with it as well. She was excited to tell him the next time they shared a Force vision together.

Later that night, after their visitors and Luke had retired to their respective beds, Rey put Anakin down to sleep in their hut then laid down on her own bed. She went to sleep with Ben on her mind, hoping to share a vision with him and tell him the good news.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the house by the lake. She called out for Ben, but heard no response. This was not unusual, as sometimes it took him a little while to make the connection. Rey took the opportunity to explore more of the house.

Usually when they were there, they stayed confined to the bedroom or the balcony. The rest of the house was beautiful, with high stone ceilings engraved with floral designs. She ran her hand along the walls, feeling their cold, smoothness beneath her fingertips. It made her sad to think that Ben's grandparents, Anakin and Padme, had been unable to spend their life together there. If one day everything came to an end and there was peace in the galaxy, Rey could see herself living there and raising her child. Maybe even with Ben, depending on the choices he made and how her own feelings turned out. The thought gave her hope and made her happy to think about. They could have a chance at a good life, surrounded by beautiful green lands.

As she exited the house through the back door and entered the gardens, she saw Ben up ahead sitting on a bench. She was about to call out to him when she realized something was wrong. His head was bowed down and he seemed to be fading in and out of the vision. Rey could feel him there, but it was weaker than usual. It was like he was there, but just barely. That worried her.

"Ben?" she inquired hesitantly as she approached him on the bench.

He look up at her, but the movement was slow. It wasn't brisk as he usually was whenever he saw her. This only raised more red flags with Rey.

"Rey," he said, and even his tone was off. It was low and distorted, like he was speaking from far away.

She sat next to him and took his face into her hands. "Ben, what's wrong?" she demanded urgently.

He said something in reply, but it was took quiet for her to hear even when sitting right beside him. All she caught of what he said was the word "time."

"I can't hear you," she said, feeling panicked now. If his Force bond was weakened, that meant something must have happened to him physically.

The image of him sitting beside her faded almost completely and it made her jump. She had never seen anything like this happen to him before in their visions. Her hands grasped thin air when he faded, like he wasn't there anymore.

"Ben!" she called desperately.

Gradually, he came back into focus until he was there again beside her. She slowly reached out and felt relief when she was able to feel him. He looked around him before turning to her. His expression was a little livelier now, but he still seemed slow and distant.

"Rey, listen to me," he said, his voice clearer this time. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Snoke found you. He's coming."

His words hit her harder than any physical blow ever could. It was the last thing in the world that she wanted to hear at that moment. And she knew Ben was not lying—why would he? Snoke must have tortured the information out of him, and that was the reason for his weakened state.

"What should I do?" Rey asked meekly. She was letting panic cloud her judgement and couldn't think through the haze that had taken over her mind.

"Go to the Resistance base," he instructed, his grip on her tightening. "You, Luke, and our son. You'll be safe there."

"What about you?"

He gave her a wry smile. "Snoke can't hurt me anymore," he murmured. "Unless he gets to you and the baby."

"He won't," Rey assured him, struggling to find her strength again. "I'll get them to safety. But Ben, I want to get you away while you still can."

Ben just continued to smile and shook his head. "It's too late for me."

"No it's not," she said firmly, grabbing him by the chin and making him look her in the eye. "There's still hope for you, and I'm not about to give up on you."

"I've lost everything," he replied, refusing to meet her gaze. "My parents, my future…you."

She shook her head. "You haven't lost me, Ben, I'm here for you." She reached out and placed her hand over his. "Anakin is here for you too now."

His eyes met hers finally. "Anakin?"

Rey smiled and leaned in closer to him. "Our son. I've named him Anakin after your grandfather. Anakin Solo."

Ben's jaw dropped and he seemed unable to form a response to this. "Anakin," he repeated, and Rey was pleased to see him smile after he said it. "That's—that's wonderful, Rey."

He began to fade again, so when he came back he took Rey's hands into his own. "I have to go now before he finds out what I'm doing. I love you, Rey, so please be safe."

And then he was gone. Rey was holding thin air once more. She called for him a few times, hoping he would reappear so she could give him a proper farewell. He did not, and her heart ached because of it. She might never get to see him again, and it hurt. Still, her feelings had to be dealt with later. If Ben's words were true and Snoke really had found them, she had to wake up and get to the others as soon as she could.

"Ben," she whispered "I will save you too someday. I promise."