EPILOGUE

"I can' seep," Kylo and Rey's 3-year-old daughter announces at their door. Her tooka doll is clutched in her arm and she's rubbing her eyes.

"Come here, darling girl," Kylo says as he gets up from bed and crouches down, holding his arms out to his daughter. "Do you want a story?" he asks as he gathers her up.

She nods against his chest, "Uh huh."

"Are you two alright?" Rey asks sleepily.

"I've got her, get some rest."

Rey has just returned from a long trip negotiating the entrance of Quol into the Coalition. She smiles gratefully and her affectionate expression makes Kylo's heart catch. She's still the most beautiful woman he's ever seen.

He walks to his daughter's room and by the time they arrive, she's already half asleep. No story, then. Kylo cuddles little Gallya close. He sits in the rocking chair next to her bed and starts to rock her gently. Soon she's deeply asleep, safe in the arms of her father. She's just had a birthday and Kylo still can't believe this amazing creature is his daughter.

As he idly strokes his first-born's silken hair, he thinks about how he came to have this beautiful life. He's not sure he'll ever truly understand how the Force could bless him so.

After Rey's proposal he'd been surprised at how quickly she'd wanted to get married. He'd thought she'd wish to wait. But she'd said, "We're bound in the Force, I want to be sealed in life. I want everyone to know that I am yours and you are mine."

He'd happily complied and had argued with Hux vociferously about the event itself. Hux had wanted a grand affair with thousands of guests. The ginger irritant had wanted it to be symbolic of how the First Order and the Resistance were joining forces. Kylo wouldn't even entertain the idea. The galaxy had no claim to his bride and the last thing he'd wanted was for their wedding to be a spectacle.

Instead, they'd married two months after the official signing of the treaty that gave birth to the Coalition. In her grandparents' garden, they had pledged their lives to one another. Shree had officiated and Finn and Kes had served as their attendants and witnesses. Apart from their respective families, there had only been a few other guests. He'd grudgingly allowed Armitage to attend as Shree's companion.

There had been a few tense conversations with her grandparents leading up to the wedding. They hadn't been ready to say goodbye to Rey when it was time to return to the ship, so they'd accompanied them to the Finalizer where the details of Rey's life after Jakku had been revealed. It had been … difficult.

At first, her grandmother had been very wary of the Force. Not wanting to reject Rey, the elder Gallya had focused her suspicion on Kylo and the Bond. She'd been relentless with her questions and it had shaken Rey, prodding at her fear that she wasn't lovable, that there was something fundamentally wrong with her.

Then one afternoon while Rey had been showing Perin the ship's hydroponic gardens, Gallya had cornered Kylo.

"This Bond you share. Did you infect her with the Force? Make her bear this burden?" she'd asked keenly.

"No … no. It was always within her. We share an … affinity, but if we'd never met, she would still have the Force."

"And this Bond. Is it why you love her?"

Kylo had shaken his head vigorously. "No, I promise you that from the moment I first heard of Rey I was already … curious. But then I saw her, spoke with her … your granddaughter is exceptional and I hope one day to be worthy of her."

"But it must have affected your feelings for each other," she had pushed.

"It's more the other way around," Kylo had tried to explain.

Gallya had narrowed her eyes and nodded for him to continue.

"The Bond never would have formed if we weren't suited. They're very rare … special. Not unlike Rey. The Force bound us together because we're … right."

"And you truly love her? This isn't some side-effect?"

"It's the purest feeling I've ever felt. I don't know how to explain it, but I have always known that my feelings for your granddaughter have nothing to do with the Bond. The Bond simply gives those feelings … form."

She had let out a troubled sigh, but Gallya hadn't brought it up again. It had taken time for her to stop startling whenever either of them used the Force, however. Her reaction to their powers had made him wistful for his father and how he'd always grumbled about preferring a good blaster to mystical mumbo jumbo.

Her grandfather was another matter. He had no issue with the Force or the Bond. No, he'd wanted to know the details. Kylo will never forget the shame he had felt as he'd admitted to Perin how he'd treated his Little Star.

Perin had been completely silent after Kylo's confession. His usual jovial countenance had shifted to an icy rage.

"I've never hit a man in my life," her grandfather had said. "And I won't start now. But this is the first time I've truly wanted to."

Kylo had been almost disappointed that he hadn't.

"You'd best spend your life making it up to her," Perin had admonished. Kylo wakes each day with those words whispering in his head. He knows he'll never manage it. But, oh Force, how he tries.

Though Perin again warmed to him, and has become one of Kylo's closest confidants, Kylo still flinches at how it felt to reveal what he'd done.

And so his relationship with her grandparents was still settling in those first months. They had accepted him for Rey, but they'd been subdued on their wedding day.

Kylo rests his head on the back of the chair and remembers how resplendent Rey had looked. She'd chosen to wear her gown from Sheytaya, saying that nothing had ever made her feel more beautiful.

They hadn't been able to take much time for the traditional wedding trip, only a few days on Sheytaya. He'd wanted to take her somewhere new, but she had been adamant. She'd said, "Those were our happiest days and I want to start our marriage right."

Rey, of course, had been correct in her insistence. Those few precious days with his new bride had been some of the most transcendent times of his life. They go every year now. This coming year, Kes and Finn will be coming along to help look after little Gallya so that Rey and Kylo can have some time alone.

Kes and Finn had thrown themselves into finding the stormtrooper families with a single-minded purpose that still impresses Kylo. After many months of searching, they had finally found Kes's father. Her mother had died trying to protect her child. Though they had found out that Kes's given name was Erin, she continues to use Kes.

Now that most of the stormtroopers' families have been located where possible, Kes and Finn continue to work with the Coalition's defensive forces. They are the primary liaisons between the soldiers and the government. Galen works with them closely and the brothers have become inseparable. He thinks he's overheard Rey and Kes talking about a possible wedding, but Kylo hasn't pressed for more information.

Gallya begins to snore lightly and Kylo smiles, dropping a kiss on her little head. He didn't think he could love Rey more, but then she'd given him his daughter and it was as if his heart had grown to twice its size. Gallya amazes him every single day with her brilliance and goofy sense of humor.

Watching Rey swell with his child had awoken something in Kylo that he firmly pushes away. He won't think about that with his daughter in his arms.

A sad memory winds through his mind, the first time he and Rey returned to Jakku. She'd been so hopeful that she would be able to sway the people to join this burgeoning new government.

She hadn't anticipated how hard the junk dealers would fight. They'd banded together under the leadership of Unkar Plutt and the people had suffered.

It was the last time he'd drawn his lightsaber outside of training. Rey had gone to Plutt, tried to negotiate, and that vile worm had put his hands on his wife. Kylo hadn't even thought. His saber had been swinging before he'd formed any conscious intent.

But Rey had stopped him with the Force and held both himself and Plutt frozen.

She'd slowly approached the disgusting man and had hissed, "You don't get to put your filthy hands on me ever again. While it's very sweet that my husband wishes to take your head, that's not how the Coalition does things."

Rey had circled Plutt while Kylo had strained against her hold. Watching Plutt's grasping hands touch Rey had ignited a pulsing rage and Kylo had been desperate to exact vengeance.

But Rey had paused and looked to Kylo and said, "Husband, you don't need to protect me. This is mine. Plutt's fate is mine."

She'd been magnificent in her fury and Kylo had relaxed. He hadn't liked not being able to act if he had been needed, but he hadn't been able to argue with her. She'd been right, after all. In their six years of marriage, he's decided it's one of her only truly infuriating attributes.

Once Rey had known Kylo would behave, she'd released him and again focused on Plutt. "Why won't you let the people decide for themselves?"

The crolute had scoffed. "That rabble? They don't know what's best for them, but old Plutt knows. Knows what they need. A firm hand, hard work—that keeps them happy."

"Happy?" Rey had snarled. "You think I was happy?"

"Always had a smile for Uncle Unkar, didn't you?" The way that worm had leered at Rey had made Kylo have to clench his fists, and his body had been vibrating from the effort it had taken to keep from murdering the wretch with his bare hands.

Rey had curled her lip in revulsion. "The only people happy on Jakku are the junk bosses. Your time is done, Unkar Plutt."

She'd turned on her heel and communicated with Kylo through the Bond that it was time to go.

As they were leaving, Plutt had called out, "We'll just see about that girlie. You might be wearing fancy clothes and have your strange wizard's ways now, but you'll always be a sand rat and you'll always just be trading for portions."

Rey had wept in his arms that night.

But the next morning, she'd woken with renewed purpose and spent the next month methodically flooding the markets with new parts. She'd posted stormtroopers at each major scavenging site with the direction to give every scavenger as much equipment as they could carry and a week's worth of food.

Soon, the scavengers began to lose their fear and started to really listen. The market destabilized with so much excess but the people were always fed. It had taken several months, but Rey had done it. By the time of the vote, she had the trust of Jakku. A few months after that, she'd been elected to the 13, leading Jakku's sector. Now Jakku is thriving, their climate ideal for manufacturing delicate components easily damaged by humidity.

Rey is thriving, too. His mother had taken Rey under her wing and helped turn her into a truly magnificent stateswoman. She had found her voice speaking for those who had none. Watching her at a podium always leaves Kylo in awe, and he tries to be there whenever she has a public appearance.

They settled on Cathne, the capital planet of the Coalition. Kylo spends every day with his little girl while Rey works for the good of the galaxy. Somehow, focusing on his child is the only thing that keeps the guilt at bay. He tends to his family because he doesn't trust himself with power—not anymore.

He tightens his arms around his precious girl. Rey was his salvation and his daughter is his redemption. The way Gallya looks at him, like he has all the answers, how she always seeks him out when she's frightened, like she's safe with him … it has healed so many of his wounds.

For years Rey had pushed him to let her heal his physical scars, but he hadn't been able to shake the feeling that he deserved them. The last time he'd cut himself had been the night he'd first understood how expertly Snoke had manipulated him. It had felt … appropriate that his body be littered with marks, both self-inflicted and not.

The first time Gallya had called him 'Dada', though … that night he'd let Rey's healing light smooth over his skin.

He sighs contentedly and rubs his girl's back gently. Her little mouth is hanging open slightly and he smiles. She has her mother's hazel eyes and his nearly-black hair. Thankfully, she inherited Rey's upturned nose, but the ears … well, he thinks they're adorable.

"Is everything alright?" blooms in his head. "You've been gone a long time."

"Yes, sweetheart, just reminiscing. It's hard to let her go once I've got her in my arms." A wave of love washes over him and he shivers. "Let me get her tucked in, I'll be back soon."

"Good, because I've been gone for three weeks and I've missed you," she sends with a heavy note of implication.

Kylo stands as swiftly as he dares and tucks part of his heart into bed. He pulls the covers over her and watches her sleeping face for a moment more before he turns to pad back to their room. To Rey.

Leaving Gallya's bedroom, he trips over their massive orange tabby, Gerrill. He smirks as he remembers the look on Hux's face when Preslan had managed to escape and find his way into Hux's quarters. He'd turned nearly purple as he'd ranted about the mongrel compromising his beloved Millicent. He and Rey had kept one of the kittens and now Kylo must put up with two unnaturally large beasts lounging about his home.

Shree and Hux have never bothered with anything official, but they'd recently adopted a 5-year-old orphan Shree found while scouting new planets for the Coalition. Rey had teased him that maybe one day Gallya might grow up and marry the boy. Just the thought makes him feel vaguely ill.

The Knights of Ren disbanded with the forming of the Coalition.

Shree chose to work with Leia. His mother has become an unofficial advisor to the 13. She's almost an additional member these days. She had tried to keep out of it, like Kylo did, but that had only lasted about a month before she was right back in the thick of things. Her actual role is the Head of New Member Planets. She and Shree have managed to recruit dozens of worlds in the last five years.

Jashad and Palek simply disappeared. He only knows that they left together.

Terin chose to return to his old master and now he travels the galaxy seeking the victims of Snoke's sundering. Rey's healing has reached almost miraculous levels, allowing her to heal their connection to the Force. Every few months Terin returns with a few of them, and Rey travels to Luke's new school to knit them back together with their birthright.

Kylo has never been able to visit. He can't bear to see them again. Luke tries every so often to encourage him to return, to help him train these broken people … but Kylo just can't.

Rey's told him enough. Told him how some had gone nearly insane with grief, and others were lost to rage. A few had simply got on with it. Things are always difficult between him and Rey when she returns from these trips. She tries not to let her anger at him engulf them, but there have been a few long and tear-filled nights.

"Shhh …" comes through the Bond. "That hasn't happened in a long time."

He realizes she's right. Once they'd had Gallya, the past hadn't come for them quite so much. Something about having this bright, brilliant being burst into their lives had forced them to look forward instead of back.

Kylo had been utterly fascinated by Rey's pregnant body. He couldn't get enough of her, how she'd swelled with life. Together they had created a miracle and he desperately wants to again. Frankly, he'd keep her pregnant all the time if she'd allow it.

"Come to bed, Husband," Rey says insistently into his head.

Enough musing. His beloved is home and if the images she's projecting are any indication, she has plans for him.

He's about to crawl into bed when she looks at him with a raised brow. "Aren't you a bit overdressed?"

Kylo grins and pulls off his light cotton sleeping pants before joining her. He feels her naked skin against his as he pulls her into his arms.

"Oh, Maker, I've missed you," she purrs.

"Not as much as I've missed you," he murmurs as he begins to kiss along her neck.

"Hmm, it's a good thing we have the Bond or else I'd go mad from wanting you."

Kylo smiles as he remembers how they'd pleasured each other through their connection just last night. With Rey's schedule, they've grown quite adept at pushing the Bond to its limits.

"I felt you thinking about getting me pregnant again."

He shrugs. She's been quite clear that she has other priorities and they have time. She's only 27.

Rey palms his rapidly hardening length and whispers in his ear, "I had the implant removed on Quol."

He can't quite think between her revelation and how she's stroking him just the way he likes. They may have figured out how to enjoy each other while she travels, but nothing feels like her touch and it always leaves him breathless and quivering with need.

What she's said finally penetrates the haze of lust she's weaving with her clever fingers and he pulls back to look into her eyes in the dim light.

"Does that mean …"

She strokes him just so and breathes out, "Yes, Kylo."

"Oh, Force, Rey," he groans as his cock becomes like iron at the thought of planting another child within her.

He pushes her on her back and settles in the cradle of her hips. He holds her eyes as her legs come up around his waist. He groans at the feeling of all that soft skin pressed against him. He's always especially liked how it feels when she wraps her legs around him, like she's keeping him as close as she can.

"Oh, my love … thank you, thank you," he moans out before he kisses her deeply. Her mouth opens to him and he slides his tongue along hers. She wants another child with him. Nothing has ever made him feel more accepted and his chest is bursting with joy.

Kylo snakes his hand between their bodies and finds the center of her pleasure. She's already hot and slick and he can feel that she just wants him inside her already, but he hasn't been able to touch her in weeks and he's going to take his time.

He starts out slow and she rolls her hips impatiently. "Eager, are we?" he teases.

Rey huffs and says, "Please, please, I need you inside. I'm not traveling for at least another three months, we have time for slow later."

"You've always been so impatient for my cock."

"Please," she whimpers.

"Hmmm, how about this?" he asks as he slides two fingers into her sopping heat. She really has missed him, she hasn't been this wet in a long time.

Rey throws her head back and gasps. "Maker, yes." He curls his fingers and strokes that special spot and she cries out, "Right there, yes, oh stars, yes!"

He continues to pulse his fingers in and out as he sucks at her throat. He loves how her skin tastes and he thrusts his erection against the silk of her thigh. Now he's the one calling out. He's not even inside her yet, just being able to feel her against him is enough to push him forward.

"You feel so good, sweetheart," he croons into her skin.

"You know what would feel even better …" she pants out as he continues to draw his fingers along her walls.

"Oh, I do. Patience."

"Please, Kylo, please."

As much as he's enjoying teasing her, he desperately wants to feel her around him again, so he slowly pulls his hand away from her core and grasps his length.

He holds her eyes intensely as he sinks into her needy heat. They both groan deep in their throats from the feeling of truly joining. He starts out at a gentle pace, watching the pleasure move along her face, but soon he's thrusting quickly.

"So good, so damned good," she gasps, her breath hitching.

"Maker, yes," he growls as she tightens her walls around him. That little trick she'd figured out a few years ago and it always makes his eyes roll back in his head.

Oh, his gorgeous wife. He knows a lifetime with her will never be enough. "I love you, Rey, I love you."

He shifts the angle slightly and she keens, "Kylo!"

He grins and repeats the motion and soon she's babbling obscenities. She digs her short nails into his shoulders and he hisses, increasing the pace. Her thighs tighten and she's encouraging him to drive into her even harder, deeper. He can only give her what she wants.

His orgasm is gathering, that delicious tension building. The Bond is almost pulsing with pleasure as they feed each other's rising ecstasy. Rey's face is flushed and she's panting as he pushes into her over and over again.

So close, they're both so close. Maker, he's never grown used to how she undoes him. He doesn't want to. Rey, oh, Rey!

She grasps his face with both hands and he falls into her loving eyes. Her voice is husky when she commands, "Give me another child, Kylo."

Oh holy hell, that's it. Just like that he's gone as his release moves through him with a force that surprises him. He's shouting out as her orgasm twines around his, blurring his vision and stealing all thoughts. There's only heat and connection and Rey. Always Rey.

With one final thrust, the last of his pleasure is pulled from him and he collapses on top of her, breathing hard. He rolls his forehead against hers. "Oh, Rey …"

"I love you so much."

"Maker, Rey, I love you more than I can ever tell you, ever show you …"

She captures his lips and kisses him languidly. Eventually he pulls from her and folds her in his arms as she settles her head on his chest. She strokes her fingers along his skin and they stay silent in the afterglow of joining.

They drift off, sated and wrapped up in their devotion.

"Kylo! Kylo!"

He jerks awake to Rey's urgent tone. But she's smiling when he looks at her in the early morning light.

"Hmmm?"

She takes his hand and puts it over her belly. Through the Bond she leads him to a little flare of life. He looks back up into her glowing face. "Already?"

"Mmmhmm," she says with smug satisfaction.

Kylo scrambles down the bed and puts his cheek against her taut stomach. He can feel the slight pulse in the Force and the Bond already has a different quality, just like with Gallya. His eyes grow wet and he turns to place a soft caress along her skin.

"Hello, Little One," he whispers. "We love you."

Then he moves back up Rey's body and pulls her into a swift kiss. "Thank you," he breathes out.

She smiles coyly and says, "I was hoping it might take a few tries."

His hands begin to wander as he says, "Well, nothing says we can't keep practicing for the next one."

She rolls her eyes and bats at his shoulder. "The next one? You always have pushed your luck."

Kylo shrugs and begins to kiss his way down her body.

He parts her legs and just before he's about to begin feasting on his beloved she asks, "Just how many children do you want, anyway?"

"As many as you'll give me, sweetheart."

She raises an eyebrow. "No more than three."

He just smiles at her knowingly then delves his face between her folds. Through the Bond he sends, "We'll see …"

A/N: Thank you from the bottom of my heart to my betas, Juulna and CharlotteCAgain. They have both given hours and hours (and hours) to this story just because they are both brilliant, kind women. They're woven throughout this story, from fixed typos, to avoided plot holes, and many an evening out of phrase. They're my net, and I can't imagine writing without them to catch me. I would also like to thank jackie_01 for her amazing support. She stepped in several times to help get chapters off the ground.

Readers, oh my glorious readers. I wish I could thank you all by name. I truly do not know how to express what it means to me that you've given 'Thwarted' your time. It's humbling and fills me with joy to be able to share my writing with you. I believe that reader and writer share a symbiotic bond when it comes to giving a story life. It only becomes whole when it's read and the reader brings their own life to the experience. So, wonderful readers, thank you for being the other half of the equation.

Juulna and CharlotteCAgain are usually silent partners, but on the occasion of posting the epilogue, they've both included a little note. I am a little teary reading them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Juulna: Thank you so much, Perry, for trusting me with your baby. It's been an absolute pleasure and honor working on this with you. All of our many long phone calls over the last year and more... it's been an amazing journey. I know I wasn't here for all of it, but I still managed to get my grubby hands all over every piece of it somehow or other. ;) Thank you, readers, for making Perry happy. You've been stellar. Amazing. Phenomenal. You've just... yeah. Thank you for putting a smile on her face, and for giving her so many good memories. I'm so SO glad that you enjoyed this story. Perry did such a great job with it, didn't she!? I think so. But I'm a little biased. SO YEAH. :P Thanks, everyone, and we'll see you around next time! xoxo 3

CharlotteCAgain: It has been an honor and a pleasure to be part of "Thwarted". I was so honored when Perry asked me to help out, and I hope my input was at least a little bit useful. Perry's first fic, "He Knows He Needs to Stop" was one of the first Reylo stories I discovered, and I fell in love with it and her writing style,. Nearly two years later, I feel like she's a true friend as well as a kindred spirit when it comes to writing. I've loved being part of "Thwarted" - the concept of a deeper, darker Kylo in love got me from the beginning, and I have loved seeing Galactic Idiot change and grow up throughout the story. Thanks for trusting me with your work, Perry, and thanks for being a friend!