So take these words and sing out loud

'Cause everyone is forgiven now

'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again.

– The Goo Goo Dolls

There was a storm on the planet Mimban.

Rey Skywalker, the so-called Last Jedi, made her way up the steps of the abandoned temple. Of late, her dreams had been haunted by this temple … images of a woman in black robes holding a glowing red faceted crystal gem. Deep in her bones, Rey knew that if this crystal existed … if the woman in black existed … then the fragile peace that had come to the Galaxy with the destruction of Emperor Palpatine would be over before it began.

The storm was proof that her dreams weren't just dreams. She could feel the wrongness of it in the Force … it wasn't a natural manifestation. Something- someone? - was manipulating the weather. It reminded her painfully of the Emperor's attack on the Resistance Fleet that came to oppose him at Exegol.

And this time I don't have Ben to help me …

The thought was like poking at a barely healed wound. She had learned to live with the aching emptiness where Ben Solo had once existed, but the pain had never gone away. She suspected it never would.

Can't think of that now, Rey told herself firmly. Ben would want me to go on … and I have to stop whatever this is before it destroys everything …

She gained entrance to the temple through a broken wall. The room was awash with a blood red light that made shadows twitch and move like souls in torment. Rey could literally feel the Force churning inside like a stormy sea.

There was a woman in the room holding the Crystal aloft. She wore black robes, but her hood was down and Rey was able to see her features …

"No!" Rey cried. "It's impossible! You're not real!"

The woman was … herself.

"Oh I am real, dear … sister."

"Sister?"

The other Rey laughed. "Did you really think you were the only child our parents abandoned?" Looking closer, Rey could see this woman was older than she was, if only by a few years. "I am Kira."

"Why did you pretend to be me?" Rey asked her. "How did you appear and disappear so quickly?"

"I projected myself to you, little sister," Kira told her. "I hoped to influence you to turn to the Dark so that you might stand with me against our grandfather, but no … you had to cling to the Light like the pathetic child you were when our parents abandoned me."

"Kira … you don't have to do this … whatever you're doing here. You're my sister. You're my family."

"Family?" Kira sneered. "Rey … Skywalker? You deny everything about your true self, including your name."

"I won't carry his name." Rey had not activated her light saber.

"Even though it was our father's name?" Kira asked her pointedly. "Our parents died to protect you, but have you even mourned them?"

"I mourned them for years!" Rey protested. "I know they loved me, and I'm grateful for that. But they're gone now, and we can't do anything for them but continue living."

"That's where you're wrong, little sister. This is the Kaiburr Crystal. It magnifies our abilities beyond comprehension. When I have mastered it, I will be a god! And I will bring our parents back … avenge old wrongs … and take my rightful place at the head of an Empire Reborn!"

"Kira … don't do this. Don't go this way. We can be a family. I want us to be a family. Don't go where I can't follow. Don't follow his way."

"I would offer you my hand, little sister, but I will not make Kylo Ren's mistake. If I am to rule, I must destroy you …. but I promise you that you will return in the new world that I create … and you will rule with me!"

"Never!"

Rey leaped forward to wrest the Kaiburr Crystal from her sister. She did not attack … the Force whispered to her that this was her sister … and she wanted to save her … to help her as she had helped Ben. But if Kira realized her mad ambition then the entire Galaxy would suffer …

The moment her hands touched the stone, the light began to change. It shifted from red to blue … to yellow … to purple … to white … then back to red … and to yellow …

"No!" Kira protested. "You will not take this from me! I won't allow it!"

Rey gasped as she felt the power her sister hurled at her … if she had not been touching the Crystal she would have been instantly destroyed.

"No ..." Rey whispered. "I won't let you do this, Kira. I won't let you win. I won't let you destroy everything …."

"I am not destroying! I am creating! The Palpatines will rise, sister! We will rise …."

And for a timeless moment, the Crystal seemed to struggle between the two of them …

And then it exploded.

..**..

"Rey, dear … Rey, are you all right? Should I call for a med droid?"

Rey opened her eyes and found herself looking into the face of a stranger.

The woman was old … her hair gray, but she was still beautiful and somehow she was reminded of Leia … and Ben.

Though Rey had never seen Leia in such elaborate finery before.

"Who are you?" Rey whispered.

The old woman gasped. "Rey, dear, it's Padme. Ben's grandmother. Oh dear. I must really call for a med droid ..."

"No!" Rey grabbed the old woman's hand …

And suddenly she did remember this woman.

Padme Amidala … wife of Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker. A former queen of Naboo who had risen to the level of Chancellor in her own right …

And a woman who doted on Rey as though she were her own grandchild …

"I'm fine, Nana Padme," Rey closed her eyes. What was happening? "I just had a bad dream ..."

"You fainted, dear … right in the middle of our conversation with Mr. Plutt ..."

"Quite all right, Chancellor. I'm just glad the Jedi Master is feeling better."

It was Unkar Plutt … and not. He had the same features, the same general build … but he was neatly dressed, and had an air of prosperity and … kindness? … that Rey had never known him to have before.

"Thank you, Mr. Plutt," Rey said. "Would you mind terribly helping me up?"

"Of course not." Unkar offered her his hand, and when they touched ….

Unkar Plutt is a prosperous merchant when his ship crash lands on Jakku. Seeing the poverty stricken lives of the men and women who are forced to eke out a living from the wrecks of ships that have crashed landed there, he dedicates himself to establish an outpost of civilization on the backwater world, bringing much needed supplies and know how to help the desert world blossom. It's in pursuit of this goal he has come to the Republic to ask for assistance for his chosen home world ….

Rey blinked.

What was going on?

"Congratulations, by the way," Unkar said as he helped Rey to her feet.

"Congratulations …?" Rey asked him in confusion.

"For ..." Unkar waved a hand at her midsection.

Rey glanced down.

Oh.

She was pregnant. Very pregnant.

"Thank you ..." Rey said faintly. She reached down and touched her stomach … reaching into the Force to detect the life growing within her …

No. Not life. Lives.

"Twins," Rey whispered in wonder.

"It is a family trait, dear," Padme remarked in amusement. The Chancellor turned to Unkar Plutt. "Mr. Plutt, I cannot make any promises until the Senate meets, but I will recommend the Republic aid Jakku."

"I will too," Rey offered. The thought of Jakku becoming a thriving world unexpectedly filled her with hope.

"Thank you, Chancellor. Master Jedi." Unkar bowed his head and then left.

"Rey ..." Padme said thoughtfully. "I still think you should see a Med Droid ..."

"No ..." Rey touched the older woman's hand. "Nana, I'm fine."

"If you won't go to a Med Droid, will you at least go to the Jedi Temple and allow one of the Jedi Masters to examine you? Humor an old woman, dear ..."

Padme Amidala had never had an opportunity to grow into an old woman … this was insane!

Or was it …?

The Crystal … ?

"I'll go to the Jedi Temple," she promised. Perhaps there were answers there. Or perhaps it was just a dream …

It was probably a dream. Good things did not happen without some corresponding evil. She had left Jakku and found Finn- but lost Han Solo before he could begin to become the father figure she had longed for. She had survived Palpatine, but had lost Ben …

Ben.

She touched her stomach. Were these Ben's children-?

She sighed.

Even if they were- even if this was true and not a dream- it would be a Ben who had never lived her Ben's life …

It wouldn't be her Ben.

The bond was alive, but quiet … she was afraid to reach into it … to reach for Ben … to find another Ben there instead of the complicated man she had grown to care for …

"Would you like me to go with you, child?" Padme asked her. "Or perhaps send Threepio with you? I'm worried about you ..."

"The Temple isn't far," Rey said, realizing that she knew this to be true. "Try not to worry so, Nana. I'm fine." She squeezed the old woman's hand. "I'll see you later."

"We're having dinner tonight, dear," Padme reminded her. "All of us. Your uncle. My Anakin and his old apprentice Ahsoka … Leia has informed me that your father-in-law has promised to bring Ben back home before ..." She sighed. "Before it happens."

"It?" Then, seeing the sorrow on the old woman's face, "Of course. I'll be there."

"Rey … I know this is a sad time for you. It's sad for all of us. But … he wouldn't want you to let grief shadow your life. He's had a good long life, and his time has come. It's the will of the Force ..."

"Of course," Rey whispered, feeling a wave of sudden and intense grief gripping her. Who was she grieving? Not Ben … Padme had said he was coming home … Luke? No, of course not. Padme's grief was not that of a mother mourning a son …

Padme wiped her eyes. "Well, I have a government to run and you have a promise to keep. Run along now. Give my regards to your uncle and his wife when you see them and remind them of the dinner."

"I will," Rey promised.

..**..

She did know the way to the Jedi Temple, she discovered. It was as though she were recovering memories that she had forgotten … would she eventually lose herself in this new life … if it wasn't a dream?

There was more green around the Jedi Temple than she had seen around the rest of the world she now remembered to be Coruscant. Trees and yards, bushes, and reflecting pools. There was a palpable aura of peace around the whole place and Rey felt some of the lingering tension leave her body.

And then she saw him..

A giant figure in a gold robe sitting in a hover chair. She could not see his face, but she knew who it was. Of course she knew …

The giant was speaking to what appeared to be a child dressed in clothing that Rey had seen on a Tusken Raider. He had a friendly hand on the child's shoulder and continued speaking even as Rey approached them. "And I'll see to it that your parents are notified of your desire to speak to your parents as soon as possible, little one. No, don't look ashamed, apprentice. It is natural to feel homesickness when you come to a new place without friends or family. In time, you will adjust. But in the meantime, I am sure we can make arrangements for you to speak with your parents on a more regular basis."

The child took the giant's hand gratefully and pressed it to her cheek.

The giant looked at Rey- who forced down a shiver of fear. It was him.

It was Snoke.

But … it wasn't as well.

There were traces of the Darkside in him, but not as he had been in his throne room. He was just as large, and his features were not lovely, but he did not have the injuries that her world's Snoke had possessed. No, this Snoke … this Snoke was filled with light and kindness.

"Now run along, child. You are late for Master Maul's self defense class, and you don't want him to be too cross with you."

The Tusken child nodded to Snoke and then bowed formally to an amused Rey who returned the gesture. Then she ran off with the kind of enthusiasm Rey had never known at her age.

Rey turned and saw the fond smile on Other Snoke's face. "You have compassion for the child," she observed in an amused voice.

Other Snoke smiled again. "I've always been fond of children, Rey. You know that." He looked at her, and Rey felt concern radiating from him. "What is it, niece? I felt your turmoil long before you got to the Temple? Is something wrong with the twins?"

"No," Rey answered, and she knew that was true. The children within her were asleep, but she could feel their contentment radiating through the Force. "They're fine."

"I am pleased to hear it." Snoke smiled again. "I was concerned when you told me of the pregnancy that there might be … abnormalities …" He shrugged eloquently. "Given how I turned out …."

A strange compulsion caused Rey to take one of Other Snoke's hands …

Memories of a young Rey riding on the lap of her uncle as he told her the name of every flower in their garden. Of her uncle comforting her after one of the frequent nightmares a young Rey would experience when her parents left Kira and her behind for one of their frequent diplomatic visits into dangerous territories …

"Uncle ..." And Rey was surprised at how right the word sounded. "Uncle, if my children have half of your compassion and love I will consider myself amply blessed, no matter how they look." She touched his cheek without fear.

"Da! Da, what did I tell you about leaving sick bay before we'd made the adjustments to your harness?"

The man walking forward carried a box of tools, and his face was nearly as red as his hair. A familiar figure walked beside him.

"Rey!" Rose Tico said, rushing forward to hug her friend.

"Rose!" Rey hugged her back. "It's so good to see you." A phantom memory came to my mind. "I thought you were off planet."

"We were," Rose said, glancing fondly at the red haired man who was fussing over Snoke. "We came back when we got word ..."

Images of a young Rose Tico and her sister being sent away from their mining colony by their hardworking parents to find a better life. Of enrolling in engineering school where she met the brilliant Armitage Hux, adopted son of the legendary Admiral Holdo and Jedi Master Snoke … of snarky replies and arguments turning into something more ...

"I'm fine, Armitage," Snoke said fondly. "I just sensed a child needed guidance ..."

"There's always a child who needs guidance at this bloody Temple, Da." Armitage Hux frowned as he pulled out a tool and rolled up Snoke's sleeve to reveal a cybernetic harness. "You're not the only Jedi Master, you don't have to take care of everybody!"

"I've spent decades telling him the same thing, son," an elegant woman with violet hair said as she walked towards them. "But it's much too late to change him now."

"Hello, Amilyn," Snoke said, smiling at the woman that Rey dimly recalled was his wife.

"Dear." Amilyn kissed his forehead. "Rey, Rose … it's good to see you. Armitage, are you so busy that you can't give your mother a hug?"

"In a moment, Mum. I just about have it … there. How's that, Da?"

Snoke gripped the sides of his hover chair and stood up. He wobbled on his feet, and Rey prepared herself to use the Force to steady him, but Armitage and Amilyn beat her to it, mother and son standing at either side of him to support him.

Snoke eventually steadied himself. "Thank you, my son. It's good to be able to stand again. With everything going on right now, I just didn't have the time ..."

"You mean you put everyone ahead of yourself again," Amilyn said with a gentle smile. "I married you for your compassion, dear, but there are times when you really need to exert some self-care."

"You and Armitage should practice what you preach, dear," Snoke replied. He glanced at his son. "You came straight from the Starkindler Project, didn't you? Have you even had breakfast yet?"

"We had portions on the shuttle," Armitage said, waving a hand absentmindedly. "We're nearly done, Da. The Starkindler is almost ready for testing. With it, we'll be able to restore life to nearly dead stars for some of the oldest civilizations in the Galaxy."

"I know, son. Your mother and I are very proud of you." He glanced over at Rose. "And you as well, Rose. I know you're the one who designed this harness for me."

Rose blushed. "I just wanted to help ..." She paused. "Besides, you'll need the increased mobility if you're going to change your grandchild's diapers..."

"Grandchild?" Amilyn asked in a whisper.

"Three months." Rose walked over to Hux and he wrapped his free arm around her. "We didn't want to say anything until we were absolutely sure."

"Rose, that's wonderful!" Rey cried, hugging her friend once more. "Oh, I almost forgot. Nana Padme wanted me to remind Amilyn and Uncle about the dinner tonight. I'm sure she'll be happy to have the two of you as well, Cousin Armitage."

He smiled. "And suddenly I'm remembering toddler Rey chasing me around calling me 'Cousin Hugs.'" He laughed. "We'll be there, Rey."

And then she saw Finn … Finn! … running towards them. He smiled when he saw Rey, but bowed respectfully towards Snoke. "Rey! Master Snoke …" He paused.

"I've never known Luke Skywalker's son to be at a loss for words," Snoke observed. "What is it, Finn?"

Luke Skywalker's son? Finn was a Skywalker … it could explain so much …

"Kira." Finn looked away. "She's here. She's with the Grand Master. She demanded to see him, and he ordered us to let him pass."

"She is his granddaughter," Snoke said sadly. "And though Kira may have chosen the Dark, she will always be family. If Father has agreed to see her, we cannot gainsay him." A look of resolve came to the giant's face. "But notify Luke and the others. I do not want her approaching the young ones or the archives without a guard."

"I'll see to it, Master. Masters Anakin, Luke, and Leia are just outside his rooms as well."

"I'll talk to her," Rey said softly.

"Rey... that's not a good idea," Finn said. "I know she's your sister, but you remember how she took it when you married Ben ..."

"I promised her she would never be alone," Rey whispered as a phantom memory came to mind. "And I have to keep my promise."

"Rey, no one has more respect for your skills than I do," Amilyn said gently, "but I am not sure you would be a match for Kira if things go awry in your current condition ..."

"Let her go." Snoke looked at Rey and smiled gently. "I know what both my nieces are capable of. Kira did not come here to kill anyone."

"What did she come for?" Rey asked him curiously.

"She came home to be with her family." And Snoke smiled.

..**..

Luke and Leia she knew, though both of them looked less weary … less sad … than they had before. The taller man between them being consoled by a Togruta female could only be their father Anakin. She was stunned to see tears flowing freely from Anakin's face.

Darth Vader crying? No … he never became Darth Vader here, did he? Padme is proof of that …

"He's inside," Luke told her gently. "It won't be long now."

"And so is Kira," Leia added. "We wanted to disarm her, but he refused to allow it. She's been in there with him for hours now."

"Rey, be careful … he doesn't have long now and we have no idea how she'll react when he passes." Anakin cautioned her gently. "I sense the conflict in her – it is tearing her apart. She will mend … or break altogether."

Rey nodded her understanding, and then stepped into the room.

There were no machines hooked up to the man who laid silently on the bed. He was not dead yet … she could sense his presence faintly in the Force … but it was plain that his life hung by a thread.

Sheev Palpatine was dying.

A woman in black, hood up, was by his side holding one of his hands. "Kira."

"Rey ..." Her sister turned her face from the old man before her and lowered her hood. "It is you. The real you. From Mimban."

"Yes," Rey breathed. "And you remember too?"

"Yes. I wanted to create a new world … a world where the Palpatines rose. And we did. Just not in the way that I expected. No Empire." She gestured at the old man. "Darth Plagueis never found him here. He was discovered by Count Dooku who took him as his padawan and taught him to question Jedi Dogma … not to destroy it, but to save the Jedi from themselves. He spent decades reforming the Jedi both from within and without, eventually becoming Jedi Master himself. He struck down the rule forbidding the Jedi from marrying and allowed the younglings to remain in contact with their parents. He helped Obi-Wan Kenobi mentor Anakin Skywalker, and when he stepped down it was Anakin who succeeded him. And even here … even here I was estranged from my family. Even here I was abandoned. Even here, I'm alone."

"You're not alone!" Rey stared at the stranger with her face. "We did this- both of us did this. We're family. You don't have to be alone any more. The family I've found here is your family too. Be part of it, Kira. You're still holding onto the past. Let go."

Kriff, Ben would laugh at me now …

But she held out her hand. "Please."

Kira stared at her as though she expected some kind of trick and then the silence between them was broken by an old man's whisper. "Take it, Kira."

And Rey got her first look at this world's Sheev Palpatine.

He was old … older than most humans ever reached. His face was lined, but there was wisdom in those wrinkles … benevolence in his faded eyes. He was still holding onto Kira's hand. He offered his other to Rey.

Hesitantly- fearing some trick- she took the old man's hand.

And she sees the old man's memories … and she knows that Kira sees them as well.

A life spent not in darkness and anger, a loneliness that led to a hunger for both power and life that would never be sated. A life that wasn't spent trying to convince himself that the Darkside had given him everything he wanted or need.

A life where Anakin Skywalker was a cherished student rather than a means to an end. A life where he had the respect of the people … and a cherished wife, children, and grandchildren. A life where he wasn't alone …

"This life … this life that you gave me … was so much more than the other Sheev Palpatine ever knew. All the power and wealth he accumulated in the end meant nothing. I go to my rest with a life well lived … and I know that my family continues and will grow … thank you. Thank you both for giving me a second chance at life … and know that I can do what the other Sheev never could: I can love. I love you both. I love you both with all my heart ..."

"Grandfather," Kira whispered softly. "Grandfather, don't go."

"It's my time, Kira. Past my time. This is your time. Yours and your sister's. Be well. Be happy … and be a family."

"May the Force be with you," Rey whispered.

"And with you," Sheev Palpatine, a Sheev that she wished she could have had a lifetime to know, whispered.

And then he vanished.

And Rey wrapped her arms around her sobbing sister and held her as the both of them cried …

..**..

Kira had done bad things, even here, but for now their uncle and aunt managed to sneak her off Coruscant and back to Naboo and the family estate. Rey was positive that if anyone could help Kira reconcile with their family, it would be this world's version of Snoke.

And she was reasonably sure that Chancellor Amidala would find some legal solution to he problems.

It felt good to be loved … it felt good to be in a world where Luke and Leia were alive, where she had a family that she could be proud of rather than being forced to deny in shame. She felt a fierce love growing within her with each passing moment for the lives she carried within her …

But even with all the potential happiness this world had given her, she still ached for the loss of her Ben and wondered how she would fare when she had to face this world's double of the man she loved …

As if on cue …

"Rey ..."

"Ben?"

He was not as pale as he had been. He still wore mostly black, but there was also white and silver. He was robed like a Jedi, and there was a light saber at his belt.

He stared at her as though he was starved for the sight of her. "Rey …?"

"Ben ..."

She looked at him. She had to know … she had to know the life that this Ben had known. "Ben, take my hand ..."

He does so without hesitation ...

And she's in Ben's head, waking up this morning on the Millennium Falcon wondering why he had not become one with the Force. She could sense his amazement and happiness at seeing Han Solo alive once more …

"It's you," Rey sobbed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ben. My Ben. It's you. It's really you."

"Rey," he murmured, hugging her tightly. "My Rey. How did this happen … where are we?"

"I don't know," Rey admitted. "I'll tell you what I can later. Right now … right now I think it's our second chance. I think it's everyone's second chance."

"Okay, Rey." He touched her face. "And there's something I've been dreaming of doing ever since I woke up here."

"What's that?" Rey asked him curiously.

"This."

And he kissed her.

Author's Note: So, yeah. I decided to make a Happy Ever After for EVERYONE. The Kaiburr Crystal is from Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster, and while it certainly didn't have that kind of power in canon this is an AU so why not? One thing that I've grown to dislike in Star Wars is how most of the time the bad guys are ugly or otherwise meant to be disgusting. After finding out that The Emperor was behind Snoke I decided to make him Rey's uncle, and a real sweetheart of a guy. As a matter of fact, he was Ben's Master instead of Luke in this AU. What also didn't make the cut was that while Sheev struck down the prohibition against marriage that allowed Anakin to both marry and be a Jedi, Anakin was the one to make sure that younglings were not rejected simply for having a tendency towards Darkness when he became Head of the Jedi Order.. In this AU, they are taught how to balance their Dark and Light sides, to temper a passion for fighting for justice with empathy.

Unkar Plutt got a pass for the same reason above about not wanting a book to be based on its cover. Also it was the first hint to Rey that something really strange was going on.