Thief (of my heart)

Chapter 5

Ben begrudgingly goes to see his mother. It's been months since he's been inside his childhood home. Of course, when he opens the front door, without knocking, he's immediately surrounded by yipping dogs.

He trips and stumbles around the fur balls, half exasperated and half amused.

"Okay, okay, I see you," he slides his left foot, cautiously stepping down with his right, watching helplessly as a flash of white lands right where his foot is headed. He nearly falls, righting himself quickly and sighing. "Move, move, Artoo, quit tripping me up!" Then he notices the golden mutt shaking in excitement. The dog has a bad heart and isn't supposed to get riled up. Ben holds out both hands at Threepio.

"Breathe, Threepio, calm down."

Last thing he needs is for the dog to kill over.

Ben, sighing again as Threepio takes a deep breath, sits his hand up at the oldest dog like he's a person or something.

"Hey, Gary."

The French bulldog gives a nod, his tongue permanently stuck hanging out of his mouth. Ben blanches in disgust but Gary is the calmest of all three so he's definitely Ben's favorite of the dogs. He just doesn't stare at Gary's face for too long.

His dad's cat, Chewie, gives him a look, then walks away. He'll come back eventually, laying on Ben's chest, kneading and leaving long brown hairs everywhere.

Chewie is the one he likes the most. No one really knows how old he is. He's been around since Ben was a child. Ben thinks the darn cat is immortal by now.

"S'up, son," Han nods from his recliner, watching Indiana Jones yet again. Anything with Harrison Ford in it is his favorite, although Ben knows his dad has a secret obsession with Carrie Fisher.

It's just one of their father/son secrets.

Ben grabs a beer, needing to chill. He plops down across the sofa, watching the TV.

"Which one is this?" he gestures at the TV.

"Newest one," his dad replies, grunting as Chewie jumps down off his chest, "old man's still got it."

"Mmmhmm, he better, he's going to have to have it for the new Galaxy Wars movie. C'mon Chewie," Ben motions and grunts when the fifteen pound cat lands on his chest.

Ben smirks, "Heard Carrie's in this one too."

"Yep," Han says, yawning, "old girl's still hot."

"Eww," Ben responds, knocking back his beer.

"Just like your mom," Han says with a grin, pinching Leia's ass as she walks into the room.

"Double Eww. Triple Eww," Ben grimaces with a grin. His parents have had a tumultuous relationship but the physical part has never wained, which is actually a good thing, according to Ben's therapist.

He chooses not to think about it.

"Who else has still got it? Hmm?" his mom asks, pausing to watch Ford on the TV, sighing loudly when Harrison appears. Ben grimaces again, seeing his mom 'thirst' was not helping his gross factor.

They drive him crazy. Why can't they just be normal old people??

"Just you, babe. Look, Ben's here."

His mom's head snaps up and he remembers why he is here.

Rey. That little feral thing that tried to steal his car, slashed his face and ran. Then came back, black, blue and nearly bald, sneaking peeks from behind the dumpster behind his Italian restaurant. Then running, then shouting, then collapsing in his arms and throwing him into a whirlwind of old and new emotions.