•LEGACY - A Reylo Story•

EPISODE LXXVIII - CLOSE CALL

"Stay safe," Jess says to Rey, waving as she jogs off.

Rey can't deny that she's nervous about leaving her daughter here. She hasn't been away from Padmé for longer than a few hours since she had her.

You'll come back.

What if she doesn't? What if something happens, and they leave Padmé alone in the world? Padmé needs you.

So do Luke, Finn, and Poe.

"Rey?"

She turns around to see a golden droid tottering towards her. "3PO? Has there been any—"

"Nothing from Master Luke, I'm afraid." The droid sighs. "Or R2. But I think you ought to know. I overheard some concerning conversations regarding Master Ben and your daughter."

"What?" Rey's heart stills in her chest.

"Some members of the Resistance are not fully convinced that Master Ben isn't interested in declaring himself the new Supreme Leader of the First Order, after Master Luke and Finn are out of the way."

"Are they insane?" Rey demands, fury lashing through her. "Ben doesn't want—"

The droid waves its arms, which flash in the sunlight. "I know, but that's what they've been saying. They don't want him to go with you, and they have a plan to keep him here."

Rey grabs 3PO by his metal shoulder. "What plan?"

"I left before they could say, but it involved Padmé."

"Shit!" Terror ignites inside her as she spins on her heel and races towards her room. She yanks her lightsaber out of her waistband, flashing it on. Ben. Padmé.

Nothing will happen to you, sweet baby, she'd promised when Padmé was born.

What if circumstances makes her a liar, just like her mother?

No! Rey surges down the hallway and bursts into their room.

No one.

Where are you, Ben?

Rey closes her eyes, focusing on each breath, on the painful way her chest quivers as she breathes in and breathes out. She needs to find them, warn them—

Chewie groans from the doorway. Are you okay?

Rey whirls around to face him. "Chewie, where are Ben and Padmé?"

They went for a walk, Chewie tells her. By the ships.

"Okay," Rey gasps. "Chewie, I need you to find Leia immediately—tell her—tell her that Threepio said that they're planning on—some Resistance members—who don't trust Ben—they want to use Padmé—I don't know what for but that's enough, isn't it?"

Chewie roars as Rey darts past, heading outside. Groups of pilots gape at her as she runs with her blue saber sparking. How many of you?Rey thinks furiously. In this moment, she hates them.

"Rey?" Lando calls after her. She can tell from his footsteps that he's following. Good. She can count on Lando to carry a blaster at all times.

A flash of orange. Rey sees a pilot fly through the air. "Ben!" she screams, leaping around the corner and seeing Ben half-kneeling, his lightsaber aimed in his left arm and his right arm at the blue alien, Shiv.

Who's holding a sobbing Padmé.

"Bastard!" Lando shouts, aiming the blaster, but he can't fire the gun for the same reason Ben can't use the Force or his lightsaber. Padmé is Shiv's shield, and an effective one. "Threatening a baby? How long can you possibly—"

"I'm not going to harm her," snarls Shiv as Rey creeps up behind him. She sees Ben's eyes focus on her. "I just—he cannot be allowed to go on this mission! He's a menace!"

"It's probably safer for her to be with us anyways," wheezes the pilot whose name Rey doesn't know, the one Ben sent flying with the Force. "We know how he regards family."

Ben visibly flinches. "Don't take her—"

Rey pauses, half-hidden by the wings of an X-wing. She holds her hand out. Forgive me, Luke.

Shiv starts to gasp as his airway tightens. Rey scrambles closer and jabs her saber close to the side of his face, the same way Kylo Ren did to her in the Takodana forest. "Give me back my daughter."

Gurgling, Shiv's grip loosens, and Rey snatches Padmé away as a howling Chewie arrives with Leia, Maz, and a whole groups of red-faced, enraged Resistance members behind him.

"Great job," Lando tells Rey as Chewie lunges, grabbing Shiv and thrusting him against the side of the X-Wing. Ben aims his lightsaber at the other pilot, who cowers on the pavement.

Padmé screams against Rey's shoulders, clutching her as if she knew that something terrible almost happened. Rey's lightsaber snaps off, and she clutches Padmé in both of her arms. "You're safe. You're safe," she repeats, as much to herself as to Padmé.

"Rey—I—" Ben staggers over to her, his face white.

"What happened?" she demands, tears tearing at her voice.

"I thought—he came and he asked to let bygones be bygones—he asked about the mission—he asked to hold her and I said no, but then he kept asking and I—" Ben's face crumples. "If I hadn't wanted him to trust me so badly, I wouldn't have let him—I almost—"

"Don't," Rey snaps. "Ben. It's not your fault. He's a liar and he tricked you."

"She's okay?" Ben gasps.

"Scared, I think." Rey smooths Padmé's thick hair. "She'll be okay. She has to be." And Rey breaks down as Ben wraps his arms around them both.

Three hours pass, and Leia's still furious but determined. "You three need to go," she tells them. "If you plan to rescue the others."

Rey does not want to leave Padmé, but she sees the steel rage in Leia's eyes and hopes that she can rely on the woman.

"We'll handle things," Lando declares grimly.

"We won't let her out of our sight, or arms," Maz promises, taking Rey's hand. "I do need to give you something, though."

"What's that?" Rey gulps and follows Maz out of the room.

"These. I found them with Dr. Kalonia." Maz hands Rey dark, folded garments. Kylo Ren's outfit.

Why? Rey shakes her head.

"I think it may come in handy."