End of the Beginning (A New Hope Series)

Epilogue

It had been five years since Ben and Rey had gotten married and she had given birth to the twins. Since then, they had had another beautiful baby girl and Rey decided to name her Leia, which brought Ben to tears. And much to everyone's shock... Rey was expecting, yet again. They had already chosen a name, planning on Anakin if it was a boy or Annie if it were a girl. Ben and Rey had considered naming the baby Luke but ended up choosing his grandfather's name instead. They both loved Luke dearly, but Ben wished to honor Anakin and Rey respected his choice. He had told her that he wanted to honor Anakin Skywalker for once, rather than Darth Vader.

As for all of their friends and family, Chewy had decided to stay on Naboo with Ben and Rey. He was amazing with the children. Although that wasn't a surprise. Ben said that they had been very close when he was little and Chewy loved being around him and the children. Rey assumed it was because they reminded him of Han. As for the others, Finn and Rose had gotten married and began an expedition alongside Lando, helping ex-stormtroopers to find their homeland and remaining family. Poe was still general of the Resistance, while the ever-stubborn Zorii continued to deny his marriage proposals. Everyone made sure to visit often, including Maz Kanata. She never missed an opportunity to see her beloved Wookie.

There was no denying that they all had a wonderful life. It was so much more than either of them could have hoped for and they realized that more and more every day. At times, Ben found himself regretting his past, and Rey would comfort him. There were also times when Rey would think about all the time that she was alone on Jakku, and Ben would do his best to comfort her in return. But mostly, it was the children that provided the biggest comfort. Ben and Rey's children were their pride and joy. Ben would often times wonder why he ever wanted anything other than this. Rey would remind him that things were different back then, to which he agreed. But now that he had a family, he wouldn't trade it for anything in the galaxy.

Both Rey and Ben made sure to spend as much time with the children as they could. On warm, sunny days, they would take the children down to the beach, and Ben would tell them stories about how their great grandfather had hated sand and Rey would nod in agreement. (Something about growing up on a planet made of sand did that to someone.) Then Ben would have the children all gang up and splash their mother together. On the colder days, Ben would make them all hot chocolate and they would sit in the den, wrapped in blankets, while their father tended to the fireplace. Then Ben and Rey would tell stories of their adventures. For the children's sake, they wouldn't go into great detail about Ben's part in the war. But they did make sure to tell each child about their namesake.

Some evenings, Anakin, Luke, and Leia would appear to see their grandchildren. They didn't interact with them very often, as the children were still so very young, and they didn't want to scare them. But they always promised Ben and Rey that they would keep Han and Padmé informed as to how the children were. It was difficult since Han and Padmé were not Force sensitive themselves and were unable be there themselves to see their namesakes. But they were always watching over them. Sometimes, Ben and Rey would take the children for a ride on the Falcon, in honor of Han. Which, by any chance, was exactly what they were preparing the children for that day.

It was Ben who awoke first that morning, as usual. And like every other morning, he went downstairs to make breakfast. Rey always complained about him doing the majority of the cooking, saying that it was supposed to be her job, but Ben insisted she stay in bed. Especially while she was pregnant. Besides, he enjoyed taking care of his family. So, after preparing a quick and healthy breakfast, he brough Rey her food on a tray and laid the children's food out on the table. When he entered the bedroom again, Rey was getting dressed. Ben sat the tray on the bed and walked over to her. He grinned as he wrapped his arms around her back, resting his chin on the top of her head and his hands on her stomach. The baby's life force hummed just as strongly as the twin's had.