Allegiance | Kylo Ren

Epilogue

The wind rustled the leaves of the trees gently as I sat cross-legged on the dusty ground. The small house behind me cast a long shadow, blocking the sunlight from reaching my skin but illuminating the trees as it slowly sunk behind them.

I was unable to keep the warm smile off my face as the small girl in front of me let out a gleeful giggle, wiggling uncontrollably as I wove her soft white-blonde hair into a neat plait down her back.

"When?" Her voice rang out like a soft bell.

"Soon." I assured her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"How soon?" She turned to look at me with wide brown eyes. "I want to see him!"

"He'll be here any minute." I pulled her into my lap, and she played with the ends of my shoulder-length hair with chubby fingers.

"Daddy." She twirled a piece of my hair around her short finger. "I want to see Daddy."

"Be patient, Rylie."

Her protest was drowned out by the sound of rapidly-approaching jet engines. Her eyes widened as she watched the familiar jet soar overhead and land in the field beyond the fence, its wheels meeting the ground smoothly.

The small girl let out a wordless shriek and took off running as fast as her short legs would take her in the direction of the jet. I followed her with a breathless laugh, scooping her up as I overtook her and holding her to my chest as we reached the landing site.

Poe emerged from the cockpit, his signature grin plastered across his face. "Hey, Callie."

"Hi, Poe." I returned his smile, putting Rylie on the ground so I could pull him into a warm hug.

"Daddy!" Rylie's jubilant cry caused me to turn.

My eyes met Ben's as he emerged from the belly of the jet, and I felt my smile widen. I took long strides to meet him in a tight embrace, burying my face into his shirt. He pressed a kiss to my lips, but we broke apart as Rylie whined impatiently, tugging on the hem of his shirt. He took a step back, a knowing smile on his face as he swept his daughter off her feet.

"Hi there, Rylie." He peppered her face with kisses, and she giggled. "Did you miss me?"

"Lots!" Her dark brown eyes met his identical set, and she grasped his face with both hands before pressing a kiss to his nose.

Poe and I chuckled at the affectionate gesture, exchanging another hug before he began to climb back into the jet.

"Thanks again for bringing him home." I flashed him a grateful glance. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"Not at all." Poe gave me a thumbs-up. "I think we could actually be good friends if you give it, oh, maybe ten or twenty years at this rate."

I rolled my eyes, unable to bite back a laugh. "Have a safe flight."

He flashed me a salute and fired up the engines, pulling on his headset. Ben and I took several steps back to give him clearance, Rylie still clinging to Ben like he was her sole source of life support. We watched as the jet took to the air, rapidly growing smaller until it disappeared completely in the golden sky.

I took Ben's hand as we began the long walk back towards the house.

"I missed you." I glanced at Rylie, who now had her arms wrapped around Ben's neck and her face buried in the crook of his shoulder. "We missed you."

"Three days seems like a long time when I'm away from you two." Ben set Rylie down gently as we reached the front steps of our house. "Go wash your hands for dinner." He told her softly, tugging on her braid as she squealed happily and raced away to do as he instructed.

Before following her inside, I couldn't help but stop. I let my gaze wander over the vast landscape that was our home—the lush trees, the rolling grassy hills, the clear sky. So much had changed. I ran my fingers absentmindedly over the collection of scars littering my abdomen through my shirt—the cross-shaped gash from my first mission, a faint bump through the center of my ribcage from my encounter with Snoke, and, the most recent, a straight line running horizontally below my belly button. Each of them served as bookmarks tucked in the pages of my life, each representing an equally important step forward.

Ben noticed my hesitation, and stood beside me as he, too, scanned our surroundings. I laced my fingers through his, letting out a content sigh.

He had his lightsaber clipped to the waistband of his pants, as always—even here, now, he refused to let it out of his sight. It comforted him, knowing that he had the power to defend himself and his family with him at all times. To me, though, it was a constant reminder of our past—all the obstacles we had overcome, both separately and together. We had both survived so much, and we were still young, with the rest of our lives stretching out before us.

Three years had passed since the day the First Order fell. Ben and I had fulfilled our promise to each other—we lived in a secluded home on a peaceful planet. But neither of us were able to fully escape our lives of adventure. Both of us were routinely called to the new government's headquarters, for a variety of reasons including meetings with President Leia Organa or consultations with the heads of the military. Ever since Rylie was born, it was Ben who was called away more frequently, but he never stayed away long.

Conflict was inevitable—we both knew that. Yes, the past three years had been peaceful ones. But it was only a matter of time before the Dark Side rose to power again. When it did, we would be ready. If the call to action came, we would certainly answer it.

But for now, we were home, and as Ben pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek, I couldn't help but smile at how well things had turned out for both of us. With him here beside me now, I finally felt as if everything was going to be okay. Or maybe better than okay.