~ 𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 ~ A Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Story

38. Epilogue

The First Order had almost completely evaporated, with most of its leaders blown up in one fell swoop. The rebels didn't have much work to do afterward, just find the remaining authorities one by one. After almost 2 years, they were completely free of the tyranny of the First Order. 

 The rebels (read: Poe) had a difficult time accepting the Ben had changed. He still had some anger control issues at times, but hadn't laid a finger on anyone since the explosion of the ship. Leia and Celeste's support helped convince the resistance, that they could trust him now. 

On the 3 year anniversary of the explosion, nearly all of the resistance sat and watched as Ben and Celeste were married by Leia. The rebels were still wary around Ben, except for Finn. As ex-First-Order himself, he understood how brainwashed they all were by the propaganda and constant control.

Once the pair had their first child, Han, it was mostly relaxed and smooth sailing from there on out. He was born as a carbon copy of his father, to their delight. Their younger twin daughters were also like female versions of Ben, except for their green eyes from Celeste. 

Ben rebuilt a relationship with his mother. It wasn't always easy, and she had a hard time forgiving him for ending his father's life, but they got along well enough after a few years.

Ben's nightmares persisted for far longer than Celeste's. He would wake up in a cold sweat, shaking and clutching at where Snoke had shot lightning at him so many years ago. He had scars from it still. He refused to let Celeste heal them, he wanted to keep them as a reminder of how much he had grown and healed since that dark time in his life. 

~~~~~

"You're going to be staying with Uncle Poe and Uncle Finn for a few days, remember, we went over this?" Celeste reminded her children, exasperatedly. She and her husband were a few minutes away from leaving on a 4-day long trip back to the beach where Ben had told her he loved her, and their kids couldn't remember. She shook her head and stuffed a few more toys into their bags when she heard the door open.

"Ben, can you please help Han check that he has everything?" She asked, knowing it was him from the sound of his footsteps. 

"Come on kid, let's see if you forgot anything in your room," Ben said. Celeste made sure the younger girls were all set and sent them off with Finn when he arrived. 

"Poe will be here in a few minutes for Han," He explained, taking their bags. She nodded.

"Toothbrush was almost forgotten," Ben sighed, handing his young son his bag.

"Alright, you make sure you and your sisters are good for Uncle Poe and Finn, okay?" She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. Poe picked him up, and they went over the bedtimes and rules for the children quickly, before shutting the door and double-check that they were all packed.

 "You ready?" Celeste smiled, taking Ben's hand, "Just like the good old days, right?" Ben laughed softly. 

"Every day is a good day, now, you know that," He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then winced. 

"Scars bothering you?" He nodded. 

"It was worth it, though, to be with you," She grabbed his hand and transferred a little healing into him. Ben hummed and grabbed both of her hands in his, pulling her close and kissing her deeply. 

"Let's get out of here," He said. Celeste nodded and followed him.

"I'm so in love with you," She whispered. 

"Didn't quite catch that," Ben smirked. 

"You heard me," She replied, rolling her eyes as she kissed his cheek. 

A/N: Hello! If you're enjoying this story so far, please consider leaving comments, votes, add it to your reading lists, or even follow me for more stories in the future. It really means the world to me, and I love seeing everyone's comments and thoughts! This story is currently under editing, and your support keeps me motivated to continue. If you like my writing style, be sure to be on the lookout for more, similar stories in the future! Thank you! :)

EDITED