Chapter Text
“I’m your daughter.”
The words kept looping back through her head like a scratched record—tinny, awful, impossible to stop. Idiot. Absolute idiot. He was probably going to call security, just like she’d joked with Rose. Hell, she would, if she were in his shoes. What the hell was she—
She’d stared back at Luke, almost unblinking but trembling. The man—poor man—had only parted his lips in soft, obvious shock, a faint hint of worry pulling at his expression.
Was he feeling sorry for her? Was he afraid of her? Did he think she was crazy—was she?
“What on earth did you just say?”
The man—Ben, right, Ben—his voice cut through like a blade.
There was bewilderment in it, sure, maybe even a touch of concern, but mostly… anger. Fury, even. The fuck was his problem?
Rey barely shifted her gaze toward him. His dark eyes locked on hers, sharp and unrelenting, lips parted but with the faintest sneer pulling at one corner.
She didn’t like that. Not one bit.
Rey swallowed, palms slick. She turned her eyes back to Luke’s. “I—fuck—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to just—”
“Did you just say… daughter? What the fuck?”
Her jaw tightened. Something in the dark-haired one’s tone—it wasn’t disbelief so much as the flicker of an accusation forming—made irritation spark in her chest.
Rose always used to tease her about that—said Rey had “emotional intelligence off the charts.” High empathy, great instincts. Could read a room from the way someone’s tone shifted, the way their eyes moved.
It felt like that now.
It felt like the whole hallway had been soaked in gasoline, and her fingers wouldn’t stop twitching against her thigh—she could practically hear the match being struck.
She was gonna lose it—right here, right now.
Every muscle in her body was screaming to move. To bolt. Just like she used to when she was a kid—when the yelling started, when a hand twitched and she had half a second to guess if it meant run or duck.
Old instincts, old wiring. The kind that didn’t care that she was twenty-two now or that this wasn’t one of those houses. Her brain couldn’t tell the difference.
She clenched her fists, eyes shut for half a breath. Her heart was hammering so loud it was a miracle the men on either side of her couldn’t hear it.
“I—”
“Ben. Give us a moment.”
Luke’s voice was calm, too calm, the kind of calm that cut through panic like cool water. Rey’s eyes flew open as he gestured toward a nearby classroom.
“Professor Sores, Ben would love to speak with you about his issues with… the Navier–Stokes equation.”
“Wha—? I haven’t got issues with it! I’m not going—” Ben started, bristling like a kid caught skipping class.
“Ben, please.”
Luke tilted his head toward Rey, patient but firm.
Ben huffed, his jaw working, eyes flicking to Rey—long, unreadable, maybe even a little angry—before he turned on his heel and guided the visiting professor out.
The last few students trickled out. The door shut. Silence.
Rey still couldn’t breathe.
“So,” Luke said finally, easing himself onto the edge of a desk. His voice was softer now, but steady. “Would you like to start?”
Rey gripped the front of her blouse, the soft cotton worn thin under her fingers. Her hands wouldn’t stay still.
“…My mother,” she started, her voice small but scraping out of her anyway. “Mira.”
The name landed between them, fragile and heavy all at once.
“You knew her back in university,” Rey went on, words tumbling out now, uneven. “She—she was in the same course. Mathematics. I found photos of you two together.”
Luke’s lips parted—surprise, astonishment, something like sadness flickering across his face in quick succession.
“Of course,” he said softly. “Of course I knew her. We… we were together during the beginning of the university year.”
Rey felt something tug deep in her chest. It’s possible. It’s not just a hunch. He really could be—
“We broke up before the end of that first year.” Luke continued, licking his lips, eyes dropping to his hands. “It got complicated, but I—I tried to find her afterward. She left the program abruptly after, no forwarding address… I just lost contact.”
He looked back up, voice breaking slightly. “I can’t believe this. Is she— is Mira here? Did she come with you?”
Rey’s heart clenched again, that faint hum of pain that never really went away no matter how many years passed.
“She… she passed away.”
Luke’s face crumpled for a second—brows drawn, lips parting like he’d been punched somewhere deep. For a heartbeat, he looked more hurt than she felt.
“I… when?”
“A while ago,” Rey said quietly. “I was ten.”
She swallowed hard, the rest of it pressing against her throat. In due time I’ll tell him the full truth, she told herself. Maybe.
Luke looked at her, his blue eyes glassy now. “She… I am so sorry. I never—” He stopped, biting his lower lip, and something shifted behind his expression. “Wait… you—you think I’m—”
Rey nodded quickly, almost defensively. “She never mentioned who my dad was. And—don’t think I’m some kind of creep, but the math fits, right?”
Luke blinked, eyes still misty. “I… well, yes. I mean, it could be possible.”
Rey nodded, a faint, shaky smile tugging at her lips. “Listen, I—I’m sorry I blurted it out like that. I just… the second I saw you, it kind of came out.”
He let out a quiet laugh — not mocking, just stunned — rubbing the back of his neck like he was trying to steady himself.
“I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like,” he said softly. “You showing up here after all this time, thinking—”
“I wasn’t thinking,” Rey cut in, a little too fast. “That’s sort of my problem. I’m a problem.”
The self-dig slipped out before she could stop it, and she winced; it was a reflex she’d trained too well.
Luke’s expression flickered—first a frown, then something gentler. “Don’t say that,” he said quietly. “You are not a problem.”
Rey could almost cry. Almost.
Luke pushed off the desk, fingers raking through his greying hair. “I… goodness, I didn’t even— You’re…?”
“Oh. Fuck—” she stopped herself, grimacing. Don’t swear at your potential father, dumbass.
“I’m Rey. With an E.”
Luke’s smile reached his eyes this time, the corners crinkling. “It’s very nice to meet you, Rey with an E.”
He took her hand, a steady, warm grip. “I think we both need to sit down and really talk. Please.”
He gestured toward the door at the back of the classroom. Rey only nodded and followed, that strange ache of hope blooming in her chest.
⸻
The restaurant he’d picked was nice. Way too nice. Rey felt both wildly out of place and weirdly triumphant—like she wanted to wave her menu at the well-dressed matrons nearby just to prove she belonged.
“Thanks,” she murmured to the waiter as he topped off her glass. Water. She wasn’t about to humiliate herself in front of Luke.
“Mira and I started dating at the beginning of the school year,” Luke said after the waiter left. He smiled faintly into his glass before taking a sip. “She was… an amazing woman. I regret not trying harder to find her after.”
“Why didn’t you?” Rey asked, cutting into the meat. God, this steak was glorious.
“I was going through a very difficult time,” he said quietly. He hesitated, then: “I had just come out to my family.”
The steak caught in her throat. She coughed hard, eyes watering.
“Rey! You okay?” Luke reached over, gently patting her back.
“Shit—sorry—yes!” she wheezed. “Fucking—sorry! Oh God, I didn’t mean to—sorry—”
Luke laughed softly. “No, no, it’s all right. I usually get that reaction.”
Her brain spun. So he’s gay? Then what—why say he and Mom dated? Was Mira his… cover?
As if reading her mind, Luke added quickly, “Rey, Mira and I—we were definitely…” He waved a hand vaguely, thought better of it. “Together. She was a beautiful woman. And yes, I was confused by my sexuality then, but she was so kind, so understanding. She’s the only woman I’ve ever been-”
Rey raised a hand, fork still between her fingers. “Got it. Got it. So… still the chance we’re related is there?”
His smile turned sad but hopeful. “Yes, of course. I just don’t understand why Mira would have kept this from me. She left so abruptly.”
Rey swallowed. Probably because the drugs started getting the better of her mother, she thought. When the demons she’d been carrying from her own past finally came crawling out.
“And my father had just… denounced me,” Luke went on, the last part almost muttered to himself.
Rey’s eyes widened.
“Oh, yes, it was a whole thing,” Luke said with a dry laugh. “We got… better. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is you. And the possibility that I’m your father.”
Rey nodded, sipping her water. “I just—I don’t want you to think I’m using you or something. I just… really wanna know, you know?”
Luke nodded, kind and understanding.
(God, please, she thought faintly. Gimme this. You owe me…)
“Of course I understand,” he said. “I do too. I never imagined having kids of my own. Not that I was opposed, but with my orientation and… just the times, the people around me, I felt the pressure to keep it mostly under wraps.”
Rey nodded, catching the somber note in his voice.
“I regret that,” he added softly. “Not living my most authentic self.”
He looked at her, eyes gentle. “Rey. Whatever the test shows…” He didn’t finish.
He didn’t have to.
Whatever it showed—what? That he’d want to know her? That she’d have a place in his life? It seemed far-fetched, but Rey’s heart still smiled a little at the thought.
“I’ve got this friend,” she said, her voice dropping. “She works at a diagnostics clinic—blood work, paternity stuff…” She trailed off, realizing she’d forgotten how to speak like a normal person.
Luke’s phone buzzed for what felt like the fifth time that evening.
“Sorry, Rey,” he said, checking it. “It’s Ben. My nephew.”
“Tall guy?” she asked around another bite.
Luke laughed. “Yes. That’s him. He’s… a piece of work some days.” He shook his head fondly. “He wants to know what’s going on. Why we left him out of the loop.”
“Leia’s son,” Luke added casually.
Rey froze for half a second, her smile tightening. Oh. So the tall, slightly arrogant guy was her… potential cousin.
Leia Solo—right, that Leia. The rainforest conservationist, Luke’s sister. Rey remembered the photos she’d found during her late-night deep dive: Luke at a charity gala beside a striking woman with the same sharp smile, dark brown eyes though.
She was the guys mother. Ben was her “maybe” cousin…she didn’t quite know how to feel about that.
Rey frowned. What was that guy’s problem? Sure, her I’m your daughter entrance had been less than graceful—okay, borderline catastrophic—but couldn’t the guy let her have her potential father-daughter moment in peace?
Luke paid for the dinner. Practically swatted her hand away when she reached for her wallet. “Absolutely not,” he’d said, smiling, and it was playful enough that she didn’t argue.
He even drove her back—almost an hour and a half—and didn’t say a word about the distance.
(God… I know you’re up there. Just gimme this, she thought for maybe the tenth time that night.)
“And Leia,” Luke said as the city lights streaked by, “she’s absolutely astonishing. Met Han—Ben’s dad—years ago in Brazil during a summit on clean-water and preservation projects. Han’s… well.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “He’s a character, I’ll tell you that much. You’ll see when you meet him.”
That word—when—caught somewhere behind Rey’s ribs.
Meet him?
He was planning it. Actually planning to introduce her to his family.
Rey didn’t want the night to end. It was already Friday, and Rose’s clinic was closed tonight, so the test would have to wait until Monday. Luke had agreed without hesitation—because of course he had. Like the nice fucking guy he was. Not some jerk trying to make sure she wasn’t his.
“I can’t believe this, Rey,” he said, smiling as they stood outside her building. “It’s fate—though my colleagues would probably laugh at me for saying that.”
Rey nodded. “I-I think so too. I mean, I’m not much of a believer.”
(Sure, so why’d you pray close to twenty times tonight then? a huffy voice in her head muttered.)
“But I feel like we were meant to meet.”
Luke’s smile softened. “Absolutely. Tomorrow I’ll text you—we can walk around the campus. I’d love to show you some of my projects. We can talk more, too.”
Then he hugged her.
He hugged her like he’d done it before. Hugged her like she wasn’t a waste of space, like she wasn’t another foster check or someone people gave up on.
Just a person.
Maybe even his.
She almost asked him to come inside. Then she remembered the peeled wallpaper, the squeaky floorboards, the kitchen light that flickered like it was scared of commitment.
But then again—so what? He was a nice guy. Really nice. Why not invite him in? He wouldn’t find it weird, right?
Before she could decide, his phone dinged for what had to be the tenth fucking time that evening.
That Ben guy again. Rey was starting to get pissed.
“You can tell him to relax,” she said, forcing a light smile. “I’m not gonna—” She caught herself just in time. “I’m not gonna steal you away.”
Her voice came out teasing, or at least she hoped it did.
Luke laughed softly, tilting his head in apology. “I’m sorry, Rey… he’s just—he wants to know what’s happening. And I should probably apologise for his earlier reaction. Sometimes he doesn’t know…”
“How to act?” she offered, one brow arched.
He smiled faintly. “How to put himself in other people’s shoes.”
Rey nodded, forcing a polite little smile.
Privileged little (big) shit, huh…
Luke reached out, patted her shoulder, then gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Come pick you up. I… I can’t wait.”
His blue eyes actually twinkled in the streetlight, soft and unguarded.
And for the first time in a long time, Rey didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
⸻
That night, she actually got on her knees.
Did the sign of the cross the way that sweet old Russian lady from her former foster parents’ building had taught her when she was fourteen—before the poor woman was deported, courtesy of those same “parents.”
“Please,” Rey whispered, the word catching on her breath. “Please, I’m begging you. Make it so I’m his. Make it so I belong—to him, to his family. Please, God. Please.”
In retrospect… she probably should’ve been a little clearer about which “his” she meant.