Aria tried to bend down to grab her shoes from the end of the round bed, but her giant belly pressed into both her boobs and her legs and made it impossible for her to see where her shoes had gone. She groaned and stood up straight, turned to the side, and tilted off to the side to try and see where her shoes were on the floor. When she had her sights set on them, she bent her knees and tried to grab them by squatting, but once again her belly pressed into her legs then raised into her chest uncomfortably.
"Poe!" Aria shouted as she stood up and folded her arms, though even that was ruined by her obnoxiously obtuse belly.
"Yeah?" Poe walked out of the steamy bathroom in nothing but a towel as he used another towel to dry the excess moisture from his hair.
"I can't pick up my shoes." Aria pointed to the ground where her shoes were. "And, even more pathetically on my part, I probably wouldn't be able to see my feet to tie the laces, so-" She shook her head as Poe started to smile. "This is not funny, Poe! I looked like an Imperial Walker!" She motioned towards her belly.
Poe dropped his arm with the towel as he gave her a strange look. "Tell me how you look like an Imperial walker?" He asked with a chuckle.
Aria let out a heavy sigh as she turned so he saw her from the side. "I'm all heavy on top and nothing but scrawny legs on the bottom." To prove her point, she walked with extreme knee-high steps.
Poe's pursed his lips together to keep from laughing, but as she turned and held her hands up by her side to act as weapons, he lost it. When she added the soft 'pew, pew' sounds, he laughed so hard he had trouble breathing properly.
"See!?" Aria screamed over his laughter. "I'm huge!" She walked over to the bed and flopped down on her back. She looked up at the ceiling as she waited for Poe to stop laughing. "You know... I won't even be able to sit up from this. I'm going to have to gain momentum to roll over, then push myself up. By the time I reach my feet I guarantee I will be winded." She promised the still chuckling Poe Dameron.
Poe moved to stand in front of her, then he bent down to his knees and grabbed her shoes. He slipped them on her feet and tied them for her. When she had her shoes properly tied, he stood back up and grabbed her hands to pull her from the bed.
Aria was nothing but dead weight until her feet touched the ground. When she had some traction she was able to ground her heels down and pulled herself to an upright position. When she was fully erect, Poe had to step back to make way for her giant belly between them.
"Can you be pregnant next time?" She asked as she set her hands on her hard belly. Poe chuckled as he stepped up until her belly touched his bare stomach. He put his hands just below hers and rubbed her swollen stomach soothingly.
"Sure." He told her to appease her. "I'll be pregnant next time." He promised.
Aria gave a smile at how much he was willing to do to put up with her.
"I just miss being able to touch my toes." She told him as she as she looked down at her belly. "Or at least see my toes." She frowned as all she saw was the black material that hung loosely over her large stomach. Her belly button has just started to poke out, which she was sure meant she was about to pop.
Poe kissed the tip of her nose before he left her and her belly to get dressed.
With Aria's shoes on, she was ready for their round of meetings they had spread out over the entire day. She went back into the bathroom to give herself one last look over in the guest room's full length mirror. She had to wipe the steam from Poe's shower and even after that there was some moisture that made her appear glossy in the reflection.
It was good enough for Aria as she saw her slightly chubby cheeks and bright eyes in the mirror. She fixed her bangs though they laid perfectly across her forehead. Despite the added pudge to her cheeks- and the obvious giant ball attached to her stomach- she had a glow to her skin, a beautifully radiant glow that she couldn't ignore, no matter how much she wish she could so she could stay angry about not being able to see her feet.
"Ready?" Poe walked into the bathroom fully dressed in his brown pants, beige shirt with the top two buttons undone, and the leather jacket she had gifted them for their first wedding anniversary.
"Okay." She shrugged as she looked him over in the mirror. "I don't think it's fair that you look so good while I look like-" She motioned towards her bulbous form.
Poe chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his chin into her shoulder. "You are beautiful." He whispered in her ear as he met her gaze through the reflection. "And you are growing an entire little human inside of you. If that is not the most miraculous thing in the world then I don't know what is." He kissed her shoulder before he pulled away. "Now let's go. I want to walk hand in hand into this meeting so every single one of those Senators knows that I-" Poe grabbed her hand to tug her behind him. "Impregnated the Ariavanna Solo."
Aria giggled at the horrible joke and followed behind Poe as they walked through the palace's guest room.
Aria kept her hand in his the entire walk to the meeting, as well aswhen they sat through the boring meetings to catch up on the elections of each system and the voting of new rulings and proceedings. Aria found the meetings more bearable by the slight squeezes Poe would give her hand at anything even remotely funny.
"Senator Solo-Dameron, I believe you wanted to say something? This is your last official meeting before your maternity and paternity leave, isn't it?" Lando motioned for Aria to stand.
She nodded and had to let go of Poe's hand to push on the arms of her chair to get herself up out of it. She laughed at herself as it took her half a minute before she successfully raised to her feet. She gave Poe a slight glance to see he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing.
"Hi everyone." Aria addressed the room. Of the twenty-seven present Senators, she know all of them from the Resistance. She had fought alongside them, yelled at some of them before, and joked with others. "I just wanted to have a moment to congratulate everyone on the success of our first year. I know it hasn't been easy." She gave a laugh as she looked at each Senator. "But Leia always said that the things that mattered most weren't supposed to come easy. We had to fight for them to enjoy their rewards." She paused as some people muttered their memory of that saying. "The reward of what we are doing here will be astronomical, not just for us and for our children and our children's children, but for the next Millennia and the one after that." She nodded as she looked towards Lando who sat at the exact opposite of the oval table from her. "Every single one of us sitting at this table- and the people out there scouting and protecting- are working for the greater good, and I am damn proud of what we've accomplished so far." She took a breather as she felt her baby press on her bladder. The new pressure gave her the sudden sensation of needing to pee. "When I come back a hundred pounds lighter-" they all laughed, but she knew it was just to appease her. "I expect great things, because I know you all and I know that you only work in great strides."
Lando stood from his seat and gave Aria a strong, low bow of respect. As he lowered himself Aria tried to keep her emotions in check, but the end of her pregnancy was making it hard for her to keep herself from crying.
"Thank you for those beautiful words, Senator Solo-Dameron." Lando lifted himself up to show her his charming smile. "Sometimes it is like Leia is flowing through your very veins, and I have to remind myself that those words and your compelling charisma are all your own." He gave another respectful bow. "Now, I believe that's a great way to end our first meeting." He dismissed them for lunch.
Aria turned quickly in her spot and grabbed Poe's hand. "Momma has to pee." She hissed as she yanked him up from his chair.
After the seemingly endless meetings, Aria had free time- which was rare for her- so she chose to spend it meditating with Rey.
She met the busy girl in the palace's training room, but they weren't alone. The large square room was sectioned into different parts: hand-to-hand combat that was outlined with blue mats to protect their falls, close-range blaster simulations that was just a bunch of random objects and simulation droids, non-blaster weapon training that was quartered off with a small gate so they wouldn't accidentally stumble back into the hand-to-hand combat. The fourth section was where Aria and Rey went. It was strictly for meditation or relaxation after a training session. It was a corner of rugs and pillows that was tucked so far away from the other quadrants it helped to drown out the other's heavy grunts and screams of surprise.
Aria kicked two pillows together before she turned and tried to position herself so her fall ended with her butt on the pillows. "This is getting a bit ridiculous." She told Rey as she squatted as far as she could, then fell the rest of the way. Her legs pushed out under her, but as she sat on the two fluffy pillows she pulled her swollen ankles and crossed them to sit criss-cross on the pillows.
Rey laughed as she slowly and elegantly lowered herself in front of Aria.
Aria pursed her lips as how smoothly Rey was able to lower herself. But as she watched the young girl, her jealously slowly mutated into curiosity. Rey averted her eyes entirely, looking down at her loose hands in her lap rather than her partner right in front of her.
"Rey?" Aria tilted her head as she watched her partner. "What is it? Something's bothering you." She didn't have to ask, if she didn't have Rey's bad posture and avoidant of eye contact, she could still feel the apprehension radiating off of Rey.
Rey licked her hips as she let out a breath through her mouth. Aria waited for her to find the right words to use. "When you were shot by Markel-"
Aria's shoulders stiffened at the memory and instinctively raised her hands to her belly. No matter how much she hated not being able to see her toes or sit properly, she wouldn't trade it for the world because of what it all meant in the end. And that was something Markle almost took from her.
"When you were shot by Markel, I realized that I've seen too much death." Rey raised her brimming eyes to look at Aria's still face. "I don't want to face death everyday."
"Okay." Aria gave her a soft, understanding nod. "Okay."
Rey let out another breath as she tried to sort through her thoughts. "I think I- I know there are still people out there that are Force sensitive-"
"Like Finn?" Aria brought up the man who was somehow able to feel both her and Rey's deaths.
Rey nodded. "Like Finn. People who could be Jedi like us if they had the training."
"And you want to train them?" Aria's voice wasn't accusatory or belittling. She just wanted to understand where Rey's head was at.
"I... think so." Rey nodded. "You loved teaching, I saw every day after your lessons you shined with happiness. I think I would like to see something grow over people dying."
Aria gave a smile. She had felt the same way. "Okay." She said against as she set her open hands on her knees. "So train new Jedi." She gave a shrug. "Do what will make you happiest, Rey. You have already given so much for this cause. You don't have to devote your life to it."
Rey's shoulder sagged with relief. Aria was the one person who's opinion she cared about more than anything. If she had Aria's blessing, she could move on with peace.
"I could always use another teacher. There are so many things you taught me- that you're still teaching me..." Rey's voice was hopeful as she watched the small smile pull on Aria's lips. "Teach with me, raise the new Jedi."
The thought tantalized Aria, but she already had so many other jobs: mother, wife, Senator. Could she really add teacher? More specifically, Jedi Master?
The title alone gave Aria tingles.
"After you deliver the baby and recover, of course. I don't think anyone would mind if there was a baby on the sidelines of the training grounds." Rey proposed. "You weren't made for politics, Aria, just like I wasn't."
Rey didn't have to convince Aria of that. Their whole day of meetings just further proved to her how much she loathed sitting in one place for so long.
"Think about it, yeah?" Rey asked as she gave a soft nod. "It's not life threatening, you won't be away from your baby-"
"Rey-" Aria laughed as her friend kept trying to persuade her. "I'll do it."
Rey's eyes widened at the wonderful news. "You will?"
"Yes! You said it yourself, I love teaching." Aria bright smile was indescribable as she thought of watching her students grow into who they were destined to become. "I love it as much as I love being out there fighting. But-" Aria dropped her gaze to her bulging belly. "Fighting isn't an option for me anymore." She cooed lovingly to her baby. "So, if I can't do one thing I love, why not the other?" She looked up at Rey with the same mesmerizing smile. "After my maternity leave, I would love to teach alongside you, Rey."
Rey's back straightened up at the promise. "Then I'll leave immediately to search the galaxy for students." Rey rose to her feet with a new determination.
"Wait-" Aria straightened her legs to stand, but the pillows were too cushiony and as she pushed into them her fists just sunk down. "Ugh- wait!"
Rey laughed and offered Aria her hands. With Rey's help, Aria was able to pull herself to her feet with only mild embarrassment.
"Bring Finn with you." She proposed. "There are still people out there who are trying to kill us, and I know Finn will do anything to keep you safe." Aria gave her a small smile. "And while you two are alone, maybe you can teach him a thing or two about being a Jedi. See how sensitive he really is to the Force." She gave a shrug at her suggestion.
Rey gave a slow nod as she considered it.
"Be safe, Rey." Aria's voice took on a caring tone as she looked at the girl who had started to mean so much to her. "I want you to meet my baby."
Rey gave a dazzling smile. "I want to meet your baby too." She let go of Aria's hands, which neither had noticed they were still holding. "I'll try to be back before you go into labor. Keep me updated." Rey moved away from Aria to start her search for Finn.
Aria let out a sigh as she watched one of her only friends leave. A sadness fell over her at the thought of being without Rey, but she knew all great things came to an end, and Rey leaving only signified the start to a new beginning.
Aria looked back at the pillows, but she suddenly didn't feel like meditating anymore. Instead, she slowly left the training room to find Poe, at least she knew he would never leave her.
She found him in the hangar working on the Falcon with Chewie. He had oil spilled on the shoulder of his tan button up shirt. His sleeves were pushed up messily to his elbows and his hands were covered in grime and oil. Even with the mess, Aria never found him more attractive. He had let his hair grow out just enough for the curls to start to lay across his forehead, and he had skipped shaving the past few days so his jaw and neck were starting to sprout black and gray little hairs.
Aria gave Chewie's arm a loving squeeze as she past by him on her way to Poe. He was so focused on the top of one of the landing feet, he didn't see her approach.
"You know," Aria stopped just behind him and looked up to see what he was working on. "If I had known it would be impossible for me to work on the Falcon, maybe I would have suggested a surrogate." She teased.
Poe dropped his hands as he turned around towards his wife with a smile that crinkled his eyes and showed off his white teeth.
"Very funny." He grabbed the small rag from his back pocket and wiped his hands off as he leaned over her belly to kiss her. She smiled into the kiss and grabbed his cheeks to prolong it. Poe laughed against her mouth and had to put his hands on her belly to keep himself from toppling over. Aria smiled and gave small little pecks to his lips over and over again. As he laughed she ended up kissing his teeth, which made her laugh and pull away. "Are you all done for the day?" He asked as his hands unconsciously began to rub the sides of her belly.
"Yup, no more meetings, and Rey had an epiphany." As Poe quirked an eyebrow she elaborated. "She wants to train Jedi, like Luke was before everything. So she's going to start her search."
Poe's lips pursed as he thought about it. Aria squished his cheeks together to make his lips puff out even more. "That sfounds like a gfood idea for her." His words came out muffled under her hands.
Aria laughed and dropped her hold on his face.
"It is a good idea." Aria set her hands on the top of her stomach as she slowly walked out from underneath the Falcon. Poe followed her leisurely as he began to pick up his tools. "She asked if I wanted to help." Aria tested the waters as she spared him the smallest of glances. "Not with the search, but with teaching them." She stopped at the side of the ramp to turn towards him. "I told her yes, that I would rather teach than put myself in danger tracking down Sith Loyalists. So, after we have our baby and I recover, I'm going to help her-"
"That's incredible!" Poe didn't even let Aria finish as he grabbed her cheeks with his dirty hands and kissed her with a heated passion. When he pulled away she got lost in his dazzling eyes and enthusiastic smile. "You love teaching."
Aria gave a giggle as she nodded at his reaction.
"This is amazing, Aria!" He shook his head as he gave her another heavy peck. "Oh-" He pulled away quickly. "You're done here, and I'm done here, so there's something I need to show you." He grabbed one of her hands in his and pulled her around the side of the ramp and up it into the hull of the ship. "Chewie, come on, we're going for a ride." He called out to their compatriot.
"A ride?" Aria asked as she stumbled behind his fast pace. "Where?"
"You have to wait." He told her as he moved passed BB-8 and R-8. Aria tried to find D-O, but if she had to guess D-O was with Rey and Finn.
Poe pulled Aria into the cockpit and sat her in the seat behind the pilot's chair. When Chewie took up the co-pilot's chair they took off and left the hangar of the Republic's palace.
Aria watched in a silence confusion as Poe quickly pushed them forward into lightspeed. She bent her head to catch his profile and saw the pure joy laced in his features. Whatever the surprise was, he was very proud of it.
So she leaned back and let him take her to show her whatever it was he wanted to show her. She sat her hands on her belly and closed her eyes to enjoy the gentle hum of the Falcon.
She wasn't sure how much time had past, she was so lost in her own world she only woke up when they were pulled from lightspeed and began their descent.
She leaned up in her chair and looked over Poe's shoulder to see Yavin 4 through the cockpit window. Her eyes narrowed as she watched them fly over the refuge village where they got married. They continued past it until they came to a small clearing a mile or so away from the base. The trees gave way to a large circular clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a house. Aria looked from the house to Poe, but he held the same exploding joy as before.
He lowered them into the clearing and the second they touched the ground, he turned to grab Aria's hand. He pulled her from her chair and dragged her through the Falcon's hallways towards the ramp.
"Poe, who are we visiting?" She asked as they waited for the ramp to close. "Who lives here?"
Poe didn't say anything as he pulled her down the ramp. He lead her to the bright red door and stopped to turn back to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a wide, toothy grin.
"We do." He finally spilled the secret that made him almost implode with excitement.
Aria's brows furrowed in confusion as she looked from his face to the red door behind her. "We... do?" She asked.
Poe gave a nod. "My dad and some of the other villagers have been building it ever since we got married. My dad thought it was be a good bargaining chip to get us to live closer to him, but when he found out you were pregnant... this is his gift to us." Poe stepped back and slowly turned to open the door. He pushed it in and stepped aside so Aria could go in first. "Go on," he nodded towards the interior.
Aria took in a breath as she walked through the threshold of the house. The moment she crossed over, she smelled fresh paint and wood. The walls were painted a soft gray throughout the entire living room. The vast room carried back and transitioned into a sun room, with panels of glass on the ceiling and three walls so she could see into the beautiful forest behind the house.
She stepped further into the house and looked to the left to see a magnificent kitchen with rich metal fixtures and a giant wooden island with stools around it. To the right she saw three doors each painted the same soft gray color as the walls.
"The bedrooms." Poe explained as he followed her inside. "The one on the right is ours."
Aria walked to the closest door and opened it. The very first thing she noticed was the ceiling above them. Instead of a solid roof, the bedroom ceiling was nothing but skylights, letting all of the bright light and blue sky shine down over their bedroom set.
"We can adjust the tint to block out the sun during the day, then at night-"
"We can lay under the stars..." Aria breathed out as she tilted her head back to look up at the beautiful blue sky. "Poe-" She turned towards him to see the joy twinkling in his deep eyes. "This is more than I ever imagined."
"I wanted it to be perfect." He lifted his hands to hold her delicate biceps. "You never stayed in one place for very long. I wanted this-" He looked around their room. "To be everything so that... maybe you would want to stay here a while."
Her bottom lip began to tremble at the sentiment. "I love it." She leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the emotional rollercoaster. "Wait," She lifted herself to look into his soft gaze. She had to raise a hand to wipe some tears so she could see him properly. "There's something I have to do now." She rested her hand on his cheek as she gave him a kiss, then she moved past him out of the bedroom and left their new house.
Chewie stood outside of the Falcon as he tinkered with one of the gears on the ramp.
"Chewie," Aria called for him as she wobbled towards the Falcon. He left the gear as he met her halfway between the house and the Falcon. She looked over his shoulder at the ship that had been her home for so long, but she knew it had been Chewie's home for much longer. "Poe and I are going to stay here-" She motioned behind her to the house. Poe stood in the doorway as he watched them with folded arms and a soft, quizzical glance. Aria turned back to Chewie and had to squint against the sun to see his face. "With the baby almost here, we need to settle down." She licked her lips as she felt her emotions building up inside of her. "But I can't fathom the thought of the Falcon just sitting here to rot, that's- that's not fair to her or my father's memory-" She shook her head so hard her bangs swept over her eyes and tickled her eyelashes. "so..." She let out a breath as a tear spilled down her right cheek. "I want you to have her, Chewie."
Chewie gave a soft growl in surprise.
"You've proven your loyalty to her... you- you-" Aria gave a shaky laugh as she lifted her hands to wipe the tears from her eyes. "She was your home long before she was mine." She dropped her hands to give Chewie a smile. "I know you will take good care of her." She blinked as she looked up at the last person who helped shape her. Everyone else was gone, all she had was Chewie to remind her of the past.
Chewie gave a happy growl as he wrapped his giant, furry arms around Aria. She laughed as she was suddenly pulled into his chest. His hair tickled her nose and cheeks, but she didn't care as she returned the hug. Her belly got between them and made it hard for her to fully hug him, but it was still one of the best hugs of her life.
Chewie pulled away from Aria and put his heavy hands on her shoulders. My home is with you, he told her in a series of soft howls. Aria blinked as more tears immediately began to fill her eyes. I want to stay with you.
Aria let out a happy sob as she nodded and pulled him in for another hug. She clenched his fur in her fists as she couldn't fully wrap her arms around him. She buried her face in his fur to wipe her tears away.
Aria felt Poe's presence grow behind her. She pulled away from the comforts of Chewie's arms to look back at her husband. He had a vibrant smile as his eyes glistened with his own set of tears at the happy moment. Just seeing Aria happy made him ecstatic. "I-" Aria turned towards Poe with rosy cheeks and a trembling bottom lip. "I never thought I would have everything I ever wanted." She looked from him to the house behind them. "This is too good to be true."
Poe shook his head. "No," he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back into the house. Instead of going back into their bedroom, he led her to the back glass room. "You worked hard your entire life for this." He told her as they stood under the glass ceiling. Aria looked lovingly out to the forest. She felt immensely calmer just by looking at the green treetops and lush bushes. The sun beat down over the top of them, warming them to their very bone.
Aria closed her eyes as she let herself indulge in the sun's warmth. She felt Poe's eyes on her, and could feel the love radiate off of him in droves. "Shara." She whispered the name like a scripture.
"What?"
She let her eyes slowly open to see Poe's pinched brows and parted lips. "For a girl's name." She explained. The divot between Poe's brows slowly smoothed out as he realized what she was getting at. "After your mother." She took his hands and placed them on her belly, right where she felt the baby kick. She smiled as she kept her hand on top of Poe's to feel the kick with him.
"Aria... I-" Tears brimmed in Poe's eyes as he looked from her to their joined hands.
"She made you into who you are, and I am eternally grateful for that. I want to honor her, and... it's a strong name."
Poe nodded as he gulped to try and ease the building tension in his throat.
"And maybe the next one will be a boy and we can name him Theo Han." She proposed.
"The- the next one?" Poe laughed as he looked back up at Aria with teary eyes. "We're not even finished making this one." He motioned towards their baby.
She smiled and shrugged. "I think she needs a brother."
Poe's smile dropped at her words. "She? You- you said she?" Aria nodded to confirm what he was trying to wrap his head around. "It's- we're having a girl?" His eyebrows pulled down as he looked between her eyes.
"We're having a girl." She gave a soft nod as her own tears blurred her vision.
Poe gave a soft sob as he looked down at her grown stomach. "We're having a baby girl." He whispered. "Hi, little girl." He cooed to her. The baby kicked at their hands. Poe laughed and cried all at the same time. "It's your mommy and daddy." He rubbed his thumb along the side of her stomach. "We can't wait to hold you and love you." His calming voice somehow reached their baby as she kept kicking to let them know she heard them. "Shara Jo Dameron." Poe looked up at Aria as he tested the name out.
Aria dug her teeth into her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. "Shara Jo Dameron." She repeated it back to him. "It's perfect." She decided.
"Just like her." He looked back to their hands as he continued to rub circles along her stomach.
Aria's heart swelled with adoration for her husband. He had proven to be so caring and loving to her and their child, and he hadn't even gotten to hold her in his arms yet. Aria had no idea when she first met him that he would be such a monumental part of her life, but she wouldn't trade a single second, because it all came together to lead to that very moment, with Poe's hands on her belly as he cooed sweet nothings to their unborn child.
She had everything she could have ever wanted from life, and while it felt like a dream, she knew it was real. It was all very real.
"Poe?" Her voice pulled his attention from their child. As she met his deep brown, beautiful eyes, she saw their entire life pan out before them. It was beautiful and simple and more than she could ever wish for. "Let's make a new generation of legends."