Chapter Text
Chapter 1.
Wednesday, February 14th.
Ben should be with his wife, he should be celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary and Valentine’s day. He should’ve brought her flowers, kissed her on the cheek when he came home after a long day at the office.
At least, he was supposed to. He was supposed to put on a nice suit he only ever wore for special occasions. He was supposed to wear his golden cufflinks with his initials on it.
He was supposed to try to style his hair in a way that hid the scar on his face he hated so much. That everyone hated so much, his wife included. When he was at university, it’s all his teachers ever talked about without ever asking him how it got there. It’s the only reason people recognized him. Not his perfect GPA, not the fact that he could recite the Barbri Legal Handbook by heart, just the huge scar on his face.
When he walked in the streets, people always stared, whether because they found it hot or unsettling, they stared still. Ben hated the stares, he hated the whispers of people he didn’t even know. He hated that they only ever saw the result of a traumatic event but never wanted to know how it happened. No one knew but him and the person who gave it to him.
He hated the way his wife never looked at it and always tried to conceal it with makeup during their important celebrations.
He didn’t have it when they met, and she never wanted to know how it got there. One day it wasn’t, and the next it was. She didn’t care enough about him to ask for more and even if Ben had tried talking about it on more than a few occasions, she always ended up shutting him up before he got to tell the story.
No one knew how far it went but him and the person who gave it to him, because she never looked at him again shirtless after the event. They never took a shower together again, never had intimacy without Ben’s clothes on again, nothing was ever the same again.
It was an event buried deep, just like what he had just done must be.
There he was though, not home, not with his wife, not changing into better clothes, not nothing.
He was in a parking lot, pacing, cursing at himself and a complete mess. He didn’t know why he drove all the way here, at least that’s what he was telling himself.
He actually knew exactly why, he just didn’t want to admit it to himself. He stared at all the big gold shiny plates on the building, one of them with his name on it.
‘Ben Solo, defense attorney. 5th floor.’
Right above his was hers. The name that gave his stomach butterflies just hearing it. The name that made his head turn in the middle of court, even during his hardest cases. The name that made him blush when he heard it while drinking a coffee because he felt like he could never escape her.
The name that had been in his mind every single day for five long years, so long that he knew her name would stick in his brain forever. The only name that could make his day brighter, just by reading it.
‘Rey Palpatine, defense attorney. 5th floor.’
He stepped back and picked up his phone to dial her number. He passed his free hand on his forehead and wiped it right away when he saw there was blood on it.
One tone rang, then two.
« Well well if it isn’t Ben Solo. Are you calling to finally accept your defeat? » she asked, laughing slightly.
« Rey… » he sighed, in no mood to fight her.
« I’ve won every case I ever had, and it’s not because I just accept the easy ones. It’s because I’m good. Really good. The position is mine and you know it, so you’re calling to congratulate me. »
« Rey. » he said, more serious this time.
« What? You didn’t think a woman could beat you? Well sucks for you, I did. » he saw her shrug and put a piece of hair behind her ear.
« Can you just shut up and come down? Please? »
« Come down? Are you in the parking lot? Why are you calling me? All the other attorneys are still here. »
He saw her get close to the window and search him with her eyes. She was frowning, like she always did when there was something she didn’t understand. If there was one thing in this world Rey Palpatine despised, it was feeling like she was missing something.
« I don’t need their help, I need yours. » he almost could’ve begged her at this point.
« And your wife? Im sure she wouldn’t like to know you’re calling me at 9:30pm on Valentine’s day. » she bit the inside of her cheek, knowing she just went into sensitive territory.
« Jesus Rey you can be so fucking stubborn. I’m not calling because you’re a lawyer, and I’m not calling my wife because she’s not who I need. Im calling you because I need your help as a person. » he hated when he talked about her, he really did. Just that topic would’ve made him upset on a usual day, but not today. Today, he wouldn’t get upset over his wife, because he had way bigger things to deal with.
There was a long pause afterwards. Ben couldn’t tell how long. In his actual state, he could’ve sworn it was hours. In reality, it couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds. She hung up, and for a second, he thought that there wasn’t a stupider human on earth than him. How could he have called her thinking she’d help?
He knew she hated him, or at least that’s what she tried to show. Yet he still thought it was a good idea. Even if she had come down, what would’ve happened? She couldn’t make what he did disappear, she was a lawyer, she dedicated her whole life to it, she was just going to turn him in. She had dealt with the worst criminals as clients and had kept a stone cold face the entire time. She wouldn’t do the same with him, she had far more to gain by calling the cops.
His father would laugh in his face, he felt like a 6 year old boy all over again.
« Alright, why do you sound so dramatic? What did you do? » she said, putting her coat over her shoulders. She had come down in a hurry, Ben couldn’t help but smile. Dumb idiot.
He turned around, not believing she had actually listened and came to him. She was wearing her black stilettos she always wore to work, with a red suit that fit her perfectly. Her hair were wore down, slightly curled, which meant she hadn’t gone to court today. She closed her leather trench coat around her when the wind became stronger and sighed when his eyes kept staring at her.
She snapped a finger in front of his eyes, to try to wake him up, but it did no such thing, he just kept staring into her eyes like a lost puppy.
She always said the way he looked at things or people spoke more than his mouth, so he hoped that he wouldn’t have to spell out what he did out loud. If he didn’t say it, it wasn’t real, right? If no one knew, then maybe it didn’t happen. Maybe it was just a nightmare, he had those often, and they were awfully realistic, maybe it was just like that.
« Earth to Ben Solo! Did you kill someone or something? » she waved her hands in front of his face, laughing.
One single tear ran down his face and her own face fell.
Her coworker, her sworn enemy, her Ben Solo had committed murder.
She was done smiling, she was done laughing. She just watched the tear until it finally fell on Ben’s jacket, and she shot her eyes back to his, suddenly very serious.
- Where? Don’t spell it out, show me with your finger.
So he did, and she looked towards his car. She rolled her eyes, which made him took a step back.
Why wasn’t she yelling? Why wasn’t she calling the police? Reporting him? Calling him a monster.
He had so many questions he didn’t know with which to start, so he opened his mouth, not knowing if he’d speak or puke, but she stopped him with her finger in front of his mouth.
She took her own phone, deleted a bunch of things and threw it on the floor before stepping on it. She asked for his own in a hand movement so he gave it to her without question. She did the same thing, and stepped on it with her other foot.
« Does your car have a GPS? »
« Yes. »
« Seriously? You’re really not making this easy for me. »
« Rey… »
« Shut up, I’m thinking. » she quickly put her hair up in a ponytail, looking around.
She took out the gloves from her pockets and opened his car door. She put a knee on the driver’s seat and touched a bunch of buttons, probably deactivating the tracker. He just stood there, mouth half open and waiting.
He picked at his nails when she got out and walked towards the trunk.
« I can’t take it off because it’ll send an alert, it’s just turned out for now but we’re gonna have to figure out how to cover your tracks from where you did it to here. » she slightly opened the trunk and took a few seconds to look at the body, before shutting it and turning towards Ben again.
« Can you wipe that stupid expression off your face? Someone’s gonna notice. Have you seriously not learnt anything from all the cases you’ve covered in the last 5 years? »
« Why are you not saying anything? Or doing anything to me? I don’t know why are you so chill? Shouldn’t you be yelling and telling me I’m a monster or a goddamn fool for calling you? » she rolled her eyes and slapped him with what seemed to be her entire strength.
« Happy now? You better not turn yourself or me in or I swear I’ll do to you what you did to him. Who is it anyway? » she tilted her head on the side, curious.
« My dad. » he took a few seconds to answer, not sure what difference it would make.
« Classic. So, here’s what we’re going to do, together. »
Five years ago, June 18th.
It was Ben’s first day in the office, he had given his all to be here, he knew he deserved it, but it didn’t stop him from being anxious. Being straight out of college and accepted into this cabinet was a dream for most attorneys, impossible would be used by many.
Not Ben though, he hated that word and he made sure that every person who ever told him his ambitions were impossible ended up being wrong.
You can’t go to law school Ben, wrong. You can’t pass the baby bar Ben, wrong. You can’t pass the bar Ben, wrong. You can’t have the highest grade all the time Ben, wrong. You can’t be hired at this firm Ben, so wrong.
He took a step back and a deep breath. You can do this, he whispered to himself. He had to do his own encouragement speech because no one else ever did it for him.
He stood in front of the door, staring at the golden plates in front of him. None of them had his name on it yet, but one would, soon. He promised himself.
Being accepted into this firm while having no experience came with its challenges of course, it wasn’t going to be free and Ben knew that.
He had one year to prove himself, to win as many cases as he could while also having as many as possible. One year to make himself irreplaceable, one year to make a name for himself.
He couldn’t miss a single day, couldn’t make one single enemy.
« Dude, are you gonna move from the door or what? Some of us have work to get done. » a voice said behind him.
He turned his head around and his eyes fell on the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She had dark brown hair, that were just a bit longer than her shoulders, brown eyes, she was a bit shorter than him but she had such a high pair of heels that it was hard to tell her real height. She had a long black eyeliner and a red lip with a white dress that got right above her knees, with a small slit on the side.
Ben didn’t know her, had never seen her before. On the other hand, Rey knew a lot about Ben, she especially knew why she hated him so much.
She had never seen him before though, so when he faced her, she had to remind herself she was here to make his life hell, not develop a crush.
« Yes, yes of course sorry. » he apologized, clearly uncomfortable.
« Thank you! » she fake smiled, then entered the building.
Ben followed right behind her. They settled their things where they were told to and were then brought to a big conference room where all the lawyers in the firm sat, and the director stayed standing.
« Hello everyone. Today we welcome Ben Solo and Rey Palpatine. Both got their degrees from Harvard law school, which is already impressive enough as it is, but that’s not all… » The Director was called Mister Yoda and his name was known all over the USA, every attorney dreamed of having his reputation. He had been on the news more than once about clients only him was able to clear.
Ben turned his head towards Rey with an impressed look on his face. Harvard was an Ivy League, not everyone could afford to go there, much less get accepted, and even less graduated, especially since it was the best law school in the country. He felt stupid for never noticing her in the hallways or on campus.
She was smart, very smart on top of being beautiful. She had a gorgeous smile and seemed very sure of herself, which she should be.
« In all the students who passed the bar this year in Harvard, Ben somehow managed to get the highest grade. Rey was right after him with only 0,5 point difference. Try not to let them get better than all of you or I’m gonna have to fire you and just keep the two of them. Ben and Rey have a year to prove themselves here, at the end of which one of them will be offered a permanent position at our firm. Ben, Rey, you both have 4 cases on your desks, the same ones. You have a month to analyze them and to give us all your arguments to win. Good luck. » Mister Yoda said, then everyone rose and went back to their occupations.
A month later, when Ben walked into the office, folders in hand, the only thing he thought about was Rey and seeing her again. Whenever he saw her, he wanted to make conversation, know more about her, yet every time, he chickened out and ended up making a fool out of himself. Once, he waved at her and ended up going face first into a door. Luckily she hadn’t seen him, or so he thought. He almost felt like a teenager again, if it wasn’t for the ring on his finger reminding him of his vows and promises.
Rey only thought about winning though. Not Ben, she never thought about Ben, never even looked at him in his office biting the tip of his pen. Not in her bed at night. She had way more to do than think of him. She had studied those cases day and night for the past month, had almost forgotten to eat if her roommate, Poe, hadn’t reminded her. They’d been living together ever since college, they were childhood best friends and always wanted to stay close to each other. They often thought about the same thing at the same time, said the same thing at the same time, or even did the same thing at the same time. Whenever someone asked them if they were together, they just said they were the twin they never had, and that usually shut people up.
When Ben saw her get in her seat around the long table, he tried to wave and tell her good morning, but she didn’t respond, or looked at him. Her head was buried in her cases, and even though Ben could’ve swore he saw her cheeks get red, he knew it was probably just his imagination.
Soon, lawyers joined them around the table. Rey and Ben stood up when it was their turn to lay down their arguments and how they could win the case.
When they were finished, the director cleared his throat and gathered all the attorneys’ points for each of them. Ben won two cases, Rey won the two others.
He saw her face fall and a big sigh leaving her lips. She rubbed her under eyes, careful not to smudge her makeup.
« Alright so we have an important case going on in New York in two weeks, hence why I asked you both to present these files. It’s a 25 year old woman who shot her ex-husband twice, one bullet in the back of his head, one bullet in the chest. She has arguments against him such as abusive behavior, both physical and emotional and she is currently saying it was self-defense. The winner today would’ve been the one who represented her to the trial, but since you both won, you’re both going. Get your bags ready kids, you’re going to New York for your first ever real case. » Mister Yoda stated, and Ben swore that if Rey could’ve killed him with a look, she would have.