Chapter Text
Finn jumps when Rey slams a newspaper down in front of him on the stack of up-ended orange crates they use as a kitchen table. “What?” he mumbles around a mouth full of instant noodles. Rey makes a frustrated noise and points to an ad that she’s circled with what looks like a tube of lipstick.
“In search of Omega,” he reads out loud and then trails off when the reason why Rey’s circled it becomes clear. “Rey, no.”
“We’re almost two weeks behind on rent,” Rey begins, “our water got shut off a week ago and the electricity bill came in a red envelope and I’m afraid to even open it.”
Finn frowns, re-reading the ad again and when Rey’s stomach growls, he hands over his cup of ramen. “It’s probably a joke.”
“Probably,” Rey agrees, slurping up a mouth full of noodles. “But what if it’s not?”
“Maybe he’s some freak who wants to kidnap you,” Finn continues. “Or maybe he’s going to do something bad to the baby.” The look he gives Rey isn’t as sympathetic as he thinks it is. He’s being condescending and it makes her fist clench. “Absolutely not, Rey.”
She’s thought about all the possibilities -- maybe he is a sex freak, maybe it’s a prank, maybe she’ll be stuck with another mouth to feed if it all goes wrong, or maybe she won’t even want to give the baby up when the time comes.
But she’s also tired of always wanting. She’s been poor for as long as she can remember and she’s dealt with utilities being shut off, being evicted, hell… she’s eaten from garbage cans to survive. And she’s tired of all of it.
“It isn’t your decision,” Rey points out.
Finn picks up the newspaper, clears his throat, and reads, “Male, Alpha, 31, in search of Omega to share heat and carry a child. Never been married or mated, but ready for fatherhood. The Omega is only expected to carry the child and will be paid for all expenses incurred during pregnancy, followed by a large sum payout upon birth of the child. All applicants will be subject to a health and background check. If interested, please contact me at the following email address. ”
“See? Large sum . He keeps the baby, I get the cash. And he’s a lawyer. An expensive one,” Rey explains, holding out her old smartphone where she’s pulled up the website. “And I’ll negotiate to make sure all our rent and utilities and groceries are paid for.”
“I still don’t think this is a good i--”
Rey cuts him off, “Too late. I’ve already emailed him.”
Finn sighs and takes his ramen back, frowning into the empty cup. “This is the stupidest idea you’ve ever come up with, Rey.”
*****
“This is the stupidest idea you’ve ever come up with, Solo,” Hux sneers as his boss sets a stack of printed emails in front of him.
Ben ignores him, “I need you to sort through all of them and find the best candidates. I’ll need to interview them by the end of the week so you need to figure out a way to fit it all into my schedule.”
Hux’s eyes widen as he stands up abruptly, his office chair spinning. “It’s not my job to… to… find your baby-momma .”
Ben raises an eyebrow, “My baby-momma ?”
“Yes!” Hux hisses, gesturing at the stack of papers. “When we left Snoke’s I agreed to come with so I could watch you fail. Not be relegated to arranging your sex-life.”
The tips of Ben’s ears redden at that comment and he grumbles irritably, “It’s not my sex-life.”
“You are asking an Omega to share a heat and let you impregnate her,” Hux points out. “And you included your work email like an idiot, might I add. Did you know I’ve already had reporters calling for comment and had to tell them it was a prank ?”
Ben sighs, running a hand through his hair. Okay, maybe he hadn’t thought this through completely before placing the ad. Maybe the decision had been made rashly when he’d been handed his cousin Kaydel’s new baby at Sunday dinner. Something changed when that little baby had smiled up at him and that something made his entire body feel warm when the baby nuzzled against his chest and fell asleep in his arms.
Was it impulsive to place the ad as soon as he got home? Probably. And even more unwise that he wanted to do it the old fashioned way (minus the whole finding a mate first part)? He just wanted a pup that looked like him and smelled like him and smiled at him like he was their entire world… Was that so bad?
“Are you even listening to me? I’m not doing this,” Hux plops down in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
Ben places his hands on the back of Hux’s chair, leaning close. “I’ll buy you those Tom Ford oxfords you spent all of your lunch break yesterday drooling over.”
“Deal,” Hux says quickly, placing the stack of papers in front of him. “Now go away and let me work.”
*****
Friday afternoon rolls around and Ben has all but given up hope. Out of the six candidates that Hux managed to narrow down, the five he’d met so far were all hard passes. One smelled so horrible to him that he’d blurted out no the moment she sat down -- if the baby ended up with her scent, he wasn’t sure he could stand it. The next one clearly had some addiction issues, the third one had come into his office already nursing a newborn, the fourth refused to share a heat but was happy to be a surrogate with her mate, and the fifth was a beta wearing cheap synthetic Omega pheromones.
In all honesty, he was ready to just call it quits.
“The last one is here,” Hux whispers, sticking his head into the office.
Ben opens his mouth, then closes it as Hux swings the door open.
She’s wearing a pair of old, faded jeans and a buttoned up cardigan -- clearly she hasn’t come dressed to impress him and for some reason that ends up impressing him a little. “Hi,” she says and her voice is soft. “I’m Rey.”
Ben stands and gestures to the chair across his desk. As she steps closer, there is no remarkable scent at all, but it’s hard not to notice how lovely she is -- a delicately square face with full lips and a small nose and large hazel eyes. He clears his throat as she sits, “You’ll have to excuse me for asking, but you are an Omega, right?”
The woman, Rey, blushes and lifts her hair off her neck to show her glands. “Y-yes.”
“Why do you use such strong suppressants?” he asks and he knows that he’s being nosey, asking questions that are hardly polite, but given the circumstances, he feels justified. Afterall, this could be the woman that carries his child.
“Oh, um, my roommate is an Alpha,” she explains and Ben cuts her off.
“Roommate or boyfriend?” Ben asks, because it's important. If she’s already seeing an Alpha, he doesn’t want to have to deal with that . Even if the other Alpha agreed on paper, when biology came into the equation, it might be something else entirely. Having a second Alpha involved would only cause territorial fights -- it may even end up harming Rey or the baby.
“No, no. Nothing like that. He’s my oldest friend and very gay. But, better safe than sorry, right?” Rey says, giving him a nervous smile.
Ben doesn’t say what he’s thinking: that it’s irresponsible of her to think that just because the Alpha is gay doesn’t mean that something won’t happen where pheromones and biology are concerned. “And he would be okay with this… arrangement?”
Rey shifts, “Well, he thinks you might be a pervert. Or that it’s a joke. Or that you would do something bad with the baby…”
Ben’s eyes darken and the pen he’d been using to take notes snaps in his hand. He doesn’t like the implication being made and he doesn’t even realize that he’s growling at Rey until she interrupts, “ I don’t think that, Mr. Solo. I wouldn’t come if I did.”
He relaxes, only slightly, and sets the broken pen aside. “I wouldn’t do anything but care for the child, I promise. I’m not getting any younger and I haven’t found a mate.” He knows it’s odd -- most Alphas and Omegas are paired off long before they reach their thirties and although he’s been with his fair share of Omegas, none had ever captured his attention more than his career had.
So, he ended up alone, a piece of himself missing. And maybe his cousin’s baby had made him realize that missing piece had been a baby.
“I get it,” Rey says and when he glances at her face, there is understanding in her eyes. “Mating isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone, right?”
“Yes,” he whispers and it feels odd to have a stranger explain it in such simple terms. Where every other woman he’d interviewed left him feeling like he was doing something wrong, Rey accepted it as if she understood. That he was right in wanting a family, even an unconventional one.
“So, is there anything else you want to know about me?” Rey asks, and she’s gripping her purse nervously.
“What’s in this for you?” he asks, because maybe that’s the most important question.
“Money,” she answers easily. “I mean, that’s probably not what you want to hear but I should be honest because you’d find out during the background check anyway. I’m technically not a legal citizen,” she explains and he notices the way her hand drifts to her neck to scratch at the gland there.
“I see,” he says, and he can only hope that things don’t get messy enough that it could be an international affair. He’d have to be very careful in writing up their contract.
“Is that a deal breaker?” Rey asks and she nervously continues talking, “My mom brought me here when I was little to look for my dad and well, she got sick and I had no way back to England. And now I have no visa to work so I get paid under the table and you can imagine that it probably doesn’t really pay the bills so here I am and --”
“Rey,” he interrupts. “It’s fine. You have your reasons and I have mine. They could be a lot worse. And I knew that money would be the biggest incentive so you’re not catching me off guard.”
“Right,” she nods. “So…”
“So, I’ll write up a contract but I want to be clear about your expectations. There will be sex involved, obviously,” Ben blushes as he says it and fights hard to maintain eye contact. He’s an Alpha, afterall.
“Right,” Rey nods. “I understand.”
“I’ll take care of you,” he says and it’s hard not to think about Rey in the middle of heat, tangled in his sheets and begging for his knot. Yes, this won’t be so bad afterall. “And obviously I’ll stop if you get uncomfortable.”
“O-okay,” Rey swallows.
“And knotting is fine?” he presses on, and he hopes that she understands that it has to be fine. The sooner the conception, the better, he thinks.
“Uh, yes, I suppose,” Rey babbles and she’s looking at her lap and not at him.
“Rey,” he says and when she raises her head to look at him, his mind goes blank at the look on her face. She’s worried and he’s not doing a good job to assure her and his inner Alpha is displeased with him. His voice softens, “I need to know it’s okay.”
“I’ve never done that ,” Rey mumbles and Ben knows that her eyes would drop back to her lap if she weren’t caught in his Alpha stare.
“You’ve never been knotted?” he blinks, then leans back in his chair and runs a hand through his hair. “Jesus. You’re not a virgin, are you?”
Rey shakes her head, “No! I’ve been with a couple of Betas and some female Alphas but they can’t knot so obviously…”
“Right,” Ben cuts her off and for some reason it bothers him to hear about the other Alphas she’s been with, even if they were incapable of knotting her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
He’d be an idiot not to see how nervous she is, but he’d have to be an even worse Alpha to not see how scared she is. There’s a tremor in her shoulders and her eyes dart around the room whenever eye contact breaks -- she’s never been with a male Alpha, she’s never been knotted and she’s clearly terrified of both things.
“I want to do this,” she says and when she finally makes eye contact again, she squares her shoulders as if she’s putting up a wall and refusing to let him see how scared she is anymore. His strong little Omega.
He freezes. Not his Omega. But that doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate her strength, right? “It’ll be easier in your heat.”
She nods. “I understand if you need time to think about it. You must have a lot of interested candidates and…”
“Rey, I’m picking you,” Ben interrupts.
She blinks and her eyes widen in surprise, “Oh. You don’t need to like… think about it?”
“No,” he tells her and it’s such an easy decision that he didn’t even really have to make it. Not just because she was the only choice, but because she felt right. “I’d like to go forward with this, if you’re on board.”
“Um, of course. I just have to ask about the money…” she blushes as if she’s embarrassed and he realizes that he’s been an asshole not to be clear with her on it.
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry, Rey. I’ll pay for everything -- hospital bills, your rent, food, utility bills, clothes, whatever you need, all you have to do is ask,” he explains. “And I understand how much I’m asking of you physically and emotionally so once the baby is born, how does two million sound?”
Rey chokes on her own spit, “TWO MILLION? As in dollars ?”
“Yes, if that’s okay. I’m open to negotiation if you want to-”
A nervous giggle bursts from her lips, “You’re going to pay me two million dollars?”
“I want you to live comfortably,” he says, frowning as she wipes tears from her eyes. “And I want you to understand what an enormous thing you’re giving me by doing this.” He didn’t plan on getting so sentimental; he’d only wanted to put her at ease.
“You’re serious?” she asks.
“Yes,” he nods. “It’ll all be in the contract. Which reminds me: when is your next heat? So I can get this all sorted out before then.”
She scratches her gland again. “Two weeks.”
Ben’s throat feels dry -- it’s too soon but everything is falling into place so perfectly that it’s hard to fight nature. “I’ll have it ready by then and in the meantime, are you okay with a medical exam? Just to make sure everything is okay? I’ll send you my medical history as well.”
Rey nods, “S-sure.”
“Well then,” he glances down at the email she’d sent. “Miss Niima. I’ll talk to you soon.” As soon as she’s gone, he has Hux make the arrangements for her doctor’s appointment and gets to work drafting the contract.
*****
Rey thinks she must be having an out-of-body experience as she walks in the door of the tiny studio apartment she shares with Finn. She doesn’t remember leaving Ben Solo’s office, or getting on the subway for that matter. One minute she was sitting in his office, and the next, she’s standing in front of Finn as he laces up his work boots.
“How’d it go?” he asks, not looking up from his task.
“Two million dollars, Finn.” Her voice is barely a whisper. “He’s going to pay me two million dollars.” Rey didn’t dare mention that she probably would have done it for two thousand dollars.
Finn freezes and glances up at her, “That’s not even a funny joke, Rey.”
“Finn, I’m being serious. He said it’ll be in the contract and everything.” She’s almost convinced herself that she’s dreaming. She’ll wake up and go to meet the real Ben Solo and he won’t be tall and handsome and sweetly shy despite being an Alpha. He’ll be mean and demanding and entitled like every other Alpha male she’s met (with the exception of Finn); the exact opposite of the kind, humble and accommodating man she’d met today. She wouldn’t have believed he was Alpha at all if not for the way he’d commanded her attention without even really trying.
It has to be a dream; between the money and the Alpha who seemed to defy stereotypes, she was convinced.
So she pinches herself. “Ow.”
Finn is staring at her with wide eyes. “Two million dollars ?”
Rey nods and when Finn jumps to his feet and grabs her shoulders, she can feel his excitement. He jumps up and down, laughing and his joy is so contagious that Rey starts jumping too.
Two million dollars will pay their rent and keep food on the table for the rest of their lives. They’d never have to worry about anything ever again.
All she’d have to do is let an Alpha knot her a few times. And that thought sobers her up enough because in two weeks, she could be carrying a stranger’s child.
“You don’t have to do it,” Finn tells her, dropping his hands from her shoulders, but the way he says it makes it clear that he wants her to do it. He’d never in a million years come right out and say it, but they both know what a difference two million dollars would make in their lives. “I have to go to work, but think about it and we’ll talk when I get home.”
Rey nods and watches as he goes. She paces the kitchen for several minutes, until her stomach rumbles and even after she makes herself a slice of peanut butter toast, she’s too preoccupied to eat it, so she scrolls her phone until she gets to the email from Ben.
She opens it and hits reply, typing up her own list of caveats to add to the contract. He’d either accept her requests or deny them.
*****
Everything falls into place quickly for Rey.
Her medical tests come back with a clean bill of health and she’s as fertile as can be; so she finds herself sitting, once again, in Ben’s office on the 30th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper.
Finn is with her this time and they are both huddled over the desk, reading the contract and whispering back and forth when there is a bit that one of them doesn’t understand. Rey has never signed something so important in all of her life and probably never will again, so she’d wanted an extra pair of eyes to make sure that she wasn’t being screwed out of anything.
Ben hadn’t been happy though, not because he was offended that she would be hesitant to blindly sign a contract -- no, he’d even seemed a little impressed when she’d mentioned her reasoning.
He hadn’t liked her bringing in another Alpha and it probably didn’t help that she was getting so close to her heat that her skin was starting to itch. She reaches up to scratch at her gland again as they re-read a paragraph for the third time -- another annoying fact of being so close to her heat: fuzzy brain.
“This part about relinquishing all parental rights,” Finn points to the paper and looks up at Ben.
“All standard in surrogate contracts,” Ben says, “And you’ll note that it will be null if at any time prior to the birth the mother feels the baby will be unsafe in my custody. Rey’s idea.”
Finn nods and casts Rey a proud look before glancing back down at the contract. Rey scratches her neck again and both Ben and Finn bark out, “Stop that.”
She’s still on suppressants -- she has to be living while living with Finn, but that doesn’t mean that they’re completely immune to her scent, especially when she goes scratching at her glands so close to her heat. “Sorry,” she mumbles and drops her hands to her lap as Finn flips to the last page.
A minute of silence passes before Finn gasps. “What the hell? No. No way.” He pushes the contract back. “She’s not signing that until you take the last clause out.”
“It’s a non-negotiable,” Ben says, crossing his arms over his chest as he glares straight back at Finn.
Rey sighs at the standoff. Not the first one of the day, but hopefully the last. She should have brought Rose instead; at least she was a Beta and wouldn’t have put Ben on edge the way Finn seemed to be doing. “Let me see it,” she slides the paper back towards her. “Clause five: Upon conception, Party A (the mother) will reside with Party B (the father) until the time of birth.”
“Non-negotiable,” Ben repeats and when Rey meets his eyes, there’s no use arguing with him.
“So we’ll be living together?” she swallows.
Ben nods, “You’ll have your own bedroom, of course, if you keep reading. No sexual contact involved and I will continue paying rent on your apartment, including utilities, while you’re living with me.”
She tears her eyes away from him and looks back down at the paper.
The hardest part of this entire thing is putting so much trust into an Alpha who could so easily hurt her if he wanted to. She could say no and walk away right now. She could go back to her crummy job at the garage that paid almost nothing while exploiting her labor. She could go back to hiding everytime she got close to heat, to spending nearly an entire two weeks pay on suppressants so that she didn’t have to worry about Alphas. She could continue worrying about rent and food and having electricity.
Or she could suck it up for nine months and never have to worry about any of that ever again. “That’s fine,” she finally says and stretches out a hand. “Do you have a pen, Mr. Solo?”
*****