Healing – Chapter 7
By Sienn (2001)
Rating (for chapter): NC-17
Protagonists: Luke/Mara
Category: Angst/Romance
Series: Part II of "Soul's Trial" Trilogy
Time Frame: 26 A.Y. (immediately after "Soul's Trial I: Jedi Dawn")
Spoilers:
See Chapter 1
Disclaimer:
See Chapter 1
Chandrila, Week 7
The way of wakening was familiar and yet it was not. Though they had been married for almost eight years and Mara had regularly woken entwined with her husband, this time was special. Something she savoured as if it were the very first time they had taken their love to a more bodily level.
Stifling a yawn, she blinked her eyes open and looked around, smiling softly to herself when she took in her surroundings. She couldn't have slept very long, for rain was still pouring down and creating soft, natural background music. The fire in the chimney was still burning and was probably the reason that she wasn't freezing. Carefully, Mara shifted a little bit and craned her neck to look at her husband.
Luke was sleeping deeply, as it seemed, lying on his back, his mouth hanging open just a little bit. The heat of the fire had dried the sweat on both their bodies while they had been sleeping and had kept them comfortably warm. For quite a few moments, Mara laid unmoving, her head nestled on Luke's bare shoulder, listening to his breathing and watching the raindrops that splattered forcefully onto the stone floor of their terrace. She didn't think of anything in particular, rather tried to go back to a comfortable sleep in her love's embrace, but it eluded her.
Shrugging mentally, she rose slowly, so as not to wake Luke, made her way to her bedroom and grasped one of her nightgowns out of the drawer. Flinging it over her head and tying her hair back into a lose ponytail, she stopped by in the kitchen, took her favourite sweets and went back into the living room, making not the slightest noise. There, her husband was still oblivious to her absence and, having turned onto his stomach, slept peacefully when she snuggled into the sofa and looked down on him, drinking in the picture of his lithe, nude body.
Mara felt like the weight of a whole planet had been lifted from her shoulders, from her heart. Although they had had some wonderful weeks of relaxation, during which their bond in the Force and their trust into each other had deepened to an extent neither of them had been able to imagine, physical closeness had been lacking. Extremely. It had been the last remnant of the trauma Elan and she herself had inflicted upon Luke and Mara had yearned to make it vanish completely. Had yearned to vanquish the last shadows of self-doubt and fear that were clouding a small, but vital part of Luke's soul.
She hadn't planned for it to happen. Not really. Of course Mara HAD planned the romantic excursion, but nothing more. As much as she had longed to kiss her husband, to make love to him, she had never had in mind to press him. To force him would have meant aggravating his trauma anew and she wouldn't have been able to bear this guilt.
And then it had happened. Just like that. Without a conscious thought at all. When she had seen him standing before her, drenched to his bones by the rain, his shirt and trousers clinging tightly to his body, she just hadn't been able to NOT make any advances towards him. She had been all the more delighted when he had responded. For the first time in months Mara had the feeling that Luke really believed in her love for him - for everything he was. Jedi Master, farmboy, man. There was no line between those three parts of his personality, not for Mara. There was no part of him she loved less or more than the other one and she wanted him to know that. To know that she respected him and that her actions were motivated by love, not by pity because of everything he had been through.
And, aside from that, Mara had finally been able to forgive herself. When she had seen Luke lose himself in pure ecstasy and bliss for the first time in over two years, when she had heard his whispered "thanks" just before he had nodded off – that had been the moment when she known that the damage she had inflicted upon him had been undone. Finally. Finally she had succeeded in making him believe in himself again. In the fact that he was worthy to be loved, big time.
And now everything was perfect. Right at the moment, it seemed nothing could be so bad as to spoil Mara's mood. And her husband's uncovered beauty right in front of her was just the icing on top of the cake. Relishing the rich taste of the creamy caramel in her mouth, she smirked while she surveyed her love closely. Slender and fine-boned, one really didn't suspect him to be that powerful - at least not without the Force as his aide. There were more than enough thugs in the universe that would testify against that. He had been trained in hand-to-hand combat by the Alliance, but she herself had perfected his skills - at first as a sort of payback for him teaching her how to use the Force. Later, though she had never admitted that to anyone, because she had wanted to be near him whenever possible.
He sighed softly in his sleep and shifted a little to make his head comfortable on his arm. Watching the muscles on his back respond to the movement, she grinned. Indeed, he was far from weak.
"THIS is pretty unfair." The low, slightly sleepy voice startled Mara and almost let her choke on her sweet caramel bonbon. Astonished, she stared into her husband's eyes that regarded her from below.
It took her a couple of seconds, but when she had overcome her surprise, she managed to feign a reasonable imitation of innocence. "Why so?"
"I'm not wearing anything and you're hiding everything." He pouted, extending a hand and tugging at her nightgown. "I was cold," she stated, hopping out of his reach, an action that prompted him to get up on his elbows and grin at her. "There would have been other ways to warm yourself up," Luke smirked, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. The implications were obvious, but Mara wouldn't let him have his way that easily.
"I like my way of doing it just fine," she teased, fishing another sweet out of the small bag she had them in and retreating further down the couch. "Is that so?" he inquired, perching an eyebrow and stretching. The floor was not the most comfortable place to take a nap on and he felt reasonably stiff.
"It is. I don't need you to get warm, you know," she stated, far too proud to let him see how enticing she found what he was just doing.
Luke's smirk became a little broader when he rose, bent over her and snatched a sweet for himself. Chewing and grinning, he made his way over to the small stairway up to the bedroom, towards the fresher. "Well, then I think I'm going to take a bath." And with that he closed the door behind him.
Becoming aware that she had openly stared at the unclothed perfection her husband embodied, front side and back side alike, Mara narrowed her eyes, laughing inwardly. She had wished for their intimate, familiar banter to come back and now that she had what she had wanted, she was going to enjoy it.
Grasping the small bag with the sweets, she followed him, a probably fairly stupid grin of anticipation covering her face when she slowly opened the door to the sanctuary Luke had retreated to. The Jedi Master had made himself comfortable in the extensive bathtub and was almost buried under an immense mountain of white foam that smelled faintly of lavender. As soon as Mara had fully opened the door, one of the blue eyes popped open and the object of her fantasies regarded her with open mirth.
"Something wrong, Mara, dear?" he queried, relishing the short expression of disappointment that flickered over his wife's face upon seeing him… or rather, not seeing him. She scowled openly at him, folding her arms in front of her chest: "It is amazing how fast you are back to annoying me, Skywalker."
He laughed: "Wasn't that what you missed the most?"
Mara perched an eyebrow, then came over to him, dropped her nightgown and slipped into the water opposite of him. It was steamy hot - just as Luke liked it - and she gasped a little until her body had grown used to it. Trailing his thighs with her toes, she grinned: "Not exactly, no."
"Then you're definitely too far away from me," he stated, his voice quivering slightly when his feet made contact with her hips. "I could say the same, farmboy." She whispered seductively. The words had barely left her mouth when Luke dived under. Next she knew, she felt his body press hers down onto the warmed stone of the tub and his lips suck at her earlobe. Lanky and graceful as he was, he had probably had absolutely no problems to shift positions. When his lips finally met hers, this sort of coherent thought left her - for a very long time.
*~~
"I just love that," Luke murmured, his voice reverberating in Mara's head, for she had her ear pressed on his chest. They were still in the bathtub, Mara lying in his arms. The foam had largely vanished, but the water was still hot, Force bless automatic temperature regulators.
"I should hope so," she replied mockingly, planting a soft kiss on his wet, warm skin. He chuckled, averting his gaze that had rested on the ceiling to peer into her jade-green eyes. "That too, of course. But just now I meant the bath."
Mara smiled: "I can imagine this is something unusual for you." Luke nodded, his fingers playing up and down her spine and shoulders, making her shiver comfortably. "That's an understatement. It's still like a miracle. Up to the day I left Tatooine with Ben, Han and Chewie, I hadn't even seen something like a lake or a river. I couldn't imagine how it was to swim or to bathe."
His wife frowned suddenly: "That's not the first time you bath, is it?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously. He laughed, clearly amused: "No. Believe it or not, there ARE things farmboy Luke Skywalker has already done in his life."
"Ah, that's not how I meant it," Mara hurried to assure him, but she quickly caught the fact that he wasn't upset with the question. Even considering the fact that he was sometimes fed up with people still believing him to be naïve, despite his status as a hero and his age of forty-four. His still very boyish looks and the absent signs of ageing as in wrinkles or grey hair would ensure this for a couple of years to come, as he suspected. As absurd as it sounded, sometimes he almost regretted this.
"Don't be ridiculous," his wife chided, poking him gently into the stomach. "No sane person wishes to be OLDER." "I don't wish to BE older, I just wish to LOOK older," he replied, managing to sound serious. Mara rose a little bit, just enough to look him square in the eyes. With as straight a face as she could manage, she said: "Don't make me drown you." He smiled, kissing her softly onto her cheekbone. "I'm joking, Mar." She grinned and kissed him back, on his temple, letting her tongue linger there for a moment. Mara was rewarded with a delighted shiver that went through his body. "I know, my love."
Settling back into the firm embrace of Luke's muscular arms, Mara closed her eyes and relaxed again. It was at moments like this that she wondered how she had ever deserved such a man. And it was also at moments like this that she decided to not think about that, but simply enjoy the fact that he was there.
Chandrila, Week 7, Day 7
The last bags had been locked away in the storage compartment of the Jade Sabre and R2 was seeing to it that the pre-flight check was done appropriately. Mara sighed, not entirely sure whether she was happy or sad that their holidays were already over.
The past seven weeks had felt like a completely different life - she had actually felt like a normal person. No hero, no being of galactic importance. Just the woman Mara Jade. She felt a deep peace in her soul - knowing that whatever would await them on Coruscant, their love for each other would be stronger as any possible problem. No matter what, their bond was more intense than it had ever been and even now she could feel Luke's powerful presence, bristling like the mid-day sun that stood above the silver waters.
Surveying the cockpit and making sure there was nothing R2 couldn't handle alone for the moment, she patted the little astromech gratefully and made her way over to the bungalow, in search of her husband.
*~~
He had made a last tour around the bungalow. The place where Luke Skywalker had been reborn. Because the man that had set foot on this planet almost two months ago hadn't been Luke Skywalker. This man had been a mere frightened child, entangled in paralysing memories and unreasonable fears. He had been caught in this labyrinth of nightmares and self-hatred and hadn't found his way out on his own.
A small smile played around his mouth when he let his gaze sweep over the bedroom in which he had laid bare his soul to Mara - without hiding anything. And after that, he had spent some of the most wonderful hours of his life in there. As well as in the bathroom, he added, his smile becoming a partly devilish smirk.
Sighing softly, he turned and went down into the living room, his eyes settling onto the comfortable rug in front of the chimney. The memory of Mara's hot body against his, of her tender seduction, would rest in his heart forever. Mara Jade, a woman who had always said of herself that she was a most insensitive being, had found all the keys and levers to bring him back.
The last station on his little voyage through the past eight weeks was the terrace. When he gazed out over the silver waves that glittered and his eyes halted at the far-away cliff, behind which their little, secret bay lay, he couldn't help but feel a slight melancholy grasp his heart.
It had been wonderful here. It had felt like the first time in his entire life that he could be just an average man. No politics, no Jedi Order, no Yuuzhan Vong, no nothing. Just Mara and him. Just peace and serenity and luxury and comfort. It was unexpectedly hard to part from here, to go back to a galaxy where, as he knew, more than enough problems awaited him.
Suddenly, while he still was lost in memories of his wonderful diving excursions into the still world of the ocean, he got the feeling of being watched. Not of Mara, for he knew she was busy preparing the Jade Sabre for the journey back to the galactic centre. Turning slowly, his suspicion roused, he almost burst out laughing when he saw a small, white animal sitting on one of the chairs and watching him intensely.
"So, what are you thinking about? Taking me for supper?" he chuckled, approaching the little squall carefully. Kneeling down in front of the chair, surprised that the animal didn't flee, Luke wondered whether it was the one he had brought out of their garden at the very first day of their holiday here.
As soon as he extended his left hand, the squall sniffed at it and began to lick his fingers, watching him out of big, trusty black eyes. Luke shook his head, amazed, for it seemed almost as if the little being wanted to say good-bye to him.
The talk he had had with Mara a week ago, about the Jedi's connection to nature, came back to him and he lifted the willing little thing up and placed it in his lap, caressing it behind its floppy ears. "Do you really want to say good-bye to me, little one?"
As if in answer, the squall paused, stared at him, wiggled his bushy tail and resumed licking his hand. Luke grinned, forgetting that Mara was waiting for him, and settled back in the chair.
*~~
That was how his wife found him. Mara felt her jaw almost hit the floor as she caught sight of Luke sitting on the chair with the small, white thing in his lap. He looked totally engrossed, an enchanted smile playing around his lips, while he held the squall protectively to his chest. She could see how he caressed it and hear the faint purr of the little being.
She didn't know why, but this picture of serenity and harmony made her heart melt and created a funny feeling in her stomach. For a moment, she felt like she had just had a foreboding of some sort, but it was gone as suddenly as it had appeared and she wasn't in the mood to ponder it.
Slowly, she went over to her husband and settled down beside him. Mara felt the short startledness and fear exploding from the squall, but Luke's embrace and his soft voice soothed it immediately and it decided to ignore her. Sighing inwardly, wondering why this man always succeeded in throwing her convictions upside down, she murmured: "If you want to, you can keep it."
Luke's head darted up and he stared at her in surprise. "What?"
Mara smiled somewhat awkwardly: "Well… I mean, it likes you and you like it, so… If you want to keep it, then do it, for Force's sake."
Her husband continued to stare at her for a couple of moments, then grinned broadly and kissed her on the lips: "Mara, I love you."
She blushed a little, only to gape when he sat the squall back onto the terrace, patted it for a final time and then shooed it away. It wiggled its tail for a last time, then was gone.
"Why... but I thought you would want to keep it!" she finally exclaimed. Luke shook his head, still smiling. "Mara, squalls are no pets. They are wild animals - you can't restrain them. It wouldn't like Coruscant."
His wife couldn't help but grin relieved.
"Of course I could just buy a little pittin. Leia said they were wonderful creatures and..." "Skywalker, I...!" He chuckled and Mara pinched him mercilessly into the shoulder. "Mynock," she murmured.
Their hands intertwined, they rose together and cast a last look over the Chandrilan sea. She caught his melancholy and softly squeezed his hand. "We can come back another time," Mara whispered. "That would be wonderful," he answered, almost inaudible.
*~~
"R2, everything ready to go?" Mara asked, settling down into the pilot chair and fishing for her security belt.
The little droid beeped an agreement, switching into low hooting to chat a little more with the Jade Sabre's onboard computer. Mara grinned and reached for the lever to power up the engines, when she caught up on a sudden explosion of longing behind her.
Perching an eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into her husband, she turned, but found, to her utter amusement, his gaze nailed on the controls of the ship. "Luke?" she queried.
He started, as if caught doing something wrong and stared embarrassed at her. Fidgeting a little nervously, he murmured: "Mara, I wondered… whether you would let me fly her?" Luke was obviously a little unsure, knowing that Mara normally didn't even let him at the controls of the ship, even considering that Luke had built it.
"Um... sure... Why suddenly?" she asked. Luke scratched his head, shrugging a little bashfully: "I just want to see whether I can still do it."
Mara's eyes widened: "Force, why ever should you not be able to?"
He sighed: "Elan."
"Oh no, what else has she done to you?" she growled, drawing a small smile from her husband.
"I don't know whether she has DONE something. I just suspect she has," Luke said, sounding totally calm while he gently pushed his wife out of the seat and settled down, taking his time to adjust the seat and familiarise himself with the controls.
"And WHAT do you suspect?" queried the anxious voice of his wife. Mara admitted that she was chilled. As she always was when the name Elan was mentioned. Even after all this time, she sometimes had a hard time to grasp the extent of the damage the Yuuzhan Vong priestess had inflicted upon her husband's mind and to think that he was still somewhat influenced by what had been done to him by the Priestess was horrifying her.
"I suspect she, or rather Kwaad, has blocked my natural talent for piloting because she wanted to keep me from remembering any of the joy I felt while doing it. You understand?"
"All too well," Mara murmured, the chill that ran down her spine multiplying. Another essential part of Luke's being the Vong had wanted to alter. The love for flying was a part of him, as much as his desire to be free and the Force.
"She didn't take the love for flying away from me," he said, still sounding serene. More so than Mara felt. "What do you mean by that?" she asked. Luke didn't look at her and gave no sign of being somehow affected by the talk, but she was sure he WAS nervous.
"I can remember sitting in the cockpit of Kwaad's small escape craft - as Liin Kwaad, you know. I can remember that I did WANT to fly, desperately, but that I didn't even know what to do. I watched Kwaad perform it, knew that she did some things wrong or not well enough, but I didn't know how to do it differently."
Mara just squeezed his shoulder, her nervousness only vanishing when she watched him steer the ship with a sure hand out of the planet's atmosphere and on the exit vector towards hyperspace. She saw a broad smile blossoming on his face, turning him into the most beautiful man she had ever seen and when they had finally cleared the traffic area around the planet, he did some somersaults and evasion manoeuvres and she could almost feel him laughing.
"I think we can rest assured that you haven't lost anything of THAT," she said, not able to keep herself from grinning. Luke winked at her, then sent the Jade Sabre into hyperspace and leant back to enjoy four more days alone with his wife
Coruscant, Four Days Later, The President's Personal Landing Bay
"Could you PLEASE stop pacing, Leia? You're driving me crazy," Han growled, catching his wife by her right arm and drawing her to his side. "Han, it's been more than TWO months!" the beautiful princess exclaimed indignantly, freeing her arm and resuming her pacing.
Han Solo rolled his eyes and turned his hands skyward: "Force help me!"
Leia halted before him, her arms folded in front of her chest and focused on him with narrowed eyes. "Han Solo, do you honestly want to tell me that you're NOT anxious to see him again? It has been a small eternity since we've last seen him and think about how he was back then!" she almost shouted.
Han smiled broadly: "Darling, believe me, I can't wait to see the kid again. But no matter how much you're pacing here, they aren't going to descend any sooner, so please spare me and just stand still."
"Oh well..." the Alderaanian princess huffed, finally standing beside her husband, patting her right foot impatiently on the floor. Han just shook his head: "I don't believe it. Leia…"
"Hush! There!" she cried, almost jumping up and down with anticipation as the Jade Sabre sank down into the hangar. The landing was perfect and soft, even if a tad bit too daring and Han couldn't help but grin: "Kid at the stick," he murmured.
Leia had already crossed half the distance when the ramp began to lower and a figure rushed out, taking the petite woman into its arms and swinging her around.
All the time on Chandrila, Luke had, as he had to admit, barely thought of Leia, but during the past two days, he had hardly been able to keep himself from driving Mara crazy with his nervousness. He longed for his sister, longed to apologise to her for all the worry he had caused her and assure her that he was fine again.
Now he relished in the feel of her in his arms and felt like one of the last missing pieces of his soul fell back into place.
*~~
Leia felt like bursting with joy when her brother whirled her around, easily sweeping her off her feet. She laughed freely, not caring if anyone who didn't belong to her family watched and knew she had a broad grin on her face when Luke sat her down and gave her the possibility to take the first real look at him.
And she had to say, she was astounded. He had gained weight again and looked healthy. His skin had its slight tan back and his eyes... she felt herself almost spill over with joy when she saw the glitter in his eyes, the joy and the calm. There was no insecurity, no fear. There wasn't a trace of the small, frightened boy; there was Luke - her strong, wonderful, beloved brother.
"Are you ok?" she whispered, her hands resting on his shoulders, her eyes drinking in every single detail of his face. He gave her a huge, sincere smile and softly kissed her forehead.
"I'm fine, Leia."
Immediately, he felt her brush at his soul, ask for entrance, and Luke willingly allowed it, having the deep desire to free her from all her worries. He could see tears glisten in her eyes as she drew him in for another hug, rubbing his back.
"I'm so happy, Luke. I'm so happy you're ok." She nearly sobbed, trying hard to control her emotions. He smiled, rocking her a little, and replied in a hushed voice: "There's much to talk about, Leia." "Luke, you don't have to if you..." "Hush!" he interrupted her, giving her another smile that made her heart melt. "I do WANT to talk about much with you, Leia. But later." Leia smiled when she saw her brother's blue eyes wander off to the figure that stood a little off and let him go. Even if her heart desired to keep him in her arms forever like that, happy and safe.
Luke made his way over to Han and for a moment, the two men stood a little awkwardly, and eyed each other, smiling. "Hi, Han," Luke finally greeted the other man, not quite knowing what else to say. He had thought a lot about their relationship on Chandrila. The memories of how Han had cared for him after his nervous breakdown and after that, in the trying time of depression in which Luke hadn't been himself, had touched him deeply.
Han, for his part, just didn't know how to express the awesome joy he felt upon looking at the younger man. Luke looked healthy. And, most important of all, he looked happy. Distinctly happy and at peace.
When it finally became too still, too embarrassing, both men broke the moment at the same time and embraced each other. It was one of the rare occasions where they both felt comfortable doing that. All throughout Luke's illness, Han hadn't had any problems with it. Luke had been helpless, alone and lost. He had needed it.
"I'm glad you're ok, little brother," Han said finally, softly, so as that it would rest between the two of them only. Luke smiled, then sought Han's gaze, "Thanks," he just said and almost laughed when he saw how uneasy his friend became at once.
"No big deal. Family does for family, kid," the Corellian said, clapping him on the back friendly. "Yes," the Jedi nodded, "Family does for family."
*~~
"Thanks for taking care of him."
Mara almost gaped at the words, averting her gaze from the two men that stood together, quietly talking, to focus on the small woman beside her, slender and beautiful in a wine-red gown and flowing, unbound hair.
Two brown eyes stared back at her - so different from Luke's, but yet as expressive as his. "I mean it. When you two went on your holiday, I wasn't sure you'd be able to help him." She paused shortly, then continued: "To be honest, I was afraid you'd hurt him more. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to deal with his trauma, with his depression, and make it worse. I was wrong."
"Leia, you don't need..."
"No," the princess interrupted her determinedly. "I'm not saying we're back to pre-Ithor relationship. But I AM saying that I'm grateful that you helped him. And that I now know you love him as much as he deserves it. I still don't understand why you left at Ithor, but I'm willing to try to understand it. In time."
Mara just nodded, knowing how much this must have cost the proud woman who was that protective of her brother. "Peace?" she asked, as matter-of-factly as she could.
She could have sworn to see a slight smirk on Leia's face as the smaller woman nodded. "Peace."
Together, they went over to Han and Luke to go greet his niece and nephews and celebrate his return.
Coruscant, One Day Later, High Security Prison
"By the gods, YOU!"
"Yes, ME!" Mara smiled sweetly, staring at the tall alien on the other side of the security barrier who eyed her astonished and kind of shocked.
"You... you are... alive!" Nom Anor stammered, looking at her as if she were some sort of lab animal that had suddenly left its cage.
"Indeed, I am. Alive and well. And how are you?" she replied, relaxing on her seat, but watching the Yuuzhan Vong with cold, icy eyes.
Suspicion darkened Anor's gaze. "Why are you here, Jade?" he snarled.
She grinned diabolically: "I am here to see the man that has almost destroyed my life and that of my husband one last time before he will be locked away to never be seen by anyone again."
His eyes narrowed: "Almost? You won't be able to fight against the spores forever. In a short time, you will succumb to them like every other infidel, too."
"Is that what they were? Spores? Interesting. However," she leaned forward, "I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. I'm cured. I will not die - at least not of your petty playthings. And I wanted to tell you that I don't even hate you."
Anor's fury was almost palpable and Mara didn't deny that she relished it - relished it immensely. "This can't be true!" he cried. "This is impossible! You can't get rid of them! You didn't even know what they were. This is not true!"
Mara laughed shortly, hard, and stood. "You are such a pitiful sight, Nom Anor. I shall never understand how I could give you so much power over my happiness and that of the most precious being in my life."
She turned and went for the door, hearing all the way through the corridor the wailing of the former Yuuzhan Vong Executor. When she stepped out of the prison, she felt that finally, every loose end was taken care of. She had made peace with this being - she didn't hate him, didn't even despise him. She pitied him. All he had left now was the shame of having failed in the very last thing that had still given him hope to have accomplished something important in his life.
He had no power over her anymore. No power over Luke either. And he would never have again power of any sort.
In the elevator to the upper floors, where her and Luke's apartment was situated, Mara allowed herself a smile. And now she would set the last stone for a new chapter of her life.
Coruscant, Same Day, Skywalker Apartment, 11 PM
When Luke entered his and Mara's apartment, she was standing at the huge window of their living room, looking out on the bustling city. In the dark violet, silken nightgown she wore, with her hair falling down onto her shoulders in heavy, red curls, she offered a stunning view.
Luke smiled, shed his cloak and went over to her. "Where have you been? Leia expected you for dinner. Everyone was there. You've been sorely missed."
She chuckled: "Indeed? By whom?"
"Well, by me of course." He grinned, kissing her softly and taking her hands. "Seriously, Mar, where have you been?"
"I was in the High Security Prison," she stated, as nonchalantly as she could.
"What?? Force, Mara, why? What did you want from him?" Luke exclaimed, immediately tightening his hold on her, almost reflexively.
"Make my peace," she just said. For a while, they were both quiet, then Luke asked: "Did you?" She nodded and felt him smile, felt his relief.
"I've got something for you - or rather, for us," she then said, turning in his arms and looking deeply into his azure eyes. Her memory flicked back to five days ago, when she had found him sitting on the terrace, caring for the little animal. What lay ahead of them would be more serious, indeed, much more serious than a little Chandrilan squall. But Luke would give it even more devotion. And now she knew what kind of foreboding she had had.
He was curious, that much she saw, and didn't let her face out of his sight.
"Don't read in the eyes. Read in the Force," she whispered, smiling. Luke frowned, but reached out, letting her direct his probing. When he found what she was keen to show him, she felt his total shock. Then, before she could say a single word, he pressed her to himself, harder than he had ever done and buried his face at her shoulder, in her hair.
After a moment, he pulled slightly back, looking in her face. His eyes swam with unshed tears, glittering, and he beamed with joy. Mara felt a curious relief flood her soul, though she had never doubted he would be anything else than absolutely overjoyed.
"Since when do you know?" he asked, his voice rough and unsure, as if he had just learned to talk. His hand swept to her abdomen, resting there as lightly as if he feared to break something. "Yesterday." She reached up and stroke his check.
They turned back to the city, looking upwards, where stars and speeder lights shone, trying to outdo each other. "I'm so happy, Mara." His soft voice whispered in her ear. He clutched her as if he was drowning and Mara enjoyed it. She relished the immense joy that poured off him.
"Me, too. Now we'll just have to make sure that it will be born into a galaxy in peace," she said, stroking the back of his hands that were clasped protectively over her lower body.
He kissed her lightly behind the ear: "We will make sure. The peace negotiations will continue, everything will go as planned. I will take care of it. There will be problems, but we will get over them."
Luke laid his cheek at hers and repeated, with a firm voice: "WE will make sure of it."
| END |