Title: Exactly the Right Time!
Author: VeryBusy
Timeframe: Union Comics
Characters: Luke
Genre: Romance (some missing thoughts)
Summary: Response to the The Shakespeare Quotations Roulette challenge on TF.N.
Luke contemplates a special remark from one of his friends….

My quote:

Imagination of some great exploit Drives him beyond the bounds of patience.
Northumberland, King Henry IV Part 1 Act 1

"You really proposed to her before you even kissed? Didn't you know you are already considered a hero, no need to rush into anything just to add another exploit to the tales of Luke Skywalker?"

I am not sure why this is bothering me right now. People are talking a lot these days anyway and I cannot even recall who of my close friends made this remark during the party last night.
I know it was meant as a friendly joke, but…. Although I am unable to recall the voice the sentence is still ringing in my ears.

No matter who it was, why did he say this now?

Well, I should not worry about things like this at all.

Mara said YES, and this is all that counts!

These kinds of thoughts really do not fit to the image of a placid Jedi Master.
It is two hours before the Jedi ceremony is going to start and I should be looking forward to make this official.
In fact I do, and I know Mara does as well, even if I can feel her anxiety right now.

I know everyone who is close to us, is happy about our decision. They like to tease us of course but mostly about the fact that it took us so long to realize that we belong to each other while it was obvious to everyone else.

So this funny remark was probably from Lando…. Mara must have beaten him enough in the past…

I doubt that he is really bothered though… of course this announcement wasn't any ego-boost for him, but he is usually above such things... he just likes to tease.

So why is this joke about a kiss that was not given suddenly bothering me?

Okay … we really have skipped the whole Dating/Courtship thing and went from having a rather complicated friendship to a full blown romantic relationship – marriage and vows "until death will take us apart" included - in about a heartbeat.

So is this remark reflecting what our friends really think lately?

I have given up listening to the public … I swear… I am really above those things … and with our decision to have two separate ceremonies - one in order to establish our bond in the force and one more traditional one for the crowd - we should manage it to let this official wedding appear fairly normal to the media.

… But I surely do not want to cheat on my friends, the same as I do not want them cheating on me.

I just wished that any of the Jedi relaxation techniques would work now, but I guess there is no training that could have prepared me for this.
My bond to Mara will be made officially in not even two hours and nothing helps to get rid of the knot I currently feel in my stomach.

Don't get me wrong… I am not afraid, I don't have any second thoughts, I don't want to delay it…. I want it to happen, I need it to happen, I crave to make my vows now in front of the Jedi community.

This will be forever and I want forever to start as soon as possible.

There is no way to deny it; nothing will calm me down enough to use the force in order to seek for the true feelings of my friends when it comes to this bond.

They say they have seen this coming, they say this was inevitable … maybe they are astonished about the pace we set, but this is nothing that I can change…

But it the pace we set really surprising to them?

Or is this something they had expected and the remark is just what it is…. a funny statement!

I have to be honest to myself:

Isn't the story of Luke Skywalker the tale of a man who always struggled with his patience – especially when it came to his own abilities – and who was so eager to save the whole galaxy that he nearly sacrificed everything he was fighting for in the process?

Considering this background wasn't the way I proposed just typical for me? Knowing that she loved me – a miracle to me still – made me forget all cautiousness, just because I wanted to ensure that we both died knowing that we belong together forever?

What if she had said NO?

Had we been sitting there in front of each other while waiting for the cave to fill up with water, not only facing death but feeling more alone and hopeless than ever?

This was truly all or nothing again!

I doubt that would have been able to come up with the any idea to get us out of there in case she had rejected me right then.

Sure, I knew that her feelings for me were very strong, but what if she had not been able to admit this to herself at that point?

This had been The End in every way!

Maybe I should have just taken her into my arms and tell her that I love her that I had always loved her… and then I should have kissed her…

… But had this really worked with Mara Jade?

Hmmm… and this is probably the part that my friends won't understand.
To be honest, I do not understand this either but at that point; there had been no other way out….

We were finally able to admit to ourselves that we loved each other – and this for ages.

We knew that the other one knew and we knew that the other one had tried everything to deny this in the past, for one reason or the other.

There was no reason to pretend the feelings were new!

There was no reason to say lets try if we are really compatible first!
In fact there had been no reason even without the water rising below!

This was all and we got to have it exactly at that time… this was The End of our journey… in the only possible way.

About me being a hero, I might have craved this at one point, but surely not then.

There have been so many occasions when I have been at the wrong place at the wrong time, but now I feel I am exactly were I belong.

Checking the crono shows that there will be only one hour left until the ceremony is going to start; I should be able to muster that much patience….

But is this the right time?

Is this the right place to show that much heroism?

I guess not; I can still feel Mara's anxiety through the force, if I can't feel anything else, she will be a part of me forever.

Waiting is driving her crazy, so I'd better go and distract her a bit before the ceremony is going to start….

Maybe a kiss will help to keep all demons in check!

This is no great exploit, but patience wouldn't be neither… this is just the right time for some action.

fin