"I can't believe I'm wearing this," Mara Jade growled.
"You're the one who picked it out," Leia reminded her, rummaging around in her drawers. "I think I have just the thing to go with it, too."
"No! No more frivolly, froopy pieces of-"
"You know, Mara, it is traditional to dress up on one's wedding day," Leia interjected mildly.
"I am not dressed up," the red-head stated flatly. "I have been made to look like someone's giant birthday cake gone wrong."
Leia laughed. "Mara, you picked the simplest wedding dress on Coruscant. Hardly any lace, beads or bangles. You don't look anything but lovely." She held up a necklace of rubies and diamonds, glanced at Mara, then shook her head and replaced it in the drawer.
"There is too lace!" Mara cried, holding the bottom of her Joorvanian silk skirt up for examination. She might have chosen the simplest dress on Coruscant, but it most certainly wasn't the cheapest. "Lace! See? Lace!"
"Mara, there's barely a fourth of an inch of lace there!"
"An anythingth of an inch is too much," she muttered. She caught sight of the pile of clothing she had changed out of. Her lightsaber sat on top in easy reach and she eyed it consideringly.
"No, Mara," Leia said, without turning around.
Mara sighed. "It's going to be a bitch having a sister-in-law who knows what I'm thinking, you know that?"
Leia laughed. "All too well. Luke has complained of the same thing." She turned around. "Here it is!" she announced happily. "I knew it was in there somewhere." She held up a beautiful necklace of diamond, sapphire and crystal. In the center sparkled a single fantastic Corusca gem. She grinned at Mara's shocked face. "It was my mother's," she explained.
"I.I can't wear that, Leia!" Mara gasped.
"Nonsense," she said, bending down and fastening the clasp around her friend's neck. "I wore it at my wedding, and I would like it very much if my brother's bride wore it at hers." She stood back and admired her handiwork. "You look beautiful."
Mara cast dawn her eyes and blushed, an expression that looked odd on her usually fierce and guarded face, but not entirely out of place. Leia smiled. Mara had become more like a young girl in the last few months than she suspected she had ever been in her entire life. "And yes, Luke will think so, too," she assured her, answering her unspoken question.
"Oh, stop reading my mind!" Mara snapped, but she looked relieved.
Leia ignored her outburst. "See? Now you have everything the rhyme says. Your wedding dress is new, and the necklace covers the other three: it's borrowed, blue and old." Leia looked pleased with herself.
"That's just a silly old wives' tale. It doesn't mean a thing."
Leia gave her a look. "So is the Force, according to some people, but we both know the truth of that." She studied Mara with a critical eye. "Aha! I know what I forgot. Your hair!"
"What??" Mara put her hands protectively over her head. "There's nothing wrong with my hair! It's braided nicely!"
"Oh, we need something a bit fancier than that, I think," Leia teased. She produced a pair of diamond combs from her drawer. "Now stay still."
Mara grumbled, but obediently sat without moving as Leia piled her long red- gold hair atop her head. They were silent for a few moments, as Leia carefully placed the combs to keep Mara's hair in place. "Leia?" Mara spoke up suddenly.
"Mmm?" Leia asked, her mouth full of hairpins.
"I'm sorry.I'm sorry for being such a pain in the ass these last few days. I'm just so nervous."
Leia laughed. "Oh, Mara, I haven't minded a bit. I was much worse before my wedding day. I thought I was going to kill Han before it was over. He's worse than you about dressing up, and I had a horrible time trying to make him wear something nice."
Mara grinned, picturing Solo being forced bodily into a tuxedo. "Did you succeed?"
Leia snorted. "No, but I had Luke and Wedge threaten to impound the Falcon if he didn't."
Mara laughed outright at this. She sat quietly then as Leia finished her hair. "Leia.thanks," she finally said. She looked up at her. "I think you're going to be a wonderful sister-in-law." She put her hand to her belly and smiled distantly. "And an even better aunt."
* * *
"Luke, you gotta stop pacing. You're making me nervous."
Luke sighed and sat down on his bed with a thump. "Sorry."
"It's fine, kid. Just calm down. You're jumpier than a whomp rat in a rancor pit." Han grinned from his lounging position on one of Luke's chairs. "Kid, you've faced I don't know how many dark side super lords and evil creatures, and you can't hardly face your own wedding day? Now that's what I call irony."
"At least I didn't have to have my ship impounded in order to put on something nice!" Luke shot back.
"Hey, no need to bring up bitter memories. And as I recall, you only threatened to have her impounded. You couldn't lay a finger on her even if you tried!"
It was Luke's turn to grin. "Yeah, but the threat worked, didn't it? You got into that tuxedo pretty damn fast."
Han made a face. "Don't remind me." He eyed his old friend with some measure of jealousy. "How come you don't have to wear one? It ain't fair that you can get away wearing you Jedi uniform just 'cause you're a Jedi Master."
"Well, it's nicer than what you wanted to wear to yours!"
"Now, there was nothing wrong with that set of clothes. They were just a little old, that's all."
Luke snorted. "Han, you had those since the days of the Rebellion."
"So? They were broken in and comfortable. Just the way I like them."
"They were mangy, ugly and disgusting," Luke corrected. "Leia was more than justified in throwing them into the recycler."
Han sat bolt upright. "She did WHAT???? When?? Those were some of my favorite clothes--!"
There was a discreet knock at the door. "Luke?" a calm female voice called.
"Yes, Winter?" Luke felt his mouth go dry.
"It's time."
"O-okay. Thanks, Winter," Luke answered. "Calm down, kid," Han soothed, slapping him on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. You love the girl more than anything in the universe and she loves you. That's all that matters. The rest of the bull is for the public. Don't worry," he assured him, leading his unresisting friend out of the room and down the hall.
"I knew we should have eloped." Luke muttered.
* * *
Coruscant's Imperial Chapel was full, and that was saying something. The place was cavernous, and jam-packed with spectators from almost every corner of the galaxy, all waiting to see the famed Jedi Master Luke Skywalker marry some ex-Imperial criminal. The story was an incredible scandal, and Luke and Mara had followed it in the tabloids with an amusement that was half horror at the blatant lies.
"Mara Jade Gives Birth to Two-Headed Ithorian: Skywalker Suspects Her to Be Unfaithful," Han had read aloud the night before. "How drunk do you suppose these editors have to get before they can come up with crap like this?" he wondered.
Now, every tabloid editor in the galaxy was present, Luke thought miserably, and they were all going to be wracking their brains for a new eye-catching and entirely untrue headline for tomorrow's issue. He stared out at the mass of people, all of whom were staring back at him. This was ridiculous. Why hadn't he followed Han's advice and eloped? Leia would have been furious, but she would have gotten over it, and then he wouldn't have to be subjugated to this.
::Nervous, farmboy?:: a wry voice asked in his mind. He looked up and immediately forgot everything else in the room, in the building, in the entire galaxy.
Mara stood at the end of the aisle, her long silk gown billowing out around her like a delicate cloud. The bodice was simply cut, accenting her dancer's figure, and the sleeves feel gracefully away from her shoulders to reveal her shoulders. A stunning necklace that he recognized as Leia's sparkled at her throat, and her hair was piled upon her head in glorious red-gold waves. A delicate veil of nearly transparent silver mist-gauze covered her face and hair and trailed down behind her like a trail of dewdrops. Her brilliant green eyes searched for his and asked a silent anxious question.
::You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,:: he replied, stunned.
Her face broke out into a radiant smile as she started down the aisle towards him. ::You don't look so bad yourself, Skywalker.::
She finally reached him and he held out his hands and took hers. They were hot and sweaty. ::You're just as nervous as I am,:: he accused.
::I never said I wasn't,:: she teased.
The service began, but Luke was never quite sure when. He was too lost in Mara. He repeated the "I do"s and exchanged the rings and some point, but he wasn't quite sure when. The entire thing passed in a happy blur. He had no idea what he had been nervous about. Han was right. He loved Mara, and that was all that mattered.
Mara held Luke's hands and let her mind merge easily with his. It was such a natural feeling, to let herself go and become one with his mind, letting him embrace her in a way that was both more intimate and more fulfilling than physical contact. She loved him so much, it was almost painful, but painful in the way that stretching your muscles is painful: it's good for you, too.
Leia watched them, and felt how close they were inside their heads, and she smiled and snuggled closer to Han. Part of her was jealous that they were communing in a way that was impossible for her and her husband, but she knew that had Han been anything other than what he was, she would never have loved him. He looked down at his wife. "What?" he whispered.
"Nothing," she responded, laying her head on his shoulder. "It's just so wonderful to see Luke happy."
Han grinned his lopsided grin and put an arm around her. "You can say that again. The kid's too grim for his own good. Mara'll be good for him."
The minister looked at the couple before him and solemnly closed his book. He had married over a thousand couples in his time, but never had he seen one that was so very much.in tune.with one another. He smiled. It warmed the heart to see them. He raised his hands to speak the benediction. "As an ordained minister of the Galactic Church, I now pronounce you man and wife." He smiled at the Jedi Master. "You may now kiss your bride."
Luke smiled and lifted her veil. ::I love you, Mara.::
::I know.::
As he leaned in to kiss her, he felt an odd tickling in the back of his mind.
There was a sudden crack of a blaster bolt being fired. "LUKE!" Mara screamed, throwing him out of the way. He flipped up from the ground and instantly brought his lightsaber to bear. He was grateful he'd worn it. He glanced at Mara, and noticed with grim amusement that she's brought her own lightsaber. He wondered, irrelevantly, where she had hidden it in her dress.
The crowd was screaming and panicking, and it was difficult for Luke to focus his attention on the direction of the attacker. Ah! There, to the left. He dodged the second blaster bolt with inhuman speed.
He turned, and found Han beside him, blaster drawn. "Where is it coming from?" he hissed. "I'll send Security up. Leia!" he called over his shoulder. "You and Winter get the kids out! Now!" He turned back to Luke. "Where are they?"
"Left balcony, second row," Mara snapped from behind him, deftly blocking three more bolts with her saber.
"Thanks, Mara," Han said, clicking on his comlink and relaying the information.
"Any read on who it is?" Mara asked Luke quietly as she dodged a few more shots. "It's only one person. I'm certain of that."
He shook his head. "I have no idea. They're shielding their mind."
Mara looked at him, startled. "Force-strong?"
He nodded grimly. "Mara! Left!" he yelled, as three more shots were fired off in quick succession. But she was already rolling out of the way.
::My reflexes are better than yours will ever be, farmboy,:: she quipped. ::I was dodging blaster bolts before you even knew what one was.::
There was a sudden lull in the shots. Luke looked at Han curiously. "Did Security catch them?"
Han shook his head frowning. "No, they would have reported-"
There was a sudden snap-hiss of a lightsaber behind them. Luke and Mara turned to face their opponent, their own sabers at the ready.
A small girl glared defiantly up at them, her startlingly blue eyes stark with naked hatred. Her hair was dark and smoky. Luke couldn't help but think she looked familiar, but he was certain that he's never seen this girl in his life. She brought up her lightsaber, its dark blue blade humming dangerously. "Master Skywalker," she stated in a frighteningly clear and reasonable voice, "you killed my mother. Therefore, I am going to kill you."
With a scream far fiercer than anything a girl so young should have been able to produce, she lifted her lightsaber to strike.
"You're the one who picked it out," Leia reminded her, rummaging around in her drawers. "I think I have just the thing to go with it, too."
"No! No more frivolly, froopy pieces of-"
"You know, Mara, it is traditional to dress up on one's wedding day," Leia interjected mildly.
"I am not dressed up," the red-head stated flatly. "I have been made to look like someone's giant birthday cake gone wrong."
Leia laughed. "Mara, you picked the simplest wedding dress on Coruscant. Hardly any lace, beads or bangles. You don't look anything but lovely." She held up a necklace of rubies and diamonds, glanced at Mara, then shook her head and replaced it in the drawer.
"There is too lace!" Mara cried, holding the bottom of her Joorvanian silk skirt up for examination. She might have chosen the simplest dress on Coruscant, but it most certainly wasn't the cheapest. "Lace! See? Lace!"
"Mara, there's barely a fourth of an inch of lace there!"
"An anythingth of an inch is too much," she muttered. She caught sight of the pile of clothing she had changed out of. Her lightsaber sat on top in easy reach and she eyed it consideringly.
"No, Mara," Leia said, without turning around.
Mara sighed. "It's going to be a bitch having a sister-in-law who knows what I'm thinking, you know that?"
Leia laughed. "All too well. Luke has complained of the same thing." She turned around. "Here it is!" she announced happily. "I knew it was in there somewhere." She held up a beautiful necklace of diamond, sapphire and crystal. In the center sparkled a single fantastic Corusca gem. She grinned at Mara's shocked face. "It was my mother's," she explained.
"I.I can't wear that, Leia!" Mara gasped.
"Nonsense," she said, bending down and fastening the clasp around her friend's neck. "I wore it at my wedding, and I would like it very much if my brother's bride wore it at hers." She stood back and admired her handiwork. "You look beautiful."
Mara cast dawn her eyes and blushed, an expression that looked odd on her usually fierce and guarded face, but not entirely out of place. Leia smiled. Mara had become more like a young girl in the last few months than she suspected she had ever been in her entire life. "And yes, Luke will think so, too," she assured her, answering her unspoken question.
"Oh, stop reading my mind!" Mara snapped, but she looked relieved.
Leia ignored her outburst. "See? Now you have everything the rhyme says. Your wedding dress is new, and the necklace covers the other three: it's borrowed, blue and old." Leia looked pleased with herself.
"That's just a silly old wives' tale. It doesn't mean a thing."
Leia gave her a look. "So is the Force, according to some people, but we both know the truth of that." She studied Mara with a critical eye. "Aha! I know what I forgot. Your hair!"
"What??" Mara put her hands protectively over her head. "There's nothing wrong with my hair! It's braided nicely!"
"Oh, we need something a bit fancier than that, I think," Leia teased. She produced a pair of diamond combs from her drawer. "Now stay still."
Mara grumbled, but obediently sat without moving as Leia piled her long red- gold hair atop her head. They were silent for a few moments, as Leia carefully placed the combs to keep Mara's hair in place. "Leia?" Mara spoke up suddenly.
"Mmm?" Leia asked, her mouth full of hairpins.
"I'm sorry.I'm sorry for being such a pain in the ass these last few days. I'm just so nervous."
Leia laughed. "Oh, Mara, I haven't minded a bit. I was much worse before my wedding day. I thought I was going to kill Han before it was over. He's worse than you about dressing up, and I had a horrible time trying to make him wear something nice."
Mara grinned, picturing Solo being forced bodily into a tuxedo. "Did you succeed?"
Leia snorted. "No, but I had Luke and Wedge threaten to impound the Falcon if he didn't."
Mara laughed outright at this. She sat quietly then as Leia finished her hair. "Leia.thanks," she finally said. She looked up at her. "I think you're going to be a wonderful sister-in-law." She put her hand to her belly and smiled distantly. "And an even better aunt."
* * *
"Luke, you gotta stop pacing. You're making me nervous."
Luke sighed and sat down on his bed with a thump. "Sorry."
"It's fine, kid. Just calm down. You're jumpier than a whomp rat in a rancor pit." Han grinned from his lounging position on one of Luke's chairs. "Kid, you've faced I don't know how many dark side super lords and evil creatures, and you can't hardly face your own wedding day? Now that's what I call irony."
"At least I didn't have to have my ship impounded in order to put on something nice!" Luke shot back.
"Hey, no need to bring up bitter memories. And as I recall, you only threatened to have her impounded. You couldn't lay a finger on her even if you tried!"
It was Luke's turn to grin. "Yeah, but the threat worked, didn't it? You got into that tuxedo pretty damn fast."
Han made a face. "Don't remind me." He eyed his old friend with some measure of jealousy. "How come you don't have to wear one? It ain't fair that you can get away wearing you Jedi uniform just 'cause you're a Jedi Master."
"Well, it's nicer than what you wanted to wear to yours!"
"Now, there was nothing wrong with that set of clothes. They were just a little old, that's all."
Luke snorted. "Han, you had those since the days of the Rebellion."
"So? They were broken in and comfortable. Just the way I like them."
"They were mangy, ugly and disgusting," Luke corrected. "Leia was more than justified in throwing them into the recycler."
Han sat bolt upright. "She did WHAT???? When?? Those were some of my favorite clothes--!"
There was a discreet knock at the door. "Luke?" a calm female voice called.
"Yes, Winter?" Luke felt his mouth go dry.
"It's time."
"O-okay. Thanks, Winter," Luke answered. "Calm down, kid," Han soothed, slapping him on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. You love the girl more than anything in the universe and she loves you. That's all that matters. The rest of the bull is for the public. Don't worry," he assured him, leading his unresisting friend out of the room and down the hall.
"I knew we should have eloped." Luke muttered.
* * *
Coruscant's Imperial Chapel was full, and that was saying something. The place was cavernous, and jam-packed with spectators from almost every corner of the galaxy, all waiting to see the famed Jedi Master Luke Skywalker marry some ex-Imperial criminal. The story was an incredible scandal, and Luke and Mara had followed it in the tabloids with an amusement that was half horror at the blatant lies.
"Mara Jade Gives Birth to Two-Headed Ithorian: Skywalker Suspects Her to Be Unfaithful," Han had read aloud the night before. "How drunk do you suppose these editors have to get before they can come up with crap like this?" he wondered.
Now, every tabloid editor in the galaxy was present, Luke thought miserably, and they were all going to be wracking their brains for a new eye-catching and entirely untrue headline for tomorrow's issue. He stared out at the mass of people, all of whom were staring back at him. This was ridiculous. Why hadn't he followed Han's advice and eloped? Leia would have been furious, but she would have gotten over it, and then he wouldn't have to be subjugated to this.
::Nervous, farmboy?:: a wry voice asked in his mind. He looked up and immediately forgot everything else in the room, in the building, in the entire galaxy.
Mara stood at the end of the aisle, her long silk gown billowing out around her like a delicate cloud. The bodice was simply cut, accenting her dancer's figure, and the sleeves feel gracefully away from her shoulders to reveal her shoulders. A stunning necklace that he recognized as Leia's sparkled at her throat, and her hair was piled upon her head in glorious red-gold waves. A delicate veil of nearly transparent silver mist-gauze covered her face and hair and trailed down behind her like a trail of dewdrops. Her brilliant green eyes searched for his and asked a silent anxious question.
::You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,:: he replied, stunned.
Her face broke out into a radiant smile as she started down the aisle towards him. ::You don't look so bad yourself, Skywalker.::
She finally reached him and he held out his hands and took hers. They were hot and sweaty. ::You're just as nervous as I am,:: he accused.
::I never said I wasn't,:: she teased.
The service began, but Luke was never quite sure when. He was too lost in Mara. He repeated the "I do"s and exchanged the rings and some point, but he wasn't quite sure when. The entire thing passed in a happy blur. He had no idea what he had been nervous about. Han was right. He loved Mara, and that was all that mattered.
Mara held Luke's hands and let her mind merge easily with his. It was such a natural feeling, to let herself go and become one with his mind, letting him embrace her in a way that was both more intimate and more fulfilling than physical contact. She loved him so much, it was almost painful, but painful in the way that stretching your muscles is painful: it's good for you, too.
Leia watched them, and felt how close they were inside their heads, and she smiled and snuggled closer to Han. Part of her was jealous that they were communing in a way that was impossible for her and her husband, but she knew that had Han been anything other than what he was, she would never have loved him. He looked down at his wife. "What?" he whispered.
"Nothing," she responded, laying her head on his shoulder. "It's just so wonderful to see Luke happy."
Han grinned his lopsided grin and put an arm around her. "You can say that again. The kid's too grim for his own good. Mara'll be good for him."
The minister looked at the couple before him and solemnly closed his book. He had married over a thousand couples in his time, but never had he seen one that was so very much.in tune.with one another. He smiled. It warmed the heart to see them. He raised his hands to speak the benediction. "As an ordained minister of the Galactic Church, I now pronounce you man and wife." He smiled at the Jedi Master. "You may now kiss your bride."
Luke smiled and lifted her veil. ::I love you, Mara.::
::I know.::
As he leaned in to kiss her, he felt an odd tickling in the back of his mind.
There was a sudden crack of a blaster bolt being fired. "LUKE!" Mara screamed, throwing him out of the way. He flipped up from the ground and instantly brought his lightsaber to bear. He was grateful he'd worn it. He glanced at Mara, and noticed with grim amusement that she's brought her own lightsaber. He wondered, irrelevantly, where she had hidden it in her dress.
The crowd was screaming and panicking, and it was difficult for Luke to focus his attention on the direction of the attacker. Ah! There, to the left. He dodged the second blaster bolt with inhuman speed.
He turned, and found Han beside him, blaster drawn. "Where is it coming from?" he hissed. "I'll send Security up. Leia!" he called over his shoulder. "You and Winter get the kids out! Now!" He turned back to Luke. "Where are they?"
"Left balcony, second row," Mara snapped from behind him, deftly blocking three more bolts with her saber.
"Thanks, Mara," Han said, clicking on his comlink and relaying the information.
"Any read on who it is?" Mara asked Luke quietly as she dodged a few more shots. "It's only one person. I'm certain of that."
He shook his head. "I have no idea. They're shielding their mind."
Mara looked at him, startled. "Force-strong?"
He nodded grimly. "Mara! Left!" he yelled, as three more shots were fired off in quick succession. But she was already rolling out of the way.
::My reflexes are better than yours will ever be, farmboy,:: she quipped. ::I was dodging blaster bolts before you even knew what one was.::
There was a sudden lull in the shots. Luke looked at Han curiously. "Did Security catch them?"
Han shook his head frowning. "No, they would have reported-"
There was a sudden snap-hiss of a lightsaber behind them. Luke and Mara turned to face their opponent, their own sabers at the ready.
A small girl glared defiantly up at them, her startlingly blue eyes stark with naked hatred. Her hair was dark and smoky. Luke couldn't help but think she looked familiar, but he was certain that he's never seen this girl in his life. She brought up her lightsaber, its dark blue blade humming dangerously. "Master Skywalker," she stated in a frighteningly clear and reasonable voice, "you killed my mother. Therefore, I am going to kill you."
With a scream far fiercer than anything a girl so young should have been able to produce, she lifted her lightsaber to strike.