storm
Summary: She returns to Yavin 4. Drabble- Mara Jade, Luke Skywalker.
Warning: -
Set: Story-unrelated.
Disclaimer: Standards apply.
Merry Christmas 2016!
With her past as much a mystery as many of the lost Jedi teachings, there is not really a planet she associates with her birth place.
Coruscant, certainly, was important to her for a long time, and even now she loves the glittering façades, the gleaming skywalks and the never-sleeping city planet. Tatooine has its charm, too, despite the heat and the endless sand. And she loves Kashyyk, with its huge wrooshyr trees and the endless greenness that feels so incredibly alive. But Yavin Four will always be not only a place she stayed in, but… special.
Despite the kriffin' blood-sucking insects.
Maybe it is the scent. Or the humid warmth, the midday rain showers and the innumerable sounds of wildlife. Maybe it is the old walls of the old temple pyramid, the gargantuan stones, the high-up terraces and open halls. Maybe it is the fact that she came here against her own will oh-so determined not to stay, and found -
"Mara."
She has not felt him coming, has not even heard him, too engrossed in her surroundings, too submerged in her own thoughts. Suddenly his unique presence in the Force washes over her, and then he is there.
"I thought your arrival was due tomorrow."
"I finished up Karrde's tasks early."
His smile carries in his voice.
"So you decided to come back earlier?"
She snorts, unladylike. "Don't get stupid ideas, Skywalker."
"Did you miss the Academy?"
"Kriffin' hell I did."
"But it did miss you."
He carries them off well, the puppy-eyes, but she can hear the laughter in his voice. It is an old game they are playing, as old as time, and she has no idea why she still joins him.
"Skywalker, if you think you're funny…"
"Someone keeps telling me that I'm not." He laughs, a sound both self-deprecating and warm, and something in her just unfolds.
"You should listen to that person. Sounds like he got a good head on his shoulders."
"Oh, you would like her. She always pretends not to like this place, but when she's here she can't get enough. And she always shoots me these threatening glances- there, did you see that? There it goes again!"
She rolls her eyes so hard it causes her a second of disorientation. "Skywalker, your jokes are terrible."
"You're repeating yourself, but I'm glad you made it back despite my bad jokes."
"It was quite a turn-off, but I figured I left all my stuff here."
He is still standing behind her. She cannot see him, but she can sense his presence, his nearness. She can feel the warmth of his presence, as real as she can feel his warmth, and it makes her shiver.
"Mara."
His voice is soft, all humor gone.
"We should go inside before the midday rains begin, was that what you wanted to say, Master Skywalker?"
Irony: the last defense of the desperate. Only in her case, she needs all the defenses she can get. Because he is so close she images she can feel his heartbeat, and her entire body seems to lean towards him. His Force presence so close to her is addictive.
He chuckles, warmly. "What I wanted to say was: Welcome home, Master Jade Skywalker."
And then his arms are around her, his body is pressed against her spine, and Mara closes her eyes tightly and gives in, collapsing into him with an inaudible sigh of relief. His body is warm and firm, familiar in all its planes and angles, the strength of his arms, the warmth of his hands. The first time he held her, he was careful, as if afraid of breaking her. Now, years and worlds later, his arms are almost too tight, the strength great enough for her to want to fight back, and fight back she does: she grasps his hands and draws him closer, closer, clings to him and forces him to ground her to the very earth they stand on, and to him.
Luke kisses her neck, her hair, the junction of her shoulder. And Mara kisses him back; basks in the presence of her husband and his incredible closeness, lets the Force run through her and fuses her soul with his once again and forever. Luke's lips ghost over her cheek and she turns her head a fraction, and then they collide; inevitable, like the sea meeting the shore. Luke. His lips, his scent, his taste – she swallows all of it, almost greedily, until her heart and her soul have once again merged into him and she cannot distinguish between herself and him anymore.
Maybe she just loves Yavin Four.
Maybe she loves him: the stupid, annoying, naïve farmboy-turned-Jedi Master, the one person who did not only break through her walls but waltzed them down completely and utterly. The one person who saw worth in her when she herself felt like utter, worthless crap. The one person that looks at her like she is the most precious, most beautiful thing in the universe, and yet holds her with a strength that screams out his faith in her. I know you won't break. But if you ever feel like you cannot bear it anymore, I will carry you. It is clichéd, annoying, and horribly cheesy, and she does not believe in eternal love and happiness in each other and together.
But she believes in Luke Skywalker.
As if on cue, the midday rains begin, soaking her to the skin within seconds. Luke, the imbecile, just laughs.
"Oops."
She pinches his arm – the only place she can reach without letting go of him.
"We should go inside."
"You want to? It's lunchtime, we could go eat with Kyp, Corran and the others…"
"On second thought, let's just stay here."
He laughs like he always knew what she would say. Who knows, he probably does.
"Luke?"
"Hmm?"
"It's good to be back."
"It's good to have you back."
"Luke?"
"Hm?"
"I love you."
He laughs. "Thank you."
Mara Jade Skywalker has come home.