Title: She Sang
Summary: A short little cute L/M moment.
A/N: Originally written for Gabri_Jade, but she wanted others to enjoy. ;)
Feedback is, as ever, treasured and adored.
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Luke had never realized Mara was not a particularly talented singer.
He hadn't really thought of it, but he supposed it wasn't surprising – Mara couldn't be good at everything. Just a lot of things, he thought with a smile, watching his wife. She couldn't see him from where he was – he was leaning against the doorframe, probably hardly more than a figure dressed in black from any direction, and not even really in the room, just at the entrance. She was sitting on their couch holding Ben. Of course, she was facing the doorway partially – this was Mara Jade, after all. She held Ben in one arm, the other playing with one of his small hands as she leaned over him. Luke didn't fail to note the small blaster hidden in her sleeve, and thought he'd have to watch himself when he alerted her to his presence. Normally, she would have sensed him; in fact, had he been anyone else, she would probably have known he was there.
At the moment, however, she was enraptured by their son.
Late afternoon light cast the whole room in gold. The area was fairly austere with yellow and beige tones and not much else, but Luke actually liked it that way. He enjoyed having simplicity in his surroundings, considering how his life was at times. Coming home could be such a relief. In the end, though, Luke realized it was more likely what was at home, rather than the home itself, which never failed to calm and soothe him, as Mara was soothing Ben now.
Ben was wrapped in a soft, blue blanket. Luke could just barely see a tuft of golden-red fuzz, and a tiny fist sticking out. The rest of him was enfolded within the blanket. Mara held her bundle close. Her long hair was loose around her shoulders, and kept falling into her face, onto Ben's blanket. She had to tuck it behind her ear every few moments, but it didn't seem to bother her. Her eyes were just slits of green, directed downwards. In the nearly bare room, she and Ben drew the eyes, arrested attention. It was like a living painting, a portrait of the two of them. They were the sparks of color in a room cast in gold.
Mara was singing. She didn't have a bad voice at all – it was feminine and fairly clear. But that was essentially all it amounted to – she did not have the voice of a professional singer, and the song she was singing was no masterpiece either. It was a lullaby, sweet and simple with a small, light melody. Probably gruesome in origins if Luke bothered to look it up, like most lullabies and children songs that were grown rather than written. Luke wouldn't bother, though. It wasn't important, and this . . . delightful moment was.
It wasn't Mara's voice or the lullaby that made Luke smile in wonder. It was that she was singing to their son. It was the act of a loving mother, done alone to a child who would probably never remember it. It wasn't calculated – like Mara so often tried to be – or necessary. It was Mara singing to her child. It just was.
She was, Luke thought, showing her true spirit as she sang – as she missed a note, paused and tried to remember how the lullaby went, her forehead momentarily creasing in a frown, then smoothing into a smile as she began again. In moments like these, Luke was reminded afresh why he loved this woman. Not that he ever ceased to love her – he loved her with every breath, every time she looked at him and shot off a sarcastic remark, every thought and every gentle touch. But he saw the why of it, and he regretted again that they had not taken the time to learn to love each other sooner.
Luke made a slight noise, tapping the door as Mara reached a lull in the song. Mara reacted instantly, looking up and body tensing, her wrist moving slightly to make the blaster available. Before she could even fully ready herself, though, she relaxed again. Her mind had instinctively reached out for his, and her realization of his identity made her settle down without thought. She trusted him, and that was enough to still her. Her green eyes narrowed for a moment, and then she smiled. She didn't start singing again, just waited.
Luke came forward and sat next to her. The air was cool against his skin as he moved, and when he sat near here, he drew his hand over her back, not quite touching, simply feeling the warmth. He kissed her lightly, causing her to close her eyes, and tucked a smooth strand of hair behind her ear. Then he glanced down at Ben. His son's eyes were tightly squeezed shut as he slept and his face was scrunched up. Luke felt, as he always did, a surge of protectiveness and fierce love. Any worry or fear was swept away by the serenity of the moment as Ben slept on.
He felt Mara's content, and matched it with his own.
[fin]