Galaxy Far Far Away – the not-so-distant past

As Luke approached Mara's quarters, he found himself less nervous than he thought he would be. It probably had something to do with actually knowing Mara and working with her before asking her out. Come to think of it, this was the first time he'd actually waited to get to know a woman, then ask her on a date. Maybe rushing was causing more problems in his romantic life then he realized.

Only a few moments after he rang the bell, Mara answered the door. She looked beautiful as usual, wearing a green dress that perfectly accentuated her figure.

"Skywalker, I don't believe this," started Mara as soon as she'd open the door and had a moment to take him in. While she didn't sound disappointed, Luke still wondered what made her sound incredulous. He hadn't gone out of his way as he could only imagine her reaction to his showing up with a huge romantic gift. The gift that he did have he hadn't even said anything about yet or taken out of his wallet.

"Believe what?" he asked. This date had been a long time coming. While they famously hadn't exactly been friends at first, he'd been attracted to her on some level. And with Palpatine gone, she couldn't keep being the Emperor's Hand forever. She knew that, even if she hadn't wanted to admit it, even to herself.

Mara was stubborn. It was a trait that Luke could appreciate in terms of staying the course even when the going got tough. It had gotten her through the times in which she felt absolutely alone.

Changing her mind, however, could be a challenge. Even on something that seemed as obvious to him as Palpatine being evil.

But now Luke was just excited that it had finally happened. And, more importantly at the moment, she had also changed her mind about his supposedly, unintentionally ruining her life.

"That the two of us are actually going on a date."

Luke smiled. "That you stopped threatening to kill me or that we actually have time in between galactic crises to go on a date?"

Mara pretended to consider for a moment. "Both, I think, have been quite a long time coming."

"Yes, they have," Luke said in the most sincere and calm voice be could possibly manage at the moment.

The two of them walked towards Luke's speeder, him trying to savor the moment. He hadn't had much time lately to concentrate on doing something for his personal life. To be completely honest, he hadn't had much time for that since he was nineteen and didn't expect to have much of it ever again. There were sacrifices involved with being a Jedi Master and seemingly having the entire Galaxy depending on you to save it from the latest crisis.

That certainly didn't mean he couldn't appreciate it when he did get some time that he could spend time with Mara and watch her by candlelight. He hoped that it would lead to a future with her. He was tired being alone and searching for love and never quite finding it.

And then when Mara started to be willing to work with him at least, he saw that starting to change. Somehow the Force had brought them together and changed her heart, and he couldn't thank the Force enough for that. She'd realized what he'd known from early on – that she was capable of loving and being loved in return – no matter what she'd thought or how she'd been raised.

They arrived at the restaurant, which Luke had picked for being quiet enough that he could hear himself think and having an atmosphere that encouraged not wanting to end the evening too early. He hadn't told anyone where he'd made reservations and made them under an assumed name so as not to have the HoloReporters camped out there.

The last thing he wanted was HoloReporters calling out questions and trying to overhear his and Mara's conversation. He wanted to enjoy Mara and show her how serious he was about her. He didn't need interruptions, especially when he wanted to pretend he was part of a relatively normal couple with no serious problems to worry about. The dealing with the Holonews being hungry for information about how their relationship was coming along could wait until another day. Or never at all, for all he cared.

After they had been seated, Luke tried to keep his sigh of relief to himself that Mara seemed to approve of his choice. Even without the Force, he could tell by her green eyes shining in a seemingly very good mood for her. He reached into his wallet and took out a small box. It seemed right enough that he wasn't nervous at all about parting with what was inside or how Mara would respond to receiving this so soon.

"I know this seems soon, but I wanted to give you this before I ran out of courage," began Luke. "It's something I wanted you to have ever since I saw it."

"You know you didn't have to get me anything," said Mara, but she certainly was watching the box curiously. Luke handed it to her and she began to open it. It was a beautiful green necklace that matched her dress perfectly. It had made Luke think of Mara's green eyes the first moment he'd seen it.

"No, I know I didn't, but I thought this would look perfect on you. And there's a story behind it – I didn't just go out and buy this for you. Actually, I never bought it at all."

Mara was surprised at that. "How did you get it then?"

"I haven't had this long," Luke began. "But when I went to Naboo to meet the Naberries and went through everything they had been keeping in the basement of my aunt's house, Leia insisted that I keep something."

Mara gasped. "Luke, did this belong to your mother?"

Luke nodded. "Yes, it did. And I've been waiting for the perfect woman to pass it on to."

For once, Mara was actually speechless for a moment. Luke was just happy that he had something to give her to show how serious he was about her. Not to mention how sure he was that the Force had brought them together.

Mara wasn't used to being loved just for who she was or having a family. Luke was happy to teach her how to receive all this and was willing to be patient. Mara was worth it. Her passion, her intelligence, her ability to treat him as a man instead of a Jedi Master, were all worth fighting for.

"Skywalker, I think this is the most beautiful present anyone has ever given me." Mara smiled. She'd been smiling more often than usual recently, which Luke took as a very good sign.

"I'll have to keep that in mind," Luke said. "I want to be able to show you how much I care about you."

"And I could see myself falling in love with you." Mara stopped herself quickly, as though she wasn't sure how she wanted to continue. "I'll always treasure this," she continued. "You don't give something like this to just anyone."

"No, you don't." Their food arrived at that moment and their conversation stopped at that second. "I didn't mean to overwhelm you by giving you too much; this just seemed like the perfect opportunity."

"It is," said Mara. "After all, how often do we get to go someplace like this where you can actually wear a necklace?"

"Not too often," smiled Luke. "I don't think that matters much to either of us, though, if we can make it special when we do."

"True," said Mara. "We're always going to be busy saving the Galaxy from whatever comes its way."

"Even if we want to take a break?" Luke asked in a hopeful tone, even though he already knew the answer perfectly well.

"Oh, yes," Mara shook her head. "They'll be breathing down our neck if we don't. And you wouldn't be able to live with yourself." Mara already did know him entirely too well, inside and out. And she still thought she could love him. This was one of the many things that Luke adored about Mara.

"True," Luke got to say this time. "It's our job."

"And I know you wouldn't have it any other way."

"No, I wouldn't," said Luke, and he realized that he was telling the truth. "It's using my skills the best way I know how."

Mara nodded. Luke knew that this was something about himself she could appreciate. After all, she wasn't one to let useful skills go to waste when they could be used for a good cause.

By the time they left the restaurant, neither of them wanted the night to be over yet, so they went to Luke's quarters.

"Why Skywalker, you have a very nice quarters here," said Mara. Luke had almost forgotten that Mara had never been there before.

"Am I getting a compliment from Mara Jade?" Luke asked, pretending more surprise than he actually felt.

"Don't count on another one anytime real soon," she replied. Luke wasn't absolutely sure how serious she was, but her good mood did seem to be continuing.

So he inched closer and closer while they apparently just continued to talk. Mara appeared completely comfortable with this and, more than that, she seemed to expect it.

And then, before he knew it, their lips had met. He let himself get completely in the moment, in the feel of her soft lips against his and the smell of her perfume.

It felt so right, and it wasn't because it had been entirely too long. He was absolutely sure, at that moment, that this would be his last first kiss. It was about time, and he wasn't sure he ever wanted it to end.