Author's Note ~ Thank you all for reading and reviewing. This fic was inspired by the amazing song "Love Bites" by Halestorm. I strongly recommend it. Thanks ~ Eradyne

Chapter Two

Luke stared at the empty wall…there used to be a landscape hanging there…he'd bought it for her…it was the oceans of Chad. He'd bought it when she'd moved in with him here. He wanted her to have something that reminded her of home…she loved the water.

She'd taken it with her…he wished she'd taken everything when she left. She may as well have.

He wanted to drink, he wanted to get rip roaring drunk and trash the whole place and rip up everything that was left of her. Like she'd done to him…

It had been the middle of the night, he'd caught her as she was creeping out of their apartment, her things packed.

"It's nothing personal Luke…" she'd began

"I can't live without the use of the force and being with you…it's like torture. Being here, around all these force users. I can't live with it anymore."

Luke sat silent…he wouldn't beg her to stay. He wouldn't leave his calling to chase her all over the galaxy. He held onto that much pride that he wouldn't drop his life to go running after someone who didn't want him.

"I'm leaving. Right now. I'm sorry."

He said nothing…she just watched her get her things and leave his life forever.

He'd sat rooted to the spot…unable to move. Several days passed and people came in and out to check on him, he'd answered their queries with perfunctory grins and answers.

He didn't want to see anyone…didn't want them to know that yet another love had fizzled out on him. He'd wanted this one to go the distance.

Maybe he wasn't meant to have any kind of great love. He had a calling maybe that would have to be enough. Maybe you only got one or the other.

He rose stiffly, and moved over to the armoire where she'd kept her things. He looked down and saw in the far back corner a bottle of perfume he'd gotten her.

He gripped the glass bottle, and threw it angrily against the wall shattering it and spilling it's content all over the floor.

It was the straw that broke the camels back, he tossed the armoire over on it's side, threw his chair against the wall, ripped down the curtains SHE had bought, and tore them to shreds. He tossed over his own bookcase spewing his books and personal effects all over the floor he kicked them out of his way.

He panted from the exertion, and fell to his knees on the floor. Finally letting despair take him.

It was well into the night when Mara's ship entered the Yavin atmosphere

"Jade's Fire requesting permission to land."

Mara could feel him, that wasn't odd but she could feel how completely desolate he was at the moment and she didn't want to waste any time. Karrde was right…he needed a friend.

"Jade's fire you are permitted to land."

Mara didn't respond, she just needed to get her ship down and go see to a heartbroken farmboy. Of all things…

She sighed and stretched her back, "Okay Jade. Let's do this."

She moved off of the ship, and was met by Kam Solusar. "Mara, welcome to Yavin."

She nodded at him, "Thanks. It was suggested that I should come."

Kam replied, "Indeed. I'm afraid the master has fallen into despair since Callista left. I informed Leia that I was concerned, he will not leave his quarters and barely answers our queries regarding his well being, and flatly refuses any offers to help."

Mara sighed, "Yeah well, Leia told Han, Han told Karrde, and he told me. That's why I'm here."

"And for that we are most grateful."

"He's a good friend. He doesn't deserve this."

"No he does not. I hope you will be able to restore him back to himself. I won't hold you any longer but I wanted to extend my sincere gratitude in your coming here to help him. You are a good friend to him."

Mara nodded at him respectfully and moved directly towards Skywalker's quarters. The praxeum was oddly quiet, normally there was a dozen things going on at once but not tonight. It was almost as if everyone was deliberately avoiding disturbing their Master.

'Kriff that' she thought

She took a deep breath and knocked on his door, "Skywalker. It's Mara. Let me in."

Silence.

She knew that even if he hadn't heard her knock that he would sense her through the force, she could certainly sense him.

"Don't make me use my lightsaber!" she threatened

The door opened one it's own prompted by its owners force prowess, Luke sat on the floor in the darkness surrounded by the ruined belongings in his apartment.

Mara stared at him for a long moment and flicked on a turned over lamp, "Like what you've done with the place."

He ignored her but she continued, "No seriously, might as well start over. I can take out that wall if it's pissing you off. Not sure what your sacred Jedi books did to offend but you know they probably did have it coming, they're pretty full of themselves. These are the remains of curtains…well done farmboy that's a nasty brown going on, doesn't compliment a thing in here. You're on the right track."

He shook his head and asked bluntly, "What do you want Mara? I'm not in the mood for games."

Mara chuckled and stood over him, "No I can see that. You're in the mood for destruction and you want to start with yourself. Well, no deal. Get up."

Luke ignored her, she repeated "Get up Luke. I'm not gonna let you do this to yourself."

Luke scoffed, "What do you care? I haven't even heard from you in the last year."

Mara grumbled, "I had a lot of things going on Luke. Do you really want to fuss about why I wasn't here? Guess what farmboy, I'm here now. So get up."

She shoved her foot under his rear and shoved; he leapt up and said fuming "What do you want from me? You want to kick me around? You want to beat me to a pulp like you're always threatening? Kill me? FINE! Just do it already!"

Mara was taken aback by his words; this was a Luke Skywalker that she had never seen before he was teetering very closely to the dark side of things. She would have to handle this very carefully.

"No Luke I don't want to hurt you, I want to help you."

Luke crossed his arms and asked incredulously, "How? How can you help me?"

Mara sighed and thought for a moment, "Do you want her back?"

Luke swallowed, "I don't know…"

She retorted, "It's a simple question here Skywalker. Do you want her back or not?"

He yelled, "I don't know! All I know is that I am completely at a loss on what to do now. Part of me wants her back, another part wants to forget her completely but another part… a larger part wants to lash out. Break her heart like she's broken mine. I suppose that's not very Jedi master-like but oh well. it's how I feel."

A sly cunning thought entered Mara's mind. There was a way to achieve that…and perhaps help Luke out of his funk in the process.

"Maybe I can help you with that."

He sighed, "How? No…it wouldn't be right. I should be above all of that."

Mara shook her head, "You're human Skywalker. I didn't have many interactions with the brain ti-I mean Callista. But I did pick up on some pretty intense jealousy; maybe we can work that to your advantage."

Luke was stunned, "Really? How so?"

Mara smiled, "My guess? She hasn't gone far yet. If she were to pick up on, perhaps the holonet that you've moved on pretty quickly, maybe sees a few images, gets a few messages, it would certainly sting. Maybe enough to make her see what she lost."

Luke stared at the stained carpet, "You would do that for me?" he asked genuinely touched by her concern for him. Maybe if Callista could see what she had so blithely cast off she would come back to him!

She nodded, "Of course I would you're my friend. Plus, there is no way I am going to pass up on opportunity to piss that woman off. Not after what she's done to you. I guarantee no one will make her as green with envy as I will."

Luke squinted in the sunlight as he escorted Mara to her room. The students stared in hushed silence.

He asked, "Should I tell Leia? She watches the holonet pretty closely."

Mara shrugged, "I wouldn't say that you should. I think we should keep this between us, all anyone will ever know is that we had a torrid passionate affair. It ended, and we stayed friends. We just need to make sure that she knows all about it."

Luke's mind was suddenly assaulted with licentious images of he and Mara truly engaged in a lustful affair.

It shocked him…he shouldn't be thinking of Mara that way! If she knew she would cut off certain appendages that would make such acts impossible.

They talked until dawn about their plan, both deciding that it was a good plan but for different and conflicting reasons.

Mara yawned, and tried to hide it with her hand.

Luke said, "All right Jade. Come on, I'll show you to your room. You've probably flown a few days to get here, and need some sleep."

He saw her to her door and said, "Okay, here's your space. When are we going to start this…umm…charade?"

She pulled him into her arms in full view of a large group of students starting their morning exercises and planted a passionate kiss on his lips, grasping his back tightly, and letting out a lustful moan as she moved against him. He planted both hands on the door frame to keep from falling into her, but responded in kind.

Mara inwardly reflected that he felt amazing. Those Jedi tunics sure hid a well-muscled body that was sure, and Luke's lips were as soft and powerful as she always thought they would be. 'Wait! What?' she thought, 'I haven't ever thought about Luke's lips!'

'Liar' her inner mind responded but she ignored it. Callista had hurt her friend and Mara was going to make her rue the day she had.

She pulled away and smiled at him, "Good night Luke." And she shut the door

He stood stoic his arms still out, his mind and body still reeling from the intensity of her kiss and embrace…what in the world had he gotten himself into?

He stumbled, in a stupor back to his rooms. What in the world had just happened? FORCE! It was amazing! Mara leapt into his arms and just…wow!

He'd never been kissed like that!

He couldn't believe that she'd done it. She was a true friend if she was going to try and get Callista to come back to him. Mara had no love for Callista and she'd made no secret of it. Luke was very touched that Mara was so willing to go to this extreme just to help him.

He stepped around the debris in his apartment – she had been right about that too! What better time to start over than now? Callista had left him, because of who he was. Maybe it was time for a few changes.

Mara touched her kiss stung lips…force Skywalker was an amazing kisser. And that body! It was a true fool that would EVER walk away from him.

Mara wasn't deluded, she knew that Callista could come crawling back. But more than likely she'd be too kriffing angry to even think about it. Mara was incensed with that…thing! How she could just leave Luke high and dry was completely insane.

She thought long and hard, "But Yavin IV just won't get it done…we're gonna have to go somewhere a bit more populated. Hope you're ready farmboy…heads are gonna roll on this one."