"Luke?"

"Here."

Han followed his friend's voice down the few steps to the common room. It was dim except for a lamp in the corner set on low and Artoo's blinking light while he was plugged in for the night. His brother in law was standing with crossed arms in front of the viewport gazing out at the busy Coruscant night. "I brought something to pass the time with."

He could feel Luke grin thought he couldn't see his face, he heard it in his voice. "Corellian ale?"

"I figured we needed something stronger."

Luke turned and whistled at the bottle of bourbon. "You act like you're not going to see me for ten years."

Han grimaced. "Not funny. Wedge commed me earlier. He's on his way. He wanted to be here now…"

"I know." Luke handed him a couple of glasses from the bar. "Where's Ben?"

"Basking in Leia's motherly ministrations. She's missed having ravenous boys to feed."

Luke grinned, though his eyes were pained. "He's missed having a mother to dote over him."

Hand swallowed acknowledging both their losses. "Well I'd say a few hours of being Allana's personal doll will have ready to come home. He promised her they would camp in the fort tonight."

"I wish he would stay," Luke whispered.

Han handed him his glass. "He needs this. He needs you."

They both took a sip and exhaled at the same time. "Good stuff," they said in unison. It'd been years since they'd shared anything other than an ale, usually in the evenings after the kids had scampered off. Anything heavier on Luke's part was usually Mara's doing, cajoling her husband. Honestly, after leaving Rogue Squadron, every time Luke had been drunk was Mara's doing. He grinned at the memories. Even with her, the last time they'd had a good drink let alone gotten good and drunk was six years ago. Ben had been with Jacen and they'd spent the evening tweaking the Jade Shadow, drinking from the bottle. He remembered thinking she'd never looked more beautiful than when she was swaying to the music playing from the speakers, grease smudged on her face and curls pulled back while he sat on the floor and laughed, taking swigs of whatever rancid brew they'd dug up from Force knew where. Even before they'd been married, a life together not even on the radar, they would find each other with a bottle and offer company.

The first time he saw her after Callista left him, he'd smiled when he saw the Jade's Fire on one of the high altitude landing pads for the Imperial Palace after coming to the city planet for a visit with the Solos.

He jaunted over. "Mara?" he called up the ramp.

"Up here, Skywalker."

She had an access panel open and was reaching in with a furrowed brow.

He mock saluted. "Permission to come aboard."

She flashed a rare, genuine smile. "Granted."

'What are you doing?"

"Tinkering. I blew something on the descent yesterday."

"Well, if you'd stop flying it like a fighter pilot," Luke teased. He rapped the wall. "She's a beauty."

"You ready to trade in the X-wing?"

"Never."

"Not even do some tweaking of your own?"

"Don't mess with a classic."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Your Alliance issued X-wings are a sign of perpetual bachelorhood for you Rogues. Even the ones that are married have them tethered to the family shuttle."

Luke laughed despite the fresh pang in his heart. "They're dropping like flies." He pulled a bottle of tequila from his pack. "Need an extra pair of hands? I bring a peace offering."

Mara's eyes lit up. "Open it."

An hour later they were sitting side by side, feet dangling and working to splice system wires. Luke had to admit, he liked throwing off the Jedi robes and rolling his sleeves up. He didn't just get to sit and work on a problem he could solve within a few hours and tools much anymore. Mara seemed to like this version of him better as well, her guard lower and smiling more. Increasingly, in the past year or so, she had become more distant, watching him with careful interest. Regardless, he'd harbored real affection for her, the kind that could only be forged in battle, in a long trek across half a planet, and the reliance and trust needed to do so built with every step. There'd always been magnets between them, they orbited each other, perhaps that was why she stayed distant. But, their increasing responsibilities in separate lives were taking them farther from the people they'd been on Myrkr.

"Holf thith," Luke told her with tape between his teeth. Mara grinned and held it, watching him finish with the pliers and wrap the wires with tape before biting it off. "There. That oughta hold till you get back to Kardde."

Mara lifted her drink she'd mixed with bubble water and grimaced. "This stuff is vile," she remarked before tossing it back and finishing it. Luke had been drinking his straight and they'd both had their fair share at that point.

Luke grinned. "I grew up on it."

"Really?"

He pulled a few Gigi fruits out of his pack and dug for a knife. "You got salt?"

She frowned, nodding and he followed her to the galley. She got the shaker out of the cabinet while he sliced the tart green fruits before sliding to the floor. "Okay," he said, crossing his legs. "Take one."

Mara grabbed a slice from the bowl and he poured them both a shot. "Do what I do. It'll cut it for you." He licked the webbing between his thumb and index finger and sprinkled salt on it. "Lick, salt, shot, lime."

She did as she was told, and he grinned when she grimaced but swallowed the alcohol and cast aside the peel triumphantly. "Where'd you learn that? Jedi secret? Or Han?"

He tossed his own peel. "My Aunt Beru."

She raised her eyebrow and grinned. "You can take the boy off Tatooine…"

Luke blushed, watching her grab another slice and sprinkling salt on it before bringing it to her mouth to suck the sour meat. He raked a hand through the hair he always kept too long. "She knew I loved them, so she would always get them for me at market when they were available. When I got old enough, we sat down at the kitchen table and she taught me."

"You miss her."

Mara's voice was soft. He blinked away tears that threatened to spill and laid down on the cool floor of the galley and gazed out the viewport above them. At this time of night and as high as they were above the skylanes, the stars could be seen, though not nearly as clear as Yavin. "I loved her," he murmured. He held up his hand and squeezed an eye shut. "You can't see Tatooine from here," he said a little wistfully. "But you can see Commenor. There." He pointed to a bright dot. "It's about four fingers from Kuat. You can see Tatooine from Commenor."

Mara laid down as well, legs in the other direction, so that only their heads were side by side.

"Beru would take me out and show me how to track stars and constellations, so if I ever got lost I could find my way home. She called it threading stars - knowing where I've been and where I'm going. I don't think Owen liked it, didn't want me knowing about worlds outside of Tatooine that might fill my head. He was scared for me." He swallowed. "He didn't want me to leave them."

His voice dropped off so much that Mara almost didn't catch the last sentence, but it made a lump form in her throat. She gazed out, wondering where she'd come from in the galaxy, wondering if someone had loved her as much as Luke's aunt and uncle had him. She was certain someone had and it brought her comfort. She had only a few shadowy memories of her parents, but she did know they hadn't wanted to let her go.

She turned her head and gazed at Luke in profile. "They sound lovely."

Luke turned his head and their faces were only a few inches apart. He'd needed this, and she'd let him talk, knowing the pain that ate at him. But now a flush of embarrassment crept up his neck. "I, uh, I better go."

Mara sat up, nodding. "Yeah. Leave everything, I got it."

He stood and brushed off his tunic, the Jedi Master once again. "It was good to see you, Mara."

She stood as well, nodding. "Let me know when you're on Coruscant again."

He nodded, both knowing that he wouldn't, his heart still raw. "Bye." Still, he lingered a moment too long, fingers stretched at his side, almost as if he wanted to touch her. Had it been a year before, he probably would have. But now…..he was exhausted.

Almost thirty years later, he wished he'd touched her like he'd wanted to, caressing her until she gave into him the way he knew she would've and he could've spent the night curled around her in her bed on the Jade's Fire instead of this very apartment on Coruscant, tossing and turning, knowing Mara was somewhere above him.

But, he also knew that after she let him touch her, she would've run and he would've never caught her again. She would probably still be alive, but only half of herself. Sometimes Luke wondered if it had been worth it, losing her after twenty years of marriage for him to not only be half himself but completely empty.

It hurt to stand here, in this space surrounded by a life that seemed so distant now with some people who were gone. The pride in having his own home, solitary mornings spent running through exercises and sipping caf at the viewport…playing sabacc with Han, Lando, Wes, and Hobbie into early morning…pouring over documents with Kam and Tionne…letting his niece and nephews spend the night and waking up with them piled on top of him on the couch, Jacen burrowed against him in a way that now made Luke's heart ache…his first night here with Mara after returning from Nirauan, hurriedly throwing discarded garments in the bedroom from his last visit into the closet while she waited patiently leaning against the glass of the viewport. The sight of her, so content, made his throat close…bringing Ben here for the first time after the Vong war, sighing in relief at the relatively minimal damage. He'd held Mara standing in the middle of the nursery they'd set up for Ben before he was born, but kept him with them in their bed that night, sleeping as they always had on the Jade's Shadow.

"I'm going to miss this place," he murmured. "I never thought I'd say that. But I'm also relieved. This hasn't felt like home in years."

Han blinked furiously. "Yeah," he whispered. The Vong invasion had split his life in half and hazy memories separated the two. Before - ideals and purpose that he didn't know he had and the chubby arms of his children wrapped around his neck. After – ever dwindling seats around the dinner table and a new government that had never sat well with him as the young Rebel Alliance members grew older and left Coruscant, retiring from service to the Galactic Alliance. 'We'll always be here though," he assured his brother in law. "Waiting. So will this place. We'll keep it for you when you're ready."

Luke smiled. "I know."

Later, when Ben snuck home late, after stopping by Dex's one last time for a Ronto burger, he found his father and uncle passed out on opposite ends of the couch, snoring, not unlike evenings spent watching smashball finals. He grinned and covered his dad with a blanket before sneaking off to his parent's room to sleep with his mom's pillow squeezed to his chest.

Above them, unseen, Yavin, Endor, Hapes, and Tatooine and all the other pieces of their lives blinked - constant, spinning in their orbits.