Title: It Got Too Hot

Summary: Come on . . .

A/N: One of the people who kindly reviewed this fic suggested I explain when the events in these little vignettes are occurring. Well, as I did manage to mention, 'The Blanket Incident' occurs roughly a year after 'The Last Command', 'It Was Cold' occurs a few years after that, and 'Warming Up' occurs maybe a year after that, not long after Luke and Mara's wedding. This story occurs maybe six months after 'Warming Up'. The time periods are not set in stone . . . it's just generally a few years between stories. :)

A/N2: I've written another in the series, but as a warning, time-wise it actually takes place before 'The Blanket Incident', which was actually the earliest chronologically.

Many thanks to Meara1 (I'll try to stop by) and Jade the Sith (of course Luke's sweet!) for reviewing! :D And liking it! Must not forget that . . . :p

*~*~*~*~*

"This is entirely your fault."

"It is not."

"Yes, it is."

"Is – " It suddenly struck me how little like a Jedi Master I sounded . . . in fact, my tone and words had more in common with my young nephews or niece. "Mara," I sighed, finally.

She sighed in return.

"I didn't make it hot," I said, and turned to look over at her.

We were lying in our bedroom, the guest bedroom on the ship. Mara's ship, the Jade's Fire, had gotten, of all things, a faulty heat distributor. That basically meant we had to shut the engines down, or things would destabilize and the insides of the vessel would probably melt from uneven and uncontrolled heat distribution. We had sat frozen for hours before help, in the form of a group of scholarly Yekne, had arrived.

We hadn't been worried about getting help – we were in one of the major space lanes as we traveled back to Coruscant to visit my sister. It was just uncomfortable to be sitting in the miserable cold. The portable heaters weren't strong enough to make much of a noticeable difference, so when the Yekne came and offered us a lift, we accepted.

Of course, the thing about the Yekne is that while they are a very hospitable species known for their curiosity and knowledge, they also prefer – need – much higher temperatures than the average human does.

"It's hot," Mara said again, throwing her arms over her head, letting them lie on top of her hair. She had thrown it up, as well, above her head as we lay down on the bed.

"It's not that bad," I said soothingly.

She sat up abruptly, and leaned over me dangerously, her pretty green eyes glittering with something less than sweet, but all Mara Jade. "Says Tatooine farmboy."

I grinned. "I've been living in space for years, though. It's not that bad. No worse than Tattooine, certainly, and you've been there."

She let herself fall back to the bed, and pushed her hair up again, off her neck. "Wasn't this supposed to be our honeymoon?"

"No, we already had that," I pointed out.

"I thought the honeymoon was the whole first year," she replied, snickering. "Didn't Corran say that after the first year, the honeymoon is over and all the 'real' relationship problems begin?"

"We're having a relationship problem?"

"Don't make me use my holdout blaster."

"You wouldn't have to use that to knock me dead," I said, grinning mischievously.

She groaned. "Skywalker, that was so corny. That was . . . Lando-speak."

"Now I'm insulted."

She looked at me, and her expression abruptly softened. I blinked, somewhat surprised by the sudden loving warmth in her face. She held out her hand, which I took cautiously. "Darling," she said carefully, and I snorted in surprise at the endearment, "see if you can get the Yekne to change the heating just for this room?"

"They already said they couldn't," I replied, soothingly, caressing her arm.

She slapped my hand.

"I thought we were over the slapping part," I said lightly.

She squinted at me. "Not if I keep feeling this hot." She smiled to show she wasn't entirely serious about how miserable she was, but I could sense the annoyance lying underneath the attempt at calm.

I held up my hands. "Fine, fine." I got up and made for the door. Just before leaving the room, I glanced back at Mara. She was looking at me curiously from under her eyelashes, her legs still hanging over the side of the bed from where she had thrown herself over it, much as I had. The first half hour of pure heat had been bliss, after the cold of Jade's Fire. After that, well . . .

I left my very bemused wife in search of – something. The Force said I would find something. At least, I thought it did. I would know when I found it, I was sure.

Rather than talk to the captain, who was already being very hospitable, I wandered around the ship. The Yekne had been most pleased and honored to meet two Jedi, and more pleased to meet Luke Skywalker and his new wife, and I was fairly sure they wouldn't mind.

"Master Skywalker."

 I turned. The Yekne's second in command was behind me. I had dimly sensed his approach, while I was lost in my thoughts. His thin body, covered lightly in iridescent purple scales, was held nervously. I smiled at him, trying to be as calm and soothing as possible.

"Yes?"

He bowed. "Do your accommodations agree with you? It is my understanding that humans find our normal room temperature to be uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable, but nothing we can't manage," I assured him. "We know the design of the ship does not allow for regional climate control."

He bowed his head. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Of course."

"We, like humans, often like things of varying extreme temperatures . . . perhaps such would be of use to compensate you for the heat?"

I looked at him thoughtfully, then nodded and agreed. He showed me what he meant, and I had to smile. I thanked him.

By the time I got back to Mara, I was grinning. I stepped inside the medium-sized room, made for most any species – and little used, if I understood the captain correctly, as they did not often have visitors. Mara was lying on the bed as I had left her. A little bit of her bare belly was showing, while her arms were still thrown over her head.

I approached silently, noting her slow, steady breathing – not languid enough for sleep, just enough that she was relaxed. I debated with myself for a few moments over the advisability of carrying out my plans.

Then I shoved a handful of ice up her shirt.

She screeched and was up on her feet in a second, her hair wild and eyes fierce as the ice tumbled away.

I burst out laughing. She stared at me, stunned speechless.

"Cold now?" I finally managed to ask.

Her mouth opened and closed, and then firmed. She went after me the way she did everything – intensely driven and nearly unstoppable in her determination. We scrambled for control of the bag of ice, with little chips finding their ways into our clothes here and there. I laughed until my sides hurt as we wrestled.

"You're so dead, Skywalker!"

I could only laugh in response.

Finally, using some trick I didn't know – something to do with nerve points and very fast hands – she wrested the bag from me fully, turned it upside down, and poured the contents on my head. All the while giving me a grin of total satisfaction.

Half melted ice.

I felt as though I had dived into a cold sea, after the sheer pressing heat of the air in the cabin. I couldn't control my gasp. Satisfied at last, Mara stopped, giggling – she did giggle, sometimes, and it was always a sight I treasured – and we sat on the floor, panting for air from both exertion and laughter.

"That was evil," Mara said at last.

"It was perfect," I argued.

She looked at me. "Putting ice up my shirt? Very Jedi of you."

"So is revenge," I retorted, gesturing at my wet hair and clothing.

She snorted, and paused, folding her arms. "You deserved it."

"Maybe." I smirked at her. "You asked for it. In a manner of speaking." And I started to shiver. Even as hot as it was, the wet clothing was clinging to my skin and chilling me already. It was amazing how easy it was to get hypothermia – I had learned that after spending a few months on Hoth.

"Cold?" she asked with an upturned eyebrow.

I smiled, having an idea of what was coming. "Yes, I am."

She rose, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me to the bed, even pushing me onto it with a hand on my chest. Then she took the bottom of my shirt, and made to pull it up, smirking at me. "It's about to get hotter."

[fin]