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Chapter 2

"Why you over-noble Sith of a Jedi!" she spat at him, her finger poking against his breast bone. Luke hoped she hadn't found her blaster while he was gone.

He grabbed her by the shoulders gently, hoping to calm her down. "It makes the most sense, and you know it!"

"Does not!" she growled.

"Does too!" he almost laughed but maintained his serious level gaze.

"Does not!"

Luke sighed and shook his head, "Would you sit down and listen to my argument for a moment?"

She seemed to think about it, then with a death glare she sat back on the sofa. "Start talking."

"Tionne, Cilghal," Luke addressed the other two women, "could you leave us for a moment?"

"Of course," Tionne said as she stood, both making their way back into the kitchen.

"Okay," Luke took a deep breath, wondering where to start sorting out his logic into a coherent thought. "The most important point to remember is that this child needs as normal a childhood as possible. He can't know he's a Chosen One."

"I'm going to give him the best I can," she snapped at him.

Luke pushed the chair he had occupied earlier a little closer to her and sat down. He was close enough to take her hands in his so he did. "I know you will. I don't doubt that at all."

"Doesn't seem that way," she looked away disgusted, though didn't pull her hands from his.

"Why?" he asked gently.

She gave an exaggerated sigh of 'oh please'. "Why else would you want to get married? You think I need to be watched."

"No, that's not it," he tried to sound as sincere as possible because her fears couldn't be farther from the truth. "I'm just trying to find the best option."

"Option for what?"

"Everyone is going to assume this child is mine," he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, a slight wistfulness in his voice. "While we might convince others that it's not, the Jedi will know. That will hurt both of our reputations, and the child."

"I don't care about my reputation," she answered, then sighed, "but you're right. They will look at him like he's some sort of unwanted bastard child, which might be worse than knowing he's a Chosen."

"So we say he is mine," he slightly frowned. "We'll have to say he was an accident, but one we don't regret. It's better than denying him."

"I guess," she reluctantly agreed. "However, if you claim this child as yours you'll have to act as if he was… that's a lifelong commitment, Luke."

"I know," he nodded, having come to the same conclusion before. "I want to do this, for the child."

"Why?" she asked softly.

"We both know what it's like to not have a father," he couldn't keep the pain from his voice if he tried. "Now I know Anakin didn't have one either. I can't let this child suffer the same when I have the ability to be a father to him."

"There is no going half-way on this," she pressed. "He will believe you are his father till the day he dies."

"I won't disappoint him," he stated firmly. "I will always be there for him, till the day I die."

"How can you for a child that isn't yours?"

"Easily," he smiled gently at her, hoping she would understand. "This boy and I are kindred spirits."

Strangely enough he seemed to have the same nagging feeling as Mara did that the child would be a boy, even though it was difficult to tell at this point in the Force.

"Could you love him?" Mara asked quietly.

Closing his eyes he took a long breath and searched his feelings. True the child might feel like him but it was not of his blood. But like Luke, the boy was a child mistreated by fate.

"I can't say I love him at this moment," Luke admitted, "but I will try and no matter what I will always care for him, that I can and will promise you."

Her lips trembled slight as she spoke, "I believe you would always do right by my child."

"And I will," he squeezed her hands gently.

"Thank you," she smiled, something of a glow about her.

"No need to thank me, I want to do this," he tried to put his complete sincerity into his words.

She still smiled, but it started to fade. "This only solves half of the issue."

"Half?"

"You asked me to marry you," her brow scrunched, "sort of."

"I did," a slight blush warmed his cheeks. When he had said the words they had just fallen out of his mouth without censure.

"We don't' have to," Mara went on. "We can say you are the father, it was an accident, and I refuse to marry you. People would expect that of me."

He opened his mouth to refute her statement, but realized he couldn't. Too many considered her nothing more than Palpatine's pet with just as many moral values.

"Do you want to prove them right?" he boldly asked.

"I don't have a choice," she answered grimly.

"Not if you accept what I'm offering."

Her eyes glistened and he wondered if she would cry on him. He had never really seen her cry before now. Motherhood was bringing out a whole new side to the Mara Jade he knew and occasionally feared.

"I can't, Luke," she finally breathed.

"Yes, you can," he tried to keep his voice logical, unemotional.

"No," she shook her head.

"Why not?" he almost cracked at her refusal which hurt him deeper than he thought it would. "Am I that unlikable?"

"On the contrary," she lifted one hand from his and cupped his cheek, "you are very likable."

He blushed slightly at the contact. "Then I don't understand."

"You'll make a great husband to the woman of your dreams one day," she said gently. "I won't keep you from that just for the sake of my honor."

"Oh…" he actually hadn't considered that eventuality.

"It will be okay," she added. "I've handled worse, people will get over it."

This was true… but still. "What about the child?"

"What about him?"

Luke swallowed, knowing he was about to set her off. "Do you want him to grow up hearing whispers? Reading a holo report about the bastard child of the Imp whore?"

He saw the hand coming, could have blocked it if had wished, but he knew he deserved the slap that stung across his face.

"How dare you," the words were low in a predatory growl.

"You know the sludge news," he kept his calm, "that was kind."

"This is blackmail," she said through gritted teeth.

"Blackmail?" he practically laughed the word.

"You want me to take your future away from you, well, I won't do it!" Mara stood and moved away. This time he could have sworn tears had fallen from her eyes.

"You can't look at it that way," he sighed, walking up behind her but keeping his distance.

"What other way is there to look?" she choked, he knew she was crying now.

"Mara," he sighed, deciding to take a chance at this emotional version of his friend and wrapped his arms around her gently. "Let's look at it this way… do you see me dating anyone right now? Even interested in dating?"

There was a pause as she composed herself. "No…"

"Do you see my calendar free for such things in the next, oh, decade?" he hoped to garner a smile from her.

She chuckled just slightly and replied, "Not the way you are running."

He walked around in front of her to look her in the eyes. "At this time in my life I have no interest in dating or finding Mrs. Right."

Her nose wrinkled. "So, you're settling?"

Wrong thing to say again.

"You misunderstand," he quickly corrected. "I'm saying that I want to devote a part of myself to raising this child like a father would, and being married would make it easier on both of us as well as the child. I have no other entanglements and don't look to be any time soon. I'm not settling, just realizing the potential of the situation."

"But what about after a decade?" she shook her head. "Hell, tomorrow you could find the woman of your dreams, you never know."

"You're right," he conceded. "However, I want to do this, I need to do this, for him."

"How do we even know we can live with each other without killing each other?" she was grabbing at straws now, he had her on the run.

"How does any couple know?" he laughed gently. "Remember the saying so old no one even knows what planet it comes from anymore? 'Those who love can sometimes not live, and those who can live can sometimes not love. Those who can love and live are the lucky few.'"

She raised one eyebrow. "I've never heard that before."

He blinked, "You haven't?"

"Seriously, I haven't."

"Oh," he was a momentary loss, he thought everyone had heard it. "Well, in any case, it says that love isn't enough to be able to have a stable relationship. It requires a lot more, love is just an added bonus."

"So you're saying if we work hard enough we can do this," she sounded resigned to her fate.

"Between the two of us, considering we don't like to fail at anything or not complete what we start," he grinned, "yes."

"I'm not talking you out of this, am I?"

She let her head fall and he tipped it back up gently rubbing his thumb across her chin. "Nope. Stubborn, reckless farmboy strikes again."

"If you take all my good lines," her mouth started to tip up in a smile, "what am I supposed to say?"

He smiled back, "Say yes, you'll marry me?"

She shook her head but the smile was still there, "Yes, I'll marry you, you crazy gundark."

Chuckling he pulled her into an embrace, holding her tight. He was going to be a husband and father, though not really, but it didn't matter to him, he couldn't be more delighted.

"One thing," she whispered into his ear and he pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. "This isn't forever. I want you to be able to have your own real family some day."

"I understand," he nodded.

"We can always claim we love each other but couldn't live with each other and divorce in a few years," she added. "It will garner a few remarks, but nothing like what would happen if we didn't marry, as you said."

Luke really didn't like the idea of divorce, but she was right. This was a marriage of convenience and he should dash any ideas to the contrary. "I have a request."

"Go on."

"We can't tell the Jedi or our friends, but, I want to tell Leia and Han," Leia was his only blood family and Han was like a brother to him. He wanted to make sure that they understood, especially later down the line when the eventual divorce happened.

Mara nodded, "They should know."

"Thank you," he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We can tell them tomorrow, I think she has had enough to deal with today with the revelations about our father."

"Okay," she started to shift awkwardly. "So, I guess we should start planning things out, making ground rules."

"We could, but first things first, you look like hell," he had to grin at the completely unamused look on her face. "When was the last time you got some proper sleep?"

She chewed her lip, "Not since the med droid told me about the baby and that was a few days ago."

"Then we'll do that now," he placed his hands on her shoulders lightly. "Everything else we can deal with as it comes. I am sure Leia will help us with the wedding and such."

"The wedding," she smirked. "I can't believe you talked me into this."

"Neither can I," he grinned.

"Just remember," she pointed her finger at him, "you got us into this mess."

He thought about that statement for a moment, then looked down at her stomach. "Why do women always blame the male?"

"Habit," she giggled, then stopped abruptly. "If I turn into a giggling fool, shoot me."

After picturing Mara as a giggling fool, he said, "Agreed."

"So," a moment of silence had passed, "you going to give me a ride back to my apartment?"

"Actually," he blushed again, "I thought you could stay here tonight."

"Excuse me?" she deadpanned.

"You take the bed, I'll take the sofa," he quickly added. "Might as well start on the illusion and you're wearing my clothes anyway."

She looked down at herself, "Oh yeah."

"We can talk in the morning and go see Leia in the afternoon."

Shaking her head, she said, "You think you have everything figured out, don't you?"

"Not everything, just enough."

"Let's hope."