This chapter was funny. It propels the plot in a way, but as Black Rose said, the story does move slower than my last ones… It's better than it was before. I think it has something to do with the fact the return of the jedi was like that. I mean. they rescued Han, Luke went to Dagobah, and then they went to Endor and I really had a hard time figuring out how I was going to make this different. I had to do some serious cutting of dragging parts in this and because it's like this, I'm putting up two chapters today, back to back. The next chapter is where the real stuff starts happening. I will say though that someone hit right on the nail what was going to happen, but I won't spoil it. Read, enjoy, and review please!

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Chapter Four

"Fine!" Leia yelled. "If you want to starve, do it. But you can never say that we didn't try to offer you kindness. That just proves that we aren't as evil as your master has taught you… you…"

Leia proceeded to call Mara something very vile in huttese. While they weren't surprised that Leia had lost her temper with Mara because everyone except Luke had on the course of their trip to Dagobah, they didn't know she could speak any huttese.

Leia stomped back to where everyone else was setting the tray of food they had prepared for the assassin on the table.

"Forget her. Let her starve if that's what she wants. Sitting in there acting like a big baby because we won't let her go back to her master," Leia snapped sitting next to an equally pissed Anakin.

"Where did you learn some huttese?" Padmé asked.

"It couldn't be helped. Dad always speaks in huttese when he's angry and I picked up a few words," Leia said.

Padmé turned to Anakin looking displeased. "Anakin! I will not have you influencing our daughter with that kind of language. You're going to have to learn some self control and restraint on that."

"As if she were the most angelic princess in the galaxy anyway mom," Luke pointed out. "Besides, she's twenty-two."

Padmé looked at her son. "Why don't you try talking to Mara, Luke? Maybe she'll listen to you."

"I'd rather not have my peace of mind disturbed," Luke replied calmly. "Two angry force users on this ship is enough. Besides, if I get angry, no one will be able to stop Father and Leia from killing her."

Anakin and Leia looked at Luke puzzled for a moment before looking away to try and release their anger. Luke knew why they looked at him. They could feel the untruth in his words. He probably could go to Mara and make her see that it was pointless to starve herself to death. That meant she'd never get away and to the emperor. But he didn't want to. He didn't know what it was, but the force was practically jumping up and down with excitement over Mara being there, and it was in relationship to him.

He had a weird feeling around Mara. It felt something like the first time he wielded a light saber. Right then, he knew it was his destiny to become a jedi and he wouldn't escape that. He had felt the same way when he chased Mara and subdued her. Sure they were fighting the whole time. No one had gotten under his skin like that in a while, but he knew that feeling. And it scared him to death. She was an assassin for the empire for Force's sake, their enemy. Luke groaned inwardly. Why did the force throw this wrench in his life, when it seemed like he finally understood what the force wanted for him somewhat?

He sat for a while longer and then got up. There was no use putting it off. He may as well go willingly before he was forced to.

Luke picked up the tray of food and went to the room they had locked Mara in. He didn't bother knocking seeing as she would probably just insult him anyway. So he opened the door and used the forced to stop the pillow she had thrown.

Luke sighed and drew in on the force. He might have to heed the no emotions part right about now. Instead of offering her the food, he sat in on the floor in the corner and then sat next to her on the floor. Maybe being friendly wasn't the approach to take.

"I hope you didn't come in here to try and get friendly with me farm boy, because your family tried and failed to do so," Mara snapped.

"Relax jade," Luke said rolling his eyes. "I'm just here to make sure you eat something is all. Can't have you dying on us."

"I'm not planning on dying. I'm going to escape."

"We're in the middle of hyperspace. To where?" Luke asked pointedly.

"Back to the emperor and then I'm going to tell him what your whole family is up to and that Pesinoé is conspiring against him," Mara declared.

"He'll kill you. You do know that?" Luke asked calmly despite the fact that Mara was getting riled up.

"Like my prospects with you all are better," Mara shot.

"They are."

"Besides," Mara continued. "You're lying. My master wouldn't do something like that. I've been nothing but loyal to him unlike that traitor of an apprentice."

Luke tilted his head. "He won't make you his apprentice if that's what you think, at least, as far what I know from what Pesinoé told my sister."

"I'm not listening to you," Mara snapped. "Get out of here farm boy before I lose my temper again."

"Don't you wonder why you couldn't overpower me before?"

Mara suddenly turned to look at him and Luke held back a smile. He knew that would get her attention. According to Leia, she had been playing for power the whole time she was with Pesinoé.

"Well it's just because you're more trained. If I had all my weapons, you'd be a dead man right now Skywalker," Mara said confidently.

Luke decided trying to bait the stubborn woman wasn't going to work. He was only succeeding in frustrating himself, so he decided to just tell her.

"Your force potential has been blocked."

"What the heck are you on about farm boy?" Mara asked eying the food. She was getting a little hungry.

Luke looked the red head oddly and then said, "You mean you don't feel the block on your force potential?"

"What block?" Mara asked warily.

Luke sensed her seem to let her guard down a little… just a little. She hadn't seemed to forget that they were enemies and Luke reminded himself that he shouldn't either.

"The emperor's biggest fear is those with more power than him. It means on some level that he can't control them. That's why he probably wants to get rid of Pesinoé. According to Leia, she doesn't bow for anybody when it contradicts what she wants to do."

Mara rolled her eyes and picked up a piece of bread off the tray. "Who are you telling Skywalker? I've worked with the woman since I was ten. The emperor can barely keep that torgruta in line. It's like watching over a rebellious animal. Tamed, yet it's not wise to rub her the wrong way."

"And so if the emperor let you have your full power, let you be fully trained, you'd be just like her. Don't you think?"

Mara laughed. "I see what you're doing farm boy. I'm not stupid. You're trying to make me question my faith in the emperor. Well it won't work. You're the evil one here. I'll be doing the galaxy a favor once I get rid of you."

Luke sighed, his patience long since dissipated. "And I thought Pesinoé had it bad. Your blind faith in the emperor is going to get you killed. It's almost like you're his slave or something."

"How dare you!" Mara screeched. "I am not a slave. I am the master of my own life. Not that old rotting corpse."

"Then why do you call him master?" Luke asked pointedly.

Mara found herself at a loss for words for a moment before she found her voice. "Because I serve him, but it's not a slave relationship."

"Alright then," Luke challenged with a smile. "So if you went to him right now and asked him to let you out of your service to him, he'd let you go?"

Mara faltered. She hadn't expected that one. "Why would I do that?"

"Answer the question Jade," Luke replied. For some reason, this girl seemed to bring out a boldness that he didn't normally have. Then again, the force made him more confident too.

"I don't have to if I don't want to and I'm not going to," she decided standing up with her arms crossed.

Luke stood up beside her, just in case she decided to try something. He put a hand on his face and then snapped in frustration with her, "Must you be so difficult. All me and my family are trying to do is work with you, which is a lot more than you probably would have done for us. In fact, this is a lot more than you've done for us."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Get over it farm boy. Besides, what have I done to you?"

Luke looked at her in disbelief and then began to tick off on his fingers, "Helped Pesinoé hold my whole family against their will, froze Han in carbonite, captured my mother before that, chased us through an icy tunnel on Hoth, and tried to kill my sister before that… Need I go on?"

"Well I was doing it on the emperor's orders," Mara snapped violently.

"So you admit it," Luke said trying not to laugh at how easy it was to rile Mara up. "You didn't really want to do those things?"

Mara looked at Luke with a dangerous calm, but Luke knew that was it for her. She had lost it.

"You know what! If this is some new tactic for your damn rebellion to recruit Imperial officers, it's a really bad one. Just leave me alone," Mara said and then kicked the tray over. "And keep you food."

Luke rubbed his temple and muttered, "You may be beautiful and I might like you a little, but you have a temper worse than a krayt dragon."

That really set the woman off and all the while, no matter what she did, the force was telling him to overlook it and see that this woman was going to mean something to him one day. Luke sighed. He already felt somewhat attached to her despite her less than welcoming attitude, not to mention…

Mara suddenly stopped. "Wait! What did you say?"

Luke went over his earlier words and cursed. He hadn't intended to say that out loud. It was supposed to stay in his head.

"That you have a worse temper than a krayt dragon," Luke repeated and the woman shook her head.

"Before that."

Luke found himself feeling like he had when he first came to the rebellion, a shy farm boy caught up in something he felt he didn't really belong tangled up in. He turned red and looked anywhere except the woman's face. He had no real experience with women except maybe one or two girls in the rebellion. Nothing serious… Not that this was serious or ever would be he told himself firmly.

"I said you were beautiful," Luke repeated.

"And," Mara said with what Luke thought was… a hint of a smile.

"I might like you… a little."

Mara looked at him, dumbstruck. No one had ever told her that. They were usually too afraid of her to say something like that. She was speechless. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt strangely pleased at the admission. Suddenly she felt pulled to the young jedi. She smirked as he tried to back up and duck out the room. She stopped him.

"Oh really?" she asked.

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Leia sighed when she heard Luke yell something from where she was sitting and then Mara Jade proceed to explode. She thought maybe Luke would have better luck than they would, being that he was a lot more patient that any of them, even more than their mother to some degree. Leia blamed it all on his force training and while she knew her parents were worried about her and her emotional instability, Leia worried that Luke would lose himself in the force. It was like two people were struggling for power. Luke the jedi and Luke the person. Then there was the added fact that he still hadn't really gotten over the fact that their parents had hidden who they were from them… Leia didn't even want to think about it. She had enough to deal with. But maybe her father knew something about the jedi thing.

"Father, can I ask you something?" she asked. Anakin looked up from where he had been talking with Padmé.

"Hm?"

Leia opened her mouth to start and then closed it.

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Padmé asked.

Leia nodded. "That's the point. I don't hear Jade arguing with Luke."

Padmé's eyes widened and then she looked at Anakin. Silence could only mean that Luke or Mara had killed each other. She had noticed upon Mara's arrival on board that Luke seemed a bit irritated about something. And while she wasn't force sensitive like the rest of her family, she certainly wasn't blind to her son's feelings. He seemed confused. She started to mention it but then Anakin got up and went to the room Luke had just gone in.

Leia and Padmé followed.

Anakin opened the door and Padmé prepared herself for what she might see. Nothing could have prepared them for what they did see. Padmé couldn't even find words for it. Leia was slack jawed and Anakin started to chant the jedi code in his head to stop himself from trying to choke his son right then and there.

Luke and Mara were in a serious make-out session, oblivious to everyone behind them. After a few moments, Anakin exploded.

"Luke Skywalker!" he boomed.

Luke and Mara jumped apart. Luke turned scarlet and even Mara had the decency to look embarrassed. Anakin began to rant furiously under his breath using a few choice words in huttese. Luke sighed. He wasn't going to sit and listen to his father fuss at him in his anger, not that his father had the right anyway. It may be better that the man cooled off. He did have some dark side tendencies…

Luke closed their bond and walked out the room past the rest of his family. Meanwhile, it was taking all Anakin's might not to kill the assassin right then and there. Instead he stepped out the room, pushing Leia and Padmé back with him and closed the door.

Leia didn't know how to feel. She was a cross between shocked, outraged, and highly amused. Padmé looked at her and briefly glanced in the direction Luke had gone before turning to their father trying to quell his obvious anger. Leia hadn't even seen him get that angry on Bespin and decided instead of trying to talk her father out of hurting Luke, she'd go talk with her brother.

As she did, she heard her father mutter to his wife in an effort to lighten his own mood, "When we get the chance, I am seriously going to sit the two of them down and discuss courtship and choosing mates. I swear. A smuggler for a son-in-law and an assassin that Luke barely knows… I swear Padmé. They'll succeed in driving me to the dark side better that any of Palpatine's manipulations ever could have."

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That scene with Mara was in another story (Not like that. It was in a different circumstance) I read that was discontinued. But the thing was that it worked for the story and I said, hm. Let's see how we can use this. I think Anakin took it worse than Vader did in that story depending on how you look at it. It was amusing and I felt like putting it in at the time though I seriously considered nixing it. If your story was the one I borrowed the idea from, know that I give you full credit for it.

So the next chapter is where I get the ball rolling and more Pesinoé. Hope you enjoyed. Review this chapter first and then move on to the next please!