Week 7 (08.18.06) (UDC 1)

31. breakfast

Mara entered the kitchen to find look standing at the cooking unit, intent on what was in front of him. She smiled, and moved to touch his shoulder. "I was going to do that…"

Luke glanced at her, smiling. "Go sit down. It'll be ready in a minute."

"What if I want to stand here with you?"

His smile grew wider. "Come here." He let her slide in under his arms, and together, they stood there while he cooked. Mara almost didn't want to sit down at the table because she wanted to stay there in his arms.

The food was good…

32. lunch

Han sighed as he watched Luke pick at the food on his tray. Had he been that despondent the day before at the medal ceremony? Han didn't think so… "Hey…"

Luke blinked and looked up at him. "What?"

"Are you going to eat, or just stir that around on the tray?"

Luke sighed and pushed the tray away. "I don't feel like eating right now."

Han studied him, nodding. "That's all right, then…"

"It is?"

"Sure… don't force it, Kid. A lot has happened to you this week…" Luke looked away. For a moment, Han thought he looked much younger than usual…

33. dinner

Dinner on the Falcon was a quiet affair that first night out from Hoth. Han kept stealing glances when he thought she wasn't looking, and Leia only caught him once. Sighing, he reached out and caught her hand. When she looked at him with feinged annoyance, Han gazed back at her unwaveringly. "They'll be all right, Princess."

"How do you know?"

"They're them, and everybody who could get out did."

Leia studied him for a silent moment. She heard what he wasn't saying as well as what he was, and for now, choose to believe the simplicity of that statement.

34. food

Mara broke the kiss reluctantly and stared into his eyes. "Luke?"

"What?"

"As much as I'd love to stay here on the floor… we don't have anything to eat in here."

He blinked at her, surprised that she'd thought of that first. She was right. There really wasn't any food in here. "Well then… let's see about getting out."

Mara's grin was downright feral as she moved to study the wall closest to the door. With little fanfare, the wall came down. As she stepped out into the corridor, Luke almost pitied the people who had locked them in. Almost.

35. drink

He'd seen a cup on her hand every day since she'd arrived, always with a cup of caf in hand like an ever-present shield or something. As if it would bring normality when there was none at all. But… if that was the reason, it never really seemed to work.

The first time he saw her without a cup of caf, he wondered what happened to normality. But he always had one question on his mind: "How do you drink that all the time?"

She'd glanced at him knowingly more than once, and muttered: "Habit." Maybe that was answer enough.