Chapter Twenty-Eight:
Blue clashed swiftly against violet, the hissing and sparks created by the contact all but ignored as their respective wielders struggled to best each other. They were covered in perspiration; and though their muscles ached from the long workout session, they were exhilarated to be able to spar at all.
Violet broke first and came in at its opponent's midsection, but blue was swift to block and then mount its own offensive. They came at each other again in a quick succession of overhead strikes, parries, and even a few jabs.
When the two blades met in another holding match, green eyes stared challengingly into blue.
"You're getting better after six months of training, Farmboy… but let's up the ante," she said.
With a feral smile, the owner of the green eyes flicked a wrist and the lights went out. For the first time, her opponent hesitated in uncertainty.
"No lights?" he asked.
"Be prepared for anything," she countered. "Besides, look at this as a chance to really listen to your instincts and the Force."
He nodded. "Like Ben did with the helmet."
Mara blinked in confusion. "What?"
Luke offered an apologetic grimace. "Sorry. Ben had me use a helmet with the blast shield down on my first session in lightsaber technique."
"Smart man," Mara remarked, her face highlighted in odd shadows from the combined glow of their lightsabers.
Luke tried not to let the scene distract him, and he wondered if that was the underhanded part of Mara's tactic change. Sure enough, once his mind had drifted just enough, Mara released her lightsaber with one hand and drove it into Luke's midsection.
His breath left him in a startled oof!, and Mara wasted no time in trying to disarm him. Luke retained enough awareness, however, to back-step so that she overshot. Luke drove his blade at her back, forcing Mara to either drop down or block.
Since she was already off-balance, she opted to drop to the floor. Luke was now the one who was overextended and she delivered a swift kick to his gut... which Luke managed to spin away from, though it ended up with him stumbling over something in the darkness and tumbling into an uneven heap on the floor.
To his chagrin Luke's lightsaber flew from his grip in the process, and he was just calling it to his hand when Mara tackled him from behind… without her blade, which she'd locked on and left lying a few feet away. Luke instinctively flew into a defensive formation with his arms as she flipped him and began to attack him with her fists.
Luke delved deep into the Force as she'd instructed he do, and thus he was able to keep ahead of her maneuvers.
All except one.
To his utter surprise, Mara broke off her attack with a cough, sitting back some. Luke, thinking she was in need of a breather, relaxed his stance. Of course, that was when she swiftly leaned forward again. Luke tensed in readiness, cursing himself for falling for her feint.
However, his expectation for her attack was not what she used.
Instead of an ending blow, she planted a kiss on his lips. Luke froze in shock, and Mara sat back again, though she did not move off of him.
"Match," she declared triumphantly. "Always be ready for anything."
Deciding to turn the tables on her, Luke grinned mischievously, and Mara's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Oh?" he asked sweetly, "you mean like… this?"
Before she could react, Luke pounced. His fingers flew to her sides, where he knew she was ticklish, and he gave Mara a taste of her own medicine.
She shrieked in protest, squirming.
"Luke!" she rebuked him breathlessly.
He was relentless, keeping on even as she attempted to get away.
"Stop!" Mara half-laughed half-growled. "Luke, stop!"
She grabbed at his fingers, and Luke ended up hand-wrestling with her in an attempt to reassert his attack. He pushed back at her, and with his greater strength Luke was able to push her off his torso.
However, Mara used the movement against him, tugging forcefully so that he ended up rolling with her. Unprepared for the counter-maneuver, Luke was easy prey: he and Mara ended up in a semi-tangled sprawl on the matted floor.
Laughter bubbled up between them while they struggled to regain some semblance of balance. Each of them was breathless, and their chests heaved in gulps of air that were interrupted by bursts of mirth.
However, when their eyes met in the soft glow of Mara's lightsaber, their position was more fully realized.
Something passed between them and Luke slowly lowered his head to place a tender kiss to her lips.
Mara sucked in a breath of air, and he felt her quiver beneath him before she responded in kind, taking hold of his tunic and drawing him closer. Luke brought a hand up to run through her hair, and slowly the passion built between them. Luke shifted to draw even with Mara and he drew her to him, feeling her heart beating in time with his own swift pulse.
However, Luke had to stop when he felt things moving to a point he wanted to save for another time.
By mutual consent, they ended the kiss, though Mara did not let him go.
"Hmm… you're getting better at this," she murmured.
Luke smirked down at her. "Better with the Force, or better at kissing?"
Mara's eyebrows wagged. "Does it have to be one or the other?"
He laughed, and did not fight it when she drew him in for another embrace of the lips. It had been six months since they'd left Helska Six, six months in which they'd dated regularly.
And it was the most wondrous period of time Luke had had in this war. He now had Shmi, a sister, and a woman he was growing ever more serious with. He had already made preparations to take things to the next level, and he had to work hard at keeping his excitement at bay lest Mara catch on.
Pulling away, Luke checked his wrist chrono and sighed. "I've got to go."
"Okay," Mara reluctantly set him free, and Luke climbed to his feet, offering a helping hand to her.
Mara took it and together they gathered their gear and exited the room. Luke shivered in the chilly air now that they weren't working up a sweat. Mara apparently hated the cold as well.
"Remind me again what possessed you to suggest Hoth of all planets for a base?" she asked dryly.
"As rotten as this weather is, it's also the last place the Empire would think to look for us," Luke told her, even as he drew his coat on tighter.
"Yes, you're right about that," Mara remarked with a mischievous grin. "But then, they probably aren't counting on us being crazy enough to be here either."
Luke sent her a mock-glare to which they both chuckled. "Look at the bright side; you get to practice making a perfect snowman."
Mara snorted mirthfully, giving him a superior look. "Or, it gives you a chance to actually win in a snowball fight."
Luke grumbled something incoherent, and Mara leaned in theatrically. "I'm sorry… what was that?"
"I said, you cheated on those last two games," Luke whined. "I had you in my sights, and then you went all Hand-mode on me."
Mara didn't bat an eye at his comment. Luke had jokingly remarked on her obsession with completing any and all jobs using that term, and it had become a private joke between them just as much as her calling him Farmboy was.
"You should be aware of your surroundings at all times," Mara remarked.
"And be aware of girlfriends using their curves to distract their boyfriends…" Luke pointed out.
Mara grinned unrepentantly. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."
Luke gave her a look. "Yeah? Well, you just remember that the next time you get stuck with Threepio. I might just decide a man's gotta suddenly go work on his ship."
Mara gaped at him. "You wouldn't!"
"I would." Luke's grin was wide. Oh, how he loved to get her riled up!
"And your followers claim you don't have an evil bone in your body…" Mara shook her head in defeat.
"Terribly, misinformed people," Luke agreed with false-contempt.
They arrived at Luke's quarters, where Lars could be heard already delving into Shmi's latest school lesson. Luke had made it a point to be in her class sessions as much as possible so he could let her know he supported her in learning.
"I'll see you later," Luke kissed her cheek softly.
"Bye." Mara waved as she wandered off to her shift in the hangar bay.
Luke smiled after her for a moment, and once she was around the corner he entered his living quarters.
Because he had Shmi, his room was larger than most, since it had to accommodate two persons. The beds were recessed into separate walls to save space, while a dresser was shared by Luke and his daughter. Shmi sat at a small table that doubled as a school desk in one corner while Lars projected images onto a blank section of partition as he taught. The final feature of their living quarters was a small refresher unit in the far corner.
"And when you subtract the bottom number, you must carry the extra digit…" Lars was saying.
Shmi paid rapt attention, her thirst for knowledge a boon in her education. She took her lessons very seriously, since she wanted to learn all she could and be helpful to those around her. She wore her orange flight suit— she'd hardly taken it off since her birthday— which was unzipped some to reveal a dark green jumpsuit underneath.
"Like this?" Shmi asked, engrossed in her lesson.
"That is correct, Mistress Shmi," Lars acknowledged.
"Hey there, how's your math coming along?" Luke asked as he stepped up to the table.
"Hi Dad!" Shmi smiled at him and showed him her worksheet with several of the equations already solved, ranging from addition and subtraction to multiplication and division. "It's great!"
Luke returned her grin. "I can see you're already excelling. If you keep learning, and take the job seriously, soon you will be able to calculate hyperspace routes."
"And I can be a pilot like you and the Rogues!" Shmi's eyes shown with her utter desire to fly an X-wing like her father and uncles.
"That's right." Luke sat in his usual chair and gestured for Lars to continue his instruction.
He tried, he really did try to pay close attention, but Luke kept getting distracted when his mind wandered to the very special item he had detoured to pick up after one mission. It was safely hidden in a small carving he'd made in the wall with his lightsaber, which had been re-plugged much like a brick in a wall after the special item had been placed within.
His gaze found the spot by memory, and he stared long and hard at it. His mind was soon wandering to different scenarios on how to make that object get from the box to where he knew it belonged.
He was so caught up in his musings that he didn't even notice when Lars shut down after his lesson to recharge. Nor did he perceive it when Shmi packed up her gear upon completing her homework.
Thus, he nearly jumped out of his skin when a soft hand touched his arm.
"Dad?"
Luke caught sight of Shmi as she leaned closer, her eyes worried, and he worked to slow his racing heart.
"I'm alright." He grimaced when he realized how late it was. "I'm sorry Shmi; I try not to blank out like that."
"Yeah, you had a faraway look on your face, and you didn't respond when we asked you a question…" Shmi lifted a brow in question.
Luke felt a blush creep onto his cheeks. "Wow…"
Shmi smirked at him. "Were you daydreaming Dad?"
Luke gave her a theatrical look. "I do not daydream."
Much like a certain red head he had been spending an obscene amount of time with lately, Shmi's smirk grew into a knowing smile.
"Unless it's about Miss Mara…"
Luke snorted a laugh, patting her shoulder affectionately. "Sweetheart, you've spent too much time picking up on Mara's quirks."
Shmi giggled, and Luke shook his head lightly. Then he looked to the tabletop, where he fixed his gaze on his hands.
"Shmi?"
She paused in putting her school gear away. "Yes Dad?"
Luke took a deep breath and lifted his head. He took the backpack from her grasp and tugged her over to sit in his lap.
"I need to ask you something," he said in all seriousness.
"Okay…" Shmi said tentatively.
He took another steadying breath before continuing. "What do you think of Mara becoming part of our family?"
Shmi frowned. "But… I though she already was? Like Uncle Han and the Rogues, right?"
Luke shook his head. "No, I meant, a part of our…" he gestured between himself and Shmi, "…family."
Shmi stared at his moving hand as though it was a rare species of bird on an exotic island, and Luke watched the cogs turn in her mind as her expression slowly shifted. Finally she met his gaze, her words almost whispered.
"You mean… Miss Mara becoming… my Mother?"
"And my wife," Luke confirmed. "I want to ask her to marry me."
"Eeee!" Shmi squealed, bouncing up and down in his lap. "Yes, yes yes! Oh yes!"
Luke laughed at her antics, drawing her in for a tight hug. "I'll take that as your seal of approval."
"Of course! I can't wait!" Shmi breathed excitedly. "Oh! Miss Mara's going to be my mommy!"
Luke grimaced and pulled back to tilt her chin up. "Not so fast, Shmi. Mara has to say yes first. And I do not want you to put any sort of pressure on her, do you understand? This will be a life-changing and life-time commitment for Mara— and us, but mostly her— and she will need to choose for herself… because she wants this, not because we urged her to."
His daughter nodded firmly. "I understand Dad. I won't say anything."
"Good, because I want it to be a surprise." Luke kissed her forehead.
"When are you going to ask her, Dad?"
Luke waged a single eyebrow at her. "Ah… that's my secret to know… but if she says yes…"
"When!" Shmi corrected optimistically.
"… when she says yes, you will be the first one we tell, I promise." Luke finished.
"Deal!" Shmi hugged him again. "Oh! I am so excited!"
Luke felt his heart lurch. "And I'm so nervous…"
(A/N: To those of you who have inquired at various stages: yes, Vader will be coming back into the story in more depth. I just have to get to that point... :) )
