Chapter Twenty:

Luke kept a diligent watch over Mara the rest of the day, keeping the fire lit and even venturing out to hunt because he wanted Mara to have something to eat when she woke. He knew she was simply sleeping as her body recovered from its ordeal, so he wasn't worried that Mara hadn't woken at all yet.

Luke's feet had been frozen from the snow outside, and they still hurt even though he'd warmed them by the fire for a long while now. He knew that Mara and he would need better shoes if they were to walk anywhere on this mountain again.

Then again, Keostea had offered aid, though Luke didn't know what kind of help would be granted. Either way, he'd be grateful for the assistance, and wouldn't complain.

He was now cleaning and preparing the animal he'd hunted, grateful for the first time for the snow outside that would keep the meat cold until it was time to cook it. Once his task was complete, Luke took the meat to the snow and formed a pocket. Once it was large enough to hold the meat, Luke deposited the substance and covered it back over. He marked the spot so he'd be able to find the food again, praying nothing smelled it and came to investigate before Luke and Mara could eat.

Luke was still hungry, but he would not eat until Mara had. Her welfare was forefront in his mind, and he would make sure her needs were met before he considered his own. He did wish there was another blanket...

An idea struck him, and Luke turned to working the pelt that had come from the animal, considering the fur as he did so. He cleaned it first, making sure to get everything off, and then using a collection of hot stones to sterilize the inner side bit by bit.

Finally he had a finished product, and Luke noticed it was now dark outside. With a yawn, Luke glanced at Mara, considering. He needed rest, and yet he wanted to be awake for when Mara roused.

Trying to stall, Luke tended the fire, adding one log to increase the time the blaze would burn while it was unattended in his slumber. After that Luke had few ways to keep himself busy, so he simply sat, waiting.

He tried for a while to remain alert, but found that he kept slipping, so finally he caved and lay down. Using the small pelt to cover his legs since they were the most exposed to the weather, Luke huddled as close to the fire for warmth as possible and closed his eyes.

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She had grown accustomed to her dark prison, though it was no longer a scorching nightmare like before. No, the heat had been taken away somehow, leaving her sweet relief in its wake. She didn't know what had happened, but she was grateful it was gone.

After it had departed, she'd simply fell into a new, refreshing darkness, this one the simple need for rest. That had been... what felt like forever ago, and she was more than ready to wake.

With a deep breath that filled her lungs with cool, crisp air, Mara's eyes fluttered. She frowned minutely when, along with that breath, she smelled smoke. Opening her eyes fully, Mara turned her head and spotted a fire... and her first waking thought was to panic.

But then the logical part of her brain caught up to her, noting that it looked completely under control. Mara shifted, trying to remember where she was and why. She looked around at her surroundings, but only saw stone, and she realized she must have been in a cave.

A brush of her hands to her sides told Mara that while she was in a cave, there was something decidedly soft beneath her. Mara tilted her head and saw a fuzzy blanket, the thing clearly from the hide of some animal.

And now that she was paying attention, Mara saw that there was a fur coat acting as a blanket atop her body, keeping her cozy and warm. It was the view of these two items that jolted Mara's memory, and she recalled that she was in the wilderness.

But she hadn't come out here alone...

Mara lifted her head, trying to find... she paused when she saw feet on the opposite side of the fire. Sitting up fully, Mara caught sight of her companion and smiled warmly upon Luke.

He was asleep, his body turned towards the fire. Mara frowned to see that despite this, and the rather tiny-looking fur piece over his legs, Luke was shivering. Concerned, Mara sought for his own blanket. When she couldn't find anything, Mara grew confused. Where was his blanket?

A thought occurred to Mara, and she looked down upon her bed. It would be just like Luke to give Mara all the comfort and warmth possible and leave himself exposed. Mara lifted the blanket she sat upon and saw that, sure enough, a second one lay beneath it.

With a sigh, Mara carefully stood and removed the top blanket. With slightly weak legs that hadn't been used in a while, Mara moved over to Luke and covered him. It took a moment, but eventually Luke did stop quivering with cold.

Mara wondered why it was so chilly, and decided to explore a little. She also wanted to strengthen her legs with movement. As Mara walked about, she saw the mouth of the cave, and was shocked to find that beyond it lay a blanket of snow.

Mara stared for long seconds, wondering just how long she'd been asleep. The memory of her being unconscious brought back the reason why she had been in such dire straits. Mara instinctively looked to her shoulder... and gaped to find not the nasty mess she'd dealt with for days on end, but instead perfectly healed flesh.

Wanting to be certain she wasn't seeing things, Mara moved back to the fire to use its light to illuminate her frame. Sure enough, her body was entirely whole, with not even any residual pain. The only ache was from her having lain down for so long.

What... Mara thought in awe, unable to figure out what had happened. Her gaze slipped to Luke, wondering if this had been his work. She knew he had taken a healing lesson or two, but he hadn't the knowledge to heal such a bad injury yet.

Did he?

Mara didn't know, but she planned to ask him when he woke up.

With a sigh, Mara adjusted her clothing... and paused again when she spotted a mark on her shoulder where her injury had been. Frowning, Mara peered closer, trying to make it out. It looked like a tiny leaf; but instead of sitting atop her flesh, it seemed to be part of her flesh.

Mara touched it to be certain she wasn't imagining things, but it didn't fade or anything, so she accepted it was there. But though she didn't understand it, Mara knew she'd have that answer soon enough.

Mara realized that she was beginning to shiver now, and so she went to get her coat, which had also been used for her bedding. Once she'd donned it, Mara considered the pelt covering Luke's legs, wondering where that had come from.

She didn't remember anything they'd hunted previously that had white and black fur. That meant that Luke must have hunted while she was unconscious. Mara frowned, wondering where the food was. She could be useful and cook the meat while Luke slept; that way he'd be able to eat when he woke.

She considered, wondering where she would keep raw meat in the wilderness until it was time to cook it. Mara's gaze went to the snow, and she smiled at Luke's ingenuity. The snow would act as an icebox, preserving the meat perfectly until they needed it.

And now that she was paying closer attention, she saw a marked area just outside the mouth of the cave. Mara dug through the snow, grimacing at the biting cold of the snow on her bare fingers, but she pushed though the discomfort. Finally she brushed against something and found the meat.

Pulling it out, Mara went to the pile of firewood and found a few sticks that would make a spit. Mara built her contraption and then began cooking the meat over the flames, also warming her hands in the heat they gave off.

As the meat slowly thawed and then heated through, Mara eyed her companion, allowing her memory to run free. She recalled their argument and then her actions... and how he'd nearly died because of her stupidity.

Mara's throat closed, the look on his face— both before and as he fell— burned into her mind. How could she have spoken to him in such a manner? What had she been thinking?!

Mara knew her mind had been affected by the fever, but that was no excuse in her opinion. There was never a reason for her to treat Luke so.

Mara felt her eyes moisten, and she wiped at them, not able to forgive herself for what she'd done to Luke.

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Sorrow wafted to him on the eddies of the Force, and Luke stirred, though it was the physical scent of something cooking that really woke him. He opened his eyes to find his kill roasting above the open flames.

Frowning, Luke simply stared. He was quite certain he had left the meat in the snow. So how...

More sorrow touched him like the minimal breeze on a warm day, bringing his head up. That was when he realized he was covered by a blanket, and he blinked in surprise.

A prospect entering his mind, Luke sat upright. Sure enough, there was Mara, sitting across from him on her pallet. A grin split his face.

"Mara!" he said warmly, watching as she jumped at the sudden sound, making him cringe. "Sorry."

Mara shook her head, trying to hide the fact that her eyes were leaking. "No, it's alright."

But Luke was already frowning. "Are you still in pain?"

Mara blinked at him, and then sighed, apparently giving up in her tactics to hide her emotions. "No."

Luke tilted his head, concerned. "Then... what's the matter?"

Mara looked away. "I... I'm so sorry for what I did to you Luke."

He had to think a moment before he could guess what she was talking about. "Oh, you mean our... argument?"

Mara nodded. "I feel horrible for what I said, and then I... I pushed you to your death!" Her voice cracked, and she buried her head in her arms, weeping. "I'm so sorry Luke!"

Luke's heart cracked to see her in such a manner, and he stood, moving to kneel before her. "Mara, I'm not upset."

Mara looked to him. "How can you not be? I nearly killed you!"

Luke shook his head. "But you saved me instead. And... I forgive you."

Mara blinked at him. "Just like that?"

Luke nodded. "Just like that."

"Why?" Mara asked suspiciously.

Luke frowned at her. "Why wouldn't I?"

Mara took a shuddering breath. "I could come up with a plethora of reasons. But... I can't stop thinking that I am no different from..."

"Don't say it." Luke pled with Mara, placing a gentle finger to her lips. "Please."

Mara blinked at him, and Luke knew this was his chance. "Mara, you are not Sidara, not now or ever." When she began to protest, Luke gave her a pointed look. "I would know."

Mara turned her head away, but Luke didn't stop. "Mara, about your comment on the cliff-side... I know I've kept everything bottled in, but I have been trying to tell you."

Mara's head came around again, her eyes widening. "You have?"

Luke nodded. "Yes. I wanted to tell you after you opened up to me about your father. But everything's been conspiring against me."

Luke paused to collect himself, closing his eyes as he did so. He recalled Mara saying that Leia had told Mara the gist of things, but he needed to tell her. In his own words, and then let her come to her own conclusion.

"I did marry on Trichi, at the age of sixteen. Well, I thought I was sixteen, but in reality I was seventeen. Still, I was..." Luke's throat closed for a moment in anger with himself, "far too young for marriage."

He took a swift breath, still feeling the self-resentment. "You see, I thought I loved Sidara, I thought I knew what I was doing, and that I could handle it. And perhaps on some level I did actually love Sidara. But looking back now, as an adult, I realize that in actuality I was lonely."

Luke stood, pacing away from Mara. "I was so very lonely, and only I knew that a void lay within me. Everyone had thought I was fine, and that I'd moved on, but there was still the fact that I was utterly alone. Sure I had my clan, and my friends; but they all knew who they were, where they'd come from, etcetera."

Luke wrapped his arms about himself. "I had none of those comforts, and I was searching for some way to close that gap, or to block it... something. I guess I was desperate to fill the void within me, so I clung to the first person to show me what I thought was love. And so I stepped into an adult word well before I was ready for it. I acted impulsively because I needed someone in my life. I realize now I was an easy target because of that, and Sidara took advantage of that."

Luke closed his eyes, his voice dropping to a mere whisper, so that Mara had to stand and draw closer to hear. "I have beaten myself up for that time and again, and it's the root of my problems. It's why I can't... let it go..." he looked to Mara with wet eyes, "or let anyone else in."

He wiped at his eyes now. "I realized that I don't know what love— non-familial love— is. How could I let anyone in or profess to love them in return if I don't even know what it is?"

Mara surprised Luke by touching his face tenderly, and he met her gaze. "Love is me not walking away from you right now."

Luke took in a shuddering breath, and placed a hand over hers. "Thank you."

Mara smiled softly, dropping her limb and looking down. "But I still almost killed you because I wouldn't let you help me."

Luke dried his eyes, peering at her. "Why didn't you let me help?"

Mara bit her lip, swallowing. "Because I didn't want to fail you. I was so worried I would let you down by not being able to complete the Games. Everyone is counting on us, and you've been so strong this whole time. But me..." Mara huffed in frustration. "I got hurt in the first event, and then I got sick... and I didn't want to appear weak so I kept it to myself. I thought I could muscle through it."

Luke frowned. "Mara, I would never think you are weak. And it's not a crime that you got injured. I've been injured in similar situations countless times." He indicated his most prominent scar that ran from his face and down his chest. "I got this when Jauhz jumped me during a fight I could not lose. I won, but I turned my back on the enemy and the rest is history."

Mara breathed deeply. "But you didn't wound someone you... loved."

Luke's breath hitched at what he thought might have been a confession from her. "Mara... please..."

But Mara pulled away when he tried to touch her, and began to pace. "I am so mad at myself for what I did to you! How could I speak to you like I did? How could I shut you out when I expected and hoped that you would open up?"

Seeing her in such a manner, Luke made up his mind and carefully drew closer. In her tirade, Mara didn't see.

"And then you were just trying to help me, and... and then I couldn't lift you once I had a hold of you on the edge because of my injury..."

Luke drew so close he merely had to reach out a finger to touch her...

"...something that could have been avoided had I just let you help me! And then you wouldn't have..."

Luke reached out a hand, touching her arm with gentle pressure, his heart pounding.

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Mara almost didn't feel his skin on hers, but as soon as it registered, she stiffened in shock. Her eyes widened, and without shifting her face, Mara's emerald gaze looked to Luke. What she saw in his own gaze made her breathing become slightly erratic.

"...Mara." Luke breathed, turning her with gentle pressure to face him. Mara didn't resist, her attention held captive by him. To her surprise, Luke's hand shifted from her arm to her cheek, fingertips just below the ear... the touch so intimate it sent a jolt through Mara.

In all their years together, Luke had never touched her like this, and she felt just a hint of uncertainty at his sudden approach... but nor did she move to stop Luke. No, it was the love that Mara could see in his blue eyes— a love whose depths rivaled the oceans of Kamino— that kept her in place.

"Mara," Luke spoke again, his face earnest. "... I love you."

Mara could only stare, so taken aback by his declaration was she. However, before she could formulate any coherent thought or reply, Luke continued.

"I have loved you for a while now." His thumb caressed the curve of her jaw. "I was just so scared before... I was afraid of opening my heart once more and having it broken again. But then I look back and I know that wasn't my only reason for hesitating."

Luke took a breath, never breaking from her gaze. "I feared my reasons for loving you. I wanted to make certain I really did love you... and I do."

He released her face to tenderly finger a few rogue strands of her red-gold hair, and Mara trembled. She was so enraptured by Luke that she couldn't have looked away from him even if she'd wanted to. And she didn't want to.

"I have been lonely," Luke told Mara, "but not like I was on Trichi. I love you so much, and I know it's real because I know the real you. And I trust you. I now know for myself the difference between familial and romantic love."

He took a minimal step closer, bringing him so near that a book would have barely fit between them, and Mara's heart rate increased. "True love is when you can't help but put a special someone's welfare above your own." Luke's eyes bored fervently into hers. "When that person is all you can think about... when it kills you that she is hurting, and you want nothing more than to steal away the agony caused to her so long ago..."

He drew closer still... closing that tiny gap further. "When you fall asleep to thoughts of one woman and then wake feeling empty because she isn't in your arms." His fingers caressed her cheekbone with tender care. "It's when the sight of her happy face lightens an otherwise horrible day. When her fiery spirit buoys you up like nothing else..."

Luke slowly bent his head so that his forehead rested against hers. "I love you Mara Jade. I really, and truly love you... and I accept you, past, present and future. Please, stop allowing the guilt to eat away at you. You are such a beautiful person, and you are perfect just the way you are."

Mara's chest hitched, and finally she could no longer stand silently at his open and honest declaration of love. Her eyes spilled over, and she whispered the only thing that came to her mind and heart.

"You really love... me?"

Luke nodded without breaking contact. "I do."

Mara laughed shakily, breaking contact to lean her head into his chest. Luke's arms encircled her, and she wept happy tears. Luke held her openly, and Mara allowed herself to relish in his embrace. In all her life, she had never felt such a sense of... protection. Luke's embrace, coupled with the love he felt for her— that she could now feel like the warm rays of a sun— made her feel secure. His arms were warm, inviting and utterly safe, and Mara felt whole for the first time in her life.

She stood in Luke's embrace for a time, uncaring how much of it passed before she broke from his embrace a little bit. Her eyes met his, and he smiled in a manner that set her heart off again.

When he cradled her face again, Mara felt excitement bubble up, and then he leaned in...

When Luke's breath warmed her lips, Mara's heart skipped a beat. She quivered, feeling a second emotional dam she'd built fitting to burst. But this one was totally different: it held in not anguish or guilt, but a love that was vaster than the expanse of space. A love for one person in the whole of the galaxy: the man before her.

Love for Luke, who she had come to know and couldn't bear to live without. Love for someone who truly understood what she felt, who knew her— flaws and all— and still loved her in return.

Then his lips met hers, so soft and tender, and Mara's heart danced. A tiny noise slipped from Mara, and Luke's mouth covered hers a little more. Mara's arms snaked up to wrap about him, drawing him close, and feeling his arms do the same to her.

Time slowed for Mara as she lost herself in Luke's embrace, in his kiss. Stars could this man kiss! Mara's dam finally burst, washing through the pair of them with a suddenness that surprised both.

In the face of such openness, Luke in turn revealed himself entirely to Mara in the Force, hiding absolutely nothing from her. He let her see into his very core, where all his deepest fears secrets and wishes lay. She saw him in his entirety, and then let him see her as well.

Unknown to the two, a bright light began to emanate from them, encircling them as they forged an unbreakable bond in the Force.

The experience left Mara feeling breathless and she broke from Luke to catch some air. She rested her head on his chest again, and once more his arms closed around her.

"I love you too, Luke," Mara whispered.

She felt his smile against her hair, and he kissed her head.

"Promise you'll always be here?" Mara asked, the thought of him leaving her terrifying Mara. "Don't ever leave me."

Luke took a deep breath, remembering another person who'd asked such a thing of him. But whereas that had been a deception, Mara meant it with every fiber of her being. And Luke refused to let Sidara have anymore sway over him.

Or his relationship with Mara.

"I'll never leave you, Mara." Luke promised. "Unless you tell me to."

Mara smiled, accepting his answer. "Thank you."