By JediGirl
CATAGORY: New Republic
SPOILERS: Tim Zahn's Hand of Thraw duology
RATING: R
SETTING: Those missing chapters that Mr. Zahn forgot to write in Visions
of the Future. Luke and Mara have just taken off from Nirauan and heading
out to meet up with Leia,
Han and Karrde. This is my version of what happened between Luke and
Mara during those days alone on their "borrowed" Chiss ship. And of course
how the "family" hears
about the pending nuptials.
DISCLAIMER As always, these charcters do not belong to me. They belong
to wonderful people such as Mr. George Lucas and Mr. Timothy Zahn, among
others. They inspire
me to make up my own tales and share them with others....just for pure
enjoyment. There is more to life than just money :)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: A huge big THANK YOU to my wonderful beta reader,
Michele. This story would never have happened without her. She completely
inspired me
and helped to make it as good as it could be. Plus, if it wasn't for
her, the "challenge" would never had happened
----------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 6
Mara walked over to the comm station and hit a button to answer the
call. "Jade," she
answered as the image of Gerri Pabos appeared on the tiny screen.
"Hey Mara," Gerri greeted her. He paused a second as he took in Mara's
appearance on
his end of the holo. "Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Ah, yeah," Mara tried to answer nonchalantly, but knew she hadn't succeeded.
Her
emotions were in too much of a flux to be completely hidden. "I was
taking a quick
nap. It's been a rough couple of days," she quickly continued as she
pulled her robe
tighter about her body.
"I see..." Gerri replied, clearly not completely believing her. "Well,
sorry I woke you,
but we located Karrde, he's on Bothawui. I can patch you through if
you want."
*Bothawui?* she thought to herself, *Bet on it that Karrde is always
where the action
is.*
"Thanks Gerri, but I think I'll need to wake up more first," she replied.
"Transmit the
data to this comm station. I'll put in a call a little later."
"Sure, " he answered, "Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you."
"Will do Ger. Jade out." She clicked off the connection and headed back
to the bed
room.
In bed, Luke had wrapped himself tightly in blankets. Mara had helped
to settle him
down, but he could still feel his emotions slowly spiraling within
him. The warmth
from Mara's body could still be felt in the blankets and he pulled
them closer about
him in hopes it would help calm him even more. He pulled in a long,
slow, deep
breath, then released it, allowing the exiting breath to take his remaining
anxiety
along with it. His muscles relaxed and his body sank deeper into the
the soft blankets
and mattress.
*I lost control,* the thought ran through his mind once again, but this
time his
emotions stayed in check. *I lost control, but Mara stuck with me.
She stood with me,
face to face, held on tight and road it out. I don't scare her. I don't
intimidate her. I
didn't even realize how much I need someone like that in my life.*
A grin formed on Luke's face. *You're an idiot Skywalker,* he told himself.
*You're
thinking you never had this, but you're wrong. It's been there for
ten years. She has
been there for ten years. Why has it taken ten years to see it?*
"You asleep?" Mara asked as she entered the room. She gently probed
his mind to see
what his state was. He had been so shaken up and she really didn't
want to leave him
at that moment, but she knew she had to answer the call. Gerri would
have been even
more suspicious if she hadn't. Fortunately her probe revealed that
he had calmed
down, and actually seemed content.
"No," came a muffled response from the pile of blankets. "They find Karrde?"
"Yeah, he's on Bothawui."
"Bothawui?" Luke asked poking his head out from the covers. "What's
the situation
there?"
"Gerri didn't say. But if Karrde is there I would have to guess things
are heating up.
You can always find him where the action is."
Luke nodded in reply and settled back into the covers.
"You okay?" Mara asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...just lost it a bit. Thank you for keeping me anchored."
"Not a problem, I've been doing it for years," she replied with a wink.
"We should really get dressed and eat that lunch out there," she continued
as she
leaned against the door frame. "I need to put in a call to Karrde as
soon as possible,
but I think I should be wearing something more suitable."
Luke arched an eyebrow at her. "I'd receive a transmission from you
looking like
that any day."
Mara picked up his pants that had been left behind on the floor and
threw them at
him. "You are such a flirt! Go back to 'your' room and get dressed.
I'll be ready in a
few minutes.
Luke rose from the bed, gathered up his pants and gave Mara a low bow,
"As my lady
wishes." And he ran from the room as Mara chased him out with the snap
of a towel.
He stopped at the doorway and turned back, his face becoming serious
again. "Thanks
Mara...for...for understanding, and...for loving me."
A wave of nerves came over Mara and she found herself speechless. She
sucked in
her lower lip as her cheeks flushed pink. She gave him a silent nod
and a loving
smile in return.
------------------------------------------------
Luke returned to his assigned room, took another quick shower, dressed,
and
returned to the sitting area. He found the room empty, Mara was still
getting
changed. He walked over to the tray that was delivered and lifted the
cover from the
food. He tested its temperature with his finger. It had indeed gone
cold.
He looked around the room to see if it came equipped with a heating
appliance. He
found one in a small kitchenette off to one side. It contained everything
that was
needed to prepare a small meal. He placed the cold food in the warmer
and set the
timer.
He then made his way to a bar in the connecting room. He found it well
stocked with
liquors from planets and systems throughout the galaxy. Luke wasn't
fond of many
alcoholic beverages, but he eyed a bottle of very old Alderaanian wine.
He was sure it
was quite expensive and figured Karrde may be saving it for something
special, so
decided to pass on it. He decided instead to go with a bottle of mineral
water. His head
was fuzzy enough without the addition of alcohol.
The timer chimed on the warmer. He placed the bottle of water on a small
two person
dining table near the window and went to retrieve their lunch from
the warmer.
Mara walked out of the bedroom as he was placing the plates on the table.
She was
wearing a tight fitting black top with a short beige jacket and a loose
pair of mossy
green flight pants. Luke looked her up and down and gave her a quizzical
look. "I
don't know if I can see Karrde wearing that, but it seems to be very
you."
Mara placed her hands on her hips and gave him a smirk. "They're my
clothes, not
Karrde's," she responded.
"Do you keep a spare change of clothes at every outpost too?"
"I'm Karrde's second in command, he makes sure I have everything I need
no matter
where I show up." She walked over to inspect the food that had been
delivered.
"I'm not sure if I can promise you the same thing," Luke said as he
pulled out a chair
for her.
"Yes you can," she replied seating herself, "since you're all I need."
Luke's cheeks flushed at her comment as he sat in the chair across from
her. He
fiddled with the eating utensils, trying to find an appropriate come-back.
His efforts
failed, so he just speared his food with a fork. "Smells good."
"Hope it tastes just as good," Mara commented and stabbed a bright colored
vegetable
with her own fork. "I'm starved."
They ate in silence for a while, enjoying the view from the window and
the presence
of one another. Occasionally they would share smiles or one of them
would reach out
and caress the other's hand, but no words were needed. Being there
together seemed
to be enough.
As Mara finished her lunch, she took a sip of water and leaned back
in her chair. "So,
are you going to tell her over the comm or wait till you see her in
person?" she asked
as Luke finished chewing the last of his food.
Luke swallowed what he was eating and looked up at Mara. "In person,
definitely. She
would kill me if I told her something like this over the comm."
Mara chuckled softly. "You're right. How do you think she will take
it?" she asked
while playing with the rim of her glass.
Luke ran his fingers through his hair and looked up at the ceiling.
*How will she
take it?* he repeated the question in his mind. He took a deep breath
and looked back
at Mara. "Well, it's no secret that she's wanted me to find a 'nice
woman to settle down
with,' " he answered, "So I would think she would be happy that I have
finally done
that."
"Yeah, but how do you think she will feel about the 'nice woman' being
me?" Mara
asked as she met his gaze.
Luke reached over and took her hand, "Mara, you know Leia has always
liked and
respected you," he told her very sincerely. "She has always thought
of you as a friend
of the New Republic as well as our family."
"I know that, but how will she feel about me being 'part' of the family?"
Luke could hear the nervousness in Mara's voice. It actually surprised
him that she
was getting so upset over the situation. Mara was actually very concerned
about
being accepted. This was not the Mara Jade he met over ten years ago.
She had
definitely changed over that time and he couldn't believe he hadn't
noticed.
"Mara," he said as he squeezed her hand tightly, "It will all work out,
trust me. They
will all be happy to have you as part of our family."
"And if they're not?" she said sternly.
"I know they will."
"Jedi intuition?" she asked.
"Maybe, but I think it is more a faith in those I love." He pressed
his lips softly
against her fingers and then sat back in his chair. "If I had
to predict the future, I
would say Leia will be more upset with 'how' rather than with the 'who',
" he said as
he continued to caress the tips of her fingers.
"Huh?" she responded with a raise of an eyebrow. "I don't follow."
"Our courtship," he sighed, "She would want me to find a 'nice woman',
date her for a
while, propose to her, make the announcement, set a date and get married.
She was
raised as royalty, that is how she was taught it should be done."
"That's not how it happened for her," Mara replied.
"Exactly," Luke said. "All the more reason she would want it to work
that way for me. I
think sometimes Leia feels bad that she was given the rich life of
a princess and I got
sent to live as a poor farmer. She feels she has to make it up to me,
give me the
chance to have the experiences she had. To live the 'good life'. But
what she doesn't
realize is that I don't feel at all cheated. I like my life and I am
glad to have had the up
bringing that was given to me. It all made me who I am today.
And I look forward to
experiencing the different twists and turns that my life will take
in the future. The
last thing I want is my life mapped out for me.
"But she'll get over it," he said, his face brightening, "Once it sinks
in that I am
actually getting married and there is a wedding to plan."
"Ugh! The Wedding!" Mara said in a shocked voice, "When I said yes,
I didn't
completely consider what it involved. How do you feel about eloping?"
Luke chuckled softly. "I would love to," he said looking lovingly at
his bride-to-be.
"But I should do at least one thing correct in Leia's eyes, or she'll
make my life
miserable."
Mara sighed in defeat. "Fine," she replied. "But no holonet reporters!
NONE! Promise
me."
"Oh come on Mara, you'll look beautiful on the holonet," he teased.
"NONE! Promise!" she growled.
"I promise I will talk with Leia about it," Luke responded. He rose
out of his chair, still
holding Mara's hand. "Shouldn't you put a call into Karrde?" he asked
deciding now
was a good time to change the subject.
Mara glowered at him. "Great! There will be hundreds of them," she said
slumping
her shoulders, but raising from her chair and heading to the comm station.
"Our
image will be plastered all over Coruscant."
Luke smiled. "Most likely the galaxy." He gave her a quick kiss
on the cheek and she
cracked a smile. Albeit a small one, but a smile never-the-less.