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
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CHAPTER 14
Leia held tightly to her brother's arm as the group made their way from
the docking
bay to the residential quarters of the ship. Leia's joy engulfed the
both of them
warmly. Luke was sure that they both wore silly grins on their faces.
The people they
passed along their way, however, didn't seem to find their happiness
odd. They
themselves were smiling in return. Those whom Luke recognized waved
him a happy
greeting as they passed.
"Leia, what is all the excitement about?" he asked as he looked down
at his sister by
his side. "How can you be so ecstatic when you have a fleet of Imperial
Star
Destroyers off to your port?"
"That is exactly what I'm happy about," she told her brother. "I'll
tell you all about it
when we get to the suite. I promise."
Luke's eyes opened wide with surprise at his sister's statement. For
the life of him, he
couldn't figure out what in the known universe was going on. Leia's
excitement was
so bright, it didn't allow him to pick up on the subtle points that
was the cause of the
excitement.
He shook his head at her and couldn't help but laugh from the joy he
could feel
around them. "Boy," he said. "And I thought my news was going to make
you happy. I
guess someone else beat me to the punch."
Leia came to an abrupt stop. "What news?!" she asked, staring at him intently.
The look on her face caused a lump to form in his throat. He swallowed
hard to clear
it. He wanted to just spit out the words "I'm getting married!" but
knew this really
wasn't the place for it. He caught Mara's eye over the top of his sister's
head. A flash
of nervousness crossed her face. *Don't you dare tell her here,* he
heard Mara warn
him in his mind.
He smiled back down at his sister. "I'll tell you when we get to your
suite--I promise,"
he mimicked words she had spoken only moments earlier.
Leia examined her brother's face, but it refused to yield anymore information.
"Well
let's get going then," she said as she pulled him along the corridor
once again. "I'm
eager to hear your news."
The small band was on the move once again. Han and Mara followed a few
steps
behind the siblings. Han glanced out the corner of his eye at the woman
beside him.
"What was that all about?" he asked her nonchalantly trying to start
up a
conversation.
Mara gave him a quick glance and took a deep breath, but didn't answer
the question.
She worked her jaw, looking like she was debating if she should respond
or not. The
look on her face, Han noted, was not one he was used to seeing on Mara
Jade.
*Nervousness? Confusion?* Han thought to himself. He may not be a Force
sensitive,
but he was still pretty good at picking up people's emotions, and he
was kind of
surprised by how loudly Mara was broadcasting hers.
"You okay?" he asked her with concern in his voice.
She shot him a very 'Mara' look, but he noticed her rising anxiety.
"I'm fine," she bit
out at him.
"Sure you are," Han replied. He turned his gaze from Mara and pretended
to admire
the design of the very plain, militaristic corridor they were walking
through. He was
sure he heard a growl come from Mara's direction and he couldn't help
but snicker at
the reaction.
After a short ride on a turbo lift, they made their way down another
set of corridors.
Finally Leia brought the group to a halt at one of the many doors that
lined the hall.
She punched in an access code on a pad beside the door and it slid
open. She released
Luke's arm and entered the suite.
Luke stepped aside and motioned for Mara to go ahead of him. He noticed
instantly the
scowl that Mara was wearing. *I love you,* he sent to her as she passed.
She turned
her face just slightly towards him and her scowl turned into a delicate
smile, albeit a
small one, but a smile nevertheless. Luke was pleased with his reward
and followed
her through the door.
Subconsciously he placed his left hand on the small of her back as he
guided her into
the suite. The action seemed so second nature to Luke, that he didn't
even realize he
had done it, and neither did Mara. But the person who followed behind
them picked
up on it instantly. One corner of Han Solo's mouth curled up into a
roguish smile.
*So,* he thought to himself. *That's what's different about you.* He
decided to keep
any comment to himself for the moment. He wanted to see how this whole
thing
played out.
Luke took Mara's pack from her and placed both his and hers on the floor
just inside
the doorway.
"Why doesn't everyone make themselves comfortable," Leia said from across
the
room. "I'll get us some refreshments. I'm sure you're probably a bit
tired of rations
by now."
"That would be great," Luke responded to his sister. "Thanks, Leia."
Leia left the room and headed to the suite's small kitchen area. Han
waved the rest of
the group to the nook of comfortable looking couches and chairs in
the center of the
room. He was not at all surprised when Luke and Mara sat down on the
same couch, or
how close they sat to one another. *Now this is going to be interesting,*
he thought
as he seated himself in a big plush chair across from them.
"Sooo," Han said as he leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs.
"How was your
trip from...from where ever it was you have just come from?" he asked
realizing he
didn't have the slightest idea where the two had actually been.
"We had stopped at Karrde's outpost on Carva III," Luke informed his friend.
"Ahh, Carva III," Han acknowledged the place. "I've been there a few
times on supply
runs, a loooong time ago. Is Gerri Pabos still running the place?"
he directed the
question at Mara.
"Yeah," Mara answered. "He knows a good thing when he has it. It's out
of the way
and quiet. He doesn't really have to do much except be king of his
castle."
Han laughed softly at her reply. "Yup, that's Gerri alright. Likes the easy life.
"So, the trip, how was it?" Han repeated his original question.
"Uneventful," Mara replied quickly before Luke could even form a response.
He shot
her a quick glance and just as quickly returned it to Han. He knew
Mara wouldn't
want to discuss their activities aboard the Chiss ship with Han or
anyone else as a
matter-of-fact. But the idea of describing their time together as 'uneventful'
did jab
at him. He gave Han a thin smile as if agreeing with Mara's comment.
"Ah-huh," Han responded, his eyes opening a bit wider. His head gently
bobbed up
and down. He was just about to form another question when Leia entered
the room
with a tray of drinks and a plate of light snacks.
As Leia placed the tray down on the table in the center of the sitting
area, she took
notice that Luke and Mara were occupying the same couch. *Now that
isn't
something I would have seen a few months ago,* she thought to herself.
She gave
her brother a warm smile and handed him a glass from the tray.
Luke accepted the drink and returned Leia's smile. There was something
in her eyes
that told him she was starting to put things together. It was time
to let the womp rat
out of the bag.
"So what is going on out there, Leia?" Mara piped up before Luke could
say anything
to Leia about their new relationship.
*You did that on purpose,* he sent to Mara as he looked at her out the
corner of his
eye.
*Yes,* she answered simply, but did not look at him. *I think we should
find out what
is going on first. Maybe it isn't the right time to make an announcement
like this.*
Luke really just wanted to get it all out in the open, but knew Mara
was right. They
needed to know what was going on in the galaxy right now. That was
the important
thing. Their relationship was on a personal level and unfortunately
was on the
bottom of the list of priorities.
*It is not at the bottom!* he heard Mara reprimand him. *It is just
on a different
list.* She glanced quickly at him and then turned back to Leia to hear
her response.
Leia gave her a large smile. "You won't believe it when I tell you,"
she said beaming
brightly. "I barely believe it myself."
"What is it, Leia?" Luke asked. He could feel her excitement growing
once again as
she spoke. "You said it had something to do with that Imperial Fleet.
Is that really the
Chimaera out there? Why are they here?"
Luke could swear his sister was on the verge of jumping up and down
like an excited
child. She turned to her husband. They looked at each other lovingly.
Han took her
hand and squeezed it tightly. Leia turned back to her brother. "They
want peace,
Luke," her voice cracked a bit as she spoke the words out loud.
The news caught him completely off guard, he never saw it coming. His
jaw dropped
and his eyes opened wide. He knew Leia was telling him the truth. He
could see the
tears of joy welling up in her eyes. All the lines and scars that so
many years of war
had put onto her face had seemed to disappear. She was radiant.
"Peace?" Luke said in a hoarse whisper.
Leia smiled down at him, tears ran down her cheeks. With a quiet sniffle
she nodded
to him.
In a blink of an eye he was out of his seat and had his sister in his
arms. Leia released
a loud sob of joy. Luke felt his brother-in-law's strong arms wrap
about them both as
he shared in their celebration.
Luke finally pulled away from the embrace but remained standing with
a hand on
each of their shoulders. He looked from one face to the other. He was
having trouble
finding his voice. Swallowing hard he finally asked, "How? Why...now,
after all this
time?"
Leia placed her hand over her brother's. "They're tired of fighting,"
she told him.
"They don't want to do it anymore."
She shook her head to help clear it. "Oh, Luke. There really is so much
to tell you, and
I will, I promise, but for now just know that they are completely sincere
about this.
No tricks. They want this as much as we do. Gavrisom has had over a
half dozen
meetings with them. The treaty will be signed next week."
"I can't believe it," Luke said still completely astonished. "It's what
we have been
working for all these years. What we hoped and dreamed."
Leia bit her bottom lip and nodded, tears still spilling from her eyes.
She didn't even
make an attempt to wipe them away.
His heart swelled inside him and he couldn't remember being so happy.
*Yes I can!*
The thought shot through him like a blaster bolt. He turned around
to see Mara still
sitting on the couch behind him. She sat with her hands clenched in
her lap, her
bottom lip was tucked into her mouth and her eyes were open wide. A
mixture of
emotions swam across her face...amazement, happiness, uncertainty...jealousy?
Yes,
that was there too. Jealousy of not having the love and support of
family like he had.
But she did have that. She had that with him.
"Mara?" he said slowly. He could feel his body shaking. He knew his
voice would too if
he said anymore. But words weren't needed right now. He reached out
a hand to her
and she accepted it without hesitation. He instantly pulled her from
the couch and
wrapped his arms tightly around her as he buried his face in her fiery
red hair. He
could feel his own tears now running down his cheeks. Mara released
a sniffle that
let him know that she was also crying. "I love you," he whispered in
her ear so only
she could hear.
Mara's head nodded against his shoulder. So overwhelmed with emotion,
she couldn't
find her voice at the moment.
Luke pulled back from her just a bit and placed his hands on either
side of her face.
He looked into her watery green eyes and wiped away her tears with
his thumbs. He
leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead and then brought his
forehead down
to meet hers. They looked deeply into each other's eyes and smiled
at one another.
"You think they've noticed something's up?" Mara whispered to him.
"Nah," Luke replied playfully. "What would give them that idea?"
Mara chuckled softly. "I think it's time to 'let the womp rat out of the bag'"
"I think you're right," Luke replied. He took a deep breath, placed
his right hand on
Mara's left shoulder and turned to face his family.
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