After finishing lunch with his sister, brother-in-law, and Chewbacca, Luke was cornered by Leia, who had a predatory gleam in her eye.

"What are you planning on wearing? Not black, I hope."

"What's wrong with black?" Luke's voice elevated a notch defensively.

"Nothing...if you're going to a funeral." Leia paused. "Where are you eating?"

"Somewhere casual."

"Which means no suit, which in turn means you don't have to wear black." Leia hooked her arm around her twin's. "Brother dearest, we're going shopping."

And the Jedi was dragged away before he could utter a word of protest.

The Chief of State had finally managed to decide which pair of khaki pants she was making him get, and she was now having him try on what felt like the ten billionth sweater. But to be fair, he actually liked this one: the muted sandy colors reminded him of Tatooine. They swirled together in a very intricate manner and looked rather nice on him.

Luke came out of the dressing room and stood in front of his sister, arms crossed. He gave her a look that was a mixture of annoyance and impatience. "How about this one?"

The former Alderaanian Princess ran a critical eye over the sweater, checked it from different angles, and then nodded. "That'll do."

"I feel like a pet pittin being dressed up by a six-year old girl," Luke grumbled.

"Are you insulting my intelligence?" Leia honed in on his statement.

"Are you picking out my dinner apparel?"

For a moment, the two siblings merely gazed challengingly into each other's eyes, and Leia finally shot at him, "Well, at least this 'six-year old girl' has better fashion taste than you do."

"Yeah, well..." Luke trailed off, and Leia looked on expectantly. Grasping for anything to say, he snorted, "At least I don't try to live your life for you."

That didn't sit too well, and the Chief of State squirmed under her brother's gaze, which was quickly becoming regretful as he realized what he had said. "I'm sorry, Leia. I didn't mean—"

"No. You're right. I shouldn't try to push you around...I'm becoming as bad as my aunts were."

"No," Luke insisted forcefully. "You've been trying to help me, and all I have done is push everyone away. I'm the one that needs to change. Instead of being a big rock slowing the stream of life, I should try to be part of it."

Smiling gently, Leia walked over to her brother and hugged him. He was finally starting to see reality.

Anxiously, Luke waited outside Mara's apartment door. He shifted a few times and glanced down at the bundle of flowers in his hand, almost as if to reassure himself that they were still there. They were a rare type and not exactly cheap. The flower's proper name was Saldenia, but most called it "The Flower of Flames," and with good reason. It was primarily red, but in the middle it seemed to glow with a strange, yellow-orange fire that was constantly changing. It was a phenomenon that had baffled scientists for centuries.

A muffled "Coming!" reached his ears, and he waited semi-patiently for her to come to the door. When she did, it was hard to keep his mouth from gaping open in astonishment.

It was only on very rare occasions—generally, diplomatic functions—that Luke had seen Mara Jade in anything other than a jumpsuit. And what she was wearing now was far from even remotely resembling a jumpsuit.

Mara had on a black turtleneck sweater, which made her seem even leaner than normal while accenting her feminine curves. She had on a floorlength green skirt that went remarkably well with her eyes, and she had on pilgrim pumps of the same color that brought her up to almost his height. She was wearing silver earrings with vibrant emeralds in the center and a matching necklace and bracelet as well.

For a pregnant moment, there was nothing but silence, as each was merely staring at the other in disbelief. It was the ex-Emperor's Hand who spoke first. "You didn't wear black."

"You didn't wear a jumpsuit."

For a moment, Mara just glared at Luke; then she broke into a smile and replied quietly, "I don't always wear jumpsuits."

"I don't always wear black," Luke returned. Mara stared at him. She clearly felt that she could argue that point all night and then some. "Well, I don't," he muttered. She raised an eyebrow. Trying to take attention away from himself and express something he had wanted to say since she answered the door, he took her appearance in once more and gave a wide smile. "You look...nice."

"I spend all night getting ready and I only look nice?" Mara looked mock-hurt.

Luke was flustered, unsure what to say, and Mara elbowed him. "It's called sarcasm, farmboy. You should try it sometime."

"Are you implying that I'm not a fun guy?"

"Are you jumping to conclusions?" Mara shot back.

"Are you picking on a delusional farmboy?"

"Are you arguing with the former Emperor's Hand?:

"Are you..." Luke trailed off.

"Yes?" Mara gazed at him questioningly.

"Are you ready to go?"

She smirked at him, glad that she had won the battle. "Are Jedi Masters boring?"

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, Skywalker. Just kidding."

Soon, they were seated in the dimly lit restaurant, bantering about whether or not they had done well in choosing their current careers. "Mara, you can do so much more with your life than smuggle contraband for spice-heads."

"Oh, and like teaching snot-nosed brats is so much better."

"Are you calling yourself a snot-nosed brat?" Luke grinned.

"I fail to see where you have taught me anything yet, farmboy."

"Well, if you would come down to the Academy once in a while..."

"Well, if you hadn't ignored me every time I came..."

"I don't ignore you..." Luke glanced down at the table, and then he looked up. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure. "Do I?"

"Maybe not the whole time." Mara smirked, trying to lighten the conversation.

But Luke was serious. "I do, don't I?" He shook his head minutely, frustrated with himself. "All this time, I have been putting off your not coming to the Academy as either your being uninterested or your just not wanting to make a commitment. But in actuality it has been because there's no point in coming if you are just going to be ignored..." He sighed, "How could I have been so stupid?"

"Not stupid, Skywalker. Just...busy."

"Too busy to spend time with the woman that I continuously pestered to come to the Academy? I think not."

"It's all right. Don't worry about it."

"But—"

"Uh uh," Mara quieted him, pressing a finger against his lips.

Luke glanced down at her finger and started to say something, but he was again shushed. His lips were suddenly dry, and he felt an insane urge to moisten them, but he wasn't quite sure the situation would allow it. So, instead, he looked up at Mara, and her eyes caught his. He was unable to pry his gaze away despite his best efforts, so he merely stared into the deep green pools of her eyes.

Noticing that her finger was still in place, the ex-Emperor's Hand slowly retreated her hand, but it stopped a few inches from his face. She lightly touched his face, and then she inwardly reprimanded herself and brought her hand down.

But Luke wasn't ready for them to lose bodily contact yet, and he brought his hand up to cup her face. She covered his hand with hers, and he was startled by the chill of her fingers. Unable to resist temptation, even though thousands of reasons he should stop were being shouted at him by his mind, his heart urged him to bring their lips together.

A sudden jolt of passion sparked through them both as their lips met, and, despite their being in a public place, they intensified the kiss. The Force, as well as that other special energy field that is activated when a man and a woman have physical contact, enveloped the both of them, bringing an amazing feeling of bliss down upon them.

When they finally had to break for air, the two sat back in their seats and stared at each other. Luke was the first to venture to speak. "It certainly took long enough for us to do that."

Mara laughed. "Well, if you weren't such a stubborn farmboy..."

"I'm not stubborn! It's you who's stubborn!"

"Who's the one that insisted on barging into a prison cell of one of the most powerful battlestations of all time to rescue a princess?"

"Yeah, well, who is the one that won't let anyone else fly a certain Jade's Fire?"

"What does that have to do with stubborness!?" Mara was indignant.

"You're stubbornly set."

Mara got a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Any more kisses like that one, and you can fly my ship anytime you want!"

Luke turned redder than a blushing tomato.