Author's Notes: My bad about the typo mistakes…sometimes I type so fast I just skip over them. Then my grammer/spell check doesn't catch them. Also, since this is almost directly after the Battle of Endor, Thrawn got moved to Coruscant very quickly. I know it doesn't exactly follow, but I might as well mess with that as long as I'm messing with everything else—including tossing the whole expanded universe out in favor of my own plot line. I'm also kinda new at the whole Star Wars fic writing thing, so bare with…the Thrawn/Maara thing is just a fun twist. Makes everyone go "ew!" and Mara certainly won't be happy about it. Oh, and just to clear up any doubts, Palpy's plan was to have Mara sleep with Luke until he was absolutely smitten with her, then have her turn him so he could continue the Sith's reign over the Empire. If anyone needs further clarification, or a more detailed explanation, my email is lostlittle_angel@hotmail.com. Feel free to contact me.

Hyperspace: A Few Days later…

Waking up next to him in the cockpit of an X-wing was one thing, but waking up next to Luke Skywalker in his own bed was quite another. Especially when his arms were wrapped around her waist and his face was buried in her hair. Mara definitely wasn't used to that sort of wakeup, but to her surprise, she didn't find it wholly unpleasant, either. She might have lingered if her stomach hadn't been screaming for food. This, too, was a bit unusual. Mara didn't normally get that hungry. Then she discovered that moving was rather difficult—her muscles were stiff and tender. Frowning, she gingerly stretched and shifted, getting her muscles accustomed to moving again. The only other time she'd been that sore was when she'd waken up in the X-wing. Finally, slowly, she began to pull out of Skywalker's arms, and had neared the edge of the bed when he gently pulled her back, murmuring something unintelligible in his sleep. And his arms weren't the only things reaching for her, either. His sense was calling out in his sleep, searching for her, finding her, and silently imploring her to return.

//Mara…too cold,// he thought to her, on the verge of waking. //Too cold. Stay.//

She smiled to herself, thinking he had a wonderful hold on his knowledge of words in the morning. She started to move away again, gently, and shook her head.

//Rise and shine, Farmboy.//

//No.// He was smiling now, a bit more awake, and, eyes still closed, he yanked her back against him. He knew she would protest mightily, and that added to the fun. He wasn't disappointed.

"Skywalker!" She pushed at his chest. "Get up! And let go of me!"

"Ah, come on." He opened his sleep-smoky blue eyes and winked at her. "You know you like it."

She hit him with a pillow, and he laughed out loud. "Of course," he amended hastily, raising his hands in defeat, "I could have been wrong."

She hit him again just for good measure, then stood up and stretched. "I can't believe I'm gonna be stuck here with you for seven more days," she snapped half-heartedly over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen. He sucked in a deep breath, thinking, might as well be honest about it now… Mentally preparing himself, he called back, "Two days."

There was a pause as all the pieces clicked together. Then her head reappeared in the doorway, eyes narrowed in simmering anger. He braced himself, clutching the sheets unconsciously, as he waited for the inevitable outburst.

"Two days, Skywalker?" she asked, her voice dangerously cool and low. Her temper was pouring off of her, easily sensed through their bond, and he winced. "Just how long have I been asleep?"

He slid out of bed, meeting her gaze with some reluctance, and murmured, "Five days. You were in a Jedi trance. I put you in it to keep you from having nightmares about Thrawn. I know how much you hate visions."

"How do you--! Never mind," she snapped, coming fully into the room and putting her hands on her hips. She glared at him, thought about simply carrying out her mission to kill him, and continued. "Skywalker, I did not want to spend this trip locked in some mystified sleep. We have planning to do! And I'm fully capable of handling my own damn nightmares!"

He took a few steps forward and caught her failing hands, pulling her into him slightly. Other than his firm grip on her fingers, they weren't touching, but she was as aware of him as she was of her own body. His head tilted forward slightly in order to catch and lock her gaze with his, his eyes wide and serious.

"Yes, you are. But I'm not. I wanted to help any way I could. Like it or not, Jade, I care about you. You haven't been sleeping right, you keep getting visions, and you're stressed."

"And your answer is to take me out of commission for five days? We have things we have to go over. How many times have I told you that my well-being is none of your concern?"

"That's not true anymore. If you get distracted, so do I. Our bond makes it that way. We both have to be at the top of our game if we're to pull this off."

She yanked her hand back and shoved him away from her, growing infuriated once more. "You won't have to worry about me being at the top of my game. Now stay away from me."

"I won't." He took a firm hold of her shoulders in an effort to pin her once more, then continued staring at her. "I can be just as stubborn as you."

"I seriously doubt that, Skywalker," she snapped. "And I don't want this stupid bond anymore! I hate the fact that you're always in my head!"

"There's nothing we can do about the bond—it's there for good. Always. And you said yourself that we need to plan. So let's start planning. We don't have a whole lot of time left."

"I hate it when you're right," she growled, and shoved herself away from him. Stalking back and forth like a caged tiger, she began to outline her plan. "Look, we can't have you simply stroll into Coruscant. There's no way Thrawn'd believe I'd just captured you and you didn't manage to get away…our best bet is to convince him that you've turned. So you've got to pretend you're a Sith lord."

"Problem: I've never been a Sith lord, and I didn't exactly hang out with them, either…so how do I pull that off?" he asked, eyes wide and crystal clear. He looked like a schoolboy, and she hated herself for thinking it was cute.

"You didn't hang out with them, but I sure did," she replied. "I'll help you. There's more: you have to pretend you're in love with me, because I'm the reason you turned."

"Like the Emperor's original plan," he said slowly. "That just might work."

"Right. Think you can pretend that you love me? Or at least want me?" she asked, and he grinned at her, yanking her close once more. With his lips mere centimeters from hers, stormy blue eyes half-shut and smoldering, he murmured, "Think this'll do?"

Much to her irritation and his satisfaction, a shiver ran through her at their close proximity and the sensations his touch aroused, and only after a long moment did she managed to nod. "Yes…er…very convincing."

"Good." He released her and she took six very sharp steps away from him. "All right, that's taken care of."

She shrugged. "The rest is simple. I pretend to betray you and try to kill you. You overpower me and take out Thrawn. We wrap him up and send him to the Rebellion as a gift."

"So you've finally decided." He smiled. "You want to be a Rebel."

"I haven't decided anything—I just hate Thrawn, that's all. He's a kook. If you can get rid of him for me, great. And Skywalker, make sure that the overpowering scene is convincing."

He nodded, unsure but willing to give it his best shot—as long as he didn't have to hurt her. "Sure thing. So, about this being a Sith lord…"

"Right…Guess it's time for the first installment of 'Dark Side for Dummies,'" she murmured. "Okay, sit, and listen carefully."

-

Next morning…

They were an hour away from their second rendezvous when all the pieces fell into place for Han. Grumbling under his breath at his revelation, he stomped toward Leia's compartment. After a few pounds on the door, a very disgruntled looking Alderaanian princess opened the door.

"What is it? Something wrong?"

Han pushed past her and into the room, pacing back and forth as he ran through everything in his mind once more. Finally, he looked up at her and said, "You told me that Luke left with that woman, right?"

"Yes…he said it was something about an undercover plan to get more information on Thrawn…" she replied, frowning at him. "Why?"

"Did you ever see a woman with red-gold hair on Yavin?"

"No, but Yavin was a big base and there were people on other miss—"

"What about on Hoth? Did you see her there?"

"No…"

"She wasn't at the meeting about Endor after we got off of Tatooine, she wasn't in any of the squadrons fighting outside of the second Death Star."

"No, no she wasn't…" It was beginning to dawn on Leia as well. "And she hadn't been on the base at Dantooine…but, Han, don't you think that if she was a threat or a spy, Luke would know?"

"Maybe he's trying to protect us by playing along with her. Wouldn't it be just like him? He's gonna try to deal with her on his own." Han slammed a fist down onto the bedside table. "That kid's gonna get himself stabbed in the back on of these days."

"So what are we going to do?" Leia asked, running her hands over his shoulders soothingly. He looked at her with stormy eyes.

"This time, sweetheart, I don't think there's anything we can do."

That was the part that bothered her the most, and she winced at hearing it out loud. Luke had an uncanny ability to get himself into trouble—usually more trouble than he could handle on his own—and he was about as stubborn as she was. They had been through their fair share of scrapes, but Luke seemed to have a knack for drawing trouble to him. Trouble that came, at least this time, in the form of a beautiful young woman.

"I just wish I'd noticed it sooner. I feel so stupid for letting him go like that with a stranger. The Empire is still so strong…"

Han pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, then drew back and sighed. "Yeah. But if the kid managed to get away from Vader, I'm sure he'll get away this time."

Okay, so technically Luke hadn't "gotten away" from Vader—he'd made a suicide jump back on Bespin and somehow managed to call Leia to him—but he usually found his way back out of his mistakes. Well, not usually, but sometimes…well, if Han were to be totally honest, Luke had never really—he sighed. "Maybe we should go after him."

Leia glanced at him, a thousand reasons why they shouldn't go leaping to her lips, a thousand and one reasons why they should echoing in her head. "We don't even know where he's gone."

"I bet I have a good guess." Han rolled his eyes. "Where better to kill a Jedi than the most populated planet in the galaxy?"

"Coruscant?"

"Sure—kill Luke Skywalker at the heart of the Empire. Ought to be a big show and a real morale boost," he replied. "I'm surprised he didn't tell you where he was going."

She smiled weakly. "Probably think I'd play the protective older sister bit. I guess the most likely place is Coruscant, but we certainly can't just go flying over there. We'd get shot out of orbit before we could even contact the ground."

Han paused and shrugged. "Lando's legit now, too…well, we could try to slip past in a shuttle. Worked on Endor, after all."

Leia decided not to inform Han that Vader had intentionally let them slip by, since he didn't seem to have guessed, and said, "Sounds risky, Han…"

"We could take Chewie as a prisoner…you know, slave uprising or something," he replied. "Come to think of it though, you probably shouldn't go at all. You're too important to the Rebellion, and your face it too recognizable. I guess I might be able to talk Lando into it, and Chewie wouldn't let me go without him, so we could try the prisoner plan…"

"Do you really think the Empire's that disorganized, Han?" Leia asked, breaking into his planning. He shot her a lop-sided smile and shrugged again.

"What, after the ass-kicking we gave 'em at Endor?" he joked, then said more seriously, "The Empire doesn't keep real close tabs on smuggler planets—can't, actually, without having some really pissed off smuggling cartels. 'Specially on the Outer Rim. Waste of resources. The Empire doesn't really like smugglers anyway. If we claim we're a prisoner transport from one of the backwater planets, it might work."

"I don't like it, and I don't want to be left behind." Leia paused and sighed. "Perhaps we should wait. If Luke needs us, he'll reach me."

"One of those crazy Jedi things?" Han asked, and Leia blinked at him in surprise.

"You know?"

"What, that you're a crazy Jedi too? Not hard to guess, since Luke's one. Plus you guys always seem to know where the other is and what they're thinking."

Leia smiled a little. "Not always. Luke's better at hiding things than I am." Then the smile faded and she let out a long sigh. "After all, I didn't know he was going to Coruscant. As for your plan… I think we have to trust Luke on this one and let him go his own way. He seemed pretty confident."

Han furrowed a brow, but nodded. "If that's what you think is best…" He flopped down on her couch and nodded again, this time with more conviction. "You're probably right. It's too risky for us to go in as well known as we are. Wonder how the kid's gonna pull it off. He's pretty famous himself nowadays."

"He's Luke," Leia replied with a shrug, smiling to herself. "He'll find a way."

"You know that bad feeling I had earlier? It just got worse," he quipped, and she smacked him lightly with a pillow.

-

Coruscant: One day later…

Thrawn stroked the ysalamiri that had been draped over the top of his throne absentmindedly. Mara Jade obviously thought she'd outwitted him, but she would soon find that it was he that was one step ahead in the game. They were due to arrive at any time, and he had the palace dotted with ysalamiri at key points, with several more ready to disable him and Jade when the time for the executions came. Fitting that the enemies die together, the Emperor's Hand and the Jedi Knight she'd been ordered to kill twice.

The trip back to Coruscant in the shuttle had taken considerably less time than the trip to Wayland in the Star Destroyer, but admittedly there were no stops to make on the way home. There had been several stops on the way to the Rim planet in order ensure that the Admiral had everything he needed to start building his army. It was, he decided after a moment, good to be back on Coruscant and away from the damned Unknown Regions he'd been shipped to when the Emperor had been in charge. Even better to be sitting in the Emperor's own throne room plotting the demise of the Rebellion and, more specifically, the demise of the Rebellion's precious Jedi Knight.

Then there was of course Maara Jade, who was as beautiful as the woman she was a clone of, but improved upon. This Maara listened to him, this Maara would succumb herself to his desires, and he desired her most of all. Was he in love? Not so much as he was in lust, but wasn't love just a glorified version of physical attraction? A stupid, petty emotion, one that got you killed. One that Thrawn didn't think he was capable of, anyway.

He turned to the clone-woman, who was staring out of the viewport with clouded green eyes, and took her wrist. The eyes cleared and she met his gaze, then glanced down at his hand.

"What is it, my lord?" she asked, and he touched her hair.

"The time is almost here, Hand," he said, and Maara nodded her silent agreement. "If you perform well, Hand, you will be handsomely rewarded," he continued, lowering his lips to her neck. Maara lifted her hands to his shoulders and allowed him to have free reign.

"You are the only reward I will ever need," she replied, and he smiled against her skin. Oh yes, the improvements he'd made on her were satisfactory indeed.

-

//Vision again?// Luke asked as he felt agitation flow from Mara like a river over a cliff. Her green eyes narrowed and she gripped the control panel with white-knuckled hands. She was clearly gritting her teeth in disgust and rage, and Luke actually felt some semblance of sympathy for the man on the receiving end. He knew what it was like to be on Mara Jade's bad side, and it wasn't an experience he remembered fondly.

//How'd you guess?// she snapped back sarcastically, and he shook his head. She was nearly impossible to talk to when she was so angry, but he had to do something.

//Take deep breaths, try to relax…think about turning me over to be killed,// he added with a grin, tossing a glance her way. She shot him a withering look.

//As uplifting as that usually is, you're probably not the only one that'll be tossed to the Rancor when we land.//

Luke grew pensive and serious once more as Coruscant loomed closer and closer in the viewport. //I won't let him hurt you, Mara,// he reminded her solemnly. She rolled her eyes, relaxing a bit as the remains of the vision passed.

//So you've told me. Not like you can prevent it or anything,// she shot back. He let out an audible sight and looked at her with an exasperated expression.

"You know, you don't exactly make it easy for me to talk to you," he told her, and a bit of sarcastic amusement lanced through her dark mood. She smiled sardonically.

"Maybe I don't want you to talk to me," she replied.

"Ha…and why is that?" he asked, secretly glad he'd finally gotten through to her. She poked him in the chest and nailed him with a bright, green-eyed glare—one that failed to mask her growing amusement at teasing him.

"Because it only upsets me."

"Like you're the only one that's upset with this situation," he retorted, rolling his eyes again. He lifted a gloved hand to hide the grin that was threatening to steal across his face, a gesture that Mara had become quite accustomed to over their recent adventures.

"What are you upset about? You were in hyperspace with a beautiful, sexy woman for a week," she told him, lifting a brow. He shot her a withering look of his own.

"Yeah, that's all well and good but…it's not like I get to really enjoy her," he replied, running a finger down her forearm suggestively. She smirked in amusement. So the Farmboy can flirt. I was beginning to wonder. "Besides, up until recently you wanted to kill me…doesn't exactly add up to a good relationship."

"How do you know? Have you ever been in a relationship?" she countered. He smiled and shrugged, feeling oddly comfortable despite the fact that he'd never been so openly suggestive before in his life. Still tracing a pattern on her arm with his finger—a move that was likely to land him with a dislocated arm if he kept it up for too long—he shrugged.

"Not really. Most of the girls back home wanted Biggs, and I've been so busy in the war that I haven't really thought about starting a relationship."

"Biggs, huh? 'Nother farmkid?" she asked, pulling away as they drifted from teasing to idle conversation.

"Yeah, but he was the tall, dark, and handsome kind, and I was the short, awkward, blonde kind. Plus he had a way with women and he certainly wasn't shy." Luke smiled at memories long forgotten, still able to clearly picture Biggs flirting with every girl at the spaceport back home. Mara chuckled.

"Girl-shy, are you?" she asked. He shook himself out of his reverie, still smiling brilliantly as he matched her gaze.

"Maybe a little."

"No wonder the Jedi died out—it wasn't the purge, it was the celibacy."

Luke laughed, thinking of first Ben, then his master Yoda. "Now that I think about it, neither of my teachers mentioned anything about girls. I have to assume that the Jedi weren't entirely celibate, however. After all, Leia and I are here."

"Well, if all Jedi are as naïve and boring as you—"

"Ouch!" he laughed. "You're on a roll today."

She winked at him. "If you think this is bad, I could—"

"I'll pass, thanks," he replied, chuckling. Then he sobered and looked at her with serious, searching blue eyes. "Mara, do you want to talk about the vision?"

She shuddered and closed her eyes momentarily. "They're so clear—so vivid. It's like he's actually touching me. I can't get the memory of seeing him kissing me out of my mind…"

Well, if she can tease, so can I, Luke thought to himself, and pulled her closer as he then said aloud, "Well, I'd be happy to replace that memory if you'd like." He was amazed when he didn't turn bright pink at his own very suggestive comment, thinking to himself that it was so very out of character he should have been redder than a twin sunset on Tatooine. Mara was obviously surprised as well, because she was stammering when she replied.

"I-I think it's my turn to pass," she managed after a moment, and looked immensely relieved when Luke released her with a casual shrug. He grinned and winked at her mischievously, saying only, "Your loss."

"Oh really? And just what am I losing out on, Skywalker?" she returned, content to banter and tease again. He seemed happy to return to the lighthearted shots as well. At this game, however, he was out of his league. Flirting was new and very treacherous ground for him, a field he wasn't used to in the slightest.

"Oh, nothing," he replied, "but I bet you've never kissed a farmboy before."

"And you think you'd be good at it?" she asked, eyebrows raised fractionally. She knew she could make him squirm if things continued in their current fashion. "Besides, I bet you've never even been kissed before."

"Yes I have," he protested.

"It's amazing."

"I just might be good at it, too…you'll certainly never know," he retorted. She shook her head and tossed her hands in the air.

"Some things are better left to speculation," she replied, and was rewarded with a sly look from her companion. He smiled slowly, his eyes darkening a bit. He'd hooked her. For once it looked like he might actually win a round of their jab-and-retreat game.

"So…you speculate about what it's like to kiss me, huh Jade?" he asked, his voice as sly as his smile, and for a moment Mara was speechless, realizing he'd got her. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and finally just stalked out of the room, amazed that he'd actually beaten her at her own game.

-

Coruscant: Thirty minutes later…

Their lightheartedness from earlier faded as Luke and Mara prepared to exit the ship now that it had docked on one of the Imperial Palace's higher landing bays.

//Ready for the show, Skywalker?//

//As ready as I'll ever be.//

For the first time in days Luke had donned his Jedi blacks, and with the hood on his cloak pulled up and his sense and appearance as grim and foreboding as they were, Mara thought he looked and sensed every bit the part he was playing. It was disconcerting and more disturbing than it should have been, and some of his grimness rubbed off on her as they greeted the fully armed guard waiting for them. She jolted in surprise as Luke's hand came down heavily on her shoulder, the grip decidedly possessive. His blue eyes were as cold as ice, deep and dark and unreadable. Mara felt a shudder run through her before she could suppress it.

//I'm still the same Luke, Mara,// he told her, his Force-voice shockingly warm in contrast to his body language.

//I know. You're just…very convincing.//

She felt his mental smile as he replied, //Well, good, then I'm doing my job.// Then he squeezed her shoulder gently to offer comfort. Reassured and calmed, Mara leveled a cool gaze at the head guard.

"I have brought the Jedi Luke Skywalker, as Grand Admiral Thrawn ordered," she stated clearly. The guard tossed her a sour look.

"So I see. The Admiral is waiting for you in the Throne Room. Follow us," he replied, and Luke and Mara were jostled to the center of the group and led to the Throne Room. As they neared it, Luke stretched out ahead in the Force, trying to get a sense of his new enemy. To his utter shock, he could sense nothing. There was a blankness there where the room should have been—a hole. Struggling to maintain his calm and cold exterior, he brushed Mara's sense.

//I can't sense Thrawn. I can't even feel anything ahead of us…there's some kind of Force-block…//

//I feel it too,// she agreed grimly. //Ysalamiri effect. They're animals found on a planet called Myrkr. They make bubbles in the Force…Vader and the Emperor used them in the purges to aide the killing.//

Luke suppressed a shudder and continued forward, a feeling of foreboding stirring deep in his gut. Just before they entered the Force-bubble, he reached out to Mara again, sending her strength, comfort, and reassurance. Her muted gratitude came back, and he smiled behind the cover of his cloak's hood.

//We're ready for this Mara, ysalamiri or not. Trust me.//

//For some inexplicable reason, Skywalker, I do,// she sent back, and he squeezed her shoulder again. Then they stepped into the Throne Room and the bubble, and he knew once more what it was like to be a regular being.

Thrawn wasn't what he was expecting, but then Luke really hadn't known what he was expecting in the first place. The fiery eyes and blue skin were a shock, but he hid it well. Playing his role, Luke removed his black hood and gazed upon the Admiral with unmasked fury.

"What is the meaning of this sorcery, Thrawn?" he snapped coldly. Thrawn waved the guards to their posts calmly, barely reacting to Luke's gaze.

"Merely a measure of security, Skywalker. I am, after all, aware of what a fully trained Jedi can do." The red eyes narrowed as Thrawn inspected his prisoner. "You are undamaged…amazing, considering my Hand's temper."

"Mara Jade is mine." The words were cold, short, and reeked of confidence and fury. Thrawn smiled thinly and flicked his gaze over to Mara.

"Is that so?" he murmured, and returned his attention to the Jedi. "A surprising turn of events indeed. A change of heart, Hand?"

Mara met his gaze unwaveringly. "The Jedi is loyal to me. And therefore to you, Admiral, as I am."

Thrawn laced his fingers and leaned forward in his throne. "I see. So you've turned to the Dark Side, have you, Skywalker?"

Luke turned his steely blue gaze on Mara, and the desire that flamed in his eyes was intense. His hand reached for her, but he caught himself and turned back to the Grand Admiral.

"Yes…to make Mara mine, I did."

So, the Jedi truly desires Jade…interesting. That should make this all the more fun, Thrawn thought.

"Just as the Emperor foresaw, then. Interesting. Very well, Skywalker, you may have Mara Jade. I have found another hand to replace her at my side," he said, and motioned for a shadowed figure to move closer. Luke squinted, then started in surprise. Without the Force, he couldn't be sure…but when Mara's breath caught, it became absolutely clear. Thrawn smiled as he stood and stared down at his prisoners. "Yes, she is a clone. Mara Jade, Skywalker, I'd like to meet Maara, my loyal Hand."

Hatred and rage shone from her cold green eyes, eyes that matched Mara's with the exception of warmth. Luke didn't need the Force to sense Mara's horror and revulsion to the notion that she'd been cloned and produced without her knowledge, because he could read it on her face.

"Thrawn…you—you—!"

He smiled again and nodded. "Beautiful creation, isn't she? Maara, please show our guests to their rooms. They will be staying with us for a little while," he said to his clone, and immediately she leapt down the stairs and roughly dragged them toward the turbolift. It was only after they left the room that Luke realized he was still bereft of the Force because Maara the clone had a ysalamiri strapped to her back. He'd been too shocked before to realize it.

After a long turbolift ride down to the detention block, Luke and Mara were roughly shoved into a cell. The clone smiled coldly and snapped, "Enjoy your stay together," before leaving them with the guards. Luke sighed and sat down cross-legged on the floor.

"Well, that went well," he murmured, then turned to look at the still shell-shocked Mara. "You take the bunk, okay? Besides, it's not a whole lot better than the floor, anyway."

"Skywalker…he…he cloned me. She's…me."

Luke reached up and took Mara's hand, smiling as big as he could to cheer her. "The good news is, at least it wasn't you Thrawn was kissing in those visions."

Mara's eyes met his and held there for a moment. "You think?" she whispered through dry lips. He nodded and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I'm positive."

She nodded, mirroring him, and turned away. He noted, however, that she didn't let go of his hand for another long moment. When she did, it was only to wrap her arms around herself.

"What now?"

"Now we wait. And hope. And we modify our plans to include ysalamiri," he replied, offering another smile. Mara smiled back weakly, remembering another time, another room—a suite, in fact—in which she'd had the same thoughts. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, though in reality she'd had the thoughts only a few weeks previous. She spoke them aloud this time.

"Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it?" she mused, and received a genuine grin from him.

"Not when I've got so much to fight for," he answered, staring at her in a way that made her feel as if he was implying that it was her he was fighting for. Tingling in response, she managed an answering smile and stretched out on the bunk.

"All right, plan away," she murmured.

"There's the Mara I know," he declared with a grin, and squeezed her shoulder. "Okay, let's get started…"

Author's Notes: Sorry, another short one, comparatively. Hope you enjoyed it. The old man will show up again next time. This is fun! Sorry for the okay characterization—it's hard when you have to modify EVERYTHING that happens after ROTJ. Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing! Thanks!