Part Two
Mara managed to avoid Skywalker for a week, returning his calls only when she was certain he was unavailable only to leave a brief, perfunctory message in turn. She couldn't stop thinking about their conversation and after the shock dulled and her anger ebbed, she wondered if perhaps she had been too hasty in her refusal.
Her days became filled with thoughts of family, images of holding a child, performing mundane chores with Skywalker, and at night her bed seemed oddly cold and empty. Mara was attracted to Skywalker, but could there be passion between them? She had to find out before her thoughts could progress. She could not bed down with someone in passionless, impersonal duty just to produce offspring. She did not have it within herself to do such a thing and she certainly would not forge the unbreakable bond, a child, with a man without any true hope of happiness.
Mara realized that these thoughts meant that she was considering Skywalker's impulsive suggestion and no longer dismissing it as ridiculous. In fact, as more time past, the more the idea seemed viable, even reasonable. It was late at night, but she somehow doubted that Skywalker was sleeping. Resigned to another sleepless night, Mara sat up and began to dress.
*********
After missing her first few return calls, Luke realized that Mara was avoiding him. He couldn't blame her. They had moved beyond the comfortable and familiar into unknown regions of their sometimes stormy relationship. He couldn't dismiss the idea. As he continued to think about it, the more he wondered why the idea had never occurred to him before. Luke couldn't seem to concentrate on anything else and he was getting very little sleep. His dreams were becoming more and more heated and the harder he tried to suppress them, the worse it got. He was fairly certain that Mara was unaware that he was having erotic dreams about her and he knew as long as the hope that Mara might considering his suggestions, these hauntingly seductive and sweetly erotic images would continue to fill his slumber.
It was strange, really, how suddenly everything had shifted. He had always acknowledged Mara's beauty, but had never really considered her on a romantic level. Well, not openly. When someone had a death mark against you, it tended to keep you from becoming too friendly. But that was in the past. He tried to understand what had changed, and after meditating on it for a long while Luke finally had his answer. It wasn't that he had altered so much as she had. She was still the same Mara Jade he had always known, but she no longer held any real hostility toward him. They were good friends, and she had admitted that she found him handsome. He remembered the way she had earnestly asserted that any woman would want him as her husband. Would she? Luke had felt something there behind her words that had touched him.
Besides, the idea of having children of his own was incredibly appealing. He had resigned himself to the fact that he was not to have his own offspring and tried to content himself with his sister's family. But the moment the hope had resurged to life the lack felt suddenly like a raw wound. Luke had numbed himself so that he no longer felt the pain of this loss, but that anesthesia had worn away, leaving him wanting.
All of these thoughts were going through his mind so that he no longer even saw his Sabacc hand change. The game had moved on and what had once been a winning hand was now a complete loss.
"Space control to Luke, are you still there buddy?" Han's voice finally penetrated the fog and Luke glanced around the table to the seated players. All eyes were on him, with the exception of young Jacen who was still engrossed in examining his card hand.
They were seated in a Sabacc hall, nestled in the shadow of the old Imperial palace. Most of the furniture was old Republic, worn, but still stylish, attesting to the grace of that bygone era. The air filters kept the room relatively free of smoke and various alien intoxicants, leaving behind a muted carbon smell. The ivory walls gleamed and every table was filled. Beings from every region of space clamored at the gaming tables, for a chance to get rich. It had been quite an accomplishment for Han Solo to acquire this table.
It was Luke's turn and the other players waited with barely contained patience for him to make his move.
When Luke laid his cards down, Lando positively oozed satisfaction.
"I fold." Luke stated.
Han continued to gaze at the Jedi a touch of concern in his eyes but there was no denying his eagerness to continue with the game. Luke suspected Han believed he had the winning hand. Talon Karrde leaned back in his seat waiting for this round to end so that he could join the game. Five days after Mara had arrived on Coruscant, Talon's pilot had landed the Wild Karrde at the Spaceport. Luke had invited Karrde to join them in hopes that he would learn something about Mara's current status.
Luke had already verified that Artoo would notify him the moment the Jade's Fire requested clearance for departure, so he knew that she was still on the planet. But this precaution was probably unnecessary, since he could still feel her proximity, her light in the Force.
The game continued without him and Luke turned to Talon Karrde, "How long are you planning on staying on Coruscant? When do the trade talks end?"
Karrde glanced around the table, and when he was reasonably sure that the others were too engrossed in their game to take note of their conversation, he returned his attention to the Jedi seated beside him.
Talon's eyes twinkled but he answered seriously, "Don't you have that question wrong? Aren't you really asking how long Mara is planning on being on Coruscant?"
Luke felt his jaw drop before he closed his mouth, a sly grin edging his mouth as he said, "You sure you don't have any Force ability, Talon?"
Talon chuckled, pleased that he managed to read the blond man correctly, surprising him. He had taken a leap, acting on intuition. Mara had been moving in a haze the last week. Her concentration was off, and she had made a series of minor errors that he would have dismissed easily if any of his other staff had done them, but for Mara Jade they were an anomaly.
When Luke had asked him to join their Sabacc game, he had wondered if the Jedi had noticed her strange behavior as well and intended to talk to Talon. It didn't take the smuggler long to realize that Skywalker was in a similar state of distraction. Whatever had happened to cause Mara's change in behavior, involved this particular man.
"You'd be the one to answer that one, Skywalker." Talon said.
Luke shifted uncomfortably in his seat, before visibly regaining his poise.
"You don't survive very long as a smuggler without a healthy dose of intuition." Talon continued.
Luke nodded slowly and succumbed to asking the inevitable. "So how long is Mara staying on Coruscant?"
"How long do you want her to stay on Coruscant?" Talon asked curiously.
"We have some things we need to work out, and I was hoping that I would get the chance to resolve them before she headed off planet."
"I think I could arrange that, but for a price." Talon said.
Luke narrowed his gaze and asked, "What kind of price?"
"I need to know that you aren't going to force Mara into doing something she doesn't want to. I don't want to find out that you've been pushing her to train as a Jedi against her will, or that you intend to send her on some mission against her better judgment. I don't know what's gotten into her lately, but she can't seem to focus on anything lately and her performance has gotten me worried. It's just not like Mara to allow things to interfere with her job."
Luke smiled broadly, lightened by the knowledge that despite her angry departure from the restaurant, she had continued to think about his suggestion. He could hardly think of anything else.
He was weighing his words when Jacen whooped in triumph "Just pile all those chips over here."
"Well, I'll be ." Lando muttered.
"You little scoundrel," Han said proudly, shoveling his credit chips over to Jacen's side of the table.
Luke shook his head and then said under his breath, "It's personal."
Talon raised an eyebrow and Luke blushed slightly, wondering if saying that had just piqued the man's curiosity.
Han turned to the two of them and said, "Are you in?"
Luke shook his head, rising to his feet, "No, it's late. I think I'll head home."
Jacen seemed about to protest, then seemed to think better of it. "See you later, Uncle Luke."
The Jedi nodded to the table, waving slightly to them so that they would remain seated. "I'm glad you could join us, Talon. I'm sorry that I'm heading out so soon."
"Don't worry about it, or anything else."
Luke nodded in understanding and made his way from the Sabacc table. He thought about heading toward Mara's apartment, knowing that if he called her, it would continue to go unanswered. When he glanced at his chrono, he realized how late it was and decided it would be better to wait until the morning. He made his way back to his apartment.
Luke punched in the code to his room and the door opened with a hiss. Mara's presence seemed to grow stronger, so that it almost seemed as if she were very close . . .so close in fact. . . . .
"Mara?" Luke stepped into the room and glanced about the shadowed entryway.
His astromech twittered something, but there was something about the droid's tone that was subdued.
He moved cautiously in the room, the dim lighting raising slightly. A shadow moved and the Jedi's gaze was drawn to a low slung couch seated below a wide window displaying the Coruscant skyline. A wide, open window.
A low breeze swept through the room, and Mara's soft voice said, "I didn't want to wait in the hallway." She swung her feet from the couch to the ground, sitting upright.
Luke smiled in the darkness. He was too amused to be annoyed, and he wondered vaguely what she had said to Artoo that made him stand meekly in the corner of the room. He decided to act as if it were the most natural thing in the world to find Mara sitting in his darkened living room. Luke pulled off his brown robe and hung it in the entry closet. "I wouldn't have wanted you to, Mara," he said gently.
He scanned her as best he could through the Force, attempting to get a read on her state of mind. He had to admire her shields. No one could become such a blank slate as well as she could, but through persistence he caught a tendril of unease.
Mara stood up and said, "Would you like a drink."
Luke chuckled at her audacity, and answered, "Sure, what ever you're having."
Mara had already done a quick survey of the room, so moved with infinite ease to a small bar and poured two glasses of water. When she had decided to come to Luke's apartment in the middle of the night, she had given little thought to her own reaction to the Jedi's close proximity. She silent cursed this oversight. Ever since that night a week ago, her thinking had been a muddle. Mara should have met him in broad daylight at some public place to further their discussion. The dimly lit apartment in the dead of night lent an air of intimacy that made her uncomfortable. Her gaze darted surreptitiously to the calm Jedi, and she was absurdly proud that she was able to hand him the water glass without betraying the slight quaking in her limbs.
Luke took the glass and gestured for her to join him on the couch. He lifted his face to the cool breeze, but his eyes never strayed from her face. He remained silent waiting for her to speak. A part of him, was thrilled that she was here. He tried to keep the joy contained, not wanting to let Mara know how eager he was that she might accept his proposal. He wanted to maintain a modicum of pride, if she had in fact intended to decline his offer. He doubted, however, that she would come to his apartment at this time just to refuse. Mara seemed content to sip her water in silence as the time slipped on.
Luke found himself relaxing muscles that he hadn't even known he had tensed and a small smile tugged the edges of his mouth.
Mara sensed his lightened mood and she shrugged slightly.
"I've thought about our conversation the other night." Mara whispered.
The silence continued to stretch on and Luke nodded slowly. "I'm not surprised. I've thought about it too."
"I don't know if I can do such a thing," she muttered then gave him a look that was almost shy. "If you still want to that is." Mara continued carefully.
Luke set his empty glass on the end table, his gaze unyielding. "I haven't been able to think about anything else. I had hoped you had come here tonight to accept my proposal."
"I'm not accepting." Mara said softly.
Luke sighed heavily, feeling something inside of himself crumple at her words. "It was rather sudden I guess."
"But I'm not rejecting it either," she whispered quietly. "I have some. no," she hesitated before continuing. "I have many reservations."
A new hope burned inside of him. "That's something, at least." He said softly. "I know my suggestion came as a shock. Having reservations means that you are thinking seriously about it, not rejecting it outright. I certainly wasn't expecting it either, but it feels right to me. I know we can make this work." Luke insisted.
Mara shifted uncomfortably on the couch and then finally said. "We've never even kissed and here we are talking about making a child together."
Understanding dawned inside him, and Luke felt suddenly self conscious and more than a little bit embarrassed. "You're right; I never considered that you might not be attracted to me."
"I didn't say that." Mara stated as she set her glass down on the opposite table.
"No," he murmured slowly, his voice deepening. "You didn't." Luke looked at her for a moment and then leaned forward, closing the distance between them. His eyes met her green gaze and he watched as her pupils grew large. With his thumb he brushed her lips and she parted them slightly in response. Her skin was incredibly soft and her tongue flicked out moistening her lips. The air became heavy around them, sweeteningly thick, making it hard to draw breath.
He brushed his lips against her mouth, lightly, her sweetly exotic scent filling his nostrils. His skin tingled with awareness and his Force senses soared. He moved again, over her mouth, placing his hand on the side of her face and deepened the kiss. She sighed, pressing into him. He felt dazed, his awareness centering on this one spot, the feel of Mara against him, her Force presence filling him so that he felt as if he were caught in tailspin diving out of control to some unknown destination. But instead of experiencing a sense of vertigo, he was exhilarated. He crushed her to him, passion for her consuming him.
Mara was surprised at the sensations coursing through her. She felt as if she had never been kissed before, not really. She was no innocent, but she had never felt so stimulated in her life. She buried her fingers in Luke's hair, holding him in place as she deepened the kiss, pressing her breasts against his chest so that she could feel the thudding of his heart in time with her own wildly racing pulse. Their tongues dueled; their lips caressed. Both of them were lost in the maelstrom of passion, all coherent thought becoming impossible. She wanted more than anything in the world to feel all of him against her, to take him within her, to complete her.
Luke's mouth trailed down the side of her neck and Mara moaned, clutching at his hair, tugging lightly. Luke closed his eyes, his breathing labored, and paused. He sat up and gazed down at Mara, her head thrown back, her eyes closed. Her lips were red and slightly swollen from his kisses. Her eyelids fluttered open and her hand flew to her mouth in a combination of desire and surprise.
She raised her head and Luke sat beside her, his hair tousled, his rasping breath coming in short gasps. He closed his eyes, trying to regain control of his body, his pants uncomfortably tight. Mara sat up, her senses refusing to settle, her mind spinning. She absently straightened her black tunic and briefly thought about giving into her body's desires and urging Skywalker straight to his bed. It would be so easy, now aroused as she was, to forget about the consequences of their actions.
Then Luke opened his eyes to regard her.
Mara said, "I think that was a definite yes."
He smiled in male satisfaction and she could sense that he was fighting with himself.
"You don't have to stop." She continued.
He was tempted, he really was, but he shook his head. "Yes I do. I want to do this right."
"That was some kiss." Mara breathed, unable to keep the awe out of her voice.
"I think we could be very compatible." he hesitated but ploughed on. ".sexually. A good thing if we want to have children."
The mention of children brought Mara out of her stupor. She wasn't thinking about an alliance with Skywalker because she loved him. It was for companionship but most importantly of all - to have a child.
"My answer is yes."
"Good," he smiled warmly. "When I said I wanted to do this right - I meant it."
He stood up steadily and went over to Artoo. A small panel opened in his dome and the Jedi retrieved something. He returned to the couch and presented her with a small ring with a green glimmer gem sparkling in the center.
"Marry me." He said.
Mara caught her breath and for a moment she could almost believe that Skywalker cared for her.
"I never said anything about marriage," Mara said.
"If we're going to have a child, I'll accept nothing less."
Mara took the ring with a shaking hand and nodded. "I figured as much. All right, but I don't expect you to pretend to love me. The whole point of this, is that I can't live a lie."
Luke said nothing as she slid the ring on to her finger.
Finally he broke the silence by stating, "I don't want Leia and Han to know that you really don't want to marry me, that this just a mutual arrangement to have a child together."
Mara didn't deny that she was reluctant to marry the Jedi. She wasn't prepared for that level of commitment. But she knew that if she really wanted a baby with this man, that this was the only way. "No one forces me to do anything, remember that." She answered. "I really don't care what others think, but I don't want to shame you. No one needs to be aware of our arrangement. I can play a part; I just ask that we be honest with each other."
Luke nodded and took her hand. His smile was small, but genuine. "You won't regret it."
Her breath caught in her throat, and she got to her feet. "I know. I guess I'd better go home now, it's almost dawn."
She picked up her cloak, but Skywalker's voice stopped her, "You can stay."
"I thought you wanted to wait."
"I haven't changed my mind, as tempting as it is, but we should get to know each other better. We'll be living together, sharing our lives and that is bound to be difficult for us both. Besides, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."
Mara glanced at the door, undecided. She turned back to Skywalker. "I don't know. . . ."
"I'll make you breakfast."
She smiled and dropped her cloak. "You certainly have a way of convincing a woman to do what you want."
Luke waggled his eyebrows, "You've seen nothing yet."
*********
Mara managed to avoid Skywalker for a week, returning his calls only when she was certain he was unavailable only to leave a brief, perfunctory message in turn. She couldn't stop thinking about their conversation and after the shock dulled and her anger ebbed, she wondered if perhaps she had been too hasty in her refusal.
Her days became filled with thoughts of family, images of holding a child, performing mundane chores with Skywalker, and at night her bed seemed oddly cold and empty. Mara was attracted to Skywalker, but could there be passion between them? She had to find out before her thoughts could progress. She could not bed down with someone in passionless, impersonal duty just to produce offspring. She did not have it within herself to do such a thing and she certainly would not forge the unbreakable bond, a child, with a man without any true hope of happiness.
Mara realized that these thoughts meant that she was considering Skywalker's impulsive suggestion and no longer dismissing it as ridiculous. In fact, as more time past, the more the idea seemed viable, even reasonable. It was late at night, but she somehow doubted that Skywalker was sleeping. Resigned to another sleepless night, Mara sat up and began to dress.
*********
After missing her first few return calls, Luke realized that Mara was avoiding him. He couldn't blame her. They had moved beyond the comfortable and familiar into unknown regions of their sometimes stormy relationship. He couldn't dismiss the idea. As he continued to think about it, the more he wondered why the idea had never occurred to him before. Luke couldn't seem to concentrate on anything else and he was getting very little sleep. His dreams were becoming more and more heated and the harder he tried to suppress them, the worse it got. He was fairly certain that Mara was unaware that he was having erotic dreams about her and he knew as long as the hope that Mara might considering his suggestions, these hauntingly seductive and sweetly erotic images would continue to fill his slumber.
It was strange, really, how suddenly everything had shifted. He had always acknowledged Mara's beauty, but had never really considered her on a romantic level. Well, not openly. When someone had a death mark against you, it tended to keep you from becoming too friendly. But that was in the past. He tried to understand what had changed, and after meditating on it for a long while Luke finally had his answer. It wasn't that he had altered so much as she had. She was still the same Mara Jade he had always known, but she no longer held any real hostility toward him. They were good friends, and she had admitted that she found him handsome. He remembered the way she had earnestly asserted that any woman would want him as her husband. Would she? Luke had felt something there behind her words that had touched him.
Besides, the idea of having children of his own was incredibly appealing. He had resigned himself to the fact that he was not to have his own offspring and tried to content himself with his sister's family. But the moment the hope had resurged to life the lack felt suddenly like a raw wound. Luke had numbed himself so that he no longer felt the pain of this loss, but that anesthesia had worn away, leaving him wanting.
All of these thoughts were going through his mind so that he no longer even saw his Sabacc hand change. The game had moved on and what had once been a winning hand was now a complete loss.
"Space control to Luke, are you still there buddy?" Han's voice finally penetrated the fog and Luke glanced around the table to the seated players. All eyes were on him, with the exception of young Jacen who was still engrossed in examining his card hand.
They were seated in a Sabacc hall, nestled in the shadow of the old Imperial palace. Most of the furniture was old Republic, worn, but still stylish, attesting to the grace of that bygone era. The air filters kept the room relatively free of smoke and various alien intoxicants, leaving behind a muted carbon smell. The ivory walls gleamed and every table was filled. Beings from every region of space clamored at the gaming tables, for a chance to get rich. It had been quite an accomplishment for Han Solo to acquire this table.
It was Luke's turn and the other players waited with barely contained patience for him to make his move.
When Luke laid his cards down, Lando positively oozed satisfaction.
"I fold." Luke stated.
Han continued to gaze at the Jedi a touch of concern in his eyes but there was no denying his eagerness to continue with the game. Luke suspected Han believed he had the winning hand. Talon Karrde leaned back in his seat waiting for this round to end so that he could join the game. Five days after Mara had arrived on Coruscant, Talon's pilot had landed the Wild Karrde at the Spaceport. Luke had invited Karrde to join them in hopes that he would learn something about Mara's current status.
Luke had already verified that Artoo would notify him the moment the Jade's Fire requested clearance for departure, so he knew that she was still on the planet. But this precaution was probably unnecessary, since he could still feel her proximity, her light in the Force.
The game continued without him and Luke turned to Talon Karrde, "How long are you planning on staying on Coruscant? When do the trade talks end?"
Karrde glanced around the table, and when he was reasonably sure that the others were too engrossed in their game to take note of their conversation, he returned his attention to the Jedi seated beside him.
Talon's eyes twinkled but he answered seriously, "Don't you have that question wrong? Aren't you really asking how long Mara is planning on being on Coruscant?"
Luke felt his jaw drop before he closed his mouth, a sly grin edging his mouth as he said, "You sure you don't have any Force ability, Talon?"
Talon chuckled, pleased that he managed to read the blond man correctly, surprising him. He had taken a leap, acting on intuition. Mara had been moving in a haze the last week. Her concentration was off, and she had made a series of minor errors that he would have dismissed easily if any of his other staff had done them, but for Mara Jade they were an anomaly.
When Luke had asked him to join their Sabacc game, he had wondered if the Jedi had noticed her strange behavior as well and intended to talk to Talon. It didn't take the smuggler long to realize that Skywalker was in a similar state of distraction. Whatever had happened to cause Mara's change in behavior, involved this particular man.
"You'd be the one to answer that one, Skywalker." Talon said.
Luke shifted uncomfortably in his seat, before visibly regaining his poise.
"You don't survive very long as a smuggler without a healthy dose of intuition." Talon continued.
Luke nodded slowly and succumbed to asking the inevitable. "So how long is Mara staying on Coruscant?"
"How long do you want her to stay on Coruscant?" Talon asked curiously.
"We have some things we need to work out, and I was hoping that I would get the chance to resolve them before she headed off planet."
"I think I could arrange that, but for a price." Talon said.
Luke narrowed his gaze and asked, "What kind of price?"
"I need to know that you aren't going to force Mara into doing something she doesn't want to. I don't want to find out that you've been pushing her to train as a Jedi against her will, or that you intend to send her on some mission against her better judgment. I don't know what's gotten into her lately, but she can't seem to focus on anything lately and her performance has gotten me worried. It's just not like Mara to allow things to interfere with her job."
Luke smiled broadly, lightened by the knowledge that despite her angry departure from the restaurant, she had continued to think about his suggestion. He could hardly think of anything else.
He was weighing his words when Jacen whooped in triumph "Just pile all those chips over here."
"Well, I'll be ." Lando muttered.
"You little scoundrel," Han said proudly, shoveling his credit chips over to Jacen's side of the table.
Luke shook his head and then said under his breath, "It's personal."
Talon raised an eyebrow and Luke blushed slightly, wondering if saying that had just piqued the man's curiosity.
Han turned to the two of them and said, "Are you in?"
Luke shook his head, rising to his feet, "No, it's late. I think I'll head home."
Jacen seemed about to protest, then seemed to think better of it. "See you later, Uncle Luke."
The Jedi nodded to the table, waving slightly to them so that they would remain seated. "I'm glad you could join us, Talon. I'm sorry that I'm heading out so soon."
"Don't worry about it, or anything else."
Luke nodded in understanding and made his way from the Sabacc table. He thought about heading toward Mara's apartment, knowing that if he called her, it would continue to go unanswered. When he glanced at his chrono, he realized how late it was and decided it would be better to wait until the morning. He made his way back to his apartment.
Luke punched in the code to his room and the door opened with a hiss. Mara's presence seemed to grow stronger, so that it almost seemed as if she were very close . . .so close in fact. . . . .
"Mara?" Luke stepped into the room and glanced about the shadowed entryway.
His astromech twittered something, but there was something about the droid's tone that was subdued.
He moved cautiously in the room, the dim lighting raising slightly. A shadow moved and the Jedi's gaze was drawn to a low slung couch seated below a wide window displaying the Coruscant skyline. A wide, open window.
A low breeze swept through the room, and Mara's soft voice said, "I didn't want to wait in the hallway." She swung her feet from the couch to the ground, sitting upright.
Luke smiled in the darkness. He was too amused to be annoyed, and he wondered vaguely what she had said to Artoo that made him stand meekly in the corner of the room. He decided to act as if it were the most natural thing in the world to find Mara sitting in his darkened living room. Luke pulled off his brown robe and hung it in the entry closet. "I wouldn't have wanted you to, Mara," he said gently.
He scanned her as best he could through the Force, attempting to get a read on her state of mind. He had to admire her shields. No one could become such a blank slate as well as she could, but through persistence he caught a tendril of unease.
Mara stood up and said, "Would you like a drink."
Luke chuckled at her audacity, and answered, "Sure, what ever you're having."
Mara had already done a quick survey of the room, so moved with infinite ease to a small bar and poured two glasses of water. When she had decided to come to Luke's apartment in the middle of the night, she had given little thought to her own reaction to the Jedi's close proximity. She silent cursed this oversight. Ever since that night a week ago, her thinking had been a muddle. Mara should have met him in broad daylight at some public place to further their discussion. The dimly lit apartment in the dead of night lent an air of intimacy that made her uncomfortable. Her gaze darted surreptitiously to the calm Jedi, and she was absurdly proud that she was able to hand him the water glass without betraying the slight quaking in her limbs.
Luke took the glass and gestured for her to join him on the couch. He lifted his face to the cool breeze, but his eyes never strayed from her face. He remained silent waiting for her to speak. A part of him, was thrilled that she was here. He tried to keep the joy contained, not wanting to let Mara know how eager he was that she might accept his proposal. He wanted to maintain a modicum of pride, if she had in fact intended to decline his offer. He doubted, however, that she would come to his apartment at this time just to refuse. Mara seemed content to sip her water in silence as the time slipped on.
Luke found himself relaxing muscles that he hadn't even known he had tensed and a small smile tugged the edges of his mouth.
Mara sensed his lightened mood and she shrugged slightly.
"I've thought about our conversation the other night." Mara whispered.
The silence continued to stretch on and Luke nodded slowly. "I'm not surprised. I've thought about it too."
"I don't know if I can do such a thing," she muttered then gave him a look that was almost shy. "If you still want to that is." Mara continued carefully.
Luke set his empty glass on the end table, his gaze unyielding. "I haven't been able to think about anything else. I had hoped you had come here tonight to accept my proposal."
"I'm not accepting." Mara said softly.
Luke sighed heavily, feeling something inside of himself crumple at her words. "It was rather sudden I guess."
"But I'm not rejecting it either," she whispered quietly. "I have some. no," she hesitated before continuing. "I have many reservations."
A new hope burned inside of him. "That's something, at least." He said softly. "I know my suggestion came as a shock. Having reservations means that you are thinking seriously about it, not rejecting it outright. I certainly wasn't expecting it either, but it feels right to me. I know we can make this work." Luke insisted.
Mara shifted uncomfortably on the couch and then finally said. "We've never even kissed and here we are talking about making a child together."
Understanding dawned inside him, and Luke felt suddenly self conscious and more than a little bit embarrassed. "You're right; I never considered that you might not be attracted to me."
"I didn't say that." Mara stated as she set her glass down on the opposite table.
"No," he murmured slowly, his voice deepening. "You didn't." Luke looked at her for a moment and then leaned forward, closing the distance between them. His eyes met her green gaze and he watched as her pupils grew large. With his thumb he brushed her lips and she parted them slightly in response. Her skin was incredibly soft and her tongue flicked out moistening her lips. The air became heavy around them, sweeteningly thick, making it hard to draw breath.
He brushed his lips against her mouth, lightly, her sweetly exotic scent filling his nostrils. His skin tingled with awareness and his Force senses soared. He moved again, over her mouth, placing his hand on the side of her face and deepened the kiss. She sighed, pressing into him. He felt dazed, his awareness centering on this one spot, the feel of Mara against him, her Force presence filling him so that he felt as if he were caught in tailspin diving out of control to some unknown destination. But instead of experiencing a sense of vertigo, he was exhilarated. He crushed her to him, passion for her consuming him.
Mara was surprised at the sensations coursing through her. She felt as if she had never been kissed before, not really. She was no innocent, but she had never felt so stimulated in her life. She buried her fingers in Luke's hair, holding him in place as she deepened the kiss, pressing her breasts against his chest so that she could feel the thudding of his heart in time with her own wildly racing pulse. Their tongues dueled; their lips caressed. Both of them were lost in the maelstrom of passion, all coherent thought becoming impossible. She wanted more than anything in the world to feel all of him against her, to take him within her, to complete her.
Luke's mouth trailed down the side of her neck and Mara moaned, clutching at his hair, tugging lightly. Luke closed his eyes, his breathing labored, and paused. He sat up and gazed down at Mara, her head thrown back, her eyes closed. Her lips were red and slightly swollen from his kisses. Her eyelids fluttered open and her hand flew to her mouth in a combination of desire and surprise.
She raised her head and Luke sat beside her, his hair tousled, his rasping breath coming in short gasps. He closed his eyes, trying to regain control of his body, his pants uncomfortably tight. Mara sat up, her senses refusing to settle, her mind spinning. She absently straightened her black tunic and briefly thought about giving into her body's desires and urging Skywalker straight to his bed. It would be so easy, now aroused as she was, to forget about the consequences of their actions.
Then Luke opened his eyes to regard her.
Mara said, "I think that was a definite yes."
He smiled in male satisfaction and she could sense that he was fighting with himself.
"You don't have to stop." She continued.
He was tempted, he really was, but he shook his head. "Yes I do. I want to do this right."
"That was some kiss." Mara breathed, unable to keep the awe out of her voice.
"I think we could be very compatible." he hesitated but ploughed on. ".sexually. A good thing if we want to have children."
The mention of children brought Mara out of her stupor. She wasn't thinking about an alliance with Skywalker because she loved him. It was for companionship but most importantly of all - to have a child.
"My answer is yes."
"Good," he smiled warmly. "When I said I wanted to do this right - I meant it."
He stood up steadily and went over to Artoo. A small panel opened in his dome and the Jedi retrieved something. He returned to the couch and presented her with a small ring with a green glimmer gem sparkling in the center.
"Marry me." He said.
Mara caught her breath and for a moment she could almost believe that Skywalker cared for her.
"I never said anything about marriage," Mara said.
"If we're going to have a child, I'll accept nothing less."
Mara took the ring with a shaking hand and nodded. "I figured as much. All right, but I don't expect you to pretend to love me. The whole point of this, is that I can't live a lie."
Luke said nothing as she slid the ring on to her finger.
Finally he broke the silence by stating, "I don't want Leia and Han to know that you really don't want to marry me, that this just a mutual arrangement to have a child together."
Mara didn't deny that she was reluctant to marry the Jedi. She wasn't prepared for that level of commitment. But she knew that if she really wanted a baby with this man, that this was the only way. "No one forces me to do anything, remember that." She answered. "I really don't care what others think, but I don't want to shame you. No one needs to be aware of our arrangement. I can play a part; I just ask that we be honest with each other."
Luke nodded and took her hand. His smile was small, but genuine. "You won't regret it."
Her breath caught in her throat, and she got to her feet. "I know. I guess I'd better go home now, it's almost dawn."
She picked up her cloak, but Skywalker's voice stopped her, "You can stay."
"I thought you wanted to wait."
"I haven't changed my mind, as tempting as it is, but we should get to know each other better. We'll be living together, sharing our lives and that is bound to be difficult for us both. Besides, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."
Mara glanced at the door, undecided. She turned back to Skywalker. "I don't know. . . ."
"I'll make you breakfast."
She smiled and dropped her cloak. "You certainly have a way of convincing a woman to do what you want."
Luke waggled his eyebrows, "You've seen nothing yet."
*********