Author's Note: OK I cannot believe that I forgot to finish updating this story. Sometimes it takes a swift kick in the butt from a reviewer to remind you of what you have forgotten. Sorry about that.

Chapter 16

Luke was suppressing yawns by the time Windy left a few hours later. Luke hated to admit that he was glad he was gone, and only smiled when the other man claimed he had a few things to take care of. It would not last, Luke knew. Windy would be back. However he did not feel threatened about that. In fact, after a little rest, he thought he might even enjoy the company. Though he was not treated exactly like he had when he was a boy, the constant teasing was now absent from their conversations, it still felt good to be talked to like a friend.

Not being one to be a lazy guest, Luke walked into the small kitchen and began helping Biggs with dinner. If he was going to stay here, the least he could do was lend a hand. Again he was struck by how little had really changed over the years. Biggs and Luke laughed all through the dinner preparations, and Luke was in high spirits when Biggs' parents and sister Carina, walked in the door.

"Something smells good," Carina shouted, dropping her equipment by the door. Luke shook his head as he heard the thump of the bags against the stone of the floor. It was not his house, so it was not his place to clean up after anyone here, but he had the overwhelming urge to put the stuff away for them. He laughed silently at that thought before pushing it away.

"Biggs?" And older woman called out, Luke was sure that this would be Biggs' mother. "That you?"

"Yes." Biggs said, as he walked out of the kitchen to greet his family. Luke took his time finishing what he was doing, giving Biggs time to talk with his family. It did not want to make it seem like he was intruding.

"There you are," Luke heard the slightly edge voice of Biggs' father boom in from the front room. "We stopped by the hanger. I noticed you had an extra ship in there. Thought maybe it was that cousin of yours. I wanted to remind him that his father had his own hanger."

"That's not Gavin's X-wing dad," Biggs laughed. "Besides, he would know better. I don't think he could afford your fees anyway."

"If not his, then who?" His father demanded. "There are not may people out there that are just flying around in a military star fighter."

"It's mine," Luke said as he came out of the kitchen. It was his first look he had of this family in many years. Though the tough life you receive on Tatooine added lines to their weathered faces, it was easy to find the people he had grown up with still shining through. "Biggs invited me for a visit. I hope it is not a problem."

Biggs' mother smiled, and Carina came over and hugged him. "Glad to see you are alright," she said into his ear.

"Thanks."

"You're always welcome here, Luke," Biggs' mother said as she embraced him. "Biggs ran out of here as soon as he heard you made it back. Probably before the broadcast was over. I rather figured he would bring you back. You were never a problem to have around. Stay as long as you would like."

"Thank you," Luke told her. "That means a lot to me."

"I'm starving, let's eat!" Biggs yelled before vanishing into the dinning room. Everyone else followed at a more leisurely pace.

-----

Luke was sitting in the workroom about a week later, helping Biggs fix an old speeder. He had forgotten how good it felt to get your hands dirty in some real labor. But it did not take much thinking on his part to do the work so his mind was free to wander. And that was exactly what he did not want to happen. He always ended up in the same place, on the same topic. And no matter how much he thought about it, he could not get past the problem.

"What's on your mind today, Luke?" Biggs asked, pulling him away from his thoughts with a welcome distraction. "You are too quiet."

Luke forced a smile. It was a welcome distraction but an unwelcome topic. "Nothing much," he lied. But it did not feel right to lie so outright. An idea came to him and he spoke about what he now saw as an opening to the conversation he had been trying to bring up all week. "I was thinking about that holo-drama we watched last night. What would you do if you found yourself in that situation?"

"What, about knowing I had a child and the mother did not know it was me?" Biggs asked, peaking around the bulk of the speeder.

"Yes," Luke confirmed. Watching that drama that night had struck too close to home. He wished his life would work like the drama had ended, with everyone happy and no one got hurt.

"I would tell her," Biggs announced, ducking his head back to his work. "But then again that was some strange circumstances. It's not likely that you will sleep with a woman and she will lose her memory. It was all just fiction.

"And if you told her and she did not care?" Luke ventured.

"Why wouldn't she care?" Biggs questioned. "If the child were mine, I would want to be part of its life. And I would have that right. I guess I would try to make her see that. What brings that up?"

"It's just that it got me thinking..." Luke paused, why was everything so hard to talk about?

"I think I get it," Biggs said with a knowing smile. "Don't worry so much Luke. Don't force it. When you are ready to talk, I'll be here." The doorbell rang, interrupting them. Luke went back to work as Biggs got up to see who had arrived. "We'll finish this in a minute."

Instinctively, Luke reached out with the Force to see who it was, and just as quickly pulled back into himself. However he was filled with that fear that even that brief a contact was enough. Corran Horn was one of the people at the door, and he was sure to know that Luke was here. Getting back to work, Luke waited to see if, in fact, Corran could tell that it was him.

----

Biggs opened the door only after checking to see who was there. He was pleased to see his cousin had come to visit, and a bit shocked at who he had brought with him. His first thoughts were of Luke. He would have to be very careful with current company if they were not to find out that the Jedi Master was here. With a smile he invited the trio inside.

"What brings you by, Gavin?" he asked, fighting the urge to check the workroom door to make sure he had closed it.

"We were in the area and thought we would stop by," Gavin explained. "How have you been? Settling in alright?"

"As well as can be expected," Biggs told them. "Please have a seat. You want something to drink?" At the positive answers Biggs headed into the kitchen, smiling at Gavin as he followed to help. Biggs just hoped that, if Luke still wanted to remain in hiding that he did not leave the workroom.

----

Corran headed to the window as soon as Biggs and Gavin had left the room. He tried to look casual, but he needed to talk to Wedge, and if they did not talk now they may not have another chance. Wedge seemed to sense his need and walked close.

"What's on your mind?" The dark haired man asked.

"Luke's here," Corran informed him.

"Here on Tatooine?" Wedge asked, eyes darting to the dusty window.

"Here in this house," Corran corrected. "I felt his presence for a moment, and then he pulled away. I think he is trying to hide."

"Are you sure it was him?" Wedge asked, this time scanning the inside of the house.

"No mistaking."

"Well," Wedge said, his causal search not producing their missing friend. "Let's ask Biggs if he is…"

"No." Corran interrupted. "Then we would have to explain how we knew he was here. I have something better." Walking over to the shelf, he reached up, knowing what he would find when he did and pulled it down so Wedge could see.

"Luke's lightsaber," Wedge said with a smile. "Proof enough for me." Their exchange was over before the two cousins came back in the room. Corran turned to face them, still holding Luke's lightsaber. "So how long has Luke been here?" He asked.

Gavin looked at Biggs, shocked, most likely that he had not been told of the visitor. Biggs merely smiled and led them to the door. "I should have figured you wouldn't stop by just for a visit."

"That is why we came by," Gavin protested.

"Gavin said he was heading out this way and we offered to come alone," Wedge said in his defense. Corran silently agreed, not wanting his information putting the kid in trouble. Gavin had nothing to do with them being here.

"You mean to tell me that you were not trying to track Luke down?" Biggs asked, eyeing the suspiciously.

"We were," Corran corrected him. "But we were not looking here. The lightsaber gave it away." There was a dismissive shack of the head before Biggs reached and opened the door. Luke was the first thing they saw, as he sighed and sat back in his chair, wiping his hands on a cloth.

"I should have known that you guys would find me." Corran was sure he noted a touch of sadness in his voice, and it worried him. Why would he not want to be around his family right now? What was he running from? The thought disturbed him more than any others. He had never known Luke to run away. If anything he rushed forward into more things than he should.

"Luke," Wedge said, stepping closer to his friend. "You have everyone worried, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Luke insisted, doing nothing to hide his irritation. "I'm on vacation."

"Vacation?" He had not meant that to sound as degrading as it did. But why would anyone want to come here to vacation? But then again if he had grown up here, the dry planet might hold some sort of appeal to him.

"Yes, a vacation," Luke repeated. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No," Wedge answered. "Nothing. It's just that Leia is ready to pull her hair out. She's saying that it's her fault that you ran away, that she should have kept you in her home."

"So she could keep an eye on me," Luke added with a frown. "Yes, she would say that. I'm tired of her treating me like one of her kids. She thinks that I cannot make a decision on my own, and I need her to take care of me."

"Sounds like someone else I knew," Biggs added, trying to hold back his smile. "Is she going to ground you when you don't do what she says the way your uncle did?"

"That's what she wants to do," Luke said. He smiled for the first time since they found him, but even the curve of his smile seemed tired. "She fails to realize that I can leave when ever I want to."

"And you most often do," Wedge added.

"And that worries her to no end," Corran supplied.

"Than let her worry," Luke said, turning back to the machine in front of him. The finalism in his voice shocked him.

"Luke, do you really mean that?" Wedge asked.

"Yes, I do," Luke snapped, whipping around to glare at them. "I can't worry about what is bothering Leia right now. I just can't."

"What about everyone else?" Corran shot at him. He was beyond able to stand here an just let Luke sulk. He would not let Luke continue to worry everyone unless the Jedi Master had a very good reason.

"Who?" Luke questioned, his eyes flashing. "You two now know where I am, and you know I'm safe. Han knows I can take care of myself and so do my students."

"Well, Mara seems to think you can't," Corran told him. "And as often as she has had to run to save your behind, I'd say she has every right to worry."

"Mara?" Luke's head snapped up at the sound of her name, a frown on his face. "Why would Mara care about what I'm doing?"

"Ok, it's obvious that you two had another one of your fights," Corran said, surprised that he would take it so far when Mara was wearing a grove in her floor from all the pacing. "All I know is that she spent that entire month doing everything she could to help find you. She is worried about you. Just like we all are."

Luke had almost panicked when Corran had mentioned the red head. He was worried that not only had she pushed him away she had told Corran and sent him after him. But he realized the absurdity of that thought. He doesn't know anything, Luke told himself. "Tell them I'm fine."

"And how should we tell them we saw you?," Wedge countered. "What do you think is going to happen when Leia, Mara, or both find out where you are? They are both going to show up on the doorstep."

"I don't want them here," Luke moaned. The last thing he wanted to do was bring those to into this house. He was comfortable here.

"Want it or not, they will be here." Luke thought that over. What else could he do in the matter? He knew in the back of his mind that what his friends were saying was right. And he did not want to live his life cringing every time Leia or Mara's name was mentioned. As soon as Leia found out where he was, she would be on her way. Mara showing up, he doubted that, but they wouldn't know that.

"Luke," Biggs said, interrupting his thoughts. "If you want to stay here, you are more then welcome. You need your rest. You don't have to go back now. And you said you could not get it back there. If your sister and friends are worried about you and they feel the need to come out here, then so be it."

"That doesn't matter now," Luke conceded, not feeling up to a fight with anyone. "I should go. As soon as Leia finds out where I am, she will stop at nothing to get me home. You guys mind telling Leia I'm going back to Yavin?"

"Not at all," Wedge said with a sad smile.

"Luke," Biggs said again, his voice filled with worry. "When you want to come back, just come on."

"Thanks, Biggs," Luke said, getting up intending to go gather his things. If he was going to go he might as well get ready.

"Everything is going to be alright Luke," Biggs said, patting his arm. Walking to the door he took his lightsaber that Corran was offering to him. Turing back he looked to his friend.

"Sooner or later."