Rainfall
Mara helped Luke to his feet, and let him draw an arm about her waist for support. His touch was distracting her, but she shook the thoughts off as his eyes met hers. He looked so helpless, so afraid. "Hey, it'll be all right Skywalker. We've just got to get you back to the academy," she said.
He shook his wet head violently. "No, not back there, I, I'd hurt them," he said.
"Where then?" she asked.
He pointed to a bluff about half a mile from where they stood. "There," he said, and Mara could see the dark opening of a cave in the green hill.
"Ok, we'll go there," she said, and he seemed to relax some. She led him to the cave; fighting back the warm, pleasant feelings his closeness was bringing her. Skywalker needed her help, and didn't need to deal with whatever was happening to her. They made it inside, and the cave was cool, but thankfully dry. Both were drenched and shivering. Luke dropped to the moss-covered floor with a heavy sigh, as if he'd walked for days. Mara sat down beside him, looking at him carefully. "How did this start Skywalker?" she asked.
He looked up at her, his eyes unfocused, but then he blinked, and they cleared. "I don't know, it just started happening and, I can't stop it. You shouldn't be here Mara," he said.
"Have you tried a healing trance?" she asked.
"Yes, but I can't concentrate long enough to hold it," he said.
"Can I try?" she asked.
"There is no try Mara," he said, his voice strangely calm.
She snorted. "Just let me help," she said.
He gave a trace of a smile, and Mara was relieved to see it. She opened herself to the force, but instead of feeling his reassuring, warm presence, she felt only pain. The pain hit her like a wave of icy water, and she gasped, shrinking back from the force, and his mind. She opened her eyes, staring into his face. "By the force Skywalker, you're living with this?" she asked.
He nodded. "I don't know how, or why, and I haven't felt anything in the force, have you?" he asked.
"No," she said.
He looked up at her, and met her gaze. "Mara, I'm scared."
Sympathy tore at her, and she wondered, not for the first time, why being around Skywalker made her feel several different things at once. She reached for his hand and gripped it firmly. She recalled having done the same thing on Wayland, asking him to kill her if she turned to the dark side. "You won't have to face this alone," she said, repeating the words he'd said to her.
He stared at her for a moment or two, and then on impulse, he touched her cheek. His warm hand lingered there, and she found herself leaning into his touch. His other arm went round her waist again, and he drew her into a tight hug. "Thank you," he murmured, his breath in her wet hair.
She only sat there in his arms at first; trying to hold back the feelings which wanted to flood her. She felt safe with him, but then again she realized, she always had, but what she felt now was something entirely different. She wanted him to pull her closer, wanted him to stroke her hair, to kiss her face, she wanted him. She looked up at him, brushing some strands of wet hair out of his eyes. "You'll be all right Jedi," she said, thinking of nothing else to say. His gaze met hers, and she hadn't realized before what a brilliant blue his eyes were. "You'll be ok," she murmured, trying to gather the will to pull back, and being unable to. He leaned in closer, and she could sense that pain again. She wished she could take it away for him, no one deserved it. "Jedi I'm," she began, but he hushed her, stroking her face with a gentle hand. There lips met, and all the feelings she'd been fighting so hard suddenly took her. She sighed, wrapping her arms about him and pulling him closer. The kiss was the most wonderful thing she'd ever tasted, sweet, and gentle. He held her to him, and she felt the pain inside him sink to the back of his mind. The force surrounded her, seeming almost to shimmer and spin with energy. She felt his presence everywhere, felt it cradle her like a warm hand, and she knew that this would change everything between them for the rest of their lives.
Luke immediately forgot about the pain, which had been plaguing him for the passed weeks. The only thing he concentrated on now was the woman in his arms. The kiss was wonderful, gentle, warm, and sweet, like a breeze at dawn. Mara was everywhere to him, in the force, in his mind, and slowly pushing away the mind-numbing ache which had held him captive. He pulled back a few moments later to look at her, wishing he didn't have to, but he needed to see her, needed to know what she'd do next. She stared at him, her green eyes wide, and vivid. "Mara, I'm sorry I," he began, but she put a finger to his lips, stopping him. She kissed him again, and this time, it was fiery. He pulled her into his lap, running his hands through her hair, which held the intoxicating scent of rain. She stroked his face, smoothing the damp hair away from his forehead, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd been so comforted by someone's touch. He felt her heart racing, and everything she felt for him through the force. He realized then, that he wanted her. He pulled back from her then, his eyes meeting hers. "Mara, is this right?" he asked.
She held his gaze. "What do you think?" she asked softly.
He thought a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I think it's right. I've never been more sure of anything, but what about you?" he asked.
She rested a hand against his face. "I've known it was right for a long time Luke, ever since you said you'd sacrifice yourself for me on Wayland I've known it was right," she said, knowing with every part of her that it was true.
He looked down at this woman, this woman who'd risked her life for his, who'd always been there for him, who'd never softened anything for him no matter how hard, and who'd never lied to him. She was smart, beautiful, passionate, confident, loyal, and good. "I love you," he said softly, unable to keep that from her any longer.
Mara smiled, having sensed what he would say. She looked at him, her friend who'd done so much for her in so short a time. She didn't have many friends, but he was one of them. He was good, kind, gentle, loyal, and patient. He'd let her come to him on her own terms, not pushing her too much, and always backing off when she'd told him to. He was decent, smart, and sometimes, sweetly innocent. He'd been the only one to accept her for who she was, and not look at her with fear, or awe. "I love you too," she said, and knew, right down to her very core, that she meant it. They kissed again, their minds open to each other, and the force. Thoughts mingled, minds touched minds, and the two forgot about everything else, as rain poured down outside.
Mara helped Luke to his feet, and let him draw an arm about her waist for support. His touch was distracting her, but she shook the thoughts off as his eyes met hers. He looked so helpless, so afraid. "Hey, it'll be all right Skywalker. We've just got to get you back to the academy," she said.
He shook his wet head violently. "No, not back there, I, I'd hurt them," he said.
"Where then?" she asked.
He pointed to a bluff about half a mile from where they stood. "There," he said, and Mara could see the dark opening of a cave in the green hill.
"Ok, we'll go there," she said, and he seemed to relax some. She led him to the cave; fighting back the warm, pleasant feelings his closeness was bringing her. Skywalker needed her help, and didn't need to deal with whatever was happening to her. They made it inside, and the cave was cool, but thankfully dry. Both were drenched and shivering. Luke dropped to the moss-covered floor with a heavy sigh, as if he'd walked for days. Mara sat down beside him, looking at him carefully. "How did this start Skywalker?" she asked.
He looked up at her, his eyes unfocused, but then he blinked, and they cleared. "I don't know, it just started happening and, I can't stop it. You shouldn't be here Mara," he said.
"Have you tried a healing trance?" she asked.
"Yes, but I can't concentrate long enough to hold it," he said.
"Can I try?" she asked.
"There is no try Mara," he said, his voice strangely calm.
She snorted. "Just let me help," she said.
He gave a trace of a smile, and Mara was relieved to see it. She opened herself to the force, but instead of feeling his reassuring, warm presence, she felt only pain. The pain hit her like a wave of icy water, and she gasped, shrinking back from the force, and his mind. She opened her eyes, staring into his face. "By the force Skywalker, you're living with this?" she asked.
He nodded. "I don't know how, or why, and I haven't felt anything in the force, have you?" he asked.
"No," she said.
He looked up at her, and met her gaze. "Mara, I'm scared."
Sympathy tore at her, and she wondered, not for the first time, why being around Skywalker made her feel several different things at once. She reached for his hand and gripped it firmly. She recalled having done the same thing on Wayland, asking him to kill her if she turned to the dark side. "You won't have to face this alone," she said, repeating the words he'd said to her.
He stared at her for a moment or two, and then on impulse, he touched her cheek. His warm hand lingered there, and she found herself leaning into his touch. His other arm went round her waist again, and he drew her into a tight hug. "Thank you," he murmured, his breath in her wet hair.
She only sat there in his arms at first; trying to hold back the feelings which wanted to flood her. She felt safe with him, but then again she realized, she always had, but what she felt now was something entirely different. She wanted him to pull her closer, wanted him to stroke her hair, to kiss her face, she wanted him. She looked up at him, brushing some strands of wet hair out of his eyes. "You'll be all right Jedi," she said, thinking of nothing else to say. His gaze met hers, and she hadn't realized before what a brilliant blue his eyes were. "You'll be ok," she murmured, trying to gather the will to pull back, and being unable to. He leaned in closer, and she could sense that pain again. She wished she could take it away for him, no one deserved it. "Jedi I'm," she began, but he hushed her, stroking her face with a gentle hand. There lips met, and all the feelings she'd been fighting so hard suddenly took her. She sighed, wrapping her arms about him and pulling him closer. The kiss was the most wonderful thing she'd ever tasted, sweet, and gentle. He held her to him, and she felt the pain inside him sink to the back of his mind. The force surrounded her, seeming almost to shimmer and spin with energy. She felt his presence everywhere, felt it cradle her like a warm hand, and she knew that this would change everything between them for the rest of their lives.
Luke immediately forgot about the pain, which had been plaguing him for the passed weeks. The only thing he concentrated on now was the woman in his arms. The kiss was wonderful, gentle, warm, and sweet, like a breeze at dawn. Mara was everywhere to him, in the force, in his mind, and slowly pushing away the mind-numbing ache which had held him captive. He pulled back a few moments later to look at her, wishing he didn't have to, but he needed to see her, needed to know what she'd do next. She stared at him, her green eyes wide, and vivid. "Mara, I'm sorry I," he began, but she put a finger to his lips, stopping him. She kissed him again, and this time, it was fiery. He pulled her into his lap, running his hands through her hair, which held the intoxicating scent of rain. She stroked his face, smoothing the damp hair away from his forehead, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd been so comforted by someone's touch. He felt her heart racing, and everything she felt for him through the force. He realized then, that he wanted her. He pulled back from her then, his eyes meeting hers. "Mara, is this right?" he asked.
She held his gaze. "What do you think?" she asked softly.
He thought a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I think it's right. I've never been more sure of anything, but what about you?" he asked.
She rested a hand against his face. "I've known it was right for a long time Luke, ever since you said you'd sacrifice yourself for me on Wayland I've known it was right," she said, knowing with every part of her that it was true.
He looked down at this woman, this woman who'd risked her life for his, who'd always been there for him, who'd never softened anything for him no matter how hard, and who'd never lied to him. She was smart, beautiful, passionate, confident, loyal, and good. "I love you," he said softly, unable to keep that from her any longer.
Mara smiled, having sensed what he would say. She looked at him, her friend who'd done so much for her in so short a time. She didn't have many friends, but he was one of them. He was good, kind, gentle, loyal, and patient. He'd let her come to him on her own terms, not pushing her too much, and always backing off when she'd told him to. He was decent, smart, and sometimes, sweetly innocent. He'd been the only one to accept her for who she was, and not look at her with fear, or awe. "I love you too," she said, and knew, right down to her very core, that she meant it. They kissed again, their minds open to each other, and the force. Thoughts mingled, minds touched minds, and the two forgot about everything else, as rain poured down outside.