"I should be gone," Mara Jade told herself as she fiddled with the needle
in Leia's arm. The sleeping form of the princess didn't offer an opinion.
Mara arched her back hearing her back creak. She hadn't been trained for
this. She was trained to kill people not keep midnight vigils at a bedside.
Mara sat back down a feeling of helplessness descending upon her. She had nothing to do. Mara didn't even know why she was here. She and Leia had met in the past but nothing that warranted a three-day stop in the healer's wing. Leia had fallen into a deep coma after Mara had rescued her. Her body unable to adjust to everything that had happened, but her body was tough. Mara had to admit Leia had balls.
Her reputation defiantly preceded her, along with a number of stunned and unconscious Imperials. Whether Mara liked it or not, she defiantly respected the other woman.
Besides hanging with Skywalker and Solo without killing them was a good enough reason for Mara.
Mara leaned back into her chair wondering what she could talk about. The healers had told her that Leia could hear and so Mara had pretty much described her life story-she figured she had nothing to loose.
Now she was stuck.
"So when are you planning on gracing us with your presence huh?" Mara asked the form. "I mean no offence but this rebellion you got going ain't exactly running like clockwork without you"
She wasn't joking. Leia seemed like the glue that held this shoddy thing together. But Mara reflected that was the price you paid when you left men in charge.
Mara's hypersensitive hearing picked up the soft rustling first drawing the ex assassin to the bed. Leia was turning her head from side to side, each time her eyes got a little bit wider. Mara kicked the chair away, kneeling in front of the bed, eager to see Leia wake up.
Leia choked a couple of times and Mara braced her head with her arm until the princess breathed easily.
"Please tell me I'm not in the healers wing," Leia groaned. She was still blind but she managed to locate the other person in the room.
Mara swallowed the need to wrap Leia in a hug.
She shrugged then realized that Leia couldn't see her.
"Sorry then."
Leia's face contorted suddenly in confusion. Mara could almost see the wheels in the Princess's head turning.
"Mara?" the name came out tentative and unsure.
"The one and only"
Leia scowled. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving your ass from a lifetime of being a miniature wall hanging"
Leia laughed which in her weakened state sounded very much like a gasp of air.
Leia's eyes began to travel a useless gesture but Mara understood it. "Is Han here?" Mara winced as she heard the emotion Leia would not let colour her voice. Bail had taught her well. Mara bit back on a surge of anger at Solo. Here Leia could only think of him and Han was making public displays on love and devotion to her own brother.
"No." Mara wasn't sure what she could say. She watched Leia's face smooth out a little.
"He's probably out playing Hero, setting up games of cards."
Weakly Leia got out of bed, instantly Mara was at her side. "I gotta get up"
Mara nodded, knowing better then to argue. "Alright just next door right?"
Leia nodded and painfully slowly the Princess began the arduous task of putting one foot in front of the other.
As the door shut behind her Mara saw Solo enter.
"So you gonna tell her?"
Solo's big brown eyes widened innocently. He wanted to play it like that then fine.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about"
Mara shrugged. "Hmm well I'm gonna take a wide stab in the dark and say that rather public kiss with Skywalker in the hall and the way you've been gazing into each others eyes gave me a slight clue."
She had him and she knew it. She crossed her arms. "So I am going to ask you again. Are you going to tell Leia about the affair you're having with her own brother"
Her eyes glinted. "By the way can I just say this is something very reminiscent of a holodrama. A very bad holodrama"
Han glared. "This is none of your business here Jade." Han glared, standing right in front of Mara. They both had seen a lot of the Universe ad in some ways they were a lot a like. But that didn't mean Mara wasn't going to fold his butt into the next trash compactor.
"You don't deserve her Solo" Mara said, enjoying the anger and the regret on the man's face.
"Her first thought was of you. How you were. What you were doing. Course maybe if she knew you were doing her brother maybe she would've been a little less nice"
Mara wasn't quite sure where her tirade was coming from but it made her feel a lot better.
"If you could have seen her face when she asked if you were alright, God I wish someone would look at me that way."
Han's face was impassive but Mara had enough training to know she had hit a nerve. The one good thing Palpatine had shown her. How to manipulate another's feelings, Mara kept her voice low. She didn't want Leia overhearing this.
"You think this was planned?" Han demanded of her, "You think I wanted to hurt her."
"No" Mara answered truthfully. "I just think you were thinking of yourself. What you wanted. It was easy to forget that she was frozen that she was dying"
"Hey"
Together Mara and Han turned. Leia was leaning heavily on the doorknob, a glass of water was in her hand.
"Hey Princess"
Leia frowned and mock sighed. "Of all the people to wake up from a coma from it had to be you"
Han pretend to be offended. "Hey I am great company. Play a little cards, gamble..." Leia rolled her eyes as she climbed back on the bed. Han and Mara turned to watch her, ready to pick up some sign that Leia had heard. Leia seemed oblivious though.
"You're not getting into trouble are you? You're a bad influence on Luke"
That hurt. Mara sent a glare Solo's way but he ignored her. He easily wrapped an arm around the princess. "Darlin' I have been a saint. Ask anyone."
Leia shrugged his arm off. "Yeah right."
Han grinned. "Princess you wound me" he turned to Mara. "Think maybe we can be alone?"
Mara scowled but Leia was agreeing. "We do need to talk"
The redhead nodded but as she reached the door her eyes met Han's
"Tell her or I will"
Mara sat back down a feeling of helplessness descending upon her. She had nothing to do. Mara didn't even know why she was here. She and Leia had met in the past but nothing that warranted a three-day stop in the healer's wing. Leia had fallen into a deep coma after Mara had rescued her. Her body unable to adjust to everything that had happened, but her body was tough. Mara had to admit Leia had balls.
Her reputation defiantly preceded her, along with a number of stunned and unconscious Imperials. Whether Mara liked it or not, she defiantly respected the other woman.
Besides hanging with Skywalker and Solo without killing them was a good enough reason for Mara.
Mara leaned back into her chair wondering what she could talk about. The healers had told her that Leia could hear and so Mara had pretty much described her life story-she figured she had nothing to loose.
Now she was stuck.
"So when are you planning on gracing us with your presence huh?" Mara asked the form. "I mean no offence but this rebellion you got going ain't exactly running like clockwork without you"
She wasn't joking. Leia seemed like the glue that held this shoddy thing together. But Mara reflected that was the price you paid when you left men in charge.
Mara's hypersensitive hearing picked up the soft rustling first drawing the ex assassin to the bed. Leia was turning her head from side to side, each time her eyes got a little bit wider. Mara kicked the chair away, kneeling in front of the bed, eager to see Leia wake up.
Leia choked a couple of times and Mara braced her head with her arm until the princess breathed easily.
"Please tell me I'm not in the healers wing," Leia groaned. She was still blind but she managed to locate the other person in the room.
Mara swallowed the need to wrap Leia in a hug.
She shrugged then realized that Leia couldn't see her.
"Sorry then."
Leia's face contorted suddenly in confusion. Mara could almost see the wheels in the Princess's head turning.
"Mara?" the name came out tentative and unsure.
"The one and only"
Leia scowled. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving your ass from a lifetime of being a miniature wall hanging"
Leia laughed which in her weakened state sounded very much like a gasp of air.
Leia's eyes began to travel a useless gesture but Mara understood it. "Is Han here?" Mara winced as she heard the emotion Leia would not let colour her voice. Bail had taught her well. Mara bit back on a surge of anger at Solo. Here Leia could only think of him and Han was making public displays on love and devotion to her own brother.
"No." Mara wasn't sure what she could say. She watched Leia's face smooth out a little.
"He's probably out playing Hero, setting up games of cards."
Weakly Leia got out of bed, instantly Mara was at her side. "I gotta get up"
Mara nodded, knowing better then to argue. "Alright just next door right?"
Leia nodded and painfully slowly the Princess began the arduous task of putting one foot in front of the other.
As the door shut behind her Mara saw Solo enter.
"So you gonna tell her?"
Solo's big brown eyes widened innocently. He wanted to play it like that then fine.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about"
Mara shrugged. "Hmm well I'm gonna take a wide stab in the dark and say that rather public kiss with Skywalker in the hall and the way you've been gazing into each others eyes gave me a slight clue."
She had him and she knew it. She crossed her arms. "So I am going to ask you again. Are you going to tell Leia about the affair you're having with her own brother"
Her eyes glinted. "By the way can I just say this is something very reminiscent of a holodrama. A very bad holodrama"
Han glared. "This is none of your business here Jade." Han glared, standing right in front of Mara. They both had seen a lot of the Universe ad in some ways they were a lot a like. But that didn't mean Mara wasn't going to fold his butt into the next trash compactor.
"You don't deserve her Solo" Mara said, enjoying the anger and the regret on the man's face.
"Her first thought was of you. How you were. What you were doing. Course maybe if she knew you were doing her brother maybe she would've been a little less nice"
Mara wasn't quite sure where her tirade was coming from but it made her feel a lot better.
"If you could have seen her face when she asked if you were alright, God I wish someone would look at me that way."
Han's face was impassive but Mara had enough training to know she had hit a nerve. The one good thing Palpatine had shown her. How to manipulate another's feelings, Mara kept her voice low. She didn't want Leia overhearing this.
"You think this was planned?" Han demanded of her, "You think I wanted to hurt her."
"No" Mara answered truthfully. "I just think you were thinking of yourself. What you wanted. It was easy to forget that she was frozen that she was dying"
"Hey"
Together Mara and Han turned. Leia was leaning heavily on the doorknob, a glass of water was in her hand.
"Hey Princess"
Leia frowned and mock sighed. "Of all the people to wake up from a coma from it had to be you"
Han pretend to be offended. "Hey I am great company. Play a little cards, gamble..." Leia rolled her eyes as she climbed back on the bed. Han and Mara turned to watch her, ready to pick up some sign that Leia had heard. Leia seemed oblivious though.
"You're not getting into trouble are you? You're a bad influence on Luke"
That hurt. Mara sent a glare Solo's way but he ignored her. He easily wrapped an arm around the princess. "Darlin' I have been a saint. Ask anyone."
Leia shrugged his arm off. "Yeah right."
Han grinned. "Princess you wound me" he turned to Mara. "Think maybe we can be alone?"
Mara scowled but Leia was agreeing. "We do need to talk"
The redhead nodded but as she reached the door her eyes met Han's
"Tell her or I will"