WHAT CHOICE REMAINS

Authors: Co-written by rhonderoo and Jedi Trace

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Lucasfilm, Ltd. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.

A/N to follow.

Epilogue

Five years later

Sitting in a high-backed chair, legs crossed casually, Mara Jade regarded the man lying on a cot in front of her. He stirred and opened his eyes briefly before returning to his drug-induced sleep.

The glint of blue beneath his eyelids shocked her as effectively as a neuronic whip. Clenching her fists, she inhaled a calming breath. She should've known. She should have prepared herself for the fact that her captive would remind her of him.

Her faced burned at the memory of the last time she'd seen him; his back turned to her cries, long strides removing him from her agony...

She had prayed for death in the end, but it had not come. Unconsciousness brought a merciful end to the torrent of Force lightning and the unbearable vibroblade of abandonment wedged in her heart.

She had awakened in the stone prison cell that would be her home for the next two years. Ysalamiri cages were visible through the grate over her head, the cursed creatures creating a perimeter around her and negating her ability to sense or use the Force.

It was during those years of solitary confinement that she learned to hate. The anguish of betrayal resolved itself into a bitter loathing that became her constant companion, her reason to live.

When the New Republic finally discovered the secret Imperial prison and released her for lack of criminal evidence, she was consumed by the burning desire for revenge...

She found him in deep space, floating in his crippled X-Wing, and convinced her employer to offer him transportation. She felt his familiar presence as he was brought on board. He felt her hatred.

Lightly, she brushed the Jedi's lightsaber hanging on her belt. She could do it right now - cut him down in his sleep or shoot him point-blank in the head. It would all be over in a matter of seconds.

"I will not betray my master. And I will not destroy his son."

She had been a fool. Free from the blinders of childish devotion, she would complete the task she had begun years ago. Her only regret would be that her master would not be standing beside her. That he would not feel the searing pain ripping through the flesh of his only son.

Could it possibly hurt him as much as he had hurt her?

Luke Skywalker, now awake, sat calmly across from her. Their eyes met. He returned her cold stare with a clear, unwavering gaze, "Don't tell me; let me guess. You're Mara Jade."

THE END

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A/N: Thanks to all who have read and reviewed this story! Our goal for this fic was to tie the OT and EU together in a manner that would be realistic in regards to the OT movies.....a "behind the scenes" story, if you will.

We know the end was sad - it depressed us too, LOL - and we have decided to write a short AU/Infinities-style sequel where Anakin survives after ROTJ. It is still in the planning stage, but we look forward to writing something a bit happier for our two favorite characters in the GFFA.

Thanks again!

:) Rhonderoo and Jedi Trace