First off, let me say WOW! You guys are awesome! I never expected such a positive reaction to such a weird idea, but I'm very, very glad everyone seems to like it. So thank you! I hope that I continue to put out enjoyable material. My reviewers are the BEST and thanks so much to all of you!
MaraJadeSywalkerJedi--Ah, the duel scene dream was my favorite part to write. Exploring the different levels of Luke and Mara's relationship is a source of endless amusement for me. I'm glad you liked it!
Elwen--First off, I'm very sorry I disappointed you. You picked right up on what I was most nervous about--I rushed that chapter quite a bit. There was a method to my madness, but I'll strive to take more time on the rest so please don't give up on me! I'm very glad you enjoyed the duel scene, it was a highlight for me, too. Thanks for taking the time to review!
Luvinna--It will definitely start to get different, I promise! I appreciate your compliments. I love going at Mara from a Luke-ish point of view--using his reactions and instincts is really the best way to show how a civil relationship between the two might be fostered. But Mara's not simply going to melt into his arms, I assure you. She's much too stubborn for that. Thank you for your kind well-wishes, and I hope you continue to enjoy both stories.
Nicole--Lots of dialogue was taken, but it was for storyline purposes. Thanks for the review, I hope you continue to like it!
Ariapaige!--I've missed you from Eye! I'm glad to see you! I agree with your point--Luke probably wouldn't choose to meddle with the past, but I think that Mara's death might push him past is normal limits. And he kinda had to for this to be any kind of story. Glad to keep you entertained! And thanks for the kind words.
Terri--I'm excited too! There are so many things I'd love to cover. Feel free at any time to feed me suggestions for desired scenes. I love writing L/M stuff. The dream was my favorite part, too!
Knbnnate and Saiyuki123--I'm so happy to hear you're both enjoying this! Thanks for your reviews!
Keymajade--I always hate writing those short summaries, I'm terrible at it. So I'm glad to hear at least one worked! Hope you continue to enjoy the story!
Drizzt--Thanks! But Mara doesn't remember bits of her past life because this is Luke's chance to start again and fix things. She's not aware of what's going on. And Luke's only clue is the dream that he doesn't really remember. But as their relationship grows, Luke is going to start to share things with her. The story will be different than the books, I promise. I had to get to a part to start a much more original plotline--and that starts here, filling in the gaps in the Thrawn trilogy.
Sithspawn-13--Thank you. You should start noticing differences starting here. Most of the major plot stuff as far as the Thrawn trilogy will follow along the same lines--but there will be differences in Luke and Mara's relationship.
The Ties that Bond
chapter three
They had been trekking through Myrkyr's vast forest for two nights and had finally stopped to check for any messages from Karrde on this--their third afternoon of their reluctant adventure.
What Luke had heard of the message in between brief spurts of near-sleep, was that the surprisingly resourceful smuggling chief had constructed a reasonable story for their escape--a disgruntled former employee was making off with some valuable goods and Jade had roared after him in pursuit. See-threepio continued to inform them that there was no mention of whether Jade was male or female, and suggested a role reversal. It was a good idea, but Luke was pretty certain that Mara would be more than a little reluctant to hand him the blaster--and subsequently control of the situation.
He'd drifted out again, momentarily succumbing to slumber--and regretted it when Artoo's squeal jerked him back into wakefulness. He couldn't have been out for long, but it was long enough for a vornskr to tackle his captor and force her to the ground.
The resulting struggle between man and beast had been short but fierce--and it had left a burning line of agony down diagonally across his forehead, cheek and shoulder. Mara was sporting claw marks and a foul spurt of temper--whether it was at being caught off guard, the thought of Luke seeing her vulnerable, or the fact that it was Luke who'd had to save her was unknown, but in any case it was bad for him.
Besides, Luke had some thinking of his own to do. Because while he was absolutely certain he would have done everything in his power to save Mara anyway, he was equally certain that his humanitarianism wasn't all that had spurred his quick response time. He couldn't say for sure what had exactly had made his heart leap into his throat when he saw his beautiful captor pinned under the claws of the vornskr, but it wasn't simple adrenalin. Was it the fact that he could still recall every smile, every word, every laugh from his dream of them on Coruscant? Maybe.
Perhaps not having the Force was having an effect on his judgment and rational thinking.
Yes, that was probably it. With a sigh, he gingerly lifted his fingers to the still-throbbing welt on his cheek. It wouldn't leave a scar like some of his other injuries, but it was going to hurt for a while. Rushing the thing probably hadn't been the smartest idea, but in the heat of the moment…
Of course, he could have lived without her disclosing the information that she had been the Emperor's personal right-hand man--or, in this case, woman--and the chilling realization that the vision he'd had on Degobah should have come true. She should have been on Jabba's sail barge that day. He should have died in the attempt to save Han and Leia. In his reverie, his fingers came a little to close to the stinging welt and shot a bolt of agony through him.
"Sithspit," he snapped under his breath. One more thing that had gone wrong. My luck had better change soon or I'll be dead. Then he glanced at Mara and almost groaned aloud. I'm doomed.
"Something wrong?" Mara asked coolly with an eyebrow arched. It wasn't nice, or even polite. But it was more than he'd gotten from her in an hour.
"No." His fingers dropped to his aching shoulder. "Just thinking out loud."
Her other eyebrow went up as if to say, 'really?' He met her gaze head on and tried to stare her down…but as always, he blinked first and turned away.
"How far are we from Hyllyard City now?" he asked, busying himself with Artoo's travois. He could feel her eyes on him and forced himself to stop fidgeting and settle against a tree trunk.
"Within a day," she replied, taking stock of her wounds and sighing. Nothing major, but this trip had already taxed her reserves. Traversing a rather dense forest with more than its fair share of predators was enough of a handful, even for her, but to throw Skywalker into the mix. She shook her head. The glorious days of the Empire had truly passed. Perhaps Karrde had been right--while the Empire appeared to be on the up and up, in the end it was the New Republic who was almost assured the final victory. She expected some sort of emotional backlash from that thought, but to her mild surprise, there was nothing. No surge of rage at the thought of the Rebellion eliminating everything she'd once fought for. No lingering despair at the fact that she'd been run out of the Empire because nobody knew how powerful she truly was. Nothing but old aches and the ever-present desire for revenge, and Skywalker's blood.
Her eyes cut to him again. He'd stopped poking at his face and was securing Artoo to the travois again, ready to go whenever she signaled that they should. He murmured something encouraging to the droid, patted its domed head and chuckled in response to whatever the machine had twittered back.
Wasn't he even the slightest bit worried about his fate?
But no, he simply finished with his astromech and picked up the travois' handles. He turned his eyes to her and nodded, indicating that he was prepared to continue their little journey. She paused, considered pushing onward toward the city, and realized that the vornskr attack had taken more out of her than she'd expected. She shook her head.
"We'll camp here," she said. She waited for annoyance, for a protest, but he merely nodded, again took care of Artoo, and got ready to sleep. With another sigh, she propped herself against a tree trunk and scanned the forest for any signs of danger.
---the next afternoon---
Despite the reluctant role reversal and a burst of inspired acting, Luke found himself marching next to Mara and Han in the center of a group of stormtroopers, cuffed and effectively out of ideas. For the moment.
"Well," Han said, sounding so much like he had over five years ago in Jabba's Palace that Luke grinned, "together again, huh?"
"I wouldn't miss it," he replied, grinning wider at their old joke. Whatever trial was in front of them, it was good to have Han with him. The ex-smuggler was more than an asset in battle, and without the Force, Luke was glad to have the backup. No doubt Mara was a quick and capable fighter--she'd already displayed her impeccable aim--but Han wasn't harboring a desire to kill him. "Your friends there seem in a hurry to get away."
"Probably don't want to miss the party. A little something they threw together to celebrate my capture."
Luke threw him a sideways look, then turned his eyes to Mara. Whatever was about to happen, she would need to be prepared. She studiously avoided his gaze, but she was listening carefully, trying to catch the implied meaning behind Han's words.
"Shame we weren't invited," he commented to his brother-in-law, eyes still on Mara.
"Real shame," Han agreed, stone faced. "You never know, though."
---
"You never know?" Mara gasped incredulously, eyes taking in the wreckage that had once been a stone arch. Han grinned and shrugged.
"I'm just glad you realized what all the party talk was about," he replied. "'Cuz I wasn't about to stop and explain it to you, Red."
Luke saw Mara's eyes flash at Han's casual nickname, but she didn't say anything. Han had always been the first one to come up with nicknames for everyone. Leia had never been simply Leia--her nicknames ranged from 'Sweetheart' to 'Your worshipfulness.' Luke was usually 'Kid,' with the occasional 'Junior' thrown in to mix it up. Threepio was 'Goldenrod.' And now Mara was 'Red.'
Red. He liked it. Still feeling slightly euphoric after their sketchy narrow-escape, he tossed her a grin. She simply glared at him in return, but he was feeling as good as he ever had after shattering the Beggar's Canyon top record.
But then Karrde was walking toward them, quickly masking an expression of surprised awe at the damage Luke had done, and Luke knew that this particular adventure was over. No more forests, ysalamiri, or vornskrs, no more Mara Jade, just home.
Mara. He looked at her again, watched her pick her way through the rumble, taking stock of the damage, looking for anything useful that she might salvage from the ruins. Even when covered in dust from the crumbled arch, her hair gleamed under the sun, flashing like fire in the light. He couldn't help but feel drawn to her in a way he didn't understand, and he realized with a jolt that, for all her threats and snarled insults, he'd miss her. In a weird way.
As he watched her, she knelt and plucked something out of the ruins, then rubbed it clean against her side. He caught a flash of silver and blinked. His lightsaber--he'd thrown at the last two supports under the arch and had given it up for crushed, but she'd found it. He walked over to her, wondering how she'd managed to spot it. She glanced up as he came to a stop at her side.
"It looks…" He blinked again. "Surprisingly undamaged."
"Lucky break," she agreed, examining it.
"There is no luck," he stated automatically, then laughed in surprise at himself. "I suppose that doesn't apply where the Force is nullified, however."
Her eyes caught his and a flash of unexpected humor glinted there before she could stop it. "Maybe." She traced a finger down the hilt, wiping away a streak of dirt. "This doesn't change anything, Skywalker. I'm still going to kill you."
Luke barely suppressed a long sigh. "I know."
"As long as we're clear." She held the lightsaber out to him, and as he took it, something strange happened to him.
Another memory from a life he wasn't living.
It was late afternoon, and the two of them were standing on the top of a Massassi temple on Yavin IV, overlooking the moon's tangled jungles. Mara, who'd been examining the hilt of Luke's lightsaber, handed it back to him and let out a slow breath.
"Do you think I should make another one? Your old one has always been a little too big for my hands," she commented. Luke's eyes flashed to Mara's slender wrists and graceful fingers, took note of their delicate qualities.
"If you want to," he replied, understanding the practicality of a saber that better suited her smaller hands, but hurt just the same. That saber was a part of him, a part of his family and his past that he'd entrusted to her, his best friend. Mara seemed to pick up on that quiet ache and placed her hand over his.
"Stupid question," she murmured softly, her eyes as emerald as the tree leaves far below them. "I don't want another one. Yours is a part of me now."
His free hand came up to cover hers in silent gratitude. Mara had always understood him better than anyone else. Their bond was incredibly strong--so strong that he felt humbled by its power whenever he stopped to consider it. The Force had weaved the two of them together so closely that he couldn't imagine what his life, his Force sense, would be without her.
There was a long silence then, as Luke savored the moment and Mara struggled with her next words.
"I do want you to train me," she said at last. When his eyes shot up to hers, wide and startled, she smiled a little grimly and shook her head. "I'm not saying I want to start now, or that I'll be an easy student to teach when I am ready, but one day I know I have to finish what we started on Wayland all those years ago."
His fingers tightened over hers. "It would be my greatest honor," he replied humbly, and watched a flush crawl over her cheeks. Amazing. Had he managed to fluster her? The unshakable Mara Jade?
He grinned at her and relished in the smile she threw back at him, reckless and genuine, sweet with a hint of wicked mischievousness. He'd fallen in love with that smile.
Fallen in love.
No. Not with Mara. Maybe with her smile, but he was not in love with her. Their friendship ran too deeply. And his devotion to the Jedi and the reestablishment of their ancient peacekeeping position was unshakable. It was the Jedi Order he was in love with, and the Jedi Order that came first in his life. He had a solemn duty to them first and foremost, and he was a man who believed in duty.
Mara's smile faded as she watched the emotions flicker across his face. Had he imagined that flash of annoyance over their bond? She never did particularly enjoy his company once he'd gone into his 'Jedi Master mode.'
"Hey, ground control to flyboy…wanna join us back here in the present?" she asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. Luke glanced down at her and laughed again.
"Sorry. You know me--I've always been a dreamer."
A tide of reluctant affection from her--she did indeed know him, and was quite familiar with his overactive imagination.
"I know," she replied, and shook her head. "Nothing's ever been able to ground you--not even my death threats."
"And there have been plenty of those over the years," he agreed, chuckling.
"Watch it, Skywalker, or I might retake that vow to kill you."
"You, Mara Jade, are a horrible liar."
"And you, Luke Skywalker, are a horrible, hopeless romantic. Now, let's get downstairs before all those Jedi students of yours eat all the good stuff and leave us with that stuff your cook seems so fond of."
"That stuff wasn't so bad."
"So you say. But you'll eat anything."
Luke grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "Just about."
Mara poked him and then herded him toward the door to the lift he'd installed in the temple. "Move it or lose it, Skywalker--this time I'm hungry."
---
With a jolt, Luke came back into the present. Mara, who'd been watching his face closely, had her eyes narrowed. His pulse was throbbing again, he could feel it, and as he stared into Mara's jewel-green eyes, he realized that he wanted the relationship he'd seen in his 'memories.' That Mara was funny, wry, dependable and openly friendly. This Mara was cool, sarcastic and cruel at every opportunity.
"Something wrong, Skywalker?" she asked, a quiet aloofness in her tone. He stared at her for another long moment, then tore his gaze away. The warmth he'd seen in her eyes during his visions was definitely absent from this woman's eyes.
"Nothing. Sorry." He took back his lightsaber and scrambled away from her across the rumble, heading for Han's side. When the time came, he couldn't bring himself to say goodbye. And neither did she.
--Note: I promise Eye of the Beholder will be updated soon. I've had a lot of plot review to do and I've made some changes to my previous ideas, but DO keep an eye out for it very soon! Thanks! --lauro