Dear Readers,

Hello, I'm back with Chapter 12! I hope everybody's doing okay out there! This chapter isn't as sad as the last one, but it isn't my best either. I hope you all like it, but that's enough of my rambling (like I tend to do), Let's get this party started! I want to take a moment and give a special thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 11…

Sithspawned – THANK YOU so much for your nice review (I was so afraid I was going to get flames)! I read your review, which was first as usual, and I thought to myself, if she thought it was okay… than it must be okay! So THANKS AGAIN, and I really hope you like this chapter too! Much Love!

Calli 1 – Aww, here's a cyber-tissue for your tears ((Ya know the kind you can blow your nose on too, LoL!)) Sorry it was so sad, but I promise it'll get better! ((I couldn't sleep at night if one of my stories had a bad or 'unhappy' ending!)) I hope you like this chapter and I thank you for your kind review ((I was so afraid of receiving flames! SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR KINDNESS, BLESS YOU!)) Much Love!

Padawan Sydney Bristow – Wow, thank you so much for you encouragement, and enthusiasm! I LOVE lllllllllllllloooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg INTERESTING conversations between the characters too! THANK YOU SO MUCH, Much Love!

Mara Look-a-like – DUDE, you love tickle wars too! ((YAH, I'm not alone in the world!)) I'm so glad you liked that! I promise it gets better! THANK YOU SO MUCH for your fun and sweet review! I really was so afraid no one would keep reading after that last post! THANKS AGAIN and I really hope you like this chapter too! ((You 'love' it? Really? I'm so honored! Bless your heart!)) Much Love!

Saber Girls (Leia) – Oh thank you so much, I'm so glad you liked it ((And one writer to another, it's nice to know you understand what I mean!)) Mara is just so convinced she's not good enough, she miss understood his words and you're gonna see that touched on in this chapter quite a bit. THANK YOU for being so nice! And SO encouraging, I liked your little pep talk to Mara too! THANKS AGAIN! Much Love ((LoL!))!

mrs. skywalker – YAH! Glad I was just in time and I'm so glad you liked it! THANK YOU SO MUCH I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER TOO! Much Love! ((WOW! You reviewed and read it twice! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it that much! Bless you!))

Jelp – Haha, LoL! You are really good at making me laugh! THANKS, for the laugh and the kind review! I promise it gets better! I hope you like this chapter too! MUCH LOVE!

Sweetdeath04 – ((passes SD04 the cyber tissues!)) I got teary writing that one! AND I'M THE DARN WRITER! The reminder of all L/M have been through, wasn't 'really' planned, it just kind of happened, but I'm glad you liked that! I tell you my stomach was in knots posting that last chapter! I thought for sure no one would like it! And YOU'RE RIGHT! I know it's really dangerous to say this ((his ego doesn't need to be inflated anymore! It's amazing to me and Leia he get through a doorway, LoL!)) BUT Luke could learn a thing or two from Han. And you'll see that a little bit in this chapter! I hope you enjoy, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WRITING IN, You are Wonderful! Much Love!

Miss Krux – Aww, here's a cyber tissue (for your tears) sorry the last chapter was so sad. I promise it gets better! Thank you so much for writing in! I hope you like this chapter too! Much Love!

Jedi-Lover – Well I'll tell you one thing, if I did write for the NJO, Chewbacca and Anakin Solo would not DIE ((I think both of their deaths were so pointless and unnecessary!))! (Clears throat awkwardly!)… Sorry, I still haven't gotten over that yet! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE COMPLIMENTS! And your conversation with Mara was hilarious! Comforting Luke in his time of need was very friendly of you too! LoL! You're so bad! THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving me a good laugh and getting me through another chapter! BLESS YOU! Much Love!

lilyskywalker – OH WOW! Thank you so much for writing in and telling me that! After that last post I was afraid I would lose readers and THERE YOU ARE! BLESS YOU! I hope you like this chapter too! Much Love!

Star Sheep – Oh yeah, I know what you mean! Don't you just love it when teachers pull stuff like that? LoL, I'm not mad, goodness, you've got nothing to worry about there! THANK YOU for writing in, letting me know how you're doing and being so nice! Bless you and I hope you like this chapter too! Much Love!

stupid-gizka – "Best in years?" Aww, you're so sweet! Thank you so much for writing in! I truly appreciate it!

SoloKenobi – THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm glad you liked it! Hope you enjoy this chapter too! Much Love!

Dedicated to all Corellians with large egos! ((Which means basically the whole planet, ROCK ON!)) And cyber-tissues, I used a whole megabyte of those things ((LoL))!


"Master Skywalker's Secret Admirer"

Chapter 12 – Han and Leia Step In ((FINALLY))


The next few days passed by very slowly for all of heroes. The entire Solo Family pitched in helping get everything planned and ready for the ceremony. The work was hard enough, but it seemed even harder when Luke and Mara weren't talking. The first day, they didn't talk; they didn't look at each other, or even acknowledge the other was there!

Yesterday, they did actually look at one another, and each time they did. They would share a look of longing and great pain. Then they would go about their work as if the moment hadn't even happened.

But Today… Every time they were near each other, arguments were started, insults were thrown and one if not both of them left the room in a huff. Leia Organa Solo grabbed her husband's arm and said, "Han, we have to stop this!"

"Stop what?" he asked, as if he didn't know.

"Stop them! They're tearing each other apart!" Leia stressed, "And we know they love each other, we've gotta do something! They need our help!"

"Okay, okay, we'll talk to them, just calm down." Han said griping her shoulders, and rubbing them a little. "You're so worked up, take it easy!"

"I know I shouldn't get so bent out of shape over this. But it's just, I remember what that feels like! I know exactly how they feel and I can't bare to watch them tear each other apart anymore!"

"I know Sweetheart, I agree with you; both of us have been there before." Han tipped Leia's head towards his. "We know what it's like, but we got through it. All they need is a push in the right direction."

"More like a violent shove at this point." Leia said darkly.

"Well then we'll shove 'em. We'll do as much as we can to help them, and hopefully they'll listen to us." Han said determinedly.

"So you want to help them too?"

"Of course I do, Leia. We never would have made it to where we are today if it wasn't that kid and his sand-brained ideas! Him and Mara both deserve some happiness in their lives, I really want to help them if I can, and I know you do."

"Can I kiss you?" Leia asked smiling a little.

"Do you have to ask?" Han asked playfully and she leaned in giving him a sweet kiss on his lips.


Meanwhile… Across The Room…

Luke was checking over all of the student's work, and so far they were all doing a great job. But of course his focus didn't stick to the stage and seats they'd all spent the last few days setting up in their brand new auditorium. His gaze drifted to the red-head woman sitting amongst the students, laughing and carrying on right along with them as they polished the stage. She looked so wonderful, Luke couldn't take his eyes off her, and since she didn't notice his stare… He took a seat in a nearby chair, and just admired her from a far. She had her hair tied back in a cute pony-tail all day. When she finished off her polish, she smiled at a job well done, and took her hair down letting it tumble over her shoulders. She was so beautiful, and Luke missed her dearly. He missed all of the fun they used to have together.

Before he even knew what was going on, Mara was heading towards him… and before Luke even knew what he was doing, he was already asking, "Where do you think you're going?"

"We're ordering dinner, if that's okay with you, Master." She said his title as if it was an insult.

"Nice attitude," He replied, "No wonder it took you this long to reach Knighthood." He quipped.

"Maybe it was my attitude, then again, maybe if my master wasn't such a player I would have learned a lot quicker!" She spat.

"Oh please," he said flatly, "You were the one letting Lando feel you up in public!"

"That was a cover job and he tried, but never actually got that far, AND YOU know it! But you know, I'm curious… what's your excuse for all the obscene things you did in public with Calli, Gabriel or whoever else? I didn't think Jedi had those kind of missions."

"Yeah, I didn't need to hire people to spend time with me. That's the difference." Luke said coldly.

Mara was about to spat another insult his way, a really good one, but she stopped herself before she spoke a word. Her face changed from angry to sad and she asked, "What's happened to us, Luke? We used to be friends not so long ago, ya know?" Mara said softening a little. "Right now, all we're doing is ripping each other apart; doesn't that bother you at all?"

"Of course it bothers me, Mara! I can't stand us being like this! But you insist on keeping me at arms length. Why are you pushing me away?" Luke asked seriously, neither of them noticing Han and Leia listening nearby.

"I'll explain it to you someday, but right now, you wouldn't understand." Mara said sadly.

"See, that's what I'm talking about! I feel like I could tell you anything, but obviously, you don't feel the same." Luke said.

"It's not like that Luke-"

"Than tell me what's wrong, at least try." Luke begged, "I want to try and understand what's wrong here."

"Luke…"

"Please Mara…" He begged, his voice cracking on unshed tears. Tears appeared in Mara's eyes as she tilted her head slight.

"I'm sorry Luke, I just can't." She whispered, choking on her own tears. She quickly walked away and left him sitting all alone.

Luke took a deep shaky breath, and tried to keep his tears at bay. This was torture; he was so in love with someone who wanted nothing to do with him. She wouldn't even tell him why. She was probably afraid of hurting him more-

"Ya alright kid?" Han asked clapping him on his back.

"Yeah Han, I'm okay." Luke sighed.

"I see you were trying to talk to, Jade. Did ya get anywhere?"

Luke was silent for a moment then said, "No, she won't talk to me at all. All she says is I wouldn't understand. But how can I understand if she won't explain it to me?"

"I don't know, kid, I stopped trying to understand women years ago." Han said trying to cheer him up a little. But Luke didn't even smile.

"The other night she wasn't this way. Do you think it's something I said?" He asked as his sister came to join them.

"Well, you could have. You have a tendency to say the wrong thing. We know you mean well, but sometimes it just comes out wrong." Leia supplied.

"Do you remember your exact words?" Han asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well tell us, maybe we can figure out what happened." Leia went along with Han's thinking.

"Well after I talked to you, I went right over to Mara's apartment. And had some trouble getting in."

"She was still sore about the kiss wasn't she?" Han chuckled.

"Yeah, she didn't really want to see me, and when I did kiss her, she said forget it ever happened. I told her I didn't want to forget the kiss we shared; and she said we're best friends it was too dangerous to even try a relationship like that. We'd only end up hating each other."

"She said something like that to me before." Leia said nodding.

"She went on saying that things would never work between us, that I deserved so much better than her… like there's such thing! She went on saying the kiss meant nothing, but the pain I saw in her eyes I knew she wasn't telling me the truth. Then she started trying to describe the kind of woman I did deserve and I cut her off, finishing her description. I started cornering her, she tried, with little effort, to push me away saying 'she wasn't the one.' I told her I need her, And she whispered, 'we couldn't fall in love.'" Luke paused for a moment before continuing, lost in his memory. His aching heart couldn't forget the way she fit so perfectly in his arms, the smell of her skin, feel of her sweet lips on his. "And I said, "It's too late."

"THEN WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HER!" Han asked; abruptly bring Luke ((and Leia)) back to reality.

"Han!" Leia scolded.

"WHAT! HONESTLY, Leia! I taught the boy well, and that was awesome!" Han argued.

"He's not done yet, that's not the whole story!" Leia scolded Han then turned to her brother, "That's not it is it? You're not finished, right?"

Luke shook his head 'yes.'

"See, he's not done, let him tell his story!" Leia scolded further.

"Alright, alright! Geez!" Han pouted, reminding Luke of his niece and nephews.

"Please continue Luke," Leia said politely.

"Well… we kissed…" Luke admitted fidgeting like a little boy in his seat.

"So she definitely kissed you back?" Han asked.

"Yeah, there was a few moments where we were both so happy… I would give anything to see her smile like that again." Luke said once again lost in his memory.

"Well, how did it go from cute to getting kicked out?" Han asked.

"I guess it all started when she pulled away and asked me, 'what about your admirer, I thought you were in love with her?' So I admitted to her that I knew the truth… that she was my admirer. She didn't believe me, and tried to make me think I was wrong until I admitted how I found out." Luke said sadly.

"I think we're on to something here, Luke." Han said.

"I think he's right," Leia agreed. "How did she react?"

"She asked me, why didn't I tell her the truth sooner. I asked her why wasn't she more upfront with her feelings; we could have been together years ago. She disagreed with me and asked, 'When between Gabriel and Callista?'"

"She has a point, kid." Han pointed out.

"If she'd given me the slightest hint she was interested back then, none of those women would have had a chance." Luke said passionately.

"Well did you explain that to her?"

"Yes Leia, and she told me that was 'crap! That when I was with those women, all of them, she didn't exist. I only had eyes for them.' She said at least she had a good reason for being secretive, she believed I was only 'pretending' to care to teach her a lesson. I told her I really do care, and I tried to explain that to her, I told her I would never hurt her like that..."

"Luke, I think that's what's wrong with her. She told us more than once she doesn't feel like she deserves you." Han pointed out.

Leia was deep I thought, trying to remember something, finally she spoke up and said, "I can remember talking to Mara after Calli ruined everything. She said then she didn't want you to find out, she just knew she'd never be good enough. I can even remember her mentioning once that she knew you'd probably 'pretend to care' just so you wouldn't hurt her."

"That's what she really believes, that's it!" Luke's eyes were wide with realization. "You both know I could never do that! I've loved Mara for as long as I can remember. I've gotta somehow figure out a way to prove that to her…"

"Yes, somehow that doesn't involve keeping secrets this time." Leia begged.

"Don't worry," Luke assured her, "No secrets, they're too dangerous! But I have to somehow show Mara how much I love her in under 24 hours. She's leaving almost immediately after the ceremony tomorrow night." Luke said beginning to really feel the pressure.

"Well kid, we promised we would help you with this. So we're here if you need a hand." Han reminded his brother-in-law.

"I appreciate it guys, but I think this is something I need to do on my own." Luke smiled.

"I understand, kid." Han said slapping him on the back.

Leia snapped her fingers and smiled, "Or maybe you don't."

"What?" both men asked in unison.

"Boys, I think I have a plan." Leia smiled with a mischievous glitter in her eye. "But it won't be exactly easy to pull off; it would take all of us pitching in."

"I'm definitely open for suggestions, Leia; I have no idea what to do about this. I mean this is my last chance, this is it! It's gotta be romantic, perfect, and it would help if it took her completely off guard." Luke explained.

"Exactly," Leia smiled.

"Your idea has all of those qualities?" Han asked with a smile full of pride. He knew what his wife was capable of, with her on their side; this was definitely going to turn out to be a very interesting evening.

"Then by all means, let's get to work on this." Luke smiled.

"Then sit back boys and prepare to be amazed." Leia laughed as all three, huddled up and began to talk out her plan. Tomorrow night would definitely be a most interesting evening… if their plan worked.


Well? Like it, Love it, Hate it, Tolerate it? Please write in and let me know! I also wanted to wish all of you (who celebrate) a Happy Easter and Spring Break! I should be getting up the next chapter in a day or two (I mean it this time). Till then, TTFN.

-SailorLeia