Watching, Waiting & Hoping – Part 7
Disclaimer – Lucasfilm owns the characters and situations used in this story. I borrowed them for a short while to play with them.
Luke's Apartment
Luke pushed his hand through his hair and sighed deeply. It had been essentially a trying day and his patience; never his strongest trait, had been severely tested. It hadn't been Callista's fault. She'd done nothing wrong, apart from walking out on him and staying away until he'd got on with his life again. Leia had been understandably tense with his former love as they had sat over a pot of caf. He wondered if there had been words said before he'd reached the caf house.
He shook his head slightly; this was Leia, his loving, interfering, loyal sister. Who was he trying to kid? Of course, Leia would have said something to Callista. He was only lucky that Han hadn't been there or Callista's conversion to the dark side would have been swift and terrible. Woe betide Callista if she'd been left alone with Mara. The former 'Emperor's Hand' called him everything under Tatooine's twin suns to his face, but would cheerfully carve up his detractors with the blue blade of what was once his father's lightsaber. He suspected it wouldn't have taken much for Mara to be like that with his former love.
He sighed again. It had been really difficult to convince Callista to leave him alone for the rest of the day, but he'd made up an excuse of having a potential student to visit later on. It wasn't exactly a lie. He was hoping that Mara might pop in for that drink he'd invited her for, but he wasn't going to hold his breath. Mara might still be sulking with him - she could keep this up for days if she had to. Luke didn't try to match her. He was stubborn, yes, but even he had his limits. Still, he hoped Mara would come in for a quick drink. It would be nice to relax with her. She didn't need to be impressed, he didn't have to think up witty conversation, she could tease him out of any mood and she could also just as quickly drive him back into one with the speed of a working hyperdrive engine. She was just Mara and he needed her for that.
Luke wandered aimlessly around his apartment. If she wasn't coming he might as well do some work and he scrabbled in a pile of data cards for one that could be interesting. Callista had written down a lot of information over the years she had been away from him, including details of her own training. She'd really been searching for a way to recover her lost ability, but she'd also found many other things about Jedi practices long gone. Luke scrunched up his face and discarded the data card he held in his hand and reached once more into the pile. Today Callista had handed him eight years worth of her research. This card probably held thousands of year's worth of Jedi information. Maybe it was better if Mara didn't visit. At this rate he was going to be reading data cards for the next eighty years. So he'd better get started.
Luke held up his final choice, slotted it into the data reader and tried to focus on what was written there. He did, he really tried to apply himself to the task, but his gaze kept straying to the bottle of good red wine he'd dug up from somewhere. He dragged his eyes back to his studies and again tried to immerse himself in the information stored within – it was very informative and interesting and… The crystal glasses he'd set out caught the light, the angles of the cut glass sending prisms of rainbow colour around his walls.
'Oh for the want of a sandperson to ride his Bantha!' This was ridiculous. He couldn't concentrate. It was obvious that unless he went to Mara Jade she would not come to him. Luke exhaled noisily and switched off the reader. He jumped to his feet and made for the door – at least he didn't have to go far. Mara lived two floors below him.
Mara ran a comb through the tugs in her hair, wincing as she did so. Luke would be unhappy if she cut it, she'd often seen him staring at her hair, a little smile on his face. Luke - she could hear him thinking. Not what he was thinking she just knew he was thinking – loudly. 'Sithspawn, Skywalker! Why do you have to be so disruptive?' Force knows, he didn't mean to be, he just was. "The benefits of having an apartment in the same building," she grumbled out loud. "Hah!" She looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Hair up or down?" she asked. The girl in the middle of the gilt edged reflector grimaced but made no answer. "I asked you a question?" Mara now growled at her mirror image. She then laughed, dryly. "Why am I asking you this question, when I'm not going to go for any drink with him up there?"
Mara gave one final tug through the red-gold curls and left them to hang loosely to her waist. Force, it had grown so long. Her tunic was a vivid sea-blue and skirted the floor. She looked as if she was ready for an informal evening at home. "Which I am." Mara told herself, "I'm not going anywhere," she repeated but her feet carried her to her bedchamber once more, where she picked up a glass vial of scent and touched a little to her neck and wrists.
The Force whispered at her again, even stronger and she automatically reached back to comfort. "What am I doing?" she moaned. But she could feel the turmoil and the unrest from up above and then the determination. "Uh-oh" She understood. If she didn't go up for that drink there was a rather determined Jedi Master coming down to get her and an unbidden thrill of anticipation rushed through her body leaving her breathless and a little bewildered. Her heartbeat sounded loud in her own ears - loud and a little fast. Without giving it another thought, Mara grabbed her lightsaber, attached it to her waist, and left the apartment at a run.
They met when the turbolift opened and Mara exited on Luke's floor. He was there waiting to step into it.
"Oh!" he murmured feigning surprise. "Hello, Mara, going somewhere?"
Mara snorted. "Skywalker!" She looked him up and down - taking in his faded combat trousers and shabby tunic she almost smiled. "You going somewhere, farmboy?" He was so transparent, but there was enough stubbornness evident in that jaw of his and she knew him too well to know he would try and call her bluff. "So where are you off to, then?"
"Thought I might go and see Leia."
"Dressed like that?" She gave the Jedi Master a pitying look, trying to hide the fact that she noticed the pants clinging to his muscular legs and hugging his thighs.
He simmered for a moment. "Leia is my sister, we're not on formal terms. Besides," he made as if to move into the turbolift. "You turned down my invitation."
"I can't recall that I did," Mara stepped forward and Luke backed away.
"I thought that my company wasn't exciting enough for you, Jade." He gave her a cool stare.
"Don't pull the Bantha wool over my eyes, Farmboy. You were coming to get me, weren't you?"
Luke tried to remain aloof, but eventually his lips twitched into an unwilling half-smile. He shrugged and waved his hands about a bit. "I was coming down to remind you. Thought you might have forgotten." His eyes traced every aspect of her appearance lingering on the floating, shining curtain of her hair.
"You didn't have to." Mara replied, staring at his features, trying to memorise them. "I could feel your mood from my apartment."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You were thinking too loudly. All that woolly Bantha fluff rolling around inside that sandy head of yours was irritating." She sniffed and lifted her chin, avoiding his steady gaze.
Luke relaxed and the first real smile of the evening appeared. "I'm glad you're here," was all he said and he held out an arm. "Shall we?"
Mara ignored the proffered arm, which earned her a little frown and, when his smile dimmed a little, illogically she wanted to see it come back. But when he smiled it lightened his eyes to the colour of the skies above their heads and opened her heart even further and she had to guard her emotions. Luke Skywalker was far too dangerous to be trifled with. He could sneak in and steal away her heart far too easily and she wanted to, if she still had it, keep her heart. One thing was clear. He'd stolen some of it already because Mara Jade admitted to herself that she certainly wasn't heart whole.
Luke keyed in his entrance code and ushered Mara inside, his senses aware of the subtle trace of perfume as she passed, the faint fragrance of scent and something that was uniquely Mara's own essence. He closed his eyes; he didn't know what was wrong with him today. Mara would put everything right. He usually felt better when she was with him.
"Have a seat," He indicated the large, comfortable sofa. "Drink?"
"I thought that was why I was here?" Mara retorted snippily.
Luke raised one eyebrow and gave her his version of his sister's best stare. "Do you want a drink or don't you."
"If it is good quality, farmboy." She mocked lightly, the glow in her eyes intensifying as she looked at him.
The Jedi Master laughed lightly. "But of course, Emperor's Hand," he replied and it was his turn to feel the chill as Mara's sense shuttered. "Mara… I didn't mean…" He scrambled to sit beside her, the bottle and glasses in his hand. Placing them on a low table in front of them his mind searched to atone for his thoughtless remark. "It was a term of affection, nothing more."
"You call that affectionate?" Her voice rose incredulously.
Luke sat back his hands raised in surrender. "Well, yeah."
"Will I ever escape my past?" Her green gaze was dark and troubled.
"Your past makes you what you are today. Strong, powerful, loyal…"
"Twisted…"
"Grumpy!"
"What! Hey! Watch it flyboy."
"I'm not supposed to agree with you?" His eyes lit up with mirth as he picked up the bottle and poured out two glasses. "Just checking if you were listening." He raised a glass toasted her, and then scrutinised the deep rich colour of the wine. "Here Jade, this is a nice cheeky little red. Kinda like…"
"Skywalker…" Mara's voice held a warning. "Think before you open your big mouth any further."
"I only said…" He put down the glass before holding out his hands in appeal as the mischievous twinkle in the blue eyes threatened to spill over into unashamed mirth. Leaning forward, Luke picked up the glass again and brought it to Mara's lips.
"I can manage," she muttered leaning away from him, but trying to keep her head upright so that she could get her wine from Luke. "Watch or you'll spill this all over my clean tunic." She managed to wrest the glass from him but couldn't help the involuntary shiver at the touch of his hand as it grazed hers in passing. The heat of such an innocent contact left her mind spinning.
Luke grinned and poured a glass for himself, ignoring the little twinge of something lost that he felt as her hand left his. "It says here on the bottle…" He took a sip and tried to emulate the wine tasters he'd seen on various holonet shows.
Mara choked with laughter at his antics and some of the wine she was drinking went down the wrong way. Coughing and spluttering she placed her glass on the table and bent over, tears streaming from her eyes. Luke slammed his glass down on the table next to Mara's and immediately started thumping her on the back.
"Skywalker… Luke. Will you…" she bit out, between coughs.
"You okay?" He asked still hitting her.
"I was, till you started pounding me on the back - nerf." Mara wiped her streaming eyes, conscious of Luke's hand still placed on the small of her back - except that now it was gently stroking. She lifted her head and her sharp green eyes met slightly confused blue ones. As their eyes met something elusive whispered faintly through the Force. Mara tried to hide her growing awareness, but couldn't help but notice Luke's pupils dilate. She tried to move away but was prevented by Luke's hand still gently touching her back. She could feel it through the fabric of her clothes, burning where he fingered and stroked in ever increasing patterns. She ducked her head, but a careful finger underneath her chin prevented her from losing contact with the Jedi Master's disturbing gaze. Nervously her tongue wet suddenly dry lips and Luke's eyes caught the telltale little movement.
He swallowed, the tanned column of his throat moving anxiously. His fingers trailed over her cheekbones, and he watched amazed as her eyelids gently closed, red-gold lashes fluttering over creamy smooth cheeks. He'd always thought she was beautiful, but it had never struck him with such impact. He had to taste her, had to see if she was as luscious as she looked at that moment. He tightened his arms around her and pulled her closer dipping his blond head until his lips covered hers and the power of the Force swirled around them.
Luke was lost…
He'd seen desire in her eyes – powerful and addictive. She wanted him and, by the Force, he wanted her too. He'd never felt like this in his life – ever. "Mara," he whispered, his voice constricted. "Oh, Mara."
She tipped her head back so that she could stare him straight in the eyes. Luke wondered if her sharp green gaze might be able to see right through him. He speculated about what she saw in him, especially now that she was in his arms where she should have been long ago and decided that he didn't need to know. Lowering his blond head once more, his lips covered hers pushing her back until they both lay full length on the sofa, Luke's body pressing Mara into the soft cushions, his thighs resting intimately against hers. Immediately thoughts of a carnal nature swept through his bedazzled mind and all notions of Callista, nobility, the Jedi and the New Republic vanished. He brought his mouth down to nuzzle at the soft skin around her neck, feeling her rounded breasts press into the well-formed hardness of his chest, his hands beginning to roam over her body.
Mara subsided on to the sofa as his heated lips sought out her hidden pulse points. She had to say something but as she opened her mouth, Luke chose that moment to cover her soft, red lips with his own and she forgot what she was going to say.
Luke's arm closed hard and possessively about her slim waist and Mara felt an instantaneous reaction deep inside her core. His tongue thrust between her lips mirroring the act their bodies desperately wanted to echo.
Mara's eyes closed and she surrendered to Luke's magical touch, his tongue duelling with hers just like they fought in life. "Yes, Luke… yes!" Her fingers ploughed through his thick hair, holding his head secure. He moved above her and she felt the strength of his arousal against her woman's centre. Mara had never felt so much like a woman as she did in Luke's arms and she gloried in that feeling. Here was where she had wanted to be for such a long time.
She closed her mind and ears to the little nagging voice of doubt at her actions and directed her questing fingers to the fastenings of his tunic. The first realisation that Luke's hands were also as busy came as a shock when suddenly the air hit her bared breasts, but not for long. Luke's mouth latched on to one of her rose pink nipples and suckled, drawing it to an aching peak.
"I've wanted to do that since I saw you last night. Seeing you in nothing but lace, your body open to my eyes." He swallowed, the unaccustomed poetry of his words visibly affecting the woman in his arms. "The sight of your rosy tipped breasts begging for my touch… and taste…" Luke's voice rasped heavy with desire. His azure eyes caught and held the slumberous, desire filled green ones below him. "So sweet," he groaned. "So soft and beautiful." He bent his head once more lavishing attention on the other nipple.
A shiver of excitement, acute pleasure and shock shot up Mara's spine as she arched her back in further invitation, her legs moved restlessly between Luke's, urging him to complete their mating – lose himself in her softness.
For a moment, storm tossed blue met turbulent green and with a muffled exclamation Luke jumped to his feet, picked Mara up as if she weighed nothing at all, and carried her to his bed. Mara wound her arms around her neck and let him.
Luke opened his eyes to a grey Coruscant dawn. He relaxed into his pillow and let his weary body sink back into slumber. He felt as if he'd gone ten rounds with a Sith Lord, but it was early yet. He had time to sleep - time to let himself doze a little while longer. He closed his eyes and let himself almost float off on the memory of a disturbingly realistic erotic dream. He'd been making love to Mara Jade; Luke let the smile drift across his face - as if that would ever happen. He'd be dead before she let him any where near her. It had been in vivid colour, much like the lady herself, and he could still hear the sounds they'd made as he'd…
Luke moved a little restlessly and turning over inadvertently touched the warm, naked body of someone else.
It was as if someone had shoved him out into the Hoth blizzard once more without his taun-taun for company. "Oh, stars!" Luke whispered in shock. It wasn't a dream after all; he had just had the most amazing night of his entire life with Mara Jade. He had just bedded the most dangerous woman in the entire galaxy. What was this going to do to their friendship? It wasn't going to help it much, he thought. Every time he had a relationship with a woman it ended in disaster and Mara was too special for him to risk the continuation of his personal curse. Mara didn't have relationships with Jedi Masters, she barely tolerated them, she hated Yavin IV and sometimes she wasn't too fond of Luke either.
He lay on his back afraid to move, the questions - the images - all buzzing around his overloaded brain. He'd kissed every part of her delectable body, he'd made love to her more than once and Mara hadn't denied him anything. She'd been just as involved as he had – just as enthralled. Just as lost.
Luke shifted carefully to the edge of the bed, feeling the springs give a little as he moved, and reached out cautiously with the Force to the woman by his side, but she was still beautiful in slumber. Swinging his legs slowly to the floor, Luke sat, shoulders hunched, head bowed and covered his face with his hands. 'What a mess. What a Sith-spawned disaster.' He pushed the cream comforter away from the rest of his body and stood up stiffly - some rarely used muscles protested at the usage he'd subjected them to.
The grey dawn caught his attention and he moved to stare out the window, completely unconcerned of his nakedness and unaware of the suddenly awake green glitter of eyes framed in red-gold lashes now trained on his naked figure.
Mara felt the emotions coming screaming out of Luke, in fact that was what had awoken her. She'd just experienced the best sex she'd ever had in her life with the Jedi Master. 'No' her conscience told her. She wasn't sure what it had been on Luke's side but on hers it had been far more than mere sex - Mara had made love. Her heart, mind and body had all been involved in the act. She just hadn't been aware how close her bond to Luke was – how attuned she was to every nuance of feeling between them. Last night had been a revelation. This morning she had awoken to his confused and chaotic thoughts. Where did this leave them?
Her eyes traced the powerful muscles on his legs, over his taut buttocks and up over his tanned back. 'What had she done? What had she let him do? He wasn't ready for this step. Damn them both for thinking with their hormones – they weren't teenagers.'
Luke turned back to the bed, unsure of what his actions would be and met the cool green eyes of the woman he'd bedded so thoroughly or had it been the other way around? She lay there, clutching the cream sheet defensively to her breasts, looking at him with a completely impassive expression on her beautiful face, her glorious hair tumbled in disarray over the pillows and her shields locked up tight. But he didn't know if being together had brought them closer or driven them further apart. He could still sense her disquiet, or was it an echo of his own? Friends didn't sleep together – in every situation he'd heard of when the affair faded the friendship did too. He needed Mara too much in his life and he didn't want to hear her regrets over what had been the most perfect night of his entire life.
He walked over to the bed and stood next to her, his blue eyes dark and sorrowful. "I'll understand if you don't want to see me for a while. But please don't reject our friendship… I'm sorry." He grabbed at a pile of clothes lying on a chair and disappeared into the refresher, leaving Mara stupefied. She heard the muted sounds of water running and she imagined Luke slumped against the side of the shower stall, his back against the tiles, the water running over his strong body... She shifted a little uncomfortably as remembered heat flooded through her. He was sorry. Luke was regretting this beautiful experience and he was apologising. A little flame of anger ignited in the heart of Mara Jade and started to grow. Being in his arms last night had confirmed one thing to Mara, something she'd already known in her heart but had doubted in her mind. Luke Skywalker was not in love with Callista, but there wasn't anything to say that he was in love with Mara either. She was just possibly the welcome body he'd used for his relief. Mara knew that she was in love with Luke - the one thing she'd never wanted. But it had happened anyway and now that it had… Mara knew that she hadn't had a chance of avoiding it. It was her destiny. The only problem with destiny was – you didn't always like the way things turned out.
"Mara," Luke stood at the bedroom door. "I'll leave you alone now and I'm sorry. I really am."
And before Mara could formulate a sentence angry or otherwise she heard the hiss of his apartment door as it slid shut leaving her naked and alone in his bed.
"Skywalker!"
But it was too late. Luke had gone.