Title: Clear As A Bell
Author: Sw (aka Jeditheskyisblue)
Rating: Teen
Summary: Mara waited too long to accept Luke's offer of marriage or did she?
Author's note: I wrote this for a challenge I believe from a yahoo group about how the Emperor got Mara Jade as a child. I have a whole outline of that but never did get around to actually putting it into the story. Perhaps one day I will.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars and am making no money off of this story. I just wrote it for fun.
Part 8:
Callista's gray eyes burned holes into Han. Leia's mouth was hanging open and the Solo children were all laughing.
Han himself was just smirking. This had to be the best joke he had ever played on anyone.
Or he thought it was until he saw the glances Luke and Mara gave each other. Han didn't like the look on either of their faces. A gut feeling which Han didn't like whispered to the former smuggler. 'What if his joke had actually been the truth?' Han's mouth was about to drop open with that thought when Leia voice caught him off guard.
"Han Solo, I believe you owe Mara an apology this very second," the former princess ordered her husband. Han winced at that tone. It was the one she only used when punishing their children.
Han couldn't believe it. Didn't Leia see the way Luke was looking at Mara? Was Leia that blind? If Han's hunch was true, then Mara was pregnant, and from the look on Luke's face, he was definitely the Father.
It all suddenly fell into place for Han--Luke's stand-offish behavior towards Callista. Hadn't Luke told them all he was in love with someone else and that she just needed time to realize she returned his love? Why hadn't he seen it before? Of course it was Mara Jade that Luke was in love with. What other woman in the galaxy could ever catch the Jedi Master's eye?
Han was about to gloat and say he wasn't about to apologize to Mara over something he was right about when he saw the look on his brother in law's face.
It was a silent plea not to spill the beans. Han couldn't believe what he was about to do, but after this, if anyone ever told him that he didn't have a heart, he would certainly dispute the point. After all the Kid was like a little bother to him.
Han just shook his head as he remembered telling Leia just this morning that Luke was a grown man who could take care of himself. Now that was a laugh. Han almost started, but caught himself before he actually did. That was the last thing he or anyone else at the table needed right now. So instead he was about to do something he hated.
"I'm sorry, Jade," Han said then took a forkful of his breakfast so he wouldn't have to say another word.
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Leia shook her head at her husband. He was worse than the children at times. She really wondered what she had seen in the man she now called husband. Han turned towards her and smiled and she felt her anger slip away.
That wasn't fair, but when he looked at her like that she just couldn't stay mad.
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Callista, on the other hand, could, and would, probably stay mad at the ex-smuggler for the foreseeable future.
Making a joke like that was totally uncalled for. Even if she didn't like Jade, that just was plain rude of Solo. And to think, the way Han had put it, Luke was the father.
Really, Solo needed to get his head checked. Luke would never touch Mara Jade in that way. No, Luke was much too good for the likes of Ms. Jade--and yet, even if she didn't want to admit it, she knew that Luke and Mara had some type of connection. She didn't know what it was; she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but that didn't mean it wasn't there.
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Mara kept her eyes on her plate of food. She hadn't spoken a word since Han's little joke. She had felt his surprise as he figured out her and Luke's little secret.
At least Solo knew enough to keep his mouth shut when he finally realized what he had done. That still hadn't stopped Mara from planning a hundred different ways to teach one Han Solo a very important lesson about playing jokes on her.
If she hadn't been so upset she might have found some pleasure in Han's apology. She knew that was something you didn't see everyday. But she also knew that the only reason he had done so was to protect Luke. At that thought, she turned to look at the man who was the whole reason she was in this mess.' He did this all alone did he? Well that must be a first.' Mara's mind yelled at her. 'Okay so maybe he wasn't the only reason she was in this mess. Happy now?' she asked herself. But before she could answer her own, question, her eyes made contact with Luke's.
What she saw in his eyes made her heart skip a beat. He was in just as much pain over this as she was. Only Luke's pain was because of the thought that he might lose her and the baby over this. For the first time since Luke had asked her to marry him a little over three months ago, she knew without a doubt that Luke Skywalker loved her.
With that revelation Mara found herself going down a road full of memories of there few weeks together. Just as she was starting to accept perhaps that she and Luke could have a life together. "Love is pain" her Master voice sang into her ear over and over.
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"Mommy?" Anakin said but by the tone Leia knew it was a question.
"Yes, sweetie," Leia said as she turned to look at her son, reluctantly taking her eyes off her husband. Han wasn't out of the fire just yet with her.
"I wanted to know if I could call Mara, Aunt Mara?" Anakin asked as he looked across the table to the trader.
"I don't know sweetheart I don't know if Mara would like that," Leia said as she looked at the woman in question. Luke looked at Mara, then at Anakin and Leia, and smiled. Of course Anakin could call her Aunt Mara. After all, in a few months, she would be the mother of his little cousin.
"Of course you can. Mara would love that, wouldn't you?" Luke asked his--well, he wasn't sure just yet what she was to him other than the soon-to-be-mother of his child.
Mara pushed the voice of the late Emperor away. She needed to answer Luke's question. "I would love for you to call me Aunt Mara, Anakin," Mara said as she found herself smiling at the young boy that reminded her so much of his Uncle.
"Okay thanks. Can I ask you a question Aunt Mara? " Anakin asked, smiling at her. Mara nodded her head for him to continue. Anakin smiled again. He couldn't explain, but he had this underlying feeling that he absolutely had to say what he was about to ask. Perhaps it was the force that his Uncle talked so much about doing. He wasn't sure but he knew he had to listen and do what it wanted. Besides he really wanted an answer to his question anyway.
"When you and Uncle Luke get married, can I be in the wedding?" the child asked. Everyone at the table looked at Anakin clearly upset over his innocent statement and he just smiled in return.
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Mara's mouth dropped open and she couldn't stop herself from letting her guard down. The voice of the Emperor appeared once again, five times stronger than before. She had to get out of here, she thought as she pushed her chair back. She needed some fresh air.
Before Luke knew what was happening, Mara was already on her feet. Luke was in shock at his nephew's question. Was he really that transparent that even a child could see how much he was in love with Mara?
As Mara was about to turn and run away, she heard the Emperor's voice once more. "Love is pain." Mara felt the world turning and the next thing she knew everything had gone dark.
Luke barely managed to catch her before she could hit the floor. Everyone at the table looked at Anakin.
"I didn't mean to," the little blue eyed boy said in answer to their glances. He hadn't meant for this to happen. He just wanted to know when his Uncle and Aunt Mara were getting married.
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Luke carried Mara into the living area and sat her down on the loveseat. As his mind touched Mara's, he could felt the confused state she was in. It looked like Mara wasn't going to have time to ask for his help with this. No, he was just going to have to help and hope she wouldn't be mad later.
"Is Mara going to be okay?" Callista asked as she walked up behind Luke. Luke turned to look at his former love and smiled.
"I hope so. Could you tell Anakin this wasn't his fault? Mara is going through something." Luke shrugged his shoulders, and then continued. "I don't know how to explain it, but I know she needs my help."
Callista couldn't help but notice the look of love on Luke's face as he turned back to Mara and ran his hand over her face.
Callista knew there was more than friendship between the two. In that instant Callista was surprised to find that her heart wasn't broken by that thought. So maybe Luke and Mara were more than friends, but that didn't mean Callista didn't have a chance to get back what she and Luke had once had.
And the only way to do that was to get Mara well, then get her out of their lives for good. That meant having to put with Jade for a few more days, and until then, Callista would just have to act like a worried friend.
Once Jade was well, then Luke and Callista could begin that family they'd both always wanted. Yes, soon there would be a Skywalker family, just like the Solo one. Thinking of the Solo family reminded Callista that she'd better get back to them and let them know everything was okay.
"I'll tell Anakin. If you need any help just ask. I think I'm going to go back and finish my breakfast." With that said, Callista turned and headed back towards the Solo family. Little did she know she had just left the Skywalker family behind her.
TBC…