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 10:

Luke wasn't sure what he was doing here. He had thought when Mara had ordered him to follow her out of Leia and Han's apartment she had wanted to go home. Boy was he wrong. It seemed Mara had changed her mind about their earlier conversation. The red head had decided if Luke wanted to buy her a new sofa, who was she to decline. So for the last three an a half hours the couple had been to every furniture store in the galaxy's capitol, at least it felt that way to the Jedi Master.

"Quit whining Luke, you're giving me a headache," Mara said, elbowing Luke as the latest sales clerk sized up the couple.

As they followed the sales clerk around the store Mara kept her eyes anywhere but on Luke. It had seemed like a smart idea at the time taking Luke up on his earlier offer. It was the perfect cover for not talking about what had happened at Han and Leia's. They couldn't talk if they were busy look for a new sofa, the problem being Mara didn't really want a new sofa.

So every time Luke had found one he thought she would like, Mara would pretend she liked it -- only that didn't work with a Jedi. Luke could read her as well as she could him, which meant the sofa search was never going to end until one of them waved the white flag.

After the last sales clerk wouldn't take no for an answer Mara had almost throw in the towel then. But she had seen how much Luke had wanted her to and her pride got in the way. Now after looking at four new and different sofas, Mara wished she had. There wasn't anything wrong with any of them, but they just didn't seem right to the mother-to-be.

'Maybe it's because you don't want a new sofa?' her mind questioned. Mara just pushed that thought away. Of course she didn't want a new sofa.

'But why?' that same voice inside her asked. The sofa she had now was old and wasn't that comfortable. In all fairness, Mara couldn't blame Luke for wanting something softer to sleep on.

'You know what's soft don't you?' her mind asked as Mara found herself trying one of the sofas out. 'Your bed is really softer and didn't it feel good to wake up to and find Luke next to you?' At that question asked in her mind Mara jumped up and ran out of the store leaving a very confused sales clerk and Jedi Master behind.

"I'm sorry. I guess she doesn't like this one either," Luke stated before he took off on a dead run to catch up with Mara.

Luke found Mara a few blocks away just standing there. She turned and he saw the tears running down her face.

"Mara what's wrong?" Luke whispered as he took her into his arms. 'This feels so right' Luke thought then remember the late Emperor's words. Mara and he were meant for one another. Somehow Luke found he had always known that. Mara made him feel something he hadn't felt in a long time. She made him feel normal. With Mara, Luke never had to act like the Great War hero everyone wanted him to be. To her he was just plain old Luke Skywalker, farmboy. Luke found that was something truly wonderful to find someone who would love you just for being yourself.

"What did he do to me?" Mara asked as she pulled away from Luke's loving arms. Both knew who she meant. What had Palpatine done to make her fear love?

Luke ran his fingers through his hair, a habit he had when he was nervous or upset. Mara knew in this case it was the latter. "I don't know." Luke said with a deep sadness in his voice. He held out his arms and Mara walked willingly into them again.

"We will beat it." Luke whispered into Mara's left ear. Mara felt a shiver run through her at the tone and power behind those words. Not feeling her voice would hold, Mara just nodded her head in agreement. What ever Palpatine had done to her, she now knew Luke would help her undo it.

With that thought in both their minds they parted from their embrace and headed for Mara's apartment. All thoughts of a new sofa were forgotten.

"Leia dear I'm sure Luke's fine." Han stated for the fifteenth time. In the last four hours Leia and Callista both had worn a hole in the floor. Okay maybe not a hole Han thought but they would soon if they don't stop. "Luke's fine, he's with Mara." Han stated more forcefully this time hoping to stop the pacing women in their tracks.

Leia and Callista both gave Han an icy look. The former Smuggler knew when the odds were against him and decided the Kid could take care of himself on this one.

As Han made his retreat into the kitchen he heard Leia and Callista talking about trying to call Mara's apartment one more time before headed over there in person.

Why couldn't they just leave the Kid and his girlfriend alone? In the last few hours Mara had got from Luke's ex to current girlfriend in Han's mind. After all, what could they have been doing for four hours without answering their coms, if not something of a very personal nature?

Han just smirked to himself as he heard Lando's voice telling him he had a dirty mind. Perhaps he did, but just this once he hoped he was right. Luke and Mara fit too well not to be together. Now if Han could just make Leia see that.

What had started out as a friendly hug the moment they enter Mara's apartment had turned into something more passion filled. Something neither one of the couple in the embrace had imaged would.

Both knew they should break away. It wasn't the time or place for this to be happening now. Mara needed help getting over Palpatine's tricks. Luke himself needed to know that Mara and their unborn daughter would be all right.

As their lips parted and they came up for air, blue eyes met green, and a silent questioned was asked and answered. As Mara pulled Luke by one arm towards the bedroom, she had a funny feeling that, if this was going to happen, if had to be now. Luke followed willingly, finding himself lost in the color of Mara's red-gold hair. Neither one remembered that they had shut off their coms so that they wouldn't get distracted on their ill-fated shopping trip. As Mara's bedroom door closed, Leia and Callista set out to found one missing Jedi Master and Trader.

TBC…

Author's Note: Only three more chapters left and the Epilogue too go.