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 13

The next morning began with Mara running from bed before sunrise to the refresher emptying her stomach of what little she had ate the day before. Luke was only a few seconds behind her holding her red locks back. Then when he was sure Mara's stomach had settled down Luke got her a cold rag to wipe her face with.

"Would you like a glass of water or something else?" Luke asked feeling guilty that Mara had to go through this in order to carry their child.

"No but I could use a few minutes alone to freshen up" Mara weakly stated not wanting Luke staring at her at the moment. It was bad enough she felt sick she didn't need the Jedi breathing down her neck as well.

"I would offer to make us breakfast" Luke stop as he noticed Mara go pale at just the mention of food. "But I can see you won't be able to hold anything down right now. So instead I think if it's okay with you I'll go back to bed and get a few more hours of sleep?"

Mara just nodded still feeling sick to her stomach Luke's comment about food not helping with that at all. She lightly pushed the Jedi out of her refresher and said through the closed door. "In a few hours I might take you up on your offer of breakfast."

Ten minutes later Mara returned to her bedroom to find Luke on his side of the bed with his eyes closed. But she knew that the Jedi Master wasn't asleep she could hear some of his thoughts through the force. The bed shifted with her weight as Mara set on it and Luke's blue eyes opened and his lips curled up into a smile.

"Are you feeling better now?" Luke asked and silently thought 'because you look better'

"I think my spell with morning sickness has past for now. But I don't feel up to eating anything yet" Mara replied not wanting to think about her early morning wake up call. "I'll let you get back to your meditation now"

Luke smiled at his love as he pushed himself into a setting position and then wrapped his arms around Mara's waist using her shoulder to rest his head on. "It might help if perhaps you would join me in meditating?" Luke offered as he sent calming feelings through the force towards his intended.

Mara knew Luke's request had to do with her recovered memories. And as much as she hated the word meditate this was once Mara knew it would be best if she did as Luke asked.

"Okay Jedi where do you want me to set?" Mara asked feeling Luke pull away from behind her.

"Turn around so your facing me then set with your legs crossed" Luke dictated as he watch Mara follow his command surprised a little when she didn't offer any sarcasm while obeying his orders. It was so very un-Mara like. What they saw last night in Mara's vision must have really upset her Luke knew it had him and they weren't his parents.

Luke had witnessed his Father's death and countless others over the years but he couldn't imagine as a child seeing your Father murder before your eyes then being torn from your Mother's arms knowing you would never see her again. No wonder Mara feared loving anyone all those she had in life before him had died.

"Tested 1...2...3..." Mara said as she waved her hand in front of Luke's face trying to get his attention. "Farmboy are you in there" the later part was said in between giggles as Luke pulled Mara into his arms and starting tickling her mercilessly.

"Stop...Luke…please" Mara pleads as she tried to stop Luke's hands from reaching its goal of a spot behind her arm that always drove her crazy with laughter when tickled. Which Luke had discovered some months back on a lazy afternoon when neither, Mara or he had felt like getting out of bed.

Luke's hands stopped shy of reaching their goal instead they pulled Mara into his embrace. Seeing Mara laughing and having fun was something Luke promised himself he would give anything to see everyday.

As Mara breathing returned to normal she broke they hug Luke had her in and smiled at the Jedi when she asked. "I thought you wanted me to set across from you not on top of you?"

Luke smiled and tried to hide a chuckle at Mara's words disguised as a yawn but knew it hadn't fooled Mara Jade she was too smart to fall for that.

"Your right" Luke started as he switched from being fun loving farmboy to stern Jedi Master before Mara's very eyes. "Let's try this again. Mara since you're already across from me just close your eyes and take a deep breath in and let everything around us disappear from you mind."

Mara eyes closed and let the force in completely for the first time knowing Luke was with her and wouldn't allow anything to happen to her our their unborn child.

It seemed like time stood still as the couple traveled through Mara's memories some so fast that all that could be seen was a blur and others where clear like a holo. Both stopping as they came to a memory from Mara's childhood.

The Emperor setting on his throne with Lord Vader standing by his side with his head turned downward which seemed impossible given he wore his mask. Yet Vader's head was bent down and his hand clasped tightly in front of him.

"Love is pain young Jade" Emperor Palpatine stated this with a look of pleasure on his face as he continued on "Asked Lord Vader he would know above any others."

"For it was love that has made my young friend the man he is today. Isn't that right Lord Vader?" Palpatine joyfully asked his question or more like demanded an answer from his apprentice.

"Yes Master" was the reply that came seconds following the question as both Mara and Luke noticed Vader unclasped his hands and ball them into fists. Both wondered silently what Palpatine meant by his question and why it effected Vader so.

"Leave us" Palpatine order looking at Vader and waited until the Dark Lord was out of sight before he turned back towards the child in front of him. "You must understand dear child I am saving you from Lord Vader"

"Vader wouldn't hurt me" the child Mara voiced stated proudly almost proclaiming the Emperor to be a lair.

"But he would Lord Vader has killed all those he once loved" Palpatine gleefully informed the child. "He murdered his own wife given time Vader would turn on you as well. No my dear child I am saving you from Love which will only bring you pain."

Luke's pain at hearing of his Father killing his wife which could only mean his Mother was so intense Mara started to pull herself along with Luke out of her memories only to be stopped as Luke pulled back. 'We have to go back Mara and fix whatever it was that Palpatine has done to you'

'Luke we can finish this later.' Mara stated worrying more for Luke than herself at the moment. Finding out that Vader had killed his wife which by all counts most likely was Luke's Mother wasn't something that could be just brushed off.

'It might be a lie Mara' Luke said feeling some truth and what Palpatine had said yet not completely believing him either. How could a man die to save his son and yet kill that same son's Mother that didn't make since but then again did anything in Anakin Skywalker's life ever make since?

Right now though Luke pushed those thoughts away finding out how to stop Mara for passing out was the important thing it was something Luke could do and there was anything he could do to change the past.

Mara could sense Luke's need for them to continue and with the Jedi Master help started her memory up again.

This time the child Mara was setting on the Emperor lap as he held her head in his hands she was crying out telling him to stop that he was hurting her. Palpatine kept laughing until he finished whatever it was that he started then pushed the child off his lap as he hit a button and command Vader to return.

As soon as Vader entered the room and saw Mara he ran to the child picking her up and holding her close. Checking her with the force to see if she was still alive and if there was anyway that he could help her.

"She's alive and well my young friend I command you to wipe her memory clean of the events of her life then return her to me." Emperor said with a wave of his hand dismissing Vader and his young charge.

Mara pushed her memories along wanting this to end as soon as possible so she could help Luke with what he had learned. Stopping them again when she found the child her with Vader in his office.

"Did you really kill her?" the child Mara asked the question that was burning in Luke's mind. Luke didn't know if he wanted to know the truth or not. If the answer was no then of course he wanted to know but if indeed his Father killed his Mother, Luke wasn't sure he could handle that.

"Killed who Mara?" Vader asked as he kneed before the child who looked so like a perfect mix of her parents.

"Your Wife the Emperor said you did. But I don't believe him" the child said as she looking into the Dark Lord's mask almost as if she were waiting for him to give her the answer she wanted.

"In a way I did" was the answer both Luke and Mara found didn't answer the question at all and yet did at the same time. For Luke it meant his Father hadn't killed his Mother and yet Vader had felt responsible for her death all the same. Had Leia been right did there Mother die of a broken heart?

"I couldn't save her" Vader added trying to explain his answer better to the child in front of him. "I failed her she trusted me to save her and I couldn't"

Both adult Mara and Luke felt a shiver run through them at Vader's words just what had he done in order to try and save his Wife?

"How did she die?" the child Mara asked in all her innocents.

"Childbirth" was the one word Vader replied and the one word Luke never expected to hear. His Mother being kidnapped or sick but never that she died bringing Leia and him into the galaxy. With this news also came the intense pain he had felt at Vader moments before instead turn on himself because of him his Mother was dead.

"I kept having vision of her dying given birth. Palpatine promised that if I joined him he would help me save her." Vader finished as he stood up and turned away from the child before him. He didn't know why he was telling all of this to the child before him and yet did it matter in a few minutes the child's memories would be erased.

"Why did the Emperor lie to me and say you killed her?" the red hair child asked. Adult Mara had to smile at her younger self she really asked the hard questions.

"Because he wants me to believe I killed her. He doesn't understand I know the truth that while I did choke Pad- I mean choked my Wife she was alive and undamaged. She died in childbirth just as I foreseen she would." Vader then turned to look once more at the child in front of him; his own child would be around her age if only Padme had lived.

"And the baby?" child Mara asked.

"She died with her Mother." Vader stated as he once again kneed before young Mara.

"Your daughter died?" young Mara asked another question this time with tears in running down her face.

"Well I'm sure it was a girl my Wife" Vader stopped then continued on almost like he decided something important "Amidala was my wife's name thought it was a boy. She died before the baby could be born"

Mara felt shocked that's where the name for her daughter had come from it was Luke's Mother's name. Somehow knowing that their daughter would have the name of one of their parents seemed fitting.

Luke waited until Mara's memory began again and let out a breath he had been holding. In the last hour he had learned so much about his Parents and yet their were still so many unanswered question all of which weren't important to finding what Palpatine had done to Mara.

The next scene began and they watched as the child Mara grabbed her head in pain and Vader holding her. Then after what seemed seconds to them as they raced through the memory they watched as Vader held Mara's small head in his hands and after a few minutes young Mara seemed out of pain and smiling once again.

"Promise me something Mara, don't let the Emperor words what love causes stop you from falling in love. Yes love is pain something but with it also can come the most unbelievable joy." Mara and Luke both were shocked to think that Vader was talking about love bringing joy when it had clearly destroyed his life.

Young Mara nodded her small head to what Vader had said then he continued on. "If you by chance ever have a daughter would you promise me to name her Amidala?"

Mara was stunned it was this promise even though she couldn't remember making it that had decided the name for her unborn daughter.

Luke watched as Vader held the child Mara's head in his large hands and then what he was sure past for a whisper for his Father, Vader said. "The Emperor has planted a time bomb in your sub-conscious if you were to ever fall in love your body would shut down over a time killing you. So his words of Love only bringing pain would become true for you."

"Do not fear little one" Vader speak in his whisper tone again as the child Mara's eyes widen "I have prevented the Emperor's master plan for your death by love. Unfortunately I can't stop his plan completely once it starts I'm only able to stop it from killing you."

"Will it ever go away?" was the question child Mara asked and was also the question adult Mara and Luke wanted the answer too.

"Yes child, it will but only after you have unlocked these memories." Vader said then once again there was silence and the young Mara closed her eyes as Vader held her close.

"Goodbye Mara may the force be with you" we're the last words child Mara heard before all went black.

Mara's next memories were of waking up and Emperor Palpatine telling her about her Parents death and that the Rebels had killed them and that he had saved her from them. Knowing these were the memories Mara always held before she broke the connection between Luke and her. It was time now to live with what had been learned.

The first thing Mara's jaded eyes saw as they opened was the deep blue of Luke's own eyes on hers. Taking in the sight of Luke really looking at him Mara for the first time in her life saw what her future could and would be as clear as a bell. Her future along with her unborn daughter's laid with Luke. It wasn't going to be easy people weren't going to like the idea of the former Emperor's Hand being with the last Jedi Master but Mara realized that didn't matter what did was that she loved Luke and he loved her. And together they had a future one that would bound to be full of trouble but also filled with love.

Mara knew that Luke and her self had so many question left unanswered. Like what had the Emperor done to her mind and how did Vader heal it or at the least stop it from killing her. And then of course the real question was did Vader really succeed in his quest or would she still get attacks until they killed her.

"It worked Mara" Luke said the force telling him so. "There no need to worry about those attacks happening again. There is need to worry about what my sister is going to say when she finds out that we eloped though."

"Eloped huh?" Mara asked laughing "Don't you need to ask me something before that even becomes possible?"

Luke pushed all thoughts of his Father and even the mystery around his Mother and how she truly died out of his mind as he playful pulled Mara into a hug and whispered into her ear. "If I remember correctly I have already asked you. I've just been very patiently waiting on your answer."

"Seeing as you've waited this long for a answer what's another few minutes going to hurt" was Mara's reply as she pulled away from Luke "and I seem to remember someone mentioning making me breakfast"

Luke laughed a little as he followed the Mother of his unborn child out of her bedroom knowing that he would follow Mara anywhere. Luke was sure with Mara Jade soon to be his wife life would never be boring. Besides Luke couldn't wait for the coming days with Mara watching as she grew bigger everyday with their unborn child.

Luke's mind couldn't help but wondered for a few seconds if his own Father had shared those some thoughts about his Mother. "Anakin and Amidala Skywalker" Luke mumbled to himself it just didn't sound right to him but then again Luke didn't know what name would even fit the image he had of his Mother. But Amidala wasn't it, shaking that thought away Luke knew he had to live in the here and now two reasons really. One his Mother and Father he knew wouldn't want him to miss this time with Mara. Getting her to marry him and then preparing for the birth of their first child. The second reason was staring at him right now demanding to be fed and Luke knew if he planned on talking Mara Jade into marrying him this very afternoon he'll need a well fed and happy Mara for that.

Smiling Luke started making breakfast knowing that the mystery of his Mother could wait to be answered a little while longer.

The End.