(The long awaited) (okay, it was only a few days) Chapter 14!

by Saber Girl Leia

NEW REVIEWERS! GASP/SG Leia faints momentarily, then jumps back up again with a much-too goofy smile/

SailorLeia: Cliffhangers and I have a love/hate relationship. he he he ;) Well, here's chapter 14, I suppose I really can't drag it out any longer... So glad you loved it!

Annmarie Aspasia: A new reviewer! HOORAY! As long as they're together it can't be too bad... I think... Thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter.

Ariapaige: I made you squeal! lol. Thanks for the compliments :D. If she doesn't say yes I think I'll cry... not to give it away or anything ;) Thanks for the review, as always.

Calli1: I sorry, I know I'm mean like that. Is that last bit a threat/SG Leia hides behind potted plant in corner, fervently wishing it is not carnivorous/ lol! Thanks for the review!

LeiaUndomiel: New reviewer! HOORAY! So glad you like it! You'll come at me with lightsabers/SG Leia double-checks that there is no way to determine her address from the Saber Girls profile/ lol Here's the next bit.

Dragonsdaughter1: New reviewer! YIPEE! Hmm, I wonder what exactly you meant by that...

Mara look-a-like: Good question. She definitely likes him a lot, but... Thanks for the review!

Arwen Skywalker: New reviewer! AWESOME! Yes, I've been waiting for this bit for a looong time... What do you think she will answer?

Mav Phoenix: New Reviewer! HOORAY! O, dear. As cruel as Emperor Palpatine? Surely not... okay, yeah, I guess you're right. ;P But here's 14, and I haven't been murdered in my sleep by angry reviewers yet (that's a relief).

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Leia scratched her brow worriedly. "But what do we do about the angry reviewers who are just about now developing a sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs as they realize this chapter will not be about Luke and Mara! What about them!" she cried. "Our friends will turn against us!"

Han flashed his usual, careless half-smile. "Can't you take a joke, Princess? I'm sure the story will get back on track in a moment. Not that I'm complaining about the extra attention or anything," he added.

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Author's Note: Okay, that was evil! On to the real story now. ;P

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Mara did not answer. Luke could feel her breathing steady against him, and feared that she had fallen asleep. His heart sank slowly, numbly. Would she even remember his proposal in the morning?

She stirred, suddenly. She levered herself up, pushing away from his shoulders until she could see his face. He was trembling again. Luke opened his mouth, but found it parched and himself unable to utter a word. She was staring at him, and he could not break away.

"Luke... yes." She feel against him and kissed him until they both stopped trembling.

Mara leaned back against his shoulder again. "I love you, Luke." She paused, taking a deep breath. "At least, I mean... well, I've never been in love before, I don't really know if this is how it feels..." she blushed and looked away, then looked back, searching for the answer in his face. He just held her. And listened. "I know I want to marry you, and spend the rest of my life with you, and if we didn't I would miss everything about you, even the things that annoy me, and I feel different about you than I do about anyone else, and, and..."

He kissed her once more, gently. "I understand."

She placed a hand lightly over his mouth. "Thank you," she smiled, "Now shut up. It's something like 0200 and I'm tired." He took her hand in his own and kissed it, then released it. They fell asleep with their heads on each other's shoulders.

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Luke and Mara were jolted out of slumber by the ringing com. It took a moment for Mara to realize what the noise was.

Karrde, she thought.

She pushed Luke back against the arm of the sofa and pinned him there before he knew what was happening. "Promise me," she cried savagely, "Promise me you won't change your mind!"

"What?" the poor bewildered man asked desperately.

She let up slightly. "When I go on the mission for Karrde," she whispered, "don't forget. We're getting married as soon as possible after I get back."

"You're going?" Luke's face fell.

"You wanted me to, before. As reluctant as I am to admit it," she grinned, "you did have some good points. So you go do whatever it is you have to do on Coruscant, and I'll go do this mission for Karrde and meet you back on Coruscant as soon as possible."

Luke reached up as much as her arm would allow- she moved it slightly to let him- to stroke her hair. "I love you, Mara. Just... just come back to me."

"You know I will. Always." She kissed him once more, then ran to the com. He left to wake Ellie and change.

Mara was taken aback to see that their caller was not Karrde. "Leia?" she queried, "Sorry, I had forgotten you were calling back."

"It's Leia?" Luke called from the other room.

"Yes, dear," Mara called back, stealing a glance at the hologram of Leia as she did so. The trader didn't know if Luke was ready to reveal their engagement, but she figured that Leia ought to know. Besides being Luke's sister, she was the closest Mara had ever come to having a good girlfriend.

Thanks to the other woman's training, she hardly turned a hair when she saw Mara and Luke share a long glance, and then saw Luke embrace her from behind.

"We're engaged," he whispered with a smile that filled his entire face.

"Congratulations," Leia said. "Not because of the rumors, I hope?"

"Sith, no!" Mara replied.

Leia broke into a smile. "Then many, many congratulations."

"Thank you," Luke and Mara answered.

"You're welcome, Mara, little brother," Leia quipped.

"Hey!"

Leia and Mara both laughed. "So, can I tell Han and the family?"

Luke thought for a moment. "We haven't really talked about it yet. Mara, is it all right with you? I'm good with that as long as it doesn't leak. But I trust you with that. Little sister." Mara nodded. Luke chuckled. Leia stuck out her tongue.

"But don't start planning anything big, Lei," Mara warned, "I'm going to run one more mission for Karrde first, and I don't know yet how long it will take."

"Oh."

"So did you have a plan yet for the problems we still have to deal with?"

Leia sighed. "I think our best bet is to have you show them Ellie, or holorecordings of Ellie. Then the two of you simply announce your engagement. Telling them to stay out of your business now and then releasing news of the engagement in a few months would not go across well."

"Yes... Mara?"

"All right."

"So, should we come over to Coruscant tomorrow? I think today might be pushing it."

"Sounds good. Bye Luke. Bye Mara." The com clicked off and the image of Leia disappeared.

Luke planted a kiss on his fiancée's cheek. "I need to go change and wake up Ellie. Call Karrde, but see if you can meet him on Coruscant tomorrow. That way at least we will have the trip there together, however short it may be."

It turned out that Karrde was in the middle of an important business meeting, so Mara left a message with another member of the organization, Faughn, saying she would meet Karrde in the usual place on Coruscant in approximately 30 hours to be briefed on the mission.

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The next day

Their things were packed. Not everything, but all the clothes were gone from the closets, the few items of sentimental value were packed, the curtains were closed. Mar found herself much sadder than she had anticipated. She had lived there for such a short amount of time, and in all likelihood they would be back eventually. But that didn't change matters.

The rented speeder was packed, and Artoo and Ellie were aboard all ready. Mara caught Luke's arm as he headed towards them. "Wait."

"What are you doing?" he asked the redhead as she led him towards Jeria Cordiva's house.

"Shhh, you'll see. It's nothing bad, I promise you." A slight breeze sprang up and her hair flew around her head in little strands. She pulled her stiff blue jacket close around herself. She looked beautiful. Luke knew he could not refuse her. He followed.

Mara pulled him up just in front of the door beside her. She turned to face him. "Remember," he warned, "revenge is of the darkside..."

She grinned and rang the doorbell, "I'm not going to hurt her!"

The door opened. Mara grabbed Luke around the back of the head and pulled is head to hers in a long, deep kiss. After a moment she let go of his hair but kept kissing. She did not want it to look like this was against Luke's will.

When they finally stopped, Mara just turned to the shocked Cordiva and smirked. Then she and Luke ran to the speeder before the Zenriffian had time to get her camera.

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So, I presume you reviewers are happy with me? Then again, as always, please review no matter what you think of it! Constructive criticism is valued!