Chapter 20

by Saber Girl Leia

I am soooo sorry about the very very lateness of this update! My Internet more or less died (Comcast is terrible!) and then I had Shakespeare Camp. But it's finally here, and I hope there are still some of you around reading it :).

SailorLeia: I remember that! TLB (like all your stories!) was sooo funny! Thanks for the review!

Mara look-a-like: Thanks! That part was really fun to write. I'm sorry it took so long!

Ariapaige: Heehee. Mara plus Lando does equal some slightly sadistic fun for the writer, doesn't it? lol, I feel kinda bad too.

I think Tendra didn't show up 'till the Corillean (sp?) trilogy. This is more around the time of the Callista trilogy. I don't think Lando's that much of a sleazeball, but I just seem to have to write him that way... must be some repressed feeling... He may get a little nicer later on.

We should totally start a Luke's hair fanclub! Lol!

I love babies! My cousin and my dog (a Cavelier King Charles Spaniel (think, like, cat-sized) are practically the same size, so they were all interested in each other which was really funny.

Cool! I am so sorry it took this long :(

:D

Saber Girl AmiDaala:Woot! Swirly skirts!

Oh, now you say that! It took you like a week to get around to reading the last chapter! lol

Disco... glitter... dance-offs... sounds good...

I've never seen DD, but the title probably could have fit. Not Flashdance though. Never seen that either but the title does not work there... unh uh.

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A tall, thin male of a species she could not name approached Mara. He had slightly pointed ears and a very pointed chin. Oily looking hair, in that color which cannot be distinguished as black or dark purple, clung to the shape of his head.

"Did you come here alone?" he asked, with a queer serpentine pronunciation. His tongue was long and snakelike, and slithered when he spoke.

"N-no," Mara replied, adding a slight nervousness to her tone for purposes of the disguise.

"Who did you come with?" he hissed, bending near her now.

"Hi-him," Mara stuttered, pointing with a trembling hand in the general direction Lando had gone.

With barely a glance to where she was pointing, he nodded. "Oh, yes. But he wouldn't want you to be all alone here. He can't see us." The creature seated itself on her bench and leaned over her.

Mara shrank back. "Please leave me alone, s-sir."

"I won't hurt you," he whispered.

She darted away again. "Oh, don't! He'll be angry- so angry! He'll beat me and you..." The woman changed tactics. "You seem like a wonderful person," she cooed, "I would just die if he hurt you! Perhaps... one day... when I am alone..."

He laid a gentle finger on her arm, but Mara could not help but recoil from his greasy touch. "Look at him, over there with the other girls! He will not see. He goes to them, and so has no right to stop you from being with me..." the sibilant voice continued.

"But what if he finds out..." Mara was practically bent over backwards avoiding the man.

"I'll protect you..."

Her voice rose in pitch and volume. "No! Get away from me! I'll call him! I'll call him! He'll shoot you if he sees you touch me!"

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Meanwhile, at a nearby table...

Lando sipped a glass of wine casually, glad that Mara had not stopped him yet. After all, if she did not want to have fun, but somebody else did, who was she to tell him no? There were some beautiful girls around more than willing to keep him company.

He glanced at the two friends across from him. A small Falleen and a human woman with hair so blonde it was nearly white. The Falleen had finished her wine already, and Lando called for a refill. "What did you say your names were, ladies?" he asked, though neither had told him in the first place.

"I'm Ila, and this is Tam," answered the Falleen. "What's yours, handsome?"

"I'm Lando Calrissian," he replied suavely.

"The war hero?" Ila flirted, eyes wide.

"You know how those stories get exaggerated. But yes, I was there, and I like to think I made a difference, with blowing up that second Death Star and all."

"You must be very brave," whispered Tam. Lando chuckled.

Ila leaned farther over the table to him. "Tell us about the war."

"Well, it's a long story. You're going to need another glass of wine."

"Sounds good." She waved her glass in the air. A waiter presently came and gave them all refills.

"So," he began as soon as the drinks were brought, "we'll start soon after I joined up with the Rebellion... I had to go on a very dangerous undercover mission to rescue a friend of mine. They knew I was the perfect guy for the job..."

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Back at Mara's table...

Now on the very edge of the booth, Mara was seriously considering forgetting the disguise and just beating the man up. It would do well to show these people what a woman could do, anyway.

But Mara did not know what sort of punishment that would carry here, and was wary to risk it. So, as much as she loathed to, Mara called out, "Lando! Help, Lando!"

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"So I was sliding down almost into the mouth of this horrible monster- of course I was being brave and not calling for rescue because there were a lot of other people who needed more help than I did, and I knew I was strong enough to hold on for a while-" Ila curled herself closer into Lando's arm.

A cry of "Lando! Help, Lando!" shattered the moment. When he realized it was Mara, a little thread of hope rose in him. Perhaps she had realized that he was not so bad after all...

Lifting Ila gently to the side, he said, "I'll be back, I just need to go see what this is about."

"Someone might need you to save them," Tam pointed out.

"Yes," he nodded and hurried the short distance back to his original table.

Mara had quieted as he approached, but was still struggling in the grip of an alien. Lando pushed the creature off of her. "What are you doing with my girl?" he threatened.

"It was her idea," the creature accused.

"Oh, Lando, you know I would never do something like that."

"Yeah, I know. Now get away from Katris, you slimy nerf!" The man backed off, but not before glaring at Lando murderously. He gave Mara a little wave.

Once he had left, Lando came and sat by Mara, immediately throwing his arms around her and giving her a kiss. She squirmed away. "I don't want you doing that to me any more than I want him doing it," she admonished.

"Then act! I'm not that bad, am I? I came and helped you, didn't I?"

"I only called you because this stupid girl I'm disguised as doesn't go around throwing punches! You know I could've dealt with him myself."

Lando looked at her. "You could be a little nicer," he said.

"You could be a little more respectful," she snapped back.

"Sor-ry." Pause. "Well, then, if you don't want me around I'm going back over there. There's a nice little Falleen named Ila and a cute human girl, Tam..."

"Did you say Ila?"

"Yeah. Why? I don't think you'd like her much; she's a total flirt." He walked away.

Mara sat back, feeling a little stunned. Ila had been so outspoken against this place just hours ago, and here she was, flirting with Lando. Have I made friends with the wrong people?, Mara wondered, Have I said too much?

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Sorry it's short, and sorry Luke hasn't been around for a while. I've written some stuff with him but I decided to save it for the next chapter. Please review!