Chapter 7

Nomi tossed and turned in the bed. Luke had been gone almost two weeks and she was really missing him. He had sent her a message letting her know that he missed her and hoped to return soon. She had sent one back and wanted to hear from him again.

She had been staying up stairs in Leia's apartment but it had been getting a bit crowded. Mara had to sleep on the couch and it made Nomi feel like she was in the way. She had offered to stay down in Luke's apartment. She thought it would make things easier. It had, for the ones upstairs. Luke didn't have a guest room as Leia did, he also didn't have much furniture. Leia said it was because he hardly stayed here. For him to hardly stay here, his scent is everywhere. Nomi could not sit in a chair or lay in the bed without smelling his scent. It made staying in the apartment hard but she knew she could get threw it.

She was finally falling asleep when there was a beep from across the room. At first she dismissed it as being Artoo but quickly remembered he was upstairs and that Threepio was in the other room. She reached for the blaster that Mara had lent her. She got out of the bed and put on her robe. She walked near the door. Beep. There it was again. She looked around and realized it was a data pad. She released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

She picked it up and looked to see it was a message from Luke. She quickly chose the encrypt she would need to read the message. She noticed the date was from three days ago.

Dear Nomi,

Things are going slow. We have a few hospitals that have patients they don't know names to. We hope we'll find Lando there.

How are things there? Have Jaina, Jacen, Anakin and Leia been getting on your nerves? I hope not. Oh, and if Leia and Mara begin to get nosey, don't feel like because your staying with Leia you need to answer.

I miss you. I wish I could've brought you with me. I hope we will be back soon. Let me know how things are going. I'll look forward to hearing from you.

-Luke

The message lifted her spirits. She knew that even if it was slow they were making progress. She wanted to tell Leia but figured she had already heard from Han. The thought that Luke would be returning soon excited her. Then it hit her, hard. There was a reason I went looking for him. Now, I have to tell him. That thought made the excitement disappear and worry start to set in. She put the data pad down and headed to the refresher unit. She needed time to think.

She got out and returned to the bedroom to see that the sun was beginning to peek through the window. She had cleared her mind and decided she would worry about that when the time came. She sat on the bed and began to return a message to Luke.

Dearest Luke,

I'm so glad to hear that you are coming close to finding your friend. I can not wait for you to come back.

Not that much has been going on. Don't worry Mara and Leia have been behaving them selves. Mara has been doing her work and Leia's been with the Senate. I've been spending a lot of time with Anakin. You'd be surprised how much you can learn from a child. We worked on a droid. He tried to show me how to build one from scratch. It didn't go so well. I kind of crossed some wires and the thing caught on fire. Jacen had to put the fire out. Jacen has been very nice to me. He has been trying to teach me little things that he calls 'Jedi basics.' For a child he has a lot of patience. Jaina has been working with me on how to use a lightsaber. With the three of them around I feel like I'm the child and they are the adults. I usually stay with them until Leia gets home. They come and visit with me after they've eaten. Mara and I have become fairly good, well I'm not sure you would call it friends, but something. Her and Leia want to ask questions, I can tell. They are trying so hard not to pry.

I miss you. There is so much for us to talk about when you get back. I hope that is soon. Please be careful. I'll see you soon.

-Nomi

So much for us to talk about when you get back. Luke kept running the words threw his head. What does that mean? Luke looked across the table to see Han reading from his data pad as well. "Leia?" He asked.

"Yeah, and the kids. They all say hi by the way." Han said not really looking up from the data pad.

"Han, I think maybe I should head back." Luke didn't want to get into an argument with Han but it had been something he had been thinking about for a few days now.

"What? No, you can't leave now. We only have two more places to go. We're meeting Tendra and Karrde in only two days." Han paused, "You can leave if you want but then you'd never get to rub it in Lando's face that you had to come save him." Han said with a mischievous grin on his face.

Luke chuckles, "That is something you'd do not me." Then a beep comes from Luke's commlink. He answers, "Skywalker."

"Jedi Master Skywalker, would you by any chance be looking for a Lando Calrissian?"

"Yes. Who is this and where are you?" Luke asked.

"My name is Dr. Trinaba Daymolly. I'm at Bothwui Mercy in the capital city. Mr. Calrissian is anxiously awaiting your arrival. He told me to give you word that he would like you to send word to Tendra Risant."

"Thank you Dr. Daymolly. We'll be there soon and tell Lando we'll get her the message." Han said. Han was happy to find that his friend was okay.

Luke turned off the commlink. Lando was at least alive. This was the best news he had received in days. He had been happy to hear from Nomi but her words worried him. Lando had been found alive and he had no true need to worry about him. "Do you think Lando would be angry if I didn't come and check on him?"

"I know I'd be. Why don't you come and you can ask him if he need you to stick around. I'm pretty sure he'll say no." Han knew why Luke wanted to return so quickly but this wasn't like Luke. He had been acting funny the past few days. It must have been something Nomi sent him. "It'll take us a day to get to the capital city. I'll send word to Tendra and Karrde. After I do, you are going to tell me all about this girl. You said later and now it's later. Plus we do have a day to spare."

"Call Tendra first, and then," Luke sighed, he knew Han would not forget, "I'll tell you."

"Okay, I sent word to Tendra. Chewie is in the cockpit and navigating. You're stuck Luke, start spilling. And don't give me any of this there isn't that much to tell."

"Fine, Han. Nomi and I met back on Tatooine, a long time ago. She had, for years, just been Biggs's little sister. She followed us around asking us questions and getting on our nerves. She is about a year younger than me. I was fifteen when we truly became friends. She wasn't like the other girls, they all hated racing. They wanted to stay inside and not get dirty. Not Nomi, she had this way about her. I remember when she became Nomi and was no longer Biggs's sister. Biggs and I had been racing land speeders for years. We were both two of the best pilots in the area.

"Biggs wrecked his speeder and broke his leg. His father thought to punish him for his recklessness he wouldn't let him go to a bacta tank. Nomi stepped right up. She challenged me to a race. At first I was hesitant, if I won I might hurt her feelings and if I lost then I got beat by a girl. I beat her and she took it good. We began to race as we waited for Biggs leg to heal.

"When I was sixteen my Uncle gave me enough money to buy a T-16. Biggs and I began to race them. I occasionally would race Nomi on the speeder but it was boring after driving a T-16. She wanted to drive one so bad. Her dad, wouldn't let her, or let Biggs teach her."

"So that is why her father didn't like you?" Han interrupted.

"Partially, I think it was more that she wrecked. It was then that I realized I had feelings for her. When I saw her crash in front of me, I felt like I was going to die. My heart began racing and I felt like my head was going to explode. I pulled over as fast as I could and ran to see if she was alright. She was fine and mad at me when I acted concerned. I told her after that, I wouldn't race T-16's with her anymore. Man, was she mad.

"Biggs was a year older than me. When I was seventeen he left for the academy. It was weird because it was just the two of us. One day she begged me to take her out to where Biggs and I would look for Tusken Raiders. I did because by then we had become best friends. We were sitting on the front of my speeder looking out over the Jundland Wastes. Tatoo One was setting. It was the same sunset I had seen a thousand times but that time it was different. I remember it as if it were yesterday." Luke stopped, wanting Han to ask more about it.

"Yeah, and what happened?" Han seemed to be intrigued by the story.

"She slid her hand next to mine. I placed mine on top of hers. She jumped and scared me. I pulled my hand back thinking I had read to into her move. She slid over to where I was sitting. She laid her head on my shoulder. I put my arm around her shoulders and for a long while we just sat there. Then as Tatoo Two started to set she lifted her head up and looked at me. And I kissed her. It was my first kiss. I raced her back to her house after that. The next day she came over to the farm and helped Aunt Beru make lunch.

"We became very close very fast. Then one day she got sick and wasn't able to see me for a week. I thought I was going to go crazy. When she got better she told me that her father had felt we were becoming too close too fast. I think he was worried I'd want to marry her. He made plans for her to go live with her aunt on Corusant. We had two weeks before she left. We spent every minute we could with each other. I tried to get Uncle Owen to let me go to Corusant but he wouldn't let me.

"They day she left I promised her I'd come to Corusant the first time I got the chance. I was going to go and whisk her away. I was eighteen and if she'd had been, I think we would've gotten married. Her father tried to pull away in the speeder and I stepped in front of it. I tried once more to beg her father to let her stay. She was crying and so was I. He said that it was for Nomi to leave and he backed the speeder around and went around me." Luke had much trouble telling the last part of his story. He hadn't told anyone any of this before.

"Sounds rough kid." For Han that was his way of saying I'm sorry all that happened but you now have a chance to pick up. "So why didn't you go find her after Endor?"

"I thought she would've forgotten all about me and settled down with someone else. Or maybe moved. But she didn't and now I have my second chance." Luke was saying the last part more to himself than to Han. "She has this way about her, it's like I'd do anything for her."

"You've got it bad, Luke. That's the way Leia had me, completely wrapped around her finger. You might want to be careful of that kid." Han remarked.

"I know. I will be." Luke said. He had never thought of himself as being 'wrapped' as Han called it. Luke got up from the chair he was sitting in and headed toward his cabin. "Goodnight, Han."

"Night, Luke," Han replied.

Luke made his way to his cabin and began writing a message back to Nomi.

Dearest Nomi,

I'm happy to report that we will be on our way home soon. I'm going to ask Lando if I can use the Lady Luck to come to see you.

What did you mean in your last letter when you said they come and visit? Where are you staying? As long as you're still at the Palace I'm not too worried.

You said something about there was a lot for us to talk about. I hope everything is okay. I hope you haven't changed your mind. I know I haven't.

I miss you so much. If Lando lets me use his ship I'll be there is two days. I promise and if not it way be a little longer. I'm doing everything within my means to get back as quickly as possible. I miss you.

-love always, Luke