Celtic Knot: No, no! Don't cry! Please don't cry! -wails- (although I must say, you made my day when you said that) Better then WM? Really? D Hurray! I really tried hard to make this one work, and since it such a.... a... shall we say 'unusual' topic, I have no point of reference whatsoever! bah!

"I just can't put into words how much I love this story."

o.o ...really?!?! I will practically worship you! May I quote you on that? Please? PLEASE?!?

I love doing evil things to characters, but, I usually try to fix things. A couple times I didn't, but that's just because Zekk is Zekk and he's so cute when we torture him... -hugs Zekk- ("The Nature of the Force"? I'll put it on my Must Read list.)

-sends email to you-

SailorLeia: My dear, you are so helpful. Your reviews make me feel so much better, I... it's just amazing. Thank you so much for giving me your praise, it really makes writing this story worth it. Serious thought... this is probably the first time I've sat down and said, "I will write depressing, good, drama." and actually tried to do just that. So aye, serious thought did go into it, but it was more desperation then serious. P

Ah... You want Mara to get through this and for Luke to get her to believe him, eh'? Well, what if I told you that, that was not the main point of this plot? And that it really wouldn't feature much? And that really, it's all just smoke and mirrors? I know you said you wanted that to be the direction for Fire, but, I really think that the direction I have it going is better for it. ) Read this chapter, it might help explain things a wee bit better...

Jedi-lover: Depressed? Oh I don't think so. Well, not at the end anyways.... Thank you so much for reviewing!!!

Chapter Two

Mara was released the next day, and Leia Organa-Solo was the one who picked Mara up.

Leia had her thick dark hair wound around her head in a braided crown, and was dressed in a suit that was fairly casual, the mellow green color complimenting her fair skin. She was smiling happily, her chestnut colored eyes dancing with joy as she arrived to pick up her sister-in-law.

Mara had dressed in a generic dark blue flightsuit and had tied her hair back in a neat ponytail. She felt as empty and worthless as she had the day before, and when Luke didn't come to pick her up, it only became worse.

"Mara!" Leia exclaimed warmly as she rushed into the room; choosing to uncharacteristically ignore the other patients in the room as she focused solely on Mara.

Mara looked skeptical, but hugged Leia back, albeit tentatively. Her tired green eyes closed as she laid her head on Leia's shoulder and she sighed, letting herself relax.

Leia stepped back, her bright smile making Mara feel even duller then she had when she had woken up. "Are you ready to go?"

"Where's Luke?" Mara asked in a soft whisper.

Leia's eyes darkened with some emotion that wasn't familiar to Mara and her smile faded slightly.

Leia was quiet for a few moments, before forcing the bright smile on her lips again and shaking her head. She laughed as gaily as she could. "Oh don't worry about that careless brother of mine, you know how he is! I'm sure he's just run into someone or a shop and has lost track of time. He'll turn up shortly!"

Mara hugged herself weakly, as though wrapping her arms around herself would shield the ugly fears from her. Leia took Mara's hands and pulled her to her feet.

"Come, come now!" Leia gave a wink at her quiet companion as she alternately pulled her and pushed her towards the exit. Hospital officials made as though to stop them, but the tiny Chief of State glared at them fiercely and they melted away into the background.

Several nurses winced in angry sympathy, wishing that they dared to insist that their former patient be taken out on a hover chair, but their superiors stopped them.

"Leia-" Mara said, trying to make Leia slow down, her muscles unused to the rushed activity.

"Not now," Leia said with a ghostly smile. "Smile. I promise Luke didn't mean to miss this."

All Mara could do though, was nod dumbly and let her sister-in-law tug her out of the post-op center and into the sunlight.

Luke hadn't come.

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Mara was packing their things into a case when Luke arrived at their apartment that evening. The Jedi Master entered their bedroom and froze as he caught sight of the slim red-head folding clothing nonchalantly.

"Mara!" Luke exclaimed breathlessly, joy warring with stunned amazement on his face. "You're home?!"

Mara spared him the briefest of glances before nodding her head. "Yes. Leia picked me up."

Luke winced at the unspoken accusation of not being there for her. "Well… You were given a clean bill of health?" he asked dumbly.

"Of course," Mara said tersely, grabbing a pair of boots and dropping them into the case on top of the one white shirt Luke owned.

Luke walked over to the bed and pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his body. "Thank the Force," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

Mara laid her head against his shoulder, the sense of déjà vu sweeping over her. "Luke…"

"What?" Luke pulled back.

"We need to talk." Mara said solemnly, her green eyes determined.

"Of course," Luke acquiesced and stepped back, bowing at the waist to her, extending one hand. "Shall we retire to the outer rooms?"

Mara laid her hand in his and smiled tightly. "Of course, Jedi Master, your suggestion has great merit."

Luke frowned slightly, but still curled his fingers around her hand and pulled her out of the room.

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"Mara, is something the matter?" Luke asked worriedly, they were seated side by side on a couch, their hands lying in their laps. Mara was staring at Luke's shoulder and Luke was looking at her face with concern. Luke lifted one hand to her cheek pushing back a wisp of hair that had escaped its band during Mara's packing expedition.

Mara nodded jerkily, and licked her lips. Her heart beat against her chest like mad butterfly wings and she tried to use the Force to calm herself. "I-I'm sorry Luke." she whispered.

Whatever it was that Luke had been expecting it wasn't that. His blue eyes widened comically and he blinked at her. "What?"

"I said I was sorry." Mara lifted her eyes to his defiantly. She tilted her chin up and almost dared him to contradict her. "I know I've been a-a disappointment to you in some ways, and I'm sorry. I'll get it right, eventually..." Mara glanced down at the couch for a brief moment, weighing what she was about to say, then back into her husband's eyes, but the look on his face stilled her words.

"You think you're a disappointment to me!?" Luke asked, stunned. "How the kriffin' – Why for sith's sake – How in hellfire could you ever think you're a disappointment to me?!"

"I know I am." Mara's voice sounded hollow, like it had while she was in the med-ward. "I keep trying to avoid what I need to do."

"Mara, Mara, you could never be a disappointment to me!" Luke tried to suppress the urge to shake her. How could she ever think something like that? he wondered, the very idea making his heart wrench.

Mara chuckled. But it was a dry, sad sort of chuckle, and it did nothing to alleviate the tension in the room. "I thought you'd say that," Mara said softly, and Luke almost missed it.

But Luke didn't miss it and his pained confusion only deepened.

"But that's not what I wanted to say," Mara stated. "Well, not all of it."

"What is it?" Luke asked, not really paying attention.

"I need training, Skywalker." Mara said with deadly seriousness. "It's time I become a Jedi."

Luke's mind abandoned his quest to understand what his wife had meant by her comment and grabbed onto her words. His mind filled with the possibilities, and he tried to keep from leaping to his feet to start crowing for joy. "Do you mean it!?"

Mara nodded, the gigantic grin on Luke's face making her feel even more horrible then ever for refusing to train for so long.

"Oh Mara!" Luke said happily, almost throwing himself at her, his eyes shining. "That's wonderful! Oh thank the Force - I was terrified that it would be something major! Uh, not that this isn't major, but that it would be something bad."

Mara forced herself to laugh. "You worry too much, farmboy."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Luke asked, reaching through their bond tentatively, almost like he was unsure of his reception. A wave of relief swept through him when she didn't throw up her shields. That relief transformed into clear, euphoric joy when he sensed that she meant every word of what she said.

Mara nodded decisively. "Would I have suggested if I didn't?" she challenged. You would suggest it if you knew you had to, she told herself. After all, that's why you're doing it, right? Otherwise you'll still be nothing other then his "project". A failure. And he'll never really love you. Not that someone like him ever would…

"We'll start your training as soon as we get back home." Luke said simply, the joy still shimmering in his eyes, but the words felt more like a hammer to Mara, as it shattered any illusions that she harbored of being able to avoid becoming a Jedi.

Oh dear, what am I doing?! hey - Muse! GET BACK HERE!! This wasn't supposed to be this cruel!!... I think...!!