Luke looked at everything one more time. His heart was pounding and he was sweating a little. Everything HAD to be perfect. The turkey was cut up nicely and everything was laid out - from the mashed potatoes to the cranberries. He had water in glasses and, thanks to Han, even had a decent bottle of wine smuggled into his dorm room. Getting the fold out table in had been tricky. He had pushed everything he could as far to the side as possible and it was all ready. He began to put on some quiet music - classical stuff that he knew Mara would appreciate. That done, he settled down to wait. It was only minutes before the door buzzer sounded. Luke answered as casually as possible, "Hello;"
"Hello? That's it? Hello?" came Mara's voice in mock offense. "Were you expecting someone else, Farmboy? Let me in!"
Luke chuckled and headed down, checking his clothes one more time. He was wearing nice slacks, a button down shirt and even a tie. He hoped to high heaven that he didn't overdue it. When he saw Mara, he knew he hadn't. In fact, he wished that he had worn nicer pants at least. She wore a long black dress and over it, a fashionable coat. They both stared at each other for several long moments before Luke cleared his throat and croaked, "Please come in."
Mara nodded and said, "Right - in, yes."
Luke closed the door behind her and took her coat. The dress was perfect for her, hugging her body nicely and flattering her best physical features. "You look stunning, Mara."
She smiled and said, "Thank you. You look pretty sharp yourself."
He blushed and muttered, "I feel really under dressed."
She swatted him lightly and said, "Stop it. You look very handsome and I wore this to wow you not to make you feel under dressed. Mmmm... that smells so good."
When they got to the room, Mara stopped, awestruck at the sight. There were two settings and all the traditional food for Thanksgiving - turkey, dressing, potatoes, sweet potatoes and so on. There was a crock pot of hot cider with cinnamon sticks in it as well as a bottle of red wine. "Oh Luke;" she breathed.
Her reaction was everything Luke could have hoped for. He smiled and took her hand. "Come on. You don't want it to get cold, do you?"
Mara allowed him to lead her over to the table and he pulled out her chair for her. "What would you like to drink?"
She cleared her throat and said, "Cider please and could I also have a glass of water?"
Luke nodded, setting a mug of hot cider and a glass of cold water in front of her. They sat across from each other and Mara looked a little sheepish. "Do you usually say grace over thanksgiving?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah. You?"
Mara nodded. She said a poem that her adopted father would say and then Luke said another that his uncle and aunt had taught him. With that, they dug in. Luke served Mara everything, much to her amusement and appreciation. For some time, they sat in companionable silence, just enjoying the food and being together but after awhile, they conversed about everything, learning more about each other. They were both starved for knowledge of the other, wanting to know everything there was to know. After an hour of steady conversation and eating, they both pushed their plates back. "That was wonderful, Luke;" Mara said. "Thank you for doing this for us. I really enjoyed it."
Luke smiled as he gathered the dishes. "I'm glad to hear that, especially sense I had to buy some pies from the store. I'm not much of a baker."
Unable to pass up on the opportunity to tease him, Mara sighed sadly, "That just ruined the entire experience, Farmboy. I guess I should just go back to my dorm now."
Luke blushed and looked away and Mara giggled, "Luke you are too easy to tease. I'm kidding. Even store bought pies couldn't ruin my day. Where did you get them from?"
"That little bakery down the road;"
Mara smiled with pleasure. "I love that place. I can't eat pie right now. Let's let our food settle for a bit."
Luke agreed and they moved to their favorite place to lounge and relax: Luke's bed. They turned off the music and put on an audio book he had recently bought. This one was the Scarlet Letter, a story that they both found guilty pleasure in and if their friends knew, they would probably both be teased viciously since the Scarlet Letter was one of the most hated books ever assigned in a literature class. As they snuggled together and listened, Mara contemplated her boyfriend. Luke had worked hard on the meal and it had turned out so well. Everything had been delicious and, of course, there was still plenty left over. He had done this for her; well, for them but all the subtle details and such she felt was for her. The place settings were dishes and not paper plates which she was sure he would have used if it was just for him. The sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes were real and not canned or powdered. The turkey, or more accurately half of a turkey, was basted and roasted. The cranberries were not from a can either. She looked up at Luke and found that he was gazing at her. She nudged him with a playful smile and said, "What are you looking at?"
Luke kissed her brow and murmured, "The most beautiful woman I have ever seen - EVER."
Mara smiled and kissed his lips. "You're just saying that because you have to."
Luke shook his head vigorously. "No, I'm saying that because I get to. I'm the luckiest guy on campus. Lando Calrissian knows it. Vak Somoril knows it. Derran Takkar knows it. The entire campus knows it. I get to call you beautiful in the privacy of one of our apartments without anyone else around while we listen to music or audio books or watch tv."
Mara was surprised and touched by his fervor. She smiled and kissed him again. "I think I'm pretty lucky myself. No other guy would do something like this for me;" she said, indicating the remnants of their dinner. "It means a lot to me, makes me feel special. I wish I could do stuff like this for you."
Luke smiled and kissed her before saying, "You do plenty for me, love."
After a few more moments of silence, she stood and smiled at him. "I guess I should stick with what I'm good at, huh?"
Luke stood and said, "You're good at a lot of things, Mara. Care to be more specific?"
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with as much fervor and affection she could. When they both pulled away for want of air, she stepped away and said in a breathless voice, "Have that heavy blanket ready cause it's a little chilly in here and I'm about to be colder."
Luke's blue eyes went huge as she lowered the dress, allowing it to pool around her feet.
It was getting late and Luke had to turn the heat up just a little and, looking out the window, Luke smiled. The snow was slowly drifting down through the fading daylight and it was beautiful. From behind him, Mara said, "I just realized something."
Luke turned around and went back to her, snuggling back under the blanket with her as he asked, "What's that, Babe?"
Mara grabbed her IPhone and went through the music until she found what she wanted. Setting the phone down, she climbed atop Luke and began to sing quietly along. "Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful..."
Luke smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her bare waist, reveling in the warmth of her silky smooth skin. Suddenly, they were interrupted by Luke's phone going off. Mara turned the music way down and Luke looked at the caller ID. With a smile, he answered the phone. "Hello, Aunt Beru. Happy Thanksgiving."
The motherly voice of his aunt replied warmly, "Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Dear. Did you have a good Thanksgiving today? Did the cafeteria serve good food?"
Luke chuckled at her anxious voice. "I dunno if they did but I certainly am having a great Thanksgiving. I made dinner for Mara and myself. It was quite nice."
"Oh! Is Miss Jade with you right now?"
Luke suddenly felt uneasy. "Yes she is. We were listening to some Christmas music and enjoying watching the snow fall."
"May I talk to her?" asked his Aunt eagerly. Luke stuttered, "Um... you want to talk to her?"
Suddenly, Mara grinned and reached for the phone. "Let me talk to your Aunt, Luke."
Before he could pull out of reach, Mara snatched it and said, "Hello?"
A very warm voice filled with barely contained excitement said, "Hello, is this Miss Jade?"
"Please call me Mara. Is this Luke's Aunt, Beru Lars?"
"It is. I've been looking forward to talking to you for awhile now. Did Luke do okay on the Thanksgiving dinner?"
Mara grinned at Luke's anxious face and said, "You would be very proud of him. It was the best Thanksgiving dinner I've ever had."
Luke blushed and Aunt Beru said, "I'm so happy to hear that. I'm surprised he didn't call for advice, but that's Luke. He's always tried to figure things out for himself."
Mara giggled, "Oh that sure sounds like Luke."
"Yes. Do you mind talking for a little bit, Mara? I would like to know more about you."
Mara looked down at the blanket that covered her naked body and shrugged, "Sure. What would you like to know?"
Aunt Beru sounded pleased as she said, "Just a few things. Where are you from? Stuff like that."
Mara smiled with pleasure and tapped Luke before pointing to the crock of hot cider. Luke got up and filled her mug while she said, "Well I'm an orphan and was adopted by Sheev Palpatine. He raised me with the help of his employees. I came to this university because it has an excellent business program and law program - better than any ivy league school."
"Oh my! You were raised by the Founder, President and CEO of New Order Industries? Luke never told me that."
Mara smiled, "For the most part, I try to keep that quiet. I'm telling you because you're Luke's Aunt and I think you should know who your nephew is dating."
"I appreciate your honesty, Mara. Thank you. Well I honestly just called to wish Luke and you a Happy Thanksgiving. Give him a kiss for me, please and enjoy the rest of your Holiday."
Mara grinned at Luke and said, "I'll do that, Beru. You have a Happy Thanksgiving too."
"Goodbye, Mara."
"Goodbye, Beru."
Mara hung up and Luke was blushing. She laughed and said, "Why are you blushing, Luke? She didn't tell me anything embarrassing."
She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "That was from your Aunt. This is from me;" and she pulled him into a mind numbing kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and pull him down atop her again.
An hour later, Mara grabbed her IPhone and dialed a number. Luke was still a little dazed from their intercourse. "Who are you calling?" he asked mildly.
Mara smiled. "My guardian. I want to wish him and his gold digging mistress a Happy Thanksgiving."
Luke chuckled at her. She put the phone to her ear and waited a few moments. "Hello, Ysanna? It's Mara; can you give the phone to Sheev please?"
She was quiet for a moment before saying, "Hello, Sheev. Happy Thanksgiving... Yes I have, thank you. Luke made us a dinner as good as any that the cooking staff could put together... yes, he's right here..."
Luke's blue eyes shot wide and he began shaking his head vigorously and mouthed 'no' repeatedly. Mara grinned wickedly and said, "Of course. He'd love to talk to you. Please be nice to him, Sheev. I really like this one."
She handed Luke the phone and he took it gingerly, as if handling a poisonous reptile and said hesitantly, "Hello, this is Luke Skywalker;"
A dry, cracking voice came from the other end. "Good evening, Mister Skywalker. I hope that you had a Happy Thanksgiving."
Luke gulped, his throat suddenly dry. He was talking to quite possibly the wealthiest man on the planet. "Thank you, Sir. I did. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well;"
"I'm glad we have a moment to talk, my young friend. I believe that it is long overdue considering that you have been involved with my adopted daughter for several months now. Please tell me about yourself, Mister Skywalker."
Luke cleared his throat and glanced at Mara. The affectionate smile on her face strengthened Luke's confidence and he said, "I will but please call me Luke, Sir. I was raised by my Uncle and Aunt on a farm near Eisly and went to school in the local town. I came to this university because of its Criminal Justice program."
The dry voice sounded pleased. "A noble pursuit indeed, Luke; Mara speaks very highly of you so I will not give you the usual fatherly warnings and threats."
Even with the humor in his cracked voice, Luke had to gulp. A man as powerful as Sheev Palpatine could destroy him and his family without any evidence, though Luke doubted he would actually do that. Sheev broke into his thoughts, saying, "Mara has convinced me to spend Christmas in our home outside of Eisly so that you can split time between your family and hers. I look forward to meeting you in person."
"Thank you, Sir. The pleasure will be all mine, I'm sure."
"Tell Mara I love her and please give her a kiss for me;" said the cracked voice, just a tiny amount of humor and mischief infusing it.
Luke grinned and said, "Of course, Sir. It was a pleasure to speak with you. Please enjoy the rest of your holiday."
"You as well, my young friend; Goodbye."
The line went dead. To Luke's surprise, Mara looked a little anxious. "Well?" she asked, her hands clasped together.
Luke smiled and kissed her forehead. "That was from Mr. Palpatine;" and then, with a mischievous grin, he gave her a huge kiss before saying, "That was from me."
Mara giggled and said, "Another kiss like that, and I might have to jump you again."
"Promises, promises, Mara;"
She cocked a perfectly groomed eyebrow and then jumped on him, tackling him to the bed and kissing him almost violently. As they got carried away once again, Luke absently decided that he had oh, so much to be thankful for this year. That was wiped from his mind though when Mara's kisses traveled from his lips back to the side of his neck.
By the time they were done that third time, it was late and Mara had no inclination whatsoever to leave. She looked at Luke and grinned. "Tomorrow, you and I are going Black Friday shopping, just so you know."
Luke stifled a groan. He hated shopping. "Do we have to?"
"Yes. Be a good boy and come quietly and I'll reward you for your good behavior."
Luke sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll go quietly."
Mara patted his cheek and cooed, "That's a good boy. Now how about some of that pie? All this rigorous activity is making a little hungry again."
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I know it's a day late but even so, I hope you enjoyed. Love you guys. Please read and review.
Updated 10/15/2018
