CHAPTER 8

Mara slowly became conscious of her surroundings as she came out of the Force-flow. The first thing she noticed was a cool breeze across her face and the sounds of a busy city. She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She found herself on the Palace roof on Coruscant overlooking Imperial City. The sun was just setting coloring the sky a brilliant orange. This was the Imperial City she remembered from her youth, a bustling metropolis with skyscrapers of every size and shape punctuating the skyline. It was an urban area that stretched from horizon to horizon full of millions upon millions of residents…until the Vong arrived and destroyed the city once called the Jewel of the Galaxy.

"Mara?"

"Over here," she said as she turned to face Luke. He was wearing his usual black pants and tunic, which would usually garner a disapproving remark from Mara, but this time she barely noticed his attire; he was so incredibly young. Mara found herself immediately mesmerized by his face. His blue eyes were bright and full of life, his face was smooth and tanned with a mop of blond hair blowing in all directions in the wind. This was her Luke, this is the man she loved. Mara tried to clamp down on her feelings so not to confuse the Jedi, but she knew her happiness to see Luke leaked out and washed over him.

Luke grinned and came up beside her. "Quite a view, isn't it?"

She remembered she gave him some snarky comment decades ago during this moment, but she just couldn't bring herself to make things hard for him anymore.

"Yes it is," she simply said.

"So how are you feeling?" he asked.

She told him the truth, "I feel wonderful."

Luke gave her an odd expression, as if he expected her to say something else. "So what do you think about the idea of being a liaison between the Smuggler's Alliance and the New Republic?" he asked cautiously.

Mara laughed softly. She remembers arguing against the plan with Luke despite the fact she thought it was a good idea at the time.

"I like the idea of liaising with you," she grinned mischievously.

Luke's eyes widened in surprise and appeared to be at a loss of words. Mara couldn't blame him, what she was saying and about to do was completely out of character for a 9 ABY Mara.

"Was there something else?" she asked.

Luke smiled brightly. "You're getting good at that."

"Your fault for teaching me too well. Come on, what is it?" The words came easily to her, she remembered this time and place all too well. It was burned into her memory because it meant so much to her at the time.

"Just this," Luke reached into his tunic and pulled out a lightsaber.

Mara knew exactly what it was and where it came from, but she continued the dialog. "What's this?"

"It's my old lightsaber," Luke said softly. "The one I lost at Cloud City, and nearly got killed with at Wayland." He held it out to her. "I'd like you to have it."

Somehow reliving this event with the knowledge of what Luke and her would share in the future made the moment even sweeter. She gave him a brilliant smile as she took the weapon. "Thank you, Luke."

"You're welcome." He touched her hand. "I'll be in the conference room with the others when you're ready to come down." He turned to leave but Mara grabbed hold of his hand pulling him back to her. Before he could react she gave him a warm embrace. Luke stood stiff for a moment not knowing what to do, but after a few seconds he hugged her back. Mara relished the moment.

She wasn't sure how far she should take this. If she pushed him too far would he think she was a crazed, wanton woman? Mara thought it would be best to let him make the first real romantic move. Unfortunately, this was her shy Farmboy and she wasn't sure if it would take him ten years and a Force meld before he took the first step toward romance.

Mara was considering making the first move when Luke did something totally unexpected. He kissed her. It was a shy tentative kiss that only lasted a moment, but to Mara it was breathtaking. She had spent decades kissing Luke, but this kiss was different because it was so unexpected. She couldn't believe that just a little encouragement on her part was all it took to put them on the path to romance.

Luke pulled away from her with a hopeful but worried look on his face. "I'm…uhh…I'm sorry, that was presumptuous of me," Luke apologized as he tried to step back, but Mara quickly wrapped her arms possessively around his neck.

"Don't apologize," she said. "It felt right."

Luke gave her an astonished look. "It does, doesn't it?" He said excitedly. He obviously felt what she always felt after Nirauan—a strong connection—emotionally, romantically and within the Force.

She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to her lips. This kiss was not tentative, but hungry and full of passion. They finally broke away from each other looking dazed.

Mara was the first to regain her voice. "It does feel right," she confessed, "I can feel it in the Force, but I also feel it here," she said as she brought her hand to her heart. She didn't know if that was making things a little too sappy, but it was the truth. She needed to make sure this courtship got off the ground, even if she had to spend months making sure her fledging relationship with Luke completely purged any lingering doubt the Mara of 9 ABY would have about the Jedi. It was not exactly a terrible prospect—making passionate love with a young twenty-something Luke Skywalker. It would be like an extended honeymoon, before they even got married.

Luke smiled and kissed her again. When they pulled apart he asked, "Would you like to go out for dinner?"

"Yes, but what about everybody in the conference room waiting for us?"

"I'll Comm my sister and tell her I'll be delayed." He gazed at her tenderly as he offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Mara smiled, "Certainly."

Mara was shocked at the intensity of their romance, with Luke moving much faster than she ever anticipated. After the fourth date he got the gumption up to invite her to his apartment. She ended up staying the night, and the next night…and well, she never really left.

She acted as a go between for the smugglers and the NR for a short time, but she eventually traveled to the Jedi Academy with Luke. She agreed to train as a Jedi if she didn't have to become an official student. The girlfriend of the Jedi Master should merit private lessons.

Mara wasn't sure if what she was doing was going to obliterate all the other changes she made in the timeline during her previous flow-walks, but she hoped when she returned to her time things would be better.

After two months of incredible passion with her blue-eyed farmboy Mara of 40ABY finally decided that her present day doppelganger would be too smitten with Luke to want anything but to spend the rest of her life in his arms. She missed her son. She needed to go back home.

One morning after Luke left for an early morning run she laid quietly in bed and concentrated on returning to the future, back to the Shadow and back to her family.