Chapter Six:

"Okay, first wash the vegetables, and then we will cut them up." Luke told Mara. "I'll get the meat ready to go in the stewing pot."

Mara put the food in the sink and began to rinse the dirt and grime from the vegetables, using her fingers to rub off the obstinate spots of dirt that needed more encouragement. By the time she was finished, Luke had the meat cut and ready to be placed in the counter-top cooker.

"Alright. Now let's cut them up."

Luke handed her a knife and grabbed one for him. He took one carrot and one potato, and showed her how to cut them.

"Take the potato in one hand, hold it with your fingers, and slice it lengthwise. Then cut those halves lengthwise again; next use the knife to cut the quarters into small cubes. Not too thick, because thicker cubes of raw potato take longer to cook." As he spoke he demonstrated. "As for the carrots, you simply cut off the greenery, and then a little of the other end. You can either slice it as a whole carrot, or cut it in half and then cut the pieces. I find the former way easier. Carrots tend to roll on me if I try to get fancy with the knife-work."

Mara found that with her already great skill with blades that this chore was easy for her to master. Luke nodded approvingly when only a few short minutes later, Mara had all five potatoes and four carrots ready for the pot.

Luke set aside her piles of vegetables and held up the onion. "The final vegetable. Let's see if Mara Jade doesn't cry over this one."

Mara offered a confused look, to which he simply grinned and handed her the food.

"Cut off the end with the tuft, then peel the skin and first layer off." he instructed.

Mara did as he asked, and soon found her eyes burning.

"What in space?" she muttered, wiping at her face with an arm.

Luke chuckled. "The downside to onions: their fumes cause the eyes to burn and water."

Mara glowered at him, but the effect was ruined by the wavy effect of the moisture buildup and she had to leave the kitchen. Luke finished cutting the onion while Mara attempted to blink away the moisture.

She was just about to rub her eyes with her hands when Luke abruptly appeared and grabbed the limb.

"No. Don't touch your eyes until you wash the oils from the onion off your hands." he warned, leading her to the refresher. "I promise you do not want to get the oil in your eyes. I made that mistake once, and will never repeat it."

Mara allowed him to help her wash up, strangely enjoying the sensation of someone washing her hands for her. She frowned to herself, wondering at the strange thought.

Finally, Luke brought wet fingers to her eyes and Mara jerked back, startled.

"Sorry, but I've found that splashing cool water in your eyes helps with the burning." he explained.

Mara relaxed, and found that he was right; the cool water did decrease the burning in her eyes. Finally she was able to blink them open without them watering or burning horribly.

Luke was looking a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry Mara, that wasn't a nice trick to play."

Mara punched him - hard- on the arm. "Don't ever do that to me again, Skywalker, or you will feel a lot more than a right hook to the bicep."

Luke nodded, rubbing his sore arm. "The food will be ready after we finish class tonight."

Mara blinked in surprise. "Wait, what?"

"Stew is a slow-cooked meal, Mara. But believe me when I say it is well worth the wait."

Mara sighed, feeling her stomach twist with hunger. "Okay, so what are we eating for lunch then?"

Luke smiled, and led her to the table where a bag of still steaming food rested. "I asked Artoo to get some take-out for us since we were making a meal already."

Mara was too worn out to care if the meal was home-cooked or not. They sat down together and proceeded to eat the food.

They talked about Mara's trading and Luke gave her an update on the Academy while they ate.

When they finished, Luke cleared the table. "What would you like to do now?"

Mara felt her eyes droop. "I could go for a nap."

Luke nodded. "Can I walk you home?"

Mara nodded. "That would be nice, I'm not sure I could make it home by myself at the moment."

Luke looked at her in concern. "Are your eyes still bothering you?"

Mara blinked. "A little."

He frowned. "Mara, I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have…"

Mara placed a hand on his arm. "It's fine. Hey, didn't you say something about a foot-rub this morning?" she yawned.

Luke chuckled. "I did."

"Come over and give me one?" Mara asked.

He sat back, taken aback by her suddenly friendly demeanor. This was not like her to be so… relaxed, and off guard. Despite his surprise, Luke decided that he enjoyed this different part of Mara Jade.

"If you want me to, I will. Or you could rest on my couch." Luke offered.

Mara thought about it. "Fine, thank you."

She went to the couch and made herself comfortable. Luke was surprised to see her out cold seconds later.

He chuckled softly and left her to rest, letting the foot massage wait till later.

00000

That evening, Mara did much better with the levitation, and found she was able to lift all five remote droids this time. Satisfied, Mara held the remotes in the air without issues.

Luke looked on in pride. "Very well done, Mara."

Mara smiled triumphantly. "How long do I hold them?"

"After a moment I'd like to see you lower each one to the ground. Start with the last one you picked up, and wait a full minute between each remote." Luke answered.

Mara did so, lowering the first remote easily, and counting out a minute till the second. She continued this until all five remotes were returned to their starting positions.

Luke smiled widely. "I knew you could do it. Very good!"

Mara breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the medicine ball she'd had trouble with the night before, and brought it to her without any problems. Thinking that she wanted more of a challenge, Mara noticed Luke from the corner of her eye, and allowed a mischievous glint to shine in her eyes. He discerned this and did a nervous double-take.

Mara grinned sweetly, and proceeded to pick him up via the Force. Luke looked about him in surprise and then shrugged, accepting her move.

"What's the matter, Farmboy?" Mara teased. "Afraid I'll drop you?"

"Not on accident." Luke shot back good-naturedly.

Mara laughed at that: Luke knew her all too well. Mara stopped laughing abruptly with that stray thought. Luke wobbled precariously, and he started, but to his credit did not interfere with her hold.

Mara lowered him to the ground and rose, pacing to the window. Luke stood, frowning.

"Mara, are you okay?" he asked, his concern evident.

Mara hugged her arms about her waist. "Yeah." she answered absently.

Luke didn't look like he believed her, but as he opened his mouth to protest, something in her stance staved off his objection.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he offered instead.

Mara froze, indecision warring within her. Luke did know her, she thought. He knew her better than anyone, and he never once tried to take advantage of her, or their friendship like many men she knew would have done.

And though she wasn't ignorant to the fact that he'd instigated these classes in an effort to be closer to her, she was also privy to the understanding that wasn't he doing it to get her into his bed. He genuinely enjoyed being with her, even when she was a pain in his backside. And he liked her, she understood. He liked her for who she was, and accepted her without qualms.

But how much did he truly like her? And did she return the feeling?

Out of nowhere, Luke's question from that afternoon broke through the haze of her mind.

What is it about dancing that you love so much? Those weren't his words exactly, but that was what he'd meant.

Mara turned to Luke, who was quietly supportive, and marveled at how well he could read her needs. There was something she did need right now, one of the reasons she truly loved dancing.

"Dance with me?" Mara whispered.

Mara felt his galvanization at her request. She expected him to shoot her down, make some excuse as to why that wasn't a good idea, but instead Luke offered his arm as she'd taught him.

Mara looked at him, taken aback, and Luke waited with a kind smile. Mara took the proffered limb, and they walked to the center of the room. Luke took her into starting position, and waited for her to get set.

Mara met his gaze uncertainly, and Luke started the dance. He led her slowly, gently about the floor, his eyes never once leaving hers. Mara swallowed hard, feeling her heart beating erratically.

She wasn't used to such emotion, and she didn't know what emotions she was feeling at the moment. But she also knew she could lose herself in the moment of the dance, and be free.

So she did just that. Taking a nervous breath, Mara moved closer and shifted her arms around Luke's neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. Luke stiffened for a heartbeat, unsure, but quickly recovered and rested his head against hers.

Mara felt safe in his embrace, and she wondered why that was. Confusion rippled through her, and Luke pulled back to gaze at her again.

"Mara?"

She stepped away from him abruptly, overcome. She breathed erratically, and Luke's concern continued to mount until Mara finally panicked. She bolted for the door, leaving a very confused Luke behind her.

"Mara!"

But Mara ignored his call, racing home as fast as she could without drawing unwanted attention. As soon as she arrived, she slammed the door shut and locked each bolt, then slid to the floor, her back to the wall.

Burying her head in her hands, Mara wept bitterly.