Chapter 117

AN: And now, the start of the rest of Ari's adventures after "Return of the Jedi"….

Ari awoke slowly, the sounds of the forest slowly invading her consciousness. Next she noted the faint light that she could tell was shining, even though her eyes were closed. She still did not open her eyes right away; instead, she enjoyed being in her half awake, half asleep state of being.

Shifting slightly, she meant to curl up under the blankets a bit more. In the back of her mind, she knew that a lot had happened, but she did not want to think about it. There was no pressing matter on her mind and she felt peaceful.

However, when she moved, she became of a source of warmth beside her and partially over her as well. Curious, she opened her eyes to see what it was.

As it turned out, she should have wondered who it was, and not what. Then, without even looking, she would have known the answer to the question. It was Luke. He was curled up beside her, one arm loosely wrapped around her waist. He was still sleeping, his breath deep and even. For the first time in ages, he did not look as if the weight of the universe was on his shoulders. He looked relaxed, taking off the edge of loss that had begun to show in his features. His blonde hair, no longer lightened by the Tatooine sun, was a bit darker than it had been when they were teenagers.

Ari smiled slightly as she ever so slightly brushed back a strand of his hair, careful as to not wake him up by doing that or by moving too much to disturb his arm. She tucked her other arm under her head, looking at him. A smile graced her features as she remembered everything the previous night. The Jedi had returned and the Force was in balance.

While Ari and Luke had watched the spirits of the three great Jedi, Ari had slipped away after a few minutes, to allow Luke another moment on his own. Everyone was coming to the fires, and Rebels were moving among the treetops to visit one another so she was soon seeing more Rebels she knew.

Bren was there as well and it seemed as if ten years had melted off his age when Ari saw him. He was still as excited as he had been before. He also was happy to announce to her, as well as the other Rebels he saw, that celebrations like this were occurring all over the universe. In fact, the reports about the destruction of the Death Star and the death of the Empire itself were spreading like wildfire. Even to some of the Outer Rim worlds. In Coruscant, while there was chaos, Imperial leaders knowing they had to leave before the Alliance arrived, most of the citizens were cheering. In fact, a statue that had born a likeness to the Emperor had been pulled down by the crowds.

Ari couldn't stop smiling when she heard all this. While the excitement here was amazing, she wondered how those on other worlds were celebrating. Did those on Tatooine know yet? Did those on Naboo? She hoped so. She did not want anyone forced to live in fear for another moment if it could be helped. There was still a lot of work left to do. There was no denying that. However, she knew they could do it. They had overcome so much adversity already. The rest would fall into place.

The celebration had continued throughout the night. Music was performed by the Ewoks, and some started to dance when they heard it. A few Rebels had things of sentimental value with them, including a few small woodwind instruments, and these added to the music. Music could he heard echoing through the forest, but none of it was overpowering. In fact, it was just right. Ari found herself clapping along to the music and laughing with others.

She kept her eyes open for Luke and the others, but knew that they would all be quite busy, retelling their stories, though she knew Luke would most likely not want to discuss what had occurred on the Death Star.

While the celebration continued for hours, beings slowly started to drift away and to various huts, tents and small transports, tired, yet pleased. They all knew that when they awoke, it would be the start of a new life of freedom.

Another pilot bid Ari a goodnight, leaving her alone, for the first time all evening. It felt strange, but it was not bad. The musicians had slowed and now only the sound of a drum from a nearby fire could be heard. Also, the voices had died down and Ari could now hear the crackle of the fire as it too started to die down.

Her blue eyes stared into the flames and for a moment, she could see her parents, Jett, and Sabe in her mind, as clearly as if they were standing right in front of her. They were all smiling and she had to smile back, even as she felt tears in her eyes. She knew she would always miss them. However, their deaths, while horrible, were not senseless.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the presence of someone else, but she did not turn from the fire right away.

"What are you smiling about?" Luke asked.

"Just was thinking about my family. They would be happy with our victory."

Luke sat down beside her and nodded. "I know they would. And they would be very proud of you." He kissed her cheek and Ari rested her head on his shoulder. With the adrenaline rush wearing off, she could feel how tired she was after all of this.

"Yours would be too," she told him, sliding one hand into his. Ari had heard that sometimes couples had uncomfortable moments when they first admitted their feelings to one another, but that was not the case here. It just felt right.

"I think so," he nodded and kissed the top of her head. "I think it is time to turn in."

The two had found a hut where only a few other Rebels had lain down their bed rolls. They were all lying near the doorway, so Ari and Luke had stepped over them to a place near the back of the hut. Not only did it have enough room for the two of them, but they both rather liked the idea of some privacy. They laid out their bedrolls next to one another and both lay down, their blankets over them. Being close together they could whisper to one another without disturbing anyone else.

However, they did not say much. Ari told a little about her experiences and both shared stories of their comrades. They did not mention what Luke faced though. He did not volunteer it and Ari did not want to pry. He would talk about it when he was ready.

Ari did not know when she had fallen asleep, but one of the last things she had noticed was when Luke had placed his arm around her waist loosely. It was comforting and for the first time in a long while, her sleep was restful.

That was what had led up until the moment when Ari woke up. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw that the other bedrolls were empty. The others had probably gone to get food.

Ari closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling. The knots in her shoulders, which were always constant, were not as tight as they had been and she enjoyed the luxury of not having to get up immediately after waking.

She opened her eyes after a moment and her blue eyes met familiar blue eyes. She smiled slightly at Luke, who returned it. "Good morning," she murmured to him.

"Good morning," he repeated, tucking back a strand of her now messy blonde hair.

"How did you sleep?" she asked.

"Better than I have in a while," he answered honestly. "You?"

"Very well," she nodded in agreement.

A comfortable silence passed between them, both just drinking in everything they heard, felt and sensed both normally and through the Force. The change in the air was so intense and so beautiful that it was almost intoxicating.

"Our first morning of freedom," Ari whispered after a moment.

"What is the first thing you are going to do?" he asked her.

"I do not know," she admitted after a moment of thinking about it. Then she glanced over at him. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

He paused for a moment, as if thinking this over, though there was a mischievous look in his eye. It was strange, since she had not seen such a look in his eye for quite awhile now. "First, I am going to do this…"

He leaned over and kissed her. It was sweet and lingering, his lips against hers. One hand touched the side of her face as they both continued the kiss. It could have seconds, or hours since all time seemed to have stopped as they both lost themselves in the kiss.

Finally, then both pulled apart and Ari blushed slightly, though she was smiling. Luke also had a smile on his face.

"Well," Ari finally managed. "You did that. So what is the next thing you are going to do?"

"It is something we are both going to do. We are going to rebuild the Jedi Academy, travel the galaxy and spend much needed time together." He stretched and got to his feet, offering a hand to her. "Before we can do that though, we need breakfast."