Chapter 3

Luke arrived at the briefing room early hoping for a chance to talk to Mara alone. Since their conversation yesterday, Luke had thought a lot about Mara's question to him, 'Why her?'

It was such a simple question, but it dredged up a tangle of emotions that took Luke most of the day to unravel. After much reflection, he finally came to the realization that he had wanted more than friendship with the fiery redhead for a long time. Of course, he had carefully repressed these feelings, knowing Mara would never consider such a proposal. But last night that notion was shaken, when he felt….

'What was it that woke me up last night?' Luke wondered.

He wasn't sure if he had sensed an erotic dream or something… more, something much more projected through the Force, but he was sure it had emanated from Mara Jade. For the first time since the incident in the club, Luke was hopeful that he could not only repair their friendship, but perhaps something more could come out of the situation.

He really needed to talk to her.

Unfortunately, Mara was nowhere to be found prior to the briefing. Luke was beginning to think she was not going to show, when she finally slipped into the conference room at the very last second. He started to stand, intending to go talk to her, when Colonel Staven called the meeting to order.

Luke dropped back into his seat and sighed deeply, running his hand over his face before finally squeezing the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Master Skywalker, are you all right?" whispered Rika Arlos, a young female NRI agent sitting next to him.

"Yes, I'm fine, Rika," Luke said softly as he glanced over to the buxom, red Twi'lek undercover operative that had been assigned to assist him in reconnoitering the Naughty Imperial strip club that night.

"Are you doing one of those Jedi things?" she whispered in awe. "Like the mind probe I read about in the reports." She hesitated for a moment and continued. "Would a person know if they were probed by a Jedi?"

Luke glanced sharply at the young lady. He wasn't sure if she was serious or was making a flirtatious sexual innuendo.

"I… uhh…was just thinking," Luke replied avoiding the term 'probe' completely.

Luke turned his gaze back to Colonel Staven at the front of the room, but his thoughts remained on his new partner. Rika Arlos came highly recommend for this mission and was obviously a very intelligent, competent and dedicated agent, but to Luke's dismay she was also what Luke called a Jedi groupie. Well, that might not be a fair description; she was more like a Luke Skywalker groupie.

From the moment she'd been introduced to him, he'd been bombarded with numerous questions about his time in the Rebellion, his Jedi training and anything else involving his life. Luke wasn't sure why she even bothered asking him questions since she apparently knew everything about Luke right down to the most insignificant minutiae - things that he had forgotten about years ago. Luke wouldn't be surprised if she was one of those fans who wrote fictional stories about him or belonged to one of those pervasive Jedi holonet fansites like the 'Skywalker Admiration Society'.

Luke shifted in his seat uncomfortably, the leather pants and tunic of his smuggler disguise were hot and he was beginning to sweat in the warm conference room.

He looked over to Rika who was also dressed as a smuggler. She didn't look too uncomfortable in her outfit, but, of course, there wasn't much of it to start with. Her attire consisted of a sleeveless, short cut tunic over a leather micro-skirt, knee-high boots and a small hold out blaster strapped to her wrist. Over her tunic she wore some sort of form fitting black armor, which Luke was sure didn't serve any functional purpose other than acting as a bizarre plexisteel push-up bra. It made her look like some sort of Mandalorian stripper.

Rika noticed Luke appraising her disguise and gave the Jedi a broad smile. Luke coughed nervously and looked away, causing Rika's smile to falter.

Mercifully, the briefing was short. When it came to a close, Luke got up and moved to where Mara had been sitting, but she had already left the conference room via a side exit, never once looking in his direction.

Luke sighed.

He really needed to talk to her.

On the speeder ride down to the Naughty Imperial Luke was pleasantly surprised in the change in Rika's demeanor. Once the mission started she was all business and he could see why she was recommended for this operation. She did checks on her weapon, comm equipment and reminded him of the location of the various entrance and exits of the establishment. She discussed where should sit in the room for optimum observation and security.

Upon arrival, they both paused at the entrance to do one last comm check and to adjust their weapons. Luke felt naked without his lightsaber. He had left it back at NRI headquarters in case there was a security search of the patrons. After taking the time to dye his hair, growing a weeks forth of facial hair and even taking pills to darken his skin slightly, he didn't need the presence of a Jedi weapon jeopardizing his cover.

He turned to Rika and nodded. "You ready?"

"Ready Biggus," she said using his undercover name he had chosen. It was a variation of the name Biggs in honor of his friend Biggs Darklighter who died during the battle of Yavin.

Luke pushed open the heavy metal doors of the establishment and swaggered in. He almost jumped when Rika sidled up next to him and snaked an arm around his waist before dropping a hand into his back pocket.

He looked over to his partner, giving her a questioning look.

"We are supposed to be lovers, right?" she said almost apologetically, but Luke could feel her amusement through the Force.

"Just don't get too carried away," he whispered as he put his arm around her waist and led her down the stairs to the main floor.

"Security on the catwalk," Rika whispered. Luke risked a quick glance up and counted five armed guards on the upper floor walkway. "Two Gamorreans guarding the entrance to the back rooms."

Luke knew that she was not only talking to him, but was communicating to the headquarters via a comlink built into an ornate necklace secured around her neck.

Luke and Rika sat at a small metal table near the left rear of the business where they would be able to observe the entire room and the entrance and exits.

Rika leaned over to Luke and whispered in his ear while disguising her actions as a romantic overture. "I located two Black Sun players, center front row table, near the stage."

A waiter droid ambled over to their table and they ordered a couple of drinks. Luke and Rika kept their attention keenly focused on the coming and goings in the club as they chatted amiably about inconsequential matters. When they observed suspicious movement of the guards or Black Sun operatives they quietly reported their findings the command post.

After about an hour, Luke felt a shift in the Force as somebody in the club suddenly focused their attention onto them. At first Luke felt curiosity, then shock and anger.

"Rika," Luke said softly. "I think we have been recognized." As casually as possible, he tossed a couple credit chips on the heavy table and rose to leave. "Let's get out of here."

Luke sensed a sudden surge of danger directed toward him from various directions. He glanced up and saw a couple of the guards holding comlinks to their ears; others were searching the crowd until their eyes locked on Luke.

"Let's get out of here now," Luke said as he grabbed his partner's arm and proceeded to pull her toward the back exit, but it was too late. A blaster bolt tore a hole in the chair Luke just vacated. Panic broke out in the club as people scrambled toward the exits. Luke had hoped that they could escape in all the confusion, but as a dozen blasterbolts headed in their direction he realized his error.

Without his lightsaber to deflect the shots, the only other option was to avoid being hit. Luke ran and lunged on top of Rika forcing her to the floor, his body shielding her from danger. Once on the ground, a brilliant flash appeared before his eyes as an intense pain surged through his head. Luke's vision swam for a moment and then blackness began to envelop his sight until everything went dark.

At the command post outside, Mara clutched her head as a searing phantom pain suddenly assaulted her. "Luke's in trouble," she gasped, recognizing the source of distress immediately.

"Skywalker, Arlos!" Colonel Staven shouted over the Comm. "Respond." Only static responded. "Stang!" he swore, realizing their transmissions had been jammed. He turned toward the Communications officer, "Use the landline backup to initiate the attack."

The young officer acknowledged the commander's order with a nod as he carried out the command. Staven turned his attention to Mara who had grabbed a first aid kit off the wall and was shoving bacta patches and bandages in her pants cargo pockets. "Jade, I need to know what is going on. Can you get anything from Luke?" Mara turned a solemn face toward the commander. "Luke is down. He's not dead, but he's hurt. I'm going in to get him." She didn't wait for a reply as she rushed from the room.

She arrived at the nightclub just as the breaching team burst in and began returning fire. It was like walking into a war zone and she entered the club with her lightsaber blazing. Patrons were screaming and desperately trying to get out of the crossfire but the thick smoke and low lighting made navigating though the madness difficult.

As Mara deflected blasterbolts with her saber she reached out with the Force and tried to find Luke. She located his presence about fifteen meters away. He was lying on the floor behind an overturned metal table. Luke's Twi'lek's partner was ducked down behind the table, popping up occasionally to return fire.

Mara sprinted over to their location and dove down behind the makeshift barricade.

The Twi'lek whipped around, training a blaster on Mara before she realized who she was and turned her attention back to the real enemy. "I'm glad you're here," she said evenly as she shot and hit a guard on the upper level causing him to tumble to the floor below. "Luke took a grazing shot to the head. I don't think it is life threatening, but he does need medical attention. I can't return fire and carry him out of here without getting us both killed," Rika said gravely, dodging a blaster bolt.

Mara looked around. She could move Luke using the Force, but a sprint to the back exit didn't look like a viable option. Mara spotted a doorway a few yards to her left. She had studied the blueprints of the building and knew those doors led to secluded 'dance' rooms, where wealthy patrons could pay for private entertainment. Mara deactivated her saber and connected it to her belt before grabbing Luke under his arms. "I'm going for those doors. Cover me!" Mara told the Twi'lek. Rika nodded and then popped up from behind the table, blaster on full auto, laying down an impressive burst of suppressive fire.

Mara ran backwards toward the doors dragging the unconscious Jedi on the ground. She burst through the entranceway without getting shot and immediately slammed the doors closed behind them. She then gently lowered Luke's head to the ground as she checked out the first available room down the hallway. Flicking on the lights, it illuminated a small chamber with various chairs, couches and a small daybed hugging the far walls. The floor was littered with various cushions and liquor bottles, indicating the previous occupants had made a quick exit. Once she was certain the room was clear, she grabbed Luke and dragged him inside and locked the door.

This was the first time she'd gotten a good look at her friend. "Oh Luke," Mara sighed. "Why am I always pulling your butt out of trouble?" She rifled through her pockets and pulled out a couple of bacta patches.

Luke had a nasty blaster burn on his forehead. It didn't look too serious, but Mara knew that any blasterbolt to the head could cause internal damage to the brain that wouldn't necessarily be obvious from the outside. She cleaned the wound and placed a bacta patch over his forehead.

"This wouldn't have happened if I had been here with you, Skywalker!" Mara snapped at him, realizing only afterwards that she was more worried than angry.

Luke's eye's fluttered for a moment and then slowly opened, blinking at the lights above. "Rika?" he asked groggily.

"It's me, Luke."

"Mara." Luke tried to raise his head, but grimaced in pain and dropped it back down to the floor. "Thanks for saving me," he said to his friend.

She placed another bacta patch over a bruise on his temple. "Well, I certainly wasn't going to sit around the command post while you were being shot up by Black Sun agents," she said simply.

Luke gave her a weak smile. "No, thanks for saving me from my partner."

Mara cocked her head to the side and gave him a questioning look.

Luke's grin broadened a little more but his speech was slurred. "She's a Jedi fangirl. Who knows what she would have done with my unconscious body."

Mara smiled, wiping blood from his temple. "You can't be too bad off if you're worried about being accosted by your Twi'lek partner. Or was that your plan all along and I've foiled it by coming to your rescue?"

"I thought about it," he quipped, wincing as he shifted to a more comfortable position. "But then I decided I'd rather be accosted by a former assassin who could kill me with her bare hands."

"Kinky," she snorted. "You have quite a fantasy life about former assassins."

Luke's eyes popped open and she caught his look of hurt and embarrassment before he turned his back to her with some effort. "I told you I was sorry about that," he said quietly.

Shavit! Mara cursed herself, regretting the jab as soon as she'd said it. He'd been trying to make light of the situation and now she'd made him more uncomfortable than he already was. Nice going, Jade.

Reaching for a diversion, Mara picked up her comlink but it was still dead and she switched it off. "My comm's jammed," she said in what she hoped was a back-to-business tone. "Does yours work?"

Luke removed his smoking earpiece and charred comlink and held them out to her. "I doubt it," he answered wryly.

Mara settled on the floor beside him. "Then I guess we wait here." She was about to ask if he wanted a pain suppressant from the med pack when the room suddenly went dark. The generators and music also grew quiet so that the only sounds coming from the club now were muffled shouts and rounds of blaster fire.

"I think I need a short healing trance." Luke's voice sounded stronger in the dark but his words were still somewhat garbled.

"Good idea," she answered. Sensing his pain as he repositioned, she reached out awkwardly in the dark to help him shift off of his injured side. "I'll stay and protect your unconscious body from any Jedi fangirls."

"You're my hero…" Luke mumbled, drifting off to sleep.

Mara felt him enter the trance but instead of moving to a more comfortable spot on one of the chairs, she stayed beside him, her hand lingering on his. Visions of the previous night flashed through her mind: his hands on her body, stripping, caressing…her hands touching, pleasuring, dreaming of his…

Opening her eyes, she shook the images away. What the hell was she doing? This was Skywalker, for Sith's sake. He was her teacher and comrade and consistent source of irritation.

Her fingers met the hem of his sleeve and she brushed them lightly against the warmth of his skin. He was also one of the few men in the galaxy who treated her with nothing but utmost respect and he was the one man she wanted most at her side in battle.

In battle and other places, perhaps?

She sighed, wiping a sweaty palm across her face. "Dammit, Luke," she whispered. "When this is all over, we should talk."

The slow, steady cadence of his breathing was the only response. In the distance, the sounds of the firefight continued with no sign of slowing any time soon. They could be here a while.

Crawling over to the nearest chair, Mara pulled off one of the large cushions she had seen earlier and carefully tucked it under Luke's head before lying down beside him to wait.

Don't stop.

Is this what you want?

I do. Don't stop. Touch me again.

Like this?

Oh yes! Please don't stop. Please…

Luke opened his eyes to total darkness as consciousness slowly returned. Where was he? The strip club, he remembered—a backroom in the strip club. He'd taken a blow to the head and Mara had pulled him to safety.

He realized that he was lying on his side with Mara in his arms. Her back was pressed against him and he was horrified to realize his hands had been roaming over her warm luscious body.

Please don't stop. Please…

He had been dreaming. Feeling his face grow hot, he could only hope that she had also gone into a meditative trance or fell asleep and hadn't noticed what he had been doing. Cautiously, he withdrew his hands and started to scoot away from her still form.

"Don't-"

"I'm sorry," he murmured through dry lips. "I must have been dreaming."

"Don't stop," she whispered, planting her back firmly against his chest. "Keep dreaming."

"Mara?"

"It's a wonderful dream," she said softly. "Don't stop…"

His breath arrested in his lungs. Was Mara talking in her sleep? Or was she actually asking him to continue holding her, caressing her? He tentatively leaned forward and wrapped his arms gently around her.

"Mara? Are you awake or dreaming?" he asked. This was a totally unexpected development and he wanted to make sure that holding her like this was what she actually wanted.

There was a long pause before she spoke. "I'm awake."

"I wish I could see you, to make sure that's true," he whispered while holding her warm body against his.

"I like it in the dark," she said quietly. "It makes it easier to believe this is a dream."

He let out an exasperated breath. "Mara, don't talk riddles to me."

She sighed. "I guess…in the dark I don't have to address the reality of the situation. I don't have to face up to the fact that when we leave this room we'll go back to our awkward friendship. That is if we can salvage our friendship. In the last week so much has changed between us and it is hard for me to comprehend."

He leaned his head against hers. "I know what you mean. This is a scary development." He paused for a moment. "But it doesn't have to be. Obviously we are both attracted to each other…interested in each other."

Mara stiffened slightly in his arms. "How do you know that?"

"I sensed your dream last night," he whispered. "And…you did just ask me to continue fondling you." Luke risked a soft chuckle, hoping to break the tension.

"Oh," was all she said with obvious embarrassment in her voice.

"Don't be ashamed about your dream. I have the same dreams about you. Mara, I feel the same way," Luke said softly in the blackened room.

He could hear her soft breathing in the dark. "How long have you felt that way?"

Luke hesitated. "I was always attracted to you, but when you were on Yavin IV…I could really feel your pull."

Mara was silent for a long moment. "You never paid much attention to me while I was there."

Luke rested his head on her shoulder and sighed. "You were my student…I felt like it would be improper…"

"Oh," Mara whispered sounding disappointed.

"Mara, how long have you felt this way about me?"

He could feel her reluctance to answer, but finally she did. "Since you gave me your lightsaber on Coruscant."

Despite the total darkness Luke's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Yes," she admitted. "For some reason I thought it meant something else." She turned in his arms to face him, her lips brushing slightly against his as she did. "I thought it meant much more."

"The Force was guiding me when I gave you the saber…maybe it was also leading me to you." He took a deep breath and let it out. "I should have kissed you that night."

"You should have," he heard her say.

"I was afraid you would toss me off the rooftop we were standing on," he admitted.

He couldn't see her, but he sensed her smile. "I thought Jedi could levitate."

He laughed at her remark. "I'll kiss you now…if you'll let me."

"I'll let you," she said breathlessly.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. It started tentatively, softly, but soon the kisses became more amorous with desire.

"Oh Mara," Luke moaned. "If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up."

He felt her smile against his lips before she pulled away for a breath. "Maybe tonight we can make some of our dreams come true."

An hour later when fighting had finally stopped they rejoined the NRI team. Luke was ordered to report to the medical center but caught up with Mara before she boarded the speeder to return for debriefing.

"Hey!"

She turned around, keeping her face carefully neutral, though her mussed hair and flushed cheeks would have given any observant bystander pause. "Hey yourself."

He stepped close so that no one else would hear and resisted the urge to reach out and touch her. "I was wondering, if you're not busy, if you'd have dinner with me tomorrow night."

"I'd like that," she answered, green eyes flashing in a knowing glance.

His cheeks grew warm and he cleared his throat, looking around nervously. "And then we could go back to my apartment, or your apartment, and have a drink…and maybe continue what we started today…or whatever you'd like."

Mara leaned forward, pretending to inspect his head wound. Whatever you'd like," she whispered her breath on his ear sending chills up his spine.

A broad smile stretched across Luke's face, but it quickly fell as a disturbing thought struck him.

"Mara," he said hesitantly. "This is the start of something, isn't it? I'm not like one of those men in the club. I'm not looking for a one night stand. I want a relationship." Luke waited nervously for her response.

Mara grinned. "I know, Luke. You are nothing like those men. You're one-of-a-kind… and I think this is the start of something special," she answered and then gave him a mischievous look. "I believe we are about to break a lot of Jedi fangirl hearts."

~The End~