Chapter Eleven:

Mara woke some time later, disoriented. Her first inclination was to balk when she felt the pressure of someone's arms pressing into her. But then her mind caught up with her adrenaline, and she remembered Luke.

He'd been a gentleman the entire time she'd known him, even in her room when he'd leapt into bed with her. She recalled with a degree of humor how flustered he had been at that moment, begging her for understanding.

And so it was again.

He'd held her as she had asked him, but hadn't made any romantic moves toward her. And Mara had never wanted to kiss a man in gratitude so much as now. But she restrained herself when her wandering gaze rested upon his sleeping face.

He looked so at peace and so… innocent when he slept. His face was relaxed and carefree, with his lips slightly parted. Mara watched his chest rise and fall steadily, entranced. Her eyes took in what they could without jostling her newfound friend, while her memory filled in the rest.

He was indeed a very handsome man, with his sandy hair and eyes of blue. He was toned to perfection, with muscles that were for much more than just show. Mara had been surprised last night by how gentle such a strong and powerful man could be. His hands, calloused and work-worn as they were, had been surprisingly soft against her skin.

She sighed quietly, snuggling back against him; listening to his heartbeat, to the intakes and outlets of air as he snored ever-so-softly. Never before had Mara felt as secure as she did while in Luke Skywalker's arms. She allowed herself to revel in their tender strength, and his innate desire to protect the woman beside him.

And then there was his voice…

For some reason, Luke's voice put her at ease; his even, calm tones a balm to her ears. She was used to Palpatine and Vader's voices: Palpatine with his cracked and gravelly speech; his ever-harsh tones, even in the rare moments of pride or happiness. And Vader, with his booming, deep bass vocoder that had always been intended to instill fear and respect.

But when Luke spoke, he wasn't speaking at her, but to her… with her. And he listened in return when she spoke. He cared about her, and what happened to her.

A stray memory drifted across her mind then, one from before her master's death.

What would it be like for a man to love her enough to go into the depths of hell to get her?

Her heart skipped a beat as the implications hit her, but she shook her head. It was far too soon for something like that between them… wasn't it? Was it possible for people to fall in love the first time they met?

Mara had absolutely no experience with love, and so she had no way of answering that. The realization of this sparked something within Mara, a frightening sensation she'd not known was possible.

She felt a salty wetness tickle her lips, and she abruptly grasped that she was weeping. But the more she tried to stop the flow of tears, the harder they seemed to fall, until she was sobbing silently, her chest quivering with each uneven breath she drew.

The security of Luke's arms kept her close to him… and despite her misgivings, her fear of rejection, Mara instinctively sought his shoulder.

His grip tightened momentarily, and then his voice sounded into the half-lit room; thick with sleep, but concerned nonetheless.

"Arica?"

Her false name coming from his lips only caused Mara's heart to clench again. How could this man ever learn to love her if he didn't even know her real name? Did anyone know her real name? Vader and Palpatine had been about the only two people in existence who knew of, and could talk about her. Her instructors had been sworn to silence under pain of death.

"Arica, what's wrong?" Luke asked again, his voice clearer now.

And Mara couldn't help herself: she had to tell someone her name. It burned inside her chest like an oil-fire, demanding to be freed.

"Mara!" she cried with a loud voice.

There was a moment of silence, in which she realized Luke had pulled back a little to gaze at her face.

"What?" He cocked his head slightly, brow furrowed.

"Mara." She spoke softer now, not quite able to meet his gaze. "It's my name: Mara Jade."

She sensed Luke's comprehension in the Force, and then she felt him rolling the name about on his mental tongue for a moment. To her surprise, she did not feel a sense of anger or betrayal from him, but one of acceptance. In fact, if Mara didn't know any better, she'd have thought he'd been given the final piece to a mystery with the way his Force sense lit up.

That was the other thing that drew her to him: his presence. It was just so warm, vibrant, and welcoming. How could she not be drawn to it? His spirit nudged hers like the warm rays of the sun on a tropical beach, turning the insides of her eyelids a rosy orange as it filtered through her natural defenses.

Mara felt his hand gingerly caress her hair, and she froze in shock. Sensing her discomfort, Luke instantly withdrew his hand.

"Sorry," he murmured. "It's just…" He broke off, probably not wanting to scare her away.

But Mara still hadn't moved.

Years of isolation— and of keeping various appendages of the blasted males in the Imperial Court at bay— caused her defenses to instinctively reared their ugly heads, and Mara's first thought was to break the Jedi's fingers.

But her shock at how wonderful his caress had felt overwhelmed all other mental functions, until she could focus on nothing else.

She did not understand how a man running his fingers over and slightly through her red-gold hair could have elicited such… sparks. His touch, while normally would have been viewed as offensive, now sent shivers down her spine.

No one had ever touched her as he'd just done.

His wasn't the possessive touch of some man hoping to slate his deprived male ego with her body. Rather, it was that of someone who realized that they'd just found someone they had unconsciously been searching for. Like a husband touching the hair of his wife, long thought dead, and now standing before him in the flesh.

All of this flashed through Mara's mind in the space of a long minute, during which she became aware that Luke was preparing to leave the bed. She could sense his concern that he had crossed a line.

But she did not feel ready to let him leave her side just yet, nor did she want him to suffer from a guilty conscience.

"Wait." Mara gently placed a hand on his shoulder as he sat up.

That movement, however, broke the spell as pain coursed through her then. Hissing between her teeth, Mara dropped the limb. Luke hovered over her again, his eyes showing his growing apprehension.

Mara gritted her teeth through the pain, willing her companion to stay. Almost as if he could read her mind, Luke settled down onto his arm.

"Mara…" he paused momentarily as if savoring the taste of her name on his tongue for the very first time. "I… I can help you in a different way. I admit I haven't had much practice, but I was taught some Force healing techniques. If you would like, I can put you in a healing trance."

Mara allowed her curiosity to show. Here was another way Luke was different from Palpatine and Vader: neither of the latter two could heal with the Force. Was it even possible?

Mara snorted inwardly. Her Master had always scoffed at the ways of the Jedi, and yet, there were things the Light Side of the Force could do that completely outshone the Dark Side.

Sniggering at the pun, Mara nodded slowly. "Alright."

His small, answering smile made Mara's heart flutter— another new sensation for her— and she swallowed nervously. But she pushed aside her silly notions, and instead focused on the instructions Luke was now giving her.

"Lie on your back, and I'll lie down beside you." His voice was different now: teacher-like, but still soothing. "That's good. Now, just relax and clear your mind."

Mara did as he asked, firmly shoving all thoughts and strange feelings to the back of her mind.

"Very good. Now, focus on your breathing, and close your eyes."

Mara didn't remember when it happened exactly, but the next thing she knew it was as if someone had carried her and then set her down carefully. In her mind's eye she saw a tree by a pond, and she saw herself resting against it.

With a soft smile, Mara gave herself over completely, trusting Luke to take care of her.

00000

Luke gazed upon Mara's serene face, enraptured by her beauty despite the bruises and other injuries. Her mind had been a whirl of emotion and thought that swirled quickly and seemingly at random. But now that her mind had stilled, so too did her body, and at long last she relaxed completely.

He too had felt something when is fingers had run through her silky locks, almost of their own accord. He had no idea where that action had been spurned, but he did not regret it.

Force, she is gorgeous! Luke marveled.

His throat caught, and he again lifted his hand, running his fingertips tenderly across her porcelain and lightly freckled face. His caress made its way down the curve of her cheek to end at her chin, where his thumb hovered over her full lips.

His own mouth twitched involuntarily, and Luke realized what he was doing then. Berating himself for losing focus, he settled beside her and worked on clearing his own mind so he could do his best work for Mara.

Mara… he smiled before falling into his trance. The name fit her like a glove to hand, and as soon as she'd said it, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was the woman from Jabba's palace.

There was definitely more to this woman than met the eye, but he would not pry the information from her.

With a small sigh, Luke pushed the last vestiges of those thoughts away, and set about to heal his new-found friend.