Chapter Twelve:

This time when she woke, there was a greater amount of disorientation. Her first thought was that she was back in that horrible room, even though part of her knew better. Then she tried to get her eyesight to clear so she could get her bearings.

Groggily, Mara shifted on the mattress, frowning at how cold she felt on the one side. She stretched tired muscles, yawning widely.

It was as she shifted in the cot that she realized something: all her aches and pains were gone. Completely.

Amazement coursed through her like sunshine, eradicating in its wake any traces of sleepiness from her body. She lifted her arms and gazed at the perfect skin upon them. Next she shifted her ankle, then her wrist, testing their usefulness.

They worked just fine. Mara lay back limply, blown out of the water at how this was possible.

After her elation settled Mara simply laid still, allowing herself the luxury of being healed. She had to admit that Luke had outdone himself…

Mara's gaze flitted to where the Jedi had lain, and saw that he was absent. A brush of her fingers to the cool sheets told her that he'd been gone some time now. Mara sat up carefully, trying to avoid any dizziness.

To her delight there was none, just sore muscles due to a lack of activity on her part. Mara placed her feet to the deck and cautiously stood up, taking it slow for the time being just in case. Once she had her strength back enough, she took a few experimental steps, half-expecting a twinge of discomfort from her ankle, but there was none.

Mara breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly ambled out of her cabin. She glanced left and right, decided to try left, and closed the door behind her as she made her way in that direction. She discovered that this path took her through a small lobby and to the cockpit.

But it was the form sitting cross-legged on the deck in the foyer that captured her attention.

There was Luke; back straight, head facing her with closed eyes. His breathing was slow and steady, with hands resting just so in his lap. Mara waited for his eyes to spring open, and his mouth to quirk up in his adoring little smile…

Stars, Mara… she told herself with a small amount of chagrin. You've known him how long and you're already falling for him?

With a semi-defeated sigh, Mara skirted the prone Jedi, wondering why he'd not reacted to her presence at all.

A soft beep greeted her as she entered the cockpit, and Mara gazed upon a blue and silver astromech droid.

"Hello there," Mara greeted him softly.

She remembered hearing Skywalker call out to someone as they'd made their escape… recalled a droid…

"It's Artoo, right?"

The droid bleeped an affirmative, rocking slightly forward.

Mara peered closer at his nameplate, and nodded. "Artoo Detoo. Well, thank you for the help earlier, Artoo."

Again Artoo whistled positively, and Mara allowed a soft smile to grace her lips.

"How long was I asleep, do you know?" Mara yawned slightly through her query.

A message scrolled onto a datapad rigged to the droid, and Mara watched as Artoo's answer scrolled by. Her eyes widened a trace.

"Six hours?" she whistled. "By the stars."

Looking at her body again, Mara could feel her opinion of Luke Skywalker rise several notches.

Amateur healer indeed! Mara mused. Look at me!

Her stomach chose that moment to rumble, and she fully expected the sound to reverberate from the walls of the ship in a mighty echo. But once again the man sitting on the deck a few paces away didn't so much as twitch.

"What is he doing, anyway?" Mara finally asked, her curiosity eating away at her.

Another beep, another scrolled translation: meditating.

"Meditation?" Mara nodded, understanding now why the Jedi remained unresponsive.

Her master and Vader had both meditated at times, and had likewise remained un-phased by things. But the need for sustenance was beginning to override her curiosity, and Mara glanced at the droid.

"How long do we have until we arrive… at wherever we're going?"

Another ten hours. Artoo answered.

"Okay, is there a galley on this ship?"

Artoo again rocked and unplugged from the console he was stationed at. With a whir of treads, he led the way aft. Mara followed, careful not to bump Luke as Artoo led her to the tiny galley.

Mara thanked him, and perused the kitchen and its selection of food. There wasn't a ton, but there was enough to make a simple meal. In fact, there was just enough for two persons. A thought occurred to her, and she smiled, setting about the galley with a newfound purpose.

Mara lost all sense of time, never noticing when Artoo made his leave. She prepared the food with the zeal of someone who'd not eaten in days, taste-testing her progress every now and again.

Her mouth watered with the tantalizing scent of the food. Once the meal was close to completion, Mara intentionally wafted some of the air from the galley into the other parts of the ship to get the Jedi's attention.

Finally she set the heating element to low so it would keep her dish warm, and then moved to the cabinets to get table settings. When she turned around, she jumped at the sight of Luke in the doorway, his bright eyes smiling.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

Mara lifted a brow. "Making dinner… or lunch, I don't really know what time it is anywhere, so pick a title."

Luke chuckled. "It smells delicious."

Mara's first twinge of doubt wormed its way into her confidence. "Don't praise my culinary expertise just yet. You haven't tasted anything."

The twinkle in his eyes lifted his lips in that smile she'd been unconsciously hoping to see again. To her surprise, her heart fluttered, and Mara had to force herself to remain cool and in control… all the while wondering what was wrong with her.

"Doesn't matter," Luke was saying when she tuned back in to the conversation. "It's the thought that counts."

Mara didn't know how to reply to that, so she remained quiet, standing awkwardly in the galley with her arms full of dishes. That is, until Luke's chivalrous side kicked into gear, and he stepped forward.

"Let me take those." He relieved Mara of her burden and set the table for them with a swiftness that floored her.

Most men she'd known couldn't— or wouldn't in the Imperial elites' case— set a dinner table, let alone properly, to save their lives. But here was a grown man, setting the table like he'd done it all his life.

Noticing her stare, Luke blushed a little. "My Aunt Beru had me set the table for supper each night when I was growing up."

There was no mistaking the wistful tone he used, and Mara felt compelled to ask.

"Where is she now?"

Luke met her gaze for a brief moment before looking down.

"She's passed on," he said simply.

Respecting his privacy, Mara changed the subject. "Well, if you're ready to eat, the food is ready to be eaten."

His lips quirked into a smirk, and they took their places at the small table. Mara ladled her creation into their bowls, and Luke eagerly dug in. Mara sat in stunned silence as he consumed his portion without so much as batting an eye.

Halfway through his stew, he glanced up. "This is amazing, Mara!"

She couldn't help the blush that colored her cheeks, and Mara at last tasted her own serving. Her eyes, half-lidded as they were, flew open at the delicious explosion of flavor upon her tongue.

That was the final straw; she threw all her formal training out the window and consumed her meal like a starved animal. When she looked up from her empty dish, Luke was watching her with an amused expression.

Slightly embarrassed, Mara swallowed her final bite, feeling it go down with more difficulty as those blue eyes gazed openly into her green.

"Well…" Mara wiped her mouth. "I never knew I had it in me to cook."

"Hey, you can cook for me any time," Luke remarked, placing another small spoonful of the stew into his bowl and eating it at a more leisurely pace.

Mara lifted a brow. "Oh I can, can I?"

He shrugged. "I promise not to judge."

She eyed him, gauging his curious appetite, and snickered softly. "Don't get your hopes up."

He winked at her, completed his bowl, and then pushed it away. "So, how do you feel?"

Grateful for a topic shift, Mara answered honestly. "Are you sure you've not had a lot of practice with healing? Because I feel like my injuries never happened."

He blushed, smiling sheepishly. "No, I haven't, but I wanted to make sure you got the best treatment I could manage."

Mara felt unfamiliar emotion tug at her, and she looked away. "Well… thank you."

A companionable silence descended, and eventually Luke rose to begin the clean-up, leaving Mara to her thoughts.

Descended into the depths of hell…

"Luke?" Her voice was whisper quiet, but nonetheless grabbed his utter and compete attention.

"Yes?"

"Why did you do it?"

He frowned. "Do what?"

"Go out of your way to rescue a complete stranger." Mara had to know what had driven him to come for her.

He took a long moment to answer; and after a time, Mara thought he wouldn't. But then he set his rag down, dried his hands, and settled back into his seat.

"I could say that it was the Force telling me to: and that would be true." He looked at his hands, clasped nervously before him on the tabletop. "But… I wanted to meet you. I… guess I felt a… connection to you. I know that probably makes little sense, but…"

Mara eyed him as he fumbled for words, sensing his earnestness, his deep desire to get to know her better. And most of all, she felt the truth of every word he spoke, timid as they were. Tentatively, Mara reached a hand out to place over his.

"It makes sense," she assured him gently. "I may not understand it, but I believe you. We… I don't know if you felt it, but… in Jabba's palace, when I first met you… I was blown away. I'd never felt anything like it before."

Luke's eye widened a trace. "Then you felt it too? The… link?"

"Yes." Mara swallowed. "I didn't know what to make of you then. I still don't…"

Luke turned his hands so that their palms were touching. "I would very much like to explore… this. Us, I mean." He added hastily.

Mara paused indecisively. "I… I don't know."

After eyeing her for a time, he nodded slowly, pursing his lips. "Where will you go once we arrive at Home One?"

Mara shrugged away, her hand feeling empty without the reassuring weight of his upon it.

"I don't know, Luke," she whispered. "I have nowhere to go. I… I have no money, no clothes, no ship: nothing. Everything I had… well, it wasn't even truly mine, but it's gone now."

Why was she being so open with this man? Was this what it felt like to love? And to be loved?

To be able to talk freely with someone and not feel stupid in doing so?

Was it because Mara inherently knew that the man before her would never shun her without a damn-good reason? Maybe not even then.

She sighed. "I have no place to go, Luke. I don't even know where to begin."

Luke looked thoughtful. "You could stay with the Alliance. We could always use new hands about the fleet."

Mara eyed him, and decided to test the waters a little. "Just with the Alliance?"

His blush was very telling. "Ah… well, I'd… um, be there too."

She had to bite her lip to keep from smiling at his bashful behavior. It was growing ever clearer to Mara that Luke Skywalker was likely beginning to develop feelings for her as well.

Abruptly Mara frowned, recognizing the terrifying turn of her thoughts. A man… liked her? Was possibly falling in love… with… her? It was entirely foreign, and… and she couldn't handle it at that moment.

Standing with a suddenness that startled her companion, Mara steamrolled back to her room, locking the door behind her. As she expected, a timid knock sounded a few minutes later.

"Mara?" Luke called gingerly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Her shaky voice told another story, and Mara felt his concern through the Force. "Please, I… I need to be alone Luke."

"Okay." His confusion and self-doubt wafted through the Force, and Mara wanted nothing more than to thrust herself at him and assure him it wasn't his fault.

But this odd behavior had her concerned even more, and Mara buried her head in her arms.

What in space is wrong with me?