by Angela Jade

Rated - NC-17 for adult sex stuff - don't read it if it's not your cup of elba.

e-mail - [email protected] - constructive criticism and happy thoughts greatly appreciated. Flames laughed at.

Archive - anywhere, as long as it’s got this spiel at the top.

Completed - October 2001

Disclaimer - it all belongs to Lucas. I am not making any money from this.

HUGE THANK YOU to 'The Girls' for beta-ing.

Setting - approximately one year after Zahn's "Visions of the Future".
 
 
 
 

“What are you thinking about?”

Even though the question caught Luke by surprise, his recovery was instantaneous, almost reflexive.  He jerked his attention away from the Coruscant sunset that glowed through the ballroom windows and focused on his wife, her green eyes filling his vision.  “I was just reminding myself of how lucky I am, my love,” he whispered, pulling Mara closer as they swayed in time to the delicate music that drifted from hidden speakers above the dance floor.

“Yeah.  And I’m the next Hapan Queen.”  She smiled and her left hand tightened around his shoulder.  “What were you really thinking about?”

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.  “Can you hear it, Mara?”

Her eyes locked with his, her consciousness slipping into that one place they could truly be together, could be as one.  The bond they shared strengthened, filling them with a special kind of warmth, and making the fact that they inhabited two separate physical bodies irrelevant.  Their breathing became simultaneous, their hearts beat an identical rhythm.

Mara blinked, almost breaking the spell.  “Hear what?”  She selectively filtered out some of the surrounding conversations.  “I can hear your sister laughing with Bel Iblis.  And Han is fending off that Kuati diplomat again.”

“No, not that,” replied Luke with a smile, leading her in a tight circle around the center of the dance floor.

Lips pursed, Mara tried again.  “Chewie seems to have found a Selonian that can understand Wookiee.  I have no idea what they’re talking about, though.”

Luke’s hand slid slightly further around her waist and his hip touched hers.  “Nope, that’s not it either.”

“Do you mean the music?  Threepio harassing Fey’lya?”  She grinned.  “Or is it Rogue Squadron singing vulgar songs at the bar?”

A laugh shook his shoulders and he raised an eyebrow at her.  “Now, Mara, you know they won’t start singing until much later in the evening.  Leia would have their heads if they spoiled her diplomatic function.”

The music changed to a faster tempo but Luke and Mara continued their slow dance, ignoring the crowd of gyrating guests that joined them on the dance floor.  Mara’s dark blue gown swirled around Luke’s legs as he pulled her a little closer.

“I give in, Luke.  What can you hear?”

He kissed her hair and nuzzled her cheek, his lips millimeters from her ear.  “Nothing.  No trouble.  No arguments.  No one wanting our attention.”  He pulled back a little, meeting her gaze once more.  “I hear the sound of peace.  And I like it.”

“Skywalker the soft-hearted,” Mara whispered.  “Whatever happened to the impulsive, adventure-seeking young Jedi I once knew?”

“Same thing that happened to the temperamental, argumentative ex-Emperor’s Hand I used to know.  They grew up.”

“I’ve missed you, Luke.”  Her eyes never left his, yet their color seemed to deepen.

He swallowed and let out a shaky breath.  “And I’ve missed you, Mar, more than I ever thought I would.”

“Mirax is a good friend, and we’re learning a lot from each other, but...”  She broke off, composing her thoughts with a sigh.  “Luke, we’ve been married for nearly a year and I’ve hardly seen you.  I... I can’t go on like this.”

He drew her to him, pressing their bodies together and losing himself in the scent of her hair.  “We knew it would be like this, Mara, at least for a while.  Mirax needs you and my students need me.  And the galaxy needs time to get used to the idea that we’re married, without us appearing on the news every five minutes.”

The black silk of his jacket felt soft and smooth as her hand drifted over his shoulder blade.  “The galaxy can go take a running jump,” she growled.  “And Mirax needs me about as much as a Corellian needs charm lessons.  She only claims she needs me so I won’t feel like a liability.”

“So come back with me to Yavin, then,” urged Luke, squeezing her gently.

“Will you start spouting Jedi philosophy at me if I do?”

“I might,” replied Luke with a shrug.

“And you’ll want to continue my training.”

“Of course.”

Mara grinned.  “We’ll argue.  You know that, don’t you.”

Bringing their faces level, he touched her nose with his.  “I’ll look forward to it.”  His lips brushed a gentle kiss over her mouth.  “Come back with me, Mar.  Just until I can get the Academy organized for Kam and Tionne to take over.  Then we can figure out the future...”

She stopped him with a passionate kiss, her lips slightly apart, promising more.  They separated, breathless and barely aware of the multitude of bodies surrounding them.

“I know what I want to happen in the immediate future,” Mara whispered, her dress rustling as she pressed against him.  “Do you think your sister would notice if we left?”

“Leia?  Of course she’d notice.”  Luke’s breath caught in his throat as his wife swayed, brushing her hips firmly against his.  “Mara, we can’t.  She’ll kill me.”

“We could always come back.  Just slip away for half an hour or so...”

“And where would we go?  It would take us that long just to get back to the apartment.”  He struggled to keep his eyes on her face and not the cleavage pressed against his chest.

“Oh, come on, Skywalker!  Where’s your sense of adventure?  I’m sure we can find somewhere for a little privacy.”  She inhaled deeply, forcing her breasts to strain against the figure-hugging bodice of her dress.  “You know you want to...”

His gaze dropped, settling on the smooth, pale flesh that seemed to offer itself up for his inspection.  He realized his mouth was watering.  “Mar, don’t do this.”

“Why not?”  Slowly, she ground her hips into him, purring when she felt his arousal against her belly.  Her fingers twisted in the hair at the back of his neck as she pulled him down for a kiss, her tongue invading his mouth hungrily.  “Please, Luke,” she whispered against his lips.  “No one’s watching; Leia won’t even know we’ve gone.”

His willpower vanished faster than an Ewok at an Imperial cook-out.  “Let’s go,” he mumbled, swallowing hard.

Mara’s only reply was a triumphant grin, before she grabbed his hand and led him through the crowded dance floor towards one of the smaller exits.

Seven locked offices, two storage cupboards full of cleaning equipment, and an occupied refresher later, and Mara’s temper was growing short.  “There must be somewhere, Luke,” she hissed, dragging him to the next door.  “What’s this?”

“Information station,” replied Luke, “complete with surveillance cameras.”

Mara swore colorfully and pulled him towards another door.  “What about this?”  She peered at the tiny inscription carved above the entrance.  “Library.  Hmm.  Cameras?”

“None,” whispered Luke, a feral grin creeping across his face.

The door hissed open at Mara’s touch, revealing a dark room beyond.  “It’s open.”  Her bottom lip caught between her teeth, she raised an eyebrow suggestively and backed slowly into the shadows.

After a quick glance to check they weren’t being watched, Luke followed her.

He was met only with silence.  “Mar, where are you?”

A stifled snort of laughter and the rustle of her dress.

Closing his eyes, he reached for her presence, following her to the farthest corner of the room.  The distinctive smell of datacards and printed books filled his nostrils, and he resisted the urge to open his eyes and read a few titles.  All that knowledge, all those stories...  He ruthlessly shoved his instinctive reaction to the back of his mind.  He wasn’t there to read.

Suddenly an arm reached out and grabbed him, yanking him behind a massive bookshelf overflowing with datacards.  Luke held his breath as his wife’s arms wound around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

Their embrace seemed to last forever in the silent darkness, their mouths performing an age-old dance both familiar and yet longed for.  Short, quick kisses gave way to a deep intensity that left them gasping for oxygen and something more...

“I want you,” growled Mara, her hands fumbling with his jacket as he left a trail of wet kisses down her neck and across her collar bone.  “Now.”

As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, Luke shrugged his shoulders out of the jacket and tossed it to one side before resuming his onslaught on her bare flesh.  A whisper of delight escaped his lips as he discovered the dress’s hidden fastening and it quickly gave way to his deft fingers.  His gasp of pleasure echoed round the room when the dress pooled at her feet, revealing...  “No underwear?!”

Wearing nothing but a sultry expression, Mara stepped out of her outfit and back into his arms.  “I’m surprised you didn’t notice earlier, when I ... oh!”  His mouth had latched onto an over-sensitive nipple as his hands roamed down her back; Mara threw back her head and allowed her body’s delightful response to ripple through her.

“It’s been too long,” he whispered as his shifted his attention to her other breast.  Thoughts of love and lust washed over him, traveling straight from her brain to his and back again ? he detected her immediate objective fractionally before her arms moved, and gently grabbed her wrists.  “Don’t tear the shirt, Mara.  We have to go back, remember?”

“Sorry,” she replied, her voice low, “I guess I forgot.”  Her nimble fingers made quick work of the row of tiny fastenings down one side of his shirt; an angry curse escaped her clenched teeth when she discovered an identical set underneath.  “Who chose this stupid shirt?”

“You did.”

“I did?”  She paused, glaring at him in the near-darkness.  “Never wear it in my presence again.”

The last connection gave way and Mara slipped the shirt off his shoulders and arms with exaggerated care and dropped it on top of her dress.  “There.  Leia will never know.”  As she turned back to him, he glanced up from undoing his belt; a lock of hair fell across his eyes and he smiled at her, his muscles shifting slightly as he worked the buckle.  Her breath caught in her throat, captivated by the sensuous beauty before her.

The rest of his clothes quickly joined the shirt and he took a step towards her, grinning when he saw her gaze drifting up and down his body.  “Do I pass inspection, Jade?”

Her eyes met his as she sank to the floor and leaned back on her arms.  “Not sure.  I’d have to have a closer look.”

Instantly, he was on all fours above her, his arms either side of her shoulders.  Chest heaving, his breath whispered across her lips as he gazed into her eyes.  “I love you.  Don’t leave me.”

“Never.”  She closed the few centimeters between them and pressed her lips to his, her tongue quickly probing for entry, savoring his taste.  His moan reverberated through her body as he slipped one arm beneath her, easing her to the floor.

Luke lowered his head to the smooth skin of her breasts once more, his hand slipping between her legs, caressing and arousing.  It had been so long - weeks, months - since he’d held her in his arms, made love to her, heard her cries of passion.  More than once he’d woken alone in a sweat, calling her name, convinced she’d never return to him.  Holocalls, messages, the occasional Force-touch when she was close enough - none were a substitute for lying in her arms, reaffirming their love.

She sank her teeth into his shoulder, sucking and then kissing the resulting bite mark.  “Now, Luke.  I need you now.”

As he shifted his weight between her thighs, he gazed in wonder at the passion in her eyes, a look that set his nerve endings aflame.  His eyes never left hers as he buried himself deep inside her, his control slipping with every second.  Steadily, he began to thrust, capturing her lips with his own in a lustful kiss.

Arching up against him, Mara moaned her delight, finally achieving the gratification she hadn’t realized she’d been craving.  Although she had been aware of her increasing desire throughout the evening, the sudden intensity of her emotions still shocked her.  The galaxy shrank to the nonexistent gap between herself and her lover as her body sought completion.  Her hips moved in a frantic counterpoint to his, urging him on, faster, harder...

Even with his eyes closed, Luke could ‘see’ her beauty, her intelligence, the compassion she tried to hide under a veneer of self-confidence.  He loved her - mind, body and soul - and would love her until the day he died.  A tidal wave of emotion crashed over him as he gave one last push and spilled into her, clutching her tightly as she shuddered beneath him.

Euphoria eased into peaceful contentment as Mara opened her eyes and pulled him in for sultry kiss.  “I needed that.”

“Me, too.”

Hugging him firmly, she reveled in the closeness of both their mental bond and their physical bodies, a closeness she felt she would never understand or take for granted.  “I love you, Skywalker.”  She couldn’t quite make out the reply he mumbled into her neck, but the surge of love that washed over her mind left her in no doubt that her feelings were reciprocated.

Finally, he looked up.  “Guess we’d better get back before Leia misses us.”

“Refresher first,” said Mara, “I need to make myself presentable.”

His eyes raked up and down her body as he stood up.  “But you look so beautiful ? flushed and sweaty and tangled...”  Laughing at the disbelieving look she shot him, he helped her to her feet and watched her climb shakily back into her gown.

“Are you planning on getting dressed any time soon?” asked Mara with a grin.  “Or would you rather just stand around here all night?”

Luke smiled, his gaze sweeping over the datacards on the nearest shelf.  “I don’t know, maybe I could just stay here and read.  There’s some pretty interesting stuff here...”  He fell silent when his shirt landed on his head.

“Get dressed, Jedi.”

“There you are, Luke.  I’ve been looking for you everywhere.  Where have you been?”

Grinning self-consciously, Luke allowed his sister to lead him by the arm through the crowded room.  “Mara and I just went for a little walk, that’s all.  We had a few things to discuss...”

“Oh, I forgot!” exclaimed Leia, stopping in her tracks.  “You’ve been apart for so long, and you only landed an hour ago...”  She turned to face him and gripped his forearms tightly.  “I’m really sorry, Luke.  I shouldn’t have asked you and Mara to come tonight.  You should be spending time together alone, not at some stuffy reception.”

“It’s all right, Leia,” he replied.  “I’m the one that got delayed - if I’d been on time we could have spent all afternoon together.”

Smiling warmly, Leia nudged her brother’s chest with one finger.  “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to leave now?” she whispered with a wink.  “I could explain your absence; no one would mind.”

“No - we’ve had our... umm ... discussion.  I’m sure we can last until later.”

“Really?”  Leia looked impressed.  “The famous Jedi control strikes again.  Whenever Han and I were reunited, we could hardly keep our hands off each other.”