By Angela Jade - [email protected] - constructive criticism and happy thoughts gratefully received ... please don’t flame me!
Set during ‘Vision of the Future’ by Timothy Zahn
Main characters - Luke and Mara, some Leia and Han.
Rated - NC17 - smut alert!
Disclaimer - all these characters belong to Mr. Lucas and Mr. Zahn (I love you guys!). I write about them as a form of flattery - please don’t sue. I’m making no money from this.
Summary - this fanfic follows directly from Chapter 1, and is still set during ‘Vision’. Luke and Mara break the news of their engagement to Leia and Han. :)
Written August 1999
Chapter 2 - Coruscant
Mara followed Luke down the ladder from the ship and watched as he hugged his sister and swung her round. ‘I was so worried about you,’ said Leia.
‘I know,’ replied Luke. ‘I was worried about you too, after I spoke to Winter. What happened at Bothawui?’
‘Let’s go to my apartment,’ said Leia. ‘We can talk there.’ She smiled at Mara. ‘You’re welcome to join us.’
Mara nodded, wishing she hadn’t agreed to be present when Luke told Leia and Han of their impending nuptials. She’d forgotten how close Luke and his sister were.
//It’ll be alright// came Luke’s thought in her mind. ‘Where’s Han?’ he asked Leia out loud.
‘He’s at the apartment, pacing the floor and watching the kids,’ she
replied.
Mara took the drink Han handed her. Correlian brandy. She was going to need it. They had stopped off at President Gavriscom’s office and plugged Artoo into his computer terminal. At this very moment Ghent and his slicers were checking Thrawn’s version of the Caamas Document. So far, so good. Now they just had to break the news to Leia that her brother was going to marry the Emperor’s Hand. Mara had faced many missions in her time, but this was the scariest.
Slowly, she slipped back towards the wall, as Leia and Han listened to Luke’s rough outline of all that had happened on Nirauan.
‘You’re not giving us much detail,’ said Leia. ‘Where is this place? Are the natives friendly?’
‘Let’s just leave them alone for now,’ said Luke. ‘You’ve got the Caamas Document; isn’t that enough to be getting on with?’ He stood up and moved over towards Mara. She looked at the floor and swallowed hard. Here it comes, she thought.
‘One more thing,’ said Luke, reaching for her hand. ‘Mara and I are getting married.’
At some point during the stunned silence that followed, Mara looked up. Leia was standing with her hands clenched and her mouth open. Han just sat with the most enormous grin on his face. ‘I knew it!’ he said. ‘Karrde suspected it, but I knew it! I should have made it a proper bet.’
Mara knew he was trying to cover up for Leia’s shock, and silently thanked him for his efforts. She didn’t think they were going to work, though. She met Leia’s eyes and watched as her hands slowly unclenched and her mouth closed with as much dignity as she could muster. Her voice was steady. ‘Is this not a bit sudden?’
‘Nope,’ said Luke, smiling. ‘And it’s not up for debate.’
Han had joined them by this point. ‘Congratulations!’ He thumped Luke on the back and shook his hand until Luke lost the feeling in his fingers. ‘Can I go wake up the kids and tell them?’ Han asked Leia.
‘Let’s just wait and tell them in the morning,’ she replied, ‘or we’ll never get them back to sleep.’
‘Good point. Well, I think this calls for another drink.’ He headed towards the kitchen.
‘I’ll help,’ said Mara, following him. She needed to get out of there.
When the door closed, Luke walked over and took Leia’s hands in his. ‘I think I’ve been waiting ten years for this,’ he said. ‘I just didn’t know it.’
Leia’s dark brown eyes met his. ‘Are you happy?’
Luke smiled. ‘Very happy. I love her, Leia. And she loves me.’ His face grew serious. ‘An awful lot happened on Nirauan; maybe I’ll be able tell you more some day. She sacrificed the ‘Jade’s Fire’ for peace and she almost sacrificed herself for me. She’s a Jedi now.’ He paused. ‘We’ve got the most incredible Force bond, Leia. I’ve never felt anything like it.’
‘So this is a Force thing,’ said Leia with a smile.
‘I guess you could say that.’
‘Then who am I to stand in the way of the Force. You both have my blessing.’ She pulled him into a tight hug. ‘I don’t think I’ve seen you this happy in a long time.’
//Everything OK?// came Mara’s voice in his head.
//Absolutely perfect//
An hour and two more brandies later, Luke and Mara made their excuses and left. Han was still grinning like an idiot and even Leia was smiling as she waved and closed the door.
‘I can’t believe it,’ said Han as he flopped onto a sofa. ‘The kid’s finally getting hitched. Took him long enough.’
Leia sat beside him and snuggled in as he put his arm around her. ‘So when did you first think there might be something between them?’ she asked.
‘Correlia, I suppose. There’s always been sparks flying between them. Couldn’t you see it?’
‘Sparks? All I saw were the flames and explosions. I suppose they’ve both calmed down a bit now. Luke says she’s a Jedi.’
Han rolled his eyes. ‘Great, another one.’ He grinned. ‘She’s a smuggler, too. We could always use another scoundrel in the family.’
Leia punched him playfully. ‘She’s giving all that up. We’re respectable in this family.’
‘I’m not.’ He leaned down and kissed his wife. ‘Let’s go to bed. The kids are going to be up in a few hours, and we still haven’t heard the whole tale of what happened on Kashyyyk. Then we’re going to have to figure out how to announce Luke’s little surprise to the galaxy.’
Leia frowned. ‘Do you think anyone will be bothered about who he marries?’
‘Darth Vader’s son marries the ex-Emperor’s Hand. And we haven’t even signed the peace treaty yet. Yes, I think a few beings might be a tad concerned.’
Leia sighed. ‘You’re right. Let’s just go to bed and worry about it
in the morning.’
Luke and Mara had reached the door to his apartment. As he placed his palm on the sensor for identification, he pulled her in for a kiss. ‘Are you tired?’
‘Not really,’ she replied. ‘What exactly do you have in mind?’
The door slid open. ‘Well, I’m going for a shower,’ he said, as he pulled her inside. ‘Care to join me?’
The dim lights came on as the door quietly closed. ‘Lead on,’ said Mara. Luke pulled her into his arms and they kissed. //Last one in’s a nerf//
They both giggled as they undid each other’s belts and clothing. Luke succeeded first and slid his hands under Mara’s jumpsuit, caressing her back. He eased it off her shoulders and down her arms, the material catching slightly on her blaster. She reached to undo the holster. ‘No,’ said Luke. ‘Let me.’ He gently undid the catches and slid it off her arm, dropping it on the sofa behind him. Then he kissed the inside of her wrist before trailing kisses up her arm to her neck. She put her hands on his chest; a hard shove made him sit on the sofa.
‘Boots,’ she said. ‘Off. Now.’
‘Mine or yours?’
Mara smiled. ‘Yours first. Then you can do mine.’
Luke undid the catches on his boots and pulled them off, Mara watching him with her hands on her hips. He knelt at her feet and started to remove her boots. She balanced perfectly on one leg, then the other, as he took her boots off, then gasped as he reached up and stripped off the rest of her jumpsuit. He kissed her navel then stood up and took off his own jumpsuit. They stepped out of their underwear, then Luke scooped her up in his arms. ‘Shower’s this way.’
Once under the warm running water, he pulled her into another embrace, kissing her deeply. A bottle of cleaning solution was fixed to the wall and Luke squeezed some into his hands before gently turning Mara around and washing her hair. ‘Has anyone ever told you you’ve got gorgeous hair,’ he whispered in her ear.
‘Not unless they wanted to lose a limb.’
‘I hope that doesn’t include me.’ He kissed and nibbled her neck, then spluttered as some of the solution found its way into his mouth.
‘You’re not supposed to eat it,’ Mara laughed. She stood under the water and rinsed her hair, closing her eyes and letting the water cascade over her face. Sponging each other down on the ship had been kind of fun, but the first shower in over a week felt great. She let out a sigh as she felt Luke’s soapy hands caress her back and massage her shoulders. She squeezed some solution into her own hands, turned and reached up to wash his hair, but didn’t get very far before he leaned in to kiss her. More solution. She washed his chest, then his stomach, her hands creeping lower.
Then Luke was washing her, teasing her nipples into rosy peaks before continuing down to her belly. He slid one finger inside her - she was hot and very wet. He lifted her and gently lowered her onto himself. She hooked her legs around him, burying her face in his neck and moaning slightly. His moans joined hers as he pinned her to the wall, moving slowly in and out. The water cascaded over them as Mara caressed his face, then kissed him passionately. Her kisses trailed down his neck and her teeth nipped at his shoulder as his pace quickened. He could feel her shuddering as she reached her climax. She buried her face in his neck once more, clinging tightly to him as waves of ecstasy engulfed them both.
He lowered her to the floor, hugging her tightly and kissing her until she thought she might suffocate.
‘Jade, you are one hell of a woman.’
‘You’re not so bad yourself, Skywalker.’ She grinned. ‘I’m going to have to wash all over again now.’
‘I’ll do it, if you like.’
‘Oh, I do like,’ replied Mara. ‘But I think I’ll do it this time. I’m feeling tired now, and I don’t want to be here all night.’
//You’re no fun//
Luke woke suddenly and realised the bed was missing an occupant. He smiled at his memories of last night’s shower and of curling up behind Mara as they both slept. //Where are you, my sweet?//
Mara’s head appeared round the bedroom door. ‘Wakey, wakey, time to rise and shine. Your sister called ten minutes ago. The Solos will descend in about half an hour.’
Luke groaned. ‘Oh, boy.’ He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, looking for his robe. It was nowhere to be found.
Mara reappeared in the doorway. ‘Looking for this?’
‘It looks much better on you.’
She twirled around. ‘It’s a bit long.’ He smiled as she took it off and threw it towards him. ‘And cut out those thoughts, farmboy. I’m getting dressed.’
Luke pulled on the robe and wandered off to the fresher. When he got back Mara was already dressed in a fresh jumpsuit. He watched as she put her forearm holster and blaster on a high shelf.
‘I thought you never left that thing off.’
‘I never used to. I guess I’m getting more relaxed in my old age.’ She picked up their lightsabers and placed them on the shelf, side by side. ‘Just thought I’d put the weapons out of the way of the kids.’
‘They’re Force-strong, Mara. A high shelf isn’t much of an obstacle.’
Mara frowned. ‘I hadn’t thought of that. Gods, but your sister must have her hands full.’
‘They’ve been brought up with blasters and lightsabers. They know not to touch.’
Mara shrugged. ‘Toast’s on. Is that milk supposed to be blue?’
Luke laughed. ‘Yes. It’s an acquired taste. Reminds me of home.’ He moved behind her and put his arms round her waist. She had put her hair into a simple braid so there was lots of neck for him to kiss.
She sighed. ‘Come on, Luke. Let’s eat before the invasion starts.’
Luke had just finished his last piece of toast and was helping Mara clear away, when the door buzzed. He left her in the kitchen and opened the door.
‘Uncle Luke, Uncle Luke!’ Jaina threw her arms round his neck and Anakin attached himself to Luke’s right leg. Jacen seemed to hang back a bit, then he too joined in the group hug.
‘It’s nice to see you guys, too,’ said Luke. ‘Although you are all getting a bit big for this. And heavy.’
‘Are you really going to marry Mara?’ asked Jaina.
Luke laughed. ‘Yes. Is that OK?’
‘Oh, yes!’ said Jaina.
‘I want cousins,’ said Anakin. ‘I don’t want to be the youngest any more.’
Luke smiled self-consciously and tried to think of a response. He let out a sigh of relief as Leia and Han arrived. ‘Not disturbing anything, I hope,’ leered Han, his eyes roving around the apartment.
‘You’ve just missed breakfast,’ replied Luke, starting to untangle the children.
‘Not that awful blue milk,’ said Han. ‘Yuk!’ He sprawled on a sofa, his arms stretched along the back. The children took this as their cue to leap on him; he tickled them back.
Leia took Luke’s arm and led him over to the window. ‘The Caamas Document was intact,’ she said. ‘I just got confirmation from Ghent this morning. The named Bothans will be arrested today and Gavrisom’s already setting up the trial. There’s going to be a media conference this afternoon. Don’t suppose you want to tell me exactly how you came across the document, do you?’
‘Not yet, Leia. It’s a delicate situation. Mara and I would just like to think about it for a bit.’
Leia sighed. ‘Your call, I suppose.’ She linked her arm through his. ‘We’re going to have real peace, Luke.’
He smiled. ‘The Empire’s really going to sign the accords?’
‘In four days. On the Chimaera. It’s all been set up.’
‘I take it my presence is required.’
She nodded. ‘Head of the Jedi academy and all that. Mara should come too.’
‘If she’s still here. Karrde’s coming over this afternoon. We have to break the news to him that he’s about to lose her. I’m sure he’ll try to talk her into racing off and training a replacement.’
The noise level from the sofa had reached deafening pitch and Leia went over to intervene. Luke saw Mara standing in the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed, a smile on her face as she watched the kids terrorise their father. Did she want children? He hoped so. Gods, they hadn’t even really discussed the wedding yet, let alone babies.
He realised Mara had turned slightly and was now smiling at him. //Is it always this noisy?// she asked.
//Sometimes it’s worse//
She moved to join him at the window. ‘I think I’m going to enjoy being an aunt.’