Author Topic: On the Couch - {post-Dark Empire, Luke & a psychiatrist.} Nearly a Year Later -- 7/7/06
vader_incarnate  1380 posts
Registered: Jul '02
7398_Darth Vader
Date Posted: 5/15/05 11:20pm Subject: On the Couch - {post-Dark Empire, Luke & a psychiatrist.} Nearly a Year Later -- 7/7/06 - Date Edited: 7/7/06 6:53pm (9 edits total) Edited By: vader_incarnate
Title: "On the Couch"
Author(s): vader_incarnate
Timeframe: post-Dark Empire
Characters: Luke, OC
Genre: humor, angst
Keywords: psychiatrist, sweaty Luke challenge
Summary: Luke gets some ... "help" dealing with the aftermath of Byss. The professional kind of help.
Notes: Is my muse subconsciously telling me to go to a shrink? Maybe. Three or four posts max. wink

Sweaty Luke Challenge entry. I can't write action scenes to save my life, so I started looking for ways out of it. wink Let's see ... what makes Luke sweat? Can't write sex, for obvious reasons ( tongue ), so ... hey, is there anything that scares Luke Skywalker? Hmmmm ...

And that somehow led here. happy Not!dark. Be happy, dammit. tongue




I started preparing for his arrival twenty minutes before his appointment was scheduled to start. Ridiculous, I know, especially for someone like me -- graduated top honors from Alderaan's best known university and all that -- but there's just something about the prospect of meeting Luke Skywalker that makes every warm-blooded woman want to swoon. I reserve the right to act like a complete idiot every once in a while.

Of course, as I told myself as I touched up my make-up, it was all about being professional. A brighter shade of lipstick. Dab a touch of lavender between my breasts. Turn my head upside-down and quickly finger-comb my shoulder-length blonde hair. Take another look into the mirror and decide that, hey, I look pretty good. Not as good as some of the starlets gracing Coruscant's latest holos, perhaps, but pretty damned good for a thirty-something psychiatrist about to see the Hero of Yavin regarding his recent dabbling in the Sith arts.

Not that all this was his idea, of course. It started as some political nonsense in the Provisional Council with a Bothan-who-shall-not-be-named. The galaxy depended on Luke Skywalker, but were we really about sure how far we could trust him, given how close he had come to taking his father's path? No subterfuge in the request this time, just an outright public request for a psychological profile.

And how would it have looked if Skywalker had refused? Whatever else they were, politicians, especially nameless Bothans in the Provisional Council, were never fools. But, bureaucratic nonsense or not, the fact that the request originated from political maneuvering did little to change the fact that much of the New Republic was concerned about the mental stability of one of the most powerful individuals in the galaxy.

Luke was a sweetheart, but dumb as a post when it came to political maneuvering, so it was Leia who stepped in to lay down the rules. Findings to remain classified. No fodder for the tabloid gossip section. One session, no pressure to continue. And it was Leia who requested me.

I agreed, of course. How could I have refused? But, civic duty aside, I think I would have agreed without compensation, no questions asked, purely because -- hells, Luke Skywalker.

On my couch.

I may never need to wash the leather again.




The reception room was empty as I walked through to check for my patient. Not a surprise for a weekday afternoon, but also to keep this relatively unnoticed. The last thing anyone wanted to see was the Galactic Gossip with the headline "Son of Vader Seeks Psychiatric Help," and though I trusted my staff, there was no point in shoving temptation into their faces. I owed it to everyone to keep this as quiet as possible. Professional.

It was only a few seconds before the appointment was scheduled to begin, and sure enough I could hear the low murmur of voices outside the door.

"Han," a voice whispered urgently. My libido nearly exploded right there -- it had taken me a few days to get used to the fact that Luke Skywalker was coming into my office, but Luke Skywalker and Han Solo too? Grrrrowl. "You aren't seriously going to leave -- "

A deep, masculine laugh. "You'll be fine, Kid," he chuckled, and I made a note of that. Kid. It felt right. "Don't worry about it."

A sigh, and then the door opened. I glanced at the clock and, sure enough, he was right on time. Damn military precision. He was dressed all in black, an outfit I had dubbed "Jedi casual": black pants and boots, a black tunic, and the omnipresent lightsaber hanging at his belt. It was probably a good thing that he'd eschewed his recently acquired fondness for black leather.

I offered a hand, placing a carefully professional smile on my face and determinedly ignoring the mating insects in my stomach. "Dr. Veskasa Orion," I introduced myself. "I'll be putting together your psychological profile." And discreetly ogling you as you lay prone on my couch, of course.

He smiled hesitantly. Farmboy smile. "Luke Skywalker," he replied. His hand, when he shook mine, was a little clammy, but his grip was strong and sure. Calloused hands, I noted, used to a day's work of tending vaporizers or vanquishing Sith lords. "Um ... my sister recommended you."

I smiled. "She was one of my clients after Alderaan," I told him, and that seemed to explain everything.

His eyes widened, and I saw a measure of respect deep in his pale blue eyes. "Oh," he said, and it was enough.

I waved towards my office. "Shall we?"




Sorry it's so short. wink Things get more interesting as the story progresses; next post up ... sometime this week?

-- Elli

 

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La sang et le vin ont la meme couleur.
I think, therefore I am. I dream, therefore I become. rose
Zelré, Handmaiden of the Crest
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DarthIshtar  47128 posts
Title: Former CR
Registered: Mar '01
44374_Fan Films - Pink Five
Date Posted: 5/16/05 1:17am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
LOL, yeah, I like the premise of this, think it's cute how Luke's kinda scared about this, but I especially like the shrink and "I may never wash the leather again."

 

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"I feel like a more down-to-earth Pink 5 when I'm writing Leah. Same attitude, less lip gloss." ~Me on how to get in the right mindset for Twilight fanfic.
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Gabri_Jade  5090 posts
Title: Fan Fiction Archive Editor Emeritus
Registered: Nov '02
23035_Mara Jade
Date Posted: 5/16/05 1:40am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
laugh laugh laugh Oh, Elli, Elli, Elli. tongue Only you, my darling. tongue At least the sparkly-winged bunnies are suggesting not!dark premises these days. grin I'll be back to see how the session goes, to be sure. tongue hugs

 

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Evil Twin of LadyPadme devil
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LadyPadme  5235 posts
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered: Sep '02
48533_Padme (602091)
Date Posted: 5/16/05 4:21am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?} - Date Edited: 5/16/05 4:22am (1 edits total) Edited By: LadyPadme

Good heavens! I anticipate much by way of a healthy dose of drama...and coming from you, good whacky fun! happy

 

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angel_gidget  216 posts
Registered: Apr '04
6527_Tomcat
Date Posted: 5/16/05 4:36am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
"I'll be putting together your psychological profile." And discreetly ogling you as you lay prone on my couch, of course.


Love it! Please continue this soon!

 

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Agent_Jaid  5017 posts
Registered: Feb '03
6346_Yuuzhan Vong Seal
Date Posted: 5/16/05 7:45am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
*dies laughing and can't think of anything else to say*

shock *re-reads it*

Wait... SHE ALMOST HAD HAN TOO!?!?!? AAAAAAAAAAWWW!!! *drools*

Meh! I love! MWAHAHA!!!... .er.... grin Wonderful start Goddess?


blush *slinks away quietly*


 

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ThePariah  2182 posts
Registered: Jan '03
40064_Luke Skywalker
Date Posted: 5/16/05 8:10am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
*is at school, where laughing obnoxiously out loud isn't a good idea*

plain













Oh, shavit.



WAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh


*sends cyber-dark-chocolate-fudge-brownies and flying-tackle-glomps* hugs kiss

I swear that shrink sounds a heck of a lot like you. mischief

 

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Eternal Groveler to rhonderoo, VaderLVR64, Knight_Aragorn, Oba, & the SJRS crew
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"I suspect that most if not all the world's ills could be cured by humour transplants."--Karen Traviss
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Lt_Jaina_Solo  9263 posts
Registered: May '02
24167_Padme
Date Posted: 5/16/05 12:54pm Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
This is fantastic! I love the psychiatrist, and the characterization of Luke is spot on. laugh laugh Great job!

I'll be looking forward to more angel wink

Ire rose

 

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Handmaiden Irelynné, Handmaiden of the Crest
All links to stories in bio!
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StarFighter5  1129 posts
Registered: Jul '03
24124_Indiana Jones
Date Posted: 5/16/05 3:05pm Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
It's Monday, so I sooooo neeeded this. It's interesting to think about Luke giving away this personal information to anyone, but it seems that Leia trusted her enough to talk to her about the aftermath of Alderaan. I like how the therapist is unsttled by this to, that she's not some old unaffected person we seem to think of when we think of a shrink. I wonder exactly what the topics of discussion might be.

 

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RebelMom  10431 posts
Title: TFF Secretary
Registered: Apr '00
19073_Luke and Mara Family
Date Posted: 5/16/05 5:09pm Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
Oh, this is great. laugh I can't wait for more.

 

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Short Story: Pressure Point http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/26961243/p1/?7
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Knight_Aragorn  1431 posts
Registered: Jun '03
40188_Sith
Date Posted: 5/16/05 5:45pm Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
Oooh, very interesting start. If there's a time in Luke's life this he needed therapy, this would definitely be it. I wonder what's going to come out in the session? thinking I'll look forward to reading more! grin

 

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Laura_Anu  1892 posts
Registered: Jun '02
24217_Obi-Wan
Date Posted: 5/16/05 6:18pm Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
Oh wow. THis is a great idea for a fic! I can't wait to see what happens next!

 

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vader_incarnate  1380 posts
Registered: Jul '02
7398_Darth Vader
Date Posted: 5/17/05 6:34am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
Ish - *laughs* The shrink is my first serious attempt at an actual OC with a large role in a fic. wink Thus, she's kinda cool, and it's really fun exploring her rather unprofessional thoughts. rose Thanks, Ish!

Gabri - blush Actually, it's getting kind of dark as I type out the second and third parts. Because, you know, post-DE and all that; but aye, premise = fun. devil I think I was somewhat inspired by Nicole Kidman's character in Batman Forever; don't quote me on that, though. happy Thanks, Gabri! hugs

LP - Fun! Yay! grin Thanks, LP!

angel_gidget - LOL, who wouldn't be discreetly ogling? Not meee ... blush tongue Thanks! And yes, most of the next post is typed up; I just have to decide if I want to cut it before it actually gets dark or give y'all a big chunk all at once.

Agent_Jaid - shock Don't die laughing! That'd make me sad, and I'd have dead-people germs all over the thread! tongue Kidding, hon. hugs But aye, Han + Luke would make any warm-blooded woman's day. mischief Thank you!

Moriah - Eh, I always check fic replies in school, so you're in good company. hugs And gratuitous self-insertion? Me? Never. blush

Lali - LOL, my shrink is very ... honest. batting Which, of course, is one of the greatest perks of the first-person narrative and all that. And Luke's just a dear no matter what. kiss Thanks, hon!

StarFighter5 - *laughs* Could you have imagined me putting all those thoughts into the head of a stereotypical German Freud-like shrink? shock mischief Bu yes; she's a professional, and Luke needs someone to talk to after going the whole leather pants episode with the galaxy as a whole.

RM - Yay! happy More coming soon!

Knight_Aragorn - LOL, I'm tempted to put a whole lot of different SW characters into therapy and various points of their lives. tongue How much angst could be solved with a trip to the psychiatrist, I wonder? Eh. silly The session itself is equal parts humor and angst, shifting from pretty light-hearted to a bit darker as we progress; next part up soon. happy

Laura_Anu - Thank you! grin







This is how the rest of the story seems to be taking shape:

Next post = getting to know Luke. We'll get a basic word association game plus the standard ink-blot test. Things start getting a little darker, and most of this is written out.

Post after that would be the lay down and talk post in which Luke divulges as much as he's willing to share about his time on Byss. Slowly taking shape in my head, and we get a dip into the post-DE worries of our favorite farmboy.

Conclusion may or may not be tied into third post. See how long that gets first. tongue

So ... short story. But with a fun mix of sheer humor and pure angst. batting hugs

 

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La sang et le vin ont la meme couleur.
I think, therefore I am. I dream, therefore I become. rose
Zelré, Handmaiden of the Crest
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LukesTheMan  666 posts
Registered: Apr '04
24197_Baby Luke
Date Posted: 5/17/05 6:41am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
Wonderful! applause

I can't wait for the next post. grin

laugh


I'd volunteer to give him therapy any day, too! tongue

 

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Of Metal and Flesh http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/19859245
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Jedi-2B  3759 posts
Registered: Nov '00
42320_Luke Skywalker
Date Posted: 5/17/05 9:17am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
Too many funny lines to quote. laugh But I think she'll see the whole other side to Luke after hearing about Byss.

 

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It was on her fifteenth day in the darkness of the Nirauan cave when Mara Jade awoke to discover a rescuer had finally arrived.
It was not, however, any of the potential rescuers she would have expected.
It was Luke.
~~And the rest is history~~
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DarthIshtar  47128 posts
Title: Former CR
Registered: Mar '01
44374_Fan Films - Pink Five
Date Posted: 5/17/05 9:20am Subject: RE: "On the Couch" -- {humor & drama, post-Dark Empire. Luke and ... a psychiatrist?}
Oh, good, I can't wait for luke's rorshach test!

 

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"I feel like a more down-to-earth Pink 5 when I'm writing Leah. Same attitude, less lip gloss." ~Me on how to get in the right mindset for Twilight fanfic.
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