Beyond - Legends Elusive Bliss UPDATED 7/1/13(SJRS Challenge Response. L/M AU): Expanded version Chapter 14

A plan is always good. *grins* they're making progress...and you're handling it very well...I wasn't certain last time but it felt very genuine.

 

Yeah... just don't take 10 years to get there.

 

Yesssss! Woot! Doing things different/earlier is definitely an excellent way to circumvent all the other icky stuff. And have a jolly grand time on top of it

 

They can kiss and find out if they are compatible)))) But spending time together is a good beginning.

 

“I dreamt Vader and Palpatine were drunk and singing the Imperial Academy Alma Mater song.”

 

It wasn't exactly the Myrkr Bootknocking I'm used to, but that was still very sweet!

 

Yes, and like 'Dora says, it makes sense to do it gradual. The build up is splentabulous too.

 

Mara sat back up on the couch and laughed. “You’re adorable when you are self-deprecating.” Her eyes slid across his body and Luke got the distinct impression that she was envisioning him unclothed. Ahem. LOL!! I like this easing into things plan. I mean, when you see visions like that you can't just rush into a relationship but it would be hard to say "No thanks!" to all of that.

 

Thanks ginchy, Jade_eyes, Briannakin, Jade_Pilot, Demendora, Hazel and EmeraldJediFire for reading and taking the time to review. I also want to thank ginchy and EJF for looking over a few sections of my next chapter that had me wondering if I was writing L/M OOC. It is difficult getting into their shoes because they are not lovers, but their dreams and visions have let them know intimate details about each other. Mara especially is affected because she experienced the vision when their minds melded together. So I would think she would behave almost like she did right before Luke proposed to her in VOTF. In my mind Mara is very open to the idea of a relationship, but she is nervous about taking the step and finding out the visions don't depict their true future.

Anyway, after multiple rewrites I finished this chapter. I know everybody wants them to start bootknocking, but I would think that would make Luke look like a cad so soon after breaking up with Callista. Also, I think Mara would want some time between the break up and her and Luke dating to avoid nasty rumors.

~JL~
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Chapter 12

The next day Luke and Mara took the shuttle to Hyllyard City where they bought some fresh food. Luke realized he liked grocery shopping with Mara. It made him feel like they were an actual married couple as they discussed what to have for dinner and breakfast the next morning. It was feeling he enjoyed.

When they returned to base he offered to make dinner. It was a simple pasta meal, but after eating ration bars for the last two days, it smelled and looked wonderful. He opened a local red wine to round out the meal and set out some plates. “Dinner is served, ” he said as he pulled Mara’s chair out for her in a gentlemanly gesture. “I’d be honored if you’d join me.”

She sat down at the table looking at the food and smiling appreciatively. “I didn’t know you could cook.”

“My meager culinary skills have been finely honed by years of Bachelorhood.” Luke grinned. “In-other-words, it’s hard to kark up pasta.”

She laughed as she picked up her fork and tried the noodles. “This is good.”

Luke sat down across from her. “I’m glad.” He began eating while making furtive glances at his companion. The visions had put Mara in a whole new light to him and now he had trouble keeping his eyes off her. Before he had seen her as a fierce fighter and a good friend, but now he saw her as a woman—a beautiful woman who might end up as his wife and mother of his child.

And she was beautiful. He loved the way her fiery red hair swirled around her shoulders, her sensuous high cheekbones, those gorgeous green eyes that captivated him and her well-toned body that was curved in all the right places. He watched her transfixed as she slowly chewed her food and he actually shivered as she drew her tongue across her lips.

Mara looked up at him and their eyes locked for a split second before he quickly looked down at his plate. He expected her to react angrily to his ogling, but she simply gave a snarky scoff. “If I didn’t know better, Skywalker, I would think you were undressing me with your eyes.” She tried not to smirk as she gave him a feigned look of irritation. “But would be a waste of time, wouldn’t it? There’s nothing here you haven't seen already…right down to a tiny scar. Right, Skywalker?”

He blushed, but his mouth eased into a grin. “I think the Force has shown us both way too much.”

Her face reddened slightly. “That's true. There’s no longer any mystery for me, when it comes to you.” She breathed an exasperated sigh. “This is so strange. I'm feeling a mixture of embarrassment and closeness. I feel like I’ve known you all my life. Part of me is saying, ‘this is your old platonic friend’ while another part of my brain sees you as my long time husband, companion and…” she trailed off.

“Lover,” Luke finished.

She took a deep breath and let it out. “Yes, lover.” She took another bite of her food while staring intently at her plate. “I’m torn as to what to do. It would be so easy to fall into bed with you and try to live out those visions.” She looked up at him her eyes full of worry. “But, what if those visions aren’t really our future. You are always saying, ‘the future is always in motion’. What if we jump into a relationship and it fails.” She averted her eyes once again. “I don’t have many friends, people I can depend on, people I trust. You are one of the few. I’d hate to lose what we have.”

Luke nodded with understanding. “That’s why we go slow and feel each other out.” He rephrased his comment when Mara chuckled at his choice of words. “I meant get to know each other better.”

“I know what you meant,” she said in a light teasing voice.

He had to smile at the relaxed atmosphere that had settled upon them while on Myrkr. Mara was right…there was a feeling of awkward closeness between them, albeit, it was an artificially Force-induced familiarity, but a closeness nonetheless. “I’m not sure what we don’t know about each other exactly.” He grinned sheepishly and cleared his throat. “Is there anything you would like to know about me?”

Mara raised an amused eyebrow as she sipped her wine. “I definitely don’t need to ask any questions concerning your lovemaking stamina or sexual acrobatics. The Force made damn sure I knew all about that!”

Luke choked on a piece of food he just started to chew. He grabbed his wine and washed down the pasta. “Acrobatics? I don’t remember any acrobatics.”

She flashed him a wicked smile. “You just had the camping dream, right? There wasn’t any room for gymnastics in that tiny tent. Wait until you get a vision of us at the luxury beach resort on Chandrila.”

Luke could feel his face burn while Mara laughed at his discomfort.

“I don’t feel bad about embarrassing you,” she said. “I’ve had dozens of erotic Farmboy visions and believe me I was embarrassed beyond mortification when I woke up. I think you deserve some payback.”

Luke’s lips twitched with amusement and for a moment considered teasing her back, but his sense of self-preservation stopped him. This was not the woman from his visions—a woman who he could tease in a casual way—at least not yet. He took another sip of his wine and wondered if the alcohol had loosened Mara’s tongue or was she actually comfortable talking about their dream sex life. Either way he thought it was best to get back to a safer topic.

“What should we do when we leave here?”

Mara swallowed her food and washed it down with some wine. “I drop you off at Yavin IV and then I go on my shipment run. That is as far as I got with my planning.”

Luke’s brow shot up in surprised disappointment. The concept of her going back to her job and leaving him at the Praxeum was unsettling. He gave an internal sigh as he realized no matter how close he felt to her…they actually hadn’t yet crossed that line from friends to lovers. “You can stay on Yavin IV with me.” He cringed at the pleading sound of his voice.

She made a face. “Luke, I’m not going to stay with you. Callista just left. Can you imagine what rumors that would cause?”

”I didn’t mean to live with me,” Luke clarified. “I meant stay in one of the guestrooms. If you want you can come under the pretense of training.” Luke gave a small hopeful smile. “I was under the impression that we were going to work toward a relationship. I thought you said you were considering it.”

“I will…I am.” She stared down at her plate for a moment. “Believe me, I’ve considered it since the visions started. To be truthful, I even contemplated it during my short stint as a student on Yavin and I definitely thought about it after you gave me your father’s lightsaber.”

Luke sat back in his chair shocked by this revelation. “Then why did you leave? We could have worked things out if you stayed.”

Her green eyes narrowed. “You don’t get it. You grew up in a loving home, but not me. I was being trained from early childhood to kill, to lie, and to deceive. I was conditioned to avoid attachments and brutally punishing when I failed…at anything. You didn’t have a Sith Lord popping into your head whenever he damn well pleased. And even when he died he made sure I couldn’t live in peace. From beyond the grave he tormented me with his last command. I’m amazed I have assimilated into society as well as I have.” She stopped and took a deep breath. “I wasn’t ready for a relationship then. I may have never been ready if it wasn’t for the visions. I saw myself happy, laughing, loving, caring…”

“I would love to see us happy together…like in the visions.” He reached across the table and risked placing his hand over hers. “I think if we take things slow we can end up in that happy place.”

Mara looked down at his hand. He thought she was going to pull away from his touch, but surprisingly she rotated her palm up so she could clasp his hand in hers. She then gave him a warm smile. “I would like that.”
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Mara was enjoying another wonderfully restful night of sleep when she was rudely awakened by the irritating sound of her comlink buzzing. She sat up in bed with a groan and grabbed the communication device off the side table. The readout on the side indicated there was an incoming communication to her shuttle’s transceiver. She pushed a button and transferred the call to the comlink. “Jade here.”

“Hello Mara,” came the sound of Talon Karrde’s voice. “I hope you found the base in decent repair.”

“Yes, it’s fine. Thank you for allowing us to stay here. Blocking out the Force was the only way I knew how to stop the dreams and visions.”

She heard a chuckle from the other end. “I can’t believe a Force-vision of you being married to Skywalker would be so horrifying that you would have to run to Myrkr. What is equally puzzling is why, if you are trying to block him out of your dreams, that you decided to bring him along for the ride.”

“He’s been having similar problems sleeping,” she explained after a short pause.

“I see,” Karrde replied. “I hope you two can find a solution to your problems…and since I am parsecs away I will risk saying I think you two would make a good team…in more ways than one.”

“Maybe,” Mara conceded. “But I doubt you made a trans-galactic call to tell us we’d make a cute couple. What’s wrong? Do you need me back or the shuttle?”

“No,” Karrde said. “At least not right away. We do have that run to make next week. I could use the shuttle then, but if that’s not possible I’ll make other arrangements.”

“I’ll have the shuttle back. We should be leaving soon.”

“Good. I called because it appears Luke didn’t bother telling anybody where he was going when you two left Yavin IV. Rumors are going around the holonet that Callista left the Jedi Master and he disappeared to lick his wounds. Han called me and I told him Luke hitched a ride off of Yavin IV with you, but that’s all I told him. Have Luke call his sister before she sends the New Republic fleet out to search for her brother.”

“Will do.”

“How is he taking the breakup?”

Mara thought for a moment. “He’s handling it better than I thought possible. We’ve spent a lot of time talking.”

“Oh…talking,” came Talon’s response and Mara could sense a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

“Yes…talking.” She emphasized each word.

Karrde laughed. “Be gentle with him Mara…he just had his heart broken.”

She rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated huff. “Jade out!” She slammed the comlink down on her side table. “Great.”

She was hoping that the general public wouldn’t hear about Callista leaving and she absolutely hoped her name wasn’t mentioned in any media reports. She didn’t need people speculating that the coldhearted former Emperor’s Hand had stolen Luke away from his loving ex-Jedi, soul-switching girlfriend.

She got up and dressed. She needed to tell Luke the bad news.

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“Leia, I’m fine,” Luke said to his sister via the shuttle’s subspace transceiver.

He could see his sister’s eyes narrow suspiciously. “Luke, how can you possibly be fine when Callista left you?”

In the background Luke could hear Han’s voice. “I’m sure Mara is cheering him up.”

Leia turned to where the voice came from. “Han, you’re not being helpful.” She turned back to the screen. “Why didn’t you come to Coruscant if you needed to get away? Why Myrkr?”

“Leia, Mara and I have been plagued by visions for weeks. We both needed to cut our connection from the Force so we could rest and try to figure out what these visions meant.”

Leia looked concerned. “Visions? What type of visions?”

Luke paused and considered his words carefully. “The visions vary. We see war, conflict…among other things.” Luke decided to change the subject. “What is the HoloNet news saying?”

A sad expression crossed her face. “They say your bad luck with woman has continued with Callista leaving Yavin IV. They also questioned your disappearance. Some networks suspect you went off to find her like some lovelorn stalker, others say you are holed up somewhere drinking away your sorrows and another reporter claims you are on the rebound and ran off with the other woman.”

“I vote for the last two,” Luke could hear Han in the background followed by a laugh.

Leia glared to her husband. Luke couldn’t see him, but he could imagine Han smirking at Leia while drinking Corellian whiskey. What was ironic was Han wasn’t far off.

“How long are you going to stay on Myrkr?” Leia asked.

“We’ll probably leave today. If there’re rumors about another woman Mara will want to avoid being seen with me. I’ll come to Coruscant to visit you, then I’ll go out in the public doing normal things so people can see I’m fine.”

“Is there something going on between you and Mara?” his sister asked and Luke thought he detected a slight chill in her voice.

Luke shook his head. “No, we’re friends. I wasn’t cheating on Callista if that’s what you are getting at?”

His sister blanched. “I didn’t mean that Luke, but I know how hard a break up can be. Sometimes people rush into a new relationship when they shouldn’t.”

“I’m not rushing into anything. I promise.”

His sister hesitated for a moment. “Do you want to talk about it…about why Callista left.”

He took a deep breath. “She was unhappy living at the Jedi Temple and not being able to access the Force. I think I made matters worse when I tried to talk to her about marriage and children. She didn’t want to have kids. Eventually she came to the decision that the Force had different destinies for both of us.”

He could see pity in his sister’s face. “I’m sorry, Luke.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. I think she was right.” He didn’t expand on that belief. “I need to pack and get ready to leave, Leia. I’ll talk to you when I get to Coruscant.”

The two said their goodbyes and Luke signed off. He slouched back into the shuttle’s pilot seat. Since the media was speculating about another woman, Mara definitely would want to get as far away from him as she could until this blew over. Myrkr was an isolated planet, but it only took one person in Hyllyard City to recognize him before the sludge media dropped down on the planet like rabid vornskrs. Luke wished the holonet reporters would give him one day of peace, but he knew there was no chance of that happening. He stood and headed back to Myrkr Base to talk to Mara.

 

EJF and ginchy are superb assistants and very much to be applauded because they can put their fangirl to the side ... which, frankly, Je could not or would find it deuced difficult to do. Very much in character for both L&M JL. I just hope the paparazzi aren't the death of L&M before they start They're at a very vulnerable point right now, and it would be too "easy" perhaps to just leave things as they are for too long, unless the visions start up again

 

I have a feeling, that they nevertheless got under the holocamera lenses. Hehe!

 

That was a great update, very IC.


In-other-words, it’s hard to kark up pasta.

No, no it isn't.

 

I like how they are taking things slowly. They will get the happiness of their visions, I'm sure. The only question is if they'll be able to avoid the pain. I like the confusion of knowing one another as barely friends but feeling the spark of 'what-if'. Wonderful tension. Can't wait for more!!!

 

Great update. I wonder if the Force is done it's matchmaking or if LM are in for more visions once they leave.

 

Bri, I'm almost afraid that if they don't "listen" this time, they won't get another chance.

 

Yeah, I onced burned it. I let the water evaporate too much.

 

Thanks Jade_eyes, Demendora, EmeraldJediFire, Briannakin, Hazel, and ginchy for reading and taking the time to review. I think I have two more chapters after this. It is almost done.

~JL~
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Chapter 13

Luke and Mara left Myrkr that evening. He would have liked to stay longer, but Luke knew he needed to quell the rumors. Throughout the years, he learned that if he didn’t put out media fires quickly they would turn into a firestorm of gossip and intrigue. The best thing he can do is be seen in public acting completely normal. When the reporters realize there’s nothing to report they'd eventually go away.

Luke looked over to Mara who was sitting in the shuttle’s pilot seat concentrating on something on her datapad. “I brought blankets from the base, do you want me to make up a sleeping pallet for you?”

She put her data device aside and then reclined her seat. “No, I can sleep while seated.” She turned and looked at him. “Go ahead. I’ll wake you when we get to Yavin IV.”

Luke nodded and moved to the back cargo bay. They had decided it was best to bring him back to the sparsely populated moon to avoid being seen together. Luke wasn’t sure if it was one of his students that spread the rumor of Callista’s departure or not, but he was less likely to be seen with Mara there than if she brought him directly to Coruscant. Once on Yavin IV he would take his X-Wing to the core.

He could tell Mara was upset about the situation. She was not going to let any HoloNet gossip network paint her as the ‘sleemo other woman’, as she so eloquently put it. Mara wanted to be out-of-sight and out-of-mind until the intense public interest in Luke and his love life settled down. She thought it might ease up in the week she was gone. Luke was not so sure about that, but he didn’t want to say anything that would encourage her to spend more time away. In the last few days, he had gotten used to her company and he was not looking forward to a week without her.

He unfolded a stack of blanket he had taken from Karrde’s smuggler’s base and laid them out on the deck. After rolling up one of his tunics to be used as a pillow he stretched out on the blanket and turned in for the evening.

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“Mara!”

Mara Jade had just drifted off to sleep when a voice woke her with a start. She looked around, unsure if she was dreaming or if Skywalker actually yelled out for her. When she heard her named called out again she stood and went to the rear of the ship to make sure he was all right. She followed the floor safety lights to the back cargo hold. There, one ceiling glow panel was left illuminated and in the dim light she found Luke on his makeshift bed trembling. She quietly moved closer until she could observe Luke lying on a layer of blankets wearing his ever-present black pants and tunic. At the foot of the bed he had placed his boots, belt and weapons. Next to that was a blanket sprawled across the floor as if it was brusquely thrown off in his sleep. She walked over and picked up the discarded blanket and moved to place it over him.

As she edged closer she could see he was sleeping, but tears were streaming down his face. “I miss you. Don’t leave me.” The distress and anguish in his voice was heartbreaking. She wasn’t sure if he was dreaming about Callista or if he was having another vision of his dead wife...meaning her.

She knelt down next to him and slowly laid the blanket over his prone body. At one point her hand brushed against his arm and it resulted in an immediate reaction from her traveling companion. With his eyes still closed, he reached out and grabbed her in his arms, pressing her body snuggly against his. She was about to struggled out of his grip when he spoke again. “Mara. Oh, Sweetheart…you found me. You found me. Stay awhile.”

For a brief moment their minds melded together and she saw herself in his dream. She was only the bluish flickering image of a woman and she knew he was dreaming of the wife he loved and lost. She could feel intense relief and love flowing from him. The love of his life had died, but now they were together, however fleeting.

She didn’t have the heart to tear him out of the dream when he was weeping with joy at the chance to see her again. She decided to let him have this moment. She relaxed in his arms and eventually fell asleep.
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Luke woke up with a stiff back and a prickling pain in his hand. He tried to move but soon realized his right arm was pinned down by something. He slowly turned his head and his eyes flew open when he discovered Mara Jade lying next to him asleep. Her head was nestled on his shoulder while his arm was trapped under her. Luke’s mind frantically tried to remember what happened last night. They hadn’t been drinking so there shouldn’t be any reason to wake up in bed together and not remember how they gotten into that position.

Why would Mara be next to him? Did she sleep walk? Or did the Force decide it was tired of them kriff’n around and threw them together in bed. He reached under the blanket with his free hand to check his state of dress or undress and was relieved when he realized he was fully clothed.

He was more than happy to continue lying next to her, but his hand was asleep and the annoying pinprick sensation radiating from his hand and forearm was keeping him awake. He slowly pulled the covers off of them so he could get a better look at his predicament. He was relieved that she was equally clothed but his arm was curved under her side and his hand appeared to be buried beneath her derrière. Ever so cautiously he tried to extricate his limb without waking his friend, but the movement made her stir. Her eyes flickered open and went wide when she noticed she was pressed up against him, but her expression of confusion was fleeting.

“Hi,” Luke whispered nervously, not knowing exactly what he should say. “Sorry to wake you, but my hand appears to be pinned under your backside.” He tried to make it sound lighthearted; still he tensed while he waited for her response.

He was surprised when she didn’t jump up and start an angry tirade. Instead she stared deeply in his eyes before shifting her weight so he could extricate his limb. She then slowly detangled herself from his arms and sat up. “Sorry about that. I know this is…awkward.”

He was astonished by the apology. “What exactly happened?”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest looking very uncomfortable. “You were calling out my name last night. I saw you shivering so I went to put a blanket on you…and then you grabbed me up and held me against your body.”

Luke sat up stunned. “I’m sorry Mara, you should have woke me up.”

She looked at him sadly. “Do you remember your dream?”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I dreamed about…” he paused and looked at her. “I dreamed about you. I saw your spirit.”

Mara nodded. “I saw a brief glimpse of your dream. When you embraced me I saw you reaching out for her. You felt so happy and in love and grateful to have her back, even if it was only for a moment…I couldn’t wake you up. I know it was only a dream, but the man in that dream was crushed and heartbroken…and he now found his lost love. I didn’t want to take that away from him…or you…you know what I mean.”

“Yes, I do. Thank you,” he said softly. His voice became strained as an overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude washed over him. “I know how uncomfortable all of this is for you. Thank you for doing that for him…for me.”

She gazed at him, her green eyes filled with a mix of nervousness and compassion. “You’re welcome. Anyway…it was nice to get some sleep. The Force laid off the visions for once.”

He smiled at her warmly. “That’s right we were able to sleep when together. I guess we don’t need ysalamiri to solve our problems after all.”

“We just have to remain in each other’s arms for the rest of our lives.” She said somewhat sarcastically, but then smirked. “That might make it hard to swing a lightsaber.”

Luke let out a chuckle. “That’s true.”

Her brow knitted together. “What I don’t understand is if we are seeing visions of the future and we were destined to be together…why does the Force need to bombard us with these dreams and the visions in the first place?”

Luke gazed up at the ship ceiling in thought before looking back to her. “I don’t know. Maybe Ben Skywalker is the answer. It could be you and I don’t marry until late in life and Ben was born years or maybe a decade from now in that timeline. Perhaps if he is older during any future war, he could influence it…or maybe we would make entirely different decisions depending on his age.” He shook his head. “Or perhaps they’re dreams of a possible future that wouldn’t have come to pass if we didn’t receive the visions. There is no way for us to ever know.” He massaged his temples where a headache was forming. “So, what do you want to do now?”

She looked at her chrono. “We have hours before we drop out of hyperspace.” She laid back down on the blankets he had spread out the night before. “Let’s get back to sleep.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Together?”

“This is probably our last chance at a good night sleep before I go on my supply run and sleeping together seems to stave off the dreams.” She looked up at him with a slow appraising gaze. “I trust you won’t take advantage of the situation.”

He wanted to tell her she was far to trusting. She was fully clothed, but the sight of her luscious curves and her beautiful face challenged even his Jedi restraint.

‘Control, control, you must learn control!’ the words of Master Yoda reverberated through his head. His mouth suddenly went dry as he lay down next to her making sure to keep some space between them. “I would never take advantage of you.”

“I know,” she said in a tired voice. “After I drop you off to Yavin IV I’ll go on my run and you go about your business letting the holozine reporters know all is well. If you do go and visit your sister on Coruscant I can meet you there. The last part of my run brings me to the core. Then we can implement our ‘get-to-know-each-other-better’ plan and…go out.”

“Go out,” Luke said with a smile. “Like a date.”

“Yeah,” she said softly with a yawn. “Like a date.”

They lay together silently. Eventually Luke could hear her breathing slow until he knew she was sleeping. He wished he could do the same. The smell of her perfume was intoxicating and it made his mind wander to that dream of them camping together. Stang, the Force liked to torment him. Since that erotic vision the sexual tension he felt around Mara was a constant undercurrent. He realized he wanted her more than he had ever wanted any woman in his life.

Luke startled when Mara rolled over in her sleep and draped an arm over his midsection and pressed her face against his shoulder. He stiffened and his pulse pounded rapidly as he became acutely aware of her—her nearness, her scent and the heat of her skin.

He envied her ability sleep when his body was now on fire, every hormone in his body sizzling. He took a couple deep breaths and demanded his body to behave. It took every ounce of his willpower, but eventually the impossible happened… he fell asleep.

 

Hehehe!!! If it's not the Force it's the hormones.


“This is probably our last chance at a good night sleep before I go on my supply run and sleeping together seems to stave off the dreams.”

Excuses, excuses

 

Wheee! They are in bed together. Not in this sense of a word, but..well. They are so close now, not just physically, but on emotional level.

 

Great chapter, i like that they're taking their time.

 

SQUEE! Great solution to staving off the dreams. I love the image of them cuddling, and at Luke's raging hormones.

 

Hehehe. Sneaky Force! Great update!

 

They're good for each other that's for sure.

 

Thanks EmeraldJediFire, Briannakin, Hazel, Jade_eyes, newdawn12, and Demendora for reading and taking the time to review. I also want to thank ginchy and EmeraldJediFire for helping me to get the tone right.

I think one of the two is about to crack! I will have a short epilogue after this chapter.

~JL~

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Chapter 14

Luke was dropped off on Yavin IV and Mara wasted no time leaving the Jungle moon before anybody saw her. Luke watched the shuttle until it disappeared into the clouds before he slung his carryall strap over his shoulder and walked back to his apartment. Once he entered his quarters a sense of gloom descended on him. He usually was greeted happily when he came home, but not today. The apartment was eerily quiet. He walked into his bedroom that he and Callista had once shared and stopped. The sight of empty draws and discarded hangers made the reality of the situation hit him hard. He walked over to his dresser and picked up a holoprojector lying on top. He turned it over in his hand a couple times before he activated it. The image of Callista and Luke appeared above the base, they were standing in front of a Massassi temple smiling happily. It was taken shortly after she arrived to Yavin IV before she realized her loss of the Force was probably permanent.

He deactivated the holoprojector and placed it in a dresser drawer. He sighed sadly. When he was with Mara he was able to put away all thoughts about Callista and the long list of his other failed relationships, but the evidence of Callista’s quick departure brought his relationship problems to the forefront.

He tossed his carryall bag on top of his bed and unpacked the clothing he wore on his trip and replaced them with clean outfits. He heard the chirping of a droid and he looked up to see Artoo Detoo his astromech droid. “Hey Artoo.”

The droid let out a series of beeps and whistles as it rolled up to Luke, his dome spinning around until its optical sensor pointed in his direction. Luke wasn’t exactly certain what his droid said, but he could guess. “Callista left. She’s not coming back.”

The droid made a mournful sound.

Luke zipped up his bag and pulled the strap over his shoulder. “Come on Artoo, I’m taking the X-Wing to Coruscant. We’re going on a trip.”
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When Luke arrived to Coruscant he moved into to the small apartment in the Imperial Palace that his sister kept for him and immediately went about the business being seen in public. He met up with his old Rogue buddies, hung out with Han and Lando at various pubs, and went to a couple municipal parks with his sister and her children. Leia put out some vague public announcement that Luke and Callista had an amicable breakup and the two remained friends…which was true. He heard Callista was spotted on Chad and had repeated the same story. Luke was glad she found her way to her home planet and she was well. He still had feelings for her, but the sting of the breakup was quickly fading.

He continued to have the dreams of Mara and Ben. He couldn’t wait until she was done with her run. She said it would take seven days. He was now on day six and was anxiously anticipating her return. They did call each other daily to talk about the future and any additional visions they had. He looked forward to her comcalls and that night he practically jumped out of his bed when his room’s transceiver signaled.

“Skywalker here,” he said as he punched the incoming call button. The air above the holoprojector base shimmered until the vision of Mara Jade coalesced into a recognizable form.

“Hi Farmboy,” she said with a smirk.

Luke had to smile. She had called him Farmboy in the past, but always with a snarky tone that told him it was not a term of endearment. Now, the nickname came out with a warm overtone. “Hello Mara. How are you?”

She was sitting at a desk looking up at the holoprojector. She had propped her chin on her palm and was looking very tired. “More dreams,” she said wearily. “It appears in the future I have turned into a nymphomaniac.”

Luke chuckled. “And I’m insatiable. What was the dream about this time?”

“We were vacationing on one of the artificially created islands on the Great Western Sea on Coruscant.”

Luke smiled with a nod of the head. “I had that one. Last night I dreamed I was watching you rocking the baby and singing to him a lullaby. You have a beautiful voice.”

“I had that dream also.” She dropped her gaze. “This is so strange. We only kissed on one occasion but now I feel like we’ve been married for years. We know each other so well.”

Luke shrugged. “It doesn’t mean we are locked into a particular destiny. We shouldn’t take these visions as something we have to recreate.”

Mara raised an eyebrow. “Is that your way of saying that you are really not that into me?”

Luke laughed out loud. “In the visions I’m definitely and deeply into you.”

She shook her head in disbelief, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. “Unbelievable. You are getting bolder ever day.”

“Sorry.” He gave her a warm smile. “All I’m saying is once we are back together there is no pressure. We should see if we could spend time together with out killing each other.”

“I haven’t killed you yet.”

“You know what I mean, Mara. This is a very uncomfortable position for both of us.”

“No, page fifty of that book you brought camping with us was an uncomfortable position.”

Luke couldn’t help but blush profusely. “You are not making this easy for me, Mara.”

She gave a tiny shrug of her shoulder. “When have I?”

“Never,” Luke admitted. “I do look forward to seeing you soon. Would you like me to meet you at the docking bay?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t need the media seeing us together. I’ll meet you at your apartment and we can discuss our first date.”

Luke grinned. “I’d like that. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“I guarantee it,” Mara replied and then smirked. “Sweet dreams, Farmboy.”

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Luke paced around his apartment nervously. He went to his bedroom to check his clothing in the mirror for probably the hundredth time. He wanted to wear something special for Mara’s return. The visions gave him insight to her likes and dislikes and he had gotten the distinct impression that she wasn’t overly fond of his typical black clothing or the Jedi robes. He decided to buy a new colorful outfit. He had cream-colored trousers over highly shined black boots and a dark green tunic to top things off. He did wear his traditional belt with his lightsaber hanging at his side.

He straightened his tunic once again and then ran his fingers through his hair trying to make his blond mop lay down straight.

He had checked the times and various holofilms showing tonight just in case she wanted to go out. He also reserved a table in a nice restaurant if she was hungry and he had some holothrillers available at his apartment if she simply wanted to stay in and relax.

He wished he could relax. He wasn’t this nervous when he attacked the Death Star and he wasn’t sure why. No, that was a lie…he knew exactly why he was nervous. If the visions were true then his future wife and mother to his child was about to walk into his apartment any minute now.

He felt Mara’s presence when she entered the planet’s atmosphere. Ever since the visions started a bond began to grow between them allowing him to sense her presence in the Force. She was on planet and she was near.

By the time Mara arrived he was so anxious he thought he was going to be ill. He actually jumped when the door indicator chimed. He rushed over to the door and opened it and smiled widely upon seeing Mara Jade. It looked like she also purchased a new outfit for the occasion. She had a dark blue silk tunic over dark trousers. It was more of business-casual attire than her typical formal assassin wardrobe. “You look beautiful Mara.” He frowned when she didn’t respond but stared at him with a look of shock. “Mara, are you okay?”

“Those clothes,” she whispered. “Why are you wearing those clothes?”

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. “I didn’t know this was going to be a clothing optional date.”

“Did you dream of those clothes?” she asked.

Luke shook his head. “No, I just thought you would like to see me in something other than black.” He stepped aside to let her into the apartment. She entered, her eyes never once leaving his clothing. As the door slid shut behind her Luke smiled, realizing he obviously made an impression. “I thought we could go out to dinner or watch a holo.”

She pulled her eyes from his clothing and gazed at him intently. “I dreamt about that outfit. This is from one of my dreams…and in that vision this day doesn’t end with us going to dinner or a holo. It doesn’t go that way at all.”

His brow furrowed perplexed. “Then what way does it go?”

She stared at him intently, breathing shallow and her expression full of anxious indecision. Luke could feel her emotions churning through the Force and he had to fight down a creeping feeling of panic that threatened to wash over him. He wasn’t sure what she saw in her vision, but it had her nervous and conflicted.

He gently put his hands on her shoulders. “Mara, what is it? What happened in your dream?”

She looked down at his hand lying on her shoulder then back at him, her face pale. She shook her head in frustration. “I can’t take this anymore.”

“What?” Luke said flustered.

“The dream was…it was…oh what the kriff.” She squared her shoulders as a look of determination crossed her face. “You want to know about the dream? I’ll tell you about the dream.”

She took a tentative step toward him, her eyes never leaving his. Luke was shocked when Mara wrapped her arms around his neck and moved closer until their bodies were touching. “The dream went like this,” she said before she kissed him.

He froze for a second, but only for a second before he returned the kiss with all the pent up sexual frustration he had endured for the last few weeks. All thoughts Callista, the visions, or any other worries vanished with that kiss. All he could think about was Mara Jade—and as the kissed deepened a sensation of absolute clarity hit him. This was the woman he would marry; this was the mother of his future child.

Cupping her backside he pulled her close, gently grinding himself against her. She groaned as he backed her up against the wall, capturing her with his hardened body, all the time his lips never leaving hers.

Her hands moved up and down his back in a searching motion before Mara pulled away from his lips so she could speak. “Is that your lightsaber, or are you just happy to see me?”

“I think both,” he chuckled as he reached with one hand and unbuckled his belt letting it and his lightsaber drop to the carpet. “That’s much more comfortable,” he mumbled before he captured her lips with his again. Mara reached under his tunic and he gasped as her warm hands caressed his bare skin. He pressed his lips to the sensitive curve between her neck and shoulder as a deep, sexual hunger stirred to life in his mid-section.

He pulled away and drew a ragged breath, anticipation thickening the air in his lungs. He gazed at her lustfully and he could see desire mirrored in her eyes. “Please tell me your dream ended with us making love.”

Mara barely was able to whisper the word yes, before he gathered her up in his arms and whisked her to his bedroom.

Luke had fully intended to date her, woo her, get to know her slowly, cautiously and work up to this night, but Mara dreamed they would make love this evening and he was determined to make her dreams come true.
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After hours of intense passion the two lovers fell back onto the bed exhausted and sated. Luke snuggled against Mara’s luscious body feeling warm and more content that he could ever remember.

“Mara,” Luke whispered lustfully as he pressed his lips to the pulse of her neck. “That was better than anything in my dreams.”

She smiled warmly as she ran her hands over his damp skin. “I didn’t think it possible, but it was infinitely better.”

“Do you think the visions will go away now?”

Mara gave a lusty chuckle. “Is that why we did this? To kriff the dreams away?”

He ran a hand down her side as he leaned over and gave her a light, teasing kiss. “You know that’s not the reason.” A slight smile crossed Luke’s face. “You feel it, don’t you? The connection between us…the bond?”

“Yes, I feel it.” She reached over and caressed his face. “This feels right. We feel right. I don’t think the Force needs to tempt us with visions anymore.”

He nipped lightly at her earlobe, making her shiver. “I guess we can only sleep and see what dreams may come.”
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That night Luke found himself dreaming again. It was a familiar dream, one he had once before. He found himself in the waiting room of what looked like a medical facility. He heard footsteps and turned to see a roguishly handsome man with red hair and deep blue eyes walking toward him. It was Ben Skywalker. His son smiled broadly as he glanced down at squirming baby in his arms. The child was swaddled in a small green blanket and crying softly.

“I’d like to introduce you to your grandson,” Ben said as he carefully transferred the precious child to Luke.

Luke smiled widely as he looked down at the beautiful baby with reddish-brown hair and startling blue eyes. Luke rocked the baby in his arms until he stopped crying and drifted off to sleep. He looked up at Ben with tears of joy.

“I hope you are going to share, Farmboy,” a voice whispered from Luke’s side. He turned to see his wife, Mara Jade, standing next to him with arms out. “I’d like a chance to hold my grandson also.”
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Luke woke up suddenly. He looked over to Mara who was still sleeping, but he could tell from the movement of her eyes under closed lids that she was dreaming also.

After a few seconds her eyes fluttered open and she turned to gaze at Luke sitting up in bed. “I saw him Luke. My grandson.”

A wide smile crossed the Jedi’s face. “I had the same dream also.”

“I saw my grandson.” Mara repeated as she sat up and embraced Luke. “Does that mean the future has changed?”

Luke gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know, but it’s a good sign.” He pressed his lips to hers before pulling away far enough to gaze in her eyes. “All we can do is take things one day at a time…but I can tell you I want to be your husband. I want the family of our visions and I want you. Now and forever.”

“Forever sounds nice.” Her voice was warm and full of promise as she leaned in and captured his lips.

 

JL, Luke's outfit sounds - scrumptiously enticing. The whole post was! Now that I have turned into a squeeing goo puddle, my day is set LOL !!!!!!! Forever sounds nice indeed and I'm glad their dreams changed.