Beyond - Legends Choices (L/M/OC ) Very AU ***9/20/06*** EPILOGUE***COMPLETE!!!!!

Title: Choices
Author: Jedi_lover
Timeframe: Post-SQ
Characters: L/M and OC
Genre: Angst, romance
Summary: Mara investigates Luke's suspicious activities.
Note: This originally was a one shot little viggie which originated from a plot bunny that attacked me over at the Literature Forum's Luke, Mara, The Force and Sex in the EU thread. After posting it as a viggie, I was asked to expand the story. So here it is.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars and am not making any money off this poorly written fic.
A very special thanks to my wonderful beta, RedGold. Thank you!!! You are the best!!!
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?I can?t believe I am doing this,? Mara muttered to herself as she brought the Stealth Fighter prototype into orbit over the planet of Nirauan.

After her first harrowing ordeal on that planet five years ago she swore she would never return. The planet held too many bad memories: her being shot and the destruction of her ship being the least of them. The worse moment was the look on Luke?s face when she turned down his proposal of marriage.

?Mara, we are meant for each other. We are destined to be together. I can feel it through the Force? and I can feel it here,? Luke had pleaded as he held his hand over his heart.

?I am sorry Luke, I can?t? I just can?t,? she had sobbed.

A part of her had wanted to say yes to his proposal as she was sure they most likely wouldn?t survive the day anyway, but she knew better. It was a Force bonding that had occurred while they were fighting the sentinel droids that was responsible for her strong feelings for Luke, it was not a passion based on love or a long courtship. She couldn?t deny that she was attracted to Luke and, in her own way, she probably did love him, but Mara was too pragmatic to let Force induced emotions sway her into making a lifelong commitment to the Jedi. Perhaps in time she could develop true romantic feelings for the Farmboy, but she would be damned if some Force epiphany was going to determine who her lifemate would be.

So Mara and Luke parted their own ways, remaining friends. Of course, Luke had trouble accepting Mara?s decision. He was convinced that his destiny was to be with her and told her so on many occasions, but Mara steadfastly refused to even entertain the notion of getting involved with him. She was certain that any intimate relationship they began would end up in failure. They were too different.

He was a Jedi Master and rebel hero. She was a former Imperial Assassin and a smuggler. She would be better off dating somebody more like her, like Karrde or Lando.

But, to Mara?s dismay, Luke refused to get discouraged. He continued to try to convince her that they were destined to be together. The last incident was after the Outbound Flight mission they performed together. Once again they were on Nirauan and once again Luke proposed to her at the end of the conflict.

?Mara, over the years I have spent days, sometimes weeks, in meditation. Every possible future I have seen includes you. In it we?re happy. We?re a family. I even see children, Mara. Why wont you accept this?? Luke beseeched her.

Mara remembered the pained look in his eyes when she once again refused to even start a relationship with him, let alone marriage. ?Luke, I am just not ready for that kind of commitment with you.?

?I understand Mara,? he said quietly, nodding his head dejectedly. He tried to maintain his stoic Jedi façade, but Mara could see unshed tears glistening in his eyes as he turned away and walked out of the room and out of her life.

That was two years ago and she had not seen or heard much from him since.

It wasn?t until he was out of the picture that she realized that she actually missed the Jedi and his annoying habit of dragging her into harms way. And, after a failed relationship with Karrde, Mara seriously started considering Luke as a prospective mate. She tried to contact him numerous times but failed. Finally she cont

 

oh, I loved that...

 

Whoa! That was crazy! I am the worst lurker ever, but one's like this draw me out of hiding. I always thought Mara acquiesced a little too easily to 'oh, we've never even kissed so now let's get married.' I like that she turned him down. But then things just get out of hand. But in a good way! I'm an L/M shipper to the end, so I totally buy that Luke will take Mara in any form that he'll get her.

Anyway, give yourself a pat on the back for getting this lurker to post. And keep up the good work!!

 

Oh my goodness... I am so morbid... but after the Luke/Mara mushfic saturation of these boards, that viggie makes me laugh! Oh boy.

Ahem. Sorry. I suppose laughter isn't the right response here. Very interesting idea, though. Mara's clone. It paints Luke in a very dark, desperate light, and I like it.

 

That was just too funny. Luke will be with Mara, whatever it takes.


Good little fic.


jacky

 

Whoa, what an ending. Reminds me of O. Henry stories. I like that you ended it abruptly, without letting us see Mara's reaction. It's more powerful that way. Great job with the plot twist.

 

J_L: Oh, that was awesome!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

EDIT: Gah! Double post - but it's still awesome!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Nicely done. Once again, Mara's met her match in Luke. You can't keep pushing people away -- eventually they'll actually leave.

Very

 

Adorable. Though kinda twisted ... The bad (or good?) thing is that I can actually imagine Lukie doing something like that ... Good thing Mara agreed to marry him in canon!

Great! Now I'm off to check your other stories ...

Ys, Fia

 

Kidan: Thanks for reading!

Exactly! I always felt cheated that Luke and Mara didn't have a proper romance. It was almost like an arranged Marriage set up by the Force. I think that is why I am such a L/M shipper. I want to see their relationship played out properly (okay, not the way I wrote it in this fic. I much prefer the type of love stories written by someone like Obaona or RedGold). I know at first glance this makes Luke seem like a jerk, but the way I see it, he had visions of him and Mara together. So he has justified hooking up with a Mara clone in his mind. It is the will of the Force.

I love reading the mushy stuff, but I can't write it. My twisted sense of humor always slips in. I tried it once. I wrote a sweet love story that resulted in Luke and Mara making love in Jade's apartment on a fur-skinned rug in front of the fireplace. Then we find out it was an Ewok-skin rug and Luke gets all freaked out. The L/M shippers were a bit irritated with me with that one.

Thanks Jacky. I wonder if Jadie from the MJSFC noticed I used her name for the Original Character in this fic. Yes, I did name the OC after her. I thought the name fit.

Thank you Gabri. The Plot twists are sort of my forte. I once wrote a serious fic and my friends kept wondering what horrible thing was going to happen. They said, when it never came, they were disappointed. Thanks for reading!!

Wow! I am honored to have the mighty McEwok reading my fic! I bet you didn't think you would see me again. I am glad you like the fic. It is not quite the theory suggested over at the Literature "Sex" thread, but I couldn't think of a plausible way to have Luke obtain and entire harem of Maras. Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I really appreciate it!

Thanks divapilot! Yeah, I think Farmboy caught mara off guard in this fic. She didn't see that one coming. I appreciate you stopping by and reading, divapilot!

I guess I should just be glad they finally got together. I think it wouldn't have been too bad if Mara turned him down in the profics and then Zahn wrote a proper courtship. But I guess that is why we have fanfics.

Thanks you everybody who stopped by and read my little viggie!!!

JL

 

Nice.

 

Now... when you going to write the rest of this?

That's right folks... she has a whole big'en of a plot bunny for this, and it rocks!

 

WOW! That Rocked!!!

I love it!!!!

I don't really know what to say... I think I'm still in shock!

I really would love to see more of this story line!!! Please?? I'll beg!

 

Thanks Mavjade, RedGold and ThePariah for reading. I really appreciate the feedback.

Come on RedGold, you know how much I hate writing. Do you remember what I told you after you talked me into expanding my viggie, The Auction, into a full blown fic. I will remind you, I said, "I will never, ever, write another long fic again!!!"

Now if you want to adopt this story and expand on it, you know you are free to have it.

JL

 

You and your thing with clones, Jedi_Lover.

A superbly twisted vignette! I wouldn't expect anything less.

 

Whoa, what a twist! Poor Luke! He can't have the original so he settles for a clone. But what about her personality? It's not something you can put in a flash-learning program. I want to know more about Jadie...

Btw, 'The auction' was great, I found it very funny. C'mon, this would be a perfect companion fic for 'Second to none' by a certain RedGold... It needs a sequel!

 

That was always the problem I had with the two of them getting together on Nirauan. Where was the romance?

The twist was great. It dawned on me what the Empire of the Hand could offer him right before I read it.

 

Hehe, you know I like this.

There's really not going to be any more?

Come'on...please?

 

Hoo, boy!



LOVE IT!

Great little fic, what a twist! You do like those odd plots, don't you?

 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...and ZANG!

She couldn?t deny that she was attracted to Luke and, in her own way, she probably did love him, but Mara was too pragmatic to let Force induced emotions sway her into making a lifelong commitment to the Jedi. Perhaps in time she could develop true romantic feelings for the Farmboy, but she would be damned if some Force epiphany was going to determine who her lifemate would be.

Definitely a different take. Had things gone a certain way, who knows? A reaction like that is one to be found in Mara's nature.

And Luke...warped! He even names the clone, "Jadie." That's really on the edge of creepy, Farmboy.

Fantastic work!

 

*falls over laughing*

Great job!

 

Thanks, Trace. I have done a lot with clones lately, haven't I? I just wish I can pawn this story off to RedGold also. It is so much easier making up the plot bunnies, than writing them. Thanks for reading!!

Who says it can't be put into a flash-learning program? Hmmm... Don't tell me what I can't do. I may just have to write more just to show you how I think it can be done.

Thanks, I owe a lot to RedGold. I would have never had finished it without her. Writing does not come easily to me. She really encouraged me to keep at it. And when I got stuck, she actually wrote some of the fic to get me back on track. She is the best beta a person could ask for!

Yes, this is sort of a variation on Second to None. They are very similar. I wonder why that is? I guess both of us have some sick fascination with clones.

I will think about continuing this story, if I can think of a proper plot and if RedGold promises to be my beta again. I would be lost without her input.

That is great to hear. I was afraid it would be too obvious what was going to happen. I am glad I had you fooled almost to the end. Thanks for reading.

Ack! Stop batting those eyes at me. I am seriously considering it. I have to talk to RedGold tomorrow about it. You know, throw some possible storylines past her. I will let you know.

Yeah, I think it came from the comic books I used to read as a kid. I loved the House of Secrets and House of Mystery. They were the precursors to Tales from the Crypt. They always had stories that had a creepy or weird twists at the end. I just loved those stories.

Thanks for stopping by ginchy!!

Thanks, I could see Luke doing this. After all, he hasn't had much luck with woman. The Empire of the Hand offered him something he wanted and he took it. But yes, it isn't something he would want the galaxy finding out.

Thanks Lank. It is amazing what plot bunnies you come up with when you hang around the Literature Forum's "Sex" thread.

I want to thank everybody for reading my little viggie. I am seriously considering writing more, but only if I can think of a plot that is interesting. I will let you know. Thanks again for your kind words! I really appreciate it!

JL

 

Surprisingly, a lot of people have asked me to write more to this fic. I am not sure if I can do a long story justice, but RedGold, my beta, has promised to help me... so I will try to continue this story. I want to thank everybody who read my initial viggie and had such kind words about the story.

So here is chapter two:

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Chapter 2
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Mara stared at Luke in shock. For a moment her mind went numb, the blaster and flimsiplasts she had been clutching so tenaciously to moments before slipping from her grasp, landing with a muffled thud on the carpeted floor.

When full comprehension of his confession hit her she felt a deep, black anger envelop and swirl through her very soul. A powerful surge of the Force rolled up her legs, torso and finally extended out, as her fist seemed to move of its own volition and found its way to the side of Luke?s jaw. Luke went down hard and Mara moved forward to strike him again, but somebody grabbed her around the neck and pulled her backwards.

In her rage she had completely forgotten about Jadie. No, she corrected herself, she didn?t actually forget the woman, just completely dismissed her as a possible threat being that she was ready to drop a baby any day now. Mara soon realized her mistake.

Normally she would have easily removed herself from the headlock with a spinning elbow to the face or gut, maybe even a shoulder throw, but even Mara couldn?t bring herself to strike a pregnant woman. Instead she opted for a less lethal escape. Grabbing one of Jadie?s fingers she bent it backwards, hard, not enough to break the digit, but with enough force to encourage her to loosen her grip. Once out of Jadie?s surprisingly strong headlock Mara followed up with a painful heel scrap down her shinbone. This elicited a cry followed by a few choice epithets from the woman.

?At least Skywalker didn?t special order a meek and submissive bride,? Mara thought as she rubbed her sore neck from the impressively strong hold, surprised at her growing sense of pride in her clone. But before they could resume their fisticuffs she heard the discharge of a blaster and then everything went black.

Lowering the weapon, Luke sighed. He didn?t want to have to stun his friend, but he also didn?t want his pregnant wife to be harmed either.

Coming to a decision, he turned to his wife, ?Jadie, please go lay down. I will take care of this.?

?Not until you tell me what is going on Jediboy,? the clone glared at Luke as she clutched her abdomen, the sheet she had worn earlier having fallen away during the tussle leaving her wearing only an undershirt and panties. ?Who is this woman??

?I told you,? Luke said softly, ?She is the original that you were made from.?

Her eyes went wide. ?Mara Jade? The Mara Jade? How is that possible Luke? She has to be long dead!?

Luke?s shoulders slumped. ?Jadie, the Empire of the Hand and I haven?t been totally forthright with you. I promise you, I will explain everything in the morning but first I have to take care of this problem. When she wakes up she will be madder than before, if that is possible.?

Crossing her arms in front of her chest Jadie scowled at her husband. It was during times like these, when she was furious with him, that she reminded him so much of Mara. Laying the blaster down on the desk he drew his wife into an embrace.

?Please, Jadie,? he pleaded. ?You know the doctor told you to take it easy these last few weeks of the pregnancy. I am pretty sure he would not approve of you fighting a former Imperial Assassin.?

He gave her a pleading look that always seemed to melt her resolve. ?Damn it Skywalker, you better fill me in on all the details tomorrow, or you are going to have two irate women after your hide.?

Luke smiled at his bride, ?Believe me, Jadie, that is the last thing in the world I would ever want.?

After he helped his wife back to bed he returned to scooped up Mara Jade, carrying her out of his suite and down

 

Yet another great post. This is just getting better and better!


Especially the ending!


Very good job JediLover, and I hope more an more comes forth for this story!