Beyond - Legends A Fine Line - Mara and Leia - Union era vignette

Title: A Fine Line
Author: VaderLVR64
Characters: Mara and Leia
Timeframe: Union
Summary: On the eve of her wedding, Mara needs a little peace and quiet - she?s not likely to get either.
Notes: This was inspired by the SJRS April challenge, but is not really a response for that challenge since it doesn?t follow the guidelines. And thanks to JediTrace for her help.


?The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have.? - Ring Lardner


A Fine Line



?Decided to get away from all the noise, huh?? Leia asked softly as she walked out onto the balcony and came to a halt beside Mara. Even as the door closed, Mara could hear the sounds of the party that was quickly getting out of hand.

Glancing over at her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Mara mused that she had gone from someone with no ties at all, to a woman with numerous and public ties. She still was not sure how that had happened. Farmboys? she thought to herself. They?ll catch you off guard every damned time?

?Something like that,? Mara murmured, giving a shrug. ?I?m used to more?space,? she added uneasily. ?Get a group of women together like that and?? She flashed a grin at Leia, shaking her head. ?Well you get the holo.?

Leia chuckled and nodded. ?Oh yes, I do,? she agreed. ?Add some liquor, excitement about a wedding, a good case of the giggles and-?

?And I?ve learned far more than I ever wanted to about the men in their lives,? Mara groaned. ?Seriously, do women really share that stuff on a regular basis??

?Sometimes,? Leia replied with a laugh. Then she shrugged. ?It just depends on how much we?ve had to drink and what we think our partners might be saying about us to their friends.?

Mara gave a small shudder. ?Well, I can?t take much more sharing,? she said dryly. She grimaced and closed her eyes. ?I don?t think I?ll ever be able to face some of those guys again.?

?It?s all meant in good fun,? Leia said softly, leaning on the railing and staring out over the endless landscape of buildings. ?We all need to blow off a little steam every now and then, and I guess when it?s just people we know well and who sort of understand what our lives are like, we get a little?giddy? and we let go because it?s safe.?

?Giddy?? Mara asked in disbelief. ?I think they passed giddy about an hour ago and were heading straight toward insanity.?

Leia shrugged once more. ?You?ll get more comfortable with it as time goes on.?

Mara snorted indelicately. ?I don?t think so, thanks very much.?

For a moment, an awkward silence hung between the two women then Leia turned and met Mara?s eyes. ?They like you, you know,? she said rather unexpectedly.

?What?? Mara flinched away from Leia?s sharp gaze. ?What makes you-??

?I?ve been there,? Leia answered softly. ?Wondering if I?m being accepted for who I am or what I am.?

?What?s that got to do with me?? Mara challenged.

?Only everything,? Leia replied. ?You wonder if they?re accepting of you just because Luke is going to marry you.? She smiled. ?But they really do like you just because you?re Mara Jade. They got to know you because of Luke, but that wasn?t enough to make them like you, or respect you. You got that all on your own.?

?The thought never crossed my mind,? Mara protested.

?You?re not a very good liar for a former assassin,? Leia mocked.

?You?re not very diplomatic for a politician,? Mara countered with a smirk. ?So I guess that makes us even.?

Leia shook her head. ?No, what that makes us is family.?

The words that Mara had been about to speak got stuck in her throat. Family. It was an emotionally charged word for her, one that came with mysterious baggage and, in her weaker moments, a tiny ray of hope. ?I guess we are,? Mara finally said, turning away from Leia?s much too observant gaze. Unobtrusively, Mara blinked away the tears that threatened.

?I never thought that Luke would get married, you know,? Leia continued. ?Aft

 

Beautiful. The Leia/Mara bonding was wonderfully written. And I loved the bit about Han "gently reminding" Leia of what it's like to have a past you're not so proud of. Really great!

 

Beautiful beautiful beautiful beautiful MamaV!!!!!!! What a wonderful wonderful moment....but the ending with had was breathtaking...I teared up!

Thank you!
Irish

 

That was a great sisterly chat between the 'girls'. Mara might owe Han a tiny bit for pointing out certain facts to the Princess!

 

aww! perfect interaction! Brilliant

Dana

 

oh that was really sweet! i loved it!

 

Very nice exchange between Leia & Mara! Thanks for the smile and warm feeling I got with this little vignette!

 

Leia and Mara bonding... awwwww... well done.


Good story.

 

Very beautifully done.

 

As others have said, perfect bonding between the two future sisters-in-law.

But I found something at the end that was truly profound.

Mara could hardly breathe past the lump in her throat. A wild, unexpected part of her wanted to hug Leia, maybe even to weep on her shoulder. Instead, Mara shoved her hands in her pockets and nodded. ?Thanks,? she said quietly. ?Thanks for that.?

This passage demonstrates the fact that Mara still has to learn to open up, if she ever will fully. She is in such denial with her feelings that she forces herself to ignore affection even with Leia. It is a mark of a true assassin, who would have been taught to block all emotions to be effective. It's a small detail that I caught which Luke may have his work cut out for him to correct in his fiance.

Once again, the small details in your work are designed to be obscure. A tall tale sign of a great writer.

*bows to the Master VaderLVR64 *

Just a side note...how is it that we fans know these characters better than the profic authors who actually get paid to write them OOC???????

 

Oh, lovely, amazing, so... on target and so honest. I can so see Mara being kinda overwhelmed by the whole gals unloading thing Leia's calm, up front wise manner was just right. Mara's wit and vulnerability are perfect. and SQUGGLES!!!!

 

This is wonderful! There isn't enough interaction between Leia and Mara in the EU - thanks for adding to it

 

Very cool.
I like seeing these two together.

 

Loved it, loved it, loved it!!! A candid and completely believable snapshot of Leia and Mara.


?You?re not a very good liar for a former assassin,? Leia mocked.

?You?re not very diplomatic for a politician,? Mara countered with a smirk.



Perfect!

 

?You?re not a very good liar for a former assassin,? Leia mocked.

?You?re not very diplomatic for a politician,? Mara countered with a smirk. ?So I guess that makes us even.?

Leia shook her head. ?No, what that makes us is family.?



Love the Mara/Leia bonding. I've always imagined there relationship to be pretty complex, but we never get much of it from profic. Great job fleshing some stuff out! And both ladies are very in character, just like we love 'em. Great job!

 

That was wonderful

Trust Leia to know exactly what to say to put Mara at ease.

Mara wondered if she looked like that when she thought of Luke

Probably. It happens to all of us

Great job on this

 

I absolutely love it!!

I think I've been to that party, with the drinking and the sharing, the insanity, not being able to look my guy friends in the eye for a few days! Yep I've been there... good times!
I really loved the line about how they passed giddy a long time ago!


Suddenly, she had an overwhelming desire to feel her blaster at her hip, but Luke had insisted it was not proper attire for a night out with the girls. Obviously, he had never seen them party,
LOL! That just really cracked me up!!

And then the part about forgetting the past... so beautiful!

This was just a perfect! Wonderful job, mommaV!

 

?Giddy?? Mara asked in disbelief. ?I think they passed giddy about an hour ago and were heading straight toward insanity.?

Leia shrugged once more. ?You?ll get more comfortable with it as time goes on.?

Mara snorted indelicately. ?I don?t think so, thanks very much.?

I feel Mara's pain. I'm never comfortable at those girly gatherings, either. Women are strange creatures.

Mara and Leia's relationship was definitely not given much screentime in the EU. It's always nice to see them spend some time together like this.