Beyond - Legends It Started With a Kiss {L/M - short story - Humor, Romance} COMPLETE with Epilogue on 1/24/08!!!

Here's more:

Part Seven: A Surprisingly Enjoyable Surprise

She should have been suspicious when Luke said he was taking her out. She should have been even more suspicious when he asked her to dress nicely. The suspicion did hit full force when they pulled up in front of the large Coruscanti Public Functions Center. The suspicion tripled when she saw the few hundred landspeeders parked out front.
Not all of them could have been there for the Retro Reunion.

Her suspicions were confirmed and confounded when she and Luke entered the large main gathering hall. They entered in the middle of some grand occasion.
There were people from all over the galaxy gathered, and to her growing horror she realized that she recognized many of them.

Oh no they didn't . . .

They came in the back unrealized and unnoticed, to see Leia at the front of the crowd. Behind her was a rather large buffet table that Mara most certainly did not want to sample and an even larger table piled with wrapped boxes.

Gifts?

Across the crowd Leia caught her eye and smiled. ?So, congratulations Luke and Mara Skywalker.?

The crowd broke out into noisy cheers and then Mara looked up to see the rather large banner flapping above the crowd.

?Congratulations future Parents!?

Mara whipped around to glare at her husband, ignoring the people chortling Congratulations around them. ?You knew about this?? She fairly growled.

?Of course.? Luke said, smiling as he clapped too. ?Who else could keep you at bay.?

Mara eyed the people closing in around them. She couldn't cause a scene here and Luke knew it. ?What?? Luke asked innocently, his eyes twinkling, ?I thought you'd like a surprise party.?

?You know I hate surprises.?

Luke shrugged, and Mara mumbled, ?Son of a Sith.?

Her voice was too low for anyone else to catch it, but being a Jedi, Luke heard it clearly. He smiled but said nothing more as he turned to greet some of
the approaching people.

She really couldn't stay mad at him for too long. True, she disliked big gatherings, but she was fairly used to them. They were constantly in the public eye ? and rarely in a good way, too. Gossip hounds thrived on anything they could get, and she was constantly hearing of inaccurate rumors.

She was now heavily pregnant ? well into her third trimester. She was now viewed as a walking time bomb ? by everyone. Even poor Luke. She was at the point where she was ready to get the baby out and over with. She was sick and tired of being an invalid, sick and tired of keeping careful track of the nearest bathrooms, and she was sick and tired of eating everything. Cheewie was ready to take over his role of dinner pig too, she could read it in his eyes.

She eyed the buffet table longingly, and told herself 'soon'.

Even through all of the rather . . . . uncomfortable aspects of being pregnant, she had to admit that she was enjoying it. It was relaxing. For once she wasn't up at the break of dawn running. Her and Luke actually spent the last few months together rather than finding halfway points between duty and missions. She loved spending time with him, and found that she'd miss the convenient excuse of a child.

Then there was the whole thing of actually going back to work. She was sure that her danger sense was off by at least a minute ? a fatal thing in her business ? and it was going to take forever to get back into shape again. She sighed, she really didn't want to think that far ahead.

Then again, who said that she was going back to work after the child was born. She most certainly wasn't going to leave the care of her child to nanny droids and babysitters. Oh no. She was raising her kid. There were to many tyrants in the Solo-Skywalker clan to do anything else.

She found herself clasping her hands over her stomach rather protectively as she thought of the future. ?I will not let you fail.? She whispered rather fiercely. ?I will not fail you.?

She felt Luke's presence at the back of her mind, and smiled thankfully.

She was thoughtful

 

Howdy guys! Yep, it has been way too long. But, I am working on an update now . . . which means that you only have to wait a little longer. Wow, only three posts and the story is done. I can't tell you how much fun this story is to write.

For now I give you replies:

SWpants666 : but it's a fun party for the baby!
I think it's nice.

It is very nice. Mara's just a spoil sport.

That's so great of them. Aww, that makes me happy!



I loved the others sharing horror stories of their kids with Mara. Ah, it's too late to back out now, Mara. hahaha that's great though.

Yep, too late, but it is great.
I'm glad that you're still enjoying!

RedGold : i'm surprised everyone is still standing!
Me too.

Irish_Jedi_Jade : Wow, I loved it MJ!!!! Hahaha...I never saw that coming either....poor mara, but so glad she opened up and decided to enjoy it! But OOohhh goodness, Shada's story...and Aves haircut...ROFL!!!!! WOW! Oh gosh girl, I love this, you know I do!! Thanks for the PM, and I can't wait for more!! I wish to cupcakes and noodles that someone with brains like YOU had written Mara's pregnancy....even if it HAD to be during the war, you would've done a lot better job!!! And I cant wait to see what name we get!!!!

LOL! Your enthusiasm is nothing short of inspiring, and so sorely appreciated. Thank-you! And yes, I really do wish that MAra's pregnancy would have went something like this - this beats near death by a lot!

walker_of_minds : wow that's a shower loved the playfulnes of this scene.
They all need moments like this.
Thanks for reading!

Jade_eyes : Shada's story was hiliarious.

I tried - glad it wasn't too over the top.

Mara's maternal concern and protectiveness are sweet, and her thinking about the future.... lovely.

Thanks!

I seriously hold this fic to be the-way-it-is, period.

You've said that before yet it is as flattering now as it is then. Luke and Mara deserve something like this - which is probiably what inspired me to write this.

PHGS_Weyr : Thanks! The PM was no problem.

KELIA : I'm impressed Luke was able to keep the shower a secret from Mara.

I guess pregnant Mara is a little off - that's the only excuse I can think of.

I'm a little surprised everyone risked her wrath by buying so much blue, though

Brave souls these are.

Great update

Thanks!

J_M_Bulldog : Hehe, that was very sweet of everyone. I think they caught Mara in a mellow mood, otherwise someone'd(*cough Luke cough*) gotten hurt

Yeah - hormones are a very fickle thing - thankfully they've swung in the author's favor this time.

Beings that find kidnapping kids is a great way to make money or push someone to do something have no honor in my mind.

I can't tell you how much I agree with you.

Great post. Can't wait to see what happens next.

More coming soon!

Master_M_Sky : Oh man, all that talk about failed kidnapping attempts was quite sad.

Me too.

Very good post, though. Pregnant Mara is hilarious. And Luke is ridiculously adorable. I've probably said that about 32789437294617912398098 times, though.

That many? Thanks!

mara_jade_rox : Leia knew even then.

LOL! I guess she did.

I loved it all!

Thanks!

ginchy : This is another story that just makes me happy. I adore any story where not only L/M, but the Skywalker family appears to actually have more than 5 minutes of happiness. Excellent update!

Thanks - and they really do deserve some happiness. A whole lot more than profic is willing to alot them anyway.

Arwen_Djo : Yeah, it'll take a while to rehone this assassin. It's nice to see eve

 

Howdy y'all, this is Mira with an update straight from Austin Texas. Technically I'm on vacation, but I stayed up to the wee hours of the morning to finally update this thing.

So . . . enjoy. There's just one more part after this and then maybe an epilogue - it all depends on the muse. Although you guys have been waiting for so long that I think that you deserve one.

Anyway, without further adieu . . . .

Part Eight
Countdown


Wow. Eight and a half months.

I never thought that I would make it this far . . . ever.

Did you?

Well, it?s been a virtual roller coaster ride, let me tell you that. I had always thought that the horror stories that some women told were just that ?stories. A warped way of mothers enforcing abstinence on their belligerent daughters or the older population reveling in having gone through something the younger population could never possibly understand. Well, I?ve faced down deranged Sith, insane Jedi, sane Jedi and a Rancor like ambassador from Mirulan during a rather bad time of the month. This should have been easy.

Yet, every ache and pain that had been described to me was not exaggerated. Nor was the constant dashing for freshers and fridges.

All in all, I can?t complain.

After all, the force has blessed me with this little gift. I would take the aches and pains a thousand times over just to experience the simple joy of carrying a child. You?d have to be a mother to understand the sheer pleasure of feeling your child kick, or feeling a second heartbeat underneath the palm of your hands. That and there is a way that Luke?s eyes light up when he feels it too . . .

Yikes, I?m getting teary.

Well, blessing or curse, I must say that I?m ready to get Junior ? or whatever farfetched name Luke finally makes me cave in to, to join the rest of us. One, I want my old wardrobe back. I want my eating schedule back; I want my fridge to actually stay full. That and I want the bed to stop leaning towards me every time I get up and down. It really is embarrassing and Luke has taken to making stomping noises every time I walk anywhere.

Trust me; it?s not the hormones when I threaten to kill him.

Now I?m just wondering when. Nine months is coming up awfully fast, and I?m held in thrall between dread and anticipation.

Oh well. All I know is that I am Mara Jade Skywalker.

And I can handle anything.

OoO

?Soooo, you?re going to have the baby soon??

?Yes.?

?How soon??

?Well, anytime now.?

?Stop annoying Aunt Mara, Anakin.?

?I?m not annoying her, Bantha-breath!?

?Wanna bet?? Came Jacen?s affronted cry.

Mara forced a smile.

Anakin turned towards her, a scowl on his small face. ?Aunt Mara, am I annoying you??

?No, sweetie.?

Anakin smirked and then turned back to his older brother. ?Seeee, Mr. Know-it-all? I?m not annoying her.?

Jaina sighed from Mara?s side, rolling her liquid eyes at her brothers? antics. ?Boys.? She said in disgust. She turned to her Aunt, ignoring her brothers.?So, when will the baby come??

Mara shrugged. ?Any day now, it?s all up to the baby.?

?Ah,? Jaina said, a small hand tapped her chin in thought. ?I hope it?s soon. I can?t wait to have a cousin. Finally I?ll have a girl to stand up to the boys with.? She grinned.

?How do you know it?s going to be a girl?? Mara asked with an amused smile on her lips.

Jaina shrugged. ?She feels like a girl. When mom was pregnant with Anakin, it felt like she was pregnant with a boy. With you it feels like a girl.?

Mara looked at the child in curiosity. Then a large grin split Jaina?s face. ?Besides. I need someone to help me keep the boys in line.? She looked over to where Jacen and Anakin were now wrestling, and only got to her feet when they came close to toppling a rather expensive Nubian vase.

?Will you two nerfs cut it out?!? She exclaimed, shoving Jacen off of the smaller kid.

?Remember what happened the last time you guys broke the vase??

Jacen looked sullen. ?It wasn?t our fault that the lightsaber was broke