Beyond - Legends Shadows of Maybe - {A Dark L/M AU} COMPLETED

TITLE: "Shadows of Maybe" (hate this title, it's going to change )

SUMMARY: In a world where the Dark Side triumphed years before, the man who would have been Luke Skywalker catches up to the woman who would have been Mara Jade . . .

AUTHOR'S NOTE(S): I get to blame this, at least partially, on oba: I was skimming her bios and, 'lo and behold, came upon "Of Endings". Read it, if you haven't already; it makes you think about what might have been. I tweaked the universe we know and love a bit, and this was the end result. No happy ending here.

This is also my first story in the "Beyond the Saga" category. That makes me very happy. Two to three posts tops, I promise; it occurred to me that posting a ten to fifteen page story all at once was a bit much, and I just want to post something before this weekend, because I'll be away for a good deal of Friday and Saturday. I'll have the next part up by next week.

Once again, you can see the parts I start rushing at so I can do homework. Ah well, I'll fix them later ...

Feedback is adored, cherished, ingested, and turned into happyfic. (Yes, I know that's bribery. Whatever works.)

= = = = =

"You're getting better at that."

Though the man -- if he can be called that, Mara reminded herself darkly -- did not say it loudly, his mocking taunt reverberated through the empty hall, echoing and rebounding upon itself a dozen times before the hall was reclaimed by silence once more. Although she could not risk being seen, she did not need to peek to know what he was doing; she could picture him there, at the entrance, scanning the area with a professional air before taking his first steps into the deserted room.

If the hall had been peopled before, the years had taken their toll on what must once have been a beautiful place. Hints of a time long gone littered the floor, and grime and dirt lingered upon what artifacts had been left behind by its inhabitants. The once-sapphire carpets had faded to a dull gray-blue, the once-shining details of its construction long rusted and deadened by time. The once-great architecture, the once-proud columns and pillars, sagged; she considered it a miracle they were standing at all.

Stars -- she was going to die in the Temple. Maybe the universe had a sense of humor after all.

"Better," he continued more softly as he casually surveyed the room, "but not nearly good enough." She could picture the grim smile that crossed his face as he strode into the center of the hall. Strange, that such a blessed place would be profaned by his repulsive presence. "I know you're in here, Jade. Come out and face me."

She suppressed the shudder she felt at his words, the shudder she always felt when he spoke. Despite herself, she found that her heart was pounding faster now, and she could not hold back a shiver as she crouched lower behind the upended table that served as her hiding place. His presence was enough -- had always been enough -- to make her body betray her; whether it was from fear or something else she had long ago given up on guessing.

Because he was the Dark Lord of the Sith, and he was the most perfect man the Force had ever crafted. Aristocratic features, a chiseled profile that would put the most celebrated sculpture to shame. Short blond hair cut and trimmed and styled to Imperial perfection. Black robes enveloping a slight but powerful frame, capable arms that could wield a lightsaber or snap a neck with equal and frightening ease.

It wasn't fair, that a demon could be so captivating.

But what had always fascinated her -- despite her struggles, despite her protests, despite knowing better -- had been his eyes. Cold and frigid, they were the color of the ice she had so rarely seen on Tatooine; they were a blue beyond that, even, vivid and pure enough to make the ice seem dull and washed out. But they fit him so becomingly that she had no cause to object -- they were perfec

 

Whoa.

Absolutely awesome.

 

Elli, I'm going to kill you. You turned Luke to the dark AND you killed Biggs! Unforgivable! WAHHH! *sobs*

 

Jaw is dropped onto the ground.

It was beautifully written, but so cruel, Elli! You turned the entire story inside out! To have Luke take up his dark inheritance! To have him kill Ben in such a sadistic fashion and to threaten a good Mara Jade....WAAHH!

...wonders if Gabri will pass out when she reads this...

Great job, Elli!

 

My Luke is EVIL. Ahhhgrh.

Well written though. And quite the cliffie.

 

All right! A dark Luke fic! I love dark Luke! More please!

~*Mariana*~

 

I inspired this?

Don't murder me, people.

But that was fantastic, Elli! AND YOU FINALLY WROTE MARA!

 

Pass out, Jieh? Nope. A good Dark Luke fic is a thing of beauty.

'Tis lovely, Elli, and I'm so glad to see you writing Luke and Mara, even if you are twisting them this way. I've wanted to see some L/M from you ever since Comes the Night.

It wasn't fair, that a demon could be so captivating.

Ooh, powerful line, darling.

Though she had learned how to block him out, mostly, the link had always been more to his benefit than hers; he seemed able to feel things from her, no matter how much she reinforced her shields, but she never sensed anything from him.

Would I want to?

The last line really makes this passage, Elli. It would have been good enough on its own, but 'Would I want to?' really adds depth and emotion to it. Nicely done.

"How's your son?" The question was asked almost casually, a companionable inquiry between friends.

*bounces* That's so perfectly evil of him! I always did prefer Vader's (Anakin/Vader ) style to Maul's. Maul just kind of hurled himself into the fray in a frenzy; Vader had finesse. Such casual, thinly veiled power. This writing echoes that style perfectly. And I love the title, dearest. It's beautiful.

 

Ooooh, that was fun!

I love stories like these, where one little twist or alteration sends the whole thing spinning out of control, into something very different and totally unexpected.

Gah, your Luke gives me the creeps

*crosses fingers for Mara*

::Windstar Out::

 

Hey VI, wonderful Dark Luke fic. Oh yeah, feel free to post in Lord Skywalker, you are part of it if I remember correctly.

 

It really is lovely, Elli-dear. Sorry if I came off harsh. Very well done.

It wasn't fair, that a demon could be so captivating.

My favorite line. Beautiful, beautiful. I can't wait to see what you do with this. And...didn't you say that feedback gets turned into happy!fic? *grins*

*hugs* Good job, darling. It's a great story and I can't wait for more.

 

I just got back from a sleepover; I'm tired, my hair is still blue, and I haven't eaten anything vaguely healthy for at least 24 hours. Yet I'm here, looking at replies ... *grins cheekily* I love being a fanficker ...

ThePariah - Thank you.

Emmi - You know, hon, at least part of the reason I posted it was that I thought you were grounded and wouldn't be able to chase after me for a while. I actually thought that part out. *hides from Emmi*

LP - *is evil* I like writing Luke dark; it's an unhealthy obsession of mine, I believe. And the SW universe has so much going on in it that one little thing does turn everything inside out ... which is so fun; I love it! Thanks, LP!

RM - *hands a Lukie-shaped cake* He's still a doll, though, and that's what counts. [face_innocent] Thanks, RM; I've gotten the end of the fic written, so all I have to do is the duel ... *hates duels ...*

oba - *laughs!* I did, didn't I? Thanks, babe; I don't think they'll murder you, somehow ... most handmaidens know that my mind works in strange ways.

Gabri - Thanks, Gabri. I've always had an impossible number of L/M bunnies floating somewhere in my head ... I usually just don't give in to them.

Maul's badness annoyed me; Lord Vader's evil has just always been more poignant, you know? The difference being a campy sort of evil and the real thing ... it's a matter of style. And if Luke had gone evil without the angst-o-meter being so high, I'd have pictured him as the real thing rather than cheap imitation.

The original title was something along the lines of "Loving the Demon", but it didn't say what I wanted. *sighs in frustration* I'll think of something eventually ...

Thank you!

Bri - *cheeky grin* Thanks; twisting the universe is fun, because you can change just one thing and everything else will be completely screwed up. I just watched Donnie Darko at the sleepover, so the whole "tangent universe" thing is going to be an obsession for a while ...

Uncross your fingers, hon; you'll just get 'em tired for no reason. It's not a pleasant ending, promise.

Mistryl - Thanks, I'll do that.

Emmi - No worries, hon; and aye, feedback turns into happyfic. I promised myself I'd have something cute and humorous written in time for April Fool's Day.

Thanks, guys!

 

*waves hand*

You will give in to the L/M plot bunnies. L/M bunnies are good . . .

You are SO right about Vader and Luke, Elli-dear. And I adore your Dark Luke writing.

 

[H]e was the Dark Lord of the Sith, and he was the most perfect man the Force had ever crafted. Aristocratic features, a chiseled profile that would put the most celebrated sculpture to shame. Short blond hair cut and trimmed and styled to Imperial perfection. Black robes enveloping a slight but powerful frame, capable arms that could wield a lightsaber or snap a neck with equal and frightening ease.

I Dark Luke in fan fic. And yours is so ...

It wasn't fair, that a demon could be so captivating.

I'm not complaining!

 

Well, no wonder they say what tastes so good is bad for you...

 

Gabri - *laughs* Babe, would it help to know that most of my L/M bunnies are evil, too? The current one I'm thinking about obliging features an evil Mara with Luke as her captive.

leia_naberrie - *has a thing for bad boys* Aren't they always the most delicious, though? *points up* It took me three edits before I could settle on the word "captivating" for that sentence. No, I'm not obsessive . . .

ThePariah - Well . . . Dark Luke is like dark chocolate -- no matter how bad it is for you, you can never get enough.



*bounces up and down* I wrote an action scene! I wrote an action scene! *is being deliriously happy* . . .

*ahem* Anyway, this is the middle section; it doesn't explain much, but, hopefully, the last part -- which I'm almost done with -- will bring a satisfying conclusion.

Right now, all I'm really debating for the ending is whether I should kill only one of them or both . . .

= = = = =

Before she knew what was happening, he had whirled around to face her, whipped out his saber, and caught her blow on his own scarlet blade. Damn him to the deepest of the nine Sith hells . . . he knew where I was all along . . .

"Mara Jade-Darklighter," he greeted her, a feral predator's grin gracing his perfect features even as he strained against her emerald blade. "So . . . nice to finally meet you face-to-face."

"Luke Skywalker," she grunted, shifting her stance to accommodate his strength. He was strong, a lot stronger than he looked and a lot stronger than she was; chances were, after defeating a galaxy worth of Jedi, that he was the better fighter as well. "Same to you."

Silently, she cursed herself and her all-too-excitable temper; it was folly, stupidity, to even try to fight the Sith warrior when all the Jedi training she had managed to garner came from the books she had found in Kenobi's hut. She hadn't even built her own lightsaber; she found this green one under a pile of old clothing, junk that Kenobi had accumulated during his life and travels. It wasn't an extraordinary weapon -- it looked like something from at least a decade before the Clone Wars -- but it had served her purpose for all the years she'd been fleeing to escape this moment.

The grin was gone now, replaced by a snarl of fury. "There is no Luke Skywalker," he growled, eyes shining with rage. "And there hasn't been for a very long time."

He pushed her back suddenly, and she fell to the floor in an embarrassing heap. He stalked closer as she scrambled back to her feet, careful to keep her green blade between herself and the Sith Lord. She was going to die here, but she wasn't going to give in without taking a few of his limbs with her.

They circled, two warriors caught once more in the deadly dance that dictated their lives. His smirk was back, and she silently cursed him for it -- this was his element, the battle, the dance. This was how he had killed his first Jedi at the tender age of eighteen and how he had killed Kenobi only a few short years before, ending the Purge. This was how he had killed Leia Organa Solo, first of the new Jedi order, and Kyp Durron, the last ... and, dammit, this was probably how he was going to end up killing her, too.

He lunged forward, attacking her with a flurry of shots that she barely managed to block. His movements were quick, fleeting, but powerful nonetheless; it was frightening to know that this was only the beginning. He was testing her, she knew; she also knew how pathetic her skills were.

His smirk widened into a grin. "I didn't killing think the last of you would be this easy," he noted, before surging forward yet again.

He thrust and blocked and parried with a strength and speed she would have thought impossible; it was all she could do to keep from getting skewered, much less keep up with his blows. She stumbled backwards, swinging her lightsaber almost haphazardly, hoping against hope that she could find a way out of th

 

Elli, are you sure you're only going to do ONE more post? This just begs for an extended story!!!

First off--YOU KILLED LEIA!

* thwacks young'un *

Secondly--The UST is simply delicious. The fact that Mara finds herself falling under the spell of a Dark Luke and trying to fight the attraction just brings shivers up and down my spine.

Thirdly--WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BABY?

Fourthly - Great post!

Sends cyber cookies

 

Excellent job. Evil Luke *shiver* has no light anywhere - he never did. I hope that Mara can kill him (Yes, I really said that.)

 

Oh, this is awesome! I never read "Dark" fics, but this is excellent. I love the twisted premise of this and the interaction between Luke and Mara is so fun, in an evil kinda way. I look forward to the last part.

 

His smile could have lit the dark side of Endor . . . gods, it wasn't right that such a smile should belong on this face, of all faces . . .

*shudders* Great job, Elli.

 

Wow! Great chapter. I love this fic. I agree with LP...you should extend this fic, it's so good that I'll be sorry to see it end. I love your dark Luke and I'm hoping he breaks Mara's resolve and she joins him.

 

RM? Did you just say what I think you said?!?!?!

 

Babe, would it help to know that most of my L/M bunnies are evil, too? The current one I'm thinking about obliging features an evil Mara with Luke as her captive.

Help what? Help convince me to pester you some more? Sweetie, I've said it before and I'll say it again: good Dark Luke fics are few and far between, and a good Dark Mara fic - interestingly enough - seems to be even more rare. Have them fall in love, duel to the death, hold each other captive until Vader or Palpatine can kill one or both - somehow I don't think I'll mind. Comes the Night didn't scare me off, did it?

The grin was gone now, replaced by a snarl of fury. "There is no Luke Skywalker," he growled, eyes shining with rage. "And there hasn't been for a very long time."

Oooh! Evil Luke!

A dark cloud wafted around him, faintly at first but gaining in intensity with each angry blow. She imagined -- or perhaps she didn't -- the traces of blue energy that lanced through at infrequent intervals; they reminded her of lightning.

Wonderfully descriptive, dear!

"Go to hell!" she snapped, looking around desperately for escape. This can't be the end, this can't be the end . . . why can't the good guys win just once?

Because Elli's writing it, Mara, because Elli's writing it.

"Oh well. Just thought it'd be polite to offer," he quipped. He brought up his hand, fingers splayed, and she slammed into the wall with agonizing force.


How perfectly dark, Elli-darling. Kudos for writing such a marvelous action scene!

And as usual, I agree with my evil twin on all counts.

 

Man, this is really AU! And Dark Luke is creepy. *shivers*

~*Mariana*~

 

This really gave me the creeps, in a good way. Okay, in a totally impressed way. WOW! Some superb writing, really made the reader feel that Luke is, was, and always has been a Sith. My Luke? My baby blue eyed Luke? Doesn't seem possible, but this makes it true. I have to go cry now...