Beyond - Legends Yours Forever - (L/M)

This was originally written for the Love Letter challenge, but I thought I'd post it out here to see what people thought of it

Thanks for the love from the Skywalker-Jade Revival Society! I've unlocked this thread hoping for any and all new/old comments! Please enjoy!

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Title: Yours Forever

Characters: Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Ben Skywalker

Timeframe: A couple years after "The Unifying Force"

Rating: G

Summary: Luke leaves Mara a very special note?

Author's Notes: I was never very good at writing Luke and Mara in character, which resulted in me writing a lot of J/J and J/K fics. But I felt that those might be a little outdone at this contest, so I went back to L/M, my all time favorite couple. I'm terribly sorry if I get the characterization off, but I was trying to show the more intimate side of Luke and Mara's relationship. Often in the books their romance is very sparse. But there has got to be a spark in there somewhere, and I tried to show it here.

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As slow as possible, Luke finally pulled back and stared hard into the green-jade eyes of his wife. He saw a small tear in the crook of her eye and he had a feeling that she had been trying to hold that one little tear back all week. Their kiss must have triggered something. It wasn't often that even Luke saw Mara Jade Skywalker cry, but every time it did, it broke his heart.

"You don't have to do this," Mara said forcefully, her eyes never leaving his. "You've done enough for them already."

Luke tried to smile, but considering the circumstances, that would be a good way to get Mara angry. Instead, he lifted his hand, caressing her cheek and wiping the one tear away. He noticed that no more had fallen.

That's my Mara, strong to the end.

"You know the answer to that, Mara. We've been over this."

Her bottom lip twitched just slightly, one of those things that only Luke could see, and her eyes dropped to the ground.

Another bout of pain tightened across Luke's chest. The answer had been so simple when they had called him for this mission. But as the minutes ticked down, both he and Mara felt a growing amount of apprehension, but both knew that it was Luke's duty to go. Neither of them were very young anymore, but Luke was still the ranking Jedi in the galexy and the best man for the job.

He slid his hand down the side of Mara's face and gently lifted her chin up so that she was looking at him again.

"It'll be alright, Mar," he whispered, in the most comforting voice he could find at the moment.

She studied his eye for a moment before replying. "How do you know?"

Luke leaned forwards and kissed her forehead. Leaving his lips close to her head and resting his cheek on her hair, he inhaled her scent, trying to capture it in his memory. Six weeks was a long time to be away from each other.

"Because I love you?"

He felt her relax a bit, but only a bit. He also felt her protective instinct kick in.

"You know I'd kill you if you died on me?"

Luke managed a smile this time and pulled back a bit so they could look at each other again. He saw that she still had not shed another tear, but that was expected. After all, this was Mara Jade. But tears were not needed for her to convey her fear. Her eyes were filled with it, and through their bond, he felt her silently wishing he would stay.

"Then I don't have anything to worry about."

The Jedi Master leaned forward for the last time, capturing his wife's lips in a kiss. This one lasted much longer than the last, and it had much more meaning behind it.

This time as he pulled back, Luke turned around right away, trying to make the parting quicker. He took a step towards the door and keyed it open. Just before stepping out, he turned back around and saw that Mara was still rooted to the spot.

"I love you," he said softly, and without waiting for more, he stepped out the door and heard it hiss shut behind him. As he stepped away, he heard her silently call through

 

This was a lovely piece, especially due to the touching realism of Luke's awkwardness in articulating the note. But what I loved most of all was what you didn't mention: whether or not Mara's worst fears really do come true. I enjoyed how you avoided falling into a cliche. The ending is seemingly hopeful and optimistic, but the vagueness you left it hanging on was what ultimately affected me. Keep up your stellar L/M work.

 

Oh,,,, That was sweet!/// EJ: did u post that in the love letter challenge? i thought u did!

 

You did fine. I too like the vagueness of not knowing - that way I can have a happy ending if I want

 

EJ, i loved this piece. I believe you do excellent L/M work, by the way and I liked the vagueness of the ending as well. Ben's comforting was sweet.
Paige

 

That was awesome! Great job

 

Ohhh, how sweet

I love how Ben was able to be there to confort her.

::wishes she could hug Mara, but realizes that only very very few, like Ben, can do that::

 

Oh, how sweet!!!! The characters are very realistic, and the touch showing that luke and mara both, aren't perfect, really tops it all off. Keep writing!

 

Wonderfully sweet! You captured their characters perfectly. I'm with the others -- I'm glad you left the outcome vague, so I can imagine a happy ending.

 

ThePariah - Oh thank you so much for your kind words! I'm always so afraid when I post my L/M work up that it's going to be so dul compared to so many wondeful authors around here I'm glad you liked it, and even if you really didn't, I'm glad you pretended like you did for my sake

JAGSGURL15 - Yes, I did actually, though I doubt I'll win. There were far better peices than mine Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

RebelMom - So you didn't think it was too vague? I was hoping to get the reaction you gave me so that's great that you think so Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Ariapaige - Thanks Aria It really makes my day to see reviews like yours

LaYa_ - Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

maramijade - lol, yes there are only two people...not wait, three people who can hug Mara: Luke and Ben whenever they want, and Luke, Ben and Karrade on a good day Thanks for the great review!

picciami - Well I will try to keep writing as much as I can DRL often gets in the way, but when I find the time, it's always worth it, even if I'm the onyl one who enjoys the work Thanks for your sweet review ^_^

Jedi-2B - oh not just a sweet but a wondefully? Thanks for that! I'm glad I got the characters right, it was one of my biggest fears Thanks for reading!

EJ

 

Thanks so much!

You're welcome