Beyond - Legends Better Than a Knight in Shining Armor (L/M: SJRS Truncation Challenge)

Title:Better Than a Knight in Shining Armor
Author: Briannakin
Timeframe: 41 ABY
Characters: Luke, Mara
Notes: Written for the SJRS February/March Truncation Challenge: this challenge was to take a old truncated Luke/Mara fics that was posted here before the move and write a new ending. I could not change any of the non-truncated story. The bolded ellipsis is where the new stuff starts.

This story was originally written in February 2012 as another SJRS challenge in my “Where My Heart Is” AU (it is also truncated, but I am considering rewriting it). Hopefully you won’t be too confused if you haven’t read the AU (but basically, Mara survives the Sacrifice battle, but her and Luke fight for 6 months, but they make up just as Mara is diagnosed with cancer).


Luke entered his bedroom to find Mara asleep on their bed. He was ecstatic that they had mended their marriage, but that feeling was dampened by the fact that Mara had bone cancer. But still, even if she was bald, pale and thin with capped ports coming out of her body, she was the image of beauty. Cilghal had given her a two-day break from her chemical treatment and Luke had taken two-days off from his duties as Grand Master so they had gotten two wonderful days together at home. Unfortunately, the days hadn’t corresponded with Lover and Beloved’s day, which was today and Mara had to be back in the Halls of Healing on her treatment by the afternoon.

Luke silently got out their bag and began filling it with his nightwear. Mara had taken to wearing his pajamas since it was easier for Cilghal to check on Mara’s chemical ports when she wore his baggy pajama pants and his old undertunics. He slept in his Jedi robes now-a-days because he often fell asleep at her side with them on.

Mara let out a moan. “Luke?”

He cringed. “Sorry for waking you, love.”

She shook her head as she sat up. “It’s fin-.” She didn’t finish her sentence because she began to black-out.

He dropped the tunic he had in hands and rushed to her side. He got her to lean against him and took the glass of juice high in iron off the nightstand and pressed it to her lips. “Drink, Mara,” he ordered.

She drank as he held both her and the glass. With anyone else, being so weak and vulnerable would make Mara extremely uncomfortable, but with Luke, it just felt right.

Mara pushed the glass away once she was finished. “Help me to the ’fresher.”

Luke nodded, got up and retrieved his sweater, her socks and her headscarf. He gave her his sweater to put on; she had taken to wearing his sweaters as well, simply because they smelt like him. He knelt down and put her socks on for her; the bone cancer was on her back, which made bending forward extremely painful for her. Finally, he put the pink headscarf on her bald head and kissed her.

He helped her up and she clutched him as they made their way to the refresher. If Palatine could only see her now; wearing Luke Skywalker’s clothes, holding onto her knight in shining armour. Only, he was better than a knight in shining armour - he was a Grand Master in Jedi robes with a lightsaber hanging from his belt.

Mara did her business and joked, “This whole cancer thing isn’t so bad. You still get to see me naked on Lover and Beloved’s day.”

Luke chuckled. “I do. Maybe, if you feel up to it, we can close the curtains in your room and do naughty things with you on top of me.”

“Alright,” she said as he helped her back to the bed. “Just remember to lock the door this time. We don’t need to traumatize any more apprentices on night-duty.” She sat herself on the end of the bed next to the bag to make sure he packed everything she wanted.

Luke blushed. “Yeah, we keep forgetting to do that don’t we?” He continued packing, putting in underwear for both.

“Hey, that’s your responsibility.”

“They should know not to disturb us when the curtains are closed,” Luke muttered, packing a few items of clothing for himself - he had long exhausted the few articles of robes he had at the temple.

Mara rolled her eyes. “Can you also pack some family holo-movies? If I am not feeling up to some fun tonight, we can still break the rules. You can get in bed with me and we can stay up late and watch them.”

“Why?” he raised an eye.

…

“Because I want to be mushy on Lover and Beloved’s Day,” she answered sarcastically.

“You just want to laugh at my hair during our wedding,” he accused her as he left.

After he was gone, she got up and got an envelope out of her nightstand drawer. She stuck it at the bottom of the bag.

Luke came back with a stack of holo-disks, which he put in the bag, and Mara’s robe, which he helped her put on

“You ready to go?” he asked her.

She nodded.

* * *

“Mara, please, wait till I get a hover chair,” Luke said as he got the bag out of the back of they speeder. They had gotten stuck in traffic on the way to the Jedi temple and now Luke knew Mara was barely hanging onto consciousness.

“Luke,” she insisted, getting out. “I can walk to the Halls of Healing.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, swinging the bag onto his back and grabbing onto Mara’s arm. They were barely out of the parking garage when Mara started blacking out. Luke calmly stopped and got out his comm-link. “Tekli, it’s Luke. Can you have someone meet me and Mara at the underground entrance?

“I hate it when you are right,” Mara muttered, leaning against Luke’s strong torso.

“Me too,” he mumbled.

“I love you,” she said, rather out of the blue.

“I love you too, Mara,” he replied.

Tekli came herself pushing a hover chair. “We’ve been expecting you two for awhile. Cilghal has been ready to hook Mara back up for awhile.”

“Sorry,” Luke said as he helped Mara into the hover chair. “We got caught in a jam.”

Half way to the halls of healing Mara suddenly slumped forward.

“Mara?” Luke instantly knew something was wrong. He reached out to take her pulse, but there wasn’t one.

The next few minutes was a flurry of screaming. Right there in the hallway, Luke lost his wife.

* * *

Luke sat in the room that had once been Mara’s medcenter room, which was decorated with flower petals and a large double person medcenter bed - her surprise to him on this ‘special holiday’. He just needed to be alone right now. He was a mess, he was still covered in Mara’s blood from when the healers cut open Mara in the hallway to massage her heart. It had been a last-ditch attempt.

Why did this have to happen on Lover and Beloved’s Day? It was not fair. He looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t know if you exist right now, but what did I ever do to deserve this?”

He looked over at the bag. He got up and ripped it open. He started throwing things against the wall. He stopped when his hand brushed against a flimsi-plast envelope. He took it out and noticed it had his name on it in Mara’s writing. Sitting back down, he opened it and read the letter it contained.

To my dearest Luke

It has been a horrible last few months, hasn’t it? I’m sorry, but in my eyes it is better than the alliterative. For me, I’d rather spend months with stupid chemicals being pumped inside me, than risk surgery and the possibly of being paralyzed. For me, that would be worse than death.

Luke allowed himself a callus laugh. If she only knew.

I want to thank you for so much, but most relevantly, for sticking with me in my treatment decision. I know seeing me suffer isn’t easy for you, but I would never want to trade places with you. My strength is waning, I can feel it, but I will continue to keep fighting, for you and Ben.

I will always love you.

Mara


As Luke carefully folded the letter, Cilghal entered the room.

“Luke, I’m so sorry this happened. Ben is with her now. I think you should clean up and be with her.” She passed him a new tunic and pants.

Luke nodded, changed, and headed in the direction of the morgue.



AN: Forgive me. This wasn't originally going to end like this, but I had no idea how else to end it.

 

That was beautiful, Bri. But between you and Jedi_Lover, I'm running out of tissues.

Seriously though: just heartbreaking.

 

I agree with Tara, I'm blooming well not gonna read any more of these entries--not without bracing myself first! It was beautifully written. I always enjoy vulnerable Mara.

 

Oh very sad! Good job with the challenge!

 

Sweet love to the end and beyond.

 

What! You killed Mara!!!

Nice challenge submission!

 

Bri. Didn't we talk about you breaking ginchy's heart????? And Mara's letter, about Luke having to watch her suffer and how hard that was on him... That was beautiful.

 

It seems you and JL have decided to break my heart today

Well, my mom is due to start cancer treatment next Monday, so this entry hit me hard... very hard. Nice job with the challenge, though!

Now, if you all will excuse me, I'm going to go sob far away from here. Don't know when I'll be back.

 

I am so sorry
Best of wishes to your mom.

 

My Mom went through cancer treatments almost 5 years ago. I'm here if you need to chat or a shoulder!! Thinking of you and your Mom!!!

 

Oh, Hazel, I'm so sorry. Please know I'm thinking of you and your mom.

 

Hazel - you already know my warmest huggles are with you.

 

That was heartbreaking... it was the letter that killed me!
But I loved that they got to share a laugh before she died.

Great job!