Title: Incident at the Red Rancor
Author: Knight_Aragorn
Characters: Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade
Category: Missing scene
Timeframe: During Union

Summary: Mara decides Luke's not forgiven just yet.

A/N: Inspired by the [link=http://boards.theforce.net/fan_fiction_resource/b10304/25775012/p32/]SJRS[/link] Union Challenge for April, though I'm not sure this entirely meets the stipulations. I guess it depends on your interpretation of how Luke and Mara explore their new relationship. It is the continuation of a scene in Union, though...


Nothing in the universe looked so wonderful at that moment as did the reddening bruise around Luke?s left eye. Mara scowled as she slapped the cold pack into his hand with far more force than necessary.

Luke gave her a look as he lifted it to his eye.

?I still can?t believe you got yourself into a bar brawl,? Mara said.

Luke expression became pained. ?I can?t believe we?re still on this topic.?

Mara huffed her exasperation and sat on the armchair by the sofa Luke sat on, propping her boot against the lower side of his chair and crossing her arms as she glaring at him.

?What?? he said, gesturing with the cold pack. ?I couldn?t help it. We were attacked.?

?I [i]expect[/i] you to handle yourself better,? Mara said acerbically.

He sighed. Mara?s ire boiled a little higher. ?Mara,? he said patiently. ?I thought we settled this before.?

?I?ve been thinking since,? Mara said darkly.

?What am I supposed to say?? He pressed the cold pack to his eye again and hunkered down on the couch. ?I tried to talk them down and got thrown through a window for my troubles.?

?Oh, you [i]tried[/i]. Goodness.? Mara stood. ?Good to know a Jedi Master such as yourself can [i]try[/i] so well he doesn?t see a punch coming in a bar brawl.?

?That?s not fair.? Luke blinked a few times, looked embarrassed, and then muttered, ?Maybe I had an ale or two before it all started.?

?An ale or two? You stink like alcohol.? Mara planted her hands on her hips.

Luke gave her a sullen look. ?I got knocked to the [i]floor[/i]. In a [i]cantina[/i].?

Mara scowled at him. He didn?t seem to realise how plaintive his tone had become. Any other time, she would have been endeared by it. Perhaps. Now she could have strangled him for it.

?Do you have any idea how I felt?? she demanded. ?I knew something was going on. Were you being murdered? Were you the subject of some stupid Corellian prank tradition? I had no idea! And you didn?t even contact me! The Force, your comlink, nothing!?

?I was in the middle of a brawl!? His inflection rose.

?[i]Afterwards[/i], you moron!? Mara suppressed a desire to kick the sofa, or more ideally, the fiancé the sofa held. She threw her hands in the air and strode across the room.

?Well, I ? ? Luke hesitated. ?I didn?t realise you?d sensed anything, I guess. I wasn?t thinking of how the bond works.?

?You thought you?d not mention it all, you mean.? Mara turned an accusatory glare on him.

He moved abortively, a twitch of his fingers. ?I wouldn?t have kept it from you.?

?Because you couldn?t.?

?Because I wouldn?t!?

Despite her best efforts, Mara felt her glare soften somewhat. That indignation was too strong to be anything but sincere. ?Keep that pack on your eye,? she said with asperity. ?Otherwise you won?t be able to see out of it tomorrow.? Another thought occurred to her, and she gave him a hard look. ?Unless, of course, you cheat and use the Force to heal a non-debilitating injury.?

?I wouldn?t risk the lecture,? he muttered, pressing the pack to his eye again.

Mara harrumphed. Graciously.

?I suppose this means I won?t be staying over tonight,? Luke said from behind his cold pack.

?Not in my bed.? Mara gave him a narrow-eyed glare. ?You can sleep on the sofa.?

?Thank you so much.?

?I don?t trust you not to walk yourself into more trouble between my door and your apartment, O great Jedi Master. Seeing as I have firsthand proof of how well you a>

 

*snags!*

Heading out the door in a few minutes, but I'll be back.

Edit: I love this so very much. It's so much more in character than the actual scene in Union. (Seriously - "A kiss to banish those worries and help you heal" or "Good to know a Jedi Master such as yourself can try so well he doesn?t see a punch coming in a bar brawl" from Mara's mouth? No contest.)

The whole argument is just perfectly in character. I keep looking it over to pick something to quote, but I think I'd wind up copying the whole thing. Things I particularly love: Luke's comment that he was knocked to the floor - in a cantina; Mara wanting to kick him, or at least the sofa; Luke's "I wouldn't risk the lecture" line; Mara banishing him to the sofa to sleep; and Mara not bothering to be gentle as she checks his eye. I think this is my absolute favorite part:

?Maybe I had other things on my mind,? Luke said, lifting a hand to walk his fingers up her side suggestively.

Mara nudged his hand away. ?You?re heading for a matching black eye.?

?You?re so cute when you?re threatening bodily harm.? He scrunched his face at her.

Mara?s lips threatened to twitch, but she narrowed her eyes instead and pressed his head back more firmly, probed the skin around his eye socket with her finger. His eye was a little bloodshot, but that could have been the alcohol.

?Ow,? Luke complained.

?Don?t be a baby,? Mara said severely. She slapped the cold pack back into his hand and stood. ?Put that on your eye and keep it there.?

?Unsympathetic wench,? Luke muttered, obeying.

I am delighted by that exchange. It sounds exactly like them in every aspect. And just to top it off, Luke does wind up sleeping on the sofa - no idle threats from Mara - and leaves his dirty boots on.

Just utterly beautiful. You should write more humor. Or more L/M fighting. I'm not picky.

 

Cuteness!! Perfect Luke and Mara! Can't help feeling sorry for Luke though. Mara's not giving him any sympathy.
She went back into the darkened room ten minutes later. Luke was asleep, stretched on the couch, not quite snoring. The cold pack was sitting haphazardly across his eye. Mara lifted it away, brushed back the strands of hair that were clinging to his forehead, and pulled the throw from the back of the sofa over him. She eyed his boots with displeasure. They were filthy from the evening?s activity, and she half-suspected he left them on purposely to annoy her. He had a tendency to be amused by her regulation-strict habits of tidiness. She nudged his feet off the sofa. He stirred. She let her hand drift down, fingertips brushed his tunic. His sleeping mind was a warm bundle of feelings at the edge of her awareness, a hum of familiar music. She sent soothing thoughts, and felt him settle back into full sleep.

?Idiot,? she said softly. She straightened, shook her head, and left for her own bed.
Just perfect! Loved it!!

 

Oh that was perfect! completely awesome.

Dana

 

One thing you can say about Luke and Mara--even in love, especially Mara--they don't lose their spicy tangy wit with each other. You can see Mara's tenderness in her little gestures though. She's gonna give him a bit of grief, but he knows she's wild about him anyhow. LOL

Perfect SJRS response.

Hugs!!

 

Pretty sure my favorite line was "Unsympathetic wench". Wonderful story as always.

 

?Maybe I had other things on my mind,? Luke said, lifting a hand to walk his fingers up her side suggestively.

Mara nudged his hand away. ?You?re heading for a matching black eye.?

?You?re so cute when you?re threatening bodily harm.? He scrunched his face at her.

I enjoyed the whole thing, but the above just stood out to me. Loved it.

 

?Ow,? Luke complained.

?Don?t be a baby,? Mara said severely. She slapped the cold pack back into his hand and stood. ?Put that on your eye and keep it there.?

?Unsympathetic wench,? Luke muttered, obeying.


Yeah, but she's his wench.

This was so perfect! I think this is exactly what happened. It makes sense that she would suspect something was up because of his Force bond with her. There's no way he could hide the black eye anyway.

 

LOVES!

<3

There's my Luke and Mara. They've been hard to find around here lately.

Loves it, KA!

 

Great missing moment! This is why prose is so much better than those brief glimpses we got in the comic book. Loved how Mara didn't cut him any slack.

 

Mara had an inkling and Luke thought Han was just going to try to get him drunk? Priceless. (Though perhaps that was the plan... hmm...)


Well done and wonderful challenge entry.

 

Wench? That's one way of describing her.

I've never been able to bring myself to read Union, and I'm starting to remember why. I'm glad one's never too old for bar brawls, and that at least this time around he has someone around to clean up his messes and not let him off the hook.

 

that was great!

loved every minute of that read

you write fantasic M/L!

 

I 've been wondering when anybody would take that incident up in a fanfic. Just loved this!

The whole fic through M & L were just wonderful and in character; Mara with her pride hurt when Luke 's been knocked down and feeling she's in her good right to make him pay, Luke embarrassed, slightly plaintive and finally managing a clumsy counter attack but ending on the sofa non the less.

I seriously thought Mara would be merciful and let him sleep in her bed (after all she's mellowed after she agreed to marry him ) - but you made him fall asleep. How am I to know now? Never mind - that was perfect!
And the boots - hilarious! I would never have imagined Luke that childish-in-a-typical-male-way myslf, but when I read it it fitted perfectly! (Something that happens quite often when I read your stories - you see so much!)

And I agree with Gabri Jade! You should write more L/M humor - and fighting!
It's a pure pleasure from the first word to the last!

I wouldn't mind to see them when the wake up the next morning either... the scene is just laid for it...

 

So much happens when I'm gone for the weekend!!! But what a lovely thing to come back to!!!

K_A, that was splendid! Absolutely wonderful, I can see her reacting exactly that way, and...well, it was all just perfect! And imho, you did an awesome job with the challenge!

Huggles!
Irish

 

Awesome viggie!!! I just loved the banter between the two of them. And Maa checking his eye, but with no sympathy, too true. He got himsef into it and he will deal with the consequences. And I just loved that last line! haha. Wonderful job!

 

Hehehe! This was great!

He sighed. Mara?s ire boiled a little higher. ?Mara,? he said patiently. ?I thought we settled this before.?

?I?ve been thinking since,? Mara said darkly.

?What am I supposed to say?? He pressed the cold pack to his eye again and hunkered down on the couch.

I so loved the "I've been thinking since" bit. That's always a sign that Luke's in for it.

 

Perfect. Absolutely PERFECT!!!!!

Mara scowled at him. He didn?t seem to realise how plaintive his tone had become. Any other time, she would have been endeared by it. Perhaps. Now she could have strangled him for it.

?Do you have any idea how I felt?? she demanded. ?I knew something was going on. Were you being murdered? Were you the subject of some stupid Corellian prank tradition? I had no idea! And you didn?t even contact me! The Force, your comlink, nothing!?

?I was in the middle of a brawl!? His inflection rose.

?Afterwards, you moron!? Mara suppressed a desire to kick the sofa, or more ideally, the fiancé the sofa held. She threw her hands in the air and strode across the room.

?Well, I ? ? Luke hesitated. ?I didn?t realise you?d sensed anything, I guess. I wasn?t thinking of how the bond works.?

?You thought you?d not mention it all, you mean.? Mara turned an accusatory glare on him.

He moved abortively, a twitch of his fingers. ?I wouldn?t have kept it from you.?

?Because you couldn?t.?

?Because I wouldn?t!?

Aw, that's Luke for you!

 

?Ow,? Luke complained.

?Don?t be a baby,? Mara said severely. She slapped the cold pack back into his hand and stood. ?Put that on your eye and keep it there.?

?Unsympathetic wench,? Luke muttered, obeying.



Loved, it K_A! Classic L/M -- we all know Mara loves Luke, but she just refuses to go easy on him. And Luke is adorable, as always. Wonderful job!

 

Perfect response to the challenge!

 

Ah - I shall now go to bed smiling. This is super and the dialogue is perfect.

Mara nudged his hand away. ?You?re heading for a matching black eye.?

?You?re so cute when you?re threatening bodily harm.? He scrunched his face at her.
Really loved that bit.

?Ow,? Luke complained.

?Don?t be a baby,? Mara said severely
Oh dear, Jedi master or not he is still limited by one fact - he's a man.

His sleeping mind was a warm bundle of feelings at the edge of her awareness, a hum of familiar music. She sent soothing thoughts, and felt him settle back into full sleep.
Beautiful little observation there in that metaphor. This was an absolute gem.

 

I loved it! So perfectly loveable and bantering-- perfect L/M Great work, as always!

 

Gabri: *awed by the speed of snagging*

I had some trouble believing the dialogue in Union, especially that scene. Luke wasn't injured enough to escape some sarcasm at the very least.

So glad you liked those sections. I am quite pleased (and relieved) that they came out right.

no idle threats from Mara

Never.

Thank you for the feedback, and for looking over the fic earlier, too.

dancing_star: LOL, Luke's not hurt badly enough for sympathy. That's Mara's justification, I would hazard a guess. Thanks for reading!

Jedimaster_JainaSolo: So glad you liked! Thank you.

Jade_eyes: Thanks for the feedback.

BigFatty: I was saving that one up. Thank you!

RebelMom: Thank you! Luke would say something like that and get himself into more trouble.

divapilot: Oh, absolutely. So glad you liked it, and thanks for the feedback!

Emmi: Aw. And there needs to be more genuine snark around. Luke and Mara are made of snark, you know. It makes the love grow stronger.

Jedi-2B: You can't say Luke didn't know what he was getting himself in to. Thank you so much for reading.

DaenaBenjen42: I wouldn't put it past Han. Thanks!

Bri_Windstar: Wench? That's one way of describing her.

And you know only Luke would dare (not to mention, escape intact). Thanks for the feedback.

jacensolofangirl2007: Thank you.

kataja: I'm glad it was up to scratch!

I seriously thought Mara would be merciful and let him sleep in her bed (after all she's mellowed after she agreed to marry him) - but you made him fall asleep. How am I to know now? Never mind - that was perfect!

Hm, they are both pretty stubborn. Could have gone either way... maybe Luke decided sleeping on the couch would suffice as a peace offering.

Really glad you enjoyed the story, and thank you for the lovely comment.

Irish_Jedi_Jade: Thank you, pleased to hear you enjoyed it.

Jaina_and_Jag: Luke and Mara do banter very well. I'm glad you enjoyed it in this fic, and thanks for the feedback.

Blue_Milkshake: Oh, absolutely. Those words should have set alarm bells ringing (or whatever the GFFA equivalent may be ) for Luke. Thanks for the comment!

VaderLVR64: Thanks for the feedback!

Dana-Skywalker: I think Luke needs someone to be unsympathetic from time to time. And Mara's got it down pat - she's had plenty of practice over the years. Glad you liked the story!

Jade_Pilot: Thank you!

Tahi: It's great to hear the dialogue worked. You never know until you post.

Oh dear, Jedi master or not he is still limited by one fact - he's a man.

*amused* My brothers were an inspiration here.

Thank you for the lovely feedback.

Myriad: Thank you very much for reading!