Beyond - Legends Perfectly Normal (L/M, humor, romance) - completed - author replies 5/19/08

Title: Perfectly Normal
Author: Gabri_Jade
Timeframe: New Republic; one week after the final events of VotF
Characters: Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, others
Genre: humor, romance
Summary: Luke and Mara discover that being a couple includes facing unexpected challenges.

Notes: This is my first multipost story since January '03. How sad is that? It's still pretty short, but I'll take it. Many thanks to LadyPadme for giving it the official stamp of approval.

Because of an anticipated very busy schedule while posting this, I don't plan on keeping a PM list. Sorry. However, the story should be easy enough to keep track of, because I'll be posting once a week, on Wednesday. What time of day, however, is negotiable. Surprises are good character-builders.


~Best Romance and Best Short Story, 2008 Beyond the Saga FanFic Awards~

Thank you very much!

---

This, Mara Jade thought as she trudged disgruntledly up the stairs toward Luke's apartment, was [i]not[/i] what she had signed up for.

It had been a week since the signing of the peace treaty between the New Republic and the Empire, and of that week, Mara estimated that she and Luke had spent a grand total of ten hours together. Yes, Luke was an important figure in the New Republic. Yes, he had major responsibilities to the Jedi order and the Academy. Yes, she was integral to Karrde's organization. Yes, she had an outrageously long list of things to do and Shada to train besides. But they'd just gotten [i]engaged[/i], for stars' sake, and that after years wasted being distant and wary. It was positively indecent that the galaxy couldn't leave them alone even for a week.

She reached Luke's floor, exited the stairwell, and stalked down the hallway. She'd always rather liked the layout and decor of this apartment building; it was spacious without being grandiose and elegant without being pretentious. But today she barely bothered to glance at the intricately tiled mosaic floors or the minimalist Chandrilan paintings scattered tastefully along the walls, her energy instead focused on the irritation that Luke's apartment [i]would[/i] have to be the farthest one from the emergency stairwell.

Coming at last to the familiar door at the end of the hall, Mara punched in the access code with swift efficiency. The door took mere seconds to respond, but in her current state of mind it seemed a deliberate opponent, doing its best to keep her separate from her intended husband that much longer. She waited impatiently, slipping through and into the apartment before the door had finished opening. It slid shut behind her, and Mara cast it a dirty look for good measure as she reset the lock code.

"Hi," Luke's voice called from further inside. Mara took off her jacket, shook the final raindrops off of it, tossed it on the entry hall table, and went in search of the man attached to the voice.

She found him in the living area, seated on the couch and frowning at a datapad. He looked up as she entered. "Hey."

"Hey," she said with a sigh. "The fifteenth level turbolift is out again."

"Again?" Small lines appeared between Luke's eyebrows as he frowned anew. "Third straight time. I'd almost say it knows when you're coming."

"And has it in for me, just like everyone else." Mara plopped down very ungracefully beside him and put her feet up on the low table before the couch with an audible [i]thonk[/i] of bootheels.

Luke set his datapad down and slid an arm around her shoulders. "Bad day?"

"Busy day," she answered, resting her head on his shoulder. Funny, how quickly she'd become accustomed to small affectionate gestures like that. "Same as always. You?"

"Same," he said, sighing. He stroked her hair almost casually, and Mara let her eyes drift shut. She breathed in slowly and deeply, feeling tense muscles begin to relax. "Your hair's damp," he murmured. "Raining?"

"Barely," she murmured back. Luke stroked her hair a few more times, then tightened his arm

 

*SNAGS HARDCORE*

Edit: Require at least some sort of substance, this reply does.

I'm glad you were finally able to beat the title into submission. Worth the wait, I'd say. It fits the story quite nicely.

Once again, my current reading fare seems aptly timed, because this sense of ease and affection they have for each other feels very natural from the way they leave off in VotF. It's new, but it's not foreign, which seems incredibly odd to say, especially in Mara's case. Maybe all would-be couples need a week's worth of traipsing around dank caves with man-eating bugs and evil clones waiting to wake up.

Count me on board for this one! Not that you've given me any other choice in the matter.

 

You've started posting it!

Delightful beginning! Love the imagery of a wet, irritated Mara stomping down the hall to Luke's apartment. And then a nice, quiet moment.

"Get engaged, then go on a first date. More proof, just in case any was needed, that we couldn't be normal if we tried."



"Normal is overrated," Luke said. "So I'll pick you up for dinner at 0600?"

Dinner at 0600? Now THAT is love.


Can't wait to read the rest.

 

Yeah! A non-angsty story to read. Their actions seem pretty normal to me.

 

Oh gosh, Gabri, that was wonderful!!!! I'm dealing with so much angst, some mush and happiness will be wonderful!!!!

I'm on for the ride too!
Irish

 

ARGH!

I mean, their love is just that epic. Yeah, that's it.

 

It's nice to see something written by you on these boards again. Its always worth the read and the reread...

 

Marvelous sweet start. Just what I need!!!!!! LUke's right about Mara being bored if they were "normal" folks all the time--but more often would be nice. More than nice. Before they're too old to appreciate it!!!! And leave the friggin' comlinks at home, not on vibrate!!!! I'm gonna adore this ride!!!!!!! (duh!!!)

 

Just what I need. Your Mara and Luke are always terrific, and I can only imagine the lengths they're going to have to go through to actually have this date. Great beginning!

 

Weeee! A new multi-post fic by Gabri! (Has it really been since 2003? I'm getting too old! It just seems like last month!) Looking forward to more!

 

Terrific start. Now I'll have something to look forward to on Wednesdays! (Besides Ghost Hunters, of course.)

I love the little details you have here, and how visual this is. I could so easily see Luke raising his hand to stroke her hair, the way she leaned against him. Perfect.

This is so gonna be like eating a big box of chocolates.

 

WOOT! You've started posting! * bounces happily *

* giggles at what is in store *

* gives cyber cookies to Gabri's balky muse *

 

"Before or after we grow too old to appreciate it?" She tilted her head up to receive a kiss, and drew her fingertips softly down his cheek. "We're still on for tonight, right?"

"Short of Coruscant's sun going supernova."

"Not bad odds, then." Mara shook her head. "Get engaged, then go on a first date. More proof, just in case any was needed, that we couldn't be normal if we tried."

"Normal is overrated," Luke said.

How right he is!

Looks like I've got something to look forward to on Wednesdays then!

 

Yay! A new L/M story from Gabri!

Hmm nothing I can say that everyone hasn't already said-- hooray for more L/M, and Wednesdays are lookin great for me now! It is amazing how you can take such a simple scene as Mara visiting Luke's apartment and turn it into a casual, romantic masterpiece that makes me want to read it over and over Can't wait for more!!!

"Barely," she murmured back. Luke stroked her hair a few more times, then tightened his arm around her and leaned his own head against hers. There was a long moment of comfortable silence. Mara thought drowsily that she could easily fall asleep right here, like this - but their time together was still too new and too precious to waste sleeping.



EDIT: Whoops forgot to log out of the sock! It's Myriad_Daydreams That reminds me, would you mind sending a link for this fic to the Mara Jade Story Index? I'd love to index it

Great update, hope to see more soon!

 

(checking in from cold snowy Baltimore) Great start! The quiet comfortable love they share shines through perfectly. Can't wait to see what can go wrong with their first date!

 

I like this one. Something sweet and funny at the sametime. She is crazy for him to walk up all those stairs to get to his apartment and still she wants to go dancing. Makes my feet and legs hurt thinking about it. I would run up those stairs if Luke was up there waiting for me. I bet those few first years did drive them nuts being apart so much. Still they always had that sense of duty that was always over thier heads. Please put me on your PM list on this story. Great start and thanks.

 

"Hey," she said with a sigh. "The fifteenth level turbolift is out again."

"Again?" Small lines appeared between Luke's eyebrows as he frowned anew. "Third straight time. I'd almost say it knows when you're coming."

*giggle* That was definitely my favorite part. Oh, that and where she made it a point to glare at the door. The Luke/Mara snuggle time was pretty great too.

Add me to your PM list? Pretty please?

 

Awwww...that was just gorgeous!!



the night's entirely ours

And hopefully there won't be any interruptions...

Looking forward to more

 

Awww, I love this so far!!! Awesome, wonderful, lovely start! I'm totally looking forward to more!
Wonderful job, girl! Hugs and SQUGGLES!!

 

Awww... I just can't for Wednesday!!! This story is looking to be an amazing contributation to all of the wonderful L/M fics I love.

MJR

 

I'm so slow. But yay, so glad you posted.

It had been a week since the signing of the peace treaty between the New Republic and the Empire, and of that week, Mara estimated that she and Luke had spent a grand total of ten hours together. Yes, Luke was an important figure in the New Republic. Yes, he had major responsibilities to the Jedi order and the Academy. Yes, she was integral to Karrde's organization. Yes, she had an outrageously long list of things to do and Shada to train besides. But they'd just gotten engaged, for stars' sake, and that after years wasted being distant and wary. It was positively indecent that the galaxy couldn't leave them alone even for a week.

Aw, poor Mara (and Luke, for that matter). That is rather unfair.

It slid shut behind her, and Mara cast it a dirty look for good measure as she reset the lock code.

Heh, I love grouchy!Mara. That door was lucky it got off so painlessly.

"And has it in for me, just like everyone else." Mara plopped down very ungracefully beside him and put her feet up on the low table before the couch with an audible thonk of bootheels.

I like Mara plonking down ungracefully. The poor woman shouldn't have to be elegant all the time, just because she can pull it off.

"I wish it could be like this all the time," she said softly.

Mara felt the smile she didn't see. "Actually, it would drive you crazy," Luke said.

Ah, he knows her so well.

And Mara gets to drag him out dancing, huh? Good for her. But why do I get the feeling this evening they have planned may not go quite as smoothly as expected?

Lovely start. Can't wait for more.

 

Great start to the story. I love your L/M, always right on for characterization. Can't wait to see what trouble comes their way.

 

Wonderful start!!

"Get engaged, then go on a first date. More proof, just in case any was needed, that we couldn't be normal if we tried."
So true! They really couldn't be normal, but that is why we love them!

Dancing?!?! That should be fun!

I can't wait for more!

 

Bri-chan: *replies hardcore, yo* Thank ye! Titles, argh. Yay that this seems to flow properly from VotF. And that time they spent together was pretty good for ripping away misconceptions and feigned disinterest and such, I'd say. Thanks, babe. (Also, bwahahahaha! )

Trace: Mara's got good reason to be irritated, poor girl. She needed a nice quiet moment to get her emotional equilibrium back. And points for being the first to catch my lack of brain waves.

RM: My muse seems to have worked out most of her angst issues for the moment. Odd things, muses. "Normal" is such a subjective term. Courtships that blossom during aggressive negotiations, for example, is perfectly normal for anyone of the Skywalker line, but I'm sure Luke and Mara's engagement took a number of their friends by surprise.

Irish_Jedi_Jade: Thank you! Angst in real life, or in fanfic? If in real life, I hope it lets up soon. (In fanfic, I enjoy angst far too much to wish any such thing. )

StarFighter5: Aw, thank you! That's such a nice thing to say. I appreciate it.

Jade_eyes: Glad you like it.

ginchy: Thank you! I'm glad you like the characterization. But what could possibly make you think they'd have difficulty with their date?

Rivad: Hiya! Yes, it really has been that long. Scary stuff. I don't remember expecting to still be here more than five years later when I first signed up. Dratted addictive fanfic.

diva: Descriptive writing is something I usually have to remind myself to do; dialogue and introspection come much more easily to me. I'm glad it worked here. Like eating chocolates? I'm flattered.

Jieh: You amuse me tremendously, Elder Sister. *hopefully feeds cookies to balky muse*

Nana Vader: Did I miss an important announcement somewhere along the line? And yes, Luke is absolutely right. Normal sounds seductive and all, but it's kind of boring once you get there.

Myriad: Thank you for the kind words. (And the reminder! Info sent. )

Michele: Baltimore? *shivers* I think comfort would be a side effect of that little jaunt on Nirauan. They kind of skipped over the whole tentative, "how can I impress this person" step. What could ever go wrong at this point?

JEDIFLYSWATTER: I expect that the life Mara's lived gave her a lot of physical endurance. I wouldn't want to go dancing after all those stairs, but I don't think it would faze Mara much. No PM list, sorry. I don't have time to keep up with one. Updates will be posted on Wednesdays.

Meredith_Kenobi: Mara hates it when things don't cooperate. Glad you liked it. No PM list, but posting will be on Wednesdays. Until I run out of story, anyway.

KELIA: Thank you! I'm sure that Luke and Mara hope there won't be any interruptions, too.

dancing_star: Thank you, I'm glad you like it.

mara_jade_rox: Thank you! That's kind of you to say.

K_A: You're not slow. And even if you were, your reviews more than make up for it. The EU never was particularly fair to Luke and Mara in the relationship arena, if you ask me. Have to keep readers interested by throwing crisis after crisis at the characters, doncha know.

The poor woman shouldn't have to be elegant all the time, just because she can pull it off.

Amen. No one should have to bear that sort of burden. And I suspect that Luke wouldn't care a bit if she let her hair down in private, so to speak.

But why do I get the feeling this evening they have planned may not go quite as smoothly as expected?

Because you know that I'd be horribly bored writing a story where everything went smoothly? Thanks for the feedback.

BigFatty:

 

Mara finished dressing a quarter hour early, and checked her appearance in the mirror. Her dress was an older one, but still stylish and she was fond of it. Significantly, she also knew that Luke liked it. They'd attended the same social function a few months ago, and she'd seen his expression when he first caught sight of her. She had to admit that the snug-fitting bodice and flared knee-length skirt did highlight her slim figure, while the deep blue-green color complemented her complexion and eyes. Her shoes were silvery and strappy, with higher heels than she normally wore. Ordinarily she preferred more practical options, but if she was only going to be sitting at a restaurant and then going dancing, she might as well go all out.

She'd left her hair loose and fairly wild, the way Luke had said he liked it best, with only a comb for decoration. She particularly liked the comb because with just a few twists, it could be converted to a makeshift blade. She would have to remember to ask Shada where she'd gotten those lacquered zenji needles she often wore; they'd be marvelous for more formal occasions.

Mara smoothed her skirt and fluffed her hair, then made a face at herself. She had always paid careful attention to her appearance, and there had been many times where she'd dressed specifically to attract or distract. But this was different, vastly so. This time her appearance mattered because she genuinely cared what another person thought of her. She was on uncertain ground here, and she didn't like that at all.

Yesterday afternoon flashed to mind, as well as Luke's promises for tonight, and Mara caught herself smiling. Uncertain ground, yes, but there were compensations.

Ah, well. She hadn't expected things to stay the same after accepting Luke's proposal anyway, had she? She'd just have to get used to it. She'd handled everything else life had thrown at her; she could handle this, too.

Mara smiled once more at her reflection, then sat down in front of her computer and flicked it on. There were still ten minutes before Luke would be arriving, and she might as well get some work done.

---

Half an hour and two completed reports later, Mara was still at the computer, switching between files ever more irritably. She checked the chrono for the fifth time in as many minutes, and was just about to head for the comm unit when she sensed a familiar presence. Mara sighed and remained where she was. A few moments later, her door clicked softly and slid open.

"Sorry I'm late," Luke said a little breathlessly, striding to her side and leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Tionne commed me with some reports she wanted my approval on. I didn't think it would take that long."

Mara took a breath, ready with a peevish retort - and then she caught Luke's gaze and saw the anxiety there. Biting her tongue at the last moment, she turned her eyes back to her computer and began closing files to buy time as she considered a proper response. Tonight was supposed to have been set in permacrete; it was their time and their time alone, no interruptions.

But . . .

Flipping the computer's power switch, she glanced up at Luke again. He stood waiting patiently, calm to all outward appearances, but she could feel in the Force how he wanted to fidget, and she reproached herself for nearly adding to his worry. He was trying, the same as she was. Of course there would be missteps along the way. That was all right; they'd get the hang of this relationship thing eventually.

"It's okay," she said, and found that she meant it.

Luke smiled at her with obvious relief, and Mara took a moment to assess his appearance. He was dressed very nicely indeed, even stylishly. She rose from the chair and reached up to land a kiss on his cheek in return. "Not bad at all, farmboy. Didn't know you had it in you."

"Thanks a lot," Luke said, wrinkling his nose at her.

"Well, you never wore anything like this on Yavin," Mara said. She kissed him again, softly, to take the sting out of her words. He responded immediately, slidin