Saga Sleight of Hand (L/M, H/L) **COMPLETED!** Author replies & question 9/14

Kayladie! OMG! I have a story almost exactly like this in the works. Oh, the premise is totally different, but the whole Mara/Leia switch thing is there. I gotta say I love this! I'll be reading!

 

KayLadie!!! this is wonderful!

Hahahah I think I have found my new favorite line

?The day this Corellian needs to be checked out just ?cause of a little dip in the temp is the day this Corellian kisses Palpy?s wrinkled, white ass.?

it's soo perfect

 

Hi, kayladie,

What a great story! I love all the twists and the similarities to the movies.

My heart broke for Padme and the twins at the beginning. Poor Leia, having her memories taken and being left to Palpatine's tender mercies (ha!). And poor Luke as well. It'll be interesting to see if he regains memories of Leia.

I like how Vader and Leia are rivals, and don't even know their true relationship. I know Palpy's chuckling himself silly over that one. I only hope that the Skywalker family will eventually be able to get the better of him.

Looking forward to more.

Kristeh

 

Jaina_and_Jag: Hehehe! Gotcha!

Emmi: (Is it all right if I call you that?) Oh, man you have a story like this in the works?! I had never seen it done before which is why I felt confident about posting it. But I would love to see what you envisioned for this scenario. Great minds think alike, hmmm?

maramijade: Thanks! I'm glad you liked that line, it was one of my favorites.

kristeh: Hey, I am honored to have one of my favorite authors reading my story! Glad you're liking it so far. And don't worry, I have the same fondness you do for happy endings.


Sorry for getting a bit behind here. Had to take my son to the ER the other day. He said his stomach was hurting really bad and of course, I start thinking "Appendicitis!" but thankfully he was all right. However, the docs were concerned because his blood pressure was elevated, (possibly because of the medicine he's on for his ADHD) so I took him to the pediatrician the next day, and fortunately it had come back down to normal. Now, I think he's got a little case of "school-itis" as he tried to get me to come pick him up today, saying his tummy was hurting again! I made him stay at school. Am I a mean mommy or what?

Next post coming up in a minute!

 

Chapter Five


Luke Skywalker came back to full wakefulness slowly, feeling as though he were fighting through layers of mud to get there. And darn it if he still didn?t feel so cold that he wondered for a moment if he was still out in the blizzard. No, he knew he was back at the base. He had a very fuzzy memory of Han being with him, talking to him, trying to keep Luke warm. Gotta make sure I remember to thank that old pirate, he mused in his dreamlike state, if I can ever get my eyes open, that is.

?Hey, Farmboy, are you going to sleep for the rest of the week??

If there was a voice that could persuade him to wake, Mara Jade?s was certainly it. For her, he?d wake up from a coma. He finally managed to pry one eye open and he smiled as he saw her grinning face practically nose-to-nose with him. She moved back to sit on the edge of the bed.

?Well, at last he awakens! You know, I?ve seen people do some crazy things to avoid a work detail, but I think you top the list.?

?Hi, Mara.?

?And he speaks, too! Will wonders never cease??

He smiled wider and then gave a little groan as the movement caused an uncomfortable stretching sensation on the side of his face. Tentatively, he reached his hand up and touched the nearly-healed scars.

Mara?s face immediately went serious. ?I?m sorry, I shouldn?t make you laugh.?

?No, it?s all right. Doesn?t hurt much, it?s just a little sore.?

They sat in a comfortable silence for a long moment and then Mara spoke in a soft, but urgent, tone. ?Luke, don?t you ever do that to me again. I was so sure Han was going to find a body--? She broke off as her voice wavered.

Luke reached out and took her hands in his. ?I?m sorry, Mara. You know I would never want to cause you pain.?

?Yeah, well?? She trailed off as their eyes locked onto one another and, nearly unconsciously, they leaned in closer. ?I was just?? He had no idea what she was about to say as his gaze dropped to her mouth and the thought I?m going to kiss Mara! ran through his mind repeatedly. Mara?s eyes started to flutter closed and Luke was already anticipating what it would feel like to press his lips against hers when Han, Chewbacca, and Wedge walked into the room talking loudly and shattering the spell.

?Kid, you?re awake!? Han shouted.

?And none the worse for wear, obviously.?

Wedge and Han couldn?t help grinning at each other as the two people on the bed jerked apart guiltily. At Wedge?s comment, both of them flushed a bright red. Mara jumped up off the bed, seemingly anxious to put some distance between her and Luke.

Luke frowned at Han, Wedge and the Wookiee. Boy, did those three really have a rotten sense of timing. He noted the teasing glint in Han?s expression and glared a bit harder. Luke decided he owed Han a good punch in the nose after he thanked him for saving his life.

?Well, Skywalker, looks like you?re already overrun with visitors. Do you mind one more??

Luke looked at the newcomer in the doorway and smiled in surprise. ?Hi, Arica. No, come on in, the more the merrier.? He glanced at Mara and wondered why she was frowning all of a sudden.

There was a tense silence in the room and Luke looked around, a little confused. Mara was still frowning, Wedge and Han seemed barely able to contain their laughter for some reason, and Arica just smiled at him with a knowing gleam in her eye. Even Chewbacca looked as though he was about to chuckle. Was he missing something?

?Well, kid, I reckon that?s one more you owe me. You keep this up and I?m gonna start sending you a bill.? Han?s comment broke the uncomfortable tension and everyone laughed.

?Yeah, yeah, whatever?? Luke said and cursed inwardly because he just knew he was blushing. He really hated to do that in front of Mara.

?I?ve, uh, got to go, Luke. Squad leader meeting and, uh, all that.? Luke?s expression fell and she hastily added, ?I?ll talk to command for you until you?re back on your feet. Just don?t take too long, okay??

She hurrie

 

Mara?s eyes started to flutter closed and Luke was already anticipating what it would feel like to press his lips against hers when Han, Chewbacca, and Wedge walked into the room talking loudly and shattering the spell. Arrgh, their timing is rotten as Luke thinks later. So close.
?Hey, Chewie, you keep this guy out of trouble, all right??

[You know that is impossible, cub, but I will try.] that's an understatement.

Finally they kiss. *sigh*

 

yes!!! they finally kissed. . .

hmmmm who all is going to bespin?

Is Mara going to end up following Luke? hmmmmmm . . . I can see Leia at Jaba's trying to kill Luke, but that would mean Mara in the Falcon and on bespin. . . hmmmm can't wait to see where this goes

 

Lovely. I liked how they got interrupted from kissing at first, and then kissed at the end. And boy, Leia must be frustrated! Imperials coming along at just the wrong time.

Can't wait to see what happens.

 

I like that Mara's past relationship with Luke interferres with the canon version of his relationship with Leia. It changes it into something new.

They are still both aware of a connection, but it's different like this. I like it.

And just a little kiss! Just an itty bitty kiss.

*Gasp* What's going to happen now? *giggles and runs away*

I'm glad your son is ok now. You must have been absolutely terrified! And I don't think you're a mean mommy at all. That's exactly what my mother used to do with me and I turned out alright. It's when you make him walk on a broken ankle that you should be worried.

 

Great post, kayladie. I loved the tension there between Mara and Luke. A kiss between them is infinitely better than the one in ESB, though I don't think anybody expected that the story would take the turn it did.

I also love the way you've defined the relationship between Luke and Mara. They're both drawn to each other, but are holding each other off. Kinda reminds me of Han and Leia in ESB.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

RebelMom: Yeah, I thought it was kind of sweet for a first kiss!

maramijade: All will be revealed soon enough...

Obaona: Poor "Arica"....things are not going to go her way for quite a while.

Kazzy: Now, now, don't tease just because you're my beta and you know what happens next! Thanks for your kind wishes for Jacob. Being a child care provider, you know what I'm talking about when I say that kids can drive you crazy! My ex always says "That kid is sure lucky that I love him so much! Otherwise..."

Tych_Sel: Oh, I wasn't even thinking of the kiss between Luke and Leia when I wrote that, but you make a good point! And Luke is not quite the scoundrel that Han is. Bless his farmboy heart, he just can't pull that off!

 

Mara?s eyes started to flutter closed and Luke was already anticipating what it would feel like to press his lips against hers when Han, Chewbacca, and Wedge walked into the room talking loudly and shattering the spell.

?Kid, you?re awake!? Han shouted.- *groans* Would someone hit the two Corellians and that Wookie, please?

To anyone observing, it wasn?t a spectacular kiss--just a little too long to be a peck between friends, though not quite long enough to get interesting--but to the two participants it was an eye-opening experience.- I think that because it wasn?t such a bombastic and spectacular kiss, it was much more special and cute. Mmh, maybe that doesn?t make much sense, but that?s my opinion.

Great posts again!

 

Great story

 

Hi Kayladie,

This is such a wonderful story. It?s fresh and original, bringing a new twist to a story I love so much.

Way to go .

Jedi

 

Great post! When you had them almost kiss I was so mad! But later... when they did kiss... well let's just say I hope to see more of that in the very near future. Can't wait for more!

EDIT: Spelling correctly is not working for me today.

 

Hi, kayladie,

First, I'm glad you're son is better. It's really scary when your kids are seriously ill, or you think they are, anyway.

Second, I really enjoyed the post. The interaction between Luke and Mara was perfect, as well as the interaction between Luke and his friends, and his sister. I bet Leia was fit to be tied when the alarm sounded.

There are some very interesting parallels to ESB, but the differences are also intriguing. I'm looking forward to more.

Kristeh

 

Up!

 

1st-Awesome Job.

2nd-The only way you would up set me is by killing either one or both of Han and Leia err Arica. Or by making her dark by her dark by her own choice.
I just like looking for ways AUs can twist and turn, but if you want me to stop posting it I will.

Is Han still wanted dead or alive or is it less than that? Cuz if it is i could deffinetly see him staying this long if it was less, but with no Leia and a death mark i don't think he'd be as involed as he was in ESB.

 

The_Good_Twin: I think that because it wasn?t such a bombastic and spectacular kiss, it was much more special and cute.

I think so, too. I'm glad you liked it!

LaYa: Thanks!

Jedi_Knight: Thanks so much! And it's good to see you here!

Jaina_and_Jag: when they did kiss... well let's just say I hope to see more of that in the very near future.

Ummm, not for a little while yet. Luke's about to be very busy with his first meeting with Yoda and then...Bespin!

And btw, that was my first ever UP! Thanks!

Kristeh: It's really scary when your kids are seriously ill, or you think they are

Yes, he's doing better now, but we're still not sure why the BP went up, so he's going to a specialist next week.

There are some very interesting parallels to ESB, but the differences are also intriguing.

I didn't want it to go in a totally different direction, but I did want to tweak things a bit.

Starrunner: I just like looking for ways AUs can twist and turn, but if you want me to stop posting it I will.

Oh, no! I want you to give whatever kind of FB you want to! That's just my own insecurities talking.

Is Han still wanted dead or alive or is it less than that?

Nope, no death mark at all. Han was a smuggler when he met Luke and rescued Mara off the Death Star and he's just gradually become more involved in the Rebellion through his friendships with them, til he eventually left the smuggling behind.


More story coming up in a minute....

 

Chapter Six


Bluish-colored sparks arced across the instrument panel of the battered fighter as the pilot tried desperately to control the rate of the ship?s descent. The bird was definitely going down, but maybe there was a chance of living through this.

Mara cursed again as the stick of the Y-wing jerked under her hands. How did I get myself into this mess? Oh, yeah, it was all Luke?s fault, dammit! To be fair, she hadn?t even spoken to Luke since that astonishing kiss, but this was still all his fault. It was his fault for making her worry about him and this mission that he felt he needed to fulfill. His fault, for making her feel things that she did not want to feel, not right now. His fault that her concentration had been shot and those TIE fighters had caught her completely off guard.

She had waited to leave until she was sure that all of Ghost Squadron had made the jump to hyperspace. They affectionately called her ?mother? because she tended to be a little overprotective of the boys under her command. They knew better than to let anyone else on to that nickname, though. She was certain, now, that all her ?boys? had made it to hyperspace safely, so she was the only one who had been caught unawares.

The final transport was away and the pilots who had been in the snowspeeders were on their way back to Echo Base to board their X-wings and take up the rear of the procession. She wondered if Luke was going to see her die. No! I can?t think like that! There?s got to be something--

Her attention was caught by a beeping noise from the console letting her know that she had just broken back into Hoth?s atmosphere. Finally, some good news! If she could make it a little further, she would be able to eject. Of course, Force only knew what she would do then, as she was heading away from the base towards the North Ridge, but at least she would be alive.

She struggled with the ship for what seemed like an eternity, while keeping one eye on the altitude indicator. Finally, she felt as though she was low enough and she didn?t have much longer to think about it anyway. Quickly, she tightened the straps on the seat. Then, taking and holding a deep breath, she pushed the eject button.

The force of the expulsion was near deafening and her whole body was going to be sore from the jolt that it received. If she lived, that was. Positive thoughts, Mara! She must have blacked out for a moment because when she opened her eyes, all she could see was white and it was coming up to meet her too fast.

Fumbling, her gloved hands found the release for the seat and it fell away from her with a dull pop. She yanked on the cord for her chute as hard as she could. Once again, the sudden jerk of resistance caused her teeth to clench against the ache it caused her already undoubtedly bruised body.

But she breathed a sigh of relief as she gently floated to the ground, the snow softening her landing somewhat. Thank the Force for small favors. Her relief quickly vanished as she heard the familiar whine of TIE fighters.

She cursed as she tore out of the chute and realized in dismay that she was a perfect target with her bright orange flight suit against the pristine white snow. This is NOT fair! She searched the surrounding area with her eyes swiftly and noticed an overhang that she could hopefully conceal herself in. She still had no clue what she would do then. She was probably miles from the base. She had no way of getting there except on foot and the Alliance would be long gone by the time she made it.

She gasped in shock when a huge circular shadow crossed over her. She knew that shape! She looked up in amazement as the Millennium Falcon flew right over her.

The commlink in her helmet crackled and buzzed before a very familiar voice taunted her playfully.

?Hey, Jade! Do you need a ride or were you planning to walk to the rendezvous??

?Han Solo! Why are you still here? You should have been long gone!?

?Now there?

 

Great post! I am really curious as to how Leia and Han get together... They DO get together... right? *looks at kayladie97*

 

This was great! Thanks for posting.

Now, where was Leia in the meantime? And how will her path cross with Han's again?

 

I'm reading this in two different places and I can't remember where I'm leaving comments. *shrugs* Oh well. I'm enjoy it.

 

Great post!!!!

Can't wait to see what happens next..

 

The interaction between Han and Chewie is so spot on! I could hear them arguing.

And, of course they would rescue Mara. They have a habit of arriving just in time to save people. Usually it's Luke, but Mara does get herself in a lot of trouble. Han Solo to the rescue!

If not for the Corellian?s last-minute ?heroics? over the Death Star, Vader would have unknowingly blown his child to atoms.

Although I know you won't Vader, you just remember what the Corellian did for you!

He laughed aloud as he wondered what this would do to the bet that Han had with Wedge which Luke wasn?t supposed to be aware of.

LOL! Go Luke.

Now, now, don't tease just because you're my beta and you know what happens next!

But it's so much fun! Besides I don't know that much more. When do I get the next chapter? Soon, I hope.

Being a child care provider, you know what I'm talking about when I say that kids can drive you crazy!

Yup! there are days when I go home swearing I'll never work in child care again. But then most of the time I wouldn't be anywhere else. I mean what other job lets you do paper maché? Plus, they are such wonderful people.