I'm Gonna Getcha Good.
by Martina

Disclaimer: The people and situations used in this fic are the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. 

I’m Gonna Getcha Good!

 

It had been a tiresome trip back home from Coruscant. Still, being home at the Jedi Academy at last made Luke feel easier.

With a bag with a few personal belongings over his shoulder, he walked calmly towards his quarters at the Great Temple. He did not want R2, rolling next to him on his three legs, to fall behind. He had just said goodnight to his niece & nephews. The entire family had celebrated his own and his sister’s 40^th birthday three standard days ago. The celebration had only included the closest of friends; both Luke and Leia had preferred it that way. And it had been a great birthday indeed.

 

Yet, it was now good being home again and getting back to work. Luke watched Jaina, Jacen and Anakin run off to their own rooms. Their training to become Jedi would continue tomorrow. Just as his teaching would.

The children could have remained with their parents on Coruscant of they had wished, but all three of the Solo siblings had wanted to come back to Yavin 4 with their uncle. Luke knew it wasn’t just their training that urged them to come along. They wanted to spend more time with him. The teenagers’ affection for him always warmed his heart. They were the children of his sister and best friend, but he loved them as if they were his own. Luke would be delighted to continue to watch their strength and abilities in the Force growing.

Starting tomorrow.

 

Right now he needed a good night’s sleep. The sun had not set yet below the vast jungle surrounding the Academy, but Luke was already feeling a bit sleepy. He frowned a little at the thought. He could stay awake for several days without sleep if he asked the Force for its assistance and yet he was now already tired after a none-event journey. Was he finally feeling his age?

Forty years old. Unbelievable! Sometimes he didn’t feel half as old as that, rather as the same youth who once had joined the Rebellion. When he looked at his twin sister, all he saw was the maturity in her eyes. Otherwise she looked as young and stunning as when the first time he had looked upon her on the first Death Star. He had been in love with her back in those days, unaware of his true bonding with her. He could still feel those feelings, though, but being her brother was an even greater sensation. Luke knew that more than ever now after this last family gathering.

His bond with Leia had probably never been as great as it was now.

 

Yes, this latest birthday had been successful. Besides all the members of the family, Chewbacca and Lando had also joined them. R2 and 3PO never left their side either, as usual. Wedge Antilles and Winter had also dropped by for a short visit to give them their happy wishes. And several more, like Talon Karrde, had sent them many messages over the Galactic Net. Many of Luke’s fellow Jedi had also done the same, even if they had already thrown him a private surprise birthday party before he had left for Coruscant.

Yes, he and Leia were surrounded by many friends these days. Yet, Luke felt a small sadness in his heart.

 

He had not received a single word from Mara Jade.

 

When Karrde had called, his hopes had been that she at least would have been there with him. But Karrde had actually no idea where Mara was at the time. All he could tell was that she had taken two weeks off from work. Luke couldn’t help it, but not knowing where Mara was alarmed him. The Force had given him no indication to that something bad had happened to his lady friend. But why hadn’t she called? She had never missed his birthday before.

 

Luke’s thoughts came back to when he last had seen Mara. They had ever since that day. It had been right here, at the Academy. They had talked about his solitude and Callista. She had wanted to comfort him and help him get over the woman who had left him alone all those years ago. Mara was right, of course. Why was he still holding on to Callista? Even if she did return it would never be the same anyway. But if he gave up hope on Callista’s return, what else could he possible keep his hopes for? He would become even lonelier than what he already was.

Fear was never an option for a Jedi. Especially not for one whom already had tasted the Dark Side’s seductive juices. Yet, the thought of being absolutely alone always scared Luke senseless. In some ways, even if he now was so used to it, being alone was almost more terrifying than the Dark Side itself.

 

Mara had been so sweet to him the last time he had seen her, so unlike her otherwise famous, or perhaps infamous, attitude. And she had let him closer than ever before. It was so unlike her. Still, Luke was somehow not even surprised by this change in her.

Not even by the feelings he more and more sensed within her. Feelings that had everything to do with him. He really should be surprised. But he wasn’t.

And it was partly because of those feelings that he once, so many years ago, had given her his old lightsaber. He had her affection. The lightsaber was merely a first sign of his own affection for her in return.

 

Luke could still remember from their last encounter how the warmth of her breath had hit his face, as if it had left its eternal mark upon him, claiming him as hers. She had wanted him to kiss her. And he had wanted that too.

More than anything, he had wanted to kiss the pretty redhead in that moment!

 

But he had drawn away the last second, providing her with a long embrace and a kiss on her temple instead. Luke had often wondered ever since why he had drawn away. He had realized early that it wasn’t out of loyalty to Callista, not at all in fact. And it wasn’t because he didn’t care for Mara, he treasured her very much. She awoke so many feelings within him, feelings and sensations that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. And the more Luke thought about it, and the more he spent time with Mara, the more he wanted those feelings to continue.

The strongest feeling of them all was desire!

 

And that was why he had drawn away.

 

He was a Jedi. His life was an endless duty of serenity and control. Nothing forbade him to love or desire another, unlike in the days of the Old Republic. But attachments could be dangerous. Yet, that either wasn’t the core to his resistance.

Yes, he wanted her! He had all along, why had he refused to admit it to himself all this time!? Luke cared deeply for this exotically beautiful woman, a care that went way beyond all borders of mere friendship. And to learn more and more each time he meat her that Mara treasured him in return had almost become too much to bare the last couple of years. He had to literary put up all his defences and all his concentration to resist this desire.

And that was why he held back.

He had waited too long. His desire was too great. Too many years in solitude, with no intimacy and love, had passed. He longed for his release. But would he be able to keep up his control if he gave in to his desire?

Maybe. Or maybe not.

But the real question was, was Mara prepared to receive such a desire?

Did she even want it at all?

 

Yes, she cared for him. Luke had sensed that from her for a long a time, despite her efforts to conceal it from him. He knew.

Yet, after all this time, they had remained friends. Callista had been gone for many years. Mara had still not made a single move or approach in all that time. Luke sensed a love generating from his lady friend, but was it the same kind of love that he felt for her? Sure, he could have made a move of his own a long time ago. But, just as it was with the Dark Side, if he took that step there would be no going back. And what if he was wrong?

What if Mara didn’t love him that way? What if his desire wasn’t returned?

No, such a move would spoil their friendship. And to loose her completely would drive him into an even deeper despair than what he already was.

 

Still, the last time they had been together she had tried and wanted to kiss him.

 

Had that moment, in fact, been her first attempt to approach him? Perhaps she was as insecure about his feelings as he was about hers? Was that why she often mentioned Callista and urged him to get over her?

Luke sighed. The more he searched for the answers, even more questions seemed to appear. If perhaps he hadn’t been so much hurt before by Callista he might had been a bit more courageous about approaching women. Then he maybe hadn’t been so scared to get hurt again. The pain that Callista had left behind still hadn’t gone away. Why replace or even increase an old pain with another?

Or even worse, why pass it on to Mara as well!?

 

Mara knew of his pain. But she did not understand it. Luke did everything to keep it from just about everybody. That was his own problem, his business. Even if he knew from experience that keeping pain to yourself instead of sharing it with someone who might help ease it was perhaps the only solution.

But if the risk was to loose Mara if he allowed himself to give to her what he truly felt for her, then it was better to leave it alone. Her friendship meant everything to him, after all, & it was so much better than having nothing.

 

But how much longer would he be able to keep this up?

 

And that wasn’t Luke’s only concern. Mara hadn’t called him on his birthday. He hadn’t heard anything from her since last. Had his denial hurt her? Was she angry and disappointed in him? Luke couldn’t blame her if that was the case. He was very disappointed in himself in terms of this whole damn mess. It didn’t matter what he did, all alternatives seemed so wrong. If it only had included himself he would most likely had dared to do something in the end. But he simply couldn’t stand the thought of hurting Mara.

Emperor Palpatine had once upon a time taken so many terrible and painful advantages of her. Luke did not want to repeat old, bad memories for her. He loved Mara, but would she see it that way? Considering the life that Mara had lived, did she regard love the same way as he did?

 

Despite what most people thought, Luke knew that Mara was indeed capable of love.

But was she capable to receive love?

 

No, he wouldn’t give in to this! No matter how much his body and soul screamed for her touch, he would never put her in that situation. Never!

‘Get a grip of yourself, Skywalker!’ he tried to convince himself. ‘Even if she does care for you, why would she want you that way? A beautiful woman like her, why would she be content with an altruistic and boring Jedi Master? And she’s not the type to make commitments and to settle down. Face it, farmboy, you will never have her!’

But he no longer was a farmboy. He was a Jedi Master. And, ironic as it maybe was, the farmboy would probably have had much greater chances with Mara than what the Jedi ever would.

His own thoughts almost brought him to the brink of tears. He felt lonelier than ever now. But he knew it was true. From Mara’s point of view, he was a good friend to have around. But to let him become her lover? Mara was a determined woman who always got what she wanted. And despite all the long years, everything remained the same. There was a reason for that.

He wasn’t what she wanted. It was that simple.

 

Simple as it was, though, it didn’t make it easier for Luke to accept it. For Mara was everything in a woman that he needed. She made him feel alive and more accepted than any other ever had. Despite all the long years in absolute solitude, Mara made him feel like a man.

Except that she wasn’t his lover, she was otherwise already giving him everything he needed.

No wonder that he desired her so greatly.

 

He reached the front door to his quarters. R2 said something in his computerized language but Luke didn’t even notice his little friend. His thoughts were totally elsewhere. He brought out his key card and pushed it into the door. He tried to push the image and feelings for Mara away, but found it impossible to do so. Not only was his heart unwilling to allow him to proceed with his denial, the Force also brought his senses back to her again.

For some unknown reason, he could feel her presence so very near now.

That was when Luke realized that the door wasn’t locked. Instead of writing in the code he pulled out the card again and the door slide open. He reached out with the Force one more time before he entered his quarters. He knew what he sensed. But why did he?

Why was she here?

 

Light from within the apartment reached his eyes. Luke knew he had turned everything off before he had left for Coruscant four days ago. He took a few more careful steps inside, scanning his surroundings with his over natural senses. He sensed her approach from another room further inside with ease. Luke couldn’t help it; his heart started pumping harder in his chest.

 - “Welcome home, Skywalker!”

 

Mara Jade appeared on the other end of the hall, a smile greeting her Jedi friend. The wait for his return home to the Academy had felt endless, even if she hadn’t been here very long.

But the surprised look on his face was worth all the waiting!

 - “What in all the blazers..?”

Luke came to a halt when he saw her, feeling more surprised to see her than what he really should have been. Then something suddenly bumped into him from behind.

 - “R2..!”

 

Mara could barely contain her outburst with laughter. First his surprised look and now this! That man and his droid! Mara knew that those two were more or less unseparately, but this was ridiculous. Not to mention comedic. Luke had faced and overcome so many dangerous foes & yet a little astromech droid could surprise the Jedi Master.

Luke threw his little friend a slightly annoyed look before he realized the irony himself and a small giggle escaped him. The little astromech apologized and swung around and rolled passed his Master. Luke, however, remained where he was.

 

Slowly he pulled his bag down from his shoulder and dropped it to the floor. His blue eyes didn’t break contact with her for even a second.

 - “How did you get in here, Mara?”

There was more surprise than irritation in his voice, Mara noticed. Either way, his question was justified.

 - “Kam offered me some help”, she explained.

 - “Kam?”

 

Kam Solusar? How was he involved in this?

Mara raised both hands to calm down any feelings stirring in her Jedi friend.

 - “Before you even consider using Persuasion on him to make him tell you why he let me into your quarters, I can reveal to you that I begged him really nicely for a long time & in the end he couldn’t refuse”.

Luke sighed and nodded.

 - “I don’t doubt it”.

Yes, Mara could be very persuasive when she wanted to. Also, Kam was no fool. He knew how close Mara and Luke were. Well, he knew just as much as everybody did. Since he had let Mara inside his private quarters she must have given his old Jedi apprentice and friend a very good reason. Besides, even if Kam was in love with Tionne, what man could resist Mara Jade’s charm?

Not even the most serenitive Jedi Master could.

 

Mara grinned at his comment and quickly eyed him up and down in the dim light in his hallway. He was dressed in his traditional blacks and a grey-black robe hung over his shoulders. Mara had never told him, and even if she sometimes preferred him wearing something with more colour for a change, she always thought that the black uniform brought about his already handsome looks even more. And it sat tight against his muscular body, a body that she so seldom had only seen small parts of.

 

He had worn the same clothes the very first time she had seen him, inside Jabba’s palace all those years ago. Back then her mission to kill him by Emperor Palpatine’s orders had prevented her from registering his handsome features. But when they had meat much more closely 5 years later on Myrkr, she could no longer deny how attractive she found this Jedi.

It was an attraction that just kept growing and growing within her heart.

Otherwise, not much had changed between them during the last 20 years. Here she was again, waiting for him to show up, prepared to perform her secret plans. Her quest to find Luke Skywalker never seemed to end. Although the reasons why had changed during all this time, the search itself hadn’t. She was going to get him. And, unlike at Jabba’s, this time he would not escape her!

 

 - “Don’t worry, I haven’t been here longer than an hour and I haven’t gone through your personal stuff or read anything confidential concerning the Academy and the students”, she explained to reassure him. - “That’s not why I’m here”.

Luke kept looking upon the woman in front of him, the dim light of the room kept most of her features in shadow, concealing her beauty from him.

 - “Then why are you here?”

She took a few steps further, and more light fell upon her. Before he could even prevent himself, Luke’s eyes widened and a small gasp escaped him. Her almost innocent smile, so unusual in her otherwise so often determined face, made him shiver all over.

 - “To wish you a happy birthday”, Mara said. - “Well, belated birthday”.

 

Luke realized that he probably looked as dumbstruck as he felt. Mara was dressed in black leather pants and a matching top, the outfit she so often used. Those clothes always drove him mad, it was no more than a second skin upon her slim, voluptuous body, showing every curve of her female features without revealing anything. Her copper red hair hung freely down her shoulders and her green eyes seemed to shine like emeralds in the dim light.

Luke had often seen her like this before, but considering what had been going on in his mind lately, it somehow made a larger impact on him this time. The Force also seemed to draw her closer to him, her essence being more open to him than ever before. Luke swallowed, forcing himself to return back to his senses.

 - “Why, thank you, Mara”, he said, the words stumbling around in his mouth. - “That was very kind of you”.

 

Mara continued to slowly decrease the distance between them. Luke, however, found himself unable to move.

 - “I did have in mind to seek you up on Coruscant on the actual day”, she said. - “But I knew that you would be celebrating with the rest of your family and since you and Leia share the same birthday I didn’t feel like to interfere”.

Luke shook his head.

 - “You wouldn’t have”, he insured her. Yet, her green eyes revealed to him that she did not agree.

 - “Maybe not, but I’d like to have you for myself for this. That’s why I decided to surprise you here instead. I hope you don’t mind”.

She was being secretive. A skilled ability of hers that Luke always found so very appealing.

 - “Not at all, Mara. I was just not expecting to find you here”.

 - “Of course you didn’t. It wouldn’t have been much of a surprise, then, would it?”

Her cryptic smile slowly transformed into mere affection.

 - “May I give the birthday kid a hug?”

 

She stretched out her arms to him, inviting him to accept her embrace. Luke could no longer conceal his joy of seeing her, nor did he want to.

 - “Always!”

He stepped up to her, taking her gently into his own arms.

 - “You don’t ever have to ask for permission to give me one”, he reminded her almost in a whispering tone. Her arms moved in under his robe and around his body, her hands caressing his back, pulling him closer. She rested her head against his shoulder. And there they remained, enjoying the intimacy of the other. Their hearts were pounding. This was a déjà vu. Just like the embrace when they last had seen each other. It was as if they had not even been apart since last.

 

 - “I’m so glad you came”, Luke finally managed to utter. Her red hair brushed against his face, tickling his skin. His desire for this woman was again increasing. He couldn’t give in! He couldn’t! She was just hugging him, for Force’s sake!

But as if his body had a mind of its own, his lips slowly moved to her temple and planted a sweet and discrete kiss. He only prayed that she would not misinterpret his gesture.

 - “I’ve thought about you, actually”, he continued, his words no more than a whisper now.

 - “You have?”

Mara raised her gaze to his, looking deeply into his sapphire blue eyes.

- “You wondered why I never called”, she stated.

 

How was she always capable of doing that, despite that he kept his Force barriers up? She always seemed to read him like an open book.

Slightly feeling ashamed by the fact that he had felt disappointed that she had perhaps forgotten his birthday, he tried to diminish his disappointment to the nothingness that it now was.

 - “Yes, but…”

His words died. She was mere inches away from him again, their lips almost brushing against each other. Her warm breath once more caressing his chin. Just like last time.

 - “I’ve missed you”.

Words of truth were what escaped Luke now. He was resisting, yet he longed for this moment. This was such a pleasurable torment.

What was he going to do? He was otherwise so determined, always with a goal at hand. He knew what he wanted to do. But was that the right thing to do?

 

Mara could not see through his mental barriers. But his whole body was trembling. She had expected this reaction but not that it would be so strong. If she now only could figure out what exactly what was going through his mind, she would know exactly how to proceed.

For now it was for the best to stick to her plan. A little torment was what he deserved anyway, she mused. And now he had given her his first true signs that her intimacy was indeed a torment for him. He had finally given her something to go on. Something that finally was proving her theory.

 - “Well, that suits my plans just fine”, she said and suddenly gripped the garment of his robe with both hands, squeezing the fabric hard in her fists. - “Please, don’t tell me you are getting back to work now right away, right?”

Her sudden burst of desperation surprised him and he looked at her hands holding his clothes almost in a fury, as if she wouldn’t accept that he left her again.

 - “Not unless there’s an emergency, no”.

She seemed pleased with his answer. Her hands let go of his robe.

 - “All emergencies can wait for now”, Mara said, placing her hands on each side of his face instead. - “Tonight, your fate is in my hands, Master Jedi”.

 

Her palms felt like a warm morning breeze against his cheeks. She sure wasn’t making this easy for him; no matter what it was she was up to. Mara was toying with him, that was obvious. Normally, Luke was really not so fond of her doing so. But her approach and unusual kindness was too great a mystery to abandon or ignore. Instead, he decided to play along in her game, at least for now, just to find out where this was heading.

It was so rare that Mara opened up as much as this. And Luke always longed to learn more about her. No matter the risk, he had to take it.

But not without caution, though.

 - “Is this the moment when I shall begin to be worried?” Luke asked. His sarcasm did not go passed her.

 - “That I leave to you to figure out”, she stated and tapped under his chin with a light touch of her fingers before stepping out of his embrace to head back into the apartment.

 

There was no question about it now. She was indeed playing with him!

 - “You sure haven’t lost your ability to ensnare and catch your pray, Jade!”

Mara slowly turned to him again, the playful determination eminent in her pretty face.

 - “I know!”

He had no idea of how right he was!

 

The bag that Luke had dropped to the floor suddenly jumped back up to his arms again, actually surprising the Jedi Master. Mara’s Force abilities were getting better and better, despite that she was not under any active training. She had caught him completely by surprise.

 - “Now, come in and unpack your things and refresh yourself”, she said. - “By the time you are ready I will have dinner ready for you”.

 - “Dinner?”

With his bag still in his arms, her continued raid of surprises kept him as dumbstruck as when he had entered the apartment a moment ago.

Had she said dinner?

 - “Yes. We can’t have a birthday party without food and drink”.

Mara grabbed his arm without hesitation and began showing him towards his bedroom.

 - “Now, let’s go. Get going and everything will be ready when you get back”.

Realizing that there was no way to disobey her or to object, Luke followed her orders. He longed to take a shower anyway.

- “Yes, sir”, he mumbled in both amazement and surprise.

 

Who was this woman? Were his eyes deceiving him? She looked and sounded just like Mara Jade!

Fortunately, the Force confirmed to him that it truly was her and not an impostor. Okay, she wanted to play. A game she had never played before. Luke knew he was taking an emotional risk here. But it was a risk that excited him just as the mere sight of this woman always did. How could he refuse?

Besides, she seemed to want to do something nice for him. She was offering him dinner, which she had never done before. Mostly because Mara never did such invitations and also because Luke, unfortunately, knew she wasn’t that much of a good cook. But he would not let her lesser great abilities with food stand in the way for what ever she had installed for him. He easily sensed the importance behind her gesture, something so important that she had reframed to come to Coruscant to celebrate him there.

She wanted to be alone with him and had gone this unusual length to make it happen. Luke would grant her that wish.

 

Although, he could not deny that he was getting more and more nervous each passing second. His serenity was at the very limit of what he could control.

 

Luke entered his bedroom and shut the door behind him. The sensation of Mara’s hot gaze staring into his back did not pass unnoticed.

 

*****************************

 

Mara didn’t pull her eyes off him until he had disappeared inside his bedroom. Her face formed a satisfying grin in victory. She had been 100% successful so far! Just the mere sight of his puzzlement was worth a whole shipload of spice! She knew it wasn’t easy to actually take the Jedi Master off guard.

But now she had managed to do so with relative ease. In fact, it had been too easy.

Was the reason behind that ease truly as she thought?

‘Please, let it be so!’ Mara thought to herself. ‘Give me the strength to break that irritating solitude of his! Callista has left him alone to suffer long enough!’

 

Luke’s mind was maybe closed to her, but his body revealed more than what he probably wanted her to find out. Her closeness had made him tremble. His control was breaking up. Was she finally reaching him? Was he slowly beginning to understand what all this was all about? What she wanted?

And what he wanted himself?

Mara prayed that was the case. But to insure herself of that, she would not deviate from her plan. Luke was in her sight and had walked right into her trap. Now it was time to ensnare it.

‘I only wish I had done this a long time ago. You are a fine piece of real-estate, my precious Jedi. And I’m going to get me some land!’

 

She turned around to head out into the kitchen again when she took notice of R2-D2. Perhaps the little droid that was so dear to its Master could be of a small assistance here. Mara was prepared to do almost anything to make Luke feel very much at ease tonight.

 - “R2, would you like to help me surprise your Master?”

As she had hoped for, the astromech seemed eager to be of such assistance. Eagerly it headed out into the kitchen before her. Mara heard the familiar sound of pouring water from the apartment’s fresher from within Luke’s closed bedroom and looked in that direction once more.

‘I will get you this time, my love, while I have you in sight. I will even if it takes all night. You can bet that by the time I say go you will never say no. Not this time, Luke! Not this time.’

 

Unlike the last time and all other previous times, Mara would not allow him to run away from her again. She was going to get him this time! She would not give up until she had.

 

*****************************

 

 - “Wow, Mara! This looks great!”

 

It sure did. Luke’s small and humble dinner table was decorated with everything necessary for a dinner for two. But what especially caught Luke’s eye were the two unlit candles and the set of flowers in the middle.

It seemed to be a romantic dinner for two.

 

The air was also filled with the lovely scent of food. Not anything high exclusive and homemade, Luke could tell, it was probably some of those easily and quickly made dinners you could buy at any grocery store at basically any Republican planet. Typical for Mara Jade to throw together. But those things usually tasted very good and with so much to chose from, Luke were really quite curious what she was making. And he was also hungry.

He heard her working somewhere out in the kitchen.

 - “Are you sure you don’t need any help?” he asked. The way the table had been set, she really must have gotten to work immediately when she had arrived here.

 - “Normally I would have accepted some”, Mara said and entered from the kitchen. She had tied up her copper-red hair in a simple pony-tail while working in the kitchen. Luke always found her looking like a sweet, little girl when she had her hair like that. Her strong character, her sometimes rough manners and clouded past seemed to have disappeared and another side of her came forward. She seemed so innocent.

 

Luke, however, was not the only one who noticed the other’s current appearance. As soon as Mara entered the room she came to a halt.

 

Her eyes quickly wandered up and down on the man standing next to the table in front of her. Mara had expected him to return dressed in his black Jedi uniform. But he wasn’t. Luke was still wearing dark pants, but it was not the same kind as went with the uniform. And he was now wearing a dark-blue shirt. Much darker than his sapphire eyes, but it still gave him an entire different look.

And Mara liked it. He looked good in blue.

It also pleased her that he had chosen something much more casual to wear, yet appropriate for the occasion.

She quickly pushed her thoughts as well as her smile aside and approached him.

 

 - “But I’m here to spoil you for a change, which I believe the constant, self-proclaimed protector of this galaxy deserves to be once in a while”.

Her words puzzled him. Was she teasing him or giving him a compliment? Probably both if Luke knew her right. But that Mara openly admitted that she would spoil him? Even now that somehow didn’t make sense.

Mara never did anything if she couldn’t get something out of it herself. That didn’t automatically need to be a bad thing, but it intrigued Luke even more to find out what she was truly up to.

 - “Besides, I already have a great assistant”.

Mara stepped aside to give room for R2 who rolled up to his Master while holding a cup of hot chocolate in one of his extendable, mechanical arms. Luke giggled and accepted the cup.

 - “Thanks, R2”.

In the meantime, Mara had already pulled out his chair.

 - “Now, sit down and enjoy your drink before dinner”, she said and headed towards the kitchen again. - “I’m almost done out here”.

R2 followed her obediently.

 

Luke sat quietly, sipping from the cup. The chocolate hit just right. There was no secret that he enjoyed this fluid, but he realized the tactic behind Mara’s kind gesture in giving him this. It kept him occupied while she finished out in the kitchen. She wanted him to feel comfortable tonight.

Perhaps he was too much suspicious, though. Maybe she simply just wanted to surprise him and wanted to do so a little more than usual this time. And Luke fully accepted her excuse for not wanting to interfere when his entire family had been gathering on Coruscant; she usually preferred to avoid those.

But why did he still have the gut feeling that Mara was up to something? And that what he had seen so far was just the beginning of it?

 

Either way, Luke knew that he would enjoy spending the evening with his friend tonight. Personally, he rarely could think of a better date anyway. Mara was smart, sophisticated, beautiful and never boring. Of all the women he had encountered in his life, far from all of them had managed to live up to all those four things. Yes, they had all been beautiful, bright and sophisticated but they all had lacked that extra spark.

That extra fun!

 

Luke had for a long time believed that it perhaps had to do with his Jedi Knighthood and that many perhaps didn’t simply understand him. But if so, why had it not worked out with Callista then?

Even if she had lost her powers, she had remembered everything about being a Jedi. Frankly, all she ever had talked about was about being a Jedi, the Force, training, abilities, different lightsaber positions and so much more. Luke had with delight taken in all this information from her. But it had never stopped. Callie had rarely been able to break the topic. It had become a bit tiresome even for Luke in the end, even though he never told her that. And most of all she had been obsessed about his position as Jedi Master.

Luke knew why now, but he hadn’t seen it as clearly back then. If he had, then maybe her departure hadn’t had hurt as much as it now had. She had been totally devoted to regaining her lost powers, nothing more. She had not done that to be hurtful; it had somehow just turned out that way.

Actually, if Callista had had the intent to be hurtful, all of this had been so much easier to deal with. Then it would have been easier to get over her. It would have been easier to understand where she had stood.

 

With Mara, however, Luke never had to wonder where she stood.

True, Mara could actually be a bit hurtful at times, even if just rarely. But there had never been any question of where precisely Luke had her. There had never been any doubt, not even from the very beginning.

And there had never been any regret or disappointment.

Luke sipped the last of his chocolate and gazed towards the kitchen. He couldn’t see her but he could sense her. And what he sensed enlightened him.

Compared to all others, including many he had cared for, Mara was the one woman he fully trusted and enjoyed spending time with. That was more than merely a friend and associate.

Mara was fun!

 

Was this the reason why he desired her so much? Because she was so different from all other women he had encountered and that also his sister had tried to team him up with?

Luke had thought about this for a very long time. It didn’t seem illogical. It was not that he never had appreciated Leia’s efforts, all the women had all been beautiful and some also very understandable of his way of life. And he had also been in love with Callista, once.

But something had always been missing.

Maybe it was because everybody was trying too much to understand him and his way of life? Even a Jedi Master needs a break sometimes. There were usually two people Luke could go to and merely be himself with whenever he needed. One of them was his brother-in-law. Han never had a problem taking him away from all Force-business a few hours or days.

The other was Mara.

 

That was almost a contradiction, considering that Luke so often tried to convince her to finish her training someday. And she had followed him on many missions and into many dangers when both had been put to their tests as Force wielders.

But the difference was that Mara never made a big deal of him being a Jedi, like the rest of them. Sure, she often called him names that constantly reminded him of what he was; she had already done so here tonight. But she didn’t demand of him to always be the Jedi.

Above all else, that was what separated Mara the most from Callista. Mara wanted him to be himself. And she knew he was more than just the Jedi Master. Something which Luke was very thankful.

 

Among all the Force wielders he knew and had ever encountered, Mara didn’t regard him as the great Jedi Master, or held it against him as others did. She knew what he was. But also that he was more. And that was obvious basically every time Luke was together with her. Even in a crowded room he could sense that her approach was different from everybody else’s.

 

This time, however, they were not in a crowded room. They were alone at his place, with only his trusted droid as company. It was not the first time this particular trio had been left alone from the rest of the Universe. But they were not out on a mission to rescue or retrieve someone or something. And Mara was more than unusually kind and relaxed. And she seemed very concerned about that his mind should stay as far away from all Jedi business as possible tonight.

What was she up to?

What ever it was, it was making Luke feel both excited and nervous at the same time.

 

Mara came back from the kitchen once more, this time with a bottle of red whine. It was enough of soft drinks for him this evening. Although, she had no intention to intoxicate her friend either. Far from it.

Her eyes fixed on his choice of clothes for the evening again. Unlike her own actions tonight, his decision to wear that shirt had probably just been spontaneous and without any afterthought. But it really looked good on him and already helped her out with her own intentions.

The buttons were of the kind that was easy to just pull open. Good.

Very good!

The mere thought of it almost made her head spin. And her mouth water with anticipation.

‘Control yourself, Mara!’ her mind warned. ‘If you reveal your intentions too soon he will find another way to escape again’.

She hid her desire aside to a corner of her mind and stepped up to the table.

 

 - “By the way, I like your choice of clothes”.

She had to say something about it! She just had to!

 - “You do?”

Mara uncorked the bottle and started pouring to them both.

 - “Yeah. Blue looks really good on you”.

She gave him an obvious grin.

 - “It practically makes you look normal, Jedi”.

 

Luke sighed, still partly grateful that some of her normal, teasing behaviour was visible this evening. Yet, he still got the feeling that so much was very much unlike how it usually was between them.

But he didn’t want to let her know of his suspicions. Perhaps she wanted him to be suspicious or it would disappoint all her efforts if she found out that he suspected something. It was for the best to play this the old, traditional way for now.

Besides, it was fun.

 - “If I recall correctly, I believe a certain lady friend of mine constantly suggests that I should appear more like that”.

 - “Ah, all my efforts have not been in vain, then!”

Mara decided to sit down and keep him company until the food was finishing itself.

 

Luke suddenly rose from his chair, almost startling Mara. He quickly moved over to her side of the table. Only then she realized what he was up to.

 - “No, I insist!” he said and grabbed her chair and pulled it out for her before she would be able to sit down or object. - “I would never dishonour my Aunt Beru wiith not pulling out a chair for a lady. Especially when she has arranged everything else”.

Mara knew that he was merely being polite, old fashioned as he deep down was. And she didn’t mind. But his blue eyes were suddenly so serious, as if she would even insult him if she didn’t oblige.

It had been a long time since a man had acted like a gentleman to her during a dinner. Even if it hadn’t been Luke Skywalker, how could she refuse?

Their eyes didn’t break contact until she sat down comfortably. Luke went back to his side of the table again. But the intensity in his eyes remained. But much less serious this time and much more content instead.

 

 - “Tell me; were civilized manners of such importance out in the Dune Sea of Tatooine?” Mara asked while she removed her pony-tail and now let her long, red hair hang free across her back and shoulders again.

 - “Not really. But in my home it was”, Luke said. - “And it still is”.

He smiled gently. He liked it even more when her hair hang free like this, wild and free like the woman herself. Maybe that was why he was so attracted to her? Her wild spirit and the inability to contain her.

She reminded him so much of himself, the part of him that gave him his courage and strength but which he also most of the time had to keep in control.

 

Mara noticed that she had forgotten to light the candles and was just about to get up and find something to light them with when Luke made a simple gesture for her to remain seated. Silently she did as he wished and kept observing his hand as it moved across the top of the two candles, like the swift and simple movements of a magician.

From out of nowhere, the candles were lit by an unseen fire. This was no magic, though. Merely a simple use of the Force. Mara didn’t feel impressed of his simple gesture, she knew well enough of her friend’s much more powerful capabilities. But she had to admit that, although her own powers were not weak, this was a simple ability she did not know how to do herself. She gazed into Luke’s eyes, wondering if he knew that. She hoped he didn’t.

 

Mara realized immediately that she shouldn’t have done so. Gazing into his eyes was like being put under a spell. Unaware to her, Luke felt the same way about looking into her green eyes as well.

The two kept their eye contact in silence, noticing the reflection of the candles in the other’s eyes. Neither Luke nor Mara noticed, but moment after moment passed by. It did exist magic between these two Force wielders, but it had nothing to do with the powers they possessed.

 

 - “You know, Luke, I think you are probably the only one who has ever openly called me a lady”, Mara finally uttered, breaking the silence. The magnetism of Luke’s eyes suddenly changed into more surprise and concern.

 - “If others have failed to do so, then they have also failed to see your true character”, he stated gently. - “They don’t know what they have been missing”.

The honesty behind his compliment made Mara feel warm inside. Why had it taken a Jedi Master to see through her and accept her as she truly was? Luke didn’t need to remind her why she loved him, but he continuingly kept doing so. And he was not even aware of what he was doing, at least not aware of the power that his gentle ways had upon her.

 

 - “Now, I’m curious, what have I done to deserve all this sweet attention?” Luke asked, changing the subject. Inspired by his sudden happy mood, Mara decided to tag along. She was here for a purpose and already had she far too many times almost lost track of herself. That was not like her at all, to loose focus like this. She had to get back on track and Luke’s constant positive mood was perhaps the key.

 - “You’ve turned 40, farmboy!” she stated happily and also with pride. - “People usually throw parties when their friends reach certain ages in life. This may be just a party for two…”

Mara was interrupted by an insisting R2-D2 who did not wished to be ignored. Mara sighed. She better get used to this. If she ever were to obtain her goal, the droid did go along with the package, weather she liked it or not.

 - “Three”, she corrected and gave R2 a nod of recognition. - “But it’s still a party”.

 

Luke observed her patients with R2 with deep interest. She had still been a bit bothered but had put her irritation with the droid aside much sooner and easier than what she usually did. And that impressed him. Not to mention how much it pleased him.

 - “I won’t argue with you about that”, he stated. - “It’s just that I’m not used to being spoiled. In particular by you”.

Mara knew that he was watching her, wondering what she was up to. Good. She didn’t want her intentions to be a complete surprise to him when she would set them in motion because they shouldn’t be a surprise at all in the first place.

Besides, she loved to torture his mind a bit.

 

 - “True”, she admitted. - “But, considering how long we have been friends now, I think it’s time that I start spoiling you”.

His eyes narrowed, his whole expression seemed puzzled.

 - “Don’t get any delusions of grandeur now!” Mara immediately warned. - “This will not become an every day event”.  

Luke grinned. That was the Mara he was used to.

 - “I just hope I may return the gesture someday?” he asked carefully and hopefully.

 - “You may, except for sneaking inside my quarters without my knowledge. I may not be as forgiving about that as you are”.

Luke gave her a little salute.

 - “Deal”.

 

It was time to get this dinner started. Mara raised her glass in honour to her friend and quickly tried to figure out a little speech on his behalf. Speeches had never been her thing and she realized that she had actually missed to include that originally in her plans for this evening.

No matter. As long as her words were honest and spoken from the heart, Luke would be pleased. And that was all that mattered now.

She gave Luke a little smile while he also raised his own glass, waiting for what she had to say.

 - “To my best friend, who just turned 40 three days ago. May he at least live another 40 in health and happiness. May all his wishes and dreams come true, especially those he least expects”.

 

Mara quickly tried to figure out something more to say but decided that she had said enough.

For now.

There would be plenty of more talk later, she knew.

Yet, as in an afterthought, she added one last thing.

 - “And may the Force be with him!”

Moved by her words, Luke’s smile widened.

 - “And with you, dear Mara!”  

 

*****************************

 

 - “I want to thank you for a wonderful dinner, Mara. And a lovely evening”.

 

Luke was in a good mood.

The conversations during dinner had been relaxed and stimulating. Frankly, he couldn’t remember really the last time he had sensed such calm between him and Mara during a conversation. Mara was unusually tolerant with him. He and she could disagree about basically anything but tonight she clearly made her point and there was no more. No battle to win the conversation and to prove him wrong.

She was not being dishonest. But she was making a huge effort.

An effort to please him.

 

Luke was not the one to be ungrateful about that. And the food had been as good as the conversation and he found it a pity that they now had finished. He hoped this didn’t mean that she was planning to leave for the night. He’d love to have her stay a while longer. He didn’t have a clue, besides to talk some more, what they could do. But Luke just didn’t want her to leave.

He didn’t want this great feeling he had inside to leave.

Luke looked over to Mara and couldn’t keep back the smile while looking into her green eyes. She was sparkling! Her sweet spirit made her even more alive somehow tonight.

Luke did not ever want that feeling to leave!

 

Mara noticed his smile and smiled back. Luke was pleased and happy, that alone a rare and delightful sight. But it felt even better knowing that she had made him feel that way.

Holding her tongue in check during their conversations, especially when it came to different Jedi philosophies of his that she did not fully agree with, had not been easy. But she had promised herself no arguments at all this evening and to avoid all possibilities to upset him in any way. She wanted to show him that there could be another Mara as well that she had not revealed so often, a Mara not always so stubborn and eager to win. A Mara that could be tolerant and respectful and even cared for him even if they did not always agree.

A Mara that loved him deeply.

He didn’t see that yet. But he would soon.

She hoped.

 

 - “It’s far from over”, she promised him and her tone was cryptic. On purpose.

 

Luke’s alarm bell in his mind started ringing, as it always did on instinct when Mara was like this. She did not represent any danger to him, of course, but her behaviour this evening and that look in her eyes, as sweet and even gentle as it had been ever since he had come home, there was something else there underneath. And not only did he see it, he sensed it from her as well.

 

She was indeed up to something and for the first time, Luke was actually starting to feel a little uneasy about it. He didn’t know why, except that he had the deep feeling that he was heavily involved into what ever she had in mind.

She wanted something from him.

He didn’t mind mysteries and surprises, he encouraged such things. But the way Mara looked at him now, in fact had literary stared at him the whole evening, and also considering how their whole relationship had been the last couple of months made him suspicious.

Such instincts had saved his life many times over. But Luke was less fond of the fact that the same instincts tried to warn him of Mara now.

 

Maybe he was overreacting, being nervous because he didn’t have all the facts, couldn’t foresee all ends. Or maybe Mara was about to drag him into something that he might not appreciate. Basically every time they had meat the last six months, even if their encounters hadn’t been that many, she had always managed to mention his personal life and his solitude. And Callista. The memory from the very last encounter, when they had almost kissed but he had pulled away, was still crystal clear in his mind.

But not even a word had been uttered by her on this matter tonight. It was as if she didn’t care about it anymore. Didn’t she? Had she given up? Didn’t it matter to her to see him live his life in solitude, waiting for a heartbreak that probably never was to return?

Normally, that would have granted Luke some relief. He preferred not to talk about Callista and his lonely life with anyone. Not even with Mara, to be honest. But if it was true that Mara no longer cared about it, that she was not even going to bother herself with how he lived his life any longer, that was even more hurtful.

 

No.

It couldn’t be.

The sweet and caring Mara he knew and had witnessed here tonight would never abandon him to his solitude like that!

Would she?

 

His incapability to understand the situation was very uncomfortable. Normally he always knew were he had Mara, always knew her opinion and what she felt about things. That was why he always trusted her and felt secure around her. But regarding this he suddenly knew nothing of what she felt.

Not anymore.

 

Had he in fact hurt her after all the last time she had been here? He had never meant to reject her but he hadn’t just been able to bring himself to give in to his desire for her. It was wrong! Their friendship might depend on the fact that he stayed away. She was trying to be supportive and he had all these wild fantasies about wanting her!

Luke had cursed in silence over himself many times for trying to take advantage of Mara’s kindness like that. That had not been the first time he had had more intimate thoughts about Mara and he feared there would be more. After all, his desire for her was very much intact.

 

Yes, he did in fact fantasise about Mara. He had done so for several years. He had mostly blamed it on his solitude and that his close bond to Mara dared to remove the barriers of his imagination.

If Mara ever were to know what he sometimes thought about while looking upon her or what he wished to do with her she would certainly kill him! And with all right too.

‘When are you ever going to get those blasted ideas out of your head!?’ his mind yelled at him. ‘She does not want you! How dare you even feel attracted to her when she just wants to ease your pain!?’

 

Yet, staying away seemed to have the same effect as well. It pushed her away from him. But tonight, Mara suddenly had a different approach, a pleasant one absolutely but also mysteries and unfamiliar. What did it mean?

She hadn’t even asked him if he had felt lonely lately, something she basically always did when they hadn’t seen each other for a while.

Didn’t his answer matter to her anymore? Was she getting tired of the same answer? Or was it something else?

 

Luke’s mind ran totally wild in high lightspeed, searching back and forth for some kind of solution or answer. He kept it all hidden from Mara with a typical Jedi face that he was so used to conceal his true feelings behind; the last he wanted was to disappoint her with his sudden worries.

Yet, that playful gaze from her that set all his instincts on fire and told him to seek cover didn’t exactly make it any easier.

 

Mara rose from her seat and Luke immediately did the same, being brought up with the belief that you shall not sit when a lady stands.

 - “Can I help you clean the table?” he offered to try to buy some time to hide away his thoughts even more.

 - “We’ll do that later”, Mara said and blew out the candles. - “I wish to give you your present now”.

Present!?

Why did he feel even more anxious to run away now when he really should be thrilled?

 - “Haven’t I already received it?” he asked and referred to the dinner.

 - “This was just an appetizer”, Mara said with a wide smile and took his hand. - “Come”.

 

Without protest, Luke followed her lead, which was into the living room. His heart was pounding, both with excitement and anxiety. He quickly decided, though, that whatever Mara had in mind, he could just as well face it. She had put up such an effort, how could he disappoint her? And hopefully, his instincts could be wrong and it would turn out to be fun. He had walked into the Emperor’s throne room several times, this should be a ballgame.

So why did his pounding heart not understand that?

Why did it seem like his soul awaited what ever it was that he was about to face? As if his subconscious knew something that the rest of him did not.

And why did his common sense at the same time tell him to back off?

 

‘Focus’, Luke told himself. ‘Focus and relax. She’s not holding a blaster against your head. She wants you to have fun’.

He let out a small sigh.

‘When was the last time I really had fun?’

He actually could not remember.

 

 - “You can sit down here on the coach, if you like”, Mara offered. Luke observed her for a second, trying to see through her intentions one more time. But her sweet face revealed nothing he didn’t already know. A nervous smile appeared in his face when he accepted her offer and sat down in the middle of the coach.

 - “What are you up to, Jade?” he had to ask.

 - “I’ve got you curious now, haven’t I?”

 

Mara encircled the coach. Since it was not resting against the wall she was able to place herself behind it. And behind him.

Mara grinned. Luke was doing everything he could to hold on to his serenity. But his body language betrayed him. He was curious and nervous. She didn’t blame him for that; she would probably have been the same in his shoes. Once, during the first days and weeks they had known each other, she had been nervous in his company. Especially the more she had learned the truth about her previous Imperial life. But Luke had in time made her feel easier about her new existence.

Today she would return the favour.

 

 - “Now, relax”, she said and gently placed her hands on his shoulders. - “And make yourself comfortable”.

The fabric of his dark blue shirt felt good against her palms. She leaned down a bit closer to him.

 - “Tell me, when was the last time someone gave you a very much needed massage?”

Luke swallowed. What ever he had imagined that she would do to him next, this had not been among his guesses. It took him a few seconds before he was able to answer her.

 - “I don’t remember”.

His answer came as no surprise.

 - “Then it is as bad as I feared”, Mara said, realizing that she had work to do.

 

In the same moment, her hands began to move.

 

Her palms and fingers moved slowly, pressing gently into the muscles of his shoulders. Her touch was like a magic spell. Luke found himself more or less immediately at her mercy. Her hands were small but strong and each grasp moved with experience. She had done this before.

Without objection, Luke’s eyes closed as his body sucked in the sensation. A sensation that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He had been honest with her, he could not remember the last time someone had given him a massage.

And not until now did he realize how much he had missed receiving one.

 

Mara widened her movements, moving up the back of his neck. His muscles were very hard, which concerned her but did not surprise her. A whole life of struggles and rarely any rest had taken its toll on him.

 - “You need to relax, my friend”, she stated gently. - “You’re so tense. A relaxed body and soul is much more prepared for all trials that lie ahead”.

 - “I can’t argue with you about that”, Luke mumbled, eyes still closed.

She kept working on his muscles in silence. She knew that he would need many, many more hours of this treatment to feel better but this was at least a start. And if she was successful she promised herself that she would spend those hours on him.

All Mara wanted right now was for him to feel better.

 

A satisfying moan suddenly broke the silence. It immediately caught Mara’s attention.

 - “You like that?” she asked and repeated the same movement that had made him react the first time. Another moan in pleasure escaped him.

 - “Yes…”

Without realizing it, Luke began to more openly express his enjoyment generated from the movements of her hands. It sent shivers of pleasure throughout his whole body. Her fingers seemed to read his mind, knowing exactly where he needed and wanted to be massaged.

 

Yes, he was spoiled now. And Luke promised himself that whenever he would find the opportunity he would repay Mara for everything she had done for him this evening.

Even though he would never let her know how much her hands were as well feeding his desire for her, his longing to touch her the same way. And so much more.

 

Seeing that she was getting through to him made Mara’s heart pound even harder than what it already had all evening. Luke enjoyed what she gave him; he did response to her approach. It encouraged her to go even further. To take the next step of her plan.

She repeated the movements that he seemed to like the most, which was at the very bottom of his neck, just above the shoulders. It kept generating the response from him that she was hoping for. Luke had even leaned forward a little bit for her to reach him better.

She couldn’t deny how nervous she was, though, and she licked her lips.

It was now or never!

 - “Let me try that from another angle”, she suggested.

 

Luke kept his eyes closed, totally and fully enjoying the work of her hands on his neck and shoulders. He sensed that she seemed to change position a bit, as she said she would, but her hands were still on him so he didn’t bother to open his eyes. The movements of her hands, they were not just doing his tight muscles good. For once he could not deny how good it felt to actually feel her touch him. There was something sensual about how her massage was performed. Her fingers didn’t just press and squeeze, they also caressed him. It made his breathing heavier, but he could not hold back his pleasure. Obviously, she wanted this reaction from him so to deny it would be rude.

 

Luke almost felt dizzy, her hands were like magic. In a way he was grateful that he was wearing his shirt, if he had received this right onto his skin his desire would get out of control.

And he could not let that happen.

Her hands did seem to have changed angle, as she said they would. It felt even better now. It felt as if…

Warmth suddenly woke him up from his dreaming state. Warmth followed by the closeness and touch of a body pressing against his own. Luke’s eyes flew open in surprise. Mara had already climbed into his lap and straddled him, with one leg on each side of him, when he came back to his senses.

 - “Mara?”

 

 - “Don’t move”, she immediately whispered. Luke obeyed her, how could he not? Even if he had wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to move a muscle.

Her fingers kept massaging the back of his neck, ever so slowly. Their eyes were locked together, staring into the other in both surprise and awe.

 - “Keep focusing on my hands”, Mara whispered. - “Feel my hands…”

 

She made it sound like as if this was still a part of her massage. But looking into her green eyes and feeling how close she was now, Luke started to realize what Mara was really up to. But how could it be?

How could she possibly want him?

Was he just imagining this?

No.

The Force clearly showed him her desire for him and the feelings he so long had sensed and suspected within her was all there visible in her eyes.

But why?

Why did she feel this way?

 

Luke couldn’t bring himself to protest to her new course of action. By straddling his lap like this, it was as if one of his own fantasies had just come alive. But he was scared. He didn’t want to be but he was.

By simply placing herself into his lap and caressing him so sensually, Mara had moved them both into an uncharted territory for their friendship now.

And there was no way telling where it might lead.

 

Mara kept working on his muscles and now dared to also move to his front as well, even down a bit onto his chest. But her hands were hardly massaging anymore. They were exploring. Exploring a territory she had wanted to know for a very long time.

She saw the barely controlled panic in his eyes. But also something more. There was a reason why he didn’t protest and asked her to get off him or even asked her what she was doing.

He liked what he was receiving and wanted more of it. And as long as he didn’t object, Mara kept doing her work.

This time, however, she did have him! There was no way he could back off this time. Luke had to push her off him and Mara knew he would never do that. Her prey was caught.

Almost.

 

Ever so slowly, she pulled herself closer to him, but not too hasty. She wanted to really feed on the erotic tension that her approach created between them.

His eyes had changed somewhat. Luke was awaiting her next move. It was not easy doing this, no matter how much she wanted to and had longed for it. For so long she had kept her feelings hidden, it felt so strange to suddenly reveal them. But it was such a relief to let them out now.

No more secrets.

After tonight, Luke would never doubt in what she wanted and needed.

 

 - “I’ve been trying to figure out what the perfect birthday present would be for you”, Mara explained. - “And it always kept coming back to the same thing. The same thing I’ve always wanted to give you, being your birthday or not”.

Slowly, she brought herself even closer.

 - “True, my gift is not an objective one, but I would be so honoured to share it with you”.

 - “Wait…”

 

His first objection. She had expected it to come. She was pushing him now, but this time she had no other choice. Mara wasn’t sure of Luke’s true feelings for her but she knew that she was dear to him, in one way or another. And even though his mind was more closed to her than ever now, his eyes and his body revealed more than enough to her that he was attracted to her. More than anything, it was his blue eyes that convinced her of that she was doing the right thing.

 

Behind his worry lied a desire for her that almost made Mara’s mind spin. She had thought she had seen it once or twice in the past but never as strongly as she did right now. It was almost as a hungry predator was staring at some fine piece of meat. She had never seen such a need in Luke Skywalker before. Up until now, she hadn’t even been sure that he could ever want something so strongly.

This was why his little objection did not concern her. That was his serenity trying to protect him. But if she continued this, she just might be able to reach through to him.

And then, maybe, she could completely love the man she longed so much for.

 

Mara remained still in his lap now, not moving closer.

 - “I’m not trying to force something upon you that you don’t want, Luke”, she said honestly.

 - “I’m doing this your way, patiently. Even if it means that in the end I have to hit you hard on the head to make you see the light of day, especially since all my other tries to do so have failed”.

He listened but said nothing. Mara reached out and caressed his face gently.

 - “But I won’t hit you, though”, she said with a little smile. - “You are too dear to me and…”

She leaned closer and rested her temple against his.

 - “I want you so badly”, she confessed. It felt so good telling him that. She heard a small sigh escape him but wasn’t sure how she should interpretate it. He was so close now and yet so far away. But the distance was decreasing, she could feel it now. And so could he.

 

Mara backed away a little again and meat his eyes once more. His expression was perplexed but certainly not disgust by her words. Far from it. The fire in his eyes, more and more visible behind his Jedi serenity, seemed more and more to become like the same fire that raged within her as well. It pulled her to him again.

She wanted this so desperately.

 - “Instead… I want to kiss you”, she stated gently but still with determination. - “You don’t have to kiss me back, just please… let me kiss you…”

 

She leaned in closer. And, just like the last time she had come here to visit him, her face started to make contact with his. His warm breath hit her skin. The last time he had pulled away. But this time he had nowhere to run. She had him caught.

And even if she hadn’t, Mara had the distinctive feeling that Luke wouldn’t draw away this time. At least she hoped not.

That, more than anything, would break her heart.

 

She parted her lips and closed her eyes.

Then she felt the soft sensation meet her own as she kissed him.

Finally kissed him.

But a slight moan escaped her when she realized that Luke kissed her back!

He meat her in the same, slow movements and their tongues made their first, careful contact, only to grow slowly deeper and a little bolder. Mara trembled as her realisation of her goal reached her heart. And she let out another moan in surprise and joy when she suddenly felt his arms around her, his hands pulling her closer to him.

Mara started to really kiss him now, with passion and the love she carried within her. Luke did not pull away. In fact, his arms, his hands, his lips and his tongue, his whole being encouraged her to continue. She had never expected this, at least not so soon. His kiss was giving, caring and very gentle. But there was also passion and the longing to satisfy a need.

 

Mara was convinced of it now.

Luke wanted her!

He just didn’t dare to give in to his desire for whatever reasons he might have, even if Mara was pretty sure of what those reasons were. Callista most surely, but also and as always, his serenity. But she did not search for the Jedi tonight; she was already familiar with him. She wanted the man. She knew he was there, hiding behind codes and wrongful commitments to a woman that did not appreciate him and whom he only thought he loved. She was beginning to reach him and he was grasping for her.

They must not loose their grip now.

 

Their kiss finally broke. Both drew in much needed air. Mara was still trembling. This was almost unbelievable to be true. She had wanted this to happen for so many years but had denied it to him and also for herself for so long. She looked back into his sapphire blue eyes and smiled slightly. She had never been in love before, had not even been sure if she was capable of it.

And even if it made her head spin, her breath heavy and just making her feel nauseous, it truly felt good being in love. And this wonderful and kind man was the reason. The reason for so much good in her life.

 

Luke’s hands slowly drew away from her and the embrace that had kept her close to him while he had been kissing her. He had been taken by the moment, swept away. He shouldn’t have done this, he knew. But he couldn’t refuse either. Even if he hadn’t felt this powerful desire for Mara he would have let her kiss him anyway.

He knew of his own reasons why he had done this. But he still wasn’t fully clear about Mara’s intentions. Was this it? Or did she want more?

 - “Why, Mara?” Luke asked. - “Why me?”

 

That more than anything mattered to him!

Mara was a very attractive woman and also very intelligent. She could have any man she wanted. So what was she doing here sitting in his lap? Why did she want him, the man she once had wanted to kill? Why did she want a man that was waiting for another woman?

Why did she want a man that would bore her to death and could drive her crazy?

Why?

The more Luke asked himself that question, the more hopeful he suddenly began to feel. He, out of everybody, knew that mysterious things could happen for the most peculiar reasons. Life was full of surprises. Mara’s attraction for him was one of them.

 

 - “Let’s not play the innocent game anymore”, Mara said firmly. - “We are both fully aware that you know what I feel for you”.

No more games. She loved him and they both knew it. And she was going to make sure that he would learn just how much she loved him.

 - “I’m presenting you a gift”, she continued and kept caressing his face with both hands.

 - “But it’s really a gift to us both”.

 

Luke took her hands into his own and held them dearly, also giving one of them a kiss.

 - “And it’s a very beautiful gift”, he stated and Mara could hear that his voice was trembling. Her confession had clearly moved him. That was never as apparent as within his eyes when he meat her gaze again.

 - “Not just because you are a very beautiful woman, Mara, but because the thought behind what you are offering me is generous, unselfish and full of affection”.

Emotions struck him. Luke knew that he might hurt her with what he was about to say.

It was already hurting himself.

 - “But that’s why it doesn’t feel right by me to accept it”, he declared. - “It feels like I’m using you. That I’m taking advantage of your feelings and your kindness”.

 

 - “Trust me, you are not!” Mara quickly told him. - “I should have the right to those worries, not you”.

She pulled her hands away from his gentle hold and placed them onto his chest. She could feel the beating of his heart against her hand.

 - “You are the one with the broken heart”, she said as her hands moved to the upper button of his shirt and pulled it open. - “And I know a way to mend it”.

 

She kept opening his shirt, button after button. About halfway down she could not resist anymore. Her hands slipped in under the fabric and touched the bare skin of his torso, slowly moving down to his heart.

The touch upon his naked skin made Luke gasp, giving Mara her very first true indication that he was really not at all against what she was doing. She kept caressing his chest, feeling its muscular shape. Her fingers followed every curve, exploring this new region. Her touch was being more and more difficult for Luke to ignore. Not only was it feeding his fantasies, it now had a direct affect on his very body as well.

He was beginning to feel aroused.

He swallowed hard, praying she wouldn’t sense it from where she was sitting across his lap. But judging from the lustful look in her eyes she could just as well know full well of how she affected him. After all, Mara knew perfectly well how to please men.

 

Her hands suddenly stopped moving and her eyes became serious.

 - “I know that you are a man of your word, and I wish you to be completely honest with me now. Are you attracted to me? Do you want me?”

Her questions were direct. There was no way going around them. And, as much as he had wished to never tell her, Luke nodded truthfully to her.

 - “Yes!” he answered with a trembling yet determined tone. - “More than anything!”

As if suddenly ashamed of his confession, his eyes fell.

 - “And that scares me…” he added.

 

Mara smiled at his shyness and his constant care for her and her wellbeing over his own. How could she not love this man? No other had ever put her above himself like this.

 - “Do not fear what lies behind the corner, Master Jedi”, she said reassurely. - “You know that changes sometimes are for the better”.

In the same moment, Luke pulled her close to himself and held her near in a powerful embrace. Desperation was beginning to consume him. He wanted her! But he couldn’t have her! He couldn’t risk their friendship!
He wouldn’t stand being left alone yet one more time!

 - “I don’t want to loose you..!” he mumbled.

 - “Who have ever said you will?”

 

Looking into his eyes and feeling the desperation in his embrace it finally hit Mara what his true fear of their attraction to each other was. It was not at all his commitment to Callista as she first had thought. And it was not his Jedi serenity either, at least not all together.

It was his fear of losing her. To face the risk to be abandoned again if this wouldn’t work. And the risk to ruin their friendship forever. In Luke’s mind, becoming her lover wasn’t worth it.

 

‘How deeply she has hurt you,’ Mara’s mind spoke out, knowing that he could hear her thoughts. ‘You should know that I’m not like her’.

She looked him deeply into the eyes.

 - “I will never abandon you; you have my word on that”, she promised him. - “Trust me now as you once did”.

Luke did trust her, he always had. But giving in to this would mean the end of their friendship as it was now, no matter how this would proceed.

 - “It will never be the same again”, he warned.

 - “No”, Mara agreed. - “It will be better”.

 

She was so confident. Luke wished he shared it with her, he really did. But he had been burned before. He longed to let Mara in, into his heart and into his soul, to remove the Force barrier that kept them apart. But doing so would make him more vulnerable than he ever had been in his entire life. Not even Palpatine had managed to reach that far into his being when he almost turned to the Dark Side. Mara would reach it in a matter of seconds. Her strong capabilities in the Force to reach and sense minds over great distances would make that possible. She would know everything about him.

Would she even bother with him if he no longer lived up to her expectations?

Luke had been rejected once by a woman he loved. Thought he had loved. Mara was a completely different woman, but he would not survive another rejection.

Not again!
Not if he opened up as she wanted him to.

 

Small echoes within the Force revealed to Mara of the struggle that her friend wrestled with. Luke was still uncertain of what she wanted. She didn’t want him to feel this worry anymore.

 - “I’m not merely offering you my body, Luke. I’m offering you a whole new life, a new beginning. With me. And not just for tonight, but for all days to come. A life without loneliness”.

Mara paused. She wasn’t used to talking this way. Compassionate and diplomatically. Like a Jedi. But for her to be able to love him, she had to talk like a Jedi. She could not hide away her intentions and wishes any longer.

Still, did Luke share her wishes?

 

 - “If this is not what you wish, I’ll accept that”, she continued, even though it was hard uttering those words. Yes, she would accept what ever he decided to do. But if he said no it would cause her great pain. A pain she would never let him know of. Mara did not want Luke to do this just to please her and keep her safe. If he were to agree it would be because he wanted so himself.

She leaned closer to him again, pressing her body more and more against his.

 - “Just please, accept my gift if only for tonight so that we both will receive a beautiful moment to remember”.

 

Mara was not just seducing him now. She was begging. Luke had never seen her like that before. He had always assumed that she was too proud to ever beg for anything, including her own life. But she was indeed begging.  

And for her to do so it had to be of great concern to her. Not something that was easily discarded and forgotten.

 - “You don’t just want a memory, Mara”, he said firmly. She would never put down so much trouble and effort for just one night’s pleasure.

 - “No. And neither do you”.

 

She came even closer still.

 - “Memories, that was all she gave you. I want so much more for you. For us”.

She kissed his cheek and slowly continued down his neck. Luke gasped, fighting back his desire with everything he mastered now. But it seemed to be in vain to resist. Everything Mara had said and done here tonight had made its impact on him. He had seen and heard new sides of her that he had never seen before, even if he had suspected that they were there within her all along.

It honoured him that he was the one she did reveal her true self to. That it was him she wanted. But Luke also knew that he did not deserve what she wanted to give.

So why did her lips on his neck feel so right?

And so good!?

 

 - “Mara, we shouldn’t…”

Just uttering the words felt like crime and they died off.

 - “Then ask me to stop”, Mara said, not pausing in giving him sweet kisses down his neck, her hands seeking their way inside his shirt again. - “Push me away. I won’t object”.

That was the only way to prevent this. Luke knew what he had to do. To save their friendship he had to.

But he couldn’t push her away. His hands did move, but instead they encircled the woman who was straddling him, pulling her closer to him.

No, he could not deny her! Her touch, her very presence, felt like such liberation.

 

Feeling his arms move around her again, Mara kissed her way back up to his face. She was beginning to be consumed by her own seduction. Excitement struck her. She wanted him. She could barely contain herself anymore.

 - “Right now I don’t care what you do, Luke”, she whispered. - “I will do anything that you ask. I love you with all my heart!”

 - “And I love…”

 

A lightning of insight struck him. It must have been so.

Luke didn’t finish the line because he wanted to deny his words. He didn’t finish it because the truth had appeared from within him so spontaneously, as if it always had been there.

And it had.

Yes, he loved her. He always had. He had known it all along. And he had kept it hidden behind their friendship. But why?

Why did he hide what he felt?

Yes, he had always had good reasons to turn away from his love for this woman. But her sweet caress now made him question those reasons. What kind of Jedi, what kind of man was he, who denied the calling of his own heart?

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

 

Luke felt Mara so close to him. It felt good. Liberating. Intoxicating.

Very intoxicating.

How could he keep doing this to her? He didn’t understand why but she loved him. And he kept pushing her away.

The fear of loosing her and the risk of being hurt was still there. But now they seemed very small and insignificant to the desire that now consumed him from every angle. Luke wanted her. By the Force, he wanted her!

 

His hands moved up to her face, bringing her closer, his lips meeting hers. And he kissed her passionately, deeply and with all the love for her that he had denied himself to feel openly. His totally change of action took Mara completely by surprise. Yet she quickly returned his passion, pressing herself against him.

When their lips finally parted, they were both panting. Their eyes met and Mara was almost taken aback because of the intensity that lived in his gaze now. But she welcomed it.

It seemed as if she had been successful.

 

 - “Please, make love to me!” he whispered.

 

It was Luke’s turn to beg. And he couldn’t feel happier about it. He would gladly crawl before her feet if she asked him to. Because she shared his passion. He wasn’t alone with his feelings. Luke was so used to be alone. But he wasn’t. And he finally realized that.

No wonder that his bond with her was increasing each passing second.

Mara noticed it too.

His mind was opening up. He was letting her in! And he had asked her to make love with him. She gasped in surprise and relief. Half a life time had she longed to hear this man say those words to her. 

 - “Yes..!”

 

They kissed again, slowly, deeply. Feeling the touch and nearness of the other. And the more they felt the more they wanted.

They were no longer two individuals with a secret passion for another. Now their passion were united and shared.

Luke’s hands became alive, moving slowly over her body, feeling how her female forms filled out his palms. So long he had wanted to do this. To actually touch her felt almost unreal. Despite the thick leather of her black top, he could easily sense her arousal as her nipples hardened. And he could see her excitement in her eyes as well.

 

Mara ripped open the last buttons of his shirt. Her hands explored his chest, enjoying the wonderful touch of his skin. Growing more and more impatient, she started to pull the shirt off him. Luke moved to assist her, allowing her to strip him.

Once off, she threw the shirt over her head, paying no more attention to it as she started kissing him again. R2-D2, who had been observing the couple for a long while without being noticed, suddenly found something dark dropping on top of his doom. It was Luke’s shirt. And he could no longer see a thing.

His beeping question brought him no answer. But his sensors to hear were not disrupted. He could easily make out the moaning sounds of his Master and Mistress Jade. Not totally unfamiliar with human behaviour, R2 realized that the two humans did not wish to be disturbed. R2 decided to shut down for now.

Hopefully he would have regained his vision by the time he powered up again.

 

What had begun a bit innocently was now becoming more like frenzy. Luke pulled Mara’s top over her head and he grinned when he discovered that she wore nothing underneath. She was so beautiful.

More gently he caressed her bosoms, looking deeply into her dreamy gaze to see her reaction. She was so soft and warm. And her nipples were hard with lust and anticipation. He brought her closer to him again and kissed her anew, moaning deeply as her tongue danced with his own.

 

Mara found herself lying down on her back on the coach. How she had gotten there she could not remember. All she felt was how Luke touched her everywhere and the passion with which he kissed her. It was as if she was drunk, things happened by themselves and she just tagged along. And she enjoyed every second of it.

She felt how Luke pulled her pants off her and kept removing everything she wore. She didn’t feel embarrassed at all to expose herself to him. Frankly, if it pleased him to see her as she was, then it pleased her too.

 

A few seconds passed when she suddenly felt nothing and she opened her eyes. He was busy and in a hurry to remove the last of his own clothes. Mara’s eyes widened and she smiled. Often had she imagined his body underneath his Jedi uniform or whatever he had been wearing. Reality actually exceeded her expectations.

Luke was naturally well build; his physical life had given him firm and strong muscles. Mara eyed him up and down as he stripped off the very last. He was so handsome! Her eyes fixed on instinct underneath his waste and her heart began pounding even harder. He was already ready for her. She licked her lips, allowing her growing arousal to spread within her. She couldn’t be any more ready for him herself.

 

Luke met her eyes again, realizing that she was observing him. It felt unusual but very satisfying to sense a woman looking at him so willingly, begging him to make her his. Her hungry eyes set everything that was primitive within him alive. This naked beauty, lying in a sexy pose in front of him on the coach, awoke him from a slumber he knew he had been succumbed by far too long. Long gone was Luke’s famous patience. He wanted this woman. He did not want to wait any longer.

He wanted her right now!

 

He crawled on top of her, caressing her sweet body as he moved up to her face. The wonderful sensation of naked skin to naked skin alone made them both gasp for air.

 - “Let me have you, Mara! I long for you..!”

 - “Yes, my love! I need you…”

He ravaged her mouth with deep kisses, longing for satisfaction but also to give pleasure in return. Mara sensed his desperation for love and intimacy. Luke had tried to hide it from her ever since they had met but now she sensed it clearly. She embraced him, answering his lips and tongue with the same desire. She too knew how deeply solitude could push you into despair. Luke was not the only one who had lived with it for a long time. She understood his need more than what he realized.

 

He kissed his way up and down both sides of her neck. His almost untamed energy was nearly overwhelming for her. She did not know exactly what button she had pushed, but Luke was practically another man now. He was the same man that she always had known, the man she loved. But he was still different.

He was different to her because he now revealed a side of himself that Mara never had seen before. She had suspected its existence but never that it would be this strong and powerful.

 

Luke paused for a second; taking his time to look at the woman he loved. The woman he was about to make love to.

She really wanted this. And so did he.

 - “I’ve wanted you for so long!” he mumbled. Why had he waited so long? Why had he deprived them both of their happiness?

All of Luke’s questions and self-criticism vanished as the most wonderful sensation consumed him. And the same consumed Mara as well. In unison, they cried out in pleasure as he entered her and their bodies became as one.

 

As the first wave of pleasure washed over them the next followed and the next. Mara caressed his back as Luke took her with long, determined movements. He kept ravaging her mouth, encouraged by her willingness for him to do so. Mara’s mind was totally out of control. She had him. He was hers.

She finally had him!

And she quickly learned that he was not disappointing her.

The pleasure he gave her went beyond all words she could utter. Luke was so unlike all other men she had ever been with.

Mara’s reasons to seduce him had been in self-interest. But even more so in the interest for the man she loved. If anything she had learned from Luke it was what love is all about. So why should she deny him to receive it in return?

 

His wild kisses seized for a moment as the pleasure increased more and more each time he penetrated her. Luke remained true to the pace he had put into motion, still he increased the power in which he took her. He felt so free, so alive! It had been so long since last he had indulged himself with sexual pleasure. His breathing became heavier and heavier, then it turned into moaning.

 - “Love you, Mara..!” he mumbled between breaths - “I love you..!”

He kept repeating those words over and over again. Almost brought to tears of joy, Mara kissed his neck, allowing him to love her.

 

The two lovers kept riding on the waves of love, finally releasing years of longing out in the open. It was passionate, it was wild. But also very giving and gentle. Their eyes sought out each other, wanting to see the other’s reaction. The Force joined them together, increasing everything that their bodies and hearts already were experiencing. Their eyes were sparkling with lust and pleasure.

One of Luke’s hands moved down to her thigh, wishing her to bend her legs even more.

 - “Higher up, Mara”, he begged. - “Put your legs around me. Hold me!” 

She did as he asked and they both cried out even more as he reached even deeper inside of her.

 

Luke rested his head against her shoulder, fighting now to hold back his release. Mara enjoyed what he was giving her and he wanted to give her so much more. Mara pulled her arms tighter around his body, sensing that her climax was not far away. How could she be receiving it so soon? She heard his deep moans in pleasure and happily embraced each one of them as sweet music, not fully aware of that she was creating the same music herself.

 

She could not believe it but the pace of their lovemaking increased even more. And that was all that her body needed.

The orgasm hit her without mercy, absolute satisfaction filling her everywhere. Her cry of release at first drowned the sound of Luke’s own satisfaction. But in the next moment she realized that he had come just right after she did.

Wrapped up in each other’s arms their climaxes washed over them, again and again. They gasped desperately for air as exhaustion fell upon them.

Even as their orgasms faded away after several minutes they remained where they were, holding each other, breathing heavily. Mara felt how her need to fall asleep came nearer.

The satisfaction was overwhelming.

 

*****************************

 

Luke slowly opened his eyes. Maybe he had fallen asleep a minute or two, he didn’t know. His body was consumed by exhaustion, yet he felt more relaxed than he had in years. And incredibly satisfied. The bliss from making love to Mara kept reminding him of the pleasure she had given him.

He felt blessed as he looked upon her. Mara was still underneath him. She was asleep. Luke felt all warm inside. Mara was so special. So dear to him. So unlike all other women. Even if she would most likely object to the thought, she reminded him a lot of himself. And she was also many things he wished he could be a lot more. She understood him. She loved him. She had the capabilities to make him happy. And right now, Luke was indeed very happy.

She had also given him great pleasure. And he had eagerly received everything she had given him. It had been so good!

 

Still, this had not been exactly the way Luke had preferred it to be. It was not really like him to have wild sex on a coach the very first time he was with a woman. The romantic, emotional side of him started to feel a bit guilty. They had not really had any foreplay. His patience had been put aside to satisfy how own needs. Had he been able to satisfy her as much as she had done for him? Had she been turned on enough when he had made her his?

Slowly, Luke moved off her to not put any more pressure on her body and laid down right next to her, keeping an arm around her. His movements made her wake up.

 

To see Luke’s blue eyes the very first thing as she woke up brought a smile to Mara’s face. Her head rested on his arm while the other held on to her body. She felt incredibly safe now. Her Jedi would protect her from all dangers of this galaxy, as he always had. But now she had given him even greater reasons for him to do so.

Her Jedi.

Mara had never thought of Luke that way. But it carried something sweet and also honourable with it. Nothing had really changed between them. What they already had was just so much more now. And now they were no longer two when they were together.

They were as one.

In body and soul.

Joined in heart.

Together in the Force.

 

Mara knew that Luke could sense it too. After all, he had for so long feared this union in the belief that it would rip them apart. But Mara had no intention to leave him. Even if she could think of reasons to do so they were never strong enough. They had both gone through difficulties before, created by others but also by themselves. Their friendship had faced many trials and they had overcome them all. They wouldn’t have remained true to their friendship this long otherwise. What ever challenges that lay ahead of them, they would face and overcome them together.

They would never be alone again.

 

She gazed into the eyes of her lover with gratitude. Mara had never felt so fulfilled in her whole life. And never as loved either. She had often asked herself if she was mad waiting for him to come around and realize her love for him. Now Mara knew that all her waiting had not been for nothing.

She searched for the same feelings in him but instead she felt something completely different. His blue eyes were serious. And what was she sensing from him?

Guilt?

Luke said nothing; he just kept staring at her. His eyes were practically penetrating. Mara started to worry. Was he having second thoughts of what they had done? Was he even regretting it?

Please, no! Don’t make her loose him now when she finally had gotten him!

That would destroy her!

 

Luke kept looking at her, realizing more and more what he needed to do. And he was looking forward to it.

He suddenly sensed a worry from her, which surprised him. He reached out with the Force and entered her mind gently. It was not at all difficult to locate the source of her sudden fear. Luke sighed. The only regret he felt was that she had misunderstood him and what he was feeling. He wanted to make this night even better than what it already had been, not throw it away.

 

He pushed himself up to a sitting position and brought Mara up with him in his arms. Holding her close, Luke gently kissed her, opening his mind completely to her. No words were necessary. Their Force link told them everything. A sigh of relief escaped her as Mara sensed his true feelings. He did love her and he still wanted her. There was no doubt. All her worries went away and she eagerly kissed him back.

With Mara in his arms, Luke rose to his feet. His intentions were to continue what they had started. Only, this time it would include so much more, things that he regarded as necessary the first time two people became lovers. And for all other following times as well.

That penetrating gaze of his looked upon her again. But now did Mara see it as it for what it really was.

Lust.

It was lust, not regret.

No wonder she hadn’t recognized it in him before, he had never expressed it to her before.

 

Holding her close, Luke carried her towards his bedroom. Anticipation and desire surrounded them both. Mara gladly passed on the command to him now. She had done her dominating part this evening. She had indeed been very successful!

Almost reaching the room, Luke noticed in the corner of his eye that R2 stood shut down with his shirt hanging all over him. He could not hold back the grin. Weather Mara had thrown it on him on purpose or not, seeing this was amusing.

With a slight touch of the Force, the shirt fell off the droid, who immediately woke up. R2 rotated his head to see what was happening. But all the little droid managed to see was how the two humans disappeared into his Master’s bedroom and the door was shut behind them.

 

*****************************

 

As soon as the door was closed behind them, Luke carried Mara directly to his bed. It was no king size bed, it merely had room for one person. But it was still a lot more space than what the coach provided.

 - “I thought this would be more comfortable”, Luke explained while placing her carefully onto the bed.

 - “Good thinking”, Mara agreed as she felt the soft cover and pillow underneath her. She grinned at him, observing him and his handsome features while still trying to get into her head that all of this wasn’t a dream. It was truly happening.

Because she had set out to do it.

 - “I always knew I would end up in your bed someday, Skywalker”.

 

Luke sat down on the edge of the bed next to her, gazing down upon the redheaded beauty.

 - “You did, huh?” he asked and grinned back.

 - “I was not going to settle with anything else”, she stated.

Luke giggled slightly at her determination. It was one of many things why he was so drawn to her. Sometimes she could be even more stubborn than him. But she was not determined and careless, rather determined and cautious. He was suddenly filled with so much gratitude.

It was that determination of hers that, indeed, had brought her into his bed tonight. It was her determination that had made him carry her there.

It was her determination that now brought them both happiness.

 

With the Force, Luke shut down all the light in the room except one small just above the bed that he kept burning.

 - “I want to see you”, he said and reached out and brushed away a bit of her golden red hair from her face. His eyes journeyed up and down her body. Her voluptuous female forms made him tremble with care and desire for her. He just couldn’t believe it! This was the woman of his dreams. And she had picked him to be her lover.

Green eyes looked at him so sweetly, pulling him towards her. As if her gaze were a tractor beam, Luke drew closer to her and climbed in bed. Mara put her arms around him, embracing him, holding him close on top of herself. Their lips quickly found each other.

 

Mara sensed how her excitement began to grow inside of her again. It was as if the more he gave her the more she wanted. And wanted to give back in return.

But she also sensed the different pace of his touch now, unlike from their intimate moment just a few minutes ago. Luke kissed her very slowly, really exploring her mouth. He held her tight but not too hard or with too much weight upon her. The Force revealed to her what her lover had in mind.

 

The slow pace felt a bit unfamiliar to her. Mara wasn’t used to that men were so patient once the clothes were off. For once, Luke’s patience was not making her crazy. In fact, it brought her more joy than she could ever believe it could! No wonder that none of her former lovers had ever managed to make her forget about Luke and move on. She didn’t want things to be like they always had been. She wanted and needed something different. Something that was not taking advantage of her.

 

His mind was blended with hers now. Luke could feel what she was feeling; hear the thoughts of her mind. He would never try to take advantage of her. She was so special to him and wanted her to feel the way he regarded her.

He slowly moved down her neck and kissed and nibbled for a long time there, while his fingers slowly moved over and over again through her hair. Soft sighs escaped her as this almost unfamiliar attention became more and more obvious to her.

And he had only started.

 

Slowly he moved down her body. His hands began a wonderful journey, going where they never had before. With slow, caressing movements, he touched every surface of her skin that he could find. He lingered by her more erotic areas, squeezing her breasts gently and enjoyed the feeling of how they filled out his hands, and repeated the same movements on her inner thighs.

After avoiding the area on purpose for a long time just to tease her, his fingers finally reached her womanhood. Mara gasped as he found her most sensitive spot. It sent shivers of lust and satisfaction throughout her body. He lingered there, repeating his simple but so effective little movements with his fingers. Mara started to breathe more heavily. His stimulation was sensational. And he kept doing it! He didn’t stop.

Through half closed eyes she could see how he observed her reactions. Yes, he knew what to do. Not because he perhaps had done the same to other women in the past but because he could sense it from her that she wanted him to do this. And he could see it in her satisfaction.

 

Luke went even further now.

One of his fingers moved inside of her.

Mara cried out with delight, and again when a second finger did the same. They moved slowly inside of her, stimulating her with such easy movements. Mara’s body began on pure instinct to move to increase the feel of his stimulation. Her arousal was large now. She would reach her peek soon if he continued this. Maybe that was what he had in mind all along?

 

Luke observed her every reaction carefully. His entire focus was upon Mara now. Her moans of pleasure were very stimulating in return.

He knew she was beginning to get close now. She would probably curse him, but he wouldn’t let her come now. Not just yet. He wanted to play and explore some more before that happened.

He removed his fingers from her inner body. Before Mara was even allowed to protest he bent down and began to kiss her again. Then he left her lips and travelled down her body, letting his lips and tongue be his guide onto her body.

He reached her breasts and licked, sucked and nibbled with an almost childish delight. He could feel her hand moving through his hair, wanting to keep him there for as long as possible.

 

He kissed her tummy, playing with his tongue in her navel for a while, which made Mara giggle. It tickled and felt exciting at the same time. Then he travelled even further down, kissing her thighs first. Then finally reaching the goal which they both wanted him to reach.

The female scent that met him encouraged him and Luke slowly began to stimulate her orally. He had almost forgotten how a woman tasted like and Mara tasted wonderfully. He could hear her deep moans and sense her delight from his efforts through the Force, which only drove him on even more.

 

Minutes passed by and he kept on going, with no indication to stop. Mara’s whole body was beginning to tremble with pleasure. But it wasn’t just the sexual stimulation he gave her. It was the dedication, the willingness to really satisfy her. If his tongue and lips hadn’t moved with such pleasing skill, tears of joy would have fallen from her eyes.

 

Then, suddenly from out of nowhere, the climax hit her. It almost went black before her eyes.

 

Luke pulled himself up to her again and put his arms around her trembling body while her orgasm was still consuming her. He simply held her for the time being, not wanting to come in between her and her pleasure. It would return her soon enough to him anyway.

When Mara’s mind came back to her senses, the first thing she saw was his blue eyes. His love for her was radiating from them. She cuddled really close to him and they simply held each other for a long time, enjoying the nearness of the other.

 

Not been given his famous patience, though, Mara eventually wanted to do something in return. She too wanted to play and explore a bit. And, just like the massage she had given him before, she knew there were other stimulating things she could give him that he hadn’t gotten in a very long time.

 

She rolled him onto his back and they kissed some more. Her hands became alive once more and started to explore him the same way that he had done to her moments ago. Her palms and fingers glided down his torso, once more caressing his chest and then even further down across his tummy. Mara looked him deeply into his eyes when her hand reached his manhood. She longed to witness his expression.

 

Even though Luke knew what she was doing, the sensation still took him by surprise. Her hand encircled him and began to stimulate him. He became harder by the second. He closed his eyes and in almost a dreamy state simply allowed her to continue. How often hadn’t he fantasised about this very thing? He had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t asleep.

His eyes flew open, though, as a new and even better feeling overwhelmed him. And he cried out loudly as she allowed him entrance inside her mouth.

 - “Oh, Mara..!”

 

His head was spinning as her lips encircled his member. But most of all, her tongue gave him the most enormous satisfaction. He kept moaning loudly and deeply as she skilfully kept giving him oral pleasure. It was too good to close his eyes now. Luke had to see her do this to him. The erotic sight increased the sensation even more.

His heart was pounding. This was the best blow job he had ever received. Callista had given him some a few times, but it had never been on her own initiative. And it had always been a bit reluctantly.

Mara, however, gave him this with absolute joy! He hadn’t begged her to do it, it was her own idea. And she had done this before, that he could tell. She gave him just enough so that it would not make him tip over.

And that was what Mara had planned all along.

 

She rose a bit and, just like out on the coach earlier, she straddled him. And then she allowed him entrance inside of her body once more.

She lingered there, simply feeling him inside of her. And that was not all. It was as if their Force bond increased even more when their bodies were joined as well. Mara could feel him through the Force with such ease now. No walls existed anymore. And it felt so strong. So natural.

So right.

 

She looked down and faced him. Mara smiled slightly, figuring that she had probably the same lustful look on her face herself as her new lover had.

Her lover.

Luke would continue to be that. Unlike all other men Mara had encountered, her precious Jedi and farmboy would not tell her to take a hike. She had never minded or cared, really, when some of her previous lovers had said that, she had always been halfway out the door anyway, usually bored to death. But now she was anything but bored. And she was loved.

That was the major difference.

Luke would stick by her forever, his loyalty she would never question; he would never give her any reason to. And she would prove to him that he could trust her as well. The best ones truly were worth waiting for.

She began moving her body slowly, enjoying the stimulating friction that it created.

 

During the following hour, their lovemaking continued, slowly and sensually. Their hands and lips roamed freely across each other’s bodies, exploring every surface of skin. Their positions changed frequently, one of Luke’s favourites was when he was sitting up with Mara in his lap. How had she known that he loved having a woman like that? That was how she had managed to convince him to go along with this in the first place.

However, it was while lying on his back and holding Mara close in his arms as they both reached the final highlight of their lovemaking.

 

Still trembling from her third climax this evening, Mara pulled herself even closer to him, feeling his powerful, warm embrace surround her. She enjoyed feeling his strong arms around her; it made her feel so special. That she finally belonged somewhere again.

Ever since the Emperor had died she had felt a bit lost, that she did not belong to anything anymore. Karrde had managed to fill that void a lot, but Mara was searching for something even deeper than that. She had for a long time realized that she would find what she was looking for with the Jedi Master. Luke made her feel special, even if it just meant for him personally. That was all she required. And it was without the demands that Palpatine had put on her.

 

She rested her head on his shoulder and grinned to herself as she still could hear him gasp for air.

Luke turned his head and looked at her. Unlike her, he had never even dared to believe that Mara would end up in his bed. Right now she was more beautiful than ever, looking like a sweet angel sent to take care of him.

 - “I can’t believe…”

 

Mara raised her gaze.

 - “You better believe it, Jedi!” she stated and smiled happily. - “I knew I would get you one day!”

She started to caress his face. She had learned that it soothed him when she did that.

 - “You can’t run from me forever. We may have several lives or we are only granted this one. Either way, why waste it?”

She was right. So obviously and simply right. Remembering so many previous encounters with his lady friend, Luke could see it all clearly now. So often Mara had tried to open his eyes. And he had not seen it.

 

 - “Forgive me”, Luke mumbled. - “You’ve shown me much more patience than I deserve. I’ve been such a fool”.

Mara shook her head.

 - “No. Just cautious”, she said. - “Though, you are a too cautious man for your own good sometimes. The fool, however, is me”.

Her change of criticism puzzled him.

 - “You? Why?”

She smiled again, but now it was an innocent and honest looking smile, so unlike what Luke was used to see from her.

 - “Because I fell helplessly in love with such a cautious man. I can’t really explain why, but I did. Against all sense and reason, I fell big time! I have never regretted it and I never will!”

She looked even deeper into his eyes now.

 - “Believe me, Skywalker; you have proven that to me tonight!”

 

Her words were like bliss of joy brought to him. It felt as if he had been running away from home for basically all his life and now, finally, he was welcomed back.

He now belonged to something, something that was personal and intimate.

 

Luke had for many years known what the rest of his life would be. He would with full commitment continue what he had promised to do when he had left Tatooine with Obi-Wan so many years ago. He would continue to teach and instruct the ways of the Force here on Yavin 4 and protect the galaxy with the best of his capabilities.

But he had always assumed that he would do all this alone. That he would never have the chance to share it with someone.

Leia, who he otherwise had a strong bond with, lived her own life, a political life, on Coruscant. Even if he could share basically everything with her, his sister had her own life on another world. As much as he worshipped and loved his sister, the bond with her was not the fulfilment which Luke was looking for. And Han was not a Jedi, he could never fully understand.

Frankly, no one fully did.

 

Except Mara Jade.

 

Luke started to kiss her again, feeling more alive than he had in many years. More than ever he allowed her into his life. Into his mind. Into his heart. He rolled her over to her back, feeling how he was beginning to be consumed by his desire for this woman yet again. She, literary, could drive him senseless with lust!

 - “Mara… My Mara…”

 

Soon their bodies were moving together on the waves of pleasure once more. Again and again they joined, after one wonderful climax after another. Hours went by, but fatigue did not consume them, not even when night started to become a new early morning.

They just couldn’t stop loving. It wasn’t merely the calling of their hearts or the desire for even more sexual pleasure that kept them going; it was the Force itself, urging them to continue to be as one. They also had so much time to catch up with, so much love they needed to share that they had denied themselves for so long a time.

 

Eventually, though, not long before the very first rays of light reached over the horizon and the jungle canopy to welcome the new day, the two lovers finally fell asleep in each others arms.

 

*****************************

 

When Mara woke up she immediately sensed that she hadn’t slept enough. She was still very tired and her body felt a little sore in some areas, which happily reminded her of last night. Rays of sunlight caught her eyes. But even more did the arm holding her close catch her attention.

Tiredly she turned and faced him. Luke faced her with a gentle smile.

 - “Good morning, sweetheart”, he whispered. Their lips met in a tender kiss.

He seemed very tired too but he must have been awake a bit longer than her. Mara’s vision came more into focus. It was then she saw the little river of tears falling down his cheek. Worry immediately fell upon her but the Force reassured her of the opposite. What she saw was happy tears.

 

 - “Big boys don’t cry, remember?” she gently stated and dried away the tears from his face.

 - “Yes, we do when we receive such a beautiful gift”, Luke confessed and gazed long and deeply into her green eyes. - “I hope I managed to give something in return”.

Was that what was concerning him? After last night he should know that he had given her more than what she had received during her entire lifetime altogether.

 - “Believe me, you did! Your touch is everything I’ve dreamt of”.

Indeed it was. Luke was in fact an excellent lover. Not even Mara had expected him to be that. Honestly, she had been happy with less.

 

Luke kept looking into her eyes. He had observed her for quite some time, watching her sleep peacefully next to him and how she became even more beautiful when she had woken up. Her presence alone was soothing. Her nearness warming. And her love for him overwhelming.

 - “Last night was mind-blowing and unforgettable, Mara”.

A grin formed in his face.

 - “It’s probably the best birthday present I’ve ever received”.

 - “Good. I’m pleased to hear that my choice of gift was satisfactory for the man that I adore”.

 - “Trust me, it was very satisfactory. I’ve never felt as content as I do now. Or happy”.

 

Luke reached out and caressed her hair; its red colour shining brightly against his skin.

 - “You’re crazy, lady, do you know that?” he suddenly said. Even if Mara had wanted to, she could not bring herself to get irritated over such a statement. Not now. Instead, she got curious.  

 - “How so?”

Luke sighed deeply.

 - “For wanting a guy like me. You can have any man you want”.

 

Now, however, his words almost felt painful. Painful because he still didn’t think more highly of himself. And did not understand how deeply she loved him.

She pushed him onto his back and crawled on top of him. She was only going to say this once.

 - “I don’t want any man. I want you!”

She gave him a small, innocent kiss.

 - “It has always been you, Skywalker. Only you…”

 - “I know”.

 

Luke had always known. It just felt so unreal to be the man of her interest, even now. But he had for years now observed how Mara had turned her back to all relationships, except when her physical needs had desired satisfaction. But Luke had believed that Mara had wished to live her life like that, independent and free. He had never thought that he had been the reason why she had not accepted any other man in her life.

In a sense, that realisation brought sadness to it. Not only had he kept his happiness away from himself, he had done the same to her as well. But she had forgiven him for that. She looked at the future, what lied ahead for them. He should do the same.

 - “I’m forever yours, my sweet”, Luke promised.

 

They remained close in each others arms. Mara kept resting her head peacefully against his shoulder. She had spent nights with many men but she had never spent a moment like this with any man. Until now.

Her thoughts kept returning to the night before. Behind her determination to make Luke hers she had kept an equally strong insecurity hidden. She had feared greatly to fail. But she hadn’t failed.

Luke was hers now.

 - “I guess it worked, didn’t it?” she mumbled, thinking loudly to herself. She caressed her lover’s chest as if she had won a trophy.

 

Their minds connected now, Luke knew what she was referring to. Her brilliant, he had to admit, plan to seduce him.

 - “Of course it did”, he said and gave her a small kiss on her temple. - “You’re never wrong, are you?”

 - “I’m far from always right, Luke”.

 - “You were right about me”, he insisted. - “I’ve wanted this to happen just as much as you did. But I was too afraid to acknowledge it”.

 

Their eyes met and Mara could feel the turmoil of emotions going on within him.

 - “I love you, Mara”.

For the first time, those words were not hard to say. He should have said that years ago. He would tell her from now on. Every day.

 - “And I you”, Mara answered.

 

Her words brought a smile to his face. Yet, something in his eyes revealed to her that Luke still felt uneasy about something.

 - “I can’t go back to how it used to be between us”, he said. - “As wonderful as last night have been, I don’t want this to turn into merely a memory. You are so much more than merely physical pleasure, Mara. I need you with me. Always”.

 - “I know”, Mara said and crawled on top of him. - “That was why I gave you this, my love. Your needs and desires haven’t been as concealed to me as you might think. I don’t want you to go back to your solitude, nor do I wish to return to mine”.

 

Her solitude?

Had she felt as lonely as he had?

 - “I’m not going anywhere”, Mara continued reassuringly. - “If you want me, farmboy, I’m here to stay. For life!”

 

With her honest commitment, all of Luke’s fears and insecurities went out the window, as if they never had existed. Joy washed over him. He embraced her and rocked her in his arms.

 - “Boy, do I want you, Mara Jade!”

‘By the Force, how could I have been so ignorant for so long?’ he asked himself. ‘It wasn’t Callista’s return I have been waiting for all this time. It was for me to wake up and realize what I have right here!’

 

They started to giggle, feeling like teenagers all of a sudden. Luke started to tickle her and Mara laughed hysterically and tried to defend herself. But when he pended her down on her back there wasn’t much of a defence she could put up.

Luke stopped tickle her and pressed his lips to hers, almost taking her breath away. She stopped struggling and met his lips with the same hunger.

 

Energetic beepings and whistlings from the other side of Luke’s bedroom door suddenly interrupted them. Luke sighed. For once, R2 had picked the wrong time to ask for attention. Mara however couldn’t get irritated, which surprised her. Luke brought out a side of her she didn’t know was there. Maybe there was tolerance within her after all?

 - “I think your little friend wants something”, she noted.

 - “He wonders why I’m late for work”, Luke explained. - “I’m never late. But this morning I intend to be”.

He gave Mara a deep, quick kiss.

 - “I’ll be right back”, he said and got out of bed.

 

*****************************

 

Luke left the room and immediately got on the comlink to call Kam and tell him that he would not take any classes today. Since it was Kam that had let Mara into his apartment last night he could now also take over his classes. That only seemed fare enough.

If this had been the day before, Luke would never have done such a thing. But now, he mused, it felt good doing something for himself for once.

Luckily, Kam seemed to agree. The other Jedi did not hear it from Luke, but he could tell from the Jedi Master’s eyes that something apparently had happened between him and Mara. More than the usual, that was. Especially since Luke wasn’t wearing anything to cover his chest and he usually didn’t reveal himself like this, not even to his friends.

Kam promised to ask his friend more carefully later of what was going on and now leave him be with his lady. Besides, he was already late if he was going to take over Luke’s first class this morning.

 

*****************************

 

 - “Now, where were we?”

 

Mara couldn’t help but to laugh when she saw Luke return to the bedroom and closing the door behind him. He almost acted like a school boy; his blue eyes were full of light. Her laughter would have continued if it wasn’t for the fact that he was not wearing anything and had not done so since he got out of bed in the first place. Now, in daylight, seeing him in full glory made her gasp.

 

 - “What’s this? Can Jedi Master Skywalker play hooky from his own class?”

Luke sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

 - “He can… since he has played hooky on life itself for so long”.

He grabbed the cover and pulled it away from her, exposing her body to him. His eyes wandered up and down on her, enjoying her beauty.

 - “However, I’m not the kind of man that wastes any valuable time”, he said and climbed in bed and on top of her, enjoying the touch of naked skin against naked skin. He pinned her down, leaving her no ways to escape, just as she had done to him on the coach the evening before. Luke was eager to return the favour.

 - “I know that you have always been reluctant for me to teach you, but today I give you no choice”.

 

He was teasing her, playing with her. Mara knew exactly what he wanted. But if he wanted to play Jedi Master even as her lover, she would play along. It was kind of exciting anyway.

 - “Is that so?” she asked.

 - “Yeah. I tend to instruct you right here”.

He moved closer to kiss her, only to not do so. His lips merely brushed against hers. He wanted to tease her even more.

 - “Really?”

Mara put her arms around him.

 - “And what could possibly such a lesson be, Master Jedi? What do you wish me to learn in this position? Defence? Or attack perhaps?”

Luke grinned. She had accepted his little game.

 - “This ain’t no lightsaber battle, my gorgeous”, he stated and his blue eyes were radiating desire now. - “It’s sex!”

 - “That was what I hoped it would be”, Mara said and pulled him closer and kissed him passionately weather he had planned to do that now or not.  

 

 - “I’ve asked R2 to perform some maintenance down at the hangar so we now have the whole apartment to ourselves”, Luke explained once she finally gave him some air to breathe. - “So, do you want some more action from my ‘saber’, baby?”

 - “Luke!?”

Not even Mara had been prepared for him to ever utter such words. This was so totally unlike the patient and always correct Jedi she knew. But she loved this hidden side of him. His serenity was all gone, at least as long as he remained like this. She giggled with delight once the chock of his words subsided.

 - “I didn’t know you could be so naughty?”

 - “I think it’s time you find out, Mara”.

Luke started to nibble his way down her neck.

 - “I still have many ‘moves’ that I’d like to show you”.

 

Mara moaned as his hands began to move on her again. He knew exactly what to do to make her sound like that.

 - “Well, since you put it that way, I’m willing to learn some more”, she said.

His hands became bolder and moved to more sensitive areas, making her gasp in pleasure even more.

 - “And, please, don’t stop ‘instructing’ me until you think I have learned enough”, Mara managed to utter between moans.

 - “For once I hope my student is a slow learner”, Luke said and moved up to her face again. Mara sensed his arousal pressing against her belly, as well as her own within her. Gently he entered her.

 

Mara trembled as the pleasure of him inside of her hit her. Luke did not waste any time. He started to make love to her.

 - “You sure take your job seriously, Master Skywalker”.

 - “Always”.

 

The End

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