THE HEART OF THE JEDI

 

BIG BOYS DON’T CRY

by Martina

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

This chapter NC-13

 

- “No!”

Every muscle in his body was pushed to its limits. And he was trembling

heavily from the freezing water. But his fight had merely begun.

With strength reborn, Luke managed to reach the shore and dragged himself

and Mara’s limp body up out of the cold water onto the riverbank.

- “Don’t leave me, Mara! Don’t you dare..!”

Luke could not remember the last time he had been this scared. She could not

be dead. She couldn’t be! There was still time. Maybe the cold water had let

her body fall into deep hypothermia so her blood would have become like

ice-water. All her body functions would then have slowed down but not

stopped.

There could still be time left.

There must be!

He felt the tightness of the remains of the wire that still held their

bodies together. Up until now, that wire had helped them. Now it was in the

way, hindering him while he tried to save her.

Luke grasped one part of it close to his waist and focused the Force at full

strength on this small area. In less than a second it broke without mercy

and he could free himself and Mara.

He quickly turned her body face down, grasped her waist with both arms and

then squeezed hard. She had much water in her lungs; he had to make her

choke it up. Water did spill out of her mouth but without Mara’s own active

participation, it wasn’t much. She was not breathing and her heart had

stopped as well. It was a race against time now.

Luke quickly turned her over again, onto her back.

- “Come on, breathe! Breathe!”

He started performing first aid on her, pushing with both hands down on her

ribcage and every fifth second he bent her head backwards so he could blow

air into her lungs. His days in the Rebel Alliance had taught him how to do

this; it had been basic training for everybody. This was the first time,

though, that Luke performed this for real in a life and death situation.

Even with the Force to help him, he had no idea whether his efforts would be

enough.

He kept working on her. Seconds passed and every one of them felt like

eternity. He pushed harder, almost to the point of breaking a rib or two.

Mara showed no sign of reaction to his attempts.

- “Don’t do this to me!”

Sweat covered his face. He needed something more efficient to make her heart

start beating again. In a medical room they would have used a defibrillator

on her. But now he was in the middle of a forest and the only defibrillator

equipment on the whole planet was on their ships, several kilometres away.

He needed to improvise. And quickly.

Luke put his palm on top of Mara’s ribcage. He merely used his left hand.

His right, mechanical hand could stop functioning if he used it for what he

was about to do. He closed his eyes. What he was about to do was wrong. He

knew how to do this but normally he never did. This was a Dark Side ability.

But Mara was dying right in front of him, he had no time to worry about

right or wrong or Light or Darkness. Nor did he care right now.

Very carefully and with only a fraction of the power he otherwise could

unleash, Mara’s whole body jerked as the bolts from the Force Lightning were

sent from Luke’s hand to her chest.

It had no effect.

Mara’s half closed eyes kept staring back at him, making him shudder as

panic started to overpower him more and more. She looked both peaceful and

frightened, like frozen in time, begging him to help her back to life. Luke

zapped her again.

Still nothing.

- “You have a strong heart and I know you want to live!”

He increased the power and Mara’s body left the ground almost completely as

the lightning hit her. She fell back, still not moving on her own. Still not

breathing.

Her heart did not respond.

Luke bent to her face and blew more air down her throat.

- “Breathe, for Force’s sake! Breathe!”

He climbed on top of her, putting one leg on each side, and resumed applying

pressure to her ribcage the traditional way. He did not dare to use the

Lightning any further. It was a power meant to destroy and kill, not to save

life. He had no greater experience in performing this power to begin with

and therefore he would most surely kill her if he continued or increased the

power even further.

Sweat and tears flooded his face and he breathed heavily as he continued to

fight to save her life. Luke realized that his efforts to revive her had

minimal effect now that he had reached this state of fear and panic. He was

not really acting in the situation anymore, only reacting. But what else

could he do? He couldn’t give up.

No.

He would never give up!

But nothing happened. She didn’t move. No breath was drawn. Her heart didn’t

beat. And he sensed nothing from the Force.

There was nothing.

That, most of all, fed Luke’s increasing anger and fear each passing moment.

Why did the Force not help him? Why could he not help her? Why didn’t Mara

help him?

Suddenly he just stopped performing the first aid and gazed down at her. His

anger had found a way through his wall of serenity.

- “Sithspit, woman, what is wrong with you!?” he yelled at her. No answer.

Just that strange, scary expression on her face that stared back at him.

This triggered Luke’s anger even further.

- “You’ve never backed away from anything in your entire life!”

No longer really aware of what he was doing, he raised his hand and it came

down hard, slapping her face.

- “Now, fight!”

Her head fell to the opposite side, her expression unmoved by his assault.

And the more unmoved her limp body and face seemed, the more desperate,

angry and afraid Luke became.

Mara was dead.

But Luke did not want to accept that.

He slapped her face again on the other side, even harder this time.

- “Fight! Right now! Do it!”

The look on her face was unchanged.

Despair finally consumed him. It was over.

He knew it was over.

He had failed her.

Slowly, Luke fell on top of her, his warm and red face touching hers, so

cold and blue. He was defeated. Her still wet, red hair touched his face and

he hugged her shoulders, drawing himself closer to her. Never had it felt so

good being so close to her. Why did she have to die for him to notice that?

- “No, Mara! Don’t you die on me, too, please..! Don’t leave me…”

The pain he felt was unbelievable. It made him tremble from the inside out.

It was stronger and more devastating than anything physical he had ever

experienced. He had failed to save and protect so many. Precious souls that

still haunted him to this day. But Luke had never ever imagined that Mara

would become one of them. How could he have failed her like this? She had

trusted him! She had trusted him with her life!

And now she was paying the prize.

And he did the same now, too.

He tried to breathe but his heavy crying barely let him. This forced him to

sit up again. As he did he met that frozen face again. She looked the same

yet she seemed different now. Her expression didn’t scare him as strongly as

it had done before.

Luke carefully and so gently touched the side of Mara’s face, so very

differently from the hard slaps he had given her just a few seconds ago. He

could not believe that he actually had hit her. Luke never hit, unless in

self-defence, and certainly never women. He had actually given Leia a little

slap once, many, many years ago, right after the destruction of the first

Death Star, but that had served to save them as Leia was drawing the wrong

kind of attention to them at the time. But what had his slaps served here?

Nothing!

By the Force, he had actually hit her!

Was the Dark Side of him coming back!?

He kept staring into the half-opened eyes of hers, their green colour still

very visible.

She was so beautiful!

She looked like an angel. So innocent. So peaceful. But she had been even

more beautiful in life. Luke had never paid so much attention to it before,

at least not that he had been aware of. But now he knew he had always been

aware of how stunning Mara had been. He simply had learned to not let her

beauty affect him.

Why was it the beautiful and the innocent ones who always perished!? Why

were they always the ones to suffer for his failures!?

No, not again!

Not this time.

Not her.

Not her, too!

Not this time!

Mara was too precious to die. She still had so much to live for. She did not

deserve this end! Especially not because of him!

Luke grabbed her by her arms with both hands and began to shake her.

- “Fight! Fight!!! FIGHT!!!”

His act served nothing, his yelling would not change anything. But his mind

was spinning and racing so strongly now that he could barely even see

straight anymore.

‘Your eyes may deceive you. Don’t trust them’.

Luke could not tell why he suddenly could hear the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi

so clearly within his mind. His former Master had not been able to make

contact with him from the other side of life for many years. Their link was

forever broken. Why did his memories from days of old start to appear? And

why now?

Luke closed his eyes. He could not take this anymore.

It was then he sensed her!

His eyes flew open again. He was not imagining this! Mara’s presence was

there, getting stronger every second. He lowered his gaze, observing her

closely.

- “That’s it…”

It was merely a whisper but it seemed the mere sound of his voice triggered

it all.

Her eyes flickered.

- “That’s it, Mara, you can do it!”

She started to move, even if just slightly. Her eyes blinked. Life was

returning to her.

- “That’s it, come back now. Come on, you can do it!”

Mara’s eyes flew wide open as she tried to draw her first breath. But she

received no air. Instead, she started to choke and spit out the water that

still was left in her lungs. Her body jerked as she desperately wanted to

gulp air down into her lungs. Luke slipped off her, realizing that she was

still far away from trouble.

- “Easy!” he said as he took her into his arms, leaning back with her. -

“Breathe deeply and slowly.”

- “Luke..?”

She was afraid, disoriented and confused. She had most likely no idea of

what was going on.

- “I’m right here, Mara. Try not to talk.”

But she couldn’t talk. She could barely breathe, even now. Her airways were

still jammed up by fluid. She could drift away again if he didn’t help her.

But now, at least, she was awake! And she could help him save her.

- “Don’t panic!” he said and rested her body against his own, her back

against his chest. - “I’m right here with you. I’ll never let go, Mara.

Promise me you won’t give up. Just breathe. Breathe…”

Sitting up, Luke kept his arms around her, holding one hand on her chest and

the other on her belly. Through the Force he reached into her lungs, into

her airways, trying to remove her lack of oxygen. But he knew he could only

help her to a certain degree. Most of the fighting was Mara’s alone.

- “Don’t be afraid,” he said with a surprising calm. He supported her

against himself, letting her rest in his embrace, guiding her struggle to be

able to breathe normally again.

- “Feel my chest,” he said slowly. - “Feel it moving. Breathe like me.

Breathe with me.”

She followed his slow and steady rhythm of inhales and exhales but not

without pain and fear. Each breath she took was a huge effort. It sounded

old and dry, as if someone was literally choking her. Her hands pulled in

desperation at the fabric of his pants every time she drew a new breath.

- “Hurts..!” Mara managed to mumble. She was so tired. And every new breath

demanded the last of her strength.

- “I know,” Luke said, never straying from his focus upon her airways. - “Be

strong, Mara. It’ll pass. It’ll pass…”

Leaning against his torso and feeling his arms around her eased down her

fear. She felt his chest moving against her back and Mara tried as hard as

she could to follow the same rhythm.

She sensed how he reached into her lungs, removing most of the pain. As the

pain started to go away, Mara dared to take longer and deeper breaths. And

the more she could breathe, the less fear had an impact on her.

But this wasn’t over yet. The pain was still powerful, despite Luke’s

efforts. And she was completely exhausted. Mara just wanted to close her

eyes. Her mind and body demanded it of her. She wanted to rest so badly.

But if she drifted away, she may not have the strength to wake up again.

- “Don’t do this to me again! Not again.”

The upset, even angry, tone in his voice woke her up. Was Luke angry with

her? Didn’t he think she was fighting enough? Was she disappointing him? But

how could he be angry? It wasn’t like him. And she did do as best she could.

Still, that he seemed upset with her hit right to her core. It hurt her

deeply, even more than the lack of air did. And what did he mean with

‘again’?

But as Luke continued to speak, Mara’s feelings changed quickly as she began

to understand. He wasn’t speaking to her at all.

He was speaking to the Force.

- “Don’t take her from me. Not her too. Not her…”

His hold on her was very steady. He held her as if to make sure no one was

going to take her from him. Feeling his arms around her, his hand on her

chest, the steady rhythm of his breathing and the sound of his voice was so

soothing. Mara felt so safe. She was still afraid but it no longer bothered

her. If she was going to pass away, she could not think of any better place

she’d rather do that.

But she didn’t plan to give up. Not yet. Her time had not yet arrived. And

what Luke just had said moved her deeply. The last thing she wanted was to

leave him. She had no ways of reaching into his mind, even if she had been

able to breathe properly on her own. But she could sense, even now, how

afraid he was of losing her. And Mara did not want to submit him to that.

Strange images flashed in front of her eyes, they appeared almost like

memories. From above, she saw him dragging himself and her lifeless body up

from the river. She gasped as she saw him fight to revive her. Even the

slaps he had given her in desperation were there before her eyes to see. And

tears fell from her eyes as she saw his despair when she wasn’t waking up.

Still, her existence from where she watched felt peaceful. She saw light

behind her. It opened up to her, ready to accept her if she wished. But Mara

wasn’t ready. She couldn’t leave Luke in such despair. He needed her. She

had to return.

She had to return to him.

As Mara felt his chest move against her back for her to follow, the images

flashed by her eyes again, as mere memories she could not recall she had

ever seen. And she couldn’t have since she had been unconscious when it had

happened. Yet, now she saw it all.

Then her images disappeared.

It was such a blur.

At least, she was here now. His arms wrapped around her felt very real. And

Mara wanted it to remain that way.

She continued to listen to him, pulling deeper breaths every time, as she

found new strength to fight back the shadow of death that was still trying

to claim her.

- “Fear is trying to claim you. Don’t be afraid of what’s happening. Believe

it’s going to pass. Believe it. Just wait.”

He was speaking to her now. But, as Mara quickly realized, Luke was also

speaking to himself. It demanded all the serenity he could ever master to

keep his fear under control. He had given in to it too far already. He would

never be able to save her if he gave in. He had to be strong for her.

- “Don’t be afraid. The air is coming. Believe.”

Mara reached out to the Force as well as his serenity embraced her. Yes, now

she believed, too.

Each passing second, she found it easier to breathe.

She was no longer in any immediate danger.

- “We don’t have to be afraid. Here comes the air,” Luke said, knowing that

she was listening. - "Don’t be afraid, Mara. Feel my chest. Breathe with me.

Together.”

She obeyed him, breathing in unison with him.

- “We’re the same,” Luke whispered softly. - “We’re the same…”

Normally, Mara would have objected to such a statement. But now she couldn’t

agree more with him. He had saved her.

Mara knew in her heart that from now on, all that had been up until now in

their lives would never be the same again. Not even if they tried.

Minutes passed. Mara’s breathing slowly but surely returned to normal. She

had closed her eyes but Luke knew she was awake all the time and allowed her

to rest. She needed it. And so did he.

At last, Mara opened her eyes again. Much strength had returned to her. She

breathed regularly. And the first thing she saw was Luke’s blue eyes.

- “Hi, lady,” he said softly. A tiny smile appeared on his lips as he kept

holding her. She was all right. At least for now.

Mara seemed very relieved to see him.

- “Hi, tough guy.”

It was a lot more difficult to talk than she had expected and it made her

cough a bit. And her voice was very thin.

- “Easy now,” Luke said, not wanting her to exhaust herself even further. He

wanted her to lie still a bit longer, just in case.

- “How are you feeling?”

His question made her find out for the first time since she had woken up.

What struck her the most was the pain in her chest and ribcage.

- “I’ve felt better,” she said while moans of pain escaped her. - “What did

you do to me?”

She was still in pain after his attempts to revive her. He had been very

rough on her ribcage and she most surely felt the aftermath of the Force

Lightning as well. Luke gently put his hand on her chest to sooth her pain

as much as he could through the Force.

- “I’m sorry that I hurt you, but I had no choice,” he said. - “I thought

you were leaving me…”

He preferred not to think about it. It had come so close. And Mara had truly

died. What it was that had awoken her he would never understand. It could

not be because of his efforts, they had been in vain. But even if he did not

understand he was not ungrateful.

- “What happened?” Mara wondered. - “I feel so dizzy…”

Luke had been expecting her to feel disoriented. That was perfectly normal

in a situation like this. What he had feared, though, was that her brain

would have taken damage after being short of oxygen for so long. But Mara

showed no signs of greater lack of memory. The Force told him that she was

fine. If all was well, she would most likely fully recover.

- “It’s from all the water you swallowed,” he explained. - “Your brain

didn’t get enough oxygen. You were unconscious for over a minute.”

Mara stared at him.

- “You mean I drowned!?”

Suddenly those strange images she had seen before started to make sense. Had

she died? And Luke had been the one that had brought her back? All that had

truly happened? She hadn’t imagined it?

As she tried to get up, Luke held her down gently in his embrace. He still

didn’t want her to make any sudden movements.

- “Don’t think of that now,” he said. - “Just keep concentrating on your

breathing.”

She felt confused but obeyed him. Besides, resting against his left arm was

a lot more comfortable than her effort to get up anyway.

She met his eyes again, his gaze never leaving her. That feeling of security

embraced her again. She had experienced it many times before and she had

heard others speak of this sensation generating from the Jedi Master as

well. Luke Skywalker truly was a remarkable man. Mara didn’t need his

efforts of today to learn that. She had always known. And she had watched

him grow stronger throughout the years, his powers evolving before her eyes.

Today had not been the first time he had saved her. But today it was the

closest they had come to disaster. Yet he had succeeded!

He truly was amazing.

Mara kept observing him, her vision becoming clearer. She could imagine that

she looked terrible herself since Luke did not look his finest right now

either. He was still all wet from water and sweat. His hair was a total

mess. And his eyes were reddish. His face all covered by old streams of

tears.

And those tears were still falling. So silently.

- “Big boys don’t cry, remember?”

Slowly, Mara touched his cheek and caught the new stream of tears that came

falling down with her fingers.

- “Forgive me,” he apologized and shivered by her gentle touch. - “But you

gave me quite a scare.”

- “Don’t apologize.”

Her voice carried no blame with it. How could she blame him? He had saved

her. She understood his mixed emotions of fear and relief. And even if she

would never tell him, Mara was deeply moved by him and what he had done for

her here today. She would have been dead by now if not for him.

He must have sensed her feelings for Luke began to smile.

- “You’re not getting mushy on me now, are you?” she asked a bit

suspiciously. She had not forgotten his earlier comments about the fact

being close to her were tempting after he had found her inside that

underwater cave.

- “Maybe,” Luke said. - “I might.”

Mara grinned in return. She wasn’t sure where she had the Jedi Master in

this moment; he was a blur of different emotions and expressions. And not

knowing where she had Skywalker always made her very nervous. She couldn’t

help but find it all a bit ironic as well, though.

- “I still warn you not to get any funny ideas!” she reminded him - “That

I’m lying in your arms is merely a coincidence.”

- “Relax,” Luke assured her. - “I wasn’t even thinking in those terms.”

But Mara knew that wasn’t so.

‘He’s lying!’ she thought to herself and knew it with utmost certainty. ‘I

see it in his eyes! He has never looked at me this way before. And the way

he holds me now…’

Indeed, his eyes had somehow changed. His gaze was deeper, more penetrating

than what Mara had ever seen in him before. And what she saw in his eyes was

love. There was no doubt in her mind about it. It was love.

Love for her.

It was an overwhelming sensation for her to see him look at her in such a

way. What puzzled her, though, was her wonder if he would have had that look

in his eyes regardless of whom he had pulled out of the river. Or if this

was aimed at her alone.

She could not tell. She reached out with the Force and gently touched his

mind to find out. But, as always, she hit a brick wall, totally unbreakable.

He knew she was reaching out for him but he showed no sign to let her in. He

never did.

‘If only I knew his true thoughts… If he wasn’t blocking me I would know!’

But she would never know. Mara had come to realize that a long time ago.

Luke could let her close but never inside. He had never spoken of it,

neither had she, but he had through the Force made it clear to her that she

could get this far but no further. His mind and soul were private territory.

Still, that look of love in his eyes was new! His mind had not changed but

much else in him had.

Maybe this was the day, the breakthrough, that Mara had been dreaming of for

so long?

- “Perhaps that is your problem, Master Jedi,” she said. - “You never think

in such terms.”

Luke shook his head. He was not unaware of what she was referring to. Mara

wasn’t the only one who did. As late as this morning, Lando had reminded him

of the very same.

- “It’s not a problem, it’s a decision,” he stated. - “It keeps me focused.”

- “No.”

Her green eyes suddenly seemed sad.

- “It keeps you alone.”

He did not answer her. Many of his friends and loved ones kept reminding him

of his solitary life and that he should break his pattern to always draw

away from intimacy. But somehow, Mara was always the one that got to the

point right away. Luke could not deny that she was right. His loneliness was

the prize he paid for his discipline. The Force demanded his full attention.

He had no choice.

Besides, he had been too burned in the past to want to give intimacy another

try.

Either way, now was not the time to have this conversation with her. Mara

was breathing regularly now and seemed fine. But there could still be risks,

her condition could be deceiving. They had to get back to the ship as soon

as possible. And Lando must be going out of his mind with worry by now.

Luke reached for his comlink, only to discover that he no longer had it on

him.

- “Sith, I’ve lost the comlink. I have to take you back to the Lady Luck and

confirm your condition. I need to know that you’re really okay.”

- “Fine. But I’ll walk,” Mara insisted and moved to get up. But Luke was not

going to let her. His grip on her kept her where she was.

- “That’s out of question!”

- “But, Luke…”

- “No buts!”

Mara rarely saw such determination in him. It was no use to resist him.

- “You’re not strong enough; you’ve been in that cold water too long,” Luke

explained further. - “I’ll carry you.”

With Mara comfortably in his arms, Luke stood up and started to head back

the long way through the woods to the temples.

Mara shook her head. She should have seen this coming.

- “You are the most stubborn man I’ve ever known!” she said.

- “That’s right, I am!”

Apparently, Luke must have missed the irony in her statement.

- “You really sound like you are worried about me.”

- “I’m not joking, Mara!” Luke said very seriously. The fact that she had

not been far away from dying a moment ago refused to leave his mind. It had

affected him more greatly than he had expected. He carried feelings now that

threatened to tear down all his disciplines as a Jedi. But much more

importantly, to come so close to losing Mara had truly reminded him of how

quickly life could change in an instant. He could not afford to forget that

again.

And Luke knew deep in his heart that he truly could not afford to lose Mara.

He would never be able to handle that. He knew that now.

- “I’ve lost so many that I care for in my life already,” he continued in a

much softer tone of voice. - “I will not lose you as well. The quicker we

get you back to the ship the better.”

Luke decided to stay close to the river itself to make sure he wouldn’t get

lost. Even as he carried her, his pace through the woods was quite high.

Mara observed him closely as he carried her. His expression was focused,

even if his feelings sometimes managed to break through because of what had

happened. She could also feel that he was freezing, just as herself, from

the water. Yet, there was something more. Something even deeper.

And it did not involve her.

Luke seemed so tired. As Mara thought about it, he had been even as he had

appeared in the underwater cave. His struggles after that had merely

increased his exhaustion. Frankly, he looked like he hadn’t gotten a proper

night’s sleep for days. And his whole presence in the Force seemed

preoccupied, worried. Something very serious was bothering him. Something of

even greater importance than her. His attention was not focused on all this

at the moment. But he could not hide his troubles from her, even if Mara was

totally unable to reach in and learn what it was.

What was he doing here?

He had come down here to help her as he had sensed her peril. But why had he

even been close to this system? And why was he so tired?

What was going on?

- “I’m not ungrateful for your help and concern, Luke,” Mara finally said. -

“But I’m worried about you as well. You’re awfully tired. And cold as well.

You should save your own strength.”

She didn’t want to reveal that she sensed that more than this was going on.

She rather hoped he would open up to her out of his own will.

- “I’ve got plenty of time to worry about my own fatigue later. You are my

only concern now.”

She sighed silently. He was so hopeless! Even if Mara had experienced it

many times during the years, his natural persistence to be heroic still

managed to surprise her every time.

- “You won’t even let me argue with you about this, will you?” she wondered.

- “No chance!”

His almost rough determination drew back a bit as he looked at her and

smiled slightly.

- “Swallow your pride, Mara. It will hurt less than the water in your lungs

did.”

- “I’m not so sure about that.”

They stayed silent for a while as they continued their trek. Luke kept up

the pace but Mara could still tell that it was an effort for him. How much

more could his body take before it gave in completely?

Yes, she was very exhausted herself but she wasn’t too fond of the idea that

he was carrying her. She wasn’t dying anymore.

Even, though, that wasn’t her only reason why she objected to what he was

doing.

- “I’m glad that this planet is uninhabited by sentient life forms,” she

finally said, breaking the almost cold silence between them. - “If anyone

were to see us like this…”

- “What are you so worried about, Mara?”

Over and over she tried to draw away from him; she had been trying to ever

since he had found her in the cave. She had always kept her safe distance

from him but today that distance was much more persistent than usual. Since

he had come so close to losing her, this distance was painful to him. He

never meant her any harm. Why couldn’t she see that?

- “Am I really making you feel so uncomfortable?”

His direct question seemed to surprise her. She had not expected him to ask

her that.

- “No,” she said shortly.

Luke sensed her honesty. She meant what she said. But that did not remove

all the questions he carried.

- “I’m not trying to take advantage of you, if that’s what you fear,” he

assured her. Mara actually chuckled at his statement.

- “Any man trying to take advantage of me would find himself in deep

trouble!” she said with absolute certainty and Luke knew that was true. -

“And I know that you would never be such a man.”

- “And what kind of man am I, then?” he wondered. For some reason, Luke

wished he had asked her that question years ago.

- “We both know what you are.”

Yes, they both knew. Somehow, in some ways, Mara seemed to know him better

than most people. But the surprised look in his eyes told Mara that she had

to be clearer with him.

- “I’m not referring to the Jedi Master and the hero of the Rebellion. I

meant what I said, Luke. I can’t help but feel sorry for you at times. Your

solitude is not healthy.”

Luke swallowed. Her care touched his mental barriers very strongly. She

touched him perhaps too strongly now. Yet, he couldn’t turn her down. She

wanted to reach him, he had always sensed that. He knew he could not let her

in. But he still welcomed her care with open arms.

- “Well… If it eases your mind, Mara, I’m never feeling lonely when I’m with

you.”

He had never admitted that to her before. Luke wasn’t sure why he did now

either. But he did not regret it.

Mara rested her head against his left shoulder.

- “Good,” she whispered.

Luke never saw the smile on her face. It was a happy smile.

For Mara truly was very happy right now.

 

To be continued in: What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity

 

 

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