Anxiety & Elation (Rated G)

Sweat poured down his brow and his heart raced. He could feel the
adrenaline rushing through him as he tried desperately to calm
himself. Even the techniques that were usually so effective were
failing him. He took a deep breath and shook his head.
"This is silly! I haven't been attacked. There is no threat to me.
Yet here I am, shaking like a Nerf in front of a Rancor. By the
Force, I'm a Jedi Master, I'm not supposed to know any fear!" Luke
Skywalker looked at himself in the mirror again and wiped his
forehead. "Jacen will probably be more in control than this when
it's his turn. Why am I so nervous? It's not like this is a blind
date or anything; she's my fianc?Still, we've never actually gone
on a real date before. I don't think defeating crazy clones or
psychotic droids quite counts."

At that he laughed in spite of himself, and he felt himself
relax a bit. However, he still ran over his plans for the evening
for at least the hundredth time. Mara hadn't wanted to announce their
engagement publicly right away, so they'd agreed that it was better
not to be seen together too often, especially not in romantic
settings. Even though he understood her hesitancy, Luke still wanted
to give Mara a somewhat normal dating experience. It wasn't fair to
deny her that when she had missed out on so much...

Unfortunately, his urge to show her a romantic evening had
conflicted with her desire for privacy. That is, until Leia hit upon
a solution. The Chief of State called in a favor and before Luke
knew what was happening, he had reservations for The Tranquil Mirage,
one of the swankiest restaurants in Coruscant. These weren't just
any reservations; the owner had agreed to close the restaurant to its
normal clientele in order to provide the Jedi couple with some
privacy. Of course, he owed Leia and Han several favors since his
success was largely due to them. The establishment had opened as a
tribute to their marriage; it served gourmet fare from Alderaan and
Corellia. Although the palates of the two planets had almost nothing
in common, the combination was well loved by Coruscant's elite. They
advertised with "The marriage of the two food cultures!" just after
Han and Leia's wedding. They had wanted to call it The Solo Mirage,
but Han had absolutely refused. In return for the private dinner
there, they would be allowed to advertise the fact that Luke and Mara
had had their first date there-but only after the engagement became
public. Luke didn't mind that arrangement; promotions didn't
interest him, but he was determined to make this evening one they
would remember for the rest of their lives.

Luke straightened his necktie and brushed off his dark
jacket, and tried unsuccessfully to swallow. He felt odd without his
Jedi robes, but he knew Mara would appreciate it. He checked his
chrono. It was almost time to leave. He took one last glance in the
mirror and headed for his refrigeration unit. Delicately, he removed
the box that had been delivered that afternoon and caught a whiff of
sweet spiciness. He smiled and headed for the roof where he was to
meet the stretch hover-transport provided by The Tranquil Mirage.

The transport arrived exactly on schedule, so Luke was able
to cross one thing off his list of things that could go wrong with
his carefully planned evening. The short trip to Mara's apartment
was simultaneously intolerably long and agonizingly short. When they
arrived, Luke stepped out of the transport and on to her building's
landing pad. He descended the short flights of stairs to her door
and knocked. At least he thought he knocked. He couldn't be sure he
had because any noise was drowned out by the pounding in his ears.
An instant eternity later, the door opened. Luke's knees nearly
bucked at the sight of Mara. She wore a close fitting dress that
came just short of her knees and exactly matched the color of her
eyes. Her hair was upswept into a myriad of loops and curls that Luke
couldn't begin to understand; he knew only that it was breathtaking.

After a long moment, Luke finally stopped gazing at her in
amazement. Feeling embarrassed and slightly oafish, he kissed her
outstretched hand and removed the corsage from the box he'd nearly
forgotten he was carrying. As he attempted to pin it onto her
dress's wide strap, he was tempted to use the Force to get the
stubborn thing to stay in place. However, he knew Mara would
disapprove of such a frivolous use of the Force. He eventually
succeeded, but he had a horrible suspicion that Mara's solemn emerald
eyes were longing to dance with amusement. She then secured his
boutonniere with her usual grace, making him look and feel even more
incompetent. But just before he mentally declared the evening and
himself total washouts, Mara winked at him and caught his hand,
leading him back up to the transport. Over their Force-bond she sent
him reassurance, tinged with a very slight bit of merriment she
wasn't able to hide.

The transport ride to the Mirage did not include any further gaffes
by Luke, but it didn't include much conversation either. As they
arrived at the restaurant, he gathered enough courage to lightly
probe Mara's thoughts with the Force; he hoped to find the source of
her calmness so he could draw on it as well. To his amazement, he
found the same nervousness he felt beneath her cool exterior. This
realization made him much more comfortable. He squeezed her hand and
looked into her eyes. "Mara, I love you. And even if tonight is a
disaster, I still want you to be my wife."

Suddenly Luke felt a wave of tension pour off his bride-to-be. "Oh,
thank you, Luke! I was worried that you had your heart too set on
making this date perfect for me. We'll both enjoy it more if we
relax." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, returning to
her normal position just as the transport's driver opened the door
for them. The couple stepped out of the transport, now looking more
like betrotheds than adolescents on their first date.

As they entered the restaurant, Luke realized that the
proprietor had gone to a lot of trouble for them. The interior bore
little resemblance to the time he'd eaten there with Han and Leia.
Now the room was empty except for a single table placed close to the
dance floor. There were candles on the table and throughout the
room. As the ma?e d' showed them to the table, Luke sensed a bit
of irony emanating from Mara. Although he couldn't read her thought
directly, he knew she was finding it funny that the man felt it
necessary to lead them to the only table in the room, as if they
could not find it for themselves.

He shared her amusement, but it was nearly forgotten when
they reached the table. As he helped her into her chair, he noticed
all the fine details provided for them. In front of each place was a
crystal stemglass of green Alderaanian champagne, but there was also
a touch he knew was meant especially for him. Beside each goblet sat
a steaming mug of hot chocolate. He smiled, then noticed that Mara's
sense had shifted slightly. He guessed correctly that she was trying
to resent his help, but she actually appreciated his
thoughtfulness..

After he was seated, the ma?e d' presented them with ornate
menus and left them alone, telling them to ring a tiny bell when they
were ready to request their hors d'oeuvres and entrees. The pair
debated various culinary options, and finally made a decision. Mara
told Luke what she wanted, and then asked that he order for her. He
sensed that she was more interested in checking his memory than
appearing submissive. Luke rang the bell and their server
materialized as if from the air.

He looked at Luke, inviting him to begin. Luke took a deep
breath and began, "We will begin with lightly fried Land Shrimp in
the mild blue sauce. Following that, the lady will have the Fleck
Eel in pepper oil, medium broil, please. For myself, I would like
the Alderaanian Yam and Plicto Stake, rare, please. Can we accompany
that with a Correllian White Wine? I believe the lady is partial to
the Imperial 21 vintage if it's available."

"Certainly, sir." The man left the table without writing
anything down, but Luke knew that establishments such as this often
employed servers with near-perfect memories. As he exited the room,
an Alderaanian Minuet began to play from invisible speakers
throughout the room.

Just as Mara finished recounting a brief biography of the
piece's composer, their appetizer arrived. The first bite explained
the restaurant's popularity to both of the Jedi, but Luke could tell
that Mara liked the subtle spice of the sauce while he preferred the
succulence of the shrimp itself. They enjoyed the dish as Luke
recounted a silly dream he had the evening before. Even as the last
bite entered their mouths, the server arrived with their entrees in a
brilliant display of presentation and timing.

Luke and Mara gazed at their plates as the remnants of the
hors d'oeuvres disappeared. While the dishes looked delectable, they
were almost hesitant to disturb such works of artistic brilliance.
At least, Luke was. He glanced over at Mara, who lifted her cutlery
with grace and caught the fiendish glint in her beautiful eyes. She
winked at him and carved her eel in a manner that managed to be
simultaneously ruthless and delicate. Not for the first time that
evening, Luke felt deflated by his own timidity. He hoped it
wouldn't show on his face, but there was no hope of hiding it from
their Force bond. Suddenly, his musings were interrupted, "Relax and
eat it, Farm Boy. Or do you need me to cut it up for you?" Mara's
voice was wrapped in affection to take a bit of the sting out of her
sarcasm.

He laughed and he noticed his shoulders slacken to normal
position as he began to eat. Both seemed to enjoy their meals,
occasionally offering the other a bite when they were sure no one was
watching, and discussing anything but the plans Leia was making for
their wedding. They finished at almost the same instant, and it
occurred to Luke that part of the meal's charm had been the perfectly
sized portions of food. During that thought the ma?e d' whisked
their plates away. Then he spoke, "If it would please you, we have
arranged some special music. Perhaps you would care for a few dances
before dessert?"

Mara spoke up, "That sounds lovely, thank you, but we will
request our dessert now so that it will be ready when we are finished
dancing." Luke looked surprised, but the ma?e d' merely nodded
with a smile. "We would like two pieces of white chocolate
Alderaanian cheesecake, one topped with your Correllian Phys'Ra Berry
sauce and one plain."

"Certainly, madam," he said and promptly removed himself from
the room. As he exited, the first notes of a popular Correllian
waltz came from the speakers. Luke stood and offered her his hand.
He tried to remain calm, but mentally he was reviewing all of the
dance steps Leia had tried to teach him. They walked out to the
middle of the floor and began to dance. As soon as Luke's eyes met
Mara's, his nerves abated. His feet seemed to move automatically as
he floated in the ocean of her gaze. A few minutes or a few years
later, the music changed to a slower tempo Alderaanian ballad. Luke
was relieved; all he had to do was hold her close and rock back and
forth to the beat. He was pretty sure he could handle that. Mara
melted into his embrace and he marveled at how well she fit in his
arms, almost as if they had been made specifically for each other.
He felt Mara smile at that thought and they continued to dance.

All too soon, though he had no idea how much time had passed,
the last chords of the music sounded and the server entered with
their desserts. They returned to their seats and marveled in the
exquisite treat. Mara convinced Luke to try her Phys'Ra Berry
sauce. It was delicious, but he still preferred his without it.
After that, she looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "You know,
you surprised me, farm boy. You dance pretty well. Did your sister
teach you that?"

Luke nodded and offered her his bashful grin. "Well, she
tried, but I'm afraid I trounced all over her toes at the time.
However, with you to inspire me, I was able to do better." He was
amazed to see Mara blush a little at his compliment. Wisely, he
turned the conversation in a different direction, since he knew she
was feeling self-conscious. Instead, he told her about one of the
twins' latest escapades at the academy. Soon he had her laughing,
and just as quickly the last savory morsel of the dessert was gone
and they were back in the stretch hover-transport.

When they reached Mara's building, Luke opened the door and
escorted her into the building. The Force was with them, for there
was no one out in her hallway as the approached her door. Mara
turned to say goodbye to him and realized that Luke was feeling
nervous again. She caught his hands in hers and pulled him close,
then she looked up at him with a special glint in her eye. Before
Luke quite knew what was happening, he was kissing her. Many moments
later, she ended the kiss, but remained within centimeters of his
face. He opened his eyes to see that hers had become very intense.
Finally she spoke, "I love you, Luke Skywalker."

A shock wave radiated throughout his body. He realized that
he had known she loved him for a long time, but he had never actually
heard her speak the words. He kissed her again, and then floated on
a cloud of air back to the transport. As he left, he thought he
heard her call out, "Let me know when you get home safely, Farm
Boy!"