Title: Come What May

Author: kimara

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to king George, Zahn and Lucasfilms. I am just borrowing them so that they can have a bit of fun in between saving the galaxy. I am making no money from this--just writing for entertainment.

Author's note: Thanks to my ever supportive Beta/editor Mona. Without her support, patience and assistance there would be no stories. This story is rated NC-17 for explicit sexual situations between consenting adults. If that makes you uncomfortable, please hit the delete key now. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy. Feedback feeds the muse. Please let me know what you think--onlist or off.

*********

Mara Jade Skywalker stood at the back of the lecture hall, watching the scene that was playing out before her with amusement. Her husband, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, sat in the center of a three tiered semi-circle surrounded by a very diverse group of students who were bombarding him with questions. The first scooped row consisted of the youngest initiates, ranging in age from six to nine standard years. These sat as close as possible to the Master and looked upon him with the love and trust given to a special teacher. The second row contained the preteen group whose ages ranged from ten to fourteen. These youngsters sat in a similar orderly circle but positioned themselves a bit further away. Their awe struck gaze was locked on Luke with the reverence they would give to someone whom they thought was perfect. The fifteen to nineteen year old students were scattered along the outer circle, grouped into small clusters of friends. They attempted to portray an air of nonchalance as they listened to Luke's teachings. Taught from a young age not to trust blindly, they were caught between respect for this man who had been their mentor for so many years and who had accomplished so much and their own growing convictions that they could make their own decisions.

As she listened to both the lecture itself and his responses, Mara was once again surprised by the ease with which Luke spoke. When teaching a large group like this one, he had a special talent for keeping his instruction simple enough for the youngest students without allowing boredom to overtake the oldest. He answered every question with thought and patience and never seemed to feel the slightest bit of annoyance at being asked the same question six different ways. He was a born teacher instinctively building a fluent style that usually came only after years of intense study and practice. How a boy who had grown up secluded on a backwater planet had developed into this powerful and intuitive man was a question she had not yet been able to answer.

A smile blossomed on her face as Mara considered what Luke's response would be to her query. She could almost hear his calm retort in her mind, 'the Force has shown me everything I need to know.' But she still wondered what kind of person Luke would have been if he could have grown up with the kind of support and training he was giving these children. Or for that matter, what kind of person would she have become with this type of influence replacing Palpatine's darkness. Luke's mental voce intruded on her musings. *Our experiences have made us who we are and I wouldn't change one thing about the woman I love.*

Mara looked up to see that Luke's attention had not wavered from the children even as he chided her. *I'm sure you could have done without having me point a blaster at your head,* she sent back with a mental snort. A Force caress brushed her cheek as he replied. *We will definitely have some interesting stories to tell our children and grandchildren.*

Mara chuckled silently at that notion then turned and walked out of the lecture hall. They had been married a little over a year and their desire to have a child had grown steadily during that time. The idea of creating a life from their love and raising that child in a warm, loving family setting was very appealing. Although she knew they would never live a normal life, she hoped they could balance their responsibilities enough to give their children the love and attention they would need. The thought of Luke teaching their own children brought a bright smile to her face. Still smiling, she moved to a somewhat open but semi-private part of the garden and began a series of stretches to warm up for her afternoon workout. Within moments, she was total absorbed in the familiar pattern of movements.

A short time later, Luke dismissed his students and extended along the bond for his wife. He was not surprised to find that Mara was in her favorite section of the garden. He moved silently into a partially obscured grove and looked longingly at her lithe body as she completed the final exercises of her workout. Even though she was in her early forties, Mara still had a dancer's figure and turned heads wherever they went. His mind had begun imagining the things he would like to be doing to her beautiful body when an almost stern mental voice broke into his thoughts. *Unless you want every teenage boy on Yavin erupting into lustful escapades, you'd better tamp down on your passions, Master.*

Prompted by his wife's mental teasing. Luke strode through the garden to stand before her. After making sure they were still alone, he pulled Mara into his arms. He covered her lips with his, kissing her deeply and exploring the depths of her mouth until they were both breathless. He nipped lightly at her earlobe before whispering seductively. "Maybe you should take me somewhere where I can release my passions without influencing the students."

Mara responded by initiating a probing kiss of her own while running her hand lightly down the front of Luke's body. When she reached the evidence of his desire for her, she pressed more firmly. "You still have not learned control, Master," she teased.

Luke grabbed the wandering hand, clasped it tightly in his and tugged Mara behind him out of the garden and towards their quarters. "Control is overrated," he growled as he increased their pace.

They had almost reached their quarters when a voice called out from behind them. "Master Skywalker, could I speak to you for a moment?"

Breathing a sigh of frustration at the interruption, Luke schooled his expression to one of a patient teacher as he turned to face the owner of the voice. "Yes Keara, what can I help you with?"

"I'm still confused about a few things from your lecture," Keara said. "Do you have time to review it with me again?

Luke looked back apologetically at Mara then replied. "Sure. Why don't we head into the dining hall? There's still an hour before late meal so it should be almost empty." Luke turned back to his wife and asked. "Would you care to join us, Mara?"

Keara looked her teacher as he waited for Mara to answer and realized that she was probably infringing on their infrequent personal time. "I'm sorry, Master Skywalker. I shouldn't be bothering you outside of class time. You and Knight Mara appeared to be headed somewhere."

Luke had to fight back a blush as his wife's mental voice rang in his mind, *if she only knew.* Mara spoke to the young girl and quickly put her at ease. "It's fine, Keara. I have a few things I need to take care of anyway." She looked back over her shoulder as she continued walking towards their quarters. "See you later, Luke?"

"I won't be too long," Luke responded. Mentally he added, *I plan on seeing quite a bit of you later, among other things.*

*I'll hold you to that, Master,* Mara sent in reply as she disappeared around the corner.

Luke released the small burst of frustration he felt at having his responsibilities again take precedence over his personal life and turned back to Keara. "So what are you confused about?"

*********

After what seemed like endless demands for his attention, Luke was waiting while the dining hall cook packed up some items for he and Mara's dinner. During the hour since he had sent Keara off to join her classmates for late meal, Tionne, Streen, two of the older students and his nephew Jason, had all corralled him with issues and questions. He blew out a sigh of frustration, wondering not for the first time this afternoon if the Force was conspiring against his plans for some personal time with Mara. A voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Here you go, Master Skywalker," the matronly cook said as she handed him a handled bag filled with various plastene containers. "If there is anything else that you or Mrs. Skywalker would like, just call on the comm and I'll send one of the young ones over with it."

"I'm sure that you thought of everything, Yvette," Luke said with a warm smile. "Thanks for getting the things together so quickly."

"It was my pleasure, Master Skywalker. Have a nice dinner," Yvette replied with a knowing smile.

Luke blushed slightly then headed from the dining hall. He sent a brief probe across the bond to let Mara know he was finally on his way to their quarters. He received a muted mental acknowledgment of his message but Mara's thoughts were cloudy as if she was concentrating heavily on something. He wondered vaguely about it but wasn't really concerned, as sometimes Mara could be very intense when she was focused on a task. He walked the remaining distance quickly, anticipating the opportunity to spend some private time with his wife and mentally planning the more intimate activities that he hoped would constitute dessert.

As he walked through the door of their quarters into the common room, Luke was surprised to find it empty. He had fully expected Mara to be waiting for him as he entered. Extending his senses he found her slightly shielded presence in their bedroom. Dropping the bag of food containers on the table on the way by, he headed to find her. He walked though the open doorway of their bedchamber and was frozen in place by the sight that greeted him.

Clad only in a semi-sheer sleeveless tunic that barely reached the top of her thighs, Mara was lying back on the bed. Leaning against two pillows propped against the headboard, one knee bent at an enticing angle, she was a vision of feminine beauty that would have served as inspiration to any artist. Her creamy skin glowed in the waning light flooding through the open skylight and her red gold tresses flowed in waves over her neck and shoulders. Green eyes bore into him and he found himself drawn forward to her side almost without conscious thought.

"I thought you'd never get here," Mara whispered huskily. "I was beginning to think that the illustrious Master was going to fail to keep his word."

"I'm sorry, Mara," Luke said guiltily. "It seemed like there wasn't a person on all of Yavin IV that didn't need something from me today." He ran his fingertips lightly along her thigh, stopping when he reached the gauzy fabric that covered the juncture of her hip. "I'm sure I can find a way to make it up to you," he drawled.

"Well, I have been waiting for you for quite some time," Mara responded softly. "Compensation for my patience would definitely be in order."

Luke sat on the edge of the bed and caressed Mara's cheek with his fingers. "I will do my best." With that he leaned forward and covered his wife's lips with his own. The kiss began lightly but soon deepened as his tongue slipped between her lips and began dueling with hers. With brief pauses to draw in air, the kisses continued until they were both breathless. When he finally pulled back, he asked softly. "Was that acceptable compensation?"

"It is sufficient as a preliminary payment but I will expect more full compensation to be forthcoming," Mara stated dryly. She pulled on his tunic until he once again melded their lips and tongues. The mouths remained locked together, tongues exploring and tasting each other until they were breathless and panting.

Luke pulled back then began raining kisses over Mara's face then moved on to her neck and shoulders. After taking a moment to remove the gauzy fabric that covered her, he slid downward until his lips came into contact with the rounded flesh of her breast. He kissed and nipped the creamy skin along the outer edge, moving in a circular path until he reached the rosy center. He ran his tongue across the pink circle until it stiffened into a hard peak then suckled it into his mouth. Hearing her soft moans spurred him on to release this nipple and moved on to repeat his attention on her other breast.

In a matter of minutes, Mara was squirming and writhing under his touches. "Luke, please," she whispered.

Luke raised his head and looked into the sparkling green eyes of the woman who shared his soul. At the entreaty in her gaze, he felt his own arousal spike and fought to control it. He rose from the bed and quickly divested himself of his clothing before moving to kneel between her legs. With arousal and lust clearly evident in his darkened blue eyes, he said huskily. "I must make sure that you are fully compensated for your waiting." He leaned forward and sucked gently at her navel as he ran his fingers through the reddish curls that nested below.

Mara reached down in an attempt to pull her husband back up the bed but he twisted from her grasp. Luke kissed a path down the center of her abdomen, through her curls until he reached the folds of her womanhood. He ran his tongue over the folds while he slid two fingers into the opening to her body. He was rewarded by a gasp of pleasure and he continued until the sounds coming from his wife became totally incoherent. With a last kiss, he rose up until he was again kneeling between her legs.

After taking her legs and resting her thighs against his chest, Luke placed one hand under each buttock and lifted Mara until his shaft was pressing lightly against the opening of her body. With a slight forward push, he slid fully into the welcoming warmth of her body. He remained still for a few moments, just savoring the feeling of her wetness surrounding him. But soon the temptation became too much and he had to move. He thrust slowly at first, pulling himself fully from her body before slowing pushing back within it.

They became lost in the slow rhythm with the only sounds their soft moans or the slap of their flesh against each other. Soon the passion of their lovemaking began to overtake them and the slow thrusts increased in pace and depth. Mara pushed back against Luke's forward motion and the pattern continued to spiral upward in its intensity. Their surroundings faded away until the only thing that existed was their physical and emotional connection. The Force flowed readily between them, enhancing their love and the desire.

Finally the tide of their passion could no longer being contained and their climaxes flowed through them. Even as her body shuddered in passion, Mara could feel the warmth of Luke's release pulsing into her body. She slid her legs back onto the bed and wrapped her arms around the collapsing form of her husband's spent body. They lay intertwined until their heartbeats and breathing slowed to a more normal level.

Luke rolled his weight from Mara's body and position himself beside her. Her expression was very intent and her eyes had a rather far way look. "What are you thinking about?"

Mara looked back at her husband and smiled. "When I was watching you with the students this afternoon, I was thinking about what it would be like for you to be teaching our children." Her expression became a bit more serious and she said. "Impatient, I guess. I would have thought that having stopped the repress meds almost six months ago, I would have gotten pregnant by now."

"It will happen Mara. We have both seen it," Luke replied confidently. "We just have to trust that the Force will bless us with a child when the time is right."

"I know you're right," Mara agreed. "But patience has never been one of my strengths." Smiling she changed the subject. "What happened to you getting food?"

Allowing the quick change of topic, Luke looked down at her and smiled. "I brought dinner back with me but you were rather distracting. Would you like me to get it now?"

"Maybe later," Mara replied sleepily. She curled up into his arms and resting her head against Luke's chest, drifted off to sleep. Snuggling her more tightly against him, he closed his eyes as well.

Luke came awake a short time later to find that Mara was still asleep. Gazing down at her relaxed facial features and closed eyes; he again thanked the Force that they finally came to realize their love for each other. As he watched a crinkle formed between her red brows and her breathing quickened. He felt a shift in the currents of the Force around them and he could see tendrils wisping around her. Not wanting to disrupt the moment, he extended his own Force sense and waited. As suddenly as they began, the tendrils dissipated and Mara's breathing returned to normal.

After a few moments, Mara opened her eyes and looked up into Luke's concerned blue ones. "Did you see that too?" she asked somewhat confused.

"I felt the Force shift but I didn't see anything, Mara," Luke answered. "Was it a vision?"

"I think so," Mara replied. "We were in the apartment on Coruscant and we seemed to be a little older. There was a strong sense of foreboding to the scene but I could see no imminent threat." She stopped and took a deep breath before looking intently at Luke and continuing. "The only thing that I'm sure of is that I was pregnant, very pregnant."

Luke felt his breath hitch in his chest as Mara's words settled within him. Although he had continued to reassure Mara that they would have a child, they had not had even the slightest reassurance from the Force since their original vision in the observation room of the Chimaera. Taking a calming breath of his own he pulled her into his embrace and said. "The pregnancy is all that matters, Mara. Whatever else is going on at the time, we will deal with together. We defeated Palpatine and the Empire. Nothing can possibly be worse than that."

The end.