Following on from the other 3 parts

Following on from the other 3 parts, I've started messing about with
Zahn's 'Vision of the Future' (please forgive me!!). This is the first
little bit I've written - I'd appreciate any constructive criticism!!

Thanks.

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'Mara's Missing Moments - Altered Vision' by Angela Jade

Rated - PG-13

Spoilers - 'Vision of the Future' by Timothy Zahn

Disclaimer - all these characters belong to Mr. Lucas (all hail) and Mr.
Zahn (yay!). I write about them as a form of flattery - please don't
sue. I am not making any money from this.

I'm a fan of the Bantam novels. Honest. And I'm not usually one to
criticise (much), but in many of the books Mara and Luke met briefly,
said one or two lines (if that), then wandered off in different
directions to do their own thing. Then suddenly *wham* - they fall in
love ten years after they met. I've added to and rewritten chunks of
some of the other EU novels, including the Corellian trilogy and
'Specter of the Past'; this follows on from those. Now I'm taking a peek
at 'Vision of the Future', commonly regarded as THE Luke-and-Mara novel.
And I'll tell everyone now that it is my favourite, even tho' I'm
changing a few bits. I just wish the progression of Luke and Mara's
relationship from barely friends to getting engaged had been a little
slower, more 'obvious'.

Chapter 7 - part one (of three)

(between chapter 10 [cave full of things with long tongues] and chapter
15 [cortosis ore archway] of 'Vision of the Future' there is a gap of
four days. FOUR DAYS! Well, maybe it went something like this...)

They'd made the decision first thing to continue running on Coruscant
time, since days and nights in the caves would be indistinguishable
anyway. As they plodded through the semi-darkness, Mara noticed Luke
glancing occasionally at his chrono; no doubt he could think of a
million places he'd rather be.

It felt odd to Mara to be spending so much time with Luke. Most of their
meetings in recent years had lasted a few hours at most; now they were
faced with the prospect of spending days with only each other for
company. She wondered if Luke felt as uncomfortable with that as she
did. Looking across at him, she was annoyed to see him checking his
chrono again.

"Are you in a hurry, Skywalker?"

He grinned at her, embarrassed. "No more than usual. Actually, I'm
hungry."

"We've been walking for hours..."

"Only three," he corrected.

"Three counts as 'hours'. I need a break."

"We could eat while we walk," suggested Luke.

"I didn't say I needed to eat," replied Mara. "I said I wanted a break."

Luke didn't reply. The light from his glowrod swung around the dark,
rocky passageway they were in and stopped on a small group of boulders a
few meters further along. "How's that?"

"Perfect," said Mara, picking up the pace a little at the sight of
somewhere to rest. Choosing one of the smaller rocks, she heaved her
pack off her back with an audible sigh and stretched the muscles in her
back before she sat down.

Luke smiled as he dropped his own pack beside the rock opposite,
kneeling down to examine the contents. "And now we can eat." He looked
at the ration bars he pulled out of his pack with distaste. "You'd think
in this day and age that they'd come up with something a bit more
tasty."

Mara pulled out her water-bottle. "It's the perfect food. Protein,
vitamins, carbohydrates - what more could you want?"

Luke grimaced at her. "Flavor?"

Mara laughed. "What flavor? You're from Tatooine; I always figured you
wouldn't know decent food if it fell on you."

"Dewback's tasty. And we grew vegetables."

"You could actually get stuff to grow on that dustball?"

He ignored her snide comment as he leaned back against the wall, his
memories speeding back to his childhood. "Yeah, we grew varokeets,
senats, lots of stuff. Harvest was hard - we had to get everything
picked in about three weeks. But it tasted wonderful." He looked at the
ration bar in his hand disdainfully. "A million times better than this."

Mara took a long swig from her water-bottle. "I was brought up to be
able to tell the difference between more than forty different types of
wine. I've eaten h'nrucko, knid, and draani..."

"Those are extinct!"

"Precisely. But I also had survival training where I lived on stuff like
this. Just don't think about it." She winked at him. "Actually, the knid
tasted damn good."

"What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?" asked Luke, taking a bite
of his ration bar.

"Roast Ewok."

He suddenly stopped chewing and stared at her, his eyes wide. "You're
kidding."

Mara couldn't keep her face straight any longer, and grinned widely. "Of
course I'm kidding. Gods, Skywalker, you are so gullible."

He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "Maybe it's just that
your reputation precedes you. There are plenty of people in the galaxy
that wouldn't put it past you to start eating sentients."

"And it's a reputation I'm happy to keep if it means I get more respect
out of my crew than you get from your students."

He sighed. "That's very close to the dark side, Mara."

She took another pull of water. "I don't think it is. The dark side
would be cooking one of the furry little beasts, eating it, enjoying it,
then bragging about it afterwards. If other people have misinterpreted
my personality, that's their problem, not mine."

"You could correct them."

"As I said, it's their problem. It's not up to me to go around telling
everyone what they should think. That's the beauty of free will." She
pulled a ration bar from her own pack and tore open the packaging,
staring at it for a moment, as if trying to decide if it was worth
eating or not. "So what's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten,
Skywalker?"

When he didn't immediately reply, she looked up; he was staring at a
spot on the wall opposite, obviously reminiscing again. "Yoda's stew."

"Yoda? The little green guy that lived on Dagobah?" Mara nodded. "You
told me about him, but you never mentioned he could cook."

Luke smiled as his eyes met hers. "I'm not sure 'cook' is the word I
would use. He gave me the stuff the first time I met him, before I even
knew who he was. Tasted revolting, and after a couple of days of it, I
thought it might be some sort of test, to prove my loyalty, endurance,
willingness ... I dunno."

Mara grinned. "But you found out otherwise?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. He actually liked the stuff. Even taught
me how to make it."

"And?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Let's see. Take one swamp snake and beat it to
death with a gimer stick. Throw it in a pot with a heap of vegetable
matter; anything, as long as it's edible. Boil it until every last
vitamin gives in. That's it."

"And you're complaining about ration bars when you had to live on that!"
exclaimed Mara, incredulously.

"Hey, at least it tasted of something." He waved his half-eaten ration
bar at her. "More than can be said for this."

Mara watched him in silence for a moment as she munched on her bar.
"Dagobah. That's where you first trained, right?"

Luke nodded, swallowing. "I got the basics from Ben, but Yoda was the
only one left who could teach me, once Ben was gone."

"So, with the benefit of hindsight, how complete was the training you
got there?"

Luke frowned at her, but could detect no sarcasm, only genuine
curiosity. "Complete enough to do the job I had to do." He saw the
twitch in her lips and somehow knew she was fighting the urge to comment
that his job seemed to be saving the galaxy. The fact that she managed
to refrain from sarcasm implied a definite improvement in her
self-control. He shrugged. "Not complete enough, in that I still had a
lot to learn. Still have a lot to learn," he corrected himself.

"Did he train you in lightsaber techniques?"

"Yes. Next question."

She grinned at him. "Is everything you have ever said about him true?"

"Yes."

Mara leaned forward, her eyes twinkling. "Even the bit about not
recognising him when you first met?"

Luke couldn't stop his own smile. "Guilty as charged. I don't know
exactly what I expected a Jedi Master to look like, but he definitely
wasn't it."

"And you couldn't sense him at all?" asked Mara incredulously.

"Not in the slightest," replied Luke. "But, then, he'd had twenty years
of experience shielding himself from the Emperor, and I couldn't even
sense Leia was my twin when she was standing right next to me."

"I wish I could have met him."

"So do I. I would love to see what Yoda would have made of you."

Mara stifled a laugh, and sipped at her water, watching Luke slip back
into reverie.

He sighed, his eyes cast downwards. "I went back to Dagobah after we
rescued Han from Jabba's, so I could finish my training. Instead, I
found Master Yoda on his deathbed. He just faded away in front of my
eyes."

Mara's quiet voice broke through his thoughts. "You loved him, didn't
you."

His piercing gaze met hers. "Of course," he replied simply. "He was the
only other Jedi in the galaxy, and he obviously cared about me. That
must have been so difficult for him, knowing that my father had killed
so many of his friends, had caused so much suffering. Yet he took me in,
treated me like a son, and trained me to do the things he knew I would
have to do."

"I'm sure he did care about you, Luke." She struggled to keep a smile
from her face. "You're an easy person to care about."

The slight smile on her lips chased away the sad thoughts in his head.
"What do you mean?"

Mara shrugged. "I didn't know you then, but you've always struck me as
kind and thoughtful and generous. You care about everyone else so much
that it makes people care about you. The only beings that don't care
about you are the ones who see you and what you stand for as a threat."

"Thanks, Mara." He rested his chin on his hand. "Lots of people care
about you too, you know."

"Hardly lots," snorted Mara. "Karrde. Faughn and few other
crew-members." She smiled. "Corran, on the odd occasion we actually see
each other."

"I care."

She tilted her head on one side, regarding him with a smile. "Yes, I
know. And thanks. I've never been exactly inundated with friends, but
you've always been there for me." She paused for a long moment, watching
him as he re-packed his pack. "Luke, why did you come after me? I would
have thought Karrde would have insisted on sending some of his own
people to find me."

"Please don't ask me to explain just yet," replied Luke, his head bowed
over his pack as he refused to meet her eyes. "Let's just figure out
what's going on in this fortress, then we can decide what to do."

"Getting the hell out of here sounds like a good idea to me, Skywalker."

His reply had almost made it from his brain to his mouth when he was
distracted by a familiar high-pitched tootling, accompanied by the
gentle sound of Qom Jha wings. He smiled at Mara as he hoisted his pack
onto his back. "Artoo's caught up, so I guess it's time to move again."

Mara blew out a sigh as she settled her own pack onto her shoulders.
"Fine. Let's go. The quicker we're out of these blasted tunnels, the
better."

"Have you had enough of a break?" asked Luke, the corners of his mouth
tilting up slightly.

"Yes." Mara fought her own smile as she took a step closer to him. "Have
you had enough to eat, Jedi?"

He nodded, his grin showing in the light of the glowrod. "For now."

Mara shook her head as they started walking along the rocky tunnel side
by side. "I don't know where you put it all, Skywalker. Every time I see
you, you're eating like a starved bantha, yet you don't get fat."

"Nice of you to notice, Mara."

"How could anyone not notice the amount you eat? If you're not eating,
you're talking about it."

"Are you saying I'm obsessed with food?"

"I didn't say that, Skywalker. Although now you mention it..."

"I exercise a lot, okay! And using the Force probably uses up a lot of
energy. You should see the food bill for the Academy."

Artoo watched the infra-red forms of the two humans as they walked away
from him again, their glowrods shining brightly off the tunnel floor and
walls. Once they turned a corner, he let out a low moan of concern at
being left behind again, although he found it reassuring that he could
still hear them bantering. His master had explained to him about the
need for haste and had promised not to go too far ahead, but that didn't
mean the little droid had to like the idea. He also suspected that if
Mara Jade hadn't been there to keep Luke company, the Jedi Master would
have spent more time with his faithful droid. Jealousy, of course, was
not in the astromech's programming. Whistling gently to himself, Artoo
moved a little faster, wondering whether he should mention the unusual
sparking in his logic circuits every time he thought about Master Trader
Jade.

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So, do you want the next bit? Or has this put you off for life...

:-)

Here's the next bit...

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'Mara's Missing Moments - Altered Vision'

Disclaimer, etc. - see part 1

Chapter 7 - part 2 (of three)

(still between chapter 10 [cave full of things with long tongues] and
chapter 15 [cortosis ore archway] of 'Vision of the Future' - the second
day...)

The following 'day' found Mara heartily sick of trudging through the
dark, winding passageways. She'd lived in the dark for fifteen days; she
had hoped to at least see some daylight at the end of it. But no, here
she was, still in darkness, following Skywalker on some damn fool
mission. Again. She was hot and dusty, and mildly embarrassed that she
wasn't as fit as she used to be. She glanced ahead at Luke, walking and
chatting with the Qom Jha as if he didn't have a care in the world. He
didn't even look tired; obviously he'd been doing more than just
meditating on that jungle moon of his.

Suddenly he stopped and turned to face her, the Qom Jha settling on the
ceiling around him. "How's your water bottle?"

"Fine, thank you. How's yours?"

He almost smiled at her lame attempt at humor. "Apparently, we can take
a slight detour here and we'll cross the stream again. If we need
water."

Mara nodded enthusiastically. "We need water. Let's detour."

The three Qom Jha abruptly dropped from their perches; one returned the
way they had come, presumably to guide Artoo and Child of Winds, one
flew on ahead and took a sharp left turn, and the third, Splitter of
Stones, continued to fly slowly beside Luke.

They heard the sound of running water long before they could see it,
echoing through the caves. Turning a corner, Mara grinned in delight
when her glowrod caught the sparkling stream in its light. "I never
thought I'd be so happy to see a cold river." She dropped her pack near
a wall and fished out her water bottle, draining it thirstily before she
refilled it.

"I didn't realise you were so thirsty," commented Luke, dropping his
pack next to hers.

"Never mind how thirsty I am," replied Mara, as she continued to rummage
in her pack. "I need a wash." Triumphantly she pulled out her bottle of
cleanser.

"A wash?" Luke paused with his water bottle mid-way to his lips.

"Yes, Skywalker. A wash. I feel dirty and dusty, and I'll make better
time once I feel clean again." She indicated the corner they had just
turned. "You can either wait round there, or turn off the glowrods.
Either way, I'm going to bathe."

"No, it's an excellent idea, Mara. I could do with a good wash myself."
He squatted next to the stream to fill his water bottle, then pulled a
couple of ration bars from his pack, before retreating back around the
corner. "Let me know when you're done."

Mara watched him go, then looked at the glowrod in her hand, trying to
decide if she wanted to turn it off or not. Really, she should leave it
on; there was no way Luke would peek at her while she was bathing. Great
exalted Jedi Master, and all that. And she certainly couldn't afford to
trip over some rock in the dark and injure herself. In the end, she
turned it down to its lowest level and set it carefully on the ground,
before stripping off her jumpsuit and stepping gingerly into the cold
water.

Luke sat with his back against the cold rock wall, studiously ignoring
the splashing noises coming from a few meters away. As he chewed a
mouthful of ration bar, he noticed the two Qom Jha regarding him
solemnly from their ceiling perches. "Why don't you two go help guide
Artoo. Mara and I aren't going anywhere for a while."

They chirped an affirmative, then flew steadily back down the
passageway, leaving Luke with nothing to look at but the opposite wall.
And nothing to listen to but Mara's complaints about the temperature of
the water.

"Ow!" yelled Mara when she scraped her leg against a rock, her voice
echoing round the cavern.

Luke couldn't help his reaction. He whirled round onto his hands and
knees, Force-enhancing his night-vision as he tried to see if Mara was
hurt. When he saw her standing naked in the shallow water, her back to
him as she rubbed her scraped knee, his breath caught in his throat. The
gentle light from the glowrod reflected off her pale, damp skin,
sparkling off the tiny droplets of water that ran down her back and
legs. He realised what he was doing was wrong at about the same time as
he realised his jaw was hanging open. He dragged his eyes from the
beautiful vision before him and sat back down in the spot he had
previously occupied. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he forced calm and
control into his voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just banged my leg. Stupid rock."

Luke barely heard her reply over the pounding of his heart. He swallowed
once, twice, then closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. They
immediately snapped open again, as he realised Mara's nude body had been
etched onto his retinas. He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged
himself - what was going on? It was Mara, for goodness' sake - friend,
confidante, sometime-student. Not someone he should be drooling over
like a love-sick Falleen.

Luke turned his glowrod up a little and sat staring at the opposite
wall, examining every lump and crevice, anything to take his mind off
the sound of running water; and the person standing in the running
water. Callista had had this effect on him; wet or dry, her body... He
frowned, suddenly realising that he could no longer picture Callista's
body. When had that happened? Sure, it had been six years since he'd
seen her, since he'd held her in his arms; six years since he'd waved
goodbye to the love of his life. But she'd been such a big part of his
life, even for a relatively short time; surely he shouldn't forget what
she looked like so soon.

He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles; he couldn't feel the same way
about Mara as he had about Callista. He wouldn't even entertain the
thought. They had a fragile friendship at best, but it was a friendship
Luke valued highly enough that he didn't want to put it at risk. To
admit to his voyeurism would be suicide, so he hid that particular
memory deep inside his brain. Way deep. So deep he would have difficulty
finding it himself. But it was there.

"Are you okay, Skywalker?"

Luke jumped at the sound of her voice, his back scraping against the
cave wall. "Yeah, sure." He looked up at her as she loomed over him,
pulling her fingers raggedly through her damp hair. "Mind on another
planet, I think." He tried to concentrate on the fact that she was now
dressed. He failed.

"Looks like it." Mara felt slightly irritated, at herself as well as
him. If she hadn't gotten herself into this mess, they would both be on
different planets. "Your turn. If you stand at the far end, there's
enough of a breeze to dry yourself."

Luke nodded, afraid to say anything in case he gave himself away, then
scurried off towards the stream.

Mara looked down to see an unopened ration bar, and frowned to herself.
Something had put Luke Skywalker off his food - this was worrying.
Perhaps the galaxy truly was in danger. She settled herself against the
spot on the wall Luke had just vacated and reached for the ration bar,
tearing it open with her teeth. He had something on his mind, something
that was making him anxious, something she should probably know about.
She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, pulling the Force
towards herself. Reaching out tentatively, she tried to touch Luke's
mind, convincing herself that finding out what was worrying him
concerned her and their mission. All she could sense was his shock at
the low water temperature, followed by his immediate suppression of
discomfort. Nothing else.

Glaring at the ration bar as if it had been the cause of her lack of
ability to read his mind, Mara took a long drink from her water bottle.
She didn't like secrets, especially when they concerned her, and
Skywalker was definitely holding something back. Skywalker. Why couldn't
she figure him out? One minute he was the self-proclaimed Jedi Master,
harrying her to give up the life she knew in order to become a Jedi
Knight. The next minute, he was her best friend, just farmboy Luke
sharing a meal or chatting about the past. Then ... well, then she
didn't see him for months on end.

Once or twice, someone had suggested that there was more to their
relationship than just a platonic friendship; Mara had always laughed at
the suggestion. But these days she wasn't one hundred percent convinced
of her own certainty. Was she attracted to him? No. It couldn't happen.
She wouldn't let it, wouldn't let herself be controlled by another
person.

Mara took a deep breath and set down her water and half-eaten ration
bar. There was one sure-fire way to prove that she wasn't attracted to
him. As quietly as she could, she stood up and peeped round the corner.

Squinting slightly in the dim light, she could just about make out
Luke's form as he stood in the stream, the water sloshing around his
calves. His back was towards her, and Mara felt all the breath leave her
body as she watched the muscles in his arms and shoulders moving
rhythmically as he washed his hair. Suds ran down his neck and back
towards his...

Mara quickly moved back round the corner and flattened herself against
the wall, her chest heaving as she tried to swallow the lump that had
formed in her throat. Oh, boy - Skywalker had been keeping in shape! Her
eyes scanned the rocky ceiling as she fought to bring her breathing
under some semblance of control. Okay, so physically she found him
attractive; that didn't mean a thing, it just implied she had been
without a man for too long. Didn't it? She slid down the wall and
reached for her water bottle, annoyed at the betrayal of her body over
her mind. She'd always been a passionate person but, like every other
aspect of her life, she had managed to keep it strictly under control.
The few affairs she had allowed herself to have had been anonymous,
wild, and brief, but she had always, always been in control.

She pulled up her knees and balanced her arms on them. She wouldn't even
contemplate an affair with Skywalker, not for a minute. Apart from
anything else, she was sure he'd run like a scared vrennit if she ever
came on to him. She closed her eyes and dropped her head onto her arms.
Why did life have to be so complicated?

It was several minutes before she sensed Luke returning; her head
snapped up and she systematically filed away all the confusing thoughts
she'd been having about him. There would be time to sort out her
feelings for him later, if she even had any feelings. Right now she had
the prospect of spending days in his company, and if he got the
slightest inkling of what was going on in her mind, it would make the
rest of the mission very uncomfortable indeed.

"That's better," said Luke as he came back round the corner, running his
fingers back through his hair. Yes, the freezing cold water had helped
calm him down and he now felt able to face Mara again. "I'm glad you
suggested stopping to clean up."

"Uh-huh." Mara didn't sound convinced, even to her own ears. She watched
as Luke carefully picked a spot as far away from her as he could and sat
down. For once, she was glad of the distance between them. "Any sign of
your droid yet?"

Luke shone his glowrod back up the tunnel for a moment. "Not yet. I'm
sure he'll catch up soon."

Mara nodded, carefully examining what was left of her ration bar before
popping it in her mouth. "Do we have any idea how much longer we're
going to be in these tunnels?"

"A day or two, according to the Qom Jha. Although I don't know how
accurate that is."

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, deep in thought, avoiding
each others' gaze. Both were extremely relieved when the sound of
beating wings heralded the arrival of Artoo and their guides.

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Okay - what do you reckon? A bit OTT? Maybe - but the bunny bit me, and
bit me good - I had to write this or it wouldn't leave me alone! ;-)

Third part is kinda done.

Thanks again.

I stumbled over the second part a fair bit, trying to make it seem less
'contrived' - don't know if I succeeded or not! Then I started writing
the third part and hit writers' block. That was when I first emailed the
lists, saying I might need help. The block lifted the next day - I must
remember that trick next time!

Anyhoo, the third 'part' is very short, and after much deliberation,
I've found an ending I'm vaguely happy with. Thoughts and criticisms
gratefully received. :-)

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'Mara's Missing Moments - Altered Vision'

Disclaimer, etc. - see part 1

Chapter 7 - part 3 (of three)

(still between chapter 10 [cave full of things with long tongues] and
chapter 15 [cortosis ore archway] of 'Vision of the Future' - the third
day...)

The third day of their 'mission' proved to be even slower going than the
previous two. The relatively smooth tunnel floor had become an obstacle
course, strewn with boulders of every size, with the odd pit or chasm
thrown in for good measure. Luke had taken to following behind Artoo,
helping the little astromech whenever he needed it.

"Taking the droid along better be worth it," commented Mara for the
umpteenth time.

Luke just shrugged as he helped Artoo over a pile of rubble onto the
smooth floor beyond. "I don't think we'd make much better time without
him, to be honest."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Mara watched as Artoo trundled off towards the next
obstacle.

"I just have the feeling that we'll need him."

"I know. Jedi hunch. You said before." Mara sighed. "Doesn't mean I have
to like it."

Luke's reply was cut off as an electronic scream assaulted their ears.
Quick as a flash, he closed his eyes and stretched out his arm,
instantly pinpointing Artoo's position as he fell down a deep chasm and
grabbing him with the Force. The scream slowly died away as Luke started
raising him back to the surface, and Mara raced over to the edge.

"Did you manage to catch him?" she asked anxiously, peering down into
the dark fissure.

"I think so," he replied, his voice sounding strained. "Can you see him
yet?"

Mara shone her glowrod down the hole, finally spotting a reflection of
the astromech's shiny dome. "Got him. He's a helluva long way down,
though." She watched as the reflection moved closer, then frowned as it
suddenly stopped. Mara turned enquiringly to Luke.

"Sithspit! He's stuck!" A trickle of sweat wound its way down Luke's
cheek and the sinews and muscles on his arm stood out as he struggled to
keep a hold on Artoo.

"Good old Force," muttered Mara as she sped back to Luke's pack and
yanked out the length of synthrope. She quickly tied one end firmly
around her waist and the other round a good-sized boulder a couple of
meters away.

Luke opened one eye. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like, Skywalker," said Mara, walking towards the
edge. "I'm going to climb down and free the droid. When I yell, you lift
him up."

"Don't fall, Mara."

"I'll try to remember that," said Mara with a wink. She lowered herself
over the edge and started to climb down, hoping the rope was long
enough.

Luckily, the craggy surface supplied plenty of hand and foot holds, and
it wasn't too long before she reached Artoo. "It's one of his
foot-cables. It got caught on an outcrop," she shouted. Mara quickly
freed the cable from the offending piece of rock. "That's it, Luke. Take
him up." The droid immediately shot upwards and Mara renewed her grip on
the rock face, starting the slow climb up.

"You need any help?"

Mara looked up to see Luke grinning at her over the edge of the chasm.
"No levitation, thanks, but you could pull up the excess rope." Even as
she spoke, the rock under her right foot crumbled and she was suddenly
falling back the way she had so laboriously climbed. Her breath left her
with a whoosh as the rope snapped taught, bruising her waist.

Luke's arm-muscles felt the strain once more as he held on to the rope,
his feet planted firmly on the floor. "You okay, Mara?" The string of
curses that floated up out of the hole reassured him that she had
survived relatively uninjured, and he started pulling on the rope.

"Hold it, Skywalker!"

Luke stopped immediately, wrapping the rope round his forearm a second
time to ensure it didn't slip. He felt some movement on the rope, then
it went slightly slack. "Mara!"

"I'm fine. Just let me climb up. It's more comfortable than you yanking
me there."

Luke smiled, wondering if the irritation in her voice was aimed at him
or at herself. He slowly pulled up the rope, trying not to pull it too
taught. A grin split his face when he saw the top of her head appear at
the edge of the hole and he rushed forwards to help her up.

Mara reached up and grabbed his extended arm, relieved that she was
finally at the top; Luke's firm grip almost wrenched her arm out of its
socket as he pulled her clear.

"Thanks." The word was hardly out of her mouth when she stumbled on a
small rock, her legs still shaky from the climb.

Luke caught her as she pitched forwards, automatically seizing her waist
as she grabbed his arms. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Her head slowly tilted upwards and her eyes met his as she slowed her
breathing. "I'm fine, Luke. Just a bit dizzy."

His blue eyes twinkled as the concerned look on his face slowly changed
into a smile. She must be dizzy; she hardly ever called him by his first
name. "Thanks for saving Artoo."

Mara noticed that his hands continued to steady her, and for the first
time in her life, she didn't feel the urge to shove him away. "You're
both welcome. I guess I must be developing a soft spot for him."

Artoo gave a happy whistle.

"Artoo says thank you, too," said Luke, his eyes never leaving hers.

His blue eyes were mesmerising, almost hypnotic, she thought. "Are you
going to admit he's slowing us down, yet?"

Luke shrugged slightly, unwilling to dislodge her hands. "It could have
been worse. It could have been one of us that fell down that hole."

"I think we would have seen it coming," replied Mara with a smirk.

"You can't say for sure," said Luke, his grip on her waist tightening
almost imperceptibly. "It could have been you."

"You would have caught me."

He nodded, swallowing hard at the thought of Mara in danger. "I'd like
to think I would have."

Mara glanced down when she could no longer meet his gaze; the emotion
she felt was too powerful. Her hands travelled down his arms until she
took his hands in her own, removing them from her body. "We'd better get
going. We've lost enough time as it is." She looked back up at him, but
his eyes didn't meet hers; they were locked on their joined hands.
"Luke." She tugged on his hands and he finally looked up. "Let's go."

He dropped her hands and blinked a couple of times. "Yeah. We should
move."

Mara untied the rope from her waist and coiled it neatly before handing
it to Luke to stow in his pack. "Come on, Skywalker. I've got a feeling
we'll be out of these damn caves soon."

Luke hefted his pack onto his back and smiled gently. "A vision, Mara?"

She settled her own pack on, before raising an eyebrow at him. "No. I
believe the visions are your department, Jedi." Walking slowly and
carefully, she started picking her way around the chasm that had almost
claimed Artoo.

"So where do you get your 'feeling' from?" asked Luke as he followed
her, Artoo bumping at his heels in an effort to stay as close as
possible to his master. "Female intuition?"

"No." Her eyes met his for a moment, then glanced away. "Optimism."

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---------

That's it! Next I plan on tackling the bit where Mara is in a healing
trance - time for a little introspection on Luke's part, IMO. ;-)

ttfn

Just another of those missing moments things I've been working on. This
one's set during VotF, the bit where Luke puts Mara in a healing trance.
It is very much a preview, as it won't be posted to fanfiction.net until
I've finished writing the next part.

BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE for Aria - muse, mentor and beta-reader par
exellance!

Disclaimer - they all belong to LucasArts - I'm not making a bean.

Earlier chapters are in the files or here...

Chs 1-3... www.fanfiction.net/master.cfm?action=story-read&storyid=2971
Chs 4&5... www.fanfiction.net/master.cfm?action=story-read&storyid=16751
Ch 6... www.fanfiction.net/master.cfm?action=story-read&storyid=26235
Ch 7... www.fanfiction.net/master.cfm?action=story-read&storyid=46983

Chapter 8 - (first line is Zahn's)

"'Night, Luke. Don't forget to wake me if the bad guys crash the party."

Her muscles forcibly relaxed, her breathing and heartbeat slowed, but
even as she slipped deeper and deeper into the trance, her mind was
screaming out its new-found knowledge. He cared about her! Not just in
the way that he cared about the fate of the New Republic or about his
students on Yavin, but cared about her as an individual, as a person. As
a woman. Cared more than she'd ever imagined. The revalation hit her
like a stampeding bantha.

Luke! She fought to cry out, to acknowledge his feelings. Luke! He
obviously couldn't hear her silent cry. Luke! Talk to me! Blackness
enveloped her and she sank into the warm comfort of unconsciousness.

5 days later...

He sat with his back to the wall, arms pulled tightly around his knees,
and watched her with worried eyes, just as he'd been doing on and off
for the past five days. His frustrated sigh echoed slightly as he
finally admitted to himself that the trance wasn't going to work in
time. Her injured shoulder had healed to an angry red welt, but it would
still cause her a great deal of pain if he brought her out of the trance
now. And more pain was the last thing he wished for her. He should
really leave her in the healing trance for another two or three days,
but something kept telling him there was no more time; he had to rouse
her soon.

When she had been shot, the shock had almost paralyzed him. His body had
switched to autopilot, the only way he'd been able to get her away from
danger. The shock had continued for several hours, until the adrenaline
finally drained from his system and reality had hit. Then he had started
to shake uncontrollably and it took all of his willpower to stop himself
from crying. He had almost lost her. The laser bolt that had pierced her
shoulder could just as easily have hit her stomach, her chest or her
head. He wouldn't ... couldn't allow himself to love her, but he didn't
want to lose her. It was bad enough seeing her dead in a vision that may
or may not come to pass, but to have her die in his arms... It just
didn't bear thinking about.

He kept trying to convince himself of this as he stood and crossed to
her, carefully stepping around the cooker the Qom Jha had brought. As he
sank to the floor beside her, he noticed the avian they had provided had
only just started to cook. "Well, we've got to get you out of this soon,
Mara. Dinner's on. Roast ... umm ... thing." He smiled at his own feeble
joke, suddenly desperate for her company again.

He held his breath as he carefully brushed her hair from her temples. "I
hope this works, my friend." Stretching out beside her, he once again
laid his arm across her chest and placed a hand gently on her injured
shoulder, just as he had every day for the past five days. "And I hope
you will be able to forgive me if you ever find out I've done this." He
closed his eyes and slipped into her mind, tentatively at first, then
more confidently as he detected her Force presence and realized their
bond would make it easy to draw her strength to himself.

As he descended into a deep meditative state, he tried to ignore the
images around him. They were Mara's memories, her hopes, her fears, her
past, her present. And even though she often accused him of 'reading her
mind', he would never consciously do such a thing. But in her present
condition, her mind was laid completely open to him, and he could not
help but recognize familiar images as they flashed across his own mind.
People, places, events; many were totally strange to him, but some he
could identify. Karrde raising a glass to her, Mirax and Corran Horn,
Leia on Corellia, Lando... Even though he knew it was only a memory,
Luke could feel his hackles rising. Lando smiling at her, his eyes
twinkling as they shared some private joke. Luke counted Lando as a good
friend; although often reticent because of personal responsibilities,
Lando would always come through if the New Republic needed him. But for
years Luke had heard the rumors of an affair between the ex-General and
Mara, and now it was starting to annoy him. REALLY annoy him. Lando had
recently married, and Luke had never asked him if the rumors were true.
Yet here he was in Mara's memories; maybe it was about time he got the
truth out of Mara... Suddenly he noticed another common figure in Mara's
mind; himself. Over and over again, he recognized his own image; in his
Jedi robes at the Academy on Yavin, sparring with her on Drall, in the
med bay of the 'Starry Ice'... And along with the multitude of images
came feelings; Mara's feelings. A kaleidoscope of respect, happiness,
fear, contentment, frustration, and...

"No!" Abruptly he pulled out of his trance and out of her mind, his eyes
flicking open, his hand leaving her shoulder as if scalded. "No, Mara.
No! You can't care about me. Not like that." He wiped a hand over his
face, suddenly realizing he was covered in sweat; a glance at his chrono
showed more than two hours had passed since he'd started meditating.

Slowly, he backed away from her, then drew his knees up and hugged them.
"Please don't do this, Mara." His voice was thick with emotion, and even
though he knew she couldn't hear him, he carried on talking. "I'd be no
good for you; I'm no good for anyone. People who get close to me always
get hurt sooner or later, and I care about you too much to..." He choked
back a sob as he squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head to his
knees. No. He couldn't love her, wouldn't allow himself to love her. It
was too dangerous, for them both.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, he forced his brain back to a state of
calm and composed his features. He had to pretend that it had never
happened, that he had never found out about her feelings for him. For if
Mara discovered what he had done, she could easily give in to her anger
and finish him off for good. And he knew that if he acknowledged her
feelings as having some truth to them, he'd also have to admit to his
own emotions, something he was not willing to do. At least, not yet.

Edging back towards her, he leaned over to inspect her wound. Clear,
unblemished skin showed through the damaged suit and a slow smile crept
across Luke's face. "I'll be Kesseled! It actually worked!" His gaze
drifted slowly back to her face, looking so innocent and beautiful as
she slept. Now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure Mara's
feelings were subconscious; mostly subconscious, anyway. "We're such
good friends, Mara. How about we just leave it at that? I'll worry about
you and you can tell me when I'm being an idiot; is that a deal? And
then after this is all over..." He swallowed the lump that formed in his
throat as the vision of her dead rose unbidden to his mind once more.
No. He refused to believe she would die. "Well, after it's over, maybe
we could see each other more often..."

He was interrupted by the cooker as it gave a gentle beep, indicating
the food was cooked. "Time to wake up, I guess." Impulsively, he leaned
forward and kissed her forehead. "And this time, try not to get shot."

He touched his fingertips to her temples and closed his eyes, drawing on
the Force to rouse her from her trance.

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--------------

Constructive criticism and ideas very welcome. :-)

Can't remember what part number I'm up to and I'm too lazy to go figure it out. I've posted the first chapter of this 'part' before, so please feel free to skip it if you've read it. :-) The new bit is still set during VotF - the bit where Mara is sitting on the cliff ledge waiting for the 'Fire' to crash into the Chiss fortress. And it's getting seriously AU, so if you believe no one should ever mess with the almighty Zahn, this may bother you.
Thoughts, criticisms, ideas, etc. gratefully received, as always.

The rest of the series is up at my website (www.oocities.org/angelajade/index.html)
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Chapter 8 - (Mara has just been shot by the Chiss)

"'Night, Luke. Don't forget to wake me if the bad guys crash the party."

Mara's eyes drifted closed as she sank slowly into the Force-induced trance. As the pain subsided, she found herself once more able to sense Luke's obviously unshielded feelings and she cringed inside at the anxiety and fear emanating from him. Skywalker over-protectiveness to the fore, as usual. And yet ... there was something more. Underpinning his distress at her condition was a feeling of deep and profound affection.
Her muscles forcibly relaxed, her breathing and heartbeat slowed, but even as she slipped deeper and deeper into the trance, her mind was screaming out its new-found knowledge. He cared about her! Not just in the way that he cared about the fate of the New Republic or about his students on Yavin, but cared about her as an individual, as a person. As a woman. Cared more than she'd ever imagined. The revelation hit her like a stampeding bantha.

Luke! She fought to cry out, to acknowledge his feelings. Luke! He obviously couldn't hear her silent cry. Luke! Talk to me! Blackness enveloped her and she sank into the warm comfort of unconsciousness.

5 days later...
He sat with his back to the wall, arms pulled tightly around his knees, and watched her with worried eyes, just as he'd been doing on and off for the past five days. His frustrated sigh echoed slightly as he finally admitted to himself that the trance wasn't going to work in time. Her injured shoulder had healed to an angry red welt, but it would still cause her a great deal of pain if he brought her out of the trance now. And more pain was the last thing he wished for her. He should really leave her in the healing trance for another two or three days, but something kept telling him there was no more time; he had to rouse her soon.

When she had been shot, the shock had almost paralyzed him. His body had switched to autopilot, the only way he'd been able to get her away from danger. The shock had continued for several hours, until the adrenaline finally drained from his system and reality had hit. Then he had started to shake uncontrollably and it took all of his willpower to stop himself from crying. He had almost lost her. The laser bolt that had pierced her shoulder could just as easily have hit her stomach, her chest or her head. He wouldn't ... couldn't allow himself to love her, but he didn't want to lose her. It was bad enough seeing her dead in a vision that may or may not come to pass, but to have her die in his arms... It just didn't bear thinking about.

But there was still one thing left to try. Mara had an incredibly strong Force-presence and they already shared a bond; perhaps he could tap into her power and use it to supplement his own in a last-ditch attempt at speed-healing. He wouldn't feel particularly comfortable doing it - morally, it was akin to reading her mind - but she was in no state to give her consent, and it seemed to be unavoidable if he was to stand any chance of healing her.
He kept trying to convince himself of this as he stood and crossed to her, carefully stepping around the cooker the Qom Jha had brought. As he sank to the floor beside her, he noticed the avian they had provided had only just started to cook. "Well, we've got to get you out of this soon, Mara. Dinner's on. Roast ... umm ... thing." He smiled at his own feeble joke, suddenly desperate for her company again.

He held his breath as he carefully brushed her hair from her temples. "I hope this works, my friend." Stretching out beside her, he once again laid his arm across her chest and placed a hand gently on her injured shoulder, just as he had every day for the past five days. "And I hope you will be able to forgive me if you ever find out I've done this." He closed his eyes and slipped into her mind, tentatively at first, then more confidently as he detected her Force presence and realized their bond would make it easy to draw her strength to himself.

As he descended into a deep meditative state, he tried to ignore the images around him. They were Mara's memories, her hopes, her fears, her past, her present. And even though she often accused him of 'reading her mind', he would never consciously do such a thing. But in her present condition, her mind was laid completely open to him, and he could not help but recognize familiar images as they flashed across his own mind. People, places, events; many were totally strange to him, but some he could identify. Karrde raising a glass to her; Mirax and Corran Horn; Leia on Corellia; Lando... Even though he knew it was only a memory, Luke could feel his hackles rising. Lando smiling at her, his eyes twinkling as they shared some private joke. Luke counted Lando as a good friend: although often reticent because of personal responsibilities, Lando would always come through if the New Republic needed him. But for years Luke had heard the rumors of an affair between the ex-General and Mara, and now it was starting to annoy him. REALLY annoy him. Lando had recently married, and Luke had never asked him if the rumors were true. Yet here he was in Mara's memories; maybe it was about time he got the truth out of Mara... Suddenly he noticed another common figure in Mara's mind: himself. Over and over again, he recognized his own image; in his Jedi robes at the Academy on Yavin, sparring with her on Drall, in the med bay of the 'Starry Ice'... And along with the multitude of images came feelings; Mara's feelings. A kaleidoscope of respect, happiness, fear, contentment, frustration, and...
"No!" Abruptly he pulled out of his trance and out of her mind, his eyes flicking open, his hand leaving her shoulder as if scalded. "No, Mara. No! You can't care about me. Not like that." He wiped a hand over his face, suddenly realizing he was covered in sweat; a glance at his chrono showed more than two hours had passed since he'd started meditating.

Slowly, he backed away from her, then drew his knees up and hugged them. "Please don't do this, Mara." His voice was thick with emotion, and even though he knew she couldn't hear him, he carried on talking. "I'd be no good for you; I'm no good for anyone. People who get close to me always get hurt sooner or later, and I care about you too much to..." He choked back a sob as he squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head to his knees, rocking gently as he tried to come to terms with what he had discovered. Did she love him? As a friend, certainly. As something more... he didn't think even Mara knew the answer to that question. But if she did...

He looked up, still rocking. He hadn't had a proper relationship in years, and had recently resigned himself to a life alone. He thought he had accepted this as his destiny but now, with the chance of happiness before him, was it possible... For a fleeting moment he imagined holding her in his arms, listening as she declared her love for him; marriage, children... No. He couldn't love her, wouldn't allow himself to love her. It was too dangerous, for them both.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, he forced his brain back to a state of calm and composed his features. He had to pretend that it had never happened, that he had never found out about her feelings for him. For if Mara discovered what he had done, she could easily give in to her anger and finish him off for good. And he knew that if he acknowledged her feelings as having some truth to them, he'd also have to admit to his own emotions, something he was not willing to do. At least, not yet.

Edging back towards her, he leaned over to inspect her wound. Clear, unblemished skin showed through the damaged suit and a slow smile crept across Luke's face. "I'll be Kesseled! It actually worked!" His gaze drifted slowly back to her face, looking so innocent and beautiful as she slept. Now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure Mara's feelings were subconscious; mostly subconscious, anyway. "We're such good friends, Mara. How about we just leave it at that? I'll worry about you and you can tell me when I'm being an idiot; is that a deal? And then after this is all over..." He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat as the vision of her dead rose unbidden to his mind once more. No. He refused to believe she would die. "Well, after it's over, maybe we could see each other more often, spend some time together..."

He was interrupted by the cooker as it gave a gentle beep, indicating the food was cooked. "Time to wake up, I guess." Impulsively, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "And this time, try not to get shot."

He touched his fingertips to her temples and closed his eyes, drawing on the Force to rouse her from her trance.

Chapter 9 - (after fighting their way out of the Chiss fortress, Luke is in a healing trance and Mara has settled herself on a cliff edge to watch the impending carnage she has already set in motion...)

As her eyes scanned the starry night sky, Mara shivered and wished she'd brought some kind of blanket, or maybe a jacket. She drew her knees up and hugged them for warmth, yet still she shivered.

She couldn't believe she was actually doing this. Sacrificing her ship. Sacrificing her freedom. And all for a government that continued to regard her with scorn and contempt. She shifted her body, unconsciously trying to burrow her back into the cliff behind her. She hadn't felt this cold in a long time.

No, she decided, she wasn't doing it for the New Republic government. And she wasn't doing it for Luke Skywalker, either. Her gaze drifted down to the overhang that hid their stolen ship. Closing her eyes, she tentatively stretched out with the Force ... he was still unconscious. Good. He'd only try to stop her.

"Why didn't you tell me you cared, Luke?" She opened her eyes when she realized she'd actually spoken out loud. Hugging herself tightly, she began to rock, the pain in her gut building with every passing minute. Maybe if she thought about Skywalker, she'd be able to dampen the agony threatening to overwhelm her soul. At least for a while...

For ten years, she'd struggled with her feelings for the Jedi Master, never quite sure if the conflict she felt was normal or not. She disliked Yavin 4 and its Academy full of pretentious students, yet still she had felt drawn to the place, to him. When she had seen him with Callista, she had felt strangely ambiguous; unaccountably miserable, yet happy because he was happy. In recent years especially, whenever they met her heart pounded in her ears, breathing had suddenly become more difficult, and a smile from him was enough to banish any dark mood. Even his touch had made her skin tingle...

Her eyes were drawn to a meteor as it burned its way across the upper atmosphere. She smiled grimly; couldn't be long now. In some ways, she wished that the time it would take for the 'Fire' to crash would last forever; she wanted to hang on to her freedom, to the life she'd built for herself, for as long as possible. But most of the time, she just wanted it over with. It was inevitable.

It was also inevitable that she'd have to talk to Luke about their feelings for one another; the tension was starting to drive her crazy. When she had first come out of the healing trance Luke had put her in, she'd felt so disorientated that she'd had trouble remembering where she was and what she was doing. Then her empty stomach had commandeered her brain and she'd eaten like a half-starved vornskr pup. They had talked about the Chiss, discussed her service to Palpatine, and he'd nagged her again about becoming a Jedi. But it wasn't until they'd argued about her supposed affair with Lando Calrissian that she'd suddenly remembered about her dip into his emotions as she slipped into the trance five days earlier. But by then it was too late. He hadn't mentioned his feelings for her at all since she'd regained consciousness; if anything, he'd steered the conversation away from thoughts and emotions onto safer, more logical ground. Until he'd totally given himself away by asking about Lando. Mara smiled as she remembered the jealousy shining in his eyes.

Another meteor pulled her thoughts back to the present. Moving the 'Fire' had undoubtedly dislodged some of the asteroids that had been camouflaging its hiding place. Belatedly, Mara wondered if the Chiss would notice the extra astronomical activity and therefore her ship. Doubtful. They'd be too busy repairing the damage she and Luke had already caused, and readying their one remaining ship for the flight to Bastion. To Bastion and to the Empire. Or, at least, to what the Empire had become. She clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palms. She wouldn't allow that to happen. And if that meant sacrificing her ship, her freedom, even her life, then so be it.

Her life? Would it actually cost her her life? The thought sent a shiver down her spine and into the pit of her stomach. If she was totally honest, Mara couldn't see how they would ever get off the planet alive, especially after what she had already set in motion. The Chiss would blast them out of the sky without more than a glance, and the chances of an NR rescue mission were virtually nil. And yet, Mara didn't mourn her own probable death. Perhaps it was something she had accepted when she'd first landed on the planet. Or maybe it was the hints Luke had dropped about a vision he had experienced, a vision which he had been unwilling to share with her. She wasn't stupid; the first time he'd mentioned it, she'd seen the look of pain in his eyes and guessed what he'd seen. No, Mara didn't fear her own death. But she didn't know how she would face the death of Luke Skywalker.

The stars blurred as her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Luke, I am so sorry," she whispered, blinking madly until her vision cleared. "I don't want you to die." The only thing that overwhelmed the pain she felt at losing her ship, her freedom, and her life, was the agony she felt when she thought of losing him. "I'm sorry," she whispered one last time, before resolutely pulling the Force to herself and concealing her Force-presence. The waiting was almost over...

//Mara//

His voice in her head cut through the layers of camouflage and barriers she had set up as if they weren't there. For a fraction of a second she considered hiding her presence from him for as long as she could, but she dismissed the idea just as quickly. There was just no point anymore. //Up here//

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

She managed to hold back the tears right up to the point where Luke realized exactly what she'd done. But then his own anguish rekindled her distress, and she wept like she'd never done before. When his arm slipped around her back, she overrode her automatic reaction to pull away and melted into his chest, sobbing out her pain and misery as he pulled her to him and murmured quiet platitudes into her hair. She couldn't hear his words, but could feel him trying to absorb her pain, to ease her suffering. Her arms slid tightly around his waist and she cried herself out to the tempo of his heartbeat.

The tears had almost dried completely when she felt his body stiffen as he sucked in a sharp breath. Lifting her head, she loosened her grip and watched as the 'Jade's Fire', already damaged beyond repair, drifted into view. A quiet determination gripped her heart as the ship bore down on the fortress, and she leaned forward, resolved to watch until the bitter end. The deadly green lasers from the towers continued to rip into the shields and into the ship itself, and Mara was surprised when the sadness she felt slowly ebbed away, to be replaced only by immense pride that the 'Fire' had lasted as long as it had. And then, in a huge, incandescent fireball that she knew she would see in her dreams for the rest of her life, her ship rammed its target and completed its mission.

It was gone. It was over. Just as her life as the Emperor's Hand had disappeared in the flicker of an eye, so the life she had spent fifteen years building for herself also vanished. The 'Jade's Fire' had been her home, her livelihood, her only true possession. But it had also symbolized her freedom, and now that freedom no longer existed. Mara Jade had taken that last, irrevocable step and become part of ... what? The New Republic? The Jedi? She glanced up at the one person in the whole galaxy who could understand what she had just gone through.

His blue eyes radiated concern as he watched her, his brow crinkling with anxiety. "Are you okay, Mara?"

She nodded silently, her gaze never leaving his. Her whole life had just gone in the flash of an explosion; maybe it was time to let go of some other perceptions she'd held for far too long. Perceptions of herself, and of the man comforting her in his arms. Closing the distance between them, she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, a last tear escaping from the corner of her eye. "Thank you, Luke. Thank you for coming for me, for being here..."
He crushed her to him, murmuring against the top of her head. "Mara. Oh, Mara."

Her arms held on to him securely; he was her rock in the storm of her emotions, the man she could finally admit she loved. When he firmly tilted her face up to his she offered no resistance, and when his lips descended to hers she closed her eyes and lost herself in his kiss.

When she finally pulled away, she looked up to see his eyes burrowing into hers. Reading her mind? No; only her face, her expression.
He swallowed hard, his lips moving silently before forming words. "Mara, I think I..."

"Shhh." She pressed a shaky finger to his lips, cutting him off. "Don't say it. Not right now." She tore her gaze away from him and stared at the smoldering fortress. "It's not finished yet. We have to go back inside."

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Now, the big question is - do I continue with this? If I do, it will almost certainly mean 'rewriting' the proposal scene, and I'm still not sure how I feel about that. I have started writing more, but I can easily just stop here. Your opinions, please?

Yes, I'm still working on this. Slowly. :-)

I can't remember which messages have the previous 'bits', but they're there somewhere. I still haven't posted this section up at ff.n or my own site - I'd like to know what you think first.

Anyhoo - the story so far - rewriting Zahn. I've done the 'Mara in a healing trance' bit and the 'cliff-top' scene. This bit is set just before the Qom Qae fly them back to the cave mouth beside the lake.

Thanks to Sheyla and Anna for the initial feedback - I'd appreciate it if you could tell me if you think there's anything I'm missing, and anything that looks totally stupid and out of place, or out of character. Thanks.

AJ (www.oocities.org/angelajade/index.html)
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Usual disclaimers - you know the drill.

Chapter 10 - (just before the Qom Qae fly Luke, Mara & Artoo back to the Fortress)

They worked silently, efficiently, winding the last of their synthrope round and under the little blue and white astromech so that he would be able to make the flight. Artoo gurgled worriedly and Mara hid a smile as Luke absentmindedly rubbed a comforting hand over the top of the droid's dome.
"It's okay, Artoo," he muttered gently, "you'll be fine."

Artoo whistled and beeped at length, and Mara glanced up at the datapad they'd rigged to translate. "What does he mean, he doesn't like flying?" she asked Luke incredulously. "He's an astromech!"

"I think he means when he's not at least partially acquainted with the computer controlling the ship." He peeked round the cylindrical body and a wry smile escaped his lips. "Sometimes I don't think he trusts sentients."

Artoo burbled a retort, but Mara didn't even look at the datapad; her eyes were fixed on Luke's as her breath shallowed. She'd been avoiding touching him, even talking to him since they'd come down from the cliff ledge, as she concentrated on the mission before her. But now he was so close and she could feel something well up inside as tears stung her eyes and something unfathomable gripped her heart.

The smile fell from Luke's face as he watched her expression change, and he held her gaze for as long as he could. "Mara, we have to talk."

She swallowed and looked away, her lips tightening. She had thought it would be her that would end up asking him to discuss their feelings; he'd always seemed so closed off, so ... unwilling. But now reticence gripped her heart and her mind, and suddenly she wanted to avoid this awkward discussion. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Luke. We have to go back into the fortress and we don't know what will happen..."

Standing up, he reached out a hand to her. "I think that's why we must talk," he said quietly.

Her eyes locked on his boots, staring but unseeing, for a long moment. Finally she took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up, before meeting his eyes.

He stood somewhat stiffly, watching her carefully and holding her hand as if he were afraid she might run. "Mara, what's wrong?"

"You mean, apart from the obvious." Her death. His death. They were never getting off the planet, that much was pretty certain. Her eyes dropped to their joined hands as she felt his thumb rub across her knuckles.

"Mara, I'm sorry." He dropped her hand. "I'm sorry if I upset you. I realize now that when I kissed you, I was taking advantage of the situation. It ... it won't happen again."

And there it was: her get-out clause. She was distressed, he kissed her, they came to their senses, they stayed 'just friends'. It was quite simple, really. Except for the fact that her heart was breaking into a million pieces at the mere thought. Logic said 'stay friends ... it will never work ... there's no point'. Mara decided Logic could go jump off a cliff. "Maybe I want it to happen again," she whispered, almost inaudibly.

Luke's heart was thudding in his chest so loudly that he was sure she must be able to hear it. "You do?" Incredulity, fear, and unadulterated happiness fought for dominance in his brain.

Their eyes met once more. "I'm not sure, Luke. I ... I care about you, but..." Her teeth clenched in frustration. "Why did it have to happen now? When we're stuck on this Sith-forsaken rock, when our chances of surviving to see tomorrow are slim, when we've got to go back inside..."

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her body to his. "We're Jedi. We'll survive."

She stiffened against his embrace for a fraction of a second, then surrendered herself to his warmth. "Jedi doesn't mean indestructible, Skywalker."
"I know, Mara, I know. But we have to believe... It can't just end like this." He spoke into her hair, crushing her firmly to him. "Mara, I care about you. I didn't want to, but I do..."

She pushed him away, her palms flat on his chest as she searched his face for the truth. "Didn't want to care about me? Why not?"

He shrugged, meeting her unflinching gaze. "People I care about get hurt." His eyes dropped to her hands. "They get killed, or they run away. They end up shot or injured or blasted out of the sky. Besides..." His grip on her waist tightened as his blue eyes drifted back to her face. "... I didn't know how you'd react. I don't want to jeopardize our friendship." There. He'd said it out loud. Their friendship meant more to him than almost any other, yet still he'd kissed her, breaking his vow to himself that he wouldn't drag her into his life. What had he been thinking...?

And yet, she remained in his arms, carefully watching his face as she assimilated his words. Maybe there was hope...

"Luke, I get shot at on almost a daily basis. I don't think being on the same planet as you makes a whole lot of difference." He opened his mouth a little as if to speak, but she pressed a silencing finger to his lips. "And I would hope that whatever may happen between us, our friendship is strong enough to survive."

He nodded, unable to say anything. Whatever may happen? He knew what he wanted to happen, knew it with all his heart. Her emerald eyes bore into him, and for a moment he had the notion he could hear her thoughts. But no, their bond wasn't that strong. He could only read the emotions she was projecting, both through the Force and written as clear as day on her face. Whatever may happen? Tentatively, he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, a kiss which soon deepened as the taut feeling in his gut threatened to overwhelm him. His eyes shut tight, he pulled her close, barely noticing her arms snaking round his neck.

She was floating, soaring ... melting in his arms. Her heart pounded in her chest, but it could have just as easily stopped beating altogether as she succumbed to his kiss. Enchanted, she willed it to go on forever.

It was Luke who finally broke away gently, his forehead resting against hers. "Mara, what are we going to do?"

She inhaled a ragged breath before replying. "I don't know. Get on with the mission, I suppose." Finally, she felt her depression, her certainty that they would die lift. If anyone could get out of this, she and Luke could. They were a team.

"Mara, I love you."

Oh, Gods. "I know." She swallowed the imaginary lump in her throat that threatened to cut off her airway. "But we can't ... we mustn't let our feelings..."

Simultaneously, they looked up at the sound of wings beating the air. "The Qom Qae," said Luke. "They're back." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Time to go, I guess."

"I suppose so," replied Mara, a frown gathering on her face. "Once more into the rancor pit, so to speak."

One blue eye opened. "I really wish you wouldn't use that expression."

"Sorry." Mara placed a gentle hand on either side of his face, a worried smile tugging her lips as his gaze met hers. "Be careful, Skywalker."

"You, too, Mara." He pressed a short, firm kiss to her mouth. "May the Force be with you."

"And Luke..."

"Yes?"

"I love you, too."
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Okay - roll up your sleeves and enter the argument. I think the ending's too mushy, altho' I did want them to say those three little words before they agree to marry. Anna reckons go more for implication, rather than outright statement. And Sheyla has threatened extreme violence if I change it at all (you romantic fool!! :-) ). What do you guys think?

AND (yes, I'm making you work this time) - the next bit will be the proposal scene. Is there anything in particular you love or hate about that scene? I have thought long and hard about trying to write using Zahn's lines, but I'm not sure I can do it. I quite like the battle scene with the Sentinel droids, I just don't buy that it made them fall instantly in love, etc. And the actual proposal is a little ... clinical, IMO. Got any other thoughts?
Thank you all for your help in this project so far - you've been great.

Chapter 10 has been posted before, but I rewrote the ending after all the feedback you so kindly provided (sorry, Sheyla, but it had to be done!) Chapter 11 includes a few of Zahn's lines, but basically ignores chunks of his plot. Sorry!

A loud and extended round of applause to Sheyla for dragging herself out of her sick-bed to beta this little puppy - hope you like the changes. Now go make yourself another toddy - it may not cure the flu, but if you put enough whisky in it, you won't care any more. :-)

As always, any and all comments, including flames, are very welcome (but if you refer to me as a 'child' I'll know who you are and won't be held responsible for the consequences!)

Earlier parts are at my website (www.oocities.org/angelajade/index.html) and/or in the egroup files.
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Chapter 10 - (just before the Qom Qae fly Luke, Mara & Artoo back to the Fortress)

Artoo whistled and beeped at length, and Mara glanced up at the datapad they'd rigged to translate. "What does he mean, he doesn't like flying?" she asked Luke incredulously. "He's an astromech!"

The smile fell from Luke's face as he watched her expression change, and he held her gaze for as long as he could. "Mara, we have to talk."
She swallowed and looked away, her lips tightening. She had thought it would be her that would end up asking him to discuss their feelings; he'd always seemed so closed off, so ... unwilling. But now reticence gripped her heart and her mind, and suddenly she wanted to avoid this awkward discussion. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Luke. We have to go back into the fortress and we don't know what will happen..."

Standing up, he reached out a hand to her. "I think that's why we must talk," he said quietly.

Her eyes locked on his boots, staring but unseeing, for a long moment. Finally she took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up, before meeting his eyes.

He stood somewhat stiffly, watching her carefully and holding her hand as if he were afraid she might run. "Mara, what's wrong?"

"Mara, I'm sorry." He dropped her hand. "I'm sorry if I upset you. I realize now that when I kissed you, I was taking advantage of the situation. It ... it won't happen again."

Luke's heart was thudding in his chest so loudly that he was sure she must be able to hear it. "You do?" Incredulity, fear, and unadulterated happiness fought for dominance in his brain.

She pushed him away, her palms flat on his chest as she searched his face for the truth. "Didn't want to care about me? Why not?"

And yet, she remained in his arms, carefully watching his face as she assimilated his words. Maybe there was hope...

He nodded, unable to say anything. Whatever may happen? He knew what he wanted to happen, knew it with all his heart. Her emerald eyes drilled into him, and for a moment he had the notion he could hear her thoughts. But no, their bond wasn't that strong. He could only read the emotions she was projecting, both through the Force and written as clear as dawn on Tattooine on her face. Whatever may happen? Tentatively, he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, a kiss which soon deepened as the taut feeling in his gut threatened to overwhelm him. His eyes shut tight and he pulled her close, barely noticing her arms snaking round his neck.

It was Luke who finally broke away gently, his forehead resting against hers. "Mara, what are we going to do?"

She inhaled a ragged breath before replying. "I don't know. Get on with the mission, I suppose." Finally, she felt her depression, her certainty that they would die, lifting. If anyone could get out of this, she and Luke could. They were a team; Faughn had said as much, a mere lifetime ago.
"You mean so much to me, Mara, I ... I don't suppose you'd consider staying..."

"...staying out here while you and the droid face whatever's in there? Not in this lifetime, Skywalker." Her eyes nervously met his, her breath tickling his lips. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me now."

His slow smile lit up his eyes as scanned her face, memorizing her features. "I think I like being stuck with you, Mara." Slowly, his finger ran round the curve of her jawline. "When we get back to Coruscant, could we perhaps spend some time together?"

"Luke Skywalker, what are you suggesting?" she asked, an eyebrow raised in mock-indignation.

A blush tinged his cheeks and he looked down, embarrassed. "I only meant dinner or a visit to one of the gardens or..." The touch of her hand on his cheek brought his gaze back up to meet hers.

She smiled. "When we get back to Coruscant, we'll go to one of the most exclusive restaurants on the planet and spend an indecent amount of credits on a shamefully decadent meal. And we'll talk."

"I'd like that, Mara."

There was a moment of silence, of peace, of two friends realizing that camaraderie had somehow deepened into affection. No words were spoken in that short time, yet still emotions were conveyed, powerful feelings that stabbed into their hearts, changing them forever.

The sound of wings rhythmically beating the air made them both look up. "The Qom Qae," said Luke. "They're back." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Time to go, I guess."

"I suppose so," replied Mara, a frown gathering on her face. "Once more into the rancor pit, so to speak."

One blue eye opened. "I really wish you wouldn't use that expression."

"Sorry." Mara placed a gentle hand on either side of his face, a worried smile tugging her mouth as his gaze met hers. "Be careful, Skywalker."

"You, too, Mara." He pressed a short, firm kiss to her lips. "May the Force be with you."

Chapter 11 - (an underground cave rapidly filling with water - you know the scene! Italicized lines are Zahn's...)

"Don't give up yet," Luke said. But there was no particular hope in his voice that she could detect. "There has to be a way out of this."

Reaching out her hand, her fingers carefully entwined with his. "Luke?"

His gaze connected with hers and he was surprised to see the calm acceptance in her eyes.

"Luke, you told me of a technique for saving the spirit when the body dies. I know you don't have time to teach me, but I think you should do it yourself. Leia's children need you, and so do your students..."

"No!"

Even though she was half-expecting his sharp retort, it still made her flinch. "You must, Luke. The Jedi cannot live on without your guidance, the galaxy is relying on you..."

"No." His voice was quieter, but still determined. "I won't leave you. We can still get out of this. There has to be a way, there just has to be..."

"Luke, you said you saw me dead in a vision. If that's my destiny, then so be it." A tear trickled slowly down one cheek and Mara struggled to hold her voice steady. "Please try to save yourself, in whatever form you can."

He cupped her face in his hand and watched mesmerized as another tear followed the first, slipping slowly round his thumb. "I can't, Mara. I can't go on without you. If it's your destiny to die here, then it's mine too. I will do nothing to defer it, and nothing you can say will change my mind." He lowered his head to hers and kissed her fiercely, his passion for her obvious over their new-found bond.

She returned the kiss ardently, forcing herself to become momentarily blind to their predicament, deaf to the sloshing water as it rose further up the walls. "Please, Luke..."

He held her face in his hands, close to his own. "Mara, I won't leave you. I can't." He unhooked his lightsaber from his belt, the familiar weight suffusing him with intense, if slightly misplaced confidence. "There is a way out of this, I know there is. We just have to find it." His left hand gripped Mara's hand tightly and he relaxed as much as he could, listening to what the Force would tell him.

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

(Mara insists she'll be the one to flood the cloning alcove.)

Luke glared at her. But she was right, and they both knew it. "This is blackmail, you know."

"This is common sense," she corrected him.

He saw from her cross-armed stance and her determined expression that she was resolved to execute his plan, and he wouldn't be able to change her mind. "I'm still not happy about this."

Letting her arms drop to her sides, Mara took a step closer to him. "Luke, let go."

"Let go of what?"

"Let go of the idea that you're the only one to save the day," she replied quietly, a slight smile tugging her lips. "I'm the right person for the job; you know it, I know it. Hey, even Artoo probably knows it." Her hand stretched out and rested on his shoulder. "Trust me. Let me do my part."

For a split second he tensed against her touch, his fear of getting close to her returning in the face of her endangerment. Then he took a step forwards and swept her into his arms, holding her tightly and whispering her name over and over as he buried his face in her neck. "Blast it, Mara, I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me, Skywalker." She drew back, encouraging him to do the same. As she studied his face, so close to her own, something grabbed her insides and twisted, squeezing the air out of her lungs and gripping her heart so firmly that she believed it might actually stop beating. The dim lighting softened his features, yet she could still see his eyes sparkling with unshed tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but he was faster.
"Mara, I love you."

The words were whispered, but they hammered into her brain with the power of Force lightening. Love? Was that what she was feeling? She knew loyalty, devotion, and friendship, but she had never before encountered true love. Until now. Until him. Dumbstruck, she battled to get her emotions under control.

She couldn't reply, couldn't say anything. She merely nodded, her lips pressed tightly together. Then she ruthlessly pushed her feelings for him to one side and stepped away, her green eyes blazing with fresh determination as she grasped her lightsaber firmly. She would have one shot at this and she would make it work.

"Ready."

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

...two meters to his right, bobbing gently in the pool as she floated beside the craggy rock, was Mara. Her eyes closed, her arms and legs limp. As if in death.

"Oh, Gods, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!" Wet clothes and the shallow current dragging at his legs couldn't slow him down as he raced to her and pulled her towards him, cradling her shoulders and head against his chest. Was she dead?

"I love you, Mara."

Green eyes blinked slowly open as her chest heaved then coughed the excess water from her lungs. "Luke?"

"I'm here." He squeezed her tightly to himself, hardly daring to believe she had survived; his vision had passed and she was alive. Somehow he helped her to stand, although his own legs threatened to collapse under him and he could barely see through the tears filling his eyes.

Shakily, Mara pushed her wet hair from her face, leaning against him as she concentrated on settling her breathing. Luke's hand on her cheek brought her eyes up to meet his. "We made it?" she asked incredulously.

He nodded, a huge grin lighting up his face. "We made it."

"Oh, Luke." She flung her arms round his neck and hugged him close; fear, exhaustion and anxiety totally subdued by a dazzling euphoria. "I can't believe we got out of there!" When she finally loosened her grip, her own smile was radiant. Then she was kissing him urgently, confirming in her own way that they had indeed survived.

Eventually, somewhat reluctantly, they parted, foreheads touching as they caught their breath.

"Mara?" Her eyes looked darker as they gazed up from under long lashes. "Mara, I thought I'd lost you."

"I know. But you didn't; I'm here."

Luke continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I came round and I saw you floating there, and I thought you were dead. That you were never coming back."

She frowned at the seriousness in his voice. "I'm okay, Luke."

"Before I even landed on this planet, I knew there was a possibility that you might already be dead. When the firecreepers came, I worried that you wouldn't get out of the way fast enough." His voice trembled but still he didn't stop. "When the Chiss shot you, I didn't know if you would survive. And as for that cavern back there, well ... I thought we were both dead." He lifted his forehead from hers, his gaze intense as he reaffirmed to himself that she was really alive. "Mara, I never want to be apart from you again."

Smiling gently, she cupped his face in her hands. "I told you, Luke. We'll go back to Coruscant and spend some time together, and maybe I'll even come to Yavin with you for a while..."

His solemn expression didn't change. Could he let her know what was truly in his mind and in his heart? Could he live through the possible rejection that might follow? There was one way to find out. "No, Mara. I want more than that."

"More?" Her brow creased questioningly, even as their bond provided an inkling of what he was about to say.

"I love you, Mara. I thought I had loved before, but that was nothing compared to what I feel for you now."

And suddenly she knew, knew of his feelings for her as well as her own feelings for him. She had never loved another because no man had ever lived up to the subconscious template she held in her mind. A template that had ingrained itself ten years ago when she met a man who was both powerful and altruistic, confident in his abilities and yet shy of publicity, ethical yet tolerant; a man who had shown her a glimpse of what she might achieve, who had set her on the right path and helped her become the person she was today. This man.

"Luke, I love you, too." In her mind, the words had always sounded uncomfortable; synthetic words devoid of emotion. But whispering them to him felt like the most natural thing in the galaxy.

"Then marry me." He held his breath as he watched her face, losing himself in her eyes. "Please?"

Marry him? Commit herself to him for the rest of her life? Old fears of losing her independence surfaced automatically, and she struggled to subdue memories of the power Palpatine had held over her. Marry Luke Skywalker? Surely there was no need; they could meet as often as possible, maybe even live together... The thought of commiting herself to another being terrified her, especially when that person was as Force-strong as Luke.

He watched her internal struggle, both on her face and through their bond, and tried to suppress his disappointment. "I'm sorry. It's too soon; you need time to think about it..."

She loved him. More than she'd ever loved anyone. And over-protectiveness aside, he would never try to control her or force her to do anything against her will; she knew that for certain. Independence was over-rated; deep in her heart she knew she wanted to be with him forever. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as she felt his love surround her, and finally she accepted the inevitable.

"Yes."

"Yes, you'll think about it?" He smiled gently, hope filling his heart.

Mara shook her head. "Yes, I'll marry you."

The smile on his face became an ecstatic grin as he swept her into his arms and squeezed her until she thought she might burst. "I love you, Mara."

"Luke?"

He loosened his grip until he could see her face. "What?"

"Can we get out of here now?"

He nodded, not even attempting to hide the happiness bubbling up inside himself. "Let's go."

Hand in hand, they walked through the shallow water, Artoo trailing in their wake, towards the nearby glow of daylight that marked the end of the cave labyrinth, the end of their mission, and the beginning of their new lives.

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And that, as they say, is that. No more. Apart from the inevitable re-write. :-)
Thank you all for your support, and I hope you all have a very happy holiday, celebrating whatever you feel requires celebrating!!
Take care.
AJ