Moment of Decision

By: Rhea Jediknight (jediknight@mail2master.com)
and
Ash Darklighter (ashontatooine@btopenworld.com)

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer : We make no claim on the Star Wars copyright. We have not nor ever will make any money from the sale of this story. This is written with the intent to support the fan base and not in an effort to make money. This work is based on characters and situations that are owned by George Lucas and Lucasfilms Ltd and Timothy Zahn.

Summary: This is a story focusing primarily on how Luke and Mara might find that there is something more than friendship between them when there are no evil Sith lords to battle, no Death Stars to destroy, or even a droid to reprogram. Just Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade and their relationship.

Part One

The red haired woman sat in quiet contemplation. The meditation garden established at the Yavin Jedi complex was beautiful and peaceful. It wasn't a formal garden in the accepted sense of the word but the layout had been designed balancing both colour and scent, while maintaining a certain wildness. Mara Jade sat cross legged on the soft grass with her eyes closed and yet she could still see the riotous colours mixing with the heady scent of ghaala lilies and wild roses. She didn't need an increased ability and openness to the Force to know who was behind the garden's particular design. Mara had learned much during her months at the Academy. The Jedi instructors had reluctantly agreed to provide her with private instruction and it was no coincidence that she had arranged this tutelage while Skywalker was involved in a particularly long assignment at the behest of the New Republic. The garden served to remind her of something or someone she was going to have to face at soon enough.

The Force flowed around her, enveloping her like a warm light. Life was plentiful and she could sense every living thing around her. Her focus shifted from the numerous Jedi students all going about their respected tasks, to swing high into the air with the flocks of birds catching a warm updraft. Mara's sense moved into the ground until she could feel the grubs burrowing deep within the dirt. Herbivores munched on leaves peacefully deep in the forest of Yavin IV and predators slept waiting for the fall of night to capture their quarry. Mara revelled in the sensation of oneness in the Force she had achieved. He had been right all along - she was meant to be here. A flicker of something different brought her focus past the clouds overhead and into the airless void above the atmosphere. A new presence emerged from hyperspace - one whose trained power resonated through the layers of time. There was only one man in the entire galaxy that had that kind of power. It was only a moment before Mara's Force sense touched on the pilot of a small ship - his signature call in the Force drawing her irresistibly nearer. Her eyes snapped open - startlingly green in her beautiful face.

Luke Skywalker.

'Sith!' Mara quickly retreated hoping he might not have discerned her gentle brush against his sense. But she didn't hold out much hope. She was both annoyed that he had returned earlier than anticipated and strangely pleased that she would get a chance to visit with the Jedi Master. She was somewhat self conscious that Skywalker would discover that she had been training in his absence.

*Mara?*

She felt Luke's surprise and then his tentative inquiry. She muttered another curse under her breath. You didn't brush against Luke's presence and not have him notice it. She was going to have to speak to him. Resigned to her fate she gave a little smile.

*Hey, Farmboy.* Her mental voice was warmer than if she had said the same words aloud.

*You're on Yavin…*

*Stating the obvious, Skywalker,* she sent to him dryly.

*Have you been planetside long? Making some deliveries I suppose. It's good I got out of this New Republic thing a little early or I would have missed you.*

Mara scowled. That had been the general idea. *I've been here a while,* she admitted. She felt his shock ripple through their bond.

*A while* he echoed. *Oh! Not making deliveries…You've been training?* He could feel her enhanced presence in the Force. It was richer, deeper - a warm well of living colour.

Mara hesitated. *I thought you would be pleased?*

*How long have you been here?* he repeated his earlier question.

*Long enough, about three months.* she answered noting that he hadn't answered her question.

*So you arrived on Yavin a week after I left. Mara!* the voice in her head rose up on her name.

*I thought you weren't due for another few weeks?* she said trying to postpone the recriminations that were bound to come.

*Avoiding me, Jade?*

She could feel Luke retreating from her as his voice cooled. 'Avoiding me, Jade.' The old Mara would have snapped an angry retort but the recent time spent on Yavin had changed her. *Why don't we have this conversation in person?* she suggested calmly, although she felt oddly nervous inside.

*Good idea, Meet you in an hour?*

Mara sent her agreement and then raised her barriers. She opened her eyes It was going to be a long night. On the surface Luke would be pleased that she was attempting to continue her Jedi studies but deep down she knew he had wanted to train her himself.

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

Luke was tired from the long journey back in the cramped cockpit of his x-wing and the even longer assignment he had just completed. At least this time, he wasn't being shipped home in a solution of bacta. The mission had been tiring as he had helped restore order to a war ravaged world. The politicians had bickered while Luke had helped the people start their long road to recovery. It had been a successful endeavour. He stretched his stiff legs as he emerged from his ship. Artoo whistled something to him as he was lowered to the ground. He waved in the droid's general direction.

"I'm fine, Artoo. Nothing a good stretch and a hot shower can't fix. I'll see you get a complete diagnostic and the droid version of a rub down."

Artoo warbled in a varying array of electronic sounds that sounded remarkably like a chuckle.

The thought of meeting Mara brought a reluctant smile to his face. He had been mildly surprised to sense her presence the moment he had emerged from hyperspace. And he had been pleased as well. He had missed feeling her shining presence in the Force, missed the easy banter and heated arguments. No one else ever made him feel as truly aware and alive. He made his way quickly to his room - although the stray thought continued too worm through his mind. Had Mara been avoiding him and if so why? She had known he was away and according to Tionne had arrived soon after. He got the feeling that if his mission had taken the full amount of time that was originally anticipated; Mara would not have been here when he returned.

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

It was a warm evening on the jungle planet. Nightfall on Yavin was a slow event as the sky changed gradually from blue to black, with the sun adding a mix of colours to rival Luke's meditation garden. Mara sensed Luke waiting for her in the Academy gym. It wasn't surprising that after being in the cockpit of his x-wing for so long he would want to work out the stiffness from his body.

Luke began a gentle warming routine stretching each muscle in turn. The moves flowed together almost like a dance. There was order in the bends and twists his supple body performed. Biceps, triceps and deltoids worked beneath his tanned skin. Mara stood watching for a moment, a guiltily fascinated spectator and marvelled at his balance. The control and poise of the Jedi Master rivalled the lithest and most graceful of gymnasts.

Luke opened his eyes and caught Mara watching him. "Hello," he said calmly as he lowered his leg and flexed his bare feet with enjoyment. "It's good to get the kinks out."

Mara nodded, feeling a little awkward. "I know the feeling, although it's a long time since I've travelled in something as small as your x-wing."

It was dinnertime so they had the room to themselves. Luke sat on the practise mat wearing a sleeveless shirt that showed off his well muscled arms and made it difficult for Mara to look at him without getting flustered. She was not used to being unable to control her reactions to things or to people, and it was one of the main reasons that she generally avoided prolonged contact with this particular man. Lately she'd been thinking about him far too often for her peace of mind.

Mara smoothed an imaginary wrinkle from her short sleeved green jumpsuit that stopped just below her knees. She looked ready for a workout session, her feet clad in sturdy exercise shoes and with her lightsaber clipped to her belt. Her hair was tied back at the nape of her neck, red-gold curls coming loose at the edges. The style was tough and ready for work, yet feminine at the same time.

As she approached him, something in the Force whispered faintly and the Jedi Master's face changed. Mara tried to read his expression and found that she could not.

Luke stood up, igniting his green lightsaber and extended it to meet Mara's blue blade.

"This is an odd way to say hello." Mara commented.

"Is it?" he murmured softly, his face giving away nothing. "I already said hello."

They exchanged a few casual blows. Thrust and parry - strike and counter-strike.

"I'm not so sure that you did," replied Mara carefully.

"I've been meditating for week in the cockpit of my x-wing and I didn't foresee you being here to greet me in my dreams and visions. That was a real surprise."

"The Force is always in motion," Mara quoted wryly.

"I know - but…"

Mara laughed shortly, "I'm surprised you're even sane after a week's worth of meditation. It might have fried your brain, farmboy." She swung her saber ready to begin the work out in earnest. "Let's see if all that meditation paid off."

Luke lifted a hand to stay her movements. She wanted to avoid the discussion. He knew her too well. "Before you do." He paused, staring at the green humming blade of his saber and then lifted his eyes to Mara's. Something which made her uneasy flickered in their depths. "Can you answer me something?"

Mara frowned. "You can ask," she said, her voice cautious. He always asked her questions she felt uncomfortable in answering.

"I was speaking to some of the other teachers and I wondered…"

"Wondered what?"

"Why you came to Yavin specifically when you knew I'd be away on a long-term assignment?"

She flushed. 'Damn the man.' He hit the Death Star thermal exhaust port with his questions every single time. "It wasn't that I was trying to avoid you… well I was but…" She shrugged lightly. "You've been on my case for so long that…"

"You didn't want to give me all the satisfaction," Luke's eyes were sharp. "You were avoiding me? Mara I thought we were friends."

"Yes… No. Sith! I mean." The guilt that she'd hurt him a little niggled inside her and she reacted in the way she always had when it came to Luke Skywalker. Mara regarded him for a moment and then smiled. She lunged at him with her lightsaber, twisting as she began fighting in earnest.

Luke blinked in shock, blocking her saber, feeling a kind of feral glee emanating from Mara.

They continued to exchange blows in an intricate dance until they were both breathless. With their blades locked they were at an impasse.

Luke's damp hair clung to his brow, his blue eyes glittered with some unnamed emotion. His lips turned upward in a smile which didn't quite reach his eyes, and said. "You've learned much."

Mara pushed a wayward red-gold curl out of her eyes and replied, "I'm just getting warmed up."

They broke apart and Mara flipped over the Jedi but he turned to catch her next assault. Their blades moved at a furious pace, slashing and connecting with a deafening crackle. Mara felt as if she was gaining the upper hand and began to pummel him with her lightsaber. A small and distant part of her mind began to worry that perhaps they were going too far. They were not sparring with practice sabers, and the fact that neither of them had been injured so far was largely due to the skill of the two combatants. Mara backed Luke into a corner beside a small table and a pair of chairs. She raised her blue blade and Luke leaned back to avoid her next strike. The Jedi caught his foot on a chair leg and with an almost comical expression of surprise, he fell heavily backwards.

The worry that had been lurking in the recesses of her mind flared to life. Mara rushed forwards waves of concern emanated from her. What if he fell wrong with his lightsaber still ignited?

"Luke!"

A hand grabbed her ankle and twisted. She toppled forward. Surprise and quickly suppressed anger filled her as Mara barely managed to throw her weapon aside before she toppled toward the prone man. She'd just fallen into one of the oldest traps listed in the survival data manual. Immediately recognizing the danger, Luke's green blade disappeared with a compressed hiss as he shut down his saber.

When the red haired woman landed heavily on the Jedi's chest, they were both momentarily winded. Mara raised her head and saw that their noses almost touched. They were covered in a fine sheen of sweat and their breathing was laboured. If not for the fact that they were both fully clothed and were currently lying on the floor of the Academy's gym, it would be easy to believe that they had just been in the throes of passion. 'Now where had that thought come from?' she wondered. Mara's heart increased its tempo, because now the sinful thought had entered her head the idea was refusing to leave. She could see a vein throb in the side of Luke's neck and her eyes fastened on it. She watched as a bead of sweat slowly traced the line of his neck and Mara had an incredible urge to do the same with her tongue.

Neither of them seemed capable of movement. Their eyes locked and something indefinable seemed to pass between them. The air grew heavy with tension and Luke's arms tightened around her. His eyes dilated making them appear a deeper, more vibrant shade of blue. Her mouth grew dry and her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips. Luke's eyes were immediately drawn to the small movement and she felt a ripple of heat coming from him through the Force. She struggled vainly to hide the incredible desire that made it almost impossible for her to draw breath. At that moment, Mara wanted more than anything in the world to abandon all caution, all reason and kiss Luke Skywalker senseless.

Luke was stunned by Mara's beauty. He had never been so close to her and he was loath to let her go. Her quick temper and devoted loyalty spoke of a passionate nature, but with her in his arms, albeit accidentally, the Jedi wished that he could be the focus of her desire. He could feel every contour of her shapely body as it pressed against his own and he was having a hard time controlling his own body's behaviour. He was so caught up in his own emotions; he found it difficult to perceive Mara's. For a moment it looked as if her head was tipping toward his, as if she intended to kiss him - as if that would ever happen. He caught his breath, not daring to move, for fear of losing this moment.

The sound of a door opening broke the spell and Mara jerked herself upright and away from the Jedi Master but almost fell over again when her ankle gave out.

"Aahh!" she gave a short cry of pain.

Luke steadied her as he rose to his knees. "You're hurt."

"It's nothing." She was immediately on the defensive. To admit to pain was a weakness.

His eyebrows drew together for a moment and he grabbed her leg. Mara was not fully able to form a coherent thought as the pain sunk in. Luke ran his hand over her exposed ankle and detected a slight swelling.

"It is not 'nothing'. It might be a sprain." He rotated her ankle gently and noted her wince at the slightest movement. "You felt that, Mara and don't argue."

"I wasn't arguing," she bit back and then let out another small cry as Luke's fingers probed further. Mara gritted her teeth. Her stomach was fluttering uncontrollably and she was sure that even if her ankle wasn't sprained she would be unable to walk without betraying how unsteady she felt. Part of her wondered what had affected her the most. Her injury or the touch of the Jedi Master?

"Here, let me help." Luke started gently rubbing her calf, sending healing properties to her through the Force. She wanted to pull her leg away, stop him somehow, but she seemed to have become paralyzed. She felt waves of desire course through her at the innocent contact. Why wouldn't this man stop touching her? Wanting to sink into his sensuous touch she tried to muster a shield of anger. Mara closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't do that. One of the tasks her Jedi teachers impressed upon her was to refrain from letting her temper get the better of her. With a sigh she used the Force to slow her heartbeat and ease into a calmer frame of mind. His warm hands gently kneaded her muscles and she sighed again almost imperceptibly. He placed his hands underneath her knees and lifted her across to a chair, kneeling at her feet.

"I could have walked, Skywalker," she protested.

"I'm sorry, Mara. I didn't mean to twist so hard. I think you have sprained it." His hands returned to her leg but this time they had taken on a more caressing quality as he stroked her smooth limb.

She opened her eyes. "Hey, all's fair in love and war." Now why the hell did she just say that?

Luke glanced up and seemed to only then register how close he was to her. 'What was this thing between them, love or war?' Their eyes locked again. Mara couldn't look away. His eyes were fascinating; changing colours with the Jedi Master's shifting moods. An embarrassed grin spread across Luke's face. She was beautiful. He opened his mouth to reply when an amused voice intruded. "I'm sorry. Am I interrupting a marriage proposal?"

They both froze and turned to face the speaker. It was Kyp Durron.

Mara scowled. The one Jedi in the place she could do without. He'd stolen her ship, once long ago and had left her stranded on Yavin. Oh, she'd almost forgiven him long ago but his cocky manner continued to annoy her. Sometimes she felt that he didn't respect Luke enough and the darkly amused expression on his face made her want to lash out. "Don't be ridiculous," she bit out between clenched teeth.

Luke stood up slowly and turned away. Mara could feel him closing barriers in his mind against her and Kyp. Something she'd said had disturbed him or perhaps Kyp's comment had instead. She wondered what they had looked like to the younger man. She had been sitting on the chair, Luke kneeling at her feet with his hands stroking up and down her leg. Her face flamed and she held on to her fraying temper with difficulty.

"Luke?" the younger man said.

He turned to face Kyp, his face a blank mask, keeping his feelings well hidden from his friend and former student. "Mara fell during our sparring practise. I think she's damaged a ligament or something. I think we should get one of the healers to look at it."

Mara turned and said dismissively, "It's just a sprained ankle. It'll heal quickly enough." She turned toward Skywalker and said, "If you don't mind I think I'll turn in now."

She called her lightsaber to her hand and clipped it back onto her belt. Getting slowly to her feet, she gritted her teeth as the pain continued to shoot up her leg and began to hobble across the floor. She heard Skywalker swear softly under his breath and the next thing she knew she was scooped back up into his arms.

She tried to pull out of his arms, furious at the nerve and embarrassed at the audience. "Skywalker!"

"No arguments, Jade. I'm responsible for your injury. If you won't go to a healer, the least I can do is see you back to your room. You should probably stay off your ankle for a few hours. At least try some self-healing." Luke gave a wry grin. "Consider it part of your training."

Kyp snorted derisively and Mara's green eyes lasered him in place.

"I can walk. Put me down, Skywalker." Her voice rose irritably. Sith, now she sounded like one of those helpless female half-wits depicted in the afternoon holodramas.

She turned her head, just in time to see Kyp give them a sardonic grin as he exited the gym to enter the adjoining changing room. Mara's mouth opened then closed.

"At the rate you were hobbling I don't think you wouldn't have reached your room until tomorrow night. I might have had to send out a search party with rations." He settled her more securely against his chest.

"Luke!" Mara almost wailed. She didn't like the way she was feeling.

The Jedi Master gazed down at the woman in his arms. He knew she hated depending on anyone - apart from herself, but he was sensing something else from her and couldn't work out exactly what that was. "Mara… Are you afraid?" Luke whispered, his tone filled with challenge.

She bristled and then relaxed, reigning in her turbulent emotions. He was going to carry her to her room whether she liked it or not. She placed her arms around the Jedi's neck, keeping her head turned away from his all too shrewd blue gaze. She maintained an aloof expression on her face, but could not restrain her heart from leaping in her breast.

Luke could sense her embarrassment at her helplessness and said, "I'll try to avoid the others and if anyone should be embarrassed it's me. While you were worried about my well being, I was busy twisting your ankle. I didn't know when to call it quits."

Mara turned her gaze from the floor to meet his eyes, "Stop punishing yourself. We were fighting and it's just a sprain. It could have been a lot worse. If I hadn't begun to doubt our ability to avoid injury, my concentration wouldn't have flagged and I would have won that round." The last statement was said with pride in her voice. She starred into the Jedi's eyes daring him to contradict her.

He nodded somewhat reluctantly. "I concede the victory, Mara, this time. But in a real saber fight, you cannot gift your opponent a victory because you were worried that you might hurt him. As it was, I took advantage of your lack of concentration."

"Yeah, sure," Mara griped.

"Just wait till our next encounter." Luke's eyes danced.

"Sure." Mara smiled, her mood lightening.

Luke made their trip to her room a kind of game. He hid around corners as students passed and dashed down deserted corridors all the time blathering on about 'Luke Skywalker to the rescue'. Mara maintained a barrier around them that effectively masked their passage. By the time they arrived at Mara's room, they were both unable to keep a straight face.

"We made it. That was harder than sneaking round the first Death Star."

"Well at least no one was out to shoot you this time."

Luke chuckled. "Makes a change."

She snorted. "Luke Skywalker to the rescue!"

"I was returning the fair damsel in distress…" he paused at the look on Mara's face. "Okay, okay so she wasn't in that much distress and could have coped on her own." He stopped, his blue eyes bright in his suddenly expressive face. "Do you know how much that ruins a good story?"

"I don't do the passive maiden thing very well," she muttered.

"Well try it for the next few minutes until I get you safe into your castle."

"My Jedi cell is hardly a castle…" she interrupted him.

"Jade, Jade," he made a disapproving face. "You have no imagination." He settled her against his firm chest and grinned down at her. "Here we are. I have returned the princess to her chamber. All safe and sound."

Mara felt suddenly awkward when Luke opened the door and carried her into her room. Most of the quarters in the Jedi temple were small and sparsely furnished. Mara's was no exception. He set her gently on a plain black couch. He hesitated in backing away and seemed to realize that there was no longer the need for him to be so close. He wondered at his reluctance. 'I'm just worried about her and feeling responsible that's all.' He stood up abruptly and said, "I'll ask the medic for something for your foot and maybe this would be a good opportunity to practice those Jedi healing techniques we mentioned earlier."

"Always a teacher, aren't you, Skywalker."

He seemed preoccupied and did not respond to her verbal dart.

"Hey, farmboy! Have you got sand in your ears or something?"

"Huh?" Luke shook his head. "Sorry - just thinking. Do you want me to get you anything before I leave?" His presence seemed to fill the room.

"No - it's just a sprain; I'm not an invalid."

Luke nodded but did not answer; he was staring at a stack of drawings that were scattered on the nearby table. Mara sat up abruptly and tried to pull them away but Luke snatched them before she could reach them.

"You drew these, Mara?"

The top one was a revealing self portrait. Mara was standing on a wind swept beach. Her hair was flying back in the breeze, a bleak expression on her face. Luke felt his throat close sensing the loneliness of the drawing. He understood the emotion but had never thought that the trader did. He should have known. They were very alike he and Mara.

"This is excellent, Mara. I didn't know that you drew."

"It's just something I recently picked up. It's supposed to be good therapy. I'm not very good…"

"I would disagree. You have a good eye for detail."

He leafed through a couple more of the drawings until one caught his attention. The next picture filled him with an unexpected, inexplicable jealousy that he quickly shielded from the ever observant Mara. It was an image of Talon Karrde seated across a dining table. He had a familiar half smile on his face that had Luke wondering if there was more to her relationship with her boss then she had ever verbalized. The dinner certainly appeared to be an intimate occasion, although it was also possible that Karrde normally dined with his staff, alone in his quarters. Luke suddenly wanted to know what her relationship with Talon Karrde was. 'Force', he thought. 'This was Mara his… friend.'

Stang! He quickly shuffled the picture under the self portrait to reveal the next in the stack. He was jealous. He wanted to be the one Mara was drawing - the one Mara was smiling at. He rubbed a clammy hand across his forehead. He had no rights to feel anything as far as she was concerned. As if she would consider him in a romantic light. He wasn't in the market for a relationship - they all ended up badly. Luke had finally decided that he was meant to give his life to the Force - he was to travel his path alone. But if he could have had a choice of a life companion, Mara would be high on his list. Stang! She'd be the only one on his list. He stared at the next picture without seeing it. He was lucky he had a good many things to be thankful for - including family and friends like Mara. If he sometimes dreamed of something more was that so wrong? He was only human.

"Luke?"

Her voice intruded on his introspection.

"Just considering one or two things," he murmured and focused his gaze on the drawing in his hand. He was instantly captivated. It was an image of himself. He appeared happy, dressed in a flight suit, with his hand resting on the dome of his R2 unit. He recognized it as the time he had last seen Mara. Warmth filled him as he drank in the faint emotional imprint lingering on the picture. The Jedi could feel Mara's rueful affection for him and there was something imbued in each line and shadow that seemed filled with . . . yearning. He filed this thought away for later reflection. Something shimmered at the edge of his mind. There was something important to be deduced from this. "I didn't think I looked that handsome," he joked to cover the awkward silence that was threatening to develop.

Mara had stood up, despite her injured ankle and took the picture from him. She placed it with the others in a metal folder on the table. She didn't say anything and Luke felt at a sudden loss for words as well. After a long silence he said, "You shouldn't hide your talent."

"Perhaps I'm more talented than I suspected. If I managed to make you handsome…"

"You've hurt my feelings," Luke tried to appear put upon.

Mara raised a sardonic eyebrow and finished removing the rest of her work from his gaze. "Stop pouting, Skywalker. It doesn't work on me. It may on your legions of lady admirers…"

"But you've never been one of those, eh, Jade?"

Luke understood that it wasn't so much that she was unsure of her artistic ability as she was unwilling to reveal so much about herself to the casual observer. If there was anything that he knew about Mara Jade, was that she valued her privacy highly.

"I'll go see about. . . ."

"Yes, do that." Mara interrupted wanting to be alone to sort out her muddled mind.

Luke nodded as he palmed open her door. He hesitated in the opening. "Oh, and Mara…"

"What?"

"The fair princess in her castle?"

"What about her?" Mara muttered irritably.

The Jedi Master looked at Mara over his shoulder. "She was very fair indeed." He turned away before she could see the effort it cost him to make such a comment and left quickly before she reacted.

Once she was sure he had gone, Mara took out the picture of Luke again. She wondered what he saw when he viewed the image she had created of him. What had he thought of her for creating it? She had strong feelings for the Jedi Master - she always had from the very first moment that they had met. She'd hated him for so long… her fingers closed on the drawing as if she was about to tear it up. But as her gaze rested on the smiling image of the Jedi Master, she returned it to the folder unharmed.

'She was very fair indeed.'

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

Moment of Decision
By Rhea Jediknight
and
Ash Darklighter

Part Two

Luke walked in a measured pace towards the dining hall. It was good to be home, he thought and even more so now that Mara was here. Why she should make it better for him he hadn't quite worked out but he would. A strong frisson in the Force alerted him to the fact he had company as Kyp Durron joined him. His features were sober but Luke could sense the younger Jedi's amusement.

"Something is amusing you, Kyp?" Luke kept his voice even.

"Maybe," the younger man drawled. Not in the least fazed by Luke's Jedi Master persona. "Are you going to ask her out?"

"What!?" Luke's step faltered. "Ask who out?"

Kyp chuckled wickedly as his comment successfully disturbed the Jedi Master's calm. He'd only been in the exercise room for a few moments but what he'd seen had been. interesting. "Come on, even a non-Force user could sense the tension between you two a parsec away."

"Excuse me?" Luke raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the other Jedi.

"Luke," he stopped and faced his former teacher. "I don't pretend to understand the relationship you and Jade have had for the past ten years. What I really don't understand is - why it hasn't gone anywhere recently. Most friendships as intense as yours is, develop."

"Kyp." Luke began warningly.

"I could feel whatever it was between you in the Force and it was strong. It wasn't one-sided either, nor was it platonic."

"Kyp. I think."

"Don't think, Master. Do. There are not many places to go on this planet unless it's one of the other temples. So dinner and dancing is out. Not that you could do that anyway as she's limping. Wait. I know. Take her to the mineral baths. It would be good for her... ankle." He drew out the last word, his dark eyes dancing with mischief. "Hell, it might even be good for you. No one ever goes there after dark."

Luke's face shuttered. "You're imagining things."

Kyp's voice gentled. "When did you decide to die emotionally?"

Luke's face darkened. "You have no business."

The younger man moved a step closer. "I dare because I can feel you retreating from us all," he said fiercely. "You're afraid to make a commitment and take a chance. I think there are strong emotions between you and Jade."

"I am a Jedi, Kyp. I have to be calm and at peace."

"That's rubbish and you know it, Master. You're not going to go over to the dark side just because you fancy Mara Jade. There would be an awful lot of dark siders if that was the case." He gave a dry chuckle. "Half the Jedi population would like to."

"That's quite enough!" Luke said sharply, as tart green jealousy once again threatened his control. "Don't talk about Mara like that."

"There is more to life than just the Force."

"The Force is present in all life." Luke argued. "It is around us and."

Kyp shoved his hands into the pockets of his robe to try and quell his urge to shake some sense into his Master. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Luke snapped, his lips white.

"Go on," Kyp urged. "Ask her. I dare you."

Luke shook his head minutely, unable to respond to the other Jedi's suggestions. Kyp took a long look at Luke, smiled, then walked away. "Think about it. She likes you - a lot." He turned around and smiled again. "I don't know exactly how you feel about her, but Master. your shields are slipping so I can guess."

Luke watched the departing man, his thoughts racing. 'Was he that transparent?'

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

Luke wandered slowly along the corridor towards the dining hall entrance his mind confused. "Ask her. No - I can't. She wouldn't. Would she?" Kyp had been joking, hadn't he? "My shields slipping.. What nonsense." Luke paused his hand hovering over the dining hall door control panel. It would help her ankle - going to the hot mineral springs, he conceded and he hadn't been there himself for a long time. He could ask and if she said no, then Luke would go alone. The springs were soothing to the mind as well as the body. He was just going to ask for her company as a friend and suggest that it might help her injury. It must have been painful to make Mara cry out. The door to the dining hall slid aside and the noise and chatter of the Jedi relaxing over their meals spilled out to greet him.

Kyp caught sight of the Jedi Master's distracted face and grinned.

"What's up with Luke?" Corran Horn leant across the table. "He looks as if he's several systems away." He dumped his tray on the table and slid into a seat across from Kyp. "Problems?"

"'What's up with Luke?'" Kyp repeated and chuckled lightly as he took a sip of water. "Oh, I think Luke's current problem is female, fiery and Force strong, with green eyes and red hair."

Corran choked on a mouthful of food. "What!"

"You know exactly 'what'."

"Oh, that. It's not finally sunk in, has it?" His voice told the other Jedi that he didn't hold out much hope for that event ever happening. "Luke will never admit to himself that he feels more for Mara Jade than for any other Jedi on Yavin, let alone admit it to Mara and she's as bad."

"There are hints."

"They really have no idea, do they?"

Kyp shook his head. "Of course they don't but I told him to ask her out."

Corran spluttered. "And he hasn't turned to the dark side, skewered you with his saber or fed you to the ewoks?"

Kyp smirked. "Look at him. I think he's actually considering it."

"Feeding you to the ewoks?"

"No, nerf brain. Trust a Corellian to. No, Horn. I think Luke is actually considering asking Jade out."

"Are you sure?" Corran shook his head with amazement. "Now I've seen it all. I recognized he had it bad for her." He sighed. "It is sad when another man joins the ranks of the doomed."

"I'll tell Mirax." Kyp grinned.

"You wouldn't - you're too scared of her." Corran's face broke out into a smile as he thought of his wife, away on a trading run in the corporate Sector.

"True."

"Luke may be in a dither about Jade but whether he does anything at all is up to the will of the Force."

"I'm worried about him." Kyp murmured.

"So am I. He's retreating from us into the persona of 'the Master'. He's not living. He's too calm. too controlled all the time." Corran picked up his fork and took a bite of his meal. "You did tell him to ask her out? You're sure he understood that's what you meant?"

"I could not have been any more obvious," Kyp protested.

"Apart from locking them in a room together for a week?"

"You are talking about two of the most gifted Jedi in the galaxy? Locks are not going to keep them confined."

"Yeah." Corran chewed a piece of nerf steak. "Silly me."

"He is collecting two meals."

"One for him and one for Mara?"

Kyp nodded. "I think so."

"Where is Mara?"

"Sprained her ankle during a workout. He carried her back to her room."

"Protesting all the way, I'll bet."

"Yes. Doesn't mean anything though. It is up to them whether they do anything more."

"Then it will never happen."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

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

Luke returned to the residential quarters with their dinners on a tray. Mara was tempted to feign sleep, but knew that Luke would not be fooled. She'd rather face him, then let him think her a coward. She'd nothing to be anxious about. Nothing had happened between them - so why was she so apprehensive? He'd said in an indirect way that she was fair. Was he being brave or foolish? She could sense his presence nearing her room. He was. nervous about something. Nervous yet oddly determined. No, pretending to be asleep was not going to be an option. She activated her door control the moment he reached her room.

"I figured you probably didn't get a chance to eat." His eyes drifted to her wet hair and robed figure and then quickly averted his gaze. The robe clung to her figure and outlined every soft curve showing that she was indeed female. He swallowed, his mouth dry.

"Move so I can shut the door, Skywalker," she muttered.

Not noticing his reaction, Mara was wishing he had taken the time to put on some more clothes. Skywalker still wore his sleeveless workout outfit that showcased his well muscled physique. It made her edgy, her fingers itching to touch his smooth skin.

He mumbled an apology, his face reddening slightly as he moved inside her quarters, placing the tray on a low table.

"I'm not hungry," she muttered stuffing her hands inside the pockets of her robe.

"You have to eat," he said and smiled as her stomach gave a low rumble. "See you are hungry."

"Traitor." She breathed down to her stomach and then turned to the Jedi. "Thanks," she mumbled as she began eating the food, not even noticing what was on her plate.

Luke picked up his eating implements with one hand and balanced his plate on his knees with the other. "Have you ever been to the mineral baths?" he asked spearing a blue vegetable with his fork.

Mara shook her head. "No."

"I thought that maybe I could take you to them after we've eaten. It should help reduce the swelling on your ankle. They're reputed to have therapeutic properties." Luke wondered if his face had flushed slightly and attempted to maintain control. He doubted Mara would accept his offer and he watched her silently to see what she would do. There was something new and strained between them and he felt it keenly.

Mara was about to shake her head, noticed the Jedi narrow his eyes and just exhaled. "I can see that you've set your mind to this haven't you."

A slow smile spread across his face. Something deep inside the trader melted at the sight. "Why Mara, I expected more of an argument from you."

She waved her hand and then smiled, "Can't let myself become too predictable can I?"

Luke snorted and shook his head. "I would never call you that, Jade. Seriously, it would do your ankle some good. I can tell that it is still causing you some discomfort."

"How did you know?"

Luke stretched out his hand and traced the frown lines on her forehead with a gentle finger. "This. and the hint of strain around the edge of your mouth. The hot springs are wonderful. We discovered them when we were clearing out one of the smaller temples. The water is deep enough to swim in and it's warm. I suspect that the temple was built to house the springs after they were discovered."

"It does sound good." Mara rubbed at her still aching and swollen limb. "Alright, you've convinced me, Skywalker. Give me a chance to change and I'll go with you." She placed her cutlery on her empty plate and handed it to the Jedi Master.

"Take your time." Luke settled back into an armchair as if preparing for a long wait. "The medical droid prescribed you a pain-killer for your ankle."

"I was going to self-heal," Mara protested.

"You can try both methods."

Blasted farmboy had all the answers tonight. Feeling out of sorts with the Jedi's presence and wanting to be ready for anything, Mara took the pills that were lying next to the plate. She hobbled her way into the sleeping chamber to change into her swimming clothes. As she gazed at her refection in the mirror she nearly took off her costume and shouted to the Jedi master that she was not coming. Why was she feeling like this? Luke had seen her in her swimming attire before. She put her robe back on over the skimpy garment and walked slowly out of the room.

Mara insisted on walking, admittedly slowly to the mineral baths. They were more than half way there when she realized that she was feeling decidedly peculiar. The world around her started to shimmer. She took another step and nearly fell as the ground was came up to meet her. Grabbing the nearest tree she held on, swaying woozily. Something was definitely wrong.

"Mara! What is it?" Luke grabbed her arm and supported her before she could fall. His eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"What the hell did you give me, Skywalker?" Mara's voice was filled with anger. Her entire world heaved. She felt as if she were falling to the ground in slow motion. Something stopped her decent and she was hardly aware of the fact that she was being carried by the Jedi, her face pressed into the hollow of his neck.

"Put me down," she murmured without heat as the anger left her.

"You'll fall." Luke's voice was close to her.
"You won't let me." Mara looked up at Luke's firm chin as he resolutely carried her through the trees.

"That's right."

"Hmmmm." She said taking a deep breath, enjoying the closeness. She thought she felt his amusement tempered by his concern but everything was so fuzzy she wasn't sure. Mara felt it almost impossible to form a complete thought, and she felt wonderful. The pain in her ankle was gone and life was good. The only thing that seemed real to her was the strong arms that clasped her protectively.

She felt Luke shift and he seemed to be talking from far away. She was only able to focus on him when she realized that he had called her name repeatedly.

"Mara!"

"Hmm?"

"I just called the med centre. They told me that you might experience some side effects to the drug that was prescribed for you."

"You think?" Mara laughed. "I feel very." she giggled.

Luke bit his lip as he stared down at the woman in his arms. Mara Jade did not normally giggle. Her wide green eyes met his trustingly. "Force!" Luke swore under his breath. "I'm sorry, Mara. I would never have suggested you take anything so strong. I had no idea it would cause such a reaction. Do you want to go back to your room? I'll take you if you want to go but the effects should not last for long. We're nearly at the springs."

Mara did not admit defeat. She was still in control. Wasn't she? "S'okay," she muttered thickly. "Let's go to the baths." A faint and very remote voice in her head told her that perhaps she had made an error in judgment, but rationality had left a good ten minutes ago. She wanted to go. She was all ready and she felt wonderful. Her ankle? What ankle?

"If you're sure?"

"Yeah. sure." For a moment reality returned. "I think I'm drunk, Luke," she slurred. "I haven't felt like this since. oh way back. way. way back."

"I think I get the idea," Luke said trying to keep a straight face. Under the influence of medication she may have been but he didn't want to forget she was dangerous and probably armed.

"I think it was one of Karrde's things."

Luke's spike of jealousy again took him by surprise. "Karrde's things?" he managed out of suddenly stiff lips.

"Social evening. a party. To celebrate a successful contract. oh, I can't remember exactly what it was. It was a good night. I think I caused a lot of trouble."

"You?" Luke mastered his emotions and gave a wry smile. "Never. I won't let you get into any trouble."

"So you say. Most of the trouble I have is because of you. or is it with you. Why is it that." she asked artlessly. Her unexpected chatter refreshing to Luke's ears.

"I don't know but I don't get you into trouble and I won't let it happen now."

Mara turned her head up to see Luke smile.

"Spoil sport." She lightly slapped his arm.

Luke carefully slid his precious burden on to her feet. "Careful," he cautioned as she took a wobbly step.

"Sith, Skywalker," Mara looked up at the man by her side, her eyes large and vivid in her pale face. "I don't think those pills agreed with me." She blinked as they entered the bathing area. The spring bubbled from deep below the rocks and over centuries had formed a natural pool. Some long ago civilisation had added decorative effects and the Jedi had added atmospheric lighting. Mara swayed back and fore and happily took it all in.

She removed her robe, completely oblivious to Luke's expression when he saw her in the revealing bathing suit. He had seen her in such attire before but it hadn't really registered how the perfection of her form impacted upon him. Gingerly she stepped into the water and as the warmth hit her she relaxed even more.

"Mara," Luke warned as he rushed to support her. His hands clutched at her upper arms, trying not to touch more of her soft skin than he had to.

"I'm fine," she assured him airily.

"Don't move."

"Why?"

"Just don't," he instructed, his voice firm as he could make it.

"But I."

"Mara!" he pleaded. "It's only for a moment." Luke tore off his own robe and returned to her side, helping her ease into the pool. Until he was sure the effects of the medication had worn off there was no way he was leaving her side for a second.

Carefully supporting her, he helped her sink into the warm water. "Mmmmm. This is nice. Thanks."

Luke inspected Mara as she leaned back and closed her eyes. She was submerged in the water from about mid-chest down. The ends of her fiery red braids floated in the water like exotic seaweed. She took his breath away. Luke enjoyed this rare opportunity to absorb her beauty and revel in their closeness without pretence. He was beginning to realise that Kyp was more observant than Luke had thought. In fact his former student had opened his eyes to something he'd been fooling himself about for a long time. His feelings for the woman in front of him had changed and he wasn't sure how or when that had happened. What exactly was Talon Karrde to her? The more he dwelt on it the more the question burned into his brain. Mara and Talon laughing together, having fun, perhaps even. Force this wasn't good. She would kill him when she found out. She couldn't find out. Then one of Kyp's other statements came up for air.

'It wasn't one-sided, nor was it platonic.'

He moved deeper into the pool, crouching beside her. She'd sunk a little more into the water and a tiny thrill of anxiety caused him to move closer. Had she fallen asleep?

"I'm awake." She assured him, her eyes opening, dark pupils stared deep into his own.

The Jedi held her arms, preventing her from slipping further into the water. Their gazes caught and held. Luke was unable to break away. A slow seductive smile spread across Mara's face and she said, "You have the most incredible eyes, Skywalker - mesmerizing..."

His heart began hammering in his chest. Pleasure at her words warmed him to his soul. Did she find him attractive? Was it possible that she viewed him not as just a friend, or a Jedi Master, but as a man? Hope surged within him. For years, this woman had held a special place in his heart, but he had always thought that the odds were astronomically high against their relationship developing into something more. He'd decided that this could never happen so he had never dwelt too much on wishing for the stars. He'd convinced himself he was meant to be alone. Then he remembered all the times in his life that he had beaten the odds and a smile grew across his face. For the first time in years hope unfurled her little shoots and began to grow. He bent his head to meet her lips without realizing his own intent when Mara's eyes blinked rapidly and she asked, "Did I just say something really stupid?"

Luke reared back, chagrined. She was not exactly herself right now. She had just admitted to feeling drunk, not in control. "No," he soothed nervously. "It was actually kind of nice." Luke felt somewhat guilty but he decided that this was an opportunity that he would be a fool to miss. He was determined to learn more about the attractive close-mouthed trader. Han would be so proud of him. He suspected Mara was becoming more and more clear headed with each passing moment.

"Did Talon Karrde have a hard time accepting your decision to leave his employ for awhile?" Luke asked casually.

"He had no choice. I have months of vacation accrued, and besides he can get someone else to run his errands for awhile."

Luke tried to hide his smile. Her disdain for Talon's ability to prevent Mara from doing what she wanted was clearly evident through the Force. He was not sure of their relationship, but Luke doubted there was anything deeper than a friendship between the two. He desperately hoped that there was nothing more than friendship between Mara and her boss. "So you're not missing him?"

"Why would I miss him?"

"No matter," Luke replied quickly. "You're good friends and have an excellent working relationship. In fact, I would say you sometimes work better with him than you do with me."

"I would rather have you in a crisis," Mara confided artlessly. "I think we work fine together. You can be a little Skywalker at times but. Karrde doesn't totally understand me. He tries but. you know who I am. Damned annoying too. I would rather have him with me in a trading capacity. I would never make any profit if it was you."

"How do you know?"

"You would make me feel that I was cheating the poor buyer. All that Jedi goodness."

He shook his head, but he smiled. "Now, Mara." Luke had to ask her. "Why did you wait to train at the Academy until I was gone?"

Mara sat higher in the water, her face assuming a serious expression. "It's just less complicated that way."

"You find things between us complicated? How?"

"Fishing for compliments, Skywalker?"

This answer surprised Luke. "I don't understand. How can things being complicated between us be construed as a compliment?"

"Look. I just wanted to be able to concentrate on my studies. I can't do that with you around."

"What, study?"

"Concentrate."

"I don't disturb you that much?"

"I wouldn't say that," she whispered. "Your eyes. so clear and blue. I can see the galaxy in them." Mara ran a teasing finger across his bicep and smiled when he gave a little gasp in reaction to her touch. "You do when you walk around without your shirt on. You do in your bathing shorts. For someone normally clothed from head to toe in black I seem to see a lot of skin." Her gaze ran down his body. "You're in good shape, farmboy and." she trailed her hand slowly over his bare chest. "I like what I see - very much. So no concentration."

"Oh." Luke was inordinately pleased with her answer - if a little embarrassed. The little shoot of hope unfurled a few more leaves. Her eyes had begun to clear and he knew that she was returning to normal once again.

He moved away from her and closed his eyes, enjoying the warm water as it lapped around his shoulders. When he opened them he found Mara's gaze fixed on him. "You okay, Jade?"

"Think so," she replied slowly. "My head is beginning to clear. At least, I hope it is clearing."

"Good."

She glared at him. "The last half hour is very vague. I don't like not being in control. What did I say?"

"Nothing much. Just relax and let the water soothe your muscles. Don't move too much yet. Give yourself another five minutes, just to be sure."

Mara gave him a suspicious glance. She had the feeling she had let her normally guarded tongue go into hyperdrive.

The Jedi began to swim laps, wanting to think, and attempting to give the trader some space. He was not sure what she would remember of their conversation, but he doubted she would feel good about revealing all that she had. He dived toward the bottom of the natural pool, the warm water swirling around him. His emotions were in turmoil, but it was only a moment before he knew his heart. Things crystallised in his mind in a way that had him almost trembling. Mara! Beautiful, deadly Mara. His feelings for her had always been strong, but now he knew what she really meant to him. He decided at that moment that he would pursue Mara Jade. He knew that she was fond of him, and now he knew that she was attracted to him. The feeling was definitely mutual. They were like two halves of a whole; they belonged together. Part of him wondered if he was opening himself up to more heartbreak. Losing Mara would be completely different. He knew that he would never recover. But he would take one more chance - he had to. His decision was made in a moment, but if the Force was with him, would last a lifetime. He pushed against the bottom of the pond and made his way quickly to the surface. She was hard headed and stubborn, but she was not the only one who possessed those particular traits. He could be quite determined when he wanted something. And what he wanted, he had discovered - was her.

Luke leisurely swam toward Mara, watching her thoughtfully. She slowly unwound the plaited braid at the nape of her neck until her hair hung in long waves down her back. She shook her head as if trying to clear her thoughts and dived into the water. She moved with sure strokes across the surface of the pool. She was so beautiful it made his heart constrict.

Luke had never acted on his desire, because he was unsure of how she really felt about him. Perhaps, Mara had never allowed her attraction for him to surface, because he had never shown her how entrancing he found her to be. The Jedi stretched out with his senses to check that there was no one else nearby. They were totally alone. He could not ask for a more perfect opportunity to eliminate the shields between them. First, he had to be sure that she was no longer under the influence of the medication. He formed a plan and hoped it would not serve to alienate Mara from him.

Mara watched as Skywalker swam toward her; his gaze never wavering from her own. She felt a slight fluttering sensation begin to grow in her belly and she turned her gaze away, trying to maintain her equilibrium. He was up to something. He had this trick of looking inward and it made his eyes appear more vividly blue. She made her way toward a small ledge in the pool and sat down. Skywalker sat down beside her - very close.

"How do you feel?" he asked. "I'm sorry about the medication," he apologised. "I had no idea it would affect you like that."

Mara's heart began to pound in her chest and no amount of willpower could return the rapid beating to normal. She closed her eyes and then when she realized that she did feel pretty good, she replied, "I think I'll live." It had to be the effect of the medication. What else could it be? The little taunting voice inside her head laughed sardonically. 'That's right, Jade. Blame the pills. You know that you've been fighting the Skywalker effect for years and it's becoming more potent. The immunity the Emperor gave you has worn away.'

The Jedi smiled and said, "Do you mind if I check to make sure that you aren't under any influence of the medication? I don't like the idea of you swimming with your mind in a cloud."

"I'm fine, Skywalker. Besides, if I start to drown, which I won't, I have you here to save me. Don't I?" Mara said dryly. She was nervous about his request to use the Force to evaluate her condition. There were things better left in the dark. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she did. Mara still didn't like anyone messing around with the inside of her head - especially Skywalker. There were too many things she kept hidden.

"I could show you how to eliminate the mind altering effects, while maintaining the beneficial ones. It's really a useful technique. It's saved my life on more than one occasion. You can use it for filtering out toxic gasses too."

"You never miss a trick, Master Skywalker." She could see the sense in this, and yet could not help but continue to feel reticent. His eyes were a bright blue, gazing deeply into her own and somehow she felt she'd hurt him with her words. "But it is a good way to learn," she added softly.

His wet, darkened hair was plastered to his forehead, stopping just above his well shaped brows. A slight smile began to play about his mouth and she knew absolutely, that he could sense her hesitation, her doubt. Suddenly she wanted to do this. She wanted to be close to him, and she wasn't about to push him away when he offered to commune with her on a more intimate level. Consequences be damned. Besides, she was strong enough to prevent him from reading her deeper emotions, wasn't she?

"All right," she said.

He gave her a brilliant smile that made her feel as if she had made the correct choice. She smiled back, unable to resist responding to his open pleasure.

Luke didn't need to touch her, but it was easier to show this way. Besides, he wouldn't pass up this opportunity. He placed the tips of his fingers against her temple and watched as she closed her eyes. He gloried in her proximity, the ability to touch her, even in so innocent a manner moved him greatly. He closed his eyes and stretched out to her, lightly sliding into her mind. He could see the remnant of the medicine forming a slight film over her thoughts. He showed Mara how to clear it away before removing himself from her mind. He was pleased at how effortlessly she absorbed this information. Palpatine had denied her so much.

"Mara."

"Yes." she reached out to him and again his Force sense entered her mind.

He almost backed down, his courage flagging for just a minute. They remained linked on this surface level, able to share emotions, but not delving deeply into each other's thoughts. He had made a decision, and Luke was not one to back down from a challenge. Even one given by himself. He allowed Mara a glimpse of his deep regard for her, and with his heart in his mouth, his incredible attraction to her. Luke felt exposed and vulnerable, but he allowed her to know that he was showing her this deliberately and she could choose to ignore this transaction if she wanted to.

Mara was momentarily stunned by Luke's revelation. Had it all been an illusion? For the first time she could feel his desire for her, held in check by his Jedi control. He respected, admired, and genuinely liked her - but this other feeling was new. Luke Skywalker desired her?

He could sense her surprise and was immediately warmed by a mental caress. It was so reflexive on her part, that Luke even doubted she was aware of what had happened. He withdrew quickly from her mind, not wanting to intrude, wanting to give her a chance to digest what he had revealed. Doubt began to assail him. What if attraction wasn't enough? What if his display of interest only served to push her away? What if he had been mistaken and Mara felt only friendship for him. He was sure it was more than that but.

He opened his eyes and saw Mara gaping at him. Her expression, despite his misgivings, caused him to chuckle and she immediately grew annoyed at being the cause of his humour.

"I'm sorry Mara. I didn't mean to laugh. Don't tell me that you didn't even suspect?" Luke said calmly.

"Suspect what exactly?" She said, frowning a little at him.

"How I feel about you."

"How do you feel about me?" she challenged. He would never manage to say it, Mara reasoned. Luke could lock up his emotions tighter than a Calamarian clam shell.

Luke's courage wavered. It had appeared simpler inside his head before it reached his mouth. Blurting out his feelings suddenly seemed absurd. But he gathered his nerves together and inched even closer to her. "It's difficult to put into words."

"Oh." Mara's face went blank.

"I could show you instead."

"How?"

He lifted his hand and placed it on her bare shoulder. Her skin was damp to his touch and cool yet as soon as he touched her he felt warmth. She continued to stare at him trying to read his expression. Luke waited until she gave him her permission to go ahead with a little dip of her chin. She wasn't going to make this easy.

Finally her acceptance of him gave him the push he needed to continue, "This." He said and claimed her mouth. It was not a soft kiss. Luke felt that this was the moment to prove to Mara that there was something vital between them. He pulled her against him, feeling her breasts press against his chest. His lips moved, sensually exploring her mouth and the contours of her jaw, and then reclaimed her lips.

Mara was motionless for a second, hearing the blood rush in her ears. What was he doing to her? She'd expected to feel his hands on her forehead, his sense mingling with hers - not this infinitely more dangerous method. Her body became languorous under Luke's sensual assault, unable to do anything but clutch at him. She struggled to breathe while warmth spread across her body. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was sure that she would wake up any moment breathless and alone. This wasn't real - it couldn't be.

She began to feverishly return the kiss. Her eyelids fluttered closed and she threaded her fingers into his hair, pressing him hard against her mouth. Their tongues stroked, lips caressing in a primitive need. They both moaned almost inaudibly as their hands began to move the length of their bodies - touching, stroking. caressing.

Luke was gratified by her passionate reaction, immensely relieved that she responded so openly. He could not deny how right she felt in his arms. He could hardly think coherently. Something happened then through the Force. Their essences seemed to meet and meld together for a moment. The sensation was so pleasurable that they both pulled back to gasp. Mara raised her barriers, unsure about this level of joining, effectively easing out of the contact.

They stared at each other in amazement. Luke's face held a serious expression, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let it go so far."

"Are you saying this was a mistake?"

Before he could offer an explanation that he only was trying to say that he wasn't trying to move so fast, a voice interrupted. They both jumped, pulling away from each other.

"Master Skywalker, Jedi Jade, is everything alright. I felt a disturbance in the Force." It was Rein Saben, a relatively new student at the Academy. She was a small, pale humanoid with petite features and long flowing black hair. Her large dark eyes seemed to absorb every detail about the Jedi Master and one of his. students?

Skywalker regarded Rein Saben, mentally berating himself for his carelessness. How much, if anything, had she seen? "Don't concern yourself, Rein. Everything is fine," he soothed, watching regretfully as Mara swam away from the ledge. She pulled herself out of the water and donned her robe. Luke swam the distance, not wanting to let the evening end like this.

He pulled himself out of the water and gestured to the mineral bath. "Go ahead and use this. We're done."

Mara warily eyed the dripping Jedi, unable to stop herself from admiring his physique. All those Jedi exercises certainly paid off. There was not one ounce of superfluous flesh on him. He was all lean, whipcord strength. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. His muscles rippled when he pulled on a white robe and shot her a look that seemed to say 'This isn't over yet, Jade.'

She walked easily on her injured ankle, but the lingering effects of her dizziness made her vow never to take any medication without researching all possible side effects. Strike that. She vowed to never take any medication at all for any reason. Mara turned and walked away. At least the medication served to numb her pain well enough so that she could leave Skywalker far behind.

Rein Saben approached him and began to ask about a recent lesson.

Effectively trapped, Luke watched Mara's retreating form, the frustration almost visible in the usually well controlled Master. Rein Saben paused and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Luke turned to give the student an apologetic smile, "No. I'm sorry Rein. Would it be alright if we continue this conversation in class?" Waves of embarrassment hit the Jedi student, and he hid a wince from the young woman.

"Yes, yes. Of course. I'm so very sorry to bother you, Master."

Mara disappeared around the corner and Luke sighed. He returned his attention to Rein. "You misunderstand. I'm always happy to answer your questions, it's just..." Luke wanted to tell the student that he was distracted. That he had to chase after Mara Jade before the situation was completely out of control. Sith! He didn't have time for this. But he couldn't tell her anything. As always he was on his own.

Rein's eyes grew wise and she laid a hand on his arm. "I understand. You have your off-duty time too."

Luke jumped at the contact and swore to himself for displaying such a lack of concentration. "Tell that to the New Republic next time the galaxy wants saving," he muttered under his breath. He sighed and mustered from somewhere an apologetic smile. "Forgive me, Rein. I'm not at my best tonight. I've had a difficult few weeks working for the New Republic and then a long flight. I will schedule time between us later on this week. It's a good thing you are interested in our teaching. You have the potential to become a very good Jedi Knight."

"No, Master Skywalker," the small woman said contritely. "I am the one who is sorry. You do not get much time to relax."

Luke's famous grin emerged. "No I don't, but what would I do with myself otherwise?"

She laughed with him but Rein could see that his mind was elsewhere. The. student he'd been with. That was Mara Jade. She'd heard of her - who hadn't, and the rumours which circulated about Mara and the head of the New Jedi Order. Rumours which spoke of an uneasy alliance leading to possibly a tempestuous affair. It appeared that these rumours could have some basis in fact. Rein Saben hoped it was true, though she doubted it. Luke Skywalker gave everything for others and took little for himself. The couple looked to have been enjoying an harmless evening swim together. Yes, Rein decided. The stories about the pair had gone back years and were probably untrue. He deserved private time with his friends. It couldn't be easy being who he was. She would have said everything was innocent but she had felt the flash of heat coming from the pair of them earlier.

"Excuse me,"

"Of course, Master Skywalker." Rein watched as he grabbed his robe, throwing it over his still wet body and left the springs.

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

He hurried to Mara's room, but the door was closed. He could sense her inside, but he could not read her emotions. Luke gazed at the sealed door, wondering if he should knock, but he realized he had no idea what he would say to her. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed heavily. He turned away on his heel and walked slowly to his room for the night. Tomorrow would have to do.

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

Mara lay awake for most of the night wavering between anger, bewilderment and hope. She continued to replay the events of the night, analyzing them, trying to uncover a truth that was continuing to elude her. How did she really feel about Skywalker? She could no longer deny the powerful attraction and the incredible desire that they shared. The feel of his well-shaped lips as they'd covered her own had made her burn like nothing ever had before. Had the Jedi's monastic existence finally caught up with him? Had Luke's body finally given into the weakness of feeling normal desires like every other mortal? Did she really care? They were both mature adults able to handle a sexual relationship, but when the passion faded what would remain? He was her friend, wasn't he? Friends didn't experience that depth of desire between them. She could hardly believe that she was thinking of Skywalker in this way. When had things changed between them? Or had this potential always been there just resting beneath the surface? What if there could possibly be something more, if their passion continued to build and their feelings escalated into something even deeper? What then? This thought alarmed her and she punched her pillow, determined to get some sleep. Sleep continued to elude her.

Mara gave up on sleep half way through the night and got ready for the day. She took particular care with her appearance, telling herself that it was due to the extra time she had to dress. She choose a favourite silver form fitting jumpsuit and wove her hair in becoming braids that hung intertwined down her back. It was functional, so the other students would not think anything of her appearance, but it was also undeniably attractive as well. Mara snorted at herself as she inspected her appearance in the mirror. She was trying to attract Luke Skywalker now - perhaps she'd hit her head as well as spraining her ankle? She touched her lips with her fingers remembering their last kiss, and then grimaced.

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

Luke also had similar difficulties falling asleep. He savoured the events of the evening, recalling Mara's passionate response and his own surprisingly hard to control desire for the beauty. The way the Force had swelled around them, joining on a level he had never experience, intrigued the Jedi. If just a kiss caused a disturbance the others could sense, he'd probably have the whole student body banging on their door if they progressed any further than the heated exchange in the mineral baths. Luke grinned ear to ear. He had a pretty good idea that his feelings for Mara were more intense and lasting than any he had ever experienced before. She was an extremely strong individual, but skittish about expressing her emotions. Luke knew he had surprised her into revealing an attraction towards him. The next move still had to be his and it had to be the right one.

Luke winced when he remembered Mara's last words last night, "Are you saying this was a mistake?'" No wonder she had practically run away. Force, it wasn't a mistake. This was something he should have done years ago. He would have to prove to her that they were meant to be together. It was their destiny.

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

Moment of Decision
by Rhea Jediknight
and
Ash Darklighter

Part Three

Mara Jade and Corran Horn regarded each other in the student dining hall. Although it was not official, actually nothing about Jade's visit was official; Horn had been put in charge of overseeing Jade's development. He was the one that had encouraged her to return to complete her training and perhaps more importantly, Mara respected and tolerated Horn's methods and opinions. They had fallen into a routine of meeting first thing in the morning to make a plan for the day. The large room was filled with students of all species and the low rumble of numerous conversations echoed slightly against the vaulted stone ceiling.

"Couldn't we have breakfasted an hour later?" Mara grumbled into her caf.

Corran chuckled and said, "That's called lunch, Jade."

"Never could abide morning people."

Corran doubted Mara liked many beings in general. He knew he had managed to become included on the short list of people Mara considered friends and felt honoured at the inclusion. Her usually pale skin was almost alabaster white, and the area around her eyes were shaded. He peered at her more closely. There was something about her sense this morning that was vaguely agitated. Mara peered morosely into her drink, seeming intent on discovering some hidden truth in the black sludge she drank.

Luke Skywalker entered the room. He seemed to be searching for someone and the moment his gaze shifted in their direction, Corran was sure the Luke had found what he was seeking. The Jedi Master froze, his blue gaze unwavering. There was something about Luke that gave Horn the distinct impression that he wanted to join them but could not find the courage. Corran glanced at Mara, saw that she was still preoccupied, and remembered his conversation with Kyp Durron last night. Something must have happened between them that was the cause of her odd mood. Corran gave Luke a slight smile and tipped his head almost imperceptibly to indicate the vacant chair at their table. Time to shake things up a little. Luke smiled and headed their way, threading his way through the tables.

"What happened last night?' Corran asked the distracted woman seated across from him.

Mara's eyes flew open and her pale skin flushed slightly. Her barriers slammed into place, effectively cutting her off from the rest of the world. Corran suppressed a smile, knowing he had hit on something.

"What do you mean?" Mara asked cautiously.

"You didn't appear for supper last night and now you seem on edge." He explained. "I heard something about you and Luke duelling in the gym."

Her eyes met his gaze quickly, her eyes widen and then she narrowed her gaze. "You heard... what exactly?" The moment he became the object of Mara's intense gaze, Corran was surprised to find that he had to suppress a moment of unease. It was easy to see how she had survived for so many years in the Emperor's service.

He cleared his throat, leaning ever so slightly back in his chair gaining a little distance. "Kyp said something about you two... fighting, and then you didn't show up for dinner. I saw Luke collecting two meals and thought that maybe..."

Mara commented quietly, "It was nothing."

"It wasn't 'nothing', Mara." Luke said coming up behind her.

The abrupt change was startling. Mara's face went completely white. Corran found himself leaning forward wondering if she were about to faint.

"What?" Mara croaked out. One moment she was the ex-assassin facing down a potential adversary the next she was a beautiful and decidedly flustered woman.

Luke sat down and gave her a long look. A slight smile played at the corner's of Horn's mouth as he relaxed back in his chair. Interesting. His instincts told him that he had a front row seat to what was going to be quite a show. Something had happened last night. Luke was acting strangely and Mara was as nervous as a twilek dancing over a trapdoor at Jabba the Hutt's Palace.

Luke went on to explain, watching the trader closely the entire time that he spoke, a little smile lighting the blue of his eyes. Mara winced inwardly. She thought he was going to reveal all. But Luke was wiser than that and a twinkle in his eye made her realise he was playing with her. He wouldn't dare…

"I carelessly injured Mara in a lightsaber practice yesterday," he said simply. "She was winning, I saw an opening and, I took it. The result - Mara ended up limping. All my fault.&quuot;

Mara choked on her drink, coughing as it went down the wrong way.

"Did you?" Corran asked eyeing the couple speculatively. "Why do I get the feeling that I'm not hearing the whole story?"

"It's just a stupid sprain. I'd rather just forget about it." Mara said carefully, looking directly into Skywalker's eyes. "That is the whole story." Inside she was calling him every derogatory name she could think of. The twisted-son-of-a-sith thought that this was amusing. He was out to make her squirm. Well two could play that game.

"Oh, but I can't forget about it," Luke said his voice laced with some hidden meaning Corran couldn't identify but Mara could and did. The tips of Mara's fingers brushed her lips, and then suddenly as if realizing what she was doing, quickly dropped her hand.

The Jedi Master narrowed his gaze and then turned to Corran. "I was thinking that Mara should take it easy until her ankle heals properly." He gazed at the trader who was now quite obviously avoiding his shrewd stare.

"Of course" Horn replied, still attempting to learn what had happened between these two.

Luke turned to smile at Corran. "Has she gone to the Malignare Ruins?"

"Not yet."

Mara sat up and said wryly, "Malignare Ruins. Sounds inviting. Is this another Jedi thing?"

Luke turned to Mara, "That's what we do here, Jade. Jedi things."

Corran nodded his head thoughtfully, "I think she's ready."

"She's ready for this," Luke pronounced.

"I'm beginning to really get a bad feeling about this." Mara commented.

Luke laughed, "Relax, Jade. This will give you the perfect excuse to get away from the Academy for awhile."

"Well in that case, when do we go, Horn?"

Corran met Luke's gaze and then turned to Mara. Her eyes grew wide as she looked from Horn to Skywalker and back again.

"Oh no," Mara held up her hands. "I'm not going with Skywalker."

Luke gave Corran a sideways glance and nodded meaningfully. Corran sighed and nodded in return. "Yes, I agree."

"Thought you might."

"You are the Jedi Master…"

"I am, but I'm not infallible," Luke murmured.

"No, in this case I agree with you. You know if I didn't, I would say."

Luke laughed. "I do."

"Horn," Mara said. "I'm not going with Skywalker!"

Corran raised a questioning eyebrow. "Any particular reason?"

"Come on Mara. Afraid I might sprain your other ankle?" Luke goaded her.

Mara glared at him and then sighed, reigning in her turbulent anger. Since when did Skywalker have such a sway over her own emotions? She wondered. But then she knew, he always had. From the moment she first laid eyes on him, the Jedi had always had a way of making her blood boil. First it was hatred, but why now? She didn't hate him any more, but the feeling were still there, not so very different. Whenever she was near him, she felt her adrenaline spike, and her fight or flight instinct went into overdrive. Why was that?

"I think Luke's right. He should be the one to take you there." Corran said. "I have to take some classes in any case. I'm not free to take you."

Luke gave Horn a grateful smile that went unnoticed by Mara. *You'll take my classes for me, Corran?*

*You owe me one, Luke. I will expect an explanation*

"How far away is this place?" Mara asked resignedly.

"It won't take long to get there, Maybe two days if we make good time."

*Normally takes five, Master,* interjected Corran into Luke's thoughts.

*We're not going on foot,* Luke replied. Her ankle won't stand up to it until it is properly healed. She says it's fine, but I think it will be weak for a few days more.*

"Two days just to get there! I thought this place was here on Yavin IV." Mara's surprise broke into Luke and Corran's silent conversation.

"It is." Luke assured her softly, as if anticipating her reaction to his next words "It just takes that long using ground vehicles."

"Ground vehicles?"

"Well, it's either that or walk."

"Walk! What about the Jade's Fire?"

"All air traffic is restricted in the zone around the ruin." Corran tried to explain. "Besides this is the way it's done at the Academy." He was not sure how well he was hiding his amusement. First the mineral baths and now this. There was hope for Jade and Skywalker yet.

"There is no place that you could land the Fire," Luke muttered. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, no longer meeting Jade or Horn's gaze "The terrain is challenging."

Mara sighed heavily. She was not eager to go on an extended journey alone with Skywalker, but events and people seemed to be conspiring against her. She searched her mind for avenues of escape, weighing various excuses, but all of them sounded hollow even to her. Corran and Luke watched her and she had the distinct impression that they were aware of her thoughts.

"All the Jedi do this… thing?" she asked.

"All those nearing the completion of their training go through some sort of trial like this. It's different for every Jedi," Luke answered, his expression remote.

"All right. I'll go, on one condition."

Luke nodded.

"No one is my Master, understand?"

Luke's eyes flashed impatiently but his voice was controlled. Mara could not become a half-trained Jedi. The risks for her were too great. "You barely accept me as a Jedi Master, Mara. In your eyes I sometimes think I am still a joke. I come from humble beginnings. So what? I try to do the best I can to train people in the ways of the Force. So I sometimes make mistakes, so my results are mixed. At least I have tried - I have done what I could. If I hadn't done it, who else would have?"

Mara lifted her head and suddenly wondered if he was right. "I'm sorry… I…"

"Sometimes I don't think that you will ever become a true apprentice of the Force. Yet in many ways you must have a master. The Force is your master and that is what you will have to bear and one day to finally accept or you will never become a Jedi."

Something resembling pain crossed her features. "I… I know and I'm sorry, Luke." She met his eyes squarely for the first time and saw the shadows darkening them. This was important to him and she owed him that much at least.

"Do you want to become a Jedi, Mara?"

"Yes, I do want to become a Jedi."

"Then you cannot call all the shots. You cannot be so set on everything being your way. It has to be the way of the Force."

Luke gave Corran a measured sideways glance. The Corellian winced. He knew that Luke, the Jedi Master had made an appearance. Luke had ways of deliberately disrupting your sense of order. Most of the time the target never saw it coming.

"What makes you think you are better than anyone else?" Luke continued, pinning Mara in place with the power of his gaze.

"I don't… do I?"

"You do, you know. Arriving on Yavin without my knowledge - arranging private instruction. I could go on. I am head of the Jedi order and yet you didn't have the courtesy to inform me of your plans."

Corran coughed. "Steady on, Luke. We didn't mind really…"

"She wanted you to teach her?" the Jedi said pointedly. "You are a very good teacher, Corran but Mara's skills are on a par with yours. Of course you have things that you could learn from each other but you were only going to challenge her so far. Nothing uncomfortable -no soul searching for Mara Jade and you both knew it."

Corran hung his head somewhat discomfited. Luke was right. Mara had set her rules and her limits and he had tamely fallen in with her plans.

"I'm not criticizing you, Corran. All you did, was agree to teach Mara when she requested it of you. She can be very persuasive. The Force has much to teach us all and I include myself very much in that statement. My very limited and rushed training taught me enough to survive against Vader and the Emperor. The rest I have had to work at and as you both know - it wasn't easy. At times I was so down that I wanted to give up and at other times, totally euphoric. The Force is not a comfortable-tunic-and-well-worn-boots you can just slip into when you are tired of life. It takes two hundred percent commitment and demands from you your whole life."

Corran managed to grin, feeling a little shamefaced. He had felt a little uncomfortable about the way Mara had sneaked in behind Luke's back. "Yes, Master Skywalker."

"I do understand." Luke chuckled. "Go and take my first class, Jedi Horn. I have another Jedi to train." He stared hard at Mara. "If she is still willing?"

Corran's light green eyes gleamed wickedly. "She had better be or I will have organised stamina and endurance tests for her through the tropical rainforest directly after she has finished eating. First, I'm going to finish my breakfast and then I'll go. Everything's all prepared."

"Thank you, Corran."

Mara opened and shut her mouth. For once she had no quick answer.

Luke met her steady gaze and smiled slightly. He was not interested in pursuing a teacher/student relationship with the beautiful woman - not now, but he was the only trained Jedi capable of teaching Mara everything she needed to know and so he would have to 'do'. He thought of the Emperor and knew that Mara was asserting her independence, unwilling to lose herself in another person. To truly accept the Force, she was going to have to do that. He would have to tread lightly, where Mara was concerned but she could not have it all her own way. He nodded. "You think you can be ready to leave in an hour?"

Mara nodded, resigned to her fate. "Where should I meet you?"

"I'll have a ground vehicle supplied and waiting outside, just north of the grounds."

Mara stood up and said to the seated men, "Well, I guess I better gather my things. I take it I can leave my formal attire behind?"

Corran snorted and Luke said, "I think that's a pretty safe assumption. Your tiara can go in the safe."

"You have a safe? On a world full of Jedi?" Corran's face was a picture of surprise.

Luke grinned. "Of course we have a safe. As a former law enforcement officer for Corsec, I would have thought that you may have seen the need, Jedi Horn. It can only be opened by using the Force." He glanced up at the slim red-headed woman standing by his side. "The formal attire won't be needed. Anything else, Mara?"

Mara saw her opportunity to get her revenge and took it. "Will I need my swimming attire?"

Luke's empty mug slipped from his fingers and clattered on the table. "Why not?" he managed past a dry mouth, his heart slamming into his throat with a suddenness that left him breathless.

She nodded, maliciously satisfied to have got under his skin once more and left the room.

Corran watched Luke's gaze follow her out of the hall. The Jedi flushed slightly when he realized that he was being observed. Horn didn't think he had ever seen Luke so flustered.

"I think this trip is a good idea, for the both of you." Corran said slowly.

"As long as she doesn't kill me in the process," Luke said dryly.

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea, that you can defend yourself against Jade. Besides," Corran added slyly, "I don't think killing you is what she really wants."

Now Skywalker turned crimson and Corran chuckled out loud. "You know, this is the first time that I've ever seen you blush."

The Jedi regained his composure so quickly; it would have been easy to believe that he had never even witnessed his momentary loss of control. Luke cleared his throat and said, "It seems everyone else is aware of how I feel, but Mara. To be honest, Corran - I'm not sure how I feel." He stared at the crumbs on his empty plate. "I like her… very much. But I have the suspicion that not only does she want to kill me, she wants to do it slowly so that she can enjoy the torture she will put me through."

"It hasn't been obvious, Luke. But it has been apparent to those of us that know you especially well that there is something alive and very, very strong between you two. I just didn't think that either of you realised that." Corran eyed him sympathetically and said, "She'll come around. Just don't back down from her."

"Believe me when I say that she would like nothing better to pierce me with my own saber right this very moment." Luke met his gaze and smiled slightly. "There's always bacta right?"

"You should know, Skywalker. You should know."

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

Mara had the smug satisfaction of beating Skywalker to the transport. It was a small six person vehicle boasting eight all terrain tyres and two modified flight seats at the helm. It reminded Mara of a ground based Imperial shuttle minus the wings. She stowed her small bag in one of the cabinets, accidentally discovering Skywalker's bag. She resisted the urge to peer inside. It was probably filled with dark clothes and spare lightsaber parts, she thought derisively.

Mara had her mental shields held in an implacable grip and took the moment to sit in the back and wonder how she would endure being alone with the Jedi for the duration of the trip. Her mind returned, as it so often did, to the kiss they had shared. She didn't even like the Jedi in that way, and yet she couldn't deny how he had made her feel. The way his lips had moved over hers, the feeling of his strong, masculine body pressed against her own, and the intense look in his blue eyes were almost too much. She felt a shiver of pleasure wash across her skin and her breathing became shallow. Mara groaned. She shook her head in an attempt to banish the haunting image. This was Skywalker, the stuffy Jedi Master. What was wrong with her? She ignored the little voice inside that said. 'You're not being fair. Luke Skywalker is your friend - the one person that has always believed in you.'

The door opened and Mara jumped as Luke entered the vehicle. He had his head turned aside, unaware that she was seated in the back. She was grateful for the additional training, knowing she could not have kept her presence hidden from Luke in the past. She took this moment to inspect him. His blond hair shone in the sunlight and his handsome features stirred her. Instead of his Jedi blacks he wore an old washed out pair of battle fatigues in alliance colours and a pair of sturdy boots. Her heart began hammering so loudly it was a wonder he didn't hear it. The attraction she felt was still there and it was stronger than ever. She knew now that he desired her and that knowledge seemed to have inflamed her own craving.

He didn't hear it but he felt layers in the Force shift.

Luke's gaze snapped up to meet her own and Mara was immediately caught in his gaze. He flushed slightly and then a slow, lazy smile spread across his face. "Mara." His voice caressed her name and she just about bolted out of the ship. She couldn't do this. She had to get out of here.

"Skywalker." She almost spat his name at him.

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

Luke could feel the edge of Mara's panic. Mara was afraid of him? But he knew that wasn't quite true. She wasn't afraid of him, she feared being alone with him. Mara was afraid of how she felt about him. This knowledge both surprised and humbled the Jedi. What did she think he was going to do to her? Perhaps more importantly what did she think she would do in return? A lot of this was mixed up with their past history together and apart. Part of Mara Jade still didn't trust him.

"I wasn't really going to try and sprain your other ankle." He joked lightly, moving the rest of the way inside the vehicle and closing the door firmly behind him.

Mara narrowed her eyes and then gave a low chuckle, "Next time I won't be caught unaware, I already know that manoeuvre." The tension eased from her and she relaxed.

"Is that a challenge? Should I be afraid?" Luke gave her a sideways glance, blue eyes glinting warmly.

Mara considered and then said, "Despite what you Jedi preach I think fear is a healthy reminder for caution in a dangerous situation."

"'You Jedi', Mara," he quoted wryly. "Are you not one of us?"

"I… want to be."

"Then it is in your hands and the way of the Force." Luke settled into the pilot's seat and Mara moved forward to the co-pilot's chair. I do partly agree with what you say about fear, but sometimes it is how you use that fear."

Mara nodded.

"Fear can also hold you back, and prevent you from becoming more." His tone of voice and the way he looked at her soft lips made it obvious that he was referring to their kiss.

She was silent for a moment, feeling as if she could drown in the blue of his eyes. The air in the transport became hot and thick. She blinked rapidly, and shifted her gaze away and then said, "Where's Artoo? I thought you didn't go anywhere without your droid?"

Luke made no comment about the swift subject change. He shrugged, "I figured this is something we should do alone. He doesn't really like trekking through the jungle despite appearances to the contrary."

"Skywalker, Artoo would rather perform a memory flush on himself than go on another forest walk with us." Mara muttered caustically but she felt the tension in the air ease and found herself beginning to relax.

Luke's soft chuckle was warm and immediately had her imagining things she wanted to banish completely from her thoughts. "We do seem to end up in these situations time after time. Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know. We're just lucky, I guess."

"Obi-Wan once said to me that there was no such thing as luck. I think the Force keeps bringing us together because we…"

Mara became instantly aware of how small the vehicle was. She felt what it really meant to be alone with him and part of her feared that because she knew Luke would drag all her insecurities and yes, her fears, into the open. "Are we ready to go?" she interrupted, her words emerging in a rush.

"Almost," he mumbled. Luke spent more time reading the various indicators and displays than he normally did.

Mara knew that he was feeling the intimacy of their environment as well.

"Ready?" He turned to her and his slightly nervous smile made her insides melt.

"Let's go." Mara said nodding her head.

The vehicle moved slowly and steadily beyond the Academy grounds, following a path that dwindled away to the barest of trails. The thick durasteel dulled the sound of the branches scraping the outer hull. At first the silence between Luke and Mara was strained. They covertly darted sidelong looks at each other, but after about a half an hour they relaxed somewhat. Mara reclined in her seat, casually watching Luke as he deftly navigated the narrow, winding path.

Her gaze inspected his relaxed features and wind tossed hair. Luke noticed her regard and turned to meet her eye. He smiled questioningly and the corners of her mouth quirked upward in a responding grin. Before Skywalker could say anything, she shrugged slightly. "You seem happy," she said.

"I am. I have a beautiful companion and I'm on a worthwhile quest to help the Jedi increase their numbers. It is a lovely day. Why shouldn't I be happy?"

"No reason," she tried not to dwell on the fact that he had again said that she was beautiful.

He kept his attention on Mara while he darted quick looks ahead, ensuring that they were still on course. Her eyes travelled languidly over his face, pausing ever so slightly on his lips. Luke held his breath as her gaze journeyed down the length of him, settling on his hands as they piloted the ship.

Mara found herself mesmerized by his well muscled arms and contours of his hands. They contained such strength and moved with graceful ease over the controls. Luke felt her steady regard and reddened slightly at her continued perusal and tightened his right hand reflexively into a fist.

"I sometimes forget it's not the same hand I was born with," he said almost apologetically.

This insecurity in the normally composed Jedi, caused Mara to be less restrained with her words, "I was just thinking how you had nice hands, Skywalker. I wasn't looking for a serial number or manufacture's mark."

"Sorry. There is one somewhere, but hidden inside. If you know what I mean." He grinned self consciously, and Mara turned away to inspect a tree as if it didn't look like ever other tree they had just passed. She felt suddenly more aware of him; he filled her senses totally. The jungle of Yavin was alive with the force, and away from the other students, Luke's presence burned even brighter than normal.

Luke felt her shields become more solid. Although he could not sense what she was thinking, she still gave away her tension, Her body language was not as controlled as her mental shields and Luke could read her like a holonovel. She was edgy, almost nervous. This was the woman who had once vowed to kill him. In just a short span of days, she had told him that he made her 'lose her concentration', that he had 'incredible eyes', and now he had 'nice hands'. He couldn't quite suppress the smile that spread across his face, but he managed to keep his elation from ebbing free of his own barriers. She liked him. She liked Luke Skywalker - the man, not necessarily the Jedi. All the things she had said were about him.

Mara saw his smile out of the corner of her eye, but chose to ignore it. She silently cursed her momentary weakness. Why had she said that? Did she want to admit to Skywalker that she found him attractive? In her travels, she had met many people. Most were easy to ignore, but some had been appealing. None of them had ever dominated her thoughts, or affected her on such a physical level as this particular man. It was disconcerting and sometimes damned annoying. Once Skywalker had crossed your path nothing would ever be the same again. Her eyes began to drift closed as the jungle thickened about them and tired after a restless night, Mara slipped into sleep.

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

The jungle had begun to reclaim the rarely used trail and Luke knew it was unlikely they could go the entire distance to the ruin in this vehicle. He drove carefully past fallen rocks and large dips in the pathway using both the bright headlights and his Force senses to guide the way. He'd been driving for hours and he could feel the fatigue gnawing at his brain.

Normally, the students made the trek on foot. Luke had avoided mentioning this, knowing Mara would insist that she was more than capable of doing the same. He wanted to avoid further injuring her ankle. He felt bad enough already; he certainly did not want to aggravate the condition.

His attention continued to wander to the woman sleeping beside him. When he realized that she had fallen asleep while he was driving, he had reclined her seat so that she was lying in a prone position. Her back faced him, her red hair splayed around her like a glorious cloak. Her breathing was deep but she stirred restlessly in her sleep. Luke could sense that she was dozing lightly, disturbed by her dreams. He'd stopped once several hours ago to put a blanket over her when she'd started shivering despite the warmth still present in the vehicle. He didn't think that her sleep was restful but he could already feel the darkness calling to them both.

With a sleepy yawn he stopped the vehicle and pivoted in the pilot's seat to regard the woman. He debated waking her, but Luke was aware that she had slept under more uncomfortable circumstances before, and he was curious by her troubled sleep. She needed proper rest if she was going to be able to fully face whatever the Force had in store for her. He doubted that she would get it.

Luke watched her move slightly, her profile coming into view. She was so beautiful, lying there. Beautiful, yet vulnerable. There was a softer side to Mara Jade that she kept hidden from all but her closest contacts. Luke wasn't sure if he could call them friends. Mara didn't have many friends but Luke knew that she considered him one and this knowledge made him feel honoured. He was surprised to realize he could be content to watch her for hours. He could see Mara's eyes moving under her closed lids, and he was tempted to reach out to her through the Force. He restrained himself, realizing that although he would love to know what plagued her, he would be doing so uninvited.

She moaned softly and her breathing grew more rapid. Luke's heart leapt at the sound, wondering if he had misinterpreted her agitation. Her fear seemed to have subsided somewhat to be joined by other, more complex emotions. He could feel them escaping from her normally tightly battened down defences, hammering at his own. Luke slid out of the seat, no longer able to maintain a distance between them. His gaze scanned her features, taking in the parted lips and the slightly flushed face. He felt his own body surge in response, desire for her coursing through him. He reached out through the Force, telling himself that he would just soothe away the shadows from her mind, knowing deep down he did so because he could no longer restrain himself.

Mara moaned again, the sound making his heart beat more rapidly, he touched her cheek with one hand. Was she having an erotic dream or was she feverish - sickening for something and becoming more ill as they moved further and further from the Academy? Her face was warmer than it should be. He tried to maintain a distance from her, wanting to ease the tension away from her dreams, allowing her to sleep in peace. But the moment he closed his eyes and reached out to her, he moved past the usual barriers and entered her dream. Force! He hadn't meant this to happen. He was immediately bombarded with her emotions. Fear, longing, desire, hope, and despair buffeted him from all sides. Luke was too stunned to act. He could feel Mara's momentary surprise at his sudden arrival and then she seemed to accept his presence as natural.

He was unsure if she realized that he was really here, or just another player in her disjointed dream. He appeared to be standing in the Emperor's Throne room on the Death Star. Somehow, he was suddenly garbed in the Jedi blacks he had worn when he had confronted the Emperor. He realized that by entering Mara's dream, he was no longer just an observer but a participant as well.

With a start of surprise, Luke noted that he wasn't the only extra on the scene. Talon Karrde walked forward and said to him, "What are you doing here, Skywalker?" There was a decidedly aggressive tone that immediately brought forth a wave of jealousy in the Jedi. Again his mind wondered if Talon was more important to Mara than she was letting on. 'She would have told me,' he thought. But she's dreaming about him too. Or did I bring him with me? Suppose I've got it wrong and she cares for him in a way that she never could for me? I wasn't wrong about that kiss. I couldn't be.

Mara Jade stepped forward and laid a hand on Luke's arm, her stance challenging Karrde and her tone possessive. "Skywalker's here with me."

As soon as she touched him, Luke's doubts eased a little. He sought her gaze and nodded. "I'm here for you, Mara. I'll always be here for you. Remember that."

A darkly cloaked figure cackled as he swivelled in a chair to face them, towering over them on the raised dais. "Good, good." The raspy voice cooed insidiously. "Your feelings make you weak. Give in to them."

A confused look crossed Mara's face and Luke stepped forward and took her hand, "He's not real, Mara. None of this is real. It's just a dream." He gazed deep into her eyes. "You trust me don't you? You have to be able to trust me."

Mara nodded weakly. "Of course I trust you - I always have since I found…" she cast a haunted look over her shoulder at the source of her continued unrest. "Since I knew the Emperor for what he really was."

The deep throated cackle sounded chillingly real.

Luke's grip tightened on Mara's. "Your feelings don't make you weak. Yes, you have to be calm and in control, but if you had no feelings, that would make you an automaton, or worse." He stopped abruptly when he saw the helmed man standing at the Emperor's side. At first glance, he thought Darth Vader stood guard beside his master. But it was quickly apparent that his face plate was missing, and Luke could easily see the man's features. It was his own face, the face of Luke Skywalker. The dark power crackled around the duo peering down at them. The image was unnerving and he swallowed hard, battling his own up swell of emotion. It brought back the uneasy memories of fighting his clone on Wayland and the strange buzzing in his head. He'd nearly died that day and so had Mara.

"It isn't real, Jade. This isn't real. I would never turn to the dark side again. I couldn't."

Mara gazed at Luke standing beside her and said, "Why are there two of you?" She pointed at the silent figure standing beside the Emperor.

Luke shook his head, regaining his voice with a great effort. "Mara, you have to listen to me. You're dreaming. None of this is real."

"Dreaming? You're not real?"

Luke shook his head, "Yes and no. I'm real but this situation is not. You were having a nightmare and I came to lead you out of it."

Karrde stepped forward and said, "He's lying. Why do you always listen to him? He's just trying to confuse you. He pulls you away from your work. He's just a distraction."

"Yes. You know this is true." The Emperor agreed.

She shook her head as if just realizing that it made no sense for Talon Karrde to be having a conversation with the Emperor. "You don't fit into this scenario if it is a dream," Mara said to Karrde. "Why are you here?"

"I am important in your life."

"You were," Mara mumbled. "In some ways you still are - will always be my friend. But I have to move on now. Luke is in my life and it's towards the Jedi I have to go - towards Luke and what he stands for. I should have always been with the Jedi. You robbed me of my birthright," she accused the Emperor. "You took away my heritage but I'm reclaiming it and my destiny."

Luke's mouth opened in wonder at her words. She had sent Karrde away and had totally confronted Palpatine. "Mara!" he breathed, joy flooding through him.

She turned and stared straight at the Emperor. "You don't exist. You died years ago. You are nothing but a dark side manifestation of evil. Go away."

With a snarl and an abrupt whirl of darkness, the image of Palpatine vanished.

Luke stepped forward and ascended the stairs to stand next to the figure of himself. He reached forward and touched the man. The moment his fingers brushed the dark cloak, the duplicate also vanished. Talon Karrde nodded his head and turned and exited the room. Luke was left standing alone on the dais looking down at Mara.

A large smile spread across her face and she said, "Thank you."

"You have nothing to thank me for. You did it yourself. Your destiny is in your own hands. Take it and move on with your life. He was holding you back."

"But he's dead."

"He is now. He wasn't truly gone before. You carried part of him in your mind and therefore he was still alive. He was still causing you pain."

"The pain," Mara whispered. "It's still there, but not so strong."

"The pain of being used by the Emperor will never fully vanish. We cannot unlearn what we know. It's how we learn to use the pain that we suffered, which allows us to grow and move forward.

He could feel her agitation ebb away as she slowly walked up the steps to face him. They stood regarding each other for a moment before she closed the distance between them and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her. Still linked in the dream, he could feel Mara's detachment from reality. She was still in a semi-dreamlike state but the vivid passion swirling around them, joining them - was real.

For a moment he forgot he was a Jedi, forgot his devotion to his duty and became an ordinary man. He gave himself into the embrace, allowing his long-buried feelings free reign. Luke pulled her against him, and gloried in the sensation when he felt her tremble in his arms. Their mouths moved together in a sensual onslaught, hands moving, hearts thundering, all coherent thought lost in overwhelming physical sensation. Their desire permeated everything, the rush of blood in their ears was like a sweet song, the taste of their flesh was like rare honey, the tantalising touch of skin against skin was a tempting torture.

They pulled back, their bodies shuddering. Luke opened his mouth to say something - anything but laboured breathing made it impossible to speak. The feel of her body pressed against his own was overwhelmingly erotic. He never believed that he could feel this way about anyone. He never realized that Mara had this power over him. Luke was tempted to allow this to continue, his passion clouding his mind, all reason having left him. It was just a dream. They should enjoy this fantasy without any real repercussions.

When he gazed into Mara's brilliant green gaze, he saw her agree with him, her jade green eyes clouded with desire and still not quite grasping that he was really there in her arms. He closed his eyes, allowing his heart to slow. Their bond was growing and the more he remained linked with her, the harder it would be. This was wrong and Luke knew that he couldn't continue to do this without Mara's complete knowledge and co-operation. He had entered her dream to help her, not to take advantage of her. He was not even sure that she could ever forgive him for allowing things to get as out of hand as it had. If he remained with her in this way he was no better than the Emperor and in Mara's eyes that would be unforgivable. He opened his eyes, taking a measure of control over their surroundings. Mara stepped away, the distant look leaving her gaze.

Luke opened his eyes to see that Mara was staring up at him leaning over her prone form. Her eyes were wide, watching him warily. He smiled, but he could feel the strain in his face and wondered if the expression did more harm than good. "Feeling better?" he asked carefully.

"I think so but what…" Mara sat up, taking in her surroundings. Night had fallen and she was lying in the co-pilot's reclining seat in the ground transport.

"You were dreaming - a nightmare," Luke attempted to explain.

Images of her dream began to return to her. The Emperor, Talon Karrde, and then Luke Skywalker "What did you do?"

"Nothing, I…" Luke began to stammer. He couldn't lie to her and she knew something had happened between them.

Mara eyes narrowed on the Jedi Master's flushed features. "What did you do?" she repeated. "Skywalker!" She remembered the kiss they had shared, the intense passion.

"I linked with you in your dream."

It hadn't been just a dream. He had been there, a voyeur to her most private thoughts. "You were in my head!" she shrieked.

"I…"

"Of course you were inside my head. Without my invitation, my consent? How dare you!" she snarled, feeling betrayed and violated.

"That's not true. I was trying to help. You were moaning and crying. I was worried about you." Luke tried to reassure her, sending calming waves through the Force. The intensity of her reaction both wounded him and made him feel somewhat guilty.

"You had no right to do that to me. How dare you waltz into my dream like that." Mara stood up, her eyes shooting green laser bolts at him.

Luke winced but replied heatedly, getting swiftly to his feet. "I was just trying to help you."

"Help me? Is that what you call it?"

"Come on, Mara. That's not fair. It's not as if you didn't participate. You did consent. There were no barriers to keep me out. You let me in. I reached out to you and you met me half way. Admit it, Jade."

Mara stalked toward him until her face was just a breath away from Luke's. The anger radiating from her slapped him in the face, stoking the fires of his own volatile temper. "I didn't ask you to enter my dream. I didn't want to go on this trip with you. I didn't even want to be on the same planet with you."

"Then why did you kiss me?" Luke forced his voice to be calm, suppressing his seething anger. "You kissed me and you enjoyed it. Why did you do that? There was no coercion involved. Why, Mara Jade? Ask yourself why." He took a step forward, invading her personal space.

Her eyes narrowed and she backed away. "I don't know and I don't care." She yanked the door open, threw something at his feet and left the vehicle. She slammed it shut, and it was a full minute before the vehicle stopped rocking. Luke watched her stomp into the darkened jungle, and when she continued away unabated, he swore. Glancing down at his feet, he was shocked to discover that she'd thrown her lightsaber at him. Did that mean she'd had enough of him and the Jedi? He grabbed the weapon and attached it to his belt, snatched up his bag and began to follow her.

"That's it, Mara," he shouted furiously. "Do what you always do. Run away. You are running from life, from your responsibilities, from a future with me. Just run, Jade. You were the last person I would ever have called a coward but now I see that's what you are. In your dream you confronted your past, invited me in to conquer it with you and now you cannot hide behind it any longer. Don't ruin our future. I won't let you."

But no one answered him. The jungle pressed in upon Luke's sense taunting him with its hidden dangers. "Mara!" he called. "Mara!" He could feel the predatory life just on the periphery of the jungle, and Mara had gone in there without her lightsaber. "Damn!"

Moment of Decision
By
Rhea Jediknight
and
Ash Darklighter

Part Four

There was silence. Luke peered into the darkness of the undergrowth. Even with Jedi enhanced vision and hearing, he couldn't see where she had gone. Letting out a deep sigh, Luke returned to the clearing and slumped against the outer hull of the vehicle. Why couldn't she trust him? Yes, he shouldn't have invaded her dream, but he'd been in before he'd had a chance to apply the brakes.

Opening the bag he took out a bottle of water and took a swig. He had to go after her. Suppose she went over her ankle again? Suppose… "Enough, Skywalker," he told himself. "Go find her and bring her back." Straightening his shoulders he replaced the water in the bag and slung it across his body. In a purely instinctive gesture he caressed her lightsaber at his hip and bringing it into his hand he ignited it - the blade shining its pure blue light in the darkness. "I'm coming to find you, Mara," he vowed. "Lead me to her," he whispered into the darkness, and managed all of two steps.

"You would never have found me if I hadn't let you."

Luke swirled around as her voice echoed around the clearing. "Mara?"

"Yeah," she said dryly. "It's me. Who else?" Mara stepped out of the dense trees, her red hair reflecting the dim light from the ground transport.

He closed down the saber and held it out to her. "Take it - this belongs to you. You could not resist the call of your lightsaber. A Jedi's lightsaber is more than a mere weapon. The art of wielding a lightsaber is a discipline for the mind and the body." Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master was in control.

She held out her hand and Luke let the saber fly. The moment it touched the palm of her hand, Mara ignited the saber and pointed it at Luke.

Luke smiled, the blue light picking out the shape of his face. "I have one of those too." He grinned and his own saber flew off his belt and into his hand igniting as it did so. "Strange," he murmured. "My saber is the colour of your eyes and yours is the colour of mine."

"I'm not a coward, Luke."

Luke shut off his weapon. "I know. You proved it by coming back."

Mara stared at her lightsaber twisting it from side to side hearing the satisfying sound it made as she moved it. "What would you have done if I had gone?"

"I was going to come after you and I would have found you. I'm never letting you go."

His words made her hands tremble. Force, he really was serious. "I know. I realised that when I'd calmed down a bit." She walked towards him and he tried to see her expression in the dark.

"I'm sorry, Mara. I didn't mean to invade your privacy." Luke stared down at his black knee length boots. "Surely you know that I would never do such a thing intentionally?"

Mara assessed the man in front of her. Of course she knew him - better than anyone did and he was correct. He would not trespass through her mind without her permission. "I know," she said softly. "You and that damn Jedi code of yours…"

"You're wrong, Mara." Luke gave a nervous, embarrassed grin. "It's not all from the Jedi Code. My Aunt Beru taught me manners."

"Force preserve me! Outer Rim morality rears its head again."

"We should get inside." Luke scanned the surrounding area, Jedi senses on full alert. "The vehicle has armoured plating just in case some jungle predator decides that raw Jedi is on the menu."

"Sure, farmboy." Mara paused and laid her hand on his arm. "Luke…"

"Get inside the transport," he urged anxiously.

"Not before I…" Mara sighed and then let her arm drop to her side. "I'm sorry. I was wrong and I let my anger take control as usual."

"Apology accepted, Jade. Now will you get inside?"

"Of course, Skywalker"

Just then, a predator growled uncomfortably close to their position in amongst the shadowy trees. They moved quickly, returning to the inside of the vehicle. Luke shut the door, but made no move to occupy either of the front two seats. When he sat in the back, Mara joined him. The low interior lighting made it easy to see each other, but gave the cabin a comfortable, intimate atmosphere. Through a window, they watched a low shadow slink across the place they had vacated and then disappear into the jungle again.

Luke turned away and began rummaging in his bag.

"Why are we going to these ruins?" Mara asked.

Luke shook his head, "I can't tell you." He pulled out a small table and began setting out the means for making a small meal.

At Mara's annoyed look, he shrugged sheepishly, "I had to do something like it myself back on Dagobah. It's not fun, but I think it's necessary. Ration bar?"

"Thanks," she took it from him. "All right." She replied slowly. "Do I get to guess?"

Luke looked warily at her.

"Let's see. It's something all Jedi do, right?" There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"I don't know about all Jedi, but everyone here at the Academy eventually goes to the ruins before officially being knighted." Luke answered cautiously. "Drink?"

"Thanks." Mara frowned at him and grabbed the tumbler of hot liquid he'd just poured from a flask. "Is this where I renounce all colours, swearing never to wear anything but black?"

Luke chuckled. "You can if you like, but I like you in colours. You have this dress the colour of your eyes…" his voice tailed off reverently. "It's so beautiful. Not that I don't like you in black - I do. It sets off the colour of your skin and hair…" Luke's cheeks grew slightly red, but his gaze never wavered as he watched Mara closely.

Mara blushed. He seemed determined to discomfit her. With a struggle she tried to maintain her hard won equilibrium. "No? Well then, is this where I learn the fine art of speaking in backwards phrases?"

"Nope." Luke answered, amused. "Piece of fruit?" He began peeling one of Yavin's tropical fruits for her. "These are really good."

"Skywalker!" Mara griped. Here she was trying to have a conversation of sorts with him, and he was trying to feed her.

"Try this. It's very good. My sister is particularly fond of these." He held out a piece of the pink flesh and blinking at him in the subdued lighting, she opened her mouth and chewed obediently.

"Okay, then," Mara swallowed the morsel and returned to her subject. "I guess this is where I shut myself off from the rest of the world and become a hermit, rejecting love and dedicating my life to the Force."

His expression grew serious. His meal preparations forgotten, Luke searched her face, trying to sense the emotion that prompted this statement. "Is that what you think I've done?"

Mara shrugged and stole another piece of fruit from Luke's plate.

"You do think that. You're wrong," he declared..

"I'm not the only one who's been running. You use your status as a Jedi Master as an excuse to avoid living."

Luke blinked. That was the second person in as many days to say that to him and he had the faint suspicion that his sister had also said something similar the last time he'd visited her on Coruscant. He picked up his tumbler and took a swig of the hot liquid. "Do you want anything else to eat?"

"No I do not," Mara continued heatedly. If she had to evaluate her way of life, then she would not do so alone. The Jedi Master was not going to get all the things his own way either. "Your Jedi robes are a convenient buffer between you and the rest of the world. Corran is worried about you."

"He shouldn't be - he has things of his own to worry about or he will have soon." Luke murmured distractedly as he considered her words, "Maybe at one time I did hide behind the identity of the Jedi Master," he conceded, "But I couldn't continue to do that. Not when I had my work to do." He remembered the time he had refused all contact with the outside world right after Callista abandoned him for her quest to reclaim the Force. He had been so angry then, distraught; certain that if she never returned he was destined to live his life alone. Now he knew that this was not necessarily the case. The Force did not determine his entire path; he was an active participant in deciding his own destiny. The future is always in motion. "I was selfish. When Callista left I thought only of myself and not of my life's task…"

"You don't get it, Skywalker! Everyone needs to be selfish now and again. It is human."

Luke gave her his open, unaffected, farmboy grin. "I'm not supposed to be human, remember? I'm the Jedi Master. You know? The saintly guy in black. "

Mara snorted. "You didn't let your friends help you when Call… when she left. You dived into one foolhardy mission after another."

"I had to stay busy; I had to feel necessary again. I needed to be wanted by someone for something… anything." Luke's voice was desperate. "I couldn't just sit…"

"You had your friends, you family. Me."

"I know that Mara, but you were always so remote. You didn't need me bringing my foul mood to your life. You were so busy with your work. You'd had enough of the Force and the Jedi. You needed normality and I couldn't give you that. I didn't want to bother you."

"I wanted you to come to me. I could feel your pain, but I didn't want to intrude. My life has never been normal. I wouldn't know what it was."

"Thank you Mara. That means a lot. It just seemed easier to throw myself into one mission or quest after another."

"I know but you needed private time too. You shut off your emotions and… "

"My friends didn't know how to help me. I love my sister but she was suffocating me and I didn't want to foist my black humour on everyone else."

"I think they left you alone too long." Mara saw his shoulders relax a little.

"Probably, but it is easy to be wise after the event and I still had the Jedi. It was all I seemed to have left. I wasn't thinking too clearly at the time." He shrugged self-deprecatingly before continuing softly, "I believe in the Jedi and in the Academy. I have to. It's my task you see. Too many people died to save me and I owe every single one of them."

"I think you have more than repaid any debt, Skywalker." Mara glanced down at her hands, "Despite all my protestations to the contrary," she looked up to meet his gaze, "I'm really proud of what you've done here. I would never have decided to train on Yavin, if I didn't believe in it too."

Luke smiled broadly, warmed by this admission, "Thanks, that means a lot to me." Luke took her hand, caressing the smooth skin of her palm with his thumb. "We have something very special, Mara. I think it's time that we both acknowledged this."

"Skywalker." Mara felt her heart ache but her common sense demanded that she bring them both to reality. "You know you're my best friend."

He replied, "And you're mine, but we're more than that and you know it."

"I know how impulsive you can be."

"Impulsive?"

"You know, the man who flew an X-wing against a Death Star, who abandoned his Master to go rush off and have a showdown with Darth Vader, the one who walked into an Imperial garrison and surrendered to Vader and the Emperor. You remember that person?

Luke looked slightly abashed, "Well, it all worked out in the end."

Mara considered this and then agreed, "You have a point." Then she continued determinedly, "Did you deliberately enter my dream?"

Luke flushed and said, "Yes and no. I'm sorry about that, Mara. I never meant to invade your privacy or betray your trust, but you were in some distress. I could feel it. I reached out to you and that was it. I was with you - none of your barriers were operational.. It was that simple. I would not enter your head without your permission. That would make me no better than Palpatine and I couldn't do it."

Mara nodded, her fears assuaged. "I know. I wouldn't have returned to you if I didn't really believe that. I must have unconsciously allowed you in. I don't think my barriers normally slip so low, even in sleep. But if that ever happens again Skywalker, just wake me alright?"

"Yes, Ma'am. It's a deal." He smiled. "I would never deliberately do something that would drive you away from me. You're too important to me."

Mara's expression grew shuttered.

Luke persisted earnestly, feeling her withdrawal. Fear that she would leave him touched the edges of his thoughts. "I know it seems sudden, but it's really been a long time in coming. We've known each other for years. I have learned patience and I've learned to know my own mind, Jade. Not taking this chance to become closer would have been sheer stupidity on my part. This thing between us… I have never felt like this before and I know that you are the only one that I could feel that way with. All these years, Jade..."

Mara shook her head so slowly, that she was not even aware that she did so. "And in that time, you've fallen in love with a handful of women, none of which, I might point out were me." The edge to her voice made Luke wince.

"They were always second best. They never worked out because they weren't you. I can see that I'm going to have to prove to you that I know my own heart. Perhaps I never fell in love with you because I was already in love with you. You were in my heart and mind but part of me recognised that you weren't ready for my love. So I pushed aside my destiny and tried to make a life for myself as best I could."

"It's too sudden, Luke," she said quietly. "I have to think…"

"I understand," he answered just as quietly, his blue eyes holding hers. His gaze travelled over her face, committing ever detail to memory. Mara shivered, despite the warmth of the vehicle's cabin.

"Luke…"

"I will wait for you. Whatever you decide."

Mara's mouth dropped open. It had sounded like a vow.

His vivid blue eyes peered deeply into his emerald green ones. A hesitant smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. She stretched out with the Force, trying to read him. Luke closed his eyes, the smile slipping ever so slightly from his mouth. His open sincerity and encouraging tenderness caressed her spirit.

His eyes fluttered open and he reached out hesitantly to gently brush the side of her face. Her eyelids became heavy. Mara found herself being affected by this barest of touches. Luke pulled her slowly toward him, peering into her eyes anticipating a rejection, waiting for her to push him away. When she leaned ever so slightly against his chest, he bent his head and kissed her. His lips moved slowly, languidly over her mouth. The kiss was more leisurely than the one in the pool, but no less intense.

Mara felt as if her heart were expanding. A part of her wanted to protest, to stop Luke from continuing this onslaught of her senses, but another part of her recognized her motivation for wishing such a thing. He felt heavenly against her, the only time she had ever felt so good was on previous occasions when he had kissed her. She was no longer under the drugging influence of medication, nor was she dreaming. This was incredibly real and she wanted to lose herself in the sensations. He was dangerous to her equilibrium, devastating for her self control, and lethal for her heart, but she had to see what this felt like. She had to see if the feelings he'd induced in her the last time were all that she remembered. Mara sucked his bottom lip into her mouth causing him to gasp. He pushed her hard against the seat, moulding his body to her own, deepening the kiss. She shuddered, currents of desire streaking though her body and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly in place. Their hands roamed freely, each caress stoking the fire that threatened to consume them, with the kiss a heady expression of passionate desire. The feel of him pressed against her, the scent of him, the very essence of him through the Force was almost overwhelming. She had an incredible urge to throw all caution aside and allow this kiss to continue to its inevitable conclusion, but she knew it was too soon. Mara Jade never let go of caution. This feeling was too overwhelming. Mara felt too vulnerable, uncertain of their relationship. Still she wanted to move on, didn't she?

Luke was not used to feeling so out of control. The passion he felt for Mara was all consuming, and he was relieved to learn that Mara was similarly affected. He yearned for fulfilment, wanting her with a hunger that was terrifying, and yet he welcomed it. He didn't fear his growing attachment to her, or his desperate need for this beautiful woman. Instead, he knew that he would pursue her, vowing to never give up. He had never felt anything like this before, and he knew with an utter certainty that they were right together. Luke would not allow her to walk away from the incredible feelings that they stirred within each other. He would not sit idly by and allow Mara to turn away from this, from him. But Mara was right - it was too soon. He also knew they needed to slow down, stop before their passion devoured them utterly.

He felt Mara's sudden disquiet, and pulled back to look down at her. Her eyes were a deep, sultry emerald green, heavily lidded. Her lips were slightly swollen and an intense shade of red from his kisses. Luke groaned, searching deep within himself for the ability to control his body's all too human reaction. He sat upright and pulled her up against him, resting his chin on the top of her head until their breathing returned to a semblance of normality. Their hearts slowed and their skin cooled.

"If I can't have you, there will never be anyone. I mean it."

Mara's thoughts were racing, wondering what to say, unsure even what she wanted at that exact moment. She had experienced passion before, but never once in her life had she desired someone as much as she wanted Luke Skywalker. She let her mind consider this. He was handsome and strong, possessing a courage and resourcefulness that was unique. He seemed to know and understand her in a way no one ever had, not even the Emperor. Her desire for him seemed to stem from more than just the physical. A wave of fear spread through her and she closed her eyes, stopping her thoughts from progressing. She wasn't ready for this. She tried to pull away, but Luke held her still.

"Shhh." He whispered, running his hand soothingly down her hair and onto her back and felt her relax. They had the beginnings of a bond through the Force, and he had caught the basic content of her thoughts. Luke was both thrilled and frightened by her reaction. He had debated telling her about his feelings, but knew that Mara was not prepared to hear anything more right now. He was not even sure if he even wanted to admit to them himself, just yet. He brought his hand up and tenderly brushed a lock of shining hair from her forehead. "Sshh! Its okay, sweetheart. This is not a decision based on a momentary impulse. I mean it. If I cannot have you in my arms I will be forever alone and I will accept it. There is no pressure on you, Mara. I have grown accustomed to being single. You are never truly alone if you have the Force."

"I don't want you to be alone," she whispered, her eyes downcast.

He felt exposed, even a little fragile at the moment, and he didn't want anything to shatter his newfound hope. The little shoot had unfurled its leaves just yesterday and couldn't be hot-housed. It had to grow naturally. They continued to hold their embrace, clutching each other tightly. When Mara's breathing became deep and even, Luke looked down to discover that she had fallen asleep.

He smiled, feeling warmth fill him. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. He leaned back, keeping her firmly in his embrace. It was not long before he joined her in sleep.

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

Mara was surprised to find herself entangled in Luke's embrace when she awoke. She opened her eyes cautiously to look at him. His face was relaxed in sleep, a general aura of contentment surrounding him. Mara carefully extricated herself from his arms, feeling unusually reluctant to leave his embrace. Holding her breath she watched him as he stirred slightly before settling back into slumber.

Mara made her way to the enclosure located on the side of the cabin that housed the utilitarian 'fresher. It was too small to contain a shower, but it had a functional sink and toilet - enough to freshen up and wash the sleep from her eyes. Mara moved efficiently, changing into a plain black jumpsuit that clung attractively to her figure. She washed up and brushed out her hair. After a slight moment of indecision, Mara left her hair unbound to flow around her shoulders.

She emerged to see that Skywalker was still sleeping. He had driven for most of the previous day and had to be tired. She smiled and edged quietly to the front of the vehicle, starting the engine. As she navigated down the narrow path, the sun was edging up in the sky and she saw from the navigation display that they had made good time the previous day. Hopefully they would do so again.

Mara had been driving for some time when she felt a flare of awareness the moment Luke awoke. He disappeared in the 'fresher, but it wasn't long before he sat in the co-pilot's seat.

They were both aware that their relationship had undergone some sort of fundamental change.

"Hi." He said quietly. He passed her a flask. "Same as last night. It's caf and it's hot."

"Ration bars." Mara's mouth curved into a grin and threw him one.

"I quite like them," Luke muttered around a mouthful. "Reminds me of…"

"I don't want to know. Whatever it is, it has to be pretty horrible."

There was a tentativeness about them, a kind of shyness that hadn't been present just a few days previously.

Luke cleared his throat and Mara said, "We're about half way to the ruin… if the calculations on the navcomp are correct." He examined the navcomp readings and then let his eyes drift to Mara, inspecting her closely and paying particular notice to her unbound hair, "I like your hair like that."

Mara raised a hand to the side of her head before dropping it and shrugged non-committally, "I didn't have time to braid it."

He reached out to touch a wayward lock of hair, examining the sheen in the growing daylight. This action brought him closer to her, their bodies only inches apart. Without conscious thought, Mara stopped the vehicle and turned to face him. She felt as if the very air was somehow electrically charged between them, her eyes riveted on Luke's face. He dropped the curl and brushed the side of her face with the back of his fingers.

"Mara?"

"Things have changed…" she said soberly.

"For the better?"

"I don't know. I'm not used to feeling so… uncertain."

He smiled hesitantly, and seemed to study her more closely. Then as if had making a decision, he bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lips.

It was a brief, gentle kiss, but the impact on Mara was greater than from the passionate exchanges they had previously shared. It bespoke of a greater intimacy between them. Mara had felt desired by Skywalker, but this fleeting caress made her realize what it might mean to be loved by him. It took her breath away.

He could feel her amazement and he raised an eyebrow at her in inquiry, "What is it? Surely I couldn't have taken you that much by surprise."

Mara thought for a moment before she said, "It's not the kiss, it's. . . .me." Mara flushed and turned away. "Never mind."

Luke could not let a statement like that go. "What do you mean?"

She realized that the vehicle was at a standstill. Mara stood up and glowered down at him, but he could sense that there was no heat behind her glare. "Do you always have to analyse everything, dissect it into so many little pieces?"

"I'm just trying to understand." Luke said, standing up beside her.

Mara rubbed her right temple with her fingers and said, "I know, Skywa… Luke," she corrected. "I am too. I'm sorry." She lowered her hand and smiled tentatively at him.

He pulled her toward him, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned against him, and they remained like that for a moment. This time she kissed him, her soft lips lingering on his.

They broke apart by mutual consent and Mara said, "I think we had better get going."

Luke seemed about to say something, and then nodded, "Right. Let's go."

Then she turned and stared at him her eyes wide and incredulous as if something had just occurred to her. "What do you mean you actually like ration bars?"

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

The vehicle lumbered slowly along the overgrown trail. Earlier in the day they had made good progress, but over the last hour their journey had slowed to almost a crawl. It wasn't long before the path disappeared completely, swallowed up by the jungles of Yavin. A solid wall of tree branches and thick undergrowth barred their path. Mara stopped the vehicle and glared at the abundant greenery. The two Jedi gazed ahead, seeking an avenue around the dense foliage.

"How's your ankle?" Luke asked wryly. "This baby is going no further." He patted the console affectionately.

Mara rolled her eyes. "It's transport, farmboy, not your niece."

Luke lifted his chin. "It never hurts to give your transport a kind word occasionally."

"Nerf!" she muttered. "I take it, we walk from here?" Mara asked, her face showing exactly what she thought of Luke and his idiotic ways.

"If you're up for it."

"I'm fine." She raised her pant leg to expose her slim, lightly strapped ankle. "See, good as new."

Luke flashed her a quick grin and said, "I have to agree, it looks pretty good to me. Keep the support on for now."

Mara remained silent, but smiled slightly. She wasn't used to this side of Luke, so openly appraising of her attributes. He was so relaxed and almost happy as he awkwardly flirted with her. It was the 'almost' that was her undoing. She wanted him to be happy, damn it!

Mara did a quick reading to confirm their current vector while Luke gathered their supplies. They secured the vehicle and Luke held a branch out of her way as they manoeuvred their way back onto the trail. Although the winding path was too narrow for the ground vehicle, it was fairly comfortable to traverse on foot.

"Ready?"

"Let's go, Skywalker."

They settled into a leisurely pace, striding confidently side by side. They maintained an awareness of their surroundings, conscious of the predators in the area, but it demanded little of their attention, allowing them to converse freely.

"Can I ask you something?" Mara inquired.

"Sure." Luke peered at her curiously.

"Do you always escort the students to this ruin?"

Luke gave her an embarrassed smile, "I've been there before of course, but no, I'm not in the habit of bringing many students here."

"Then why did you with me?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Yes I think I do."

He shrugged, his head going to one side. "It's you," was all he said. "You're different."

"I'm still a Jedi student."

"Yes, but you're my Jedi student."

"I thought I was Corran's."

"You've never been Corran's," he mumbled and then turned his head to look at her, his face totally serious. "You've always been mine."

"I don't belong to you," Mara retorted, unnerved by the expression on his face.

"Of course you don't, just the same way I don't belong to you, Jade.

Mara swallowed. She did feel possessive over Luke. All the other women she'd seen him with hadn't been good enough for him.

"The Emperor may have started your training but he was never going to complete it. When we first met you transferred that bond to me."

"I did not," she said.

"Not consciously or willingly, no. But somehow it happened. You've never been ready to take that final step until now. Our bond is more powerful than the one between teacher and student, or even two Jedi friends. Our bond is growing stronger and I wasn't going to let anyone complete your training but me. This is not possessiveness or pride on my part. This is just how it is." He turned his head to stare at her. "You would never have finished your training with Corran. He taught you a lot and did it well, but you would never have felt complete. You would have come to me eventually."

"Sure," she said derisively.

"Oh, yes. But although I'm trying to assist you in your quest to become fully trained, our relationship is not exactly that of Master and apprentice."

"Are you sure?" Mara asked him dubiously.

"You're a Jedi, Mara, well on your path to completion. After we go to the ruins, if matters proceed the way that they should, you will no longer be my student."

"So you're saying that things could change after this trip between us?"

"I'm saying that we needed some time to be alone."

"So this is all some scheme to seduce me?"

"I don't recall seducing you, yet."

The word, 'yet', hung in the air between them.

Mara moved quickly in front of him blocking his way. He had declared his intent and given her fair warning. It was up to her how she reacted to his challenge. "So you admit you have thought about it?" she asked.

Suddenly Luke's eyes gleamed like molten silver. "Thought about it, dreamed about it…. Oh, yes, Jade." He took a deep shuddering breath. "You could say that." His eyes travelled over her curvaceous black, clad form and his hands came up, almost unwillingly to grip her shoulders. "Do you have a problem with that?" he asked her, his voice low and husky.

Mara swallowed, her tongue darting out to wet her dry lips. Luke's eyes immediately fastened on the tell-tale nervous action and his head began to descend.

"Well… no, but Luke…" Mara managed before his mouth covered hers.

With a sigh she relaxed into his arms and his kiss. She felt so right. Luke pulled her closer imprinting the feel of her slender body against his own. Fire rippled through their bodies and attacked their senses, lost in a tide of sensuous desire they gathered each other even closer.

"Ow!" Mara jerked from his embrace and bent down to rub her ankle.

Luke took a gasping breath as the shock of her departure affected his body. "Your ankle?"

Mara nodded. "I just stepped back and…"

He knelt down beside her and expertly checked the offending limb. "It seems okay."

"You did say that it might be sore for a few days."

"So I did."

They stared at each other, faces flushed from their passion, mouths swollen with the evidence of their kisses. Mara was the first to look away. "We shouldn't have done that."

"I disagree," Luke said stoutly, trailing a finger down her cheek.

"You wanted to finish my training," Mara reminded him. "Is it ethical for you to be kissing me and also to be my …." She hesitated over the word.

Luke gave a bittersweet smile and filled in the word, but it wasn't the one she had been expecting. "Guide?"

"Guide," she echoed surprised.

Luke sighed. She was right but she had no idea how much he wanted her. This was a test for them both. "I suppose we had better get going - we haven't that far to go. We should arrive by sundown. He held out a hand and pulled her carefully to her feet watching attentively as she gingerly tested putting her weight on her ankle.

"Here," Luke pulled his saber from his belt, ignited it and cut a branch from one of the trees. "Use this."

"I don't need…"

"Mara!" Luke shook his head warningly. "Please, it would reassure me. You can have it just in case."

Pride warred with common sense. Finally she relaxed and gave a half laugh. "It's a good idea, Skywalker. Thank you."

Luke's face lit up as he smiled, the sight going straight to Mara's suddenly vulnerable heart. "Follow me," he said purposefully.

"Yes, oh great and worthy guide."

"Mara…"

"Yes?"

"Can it. Jedi trainees are not supposed to be cheeky to their… guides."

"You did say I was different."

"You're that all right."

Luke pulled his lightsaber from his belt and began to hack his way through the undergrowth. Mara grinned and pulled hers from her belt too. Slowly they made their way through the worst of the thicket.

"What is it with us and thorns, Skywalker?" Mara asked.

Luke chuckled. "History repeating itself. Myrkr, Wayland and now Yavin Four."

"At least you don't have the droid with you."

"You know something, Jade. It's not the same without having to drag Artoo."

"No, it's not and I, for one am thankful."

"Artoo is a superior droid. He has saved my skin on more than one occasion."

"I call it luck."

Luke shook his head. "Artoo has achieved, as much as any droid can achieve, something approaching true sentience - as has Threepio."

"That's just because you haven't bothered giving them a much needed mind wipe."

"I couldn't do that to the droids. They wouldn't like it."

Mara rolled her eyes. "And you want me to become more like you?"

Luke paused in his clearing of the undergrowth, his eyes clear and steady. "No, I want you to remain exactly as you are." He smiled. "I just want you to accept your abilities and truly open yourself to the Force. You are so close, Mara and it's what you deserve. The Emperor denied you this and he was wrong. I would never want to change you into someone sweet and simpering. I like you tough, sassy and argumentative."

"Thanks!" she muttered. "That was a compliment, I take it."

Luke laughed. "Of course it was. You can only be true to yourself, Jade. Don't be what you are not. I tried it and failed. I am a farmer, turned pilot, turned Jedi. I have no fancy airs, no matter how hard my sister would like me to have some. Then again - she prefers me this way too. She admitted it once."

Mara opened her mouth and couldn't find anything to say.

Luke seemed to understand because he nodded. "I know. Look ahead. Just through those trees is our destination."

Mara turned and stared in the direction Luke had pointed. Some rough broken stonework could be seen rising from the trees. "Is that…?"

"The Malignare ruins? Yes. I can't remember the last time someone was here. It's become quite wild." He held out his hand.

"I can manage," Mara said stiffly.

Luke smiled at her. "I know you can, but I'm still offering to help."

"Oh!" Mara seemed a little lost for a moment.

"It's no crime to accept a little help now and again. Your ankle will still be weak. There is an awkward step up just here. The ruins are built upon an outcropping of rock. It's just very difficult to see with all the vegetation underfoot. I would hate to see you aggravate that ankle. I feel responsible for it..."

Mara snorted. "Oh, okay. If it makes you feel better."

She gripped Luke's hand and was surprised how reassured and safe, just the simple contact of his hand on hers made her feel. He led her past broken towers until they reached one which was almost whole. It had lost its crowning battlement points centuries ago.

"The ruins were built in the shape of a five pointed star," Luke explained. "There were five towers, but only one remains. They contained living and cooking areas and of course look out points. The circular building in the centre must have been the main meeting place."

Mara stared at the inner building and shivered.

Luke touched her elbow and pointed to an open doorway in the last remaining tower. "We'll sleep in here tonight," Luke murmured quietly, already feeling the pull of long ago presences but he kept the lure of the past away from Mara. She would feel its full effect soon enough.

They entered the tower and found it to contain several chambers. The ceiling had collapsed in one or two but the third room they tried was habitable. Dying sunlight cast beams of light from the cracks in the ceiling illuminated dust particles disturbed by their passage. It was almost night.

"In here I think, is safe enough."

Mara agreed and they pulled a couple of survival blankets from their pack to spread across the ground. Luke found a couple of ration bars in his bag and he offered one to Mara. She made a face, but took it. "You sure do know how to wine and dine a girl," she said wryly.

Luke smiled and responded, "When we get back, I'll make it up to you."

Mara smiled as she opened the wrapper. "Now that, I would like to see. Where is the best restaurant on Yavin? I would like to see it. Followed by dancing of course. I do like to dance."

"I'll see what I can do. You would be surprised. Remember your eyes can deceive you." Luke hid a smile as he examined the room more out of curiosity than any real need. He had been here before but not for a few years. Nothing had really changed. Luke could sense the proximity of the dark side, but believed it to be too remote to disturb Mara. He glanced at her and saw the distracted expression on her face and wondered if he had miscalculated. Mara had strong links to the dark even if she hadn't been part of it. He had been naïve to assume she wouldn't feel its pull. She was too strong in the Force.

"What is it, Mara?" he said gently. "What can you sense?"

"Hmmmm?" her eyes focused on him vacantly, "Oh, nothing."

Luke wasn't so sure, but he let it past. There was nothing he could do now in any case. All he had to do was trust in the Force and hope that Mara did the same.

He made a show of yawning. "I don't know about you, Jade, but I am ready to get some sleep."

Mara nodded. "Good idea," she readied herself for bed and watched as Luke got into his sleeping bag. Within moments she heard his deep, even breathing. Force, Skywalker had gone out like a light. She had been tired and her ankle had ached but now that she was supposed to sleep she felt oddly awake.

'Mara!'

Something was calling her; she could feel it shining a light in her mind. She glanced resentfully at the huddled shape in the sleeping bag next to her. He was sound asleep. She would gain no help from that quarter. A sudden need to explore gripped her and grabbing her lightsaber, slipped from her bed and headed out into the dark night. As she left Luke opened his eyes and sat up. All he could do now was wait and hope.

Mara walked quietly through the darkened ruin, leaving Luke to sleep peacefully in their makeshift camp. There was something that beckoned to her, something she hadn't sensed for a long time. At first, she thought it was the Emperor. But she knew this was impossible. Still, there were ripples in the Force that resonated in the same manner that she had grown to associate with her former Master.

There was a darkness here and she found it impossible to resist seeking out its source. Although it repulsed her, she continued onward unabated drawn to its power. She wondered if she should return and wake Skywalker, but a voice whispered to her, reassuring her that she did not need the Jedi. She could face this alone. She had to face this alone. She was a Jedi and would do what was required. Part of her knew that this was something she had to face.

Her movements slowed and the very air around her became sluggish. A cold breeze slid over her body, surprising in the warm jungle night. She reached out with her senses, but felt as if everything were muffled. She touched the darkness and then moved past it. She was of the light. Luke had said so and she had to cling to that fact.

It was beyond her, it had not affected her. Perhaps she was immune to this dark side stain from her years of living in its shadow as the Emperor's Hand. Was this the reason they had travelled two days to come here, just to see that the darkness could not touch her? All these Jedi exercises suddenly felt so futile. The Emperor had taught her much, and she had already learned everything the Jedi at the Academy could teach her. Her skills were on a par with Corran's, Luke had said so and even the Jedi Master himself had little left to teach her. She realized, at that moment, that there really was no need for her to remain here on Yavin. She had accomplished everything she had set out to do. She stood staring around at the place she found herself in. The room was a perfect circle. Strange markings peppered the walls and Mara recognised them as belonging to the ancient language of the Sith. She could not read it but had seen it in books that the Emperor had owned. Luke must have known that these existed but he had said nothing about them. They were for me to discover. 'I was led here,' she thought.

Mara thought of the sleeping Jedi, a short distance away. Her heart contracted in a familiarly aching manner whenever she thought of Luke Skywalker. He was everything she could ever want in a man, and he had no need for her. She could never be a Jedi, not in the way that he wanted. Not in the way that she wanted to be either. She was in love with the idea of becoming a Jedi. To remain, would be to make less of them both. It was better if she left now, without another word. He might not understand, but in the end he would realize that she had made the correct decision. He would move on with his life. They could be friends, at a distance, but it was wrong to pursue anything more between them. The Jedi master and the Emperor's Hand were not fated to have a love affair. It would not be appropriate. In the end she could hurt the only man she could ever even envisage loving. To protect him and the Jedi she would have to go.

The decision made, Mara returned to the tower. Skywalker lay still as one dead, but she could hear his breathing. It was odd how he hadn't felt her unrest. He usually knew when something happened to her. Gathering up her gear, she bade him a silent farewell and slipped out of the ruin. She moved like an automaton, unfeelingly as she made her way through the Jungles of Yavin. Unaware of the passage of time, she moved past the Jedi at the Academy, oblivious to her passage. They seemed shadowy, vague figures, their presences only substance in the passage of time. They were nothing to her. She was above all of them. She had always been alone and would continue to be so. It wasn't long before she secured her ship and blasted off into space, leaving the planet behind. She could sense Luke's seeking mind, and she shielded herself from him, allowing him no contact with her. It would be better to allow him the time to adjust to her decision. In the end, he would see that she was right.

It was many days later when she received a recorded holo message from the Jedi Master. At first she wasn't sure if she should even listen to it, but she knew that she would have to eventually. When she activated the recorder, a large shimmering figure of the Jedi Master appeared before her. Luke's eyes looked tired, his voice resigned. He sighed deeply and said, "I fought against your decision to leave, but I now know that you understood things better than even I ever realized. Be well, and may the Force be with you."

The holo winked out.

He was gone.

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

Moment of Decision

By Rhea Jediknight
and
Ash Darklighter

Part Five

Luke had gone, Mara realised and something within her seemed to wither away, but she could not find it within herself to reconsider her decision. She had done the right thing. Her path had been laid; it was now time to walk it. But another part of her couldn't understand why Luke had accepted her decision so tamely. It wasn't like him at all. He had been in love with her, hadn't he?

She lived in a fog, watching her life as if from a great distance. For months, she went about her daily tasks no longer able to muster the will to do anything else. It wasn't long before Talon Karrde remarked on this, his concern evident but Mara had sharply told him that it was none of his business. He never mentioned it again, and remained somewhat aloof from her, no longer quite the friend that he had been. All her friends seemed to treat her with a strange reserve as she continued to retreat from them all. It seemed that losing Luke Skywalker had turned her into a shell of the woman they had once known and liked.

Mara watched as years passed and she continued to die a little every day without Luke. She saw holos of him and noted with misgivings that his face seemed greyer and his air more remote with the passing of time. He was no longer the mixture of innocent farmboy and world weary Jedi Master that she had once known. There were no pictures of him laughing at some joke. The Jedi Master seemed to have totally taken him over. He lived a joyless and barren existence which mirrored hers and part of her knew that she was responsible. There were occasions during her long sleepless nights when she bitterly regretted her actions, but as time went on it grew harder and harder to make that first step. Each time she thought about contacting him, something inside of Mara prevented her. It was as if a darkness clouded her mind, making it impossible for her to see the light. And with each passing day, they both died a little more inside.

Years later, although it only seemed a few moments, she absorbed the knowledge that Luke Skywalker had gone on a suicide mission and had never returned. She read the holos reporting the details of his demise, knowing that if she had been with him, she could have saved him. Hell, he may never have gone on such a jaunt in the first place. He'd had no will to live and had gone to his death eagerly. The day he died was the first time in years that she had cried real tears and she reopened the wounds in her heart. The heart that had cracked and never mended when she'd left him.

Mara wondered why she had never done anything more with her Jedi abilities, why she had retreated from life and love? She felt the unreality of her existence. It was as if her entire being was caught up in a nightmare, and she found it almost impossible to break free. Something buried deep within her rebelled, pushing away from the shadows that filled her mind, her very soul.

The dark whispered voice attempted to seduce her even further away from what she had once been - vital, alive, and in love with Luke Skywalker. But Mara saw, near the end of her life, the mistake she had been too arrogant to see that she'd made. She would right this wrong. For once, she'd refused to listen to that darkly sibilant voice as it cooed empty words of comfort. She would not accept Luke Skywalker's death. She would not walk away from him this day; she would not live the rest of her life in the way that the dark side had presented to her.

A loved and remembered voice soothed her troubled soul. Even though he was dead, Luke was still there for her. He would always be there for her. It did not matter what decisions she made or what actions she took. Luke would never abandon her to the dark side.

This reality was all a lie. This would never happen, it couldn't be real.

Suddenly the truth seemed to shine through the darkness that had become her life. Luke couldn't be dead. She began to see through the web of deceit the dark side had woven. He would never, ever have abandoned her in this manner and she could no more walk away from him than rejoin the next dark Jedi that appeared. She was grounded in the light. She didn't need to be perfect to be a Jedi. As Luke had said - he wanted her to remain as she was but to accept her place in the Force.

"No!" she shouted. "This is all a lie. I choose to live, and I'll never allow the dark to rule my life."

With a tremendous effort, Mara resumed walking and broke free of the shadows. The vague half life that hadn't been a life at all but a bitter illusion faded away. She came to awareness as the dawn sent beams of light through narrow apertures in the ceiling of the circular room. Mara hadn't noticed the small openings before in the shadows of the night. The moment she left the dark side stain, her mind cleared. "I have to get out of here, she breathed. "I have to get out." Looking frantically for the exit she dashed for the door and subsided against the wall outside. The trees rustled in the faint breeze, caressing her face soothingly. She took a long shuddering breath, feeling the warm air as a relief to the stinging coldness of the room just behind her.

"Mara." Luke's voice startled her.

She whirled around to face him, her adrenalin still pulsing through her body, her heart beating at an accelerated pace.

He was sitting underneath a gnarled tree, his eyes dark with worry and fatigue, his face white but his signature in the Force rang clear and true. "You should have waited for me. It was dangerous for you to go in there alone." He uncrossed his legs and stood up.

Mara couldn't tell what he was thinking. She retorted, "I just heard it calling to me. You should have told me and you knew… you slimy son of a sith."

Luke replied evenly, "Yes, I am the son of a sith but I didn't think I was slimy. If you had been prepared, it would not have been a valid trial. You did well."

"But I betrayed myself, the Jedi… you."

"No you didn't. That was the dark side pulling your deepest fears to the surface and showing you a possible future. You pulled away from it in the end."

Mara looked aghast at that. "A possible future?"

"It was something you needed to see. You would never have been content just to accept." He smiled at her, the warmth flooding her body. "It is not in your nature just to accept. You are too like me - you have to question, have to know all your options. The Force is always in motion. Even Yoda could not predict the future. Do you plan to leave this planet, to leave me?" Luke's voice was once again remote. His expression blank.

"No - not just now. Not until you tell me to go."

"Then that future is already averted. I would never tell you to go."

"Did you see everything?" Mara asked quietly
.
Luke's face grew remote, his gaze shuttered. "Why, does it matter?"

Mara thought about that before answering, "Without me you gave up on life. I watched you die inside from a distance and I didn't have the strength to come and save you and I could have… I knew it." She lowered her head, ashamed that because of her actions he had suffered. The one man who had believed in her, no matter what.

Luke shook his head slowly, "Yes, Mara you could have saved me, but did you really think I would let myself die without you?"

She lifted her head and stared at him hard. Luke began to squirm under her penetrating scrutiny. "Yes," she said. "I think you would have. Oh, perhaps no one would have noticed at first but yes, without me in your life you would have never loved again. The road you were on, shutting yourself away from friends and family - a life of meditation and solitude, would have continued." She looked up to see his blue eyes shining at her, and her throat constricted. She found it difficult to breathe normally.

He grabbed her shoulders, gazing deeply into her beautiful green eyes. "I love you Mara Jade - you. There is no way that I would have just let you walk away. I need you, just as you need me. Have I ever left you when you really needed me?"

"That's part of what turned me back, I heard your voice. It was far away but it soothed and calmed me when I was at my lowest ebb. Even when we've been estranged, if I was in any sort of trouble you always came for me." Mara whispered as she began to give in to his nearness. "You have this annoying habit of rescuing me when I don't want to be rescued and saving me when I do. You're not the type to sit doing nothing when someone like me is dying inside." Then his words penetrated her tired mind. "What do you mean… you love me? You never said that you loved me."

"If you leave me, I swear to you, I'll find you. I'm not going to let you deny what's between us. I…"

"I'm not walking away," Mara interrupted.

But Luke continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Even if it takes years, Mara Jade. You and I will finally know total love between us. I won't become that empty, lonely man. I won't just let you walk away to leave me . . ."

"Skywalker!"

"I can take it slowly, Mara. I can wait… give you time." His blue eyes were fervently pleading with her to give him a chance. "Feel it, Mara. Can't you feel what we have through the Force? Stretch out…"

"Luke!" Mara finally ran out of patience although his impassioned babbling was somehow endearing.

"What?"

She swayed suddenly, her whole emotional experience catching up with her. She bent her head forward, and closed her eyes.

"Mara! Force!" he exclaimed in horror.

She suddenly found herself lifted against his chest and he was carrying her out of the ruins and down a remarkably clear path. "Luke?"

"We came the back way," he mumbled apologetically, as if he knew what he had said might anger her.

"You mean you had me hacking down thorns for nearly half a day and we could have walked straight in?"

"Eh… uh… well… yes," Luke stammered.

"Put me down!" Mara demanded. "I'm not happy about this. All that time and we could have…"

"Ssh!" he soothed, as he headed towards the vehicle Mara could now see just a mere hundred yards away.

"What is it with you thinking you can suddenly pick me up and carry me about all of a sudden?"

"I'm not letting you go . . . . ever," Luke said grumpily. "In your weakened state, you'll injure yourself or collapse from too many ration bars. You just about passed out on me back there."

"I did not!"

Luke lifted an eyebrow. "Yes, you did."

"I was not about to…" The eyebrow rose even further. "Okay maybe I swayed a little."

"You survived an entire night in a vision quest with the dark side beating down your barriers only to have you shore them up and emerge stronger in the light than ever. I've never been so proud of you in my life. "

"I'm not some frail Galactic noblewoman." Mara muttered crossly, to cover the feeling of pleasure she felt at Luke's words. He was proud of her.

"I know, thank the Force. Can you see me with one of them? Always thinking I was below them because I come from a moisture farm on Tatooine. Never happy because I couldn't dance attendance on them the whole time and deny my own destiny?"

"Actually I can… you and your sister have this… air about you, but I don't think someone dancing attendance on you would make you happy."

Luke made a face. "Never able to accompany me on missions because I would worry about their ability to cope with difficult and dangerous situations? I don't need a hothouse flower. I want a wild rose. I want you."

"Luke…"

"You need to rest…"

"Luke!"

"Ssh!!" Luke had reached their vehicle. Carefully he slid her down to her feet and watched concerned as she wobbled a little.

"I do feel a little strange," Mara suddenly admitted. "Lightheaded…" She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her forehead.

"Whoa, Jade." Luke grabbed hold of her arm to steady her.

Mara's knees began to buckle. "I do feel… dizzy," she whispered.

Luke pulled out one of the seats to form a bunk and helped her lie down. "Sleep," he murmured staring into her heavy eyes. Dropping a gentle kiss on her forehead he eased her into a Force induced sleep and started the engine ready to return to the Jedi temple.

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

Mara slept through the return trip to the Academy. Sleepless nights and her injured ankle, combined with her recent ordeal had taken their toll. Luke had not slept the previous night either, having monitored Mara's battle with the dark side, ready to lend assistance if needed. He fought to keep his tired eyes from closing. It would be too easy to just stop the vehicle and curl up beside Mara and sleep for a week. He should have known that she was in no danger of succumbing to the dark side, she was too strong and too stubborn he thought with quiet satisfaction. His body ached to sleep, but he had to keep going. He wanted Mara checked over properly by one of the Jedi healers at the temple. A brush with the dark side was enough to sap anyone's spirit.

He pushed away his bone-deep tiredness. Luke would sleep once he had returned Mara to the safety of the Academy. Despite his fatigue, he doubted he could sleep until he was certain that Mara was unharmed. His thoughts were racing through his mind like a wild herd of banthas, and his heart was overflowing with hope for his future with the beautiful redhead. He had a future - she hadn't rejected him.

He couldn't seem to stop himself from continually replaying ever nuance of Mara's reaction to his declaration of love. Her facial expression, her emotional state, her sense, and finally her words all pointed in the same direction. She felt deeply for him. But doubt suddenly assailed him. Did she love him? Was it enough?

Luke knew that his timing was off, but he could not have prevented the words from spilling free of his soul any more than he could deny the presence of the Force in his life. He just wished that he had a clearer picture of how she felt, uncoloured by her recent encounter with the dark side. It was hard to discern her true reaction through her exhaustion -her exhaustion and his own. 'You will know when you are both calm and at peace.' Words that Yoda had once spoken to him echoed in his head. He smiled wearily. Yoda, as ever, was right.

Mara's vision had been disturbing; the image of his life without Mara was too horrible to bear. It would be kinder to die an early death than to wither away slowly in such a fashion. Luke would never let that future come to pass. He would no longer allow the love of his life to walk away from him. Even if she ultimately rejected him he would go on for ever trying to make her change her mind. He would not allow the joy to leave him withered and grey.

Luke knew it might be difficult for Mara to release her past and accept who she had become. But in rejecting the dark side totally she had to go forward towards the light. He would have to make her see that just because she had passed this hurdle, there weren't others, equally hazardous to follow.

Luke had always sensed a link between them. He wondered if he had always known, from the very first moment he'd stared down the barrel of her blaster, that she was the one for him. He regretted the years it had taken for them to finally reach this realization, and was determined to not allow this mistake to continue. He could be patient, give Mara some time to adjust, but he would no longer be absent from her life. Luke would not be a spectator but an integral part of her world. They would share their lives together, in some form or another. He wondered if her clients would accept a Jedi Master as part of her negotiating team. Perhaps she would not want him there. Mara might view him as an interference to her livelihood. He found this thought disheartening

Luke had driven fourteen hours straight, only stopping for brief breaks to grab a ration bar and such. He was determined to return as quickly as possible, slightly disturbed by Mara's continued unconsciousness. He could not sense anything amiss, but he would be more comfortable if she were out of the jungles of Yavin. His eyes felt scratchy with weariness but he reached deep into the well of energy the Force provided for him. He hadn't far to go now.

It was dark when the vehicle finally pulled onto the Academy grounds. Mara was still sound asleep and after a momentary debate Luke carefully picked her up and carried her from the vehicle. She stirred slightly, but did not wake up. She snuggled against him, curving herself into his arms and he smiled. Although Mara might protest when she was aware, he knew she enjoyed being in his arms. She belonged there and her body knew it too.

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

Luke moved silently to her room and securing Mara even tighter against his chest with one arm and palmed open her door with the other hand. With a sound like a thankful sigh the door slid softly aside. He laid her gently on her bed, removed her boots and covered her with a soft nerf's wool blanket. His hand brushed her hair out of her face, and he stretched out with the Force, making certain that she was in a normal sleep. He could sense her dreaming mind, but this time was careful to avoid slipping past her mental barrier. She had forgiven him for the transgression once. She would not do so if he invaded her dreams for a second time without her consent.

Luke was reluctant to leave her, and briefly considered sleeping on her couch - just to make sure that she was really aall right. But after a short debate with himself, he decided that it would be best to allow Mara some time to herself. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her mouth. When he kissed her, she murmured something, and settled back still deep in slumber. Luke smiled, no longer quite as concerned about her well being - her sleep was the natural one of the totally exhausted. She had been through a lot and she deserved the rest. He pulled reluctantly away and quietly left the room, feeling as if he were leaving a part of himself behind.

*********************
As Corran Horn made his way to bed, he had spied Jade and Skywalker's vehicle on the periphery of the grounds. So they had returned. They had been away for exactly five days. Two days or so to get there, a day or two perhaps, to undergo the trials and then, no doubt, Luke driving at a reckless speed back through the Yavin jungle to get Mara back to safety. He wondered if the trip had been a success. Mara had not been as open to the idea as she should have been, but mixed up with her wariness of joining the brown robed ones was her undoubted feelings for the Jedi Master. He was quite glad he hadn't been with them in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the ground vehicle.

Stifling a jaw breaking yawn he rounded the corner and observed Luke exiting Mara Jade's room.

Interesting.

"Luke!" he whispered.

Luke's face immediately assumed a guilty expression as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have. "Corran! I thought everyone would have gone to bed by now."

A huge grin crossed the Corellian's face, but one look at the Jedi's face was enough to dampen his humour. He descended on Skywalker, concerned by the Jedi Master's demeanour. Immediately sensing Corran's anxiety, Luke suppressed his first urge to rebuff the man, and return to his quarters alone. Corran was someone Mara had trusted enough to ask to teach her and he was evidently concerned about the fate of the trial. He scolded himself inwardly. Just because he wanted to be everything to Mara didn't mean that he had exclusive rights. Instead, he allowed the other Jedi to accompany him and after a few silent paces actually welcomed the company.

"How's Jade?" Corran broke the silence.

"She's fine," Luke gave the first real smile since he'd carried her from the ruins. "She's just exhausted. She wasn't sleeping well before we left and after the ruins, she was pretty wiped out. I had to carry her from the ruins to the transport. She didn't even protest that much."

Corran blinked. "Goodness!"

He was so tired, he really should go to sleep, Luke thought. He wanted to be awake and by her side when she emerged from her slumber. He was afraid to find that she might have departed if he wasn't there. He knew that this wasn't fair to her and unlikely in the extreme. It just attested to his vulnerable emotional state. He was tired, he needed to sleep so badly that he felt like a droid with a two day old memory wipe. He should have more faith in her, trust that she would have the courage to face him. But the doubt trickled into the back of his mind and no amount of rationalizing could banish his unease. Corran watched him sensing the disquiet through the Jedi's flagging barriers. Mara wasn't the only one who was exhausted.

"Luke, worrying about her…"

"I can't help it, Corran. Most of me knows that she's okay, but part of me worries."

He focused on the blond man beside him, and considered teasing him about Mara's lack of sleep, but he could tell that Skywalker would not welcome his ribbing in his present mood. "How was the trip?' Corran's voice was casual, but there was no mistaking the underlying question behind these words.

Luke took a deep breath. Corran was a friend and he had a feeling that the Jedi could understand what he was going through better than most. But part of him still shied away from giving away his innermost self. He'd been hurt too many times before to risk it. Only with Mara could he be himself.

"The trip was… good, I think. She did well and came through the ordeal, not unscathed, but it wouldn't be any sort of trial at all if she did. She's been asleep since we left." He shrugged. "A brush with the dark side is always debilitating." He gave a thin smile. "I'll get the healer to check her over tomorrow."

"She won't like that."

The Jedi Master paused outside his quarters. "I don't care whether she likes it or not. She gets checked over and that's the end of it."

Corran masked his expression, but Luke, tired as he was, was still the master and was aware of his responsibilities to his students. "I would do the same for any of the students whether I… I…"

Corran's eyes were full of warm understanding. "Were in love with them or not?"

"You know?" Luke sank back against the stone wall of the corridor. "You know," he pronounced gloomily. "Of course I love her. It's not the greatest surprise around here any more, is it?"

Corran gave him a sympathetic smile. "Those that have known you the longest and the best are not surprised… the others…" he chuckled. "They conjecture and speculate but they don't know. You're both very private people with strong shields. It's never easy to tell what you are thinking. Let them hypothesize."

Luke wasn't sure why he had decided to confide in Corran. Perhaps, his own fatigue had lowered his guard or maybe because he really wanted to discuss this with someone. The Corellian was married and was happy by all accounts. I do love her," he sounded amazed at the words coming from his own mouth.

Corran pantomimed amazement, "Sorry, Luke, I though I just heard you say that you loved her."

When Luke's smile faltered, Corran continued, "It's about damned time you admitted it. But it's no use telling me. I'm not the one who needs to know."

Luke's smile slipped. "I actually told Mara that I loved her. It just slipped out." He fell silent.

Corran said, "I take it she didn't respond with overwhelming enthusiasm?"

"Mara?" Luke snorted, "No she didn't admit anything. To be fair I don't think it really registered. She stood there, swaying, white faced, her green eyes huge."

"There's no doubt that she loves you."

Luke's eyes widened and then he swallowed nervously. "You've sensed this?"

"I'd have to be blind not to notice. You two have been dancing around each other for years, it's about time you confronted how you feel." He gave Luke a long look, "You don't really doubt her feelings, do you?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure what exactly she feels for me. We've come a long way over the years from hate to…"

"Love?" supplied Corran. "What else do you feel?"

"There is respect and affection, a sense of trust and loyalty." Luke bit his lip, anxiety clouding his features. "There is an awakening desire too. She kissed me and didn't seem… repulsed by it. I felt the fire run through her blood. She desires me," he finished in amazement with a shy grin spreading across his face.

Corran returned the grin, unable to remain unaffected by Luke's sudden quiet jubilance. "Seems like love to me. You have an advantage that Mirax and I have. We were friends first. We have a solid foundation to build our relationship upon. You and Mara have the same." He stepped back a pace. "But, Luke… You have to tell her again when you're both not so tired. You have to make sure she doesn't mistake your feelings for anything else. I thought I'd lost Mirax, when I was captured by Isaard before we had a chance to make our feelings known."

Luke pulled himself away from his position of making sure the wall didn't fall down and raised his hand to open his door. "I know. Thanks for taking my classes for me. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. I made all the students call me master in your absence," Corran joked.

Luke chuckled.

Corran grimaced, "Yeah. Now I know why you always volunteer for those dangerous missions. You just want to get away from them from time to time."

"That's not true. Any more talk like that and you'll have landed me with a reckless reputation." He wavered on his feet.

"Go to bed, Luke. You're too tired to make any more sense out of anything."

"Yeah!" His door slid open. "Corran!" Luke turned back to face the man.

The other Jedi raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Just in case she plans to run before I can talk to her. Could you make sure she doesn't leave. I don't have any idea how you're going to do… that. Just… do…"

"Consider it done, Luke. Go to bed."

"I think I could sleep for a week." His head drooped.

Corran smiled. "Go on," he ordered. "Get some rest. I'll make sure someone looks after Mara."

Luke's head rose abruptly from where it had dropped to his chest. "Be discreet about it. Don't let on she's being looked after. She doesn't like it."

'She's not the only one,' Corran thought with a smile. "I know Mara. I'll see to it. Now for the last time, Master Skywalker," Corran emphasised Luke's title. "Bed. You won't be up to coping with her tomorrow if you don't go to bed now." Corran pulled Luke from the wall he was propping up, pushed him through his open door and slapped the control pad. The door slid shut with a satisfying hiss. "Goodnight," he said with a quiet chuckle and headed to his own room.

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

(To be continued . . . )
Moment of Decision
Part Six
by Rhea Jediknight and Ash Darklighter

The sun was high in the sky when Mara awoke to find Cilghal and her apprentice leaning over her prone form. A gentle hand stayed her reflexive movement to pull a blaster from a holster that wasn't there.

"It's okay, Mara. Just relax." The Mon Calamarian healer intoned gently, her large eyes taking in every detail of her patient's appearance.

Mara took a deep breath and wondered why she ached all over. It took her a few seconds for her tired mind to ascertain a few facts. She was back in her quarters at the Academy. She felt like she was recovering from a stun blast, and Skywalker was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but Master Skywalker said that you might be ill and after our repeated comms went unanswered, we decided to examine you."

"I didn't hear anything." Mara tried to sit up, groaning involuntarily as she failed to do so, and subsided back onto her pillows, her head spinning, "Where is Skywalker?"

"Master Skywalker has been told to rest. He's in his quarters - hopefully sleeping." Cilgahl's voice held a trace of fond amusement.

"I." Mara attemped to rise again. The nerf hide blanket fell unheeded to her waist. She was still garbed in her black jumpsuit, but her boots were lying on the floor beside the bed.

"I'm fine," she said when the Mon Calamari healer leaned over her, checking her pulse and shining a light into her eyes. "Look, you don't have to do that. Quit shining that thing in my eyes."

"Master Skywalker was concerned about your condition after your recent ordeal, but you do appear to be in good health. However, I do recommend that you take it easy for a while. Exposure to the dark side can be debilitating. You will feel very tired for a day or so."

"Where's Skywalker? I want to see him." Mara repeated, her voice acquiring an edge.

"You can see him later. He's resting in his room, I should imagine. We suggested that he do so and we told him we would check on him later. I advise you do the same. We'll leave you alone for now. Braxis left a tray of food for you if you feel up to eating." They exited the apartment as silently as they had entered.

Mara channelled power into her body through the Force and this time succeeded in lifting her head from the pillow. She gingerly swung her legs to the floor and sat breathing heavily. Stars, she felt as weak as a day old pitten. As her world righted itself, Mara felt her energy return and carefully left the bed, looking at the chrono. Two days! She marvelled at having slept so long. No wonder the Jedi healers had come to check on her. Stripping off her jumpsuit, an act that almost made her crawl back into her bed immediately, she made her way to the fresher, holding onto walls and furniture until she got there. After a brief wash, she pulled on a light sleeping shift and thankfully crawled back to her bed.

As she pulled back the covers Mara reached out with the Force seeking Luke's presence. She felt the thin tendril connecting her to the other Jedi, become more solid. A familiar warmth infused her being, the essence of the man filled her. She wondered how many times she automatically reached out to Luke for reassurance when she knew he was near. She had the feeling that it was something she did often.

* Luke? * She projected the question into his mind.

He didn't respond, but she felt a reflexive upsurge of warmth from him. She realized that he was asleep. Of course, how else had they returned to the Academy unless Luke had driven the distance non stop? He must be exhausted too. She knew upon reflection, that he had been with her for the duration of her struggle with the dark side, ready to lend assistance if necessary. Instead of being annoyed by this knowledge, she found it reassuring. He hadn't abandoned her to her struggle. He'd watched over her all the while but let her make her own decision even if it had been one that pained him.

Mara withdrew from her contact with Luke, feeling his mind begin to stir and soothed him back to sleep. Once she was certain that the Jedi had once again surrendered to his exhaustion, Mara withdrew from the contact. Suddenly feeling tired again she nestled into her pillows, pulled her comforter about her ears and fell into a more natural slumber.

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

Corran wandered into the Academy sickbay. "How are they, Cilghal?"

The Jedi healer's large eyes glinted. "Exhausted."

The Corellian nodded. "I came across Luke after he had carried Jade to her room. She was out cold then and he was keeping himself awake by willpower and the Force. In fact he was using so much power in the Force that I thought he might even start to glow."

"She has now awoken and was most determined in trying to arise from her bed. The will was there but the way was not. All the determination in the world won't get past the fact that she still needs more rest."

"She is determined." They shared a smile.

"And stubborn,yes, but when I checked a moment ago, she had fallen asleep again."

Corran looked worried. "But she's already been out for two days!"

"Yes, but she faced the dark side and it took more out of her than she suspected it would. She is now sleeping lightly and I would guess that she will awake far more refreshed in a couple of hours. She will be tired for a few more days, but she is young and healthy and will recover."

"What about the Master?"

"Also sleeping. He's awoken a few times for food and then gone back into a healing trance. Not only did he monitor the whole thing."

"He was barely standing upright when I found him the night they arrived back. He'd driven back without stopping to rest."

Cilghal chuckled. "So I heard." She then shook her head. "He undertook this task right after a difficult mission. High Councillor Organa Solo threatened to detain him in the Coruscant medicentre unless he rested properly. She was worried that he wouldn't come to Yavin and relax."

"Which of course, he didn't."

"No, he didn't."

"If he could have, he would have camped outside Mara's door until she woke up."

"I think I heard that too."

"He was most insistent that I checked her over and I had to ensure that she did not leave the planet without first seeing him. I think Luke assumed she would wake up the next morning and leave immediately. At one time, I think she would have, whether she was able to drag herself to her ship or not."

The Calamarian sighed. "As you rightly stated, she was not physically able to get out of her bed and make it unaided to her ship. She has learned to face her fears and has grown as a Jedi. I didn't think she would bolt this time."

"Perhaps not, but she came to train when Luke was away. He came back early and surprised her. She was not comfortable when he arrived. That is not the actions of someone ready to involve themselves in a deeper relationship."

"So you noticed all that tension too. Something has happened between them." Cilghal was certain.

"Yes, I can feel it." Corran agreed. "There still may be problems ahead. They are the most stubborn people I know."

"And you know quite a few, don't you," Cilghal said easily.

Corran grinned. "I'd better go; I have one of Luke's classes to take."

Cilghal cocked her head enquiringly. "Telekinesis?"

"Advanced lightsaber technique actually," he retorted snippily and then looked rueful. "You know I can't lift anything worth a damn."

"Just teasing you, Corran. You have other strengths. I'm going to check again on the Master."

"Yeah! Tell him to get up and teach his own classes."

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

Mara opened her eyes. Where was she?

The sun splashed brightly into her room.

'I'm in my room on Yavin 4. I slept the rest of the day away,' she thought. Suddenly recent events began to flood back into her mind. "I've slept for nearly three days," she mumbled aloud. "I've never slept that long in my life before. Unless you count the time I had neural reconstruction surgery done, but technically that wasn't sleep, that was sedation." Remembering her dizziness from the day before Mara carefully sat up and smiled with relief when this time she didn't feel any ill-effects from her experience at the ruins.

As she began to ready herself for the day, she realized that a very thin thread of awareness remained between her and Skywalker ready to flare to disconcerting life. She reflected on this new and not unpleasant sensation. She knew that she would be aware the moment he awoke, or even if his dreams began to trouble him. They were now connected on a far more intimate level through the Force, and Mara wondered if it was even possible to break this bond and debated whether she even wished to.

If someone had told her about the possibility of this happening, she would have never returned to Yavin, might have even avoided Skywalker indefinitely. She had tried to train without his knowledge and had only hurt him in the process. He had always insisted she had the right and the ability to become a Jedi Knight. It was only her irrational fear of being in the power of someone like the Emperor that had stopped her. But this bond was different from her connection to the Emperor. Whereas, the Sith lord's presence had been commanding and had sometimes overruled her own thoughts, Luke's presence was a comfort, a source of strength available for her to use if she so desired. It was non-intrusive, warm and caring.

It made her feel loved. She'd never felt such an emotion and certainly hadn't felt it directed at her with such open-minded farmboy honesty.

Her throat tightened with emotion as she grappled with this knowledge. What had she lost by staying away from Luke for so long?

Mara warred with two conflicting impulses and managed to restrain both of them with great difficulty. The first was to fire up her ship and leave while Skywalker was unaware, and the second more compelling impulse was for her to go to him. She wanted to enter his room, check on him, and stay with him. More than once, she walked by his room and looked longingly at his closed door. She knew she could enter without any difficulty, in fact she doubted he had even locked the door.

But something within her prevented her from making this move. She settled for repeatedly reaching out to him, his warm presence reassuring her that he was alright. She really didn't want to leave Yavin, but the more she thought about his proclamation of love, the more she wanted to flee. It was odd, really. She had no intent of pushing away her own growing feelings for the Jedi - it was just that she had been alone for so many years. She was so used to managing on her own - being independent that the thought of being so closely bound to another person was almost alien to her. But the vision she'd had of Luke's face as he'd faded away without her made her heart weep. It was hard to accept another option might be on the horizon. The option of being loved and in love.

She'd always had strong feelings for Skywalker, she finally acknowledged to herself. Always extreme but there had always been something there. Mara would die inside if he was no longer a part of her world as he would without her. He was her best friend and she would never, ever want to lose that. Was passion worth the risk? Is that what made her want to escape? Again she remembered her vision, and the slow demise of his spirit. Is that what would happen to them both if she left?

Since the time she had emerged from her room with the all clear from the healers, Corran Horn had dominated her continuing training schedule. He seemed determined that she not remain alone, keeping her busy. Every time she turned around, there he was. She had begun to suspect that he had an ulterior motive, but had yet to have an opportunity to question the wily Corellian. Mara sat outside one of the smaller Massassi ruins, going through a series of basic exercises at Corran's request.

"Concentrate, Jade," he said. "I know you've had an interesting few days but let's not forget the basics."

"I have been concentrating for the past two hours and I can lift rocks better than you can."

"That's true," Kyp commented from the edge of the clearing. "He never was one for lifting."

"Nasty, to pick on my shortcomings."

"I never mentioned your height," Mara quipped an evil glint in her eyes."

"I have a compact frame. Just right for a pilot," Corran shot back.

"Are you deliberately keeping me busy with trivial tasks?" she queried. Something was calling to her or someone.

Corran coughed. She had humoured him long enough and was now letting him know that she suspected his motives. "I. ah." He had managed to distract her longer than he had hoped.

"No task which develops your use of the Force could be termed trivial, Jade," Kyp said smoothly. "For example. Would you recognise a cloaked Jedi if he was standing behind you?"

Mara closed her eyes and raised her face to the sun. Something lightly brushed her sense - lighter than a moth's wing, softer than an insect call, but to Mara it was louder than the mightiest shout. Joy surged within her as she recognized Luke's alertly seeking mind.

"Of course, I would." She opened her eyes.

Kyp smiled. He had never seen her eyes glow as brightly as they did at that moment. "Well then?"

"The cloaked Jedi Master, you mean?" she asked.

Corran laughed. "He's here?"

Mara welcomed Luke's light probe, relieved that he had finally contacted her. She could feel his quiet joy at her reception of him and his tension slowly ebbing away. *I know you're there, Skywalker,* she said through the Force. Still not turning around to see where he had hidden his presence. She would be with him soon enough. "He's around and about," she murmured. "About time he dragged himself out of bed."

*Eager to see me, Jade?* Luke teased

*Worried I wouldn't be here, Skywalker?* she said as a rejoinder.

*It is more convenient* he conceded.

*What do you mean?* she asked querulously.

*I'll be able to see you just that much sooner.* Mara read the implication in his words. He was saying that he would have come to her regardless of where she had been the moment he awoke.

*In that case, I'm with Corran outside the Massassi temple.*

*Where do you think I am?* he sent back teasingly.

*I know where you are,* she returned smartly.

*You do, do you?*

*I know exactly where you are. I think*' The Force illusion flickered. "Luke." she began to stare around her, searching for his presence.

"Mara?" Horn's voice intruded on her mental conversation with Skywalker. "You need to remain focused if you are going to maintain the illusion," he reprimanded her lightly.

"Yes, Jedi Horn." She said impishly, her mood greatly lightened by the knowledge that she would be seeing Luke soon. The corner of her lip tugged upward.

"I thought I was Master Horn, to you, Jade?" Corran teased.

"Now, now, Corran," Mara chided with a smile. "I'm just getting used to the idea of calling Skywalker by that title, don't push your luck and expect me to recognize you as well." Her voice faded to a whisper. "I'm beginning to think that there's more than one way to earn that title, either through domination or through respect. Skywalker has earned my respect and that is why I will call him 'Master Skywalker' - at least once, or when the mood strikes me."

Corran nodded. He felt so proud of her and knew that Luke was too.

"He did not demand that I call him 'Master'. He said I had to have a master but that master would be the Force and not any one person.

Corran chucked softly wishing that Skywalker would quickly join them. He wouldn't be able to maintain Mara's interest in his teachings for much longer. He also knew that the red headed Jedi was entirely all too aware of their scheme to keep her from departing Yavin. If it worked - he didn't care that she knew.

Mara did not even need to look up to know the moment Skywalker revealed his presence. There was a rustle in the bushes behind Mara and out stepped the Jedi Master, dressed in his usual blacks, but with an expression on his face that lightened the most sombre of garments.

She was seated on a large stone which must have been part of the Massassi temple at one time. Her attention focused on Corran Horn as he led her through an exercise that involved projecting an image of a flying mynock in the air above their heads. Mara just barely managed to maintain her concentration so that the illusory bird remained visible. She included Skywalker in her field of targets and she felt his unobtrusive pride in her accomplishment.

*Not bad, Jade,* he sent to her through the Force.

*Corran has already given me a hard time about my lack of concentration,* she said wryly.

*Then my presence is good practice for you,* he replied. He remembered suddenly her unguarded words in the hot springs that she could never concentrate properly if he was around. It was the first inkling he'd had that she was attracted to him.

"I think that's enough for today." Corran Horn said and the bird faded away into the air. "Hey, Luke! About time you got up and trained your own students."

"I didn't mean to interrupt your lesson." Luke said walking forward to stand in the centre of the clearing. "However I have been distracting your student for the past few minutes."

Kyp grinned. "Thought so."

"Haven't you duties to attend to, Jedi Durron?" Luke queried a little formally and Mara was gratified to see Kyp's smug grin vanish.

"See you later," he muttered grumpily. Kyp had hoped to have some fun baiting his former master and Mara. Luke was wise to his games.

"Mara Jade is no longer a student of mine." Luke said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Corran that my concentration wasn't all that it should have been," Mara apologised, with a wary glance at Luke. His eyes were clear and bright and he looked rested.

"If you were carrying on a conversation with Master Skywalker and producing mynocks from thin air, I think you have more than proved yourself."

"All the same, I'm sorry," Luke apologised too.

"I don't think I have more to teach her anyway." Corran said standing up. Mara stood up as well, smiling slightly at the blond Jedi. "You were right, Luke." The Corellian was amused to see how quickly her gaze left him and fasten hungrily on Luke. It also made him miss Mirax more than ever. A sudden desire to speak to his wife gripped him. "I'm going to go and see if I can contact Mirax, Luke," he said.

"You do that and say hello from me," Luke murmured never taking his eyes from Mara.

Mara heard Corran speak but couldn't have repeated what he'd said. She was so incredibly aware of the Jedi Master. She watched Luke, her eyes shining with an all too familiar emotion. Luke gazed at Mara and his expression mirrored hers.

Corran's eyes went from Skywalker to Jade and a knowing grin spread across his face. Yup, he definitely needed to speak with his wife. "Well, I think it's getting crowded here, so I'll be on my way."

His words finally registered and Mara turned to address Corran, "Thanks, Horn, for the lesson."

"No problem, Jade. I'll see you around."

The minute they were alone, the open and sunny clearing seemed to become intimate as Yavin's sun began it's decent towards night. There was an awkwardness that had never existed between the two before, and there was a deeper awareness that was new between them as well.

"Hello, Mara," Luke said, his voice husky.

"Luke," she said and without mockery or malice. "Master Skywalker."

"Don't call me that," Luke's face twisted in pain.

"You deserve the title and I was wrong."

"I don't want to be your Master," he said stepping forward and cupping her soft cheek with his hand. "I'm just Luke."

Mara lifted her own hand to cover his and smiled at him, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Well, 'just Luke'?"

Luke dropped his hand and said quietly, his tone strangely formal. "You have recovered?"

"I think so. Cilghal said I would be tired for a few days."

"Then you mustn't overdo it."

"I won't," Mara murmured and then found their whole conversation incredibly funny. She laughed softly.

"Something funny?"

"Us," she answered. "We sound like acquaintances at a Coruscant ball."

"We're more than that." Luke's lips had curved into a gentle smile. "Much more."

"Yes."

"You're not my student any longer."

"You said that already," Mara felt her cheeks grow warm. "Suppose I want to continue training with you?"

"Then it would have to be as equals - as Jedi. I said I didn't want to be your master."

"You would refuse me?" she asked.

"I could refuse you nothing," he said.

Mara digested his remark and nodded. "Okay."

"Come on. I want to show you something." Luke said as he took her hand and guided her into the ruined temple through narrow corridors and ancient stone steps. "Its alright, this place isn't like the Malignare fortress. There are no remnants of the dark side lingering." They navigated through a convoluted set of passageways slowly gaining altitude until they stepped out onto the top of the ancient temple. The cool breeze was refreshing after the stuffy corridors and the view was amazing. They could see across an incredible distance and the entire way was carpeted with the green trees of the Yavin jungle to the mountains beyond. Mara stood gazing at the panoramic vista spread before her until she felt Luke's hand gently tap her arm. A blue blanket was spread across the rough stone roof, and a simple meal of fresh fruit and cheese was laid out on small plates.

"I thought you might be hungry." Luke said quietly. "You've been working hard for most of today."

"While I waited for you to wake up."

"I was tired."

"This is wonderful, Luke," Mara breathed. "And yes. I am hungry."

Luke sat down on the blanket and gestured for Mara to join him. "I figured we didn't have any restaurants, so this was the next best thing."

For a moment, Mara couldn't find anything to say, then said simply. "This is better." Mara said and hid her sudden discomfort by biting into a piece of fruit. He had remembered his promise to make it up to her and had acted upon it at the first possible moment.

Luke was pleased by her comment and watched her surreptitiously while he sliced the cheese for them. She darted quick looks at him out of the corner of her eyes as she ate, pretending to be completely absorbed in the panoramic view from the rooftop. The sun continued its decent and the colours in the sky were spectacular but Luke was watching Mara and she was watching him. The show put on for them by the heavens was largely ignored. She could feel his nervousness and understood the cause as it so closely mirrored her own. They had known each other for years, been the best of friends for so long that she could not even imagine her life without him. Perhaps, that was one of the main obstacles that stood between them. They both feared to try a romantic relationship and fail, leaving their friendship in tatters. They would only live half a life without the other - whatever their relationship developed into.

With a decidedly nervous flutter in the region of her stomach, Mara decided that they should bring this thing between them out into the open, "Luke?"

The sound of his name seemed to catch him unaware and his azure gaze flew to meet hers. He smiled openly at her, the sight making her heart melt. "Yes?" he asked.

"I want you to know how much you mean to me. How important you have always been in my life. You know I'll always be there for you, Skywalker." Mara said slowly.

He had the earnest expression on his face that always affected Mara to her heart's core. "And I'll always be there for you, no matter what happens," he continued, his expression growing intense. "What's wrong Mara? Is this where you tell me that you don't think we're right for each other?"

Mara shook her head, and before she could open her mouth to say anything Luke said quickly, "I really think we are right together. I know you feel it too. This is not just for a night or two, but for a very long time." 'Forever if I have my way,' Luke thought.

Mara swallowed. "Can we both agree that if something happens, that if for some reason, we decide that we don't want to make that final commitment, then we will always be friends," she whispered.

"There's no playing it safe here, Mara. We can't do things in halves. Do you really want to do that?" Luke felt a stabbing pain in the vicinity of his heart. "My life would be meaningless without you, but I don't think I could take seeing you with another man. I'm sorry Mara, but you will always have a place in my heart, but I'm not sure that I could take the pain. It would have to be all or." his voice broke and he turned away. "I have already made that final commitment to you. I cannot go back."

"Luke." she murmured softly.

The Jedi bent his tousled blond head and closed his eyes. It drove him crazy to even think of her with someone else. There was no playing at being cautious, there was no safety net if they failed. He raised his head and finally met her gaze. "We'll make this work. We have to, don't you see." He rolled onto his knees and crawled the small distance separating them. "I can't." he stopped and took a deep breath. Mara felt him gathering his courage together. "I can't go on without you. I know you can feel my emotions; you know how much you mean to me."

Mara peered at his face in the rapidly dwindling light. The sunset had been spectacular but the sight of tears on Luke's face provided much more impact. Her hand reached up and carefully wiped the moisture from his face. She was astounded. He cared for her that much?

As her shaking fingers touched his cheek he pulled Mara toward him, so that she fell into his lap. Her green eyes widened and with a fingertip he traced the outline of her jaw moving up to her soft lips. Her mouth fell open at the gentle caress and Luke groaned, pulling her into his embrace, kissing her fiercely. The passion exploded within them. Instantly this was raw, open desire and they knew that it was too late to retreat, to go back to the simple companionable friendship that had marked the early part of their relationship. There was no denying the physical need for the other, and the uncharted territory of their turbulent emotions. They were caught in the same trap, and it was up to them to decide if they wanted to break free, destroying something precious in the process.

They kissed feverishly for a long moment, and when they pulled back to gasp for air, Luke said, "I want you, Mara. I want you very much."

"I know." She responded, a satisfied smile on her face. "I could feel it."

Her humour made him love her even more.

'Love.'

Did he really love her? He had to be sure this time because life without Mara was a long empty road. This realization made him pause, he was motionless, searching deep within himself to make certain of his heart. It was there. It had been there for a very long time, buried deep under layers of insecurity. He could see that he had failed to acknowledge his feelings in the past for fear of losing the safety and comfort of the status quo. But there was no doubt in his mind or in his heart. The two were united. There never had been doubt where she was concerned. He loved her.

"Hey." Mara said, concerned by his sudden stillness, "I want you too," she said, her face serious in the gloom.

His eyes focused on her again, and he viewed her with such tenderness that Mara almost wept. He weighed his words, wondering how he could express the love he felt overflowing his heart without frightening her away.

"I don't scare easy," she murmured, reading his mind.

He reached out to her through the Force, letting her feel the joy at being with her brought to his soul. His warmth enveloped her, making her sure that everything was right with the galaxy. The sensation rocked her and she closed her eyes wondering if she would ever feel anything more wonderful. Their Force senses swayed together becoming more entwined than they already were.

Luke smiled slowly and said, "My heart is yours. I'm yours. Tell me what you want. We'll move at whatever pace you want to set. I can wait a week, a month, the rest of my life for you, Mara Jade, but I told you this before and I mean it. I will wait for you whatever you decide and if I can't have you then there will be no one. I'm not giving up either, you know how stubborn I can be. So get used to this face, you'll be seeing a lot of it."

"Oh, Luke." Mara sighed. Her head rested on his shoulder as he looked down at her. She was still splayed across his lap.

"I'll keep saying this until you believe me, Mara. I love you. There is no one else for me. There will never be anyone else for me."

This statement brought both incredible joy and trepidation. He was committing to her; she wasn't sure if she was able to give him what he deserved. She wasn't the commitment type. She had never been involved in a long term relationship, she wasn't even sure that she was capable.

The Jedi could sense her emotions, but not the thoughts that went with them. "I know that you can feel it too. Don't be afraid, just let things happen," he urged. She was afraid, had allowed fear to keep her from embracing her true feelings. "How long have we been friends, Mara?"

"A long time. years and years."

"Who do you think of first when you're in trouble?"

Mara blinked. "You of course."

"Who stirs you up so that you're so angry at times you could scream?"

"Definitely you."

"Thanks," he muttered dryly. "Who makes you happy when you're with them? Who makes you laugh?"

Her mouth dropped open. "You do."

"Who do you want with you in the bad times and to celebrate the good?"

"You," she whispered.

"That's how I feel about you too," Luke said quietly. "Add to that the desire and the passion that burns between us when I kiss you. You can walk into a room fully clothed and I want to make love to you so badly that it hurts."

Mara was ashamed of herself; she was not one to allow fear to rule her. "I can feel it, Luke. I seem to know when you are near, what kind of mood you are in, whether you are upset or happy or worried. I don't just suspect it. I know it. We have a bond in the Force, Luke - a true bond between equals. You see me as your equal." She felt as if she were falling into the blue depths of his eyes and confessed. "I do love you, with all of my heart, Luke."

He released a breath he hadn't even been aware that he had been holding. She watched him expectantly. He closed his eyes with relief and offered up some sort of prayer, muttering, "Thank the Force, thank you, thank you." Abruptly he lurched towards her, his mouth descending on hers, claiming it in a demanding kiss. Mara responded instantly, spreading himself out so that he lay across her, balancing his weight on his elbows. The feel of their bodies pressed together was almost a shock, it was so pleasurable.

The commitment made, there was no going back for Mara. She wanted him more than she ever desired another man. They were alone, well away from the other Jedi, and she needed little else to convince her to let their passion overrule their common sense.

Mara pulled back and smiled up at him. "You are wearing way too many clothes," she met his gaze.

He looked slightly surprised. "I don't want to push you into something you don't want to do."

Mara arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Who says I don't want to do something?" She pressed his hand against her breast and the nipple hardened under the layers of her clothing. "Does this feel like I don't want you? I'm just taking your advice and letting things happen, and believe me this is something I want to do." Mara said emphatically.

"Here? Now? On the roof of the temple?" Luke's eyes had gone wide.

"You want to go someplace else?" She began to move her hands over his body, watching with satisfaction as he leaned into her touch.

A confident smile spread across his face, "Well, now that you mention it. I have it on very good authority that the hot springs are quiet this time of night."

"They are?" Mara questioned. "No little Jedi students to interrupt?"

Luke pulled her face down to his for a lingering kiss. "Nope!"

"You sure," Mara murmured breathlessly, as he released her lips.

"I posted it off limits. Said something about maintenance."

"Master Skywalker!" Mara's eyes widened with assumed shock. "What kind of an impression will that make on your students?"

"There's only one student I want to make an impression on and she's not really my student any more."

"Oh, yes. I did hear that there was one Jedi you wanted to seduce and."

"I haven't seduced her yet."

"Oh I think you have, Master Skywalker. I think you have."

"Not to my satisfaction," he winked. "Or hers."

Mara was stunned to find her face growing warm at his words.

Luke got up and pulled the blanket, causing the food to scatter off the surface. The roof was at a slight angle and small berries went tumbling down towards the ground far below their feet. He kept his gaze affixed to her own as he pulled her to her feet, grabbing various articles with his other hand. "Come on."
Moment of Decision
By Rhea Jediknight and Ash Darklighter
Rated NC-17

Part Seven

Their journey down from the roof was littered with stolen kisses and frantic embraces as Luke hurried her towards his goal. At one point, he had stopped and pushed her against a wall, the hardness of his body pressing into hers making no secret of the fact that he wanted her very much.

Finally, they reached the entrance to the springs. Mara hesitated at the entrance. "Luke, I don't have a suit."

"You won't need one," he muttered clearly at the end of the Jedi Master's famed patience and guided her inside. "I don't have one either."

Mara stood as Luke picked up the sole continually burning sconce. He lit the others until the cavern flickered with the dancing lights of the flames, reflecting off the water as it swirled and bubbled in the pool.

"This is perfect," she murmured softly. "Absolutely perfect."

"No, that's you, Mara." He moved in front of her and placed his hands on her cheeks, drawing her face towards him. They kissed slowly and deeply, learning the taste and texture of each other's lips with a thoroughness that left them wanting more. "You're perfect."

Luke stepped back, an enigmatic smile on his lips and raised the shirt over his head, leaving his chest bare. Mara's mouth went dry at the sight of his perfectly sculpted physique, and sank down upon some stone steps leading down to the pool. He kicked off his boots and then stopped. He sat down next to Mara and raised an eyebrow, "You just going to watch?"

"Well…" she drawled. "I was enjoying myself." Mara said, smoothly, but she took pity on his growing embarrassment and took hold of the tab to her zipper. She pulled the silver jumpsuit down the length of her body. She wore very little underneath. His eyes grew wide as he watched her strip with an elegance and confidence that was incredibly enticing. Mara shrugged out of her clothes and took a step towards the water. "Are you joining me?" she continued moving down the steps until she had immersed herself in the warm bubbling spring.

Luke stood like a man turned stone. The sight of Mara, naked and wet was almost too much for him.

"Luke," she summoned, her voice low in her throat.

His heart hammering in his chest, Luke tore off the rest of his clothes and dashed down the steps into the water, grabbing hold of her smooth, slippery body and fastening his mouth over hers in a fierce kiss of desperate hunger. His hands travelled all over her body, caressing and stroking her until she was pleading with him to put her out of her sweet torment and make her his. He moved through the water until he sat on the bottom step, the water lapping round about his waist.

"Mara?"

They gazed at each other; the sight of their wet, naked bodies was both surreal and arousing. Just a day ago, they were just friends, now they were about to make love.

"Please, Luke," she whispered. "Make love to me now. I can't wait any longer. Please," she begged.

Sensing his hesitation, Mara pushed Luke back and straddled him. The sight of her female form in the flickering light of the flames was almost too much. He closed his eyes struggling to maintain a level of control as she began to kiss his neck, running her tongue down the length of his body. She rubbed her femininity against his arousal, enjoying the feel of his length. Not sure if he could withstand this assault, he took her shoulders and manoeuvred her until he was leaning over her. He ravaged her mouth, tongues duelling, skin creating a sweet friction as they moved together. His mouth moved down her body, taking the peak of one breast into his mouth. As his mouth drew on her rosy nipple, desire shot through her in waves. Mara threw her head back, gasping. Her blood moved like honey through her veins and her mind became sluggish with need. Even if someone were to discover them in the secluded pool, she doubted she would be able to stop. She was a slave to her passion.

His mouth moved to the other breast, hands travelling the length of her body. She arched upward and Luke gasped. His hand moved to the place that ached for him, causing her to shudder. Unable to restrain herself anymore, Mara reached for him, caressing him. Luke groaned, his flesh was on fire for her. The pressure was almost too much to bear. The Force swelled around them. Their barriers dropped and they shared the incredible physical sensations with the other, as well as their love. With a muffled oath he lifted her out of the water and placed her on the blue blanket he had miraculously managed to bring down from the roof.

Between frantic kisses, Mara managed to mutter. "The Jedi… got to… shield…" Her hair had come unbound from its neat plait and surrounded her in a mass of riotous curls, her pale body, tipped by dusky pink and framed by its vivid colour. As lost to sensation as his lover, Luke managed hastily to erect a barrier shielding them from the other Force sensitives on the planet.

Neither were unable to wait any longer and they joined in one strong stroke. They stilled, shuddering as the incredible pleasure coursed through them. They didn't stay still for long, recovering enough to move together. Mara shifted until her legs were over Luke's shoulders. They closed their eyes, moaning in unison as he thrust deeply within her. They kissed, their tongues mimicking the movements of their bodies. They strained together with increasing urgency, striving for the peak of pleasure and yet reluctant to end the joy of their union. The tips of her breasts brushed against his muscled chest with each thrust, heightening the tension, serving to drive both of them wild. The sound of gasps and moans reverberated off the stone roof. Afraid that he was hurting her, Luke shifted so that he was on the bottom taking the brunt of the impact. Mara had never even noticed any discomfort. Sitting upright, she rocked against him. Wanting to feel him more fully, she laid down, pressing hard against him.

"Force, Mara. You feel incredible." Luke gasped.

He grasped her hips, plunging deeply within her. She moved in time to the thrust, amplifying the pleasure. Her mouth settled over his shoulder and she latched onto him with her teeth, biting him. They shuddered together. Unable to stave off their release any longer they cried out, convulsing against each other. The Force breaking in waves against them, blinded them with euphoria. Mara collapsed on Luke, replete.

They lay in a state of satisfied exhaustion listening to their breathing slow and the beating of their hearts return to normal. Still joined, Luke's hands began to move against Mara's back, caressing her.

She raised her head and kissed the small mark she had left on his shoulder. "Sorry." She said slightly abashed.

"Don't be." Luke assured her calmly. "You can do that to me anytime you want. It shows that you've marked me as yours."

"And you're quite happy about that?" She chuckled, the small movement causing her to tremble against him, the movement of her breasts making him to regain some of his ardour. Mara's eyes widened as she said, "Again? After that… you're ready again?"

"I… think so…"

"I know men like to brag about their stamina but you're not like that. You're the real thing." Mara's eyes darkened. "All man."

Luke flushed, but there was the sound of male satisfaction in his voice when he spoke. "Not if you don't want to. I don't want to hurt you and believe me Mara. I'm very happy to be yours." He shifted and hardened inside her and Mara found that her insides were turning to liquid again. He only had to touch her and she was ready for him.

She moved suggestively against him. Luke responded instantly, his body hot and hard, pulling her possessively toward him, filling her. They began to move again, the passion growing once again.

"I love you, Mara!" he cried as he shuddered to completion in her arms.

"And I, you," her answering call.

They remained in the cavern making love until nearly dawn. Mara had missed an early evening class, and she and Luke had both missed supper but no one wondered much about their absence. Despite the Jedi Master's hastily erected shielding, there was no doubt in the minds of Luke's staff what he was up to with Mara Jade. Strange warm ripples of sensation in the Force would sweep through the Academy building from time to time. Corran Horn assured the others that she was receiving private tutelage from the Jedi Master himself and tried to ignore the knowing smiles.

"And about time too." Kyp sniggered.

"You'd better not say anything like that to either of them," Corran warned.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not Jade's favourite person and she would gladly make me one with the Force prematurely."

*******

Luke woke Mara up with a kiss grinning broadly at her momentary disorientation. They were on his bed in his quarters at the Academy. Mara vaguely remembered returning there very late last night or was it extremely early this morning? She found that she didn't really care. "I have to make an appearance; I can't expect Corran to continue to teach all my classes."

"You afraid they'll figure we've been up to something?" Mara asked teasingly. She sat up, realizing that he was fully dressed and ready to depart.

Luke waggled his eyebrows at her. "I think our last time together caused so many ripples in the Force, I'm surprised they haven't come to investigate by now. They will know."

"Luke!" Mara said. "I thought you were shielding?"

"I tried but I think some of the emotions got through. They were pretty powerful feelings." He blushed profusely. "They're pretty perceptive; I guess they realized that we weren't in any danger."

Mara inspected the blond man, who had tipped his face away in embarrassment. "You're pretty cute when you blush, Skywalker."

"Aw, Mara!" he muttered his face reddening even further.

"I would have thought you were used to comments like that. Being the most eligible bachelor in the galaxy?"

"I'm not eligible now." Luke wanted to move her attention away from his looks. He grinned audaciously at her, meeting her gaze. "You look even better in the flesh, if I might say so. Perhaps I should make a rule that Mara Jade shouldn't wear clothes when alone with the Jedi Master."

"Luke Skywalker!" This time Mara blushed.

His skin tone was returning to normal, and she could feel his cheerfully good mood. She didn't think she had ever been happier in her life.

Luke chuckled, "Just as I thought. Your blush gives your entire body an enticingly rosy glow."

Mara slapped at the quickly retreating Jedi and missed.

Luke pointed to a spot on the floor beside the bed. "I never had time to return your bag from the trip to the Ruins to you. I think you should find a change of clothes and anything else you might need."

"I'll manage." Mara muttered, still smiling at this bolder Skywalker. On the surface, he was as cool and composed as glass, but she had discovered an entirely different man last night; a discovery, which she enjoyed thoroughly. Who would have thought that Luke could please her in so many ways?

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

For the rest of the day, Mara relaxed and continued her recovery. Eventually she grew restless without Luke. She wanted his presence with a hunger she hadn't realised she possessed. When finally she went to find him, she discovered that he was still in the middle of instructing a class. He stood at the head of a bare room with a relatively small group of students seated facing him. The students' eyes were closed, as Luke guided them through a memory exercise. Mara knew the Jedi Master was aware of her the moment she neared the group of Jedi but did not falter in his task. She took a deep breath, wondering why she felt so nervous and stepped inside. As the door hissed shut, Luke met her eyes immediately, and she could feel the heat of his blue gaze across the room. His inattention did not go wholly unnoticed by the students, but they did not open their eyes. They waited patiently for the Master's voice to instruct them on the next stage of the process. Realizing that she was in danger of disrupting his class, Mara gave him a slow, warm smile and retreated.

The minute she was gone, Luke found it next to impossible to focus on the remainder of the class. Her presence called to him so strongly. He inadvertently instructed the students to repeat the previous step, and then after realizing his error, quickly corrected their course. None of the students were particularly surprised when the Jedi Master called the class to a close ten minutes early.

Luke Skywalker went in search of Mara, sensing her presence in the vicinity of the outdoor teaching arenas. This exterior training area consisted of a series of droid attackers as well as physical challenges in which a student could test their endurance, speed, strength, and Force skills. Although, no one suffered serious injury in the course, it was highly unusual to escape these trials without suffering at least a few stinging blaster bolts.

As he neared, he could hear the distinctive wine of blaster fire and the crackle of its interception by a lightsaber. He didn't sense anyone else in the area, and was both mildly annoyed and proud that she had decided to activate the tests alone. He knew she was not one to seek approval from the other Jedi for her successes, nor was she likely to request assistance from someone in order to oversee her actions in the arena. Still, he worried about her. She'd been through quite an ordeal in the past few days and although she was fit and healthy, he would have preferred if she'd refrained from such activities for a day or two longer.

Luke was mesmerized by the swiftly moving lightsaber, controlled with uncanny skill in the beauty's hands. She was dressed in a black short sleeved jumpsuit, which clung in all the right places. The shine of the faintly metallic, made her red-gold hair gleam in the afternoon sun. The image of her expertly fluid motions and vivid beauty was a lethal combination from which Luke was not immune. He knew Mara could sense his sudden proximity, but she did not acknowledge him as she quickly sliced a large battle droid into a smouldering ruin. Luke winced at the smell and the knowledge that he would have to order another replacement.

She turned to smile at him. Her chest moved with the effort to regain her breath, and her hair was slightly disarranged, curling lightly around her face. His heart swelled with love for her. A low grumbling noise emerged from a metal panel in the rocky ground, as another droid wheeled itself into place, poised and ready to initiate another series of attacks. Luke slapped a switch on the control board, shutting down the program.

"Hey!" Mara protested.

"I already have to replace one battle droid; I didn't really want to requisition another."

"Three, actually." Mara said proudly, her mouth twisting slightly. She nodded to the pile of smouldering metal he had originally thought to be part of the obstacle course.

His eyes grew wide and then he chuckled. "Trying to bankrupt the Jedi Order, Jade?"

"Care for a rematch?" Mara asked playfully, swinging the blue lightsaber blade in a circular arc in front of her.

"And risk breaking my winning streak?" Luke smiled, stepping onto the proving ground so that he was just a few feet away.

"Oh come on. Is that a hint of fear I sense within you?" Mara teased, but a glint in her eye allowed Luke to see that a part of her was serious.

"Please, Mara. I don't want to fight you." Luke said. His pride was still stinging from the knowledge that he had lost concentration; her very appearance in his class had made it almost impossible for him to bring the lesson to its conclusion. Yoda's tests of concentration were nothing compared to dealing with the effect his emerald-eyed Jedi had on him.

"Oh but I do." Mara lowered her blade and peered at him contemplatively, "I still have to prove that I can best you in a saber fight. By your cheating that last time, you robbed me of my victory."

"I did not cheat," Luke burst out indignantly.

"That's debatable," Mara said slowly, her hands smoothing suggestively over the handle of her saber.

Luke felt his face flush as unbidden images of passion sprung into his mind. "If it was a life or death situation, the battle is not lost or won until one of you cannot rise again. You of all people should know that. Never underestimate a beaten foe, Jade."

Mara knew he was right, but her innate desire to prove she really was his equal rose. "What can I do that would convince you to duel with me?

Luke smiled and he responded incapable of remaining remain impervious to her good humour. "You're pretty creative. I have faith in your ability to come up with something."

Her delicately arched eyebrows drew together in consideration, then her expression relaxed. "What if I say that you can have whatever you want if you win?" Mara's voice was low and suggestive.

Luke's eyebrows rose, one corner of his mouth tipping upward in a smile. "Oh really?" He started to caress the hilt of his lightsaber as if pondering her offer. "Sounds intriguing. And what do you get if you win?" Luke inquired.

"I get to demand anything I want from you."

Luke couldn't pass up an opportunity like this, to be able to exact anything from her. Even if he lost, just knowing what she would want of him, was incredibly enticing. "Anything?"

"Anything," she repeated.

"That is very tempting," he agreed slowly.

"Is the deal sweet enough?" she asked, her tongue darting out of her mouth to delicately moisten her lips.

Luke's eyes darkened to navy as they fastened on her soft, ripe mouth. "It's certainly sweet."

"Take it or leave it." She ignited her saber, the blue blade stretching upwards.

Luke's eyes narrowed with intent. "It's a deal," he said clearly.

It was only after the words were out that he wondered, deep in the shadows of his heart, if Mara had planned this in order to flee him. She would never escape him; their destinies were entwined for ever. Then the doubt nurtured by years of loneliness crept in - supposing they weren't destined and he'd been wrong about this? What would he do if she won, and then demanded that they go their separate ways? Luke told himself that she would never do such a thing, but the dark side was always present feeding on his fears. He would have to trust in Mara and the Force that this eventuality would never come to pass. He would have to find a way to banish these fears forever and then he knew what he would ask from her. Suddenly the game was not a game any longer. Suddenly, for Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade, it was life and death. In a moment his decision was made. There could be no going back.

Luke grabbed her, holding the lightsaber safely away from them, and kissed her passionately. He wanted to claim her, impress upon her that they shared a destiny, to remind her of his love. Her mouth opened under his, accepting his tongue as it duelled with hers. Mara's lightsaber dropped from her hand and rolled away, the blade extinguishing itself at the loss of its owner. Luke's hands gripped her shoulders tighter and tighter as he pulled her hard against his body. Then with a suddenness that was shocking, he let her go.

"What was that for?" Mara asked breathlessly when he pulled back, feeling the intensity of his emotions.

His eyes were dark, the feel of his warm breath caressing her cheek. "I just thought we should seal our deal with a kiss." Luke answered seriously. A lock of his dark blond hair had fallen across his forehead, his face was composed. She could see his transformation from farmboy to the Jedi Master. Mara was faintly troubled by the solemn tone the Jedi had adopted. He was treating this as a serious match. She bent to pick up her abandoned lightsaber attaching it back on her belt.

"Luke, perhaps this isn't such a good idea. . . ." She began, confused at the emotions she felt coming from her lover. "I mean…"

"Having second thoughts, Mara?" Luke inquired, "Afraid that you won't win?"

She shook her head, and he stepped back his hands going to his belt and unfastening it. The belt dropped to the floor with a dull thud. "This is just a practice duel… Luke?"

"Is it?" Luke stripped off his Jedi tunic leaving his sculpted chest bare.

Mara's mouth went dry at the sight. He really wasn't playing fair, damn the man. Her impulse to duel was quickly overcome by a far more potent desire. She wanted to caress the muscular, firm expanse of tanned flesh displayed to her hungry eyes until he capitulated. He was going to have to curb this habit he had of removing his shirt at every opportunity. How was Mara expected to fight off the legions of woman who would be overcome at the sight of his toned, muscular chest? "Luke… this isn't…"

"You want to concede?" he taunted, a sly, sexy smile covering his well shaped lips. "Don't think you can win - is that it?"

She could never resist a dare and his challenge awakened her fire. "Sithspawn!" Mara cursed, her saber flying off her belt and into her hands.

Luke assumed a fighting stance. He ignited his green blade, and watched her, his face intense. Mara was uneasy about the air of determination surrounding the man. He smiled slightly, in an effort to reassure her. This only served to put her more on her guard. Something had got him all fired up.

She shifted her balance, reaching out to the Force, her natural competitiveness determined not to be bested by the Jedi Master. Luke waited for her to make the first attack. She paced slowly toward him, at an angle. He moved to maintain a certain distance between them. The slowly circled around, regarding each other. She stepped forward, he stepped back. She grinned at him, unwilling to do what he expected. She wanted him to make the first move.

"Why, Skywalker, I never knew you were such a good dancer." she said humorously.

He exhaled, but she could sense a slight lightening in his mood. "We've had lots of practice over the years dancing around each other, don't you think? I had to learn fancy footwork just to keep up with you. Dancing and fighting," he shrugged. "Good footwork is important for both."

"What is it? What's really going on? You don't fool me, farmboy. Something is brewing in that sneaky little mind of yours" Mara muttered. "We don't have to do this, if you don't want to."

At these words, Luke narrowed his eyes and lunged at her. "'Sneaky little mind,' Jade. I'll show you who's sneaky. I thought you were the one who said "All's fair in love and war. " Mara blocked the attack expertly and they began to duel with a controlled fervour.

The sun was high in the sky; the students were still in the various buildings immersed in classes. The two lone Jedi duelled until their clothes clung damply to their bodies, sweat running down Luke's naked chest, their breathing was laboured, and the drumming of their hearts almost drowned out the deafening sound of lightsabers crackling with each impact. Never had a man and a woman been so evenly matched.

As athletic as she was, Mara wasn't used to fighting for so long with another Jedi at the peak of their fitness. Everything she tried he matched. In desperation Mara used the Force to toss some mechanical droid fragments at Luke. 'Let's see how you deal with a little extra distraction, Skywalker,' she thought. The jagged edge swiped at his arm, and he turned just in time to avoid injury and knock it away with his blindingly bright green blade.

Splitting her concentration like this was a mistake, Mara was still not practiced enough to recover and continue to maintain her defence against the skill of the Jedi Master. He gradually began to gain the upper hand in their fight - grinding her down little by little. Mara gritted her teeth and concentrated harder. This was like no other fight she'd ever had with Luke. He was fighting to win as if it was life or death for them both. Mara had never until now seen how truly accomplished Luke Skywalker was with a lightsaber and up until this moment she had thought that she could beat him. Now she wasn't so sure. All those times they had sparred in the past, Luke had not been fighting to his full capability. A burst of anger rushed through her, making her aggressively careless. How dare he!

Luke panted heavily. His feet danced nimbly across the ground, saber flying in an intricate series of slashes, cuts and thrusts until he had backed her against a duracreet wall. Mara considered Force jumping to the top when suddenly her feet were yanked out from under her with the Force. She fell heavily, her lightsaber flying out of her hand.

She swiped the damp tendrils of hair from her eyes and gazed up at Luke with reluctant admiration. He bent down to help her up, but his lightsaber remained lit, waving it at a safe distance but no less menacingly. It was clear that he was making sure that she acknowledged that he was the victor in this contest. There would be no chance to sneak the victory from him.

"I concede - Luke," she said.

Luke considered her words for a moment and then nodded. The green blade of his lightsaber fizzled out. He stepped in towards her.

"You have become a Jedi Knight of a true and rare calibre, Mara Jade. I'm proud of you."

His face was disturbingly close to her own, his mouth just a hair's breadth away. Still filled with adrenalin from their duel, the pounding of her heart became almost unbearable. Mara felt her body flush in response, her desire for him filling her veins, making it difficult to think straight. Luke pulled her upright, gathering her against him, so that the length of her soft body was pressed intimately against the hardness of his own.

Mara cleared her throat, finding it difficult to speak. "I have to hand it to you, Skywalker. You're good. You are very good indeed."

He smiled, but did not release her.

Mara wriggled a little in his grasp and Luke tightened his hold. She gave him a narrow green-eyed glare. "So what do you want from me?"

Luke paused and she could see that he was thinking. She couldn't read his thoughts but was aware when he had come to a decision about something. "First I'd like to ask what you would have requested if you were the victor in our duel."

Mara raised an eyebrow, and said, "I don't know if I should tell you."

Luke's expression became closed. His eyes narrowed and his voice sounded almost desperate. "Please Mara, I need to know."

She didn't understand the reason behind the abrupt raising of his barriers, but she had felt his sudden pain. He seemed to have become suddenly remote. There was something going on here that she didn't understand. He was hiding his feelings from her and she didn't like that. She'd decided already that she didn't want him to hurt inside any more. She wanted him to be happy, damn it! She wanted him to be happy… with her. What was wrong with Skywalker this time? He was keeping something from her. Mara decided to be honest with him, all teasing aside. Perhaps if she was totally open with him, then he would tell her what was still worrying him.

Placing her hands on either side of his face, she gazed deep into his blue eyes. "I was going to ask that you leave Yavin with me in the Jade's Fire."

"L… Leave!" he stuttered. It was clear that Luke hadn't expected this turn of events at all. "You mean, leave here and travel with you… in the Jade's Fire?" he repeated stunned. "Leave with you?" It wasn't what he'd thought she'd say at all. "Do you really want that?"

"I just said that I did." Mara's heart sank. She'd known that she was asking too much and her courage wavered but something kept her tongue explaining. "I've been putting off Karrde and the organisation for too long, I have a job to return to. Karrde gave me the break and I have obligations I need to fulfil before I can take my place as a proper Jedi of the New Republic." Her bright head drooped. "I would have liked you with me." She lifted her head and her green eyes blazed into his. "Well . . . that and I have this fantasy that involves making love with you here and now…" She sighed dispiritedly, trying to keep unaccustomed tears at bay. "But since I didn't win, I guess we'll have to just work on some levitation exercise or something instead." She peeped up at him and felt his emotions shift.

"Oh, I don't know," Luke drawled. "Both sound good to me just now, especially the latter." He relaxed and smiled warmly, his barriers fading. "I do love you, Mara Jade," he said awe and wonder in his voice. "I love you so very much," and then kissed her fiercely. She responded ardently. How could she not? She heard the sound of his lightsaber hilt being thrown aside. By the time the kiss ended, Mara was not even sure that if someone asked for her name if she could answer them coherently. Luke smiled somewhat proudly, and she had the distinct impression he was entirely aware of her current state and was quite pleased with being able to affect her so deeply. It showed Mara that Jedi Master's were not above a bit of macho posturing like the rest of the male population.

Mara tried to be angry with him, but couldn't summon up the necessary fury. To be honest, she enjoyed the feel of him too much to begrudge him his pleasure at knowing how she felt about him. She could feel Luke's response mirroring her own and if they continued it wouldn't take too much to imagine her own fantasy being fulfilled this very moment. Already he had dispensed with her belt and the fastenings to her jumpsuit were partly undone.

"You haven't told me what you want yet." Mara asked, pulling back slightly in order to better view his face.

His blue eyes searched hers, moving over her flushed features, to her slightly parted lips. He leant forward kissing her gently and his eyes clouded over.

"You do love me, don't you Mara?"

"Of course I do," she answered slightly bewildered at his serious air. "I've admitted it and I can't take it back. You can feel through the Force what you mean to me. I have no reason to lie, farmboy. I love you."

His gaze returned to her brilliant green eyes and he said, "I can't hold you to your promise…"

"We struck a bargain. I said you could have whatever you wanted from me if you won and I meant it. It is a matter of honour between us. We are equals, Luke."

"But what I want isn't trivial, nor is it small. I do not know if I have the right to demand such a thing of you, especially as we are equals."

Mara blinked worriedly. The Jedi Master was looking most uneasy. What did he want from her?

"I cannot insist on this, not matter how much I want to…" he continued warily.

"A bargain is a bargain," Mara asserted strongly. He thought she would run out on a deal, did he. Well he would soon know that Mara Jade paid her dues.

Luke swallowed, took a deep breath and pulled her snugly against his body. "Marry me," he murmured so softly that she almost missed what he had said.

"What?" Mara asked incredulously.

"Marry me. That's what I want." He took another deep breath. "I want you."

"Me!" she squeaked.

"I'll leave Yavin with you, I'll go wherever you want, but I want you. I want all of you. I want your hot temper to keep things interesting, I want your passion to liven my nights, I want your ingenuity and intelligence to balance my tendency to make rash decisions. I want your love and your support. I want your red hair and green eyes for our children, and I want you to be my wife for the rest of our days."

"You sure this isn't another one of your 'rash decisions'?" Mara asked, still in shock at the nature of his request. The suspicion that he had been fighting for his life became a certified fact. "You can be terribly impulsive. I don't know if I want to inflict red hair and green eyes on our poor unsuspecting children."

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life." His grip tightened on her arms. "But I want you to marry me because you love me as much as I love you. I don't want you to agree to this because of a lost duel. If you don't love me enough, then it can't happen. I don't really care what colour hair and eyes our children have as long as they are our children. Yours and mine." He removed his arms from around her and walked away.

"Luke!" Mara snapped. "Stop walking away from me." As soon as he had removed his hands from around her, a terrible sense of loss and loneliness had invaded her being.

"I'm not." His voice was so quiet that Mara had to strain her ears to hear it. "I don't want to embarrass myself when you tell me your answer is 'no'."

"How do you know that I didn't let you win?" Mara asked, impishly and watched as the Jedi Master stopped, whipped around and stared hard at her, his eyes boring into her soul.

"Mara!"

She walked towards him and eyed his bare chest hungrily. He was all man and he was hers. "I want you with me, but I thought your heart's desire…" her voice lowered huskily. "Would be you and I making hot, passionate love…" She moved closer. "I thought that what you wanted most in the galaxy would be me in your arms and since it is exactly what I want…"

Luke gulped audibly but pressed on. "You're right, Jade, but its not enough for me. I want more than an occasional lover - you deserve better than that and I want you permanently."

"Worth throwing a fight for, I think."

Luke blinked, but a small smile began to form on his face. "Oh come on, Mara. I've never known you to throw a fight in your life."

"You're right." She conceded. "And I never do anything that I don't want to do. Well… not anymore. You won our duel fairly." He was serious. Totally and absolutely serious. Luke Skywalker wanted Mara Jade for his wife. He had to be insane - she wasn't wife material.

"So you'll marry me?" he pressed. She hadn't said no and she was teasing him, His heart threatened to beat overtime.

"Can I think it over," she teased, her green eyes sparkling.

"Say yes and then think about it," Luke urged grinning.

Mara's eyes began to sparkle into his. "I don't know, Skywalker," she shook her head. "It's a big decision in a woman's life. It has to be considered, mulled over, cogitated…"

"Mara!" Luke was beginning to look a little desperate. "I'll beg if I have to."

"It can't be made in the heat of the moment."

Luke's face fell. "I understand." He took a step back and gave a funny, courtly little bow. "Take whatever time you need. I will await your decision."

Mara's heart jumped into her throat as the pain threatening to overwhelm her lover hit her and suddenly her taunts didn't seem so funny. "I only meant that I have to consider all my other offers to see which one best suits me," she whispered.

"Mara Jade," Luke growled and pounced. "What do you mean by that?" A small smile played around the edge of his mouth as he pulled her against his body. "The best fit?" Luke asked and began to nuzzle one of the sensitive points on her neck.

"Well," She drawled with a gasp, eyeing him speculatively as he drew back a little. "We fight all the time."

Luke straightened up, and said heatedly, "No we don't."

"We do."

"We don't… Oh."

Her eyebrows rose and he smiled realizing he had fallen right into her trap. "Okay, maybe we fight from time to time." He conceded. "Means that we are both strong and passionate individuals. No one is dominant in our relationship. We are true equals."

"We're not anything alike."

"Oh, I don't think we're so very different." Luke protested. "But differences can be good. We compliment each other. I want to compliment you all the time." His hands ran over her body and Mara moaned softly.

"Luke…"

It's our differences that keep us interesting."

"True," she dipped her head consideringly. "We have our Force abilities and our hot tempers in common." She agreed, hiding a smile.

"Mara," Luke groaned. He couldn't protest without seeming to validate her claim but he had to try or 'do'. Then again this was Mara, so 'trying' was part of the job description. "I am a Jedi Master. I am calm, rational…"

"With no patience and a hot temper, which you try to hide behind all that Jedi rubbish you like to spout at me. But you are my best friend." Mara smiled, "And I am attracted to you, there's no denying it."

"What is it, Mara? What's bothering you?" Luke asked, his face anxious.

"I don't know. I just need to be sure that you really want me."

"You don't still doubt me? I know my own heart and I want you. I love you."

"Maybe its time that you proved it. Show me you want me." She smiled slyly and Luke finally understood her game. She was clever, his love. She had him so tied up in knots of her making that he would never get free and he would be happily entangled for the rest of his life.

"And how, my love, am I supposed to do that?" Luke gave her a predatory grin. He was not about to refuse the challenge she was subtly placing before him.

Mara was surprised by the fierce determination and the feral gleam that shone in his eyes. The lightsaber duel had been one thing, this was another battle Luke would win to both their satisfactions. Without even realizing that she had moved, she found a wall pressed against her back. She gave him a saucy smile. "You're the Jedi Master… uh… improvise."

He dropped a chaste kiss on her parted lips. "You want me to prove that we share more than simple attraction." His voice was low in his throat making the woman in his arms quiver with need. "Fine. I can do that" His breath scorched her cheek as he gently bit her sensitive earlobe. Mara shuddered with pleasure. This was not the Jedi Master of the Academy, nor was it the simple farm boy from Tatooine. This was Luke Skywalker, the man who was both and more. He was also the man who was determined to win Mara Jade. A part of him knew that she was teasing him, but another part could sense the hesitation deep within the beauty's heart and mind. He took a step back and waited until she opened heavy lidded green eyes and groaned.

"Touch me, Luke," Mara pleaded.

He wanted to vanquish the last vestige of her doubts and he could feel her need calling to his own, making it difficult for him to think rationally. "I'll tell you what," Luke's voice was a mere whisper. "All you have to do is tell me to stop and I'll free your from our bargain." He bent his head towards her brushing his lips against her neck with great deliberation.

"Do you doubt my ability to resist you?" Mara asked with great difficulty, the words coming out in quick gasps. "I can, you know… ohhhh!"

He chuckled and pulled her against him, moulding their bodies together. She gasped as she felt him against her and he continued to kiss down her body, moving along the length of the exposed skin of her ever widening neckline. "Had enough yet?"

"I'm thinking… ohhhh, Luke! Please…"

Luke knew that he was playing a dangerous game, but he couldn't seem to help it. He prayed she would not tell him to stop just out of pride or sheer stubbornness. "What about if I do… this?" His hand pushed aside the neckline of her jumpsuit and exposed one rounded breast.

As his mouth closed over the nipple and suckled Mara forgot about saying anything. "Ahhh!"

Luke kissed over her breast and found the corner of her mouth. Leaning into her, he ground his hips into hers, feeling himself harden at the contact. "I can stop any time." He was lying, the more he touched her and tempted her, the less control he maintained over his own body.

Mara seemed to consider it, but realized that she never wanted him to stop touching her, kissing her… making love to her. She never felt so good, so alive than she did in his arms. What had started as a joke, a sort of game, had turned into something more. "Stop and I'll run you through with your lightsaber," she panted.

"Whatever my lady wishes."

She said huskily. "I knew I could get you to agree to my fantasy."

Mara felt the waves of his humour wash over her and he said, "I intended to, the moment you confessed it to me. It's also one of mine."

They no longer communicated with words, losing themselves in the sensations of touch and the exquisite pleasure they found in each other's arms. Luke began to peel the jumpsuit from her body until both her breasts, heavy with need were bared to his hot, blue gaze. With his voice catching in his throat, Luke traced the rounded globes, watching as her dusky pink nipples stiffened to hard peaks of desire.

"Well?" he demanded, almost unable to speak himself.

"Well, what?" Mara moaned as he continued to tease and touch her body.

"Are you going to marry me?" His pants felt impossibly tight around his groin, but Luke was adamant that he would get an answer. He almost died as her hand reached out towards his manhood, still enclosed in constricting black cloth. "No, my green-eyed beauty," he murmured. "Not yet. You are not going to get past me that way."

"This is not fair, Luke… Stars!" she breathed heavily.

He leaned forward and began to rub his body against hers. She was weakening he could see it, as her eyes became unfocused and finally closed, her mouth opened to gasp for oxygen. Luke moved his mouth to hers and kissed her senseless. Kiss after fevered kiss was exchanged between them, the temperature growing hotter and wilder. Mara's hands began to claw desperately at the fastenings to Luke's pants.

"Mara!" Luke's voice was almost stern as he wrenched her to arms length. This was so hard but he had to do it. His entire life was at stake. Her eyes opened, almost black with passion.

"Yes, Luke," she sobbed, suddenly, unable to withstand the growing pressure of her own fiery need. "Yes, Luke I'll marry you. Force, I'll marry you. I love you so much."

The air left his lungs in a rush and weakly he lay back, pulling her protectively into his side. "My love," he whispered protectively. "Yes!" He sent a wave of joy into the air.

Stunned by what had happened Mara lay quiescent against him, her passion of a moment ago forgotten until Luke tipped her face up to his and the fire in their souls started again. This time there would be no stopping them.

Mara could feel Luke reaching out to her through the Force. After a minute hesitation, Mara let her barriers drop. Not just the surface barriers that normally protected her casual thoughts from being intercepted by other Force wielders, but her deepest more private shields. All her thoughts, memories, feelings, everything that comprised her character were laid bare for him. She withheld nothing, revealing her forgotten sorrows, her remembered triumphs, her secret shame at her past, as well as her deep and abiding love for Luke.

Luke was surprised and greatly humbled by this gift. Without hesitation, he joined her in this state, dropping his barriers. Mara saw the pain at the loss of his family on Tatooine and the shock at discovering his father was Darth Vader. She saw the responsibility he took upon himself to do good in the galaxy and how his spirit was weighed down by all the wars and strife. She twisted uncomfortably at seeing his pain when Callista departed from his life never to return.

Luke said in her mind *That's all in the past* and he encompassed her spirit in his never ending well of love. She saw how complementary their souls truly were, how they fitted so neatly together and how their combined light banished the shadows from the darkest corners of their being. She saw how her presence in his life lightened his load, how his heart was full of her.

In this joined state, their passion grew so much that it became impossible to deny. They removed the last of their clothing eager to be joined in body as they were in spirit. When their bodies became one, it was exquisite. As each one could not only feel their own reaction, but the intense pleasure of the other. Their hands clutched at each other, their breaths co-mingling, they moved in the sweet, seductive dance together as wave after wave of desire and euphoria pulsed through them with each thrust. They struggled to retain this heightened state of pleasure, but were unable to resist the siren call of completion. When the pinnacle came to them, they screamed in release, stunned by the raw power of their joining.

They eased out of their mind link, but retained a part of themselves inside the other. They were joined irrevocably in the Force, their bond solidifying into an unbreakable current connecting two souls.

"Luke," Mara murmured huskily. "Did we really just make love out in the open, in the middle of a training area?"

"Yup," he said smugly. "In the open, without worrying about interruptions or… anything."

"Stars!" Her green eyes opened wide with amazement. "We did."

"Do you think anyone noticed?"

"Hopefully not. If you were shielding correctly"

Luke's face was a picture. "Shielding? I think I forgot."

"L-u-k-e!" she said, exasperation in her voice.

"I love you."

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

Two days later

The sound of an aggravated astromech droid caught Luke's attention as he hurried to change after completing his classes for the day. "That sounded like…" He changed his course to investigate, thinking for a split second it was R2D2, but the pitch was slightly off. When he rounded the bend, he saw Corran standing on a maintenance platform beside the droid socket of his X-Wing.

The Corellian swore and the droid let off an impassioned stream of electronic invective.

"Need some help?" Luke asked amused when he recognized Whistler, Corran's droid echoing the curses in whistles and snorts. "What kind of language is that, Whistler," Luke remonstrated.

Whistler made a rude sound disgustedly. Biological life forms really had no idea how trying they could be.

"It's the damned droid coupler. Somehow it's out of alignment so that Whistler can't interface with the ship." Corran ground out through clenched teeth.

"Let me take a look."

Corran hopped down to allow Luke access to the socket. The droid swivelled his head a couple of times as if considering Luke's fitness for the task.

Luke peered into the socket and pursed his lips. "Hmm! This happened once to Artoo, but I've never seen a coupler so misaligned. What happened?"

"Whistler decided to do a couple of upgrades by himself… on his own… without consulting me." Corran eyed the droid wryly.

The droid twittered indignantly.

"Yeah, well, it was fine when I left." The Corellian retorted, "Don't look at me if Mirax gives you a memory wipe for making me late."

"You're leaving Yavin?" Luke glanced at Corran curiously.

"Yeah, I didn't intend to stay as long as I have."

"My thanks for giving up time with your family, Corran. You know you are always welcome amongst the Jedi on Yavin. You're one of us." He glanced at his friend out of the corner of his eye. "I'm going to be leaving too." Luke took a tool and adjusted the droid coupler.

Corran was surprised; he had thought that things were going well between the Jedi Master and Mara Jade. Either they had a blow out fight or the New Republic had recruited Luke to do another mission for them. Either way, it spelled troubled for the ill fated pair. He hadn't seen them since the other day, when he'd left them staring at one another. He had felt various flashes of intense feeling through the Force, but hadn't stopped to analyse them. Something within him thought that the Jedi Master and the Jedi woman deserved some sort of privacy to sort out whatever problems they had. If he was right about whatever ripples the pair had been causing, then he reckoned they hadn't had many problems or been getting a lot of sleep. When he rendezvoused with Mirax, Corran had a similar, intimate plan. He had been too long away from his wife.

"Looks like the coupler is burned out." Luke said as he continued his adjustments to ship. "These x-wings have power, but you push them too hard and something's bound to break."

"Yeah, I know. You need a certain amount of finesse when you handle these babies." Corran agreed.

"If the power surges through the system without maintaining a balance with the main motivator and the Servo Actuator, it burns them up."

"Too much power? From someone who has been on idle for years you sure seem to be the expert at flying full throttle."

"We are still talking about ships here right?" Luke inquired. I still fly, although not in combat these days. I get enough combat on the ground." He met the Corellian's light green gaze.

"Were we ever? How is she?"

"Mara?" Luke turned back to the ship, attempting to hide his expression from Corran's shrewd eyes.

"No, Mon Mothma… Of course Mara."

"She's fine. We're both fine."

"But you're leaving here?"

"So is Mara." Luke supplied nodding his head

"She's planning on leaving too."

A sly smile slipped across the Jedi Master's face.

Corran studied Skywalker and then quickly reassessed the situation, "With you?"

"Actually, I'll be going with her, in the Fire."

"So I take it things worked out between you and Mara?" he asked tentatively.

Luke turned his attention back to the ship, unable to hide the broad grin that spread across his face. "I think that'll do it. Try it now, Whistler."

The droid extended his arm into the coupler and twittered happily when he successfully connected to the x-wing's computer.

"You fixed it!" Corran crowed.

"I'm pretty good with machines," Luke murmured. "That's what I did before I joined the rebellion - fixed things for my uncle. I was a rotten farmhand, but I could fix things and fly."

"You and Mara?" Corran pressed. He hadn't forgotten his past life as a Corellian Security Force officer either and Luke's diversionary tactics were not going to work on him. "Come on, Luke. I'm not asking for intimate details. As your friend… as a friend to you both. I'd like to know."

"I'd say that they're going pretty well." Luke finally conceded.

Corran smiled, "I kind of figured things had improved between you two when shortly after you . . . reunited after your trip . . . half the student body requested a leave of absence to visit their loved ones."

Luke looked confused for a moment and then blushed furiously. "Oh, stars! I did forget to shield."

"Relax . . .Master. I'm certain that most everyone with the exception of Kyp and myself, have not realized the source of their sudden . . . urges. I overheard a few students say they're homesick, they miss their spouses, that sort of thing."

"I guess I'll be working on reinforcing my shields." Luke said wryly. "I get the feeling that I'm going to need to."

"I don't know if you can shield that kind of emotion."

"If we're going to be amongst Force strong beings we're going to have to learn to."

Corran grinned at Luke's discomfited expression. Things must be pretty passionate between them, but that wasn't a surprise. "Where is she right now?"

Luke closed his eyes and a smile crossed his lips. "Harassing Tionne about using the com centre. She wanted to contact Talon Karrde before we left and I have a couple of administrative details to arrange before I'm free to leave. To be honest, I've been here so little over the past year that the Academy has been running quite well without me. There's not that much for me to organise. However, they will miss your input, Corran."

"I'll come and teach the odd semester when Mirax wants to go travelling without me."

"Strong women need their own space," Luke said wickedly.

"And we ended up with two of the strongest. So . . . .?" Corran prompted. "I can keep my mouth shut. I won't go blabbing."

Luke regarded him solemnly, but knew the Corellian Jedi deserved to know more. "Things are going very well," and then dropped his head and began examining his boots with a strange intensity. "She's agreed to marry me." Cautiously he peered up and met Corran's slack-jawed expression of shock.

Corran recovered quickly. "You take your time, boss in telling me the important stuff. Well, for someone who's been sitting idling at the starting line for ten years, you certainly made a quick finish. I'm glad for you, Luke, I really am."

"Thanks Corran. That means a lot to us both."

"You deserve it, Luke."

"I don't know about that, but I love her."

Corran clapped him on the shoulder. "That's all she wants, you know."

"I know." Luke gave the x-wing the once over. "When do you go?"

"In a couple of hours. I'm waiting for Mirax to send me her co-ordinates after she's made her next hyperspace jump. I'll rendezvous with her then."

"Come on, let Whistler do your pre-flight checks. After the mess he made of those upgrades he should redeem himself quickly."

"Yeah."

The two men grinned at each other and headed for the Comm. Centre.

*****************************************************
Approximately One year later

"I can't believe you wanted to spend our first anniversary on Yavin," Luke muttered as his wife touched down smoothly on the Academy landing pad.

"Where else would we have spent it?" Mara began shutting down the power.

"I don't know. There are millions of planets in the galaxy."

"But none of them quite like this one."

"They are all different," Luke argued.

"But I didn't realise that I was in love with you on any of them, now did I?" Mara tipped her face up expectantly for the kiss she knew Luke would drop on her sweetly smiling mouth.

Luke's lips lingered on hers. "I guess not. Why didn't you say earlier you wanted to spend out anniversary on Yavin. It's perfect." Love shone from his blue eyes. This wasn't the tired, tense man of a year before. This Luke Skywalker was much more relaxed, quicker to laugh and to all who knew him well - he appeared to be happy.

As for his wife. Mara was only slightly less fierce, still intense with the things that mattered and protective of her husband with the determination of a krayt dragon. But she was warmer and she too, laughed more.

They had both been determined to take this time out of their busy schedule to celebrate their anniversary properly. The last year had been hectic with numerous joint missions as well as the occasional solo mission. Although the brief separations were often difficult, their joyful, passionate reunions more than made up for their time apart. They had learned much about each other in the last year, and they continued to grow closer with each revelation.

The galaxy was a dangerous place, but together they strived to make it safer both for themselves and for future generations. Lately, Luke had been having a recurring dream of children, with each repetition growing in clarity. He saw a sandy, blond haired boy with dark emerald eyes and a girl with Mara's vibrant hair and bright blue eyes. When he shared the content of his dream, or vision with Mara, she just smiled secretively. He wanted children desperately but would never presume to foist his wishes upon his wife, but he knew that Mara wanted children too and so he hoped that one day...

They exited the vehicle and were immediately greeted by a solemn faced Kyp, "Master Skywalker. Jedi Jade."

Mara could not contain a snort, unwilling to accept Kyp's humility as truth.

Kyp's eyes darted to Mara's and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Jedi Durron," Luke replied, mentally encouraging Mara to do the same.

*Skywalker, I find him false,* she thought, but she bowed so low as to be insulting and said, "It is an honour to be greeted by such an esteemed personage as yourself, Jedi Durron."

When she rose she felt a slight wave of annoyance from the Jedi and then he retorted in response, "Nice ship you have there, Jade."

"You should see the anti-theft system. It comes equipped with a lightsaber wielding owner with a grudge."

He had the sense to look ashamed, "Did I ever say I'm sorry for stealing your ship? I'm not the same person that I was."

Mara seemed about to tell him where he could take his apology and just what he could do with it, when she caught Luke's eye. She smiled and said grudgingly, "That's okay. People change. You do that again however, and you'll have to invest in a whole new wardrobe complete with biomechanical parts."

Luke got a distracted look on his face and turned to Kyp, "Where is everyone?"

"I sent them on some training exercises . . . on the far side of Yavin."

"So who's here."

"Just me, but I'm on my way to Coruscant. Sightseeing." The way he said the last, they knew that he was not really going to Coruscant, but they didn't pry.

"So you're saying the Academy's deserted?" Luke asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Well, there's the occasional droid to keep things running. Consider it an anniversary gift."

Mara smiled warmly, "You know, Kyp. You're alright. I'll cancel that bounty I put on your head as soon as we get to our room."

"Wouldn't want to inconvenience you." He said with a slight smile and made his way to a small transport vehicle.

They watched him get inside, and stood on the platform for awhile after his ship disappeared into the sky.

"Who would have thought it?" Mara asked.

Luke smiled and said, "Yeah. You know what that means don't you?"

"Yeah, no fighting for that last cup of caf' in the galley, no answering annoying administrative questions from Tionne, no projecting flying mynocks over my head."

"And no one at the mineral baths." Luke said suggestively.

Mara smiled and said, "Lead the way, Master."

"Yes. My love."

The End