So Much to Tell You

by JediGirl

Disclaimer: None of these people belong to me...they belong to the All
Mighty Mr. Lucas and the Wonderful Mr. Zahn. They have truly made my
life much more interesting. And just in case you were wondering, NO, I
don't get paid to do this...it is simply just FUN!

Background: This is chapter 18 of my story "So Much to Tell You" which
fills in those chapters that Mr. Zahn accidently left out in "Visions fo
the Future." Techically my story ends with Chapter 17, but an idea for
one more chapter popped into my head a long time ago and I thought you
all would really enjoy it.

Acknowledgments: Michele, Michele, Michele...My WONDERFUL Beta. This
story could NEVER had happed without her help. She is so full of such
wonderful input and is a great friend.

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to eveyone on this list. All your
comments and feedback during the last 17 chapters have made this story
an amazing experience for me. It has been ALOT of fun, and I'm so glad
you have all enjoyed this story. Thank you!

Chapter 18 - BONUS CHAPTER
(Part One)

Rated: NC-17

The personal freighter of the most successful smuggling chief, Talon
Karrde, sat peacefully among the hundreds of other capital ships that
surrounded the planet of Bothawui. On the starboard side of the
freighter, was a spacious, yet modest, cabin suite. The lights within
the suite were turned down low and the only sound that could be heard
was the light tapping of delicate fingers upon the keys of a datapad.

Mara Jade sat curled up in the corner of a plush couch in the living
area of her personal quarters. In her lap sat the datapad that she had
been laboring over for almost two hours now. The light from the built-in
screen illuminated her face and enhanced the tired lines that had begun
to form there over the past several days.

Since arriving at Bothawui she had been to meeting after meeting with
Karrde, and New Republic and Imperial Remnant officials, discussing
Karrde's proposal in dealing with information between the two
governments. There had also been meetings with Karrde and other members
of his organization to bring Mara up to date with all company matters
while she had been 'away' for the past month.

Karrde's organization was a profitable one, and much transpired
everyday. It was more than a daunting task to get caught up after being
gone a month. When Mara had gotten to her quarters on her first day
back, she found that she had well over 500 messages from clients and
employees. Karrde's people had dealt with most of the messages that came
in during Mara's absence, but she still needed to go through each one to
make sure nothing was missed or needed her more personal attention.
However, finding the time to do just that over the past few days had
proven harder than wrestling a space slug.

After another day full of talks with government officials, Mara finally
was able to squeeze in a few hours to herself and get through the rest
of her messages and shipment data. Her fingers tapped against the
datapad's keys as she scrolled through yet another list of shipment
information. When she got to the end of the document she pressed a key
to save it to the appropriate file.

As she began to call up the next message she tried to stifle a large
yawn. She brought up a hand to cover her mouth and then let it move to
the back of her neck. It had been a long, stressful day and it was
beginning to catch up with her. She squeezed the tight muscles there in
hopes to loosen them a bit. She suddenly wished she was not alone in her
quarters, but that a loving man, with strong masculine hands could
massage away her tension and tiredness.

Luke, the name popped into her head and brought a smile to her tired
face but quickly fell away with a sigh. Luke had called two days before.
She had been in a meeting?when was she not these days?and he had left a
message. She didn't get it until late and decided it would be better to
call the next morning, but unfortunately her schedule hadn't allowed it.

Mara glanced at her comlink on the low table in front of her. Maybe she
should call him now, she thought, but then she glanced at the datapad in
lap and the amount of work she still needed to get done. No, she
couldn't right now, she needed to get through these messages. Afterwards
she would call him, she promised herself, no matter what time it was.
She would call when she had more time to dedicate to him, and only him.

Mara had a renewed determination to finish what she started, so she
could reward herself later. She stretched both of her arms above her
head, working out the knots in her shoulders a bit. With a quick shake
of her head she settled her attention back to the datapad and her task
at hand. If she could avoid any interruptions, she could get through all
this data tonight.

Suddenly her personal comlink chirped. With a small moan, Mara stretched
forward and picked up the. "Jade, here," Mara answered the call.

"Hey, Mara," came the voice of Aves, one of Karrde's top men. "Data just
came in on that shipment to Ord Mantell. There seems to be some dispute
of what was delivered and thought you would want to review it."

Mara signed heavily at the news. Another fire she would have to put out.
Sometimes it seemed never ending. "Umm, yeah. Can you just transfer it
to my terminal? I'll review it later, I'm in the middle of something
right now."

"Yeah, sure thing," Aves replied. "But you know Ma'Chula. He'll be
calling everyday until this is resolved."

"I know, I know. I'll handle it, just transmit the data."

Aves could hear the irritation in Mara's voice and decided it was best
not to push the matter. He had all the faith in the galaxy that Mara
would take care of the situation, he just hoped it was soon. He hated
listening to the ranting of Ma'Chula. "Sure thing. Consider it done."

"Thanks, Aves," Mara replied doing her best to keep her frustration out
of her voice. She clicked off the comlink and placed in on the cushion
beside her and settled back to review the next message on her datapad.

She hadn't gotten past the second line of the message when the comlink
beeped again. She scooped it up quickly and thumbed the reply switch.
"Yeah!" she called into the comlink a little louder than she intended
to. She was tired and finding it hard to keep her irritation in check.

"Mara, it's Karrde," came the reply from the caller.

"Oh. Sorry, it has been a long day and I'm a bit tired," Mara apologized
for her harsh tone. "What do you need?"

"Well, I guess I'm the bearer of bad news. I was calling to confirm
tomorrow's meeting and to tell you that it has been moved up an hour
earlier. I need you there at 09:00."

Mara groaned. "Okay, I'll be there."

"Good," Karrde replied. "I'm waiting on some info that is supposed to
come through the line in the next few hours. I would like you to review
it before the meeting."

"Sure thing," Mara said with a sigh. "Pass it along when it comes
through."

"You got it. So, how many messages do you have left?"

Mara looked down at her datapad in her lap. "Oh, about 162. I should be
done by dawn," she answered in a sarcastic tone.

"Well, I'll let you get back to it then. Try to get some sleep though, I
need you fresh for this meeting."

"I know. I'll be fine," she assured him. "Jade, out."

With another heavy sigh, Mara put the comlink down on the cushion once
again. She rubbed both of her hands over her face. "Right, fresh," she
spoke to herself and blinked her eyes hard a couple of times as she
tried to focus again on the datapad. She was able to get through two
more messages when the door announcer chimed loudly through the quiet
cabin.

"Now what," she groaned out loud and threw he datapad on the couch
beside her causing the comlink to bounce off the cushion and on to the
floor.

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

Outside in the hall, Luke Skywalker stood waiting for the door to Mara's
cabin to open. It had been almost four days since he and Mara had last
seen or even talked to each other. They had reunited with their family
and friends aboard Home One and spent some time catching up on things
and enjoying each other's company. After several hours they finally had
to go their separate ways. Mara needed to get caught up with what had
been going on with Karrde's organization, and start attending meetings
to set up Karrde's new 'communication' project. And Leia had set up a
whole schedule of meetings she wanted her brother to attend to help out
with the peace process.

Luke had tried to contact Mara on several occasions, but she was never
around. He left a message once, but decided not to leave more than that.
He didn't want to hound her. But the days continued to slip by and his
desire to see her again started to grow stronger. Finally he decided to
head over to the "Wild Karrde" to see her in person. If she wasn't
there, he had planned to wait.

When he had finally made up his mind to go and see Mara, he had planned
to just borrow an X-wing and boldly board the "Wild Karrde." On his way
to do just that, Luke happened upon a very disgruntled Ghent, one of the
New Republic's best crypt chiefs, arguing with the flight deck
commander. When Luke questioned the young man about the situation, Ghent
told him that he had been given orders to meet with a representative
from the Empire aboard the "Wild Karrde," and that together they were to
evaluate Karrde's communications systems. Karrde was in negotiations to
become an information broker between the two governments, and part of
the negotiations was that both parties would be aware of what kind of
equipment the smuggler chief, turned information specialist, had on hand
at present. The evaluation would take several days, but the commander
claimed not to have a shuttle that he * could spare for that amount of
time or even a free pilot who could fly him over there.

Ghent assured the officer that his orders had stated he would have
access to a shuttle. "That may be, but there are no such orders here,"
the stubborn commander stated, pointing to his datapad. "And that rank
insignia you're wearing isn't enough to make one magically appear."

"May I make a suggestion?" Luke had interceded with a friendly smile. "I
had come down here in hopes that you had a ship to spare. However, I
only need it for a short time. If you have a shuttle available for
several hours, I would be more than happy to deliver the Chief here to
his desired location."

The flight deck commander worked his jaw as he pondered the suggestion.
Luke wore no 'rank insignia,' but he did have rank, and the commander
knew that. With a heavy sigh, the man looked back down at his datapad
and scanned a few screens. "It looks like I have a small shuttle that I
can spare, but it has to be back by the morning."

"That should not be a problem," Luke assured the officer. "Thank you so
much for your help."

"Fine," the man replied dryly. "She will be prepped and ready in an
hour," and he turned and walked away.

"Tha...thanks," Ghent said to the Jedi Master with a nervous look on his
face. "But, but you really don't have to do this. I mean, I'm sure you
have more important things to do than shuttle people around."

"It's not a problem, Ghent," Luke assured the younger man. "I'm actually
heading in the same direction."

"You're going to the 'Wild Karrde'?" Ghent was a bit surprised. He knew
that the Jedi Master had helped out Talon Karrde from time to time, and
that he was also a friend of Mara Jade, but he figured a man of his
status would be occupied with treaty negotiations and the such at this
place and time.

Luke gave the nervous young man a gentle smile. "Yeah, I am, but I need
to ask you a favor."

"A favor? From me?" Ghent questioned with surprise in his eyes.

"Yes, from you," Luke replied. "I need you to keep my trip over there a
quiet matter."

When Ghent's eyes shifted from surprise to confusion, Luke continued.
"It's a personal matter." On a whim, he decided to give the younger man
a bit more information. "I have to see Mara. But I don't want anyone to
know I'm there."

"Ghent's eyebrows raised when Luke mentioned Mara's name. Luke knew that
Ghent respected Mara and knew that she and Luke were friends. He hoped
that by bringing Mara into the equation, Ghent would not pry for more
information. Luke's gamble paid off when the crypt chief gave an
affirmative, albeit reluctant, nod.

"Thank you, Ghent, for your understanding. I'll meet you back here in an
hour." Luke turned and left, leaving Ghent behind to ponder what exactly
he had gotten himself into.

A little over an hour later Luke and Ghent were aboard their small
borrowed shuttle and approaching the "Wild Karrde." When the shuttle
craft was hailed by the "Wild Karrde's" bridge, Luke transmitted a
general New Republic access code and stated he was delivering Crypt
Chief Ghent for his scheduled meeting with the "Wild Karrde's"
communications staff and Imperial representative. The bridge gave them
clearance and directed them to the docking bay.

Once they landed, Luke knew getting from the docking bay to Mara's
quarters would prove to be more difficult than actually getting aboard
the ship. But surprisingly Ghent offered a solution.

As they disembarked the shuttle, Ghent realized he knew the docking bay
chief from his time when Ghent worked for Karrde's organization. The two
friends exchanged warm greetings as Luke and Ghent both unloaded the
surveying equipment Ghent had brought along.

When they were finished, crypt chief turned back to his friend and made
a small request which would allow Luke to make his way to Mara's
quarters. "Hey, Crisk. The pilot here is a friend of mine and has been
shuttling dignitaries all around this system all day. He could use a
break and a bite to eat, do you think he could head down to the galley
and get himself a meal?"

Crisk looked Luke up and down as he contemplated the request and then
glanced back at Ghent. The normally nervous young man held his friend's
gaze. With a final look back at Luke, he gave a small shrug of his
shoulders and replied, "Sure, why not. Can you show him the way though?
I don't have anyone to spare at the moment."

"Not a problem," Ghent said with a smile and with a final wave to Crisk,
he and Luke turned and exited the docking bay.

"Thanks, Ghent," Luke said as the door to the docking bay closed behind
them. "You really didn't have to do that you know?"

"I know," Ghent replied with a small smile. "But you saved me hours of
delay getting here. And though I don't really know what you are up to,
it involves Mara, and...and...well, Mara has always been important to
you."

Before Luke could respond, Ghent continued. "Plus, I trust you."

"Thank you. That really means a lot to me," Luke said as he exchanged a
hand shake with the young crypt chief. "And I can promise you, this will
all make a lot more sense in a few weeks."

"If you say so," Ghent replied with a shrug. With that, both men headed
in their separate directions.

Luke had been aboard the "Wild Karrde" enough times to know how to make
his way to Mara's personal quarters. With a minimal use of the Force, he
was able to slip by any of the crew he passed along the way. He had
hoped to avoid using it completely, knowing Mara would not approve, but
he had already come this far and didn't want to blow his cover when he
was only a few meters from his destination.

Luke had thought it would be fun to surprise Mara, so he held his
presence in the Force close so that she wouldn't sense his approach. It
had been a great idea when he planned it. It was a great idea when he
had put all the parts into motion, but now that he stood in front of
Mara's door, he wasn't so sure it was all that great of an idea anymore.

Mara wasn't the kind of person who liked surprises. She liked to be in
control and have everything planned out. Luke started to have the
sinking suspicion that when the door he stood in front of opened, he
wouldn't find a very happy Mara to greet him.

*Maybe I should make my presence known through the Force,* he thought to
himself. But no, that wouldn't help. It would be better to just follow
through on his plan and see how it went.

He reached out just a bit with the Force to see what her mood was like.
If she was in a good mood then maybe things wouldn't go too badly. What
he picked up was not what he hoped for. He took a deep breath,
straightened his posture, held his head high and waited for the door to
open.
This is a long chapter, so I'm posting it in parts:

See disclaimers and such in Part 1

So Much to Tell You
By JediGirl

Chapter 18 - BONUS CHAPTER
(Part Two)

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

The door swished open, followed by a loud and irritated "What now?!"

"Hi," Luke answered calmly with a gentle smile.

"Luke," Mara replied after a moment's hesitation. Her expression changed
from annoyance to shock.

"Yeah," Luke said simply.

They stared at each other for a few seconds not saying anything. Mara
was the one to break the silence. "What are you doing here? I didn't
sense you come on board."

"Ah, yeah. Well, I was in the neighborhood," he stammered a bit over his
words and started to fidget under Mara's scrutiny. "And I thought I
would surprise you."

"Surprise me?" Mara questioned, an irritated edge starting to seep into
her voice. "I don't really like surprises, Sky-."

She cut off the last word of what she was going to say, but Luke had
caught it. She was about to say 'Skywalker.' The name she had called him
for years, preferring not to use his more personal first name. But that
had changed after their experience on Nirauan -- at least he thought it
had.

A lump formed in Luke's throat. Had he made a mistake by coming here?
Was Mara feeling like he was smothering her? His anxiety was rising and
clouding the bond he had with Mara. He couldn't get a good reading on
what her feeling were.

Maybe he should have given her more time. Let her come to him. But they
were engaged. They had a relationship, a very close relationship. It had
been nearly four days since she had left him on Home One, and they
hadn't seen or talked since that time. They had both been pretty busy,
sure, but it had been nearly four days -- *FOUR DAYS,* the words boomed
in Luke's mind. They should have touched base at least once over that
time.

"I know," he replied, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "I
haven't heard from you
in a while. I left a message..." He was stammering again.

Blast, he thought to himself. *How is it Mara can transform me into a
flustered farmboy just by looking at me?*

Mara was still staring at him and the shocked, yet annoyed look had not
left her face. Luke tried to muster more confidence and continued his
explanation. "Mara, I just wanted to see you. I...I..." he fumbled for
words again. Not finding them he sighed heavily. "I guess I should just
go."

He turned to add action to his words when Mara's hand reached out of the
door way, grabbed hold of the front of his tunic and pulled him to her.

"I don't think so," she all but growled, just before her lips covered
his in a strong, demanding kiss.

It took a moment for Luke to realize what was going on, but once he did
his lips softened against hers and he deepened the kiss. His arms
wrapped around her to draw her closer, and he pulled her body against
his. He knew he missed her, but until this moment, he hadn't realized
just how badly.

A noise behind the couple jerked them out of their moment of passion. "I
thought we wanted to keep things discrete for the time being?" Luke
whispered into Mara's ear as she leaned past him to peer out the door to
find the cause of the noise.

"We do," Mara replied and with a twist and a quick step to the side she
spun them both out of the doorway and against the wall just inside the
door. With the same movement she reached out with her left hand and
slapped the panel on the wall, causing the door to swish shut. "Now be
quiet and kiss me," she continued as her lips locked with Luke's once
more.

Luke did as he was told and returned the kiss in kind. He leaned his
body in to Mara's, pressing her hard against the wall behind them. A low
moan escaped Mara's throat as a burning passion swelled inside her. Her
lungs begged for air, causing her to break from the kiss. Losing hold of
Mara's lips, Luke found another purchase along her jawline and down
along her neck. Mara leaned her head back against the wall to allow Luke
better access to the sensitive areas there. Her left hand clenched
tightly to his strong shoulders, while the other lost itself in his
soft, dark blond hair.

Luke kissed hungrily at Mara's soft skin. He couldn't believe it had
only been 4 days since he had last touched those areas, it felt more
like 4 years. Was it possible to truly miss someone that much?

"I've missed you too," Mara whispered a reply to his thought. She
dropped her head back down and nuzzled at his ear. Her warm breath
brushed his ear adding more heat to his already boiling desire.

"I can't tell you how much that means to me," Luke replied with a low
moan deep in his throat.

"Don't tell me," Mara purred back. "Show me."

Luke's body responded to her words. His arms encircled her waist tightly
and his mouth once again found hers. He kissed her with the intensity of
a starving man suddenly surrounded by a feast. Mara's soft lips parted
for him as his tongue sought out hers. *Yes!* Mara's thought rang
through his mind. Luke was sure his heart skipped a beat just at that
moment.

He pulled back and took a deep breath of air. "Maybe we should slow it
down?" he suggested, though his body seemed to think he was out of his
mind.

Mara raised her passion filled, dark eyes to meet his. She bit at her
lower lip as she tried to slow down her breath which was causing her
chest to raise and fall in rapid motion. Slowly a mischievous smile
formed on her face. "Slow is good," she stated simply.

Luke gave her a quizzical look at her comment. He opened his mouth to
question what she had meant, but Mara placed a delicate finger to his
lips to silence him. She slowly traced the shape of his lips. Luke's
tongue darted out and caught her finger as it finished its path, drawing
it within the warmth of his mouth. Mara slowly withdrew the finger, but
replaced it with her own lips.

Her hand caressed the side of his face and lightly moved down his neck
to his chest. She brought her other hand to his chest as well. Both
hands roamed over Luke's strong, muscular torso, but stopped when Mara's
fingers came in contact with the fasteners of his tunic. One by one,
Mara undid each fastener. She pushed open his tunic and felt the warmth
of his body beneath the cloth, and once again, her hands roamed across
his well formed chest.

Luke pushed Mara hard against the wall. Mara responded with an "Oouf!"
when her shoulder came in contact with the corner of a framed picture
upon the wall behind her.

"Maybe we should move to a more comfortable location," she suggested and
edged away from the offending corner.

"Sounds good to me," Luke huskily replied.

With her arms still wrapped around him, Mara guided them both toward the
couch where she had been working before she was "interrupted." Her hands
slid down to his trim waist and quickly found the buckle to his belt. It
took but a moment for her skilled fingers to unhook it.

Luke's lips connected with hers as she slipped the belt from around his
waist. Without looking Mara placed the belt on the low table in front of
the couch. She wasn't completely successful, as the weight of Luke's
lightsaber slipped from the edge of the table and landed with a solid
"thud" on the plush carpet below.

Mara stole a glance at where the belt and lightsaber had landed. "Oops,"
she commented and gave Luke a shy look.

"It's okay," Luke returned with a loving smile. "It is pretty durable."

"Like weapon, like wielder," came Mara's reply as she gave him a solid
shove that landed him on the soft cushions of the couch behind him.

"Ouch!" Luke exclaimed when he landed. Mara's eyebrow cocked up in a
questioning look. Luke reached beneath him and withdrew Mara's datapad
that he had squarely landed upon.

Mara gave a little giggle as she took the datapad from Luke and placed
it on the same table she had placed Luke's belt on, but with more
success than the latter item. "Sorry about that," she apologized and
then with feline grace, climbed onto Luke's lap, placing her legs on
either side of him.

"No harm done," he commented as he wrapped his arms around her and drew
her closer. "But I thought we were going to take it slow?"

"Trust me farmboy, I am taking it slow." Mara's hands slipped under the
fabric of his top shirt once again. She pushed the fabric open and
continued to slip it from his strong shoulders. Luke released his hold
of Mara to allow her to relieve him of his tunic. Mara leaned in with
another passion filled kiss as she pushed his shirt over the back of the
couch.

Luke's hand wrapped about Mara's slight form once again. His strong
hands gently caressed her back. He found the bottom edge of the loose
top she was wearing and slipped his hands beneath it. Her skin was as
soft and silky as he remembered, and the contact caused his body
temperature to rise another notch. He moved his left hand around to her
front and his fingers played across her well formed abdomen. Mara
released a soft giggle in response to his touch. Luke smiled inwardly
at the discovery that she was actually ticklish.

His hand then slowly moved upward until it found the curve of her soft,
supple breast. He grasped it gently and caressed the underside with his
thumb. One finger glided down and traced the edge of her nipple. Its
center became taunt and hard in response.

Mara moaned into Luke's mouth as his ministrations sent tingles through
her body. Her vocal response only served to add to Luke's already heated
desire. He grasped hold of her top and pulled it up from her body. Mara
cooperated by pulling from their kiss and raising her arms to allow Luke
to remove her own shirt.

She sat back onto his knees, giving Luke an unobstructed view of her.
Her bright, red-gold hair hung about her shoulders, as the soft, low
lights of the room cast delicate shadows enhancing her already well
toned body. Luke bit at his lower lip as his eyes roamed across the
captivating figure of his lover. He raised both hands and his fingers
lightly glided across her swollen breast. Mara inhaled deeply, causing
her chest to swell even more and push against Luke's raised hands. Luke
cupped both breasts firmly and Mara's head fell back and she closed her
eyes as she released her breath. She brought up her hands, placing them
over his and followed the course they took as he roamed along her
curves.

Luke felt he could just loose himself in this moment. Sitting here,
exploring this woman of beauty, until the end of time. But his body
wanted more. Demanded more. He finally pulled her toward himself and
placed his mouth against the delicate lines of her neck. He continued
down to her collar bone and onto her shoulder, leaving a burning trail
in his wake.

Mara entangled her fingers in his hair as quiet moans of pleasure
slipped from her lips. One hand glided down his spine and grabbed hold
of the tank style undershirt he had worn under his tunic. She continued
to claw at it and pulled it up his back. Finally Luke pulled away from
her long enough for the shirt to be removed, and then pressed himself
against her once again. This time bare skin to bare skin.

Mara pushed forward and up causing Luke to fall back against the back of
the couch and bringing his face level with her chest. Luke grasped
hold of one of her full breasts and brought his swollen, wet lips upon
her already hard nipple. Mara leaned in even further and dropped her
head towards Luke's. Her red tresses curtained both her and Luke. She
gripped the back of the couch as Luke pulled hard against her nipple.

She rocked her hips forward against Luke's, feeling for the response she
was hoping for, when suddenly a chime rang through the quarters.

Mara's whole body slumped into Luke's. "What, now," she groaned into
Luke's ear.

"Ignore it. Maybe they will go away," Luke suggested as he brought up
his head to nuzzle Mara's neck.

"Mara, it's Karrde," a voice came from the other side of the door.

'Go away,' was what Mara wanted to call out, but knew there was no
point.

"Maybe you should go see what he wants," Luke said as he raised his head
to look at her.

"Looking like this?" she asked indicating her half naked body. "You go."

Luke was going to object, but decided against it. He could feel Mara's
frustration, and had no desire to get into an argument at this moment.
"Fine," he said. "Where is my shirt?"

Mara gave him a cocky grin, shrugged and slipped from his lap.

"Mara?" came Karrde's voice again.

Luke shook his head and got up from the couch to walk over to the door.
He hit the release and the door swooshed open.

This is a long chapter, so I'm posting it in parts, this is the longest
and final one:

See disclaimers and such in Part 1

So Much to Tell You
By JediGirl

Chapter 18 - BONUS CHAPTER
(Part Three)

"Hey, Mar-Luke?" Karrde exclaimed as he realized it was Luke and not
Mara who stood in the doorway.

"Hello, Talon," Luke responded in his best 'Jedi Master' voice.

"I...I didn't realize you were on board," Karrde stated trying to
recover from the surpise of seeing the Jedi when the door opened.

"No one knows I'm on board," Luke admitted to the ship's captain.

Karrde's expression turned stern. "I don't take kindly to people
sneaking aboard my personal ship."

"Ah, yeah, I know. I'm sorry. It's just Mara and I are trying to keep a
low profile for a while," Luke explained as he ran a hand absently
through his now tousled hair.

Karrde looked the Jedi up and down and noticed his lack of a shirt. He
struggled to keep a smile from forming on his face. "I see," he replied,
keeping his voice stern. "I'm good at keeping secrets you know. If I had
known you were on board, I would have made sure to give Mara time to
herself."

Luke gave Mara's boss, and his friend, a small smile. "I'll remember
that next time."

"Please do," he gave the younger man a nod.

"Can I give Mara a message," Luke asked. "She can't come to the door at
the moment."

Karrde had to struggle even harder to keep the smile from his face. "Ah,
yes. I was just stopping by to give her this data card." He held up a
datacard to Luke. "It has information I need her to review before a
meeting tomorrow."

Luke took the card from Karrde. "I'll make sure she gets it," he assured
him.

"Please do. Oh, and tell her that the meeting has been moved back to
10:00. That should give her a little more time to prepare."

"I'll give her the message."

"Thank you. Well, have a good evening," Karrde said and gave Luke a
wink. "I'll make sure Mara doesn't get any more interruptions this
evening."

Luke's cheeks flushed a bit in reply. "Good night, Talon," he said
simply and shut the door as Karrde turned and headed down the hall.

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

Luke made his way back to the couch, and Mara, but he found the couch
empty. "Mara?" he called.

"I'm here," Mara spoke the words in a seductive purr. Luke turned to
find her leaning against the door frame of the bed chamber.

In the time it had taken Luke to answer the door and exchange words with
Talon Karrde, Mara had gone into her bedroom, removed the remainder of
her clothing and donned an article of clothing more befitting the mood.
She now wore a silky black negligee that fell just below her shapely
hips. The garment hung from her slender shoulders by thin, silken
straps, and the neckline scooped low, not doing much to hide what lay
beneath. The cut of the fabric enhanced all of Mara's womanly curves.

Luke stood quietly for a few moments, taking in the image of Mara and
thanking any god who may be listening for this beautiful woman. He
worked his jaw a bit and swallowed hard as he tried to clamp down on the
urge to sweep her up, take her to the bed and have his way with her.
*Slow, Skywalker,* he thought to himself. *We want to take this slow.
Enjoy the moment. Each and every moment.*

He put on his best charming smile and raised an eyebrow to her. "I
thought we were getting 'undressed'?" he questioned her.

Mara gave him a smile of her own, tilted her head to one side and
brushed her hair back, exposing her elegant neck and almost bare
shoulder. "Well, I thought this might put us back into the 'mood' that
was broken.

"Is that for me?" she asked, indicating the datacard Luke held in his
hand.

A half naked Mara was more than enough to put Luke back in the "mood,"
but he decided not to comment. "Yeah," Luke replied holding up the
datacard. "Karrde wants you to review this before your meeting tomorrow
morning, which has also been moved back to 10:00."

Mara gave a little sigh of frustration, but kept the smile on her face.
"Well, at least I can sleep in a bit. You can just put it on the desk."

Luke put the card down on the desk as he passed it and joined Mara at
the doorway. He reached out to Mara and ran a hand down her side,
enjoying the feel of the silky fabric against her body. "So, do you have
a spare one of these at every outpost too?" he asked her, remembering
their time at the base at Carva III.

"No," she replied with a little scorn in her voice. "I was down on
Bothawui a couple of days ago for a meeting and passed a little shop
that had this in the window. I thought I might have a use for it in the
future, so I bought it." She caressed his bare chest softly with only
her fingertips. Luke inhaled sharply as a shiver ran down his spine.

"Plus," she said in a quiet whisper, "I thought you would like the
color," she teased.

Luke just shook his head at her taunting of his usual attire. "You look
beautiful," he told her simply.

"Thank you." Mara leaned in and place a soft kiss on his chin. "So,
where were we?" she breathed against his neck.

Luke snuggled her soft red hair against his face. He breathed deeply and
took in Mara's sweet scent. He closed his eyes tight, and prayed that
when he opened them again he wouldn't find that this moment had only
been a dream. Slowly releasing his breath, he opened his eyes and found
Mara still there next to him. He smiled.

"I think I remember," he answered her. "But there is something I need to
do first."

"What?" Mara said as she pulled away and looked into his eyes. Hers
became hard as she questioned him.

Luke couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. "Stay right here," he
told her as he turned around and headed back to the couch they had been
on earlier.

Mara placed a hand on her hip and knitted her brow as she watched Luke
pick up his belt from the floor where it had fallen. He opened a small
pouch that was attached to it and removed something from it, but in the
low light she couldn't make out what it had been. Did the farmboy come
prepared this evening and take on more responsibility for the
birth-control issue? She had told him she had that situation covered.

Luke placed the belt, with lightsaber still attached, down in the center
of the table, far from the edge this time. He turned and headed back
over to Mara. The object he was holding was cupped in his hand and
hidden from view.

He stopped in front of Mara, tucked his chin to his chest and took a
deep breath. He released the breath and raised his eyes to look into
Mara's. Even in the low light of the rooms, Luke's eyes sparkled a
bright blue. Mara would have sworn the light came from inside him.

"Mara, I know I didn't do this right the first time and I want to remedy
that." Luke opened the hand that held the object he had retrieved and
held it up to Mara. There in the palm of his hand was a small, square,
black velvet box. With his other hand he pulled back the top of the box.
There nestled on a soft black cushion of velvet s at a small circlet of
gold and set upon it was one of the brightest jewels in the galaxy; a
Corusca gem. It caught a bit of light from the bedroom behind Mara and
sparkled brighter than any star. Every color of the rainbow danced
with-in the small gem. On either side of the brilliant stone sat two,
almost as bright, blue sapphires. The way they sparkled reminded Mara of
Luke's own eyes, and she looked up to meet those very eyes.

"Mara Jade, will you accept this ring as a token of my love and agree to
be my wife?"

At Luke's words, tears sprang to Mara's eyes and she quickly brought a
hand to her mouth to cover her gasp. Involuntarily, her body started to
shake and she felt that her legs were about to give out on her. She
gathered her strength and commanded her body to remain standing.

"Luke." Mara's voice shook as she spoke. "That ring must have cost a
fortune."

Luke gave her a quiet laugh and shook his head at her. "I'm asking you
to take it, not appraise it."

"Luke...Luke..." Mara stammered as she looked from Luke to the ring and
back to Luke again. She was no jewelry expert, but she had dealt in
enough trading of such jewels that she knew roughly its cost. Her mind
wanted to argue the act of spending so much, but when she looked in his
eyes she could see how much he wanted her to have it, and what it meant
to him.

"I spent what free time I had on Bothawui over the past few days finding
the perfect one," he told her. "When I saw this ring, I knew it was
meant to be worn by you. Please accept it, and please say you will marry
me."

Mara felt a warmth start to build deep inside her. It quickly spread
through her body and gave strength to her weakened muscles. She wrapped
both of her hands around Luke's and the small box. She gave him a wide
grin. "My answer has not changed since the last time. Yes, Luke. I will
marry you."

Luke's own muscles had gone tight over the past few minutes, but they
all relaxed at once upon hearing Mara's words. The fell into one
another's arms and kissed deeply. Each lover's happiness flowed into the
other through the strong bond they had created over the years.

When the kiss ended, they parted. Luke took the glimmering ring from its
box and placed it on Mara's delicate finger. It fit perfectly. He smiled
brightly at her. "Well, I think this is something to celebrate."

"What do you propose?" Mara asked with a sly smile.

Luke raised his head and looked over her shoulder and into the bedroom.
He glanced down at Mara, but didn't voice his thoughts. He didn't need
to. Mara slipped her arm around his waist and they both walked into the
sleeping chamber.

The couple made their way over to the bed. Luke sat down on the side of
the bed and Mara slipped in between his legs. He ran his hands slowly up
and down her back and sides and looked up at her lovingly.

Mara returned the loving look and caressed his strong shoulders. She
leaned down and kissed him passionately. She broke from his lips but
continued a trail of kisses down his neck and onto his chest and
muscular abdomen.

Once again, a shiver ran through Luke's body. He wasn't sure if he would
ever get used to her affections.

Mara knelt down and took hold of his left boot. She undid a buckle at
the top and pulled the boot from his foot. She repeated the act with the
other boot and then rose up once again, pushing Luke gently back to lie
upon the bed.

She crawled up on to the bed and straddled Luke's hips. Luke rubbed his
hands up and down her bare thighs as Mara ran her hands along his chest.
Mara slowly leaned down on top of him and tenderly nibbled at his right
ear and neck. Luke groaned in pleasure in response. His hands came up
and wrapped around her back, pulling her closer to him. The feel of
Mara's silky negligee against his chest and hands heightened his already
roaring desire. He slipped his left hand around to her chest and rubbed
the soft fabric against her breast and felt the hardness of her nipple
rise against his palm. Mara's hands clenched at his shoulders in
reaction. Luke continued his ministrations causing Mara to push herself
hard against his pelvis.

As Mara moved herself against Luke, she could feel his rising desire
against her pelvis. She pushed against him several more times before she
rose back up into a sitting position. Luke's hand tried to keep contact
with her breast, but Mara scooted down onto his thighs and out of reach.
She gave him a desire filled smile and grasped hold of the waist of his
pants. Her skilled fingers quickly unlatched the fasteners of his pants.
With the fabric now loosened, Mara leaned slightly forward and slipped
her right hand into the fabric of his pants. Her hand encircled his
hardness and gave it a gentle pull. Luke's hands clenched at the
blankets beneath him and he squeezed his eyes tight as his head arched
back in pleasure. Mara bit at her lower lip as her own excitement rose
within her. She continued to move her hand about in the tight confines,
watching her lover respond to her caresses.

Luke kept his eyes closed tight as he concentrated on Mara's movements.
After a few minutes, her caresses became too much and he quickly caught
her hand and stopped her strokes.

Mara reluctantly pulled her hand away, but then grabbed hold of the
waist of his pants with both hands. Luke lifted his pelvis up off the
bed and Mara slipped his pants down his legs and deposited them on the
floor by the bed. She then reached up and quickly did the same with his
undershorts. Mara sat beside Luke on the bed and let her eyes roam
across his naked form. She looked as if she were trying to memorize
every shape of every muscle of his body.

When her eyes met with Luke's he leaned up on one elbow and reached up
with his other hand and slipped it around the back of her head. He
pulled her to him and their swollen lips locked together.

Luke continued to raise himself up and in turn caused Mara to lean back
until she was now flat on the bed and Luke was leaning over her. Luke's
hand slid down from the back of her neck, along her chest, pausing
briefly to caress the still firm nipples and down to the heat between
her leg s. Mara was wearing a brief pair of panties that matched the
black negligee. Luke hooked a finger around the thin string that curved
around her hip. He tugged and quickly slipped the panties from her lower
body. His fingers slowly glided back up the inside of her leg and back
to the warmth of her womanhood.

Mara gulped and quivered as Luke slid a finger into her depths. He
skillfully caressed her as she started to moan with pleasure. He took
his free hand and pushed up the black, silky fabric to expose her
swollen breast. Mara's mouth opened wide to suck in a breath as Luke's
tongue teased the edges of her nipple he had chosen to give attention
to. Mara's breathing quickened as Luke brought her closer and closer to
completion.

"Yes," she hissed, "Yes, Luke....yes!"

Luke could sense the ripples of pleasure beginning to wash through
Mara's body. He increased his efforts to heighten her climax.

"YES!" Mara exclaimed as her eyes flew open wide and her head arched
back. Her hips lunged forward against Luke's hand. One of her hands
clung to the bed's blanket and the other dug into Luke's tousled hair.
She clenched her teeth tight and released a long, low moan of pleasure.

As Mara rode the waves of her orgasm, Luke continued his ministrations,
keeping the pleasure on going. Mara brought a hand down and tried to
remove his hand from between her legs, but Luke refused to be stopped.

"Ooohhhh..." Mara quivered. "Please, Luke. Please stop."

Luke moved his body on top of hers. He squeezed himself between her legs
as Mara tried to push him back. "Hold on, Mara," Luke whispered into her
ear and with a solid thrust he was within her. Mara's fingernails dug
into his shoulders as he began to rock back and forth. "Hold on," he
whispered again.

She did as she was told and wrapped both her arms and legs tightly about
him. Luke picked up his thrusts. He could feel the tight muscles within
Mara clenching against him as another orgasm began to sweep over her.
This time he would join her in the wave of pleasure.

He pushed harder and faster as Mara called out his name. Finally with
one solid push, everything exploded. Luke squeezed his eyes shut tight
against the bright light that seemed to be blazing within him and Mara.
He had been vaguely aware of Mara's scream of...of what? Pleasure? He
could only hope so. Hurting her was the last thing he would ever want to
do. He suddenly came aware of a burning deep in his chest and all of a
sudden realized he was not breathing. He opened his mouth wide and
released a loud moan into the blankets to the side of Mara's head.

His lungs eagerly tried to take in air as his chest rose and fell
quickly against Mara. He then noticed that Mara's body was shaking
beneath him. As more of his senses came on line, a gleeful giggle
reached his ears. On wobbly arms he pushed himself up enough so he could
see Mara under him. She was indeed giggling, and crying at the same
time. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she didn't do anything to stop
them. Instead she covered her face with one hand and laughed even
harder.

Her laughter was infectious. "Are you okay?" Luke asked as he himself
started to giggle.

Mara nodded her head in reply, not able to catch her breath enough to
speak. After a few moments Mara was able to calm herself down a bit.
"I'm WONDERFUL!" she told him. "Absolutely wonderful." She tugged the
blanket to her and tried to wipe away her tears of happiness.

Luke gave her a relieved smile. "Me too," he told her and captured her
lips with his. Mara wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

"You're amazing, you know," she told him when they broke from the kiss.

"Only because I'm with you."

Mara just shook her head in reply. There was so much he didn't
understand about himself. She wondered if he would ever understand.

They stared at each other in silence for a long time, enjoying the
sensation of their bodies touching and being together.

Finally Luke leaned in and gave her a delicate kiss and rolled over to
lie beside her on the bed. "It's late," he said in a quiet voice. "Maybe
I should get going. You have that meeting in the morning."

"Don't go," Mara said quickly, rolling on her side to look at him. "Stay
the night," she said with a small smile. "Please."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, laying her hand on his sweat glistened chest.

Luke took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed her
palm. "What about your meeting in the morning?"

"It isn't until 1000. I'll have plenty of time to prepare. We are both
early risers."

"True," Luke agreed.

"You look cold," he said as he noticed her skin prickling with little
bumps. "Maybe we should move under the covers."

Mara nodded in response and they both climbed under the soft blankets of
the bed. Mara reached over to a small table next to the bed and hit a
switch that lowered the soft lights of her room to darkness. She then
curled herself next to Luke, pressing her back and buttocks against his
chest and hips. Luke wrapped an arm around her and pulled her even
closer. He nuzzled at the back of her neck and placed a soft kiss on her
bare shoulder.

"It's nice to lie like this in a real bed," he commented in a low voice
at her ear. "It is much nicer than the floor."

"Most definitely," Mara said with a quiet giggle, that blended into a
long yawn.

"Sleep well, my love," Luke whispered and closed his eyes. Both were
asleep within minutes.

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

Some hours later, in the early morning, a low beeping sound called from
the seating area of Mara's quarters. The sound carried to Luke's ears
causing him to warily open his eyes. He blinked several times trying to
clear his vision and mind. As his sleepy mind began to awaken, he became
aware of the beeping coming from the other room. He instantly recognized
it as his personal comlink. *Who could be calling me at this hour?* he
thought to himself. Whoever it was, it must be important, he
rationalized.

He gave a small sigh of frustration and then eased himself from about
Mara and out of the bed, doing his best not to awaken her as well.

Luke made his way into the other room and unhooked the comlink from his
belt that lay on the table. "Skyyyy...waaalker," he replied to the call,
over a yawn.

"Luke?" came a female's voice at the other end.

Luke recognized the voice instantly as that of his sister. "Leia? What
is it? Is something wrong?" He rubbed at his sleep filled eyes and tried
to clear his still foggy head.

"I tried to reach you all night," Leia informed him. "I called your room
a half dozen times and Artoo said you hadn't been there all day. I even
called your comlink, but you didn't answer.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"The Wild Karrde," he answered. "What is it you need?"

"The Wild Kar....," her questioning tone trailed off. "Oh, I see.
I...I..." Leia tried to find the right words.

"What is it you need, Leia?" her brother cut her off before she could
continue.

"Oh, yes," Leia got back to the reason for her call. "There is a meeting
I need you to attend."

Luke looked at a glowing chrono that sat on the desk in the room. "Leia,
it isn't even six in the morning and you're calling me to ask me to
attend a meeting?" There was more than a little irritation in his voice.
He had been attending Leia's meetings for days, hour after hour. He had
purposely skipped out on two of them the day before so he could go down
to Bothawui for Mara's ring. He was starting to feel pretty drained. He
knew how important these meetings were to the peace process and for
clearing up the Caamas incident, but he really needed a little time to
himself.

"I know Luke, I'm sorry," his sister apologized. "But I really need you
at this one and it is at 0700. It's with Gavrisom and you know how much
he respects your insight on these things."

"0700?" Luke exclaimed. "Why so early?"

"It is the only time that Gavrisom is available."

Luke gave a groan and rubbed his free hand over his face, but didn't
respond.

"Please, Luke," came Leia's voice after a few moments of silence.

"Okay, okay," he gave in. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"If you can be here before 07:00, that would be great. I need to go over
a few things with you first."

"As soon as I can, Leia," he told his sister, his voice showing his
annoyance at the whole situation.

"Sure, Luke," she replied quietly sensing his mood clearly. "I'm really
sorry about this, but you know I wouldn't push so hard if I really
didn't need you."

"I know," Luke responded in a gentler voice. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Thank you, Luke," she replied simply and Luke clicked off the comlink.

He searched the sitting area for a few minutes, until he found his
undershirt wedged in the cushions of the couch and his tunic on the
floor behind the same piece of furniture. He gathered up the articles of
clothing and his belt and headed for the sleeping chamber. When he
walked in the room, he dropped his bundle on a chair near the door.

"Luke?" came Mara's sleepy voice from the bed. "Who were you talking
to?"

"Leia," Luke grumbled as he bent down and picked up his undershorts from
the bedroom floor. He put them on and bent down once again to retrieve
his pants.

"Leia?" Mara queried. She raised her head from her pillow and tried to
focus her eyes on the chrono on the small table beside the bed. "It
isn't even six in the morning. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, everything is fine," he told her. He pulled his pants up around
his waist and clasped the fasteners. "She needs me to attend an
important meeting."

"At six in the morning?" she asked as she ran her fingers through her
hair, trying to tame her sleep tangled mass of red hair.

"No, the meeting is at 0700," he replied as he sat down on the edge of
the bed next to her. He leaned over and picked up one of his boots and
pulled it on. "But she wants to go over a few things before hand."

Mara could hear the frustration in his voice. He was not happy about his
sister's request. "Can't you get out of it?" she asked.

"No," he stated and pulled on the other boot, with a little more force
than he intended and caused the bed to shake.

Mara sat up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders and kissed the one
closest to her. " Luke...." she soothed.

Luke sighed. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm just tired, physically and
mentally. I guess I'm just a little cranky."

"Trust me, I completely understand." She laid her head on his shoulder
and rubbed her hand up and down his strong back. "I feel exactly the
same way."

Luke turned towards her and cupped her cheek with his hand and placed a
soft kiss on her forehead. "I know you do. You should at least lie back
down and get a little more sleep."

Mara simply nodded and lay back down in the bed.

Luke rose and walked back over to the chair on which he had placed his
shirt and belt. He pulled on both the undershirt and tunic and fastened
the belt around his waist and shifted its weight until it sat
comfortably.

He walked back over to Mara and gave her a soft warm kiss. "Don't work
too hard," he told her as he pulled away. "I'll give you a call later
on."

"You promise?" she asked as she raised a hand to caress the side of his
face.

"I promise," he told her with a smile. He gave her another quick kiss
and turned to leave the room.

"This is what it's always going to be like, isn't it?" Mara said as Luke
reached the door.

She saw his silhouette in the doorway turn around. "What do you mean?"
he asked into the darkness.

"Short little visits before one of us is pulled away to deal with one
thing or another. Not really knowing when we will be together again."
Mara could feel the concern flowing off of Luke as he stood silently in
the doorway. It took him a few moments before he replied.

"Yes, probably," he said with a sad sigh.

Mara sent him a sensation of reassurance. "Well, I guess we will just
have to continue to make the most of our time together."

"I don't think that will ever be a problem," he replied, and though it
was dark, Mara knew he was smiling.

"I love you, Luke," she called from the bed.

"I love you too, Mara." Luke turned to leave, but suddenly spun back
around.

"Mara?" he called back into the bedroom.

"Yes, Luke?" she answered quietly.

"Would you like to go on a vacation?"

"A vacation?" Her voice rose a bit in volume and she raised her head
from the pillow.

"Yeah, after the peace treaty is signed. A vacation. To take some time
to ourselves, before we have to get involved with the whole wedding
thing."

"Luke, we just got back from being away for over a month," she commented
in a slightly astonished voice.

"I do not consider the past month a 'vacation,' Jade," Luke replied in a
sarcastic tone.

"I'm talking about someplace nice and relaxing," he continued in a
gentler voice. "No meetings. No bosses. No Chiss. NO Sisters. Just you
and me and some peace and quiet."

A smile formed on Mara's face, though Luke couldn't see it. "Yeah," she
said with laughter in her voice. "I'd like that."

"Good," Luke replied simply.

"What do you have in mind?" Mara asked, settling back down in bed.

"Not sure yet, but I'll come up with something."

"I'm sure you will, but Leia isn't going to like it much."

"Yeah, well..." he trailed off. Mara could see him shrug his shoulders
as his form was silhouetted in the door frame by the light in the other
room.

"You better get going, Luke," Mara said looking at the chrono again to
see how much time she would have to get a bit more sleep. "You're going
to be late, and you don't want Leia ticked off before you tell her about
your plans."

"You're right. I'll talk to you later?" he confirmed their earlier plan.

"Hmm Mmm," Mara mumbled from the bed.

Luke nodded and turned and left the room. A few minutes later Mara heard
the swoosh of the main door to her quarters open and close, and Luke was
gone.

Mara rolled over in the bed and pulled the covers tightly around her.
She reached out with a hand to the still warm spot where Luke had lain
only a short while ago. She frowned for a moment at his absence, but
then memories of the night before replaced that emotion and her frown
turned into a smile. Sure she missed him when he was gone, but the time
that they got to spend together more than made up for it. She pulled her
left hand out from beneath the covers and looked at the ring that Luke
had given her that night. Yes, being Luke's wife would be worth any
sacrifice.

She tucked both hands under her pillow, snuggled her face into the
softness of it and closed her eyes. She drifted off to sleep once again,
and dreamed of all the wonderful moments she and Luke would have
together in the future.