Luke scooted over to make room for Mara in his bed, but she swept off her concealing Jedi robe and instead climbed over him into the narrow space between him and the wall. Luke thought amusedly that her choice was probably just to confirm that he wasn't in charge of her actions. In his limited experience, Mara didn't seem to have a preference as to which side of the bed she occupied.

"As much as I hate saying it," he whispered, "it's a good thing you didn't come any earlier. I didn't think Han and Leia would ever settle down and go to sleep."

"Why do you think I waited?" she returned, wrapping one arm around his waist. "I had to block them out, too. Though in hindsight, we probably could've engaged in similar activities at the same time, and Leia wouldn't even have noticed."

"Maybe," he conceded. "But she's getting stronger in sensing my emotions, and I'd hate to take a chance that she'd recognize that I was ... well ..."

Mara sighed in exasperation. "So I guess I'll be keeping my nightgown on tonight, then."

"Believe me, I regret this as much as you do." Luke hugged her tightly against him. He knew the logical side of Mara understood his reluctance in revealing their marriage right now, even as the newlywed side of her rebelled against his hasty decision as much as he did. "So much for every night being a honeymoon night," he muttered dejectedly.

"How were we to know that your own personal Paranoid Protector Squad was going to show up?" Mara grumbled back. "This reminds me of our nights together before we were married."

"Hmmm, me too. But I have fond memories of those nights. Not as fond as recent nights, of course."

"I still don't know why we can't just sleep in my room. Leia's range can't be that far."

"No, but she'd know that I wasn't in here."

"Blazing stars. She even checks on you at night?"

"Has to make sure the evil Imperial assassin hasn't slit my throat yet."

"And you don't think she'll sense that I'm in here?"

"I can shield you, remember," he said, recalling their hiding from Palpatine and Darth Vader on Coruscant.

"And you know perfectly well I can shield myself. So why can't we—"

"I don't think I'm experienced enough at split concentration to shield a squeekbug while we make love," he admitted, thinking of the day in the underground when he and Mara nearly had their first intimate encounter. "Are you?"

"No," Mara replied, a touch of frustration in her whispered voice.

"But I believe I can handle some serious kissing, though," he continued, finding her lips with ease in the darkness. "I even—"

The newlyweds jerked apart when a soft knock sounded on the bedchamber door. Luke rolled onto his other side, facing the room's entrance.

"Luke?" Leia's voice echoed through the door. "Are you awake?"

"Uh ... yes."

Leia apparently took her brother's answer as permission to open the door, and she stood silhouetted in the dim light of the common room. "Can I talk to you awhile?"

As soon as the door slid open, Mara had hunched down behind Luke, both of them double-checking that her Force shroud was in place.

"Uh, sure, Leia," Luke mumbled, pulling the covers further up his bare chest. He could feel Mara's warmth as she pressed tightly against his back. "I'll be right out."

"Couldn't I come in here?" Leia persisted. She stole a quick glance over her shoulder. "I don't want to wake Han."

Luke tried not to twitch as Mara poked him sharply in the back. "No, I'll come out to the common room. We won't wake him."

"Do you have to disagree about everything all of a sudden?" Leia muttered quietly, before sighing and nodding in agreement. Her form disappeared from the doorway, and Luke let out a breath of relief.

"I thought she was asleep!" Mara whispered as loud as she dared.

"So did I." Luke reluctantly slipped from the bed and pulled on a sleeveless undertunic.

As Luke padded softly into the sitting area, he noticed Leia was sitting in the middle of the small couch. Apprehensively, he took a seat next to her. Leia gave him a wan smile before taking one of his hands in her own.

Luke's eyes flickered to their joined clasp, then warily gazed at the resolve in her expression. "I'm not changing my mind about Mara," he blurted out, not anxious to resume their disagreement.

"You!" she chastised, apparently catching the underlying implication he was reading into their physical contact, then nudging him with her shoulder. For good measure, she tightened her hold on his hand. "Luke, the last thing I want is for us to become estranged over her." Leia sent him a reassuring smile. "I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude. And that's not want I wanted to talk to you about."

"It's not?" Luke answered, not hiding the surprise in his voice.

"No." Leia gazed quickly toward her closed bedchamber door.

"Don't worry, I can sense if Han wakes up," said Luke, noting her anxiety. A perplexed frown creased his brow. "Can't you?"

Leia shook her head minutely. "Well, sometimes, but ... I'm not always sure. Perhaps if that was all I was concentrating on, I could. But I don't know if I'd notice if I'm engrossed in a conversation."

"Leia, if you'd just—" Luke bit back the rest of his rebuke, wincing a little as he received the annoyed grimace of a student who's heard the same scolding from her teacher one too many times. "Okay, no lectures on training tonight. But at least let me show you how to keep a connection to Han."

"All right, go ahead," Leia said, giving in with a sigh.

"Remember that every presence is unique," Luke began. "Here." He raised her hand to his temple, allowing her access into the curtained-off section of his mind where Han's slumbering presence rested. "Stretch out with your senses to Han, then isolate his presence in your own mind, just as you feel I've done. Got it?"

Leia nodded, her eyes squeezed shut in concentration.

"Now tuck his sensation into a corner of your mind where you can be aware of it, but not monopolized by it." Luke patiently waited while Leia implemented his directions. "That's it – just leave a thread of perception to alert you if he stirs. Good!" Luke beamed, proud of Leia's grasp of his impromptu lesson. "You're a quick learner, when you give yourself a chance."

"You're a good teacher," she returned, the corners of her mouth upturning in a slight smile. "When I give you a chance."

"Now then, just what is it that we're going to be engrossed in conversation about?" he said, relaxing back against the couch and putting one arm comfortingly around Leia's small frame. "Are you and Han at odds about something?" He refrained from adding 'again,' even though the pair's compatibility seemed to rise and fall as regularly as the tides on Mon Calamari. Han's revelation that afternoon, however, had left Luke with the feeling that things couldn't be better between the two.

"No," she answered, biting her lip. "Things have been wonderful lately between us. Exceptionally wonderful, for the most part." She paused. "Almost too wonderful."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Han's been kind, and polite, and attentive beyond belief."

Luke waited patiently, trying to imagine what could possibly be the problem. Han was right – women were difficult to figure out at times.

"It's just ... well ... Oh, I shouldn't be bothering you with this."

"Of course you should. That's what big brothers are for."

"Uh-huh," Leia muttered.

Luke narrowed his eyes. This must be serious if she was too distracted to correct him regarding who was older.

"All right." Leia took a deep breath, then plunged ahead. "Han's been dropping little hints lately, nothing blatantly obvious. It's more his mannerisms. He takes notice of things that he's gone out of his way to ignore before."

Luke made a 'hurry up and get to the point' gesture with his free hand, then thanked his lucky stars that Leia had closed her eyes and hadn't seen it.

"So ..." he prompted cautiously.

"I think ... Maybe I'm just being absurd. But I think ... Han may be considering asking me to marry him."

Luke broke out in a wide grin. Han was justified in his confidence after all. "That's great!" he said, giving her a warm hug. A hug she didn't return very enthusiastically. He gazed at her sober expression. "Isn't it?"

"I don't know, Luke," she whimpered in a voice that was as close to wailing as Leia ever got. "I'm just not sure. I mean, I could be imagining this whole thing. Maybe I'm misinterpreting his actions. Maybe I'm worrying for nothing."

Luke's mind was spinning, wondering what he was missing. "But you love Han," he said with conviction. He couldn't be that wrong about his own twin sister.

"Yes, I do," she confirmed, tiredly rubbing one hand across her temple. "But marriage isn't something you just jump into."

He wisely said nothing, waiting for her to continue and unobtrusively erecting barriers around his own emotions.

"It isn't that I don't think we know each other well enough," she attempted to explain.

"You don't want to marry Han?" he ventured tentatively.

"Yes, I think I do," was the contradictory answer.

Luke didn't have to feign confusion. He was appreciating Mara's straightforward bluntness more and more by the minute – a bluntness that Leia usually had no problem employing when she wanted to.

"The question isn't if I want to marry Han, if he does ask. It's a matter of when – a matter of timing. I'm just not sure if I'm ready right now for a permanent union." Leia nervously twisted her robe's sash around her fingers, an action that Luke had not seen often in his normally composed sister. "I mean, I'm so busy with the New Republic, and everyday Mon Mothma is handing off more and more duties to me." She shot a quick glance at Luke, an amused smirk momentarily lighting up her face. "I only got away to come here because she was afraid you'd botch this mission by letting some girl get the better of you."

"Very funny." Luke grinned at her in mock annoyance. "But I think we were discussing you and Han."

"Yes ..." Leia trailed off, staring off into the dark corners of the room. "It wouldn't be fair to Han. He gets irritated enough now as it is, with all the late night meetings I have to go to." She curled one hand into a fist. "Of course it's different when he stays out late at some sabacc game, or flies off in the Falcon on some supply run, or spends all night in a maintenance bay tinkering with that hunk of junk."

Luke squeezed her shoulders warmly and sent waves of compassion to her. Leia visibly calmed, laying her head against his shoulder. "Tell me what to do, Luke. I don't want to lose him, but I don't want to make a terrible mistake, either."

"Leia, you know I can't make that decision for you."

"Yes, but—"

Gently turning her head with his free hand, Luke gazed into her large brown eyes. "What does your heart tell you?"

"I ... I don't know ..." Leia looked pleadingly at Luke's solemn expression.

"Leia, you and Han love each other. I knew that long before Bespin, before either of you would admit it, even to yourselves. It's evident in every glance, in every touch that passes between you. You two belong together." Luke hugged her tightly. "But if you're not ready for marriage right now, I'm sure Han will understand. He'll wait for you."

A change came over Leia at his words, and she pulled herself into the strong-willed woman that Luke loved and admired so much. "How did you get to be so wise, little brother?"

"You expect me to give away all my secrets to my baby sister?" Luke chuckled, tugging lightly on a strand of her long brown hair. "Besides, you don't even know if Han is considering marriage. You may end up having to ask him someday."

"I can just see myself down on one knee, asking for his hand. I wouldn't be able to see any higher than his knees."

"Then I guess you'd better leave it up to him," Luke returned, his humorous tone diminishing as he thought of Han's disappointment if she turned him down.

Leia nodded and her demeanor likewise turned serious, as she was no doubt having the same thoughts. She cast her gaze downward in thought as she resumed fingering the belt to her fuzzy robe. Leia seemed reluctant to leave Luke's company, and he felt the same way. It had been nearly a month since they'd shared a late night chat, and he missed her familiar warmth and companionship.

"So the Regent is going to finally begin the negotiations tomorrow?" Leia eventually said into the silence.

"He said he would," Luke confirmed.

"And you remember what to expect, right? Barring his trying to conscript you into their navy, that is. You have to present the New Republic's beginning proposal, then he'll make a counter offer, then—"

"I know what to do," Luke interrupted.

Leia raised an eyebrow dubiously.

"I do listen when you're describing every detail of all your long, drawn-out trade agreements. It just looks like I'm sleeping because I'm usually meditating."

His attempt at humor got the desired effect. Leia laughed out loud, covering her mouth when she realized she might wake up Han.

"All right, Ambassador Skywalker, I get the point." She settled back into his embrace. "Now, I want to hear why you were late getting here."

"I told you, we had—"

"Yes, I know. Mechanical trouble with the ship. But ten days?! Luke, you've always prided yourself on being able to fix anything." Leia paused and frowned as an amused smile flashed across his face. "So I want to know what kind of repairs took so long."

Luke gave a quiet, resigned sigh. "We stopped just outside the Crestar Nebula, to make a course change," he began.

"Near the asteroid field," Leia said, apparently recognizing the location. "Han and Chewie thought the asteroids looked as if someone had been taking potshots at them."

"Really?" he said, keeping his expression blank. "Anyway, the hyperdrive wouldn't re-engage, and I didn't think I could repair it without landing, especially since I didn't have Artoo, so we ventured into the nebula and set down on the first planet we found. Except, we got caught in a windstorm, and a stabilizer rod for the primary wing snapped. Then we had to hike several days to the nearest settlement, which had no technology, and it took us longer than expected to get a replacement for the rod. Then we had to hike back to the ship with it. And before you ask, the nebula was wreaking havoc with our comm system, so we couldn't send any messages."

"All right, I'll accept that." She gave him a shrewd glance. "Now, tell me why you were in a healing trance when I commed your ship, and don't try to deny that you were."

"Let's just say, not all the natives were friendly. And you know what you always say – I don't have to go looking for trouble; it always finds me."

"How bad were you hurt?"

"It was just a scratch, really." He broke into a wry grin, then made as if to lower the waistband of his sleep pants over his hip. "You want to see my latest scar?"

"No!" Leia exclaimed, then glanced again at her bedroom door. "Nerf!" she whispered loudly, punching his shoulder. "What is this, some warped Jedi sense of humor you've developed?"

Luke looked at her strangely.

"What?"

"Mara said exactly the same thing a few days ago."

"Oh." Leia's disposition changed instantly.

"Just give her a chance, Leia," Luke pleaded. "I know Mara's a bit abrasive at first, but if you'd only get to know her, you'd find she's really a caring person." He gave Leia's shoulders a warm squeeze. "Mara's had a hard life. Being raised by Palpatine wasn't exactly conducive to a happy childhood."

"Palpatine ... raised her?" Leia asked skeptically.

"Along with tutors, trainers, and drill instructors. She can't remember having any family before coming to the palace. Palpatine probably recognized her Force talent and kidnapped her, possibly even killed her parents." Luke paused in thought, then looked away. "Or our father did."

"So I'm supposed to feel sorry for her?"

"All I'm asking is that you look at her life from her point of view. It could've just as easily have been you or me that the Emperor discovered at an early age."

"All right," said Leia with a sigh. "If you feel that strongly, I'll try to accept her."

Luke started to speak, but Leia cut him off. "I know, try not. I pay attention when you drone on about Yoda's teachings." She shot him a sly smirk. "I only look like I'm asleep."

The siblings broke into simultaneous laughter, then embraced each other with a warm hug. It was good to be together.

Some time later, Luke crawled into his inviting bed, pulling Mara back into his arms.

"'Bout time," she murmured sleepily.

"Sorry," he returned, kissing her softly.

"What did Leia want?"

"She thinks Han may be planning to ask her to marry him."

"Which he is," Mara said matter-of-factly. "So why am I not sensing elation from you?"

"She's not sure she'll accept."

"Ahh. That could get messy."

"I didn't know being a Jedi translated into being a marriage advisor," Luke muttered.

"I think that comes more under the category of being a relative, or prospective relative. Though there was no one else that I wanted to discuss marriage with."

"You were a prospective relative."

Mara shifted closer to him, tracing circles across his back. Luke buried his face in his pillow, doing his best to suppress his yearnings for the enticing woman lying next to him. "This just isn't fair," came his muffled whine.

"This was all your idea," Mara pointed out.

He turned his head to one side slightly. "I've never been accused of thinking things all the way through. Just ask Han or Leia."

"Does that include asking me to marry you?"

"You know it doesn't." Luke rolled onto his side to face her. "No regrets there. Not now, not ever."

Mara tenderly brushed her lips against his cheek. "I believe someone was bragging about his ability to shield and kiss at the same time."

Luke replied with a fierce kiss, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Hmmm...." Mara sighed contentedly. "Masterful."

========================================================================

"Welcome, Jedi Skywalker, Padawan Jade." Regent Ke'lor nodded in greeting to both Luke and Mara as they entered his private office. "I hope you won't mind if Prime Aide Meend is present. I count on him to keep notes of all my official negotiations."

"No, of course not." Luke bowed his head to acknowledge the aide, and Meend took Luke and Mara's cloaks as they removed them.

"I apologize for the delay in conducting this meeting," the Regent began smoothly. "It is our custom on Lorrd to see to it that all guests are comfortable and relaxed before beginning any business negotiations. And even though I know that Jedi Knights are trained to be calm and composed, I took the liberty of assuming that you would appreciate a day to refresh yourselves, especially after the difficulty you encountered with your ship." The Regent smiled warmly at them. "I hope I did not offend you with my procrastination."

Luke cleared his throat and sat up straight, obviously doing his best to affect the bearing of a trained diplomat. "Not at all, Your Excellency. However, Mon Mothma will be expecting an update on our progress, so I would like the use of a comm unit when we conclude today's session."

"Absolutely." The Regent waved toward his aide. "You may use the secure comm in Meend's office."

The slight surprise Mara felt emanating from Luke mirrored her own. If they were free to use Meend's comm, why didn't they have units in their own suites? Perhaps Meend's wasn't really all that secure.

"Now then," Regent Ke'lor said, handing Luke a datapad. "Here is an outline of Lorrd's requirements concerning the norumite crystals."

Luke took the pad, nodding at Mara at the same time. She withdrew a similar datapad from a leather pouch at her waist and passed it to the Regent.

"The New Republic's proposal," Luke said before glancing at the pad he had just received. Mara refrained from looking over his shoulder; she knew Luke would inform her immediately if the outline included any 'you must fight in our war' clause.

"Excellent," Regent Ke'lor responded. "I suggest we discuss each item one by one in order to reach a mutually beneficial consensus." He smiled cordially at his guests. "Don't you agree, Jedi Skywalker?"

Two hours later, the trio of negotiators shut down their respective datapads. Meend had studiously recorded each point of the discussion, and was already duplicating the initial draft of the agreement so that the Jedi would both receive copies.

"Simply inform Meend when you are ready to send a transmission to Mon Mothma," the Regent said, rising to shake Luke's hand. "I am sure she will find our compact most satisfactory."

"I believe we would like to review the contract again ourselves before relaying it to her," Luke replied. Mara knew his unspoken thought was that he'd like Leia to review the document, and she didn't blame him. This was Leia's area of expertise, not hers or Luke's.

"Of course, of course." Regent Ke'lor looked up as his office door opened. "Ah, I see Jayce is here to escort you back to your quarters."

Jayce smiled brightly at Mara and suggested they stop for a light lunch on the way back. To Luke and Mara's surprise, he brought them to a small café just off the palace's main promenade. This was the first time they'd eaten anywhere besides one of the royal dining halls. Any thoughts of freedom to mingle with the other patrons quickly dissolved, however. Jayce ushered them to a secluded dining nook which Mara deduced to be solely reserved for members of the Regent's staff. The gurgling of a small fountain tucked amongst the foliage served to deter eavesdropping from adjacent alcoves.

The Second Aide began to reach toward Mara's shoulders to remove her cloak, then seemed to think better of it. With a mildly amused glance at Luke, Mara removed the garment herself and handed it to the hesitant young man.

*See, the conditioning is working already,* Luke sent silently, not looking Mara's direction as he settled into a comfortable straight-backed chair.

Mara didn't bother to answer her smug-sounding husband. She did breathe a sigh of relief when Jayce took a seat on the opposite side of the table from her. Even though he hadn't physically touched her during the walk to the café, Jayce had let no opportunity pass in bestowing a constant stream of compliments on her.

"I trust you are enjoying your stay on Lorrd," Jayce commented, his gaze fixed appreciatively on Mara.

Mara's eyes flicked up from the holomenu she was studying. "It's a very ..." Gaudy, she thought to herself. "... colorful place. From what little we've seen of it, anyway."

"Ah, perhaps I can give you a personal tour of the city soon, now that the negotiations are nearly concluded."

"My master and I would enjoy that very much." What Mara enjoyed was the sensation of disappointment that coursed through the aide when she included Luke in her acceptance. She winced inwardly when Luke sent a reproof to her through the Force. Like he had any room to chastise her.

"The negotiations are far from being concluded," Luke spoke up. "I expect there will be several more sessions before our two governments come to a mutual agreement."

"I would be glad to take Mistress Jade sightseeing while you are concluding the discussions with His Excellency," Jayce suggested hopefully.

Luke's Force-sense screamed 'Over my dead body!' Outwardly, he remained composed enough to answer, "I'm afraid my padawan must attend all meetings with me, as part of her training."

"Of course, Jedi Skywalker." Jayce smiled apologetically. "I understand completely." He glanced down at the holomenu shimmering in front of him. "May I recommend the braised golnock? It is one of our specialties."

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

As Leia studied the proposed agreement between Lorrd and the New Republic, she tried to block out Mara's incessant finger tapping and Luke's equally annoying stare down. Han wasn't much better, alternating between squirming in his seat and making trips to Mara's small refreshment center.

"Sure you don't want something to drink?" Han asked for what seemed like the tenth time.

"No," Leia snapped, rubbing her forehead. "Oh, all right," she relented tiredly, letting out a sigh. "Pour me a glass of wine."

"So?" Luke leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "Can you see any flaws?"

Leia looked up at the anxious face of her brother. When she and Han had returned to the ambassadorial annex shortly after lunch, they'd found Luke here in Mara's suite, putting on what Leia had been sure was a charade of being totally engrossed in reviewing the long-awaited treaty.

"Not until I reached the miscellaneous clauses at the end," Leia said, letting her frustration show. "Subsection eleven, paragraph thirty-eight. 'Each party must be willing to cooperate in the defense of the other party against outside aggression by providing any and all resources requested for such defense.'"

Frowning, Mara held out one hand, and the second copy of the agreement lifted off a nearby table into her grasp. Luke moved over to the arm of her chair, peering over her shoulder as she scanned the document.

"Blazing stars, Luke," Mara grated out. "How did I miss this?" She grimaced at him. "You're a resource of the New Republic."

"I am not," he protested, before glancing at Leia. "Am I?"

"The Lorrdians could view you that way," Leia replied, eyeing the pair. "Both of you."

"I'm not a Jedi," Mara asserted. "Yet," she added when Luke gave her a strange look. "Surely they just want farmboy here."

"The way Jayce is trying to curry your favor?" Luke said with a snort. "Maybe they want you more than me."

"Disappointed that no one is drooling over you, Skywalker?"

"Jade is probably the back-up plan, if they can't get you, Luke," Han said. "Maybe they think a half-trained Jedi would be better than nothing."

"I'm glad you have such a high opinion of my abilities, Solo," Mara retorted.

"Enough," Leia ordered, interrupting the bickering as she accepted her wine from Han and set it on the low table in front of her. She speared Luke with an authoritative look. "Luke, you have to convince them to remove that clause. Even if they don't insist on your or Mara's services, the New Republic doesn't have the ships or manpower to spare right now to come to Lorrd's defense."

"They'll never sign the treaty, then," Luke countered. "And you said we needed those crystals." Still perched on the arm of Mara's chair, he pursed his lips in thought. "Maybe I should help them."

"You can't give into them just for the sake of a treaty," Mara said.

"But Jedi are supposed to help defend others."

"Skywalker," Mara said with a growl. "Number one, you don't even know for sure that engulfing you in their war is what the Lorrdians have in mind. Number two, if they do, it would be blackmail. And I'm sure that Jedi are not supposed to succumb to blackmail."

Leia listened to the exchange with interest. Blast it, she wished Mara Jade would give her a solid excuse not to like her. The woman was candid, intelligent, and not afraid of offending Luke or anyone else. She almost reminded Leia of some of Han's better qualities.

"I'm not going to give in to blackmail," Luke insisted. "But as soon as we ask for that section to be deleted, they'll know we've figured out their scheme."

"So what?" Mara said. "We don't have to call them on it; we just let them confess their devious little plot, and then we can decide whether or not they deserve our help."

"Sounds like a good plan to me, kid," Han put in. "Return the smashball to their court, and let them make the next move."

"Hopefully their next move will be to let the treaty slide through," Leia said, absently reaching for her glass. But with half her attention still on the Lorrdian proposal and the other half fixed on the ongoing conversation, there was none left for something so mundane. The glass tilted awkwardly in her grasp, spilling the wine down her front and leaving a large section of her pale blouse tinted dark red.

"Oh, stars." Leia winced, hastily setting down her glass, and looked for something to dab her blouse with. "This is going to stain. I hope I have something clean to put on." She started to rise, intending to return to Luke's suite for a change of clothes. "I should have known to bring in more luggage from the Falcon." She was heading for the door when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Luke mysteriously motioning to Mara.

"Leia," Mara said, standing up hurriedly. "Why don't you rinse your blouse out in my refresher? I can loan you something to wear."

Leia stopped in her tracks, shocked by Mara's unexpected cordiality. "I ... I don't want to be a bother," she stammered.

"No bother," Mara returned in a flippant tone. She sauntered toward her bedchamber, looking over her shoulder as if to say 'Well, are you coming or not?'

Leia glanced at Luke, who had adopted his expressionless façade, then at Han, who shrugged his shoulders and grinned in amusement. Well, no one ever accused Leia Organa of not having courage ...

The first thing Leia noticed as she entered the bedchamber was that the room was considerably neater than it had been the day before. The bed covering was wrinkle-free, and Mara's personal articles were meticulously arranged on the elegant bureau and writing desk. A clear, bell-shaped jar of what looked like colored flower petals sat on a small table next to the bed. Must be a decoration provided by the Lorrdians, Leia thought. Mara didn't seem the flowery type.

"Go ahead and use the 'fresher while I look for something that I think will fit you," Mara invited, nodding toward the open doorway.

"Thank you," Leia answered, still in a daze over this change in Mara's demeanor. While Mara's tone couldn't be called amiable, it didn't carry her usual sarcastic attitude, either.

Leia quickly rinsed the offending liquid from her top and hung it over a rod. Smoothing down her satiny camisole, she returned to the other room to find Mara standing in front of an open wardrobe, holding out a light beige tunic.

"Will this do?" Mara asked.

"Yes, I'm sure it will." Leia accepted the garment, and as she did so, her attention was caught by a long white dress and what looked like a cape hanging in the wardrobe. She couldn't help reaching past Mara to finger the soft material. "What's this?" she asked. "It looks so unusual."

"Oh, it's ... it's nothing," Mara stuttered as she began to close the wardrobe's ornate doors.

Leia hadn't thought until then that it was possible for Mara Jade to look flustered.

"Wait! May I see it? I like to look at clothing from different cultures." Leia kept her outstretched hand firmly holding the full skirt. Even without employing her limited knowledge of the Force, she could sense the nervousness radiating off Mara as the young woman stood frozen, her hand gripping the wardrobe door so hard that her knuckles were beginning to turn white. "It is from a different culture, isn't it?" Leia continued as she boldly began pulling the garment out of the enclosure. She knew her reputation of being persistent wasn't wholly unearned. "I've never seen anything like this on Coruscant. Is it from Lorrd?"

"Hmm, no," Mara muttered, finally stepping aside in apparent defeat. She met Leia's expectant stare, then continued in a resigned voice. "It came from the planet that Skywalker and I were stranded on, when the B-wing broke down."

"You took time out to go clothes shopping?" Leia narrowed her eyes. It was bad enough that Luke and Jade were ten days late getting to Lorrd. The idea that this woman—

"Of course not," Mara replied curtly. "The locals were having some kind of primitive festival, and orange flightsuits didn't exactly blend in. They gave me this to wear."

"I see." Leia's short answer belied the multitude of thoughts that was running through her mind. Mara Jade didn't strike her as the type to care about 'blending in' with a group of technology-free villagers, as Luke had described them – not unless she was going undercover on an assignment. As Leia's gaze swept quickly over Mara's current simple attire, she also realized that she'd never seen Mara in a dress at all, much less anything like the one now freed from the confines of the wardrobe.

Her prize finally in full view, Leia let a small gasp escape. The dress was beautiful, in a quaint, genteel sort of way. She turned over the fur-trimmed hem and examined the stitching closely. "This looks hand-stitched," Leia pronounced in awe. "I haven't seen a hand sewn garment since I was a little girl, and then only once. One of my aunts had a skirt tucked away in a trunk that her grandmother had sewn by hand."

"Yes, well, didn't Skywalker tell you there was no automation in Zembuhl?" Mara's tone clearly indicated that she wasn't impressed by Leia's nostalgic small talk.

"Zembuhl?" The name tugged at Leia's memory, but she couldn't place where she'd heard it.

"The village we hiked to. We don't really know the name of the planet."

"Yes, he did mention the lack of technology," Leia murmured, now running a careful hand over the long row of tiny buttons along the back of the dress. Did she imagine it, or did Mara noticeably stiffen at her actions? Leia then turned her attention to the velvety soft fur that trimmed the neckline, sleeves, and hem of the dress. "Is this real fur? I don't recognize what animal it could be from."

"It's rishhare," Mara said succinctly, glancing at the door to the common room where Luke and Han waited.

Holding the garment in front of her, Leia crossed to the room's full-length cheval mirror. The dress wasn't anything like the exquisite gowns that she'd worn many times, nor like the fashionable chic dresses currently being touted across the galaxy. Rather, it was elegant in its simplicity; its delicate folds the embodiment of femininity. "This could almost be used as a wedding dress, in a cold climate," Leia commented offhandedly. The sudden chill emanating from Mara made Leia feel like they were in one of those cold climates. "May I try it on?" she asked, as much to see Mara's reaction as her impulsive desire to see how the dress would look on her.

"I ... It ... I don't think it would fit you," Mara stammered. "No, it wouldn't fit."

Leia shrewdly glanced at Mara's trim figure. "It may be a little longer on me than on you," she said, "but I'm sure it would fit."

Mara's anxiety returned full-force. "Uh ... Don't you think we need to be getting back to the other room?" She held out the top that she'd originally offered to Leia. "Here, I thought you wanted to borrow a tunic." Mara started to reach out to snatch back her dress, but Leia twirled out of reach.

"I'll just slip the dress on quickly," Leia insisted. "It won't take but a moment." Without waiting for a response, she stepped out of her own skirt and into the alluring dress, pulling it up over her hips. "Can you fasten a few of the buttons, so I can get a better idea of how it looks?" Leia called over her shoulder. As she saw Mara's reflection behind her, Leia swore the woman looked positively stricken.

"What do you think they're doing in there?" Han muttered. A worried frown suddenly creased his forehead, and he looked sharply at Luke. "Jade wouldn't—"

"No," Luke answered emphatically. "Mara would not harm Leia." He narrowed his gaze at the bedchamber door, as if trying to sense what was going on within the room. "But I can't imagine what is taking so long, either."

"Ah, well, you never know with women." Han took a drink from his glass. "Probably comparing notes on the latest fashions."

Luke gave a doubtful-sounding laugh, but didn't take his eyes off the doorway.

"Hey, kid," Han whispered, leaning forward in his seat. "We still on for tonight?"

Luke turned his attention back to Han. "Tonight? What's tonight?"

"You're gonna order a fancy room service meal, then make yourself scarce." Han frowned at Luke's blank expression. "So I can ... you know." He nodded his head toward the bedroom and mouthed the word 'propose.'

"Oh, yeah, right." Luke fidgeted in his chair. "This isn't a hotel, Han. I don't know if there is room service."

"Have they told you you're expected at any bigwig dinner?"

"Well, no. Not tonight."

"I'm sure they're not gonna let the two of you go wandering around the city on your own." Han grinned smugly. "So they gotta let you eat in your room if you want."

"I suppose," Luke answered slowly. "But wouldn't it be better for you to wait until you got back to Coruscant? Then you could take Leia out to some nice restaurant."

"The minute we get back to Coruscant, Leia'll be busy every night with meetings again." Han leaned back again, crossing his legs. "Tonight's the night, kid." He tipped his glass in Luke's direction, as if in salute, then looked around at the sound of footsteps exiting the bedchamber.

"Han, look at the beautiful dress—" Leia stopped short as soon as she caught sight of Luke. She didn't think she had ever seen such a horrified look on her brother's face as when she walked into the common room.

"What ... What in blazes are you doing, wearing that?!" Luke rose quickly to his feet, shifting his shocked gaze from Leia to Mara. "Why did you let her put that on?"

"You asked me to be nice to her," Mara growled. Her expression was a mixture of frustration and irritation.

"Not that nice!"

Leia could tell by the way Luke was clenching and unclenching his fists that he was fighting to control his emotions. Han stood up also, looking as puzzled as Leia felt.

"Hey, Luke," Han said. "Settle down, kid."

Mara moved close enough to Luke to touch his arm lightly. "Skywalker, it's only the dress I wore to the festival in the village. It's not a big deal."

Some sort of wordless communication passed between the two Force-users, of that Leia was sure. An epiphany of realization seemed to come over Luke – whether the result of Mara's verbal statement or silent one, there was no way of telling. But he visibly relaxed, his hands now hanging limply by his sides.

"I'm sorry, Leia," Luke apologized, regret and embarrassment shining in his penitent blue eyes. "I just thought that no one else was ever supposed to wear a woman's ... uh, festival dress."

"That's all right, Luke," Leia murmured. She didn't believe his explanation for one moment. Why in the galaxy would he care if she tried on one of Mara's dresses? Something strange was going on, and Leia was determined to find out what. "I'll go change." She backed into the bedchamber, still holding the matching cloak that she hadn't even had a chance to model.

Mara followed Leia in and immediately began undoing the long row of buttons.

"What was that all about?" Leia asked.

"How should I know?" Mara returned testily. "You ought to know your brother better than I would. Maybe he has some fixation with women's clothing."

Leia glanced over her shoulder, not amused by Mara's supposed attempt at humor, and Mara looked up to meet her gaze. "I'm beginning to think I don't know him at all."

Hands clasped tightly behind his back, Luke stood looking out through a large oval window at the rooftops surrounding the royal administrative building. He was alone in the vestibule of Prime Aide Meend's office, and had been for the better part of the afternoon. His request for an audience with Regent Ke'lor had brought a flurry of excuses for the lengthy delay – the Regent was apparently a very busy man.

Luke was not by nature a patient person. Yoda had tried to teach him patience, Luke thought with a smile. And perhaps his old master had succeeded, to a point. After all, Luke had barely twitched a muscle since Meend's last appearance, nearly a half standard hour ago. No pacing, no hand clenching, no urges to simply barge into the Regent's inner sanctum and track down the errant monarch himself. In truth, Luke didn't mind the wait. It gave him time to reflect on the conversation he'd had earlier with Mara, shortly after Han and Leia's departure.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"What is wrong with you, Luke?

"Look, I admit that I overreacted." Luke raked his fingers through his slightly too-long hair. "But why did you have the dress hanging out where she could see it? I thought it was still packed in your satchel."

Mara groaned in exasperation. "The cleaning droid offered to take my dirty laundry to be cleaned, and I decided to send the dress, too. I guess when it brought my clothes back, it hung everything in the wardrobe. I didn't even realize it was in there until Leia spied it." She glared at Luke in frustration. "What did you want me to do? Break her arm for daring to touch my wedding dress?"

"You didn't have to invite her to put on a fashion show with it."

"Luke!" Mara threw up her hands, then let them fall on top of his shoulders. "How long have you known your sister? I've known her three months, and already I've got her pegged as the most stubborn person I've ever met, and that includes you. She was bound and determined to try that dress on, and nothing I said would dissuade her. Anyway, there's no rule against one woman putting on another's wedding gown, and Leia doesn't even know that's what it is."

"All right, all right. I know how Leia can get. She pestered me every day for a month until I would give her lessons piloting my X-wing." Luke sighed in resignation. "I just don't like the idea of anyone but you wearing your wedding dress. I have ... well, certain memories attached to it, and ..."

Mara's demeanor softened and she kissed him gently. "I know, sweetheart. It was all I could do to keep from shaking while undoing the buttons down the back."

Luke gave her a strained smile. "Maybe you should have let Han do that."

"She was wearing clothes underneath, farmboy." Mara swatted him lightly. "You'd better be purging all thoughts that don't focus on me."

Luke grinned and nodded in agreement. "Nightmares like that I don't need."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Luke exhaled quietly. He missed Mara. He'd just left her a few short hours ago, and already he missed her. Luke dragged his thoughts away from the night he'd undone the fastenings on that soft white dress and instead did his best to focus on the reason he was rooted to this spot – the proposed trade negotiation. He only hoped Mara hadn't killed Han yet.

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

"What else?" Mara grated out between clenched teeth. She was jotting down Han's menu requests on a piece of flimsiplast, while simultaneously plotting her revenge against a handsome, blue-eyed Jedi for relegating her to the role of waitress. She understood Luke's concern that if they both left to seek out the Regent, they might not return in time to order Han's special dinner. And she knew that it would be inappropriate if a padawan was the one to challenge passages in the treaty, leaving her master behind. But that didn't mean she had to like the arrangement. Luke was the one who'd promised his cooperation in this scheme of Han's, not her.

"Let's see, for dessert, about some serjeez fruit tidbits with sweet nectar sauce."

"We had that for lunch," Mara stated in exasperation. "We wouldn't order the same thing for dinner."

"Well, maybe you liked it so well that you want it again," Han returned testily.

Mara shot the man her best glare and scribbled down the choice.

"Oh, and a bottle of Alderaanian wine," Han concluded. "Gotta have the finest for this occasion."

"Solo, do you know how expensive that is?" Mara couldn't believe the nerve of the man. "They're not going to give us Alderaanian wine!"

"Bet if you asked your admirer – what's his name? Jayce? – he'd get a bottle for you."

Mara had been wrong. It hadn't been her best glare earlier. Though this time she was sure her expression had 'death threat' written all over it. Her hand itched for the feel of her hold-out blaster.

"You can drink whatever's here," Mara bit out, waving a hand toward the refreshment bar.

"There's not much left," Han said with a frown.

"And whose fault is that?" Mara stalked to the intercom, clearly indicating to Han that there would be no more adding to his wish list. A low-level aide answered in Meend's office, and promised that every item that Mara had requested would be delivered within the hour.

"Hey, that was twice as much as I asked for," Han commented, puzzled.

"Farmboy and I have to eat, too," Mara returned. "Don't worry, we won't intrude on your romantic interlude."

A crooked grin crept onto Han's face. "Since when does an assassin use pet nicknames for a Jedi?"

"Since when does a spice smuggler get away with calling a princess 'Her Worshipfulness'?"

"Since she knows I only call her that because I love her." Han's shrewd hazel eyes narrowed, apparently waiting for a response he should have known wouldn't be coming.

Mara pressed her lips into a grim line, then spun on her heel. "I'll be back when the food arrives," she muttered before disappearing out the door.

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

Luke turned around in anticipation, even though Meend hadn't made a sound as he entered the room.

"I apologize, Sir Knight," Meend said, ignoring Luke's earlier request to simply call him 'Luke.' "His Excellency was called into an emergency meeting, and it is impossible to say when he will be available." The aide wrung his hands nervously. "Are you sure that I cannot help you? I am most familiar with all aspects of your negotiations."

Luke paused, considering. Perhaps he would get more answers out of the genial aide than he would from the Regent. "Well, I would like clarification on subsection eleven, paragraph thirty-eight."

"Of course, of course." Meend hurriedly retrieved his copy of the document and scanned for that section. "Each party must be willing ..." he began reading, then looked up in confusion. "But that is a standard clause in all treaties with allies, Jedi Skywalker."

Luke shook his head. "It's too vague, too open for misinterpretation."

Meend rubbed a hand across his chin. "I'm sorry, I do not have the authority to alter that section."

"I did not expect that you would." Luke smiled in understanding. "Perhaps I could make use of your comm station to call Mon Mothma?"

"Oh, yes, absolutely, sir." Meend's face lit up at receiving a request that he could fulfill. "Please follow me. And then I shall be happy to escort you back to your quarters, if His Excellency is still not available."

Luke paused his forward motion and kept his expression carefully shuttered. "I found my way here by myself, and I'm sure I can find my way back. If all this is so that we don't escape—" He stopped, regretting his brusque words as he saw the dismayed slump of the aide's shoulders. He remembered the panic in the older man's expression when Luke had appeared in his office unannounced, and unescorted. "Meend, I know you are only following orders, but you must realize that we could slip away from the palace grounds anytime we wanted." At the moment, however, all Luke wanted to do was get back into the ambassadorial wing. He smiled wanly at Meend. "However, I would be honored to have you keep me company on the walk back to my rooms."

"Thank you, Jedi Skywalker." The lines at the corners of Meend's dark eyes crinkled in relief. "Your kindness is a credit to your Order."

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

Carefully making sure she would not be spotted, Leia made her way down the long corridor to Luke's suite. She had informed Mon Mothma of Luke's progress on the negotiations, and her fear that the Lorrdians had ulterior motives on their agenda. Mon Mothma promised she would have the recently formed New Republic Intelligence gather any information it could on the war situation on Lorrd. Leia signed off when Mon Mothma informed her that she had a transmission coming in from Luke. There was too much chance that Luke's call was being monitored to risk Leia joining that conversation.

It was when Leia had announced that she was exiting the Falcon that the trouble had begun. She'd found the ramp doorway blocked by a two-and-a-quarter-meter-tall walking carpet. Then Lando had appeared from the cockpit, insisting that he had more information on the Lorrdians that she needed to hear. After listening to him embellish all of his escapades at various nightspots the evening before, Leia had had more than she could take. Even Chewbacca's long string of grunts and growls, which Lando interpreted as saying it wasn't safe for her to leave the ship alone, wasn't enough to deter her. Leia swore they were delaying her on purpose, but she couldn't figure out why. Only after Lando's comlink beeped twice, then fell mysteriously silent, did Chewie and Lando agree to accompany her to the back entrance of Luke's building.

As Leia peered around the last corner of the hallway, she caught sight of Mara Jade coming out of Luke's room, pushing a hovercart laden with meal containers. The red-haired woman looked up, squarely meeting Leia's stare.

"Dinnertime," Mara stated evenly, punching in the code to her own suite. "Han's in there," she added, nodding back in the direction from which she'd come before disappearing into her room.

Expecting to also see Luke inside, Leia was instead greeted by Han alone as she entered the darkened room through the still-open doorway. A dressed-up, immaculately groomed Han.

"Welcome, Your Highness," Han said, holding out an elbow. "May I escort you to dinner?"

Leia's eyes widened in surprise. In the middle of the room was a small table covered with a pure white tablecloth. Covered plates sat at two places, and a bottle of what looked like wine rested in an adjacent cooling vessel. A pair of candles, in tall jeweled candlesticks, cast warm flickering light across the room. Soft music played in the background, adding to the romantic ambiance.

"Han, what's going on?"

"Just like Red said," Han grinned roguishly as he closed the door behind them, "it's dinnertime."

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

As Luke glided silently down the main corridor of the ambassadorial quarters, he sensed that Leia was already in his suite, with Han, and that Mara was waiting in her own suite. Waiting for him.

The door slid open just as he reached it, and Mara stood in the middle of the room, hands on hips, her slim figure dressed in loose pants and a sleeveless exercise tunic. Luke could tell that she was fighting to keep a smile from gracing her lovely face. She looked beautiful and sophisticated no matter what she was wearing, while Luke still felt like a second-rate farmer from a third-rate planet. She and I are exactly alike in so many ways, he reflected, yet we're completely opposite in so many others.

"Hi," he said shyly, stepping inside. I'm ordinary; she's refined.

"About time," Mara scolded, but there was no malice in her voice. Luke looks so noble in his Jedi uniform, she thought. He is everything that is good and virtuous, while I'm tarnished and flawed. Every aspect of our relationship is a contradiction. She gazed into the warmth of his ice blue eyes. He is pure; I am tainted.

"Colonel Pima-Archa cornered me on the way back, wanting to discuss battle strategy," Luke answered, his eyes following the contours of her lips. Firm; soft. "What could I do?"

"You could say 'Sorry, I don't have time right now. Can I discuss it with you tomorrow?'" Mara moved closer and began undoing the clasp of his cloak. Dominant; submissive.

"You know I'm terrible at saying no," Luke murmured, letting his cloak fall to the floor. Willful; considerate.

"Pushover." Accepting; defiant.

Luke shrugged in resignation. "I'm here now." He threaded his fingers through her silky hair. "And I suspect Han and Leia won't miss me until morning." Passionate; gentle.

Mara reached up, brushing a stray lock from his forehead. "I'd say you'd probably be in big trouble if you showed your face over there." Provocative; appeasing.

Luke's warm smile faded quickly. "If things go well, that is. From what Leia said last night ..." Confident; doubtful.

"With the romantic mood Han was engineering, I don't see how she could turn him down." Mara let her hands trail across Luke's shoulders and down his chest. "And Leia did comment that my dress would make a good wedding dress." Pessimistic; hopeful.

"Is that so?" A frown appeared on Luke's face. "You don't think she suspects ...?" Optimistic; discouraged.

"No." Mara shook her head slightly. "I don't think so, unless you were going to say that she suspects you've turned into some kind of deviant who gets attached to women's clothing." Teasing; sincere.

Luke's infectious grin returned, lighting up the room. "I've got a lot of salvage work to do on my reputation, don't I?" Lively; grave.

"I don't envy you that task." A tingle ran through Mara as Luke caught her fingers, entwining them with his own. "I ordered extra food," she said, momentarily wondering why she had forgotten to chastise him for having to cater to Han's dining whims. "So we can eat in here." Distracted; attentive.

"Good." Luke stroked her fingers softly, not looking at the meal cart. "I may be hungry, afterwards." Impetuous; rational.

"Afterwards?" Cunning; innocent.

"Um-hmm." Intense; mellow.

Mara's practical side battled for her attention. "Were you able to get anywhere with the Regent?" Realistic; idealistic.

"Couldn't even get in to see him." Luke leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "Not much we can do about it tonight." Casual; ordered.

"Luke, we do need to talk about the negotiations." Authoritative; yielding.

"Sorry, I don't have time right now." Luke moved forward slowly, forcing Mara to back up. "Can I discuss it with you tomorrow?" Absolute; incomplete.

"I suppose we can put it off that long." She moaned lightly as Luke trailed light kisses down her neck. Practicality could wait. Tough; vulnerable.

"Pushover," he breathed, kneading her back with his fingertips. Rigid; flexible. She excited him in a way he'd never dreamed possible.

Mara slid one hand across the fasteners to Luke's sleeveless outer tunic. "Shall I divest you of your vest?" Transparent; opaque.

Luke's face dimpled once more in a warm smile. "Oh, what a silver tongue we have tonight." Tart; sweet.

Mara made a very unladylike snort. "Right. I've been waiting here for hours thinking up witty remarks to dazzle you with." Genial; cynical.

"Words are not what I'm expecting you to dazzle me with." He pulled her tighter against him. Blunt; tactful.

"Why do you always wear so many layers of clothes?" Mara teased, pushing Luke's vest off his shoulders. Harmonious; chafing.

"Hmm... To prolong the pleasure of having you remove them?" He ran one finger across the waistband of her pants. Bashful; bold.

Habitual; spontaneous. "Maybe we should adjourn to the bedchamber," Mara whispered, her throat going dry. Cautious; carefree. At any given time, any word could describe either of them.

"Too far." Luke pushed her down beneath him on the couch. The roles that defined them were constantly shifting. "We'll save it for round two." Awkward; graceful.

"Round—" Anxious ...

The rest of Mara's reply was muffled as Luke cut her off with a fierce kiss, fanning the flames of passion between lovers newly wed. Their bodies pressed deeper into the musan-leather cushions – the creaking of the expensive upholstery went completely unnoticed. Content.

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

Dodging furniture and ornamental plants, Leia hurried across the common room, but she was having a hard time catching up with Han's long strides. Han hadn't been disappointed when Leia turned down his proposal of marriage.

He'd been furious.

"Han, wait!"

"I'm gonna kill him," the Corellian bellowed, not slowing his pace in the least. "I'm gonna strangle him, and then I'm gonna kill him."

"Han, he didn't—"

Han paused in the middle of the hallway, pointing his finger into Leia's face. "You said you asked him for advice, and then you said you wouldn't marry me." He turned and snapped off the cover to Mara's door control, effortlessly twisting the wires necessary to open the door. "What am I supposed to think?" he growled, sweeping into the suite before Leia could stop him.

The sight that met Leia's gaze inside the room stopped both her and Han in their tracks, however. From a reclining position on the couch, Mara was pushing Luke off the top of her, and he landed on the floor with a resounding thud. Most of him, anyway. His right hand was hidden beneath her tunic, and Luke was struggling to pull it out.

"Move it or lose it ... again, Skywalker." Mara's face was flushed red as she glared at her obviously-more-than-a-friend companion.

"My fingers are caught in your ... The material's ... twisted ..." With a grunt, Luke managed to extricate his hand before Mara made good on her threat. It was only then that he embarrassedly faced his audience.

"What in blazes is going on here?!" Han exclaimed.

Leia gave Han a sideways glance before turning back to see Mara straightening her tunic and Luke, still half-lying on the floor, haphazardly trying to fasten his own tunic closed. She thought it was pretty obvious what was going on.

"Uh, I can explain—" Luke began before Mara interrupted.

"We're not the ones who need to be giving explanations," Mara said tersely. "Don't we have any privacy? What are you doing over here?"

"I'm here to throttle him." Kicking the Jedi cloak out of the way, Han lunged forward to loom over Luke's sprawled-out body.

"Me? What'd I do?"

Han's immediate reply was to grab Luke by the upper arms and haul him up against the wall. "Don't you act so blasted innocent. The first mistake I made was listening to Chewie and Winter. The second was thinking I could trust you." Han's livid face was mere centimeters from Luke's calm one. "I confide in you that I'm going to propose," he continued, undaunted by Luke's lack of reaction, "I even swallow my pride and ask your permission, and you ... you go right behind my back and tell her to turn me down!"

"It wasn't like that!" Mara and Leia shouted simultaneously, then stared at each other. There was no mistaking the fiercely protective expression on Mara's face as she tugged Han's arm away from Luke, ignoring the 'I can defend myself' look in Luke's flashing blue eyes.

"Luke told you about this?" Leia asked incredulously.

"He tells me everything," Mara snapped. "He relayed the whole conversation to me immediately after he talked to you." She stepped between Luke and Han, forcing Han to relinquish his hold on Luke completely. "If Leia turned you down, it wasn't because of anything Luke said."

"Mara—" Luke tried to get a word in, but Han's retort to Mara cut him off.

"And why should I believe you?" he scoffed. "You haven't been truthful since the day we met you."

"Wait a minute." Leia laid a hand on Han's arm to silence him, but her attention was focused on Mara. To her surprise, she felt no indignation that Luke had betrayed her confidence by divulging their discussion. Instead, it was the wording of Mara's declaration that had caught her notice. "What do you mean, immediately after he talked to me? It was the middle of the night. Luke went back to bed." Her gaze shifted to her brother, who had moved out from Mara's shadow. "You got back up and came over here for a midnight chat?"

"No," he muttered, so softly that Leia had to strain to hear his answer.

"But ..." Leia trailed off as comprehension dawned. Her gaze shifted between Luke and Mara. "You were sleeping with Luke," she said. It was more of a statement than an accusation. In light of what she'd just witnessed, Leia knew she shouldn't be surprised.

"Every chance I get." Mara's chin tilted upward, as if daring anyone to disapprove.

Han momentarily forgot his own anger as this new drama began unfolding. "So we were right all along?" His eyes narrowed at Luke. "Why the big charade? You sat right here," he pointed to a nearby chair, "and denied any involvement with her. Your conscience burdened that heavily that you couldn't admit to what you've been up to?"

"I didn't lie. Not exactly." Luke slipped one arm around Mara's tense shoulders, but Leia couldn't perceive that the woman relaxed any. "At least, from a certain point of view," he added in a whispered voice.

Han slapped one hand to his forehead and plopped into the same chair to which he'd just pointed. "He's your crazy brother," he said to Leia. "You figure it out."

Leia let a discerning eye fall on her brother and his ... his what? Girlfriend? Lover? Had Luke fallen in love with her? Did she love him? Was she capable of love? Leia gently laid a hand on Luke's arm. "Luke, can you explain to us what's going on?"

"It's complicated," Luke muttered, his posture stiff.

"You've already ruined this whole evening," Han proclaimed in frustration. "Why not continue your streak by confusing the hell out of us?"

Leia shot Han a 'Be quiet' look, then turned back to Luke. "You asked us to trust you, and trust her. Yet you couldn't trust us to handle the fact that you have an intimate relationship with her. Luke, we would've understood."

Luke stood his ground. "Would you have? You came busting in here, ready to drag Mara off to prison before you even heard her side."

"You're right." Leia's voice faltered slightly. "I was just so worried that she would hurt you. But Luke, why didn't you think you could tell us back on Coruscant that you and Mara were involved? We didn't know her background then."

"Because nothing was going on between us on Coruscant."

Leia frowned, feeling puzzled. "Are you saying you started sleeping together only after arriving on Lorrd?"

"No, I didn't say that."

Leia's mind was racing. Luke was proficient at talking in circles, but this was getting ridiculous. After Coruscant, but before Lorrd? That only left ... Leia's eyes widened in disbelief. "You just elected to stop off on the way to a very important treaty negotiation, and start having a love affair?" She gave him a hard look. "Did you really have trouble with the B-wing, or did you lie about that, too?"

"We don't have to answer that!" Mara bit out.

"Yes, we do," Luke interjected. He rubbed his eyes wearily, still clasping Mara's hand. "The B-wing did break down, and it did take us ten days to get it fixed."

"So to kill time waiting on repair parts, you decided to hop into bed together." Han shook his head and emitted a deep guttural laugh. "I gotta admit, kid, I didn't think you had it in you."

Luke's somber eyes flicked toward Han. Then taking a deep breath, he gazed unflinchingly at Leia. She got the distinct impression that he was imploring her for forgiveness. But forgiveness for what? "Actually, first we decided to—"

A loud, all-too-recognizable explosion cut off Luke's last words, violently shaking the room.

They were under attack.

Leia steadied herself against the nearest chair as the blast shook the room. Han was already thumbing on his comlink.

"Chewie? Lando? Answer, stang it!" Han muttered a couple of choice Corellian oaths as he changed the frequency. "Lando?" You there?"

A burst of static issued from the handheld device, followed by Lando's voice. "Han! Good to— Look out, Chewie!" An angry Wookiee roar could be heard in the background.

"Lando! What's going on? Where are you?"

Mara looked up as she finished strapping a wicked-looking blaster onto her forearm. She, like Luke, already had her lightsaber dangling from her belt. Leia could've sworn they were not wearing the Jedi weapons when they'd been frolicking on the couch.

Han headed for the door as Lando's garbled reply filled the room.

"Chewie and I ... in the central market, about halfw ... tween the palace ... ship. Small fighters ... strafing runs. We—"

A second loud blast, this one sounding closer, muffled the rest of Lando's report. Power to the building was suddenly lost, plunging the suite into total darkness – a situation which was quickly rectified by the glowing blade of Luke's lightsaber.

"It must be the Argazdans attacking," Luke deduced, leading the way into the corridor. "The war's finally reached the city."

"We need to get to the Falcon," Han said as he punched at the door controls to Luke's suite, and belatedly realized that no power meant no working controls. "Damn!" he swore, pounding his fist on the door. "I have to get my blaster!"

Debris fell from the ceiling as yet another explosion thundered overhead. In the dim glow of Luke's blade, Leia could see the worry in Han's eyes as she crouched along a wall. "I'm all right," she assured him.

"I want you on the Falcon where it's safe," he insisted. "And the sooner the better." He glanced at the closed door, clearly torn between retrieving his blaster and getting Leia out of the building.

"I'll get you inside!" Luke shouted over the escalating din of wailing sirens. "Leia and Mara can go on ahead."

Leia knew time was of the essence. The government sector, of which they were in the midst, would continue to be Argazda's main target. "'Bout time you came up with a plan for getting out," she said to Luke with a wink. She turned to Mara, but the woman's attention was fixed solely on Luke. Leia unabashedly watched as a cryptic exchange quickly passed between the pair, followed by Mara leaning in close to Luke.

"Take care of yourself, Jedi," Mara said softly, kissing him on the lips. Holding her lightsaber out to one side, she switched on the azure blade.

"You, too," he returned, his lambent eyes shining brightly in the glow of the sparkling swords.

With an impassive glance toward Leia, Mara took off down the corridor, nimbly jumping over the broken halves of a statue toppled from its perch. As Leia hurried to catch up, she realized she'd left Han standing open-mouthed by the door without so much as a goodbye. Ducking beneath the buckled doorframe leading into the building's foyer, she focused on the rapidly moving silhouette of her guide. When had their roles switched so drastically?

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

Without a word, Luke plunged his blade into the face of the door to his suite. He could feel Han's eyes studying him.

"So this thing with you and Jade ... It's serious?"

Luke nodded, keeping his concentration on the opening that he was cutting. "Yes." He finished the oval cut just as another explosion echoed overhead, then pushed the section inward with his foot. "It's serious." As Luke stuck his head through the hole, his attention was immediately caught by a flickering glow in the middle of the dark room. "Blast it!"

Han followed right behind as Luke bolted toward the makeshift dining table. One of the candles had fallen over, igniting the tablecloth. Han blew out the second candle as Luke quickly smothered the flames. The last thing he needed, Luke thought, was to have to contend with another building on fire.

"Okay, let's go," Han said as he finished checking the charge on his blaster and shoved it into its holster.

As Luke headed back toward the door, out of the corner of his eye he noticed Han pause and pick something up off the floor.

"I may need this, someday," Han said brusquely, pocketing the small jewel-case. "If I can avoid any more Jedi interference."

"Listen, Han—"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Han bit out. He charged past Luke into the corridor, despite the fact that Luke held the only light source. "Ow!"

Luke shook his head and retreated through the mutilated door, only to find Han ruefully rubbing his forehead.

"Don't suppose you got any glow rods in your room?"

"Sorry," Luke replied. "Left 'em on the ship."

Han scowled as he stared down the pitch black hallway. "All right, you lead."

Luke had taken only a couple steps in the direction that Mara and Leia had headed when the biggest attack yet caused the building to quake violently. He and Han covered their heads as the ceiling in front of them collapsed, effectively blocking the passageway.

Han swatted at the dust roiling through the air, then looked over as Luke coughed harshly. "You okay?"

"Yea—" Luke coughed once more, trying to clear his throat. "Yeah." He held his lightsaber up to the top of the mound of debris. "I don't think we can get out this way."

Han yanked a piece of ceiling tile down, causing more dust to stir. "Can't you cut through it?"

"It'd take awhile," Luke replied grimly. "Easier to go out the back way," he added, turning around to peer down the far end of the corridor.

"That's if we don't run into an even worse clog." The worried expression on Han's soot-streaked face intensified. "I only hope ..."

"They've only been gone a few minutes. I'm sure she's fine, Han," Luke said as they headed toward the rear of the building.

"But do you know that?" Han stopped in his tracks and grabbed Luke's arm. "Can you, you know, feel her? Feel that she's all right? She doesn't even have a comlink with her."

Luke knew how much Han hated admitting that the Force had its uses. And with the foul mood that Han was currently experiencing, it had to be doubly hard for him to ask Luke for help. A good blaster at your side couldn't ascertain that Leia was safe, though.

Nodding silently, Luke reached out with the Force. Mara's bright presence blossomed immediately, and he brushed her being in reassurance. She then withdrew, as if she also felt Han's anxiety and knew that was the reason for Luke's probe.

*Leia.* Luke directed the thought to his twin sister just as he'd first done at Bespin.

*Luke,* she replied in the same manner.

*Are you safe?* he sent. He wasn't sure, but he had the feeling that Leia only caught the last word. It would be enough.

*Yes,* her assurance carried through the Force.

*We'll see you at the ship,* Luke concluded the conversation. Again, if Leia heard just the final word, it would sufficiently convey his intent. He marveled to himself how he could carry on whole conversations with Mara through the Force, but it was a struggle for Leia to capture more than a word or two at a time. If only she'd give in and let him train—

"Well?" Han impatiently interrupted Luke's thoughts.

"She's fine," he answered as they reached the outside exit. The damage sustained by the building was even more noticeable here. Windows were shattered and the heavy ornate doors hung awry on their hinges. "They're both fine." Luke put his shoulder against one of the doors and pushed. "Mara wouldn't let anything happen to Leia. Besides, Leia's pretty capable of taking care of herself."

"Yeah. Right." Han scowled, despite Luke's allaying pronouncement. "Good thing, too, since she doesn't want me around."

"Han—"

"Told ya I didn't want to talk about it."

Still holding his lightsaber straight out in front of him, Luke turned to face Han. "We are going to talk about it," he said, then realized how threatening his pose looked and lowered the blade.

Now that Luke unequivocally had Han's full attention, he wasn't quite sure what to say.

Han had no such qualms.

"Fine." The tall Corellian crossed his arms across his chest. "Did you, or did you not, seek out Leia and tell her not to marry me?"

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

One eyebrow arched coolly, Mara gazed at Leia without saying a word.

"Oh, that man!" Leia said, knowing fully who was behind Luke's contact. "Han thinks he has to constantly protect me."

"He's concerned about you," Mara replied. "Skywalker's the same way about me, even though he knows better," she added, looking away.

Leia stared contemplatively at her companion. This was the most Mara had ever opened up to her. "I guess men are all alike," she commented lightly. "Whether they're Jedi or scoundrels."

This last statement finally brought a shadow of a smile from Mara. It was a start, Leia thought. She'd crack Mara's hardened shell if it was the last thing she did, and find out just what it was inside the solemn woman that had so captivated her brother. Because knowing Luke like she thought she did, there had to be more to Mara Jade than just a pretty face and a Force-strong, sensuous body. Surely there had to be more.

There was a break in the nearby bombardment, and Mara immediately sprang into action, darting from one darkened refuge to another.

Leia wasted no time in following her.

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

"I did not seek her out," Luke responded, sidestepping the cardinal question.

"Junior ..." Han growled, stretching out the word much longer than its two syllables warranted.

"She came to me," Luke began resignedly, knowing he owed Han a full explanation. "She asked for my advice, and I gave it to her. I did not disclose to her your intent."

Luke's brow furrowed in thought. He had asked himself that very question after the fateful conversation with his sister. "Maybe it was," he murmured. "Not exactly a 'Jedi' thing, but more than the clichéd woman's intuition." He hurriedly continued when Han let out a frustrated groan. "Leia has the Force in her, you can't deny that, Han. Her perceptions are sharper than most people's. She may not have actually experienced visions of future events, but she has premonitions. She—"

"All right, all right." Han held up his hands in surrender. "So she guessed correctly. All I want to know is, what did she say to you, and what did you tell her?" he said, poking Luke's chest to punctuate his last three words.

Luke allowed a wry grin to creep onto his face. "You do realize that bullying me won't work anymore."

Han theatrically rolled his eyes. "What I realize is that you're stalling."

"Okay." Luke scanned the adjacent courtyard through the haze of smoke. "Though I'm sure Leia meant for our conversation to be kept confidential."

"I swear I'm gonna strangle you."

Luke glanced over his shoulder at Han's frustrated expression, and capitulated. "All right. In a spryshell, it was more of a 'what-if' conversation ..."

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

The pungent smell of smoke wafted through the air as Mara and Leia zigzagged their way across the palace compound. Leia had pointed out the general direction that they needed to travel to reach the Millenium Falcon. Unfortunately, the Falcon's hanger was located on the other side of what seemed to be the hardest hit section of the government district. All around them shouting and screaming pierced the night, escalating with each new attack. So far the blitz had been strictly from the air, with small fighters targeting the heart of Lorrd's royal and military edifices.

"Through there." Leia pointed over Mara's shoulder toward a narrow alleyway tucked behind the servants' quarter. "It's a shortcut we found."

Mara nodded her understanding and cautiously entered the dark passageway. Two serving girls ran blindly past them, seemingly not noticing Mara's lightsaber in their terror.

Moments later, Mara felt a chill run down her spine. "Take cover!" she shouted to Leia. Both women ducked into the shelter of the nearest doorway as a flash of brilliance lit up the alley and lasers ripped along the path they had just vacated. While the dust settled, Mara peered into the night sky as retaliatory strikes by Lorrdian forces found their targets.

"C'mon," Mara said, gesturing for Leia.

"Wait." Leia stood motionless in the doorway, her head turned toward the interior of the building. "Do you hear something?"

"No, but ..." Mara came closer and reached out with the Force. "Someone's in pain." Following the tendril of distress that she could feel, Mara entered without hesitation. The building had been hit hard; inner walls were buckled and furnishings were toppled. Emergency lighting had sparked to life at intermittent intervals.

As Mara reached the end of a long hallway, she and Leia could clearly hear feeble cries for help. Rushing inside a small bedchamber, they found a middle-aged woman pinned beneath an overturned wardrobe. The woman's face brightened with hope as Mara's lightsaber bathed the chamber in blue-white light. Leia knelt next to the unfortunate servant, offering comfort in a soothing voice.

The woman's dark eyes bespoke her gratitude to Leia, then shifted to Mara. "You're one of those Jedi, aren't you?" she rasped. "I took a peek at you and the young man when you were walking along the promenade."

"Yes," Mara replied briskly, studying the heavy wardrobe. She lowered her blade in readiness. "I can just take out a section—"

A strangled moan from the woman stopped her. Mara was surprised to see agitation clearly overshadowing the woman's previous look of pain.

"You're not going to cut it, are you?"

Confusion stilled Mara's hand. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

"But ... but ..." The woman looked to Leia, as if hoping she would understand. "It's been passed down in my family since my great-great-grandmother."

Mara felt proud that she was able to refrain from rolling her eyes. Sentimentality was not her forte.

"It will be all right." Leia patted the woman's shoulder, then glanced up at Mara. "We'll think of ... something."

"Well, then, it's plan B, I guess." Mara looked pointedly at Leia. "I'll lift, you pull."

Leia's eyes widened. "You can't lift something this heavy!"

"I meant with the Force."

Leia glanced at the offending piece of furniture again, then back at Mara. "But still ... It's so big."

Mara shook her head. "Surely Skywalker has favored you with the 'size matters not' lecture."

"More than once."

"He does tend to repeat himself," Mara said, smiling to herself. She sized up the wardrobe one more time. "All right, let's give it a try." Mara looked up, catching herself. "I mean, let's do it."

Leia chuckled lightly, obviously sharing Mara's teasing gibe at Luke's endless reiterations of Yoda's teachings, then braced herself as she cupped her hands under the woman's arms. "Ready when you are."

Mara nodded and let her eyelids drift half-closed. Slightly raising one hand, she pictured the wardrobe lifting ... lifting ...

"Got her!"

Leia's shout broke Mara's concentration, and the wardrobe dropped back to the floor with a resounding thud. It was all in one piece, though, thank you very much, Mara thought with no small amount of satisfaction. Leia was already helping the woman shakily to her feet.

"Can you walk?" Leia asked.

"Yes ... yes, I think so." Still holding onto Leia's arm, the woman took a few tentative steps.

The building shook violently at that moment, reminding all of them that the danger was far from over. From down the long corridor, Mara could hear the hails of workers looking for survivors.

"Down here!" Leia called, stepping out into the hallway and waving for attention.

Two brightly garbed rescue workers soon appeared, and Mara recognized one of them as a low-level military cadet who had been present when she and Luke where practicing in the simulators.

"Jedi Jade?" the young cadet asked. "What are you doing here? And who ..." He looked at Leia curiously.

"I'm doing what I can to help," Mara said. "And this is ... a friend of mine." She purposely didn't look Leia's direction.

The rescued woman reached out to clasp first Leia's hands, then Mara's free hand. "I'm forever in your debt."

"You're welcome," Leia answered.

"You'd better all get out of here while you still can," Mara advised, shrugging off the servant's display of gratitude.

The woman apparently agreed and shuffled toward the doorway, flanked by the rescue workers. As she exited, Mara could hear her mumbling to herself "Wait till the girls hear about this ..."

Mara let out a relieved sigh. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look around and see if anyone else is trapped." Leia's startled look didn't escape Mara's sharp eye. Does she think I'm heartless?

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

"... and so that's it," Luke concluded. "It's not that she doesn't want to marry you. It's more about the timing."

"Yeah, that's more or less what she told me." Han rubbed a hand across his tired eyes. "But you could've been more encouraging, ya know. You got something against people being married?"

"No, of course not." Luke hoped Han wouldn't notice the nervous hitch in his voice that kept threatening to surface.

"'Cause one of these days you're gonna feel like settling down, and you wouldn't appreciate me talking your bride out of it."

Instead of answering, Luke occupied himself with aiming his lightsaber toward a darkened alcove they were passing, as if looking for any injured beings.

"Luke ..."

"I want to make sure there's no one hurt or trapped in any of these—"

"You'd sense it if there were," Han interrupted with a growl. "Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something?" He reached forward and spun Luke around.

Luke put on the best impassive face he could manage. "I don't know what you're talking about." Han was one of the few people that he could rarely fool.

"Yes, you do. Every time I say anything about you getting married someday, you go all Jedi on me. You either clam up, or change the subject." Han stared at Luke, his shrewd hazel eyes narrowing. "You're thinking about getting married, aren't you?"

"It's crossed my mind," Luke answered. He couldn't really justify why he was being so evasive. Hadn't he started to blurt out the truth in Mara's suite when the attack began? Did it really matter that much to him if Han knew before Leia?

"You're actually considering asking your own assassin to marry you?" Han's head tilted back as he roared in laughter. "I always knew you were crazy. From the first moment I laid eyes on you, I thought you were a cocky, crazy kid hanging out with a crazy old man."

Luke gave Han a hard look that stopped Han's rant.

"Don't tell me you already asked her?"

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Luke looked Han squarely in the eye.

"I've already married her."

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

"So you consider yourself a Jedi?" Leia asked as she and Mara walked back down the hallway, checking each room they passed.

"Jedi-in-training." Mara stuck her head into a small bedchamber, then stepped back quickly as a furry pitten scampered out.

"You actually intend to become a full Jedi?"

Mara stopped in her tracks and turned to face her companion. "You don't believe me?"

Leia tilted her chin up in challenge. "You have to admit it's a lot to swallow. From Imperial assassin to a guardian of peace and justice."

Mara narrowed her eyes at the former princess. She could sense no fear of her in Leia, even though Mara carried two weapons and Leia had none. "Luke trusts me."

"Luke trusts everyone; that's hardly an incentive to believe you."

"You think that little of his judgment?"

Leia let a small sigh escape. "No," she admitted in a subdued voice. "He's usually a very good judge of character. I just ... I don't want to see him get hurt."

"He won't. Not by me, ever. Leia, I did not seduce him in order to deceive him." Mara smiled wryly. "And he did not seduce me just to lure me into agreeing to become a Jedi."

"I should hope not." Leia finally relaxed, and Mara could tell she was fighting to keep a grin off her face. "That would hardly be the recruiting method I'd expect him to use."

"Me, either," Mara murmured, laughing inside. She doubted Leia knew how shy her brother really was.

"I want to believe you, Mara." Brown eyes focused intently through the blue-white glow of Mara's lightsaber. "For Luke's sake."

"Then you needn't worry, Your Highness." Mara turned and once more began her inspection of each adjoining room. "There is nothing more important to me than Luke's happiness." She didn't look behind her, but it was several seconds before light footsteps began following her once more.

The conversation at that point dwindled to a few brief exchanges, mainly reporting the absence of any injured or trapped residents. Leia had found a glow rod in a storage closet, enabling her to put some space between her and Mara. And Mara knew they both needed that space right now. Leia's turbulent emotions were broadcasting loud and clear. It was no secret that the Alderaanian woman was fiercely protective of her brother. Mara knew she needed to earn Leia's trust; she owed it to Luke to not be the cause of a rift between him and his sister. Mara's 'people skills,' however, were sorely lacking. Well, no one had ever accused Mara Jade of backing down from a challenge. The fact that she was now Mara Skywalker shouldn't deter her from facing the music, and befriending her new sister-in-law.

As she followed Leia into a large dining hall, Mara could feel a niggling at the back of her mind. Something wrong had happened here, or something wrong was going to happen. Mara stared at Leia, who was approaching the center of the room, and the sensation of danger intensified tenfold. She scanned the room – support beams in the center were cracked and the wooden floor swayed slightly under Leia's footsteps.

"Leia, hold up!" she called as she rushed forward.

The sound of what must have been a proton torpedo reverberated throughout the building, drowning out Leia's answer. Just as Mara neared Leia's side, the ceiling above them groaned. Mara barely had time to cover her head when suddenly the floor beneath her feet gave way, and both women tumbled into an inky blackness.