Disclaimer: Not mine. And given some of the silliness in this chapter, I think Lucasfilm would be glad they aren't mine.

Rating: M. For numerous reasons.

Luke sighed heavily at his reflection as he readied himself for the day. He was relieved that Talon Karrde was not going to send in his men to toss his tail from here to Tatooine. He was, however, sending a crew to do cleanup work and repairs. They were due to arrive today. Aves would be with them, gathering up whichever belongings of Karrde's were salvageable and relocating them to another location. Karrde expected Mara or Luke to escort the crew into the building and keep an eye on them while they worked. This would extend Luke and Mara's stay on Mrisst a few days, but Luke didn't mind. The idea of spending additional time with Mara was worth the hassle of babysitting contractors.

Despite Karrde's calm acceptance, Luke knew the smuggler had established a marker for them and would call it in if and when he needed it. Whatever he wanted from the two of them was worth more to him than a damaged bedroom and a few antiquities. Mara didn't seem to notice, and Luke intended to keep his realization about her current and hopefully soon-to-be-former employer to himself.

Mara's image appeared behind his within the mirror. "Aves is going to be here soon." She looked past him at her own visage, fussing with her hair. Mara had a 'thing' about her hair. He'd never noticed before, because every time they'd been together, they'd been running from danger, running to danger, or smack dab in the middle of danger. Now that he'd had over a week to observe her in her natural state, he was learning she was a bit of a perfectionist. Particularly so when it came to those fiery waves of hers.

He loved her all the more for it. He admitted it easily now - he was absolutely in love with her. His newly lifted spirits had him viewing everything in a different, positive light. He hadn't realized that the trace of darkness within him was clouding his judgement and affecting his emotions. His insecurities and fears seemed less now. Not gone, but less. Decisions and options seemed clearer, and it was all due to her. She'd given him so much, he wondered what he could possibly offer her in return. What did Mara truly want anyway? Luke searched his memories and came up empty. Their relationship was never big on long, meaningful conversations. It was an odd feeling, he knew the depths of her soul but he didn't know a thing about her wants or needs. Luke vowed to remedy that as soon as he could find the opportunity.

She turned her eyes to meet his in their reflection. "Hey daydreamer, you thinking about creative stories for what happened in there? We're going to need to tell them something."

"No, I was...just thinking. Let's just see what happens. Maybe they won't ask. Besides, Jedi shouldn't lie."

Luke had no idea what they were going to say about the damage to the bedroom. Truth be told, it was embarrassing. He was raised that private moments between two people were just that – private.

Mara blinked at him. "You're kidding, right?"

"They're professionals, aren't they? They must see this kind of thing all the time. Blaster fights, fires, whatever sordid things people do in the privacy of their own homes."

"You go on believing that. In fact," she said pointedly, "you can talk to them"

"Mara, you worry too much. How bad could it be?"

Two hours later, Luke ate those words. 'Bad' didn't even begin to describe it.

"What in the frakkin' name of a batha's backside happened in here?" Aves squawked as he wandered around Karrde's room. Luke and Mara had escorted him and two other men into the building a few minutes earlier. The men had brought along a couple of cleaning droids and a lift-carrier to transport the broken furniture and boxes of Karrde's stuff out of the apartment. Mara and Luke had led Aves to Karrde's room at his request.

"Yo Mort! Fendi! Ya gotta come in here and see this."

Mort happened to be an ogre-like man who spoke little and looked like he could wrestle a rancor and win. His partner was Fendi, a smartly dressed young man with spiky hair who clutched his datapad as if it was his life's blood.

Fendi hurried into the room at Aves' call. "My stars," he said, hugging his datapad tighter to him. "We will need to call in painters. Yes, yes. Painting of the entire room must be done in order to restore this space to its former glory. Everything must be removed."

Fendi abruptly handed his datapad to a startled Aves and pulled an imager from his pocket. He began collecting holos of the scene; the click-snap of each one a rapid staccato. He even attached a special lens to get more detail.

Luke felt his face flame. Documenting the scene for posterity was not what he had anticipated. Instinctively he knew he couldn't use the Force either - his senses very clear on the wrongness of manipulation. He shifted slightly and tried to look inconspicuous, hoping they would hurry.

"Mort!"

Mort lumbered into the room. "Yes, Fendi?" The voice that came out of the large man was a melodious tenor. Mara, who had taken up residence against the far wall near the terrace doorway, raised her eyebrows in mild surprise.

"Mort, everything, and I mean everything, must go. Mort, are you listening?"

Mort was not. He was studying the bed, a look of curiosity and confusion etched into his features.

"Mort! Please go and fetch the lift-carrier. We must get started right away." Mort gave the bed one more puzzling look before leaving the room. Fendi turned to Aves. "We will need to be here a few days. Will someone be here to escort us in and out of the building?"

Aves pointed. "Luke and Mara will be here." In a lower voice Aves muttered to Fendi, "They've been staying here for a while. They were here when this happened. Karrde said we couldn't ask about it."

Fendi's eyes widened as he studied Luke a little more intently. Mara was leaning against the wall, perfecting the art of looking bored, but Luke could sense her laughter rippling through the Force. Somehow she had overcome her embarrassment – or maybe she'd never had it. The same didn't apply to him.

Recognition dawned in Fendi's eyes as he studied the lightsaber dangling idly against Luke's hip. "Ahh… I see. Luke…as in Jedi Luke Skywalker?"

Before Luke could answer, Aves chimed in and said, "Yup, that's him."

Fendi's eyes traveled the room: first to Luke, then the bed, then the ceiling, then Mara, and finally Luke again. Ripples of Mara's mirth increased, tweaking Luke's mind.

I'm delighted you find this amusing, Mara.

Mara made it a point to study her nails. Very much so.

Aren't you the least bit embarrassed by this? He's taking holos for Sith's sake!

Mara subtly raised her eyes to him, still feigning disinterest. I told you we should have come up with an excuse.

There is no feasible excuse for this Mara. A subtle flicker came from her, and Luke felt a ray of hope. Unless you have…?

His thought trailed off as Mara walked over to Fendi. "I'm glad you're taking holos, Fendi. We'll need them for the insurance claim."

"Insurance claim?"

"Yes. Wait…what did you think happened in here?"

Fendi sputtered, "Well…I…he's a Jedi and…you...the bed…"

Mara shot Fendi and Aves a dark look. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. I don't know what it is with you men and sex. Is that all you ever think about? What do you think he is, some kind of god?" She walked over to the bed and pointed. "My blaster's power pack was defective. I bought a new one a few months ago and I'd left it on the bed. I don't know what caused it to go off – we were in the kitchen when the explosion happened." She walked over to stand at Luke's side, wrapping her arm around his. "You take all the holos you want, and let us know if you need anything else."

Luke was pleased to catch the twin expressions of awkward shame on Fendi and Aves as Mara led him from the room.

"Better, farm boy?" she whispered quietly.

"Yes. You just think of that now?"

"Yup. Hopefully two little lies won't put me on a path to the dark side."

"Let's hope not…wait, what do you mean by two?"

Mara stopped him just before the entry way into the living area and murmured quietly in his ear, "Well, you were pretty god-like."

Luke's jaw was slack as he watched Mara walk away from him, chuckling to herself.

~~~~/*\*/*\*/*\~~~~

Four nights later, they were sitting companionably on the sofa watching a holofilm on the main room's viewscreen when Luke's commlink chirped. Pausing the film, he clicked it on. "Hello?"

"Luke! It's Leia. Things have been so crazy here I realized I haven't talked to you. When are you coming back to Coruscant?"

"I'm not sure, maybe in a few days?" Mara heard the hesitancy in his voice and appreciated it. She wasn't all that eager to return to Coruscant either. The repairs to Karrde's room would be completed tomorrow and she wanted a couple of days that were Fendi and Mort free. She and Luke hadn't had much time together since the repair crew's arrival. Fendi liked to start work early, and end it late. Granted, there was a lot to do with the painting and especially the carpeting, but she and Luke hadn't been able to have any 'alone' time together since that night. Mara was a tad uncertain about what might happen their second time around, but she was more than willing to give it another try. Those baby blues of his were driving her libido crazy.

"Luke, something big has happened. The Empire has offered peace negotiations with the New Republic."

Mara's heart panged. We've lost. She heard Luke's contrasting thoughts echo in her mind. We've won.

Leia continued, "Admirial Pellaeon is leading it from the Imperial side and I've been working with Gavrisom from our side. Luke, they're planning to sign by the end of the week."

A few moments passed before Luke answered. "I understand. I'll see what we can do."

"Oh…everything okay out there?"

"Yes, we're fine. Don't worry, we'll do our best to be there as soon as we can."

"All right," Leia responded hesitantly. "If you need anything, just ping me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Bye Luke."

"Bye Leia."

He looked at Mara with a strange expression on his face. "It's over," he told her.

"It feels rather anti-climatic, doesn't it?"

Luke's tone was pensive. "I always thought that it would be more dramatic, more of a battle. I guess there was one, of a sort, around Bothawui. But we missed it. I missed it."

"Yeah, well, the team I was playing for lost. That's not a great feeling either."

Luke turned to her with a slight scowl. "You haven't been on the side of the Empire for years."

"That doesn't mean I've forgotten what they were. That life was all I knew for quite some time. It's…" Mara searched for the right word, "…awkward to know that something that was so important in your life is completely gone now."

Luke nodded. "I think I know what you mean. It's similar to losing something, but not something you really wanted anyway." He put his arm around her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. "I thought I'd be more excited," he murmured.

"Maybe your priorities have changed."

"Perhaps they have." They were quiet for a few moments, letting the news sink in. Luke spoke first. "I think we need to be careful when we return to Coruscant. I don't think we should tell them about what we found on Nirauan. Not yet."

Mara nodded, rubbing her head against his chest as she did so. "Jedi intuition?"

Luke smiled down at her. "It must be. I get the impression that the New Republic isn't ready to deal with the Hand of Thrawn. It's about timing – what's out there isn't going to go away. It'll need to be dealt with eventually. The question is when, and I am fairly certain the answer isn't now."

Mara felt a chill run through her, and not a good one. Whatever was out there in the Unknown Regions was going to be a problem, not just for the New Republic, but for her and Luke as well. She didn't know why, but the potential was hovering in the Force, causing the disturbance in her mind. At least she didn't have to face it alone. Luke was with her now.

A new worry entered Mara's mind. "Is there anything else you want to keep from them?"

There was a hint of amusement in his tone. "If you mean do I want to keep our engagement a secret, the answer is 'no'." He paused, and the same insecurities she felt were suddenly echoing in his mind. "Why? Do you want to keep it a secret?"

She pulled him closer to her. "No, silly. I was worried that you did."

"Oh. Well, good."

Mara sighed. "It's still different for me, you know. You. Us. I'll admit I haven't quite adapted to it yet."

He kissed her lightly on her forehead. "I know. I'm not in a hurry. As long as we're together, that's all that matters to me."

"Me too."

Mara turned her head to him and found the cool calmness of his gaze already upon her. Their lips met in quiet harmony and mutual understanding. She felt the drumbeat of his heart as she pressed her hands against his chest, clasping his shirt in her fists. His fingers curled into hair as he deepened their kiss, leaving her dizzy and breathless.

Slowly and soundlessly they removed themselves from their clothing in unspoken agreement. The feel of his skin against hers once again sent shivers down her spine. Mara wondered if it would always be like this, what his touch caused within her.

"Yes," he murmured into her neck.

"I hope so..." she whispered, her voice catching in her throat as he ran his hands down her side.

Luke raised himself to meet her eye to eye; the desire brewing within them nearly stopping her heart. "Always."

He kissed her again and she found herself lost to him, her body surrendering to his touch and his need. It was instinctive. Something within her knew that this man was her mate and she was powerless to fight it. She didn't even want to try. She reached out tentatively with her mind, feeling the Force hovering in the background, distant, allowing them the freedom to come together as man and woman, and not Jedi to Jedi.

He explored her body slowly, taking the time to taste, to touch, to drive her senses insane. When she couldn't stand it any longer she decided it was his turn for torture. He allowed it willingly. She loved the softness of his hair at the nape of his neck, the crinkle of his chest against her fingertips. She let her hands and mouth wander at whim, reveling in his reactions to her touch. Dimly she realized it was the same for him, the tangible pull of submission. Just as she was driven to give herself to him, he was equally driven to yield to her. They were two broken souls that when merged created a flawless whole.

It was he who finally took control, easing himself into her. Their alignment in the Force clicked seamlessly and synchronously as their bodies became one. Worry crossed Mara's mind but Luke caressed it away, showing her there was no need to fear, no battle to fight. She trusted his love and let herself fall freely into it, letting him carry her with him, higher, until they crashed against each other in release, sharing it together as one.

That same sense of peace followed in their wake, leaving them dazed and delirious as they fell back into reality.

Many moments later, Mara pushed herself away from Luke and sat up on the plush carpeting. She looked around the room and was grateful to see it was exactly as they left it. Well, except for the pillows on the sofa. Those seemed to have relocated to the floor.

Luke stirred next to her, a question in his mind.

"No," she said aloud. "We didn't destroy anything this time."

"Good. Although I wouldn't have minded if we created another reason to stay here longer."

Mara's shoulders sagged. "We really have to go back, don't we?"

"We do." Luke patted her hand gently. "It won't be so bad."

Mara punched him lightly. "I've heard that before."

Twenty-four hours later, they were on board the strange Chiss ship, Mara preparing the pre-flight sequences for the jump to Coruscant. Artoo was cheerfully wheeling around the floor, whistling his excitement.

"At least one of us is happy," Mara muttered as she checked the computer's calculations.

Luke leaned over from behind her chair and kissed her check. "Two of us."

She turned to him and smiled. Her life was a big murky mess of unknowns. The Jade's Fire was gone. The war with the Empire had ended. Whatever was next for her was going to be unfamiliar territory. Yet she knew now she wouldn't have to face it alone. She wasn't meant to face it alone. The future was something they'd face together, and she found she was actually looking forward to it.

"Make that three," she grinned. "Go get your little droid settled, Skywalker. It's time for us to go home."

THE END

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I thought I'd write up some notes/thoughts - feel free to read them below if you are interested. Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for reading!

Author's Notes:

* I used to write fanfiction for CSI - specifically for the Grissom/Sara pairing. Some of the little quirks of that fandom did show up in here; I'm clearly not as creative as I thought when it comes to clever turns of phrase.

* God Bless Wookiepedia. I would have been completely lost without it.

* I apologize for all errors - I did not have a beta for this fic so I proofed it myself. Repeatedly - including after I originally posted it on 7/14. (Sometimes you can't see an error until it is live in its final published form.) I am new to the Star Wars fandom and I admit I struggled with the use of the Beta section here on this site. Any errors in grammar, tense, spelling, punctuation, characterization, EU/Legends timeline details, you-name-it are mine and mine alone. Please PM me if you see something glaringly wrong and I will fix it. Also, in case it wasn't obvious - I love commas, ellipses, and dashes and I have a bad habit of using the word "and" too much. I'm working on the habit, but the commas and ellipses and dashes are my favorite things and will be forever present in my writing.

* I have not read any of the books beyond Vision of the Future, so some of the events that happened in this fic may have taken this story into an AU. Hopefully it isn't too AU, as I wanted to have this fit somewhat seamlessly in between Chapters 42 and 43. I didn't quite succeed with seamlessly - but I gave it my best shot. One of the risks you take as a new writer within a fandom is getting it really, really wrong. Hopefully I'm not out in left field.

* Speaking of really, really wrong - I had to write the scene where Mara and Luke merged as colors on the Force's plane of existence. My muse insisted it was part of this story. Hopefully it didn't come across as too off-the-wall. They were just colors because they weren't dead yet. In theory, when a Jedi dies, his body and his soul become one with the Force and that's how you get the colorful ghosts we see. Body = shape. Soul = color. Cool, huh? No? Well, I liked it.

* Also - Mara calls a bathroom a "washroom". Luke calls it a "refresher". In my mind, Imperials do not use the word "refresher" - and Mara grew up with Imperials. It's a dialect thing. Like people from the UK calling an elevator a "lift". Additionally, the word "refresher" is ridiculous and Mara does not say ridiculous words. Because she's awesome like that.

* As I was editing this fic for the upteeth time, I noticed I apparently have a thing for Luke and Mara looking at themselves in the mirrors of said washrooms. I have no idea why.

* Finally, if anyone can tell me what in the world is going on with the Chiss Clawcraft - I'd appreciate it!