This is a story that I had running around my mind, trying to get away from
the plot bunnies. Well, as you can see, they caught it and it grew to
fruition. Read and hopefully enjoy. Please let me know what you think.
Disclaimer--I own nothing SW. Only GL does. I am making no money from this, Please don't sue.
Dinner at Luke's
PG
By Maara
Luke flew through hyperspace, on his way to Coruscant, and a long overdue vacation. Too many people have been telling him to take a break, get some rest, etc... And for once, he decided to take their advice. It was rare that he actually got time to himself, to be just Luke Skywalker, instead of the exalted Jedi Master.
He so looked forward to seeing his family. He could be himself with them. He needed that right now. The Academy was growing more and more, and the pressures right along with it. He had worked tirelessly for so long to rebuild the Jedi order. It was hard work, and now Luke just wanted to take a break.
When Luke landed on Coruscant, he expected to see his twin waiting to greet him as she often was. As he maneuvered his X-wing onto the landing platform, disappointment swept through him when he saw a lone C-3po standing there instead.
He called Leia to tell her he would be coming to Coruscant for a vacation, and wanted to spend some time with them. Leia was thrilled he was coming, and promised to try to get all or at least most of her work done, by the time he got there. Apparently, she hadn't finished completely. //I wondered how long she'll be?//
Luke popped the canopy of his x-wing, and unstrapped himself before pulling off his helmet and climbing out of the cockpit. Pulling his hand through his hair, he sighed. //Stars, I'm tired!//
Luke jumped out onto the wing and down to the ground, in time to hear C- 3po's prissy voice calling to him. Luke couldn't help but smile at the sight of the golden droid as he rushed forward to greet him.
"Master Luke, how wonderful to see you. I hope you had a pleasant flight." C-3po leaned back, looking up to where R2-D2 was being lowered to the tarmac beeping and whistling. "Oh Artoo, I didn't forget to say hello to you, I just thought it proper to greet Master Luke first."
Artoo beeped and squealed more while C-3po seemed to listen intently. "Of course I'm glad to see you. In fact,,,"
Luke cut him off before he could continue what promised to be a long conversation. "Uh, 3-po, where's Leia?"
"Oh I'm sorry Master Luke." C-3po turned once again to Artoo, "you see what happens when you don't,,,"
"3-PO, can you two argue later, and just tell me where Leia is?" Luke asked a little impatiently.
"Oh yes, Mistress Leia asked me to tell you that she had an emergency Senate meeting. She hopes to be done sometime later this evening, but fears it will run late."
"Where's Han?" Luke had a feeling he knew the answer.
"Master Solo, is off with Lando Calrissian, taking a look at Lando's new casino. It' seems, that someone is cheating at Sabacc, and he wants Master Solo to help in tracking down the culprit."
"When is he due back?" Luke asked
Luke sighed, another night alone. Well, maybe it would be better if he got some rest before he faced anyone. "Thanks 3-po. I think I'll just go home and sleep then." Luke started to turn when R2-D2 beeped rapidly at him.. Before he could respond C3-po answered for him.
"Of course, Master Luke won't mind you coming to visit with me." C-3po turned to Luke. "Master Luke,,,"
Luke interrupted before he could continue to ramble on. "No, I don't mind. You go ahead and stay at Leia's." Luke started to turn towards his x-wing and stopped. "Let Leia know, I'll just see her tomorrow. I'm going to go to sleep."
Artoo beeped in response and the two droids headed off together.
//At least, Artoo has someone to talk to.// Luke moped, still a little down about the fact that no one was available to see him. Maybe he would meditate and clear his mind. After all, Obi-wan somehow survived twenty years alone on Tatooine, surely he could manage one night alone on Coruscant.
Luke turned toward his x-wing again and opened the small cargo hold on the underside of the ship. Pulling his bag out, he dropped it to the flight deck and sealed the cargo hold.
Turning to pick it up, his eyes came to rest on a pair of boot clad feet. forgetting his flight bag, his gaze traveled up to see an amused Mara Jade looking down at him.
"Well, well, fancy meeting you here." Mara smirked at Luke as he straightened up to meet her gaze. "I thought nothing could tear you away from Yavin."
In spite of his fatigue, Luke smiled at Mara's comment. "Hey, you're the one who's always telling me I need a vacation."
Mara snorted, "Since when do you listen to what I say?"
"You'd be surprised," Luke smiled back at his friend, enjoying the familiarity of their banter. "I wanted to see Leia, Han and the kids. Apparently they're growing like weeds."
Mara looked around, "So where is Leia, anyway? I'm surprised she isn't here to meet you."
Mara caught the feeling of disappointment that flashed through Luke, but he smothered it quickly. "She had an emergency Senate meeting, and won't be home until late tonight."
"What about Han?" Luke and Han were as close as brothers.
"He's off with Lando." Another spike from Luke, but this one wasn't disappointment.
"So what are you going to do then?" Mara crossed her arms over her chest.
"I figured I'd just go to my apartment and meditate." Luke stooped down to pick up his flight bag.
"Oh my stars but that sounds boring, Skywalker." Mara shook her head, would this man ever lighten up?
"Don't start Mara." Luke complained. "Just because you chose not to complete your training, and I'm not asking you to, you don't need to complain about how I live my life." Luke hadn't meant it to sound so harsh. He shook his head in frustration and started to walk away.
Mara stood there, stunned by his tone, then ran after him and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. "Hey, Luke, I'm sorry." Mara watched as he raked a hand through his hair, //Boy he really is in need of a vacation.//
"No, I'm sorry Mara," He apologized, realizing his mistake. Luke felt bad about snapping at her. It wasn't her fault he was totally stressed out. "I didn't mean to bite your head off." he sighed, turning to face her. "I guess I'm more stressed out than I thought."
"That's ok.," she gave him a soft smile and they resumed walking towards the transport hub. "I was just surprised. You don't yell a lot."
Luke didn't respond, and just continued to walk.
Mara glanced sideways at him, "Luke, what's wrong?"
Luke looked over at Mara, he knew he could trust her, he never doubted that. He just didn't want her to think he was wallowing in self-pity. Finally, he sighed. "I feel very alone right now, so I thought I'd come to see Leia and Han, only to find that they're not available. I guess I'm just feeling a little sorry for myself."
"Well, you shouldn't feel alone, Luke." Mara knew exactly how he felt. "I've been there. I often wish I had a family. It's not always fun being independent."
Luke had never really thought Mara felt lonely. She always seemed so together, and she had the crew of the Wilde Karrde, who were like family to her. Luke stopped suddenly, "Mara, I'm sorry, I never realized you felt that way."
"Yeah, well," Mara waved off the topic, "just so you know, your not the only one who feels that way."
"I'll make a note." Luke joked. "So what are you doing here?"
"I needed a break myself," Mara admitted. "I've been taking over too much from Karrde. I told him it was time for him to get his feet wet again, so I can have a proper holiday."
Luke chuckled at Mara's comment. "I believe you did tell him that. What I want to know is, how did he react when you told him?"
Mara couldn't help but smile, "At first he tried to tell me, to just stay on board to rest. But we both know how that would go, people would bug me with questions until I finally got up and did it myself. Then he tried to talk me out of it completely." Mara sighed, thinking about the whole situation. "Finally, he admitted that he had put too much of the work load on me, and told me to go, that they would deal with whatever came up."
"So how long are you on holiday for?" Luke asked.
"I don't know, I told Karrde I would let him know when I figured it out." Mara smiled "Do you realize this will be the first vacation I've ever really had? I'm not sure what to do with myself."
"Well, I have an idea, if you want to hear it." Luke decided to take a chance.
"Oh and what would that be?" Mara was curious where this was heading.
"Well, for starters you could come over and have dinner with me tonight." Luke replied hopefully.
Mara looked at Luke incredulously, (Did he just ask me for a date?) Mara thought to herself, a little shocked. She never expected Luke to do that.
Luke picked up on Mara's question to herself. Normally, he wouldn't answer her, for fear of retaliation and her customary 'stay out of my head Skywalker,' but this time he decided to do it, consequences be damned. "Just two friends having dinner together." He didn't want to scare her off by saying that it was a date.
Mara looked sharply at Luke, then smiled "I never thought you had it in you Luke. I always pictured you looking down and scuffling your feet when you asked a woman out."
"Ha ha make jokes if you want, but at least answer me." Luke teased back, hoping she would say yes.
"Ok, Skywalker," Mara answered after a moment. "I'm game. So what's the plan for dinner? Are we eating in or out?"
"I planned on making something for myself, so how about I make it for two?" Luke and Mara had reached the transportation hub by this time, and stopped before they got to the clerk to finalize their plans.
"Ok, sounds good." Mara stopped and turned back to Luke, "You can cook can't you?"
"Very funny, Jade. You'll just have to come over to find out." Luke bantered back.
Mara laughed out loud, then asked, "What time should I be there?"
Luke glanced at his wrist chrono, and tried to calculate how long it would take him to get everything ready. "How about 0730? That will give us both a chance to clean up and get ready."
"Sounds like a plan." Mara approached the clerk to arrange a transport. "Can I drop you off?"
"No I have a couple of stops to make first." Luke said.
"I'll see you at 0730, then" Mara replied getting into her transport.
Luke smiled at Mara as he shut the door for her. "See you then, Mara."
Luke smiled as he watched her speed away, then got into his own transport and sped off towards the market to get what he needed.
Disclaimer--I own nothing SW. Only GL does. I am making no money from this, Please don't sue.
Dinner at Luke's
PG
By Maara
Luke flew through hyperspace, on his way to Coruscant, and a long overdue vacation. Too many people have been telling him to take a break, get some rest, etc... And for once, he decided to take their advice. It was rare that he actually got time to himself, to be just Luke Skywalker, instead of the exalted Jedi Master.
He so looked forward to seeing his family. He could be himself with them. He needed that right now. The Academy was growing more and more, and the pressures right along with it. He had worked tirelessly for so long to rebuild the Jedi order. It was hard work, and now Luke just wanted to take a break.
When Luke landed on Coruscant, he expected to see his twin waiting to greet him as she often was. As he maneuvered his X-wing onto the landing platform, disappointment swept through him when he saw a lone C-3po standing there instead.
He called Leia to tell her he would be coming to Coruscant for a vacation, and wanted to spend some time with them. Leia was thrilled he was coming, and promised to try to get all or at least most of her work done, by the time he got there. Apparently, she hadn't finished completely. //I wondered how long she'll be?//
Luke popped the canopy of his x-wing, and unstrapped himself before pulling off his helmet and climbing out of the cockpit. Pulling his hand through his hair, he sighed. //Stars, I'm tired!//
Luke jumped out onto the wing and down to the ground, in time to hear C- 3po's prissy voice calling to him. Luke couldn't help but smile at the sight of the golden droid as he rushed forward to greet him.
"Master Luke, how wonderful to see you. I hope you had a pleasant flight." C-3po leaned back, looking up to where R2-D2 was being lowered to the tarmac beeping and whistling. "Oh Artoo, I didn't forget to say hello to you, I just thought it proper to greet Master Luke first."
Artoo beeped and squealed more while C-3po seemed to listen intently. "Of course I'm glad to see you. In fact,,,"
Luke cut him off before he could continue what promised to be a long conversation. "Uh, 3-po, where's Leia?"
"Oh I'm sorry Master Luke." C-3po turned once again to Artoo, "you see what happens when you don't,,,"
"3-PO, can you two argue later, and just tell me where Leia is?" Luke asked a little impatiently.
"Oh yes, Mistress Leia asked me to tell you that she had an emergency Senate meeting. She hopes to be done sometime later this evening, but fears it will run late."
"Where's Han?" Luke had a feeling he knew the answer.
"Master Solo, is off with Lando Calrissian, taking a look at Lando's new casino. It' seems, that someone is cheating at Sabacc, and he wants Master Solo to help in tracking down the culprit."
"When is he due back?" Luke asked
Luke sighed, another night alone. Well, maybe it would be better if he got some rest before he faced anyone. "Thanks 3-po. I think I'll just go home and sleep then." Luke started to turn when R2-D2 beeped rapidly at him.. Before he could respond C3-po answered for him.
"Of course, Master Luke won't mind you coming to visit with me." C-3po turned to Luke. "Master Luke,,,"
Luke interrupted before he could continue to ramble on. "No, I don't mind. You go ahead and stay at Leia's." Luke started to turn towards his x-wing and stopped. "Let Leia know, I'll just see her tomorrow. I'm going to go to sleep."
Artoo beeped in response and the two droids headed off together.
//At least, Artoo has someone to talk to.// Luke moped, still a little down about the fact that no one was available to see him. Maybe he would meditate and clear his mind. After all, Obi-wan somehow survived twenty years alone on Tatooine, surely he could manage one night alone on Coruscant.
Luke turned toward his x-wing again and opened the small cargo hold on the underside of the ship. Pulling his bag out, he dropped it to the flight deck and sealed the cargo hold.
Turning to pick it up, his eyes came to rest on a pair of boot clad feet. forgetting his flight bag, his gaze traveled up to see an amused Mara Jade looking down at him.
"Well, well, fancy meeting you here." Mara smirked at Luke as he straightened up to meet her gaze. "I thought nothing could tear you away from Yavin."
In spite of his fatigue, Luke smiled at Mara's comment. "Hey, you're the one who's always telling me I need a vacation."
Mara snorted, "Since when do you listen to what I say?"
"You'd be surprised," Luke smiled back at his friend, enjoying the familiarity of their banter. "I wanted to see Leia, Han and the kids. Apparently they're growing like weeds."
Mara looked around, "So where is Leia, anyway? I'm surprised she isn't here to meet you."
Mara caught the feeling of disappointment that flashed through Luke, but he smothered it quickly. "She had an emergency Senate meeting, and won't be home until late tonight."
"What about Han?" Luke and Han were as close as brothers.
"He's off with Lando." Another spike from Luke, but this one wasn't disappointment.
"So what are you going to do then?" Mara crossed her arms over her chest.
"I figured I'd just go to my apartment and meditate." Luke stooped down to pick up his flight bag.
"Oh my stars but that sounds boring, Skywalker." Mara shook her head, would this man ever lighten up?
"Don't start Mara." Luke complained. "Just because you chose not to complete your training, and I'm not asking you to, you don't need to complain about how I live my life." Luke hadn't meant it to sound so harsh. He shook his head in frustration and started to walk away.
Mara stood there, stunned by his tone, then ran after him and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. "Hey, Luke, I'm sorry." Mara watched as he raked a hand through his hair, //Boy he really is in need of a vacation.//
"No, I'm sorry Mara," He apologized, realizing his mistake. Luke felt bad about snapping at her. It wasn't her fault he was totally stressed out. "I didn't mean to bite your head off." he sighed, turning to face her. "I guess I'm more stressed out than I thought."
"That's ok.," she gave him a soft smile and they resumed walking towards the transport hub. "I was just surprised. You don't yell a lot."
Luke didn't respond, and just continued to walk.
Mara glanced sideways at him, "Luke, what's wrong?"
Luke looked over at Mara, he knew he could trust her, he never doubted that. He just didn't want her to think he was wallowing in self-pity. Finally, he sighed. "I feel very alone right now, so I thought I'd come to see Leia and Han, only to find that they're not available. I guess I'm just feeling a little sorry for myself."
"Well, you shouldn't feel alone, Luke." Mara knew exactly how he felt. "I've been there. I often wish I had a family. It's not always fun being independent."
Luke had never really thought Mara felt lonely. She always seemed so together, and she had the crew of the Wilde Karrde, who were like family to her. Luke stopped suddenly, "Mara, I'm sorry, I never realized you felt that way."
"Yeah, well," Mara waved off the topic, "just so you know, your not the only one who feels that way."
"I'll make a note." Luke joked. "So what are you doing here?"
"I needed a break myself," Mara admitted. "I've been taking over too much from Karrde. I told him it was time for him to get his feet wet again, so I can have a proper holiday."
Luke chuckled at Mara's comment. "I believe you did tell him that. What I want to know is, how did he react when you told him?"
Mara couldn't help but smile, "At first he tried to tell me, to just stay on board to rest. But we both know how that would go, people would bug me with questions until I finally got up and did it myself. Then he tried to talk me out of it completely." Mara sighed, thinking about the whole situation. "Finally, he admitted that he had put too much of the work load on me, and told me to go, that they would deal with whatever came up."
"So how long are you on holiday for?" Luke asked.
"I don't know, I told Karrde I would let him know when I figured it out." Mara smiled "Do you realize this will be the first vacation I've ever really had? I'm not sure what to do with myself."
"Well, I have an idea, if you want to hear it." Luke decided to take a chance.
"Oh and what would that be?" Mara was curious where this was heading.
"Well, for starters you could come over and have dinner with me tonight." Luke replied hopefully.
Mara looked at Luke incredulously, (Did he just ask me for a date?) Mara thought to herself, a little shocked. She never expected Luke to do that.
Luke picked up on Mara's question to herself. Normally, he wouldn't answer her, for fear of retaliation and her customary 'stay out of my head Skywalker,' but this time he decided to do it, consequences be damned. "Just two friends having dinner together." He didn't want to scare her off by saying that it was a date.
Mara looked sharply at Luke, then smiled "I never thought you had it in you Luke. I always pictured you looking down and scuffling your feet when you asked a woman out."
"Ha ha make jokes if you want, but at least answer me." Luke teased back, hoping she would say yes.
"Ok, Skywalker," Mara answered after a moment. "I'm game. So what's the plan for dinner? Are we eating in or out?"
"I planned on making something for myself, so how about I make it for two?" Luke and Mara had reached the transportation hub by this time, and stopped before they got to the clerk to finalize their plans.
"Ok, sounds good." Mara stopped and turned back to Luke, "You can cook can't you?"
"Very funny, Jade. You'll just have to come over to find out." Luke bantered back.
Mara laughed out loud, then asked, "What time should I be there?"
Luke glanced at his wrist chrono, and tried to calculate how long it would take him to get everything ready. "How about 0730? That will give us both a chance to clean up and get ready."
"Sounds like a plan." Mara approached the clerk to arrange a transport. "Can I drop you off?"
"No I have a couple of stops to make first." Luke said.
"I'll see you at 0730, then" Mara replied getting into her transport.
Luke smiled at Mara as he shut the door for her. "See you then, Mara."
Luke smiled as he watched her speed away, then got into his own transport and sped off towards the market to get what he needed.