Chapter 1 - Rekindled

Mara dodged and weaved through the darkened room.  The shadowy figure followed, reaching out for her.  Mara backpedaled, but slammed into a wall after one step.  The figure shoved her up against the wall, then grabbed her and pulled her tunic open.  It was too dark for Mara to see the hands that ran up and down her body.  She gasped as the shadow pulled her trousers down and thrust a hand between her legs.  Mara tried to pull free, but the other hand sent a wave of the Force to pin her in place.  She whimpered, trying to hold back the pleasure she felt.  The dark shape pressed close against her, pulling her thong panties to one side.  Mara grit her teeth as the figure slipped a hand along her nether lips, pinching and tweaking her clit.  She tried to pull free, but the Force grip was much too strong.  The fingers were strong, too, and now two of them were sliding in and out of Mara’s dripping cunt.  The shadow laughed as Mara struggled to control herself, and failed.  Mara screamed and thrashed as a powerful orgasm shook her from head to toe.

“Holy shit.”  Mara Jade Skywalker blew out a breath and giggled.  “You’ve improved.  Last time you were here, you’d never have been able to pin me-or make me come that hard.”

“You taught me well.”  Leia Organa Solo flicked on the lights and grinned.  “And I’ve been practicing lots with Winter.”

Mara raised an eyebrow.  “The pinning, or the fingering?”

“Both!”  Leia laughed.  “And a few other things, too.”

Mara leaned in and kissed her sister-in-law.  “I’m always glad to see you.  You should come and train more than once or twice a year.”

Leia pouted.  “Mara, I can’t.  I have too much on my plate.”

“The peace treaty was five years ago,” Mara protested.  “What’s keeping the galaxy from settling down?”

“This week?”  Leia rolled her eyes.  “The Ishori and Diamala are flaring up again.  Mining rights in an uninhabited system.”  She smiled cleverly.  “I asked Lando to handle it.  Both sides still trust him from the Battle of Bothawui at the end of the war, and he’s been helpful in several other trade and business disputes since.  I’m thinking about asking him to take a formal position in the Diplomatic Corps as an arbitrator and mediator.  Force knows he can talk people into almost anything.”  Leia rubbed her temples.  “I needed this time off badly.”  She sighed.  “Enough about my troubles.  How’s married life been treating you lately?”

Now it was Mara’s turn to sigh.  “Luke is… busy.  He’s spending almost all his time teaching, helping the first batch of students get ready to be Masters themselves.  Our time together is pretty well limited to dinner, and then we mostly talk shop.  When he’s training students out in the jungle, or exploring the ruins, I sometimes don’t see him for days.  Our love life is once a month or less; I’ve had to take care of myself.”  She ran a hand across Leia’s bottom.  “Which is why I’m so glad to see you.”

The door chimed.  Mara blinked; she and Leia quickly straightened their clothes before answering the door, which slid open to reveal a familiar protocol droid.  As usual, C-3PO seemed uneasy.  “Forgive me for disturbing you, but Mistress Mara has been summoned to the Grand Audience Chamber.  You are to come at once.”

Mara frowned.  “What’s going on, Threepio?”

“I’m terribly sorry, but Master Durron would not specify,” Threepio replied.  “He insists that you present yourself immediately.  Several members of the Council are waiting, including Master Luke.”

“Let’s go, then.”  Mara buckled on her lightsaber, holstered her sleeve pistol, and headed upstairs with Leia and Threepio following.

The Grand Audience Chamber was a large open space in the center of the top floor of the Temple.  As Mara stepped inside, she slowed to a stop.  Several of Luke’s older students, all Masters, stood waiting in an arc in the center of the room.  Kyp Durron, universally recognized as the greatest of the new Jedi, was in the center.  On his left were Kam Solusar, the white-haired former Dark Jedi, Kam’s wife Tionne, the singing historian, and Mon Calamari healer Cilghal.  Corran Horn stood on the other side, along with the Dathomirian Kirana Ti and ex-Rebel special operator Kyle Katarn.  Luke himself was behind them, slumped.  The look on his face made the bottom drop out of Mara’s stomach.  She knew what this was about, and began to speak.

Kyp held up his hand, and Mara’s voice died in her throat.  “Jedi Jade, step into the Circle of Judgment.”  His voice echoed impressively in the large, empty space.  Mara took a steadying breath, bowed her head, and walked forward into the center of the arc.  Kyp’s eyes flicked to Leia.  “Chief of State Organa Solo, you may attend this proceeding, but do not interrupt.”

Leia frowned, but said nothing.  Mara tried to shoot her a reassuring glance, but could not keep her face calm.  She swallowed hard and faced forward.

Kyp nodded and continued.  “Mara Jade.  It has come to our attention that over the past year, you have engaged in extramarital sexual relations with numerous members of the Order, along with several other persons.  In every case, you told your partner or partners that you were telling Grand Master Skywalker of these trysts, in order to ‘spice up’ your relationship.”

“We believed it, too,” said Kyle.  “That’s the way it was with his sister.”  He glanced at Leia, who bit her lip.  Mara was trembling like a frightened dog.

Kam always looked a little fierce.  Now, he looked a lot fierce.  “But now, we learn he knew nothing about it.  You’ve been running around behind Luke’s back this entire time!”

“You lied to us!” snapped Tionne.  “You know damned well we’d never have been with you if we knew you were cheating on him.”

“Luke’s not just our master, he’s our friend,” Kyle growled.  “And we hurt him, because of you.”

Mara began to cry.  “I’m sorry.  Luke, all of you, I’m so sorry.”  She tried to look at her husband; he would not meet her gaze.  Leia’s face was frozen in shock.

Kyp crossed his arms.  “It is not our place to judge your infidelity, per se.  That is a matter between you and Luke.  But in the course of your affairs, you lied to your fellow Jedi repeatedly.  You used deception and trickery for your own personal gain, and that is deeply troubling.”

“We’ve compared notes,” Kyle said.  “Over the last year, you’ve been having sex more and more frequently.  The last two months, it’s been at least once a day, sometimes more.”

Kirana smiled wryly.  “That’s quite impressive-even by my clan’s standards-but in this case, I’m not sure it’s a good thing.”

“We are angry, Mara, but we are also worried about you.”  Cilghal took a rattling breath.  “The secrets.  The lies.  Needing more and more.  This is an addiction.”

“No, it isn’t, I just…”  Mara looked from one face to another, then hung her head.  Yes, it is.  “It’s true.  I can’t stop.”  She looked at Luke in desperation.  “Please don’t leave me.”

Corran folded his hands.  “This is more than a judgment circle, Mara.  It’s an intervention.”

Corran’s wife Mirax walked into the room, along with Kyle’s girlfriend, Jan Ors.  “Talk to us, Mara.  How did you get here?”

Mara took a breath and wiped her eyes.  “It all started when the new group of kids began arriving for training, Jacen, Jaina, and the others.  Luke has always had a lot on his plate, and that just got worse.  There just was no time left over for us.  I was lonely and horny.  First, I just took care of myself, but before long, I couldn’t stimulate myself enough.  I started sleeping around, but it just wasn’t the same as being with Luke, being held, being loved.  A good fuck would make me feel better for a while, but less each time.  I needed more and more, but I was never satisfied.”  She chuckled sadly.  “The craving never really goes away anymore.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”  Luke’s voice was thick with pain, and tears were rolling down his face.  He ran to Mara and took her in his arms; she buried her face in his chest.  “You know I’d have been there for you if you had just asked.”

“That’s why I couldn’t.”  Mara shook her head violently.  “When you had your vision of me in danger beneath the Hand of Thrawn, you dropped what you were doing and came after me in the middle of a galactic crisis.  More time for me is less for the Jedi, and they need you.”

Kyle chuckled gently.  “Not to this extent, Mara.  We have our duty to the Order, but also to the people we love.  I make time for Jan.  Corran makes time for Mirax.  Kam and Tionne make time for each other.  And Luke should have made more time to spend with you.  We understand the conflict you felt; it was noble to try and put the Order before yourself.  But there is no question that the way you handled the situation was improper, immoral, and unfair to Luke.”

“So, this is an intervention, but it is also a judgment circle, and here is our judgment.”  Tionne crossed her arms.  “For the next year, you are to abstain from sex with anyone other than Luke, unless he gives you permission.”

“It’s an unusual sentence, but this is an unusual situation.”  Corran smiled slyly.  “Luke, there is a silver lining here.  Your wife is a sex addict… but only you fully satisfy her.”

“I suppose that’s true.”  Luke looked down at Mara, who was blushing furiously.  His smile was thin, forced.  “Honey, we need to talk.”

Kirana laughed.  “That’s our cue!  Back to work, everyone.”  She winked at Luke.  “Kyp and Tionne will cover your lectures for the next few days.  You’re not done until Mara can’t walk.”

Mara wondered if she should have a bad feeling about this.

Luke wrapped his arm around Mara and steered her towards the turbolift.  As soon as the door closed, he pressed a finger to her lips.  “We’ll talk back in our room, not before.”

Mara nodded.  The lift ride seemed to last an hour; the walk down the hall, even longer.  The slightest touch of Luke’s hand on her shoulder sent thrills up her spine, but her stomach was in knots.  He’s terribly angry.  He has every right to be.  Will he be quiet?  Will he scream?  Will he grab me and throw me down and rip off my clothes and…

She gasped and shook herself.  The craving for sex and orgasm was crawling up from the depths of her mind.  The quickie with Leia wasn’t enough to fulfil Mara for any real length of time.  She balled her hands into fists, trying to will the feeling away.  It took effort, and Mara was emotionally drained from answering to the circle.  She had no idea how she was going to hold herself together when facing Luke alone.

The door hissing shut behind Mara startled her out of her anxious thoughts.  They had just reached their suite of rooms on the temple’s third floor.  Luke turned to face her, pursed his lips, and sighed through his nose.  His eyes were strange; Mara saw anger and sadness, but there was something more she couldn’t identify.  The silence hung heavy between them for a full minute; Luke opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed it again.

He’s not going to make this easy on me.  That’s fair.  Mara swallowed hard.  “Luke, I don’t know what I can do, other than beg your forgiveness.  But I want to save our marriage, if I can.”

Luke crossed his arms.  “It’s a lot to forgive, Mara.  Cheating on me, lying to your friends, that’s bad enough, but there’s much more than that.  You could and should have come to me and let me know you were feeling neglected.  We could have talked, found a way to deal with the problem.  You say now, you want to save our marriage, but you gave up on me, on us.  You cut me out of a decision that affected both of us as a couple.  That’s not right.  We’re husband and wife; we’re meant to face whatever comes together.”

Mara nodded.  “I’m sorry I didn’t speak up.”

“And another thing.  You told your partners you were telling me all the dirty details.”  Luke put his hands on his hips.  “So why weren’t you telling me all the dirty details?”

He smiled, and Mara realized what else was in his eyes.  It was desire.  “I, I…”

Luke took three steps forward; he was only half a head taller than Mara, but he somehow seemed to loom over her.  “I love you deeply, Mara, so of course, I will forgive you.  But first, there’s the matter of your punishment.”

“P-punishment?” Mara stammered.

He said nothing, but turned and walked into their bedroom, waving for her to follow.  Mara hurried after him, heart fluttering.  He stopped beside their bed, gestured, and Mara crossed the room to stand in front of him.  Luke’s eyes were suddenly cold and hard; he grabbed her by the collar and ripped her tunic open, then jerked it roughly off her shoulders, dragging it to the floor with her trousers.  Mara barely had time to gasp before he grabbed her bra, yanking it over her head.  Luke hooked two fingers into the waistband of her panties and pulled upward; Mara’s thong dug into her sex cruelly for a moment before Luke simply tore it off her.  He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her down on her knees.  Mara interlaced her fingers behind her neck, looking up into his eyes.  She felt herself begin to grow wet.

Luke pulled out a drawer from the base of the bed.  Mara caught her breath.  It held an assortment of… ‘Marital aids’ was the polite term; the collection of high-quality sex toys had been a wedding gift from Saria Vor.  Luke and Mara had had plenty of fun with them over the years, but the drawer hadn’t been opened since their third anniversary.  Now Luke retrieved a full set of repulsor shackles.  The bondage device was essentially a less intense version of the stasis field which held high-security prisoners in midair.  Mara didn’t need to be told what to do.  She accepted the shining black collar first, snapping it around her neck.  Next came the wrist and ankle cuffs, smooth and hard while still comfortable for long-term wear.  The belt was last, and once it locked, the system activated and Mara was immobilized, kneeling on the floor.  The belt generated a repulsor field which held the collar and cuffs in position relative to each other, and could pin the prisoner against the ground, wall, or ceiling.  The remote control-worn as a wristband-could shift the position of the cuffs, posing the captive like a doll.  The shackles were programmable; they could be set to allow a limited freedom of movement, or none at all.

In Mara’s case, the shackles were at their most rigid.  She could turn her head and flex her torso enough to keep from cramping immediately, but beyond that, she might as well be frozen in carbonite.  Luke reached down and touched Mara’s face, tracing her lips before running his fingertips along her jaw and down to the hollow of her throat.  She let out a shuddering gasp as he explored her breasts before cupping her cheek.  Luke bent down, drawing close.  Mara closed her eyes as he kissed her tenderly, one hand beneath her chin and the other twining in her hair.  As Luke ended the kiss, he suddenly gripped Mara tightly.  He released the shackles long enough to haul her to her feet and bend her over the edge of the bed, arms extended in front of her.  The shackles locked again, this time leaving Mara enough freedom to squirm.  She whimpered-it had been a long time since Luke had gotten rough with her, and Mara very much enjoyed it.

Luke sat down on the bed beside her, stroking Mara’s bare bottom absentmindedly.  “A year.  You’ve been sneaking around behind my back for a whole year.”  He hesitated long enough that the first spank came as a surprise.  It stung, but also sent a thrill up her spine.  The second smack landed on her other cheek, making her butt bounce.  “You slept with my students, my friends, even my own sister.”  Luke slapped her ass hard this time; Mara yelped, imagining the bright red handprint on her creamy white flesh.  “Well, now you’re paying the price.”

The mattress shifted as Luke stood up and walked back to the ‘toy chest.’  He swished something through the air, then dragged it gently across her bottom.  Mara inhaled sharply as she felt the supple leather straps of a flogger.  He patted her butt with his free hand, then brought the flogger down.  Mara jumped, but it wasn’t a hard hit; she trembled, bracing herself.  She knew, intellectually, that Luke would never really hurt her, but he was devilishly good at keeping her in suspense.  He teased her with two more soft blows, then startled her with an open-hand smack to the outside of her thigh.  Then came the flogger.  Luke worked his way up and down her body, from the back of her calves to her shoulder blades.  Mara tried to keep still, but the whipping made her move, rubbing her rock-hard nipples against the satiny coverlet.  After five dozen lashes, he finished with one stroke to her cunt.  Mara cried out, then moaned: the pain faded to leave pleasure behind.

Luke thumbed the remote and flipped Mara onto her back, arms pinned at her sides, head dangling over the end of the bed.  He set the flogger down on the bedside table, then gave her a minute or two to rest while he took off his clothes.  Even at forty-three, Luke was still in prime physical condition, and while he wasn’t even close to the largest cock she’d seen-only twenty centimeters-he made her feel like no other could.  He was hardening quickly as he gazed down at his helpless wife.  Mara relaxed, admiring the view.

Luke caught her staring and smiled.  “Want it, Bad Girl?”

“Yes,” Mara gasped.  The craving was growing in intensity, making her skin feel hot.

Luke stepped forward, rubbing his member over her face.  She lapped at his shaft before taking him into her mouth.  The collar kept Mara’s head still, so she used her lips and tongue to service Luke as he thrust in and out.  Luke threw his head back, enjoying the sensation.  Suddenly, he grunted, then grabbed the back of her head and pushed in to the hilt, blasting cum down her throat.  Mara was caught by surprise-she’d been expecting him to last much longer-but she swallowed every drop nonetheless.  She licked the last traces of Luke’s seed from her lips and smiled up at him.

“Sorry about that.”  Luke released the shackles and pulled Mara to her feet for a kiss.  “It’s been a while for me… but not for you.”  He wagged his finger at her.  “You’re going to tell me all about it.”

Mara smirked.  “And why should I tell you anything?”

Luke laughed out loud.  “You really want to push your luck here?”

“You’ll never make me talk,” Mara said confidently.

Luke’s eyes twinkled.  “No, I’ll make you scream.”

He picked Mara up and tossed her onto the bed.  A tap to the control, and Mara’s shackles pulled her into a spread-eagle.  Luke got onto the bed, crawling up between Mara’s legs.  He bent down, delivering a single lick to her clit.  Mara gasped and arched up off the bed.  Luke trailed his tongue upward, across her mons, tickling across her tummy.  He went to work on her belly button; Mara giggled and tried to twist away.  She let out a keening wail: Luke’s tongue felt great, but she wanted it inside her.

Luke paused, then kissed his way up between her breasts, arriving back at her face for another deep kiss.  “I love you, Mara, and I want to forgive you… fully.”  A finger swiped along her pussy lips.  “But I can’t, not until I know everything you’ve done.”

“Never.”  Mara barely got the word out.  She was taking the game farther that they ever had before, perhaps farther than she really ought to.  The craving was tugging at her, urging her to give in, but she fought.  Luke might be driving her crazy with sexual frustration, but he was also giving her all the attention she’d been missing for over a year, and she wanted it to last as long as possible.

He kissed her lips again, lightly, teasingly, then nibbled her earlobe.  He zig-zagged his way downward, kissing, nipping and sucking Mara’s neck, her breasts, her ribs, her belly.  Luke passed over her mons and vagina, working on the tops of her thighs, the backs of her knees, and finally her toes.  He crawled back up, placing a string of kisses up her inner thighs.  By the time he approached her mound, Mara was whimpering and trying to lift herself to him.

Luke gave her clit another lick and stood, hands on his hips.  “Last chance, Mara.  Tell me what a slut you’ve been, or I’ll drag it out of you.”

Mara took a deep breath and shuddered.  I’m probably going to regret this.  “Give me your best shot, farmboy.”

“You asked for it.”  Luke smiled mischievously, raised his hands, and reached out with the Force.  Tendrils of telekinesis, dozens of them, stroked Mara all over her body.  He was stimulating every erogenous zone and ticklish spot from her ears to the bottom of her feet all at once… except her clit.  Mara gasped and her body went taut as a bowstring.  Luke loosened the shackles so she could move a little; Mara began thrashing, trying to twist her body away from the intense sensations.  There was no escape, and now Mara did scream.  Luke shook his head.  “You really should have done this the easy way.”

In the end, Mara confessed.  She told Luke of every affair she’d had in complete, graphic detail.  Secret rendezvous in Coruscant apartments, impulsive quickies in starships and speeder backseats, steamy threesomes with couples, and even gangbangs with fighter pilots and smuggler crews.  Luke stood over her, stroking himself as he listened.  As she finished, so did he, shooting his load across her face and hair.  Mara lay shackled on the bed, completely worn out, panting, shaking… and her pussy sopping wet.

Luke poured a glass of water and helped Mara drink.  “Very good, Mara.  You’ve nearly earned my forgiveness.”

Mara’s eyes popped wide.  “Nearly?”

“I think I’ll let you spend the night in shackles.”  Luke smiled wickedly.  “Let you stew in your own juices.”

“No, wait.”  Mara shook her head, almost in shock.  “Luke, you can’t leave me like this, you can’t!”

Luke bent down and kissed Mara’s forehead.  “Good night, Bad Girl.”

Mara struggled.  “No, Luke!  Luke, please!”

It was too late; Luke had left the bedroom.  A moment later, Mara heard the door to their apartment open and shut.  For perhaps ten minutes, she held onto the hope that Luke was teasing her; then the realization began to set in that she was really in for the night.  Luke had left her restraints loose enough to avoid any discomfort, except for the itch between her legs.

Just go to sleep.  It’ll be morning soon enough.  She closed her eyes, breathing slowly and deeply.  Yavin IV never really got dark at night, since the orange gas giant always filled the sky above; it made it very difficult to mark the passage of time without a chrono, and Mara couldn’t see the one on the bedside table.  She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, trying to ignore her throbbing clit, before opening her eyes again.  By this point, Mara badly needed to come, but she couldn’t reach to touch herself.

Even if I could reach, I shouldn’t.  Mara bit her lip.  This is what I deserve for betraying Luke.
Her thoughts turned to their relationship-spying on him for the Emperor, meeting on Myrkr as enemies, being forced to rely on each other.  Crossing paths over the years, growing closer each time.  Their relationship developing from grudging respect, to friendship, to love, until Luke finally proposed more than a decade later.  The early days of their marriage-talking, laughing, making love.  I loved him more than anything.  I still do.  What happened to us?

Mara sighed.  Luke is trying to build a new Jedi Order.  We’ve been through so much, and he has a tremendous responsibility.  She snorted.  Luke asked me to marry him.  He chose to make marriage and family part of his burden.  Kyle is right, he should have made time for me.  I have needs, and not just sex… though I definitely need sex.  She shifted uncomfortably.  Part of her knew she was rationalizing her behavior, but the rest of her admitted that she had a valid point.
And the craving was still growing.  Mara whimpered and pulled against her cuffs.  The coverlet beneath her was soaked with sweat.  Her red-gold hair was heavy and limp, stray strands plastered to her forehead and cheeks.  Her skin was tingling and uncomfortably hot-Mara’s blazing lust was burning her alive!  She closed her eyes again, trying to fall asleep, trying to will the feeling away, all to no avail.  Mara growled and thrashed, crying out in frustration, and accidentally blew a vase off the dresser.  Mara froze, looking at her right hand.  Her breath quickened as she bent her wrist and found that she could point her palm at herself.

Don’t!  It’s betraying Luke again!  Mara banged her head into the mattress several times.  Just hang on until Luke comes back.

She balled her hands into fists, grit her teeth, and worked to control her breathing.  She had no idea whether it was three minutes or three hours before she shrieked again.  I want.  I need.  I can’t wait any longer.  Just give in.

Mara reached out with the Force, stroking her body.  She squeezed and kneaded her breasts, caressed her ribs, then reached down and tweaked her clit.  Her reward was a wash of pleasure which built and built into a powerful orgasm.  Mara arched her back and trembled from head to toe.  Yes.  More.  MORE.  She didn’t break rhythm, bringing herself to another climax, and another, head thrown back as she surrendered to her animal need.

Wait.  Mara’s eyes flew open.  What am I doing?  She sat up as much as she could, shaking her head to clear it.  The craving flared immediately, an angry hunger in her mind.  Mara felt a sudden chill.  Oh, no.  “Luke, Luke, I need help!”

“I’m coming, Mara!”  His voice was in her ears, not her mind; Mara’s heart leaped as she realized he’d been waiting right outside the door.

Then, another thrill shot through her clit.  Mara realized she was still rubbing herself-her hands were moving on their own.  The craving spoke, words she thought she’d never hear again.

YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.

“No!”  Mara screamed.  “Luke, don’t come any closer!”

“It’s all right!”  Luke’s voice was concerned, but reassuring.  “I’m sorry, I went too far.  I’ll get you out right now.”

Mara shook her head.  “Don’t Luke, please get away!”

It was too late.  Luke stepped into the room, running to her side.  Mara’s head snapped up, face twisted into a cruel smile, Palpatine’s withered cackle sliding out her lips.  Her hands swung around, blasting Luke with lightning.  Luke yelled in pain and went down, landing across Mara’s legs.  She held the shock on him, even as tears ran down her face.  The lightning intensified and went wild, igniting the furniture, and drapes, creeping toward the bedding.  Luke was unconscious, and Mara was still restrained.  She screamed in despair and terror, struggling as the fire spread.  The mattress caught, and the flames surrounded them both.

Mara shot bolt-upright in bed, still screaming.  Beside her, Luke was crying out as well.  Both of them glanced around in a panic, still confused and not fully awake.  Mara glanced to her right and found herself looking into Luke’s eyes, both of them still frantic with fear.  Mara grabbed Luke, hugged him close, and he squeezed her back just as hard.

“I’m sorry, Luke, I’m so sorry, I love you so much…”  Mara sobbed into his shoulder.  She felt his tears landing in her hair.

“Mara, thank the Force it was a dream.”  Luke kissed her forehead.  “I’d never hurt you, you know that, right?”

Mara blinked.  “Hurt me?  I killed you!”

“What?”  Luke shook his head.  “What did you dream?”

She took a few minutes to relay her nightmare, and Luke winced.  “I’d rather have had that dream than mine.”

Mara stroked his cheek.  “Tell me.”

Luke leaned forward, hunching his shoulders.  “I knew you were being unfaithful, but I decided not to make an issue of it; I knew I’d been neglecting you.  I keep promising myself I’ll spend more time with you-and then, I don’t.  In the dream…”  He took a steadying breath.  “You left me; you ran off with Lando.  I went after you, tracked you down.  I caught up with you in Cloud City, and I hit you.”  He met Mara’s eyes, a haunted look on his face.  “I don’t mean sexy spanking.  I beat you, Mara.  Lando tried to stop me, and Han, and Leia.  I was in a rage, and I killed them, I slaughtered them like animals.  And then we were dueling, and I chased you all over the station, until I cornered you on the platform in the reactor shaft.  You managed to get past my guard and stab me in the chest just as I threw you over the railing.  I screamed, then took a breath…  and I sounded like him.”

There was nothing Mara could do but hug him close.  “These were visions, Luke, that’s plain to see.  It’s a warning.”

Luke nodded, still shaking.  “We need to change our path, both of us.  I need to be as dedicated to you as I am to the Order.”

“And I need to be true to you,” Mara said.

“No,” Luke said.  Mara frowned in confusion, and he smiled.  “I don’t mind you stepping out from time to time-in fact, it’s kind of hot-but not behind my back.  And we need to take some time for just us, no Order, no politics, no crises.”

Mara nodded, then smiled mischievously.  “Can we have some of that ‘us time’ now?”

“Absolutely,” Luke said, with a smile of his own.

Mara lay back, pulling him on top of her.  “Say it, Luke.  Say it like you said it in the cave.”

Luke bent down and kissed her deeply.  “I love you, Mara.”
 
THE END
