A Whole New Life
Part 10: A whole New Life
By SJ 12-23-01/16-04-02 (skyjade@globetrotter.net)

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Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for her
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me some of your precious time, my friend :)
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After clearing away their dishes, Luke guided Mara to the newly furbished
training room.

She vaguely remembered its being used as a guest room, but as he had told her on
their way in, he hadn't needed all those rooms for himself and his father, so
aside from the computer rooms and their private library, the rest of the floor
had been adapted to the fact that they wouldn't have access to the rest of the
palace.

He had also told her that he had meant to call the new building the Peace
Palace, but Skywalker Castle had been stuck to it by the populace and it hadn't
changed since then.

"As long as it isn't Vader," he told her while he drew his lightsaber from his
belt.

"Yeah," she nodded, then nodded at his deactivated weapon. "Why weren't you
armed with it yesterday?" she asked him while she too drew her weapon, then set
it on the floor for her warm up.

Luke mimicked her.

"No weapons are allowed in the Senate building," he explained simply. "I also
abide by that rule."

"But what about the danger of being defenseless, farmboy?" she inquired from her
bent-over position.

Her back complained slightly at the stretch, but not too much; just a little
more frequent work-out, she reflected seriously, and she would be back in shape.

"Security is outside," he shrugged slightly. "Besides, a Jedi doesn't need
weapons to be armed," he reminded her seriously.

"Except that you didn't last for long against the thugs yesterday," she pointed
out with a note of reproach in her voice.

"I know," he admitted while stretching his left arm with his right one. "I
might have to revise that rule, but not until we have the trust of the senators
and the rest of the galaxy."

"It's a dangerous gamble," she told him seriously.

"No more so than to hide from you-know-who," he answered much more coolly.

They gazed at each other in understanding at that; he was right, she conceded.
If he could survive as a Jedi under the Emperor's watchful eye, then he could
survive unarmed in a pacific senate.

"Let me guess," she finally tried to joke to dispel the darker mood of the
moment, "your mind was somewhere else yesterday," she commented, calling her
weapon back to her hand

"Something like that," he agreed, recovering his lighter mood, then turned on
his own weapon.

She did the same; they fell silent, ready for a fight to test her abilities.
Unlike Luke who had had an extensive training in lightsaber fencing, she herself
had only learnt to use it against regular beings. She surmised that after their
fencing, they would know for sure if it had been a fluke on Ord Mantell... Or if
her destiny was now following Luke's.

She and Luke glanced at each other a little while longer--- then he attacked,
faster than light. To her surprise, she parried his first attack, then swiveled
on her hips and blocked his side sweep. Luke briefly smiled at her at that,
then fell serious again and resumed his attack.

When Mara parried two feints in a row, Luke knew that his feelings had been
right. His friend's potential had been somehow blocked by the Emperor, but she
was now free from him... and on her way to become a true Jedi knight, he thought
in awe.

Even without specific training, she knew how to follow the Force's guidance;
combined with her basic knowledge of lightsaber techniques, she could keep him
at bay for as long as she wanted.

Well, almost as long as she wanted, he smiled in challenge and upped the level
of difficulty. Aware of this, Mara smirked at him, shaking hair out of her
beautiful eyes.

"Getting cocky, Skywalker?" she teased him.

"No more than you are, Jade," he teased back even as he shifted his stance
again, forcing her to remain on the defensive.

But Mara was not satisfied with this anymore. She too switched to the
offensive... Now challenging him in turn. It slowly dawned on Luke that this
could be a long, windy afternoon with his girlfriend... and future Jedi if she
wanted to follow that path.

******

Far away from all those events and Coruscant, Anakin and Yoda suddenly exited
their common healing trance as they felt the existence of a new, powerful Force
bearer.

"Who can it be?" Ani instantly asked as he re-entered his full senses.

"A woman it felt," his friend answered, keeping his eyes closed to search
further... "with your son," he added seriously.

With Luke?, Ani frowned uncertainly. Why would his son be with another Jedi---
unless---- he suddenly understood, searching the eyes of his companion.

"Mara Jade?" he half-whispered in doubt even though he 'knew' that he had his
answer.

Mara Jade had returned to his son's side, he realized, and like both Luke and
himself, she had foregone the Dark Side.

"But how can it be?" he asked in the silence. "She was not powerful when the
Emperor was alive; surely he wouldn't have restrained her potential had she had
any," he reflected seriously.

"Surprised we may be," Yoda commented softly, exiting his trance. "but Mara
Jade it is indeed."

"Incredible," the human answered in awe.

"That much so, Anakin?" the aged master inquired with a note of dry humor.

The not-so-young man felt himself blush slightly even as he brought a hand to
his newly grown hair, one of the several signs that the Force had granted a
miracle to him too. Except for his still healing lungs, he had completely
recovered from his hold injuries, and soon, he knew that he wouldn't even need
his respirator anymore.

He was already free of the mask.

"When put that way, Master Yoda," he smiled gently, "it's not surprising at
all."

"Already trained she is," Yoda observed quietly. "Only practice she needs to
develop her potential."

"The Emperor must have been afraid of her power," the younger Jedi summarized
with a nod of his head, "In fact," he added as he returned in the past, with
memories of his young son, "it wouldn't surprise me if he had also kept Luke
from his true abilities had he met him any other way but how it happened."

"Trained he was already," Yoda agreed, "hard it is to stop a Jedi's growth when
begun it has."

"Especially Luke's," he nodded solemnly, remembering how his son's ability had
strengthened by leaps and bounds when he had begun to train more seriously.

"The most powerful Jedi of all time he is," his companion commented in the
silence. "Fortunate he was to have a good father," he finished more softly.

"A father who knew how to control that power," Ani nodded in acceptance.

He himself had faced the challenges of growing to a surprising source of power
within him; unlike his son, it had taken him a long while to understand how
self-control served him better than to let the power loose then and again.
It had made Vader even more dangerous when he had turned, especially for
himself... Hence, he had drilled his son to control himself... and they were now
experiencing the positive effects of that self-control.

"Everything is fine now," he summarized seriously.

"Almost everything," Yoda corrected with a raised finger.

Anakin nodded knowingly, aware that what remained between himself and his
complete healing was more mental than physical. Even though he had finally
forgiven himself for his past as Vader... he still couldn't completely forgive
himself for turning in the first place, thus causing grief to his whole family.
He knew that in the end, his negative experience had been necessary for their
victory, but how certain were they that he and the Jedis wouldn't have defeated
Palpatine back then?

After all, he thought seriously, they had been more than enough to destroy him
like he and Luke had done, years later... alone. He sighed heavily while he
faced that last self-condemning thought.

In front of him, Yoda silently waited for him to be ready to resume their
trance.

******

While Luke and Mara awaited for both the Chairman and President's decision in
regards of Mara's help with security, he watched his girlfriend as she practiced
her newly discovered abilities.

Her green eyes were half-closed, her breath was even; she was mesmerizing.
Careful to not disturb her, he slightly tightened his hold on her hand,
reflecting that she was more than worthy to be a full-fledged Jedi if she wanted
too. It had always disturbed him that she hadn't been able to do everything
that he could do with the Force; it had even saddened him whenever he had
noticed her disappointed expression, no matter how hard she had been trying to
hide it from him, he conceded with a slight smile.

He conceded that they were more than equals when it came to physical challenges
though; they had trained against one another often enough to lose count of their
frequent stalemates, but if he used his full abilities against her... she didn't
know how to block him or duplicate his tactics. She hadn't had access to the
deeper connection that she could have achieved, even back then.

But no more, he reminded himself seriously. With their little test, they had
established that a block had definitely been lifted from her mind and that she
now had as deep an access as she wanted on the Force.

Now, he reflected, all she had to learn was how to focus her mind to make use of
those abilities. He felt her strain to maintain her touch--- then she sighed
and recovered a normal state.

"What happened?" he asked her gently.

"I found a mental track which felt nervous, but I lost it when it entered a more
crowded corridor."

"Did you feel any danger?" he inquired.

"No," she shook her head, "it was just an easier exercise than to follow a quiet
mind," she nudged him slightly.

"I see," he smiled at her, "Did you try to search for differences instead of
being submerged by the crowd?" he inquired seriously.

"huh... no," she admitted with a shake of her head. "When he disappeared in the
crowd, I stopped feeling him altogether."

"Look for differences in your feelings," he advised her. "That's how you'll
keep track of what you felt."

The door of the chairman's office opened; Luke and Mara exchanged a glance, then
left their observation window and went inside. They accepted the seats offered
to them by the president, then silently waited for the verdict.

"We have studied your request very careful, Jedi Jade, Jedi Skywalker," the
president, an Elom, began seriously. "However, we need more information before
we can make a decision."

"Which information?" Mara inquired, crossing her right leg over her left.

"Except for Jedi Skywalker's trust in you, we don't know anything about who you
are, how you came to be a Jedi... and why you didn't fight against the Empire
during the war," he finished, locking his black gaze with Mara's green one.

Luke threw a quick glance at his girlfriend even as he exchanged a quick thought
of reassurance.

"I vouch for Mara's trustworthiness, Mr. President," he began earnestly. "I
have known her for a while now and can assure you that you won't find a
staunchest ally in our common goal of peace and justice."

The Chairman, a Duro, sadly shook his head. "I'm afraid it won't be enough for
the rest of the Senate. Just like you studied every candidate's background, so
must we do for your companion... even if we won't involve the rest of the senate
in the procedures," he commented compassionately.

Mara couldn't help but wince at the thought that the whole senate might have to
vote on her helping Luke or not. Now there would be a real waste of time...

"You said that you've known Miss Jade for a while," the Elom commented in the
silence. "Since when exactly?"

Mara sought Luke's eyes once again, shook her head at his thought to cover her
imperial past. She wasn't afraid of the truth anymore; she could live with the
consequences of her actions, just like he had.

"I met Luke when we were children," she admitted seriously, then bowed her head
as the others decrypted the secret of her past.

She waited for their reactions. Luke remained silent but took hold of her hand
in comfort and support. She returned his warm hold.

"Were you with the Empire?" the Duro inquired uselessly.

"Yes, and like Luke, I didn't know what kind of monster I was serving until,
well... almost too late," she admitted, throwing an apologetic gaze at her
boyfriend.

"How can we be sure that you aren't trying to infiltrate the senate to avenge
the Empire's destruction? What proof can you give us?" the president asked very
seriously.

At first, the young woman meant to answer that they would have to trust Luke for
that one, then a memory of her young friends came back to her.

"You can contact the 50th hospital of Capara, refugee unit, and ask to any child
there what he thinks of me," she answered simply. "If not for my relationship
with Luke, I would still be with them," she added for good measures.

She noticed how the two politicians exchanged a knowing glance, then nodded more
somberly. The president focused back on Luke.

"We know that you are a man of your word and heart, Jedi Skywalker," he
commented seriously, "and we also know that your judgment can be trusted,
especially when it comes to the safety of everyone. Hence, we will also trust
Jedi Jade, but should anything happen, it will be on your shoulders."

Mara had to refrain her temptation to glare at the other in disappointment, but
Luke's squeeze helped her to not show any aggression.

*I trusted you with my life more times than I can count, Mara,* he sent her
warmly, *I can certainly trust my political life in your hands,* he finished
more wryly.

*Well,* she sent in kind, *I can always take you out of it if you give me the
green light.*

*Don't tempt me,* he answered, physically biting his lower lip to restrain an
inappropriate smile. "Thank you, Mr. President, Chairman Tuko," he answered out
loud, standing up and offering his hand for a shake.

"You won't regret it," Mara added earnestly, following suite, then the two Jedi
Knights left the plush office.

Together, they had vanquished one more challenge.

******

The same evening, Mara stood on their room's balcony, enjoying the soft breeze
that caressed her sleep-gowned body while Luke was taking a quick shower; she
had felt too tired to join him.

After their meeting with the president and chairman, they had spent the rest of
the day practicing her sensing skills in Luke's office. As it used to happen
when she had been a child, using the Force this intently had practically drained
her.

However, she reflected, closing her eyes to enjoy the moment of quietness, it
was a good tiredness. For once, she felt at peace with herself and the
universe, and she hadn't hurt anybody with her skills. Instead, she had trained
herself to feel only the effects of their thoughts on the Force instead of their
thoughts themselves.

It wasn't as easy as Luke made it look, she conceded humbly, but she had
improved a great deal today. She was confident that she would be able to do a
good job in the Senate, not necessarily because the politicians would know if
she did it wrong or not... but, she admitted, she wanted to do it right for
herself.

She knew that reading minds wasn't ethical.

She yawned slightly as she opened her eyes; in front of her, the vista of
Capitol City stretched as far as she could see. Unlike when she had gazed at it
during the Empire's rule, it seemed quieter, less animated than usually.

Of course, she conceded as she pushed her hair out of her eyes, allowing the
wind to pull them to the right, she was aware that people in the city were still
going out in the night clubs, or that some others were working on the nightly
shifts, but somehow, she thought wistfully, their activities weren't stirring
the night sight as it used to be.

Unless, she smiled to herself, wrapping her bare arms around her lightly covered
body, the calm was in her mind. After all, she wasn't keeping an eye out for an
enemy or ally at the moment; sighing happily, she conceded that it was a more
than welcome change.

As if to remind her of the past, her index found one of her scars from the past;
almost instantly, an image of how she had gotten it flashed in her mind. She
shut her eyes at the violence of the memory, then took a deep breath to calm
herself. She had killed that man, she remembered, had not shown any mercy...
but had she had the choice, she thought sadly, she wouldn't have even hunted him
down. She knew now that she didn't like violence, yet at the same time, she was
very glad to be able to protect the ones she cared about.

Had he truly been guilty of the crimes he had been accused of, she wondered
about her victim, or had she been a mindless slave yet again?..

"I guess we will never know," Luke's soft voice startled her from her reverie,
then his strong arms enveloped her in the remaining warmth of his recent shower.

She accepted his comfort and leaned into his embrace; he kissed the juncture of
her neck and shoulder. "We can only make sure that no more innocents ever
perish unjustly again," he commented in the silence.

Mara remained silent, then leaned even more against his welcome support.

"Do you sometimes think about our victims?" she asked him glumly, keeping her
eyes forward on the sight of thousands lights at night.

"Every morning," he nodded against her neck.

"And?" she prompted him slightly.

"I wish I could give my life in exchange for theirs," he answered truthfully,
"and every morning, I learn again that I can't, so instead, I devote every day
to those who survived the nightmare and I make sure that another one isn't
getting started for them."

"It reminds me of how I felt about the children," she commented as she brought
her right hand out from under his embrace to touch his nearby hand.

Her finger encountered another scar; his slave mark on his wrist.

"I would have thought that you had gotten rid of this one," she told him
seriously, craning her neck to see his eyes.

"No more so than you mean to have your own mark removed, Mara," he answered
seriously, his left hand shifting slightly until it rested where she had been
hurt as a child, near her collarbone. "Besides," he added glumly, "the tattoo
will never go away anyway, and the galaxy needs me. I can't waste time in
pointless surgical operations."

"Hmmm, I suppose you'd know about that," she nodded slightly, dimly remembering
that he had been through three weeks of preparation before his Rebel mission,
only to have the marks back even before the end of the mission, she sighed
glumly.

If only they had awakened sooner...

Luke held his lover against himself; her soft hair and silk gown were caressing
his bare chest, but nothing compared to her familiar body in his arms. It still
felt like a miracle to have her back, he thought in contentment; when she had
left, he had been convinced that he would never see her again, but he had
underestimated her love for him. It had been proven to be as strong as his was
for her; he himself knew that more than anything else, his love for Mara had
given him the strength to go through his masquerade at the end.

"And you?" he asked while kissing her behind the left ear, "why don't you want
to have it removed?"

"I never said---" she began with slight defiance, but the moment that their eyes
met, she softened once again.

She knew that he knew her as much as she knew him; they couldn't hide anything
from one another for long.

"It wouldn't be right," she finally admitted, focusing back on the vista that
was sprawled in front of them. "After what I did, aware of the larger picture
or not, it's only fair that I bear for the rest of my life the mark of who I
was."

"Ditto here," he agreed with her, then gently let go of her and turned her
toward him; she followed his lead and shifted position until she was facing him.

"However, Mara, I won't let you carry any other mark, either psychological,
emotional, or spiritual," he told her seriously. "I love you for who you are,
past and present alike, but only the present matters now," he finished
earnestly.

His lover meant to retort something, but he didn't let her.

Instead, he covered her lips with his own, then proceeded to tell her with that
part of his body how much she meant for him no matter what had or would happen.
When Mara returned his kiss and drew him closer to her, he reflected that he had
never felt this whole, this content in life.

Nothing else but her truly mattered to him...

*Will you marry me?* he sent on impulse--- then drew away in shock as he became
aware of what he had just done.

What??, he berated himself for a naive fool. He hadn't meant to do that right
now... She was barely back with him, and they were both still reeling from the
past. He nervously gazed at her, worried beyond belief that he had just ruined
it with his impetuousness.

Mara could only gape at her lover while his mental words and feelings continued
to ring in her mind.

Marry? He had truly asked her to marry him? For a Jedi, she knew that it was
the most serious of commitments since it was a life-to-death thing; once they
would be married, he wouldn't be able to change his mind and break their
wedding. Only death ordained by the Force could do that, and yet, he still
wanted to marry her; despite her fiery temper and her near success to kill him
thanks to her anger...

"I..." she managed to whisper.

"Mara, I'm sorry," he began apologetically, "I don't know what overtook me, I--"

Smiling slightly at his discomfiture, she stepped forward again until she was
pressed up against him, then gently shushed him with her index.

"Don't worry, Luke," she reassured him softly, "I'm not upset, and yes, I will
marry you, my dear farmboy," she finished lustfully before she resumed their
kiss where they had left off.

She instantly felt his elation invade her senses as it poured from him and into
their link, then he suddenly lifted her off the floor and spun her around while
smiling happily against her lips.

"Luke?!" she finally laughed with him when he continued to spin with her in his
arms.

"You just made me the happiest man in the galaxy, Mara," he smiled back, then
put her back on the ground and kissed her again while hugging her as close to
himself as he could. *I promise you won't regret it,* he sent her earnestly and
passionately.

*I know, but you might,* she sent back lustfully with an image of what she had
in mind for the second step of their little celebration.

He blushed at her idea, but didn't show any sign of not agreeing with her. They
retreated back inside their room, then closed the door and darkened the window
panes.

******

The next day, Luke contacted the head of the Senate and told them that he and
Mara would be gone for two weeks on a personal matter. When they would return,
he agreed with them, they would introduce Mara to the other senators, but not
before they were back from their trip.

If the politicians felt any worry regarding the leaving of their Jedi protector,
they didn't say anything to him. Instead, they agreed with his request and
wished him success.

Three hours later, Luke and Mara boarded the long-range shuttle which Mara had
brought back with her; they left Coruscant and headed for... the location of the
Freedom.

When they had discussed their wishes for their wedding ceremony, both had
quickly established that it would be a very private thing since neither of them
had any family to include in their private celebration. Even Luke's father was
considered out of reach since they couldn't, in fact, contact him in any way.

Hence, that only left them with the choice of someone to perform the ceremony.
Any magistrate was out of question, as was the president of the Senate...

Hence, it left them with only one option that Luke knew he could trust: admiral
Piett, the 'captain' of Luke's ex-flagship.

Their shuttle landed with little decorum; however, even though Luke wanted to
keep his presence aboard semi-secret, a platoon or two of proud volunteers were
already gathered in two rows to welcome him aboard.

"It proves their genuine respect for you, farmboy," his companion told him,
nudging him in the biceps as he sighed in reluctant acceptance.

"I suppose so," he sighed again, then stood to his feet.

Mara was already waiting for him to exit their ship. She was the first one down
the small hatch, then he joined her and was met by Admiral Piett and a few other
officers. They respectfully bowed their heads, then snapped to either attention
or salute. Luke refrained himself from sighing again; he had to accept that the
decorum would never go away, he admitted reluctantly. Even if they weren't at
war anymore, the troops needed some kind of ritual to express their allegiance.

"Welcome back, Jedi Skywalker, Lady Jade," Piett said seriously.

"Thank you, Admiral," they both answered together. "We need your assistance on
a peculiar request, Sir," Luke continued seriously, pointedly avoiding details
about their eloping; he didn't want it to become the gossip of the ship, then
the fleet.

Also, he reminded himself with a mental smirk, neither he nor Mara wanted their
union to be known until they could surprise a few young friends of hers.

"It shall be my pleasure, Sir. Come," the older man invited them, then turned
away and led the way toward the exit of the hangar bay.

"How is the fleet now that it is under the control of the Senate, Admiral?" Mara
asked from Luke's side.

The young Jedi noticed the gaze that Piett threw at the normally silent woman,
then how he briefly sought his eyes for reassurance. Luke nodded visibly to
indicate that Mara could be trusted despite what he remembered of her.

"The assignments are pertinent, my Lady," the older man finally answered, "and
the volunteers are more than happy to assist in any way they can help."

"What about the outlaw elements? Are they still quiet?" Luke inquired
seriously.

"Very much so, Sir," the officer nodded with a smirk.

They reached the banks of turbolifts.

They finally entered Luke's old quarters. Mara instantly noticed the
unmistakable changes which had been performed on the design. Except for the
tactical station, which hadn't moved, the rest could have belonged to a rich
trader and she would never have made any difference.

Where the room had been darker than night, it was now filled with wooden colors
and the metallic deck had been covered by a light-tainted carpet.

*Is it like this in the rest of the quarters?* she sent to her lover.

He barely nodded in answer.

"I must admit that the return of Lady Jade is quite a surprise, Sir," Piett
commented honestly when no word came from them. "I thought that she had
disappeared with the escapees when you overtook the Empire."

"In a way, she did," Luke nodded while he took hold of her hand; she drew closer
to him, instantly understanding that he meant to reveal their relationship to
his ex-right arm. "However, Mara was not a concubine like we led everyone to
believe," he continued seriously. "She was my partner, my best friend... and my
lover."

Piett, who had relaxed the moment that they had entered the private quarters,
suddenly gaped openly at the two of them.

"I met Luke when we were children," the young woman continued softly to help the
man to get over his reaction. "We were trained together and worked as a team
until he left for the rebel mission, which I'm sure you heard about."

"Y... Yes, I did," the stumped man nodded jerkily. "So while you were aboard as
his consort, you were in fact spending time off together until your next
mission," the admiral finally managed in one breath.

Mara had to admit that she was surprised by the speed with which the other had
put together the pieces of their puzzle. Luke had told her that he was clever,
but she had never suspected that he would be 'that' fast.

"Exactly," Luke nodded. "After the victory, we went our separate ways for
personal reasons, but now we're ready to go forward again... and we want to
spend the rest of our lives with one another," he explained solemnly.

"Sir??" the other gaped again, both of his eyebrows shooting upward when he
understood what his superior meant.

"Would you do us the honor of sealing our union, Admiral?" Mara inquired kindly
from Luke's side.

"I... ah... with pleasure of course," he finally blurted out. "Never thought
I'd do this one day though," he added before he could realize what he had just
said.

Both Luke and her chuckled at this.

"Neither did we," she commented lightly.

"Will it require anything special given your Jedi training, Sir?" he asked,
focusing back on Luke.

"We will take care of this part of the Jedi wedding, my friend," he reassured
him. "However, we need an officer to make this official."

"When do you want to do this, Sir?"

"Right now?" both she and Luke asked, eagerness creeping back in their voices.

Piett gaped at them once again, then shook his head and smiled in almost
fatherly love.

"Very well, but not here," he warned them seriously.

She and Luke exchanged a thought at that; what did he have in mind?..

An hour later, the Freedom was orbiting the blue orb of Iego, providing them
with a beautiful background through the bay window of Luke's former living room.
He and Mara stood facing each other, their hands joined with the others.

"Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade," Piett began solemnly, gazing at each betrothed in
turn, "you have come here to vouch your undying love and devotion to one
another, proving to the whole galaxy that nothing would ever separate you, no
matter the sacrifices or the choices."

Luke and Mara nodded solemnly, their eyes seeking the other's to share their
moment of deep happiness.

"Are you certain of your decision for it will be undoable in your cases," Piett
asked them, dropping his role of officer for a second.

"Yes, we are," the young people answered softly, honestly.

"Then, for the better and the worse, you can exchange your vows."

Unlike the regular weddings, which involved a wedding band to remind the beings
of their vows to one another, Jedi weddings relied on an invisible bond.

When Piett nodded at Luke, the young man locked his gaze with his lover, then
they both closed their eyes and sought each other's mind. They found each other
almost instantly.

*Are you absolutely sure about this, Mara?* he inquired warmly before initiating
their final bond.

*With all my heart,* she answered softly. *How about you, Luke?*

*Nothing will ever take prescience over my love, my attachment and my respect
for you, my love,* he replied passionately.

She answered by opening her mind to him even as she waited at the edge of his
own mind for his final, natural barrier to disappear forever. Luke broke it
down without any doubts nor hesitation; he and Mara's senses joined in the most
complete fashion that was possible.

He became her; she became him, then they reintegrated their own bodies while
taking the other with them. Even more than when they had been mere lovers, they
were one in every sense of the word.

They simultaneously opened their eyes, and smiled at each other.

"You are now husband and wife," their companion smiled at them, then commented
with a wry smirk: "I think you know the rest."

Luke didn't need more incentive; he took a step closer and drew Mara closer
until they could kiss with all their love.

*I love you, Luke Skywalker,* she sent him while they shared their feelings of
happiness, fulfillment and utter bliss.

As they both rejoiced in their wonderful union and love, the only shadow that
briefly crossed Luke's mind was that his father hadn't been present for this
unique, most beautiful day...

******

On Dagobah, Anakin was enjoying his first free breaths in almost twenty years.

Once he had finally made complete peace with himself, his lungs had welcome the
healing trance and his breathing apparatus had become useless to him. However,
given the complexity of the device in his body, it had taken all of his and
Yoda's powers to remove it while not killing him in the process... and now, he
truly was alive and free.

Dagobah's air was tangy, filled with subtle tinges of humidity, wet vegetation
and muddy ground. Ani reflected wryly that it was the most wonderful smell that
he had experienced in way, way too long. He was so content to just breathe
freely that he sat down for hours near the lake that not far from Yoda's hut,
just taking deep breaths and enjoying every new tinge of difference that he
detected.

He didn't care about the muddy ground, which had already soaked him wet in the
rear, nor about his dirty hands and the fact that he looked less than himself in
his soiled mechanic coverall.

His nightmare had truly ended now, and a new dream was free to begin.

However, he wondered, hours later, what would his dream be? He wanted to return
to his son, but he knew only all too well that other than contacting him, which
he wasn't sure he could do given the distance between them, he was still
stranded on Dagobah.

How he wanted to see Luke again though, he thought earnestly. During his
meditations, he had caught sight of some visions which 'could' correspond to
what had happened to his son ever since he had left him, but he couldn't be
sure. He also hoped that some of the challenges that he had seen hadn't been
true for Luke; he deserved better.

What was he doing this very moment?, he wondered dreamily while he tried to
pierce the distance and see his son. Was he happy? Had he managed to establish
the fair government that they had wanted to oversee? Or had things gone wrong
and it was still war in the universe?

He surmised that he had probably been successful since the Force's current was
quiet nowadays, no longer stirred by flashes of violence and pain.

He took another deep breath of moist air, then let it out slowly. Yes, he
sighed happily, everything seemed to be all right... as far as he could tell
anyway. If only he could contact him, he thought more glumly, then tried again
to establish contact, but like what he had noticed throughout the past months,
his link with his son had dwindled in strength until he now only knew that he
was alive.

He couldn't even estimate how he felt anymore.

"Luke is all right, Father," a long-heard voice suddenly commented from his
left; he gazed sideways just in time to witness the apparition of his daughter.

"Leia?" he gaped, sitting more upright while her shimmering image sat down to be
at eye level with him.

"How are you Father?" she asked diligently.

"I thought I'd never see you again," he answered earnestly, moving closer to
her.

"The fight against Palpatine's veil on Luke drained me dangerously," she
informed him softly. "This might be the last time that I will be able to see
you... or Luke."

"You saw Luke?" he asked her instantly, his eyes shining brightly with interest.
"How is he? What happened to him? Does he hold a grudge against me for leaving
when I did?"

"No to the last question," she reassured him, "and as for what happened, look in
my eyes, Anakin," she invited him.

At first, Ani wondered what she meant, then he worked up his courage and gazed
straight into her eyes.

To his surprise and shock, he found himself transported somewhere else, away
from Dagobah and this side to the universe... and aboard a spaceship orbiting a
beautiful blue orb of a planet. He instantly recognized the two young people
who were standing in front of the bay window; they seemed to be deeply
concentrated on what was obviously a Force task---- then, they opened their eyes
again. Ani felt a pang of regret as he watched his beloved son but couldn't
touch him nor talk to him.

"You are now husband and wife," a voice said from behind Anakin but he didn't
know to whom it belonged.

However, this was the least of his worry at the moment; husband and wife?.. He
gaped in pleasant shock as he witnessed his son and Mara Jade's wedding kiss.
Mara had returned to Luke and---- Their love had survived the trials, he smiled
and sighed in happiness. Despite what he remembered of the young woman, she had
returned to his son and they had made peace.

The link suddenly broke just as the two youths smiled again against each other's
lips, then they deepened their embrace; Anakin gasped as he reintegrated his
full senses. He couldn't help but whimper when he recognized the landscape of
Dagobah.

He refocused on Leia, only to see her smile softly before she disappeared,
regret etched on her angelic face.

"Drained she is," Yoda's compassionate voice commented from behind him, keeping
him from calling out his daughter's name.

"Will she be all right?" Ani asked, his eyes remaining on the spot where she had
been sitting just in front of him.

"With the Force she is, protected and safe," his friend reassured him while he
walked closer to him. "Great efforts she deployed to contact you again."

"But it was worth it," he answered, turning toward his companion with a soft
smile.

"Luke she showed you?" Yoda inquired knowingly.

Ani could only nod, then grinned proudly. "He and Mara Jade got married."

"Ah, their union I felt earlier," the old master nodded slowly.

"Earlier?" Anakin asked incredulously. He had thought that what Leia had shown
him was the past---

"Brought me to you this feeling did," Yoda explained solemnly.

So Luke and Mara's wedding had just taken place, he understood, then groaned
inwardly. It also meant that they had probably faced problems for them to take
this long to get back together.

"A Jedi wedding they shared," Yoda continued seriously. "Together they will be
bound forever."

A Jedi wedding..., Ani reflected more seriously. They hadn't seen one of those
in nearly a century... since a Jedi master had lost his companion and gone
berserk before he had taken his own life out of insanity.

Ani remembered that story very well; he knew that it was why the Jedi code had
come to proscribe love in a Jedi's life. However, he himself had had a few,
impassioned discussions with the old master since he had met him again... and
Yoda had finally admitted that they had perhaps been a little too strict about
that rule.

"Luke and Mara's love has been put to test, as had their personalities," Anakin
reassured the obviously worried alien. "The past won't repeat itself again."

"Perhaps... the new hope they might even be," the aged master nodded in
agreement. "Right all the wrongs they might with their love."

Anakin smiled softly at that and rested his hand on his friend's small shoulder.

"With those two, that wouldn't even surprise me, Master Yoda."

"Especially if return to the son the father does," Yoda retorted seriously yet
mischievously.

For a moment, Ani wondered if Yoda was teasing him, then, he noticed the set of
his eyes and understood that he had come up with an idea to return him home.
He patiently yet eagerly waited for him to reveal what had crossed his mind.

******

After their elope aboard the Freedom, Mara and Luke headed for Capara and Mara's
young friends with whom she had a promise to keep. They spent the best time of
their transit either deepening their already close relationship, or simply
enjoying their time together without any worries that either of them would be
called away against their common will.

That, Mara reflected contentedly, was one definitely positive point for their
new arrangments.

A few days later, they were walking closer to the hospital that Mara knew almost
as well as the Imperial palace. It was, she thought wistfully, yet one more
proof that she had completely shed the darkness of her former life, replacing
her knowledge of secret passages and hallways for the knowledge of every unit
and tool that she needed to take good care of her young charges. She admitted
that she was proud of having used Luke's memory tricks to this use; she had been
able to save a few lives that way.

Yup, she smiled unabashedly as she began to pick up on the senses of her young
friends, life had never been this wonderful for either her or Luke. They were
where they belonged now, and they could use their skills in a most profitable
way for the people they were trying to help. By doing so, they had willing
willingly created new bonds for themselves, but they both estimated that they
could nor would never, ever compared to their former chains, and especially
their own relationship, she thought wistfully as she sought Luke's hand with
hers.

Luke turned his head to meet her gaze; they both exchanged a silent thought.
Unlike their forced servitude and the Emperor's attempt to turn their
relationship into yet another tool, their love had always been freely chosen and
had been kept alive by their unfathomable attachment to one another. True, they
had been friends for almost all their lives, she conceded, but their
relationship was more than a simple friendship which had grown into love.

From the beginning, it had been respect, care, sharing, and negotiation of
disagreements. It was, she smirked slightly, as if they had always been lovers
and married.

Luke, who had been studying the place where she had made peace with herself and
him, noticed her expression. He perched an eyebrow even as his senses told her
that he wondered what had just crossed her mind. She marveled once again at
depth of their bond; Luke didn't even need to word his thoughts anymore for her
to understand his message because their bond allowed her to understand him with
a mere gaze, or a touch.

*Nothing serious,* she reassured him with another smile.

*As long as it makes you smile,* he answered warmly, then sent a wave of love to
her. "You're beautiful when you smile."

And gods knew that their former lives hadn't allowed her that kind of expression
very often, she reflected more glumly.

"So are you, farmboy," she answered with a peck on his cheek just before they
reached the main door of the hospital.

They went inside.

Luke followed Mara as she led him toward the wing where her young proteges were
gathered. When they had discussed their projects for their impromptu honeymoon,
she had made him promise to stop by Capara and meet her 'children' as she had
said.

He had agreed of course, but he had never gotten close to understanding how much
she had come to care about the little patients...

Until now.

The moment that they approached the dispatch board of the said wing, he felt her
mood lighten even as an unaccustomed eagerness entered her senses. The nurses
who were working at the station instantly recognized her; Luke watched quietly
as his girlfriend hugged each nurse, be them human or non-human, then exchanged
news with them.

"Mara!" a young man's voice suddenly called from behind him.

Luke turned around just in time to see the delighted features of a young human
male.

"Charl!" Mara smiled in return and went toward him.

The two of them hugged, then the red-head pulled away and moved her hand in his
direction; Luke took hold of it and stepped closer.

"Where have you been? I was so sad when I heard about your leaving," the youth
continued earnestly. "I hope everything is... all right," he finished with
slight hesitation when he noticed Luke's presence.

His wife exchanged a reassuring gaze with him, then turned back toward the rest
of the group.

"Charl, Sarah, Ahil, this is my husband, Luke," she told them with what felt
like pride to Luke; he smiled inwardly at this, reflecting that he had never
expected her to feel this way toward him; several other things, yes, but
proud... that was a feeling he had always attached to his father up to now.

His father...

"Husband?" Ahil, a Tandroshan, gaped in surprise, drawing him back to the here
and now. "You never told us that you had such a handsome man in your life," she
teased her, then came forward and congratulated her friend once again before she
offered her hand to him.

"Congratulations, Luke. Do take good care of her," she smiled, nodding in
Mara's direction.

"I will," Luke reassured the woman, dimly wondering if she recognized him or
not.

He wasn't wearing his traditional black or blue and white, instead wearing a
navy blue and light blue suit, and he didn't carry his lightsaber at his belt.
Perhaps they couldn't believe that 'the' man from the vid was here with them, he
conceded knowingly.

The second woman took her turn to congratulate Mara and him, then it was the
young man's turn.

"Well, I'm glad that you returned to her," he commented seriously once he had
hugged Mara. "Otherwise, she would still be sad."

"Our reunion is a miracle," Luke nodded at the young, obviously heart-broken
man. "I'm grateful we've found each other again."

"It was only a matter of time," Mara added earnestly, sidling closer to him to
press her arm against his, as if to send a message to the boy to let her go,
Luke reflected dimly.

"Well, congratulations again, Mara. I wish you to be happy, you deserve it,"
the youth answered earnestly.

"Thanks Charl," Mara nodded, then barely touched the boy's arm with her hand.
"Don't worry," she began reassuringly, "I was not the last chance to cross your
path," she comforted him.

The youth nodded, then briefly shook Luke's hand before he excused himself and
disappeared in the station behind the counter.

"Ah, we told him to forget you," Ahil commented to them.

Luke, who felt slightly distraught by this encounter, sought Mara's eyes for
support. She tightened her hold on his hand and smiled gently at him.

*Nothing serious, and nothing at all as far as I'm concerned, farmboy,* she sent
him all the same.

"He will get over it," she commented out loud to answer Ahil's comment.

"Sure will. In the meantime," the other woman smiled, changing the subject, "I
believe that some young friends of yours will be enchanted to see you again,"
she finished knowingly.

"Oh that, I believe they will," the third woman agreed, giving them visitor
passes before they allowed them inside the restricted corridor.

Once alone in the corridor, Luke took a moment to talk with his lover while they
walked toward their destination.

*Who was Charl?*

*My helper with the youngsters,* she answered softly. *I knew that he was
attracted to me, but I never gave him any sign that I was in return.*

*Don't worry, I'm not even worried about this,* he reassured her honestly.
*just surprised I guess,* he then admitted ruefully. *Besides, I can understand
why he couldn't forget you,* he commented more lustfully.

*Really, and why so, dear husband?* she asked with a raised eyebrow.

*Who could not fall in love with you, my love?* he asked softly while sending a
new sample of his deep feelings for her.

*Hmmm, well, I'm glad that no woman felt a desire to grow close to you while I
was away,* she retorted in kind. *Otherwise, I might have gotten jealous for
one.*

Luke chuckled at her wry humor, then tried to find his composure. They had
reached the door of the playroom.

Mara's nervousness had gone down throughout her discussion with Luke, but now
that they had reached their destination, it was back with a revenge. Her heart
was thudding in her ears while pulsating against her ribcage and she felt
slightly lightheaded.

Would she be able to go through this; leaving the children once had been hard
enough... Why had she come back?, she dimly scolded herself.

As if in answer to her thoughts, Luke gently squeezed her hand; right, that was
why she had come back: to share this part of her months away with her lover.
She wanted him to meet the children who were, in a way, responsible for her
return with him.

She stepped into range of the door's sensor; it slid open without any decorum
nor any sound of alarm.

At first, the children barely looked up to see who was coming in, then a
strangled cry of surprise told her that someone had recognized her. Chandor was
the first one to his feet; he ran toward her, barely avoiding tripping over one
of his friends as he stepped over a toy, then held her tight around the hips
while he pressed his bulbous head to her bosom.

"Mara!!!!" the other children called enthusiastically as they too gathered
around her.

Soon, she was surrounded by a living wall of children, which had effectively
separated her from Luke, but she didn't care.

"I missed you too," she answered the children while she tried to return as many
hugs as she could.

"Are you coming back?" a young aqualish gurgled in basic.

While Luke watched his lover as she explained to the injured children that she
had only come for a visit, he marveled at the ease with which she established a
link with all the children, as if she were their mother, he reflected in awe.
It truly amazed him, especially since such a gift would never have been nurtured
in their previous lives.

Mara was a natural with children.

"Who is he?" a small Talz inquired, pointing her finger at him.

"Reminds me of someone," a young teenager reflected out loud.

Mara, who had finally managed to disentangle herself from the human wave of
children, exchanged a gaze with him.

*Trust me,* she sent him.

Luke nodded, surprised that she would feel the need to ask this from him.
He had always trusted her, he wanted to tease her, would always do so.

"Do you remember Princess Maya?" she asked the children while she invited him
closer to her.

"And how she returned to Lik?" a little girl squeaked happily.

Lik?, Luke wondered with a slight frown. What had she told them?

"Well," she smiled at him before refocusing on the children, "the princess
returned to her lover... and we are now married," she smiled as she locked her
gaze with Luke's slightly shocked eyes.

What the??----

"Children, this is my husband, Luke Skywalker," she announced proudly to their
young audience.

The way the children gaped wide-eyed at them, Luke knew that they knew who he
was.

"The... hero Jedi knight?" a boy asked although he knew the answer to his
question.

"And you really were the princess of the story?" another, older girl asked Mara.

*I thought it reminded me of something," a Wookiee teenager growled while he
smirked happily.

"I promised to bring him here if I found him, didn't I?" Mara told them warmly.

"Do you have any children?" yet another child inquired with stars of interest in
her eyes.

"Not yet," Luke smiled at her, then turned toward his mischievous lover. "The
story isn't finished yet."

"Look!" a young one ran up to them and gave them a pad. "I drew the end!"

Luke and Mara both smiled as they saw their own faces, or what could be their
own faces, in the guise of a princess and her hero. Before they could exchange
even a feeling though, the children rushed them again, this time to share their
happiness with them.

*So you tell fairy tale stories now, Princess Maya?* he inquired playfully even
as he tried to not be submerge under the waves of hugs that surrounded his hips.

*And you're the hero you should always have been, 'Lik',* she returned even as
she picked a child up in her arms.

"Can you do magic tricks?" a child asked him, keeping him from retorting to
Mara's comment.

"Huh..." he hesitated, then threw a gaze at his lover. *What did you tell
them?*

*The best part of the truth,* she smiled, then nodded, "Go ahead, Luke. There
won't be any problems."

"Sure," he finally nodded, then while the children arranged themselves to see
his tricks, sent to his lover: *you'll have to tell me that story someday.*

*With pleasure, my love,* she smiled at him while she too sat down to watch him;
two children instantly scooted over to sit on her lap, giving him one more proof
that his lover belonged with those children.

While he reluctantly began a demonstration of basic levitation skills and hiding
skills, he promised himself to make sure that Mara wouldn't be separated again
from her young friends. Even though he had gladly relinquished most of his
powers to the Senate, he still had the ability to decide for minor changes...
such as relocating a refugee hospital to a place where more adequate services
would be available.

Like Coruscant.

Around him, the children cheered at the floating pad which had his and Mara's
portraits on it.

******

The weeks passed by the galaxy, slowly, peacefully.

On Dagobah, Anakin barely saw time pass by him since he had found a most
interesting way to busy himself: he was repairing Yoda's old ship.

The engines were still badly rusted, and most of the electronics had needed a
complete rewiring thanks to the unforgivable humidity of Dagobah, but with the
help of everything that he had salvaged from his own ship way back when, and his
own wizard skills of course, he was confident that he could get it back into
flying shape.

Even now, the electronic system was back on line. In spite of this though, he
was realist and knew that he wouldn't obtain more than a short range ship, but
it would be better than no ship at all.

As he continued to fix the complex inner system of the left engine pod, he hoped
that, once he would be done, he would have replaced enough parts to make a
workable engine despite the rust. When he had built his racer on Tatooine, he
reflected, he had had even less at his disposal than he did now, yet he had
built the fastest pod ever.

Surely he could do it again, he thought seriously. Back then, he remembered
fondly, it had been for his angel, his future and unbeknown wife. Even though
he had been too young to be in love with her, he had felt something about her,
something different than what he had ever felt, even for his mother. It had
been instantaneous, undying devotion and care for the beautiful handmaiden,
later revealed as the true queen.

He could still remember how happy he had been to go with her, then, when Obi-Wan
had become his teacher, how sad he had felt to leave Naboo. Even without the
Force and much maturity, he had known that she was meant to be in his life.
It was just too bad that years later, he hadn't been wise enough to recognize
his true treasure when he had recovered it.

Power had blinded him back then, and instead of allowing him to fulfill his
dreams, it had kept him from seeing the coming nightmare...

But no more.

He was awake now, and he knew how the nightmare began. He would never let it
even form itself anymore; he knew now that the true power was love. When
summarized, he thought seriously, Love was the only thing that had governed his
life and deeply influenced it before salvaging it.

His love for Padme had made him able of miracles, he reflected with
determination, so would that actual project for his son, he resolved. He
continued to sweat over the awfully complicated innards of the left engine.

******

Months went by for the two newly wedded. Upon their return from their
honeymoon, Mara was introduced to the whole Senate while Luke began to set
events in motion regarding the transfer of the refugee unit.

While they waited for it to be complete, Mara helped Luke to meditate the
seating sessions, taking care of half of the room while he took care of the
other one, then they changed division to double check the others' scan.

Other than that, life went on with their new, peaceful routine of galactic
duties, then Mara's work at the medcenter... and their own, ever growing love.

That evening, when Mara came home, she didn't expect her husband to be there
yet. He had told her that important meetings would take place until late in the
evening and that his presence had been requested.

Hence, she went directly in the bedroom to change clothes after another day at
the palace's medical center; her young friends had been transferred there a few
weeks ago, much to her, theirs, and even the medics pleasures, she reflected
fondly. While the teams and equipment on Capara had sufficed for a few cases,
they hadn't had the necessary installations to help impaired patients to learn
how to be functional again, especially for children.

Of course, she conceded, the new patients were no longer remaining victims of
the Empire, only of accidents, but still needed all the help they could get to
return to a more or less normal life. Hence, what had begun for her as a way to
make up for her past mistakes had now become simple devotion to children who
were going through difficult times.

However, given the growing variety of the incidents that could bring children to
her team, she herself had to return to school to be able to help them better;
hence, she spent every three days in workshops and courses about children
psychology.

She loved the children and her work with them, perhaps not as much as Luke, she
smiled ruefully on the way out of her room, but certainly much more than the
Senate... and her old life of course, she added more grimly before shooing away
her unpleasant thoughts.

She went into the kitchen to make herself some kind of lunch. She tiredly
walked toward the counter--- then noticed something strange in the adjoining
dining room and walked backward until she could check what she had detected from
the corner of her eyes.

Candles had been lit on the table and the table was set for what looked like a
promising meal. Unsure of what she had just seen, she stepped inside the room;
the lights dimmed themselves a little more.

"Happy anniversary, my love," her husband said from behind her, surprising her
slightly.

"Anniv--- but there's nothing special today," she frowned slightly, turning back
toward him.

"Ah, but there is," he smiled gently at her before kissing her lightly on the
lips.

*Hmmm, okay, I'm open to suggestions,* she sent while she deepened their
embrace, all too happy to have him for herself for a whole evening.

*Three months ago,* he began teasingly---

*We got married,* she finished knowingly even as she slowly backed closer to the
wall so that they would be able to stand as close as possible to one another.
"But it's one day too early, Luke," she teased him.

"It's never too early," he answered in kind before resuming their passionate
embrace. *Every day I spend with you is a celebration; you make me the happiest
man in the universe, Mara,* he sent with all his love.

*And you make everything worthwhile, Luke,* she returned even as she began to
explore under his shirt.

*You know,* her husband sent even as he shivered under her cool hands, *dinner
'is' ready if you're hungry.*

"I'm not hungry for that kind of food," she whispered lustfully even as she
moved her lips to his neck and proceeded to ravage it.

"I'm not really hungry either," he gasped honestly even as he followed her
incentive and began to open her clothes.

"Good," she smiled against his flesh, then slowly backed him toward the table.

******

The next morning, Luke was startled awake when his beloved wife suddenly bolted
out of bed and ran to the adjoining fresher. There, she relieved her stomach,
something which had never, ever happened to her. Worried, he forced himself
awake then jumped out of bed.

"Mara, are you okay?" he asked her, stepping into the smaller room.

"Yes, I just----"

Another wave of nausea overtook her.

He was instantly beside her, helping her with her hair while he reached out and
probed her body with the Force. She was shinning with health, so what could be
the problem?, he pondered worriedly. He probed further--- and stopped in shock.

In the midst of Mara's presence were two tiny points of awareness, almost too
small to be felt yet they were there, close to one another and beaming with
energy, Force and life.

Mara was pregnant with twins!

Before he could tell her, he heard her gasp as she understood what he had just
discovered.

"How can?.." she whispered in shock, then threw up again.

Luke tried to soothe her stomach even as he too wondered how it was possible.
As far as they knew, the Emperor had made sure that she wouldn't have children.
Despite the current circumstances though, they were both elated that he had
failed in that plan.

Once her morning sicknesses were over and that she had gotten rid of their side-
effects, they canceled their daily schedules and went to Luke's doctor. He
happily confirmed to them that they were indeed future parents; the children and
mother were in good health and well.

While they waited for him to come back with something that would help with the
morning sicknesses, Mara reflected about what it meant in her life. Ever since
they had returned from their honeymoon, she had split her days between the
hospital, where her beloved charges had been transferred with new companions,
her courses, and the Senate's main hearing room to help Luke during the huge
sessions. With twins in the making, she suspected that one of her three chosen
duties would have to go for the time being.

*Don't worry, Mara, I will survive,* her husband sent her gently.

"But it will be less demanding than spending my days with the children," she
argued slightly, still feeling thorn between her love for Luke and her love for
the recovering patients under her care.

"But it will mean more to you than if you choose to privilege the Senate," he
answered wisely. "Besides, the children will lose you for a while once the
twins will be there; it's better if you make the cut as short as you can," he
smiled at her.

"Oh yeah," she teased him, "and where will you be while I'll be home taking care
of the babies?"

Luke perched an eyebrow at this, then smiled softly. "I'll be there with you of
course. When they will be born, the Senate will call me if they need me, but
otherwise, my family comes first," he assured her seriously.

While his answer surprised her slightly, she conceded that Luke wouldn't react
any other way were he not her Luke. As the children had told her, he was a
prince charming but without the title.

The doctor finally returned with the nutrients.

******

Anakin didn't know how long he had been on Dagobah. He had pouted, meditated,
healed himself, then tinkered... and now it was time to return in the galaxy.
He checked the engine of the shuttle one last time, shooing away a snake which
was considering it as a warm place to nestle, then turned toward his small
companion.

"Are you sure that you don't want to return with me, Master?" he asked him,
crouching down to be at his level.

"Yes," the old alien nodded tiredly. "The past I belong to, and brighter the
future is. No guide your son needs, nor you. Great Jedi Masters you will be on
your own."

"But the past isn't a bad thing, Yoda," Ani reminded him, referring to the
lesson that he himself had learnt the hard way. "Your wisdom and experience
would be another way to ensure the future."

Yoda gently shook his head. "Close my end is, Anakin. Move forward you must,
without the burdens of the past. Proud I am of you and of your children. Fool
I was to forbid you love."

"And I forgive you, Master Yoda," Ani smiled gently, then bowed his head in
deference. "I cannot thank you enough for your help in healing me, Master. I
promise I will never stray away from my vows to the Light."

"I know," the Jedi sighed even as he lightly rested his small hand on Anakin's
bristle of fair/grey hair. "Go you must now; await you, your son does."

Spurred by the mention of his son, Anakin smiled one last time at his very old
friend, then stood to his full height and turned toward his waiting ship.

"With you and your family the Force will be, always," the alien bid him
farewell, then slowly walked away from the humming ship.

"And with you, Master Yoda," he answered softly, then climbed up the ship.

It was time to leave this place and begin his long trek back toward Coruscant or
wherever his son and his wife were. But first, he reminded himself, he had to
find the closest safe port to change ship... and clothes, he added with a wry
smirk.

He sealed the hatch, then moved forward in the one-seater cockpit. It had taken
a bit of ingenuity to adapt Yoda's cockpit to his own imposing size; while he
still couldn't stand completely in it, he could sit without being hunched over
himself. He flicked switches, slowly bringing the ship to life, then at last,
it was lift-off time.

Slowly, he shifted the ship's position until he could see his companion one last
time, then flashed his landing lights at him and kicked in the main boosters.

After Force knew how long, he was going back home.

******

Mara's pregnancy proceeded without any mishap for either future parents nor the
children.

The senate, who hadn't really seen Mara on a regular basis given the emigration
of the refugees wing at Coruscant Medcenter, formerly known as the Imperial
medcenter, merely accepted to leave her schedule to the liberty of her now-
revealed husband.

However, the medcenter didn't allow her that much latitude; they warned her,
with a smirk, that they would force her home if they detected even the slightest
sign that she had to stop working to keep the babies safe.

Finally, her young charges were slowly dwindling in number as the up-to-now
impossible to heal children recovered as complete a health and functionality as
they could and were returned to their original families or entrusted to
excellent families of their kind. Those who remained promised to the others to
make sure that her babies would be safe and that their temporary guardian
wouldn't overexert herself.

Thus, four, five, then six other months passed, each day accompanied by the
constant growth of her belly until she had to accept that she had to stay home
until the children would be old enough for her to return to her 'first'
children.

Even though her twins, a boy and a girl, weren't as big as they should be, they
were still grown enough to make her feel like a Hutt. However, she knew that
she wasn't that fat either; thanks to her slight exercising throughout her
pregnancy, she had managed to keep her line so that only her expanded stomach
was different on her.

Still, that wasn't her main worry, and especially not now.

She had begun to have contractions during the night, but since the morning,
nothing. Finally tired of just laying on the bed and wait for something to
happen again, she sighed heavily, then rolled herself on her side before pushing
herself off her comfortable medical bunk.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked her, instantly at her side to either help her
or restrain her.

"I need to stretch my legs," she answered, using his nearby shoulder as a hold
to pull herself to a sitting position.

"Are you sure it's safe?" he asked her even though he helped her to a standing
position, then helped her to support her extra weight.

She welcomed his steadying hand.

"Doesn't look like they'll just slip out on themselves, love," she teased him.
"If they're taking a break before the last run, then so do I."

"Hmmm, well, if the nurse comes in and tell us that it was a bad idea, I can
always blame it on your persuasion skills," he teased her even as he helped her
closer to the window.

"Do you really think that she will believe you considering my state, farmboy?"
she asked in the same mood, silently thanking him for taking her mind off the
upcoming physical challenge.

"Oh yes," he nodded, "and especially 'because' of your state. Pregnant women's
mood-swings are well-known," he smiled at her.

"Well it would be the first time that I would hear you complain about them," she
ribbed him, leaning against him when he took position behind her to give her
even more support.

"I was just very understanding," he whispered lightly, then pecked her cheek.

Oh yes, she admitted warmly, Luke had been more than patient and understanding
with her throughout the past months. No matter what she had ditched on him
during the particularly difficult days or when her own patience had been so
frayed that she hadn't been able to use the soothing techniques or her aching
body, he had always been there, ready to help, listen, comfort, and soothe.
He had even allowed her to rest from her sometimes awful feelings by finding
refuge in his mind for a little while, while he himself kept an eye on her body,
which had been in a trance. Thus, unlike regular children, their children
already knew both of their parents since they had switched places then and
again.

In a way, she smile softly, they had truly shared that pregnancy.

A movement from her companion attracted her attention back to the present and
she gazed down at his hands just as they found the openings on the sides of her
awful medical gown... then he splayed his warm hands on her belly before he
gently rubbed the stretched skin and sent a soothing balm in her complaining,
physiological structures. She melted against him even as she felt Kyle and Kara
calm down under their father's reassuring presence.

Mara meant to thank him for his help--- but she didn't have time to begin her
sentence before her contractions began anew.

"Ooooh," she moaned, bringing her own hands over Luke's to steady herself even
as he tried to relieve her again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think---"

"It's not you, Luke," she reassured him through gritted teeth. "Let's get back
to that bunk before I regret getting up at all."

She had the feeling that things would proceed much faster this time.

And indeed they did.

Once Mara was settled back on the bunk, Luke called the medics, then went to her
side to help her with her pains. He gaped when he became aware that the first
child was already on its way.

Kyle, his son, had decided that he had enough to wait. The medics informed them
that the speed of her dilatation was exceptional considering that she had been
almost closed up less than half an hour ago, then there was no time to discuss
details.

His son wanted out, and he wanted it now, making his mother pant and groan as
she tried to help him while holding onto her husband's hand with enough strength
to break bones if she were not careful.

That's when his comlink went off with a priority one signal.

Not too far from the medcenter, Anakin had finally managed to find himself a
comlink to contact his son. Even though he couldn't wait to be with him once
again, he had decided to keep his presence shielded in the Force to save him
from too big a shock when he would feel him, then instead of showing up at his
doorstep, had decided to call first.

He dialed his code for a priority one signal, then waited.

Luke didn't answer.

Careful to not betray his presence, he reached out and searched for the familiar
presence of his son; he found it in the medcenter. He felt that he was both
excited and worried. Puzzled, Ani maintained the contact a little while longer
then withdrew with very little answers as to the reason of Luke's distraught
state. His son's thoughts were such a jumble of feelings that he could only
surmise that it had something to do with Mara Jade, but other than that, his
light probe wouldn't give him more details.

He decided to meet him there, but not as secretly as he had first thought.
The closer he walked to the medcenter, the more he let go of his shield until he
was sure that his son could feel him.

The twins' birth had taken place in record time, both children obviously eager
to meet their parents for real. The first meeting had thus taken place, from
the crooks of their mother's arms.

Both infants were sleeping quietly now, Kyle snuggled in his mother's arms while
Kara barely shifted in her father's.

"They're so beautiful, Mara," Luke told her for the fiftieth time since they had
seen them for the first time.

"Couldn't expect less with you involved in the process, farmboy," she smiled
softly, then leaned slightly upward to peck his lips.

He contributed to that gentle moment. Here, with his lover and the fruits of
their love, he truly was at peace and content.

He couldn't ask more out of life.

"Say, I thought I heard your comlink go off a little bit earlier," Mara half-
whispered when they put an end to their gentle kiss.

"It did," he nodded then gazed back down at the sleeping infant in his arms.

Somehow, he reflected wistfully, he already knew that she would have her
mother's temper.

"Who was it?" she asked in slight annoyance.

"Dunno," he shrugged slightly, then, securing the baby in one arm, patted his
belt and pulled out the said device before resuming his more secure hold on his
daughter.

Even as he read the code and gaped in disbelief, he began to grow aware of a
familiar presence in the Force.

"By the gods..." he gaped slack-jaw, his hold on Kara dangerously weakening.

Mara noticed it and put a hand under the infant's body to insure her safety.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she inquired worriedly.

For a brief moment, the young Jedi didn't hear his wife, wasn't aware anymore of
where he was or what he was doing. He could barely believe his senses as his
father's presence grew stronger and stronger--- and closer, he understood when
he located him in his surroundings.

"Luke!" Mara's voice drew him back to the present.

Belatedly, he remembered his daughter and made sure that she didn't slip anymore
than she already had.

"What is it?" his lover inquired worriedly.

He smiled ecstatically at her, then kissed her to share his great joy.

*It's Father,* he sent her happily. *He's back!*

Mara cut their kiss in shock.

"Back?" she gasped, stumped.

"Yes, and he's coming right here," her overjoyed husband nodded energetically
before he kissed her again, then stood up and leaned closer to give their
daughter back to her.

"I'll go meet him," he informed her.

"And take him in here?" she inquired with slight unease.

From what Luke had told her, she knew that Anakin was as good a man as his son
was, and that he had left to heal himself, but... how would he react to her
presence and her wedding to his son? After all, she thought glumly, she had
almost killed Luke the last time that they had seen each other.

Her husband picked up on her worry and cooled down.

"Would you prefer if I don't bring him to the room?" he offered more soberly.

For a short moment, she didn't know what to answer. She first gazed at her
wonderful husband; she knew how much his father meant to him, how much he had
wished for this day to come.

Still, she reflected, gazing down at the two treasures that she was holding in
her arms, those two little ones didn't need any scene upon their first hours of
life. She didn't know what to expect from their... grandfather..., she slowly
realized.

Kyle and Kara were Anakin's grandchildren... she couldn't block him away from
them; it wouldn't be right, she thought seriously. She gazed back up at her
husband and shook her head.

"No, it's all right. I'm sure the children will love to meet their sole
grandfather," she smiled softly.

Luke returned her smile, pecked her lips once again before he gently caressed
the heads of their two children, then he was gone to meet up with his returning
father.

"Lucky you," she whispered to her sleeping children, "you will meet the whole
family in one day," she smiled at them before kissing affectionately each small
forehead.

Her children were born now, and she and Luke wouldn't be alone anymore. It
truly was a perfect day, she smiled to herself, then settled in to wait for her
husband's return with her father-in-law.

Anakin rode the turbolift up to the fourth floor where he could feel his son's
presence. He knew that Luke had felt him now and was coming toward him.

Despite what he felt however, he stopped short in his track upon exiting the
lift. He had been so overjoyed with the prospect of seeing his son again that
he had completely missed the fact that his son was in the new-born unit.

It hit him full in the stomach; Mara had just given birth. Before he could
think further though, his son's so-well-remembered voice called to him.

"Father!" he smiled as he walked toward him, then he was hugging him warmly.

"It so wonderful to see you again, and healed!" he told him earnestly, in awe.

Anakin returned his hug tenfold, but not for too long; he hadn't gotten a good
look at him since Luke had caught him by surprise. He pulled slightly away from
him, smiling warmly at the sight of his happy, healthy son.

"I missed you so much, Luke," he told him truthfully.

"You have no idea how much I missed you too," his son returned with a smile
while his eyes studied his true features. "So it worked," he smiled brightly.
"You managed to heal yourself!"

"With some help, yes," he nodded, then softened, "and I understand that you too
succeeded in taking care of the galaxy... and even found time to start your own
family," he teased him slightly.

Luke nodded excitedly, then turned slightly toward where he had come from.
"Come, Mara and the children are waiting," he smiled at him, then went off
again.

Anakin had no choice but to stride after him to keep up with his excited son.

"It's so wonderful to have you back today of all days, Father," he told him once
he was back beside him. "Where were you? What happened?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Luke," he told him slightly, "but let's wait
for a more private place to share that, huh?" he suggested seriously.

"Sure," the new father smiled.

Anakin smiled in returned, amused by the fact that his son didn't have much in
mind except his new family. He dimly wondered if he too would have acted that
way had he been there for the birth of his own children.

Not that being a grandfather wasn't affecting him today, he conceded as he
became aware of a growing trepidation in himself.

He was eager to meet his son's children.

As he led his newly-arrived father to his wife's and children's room, Luke
reflected back on what he had barely taken the time to see.

He had come out of the corridor just in time to see a tall man exit the main
turbolift--- somehow, he had instantly known that he had been his father, no
matter that Anakin Skywalker didn't have anything in common with the former
image of his father, yet at the same time, he now conceded, he retained the
basic of the features that he had always seen when his father had removed his
helmet while with him.

The roundish cheeks hadn't changed, he smiled to himself, but they were now free
of scars, and a healthy tan was now coloring them. His hair were also tainted
with gray while still retaining some of what looked like their trademark blond
hair. His daughter already had hair like theirs, he smiled wistfully, then
gazed at his father who was walking silently beside him.

"It's like a miracle to have you back in health, Father," he smiled at him
earnestly.

"It 'is' a miracle, Son," Anakin smiled at him in answer. "Everything is a
miracle," he finished more wistfully, turning his head forward once again, as if
feeling that they were coming closer to their destination.

"It is," Luke agreed knowingly, then keyed the door open.

When the door of the room opened, Mara slightly braced herself for her visitor,
but no matter what she had expected, it certainly wasn't what she got.

A tall, human, healthy man came in after Luke. He was dressed in well-worn but
clean trousers and a woolen shirt, and other than his lightsaber at his belt, he
wasn't carrying any weapons of any kind. He was also fairly aged, his face
slightly wrinkled and his fair hair tinged with grey streaks, but his eyes, the
same blue than her husband's, shone with eternal youth.

She couldn't help but gasp in surprise; she had expected him to be slightly
maimed or even relying on a breathing apparatus, but instead, he was as healthy
as her own husband was.

"Welcome back, Anakin," she smiled shyly at him.

"Thank you," her father-in-law smiled warmly at her, then exchanged a glance
with Luke who was already beside the bed.

Luke nodded silently; his father stepped closer until he could see the children.

"It's good to see you well, Mara, and of course, congratulations," the tall man
told her gently.

"Thank you," she nodded politely, then slightly shifted her hold on the children
until they were angled toward their grandfather.

"Kyle, Kara," she smiled at the awakening babies, "meet your grandfather, Anakin
Skywalker," she smiled up at the older man.

Beside her, Luke remained silent, but she could feel his joy all the same at
seeing his family complete and happy.

*It's the most wonderful day of my life, Mara,* he sent her warmly.

*Even more than our wedding?* she asked him teasingly.

*Equal,* he retorted, telling her that they were all on the same rank in his
heart: the first.

Meanwhile, the new grandfather slowly leaned closer to the infants and
hesitantly caressed Kara's cheek.

Luke saw tears in his father's eyes, something which he had never thought even
possible a few years ago. Whatever he had done to recover his health, he
thought while he drank in the beautiful moment which had been granted to his
family, it had indeed worked a miracle.

He had seen him without his armor; he knew what kind of damage had existed under
the black mask and helmet... and he also knew that the Force had never been able
to heal him. Now however, it was as if his father had never been through the
hell of the past, as if he had aged normally. To see his father free from even
his personal prison was a gift from the Force.

The object of his thoughts hesitantly looked up at him, then at his wife.

"May I hold them?" he asked Mara.

Luke was elated when his lover nodded without any hesitation and allowed Ani to
pick up Kara before she settled Kyle in his other arm.

Luke had to admit that he too had been slightly worried as to how his lover
would react to his father, but when he had seen him completely healed, his hopes
had risen.

And now, they were soaring high.

Everything would be all right.

******

TBC in 

: A Well deserved Family

SJ: Skyjade@globetrotter.net (any positive stuff is welcome, but negative or
mean comments will be thrown down the Sarlacc s throat without being read.)

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Epilogue

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