The Kiss

by Aria

Chapter 2

Mara Jade's unconscious form basked in the warmth of the arms embracing her and relished in the feeling of love and security that it never knew it craved. Her slender arm, which encircled Luke's chest tightened, and her leg reached across and draped itself over his thigh, her knee tucking between his legs. She then nuzzled her face beneath his chin and sighed contentedly.

Luke Skywalker tightened his own grip in response and softly caressed her unknowing mind, whispering his heart-felt desire to have the moment extended, but all the while bracing himself for her inevitable emergence into consciousness, and the fallout it would unleash.

A few moments longer, his mind pleaded, as he placed a kiss on the top of her head, just a few moments longer.

He and Mara had forged a tenuous relationship that had gradually become more comfortable, if not always peaceful. For years, they had unconsciously gravitated towards one another, only begrudgingly admitting their friendship and oftentimes, not even admitting as much. Their time spent together was usually born out of necessity, and not out of personal choice, and the realization of that fact had recently come to grate on Luke more and more. On occasion, he had even caught himself measuring the passage of time by how long it had been since he had last seen or heard from her.

Luke couldn't deny the gratification he derived from being her company, even when their collaborations resulted in an argument, as they usually did. There were times when he inadvertently drove Mara to fits of anger, and he found himself unconsciously enjoying her discomfiture, if not always certain he would survive the experience. Other than the members of his family and a few close friends, Mara Jade was the only other person in the galaxy who treated him with a healthy dose of irreverence that sometimes bordered on outright disdain. Oftentimes, her treatment of the Jedi Master in the presence of his students had raised many an eyebrow and did little to endear her to members of the Academy, not that Mara cared in the least what his students thought of her.

What few realized is that the Jedi Master had come to appreciate Mara's diatribes at his expense, having grown increasingly more uncomfortable with the reverence and worship most of his students lavished on him. Simply put, Mara Jade made him feel again, and he had just begun to understand that those feelings were leaning in a direction other than friendship.

The point was brought home further when he realized that his insistence on her completing her training no longer stemmed from his sense of duty, but rather from his desire to have her by his side.

Not any way for a Jedi Master to behave, he admonished himself.

Neither was last night, came the unsolicited answer.

He knew he had crossed the line. He would pay dearly for his transgression, of that, he was certain. Mara's friendship had been hard-won and in a matter of minutes, he had thrown caution to the wind and jeopardized one of the most important relationships in his life.

Reckless! His old master's raspy voice rang in his ears.

He absent-mindedly wrapped a tendril of red-gold hair around his finger and brought the lock to his lips, kissing it softly. He then ran his fingers through his own hair and glanced down at the woman in his arms. That she had responded to his advances had been a shock to his system. That she hadn't run him through with his own lightsaber, had been nothing shy of a miracle, but he had a sneaking suspicion that his luck was about to run out.

What came over you, Skywalker? He asked himself as he closed his eyes, attempting to catalog the events in chronological order.

She had been at his assigned landing platform when he arrived on Coruscant, filling him with a sense of joy that he had found difficult to conceal. He battled with his heart momentarily and finally succeeded in slowing its pounding to a measured beat. Slowly, he forced his body to conceal its reaction to her presence and forced some semblance of casualness to his voice before suggesting they meet in his suite for dinner and a workout.

The evening was spent filling each other in on the tidbits of their time spent apart. Knowing that Mara averted any conversation in which training Jedi was a large part, he was content to sit across from her and listen to the details of her various business ventures. In all actuality, he had done little listening. Instead, he found himself mesmerized by the movement of her mouth as she formulated the words of her discourse. He sat hypnotized by the way her lips alternately came together, pursed and formed a smile as she spoke.

He awakened from his state just long enough to serve the dessert but then, had impetuously reached across the table with a fork full of sweetened fruit and brought it to Mara's mouth. He watched, entranced, as she caught a piece between her lips and savoured it, rolling it in her mouth slowly. And in an instant, he had lifted her chin and kissed her, sweeping the tip of his tongue over her lips provocatively. Before either of them knew it, they were on their feet, locked in an embrace, deepening the kiss and allowing the rest of the galaxy to fall away in a tailspin.

A legion of Imperial stormtroopers could not have pulled them apart at that moment, as Luke held her to him and withered away her defenses with a barrage of kisses. His tongue luxuriously caressed hers, slowly exploring the contours of her mouth then tracing the curve of her ear down to the lobe before taking it in his mouth and sucking on it gently. Each one of her sighs encouraged him further and further until their kisses were no longer enough. Seeking the warmth of her body, he crushed her to him, pressing his erection against her, groaning deep in his throat as her hips responded in kind. Then, he was lifting her off her feet and carrying her to his bed, never once detaching his lips from hers.

He had opened his heart up to her last night, allowing her to sense his emotions and she had absorbed the knowledge unquestioningly. In return, Mara Jade had entrusted him with her body and the realization that he was her first, had sent his heart soaring and further deepened his feelings of protectiveness.

Luke sighed and brought Mara closer to him as the recollection of the events brought his body to a fevered pitch once again. He shifted, and Mara pressed against him once more. The inadvertent moan she elicited from him in response caused her eyelashes to flutter open. Instantly aware of her surroundings, Mara lifted her face and gazed into a pair of expectant blue eyes whose owner held his breath, and then offered a faint smile.

"Sithspawn, Skywalker!" she spat out, as she brought her hands to her face and bolted to sit upright and turn away from him. Alarm bells went off in her mind once again, making her head swim. Instantly, barriers went up and walls were reconstructed to shut out his presence.

"Redundant," he whispered softly. He sat up and placed his hand gently on her shoulder, trying in vain to keep the situation from deteriorating any further.

"Mara, please look at me," he asked softly, "let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about, Skywalker," she countered, keeping her back to him and gathering the sheets more tightly around her. She hadn't run screaming from his bed, and in that realization, Luke Skywalker found some solace.

She moved to stand but was held in place by the weight of his body on the opposing corner of the bed sheet. She turned, speared him with a glassy-green glare and tugged, hard, in frustration. The offending sheet gave way, and she rose, walking to the floor length window that looked out over the Coruscant skyline. She placed her forehead against the pane and welcomed its coolness against her skin. Her mind whirled and the flashes of memory from the previous night assaulted her, demanding entrance and acknowledgement of their existence.

Resigned, Luke watched her silently from the corner of his bed. He could sense her turmoil, and the urge to join in on the onslaught of her own mind pressed ardently against his own. His heart constricted painfully in his chest and his insides churned, but he resolved to keep his mind clear. He dropped his head onto his chest and sighed heavily.

Calm. Tranquil. Serene.

He felt as if his last chance at love and happiness hung in the balance. It stood against his bedroom window - hair set ablaze by the morning light, her body draped in the linen coloured sheets, leaving her shoulders enticingly bare. The same shoulders whose freckles he had linked with his fingertips, tracing a path which he had immediately followed with his lips. The same sheets that had enveloped them both as they had kissed, stroked and caressed each other to ecstasy.

What have you done, Skywalker? His mind asked. In one evening you've managed to destroy a friendship ten years in the making!

He brought his hand to the nape of his neck and craned his head from side to side, trying to soothe the muscles sore from Mara's grip. The events of the previous evening would not have taken place without her consent, he realized. She had been willing, and while she had not opened her heart to him, her body had responded to his lovemaking repeatedly.

His mind drifted back to the moment his body entered hers…her breathless gasp, the tightening of her grip around his neck and his sudden realization that this was her first time.

Her first time, his mind repeated.

It would have been obvious to anyone who knew Mara Jade, but Luke Skywalker had never given the matter much thought. Save the Emperor, Mara had never allowed anyone close enough to establish a friendship, much else develop a romantic relationship. Her life had not been designed to accommodate a romance. No man had ever held her in his arms, whispered sweet nothings nor pledged his devotion to her during sleepless nights. His heart leaped in his chest, the implications of that pouring into his mind.

Neither had he, he realized. Instead, he had acted on impulse alone and had physically overcome her barriers. He had won over her body. Now, he had to capture her heart.

His mind snapped back to the moment at hand, and his eyes narrowed against the streaming light that now shone in an elongated stream, across his bed. He brought his hand to his face and with thumb and index finger, squeezed the bridge of his nose.

Resolved, and focused anew, he looked up and saw Mara, still standing, her forehead and hand resting against the window. He pulled his pants off the floor, slipped them on and willed his feet to move towards her.

"Mara," he said softly, bringing her out of her own reverie, "I'm sorry."

She turned to face him, initially astonished by his apology, then allowing her anger to seep into her consciousness.

Immediately, Luke was aware of his mistake. "What I mean to say is...I'm sorry that you're sorry. Not that it happened," he stammered.

But Mara had already turned away and had begun collecting articles of clothing from the floor, quickly dressing herself.

"Mara," he entreated once again, "Please don't shut me out like this."

"Look, Skywalker," she started, struggling to keep her voice low and even, "It was just one night. It doesn't change anything between us." Her attempt at dismissing what had transpired between them sounded hollow in her own ears, but she pressed on. "Let's just forget about it."

Luke Skywalker crossed his arms over his chest and set his chin in determination before regarding the red-headed beauty before him. While collecting her belongings, she had worked herself into quite a state and she now huffed angrily while fastening her belt to her hip. She then spun and surveyed the room around her, taking inventory of her possessions. This would not be the time to convince her of his sincerity, he realized. But he desperately needed to buy time…

He crossed the distance between them and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to look at him. She tensed in his grip but did not pull free.

"Mara, promise me something," he said, as he took a step back away from her, "promise me that you won't go tearing off planet without telling me."

"Skywalker, the mere fact that you're able bodied enough to stand here in front of me is proof enough of my good will," she spouted between clenched teeth, "don't push your luck!"

"Please, Mara…" Luke whispered.

"Fine!" she spat back, hands resting on slender hips. Her mind continued screaming for her to get out, but her body remained frozen in place.

"I believe in what happened between us, Mara," he offered, taking her hands in his own and turning serious, "but I know you don't."

"And why should I?" she shouted, wrestling her hands free and turning to leave.

"Exactly!" he agreed, startling her, "You were right when you said that one night didn't change anything, but maybe a few nights will."

His last words stopped her in here tracks. "Why you egotistical, misguided, self-appointed relic of a Jedi…" she began, turning to face him, not even attempting to hide the look of anger and disbelief on her face.

"A date, Mara!" he spat out, holding up his hands to keep her from advancing and possibly grabbing him by the throat. "Dinner, a holo-show, you name it! All of it, some of it…your choice."

Floored, Mara cocked her head to the side and regarded him sternly. "Let me get this straight, farmboy," she questioned, eyes ablaze, "You want us to go on a date?"

"Yes," he whispered softly, "a date and a chance to get to know each other away from…from all of this." He gestured wildly around them with both hands.

I must be losing my mind, Mara thought to herself, if I'm even considering another one of Skywalker's crazy propositions. Sighing, she glanced at his face and was suddenly taken aback by the expression she found there. Dejected, but still holding out hope that she would change her mind, Luke stood before her chewing on his lower lip like a little boy.

"No attempts to drag me to that God-forsaken planet where you train your devotees?" she asked, fighting the urge to reach out and caress his face.

Luke shook his head somberly.

She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head in mock exasperation. "Alright, Skywalker. Though I don't know what you hope to accomplish with one date!"And then, she was gone, leaving Luke standing amidst the disarray of his bedroom, pondering his next move.

"Another date," he countered, smiling meekly.

On to Chapter 3