The Kiss

by Aria

Chapter 3

Mara Jade ran along the polished stone floor of the building and threw herself through the door of the awaiting lift. Once inside, she circled the perimeter like a caged feline, muttering curses at Luke Skywalker, at the Force that linked them, and at the universe at large. Mostly however, she cursed at herself for agreeing to see him again.

"A scant few years ago I wanted to kill that man!" she spat out, as she continued frantically circling the tightly enclosed space around her.

That man… the voice inside her head repeated. The same man who kissed you senseless last night. The one whom you let seduce you…undress you…make love to you. The one you clung to and whose name you bellowed shamelessly.

Mara stopped circling and buried her face in her hands, furiously trying to make sense out of the situation she found herself in. Instinctively, she touched the tips of her fingers to her swollen lips and traced them. Looking down at her body, she became aware of how sore her legs and inner thighs were. She closed her eyes and exhaled a slow breath. She could still feel his hands on her skin, his weight atop her body and the taste of him on her lips. Her inner muscles tightened at the memory and she winced slightly from the pain.

Sithspit! She had hated him at one time! She had made it her life's goal to put an end to his! And yet, through a series of events that she didn't fully understand, they had forged an uneasy coexistence that had solidified into a friendship. A friendship that had been easier for her to deal with since she had killed his clone and fulfilled the Emperor's last command. They had worked together periodically since then, side by side, and she had learned to understand the man, if not his role as a Jedi, and the self-destructive paths it often forced him to travel. Still, months would often pass her by without any word or mention of Luke Skywalker.

Then there were those times in which she felt an almost unbearable compulsion to make contact with the Jedi Master. Out of the blue, her mind would drift to thoughts of him. Thoughts that would permeate her very existence, and she could scarcely formulate a coherent thought until she had spoken to him and satisfied the unfathomable need to hear his voice and briefly catch a glimpse of his face. Even though parsecs separated them, the timbre and resonance of his gentle voice served to calm her…reassuring her even when she wasn't aware of her need to be reassured. Within the confines of the lift, Mara Jade could not think of another single human having had that kind of effect on her…ever!

She was jerked from her memory by the sudden stop of the lift at top level and she stepped out, her body weaving in and out of the foot traffic. Her green eyes were an empty stare that could barely fix on a single face, or on any detail of her surroundings. By the time she had reached her own suite, she had run through a thousand excuses she could employ to get out of their date. And yet, she knew it would be no use. Luke Skywalker had set his mind on something and unless she was prepared to blast out of Coruscant and break her promise to him, she would just simply have to go along with it…for now.

"It's just one date," she whispered to herself tiredly, and prepared to set about her day.

***

By early afternoon, Mara Jade has checked her comm unit at least two dozen times. She hadn't heard from him, and that in of itself was enough to set her mind into a fury of activity. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't be like Luke not to contact her. Not unless…

"He's changed his mind," she whispered, a knot forming in her stomach as she ran the last set of diagnostics tests on the Fire's navigational system. "He's had time to think about what's happened and he's changed his mind!"

Her hand hovered over the communication console for a moment, her mind racing. An increasingly large part of her wanted nothing more than to call for a departure clearance and blast herself off planet, effectively putting light years between them. Giving in to her rapidly mounting anger, she moved forward in her seat, then caught herself as her comm unit went off, echoing through the cabin.

"Blast him!" she shouted, throwing herself back against her seat in frustration. Skywalker's timing was as impeccable as ever. Her heart, however, began thudding louder in her chest and her pulse thundered in her ears.

"Jade, here."

"Mara?" His voice filled the cabin and she had to fight to regain her composure.

"Yes, Skywalker. Who else would it be?" she answered hotly.

Ignoring her outburst, Luke pressed on. "Have you given any thought on what you'd like to do tonight?"

"Been busy, farmboy. It hasn't crossed my mind at all," she responded tersely.

"Then we can figure it out as we go along, I guess. I should be finished here in a couple of hours. Meet you at your place?"

"Fine," she spat out, more strongly than she had intended and quickly, cut off their connection.

Silence once again hung around her. Mara Jade sat alone in the cool darkness of her ship's cockpit and drew her knees close to her body. She was nervous, apprehensive and suddenly…happy. She wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them closer to her, rocking slightly. The feeling was alien, but not unappealing. And for a moment, she allowed herself the luxury of enjoying what she was experiencing. But only for a moment…

In the next instant, images of her time spent in the service of her beloved Emperor began their assault and her mind slipped easily into default. Palpatine had possessed her. Not just her body, but her mind and spirit as well. Her innermost thoughts were an open holo-book and the safety of her own mind could be breached whenever he wished. Now the thought of another man in her life…another force sensitive man… turned her blood to ice. Luke Skywalker was Darth Vader's son!

She has seen glimpses of Vader on occasion. Whereas she had known what to expect from the Emperor, Vader had always seemed an enigma to her. His mere presence exuded barely contained raw power. Power she could feel, but had never seen. Power she knew had been passed on to his son. Suddenly, she was struggling against the mere thought of allowing Luke Skywalker within arm's distance ever again.

"Only one date," she whispered once again, releasing her legs and straightening them out in front of her "Any delusions he's managed to formulate should disappear after tonight! Even Skywalker is not that dense!"

And with a new sense of conviction, she made her way out of the cockpit and headed towards her suite.

***

Luke ran his hand across the series of clothes hanging in his closet for the third time and stepped back, trying to come to a decision. It had never occurred to him to have to dress to impress anyone and so, his attire reflected his trade. All black and worn almost threadbare. He had always considered black to be dignified, classic and most of all…easy to coordinate. Mara, on the other hand, had almost made a career out of chiding him about his wardrobe and its lack of variety, and he desperately wanted to start this night off on the right foot. He ran his hand along his damp hair and readjusted the towel at waist.

For the first time in my life, I want to make an impression on a woman, he thought. I'm in my late thirties for star's sake, and I've no idea what I'm doing!

He checked his chrono and reached for a shirt and slacks. If he hurried, he could manage the purchase of a new tunic, a set of pants and still make it to Mara's on time. Provided nothing out of the ordinary diverted his attention.

Who am I kidding? He asked himself, out of the ordinary describes my entire existence for the past twelve years! And now he was attempting to court Mara Jade! Sprinting towards the door, he decided to add insane to the list of adjectives describing his life.

On to Chapter 4