FOR THE LOVE OF A JEDI Finis.
Luke sat in the dining salon of their apartment gazing at the fancy gourmet meal his wife had just dished up for him. Having come from a rural environment Luke had always preferred simple food. He stared at the small portion of an unfamiliar meat covered in a sticky looking orange sauce. All of these rich sauces and strong spices he had been consuming lately were wreaking havoc with his digestive system. The constant indigestion and intermittent nausea only added to his already poor health. He realized he could not allow this situation to continue. He knew a marriage dissolution was possible if both parties were agreeable. He cleared his throat;
‘Ciella?’
‘Yes my love?’ she responded the familiar smile on her face.
Luke flinched at the term of affection, the frequency of which was upsetting his digestion as well. If this continued he would have to give up eating altogether.
‘Ciella are you happy?’
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in a little O.
‘Why of course I am happy honey. You silly boy thinking you are not making happy.’
Luke frowned this was going to be harder than he thought;
‘Ciella, I am not happy.’
She jumped up from her seat and rushed to his side, her eyes huge and shimmering with tears, lower lip trembling;
‘How can you say that Lukie? I work so hard to keep a nice home and cook you wonderful meals. What am I doing wrong?’
She clung to his arm desperately her hands alternately gripping his arm then reaching up to stroke his face. He couldn’t stand it anymore and leapt to his feet,
‘Ciella this isn’t working, I think we should talk about getting a marriage dissolution.’
His young wife’s face changed dramatically. The vulnerable teary expression was gone in a flash and a hard, thin lipped expression of rage took its place. Luke gasped in shock. Ciella rose and slowly stalked toward her husband her expression dangerous. Luke unconsciously began backing up until he was close to the wall,
‘This marriage will end when I decide it should end,’ she hissed, ‘preferably when you are dead!’
Luke looked confused, ‘Ciella I don’t understand, what’s gotten into you?’
She threw back her head and laughed, ‘Oh you really are a hick aren’t you?’ her voice was scathing.
Suddenly her hand shot out and seized a handful of Luke’s hair slamming his head against the wall. He was so surprised he could not react quickly enough before she rammed a knee into his groin. Luke doubled over in pain. Ciella leaned close to his ear as though whispering to a lover;
‘Did you really think I would let you plant your filthy seed in me?’
She gave him a hard shove knocking him to the ground Luke caught himself on his hands and immediately rolled onto his back. He blinked the tears from his eyes and instinctively reached for his hip looking for his lightsaber then remembered he didn’t wear it at home anymore. He stared up at what had been his sweet, gentle wife and could not believe her transformation into a sharp featured shrew. He tried to rise only to find Ciella’s knee pressed into his chest holding him still. He gasped when he realized she had a vibroblade pressed to his throat.
Luke tried to call on the force to give strength to his muscles hoping to throw her off. But his physical weakness combined with lack of sleep made his force control weak. Maybe it was better if it ended now. He really didn’t think his life could get worse as he felt the slow trickle of tears down the sides of his face. He closed his eyes trying to send a force message to Leia, the children and finally to Mara, telling her he loved her. A sudden bang made him turn his head. Framed in the doorway looking like an avenging angel was Mara Jade, her fiery hair blowing around her and gleaming from the overhead light as her foot rested on the door she had just kicked in, her lightsaber ignited and held firmly in her two handed grip. Surprisingly she smiled,
‘I love you too farmboy’
Her gaze turned to Ciella and a slow smile crossed her face as she took in the weapon in her hand;
‘You want to play with blades bitch?’ she paused ‘Well let’s play’
Ciella rose slowly a snarl coming from her throat. The two women approached each other as Luke lay on the floor transfixed. Mara moved her lightsaber in front of her as her eyes locked on her opponent as she slowly circled her. Ciella’s hand slid behind her back and Luke saw her reversing the blade in her hand. She was clearly preparing to throw it.
‘Mara, look out,’ he cried seconds before the razor sharp blade flew through the air.
Luckily Mara’s finely honed danger instincts and strong reflexes were faster. She had thrown herself to the side then rolled and pivoted her feet under her launching her back upright. She smiled as she realized her opponent was now unarmed. Ciella did not look concerned as she slowly circled around Mara. Mara’s lightsaber hummed held in the en guarde position, her eyes following her opponent. Ciella turned so that her right side was facing Mara, her left hand slipping into the thigh high slit of her gown, seconds later she dropped to one knee a small deadly looking blaster in her hand. She fired. Luke cried out as he saw Mara fall backward.
‘Mara!’ he screamed, ‘No! please no!’
Ciella approached her husband smiling at him, ‘You make me sick you pathetic man.’
‘Oh yeah,’ a voice said behind her.
She turned to find a tall angry redhead right behind her. A small trickle of blood could be seen trailing down from Mara’s shoulder. She reached out and snatched the blaster from Ciella’s hand,
‘You’re a lousy shot,’ she commented before spinning around and sweeping her lightsaber down in a lethal arc. Ciella fell to the ground an expression of surprise still on her face. Luke stared at his dead wife the only sound in the room was Mara’s ragged breathing. Luke pushed himself up to his knees unable to believe what he had just seen. Mara came toward him then dropped into his open arms her arms wrapping around his neck in a vice tight grip.
‘Oh, Mara’ he gasped fighting back tears, ‘I thought I had lost you!’
Mara trailed kisses up his throat then pulled back. Tears were coursing down her beautiful face,
‘You’ll never lose me farmboy!’ she murmured before leaning in for his kiss.
0(0(0(0
Three months later….
The newlyweds entered their hotel room in a tangle of arms and legs, closing the door with their elbows as their hands and lips were occupied.
‘Hello Mrs Skywalker,’
Luke leaned back gazing at the beautiful green eyes of his new wife. His eyes travelled over her lustrous red gold hair spilling in curls down over her shoulders. Her creamy shimmersilk gown hugged every curve as his hands traced slowly over her back, waist and hips. He drank in everything with a smile only to see a small frown creasing Mara’s brow,
‘What’s wrong my love?’ he asked his hand cupping her face.
‘Oh, it’s nothing,’ she murmured.
Luke locked his thumb and forefinger on her small square chin. He held his hand there until her eyes met his,
‘Mara, no secrets, no lies, remember?’
She nodded, leaning forward to brush her lips against her husband’s;
‘It’s just I’m not the first Mrs Skywalker am I?’
Luke slid both hands into her silky hair as he brought her closer,
‘Mara in my eyes, you are the first, the last, the only Mrs Skywalker!’
He bent slightly to lift his wife into his arms. Wife, that word now echoed in his mind filling him with wonder and joy. His mouth closed over hers as he moved toward the bedroom. Mara returned his kiss enthusiastically as her hand rapidly undid the buttons at the neck of his tunic. Mara’s mouth moved along his jaw line until her teeth closed gently on his ear lobe,
‘Hey Luke,’ she murmured,
‘Hmmm,’ he replied while he nuzzled her neck.
Now it was Mara’s turn to tilt his head up to meet her gaze, ‘I was just wondering how you feel about walls.’
Luke wasn’t sure he heard her correctly, ‘Walls?’ he asked.
Mara slid her fingers up to his temples sending him the force image of her erotic dream that now seemed so long ago. She heard her husband gasp,
‘Why Mrs. Skywalker I am sure I can grow to love walls.’
0(0(0(0
On the other side of Coruscant Leia Organa Solo tucked her youngest son into bed. He reached his arms up to her for a hug. She closed her arms around him kissing his velvety soft cheek,
‘Momma,’
‘Yes Ani?’
‘Uncle Luke is very happy now.’
THE END