Fic: "Perfectly Normal" 2/7, PG
Title: Perfectly Normal
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Category: humor, romance
Timeframe: New Republic; one week after VotF
Summary: Luke and Mara discover that being a couple includes facing unexpected challenges.
Part One
Mara finished dressing a quarter hour early, and checked her appearance in the mirror. Her dress was an older one, but still stylish and she was fond of it. Significantly, she also knew that Luke liked it. They'd attended the same social function a few months ago, and she'd seen his expression when he first caught sight of her. She had to admit that the snug-fitting bodice and flared knee-length skirt did highlight her slim figure, while the deep blue-green color complemented her complexion and eyes. Her shoes were silvery and strappy, with higher heels than she normally wore. Ordinarily she preferred more practical options, but if she was only going to be sitting at a restaurant and then going dancing, she might as well go all out.
She'd left her hair loose and fairly wild, the way Luke had said he liked it best, with only a comb for decoration. She particularly liked the comb because with just a few twists, it could be converted to a makeshift blade. She would have to remember to ask Shada where she'd gotten those lacquered zenji needles she often wore; they'd be marvelous for more formal occasions.
Mara smoothed her skirt and fluffed her hair, then made a face at herself. She had always paid careful attention to her appearance, and there had been many times where she'd dressed specifically to attract or distract. But this was different, vastly so. This time her appearance mattered because she genuinely cared what another person thought of her. She was on uncertain ground here, and she didn't like that at all.
Yesterday afternoon flashed to mind, as well as Luke's promises for tonight, and Mara caught herself smiling. Uncertain ground, yes, but there were compensations.
Ah, well. She hadn't expected things to stay the same after accepting Luke's proposal anyway, had she? She'd just have to get used to it. She'd handled everything else life had thrown at her; she could handle this, too.
Mara smiled once more at her reflection, then sat down in front of her computer and flicked it on. There were still ten minutes before Luke would be arriving, and she might as well get some work done.
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Half an hour and two completed reports later, Mara was still at the computer, switching between files ever more irritably. She checked the chrono for the fifth time in as many minutes, and was just about to head for the comm unit when she sensed a familiar presence. Mara sighed and remained where she was. A few moments later, her door clicked softly and slid open.
"Sorry I'm late," Luke said a little breathlessly, striding to her side and leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Tionne commed me with some reports she wanted my approval on. I didn't think it would take that long."
Mara took a breath, ready with a peevish retort - and then she caught Luke's gaze and saw the anxiety there. Biting her tongue at the last moment, she turned her eyes back to her computer and began closing files to buy time as she considered a proper response. Tonight was supposed to have been set in permacrete; it was their time and their time alone, no interruptions.
But . . .
Flipping the computer's power switch, she glanced up at Luke again. He stood waiting patiently, calm to all outward appearances, but she could feel in the Force how he wanted to fidget, and she reproached herself for nearly adding to his worry. He was trying, the same as she was. Of course there would be missteps along the way. That was all right; they'd get the hang of this relationship thing eventually.
"It's okay," she said, and found that she meant it.
Luke smiled at her with obvious relief, and Mara took a moment to assess his appearance. He was dressed very nicely indeed, even stylishly. She rose from the chair and reached up to land a kiss on his cheek in return. "Not bad at all, farmboy. Didn't know you had it in you."
"Thanks a lot," Luke said, wrinkling his nose at her.
"Well, you never wore anything like this on Yavin," Mara said. She kissed him again, softly, to take the sting out of her words. He responded immediately, sliding his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Mara slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer yet. The kiss drew to a slow, tender end, and Luke nuzzled her throat briefly before pulling back enough to meet her eyes again.
"Never had a good reason to dress up on Yavin," he murmured. He smiled at her, and Mara smiled back before she realized it, warmth spreading through her. "You ready to go? Or do you just want to stay here tonight? I'm sure we could find a way to occupy ourselves."
Mara grinned. "Oh, I'm sure. But you're not getting off that easy. You promised me dinner and dancing, remember?"
His arms tightened around her, just perceptibly. "That's what delivery services are for. And you have plenty of floor space here if you want to dance."
"Later," Mara said, twisting sinuously out of his grip. "We have to go be normal. We can't get married without going on a real date first. What would everyone think?"
Luke snorted, then managed to recapture her waist, though more loosely than before. "They'd think it was perfectly in character. I'm not sure even Han and Leia and Talon are convinced we understand what we're doing yet."
"So let's go convince them." Mara brushed nonexistent dust off the shoulder of his jacket and readjusted the lapels, surprised by the intimate sense of possessiveness that washed over her. He was hers, this man that she'd never expected to love, and she was his, and for reasons she couldn't begin to explain, Mara rather liked the idea of showing off this new turn of events.
She reached behind her back to capture his hands in her own, gently pulling them away from her to reposition his arms at his sides, and grinned at the face he made. "Let me get my bag and -"
The beeping of the comm unit stopped her midstride, and she leaned over to see the incoming number. "Leia?"
"Leia?" Luke echoed. "Did the two of you have something planned? I'm sure I told her we were going out tonight."
"No, nothing planned," Mara said, frowning. She had a bad feeling about this. Stepping in front of the comm's camera, she reluctantly tapped the "accept" switch and forced a smile. "Hello, Leia. How can I help you?"
Onscreen, Leia was turned more than halfway away from her own comm's camera angle. "Anakin Solo, put those tools down right now! Threepio does not need a diagnostic!"
Mara's bad feeling deepened. "Leia?" she repeated.
Leia turned toward more fully toward the comm, donning a smile that few would have seen through. "Mara! Have you seen Luke? I tried his apartment, then his personal comlink -"
Luke stepped into view, raising an eyebrow at the image of his sister. "I'm right here, Leia. I turned my personal comlink off. Nothing short of a full-stop emergency, remember?"
Brown eyes widened remorsefully. "Oh, your date! That's right. Well -" She glanced off screen, then back at Luke and Mara. "I was hoping you'd be able to watch the children for a few hours. Something's come up, and Gavrisom asked if I could join an impromptu Senate meeting, and with Han and Chewie away -"
"Ask Winter," Luke said firmly.
"I did," Leia said, then broke off again. "Jacen, I've told you, the lizards stay in the cages. Put them back right now!" She turned back to face Mara and Luke. "Winter's unavailable. I suppose I could leave them with Threepio . . ."
"He's watched them plenty of times before," Mara reminded her. "And with the Noghri helping, he should be fine."
"True," Leia said, frowning slightly. "Though lately - well. That's not your problem. I'm sure they'll be fine." She smiled at them again, and it was genuine, if distracted. "I'm sorry to have interrupted. You two have fun."
Luke eyed Mara sideways, his gaze suggestive. "Oh, we will."
Leia groaned. "I told you not to do that in front of me, Luke. Do I do that to you?"
"You have," Luke said with a grin, sliding an arm around Mara's waist.
Mara rolled her eyes and shrugged helplessly at Leia, who sighed, her eyes meeting Mara's to exasperatedly say, Men, as clearly as the spoken word would have. Mara grinned back at her. This having a sister-in-law business was kind of fun. She hadn't quite realized until now what an ally it gave her.
"Have not," Leia said, returning her attention to Luke and making a face at him. "And if you say 'have so', Luke Skywalker, you're in trouble." She made shooing motions at the comm. "Off, you two. I'll see you later." She blew a kiss toward Luke and smiled at Mara, then killed the transmission.
"Not a nice thing to do to your sister," Mara pointed out, crossing her arms and turning away from the comm unit to look at Luke sternly. "Just because women already know that all men have one-track minds doesn't mean that she wants to think about her brother that way."
"She'll get over it," Luke said, leaning close to kiss Mara's temple lingeringly. "I had to deal with more innuendo than that when she and Han first got married. And for years before, too. And years after, come to think of it. Turnabout is fair play." He released her waist with tangible reluctance, then curled a lock of her hair around his finger and watched it unwind itself. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone else decides they need our attention."
"Good point," Mara admitted. She retrieved her evening bag, then took Luke's proffered arm. "Ready when you are, farmboy."
Luke smiled at her, his eyes soft and proud, then led her gallantly from her apartment. Almost unconsciously, Mara fell back into the long-ago habit of walking like a courtier, her gait graceful with back straight and chin held high, to match his formality. One-track mind he might well have, but Mara knew that this night meant as much to Luke as it did to her, and if he wanted to offer courtly gestures, she could certainly do the same for him.
It's going to be a lovely night, Mara thought to herself, and tried to ignore her misgivings over the way it had begun.
She almost succeeded.
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Category: humor, romance
Timeframe: New Republic; one week after VotF
Summary: Luke and Mara discover that being a couple includes facing unexpected challenges.
Part One
Mara finished dressing a quarter hour early, and checked her appearance in the mirror. Her dress was an older one, but still stylish and she was fond of it. Significantly, she also knew that Luke liked it. They'd attended the same social function a few months ago, and she'd seen his expression when he first caught sight of her. She had to admit that the snug-fitting bodice and flared knee-length skirt did highlight her slim figure, while the deep blue-green color complemented her complexion and eyes. Her shoes were silvery and strappy, with higher heels than she normally wore. Ordinarily she preferred more practical options, but if she was only going to be sitting at a restaurant and then going dancing, she might as well go all out.
She'd left her hair loose and fairly wild, the way Luke had said he liked it best, with only a comb for decoration. She particularly liked the comb because with just a few twists, it could be converted to a makeshift blade. She would have to remember to ask Shada where she'd gotten those lacquered zenji needles she often wore; they'd be marvelous for more formal occasions.
Mara smoothed her skirt and fluffed her hair, then made a face at herself. She had always paid careful attention to her appearance, and there had been many times where she'd dressed specifically to attract or distract. But this was different, vastly so. This time her appearance mattered because she genuinely cared what another person thought of her. She was on uncertain ground here, and she didn't like that at all.
Yesterday afternoon flashed to mind, as well as Luke's promises for tonight, and Mara caught herself smiling. Uncertain ground, yes, but there were compensations.
Ah, well. She hadn't expected things to stay the same after accepting Luke's proposal anyway, had she? She'd just have to get used to it. She'd handled everything else life had thrown at her; she could handle this, too.
Mara smiled once more at her reflection, then sat down in front of her computer and flicked it on. There were still ten minutes before Luke would be arriving, and she might as well get some work done.
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Half an hour and two completed reports later, Mara was still at the computer, switching between files ever more irritably. She checked the chrono for the fifth time in as many minutes, and was just about to head for the comm unit when she sensed a familiar presence. Mara sighed and remained where she was. A few moments later, her door clicked softly and slid open.
"Sorry I'm late," Luke said a little breathlessly, striding to her side and leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Tionne commed me with some reports she wanted my approval on. I didn't think it would take that long."
Mara took a breath, ready with a peevish retort - and then she caught Luke's gaze and saw the anxiety there. Biting her tongue at the last moment, she turned her eyes back to her computer and began closing files to buy time as she considered a proper response. Tonight was supposed to have been set in permacrete; it was their time and their time alone, no interruptions.
But . . .
Flipping the computer's power switch, she glanced up at Luke again. He stood waiting patiently, calm to all outward appearances, but she could feel in the Force how he wanted to fidget, and she reproached herself for nearly adding to his worry. He was trying, the same as she was. Of course there would be missteps along the way. That was all right; they'd get the hang of this relationship thing eventually.
"It's okay," she said, and found that she meant it.
Luke smiled at her with obvious relief, and Mara took a moment to assess his appearance. He was dressed very nicely indeed, even stylishly. She rose from the chair and reached up to land a kiss on his cheek in return. "Not bad at all, farmboy. Didn't know you had it in you."
"Thanks a lot," Luke said, wrinkling his nose at her.
"Well, you never wore anything like this on Yavin," Mara said. She kissed him again, softly, to take the sting out of her words. He responded immediately, sliding his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Mara slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer yet. The kiss drew to a slow, tender end, and Luke nuzzled her throat briefly before pulling back enough to meet her eyes again.
"Never had a good reason to dress up on Yavin," he murmured. He smiled at her, and Mara smiled back before she realized it, warmth spreading through her. "You ready to go? Or do you just want to stay here tonight? I'm sure we could find a way to occupy ourselves."
Mara grinned. "Oh, I'm sure. But you're not getting off that easy. You promised me dinner and dancing, remember?"
His arms tightened around her, just perceptibly. "That's what delivery services are for. And you have plenty of floor space here if you want to dance."
"Later," Mara said, twisting sinuously out of his grip. "We have to go be normal. We can't get married without going on a real date first. What would everyone think?"
Luke snorted, then managed to recapture her waist, though more loosely than before. "They'd think it was perfectly in character. I'm not sure even Han and Leia and Talon are convinced we understand what we're doing yet."
"So let's go convince them." Mara brushed nonexistent dust off the shoulder of his jacket and readjusted the lapels, surprised by the intimate sense of possessiveness that washed over her. He was hers, this man that she'd never expected to love, and she was his, and for reasons she couldn't begin to explain, Mara rather liked the idea of showing off this new turn of events.
She reached behind her back to capture his hands in her own, gently pulling them away from her to reposition his arms at his sides, and grinned at the face he made. "Let me get my bag and -"
The beeping of the comm unit stopped her midstride, and she leaned over to see the incoming number. "Leia?"
"Leia?" Luke echoed. "Did the two of you have something planned? I'm sure I told her we were going out tonight."
"No, nothing planned," Mara said, frowning. She had a bad feeling about this. Stepping in front of the comm's camera, she reluctantly tapped the "accept" switch and forced a smile. "Hello, Leia. How can I help you?"
Onscreen, Leia was turned more than halfway away from her own comm's camera angle. "Anakin Solo, put those tools down right now! Threepio does not need a diagnostic!"
Mara's bad feeling deepened. "Leia?" she repeated.
Leia turned toward more fully toward the comm, donning a smile that few would have seen through. "Mara! Have you seen Luke? I tried his apartment, then his personal comlink -"
Luke stepped into view, raising an eyebrow at the image of his sister. "I'm right here, Leia. I turned my personal comlink off. Nothing short of a full-stop emergency, remember?"
Brown eyes widened remorsefully. "Oh, your date! That's right. Well -" She glanced off screen, then back at Luke and Mara. "I was hoping you'd be able to watch the children for a few hours. Something's come up, and Gavrisom asked if I could join an impromptu Senate meeting, and with Han and Chewie away -"
"Ask Winter," Luke said firmly.
"I did," Leia said, then broke off again. "Jacen, I've told you, the lizards stay in the cages. Put them back right now!" She turned back to face Mara and Luke. "Winter's unavailable. I suppose I could leave them with Threepio . . ."
"He's watched them plenty of times before," Mara reminded her. "And with the Noghri helping, he should be fine."
"True," Leia said, frowning slightly. "Though lately - well. That's not your problem. I'm sure they'll be fine." She smiled at them again, and it was genuine, if distracted. "I'm sorry to have interrupted. You two have fun."
Luke eyed Mara sideways, his gaze suggestive. "Oh, we will."
Leia groaned. "I told you not to do that in front of me, Luke. Do I do that to you?"
"You have," Luke said with a grin, sliding an arm around Mara's waist.
Mara rolled her eyes and shrugged helplessly at Leia, who sighed, her eyes meeting Mara's to exasperatedly say, Men, as clearly as the spoken word would have. Mara grinned back at her. This having a sister-in-law business was kind of fun. She hadn't quite realized until now what an ally it gave her.
"Have not," Leia said, returning her attention to Luke and making a face at him. "And if you say 'have so', Luke Skywalker, you're in trouble." She made shooing motions at the comm. "Off, you two. I'll see you later." She blew a kiss toward Luke and smiled at Mara, then killed the transmission.
"Not a nice thing to do to your sister," Mara pointed out, crossing her arms and turning away from the comm unit to look at Luke sternly. "Just because women already know that all men have one-track minds doesn't mean that she wants to think about her brother that way."
"She'll get over it," Luke said, leaning close to kiss Mara's temple lingeringly. "I had to deal with more innuendo than that when she and Han first got married. And for years before, too. And years after, come to think of it. Turnabout is fair play." He released her waist with tangible reluctance, then curled a lock of her hair around his finger and watched it unwind itself. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone else decides they need our attention."
"Good point," Mara admitted. She retrieved her evening bag, then took Luke's proffered arm. "Ready when you are, farmboy."
Luke smiled at her, his eyes soft and proud, then led her gallantly from her apartment. Almost unconsciously, Mara fell back into the long-ago habit of walking like a courtier, her gait graceful with back straight and chin held high, to match his formality. One-track mind he might well have, but Mara knew that this night meant as much to Luke as it did to her, and if he wanted to offer courtly gestures, she could certainly do the same for him.
It's going to be a lovely night, Mara thought to herself, and tried to ignore her misgivings over the way it had begun.
She almost succeeded.