Hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and a happy 2002. :-)

"Festival of Light"

by Angela Jade

Rated - PG

e-mail - angela@yavin4.free-online.co.uk - constructive criticism and happy thoughts greatly appreciated. Flames laughed at.

Disclaimer - it all belongs to Lucas. I am not making any money from this.

In answer to the Christmas Challenge on the Mara_and_Luke yahoogroup mailing list - less than 1000 words, about a festival similar to Christmas.

Setting - some time after VotF.

December 2001

Beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep.

Without breaking his rhythm, Luke finished the kata he'd been working on in the deserted leafy glade, shut down the two lightsabers he'd been using, and reached for his comlink. "Skywalker." His free hand clipped the weapons to his belt before swiping at the sweat that coated his brow.

"Long-range call for you, Master Skywalker." The voice was tinny, but he recognized it as Tionne. "Mirax Terrik. She says it's not urgent."

Luke grinned. Mara was with Mirax; she had been for some time now. They were due to meet up on Coruscant the following week, but perhaps Mara had decided to pay an unscheduled visit...

"I'll be right there, Tionne." He flicked the comlink off at her affirmative and thrust it back into his pocket. Taking a deep breath, he plunged into the nearby undergrowth, heading straight for the Massassi temple that housed the Jedi Praxeum.

*****

"Hi, Mirax. It's Luke." He concentrated on the somewhat distorted reply coming from the comm unit and studiously ignored Tionne's barely hidden amusement at his disheveled appearance.

"Luke? We're about three hours out. Mara didn't want to contact you before we arrived, but I thought I'd better warn you..."

Trepidation clenched his muscles and a tiny lump of dread formed in his stomach. A few recent nightmare scenarios zipped through his brain. "Warn me about what? Is something wrong?"

"No, no - she's fine, Luke. But it's the Festival of Light tonight, and she's expecting you to celebrate it with her."

A breath of relief left him in a rush; he hated being apart from his wife. "Oh." Then he remembered her new-found enthusiasm for traditional festivals, particularly the ancient Coruscant midwinter Festival of Light... "Oh!" he said more forcefully, as he tried not to envision what `punishment' Mara would concoct for him when she realized he'd forgotten all about it.

"I hope you're prepared for it, Luke, because she's not been in a very good mood lately..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Oops, she's coming. Gotta go. See you in three hours."

The communication ended with a single electrostatic click, and Luke turned to face Tionne, a look of guilty desperation clouding his features. "Festival of Light," he whispered.

Tionne blinked once, twice. "Tonight, if I'm not mistaken."

"You're not." Luke stared at his muddy boots for a long moment, then looked up again. "Candles. Do we have any candles?"

"Yes, Master. We have candles." Tionne struggled to hide a smile. "But there's something you need more than candles."

His eyes narrowed in concentration. "A gift? Sugared fruit?" He searched his mind, trying to remember all the traditional accoutrements of the festival. "I refuse to dress up as Old Mother Time."

"I meant that you need to clean up."

"Oh," replied Luke, glancing down at his plant- and sweat-stained clothing. "I guess I do."

Tionne stepped forward and gently patted his arm. "You go take a shower and organize a gift. I'll bring some food and as many candles as I can find to your room. You can still make this a Festival of Light Mara won't forget."

*****

Mara hitched her small pack higher on her shoulder and frowned into the dark corridor that housed the private rooms. All was peaceful and quiet - too quiet. She knew that some of the students went home to visit family during the now galaxy-wide winter festival, but surely not all of them? She closed her eyes and stretched out with her senses; some were meditating, many were asleep... apart from one. He shone like a beacon in her mind, his whispered welcome echoing around her head and warming her heart. Her husband.

She smiled and opened her eyes, her body already moving towards him without the need for a conscious decision. The silence and the darkness enveloped her like chilled blankets, but the touch of her husband in her mind warmed her more than any heater or fire. Her heart beat a little faster. It had been too long.

His door whispered opened at her touch and she found herself bathed in a soft light. Candles and dimmed glowrods covered every horizontal surface in the room, grouped on table and shelves, balanced precariously on datacards - the candles flickered as she stepped into the room and closed the door. "You remembered."

"Umm, sort of."

He sat on the bed in an oasis of darkness amid the subdued light, no candles or glowrods near him. The sound of his voice, the familiarity of his silhouette - Mara felt a tiny shiver run up her spinee. Her bag fell to the floor and she took a step closer. "Luke, I..." She stopped, her eyes narrowing. "What are you wearing?"

Silently, he stood, his eyes never leaving hers. The nonchalant grin that tugged at his lips was spoiled when he caught his lower lip in his teeth.

Two strides brought Mara within touching distance, and she struggled not to laugh out loud. A huge ruby-red ribbon swathed his thighs and abdomen, ending in a ridiculously large bow in the center of his chest.

Mara reached out and ran a finger over one loop of the bow. "I take it you're my Festival of Light gift."

He nodded.

"You forgot, didn't you."

Another nod, and a sheepish smile.

"Where did you get the ribbon?" Mara asked, her finger trailing over the knot.

"Wedge and Wes wrapped it around the nose of my new X-wing when they delivered it."

She stepped even closer, tilting her head back in mute invitation. "Are you naked under that?"

"That's for me to know and for you to discover." His lips met hers and his eyes drifted closed as Mara tugged carefully on one end of the ribbon...

~FIN~

Yes, it's under 1000 words (just!) - and, yes, it was just an excuse to wrap Luke up as a Christmas present...

;-)

AJ