The following is a little fic inspired by the famous cover picture
of "Union" which also graces our group homepage. It takes place a few
days after Luke's and Mara's return from Nirauan.

Rating? I'd say it's still PG-13, though a naughty PG-13 ;-)

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, this is not official, this is not
for money.

Here we go - please R&R... ~Devi

"Moment of Bliss"

Mara Jade was standing on the balcony of Luke Skywalker's Coruscant
apartment. She was facing the bustling city, the sky of which was
full of traffic as always. Her long, red-gold hair was flowing freely
in the wind. And that was how she felt, too - utterly free. What an
irony, she thought smirking to herself, that this had only come to
her after she had finally let go and stopped defending her treasured
freedom tooth and nail. How mistaken she had been when she had
thought that freedom meant being able to run away at any time! Now
she knew that true freedom lay in following one's heart.

And it had been Luke Skywalker, of all people, who had taught her
this! Luke, whom she had once wanted to kill more than anything. On
the Emperor's command, yes; but most of all (though she would have
never admitted that to herself) because of how he had made her feel,
even from that first moment when Karrde had picked him up from space
and brought him in. She still remembered how she saw him, lying in
the deep trance that he had put himself in to survive, his face so
still and smooth; and how it had stirred up something in her that
made her feel so utterly vulnerable, just like she had never wanted
to be, a feeling that went so deep, through layers and layers of her
being, down to a place at her very core that she had hardly known
herself.

And then the journey through the forests of Myrkr, constantly wanting
to murder him with every breath she took; yet constantly finding some
reason to still her hand; always asking herself just who she was
fooling. She remembered him, sleeping by her side, sleeping so
peacefully, as if nothing could harm him, as if she wasn't his enemy;
and her wondering just how could he do that, what was his damn
secret? Oh, he was driving her crazy back then; how could he dare to
make her feel like this; *change* her like this, even then?

Then all the years of running away; all the years during which she
had been there so little when he would have needed a friend more than
anything; all the times when she *was* there and he had cared for
everything else more than her; all the times when he had been
searching for the solace and peace that eluded him in all the wrong
places, and she had been forced to stand back because she had not
wanted to stand close enough to see him hurt.

But now, it was all over. Now it was like the most beautiful sunrise
bringing brilliant light when you hadn't even known you had been in
darkness. It was like coming home after a long, tedious journey. It
was like bread to the hungry, like a warm fire and a cozy blanket to
the freezing. It was all this and more. And she could describe it all
in one word. Or rather, one name. Luke. Luke, my love.

The object of those musings was looking outside to where she was
standing. As Luke Skywalker let his eyes glide over his fianc?s
graceful frame, from the slender legs clad in black leather to her
lush, fiery mane, he knew once more that he loved her so much it
hurt.

What a sweet pain though!, so much unlike the one he had feared. It
was only days ago that he had still believed that he must not allow
himself to ever love Mara; for he had expected her death in bitter-
sweet sadness; fearing to lose the friend who once was his enemy;
and, with that fear, realizing after so many years just *how* dear
that friend was to him, that understanding filling him with an
anxiety he had only felt that intensely at few times in his life. For
his father, that day on the second Death Star - *...come with me, I'll
save you... I won't leave you...* For Callista, when he had expected that
she would perish along with the "Palpatine's Eye"...

Though he had no words for it, he knew the extent of the pain that
came with seeing the death of a loved one come, he knew just how it
stung one's heart; and thus, against all his heart told him, he had
forbidden himself to love Mara just *because* she was so dear to him.
Until then when, as they both expected to die inside the "Hand of
Thrawn", he had realized that he would love her in life or in death,
no matter what.

He still remembered it as if it was now, them two standing amidst the
relentlessly rising waters, giving their pledge to bond for a
lifetime, without even knowing whether that lifetime would extend
past a few minutes, and *not even caring* because they were no longer
afraid. Not of love. For the extend of what filled their hearts was
so great that, although it would still leave room for pain (that
would remain a part of life, always), it left no room for the fear of
pain.

And sans that fear, they were left with - freedom. Freedom they never
thought they would have, freedom they had lacked so sorely without
even knowing it; freedom to love, to feel, to *live*.

Now life was all joyful excitement; like swimming in green champagne,
like rolling in somersaults over a field of flowers, like all this
and more. And he, too, had one word, one name for it. Mara. Mara.
Mara.

Luke could no longer bear it to see her without touching her, without
holding her as close as she constantly was to him in his heart. He
stepped outside onto the balcony and embraced Mara from behind,
wrapping his left arm around her exquisitely slim waist.

Enjoying her beloved's touch, Mara arched her supple spine just a
tiny bit backwards so that her shoulders rested against Luke's chest.
Crossing her arms over her full breasts in a gesture so graceful that
it sent a blissful shudder through Luke, Mara reached for her lover's
left shoulder with her right hand while her left hand's gentle
fingers stroked Luke's right arm with which he reached up to caress
Mara's cheek. The soft leather of his glove felt smooth and pleasant
on her skin.

Closing her eyes in delight and turning her face towards her beloved,
Mara tilted her head at an angle in an utterly seductive way; her
face showing both the erotic bliss that arose inside her like a
powerful, irresistible wave, and the charmingly innocent relaxed
enjoyment of a young animal that warmed its soft furry belly in the
sun.

Luke felt his heart melting away, dissolving into a liquid of honey-
sweet delight. //That I can make her so happy! I never thought I
could make anyone so happy...// Nearly bursting with joy, Luke brought
his face closer to Mara's. Pressing his cheek against her hair that
was as smooth and soft as the finest silk, Luke inhaled Mara's
fragrance with hungry nostrils, his eyes following her lush mane with
which the wind played like with a red-gold banner.

"You're like the wind, too, Mara.", he said in the warm, melodious
voice she loved so much, "Sometimes warm and gentle. Sometimes wild.
Always strong. Untameable. Irresistible." Mara felt tears well up
underneath her dense eyelashes. //No-one has ever said something like
that to me...//

Unable to contain herself any longer, she turned around in Luke's
arms and let her lips meet his in a passionate kiss. Like a person
that almost drowned inhales the air, like someone who nearly died of
thirst drinks fresh, sweet water, they drank from each other's
mouths; pressing their bodies against another so tightly as if welded
together, as if Mara wanted to be clad in Luke as she was clad in
that tight black leather.

After what seemed to be an eternity and yet too short a time, they
loosened their embrace, though with no intention to stop their love-
play. While Luke stroked Mara's face with a touch as gentle as the
touch of a tiny insect's glistening wings, wiping away her tears of
love and joy, she let her fingertips run across his right arm in
playful circles. As she let her hand slide towards his wrist and
started to gently, teasingly remove his glove, Luke caught hold of
her fingers; gently, too, but with the unmistakable intention to stop
her.

Mara understood; and at the same moment resolved to make Luke
understand that he didn't have to feel embarrassed in front of her.
Neither about his artificial hand, nor about *anything*. "Luke, I
love *everything* about you. Every part, whether natural or
otherwise; because all these parts tell the story of the life that
has shaped you into the person you are. And I love that person - you
understand?" Luke nodded. "Then please allow me..." Mara gently removed
Luke's glove, and this time, though still feeling shy, he let her do
it.

She held his right hand in her left and used the soft fingers of her
own right hand to caress it, stroking the palm and wrist as gently as
if she was touching precious, fragile porcelain. Then she lifted the
hand to her face and covered Luke's palm with kisses, driving him
wild with the demanding touch of her wet, hot mouth that reminded him
of the other part of her that was wet and hot. He used his free left
hand to grab her butt (boy, those thin, tight leather pants, it
almost felt as if she was naked...) and pull her closer to him; giving
her a feel of his swollen manhood, that spear of
desire. "Mar.." "Shush, Luke, I'm not finished!"

Mara let her long, rosy tongue glide along Luke's fingers, exploring
the spaces in between. Taking his fingertips between her moist lips
one by one, she expertly caressed the tips with her teeth. Luke
panted, silently giving thanks to whatever blessed person had
constructed the touch sensors in his replacement hand. From now on,
this hand which had always reminded him of the worst moment of his
life would also be a memento of this sweet moment of bliss. What a
gift she had given him, what a gift she *was*!

Finally, she lifted her head; still holding his hand as she kissed
his face, tasting salt from the blissful tears he could no longer
contain, and mixing them with her own as if they were their molten
hearts mingling. Overwhelmed by emotion herself, it took her a long
time until she could speak, no, whisper - "Do you now understand,
Luke?" "Oh, Mara..." He buried his face in her hair; oh!, that blessed,
fragrant hair, how was it that just the scent of her could drive him
wild?

He held her by the shoulders - no, you won't escape me now! - and
kissed her neck, then, desiring to go lower, he undid the fastenings
of her bodysuit and peeled the leather from her torso. Her two
breasts, those inviting orbs, where now only covered by the beautiful
bra he had bought for her as an engagement gift. //She's wearing
it!// And *how* gorgeous it looked on her; that thin, black lace on
her warm, soft, cream-colored skin; the sight alone would have been
enough to make him crazy. But of course he could not see *that*
without letting seeing become touching, without letting touching
become removing that thin layer of lace and applying his skillful
mouth to a rosy nipple in blissful worship of his goddess of love.

"Mmmh, ah, Luke...Luke!...Mmh, naah, what if somebody sees us?" He
interrupted his sweet work only long enough to answer: "To hell
with `if somebody sees us'!" "But..." Wanting no more interruptions,
Luke covered her mouth with greedy kisses while his hands went
wherever it pleased him, leaving her not enough breath to speak.
After some squirming on her part, she somehow managed to get out
a "Luke! Shouldn't we...?" "...save this for the wedding night?", he
completed with a naughty smirk. "No, but shouldn't we...?" "What?" "...go
inside and draw the blinds?"

Mara wouldn't have thought it possible after the bold assault of
passion he had just launched on her, but Luke actually blushed a
little as she said those words. Oh, her sweet farm boy! "My
pleasure," he replied; beaming with anticipation as he led her inside
by the hand.

THE END (...well, not really ;-) but since this fic is PG-13, we have
to leave Luke and Mara to their privacy now...)