Summary:
ADVENTURES OF A VISION PART FOUR:   SEARCHING FOR HIS LOVED ONES
        About 3 weeks later...
    (All the parts of my story I'd give a G rating, but this one gets a PG-13
because people do die in here.  Just thought I'd tell you)
    Luke and Leia have begun the desperate search for Luke's family when an
old woman comes with a gift for Luke...
 
 

    The dark, hooded creature walked down a corridor searching for the door
that housed its prey.  The long weapon belted at its side reflected no light,
for there was no light to be reflected.  Its bootsteps rang loudly throughout
the narrow passageway and stopped in front of a lone door.  Dark thoughts
filled the creature’s mind until it remembered that it was human.  Much like
its prisoner inside.
    A slender hand reached out from beneath the black robes and opened the
door.  A loud creak from the hinge made the woman locked behind a gate in the
small room look up.  Her green eyes tracked the hooded one’s every motion.
    “You’ll forgive me if I’m not presentable,”  Mara told the black clad
figure.  “But the service here is awfully poor.”
    “Good to see you up so early Mrs. Skywalker,”  the hooded creature said.
“Your breakfast will be brought to you shortly.  I presume you’ll be wanting
to see your children?”
    “Oh so kind of you,”  Mara said sarcastically.  “How long did it take you
to get up the kindness to ask me that one?”
    The robed woman’s eyes flashed beneath her cowl.
    “You watch yourself or there will be no children for you to see,”  the
woman warned.
    Mara’s eyes showed a flash of fear, but it quickly vanished and she spoke
no more.  Satisfied, the darker woman smiled.
    “Good,” the dark woman said with satisfaction.  “I’ll take you to them
now.  Get up.”
    Mara complied while the woman unlocked her gate and waited for Mara to
step out.  She clasped wrist binders on Mara’s hands behind her back and
shoved her out of the room.
    “Always the kind one Elori,”  Mara muttered.
    Elori only gave her a cold smile and pushed Mara along to see her twins.
 

    A gentle old woman held two tiny lives in her arms with all the love she
could give.  She was wrapping them both up in soft, warm clothes and blankets
when the little boy began to cry.  Old Tava tried to hush him up.  As she
dressed them, she spoke.
    “Ssh, little one,”  she said.  “You’ll be well soon.”
    She regarded his sister with a playfully stern look.  “You better
convince your brother to hush up here.  I’m trying to help you two.”
    The little boy stopped crying and started to sob quietly.  “Pray now
littles.  We must hurry.  Elori will be here soon with your mother.  We have
to get you out before then.  You won’t see your mother for awhile yet, but
you mustn't worry.  Be brave, you’ll be with your father soon.”
    The old woman carefully put each infant into a small bread basket and
took it to a section of wall.  Setting it down, she started to pull away
stones marked so only she would know which ones needed to be taken away and
revealed a passageway.
    “Don’t be scared now,”  she told the little ones as she put the basket in
the dark hallway.  “There’s no light, but I’ll be with you in a moment.”
    Getting up, she went to a small pantry and got some bread and two small
bottles of milk.  Stuffing them in her tattered clothing, she went back to
the passageway, got inside and sealed it up.  “Come now, and don’t make a
peep.”  Silently Old Tava crept with her basket hooked around her arm down
the passageway to the freedom the lives she was caring for deserved.
 

    Elori pushed Mara along until they came to the room Mara had come to know
as the kitchen.  Elori opened the door and pushed Mara through.  As Mara
entered, her eyes went wide.  Elori entered a second later and her eyes, too,
went wide.  There was no sign of Old Tava or of Mara’s babies.
    “Tava?”  Elori spat.  “You old fool, where are you?”
    But there was no answer.  Mara kept quiet and kept going over what Tava
had told her on her last visit.  Her babies were safe.  Tava should be taking
them to her hidden ship soon.
    Thank you Tava,  Mara thought silently, thank you.
    Leaving Mara behind, Elori went and searched around the room.  Turning
around, Elori spat out an order to Mara.
    “Don’t just stand there like and idiot,”  Elori said eyeing Mara.  “Help
me!”
    Mara walked around the room pretending to search.  She came across the
wall Tava had marked and went past it without pausing.
    “I can’t find anything,”  she told Elori.
    Although she couldn’t really find anything if she wanted with her hands
tied up behind her back like they were.
    “No, of course not,”  Elori snorted as she looked Mara up and down.
“Come on, we’ll go look outside.”  She paused then turned back to Mara.
“Better yet, I’ll just go.  Wouldn’t want to parade you around outside now
would we?”
    Elori took Mara back to her cell and locked her up then left.  Mara got
up and looked out the tiny window in her cell.  She saw a small dot of a ship
leaving the treetops and wished Tava the best and hoped they’d make it to
Luke in one piece.  Then Mara slumped down on the hard, cold stone floor
    Thinking of Luke made her feel worse.  He had no idea where they’d gone,
and frankly, neither did Mara.  Elori had seemed powerful enough to block
Luke’s power away from Mara and then block Mara’s away from herself.  It had
taken days to calm the twins down.  They hadn’t even been a week old and they
had already been through so much.
    She missed having someone else here with her to share in her grief.  Luke
would have helped her...had he been here.  Mara had been gone for over three
weeks.  In all that, she had seen her children daily, but she wasn’t there
when they cried at night.  Or when they wanted their mommy the most.  Tava
had been there for them and for that, Mara was grateful.  Tava herself had
bore 6 young boys and had lost them all to the Empire years before.  She had
loved to see little Natalie.  She had told Mara how long she’d been praying
for a little girl, but never gotten one.  At least now she’d be able to take
care of one.
    Please take care of my babies, Tava...Please...
 

    Tava’s little ship blasted out of hyperspace nearly 3 days later into the
planetary system of Coruscant, the capitol planet of the New Republic.  Mara
had told Tava wonderful things about being free and Tava had listened
eagerly.  Tava had been a slave most of her life.  Her children had all been
taken away to die for the Empire.  Finally maybe Tava would now be free.
    She flew her little ship in near the planet and waited for Coruscant
space control to give her a place in line.  Mara had given her a verbal code
she could use to get her to Luke faster.
    Luke was Mara’s husband and Tava was told he’d be willing to accept the
help from an old bat like herself.  She’d said something about an old wizard
on his home world, but Tava was too tired to understand.
    “See that down there?”  Tava asked the little children on the seat beside
her.  They were lying down in their little basket amusing each other as only
a brother and sister could do.  “That, my littles, is where your father is. I
told you you’d be with him soon.  Just a little longer.”
    Tava reached down and retrieved the tiny bottles of milk she had taken.
Tava had hid a small canister of milk in here one night when Elori had gone
away for a few hours.  It had so far lasted as long as Tava had hoped.
    “Here you go,”  she said.
    She fed each baby a bottle and they ate away hungrily.  “Sorry it’s not a
full bottle, but I have no clue how long it’ll take us to get to your daddy.”

    About twenty minutes had gone by when someone had finally decided to take
notice of her little ship.
    “Identify yourself ship 3326-B, this is Coruscant Air and Space traffic
control,”  a young man’s voice said.
    Tava straightened up.  “That’s us littles.”
    Turning to the comm she spoke.  “This is ship 3326-B.  I must speak with
Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.”
    She looked down at the two little smiling twins.  They seemed to
recognize their father’s name.
    “Oh really?”  the young man asked sarcastically.  “You and about 300
others.  Sorry lady, but you can’t just come in and see him.”
    Tava gave a secretive smile.
    “Well I think I may be an exception,”  Tava informed the man.  “Listen
here young man.  Do the letters d, a, g, o, b, a, and h mean anything?”
    There was a soft click of the comm, then the young man took his time in
coming back.
    “I’m sorry ma’am,”  the young man said apologetically.  “The President is
personally giving you the okay to come in.”
    Tava laughed.
    “That’s more like it.”
    She glanced down at the little ones again.  “Powerful little code your
mother gave me.”
    Tava landed her little ship about half an hour later in a large hangar
bay.  She locked the ship down and got her things ready.  “Come on.  You’re
home now okay?  You’re home.”
    She picked up the little basket with Nathan and Natalie inside, covered
it with a blanket and put their things in a small cloth bag.  She slung the
bag around her shoulder and carried the basket to the door.  Opening the
hatch, she saw two people waiting for her.  Well they seem to be waiting,
Tava thought.  A man with a medium build and blonde hair stood with an
anxious look in his blue eyes.  The other person was female and was smaller
than the man, yet of no less importance.  They both seemed to have a certain
air about them.  Both had a sense of peace and calm, and both seemed to be
connected somehow.
    The hatch finally finished opening and the young man walked up to her and
spoke to Tava with a soft voice.
    “You know the code of my family to contact me,” the young man said.  “May
I ask who you are?”
    “I’m Tavitha, but you can call me Tava,”  she said.  “Are you the Jedi
Master Luke Skywalker?“
    The young man nodded his head.
    “I have come from your wife,”  she told Luke.  “I have brought your
children to you.”
    She pealed away the thin blanket covering the top of the basket.  The
young man’s face lit up with joy and unbelief.  He carefully picked up each
child and hugged them.  Tears filled his eyes as he cradled each small head
and body in his strong arms and hands.

    My babies are here with me...Luke thought.  Thank the skies they’re here.
Luke only had those small memories of his children before they were snatched
out of his life.  It felt so good to hold them again.  They weren’t as small
as he remembered them, but then again it had been a month since he’d last
seen them.  They never cried in his arms, but let him hold them.  Did they
even remember this man?  Their father?  But to Luke, it didn’t matter.  He
was with his children and he would never let anyone take them away from him
again.

    The young woman came up and shook Tava’s hand.  Joy filled her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said.  “You don’t know how much this means to my brother.”
    “Oh it’s all right,”  Tava said.  “An old biddy like me needed to get out
for a little trip.  And who are you?”
    The younger woman laughed.
    “My formal title is Leia Organa Solo, President of the New Republic,”
she said.
    “Oh my.  Well then you have a very interesting family, Leia.”
    “You have no idea.”
    She went up and put a hand on Luke’s shoulder.
    “Feel better now?”  she asked softly
    Luke picked his head up out from in between his two little ones and
looked at Leia.  He smiled, nodded his head and gazed down at his twins.
    “We still have to get Mara,”  he said sadly.
    Luke and Leia both glanced at Tava.
    “Oh I don’t know where she is,”  Tava said.
    Brother and sister regarded Tava with surprise and confusion.   “I mean,
I don’t know anything about where I was,”  Tava explained.  “I was just as
much a prisoner as your wife was.  Elori just knew me longer so she thought
she could trust me.  You can look on the ship if it’ll help you any.”
    Leia turned to Luke.
    “Wouldn’t you like to spend some time with the twins before we try to get
Mara?”  she asked.  “You haven’t been with them for nearly a month.”
    Luke looked sadly at his tiny infants.
    “I’d love to Leia,”  he said.  “But I want to find Mara as soon as I can.”
 

    “You have a very lovely home Luke,” Tava said looking around Luke’s
apartment.
    Luke had brought a bassinet from his bedroom to a lounging area and had
laid Natalie inside.  Natalie had fallen asleep hours ago and Luke was
quietly playing with Nathan in his lap.
    “Thank you,”  he said with a smile.  “And thank you for bringing my
babies back to me.”
    Old Tava smiled.
    “Oh it was no trouble at all.  I only wish I could of brought your wife
with me.  She’s a very wonderful and very lucky woman, Luke.”
    “She is isn’t she?”  Luke said playfully.  “I miss her a lot.”
    “Well don’t worry, she seemed like a strong woman,”  Tava assured him.
“She’ll do fine.”
    Luke nodded and smiled as Nathan started to drool.  He grabbed a little
towel from his shoulder and wiped Nate’s mouth.     Tava watched Luke with
her aged old eyes.  He was so good with his little ones.
    “Luke, you’re a wonderful father,”  Tava commented.
    Luke looked at Tavitha and blushed a little.
    “You think so?”  he asked.
    Tava smiled.
    “You should of heard all the things your wife told me,”  Tava said,
hoping to start a conversation.
    She waited until Luke’s eyes were on her again to continue.  “She
described to me how you first met, about your wedding, and when you two found
out you were going to have twins.”
    “She must really like you if she told you that much,”  Luke said.
    “Mara loves you a lot Luke,”  Tava said, her tone going somber.  “She was
very lonely.  I was the only one she could talk to.”
    “No, that may of been so, but you’re a very pleasant woman Tava.”
    After a moment, Tava had itching hands to hold one of the babies.
    “Do you mind if I hold him?”
    “Sure,”  Luke said.
    Luke carefully put Nathan in Tava’s sturdy arms.  The little one smiled
and showed off his bright blue eyes.
    “You know,”  Tava said.  “I spent so much time with these little ones,
that I started to think of them as my own.  Elori did bring Mara in to see
them, but you could tell Mara wanted to have them with her all the time.
She’s an excellent mother.”
    “I knew she would be,”  Luke agreed.  “Would you like to have something
to eat or drink?”
    “That would be nice, thank you.”
    Luke got up and went to the kitchen.  While he was preparing a small
meal, Tavitha entertained Luke with stories of his children from their time
with her.  Tava could tell that Luke missed his wife very much.  Aside from
his telling her, Tava could tell in the way he spoke about Mara, or the
expressions on his face whenever Tava talked about her.
    “Do you want to get Mara tomorrow?”  Tava asked Luke who was munching
away on a cookie.
    “Isn’t that kind of soon?”  he asked between the crunching of the cookie.
“I mean, we can’t figure out everything on the way there can we?”
    “Yes we could,”  Tava said.  “You miss her very much.  We could take Leia
with us and we’d be back before you knew it.  Then we could pay Elori back
for what she’s done.”
    “I want to go, but I don’t know if Leia would be able to come.  She’s
very busy, Han’s away with Chewie--”  The look on Tava’s face made Luke
explain.  “--Her husband and friend--,”  he informed Tava.  “But anyway--you
really think we could do it by ourselves?”
    Tava nodded her head.
    “There’s also the matter of a senator that’s been threatening Leia’s
position,”  Luke told Tava.  “We’ve been trying to piece together the small
things we had, and we think that he’s behind Elori’s kidnapping Mara and the
twins.  Elori wouldn’t want to do with us.  I don’t see why she could have
any hate towards us or reason to kidnap Mara and the twins.”
    Tavitha thought for a moment.
    “She never spoke of any senator when she was around me.  What was his
name?”
    “Dex,”  Luke said.  “Win Dex.”
    “I remember the last part, Dex,”  Tava said, still thinking.  “She would
talk of him, and I think he was the one she spoke to every so often.  What
does he want from your sister?”
    “He wants Leia’s position as President.”
    Tava thought, but couldn’t see how the two people were connected.  Would
Dex hire Elori to do his dirty work?  What was his position on the kidnapping?
    “Luke, has he said anything about the kidnapping?”
    Luke shook his head.
    “He’s said as much as anyone else who doesn’t really know me or my
family,”  Luke said.  “Just that his sympathies are with me.  He’s more
inclined to talk or pester Leia though.”
    Luke handed Tavitha the tea he’d made and put Nathan back to bed.
    “Thank you,”  Tavitha said.
    Luke nodded his head and continued.
    “I think that Dex hired Elori to take the twins and Mara.  But why I
don’t know.”
    “Why don’t you find out?  Try and monitor his out going transmissions to
see if any are made to Elori?”
    “Well I could...but then if I was caught without any evidence towards him
then I’d get in some trouble.  I’ve been watching him, and I still don’t know
if he really is behind it like I think.  He could just be pestering Leia for
nothing.”
    “Has he ever made any threats towards you?”
    Luke smiled and shook his head.
    “You wouldn’t believe it.”
    “Tell me,” Tavitha said over the rim of her mug.
    “When Mara and I were engaged,”  Luke began.  “He tried to convict Mara
of the crimes she had committed in her past.  He tried to stop our wedding
saying that ‘a man of such importance to the New Republic shouldn’t be
marrying a woman who worked directly under the Empire’s leader--The very
Empire that we worked so hard to destroy.’  And he also threatened me the day
after the twins were born.”
    Tavitha nodded with understanding.  This awful Dex had bothered
everything out of Luke and Mara.  Who knows how much else he did?
    “Did he do more?”
    Luke nodded his head.
    That man had done terrible things to a man who just wanted to start a
family.  To a man who had a family, only to have them taken away from him.
    “How did you and Mara take all of it?” she asked quietly.
    Luke took a deep breath before he spoke.
    “We both took it as nothing in the beginning.  Nobody thought it was
serious.  Then Dex started to try and convince the other council members and
Leia that he was right in doing that to us.  But he didn’t succeed.  It still
hurt Mara.  She wasn’t trying to fit in, but it helped her to fit in.  Sounds
strange, but it’s true.  Dex only made worse what others thought of her.
There were people who just wanted Dex and others to leave us alone.  They
said they could understand and that we should be able to live a life together
if we loved each other.”
    Tavitha held out her age-worn hand and held Luke’s.
    “Well maybe if we prove he’s behind this, then you can finally get some
peace.”
    “Thank you,”  Luke said.  “Well, I’m going to bed now.  I’ll pull out the
couch so you can sleep on that.”
    Luke set up Tava’s bed and took the twins with him to his room.  They
were already sound asleep so he put two small bottles of milk that Tava had
given him by his bedside in case they got hungry.
    Luke changed into something to sleep in, kissed his babies good-night,
then went to bed himself.  His last thought was sent out in space, hoping it
would reach Mara, wherever she was.  But Luke fell asleep before he found if
she did, in fact, hear him.
 

    Sitting in her cell, Mara silently ate the food Elori had brought her for
dinner.  It tasted good enough and Mara had long ago given up on the fact
that her food might be food poisoned.  Her hunger was far more important to
her.  If she got poisoned, then at least she would have eaten something.  She
started to lick the juice of some unknown sauce off of her fingers when she
felt something.  A faraway, almost faint voice--or no, thought?  Her heart
and her entire body froze.  This was something she had not felt for more than
a month, but it felt as if it had been a lifetime...It was Luke.
    Mara hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed him.  For over two years,
Mara hadn’t been away from Luke for more than a day.  And now it had been a
month and she sorely missed him.
    *I love you, Mara.  Don’t worry, I’m coming*
    Mara nodded as if Luke could see her, tears coming to her eyes and
streaming down her face.  She sniffed and tried to stop crying.  She had
heard Luke’s voice in her mind, felt his presence, and wished she could
answer back.  Elori would know if she did or if she even tried.  His warm and
loving touch had filled her mind and she wanted him back.  Maybe he already
has the twins, Mara thought.  At least if they weren’t with her they’d be
with Luke.
    Mara sighed and wiped away her tears.
    “Wish I had a tissue,” she muttered to herself.
    She looked down at her food and almost pushed it away.  Had Luke’s brief
contact made her that depressed?  Mara forced herself to finish her meal.  If
Luke’s coming back, then I’m going to look good for him.  He wouldn’t want to
see skin and bones left where his wife should be, now would he?  Mara slowly
finished her meal then fell asleep.
 

    Luke woke to the sound of a baby crying.  Drowsily getting up, he picked
up a bottle and walked to the small crib housing his twins.
    “Which one’s hungry?”  he asked.  “Hmm?”
    He looked down and saw it was Natalie.  Her little face was scrunched up
and turning red.
    “Ssh, it’s okay,”  Luke assured his little girl.  “Here you go.”
    Luke rubbed Natalie’s tummy and gave her the bottle.  She accepted it and
drank away.  Her little nose would move every time she sniffed.
    “Hey there,”  Luke said, smiling to Nathan.  Nate was wide awake, but not
crying.  Luke reached his hand down and caressed Nathan’s soft head.  “Did
your sister wake you up?”  Natalie was gazing intensely at her father above
her bottle.
    “I wish you had your mother here with you,”  Luke told his children.
“I’m sure you’d much rather have her than that bottle.”  Little Natalie’s
gaze lessened.  “I miss her too.”  Looking at his daughter, Luke smiled.
    “You look so much like your mother,”  he said softly.
    Her tiny eyelids started to close and soon she was sound asleep.  Luke
took the bottle gently from her mouth and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
He turned to Nathan who had apparently fallen asleep after Luke had stopped
talking to him.  He bent down and gave his oldest a good-night kiss.  Luke
brought the bottle back to his bedside and walked down the hall.
    Trying not to wake up Tavitha, he walked into the kitchen and made
himself a cup of hot chocolate.  Carefully putting away the materials he’d
used, he got his mug and walked back to his bedroom.  Checking on the twins
once more, he walked to his bed, got in, and leaned his back against the
headboard.
    Sipping at the warm drink, Luke thought of Mara.  He closed his eyes and
relaxed.  He let his mind wander through all the times he’d spent with her,
all the new memories they’d started to make together.  Mara in her beautiful
wedding dress, her stunning green eyes when she said her vows, the look on
her glowing face when she told him she was having their first child, the
taste of her kisses on his lips, and the new sound of her laughter.  Luke
took a deep breath and shut his eyes harder to hold back the tears that
threatened to come.  He would not break down again.  Mara was fine, Tava had
told him so.  She can take care of herself.  He opened his eyes and looked
down at the chrono by his bed.  It had been an hour since he’d first come back
    Tired, Luke downed the rest of his now cold chocolate and got under the
covers.  Sending his babies a warm brush of love, he closed his eyes and fell
asleep again.
 

    The next morning, Luke was up and started to make some breakfast for Tava
and himself.  Hopefully they’d be able to leave and find Mara today.  His
brief small talk to himself the night before had left him in a better mood
this morning.
    “Young man, you’ll freeze to death if you don’t put on a shirt.”
    Startled, Luke turned around and saw Tava standing by the table.  Luke
looked down and saw what Tava meant.  He didn’t have his shirt on.
    “I’m sorry,”  Luke blushed. “I forgot.  I’m usually just here with Mara.
I’ll go put on a shirt.”
    Tava laughed as Luke went to get a clean shirt on.  On his way back, Luke
saw a tiny piece of paper that had been shoved halfway under the front door.
Curious, he walked over to the door and pulled out the paper.
    “What you got there Luke?”  Tava asked from the table.
    “I don’t know,” Luke said getting up.  “It was under the door.”
    Luke walked to the kitchen to get Tava’s food.  He put out a plate and
serve Tava, then himself.  Sitting down, he looked at the small piece of
folded paper.
    “Well there’s nothing on the outside,”  he said examining it.  “Guess
I’ll open it.”
    Unfolding the paper he read what was on it.  He gasped and looked sharply
at Tavitha.
    “What?”  Tava asked.  “What’s on it?  Who’s it from?”
    “It has the location of the planet Mara’s on,”  Luke said unbelieving.
“But it doesn’t say who it’s from.”
    Both were silent.
    “Can you make sure it’s real?”  Tava asked after awhile.    Luke shook
his head slowly.  “I don’t know.  Maybe checking your ship could help.  I
wish I knew who sent it.”
    If this was real, then Luke could finally see Mara again.  He’d be able
to hold her and look into her eyes again...
    “Well you should check later then,”  Tava suggested.
    “I’ll do that,”  Luke said.
    He looked down at his plate.  “After I at least eat something.”
 

    Luke left after he had finished his breakfast and left Tava to watch the
twins for him.  Coming back to his apartment in the afternoon, Luke went
immediately to his room.  He got a small bag out of his closet and started to
pack a few items.  He’d called Leia while he was in the hangar bay and had
told her where he was going.  She’d watch the twins for him while he was
away.
    “Luke?”  Tavitha asked from down the hall.
    She came into his room with a questioning glance.  “Luke, what did you
find out?”
    “Well I checked how long you were in hyperspace,”  Luke informed Tava
while packing his bag.  He zipped it up and turned to Tava.  “The days?  And
well, it matches how long it would take to get to the planet the note says
Mara’s on.  Are you coming?”  he asked the older woman.  “I could use you to
help he find Mara once I’m on the planet.”
    “But what about your children?  Who will--”
    “Leia’s going to take care of them,”  Luke soothed Tava.  “I already
called her.  They’ll be fine.  Are you with me?”
    Tava nodded.
    “All right...I’ll go,”  she said.
    “Good,”  Luke said with a smile.
    He walked up to the twins and smiled sadly at them.
    “Daddy’s going to be gone for a little while,”  he told them.  “But your
auntie Leia will take care of you okay?”
    He picked each of them up, and started down the hall for Leia’s apartment.
    “Tava,”  Luke said before he went out the door.  “You’d better pack what
you’re going to bring.  We’ll leave as soon as I come back okay?”
    He got an acknowledgement and went out the door.  He arrived at Leia’s
apartment and knocked quietly.  Leia answered shortly after with a warm smile.
    “Hi Luke,”  she said.
    She let him in and peeked inside of the small blankets in Luke’s arms.
“Hello Nathan, hello Natalie.  How are you?”
    She took them from Luke’s arms and helped him put them in a small crib in
the family room.
    “Hi Leia,”  Luke said giving his sister a hug once her hands were free.
“There other things are in my apartment, you know how to get in if you need
anything.”
    “Okay,”  Leia said.
    The Solo children came running down the hall to see their uncle and
little cousins.
    “Hi!”  they all said simultaneously.
    “Ssh,”  Luke told his niece and nephews.  “Your baby cousins need to be
around some quiet okay?”
    All three nodded.
    “Can we see them Uncle Luke?”  Jacen whispered.
    “Mm-hmm.”
    Luke led them to the small crib that held his children.
    “They’re so small,”  Jacen said as he looked down at his younger cousins.
“Was I ever that tiny?”
    Luke smiled.
    “You probably were,”  he told him.  “I gotta go now.  You behave for your
mother and help her with your cousins okay?”    Jacen nodded and helped his
little brother view Nathan and Natalie.  Luke looked down at Jaina who was
tapping at his leg.
    “Uncle Luke,”  Jaina began.  “Where’s auntie Mara?  Why’s she been gone
so long?  Are you going to bring her back?”
    Luke bent down and got to Jaina’s height level.  He took a breath before
he told Jaina.
    “Honey, your aunt’s okay,”  Luke told the worried child.  “I think I know
where they’ve taken her, and that’s where I’m going.  I don’t know why they
took her.  That’s what I’m going to try and find out, okay sweetie?”
    Jaina, not looking convinced, asked him another question.
    “What’s going to happen to her?”
    “I don’t know,”  Luke admitted.  “Hopefully nothing, right?”  he said
with a tentative smile.
    Jaina smiled back.
    “Yeah.”
    “Listen,”  Luke said.  “Don’t let your little brothers worry okay?  You
be brave for them.”
    Jaina nodded.
    “Yeah, ‘cause I’m the oldest!”
    Luke smiled.  “That’s right.”
    Luke got back up and looked at his twins.  He bent down and gave each a
kiss. He would miss them terribly, but at least he’d come back.  And
hopefully with Mara.  He turned his attention to Leia.  She was here alone
too.  Han was off with Chewie helping Talon Kardde give a supply run and he’d
left Leia here.  But Han would be all right.  And so would Mara.  Giving his
sister another hug, Luke said his good-bye.
    “Good-bye Leia,”  he said parting from his sister.  “Hopefully I’ll be
coming back with Mara.”
    “Good luck Luke,”  Leia said.  “May the Force be with you.”     Luke
nodded and started for the door.  Before he opened it, Anakin came running up
and tugged at Luke’s pant leg.
    “Uncle Luke?”
    “Yes Anakin?”
    Anakin looked at Luke with a serious face.
    “May the Force be with you.”
    Luke smiled and gave Anakin a hug.
    “Behave okay?”  he asked his nephew.  “Help your mother for me.”
    “Okay,”  Anakin said, then he left to watch Nate and Natie again and Luke
was out the door.
 

    Three long hours later, Luke and Tava were gone and in hyperspace.  They
had taken the small ship Tava had come to Coruscant in on.  In the lounge,
Tava and Luke talked to each other to pass the time away.
    Luke heard sweet stories of Tava’s boys before they were taken away by
the Empire.  She spoke of them with pride in her voice and Luke after all
those years of hearing the same thing from Leia could finally understand why.
    “If you don’t mind me asking, how old were your sons when the Empire took
them away?”  Luke asked quietly.
    “Well my oldest was about 23, then 21, 20, 18, 17, and they took my
youngest when he was 15.”
    The Empire had done this?  His father had taken part in it..No, Darth
Vader had, not Anakin Skywalker, not his father.  The man who took his father
away had.
    “I’m sorry,”  Luke said.
    She shook away his sympathies.
    “It’s all right,”  Tava said.  “I miss them, but I know that they’re
always with me.  Watching over their dear old mom until she joins them.”
    Luke put out a hand and held her old hand in his.
    “A mother shouldn’t have to go through that.”
    “And your wife shouldn’t have to go through what she’s no doubt going
through,”  Tava responded.  “That’s why we’re getting her out.  If I couldn’t
save my sons, then I could at least save your children and now your wife.  It
helps an old soul a lot to be needed, Luke.”
    Luke nodded.  Tava was a brave woman.  Her sons never had to die, and she
was right.
    Three days later, the tiny ship came out of hyperspace into a system of
only 2 planets.  The larger one was green with speckles of a deep blue color
all around it.
    “Is that the one?”  Luke asked Tava who was seated next to him in the
copilot’s seat.
    Tava looked out the view port and nodded.
    “That’s the one I remember when I left,”  she said.  “The blue splotches
are all little lakes and oceans.  If it wasn’t for Elori, it would be a
beautiful planet, Luke.”
    Tava’s little ship came in on the night side of the planet.  Luke brought
the ship around and landed in a field of tall grass.  He pulled out a small
bag and put a few medical supplies inside in case Mara had been hurt, and
Mara’s lightsaber. He slung the bag around his shoulder, left the ship to go
outside and came up to Tavitha who was looking around and trying to find out
where they were.
    “Which way?”  Tava looked around once more and finally stopped.
    “I think it’s over there,”  she said slowly, pointing with a finger.
“See?  Behind those bushes.  We should be able to hide in them.”
    Luke nodded and motioned for Tava to lead the way.  Watching the guards
at periodical stations, Luke tried his best to shield himself and Tava away
from Elori’s knowing presence.  A few meters from a small building, Tava
stopped Luke.
    “That’s it,”  she said nodding to the building.
    Luke looked at it in disgust.  It was in horrible condition.  The walls
were crawling with vines, and the stone it was made up of was visibly
crumbling.  The windows he could see held no light, but then again, it was
nighttime and he had no idea what the local time was.  Luke’s anger flared.
His own children had been in there, in that thing, and Mara was still there.
He took a deep breath and made himself calm down.  They’re not there anymore
and Mara’s coming out soon, he reminded himself.
    “All right,”  Luke said, pushing away his anger.  Getting mad wouldn’t
help Mara any.  “How do we get in?”
    “Well, there’s a secret entrance that leads to the kitchen.  That’s how I
got out.  Want to try that?”
    “If it’ll work.”
    They went around the building until there was a spot with no guards
visible.
    “There’s no guards...why?”  Luke asked, looking back at Tava.
    “Well they don’t seem to think that anybody can get out or on this way,”
she said walking up to him.  “But I know better.”  she answered with a
knowing smile.
    They walked quickly to a spot on the wall.  Tava removed some stones from
the wall and both of them entered.  Luke waited inside while Tava sealed it
up.  Luke, not caring if Elori heard, stretched out with the Force and felt
for Mara’s presence.  He found it immediately and breathed a sigh of relief.
She was okay.
    *Mara, I’m here, don’t worry*
    He quickly shut off the contact.  Even if Elori heard, maybe it wouldn’t
be enough for her to find him.
    “Mara’s okay,”  he told Tava.  “Can you take me to her?”
    “I think so,”  Tava said, looking around and gathering her bearings.
“Unless Elori moved her, but I doubt that.”
    “Okay, let’s go.”
    They walked down a long dark corridor and Luke kept bumping into rocks
and once almost fell.  Annoyed, he unhooked his lightsaber and turned it on.
    “Oh, that’s interesting,”  Tava commented from the front.   Luke smiled
and continued on.  The eerie green glow of Luke’s lightsaber illuminated most
of the hallway.  Both walked on for a few minutes, turning down the winding
halls until they came to another wall.  Tava started to remove the stones
when Luke put a gentle hand on her arm.
    “Wait,”  he said.  “Let me at least see if anyone’s in there.”
    He stretched out with the Force, but could sense no one.  “Okay, coast is
clear.”
    Tava removed the stones and revealed an entrance big enough to crawl
through.  Luke went through first then Tava.  He waited quietly until she was
done sealing it up.  Tava went to the door of the room and peeked out.
    “Your wife would be on the second floor.  This way.”
    She led Luke through corridor after corridor, then finally up a small
flight of stairs.  All the while, Luke kept his senses out searching for
anyone that was on to them.  His mind was to Mara, hoping that they found her
and were able to leave safely with her.  They eventually stopped at a lone
door at the end of another hallway.
    “That’s Mara’s room,”  Tava informed Luke.
    He took a breath and held it.  His wife was behind that door. He’d
finally be able to hold her in his arms after more than a month.  He would
finally get to see her again.  He let out his breath and nodded to Tava.
    “Okay.  I’m ready.”
    Tava opened the door and let Luke in.
 

    Mara heard noises down the hall.  “Must be Elori,”  she muttered.  But
she had felt Luke awhile ago.  He was here, wasn’t he?  He would get her out.
The door suddenly opened and Mara picked up her head to see Luke come in.
Mara’s eyes filled with tears.  She got up and went to the door of her cell.
    “Luke!”
    “Mara,”  Luke said as he walked up to her cell and held her arms through
the bars.  He ran his hands along her arms and face, touching her and still
not believing it.  He pressed his lips to hers and felt her rush of emotion
at being together with her husband again.  Luke’s whole body filled with joy.
He was with Mara again and words could not express how good he felt.
    Tava cleared her throat a little, and the couple looked up.
    “Sorry,”  Luke apologized.
    Luke got out his lightsaber and broke the lock on Mara’s cell door.  The
door swung open and Luke went in and held Mara tightly to his chest.  He
could feel her warm tears falling on the side of his neck.  He could hear her
when she sniffed an sobbed and could feel her body shaking under his arms.
Her hair was rough and he could tell it hadn’t been washed in quite some
time.  Her face was dirty, but she was healthy.  Luke let his own tears fall
onto Mara’s beautiful red-gold hair.
    “I love you,”  he whispered.  “I missed you.”
    He could feel her nodding her head.
    “I missed you too Luke,”  her muffled voice said.
    Luke took in all that he knew of Mara and of what he could feel.  Her
sweet scent, the feel of her small body against his, the soft feel of her
hair, and the voice that he’d just heard.   They both parted arms length
away.  Luke wiped at Mara’s tears with his thumbs and pulled her face gently
to his.  He gave her a passionate yet tender kiss that only he could offer
her and stayed there for what seemed like a lifetime.  Mara’s thoughts filled
his mind until that was all he could feel.
    He sent her a blanket of love and ran his fingers through her hair,
knowing it hadn’t been washed, but he loved it anyway.  He never wanted to
leave Mara again, and held her close.  Her tears ran down her face and onto
his lips.  He had missed her so much...
    “Not to be rude,”  Tava said from just inside the small cell.  “But we
need to get going if you don’t want Elori to find us.”
    “Too late,”  Elori’s voice came from the door.
    Luke looked up and saw a woman standing at the doorway.  Her straight
black hair flowed down her back in a long loose braid.  She wore a black
cloak and had a lightsaber hanging from her thin belt.  Her eyes bore into
Luke with pure hate.  Luke had remembered her from two years ago.  He hadn’t
seen her since then, but had that awful nightmare reality of her when she’d
taken away his babies and wife.  She had looked so young then and it would
seem that physically, she hadn’t of changed.  But her soul was a black hole
that only hate could fill in.  What had happened to her?
    “Elori?”  Luke asked with quiet astonishment.
    “Of course,”  she said.  “I see you’ve come for your wife.  Sweet, I’m
sure, but you won’t make it out with her.  You’ll be lucky if you get out
with your life.”
    Luke stepped protectively in front of Mara.
    “Elori, we’re leaving and you could come with us,”  he said.  “I just
need you to listen to me.”
    “What’s to listen to?”  she asked.  “Your pathetic student taught me
nothing.  I just found my own way of learning.  You’re a poor poor teacher,
Master Skywalker.  I don’t even see why they call you master.  You know
nothing of the Force.”
    Luke kept his ground.  Kicking his ego wouldn’t hurt him much.  But why
had Elori’s training gone bad?  She had so much potential and it might not be
wasted yet.
    “Elori, you’re not well,”  Luke said.  “If you listen to me I could help
you.”
    “I told you I’m not listening to anyone,”  she said firmly.  “Now get
away from your wife and Tava.  They’ll be staying with me.  And you’ll be
here too, in pieces if you’re lucky.”
    Luke didn’t budge.  How was he going to get out of here?  Mara he knew
might be in good enough condition to run, but Tava was far older and might
not be able to make it.  But he could protect her.
    “Tava, get behind me,”  Luke ordered the older woman.
    Tava complied and walked to Luke, but stopped halfway and started to grab
for her throat.
    “Elori, leave her alone,”  Luke said.  “She did nothing to you.”
    “Nothing?”  Elori asked, a wicked smile on her face.  “She took two of my
most precious prisoners away.  How do you think I’m supposed to react to
that?”
    Luke pried away Elori’s touch on Tavitha’s throat and let air come in to
her lungs.  Tava collapsed on the floor and gasped for more air.  Luke took
off his bag and gave it to Mara.  Confused she looked inside and saw her
lightsaber.  Hiding her knowledge of it, she nodded and Luke walked forward
towards Elori.
    “Leave them alone and we can talk,”  he said quietly.
    Elori thought for a moment as she eyed Luke.
    “All right,”  she said at last.  “We’ll go outside.  Leave them here and
come with me.”
    Luke turned to Tava and helped her up.
    “I’ll be back, don’t worry,”  he assured her.
    She nodded and walked to Mara.  Luke followed Elori outside onto an empty
field on the opposite side of the building than from where he landed.  At
least she wouldn’t see the ship.  Stopping, Elori turned her attention to
Luke.
    “You want to end it now?”  she asked, her face looking even younger in
the dim lighting.  “Or do you want to suffer?”
    “What do you mean?  You can come with Mara and I back to Coruscant, we
can help you,”  Luke persisted.
    “Don’t make me laugh Skywalker.”
    She came up to him and ran a finger from his chest to his belt.  She
looked up into his eyes and smiled playfully.  “You could leave that witch
and stay with me,”  she whispered.  I could teach you the true ways of the
Force...and more...”
    Luke tried not to get mad.  It wouldn’t help him or Mara any, so he
grabbed her hand and pushed it away.
    “Elori, please listen to me, you’re sick, I could help you--”
    “You trying to tell me you don’t want me?”  she asked.  “I don’t need
your help.  You’re the one that needs me, Luke.  I could show you more power
than you’ve ever had.”
    “You’re wrong,”  Luke said stepping away from Elori.  The odd glint in
her eye making a shiver play up Luke’s spine.   “I’ve felt the power you’re
talking about.  I didn’t like it.  And once you’ve come back to the light
you’ll see what I’m talking about.  You want to be helped.  You’re only a
little girl, let me help you while I can.”
    Elori laughed.
    “You think that this body could belong to a little girl?”  Elori said
removing her cloak and revealing some very small and tight fitting black
clothing.  “Luke, I’m tired of trying to get you to join me.  I don’t want to
play your games.  You’ll be dead soon and your wife and Tava just might join
you.”  She unhooked her lightsaber from her thin belt and ignited it, pushing
her cloak out of the way with her foot.  “Come on, let’s see what you can
do.”
    Luke backed away from Elori’s deadly violet blade.
    “I don’t want to fight you Elori.”
    “Well too bad,”  she said as she came forward and slashed at him with her
blade.
    In a single motion Luke unhooked his lightsaber and ignighted the green
blade to counterattack Elori’s blow.  She laughed and struck at his right
side.
    “That’s more like it,”  Elori said with a smile.
    Luke kept his concentration and only blocked her blows in defense, never
trying to fight back.  He only wanted to get home.  He just wanted to be with
Mara again and with his twins.  He wanted them to have a normal life and so
far he wasn’t doing a good job.  What did Elori want from him?  Why was she
doing this?  Elori kept at her pace, and Luke kept dodging her powerful
swings.  They’d been at it for what seemed like hours, and Luke was getting
worried.  What if they were wondering where he’d gone?
    “Elori, please let me help you,”  Luke tried again.
    But he knew this girl was far from help.  They needed to stop fighting,
but Luke didn’t want to hurt her.  Elori laughed and ignored his request.
    “You keep up well,”  she said, her breath becoming heavy.  “I wondered if
there was any muscle behind that shirt.”
    She wasn’t annoying Luke as much as he thought she would.  He ignored all
that she said and continued on until he gained the upper hand and pushed her
down on her back.  Her lightsaber flew out of her hand and onto the grass a
few meters out of her grasp.  Instead of reaching out for it through the
Force, Elori put her hands in front of her face in a defensive position.
    Luke shut down him lightsaber and hooked it back on his belt.  He walked
up to Elori and reached out his hand.  She didn’t take it, and didn’t move.
    “Elori, please let me help you,”  Luke tried once more.
    Elori’s eyes moved to the side and she gave an evil smile, her eyes
taking in that odd glint again.  Luke looked where she was gazing and saw
Mara and Tava walking towards them.  Elori let out a low laugh and her eyes
glowed towards Luke.
    “Never,”  she whispered, her eyes shining with hate and insanity in the
moonlight.
    Confused, Luke opened his mouth to ask what she was about to do, when
Elori’s hand reached out and her lightsaber came rushing towards her.  Luke
jumped backwards and defended himself against another blow.
    “Mara, Tava, get to the ship!”  he yelled in the general direction of his
companions.
    But they were coming closer.  Mara, he saw out of the corner of his eye,
had taken her lightsaber out of the bag and had it ready in her hand.  He
hoped she wasn’t thinking on joining him.   “Better keep an eye out on your
friend,”  Elori whispered to Luke.
    She flung her lightsaber towards Tava faster than Luke could see what was
about to happen.  Elori’s lightsaber came rushing towards Tava, and Mara was
slow to react.  She tried to push it out of the way with the Force, but
Elori’s concentration was wholly on the saber and it didn’t work.  The saber
crushed through Tava’s stomach and came out the other end.  She stopped and
fell on the ground.  Gasping and trying to breath through her trauma, Tava
looked at Luke with pure fear and horror in her eyes.
    “TAVA!”  Luke yelled.
    She wasn’t going to die.  He’d brought some medical supplies...they could
help...but they wouldn’t be enough.  Keeping his anger down, he turned to
Elori.
    “I told you to leave her alone,”  he said, his voice filled with pain and
anger at Elori who could see it in his eyes.
    “Since when do I listen to you?”  she spat back at him.
    Mara was at Tava’s side and removed the saber and flung it disgustedly to
the grass.  She quickly tried to get as much of the bleeding stopped with her
hands and the small rags in the bag she had.
 

    Mara was scared, but tried to stay calm.  She had to help Tava.  Throwing
the disgusting weapon away, she cleaned the wound up as much as she could.
    “Don’t worry, Tava, you’ll be okay.”  she told her new friend.
    Tava’s eyes had gone clouded and she sounded weak when she spoke.
    “I’m not going to make it honey,”  the old woman said, the life already
leaving her eyes.  “Tava’s too old.”
    Mara shook her head and pleaded for this woman to live.  Mara had never
known her mother, but Tava had gotten so close to her that she more than made
up for it.
    “No, Tava you’re going to be fine,”  Mara insisted.  “Luke and I, we’re
going to take you home.  You’re going to see my twins again.  You’ll be their
grandma.”  She smiled at Tava.  “You’d like that wouldn’t you?”
    She wiped the blood from Tava away and tore at her own clothing to help
her wrap the wound.  It went through to her back, but Mara could still save
her.
    “I’d like that Mara,”  Tava said.  “But they don’t need a grandma.
They’ve got two wonderful parents and more of a faimly than they could ever
want.  Take care of them for me will you?  Give them a kiss and a hug for
Tava.”  Her last words were nothing but a whisper.  Tava’s eyes shut closed
slowly and her frail body slumped onto the grass.
    “No, come on,”  Mara said fiercly, trying to still help her.  “Wake up
Tava.  Stop joking around.  Come on.”
    Mara pleaded for Tava to wake up, but she was gone.  Her warm blood
dripped slowly onto Mara’s clothing staining it and warming her legs.  No,
Tava couldn’t be gone, she was still here...but only in body.  Why did Elori
have to do this?  It was her fault.  Tava didn’t have to die.  Not this way.
Not like this, not without family nearby.  Then Mara remembered.  Tava had no
family.  Her sons were gone, and her husband was no longer with her.  She was
a slave without anyone...But I’m here,  Mara thought.  And Luke.  We’ll be
her family...Mara’s anger swelled in her throat and she wanted to yell at
Elori, she wanted to cut her down like she had done to Tava.  She wanted to
take her life away and let her die alone.  But she knew she couldn’t do that.
She’d become an agent of the Darkside.  And with that, she’d loose more than
just Tava.  She’d loose her life with the Lightside, which was her entire
life.  One that she was still getting to know.
    Still cleaning Tava up, Mara wrapped her up.  At least they didn’t have
to take her back looking like someone had just ripped her insides out.
 

    “Elori, stop it,”  Luke said sharply.  “Stop fighting, you don’t want to
fight.  What happened to you?”
    “You don’t know what I want,”  Elori said, and Luke could see pain in her
eyes.  “I can’t have anything.  I’m just the little girl from Corellia,
remember?  Your Kyp Durron isn’t a teacher and neither are you.”
    She snatched her lightsaber from where Mara had thrown it and switched it
on.  Once it was in her palm, she turned it around, grabbed the handle and
thrust it, blade first, into her heart.  Her eyes went wide with pain and she
opened her mouth, but nothing came out.  Her small hand reached out for Luke
and brushed against his jacket.  She fell onto her back and coughed blood.
She took one final shuddering breath...her eyes slowly clouding over...and
died.
    Luke didn’t know what to do.  He knew Elori was dead, but he didn’t know
how to treat it.  She had been so young.  Elori didn’t deserve to have her
life taken away before she had a chance to redeem herself.  He walked to
where she had thrown her cloak and draped it over her.  Then he left her and
walked to Mara who was crouched working over Tava’s still form.  Too still
and stiff to be alive...
    “Mara,”  he said quietly.
    He felt Tava’s hand, but found no pulse.  And the warm presence he’d
known for only a few days had vanished from her spot in the universe.
    He knelt done next to Mara.  “She’s gone,”  he told her as he put and arm
on Mara’s back and tried to get his wife to look up at him.
    She shook her head.
    “Maybe I can still bring her back,”  she said as she applied bandage
after bandage onto Tava’s stomach.
    “Mara,”  Luke tried again, but Mara twisted her body out of Luke’s hold.
    “No!”  she told him with an ache and loss that he’d never seen there
before.  “That thing--”  she said jabbing a finger at Elori’s dead body,
“--didn’t really kill her.  She’s still okay, if we can get her back to
Coruscant before it’s too late--”  she stopped as her voice cracked.  She
closed her mouth and pulled her eyes away from Luke.  He could see the small
tears forming in Mara’s eyes.  She had been closer to Tavitha than he had.
She had been the only person Mara had while she was away.
    He put his arms around Mara, not forcing her to come to him, but giving
her the chance.
    She slumped into his arms and let her tears fall.  Her friend had died.
Mara never really ever had any friends, and to lose one that she had only
just begun to know hurt her very much.  Tava had helped Mara and cared for
her children...she wouldn’t be here to do that anymore.  If Luke had killed
Elori when he had the chance, Tava wouldn’t be dead now.  Angry, Mara pounded
her fists on Luke’s chest.
    “It’s your fault!”  she yelled through tears and sobs.  “You did it!!
You killed her!”
    Luke let her hit him, if that was what she needed then he'd give it to
her.  Someone she cared for had just passed, and he’d let her blame whoever
she’d want right now.  She needed to grieve somehow and this was just her
way.
    “You killed her!!”  she yelled, her face turning red.
    But her fists became weak and her hits no longer had the fire they’d
started out with.  Sobbing, she let herself be comforted by Luke.  She let
his shirt be the sponge to her tears.
    Mara wanted nothing but to bring Tava back, but Tava had accomplished a
lot in her life.  She had raised her sons to the best of her ability and had
helped bring Mara and her babies back to Luke.  She had been a good and
strong woman with nothing but love to give to those who accepted her.  Mara
only wished she could of lived longer.  She did want Tava to be the grandma
that her children would never have...
    Eventually Mara and Luke made it back to Tava’s little ship.  Leaving
Mara alone in one of the bunks, Luke got Elori and Tava’s still forms and
burned them with the few things that were in the ship.  Elori was so young,
and Tava still had life ahead of her.  But both were taken away too early.
Luke came back to the ship and found Mara asleep in a small bed.  He pulled
her boots off and put the covers over her.
    He had missed his wife and was glad that she was back.  He bent down and
kissed her wet cheek.  Going to the cockpit, he started up the ship and left
for Coruscant and the life that awaited them both when they returned.  Mara
slept most of that day and most of the second in hyperspace.  She came to the
lounge only to eat and then would go back to her bed and lie down.  Luke
hardly saw her, but he wasn’t mad.  She’d come to him when she needed it, or
would accept his company when she felt like it.
    On the last day in hyperspace, Luke went to Mara’s cramped room and
knocked quietly on her door.
    *Come in*  he heard Mara’s quiet voice in his head.
    Luke opened the door carefully and found her sitting down on her bed with
her head down looking at the flooring.  Luke walked over to her and after
awhile put an arm around her shoulder.  She had stopped crying and her eyes
were red and puffy.  Her hair was a mess and she seemed so distant.
    “You okay?”  he asked her quietly.
    She nodded her head.
    “I think I’ll be fine,”  she said, her voice a bit rough from the crying.
“I’m sorry, Luke.”
    “It’s okay,”  he said.  “Don’t worry about it.  You ready to go home?”
    She nodded her head again and looked up at her husband.
    “I missed you,”  she whispered to Luke.
    He smiled.
    “I missed you too.”
    She hugged him tight and held him for a moment.  It had never felt so
good to hug her husband.  She had missed how his arms would wrap themselves
around her like a blanket, and had missed the feel of him.
    Luke held Mara then kissed her on the forehead.
    “Come on,”  Luke told Mara.  “We’ll be arriving on Coruscant soon.  I
want you to be up to seeing our kids again.”
    Mara smiled then followed Luke into the cockpit.  Shortly after, the
warning bell pinged and Luke pulled the levers to get them out of hyperspace.
The familiar planet of Coruscant came into view with all its traffic in tow.
    “I can’t wait to get in,”  Mara commented from the copilot’s seat.
    “Well you won’t have to wait long,”  he assured her.
    Luke turned the comm on and gave a clearance code that would allow him to
land in the Imperial Palace’s hangar bay. Then he called Leia to tell her
he’d arrived with Mara.
    “It’s good to hear from you again Luke,”  Leia’s voice came over the
comm.  “Is Tava there?  I think the twins miss her.”    Luke didn’t answer
right away and looked over at Mara.
    “Um, I have a few things I have to tell you before you ask me anymore
questions okay?”  Luke said carefully.  “We’ll just land first.”
    “Is everything okay, Luke?”  Leia asked, worry filling her voice.
    “I’ll tell you when we land, Leia.”
 

    Leia watched as Luke landed the small ship with Nathan and Natalie in her
arms.  As soon as it stopped, the hatch popped open and Mara came rushing
out.  She went to Leia and hugged her along with her small ones.
    “Leia, it’s so good to see you again.”
    “You too.”
    Mara parted with Leia and took Nathan and Natalie in her own arms.
    “Oh my babies,”  she said looking her chlidren both over.  “Did you miss
mommy?  How’d you do with Auntie Leia, hmm?  I missed you guys so much.”
    Luke came out of the ship and sealed up the hatch.  He came forward and
hugged Leia.
    “Luke, where’s Tava?”  Leia asked again.
    “Can I tell you back at your apartment?”
    “Sure,”  she said.
    All walked back to Leia’s apartment with the press following far behind.
They had found out a bit late about Mara’s arrival and had wanted to take
pictures and let Mara be all over the holonet.  But Mara, not wanting to be
bombarded by the press and their annoying cameras, didn’t answer a single
question once they’d caught up with her.  They arrived on the floor of Leia’s
Presidential apartment and were kindly asked by Leia to leave.  They did and
Mara walked with Luke into Leia’s apartment.
    Mara went into Leia’s room to take a rest and Luke told his sister about
Tava.
    “Luke, what happened to Tava?”  Leia asked with concern.    Luke took a
deep breath and told Leia.
    “She didn’t make it out,”  he said quietly.  “Not even back to the ship.”
    “What?  What about Elori?”
    ‘Elori...killed Tava and then took her own life.”
    “Oh Luke,”  Leia said, a saddened expression on her face.
    Leia was taken aback. Tava had just been here with Luke, why would Elori
do such a thing?
    “How’s Mara taking it?”  she asked.
    “She took it pretty bad at first,”  Luke said.  “But I think she’s okay
now.”
    “I doubt it,”  Leia said.  “If it’ll help any, I think the twins have
missed their mommy and daddy a lot.  You’d better be glad that the kids are
in school or else they wouldn’t leave Mara alone.  They’ve been asking me
when you two were coming back.”     Luke smiled.
    “I don’t think Mara’s sick, but tomorrow I want to have her checked
anyway.”
    Later that afternoon, the Solo children came home and silently watched
their auntie Mara sleeping.  Luke played with them for awhile, then took Mara
and the twins home.  It took them a few weeks to get things organized and to
finally figure out who was behind the mystery note, and who paid Elori to
kidnap Mara and her twins.
    Senator Dex had hired Elori after he’d found out about her botched
training.  He paid her a generous sum of money to kidnap the children and
Mara in the hopes that the President would be so upset and she would resign
her presidency.  It didn’t work and it was an awful plan to begin with.
    The mystery note came from on of Dex’s aides who’d hated what Dex had
done.  He’d snooped around his boss’ office until he’d found what he was
looking for and gave it to Luke.  He testified at Dex’s trial and Dex was
arrested and striped of his title.  Finally, Luke and Mara were able to start
that normal life that they’d wanted so much.
 

    “I’m so glad all that is finally over with,”  Luke said from his bed.
    The trial being held had finished today for Dex and they weren’t needed
for it anymore.  It had been nearly a year later, but their twins were
already a year old.
    “Me too,”  Mara said from a room over.
    She was putting the twins to bed in their own room.  When she finished,
she walked into their bedroom and closed the door.  “Now we can have some
fun, right?”
    Luke smiled.  He looked at his wife who was wearing a small and very
revealing nightie.  Luke himself was wearing only his sleeping pants.
    Mara came and laid down beside him on the bed.  “I’ve missed you lately,”
she said as she nuzzled up against his neck.  “I’ve also missed Tava.”
    Luke remembered the gentle old woman who had cared for his children and
helped him find Mara.  She was very sweet...and to lose someone like her was
an awful thing for both of them.
    “I miss her too, honey,”  Luke said as he stroked his wife’s soft hair.
“But she’s always with here, she’ll watch over you...always.”
    Mara laughed softly.  “Even now?”
    “Hopefully she’ll cover her eyes and watch the twins tonight,”  Luke said
with a smile.
    He turned his neck to Mara and kissed her lips softly.  She gave a low
laugh and put her arms around his neck.  He grinned, pulled the covers over
them and turned out the lights.

...hehehehe...

THE END!