Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, nor do I want to. I'm not sure I could handle fans as messed up as me. None of the characters belong to me either, not even the tiny bugs in the forest so please don't yell at me if they don't know how to behave. I am just a tool with the sole purpose of cranking out useless drivel to entertain myself and hopefully a few others in this day of Luke and Mara starvation.

Summary: Luke discovers a person forgotten from his childhood. However, when his past meets his present strange things develop. How Luke deals with it could directly affect the course of his future.

Setting: This story takes place sometime in the Star Wars universe. Where exactly I don't know, but definitely after Darksaber and before the events in The Hand of Thrawn Doulogy. I tend not to follow a strict timeline so you do the math.

Thanks to my wonderful beta Sherry!!!! For putting up with me through this one. You are the best!

Leia Organa-Solo knew right away that she was dreaming. She was surrounded by swirls of motion and color that were always changing. She caught sight of a man out of the corner of her eye and strained to get a better look. Was that her brother? Yes, she confirmed that it was Luke. He was clad in his normal Jedi blacks, standing relaxed while looking off in the distance, and he was smiling. When he started to fade away, Leia concentrated, trying her best to stay with him. A female hand appeared on his shoulder and caressed its way to his face. He turned away, leaning in as if to kiss the owner of that hand. Leia tried but could not tell who the person was. All that was visible was a hint of the green and gold material that made up her long skirt. Then they were gone, and Leia was staring at the ceiling in her room.

"Another dream?" asked Han Solo. He was lying next to her on his side, one hand tucked under his cheek, sheets tucked comfortable around his shoulders, his eyes still closed. Had he not just spoken, Leia would have assumed he was still asleep.

"What?" she mumbled, trying to remember what it was he said. "Oh Han, I did not mean to wake you. No, this was a vision, I'm sure."

"You did not wake me," he said, even though she knew he was lying. He took a minute to yawn and stretch before continuing. "Was it the same one as before?"

"No, well yes, I guess. However, there was more detail in this one." Leia paused when she realized how confused she sounded. Thinking back she tried to recall all the details for this particular vision. "I saw the face of the man this time. It was Luke." There was something there, something she knew she was overlooking, a feeling, something she had never noticed before.

"What was he doing?" an asked, his voice growing sleepy. He wanted to help her, but he had been awakened every night this week by Leia's dreams. And she was never able to shed any light on why she was having them. Not from lack of trying, but they made no sense. The dreams continued to be vague, to the point that she was not even sure if they were trying to tell her anything. When he continued to wait for her answer she tried to think of anything else that she remembered that was different about this one.

"At first he was smiling," she explained. "He looked better than I have seen him in a while. More relaxed. He wasn't doing anything, just standing there, then he turned away from me."

"Are you going to talk to Luke about it this time?" Han inquired.

"No," she stated firmly. "The dream was too personal, and you know how he is about things like that. I just would not feel right talking to him about it until I understand it better." There was still that feeling. It was a new sensation in the dream, and she could not track down exactly what it was. What was it contentment, happiness? It felt like both of those, but then again neither.

"Personal?" He asked, shifting into a more comfortable position. "Did you leave something out about this one?" Han opened his eyes to look at his wife.

"He was kissing someone," Leia told him.

"Who?" Han asked, suddenly sitting up and looking wide-awake.

"I couldn't tell. The dream was very hard to follow. All I saw was a very feminine hand and the flow of her skirt."

Han relaxed back on his pillow. He stretched once more then pulled her into his arms, snuggling close. "Well, when you think of something more you let me know." Leia sighed, and then closed her eyes. She had a long day that started first thing in the morning and she was determined to go back to sleep. When, and if, she got more information, she would try and figure out her newest prodding from the Force.

The next morning Leia was sitting in yet another council meeting. It was the third on she had been required to attend that morning and she was having trouble paying attention. Her mind was not on the problems being addressed at the meeting, it was on her brother. The dreams were about him, she was able to understand that part, but that was easy. Why she was having them, and what they were about still alluded her. She decided that she would have to talk to him. He was supposed to be at her house to have dinner with her family tonight. She would talk to him then.

Pulling her attention back to the meeting, she was able to figure out that they were discussing going to a peace meeting on Tabim IV and they wanted Leia to attend. Realizing she had missed a few points she turned to Winter, who without being asked, handed Leia her notes. Tabim IV had requested membership to the New Republic after years of supporting the Empire. They claimed to have seen the error of their ways and were willing to try to come to an agreement that would benefit both governments. Leia had attended all sorts of meetings like this one, and was not concerned.

She was about to hand the data pad back to Winter when she spotted a small notation. They had requested Luke to attend. Their reason for the request was simply to meet the famous Luke Skywalker. She would have to ask if he would want to go. Though she was sure what his initial answer would be. It was no secret that he did not enjoy these sort of things, but she was confident she could change his mind. It would be good to spend some time with him again, away from Coruscant.

Luke Skywalker looked out over the Coruscant cityscape. He sighed as he watched the unwavering stream of traffic flow past his window. It had been a good month for him, he decided. He had overseen four new students at the academy, getting them settled in. It was a lot of work but he preferred them to know who he was, get to know him, so that when they were with him, they would not be starring at him in awe instead of learning what he was trying to teach. It had been a long hard month, but it felt good.

He had not been off Yavin in almost six months at that point and he decided it was time to get away. However the idea of being alone did not sound appealing. He wanted to be someplace where he was welcome and they would understand when he said he told them no, he did not want to do something. Coruscant was the last place to be if he wanted the latter, but that was where he went. He had let Leia talk him into coming to visit, convincing him that some time around his friends would do him good. Joking that he had been away just too long and they were forgetting what he looked like, but of course he came anyway.

He had been planet side a week. He had been to see Wedge and the rest of Rogue Squadron, including his former student Corran Horn before they left on their current mission, and had gone to visit with Leia, Han, and the kids at least once a day. Leia seemed to really enjoy it, even when she was not there when he always first arrived. Luke began to smile, remembering. A few times, she had arrived home to find Han and him in the kitchen attempting to cook dinner. A hilarious experience, but the meals had turned out edible. Well, no one had died from the food anyway. They always tried to make him feel welcome when he visited, but the feeling never felt complete. Maybe if he was around more often. That however, was something that could not be helped. He had responsibilities to take care of and could not spend all his time here. So instead of dwelling on what he could not do, he made the best of it all.

He had never told anyone but it had become hard for Luke to be around Leia's family. Not because he did not like to be, but because it always brought him back to the fact that he wanted one of his own. He wanted someone to spend the rest of his life with. Almost everyone he knew was either married or had someone special in his or her life. Even Lando, if the rumors were true, was currently seeing Mara Jade again though Luke was having trouble believing that.

He shut his eyes, his jaw set, and the muscles in his neck tightening. The rumor of Lando and Mara was just that, a rumor. He had never had the chance to ask either of them about it and he couldn't figure out why that bothered him so much. Why should he care who Lando was seeing? Lando was his friend after all, as was Mara. Oh well, he thought, pushing the idea out of his mind. It would be something he could think about later. Right now, he was due for dinner with his family.

Turning his back to the window, he crossed the living room, heading down the hall that led to the other part of the apartment. Walking purposely into his room, he pulled open his closet door. Scanning the contents he began to frown, the outfit he had planed on wearing was not there. Artoo told him that the clothes had been delivered. If they were not in his room, then where were they? He left his room and stood in the hall. His eyes rested on the two other doors, peaking into the bathroom he confirmed that the missing articles were not in there. With only one other option left, he opened the door to the spare room.

He had only used the room a handful of times, mostly for lightsaber practice late at night when he could not sleep. He would work out to help him get his mind off whatever was bothering him, or just when he had things on his mind and did not want to risk running into anyone at a gym. Looking around, he confirmed that the room was as empty as always. Looking around, he grinned. His clothes were hanging on the back of the door, delivered but put in the wrong room.

Across the galaxy, far from the hustle and bustle of Coruscant, Wedge Antilles sat in his X-wing, barreling through the vastness and solitude of hyperspace. It had been a quiet couple of months, with nothing but routine runs to pass the time. It was only natural that the powers that be had come up with some crisis that needed to be taken care of. It started out as rumors of an Imperial base in New Republic space. It had been said that the Empire had been sending personnel and supplies to run a small base on the planet Belkadon. The military had assembled a strike team to clear out the base and make sure they did not come back.

His instrument panel began to beep indicating the return to real space. The counter reached zero and he pushed the lever forward, the stars ceased their crazy dance and returned to their rightful place in the sky. Looking around, Wedge noted that everyone had made it in roughly the same formation.

"Rouge 5, fiddling with the nav computer again?" Wedge asked the one member of his squadron that came out a few degrees out of formation.

"Just trying not to pass out from the boredom, sir," came the amused reply.

"Watching you crash into the planet because you changed course too much would really living things up around here, Lieutenant Horn," Wedge scolded.

"You have no faith in my skills, sir? I am deeply hurt," Corran Horn replied, his voice dropping, his tone sounding hurt.

"Coming up on the planet," someone reported.

Wedge looked around until he spotted the planet. It was small, as planets went, the mass a swirl of browns and blues. Nothing spectacular to be noted, he settled into his seat and began his approach.

"Ok Rogues," he called into the com. "Keep your eyes open for trouble."

"Ship entering the system," Rogue three announced.

"Those would be ours," Wedge explained, confirming his assumption with his scanners. "Lets move, we are going in." They entered the atmosphere and descended on the base with little trouble. It became obvious that the Empire did not consider this as a big enough target to waste defenses on.

"Sithspit," Hobbie complained as they were walking down the hallway of the base. They had yet to encounter any resistance at all. They were able to land and simply walk in the door. They few people they came upon were mere technicians, and surrendered immediately.

"Something wrong?" Wedge asked. He smiled at the look on his friends face.

"No," he explained, "Nothing. That's the problem."

"Just another boring assignment," Wedge agreed. "Enjoy it while you can. It won't last, but I know how you feel. I was hoping for a bit of excitement myself." They continued their walked through of the base, checking the status of the various groups while they secured the building. As they reached the end of the hall, Wedge heard hurried footsteps behind him. Turning he watched Corran approach.

"Sir," Corran announced, his breathing slightly labored. "I think we have a problem."

"What is it Lieutenant?" Corran dug a data pad out of his pocket and handed it to him. Wedge quickly scanned it. His eyes suddenly shoot back up to look at Corran. "Is this true?" He asked.

"Yes, sir," Corran confirmed, his eyes reflected his astonishment at the situation.

"Let's get this to the Admiral."

Luke walked slowly down the hall that housed his sister's apartment. He was a bit early, but he could not wait around. He could not shake the feeling that something was going to happen tonight and it made him a bit jittery, not that he would let anyone know about it. Reaching the door, he announced his arrival. He could hear some noise coming from the other side of the door and he smiled. Han opened the door soon after and greeted him with a friendly slap on the back.

"Hey, kid," he shouted over the noise coming from inside. "Come on in. The kids were just asking about you." He moved to let Luke in the door and came face to face with the three balls of energy. "Stop right there," he shouted, causing the children to stop their sudden rush towards their uncle. "He'll be here for a while, give him a few minutes to relax. Now go play for a while." The excited faces dropped in unison, but they obeyed and left the two adults alone.

"Hello, Han," Luke said. He loved those kids, but at times they could really run anyone thin. "How are things going today? Falcon giving you problems again?"

"Is there ever a day when it doesn't?"

"Come to think of it, I can't think of a time." Han's smile became contagious, and Luke laughed softly. "Is Leia home?"

"Yeah," Han said, looking around the apartment. "She got home about twenty minutes ago. She's in the kitchen. I'm sure she's waiting for you."

"Thanks."

"For what?" Han asked with a snort. "All I did was tell you where your sister was. You could have found that out on your own."

Luke smiled again as he walked into the kitchen. Leia was standing with her back to him, chopping up different foods and dropping them in the prep unit. She turned when she heard him approach and they embraced in a warm hug.

"You're home early," Luke said, stepping forward and grapping a bite of greens of the counter and popping it in his mouth. "You afraid we might try to cook again?"

"No," she said, laughing while shooing him away. "Nothing like that. For once, I finished early. I wanted to spend some time with you, Han and the kids."

Luke looked at her. There was something about her, something that she seemed to be keeping from him. "What is it Leia? You need something." It was not a question but a statement. He knew now that she intended to ask something from him.

"I was going to wait to ask you this until after dinner," Leia told him with regret. "But I guess I can go ahead now. The Council wants to me go to Tabim IV, and they want you to go too." She rushed on stopping him from getting a word in. "Before you say anything you would not have to do anything, it would be like a vacation, with a few meetings to sit in on. I know you probably don't want to, and you can say no, but I would really like to be able to spend some time with you away from here."

"Leia, slow down," Luke insisted, trying to keep from laughing. "I'll go. It would be a nice change of pace." Leia's face changed rapidly from shock to joy.

"Great!" she yelled. She grabbed his arm and led him out of the kitchen. "Lets eat, we'll discuss details later."

Admiral Ackbar sat quietly, with his eyes closed. Antilles and Horn sat in the chairs on the opposite side of the desk. "Please explain this, Commander."

Wedge took a deep breath before continuing. "Lieutenant Horn found this list while they were doing the data dump. As you can see sir, this place is holding over a hundred political prisoners, all claming Rebellion Affiliations." He paused, taking a sip from the glass of water that was sitting in front of him. "It would seem that someone decided to free the prisoners. Hence the rumors bringing us here, and the lack of defense when we arrived. We were meant to find these people."

"Have you confirmed that the prisoners are here?" Admiral Ackbar inquired. It all just seemed too easy. It would be the perfect time to spring a trap, but up until now he could find nothing wrong.

"Yes sir," Wedge confirmed with a nod. "I have a team down there now, assessing the situation."

He scanned over the lists of progress reports coming in from the various teams going through the base. "Looks like our work here is about done, we can leave as soon as all the refuges are aboard."

"Yes, sir," Wedge said.

After the Admiral's last comment Wedge took it as a dismissal and stood, preparing to leave. He was almost to the door when the Admiral called out to him.

"Commander," Admiral Ackbar said suddenly. He was reading over the data pad when Wedge turned around.

"Sir?" Wedge never clamed to be able to read Ackbar's expressions, but he could tell that something had caught him off guard.

"Have you had the chance to review the list of names you gave me?" he asked.

"No sir," Wedge answered. He had meant to read over the names soon, but he did not see it as too important, nothing to cause this reaction from Ackbar.

"Do it as soon as you get a chance," he ordered.

"Is there a problem?" Wedge asked, unsure about the sense of dread that suddenly settled in his gut.

"No, not a problem. I would just like for you to take a look at it when you get a chance, you'll see what I mean."

Day four of the peace talks found Luke bored almost to tears. He let none of it come to the surface, but it was crystal clear to his sister. She saw the same feelings mirrored in her husband, but he did not bother to hide it. Looking for a way to pacify both of them and keep them out of trouble, she suggested that they look around the city. They agreed excitedly, and almost tripped heading out the door that lead to the shopping center.

They walked along the outdoor shopping area and looked around. It was a dusty street, lined with tables offering everything imaginable.

Han watched Luke as he walked past the first few tables with nothing more then a curious glance. Then something on a table on the other side of the street caught the kid's eye. He suddenly walked away from Han to check it out. Smirking at Luke's behavior, Han continued down the street looking for something for himself.

Luke crossed the street, dodging the stray pedestrians that stepped in his path. There was something on the other said that had looked familiar to him and he wanted a better look. As he drew closer, he saw that he was correct. Sitting on the table was a painting of Tatooine. However, it was not a normal picture. This one seemed to change slightly with the angle of the viewer and sun. Luke found it fascinating.

"This is the ledge over looking Stone Riff, right?" he asked the young woman standing behind the table. She was young, not more than sixteen, with short brown hair, and green eyes. She stood behind the table watching the people pass by.

"Yes, sir," she said with a smile. "Are you familiar with the planet?"

"Yes, I grew up not far from this place," he said indicating the picture. Looking at the picture caused memories to start seeping to the surface.

"Wonderful," she exclaimed. "Are you interested in purchasing it? I can offer a decent price for it."

"I might be," Luke told her. "Who made this? You?"

"Me?" she asked, looking taken aback. "No, sir. I have not mastered enough skill for something so wonderful. This is the work of my grandmother, completely by memory. I do not recall the sight, myself, my family left Tatooine when I was very young."

"I see," Luke said. It was a very interesting piece. He hardly ever bought anything for his apartment, but he really want this piece hanging in his living room. "Well...yes, I am interested in the piece. Could it be brought to my hotel?"

"Of course sir," she said with another smile. She then indicated a very reasonable price. Luke transferred the credits and the woman's eyes widened when she noted his name.

"Tell your grandmother that she has a wonderful gift," he said, preparing to leave. "It's not often that I find people who see Tatooine this beautiful."

"Master Skywalker," she called out, causing him to turn around. "If you would like, you could tell her yourself. She is in the back working on another piece."

"I would love to." Luke smiled, surprised at how eager he was to meet this woman. He followed the young salesgirl into the back, and saw a withered old woman hovering around her work.

"Nana," the girl called out. "You have a visitor. An admirer of your work."

"Hum," the woman mumbled. "What child? Nana is very busy child, who is it?"

"It is Master Skywalker, Nana."

"Skywalker?" She asked a bit confused. Then her eyes lit up in recognition. She turned around and took her first look at her visitor. "Luke Skywalker, little Lukie. It has been a long time, how have you been boy?"

"I am sorry Ma'am, but I do not recall knowing you." Luke stared at her, confused.

The old woman laughed. "No, I don't suppose you would. You were still very young when I left. Nevertheless, I knew you and your family. Oh, that reminds me, I have something I would like to show you. Been wanting you to have this for years, but it seems to keep slipping my mind. The mind is just not what it used to be, you understand." She walked over to a large shelf of books and looked very close at them, looking for the right one. "If I can only remember where I put it," she said to herself.

"How long did you live on Tatooine?" Luke asked, trying to fill the silence. Moreover, trying to figure out how this woman thought she knew him. He certainly did not remember her. It was not like there were very many visitors to his childhood home to remember. However, Aunt Beru did have a few friends that came to visit on occasion.

"A long time I guess...it felt like it. I guess it was about 6 years."

Luke studied the picture she had been working on. It was another picture of Tatooine. The recollection of the site greeted him with another flood of memories. "The Stone Needle," he whispered.

She glanced over her shoulder to look back at him. "Ah, so you were one of those kids that flew those blasted machines through there... What did you call that pastime?"

"Threading the needle," Luke said absentmindedly. He mind had been transported back many years. He could feel the air rushing past him as he flew his ship along Beggars Canyon. He could even hear Biggs' laughing with excitement when Luke strayed too close to the wall.

"I bet you still do crazy things," the old woman said, pulling him back into the conversation. "Ha! You always did get yourself into all kinds of scrapes...Ah, finally, here it is," she handed Luke an old dusty book. Looking at the cover he could not place what it was so he opened it.

"A photo album?" he asked, looking at a random page. On it were pictures of three small children sitting on the floor playing with an even smaller animal.

"This," she pointed to the boy, "is you, Lukie. You, your sister, and my oldest granddaughter. My only granddaughter at the time."

"My sister?" Luke asked, confused. As far as he knew, he had never known his sister.

"Here..." she said, flipping the pages to a young man and woman. They were feeding the two siblings.

"Who?"

"That is none other then Kenobi and your mother," the woman told him.

"My mother?" He studied the picture. It was the first time he had even got a glimpse of who she was.

Luke flipped a few more pages looking at each picture as he pasted it. There were always the three children on these pages. As he went further in the book he noticed that Leia was not in those pictures, then the other girl was gone also, and there were only pictures of Luke.

"What happened?" he asked, looking once again at the aging woman. "Where did they go?"

"Oh, you poor boy," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "No one ever told you? Here sit down and Nana will tell you. When you were first born, your mother, you and your sister came to live with my family. About a year later, the Empire found us. We assumed that they wanted the three of you. We ran, my poor Asha and her husband with their daughter, and your mother and I with you and your sister. The fighting was terrible, but we managed to get away. It was then decided that you and your sister should be separated. I took my family to Tatooine to help watch out for you, knowing that your sister would be well looked after. I did not agree with Obi-Wan on this. Your father's planet, you could not hide there. Therefore, I watched out for you, and I became friends with your aunt. They found us a few years later. My daughter Asha was killed. They never found you. I have sense found out that they did not know about you. They were tracking my family."

"What about your granddaughter?" Luke asked, though he already had an idea of where the other child had gone.

"Taken," she said, her voice cracking with grief.

"I'm sorry," Luke said. It did not occur to him at the time of him asking that the question would upset her so greatly.

"She was such a beautiful child, the woman aid, ignoring his apology. "She looked just like her father, had his piercing green eyes." Luke smiled and looked at the child in the picture. "But she had her mothers hair, the color of a Tatooine sunset. Do you remember?"

An idea slammed into him, drawing short of knocking the air out of him. An idea that felt so right it frightened him. Timidly, almost afraid of the answer, he asked, "Ma'am, if I may ask, who is this child?"

"A friend of yours...." She said with a smile. "You talk to her still." His heart sank, could it be?

"I had a friend when I was small that I still talk to?" He asked. He had to make sure. This could be a nudge from the Force or a huge coincidence. He could not afford to be wrong about this.

"She held your heart then as she does today," the woman answered, as if Luke should already know that.

"Ma 'am, I don't understand... What is her name?"

"Hum? Oh, Marabelle," she waved her hands in the air and laughed softly. "Sorry, that is none other then Mara Jade. You do still talk to her, yes? You still love her, yes?"

"I'm sorry," Luke said, unable to stop the smile that appeared on his face. "Mara Jade is a friend...nothing more..."

"Ahhh, no matter," the woman said, dismissing his comment with another way of her hand. "You do not know your own heart... You will learn as you did before. However, I have strayed from my story. After that, I stayed to watch you. I thought it to be the best place to possibly learn where they took my granddaughter and so I have. By knowing and watching you, I have found my beautiful Marabelle. But to answer your next question, the reason I have not contacted her is because she has not attempted to seek us out."

"She has no memory of you," Luke told her. It occurred to him that Mara might not appreciate the fact that he was discussing her life with a total stranger, but if this woman was who she clamed to be, it could benefit Mara greatly. "She wishes to find her family, but has no idea where to start."

"Well, she does now," the woman said. "Here this is yours," she said when he tried to hand the book back. "Show it to her. Let her choose what she wishes to do. However, I would love to see my beautiful granddaughter again. Here let me show you." She turned the book around in his hands and began flipping pages. "Give this picture to little Mara. Then ask her to come back and see me. She will have many questions."

It was a picture of a young couple sitting on an old battered couch.

"Who is this?" Luke asked, although he had a good idea who it was already.

"Tell her that these are her parents," the woman told him, again expecting him to know it already. "If she wishes to see me, I will tell her everything she wishes to know. You come back with her. I am sure you both, as well as your sister will have many questions."