stars (in your heart)

Summary: If anything, he is not close enough. (As children, we learn that one and one equals two.) OneShot- Mara Jade, Luke Skywalker. Sequel to "in the sea".

Warning: OneShot, fluff, close to no angst (just Mara). Rated T bordering on M. Oh, and fluff, did I mention this? Spaceships full of it.

Set: Sequel/epilogue to "in the sea".

Disclaimer: Standards apply. Part of the summary and of the last dialogue are a tribute to a TV series. Similarly, hints to other books are hidden here and there. Credit goes to the respective author.

i.

There is something to say for friends who know you better than you know yourself.

Leia wrapped her arms around her – bright, beautiful, wonderful Leia – and she was a glowing, welcoming light in the Force. Happiness shone brightly in her eyes and from her face and through her touch, in the way she hugged Mara like the sister she never had but they were. And her happiness was entirely for Mara. There was more to Leia's actions than met the eye, always was, because the Alderaanian princess was not only Force-sensitive but knew her better than anyone else. So there they were, on the landing platform where the Jade's Sabre and an X-Wing marked with the sigils of the New Jedi Order had touched down not seven minutes ago. Leia had rushed in as soon as the platform had been cleared for personnel, and had gone straight for her twin and Mara. And then: she smiled at her brother, bright as the sun, but she hugged Mara first. And Mara could feel her, both physically and mentally: a warm, welcoming presence in the Force, familiar and loving and protective and understanding and so, so precious.

Welcome home, Mara.

So Mara held on to her friend like she was lost in the sea and Leia was the only thing saving her from drowning. Only when she had gathered her composure enough to feel embarrassed and carefully inched back Leia loosened the embrace fractionally, but she still did not let go of her. And Mara, who never had liked the touch of other people much, who had shied away from human contact since she could remember: Mara was nothing but glad. Leia met her gaze – eyes of the color of chocolate, warm and deep, so unlike her brother's. And yet so, so similar. It hit her with the force of a free-falling speeder: the understanding she could see, the very same empathy she had seen in Luke's eyes only a few days ago. Something that had always been there, of course, but that she never had allowed herself to believe in: Leia, much like Luke, looked at her like she knew. Knew her, understood her. Did not mind her fears and her nightmares and her distance. Leia looked at her like she loved her. And Mara was sure, without any sliver of doubt, that her friend accepted her, as well. The knowledge was overwhelming, drowned her in a happiness that was too much to bear. It was terrifying, really, worse than meeting her own, dark mirror image, worse than losing herself. She was losing herself, in a way, because Mara had never allowed herself to be loved by anyone before. And, most of all: she had never allowed herself to love like this. So completely, utterly and recklessly, so terrifyingly. She had always guarded herself so well, fearing the loss of control more than anything else. Now it felt like there was nothing left in her except for those feelings and it scared her to hell and back. But suddenly the most terrifying prospect was not the one of losing herself anymore, but the one of losing something far, far more precious: something – someone – she had only just found.

Mara found herself holding on to Leia with something very much like desperation.

And Leia smiled and offered herself as an anchor and a pillar and a rock of strength, soothing her fear, cementing her resolve. Leia understood. And behind them was Luke.

(She could feel him within herself.)

There were no words to describe how much she loved him.

ii.

"So," Han began, and it felt like this was the culmination of far too many silly holovids. An intervention. He would have laughed, except that this was serious.

Luke kept silent and did his best to impersonate a naïve farmboy from Tatooine. According to Mara, there was not much effort he had to invest in order to keep it up, anyway.

"You and Jade?"

"Yes," he returned, mild as a summer breeze on Naboo, and attempted to hide his hands in the sleeves of his cloak. Then he realized he was not wearing one – not that the people would not recognize him anyway, but it had been worth a try – and folded them on the top of the table.

Han shook his head like he had been hit by the tail end of a rancor and was still trying to regain his senses.

"I thought she hated you from the moment you first met."

I thought you hated her, too went unsaid. If anyone, Han knew him: the slightly older boy who had saved Leia and him one afternoon in the lower levels of Coruscant and had kept an eye on them ever since might seem distant on times. But he had always been a loyal friend. Despite appearances, there had never been a time when Han had not cared, and Luke knew Han knew the same held true for him.

"It has been some years since then."

And what a number of years. How many lives could one fill with the stories of their adventures? The Skywalker twins, children of Padmé Naberrie Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, heroes of the Clone Wars? Separated at birth (except not quite), one of them raised as the heiress to an Alderaanian noble family, one of them as a moisture farmer's son on Tatooine? One of them a trained politician, one of them a trained Jedi, both always ready to dash off to where the trouble was greatest, the situation was gravest. Always poised to drop everything in order to save the galaxy. Leia and he had been trained for this, had been able to prepare for it for years. Mara had not, despite her training as a Jedi. But there was a difference between knowledge and ignorance, between action and reaction. There was a difference between dedication and loyalty, too, and Luke had learned the same lesson his father and his master had learned: There is no mistake as great as the one that betrays those you love. It was a lesson he had learned, the hard way, and one he was determined to remember.

"It's just…" Han hesitated, searching for words. Came up with nothing better, shrugged, said it nevertheless. "Isn't this a little bit out of the blue?"

Because Luke himself, better than anyone, knew for how long he had been in love with Mara Jade, his friend's question made him grin.

"Out of the blue?" And suddenly he was laughing so hard two Twi'lek with intricately tattooed lekku turned towards them, suspicious. Luke he knew he should stop, but he could not. His friend's expression only made him laugh even more.

"Han," he finally gasped. "I've been in love with her since forever."

"Well." Luke had known the Corellian for years now. He had seldom seen him this uncomfortable. It proved Han knew quite well how Luke felt about his red-haired fellow Jedi, and that he was not quite happy with it. "You were a kid."

"I grew up. It hasn't changed."

Han's expression was so serious and worried – true, unchecked worry – that the laughter fled his lips.

"I know you really care, Han. Rest assured: there is nothing to worry about. I love her. Nothing's going to change that."

"It's not your feelings for her I'm worried about, kid." She will hurt you. She always did. You know that.

And Luke knew his smile was going all goofy and mushy but he could not really help himself. "No need to worry about that, either. I can assure you."

Han stared at him, hard, and then downed his Corellian brandy in one large gulp. "I don't know what to do with that information. In fact, I wish I hadn't asked."

"You're interpreting far too much into this," Luke said, chuckling. "I can feel her in the Force. There is no mistaking there, believe me."

His older friend glared at the empty brandy glass as if it was – generally – to blame for everything wrong in the universe, and, specifically, for everything that was happening right now. Luke downed his own drink, taking distinctly more time, and waved at the serving droid. "Can we get another round, please?"

When the droid arrived, Han exchanged his empty glass for the full one, eyed it briefly and drowned it, as well. The tumbler was set down on the table with a distinctive clunk.

"I guess I'll just have to believe you."

"Well." Luke was not quite sure whether this was sad or heartwarming. Probably both. So he joked, because that was what they did. "What would you do against it, anyway? Care to share your plans?"

"I'm not quite sure," Han admitted. "I'm thinking of anything ranging from kidnapping Jade and leaving her somewhere on an inhabited planet to clubbing you over the head and hoping you might lose your memory. So far, nothing really satisfying has occurred to me."

"You do know that short from death, there's little that can stop Mara when she's set her mind on something?"

Because it had just happened. Because there was nothing that could stand in her way if she was determined to do something. Glowing twin suns, hot sand. Tatooine. The desert planet would be his home, forever. That Mara had followed him there, the things they had fought against, and had fought through, together, had only served to cement the fact how much he wanted her. Needed her, more than anything, because if anyone had been able to bring him back from the bottomless pit of grief over his master it would have been her. He needed her strength and her weakness, her determination and her hesitation. (Because they were far from perfect, both of them.) There was no Luke Skywalker without Mara Jade. It was something he had always known, but only now let himself accept.

"Oh, I know." Han sighed, and waved for the serving droid to bring him an ale this time. "Believe me, I know. I'm just not sure whether you knew."

Luke thought back at Mara's face when he had shouted at her. At the terror that broadcasted through the Force after their fight against the Sarlacc, when she realized he had been hurt. At the way her arms had trembled when she had touched him. At the way her and his Force presences acted around each other, blending, merging; at the sensation of her that left so little space for any other thought.

"Thanks for worrying, Han, really. I appreciate it. I'll keep your advice in mind."

Han's dark eyes held both humor and worry as he regarded his younger friend and brother-in-law.

"Just also keep in mind she is exceptionally skilled with the vibro knife and blaster, kid."

iii.

"Mara."

Grand Master Skywalker's voice was calm. But it held the thousand nuances she had learned to read when she first came to study under him, when she had been nothing but a lost orphan from a desert planet in the Outer Rim.

"My apologies, Master. I did not want to interrupt your meditation."

"You are not. Stay, please."

Kindness. Peacefulness, melancholy, memories. You have been abandoned so many times. If you stay with me, it will not happen again. Strength, carefully modulated. Guilt, because, after everything the Grand Master had done for the people of the galaxy and for the Jedi in general, he would never forgive himself for the mistakes of his youth that had led to Darth Sidious' barely-thwarted uprising. As he would never forgive himself for his wife's death, and for leaving behind his children. Mara knew he had never wanted to be named the Grand Master of the New Order. There was a lot Anakin Skywalker was – but he was not rash and ignorant, not anymore. Mara knew he would lead the order well, and so did all the Jedi that had put their trust in him by voting for him.

So she sat down in front of him, facing him like she had always done on the Angel of Naboo. Crossed her legs, breathed in deeply to steel herself and answered his gaze.

His blue eyes – oh Force, so much like Luke! – were sparkling merrily.

"So you and Luke," he said, and it was a variation of the same song she had heard since they had arrived back from Tatooine, from every person who cared for them (except from Leia). Only the way Master Skywalker said it did not sound incredulous, or estranged, or even incredulous and joyful at the same time. "That wasn't really what I expected, to be honest."

"The Force works in the strangest ways, Master."

He laughed, and the warmth in the sound washed away all her tension. "And here we are, and the student is lecturing the master."

She smiled, because she knew he was joking but also serious, and she knew he knew she was not attempting to be merely contradictory.

"Mara," her master said, and suddenly he was the strong, anguished man again who had found a lost, desperate child in the desert and had offered her a chance. "Mara, have you found a place for yourself?"

Mara stiffened.

There was a lot Master Skywalker could say without words, with gestures and glances only. She had early on learned to read those unsaid things, both because it was important to her training and because she wanted to understand a man who seldom spoke of himself and his own feelings. At one point it had even become crucial for her: how could she keep her place at his side if she could not understand him? She had no right to it. She had never been his daughter, merely his student. Luke and Leia had always come first to him – or so she had thought. And it had been the reason why she had been so opposed to Luke, why she had envied him so much: because he had a solid, unbreakable connection to the man she loved most.

Master Skywalker's eyes went dark.

I love you, Mara.

You are my student and my daughter. From the moment I took you in, I have not regretted a thing. There is not a moment I would want to miss, nothing I will ever regret when it comes to you. I have always wished for you to find peace in your heart, a place for you to call home. A person who is everything for you, and to whom you are everything. See, Mara: it was never me. I was your tutor and your teacher and your father as long as you needed me to be, and then I let you go. And you made a place for yourself in this world. You make me proud, every day. There is no greater joy for me than to see you find your happiness, and that it is connected to Luke's happiness makes it all the more precious.

And Mara cast down her eyes and smiled.

"I have, Master."

Now, with the finally-accepted Force bond between her and Luke filling almost every corner of her being, every part of her heart, she could look back at the little girl and see how desperate she had been; how hungry for love. How petty, in many ways, but that was what growing up meant, was it not? Looking back, seeing the mistakes; and being better than one's past self.

And she knew, without doubt, that her master understood her without words, as well.

Anakin Skywalker smiled. "Good."

The question was out before she even had the time to realize what she wanted to ask.

"Master, the public ceremony. Will you grant me the honor of giving me away?"

For a second, Anakin Skywalker's face dropped into stunned surprise before the most joyful smile graced his features again.

"I would be honored, Mara."

So few words, and yet: so much love.

"So, I take it you are planning a small ceremony?"

Mara grinned. "Yes. Leia is on strict orders not to invite more than one-hundred people."

"Force," her master sighed. "You're really going through with it?"

"Nah, we're going to elope. Talon says he'll find us a quiet place…"

"Really?" When Master Skywalker frowned, he looked a little bit like the deceased Grand Master Kenobi. Mara thought he would probably like that.

"No. But we will keep it small. I know that it's important to the public, with Luke being a Skywalker and all. But it's not like one of us is an Alderaanian princess and senator or a general of the New Republic. We're just Jedi."

"Heroes of the Yuuzhan-Vong wars, discoverers of the Camaas Document, crucial players in the Resurgence of the Imperial Remnant. You are hardly not a public figure, Mara."

Mara huffed. "Can you please not blast my bubbles like that?"

"Well, the way you are smiling I have the distinct feeling you don't really mind the ensuing hubbub."

Luke's silent laughter joined his father's chuckles.

And Mara realized that, once again, she had unconsciously reached out to him. It was a reflex, by now, one she could not stop: this instinctive need to reassure that he was there. That they, by whatever miraculous twist of the Force, still were together despite her continuous efforts to leave him behind. That he had not lost his patience, that he had continued to pursued her, steadily, and still loved her despite every time she had left, every hurtful thing she had ever said.

What have I done to deserve you?

I could ask you the same, my heart.

"No," she told her father. "No, I do not mind at all."

iv.

The four-star restaurant Corusca Sapphire was located in the spire or one of the most modern, highest edifices of Galactic City; 1.000 meters above the ground, and only was comparable to one other establishment, the Skysitter.

Its duraglass façade allowed for a spectacular view of the city-planet's skyline. The sky was violet and red and golden, the fluffy clouds bathed in light. The last sunrays reflected off the steel-and-glass, lit and polished exterior that were Coruscant's upper levels. Inside the restaurant, the luxurious atmosphere was tangible: tall, poised beings instead of the usual serving droids were patiently waiting to be of service to the distinguished guests. The chairs were upholstered with dark velvet, the tables made from the expensive, honey-colored wroshyr wood Kashyyk only exported every decade and the chandeliers were made from intricately interwoven Alderaanian crystals and the Corusca sapphires that gave the restaurant its name. The finest chefs worked in the Sapphire, and usually, reservations had to be made months in advance.

This, of course, did not apply to Leia Skywalker Organa Solo.

(Not that any restaurant would not have tripped over its own feet in order to cater for the Skywalker-Jade engagement party.)

Still, Luke spared barely a glance for the beauty surrounding him. In his humble opinion, after all, the most beautiful creature in the entire universe was sitting next to him.

Mara was radiant in a turquoise, floor-length dress; her hair piled up on her head haphazardly. And she was so close. Despite everything, it still was hard to believe that she was there, at all, that those moments on Tatooine had happened. That she cared for him. That she loved him. That she finally had accepted him: after years and years of fruitless pursuit, after years of trying to persuade her. Then, they had formed a Force-bond, and it had seemed like it had become impossible, after all. He had given up – desperately tried to, at least – any hope of ever having her. And then, when he had finally accepted it, in a moment when he had thought of anything but her, she had finally given in. That was Mara for you: stubborn until the end. Pushing back, again and again.

Luke could not believe-

"Farmboy," she whispered from the corner of her lips, her face straight but her eyes dancing as she continued to follow one of the dozen speeches that were scheduled for the evening. "Don't go there."

He could not help himself: he turned to her, drew her in and kissed her.

Mara blushed, furiously, as a cacophony of hoots and cat-calls arose and the speech was momentarily suspended. Skywalker!

"You are in public, Skywalker!" Wedge Antilles tut-tutted. "As a former member of the Rogue Squadron, best starfighter squadron of the New Republic, you have to be aware that your actions always reflect on your fellow pilots!"

"I wonder what's there to reflect on," Mirax Horn, Corran Horn's wife, put in drily. "The Rogues' reputation is as tarnished as a rusted, broken-down AT-AT."

At the same time, Iella Antilles snorted. "'Best Starfighter squadron'?"

Her husband shot her a glance like a wounded puppy.

"Encore! Encore!" Wes Janson chanted, banging the table with his fist. Others joined him but were quickly and suddenly silenced when Leia cleared her throat.

"If I may," a cultured voice cut into the sudden silence, and every face turned towards Talon Karrde. "The Admiral would like to continue."

"Thank you, Mr. Karrde," Admiral Bel Iblis said, the laughter in his eyes belying his grave voice. "As I said…"

Two more speeches, and the official part was over. Waiters and waitresses began serving the first course, and the room erupted in cheerful noise. The guests were a colorful mix of New Republic military members and officials, Jedi, CorSec officers (meaning: Han), both of the latter (meaning: Corran) and smugglers. Somewhere in the back of the room, a small corner had been prepared for the children, Leia's twins playing holo-dejarik with Mirax' and Corran's son Valin while his younger sister slumbered peacefully in her cradle.

Wedge, Corran, Wes, Tycho, Hobbie and the other Rogues were swapping tales of brave fights and not-so-brave everyday events. His father, Leia and Han were chatting with Winter, Leia's old tutor and Tycho Chelchu's wife, as well as with Talon Karrde. Iella and Mirax were discussing NR politics with Kyle Katarn. Kyp Durron, Kenth Hamner and Kam Solusar were sampling different brandy types, discussing animatedly, while Tionne, Callista and Cilghal were pouring over the old Jedi Holocron Mara and Luke had received as an engagement gift. And there were more, so many more. Luke could feel the atmosphere of the room fill with the good cheer and happiness of the guests, the warm pride emanating from his father. Leia's gladness and love for both him and Mara. Han's weariness that was slowly shifting towards acceptance. Jaina's and Jacen's lively presences, untrained but brighter than the sun. And, next to him, absolutely radiant: Mara. There was no corner of the room where she was not.

There was no corner in his heart that she was not.

Farmboy. Focus.

Luke repositioned his arm around her waist, managed to draw her in even closer in the process, and smiled.

v.

These evenings, Mara thought as she carefully exited the speeder taxi that had brought her and Luke back to the Temple, were of the kind that one kept carefully tucked away in memory forever.

Coruscant's silhouette was a silver blaze of light against the pitch-black night sky.

(She wants to put it into a box so she can take it out on other days and remember: the cool night wind, the laughter in Luke's eyes, the touch of his hand. The sensation of him, burning into her heart like the blinding warmth of a thousand stars.)

Luke, who had followed her after paying the fare, stepped behind her. As it had done in the past weeks, since they had returned from Tatooine, Mara's heart slammed against her ribcage almost painfully.

A warm arm wrapped around her waist. "Let's go inside, you're going to get cold."

"I can take care of myself, Skywalker," she retorted, half reflex, half amusement. His answering smile was blinding.

"I know."

They made their way through the dark Temple. The sound of water in the Hall of Fountains accompanied them through the corridors and towards the sleeping quarters. Mara reveled in Luke's warmth, so close to hers, in the way his hand rested on her hip lightly, his fingers warm against the material of her dress.

They stopped in front of Mara's quarters, Luke turning to face her, his hand slipping from her side. She missed his touch instantly.

"Has Leia planned anything for tomorrow?" She asked, trying to gather her frayed composure. "Any 200-people reception? A press conference? Because it would be nice to have some time for mediation in the morning, for once. Not that I'm complaining, but I kind of liked my schedule when I could make my own plans, you know."

Instead of answering, Luke simply looked at her.

His gaze was fixed on her face, familiar, but there was something in his eyes she could not read. His presence in the Force was strange, too, when she reached out for it. Something was there, something she had not felt before. At the same time, it seemed to call out to her. Confused, Mara lifted her hand to her hair and dropped it again.

"Luke?"

"Mara."

His husky voice went through her like a jolt of electricity. Suddenly, her entire body was vibrating, her skin burning at the memory of his touch. Oh, she realized, dazed. This. It was not as if they had not touched each other before, but never like that. After their time in the desert they had left Tatooine in a public transport shuttle and had returned to Coruscant in separate ships. Since then every day had been packed; full of meetings and discussions and personal conversations with family and friends and officials. And Mara, bathing in the utter closeness between them, in the glorious delight of simply being able to reach out to feel him in the Force, had completely forgotten about the physical side of a relationship. Luke just gazed at her, his eyes so full of want she felt shivers run down her spine. It felt like her entire body was crying out–

They collided like waves crashing unto the shore; inevitably, Mara tilting her face up and Luke his down to kiss her. Her arms went around his neck, clutching at his shoulders almost desperately.

Closer.

Luke's hands followed the soft curves of her shoulder blades that were barely covered by the dress, he groaned into her mouth and traced down the straight line of her spine to her hips, crushing her against him. Mara gasped, her hands fluttering through the fine strands of his hair, down his arms and back to his shoulder blades.

Closer.

Instead, Luke tore his lips away from hers, panting, and leaned his forehead against hers. Mara simply stood there, breathing hard and still in the unyielding cage of his arms, unable to form any coherent thought.

"What…" He hesitated, his heart racing as fast as hers and his voice rough with need. "Mara. What do you want me to do?"

She knew he would walk away if she told him to. This was Luke, after all.

But it was stupid, really, that he had to ask at all. They were connected, they were one, there was no way he was not feeling this. Unable to speak, Mara closed her eyes, feeling his touch burn into her. Her trembling hand reached out to key in the access code to her quarters. The door hissed open and she pushed him inside, and before the door had closed again completely she was kissing him.

He kissed her back.

Lights burst behind her closed eyes, her senses completely filled with Luke. His warmth, his scent, his taste – even his Force presence seemed to expand. It wrapped around her, left her dizzy and reeling, her knees giving in under her. It did not matter, Luke pressed her to him so tightly she barely stood on her own feet anymore. They kissed like the other one was oxygen and they needed to breathe. Mara could hear her own gasps, harsh and too-loud. Her hands were seeking the buttons of Luke's dress shirt when he stilled her, suddenly, his hands hot on her skin but gentle. His fingers stumbled over the buttons and his uncharacteristic clumsiness and the sight of his bare chest chased any other thought from her mind. Her hands fluttered to his shoulder blades, down his arms, she heard him inhale sharply, felt the impact of her touch echo through their bond, reflected again and again and building like a tidal wave. Reaching its resonance point, and she could not think anymore, closed her eyes against the onslaught of sensations. Luke's voice was a whisper echoing through her entire being.

Mara-

And then he was drawing down the zipper of her dress, carefully pushing the material from one shoulder, then from her other. Letting it fall down until it pooled around her ankles in a soft spill of green silk.

Mara.

She opened her eyes. In the light that filtered into her room from the outside he was so beautiful she could not breathe.

They fell into each other, a haze of touch, sensation and thought. Their mingled Force presences wrapped around them like the ghost of a song. Mara gasped as his hands found her, his lips, his tongue, he whispered her name like a prayer. Her hands traced the outlines of his arms, his shoulders, his face; one word reverberating through her like the chime of a bell: mine. It came with a ringing sensation of wonder so great she did not dare to close her eyes. Luke. My Luke. And in the Force, he heard her, or felt her. His eyes never left hers until the moment he dissolved into her, his face bright with farmboy amazement, and she loved him so much she could not breathe.

So this is it, she thought, dizzily. This is what it feels like. Would she ever be able to let go of him again? Would she be able to live without him now? Would she ever breathe by herself again without him?

Momentarily too distracted to feel her thoughts, Luke was pressed up against her in a way that left no place for anything to slip in between them. His presence was a foggy, sated cloud, so bright it was blinding. She could feel his heart beat against hers, his warmth spreading through her, his whole being mingling with her. She would have been terrified in the past, afraid of the intimacy, the incredible defenselessness she was left with. But Mara could not even work up an echo of her past fears.

If anything, he was still not close enough.

I love you more than desert nights.

vi.

"When we are young, we are taught that one plus one equals two."

The violet and the blue stones were each glowing faintly in the outstretched hands of Grand Master Anakin Skywalker. Mara could still feel the warmth of her own crystal. Luke's hand, holding hers tightly, was warm, too. As were the presences of all the people around her: welcoming, warming, familiar.

Home.

"When we grow older, we learn. We learn so much: how to make mistakes and how to deal with their consequences. How to decide on right and wrong, and when to accept that no decision can be made. How to see the world with kinder eyes. How to return what we have been given, by teaching those coming after us."

The Hall of Fountains was full of people.

Leia, Han and Chewie stood behind them, Chewie carrying both giggling twins on his shoulders. Corran Horn, Kenth Hamner, Kyp Durron, Kam Solusar, Cilghal, Tionne and Callista formed a circle around them, all of them dressed in colorful, formal robes. Behind them came the remaining guests: family, friends, Jedi, New Republic officials, intelligence officers, smugglers, soldiers, pilots, information brokers and holonet reporters.

Luke could feel them all: their happiness, the strength of their belief. How glad they were to share this day with them. Even Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, his mother and Master Kenobi were there: close to his heart, in the smile of his father, in the light of Leia's and Mara's eyes. They were present and alive, as well. He could feel Leia's love, his father's pride.

But most of all, Luke felt Mara.

"There are many lessons we learn as we grow up."

Anakin Skywalker's voice rang out through the hall, over the clear song of the water.

"We learn that our elders are not infallible. They made mistakes, too, they grow weary and impatient. They make wrong decisions. They have regrets. Growing up, we learn that we cannot only take the shortest path we see before us. We learn from our past, but we have to make our own mistakes, too. We will regret, as well. We will walk wrong paths and follow wrong signs, we will live and seek and struggle until we finally arrive. And we might only then realize that our final destination is the place we started from in the first place."

The glow of the crystals intensified as he brought them together, blue and violet flaming into incandescent radiance.

"Sometimes, we learn that the things we were taught were not everything, not complete. There is no whole truth, no single correct answer. It is complex, except for that it is simple, really."

When we first met, I hated you. You were everything I was not, everything I ever wanted to be. I have changed, since then. You are a part of me to an extent that I cannot say what part is my thought and what is yours. I love your sense of justice, your infallible kindness, your empathy and your optimism. You are mine, forever, and I will be yours until my last breath.

With a high, ringing chime, the crystals merged.

When we first met, I fell in love with you. You were everything I was not, everything I aspired to be. I have changed, since then, and my feelings have changed, as well. Today, I love you more than yesterday, tomorrow, I will love you even more. I love your determination and your strength, and the way your strength shows your weaknesses. I promise to love you and to cherish you, forever, until my last breath.

"Sometimes, one plus one is not two – it is one."