Disclaimer: I don't own Luke, Mara, Leia, Han, or any of the other characters mentioned in this story (unless I create my own)! I don't even own the Star Wars theme, no matter how many times I've listened to it. Sigh George Lucas is the lucky one…

FYI: This story takes place a few days after Luke and Mara's wedding (don't worry, it's rated T), and I'm sorry if I overlap another story line somewhere. I'm trying, but sometimes it's hard to know where everyone is supposed to be at any given time. There are so many stories now!

Hope you enjoy (and please R&R)!

Nightmares

Chapter One:

Mara opened her eyes and took a deep breath as they began to adjust to the darkness. She felt vaguely uneasy though she was lying in a soft bed, and she gripped the sheet firmly in her hands. A deep and sinister breath hissed close to her ear, nearly making her bolt upright. She hadn't heard that sound in years, and her heart began to pound.

Gathering her courage, she looked to the left. But what she saw was not a sinister man in black armor whose appearance had once terrified even the strongest of men. It was not Darth Vader there next to her. It was Luke Skywalker… and he was snoring.

Mara exhaled softly in relief and amusement as the events of three days past came rushing back to her groggy mind. We're married, she reminded herself happily, as if hardly daring to believe it. Mara Jade Skywalker. She almost laughed to think that she was married to the man that she had once sworn to kill. No, she thought sternly. I never really wanted to kill him. That was Palpatine…

She shook her head. Certainly she had been angry that her life as an Imperial agent had ended so abruptly with her master's death. But it was the Emperor's voice in her mind that made her seek the young Jedi's life. If Palpatine hadn't constantly been screaming for Luke's death as an act of revenge toward Vader, well, who knew how things would have been different? It doesn't matter now, anyway, Mara told herself firmly. That's all in the past. She had freed her mind from the Emperor by killing the clone Luuke Skywalker on Wayland, long ago.

Sighing, Mara sat up and looked down at her husband, brushing a few strands of blonde hair from his forehead. She could not imagine hurting him now. She loved him too much. She would rather sacrifice herself.

That will not be necessary.

Mara gasped as if immersed suddenly in cold water. What was that? She looked around, but could see no one. She began to stretch out with the Force –

Watch and learn, Mara Jade.

Unable to control her own arms, Mara watched in horror as her hands stretched out, calling for her lightsaber: the lightsaber that had once belonged to Luke and made by his father, Anakin Skywalker. It landed with a smack in her palm and she thumbed it on, almost hypnotized by the blue-white blade. The hum of the weapon filled her ears as she saw it swing back and forth. It seemed to move on its own, and her heart began to race as it stopped, hovering, above her husband.

You cannot resist. It is your destiny…

"Help me," Mara whispered, her jaw clenched as she fought to move the weapon away. Whether Luke had heard her plea, or simply sensed her distress, she didn't know, but he opened his eyes and stared up at her. His face was a mask of shock, horror and betrayal as the lightsaber plunged through his neck and into the mattress.

Luke Skywalker's life ended in a hiss and a gurgle as his head rolled from the bed.

YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!