~@~Seed of Deceit

   Over the next few weeks life was amazingly perfect.  Then, like clockwork, that forth week came along and Lara would have sworn she'd been run down by a skyhopper.  Luke rubbed her shoulder reassuringly as she came back to bed. 

   "How can they call it morning sickness when it hits you at all hours?" she argued weakly, trying to regain her equilibrium and calm her churning stomach enough to lie down again. He winced in sympathy, but the effect was lost on her; Lara lost the internal battle and had to rush out of the room again. Thus far her symptoms had been pretty severe, and the early hours were often the worst.... 

   It was something that both of them were trying hard to take in stride, but Lara could see the concern etched on Luke's face this time as she came back to bed.

   "Don't worry," she smiled, chiding him patiently.  She sat on the edge of the bed and took one more deep breath before she lay down again. "Our mother had this through the first of her pregnancy too," she assured him, a strange look crossing her.  She thought it strange, how such forgotten things managed to come back to memory at just the right moments. 

   "I hope she found a cure," Luke prompted warily.

   "Warm milk and crackers?"  Lara's expression was less than hopeful.

   "It's worth a try."  Luke tucked her back in and pulled on a shirt before he walked to the kitchenette.  There, an assortment of bland foods had been stockpiled over the past week in the hopes that Lara would find something she could keep down.  Some days were better than others, and some days she found that it was all she could do to get up in the morning. Today had been one of the latter thus far.

   Luke finished warming the milk, and he noticed that the message alert was flashing on their comm console. Luke sat down at the small communications console in their suite's living room and found that Mara had left an alert for him to contact her. He put the milk and crackers aside momentarily and opened a channel.

   "Mara, what's going on?" Luke asked when her image appeared on the console a few moments later.

   "Karrde. He contacted me a few hours ago but couldn't talk for very long; I didn't get any details out of him at all, just a new secure code to use in contacting him again."

   "That doesn't sound like good news," Luke assessed.

   Mara nodded. "I'm assuming he's on the run. His organization is still having trouble with those ships. They've cost him two bases in the past month; this would make it three."

   "What do you need from me?"

   "Details.  I want to find out what NRI knows about this whole mess before I establish contact with Karrde; if he has come under attack again, mostly I need to know where."

   "Hang on." Luke was juggling the stations to get the information through to her while she was on line.  "Here it comes," he reported tightly.  "We've gotten word of another skirmish involving those mystery ships, this one in the Odgar sector."  He didn't have to guess if that name meant something to her, or to Karrde.  Mara swore under her breath almost immediately.

   "That's one of Karrde's more well-hidden operations. He must be fuming to find out how somebody's getting the drop on him like this."

   "He's certainly made himself a powerful enemy," Luke noted dryly.  "Listen, that's all I can get from here, but I'm gonna try to dig up a little more. Tell Karrde, from me, that if things get any worse he's welcome to impose on that long list of favors we owe him."

     Mara grimaced.  There was a reason that Karrde's associates found themselves in the position of owing him favors; knowledge and information were his leverage, his currency, and his power.  She knew that Karrde would only agree to such a distasteful thing (stooping to ask a favor with nothing to offer in return) if he had no possibility of getting himself out of this situation.

   "I'll pass that along," she acknowledged quietly.  Mara also knew that Luke wouldn't be making the offer if he didn't think it might be needed.

   "I'll be in touch," Luke signed off. "Take care."

   Mara gave him a curt half nod, and the console's imagery flickered to lines and static for a second before it shut itself down.  Luke sat back in his seat.  Absently, he took a bite of one of the crackers he'd left sitting beside the console. "Ugh." He made a face and shook head as he got to his feet. "That should be bland enough."    

~

   "You give up on getting any more sleep?" Luke leaned down to kiss her as he handed her the glass of milk.  It wasn't yet light outside, but Lara had gotten dressed while he was gone and she was sitting up now; she smiled and shrugged tiredly in reply, indicating that the decision really wasn't by choice but a necessity.

   Between the illness and the total lack of energy, Lara had reconciled herself to being forced to take it easy over the past few days. She hoped that the debilitating nature of these symptoms would pass soon, but she suspected that she was in for a long haul. For someone used to being able to work through such aches and pains, her body's general revolt was hard to reconcile.  It was hard to remember that there was very good reason for the persistent illness and lack of energy; her body was already putting much of its energy and resources into building the little lives that would continue to develop inside her.

   She consciously brought herself back to that thought as Luke placed the package of crackers on the bedside table next to her and sat down on the edge of the bed at her side. His fingertips caressed her face as he watched over her worriedly.

   Lara smiled at him.  That same patient expression from earlier this morning had come over her face again. "I can't take your worrying over me like this for the next eight months. You'll make both of us crazy," she teased him. 

   Luke grinned in spite of his remaining worry.  "I can't promise anything," he offered guardedly, but Lara could see the worry start to lift a little. And she was grateful for his moral support, along with the gentle reassurances that managed to make even the worst of her symptoms a little easier to take. His touch, his love and his concern, did bring comfort.  She turned onto her side to slowly sip at her glass of warm milk and then reached for one of the crackers.

   Luke had been amazed by the will power and positive attitude his wife was keeping as she faced the barrage of ailments her body threw at her, but at times like these he found that he most envied her quiet acceptance and patient endurance.  He reached a hand to gently rub at her mid section, not even close to showing yet.

   "I thought I told you two, you should go easier on your mother," Luke insisted softly.

   "You did tell them," Lara agreed, "yesterday.  Maybe they're rebelling."

   She set the milk aside.  Very little of it had been touched, but Lara knew she had reached her limit.  She carefully propped herself back up against her pillow.  "I heard the comm," Lara prompted, hoping that a new line of conversation might provide some welcome distraction.

   "That was Mara.  She thinks that Karrde's had another of his bases come under attack.  I told her I'd see what I could find out from NRI – but that can wait a little longer."

   "I'm okay, Luke, really," Lara persisted.  "The worst of it is passed now."

   Luke shook his head, hesitant to meet her eye. Maybe the illness was fading, but the malaise and fatigue remained.  Even if there was very little he could do to help her, he didn't want to leave her alone.

   "It can wait," Luke whispered.

   Lara watched him, already feeling the quiet shift in his attention: that familiar peace that he pulled to himself as he sought out the place where he found calm and focus.  The last moments of waning turmoil vanished as she closed her eyes and reached out with her own senses. She could feel Luke opening himself to her, letting that feeling of peace envelope them like the comfort of a warm blanket.

   His arm curled gingerly around her mid section, and Lara sighed at the emotion she felt in him.  No matter how badly she might be feeling, that emotion always touched her in a way that she couldn't explain, or express. She could only smile because she did feel it.  Beyond his love for her or the selfless concern that transcended his worry, there was a depth of emotion that defied words.  The strength of his feelings for the lives, still so tiny, inside her was overwhelming. 

   A part of his mind was completely occupied by the wonder of what he was feeling here and now, but a part of his concentration was very carefully directing those feelings of warmth and love toward the little lives within her.... Lara could feel her husband's smile as she listened to the sound of his voice telling those little lives how much they were loved and about all the ways they were expected.

   She was beginning to feel just a little drowsy when she felt his kiss against her forehead.  Luke lay down beside her and she let her arm move lazily around his shoulder; her fingers sifted through his hair affectionately.  There were no words to express how much she loved this man who was holding long, quiet conversations with his unborn children; she only loved him more every day. Lara smiled at the feel of his touch, listening as he continued on with the same one-sided conversation.

   It was the sound of the door chime that broke her from the doze she'd briefly lulled into.

   Luke sat up, sliding his feet over the side of the bed as he reached out with his senses.  "Atamvr," Luke identified their visitor. "I'll go see what he needs," he added. Lara smiled at him and situated herself again, reaching past the milk and crackers on the bedside table for a data pad.  It was almost light now. She knew she wasn't going to get any more sleep this morning.

~

   "Atamvr, what brings you here?"

   Atamvr had come by hoping to talk to Lara before his morning workout.  He was surprised when Skywalker met him at the door. "I hadn't seen you for a few days," he explained, suddenly caught a little off guard. "I thought something might have pulled you away, so I came by to ask Lara," he finished.

   "I've been here," Luke smiled, motioning Atamvr inside.  "Lara's been a little under the weather." He glanced down the hall toward the bedroom.  "I actually have to run out for a little while, though," Luke thought out loud.  "Are you going to stay?" he asked. 

   Atamvr nodded, not quite following the sudden shift in Luke's agenda. 

   "All right, then," Luke nodded back as he pulled his Jedi robe on over the more casual pants and tunic shirt that he was wearing, "tell her I won't be gone any longer than I have to."

   And with that, he rushed away, leaving Atamvr to stand there a little dumbfounded.

   Atamvr walked down the short hallway and knocked cautiously from one side of the open door.  "Lara?" he called.

   "Atamvr?" she asked in response. "Come on in," she added quickly.

   She sat comfortably propped up in bed, the covers folded down across her lap, casually dressed.  She put the data pad she was reading aside and smiled at him. 

   "Hi. Come on in," she said again.

   Atamvr realized belatedly that he still stood in the same spot.  "Jedi Skywalker said he had to run out," Atamvr explained, glancing behind himself absently as he stepped into the room. 

   She nodded, worry briefly crossing her face.

   Atamvr thought that she looked tired, and a little pale. "Are you sick?" he asked, concerned.

   Lara blushed.  "It'll pass," she assured him.  "I'm just a little pregnant," she smiled, suddenly self-conscious.

   "Congratulations," he finally managed to get out the single word.  Lara didn't seem to notice the hesitation.  She nodded, smiling widely as her self-consciousness passed into a happiness that was hard to contain. 

   "But it's hit me pretty hard, especially the past week or so," she acknowledged. "When I'm not actually being sick, I'm so tired I don't know if I can move or not."

   "Can I do anything?" he asked quietly.

   "No. Thank you," she smiled again.  "I'm glad you came by though. I've been wanting to see how you're doing.  Luke tells me you're showing great progress."

   He grinned, acknowledging her complement, and they chatted easily for a while longer.  It felt like he had just gotten there when Atamvr heard Luke return, and suddenly that same feeling of awkwardness returned to his emotions.  Atamvr quickly excused himself and started to leave as Luke entered the room.

   Atamvr only looked back once, to see her smile at him as he slowly sat to the edge of the bed at her side.  Without even a word, the strength of her feelings for him shone bright enough to eclipse the Coruscant skyline. Skywalker leaned across her with one arm, and reached his other hand to touch her stomach.

   She covered his hand with her own, and smiled to him again.  The tired shadows that had crossed her face a moment ago had gone away. Her eyes were quiet on him, like her smile.  As simply as her gaze rested upon him, and as deeply as her eyes held the emotion... without a word, she gave her heart to him.

~

   Atamvr kept his emotions in tact until he stepped out into the hall. Then it felt rather like something collapsed inside him.  The feeling he'd been trying so hard to figure out, and contain, and reconcile... it was suddenly all that he could feel – and it was clear, beyond argument.

   He leaned his shoulder against the wall heavily. "I can't be feeling this," Atamvr argued with himself, his voice stern in disbelief.  Then more softly, almost a whisper: "She's Skywalker's wife.  He's been nothing but good to me.... And she loves him," he agonized over the last. "I know that.  I can't be feeling these things," he finished his argument at a despondent whisper 

   "You're right about that," a voice from behind startled him.

   It was Skywalker's brother-in-law. He met Atamvr's startled gaze with a serious face, which followed into a half grimace. 

   Atamvr stumbled over his words as he tried to explain himself.

   "Don't bother," Solo cut off his attempted explanation with a light shrug. "I know what I heard."

   "What are you going to do about it?" Atamvr asked almost timidly.

   "I'm going to do the same thing you ought to.  Forget it," Han advised, his voice lowered. Then he shrugged again.  "Go on this way and you're setting yourself up for a lot of pain. That's the only way it can turn out," he finished, matter-of-fact.  Then his voice softened.  "Listen, you're a good kid with a lot of potential.  Don't throw that away for something that can only exist in your imagination."

~

   Atamvr went back to the rec room, walking on automatic.  His mind was cluttered with conflicting emotions and loyalties that he didn't know how to begin to sort out. Solo's words matched what he already knew on his own to be true.  He had never doubted that Lara loved her husband; he just sometimes wondered, how she could... and then, if he was good to her. 

   Those thoughts were the hardest because his feelings for her were strong, stronger than he had realized, but they were not selfish. He hadn't realized until today, hadn't let himself realize, that what he felt for Lara was love. 

   Atamvr had always known that he wanted the best for her, been sure that she deserved that. From that first moment she had reached out to him and made him feel that something could be warm and tender in the universe that had suddenly turned so cruel around him, he had been sure. She was simply the most special person he had ever met. Even the possibility, the imagination, that she was lacking in love, in feeling valued – it was a knife in his heart.

~

   Darlik watched as Atamvr went through his usual motions with more of an edge to him than was normal.  Something was going on with the boy.... Darlik fought the tight smile that threatened to cross him as he reached out and his own thoughts merged seamlessly with the oblivious boy's. This was too good.  So, Skywalker's wife is pregnant. And the boy is jealous.

~

   "Things are just right," Darlik confirmed over the comm, barley able to contain the eagerness in his dark emotions. "Now is the perfect time.  Skywalker is vulnerable; with a few quick strokes I can cut him off from his strengths and leave him irreparably distracted with worry, paralyzed by fear.

   "Surely you remember the way Dare and his sister came after him the last time?" Darlik side-tracked, his thoughts becoming hurried. "Alone, he is vulnerable; that's Skywalker's weakness. And alone, he will be easily defeated... as soon as I get rid of the other competition, before the boy can get any stronger," he tacked on disgustedly.

   "So now you're back to getting rid of the Jedi," Imago noted coyly.  "What happened to learning from him? Oh, I see," he answered his own question.  "It's not quite working out as you imagined.  The teacher still knows more than the student. The source of his strength still escapes you, and now there is another gaining the power that you desire for your own."

   "That will soon change.  I will have the power I desire; I will have respect."  He saw the other man's expression change slightly at the word.  "Yes," Darlik continued softly. "You want it just as much as I do.  I, through the Force, through succeeding Skywalker. You, through those inventions that deplete you of all your time and resources, but gain you little more than exhaustion."

   "A little more time, and I could have gotten Skywalker under my control," Imago argued certainly.

   "That was never part of the plan," Darlik refuted him. "You're starting to believe your own hype, Imago. Your place was no more than to incapacitate him while I was still... undecided.  There's a big difference between accomplishing that small task and bringing a Force-strong being completely under another's physical control."

   "Maybe not so big–" Imago persisted stubbornly.  "But regardless, that will wait.  Your last plan cost me considerable time, and great damage to one of my better facilities. I hope you are better equipped for this next effort."

   "For what I have in mind, protection is built in."

   "And my incentive?" Imago prompted.

   Darlik grinned darkly. "You will be given the chance to hold on to something of great value – after I have eliminated the boy, and then Skywalker."

~

   Over the next two months Luke spent a lot of time away from his students as Karrde's troubles persisted and Lara's pregnancy continued to take a lot out of her. Meanwhile, Darlik was slowly making himself known. He could see that Atamvr was generally uncomfortable with his presence, so he didn't do or say anything too deliberate. Subtleties came easily. 

   With Skywalker spending so much time away, the two of them were often alone. It was a terribly simple thing to bring the conversation around to his absence... a hint here, how it seemed strange that Skywalker was just now showing so much attention to his beloved wife... but that's only natural. Any man would grow more affectionate considering that his wife is expecting, his heirs to be born. Another hint there, with an innocent air of casual surprise, how strange that he isn't with her more, that he doesn't seem to show more than a passing concern for her health and well-being at such a trying time.

   "I know Skywalker is busy; that can't be helped," Darlik would admit regretfully.  That argument fit well with the way the Jedi always seemed to be rushing away, for one reason or another, whenever Atamvr went to see Lara. "I guess it's good that she has a friend to stay with her at those times," Darlik would observe, almost admiringly.

   With each new push he could see the boy react, his emotions becoming a little more swirled in turmoil and doubt, toward himself, toward Skywalker. It really was too easy.  The boy was already thinking all of those things. Why not give them a push to the front of his mind, add a subtle vote of confidence that it meant what Atamvr feared it might mean, instead of the simple logic that he could explain it away as.

   All too easy.  When the rest of Darlik's plan was ready to go into action, the boy would be perfectly positioned.  Once separated from Skywalker, he would be dealt with swiftly and finished easily.

~~ ~ () ~ ~~

   Lara didn't think too much of it when she received a message, though strangely anonymous, asking her to meet someone at one of the landing atriums. Returning to her growing responsibilities in the med center meant that she had a lot of beings pulling at her, none the least of which were the twins she carried. Her new condition still made her more tired than she was accustomed to, but at a little more than three months into her pregnancy the worst of the morning sickness and exhaustion had subsided into a steady fatigue.  That, she could work through.

   Once her health had improved enough for her to start thinking about getting back to her usual duties, Lara had quickly found that she was still prone to her usual stir-craziness, even despite her husband's careful doting.  It had actually become something of a dance between them, finding that fine line between how much he could worry over and dote upon her before she grew tired of the exercise.  When she grew weary of being the focus of attention she would usually begin to tease him for his worry, and once Luke knew that the line had been crossed their conversations usually dissolved into a humorous farce of the original subject matter. Luke would begin voicing outlandish objections and worries, meant to make her laugh, and Lara would respond by teasing him for them relentlessly....

   She smiled at the thought. It had been happening that way more and more often lately. But today she had known that her patience was at an end, and she finally felt well enough to act on those feelings.

   "Promise me you won't push yourself."  Luke had stood in the bedroom doorway this morning, deliberately blocking her exit.

   "I feel fine," Lara protested in return, her insistence every bit as stubborn as her husband's.  And she smiled as she took hold of his waist, playfully trying to move him aside.

   "I don't want you getting run down." Luke refused to give in to her lightheartedness or to budge from his place until she showed that she was listening to his concerns.

   "I promise, I'll take it slowly and I won't get run down.  I love you for worrying about me, Luke, but I want to get out the door and back to doing something useful with my time," she insisted.  It felt like she had been cooped up here, resting, for six months instead of three, and she couldn't help but exaggerate her need to get back to a more normal pace and routine.

   Luke nodded and gave way, expecting her to push past him and be gone.  Instead, her arm slipped around his waist.

   "I didn't mean it like that," she whispered reassuringly.  He had looked a little hurt before, just for a moment, and Lara hadn't liked the way that feeling had twisted at her heart.

   "I know," he said sheepishly, not quite able to let go the worry underneath.

   "I promise," she told him again, "I won't push myself. I know that this is the most important thing I will ever do."  She pulled closer to him, smiling as she held her hand against his cheek. "Bringing our children into the universe."

   That admission, along with the hope he could feel behind it, made Luke smile in return.  His emotions were so easy to read, and it was hard for her to forget the softness in his touch, or the tenderness felt in his kiss.... He knew as well as she did that she would never do anything to jeopardize the small lives inside her.  They were both, already, completely, in love with their children – and that feeling of love bred a joy that was hard to contain.

   Lara made an effort to draw her thoughts back to the present as she reached the atrium and came to a pause, scanning the area for a familiar face.

   Almost before the motion was begun, she felt that strange tickling sensation at the back of her mind, followed closely by the instinct that something was off. She took a cautious step backwards, and as she did the Force drained from around her.

   "Don't move," a rough voice said in her ear, just as something hard pressed into the small of her back.

   Years of combat instincts kicked in immediately. The fact that she had been instructed not to move implied that her cooperation was needed. She couldn't be shot here, not without drawing attention, and knowing that she wasn't going to be shot down here and now gave her a momentary advantage. She could turn, strip the weapon, and take control of the situation with a quick couple of kicks....

   But Lara didn't make a move. She stood there, feeling her heart thud uncomfortably in her chest. 

   "That's right," the voice said, waiting as another moment passed.  "You're at the wrong end of a stun blaster. I think you know what that means.  Now if you don't want me to get trigger-happy, you'll stay right where you are and just nod to show me you understand."

   She did as she was told because she did know what it meant.  Lara had realized what was happening a split second before she had intended to move into action against her attacker. But this wasn't an attack.  It was a kidnaping. That was when responsibility had kicked in, overriding all of her other instincts for self-preservation. A normally set stun weapon was a relatively harmless devise. Barring the extremely rare mishap, it would do nothing other than to incapacitate an average person for a short time.  But that designation didn't include her any longer.  Even at the lowest possible setting, the sudden jolt of energy from a stun device was as likely as not to cause miscarriage. That was a chance she couldn't take.  Her only choice was to cooperate.

   Fear gripped her for a moment before she could push it down. She was cut off from the Force, at the mercy of a stranger who was pointing a weapon at her back. She had no idea what his intentions were once he removed her from the relative safety of the atrium... the landing pad... Coruscant.... And there was nothing she could do about any of it.  A feeling of cold, hard terror filled her, like nothing she had ever felt before, not for herself but for the safety of her unborn children.

   Lara forced herself to push it away; she knew what that kind of fear could do, and she would die before her children would ever have to feel that from her. She pushed that thought away as well.  She needed a way out. 

   Luke. 

   She couldn't reach him through the Force, but he would know that she needed him. Lara was sure of it.

~

   Luke waited a little impatiently outside Coruscant's central med station.  That strange, discomforting feeling of restlessness settled in the pit of his stomach again, though he couldn't consciously sense anything wrong.  It was probably just his over-reactive nerves.  Luke smiled to himself at that possibility. If it was, Lara would have a good laugh at his expense. 

   One of the med assistants came by, and Luke called to her. "Have you seen Lara?" 

   "She had a message and went to meet someone. At platform, 20, I think she said," the woman answered. 

   "Thanks," Luke called back absently as he turned away, already on his way to the platforms.

   "Something wrong?" the assistant called after him.

~

   "You must know who my husband is.  You really don't expect to get me off world?" Lara was stalling now. She had to try to slow this kidnaping down, give Luke as much time as she could to intercept them... and she needed a backup plan in case her abductor did manage to get her off Coruscant.

   "In case you haven't noticed," he responded as he edged her across the room as inconspicuously as he could, "without the Force to help you, this is easy pickings." 

   "You'll never make it in time," she returned, matter-of-fact.  "I was supposed to meet him for lunch," she added, motioning to the hour on the chrono across the room and laying the bluff on as thick as she dared. "And he's feeling extra protective these days," she added.

   That did it.

   "Contact him," he demanded, taking hold of her arm as he stopped.  "No tricks. Just call it off."

   "I don't have a comm on me," she offered, uncooperatively, miserably. 

   He chuckled, falling for it. "Okay. We'll leave a short message."

~

   Luke ran into the atrium.  He had been running since he reached out to Force to find her, and felt nothing. His heart took another giant dip as he scanned the room. She was nowhere to be seen.

   "Excuse me sir," a service droid approached him, speaking cautiously, "but you are Luke Skywalker?" 

   "Yes," Luke answered, his impatience at the unwelcome distraction quickly fading into suspicion.

   "I have a message for you, sir.  I was instructed to forward it on the hour, to a certain restaurant," he puzzled, "but the name doesn't seem to be listed...."

   "Let me see?" Luke asked urgently.

   The droid handed him a message pad.  It was scripted in Lara's own hand.

   Read: Luke,  Sorry, can't meet you for lunch at FreqCom 8. All my love – Lara.

   Now he knew that something was terribly wrong. He just didn't know what.  Of course he hadn't been planning to meet her for lunch, and certainly not at a restaurant at didn't exist.  FreqCom 8.  What was she trying to tell him with that message?

   "Was my wife here?" he asked the droid.  "Did you see her?"

   "I believe so, sir, but only shortly.  The woman who scripted that message left with a gentleman.  The ship blasted off the platform, not a quarter's time ago." 

   Luke felt all the breath leave his body. He was too late.

~

   Dark of space.

   Lara talked soothingly to the twins, assuring them all that Luke would get the message.  He'd understand.  He'd remember the comm that she had taken to keeping on her since they had been expected.

~

   Luke switched the comm unit to its long range frequency setting, and then to the eighth channel. It was receiving, acting as a low power tacking signal. He pocketed it, sent a quick message to Allad at NRI, then threw a few essentials into a bag. He had forwarded the frequency; NRI could follow the signal and send help if he needed it.  R2 was meeting him at the Falcon.  Now all Luke had to do was get to the docking bays.

   He heard a knock at the door.  "In here," Luke answered shortly.

   "I know what happened," Atamvr breathed in acknowledgment, his voice also coming short.  "Leia thought you might have use for some backup," he added more conversationally as he tried to catch his breath and calm his emotions.  The effort still didn't cover the concern in his voice, or his intentions for being here.  "I'd like to go," Atamvr finished.

   He was hardly able to stomach the possibility that Skywalker might refuse him. A thousand intense memories raced through his mind, especially of Taypon... that first time she looked at him, so solid and compassionate. Nothing could happen to her.  

   Luke looked blankly at his apprentice. He was seeing again, for the first time since they met, how young Atamvr really was... but he didn't have time to argue or to debate his student's readiness right now. Luke could see that Atamvr wasn't going to take a refusal easily, and he realized that Leia was right. Luke might need backup, and Atamvr was a good choice.

   "Okay."  Luke made the decision as he turned to pick up his bag. "I'm out the door now. You ready?"

~

   Lara awoke in modest quarters following a restless night's sleep.  Almost a week had passed since she had been taken from Coruscant, and until late last night she had been aboard a small spacecraft. She didn't know much more than that. She had been kept in seclusion during the flight, blindfolded when she was moved from the ship to this location, and she was always surrounded by ysalamiri.  Two of the creatures shared the room with her now. 

   She hadn't been able to see, but she strongly suspected that her abductor hadn't been carrying one of the creatures while on Coruscant; that would have attracted too much attention.  But his sense had been hidden from her and the Force had disappeared from around her when he had approached, just as if he had been carrying one of the creatures.  She could only think of one explanation: he must have been injected with the same Force-repressing serum that had been given to Luke at the old Imperial research facility. 

   She assumed that the stuff had been developed there, and probably at some time since the late Grand Admiral Thrawn had come to power.  The serum could be available for sale by now, though she hoped that knowledge of its existence was not so widespread... but either way, this kidnaping shared a connection to Luke's ambush. She couldn't escape the possibility that her abduction could be another attempt in the same vein, by whomever had orchestrated the first. 

   Her surroundings further supported that theory.  The quarters she currently occupied strongly resembled the barracks of an Imperial labor facility.  Likely it was some sort of a factory once used by the Empire as part of their supply chain, exactly the sort of place an ambitious former Imperial would choose to set up shop.

   "I trust that you are finding the accommodations well enough, Collque Dare."

   A voice interrupted her train of thought, ringing disembodied through the room around her. Both that voice and the title rang familiar to Lara.

   "Fasad Imago.  Show yourself, you cowardly worm," she challenged.

   The door slid open a moment later and the stickly excuse for a man stepped through.  "Charming, still," he acknowledged Lara dryly.  "I see that your marriage up, in status, has not yet brought you an elevation in class."

   "I'm surprised to see you still alive," Lara countered.  "I guess the lack of backbone that made it so easy for you to crawl away from the Empire comes in handy whenever you find yourself ready to slither from underneath another boot."

   His lips pursed tightly. She'd hit the nerve, still. 

   "Do you know what your problem is?" Imago asked slowly.  "You've always been protected.  Such privilege can give one a false sense of importance and security. Vader's apprentice.  Skywalker's wife," he almost mused. Then his manner turned serious again.  "You're hardly in a protected position now. I'll advise you not to press me," he continued, giving the weapon at his side a pat.  "I may just lose my temper."

   Lara leveled her gaze at him, at the threat. "You wouldn't," she called him on it.  "You don't have the foresight or the gumption to put together a plan like this.  You're holding me for someone else, a trap, or are you just waiting for a payoff?"  She leaned forward. "Whose boots do you lick now Imago?" she grated the question at him, the insult.

   His pinched face reddened, and then he smiled, almost dismissing her insult. "Despite my better judgement you have become quite valuable – easily twice as valuable as you once were," he added ominously.

   Lara said nothing, but her eyes burned into him.

   "Rather like shooting fish in a barrel, are your family."  He smiled a sickening smile.  "Marnia?" he feigned a memory lapse, "about five months after Endor, I think it was."

   Her blood went cold. He was instigating her with this, ploy. 

   "The pay off there was minimal, really, but the satisfaction was high." 

   She looked down, trying to concentrate on anything but the images that came uncalled to her mind.... She didn't want to consider the possibility that he was telling the truth, but the facts made sense in spite of Imago's blatant instigation.

   "What a fighting spirit, that brother of yours–"

   Lara saw red, the blood rushing in her ears, and she trembled with the fight to keep restraint. 

   "You two must have been close–"

   She rushed at Imago, closing the short distance between them startlingly quickly. 

   For a second, he showed fear.  Then he remembered the circumstances and drew his weapon on her. 

   Lara pulled up and stood frozen, only an arm's length away from him.

   Imago stepped to the side, holding the blaster close to his body.  His beady eyes crossed with her cold stare, nervous in spite of his advantage, and a long moment passed before he seemed assured that she would do nothing to harm him. 

   "I think perhaps now you'll remember to treat me with a little more respect," he decided. 

   Lara snorted, repulsed by the idea of such a lofty quality being applied to such a lowly individual.

   "I'll thank you not to underestimate me."  His voice went a notch colder.  "In case you need the reminder, I'm the man who took your family from you once.  I won't hesitate to do it again."

   His threat hung in the air as Imago held his aim on her for a moment longer. Then he backed toward the door, turned on his best second tier Imperial heel and left. Lara stood frozen in place after the door slid closed behind him, trying desperately to get a handle on her rampaging emotions.  It took a great effort simply to put Imago, his threats, and the past out of her mind.

   Lara took a deep breath and reached a hand to support the almost nonexistent bulge of her mid-section. She had to keep her thoughts on the present. She knew that Luke was somewhere trying to find her, surely, coming for them.  She leaned her back against the wall and then slowly sank down to the floor, directing her energies, her emotion, and all of her attention toward her unborn children. By instinct or by necessity, that motion calmed her and helped clear her thoughts. 

   She was going to survive this, unscathed, for their good.  She just had to hold on to that knowledge.... Lara closed her eyes and hoped that Luke would come for them soon.

~

   Luke and Atamvr were following Lara's tracking signal at the Falcon's top speed.  That was the easy part.  Han had told Luke as much when he had insisted that Luke take the ship. Han had wanted to come with them, but had agreed to stay behind instead; someone had to meet with Mara Jade in Luke's place. And Luke had insisted that Chewie stay behind as well, for Leia and the children.  That left just Luke and Atamvr to fly the Falcon, with the help of R2-D2.  Even though Han hated to be separated from his prized ship, he had known that time was of the essence for Lara... and a ship like the Falcon could make all the difference between a daring rescue and a doomed mission.  Han had seen it happen enough times before.

   Lara's quick thinking and the Millennium Falcon's speed gave her rescue party a distinct advantage. Whoever had taken her would not expect to be followed, and therefore would be unprepared to be swiftly found. And it appeared now that Lara's abductor had stopped running.  The last several times they had come out of lightspeed to adjust their course, her location had been stable, the tracking signal no longer in motion. The fact that she was no longer in transit was promising but, even if Lara remained stationary, finding her would not be a simple task. 

   Her low power tracking signal was nowhere near as precise as a homing beacon.  It wouldn't give them an exact location; it could only bring them into close proximity with her.  Once they found the right system and the right planet, then the real detective work would begin....  But Luke tried not to get ahead of himself.  Concentrate on the next jump, then finding the system, and then the planet. One step at a time; try not to think too hard about the rest.  He had to believe that she was safe and well. Wherever she was, she was waiting for them, counting on him.

   Atamvr was fairly used to Luke's serious side. He thought he had seen as much of it as there could possibly be, but he found this new level of silent intensity utterly impossible to read. In his clouded preconceptions, the young man jumped to the wrong conclusions. Skywalker seemed a painfully cold man, and Atamvr tried not to let himself wonder if his only real concern was for the twins Lara carried.

   Under other circumstances Luke might have sensed the distress in his student's troubled thoughts, but instead he purposely worked to keep a tough exterior.  It was all he could do. In a fraction of a second his future, his life, his very heart had been taken from him.  It was a torture that would only end when he knew that Lara and their children were out of danger, that his family was safe again.

~

   Imago dropped in every day for the first few days, but Lara let nothing else that he said rattle her, at least not visibly. Deep inside, the only thing that kept her from going to pieces – or from going for his throat again – was the most important thing. She reminded herself of that regularly, keeping her focus on the precious lives that she carried. Lara comforted and reassured herself through them, certain of their safety and coming rescue. 

   As for Imago, he had caught her off guard once; he wouldn't get the satisfaction again.  He came and went each day with the same taunts and veiled threats. She came to mark the time through them, and she told him so. But on her fourth day there he brought a small box with the familiar taunts; he claimed that its contents proved what he had told her before to be true. After he had left Lara braced herself and opened it.

   Imago was right. If she had had any remaining doubts, this laid them to rest; inside the box was a collection of items that she knew would have been carefully hidden away while her family had been alive. There was a battered holographic recorder and a couple of other items; either they were keepsakes, precious for sentimental reasons, or they simply provided proof (in the wrong hands) that Lara had been there... and had been taken. One of the pieces in particular she hadn't remembered, or even thought of, for years. Holding it was like being there again, and her mind returned to that day: the long-dreaded day.

-  - -

   "That's strange," Mark breathed.

   She would never forget it. A moment earlier she hadn't had a care in the world. It had been a beautiful fall evening when Mark and Lara had taken the speeder into town to run errands.  Neither of them had noticed that the streets were quieter than usual, but once they parked the speeder and had begun walking further into town it became obvious that many of the stores had closed early.

   Then Mark spoke, and Lara stopped dead in her tracks.  "Something's not right," she realized coldly.

   "Hold it!" Several stormtroopers emerged from a nearby doorway to detain the two of them, just as another cluster cordoned off the street behind them.

   Mark turned around, desperately seeking some route of escape, but they were surrounded.  Out-numbered and facing an armed guard, escape was an impossibility on all counts. Lara could still see the trapped look in his eyes as he'd turned to her, trying vainly to protect her from all directions at once.  She was stunned by the sudden turn of events, and by such a strong show of force... but she knew that it wasn't as bad as it appeared.

   "It's okay," she put a hand on Mark's arm, "they won't hurt me," she assured him quietly.

   Mark looked to her for a long moment, trying to determine if she was really being honest or just seeking to reassure him. Lara couldn't explain it any further; she hadn't known how she could be so certain of that fact, and her brother's eyes locked on hers, obviously scared for her safety.

   As if in answer to an unspoken question, one of the troops stepped forward.  "Hold this one here," he motioned to Mark with the business end of his blast rifle; "take the girl inside – and take special care with her. Captain Piett said she's not to be harmed."

   "Inside," another of the troopers ordered her, assuming an escort position at her side.  "The Captain's waiting."

   It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting inside the restaurant that the Imperials had commandeered, presumably as their base here, but Lara could hear a hush come over the room and she could make out a lean figure dressed in military grey. He rose from his seat when she and her guard entered the room.

   "Well done, solider. It's not everyday that your target walks right into camp, but when opportunity finds you, you had best be prepared," he praised the trooper who brought Lara to him before he turned his attention to her.  "I am Captain Piett," he introduced himself, "commander of the Super Star Destroyer, Executor, and of this reconnaissance team."

   "What do want with me?"

   A trace of a smile crossed the man's grim features.  She was unimpressed by Piett's title and had no idea of the stature of Vader's newly commissioned Super Star Destroyer, or what it meant for an Imperial officer to serve aboard it. But Piett suspected that Lord Vader's insight had proven correct once again.  Either the girl was not easily intimidated, or she was putting up a very brave front. Either way, Piett was impressed.  Conscripts fell to pieces often enough at the first sight of a stormtrooper battalion, but this one stood tall, unafraid to look him in the eye and speak for herself. There was potential there, potential that would be cultivated by the Empire's rigorous training, beginning with her reprogramming....

     "Yes, let's get straight to the point," Piett concurred.  "You are here because Lord Vader believes that you are of value to the Empire. For that reason I will require you to accompany us off world at daybreak tomorrow, following our mission's completion," he amended. 

   "Your mission?" she questioned with measured curiosity.

   "Scouting this system for rebel activity," he assured her with a smug smile.  "No place is immune to that infestation anymore, it seems."

   Lara remained silent as Piett studied her.

   "If you refuse," he began almost conversationally. Then he looked aside as a small man (in both stature and importance) unexpectedly entered the room. Taking in the situation, Piett questioning a local, he proceeded to overestimate his own importance and began reporting some trivial discrepancy to Piett.

   Piett, who clearly was not in agreement with the man's first assessment of his own importance, was even less swayed by the substance of his argument. "That is enough, Advisor Imago," he curtly cut off the visitor's argument and turned back to Lara. 

   "If you refuse, I am authorized to persuade you to cooperate, using the considerable capacities of a number of Star Destroyers that are currently orbiting in this system."    

   She swallowed hard.  "I understand," Lara answered, feeling her last hope of somehow escaping this mess evaporate into a cold acceptance. At least the waiting had ended.  She drew up all her strength to speak again. "I'll cooperate, but I request a short leave in which to make my final arrangements here."

   "You request a short leave," came an amused outburst from behind her.

   "If I am of such importance to Lord Vader, I doubt he would approve of his underlings," she directed pointedly to Imago, "jeopardizing my willingness to comply."

   "Your willingness to comply is not an issue here," Piett stated cooly, and in the next breath he reprimanded Imago. "And Personal Project Advisor Imago, I will not have technical experts presuming to dictate opinion to Imperial officers. While you are under my authority you will conduct yourself to military codes or you will see your privileges become severely limited."  

   "Yes, sir," he stammered in response.

   Captain Piett hardly missed a step before returning his attention to Lara. "What you do between now and daybreak tomorrow is of no concern to me," he stated, and paused for emphasis, "but understand that if you are not accounted for by the appointed time, we will be forced to gather you – and if you cannot be accounted for, there will be far more force involved in the gathering," he finished his assessment with an obviously referencing skyward stare. 

   "Understood," Lara replied quietly. 

   "Good," Piett concluded. "You have until dawn to return here. I would strongly advise against any other, ideas," he mused before he turned his back on her, making the thought a dismissal.

   Mark was waiting just outside; he was still being watched but was under a much lighter guard than the two of them had been before. His relief was evident as he realized that they were letting her go, and the two were quick to exit the Imperial camp.

~

   There was an uncomfortable dry feeling in her throat; it matched the uncomfortable quiet in the air. Lara had just finished explaining to Mark and their parents the circumstances surrounding her release. They realized the severity of the situation; their faces paled noticeably during her story, but none of them panicked.  They simply understood that this turn of events was beyond their, or even Lara's, power to control or to contain any longer.

   "What are you going to do, Lara?" their mother asked.  Unconsciously, her hand found the place where her husband's hand rested on her shoulder.

   She had hardly spoken the words before Mark jumped up from his seat. "What? Mother, you can't be serious.  There is no decision. We can't give Lara up to the Empire!" 

   "No, Mark," Lara said softly, the contradiction in her voice drawing his attention.  "You're not giving me up. I'm going, of my own free will," she stated. "I've decided," she finalized the statement, glancing to their parents. 

   Mark stared at her in disbelief for a long moment, shocked beyond all response.  Undoubtably he was remembering a thousand of her childhood fears, and feeling them multiplied by the imminent reality; he couldn't fathom the thought of her walking freely into either. He looked past her helplessly and saw the equal helplessness in their parents' faces.  Tears had welled in their eyes as they held hands tightly. 

   Mark crouched down to the floor to be eye level with his sister. "Lara. No," he breathed, "what are you saying?"

   There were tears in her eyes too.  "It has to be this way, Mark. If I go, it ends here. If I stay..." she shook her head, "everybody suffers.  It's the honorable thing," she tried again to explain it, but she knew she wasn't getting through to him. She felt the helpless turmoil that had overtaken his emotions. "The only honorable thing," she corrected sadly. 

   Mark looked down, and tears fell.  "Blast, Lara," he uttered the curse under his breath, but his voice immediately softened when he spoke to her again. "I don't care about suffering and I don't care about honor."  He reached up to wipe a tear from her face, his thumb rubbing across her cheek. "Since before I was old enough to know what it meant, I promised I'd be the one to protect you." He shook his head. "Please," Mark whispered, fighting back his own tears. "Don't do this."

   She took a deep breath and bowed her head, unable to respond.  She couldn't say what he needed to hear, and nothing could make that hurt less. She heard Mark stand and walk out, felt his emotions go numb with the weight of things he couldn't comprehend. Lara could only stifle a broken sob as she closed her eyes tight. Her mom pushed back from her own seat and moved behind Lara; she held on to her daughter's shoulders as Lara felt herself begin to shake.  Lara put her head across her arms cried softly, numbly.  The tears came, not for the unfairness or uncertainty, or even for the pain that was all around her now.... Both of her parents held on to her, and they mourned it together.  The last of her childhood was dead.

~

   There had been a storm coming in that night. It made the night air around her feel crisp and alive, and Lara glanced up to see the lightened clouds blowing over the dimly lit sky as she began her journey on foot; she wanted to leave no trail that could lead back to her family....  Lara said her final goodbyes to her parents, goodbyes to home, and tears, and a lot more of herself than she ever intended, she realized looking back.  She told them she loved them and stepped out into the night, but she couldn't go yet. She went to the waterfront, hoping to find Mark in the place he usually went to when he was troubled. 

   Fearing that she might not find him before her time ran out, she had left a note for him in his room at home, along with a small gift... but she didn't want to leave it that way. She paced the shore for what felt like an eternity as the minutes kept passing by, irreversibly....  But still she waited another minute, and then another.  Finally, she caught sight of a motion, and she saw her brother walking up the bank from the far shore.

   "It's a good night for it," she said easily as she neared him, motioning toward the sailboat that stood idle behind him. Her voice was a little too quiet to let either of them pretend that the changing weather and the stormy sea was all that she had come here to discuss.

   "Yeah. Storm coming in," he returned, his voice holding that same deceptive ease. But he continued on with hardly a pause.  "I've been going out of my head for ways to keep you here.  I know there is none," he admitted looking down. "I just never thought it would come to this. Any thought I had of this, it was always you and me, standing, fighting back to back, or of all of us rushing off system."  He fell silent.  "Never Star Destroyers," he trailed off again. 

   "I know you're doing what you have to do." Mark looked to her.  "I know, because it's what I would do," he finished quietly.

   Lara smiled and shook her head.  "Then I know I'm doing the right thing," she said softly, standing close to him.  "I love you, Mark," she whispered and hugged him. He held her tightly, and she mumbled the rest against his shoulder. "You're my hero. You've always shown me what it meant, not just to be strong but to feel strong. And I'll always carry that with me." She felt his reluctance to let go, and she waited another moment before she pushed from him gently.

   His forehead wrinkled as his lips formed a tight line. "You've got to promise me... I know you're strong enough to survive anything out there. You come back to us. Safe."

   "I will," she breathed.

   Mark hugged her again, and kissed the top of her head in that annoying way that showed off his extra height.  Then he smiled as he remembered her usual annoyance with it, and he stepped back deliberately. 

   "Here," he said softly.  "I want you to take this."  He reached for the chain that he wore around his neck almost constantly, cupping the attached pendent into the palm of his hand as he pulled the chain over his head.

   She watched, staring numbly as he offered his lucky charm to her, open-palmed.

   "Take it," Mark said softly, with a slight shrug.  Then he smiled ruefully.  "I've got to do something to keep you safe."

   Lara smiled back slowly. Neither of them were terribly superstitious in nature. It was the symbolism that Mark liked. He liked that he could carry with him a part of the sea, worn to a smooth finish by rough waters.  For him it was a way to keep sight of its beauty in the face of the relentless power and deadly danger that it also possessed.  Now he was giving that to her: the collective beauty and safety that he had seen, to carry it with her and to add to its value with the same in her own future.

   Lara smiled, accepting, and Mark passed the harsen shell from his palm to hers.  "I'll never be separated from it," she promised as she slipped the chain over her head and tucked the pendent into her clothing. 

   His eyes rested on her for a long moment.  "I love you," Mark said, finally sensing that this was goodbye.

   Lara met his eyes. She heard the wind rustle through the trees at the edges of her awareness before she rushed to him for a quick hug. Then without word or tear she walked away, looking back only once before she stepped out of sight. A sweet smile played on her lips.  She knew he would sit there by the water's edge, watching the clouds blow by overhead.  She knew. He would sit there until the sun rose.

   Lara turned away.  Holding that image in her mind, she went to meet a very different sunrise.

-  - -

   She sighed.  Making the effort to pull her mind away from memory, Lara removed the rest of the trifles from the box that Imago had left behind. She carefully tucked each one into her clothing without giving in to the urge to remember any more. 

   "One more thing to look to," she assured herself quietly.  There would be time to look back and time to remember the past, once they were all safe again. Until then, her mind had to be here and now.

   She stretched out on her bunk and took a deep breath to help calm her restless nerves. Imago must have had a purpose for doing this. Maybe he hoped to wear her down with this revisiting of the past, but he'd find that she didn't wear down so easy. If Imago wanted the satisfaction of seeing her break, he was going to have a very long wait.

~

   "Did you enjoy your little trip down memory lane?" Lara opened her eyes and sat up to find Imago standing in the doorway. She hardly had time to wonder what he was up to before he moved aside, allowing two guards to enter.

   "On your feet," one of them ordered her. Both were armed with stun weapons, but their weapons were currently holstered.

   "Yes, yes; must move along," Imago chirped; "we've only a little time to prepare the reception."

   "Reception?" Lara stated.

   "Just a little welcoming party, but I'm afraid the guest of honor won't have much time to enjoy the festivities," he explained as the guards accompanied Lara toward the door. "He'll soon be dead."

   Lara pushed back the reflexive worry that filled her emotions, and she smiled as she came to a stop facing her captor. "Your arrogance is almost comical, Imago.  You think, this time, that you can actually kill Luke Skywalker."  She laughed at the idea, at him, causing Imago's face to turn a deep shade of red.

   "Take her away," Imago growled at the guards.

~

   Lara was standing quietly in the middle of an open room when Luke entered the room alone.  There was a guard stationed at each of her sides, and even though he could not sense them Luke was certain that there were more guards here, unseen. 

   Lara met his eyes and gave him a small smile.  She could see his relief in finding her safe, and those same feelings echoed in her: grateful and relieved to see him, but also deeply worried for his safety. She knew that this was a trap; Imago's men would be waiting for Luke to take another step further, waiting for the opportunity to capture him... or worse.  All while Imago lurked somewhere out of site, out of danger.

   The reminder of her captor's cowardice suddenly rekindled her old impulses.  "Show yourself, Imago," Lara yelled her challenge to echo the room.  "Your company's here," she finished more quietly, but her voice was filled with a quiet an intensity that almost sounded dangerous. 

   The guards tightened their grip on her in warning, and Luke reactively edged forward. 

   Lara remained unmoved, unnerved, but she saw Luke's eyes flicker away for just a second. It was hardly noticeable, but Lara did notice that something under the old factory's mesh metal floor had briefly drawn Luke's attention.  And the corresponding bit of motion that she caught out of the corner of her eye made her suspect that perhaps his impulsive reaction to the guards had been more than it seemed....  He was undoubtably concerned for her, but his actions betrayed another concern. Luke wasn't alone. He had come here with backup, and that person needed Luke to distract the guards in order to help him or her make it unnoticed into a good cover position. 

   "I may be a rude host," Imago's voice boomed around them.  "But I blame the unpredictability of my guests."

   "Imago," Luke called, the strength of his voice filling the room.  "Let her go, and you have my word, we'll leave in peace."

   Imago laughed brazenly.  "And give up my only leverage.  Surely not."

   Lara saw the visible wince from Luke at the thought of her used as a hostage, and she set her teeth determinedly.  "He won't hurt me," she challenged the thin air.  "I'm too valuable to him," she spat the word distastefully.

   "But there are so many other ways," Imago countered, his last words clipped. "Guards!" he ordered.

   The two by her sides moved seamlessly to hold stun blasters to her arms, while four more guards emerged from their stations and moved to surround Luke. 

   He looked to her helplessly; Luke was held in place vicariously by their threat just as certainly as Lara was held there physically. Her mind raced for possibilities as she stood looking into his face – and she tried not to let herself remember Imago's threats. Imago had no reason to keep Luke alive, and the guards were almost on top of him.

   Luke stood silently, his face a calm mask. Only his eyes flickered between the approaching guards as they neared him. Then, at the last moment, there was a slight thud which was followed by the sound of metal lightly scraping against metal.  The guards hesitated, looking around themselves in confusion for a heartbeat. They didn't see the small metal object rolling across the raised, mesh floor.  Then the air around them began to fill with dense smoke, so thick that it created a smoke screen which shrouded them all for the next few moments.

   The two guards standing at her sides stayed with Lara. She clinched her teeth tighter and stood frozen, powerless to help as the muffled sounds of physical combat began to come through the smoke screen.  Luke fought, the sounds remaining steady as the minutes drew out. Even through the screen she could see that he was quickly taking the advantage.  The guard to her right saw it too, and he leveled his blaster, trying to take aim on Luke as the motion of the fighting started to clear away the smoke.

   Lara watched, holding her breath as she waited for the right moment. Just when he was about to fire, she swept his feet out from under him, causing his shot to ricochet as he fell.  The second guard grabbed her harshly as his partner went down.  He called out to the man to stop, but it was useless. The fallen guard had already scrambled back to his feet and, unable to get another shot off, he was rushing into the fray. 

   The remaining guard returned his attention to Lara, threatening her severely.  "Try something else like that, and you'll wish you hadn't.  I'll do it," he grated, twisting her arm in front of him so that she was pulled tightly against his hip.  His blaster dug into her side.

   She met his eye. "You do it.  Then it's a toss up, who gets you first," she promised, her voice deadly still, "Luke or Imago–"  She shook her head. "But I'm betting on me, with my bare hands."  

   He flinched, and his grip on her arm loosened considerably. 

   When she looked back Luke was facing off the last two guards.  Almost simultaneously, Atamvr emerged from his hidden position.  Then the door directly across from Lara opened.

   "Look out," she called.  Imago was taking aim from the door's cover, and there was more hired muscle visible just behind him.  Atamvr ducked and returned fire at Imago, who ducked back into the doorway for protection. 

   Luke had also run for cover against Imago's blast shots, and Lara was able to use the added distraction of the firefight to break free of her remaining guard. Considering that the firefight was growing more intense, and they were exposed to it, the guard quickly decided that she wasn't worth the further risk.  He retreated for cover after she broke away.     

   Another shot went wild across the room, and Luke yelled for her to get down. Things were collapsing into chaos, far too quickly.  Caught out in the unprotected center of the room, where they had been holding her so visibly, there was little cover to be had. Lara ducked down, and she glimpsed Luke fighting to make his way toward her as she looked around herself, once more searching for safer ground.  With limited options, she headed for the nearest wall.

   Another of Atamvr's shots grazed the door across the room, pushing Imago and the guards behind him back, trying to cover her. A split second later, one of those emerging guards leveled his blaster for the only clear shot he could get through the chaos and smoke.  Unknowingly, he shot directly at Lara.  Imago turned on him at once, furious at his mistake.

   Lara dropped down, trying hard to fall out of the way of the danger that was coming too fast.  With the Force, even with a few second's warning, it could have been possible.  But human reflexes alone were no match for the near-light speed impact of a blast bolt. Luke, however, had had the advantage of those extra seconds. Desperately trying to make his way to her, he had seen it coming and the power of his momentum aided him. 

   He screamed her name as he saw the guard take aim, and he lunged instinctively; throwing himself between her and the danger, Luke took the stun bolt flush across his back and shoulders. They both fell heavily as the momentum of his body turned to dead weight with the hit.  Lara used all her strength to cushion the fall, but she still hit hard.  She had to work for a moment to shake the cobwebs away. Then she half turned to face Luke, having to push part of his weight off of her as she sat up. 

   "Luke," she breathed his name as her hands searched over him worriedly. 

   Atamvr rushed to them as the room emptied in panic, pausing only to fire back a few shots to be certain that the retreat was in full.  He dropped to his knees, glancing back once more before holstering his weapon.  Then he reached a hand to them each, his expression worried. 

   Lara sat holding Luke, her fingers taking his pulse. Atamvr wished for the Force, if for no other reason than to sense her emotion; her face was unreadable.

   "His vitals are all right," she finally breathed in relief, looking up to Atamvr.  Then she glanced to the room around them, worried that they weren't out of trouble yet.  "Help me," she instructed as she shifted her legs under her and carefully took part of Luke's unconscious weight over her shoulder. Atamvr followed her lead, his height letting him take the greater weight, and they headed for the ship.

~

   Imago flailed about like a hapless bird caught in strong winds, demanding some order to the chaos. His men had retreated for fear of reprisal when it seemed Dare would be shot.  Though Imago wished it was his wrath they feared, it was now painfully obvious that it was Skywalker's. When they had seen him, impossibly, throw himself in front of a blast bolt, they feared that the Force had been returned to him. And with three Force-strong warriors ready to extract vengeance, Imago's logical arguments fell on deaf ears; his wrath, certainly, was nothing next to that. His commands now echoed against empty walls as Imago stood silent, alone and powerless. 

   There was a noise behind him and he whirled sharply, ready to chastise one of his cowardly hired guns.  Then the motion stopped short, his blood running cold.  Darlik quickly closed the distance between himself and Imago in several long strides.

   "All you had to do was hold her. You incompetent weakling," he cursed Imago, his anger strengthening with each word.  His drew back his arm struck Imago with a backhand that sent the smaller man sprawling against the ground. 

   Imago wiped the blood that trickled from his nose with a shaking hand as he tried desperately to back further away.  But Darlik stood over him and pulled a blaster from his cloak; his face was cold, callous, as Imago cowered on the floor and begged for mercy, hiding his face behind his arm

   Imago jumped at the sound as Darlik fired repeatedly into the heavy technological equipment that lined the walls. Imago might as well have been hit. He was reduced to uncontrollable sobbing as his most precious work and life's research was systematically fried. Destroyed. He crawled, and clung to Darlik from his knees, begging again, but the man only kicked him away. 

   With a sneer of contempt Darlik turned and strode from the room. He sealed the heavy door behind him by firing into the locking mechanism, leaving Imago to watch through his tinted observation windows as Darlik triggered the series of explosions that would destroy the building, and everything in it.

   In his last thoughts Imago mourned not for his own life, but for the destruction of the inventions that he always knew would bring him true immortality.

~

   Lara half eased Luke down, and half let herself fall to the crew couch along with him as her muscles started to strain under the extra effort.  She was already moving to strap him in as Atamvr turned toward the cockpit.

   "Stay with him," she heard Atamvr call easily. "I can get us out of here."  He only hesitated a for moment when Lara started to protest. "Artoo can help me.  I'll call if I need a copilot," he added.

   Lara nodded, her eyes searching him in that familiar way of hers, looking past what was meant just on the surface. Atamvr smiled tightly in response. He knew that she didn't want to leave Luke, but he was also sure of himself and honest on both counts.  Lara nodded again and turned back to her husband as Atamvr sprinted for the cockpit.

   Luke was already coming around, slowly, as she finished strapping him in, and then herself.  By the time he was growing lucent, they were safely away. She unstrapped him as the Falcon settled into hyperspace, and she let her body support him as he reached, weakly, to hold her.

   "I was so worried," Luke breathed.

   Lara closed her eyes and held on to him tightly.

   Atamvr ducked in cautiously from the cockpit, pausing before he was noticed.

   A worried smile crossed Lara's face as she gently pushed back against Luke.  He had begun to lean more heavily against her, his balance and strength still very much compromised from the stun bolt. Another moment passed before Luke became aware of his instability and reached a hand to the seat beside him to steady himself.  Lara moved easily to help him; leaning her shoulder against his chest and reaching a hand to press against his shoulder, she helped Luke to push himself upright against the seat behind him.  And she lifted her eyes to study him worriedly.

   Luke reached his free hand to her waist and he kissed her forehead, still moving slowly. Lara could feel the depth in each breath he was taking as Luke worked at getting his wind back, and his eyes were still glassy.  She reached around his waist, steading him as he swayed again, but Luke only touched her cheek, drawing her eyes back to his.  

   "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked, pained.

   There was still a lot to tell him, but right now none of it mattered.  They were safe, all of them.  She smiled.  "We're fine," she answered, emphasizing the we. 

   Luke grinned, not yet used to hearing her use the plural, and he laughed in unexpressed relief. 

   Lara scooped her arms around his shoulders, laying her head to his chest.  She was thankful just to be holding him tight. Luke sat back heavily and held her close, stroking her hair.

   "I was so worried," he whispered again, and kissed the top of her head. 

   She held on to him for another moment before she looked up, slowly tilting her head to him.  Lara felt her own emotions lift as Luke smiled back at her, and she reached to touch him, feeling the smile that tugged at his cheek.

   "I love you, Sweetness," he breathed.

   Everything else slipped away from them.  All the worry, and pain, and the long hours of stress – it all faded away.  There was only the strength and depth of the emotions they shared for one another.

   "I love you too, Luke," Lara whispered, smiling back at him as he leaned carefully to kiss her.  Together, they were one, and completely belonging to each other. It was a lovers' kiss. A soulmates' kiss....

   Atamvr turned and went back into the cockpit. 

~

   Atamvr was surprised a few minutes later when the cockpit door opened and Luke entered, but it was Artoo Detoo who broke the stunned silence with a flurry of beeps, vigorously chastising his master.

   Skywalker only grinned and patted the little droid's domed top soothingly. "It was just a stun bolt, Artoo. I'm fine now." Artoo continued to beep uncertainly, causing Luke to glance toward the translator.  "Yes. Lara's alright too.  She's resting in the bunkroom." Finally the little droid's beeping slowed, returning to the more casual twittering that Luke had long ago become accustomed to.

   Luke greeted Atamvr and listened to his appraisal of their escape as he checked over the Falcon's finicky computer systems.  According to his apprentice's description, their escape had been a clean one, and so far Artoo seemed to be having no problem keeping the ship running smoothly. Luke sat down heavily in the copilot's seat and turned his gaze to Atamvr.  

   "Atamvr, I want to thank you for your help."

   Atamvr smiled warily and shook his head. "I'm afraid I wasn't as much help as I thought I would be," he admitted regretfully. "You saved Lara. I froze at that shot."

   Luke only smiled gently. "It happens to the best of us. You also kept your head to time that detonation.  You kept Imago pinned down, and we never could have escaped without you.  I was in no condition," he added softly.

   "And you won't freeze again," Luke added surely. "I'd be proud to have you at my back."

   "There's something else," Atamvr admitted more quietly.  "I wasn't honest with you, about why I wanted to come with you in the first place.  I'm embarrassed and ashamed," he began his admission with painful honesty, "but I've had, a crush, on Lara for a while.  I talked myself into thinking..." he trailed off uncomfortably. "This woke me up," he concluded quietly. "I know she loves you. I knew that all along," he quickly corrected himself, "but you were the one she needed – and that was what I didn't know, didn't see, before. 

   "I froze," Atamvr smiled a little at the admission, "with a million thoughts going through my head, at the horror of not knowing what that hit would do to her and not seeing any way to stop it. But you were ready to sacrifice yourself to save her. It was the most, unselfish, instinctive, act I've ever seen. I owe you an apology," Atamvr finished.  "I was blind not to see how much you love her."

   Luke glanced down, a slow smile crossing his face, one that he couldn't seem to wipe off.  "You must have been stone blind," he finally managed through it. Atamvr ducked his gaze.  "But that can happen to the best of us too," Luke finished gently. "And Lara does care for you, a great deal."   

   Atamvr nodded, grateful that Luke had had the good grace not to tack on, "just as a friend".

   "There's nothing to apologize for," Luke assured him.  "Whatever the reason, you risked your life for me and for my family.  That puts me in your debt." Luke patted the younger man on the shoulder as he stood. "Just don't get any ideas about collecting," he kidded. 

   Atamvr suppressed a grin at the insinuation, and nodded, looking down. The Jedi Knight patted his shoulder again before walking out of the cockpit.  If nothing else, Atamvr realized that he had seen a different side of Luke Skywalker this trip. 

~

   Lara had been trying to sleep but she finally had to admit that sleep wasn't coming, at least not for any meaningful length of time. She got up from the ship's bunk and walked over to one side of the room where there was a very small vanity area.  Lara leaned down to look in the mirror and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Her hands reflexively smoothed down the sides of her waist length shirt as she straightened, and she remembered the events of early that morning as she began emptying her pockets. There was the small holo device, a piece of jewelry, and finally a letter. Carefully, she laid each one on the counter top, but the small piece of jewelry was the one she lingered over, holding it in the palm of her hand... just as she had earlier.

   Keeping the promise she'd made to herself when she had been Imago's captive, Lara made time now to remember. This was the thing she'd left for Mark the night she left... not knowing if she'd get to say goodbye to him in person.  Moranda had given it to her years before. It had been a present on her fifteenth birthday: a small pendent in the shape of a horseshoe. It was more than a gift though.  Around the edge was inscribed one word: Laramar.

   It had taken forever for her to get up the courage to say it, first to Mark, and then to Moranda.  Lara's plan had been to pool each of their talents to make Moranda's small horse farm into a reputable and prosperous training facility.  It would be a three person partnership between Lara, Moranda, and Mark.  Even the name Lara had chosen was a combination of each of theirs.  A simple dream... it had been her only dream.

   Lara attached the small pendent to the chain that she wore around her neck, along with the harsen shell, and her gaze moved next to the letter.  But she was brought back to the present with a jolt.  The bunkroom door had opened behind her, startling her.  Lara looked down and tried to calm her nerves.  Even after sensing Luke's familiar presence, part of her expected Imago to be standing in the open doorway, having returned to taunt her some more....

   "You're supposed to be resting," Luke whispered, bending to kiss her neck.

   "I know. I tried," she answered.  "I just can't."

   Luke slipped his arms around her.  She was exhausted, and she was still jittery from her ordeal. He had hoped that Lara would be able to rest when he had tucked her into the Falcon's buck a short time ago. He had stayed there with her to watch her fall asleep... but he wasn't really surprised that she was finding it hard to sleep. 

   "It's over now," he assured her.

   "Until next time?" she breathed.

   "No. There won't be a next time." Luke explained quietly.  "There was an explosion as we left, from within the base. Atamvr said it looked as though they were trying to destroy something inside, but the whole place collapsed almost as soon as it was detonated.  No one escaped; Imago couldn't have survived it." 

   Lara sighed, still very much troubled. Luke had hoped that the grim news would help bring some sense of closure, but it hadn't done that.

   "That's just it. Imago would never have destroyed his base," Lara explained.  "His inventions were everything to him, the key to power and respect."  She paused. "And he could never have done this on his own. I'm more sure of that than ever."

   "You think he had a partner?" Luke asked quietly. 

   "He was holding me for someone else. I can only guess Laus," she responded darkly.

   "Laus," Luke repeated, not expecting that name to reemerge now.  And he felt her tense against him.

   "It gets worse.  It was Imago who sold me out to Laus, who had my family murdered."

   Luke closed his eyes and pulled her closer.  "Lara," he whispered softly. 

   She turned and buried her head against his chest.  "He had me where he wanted me, Luke," she said tightly, sickly, "and all he had to do was put a stun gun on me."  A sob escaped her as she struggled against built up frustration and restrained tears.

   Luke shuddered at the thought. He could feel the remembered pain and humiliation, the terrible helplessness and the constant threat of danger to the beloved lives she carried....  He felt it too, and he held her for a long time.

   "I knew you would come," she mumbled against him.

   "Always," he whispered.  A laugh mixed with her tears, and Luke bent to kiss her lips, wipe her eyes.  "Always, Lara." 

   She smiled, touched her forehead to his. "I just took everything I had, and I concentrated on the twins," she said, reaching a hand to rest below her stomach. "And my family got me through," she finished softly. "None of his threats could take that away."

   His hand covered hers. "Nothing ever will," he promised. 

   Gently, Luke kissed her lips again, and Lara moved closer to him.  Luke held her head against him and lifted his chin to rest against the top of her head. She was content to let the strength in his resolve steady her until she could breathe more easily again, until she could speak about it again....

   "Imago wanted to prove to me that he had done what he said he did. He gave me these." Lara turned to show him.  "A family holo recorder, and things that I left behind for Mark." Her hand shook as she picked up the letter.  "He could never have gotten these while they were alive, and no one else would have considered them valuable; someone would have had to know who I was, and why I was taken; Imago was one of the few people who did," Lara finished.

   She looked down at the handwritten page and shifted it between her fingers.  It was the other half of her goodbye to Mark. She remembered bits and pieces of the content within, but mostly she remembered what she had felt when she was writing it, hating to leave it that way, needing to say so much, and trying to tell her brother all she had felt for him and wanted for him....

   Luke reached out to her, touching her lightly. Lara lifted her eyes to him. His concerned gaze explained the emotion that she could feel behind it; he wanted her to know that she didn't have to share this, and she didn't have to go back into those painful memories if she didn't want to. 

   She gave him a small smile that spoke as well; I know. Luke's hand brushed hers reassuringly.  He understood the strange mixture of joy and sorrow that she couldn't quite bring words to express, but as the paper moved in her hands something stopped those feelings cold.  Numbly, Lara pulled the papers apart, watching her own fingers begin to tremble as she stared down, shocked by what she was seeing. Beneath her handwriting was his.

   Luke moved closer to her, to steady her. Lara put the letters on the dresser and reminded herself to breathe as she drew back from the impossible sight, but her eyes never left the folded piece of paper in front of her: her name, written in her brother's hand. She couldn't take her eyes away from it, and she didn't know if she could bring herself to read it.

   "When I first went back, "she shook her head slightly, clinching her teeth as she fought for control of her voice, "there was nothing I wanted more than this."  There had been a time when she had needed desperately to know anything about what her family had gone through, what their lives had been like after she'd left.... "Now, I just don't know...." Lara admitted.  That needful emotion slowly blended into all the unimaginable pain she'd fought through since then. "What if it's awful?" she managed at a whisper.    Luke rubbed her back gently as she looked down, still struggling to comprehend this reality.  "It's his writing?" Luke asked softly, already knowing that it was.  She nodded. "Then it's something he wanted you to have, to know.  It might be painful, but it won't be hurtful." 

   She smiled faintly, to think that Luke was so certain of her brother whom he'd never met.  Lara nodded.  Taking a deep breath and letting it go slowly, she reached for the letter and concentrated on steadying her emotions as she opened it and started to read:

   Lara – We've been without you for a month now. 

   It took me until now to read your letter.  It's taken me this long to stop expecting to hear you stirring in the early morning before light, to see you working with Collist or waiting for me at the waterfront, to hear your favorite music playing. It's taken me this long to force myself to stop opening your door in the middle of the night, half asleep, hoping against hope that this was all a bad dream and that you'll still be there this time... despite that sick feeling of dread that's in the pit of my stomach.

   Because deep down I know it was real.  I know you're not here. That much is becoming easier. 

   The rest still hurts.  I try not to think about where you are and what's happening around you. I know it must be hard.  I know it must be awful.  We hear all kinds of rumors, more than before – or maybe it just seems like more – rumors of the Empire's cruelty in breaking conscripts and defectors, and of the brutality in their increasingly desperate search for the Rebels. I wouldn't be honest if I said it didn't scare me, that I was sure that you're safe and well, when the things I hear chill me to the bone. 

   I tell myself over and over again that you're smart and you're strong, and you'll find a way to survive this.  But I can't stop being afraid for you any more than I can stop missing you. I stay outside a lot, on the water or at Moranda's. I feel guilty for it sometimes because I know Mom and Dad worry about me more than they let on.  You know they always like to joke that we're never around, but I can tell the quiet is really hard for them now.  I guess it is for me too; partly why I stay away.

   We do talk a lot though, especially nights and at meals, the times when we'd all be here together.  And we talk a lot about you, stories, and lots of things that start with 'if Lara was here'.  It's much easier to keep you close that way than to let ourselves worry and fear all the unknowns that are so far away....

   They asked me if you had feared this.  I told them that you had been afraid that it would happen, but not when it did. I cried that night because I couldn't stop remembering how it had scared you when we were little.  When you'd get so scared like that – like you didn't believe you'd ever really be safe – what did I say?  I promised you I'd protect you. And you looked at me like I'd just promised you the world. That only made me more determined to keep that promise for you. I knew I could.  We both believed it.  No matter what awful thing came, the two of us would stand against it and be invincible.  I cried for wanting that feeling back. 

   And I wished.... I thought it a million times, but I wish now that I'd asked, just one of those times, if you ever still felt that way, if you ever still got scared like that.  It haunts me now, that you might have and I didn't see it because I was afraid to ask.  I was afraid that the old spell might be broken somehow; we'd have to admit that we were just two teenagers, and you'd realize that your brother was just human. 

   It was a stupid thing to fear. I see that now.  I always knew that you never stopped believing in me, just like I never stopped wanting to protect you.  I know it wasn't the physical danger that scared you.  It never was. It was always emotion with you.  I lost sight of that sometimes because it was usually the physical that I saw.  I know you didn't expect it, or even want it, but it still hurts me that I couldn't keep my promise to you. I still feel guilty that I couldn't protect you from this. I couldn't save you from the terrible thing when it finally came.... And I just wish I could have told you one more time, while we both still believed, how much I wanted to. 

   I cried, too, when I read your letter. All the things you asked, and hoped, and wanted for me... I feel so much the same for you. All the best of things, the very best, Lara. I write this knowing that you'll get back here. I know you'll get through the tough times. You'll find what you need in yourself and in the universe.  I'll leave this letter for you 'til then, the things unsaid, like you did for me.  And until then, wherever you are, be safe.  Steer the shore. 

   Never forget how much I want for you, how much I know you deserve. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. I love you that much, Lara. 

   Most of all know that –  Mark.

   Without a word Lara folded the letter and placed it gingerly back on the counter top.  Her emotions were even more jumbled now than they had been before.  She didn't know what to feel first, but she couldn't deny that there was a measure of comfort in Mark's writing. She had her answer.  They had missed her and worried for her, but mostly they had loved her. And they had continued to be strong as they waited for her to return.

   She took a deep breath.  It would be too easy to give in to the onslaught of painful emotion, to morn the past.  Maybe she owed them the same kind of steady strength that they had shown... enough to keep her word and honor their memories....  Her gaze rested on the holo recorder. It was the last of the keepsakes Imago had left her, and it was the only one of the three that didn't directly trigger feelings of loss.

   It was a record of their lives, meant to be looked back upon with joy and fond memories. The more she thought on it, the more Lara wanted to see the familiar images contained there... but the unit looked damaged and worn.  She wondered if it could still be used.

   Luke reached around her to pick up the holo unit, studying it for several moments. "I'm sure Artoo can get this working, if you want." 

   Lara put her hand on his, grateful for his understanding.  "I'd like that," she answered.

~

   Atamvr looked up worriedly and Artoo beeped excitedly as Luke and Lara entered the Falcon's ready room.

   "Hi, Artoo," Luke greeted the little droid.  "Will you see what you can do with this holo unit?" Luke placed the device on the Falcon's crew table and the rest of them found seats around the table to watch Artoo work.

   "Thank you, Artoo," Lara breathed when he had finished.  The sadness she had been struggling with faded as Lara quietly turned her attention to the holo.  She smiled with nostalgic freedom as she activated the imager and stepped back into a world of happier memory.  There were pictures of her and Mark as infants and toddlers, more as small children, and then gradually as young adults moving through their teen years.

   Lara watched the images slide past, happy to be lost in those happier times for the short reprieve they granted. Luke smiled and laughed along with Lara and Atamvr as she told the stories behind each shot. He could see in Mark everything that Lara did, and he saw so much in her.... There was a light in both of their eyes and in their smiles, showing a strength and daring that was almost tangible across the images and the time long past.  He knew that those days had not been completely carefree, but he could see a lightness in her then: he could see the very spirit of life that he loved in her.  It was easier to see then, before greater pains and trials had so tested her spirit.

   Luke pushed those thoughts away to glance up to her, shaking his head in mild awe. He didn't want his own weighted emotions to spoil the joy Lara found in remembering what had been lost. "I can't believe how much alike you look," he confessed easily. Mark was a head taller, his eyes and hair a shade darker, but their features were strikingly similar.  They had the same clear eyes and the same ready smile, but it was also in how they carried themselves: something that was part casual, part athletic... and that unmistakable strength of spirit was underlying the physical similarities.

   Just as unmistakable was the fact that he adored her, and she idolized him in return.  The strength of the feelings came through, as little kids in casual shots or teens clowning and rough-housing for the camera, it came through. Luke looked at each image with more amazement than the last, seeing them grow into people whom he recognized.... and then Lara's mood fell abruptly.

   She had reached the last image.  With a jolt of hard reality, she realized that it was the last. It had been taken of her and Mark at the waterfront just days before she had left, and she sighed heavily as unyielding reality pulled her back from the comforting blanket of nostalgia... as she remembered the rest.

   "Okay?" Luke asked softly beside her.  She put a hand to her forehead and nodded without looking to him, but her brow furrowed under her hand as she felt the sting of the past's pain come over her again. It just didn't seem fair that those times were gone forever, and the reality left their wake was too harsh....

   Luke leaned toward her and gently pulled her head to his shoulder, offering.  She let him support her and reached her arm around his waist as she dipped her eyes further against his shoulder.  His gaze was quietly worried as he looked past her. But he held her gently, supporting her in a way that showed he clearly understood what she was feeling, and what she needed. 

   Atamvr felt decidedly inadequate as he stood and reached a hand to brush her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lara," he added gently. 

   She slowly pulled herself together, and leaned back. Luke gave her space, and she nodded a reassurance to him as she sniffed and wiped her eyes.  "I'm okay," she said quietly. She took another breath and dropped her head, suddenly feeling the tremendous drain on her own emotions.  "I – I think I'm going to lie down for a bit," she said quietly. 

   They both jumped to help her somehow, before she had even gotten to her feet.  Lara laughed at the sight. She was suddenly tempted to ask if they did it on purpose, for that effect.  Luke was smiling too. He saw the humor in the scene, but he was more grateful and relieved just to see her laughing. He carefully gathered up the holo unit, and out of the corner of his eye Luke saw Atamvr offer a hand to her as she stood.

   "Chivalry," she mumbled, shaking her head at Atamvr, and causing Luke's grin to widen.

   Lara wasn't the type of person to make time for meaningless gestures of politeness, and she was generally made uncomfortable by anything that presumed upon her ability to take care of herself. Luke distinctly remembered a time, not so long ago, when she wouldn't consider accepting a hand up from him; the gesture was simply unnecessary at best, and insulting at worst. He really hadn't expected her to humor Atamvr, but Luke smiled because he realized that his wife could still surprise him.  And he recognized in her that same easy grace that had captured his heart, in one giving moment at a time.

   Lara accepted the gesture. Atamvr took her hand to help her to her feet, and at the motion's end he bowed his head to her and brought her hand softly to touch his lips.

   Luke could sense his wife's surprise, at that gesture and at the unexpected depth of emotion behind it.  It surprised Luke as well. Lara had been willing to deny her pride and accept a friend's heartfelt gesture of support, but she hadn't expected the measure of respect and admiration that was freely offered, underlying the simplistic gesture....  And Luke had seen something just then that he had not seen before in Atamvr. Perhaps it had not yet been there before... but in that simplistic gesture, Luke had realized that this boy was willing to give his life for Lara's. He was willing to sacrifice all he had and ask nothing of her in return but that he serve her faithfully.

   Luke moved to her side, and Lara leaned easily on her husband's arm as she stepped past Atamvr and started down the hall. Luke returned her gentle smile as she swept past him, and he stood still, looking after her. Only then, as Lara walked away, did Atamvr lift his eyes. 

   When Atamvr lifted his gaze, he did not look after Lara, but up to Luke. The two exchanged a common gaze; both men recognized their common bond in the unselfish devotion of true love. Luke knew that his wife had a champion in Atamvr, and he was grateful for that. Atamvr returned his mentor's calm gaze unflinchingly, able to look on Luke without any feelings of jealousy because Atamvr no longer had any reservations about the choices Lara had made – and his first concern was for Lara's happiness, not his own. Atamvr had chosen to love with a pure and true form of love, one that embodied a demanding call to duty and honor, for their own sake.  In that honest and selfless spirit of devotion, there could be found a vibrant definition of true chivalry.  It was a determination to love unfailingly, with faithfulness, devotion, and selfless reverence.  All this, coupled with a willingness to sacrifice all for something that can knowingly never be won, or possessed.

   Luke remembered a time when he had felt the same emotions that he now sensed so vividly in Atamvr.  There had been a time when Luke had not known if his own duty or Lara's inner struggles would ever allow them to become more to each other than dear and close friends.  But he had known then that he loved her, and that regardless of the circumstances in that love he would seek to serve her with all his heart and strength.

   Lara was almost halfway down the short hall to the Falcon's bunk room when Luke caught up.  She didn't bother trying to suppress a welcoming smile.  It had taken Luke only a couple of long, gliding steps and he was by her side, walking with her again... where she knew he belonged.  She looked up to him and saw the smile that he silently guarded, but she didn't ask about the curious blend of emotions she felt beneath it.  She only leaned against him affectionately in response to his arm slipped around her shoulder, and she waited there to let Luke open the door for them.

   Chivalry she scoffed at herself through a familiar begrudging smile, but this time her smile was at least as flattered as it was begrudgingly amused.

~

   Luke carefully placed the recorder back on the counter top beside the letters, then he turned and sat down beside Lara on the ship's bunk. She was exhausted; so was he, come to think of it. But Lara made no move to lie down.  She leaned against him, her head on his shoulder, her emotions distracted and filled with turmoil again. Luke kissed the top of her head.

   "What is it?" he asked gently. The palm of his hand rubbed soothingly at her back.

   "It's everything," she whispered.  Lara felt very much at a crossroads.  Thoughts of her family on Marnia overlapped in her mind and in her heart with those of the new family that she and Luke were awaiting with hope.  There was so much conflict in her feelings, between the past and the future... it was hard to know what to feel. "It's all coming so fast.... I just need to be alone for a little while," she asked of him cautiously, "try to made sense of things."

   "Okay," Luke answered with a troubled smile. "But I want you to try to get some rest too."

   Lara smiled at his concern.  "Okay," she agreed, and climbed into the bunk.  Luke leaned down to kiss her forehead, and he tucked the covers around her protectively.

   "I'll be close by if you change your mind."

   "I know, Luke," Lara answered, and she watched the door slide closed behind him.

   Lara lay still for a long while, trying to sort out her feelings.  She felt hope, from a place deep in her heart that a short time ago only knew the despair of agonizing loss....  Luke had already shown her safety, and now she knew family – not lost to her in the past, but within her. In the love they both had to give and the sharing of their lives, there was family. As painful and confusing as the past few weeks had been, she knew that she had to keep moving forward.  Her family would want that for her....  Gradually, she was able to feel deeply thankful for the good in the past and in the present, and deeply hopeful as she looked to the future.

 ~

   Atamvr walked slowly back to the cockpit.  He was content to let Luke walk Lara to the bunk room, but he couldn't shake the heavy weight in his emotions.  Lara had certainly never made a secret of the fact that she had faced hardship and had losses in her own life; from the beginning of their friendship, it had been her willingness to share those things with him that had helped Atamvr through his own loss and hardship.  He supposed he should have known that the same stubborn determination and strong will that likely kept her alive through the Empire could easily be covering a great deal of pain. 

   Some friend he had turned out to be. All of his other worries about her had turned out to be inconsequential, and somehow he had never considered the one that was real.  Atamvr was chiding himself for that failure when the sound of the cockpit door opening behind him broke into his thoughts.  He was surprised to see Luke step inside and return to his place at the copilot's position, but Luke's thoughts were elsewhere, restless.

   Atamvr studied the Jedi's face for a moment before speaking. "She has a lot of pain," he said softly. It stung Atamvr that he hadn't realized it before. "She carries it well," he added cautiously, "but it's still a lot."  Atamvr had seen it in Luke's reactions earlier, and he could tell by his expression now that Skywalker did know, and it hurt him to know it. 

   Luke nodded. "She's come through a lot. Especially losing Mark.  They were, especially close," he sighed.  "But you know that now," he finished quietly. "She still feels his loss," Luke added regretfully, "and I know how that hurts."

   "She'll be all right?" Atamvr asked cautiously. 

   Luke looked up, as if startled by the question.  Then he nodded. "Yeah. This has been hard.  But Lara–" A smile tugged at him, and when he spoke again confidence and admiration were clear in his voice. "She'll be all right.

   "Time makes it a little easier, and she's already healed a lot." Again, Luke smiled a little. "You'd hardly have recognized her just a few years ago," he confided. "When I first met her, the pain and the guilt were so great, she could hardly live with herself," he trailed off, shaking his head.  "But she's so strong," Luke whispered, "and her heart is so big," he trailed off again. 

   "I know that," Atamvr said quietly.  "I just had no idea of the rest."

   "Like you said, she carries it well," Luke said softly, his voice a little distracted.

   "But you're worried," Atamvr stated carefully.

   Luke looked to him again, and managed a smile. "I guess I'm just feeling a little helpless," he said softly.  "I wish I could take this from her, this pain," he explained wishfully, looking away. Then he sighed heavily.  "It seems every time she starts to come to terms, something changes to throw her back into the worst of it again."

   Atamvr was silent for a few moments. "You didn't know Mark," he half asked, suspecting the answer. 

   Luke shook his head. "Only through Lara."

   "What happened to him?" he asked cautiously.

   "He, and their parents, were murdered after Endor by order of a man named Laus.  A powerful warlord, Laus " Luke added in explanation. "He wanted to capture Lara, and he thought that her family would lead him to her. He was wrong." Luke spoke carefully of the awful events but barely paused in their description, as if wanting to get the unpleasant narrative out of the way. "Now we know that Imago was involved.  He provided Laus with the coordinates of Lara's home world. For a fee," Luke amended after a brief pause, his voice filling with distaste. 

   Luke swallowed hard. This time the words came more softly, and with greater difficulty. "She had been away for four years, and they didn't know anything."  His admiration for their bravery came through in his voice, underlying his sadness for the terrible tragedy.

   "But they still died protecting her," Atamvr whispered, lifting his eyes tentatively.  "She feels responsible for that," he managed softly, flinching at the thought.

   "She knows that even if she had been there..." Luke shrugged, leaving unsaid things that he hated even to let himself think about.  "But it doesn't make it any easier to take," he conceded more quietly.  "The only reason she left was the hope that it would keep them safe.  And all her time away, the only thing she wanted was to get back to them.  When she did return..." Luke trailed off. "It was all she lived for," he finished quietly, "and she was lost for a long time, after."

   "And the warlord, Laus?" Atamvr questioned.

   "He waited for her to come home, waited years, even setting up a headquarters for himself on the small moon.  But his mercenaries were never able to capture her. They were no match for such cunning prey," he added with a bit of a smirk. "Her time in the Empire taught her well," Luke conceded more darkly.  "She had learned how to evade capture, and knew how to survive almost anything," he added ominously.

   "How long was she away?" Atamvr asked.

   "Eight years, total."

   Surprise showed on Atamvr's face.  "What happened to her then, after Endor?" he asked, though he dreaded hearing the answer.  He knew that something must have kept her from going home, and he suspected something awful.

   Luke saw his assumption and smiled a little. "It wasn't anything like that," Luke assured him.  "There was a mission she had to finish. Me.  Mara Jade was trying to kill me, but Vader wanted me alive. He hoped that he might turn me, among other things, and he had assigned Lara to protect me," Luke trailed off again, leaving the rest of the story for another time. "Even with Vader and the Emperor dead, she still couldn't leave me to Mara. I never even knew until years later, when Mara told me the story."

   Atamvr looked somewhat stunned.  "She fell in love with you," he softly voiced his own assumption at hearing those facts.

   Luke shook his head slowly.  "It was complex.  Helping me meant a lot of things to her, but love wasn't one of them.  Love didn't come until much later."

   Atamvr waited, not yet understanding.  "Then what made her stay? It had to be something more than finishing a mission," he offered quietly.

   Luke spared him a grin.  "I asked her the same thing," he admitted.  Then he paused, the grin fading back into serious emotions.  "The Empire took a lot from Lara," Luke explained heavily.  "It couldn't break her outright, but it wore her down.  Made her do things... she still deeply regrets. It drained her of her humanity, just in trying to survive it, and that was something she couldn't walk away from.  She needed the chance to gain some part of herself back, to feel that she had made some difference for good.  She needed to believe in something, and to see the good in herself again. Fighting Mara gave her that chance," Luke concluded quietly.

   Atamvr nodded. "I think I understand," he offered quietly.  "She needed to prove something to herself, in herself. I know that feeling," he added absently before he shook off the memory.

   Luke nodded in understanding as Atamvr redirected his thoughts.  "You saved each other, then," Atamvr assessed quietly.

   Luke smiled softly.  "You don't know the half of it. But it can wait," he waved the thought away. "Thanks," Luke offered as he stood.

   Atamvr smiled. "What did I do?"

   "You helped me to remember," Luke answered surely, "how very much I believe in her," he added softly.

 ~

   Quietly, Luke entered the small bunk room and walked to Lara's bedside.  He was relieved to see her getting some needed rest but he couldn't resist touching her, and he gently pushed her hair back from her face as she slept.

   Her eyes blinked, and then slowly flickered open.

   "I'm sorry," Luke apologized.  "I didn't want to wake you," he breathed. He was glad, at least, that he hadn't startled her. Her sense was much lighter than before, and she was smiling at him.

   "I'm glad you're here," Lara said softly.  She turned onto her back to look up at him as Luke sat down at her side, and then leaned across her. Her husband's motions were as quiet and easy as the smile that looked down on her lovingly, and she was glad to feel the warmth in his presence. 

   "What?" he asked softly. A heavy crease flickered across his brow as he sensed hesitation in her.

   "Luke," she took one more cautious breath; there was still one thing remaining to tell him, and she wasn't sure how he would take it.  "If we have a son–" she began carefully, "I'd like to call him Mark."

   Luke leaned down to brush her hair back from her face, but he didn't meet her gaze.  "I thought you might," was all he said gently. 

   "I know you want to call our first son Ben," she half apologized, hoping that he wouldn't be too disappointed. 

   He nodded, smiling at her sincere concern. "It's fine," Luke said softly. He knew what this meant to her, especially now. Lara wouldn't have asked it of him if it wasn't a gesture that she needed to make, but she needed a way to give something real back to her brother, to honor him. Luke understood that.  It was, after all, the same thing he felt for Ben. But she needed to make the gesture, to hope for the closure, more than he did. He could feel that change in her; and if she needed it, then he wanted to give it to her. She would do the same for him.

   Luke smiled. "There's always next time," he teased her lightly. She laughed, gratefulness blending with her affection for him.  Luke bent down to kiss her, and Lara folded her arms around her husband's shoulders. She was grateful for the reassurance in the soft touch of his breathing, and she was eager for the safety and warmth found in his embrace.  Luke wriggled under the covers beside her, feeling the warmth of her body and the softness of her caress... feeling how much he had missed the comfort that was found in her nearness.... 

   They held on to each other, letting tense muscles relax and tightened nerves unwind. Letting exhaustion finally overtake them and peace gently envelope them, as they found sleep in each other's arms.

 ~

   Lara stood still under the hot water, taking long, deep breaths and feeling the heat pass into her pores.  This was certainly one of those times when a refresher unit wouldn't cut it. A very long, very hot shower was needed.  She had seen nothing but refreshers since she had been taken from the launch atrium almost a month ago.  On her first night back in her own home she wanted the simple freedom of the indulgence, and she wanted to feel a finality to the ordeal she had endured.

   The kidnaping, and Imago, and the revisiting of the past had been draining, draining both physically and emotionally, but mostly the whole thing had been mentally draining.  That drain was finally, gradually, starting to feel over. She had been checked out at med, first thing when they got back, to make sure she and the twins were fine. She and Luke had come home a short time later, relieved, feeling that the worry was finally over.  She had joked to him then that she wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a good night's sleep in their own bed.

   She washed slowly, letting the water flow over her, washing away the residue of the last three weeks.  Her hands moved cautiously over her mid section, realizing with a little surprise that she was showing in earnest now. She smiled, accepting the strange sensation that was at once expected and unexpected, as she washed over them again with a gentle rhythmic motion.  Despite her previous feelings of preparedness it was still an extraordinary moment, to suddenly be able to see that they were growing, making room for themselves.

   Now her pregnancy was more than just a slight bulge and her own careful awareness of the twins' dependence on her. The little lives she had been sensing through the Force were becoming little people. They would soon be moving inside her, and they would start gaining the awareness to feel each other, her, and the world around them.  Lara stood still for another moment, taking in those thoughts.  Then she reached out to them cautiously. 

   The unique feel of their still developing minds was already familiar to her; each were marvelously unique and special existences in the Force.  She remembered again how their presence had strengthened her and kept her together through the hard days and long nights when they had all been waiting.  Luke had told her on the trip back that he had had the same experience. He had never known such fear, but he had also never felt such clarity of strength. Their safety was all that had mattered. 

   Both of them had felt that overwhelmingly, to the willingness to sacrifice everything they had for it.

   Lara had smiled, uncontrollably, at the sudden realization.  "I think we just found out what it feels like to be parents," she had whispered through it. 

   He had agreed.

   The pull these little lives had on their hearts was like nothing they had ever felt before.  It pushed them to be stronger than they ever had been, and it also had the power to strip away everything... until they knew how vital and how urgent a thing was this love... and how very fragile.

   She returned her thoughts again to the soothing feel of the hot water and the soothing touch of those precious little minds. A few more minutes passed before she reached out further with her mind, and she felt Luke nearby.  He was busying himself with something, but distinctly waiting for her. 

   She smiled and rinsed off, reaching for a towel as she cut the water off behind her. She dried her hair, and slipped on her night clothes, and went to bed.

   Luke gave her a smile as he slipped off his own shirt.

   She walked to him, touching him with a soft caress over his bare arms and waist.

   He kissed her forehead.  "Feel better?" he asked softly.

   "Worlds," she answered, pulling closer affectionately.

   He bent to kiss her lips, and lingered, drinking in her smell. It was a mix of the shower washes she used, and that scent was always especially beautiful to him... very much her own, and reminiscent of baths they occasionally shared. 

   He kissed her again, softly, and pulled her nearer.  His arms encircled the small of her back as he drew her close, letting his forehead brush hers. She sighed, smiling. His nearness was welcome, if tinged with a strange awkwardness. Luke leaned his head against her shoulder, and she felt him laugh. He turned to breathe a soft kiss against her neck before he faced her again, and the quizzical expression under his smile echoed her own emotion.  Their lives, thoughts, and emotions had shifted steadily and increasingly toward expecting parenthood over the last four months.  Now, it felt decidedly strange to think of each other as lovers again.

   Luke held her close, his arms holding softly around her waist, as he smiled down at her. The motion was reassuring, as was the tenderness in his gaze. She smiled up at him and lifted her chin to kiss him back softly. Her arms found their way around his neck and the kiss deepened naturally as familiar feelings gradually returned to memory and comfort.

   Lara was standing very close to him when Luke gently took her arms from around his neck. He rubbed her shoulders reassuringly before he slipped his hand into hers, and she walked with him as he dimmed the lights, then guided her to bed.

 ~

   They folded around each other and let the moment grow longer, holding on to the closeness that had been so complete and had touched them so deeply. Each beautiful moment added to the timeless spell of shared sensation and emotion that neither wanted to break.  Luke pressed his lips to Lara's shoulder, breathing her in deeply once again.  In this moment, he belonged to her. Lara lay feeling the strength in his arms and the steady warmth of his breath against her skin. Luke had given her everything in himself, and he was spent, content, with nothing left and nothing that he wanted more than just to share this moment too, with her. 

   She smiled gently at the emotion and slid her hand softly over his arm, pulling him a little closer around her as she lay back against him, deepening the feel of the embrace.  It was the same for her too... knowing the same belonging, and loving him completely.

   Her fingers gently traced over his arm and came to a pause as she lay quiet and still, simply enjoying his embrace. The moments passed, slowly.  His lips brushed her shoulder again and she reached back to touch his face, to slide her hand along his cheek, until she felt his breath against her neck, tickling softly at her collar. He kissed her again, and she let her arm fall back to lay alongside his, her fingers coming to a thoughtful pause.

   "It doesn't quite sound right," Lara smiled, putting the stray emotion into words, "but it felt like you weren't making love to just me."

   Luke smiled in return, the same thought occurring to him as his hand moved to her hip, and now gently slid over her mid section. "It does sound strange," he admitted, "but we both thought about them.

   "They know what you feel.  Even if it's not conscious yet, it still affects them."

   She nodded.  "They went through so much with me these past weeks." Her fingers played softly against his. "I hope they can feel this moment. This incredible love," Lara breathed.  "I always want them to know that." 

   "They will," he said softly, certainly.  Luke kissed her affectionately. "Now, and all through their lives," he breathed, "they'll know love."  His fingers intertwined with hers.  "They'll know love brought them to us, and it will always surround them."

   "Always?" she whispered through a widening smile. The word carried distinct echoes of other moments and times.

   "Always," Luke echoed her thought, smiling.

   She turned her face to him, to kiss him, and he leaned over her shoulder.  Bending close, he returned her kiss, drinking in the sweetness of her lips for a long moment. Luke could feel the warmth in his own emotions blend seamlessly into the amazingly soft feel of her: the warmth of her body, the tenderness in her emotions, the vastness of the love she offered to him with everything in herself... and her sense was alive with the most extraordinary feeling of love.

   He marveled at the intensity of the sensation again, feeling them slip back into that place where they became so close to each other – emotions and sensations blended, overlapping between them, until he knew everything in her.  He closed his eyes peacefully as their lips softly parted, but the amazing emotion stayed.  Again, it stayed, holding them close to each other in a way that defied words, or thought, or any kind of conscious comprehension. She was in him, and he, in her. 

   Luke sighed and settled himself to her back again, feeling as though he could sink into her at any moment.  He worked to quiet the soft buzz of emotion in his mind and reached out to her consciously, curiously. He could feel Lara smile at his touch. She understood the purpose in his mind, and recognized his fascination for this indescribable connection they shared.  He felt the same curious wonder in her, and he felt her reach out to clear her own mind.

   Just let go, Luke, she whispered without saying a word, and be lost with me.

   He smiled again. Almost before she had finished the thought, he could no longer tell where he ended and she began. There was only a quiet sense of peaceful belonging... unbroken by soft caresses and shared smiles, lingering blissfully until sleep fell around them.

 ~

   The next morning Luke edged gently from his wife.  His arms moved around her softly, and he touched her lightly as he leaned to kiss her temple. Lara slept heavily, probably the first she had in a long time.... He sighed to himself and lay watching her sleep, gently stroking her hair and face for a few moments before he glanced at the chrono.

   They had both slept heavily. He sighed again, realizing that he should be up by now... but he didn't want to leave this.  He pulled the covers closer to her shoulder and lay back down, pulling himself down under their warmth and draping an arm across her waist.  His fingers found hers as he settled beside her again.

   Luke was half asleep when the sound of the door chime pushed into his awareness.

   Lara stirred awake at the noise, and he pulled nearer to her.  "I'll get it," he whispered softly, kissing the curve of her shoulder. He paused to tuck the covers back around her before he reached for his clothes.

   She turned to him as he dressed, and he smiled as she caught his eye.  Luke felt as though he couldn't resist asking her for just one more moment, one more kiss....  Little more than half dressed, he bent to a hand and a knee to lean over her.  His heart still skipped a beat to see her smiling back at him, seeing her eyes sparkle as she leaned toward him.

   He bent down to her, and her hand cupped his neck as they kissed each other... holding on to the moment, one long second at a time. The chime sounded again, and Luke kissed her once more before its reminder succeeded in pulling him away. 

   Lara lay back and closed her eyes for a minute, smiling to herself at the inexplicable feeling of joy that came over her. She listened to the sound of his bare footsteps in the hall as he went to answer the door, and she hoped with all that feeling of joy that he would be back beside her again in just a few minutes.

   But she sighed heavily as the smile reluctantly faded. Lara took a deep breath as she felt Luke's surprise, then worry, at learning the identity of their early morning visitor. She reconciled herself to being awake as the muffled sounds of conversation began to come in from the hallway. She listened for a few moments longer to Han's obvious discomfort at having disturbed them. Luke, not quite awake and only half dressed, was reassuring him that it was okay, though they all knew that for Han to be at their door first thing in the morning, it was important. 

   With that final thought, Lara gave up on the possibility of a quiet, lazy morning and got up to dress and pass through the refresher. 

 ~

   "Hi, Lara."  Han stood, smiling, as he saw her enter the room. He was obviously grateful and relieved to see her, and he hugged her warmly.  Lara returned the gesture and smiled back at him. "I'm glad you're all right," he spoke carefully.

   "Thanks, Han," she answered appreciatively. 

   She looked between Han and Luke, about to ask what exactly had them looking so serious, when the door chimed again.

   "I got it," she offered, still watching the two of them warily.

   It was Atamvr, who asked to talk to Lara.  The younger man nodded in greeting to Han and Luke as Lara asked him inside, and Han watched him follow Lara out of the room with the slightest edge of suspicion.

   Han immediately tried to cover it when he looked back to Luke, but Luke had noticed Han's interest.  Han had looked after them for a moment too long as Lara had walked Atamvr to the study at the far end of the hall, and Luke had easily picked up on his friend's odd expression, though it was slight.

   Luke put the two together, and now he was waiting for an explanation, his face a smug mixture of curiosity and good-natured accusation.

   "So I might have said, something, to the kid," Han finally admitted evasively.

   Luke dropped his head, grinning. He knew that was all he would get out of Han on the subject, but he would have loved to hear more about that conversation.

 ~

   Atamvr followed Lara to an empty room at the end of the hall.  He gave a brief glance around as they entered, and found that it was a study, or at least it had been. Now it was roughly half converted to a nursery. Atamvr found a chair and sat down facing Lara. He knew that this wouldn't be easy, so he decided to get straight to the point. 

   He met Lara's eyes and fought out the difficult words, the apology that she was owed, and why.

   Her jaw dropped open and she shook her head; in turns she was genuinely mystified, and horrified, and regretful. "Atamvr–" she tried.  

   "No," he stopped her easily. "It was nothing you could have prevented.  It was all in my head.  And the last thing I want is for it to change any part of our friendship."

   She took a deep breath, still feeling speechless, and nodded.  "I feel that way too," she said finally.  "You're very special to me, Atamvr.  From the moment I met you, we connected.  That's a powerful thing. But love..." she struggled, "beyond that–"

   "I know," he answered quietly. "I always saw how much you loved Luke. I just didn't get to see that in him, until all this happened," he motioned away.

   Lara nodded, understanding a little better now, and her smile tugged with sympathy.  "You didn't know," she spoke softly.

   "I let my imagination get the better of me," Atamvr corrected, putting the blame on himself. He shook his head.  "If nothing else, I should have trusted what I respect in you and known that you wouldn't marry a man–"  He stopped short, meeting her eyes cautiously.  Atamvr was unable even to say to her the worst of what he had let himself suspect, but those words rang in his head in a million different ways: that didn't love her, appreciate her, respect her, that didn't deserve her.

   "I understand though," Lara agonized quietly, as it began to make sense to her.  "Luke and I, we're cautious about showing our affection around other people.  That much is deliberate because his life is very public and we don't want the way we feel about each other to be anybody's spectator hobby." She drew back from the conviction, taking a breath.  "So you went from seeing me in that med ward at Taypon, easily being demonstrative with total strangers, to a husband who only gets a polite hug, maybe a kiss on the cheek. And at the same time, he's trying so hard to teach you... to be strong, and firm, and clear," she put the rest together. "You must have asked yourself every day what I saw in this man." She said it with a joking edge, but the humor faded into harsh truth once she saw his grim expression.

   "I wish you had said something to me," Lara whispered. "I could have told you, that I know he loves me, that he's the most gentle and affectionate person. My best friend.  He knows the best and the worst in me, and there's nothing I don't trust him with. I wish you had asked me," she whispered again, dipping her head to him as he looked away. "It would have saved you so much worry and heartache, over my happiness." 

   Atamvr looked back to her, stunned that she understood, and he felt himself smile. She always understood beyond the surface of things. "Are we okay now?" he asked.

   She nodded, guarding a smile.  "I'm grateful to know that you care that much about me, and I'm even more grateful that you weren't hurt in this." 

   He nodded in return. "You're more than a friend to me, Lara.  If I learned nothing else, I'm glad to know that," he finished quietly. "From the moment you reached out to me the universe has felt kinder; I'll never take that for granted." 

   Atamvr paused. "More than friends?" he offered.

   "More than friends," she agreed she agreed with a smile.

   There was a light knock outside the door, just before Han peeked in on them.

   "I'm heading out," he explained. "I'm glad you're all right, Lara," he added.

   She nodded in acknowledgment, grinning with the slightest hint of curious suspicion. The protective tinge in his voice was as obvious as it was in his face, even before Han paused to look between the two of them again. Then he finally turned and walked away. 

   Lara stood, shaking her head.  Han would never admit to it anyway, she told herself wryly. "Suddenly it seems I'm overrun by chivalrous concern," she murmured secretively to Atamvr, smiling at the humor in her circumstances. 

   He only grinned, a little more troubled than she was by the suspicion he had sensed in Solo.

   Lara motioned for Atamvr to follow her as she walked back to the living room.  "Don't worry," she spoke to his thoughts. "Han's not the subtle type," she conceded through a grin as she glanced back at Atamvr.  "If he really thought there was cause for concern, you wouldn't be here with me."

   "Somehow that reassurance isn't very reassuring," Atamvr admitted dryly.

   Lara only grinned.

   Luke turned back to meet them as the door slid closed behind Han.  He was already looking between Lara and Atamvr a little curiously as he wondered about the conversation he had missed, and Lara's smile only heightened that curiosity.

   Her eyes fixed on him, more than a little amused, in return. She was remembering Han's somewhat less than inconspicuous exit as she sensed a little of the same mischief in her husband's expression.  Her smile called him on it, and his expression lightened, though she could still see his ears redden, just noticeably. 

   Atamvr started to speak. "Jedi Skywalker–" 

   Luke smiled, shaking his head slightly.  "Please, in my home, call me Luke. 

   Atamvr lost his previous train of thought to his surprise at the unexpected gesture.

   "Atamvr," Luke said, taking his shoulder and walking with him. "I decided something this past week. I already told you that you were a valuable ally through this, and I'm proud of you as a student." Luke stopped, looking Atamvr in the eye for a long moment.  "I think it's time for you to move a little further in your training. I'd like for you to have a lightsaber."

   Atamvr was stunned into silence for a moment.  "But a lightsaber...."

   Luke nodded warily.  "The preparation of a Jedi's lightsaber is an important personal step, and a final step – very much a completion of that part of the journey," he agreed. "You still have a long way to go in your journey, and at the completion of your training you'll build a lightsaber of you own design and specifications.  But you'll need the skills to handle it, well before then," he added. "I think now is the time for us to begin that."

   Atamvr nodded, still a little stunned. "Thank you," he managed.

   Luke smiled back.  "I'm not giving this to you.  I feel you've earned it through your hard work and your dedication. This will mark the beginning of a whole new level, of each.  From here on, the training and the journey won't get any easier.  But you're capable. You're ready to move forward."

   Atamvr nodded. Skywalker believed in him, and he did feel capable.  He was ready to take the next step toward becoming a Jedi Knight.

     ~~ ~ () ~ ~~

   Luke stood at the wall of the rec room, watching without interfering.  Darlik knew that Luke was there, and he performed his tasks and exercises with concentration and precision.  On the surface, it was as ideal a showing as Luke could ask for.  But Luke wasn't watching the flawless show of skill.  He was looking for some show of deeper understanding.  

   To this point, he had been working with both of his students for the same length of time, covering the same points on the Force.  He had been teaching them to reach out to the Force and let it guide their physical actions, and constantly accentuating to them the restraint necessary in reliance on the Force only for knowledge and defense. But despite the apparent equality in their training to date, Luke couldn't deny that over the past month Atamvr looked to be progressing in leaps and bounds while Darlik seemed stuck in place.

   The difference had become so pronounced over the past few weeks that Luke had finally begun working separately with them this week.  He had seen that Darlik's early progress had slowed considerably, grounded in the physical stage of using the Force for relatively simple ends.  Something was blocking him from going beyond that, but Luke didn't know what.  That worried him.

   Darlik's understanding didn't seem to penetrate beyond the simple relationship of action to reaction, failing to attain the full connection of mind and body to the Force. Luke hoped that with a little more time and effort, he could help him to work past whatever factors were preventing his further growth, help him learn to attain that connection to the living essence of the Force: to accept it, and embrace all that it could offer.

   Darlik finished his exercises and brought his attention to rest on the Jedi.

   "Darlik," Luke addressed him easily, motioning him to a seat on the floor. "I'd like to talk with you for a few minutes," he finished as they sat down.  "We've never spoken much about your past. I know you don't remember much from the time that Imago was influencing you, but we've never really spoken about your life before then either," he prompted.  Darlik remained silent, his dark eyes staying focused on Luke.  "Can you tell me a little about your experiences growing up, learning about your abilities?"

   Darlik immediately tried to restrain his defenses, but he could tell that Skywalker saw his hesitation.  "I don't see how the past affects what I am capable of now," he stated cautiously. 

   "In some ways it can," Luke offered patiently. "Early impressions, experiences, attitudes – those things can stay with us and affect us in ways we don't always recognize consciously, including how we see ourselves and our abilities, even how we learn."

   Darlik nodded in response, more because he had realized that he wouldn't be able to put Skywalker off this time than for any certain appreciation of what the man was saying.

   Luke listened as Darlik spoke briefly of his home world and childhood, and of his experiences learning about the Force. He was visibly cautious and the answers he gave were simple, somewhat bland. But still, Luke got the distinct feeling of something dark, brooding just beneath....  He kept that impression to himself, though. Luke listened carefully, remaining non-judgmental, and when Darlik had finished Luke assured him that they could talk at any time, about anything he wanted to discuss. But the Jedi decided not to press his student any further on the subject, not yet.

~~ ~ () ~ ~~

   Atamvr had told Lara just after their return to Coruscant that even if he had learned nothing else, he was grateful for the friendship that had changed his life. What he was learning, almost every day now, was that he had gained far more than he could have imagined.

   As surely as he had once wondered how Lara could love Skywalker, so often now he saw it. Luke was still a serious and determined teacher to Atamvr, but he was also a kind and gracious friend.  In their home, as their friend, he saw the truth in their feelings for one another. He had never been around two people who were closer to each other, but their relationship was an easy friendship and it reached out to include the people around them.  Atamvr never felt cumbersome to it. The three of them valued each other's company, and Luke and Lara often teased him that he had no idea of the extended family that he was getting himself into – but Atamvr was also growing used to the banter they exchanged.  He knew that there was great love underlying it.

     He saw easily the small changes in Luke's face or eyes when his wife was near.  When she was uncomfortable, which was more frequently as her pregnancy progressed, he was concerned.  Luke would make a point of doting too much over her, and she would tease him for it relentlessly, but always, there was great love.  And when Lara was not feeling well, Atamvr could usually could tell it by Luke's worry. At those times the banter and affection exchanged between them changed, becoming softer, subtler. Instead of asking, he would touch her softly, and she would answer him with a soft smile.  Or he'd make extra efforts to make her laugh, to which she had a standard response.

   "I knew," she would say, feigning a puzzled expression, "that there was a reason I married you."

   Then he would undoubtedly grin at having made her feel a little better for the moment, and go back to his silent concern.

   In his training, meanwhile, Atamvr was acquiring the new skills quickly. On better emotional ground, with the heavy weight of conflict removed from his emotions, and supported by the new friendship that was developing between he and Luke, Atamvr was thriving. Suddenly he found himself more open to, and newly understanding of, Jedi Skywalker's strong doctrine on inner peace.

   They had begun moving into the deeper work of moral training.  Atamvr was introduced to the holocrom, and there was a great deal of time spent in discussion.  None the least of which were the sessions under heavy fatigue, to hone instinctive response, Jedi Skywalker would always remind him as those sessions grew notoriously long. 

   Luke hadn't exaggerated when he said the journey wouldn't get easier, but Atamvr was up to the challenge. He found himself relishing it.

 ~

   Darlik was aware of Atamvr's progress, though he didn't learn these things directly from the boy or from Skywalker.  Darlik had seen himself become increasingly isolated over the past few months, since his attempt at splitting the two of them had failed. As a result, Darlik was unsure now if dividing them would be enough to destroy either, and he was growing steadily more threatened by his lack of control over the situation that he had intended to orchestrate: specifically over the loss of his ability to manipulate the boy.

   His other major frustration was that it was consistently taking a great deal of his energies simply in keeping his true self masked.  A short time ago, Darlik had thought that taping into Skywalker's power would be relatively easy.  Once he had sifted through all this talk of peace and relying on the Force for guidance and defense, he would find a way to reach that underlying power – then he could bend it to his will, and focus it through his own sizable strength. And then, he would be truly invincible. 

   But Skywalker's way to that power alluded him. He could no more rely on peace to focus and guide his energies, than he could rely on the guidance of the Force to fight his battles for him.  Skywalker's talk was of no more use to him than those vague philosophies of light and passive peace. But he could not deny that the man's power was very real. If he couldn't take that power from him through knowledge, then he would have to do so more directly, as he had done with Imago.... 

   Then there was still the boy.  Darlik's attempt to split him from Skywalker had failed.  Somehow the boy had learned of Dare's abduction and had gone with Skywalker. In spite of that odd turn, and in spite of Dare's sure rejection of the boy for Skywalker, he and Skywalker seemed to have developed a friendship.  More disturbingly, the boy's strength had been growing rapidly in the time since. Darlik recognized that his options, and his time, where growing short.

 ~

   It was an early morning on Coruscant and Luke was gathered in the rec room for basic exercises with his students.  The sky was just beginning to lighten against the massive cityscape outside their windows, creating a wonderfully bizarre pattern of light and shadow across the planet's multi tiered surface. They were just about to get underway when Luke received a message from Leia.

   He pulled his comm link from his pocket and walked over to the nearest window, seeking a little added privacy. "Okay, Leia. What's up?" Luke prompted quietly as he looked out on the waking city.

   "We've gotten another urgent message from Karrde," she reported tightly.

   "Another one," Luke breathed, between worried and disbelieving.

   "This one's different," she intoned. "They've added a new weapon to their arsenal.  He thinks it's something out of the Tangrene data systems."  

   "Tangrene," Luke mused, puzzled. "Bel Ibis's people destroyed that base, before Thrawn really even came to power." 

   "And all the Empire's major Ubiqtorate Intelligence centers were brought to declassification years ago," Leia finished his reasoning against it.  He could almost hear her shrug at the end of her thought. "Ubiq bases were always top secret facilities," she noted. "It's possible that something slipped through, or was protected."

   "Or that someone was deliberately keeping things secret," Luke thought out loud.

   I'll say someone was, Darlik thought coldly. ~@ ~ ~