Luke woke with a start. He'd overslept...And he had fallen asleep on the children's bed...The children!

Where were...?

He reached out to the Force, and it was with relief that he sensed them in the kitchen with his sister. He left the room and began to head towards the kitchen, but he was stopped by his brother-in-law in the living room.

"Get a good night's sleep?"

Luke looked at the ex-smuggler sheepishly. "Yeah..."

Han Solo graced him with a lopsided grin. "You're a good storyteller, kid."

The Jedi flushed. "You heard that?"

"Nice twist you put on things."

Luke shrugged, looking a little embarrassed, but then an uncharacteristic glint of mischief appeared in his eyes. "I was somewhat inspired by what we learned about you around the Dathomir incident."

This time Han's face gained a little color. Luke was, of course, referring to Han's great-grandfather Korol Solo, who had been a pretender to the throne of Corellia. Threepio had believed Korol was the actual king for a while, though he later discovered otherwise.

Han tried to thrust his slight embarrassment about the incident with his devious ancestor to the back of his mind. He was supposed to be throwing the Kid off, not vice versa. He was Han Solo, formerly a smuggler, currently scoundrel. He wouldn't allow himself to be swept aside by some believer in a mystical energy field, even if the said energy field seemed to work most of the time. "It's not too late for you to have kids, you know."

Luke looked like he'd been punched in the stomach.

Han Solo allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. He didn't have to use the Force to be able to see right through his brother-in-law. Luke was made to be a father. The ease with which he handled the twins and Anakin attested to that. And the longing glimmer in his eyes attested to the Jedi's desires for a family of his own.

"Han-" Luke said, sounding pained.

"Luke-" the rogue returned, not batting an eye. "I know you want to settle down. Leia knows you want to settle down. The whole kriffin' galaxy probably knows you want to settle down." At this last, his eyes moved quickly across the room, making sure there were no young ears present. "It's a wonder that you don't know yourself how much you want to settle down."

"I am settled down," the Jedi protested, though it sounded a bit weak even to his own ears.

The ex-smuggler gave him a skeptical look. "Even if we were talking in the traditional sense, you're not settled down." He sighed. "You have no permanent home, kid. Sometimes you're on Coruscant, moping around, other times you're on Yavin, teaching a bunch of Jedi wannabes how to wipe their noses."

It was as if a shutter came down in front of Luke's blue eyes. Jedi were a somewhat sensitive subject with him nowadays. After all, she had left him because she was jealous of his powers and her lack. Things at the Academy were also somewhat rickety.

Han winced as his brother-in-law retreated further into his shell. He might have gone a little far that time. "Yeah, okay, teaching Jedi is important for the galaxy and all," at this, Luke softened a little, "but sometimes you have to live for yourself. What good's a life if you can't live it?"

The Jedi stared at his brother-in-law.

Han knew that the pain of Callista's departure was still recent. If he kept pushing, Luke would probably bring it up and storm off to mope at his apartment. One of the reasons Han and Leia had wanted him to baby-sit the kids was to bring him out of this constant misery he subjected himself to. He looked a little better than he had before his baby-sitting adventure, but Han knew that he would never be completely better until he had someone he could truly love.

Luke Skywalker was a man capable of great love, but it seemed that whenever he tried to love he just got burned. The ex-smuggler clenched his fists. If anyone in the galaxy deserved to be happy, it was Luke. But it seemed he was always giving up his happiness for others...

"Luke," Han said softly, "she was never the right one for you. She was just your second-best, since you thought you couldn't have what you really wanted. You need to be a little more selfish sometimes, kid. You do deserve to have your desires filled."

"What desires?" Luke's voice came in a croak. He was a Jedi. He wasn't supposed to have any desires, was he?

Han studied him. For an all-powerful Jedi Master, his brother-in-law could be pretty dense sometimes.

"Junior, I'm gonna set you up on a date."

Whatever Luke had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. His jaw dropped. "What?"

Han smirked. He could still stun the Jedi Master; he still had it. He puffed out his chest just a little. "A date. You know, where you take a lady out and wine her and dine her."

Luke shook his head adamantly. "Nuh uh."

"Yep," asserted the ex-smuggler, poking the Jedi in the chest with an stiff finger. "You're going on a date, kid."

"Han, I can't-"

"Can't what?" Leia inquired as she entered the living room. She looked back and forth at her husband and her brother.

"Oh, he's going on a date," Han said casually.

"A real date?" Jaina asked as she trailed in behind her mother. Her brown eyes looked up at Luke, brimming with excitement. "Uncle Luke?"

"I really don't think-" Luke tried to say, but he was interrupted by Han.

"Too late, Junior. I'm afraid there's a conspiracy against you, and you've no choice but to say yes." The scoundrel dropped his voice. "Now, kid, here's what you've gotta do..."

---

Luke stared down at the bouquet of flowers he held in his hand. How in space had he been roped into this?

He'd been told to buy some Corellian Firelillies, for, as Han said, "they never failed to raise some eyebrows."

Luke hadn't known until he'd seen them that Han really was right.

Their scent was remarkable (though not their most important quality). They didn't smell sweet or musky or like any of the traditional flowers, though they were more pleasing to the nose...Their scent was simply indescribable.

Their pale orange petals seemed to glow with an inner fire, and their center sparkled beneath the light. There were few flowers more impressive than Corellian Firelillies, whose inner fire served to attract such creatures as Corellian whitemoths for pollination.

Luke's clothes, which consisted of a light blue top and dark pants, had been picked out by his sister, who had refused to let him wear his traditional black.

So now Luke was sitting in Han and Leia's apartment waiting for someone to ring the doorbell. He was waiting...and pouting.

"Nervous?" Han asked, grinning.

The Jedi glared at him. "I don't know why I'm going through with this."

"Aw, come on, kid, you have to admit you're curious as to who's coming over," Han said, eyes twinkling.

"Yes, I'm curious as to who else you conned into this," Luke retorted.

"I'm burned," Han said, mock-hurt, bring a hand up to rest on his heart.

His wife elbowed him, then the doorbell rang.

"She's here!" Leia said, jumping up. Han followed her, a grin the size of Endor upon his face.

Luke struggled to see around the two when they opened the door, and he finally reluctantly stood up and started walking over to find out who it was (leaving the flowers neglected on the chair), but the identity of the person was revealed as soon as she started talking.

"I still don't know why I had to come here before going to this dinner you were talking ab-" came the clear voice of Mara Jade, which abruptly stopped. "You're not dressed for a formal dinner."

Han and Leia parted, giving Mara a clear view of Luke. Her green eyes narrowed. "But...you...are..." The inner gears of Mara's mind started turning as she tried to work it out. "What...?"

Luke looked at his brother-in-law, seeing the grin twitching at the corners of his mouth. Oh, he was enjoying this, was he?

He couldn't help but throw a scowl at the scoundrel before he walked over to his chair and retrieved the flowers. He handed them to Mara Jade, trying to keep what was left of his dignity. She blinked down in confusion at the flowers, and Luke held his arm out. "Do you care to accompany me to dinner?"

The redhead looked at Han Solo, who was still fighting off a mischievous smile. She drew herself up, threw a glare at Han that would melt durasteel, then linked arms with Luke. She'd play along. At least the Jedi Master wasn't fighting off a look befitting only of smugglers. "I believe I will, Skywalker."

Once out of the eyesight of two pairs of curious eyes, Mara stopped and turned to him. "What in space is going on?"

Luke looked at her, feeling much of his patience trickle away. "Han Solo, that's what's going on!" He scowled. "He set us up."

"He did, did he?" Mara murmured, a malicious glint in her eye. Abruptly, she frowned, "Why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'?"

"Why would he set us up?"

The Jedi Master shrugged. "It's Han Solo. I learned to stop questioning him years ago."

Mara looked down at the flowers in her arms, softening. "What are these?"

"Corellian Firelillies," answered Luke. He smiled. "Aren't they something?"

The redhead nodded slowly. "Could we...go by my apartment and put these in some water?" There was no sense in carrying them around all night.

"Sure," the Jedi replied. She didn't say anything else for a while, so he allowed himself to inconspicuously take in her appearance.

She was wearing a shimmering green dress, which brought out her emerald-colored eyes. Though the slit was modest, the dress definitely brought out Mara's figure. For the first time, Luke allowed himself to truly think of her as a woman.

Little did he know that Mara was making similar observations of him, minus the feminine aspects. Finally, she said, sounding a little skeptical, "What? No Jedi blacks?"

"Leia," he responded simply.

When they at last got to her apartment, they went inside, and she placed the flowers inside a crystal vase. When Luke's back was turned as he studied an interesting tapestry on the wall, Mara bent down and smelled the flowers, closing her eyes as the scent washed over her. She quickly opened them, though, clearing her throat. "Ready, farmboy?"

Luke nodded, turning around and holding his arm out for her again.

She took it, and off they went.

The restaurant they went to was one of Coruscant's finest, and when they entered, Mara said, "I'm impressed. Quite some place for a farmboy from Tatooine to know about."

"You'll find Tatooinian farmboys are full of surprises," Luke returned.

They sat down, and Mara briefly surveyed the menu. "What's good here?"

A slight flush covered the farmboy's features. "I usually just get the tomo-spiced karkan ribenes..."

You can take the farmboy off the farm..., Mara thought with amusement. She looked down at the menu. "I think I'll have the sunfish fillet."

They ordered, and then sat in awkward silence for a while, refusing to meet each other's eyes.

Finally, the Jedi looked up. He knew he was probably about to sign his death warrant, but he had to know. "Mara, do you ever think about kids?"

The redhead blinked. "Come again, Skywalker?" Had he said what she thought he said?

"Kids," he said. He was wearing that earnest expression which always seemed to have contradictory effects on Mara, annoying the fire out of her and melting away her anger at the same time. "You know, settling down and having a family of your own?"

Deflect, deflect, Mara thought frantically. She laughed to ease the tension, but there was a nervous note in her laughter. "I don't think I could see either of us ever "settling down.""

"But do you ever just want to have a family?" His blue eyes seemed to stare into her soul, seeking answers.

Mara would have to tread this carefully. "I never really had a family, Skywalker, so I don't know much about them..." She wanted to leave it there, but she knew it wasn't very fair to him. "But I think just about everyone thinks about having a family sometime."

She almost thought she saw relief pass over his features, though she could have been wrong. Still, he seemed to be doubtful about something. "We've...We've been through so much, Mara...Do you think we aren't too jaded for such experiences?"

"I don't think you can ever be too jaded for a family, Skywalker. After all, you, despite your "jadedness," are able to share experiences with your sister's family..."

An intense sadness seemed to come upon him. "Who do you share things with, Mara?"

She looked down at her salad, poking it with her fork. They hadn't gotten their meal yet, but she didn't mind. "I'm not used to sharing. I'm perfectly fine holding things in, the way I've always done. It's the way I work best."

Luke reached his left hand, his real hand, across the table to still her right. He covered her hand with his, and she reluctantly brought her eyes up to meet his. "You don't have to be alone, Mara. Others are willing to take the load off you, if you'll just let them...I know I'm willing."

He held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity, before finally leaning forward and bringing her hand up to his lips. He kissed her knuckles gently before setting her hand back down. It was around that moment that their main meal was brought to them.

"Thank you," Luke mumbled to the waiter, who nodded at him before going off to wait on other tables.

Mara ate her sunfish fillet mechanically, not savoring the taste as she might otherwise have done. Her thoughts were in a whirl.

Skywalker was the only one who could throw off her equilibrium without even trying. Skywalker. It seemed her whole life came down to Skywalker.

She'd served the Emperor, and her most important assignment had been to kill Luke Skywalker, a farmboy from a tenth-rate backwater planet. She'd failed in her job, but she'd run into him years later, saving his life when she wanted nothing more than to take it. They'd helped each other many times, but they'd finally drifted apart, her with Karrde's organization, him with his krethin' Jedi. But here they were, together again, exchanging conversation that no normal human beings would be having.

He wanted her to trust him, confide in him, but she was so accustomed to holding everything back.

She sighed quietly, looking at him, to see what he was thinking about. She couldn't read him though, so she reluctantly reached out to the Force.

Mara was a little surprised at how easily she could read him with the Force. It seemed their bond had only grown with time.

He was nervous, scared, doubtful, hopeful, fearful...So strange that he could be having so many emotions at the same time.

Only him...Only him.

---

Luke walked Mara to her apartment in silence, and when they at last stood in front of the door, she hesitated. "You...wanna come in?"

The Jedi looked surprised. "Uh, sure."

They went inside, and Mara turned to him. "What would you like to drink?"

"Hot chocolate?" Luke tried tentatively.

The redhead looked at him for a moment, then gestured for him to sit down on the couch while she went to the kitchen. Blasted farmboy. It had been him that had gotten her addicted to hot chocolate! Before she'd met him she wouldn't have touched the stuff. Now she kept a large stock of it in her kitchen.

Mara returned to the living room with two cups of hot chocolate. She handed one to Luke and sat down next to him.

He smiled at her in thanks, and she felt her stomach do flip-flops.

It's Skywalker she told herself.

Mara cleared her throat, trying to brush away her feelings. "So, would you like to get back at Solo?"

Luke's eyes glinted mischievously. "What did you have in mind?"

---

The next day, Han was lounging around the house. Winter was taking care of the kids, Leia was at some meeting, Chewie went down to check on the Falcon, and Han was doing absolutely nothing.

He yawned and stretched, then yawned and stretched some more.

Then his comlink beeped.

Cursing, Han reached for it. "Yes?"

Loud noises which could only be attributed to an upset Wookiee came from the device.

"What is it, Chewie? Chewie, slow down!" Han listened for a moment, then his face turned pale. "I'll be right down."

Han ran out like his entire body was in flames, and when at last he reached the docking bay, panting, he stared with horror at his ship.

The Aurebesh letters for "M" and "L" were emblazoned in bright red colors on the Millennium Falcon's side, and random splotches of big pink polka dots adorned the entire ship's body. Though the gaping-mouthed ex-smuggler didn't know it, the paint was actually a cheap kind that washed off easily with water.

All Han Solo knew was that his beautiful baby was now hideous.

The man stood looking at his ship and blinking, unable to form any words. His furry companion pointed towards the ship's outside control panel with a long and unsteady arm.

With a bad feeling, Han moved over to it. He slowly began punching in the passcode, then something began scrolling across the screen:

Hello. It seems you have been had. What once was an ugly piece of junk is now an even uglier piece of junk. But, hey, at least it has two wonderful letters written upon it, letters which you do not possess in your own name, sadly enough. Anyways, this will hopefully teach you who not to mess with next time you get in in your head to play matchmaker. M and L

The ex-smuggler scowled at the screen, and a few moments later, one other thing popped up.

Oh. By the way, your new password is: HanSoloStinksWithABlaster.

He punched his ship in frustration, receiving a warning growl from Chewie not to deform the ship anymore than it already was.

"Blasted Jedi," Han hissed under his breath. Still, a moment later, he couldn't help but shake his head and grin. Life was never boring with them around.

---

"Did you see his face?" Luke laughed after he and Mara had walked a fair distance away from their hiding spot in the docking bay. "Worth every minute of it!"

The redhead's eyes danced. "I didn't know you had it in you, farmboy, pulling a prank like that."

His eyes twinkled. "Farmboys and surprises, we go together."

"Uh huh."

"Want to go eat lunch?"

"What?" Mara asked, sounding surprised.

"Lunch. You know, it's one of those things called meals where you ingest something so that you have energy to pull even more pranks..."

The redhead swatted at him. "You think you're soo funny, farmboy."

He looked hurt. "You don't think so?"

She pursed her lips in mock-thought. "Funny-looking, maybe."

"What!"

"Just kidding. Geeze, you need to lighten up."

Luke stopped walking, staring into her eyes. He felt a brave streak flare up inside him, and he strangely recalled the Corellian Firelillies. He leaned in closer to her. "And how do you suggest I do that?"

Mara felt his breath on her face, and she felt her muscles tense up. How, indeed?

Still, she wasn't going to back down from a challenge. "Oh, there are several different ways..." Her voice was shakier than she meant it to be.

"Such as...?" he inquired as he leaned in still closer.

"Such as..." she repeated back, her voice a mere whisper.

"This?" Luke said, finally closing all the distance in between them. The briefest touch of lips on lips was all it took for both to willingly deepen it into something more. Their Force presences reached out for each other, intertwining and sending a barrage of emotions back and forth both ways.

When they at last pulled apart, they both knew that things would never be the same between them.

Luke's face glowed, as if he had realized that happiness could really be his. Breathless, he asked her, "Will you go on a lunch date with me?"

Looking into his pleading eyes and thinking about the beautiful fiery flowers sitting in a vase in her home, Mara couldn't say no.

---

Months later, Mara was looking into his eyes once again, but these weren't the eyes of a pleading farmboy; they were the eyes of her new husband.

They were cuddling on the couch (something Mara in her previous years had never been able to see herself doing seriously), and Luke was seeming rather pensive.

"What is it?" Mara asked, turning to look up at his face.

After a moment of hesitation, he replied. "There's a fairytale I need to finish for the kids..."

She looked at him curiously. "All right, I'll go over there with you."

"They're probably arguing with their parents about not wanting to go to bed. If we hurry, we can get there before Leia and Han win."

Sensing her husband's need to finish this fairytale of his, Mara nodded. "Let's go."

---

The door was opened by Leia, who was looking somewhat perturbed. "Oh, hi, Luke, Mara."

"Hi, Leia," returned the Jedi. "The kids aren't in bed yet, are they?"

"What do you think?" Leia returned with exasperation.

Luke smiled. "I think I know how to get them to go to bed."

Leia looked at her brother for a moment before she seemed to get an inkling of what was going on. "Ah," she said, eyes twinkling. "Right this way."

Mara and Luke followed her to the kids' bedroom, where Leia grabbed her husband by the arm and led him out before he could say anything.

"Uncle Luke! Aunt Mara!" the children shouted before jumping out of their beds and embracing them like lifelines.

"Hey kids," Luke said with a smile. "I believe I have a story to finish for you."

The children all went wide-eyed, hopping back into their beds. Anakin Solo's blue eyes sparkled the most.

"Now, you remember the story about the Jedi and the Prince, right?"

Three little heads nodded.

"This is a continuation of that story." Luke switched into story mode, getting an amused look from his wife. "After his father's death, the Jedi Knight became a Jedi Master, and he was very good friends with his sister and the Prince. The Jedi also befriended a beautiful young redheaded woman-" here, Mara blushed, "who had used to work for the Evil One. At first, the Woman With Red Hair wanted to kill the Jedi, because he had been an enemy of her master's. But at last she understood that he was to be trusted. They saved each other's lives many times after they first met, but after a while they began to drift apart.

"The Jedi kept trying to find the woman he was to marry, searching far and wide, but he could not.

"Finally, the Prince stepped in. "Take these magical flowers," he told the Jedi."

Here there were noises from the children, who liked the idea of magical flowers.

"I want some of those!" Jaina asserted.

Luke continued. "The Prince said, "Give these to the person you are to marry."

"The Jedi just looked skeptical. "I do not know who I am to marry."

""Come to my house," the Prince said. "There someone shall come whom you shall give the flowers to."

"He went, right?" Jacen said.

Luke nodded. "The Jedi reluctantly went to the Prince's house, and when finally someone came it was the Woman With Red Hair.

"The Jedi was surprised, and, as he did not know what else to do, he gave her the flowers. The Woman With Red Hair was surprised, too, and they both decided to get back at the Prince, who tricked them into going out together. But their prank was pulled only after they went out and had a good time together.

"The next day, the Prince found his favorite pet had been put in ridiculous clothes. He was upset about this, for he preferred the animal to look just as it was, but he appreciated the humor of the joke."

"An animal?" Jacen asked, intrigued. "What kind of animal?"

"A furry one," Luke answered. "Still, the flowers had worked their magic, weakening the Woman With Red Hair's fiery resolve, and giving the Jedi the bravery to ask her out. This was all the magic needed for the two to fall and love, and so at last they married."

Jaina and Jacen at last let their eyes fall closed, and Anakin pretended to be asleep. After Luke and Mara left the room talking quietly, his bright blue eyes opened. "And they lived happy ever after," he whispered right before falling asleep.