Chapter Fourteen

Mara Jade was nervous the next morning as she and Luke sat at a table outside of a café. Darth Vader and Amidala would be here in about an hour. She still did not like the idea of letting her master see where the house was. If things didn't go well today, and she and Luke had to move, her uncle would be upset that they had left the house he had given them as a wedding present, after less than a year. And he wouldn't believe her if she told him why.

Luke felt her worry. He reached across the table and touched her wrist.

"Everything will be fine," he told her.

"I love you," she said. She guessed that he thought he could convince Vader to come to the Rebellion. She didn't think he could, but she was not going to say that. She just gave him a small smile.

"Is anything else bothering you?" he asked.

"I wonder if Han and Leia are still going to talk to us after you tell them everything."

"Don't worry about that. I will handle it."

---

Vader and Amidala arrived half-an-hour later. Amidala was carrying a large, light blue shopping bag from a baby store. She gave it to Mara.

"Thank you," Mara said quietly, trying not to look at Vader. She scooted her chair closer to Luke's as her in-laws sat down in the other two chairs.

Amidala sniffled, then said, "Sorry. I have a cold."

"You shouldn't be out here, then. Let's go to our house," Luke replied. He looked at his father and added, "No one is there."

Vader sensed that he was being honest.

They took Luke and Mara's speeder, since Vader and Amidala had walked from the place where they had left their ship. Vader and Luke talked on the way to the house, about their speeders and ships. Mara was pleased that they were being friendly to each other.

---

When they arrived at the house, Vader and Luke went upstairs to talk. That made Mara a little nervous. Perhaps they wanted to be alone so that they wouldn't be distracted if they started fighting.

Amidala was thinking the same thing.

"I don't think they would go upstairs if they thought they might fight," she said, trying to assure herself as well as her daughter-in-law. "They would probably go outside."

"That's true," Mara replied, feeling slightly better. "Would you like me to make some soup, or hot tea? It might help your cold."

"Soup would be nice."

While she was waiting for the water to heat on the stove, Mara looked inside the shopping bag that Amidala had given her. Inside were a few baby outfits, a pink blanket, and a couple of stuffed animals. Mara decided to use everything even if Luke and Vader's talk didn't go well. She wanted her daughter to have something from Amidala.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Amidala told her. She hesitated. "Is there anything you want to ask me, Mara?"

"Why?"

"I was just wondering. We don't have to sit here and make small talk and pretend to be nice to each other."

"I'm not pretending," said Mara. "I've never disliked you, or my master."

"Really? You don't hate him for making you work for him?" Amidala asked.

"No. I'm scared of him, but I feel honored to be one of his spies."

"What does Luke think about that?"

Mara sighed. "We haven't decided what we're going to do yet. He said that he isn't going to divorce me."

"You can't continue serving Vader and stay with a Jedi," said Amidala.

"I know," Mara replied. She almost mentioned Luke's offer for her to be his apprentice, but changed her mind. Amidala would tell Vader, and he wouldn't be happy if Mara had even been considering it.

Once the soup was ready, they sat down and talked about other things, like the baby and the Lake Country on Naboo. Amidala sat on the opposite side of the table so that Mara wouldn't catch her cold.

Mara liked Amidala. She had never become friends with her master's wife. Hopefully she would have a chance to.

---

Afterward, they went out to the backyard. The fresh air was helping Amidala feel better. They talked about the weather, the flowers and trees, and the city for a few minutes, but both of them were worrying about how Vader and Luke were getting along.

"What would you think if Luke joined you?" Mara whispered, even though they were alone in the yard.

"I would love to have him and Leia with us," Amidala said, "and then you could continue serving Vader."

"That's what I was thinking."

"What will happen if you decide to stay with Vader?"

"I don't know," Mara answered. "Luke said that he won't divorce me, like I told you, but he might change his mind if he thought that it was best for our baby's safety. He might hold me prisoner until she is born, and then take her. I wouldn't blame him."

They were both quiet for a minute, until Mara asked Amidala if she wanted to go back inside.

They sat down in the living room and watched a holomovie that was coming on. Almost an hour later, Vader and Luke finally came downstairs. Vader told Amidala that he wanted to talk to her, so Luke and Mara went outside.

---

"How did it go?" Mara asked, hugging her husband.

"I convinced him to join us."

"What?"

"He is Anakin Skywalker again."

Mara hadn't expected Luke to be able to do that, and now she felt a little guilty that she hadn't had more confidence in him. She hugged him again.

"That's wonderful," she said. She paused. "I want to be your apprentice."

---

That night, Anakin and Padmé went out to dinner. They wanted to celebrate the twenty-seventh anniversary of their first wedding, since they had ignored it the other day. The next day, they bought the house next to Luke and Mara's.

- The End -

Thanks for all of the reviews. I know this story was kind of short, but I didn't want to leave it unfinished.