Again, you want a disclaimer look at the first part of this story.

Summary:

ADVENTURES OF A VISION
 PART THREE:  PLAGUED ACQUAINTANCE

		Two years later...
		Mara is happily married to her Jedi in shining black robes.  
Leia is having a bit of trouble with a senator from Niori.  The newly wedded 
couple is expecting their first child.  Will Luke's vision come true?  Or was it 
a dream after all?..dun..dun...dun...



ADVENTURES OF A VISION
Part 3: PLAGUED ACQUAINTANCE


	Leia sat in her council Presidential chair and 
waited for the meeting to be over.  She stifled a sigh 
and tapped her gavel gently on the table.  Two senators-
Fey’lya and Dex had started bickering again.  The moment 
Dex had gotten reinstated into the council she had never 
had a quiet moment.  They never seemed to agree on 
anything that was brought up by the council.  And today 
was no exception.  Leia, frankly was sick of it.  She 
had had to pull each senator aside and tell them to 
settle down of they’d pay for their childish actions.  
They had always made the council meetings much longer 
than they had to be.
	“Senator Dex,”  Leia said.  “I will ask you one 
more time to please stop your nonsense at once or you 
and Senator Fey’lya will have your Council’s rights 
removed again.”  
	The Niorian Senator looked to Leia who was giving 
him a placid stare.  This man truly annoyed her.
	“As you wish,”  he said.  “I apologize, your 
Highness.”
	“I’d appreciate it if you would call me by my 
proper and current title,”  Leia said.  “Not one that 
died long ago.”  
	Dex  nodded solemnly.  
	If there was anyway to get him out of here Leia 
would take it.  But so far nothing had come up.  Which 
rather disappointed Leia.  She adjourned the meeting 
shortly after and gathered her data cards then began the 
short walk back to her private office.  Walking down the 
halls, she decided it was time to think just how much 
she disliked Dex.  He had never agreed with anyone’s 
ideas, and that was the main point of all the problems 
he seemed to cause.  To make things worse, he always was 
trying to get into a higher position.  Whether it be by 
campaign or other methods Dex never succeeded.  The only 
higher position than those he had tried for was Leia’s 
position as President.  And Leia wasn’t about to let him 
have that.
	Another point that made Leia storm with anger was 
that Dex had strongly disapproved of Luke’s marriage to 
Mara Jade.  For the six months before their wedding, Dex 
had tried to bring up old laws and make up new ones 
saying that Mara Jade should not wed a man of such 
importance to the New Republic.  He had wanted to have 
Mara tried and convicted of the crimes she had committed 
as the Emperor’s Hand.  How dare he try to sabotage her 
brother’s happiness.  The other council members had seen 
it Leia’s way in the end and had agreed in letting the 
marriage continue.
	Leia saw to it personally that Dex made a public 
apology to both Mara and Luke.  Even that couldn’t take 
away the pain he had caused them.  For months after the 
wedding, they couldn’t travel anywhere without the press 
following them and had to confine themselves in their 
apartment until Leia had a public statement said.  Luke 
had personally come up and asked the people of the New 
Republic to respect his and Mara’s privacy and that they 
were as normal as any new couple in the way that they 
didn’t want their entire lives video-taped for all to 
see.
	Dex would pay for the pain he’d caused her brother 
and his wife.  
	Leia had shown Dex when they successfully had their 
marriage work out and had not only their first, but 
their second wedding anniversary without problems.  Leia 
got to rub in into Dex’s face even more when the new 
couple had announced that they were to have their first 
child.  And Leia got even happier when Luke and Mara 
found out they were having twins.
	Leia smiled to herself.  It had been a good year 
indeed.  For her and Luke both.  She arrived at her 
office and put away her data cards.  Finally she got to 
go home.  She was about to call Han, when he came 
bursting through her office door.
	“Leia,”  Han blurted out.  “I’ve tried to call 
you, but they said you were in a meeting--”
	“What’s wrong?”  Leia cut off Han.  “Why are you 
here?”  
	“I’ve been trying to call you,”  Han explained.  
“Mara’s at the hospital.  She went into labor early.  I 
had to take her there because Luke was gone.”  	
	“Where’s Luke?”  Leia asked, a thousand things 
spinning in her mind.  “Did you think to call him?”
	“Don’t worry, Mara said he was already on his 
way.”  
	Leia’s mind got whirling.  Mara was more than a 
month early.  What had happened to her?
	“Do you know what room she’s in?”  
	Han nodded his head and they were gone.  They 
arrived at the hospital only to find that they weren’t 
allowed in to see Mara.
	“What do you mean we can’t go in there to see 
her?”  Leia practically yelled at the small nurse 
standing in the doorway to their waiting room.  The 
nurse held up her hands and calmly tried to explain to 
Leia.
	“Only the father is allowed in at the moment, you 
may go see her in a few minutes.”  
	Leia and Han ended up waiting an hour before they 
were able to see her.  Luke came into their waiting room 
and explained what had happened.
	“The doctor thought it might of been a false alarm 
seeing as how she’s more than a month early,”  Luke 
said.  “But it’s not, and he’s telling Mara now what 
could of caused the earliness.  He seems to think the 
worry and all the stress that Senator Dex caused might 
of been it.”  
	Leia’s anger flared.  So he finally got to ruin 
their lives a little more.  When she got back to those 
meetings tomorrow she’d...
	Luke looked at his sister with a tired expression 
on his face.  “Leia, don’t.  Don’t blame anyone until we 
have the kids here okay?  Let’s just pray that the twins 
are born healthy.”  	Leia nodded her head in some 
embarrassment.
	“I’m sorry,”  she said quietly.  “But he’s just 
caused you two so much trouble.”
	“I know,”  Luke said softly.  “But come on so you 
can see Mara.  Where are your kids?  I kind of wanted 
them to be here.”  Luke said looking around.
	“Well...we left them at home with Chewie,”  Han 
said from beside Leia.  “I doubt they’d want to come and 
hear Mara yelling.”  
	“Well I meant after the twins were born,”  Luke 
said.  “They have a special room they’ll put them in 
that will let them be seen easily.  It’s okay...Well 
let’s go.”
	They walked in to Mara’s and found her with her 
head and back leaning against the head board with her 
eyes closed.   She opened her eyes and smiled at her 
visitors.
	“Hi Leia.  Hi Han.  Hi Luke.”  She smiled warmly 
up at Luke who was opening a window.  The cool breeze 
blew against Mara’s face.  “Thank you Luke.”  She 
turned to Leia.  “He’s so nice, Leia.”  She motioned 
for Leia to come a little closer then whispered 
conspiratorially in her ear.  “They tell me he’s the 
father.”  Mara nodded her head and looked to Luke who 
had taken up a seat beside Mara.  She smiled up at him 
again.  
	Leia looked confusedly to Luke.
	“I think your wife’s gone a bit loony, kid,”  Han 
said while looking at Mara with wary eyes.
	“Luke...how many painkillers did they give her?”  
Leia asked cautiously.  
	Luke smiled and laughed.
	“Only one,”  he said.  “But it seems only to 
relax her, not really take any pain away.  I told the 
doctor.  He’s seeing what he can do.”  
	Mara suddenly grasped Luke’s hand and hunched 
forward as pain shot through her.  He put an arm around 
her back and shoulders.
	“You okay?”  He asked as bone seemed to crunch 
beneath Mara’s grip on his hand.  When all was over, 
Luke gratefully took his hand back and wiped Mara’s head 
with a damp towel then kissed her forehead.  He then 
took the towel and wrapped it around his hurting hand.
	“See what I mean?”  Luke said as he sat back down 
nursing his hand.  
	Leia shook her head in amazement.
	“What a way to prove a point.”


	An hour later, Luke wished that he had given Mara 
his artificial hand to hold and not his left one.  The 
medic sat at the foot of Mara’s hospital bed.
	“I want you to push...now,”  His calm and clear 
voice instructed Mara.  
	Sith, I am pushing you puff-faced Jawa.  The next 
time he told her to push, Mara would reach out and choke 
him just a little...
	*Mara, calm down*  Luke’s voice echoed through her 
mind.  
	Luke felt Mara’s tired anger radiating towards him. 
	*You be quiet or I’ll choke you too.  You’re not so 
innocent you know.  You’re the one who got me here in 
the first place.*
	*You’ll get over it*
	*Don’t make me choke you*
	“Okay...this is it.  I want you to push one last 
time.”  
	And here comes the choke...
	*Mara...* Luke warned, but Mara never got to answer 
back.  Deep inside of her, Mara felt something tiny and 
new grasp her mind.  She gasped.  *Hello?*  No, of 
course they can’t hear you.  They probably don’t even 
know who you are.  Then Mara heard the mischievous and 
playful laughter of a little boy, but it faded away and 
she could hear Luke.
	“Keep going Mara...”  Luke smiled and looked at 
Mara.  
	Even though she had her eyes closed, he knew she 
could hear him.  “It’s a boy...Nathan?”  Luke asked.  
Mara nodded, but couldn’t speak.  
	If I can get one more out I’ll be just fine...
	Mara could feel her other child...her baby girl.  
Mara felt tears coming to her eyes.  Her children were 
finally going to be in her arms.  She would finally be 
able to hold the small wonders she and Luke and created 
on their own.  She’d know what they looked like in only 
a few moments...The strongest sign of Luke and Mara’s 
love for each other would finally be here.  She felt her 
little girl’s warm smile in her mind...it was Luke’s 
smile...then it faded away.
	“Almost done...” Luke’s voice said from by her 
side.  “It’s a girl...Natalie?”  
	Mara let out a huge breath she hadn’t realized 
she’d been holding and let herself lean back against the 
bed and rest for a moment.  She nodded her head tiredly 
and let the tears of joy fall.  She didn’t care about 
Senator Dex right now.  She only wanted to hold her 
babies.
	“Ready to hold them?”  a nurse asked.  
	Mara opened her eyes and nodded, too tired to 
speak.  
	*I must look like a mess*  
	Luke looked over to the new mother...his wife.
	Mara’s hair was damp and sticking to her closely. 
Her face looked ragged and she seemed very tired.  Her 
eyes looked at Luke.  Those beautiful green eyes still 
held an energy all their own.  To others, she might of 
looked a mess, but to Luke, she was lovely.  She had 
just given him his first two children.
	*No you don’t.  You look wonderful.*  
	They came and put Mara’s babies in her arms.  
Little Nathan had the makings of his father’s blonde 
hair and Natalie had her mother’s red mop of a mess.  
Mara laughed and let the tears fall.  Luke had helped 
her through every moment to do this.  They loved each 
other and now they had something else to love.
	“They’re so small,”  Mara whispered to Luke.  He 
smiled and she could see the tears forming in his eyes.  
This was something Luke thought he truly would never be 
able to do.
	“Yeah...they are,”  Luke said quietly.  “But let 
them grow strong.  They’ll give everyone a run for their 
money.”
	“Want to hold one?”  Mara asked Luke quietly.  
	He looked at Mara then at his children.  
	*I’ll break one.  What if they fall?*  	
	*They won’t fall Luke.  It’s okay.  Hurry up before 
they take them away for treatment.  I want them to at 
least get a glimpse of their father.*  
	Luke was as scared as a Jawa standing next to a 
rancor, but he held out his arms and carefully picked up 
Natalie from Mara’s arms.
	Her little eyes opened up and blinked.  She looked 
at her father with those green eyes that were so much 
like Mara’s.  He let Natalie hold his pinky finger.  “I 
love you,” he whispered to his little girl.
	“You don’t look at all like the big bad Jedi 
Master people make you out to be,”  Mara teased.  
	Luke looked up at her with a proud smile on his 
face.  
	“Thank you,” Mara whispered to Luke.  
	He leaned over and softly kissed her.
	“Still want to choke me?”  he asked playfully.  
	Mara smiled.  After a few more moments, the nurse 
came over and took little Nathan and Natalie  down the 
hall to be checked on.


	The next day, news reporters were repeatedly denied 
entrance to see the new Skywalker babies.  Luke and Mara 
sat together holding their new little ones in Mara’s 
assigned room.  Mara was trying to get up and put 
Natalie back in her little bed, when Luke stopped her.  
	“Let me go, I can get up myself,”  Mara said 
frustratedly.
	“Mara,”Luke warned.  “The doctor said you should 
rest for a few days.  I’ll put Natie back.”  
	Luke got up carefully and laid Nathan in Mara’s 
arms.  Then took his daughter and put her in her little 
bed.  He looked back to Mara and saw her once again 
trying to get out of bed.  But this time she made it.
	Wincing in pain, she waddled over and put Nathan 
next to his sister.  Luke only gave her a reprimanding 
look and shook his head.
	“You’re as stubborn as I am.”  
	She smiled and walked carefully to the bathroom.
	“Only when I’m motivated,”  She said over her 
shoulder as she closed the door to the small bathroom.  
	Luke looked down at his twins and savored the 
moment.  Both were wide awake, and were gazing out at 
nothing.  Smiling down at them, he wondered what their 
life would be like.  Would they be like him or Mara 
more?  He heard the door open and looked up...and froze.  
Senator Dex had just come in.
	“How’d you get in here?”  Luke said with a low 
voice.  
	The wormy senator smiled thinly and spread out his 
hands.
	“Why I was let in of course,”  he said.  “I just 
wanted to see the new additions to the Skywalker 
family.”  
	Luke looked beyond him at the open door.  But no 
one else was visible.  Getting in a protective position 
in front of his children he spoke.
	“Security!”  He yelled out the door.  Turnign his 
attention back to Dex, he spoke.  “I don’t want you 
anywhere near them.  Now get out.”  Luke said with a 
deadly seriousness in his voice.  
	Dex smiled once more, but there was nothing nice 
about it.
	“What?  You think I’ll just go away?  I don’t 
think so.”  	Luke stood his ground and laid a warm 
protective barrier over his tiny heirs.  He didn’t say 
anything and sent a message to Mara.  
	*Mara, don’t get out of the bathroom.  Please stay 
in there.  Please.  Trust me.*
	*Why?  Okay-nevermind.  I’ll stay.  What’s wrong?*
	*You’ll find out later*
	“Why so silent Master Skywalker?”  Dex asked.
	“Maybe if you forget I’m here you’ll leave,”  
Luke retorted.  	Dex laughed and Luke could feel the 
security he’d called running towards the room.
	“Where’s the little woman?”  Dex asked looking 
around the room.  “I do so much enjoy talking to her.”
	“She’s not here right now.”  
	A small squad of palace guards came and stood by 
the door.  The leader looked at Luke.
	“Is there a problem Master Skywalker?”
	“Could you please help Senator Dex find his way 
out?”  Luke asked, keeping his eyes on Dex.  “He seems 
to have gotten lost.”
	“Yes sir.”  He turned to Dex.  “Senator, if 
you’ll please follow me.”  
	They led him out and Dex turned around to smile 
devilishly at Luke.
	“Don’t let your guard down Master Skywalker,”  
Dex called to him from the hallway.  He laughed and 
left.
	“Don’t worry, I won’t,”  Luke said quietly to the 
door.  
	He tried to relax a little and turned around to his 
children.  They looked at him with little questioning 
faces.
	“Sorry you had to see that,”  he apologized.  
	Mara stepped out of the bathroom.
	“Who was it?”  she asked stepping toward him.
	Luke looked at her for a moment.
	“It was Dex.”  
	Mara’s eyes narrowed to slits.  “What did he 
want?”  she asked, her voice low.
	“He wanted to see Natie and Nate.  Then he told me 
not to let my guard down.”  
	She shook her head.
	“I thought out problems with him were over.”  
	A knock came from the door and Luke and Mara looked 
to see who it was.
	“Come in Leia,” Luke said. 
	She stepped in and looked from Luke to Mara.
	“What happened?”  Leia asked.  “I thought I just 
saw Dex leaving.  He didn’t come in here did he?  Not 
after all the trouble he’s caused.”
	“He did,”  Luke confirmed.  “He wanted to see the 
twins.”	“He’s been bothering you so much, maybe you 
two could get a restraining order against him,”  Leia 
suggested.
	Luke sighed quietly.
	“No, Leia.  That wouldn’t stop anyone else from 
doing things for him.  It wouldn’t solve anything.”
	“Luke’s right,” Mara said walking up slowly 
towards her husband.
	“You aren't supposed to be up, are you?”  Leia 
asked eyeing Mara.  
	Mara gave Leia a short shake of her head.
	“You Skywalkers are all alike.”
	“Be careful,”  leia warned with a smile.  “You’re 
one too now.”
	“Ha ha, only by marriage,”  Mara said 
sardonically.  “And anyway--Luke’s right.  No matter 
what we do, Dex will somehow be able to spill his wrath 
around us.  Unless of course we all go hide in a hole, 
but I’m sure he’d just find that too.”  
	Mara and Luke were right, but that didn’t mean that 
Dex had to keep bothering them like he was.
	“Did he say anything to you?”  Leia asked Luke.
	“Only that I shouldn’t let my guard down.”
	“Well you shouldn’t anyway,” Leia advised.  “No 
matter what kind of peace we’re in, something always 
pops up.  Anyway, I came to check on you two and the 
twins.”
	Luke smiled a little uncomfortably.  “I’m still 
getting used to that.”  
	Leia smiled.
	“Oh trust me, it won’t take that long to get used 
to it.  Are they over there?”  she asked pointing to the 
small bassinet by the bed.  
	Luke nodded and Leia walked over to get another 
glimpse at her niece and nephew.  She’d gotten to see 
them last night, but was only able to watch Luke and 
Mara holding them from a distance.  Up close, it was 
much better.  She reached a hand down and caressed both 
tiny faces.  Those tiny faces reminded her so much of 
Luke and Mara.  Leia was thankful that they didn’t have 
any problems.
	Mara came up slowly with Luke beside her.  But Mara 
wasn’t slow by choice, she was still a little sore from 
yesterday.  Mara smiled at Leia.
	“What do you think?”  she asked.
	“Oh Mara, they’re beautiful.  You’ll make a 
wonderful mother.”  
	They stood there for a few minutes until Luke 
spoke.
	“Mara’s doctor says we can take them home 
tomorrow,”  Luke said.
	There was no mistaking the air of pride around him.  
Luke would make a loving and dedicated father.
	“I don’t see why he says that,”  Mara objected.  
“They’re too small.  Can’t we wait until they’re  a bit 
bigger?”  
	Mara’s worry made Luke laugh.
	“Mara, they’ll do fine,”  he assured her.  “We 
just have to let them grow.  I don’t think they’d want 
to grow up in a hospital.”  
	Mara still didn’t look convinced.  Something was 
bothering her, but she didn’t know what.


	The next afternoon, Leia helped Mara and the twins 
get settled in at home.  Mara’s old room had been turned 
into the nursery, but the twins would stay in Luke and 
Mara's bedroom until they were a few months older.
	Luke had gone to the couch for a much needed nap 
while Leia and Mara talked in the bedroom.  Mara was 
holding Nathan and had a sad and troubled look on her 
face.  Leia noticed and wondered why she would look so 
sad when her babies were finally home.
	“Mara, are you okay?”  Leia asked.
	Mara didn’t look up, but continued to look at 
Nathan.
	“Mara?”  Leia asked a bit louder.  
	Mara shook herself out of her daze and looked at 
Leia.
	“What?”
	“Are you okay?”  she asked again.  “You looked 
the same way at the hospital.”  
	Mara wasn’t going to lie to Leia.  Just to Luke.
	“I don’t know,”  she admitted.  “I just have a 
bad feeling about bringing the twins home.  I don’t 
think it has to do with their size though.”  After a 
small pause, she continued.  “Leia, do you remember what 
I told you about Luke’s dream that one night?”  
	Leia had to think for a moment, but she soon found 
what she was looking for.
	“Yes, I remember.  Why?”
	“Well don’t tell Luke,”  Mara said her gaze 
flicking to the door.  “I think it’ll only upset him, 
but I think that there’s something wrong about that 
dream.”
	“What do you mean?”
	“Like it wasn’t just a dream.”  
	Both women were silent for a moment.
	“You should tell Luke,”  Leia said at last.
	“That’s just it,”  Mara said quietly.  “I can’t 
because it’ll only upset him.  Remember how much that it 
hurt him then?  I don’t want that to happen again.”  
Mara looked down for a moment at the tiny one she held.  
He looked so much like Luke...  “And Dex is only making 
things worse.  Maybe he’s the one Luke was so afraid of 
in the vision.”
	“But why would Dex want to take away your 
children?”  
	Mara thought for a moment.
	“Well he seems to hate me so why not hate 
something I help create?”
	“Mara, you’re being ridiculous,”  Leia said.  
“He’d get into trouble if he did that.  Don’t worry.  
I’m sure it’s just that you’re scared for your kids.  It 
happened to me all the time.”
	“You’re right,”  Mara agreed.  “I’m probably just 
worrying over nothing.”


	During the evening, after Leia had attended a last 
minute council meeting, she discovered Dex trying to 
catch up with her.
	“Senator Organa Solo, I’d like a word with you if 
you please.”  
	Tired of being followed, Leia turned her head 
around and gave Dex a polite smile.
	“Yes Senator Dex?”  she asked politely.
	Glad that she was finally paying him some 
attention, he spoke.
	“I just wanted to inform you that I will be 
running with you for the next presidential election.”  
	What is he talking about?  Leia thought.
	“What are you talking about?”  Leia asked.  “We 
don’t hold presidential elections in the New Republic.”
	“Well then, when I become president there will 
be.”  
	He really did annoy her.
	“Senator Dex if you have a point, please make it 
before I lose my temper on you.”
	“Touchy princess,”  Dex said with a slight smile.  
“But I meant what I said.  I will become president of 
the New Republic.  One way . . . or another.”  With a 
smile he left down the corridor.
	Strange, Leia thought.  But a man like Dex had only 
motive.  He couldn’t do anything on his own if he had 
step by step instructions telling him what to do.  
Without caring for Dex, Leia made the walk down to her 
apartment.  
	Leia wouldn’t know then how much hyer family would 
pay for her lack of interest.


	“He looks a lot like me, doesn’t he?”  Luke asked 
Mara holding Nathan.  
	Mara was seated with her legs outstretched on the 
bed she and Luke shared.  In her arms, Natalie was 
hungrily eating away.  Mara smiled and looked up at 
Luke.
	“He sure does,”  Mara said.  “But Natalie has 
your smile.”  	Luke smiled and looked down at the 
toothless little Nathan.
	“Yup,”  Mara said with a smile.  “That’s the 
one.”  
	Mara gazed down at her daughter to see if she was 
done eating yet.  Trying to shield her thoughts away 
from the man sitting a ways beside her, she wondered if 
she should tell him about what she told Leia.  Maybe he 
wouldn’t get that upset if she did...
	“What are you trying to hide from me?”  Luke 
asked Mara as he eyed her carefully.
	“Apparently I wasn’t doing a good job at it,”  
she said.  
	She paused for a moment then regarded Luke with a 
careful smile.  He was looking down at her with a 
worried expression on his face.
	“Mara, are you all right?  You can tell me 
anything, okay?”
	“I know,”  she said with warmth in her smile.  
That’s why I married you.”  	
	“Oh yeah?  Is that the only reason?”
	“Well that and you’re good looking.”  
	Mara made Luke blush a little.  
	“But you wanted to know what was wrong,”  Mara 
said trying to get back to the subject at hand.  
	I guess I’ll live through whatever he does.  
	“I was talking with Leia earlier while you were 
napping.  I told her that something seemed a little 
wrong with taking Nathan and Natalie home early.  Or 
maybe it was just about today, but I don’t know.  And 
something about Dex bothered me at the same time.  I 
think he fits in with it too.”
	“You shouldn’t worry about Dex,”  Luke said from 
his seat playing with Nathan’s fingers.  “At least 
that’s what Leia tells me.”  
	Mara could clearly hear the doubt in his voice.
	“But you feel it too, don’t you?”  she asked.  
“Like he’s got something planned?”  
	Luke nodded his head while watching Nathan in his 
lap.
	“Yes I do,”  he said.  “Is that what’s been 
bothering you?”  	Oh boy, here comes the hard part. 
. . 
	“Well...that’s not all that’s got me upset.  See 
there’s something else and I think it fits in with the 
other two, but you have to promise me that you won’t get 
mad.”
	“Mara, what is it?”
	“Promise me first.”  
	Luke eyed Mara a little then nodded his head.
	“Okay, I promise you I won’t get mad.”  
	Mara sighed.
	“I don’t think that dream you had was just a 
dream.”  
	She could feel Luke’s anger slowly rising, but she 
gave him a meaningful glance.
	“You promised,”  she reminded him.
	“Okay, I won’t get mad, but I will say I told you 
so.  I didn’t want you to worry, that’s why I didn’t 
want to tell you.  and when I did, look at you.  You’re 
worried.”
	“Luke, it could be nothing.  Maybe I’m just a 
little jumpy.”  	She knew he was doing some job of 
keeping his temper down.
	“And do you know for sure that it’s nothing?”  he 
asked, being careful not to talk too loud.  “What if all 
our worrying is for a good cause?”  
	Mara sighed in resignation.  Natalie had stopped 
eating and was gazing up and watching her mommy.
	“I don’t know Luke,”  Mara told him with her eyes 
on Natalie.  “Come here and give me Nathan, I think 
Natalie’s done with her dinner.”
	“More like her post dinner after snack.”  Luke 
told her as he got up and switched babies with Mara.  
	Nathan didn't seem to be hungry so Mara just held 
him.
	“I Think I’m going to bed as soon as these two 
fall asleep,”  Mara said.  	
	Luke was walking to regain his seat when he felt 
something grabbing at his waist.  Luke glanced down and 
saw Nathan trying to grab for the lightsaber hanging on 
his belt.  Luke chuckled.
	“Oh no, not for you,”  he said.  “You’re too 
young.”  
	He unclipped his lightsaber and put it on the 
nightstand by Mara then went to his seat.
	“You think Nathan will be as good a swordsman with 
a lightsaber as his father?”  Mara asked.
	Luke gave her a grin.
	“What--and be able to beat me?”  he teased.  “I 
don’t think so.”
	“You’re just a sore loser,”  Mara teased Luke.
	“Oh?  And you aren’t?”
	“When these two fall asleep, don’t be too 
surprised if I wake you up in the middle of the night 
for a practice session.”
	“Yeah, wait until they can’t see you to lose.”
	“I’d throw a pillow, but you have my child in your 
arms,”  Mara said.  
	Luke slowly rocked Natalie in his arms until she 
fell asleep.  	*I think she’s asleep*  he sent to Mara.
	*So’s Nathan.  Bring her here and help me put them 
in bed*  	Luke got up quietly and put Natalie in Mara’s 
arms.  Abruptly he felt a foreign presence outside the 
bedroom door.	
	“Mara,”  Luke whispered.  
	He reached down and put a hand on her arm.
	“Yeah I feel it too,”  she said, her forehead 
creased with concentration.  “Only one though?”  
	Luke nodded.  
	There was a loud explosion from the door not too 
many feet away from him and Luke had little time to 
react.
	“Mara!”  he yelled to his wife.  “The kids, cover 
them!”  
	The moment the door had exploded--that was what had 
exploded, right?--Luke had ducked, and had been too far 
away to help Mara.  I should of helped her, he thought.  
At the last moment he sent reassurance to her and his 
infants then put a blanket of protection over them, but 
less than a second later it was thrown off.
	What are you doing, Mara?  He put it on again and 
opened his eyes.  The room was filled with thick gray 
smoke and Luke couldn’t see Mara.  Or the bed for that 
matter.  He felt the barrier of protection he’d put up 
fall again.
	Luke reached around for the nightstand and the 
lightsaber he’d left there not long before.  Maybe if he 
turned it on he’d get some light.  He bumped his hand on 
something then heard something clunking to the floor.
	“Blast,” Luke said as he searched the floor with 
his hand to find the saber that would never come.
	“Mara?”  Luke asked.  “Are you all right?”  
	But all Luke got in return was an eerie, chilling 
laughter.  But it wasn’t Mara laughing . . . was that 
who had blown out his door?
	“Who are you?”   Luke asked. 
	The laughter increased for a moment, then wound 
down until the person finally decided to speak.
	“How are you this fine evening Master Skywalker?”  
the woman’s smooth mocking voice said.  A woman who 
sounded vaguely familiar...
	“Elori?”  Luke asked tentatively.
	“I’m surprised you remember me,”  she said.  “But 
yes, it is Elori.  Sorry to leave so soon, but I’m done 
here.  See you later.”
	“Wait!”  Luke said, trying to get her to stay.  
	He couldn’t see her, but he knew it wasn’t working.  
A pain unexpectedly shot through his head and the world 
suddenly went black.


	Groggy and in pain--more pain than he was in when 
he blacked out--Luke awoke gradually.  The smoke was 
gone at least, making it much easier to see.  Carefully 
trying to get up, Luke checked with his senses to make 
sure Mara, Nathan, and Natalie were okay.  But he 
stopped being careful and jolted up the moment he 
couldn’t feel the presence of his wife or the two new 
lives he was just getting to know.  He looked with his 
eyes and saw that they weren’t on the bed he’d last seen 
them on.
	He went to the bed and felt with his hands to see 
if his eyes weren’t lying to him.  He needn’t of tried.  
They weren’t lying.  Then he remembered his 
dream...Mara’s recent fear at it not being a dream...and 
Luke realized that she had been right.  But now Mara was 
gone and he couldn’t tell her about it . . . but he 
could tell Leia.


	Leia awoke to the sound of someone knocking 
terribly loud at her suite’s door.  Han rolled over in 
the bed they shared and woke up himself.
	“Leia,”  Han’s sleepy voice said.  “Get the door 
will you?”    
	Leia looked down at her husband and sighed.
	“I’m going, I’m going,”  she said getting up.  
“Just get back to bed.”  
	Leia got out of bed and wondered who would think to 
wake her up at this hour.  She put on a robe and went to 
the door.  She opened it and Luke burst into the room 
jabbering away too fast for her sleep-fogged mind to 
understand.
	“You have to help me, Leia,”  Luke said.  “Mara 
and the twins are gone.  We have to stop her.  I know 
Dex is behind this somehow.  Help me find where they’ve 
gone.  If we go now...”  Luke was pacing the room as he 
spoke.  
	Leia went up to her brother and held his arms with 
her hands.  She spun him gently towards her.
	“Luke, what’s wrong?”  she asked, still trying to 
wake up more herself.  “I can’t understand you, go 
slower.”  
	Leia’s much taller brother looked down at her with 
a confused expression on his face.
	“No,”  Luke said fiercely shaking his head.  “No 
Leia, we have to go now.  You have to help me now.”  
	Still holding her brother’s arms, she tried to lead 
him to the couch to sit down.
	“Luke, just sit down and tell me what’s bothering 
you okay?”  she asked.  
	He jerked away from her like a hurt animal and 
started to confuse Leia even more.
	“No!”  Luke protested again.  “No, you don’t 
understand!  They’re gone, we have to go get them.”  He 
started to look around the room as if for ideas.  
“They’re gone...”  he mumbled,  “If we go now...they 
can’t of gone far...but they’re gone...”  
	As if what he was saying had suddenly dawned on 
him, Luke looked sharply up at Leia.  
	“They’re gone...”  he whispered.
	Luke’s eyes looked haunted and scared.  “Oh 
no...”  
	He went down on his knees and hid his face in his 
hands and cried.	
	Leia knelt down beside Luke and put her arms around 
his compact form.  Even though she had no clue what was 
wrong, she held him and let him cry.
	“It’s okay Luke,”  Leia said softly.  
	She could feel him pitifully shaking his head 
against her.
	“No it’s not,”  his muffled and sobb-filled voice 
said.  “They’re gone.  They’re gone Leia.”
	Where had they gone?  Why had Elori taken his wife 
and babies?  They’d done nothing to her.  Luke’s family 
had been taken away.  Anger filled his heart.  He had 
only begun to know his children...why had someone found 
it amusing to steal them away from him?  He hadn’t even 
spent a week with them and they were gone.
	“Luke, who’s gone?”  Leia asked with confusion.  
	Luke picked up his head and looked Leia straight in 
the eye.  His face was blotched and streaked with tears.  
His hair was a mess.  But in all that mess, Leia saw her 
brother, strong and true.  Even if it was the brother 
she knew so well, she could see the hidden pain and fear 
that he never showed to anyone.  Luke was scared, and 
she didn’t know why.
	“Mara,”  Luke whispered.  “Mara and my babies, 
Leia...they’re gone.”  
	Oh no, Leia thought.  Don’t let this happen to 
Luke.  Please not Luke...
	“Are you sure?”  Dumb question to ask, but Leia 
hadn’t been prepared for what he had told her.
	“Yes, Leia,”  Luke told her.  “They're not in my 
apartment.  They’re gone...And it’s all my fault.  I did 
nothing to stop her.  Nothing.  It’s my fault.  My 
fault!”  Luke said through gritted teeth.
	“Oh Luke, it’s okay,”  she said, trying to get 
him to calm down more.
	She held him once more and let his tears fall on 
her.  He felt so small...so helpless.  “It’s okay.  It’s 
not your fault.  We’ll find them...I promise.”  
	Please help me find them, she silently prayed.



TO BE CONTINUED...