This is for those of you who, like me, felt there was just one or two little scenes missing from Tim Zahn's Vision of the Future. (Not that I'm blaming Tim, mind you - he did a fantastic job with the story and I'm eternally gratefully!) It takes place directly at the end of Chapter 42. In fact, the first part of this is taken directly from pg. 512-513 of Zahn's book.

The usual disclaimer: these characters aren't mine. I just greatly enjoy putting them in situations where they can communicate and react. So thanks George and Tim for looking the other way.

Vision: Chapter 42-A

- by Michelle Lunsford (April 1999)

"Next stop, Coruscant," Luke said with a sigh, leaning back tiredly in the copilot's seat.

"Next stop, the nearest New Republic base or one of Karrde's out-posts," Mara corrected. "I don't know about you, but I want a shower, some clean clothes, and something besides ration bars to eat."

"Point taken, Luke said. "You always were the practical one, weren't you?"

"And you always were the idealistic one," she said. "Must be why we work so well together. Speaking of practical, remember back in the cloning chamber when Artoo went all squeaky?"

"You mean just before the sentinel droids showed up?"

"Right. We never did find out what was tying him in knots that way."

"Well, let's find out now," Luke said, levering himself out of his seat and making his way back to the droid alcove where they'd plugged Artoo into the ship's computer. "Okay, Artoo, you heard the lady. What was it about the Unknown Regions data that got you all excited?"

Artoo warbled, his words appearing on the computer display. "He says it didn't have anything to do with the Unknown Regions," Luke reported. "Which he says he didn't get more than a general overview of, by the way."

"I didn't think he'd gotten very much," Mara said regretfully. "He wasn't connected to the computer nearly long enough to download everything."

"Well, we're sure not going to go back and get the rest now," Luke said, skimming down the scrolling words. "But there was something he stumbled across in one of the other records..."

Mara must have picked up on his sudden shock. "What is it?" she asked sharply.

"I don't believe it," he murmured, still reading. "Mara, he found it. He found it."

"Wonderful. Found what?"

"What else?" Luke looked up at her. "Thrawn's copy of the Caamas Document."

Mara stared back, her expression a mirror image of Luke's. "We've got to get this information to your sister."

"No kidding." Luke was already headed toward the navigational console. "You programmed the jump, where's our first jump out point?"

Mara was at his side, eyes scanning the chart Luke had brought up on the screen. "There," she said, pointing a finger at a name on the chart. "The Miriaun system. Karrde just happens to have an out-post there."

"Why am I not surprised," Luke said wryly. He settled back into the copilot chair again. "Well, I'm sure Karrde's people can get us a secure channel to send Leia a message."

"Of course," she replied with mock indignation.

It was an attempt to show professional pride, but Luke hadn't missed the other, more indicative flicker from her sense. "What is it?" he asked.

Mara turned back to the navigation chart, pretending to be engrossed in the information there. "What is what?"

"Hey," Luke said softly, reaching out to take her hand. "I hope you haven't already forgotten how well I can pick up on your sense now?"

It was a way of telling Mara that she need not deny something was troubling her while also allowing her the option to not talk about it just yet if she didn't want to. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze in response and met his gaze. "No, of course not. Just still getting adjusted to the concept, that's all." She paused, considering. "How much to you think we should tell them?"

"Good question. And at this point I don't know. But when I send Leia a message, all I intend to tell her is that we're safe, and that we have a copy of the Caamas Document. No one, not even Leia, needs to know what we've learned about the Unknown Regions and the Hand of Thrawn. At least, not until we've thought it over and decided the best way to deal with that information."

Luke was rewarded with a slight smile, but he still detected a glimmer of hesitation. He gave her hand a gentle tug, pulling her towards him, and continued tugging until Mara got the message and finally sat, albeit a bit awkwardly in the confines of the copilot seat, in Luke's lap. "But I think what's really bothering you is when, and how, we should tell my family about our other piece of news."

"Well?" Mara replied, not even attempting to deny it was true.

"Naturally I want them to know as soon as possible, but I'm not the only one getting married here." Luke reached up to tuck a stray wisp of red-gold hair behind her ear. "So what are your feelings on the matter?"

Mara shook her head slightly. "I just can't shake this image of Leia passing out right then and there when you tell her."

There was enough jocularity in Mara's tone that Luke knew she was teasing, but with just enough seriousness for him to carefully consider it as well. "I suppose it will come as a bit of a shock," he admitted. "I mean, everyone knows that you and I have always been friends, but this--" he paused. "But what do you mean when I tell her. I was thinking we both would tell her. You know, as in me and you, together." To add emphasis to his words, Luke wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her a bit closer.

"I'm serious," Mara said, resting her head against Luke's shoulder. "What if your family doesn't take the news well? What if, for some reason or another, they aren't happy about it?"

"Mara," Luke said soothingly, "I can't imagine why they wouldn't be happy. Both Han and Leia trust and respect you. The twins and Anakin adore you. And if I had a credit for every time Leia - or Han for that matter - has dropped a hint that I should find someone and settle down to get married, I probably could have funded the entire war effort out of my own pocket."

He could still sense Mara's unease. With a gentle pull he raised Mara's face, looked into her eyes, and filled his voice with all the sincere emotion he felt. "But I want you to know, that if the worst possible scenario did happen - which I don't for a moment believe it will - and my family wasn't happy with the news, it wouldn't change a thing. I love you, Mara, and I want you to be my wife. If other beings in the galaxy can't accept that, then it's their problem."

Mara brought her lips to his, and in that moment Luke had personal experience to accompany his statement: the entire galaxy probably could have exploded that very instant and he wouldn't have noticed, much less cared. When she finally began to pull away, Luke was surprised to find he was a little breathless.

"No more worries now?" he asked, gently running a finger across her cheek.

"Just one," Mara replied, a touch of mischievousness gleaming in her emerald eyes. "We also need to consider how to tell Karrde."

Luke grimaced. "Why do I get the feeling that may be as difficult, if not more so, than it was actually asking you in the first place."

Mara raised an eyebrow, questioningly.

"It's not so much that he'll mind us getting married as he will losing the best associate he's ever had."

Mara suddenly had an unfocused look, gazing ahead just over Luke's shoulder. "Actually I don't think we have to worry too much about it. Something tells me that part's going to get taken care of one way or another."

"Oh really?" Luke replied with a smile, unsuccessfully hiding the pride from his tone. "Could it be a Jedi hunch?"

Mara smiled in response, slowly pushing herself up from his lap. "Something like that. Guess I'm going to have to get accustomed to that too, huh?"

"Comes with the package, I'm afraid."

"Well, we should reach the Miriaun system in a couple of hours. I'm pretty exhausted. Think I'll take a rest before we get there." She flashed a playful grin. "Providing, of course, you can manage for that long without me."

Luke gave her a counterfeit stricken look. "It'll probably be nothing short of pure torture, but I'll manage somehow."

"I figured as much." Mara bent to give him a quick kiss, but the light brush on the lips she had intended quickly grew into something deeper.

"And I thought you were supposed to be exhausted." Luke playfully chided.

Mara's sense radiated a touch of stupefaction, still a little caught off guard by this new, and intriguingly spontaneous, side of the Jedi Master. She smiled, a wistful tone to her own voice as she replied, "just wait until I'm fully rested, Jedi."

And content to see that she could still leave him speechless, Mara settled into the pilot's chair and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"This should be interesting," Han commented with his usual understated casualness.

Leia gave her husband a well-practiced glare. That was about all he'd been saying ever since the message had come in from Luke. A message, Leia reminded herself once again, that had been brief and lacking much in the way of detail. And now she, along with Han, Chewie, Karrde, and Threepio, was waiting in the small communications area of the ‘more private, out of the way' landing site Luke had requested. She didn't know what Luke was keeping from her, or even why he felt the need to be so secretive, but something about his sense - even what she'd picked up through the holomessage - was enough to cause her to play along without asking too many questions.

"We have them on our scopes now," the lone control tech who'd been assigned to the station commented.

Leia turned her attention back to the viewport, eyes scanning for any sign of the ship. When it finally came into view, she began to understand Luke's request for avoiding the main landing sites.

"Karrde, is that like one of the ships you and Mara spotted? The ones you sent her to investigate?" Leia asked.

"Yes," the man replied, his voice and expression calm as always. "Though I must admit I didn't expect to see one under quite these circumstances."

Chewbacca growled something, just under his breath.

"Good point, Chewie," Han agreed. "Leia, are you picking up on anything unusual? Anything to indicate this could be a trap or something?"

Leia reached out through the Force. "No--" she paused. There was something distinctly different about her brother's sense. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. It didn't feel particularly dangerous, or even negative in any way Leia could tell, but considering the situation it was something she definitely wanted to ask him about. "I get the slightest feeling they're a little apprehensive about something, but Luke and Mara are alright. Don't worry, Artoo's with them and he's alright too," she quickly added, remembering Threepio was in the room.

Now it was simply a matter of waiting.

After several long, silent moments - broken only by the occasional sound of the communications technician giving the necessary instructions and feedback - Luke, Mara, and Artoo finally came through the landing platform entrance.

"Thanks everyone," Luke began even before the automatic door had closed behind them, "for meeting us like this."

An expectant silence held for a few heartbeats before the technician, recognizing that his job was now complete, pulled off his headset and excused himself from the room.

"I know everyone is wondering what's going on," Luke began, slowly meeting the gaze of all those present. "But hear me out first, and then Mara and I will try to answer your questions, if we can."

Leia listened as her brother shared little more information than his original message had. Luke would not say where, specifically, he and Mara had been for the past several weeks. Nor would he say what that had seen there, or been doing there. He would not provide any answers concerning the mysterious ship they had arrived in.

"In sum, what you're saying is that you can't tell us anything?" Leia asked, incredulous.

Luke caught Mara's glance, met her eyes for a moment, and Leia got the peculiar sensation of something that passed between them, almost like some unspoken communication. It was odd, if only in the sense that Leia somehow felt she should have also been able to pick up on it, and yet had not.

"We can't tell you anything more right now," Luke acquiesced. "You just have to trust us that there are reasons why, and the information we're withholding doesn't put anyone in danger."

Leia still could not shake the nagging sense that something was... no, wrong didn't seem quite the right adjective, but something was definitely different, not only with her brother but also with Mara. Drawing on her own Force skills, the Princess tried to push the feeling, as well as her growing irritation, to the back of her mind. One thing Leia could tell for certain was that she would not be getting any further answers from either of them on the matter in the immediate future. And both Han and Karrde, for whatever reasons she didn't have the patience to even contemplate at the moment, did not appear too keen on pressing the matter either.

"Where's the copy of the Caamas Document?" she asked instead.

"Artoo has it," Luke replied, unable to hide a slight smile at the irony. Once again an important file was in the safekeeping of one particular astromech droid.

"Then we better get him somewhere he can download it," Leia began.

"Wait a minute," Mara interrupted.

It was the first time Mara had spoken since their arrival, Leia noted, and again she caught the impression of some unspoken communication pass between the woman and Luke.

Mara addressed the others but kept her eyes on Luke. "There is one other thing we need to tell you about."

"Well," Luke interjected, "two things, actually."

Leia saw Mara's questioning look toward Luke at that, but just as quickly saw the redhead roll her eyes.

"Oh, alright, if you just have to tell them," Mara conceded, almost flippantly.

Anticipatory stillness hung in the room until Karrde, no doubt eager to hear the intriguing information, finally cleared his throat. "I do hope you aren't planning to keep us in unnecessary suspense."

"Mara's a Jedi now," Luke announced. He was practically beaming, almost grinning from ear to ear. And the unmistakable sense of pride rolled out of him in waves.

"Then it would seem congratulations are in order," Leia said, trying to gage Mara's reaction. She had never been sure just why Mara hadn't taken the final steps toward becoming a Jedi, but whatever the reason, or reasons, the woman had obviously dealt with them now. And if that were the case, it certainly went toward explaining the different sense Leia had been picking up from the pair ever since their return.

"You said there were two things," Han suddenly piped up from the corner where he had been nonchalantly leaning against the wall. There was the customary seeming indifference to his tone, but Leia didn't miss the underlying currents of curiosity there. She doubted her other Force sensitive companions had either.

"Right," Luke said, giving Mara yet another one of those strange looks they had been sharing.

The silence this time was almost deafening.

With an unceremonious, most matter of fact tone Mara finally replied. "We're getting married."

Later, after it was over, Leia would wonder if her mouth had literally fallen all the way open to the floor. She also recalled hearing Threepio excitedly repeating "oh my!" over and over. Somewhere in her perception Leia thought she might have heard her husband say "what did I tell ya?" as he gave the Wookie a friendly nudge in the gut.

"Well, this is interesting news," Karrde said, his expression unreadable.

Mara watched her friend carefully. It was several seconds before Karrde eventually strode toward them, the hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth just as he stepped up to Luke.

"I can't say that I appreciate you taking her away from me, as it were," Karrde said. "But I do congratulate you. Both of you." He bent to give Mara a kiss on the cheek.

"All I can say is I wish I'd played my hunch and actually placed bets," Han said.

"And just what hunch was that, Solo?" Mara asked, crossing her arms and giving him a cool stare that was all show.

"Oh just the one that told me something was up when Luke called in that message, being all secretive and looking like he was so chipper he was just gonna fall over sitting there," Han replied, his characteristic lopsided grin taking form.

"You mean you actually knew?" Luke asked, amazed.

"Hey, just because I'm not the Jedi around here doesn't mean I can't pick up on the obvious." The former smuggler grinned roguishly before finally admitting, "okay, not really. But it was a pretty fair guess." Then he was giving his own version of congratulations; a warm embrace for his brother-in-law and a second one for Mara.

Chewie was right behind, almost smothering the two with his characteristic Wookie enthusiasm.

"Leia?" Luke asked after the room had quieted again. He was gazing at her expectantly.

"I have to admit, I'm not sure what to say." Leia watched as Luke reached for Mara's hand, watched as Mara stepped a little closer to Luke. Leia felt the light turmoil going on in Mara's sense, and wondered once again just what exactly was passing between the two Jedi.

"I guess all I really need to say is that I'm happy for you," Leia finally replied. On impulse, Leia reinforced the truth of her emotions with a slight push to them through the Force, and she caught the almost imperceptible relaxing of Mara's stance. Leia then gave out her own round of hugs.

"I offer you my sincere congratulations as well, Master Luke. And to you Miss Jade," Threepio's precise voice spoke next. "But as Artoo has reminded me, we do have other matters to attend to at the moment."

"Right, the Caamas Document," Luke acknowledged.

As they began to file out of the small room, Leia caught her brother's sleeve, holding him back a moment. "I guess this explains the strange feeling I was picking up from your sense," she said.

Luke gave her a questioning look.

"Something about you, and Mara, just seemed different. I'm not sure I can really explain it..." her voice trailed off.

"I'm not sure I can either," Luke admitted, his eyes following Mara's retreating figure. "We had the chance to talk, get some things out in the open. Then it just seemed all the barriers - barriers I didn't even realize we'd had up - were falling away. And then something happened, something very--" he turned his eyes back to Leia, his sense a little hesitant. "It was as if a part of us just melded together in the Force. And now we have this connection - it's not like anything I've ever known before. Not even with you."

Leia considered that. Vaguely she was aware that a part of her might should have felt a twinge of jealousy. But there was none. Only genuine happiness that her brother had found such a unique and precious gift. "Come on," she said, smiling. "We can talk about it more later." And with a gentle touch on his arm, Leia led him from the room.