master_luke (master_luke) wrote in thegalaxy, @ 2016-05-13 08:40:00 |
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Entry tags: | !locale: naboo, luke skywalker, morganna bastra |
Better a friend on paths unknown
Who: Morganna and Luke
When: Before he leaves for Dermos
Where: An abandoned cottage by the lake
What: Reunions
Rating: G
Morganna parked her speeder bike behind the cottage and got off. Taking off her helmet and shaking out her hair she looked around to make sure she hadn’t been followed and that there was no one near the cottage. After determining that she was indeed alone, she pulled a datapad out of the storage compartment on the bike and walked around to the front of the cottage. She had no idea how long this place had been here or any of its history but it was the perfect place for her to meet Poe when she needed to pass on information. That wasn’t why she was here today though. In addition to being a drop off point, it had become a place of refuge for her. When things were bothering her, Morganna liked to come here and spend time alone. She would read or perhaps just sit and think or sometimes even write in the journal that she kept although she never wrote about anything of importance in case she should be found out and the journal taken from her. Today she needed to think about the dreams. They’d started a month ago and were getting more frequent. The odd thing was that they didn’t feel like dreams. They felt like so much more than that. She could see herself in them, she could see everything that was happening but the most disturbing thing was who was in the dreams with her. Luke. For the first few months after they’d parted, she could still feel him at the back of her mind, the bond they’d forged was still there but then it had stopped. He had severed it, she knew that and she knew why. It was for both their sakes. When the Academy had been destroyed, even the occasional brief flashes that she would get had gone away and Morganna knew that Luke was dead. Why then was this happening? It wasn’t like before, this was different, it felt so real and she wanted to know why. She sat on the ground in front of the cottage and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall. Meditation, that was one thing Luke had taught her and it had saved her life more than once. Maybe it would help her today, she thought as she began clearing her mind. He had intended fully on leaving Naboo and not returning, not for a long while. It remained his intent, Luke admitted, except for this one foray. Even walking to where the rendezvous point was, he knew it to be a mistake of the largest order. This, all of this, a mistake. For nearly thirty years, he had successfully evaded addressing this one loose end, this unresolved issue. Who would it benefit to see Morganna now? He suspected neither of them. Had he not come across her name among the records that Leia provided, he would not be here. Somehow, he knew that Leia had done so purposefully, and he was surprised at the faint irritation at her insistence. Could this not have been something they left in the past? His life was no more secure now, than it had been; he had even less to offer Morganna now. He certainly was even more enmeshed in the politics of the Jedi than he had ever been, and that would drive that wedge deeper. But his counterpart had managed it, when he had failed. What was he missing? And yet...he did wish to see her, perhaps just to reassure himself that she was safe, that she was well. The directions to the cottage were obtained easily enough, although he had avoided explaining to Poe why he would need such a thing. Once he knew that she was on Naboo, it had been simple to locate her trace, to find that connection again. It was how he’d known she would be at the cottage today. Eschewing a speeder, he had simply walked. Perhaps the length of time would allow him to come to his blasted senses. But he did not deviate on the walk there. Just as he expected, her speeder was parked behind the cottage, and he walked around to the front, following the sensation of her consciousness. Again, he had cause to thank that she was not sensitive to the Force, beyond what she could feel when he used his own connection. It allowed him to observe as he approached, with her none the wiser. He was not prepared. The same brown, unruly hair, the same form, enough unchanged that Luke felt as if he had been punched. This was a bad idea, so very bad, but he released that tension, finding his center once more. She certainly would not appreciate spying, so he cleared his throat, quietly. “Hello, Morganna.” She thought she was dreaming when she opened her eyes and saw him standing there. She’d fallen asleep and even here the dreams had found her but he’d never spoken before and certainly not so plainly. Morganna simply stared at him for a moment and then stood up, leaving her datapad on the ground. He looked as he had in the dreams and she thought that the Jedi Master robes suited him. He was meant to be a Master, she knew that. His eyes though, she hadn’t been able to see them in the dreams but here she could, here she could see that they were still that same bright blue even though they looked tired. There was only one way that she was going to be convinced that this really was Luke and not another dream or some kind of enhanced hallucination. She walked toward him and reached out, laying her hand against his chest and she felt his heart beat. Solid, steady, real. Dropping her hand, she looked up at him. “It’s really you, isn’t it. You found me though the dreams didn’t you? Those weren’t really dreams then.” Morganna took a deep breath, surprised at how calm she felt. “I thought you were dead. For the last fifteen years I was sure you were dead.” That surprised him; he didn’t know that she’d carried that burden, thinking he was long since perished. Shaking his head slightly, he said, quietly, “No...just….away. I imagine that many people thought the same way.” His voice was rougher now, deeper, changed. She seemed no different, by comparison, but perhaps he was simply unable to see it. “I’m sorry about the dreams; I did not intend to intrude. I suppose being on the same planet again made it impossible to avoid.” Luke wasn’t sure how he was remaining as calm, except that as his eyes conveyed, he was tired. For all that the coming of the other Jedi had invigorated him, the years still weighed. Finally, he said, again, “I’m sorry, Morganna.” Morganna wanted to be angry, to be able to yell at him, beg him to tell her why he hadn’t found a way to let her know that he was alive but she knew that she had no right to any of those things. They had gone their separate ways long before the Academy fell but that didn’t mean she hadn’t thought of him, missed him, wished that there was some way she could see him just one more time. Here he was and she had her chance but all she could do was look at him, still not quite convinced that this was real even though she’d touched him. More than anything she wanted to put her arms around him and never let go but she had no right to do that either. She’d thought that the feelings she had for him were just nostalgia, remembering what might have been but looking at him now, she knew the truth. She’d never stopped loving him. She’d tried but she had failed. Was that what Anders has sensed, why he had hated her so? He knew that there had been someone before he’d met her, that they’d been together for seven years, but Morganna had never told him Luke’s name. She knew better than to do that because even though at the time, she’d been hurt and angry, she would never turn him over to the people who wanted him dead. “There’s no need to be sorry,” she finally said. “I wasn’t upset, I was just confused because I knew that it didn’t feel like a dream.” Morganna had tried to learn more about the Force in the years they’d been apart but there had been precious little information but she had learned enough from Luke to understand the connection they had shared. “I like the beard by the way. It suits you. So do the Jedi Master robes.” Luke attempted to see himself through her eyes, picture the way he had changed over the years, when she still seemed exactly the same, only older. His hair had gone grey, mixing in with the blond; it was even more pronounced with the beard. The robes he had not taken until he had established the Academy, and had finally accepted that he had become a Master. It was the will of the Force, not himself; even now, sometimes he found a small, questioning part of himself on the rare occasions that someone remarked upon them. No, he had vastly changed, both outwardly so, and inward. He wondered if her view of him would change once she saw that. “Thank you,” he said, quietly. “You look so much the same.” His blue eyes traveled over her, taking in the small differences with an almost reverent look. It was strange; there was still a spot of heat on his chest from where she had placed her hand. “I did not know you were here, on Naboo. I had heard, some time ago, that you married.” There was no censure in his tone, only mild curiosity. Time had only made him more handsome, Morganna thought, and he still was completely unaware of how he looked. It was one of the things that she had loved the most about him, his humility. She just wanted to stand there and drink him in, the peace she’d always felt with him a welcome relief after the turmoil of the years they’d been apart. “I came here four years ago,” she said. “After my husband died, I went home to Corellia but my parents died several years ago and Addy was here with her family so I came to Naboo to be near her.” And for many other reasons that she didn’t want to tell him. She’d never been able to hide anything from him and she wondered if he sensed the tension in her when she mentioned her husband. He had humiliated her in so many ways, abusing her in every way possible, physically, emotionally, sexually. What would Luke say if he knew what she’d done? Yes, he was a monster but did that give her the right to kill him? She had struggled with those questions for eight years and was no closer to finding an answer. “Adelaide.” He smiled, ruefully, remembering her sister. He wasn’t sure that Addy would be looking at him favorably right now, for that matter. He had hoped before that staying to the mundane would assist them in discussing this, but they were not the sort of people who could do so. He knew that. She prided herself on being direct, and he owed her much the same. For that matter, he did not need his senses to feel the tension she radiated. Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m not sure she would be happy to see me.” It was meant to make her smile, but he wondered if he could do that anymore. And he knew with his next words, that it would be impossible for a while. “Morganna…..Leia told me about your son. I am so very sorry.” Morganna was surprised. She’d had no idea that Leia had known about Brendan or that she’d kept up with her at all. “Thank you,” she said softly. “It was…..a very difficult time. He was six when it happened and we didn’t have any more children after that.” it wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted them but she didn’t want to have them with Anders. She looked up at Luke, knowing that he could sense what she was feeling and that she couldn’t lie to him. She’d never wanted to and she wasn’t going to start now. “I’ll be honest, Luke. My husband...well he wasn’t a good man. It was a huge mistake, I had no business marrying him and Brendan was the only good thing to come of it and I wanted to leave after he died but….I couldn’t. I didn’t know where to go or what to do and he…..I was afraid he’d hurt people I cared about.” She looked down at the ground, trying to compose herself and then looked up at Luke once more. “So you’re off the hook with Addy. She hated Anders way more than you.” A ghost of a smile flickered on her lips. It was as he suspected, although Leia had certainly been forthcoming enough over the years….when he was listening, that is. For the last decade, there had been little enough of that. “It’s all done with, now,” he said, compassionately. “If even Jedi could see the future accurately, we wouldn’t have made our mistakes either. There are so many things in life that never go the way we wish them to.” Once, he had believed that he could still pursue his dream of restarting the Academy and yet stay with Morganna. In time, he lost both. He had come to accept that perhaps neither of those dreams were ready to be attained, if at all. And in the years between, so much had drastically altered for both as well. “What will you do now?” he finally asked, knowing that they were not done discussing what had happened in the interim, but that it needed to be in small talks, a little at a time. “I’m working again,” she told him. “As a mechanic for the First Order. I actually just got a promotion. I’m the lead mechanic.” Morganna still feared that they had given her this job to keep an eye on her, that the suspected what she was up to and she bit her lip. She quickly realized that Luke would know that meant there was more to the story but it was no use. He wouldn’t pry, she knew that but she felt that she had to tell him. After all this time, she still cared what he thought of her/ ‘“It’s not what it seems, Luke. I know you’re wondering how I could go against everything I believed in,” she sighed and shook her head. “After my husband’s death, I went back to Corellia and I supported the Resistance as best I could. I inherited his estate, I funneled money to them but after four years, I couldn’t just do that any more. I never could sit still. Getting the job was easy, then all I had to do was find Poe. I’ve been gathering intel for the Resistance four the last four years. Leia knows Poe has a contact but she doesn’t know that it’s me. I didn’t want her to know partially because I was afraid she’d try to stop me and also because I wasn’t sure how she felt about me…..and I was ashamed about my marriage, about running into a relationship that should never have been. I paid dearly for it though.” She had physical scars from the abuse she’d taken but there were nothing compared to the emotional ones that no one could see. Morganna had been fighting tears since she’d seen him and now they spilled over and she wiped them away. “I’ve made so many mistakes since you saw me, Luke. There have been so many times when I wished I could go back and change things, that I could tell you that I understand now. I understand why you had to do what you did. I’ve wished a million times that I could have been there to help you.” When she mentioned the Order, Luke took in a swift breath. He was almost surprised at the sting, at having the knowledge that she worked for them now. Her explanation changed the nature of his fears, but did not lessen them. A spy was such a dangerous, dangerous thing. And had he jeopardized that by coming here? If he could find her, could they not as well, and see who she was conspiring with? “To help me..” he echoed, before sighing, and reaching out to put an arm around her, if she would allow it. He had forgotten that particular touch, and she may have grown to hate familiarity now. But he disliked seeing her tears, so much. “It seems that I should have been doing as much to help you. But Morganna….had you gone back and changed anything, you would not have the good you did have. Don’t dwell on regret.” It wasn’t simply the Jedi Master in him speaking the words; he had learned them as a nephew, as a son. As a brother. Regret could have eaten him alive, if he had not known to remember that it had all come with the good he had experienced. His aunt and uncle. Obi-Wan. Leia and Han. “I am grateful you understand….some days, even I still struggle with it. But don’t look back.” His touch surprised her but she couldn’t help herself, she stepped close to him and put her arms around him, resting her head against his chest, just for a moment letting herself get lost in the way it felt to be in his arms again. “I try not to,” she said, moving just enough to look up at him. “But some days it’s harder than others.. I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you more than know. I still can’t believe that you’re real.” She’d never thought to see him again, to be this close to him, to be able to look into his eyes and regardless of how long it had been, it still felt like the most natural thing in the world to be standing here with him. “Many don’t believe I am real.” Luke smoothed his hand over her hair automatically, the action simply happening before his conscious mind registered it. “Even I had my days, where I wasn’t sure. I am must admit there were days where I wished I did not exist.” It was not the fear or the anger he associated with the pull of the Dark side, but something more insidious; doubt. Grief. “And I missed you, too,” he added, gently. “I would say that you were never that far from my thoughts. But that is done now….what is past, is past.” She looked at him, trying to process what he had said about the past. He was right, Morganna knew that, the past was the past yet here the two of them were in the present. “I heard a lot of stories about you,” she said. “At the Military Academy you were said to be the person who destroyed the peaceful way of like that the Empire offered. It was very hard for me to not correct that statement. I couldn’t though because I knew that Anders would…..” she stopped abruptly, unsure of what to do, how much to tell Luke but she couldn’t stop the thought that came into her mind…hurt me. He would have hurt me until I told him the truth “he didn’t know that I had been part of the Rebellion, that I knew you. I never told him.” Although she was fairly certain that he knew, that he had somehow found out, there had been comments over the years but he never came out and said that he knew. “I also heard that you weren’t real, there were a lot of tales about you, some of them would have made you laugh,” she gave him a sad smile. “What you said about the past….do you regret what we had together, Luke? Because I don’t, I can’t.” Those memories had been the only thing she had to hold on to at times and if he regretted it...she didn’t think she could bear the pain. “I did destroy that way of life,” Luke answered, carefully. “The good along with the bad. A revolution often does so. It is a burden of guilt that we can never lay down, but I accept that.” He heard the thoughts in her head; it was impossible not to read it on her face as well. “He’s dead and gone, Morganna,” he reassured her. There was no anger in him at the long-passed Anders, although he might have felt very differently had the man been alive. He would not waste emotion on someone who had already paid the price, and he knew the more important part of this would be to help Morganna realize the same. There, it was her own burden. “I don’t regret any of that,” he replied. His expression bore an intense sincerity. “It’s as much a part of me as anything. But here and now, Morganna….we are different people.” He released her enough to put his hands on her shoulders, stepping back slightly. “What I must do now has not changed. I’m beginning a new Jedi enclave, with those who have traveled here, and it’s more important than ever. Can you leave behind your work with the Resistance, the life you’ve made, to go there? I expect your answer would be the same even if I asked it.” He was right, Anders was dead and gone, he couldn’t hurt her anymore but she wondered how Luke would feel if he knew what she had done. The truth was that he probably would understand why she’d done it, she’d taken all she could take, physically, emotionally, it was if she’d snapped and she’d like to say she was sorry she did it but that would be a lie. “You’re right,” she finally said, “we are different people. Time does that. You’re still a part of me, Luke, you always will be. Even when I thought you were dead, you were still with me.” She sighed and shook her head. “I know how much the Jedi Order means to you and I respect that. I always loved that you wanted to help people, to rebuild what was lost.” Morganna paused and looked at him, drinking in the sight of those blue eyes that she would never be able to stop thinking about no matter how long she lived. “The Jedi need you, the Resistance needs you to be the person you always were, the hope that everyone looked for. I couldn’t ask you to give that up, it would be selfish. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want you in my life, Maybe it’s not in the way that it once was but I need you. What I’m doing is dangerous and more than a little crazy, I don’t have to be Force sensitive to know what you’re thinking,” she gave him a tiny smile. “But knowing you’re alive, knowing that if I needed your help, you’d give it...and the same goes for me. We were so young before, there was so much I didn’t understand but now? Now I can say that if you need me, I will do the same for you. I’ll help you however I can.” Luke’s furrowed brow eased slightly as he gave her a quick smile, but the frown returned on its heels. “If you know what I am thinking, then you know I don’t like that you are placing yourself in so much danger,” he answered. “The First Order have risen to become a significant threat just as my sister predicted, causing untold deaths and sending the galaxy into turmoil. And among that, you are one person.” He squeezed her shoulders, gently. “One important, extraordinary person, but you are alone there. I would help you, of course, if ever you needed it, but I cannot help but feel that you need it now.” He would rush to her side in a heartbeat if she needed it, just like he had at Cloud City when Leia and Han needed him. But that had been a trap, and it had derailed so much of his training. Yoda had felt he failed and in some ways, Luke did not disagree. His loyalty to his friends, as his father had said, was his greatest weakness. “That’s exactly what I thought you were thinking,” she said. “And you’re right. It’s dangerous, I know that but I feel like it’s something I have to do. Everything you said about the First Order, everything Leia thought it would be, that’s what it is and in some ways it’s even worse,” Morganna felt a sudden chill as she spoke. “They are worse than the Empire in a lot of ways and during the time I was on Corellia after my husband died, I contributed money to the Resistance. He had no family and our son was gone so I inherited everything. That wasn’t enough for me though, I wanted to do something. I wasn’t sure if the Resistance would take me if I just showed up since the fact that i had married someone in the First Order wasn’t a secret. I didn’t think they’d trust me so that’s why I did what I did. I knew Poe would keep my secret so I went to him. I...well I wasn’t sure how Leia would react if I approached her. I didn’t know how she felt about me.” “I know.” Luke dropped his hands, a bit heavily. “I know that Leia had it right, even if I spoke about it less, but on one thing, you are wrong. Leia would accept you. She has a lot of trust in her. She would even be happy to see you, I think.” Luke folded his hands together, the sleeves covering them out of long habit, as his brow furrowed into another frown. “I trust Poe, as much as I trusted his mother, who was a dear friend. I am glad you have that…..but work too long with the enemy, Morganna, and it takes a lot from you. What it replaces that stolen part with is often worse.” When he dropped his hands, it felt as if a part of her had suddenly disappeared. She’d forgotten how strongly connected they had been and it seems still were. “I know, Luke,” she said softly. “But Anders took so much from me, things that I can’t even tell you because I’m afraid of what you might think of me,” Morganna bit her lip, she could feel the tears starting again and she didn’t want that. Not now. “I want to get out but I’ve stayed because I thought it was the only way I could help. I see now that I was wrong. I can’t get back what I’ve lost but I can start over.” She had to tell him. She had to tell him everything because he needed to understand and also because she couldn’t lie to him, she never could. “I promised you once that I would never lie to you and I’m going to keep that promise though you might not want to ever speak to me again once you’ve heard it.” Then she remembered something. “Give me your hands,” she said and when he did, she took hold of them. “I don’t know if this will work, it’s been so long but this way is easier. You told me to close my eyes and just open my mind to you and you could see what I was thinking. Well you’re about to see the truth, all of it.” Morganna closed her eyes and let herself open the door to the past. She held nothing back, the abuse, physical, sexual, emotional, the threats he’d made against her, how she’d been desperate for a way out and how she’d found that way. Rigging his speeder, being the indirect instrument of his death and then she stopped. The rest he knew and she opened her eyes. Her hands were shaking, it had taken a lot out of her but she looked up at him and their eyes met. “Now you now,” she said simply. “You must be so ashamed of me.” Even though his hands were steady, holding hers, Luke felt the tremors down to his very soul. He had glimpsed earlier a little of what she had endured, but the whole stark truth of it was overwhelming. He had centered himself in the Force as the visions unfolded over him, attempting to rouse anger, pain, even sorrow, but it was all released just as quickly, so that he could keep his mind open and calm for her. It was far more difficult than he expected; only remembering that he could not go into the past and change what had occurred saved him from the rage that demanded action. “I am not ashamed of you,” he said, instantly, as her eyes met his. He squeezed her hands to emphasize his point. “And you do not need my reassurance of that….what is more important is what you are carrying. Guilt, pain, shame.” He couched it as gently as he could, but all of that was plain to see, on her face alone. “You need to let all of that go, Morganna. Do you feel you deserve to still cling to that?” His touch calmed her, and when he spoke she shook her head. “Sometimes I do, but you’re right. I do have to let go, it’s just hard,” she sighed and looked up at him. “I thought you would be disappointed in me because I became a different person after I let you go but now I’m glad that I’ve seen you, that you know and that you understand.” He was the only person whose opinion she cared about aside from her sister. She had known all along and had understood, now Luke knew and maybe she could let go. “I’m finally starting to heal but the scars, the ones that no one can see, those are the hardest. The physical scars have faded somewhat with time but the others….that will take longer. That’s why I chose to do what I’m doing. I was convinced that I had nothing to lose so if I got caught, it wouldn’t matter. I’d somehow atoned for what I’d done. Addy told me I was crazy for thinking that but it’s the truth.” “Morganna,” he breathed, with a sad half-smile, “was I to expect that you would remain exactly the same after we separated? I would have quite the ego if I thought you would never change, only waiting for me to come back and pick up as if your life hadn’t moved on.” He pulled her hands together so he could enclose them in both of his own. “You have much to lose. Everything that makes you you, that’s what you have to lose. And I would be much grieved to lose that as well…..again.” “Well you once told me you weren’t as pompous as you acted,” she gave him a small smile. It felt good, the way he was holding her hands and for the first time in a very long time, Morganna felt safe. “You won’t lose me again, Luke,” she said. “I don’t want that either. The last month or so, the dreams...even if they’d turned out to just be dreams and not what they actually were...they made me question what I was doing. I feel that they know what I’m doing and I can’t tell you why but I know that somehow. I need to find a way to get out, I know I do but it will take time.” “I will try and remember that you are capable of making your own decisions,” Luke replied, with a trace of humor, “but I would ask that you look soon, and get out quickly. The First Order is escalating their efforts, and anyone connected to the Resistance is in danger.” It was not what he expected when he had come. To see her, yes, but to know that she was willingly, deeply entrenched with the First Order had been a surprise. His instincts were to make her come with him to Dermos, but he knew he could no more do that now than he could have years before. Still, had he known about what Anders was doing to her, he would have done exactly that and dealt with the fallout, he suspected. “I promise,” she said. “I will. I need to get out and you are right, it’s getting worse. They’re starting to really watch the rift and keep more records and they’re also asking everyone to present things in a positive light. They’re working on a more positive media presence. Tell Leia that, I was planning to pass that long to Poe this week. I don’t know if it will be helpful but they’re watching and hoping that they can find people who come through the rift who will want to join them.” Morganna took one of her hands and reached up to touch his face. “And I will find a way out, Luke. I mean that. I wouldn’t lie to you about that.” “I know that you wouldn’t.” Luke would likewise pass on the message to Leia, but he suspected she would draw out a lot more than that from him after all of this. More troubling was the idea that the rift was now being targeted. “It is helpful to know that they are looking at the rift….we are doing the same. Many are showing signs of Force-sensitivity..” Even as he said it, Luke felt the urge to withhold more information from her, but not because of trust. “Morganna...if you are staying this course, I should be far away from you for your own safety. The less you know about our actions, the more deniability you have.” She started to protest but she knew he was right. Yes, they were ultimately on the same side but for now she had a part to play. “I chose a very lonely path,” she said quietly. “I didn’t think it mattered, I thought I was helping and I know that I have to a certain extent. You’re right though, if the First Order finds out that you’re back, they’ll go looking for you. I don’t know if our past together is something they’re aware of or not but if they are or if they discover it, I’d be one of the first people they’d come to.” Morganna bit her lip, determined not to cry even as she realized what she had to do. “If I don’t know where you are, I can’t tell them.” She stood there for a moment and then looked back up at him. “I don’t want to let you go all over again, Luke. I shouldn’t have let you go the first time, I know that now but until I can finish what I've started, I have to,” she sighed and then a thought hit her. “And I’m assuming that you want me to be part of your life again which I shouldn’t do.” Many things had happened in the years they’d been apart, certainly to her and to him as well although she only knew one part of it. She had no right to assume that he still cared for her even though she had never really let go. Luke hesitated, before sighing deeply. His eyes had dropped from hers. “You’re not letting me go, but you are stepping back for now, just as I am,” he finally said. “The first time was for very different reasons, but I think this is worse. None of us are very safe right now. Back then, we did not have the danger we have now, and I am who I am.” He lifted his eyes to meet hers, at that. “I’ve hidden away for a long time, and that helped no one, but there might yet be something I can use from that time. And I am sorry, Morganna, but I cannot tell you more than that. What secrets I have now, I cannot share them. I wish I could.” He lifted his hand to smooth back some hair from her cheek. “I hope this is temporary. At least now we both know that the other is still here.” “I understand,” she replied, reaching up to touch his hand with hers where it rested on her cheek. “I know you can’t tell me just as there are things I can’t tell you. What is going on now is much more dangerous than when we parted before,” she dropped her hand. “But I know you’re here, that you’re doing something that you need to do and I meant what I said. I will get out as soon as I can find a way and you’re free to show up in my dreams any time you feel like taking a walk in my head,” she gave him a soft smile. “I’m really glad you came to find me, Luke. I’ve missed you and hopefully this is all temporary. Someday you can tell me the whole story, I hope but whatever that story is, I’m glad you survived to tell it.” She stepped closer to him and raised up just enough to brush her lips against his, not letting them linger even though she wanted to more than anything but just being able to touch him at all was something she’d never dared to hope would happen again. Whatever his thoughts were on the chaste kiss, Luke subsumed them, not allowing anything to show on his face but gentle caring. “I think we both have stories to tell,” he conceded, wrapping his hands around hers once more and squeezing softly. “But for now, we both need to return to where we came from, for many reasons.” Carefully, he disentangled his fingers from hers and stepped back. “You will find a way to be free, Morganna; I can feel that. And when you do, we will talk.” It was the only promise he would give her at that time. If she was disappointed that he didn’t react, she didn’t let it show. She knew he cared, she could see that and he was right. They both needed to get back. “Yes, we do and I believe you. I’ll find a way and then I’ll find you. Or you’ll find me or we’ll find each other but we’ll talk.” She turned to go but then thought better of it and turned around. “I believe you’ll find a way too, Luke. You’ll find a way to rebuild the Jedi. I never doubted that you would, I don’t doubt it now either. May the Force be with you.” It was something she’d never said to him before because despite her feelings for him and the things she had seen, she hadn’t believed in it, not really. That had all changed as she’d grown older. She’d spent much of her time on Corellia reading what little she could find but she knew it was real. Luke standing in front of her was living proof of that. “May the Force be with you, Morganna,” he answered, quietly. He already looked remote as she turned back, his hands folded inside of the sleeves of his robe, his hood pulled once more over his graying hair. But his eyes remained warm, still a sparkling blue. They stayed on her until she turned away again, returned to her speeder. If she looked back once more, he was gone. |