A Single Night

The Black Bantha Level 25, Coruscant, 13 years before the Battle of Coruscant

Luke sits in the haze of tobac smoke, the bottle of lum on the table next to his glass which he had just filled. He looks at the blue liquid, a frown etched on his face as he wonders just why he cares about the galaxy.

In one smooth motion, he picks up the glass and downs its contents. Savoring the liquid fire granting warmth to his stomach and chest.

A physical replacement for the emotional warmth that has been gone for so long.

He sighs and scrubs his hands against his face again.

The creaking sound of synthleather attracts his attention and he opens his eyes to see a woman about his age, with long brown hair and piercing blue eyes. She is settling into a seat at the table, the one directly across from him, staring.

She smiles, and Luke can feel the alcohol in his system warming up to that smile.

She stretches out a hand. Manicured, polished nails flash in the dim lighting.

"I'm Lyra Hantaq."

Luke quickly shakes her hand. "The name's Owen Lars."

He can feel her foot running up the side of his leg. "So Owen, what do you say we go back to my place?"

Luke looks at her as she winks at him. A quick, flirting shutter of an eyelid. He waits a moment more, tearing his gaze from her to his half-full bottle and then looking at her once more he slowly nods his head. "Sure, lead the way."

She flashes him a smile, perfect even teeth. It is a bright dazzling thing. Then with a flip of her hair she slips out of the seat. When she stands, she reveals the outfit that she is wearing. A tight, short form-fitting skirt, an even tighter halter top similar to the types of things that Tionne would wear while training, and then an odd half-jacket over the top. Everything is tight, almost a second skin on her.

She turns away from the table and starts walking, and Luke just watches for a moment. Admiring how her curves twist around each other with her every step. After four steps, she pauses and casts a glance back over her shoulder towards him. "You coming?"

Feeling a blush start to warm his cheeks, Luke stands from his seat. He grabs the half empty bottle of lum as he begins walking after her.

A short air-taxi ride later they’re at her apartment. She confidently walks in, tossing away the half-jacket, providing Luke a perfect view of the musculature of her back, with only the thin cross-straps of her halter top marring the view. He finishes stepping inside, and the door closes behind him, as he watches, she reaches under the bottom edge of her top and shimmies it over her head, tossing it away. She glances at him over her shoulder, her eyes half-lidded, coy. "Come on Lars."

Fighting a blush, Luke sets the bottle of lum down on a table and follows her to the bedroom.

Luke awakens to sunlight streaming in through the window against his face, a head that is fit to explode, and a mass of warm curvy flesh pressed against and atop him. As he focuses on what it is, he recognizes bits and pieces. A shoulder jammed tight into his armpit, with his arm twined around the curve of the woman’s back. The arm attached to that shoulder, twisting behind his neck and under his head. Her head resting heavily on his chest, and her other arm twined laterally across his stomach, her hand lightly laying on one of his thighs while his other leg is twisted between and within her legs.

Using the hand that isn't holding her tight against him, he brushes the hair from her face and twists his neck around to get a better look at her.

Winter?

Then realization that it’s not his sister’s long time aide sinks in. The facial structure is just slightly off; the hair color is Leia’s, and from the feel of it the body could be Mara’s. But the physical resemblance to both Winter and Leia is startling to him.

Leaning his head back, he searches through the alcohol induced haze of the night before. He remembers snatches. The first is meeting the woman at the bar. Lyra. Her name finally comes unbidden to his consciousness. Then he continues playing the snatches of memory.

The taxi ride.

Arriving here at her apartment.

Then the flickers of what they did for the next six hours.

He lets out a small groan as he realizes that some of the things in his memory would be impossible without his Force abilities. So much for keeping a low profile on this trip.

He stares at the ceiling a moment more, wondering how he’s going to get out of this situation.

And how he’s going to keep the boys in Rogue Squadron from hearing about it.

Then he can feel her stirring. A sudden blast of apprehension and alarm which rolls of her in the Force. A tightening of the muscles under his arm, a slight grasping of his hair, and the running of nails against his bare thigh.

She slowly, hesitatingly, lifts her head, capturing his blue eyes with hers. She smiles shyly, as if they hadn’t spent the past eight or nine hours together, with only around three of those asleep in one another’s arms.

Luke watches as she searches her memory, as she struggles to recall the previous evening. He almost smiles as shock flickers into them, and she looks at him, her mouth dropping open slightly.

“What? How? I can’t believe.” Then she peers closer at him. "You’re name’s not Owen. You’re Luke Skywalker."

Luke slowly nods his head, "Yes, I am."

She starts to untangle herself from him. "Oh, I can’t believe it; wait 'till I tell everyone. Me and the Jedi."

"No, wait. Please don’t tell anyone."

She pauses, and Luke can feel the wave of hurt wash from her in the Force. "What? Now that you’re sober you’re too good to associate with me?"

Luke can feel his frustration rise, wondering how he always seems to make these situations worse. "No, it's not that. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"I don’t love you."

She tilts her head slightly. "What does love got to do with anything?"

"You can't tell."

"You can't stop me."

She flings the cover back, and pushes herself away from him. He sits up, his body following hers. He wraps her in his arms, pulling her to him.

"Please, just don't say anything about last night."

She pushes at him. "Get out of here Jedi."

He sighs, and places a hand gently on her head, pushing with the Force. Removing the night before. Removing him from her memory.

She collapses against him, asleep.

He lays her down, and quickly dresses, leaving the apartment and not looking back.