Summary : While the others were celebrating their victory, Eva Nine stole out of the busy celebrations for a breath of fresh air. A Retriever followed. Hailey/Eva.

Author's Note : Hello! This is only the second WondLa series fic, and I'm proud to be writing it! Hope you enjoy, just a cute little oneshot. Hardly a story, it's a ficlet, really.

Celebrations
by Ash-Caro-Lynn

Eva Nine sighed, looking out at the sky as she stood on the balcony. She closed her eyes, listening to the chirping of turnfins and the distant calls of the water bears.

So much had happened in the last few months - more than she could understand.

On the other side of the walls behind her, many of the other inhabitants of Orbona were celebrating - celebrating the defeat of Loroc, and how Orbona had been saved.

And while she wanted to be happy as they were, she couldn't help but mourn.

So many of her friends had been lost - first Muthr, who had raised her and cared for her, and from there on she had had to deal with loss more and more as time went on.

She was shaken from her thoughts by the doors opening behind her, and looked over her shoulder, smiling as she saw who it was.

"Hailey Turner," she said by way of greeting, moving slightly to the side to make room. He grinned at her.

"A bit suffocating in there, isn't it?" he commented, joining her and leaning over the balcony. She couldn't help but nod in agreement, looking out to the sky as he was doing. "Look, Eva, there's something I need to tell you..."

Surprised, she turned to him, finding his formerly calm expression changed into a frown. "What is it, Hailey?" she asked curiously.

"I - ah, it's hard to say," he replied, turning his gaze up to the clear sky.

"Actions speak louder than words," she teased with a smile, and he laughed.

"That sounds like something Rovender would say," he replied, looking back to her. "Well... I guess he's right."

"What do you mean?" asked Eva curiously, turning away from the balcony to look curiously at the Retriever.

"What I mean is this," he replied, and Eva gasped as he pulled her suddenly to him, pressing his lips to hers. He kissed her with passion, emotion, and she could feel so many of his feelings...

...before she even knew it, she had thrown her arms around his neck and was kissing him back just as powerfully, and his hands were running through her pure white hair as he tugged her closer to him.

It seemed to end all too soon and yet last just long enough as she stepped back, gasping for breath. Looking up, she saw Hailey looked considerably affected, but the glint in his dark eyes told her that he regretted nothing.

"That," she said, regaining her composure, "definitely spoke louder than words."

He grinned at her, and soon she was back in his arms, a sense of security and safeness that she hadn't felt since she had been with her Muthr returning to Eva as she relaxed into their second kiss.

Their second of many.

A/N : I am a diehard shipper of these two! There was no romance in canon (pouty face) so I had to write this.

Thanks for reading!