A.N. A little bit of Mu x Murrue fluff that was just begging to be written. Probably will stay a One-shot, but who knows :)

A full moon hung low above the water, casting its shimmering opalescence across the rippling waves. Far in the distance the calm night gave way to a rumbling sky, veined by faint streaks of lightning.

Mu leaned over the railing of the veranda, lifting his head towards the starry skies and allowing the warm breeze to rifle through his hair. He could taste the approaching storm in the air and his bones and muscles ached with it. That was a lie, he admitted to himself; his body, battle weary and born again ached near constantly. It was not a happily acknowledged fact. Old, he mused. Old is what he felt.

"Can you expect anything different?" her sweet, teasing voice echoed in his head as he remembered admitting it to her one day. "Eh? I guess not." He had conceded somewhat grumpily.

Mu wished that he could shake off the troubling undercurrents that often pulled at his heart during the dead of the night. He would never be that young, carefree, flirtatious Hawk again. But did it really matter? There should be no treasure greater than to grow old and live out the rest of his days with Murrue at his side. But equally, no one should have so much history and pain behind them at their age. There were, however, weapons against this melancholy. Murrue, for one. His Murrue. She was like a ray of light in the pitch black of the night, like a beautiful but crushed flower that reached determinedly towards the sun. He would never let her go, would never lose her.

These night time wanderings had to end. He was wasting precious time, time that could be spent holding the warm and deliciously soft body of his woman in their bed. Sometimes though, there was no stopping this insomnia.

Their days were spent living mercifully normal lives. In the daylight, he could hold his melancholy at bay. He wanted nothing more than to keep her smiling, to make her laugh simply for the sheer joy of watching her eyes sparkle with happiness. He would hide bouquets roses in her office, or surprise her with coffee and breakfast in bed. She would never fail to be surprised at his antics, a fact that made his heart ache for her. Marrue had spent two years closing herself off to the possibility of joy, making peace with her loneliness and reconciling with her grief. And then he had showed up, utterly ignorant of her pain.

It was all he could do; make their days full of happiness. Those beautiful days gave way to sultry warm nights at their home on the beach. In their bed, sometimes they would lay for hours talking about the future. Sometimes there would be no talk at all, and Marrue would fall asleep holding his hand to her heart, her amber eyes locked with his sky blue. Sometimes, on nights like this, they would make love – slow and impossibly sweet. With her body wrapped around him, they would be perfectly in sync. Mu could not help but smile slyly as she would moan his name in his ear, her back arched and her nails digging into the muscles of his back. Together, their crescendo of seemingly insatiable desire would build to a climax.

Those moments after were the most precious. Legs and sheets tangled together, she was most vulnerable right then. Marrue Ramius - captain of the infamous Archangel, fearless and unyielding protector of peace - could let every shred of her guard down in those minutes. She could give herself over to Mu's strength and rest in his embrace. Mu would feel her quickened pulse wrack her slender body and would murmur the secrets of his heart into her ear. He would tell her that she was the most beautiful part of his life, that she was loved and that he would never again leave her. Sleep would come for Murrue, as she held onto this one beautiful promise of his.

If Mu was lucky, sleep would carry him away too, but more often than not that was not the case. On nights like this, he would gently disengage himself from Marrue's sleeping form and would find himself lurking on the veranda, searching the night sky as if for answers. Sometimes she would wander out in her thin shift, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He would feel ashamed then, for leaving her. Tonight though, it was just him, the stars and the ghost of Neo Roanoke.

There was a flare of lightning, and an unexpected crack of thunder pierced through the gentle rush of waves like a gunshot.

Her scream divided the night in two, shrill, echoing and wrought with fear. It sent a bullet into his heart and ice through his veins. Mu tore into their bedroom, where Marrue was still screaming and thrashing. The surge of cold fury ebbed away as he scanned the room for intruders and found they were alone. She was still tossing in bed, her fists clutching at the bunched bed sheets that wrapped like vines around her long legs.

Mu gathered her in his arms and held her tightly.

" Murrue" he murmured, without letting her go. "Murrue… you're dreaming again, wake up?"

Her body stiffened as she gasped for a breath, finally awakening. There was silence for a few moments as she withdrew to lock eyes with his. She scanned his face, memorising ever y line and angle, taking in the pain and sadness in those blue eyes. She lifted one pale hand and laid it on his cheek before succumbing to the storm of tears that wracked her entire body. Mu wrapped both his arms around her again, and pulled her close. She wept into his bare chest, her narrow shoulders heaving.

"Don't go… please Mu, don't go" she whispered through her tears. A knife twisted in his heart, and he tightened his grip on her.

"I'm right here." He grabbed her slender hand in his and brought it close to his chest. "I'm right here, okay?"

Her sobs quieted but tears still fell from her eyes. Her body was hot and feverish, but a cold sweat caused her thin shirt to stick to her body. Mu gathered her in his arms, and stood up, walking out the door into the covered veranda. He laid her down on the hammock and lowered himself next to her. Wrapping bother his arms around her, he settled her against his body.

"I'm here Murrue. Sleep… I'll be right here"

Mu felt the tension drain out of her body, felt her heart rate slow and waited till her breaths came evenly before he too was granted sleep.

Murrue was awakened by the sounds of the earth starting its day. Birdsong mixed with the call of the gulls flying low above the ocean brought her out of a dreamless sleep. She opened her eyes to the half dawn and remembered the events from just a few hours ago. A sigh heaved her whole body. The pain she saw reflected in Mu's eyes was enough to make her feel guilty for permitting those nightmares into her sleeping conscious. Though she had not yet moved, and had her back towards Mu's chest, she could tell he was awake. She turned around in his arms, to face his open eyes.

"Good morning" she murmured, smiling.

Mu only smiled in answer, though his eyes were troubled. She closed her eyes, eyelashes fanning her cheekbones and leaned in to kiss him.

"Alright commander, go on. Go run." She said, her eyes still closed, her face still smiling.

"Huh? Oh… no, that's okay. I don't feel like it. I'll stay with y—"

"No. I am fine, promise. Go, will you? You will be restless all day if you don't."

Mu threaded his hand in her beautiful thick hair and lowered his lips to hers. "Okay. See you in an hour."

Murrue, swaying slightly in the hammock from Mu's departure, pulled the sheets up closer to her chin.

Mu faced the sun, just rising above the horizon and stretched towards the sky. It was his custom to run the length of the beach in the mornings. It gave him a chance to clear his head and erase the last traces of any brooding that might have set in at night. It would take a lot to erase last night, though. Murrue had had nightmares before, but it never failed to leave him feeling empty and useless inside. Angry that she had suffered. Frustrated that he had not known himself. Weak, for not having been there to protect her.

There was something about the motion of running that soothed him, something in the exertion and the evenness of his breaths. She was okay. Though Murrue had a side to her that was fragile and emotional, she was mostly cast-iron will and steely determination. If he let her see him troubled, she would only feel guilty. But he couldn't bear to see her distressed; her head knew he was here for good, but her heart still doubted. Perhaps it was time.

Murrue opened the oven door and let the heat out before she reached in. She set the dish on a coaster on their little kitchen table and stood back to admire her work. Just then, Mu appeared in the doorway, wiping the sweat from his brow. His jaw dropped slightly at the sight of the heavenly laden breakfast table and his woman in nothing but her panties, that ridiculously thin shirt and an apron.

Heaven, this truly was his heaven.

"Are you hungry?" she asked as she crossed the room towards him.

Mu chuckled softly and scratched the back of his head, in an endearingly familiar pose. "Of course" he answered, as he slipped a hand beneath her shirt, to caress her. "Mainly, just for you though."

She laughed and batted away his hand, playfully. "Go wash up, it'll be done when you are."

Showered and dressed, Mu and Murrue surveyed each other over bites of Murrue's delicious breakfast.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mu asked her, breaking the silence.

Marrue shifted her gaze towards the open window, where the sun now shone brightly over the shore.

"Mmm not especially. I am fine, Mu, I promise."

"You don't have to be fine, you know? … You don't have to promise that you're okay." He ventured.

She smiled. "I know. But you are here, we are safe. That makes me okay – nothing else matters from before."

"I'm staying." There was a hint of plea in his voice, asking her to believe in him. He brought out the little blue velvet box and dropped down to one knee.

"If you would have me, I would stay forever by your side, Murrue Ramius." He murmured as he opened the box.

Her brown eyes went wide, glistening with tears before the glittering silver ring. "Yes, please." She whispered, a beautiful rose blush spreading across her cheek bones. She slid from the kitchen chair onto her knees before Mu. He fitted the ring onto her slender finger and turning her hand in his, brought it to his lips.

A.N. Review if you enjoyed :) Or I guess if you didnt! xx