AN: I have writers block. This was the result of me trying to work through it, so don't take it too serious, ok? I went back and rewrote just little bites of it and fixed up any errors, I could find.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, just the plot. But what's that really worth?

A Given

One-shot

On any given Friday night, Usagi would cuddle up with Mamoru on their forest green couch. She would giggle at the comedy, sob at the sad, or give a dreamy sigh at the romantic movie that they had chosen for their date. It wasn't an actual date. Not really. A real date involved going out. Watching their little girl bounce off the walls in a hyper mood was not her idea of a romantic evening, but their Fridays, which started small, grew to be something of a tradition. Like how they spent every Christmas with her family and spent New Years with the senshi. Friday was a family thing, just her, Mamoru, and their three-year-old daughter. As soon as Chibi-Usa was asleep, the rest of the night belonged to her and Mamoru.

Usagi practically melted into Mamoru's embrace as his arm tightened around her shoulders.

It wasn't easily being Doctor Chiba's wife. His schedule kept him at the hospital all day and some nights. On some days Usagi only saw Mamoru for a total of five minutes before he had to leave for work. She wouldn't see him until he clambered into bed at three the next morning, exhausted. Once the alarm went off, it would begin again.

Mamoru worked in that fashion six days a week. He left Usagi with the household and a child to rise until Friday rolled around, and he got a well-earned break. Fridays were precious to Mamoru. No emergency would call him away from the family he barely saw.

Usagi spends Friday nights alone now on that same forest green couch. This Friday she had a single glass of wine in her hand as she stared at the silent television set. Her other hand touched the depression on the couch where Mamoru's body use to sit by her. Reverting back to the naivety she had when she was fifteen, she pretended that Mamoru was still there, smiling at her.

'Cheers, Usako.'

"Cheers, Mamo-chan," she said. In one swallow, she drained the glass empty, not flinching as the bitter taste of alcohol lodged in her throat. Her eyes filled with tears. She hadn't cried once in the past two weeks or shed a single tear when she had received the news that Mamoru had died in a car crash while on his way to work. Even at the funeral she had been remarkably composed. In this moment though, she felt that strength leave her.

Her tears were long over due.

Usagi gave a loud sob as the glass slipped from her fingers. She slid off the couch and onto the floor with her face buried into her hands. She had kept her tears in all this time, telling herself that she had to be strong for Chibi-Usa, who already missed her father.

"He's not coming back? Ever?" Chibi-Usa had asked as Usagi struggled to explain. She looked confused. Eventually Chibi-Usa understood, but it didn't stop the hurting they were both feeling.

All Usagi could do was draw her daughter into her arms tightly.

Usagi had sent Chibi-Usa to Rei earlier, so that Chibi-Usa wouldn't be there when she officially broke down. After sobbing her heart out, Usagi had wobbly made her way to the liquor cabinet where she drank herself into a stupor. For a few wild moments, she forgot about the pain and allowed her mind to take on the haze of colors that only heavy drinking could induce.

She passed out on the floor of the living room with empty bottles scattered around her.

The light of the sun streamed in through the windows the next morning. It found her curled into a ball on the floor, face pale and drawn. Her head pounded angrily as the bile rose in her throat. Her stomach lurched and ached. Blearily eyed, Usagi dragged herself up. She collapsed into a pitiful heap to the floor when her knees buckled. Her legs had failed her and she could have cried at how miserable she felt. In the end, she crawled on trembling hands and knees towards the bathroom. She vomited wretchedly on the tile floor a foot away from the toilet. Whatever strength she had left she used it to drag herself to her bedroom. Defeated, tired, and sick, Usagi spent the rest of the day lying in bed with a hangover, pausing only briefly to call Rei to ask if Chibi-Usa could stay at the temple for another day.

Rei agreed.

The next night, Usagi indulged herself in the liquor cabinet again, trying to send her pain away. It never worked. The memories always found Usagi. The ghost of Mamoru refused to leave her even in her dreams. In her sleep, she always dreamed about his touches, his smile, and his eyes. Usagi continued to drink more and more as the days passed. After a few days of being with Rei, Usagi had sent Chibi-Usa off to Minako.

"I'll be glad to take Chibi-Usa." Minako's worried voice came over the phone. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Usagi croaked. She hung up. After that, Usagi sent Chibi-Usa off to Makoto and from there to Ami and from there, to Naru, to Umino, to anyone who was willing to take in the small child. It was obvious to everyone that Usagi was on a one-way track to self-destruction, but no one could get through to her. Usagi was beyond reason. One year would pass before someone finally managed to knock some sense into her.

Usagi's awaking came New Years Eve.

It was Friday.

Sitting on the rooftop of her apartment building, her original home long sold, Usagi sat on the ledge with her feet kicking out childishly as a bottle of full brim liquor sat invitingly next to her. She watched as the cars tinkered below and half-heartily listened to the noise of the city. With shaking hands, she had reached out and picked up the bottle. Touching the brim to her lips, she was about to take a sip when a voice behind her startled her. She gave a small gasp as her world tilted and she began to fall from the ledge. A warm hand reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to safety. She silently stared with curiosity into a pair of cold Prussian eyes. The man's eyes traveled briefly to the bottle in her hand before he released her.

Usagi reclaimed her place on the ledge. She was surprised when he took a seat next to her. Together they stared down at the traffic below in silence. When he reached out a hand she, without any words, passed him her bottle and he took a drink.

Usagi could feel the buzz of the drink in her system as he passed the bottle back. It made her feel giddy enough to try to start a conversation. "Who do you want to forget?"

People who drink usually wanted to forget something. She feels a certain kinship with the stranger who looked just as worn-out and tired as she felt. Usagi got the feeling that he understood what losing someone important feels like. She could read it in his eyes.

"Everyone," he answered after a long moment.

Usagi's mouth formed a small circle. "Oh. Well, that's going to be hard to do."

"So I've realized," the man said. There was a touch of deadpan humor in his voice.

Usagi kick her foot out as her vision glazed slightly. Her voice took on a dreamy quality. "I want to forget so many things…like what a bad mother I am. I haven't seen my little girl in a year." Usagi grew somber. "When my husband was alive, he took care of all the bills and everything. When he died…everything fell apart." Usagi closed her eyes. The emotions threatened to drown her, so she took another sip to calm herself. She turned to the man sitting next to her. The stranger's glaze was facing forward. She didn't know if he was paying attention, but it was a nice thought that he might be listening.

"My little girl... She's living with my parents now," Usagi continued. "That was the only decent thing I could do for Chibi-Usa. If she had stayed with me I was going to drag her down too..." Thinking of Chibi-Usa hurt and Usagi shook her head furiously. She forced herself to empty her mind. "Enough of the sad stuff!"

All seriousness vanished and Usagi began to prat on about useless topics with the stranger as they sat there. She came close to falling off the ledge several times, but the man was always there to steady her. She spewed out more embarrassing secrets along the way, taking a swallow of her drink once in a while.

Then it happened.

She fell off the edge and this time she hung over the side with the man's hand gasping one of hers as her only lifeline. She stared blankly at the granite wall of her apartment building. She glanced down once, noticed all the cars below, and felt nauseous. She waited for the man to pull her up, but to her shock, he was motionless as she was suspended in midair. She glanced up and noticed that he was staring at her hand. The hand that still held on tightly to her precious bottle. He said nothing and waited as she weighted her choices.

She could give up the bottle, take his other hand and be pulled up, or she could fall.

Thinking through her daze, Usagi thought about Chibi-Usa, Rei, her mother and father, and…she thought of Mamoru. What would he say if he saw her now? He would be so disappointed.

'Make the right choice, Usako.'

She heard Mamoru's voice in her head.

Sobering up, Usagi felt the weight of regret that was held in her left hand. Making the choice, she threw the bottle up in the air and watched as the man caught the bottle. He tossed it over his shoulder. She heard it shatter and she winced. The stranger reached out his other hand and he pulled her up. When she was standing on her feet, she trembled when she noticed the broken shards. A cell phone was pressed gently in her hand.

"Call your kid," the man told her.

Opening the top, Usagi shakily dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?" A cheerful voice answered.

"Chibi-Usa, honey?" Usagi's voice trembled. "I'm coming back."

And maybe…Usagi thought as she heard her daughter squeal…Friday could still be a family thing. After all, Friday was a given.