"That was awesome!" He grinned as he lowered himself from the mobile suit. It had been his first chance to pilot a real Murasame, and he had enjoyed every minute of it. He had been a little tentative at first, but quickly gained confidence, even managing a few tricks.

"You did great. But I don't think barrel rolls were part of the test," she teased. She had been a little worried during the test, but it was nice to see him so happy. He deserved it.

"Probably not, but they were fun," he chuckled. "Battleships probably aren't meant for them, either."

"You heard about that?"

"Sure did. That Murdoch guy told me."

"I'll have a word with him later," she grumbled.

"Why? It worked, didn't it? And besides, it's pretty amazing. I doubt many captains would have the courage to try something like that."

"Thanks," she blushed a little. "Did you find any problems with the Murasame?"

"Nope," he shook his head. "You did a hell of a job designing that thing."

"It was meant as a tribute. Especially the mobile armor mode."

"Thank you," he pulled her close for a hug, resting his chin on her shoulder. "That means a lot."

"I'm glad you liked it."


"I think I saw something when I was up there. Not sure if it was a memory." He mentioned later that evening as they sat together curled up on her sofa. She had cooked dinner for him, and now they were sharing a bottle of wine over a movie.

"What did you see?"

"It was just a flash. I could see the moon really close and a lot of explosions."

"It was probably the Grimaldi Front. Where you got your nickname."

"I had a nickname?"

She nodded. "The Hawk of Endymion."

"That sounds sort of familiar. Do you know what happened there?"

"You were the leader of a team of pilots with exceptional spatial awareness. You managed to shoot down five ZAFT mobile suits. Something no one thought was possible with a mobile armor."

"Do you know what happened to the rest of my team?"

"They didn't make it. The Alliance blew up the whole base, not caring who got caught in the blast. You were lucky to be far enough away. That's how you knew what they were planning in Alaska and were able to save us." She reached over to squeeze his hand when she noticed his expression had turned sad.

"Do you know more about my past?"

"Some," she took a sip of her wine. "Though you might not want to hear it."

"Did I have a bad childhood?"

She nodded. She wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to cause him any pain. But didn't he deserve to know the truth?

"It's okay. You can tell me," sensing her hesitation, he smiled gently as he pulled her closer.

Snuggling as close as she could get, she told him everything she knew. Everything he had confided in her after Mendel. How Kleuze had tried to destroy the world at Jachin Due. He listened carefully, holding her hand the whole time. "That's all I know," she said when she finished.

"Thanks for telling me," he lightly traced her cheek with his finger. "I kind of had a feeling not all of it was happy."

"Some of it was. Like the first time you got to fly a plane."

"And my time with you," he added with a kiss to her forehead. "Was your childhood happy?"

"It was. I grew up in California. I went to the beach a lot with my parents and friends. My dad taught even taught me how to surf."

"Can you teach me?"

"Sure. We can start this weekend."

"How did you end up in the military?"

"I got an engineering scholarship to the academy. After I graduated, I went into the reserves so I could teach there. They called me up to active duty a few years later to work on the new mobile suits."

"I bet you were a good teacher."

"Thanks," she smiled, finishing the last of her wine. "I do miss it sometimes, but I like getting my hands dirty at Morgenroete."

"Do you miss being captain?"

She laughed. "Not a bit. Especially not all the paperwork."

"Did I help with that?"

"Yes, even though you had to work on your mobile suit. I could never thank you enough. Though sometimes I thought you had ulterior motives," she teased.

"I probably did," he chuckled, wrapping his arms securely around her. "Can you blame me? You're beautiful."

"Flattery like that will get you everywhere," she laughed before pulling him down for a kiss that he wasted no time returning.


"I think piloting is easier," he grumbled, collapsing on the beach towel they had laid out earlier.

"That's because you already knew how to pilot," she pointed out. "It just takes time. It took me a few weeks before I got the hang of it," she sat down beside him after setting her surfboard down. "Don't worry. You'll get there," she ruffled his wet hair.

"Have you been out here since the war ended?"

She shook her head. "It never felt right."

"We can come out here as much as you like, then," he reached across to hold her hand. "Especially if I can see you more often in that," he pointed at the bikini she wore.

"You really haven't changed," she huffed, though inwardly flattered. His reaction had been everything she had hoped for. There had still been some worry he didn't feel the same way about her, but that vanished when she pulled off her shorts and tank top when they arrived at the beach that morning.

"That's good to know," he grinned rakishly, causing her hear to skip a few beats.

She sighed in mock annoyance, solidly thumping his chest with a towel.

"I saw more of that dream," he said a little while later after they had found a café to escape the afternoon heat.

"What did you see?" She asked, sipping her iced coffee.

"I could see you. You looked worried."

"I was. About what the Alliance would do. About letting someone in again," she stared down at her drink.

"Did I help?"

She nodded. "You helped me realize some risks are worth taking. That I couldn't hide from happiness anymore."

"Thank you. For giving me a chance. Then and now," he leaned over to kiss her cheek before eating a piece of the chocolate cake they were sharing.

"You're welcome," she smiled. She had made the right choice. Both times.

"So how are things going with the boyfriend?" Erica asked as they went over repair plans for one of the fleet's largest ships.

"Good," Murrue didn't look at her friend, knowing full well what she was trying to find out. "He's starting to remember a little more."

"How much does he remember?"

"Just flashes so far. He remembers being here."

"That's good news. Your fan club isn't happy he's here though."

"I don't have a fan club."

"You do, and he doesn't like it," she chuckled. "You should've seen the looks he was giving them the other day."

She just sighed, rolling her eyes.


"Any plans for the holiday weekend?"

"We're going to that wine festival at that new resort up in the mountains."

"A romantic weekend, huh? Bet you won't see much of the festival," Erica snickered.

"Why do I tell you anything?"

"Don't tell me that isn't what you had planned," she cackled.

"Maybe," she laughed, giving up. There was no winning with her.

"Just don't wear yourselves out too much. I need you both back here Tuesday," she added with a wink, enjoying watching her friend's face turn pink.


"Where did you learn to drink like that?" He whistled as he opened the door to their room. "You had twice as much as me."

"The academy," she giggled, her cheeks pink from all the wine she had sampled at the festival.

"Can I see it more often?"

"Sure. But don't try to keep up with me, or you'll regret it," her smile turned mischievous when he closed the door, tracing his cheek with her finger.

"So this is a side effect, huh?" He chuckled, pulling her close. Kissing her, he groaned when she pressed her hips against his. "You have no idea how long I've been dreaming about his," he growled hungrily into her ear.

"I think I have an idea," she purred, placing kisses to his jaw before taking his hand and leading him to the large bed, pulling him down on top of her.

"What time is it?" He yawned, running his fingers through her hair.

Lifting her head up from where it had been resting on his chest, she looked at the clock through half-closed eyes. "Almost five," she mumbled drowsily, laying her head back down.

"That late, huh?" He laughed, pulling her closer.

"We had a lot of lost time to make up," she pointed out.

"That's true. And we still have a lot more," he kissed the top of her head. "We can try out the hot tub tomorrow."

"Mmm, that sounds nice," she yawned. "Thank you. For coming back to me."

"I should be the one thanking you. For giving me a chance even though I didn't remember. And for helping me find out who I was."

"We're even then," she looked up at him with a sleepy smile.

"I love you, you know," he kissed her before settling back down against the pillow.

"Love you too," she closed her eyes, unable to stay awake any longer.