"No, Daddy...I dont want to go home!" The little girl looked up at her father, tears filling her blue eyes. Rubbing at her face with a tiny hand, she sniffed once, lower lip trembling. Her father sighed, running a hand through blonde hair. He'd known..that mentioning the fact that they had to go home soon wouldn't be recieved well by his young daughters. They loved it here, loved the snow...but this couldn't last forever. Kneeling down, Mwu placed a hand on his little girl's head. "We can't stay here forever, sweetie. You know that. You have school, and your mommy and I have work to go back to. Plus, wouldn't you miss your friends back home?" Rin nodded, but the tears spilled over to trickle down her cheeks. Mwu closed his eyes, then leaned forward to enfold the five-year-old in a hug. On the sofa, his wife sat watching, their youngest child sitting on her lap. Her expression was one of sadness and sympathy, knowing how much her husband loved their daughters, and how he hated to refuse them anything. Even the youngest girl looked upset, marigold eyes downcast and sparkling with tears. We could. We could stay here for a little while longer...

"Mwu...we don't have to be back at work...and Rin doesn't have to be back at school, until next week, after the new year. We could stay here a little while longer.." Her gaze flicked to her oldest daughter. "Are you sure you want to stay here longer?"

Rin's little face lit up in delight, and she looked to her father, who was smiling. "We can? Really?" He chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, if you like.." The little girl ran forward and hugged her father tightly, then broke away and jumped onto the sofa, snuggling up to her mother. "Thank you, Mommy!" Murrue giggled, slipping her other arm around the child. "You're welcome," she replied gently. Secretly though, she hadn't really wanted to leave here either. The small town was quiet and peaceful, a nice change from the hectic life back home in Orb. Plus...it was where her husband had grown up. Knowing that, seeing all the places he remembered..it made her feel closer to him, helped her understand him a little better. That's something...I always wanted. Sometimes I wonder how much he still keeps hidden, even from me...

That night, she lay in his arms, snuggled under the thick blankets and comforters. The curtains were still open, and the night sky outside was overcast. "Think it'll snow?" she murmured sleepily, and she felt him nod, his arms tightening around her waist. "Looks that way. In fact, I think it's already started..." Outside, the snow had started to fall thickly, being blown by increasingly strong winds. A snowstorm. Murrue sighed, nuzzling close to Mwu's warmth. She hated storms of any kind, whether they were thunder, wind, or snow. And it was cold. Very cold. Mwu laughed softly, the deep chuckles sounding deep within his chest. "You're still not used to all this, are you? The weather, I mean? Being in Orb so long's thinned your blood.." The young woman huffed. "It has not..."

The snowstorm outside worsened, the flurries of whiteness being blown this way and that. And all of a sudden, the few lights that were still on in the house flickered, then went out, including the nightlight in the room where the girls were sleeping. The sudden change in the light and temperature woke up little Amber, who whimpered slightly, Climbing out of the bed she shared with her sister, the toddler padded across the carpeted floor, and pushed open the door to the other room, toddling across to climb into her parents' bed. Murrue smiled gently, reaching to pull the little girl into a warm hug. "You scared, sweetie?"

Amber didn't say anything, just nodded mutely, nuzzling as close to her mother as she could get. She had been afraid of the dark ever since she was a baby, but if someone was there with her, she felt safe. Curling up in the bed, she laid her head on her mother's shoulders. "Mommy.." she whispered, before falling asleep.

"You think Rin's okay?" asked the woman quietly, and Mwu smiled, stroking her hair. "Okay? She'll be fine. She's just like you..it'll take more than a snowstorm to frighten her.." Murrue giggled at that. But of all the things that frighten me...storms frighten me the most...

"Mommy? Daddy?" The little voice was high and scared, and little feet padded across the wooden floor. "I woke up, and I couldn't find Amber..and there are monsters outside, and..." One tiny hand closed on the bedcovers, and a sob came out of the darkness. Shaking his head, Mwu moved to the side to make room for Rin, and the girl climbed in beside him, cuddling up to him. She was shaking a little, only calming down when she felt her father's warmth, and heard his heartbeat. "Why is outside so scary tonight?" she asked softly, but she smiled a little when she heard her mother's gentle laughter. "Weather can be scary sometimes," admitted Murrue. "But that's all it is. Weather. Not monsters." Rin nodded, closing her eyes. She sighed, the sound a small and drowsy one, and Mwu chuckled, letting the little girl rest her head on his shoulder. Like her sister, Rin was quick to fall asleep, and her parents exchanged rueful smiles. "She's more like me than I thought," murmured Murrue, snuggling close to him. Her marigold eyes lit on the swirling snowfall outside. "I've been scared of storms since I was very small..." Mwu grinned, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "And here I thought you weren't afraid of anything..."

"Of course I am," she replied. "Everyone's afraid of something, right? What about you? What are you afraid of?"

The scarred man gazed down at his wife. Her eyes were focused on him, an odd light in them. "That's not all you want to know though, is it? I promise you, there's nothing I've kept hidden from you. If anyone in the world deserved to know the truth, deserved to know everything I am and what I've done, it'd be you.." He moved to kiss her gently, and she nodded, relaxing into his embrace. When they broke for air, she nestled her head on his shoulder. "So what are you afraid of?" Mwu smiled, looking at his family grouped all around him. "Tonight, nothing. But if there's one thing I'm scared of...it's being alone. Like I was when I was younger, and in those last two years. The only time, until I came back, that I can remember being truly happy...was when I was with you. Those few months we spent together in the first war. I remember thinking..that I never wanted to give that feeling up..." Murrue beamed, moving up to kiss his cheek. "It's all right. You won't ever be alone again, okay?" He nodded, inclining his head so it was resting on hers, and the two of them fell asleep, their children in their arms.

The next morning, Mwu was the first to wake up. At first, he was confused as to why he could hardly move, but once he was able to look around himself, he had to suppress a laugh. Rin was curled up in the crook of his right arm, Murrue in the crook of his left. In turn, Amber was nestled close to her mother's left side, and all three of them were fast asleep. His family...the three people in the world who meant the most to him, all here. Smiling happily, he closed his eyes with a sigh.

"Daddy?" Cracking open one blue eye, the man looked to his right, to see a pair of equally blue eyes gazing back at him. "Hey there, sweetie," he whispered. "Ssssh, okay? Let Mommy and Amber sleep.." Rin nodded, and slipped out of the bed, walking over to the window. Her eyes widened in amazement. "Wow.." she breathed. Curious, her father carefully wriggled free of his wife's grasp, and out of bed, wincing as the cold air hit his bare arms and legs. Making his way over to his daughter's side, he raised an eyebrow. The storm last night had laid down several feet of snow, which had drifted against buildings and over roads, making the world seem as though it was coated in a layer of meringue. Damn...it's worse than I expected it to be..

"Is all that snow, Daddy?" asked Rin, little hands pressed to the cold glass. Mwu nodded. "It sure is," he replied, lifting up the girl in his arms. "And with how cold it is, the snow's probably frozen too. C'mon, let's go back where it's warm." He carried Rin back across and settled back in the bed, the child on his lap.

"Did it ever snow like this when you lived here before?" she asked, and he nodded. "Oh yeah, lots of times. Once it piled as high as my bedroom window.." The little girl seemed suitably impressed, and cuddled into the covers. "I wish it could snow back home.."

Eventually, her attention focused on her mother and little sister, who were both still sound asleep. "Look, Daddy, Mommy's smiling.." Sure enough, a small smile graced Murrue's lips, the expression only growing when Mwu reached out and trailed a finger down one soft cheek. Rin giggled. "Does Mommy know that was you?" He nodded. "I'm sure she does. It's the same if she does that to me when I'm sleeping. I always know it's her..." I wonder what she's dreaming about?

Later that day, he found his wife staring out of the window in their room, that same smile on her face. He had to grin as he watched her. Murrue was wearing an old pair of jeans, as well as one of his own shirts. Her hair was in pigtails, and she wore no make-up, but even then, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "What are you thinking about?" he asked softly, walking up to embrace her from behind. "Nothing much," she replied, leaning back against him. Her arms reached up to cover his, snuggling her further into the warmth of the wool sweater he wore. "But then again, it might be important," she continued, almost speaking to herself. "It's just..that night we had, on Christmas Eve.."

Mwu nodded, smiling. He remembered very well. The two of them hadn't got to sleep until the early hours of Christmas morning, both completely exhausted. They didn't get much chance to be together like that these days, with Rin and Amber being so young, so they took whatever opportunity they could get. But that had been a few days ago now... "What about it?"

Murrue smiled, closing her eyes. "I'm late.."

For a moment, he didn't get it, blinking stupidly. Then it hit him. Eyes widening, he checked to make sure the children were nowhere around, and leaned in close to whisper. "Are you sure?" She nodded, and he sighed, shaking his head. "What was all that you were saying about planning?"

She shrugged. "You can't plan for everything," she replied softly. "And besides, I don't know for certain whether it is what we think it is. There could be another explanation..I could have got my dates mixed up.." Mwu nodded, but didn't look convinced. "Then again, you might not have.." Letting out a deep breath, he leaned against her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "If this is..what we think it is...then you'd be happy, wouldn't you?" Murrue smiled. "Very happy. Why, wouldn't you?" She tilted her head to look right at him, her gaze managing to be both amused and accusing at the same time. "The way you are with the girls, do not try and tell me you wouldn't be happy about having another..."

He grinned, planting a loving kiss on her cheek. "Of course I'd be happy. We could have a dozen kids, and I'd still be happy, as long as you were.." She laughed softly, reaching behind her to tangle her fingers in his hair. "A dozen, huh? Well, that might be tough to manage. We'd never fit them all in our house. But a big family would be nice.." She patted her stomach. "When the snow's cleared away a bit, I'll go down to the chemist..and find out for sure.."

Mwu nodded, closing his eyes. I hope it really is..what we think it is..

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( Lmao. The last bit was for Sky, as she was very insistent that Mwu and Murrue-san have another baby, and that it should be a boy this time. I didn't dare refuse :laughs: she can be scary.

And about her 'casual' look...with the pigtails and all - in this story, she's a 35-year-old married mother of two young kids. And she's on holiday. Would you get glammed up?

Hope you like! Please read and review! )