Standard disclaimer: the author does not own Gundam Seed(Destiny) or any of its characters. Gundam Seed(Destiny) is the property of Bandai, and Sunrise and other people I do not know.

Leaning back on the hotel bed Meyrin pushed the button for erase on her computer drawing pad. Then tuning back into her sister's voice Meyrin said, " Look Lunamaria you are the one who asked me to explain how it came to be that I need a way out of Saturday night dinner with the folks. And I am trying to tell you, but if you keep interrupting me, I am never going to be able to."

At her sister's, " All right, all right. I'll stop interrupting. I'm just still in shock over the fact that you went into hysterics." Meyrin glared at the phone at this comment then asked, " Where was I again?"

Just as Lunamaria was going to answer, Meyrin remember where their conversation had dropped off after Lunamaria had gone into a giggling fit." Never mind I remember, I was standing outside of the restaurant."

Meyrin rubbed her arms as she waited under the restaurant's canopy for Athrun to return. As she waited she thought about how the night was going.

Well, tonight certainly hasn't gone the way I thought it would. Here I was expecting a nice guy in a business suit who says he wants more of a personal life but still keeps a cell phone and a pager with him at all times. Instead I get a man that I at one point in time I care very deeply for not that I ever told him that.

Speaking of which if my sister has told Athrun anything about that old crush of mine I will kill her, no matter what my conscience says. But if on the off chance she hasn't told him anything maybe I won't kill her. Maybe I will just not talk to her for a month. It will drive her crazy and give me one less person to call.

Then again if this date continues to take a turn for the better, maybe I will only not talk to her for a week. I mean I always have wanted to go on a date with Athrun. That's shopping trip we took with Kira and Lacus so did not count. After all it ended with that poor girl's death how could it count?

As she stood there pondering all of this in her mind her eyes which had still been keeping watch for Athrun even though her mind had strayed far from the task, spotted a bright red umbrella with a pattern of some sort on it.

The fact that she couldn't make it out immediately bother her so abandoning the now repetitive thoughts in her mind, Meyrin focused on the umbrella that was steadily coming closer to her.

A grin worked it's way across her face, when she finally figured out what the pattern was. sadly Athrun was by now just a few steps away and thus saw the smirk that had suddenly popped up on her face.

Holding the umbrella over her head, while keeping himself cover as well, Athrun asked her as the began walking towards the sidewalk, " What's with the smile?"

" Am I smiling? Must be a knee jerk reaction."

At this comment Athrun raised an eyebrow and asked, " A knee jerk reaction to what?"

Smiling all the more widely Meyrin answered, " To the sight of a grown man using a umbrella in the pattern of a strawberry."

Athrun gave her a dirty look out of the corner of his eye and said, " It's my daughter's and it is also the only one I had in the car. But if you would like I could go put it back in the car and we could take a walk with out any cover at all. Just in case you are ashamed of being seen with a man carrying an strawberry umbrella."

Meyrin couldn't hold back the peal of giggles that hit her over the grumpy look on Athrun's face, but managing to take a deep breath she quickly got herself under control and said, " Oh, no I don't mind being seen with a man holding his daughter's strawberry umbrella. Now if you had bought it for yourself, I might have had to think twice about it."

Athrun merely shook his head at this bit of foolishness, then pausing on the sidewalk he glanced to the left and to the right, then turning to her he asked, " So shall we go left to the beach or to the right towards some other restaurants and stores?"

Peering around Athrun's body Meyrin also looked to the left and the right, just as she was about to suggest going to the beach so they could talk privately a small growl could be heard coming from the region of her stomach.

Flushing a light pink Meyrin hoped that Athrun didn't hear that and opened her mouth to suggest going to the left. But Athrun spoke up before she had the chance to, " I say we go to the right, so in case our walking makes us hungry plenty of places will be available for us to wander into."

Meyrin kept her head down to hide her now flaming with embarrassment cheeks and merely nodded in agreement.

They did little more than make small talk about the different signs for the restaurants and diners and small comments on what was being advertised in the store windows before Athrun halted in front of a small diner whose sign proclaimed, " Hot Homemade Soup, Gourmet and Homestlye Sandwiches, Bread made fresh daily!"

Turning to Meyrin, Athrun said, " I don't know about you but a bowl of hot soup sounds really good on a chilly night like this."

Meyrin who like Athrun was dressed lightly had also felt the bitter nip of fall in the air and with a nod of her head said, " Yes, a bowl of hot soup sounds lovely."

Athrun smiled at her pleased that she also liked the idea of stopping to eat instead of continuing on with their walk, and holding open the diners door waited until she had stepped through and then joined her inside the cozy little diner.

It was simply decorated in blue and white checkers, an older woman in a ruffled white apron and a blue and white checked dress that was obviously the diner's uniform asked them if they wanted a table for two or if they were expecting more people to join them. Athrun noting that her name was Dottie from the small name tag she had pined at her waist confirmed that it was just them two who would be dining.

Turning to go she said over her shoulder, " Right this way please."

Stopping at a table for two she asked them if she could get them anything to drink, while they looked at the menu.Athrun quickly order a cup of coffee for himself and Meyrin, then realize that he hadn't even asked her what she wanted he turned to her with a slightly ashamed look on his face and said, " I'm sorry Meyrin, I didn't even ask you what you would like to drink? Is coffee okay or would you like something else?"

Meyrin looked up from where she had buried her nose in her menu and said, " Oh no, coffee sounds great. I have to go over some things for work tonight so a little pick me up would be perfect."

Dottie having gotten the coffee right after Meyrin had said coffee would be fine with her, said " I will be right back to take your order."

Athrun glancing at his menu as he poured both him and Meyrin a cup of coffee causally said, even though he was actually very curious to know, " So you had to bring some work with you here to ORB? If you don't mind my asking exactly what is it that you do for a living?"

Meyrin having already decided what she was going to order put down her menu and took the cup of coffee that Athrun was offering her, uttering a quite thank you she took a long sip of the coffee and said, " If you really want to know I will tell you, but be warned you might get bored to tears over it."

Athrun also taking a long sip of coffee put down his menu and looking in to her eyes said, " I am sure I want to hear about it, even with the risk of being bored to tears."

Her face brightening at this comment Meyrin launched into a discussion about her clothing line. To her surprise and joy Athrun did not find talking about the inner workings of clothes designs and manufacturing boring. Though he did admit half of what she told him about he did not understand in the slightest.He seemed the most puzzled by how she picked which model would work best for each pair of clothes.

As she was winding down on her speech of which types of fabric make the best coats she was amazed to find that both she and Athrun had finished their soups,( tomato for her,clam chowder for him) and were working on their third cup of coffee.

Giving him a mock glare she said, " No this isn't fair, you have heard tons about what I have been doing but I have heard nothing about what you do with your time. So what do you do with your time, Athrun and no short answers."

Athrun leaned back in his chair and said, " For the most part I work with Cagalli's old counsel members behind the scenes deciding what would be best for the future of ORB and what the twins need to be learning so the can easily take over Cagalli's position in ORB come their sixteenth birthday. It is very time consuming and very boring. And I mean that, I find it boring and I was raised in a political household. I have an immunity built up for it's special kind of dullness.So trust me on this you don't want to hear anymore about it."

Meyrin cocked one eyebrow at him at this but instead of pressing him to elaborate on what his job was she said, " Well if you don't want to talk about your job tell me about your kids? You have three? At least I believe that is what I heard on the news once.Or am I mistaken?"

Athrun smiled softly at this and said, " No,you are not mistaken. I have been blessed with three wonderful children."

Meyrin smiled at the tenderness and love that rippled through Athrun's voice as he spoke of his children.It was a nice sight to see a man who was so devoted to his kids. She usually only got to see that when she was visiting her sister and Shinn was home.

Of course most of the people she worked with didn't have or want kids so that might be the reason she saw so few doting dad's.

Even as she was thinking this she asked, " So tell me about them, are the twins older or younger than your other child?"

" Older by several years in fact. Kilmeny and Devlin were born just a few years after Cagalli and I got married. Then when they were twelve, Cagalli unexpectedly got pregnant again. That child was Jimmy. Kilmeny is very interested in learning how to run ORB and Devlin has even gotten more interested in his studies about what his duties will be next year, though it seems he has inherited my interest in machines. Jimmy is just a bundle of fun, always laughing, always trying to find new ways to get in trouble." As he spoke Athrun's eyes took on a glazed look as if he was looking at something that gave him both a great deal of joy but also a great deal of pain.

Wondering at the change in him, Meyrin was about to ask if their was something wrong when a sudden realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Cagalli had died in childbirth which meant that Jimmy was the baby she had died delivering.

Knowing that she could not understand the memories that probably haunted Athrun daily, Meyrin did the only thing she could think to do, she placed her hand on his and giving it a gentle squeeze said, " They sound like wonderful people, Athrun. I wish I could met them."

Blinking quickly Athrun focused his attention back onto her, for a moment he just looked at her and then he asked, " Do you mean that?"

Now Meyrin began blinking this time in confusion, " Why, yes Athrun I meant that, why do you ask?"

Reaching out and grasping her hand in his own he said, " Because I would like to invite you on a picnic me and the family are having next Saturday. And don't worry it won't just be you me and the kids. Kira and Lacus will be their too with their daughter Alice."

" Please say you will come, Meyrin. Having a someone to talk to that I am not related to or working with has been a wonderful experience and I would never have been able to have had it if you hadn't gone along with Kira and his crazy schemes. So at least let me fulfill your wish of meeting mine and Cagalli's kids. Please?"

Looking into his pleading green eyes trying to figure out what was really going on in his head, since his entire offer was very odd to her especially the comment about Kira and weird schemes, one thing stuck out in her mind. Athrun needed her, for what reason she did not know but this she did know she had never been able to turn Athrun down when he had need her before and she knew even now she still unable to say no to him.

So wrapping her hand more securely around his Meyrin said, " It would be a honor to met your family Athrun. Which means my answer is yes, just give me the time and the place and I will be there waiting for you."

As she said these words Meyrin was conscious of a feeling of giddy happiness filling her, what she was so happy about Meyrin refused to think about. But a part of her deep down inside that never obeyed the rest of her mind and heart's wishes was pretty sure that the joy that was currently filling her heart had something to do with the fact that Athrun was still holding her hand.

" And that Lunamaria is why I need to get out of Saturday night dinner. By the way thanks for helping me out with that little issue." Just as Lunamaria was about to make a comment, which Meyrin had no doubt would be about something she should have done differently on the date,so instead of waiting to see if her hunch was right, Meyrin clicked off the phone and threw it onto the floor.

Looking at the pantsuit she had designed while talking to her sister she mumbled to herself. " I wonder what one wears at a picnic."

Author's notes: First off I am sorry for not having updated this in so long. My brain turned to a bowl of mush when it came to this story and just now returned to a solid form.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter. And thank you for reviewing: D.Torres, ritachi, LacusFan, Gauri92, blazingicephoenix, mohxo,Genny-chan, and love.

D. Torres, Thank you for the suggestion.It is a pretty good idea. I am actually not quite sure what I am going to do with that situation yet.

blazingicephoenix, Thank you for the comment. I am glad you enjoyed the Bible verse.

Thank you again for reading.

God bless you,

EzrathenNehemiah For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.Romans 3:23