The house was decorated ready for Christmas. Candles stood in decorative holders on the mantelpiece, and the lights on the tiny tree in the corner of the room twinkled merrily. Watching this scene, the woman sitting in the comfortable armchair smiled, setting down her mug of cocoa and stretching out. At her movement, two pairs of blue eyes turned to look at her. "No, no, not yet," she remonstrated softly. "Daddy isn't home yet.." Standing up, the woman made her way over to the mantelpiece, picking up a greetings card to read the message inside. The handwriting was strong and clear, and very familiar to the woman who read it.

All my love forever...but then again, you already knew that, didn't you?

Here's to the next two years!

The other half of the card was covered with little crosses meant to mark kisses, and Murrue smiled. Her husband had given her this card before he set out for work that morning, and kissed her goodbye. "That's only one. I'll give you the rest of those kisses when I get home," he had promised, before leaving the house. And she knew he would keep that promise. Today was their second wedding anniversary, after all. Two years since she and Mwu had been married. She could still remember the day of their wedding, the snow thick on the ground, the way their breath had hung in the cold air of the church whilst they were saying their vows. They hadn't taken a honeymoon, instead preferring to spend their time at home together, making plans for their future.

And all those plans included our family... Seventeen months ago, in the spring after their wedding, she had given birth to their twin daughters, Grace and Isabelle. The birth had been rather difficult, causing Murrue and her babies to be kept in hospital for over a month whilst they recovered. But she had regained her strength, due to her husband's care, and their daughters had grown to be happy and healthy toddlers. The two of them were sitting on the carpet right now, both clutching cloth dolls in their tiny hands. They were identical, both with dark hair and bright blue eyes, and it was hard for strangers to tell them apart. But their parents knew. Grace is the calm one. She can sit for hours in someone's arms, and never move, content to be cuddled and fussed over. But Isabelle...she's a real little livewire. Never sitting still, always wanting to run about and explore. She's just like her father...

She smiled fondly, sitting down on the floor beside her babies. Isabelle let out a happy gurgle, and crawled over to climb into her mother's lap. "You two sure changed our lives, didn't you?" Murrue asked softly, ruffling the little girl's hair. Isabelle giggled and waved her arms, not understanding the words, but recognising her mother's gentle voice. The woman chuckled a little, holding out her other arm to let Grace snuggle onto her lap beside her sister. "Daddy should be home soon," she informed the toddlers, who babbled happily. They're real daddy's girls. Even Isabelle will sit still if he's the one holding her. Sometimes I find him outside their room, just watching them sleep...as if he can't quite believe that they're real. He adores them, and he gets rather jealous sometimes that I get to spend so much time with them... But after the new year, Murrue was going back to work a few days a week, and that way Mwu got to take care of the girls, which he was quietly delighted about.

As she sat on the carpeted floor, her daughters in her lap, she heard the door open and close. "Oh.." she said softly. "Daddy's back.." As she spoke, a familiar blonde head poked around the sitting room doorway, broad smile on scarred face. "Evening, ladies.."

Isabelle and Grace squealed in delight at the sight of their father. "Daddy!" chirped Grace, she and her sister scrambling off Murrue's lap to toddle over to where Mwu waited. The man chuckled, kneeling down to welcome the two little girls into his arms. "Hey!" Still laughing, he got to his feet, nuzzling noisy kisses to the faces of his daughters, who giggled and squirmed as his stubbly cheeks tickled them, and carried them back to where their mother waited. Murrue smiled gently, lifting Grace from her father's arms to hold her close. "They missed you today," she informed Mwu, breathing in the sweet baby scent from the child. "They were looking for you everywhere..." She peeked up at him through her eyelashes, still smiling. "I missed you too,"

Mwu beamed, enfolding his wife in his arms, along with their two children. "Same here. And now I get a whole three weeks off work, including Christmas.." Walking over to the sofa, he sat down with his family, stretching out comfortably. Isabelle, balanced on his lap, looked at him with love, those wide, beautiful eyes so like her mother's shining back at him, only blue instead of amber. Her eyes, but mine. That means so much to me...He glanced across at Grace, who was cuddled close to Murrue, one tiny hand playing with the woman's hair. My kids. It still doesn't feel real... Murrue smiled lovingly at the child in her arms, stroking the little girl's wispy auburn curls. She hummed a gentle tune as she did so, causing Grace to become drowsy.

If only Isabelle was as well behaved....Mwu glanced up at the younger of the twins. The toddler beamed back at him, waving her arms happily. Isabelle's smile could melt the polar ice caps, almost making her parents forget what a troublemaker she was. The blonde man ruffled the child's hair fondly. "You sleepy, Belle?" Isabelle shook her head, giggling. Squirming, she tried to escape his embrace, but Mwu grinned, holding onto her tightly. "Nuh-uh. You're not getting away 'till you're all asleep like Gracie is.."

"Here," said Murrue gently, carefully handing him the now sleeping Grace. "You want me to try?" Lifting Isabelle from her father's arms, she brought the tiny girl close to herself, rocking her slowly. Mwu watched his wife and youngest daughter with a smile, noting that, despite her whimpered protests, little Isabelle was drifting off to sleep, one tiny hand curled around her mother's shirt.

"You can always get them to sleep..." he mused, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. "Proves what a great mom you are..."

Murrue blushed, but looked happy, caressing the sleeping Isabelle's hair. Her expression was decidedly maternal, which both pleased and worried Mwu. I'm pretty sure I know what it is she wants...

After placing their sleeping children into their cribs, the couple stood together in the doorway of the old spare room, which had become the nursery when the twins had been born. Murrue snuggled her head onto her husband's shoulder. "Happy anniversary. Love you..." He smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Love you too, sweetheart, and here's to many more..." And there will be, I'm sure of it. We'll always be together.. "Hey, Murrue?" he asked, something occuring to him. She glanced up at him curiously. "Yes?"

"You want another kid, don't you?"

The question clearly surprised her, the young woman blinking and looking away. After a while, a smile curved her lips, cheeks tinging rose. "Yes..I'd like that very much.." she replied. Mwu closed his eyes, bringing her close for a hug. I knew it... "You remember, don't you? What the doctor said?" he asked softly, and he felt her nod. When she had been having the twins..there had been complications, and he'd almost lost all of them. That day had been the most frightening of his life...the thought that he could have lost the one he loved so much, and their children. And although they had pulled through, the doctors had warned them that if they had any more children, the same might happen again.

"I know." she murmured. "I know what he said. But still...I..." She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, then gazed up at him, one small hand reaching up to caress his cheek. "It's okay. I do want another baby...but we have the girls, and I'm happy with that. Mwu smiled, ruffling her hair. I understand how she feels. I'd love more kids, but if the payoff is her getting sick, or, God forbid, us losing her...it's not worth the risk...

"Here, c'mon," he said suddenly, lifting Murrue up in his arms. His wife squeaked in surprise, looking around herself. "Wha..." He didn't reply at first, instead carrying her into their room and kicking the door shut behind them. "Now then," he murmured, setting her down on the bed, "when would you like your present?" She paused to think for a moment, then smiled, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him close. "It can wait. Before that...you owe me kisses." Her dark eyes sparkled with mischief, the effect so different from the shy woman he had known, that Mwu had to grin. "Is that right? How many do I owe you?"

She smiled again, nuzzling her face into his neck. "I'll let you decide..." she whispered, reaching behind her to flick off the light.

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( :smile: There you go lol. But that won't be the last you'll see of this AU. I had soooo many ideas while I was writing this story, that I may write one-shots of them...

Thank you for reading, and please review! )