Chapter 14: Peace

A year had passed in the Cosmic Era and the peace that had settled between Naturals and Co-ordinators felt much different than the previous peace… it felt genuine and complete with only a small flicker of tension that still existed because of some Naturals who still did not agree with Co-ordinators and how they came to be.

In Orb, only the memories of those who survived the wars could tell the younger generations that something terrible had indeed happened on their home island of Onogoro… which had completely recovered from the attacks it faced from ZAFT.

Athrun became an Admiral of the Orb fleet with the Archangel as his flagship. Murrue, Mwu and Andrew retired peacefully to Andrew's new villa in one of the smaller islands surrounding the main island. Miriallia returned to her job as a freelance photographer, hoping that she would never have to fight again to bring peace to the Plants and the Earth. With everything Relena had taught her at her disposal, and her own personal experiences, Cagalli had grown into the leader that Orb had expected of her before the war. In the Plants, Lacus became the Chairwoman of the Supreme Council with Yzak and Dearka promoted to be among her personal escort because of their unwavering loyalty in the two wars. Kira, like his best friend, became an Admiral of the ZAFT fleet with the Eternal as his flagship. Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin now serve as part of the Eternal's crew and mobile suit fleet.

Unknown to anyone but those who had been their closest allies during the war, Athrun and Cagalli took part in a double wedding ceremony with Kira and Lacus, turning friends into family and cementing the peace between Orb and the Plants with bonds stronger than words on paper…

Yzak and Dearka stood in civilian clothes, waiting outside Lacus' office as she took care of some last minute details that required her attention.

"You know they're going to go crazy about this, right?" Dearka asked in amusement.

Yzak shook his head. "She should have at least informed them that she was taking some time off, even if it is just a day."

"I can't do that; they wouldn't let me have even a day to myself." Lacus' amused tone made both men jump in surprise as she stood smiling between them. Her long pink hair was bound up in one of her usual ponytails as she wore one of her usual dresses.

"So much for being bodyguards…" Dearka muttered beneath his breath as he shook his head.

"Shall we go before anything else comes up?"

"Yes ma'am."

Lacus laughed and patted Yzak on the shoulder. "How many times have I told you not to be so formal? We're all friends aren't we?"

Dearka laughed at the embarrassed blush on his friend's face. "Give him some time; it's just going to take him a while to get used to being on an informal basis with the leader of the Plants."

Lacus nodded and motioned for them to follow her as she walked down the hall, knowing it would do her no good to try to go unnoticed, so instead she looked as though she was going to another meeting to avoid being caught by somebody wanting her to do something.

It was only when they got to the hangar where the Eternal was stored that she was stopped by her secretary and Yzak's team of bodyguards.

"Oh my, what's this all about?" Lacus asked in confusion.

"I thought you were acting funny these past few days and it had me worried. You know we're busy right now trying to arrange the rebuilding of Januarius and December. You can't just go running off whenever you feel like it." Her secretary said sternly.

"Shiho, take the squad and go do some training exercises." The female red uniformed soldier was taken aback by Yzak's sudden order.

"Uhm… yes sir…" She said as she bowed her head slightly before motioning for the rest of the squad to follow her.

Lacus' secretary was annoyed with Yzak overriding her request, but ignored him as she focused on Lacus.

"Don't worry; I'll be back by the end of the day. This is an appointment that I made a year ago, and I cannot break it so easily. I promise to work well into the night if it will appease your concerns. Besides, that project is well beyond the point where my input is needed. It's merely a matter of negotiating with contractors, which is up to the rest of the council." Lacus said with the same cheerful tone she always used to baffle her secretary.

"You guys ready? I was starting to get worried."

"Admiral Yamato! Please stop her!" Lacus' secretary pleaded as Kira approached the group.

Over his shoulder, Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin watched the scene with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

Kira shook his head. "Sorry, but once she makes up her mind there's no changing it. It's been that way since the wars and I don't see it changing any time soon."

"Don't worry; we'll take good care of her." Dearka assured the stunned secretary as Kira took Lacus' hand and lead her to the Eternal with Yzak and Dearka following right behind them, leaving the secretary to stare after them with a gaping mouth as though she was unsure about what had just happened.

Cagalli stood with Athrun at the memorial site, staring out at the ocean, holding hands with him.

"It's hard to believe a year ago this place was nearly destroyed…" Athrun said as he looked around at the beautiful gardens and benches that had replaced the destroyed trees and grounds.

Cagalli nodded. "I'm just glad Murrue was willing to oversee the project when I asked her. She said it was a nice change to be in charge of rebuilding instead of destroying."

"I agree with her there… come on, they should be arriving soon. We should get everything ready." Athrun said as he picked up the bag they had brought with them and walked over to a part of the memorial site that was designated for quiet reflection.

Cagalli helped him set up the picnic area just as a car arrived.

"Hey! You guys weren't planning to start without us, were you?" Mwu asked as he helped a very pregnant Murrue out of the car that Andrew was driving.

"I'm surprised to see you three are the first ones here." Athrun called back in amusement as the three former soldiers came down to meet them.

"Are you sure you should have come?" Cagalli asked Murrue in concern as she helped her sit down.

"Don't worry, I'm not due for another month… besides, I don't think any of us would miss this. It's been so long and everyone's been so busy since the end of the war."

"I know what you mean… who else is coming?" Athrun asked curiously as Andrew helped him finish setting up the cooking utensils for their meals.

Just as he asked, two more cars pulled up. Lacus, Kira, Dearka and Yzak got out of the first car, while Shinn, Lunamaria, Meyrin and Miriallia got out of the second car.

"I'm amazed she managed to get away." Murrue said in surprise as the group approached.

"We ran into Miriallia at the space port, so we decided to come together." Kira explained as they came up and exchanged warm greetings with their old comrades.

"Doesn't that always seem to happen?" Andrew asked in amusement as they sat together with the intention of catching up on what had been happening with each other in the past year.

"Doesn't this seem familiar?" Dearka commented as the older soldiers remembered their last picnic in the first post-war peace.

"May I?" Lacus asked shyly as she indicated to Murrue's stomach.

Murrue chuckled and nodded as Lacus rested her hand on the older woman's stomach. The other girls quickly joined in, much the amusement of the guys. Once they had gotten their need to rub Murrue's stomach out of the way, everyone settled down and began reminiscing about the old days.

When talk turned to those they had lost, they held a moment of silence for their fallen comrades.

By the time they had finished enjoying catching up and having a good meal together; the sun was sitting on the horizon.

Lacus sighed as sadness settled on the group, knowing it was time for them to go their separate ways.

"Shall we meet here again next year?" Everyone looked at Shinn in surprise as he quietly spoke. He blushed and looked down at the ground in embarrassment.

"That sounds like a great idea… same time, same place?" Cagalli asked to nods of agreement.

"It was nice to be able to meet everyone under better circumstances." Lunamaria admitted as she received a nod of agreement from her younger sister.

As everyone stood and began helping to pack up, Miriallia took out her camera.

"How about another picture? I still have the picture from our last picnic."

The other veterans admitted they still had theirs, except Mwu who had been missing when they last met.

"I think this will become a tradition." Kira said with a smile as everyone gathered to get ready for the picture.

Once she had set up the camera, Miriallia stood with Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin between her and Dearka, giving him a dark look that made the veteran pilot shy away from her. Unlike the last picture, this one turned out with no surprises.

Miriallia smiled in relief as she began to pack away the camera. "I'll send you guys the copies as soon as I can."

The others agreed as they finished cleaning up and stood by the side of the road where the row of cars was waiting for them.

"Don't be strangers… I'll drop everything if I hear you're coming." Cagalli said as she hugged Kira before moving on to Lacus.

"I extend the same request to you… it would be sad if we only ever meet once a year." She said as she hugged Athrun before allowing Kira to shake his friend's hand.

"Hey, what about us? You guys gonna forget about coming by to see us?" Mwu asked with an expression of feigned hurt, causing the others to laugh as they agreed to come and visit them.

Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin stood off to the side, feeling like intruders at a family gathering until Cagalli came up to them.

"If ever you're allowed time to get away, don't be afraid to come visit. I know we've had our differences, Shinn, but things have changed since then and it would be nice to see what you think of the changes."

Shinn looked away with a flicker of anger as the others watched him in concern. He stared at the ground for a few moments before finally nodding his head. "All right… I guess it wouldn't hurt…"

Cagalli smiled in relief as she extended the same invitation to Meyrin and Lunamaria.

"Well… I guess it's time to go…" Andrew said reluctantly.

"Farewell everyone…" Lacus said sadly as Kira opened the car door for her.

As everyone began leaving, Cagalli and Athrun watched them go.

Once the last car was out of sight, Athrun put an arm around Cagalli's waist and led her back to their car.

"I'm glad to see that Shinn's starting to slowly forgive Orb…" She admitted.

Athrun sighed and nodded. "It will still take a long time… in fact, he may never fully forgive Orb, but at least he's trying… that's a sign of growth. And after all that he's been put through, that's a good thing."

Cagalli nodded in agreement before climbing in their car and heading back to their home.

The C.E. universe under the united front of Lacus and Cagalli's leadership would see only a few minor skirmishes that were quickly quashed before they could turn into full-scale wars. The Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice were never needed again and the Archangel, Eternal and Kusanagi never saw the field of battle, being decommissioned and turned into museums to keep the memory of the wars and those who lost their lives fresh to prevent future generations from making the mistakes of their predecessors…

Author's Notes: In a reversal/call-back to Winged Destiny, the finale chapters are reversed. This time, the C.E. universe gets the front finale and A.C. universe will be the last. Huzzah!

This entire chapter a deliberate homage to Winged Destiny since this is the final story. Also, it was deliberate on the character's parts. They knew the importance of this get together and so they deliberately got together in the fashion of their last peace picnic to try to bring the newer people (Shinn, Lunamaria, Meyrin) closer to those they fought against in the war. Yes, they now serve as soldiers for a few of those people, but admittedly that's a different setting compared to being in a more informal setting that helps them get to know them in a less-professional way.

I know, I know. Cagalli and Athrun supposedly didn't get together in the Canonical setting. This is a bit of personal preference seeding its way into a story that I have tried to keep professional about. Athrun supposedly got together with Meyrin, which, admittedly, seemed to come out of nowhere considering the way they interacted before it. I had always thought he had simply backed off and let Cagalli deal with the more important issues of running her country until Orb was stable again. I hadn't known about the difference until after this chapter had been already laid out the first time this story was made. I decided to leave it like this because I've already stated my reasons. Cagalli and Athrun had more chemistry than Meyrin and Athrun did. So yeah. I apologize for this lapse in professionalism.

The final paragraph kinda wraps up everything for the C.E. universe. At least, within a certain time frame.

Hope you enjoyed this! One final chapter to go!