Chapter One: Together
"Here, come in," Murrue breathed lightly after a long silence they shared before she realized he was blocking his way.
"Murrue, I—" Mu started, as he lightly limped in. His wife raised a hand to quiet him, eyes locked to his stiffened leg. The bundle in her arms stirred and Murrue had no choice but to pull her eyes away to look down into the boy's young staring face.
"Oh, Matthew . . ." She sighed, slowly turning to walk into the next room. Mu's dark blue eyes seemed to light up even more watching them leave, knowing exactly what was behind the door. His old study that he never used . . . they changed it into a nursery when Evi was born and now it was Matthew's room as well.
"Daddy?" Evi's loud sweet voice broke his out of his trance. She was tugging on his pant leg. He somehow smiled even broader looking at her, cap still sliding off her head, gripping his tossed away duffel tightly in her arms, determined to drag it inside from where he had dropped it. "Where do you want this?" Mu laughed as he stiffly knelt down to equal his blue eyes with his daughter's russet ones. They were just like Murrue's except—he couldn't believe it—they seemed even more beautiful.
"I'll take care of it, Evi. Thank you." Hi picked his hat off her head with a smile. She grinned back at his simple gratitude, melting Mu's heart again. "I missed you . . . I . . ." He was at a loss for words.
"I love you too, Daddy!" Evi laughed, interrupted by the clock's chiming. Mu smiled at the loud noises—he couldn't believe the old thing still worked. He watched Evi count the chimes on her fingers, taking great care not to miss one. Soon she counted out four and she yelped and started to run towards the Nursery door.
"Mama! It's four o'clock! It's four, Mama!" Mu just cocked his head and watched as Murrue came quietly out of the room empty handed and pressed one finger to Evi's lips.
"Yes, I know it is, Evi." The small little girl blushed and turned quickly back to Mu, sandy-blond hair flying around her shoulders.
"Shhh, Daddy!" She scolded. "Mattie's sleeping!" He nodded 'okay'—still in awe on the floor, not off his knees yet.
"Go get your things. We'll wait here." Evi ran past Murrue in a blur and pounded her way up the steps. Both Mu and Murrue yelled out for her to be "Careful!" right before she tripped on the last step, landing hard on her knee. Tears came to the young girl's eyes easily.
"I-I'm okay," she sniffed, wiping the salty water away as Murrue quickly started her way up the stairs. But Evi waved her mother away and stood straight-up and started walking the rest of the way to the kitchen, holding back the pain in her knee.
"She's amazing," Mu muttered aloud, adding, "if not amazingly stubborn."
"Of course," Murrue smiled, "She's your daughter after all."
"But, she's yours too," he laughed, finally making it to his feet. He leaned on the banister for some support as Evi clambered her way back down the stairs again, taking more care than before. She held a small purple bag and an equally purple wrapped present. Mu glanced from her to Murrue. "Evi's been invited to a birthday party down the street. She's very excited."
"I can tell . . ."
"Yep!" She turned from her mother to her father, grinning as always. "Daddy, Mama said that I can go for all three hours!" She held out her fingers again to show how many. Mu nodded again, everything starting to make sense. The doorbell rang, erupting giggles from the young girl. "That's Tyler's mama! She's taking both me and Tyler down to the party!" It was only for a moment, but Mu swore he heard Murrue mutter under her breath, correcting Evi's statement quietly as she opened the door. Evi rushed out, connecting with the young Tyler on the way. They started comparing gifts as the two mothers talked.
She was pretty, Tyler's mom, Mu noticed from his spot, standing out of view. Blond with dashing green eyes. Tyler shared the same eyes but had deep black hair. Just the way he remembered them.
"Are you sure you can't come with us, Murrue? It'll be fun," Tyler's mother asked.
"I'm sure," Murrue shrugged. "I mean, I've got Matthew and—"
"Mu!" The woman gasped as his handsome figure traipsed into the doorway behind his wife.
". . . Hello."
"You're back! That's great!" Her green eyes flashed.
"Mommy," Tyler whined quietly. "We're gonna be late."
"Oh, okay." Looking into her son's eyes, she grabbed both Tyler and Evi's hands. She looked back at Mu and Murrue in the doorway and smiled before taking the two kids down the walkway.
"Have fun!" Murrue called out, waiting for Evi to wave back before quickly shutting the door. Once it was nice and shut, Murrue turned on Mu and without warning pulled him into a kiss, dragging him to the nearby sofa—the kiss a lot deeper than their first one by the door. Mu could tell she had been longing for it for a while, just as he had. Each small caress brought back floods of memories from before.
Finally they broke apart. Mu's eyes flicked towards the nursery door.
"What about . . . ?"
"Matthew?" Murrue finished for him, amber eyes glittering. "He's the quietest child I've ever seen, our Matt . . . He was so tired today so he'll sleep like a rock for a few hours and then nothing can wake him up . . ." She tried to hide it, but a tear escaped and it was followed by many more. Mu worked to wipe them away.
"Murrue . . . ?" She broke down and he held her closer as she let go on his thick shoulder.
"Mu . . . They said . . . they said that—I thought that—They said you weren't going to be coming back, Mu!—How could you do this to me . . . !—I thought—" She said a few more things all that blended in with her sobs until that was all she was doing—crying. Mu didn't mind. His still uniform shirt was getting wetter and wetter as he just pat her auburn hair down and let her cry. Murrue was strong—she'd probably been holding it all in before to keep from crying before Evi or Matt.
He felt her slowly fall asleep, curling closer against his body. The rhythmic rise and fall of their chests matched each others, soothing Mu's spinning mind. It made him relax. He was back home and it was like nothing had changed—except for the small bundle known as 'Matthew.' He had no idea Murrue had been pregnant when he left.—If he had known, God knows he wouldn't have left.
The door to the nursery was open ajar, drawing his eyes every time they raked over the open entrance hall. Mu leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on Murrue's forehead before sliding out from underneath her. He quietly made his way across the empty floor and pushed the door open.
The nursery was painted a nice spring yellow, and was just as open as every other part of their house, the high windows bringing in tons of light. The white cradle was off to the side and Evi's small purple bed was off to the other. It was filled with toys and some books, crayon drawings and framed pictures. Mu walked silently around the room, eyes washing over everything. Something, or someone, was missing—him.
Outside, everything had stayed the same—but inside . . . everything had changed. He had missed so much in only ten months, it was suffocating.
Movement came from inside the corner cradle and it drew his eyes instantly. Mu stiffly made it over to the child's side. Matthew was curled up in his blue blanket, head already full with auburn hair even after only two months. He knew that beneath those thin eyelids lay an amazing shade of blue-grey. He was so beautiful, Mu couldn't not stare at his son. And he thought the day Evi was born was the best day of his life.
He couldn't believe he had missed Matt's birth—He had almost missed Evi's too. . . . was he going to be one of those fathers that was never there . . . ?
"Mu?" Murrue's soft, half asleep voice came from the doorway. He turned his head to face her, dark blue eyes crying without tears.
"I have so much I need to tell you . . ." He breathed. Murrue smiled, walking up to him and latching onto his arm.
"And I, you . . ." They both looked over at Matthew, caught in the moment. She pushed some of Mu's tousled blond hair from his eyes. "It's only Five-thirty.—Let's get you something to eat first and we'll talk over that, okay, Mu?" He nodded, not wanting to leave but he followed his wife out the door and up the stairs anyway.
---
Murrue's cooking was good—it had to be, with her being a mother. When Evi was born she took a few classes so that when she cooked, her dishes didn't turn out looking like Mu's . . . dark, crusty and burnt—no matter the recipe. Mu didn't mind—he could always get a laugh from that night he had tried to bake a cake and almost succeeded in burning his own house down as well.
They talked until Evi came home—catching each other up about random things and stuff that wouldn't seem to matter to other people except the two of them. Matthew only cried once but he was asleep by the time the parents hurried downstairs.
Evi told them the party was 'spectacular'—her word of the week as Murrue pointed out. Nothing tasted good, it tasted spectacular. Of course, she used the word wrong all the time while pronouncing it 'spuck-tayck-u-lar'
"Alright Evi. Time for bed," the mom revealed with a sigh.
"Aww, but I wanted to stay up with you and Daddy," she whined.
"Daddy'll be home all day tomorrow—you can spend all that time with him, okay?"
"No, Mama . . . That's not today." Both Mu and Murrue smiled.
"If you wanted to spend today with him, then you shouldn't have gone to the party then, huh, Evi?" The little girl started to retort, but nothing came out. She frowned and crossed her arms.
"Fine," she murmured, starting her way out of the dimly lit kitchen—the sun had gone down a while ago. Evi stopped, froze and spun around. "I haven't got my story yet!" She announced loudly, shaking her finger at Mu. "And Daddy's going to tell it!" Mu perked up at his mention and what Evi had said. Blood drained from his face as Murrue smiled an overly sweet smile.
"Oh, I think that's a perfect idea!"
"What?" She grinned; Mu stared—he must have done something. Note to self: do not get Murrue angry—she has ways. Of all the things that come with being a father, telling stories was the one trait he hadn't acquired yet.
Evi quickly led him down to the her bedroom/nursery, Murrue staying upstairs. Evi first ran over to the sleeping 'Mattie' and looked at him through the sides of the cradle.
"Night, night, Mattie," she whispered before running to her side of the bedroom to change into her purple pajamas.
Mu could see how much the little girl wanted to show him everything new in her room—when he left, she was still sleeping in a cradle herself—but she just kept biting her lip and moving into the small bed, promising she'd tell her daddy tomorrow.
"Could you hand me that teddy?" She pointed to a fluffy brown one sitting on the chair. "—Please," Evi added quickly. It was all worn out except the bright purple ribbon newly tied around the bear's neck. Mu handed it to her, sweetly looking on as she nuzzled into it. "Now, you tuck me in," she told him, showing him what to do. Mu couldn't help but silently laugh. He couldn't seem to do anything right.
Evi nestled herself deeper into the pillow, covering herself completely with her purple blanket. Teddy in hand, she silently waited. Mu didn't know—"Story, Daddy . . ."
"Ohh, yes, story . . ." he grinned, almost sarcastic, running his hand through his hair. Evi giggled. "Well . . ." he started, sitting beside her on the bed. "There was this . . . girl . . . and, um, she . . ."
"No, no, no! Daddy, you're doing it all wrong," Evi laughed sitting up in bed, shaking her head at Mu's confused response. "Every story starts out with 'Once upon a Time, in a kingdom far, far away'! Everybody knows that."
"Really?" She nodded, moving closer. Mu grinned. "So if I told you a story about c—"
"No, every story is about princesses named Evi, Daddy," Evi huffed.
"Well, I think I might have heard of that . . ." He smiled, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Then tell me one of these Princess Evi stories" he started tickling her, "so that way I know what to say, okay?" He tried to tell her through the laughing.
"Fine." She crossed her arms, apparently giving up. Mu didn't protest as she climbed onto his lap as his arms encircled her. "It goes like this," Evi smiled. "Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far, away, there lived a princess named Evi. She was happy, but she really wanted to go to this royal ball down the street, and . . ." The story went on and on and Mu just shook his head in amazement at what his little Evi came up with right on the spot.
His heart kept melting, watching her. Somewhere near the end, she kept yawning as she talked, talking herself to sleep. Mu watched as her sentences drifted off, never to start again as she fell asleep in his arms.
He shook his head.
"How come they always fall asleep in my arms?" He asked quietly to himself, hand pushing hair away from Evi's soft face.
"They always feel safe in your arms," someone responded quietly. ". . . I know I do."
"You've gotten into the habit of sneaking up behind me, Murrue."
"And you've got a new habit of doing that, Mu," Murrue smiled from the doorway, motioning with her head to Evi—staring at her while she was sleeping.
He turned to face her, smiling back. She nodded, auburn hair resting about her shoulders. He wanted to say something that fit the moment as he rested Evi back into her bed, tucking the covers up around her shoulders, but all that came out was a big embarrassing yawn.
"Tired, Mu?" She asked, head cocking to one side.
"Of course . . ." He gave the girl a kiss on the forehead, wished her a good night and walked towards the woman. "I haven't slept in forever—unlike you . . ." Murrue blushed, remembering earlier in the afternoon as he came closer.
"I'm all up for some nice shut-eye," she said, "though Matt will probably wake up around Two or so. He may be quiet but he's still only a child."
"I'm fine with that," Mu grinned, leading her up the stairs after taking the care to shut down the nursery for the night.
He walked into the kitchen behind Murrue, slight limp shining through as the night went on. On his way inside, Mu forgot about the small half-step placed there and, in a moment of off-balance, fell right into Murrue. She was pushed lightly against the wall.
"Oh, you've been gone for only ten months and you've already forgot the layout of your own house?" She asked slyly, remembering all the times she'd tripped on the same little step.
"Yes, well . . . maybe I wanted to fall," Mu joked as she pushed him away, his signature grin shining, winning her heart again.
"There's always something more," Murrue laughed, trying to hide how she glanced over Mu's leg.
"First," he huffed, "can I have a drink?"
"Only if you want milk, water or coffee."
"Is that all you guys live on?" Mu laughed, sitting himself down by the table. He looked out the dark window. ". . . Milk's fine." Soon it was prepared perfectly in a purple sippy-cup. He stared at it for the longest time while Murrue insisted about how she still had to wash the 'grown-up' glasses. Mu was suspicious though seeing as how much she smiled.
"You were saying, Mu?" She reminded him, sitting beside him at the table. In response, the man carefully lifted his right pant leg revealing a long, thick gash in the process of scarring running the length of his shin. Murrue's amber eyes widened, staring back at him as he covered it up again. He knew what she wanted answered—the reason for his limp as of late—and that's what he gave her. Mu swirled his sippy-cup milk, sighing.
"These wars, they're all screwed up. That mission I went on, at the beginning of one of the first Orb wars, it ended in failure even though this Military sees it as more of an 'accomplishment.' See, what happened that day—I can't really remember, but what I do is confusing. There was me, the enemy and this other guy. I got a bullet to the leg/shin or something. He was a part-time doctor, I think, but he helped me and my leg, doing a superb job under the circumstances. I don't know if I blacked-out, but when I came-to, I was a POW and that guy was gone—yeah, that kind of gone . . . Sure, my leg never really healed right, but a slight limp's better than having no leg at all, I think . . ." Mu paused, taking a deep breath before going on, looking deep into Murrue's dark, caring eyes. They both couldn't hold back the small smiles that had appeared on their lips for no known reason. "And that's another man that I owe my life who I wont be able to repay."
"People owe their lives to you too, Mu."
"Yeah, but . . . I'm still here, aren't I?" He weakly smiled, swirling around his glass thoughtfully. All was quiet. Murrue couldn't bring her to say anything—instead she contented herself with running her thin finger's soothingly through Mu's hair.
Evi, who had been standing in the doorway for a while keeping unnoticed, made up her mind as her grip tightened around her teddy-bear. Split-second, she ran, jumping the small step down into the kitchen and clung tightly around Mu's legs. He winced in pain but didn't let either of them see it.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Evi cried. "I had a nightmare—a nightmare!" A strategically placed tear streamed down her face at just that moment, melting Mu's heart all over again. He leaned over and picked her up, exaggerating a groan at how big she'd gotten. Evi sat herself down in his lap, snuggling in to be comfortable, loving it in his arms.
Mu wanted to send Murrue 'a look,' but she interrupted the moment with a huff and a finger pointed at him, accusing.
"Just what kind of story did you tell her, Mu?"
"What?" His eyes widened at the glare found in hers.
"Well, I know that Evi only gets nightmares if you tell her certain stories . . . so, what did you tell her?" Evi somehow held in a giggle as Mu defended himself, or at least tried to.
"Nothing bad, Murrue! She practically told the entire story herself!" Mu pointed at the bundle in his arms. That time Evi laughed.
"Yeah," she nodded, "Mama, Daddy is really bad at telling stories. We need to teach him."
"Do we now . . ." Murrue mumbled, eyes narrowing at the two of them sitting before her. Their little giggles had turned into full out laughter.
"Aww, relax, Murrue," Mu whined, noticing her suspicious glare. He looked down at Evi who was busy hungrily eyeing his half-empty sippy-cup of milk. He leaned over, grabbed it and handed it to Evi. Murrue automatically protested—she knew how her daughter got with 'midnight' snacks. Mu laughed, looking up at her. "It's only milk, Murrue."
"Yeah . . . but—"
"Yuck!" Evi pushed the cup away, making a very twisted face as she slid off his lap. "It tastes like Daddy," she muttered. Mu blinked, blue eyes wide.
"Oh really? Am I that bad?"
"No, you're good, Daddy, but you taste really, really, really bad . . ." Mu was utterly speechless but Murrue filled in the silence gap with her first fits of laughter since he came home. It was missed music to his ears.
"Murrue . . ." He childishly pouted. "I'm that bad?" Evi nodded, sandy-blond hair flying while Murrue just kept on laughing.
"Yes, yes, you are," she said in a very sensual tone before grabbing his turned chin and planting a quick one on him. Even Evi didn't have time to react. "I absolutely hate your taste," Murrue teased but she leaned forward for another kiss anyway as Evi then covered her eyes.
"Now that's yucky," the little girl grimaced.