Spoiler warning: events covered after SEED, and info taken from early Destiny

Summary: She stared at the steaming mug in Andy's outstretched hand and remembered painfully how Mwu always brought her coffee. Mwu/Murrue, Andy/Aisha

OVER COFFEE
by MapleRose

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Murrue Ramius leaned onto the railing of the balcony and gazed at the oceans of Orb, lost in thought. It was quiet, save for an occasional cry of a seagull and the gentle lapping of the waves at the sandy shore. She sighed, relieved. The silence had signified peace, and for that she was glad. Months of endless battle had made the young warship captain weary.

However, this was not how she had imagined herself to spend these past few days of peace. She had imagined joy, joy of finally being able to spend time with him. But it was not to be.

She shook her head to clear those gloomy thoughts creeping slowly into her mind, grateful for the cool ocean breeze.

The Archangel had just docked at Morgenrate three nights ago, and everyone who had a home in Orb, or had found a place to go had disembarked. But she had nowhere to go, so she opted to stay on the ship. However, she knew she couldn't stay there forever, but she was reluctant to look for a new home, because it just wouldn't be the same without him there.

She had been pondering what to do when the captain of the Eternal, Andrew Waltfeld invited her to visit his home. At first, she was reluctant in accepting his offer, being not really in the mood to talk to anyone. But he had promised her his famous coffee, and had told her that there was something important that he wanted to ask her. She had sighed and agreed, glad for a distraction, and because she was too tired to argue.

Surprise was an understatement as Andrew led her into his spacious home.

"How on Earth did you manage to get your hands on this?" she had asked as she looked around in wonderment.

He chuckled. "I have my ways. Good connections, and ZAFT was pretty good with their pay."

He gave her a tour of the house. It really was big, with more rooms than she cared to count.

"And you live here by yourself?" He didn't answer, and she immediately regretted her question. But he assured her that he wasn't offended.

While Andrew prepared the coffee, Murrue wandered around the living room. There wasn't much there, as he had just moved in a couple of days ago. But one thing caught her attention as she walked towards the fireplace. There, on the mantle, was a framed photograph of a beautiful blue haired woman. Murrue reached out a hand to touch the frame. She didn't know who this woman was, and was too embarrassed to ask, but she was obviously important to the Tiger.

"Coffee's almost ready!" his voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"I-I'm sorry…" She quickly withdrew her hands.

"It's okay," he said softly, taking the picture in his hand and looked at it longingly. "Her name's Aisha."

From the look in his eye, Murrue understood. She understood what that woman in the photo meant to him, and she understood the hint of pain and regret in his eye.

Andrew suddenly looked up and sniffed the air before rushing to the kitchen in an almost panic. "My coffee!"

Murrue let out a chuckle and shook her head. The Desert Tiger was infamous for his obsession with coffee, and not much came between that man and his coffee.

Looking back at the photograph he replaced on the mantle, she suddenly felt the prick of tears at the back of her eyes. She had no pictures of him…

Not wanting to shed tears in front of the Desert Tiger, she quickly walked out of the living room onto the balcony, feeling the need to collect herself.

Why did she ever fall in love with him? She had thought that she'd never fall in love again after he died, or rather, she had not wanted to fall in love again, especially with another soldier. She had thought that the strict rules of the military would help prevent this from happening. She had hid her heart where no one could reach. But Mwu La Flaga really was the man who could make the impossible possible, for he somehow broke through the walls of military code, and around her heart, for which she was both glad and hated him for. This was the very reason she put up the wall around her heart, because she was afraid he'd end up leaving her too. This felt familiar, too familiar. Once again, she was left alone.

She clutched her necklace as she felt the tears streaming down her face. The coffin-shaped pendant felt cold to her hands, a constant reminder of what the war could do, of how a precious life could be taken away in a matter of seconds. She had kept the necklace through the months to remind herself not to put her heart on the line again. But she'd forgotten; he had made her forget.

"Captain Ramius?" the voice of the Desert Tiger broke into her thoughts. She quickly wiped away the tears and faced him with a forced smile. If he saw through her fake smile, he didn't say anything.

"Here, the finest around." He offered her a mug filled with coffee, the sharp odour stinging her nostrils.

She stared at the steaming mug in his outstretched hand. The gesture suddenly triggered her memory even though she tried to push it away. She remembered painfully how Mwu always brought her coffee when he came to her office to cheer her up. The memory brought tears anew, and she quickly turned away, with a mumbled "Thanks, but not now."

Andrew was slightly confused by her actions, as he did invite her using his famous coffee as an excuse, and he was surprised that she didn't want any. But judging by how upset she looked, he didn't push the matter and wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he placed the mug on the patio table and proceeded to sip from his own mug. He wasn't quite sure what to do. He didn't know whether to leave her alone to her thoughts or stay by her to ensure she was okay.

The Desert Tiger decided on the latter, but he kept to the silence and left her to her thoughts.

Moments passed in silence, each lost in their thoughts. Murrue was grateful for the silence, for it gave her time to get her emotions under control, at least for now. "I'm sorry Captain Waltfeld, I—"

"You know, Aisha, she died because of me." Murrue was interrupted by the Tiger, who started talking as if he didn't hear her.

"Eh?" She turned and looked at him, curious at his sudden statement, but he wasn't looking at her, instead, he was staring out at the ocean, sipping from his mug once in a while. And without seeing if she was listening, he went on.

"I should have been the one to die. Instead, she left, while I'm still here." He paused to take a swig as Murrue listened intently. "Or maybe we should have both died in that explosion. But because of her, I somehow survived. Her body took most of the blow, and it protected me."

He suddenly turned to Murrue with an intense look in his eye, taking the woman by surprise. "Aisha died protecting me."

For a moment, they stared at each other, the silence only broken by a distant cry of a seagull. There was a look in his eye as if he was asking her to tell him something.

"D-Does it still hurt?" she asked in a small voice. He simply nodded.

"H-How did you ever…" she trailed off, looking away, choosing instead to stare at the waves lapping at the shore.

"It takes time. It's hard at first, but time will heal your wounds. And someday, you may even think about it without breaking your heart."

She nodded in reply. Like her, he had lost someone close to him, and she realized that he would be able to understand her pain.

"H-He protected me with his life," she said in a small voice, trying hard to keep her voice even. "Even though I told him not to be reckless out there." Her throat was getting choked up again.

"It's all my fault! If only I'd seen what the Dominion had been planning!" Her fists came down on the stone railing. A few drops of tears landed on her skin, more from the pain in her heart than the physical pain.

"So what if it is your fault." She looked up, surprised by his words. He was looking at the ocean rather than at her, his face passive. "Can you turn back the hands of time to correct it? Will blaming yourself bring him back?"

She swallowed hard and shook her head in defeat, knowing what he said was absolutely true. But still, it was hard to accept.

"There's no use looking back, and blaming yourself won't help either. It's better to look forward and see your paths for the future."

"What future!" she cried out, "I don't want a future without him!"

"Sometimes," she clenched her teeth, "Sometimes I just want to end it all, to join him!" Her nails dug into the flesh of her palm as she clenched her fists resting on the balcony. Her shoulders shook with the effort of keeping in her anguish.

"Don't." Murrue was surprised at his stern tone coupled with a harshness and slight anger she'd only heard from him once before, when they found out about Boaz.

"He gave up his life so that yours may go on. Do you really want his efforts to go to waste?"

Murrue looked down, unable to reply. No, she didn't want his action to be in vain, but it was difficult for her to live on by herself. She felt abandoned, as if once wasn't already enough.

As if sensing her struggle, Andrew's tone softened. "I know it's hard. But please try. I'm sure he wants you to be happy."

When she didn't answer, he tried again. "Besides, your not alone, and he's still here."

That got her attention. "What?" she looked up in bewilderment.

The Desert Tiger caught her gaze; there was understanding and compassion in his eye.

"Yes, he still lives in your memory, and ours too."

For a moment, she couldn't think of anything to say. She turned away.

"Memories. They're, they're too painful."

"Then would you rather live without them?" he asked simply. Once again, she had to admit defeat. No, she couldn't live without memories of him; they were all she had left.

"Thank you, Captain Waltfeld," she said softly. She quickly wiped away the tears on her cheeks and turned to him with a sad smile. She was greeted by a look of understanding in his eye.

"So, how about you tell me what you think of my coffee," he smiled and gestured to the mug on the patio table.

She hesitantly walked over and picked up the lukewarm mug and took a small sip, the rich and bitter taste of the strange brew felt both foreign and familiar on her tongue. It was certainly an acquired taste.

"So, what do you think?" he asked eagerly as she swallowed.

"It's, interesting," she replied, thinking over the exotic flavor. "I've never tasted anything like it."

"That's because it's my secret recipe," the Tiger said proudly. "Do you like it?"

"Well, it might take some getting used to," she answered carefully, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

He chuckled. "I know. Not many people can appreciate my coffee. I don't think DaCosta ever gotten used to it. You don't have to finish it if you don't like it."

She shook her head and took another sip. "Actually, it's not too bad. The after-taste is pretty flavorful."

"Really?" he asked, excited that someone other than Aisha appreciated his brew.

She nodded and let out a small giggle at his reaction. Yup, that man and coffee were inseparable!

"Oh yes, I almost forgot, I have a question to ask you."

"Eh?" she looked up from her coffee.

"Would you be interested in moving in?"

Andrew couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her utter shock and her failed attempt to hide her panic out of politeness.

"No, I don't mean it like that! I mean, there's plenty of room here as you can see, so if you're ever looking for a place to stay…"

Murrue looked down at the liquid in her mug. She did need a place to go, because she couldn't stay on the Archangel forever. Andrew was right, she needed to look to her future, she was sure that was what Mwu had wanted.

"I'll think about it," she answered, taking another sip of the brew. He nodded in understanding. She looked up, raising her mug.

"Will there be coffee everyday?"

AN: Another idea that's been in my head for a while, even before "Forbidden", but it took a while to work out the details and to polish it. I was a bit surprised to see them living together in Destiny, but then I thought about it, they do have a lot of similarities. Even though I love Mwurrue, I think Andy and Murrue would make a nice couple as well. I love their relationship at the beginning of Destiny, and the potential for it, but I'm disappointed 'cause Andy practically disappeared after Phase 20 (?)

Anyway, I think that if anyone can understand how Murrue feels, it'd be Andy. Because I think the only way he could've survived that explosion is if Aisha's body took most of the blow. The coffee thing came naturally, because of Andy and his obsession, but also because I noticed that in a lot of scenes with Mwu and Murrue talking in her office, they were drinking coffee.

As for the things Andy said to her, I didn't want him to just tell her "it's okay, it's not your fault" because I think those words would make her feel worse, because she'd deny it and continue to blame herself.

Review please!