( Yay! More fluff:is lost in a sea of fluff: )

Disclaimer: ( checks under bed ) Nope.

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Murrue opened her eyes, at first unsure what had woken her up. She blinked owlishly in the half-darkness, then felt the bed shift beneath her. Smiling, she murmured:

"Is it morning already?"

"It is for me" Mwu replied, sitting down on the bed to put his shirt on. "But you have to go back to sleep, okay?"

Murrue sat up slightly and curled her arm around his shoulder.

"Do you really have to go? Can't you stay here with me?"

Mwu sighed. "I wish I could, more than anything. But duty calls, or at least, my commanding officer will, if I don't show up"

He leaned down and nuzzled at her neck, causing her to giggle as his stubble tickled her skin.

"Don't forget to shave before you go" she reminded him, still laughing.

"Will do, sweetheart. I won't be long, promise" He kissed her lightly. "Love you"

Then he was gone.

Murrue leaned back in the bed and closed her eyes. He had told her to get more sleep, and right now, that sounded pretty good. She'd been getting tired more and more easily these days, but that was only to be expected. The effort of carrying a baby to full term played havoc with her due to her slender frame, and she couldn't do as much as she'd be able to do normally. The enforced inactivity frustrated her to no end, especially when Mwu had to do a lot of things for her.

I can't even go into work like this. They'd take one look at me and send me home again...

To be honest with herself though, she rather enjoyed being pregnant. Despite the discomfort and frustration her condition brought her, she always felt a little rush of excitement at the thought of the little person growing within her, and she would try and imagine what this child of herself and Mwu might look like.

At first, she had been a little afraid. Would she be able to be a good mother? Being parents was a huge responsibility. Were they up to this?

Mwu had been the one to reassure her, just like always.

"Relax" he had said. "They say the best thing for a kid is for it to have a loving family. Well, we love each other, and we'll love this baby. So we'll be just fine."

Murrue grinned to herself in the lightening room, stroking her swollen stomach. Yes, they would be all right, and Mwu would make a wonderful father, being practically a child himself sometimes.

Her smile faded a little. She hated the fact that he had to go to work and leave her alone like this. Normally, it wouldn't bother her, but with their baby due to be born any time, she couldn't help but be a little worried.

Hormones, she told herself. Stop being so silly.

She winced a little as the baby started kicking like mad for no good reason. Looks like the idea ofmore sleep was itself just a dream...

"What's wrong?", Murrue soothed, rubbing her stomach again. "Are you trying to tell me something? I bet you think your mama's lazy, and you're probably right. Time to get up"

She took a shower and got dressed, then went downstairs to fix herself some breakfast. With her increasing size, lately she had taken to wearing sweatpants and baggy T-shirts. She didn't like the shapeless outfits much (she much preferred skirts) but she had to admit, they were comfortable.

Mwu loved it, and would often snuggle up to her on the sofa (rather than the other way around), orjust grab her and pull her into a hug. He said that she was all 'cuddly'. Murrue hadn't been sure whether to feel flattered or insulted.

Does he think I'm cuddly because of the outfits, the fact that I'm the size of a house, or both?She shook her head. I'll never be able to understand the way that man's mind works. Perhaps that's why I love him so much...

She took the plate containing her breakfast over to the table, only to drop it as a jolt of pain struck right through her. She leaned on the table gasping for breath, as she tried to ride off the pain.

"Oh, so that's what you were trying to tell me?"

She got over to the phone, and called an ambulance, then called Mwu's mobile phone. Gasping out her situation, she slammed down the phone and sank to her knees as another spasm hit her.

Please, don't be so impatient. Please wait till your daddy is with me...

Mwu had been instructing his class in basic tactics. At first, he hadn't liked being an instructor, buthe had warmed to his job because of the genuine desire of these kids to defend their homeland. The peace was shattered when his phone rang. He kept it on all the time because Murrue was so close to having the baby. Picking up the phone, the colour drained from his face when he heard the frantic message.

"Class dismissed!" he yelled, charging out of the room.

Mwu's mind was racing all throughout the long drive to the hospital. Why was it so far away? Why hadn't he stayed home with her today? What if he got there too late?

At the hospital, he parked his car at an oblique angle and rushed to the maternity wing, almost knocking people down. Where was she? As he ran down the white corridor, a voice suddenly stopped him in his tracks.

"All right, Fllaga-san, it'll be okay..."

He pushed open the door and ran straight into a nurse.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Mwu La Fllaga, I'm Murrue's husband. Is she okay?" he asked breathlessly.

The nurse sighed in relief. "I'm so glad you made it. She's been asking for you the whole time. This baby is quite the impatient one, and it won't be long before they make an appearance.."

"Murrue!" he shouted as he ran into the room.

"Where the hell have you been!" yelled his wife, throwing a pillow at him.

"I'm sorry, my love, it took a while to get here.."

Sitting down beside her, he took her hand, slipping his other arm behind her back. She was flushedbright red, and her auburn hair was plastered to her head with sweat.

"I'm really sorry. Are you doing okay?" he asked nervously.

Murrue laughed. "Oh sure, I'm doing just fine. This is all your fault, you know,"

Mwu looked surprised. "Is that right? That excuse may have worked when we got married, missy, but there's no way I'm taking all the blame for this." He grinned mischievously.

"Remember, it takes two to tango..."

Murrue looked as if she was about to reply, but instead she squeezed her eyes shut and increased her grip on his hand, her toes curling with effort.

When it passed, she looked up at him, trying to say something, but instead she cried out in pain and squeezed his hand again.

"All right, Fllaga-san, one more time..." said the nurse gently.

Mwu shut his eyes, wincing at the increasing pressure on his hand. This was it..

He let go the breath he'd been holding as he heard the high-pitched cry of a baby. Murrue gasped in relief as she sank back against the pillows on the hospital bed. Mwu opened his eyes and softly kissed her sweat-soaked forehead.

Murrue smiled, looking very tired. Then she sat up a little. "Is the baby all right?"

The nurse smiled, bringing over a wrapped bundle. "Just fine. You have a little girl." she said, placing the bundle in Murrue's arms.

She looked down at her new daughter, tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks. The baby already had a little cap of hair, dark auburn like her own. Murrue could hardly believe that this little one was hers.

"Here Mwu, you hold her too"

Her husband took the baby gingerly, as if afraid that he might break her. His boyish face held such an expression of wonder that it made Murrue smile through her tears.

"She's so beautiful...just like her mother..." he whispered. The feel of the breath on her face made the little girl open her eyes and look at her father. Mwu gasped.

"She has blue eyes...just like me."

He handed the baby back to her mother, and scrubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Mwu, are you crying?"

He didn't answer, just continued to scrub.

Murrue smiled. "So, what do we call her? Why don't you pick a name?"

Mwu was lost for words, honoured beyond belief that she would let him pick a name for their daughter.

What would be a good name? Wait...

His thoughts drifted to an innocent young girl with blonde hair and magenta eyes. He had been so fond of her, but ended up letting her down badly, which filled him with guilt. The least he could do in her memory was to give her little namesake all the happy times and childhood that she herself never got to experience.

"Stellar" he said softly. "Her name is Stellar."

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( Awww! An avalanche of fluff!

I had to try writing this, honestly I did. Hope it's okay!

Thanks to:

a. Jaffa Cakes (win in biscuit form)

b. My friends for their continued support :hugs them:

c. Work for being boring and letting me daydream about this.

Please read and review! )