Murrue blinked open her marigold eyes against the morning sunlight. For a moment, she didn't know what had woken her, then the chirping of birdsong drifted through the open window, and made her smile. Judging by the faintness of the light, it was still quite early, an assumption made fact when she turned her head to look at the clock by the bedside.
For some reason, even though it was so early, Murrue didn't want to go back to sleep. So instead she looked around the familiar room, smiling at the little touches they had added since moving in that made it home. But for all the knick-knacks and clothes that were strewn about, the one thing that made this place home for her more than anything else was theperson sleeping beside her.
Mwu's face was half-buried in the pillow, and the rest of his features were hidden by his long golden hair. Very carefully, she reached out and brushed the hair aside, gazing at the face of her husband.
Murrue stifled a giggle. Husband. That still sounds so strange...
The two of them had been married for only two months, and they were both still getting used to thinking of the other as 'my husband' or 'my wife'. But with every passing day, they became more comfortable with the idea. Murrue lifted her left arm above the bedcovers, attention focused on the simple gold band on the ring finger, a companion for the diamond engagement ring he had given her. She sighed with happiness, about to snuggle closer to Mwu, then her eyes shot open wide. Not again!
Slipping out of bed carefully so as not to wake him, Murrue tiptoed quickly down the stairs and into the bathroom. Where she threw up. This had been happening almost every day for the last few weeks, and it seemed to get worse as the days passed. She didn't have a clue what was wrong with her, but she kept it to herself. After all, I'm not in any pain.
After the attack had passed, she took a few deep breaths, and then washed her face to hide any signs of what had just happened. Red swollen eyes would definitely give her away.
I'll go make some coffee. He'll be awake in a little while anyway, and the drink will take the taste from my mouth.
Sure enough, when she came back upstairs with the beverages, Mwu was awake, blue eyes shining. "Good morning, princess" he said with a smile.
Murrue smiled back, feeling much better. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Sure did, especially since it's the weekend" he replied with a laugh. She handed him the cup and got back into bed, snuggling next to him. If he knew, he would worry. And I want him to always be like this, to be happy. Because I love him.
"How come you got up so early?" he asked, stroking her dark hair.
"I just couldn't get back to sleep" she replied, not looking at him for fear that he would somehow know.
She hated hiding things from him...
Mwu continued to stroke his wife's hair, in part trying to soothe her.
I know something's wrong, something she's not telling me. I'm getting better at spotting when she's hiding things..
That afternoon, Murrue was chopping vegetables for their dinner, while Mwu busied himself in getting the table ready. All of a sudden he heard an intake of breath from her. It sounded like she was in pain.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, coming to check on her. She turned half away from him, hiding her left hand. "It's nothing."
"Nothing? No, it isn't." he replied sceptically, noticing the drops of blood on the chopping board. He tried to pull her arm around to where he could take a look.
"Here, let me see."
"I said it's nothing!" she yelled, slamming the knife down and shoving him away.
Mwu was shocked. Murrue never acted like this...what was wrong with her?
The outburst scared Murrue as much as it had Mwu. She couldn't believe she'd just done that.
Pulling away from her husband, she ran upstairs.
In their room, she threw herself on their bed, burying her face in the fluffy duvet.
Why did I do that to him? He was just worried about me...I'm such an idiot!
Curling up into a ball, she began to cry, tears soaking into the covers. She would stay there for a while, she decided, then go and apologise. But as it turned out, she didn't get the chance.
Strong fingers touched her face, wiping the tears away, and making her open her eyes.
Mwu was knelt beside the bed, confusion and concern on his handsome face. That, coupled with the pain she saw in his eyes, made Murrue cry harder. I hurt him..
"I'm...I...sorry, I'm so sorry, I.."
Climbing onto the bed, he took her in his arms, stroking her back gently.
"Sssssh, it's okay. Please, will you tell me what's wrong? I know there's something the matter, and your emotions are all over the place. It's like being married to a yo-yo..."
That made her giggle through the tears, but the worry was still there.
"I...I don't know what's wrong..I.."
"Will you come to the doctors with me? Please?"
"Well, even without the tests we ran, it's not hard to tell why you're acting this way, Fllaga-san"
replied the doctor with a smile. Murrue blinked. "It isn't?" she asked, looking down at the plaster on her cut finger.
In reply, he handed her a piece of paper. "Those are your test results."
"But this says I'm..." I can't believe it...
"Yes. I guess congratulations are in order. Will your husband be happy?"
She nodded slowly, and stood up. Thanking the doctor in a hazy sort of way, Murrue wandered out of the office like she was in a dream.
"What's wrong? What did he say?" Mwu had been made to stay outside while she was being tested, which he hadn't been happy about.
In response to his question, Murrue handed him the paper. After reading what it said, his face lit up.
"You're...you're..."
She smiled, the idea just now beginning to sink in. "I'm going to have a baby.." she whispered, beginning to cry again, but this time with happiness.
Mwu laughed and lifted her into the air, swinging her round. "This is wonderful!"
After he set her down, she sat on a bench, hands on her stomach, familiar worried expression returning to her face. She was happy, but she was also terrified at the same time.
"Hey, what's the matter?" asked Mwu, sitting down beside her. "Aren't you happy?"
"Of course I am..but I'm scared. Are we ready for a family? AndI don't know if I'll be a good mother..."
He smiled. "Of course you don't."
"Huh?" That wasn't quite the response she had expected.
"Well, how can you know if you'll be a good mother until you are a mother? I don't know if I'll be any good at being a father, but I'll give it my best shot. We can learn together."
Murrue smiled slowly as she thought about what Mwu had said. Yes, they could learn together.
Learn how to be parents...
"You're right. We can learn. And as long as we have each other..we'll be okay, right?"
"Yep" he replied, pulling her close and kissing her lightly. "We'll be just fine."
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( There ya go! This was a request from Jadzia, and I hope it's okay.
I know Murrue-san acted funny, but your emotions are all over the place when you're like that. Or so I've heard, anyway.
Please read and review, even if you think it sucked :laughs: )
