:hey guys…sorry this took so long…I've been very bus lately…but now that volleyballs over I hope to be updating much quicker from now until the summer when volleyball starts up again…but that's a pretty long way off…so we have lots of personal time together…lol, ok…on with the update…this one was a request from chineigurl…so thank her for this one  it's kind of long…ill warn you now…but I hope it's worth it…here we go:

:Change:

It wasn't anything too fancy. It was just Mu and Murrue having a candlelit dinner in Mu's family room with a little table in the center. Murrue was accustomed in a black spaghetti strapped dress, cutting off just before her knees that glittered in the candlelight. Mu had a white dress shirt on unbuttoned at the top with the sleeves rolled up. He topped off the outfit with black pants with shiny black shoes to go with it. This was their romantic night out at home.

Mu was in the kitchen washing his hands when he heard the bedroom door open upstairs. He finished up in the kitchen and poked his head out of the doorway. There, at the top of his steps, was the beautiful former captain of the infamous Archangel. She was 5 times as stunning in the dress she was in then normal. She even had her hair pulled back in a loose, low ponytail. The only thing he could do was stare. Murrue started to make her way down the stairs as he watched her. Once she reached the last step she stopped as he held out a hand for her.

"An escort for the lady?"

"Thank you," Murrue replied taking his hand as he helped her down the last step.

She linked her arm with his as he led her to her seat, He pulled her chair out and allowed her to sit. He then pushed the chair in for her and then made his way to the other side of the table and took his seat.

"So, Ms. Ramius, how is everything this evening?" Mu broke the silence as the logs in the fireplace cracked and sparked.

"Everything is wonderful Commander La Flaga, and you?" It seemed like ages since she used that name for him.

"I'm doing wonderfully since I saw you," He replied back with that rough smile of his.

She smiled broadly at him as she picked up her wine glass and twirled it around, watching the wine swish back and forth as it tried to splash out past the rim.

"So where do we start? So much has happened since Heliopolis, I don't even know where to begin," Murrue called out quietly as she set down her wine glass.

"Well, we'll start right there, right where we first met," Mu answered while he reached across the table to grab Murrue's hand.

"Alright, that's fine with me," Murrue smiled with her response.

"So, what did you think of me when we first met at Heliopolis?" Mu questioned causing her to laugh softly, raising one of his eyebrows.

"I thought you were an arrogant fool back at Heliopolis,"

"Eh? Gee, thanks, that one made my day," Mu joked.

"But, as time went on I grew to care about you. You were like a brother to me for awhile, until we became a couple," Murrue reassured him."

"I still don't see how it all worked; we didn't really talk personally until we reached the desert. Maybe a little at Artemis when we were locked up in that room, but that's it," Mu contemplated almost sadly.

Murrue let out a laugh.

"Speaking of which, you were the one who got us out of that room,"

"Hey, you helped, I know I heard a scream come out of that pretty little mouth," Mu smiled and let out a laugh as well.

"Yes, and Natarle looked as if she was ready to shoot herself in the head," This made Murrue laugh even harder at the late Lieutenants face.

"She probably was," Mu looked up at Murrue.

"She was…a good friend. We didn't always get along, but she was there if I needed her," Murrue said sadly as she looked down at her food.

Mu gave her hand a squeeze. He knew how much Murrue cared about the Lt., and he knew it hurt her to speak about Natarle.

"She would've been proud to know that you helped see to it that the war was put to rest," Mu tried to help put a smile back onto her face, but to no avail, her pained expression was there, if not even more solemn.

"I know, but it's in the past now, and she's not coming back, not like you did. So it's best we just move on," Murrue explained as she looked up smiling, wearing that mask again. The mask she puts on when she doesn't want him to worry about her.

"So where were we?" Mu asked getting them both off the grim subject.

"After Artemis, we pretty much ended up in the desert," Mu began.

"Yes, but with complications," She reminded.

"The kid," Mu remembered solemnly.

"I seriously thought we lost him, thank god we weren't too far in the decent sequence that we couldn't retrieve him like we did," Murrue bit at her thumb nail while recalling the events.

"I think what you mean to say is, thank god you were the captain, anyone else might've let him go," Mu knew she was on the softer side, but in this case, soft was better.

"But I wasn't' just doing it because I didn't want to lose him, it was the strike as well," Murrue knew it was true; it was for the sake of them needing Kira, not just because they cared.

Before Murrue's mind could travel on to the next topic, it ran over something she could've gone without.

"Admiral," She murmured, but Mu heard it loud and clear.

In that same time period, came Admiral Halberton's death. Murrue could feel the tears forming behind her eyes, but she didn't cry, not in front of him.

"There's nothing you could've done, Murrue, nothing," Mu comforted as he saw the tears in her eyes.

"I know that, but it still hurts just the same," She replied back sadly.

"Hey, hey now, these we supposed to be good memories, not bad ones. Now, wipe away those tears of yours and let's leave the bad memories to rest, it's better that way, ok, Murrue?" He lifted her chin with his fingers and wiped away her tears as she brought a smile to her face.

"I remember when we landed in the desert to talk with the Desert Dawn, me and you were the lucky two officers that got to run straight into that mess for the first time. I also recall our favorite hero getting backhanded in the face by his feisty sister Cagalli," Mu smiled as Murrue giggled at the memory.

"Yes, yes, I remember that now, did we ever find out why he deserved that hit?" She asked trying to recall what was said that day.

"I think it was something about them meeting at Morgenrate and him shoving her into an escape shuttle, or something along the lines of that," Mu remembered bits and pieces of that moment.

"I couldn't believe it at first, but Kira shook it off like it was nothing, so I eventually let it go, I learned to let a lot of things go with him, even when he took Lacus back to Athrun after sneaking out of the ship." Murrue also remembered the look on Kira's face when she said the words "sentenced to execution" It scared her too.

"You know who else I remember, Sia Bashman," Mu didn't exactly smile over the memory of the gruff leader of the Desert Dawn.

"What's that look for?" Murrue questioned as Mu out a somewhat sour look on his face.

"I don't think he liked me too much," Mu smiled sheepishly recalling that mans strange looks when he would turn his head off to the side and would almost glare at Mu whenever he spoke.

"It wasn't that, he was just a headstrong down to business type of man, it wasn't out of any personal dislike, I'm sure" Murrue reassured Mu with a smile that didn't reflect the certainty in her voice, unfortunately.

"Well, whatever the case, who could forget a place like that?" That's where the kid almost single-handedly destroyed the "Desert Tiger" Mu quickly changed the subject to one more to his liking.

"That's right, it was along battle, but we eventually made it to the ocean," Murrue concluded.

"I remember the last day we were there, we all celebrated. The three of us officers ended up with a cup of rum in our hands, you took that…like quite the little solider there Murrue. You took it down like water and honestly looked so proud of yourself. I swear you even gave Natarle an "I did it and you choked" look," Mu laughed as Murrue blushed at the memory.

"Yes, well I also clearly remember your words of encouragement when we were traveling over the red sea. Your words are running so clearly through my mind right now. "We just need to continue traveling over shallow waters, and eventually, we'll make it to Alaska," I believe those were your words," Murrue mocked in sheer pleasure.

"But what happened in the end?" Mu reminded while waving his index finger in the front of his face as if to prove his point."

"Of course you're the man that can make the "impossible possible" but we're getting to far ahead of ourselves, don't forget that before we reached Alaska we found out that Cagalli was the princess of Orb, daughter of Uzumi Nara Atha," Murrue laced her fingers together and rested them underneath her chin.

"Man oh man," Mu allowed their gazes to lock, staring into her hypnotizing tawny eyes, drowning in her beauty. He was almost smothered by the look on her face.

"Our visit in Orb was short lived of course, after repairs and a few days of peace and allowing the young ones to visit their parents, we were gone." Murrue still didn't shift her gaze, she had Mu dangling by her fingertips, she knew it, and she knew he enjoyed being lost inside of her.

"Not after a few problems with Natarle, I still think she has a list of things that she needs to criticize you on," Mu didn't mean it in an insulting way, but he knew there was no other way to describe the Lieutenant, ruthless with a good head on her shoulders.

"Mu, give her a break, she was just doing her job," Upon bringing up her lost comrade, the happy gleam in her eyes faded, if only a little.

"Then, after we went off again, that was when-when, Tolle, was killed in the Skygrasper," Now the glint in her eyes bursted into nothingness as the images that haunted her still today replayed over and over in her mind. "Why would I ever authorize something like that? I should've known-

Murrue was cut of when Mu's hand reached her face and his fingertips brushed against her cheek lovingly.

"You couldn't have known I'm just as much at fault. He wanted to do it, it's not your fault," He soothed as silent painful tears slid down Murrue's cheeks.

"No, I could've stopped him, I could've said no, I know the dangers of war, I SHOULD"VE KNOWN!" She reeled away out of his reach tears flinging off of her face as she shook her head. She stood up from her chair and ran her hands through her hair in a panic. She hadn't been able to vent, hadn't had the chance to let out all of the pain.

She stepped back until her back hit the couch, she slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Her head still in her hands, tears burning paths down her face. Mu was up as soon as she hit the floor, on his knees right on front of her, pushing the hair out of her eyes, untangling her hands from her hair, brushing away her tears. She struggled against him, trying to push im away. It hurt him, but he didn't leave her side. He picked her up gently off the floor so that she could stand shakily on her feet; he led her to the soft cushioning on the sofa by the fire. He sat them down, her curled in his arms still sniffing occasionally, her eyes closed, face buried in his shirt. This was the part where he needed to put that beautiful smile back on her gorgeous face.

"Do you remember our first kiss?" He smiled at the recollection of that moment, not exactly romantic, but it was perfect in his minds eye.

"Of course," She looked up at him, diving into his sparkling blue eyes.

"What were you thinking when I pressed my lips to yours, Murrue Ramius?"

"I think I'm in love,"

"There is no way in hell that you were thinking that, Murrue, there is no way I'm falling for that," This caused her to laugh, exactly what he wanted her to do.

"I guess, everything, from the time we met, to that moment. It all went by in a blur, like you were the only thing that happened to me since-

Mu put a finger over her lips. He wouldn't allow her to talk about him and upset herself again, that's not what he wanted to see.

"I'm sorry," she looked away from his gaze, "I keep forgetting that, you two are completely different, I'm sorry if I bring it up, it must make you feel-

"Happy that you feel comfortable enough to talk with me about him," Mu finished for her, what he said was the truth; he knew it was hard for her to mention her lost love, but she did it for him.

"Thank you, Mu," She smiled genuinely, lovingly up at him.

They both fell silent for awhile.

"Do you remember…when you almost got transferred?" Murrue questioned while staring at the fire, the flames reflecting in her eyes.

"Yes,"

"I don't think I've ever felt so bad in my life when I watched you walk away from me," She let the memories of his retreating form come out of the dusty corners of the depths of her mind.

"But I came back, didn't I? I came back for you Murrue, if weren't there I don't know where'd I'd be today,"

"You know you would've gone back no matter what the case," Murrue smiled in realization.

"You know me well, Captain,"

"And you I, commander,"

He rested his head on top of hers gently. Suddenly the whole thought of dinner in the candlelight disappeared into just a thought, a memory that ceased to exist.

"Mendel," Mu murmured out of nowhere.

Murrue heard him, and she knew what he was thinking now, as she reached for his hand to squeeze it.

"It's all over now, Mu, there's no reason for you to put yourself through it again," Murrue tried to calm his mind, soothing him from the outside in.

"I wonder…if what Rau said, was true," Mu mumbled, staring at the sparks that the fire occasionally spit out at them.

"So you want to believe that it's true?" Murrue asked while following his gaze over to the flames eating away at the logs hungrily.

"I don't want to believe that it's true, maybe I think it true, but I can not, will not, believe it,"

"You almost got yourself killed, Mu," Murrue sadly recalled.

Mu couldn't answer. He just let her go on, regretfully hitting his minds play button right where she was about to pick up.

"Just like in the end, when you tried to save me and sacrifice yourself. YOU WERE SO ARROGANT IN THAT WAR! WHY WOULD YOU RISK YOUR LIFE FOR ME, MU! WHY!" She started to cry again.

"Shh, shh, it's ok now, I'm here, and nothing will ever take me away from you ever again," He tried to calm her but she wouldn't stop.

"I thought that kiss by the Strike was the last kiss I would ever share with you, Mu. But then, we found you, floating in space, half dead, they said- they said, that y-you w-w-wouldn't m-make it," She finished that last sentence and then broke down in his arms, crying her heart out.

He held her, whispered to her, and patted her hair down. She calmed down, and she looked up at him with her big brown orbs.

"I love you, Mu, I won't let anything happen to you like that ever again," She whispered to him, her eyes sparkling with tears, but this time, of sincerity, not of sadness.

"I love you as well, Murrue, I won't ever leave you side like that ever again. Ever, ever, ever, and if I get hurt again, I give you the permission to personally knock some sense into this hard head of mine.

She laughed and smiled widely just as he was leaning down to capture her lips in an electrifying kiss. It lingered on, stretched over the minutes passing by, lost in each others bliss. Once they parted for air, they looking into each others eyes longingly, they kissed again, it only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough.

"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry, what do you say we re-heat the food?" Mu suggested as he stared down at her stunning face, the light from the fire radiantly reflecting off of it.

"You ruined the moment, but I'm hungry too, so I'll forgive you this time," She gave him another quick kiss on the lips before lifting herself up off the couch, him following behind her. Before she could escape to the kitchen, he spun her around and kissing her passionately. Their kiss intensified as he led her back to the couch. He laid her down on the couch, him on top. They never did stop, the passion picking up from their, food long forgotten. The change was nice, something that they both could get used to, something that they could definitely get used to.

:wow…that was REALLY long…it would've been better off as a one shot…but I decided against it…so here it is chineigurl…im working on your next suggestion…it will take some thinking though…I hope this is what you kind of sort of had in mind…just let me know if you wanted anything…ill see what I can do xD well what the hell…now we cant leave messages for the readers…it was so much easier before they put that reply thing here…I think we should rebel…start a boycott…reform…lets do it man: