"Thank you for letting me stay here.."

She smiled slightly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear without meeting his gaze. "It's no problem.." He nodded and smiled, then, even though his friend was watching, took her hand. Surprised, she looked up at him. He was still smiling, the expression a bland and friendly one...but his eyes said something different. There was love there, and pain and sadness...and she couldn't help herself. Throwing caution (and his friend's surprise) to the wind she hugged him. Mwu seemed surprised himself at first but not for long, returning the embrace with such strength he practically cracked her ribs, followed by a powerful kiss that stole what little breath she had left. When they broke he touched his forehead to hers. "I'll be back soon," he whispered and she nodded, stealing one last kiss before he reluctantly let her go.

When he had gone she sighed, wandering around the suddenly large and empty cabin. Four days they'd had together, four days of blissful isolation before they'd woken up that morning to hear a snowplough outside. Aside from the eventual lack of food they'd have been happy to stay there like that forever, and the realisation that the real world had finally interrupted their dream had been a depressing one. I realised how badly I wanted it to continue, how badly I wanted to just stay with him.. They'd tried to hide how they felt in front of his friend, but it hadn't worked.

In a sense, she supposed this was a good thing. For the last four days they'd had only each other, their relationship becoming so intense they'd almost been able to read each other's thoughts. This way at least the two of them could take a breath, a step back, to see if what they felt was as strong when they were apart as when they were together. To see whether that love is real... Fixing herself a cup of coffee Murrue wandered upstairs to sit on the bed, heart skipping when she caught sight of something he'd left behind. His watch, one of those large stainless steel ones with three dials, lay on the bedside table and she picked it up, feeling the metal links between her fingers. They'd lost track of time almost while he'd been here, eating when they were hungry and sleeping when they felt tired with no regard for the hour.

I miss him. She'd gotten used to coming back upstairs and sitting beside him, closing her eyes when he'd invariably skimmed his hand up her back or over her stomach, knowing how much she liked that. She missed his teasing, his kindness, his stories...She sighed and flopped backwards onto the bed, amber eyes focused on the blue sky. If she missed him now, and he'd only been gone what, fifteen minutes, what hope did she have?

"What have you done to me?"

"She's your girlfriend, isn't she? She's the reason you've been so spaced out recently.."

He didn't answer, preferring instead to stare at the panelled ceiling of his room and wonder why it was he was so depressed. He was really only half a mile from the cabin, yet it felt like a hundred. As soon as he'd walked through the door he'd felt the pressure of expectations, hearing the kid tell him about a dozen photo-op's and interviews he had lined up, when all he really wanted was to be back by her side. Somewhere he could be himself and happy, with someone who loved him for himself and not the number of medals he had or magazines he'd been in.

"Leave me be for a while.."

"But you..."

"I don't care." He glared up at the kid. "I came here on holiday. To get away from all that. So leave me alone."

After Kira had gone he sat up and looked around the suite. He'd hardly been in here the last five weeks or so, spending all his time at the cabin...in a way it was a shame. Not a shame he'd spent all that time with Murrue - he adored her - but that he'd been somewhere so pretty and not taken advantage of it. I spent all that time at her cabin, staying with her. Maybe...maybe until she has to go, she could stay here? With me? The suite had a lot of potential for a romantic hideaway he'd never considered before...the bed was huge, bigger than even he needed, the bathroom had a large bathtub...and didn't someone he loved so much deserve to live in luxury with him? Even if he preferred being in her cabin? With a grin he hopped off the bed and grabbed his jacket and ski gear, charging down the back stairs as fast as he could go.

Avoiding the girls had become simple by now, and though it did cause slight twinges of guilt the prospect of being with his beloved Murrue outweighed everything. Only an hour or so since he'd left the cabin...now he could hardly wait to be back there with her. He swept down the slope doing his best not to laugh out loud, skiing so fast he lost his hat.

"Murrue! Murrue, are you up there?"

Silence. Only slightly perturbed he pushed open the cabin door, tapping the snow from his boots, and walked upstairs...grinning when he found her. She was stretched out fast asleep on her bed, a lock of auburn hair trailing in her face, and one small hand was curled around his watch (which he hadn't even realised he'd forgotten). Very carefully he sat down on the bed beside her and brushed the hair from her face, feeling the same rush of sheer affection he always did when he saw her. "I think this is for keeps now. If I can't even cope for an hour without you..."

"Mmmm..." She murmured in her sleep and for a moment he wondered if she was going to wake up, but she cuddled further into the covers and settled back down, a beautiful smile curving her lips. He chuckled quietly and continued to stroke her hair.

"What are you dreaming about, sweetheart?" He made as though to take his watch but she wouldn't let go, grumbling softly until he let her keep it. "Isn't that a bit big for you?"

He'd buy her a little one, he decided, easily encircling her slender wrist with his thumb and forefinger. A little one that fit her just right. She probably wouldn't be happy about being spoiled - she always complained about him buying her dinner and treats - but to him she was worth everything, every penny. And besides...she still wore the snowflake pendant he'd given her. So maybe she didn't mind too much. He sat with her for a time watching the view, the same feeling of peace and comfort he always felt around her coming back. If he could take her with him when he went, for his home to be hers too...he'd be happier than he ever thought possible. And I hope you would be too..

Later that afternoon she woke up, that smile growing when she saw him. "I hoped you'd be here..."

"You know me. Can't stay away. Did you have a nice nap?"

"Yeah.." Rubbing her eyes she sat up and climbed onto his lap with a content sigh. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Four or five hours, I think."

"And how long have you been here?"

"Four hours."

Murrue giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. "You didn't even last an hour.." He pouted at the gentle teasing, but couldn't even pretend to be mad at her. So he'd only lasted an hour...was that so bad? Didn't that prove how strong their relationship was?

"I came back 'cause I had an idea. Pack your stuff together."

"My stuff? Why?"

"Cause you're coming to stay with me. I have a hotel suite that's way too big for just me, and I think you'd like it there. What do you think?"

She looked surprised for a moment, then smiled a little. "What kind of suite are we talking about?"

"King-size bed, balcony, and ensuite bathroom with a jacuzzi." The young woman considered that for a moment then that smile slowly returned, amber eyes twinkling with mischief.

"What are we waiting for?"

"Wow..." He'd said 'suite', but it was about as big as her entire cabin. Thick drapes hung at a huge bay window that opened onto the balcony, the bed was piled high with blankets and throw pillows, and the carpet pile was so thick her feet sank several inches into it. Setting down her bag she gazed around herself, only glancing up when Mwu curled an arm around her waist. "Why'd you keep coming over when you were staying somewhere like this?"

"Because this place didn't have you. Until now."

Blushing but pleased, Murrue slipped off her boots and walked further into the room, enjoying the feel of the carpet on her bare toes. It was beautiful...she could really stay here with him until the end of her holiday? "Isn't it expensive to have me stay here too?"

"It's classed as a double room, so no. And even if it was it wouldn't matter."

She turned round and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, it would to me." Mwu just smiled and crossed to where she stood, leaning down so his nose brushed against hers. As he'd no doubt known his closeness made her shiver, making it very difficult to concentrate on what she'd been thinking about...especially when he started pressing little kisses to her neck and shoulder. "Stop it.."

"You want me to stop?"

"Y-yes..." Her voice sounded faint even to her own ears, and she couldn't quite find the strength (or the willpower) to push him away. "You're not playing fair..."

"I'm not, am I?" he murmured, moving a little closer and letting his hands wander until her knees buckled. Luckily the carpet provided a soft landing and she was able to (half-heartedly) escape his advances, much to his disappointment, and scrambled laughing to her feet, darting across to jump on the bed.

"You were one of those kids who bounced on the bed?"

"Certainly was." With that she began to jump, the thick mattress and pillows easily sending her a couple of feet in the air each time and she giggled, enjoying herself immensely. Mwu watched with evident amusement, azure eyes twinkling, before he jumped up to join her, the two of them competing to see which of them could bounce higher. Until he started cheating, that is. "Quit tickling me!"

"But it's fun.." With that he caught her, scooping her up and flopping down on the bed with her before tickling her so fiercely tears came to her eyes. He knew very well how ticklish she was, so much so she could barely talk or even breathe while it was happening, and mercifully he let her go after a couple of minutes. They lay there together for a while until she caught her breath, his hand creeping across to take hers. "I'm glad you're here. When I got back...I didn't know what to do with myself."

Murrue smiled. "I started missing you after fifteen minutes. At first I thought it'd be a good thing to have some time apart so we'd be able to take a step back and think about things...about whether we weren't letting things go too far too fast..."

"And you think we did?"

She held up her other hand, watching the light play between her fingers. "I think things just happened. Whether it was too fast or not I don't know, but it doesn't scare me. It makes me happy.." Being with him filled her with a sense of ease, of comfort and knowledge that someone was there for her...the loneliness she'd felt after he'd gone had surprised her. Stretching out happily she cuddled up close to him, smiling as she felt him stroke her hair. Maybe their relationship had taken off quicker than it should have, but really, who was complaining?

"Erica's going to be so mad at me.."

"She protective?"

"Very."

He sighed. "Is she going to hit me?"

"She might.."

( hehe

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