Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD. Please R&R, make my day, so go on.

Chapter 11

"Look," Kira began briefly, "I know it's going to make both of you quite, fankly, dreadfully envious or something to the extent of pissed, but I'm going to start the conversation by telling you what a bundle of joy Leon is."

Cagalli gritted her teeth, and she resisted the urge to punch the screen while Athrun tried to smile, but something twitched in his jaw.

Lacus moved into the vision of the screen, and she smiled blissfully at both of them, sitting down next to Kira. He was in his uniform, and she was in a simple blue dress, both looked about as happy as larks. So it was still afternoon in the PLANTs.

"So tell us how you got the communication channel open so exclusively and sneaked Lacus in, go ahead," Cagalli said testily, shifitng in the chair in front of the screen. Athrun made no comment, he was busy trying not to feel sore about the child issue, or rather, the lack-of-child issue, and she thought it was best if they avoided the topic a bit.

"Simple," Kira said plainly, but all of them detected a sort of smugness in his calm voice, "I offered to show the troops Leon, and they were all suckers and said yes. He's playing with them now, I told them to do what they like as long as they didn't bring him near those wires, he keeps trying to grab them and I'm worried that he'll grab a live one. Lacus would be petrified if Leon got electrocuted, so I gave specific insturctions to the whole gang of soldiers outside."

Cagalli snickered loudly, Kira looked none too pleased, and Lacus smiled charmingly, turning to Athrun and saying sweetly, "And how's it been, Athrun?"

"Fine," Athrun replied nonchalantly, smiling back at his best friend and Lacus, "Work's work, and Yzak and Shiho are here to help for a bit. Not that they've been very helpful, they mess around more than the recruits."

"Ah, disillusioned, both of them," Kira said lightly, "They just want to take a break, give them the greenlight, you."

"They don't need it," Athrun muttered, "They're doing as they please already, they don't give a hoot what ZAFT thinks."

Cagallli cut in hurriedly, "Uh, let me see Leon, I want to see him at least!"

"Sure," Lacus offered obligingly, "I'll go find him and bring him over, so you talk with Kira more."

Kira looked up as she stood up and moved out of the line of vision, then he turned back to face the screen, and said gently, "She loves him very much, but that's obvious. In any case, you haven't told us how you're doing. And take note, I know about Thornier, do be careful, both of you, I would hate to see anything happen at this stage."

"Right," Cagalli nodded reluctantly, "So far, it's been going quite well, we've upped security significantly, but that's mostly on Athrun's insiting, I'm accompanied home by three bodyguards until he gets home, and in the ORB/ZAFT camp, it's quite heavily-guarded. In any case, I don;t want to spend the evening talking about security measures and all that, why don't you just tell us about what's going on in PLANT?"

"Oh, nothing much," Kira grinned, "Same old, same old. Lacus' been quite busy as of late, she's been discussing certians plains for trade agreements amongst EA and PLANT, I suppose ORB will be getting wind of that soon. You know, it's funny how she makes time for Leon and PLANT, it's almost as if she doesn't try very hard at all."

She was well aware that Athrun was throwing her a 'See, I told you so' face, but she ignored him, quite convinced that he had told Kira to say that, and she asked pointedly, "Any other news?"

"Meyrin Hawke's was working as a diplomat's assistant, but then she was promoted, currently she's in the General Cabinet of PLANT," Kira explained, "Her sister's a senior redcoat, so it's been quite good for both. "

"And Shinn?" Athrun asked swiftly,"Is he still in ZAFT or has he left to search for other prospects?"

"Oh," Kira paused, scratching his chin a bit, "Shinn, he's still in ZAFT, but he told me last Wednesday that he was considering quitting and looking for some other job. I'm not too sure about that, he says he wants to try a job in the education business. Preschooling or something like that, he apprently has the qualifications. I'm not too sure he has the temperament though, he's still a bit, how should I put this, rough around the edges, I suppose.

Cagalli tried not to add onto anything and Athrun looked a bit incredulous.

"But he doesn't flare up much these days," Kira added quickly, as if to make a disclaimer, "I suppose he's come a long way from the time he was sixteen. I suggested him trying out for a test-pilot like Shiho Hahenfuss if he's not keen on fighting, I mean, you aren't yourself, but then the piloting speaks for itself. It seems to me that Shinn enjoys the piloting rather than the fighting, and it'll be a huge pity if ZAFT loses a top pilot like him. I think that's precisely why Shiho became a test-pilot herself. I suggested he could try teaching piloting, but he says they don't mix, I think he just doesn't want anyone to know how he became so good anyway."

"That's good to hear," Athrun said, throwing a meaningful glance at Cagalli, who quirked her lips in reponse, but she was spared the need to elaborate as Lacus' lower profile came into sight and the songstress sat down, proudly holding a young child whose brown hair looked exactly like Kira's and whose eyes were so blue, they resembled the ocean.

Athrun smiled indulgently at the child who was nestled in Lacus arms, but Cagalli's reaction was a tad more drastic. Figures, Athrun thought dully, she likes children, but she doesn't want one. But he noticed that Cagalli couldn't help gasping in delight, since Leon was cuddling to his mother, and Kira smiled at them, offering helpfully, "I told you he was a bundle of joy."

"Thanks," Athrun said sarcastically, "I couldn't see that for myself until the Commander Yamato pointed that out."

Cagalli didn't hear him, or even detect the slightly wistful tone he used, she was crouching nearer to the screen and placing a tentative palm on it in wonder, almost as if she could feel the warm, tiny hand in her own, and in response, Lacus giggled and brought the child closer to the screen at her side, and Leon gurgled and stretched out too, touching the screen and blinking adorably. His eyes were intelligent and like electric blue currents, somehow different from Lacus' slightly calmer ones. Perhaps in time, his eyes would resemble hers more.

Kira and Athrun watched as their families laughed, sharing the happiness through a single screen, until the connection had to be closed.

But before it was, Cagalli told them fiercely, "Be prepared to see us over at PLANT on one of these weekends. I'm going to go over even if my work piles up when I'm gone, Lacus, so there!"

An hour later, entirely spent from the evening's excitment, Athrun watched her dozing comfortably in his arms and smiled to himself. She was a contradiction, she didn't want children but loved Leon, she was fearless but she was afraid of fear itself, and he loved her all the more for being herself. Then he extricated himself from her side, and moved lethargically over to fetch his cell, feeling somehow stranded without her arms that she had wound around his neck and left them there for a long time. He listlessly sent a message to his secretary, instructing her to obtain shuttle passes for that very weekend, knowing that it woudl eb the first thing she would see in the morning.

The next day, however, was a terrible one for Cagalli. She felt somewhat giddy and her head felt like a chopping board had whacked it from the back, and she even cuahgt herslf yawning during an important meeting. She was mortified when a minister told her she looked ill, because she didn't want the world to confirm her suspicions when Athrun wasn't around yet. Lunch tasted terrible, she felt somewhat nauseous when someone offered her orange juice, although she wasn't quite so sure why, and then she felt a bit feverish and knew she was falling sick or suspected something far worse.

"Damn," she cursed aloud, checking through her schedule. The only good thing that woudl come out of it was that she ahd finsihed her work far in advanced time, so it wouldn't hurt to take about five days leave if worse came to worst. But her body was telling her that she couldn't afford to go at the breakneck pace, so she relcutantly called for Kisaka, and he assured he he woudlt ake care of everything.

"Not that you've left much for us to do," he chuckled, feeling a hit relieved that she woudl be at home and she would be safe anyway. It was like killing two birds with one stone, maybe he'd get Rainie to accompany her too.

"Oh, while you're at it," Cagalli told the tanned man blurily, "You can ask Rainie to take a few days off, the others too. I supposed that if I'm cooped at home for the whole day, or days even, then Thornier can't get to me."

"No," Kisaka said instantly, "Athrun would say no and so will I, mind you, it's not safe."

She stared at him, and frustration crossed her features, "I can't keep up with this for eternity, Kisaka, it's not fair to Rainie and the others that they go home late because of me!"

"Better they go home late," Kisaka repeated warningly, "Then your life put in danger. It's their job, you ahve no idea how willing they were to volunteer for this part of the job when I asked them about it. You ahve some very loyal workers under you, Chairman, and you've got a protective Zala somehwere there too. I suggest that you dont' let their efforts go to waste."

"Alright," she conceded uncomfortably, "And I don't know what's come over me, I'm just so-tired."

She ended this in a detached voice and rubbed her eyes, then in a daze, she was being led out by Kisaka, brought into a car, where Rainie was sqaushed next to her, sympathetically patting her shoulder, and she was walking up the stairs in a blurry haze and collapsing on the bed gratefully. But something in her shook with fear, and she welcomed sleep thankfully.

Awakened only by a gentle touch, feather-light on her forehead, she pried her eyes open with a fair bit of difficulty and saw Athrun sitting next to her, gazing down at her.There were faint traces of worry, and Cagalli tried to smile comfortingly, but when she realised she couldn't, she hid her mouth by pretending to yawn.

"I need to discuss something with you," she said hesistantly, and she forced herself up and shoved a pillow near her spine. A slight pain enclosed in on her back and her chest felt heavy and a bit warm. But she ignored all these, she could have guessed as much.

"Go ahead," he offered softly, moving closer, "I suppose it's a problem at work, Kisaka told me you were feeling tired and had backaches and all of those headaches you kept trying to deny that you were having. I knew they were overstretching you, the problem is that you didn't mind. And tomorrow will be a good time to visit PLANT, I've gotten the passes, and you can relax for a long weekend there, Kisaka can cover you up until Wednesday."

"Not that," she interrupted helplessly, "At first, I thought it was just some accidental thing, my courses were always irregular and all, they run dry when I'm a bit bogged down, and in the past I didn't have to think about it. And now-"

She cut herself off and began again, trying to speak more clearly and slowly, he had a sort of look on his face that suggested that he didn't catch any wind of what she was trying to get across to him.

"Now," Cagalli tried, feeling a bit frustrated and unable to form complete sentences in her anxiety at what his response would be, "I think- But now, I-"

"You," he said softly, his eyes wide, and she gripped his hand feverishly and said in a soft voice, "I think I'm carrying a child."

He was absolutely still, nothing moved, and she thought she was going to die, her heart stopped beating, and suddenly, his eyes and every feature were filled with a terrible, heart-stopping joy and he grabbed her into a breath-stealing bear-hug and squashed her, exclaiming excitedly, "That's wonderful! When did you know?"

"I didn't know at any point," Cagalli said sheepishly, "I just- I just knew. It doesn't make any sense if I say this, but- but I feel, what's a word to describe it, oh, don't smirk at me, you horrid person, I feel pregnant. Fine, I said it! Happy?"

"Terribly," he said, smiling so sincerely her heart felt light in an instant. But then she thought of something and then she felt weak again, grateful that he was holding her and she was sitting on the bed as well.

"I haven't taken any tests or anything, but something tells me that-"

And she gave a dry sob, unable to continue, and he looked at her, puzzled, and asked, a bit lost, "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know," she managed weakly, "Just tired and unsure of what I should do in this damn mess."

It was probably the hormones, but he was as clueless as she, and then she clung onto him, afraid to let go, but he thankfully held her tightly, a fierce pride sweeping across his face.

"It's no mess," he said sternly, but his features softened as he kissed her gently, "It's a gift. I'll send for a doctor now, Kira and Lacus will be thrilled to hear the news."

"Yes," Cagalli agreed listlessly, "But this is happening too quickly, I wonder what will happen in the future."

"Don't worry," he smiled steadily, unable to prevent the joy and anticipation in his voice, "Leave it to the future to decide. All you need is the child and I."

The very next morning, they left for PLANT together, and Cagalli kept cursing under her breath, angry at being so reliant on him in the past and even more angry at the way she was still dependant on him now, or worse, even more. He refused to let her hold any of their luggage even though it was relatively light, he didn't fuss over her the was Mana would have, that was her sole consolation. And she caught herself wallowing in the glow of his protectiveness and she was a bit ashamed, and Cagalli was eager to help with anything, anythimg at all, but he managed it all so effortlessly she was prone to cursing. He didn't seem to need her, but she needed him more than ever.

"Wait until Kira and Lacus hear about it," Athrun said suddenly, glancing at her as they sat by the arrival lounge, searching and scanning for Kira to appear.

"Oh," she muttered a bit apprehensively, "I didn't think of telling them. Why don't we wait a bit?"

"Sure," he offered cheerfully, "A surprise would be welcome. Lacus will be thrilled and your brother will be pleased. And that's an understatement, we both know Kira has a soft spot for children."

She tried to tell him that she wasn't so sure about all of this, but she couldn't bear to tell him that witholding the news was for her own selfish reasons, so she forced a bright smile and allowed him to kiss her lightly on the cheek.

An instant later, Kira strode up to them with Lacus, and Cagalli sprang up, Athrun getting up more leisurely.

"You know," Lacus said thoughtfully, "I could have sworn something was different about Cagalli, but I don't know what it is."

"Imagination running wild," she interrupted hastily, "I'm no different from the last time when you saw me."

And she hugged Lacus and her brother, ignoring the fact that they were no longer children. Kira drove all of them to their house, and she got out, in awe of the lovely house in front of her. Not that she hadn't seen it of course, but seeing it one alreayd didn't make it any less impressive.

It wasn't very large, it didn't even venture into the area of lavish or extravagant, but it was quite sizeable, big enough to fit about two normal families at least. Athrun ahd once told her that the most established, affleunt or infkluentail Coordinator families from the first generation were didvided into almost clan-like Houses, they had a grip on PLANT the normal Coordinators just did not possess nor could even dream of possessing. Curious, Cagalli had enquired the names of the Houses, and not surprisingly, many of the Redocats she had met and were familiar with were from either of those he mentioned offhand, save for the Clyne House. Apparently, that particular House hadn't had the sort of prestige reserved for the other Houses until Siegel Clyne had became Chairman of PLANT, and even then, his popularity had been short-lived in the changing of the fickle hearts in the first war. But in the eyes of the Coordinators, Lacus Clyne was truly, in all sense of the word, a princess.

In Cagalli's opinion, nobody deserved better.

Leon was sleeping when they got back, he looked like an angel resting, as cliched as it would have seemed to Cagalli. But his face held no expression except peace and bliss, and she stroked his head softly and he rolled over in his sleep and clutched at her finger with a strong hand. So he would be a strong child, she decided. Athrun was enamoured by him too, although he didn't want to make it too obvious, and Cagalli smiled and offered to take a walk with him around the house. The golden Souffle charged up to them, wuffling his black nose excitedly, and Athrun made it repeat all the tricks he had taught it before, to which it perfomred perfectly. She rewarded him with a biscuit and spent a while cuddling it, until the dog got too excited and tried to pounce on her. Athrun sprang into action and prompty hauled it off, making her laugh helplessly when he proceeded to admonish it the way he might have told a soldier off for being incompetent.

There were roses climbing steadily over the walls of a vacated room that Lacus chose as a greenhouse in the house itself, and he smiled briefly, turning to Cagalli who was venturing near them cautiously, afraid to tread on any of the vines and leaves.He took her hand almsot unconcisouly and led her through, and although he may not have noticed it, she wanted to be led by him.

"There're so many, I think I walked into the garden," she muttured, clutching her pants a bit so they wouldn't get caught onto the thorns.

"True," he grinned in response, "Lacus likes those, but she's been quite careful not to take walks here with Leon, he's too young to run about, but you never know anything. He'll start walking soon anyway, and before you know it, Leon will be reading books by the time he's a year-and a half old."

"So quickly?" she frowned, "I heard they only walk when they are about nine months old, how is it that a four-month old walks soon as you say?"

"You forget the Coordinator-designed genes," Athrun reminded her mildly, "I learnt to walk by the time I was six months old. Kira, I suspect, was the same."

"All coordinator children are like that, aren't they?" she asked, more to herself than him, but he nodded absently and tugged her hand lightly, and he said mysteriously, "Now that we've seen Leon, I want to show you another place."

"I dont' suppose it's in this house," she said slowly, pausing a little a window that looked out to the ocean in the distance as a church bell chimed from somewhere, "We've explored most of it, but then Aprilius City doesn't have many houses like this one, it's incredibly built-up when we're not near the ourskirts."

"You're pretty perceptive," Athrun offered admiringly, "No, I want to show you December City. I suppose we could impose on Kira and Lacus and stay here for the next five days, but we've got our own house, we might as well live in it once in a while, wouldn't you say so?"

"Oh," she responded, stunned, "I forgot about that. I didn't know it was in December City either, you didn't tell me anything of that sort."

"It slipped my mind," he replied mildly,"It takes about half and hour to get from here to there if we take a short-distance shuttle. I think you'll like it."

And when they got there, she noted that the city, unlike Aprilius, was a sort of countryside. It was hardly fair to call it a city, she reflected later, they probably did that because they wanted a common term for each individual PLANT, but the place there was closer to a well-developed countryside instead of a congested, urban city. If Lacus and Kira weren't working in Aprilius City where the High Council and ZAFT headquarters were, then they might have well located their home in Decemember instead.

"Come," Athrun said indulgently, "I want to show you the house."

He led her around a corner, slightly up the slope, not a cery steep one, more of a gentle-gradient than anything else, but when she reached the house, she was rendered speechless. It wasn't even right to deem it a house, it was more of a mansion, expansive and intricate, it's pillars and walls holding wild honeysuckle, it's interior more lovely than it's exterior. She was silent, she couldn't begin to dare and ask how much Athrun had paid the previous owners to move out of such a desirable home like this one, and she glanced at him and noticed he was looking at her with anxiety in his green eyes, a shy smile on his face.

"Do you like it?" he asked softly, and she swallowed a bit and nodded helplessly, then she choked, "How could I not? But you, how much did you pay for a house like this?"

"The opportunity to leave my name and the relation to Patrick Zala behind," he answered tensely, "This house, I lived here as a child before I was brought to Coppernicus and met Kira there. I considered forgoing the inheritance at a certain point, when I wanted to forget I was the former PLANT chairman's son, but I came back in the end."

Staring, bewildered at what he was saying, Cagalli mangaged a puzzled, "But you told me you bought a house when we married, I thought you said the owners would move out at any time when we wanted to come?"

"I didn't lie," Athrun smiled wistfully, "I inherited the house, the condition was that I was Athrun Zala and not any other person, and the owners that would move out, I was referring to dust and those ghosts of the past. So I didn't lie, I just- forgot to elaborate a bit."

She mock-glared at him, "I suppose you could have told me at least. No wonder I was thinking that it was a good deal if the owenrs would go at any one time when we arrived."

Then Cagalli gazed back at the house, her eyes grwoing wide again, and Athrun chuckled softly, saying languidly, "It's not a superbly big house, at least not by your standards. Why, I believe the Atha Manor is even larger if you want to go to the exact figures."

"It's big," she said in awe, "But not the size, it's just- lovely."

"Glad you think so," he said, glancing around the house, in surpringly good condition, "I missed this place, I always wanted to come back but I wasnt'r eady until the Second War ended and I settled the things of the past. My father- he sent my mother and I away when I was a child, they suspected that the city here would be the target of the war. But it turned out to be Junius Seven."

She was silent, she didn't know what to say to comfort him and make the pauin go away. But she took him and looked directly nto his emerald eyes and hugged him briefly, and when she tried to release him, he forbade her from doing so When they finally had to let go when they were both weary of standing, he brought her to down the hallways where opulent chandeliers dangled above their heads. She wasn't astonished at such grandeur, she had grown up in it, albeit reluctantly, but then she remembered that the Zala House was one of the msot respected clans in PLANT, and she bit her lips and remained silent.

There were portraits of men and women, bearing features unfamiliar to her at first, but then, bit by bit, she saw the connection. Those were the ghosts of the past, the Zala House, Athrun's ancestors. They were dressed in beautiful, fine clothes, dresses for the women that she would never dream of being able to wear with as much ease and grace as them, and suddenly, she felt out of place even though she was entitled to be here.

"I supposed you inherited your mother's looks," she said after she was finally able to find her tongue.

He smiled a bit, and he nodded, responding lihgtly, "I didn't look muich like my father, although he looked like many of the leaders of the Zala House. They used to address the leaders as the Lords or the Ladies, depending on the gender of the particular leader at the point of time. PLANT is surprisingly stringent on these even when it has progressed far faster than any other place, quite a contradiction if you ask me. The tradition died down at a certain point of time, but most Coordinators remember that there are Houses, certain ones, that wield more power in PLANT than an average family. It can be quite diverse, these areas of influence, the Zala House was always more politically-inclined, and the Joule and Amalfi one is relatively fixed in the economy. There are some others that are military-based, I think you might recall Shiho telling you that at one point. Nobody complains though, the balance has been there for a long time and it's a fair balance."

Glancing at Cagalli, he saw her staring at a particular portrait, and he knew, immediately, who she was looking at even when he could not see the name inscribed under.

"That's my mother," he offered wistfully, "Although you would have known it immediately."

There, a portrait of a stunning woman with his midnight hair and emerald eyes hung, Lenore Zala sitting on a chair in the middle of a room where the sunlight was only beginning to filter in and the dust particles were illuminated. The painter had been skilled, she looked like she was breathing, and the light behind her was almost life-like, ethereal even. She was wearing a soft, periwinkle colour, and it was so lovingly painted that Cagalli couldn't resist reaching out to finger the canvas, half-surprised to not feel chiffon instead. Lenore sat, smiling at something in the distance even though her head was turned to face them directly, and she held a book in her hands, some yellow, fragile flowers at her feet. And Caggali drew in a sharp breath, turning hesitantly to Athrun who was staring at the picture too, lost in his thoughts.

"You told me once," she began breathlessly, "That the Ladies of each House are painted two times in their lives, when they marry into a House and when they are-"

"Correct," he answered for her, "She was carrying me at that time."

They looked back at Lenore, she was holding the book possessiely evne though there was a beautiful fraility about her. Her hair was't very long, short by Lacus' standards, but it served to reveal a set of delicate cheekbones and eyes that shone. Her lips were formed in a half-smile, she was obviously in her late teens, but then, the book, she held it in a child-woman sort of way, like a treasure, the honeysuckle ignored at her feet. Looking around, Cagalli saw that every female held a sprig of flowers in their hands, but Lenore, she held a book instead.

"Why a book?" she asked curiously, "I suppose she wasn't too keen on flowers, was she?"

"No," he smiled, "She was. She loved them very much, but the book my father gave her was probably more precious than the honeysuckle."

"Your father," Cagalli tried to say, ignoring the pang in her heart, "He loved her very much, didn't he?"

"He did," he said sadly, a faint bitterness at his voice's edges, "He went berserk after she died. He could never let go of it, even until the day he died. You saw him for yourself, his last words were meant to exact revenge on those who had destroyed Junius Seven, only then did I realise that he was living in the past."

He pulled her to the other portraits, and they gazed at his ancestors. Most looked very regal, a hint of haughtiness even, and Athrun took her around them until he got weary and pulled Cagalli into his arms, saying softly, "That's the Zala House for you. They've been mostly politicians, except a grand-aunt who became a musician, but then she married into a close friend's House. The Zalas were politicans, mostly, so they all thought that the world revolved around them."

"It didn't did it?" she laughed, pulling his arms tighter about her, "But if it helps, my world seems to revolve around you."

Athrun grinned, the he asked, "Do you want to name the child?"

"I thought you assigned that to Kira and Lacus," she retorted in amusement, and Athrun shook his head ruefully and told her, "They told me today, that you wouldn't seem to want a child, and anyway, they were stumped. They gave up after a bit, so they thanked me for Leon's name and insisted that I could name the child if there ever was one of our own. Of course they don't know anything yet."

He smiled engimatically.

"They don't know anything," she chuckled, and he shook his head again and repeated, "No they don't."

" I suppose we don't have to look for names," Cagalli offered eagerly, "We could always use the names here. They seem to run alot in the House, some traditional names, I suppose. I spotted about four Athruns and seven Etines, oh, and about three Patricks. If the child's a girl, then probably Tatiana or Alexandria, I saw a few repeated ones back there."

"I don't need any of those," he said firmly, still locking her in his arms, "I inherited this house, but I don't have to make the child inherit another Zala name. The only reason why my name is as such is because my mother actually liked it. My father would have agreed not to use a Zala name if she didn't like those. And I don't mind Tatiana, it reminds me a bit of your name, actually."

"What do you mean?" she snorted to hide her embarrassment, "I don't see how a name of bonfire and a name of a fairy queen actually links."

"It doesn't," he admitted, "Just that they are both long and the kind you'd give to those of royal lineage."

"You can forget about it," she said teasingly, "It sounds silly to have a name like Tatiana Zala or Alexandria Zala anyway, too many similar vowels."

"True," he agreed softly, "I suppose nobody noticed it in the past. But in the meantime, you have five days to be here, I suggest we start enjoying the house while we're here, you get to stay to Wednesday. And for once, Yzak Joule is useful. He agreed, after ,much coercing on my part, to cover me."

"ZAFT's a bitch," Cagalli said immediately, squashing herself around so that her back was leaning against his chest, and he laughed and the sound rumbled there, and he replied fondly, "No, just work in general."