The sitting room was quiet and cosy, a fire crackling in the hearth. The only sounds were those of the clock on the mantelpiece ticking softly, and the gentle breathing of the young woman sitting in one of the comfortable chairs. She was curled up, mug of hot tea by her side, book in her lap. She had been off work with a bad cold the last couple of days, but was feeling much better now. Smiling, she saved her page, and looked up out of the window. The sky was dark, flakes of snow whirling past the glass, and she sighed a little. Her fiance would be home any time now, provided the trains were still running in this weather. I'll make him a hot drink...it's so cold out there..Moving to the tiny kitchen, she set the kettle on to boil, leaning against the wooden worktop to read the letter she had recieved that morning. It was from her aunt, one of the few surviving relatives she had. Her aunt had written that although it had been very nice for her to invite her, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to make it to the wedding.

I suppose it makes sense. It is pretty close to Christmas, after all. But still...it would have been nice..

It had been almost one year since she had met her fiance. Murrue poured the boiling water from the kettle into a blue china cup, stirring slightly to dissolve the coffee granules. One year since that day they had met at the station. That day, he had waited for her, taking the initiative in order for the two of them to finally be able to meet. Sometimes, Murrue would watch the blonde man as he slept, and wonder just what their lives would have been like if they had never met that day last December. Probably we would still be watching each other on the train. I would never have had the courage to actually talk to him... But met they had, and now, one year later, they were planning their wedding. They had been engaged for six months now, and had decided to marry on the anniversary of the day they had met. Murrue giggled at that, cheeks pinked from fever and embarrassment. That had been Mwu's idea. They had been talking and laughing about that day, she teasing him about how mature she had thought he was, and he in turn reminding her of how shy she had been. "Hard to believe it's been a year since then..." he had mused, looking up into the half-darkness of their bedroom. "And now, we're going to be married, although we haven't planned when.." Murrue had nodded, stretching out under the blankets. "You think we took things too fast?" she'd asked, snuggling close to her fiance.

"No, I don't," he'd replied. "We've both mentioned more than once that however fast it all happened, it felt right. Like we'd always been together. And I think being married to you is gonna be great." He had turned to her, blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Tell you what. It's about a month until then, isn't it? A month until it'll be one year since we met. Why don't we get married then?"

And that had been that. Murrue remembered blushing, but the idea had made her smile. It was all very romantic, just the kind of thing Mwu would think of. And so, in two weeks time, they were going to be married in the church just down the road, with only a handful of their closest friends attending. The woman smiled gently, chopping vegetables for dinner. It all felt like a dream, a blissfully happy dream, one she never wanted to wake up from. Since the train accident, she had understood just how lucky she was to have Mwu with her, when so many people had lost their loved ones.

Humming to herself, Murrue added the chopped vegetables to a pan of water on the stove. Adding stock to the water, she smiled as she heard the door open. "Is it cold out there?"

The reply she got was a grumble, the rustle of clothing telling her that her fiance was removing his coat and boots. A moment later, a pair of strong arms wound around her waist, and warm kisses were nuzzled into her neck. "Hey, sweetheart.." he said gently. "You feeling any better?" Turning her around in his arms, Mwu touched his forehead to hers, checking her temperature against his own. "Your fever's gone down. That's good." His tanned face was marred by a livid scar stretching across his nose, a result of the rail crash back in August, but in Murrue's eyes, he was every bit as handsome as he had been the day they met.

"Did you have a good day?" she asked, brushing a stray flake of snow from his blonde hair. "Not too busy?" He grinned, shaking his head. "Nah."

The young woman smiled at that, reaching for the hot cup of coffee she had fixed for him. "Here. Go sit down and get warm.." Mwu made as if to protest, but she shook her head, leaning forward to press a loving kiss to his lips. "I can fix this. Go on.." After one last kiss, the man pulled away, taking his coffee to the sitting room. Murrue watched him with a gentle smile, then returned her attention to the dinner. The vegetable soup she was making...it was Mwu's mother's recipe, which he had taught her. She knew that she wasn't as good a cook as her fiance, but she was determined to perfect this one thing, if nothing else. Stirring the vegetables and stock, she then turned to rinse out the teacup she had been using.

Or at least, that was the intention. Running the water, she hummed a soft tune to herself, then, just as she was about to rinse the cup, she felt something very strange. A sensation from within her stomach, like a flutter. Shaking her head, Murrue held the cup under the flowing stream of water. Probably because I haven't eaten anything...

Then it happened again. And this time, it was more than a flutter. It was a definite 'kick'...and she realised what it was. Oh, my God... Her mind went numb with shock, and the cup slipped from her fingers to shatter in the sink. The memories of those four days in August flooded her mind, of the nights she and her lover had spent wrapped in each other's arms, and the moments in those summer days they had taken advantage of the loneliness of the countryside. Neither she nor Mwu had ever thought that their actions might have consequences...

"Murrue?" Mwu appeared in the kitchen doorway, scarred face concerned. "Are you okay?" Nodding quickly, she turned to the sink, sweeping together the fragments of china that littered the metal surface. "F-fine.." she stuttered, removing the remains of the cup from the sink. "I'm fine..." Mwu regarded his fiancee with confusion for a second, noting how flustered and worried she seemed to be. She was hurriedly putting the jagged pieces of the cup into the bin, when she inhaled sharply. Blood dripped from a nasty-looking cut on her hand, and he crossed the kitchen to where she stood. "Here, let me look..."

"N-no, it's okay.." she murmured, trying to hide the cut. But Mwu easily caught her hand, examining the gash. "That's not so bad," he said, relieved. "Are you feeling all right?" The young woman nodded, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. "I'm fine, really. I got a bit dizzy, that's all. I think I'll head down to the chemist in a little while for some more medicine..." Mwu nodded, smiling, and kissed her forehead. "It's okay, sweetheart, I'll go. You shouldn't be out there in this weather." But she shook her head. "N-no, I'll go. I need the fresh air..." Breaking free of his embrace, she made her way to the door and slipped on her thick coat and boots, grabbed her purse, and went outside into the snowy evening. Mwu watched her go, worried by how odd she was acting.

"Oh God..."

She knelt in the bathroom, amber eyes wide as she stared at the tiny strip of plastic she held. Just as she had suspected, a thin blue line was clearly visible on the readout. She was pregnant.

She'd known, hadn't she? By the kicking she had felt? Wasn't that why she'd gone to the chemist? What...did she do now? She knew the first thing that she needed to do was to tell Mwu. Tell him...that he was going to be a father. Closing her eyes, Murrue leaned against the tiled wall, still clutching the test strip. Why weren't we more careful? Why didn't we think... Lost in her own mind and worry, she never noticed the door being pushed open, and the blonde man who knelt down beside her, concern writ large on his face. He looked her over carefully, at her knees pulled to her chest, head resting on her arms, pale cheeks still flushed with fever. Something was wrong. He was about to ask her, but before he could, his gaze drifted to the strip of plastic she held. There was nothing very special about it, just a white strip with a thin blue line across it...wait. Mwu's eyes widened. Now it all made sense. Her tiredness, her lessened appetite... No way...Is she... Reaching out, he placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling the warmth through the thin shirt she wore. "Sweetheart..."

She looked up at him, startled, golden eyes wide with surprise and fear. "I..." He smiled kindly, his hand moving to drift across her cheek. "Don't be scared," he reassured her, moving to sit beside her and slipping an arm around her shoulder. "You...we're going to have a baby, aren't we?" Murrue's eyes widened, and she looked away. But she nodded slowly. "I'm sorry..."

"What for?" he asked, leaning close to press a kiss to her forehead. "It isn't your fault." The young woman gazed up at him again at that. "What...shall we do?" she asked, placing one hand on her stomach. "I mean...we hadn't..." Mwu could hear her next words as clearly as though she had spoken them out loud. Hadn't planned for this...

That's true. But then again, did we plan for any of this? The man closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the wall. It was inevitable, really, wasn't it? They were going to get married, it made sense that the two of them would start a family eventually. It was rather sudden, sure, but was it really so bad? As he thought, a sudden image flashed into his mind. The image of Murrue standing in a room decorated in pastel shades - a nursery. She was smiling, amber eyes filled with pure love as she gazed down at a bundle in her arms...a sleeping baby. As he imagined that, a smile came to Mwu's face. Wouldn't she make a wonderful mother?

"What do you want to do?" he asked. His fiancee blinked at the sudden question, and gazed down at her lap. Now that he knew her condition, he could actually see a slight swell to her stomach. How far along is she, anyway? Murrue continued to focus on her lap, one hand placed on the tiny bump. Then, slowly, she smiled. "I...want this," she murmured. "I always wanted a baby..." Mwu grinned, bringing her close in a hug. "Then that's what we'll do. We're already going to be 'husband' and 'wife', why not 'mommy' and 'daddy' too?" She nodded happily, resting her head on his shoulder. Then, smile growing mischievous, she reached out to take his hand, placing it on her stomach.

"Wha-" he began, but she shook her head. "Wait.." Mwu frowned, but did as he was told. Then, under his hand, he felt a kick. His eyes widened in amazement. "Is that..." Murrue nodded again, giggling. "They're kicking me.." The blonde man's face lit up in delight, and he hugged her close again. I'm really going to be a dad...and I'm getting married soon. This is awesome...

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Two weeks later, the two of them stood side-by-side, hands entwined, waiting to be led in their vows. Murrue, clad in a simple long-sleeved lace gown, gazed down at the bouquet of winter roses she carried in her other arm. This is it. After being alone since I was nineteen - since he died - I'm getting married. And in the spring...I'm going to be a mother. The day after she had told Mwu, he had taken her to the doctor, where the two of them had found out that she was four-and-a-half months pregnant - with twins. She suppressed a giggle at the memory of the frankly astounded expression on Mwu's face, and glanced to the side to look up at him. Her fiance was grinning, boyish face shining with enthusiasm and happiness, and he squeezed her hand tightly. Murrue squeezed back, taking a deep breath to try and stop her heart racing. This is...all I've ever wanted, I was just too shy to go looking for it. They say that happiness doesn't come to you, you have to go to it. But...it ended up finding me anyway. One year, just one, and my life has changed so much. I fell in love with him as soon as I met him, I realise that now. The very moment I looked into his eyes, he stole my heart. And he tells me the same thing.

"Are you ready?" The minister glanced at the couple, a warm smile on his face. Mwu and Murrue gazed at each other, seeing the love and absolute certainty in each other's eyes, and smiled.

Looking back at the minister, they both nodded, hands still clasped tightly in each other's. They were ready. This was their chance at a future, and they were going to grasp it with both hands.

All because of a chance encounter.

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( Yes, there will be an epilogue. I have no doubt that some readers :glances at the three 'usual suspects': will want to see how married life is treating our favourite couple, and will also more than likely want to see their kids...:sighs:

Please read and review! )