Title/theme: PARTING
Genre: slight angst
Approx time line: Phase 32-33 of GS
Summary: She tried to bury the regret creeping into her mind that he would never know how she truly felt.

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A loud, beeping sound woke Murrue rudely from her slumber. She reached out, hand flapping to find the snooze button to turn the obnoxious sound off. She had finally gotten to sleep after her thoughts had kept her awake for so long, and she didn't want to open her eyes.

The sound came again. With a frustrated groan, she cracked open an eye and glanced at the device beside her bed with annoyance, only to have her eyes pop open as she read the time.

7:15

Oh no!

She sprung out of bed, hastily getting dressed. She didn't want to be late.

As she got over her initial panic and gotten fully dressed, the thoughts that kept her awake last night came back with a vengeance and hung over her like a gloomy cloud.

Today was the day, the day that she'd been dreading, the day that they were to part ways.

She checked in the mirror hastily to make sure that there were no signs of tears, and that her eyes weren't red. After a deep breath, she walked out of her room, mentally preparing herself so that she would not cry when she would bid him goodbye.

They were supposed to meet at the exit at 7:30, where she as the captain would see her three crewmembers disembark. As she headed there, she kept her mind blank, making herself think of anything but the fact that he was leaving.

When she first heard the news of his transfer, she was surprised and disappointed. But it wasn't until that he came in to talk to her after the inquisition, checking on her to make sure that she was all right, that she realized just how much she needed him, how much she really cared for him, and how much she didn't want him to leave.

Great timing Murrue!

She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize someone else was in the hallway until she bumped into him. Instinctively, she put her hands out and shoved the person away to keep her balance.

"Woah there Cap'n!" his smiling face turned to her as he caught his hat that was knocked off when she pushed him.

"Are you that eager to get rid of me?" he chuckled.

He immediately regretted saying that as she turned and hid her face, biting her lower lip.

"Wait, I, I didn't mean that. I mean, I was just joking." He tried to look at her face, to see if she was angry or not. She turned back to him, eyes dry, and a cheerful smile on her face. Too cheerful it seemed, but he didn't say anything.

"I see you're all ready and packed," she stated as she eyed him. For once, he was wearing his uniform right, with his collar done up, his hat on his head, and his sleeves…

With an exasperated sigh, she reached over and pulled down his rolled-up sleeves and smoothed them out.

"Come on, can't you wear your uniform properly? Your superiors will get angry."

He grinned. "I guess I've been spoiled here, since my superior never yelled at me for it."

"Well, maybe I should have!" she humphed and turned away, starting to walk down the hall again. "Come on, you're going to be late."

He stared at her back for a moment, dumbfounded, before shouldering his bag and followed.

On the way, they walked in silence. She kept her head down so she wouldn't see how depressed she was, and how hard she was trying to hold her tears back. He didn't need to see, because he'd only worry, and there was no point in him knowing since he'd be leaving in a few minutes anyway. She had to bite her lip again at that thought. No, she was the captain; she wouldn't let anyone see her tears, especially not him. What would the others think of her if she was so emotional over something like this!

He watched her, eyebrows knitted. Even though she tried to hide it, he could still tell that something was not right. She seemed as depressed and worried as he was, but he didn't ask, knowing that she would just deny it. Instead, he occasionally made joking comments, hoping to cheer her up, but gave up and fell silent as he realized that she was in no mood for jokes.

"Captain," he called gently as he placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. He could feel her stiffen as she turned to look at him.

"Yes?"

"Are you, going to be all right?"

A pause.

"Yes," she answered, voice firm and assured. In truth, she was far from all right. She already lost one guardian angel for the ship, and now she was about to lose another, as well as her combat commander. How would she ever manage on her own? On top of that, she was trying to hide her feelings and remain professional despite the fact that what she really wanted to do was to cling to him and beg him not to go. But this time, she did not have the authority to stop him, no matter how much she wanted to. She tried to bury the regret creeping into her mind that he would never know how she truly felt.

"I, I want to thank you," she said instead, at least she would let him know her feelings as a captain.

He looked up, in surprise, confusion replacing the concern in his eyes. "What for?"

"For protecting and taking care of this ship until now," and for supporting and caring for me until now. She forced the stinging of tears away and flashed a grateful smile. "I really can't thank you enough."

He smiled softly. "No, I should be thank you."

"Eh?" it was her turn to be confused.

Instead of answering, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"It's going to be okay Captain," he whispered into her hair, "I know you'll be fine. You're more than capable of taking care of things."

His words and his arms felt so comforting. Tears trailed down her cheeks at that thought, tears that she desperately tried to hold back. Quickly, she wiped them away with her sleeve, hoping that he didn't notice.

"I sure hope so, Commander," she whispered back as she returned his embrace, wishing that time would stand still, that it would grant her just a few more moments with him.

AN: well, that was my version of the goodbye scene. I really love that scene, how she was trying to hold back her tears, and he looked really sad for once. and I wanted her to thank him in a more private scene instead of in front of everyone. This one kinda ties into chapter 13: Understanding.