He looked different, and not just on the outside. Scars were one thing - he had enough himself to more than compete with the younger man - but the experiences that went with them were something else altogether. He'd heard the rumours, of course....on a fleet this small they spread like wildfire, and both Kira and Captain Ramius had separately confirmed some of them. So La Fllaga had been with the Alliance, been part of what they had done. He remembered the younger man well enough to know it wouldn't have been voluntary, but still.. He leaned on the window a short distance away, knowing full well that La Fllaga knew he was there.

"Round two?"

He smiled thinly. "She asked me not to."

"Same here."

Andrew sighed. "She knows us too well."

A small smile. "That she does." He glanced up at the other man, facial scar thrown into relief by the dock lights. "You're lucky."

"Me? How am I lucky? You're the one she chose." That was what this was all about. Not what he may or may not have done with the Alliance - it was about the captain. He'd spent the last two years getting to know her and found it impossible to not be drawn to her. She was kind to everyone without exception, even him and others who'd been her enemy, she was smart, and she possessed a spirit stronger than any he'd seen before. In the early days it was hard to spot, buried underneath sadness, loneliness, but as time went on I saw it more often. La Fllaga had noticed his silence and seemed to understand the reasons for it, running a hand through overlong hair.

"How bad was it? The Director wouldn't give me details."

"She kept a lid on it during the day - the only signs you saw was that she worked too hard, well into the night as though she didn't want to sleep....afraid of what she might see. She admitted as much."

"She had nightmares?" He looked stricken, saddened, as well he might, and although Andrew felt a twinge of conscience at adding to his guilt it needed to be said.

"Sometimes, yes. I'd never seen her cry before that."

"And it was my fault."

"Yes, it was. But she never blamed you, was never mad at you, not even after the nightmares. She still kept that photograph by her bed, still kept that hat, and I heard her tell Simmons she'd wait for you no matter how long it was before she saw you again."

"I don't deserve her, do I?"

Andrew smiled. "She thinks you do. Don't knock it."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "You know her. If she's got her mind made up, nothing's going to change it."

La Fllaga actually laughed a little. "No kidding."

"It's weird, you know. I've never been jealous of anyone before."

The other man blinked. "Eh?"

Andrew looked away. "Don't make me repeat it. Hard enough to admit the first time."

"No, I.." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I never figured it. Not since I'm jealous of you."

"And I never expected you to admit something like that either."

"Yeah well, she's got this thing about honesty. About being responsible for your actions. Rubbed off on me after a while. It's why I told her about the stuff I did with the Alliance the first night I got back."

"Why would you be jealous of me?"

The younger man smiled. "Cause you had time with her that I didn't. All I've had are a few months - you've had two years."

And I don't know if I'll get longer. He left that unsaid but Andrew heard it. It was the same for any pilot. Planning for or even thinking about a future past tomorrow was a risky business....sometimes too risky. Maybe part of it is that I got to go home with her and he didn't?

"But I wasn't the one she wanted."

La Fllaga leaned against the window, blue eyes focused on the ceiling, then quirked another smile. "We both have good taste in women."

Andrew laughed. "We certainly do."

She found him sitting on the windowledge, gazing out at the dock and whistling softly. He probably knew by now that she was there, but she decided to stay watching a while longer. Commander Bartfeld had been to see her a little earlier, and while he hadn't quite been able to admit how he felt he had mentioned that Mwu was lucky, and the smile he'd given her told her everything she'd wanted to know. He is lucky. Not because of me, but because he was able to come through everything and still stay the same. He was quieter, yes, and dreamed more, but anyone would. She did. There was a lot to think about. To dream about.

"C'mere.."

She smiled. "I like watching you."

"You can watch me from here." He turned to her, holding out a hand and she moved over to join him. "Cause I like it."

"I know you do."

He smiled. "Were you looking for me? I'm sorry. Just thinking about stuff."

Murrue brushed a hand over his hair. "You always are."

"I'll be careful." The words surprised her - she hadn't considered that he wouldn't be. Going home together was something both of them wanted more than anything, something they'd discussed at length. Leaning close she kissed the top of his head.

"I never doubted it."

Mwu swung a leg slowly, staring at his hands. "M'scared."

She blinked. He'd never once admitted to fear....he was always so cocky, so confident that she'd begun to believe he wasn't afraid of anything. It was a little disconcerting. If he was scared.. Taking his hands she moved to sit opposite him. "How come?"

"What if something happens again? If you're in danger, I can't just sit there and watch."

"It won't happen again."

He frowned slightly. "How do you know?"

"I don't. But I have to believe that it won't. If I stopped to think about everything that could go wrong I'd never want to step outside my door in a morning." She kissed his hands. "Don't worry."

"But I.."

She shook her head. "No. Don't think about it."

He hesitated, then nodded with a rueful smile. "I can try. I feel sort of dumb now. Usually I'm the one who doesn't worry about stuff."

"Everyone changes."

"That's true. But if you're not worried, then I won't be either. We'll be okay."

"Yep." Leaning forward she ruffled his hair, smiling herself when he leaned into the touch. Both were worried that what they wanted might not work out, but they couldn't afford to be afraid of the unknown. We'll be alright. We have to believe it.

Mwu glanced back out at the dock then up at her, blue eyes twinkling with a smile she remembered well but had rarely seen since his return - one that told her he had mischief in mind. Immediately suspicious she aimed a mock frown at him. "What?"

"What?"

"You're up to something."

He tried to look innocent. "No, I'm not."

"You're terrible at hiding things. Out with it."

"What do you think the Director would do if we did elope?"

She sighed. "Not let us hear the end of it for a very long time."

"I'll take the risk if you will."

"Still haven't given up on that, huh?"

"Nope. It'd be great fun."

"It would be," she replied mildly, "until Erica found out."

"I'll tell her."

"You'll tell her?"

He grinned and nodded quite cheerfully. "Sure. Least I can do."

"Alright then, let's say I agree to this idea. Where and how?"

"Here. Or Kusanagi. I bet one of the other captains would do it if we asked. And our friends can be there - the kid, the princess, even the Tiger if you want."

Murrue smiled. "You'd let me invite him?"

"Of course I would. He's your friend, and I owe him one for looking after you."

"Thank you." It meant a lot that he understood Commander Bartfeld's feelings and was willing to try and mend fences. Both men had the same sense of (stubborn) pride - accepting a rival couldn't have been easy for either of them but they'd managed it. Though 'rival' might be too strong a word. He never had one. In the last two years people were interested, and I was lonely, but I couldn't let go. I kept seeing his smile... "Let's go for it."

His face lit up. "Really?"

"Mmm-hmm. You're right, it'll be fun. And we can deal with Erica together."

He chuckled. "Doubleteam her. I get it. Right, I'll get to sweet-talking the other captains....maybe I can get the princess to put in a good word for us."

"I'm sure she would."

"You going to get a dress then?"

She smiled. "No, I don't think so. My uniform will do fine. It's one to be proud of."

"Yes, that's true." Suddenly laughing he tugged her onto his lap, tickling her till she couldn't breathe. "Thanks so much."

"Y-you're w-welcome.."

Hands stuffed in the pockets of borrowed jeans he sauntered down the busy streets of Copernicus' main city, whistling tunelessly. Life was going great. He was free of the Alliance - even more so now word had filtered down to the Orb fleet that ZAFT had destroyed his old ship and Djibril along with it - he was amongst friends, he had a home to go back to, and the love of his life had agreed to marry him...something he'd wanted for a very long time. So yeah, life was good. I can't predict tomorrow or even an hour ahead of now. All I can do is believe everything will be okay. And he would. She was a great captain, he was a pretty good pilot...they'd be fine.

"Is there a reason we're out here?"

"Plenty of 'em. One, I told the Director's kid I'd bring him a present back, two, apart from that time you and the other kid took your lady friends out you haven't left the ship, and three.." He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Moral support, I guess."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Murrue and me....we're getting married tomorrow. Kusanagi's captain's agreed to come over to do it for us, cause we wouldn't want it to be anywhere other than Archangel. We owe the old girl too much."

The kid beamed. "That's great, Mwu-san."

"Thanks. We'd like you and the princess to be there."

"Try and keep us away."

He laughed. "Wouldn't dare." It was his way of saying 'thank you'. Kira had found him, sent him back, and both he and his princess had been there for Murrue in the last two years. "You're good kids, the pair of you. The other kid and the missie too."

"That means a lot. Thank you."

"Any time."

He'd changed. Whether due to what he'd seen and done with the Alliance or due to Murrue-san's influence he was a little different than before. Before, Mwu-san had been friendly enough, but always kept everyone at arm's length - Murrue-san was the only one he'd let close. I started to understand things better at Mendel. His parents, his childhood.... I wonder if Murrue-san was the first person to show him any affection? But now that distance had lessened, the older man becoming more open with people, and the change was a nice one. It was clear Murrue-san appreciated it, she smiling warmly to see him talking and laughing with others.

"So what are you getting today? The rings?"

Mwu-san nodded. "And the kid's present. He has a train set in his room, so I thought I'd get him something for it."

Not far from the middle of the city was a hobby store, it's window display an entire landscape in which trains rattled merrily round a series of tracks. It had everything, a station, a village, even a tiny farm....it was amazing. His friend looked similarly stunned.

"I want one of these," he announced, the statement and the smile making him almost like a ten-year-old.

Kira smiled. "If I could, I think I'd get one too."

"Maybe if Tiger rebuilds that house you and the others can go live there with him? I bet there'd be a room spare for one of these. The little guys would love it."

"I'm sure they would."

Mwu-san grinned, pushing open the door to the dimly-lit store. Inside was even more impressive, shelves lined with dozens of boxes, glass cabinets filled with model trains, and even toy planes and helicopters hanging from the ceiling.

"I've never seen anything like this.."

"Me either. Isn't it awesome?"

He nodded slowly, gazing all around him. His friend was practically bouncing on his toes, eyes shining. "We're here for something for Ryuta-kun, remember?"

"I remember. But I can look." He knelt down beside a model helicopter, twirling the blades around with a finger before looking up at the sales assistant. "How do these work?"

"You're guaranteed to crash the first time you try."

Mwu-san grinned. "Is that so?" Taking the control he studied it for a moment, then flipped the switch to set the rotor spinning. And, to the assistant's obvious surprise, the little helicopter rose into the air. Whistling softly, Mwu-san wandered around the store flying the toy in and out of the shelves, leaving the others watching.

"I never saw anyone do that before." the assistant admitted. "I was only able to fly one of those after years of practice - you have to operate controls for different things at the same time."

Kira smiled. "He has good reflexes."

"No kidding."

"Mwu-san, we're here to get a train."

The older man peeked out from behind a shelf. "You're no fun."

"How old are you again?"

He laughed. "You can be too old for these?"

"Aren't you getting married tomorrow?"

"And she said she'd get me a train set when we get home." Mwu-san landed the helicopter and handed the remote back to the assistant. "But yeah, I guess I'd better get what I came for." Taking some money from his pocket he handed it to Kira. "See if you can find a nice one. I'll be back in a little while."

"Mwu-sa-" The bell over the door tinkled and he was gone, leaving Kira there to palm his face. Why is he always like this?

His old room felt weird. Not creepy weird, but different. He'd been in here a couple of times since he'd come back but never for long, just to collect the few belongings he had left and take them across to the room he now shared with Murrue. He'd read (somewhere) that it was bad luck to see the bride the night before the wedding, but he wasn't at all sure that this counted. It wasn't like it was going to be a big fancy service, just a simple ceremony that they could have blessed back in Orb. Exchanging a few vows and the rings he'd bought, that was all. Slipping his hand into the pocket of his jeans he pulled them out, the silver objects sparkling in the dim light. No engraving, no stones....they weren't necessary. Just ordinary rings, one big and one small. What was important was what they meant. He smiled, squeezing them in his hand.

"There you are. Kira-kun came back an hour ago....I thought you'd gotten lost."

"I noticed he didn't wait for me."

"He knew you'd be longer than you said. You can be a bit of a dreamer sometimes."

Mwu crinkled scarred nose. "He just couldn't be bothered. Did he get a train?"

She moved into the room to stand beside him. "A red steam train. Ryuta-kun will love it. Thank you." Noticing the bag he carried she tried to peek inside. "What else did you get?"

He grinned. "It's a secret. You can see tomorrow."

"Aww."

"C'mon, you've got to let me have some secrets. But here," He opened his hand to show her the rings. "What do you think?"

His fiancee beamed, taking the smaller one from him and sliding it onto her left hand. "Perfect."

"Good." Taking the ring from her he put them back in his pocket, smiling when she took his arm and leaned close.

"How come you're in here, anyway?"

"I was going to stay in here tonight. Some sort of tradition, I think, about bad luck."

Murrue huffed.

"Not heard that one?"

"Oh, I've heard it. But I don't agree with it. People make their own luck."

He smiled. "So you think we'd be okay?"

"I know we would. All that's happened and we're still here like this? We'll be fine."

"You're probably right."

"Of course I am." Tugging on his arm she pulled him from the room, only giving him chance to take a last look around before the door closed behind them. She was right about most things....this was likely no exception.

"Interesting secrets he keeps..."

Not that it wasn't nice. When he'd left to get ready that morning he'd left the bag she'd seen him with yesterday, and her curiosity had gotten the better of her (as he'd probably suspected). Inside the bag was what she assumed was a wedding present. The lacy kind. Black with red ribbon trimmings. Not the kind of outfit she normally wore, but rather nice and clearly expensive, and when she got chance she'd thank him. With a smile she picked up those and a clean uniform and went for a shower. Lacus-san had offered to come by later to arrange her hair, and she wanted to spare the girl any blushes.

By the time she was showered and dressed the younger woman was at the door, she dressed so nicely Murrue's uniform felt drab by comparison. "You'll show me up."

"Nonsense, Murrue-san," was the sweet reply, she entering the room followed by Meyrin-chan. "No-one could show you up today. Here, sit down."

Meyrin-chan had taken a seat beside the small desk, watching the two older women. "Are you nervous, Captain?"

"Yes, actually. I'm not sure why, though."

"It's a big step," mused Lacus-san, busy braiding. "You and Fllaga-san will be family. But I'm not surprised he decided to do it, or that you agreed. You two belong together."

Murrue flushed. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Really? I would. You waited for each other. No-one else could ever come close to him for you, and I'm sure it was the same for him. It's very romantic."

"I suppose so."

Lacus-san laughed. "You don't think so?"

"I guess it is. I never really thought about it."

"I hope Kira and I can be as happy as you and Fllaga-san." The younger girl sounded wistful, and Murrue looked up at her with a smile, understanding a little better.

"You will be. Don't worry."

"Did you meet Fllaga-san here?" asked Meyrin-chan, swinging her legs. "He's a nice person."

"Yes, he is. He can be a bit of an idiot sometimes, but he has a very good heart."

"Is that why you love him?"

"That and a few other reasons. He's not perfect - not even close - but I can't imagine life without him. Not anymore."

Meyrin-chan smiled and nodded, seemingly understanding.

"Right," announced Lacus-san. "Take a look in the mirror and tell me what you think."

Her reflection showed that auburn hair had been braided and clipped up on her head. Very different from normal, and very elegant. "It's perfect. Thank you."

"Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Nervous as hell for a reason she still wasn't sure about, but also excited, she twisted her fingers together, directing a little smile at her younger friends. Yes, she was ready.

The ceremony was beautiful. Simple and quiet, just a handful of people there to see it. Murrue-san and Fllaga-san were both smiling, standing hand-in-hand in front of Kusanagi's captain, and stole little glances at each other every so often. She was red to her ears, and Fllaga-san's hair clearly hadn't seen a brush that morning but it hardly mattered. All that mattered was that they were happy. As she watched, he placed a tiny silver band on Murrue-san's left hand, he actually blushing just a little bit and his bride laughed softly, brushing that hand over his cheek before placing a ring on his own finger. When the ceremony ended he drew her to him in a hug so tight it must have cut off her breathing before stealing a kiss that must have cost what air she had left, but she didn't seem to mind, laughing again when the kiss ended.

Lacus smiled, brushing a tear from her eye.

I do hope Kira and I can have that one day...

( hehe wedding fluff. I had to add it, and I'm not sorry.

Please read and review! )