May 24th

Copernicus

They hadn't left the hotel all day yesterday, not that either of them honestly minded that. The shuttle hadn't been fast enough, they'd barely had the patience to wait till they'd opened the damn hotel room, and now they were still in bed, just as they had been the morning before. It had been one long night, the wedding still fresh in their minds but it didn't matter. They both had two weeks just to enjoy each other, and neither of them planned to miss out on a moment of it.

"Thank god for room service." Murrue giggled when she heard the knock on the door, kissing her husband's chest before bounding out of bed and tugging on the powder blue robe that hung on the desk beside, basically skipping over to the door.

Mu chuckled from bed, watching as she quietly accepted the little cart inside and wheeled it back in herself. She smiled innocently at him and perched on the end of bed, waiting for him to be the first to make a move. Grumbling under his breath, he scuttled over to sit beside her, but then pulled her into his lap and kept her there, nuzzling into her neck until she giggled and tried to swat him away.

After a few minutes of playful tussling, he let up and relaxed, watching her fix up their breakfast. She handed him a plate of pancakes, dark maple syrup coating it in a odd swirling pattern. She grinned at him and then sat cross-legged on the bed with her own, laughing when he took the syrup and drew a happy face on her second one.

"Shall we go and take in the sights today or will we stay in bed again?" Mu mused after taking a bite of the sweet and sticky confection, watching her primly take a little bite of her own before washing it down with a gulp of orange juice. She giggled at him, reached forward and gently removed a trickle of syrup from his chin with her thumb.

"What sights? I was under the impression that Copernicus didn't exactly have sights." Murrue replied curiously, finishing up her pancakes without much difficulty, placing the plate back on the little cart and watching him go for seconds. She frowned when she started to pull through her still muddled mind, wondering if she maybe needed more rest. They hadn't slept very much anyway, she was probably tired still.

"Well that's what I figured, but Justin was telling me about all these little places you can find if you know the city well enough." Mu explained with a big smile, welcoming her back into his arms after he quickly finished off his plate again. He put it back before winding both arms around her lithe waist, the sheets making the perfect antidote to their lack of clothing. "He mentioned a little lake and there's supposed to be this huge Ferris Wheel that lights up at night so you can see the entire place."

Murrue smiled at the thought, having no trouble picturing the entire area of Copernicus lit up in the night, it would look beautiful from a bird's eye view. She smiled warmly and snuggled deeper into her husband's arms, feeling his lips press gently to the crown of her hair. She was glad to see that even though they were still in hiding that their honeymoon couldn't be ruined. "Well, I'm in. It sounds great."

"Great! We'll get ready and then head out." Mu announced cheerfully, making to get up from the bed when her hands caught his wrist and tugged him back onto the bed. He barely managed a gasp of surprise before her lips covered his and pulled him closer and he chuckled into the exchange.

"We still have some time before we could go." Murrue purred into his ear, easily undoing the knot that she had tied around the sheets to keep it from slipping off of her. Mu laughed at her eagerness but she didn't mind, kissing him again until he leaned her back against the bed, lips hungrily roaming her skin. Two weeks was a good length of time, but he couldn't help wondering if it would be long enough.

Later That Day...

Mu felt Murrue tuck her arm into his as they walked along the sidewalk towards the huge wheel that could be seen from their hotel room. They'd decided it would be more fun to just roam the city instead of taking a taxi, and in the bright sunlight it really was more amusing to travel around, they'd made an adventure out of it.

"So we have two options, we can either go on it now then hang around till night then ride again, or find something else to do till tonight."

Murrue pursed her lips and looked thoughtful, now that they were getting closer to the huge Ferries wheel that really did look like it was touching the high ceiling of the man-made city, she was starting to wonder. It just seemed so big up close. 'Would it be better at night?' She stepped an inch or so closer to her husband, craning her neck to see the top of the huge wheel. "Yikes it's a lot bigger up close..."

"You scared?" Mu teased, gently poking her in the sides and tugging her closer so he could wrap his arm tightly around her waist. She shot him a glare that could wither roses but he only chuckled and kissed her cheek tenderly and tugged her even closer. "It does look pretty damn tall... But it goes slow, it's meant to give you a real nice view."

"I know that, I just didn't think it was that tall." Murrue defended herself stubbornly, not liking the sudden worry that was settling in her stomach. She was a bit confused by it, she wasn't afraid of heights. She shrugged her shoulders and tried to ignore it, nodding at her husband. "Don't worry about me, it just caught me by surprise." Changing tacts swiftly to make sure he didn't dwell on the fact, she asked, "I'm a little bit hungry, want to get something to snack on?"

Mu checked his watch and then grinned brilliantly at her, more than an answer for someone who'd known him for so long. Giggling, she slipped her arm around his waist, and they walked towards the nearest little snack bar. Mu was quick to become the thief she married, snatching a few of her french fries each and every time she told him not to. She knew it was a losing battle from the start and sighed, he wouldn't listen. 'A puppy. A disobedient but cute little puppy.'

"So shall we hang around till tonight?" Mu asked with a curious expression that had her laughing, mostly because he had a little spot of ketchup in the corner of his mouth. He couldn't see what she was looking at and pouted, not liking to be out of the joke. "What?"

"You're..." Murrue tried to tell him through giggles but couldn't manage it, instead just telling him by seizing him gently by the collar and kissing the spot away. He didn't seem to mind that very much, and wound his arms around her before she had the chance to move away, pulling her right into his lap. She giggled and tried to wriggle her way out but he wouldn't let her go, nuzzling into her neck until she was laughing so hard tears had started to form.

"C'mon, you don't have to go." Mu told her with a laugh, kissing the crown of her hair and nuzzling her once more before sitting there with a big smile on his face. She'd finally stopped trying to escape and had relaxed quite contentedly into his embrace, leaning her head against his shoulder with a dazzling smile.

"Do you ever worry that you're so affectionate in public?" Murrue asked casually, not really caring that much herself at the moment, she was rather comfortable in his arms and didn't mind the second glances they got. They were just sitting in a little area with a fountain and some trees, it seemed a natural place for couples, there were plenty more pairs that were being more obvious than they were.

"Nah, not really." Mu answered with an idle shrug, kissing her cheek soundly before giving her a big squeeze and burying his face in her sweet-smelling hair. Her gentle laugh told him she didn't mind it much either, and he added with a grin, "Besides, it makes me feel smug knowing that I've got the most beautiful woman in the world in my arms and everyone else can see it and get jealous."

"Sadist." Murrue laughed into his shoulder, both embarrassed and somewhat pleased by his answer, and it was completely sincere. She knew it by the tone in his voice and the little twinkle in his cheery azure eyes, he wasn't that good at lying. Flattered and smiling, she rewarded his sweetness with a small peck to the lips before snuggling deeper into his embrace.

They didn't do much until the sun began to set, but then again they didn't really need to have much to do. They watched the illusion of the sun setting, taking in the artistic scene with smiles as they snuggled closer to each other as the temperature dropped noticeably. He'd taken off his coat and slung it gently across her shoulders, and she snuggled deeper into the sleeves and they sat there in comfortable silence until darkness had settled.

Almost all at once the city lights turned on, blindingly bright for one fleeting moment. When the couple turned to see it, Murrue gasped softly at the sight. From one end of the massive city to the next, lights of every colour glowed between the buildings and on the road, causing a wild array of a web of light. At the tallest edge was the Ferris wheel, and it lit up like a fireball for one heart-stopping instant before the lights dimmed enough to give the outline of the huge circle and the individual carts, slowly turning almost in a hypnotic fashion.

The station of Copernicus had become alive.

Mu gently nudged his wife who was staring open-mouthed at the spectacle, and asked her gently, "Wanna go?" She just nodded her answer, slowly getting to her feet and tucking her arm into his before they started to walk towards the giant ride.

The giant wheel only seemed to grow the closer they got to it, until it became so large it completely filled their vision and they had to lean their heads back to see the top. Grinning with excitement, Mu had paid their tickets and tugged her into the long line. The line was pretty much filled with couples like themselves, and Murrue had to smile a little at the sight of two young teenagers with their heads inclined towards each other and hands entwined as though they'd been fused together.

"It's really a romantic little place. You sure its not too tall for you?" He was asking his companion, his Australian drawl gentle and tone worried as he held her a little bit closer to his chest. "We can find something else to do if it is."

"No, no, stop fussing." Her tone was scolding when she answered him but her warm smile gave her away as she lay her hand on his chest and head on his shoulder. His arm closed around her tiny waist the moment she surrendered herself to him. "It'll be fun."

Murrue had to smile at the sight, unconsciously leaning closer towards Mu as she did, feeling his arm around her waist now, tugging her a bit closer. She nudged him gently then nodded at the young couple, seeing his grin. "They remind you of anyone?"

"Well I'd say us but we're not about ten years younger, and I'd love for them to be the kid and the princess but he's way too shy to cuddle with her like that, so I'm lost." Mu teased, idly running his fingertips up her side until her smile grew dreamy and her body shivered a little in response. "They are cute though."

Murrue felt a soft flutter in her stomach as she watched the young man give their tickets up, walking calmly to the cart, opening the door himself for his partner. She laughed at the show of chivalry but accepted his hand as he helped her inside and then tugged him in before he could let her go, laughing as he basically fell into her lap.

Mu watched another after the young couple vanished, this time a small family of three. The father had the small child on his shoulders, the little girl giggling happily as her mother tickled her feet through her socks. He noticed Murrue's attention was rapt on the child, her cheeks pink and hand settling almost instinctively on her own stomach. With a soft tender laugh, he leaned forwards and gently kissed her cheek. "Makes you wish you had your own, huh?"

Murrue nodded, spellbound. She couldn't take her eyes off of the little one, even though she knew she should've, she couldn't. She was well aware of Mu's affectionate smile, and was a little relieved to see that her behaviour wasn't worrying him. She would have been lying if she had said that a family of her own didn't interest her, she'd always wanted a house full of children. She had never raised the question to Mu, concerned that he wouldn't share her dream, especially considering his circumstances. But the way he watched her as she watched the little family... Her doubts were erased.

Mu couldn't stop smiling, she was bewitched. He had noticed the way she acted around the orphans, she'd adopted each and every one of them into her heart and they all knew it. She was such a natural with children, her kind-hearted nature made it easy to be a maternal figure. She was already doing it when she had been serving with the kids, they'd felt better in her presence, the kid especially. She would be a great mother when the time came. He did have his reservations about becoming a father, but since meeting her, it had eased a bit. She'd shown him that history didn't have to repeat itself, and he was a different man than Al. If she wanted a family... He would be happy to make her happy.

It was their turn now, and Mu repeated the youth's actions before him, helping her in and she tugged him after her, the two laughing as they ended up on top of each other. It was easy to be like this now, their soldier's life was behind them. She quickly seated herself in his lap, his arms wound tight around her waist as the ride started to move, a slow and gentle swaying sensation.

They reached the top after what seemed like a pleasant eternity, and it was his turn to gasp when he saw the city from the peak of the world. She took his hands in his and stared silently at the sight too, marigold eyes wide and sparkling, reflecting the sea of lights below. And it was literally a sea of lights and colour, they became blurred together at such a height, the distance between them seeming little more than a hair.

"It's beautiful."

"I've seen better." Mu managed to choke out with a laugh, kissing her on the end of her nose for emphasis when she looked at him curiously. Her face turned pink and she hid it in the front of his shirt, yet again pleased and embarrassed at the same time. They spent a good few minutes like that, just staring out at the magnificent wash of light and colour. When the giant ride began to hum again and move, they said nothing but cuddled closer, feeling oddly content. It had certainly been a very good trip and a worthwhile one at that.

It happened again.

Murrue had been careful to spring out of bed as quickly as and silently as possible and run to the washroom, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop her stomach from heaving and her legs trembling as she tried to stay upright, hands over her stomach.

She waited until she was certain that her stomach had settled before flushing the toilet and sitting down on the closed seat, breathing deeply to settle the nausea. It took a few long moments before she felt ready enough to try getting to her feet, worried that the dizziness that accompanied the sickness would hit again.

Thankfully she felt no vertigo, and tiredly looked at herself in the mirror, swallowing dryly when she saw the woman staring back wearily at her. She was shivering still, from the vomiting, and she felt drained, as though she could easily slip back into bed and sleep all day despite the fact that she'd just woken up. 'God I'm tired...'

She froze then, a strange thought striking her muddled mind. Slowly she opened the little cupboard behind the mirror, staring at the little blue box that sat next to the tiny first-aid kit they'd brought along just in case. Her feet rooted in place. She stared at the box for a very long time, her mind already several steps ahead of her. She counted in her head, three times, and came up with the exact same number.

Her legs wobbled. She hastily grabbed the edge of the sink and lowered herself back to sit, still staring at that innocent blue box. The math worked, so did all of the signs she'd been ignoring and brushing off because of all the stress with the wedding. It fit so simply and so perfectly she was astounded to how she'd missed it in the first place.

Her hands moved on their own, resting protectively on her stomach. Slowly her gaze lowered from the box to her hands, uncertainty and a wild hope shining in her eyes. Tears had started, strangely enough, and they trickled unheeded down her face. She whispered to herself, voice small and shaky, "I... I'm... Pregnant?"

AN

(Giggles) Aren't I so bad it's beyond words? XD Sorry. Alright, explanation time! Yeah, I know it's been forever, and I apologize for that, lol. But I did manage to finally get something up, does that count for much? Lol. Anywhosit, lol, I had quite a bit of a fun just being a lil nuts, the Ferris Wheel bit, my favourite to write so far!

Sky