He was making breakfast. True enough, he wasn't all that good at it yet, and often ended up burning the toast, or leaving eggs to boil until they exploded. But he had learned a lot since he'd come to live here, listening to and acting on his wife's patient lessons. Besides, he couldn't keep relying on her to make all the meals, even if she was a much better cook than him. And it was still quite early. Since neither of them had work today, he hadn't been about to wake her. She needed her sleep, now more than ever.

When he'd woken up earlier, he'd smiled to see her tangled up in the covers, fast asleep. It was a measure of how much more tired she was than usual, as normally she'd be up and about hours before him. Before getting up, he'd carefully laid a hand on her stomach, his boyish grin widening as he'd felt the slight movement within.

He'd been scared at first. Happy, of course, but scared at the same time. Who wouldn't be? They had only been back together for six months after being separated for more than two years. Things had moved pretty quickly, they'd moved in together as soon as they'd found a house, and they'd got married. But that had been okay. It had felt natural. Neither of them had wanted to be apart again, after all. Sure, there had been a few ups and downs - neither of them had been used to living with someone they loved, and the only experience they'd had of cohabitation was at night. But they'd settled quickly, and were both happy.

And now there was this. It hadn't been planned. They had barely been married for two months before they'd found out she was pregnant. Murrue, bless her, had been too nervous to tell him, instead handing him the test results and waiting for his reaction. And once he'd gotten over the intial shock, he'd been happy. They hadn't talked about children, both assuming that they'd get around to discussing the idea once they had been married a little longer. But it had just...happened.

The more they'd talked about it, the more comfortable the idea of being parents had seemed. They had more than enough room, and enough money. Murrue had fussed about having to miss work, but he'd pointed out that if she really wanted to work, Erica would be able to send her some. His own worry...he kept secret. His wife was very slight...would she be all right carrying a baby? He knew that if he broached the subject with her, she wouldn't listen..say she was just fine. She was tougher than she looked, certainly, but not that tough...

But at all her check-ups, the doctors have said that she's okay, that the baby isn't causing her any problems. Guess I was the only one to be worried about that. Sure, she gets tired easily, but that's natural. She always tries to do too much...I can't count the number of times I've had to go through to pick her up 'cause she fell asleep at work...

My only problem since then has been getting used to the idea of sharing her...

She suppressed a yawn as she wandered into the kitchen. Stretching out, she wrapped the fluffy robe tighter around herself, and peeked around the open door. She could smell breakfast, and smiled sleepily. Mwu was cooking. He was standing there beside the stove, poking at lightly charred bacon, scarred nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Not going well?" she asked, leaning on the doorframe. He turned to her with his usual cheerful smile, and she couldn't help smiling back. "Hey there!" he said, setting down the pan and embracing her. "Good morning, beautiful..."

She had to laugh at that. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were puffy with sleep, and she had swollen ankles. Not exactly beautiful. But then, Mwu always told her she was beautiful...and she knew that he meant it.

"Want me to help with breakfast?" she asked, but he shook his head. Leading her over to one of the wooden chairs around the kitchen table, he sat her down, pressing a mug of hot tea into her hands. "You sit there," he told her, running a hand through his blonde hair and wandering back over to the stove. She frowned, staring down at the swirling surface of the drink. "You're like Erica.." she mumbled, making him look back at her questioningly. "She'd lock me in my office if she could..."

Mwu chuckled, handing her a plate of breakfast. "Because you won't sit still." he replied, ruffling her dark hair affectionately. "You can't do as much now, and you know it. You don't want anything to go wrong, do you?" She sighed, placing a hand on her swollen stomach. "No.." she admitted, taking a sip of her tea. "But it's so frustrating not being able to do anything..."

Later that day, she pottered about in the garden, feeding the birds which fluttered around her bare feet, and picking flowers for the vase in the room she shared with her husband. As she walked, she thought to herself.

It does annoy me when people wrap me up in cotton wool. Erica makes me do paperwork, and even Mwu is overprotective sometimes. I can understand why, though. I don't want anything to happen...

Sitting down on the edge of the fishpond, she laid a hand on her stomach again. At her last check-up, she'd been given the chance to learn more about her child, whether she was carrying a boy or a girl. But..she hadn't wanted to know. She'd asked Mwu about it one night, whether he'd prefer a son or a daughter, but he'd just smiled, pulling her close.

He told me that it didn't matter. That our baby would be perfect, and he'd love them regardless. That's the reason I didn't want to know myself. I'll be happy with either a boy or a girl. After all...she grinned to herself. This is only our first child...

"Hey, Murrue.."

She looked up as she heard Mwu's voice. He was peeking around one of the trees, blue eyes twinkling merrily. "Whatcha doing? You sleeping awake?" The silly question made her laugh, and she got up with an effort. "Daydreaming." she replied, taking his hand.

It was early evening. The sun was halfway down the sky, turning the garden shades of red, orange and pink. He sat outside on the doorstep, enjoying the sunset. Murrue had gone inside about an hour earlier, just after dinner, saying something about a shower. But after that, he'd heard nothing.

Wonder where she got to?

Setting down the drink he held, he made his way inside and up to their room. The room was quiet, the curtains still open and blowing in the light breeze from the open window. His wife was nowhere to be seen. "Murrue?"

She wasn't in the shower. Frowning, he climbed up the wooden steps to the small loft...then smiled. She was there. Still wearing the dress from earlier, curled up on the bed and clutching a pillow. Fast asleep.

Her pale face was flushed, and she was smiling gently...she must be having a good dream. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on her cheek, chuckling softly when her smile grew.

"Goodnight.." he whispered, brushing a lock of hair from her face and pulling a blanket over her sleeping form.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

( No, I don't have an excuse for this. But read and review anyway, okay? XD )