The sun shone brightly from a perfect blue sky, a gentle sea breeze taking the worst of the heat from the day. In a tiny garden, a woman walked along the path, giving water to the dozens of well-cared for flowers that lined the lawn. Laundry flapped in the wind, the bright colours of the various clothes rivalling the garden. As she worked, the woman sang softly to the child who sat in a carrier on the grass, who watched her with wide marigold eyes. As she reached the end of the song, the child waved his arms, the teddy bear he previously clutched flying some distance away. The woman smiled, bending down to retrieve the toy, watching her son look all around him for the one who wasn't there. "He won't be home for a while yet, sweetie.." she said, sitting down on the grass beside the carrier. "I kind of hoped he wouldn't be working today, though.." Idly, she pressed a hand to her stomach, wondering just when it would be that her condition would start to show itself.

"Do you think I should tell him when he gets home?" she asked the baby. Alex didn't answer, simply regarded her quietly. Murrue smiled. "Well, I can't leave off telling him much longer, can I? Lacus-san and Erica know...I can't very well not tell him he's going to be a daddy again, can I? Do you think he'll be happy?" Sighing, she lay down on the grass, staring up at the blue sky.

"It's funny, you know.." she mused, shielding amber eyes from the harsh sunlight. "How quickly things change. Three years ago, I never even wanted to look at another pilot, much less start a relationship with one. With what happened to him...it all hurt too much. He and I...we used to imagine a life like this. We used to talk about the future all the time...and look what happened..."

Alex gurgled, and Murrue laughed, turning her head to look at her son. "Yeah, you're right. I met your daddy, and ended up falling for him. I didn't want to at first...but he sure was persistent. I never noticed how I felt about him till it was too late to change things..." Her baby babbled again, and she nodded, brushing aside a lock of dark hair.

"You're lucky you're so little." she told the boy seriously. "Love's very complicated. After he died, the one I knew before, I didn't want to fall in love again. I pretended that I was happier alone." She closed her eyes. "But...no-one's ever really happy alone, are they? He - your daddy - knew I needed someone, and that's why he was always by my side." Then she smiled. "But you know, as much as I needed him, I think that...he needed me just as much. He pretends to be so tough sometimes, like nothing ever bothers him. But when it came to love..to giving his heart to someone - he was scared. He'd never loved anyone before, you see? Love is pretty risky, especially when you give your whole self to another. You have to completely trust that person, and he had a hard time doing that." Reaching out, Murrue took hold of Alex's tiny hand, squeezing it gently. "But he was okay. And he changed just a little bit once we got together. Not so much that he was a different person, but he did become a tiny bit more serious. And a lot gentler. We were happy, and still are." Alex waved his chubby arms, bouncing up and down in his carrier, and his mother laughed, sitting up to ruffle his copper hair and tickle his little feet. "Yeah, honey, I know. So are you.." she said, smiling at her baby's laughter.

Unstrapping Alex from his carrier, she got to her feet, beginning to walk around the small garden.

"If I was able to turn back time...to have all this, but with him instead of your daddy...I wouldn't do it. Even though I was happy then too, all this now, you, your daddy, the little one...I wouldn't swap it.

She laughed suddenly, twirling around on the spot, hugging her little boy. Alex giggled and squealed, enjoying the ride. "Yep, I'm happy." she told him, bringing him close for a kiss. "Because I have everything I ever wanted."

Later that day, Murrue sat on the front doorstep of their little house, watching the sun set slowly. The sky was ablaze in a fiery pattern of orange and red, the sight peaceful.

"Dreaming again?" She heard his voice, felt his gentle breath on the back of her neck, and his arms warm around her waist. She smiled, reaching back to stroke his cheek.

"Not really," she replied quietly. "How was your day?" She heard Mwu laugh softly, and felt him press a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Busy." he answered, sounding tired and a little rueful. "Didn't mean to be home so late. I wanted to say goodnight to the little monster too.." Murrue giggled at his grumbling. "He won't mind. Although he was looking for you earlier.."

Mwu sighed, resting his head on his wife's shoulder. "I need a better shift.." he complained. "So, how's your nice day off been?"

"Pretty nice." she replied with an impish grin. "Alex and I have been talking."

"Oh?" Her husband regarded her with a raised blonde eyebrow. "About what?"

"Well..." Murrue began, cheeks pinking slightly, "he thinks that I should tell you my secret.." Turning around, she whispered in Mwu's ear, then pulled away to gauge his reaction. He stared at her in silence for several minutes, blue eyes wide. "Really?" he asked once he had found his voice. She nodded hesitantly.

Standing up suddenly, the blonde man lifted her straight up in the air so she was cradled in his arms. His smile stretched almost from ear to ear, and he leaned forward and kissed her. Murrue smiled back, leaning into his kiss. She'd known, really, that he'd be happy, hadn't she?

When the kiss broke, he laughed, spinning her around in his arms. She giggled happily, hugging him tightly. When he got too dizzy to spin anymore, he sat down with her on the grass. "This is awesome.." he said softly, brushing aside a lock of her hair and tucking it behind an ear. "Hey...can we have a little girl this time?" he asked hopefully, making her laugh again.

"Now, that's not up to me, is it?"

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( This is for BirchFire, since she wanted to know when Murrue-san would tell Mwu her secret XD

Please read and review! )