The faint glow from the reading lamp made her eyes water, and her fingers ached from the amount of typing she'd been doing. The small digital clock sitting on the desk read 1.30AM, but she still hadn't finished. Her job at Morgenroete kept her busy during the day, and the various documents for that still lay on her desk waiting to be finished. And she had also agreed to go over the documents for the upcoming peace talks. As a result, she was up until all hours of the night, while still getting up early for work.

She was exhausted.

He would sit and watch her sometimes, blue eyes full of concern, Sometimes he made coffee for her, and would sit up with her, keeping her company until she fell asleep. He never said anything about how hard she worked, or how late she stayed up. He had been helping with the talks as well, having a little experience in diplomacy now due to his work for Djibril, but he didn't quite have the staying power she did. She would watch him with a smile as his head began to nod around 12.30, and ruffle his hair fondly to draw a sleepy mumble from him. But tonight...he hadn't bothered. Mwu was nowhere to be seen.

I guess...his patience finally wore thin. Not that he ever had much, but he never once complained about my late nights. When I'm done, I'll make it all up to him.

Stretching out in the rather uncomfortable office chair, Murrue sighed, wincing as she felt ligaments pop. There was still so much to do...would she ever be finished? The stacks of papers were higher than she was sitting down, all waiting to be checked and signed, and seemed almost forbidding. Shaking her head, Murrue stretched again, and rubbed her eyes. They felt gritty and sore, and she leaned back against her chair, staring at the darkened ceiling. I wish it could all be over. I want my life back...

She slumped forward a little, her gaze once again fixing on the pile of papers. Self-pity wouldn't help her...these needed to be finished. But before she could pick her pen back up, she felt a pair of warm hands on her shoulders, gently beginning to rub away all the tension and pain she felt. She smiled, leaning back into the touch. "Mmmm..."

"How far are you off finishing?" he asked, voice low and comforting. "You look wiped out..."

Murrue sighed, which was all the answer he needed. "Come to bed, Murrue," he said softly, leaning down to press a kiss to her dark hair. "I know you don't like to leave things unfinished, but really, this is too much.."

"If I don't do it now, it'll all pile up," she replied, rubbing her face to try and perk herself up. "Tomorrow, there'll just be more." Mwu sighed, finishing the massage and moving around to kneel in front of her. She could see how tired he was, faint violet shadows under his eyes, and felt a pang of guilt. He was staying awake...for her, She reached out to caress his face, fingers lightly tracing his scar. "I'm okay," she said softly. "It's only the same as it was on Archangel..." He nodded at that, but reached out to take her hands in his. "And that's why I want you to take it easy now. The war's over, sweetheart. No-one will blame you if you take a break - nothing bad will happen.." He kissed her hands, clasping them tightly between his own.

Murrue let out a breath. She wanted to, more than anything. To just forget all her work, fall into his arms, and sleep for days. But she couldn't. She had work to do. Looking away, she swallowed the lump in her throat. I'm so selfish...

The blonde man saw her expression, and understood. It hurt him...that even after all they had been through together, nothing had really changed. She still focused on her work too much, at the expense of her own well-being. He knew that he could never ask her to choose between him and her work, but he couldn't help feeling a little angry about it all.

"All right," he said finally, leaning forward to kiss her gently. "But the weekend starts tomorrow, so I want you to sleep in, okay? See you in the morning..." Brushing aside a lock of her hair, he smoothed out the shadows under her amber eyes. "Don't be too late.." After one last kiss, he let her go, walking up the wooden steps to where the bed waited.

She tried working after that, but...she couldn't concentrate. She tapped her pencil on the papers, running a hand through her hair, and kept glancing up to the dark loft where he was sleeping. He was right. She really didn't have to get it all finished tonight, and she'd been so busy the last few days...she missed him. Missed his smile, his warmth. Is my work really that important?

She was doing the one thing she had promised herself she would never do. She was taking him for granted. All his kindness and patience - and she was shoving him aside to do what? Paperwork.

I can never take him for granted. Not ever. Not after all that's happened...

Setting down her pencil, Murrue flicked off the light, tiptoeing upstairs. He was sprawled out in the large bed, the comforter half-covering him. His hair was trailing in his face, and one arm was stretched out across the other side, as if waiting for her. She smiled a little, carefully pulling back the covers and slipped in beside him.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, brushing away the stray hair from his sleeping face. "I love you..." He stirred, whether from the tickling of his hair, or from her soft words, she couldn't tell. He fixed her with a drowsy gaze, and smiled, wrapping his arms around her to pull her into an embrace. Murrue sighed in comfort, closing her eyes at the warmth. Mwu chuckled sleepily, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she snuggled even closer to him. "Goodnight..."

But she never answered him...she was already asleep, a blissful smile on her face.

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( I finally finished it! This took forever to write T T

Please read and review! )