( This is onee-chan's request :smiles: She wanted me to write about when Murrue-san came home from the hospital after getting her memories back, and how hard it might be for her at first...

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She woke to the sound of laughing. Blinking away the sleep from amber eyes, she climbed slowly out of the sofa bed, getting to her feet with an effort. Walking very carefully, she made her way to the doorframe, holding on for support for a moment, then crossed to the door nearest to her own, pushing it open. The little room beyond was bright and airy, stuffed full of plush toys, most of which littered the bottom of the cot in the middle of the room. And standing up in this cot, chubby arms stretched out, smiling from ear to ear, was a toddler. And the woman at the door couldn't help but return the sunny smile, making her way to where the child stood. "Good morning, sweetie.." The little girl giggled, holding out her arms again. "Up!" she chirped. Murrue sighed, bending down slowly to lift her daughter out of the cot. "Little troublemaker," she scolded gently, sitting down in the rocking chair with Stellar in her lap. The toddler reached out to play with the ends of her mother's hair. "Where Papa?" she asked suddenly. Murrue smiled, stroking the child's wispy auburn locks. "Papa's still sleeping, honey..." Stellar pouted, wriggling around on the young woman's lap before sliding to the floor. "Find Papa," she said determinedly, about to make for the door, but her mother caught her. "Not so fast. We have to get you changed and dressed first..." The little girl didn't look happy about that, trying her best to escape Murrue's grasp. "Aww..."

A short while later, once she was dressed, Stellar got to her feet and toddled across to her bedroom door, only to trip and fall halfway. Picking up her daughter, Murrue rubbed her sore knees. "It's okay, sweetie. Mama's not too good at walking either right now.." It had been just a few days since Mwu had brought her home from the hospital, and frustratingly, she still couldn't walk very well. Sometimes everything felt normal, and it felt as though she could almost run. But at other times, there was so little feeling in her legs that it felt as though she were walking on stilts. Most of the time, it feels as though I have permanent pins and needles...I know how lucky I am. I fell from thirty feet in the air - I should have had broken bones at the very least. But it seems as though someone was looking out for me... Managing to get to her feet, she lifted up her little girl. "Come on then. Let's go wake Papa up.."

"Nnnnrrrrrgghhhhh..." Not even Stellar patting her father's face could encourage him to wake up. Instead, he just shrank further down under the covers, mumbling under his breath. Murrue sighed, pulling back the blankets and dropping a light butterfly kiss on the tip of his scarred nose. That worked. Mwu slowly opened his eyes, gazing up at her. "Hey, beautiful.." he murmured, a sleepy smile spreading over his face at the sight of the angel above him. "Can you do that again? I don't think I'm quite awake yet.." The angel giggled, and leaned down to kiss him again, letting him tangle his hand in her long dark hair. "You awake now?" she asked when they broke, her lips inches from his. He stretched out under the soft covers, still smiling. "Yeah.."

"I can do that, you know..." she protested softly, watching him cook breakfast. "Let me do something.." Turning from the stove, Mwu placed a little bowl of scrambled eggs in front of Stellar, who began to eat happily, then pressed a loving kiss to his wife's forehead. "Nuh-uh. You sit there, okay? You're not so good at standing for a long time yet.." Murrue frowned, almost pouting. "Stop treating me like I'm made of glass!" Sighing, the blonde man sat down beside her, taking her hand between both of his. "I will, when you realise that you have to slow down a bit until you get better. You have to take it easy - you can't do as much yet as you did before.." She looked away, expression one of sheer frustration. Letting go of his hand, she stood up, wobbling slightly. But when he tried to help her, she yanked her hand away, walking out into the garden. Stellar whimpered slightly, not understanding why her normally gentle mother was so angry. Forcing a smile onto his face, Mwu ruffled the little girl's hair. "It's all right, princess, it's not your fault. Mama just doesn't feel so good right now. But she's not mad at you. Okay?" Stellar sniffled, rubbing a few tears from her blue eyes. "Okay, Papa.." After the toddler had been cleaned up from breakfast, her father sat in the living room while she played with her toys, occasionally glancing out into the garden. It's partly my fault too. I have been treating her like she's been made of porcelain the last few days. It's tough trying to take care of someone so stubborn, and I know it frustrates her. But...I almost lost her, and I...

She sat alone in the garden, under a tree. All around her, the brightly-coloured flowers danced in the light breeze, and she reached out to caress the petals of a cornflower. I planted these for him. To remind me of him. These flowers are the same colour as his eyes - the same blue as the sky. When I was alone those two years, I used to sit with these all around me and imagine that he was there, that those eyes I loved so much were looking back at me...She had planted this little grove of flowers here to be reminded of that time, so that she would remember to never take his love and kindness for granted. The cornflowers, the blue forget-me-nots, and the purple pansy-like flower known as heart's ease - they all were here, just as they had been in the garden of the clifftop house. The lessons I learned there - to never take love for granted, to be grateful for all that I had...did I really forget them so quickly? I have my memories back now...and everything's so clear. Including the pain I felt then. In just two years, since he's been back in my life, I've been so happy that I never stopped to think...that I'd be lost without him...

"Murrue?" Glancing up, she saw him there a little way away, concern all over his scarred face. Hastily rubbing tears away, she made as if to get to her feet, but before she could manage to stand up, he came across to sit beside her. He looked apologetic and worried, which only made her feel worse. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, gaze fixed on the grass. Shaking her head, she took his hand, causing him to look up at her. "No, I am," she told him. "I...you take such good care of me, and I..." Brushing away more tears, she managed a shaky laugh. "And what do I do? Push you away. I'm sorry..." Mwu moved closer, wrapping his arms around her. "It's all right," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I know how frustrating it all is - not being able to walk or do much for yourself. It was the same for me. That's one of the reasons I want to help you, to do the things you can't until you get well again. And because..." He grinned sheepishly. "Well...like I said before, you and the little princess are all I have. I have to take care of you.." Smiling back, she kissed him gently. "I know. And we appreciate it, believe me. Even if some of us don't show it all that well. Is she sleeping now?"

"Yeah.." he replied, chuckling as she moved to lay on the cool grass, her head nestled in his lap. "She's napping, and she'll probably stay that way for a while..." Murrue nodded with a soft smile, stretching out on the lawn with a contented sigh. "So we can stay here like this?" When he didn't answer, she opened her eyes and looked up to see his smiling face gazing down at her.

And the memories hit her hard. Memories she'd unconsciously been repressing.

Flashes of memory. Voices, images, worried faces. Always the same name, 'Murrue!' 'Murrue, can you hear me?' Who was Murrue? Was she Murrue? She didn't remember. Above her were faces, people looking down at her. Tearstained faces, fear, guilt. Why were they crying? Everything echoed, like she was hearing things from the end of a tunnel. Then lights flashing above her, smiling faces looking down, telling her that she was going to be just fine, that her husband was on his way. She didn't remember having a husband - she didn't even know who she was! Suddenly terrified, she tried to reach up to catch the smiling man's arm, to tell him that there must be some mistake - that she wasn't this 'Murrue', that he had the wrong person. But when nothing happened, it hit home. She couldn't move. It was like she had been frozen...she was trapped. She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

Help me!

"Murrue? Murrue!" She was white as a sheet, dark gold eyes wide and terrified. She was shaking, not seeming to notice when he tried to snap her out of it. Finally, he lifted her up in his arms, cradling her shivering body against his, rocking her back and forth. "Sssshhh, sweetheart. It's all right.." he murmured. His wife didn't respond for a moment, her sudden fright not releasing her. Mwu didn't know why she had reacted like that, but he didn't ask, just continuing to whisper soothing words, hands caressing her arms. "It's okay..." Finally, Murrue's breathing slowly returned to normal, and she closed her eyes to lean against him. Breathing hitched, she started to cry, shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs. "I...I..." she whispered, throat clogged with tears. "I remember.." she continued. "Just now..all of it...you were looking down at me just like everyone else did when I was taken into hospital...and I couldn't remember anything, and I couldn't move...and I was so scared...and..." She hugged him tightly, needing the comfort, and he was happy to provide it.

"It's all right, Murrue.." he told her, kissing the crown of her hair again. "You're okay. I'm here, you're here, and it's going to be all right. There's nothing to be scared of." She closed her eyes, nestling her head into the hollow of his shoulder. "What scares me most...is what if the fall had been worse? What if I'd never seen you..or Stellar again? And even if I had...what if I'd never remembered? What if my memories had never come back? I..." The tears fell again, but Mwu just hugged her tight. "It doesn't matter. Because even if you'd never remembered, love, I'd never have forgotten..."

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( :scuffs toe on floor: Is that..okay?

Please read and review! )