She stood in front of the tiny bathroom mirror, brushing her hair. The reflection in the glass showed a young woman with thick auburn hair to her shoulders, pale skin (with cheeks flushed rose pink) and orange-brown eyes. As far as she was concerned, she looked pretty ordinary. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she checked her make-up, scrutinising her reflection to make sure she was presentable. Today seemed to last forever...I couldn't wait for it to be over. I might have been a bit short with people because of that, because I was just waiting for tonight.. Tonight, he was coming to visit her. Nothing very special there, as he spent a great deal of time in her room anyway, hanging around while she worked, or sneaking into her bed to snuggle close to her late at night. But tonight was different, as tonight...they had actually made time for each other. And as a result...it felt rather more like a date. Taking a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, she smiled at her reflection. Things seem more special tonight, even though nothing is different...

A knock at the door made her heart skip, and her smile broadened. "Come in!" The door slid open, and a familiar grinning face peeked in, blonde hair tousled. "Hi.." Slipping into the room, he made his way to where she was standing to wrap his arms snugly around her waist. "Good evening, Captain.." Nuzzling his face into her hair, he pressed kisses to her neck, the tickle of his lips making her giggle. "You're a little early," Murrue scolded gently. "I'm not ready yet." He peered around at her, then at her reflection, and beamed. "What do you mean, 'not ready'? You look amazing.." he told her, finishing off his words with another kiss. She blushed at that, glancing away. "You always say things like that.." she murmured. Mwu leaned to kiss the top of her head, pulling her a little further into his embrace. "I know I do," he replied softly. "Because it's true. You're the most beautiful person I've ever met. Even your reflection is beautiful..." Turning her around in his arms, he brushed a gentle finger down her blushing cheek. "You don't think so?" Her flush deepened, amber eyes fixed on her feet. "It's...embarrassing.." was all she said, voice barely audible. Mwu just smiled, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Well, I'll always say that you're beautiful..."

The two of them stayed like that for a few moments, then he bent to lift her into his arms, carrying her across to sit on the bed with her nestled in his lap. Despite her embarrassment, Murrue smiled in contentment, hearing the soft sound of his breathing and heartbeat, and feeling the warmth of his arms around her. "This is nice..." she remarked quietly, leaning her head back against his shoulder. It was nice. The two of them didn't have much chance to spend a lot of time together, just snatching the odd moment when neither was busy, or curling up in each other's arms to sleep at night. But to actually spend time together...that was rare. Turning around in his embrace, she snuggled a little closer, her gentle smile widening as he began to caress her back. "So, what shall we do?" she heard him ask, and in reply, she looked up, meeting his blue gaze with her marigold one. Then she kissed him, winding her fingers in his blonde curls. Mwu returned the kiss immediately, rolling over on the bed so he was looking down at her. "Yeah.." he murmured when they broke, so close that their noses touched, "you're beautiful, all right.." Then he kissed her again...and well, she didn't remember much after that...

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She was trying to lose herself in her work - because she knew that if she thought about it, she'd just cry again. Her eyes felt gritty and sore, and she could only imagine how red and puffy they must be, the trails of dried tears still on her cheeks. Earlier that day, she had seen what she'd thought must be a miracle. There, in the snow of Berlin...she had seen - who had she seen? Because even though he was a perfect match to him physically, there was no way that man could be the one she had loved...still loved. He had looked right at her, but there had been no recognition, almost no emotion at all in fact, in those sky-coloured eyes. Tapping her pen on the desk, Murrue sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. But he said...

His words still rang in her head..she could still hear them, spoken in the voice that was identical to his. "What's wrong? Did you fall in love with me at first sight, Miss Beautiful?" His words...they'd sounded so like something her Mwu would have said. He'd told her that she was beautiful...that he would always say that she was beautiful. Was this what he had meant? But there had been none of her beloved's affection in that voice, just cold amusement and sarcasm. Leaning her head on her folded arms, she traced a pattern on the desk top with a finger, more tears escaping to drip to the metal surface. The way he looked, everything about him...it was just as if her Mwu had come back to her. But he doesn't know me. Mwu and I shared so much, but that man doesn't remember any of it.. He can't be Mwu. But when I look at him, I can't see anyone else.

What do I believe?

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"Good morning, Captain," Poking his head inside the office door, Neo smiled cheerfully at the young woman sitting behind the desk. Glancing up, she smiled back, the expression just as gentle as always. She smiled a lot more these days, a welcome change from when he'd first been brought on board. Back then, all he had seen was an ineffable sadness, a loneliness you could almost reach out and touch - and he knew very well that it was because he was there. Because he reminded her of the one she had loved and lost. Neo knew that it wasn't his fault, and she'd never once blamed him for her unhappiness...but he still felt as though he was responsible somehow. And now that this ship had become his home, he had made it his mission to make his new captain smile as much as possible, to make up for causing her sadness. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and when she smiled, it lit up her whole face and made it seem as though the sun had come out. It gave him a warm feeling in his heart, a place he had previously thought was frozen, and he wanted to experience it as much as he could.

"Colonel? Is there something wrong?" Her dark gold eyes reflected confusion and concern, and Neo blinked, surprised. "Huh? Oh..." Rubbing the back of his neck, he laughed nervously. "Sorry. I was daydreaming kinda.." The captain smiled again, and that same warm feeling flowed through him, making him grin like an idiot. Without thinking, he blurted out what was on his mind.

"I was just thinking...how beautiful you are when you smile.."

The captain's eyes widened, pink lips parting in a gasp. She stared at him for a moment in shock, then looked away, a blush colouring her cheeks. And the blonde man had never wanted to smack himself more in his life. "Sorry...it's not my place to say that. I'm sorry.." But she didn't seem angry...just wistful. Her eyes were half-closed, gaze focused on her desk as though lost in memories, her expression terribly sad.

And Neo understood. "He used to say that too, huh?"

Without a word, she nodded, one silvery tear escaping to roll down a pinked cheek and fall to the desk surface. Crossing the room, he knelt beside her chair. She looked up at him, more tears shimmering in those eyes of hers...and all he could think of to do was to lean forward and pull her into a hug, letting her cry on his shoulder. "Sssshh..I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of him again.." The young woman hiccupped, one hand curling around his jacket. "It's all right.." she murmured. "He always said that I was beautiful...it used to embarrass me so much..." She laughed softly, the gentle sound still choked with sobs.

"Well..he was right." was his reply. "You are beautiful." Letting go, he smiled, reaching forward to brush away her tears. And, to his delight, she smiled back. "Thank you.." she murmured, glancing away...cheeks still pink.

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( waffly goodness XD

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