"They say...that you were the one who found me..."

His deep blue eyes were trained somewhere in the middle distance, focusing on something she couldn't see in the dimness of the room. Wriggling around in his embrace, Murrue turned to look up at him. "When?" she asked, confused at his words.

"In Berlin. They say that after the kid shot me down...you were the one who picked me up." he replied. His face wore a faraway expression, and she smiled, the corners of her mouth lifting. "That's right. I couldn't just leave you there, could I?" With a contented sigh, she snuggled back down into the warmth of his arms and the entangling sheets.

"Thank you though.." he said quietly. "For bringing me back." He smiled too, just a little. "Because otherwise..."

"Ssshh, silly," she gently scolded, amber eyes closed sleepily. "There isn't an 'otherwise'. I'd never have left you there.."

Mwu didn't seem satisfied though. His hand moved to absently caress her dark hair. "When you saw me there..like that..what did you think?"

Murrue shifted in the bed again, turning around to rest her chin on his bare chest. "What do you think I thought?" she asked, tone surprised. "I thought that it was some kind of miracle. You were there - alive..right in front of me, just as if..." Her soft voice faltered for a moment, and she paused to wipe away gathering tears. "I missed you so much.."

He reached out with a hand, lightly brushing fingertips against smooth cheek, and she tilted her head to the side, leaning into his touch. "I was happy. But at the same time, scared. And angry..." she continued. "You'd been gone for so long...if you'd been alive, why hadn't you come back like you promised? But even then...I was happier than I'd been for..longer than I wanted to remember."

"I remember.." he said softly. "Lying there in the snow like that. For a few seconds...I woke up. I saw you there, saw the uniform..and I wondered what would happen to me. I remember thinking that you looked so sad, and I thought it was maybe because you thought I was dead. I tried to say something, but I couldn't...and I passed out again."

"And then what?" she asked, seeming curious. Mwu smiled. "When I woke up again, I was in sickbay, and then later, I woke up and saw you again. I wondered why you were there. When I found out I was a prisoner - or thought I was..I was angry. But at the same time, I thought that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing." His smile made Murrue even more curious, and she rested her chin on her hands. "Why is that? You certainly didn't look happy..."

"Because I figured that, while I may be a prisoner, my jailer was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life..." he replied, hand still stroking her hair. She blushed. "You were not thinking that." she denied, and he laughed. "Sure I was. I called you 'beautiful', didn't I?"

"Yes..yes you did," she admitted. Then she pouted, eyebrows dipped in a frown. "And you made me cry. Again. After I'd been alone, I'd promised myself I wouldn't let the thought of you make me cry ever again. But you came back...and you did. You always do."

"I'm sorry.." he said awkwardly. "I was..well, I guess that I was scared. I didn't know where I was..didn't know who anyone was. I said the first thing that popped into my mind. I know that..it's no excuse, but it's the only one I have..." Mwu broke off at the sound of her laughter. He glanced up at her, slightly hurt. "What?"

"You always apologise.." she said, smiling. "And I keep telling you..that none of it was your fault. Neither of us has to be sad anymore, or angry. You still make me cry sometimes...but now it's because I'm happy." Reaching out, Murrue took his hand, entwining their fingers together. "We're here now, and we're together. Right?"

"Right." he agreed, bringing her hand to his lips to press a gentle kiss to it. "And you know, that's why I was so different after I rejoined the crew. I was with you." Pulling her close, he wrapped her up tightly in his arms. Murrue made a happy noise, a soft murmur from her throat as she nuzzled into his embrace again, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hey.." he said after a while. She didn't say anything, just murmured again. He grinned. "When I asked..that time in sickbay, you said that I was 'irreplaceable'. Am I really?" Looking down for her reaction, Mwu was amused to see that she was blushing again.

"Well, of course you are!" she huffed. "Idiot. There could never be anyone like you..and I was still in love with you. So what was I supposed to say?" He chuckled at her indignation, and ruffled her hair. "Thanks.." he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"You won't go anywhere again, will you?" she asked.

"I said I wouldn't, didn't I?" Mwu pointed out. "And I have no reason to now. I was able to save you..and this time, I was able to stay with you..." She looked up at him again at that, her brown eyes locking with his blue ones. "Have you any idea how much that scared me? The thought that I might lose you again after all that had happened?" He sighed, shaking his head. "Murrue.. Did you think I was going to sit there and watch you...sit there and lose you? If I saved you...I didn't care..."

"But I did.." she muttered, looking away. "I was so lonely because you weren't there...and angry at you for leaving me. Angry for letting myself love you. Everyone said that I must be proud...that you were a hero, that you gave up your life to save so many people. And I was at first..very proud. But all the pride in the world didn't bring you back to me...and in time I began to resent it..what you did."

"Because I had saved you...but I wasn't there? That I didn't come back?" he asked, cuddling her close. She nodded, holding him as though she never wanted to let him go. "All I wanted was for you to be there with me. For us to be together.." she whispered.

"Well..now we can be." he replied, bringing her near for a loving kiss. "I won't leave you again, and anything you want...what you wanted in those years I was gone...you can have..."

Murrue giggled, happy again, laying back down. "Silly.." she said quietly, her thin fingers playing with the ends of his blonde hair. "All I wanted was you..."

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( Just a random shot of nothingness. She would have been proud of what he did, I'm sure of it. But at the same time..it must have hurt so much..because he couldn't be there...

Please read and review! )