The garden was filled with the sounds of summer. Smiling gently at the sound of bees humming around the flowers, a woman walked down the path towards the fish pond in the centre of this garden. The woman was in her mid-sixties, but looked to be much younger than that, the warm smile lighting up her faintly lined face. Her expression spoke of someone who had lived a full and happy life, the gentle smile growing mischievous as she quietly crept up on the one snoozing on the sunlounger by the pond.

"Guess who?" she whispered, covering the sleeper's eyes with her hands. The man never moved, but he did smile. "No idea. But I bet you're beautiful..."

"And you always say that.." she pointed out. Removing her hands, she poked her lazy husband lightly on the nose. "You need to get up now, anyway. They'll be here in a little while."

"I know, I know.." he grumbled, getting to his feet and wandering off into the house. Murrue smiled again as she watched him go. Almost thirty-five years married..and he still acted like a child.

The bang of a car door alerted her attention, as did the sound of the garden gate opening. Turning, the woman's face lit up as a tiny figure darted across the lawn towards her. "Grandma!" yelled the figure, and Murrue knelt down to welcome the little girl into her arms. "Hello, Maddie darling. Are you having a nice birthday?"

Her granddaughter nuzzled into her arms, giggling as she was lifted up. "Yep. Lookie, Grandma..I got a dolly!" She held out the object she clutched in her hands. Murrue smiled. "She's beautiful. What did Haruma get?"

"He got a car.." replied the five-year-old. "He's over there with Mommy and Daddy!" She pointed towards the gate, where Lily was just walking in, followed by Siegel and Haruma. "Hi, Mom!" called her youngest daughter. "Sorry we're late!"

"It's all right!" called back Murrue. "The cake's not quite ready yet.." Madelaine looked up at her, brown eyes wide. "Did you bake us a cake, Grandma?"

"Sure I did. I think Grandpa's looking after it for you.." Lily laughed at that. "You mean, Dad's eaten it all?"

"No.." laughed the older woman. "But he did sulk when I wouldn't let him scrape out the bowl of frosting.."

"Who are we talking about again?" Mwu's loud voice rang through the garden, causing both Madelaine and Haruma to wiggle out og the grasps of those who held them, and rush over to where he was standing. "Grandpa!"

Wide smile on his face, Mwu scooped up the two tiny children and swung them around. "Hey there! Happy birthday!". The twins squealed and giggled as they were swooped around in the air, and Lily grinned, turning to her mother. "So, who else is coming?"

"Almost everyone.." said Murrue. "Stellar, Alex, Kira-kun, Lacus-san, Athrun-kun, Meyrin-chan.."

Lily smiled, the expression wry. "Alex is coming? This wouldn't be because a certain young lady is, would it?" Murrue smiled back, the smile impish. "You mean Mayu-chan? Possibly. I think he's bringing her as his date..."

Their youngest child, their son Alexander, had lately fallen for the young Mayu Asuka, the daughter of Shinn and Lunamaria. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion on Shinn's part to accept 'Neo''s son as his daughter's suitor..but eventually he'd given in.

"And Sis?"

"Stellar's bringing her boyfriend, yes. She sounded quite nervous about asking him, but it seems all right." Lily giggled at that. "Poor Sis..she'll never quite get used to having someone around, will she?"

"Well...she has lived alone since leaving college. It does take some getting used to..having someone in your life after being alone for so long.." replied Murrue, the memories flitting through her mind.

Later that day, the party began. Stellar's boyfriend loved the celebrations, despite his girlfriend's embarrassment, and Kira had joked that she'd managed to find a man just like her father. The day had worn on, the cake had been eaten (a caterpillar cake, with five candles), and a good time had been had by all. Madelaine and Haruma had chased around the garden, following and being followed by the others, including Mwu on several occasions.

Finally, when all the cake had gone, and all the party balloons had either popped or flown away, the party ended. The sleepy birthday boy and girl had been borne away by their parents, leaving the garden in peace once more.

"It feels like history's repeating itself.." mused Mwu softly, as he sat by his wife's side on the moonlit grass.

"It does?" she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. I mean, think about it.." he said. "It feels like yesterday..when we were the ones with little kids. And everyone was young then. Now..it's the same, only..not."

"Well, it's the next generation, isn't it?" Murrue pointed out, brushing a lock of grey-streaked auburn hair from her face. "Now it's their turn. And in time, they'll probably be thinking the same things that we are now. It all carries on..."

"Did you ever think..those times on the Archangel, when we were first together..that something like this could happen?" he asked, looking up at the moon. "No," she admitted, smiling. "But maybe I wished it. Maybe we both did, and that's why it happened."

Mwu laughed at that, leaning down to kiss her gently. "Wished for it? That makes sense. Since neither of us had a family..we tried to find one in each other?"

"Something like that.." replied Murrue, pulling him down so they both lay on the grass looking up at the stars.

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( And that, ladies and gentlemen, is your lot. I think 200 one-shots altogether is enough for anyone, ne? I haven't stopped writing, or thinking of things to write, so I'll still be around.

Please read and review, and thank you for being a great audience! )