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At last.
Light spilled into the large bay windows of the hangar, filling the otherwise drab, grey bay with the warm, hazy colors of the Martian dawn. Lucrezia Peacecraft stared out at the landscape, watching as the city came alive to welcome the new day – the new Martian era.
They had, once again, averted a global catastrophe, saved the lives of billions of people. Mars and the rest of the Unified Nations could now rest easy... at least until another threat reared its ugly head, she thought wryly. She had lived through enough wars to know that the realization of peace was a never-ending process and that to think otherwise was naïve.
This was, however, a time for celebration, she reminded herself. She pushed aside thoughts of the work ahead; leaving them for after the dust cleared.
The sound of engines whirring pried her from her thoughts. The metal platform she stood on vibrated, and a warm gust of air blew in as the hangar doors opened. Mobile suits filed in one after another for docking. Turning from the windows, she sought out three particular suits.
Lucrezia heaved a sigh of relief when her eyes landed on them: Tallgeese Heaven. King of Spades. Queen of Hearts.
The Tallgeese Heaven, her husband's suit, was the first to dock. Lucrezia ran up the gangway in time for the hatch to open. She winced at the sight of the machine. It was covered in a myriad of deep dents and burn marks. More than a few armor plates had completely broken off the torso. Despite its highly advanced nano-defensors, there was still only so much continuous damage it could withstand.
Ah, well, for all its fancy trappings it’s still just a mobile suit. As long as its pilot was safe, she couldn’t care less about the impending upkeep. Titanium alloy would be difficult to source on this side of the world, but they were no strangers to scavenging the battleground for viable parts. There might even be some left on Vulkanus. Besides, if there was anything her God-forsaken name was good for, it would be using her connections and funds to acquire whatever material they would need for its reconstruction.
She had a feeling they would be hearing from the ESUN about this, but that was a problem for later.
Milliardo looked visibly exhausted. His flaxen hair was stained with red dust, his face marred with a combination of grime, more red dust – or was that dried blood? It was hard to tell. His brows were furrowed, his jaw set in a hard line as he pushed out of the cockpit, but he lit up when he saw her. “Lucrezia,” he sighed in greeting, earning him a smile. He hopped off from the open hatch, a little too quickly as his landing sent him reeling back. Once he steadied himself on the walkway, he was quick to close the gap between them.
The instant she was in the safety of his arms, Lucrezia let her shoulders sag. She missed his touch so very much. All that time apart had not dulled their affection for each other one bit, but the last several years had been grueling, and she was so, so tired. She knew he was, as well.
Inhaling deeply, she took in his familiar scent – that combination of smoke and metal, of leather and sweat, of faded cedarwood and vetiver. Of home. She was so overcome with immense happiness and relief, that she found herself unable to speak. Instead, she tightened her grip around his midsection. It was all that she could do to keep herself from crying. He responded in kind, pulling her as close as physically possible against him.
“I’m here,” he whispered into her hair to assure her that this was real. His lips pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “Are you okay?”
It was just like him to worry for her safety when he should be more concerned for himself. Unlike him, she had been with a team, surrounded by allies the entire time; up until the last battle, he had fought alone on the front lines. The injuries he sustained from his efforts were nothing to scoff at.
She pulled back to nod and take a good look at him. His rust-stained beard was bushier than it had been when last she saw him in the infirmary. A new bruise darkened the curve of his filthy face, creeping into a cut above it. His injuries from the assault on Babel had yet to heal, and here he was, already sporting new ones.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as she continued to assess him, offering her a sheepish look, the one he had learned to weaponize against her. He often gave her that when he did something she considered reckless, not that the knowledge ever stopped him from doing it in the first place.
Shaking her head, she smiled back. Their eyes met. Oh, how she loved his eyes! At this moment, they reminded her of the clear skies and crystalline waters of Earth, of those precious last days before leaving everything behind for the rusty red dust of Mars.
For better or worse, they achieved what they had set out to do here. After all that they had endured, they were able to build a life together on this wasteland.
“I’m just glad you’re finally back,” she admitted when she found her voice. “That you and the kids are safe.”
“I’ve missed you.”
His lips curved into that tender smile that he reserved only for her; eyes creasing as if he were near tears. The sight of him like this made her stomach flutter. It made her feel young again. The desire to pull him down for a kiss was almost overwhelming.
Almost.
For now, she contented herself with caressing his face and squeezing his hand.
They would find time for much more later.
“I’ve missed you, too.”
Hearing the tell-tale hiss of two more hatches opening, Lucrezia took a step back from her husband. She canted her head to where the Queen of Hearts and the King of Spades stood next to each other. Naina was already on the ramp, waiting for Mille to make his way down his suit.
Lucrezia felt immense pride swell in her chest at the sight of their children. Both grew to be so strong and resilient, despite the cards that God dealt them.
She turned back to her husband and, with a sharp tug on the front of his gray coat, began to hurry him along to where their children were. She could not wait to gather them in her arms, to make their family whole again.
"Now, Mr. President, let's go get our kids.”