A little one-short dedicated to one of my favourite Jane Austen pairings. It's up to you which version it can belong to as it take's place after Marianne and Col. Brandon marry, but as I wrote it I had the actors from the BBC mini-series in mind, although Alan and Kate made a very beautiful couple in the film. I've tried to keep the writing faithful to the Austen style and please remember it's in Marianne's point of view.

It takes place on the couple's wedding night and basically describes Marianne's nervousness and Brandon's kindness. It's not really lemony as I thought it distasteful to add too much but you get the general point from Marianne's thoughts so I'll add a little warning.

Marianne shivered. Tonight was her wedding night and although she tried to put on a brave face, inside she was nervous. She'd heard gossip and read stories about this sort of thing. Of course her mother had found out and confiscated the book. She'd advised Marianne not to be so nosey and not to trouble herself on the delicate subject. When the time came her husband would show her what to do. Perhaps that was all well and good for a passive wife but she was hardly the sort to settle for such a brief explanation. She wanted facts. The only problem was that the subject of…intimacy…between a man and a wife was an unspeakable topic for a respectable young lady to know, and she could think of anybody to ask. Elinor couldn't, or wouldn't, even though she was married to Edward… but then she'd always been a serious girl. In a way it felt as though she was being excluded from a group and the only way to join them was to pass the obstacle that was tonight. So she reluctantly resigned herself to wait. A task that she'd always hated. Instead she tried to think about her wedding day. It had been a truly beautiful affair. Marianne and Col. Christopher Brandon had stood before the clergyman and when she was asked to repeat her vowels she'd meant every word of them…and she knew he had as well. There was never a time when he said something he did not mean. That was simply Christopher Brandon. She knew now that she had made the right decision in accepting his proposal. Not for money as some gossiped, but because of his character and temperament. Perhaps they didn't agree of everything as she did with Mr Willoughby but that simply showed that he was his own person.

Everybody agreed it was a good match. They all seemed to know that she loved him before even she realised it! She had loved Mr Willoughby. He'd been young, handsome, well read, and passionate, with a temperament that matched hers. But he was also unreliable, rude, and selfish. Women could find themselves loving such a man but they did not marry them. Instead they married for more then that. Brandon was caring, considerate, shrewd, and completely in love with her. When she'd spoken to Elinor outside the church, her older sister had joked that at last Marianne was being sensible. At first she'd felt nervous but then settled down to the fact that she was right. She was being sensible…and she loved it. That didn't mean, of course, that she would become all practical just because she was married…oh no, you couldn't tame Marianne Dashwood.

And the best part about that…the cherry on top…was that her husband didn't want to.

The home she now lived in couldn't be more different to her old and it reminded her of Norland Park. Its wooden floors, lavishly furnished rooms, and glass windows were perfect and yet her husband had told her to redecorate if she wished. He'd said everything he owned was now hers too and that she should make herself comfortable. It was still difficult for her to feel as though she belonged and whenever she thought the word Home a picture of Barton Cottage would come to mind. She knew it would take a while but soon this would be where she belonged…with Brandon. Marianne had no intension of changing anything except perhaps refurbishing one or two rooms that had been long neglected. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her husband, living alone here for so long. She was determined to light it up.

The room she was currently standing in was the master bedroom. At first she'd been impressed by it's huge size but now she was nervous in it. The walls were painted a dark red with a small print of some sort and the floors were made from the darkest wood. There was a wardrobe, a changing screen, a vanity for herself, and on the dresser stood a china water jug in case she needed a drink during the night. In the middle of the room was a four poster king sized bed with fresh white sheets and green blankets. A flame was burning in the fireplace but still she shivered. She was already wearing her white nightgown. The maid who had been brushing her long curly hair now stopped and smiled kindly down at her, as though she knew what she feared. "If you're cold, ma'am, then I should pop into bed. The Colonel will be in shortly."

"Thank you," Marianne answered back quietly.

The maid put the hairbrush down and hesitated for a moment before leaving. "Don't worry yourself, love. Try to relax." The door shut behind her before Marianne could reply.

Try and relax? That would be a tall order. Marianne looked at herself briefly in the vanity glass and pinched her cheeks a little to try and make them look rosier. In the firelight her hair seemed to look more vibrant then usual and her eyes glazed. She lifted the sheets so that she could slip into the warm bed. She recalled those first few nights at Barton Cottage where she'd slept in Elinor's bed because of the cold. The two sisters had huddled together for heat and she remembered fondly telling her sister to put on socks because of her cold feet. She realised she would never be able to be that close to her sister again now they were both married.

The door opened and Brandon came in, wavering slightly when he saw her. He smiled and shut the door behind him. No words were spoken between the two of them as he stood behind the screen and changed out of his breeches and shirt. Marianne sat up a little and was glad for the plump cushions behind her. She could vaguely see his outline as he changed because of the fire. She took in his muscular thighs and her gaze was caught by his strong looking chest. No doubt built by all the horse riding and fencing he carried out. She watched as he pulled on a nightshirt and came out from behind the screen that had earlier shielded her when changing into her nightgown. She'd never seen a man so barely dressed before and had only admired a man's physique through his clothes, as a proper young lady should.

Their eyes met, and she felt butterflies flapping about in her stomach as she lost herself for the hundredth time in his dark brown eyes. How they'd changed since the day they'd first met! She could recall at the time they'd been a brown colour but she didn't take the time to really admire them as she did now. His gaze was intense and she could see a hint of longing within them that made her shiver once more…only this time it was not from nerves. He moved around the side of the bed and slipped under the sheets in the same way she had.

"Marianne?"

"Christopher…"

His warm hand reached out and gently caressed her cheek. She felt her eyelids flutter at his touch and her lips parted as she breathed in. "There is no need to be uneasy…I won't do anything if you not willing."

Marianne's heart went out to him as he said those considerate words. They were exactly the right words to make her feel better. Slowly… hesitantly…she turned her face and brushed her lips against his palm. She felt him draw nearer and then his lips were on hers. It was a gentle kiss. A kiss of trust that demanded nothing else. Marianne let of a little sigh of happiness. "I am willing…"

"You are sure?"

"Completely."

And then he moved closer to her. She lay down properly against the sheets with her head resting on the pillow. She felt him lay one hand on her waist and the other on the bed to the far side of her. His touch sent shivers throughout her body and before she knew it he was above her. Her knees seemed to move without being asked as she instinctively brought them to his sides. Her nightdress was thin, as was his shirt, and she could feel a hardness beside her thigh that she did not understand. She didn't want to anymore. All day she'd been afraid of this moment and wanting to know what would happen…but now she was here she just wanted discover it for herself.

She gasped when she felt his lips against the skin of her soft neck. Her eyelids fluttered once more and she closed her eyes, enjoying the strange sensation it seemed to cause. Who knew that such an act could provoke such feelings? Months ago when she'd held Mr Willoughby's hand, she'd felt slight butterflies, but nothing like this. She couldn't describe in words how she felt. All her beloved sonnets couldn't even compare. She opened her eyes and saw that he was watching her. He looked as though he was agitated and she detected that he was a little nervous too. "I'm okay," she assured him; her tone surprised her for it sounded dry.

"I love you, Marianne, more then anything. I have since the first time I saw you," he replied quietly. "…This will hurt a little, but I promise it will be swift."

"I trust you…with everything I am."

She was frightened by what he said but she knew he wouldn't lie to her. It was considerate for him to let her know, at least. She captured the lips that were hovering by her own in a delightful kiss. Whilst this was happening she felt one of his hands move from her waist to her hip and the other drew up the hem of her nightdress until it reached her waist. He broke the kiss off then for a moment and at that point she knew that whatever would hurt was about to happen. She didn't know what was happening and kept her gaze on his face but after a second felt something inside of her. There was a sharp pain that made her wince and then the Colonel recaptured her lips. This kiss was different then before. It was passionate, and wanting. She felt that the two of them were finally as close to each other as they could possible be. He moved into her again and she felt a warm sensation spread across her body that was not at all unwelcome. Her hands stirred of their own accord as her husband kept moving and they came to rest on his warm shoulders.

After a few more seconds she felt something deep inside of her stir. Waves and waves of joyful sensation seemed to rock her very self and she couldn't help but give a little cry. Everything, her thoughts, her memories, her very being didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered except being here with her husband. When she thought she couldn't take anymore, she suddenly couldn't and her entire vision blurred as her heart seemed to reach the stars. Brandon made a noise like hers and then she felt a warmth inside of her.

So this was what everybody kept hushed up? Marianne didn't see why such a thrilling experience was so frowned upon. She found herself panting and saw that her husband was too. He kissed her then softly on the lips and then all over her features. He took her hand and held it as though he would never let go. She didn't want him too. He moved off of her and she moved into his embrace. His arm was around her, holding her to him. After a few seconds she started to calm down and her heartbeat was getting back to normal. She gazed up into his eyes and she smiled uncertainly. "What was it exactly that we just did?" she asked gently, hoping she didn't sound too inquisitive.

For an answer he grinned and pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes. "We made love, Marianne. It's when two souls come together and become as close as they can possibly get…and later on, if we are lucky enough, a child might be born," he added tenderly.

Marianne felt tears gather in her eyes at his beautiful explanation. Could there be anything more divine then this handsome creature beside her? "I promise, Christopher, that I will be the best wife you could ever possibly imagine, and if so the best mother too. I love you, my dear, so much…and if I get to spend the rest of my days with you here then I will be more then blessed."

He kissed her then once more. "Not here, my dear. I have made plans for us to move into a home closer to your sister and her husband at Delaford. I know how much you miss her, and this can be a chance for the both of us to start a new… together."

"That is a beautiful thought…but do you know something?" she asked, grinning. "I'd rather not erase the past…for without it I would never have met you or come to appreciate you as I do now. It was all worth it…the heartache…the pain."

"Poetry?" he joked. "You've been reading too many sonnets."

"No, I've been reading just enough," Marianne replied and kissed him lightly on the nose.

With that said the two of them closed their eyes and fell asleep in their embrace.

Was it okay? Constructive criticism would be lovely but I just had to write something to get the idea out of my head! Cheers for reading.