Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they are Stephenie Meyer's beatiful creations. I do not own the movie Miss. Potter.
So this is something I whipped up to break up the time it's taking me to get up the first chapter of my next story!
It's also a tribute to Valentines Day.
I know a lot of people hate it, but with this being my sixteenth year (my whole life!) without a valentine I've learned to not care. It's a nice day to give your freinds hugs and little kiddy valentine cards and tell your parents you love them, even if you're angry at them, because you hope it'll brighten their day!
So enjoy it, please! Go and do something you enjoy doing by yourself if you are also valentineless! Don't let the media and its chocolates-and-candy-from-some-handsome-boy-is-the-only-form-of-happiness-you-may-have morale bring you down!
St. Valentine's Day
Why did this day have to be here so incredibly fast? It's tricky to come up with inventive ways to spend Valentines Day after being with one person so many years. Especially if that person happens to be Rosalie Hale and is expecting something unique and well thought out.
I was driving through Port Angeles searching for something, anything to give me inspiration. I'd gotten her the usual dozen roses all hand chosen by yours-truly. Now I needed something that would make her smile. Make her eyes light up!
Then I saw something out of the corner of my eye that screamed opportunity! There was an island not to far out from the beach. Far enough that to human eyes it probably looked dot-ish, but with vampire sight I could see it was the perfect size and was quite deserted.
---
I'd rented a boat and drove it out to the island bringing with me the petals of twelve dozen red roses, seven large white candles and six exact replicas of her wedding ring. I anchored the boat a bit off from the island and then transported my flower petals and rings over very slowly.
The entire island was sand. There wasn't a tree to be found. At a human pace it would take me a minute to walk around the edge of it. Once I had everything on the island I set to work. First I wrote I love Rosalie Hale in the sand. I dotted the 'I' in her name with the rings. Then I took the rose petals and scattered them around the entire island evenly. Then I placed the candles around the island and lit them.
With one last glance at the island I went back to the boat and went to pick Rose up from her day at the spa.
---
I fidgeted nervously as I drove Rose and me out to the island. Her eyebrows furrowed. She hated when I fidgeted. She said I usually only did it after I'd done something I probably shouldn't have. For example: I once switched Edward's entire wardrobe for some children's dress up clothes in the morning and spent the rest of the day nervously walking around and fixing curtains until he came home.
"Emmett, stop flicking that keychain. What have you done?"
"Nothing bad. Can't I just be nervous?" she eyed me warily.
"I'm not sure. You haven't given me proof that you can. You don't get nervous much." I looked over at her and smiled.
"That's because I'm invincible! I'm like Superman. Nothing but my kryptonite can defeat me." she gave out a wispy laugh that made my insides melt.
"What's your kryptonite?"
"You." I answered automatically. She smiled and her eyes shimmered in the setting sun. She came over from her seat and sat in my lap. She hugged me around the waist; I kissed her hair and slung an arm around her shoulders to pull her tighter.
When we got closer to the island I told her to close her eyes and she did. I anchored the boat again and then picked her up and wadded over to shore. I set her gently on her bare feet and watched as her crunched up her toes to feel the soft petals.
"Okay, open your eyes!" she did and she took in the roses and candles and then let her eyes rest on the rings.
"Oh God." She was so breathless that I couldn't tell if she was happy or disgusted. I sucked in some breath and held it.
Finally she turned to me and jumped at me. She hugged me around the neck and wrapped her legs around my waist.
"Oh God, Emmett! I love it!" Then she leaned down and kissed me so intensely I nearly fell backwards into the water with her still attached to me. Rose pulled back and stared down at me with love in her eyes.
"I love you, Rosie. Happy Valentines Day."
Emotionally, this was the worst day of the year. Girls with high hopes crashing. Some trying too hard to be apathetic and doing an okay job on the outside but inside they feel like a war zone. Wives simply dripping with rage and rejection because their husbands have forgotten what day it is. Girlfriends getting all mushy and starry-eyed because their boyfriend bought them a muffin from the school cafeteria and a carnation to keep in a vase at home.
Then there were the boys. The shy ones who were trying to muster up some courage to ask out the girl who sits in front of him in English. The boyfriends who were scared to death that they'd mess up, no matter how much they joked with their friends in the locker room about needy girls; they actually do care what their girlfriends think. There were even the self-pitying guys who sat in the library reading and trying hard not to think about how much they wanted to go and talk to Cynthia!
Valentines Day should be renamed Emotional Strain Day.
I was sitting in the parking lot of Forks High waiting for Alice to come out. In the short time I'd been here I'd encountered fifty-seven…oh no, wait…fifty-nine different emotions ranging from loneliness to lust, nervousness to complete love. It was all too much to handle. Add on the pressure put on my restraint every time a human passed me and I was ready to explode.
Finally, from the middle of the throng of people, a ray of light emerged. Alice pranced up to the car and slipped into the back seat.
"Bonjour, good sir. I'm looking for an attractive man to take me up to a little place I know in the mountains. Do you think you can get me there?" I smiled at her through the rearview mirror.
"I'll see what I can do, ma'am." I told her, bringing out my old southern accent.
It was our Valentines Day tradition. Alice owned a small wooden cottage up in the mountains and we went to it every year, no matter where we happened to be in the world at that time. There was nothing for miles in each direction. It was the epitome of bliss.
---
We made it up to the cottage within an hour. Alice jumped out of her seat and immediately started to unload blanket after blanket from the trunk. I climbed out and grabbed half of them from her. She quickly grabbed her camera and then we went into the wooden house.
Alice set the blankets on the couch in front of the huge, brick fireplace and then went over to the bay window to admire the view. I deposited my blankets and went to stand behind her. I wrapped my arms around her waist and she leaned back against my chest.
"Look at how beautiful it is, Jazz." But I couldn't tear my eyes away from her face and only ended up murmuring and little 'mhmm'. I could feel a peak of curiosity in the atmosphere and Alice turned around in my arms to see what had me so distracted.
When she saw my eyes on her she smiled and a warm, comforting blanket of love settled on the room. I picked her up so her feet dangled a few inches from the floor. I walked over to the couch and sat her down on top of all the blankets. Then I went and gathered some wood and started a fire in the fireplace.
Alice had laid out all the blankets and was starting to take pictures of everything including me leaning over lighting the fire. I went over to her on the couch and gathered her into my arms. I sat down and placed her in my lap and then pulled all the surrounding blankets on top of us.
Love and caring and comfort and security whispered through the room. They played at my heart and I hugged Alice tighter. She buried her face in my shirt and I buried my face in her hair. I pulled back and pulled her chin up to kiss her.
I only kissed her lips but she deepened it letting all her feelings of love, lust excitement and serenity rush over me and take me down into senselessness.
I pulled back only an inch just before I gave in, only long enough it whisper:
"I love you, Alli. Happy Valentines Day."
I knew for a fact that I couldn't do anything extravagant for Bella. She'd be moody for the whole day. It had been difficult to pass flower shops and restaurants knowing I would not be buying large bouquets or making reservations. I stopped in only two stores.
The first was a flower shop and I purchased only one freesia. The second was a movie rental place where I borrowed Miss. Potter.
Unfortunately, Bella was home sick today. She'd rolled over this morning and immediately stopped moving because her head was pounding and her skin was like fire on my hand. She'd called into the school office and then went back to sleep telling me to hurry up and leave for school.
I'd left but only to pick up my two items and now I was back in her kitchen. I'd decided that since she was sick I could probably get away with making her breakfast in bed. So I was making her waffles from Esme's old recipes. They were turning out huge and fluffy and they smelt horrible. Well, at least I thought they did. I cut up some apples and placed them around her waffles. Then I took out the maple syrup from her refrigerator and poured it over everything, adding a pinch or two of cinnamon as I went.
I searched through Charlie's cupboards and found a thin vase. I filled it with water and placed the freesia in it. I gathered it all onto a tray with flip-out legs and carried it up to her room.
She was sleeping so peacefully I almost turned around and left without a word. Instead I walked over to the side of her bed and sat down. I placed the tray on the bedside table and then reached over and gently brushed some strands of hair from her face. She moved a little bit and rolled over to face me. I chuckled quietly and leaned down and kissed her softy.
She stirred and then opened an eye. When she saw me she raised her eyebrow.
"Didn't I tell you to go to school?" her voice was scratchy but it was still like music to my ears.
"You might have." I smirked at her and she opened her other eye.
"Then why are you still in my room?"
"I did leave, but I came back. I couldn't leave you alone and feeling sick on Valentines Day." She rolled her eyes.
"It's just another day, Edward." She told me, sitting up.
"No it's not." I insisted. She sighed and let her shoulders slouch. It bothered me that she wasn't even feeling well enough to argue back. She saw the worry in my eyes and attempted to defeat me once again.
"Edward, if you got me anything I will not speak to you for the rest of the day."
"Well then, I guess it's good that I didn't." she looked at me skeptically. I put my hands up, palms out, in protection. "I may have gotten you a flower and rented you a movie. But that is all I spent money on. I promise you."
"So what didn't you spend money on?" she was too observant sometimes. I reached over and set the tray of food over her legs.
"Breakfast." Her stomach rumbled at the sight of food. I smiled. She blushed a light pink.
"Thank you, Edward."
For the rest of the day we sat on the couch in her living room and watched Miss. Potter. As the movie ended I swept a thumb over her cheeks trying to wash away the tears that were tumbling from her eyes.
"I hope she found love again." She whispered.
"I hope so too, Bella." she smiled at me and wiped away the remaining tears.
"Thank you for not over doing today." She said before she reached up and kissed me. Not a deep kiss, but a meaningful one. One that meant she loved me enough to not push my restraint. She pulled away too soon for the both of us.
"I love you, Bella. Happy Valentines Day."