Author's Note: This is the last of the connected universe pieces that I have written for this ship for the time being. I unfortunately am lacking drive and inspiration to work on more right now, not to mention I have a bunch of WIPs I should try to finish. I will come back to it, likely sooner rather than later as I love this AU that I've created and the fact that I can give these two some much-needed happiness. This one is short, sweet and simple, but it fits Calibessa quite well I think ;) Enjoy!
I Get To Love You
Ordinarily, Caliban was the one who woke first, while Vanessa preferred to remain in slumber for as long as possible, cradled in her beloved arms. On those rare occasions that she stirred before him, however – she took advantage of the opportunity to gaze at her leisure.
Her fiancé was notoriously shy when it came to his looks. This typically caused him to squirm uncomfortably under her scrutiny, no matter how many times she told him just how handsome she found him. When he was asleep: she could admire for however long she wished.
A happy sigh escaped the raven-haired beauty as she stretched languidly and began to trace invisible figures along his pale, cool skin. She lingered purposely over the scars that littered his chest, ducking her head to press light kisses there.
She felt his long, elegant fingers trail up along her spine. "Vanessa…" his resonant voice was laced with gravel. "Do not start something that you do not intend to finish."
A smirk crossed Vanessa's lips and she continued to lavish his flesh with kisses. "The thought never crossed my mind."
In an unexpected, swift motion, Caliban managed to twist and pin her beneath him, and her breath caught in her throat at the attractive image that he made.
His dark, shoulder-length hair was framing his face in tousled waves, and his gorgeous, bright gold eyes simmered with barely contained passion before he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss.
She moaned, melting into the embrace and reveling in the intimate press of his strong form against hers.
Vanessa brought her hands up to frame his face, purposely stroking over the scar that traversed along one side. The kiss deepened further as their limbs entangled, the pair nipping and teasing at each other's lips until they parted for air.
She rested her forehead against his and nuzzled their noses together. "You need to warn me before kissing me like that."
"Oh?" he nuzzled right back. "Why? Does it give you too many ideas?"
She laughed and nodded. "Yes. Far too many."
"Well we have all day," he resituated so that he could prop himself up on one elbow and ran his fingers along the curve of her hip when she turned to look into his eyes.
"If you're suggesting that we remain in bed the entire day –
"You mean the bed that we rarely make it to?" he interjected, a playful smile crossing his lips.
She narrowed her eyes, resisting the urge to slap him on the arm. "Inconsequential."
Caliban's smirk just widened. "It's true though."
"Regardless of this fact, we cannot. At least not today: Ethan and Ferdinand require us for the cake testing."
"…that's today?" he had the decency to look sheepish about the fact that he'd forgotten.
This time, she did slap him across the chest. "You were the one who asked them both to plan our wedding!"
"I wanted them to stop arguing over who would get the job and to stop pestering me about it!" Caliban rubbed at the spot where her hand had landed, wincing at the sting. "And I do not believe that either of us expected that they would both get so… involved."
An incident involving Ferdinand's suggestions when she went to shop for her wedding night ran through Vanessa's head and she colored significantly; suddenly embarrassed. "They've both gotten a little carried away…"
He nodded, and then sighed and flopped onto his back. "Perhaps we should just elope."
"Sir Malcolm will find a way to kill you if you do not allow him to walk me down the aisle."
Though it was likely impossible, her beloved seemed to grow paler than before. "Good point."
She curled up against him, smiling when he draped his arms around her waist to keep her close. "Try to focus on what matters most…we're getting married. After all that we have both been through, we nearly have our happily ever after."
"As usual, you make perfect sense," he murmured, dropping a kiss to the top of her head and inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. "Now let's just hope that they actually listened to our requests regarding the cake."
"I had a question about that, actually," she tilted her chin up to look at him. "Why did you specify that you did not want oranges as either flavor or garnishing the cake? I thought you liked them."
His expression turned serious. "There was an incident in my past that I do not wish to dwell on…especially as I am starting a future with you."
"An incident?"
He looked away from her, and she could tell that whatever it was: it still caused him guilt.
Gently, she cupped his chin and turned his face so that he was staring into her eyes. "You can tell me."
His eyes searched hers for a long moment before he nodded. "It happened when I was still working at the Grand Guiginol theatre. There was an actress…Maude, her name was, who was kind to me. She offered me an orange one day, a gesture of friendship, I am now certain. I mistakenly interpreted that gesture as something more and…" he looked down, ashamed at his past actions: "I tried to kiss her. When she shoved me away I…well, I attacked her, but, luckily, I stopped myself before I did something I would forever regret. Rightfully: it was the reason I was sacked. It's something to this day that I wish I could go back and change. I was so desperate for affection of any kind at the time that I got carried away. I tried apologizing to her, but she was angry and frightened; not that I blame her. I truly was a monster…"
Vanessa took a moment to process the information, and then she reached out and ran her fingers gently through the silk of his hair. "My love, you are anything but a monster."
"What you think of me doesn't change the fact that I did monstrous things in my past," he sighed, his golden eyes finally meeting hers again.
There was such remorse in his gaze that it made her heart clench. "Perhaps not, but…I always felt that we were drawn to each other for a reason, and now I think know why. You're not the only one in this bed with a dark past, but we both need to move forward…we defeated our demons. In all honesty, I would thank this actress because her loss is my gain. I get to be the one to love you now, and trust me: I intend to take full advantage of this fact."
He marveled at her compassion. "What did I do to deserve you?"
Vanessa smiled at this and crawled on top of him, delighting in the soft hiss that emerged from him when she purposely rolled her hips. "Simple: you accept and love me, as I love and accept you." And then she dipped her head and captured his mouth in a passionate kiss that proved just how much truth there was to those words.
Caliban returned the embrace with fervor, smiling against her lips when her hands began to wander over the expanse of his chest. "I thought we were not allowed to remain in bed all day?"
Vanessa chuckled. "Our wedding planners can wait a few more minutes."
He certainly was not about to argue.
The End