Quick Note: If you have not noticed, the rating of this story is M, because of what is coming up in this chapter. I did not go into full detail, but since I'm very paranoid, I changed the rating just because of this scene and possible other scenes. If anyone thinks I may be going over the top with the rating, please let me know. Reviews and critiques are welcomed and very much appreciated!

On the day before the wedding, Elizabeta was rather bored. All of the stress from finding a dress had disappeared weeks ago, all of the invitations had been sent and people were attending. She wasn't even allowed to see Roderich, who probably could've played the piano to keep her mind off things. But with nothing to do but to stare out the window, Elizabeta thought about her visit to Gilbert. Seeing him like that had frightened her, what had he been up to since that silly ball? Was he really that…heartbroken over her?

"Elizabeta!" Liz heard her mother sing. Without asking, her mother barged into her room and sat next to her daughter. "Oh, dear, I can't believe that this is the last day that you'll be living under my roof. The last day you'll be Elizabeta Héderváry! Tomorrow, you'll be Mrs. Roderich Edelstein! Isn't that wonderful?" Liz smiled slightly and nodded. Mrs. Roderich Edelstein…it sounds so weird. She thought. "Well, I just wanted to spend some time with you before the big day! Be sure to get lots of rest." Her mother gave her a small kiss on the cheek and was on her way. Liz sat in silence, twirling her long, caramel coloured hair around her fingers and thought. Perhaps I should visit him one last time. She told herself. After tomorrow, I will never get the chance to see him ever again. This may be my last chance. Positive that she wanted to see her childhood, best friend, Elizabeta hurried off to the washroom and took a quick bath. After doing so, she put on a simple dress that wouldn't get caught on the bushes or the hedges as she planned to sneak off at night.

Elizabeta waited until the sun began to set before she opened her bedroom window and slowly climbed down the vines of ivy that hugged her house. "It feels like old times." she murmured to herself, jumping down. A smile grew across her face as the memory of skipping her lessons to go hunt with Gilbert. "I certainly will miss them." Liz pushed back some of her hair behind her ear and sprinted down the secret passage she had made all those years ago.

Everything seemed to ache; his head, his arms, his legs, everything. He had stopped drinking after Liz dropped by for a surprise visit, but his depression still lurked around in his mind, which made him believe that he was in physical pain. Keeping to himself, Gilbert led the horse into the last stall and closed the door, sighing. "You can close up, right?" his grandfather asked. "I think you're capable now since the alcohol is no longer around." Gilbert rolled his eyes and simply nodded. "Good, see you inside." His grandfather shut the big wooden doors behind him and left Gilbert off on his own.

"Tomorrow's the big day." he muttered, plopping down on a haystack. "The day when I lose her forever." Clutching a few pieces of hay, Gilbert dropped them on his face and closed his eyes. "I remember when we used to hide in here all the time when Liz's parents would come looking for her." He grinned. They used to hide in the haystacks, doing the best they could to keep quiet, thought Gilbert's giggling and snickering would never cease to give their hiding spot away. Liz would leave by punching him the shoulder, calling him an idiot for laughing and then would be dragged away with her mother.

She must hate it that her mother has always told her what to do.

Gilbert wished that Liz would tell him what she really thought of this wedding ordeal. There was no way she truly loved Roderich, there was no way she agreed to marry him without some kind of an argument. That wasn't like Liz; she was a headstrong woman and always spoke her mind, though it often fell on deaf ears.

Gilbert sighed, rolling over to his side and curling up into a ball. He felt better ever since Ludwig and Grandpa got rid of the beer in the house, but there was still a feeling of emptiness in his heart. If he could only know what Liz was thinking, if he could know that she didn't love Roderich, maybe, just maybe, he'd be back to himself.

Elizabeta waited in the bushes as she watched Gilbert's grandfather and Ludwig enter the house. They're certainly good at taking their time. Liz complained to herself. As soon as the door clicked shut, Liz crawled as fast as she could out of the hedges and sprinted up the hill to the barn. "I can't believe they're just allowing him to sleep in there. Well, I guess he is an adult now so they really don't have any control, but still. They're not that heartless, are they?" she asked herself, pulling on the heavy doors. "Why are these things so darn heavy?!" Suddenly, Liz stumbled as the doors opened and quickly spun around to close them. She heard rustling behind her as she picked up the block of wood that 'locked' the doors to the barn.

"Liz?" Turning slightly, Liz saw Gilbert standing behind her with a confused expression across his face. She smiled as she dusted off her hands and approached him.

"You look much better than the last time I saw you." she remarked. "Have you stopped your drinking?" Gilbert pursed his lips and scratched his head.

"Not on my own accord; Ludwig ratted me out and my grandpa refuses to buy more of it." He glanced down at his shoes before getting angry. "So why are you here? Are you here to rub it in that you're marrying some loser who has money?"

"I've barely said one word and you're already bashing Roderich!" Liz spat back. "This isn't about him anyway! I came here to see you, Gil." Her German friend rolled his eyes at her and turned his back to her. "I mean it! The last time I was here, you were so drunk that you were acting like an animal! Ludwig told me that you had been drinking for months and I was worried about you!"

"So you show up the day before your wedding?" Gilbert mumbled. He threw out his arms and spun around. "Well, I'm not drinking anymore so there's nothing for you to worry about. You can go home now." Liz narrowed her eyes, skeptical. "You heard me! I'm not drinking anymore! I've got nothing left in this forsaken place and here you are, here to remind me that I lost the love of my life to some wimpy Austrian!"

"The love of your life?" Liz repeated.

"Yeah, that's right. Let me guess, you don't remember that ball oh so long ago?" Liz swallowed and pressed her lips together.

"Of course I remember, Gilbert. I know how you feel and I'm sorry it has to be this way but, my parents—"

"Fuck your parents! You'll never love that mole-face prick!" he yelled. Enraged, Liz marched right up to him and stood only inches away from him.

"You don't have to be so vulgar!" she hissed. "I do love Roderich, but it's a different kind of love than the love I have for you." She reached up to brush his silvery hair from his face and sighed.

"That's bullshit and you know it." Gilbert muttered, flinching away from her. "You can't love the both of us."

"But I can and I will." Liz gripped Gilbert's shirt, pulling him closer than he already was and pressed her lips onto his. After a few seconds, she pulled away, pushing her giggling down as she looked back at him. "If I had a choice, I'd marry you in a heartbeat."

"Why can't you choose? You love me, not him." Liz kissed him again.

"Because I'm a woman and I have no choice." she mumbled. He gently stroked his hair, cradling his jaw with her free hand. "I wish we could go back to when it was just you and I." Her hands slid to his chest, moving them up and down lightly; just enough to send him shivers. "Just you and me." she repeated in a hush whisper. She pressed her lips against his again, but this time, there was more intention behind it.

Something had changed in Liz that moment. The glimmer in her eye had faded into a seductive haze that lured Gilbert in. Her kisses became more and more passionate and her hands explored his whole body. "Liz, what are you…?" he asked, only to be hushed with another kissed. "You're getting married tomorrow!" he added, his voice muffled by the kiss. Liz smirked.

"I know." she replied, unbuttoning his shirt. "And for once, I don't care." Tugging on the shirt collar, Liz continued to kiss him as she slid his shirt off his shoulders. Gilbert, on the other hand, was still in shock; his arms went stiff against his sides, his eyes were wide and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Liz paused, slowly meeting his panicked gaze and giggled. "You still have that adorable confused look." By this time, her hands had travelled down to his pants, exploring and groping what she could.

"E-Elizabeta," Gilbert stammered. "W-we s-shouldn't…I mean…I want…but…wedding…confusion." He was lost for words; what on earth was she thinking?! She was getting married tomorrow! Didn't she know that this was forbidden, that this was absurd? Liz's laugh grew louder and more seductive as she pulled his trousers off. Gilbert chocked and gasped, doing his best not to moan. "Liz…!"

"What?" she replied, torturing him with small kisses along his jaw line and neck. She pulled on his wrists, letting his hands rest on her breasts. Gilbert quickly closed his eyes shut. Don't look, don't look, for Pete's sake Gilbert, don't look! He chanted in his mind. "C'mon, don't tell you've never wanted to touch these. I've seen you sneak glances at them before."

"I shouldn't...!" he muttered.

"Gilbert, look at me." Liz released his wrists and cupped his face. "Bitte?" He knew the Hungarian's knowledge for German was limited, but she knew, just knew, that small little phrases would get him to do whatever she wanted. When he opened his eyes, he immediately stared at her breasts. As Liz slipped her arms out of the sleeves and allowed the dress to fall down to her ankles, he looked at her flat stomach, admired her subtle curves and her hips. She was grinning, he knew she was, and he pulled her close, yearning for her.

Liz giggled as she slipped her arms around Gilbert's neck. "You know, you're actually pretty attractive when you're not being an asshole." she whispered. "I forgot that I always had a little crush on you growing up." Gilbert raised his eyebrows in shock, but then smirked.

It was hard to believe that two childhood friends who were now adults stood before each other, tentative. Sooner or later, the two couldn't stop touching and groping each other, moans escaping their throats as both fought for dominance. Eventually, Gilbert relented and allowed Liz to straddle his hips, knowing that he'd get his way later.

There was no turning back.

"You should go home now; your family is probably freaking out by now." Gilbert muttered, gently twisting Liz's hair around his hand.

"They probably haven't even noticed my disappearance." Liz replied. She sat up and pulled her dress to her, standing up to get dressed. "I can't believe it's happening tomorrow."

"I can't believe you're marrying an Austrian tomorrow." Gilbert snickered. "You could've had the awesome me instead, but hey, whatever suits you." Liz laughed.

"You really don't like him, do you?" she asked, watching him getting dressed. "You hardly know him."

"I don't need to." he added, pulling his shirt over his head. "I just hope he takes care of you, that's all." They walked side by side to the entrance, Gilbert knocked the block blocking the doors and smiled. "I still think you're awesome. But not as awesome as me, of course." Liz smiled and took his hand, dragging him behind her. "So, tomorrow…?"

"Ich heirate Roderich Edelstein und nach Österreich gehen." Liz stated, trying to practice the German Roderich had taught her. Gilbert chuckled and shook his head.

"That was terrible!" he teased. "That's not how you pronounce that at all!" Liz frowned and punched him in the stomach.

"Roderich is helping me learn German." she defended. "Was it really that bad?"

"It was way too pointed, be a little softer when you say it next time, okay?" Gilbert leaned down to kiss her cheek. "So, I'm assuming you're moving to Vienna then. I would've never guessed."

"Yes," Liz answered, sighing. "Two days after the wedding." They stopped, faced each other, too afraid to bid their farewells. "We'll keep in touch, yes?" Gilbert nodded.

"Natürlich." They kissed for one last time, saddened that it all had to come to an end. Before Liz walked through her secret passage, Gilbert tugged her arm with a grin. "Ich liebe dich." Liz smiled softly and nodded.

"Én is szeretlek." Liz said, in her native language. She stepped into the forest and glanced back at him, winking, switching back to speaking in German. "Und nie vergessen."

Translations:

Ich heirate Roderich Edelstein und nach Osterreich gehen = I'm marrying Roderich Edelstein and going to Austria

Ich liebe dich = I love you

Naturlich = of course, naturally

Und nie vergessen = And never forget

En is szeretlek = I love you too