A/N: I apologise in advance, I am not a natural lemon writer.
The use of the c-word was a considered one, it has been in use since the 13th century and derives from middle english.
This story now comes to you with extra shimmer, thanks to KeeWit!
When they got up in the morning Bella noticed the weather for the first time. The sky was beautiful clear blue. She was relieved that Edward said nothing about the night before. They got dressed, dancing around each other, Bella highly aware every time she brushed Edward's arm in passing or when he touched her waist as he asked if she were ready to go. She could feel her mood lightening at the thought of escape and she became aware that she was smiling constantly, her smile reflected in Edward's face. The relief of getting away from the madness was enormous. Edward's friend Emmett was waiting in his car in the hotel garage just after eight o'clock. He turned out to be just as tall as Edward but about three times as heavy. He was obviously very good-natured and happily chatted with them both for a few minutes. Edward introduced Bella but didn't name any relationship between them and she thought that some of the looks his friend gave her were a little speculative but he said nothing and all three parted cheerfully. Edward promised to pick him up after work and drive him home and also to look after the car.
The car turned out to be a Mini Coupe. Bella gaped when she saw it and laughed hysterically at the sight of six foot two Edward folding himself apparently double to fit behind the steering wheel. She also pointed out that a bright red mini with racing stripes was hardly the perfect car in which to escape incognito. She half-seriously suggested that they go back and hire a black Mercedes but Edward set off in the car with evident enjoyment. "Come on" he said "You only live once and potentially we'll all be wiped out in the next couple of generations anyway". "Thanks for reminding me" she ground out giving him a grim look. He smiled guiltily. "You're right. No horrible realities today" he said in great good humour. "Escape!"
They drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, admiring the view. The sky was a brilliant blue with none of the usual early morning fog. They experimented with the different voices of the satellite navigator until they settled for the soothing female British one. After a while, a silence fell. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her. "I was thinking of that time we drove from Chicago to New Orleans" she answered, startled out of her train of thought. "Remember how once we got past Illinois the radio could only find country and western?" Edward grinned. "That was a great trip" he commented "Although the only day with really nice weather, you were too hungover to go out. Unbelievable." Bella blushed and fell silent again. That was the trouble with people who knew you really well she thought, they remembered some things that you would rather forget. Once they settled into the highway driving, a silence fell until Bella noticed Edward peering into the rear view mirror. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Checking your hair?" Edward gave her a disgusted look. His messy hair was a sore point with him and had been ever since she had known him. "No, I'm trying to see if anyone is following us" he replied.
That brought her back from her reminiscence with a jolt. Immediately she began looking in her side mirror as well, trying to watch the cars weaving in and out of the traffic. "Do you think they would follow us?" she asked anxiously. "I don't know," he admitted. "There doesn't seem a lot of point, I have to say. On the other hand if a few days ago, you had said you would be personally threatened by a large and powerful drug company over the public presentation of some very preliminary epidemiological data about the pill what would you have said?"
The look she gave him was eloquent.
Bella gradually forgot to watch for tailing S&D men and merely watched out the window for a while. She had taken a number of driving trips around the US and she knew from experience that the views from the interstate highways were usually not the best. After leaving the Bay and the waterside the scenery turned into urban grimness. A burnt-out car by the side of the road and that peculiarly American streetscape of bare, concrete footpaths and stark electrical wiring began to sink her mood back toward one of doom. Bella had a cousin who had completed a PhD entitled "The Ecology of Roadside Environments", something she had poked fun about at the time, but it came back to haunt her every trip to the US when she saw their reluctance to spend taxpayer money on public spaces. This the US, was the great urban nation and like the rusting remnant of the car they just passed it seemed to be showing its cracks. They continued driving north on interstate 101 while she was thinking these thoughts, but soon after, they came off the highway at the polite request of the satellite navigator.
"Did you ever read that book, what was it called, something like 'the truth about drug companies'?" asked Edward suddenly.
Bella was again surprised out of some memories. "No" she replied. "What about it?"
"It was written by the editor of the Lancet or Nature or something. One of those big journals. Anyway it's a complete demolition job on the drug companies. I don't think he's going to be getting any free handouts from them in the near future".
Bella sat up, interested. "What does he say?" she asked.
"Well, he talks about how the drug companies always claim that it costs them a fortune to research and develop new drugs but that really, most of the research is done by basic researchers on some kind of grants. The drug companies all just come along and take the results for development into a new product."
"Hmmmmmm" said Bella. "That's probably true."
"And he also says that most of the drug companies' R&D is either spent on marketing or on producing new versions of an older drug, you know to try and make a longer half-life or something or else they just do some kind of trial of a drug for a new indication. Like when a drug has a side effect so that market it to utilize that side effect. Say a drug for depression also happened to cause appetite suppression –"
"That's not very likely" interrupted Bella. "Most of the anti-depressants cause weight gain for some reason. So you feel better about life until you realise that now you have a genuine problem – obesity".
Edward grinned. "Remember my Dad's favourite joke? The world's worst compliment? For a fat lady you don't sweat much?"
Bella pulled a twisted grin and nodded. She had a sudden feeling that today was going to be full of these remembered moments and they were making her feel terribly nostalgic, not just for their relationship but for her student days, being young, no cares, no worries, certain that everything was for a reason and that everything would turn out well.
"Anyhow, suppose, just suppose, an antidepressant did cause appetite suppression. Well, then the drug company might market it as a weight loss drug. And that would count as a new drug, so they would then claim the research and development costs which are tax deductible although all they've done is exploit an aspect of a previously developed drug".
"Weight loss must be particularly lucrative," mused Bella.
"He also talks about all the dirty tricks they play, bribes and so forth. And rigging test results for new drugs. I remember being totally shocked when I read it."
"Nothing I read about drug companies now could shock me," said Bella grimly. I think we've seen the lowest humanity can reach".
Edward sighed. "Oh well, according to Chorley we're going to disappear over just a few generations" he reminded her. "And despite the drug companies I can still find it in myself to regret it".
They came to a T intersection and turned left. Edward pointed out the Petrified forest on his side, mostly consisting of pleasant woods and lots of signs advertising the three million year old giant redwood trees turned to stone after being buried in ash.
"Over three million years old!" Bella read off one billboard. "3 million years – is that the Pleistocene or the Pliocene?" she asked.
"Don't ask me!" exclaimed Edward. Bella pursued her train of thought. "How old is homo sapiens anyway? A million years?" "Naw!" exclaimed Edward. "Nothing like! I think it's more like a hundred thousand years. Neanderthals only became extinct 40, 000 years ago. I saw it on the Discovery channel". "And civilization?" Edward shrugged impatiently. "I don't know. Aren't the Jews up to the year 6000 or something? So, what about maybe 10,000? 20,000? I don't know. What's your point?"
Bella was silent for a few moments. She was full of sadness. "All soon to disappear as if it never was. If a tree falls in the forest and there is no-one there to hear it, does it make a noise? Zen koans, all of man's achievements, if there are no more men to see them or hear about them did they ever exist?"
Edward sighed again. "When all is futile and nothing is worth anything what is there left?" he asked. Bella looked at him with apprehension. She had been fighting this nihilistic feeling intermittently all morning. "I don't know," she said softly.
"Hedonism!" announced Edward emphatically making her laugh as he winked at her. "And here we are at the place for pleasuring the senses and to hell with the mind – the Napa Valley" he announced dramatically.
He was right about one thing. The view of the Valley spread out in front of them was fabulous as the descended down to the Valley floor. "Yes!" she agreed. "Time for straight indulgence of the senses. Never mind tomorrow and who cares about the next generation, there might not be one!"
They drove for about another minute and then turned left to Calistoga.
In Calistoga they found the Spa centre they had rung the night before. Despite it being a Saturday, they managed to organize a shared mud bath and massage session. "What's the mud bath like?" asked Bella. Edward gave her a strange look and said "It's a mud bath, what do you think it's like?" They were shown into a room with a large pool in the corner. Bella went to look at it and recoiled. "It's mud!" she exclaimed frantically. "What did you expect to find at a mud bath?" asked Edward. "I don't know, I thought they just rubbed it on you, you know like a mud pack at a facial" she said and pulled a face. "I really don't know if I'm going to like this". Edward rolled his eyes at her.
A cheerful spa guide came back and showed them lockers with robes hanging in them. "Take your things off and get into the mud," she instructed "And I'll be back in a minute".
Bella hung back a bit by the locker door slowly and somewhat reluctantly removing her clothes. Edward had his pants and t-shirt off in about 5 seconds and without displaying any embarrassment walked naked across the room to the mud pool and climbed in making strange plopping noises as he did. Blushing at the sight of Edward naked and cursing herself for being slow Bella now realised that she would have to take her clothes off while Edward watched and then walk naked across the room to the pool. It wasn't like they hadn't seen each other naked thousands of times before but that was seven years ago. Mentally, Bella contemplated any changes that her body might display and grimaced at the tally. Most of the changes involved the gain of just a little bit of fat in various strategic spots, but the thought was still unpleasant.
"Don't look" she called out but then she saw the warning was unnecessary. He was lying in the mud up to his chin and looking at the ceiling. "Hurry up" he said. "Close your eyes" she called. He groaned but did as she requested only looking up when he heard her spontaneous exclamation "Eeeeew, yuck!"
Bella had never been keen on getting dirty even as a child. She never even played mud pies. Getting into the mud had been like that moment of putting hands into dough for mixing, awful, until you get used to the feeling of the slippery stuff. Then she lay back and discovered that the mud was quite buoyant and very warm. Somehow it seemed to retain the heat and to be getting hotter.
The spa attendant came back in and asked if they wanted the mud packed up to their faces. (Edward did, Bella didn't). She also turned off the water supply to what appeared to be a garden hose snaking over the side of the tub that Bella had failed to notice earlier. This was apparently filling the tub with hot water. No wonder it felt like it was getting hotter, Bella thought ruefully.
"I'll be back in half an hour," said the spa attendant "Enjoy it!"
Edward appeared to genuinely like the mud bath. He lay back, closing his eyes and floating. "That feels fabulous!" he said "So warm!" Bella was unconvinced. "It's a bit too hot for me" she said glumly. "And it smells funny". "What do you expect, it's mud!" exclaimed Edward. He took a hand out and shook the mud off; a tiny splash landed on Bella's face. "Watch it!" she yelled. "I specifically didn't want the face pack you know".
Bella was privately glad when the attendant came back and explained that for the next part of their Calistoga experience they were suppose to shower off the mud under a couple of shower heads on the far wall, towel themselves off and put on the robes provided, then their massage therapists would come in when they were ready. She was so keen to get out she leapt straight out of the mud in front of Edward without even considering it. She ran for the shower and felt the warm stream of clear water pour over her with relief. She kept her head facing to the wall but couldn't help noticing that Edward hadn't yet joined her. This was something of a relief in one way although her worst fears were realised when she turned around to find that he hadn't got out of the mud yet but was merely lounging on his stomach, his arms over the edge, watching her. "Nice shower?" he called out to her. She turned to the wall again at once. "Don't you want one" she called back over her shoulder. She didn't hear a reply. Feeling clean again, she turned the water off and snatched up a nearby towel. She wrapped this quickly around her and turned back to him. "Now I'm at least decent," she said. "Very decent" he agreed leering, making her pull a face at him.
He got out of the mud eventually and into the shower apparently without any reserve but then she couldn't help noticing that he didn't seem to have changed much at all. She tried to busy herself drying and quickly put on one of the robes but she couldn't help sneaking glances at Edward under the water out of the corner of her eye. His body appeared nicely toned, just as she remembered. She found herself admiring his broad shoulders, his muscled torso and then her eye was drawn irresistibly to the bulge of his cock which she couldn't quite see through the water. Embarrassed, she dropped her eyes and concentrated on trying to tie the belt of her robe. The white cotton was entirely shapeless and so large that it swathed her down to her feet. Much better, she thought and mentally castigated herself for agreeing to this; she hadn't thought somehow that a day at a mud spa would involve so much shared nudity.
The massage therapists came in. They were led to another room with two tables set up a short distance from each other. Strangely, hers was male and Edward's female, blonde, athletic, very attractive she couldn't help noticing. She felt a twinge of jealousy at the look on the woman's face at the sight of Edward and while her massage therapist introduced himself her attention was focused on the easy rapport that Edward struck with his masseur. Once they started however, she found that her massage therapist was very good. He exclaimed over the horrible knots of tension in her back, neck and shoulders and proceeded to pummel and work at each one until it disappeared in a haze of blissful sensation. Her only criticism was that her therapist liked to keep up a stream of steady chatter that she found distracting. At one point she emerged from a burst of massage endorphins to discover that he was talking about his pet snakes. She tried to change the subject. It was difficult to concentrate on any kind of conversation though, especially when she kept stopping to make appreciative 'aaah' noises. Edward's massage appeared to be conducted in silence and she wondered if he were listening to hers.
Afterwards her masseur indicated an ensuite shower and she gratefully shut the door and turned on the water supply to the huge, raindrop style showerhead. The shelf in the shower was filled with interesting things like herbal hair infusions. Bella stood under the warm water turning herself this way and that, very aware of her body after the morning of pampering. She thought of the look in Edward's eyes as he watched her under the shower and felt warmer still. Trying to distract herself, she opened a bottle of shower gel. The smell was redolent of chamomile and citrus, Bella thought it smelled delicious. She smoothed the gel over her shoulders and down her arms thinking of Edward touching her. Without conscious thought, her hands drifted across her flat abdomen to her breasts, which she cupped and squeezed. She turned her head under the spray and closed her eyes.
Suddenly, Edward was there, naked, in the shower with her, his arms closing around her as he pushed her gently against the shower wall, his hands taking the place of hers around her breasts and his mouth on hers. Bella pushed away her thoughts and allowed herself to just give in to the sensation. She kissed him back deeply, enjoying the feel of his warm lips on hers as if it were something she had been missing without realizing it. His hands stroked her breasts gently and his kisses moved to the corner of her mouth, to her earlobe and began a track down her neck. By the time his lips reached her nipple she was arching her back, pushing her tits out in front of her, begging for his attention. He sucked gently and then as he let go she felt the slightest sharpness of his teeth, which made her gasp. His fingers slid between the lips of her cunt and she reached out blindly to feel his hard cock, gratified by his moans in her ear as she slid her hands over it. He leaned against her up against the tiled wall and pulled her leg over his hip. She thought briefly about safe sex and condoms but the hadn't used them before when they were going out and was completely distracted from unpleasant thoughts about the possible HPV profile of his current girlfriend by the feeling of him sliding into her. She couldn't help the low groan that escaped her echoed back by Edward's own moans. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this aroused, or the last time she'd had sex anywhere except in bed. Edward took her weight entirely, her buttocks in his hands and thrusting firmly into her. She came suddenly, shaking, groaning and feeling her pelvic muscles spasm and Edward came soon after, gasping and groaning. They slid down the wall rather gracelessly and he held her on his lap on the floor of the shower, her legs wrapped around his hips as the kissed in the warm spray.
After holding each other for ages, Edward eventually got up and supported her against him, making her laugh by offering to wash her breasts. He finished in the shower long before she did, and kissing her told her he would see her outside. Bella finished washing herself feeling relaxed and happy except when she thought briefly of Jacob. She quickly pushed the thought of him away, refusing guilt and the accusations she saw in her mental image. By the time Bella had mostly dried her longish straight hair with the indifferent hairdryer, it was late morning. Bella came out to find Edward waiting patiently and reading a magazine about naturopathy. She wondered guiltily how long she'd been but he showed no sign of impatience merely jumping up and asking her if she had "permed her ears" which she recognized as a quote from 'Fawlty Towers'. After Bella had paid for her spa (she was secretly relieved to discover that Edward's chivalry hadn't gone that far), they emerged from the building glowing with health, well-being, and the remains of herbal infused oils.