A/N: I'm sorry it's taken so long! I've been having medical issues, and the last thing that's been on my mind is writing, but now that I'm having some recovery time I also have some writing time, so I cooked this up. Unbeta'ed as always, so forgive me for that! Happy Holidays to everyone! And thank you so much for getting us over 200 reviews, you guys rock!

Disclaimer: I don't own much except hospital bills and student loans.

"Babe... wake up... You're dreaming." Bella shook me gently, rousing me from the nightmare I'd been having, in which Alice and Jasper were getting married, and she was making me wear a bright pink bridesmaid dress, escorted by a drunken PeeWee Herman. Damn fever.

"S-sorry," I gasped. "Bad dream."

"Yeah, you kept mumbling something about a Playhouse and keeping their hands off."

"Eww," I shuddered, remembering all too graphically what she was talking about. My mouth was parched, and I leaned up on my elbow to get a sip of water from my bedside table. Or juice. Or whiskey, so long as it whetted my throat. "What time is it?"

"About seven," she said, rolling over to flick on the lamp on her side of the bed. "You've been sleeping for awhile now, I didn't want to wake you, but you didn't sound like you were enjoying yourself there." She looked amused, and less worried than she had in the past, so maybe I was looking better. I felt clammy in the sheets, but I supposed that could mean my fever had finally broken.

"I slept all day, huh?" It was darkening outside, and I'd fallen asleep at around noon, after the random History Channel show I'd been watching had changed.

"Do you feel any better?" Her face was closer to mine now, and if I weren't so completely sick, I'd have kissed her. I doubted she wanted a crusty-nosed kiss now. She felt my forehead and neck. "You feel cool."

"Yeah, I think so," I said, sitting up fully. I hated, purely loathed being sick. I hated feeling weak and vulnerable. Besides my family, no one but Bella had seen me this way, and I was grateful to her for not only accepting me in my lesser state, but for sticking to me through it. "I'm hungry."

"I can make you something," she said, sitting up too. "What do you feel like?"

"No, I want to make it," I said, slightly stubbornly. "Just toast, that's it."

"OK then baby," she said, walking with me to the kitchen. "I have to do some homework tonight, but later we could watch a movie, if you're feeling up to it." She was watching me carefully, but for some reason it didn't make me feel uncomfortable, just cared for. Like she was making sure I wasn't lying to her, but accepting that I wanted to do this for myself. I loved her for it. I hated to admit it, but I did feel wobbly on my feet, and woozy whenever I turned.

A deep cough rattled from my chest as I nodded. "Maybe we could watch Bridesmaids or something."

"Or something quicker," she suggested. "Like Arrested Development or something. Short but if you wanted to watch more, we could."

We'd been watching a lot of movies together lately, trying to catch up on shows we'd missed over the hectic semester, or things we thought the other should see. It was fun to catch up on Brat Pack movies, or awful rom-coms, or horror and sci-fi movies that were so bad they were good. And right now it sounded like the perfect thing. My nose was still running and my throat was raw, but I was awake enough to enjoy a few quirky episodes of my new favorite show. "That sounds perfect."

The toaster flipped up some hot pieces of golden bread, and a scouted out some peanut butter and a plate before spreading it on the toast, and taking a bite. It felt nice, like my appetite might just be coming back.

"What did you do today?" I asked. I figured Bella hadn't been hanging out in the apartment watching me sleep all day. That'd be a little weird... OK, that would creep me out.

"Well, went to class, of course. Saw Mike." She made a face that almost made me laugh. I coughed instead.

"What'd he say?"

"Nothing, in fact he almost ran from me, it was hilarious," she chuckled. She started in on her own piece of bread, slathering it in peanut butter untoasted. "I think I made my point with my fist."

"That's my girl," I toasted her, with, what else, toast. Asshats needed a reminder of their douche-y-ness from time to time if you asked me.

"Um..." Bella paused, taking another bite of her bread. "And I talked to my professor today."

"Which one?" I tried to think of a conversation we'd had recently about her classes and profs, but the meds I'd been taking weren't letting me absorb much lately. "Banner?"

"No, Cope." Oh yeah, her advisor. I remembered now that she was going to have a meeting today with her, about upcoming grad plans, which we had yet to discuss fully. "She asked me if I wanted an internship."

"That's great!" I beamed at her as best I could, instantly proud. "I knew you'd get something." OK, my knees were getting shaky now... I sat on the barstool we had in the corner, still munching tiny bites of my toast, which was getting cold quick. "Where at?"

"Well, it's for after graduation, of course," she started. She seemed nervous, paler than usual, which was odd. "And it's paid too, which makes it even better."

Again, I was incredibly impressed. I'd been working my butt off to get a paid internship pretty much anywhere, with little luck. More people than ever were scrambling for them after graduation, because it was hard enough to find a regular job. I wasn't top of my class, so I had to work that much harder for it.

"Baby, I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks... Will... I mean, I need you to understand something first, before I tell you the rest." She was serious.

Well shit. That did not sound good, and I was not excited about it at all... I sat my toast down, bare on the counter. "What is it?"

"I want us to be together," she blurted out. "I want us to be us still. This is too important to me to give up."

Oh God. Something was wrong, very wrong. My heart started to pound, and my hands got cold. My hands only got cold when something was off-kilter or incredibly fucked up; I was freaking out and then I got a coughing jag.

"Shit." Bella raced to me with a box of Kleenex, rubbing my back as I hacked into the paper. It hurt worse, the way my heart was pounding and mixing with the grossness of my lungs.

When I was finally finished, I looked up at her with tearing eyes. "Tell me."

"It's for a year in England," she said, biting her lip. "I'd... well, hopefully we'd... be in England, starting this October. I... want to go, Rosalie. But I want you to come with me."

Oh. The pounding lessened, but my eyes still widened at her words. England. As in, Ye Olde? I'd never once thought of visiting there; who likes rain and fog and crooked teeth? And the food, I hear is just awful, as is the lukewarm beer. And driving on the wrong side of the road... Who the hell wants to live there?

Bella did. I could see it. It would be the perfect thing for her, the best place and the best opportunity. But was there room for me, could I do this?

"Wow," was all I could manage.

Bella knelt before me, fear in her eyes. "I know it's a lot to ask," she said, her hands firm on my arm. "But I just want to think about it, I mean it's something I need us both to be OK with before we make any decisions."

I hated making quick choices. But the decision had to be made, and I wasn't going to give her up just because I was scared. That wasn't something Rosalie fucking Hale did, not now, not ever. "I'll go."

"But... are you sure? I don't want to make a snap decision just because you think that's what I want to hear. I'm not going without you Rose, but I don't want you to resent me for it if we go and you hate it, and I really don't want to resent you because we didn't do it."

"I'm sure," I insisted. I was sure, but it was terrifying me. I'd always been the one to tell people to follow their hearts and been the very first to shout out Carpe Diem. I wasn't about to start changing my philosophy now, just because I was a little nervous about moving to an entirely new country. Still, I was breathing a little harder than usual.

"I'll let you really think about this," she said firmly. "You're sick. I want you to choose with a clear head."

* MD *

A week later, I was better, and we were still going to England. I was actually getting excited about it. Bella still wouldn't accept that I really wanted to go, so I was going to prove it to her. After all, I knew I wouldn't be giving her up, and a year and thousands of miles apart was simply unacceptable. I didn't have any job prospects here, and I was always game for an adventure. It's now or never, right?

"Babe, I need to go to the store real quick, need anything?" I poked my head around the corner, catching her looking up from a thick novel.

"I could come with you," she suggested, looking grateful for a break, but I put my hand up to stop her.

"You took care of me plenty last week when I was sick, I'm giving back now," I said, and she rolled her eyes. She hated when I tried to thank her for things, because she insisted she'd do it no matter what I said. Again, how much more could I love this woman? "Need anything?" I repeated.

"Nah, I'm good," she said, turning back to her book.

"Kay, I'll be back in a few," I said, grabbing my keys and purse, and ducking out of the apartment.

Once I got to the grocery store, I turned my thinking cap on. I really should have Googled English foods, the good kinds at least. What was it they ate? Bangers and mash? I figured mash had to be mashed potatoes, but what the hell was a banger? And I wasn't about to drink any room temperature beer, so I steered towards the refrigerated packs.

It was there where I ran into Emmett. "Hey!" he exclaimed, dimples and bright teeth on full display, and I grinned. It was so good to see him, and I felt good wrapped up in his giant arms when he went to hug me. "Whatcha doin', how's it goin'?"

"I'm moving to England!" I told him, doing a little 'ta-da' thing with my hands.

"What the fuck? Are you serious? That's fucking awesome dude!" And he gave me a high five, which I readily returned. "You're still graduating, right?"

I loved the guy, but he was being just plain silly now. "Of course, you moron," I laughed. "Bella got an internship, we leave in October. She wants me to make sure I'm sure I'll go with her, but I know..." I blushed as he looked at me knowingly. "It's the right choice. So I'm going to prove to her that I mean it, that I want to go."

"Stubborn as ever, my sweet little Rosie," he teased, and I socked him lightly on the arm. "I think that's great, really, I do."

"Thanks," I said, smiling at him. I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed him until just now. It had been months since I'd even ran into him, and I owed him a lot for his advice and friendship over the course of our friendship. "You know, we should hang out more."

"Totally. You and your girl are welcome any time at my place," he grinned. "My roomies miss you too Rosie. We need to plan something. Wii night or beer pong."

"Hell yeah!" Bella and I definitely needed a night like that, it had been far too long since we'd been to a party.

"So what are you getting?" He gestured to his own cart, which was full of PBR and Bud Lite.

"Um... something British," I concluded, looking at rows and rows of imported bottles. Shit, where to start? I usually just went for the hard stuff, I'd never been a huge fan of beer, though once wasted I daresay I usually will have a beer or three.

"Newcastle is good," Emmett supplied, reaching for a tall, brown bottle with a star in the middle. "Try that first."

"What about Guinness?"

"My God woman, that's Irish, not English, and they'd kill you for making the comparison," he laughed, shaking his head.

"Oops," I said with a laugh. "Good to know. I just know it looks like you could swim in it." I pinged the side of the bottle with my fingernails.

"Hey, it's a more like a meal than a drink," he said, to which I wrinkled my nose. What a visual. "So what else are you going to try?"

"I have no idea," I admitted, and so he helped me search out the perfect English items to make sure my girlfriend knew, without a doubt, that I was totally behind her with this.

* MD *

When I got home, I started preparing the meal. It was easy enough to do, Bella was distracted by her book, and she didn't seem to suspect anything, not that I was exactly hiding in our tiny apartment. As I pulled various boxes and bottles from my bags, I thought back to the conversation I'd had with my mom just two nights before. She was excited for me, but concerned I wouldn't find work in England.

"Mom, I won't find anything here either, I might as well try there," I'd said. "Besides, I don't want to just walk away, or take a break or whatever. There's no point in that."

"No, there isn't," she'd agreed, and that had surprised me a little. She was part of the reason I'd been so keen on fast and easy relationships in the past; she had always taught me to test things out first before making a choice. I think she didn't want me to get married fast like she had. Not that she regretted marrying my dad, I knew that, but I know she wished she'd gone to college, travelled a bit before she'd had me and Jasper. "I know you love Bella, honey, and this could be good for you. I just want to make sure you know that before you go."

"I do," I'd said. "I want her, and I want this."

"Then tell her."

An hour later, I was ready.

"Bells, dinner's ready... or shall I say tea?"

"You made tea for dinner?" Bella called from the living room, sounding confused. "I'm sure it tastes good but I'm kind of hungry..." She stepped out of the room, looking even more puzzled when her eyes rested on the dining room table. "What is this?"

"It's our getting-used-to-England-before-we-go dinner," I said, sitting down in front of my plate. It was full of sausages, half of a grilled tomato, some toast, potatoes, and a fried egg. "Traditional breakfast, I know it's dinnertime, but I figured we'd try this first. I might have missed out on some things, but I thought this was probably enough calories for the day!"

Bella's mouth opened and closed again, like she was going to say something but the words had died. She sat down slowly, taking it all in. I watched her carefully, trying to figure out her reaction. She looked... excited.

"I have some chocolate biscuits and Newcastle too," I added, still watching her.

"Are you sure?" she finally asked, her voice raspy.

"Positive."

A little sobbing sound escaped her throat, and she rushed into my arms, squeezing me tight. "Thank you... oh God, thank you! I know I could go without you, but I didn't want to, and fuck, I'm so happy!"

Tears were in my eyes as we hugged tightly. This was my girl. Her dreams weren't exactly my dreams, but I wanted this to work, and I could make my own dreams along with hers. If England was our path, I'd follow it with her. Besides, I liked cars... why not rent a hot Aston Martin and learn to drive it on the wrong side of the road? A new challenge.

"When we're done," I said when she finally pulled back, "we can watch some Pride & Prejudice."

Bella chuckled. "I thought you hated that movie."

"I don't hate it," I said. "I just think it's boring. But maybe we can, like, go there or something. Where they filmed it."

"You are the best girlfriend ever," Bella said, happy tears in her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed me then, deeply and slowly. We clung to each other, excited and lusty and burning for something new. "I can't wait to share this with you."

"Me either," I said. "Now, dig in. Don't let this fry-up go cold!"

A/N II: I've lived in England myself, so needless to say, my attitudes towards England do not reflect my own opinions! I'm looking forward to having Bella show Rosalie the amazing things the UK has to offer! God I miss the beer... Reviews are love. 3