Ok, here we go...a whole lot of stuff is about to go down, so fasten your seatbelts, keep your arms and legs inside the car, and hold on tight!
Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. Shakespeare's sonnets belong to Shakespeare, although I think they might be public domain by now. I don't know who owns Color Me Badd, but it isn't me. I own a faux Blackberry, two faux Prada bags, and this little plotline. No copyright infringement is intended.
****r~d****
Edward was on the phone with Makenna making plans for Saturday when he pulled the letter out of his mailbox. He hadn't checked his mail in a few days, as he had been busy with last-minute tour preparations and had gone to visit his parents for Thanksgiving, so he didn't notice it at first among all of the other accumulated mail. It was battered, with several forwarding stickers attached and the address smudged. He saw the return address, and his pulse picked up. He hadn't heard from her in weeks. He hadn't contacted her either.
He managed to get off the phone and in his apartment before tearing into the envelope. The paper seemed unusually fragile in his hands. He unfolded the letter and began to read. After three lines, he dropped down onto the sofa. After two paragraphs, he was back up and headed towards his bedroom. Before he finished, he had pulled his suitcases out of the closet, and after reading the "Love, Bella" at the end, he dropped the page onto his bed and pulled his computer into his lap, transferring money from a little-used account and searching for the fastest flight he could find.
He made it to the airport in record time, and if anyone had asked him what was in his suitcase, he could not have answered. He hoped he had all of the essentials, but was not particularly concerned about it.
Just before they closed the doors, it occurred to him that he should probably call someone to tell him where he was going, but just then the flight attendant asked him to turn off his phone, and he complied.
Thirteen hours later, he was standing in Heathrow, wondering if perhaps he should have thought this through a little better. Eight million people in the city, and he had no real idea how to find the one he wanted. Fortunately he had placed her letter into his pocket, and with the return address and the assistance of a helpful cabbie found himself standing in the rain in front of a nondescript gray stone building, his mind shifting frantically between desperate hope and dread, wondering if he had made a terrible mistake or the best decision of his life.
He pushed through the glass door to find a mostly empty lobby, with a bored-looking woman behind a desk.
"Excuse me miss...um...can you direct me to room 17B?"
She gazed at him for a moment, and then vaguely pointed to the left. "Up the stairs," she directed.
Despite his exhaustion, he found himself taking the stairs two at a time, almost running as he approached the top. He located the door in question and took a deep breath before raising his hand to knock.
After several minutes with no response he was about to walk away when the door opened to reveal not the brown eyes and hair he had expected, but instead a blonde girl with an annoyed expression.
"May I help you?"
Edward hesitated a moment, then plunged forward. "I'm looking for Bella. Is she here?"
The girl looked up and down his body for a moment before she spoke. "She's not here; she's down the hall a bit, in the lounge." She smirked. "You should go say hello."
"I'll do that, thanks." Edward looked back over his shoulder at the girl who was closing the door, still smirking.
He continued down the hallway, following the sound of voices, until he came to a dimly lit room with several couches and chairs. He scanned the room until he saw the reason he had crossed an ocean.
She was curled up on one of the sofas, apparently enthralled in whatever was on the television, held tightly in the arms of another man.
He turned abruptly and strode back towards the stairs, cursing his own stupidity.
Terrible mistake it is then.
He heard footsteps behind him, and a voice calling out.
"Edward? Edward! Edward, is that you? Stop! Please, please stop!"
He turned to see Bella running down the hallway towards him. She stopped just short of where he stood, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Is that...what are you...how are you here?"
After being apart from her for three months, Edward was aching to touch her, to pull her to him and feel her in his arms, but the vivid recollection of her wrapped in another man's arms, her head on his shoulder, stopped him.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come."
He turned again to leave, but felt her warm hand on his wrist, pulling him back. He looked down at her again, and saw wide eyes full of confusion and pain and...hope?
"You just got here...and you didn't say anything...and now you're going to leave? What the hell, Edward?"
He noticed that a group of people was gathered in the hallway a few feet behind her outside the lounge, their faces curious and expectant. He frowned and glared at them, but only a few had the grace to look abashed and duck back into the room.
"Is there somewhere more private we can go to talk?" he asked, nodding his head towards the growing knot of people which included, he noticed, the blond man she'd been with earlier, who appeared to be smirking at Edward. She glanced over her shoulder and grimaced. "Vultures," she muttered, then took his hand in his and pulled him towards her door. She was reaching for the doorknob when it suddenly opened to reveal the blonde that Edward had spoken with earlier, a bag over her shoulder. She perused the two of them.
"Edward, I presume?" she asked, offering him her hand. He nodded, slightly dazed.
"I thought as much," she said, in her very precise Queen's English. "I'm Jane, it's lovely to meet you. I've heard so much about you." She smiled, catlike, and them addressed her attention to Bella. "I'll be down with Bree and Irina if I'm needed..."she trailed off as her eyes darted to their clasped hands "... which I suspect will not be the case. Have a lovely weekend."
She passed by them and headed down the hallway towards the stairs, ignoring the poorly concealed attempts by the group down the hall to get her attention. Edward was unable to watch her progress though, because Bella pushed him into the room, then stuck her head back into the hallway.
"Show's over, you nosy bastards." she said to the group of students in a terrible imitation of a British accent. "Go back to your knitting." She closed the door on the sound of their catcalls and cheers.
"They seem...nice," Edward observed.
Bella grinned. "They are; they're pretty amazing, actually. Drama whores though, all of them." Her grin faltered as silence fell over the room.
Edward scrubbed his hands over his face. He was exhausted. Now that he was actually here, it didn't feel real. He wondered momentarily if he was really at home asleep, and this was all some bizarre dream. Bella's voice drew him out of his thoughts.
"Edward? Don't think I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? What's going on? Why did you say it was a mistake? Is everything okay?"
"Can we sit down?" he asked wearily. "I've been traveling for...I can't even tell you how long at this point."
"Oh! Of course! I'm so sorry! Do you want anything? I don't have much here, but I have some water, I think..." she rummaged in a cabinet for a moment before producing a bottle of water and gesturing for him to sit on the bed. Looking around the room, Edward saw that it was the only real option except for a hard wooden desk chair or the floor, so he sank down on its edge.
"Sorry it's not cold...they don't really do the refrigerated beverage thing here..."
"It's ok."
Bella pulled the desk chair over to sit in front of him and waited, watching as he drained half the bottle. Finally he looked at her. Her face was a mixture of expectancy and trepidation. He took a deep breath, attempting to collect his thoughts before he answered her question.
""I came because I thought you wanted me to. I thought you needed me. But clearly I was wrong."
"Why would you think that, Edward?"
Hs face hardened for a moment, and he reached into his jacket pocket and extracted her letter. He held it out to her, and she gasped.
"How did you..." she murmured, and then fell silent again.
"I thought you wanted me...because of this," Edward finished.
"Alright...so, why did you think you were wrong?'
Edward looked up at her face, but her expression was inscrutable. She seemed sincerely mystified by the turn of events and his irritation. He sighed.
"I know I was wrong, Bella. I saw it with my own two eyes, not ten minutes ago, when I walked into the doorway of your lounge.
A crease appeared in Bella's forehead as she considered Edward's words. Then, inexplicably, she began to laugh. She laughed until she was clutching her sides, Tears running down her cheeks. As she laughed, Edward became more and more embarrassed, and his embarrassment quickly translated into anger.
"Well, I'll just leave you to your joke." He moved as if to stand, but again she stopped him with a hand on his wrist.
"I'm sorry..."I'm sorry. I'm stopping."
She took a deep breath and wiped her face. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I'll try to explain." She looked into his face. "Let me make sure I understand what happened. You came here because you somehow got that letter," she gestured to the envelope, "then when you got here you found your way to the lounge and saw me-"
"Snuggled up with some guy," he interrupted, clenching his fists.
"Right. And you're mad because you thought I wanted you to come, and then you get here and see me with him. Big, blond, hot guy, right?"
Edward narrowed his eyes. "Your point, Bella?"
Another giggle escaped her before she could reply. "That's Alec. My friend Alec. My very affectionate, often inappropriate, one hundred percent gay friend Alec."
Edward looked a little stunned as he took in her words. When he spoke, he sounded incredulous.
"He's gay?"
"Yup. Absolutely. On a gay scale of one to ten, he's a fourteen and a half."
"So you aren't dating him."
Bella giggled again. "No way. In his words, I am 'a lovely girl, but lacking in certain essentials'" she said, imitating his accent. "And then he grabbed my ass." She grinned. "In fact, right now he's probably plotting ways to entice you away from me. He's the one who saw you, you know. He said something about a 'bronze haired Greek god scowling in the doorway' and I had to check it out."
Edward began to chuckle, and his chuckles soon turn to guffaws, and soon he was lying on his side on the bed, laughing harder than he had in months. When he had finally calmed down, he looked up at Bella.
"Has it ever occurred to you that misunderstanding seems to be the hallmark of our relationship?"
"I noticed that," she said, reaching out to brush hair out of his face. Edward sat up and picked the letter up from where it lay on the bed. He cleared his throat. "So did you mean what you said?"
****r~d****
Bella was beginning to wonder if she was high. She didn't remember taking anything, but she supposed it was possible that someone had slipped her something. Her day had been completely normal, right up until the moment Alec's comment had registered in her mind. " Bronze haired Greek god..." She had hesitated for a moment, thinking it was impossible, and then sprinted out into the hall after the mystery person. Even if it wasn't him, she knew she would regret it if she didn't at least check it out.
And now here he was, looking exhausted and disheveled but warm and real and here...right on her bed, five thousand miles from where she had seen him last. Not only was he here, he was holding her letter, the one she had never intended him to see, the one in which she revealed exactly how pathetic she was. Instead if being repulsed, he had come all the way to London for her.
He held out the letter and repeated his question. "Bella, did you mean what you said in this letter? Is this true?"
He heart lurched and her mind whirled. She'd had a lot of time to think over the past three months, time to consider and contemplate and analyze exactly what had gone wrong. She had messed everything up. She had made the wrong decisions over and over again. She had questioned when she should have trusted; she had lied when she should have been truthful. She had destroyed her own happiness, and his in the process.
You wanted a second chance. Now that you have it, what are you going to do with it?
She took a deep breath and looked over at the face she loved and thought she might never see again, and made her choice.
"Yes."
He reached out for her, and pulled her to the bed with him. The moment their lips met, Bella felt like the world was suddenly whole again.
She awoke to the sound of rain tapping against the window. This was not unusual; what was unusual was the body that currently had her pinned to the bed and the amount of warm skin pressed to hers. She shifted in the small space, trying to reposition her numb arm without waking the man holding it in place. She was unsuccessful, and watched as his eyelids fluttered and opened dazedly. He lifted his head from where it had nestled into her neck, and at the sight of her face, a sleepy smile spread across his.
"Hi." His voice was raspy with sleep, but warm with love.
"Hi." She replied, blushing as she felt his hand slide up from her hip across her waist. His fingers gently traced the shape of her ribs, and the color traveled down her face to her chest. He brushed his lips over her collarbone, and they drifted gradually lower.
"I've often wondered how far down that blush went." He lifted his head and flashed her a flirtatious grin.
"I guess now you know," she replied. Bella wanted to flirt back, but she was overcome with shyness and closed her eyes as she blushed darker.
He seemed to understand her feelings, because he kissed her softly, then wrapped is arms around her and squeezed her gently. They both lay quietly for a few moments as the pale early morning light filtered through the room.
After a few moments Bella shifted, moving towards the edge of the bed.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.
"Human moment," she answered, smiling at him. "I'll be right back."
She started to get up, then stopped, looking around the room, her blush reappearing. Finally she grabbed the throw blanket that lay on the foot of the bed and wrapped it around herself as she rose. Edward chuckled and watched her as she retreated into the small bathroom attached to the room.
Bella took a moment to attend to her most pressing need, then stood in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection.
I don't look any different. I sort of thought I might, she thought, smiling to herself.
Even though it was evident that Edward was thrilled to be back with Bella, he had fallen asleep almost as soon as he got still. He'd pulled Bella down to the bed with him, and after thoroughly kissing one another they had lain there together, arms twined around one another, until his breaths slowed and his eyes fell closed. Bella hadn't been particularly tired, but she found herself relaxing into his embrace and soon she had drifted off as well.
A couple of hours later her empty stomach woke her. She lay awake in his arms for a few minutes, until she heard his stomach grumbling as well. The sound made her giggle. She stroked his cheek gently.
"Wake up, sweetheart. We need to get you some food."
His eyes opened slowly, and he appeared confused for a moment. "Bella?" He asked, his voice rough.
"Yes?"
"Are you really there? Am I dreaming?"
Bella laughed gently. "No baby, you aren't dreaming. I'm real."
"You're real." He smiled sleepily at her and pulled her closer. They lay together, marveling in one another's presence, until Edward's stomach growled again, causing them both to laugh. Bella stood up and pulled him off the bed. Fingers intertwined, they wandered out into the chill London evening in search of sustenance. The rain had stopped, and the clouds above glowed from the light of the hidden full moon.
They found their way into a pub filled with a noisy, cheerful crowd. The tables were full, but they found two adjoining seats at the bar, and ordered food. While they waited, they chatted with the patrons around them, laughing along with the crowd at the stories and songs. Bella noticed that, no matter what else was going on, Edward never lost physical contact with her, even if it was just a leg pressed against hers under the bar. One man a few seats down was particularly interesting. He looked to be in his sixties, a ruddy, jovial man who was well into his pints but was still quite lucid. He was regaling the people around him with stories of his adventures on his fishing vessel, the Breaking Dawn. Although she was sure most of his stories were at least half tall tale, Bella found them fascinating, as if he were some kind of modern day Jack Sparrow. Her attention was quickly diverted when she felt Edward's hand slide up her leg and squeeze her thigh.
She smiled at him. "Are you tired? Do you want to go back?"
He reached over and caressed her cheek. "Not tired at all..."
Bella caught sight of her reflection and her broad grin distracted her from her memories. She blushed again, smiled at her reflection and opened the door to rejoin the beautiful man waiting for her on the other side.
****r~d****
Bella emerged from the bathroom, pulling a robe around herself.
Edward watched her as she approached the bed. He grabbed her hand as soon as she was close enough. "What exactly do you think you are doing, little missy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Um...putting some clothes on?" Her statement lifted at the end, as if it were question.
"Uh-unh." He reached for the belt on the robe and tugged on it. " You have no need of clothes. You are perfect exactly the way you are." He pulled her onto the bed, positioning her so that she lay on top of him, her head propped on her hands so she could look in his face. He reached up and stroked her cheek, looking at her with wonder.
"You married me."
"Yes, I did."
"Shouldn't that be "I do?"
"Nope, I already did." Edward felt Bella's laughter all through his body.
Edward could hardly get over the look on Bella's face as she listened and laughed at the old man's stories. His mind, however, had gone in a slightly different direction when he had heard the man start talking about having a ship.
He hated to tear her attention away, but he wanted to see what she thought of his idea. He squeezed her leg to get her attention, and she immediately turned to face him.
"Are you tired? Do you want to go back?
"Not tired at all. I was actually thinking..."
Bella leaned her cheek into his hand and closed her eyes. "What were you thinking baby?"
"Bella, did you know that sea captains can perform weddings?"
Her eyes widened. "Really?" Her voice was high and breathy.
His by contrast was low and soft. "Really." He continued to gaze into her eyes and cup her face in his palm. " What are you thinking?" he asked softly.
She stared back at him, arrested by the love she saw in his eyes. She didn't hesitate.
"I'm thinking...yes."
"Yes?" His eyes lit up with joy.
"Yes!" she replied, her grin matching his.
He stood up from his stool, taking her hand and pulling her with him. They approached the man down the bar. Bella was hesitant to interrupt him, but Edward waited for an opportune moment and tapped him in the shoulder.
"Excuse me sir?"
The man turned to face the couple. " Can I help you son?" His face was curious and friendly.
"We were wondering...you are a sea captain, aren't you?"
"Yes lad, been captain of my sweet Breaking Dawn for nigh on thirty years."
"And...is it true that sea captains can perform weddings?"
The man's beard twitched. "Aye lad, I believe I've heard that a time or two."
"Well...we were wondering...would you marry us?"
The people around them fell silent as the old man considered the couple standing before him. When he replied, it was to Bella, not Edward.
"Little lass, you're awfully quiet. Does this young lad speak your wishes as well?"
Bella nodded shyly, looking up at Edward's profile. Then she turned to face the old man. Squeezing Edward's hand, she replied, " He's all I've ever wanted."
The man continued to look them over for a few minutes, until they both began to feel uncomfortable. Just as Edward was about to back away, his face broke into a smile. "Well lass, if he's all you've ever wanted, then far be it from me to keep you from it." He reached out a weathered hand to shake Edward's. "Eleazar. Please to meet you." Then he shouted to the woman behind the bar, "Carmen! Pints for everyone! We're havin' a wedding!"
From that point on, everything seemed to be in a hazy fast-forward. The patrons of the bar, embracing the excitement of the event, began rearranging the tables and chairs. Edward stole Bella's phone and sent a text message to the number labeled "Princess Alec", and shortly a crowd of students from Bella's program arrived, laughing and breathless. They placed a top hat on Edward's head and handed him a suit coat with tails, which he put on over his jeans and sweater. Several of the girls spirited Bella away to a back room, and Alec disappeared in the same direction a few minutes later. A girl who introduced herself as Irina emerged and directed Edward to stand on the far end of the room, at the end of the makeshift aisle next to Eleazar.
A man Edward vaguely remembered glimpsing earlier appeared at his side. "I'm Embry, " he said, holding out his hand. "I'll be your best man." Edward shook his hand and grinned at his introduction. "Oh!" he said, "I almost forgot. This is for you. For use in the opportune moment." Edward looked down to see a heavy silvery ring in his hand. He looked at Embry in puzzlement, and the man smirked. "Nicked it out of the props."
The chattering pub patrons fell into a hush as the opening notes of Claire de Lune began to play from small speakers someone had attached to an ipod on the bar, and Edward began searching the other end of the room for a glimpse of his bride.
What he saw when she emerged made him catch his breath. Bella's classmates had clearly come well prepared.
In lieu of a wedding dress, Bella wore a gown vaguely similar to the ones Edward had seen in the many productions he had attended with her over the years. He never remembered any costume looking quite like this before.
It was silvery-blue, with a lighter panel down the front and matching fabric peeking out of the skirt. It fit her perfectly, highlighting her small waist and gentle curves. She wore a chain made up of large medallions around her neck, and a matching one draped around her hips. She had a wreath of multicolored flowers in her hair, and she carried a small bouquet of similar blossoms with ribbons that trailed nearly to the floor. She was breathtaking.
Her arm was tucked through Alec's, who was also wearing a top hat and tails over jeans and a white button-down. She was glowing. Her smile was radiant, and when she saw Edward, she laughed at the same time tears began to flow down her face.
When they reached the end of the aisle, Alec lifted Bella's hand from his arm and placed it in Edward's. He then stepped to the side, just opposite Embry. Eleazar looked at him quizzically, and Alec grinned. "I'm the maid of honor, mate!"
Eleazar chuckled, then turned to face the couple before him. He opened the prayer book that someone had managed to find.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy Matrimony..."
Edward thought he had never heard any sound quite as joyous as the roar of cheers that arose as he kissed his bride.
As pleasant as the memories were, they were nothing compared to the feel of the soft skin of the woman lying above him. He trailed his hands gently down her back to rest on the curve of her hips.
"How are you feeling this morning? Everything...all right?" He rubbed gentle circles onto her lower back with is fingertips, feeling the goosebumps that rose up on her skin at his touch.
She blushed and shifted gingerly, testing her body. "Everything's...ok." She smiled shyly and dropped her head to rest just above his shoulder. She felt his hands begin to travel even lower, and her breath caught in anticipation. Her heart accelerated even further at his next words.
"I love you, my Bella."
Between the kisses she placed on his neck, he felt her whispered response more than he heard it. "I love you too."
****r~d****
Bella woke again several hours later to the rare sight of sunlight streaming through the window. She was nestled against Edward's side, her arm draped over his bare abdomen. His arm rested around her shoulder, but was relaxed in sleep. She took the opportunity to examine his face. She was always astounded by how much younger he looked while he slept, almost as if he was still the little boy she had known so long ago. He was still as sweet and concerned for her well being, if a little overbearing.
With a blush, she thought about how different he was from that little boy. He was definitely a man. A beautiful, gentle, magnificent man who had been far more than she had ever allowed to herself to imagine.
Within moments of the words "man and wife", and a kiss that Bella felt all the way to her toes, the atmosphere in the pub had shifted from ceremony to party. Loud music filed the room, and they were surrounded by laughing, dancing bodies. The two of them were swept into the group, both of them laughing at the contrast of Bella dancing to Lady Gaga in a renaissance gown. She spun through the crowd, accepting kisses and hugs and handshakes ad well-wishes. Someone pressed a glass of champagne in her hand, but it could not compare with the effervescent buzz that emanated from her heart and filled her body. She found herself back at Edward's side and pulled into his arms to dance. She lost all awareness of the people, the music, and the noise, and became solely aware of him. They danced slowly, despite the beat of the music that filled the room, and Bella found that no matter how closely she pressed herself to him, she could not seem to get close enough.
"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked, his voice low in her ear and sending a shiver though her body. She couldn't find her voice, so she nodded.
They tried to escape unnoticed, but didn't manage it. As soon as Bella exited the back room where she had gone to retrieve the clothes she had been wearing earlier, she heard the opening beats of a song she had sincerely hoped to never hear again. She knew immediately that it was Alec's doing, as the song was one of his favorites from his "so horrible it's awesome" playlist.
To the tick-tock you don't stop stop, to the tick-tock you don't stop
Ooooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh I wanna sex you up...
She blushed a thousand shades of red and buried her face in Edward's shoulder.
"I guess sneaking out didn't work out so well, hunh?" he murmured into her hair.
"Guess not," she answered, giggling.
They made their way through the cheering, catcalling crowd to the door. Just before opening it, Edward grabbed Bella and dipped her backwards, placing a hard kiss on her lips. He pulled her up, and bowed to the crowd inside the pub before pulling her out the door.
They walked hand in hand back towards her room. They spoke little, but the tension between them was palpable. It wasn't raining for once, and the night was warm for November. She even saw a little moonlight peeking through the clouds.
She'd never had so much trouble unlocking a door before. After several attempts, he took the key from her shaking fingers and slid it into the lock, then turned the knob and opened the door.
It became immediately apparent that Alec hadn't been the only one who had been busy helping them prepare for their impromptu wedding.
The room was filled with what appeared at first to be candlelight, but was actually the soft flicker of prop lights - tiny battery-operated bulbs on plastic candles. There were flowers like the ones in Bella's wreath and bouquet scattered artfully around the room, and what appeared to be a fireplace in the corner, complete with glowing coals...or what looked convincingly like coals.
Bella smiled at the scene. "I guess there are a few benefits to hanging around theatre nerds after all."
Edward approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her. "More than a few. Where did they get this dress?"
Bella leaned into his embrace. "It's my costume from The Winter's Tale. Do you like it?"
He turned her to face him. "It's the most beautiful wedding dress anyone has ever worn." He dipped his head to the exposed skin of her shoulder and pressed his lips there once, twice, three times. He inhaled deeply as she slid her hands up and around his shoulders. His fingers found the laces the held the dress together in the back, and she felt them begin to loosen under his touch. "I can think of something even more beautiful though."
Bella fought desperately to control her breathing. She had thought about this moment thousands of times; imagined it, fantasized about it, dreamed about it, and now that it was here, she was equal parts excited and terrified. Her stomach felt like it had joined Cirque du Soleil. She could not control the trembling she felt throughout her body. Edward must have felt it as well. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips slide to the skin beneath her ear.
"Are you nervous, my Bella?" She found she could not speak; she could only nod in response.
"Try to relax. I love you:" At his words, she felt the dress give way. He made no move to remove it; he simply moved his hands so that the tips of his fingers came into whisper-soft contact with the newly exposed skin on her back. She heard his voice, deep and soft, barely above a whisper, murmuring familiar words between kisses.
"Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took,
And each doth good turns now unto the other"
She gasped as the fabric at the back of the dress fell away, and he pushed the dress gently down her shoulders. She pulled one arm loose, and then the other, as he continued to press soft kisses down her spine until he encountered the fabric of the chemise she wore beneath the dress.
Once the garment was free from her upper body, it fell, the soft fabric collapsing under its own weight until it piled around her knees. He put his arms around her and lifted her from the constraints of the fabric piled around her, and took in the sight of her in the thin cotton underdress.
"When that mine eye is famish'd for a look,
Or heart in love with sighs himself doth smother
With my love's picture then my eye doth feast,
And to the painted banquet bids my heart"
As he pressed kisses along the curve of her neck, she pushed the suit coat down off his arms, and slid her hands around his waist. Her fingers slipped under the edge of his sweater, seeking the warmth of the skin underneath. He reached down and pulled at it, tugging it over his head along with the shirt he wore underneath. He bent again and resumed his attentions, this time placing kisses along her clavicle, continuing to murmur the poem in his velvet voice.
"Another time mine eye is my heart's guest,
And in his thoughts of love doth share a part:
So, either by thy picture or my love,
Thy self away, art present still with me"
She was taken aback by the beauty of his body. She had seen him shirtless a thousand times over the course of their friendship, but never like this. He hissed sharply as she brought up her fingers to trace the shape of his nipples, and the tempo of his breathing increased as she continued her exploration, trailing her hand down to the contours of the muscles of his stomach. Her fingers continued moving until they reached the trail of hair leading down from his navel, but she paused at the waistband of his jeans. She hesitated for a moment, then resumed exploring back upwards, running her hands up along his sides and back to his shoulders. She marveled at the flex and play of the muscles beneath her touch.
"For thou not farther than my thoughts canst move,
And I am still with them, and they with thee;
Or, if they sleep, thy picture in my sight
Awakes my heart, to heart's and eyes' delight."
He nudged the this straps of the slip down her shoulders, and the garment fell slightly lower, revealing the tops of her breasts. His lips traced along the edge, and she felt the final words of the sonnet as vibrations against her skin.
"When did you...I mean...that was beautiful, Edward. You memorized a sonnet?"
"I missed you baby. I missed you every minute of every day. Reading Shakespeare made it feel like you weren't so far away. That one struck me as particularly...relevant." He pulled her towards the bed, and sat down on the edge with her. The slip fell further, and Bella caught it, holding it against her body.
"Please don't, love. Don't hide from me."
"I'm scared, Edward." Her voice was barely audible, even in the silence of the room.
"Please don't be. I love you. You are my whole life now." He lay back on the pillows and tugged her down to lie next to him.
She wove her fingers through his hair as his mouth and hands traveled over her skin, gradually increasing in their fervor. Her back arched up off the mattress at his touch, and she tightened her fingers, eliciting a groan from his throat. He pulled back and looked down at her, his eyes dark, and his expression almost pained.
"Are you sure, Bella? I don't want you to do anything you are uncomfortable with, and I know you're nervous..."
She silenced him by leaning up and meeting her mouth with his. The kiss quickly evolved from tender to searching to desperate. She pulled away long enough to nod.
"I'm your wife. Even if I'm afraid, I want this." She started to pull him down again, but he stopped. She huffed in frustration.
"Bella, do I need to...I mean, do you have..."
Bella was puzzled for a moment before she figured out what he was asking. She shook her head. "I'm covered. I went on the pill right after we got engaged."
His expression shifted to one of relief. "Thank God," he murmured, and his lips descended hungrily back to hers.
Reality blurred, and her awareness narrowed to his hands, and his lips, and his body. Her fear melted like frost under the warmth of his touch. The buzz she had felt coursing through her since she left the pub increased in intensity until she felt it in every cell. She wondered briefly that the electricity between then didn't light up the city outside her room.
Afterwards she lay in his embrace, feeling his skin against hers and the lingering trail of sparks his fingers left as they trailed sleepily along the skin of her back, and wondered how she had lived so long without him.
She smiled contentedly as she rested against his body. This morning had been more of the same. Not just the physical, although that was pretty amazing, but the look in his eyes as he gazed into hers, his words of love, and the connection she felt to him that was beyond anything she could have imagined.
He began to stir beneath her. His arms tightened around her, and then she felt him stretch.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, her voice quiet.
"Yes, it was," he replied with a smirk.
She giggled. "Are you ready to get up?"
He reached down and palmed her behind. "It wouldn't be difficult to accomplish that." His smirk grew to a grin.
She wiggled away and lightly slapped his chest. "Silly."
Before she realized what had happened, he grabbed her and rolled them so he had her pinned to the bed. "I wasn't joking, love." He lowered himself until his mouth found hers.
After a few toe-curling minutes, Bella pulled away as much as she could. "Edward, stop."
His hands continued to explore her skin as he moved his lips to her neck. "Don't wanna."
She pushed at his shoulders until she gained his attention and they both sat up. "Really, stop. We need to get up. And besides..." She trailed off, her bottom lip between her teeth and her eyes downcast.
"What is it, love?" he asked, playing with a strand of hair that had fallen over her shoulder.
"I think...I think I need a...break, maybe? I'm a little...sore." She pulled the sheet up over her body, embarrassed.
His face constricted in concern. "Did I hurt you, baby? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it's fine." She reached over and smoothed the wrinkle between his eyebrows. "You didn't hurt me. It was a little uncomfortable, but you were...it was...it was perfect. It's just, um...unexplored territory, you know?"
"Baby, I am so sorry."
"Edward, stop." Her hand drifted upwards to stroke his hair. "I knew it would probably hurt. It was actually much less painful than I anticipated, and this morning was even less. I don't regret a single moment."
"Really?" His voice was worried, but her response was resolute.
"Really."
He smiled at her and pulled her close. "I love you so much, Bella, do you know that?"
"I kind of picked up on that, yeah."
They sat and held each other for a little while, until Edward pulled himself away reluctantly. "Well, if we must take a break, I guess I could take a shower. That ok?"
Bella nodded, and stood up, grabbing the robe that Edward had coerced her to discard earlier. She crossed to the closet and pulled out a towel, then handed it to him. "You can use whatever - my stuff is on the top shelf."
"I've got it, baby," he replied, extracting a small leather bag from his suitcase. He kissed her forehead before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind him.
Bella drifted around the room, gathering up the candles and flowers and unplugging the fireplace. She had picked up the last of the lights when she heard Edward's phone ring. She ignored it and began selecting clothes to wear for the day, but it shortly rang again. And then again. On the fourth ring, she decided to check to see who it was. She had just set the phone back down on his bag when the bathroom door opened and he emerged, a towel around his waist and a broad grin on his face. He pulled some clothes out of his bag and began to walk back to the bathroom, before stopping himself halfway across the room.
"I guess it's ok to change in front of you now, hunh?" he observed.
"I hadn't really thought about it, but yeah, I guess so." She smiled at his expression. "That might take a little adjustment. It's not all bad though," she replied, admiring his body as he dried off and pulled on boxer briefs and a clean pair of jeans.
"Why, Miss Swan," he teased, "are you checking out my ass?"
"Why yes I am," she replied. "And that's Mrs. Cullen to you, Mr. Cullen."
He walked to where she stood and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her. "Yes, I suppose it is, isn't it." His smile lit up the room.
"Speaking of names, somebody was blowing up your phone just now. Who's Makenna?"
****r~d****
Edward stood in Bella's shower, enjoying the feel of the hot water. He was having a hard time wrapping his brain around how much things had changed. Forty-eight hours previously he had been visiting with his parents, trying to avoid questions about Bella and pretending not to see the concern in his mother's eyes. Now he was married to the love of his life, blissfully happy, and excited to tell his mother that she didn't have to worry so much about him anymore.
The thought of Esme's reaction to the news brought an even bigger smile to his face as he toweled himself off and went out into Bella's room. He felt a sudden awkwardness as he started to get dressed, but Bella's teasing and obvious admiration helped him relax. His ease ended abruptly though, as he heard the last question he ever expected come out of Bella's mouth.
"Who's Makenna?"
He tone and expression were completely innocent. She was clearly not accusing or suspicious of him, rather, she seemed to be asking the question out of curiosity.
Edward couldn't quite decide how to answer her. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to hurt her unnecessarily. He stalled.
"Why do you ask?"
"Your phone rang a million times while you were in there," she replied, indicating the device in question. She seemed a little cowed. "After the third or fourth time I looked to see who it was, I thought maybe it was some kind of emergency. I would only have answered if it was your mother or something."
"Bella, it's fine. You're welcome to look at my phone anytime. I just wondered."
"Oh. Okay." Bella sat down on the bed.
Edward sat down next to her and stroked her hair. "Bella, stop worrying. You're my wife. My phone is your phone."
She smiled a little. "I guess there are a few other things we'll have to adjust to." She leaned up and kissed him. "So who's Makenna? That's a really unique name."
"She's a unique girl," he answered. "She's in the band, she plays the violin. She's really talented."
"That's cool. Any idea why she was so desperate to get ahold of you? I hope everything is alright."
"I'm sure it's fine," Edward answered, continuing to play with Bella's long brown waves. "We were supposed to go see a movie or something today, she was probably just trying to track me down."
Bella pulled back and looked at him. "The band doesn't know you're here?" she asked incredulously.
"Nope." Edward shook his head.
Bella looked at him for a moment, her head tilted slightly and her eyes narrowed. "Edward...does anyone know you're here? Jasper, Carlisle, anyone? "
Again Edward shook his head. "Not a soul except me and you."
"Why not?" she asked.
"It was kind of...last minute. I spent part of the week with my parents, and I got your letter after I got home late Thanksgiving Day. After I read it I pretty much threw some stuff in a bag, got online, found a flight, and went straight to the airport."
"But...how on Earth did you afford it? Alice said you had been working like crazy to try to save money since you wouldn't be working while you were on tour."
Edward flushed slightly. "I used money from...I used some of the Platt money."
"So, what did you and my mom talk about yesterday?" Edward's voice was hesitant, and he squeezed Bella's hand where it lay entwined with his. They had been driving for about an hour, and Bella had been uncharacteristically silent for most of the ride.
"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. She told me an interesting story though."
"Really, what was that?"
"She told me about how she and Carlisle met...and what happened before she met him."
Edward glanced over at her. Her face was impassive. "She did?" Bella nodded.
"I'm glad. I mean, I'm not glad it happened, and I am sorry you had to hear such a sad story, but I am glad you know."
"I've wondered, you know, about your grandparents. I know you are really close to Carlisle's family, but you never really said anything about your other grandparents. Did they die?"
Edward sighed. "Yes, but just a couple of years ago. I only saw them a few times before that though. They never really got over all of it; they never stopped being mad at mom over what they saw as her failure. They didn't even come to the wedding when she married dad. They didn't have a big wedding anyway, it was kind of fast because he was about to go to Seattle for his residency, but you would think they would come to their only daughter's wedding. Mom kind of tried to keep in touch, she sent them letters and pictures and stuff, but things never really changed. They were killed in a car accident when I was nineteen. "
"Edward, I'm so sorry." Bella rubbed his arm with the hand that wasn't currently connected to his.
"It's alright. Mom has gotten over it and moved on. I think she had grieved for them long before they died. They did manage to get in one final shot though. They were pretty well off, and died pretty young, so they never really used all of the money they had saved to retire, but they wrote their will so that they didn't leave anything to mom. Most of the money went to some garden club thing in the town where they lived, but they left some to me, in a trust fund that I got when I turned twenty-one. The only stipulation was that mom never have any access to the money." Edward's voice was tinged with anger.
"That's awful. What did Esme say?"
"She was so great, Bella - she said that she was thankful that they had left me the money, and she was glad that even though they had failed to take care of her that they had at least tried to take care of me. She said I should use it for something that made me happy.
"Did you?"
"I've never touched it. They didn't want my mom, or my dad, or me; I don't want their money."
Bella's jaw dropped. "You used...you used the money your grandparents left you?"
Edward chuckled. "Well, not all of it, obviously. But yes, I did."
"But...I thought you said you never wanted to use it, because of how they treated your mom."
"I didn't. But when I got it, mom told me I should use it for something that made me happy." Edward looked directly into Bella's eyes. "So I did."
****r~d****
Saturday night as they were getting ready for bed, Edward had expressed a desire to go to church, so on Sunday morning they walked hand in hand a few blocks to Saint Catherine's, a small Anglican church Bella discovered shortly after her arrival in London and had attended a few times since. Bella watched Edward as he went to receive the host; the joy on his face had a beauty that rivaled the stained-glass windows of the building. After the mass, he tugged her forward and spoke to the priest, who smiled and prayed a blessing over the two of them, one hand resting on each of their bowed heads. Bella was unable to stop the tears as she listened to the priest's quiet words, and when they had raised their heads, she saw moisture on Edward's face as well. She reached over and wiped the tears away, and the minister smiled at this gesture. After leaving the church they found a quiet cafe and ordered lunch, eating in peaceful, easy silence.
Bella finally spoke as Edward was taking his final bites.
"Do you wish we had waited? We could have had a church wedding if you wanted to." Edward's head shot up and had looked at Bella's face. He reached across the small table and grasped her hand tightly in his.
"No Bella. No. Our wedding was perfect. Perfect. I wouldn't change a single millisecond."
Bella wrinkled her nose happily. "I've been trying to decide who's going to kill us more, Esme or Alice."
Edward smiled. "Don't worry love, I won't let anyone injure my bride.'
Bella took a moment to relish the feel of his words. My bride.
"Alice will be mad for sure, but she'll just pitch a fit and then she'll jump up and down and squeal and everything will be fine. I'm a little more worried about Esme; I hate the idea of hurting your mother."
"Your mother now too, don't forget."
Bella hadn't forgotten. Esme had been like a mother to her for so long, she was beyond excited that it was now official. Therein lay the reason for her worry.
"Do you think she'll be very upset?"
Edward turned her hand over and began tracing patterns into her open palm. "I think she's going to be thrilled. Ecstatic. She might be a little disappointed that she missed the actual event, but she'll understand." He chuckled. "She will almost certainly insist on throwing us a reception when we come home though."
Bella's forehead creased at his words. "We haven't talked about that Edward...when are we going home?"
Edward took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about that...I know it's probably too late for you to move into married housing, and I certainly can't keep living in your room for the next six months, so thought I'd try to find an apartment nearby-"
"Wait," Bella interrupted. "You're planning on staying here?"
"Of course. What else would I do?"
What about your tour Edward? What about the band?"
"I'll tell them I can't go." Edward's voice was calm.
Bella's wasn't. "You can't do that! You've been working your whole life for this, and you'll ruin your career, and leave all the guys in a lurch three days before they leave on tour!"
"Bella, it will be fine. I'll call Garrett. He's spent the last three months listening to me talk about you...actually, the word he used most was 'pouting'. He'll understand."
"Oh man, he must think I'm such a bitch." Bella's face dropped into her hands.
"Baby, look at me." Edward brought his hand to her jaw, lifting her face so she could meet his eyes. "You weren't a bitch. You made some bad decisions, but I wasn't innocent either. I thought about this a lot. I messed this up. I pushed you too hard. I know your history, and I knew how scary the idea of marriage must have been to you, but instead of paying attention and trying to see how you were feeling, I plowed through. I hurt you. Besides, none of that matters now. I forgive you, and Garrett and the others will all love you."
"Still," Bella replied, " you can't bail on them. This isn't just about us. You won't be able to live with yourself if you give this up. Only..."
"What is it, sweetheart?"
"Do you think I'll be able to come with you? I know it's a lot to ask, but it's not like I'll need my own rooms or anything-"
"No."
"What do you mean, no? They won't let me come? But you said...I'll haul equipment, or sell t-shirts-"
"No Bella, that's not it. I'm sure you would be welcome. But you aren't coming. You are staying here, and I am staying here with you. You've worked to hard to get here, and you're a third of the way finished already. I am not letting you give up your dream for me."
"Well, I'm not letting you give up your dream for me!"
"It's not a question, Bella. I'm calling Garrett to cancel. I'm staying here with you. The decision has been made. I'm putting my foot down."
Bella's eyebrows shot up. "You've putting your what down?"
Edward backed up slightly. "Bella, I..."
"Come on, let's go." Bella stood abruptly. Edward followed quickly.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to my room." Bella did not slow down or turn around as she strode back in the direction of her building. "We're not having our first married fight in a restaurant. I might feel the need to be...loud."
****r~d****
Bella didn't speak another word during the entire walk back. Edward followed her lead. He hadn't meant to sound like some dictator husband from the fifties, and he had known the second the words left his mouth that he had said the wrong thing, but he felt that he didn't have any other options. She was here, therefore he would be here with her. Anything else was unacceptable.
The look on her face was unreadable as she strode up the stairs and unlocked to her door. As soon as the door latched behind them, she whirled in place to face him.
"Explain yourself, Edward. Since when, exactly, do you 'put your foot down'? I don't recall abdicating my right to make my own decisions. I'm pretty sure I would remember something like that."
"Bella, I didn't mean it that way, I'm just trying to do what's best for you, and-"
"That's the problem, Edward, you're trying to do what's best for me, without actually bothering to ask me. Besides that, you shouldn't be making decisions about me, you should be trying to do what's best for us. Us, Edward, as in you and me, as in we make the decision together. I'm not a child. I don't need you to figure out what's best for me. I need you to talk to me and let us make decisions together. Not you. Not me. Us."
Bella's eyes were blazing, her face was flushed. Edward was taken aback by how beautiful she was like this.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Damn right! Wait, what?"
"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm pushing you again."
"You - you are-" Bella shook her head, flustered.
"Bella, are you ok?"
"I don't know - I - but - how am I supposed to fight with you when you agree with me?"
Edward laughed. "Do you want to fight?"
"No, but...what just happened?"
He took her hand and pulled her over to the bed. They sat down facing one another before Edward spoke again.
"It's kind of strange...I was about to argue with you, and then I had this weird deja vu moment, and I realized that we keep coming back here. We've had this problem before, and we did it all wrong. Last time I didn't want to pressure you, and first I didn't tell you what I wanted, then I tried to force your hand, and we managed to screw everything up so badly I was sure we could never put the pieces together again. I don't want to repeat that. I don't want to keep going around the same loop. I don't want to risk losing you again. So I made a different choice."
Bella smiled. "Nicely done, Cullen. But if we aren't going to fight about it, how ever are we going to figure this out?"
"Well," he drawled, walking towards her, " we could...play a game for it? Rock paper scissors? Better yet, strip rock paper scissors? First one naked loses?"
She smirked. "Edward, I think the goal here is to figure out a way for both of us to win."
"Baby," he replied, pulling her close and spinning her around until the back of her legs hit the edge of the bed, "if I have anything to say about it, we both will."
While Bella took a shower later on, Edward borrowed her computer to check his email. Aside from the inevitable junk mail that had accumulated over several days, he had a few messages of significance; one from his mom saying how much she had enjoyed seeing him at Thanksgiving, a couple from Makenna that he chose not to open, and one from Garrett. Its subject line was 'Last Minute Details', and when he opened it, he found a long missive that included a final itinerary, contact and ticket information for all of the venues they would be playing, and some logistics about who was bringing what. The whole thing was being done as simply and cheaply as possible, since the bad was still building a fan base, but it was legitimate, and they were playing some pretty amazing places up and down the West coast. Edward noticed that the final show was back in Seattle, three days after the last day of Bella's program.
The email ended with a personal message from Garrett.
Gentlemen (and lady), I can't tell you how excited I am to have this opportunity, and to share the experience of a lifetime with such talented artists. I know we have all been working our whole lives to fulfill this dream, and I can't think of anyone I would rather share it with. I am especially psyched that Edward will be joining us - his gifts have taken us to a whole new place. Who knew that when Hudson broke his hand it would eventually lead to such good things? I suspect that the events of the next six months are going to change all of our lives.
Edward's heart sank.
****r~d****
When Bella emerged from the bathroom she immediately noticed that the grin that had been almost perpetually present on Edward's face since Friday night was gone, replaced by an expression of consternation. She pulled on her robe and crossed to him, sitting cross-legged across from him on the bed.
"What's the matter? You look like you just got diagnosed with cancer of the puppy."
One corner of Edward's mouth quirked up at Bella's phrasing, but then fell again. He sighed and handed the computer to her, indicating the email. Silence filled the room as she read quickly. She looked up at him when she finished reading and smiled sadly.
"He sounds like a great guy. Edward, seriously, you have to go. This isn't just about you and me. You have a whole group of people counting on you."
Edward scowled. "You matter much more than they do, Bella."
She took his hand. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and had a barely detectable tremor. "The thing is, Edward...I don't, really. No, don't interrupt, just listen. I know I matter more to you than they do. But in the grand scheme of the universe, they are just as important as me. Their dreams matter every bit as much as mine. I was really selfish for a long time, Edward. I've been so focused on me and what I needed and what I was dealing with that I almost lost everything. I didn't know it then, but I know it now, and I can't keep living that way when I know better. I can't be selfish about this, and I can't let you do it either. I love you too much to watch you be that guy. You would hate yourself, and you know it. You have to go." She took a deep breath and looked down at where her fingers played with a thread on her quilt. When she resumed speaking, the quake in her voice was much more evident. "I want you to stay more than I have ever wanted anything before in my entire life, but I know it would destroy you, and destroy us in the process. I just got you back. I can't lose you again."
Edward carefully set the laptop on her desk, then lay down and pulled her with him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and she snuggled into his chest.
"I thought you were here studying Shakespeare, not Solomon," he observed.
She chuckled. "Most of the characters in his plays do really stupid stuff, and he wasn't going to win the Mr. Mental Health pageant either. Studying Shakespeare is basically studying bad decision-making cause and effect up close and personal. The words are really pretty though." She paused thoughtfully. "Besides, I've had a lot of time to think over the past three months. I figured some stuff out."
"I see that." He pulled her closer and kissed her gently. The kissing escalated quickly, but Bella broke away, panting.
"Edward, we have to...ooh, that feels really good...wait..." She reluctantly pulled back from his lips that had been traveling quickly down her neck. She laughed at the pout that appeared on his handsome face. "I'm sorry, but we have to figure this out, and that's not going to happen if we keep that up."
Edward pouted for a few more seconds before relenting. "Alright," he said, sighing deeply. He reached for her hands, but she backed away, moving to the other end of the bed.
"I think a little space is going to be imperative if we want to have this discussion."
Edward huffed, but he didn't argue and moved to lean against the headboard.
"Ok. I think the first thing we have to do is figure out all our options." Edward nodded in agreement, and chuckled as Bella stood to get a notebook and pen from her desk.
"You're such a nerd," he observed.
"Takes one to know one, Obi-ward," she retaliated.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, his voice full of false umbrage. "Nobody's called me that since seventh grade!"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because that's when you gave up referring to yourself that way."
"Whatever, Bel-leia".
She laughed. "Um, Edward, I'm pretty sure picking on me with a nickname you made up doesn't make yours any cooler." She paused thoughtfully. "And if you think about it, if you're Obi-wan and I'm Leia...ew."
A look of disgust crossed Edward's face, and then he quirked up his eyebrows. "So does that make me Han Solo? Hanward?" He crawled over the bed towards her.
Bella tilted her head to look at him. "What was that about me being a nerd?"
"OK, point taken." He leaned back against the headboard again.
"Can we do this, or am I going to have to throw my pen at you?"
"Okay, okay, I'll behave." He folded his arms across his chest.
"So...option one - I go home and go on tour with you."
"No." At this, Bella glared at Edward.
"Option one - I go home and go on tour with you." This time he remained silent, but shook his head.
"Option two - You blow off the tour and stay here with me." Edward nodded.
"Option three - I stay here, you go on tour, and we're apart for six months."
"I don't like that one," Edward said, all hint of teasing gone from his voice.
"I don't either," she replied, " but I think we have to consider it."
They sat quietly for a few minutes before Bella spoke again. "So those are our three extremes - are there any other options we're missing? Some happy medium where no one has to sacrifice so much?"
"Well...I could talk to Garrett and see if they could start looking for someone to replace me part way through the tour. That way I'm not leaving them in a lurch and if we could work it out, I could come back here earlier."
"Oh! That's good!" Bella wrote quickly in the notebook. "I wonder if I could do the same thing... we only have a few weeks left this semester, I wonder if I could defer the second half of the course? How would you feel about coming back here after the tour is over?"
"I could do that," Edward said, a smile growing over his face.
Bella was getting excited. "That way, you get to do the whole tour, I don't have to give up the program, and we would only have to be separated for like, a month, if that."
"Wouldn't it delay you finishing your degree?"
"A little, but not too much. I could probably do some work on my thesis while I'm traveling with you. Not as much as if I was here, or at home, but some. I might lose a semester, but that's not really a big deal."
They both wore matching grins. "Did we just solve our problem?" he asked.
"I think we did. I'd call that our first marital crisis averted, Mr. Cullen."
"I concur, Mrs. Cullen. Since that's taken care of, can I please get in your pants now?"
"I'm not wearing any pants," she answered, launching herself at him.
"Semantics," he replied, as he tugged on the tie of her robe.
****r~d****
Edward reveled in the feeling of Bella's head resting on his shoulder as she slept. He gazed down at the clouds, occasionally glimpsing what he knew had to be the ocean as the clouds shifted. He turned and nuzzled the top of her head. She had been sad to leave her friends, but fortunately she had managed to defer her program, and they would be returning to London together after the tour so she could finish. It had all worked out so beautifully, he could hardly believe it was real. He rested his head on Bella's and closed his eyes, absorbed in bliss.
He jerked awake as the plane hit turbulence. The businessman in the seat next to him had fallen asleep and was snoring softly. He shook his head, as the dream cleared and was replaced by the very real memory of Bella standing in the airport waving until he couldn't see her anymore, smiling bravely and fighting the tears that had been falling intermittently since her alarm went off way too early that morning.
The harsh beeping jerked them both awake after only a few hours of sleep. They had gone to bed early, know what time they had to wake up, but they hadn't actually slept; they had lain awake for hours, making love and holding each other as close as was physically possible, whispering words of love and reassurance.
They were silent in the cab ride over. She sat tucked under his arm, holding his free hand in both of hers. The silence continued into the airport, through the check-in lines, all the way to security. Once they arrived they clung to each other until the last possible moment. Just as Edward was pulling away to board the plane, Bella pulled him back and looked into his eyes.
"I didn't find everything I was looking for. Everything I was looking for found me."
He leaned his forehead against hers and nodded. He bent to kiss the tear that had escaped her eye, caught her lips in a final kiss, then pulled away and forced himself to walk through the metal detectors. He had to run to make it to his plane, but it was worth it just to hear her final words.
Edward leaned against his headrest and reflected on the events of the past few days. The tour was leaving on Wednesday, so he bought a return ticket for Tuesday. Bella skipped her classes on Monday to be with him, but went to meet with her dean to see if it would be possible to defer her second semester. Edward wanted to go with her, but Bella insisted it would be better if she went alone. Her face told the story the moment she walked back into her room where he waited. The dean had said no, deferment was not possible. No, reapplication was not allowed. In addition to all the things she couldn't do, Bella learned of one thing she would have to do; because of the requirements of the grant she had received to fund her time there, if she left the program for anything other than 'catastrophic family emergency' she would be required to pay back the cost of not just her first semester, but the entire program. No, they did not consider the prospect of being separated from her new husband for six months to be a catastrophic emergency. He explained that he was very sorry to be delivering such bad news, but this was one of the most prestigious programs in the world and they had a waiting list a kilometer long, and it would be unfair to rob another student of the opportunity to study just because Bella changed her mind halfway through.
Edward had to admit to himself that Bella had handled the news better than he had. She had been resigned and accepting; he had wanted to go punch the dean, or at least break something in his office. They tried to make the most of the limited time they had left together, but their impending separation and the uncertainty of the future hung over them like a fog until the moment they parted in the airport.
Edward shifted in his seat and felt something poking into his leg. He reached into his pocket to find a note, elaborately folded the way Bella used to fold notes when they were teenagers. She must have slipped it into his pocket before he put the pants on this morning. He gingerly unfolded the paper to read the message inside.
Edward,
I love you. The past few days have been the most wonderful of my entire life, and it is all because you had the courage to come halfway around the world for me. I can never be thankful enough for that. I know that we are both sad right now at the prospect of being separated, and we don't really know what will happen yet, but I am not afraid. You had the courage to come to me; I will have the courage to be away from you, and I have faith that courage will be enough for both of us. This is forever my love, and compared to forever six months is the blink of an eye. I will miss you, and we may be stretched, but I have faith that we will not be broken. My love for you will not fail.
Love, Bella
A/N
The sonnet Edward quotes is number 47. I've reprinted it all together below for your reading enjoyment. It struck me as very appropriate to their situation.
Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took,
And each doth good turns now unto the other:
When that mine eye is famish'd for a look,
Or heart in love with sighs himself doth smother,
With my love's picture then my eye doth feast,
And to the painted banquet bids my heart;
Another time mine eye is my heart's guest,
And in his thoughts of love doth share a part:
So, either by thy picture or my love,
Thy self away, art present still with me;
For thou not farther than my thoughts canst move,
And I am still with them, and they with thee;
Or, if they sleep, thy picture in my sight
Awakes my heart, to heart's and eyes' delight.
"Go back to your knitting" is from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the movie, not the book.
"You look like you just got diagnosed with cancer of the puppy" is from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 4, Episode 1 "The Freshman"
The song "I Wanna Sex You Up" was recorded by Color Me Badd and released in 1991. I do not own the song, although once upon a time I owned the tape, and used to play it out the window when I was in boarding school at couples making out in the courtyard below my window.
Bella's dress is based on this one, although I changed the color in my mind.
www (dot) etsy (dot) com/listing/71790883/rosalind-tudor-court-renaissance-dress
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was fun to write. I know some people might be a little upset of the lack of lemons, but I am not very comfortable writing them, so this is about as citrusy as this story is going to get.
So what do you think? Will they be able to survive being long-distance newlyweds?
Reviews are lovely, like being Hanward's Princess Leia.