Disclaimer- Stephenie still owns the usual suspects.
I own my original characters and original story.
**I'm writing a little slower. Not on purpose, it's merely because I had to rewrite my outline. A lot of it was lost when my computer was assassinated. Enjoy!
********************************************V&V**************************************************
Chapter 45 & 46 - Prelude To A Proposal
After flying all night, I knew Bella was exhausted. Instead of going out to dinner, I suggested she have a soak in the tub while I ordered room service. No sooner had I phoned in the order than Alec knocked on the door, looking guilty of something.
I'll worry about that later.
"Hey Edward, I've bolted the door on my side. I was just letting you know, so you could do the same in here." He said as he eyed the door separating his room from the sitting room.
"Thanks, I'll do that." I studied his face. "How exactly did Bella get in my trailer?" I asked.
"Oh, that." He shifted from one foot to the other. "I stopped by here during lunch. Alice must have given her an extra key to the suite. She rode with me to the studio and waited in the trailer to surprise you."
"That she did." I smiled, thinking about her wonderful surprise.
"Well, if you don't need anything else from me, I'm going out." He said.
"That's fine, but I'll need you early tomorrow." I informed.
He nodded once and was gone.
I put my ipod in the dock and chose some romantic music to dine by as I waited for Bella to emerge from the bathroom.
While sitting on the sofa listening to Nat King Cole croon, the food arrived. Bella still hadn't come out of the bathroom. I started to worry that something was wrong. I walked into the bedroom and knocked softly on the bathroom door.
No answer.
I knocked a little harder.
"Bella." Still no response.
"Bella. Sweetheart are you alright?"
"Bella, dinner's here." I tried the knob, it was unlocked. I gingerly turned the handle and opened the door just far enough to poke my head inside. I could see her sitting in a tub full of bubbles. She looked as if she'd fallen asleep.
"Are you still alive?" With that, she started to move her head and open her eyes.
"Oh shit, I must have fallen asleep." She rasped out. Then she stood up abruptly. I gasped as my mind registered that she was gloriously naked.
Oh shit, I should probably look away. Definitely. Maybe. Probably. Oh fuck it.
I knew I should.
I. Just. Couldn't.
Fuck, the bubbles are covering the best bits.
Bella, realizing what she'd done, immediately turned to face the wall and I was treated to a non-bubble obscured view of her gorgeous posterior.
Beautiful.
And it's not even my birthday.
It took some effort, but I was finally able to mutter an apology.
"Oh Christ, I'm sorry. I'll just… " I stuttered. "When you're ready…. I'll just wait in the other room."
It took everything in me to walk away from that door. I should have gone to her, taken her in my arms and kissed every inch of skin on her wet naked body. I should have carried her to my bed, locked the door, and made love to her, forgetting everything and everyone outside of that room until the next day.
That's what I should have done.
Why am I not doing that again?
Oh yeah. We are waiting until Bella is ready, and not a moment before.
I'd suspected as much, but now I was fairly certain that my dick officially hated me.
In an effort to calm down, I busied myself setting the food out on the dining table and pouring the wine, the image of Bella, wet and naked permanently etched into my brain.
Stupid bubbles.
After a few minutes, Bella padded out, wearing her robe.
Stupid robe.
"Sorry" She muttered as she sat down.
"About what?" I asked still grinning like a fucking idiot.
"Um, well, making you wait to eat?" She answered quietly.
Silly Bella. Silly gorgeous Bella.
I continued to grin as I ate a forkful of peas.
"And maybe flashing you in the bathroom?" She added, which proceeded to make me laugh and choke on said peas.
After my choking fit, I said, "Bella, believe me when I tell you there is absolutely no need to apologize for that."
At my words, she started to blush and refused to look up at me.
I am an insensitive ass.
I set down my fork and reached a hand under her chin. "Hey" I whispered. "Bella please don't be like this."
When I lifted her face, her eyes were swimming in tears.
"Sweetheart, don't cry" Needing to hold her, I pulled her onto my lap. She cried softly as I rubbed her back.
"That wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for, the first time you saw me naked Edward."
I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. "If it's any consolation, I didn't see much. There were a lot of bubbles."
Too many damn bubbles.
She sniffled. "Really?" She finally looked me in the eye.
"Really. I was quite disappointed." I answered honestly.
"Disappointed by what you did see? Or disappointed that you didn't see more?"
She was teasing now.
I softly growled. "Disappointed that I didn't see more you silly girl. But what I did see was absolutely breathtaking." I whispered before kissing her.
The kiss quickly turned passionate. It had been so long since I'd been able to hold her and kiss her like this. We finally broke apart to breathe, and then we both started to laugh.
I begrudgingly guided her back to her seat. "As much as I'd like us to spend all evening kissing, you need to eat. So let's eat and talk because then you need to sleep."
She nodded and began scarfing down her dinner.
I ate mine at a normal pace while chuckling at Bella.
"What's so funny" She asked while chewing.
"I take it you haven't eaten all day?" I asked.
"Not since this morning." She admitted.
I'd had enough dinner, but not enough Bella, so I spent the remainder of the dinner watching her as she ate.
"God, I've missed you." I said quietly.
-LRM-
As we lay in bed, I let Bella know about having Saturday and Sunday off, and that I was planning some things we could do. I had originally planned to go sightseeing, and see the house in Oxford again. Those plans would be much more enjoyable now that Bella would be with me.
"Any chance you will share those plans with me?" She asked with a yawn.
I narrowed my eyes and smirked. "No way. I think it's my turn to surprise you Miss Swan."
I didn't get much sleep. The ring, sitting in an innocent little velvet box in the room-safe weighed heavily on my mind.
I couldn't propose this weekend. None of my plans are complete. The house isn't even ready.
Maybe I could propose on the London Eye.
I didn't know what to do. Now that she'd come to England, it seemed silly to follow through with my plan of flying her here to propose in June or July.
Maybe I should just propose in Seattle.
I sat up and grabbed my phone. It was early in London, but still late evening in California.
"I take it you were sufficiently surprised Edward." Alice giggled into the phone.
"Very much so. Thank you for helping Bella with that." I answered.
"You're welcome. You know I'd do anything for you and Bella." She said quietly. "So have you decided to go ahead and propose while Bella's there?"
As usual, Alice gets right to the heart of the matter.
"I hadn't planned on that Alice." I whispered. "You don't think I should wait until I get back next month? We don't have a lot of time before Bella has to go back."
"Edward, you know Bella. What would she want?" Alice questioned.
I thought about that. The answer came easily.
Bella would want me to propose in the Tolkien house, with or without furniture.
I inhaled sharply as I realized what I needed to do. "Ali, you just gave me a great idea."
"Do you need my help?" She asked.
"No, I think I can handle things from here. Thanks." I answered.
"Okay, love you Edward, bye." She chirped.
"Love you too. Goodbye."
Bella rolled over to face me and stretched. I smiled down at her. "Feeling better now?"
"I feel great." She said with a smile.
I'm glad one of us got some sleep.
"What did you want to do today?" I asked.
She thought about that. "Well, I could go play tourist but.." She looked at me and smiled. "I don't have any desire to be away from you today Edward. I mean, I know you have to work but can I come with you? Then maybe tomorrow I won't mind being on my own so much."
Nothing would make me happier than to have her with me today. "It's bound to be boring for you Bella, but I'm not going to lie, I'd be ecstatic to have you with me."
"That's settled then." She said as she rolled out of bed to get dressed.
Now I need to tell her what scenes we're filming today.
I sat up, bracing my elbows on my knees. "There's something you should know. I'm getting married today." I teased.
"Huh?" Bella looked a little dumbfounded.
I couldn't help but laugh. "In the film Bella. We're staging a wedding scene today. The scene itself will only last a few minutes, but will probably take all day to film."
Bella seemed to be taking a minute to process the information.
"Who's the lucky girl?" She grinned, but she didn't fool me.
I climbed out of bed and moved until I was standing in front of her, and began to rub her upper arms soothingly. "Rachel Novak. You remember her, the paps tried to invent a relationship between us." I watched her carefully. "Her character is an American Army nurse that my character knew as a child. He meets her again in England, they fall in love, and so forth."
Bella tried to play it off as unimportant. "Do you have any ..you know.. um any of those kinds of scenes with her?"
I chuckled.
She can't even say the word 'sex'. What am I going to do with her?
"Bella are you asking if I have any 'sex' scenes with Rachel?" I said while making air quotes at the word sex.
Bella let out a breath. "Yes, I guess that's what I'm asking."
I chuckled again. "Yes, there's one brief scene which we haven't filmed yet."
Hopefully you won't be on set for that one.
Once again, Bella surprised me with what she blurted next, "Oh my God Edward, please tell me she isn't going to see your junk. At least not before I've had a chance to see it" She immediately slapped her hand over her mouth, as I proceeded to laugh my ass off.
At least it's reassuring to know that she wants to see it.
"Have I mentioned just how adorable you are?" I sputtered between laughs. "Bella, no one gets to see my 'junk' as you so eloquently put it. I wear a piece of material down there. It tapes on. I've done that for every intimate scene I've ever done. Believe me baby, I keep it covered." I said with a wink.
Hopefully that information will allay some of her fears.
"So your little costars have never seen more than your butt?" She was grinning.
"Nope."
I really can't believe we're having a serious conversation about my lack of dick exposure.
"Even Jonelle Everett?" She said with a smirk.
Ugh.
"Especially not her" I answered with a shudder.
While Bella dressed, I went in search of Alec. He answered his door, already dressed for the day.
"Wow. Look at you. Acting all professional and shit." I grinned.
He laughed. "Come on in Edward."
I stepped into the room. "Alec, I'm about to tell you some things that are not to become public knowledge, and I'd also like to keep it as a surprise for Bella."
He nodded. "Okay."
"I'm planning to propose to Bella on Saturday night at the Tolkien house." Alec was well aware of my home purchase, having handled a lot of the transfer of paperwork and phone calls while I was working.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. He didn't say anything, so I continued. "I'm going to need your help with preparations. We'll talk to Maggie, the set director, she offered to 'dress the room' for me, but we didn't think this would be happening until June or July."
"Sure Edward."
"Thanks Alec. We'll speak about this later today." I started to leave, and then turned to face him again. "Oh and by the way, Bella told me you had a woman in the suite when she arrived yesterday. I remember expressly forbidding you from bringing any dates into the sitting room. I'm also certain that the encounter wasn't as innocent as Bella led me to believe."
Alec looked worried.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I don't have time to go into this now, but this matter is not closed Alec. We'll discuss it later." I warned.
He nodded before I turned and walked back to my suite.
Even though Bella accompanied me to the shoot location, I didn't get to see much of her. I introduced her to Yves' fiancée Crystal and they became fast friends.
While I filmed, Bella and Crystal remained a fair distance away, watching us. The outdoor scenes were filmed in the morning, and were a pain in the ass. No matter where we were told to stand, the sun seemed to be in someone's eyes. Hal was having a fit because I kept squinting. Finally, after sunscreens were properly placed, the scene was completed to his satisfaction.
Every time I had a break from filming, I went over to sit with Bella. The paps were everywhere, and between them and the locals, I knew there would be a lot of photos of us on the internet tonight. The only time we were able to enjoy some privacy was when I had lunch delivered to my day room.
After lunch, Bella left with Crystal to explore the village. During my next break, I met with Maggie and Alec to get started setting up my surprise for Bella. Maggie was a complete romantic, and a Tolkien fan, so she had some wonderful ideas, and promised to have a crew out at the house working on things by that evening.
"Maggie, I don't know how to thank you for this." I told her.
"Don't worry about it Masen, I'm glad to help." Her eyes lit up as she spoke. "Isabella must be a wonderful woman."
"She is." I answered with a smile.
I sent a text to Alice letting her know my plans.
She texted back a short while later.
Edward-
Was just in touch with Bruce Oldfield. He's having a gown and shoes for Bella delivered on Saturday, along with a suit of clothes for you.
I'm so excited! Love you.
-Ali
I chuckled. I could practically hear her squeal through the phone.
During my next break, I sat with Alec in the pub.
"Alec, now I want you to tell me what happened in the suite yesterday."
"Shit." He muttered. "Okay, I had the girl there, the same one from the other night." He half-smiled. "Lady Gaga. Um, her names really Gabriella."
I wanted to laugh, but didn't. "Even though I told you not to have any girls in the sitting room?"
"Yeah" He looks remorseful. "I'm sorry Edward, I wasn't thinking."
"No your were thinking alright, but with your dick instead of your head." I snapped at him.
"You're right. It won't happen again."
"You can be sure of that Alec." I said in a serious tone.
"Anyway, I phoned Gabi, and she met me at the suite. Bella was either already there, or arrived while we were there, but I didn't see her right away."
"Okay." I waited for more.
"Well, Gabi and I were in the sitting room." He shifted nervously in his chair. "We were getting um, how can I put this" Alec ran his hands through his hair.
"I don't want the gory details Alec" I informed.
"Okay well, Bella must have been hiding behind the sofa while Gabi and I were sitting on it and she found us in a compromising position." He looked away, embarrassed.
Why the hell was Bella hiding behind the sofa?
"You know what Alec? Stop right there. I really don't need to hear any more." I sighed.
"Sorry Edward."
"Are you? I find it hard to believe. I hope you apologized to Bella."
He nodded.
"This will not happen again Alec. I expect better from you." I jabbed the table for emphasis as I spoke. "This is partially my fault because I haven't addressed your lack of professionalism until now." I shook my head in disgust. "So, you have a chance to redeem yourself by handling the arrangements for my proposal. I'll need to you to go out there and make sure everything is coming along as planned."
"I promise I'll handle it Edward." He answered quietly.
"Alec, don't screw this up. It's very important to me. You don't have time for your little 'distractions', you need to concentrate on your job."
"I understand Edward." He replied quietly.
Just then I looked up in surprise to find Bella standing by our table.
I wonder how much she overheard?
Her face was flushed, but she didn't look shocked as I would have expected her to be if she'd heard me say the word 'proposal'. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I smiled as she sat down beside me. Alec took that as his cue to leave.
Good idea.
"Did you explore the village?" I asked.
"Yes" She grinned "Found a bookstore" She said as she lifted her bag of books to show me.
I laughed and grabbed her hand. I was so happy to see her. "Look, I'm almost done for the day. I want to take you out tonight."
Back at the hotel, I showered first.
While Bella was taking hers, I phoned the restaurant, making a reservation for eight. It was one of Gordon Ramsay's, and I secretly hoped we'd get to meet him.
Our dinner was wonderful, filled with light conversation and delicious food. It turned out that Gordon was there. He came out and introduced himself before we received our entrees, and then we didn't see him any more for quite a while.
I couldn't take my eyes from Bella as she ate. She looked absolutely beautiful in her dress. She also wore the earrings and necklace I'd given her.
As a rule, I didn't get nervous. That had changed since meeting Bella. The thought of proposing, and the possibility that she might not say yes, had me a borderline nervous wreck. I had to use every bit of my acting ability to hide that fact from Bella.
When it was time for our dessert to arrive, who should deliver it to our table but Gordon Ramsay himself.
I greeted him with a smile.
"Hello again Edward and Isabella. I thought you might appreciate a little personal service." He smiled as he presented our desserts.
"Good to see you Gordon, won't you join us?" I asked.
"Just for a moment." He agreed, smiling broadly.
"Thank you Gordon, that was unexpected but much appreciated." I said as I gestured toward the delicious looking desserts.
"How was your meal Isabella?" Gordon asked.
"Delicious" Bella squeaked.
She looked a little uncomfortable, and I hoped she wasn't feeling ill. It had been a busy couple of days.
Gordon smirked and turned back to me. "How much longer will you be in England Edward?"
"A few more weeks of filming yet to go." I answered.
Bella excused herself to go to the ladies' room.
I really hope she's okay.
"So Gordon, I'd like your opinion."
Gordon's eyebrows raised in question.
I decided to let Gordon in on my plans. "I've purchased a house in Oxford as a surprise for Isabella."
"Really? Pardon me for saying this, but that's an odd place for a Hollywood movie star to own a home."
"Actually, it's the home where Tolkien wrote Lord of The Rings, so it will mean a lot to Bella."
Gordon nodded knowingly as I continued. "So, I'm having Tolkien's study done up to look like something from Middle Earth, and intend to propose to Bella there on Saturday."
"For fucks sake Edward, are you determined to make the rest of the male population look like assholes?" He laughed.
I laughed along with him. "No, nothing like that. It's just that I've waited for Bella for a long time. I want to make this perfect." I took a deep breath. "What I wanted to ask was if I were to reserve a private room at one of your restaurants for dinner afterward, which restaurant would you suggest for the greatest amount of privacy?"
Gordon thought for a moment, "Edward, I'm going to arrange dinner for you and Isabella to be delivered to the house."
My eyes shot open in surprise. "That sounds wonderful." I blurted in my surprise.
"Your proposal idea is damned near perfect Edward, why do you want to drag your fiancée out into a public place. You should have dinner in complete privacy. Let me handle this, it's what I do best." He said with a grin.
"I don't know how to thank you."
"Please don't mention it." He smiled again. "Here's my card, call me or have your assistant call me, and we'll arrange everything."
As I placed Gordon's card in my wallet, Bella arrived back at the table. We both smiled at her. "Here she is." Gordon announced happily.
Bella smiled and sipped her wine. She seemed a bit calmer.
"Isabella, are you always this quiet?" Gordon asked.
"No, not really. I like to talk. Sometimes too much. But I'm also afraid of embarrassing Edward in public with my ramblings."
I don't know how I've survived this long without her adorable ramblings.
"Um well, Gordon let me just say that you have a lovely place here."
"Thank you Isabella. Although I don't have a lot to do with the daily operation of this particular restaurant, they call me in from time to time to help with things like hiring and firing." He grinned.
Bella looked at Gordon for a moment before continuing. "May I ask you a question?"
"Of course Isabella" Gordon answered, still smiling.
"What would you do if you found out that one of the wait staff didn't wash their hands after using the rest room?"
I tilted my head toward her curiously.
Did she catch someone in the ladies room not washing their hands again? This must be more common then I realized. Disgusting.
I glanced at Gordon. He was pissed off.
"Which one was it Isabella? I need to know. They will be fired immediately. Well, after I've kicked their ass first." He practically shouted.
"No Gordon, you misunderstand me.." Bella tried to interrupt.
"That type of behavior is never acceptable if someone wishes to remain in my employ." He was really angry.
Holy shit, Gordon's face is blood red.
"Can't trust these fucking people as far as I can throw them." He immediately shot up from the table and barreled into the kitchen.
We heard a lot of shouting and commotion.
Bella looked distressed.
"Edward, I was merely trying to find out how he would have handled that nasty waitress from our lunch with Johnny Depp. I wasn't talking about anyone here."
"Oh no." I muttered. "We have to do something Bella."
When Gordon approached our table a few minutes later, he still looked pissed, but controlled. "No one will admit to it Isabella. I hate to bother you, but will you point the culprit out for me please?"
"Gordon, I'm so sorry. I wasn't speaking of anyone here. I've had it happen to me before, and I wondered how you'd handle it. By what I just witnessed, I think I got my answer. I feel so bad that you yelled at everyone." I smiled and patted her hand in a comforting gesture.
Gordon looked a little puzzled, and then burst into laughter. "All in a days' work Isabella. If nothing else, they've all been reminded of the importance of washing their hands." He was still grinning. "Well, I will leave you two to eat your dessert. Enjoy the rest of your evening."
And then he was gone.
What the fuck? I didn't know dinner included a floor show.
Bella and I laughed all the way back to the hotel.
-LRM-
That night as Bella lay in my arms, she clung to me. Now and then she would sigh, but wouldn't relax enough to close her eyes.
"Trouble sleeping?" I whispered.
"A little." She admitted.
I knew the feeling.
"Did you want to do something tomorrow before I have to be on set?"
"Maybe go to a museum?" She asked.
Good idea. Getting lost in ancient artifacts would be just the thing to distract me from my plans.
Or so I thought.
Instead of giving the exhibits the attention they deserved, I found myself staring at Bella most of the time.
Every now and then the thought would cross my mind:
Suppose she says no…
My heart clenched, and I searched my brain for everything she'd ever said about marriage. I finally settled myself with a different thought:
Suppose she says yes?
That should have calmed me, but instead made me even more nervous.
This is ridiculous, marrying Bella is the best thing that could ever happen to me.
But, if Bella agreed to marry me, there would be no turning back. She would be part of this fucked-up world I live in for the rest of her life. Could I really and truly do that to her?
The only alternative is to give her up. I sighed. I can't be without her again, and she has made it clear that she can't be without me. So, the sanest thing to do, which was also the most insane thing to do, would be to make our commitment to each other permanent.
Forever with Bella. What did I ever do to deserve such a gift?
Bella caught me watching her.
"Are you okay Edward?" She asked quietly.
I smiled "I'm better than okay, I'm wonderful." I answered as I pulled her into my arms "Have I told you how happy you make me. I still can't believe you're here."
I needed to report to the set by noon. When we arrived, Bella and Crystal made plans to go off sightseeing and shopping. I reluctantly agreed to let Bella go without Sidney, agreeing that they could probably navigate London a lot easier without a car.
After Bella left, my first stop was hair and makeup. Rachel and I would be filming our only intimate scene that afternoon. I was secretly relieved that Bella wouldn't be around to witness it. She had made a point to ask if I had to film a 'sex' scene, so I knew the thought bothered her.
If only she knew how un-romantic those scenes were to film, she wouldn't worry. If only she would truly believe and understand that she's the only woman I'm interested in, that she's the only woman I could even fathom having a sexual relationship with, maybe, just maybe, we could put some of her damned self-esteem issues to rest.
As I sat there contemplating the future, I heard the makeup artists giggling as they gossiped.
"Did you see the new Calvin Klein underwear ads? They must have just come out today. I swear one of the adverts was stopping traffic on the way in." Rachel's makeup artist Claire said with a giggle. "Somebody told me the model is some sort of rugby player in America." She sighed.
No fucking way.
"American football is not rugby Claire. Don't ever let my hubs hear you say that." my makeup artist Donna said with a laugh.
"No matter." retorted Claire. "That man was absolutely gorgeous."
-LRM-
The furniture arrangement, and the lighting on set wasn't working out to Hal's satisfaction, so I spent a good hour in my trailer while my stand-in took my place. I spent the hour arranging things for the next evening. Alec was going to take a house key to Gordon early Saturday, he was also going out to the house tonight to check on Maggie's preparations.
A knock on my door alerted me that they were ready for me on set.
The first part of the scene, where Rachel and I were both still clothed was pretty simply done. The next part, which took place in the bed, turned out to be quite tedious. My ass was hanging out for the whole world to see, as Hal kept stopping to move a leg or arm this way or that. Then the same thing with our heads, tilting to the left or right, up or down.
We had to stop filming when I bumped Rachel in the nose with my chin, and again when we were supposed to roll over, and she kneed me in the balls.
It was uncomfortable, but not bad enough to ice, and didn't even cause any slippage if the material covering the affected area.
Thank God. I don't think Bella would react well if I had to explain that.
As much as I loved her and missed her every moment that we weren't together, I was thankful she wasn't on set for that particular scene.
"Evidently, I missed a great cat fight." Alec remarked with a shit-eating grin as we walked toward my trailer.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Nicole snuck into Yves' trailer and Crystal found her. She dragged her ass out. Get this, Nicole was wearing only a bra and panties. I guess she was going to surprise Yves." Alec said as he erupted into laughter. "Nicole slapped Crystal, and Crystal punched her in the face. I wish I'd been there to see that!"
"Was Crystal okay?" I asked with concern
"Oh yeah, from what I heard, she definitely gave better than she got." He grinned. "Yves and Crystal are going to complain to Hal. Nicole will be lucky if she's not fired from the movie."
Then I remembered that Bella and Crystal had been together all afternoon.
"Where was Bella when this happened?" I asked in a panic.
"Relax Edward. Nothing happened to Bella. She was with Crystal, but now she's waiting in your trailer."
I sighed in relief.
"See you at the car." Alec announced as her veered off in that direction.
I found Bella sound asleep inside my trailer. She was so beautiful. I stood there just watching her for a few moments. In her sleep, her expression was free from worry and painful memories. She looked like the young carefree girl she probably was before an act of pure evil changed her.
My love for her and my need to protect her was overwhelming. I was determined that no one would ever hurt her again.
I leaned down and started to place soft kisses on her neck and shoulders as I quietly called her name.
She began to stir.
"Come on beautiful girl, let's go back to the hotel." I breathed in her ear.
She shook her head, still not opening her eyes. "Bella, I'm done filming, and I have the next two days off. Let's not waste the time here."
She frowned as she sat up, pulling away from me. I reached for her, but she wouldn't let me take her hand. I was confused, and a little hurt by her reaction to me.
For the life of me, I couldn't think of anything I'd done to warrant this reaction. Bella, sensing my hurt, grabbed my hand, letting me lead her to the car.
"Hey Bella." Alec said as we climbed in.
She smiled, but it was forced.
She was quiet on the ride to the hotel. Too quiet.
"I was surprised that you didn't stay longer on set today Bella." Alec remarked casually.
What? Bella was on set?
Fuck. That explains a lot.
"I had to hand it to Sean, he made it to the bitter end." Alec laughed.
Bella looked at him questioningly.
"Sean is Rachel's husband." He explained.
Bella looked at me and smiled nervously. I returned the smile, but couldn't say anything, not with Alec in the car.
Back in the suite, we both changed into casual clothing. "Did you want to have dinner here?" I asked.
I knew we needed to have a conversation about today before it sat and festered.
Bella's reaction surprised me. "I think I'd rather go out. We can just pick something up."
As soon as we were a couple of blocks from the hotel, she stopped in front of a chip shop. "Edward, let's get our food here."
Perfect.
"Really?" I said with a grin.
"Absolutely, this is my first trip to England. I think I should learn to live a little." She chuckled.
We ate our food as we walked back to the hotel.
Back in the suite, I took the initiative to address the issue at hand. Pulling her to my side, I started "Bella, I had no idea you would show up on the set during that scene. I'm really sorry if it bothered you baby." I rubbed her arm as I spoke.
She thought for a moment, "I guess the fact that you were filming an intimate scene wasn't the thing that really bothered me Edward."
"What bothered you then?" I asked, puzzled.
She let out a breath. "My basic insecurities run amok, as usual." she laughed without humor. "Seeing Rachel like that. Wondering if you thought she was sexy. You having to put your hands on her, and kiss her…" She trailed off.
Precisely what I'd feared. I wonder if it would help if she knew I got kneed in the balls?
Probably not.
I smiled. "I wish you had stuck around Bella. Filming an intimate scene is the most un-sexy thing in the world."
"To begin with, the director stops every ten seconds to place hands in certain positions, to angle the bodies in different directions, to tilt your head a little more to the left or right. And, after all that, the actors are expected to pull off a beautiful realistic love scene. It's a wonder any of those scenes ever come across as believable in the final cut."
"As for Rachel being almost naked.. Even if I had never found you, I would never be attracted to Rachel in that way. She's a nice person, but that's it. You're the only woman I find sexy Bella."
"You've said that before, but it's always nice to hear." She said with a smile.
"Just tell me one thing."
"What's that sweetheart?" I asked, pulling her my arms.
"Tell me that little piece of material you were wearing stayed in place during filming."
She's adorable.
I barked out a laugh. "Have no fear Miss Swan. There was no slippage. And for your information, that material was not 'little' because what it had to cover isn't 'little'." I smirked, deciding to tease her.
"Good to know." She squeaked.
I hope to give you 'first hand' knowledge soon enough.
"Hey Edward" She whispered.
"Yes?" I said looking into her eyes.
"Remember my bubble bath the other night?" She questioned.
And immediately my body started to react to the image of Bella naked, covered in a thin layer of bubbles. I fucking growled. "How could I forget?"
"Well.." She smirked. "I think we're even now because I totally saw your bare butt today."
Touché Miss Swan.
I started laughing loudly as she giggled. "Bella, don't ever change." I smiled before kissing her sweetly.
-LRM-
Early the next morning, I left Bella sleeping and checked with Alec about the preparations for that evening. I was thrilled when he described what the workers had been doing at the house. I gave him my I-home and asked that it be set up in the study of the Tolkien house for me.
When I returned to the suite I heard Bella in the shower. I took the next few minutes to think about what I would say to her tonight. I only hoped I didn't stutter or break out in a cold sweat.
"Sweetie, would you tell me what we're doing today so I know how to dress." I heard Bella call to me.
"Stratford upon Avon". I answered as I placed my newly laundered items away.
Suddenly I felt Bella throw her arms around me from behind. "Stratford upon Avon? Really?" She asked excitedly.
"Now Bella, give me some credit. How could I let you go home without seeing Shakespeare's birthplace?" I said as I wrapped my arms around her, never wanting to let go.
If she's this happy over Shakespeare's home, I can only imagine her excitement over Tolkien's.
"There are so many places I want to take you. I wish we had more time." I admitted.
"After graduation, I'll go anywhere you lead Mr. Movie Star." She said with a wink.
That's the plan.
"Come on, let's go. We have over an hours' ride ahead of us."
Our first stop was Shakespeare's birthplace. We toured the house, and then moved on to New Place, which was Shakespeare's last residence, living there for almost twenty years, until his death.
The house was no longer standing, so we explored the gardens. As we walked along, I held her to me as I quoted random passages from Shakespeare's plays to her.
"I didn't realize how big a fan you were Edward."
I have become the epitome of the 'lovesick fool', I do believe.
"The result of having a lot of time on my hands my love." I smiled. "At least I used to have a lot of time on my hands. Before I was gobsmacked by a certain brunette beauty. I can understand exactly how Romeo felt the first time he saw Juliet."
'O she doth teach the torches to burn bright
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night.
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear'
.
Bella had a strange expression on her face. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it until she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss.
We ate at one of the pubs in town, and I spent a little time with some of my fans. Bella never seemed to mind.
We toured more of Stratford after lunch, Bella's favorite seemed to be Anne Hathaway's cottage. She enjoyed it so much, that I had to promise a surprise to coax her away.
Upon arrival back at the suite, I was pleased to discover the clothing from Bruce Oldfield had arrived.
I showered, and then dressed in the bedroom while Bella was in the bath. As I waited in the sitting room, I memorized the words I wanted to say to her tonight.
When Bella walked into the sitting room, I felt my heart clench. She was a vision. I greeted her with a smile and a kiss, noticing that for the second time this week, she wore the necklace and earrings I'd given her.
By the time this evening is over, I hope that she will be wearing one more diamond from me.
Bella's curiosity got the better of her as we drove out of the city, "Edward, can you at least tell me how far away we're going?"
I grinned. "It will be about an hour until we reach our first stop."
As soon as she stepped from the car, I knew without a doubt that she understood the significance of The Eagle and Child pub as she clapped her hands excitedly.
"Oh Edward." Was all she said. It was enough.
She looked nervously down at her dress then, "We may be just a tad overdressed though." She whispered.
Not for what I have planned.
I smiled. "We're still having dinner later Bella. I thought it would be nice to spend some time here, and maybe have a pint." I said with a wink.
My beautiful girl was so touched by this, the least of my gestures for this evening, that I could feel my confidence growing, my fear of her turning down my proposal fading away.
As we drank, I thought about my life before Bella. I didn't deserve her, but I'd be damned if I'd ever willingly walk away from her again. I needed Bella's love to survive. There was no returning to the pathetic excuse for a man that I'd been before I knew her.
She looked at me with adoration in her beautiful brown eyes as she reached for my hand, covering it with hers. "Thank you." she whispered. "I love you Edward."
"I love you too beautiful." I answered with a smile as I squeezed her hand. "Are you ready to leave?" I asked.
She nodded.
"We have one more stop, before we eat." I told her as Sidney pulled up to the curb.
When he pulled into the driveway of the Tolkien house, and I led Bella to the front door, I watched her face for any hint that she knew where she was.
"Does someone you know live here Edward?"
"No one I know Bella. Actually the house is vacant. The new owner hasn't moved in yet."
Once she saw the blue sign which read: 'JRR Tolkien author of The Lord of the Rings lived here 1930-1947', and she gasped while covering her mouth with her hand, I relaxed.
I had made the right choice.
"The owner has given permission for a tour." I said while unlocking the door and leading her inside.
I gave her a tour of each room, leaving the study until last.
"I have a feeling that this room will be your favorite my love." I smiled as I turned the knob.
As soon as Bella stepped into the room, she got a look of wonder on her face. I was suitably impressed, Maggie had done exactly as I'd asked, and added a few touches of her own besides. It was a stunning transformation to this once vacant room.
"This was Tolkien's study." I murmured quietly.
Bella just stood there in stunned amazement, taking everything in.
"The set decorator for the movie created this. Being herself a Tolkien fan, when I told her what I wanted, she was thrilled to help me out."
"Oh Edward, it's stunning. I can't believe you did this for me." She choked out.
"I wanted to do something special.." I said quietly.
Bella made her way over to the window. Maggie had lined all the trees outside in the garden with white lights. It truly looked magical.
This was the moment that would hopefully change the rest of my life. As Bella turned back to face me, I pulled the ring from my pocket and dropped to one knee.
I saw her eyes widen as she registered my movement.
"Isabella…"
*****************************A/N*****************************
A/N I'm very pleased that we're catching up to V&V. Hope you are too.
I got such a great response last time that I decided to send a 'sneak peek' of the next V&V to anyone who reviews this chap or the next LRM. It may take a few days, but you'll receive it before the chap posts.
If you pimp me out to any fic websites…(like Twific pimps or Fictionators, I'll send you an extra looong sneak peek. I'm such a whore.)
As always, send me your thoughts….