Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

It was the best sleep Kevin had gotten in years. After last night, he felt so relaxed and content. When the sun creeped in through the still open curtain, he rolled onto his side to avoid it's light, refusing to be removed from bed and Amber's scent. He overheard footsteps coming towards his door but there was no knock. There was no need for one. He knew who it was and he welcomed the company. When she was in the guest room, Amber went to the window and closed the curtain so the sun wouldn't be in Kevin's eyes. With the curtains closed, Kevin rolled onto his back again while Amber walked to the bed and sat on the edge beside him. Before opening his eyes, Kevin lifted his hand and placed it on her thigh with her skirt obstructing him from feeling her skin. Regardless, he gave her thigh a gentle squeeze and opened his eyes to look up at Amber. When Kevin's groggy gaze met Amber, she smiled.

"Morning," Amber said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Best sleep I've had in years," Kevin smiled. "You?"

"Same," Amber smiled. "I didn't realize I was even tired until I got to bed."

"I knew you were," Kevin replied. Amber's smiled brightened with humor and she got up on the bed so she could straddle Kevin's hips with the blanket between them.

"Did you now?" Amber asked with a hint of challenge in her tone. "Do you think I look tired now?"

"Quite the contrary; I think you look well rested," Kevin answered. Amber giggled and tilted her head. "Now how was that for charming?"

"I'd say that was quite good," Amber teased. She lowered down with her arms on his chest and her chin rested on her wrist so she was staring at Kevin. "Mom is making your favorite for breakfast."

"Really?" Kevin asked. "I can't wait."

"I suppose when we get married, you fully expect me to know how to make those?" Amber joked.

"I don't think it's so unreasonable," Kevin smiled. "I thought you already did."

"I do," Amber said. "I just don't like making it. I don't like the way mushrooms smell."

"When they're cooked, Amber, they smell the way you want them to," Kevin said and rubbed his hands up and down her back. "How long before they're done?"

"Mom was putting them in the oven last I saw. They'll be baking the next 20 minutes." Amber leaned over and gave Kevin a quick kiss. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can," Kevin smiled.

"Why did you pull out of me so suddenly last night? Does that feel better?"

"Christ, no," Kevin said, chuckling a little under his breath. "It's a bit of a buzz kill if I'm being honest, but it's our only means of contraception."

"Oh," Amber said. "Is it fool proof?"

"Well, no. Only abstinence is 'fool proof', but pulling out is the next best thing. Why? Do you think we need to be worried?" Kevin asked the last part rather nervously.

"I wouldn't think so," Amber said. "My last period was just before you got here."

"Then we'll be fine," Kevin sighed a breathe of relief.

"You seem rather happy about that," Amber said a little solemnly.

"Rest assured, Amber, it's not because I don't want kids. But if I got you pregnant now, we'd have to explain that to your parents. Explaining that we're engaged will be enough of a challenge without us having to explain we ran out and got married behind their backs because you're pregnant with our first child."

"Oh, God," Amber sighed. "If you got me pregnant now, they'd kill me."

"No, they'd kill me," Kevin joked. "I'm supposed to be the responsible one, remember?"

"It's not like you made me," Amber defended in an exasperated tone.

"You know that's not the point," Kevin smiled and kissed Amber's head. "We just need to be careful, that's all. We got lucky last night but we'll really need to be more mindful about this. I'd suggest marking your calendar or keeping a record of your cycles. That's what my sister does and it's worked for her and Jae so far."

"Okay, I'll start doing that," Amber said. Then she moved her arms aside a little so she could rub her nose into his chest. "If you did though, you'd marry me?"

"If I had my way, we'd have married two years ago," Kevin smiled and squeezed her. "We'd be married living in a little house in Connecticut while my brother finishes school and we'd likely already have our first child."

Amber giggled, "Would it be a boy or a girl?" Amber asked jokingly. Suddenly, Kevin reached for a coin he had on the nightstand, rested it on his finger and thumb, flipped it and caught it in his hand. He saw the coin in his hand and saw heads.

"A boy," Kevin said and Amber started giggling again as Kevin put the coin back on the table.

"So our son would be borne by now?"

"More than likely," Kevin said. "We're naming him Levi after your dad, right?"

"Levi Jacob. After both our dads," Amber smiled. "Is your heart still set on Heather for a girl?"

"Kind of," Kevin smiled. "It's a purple flower and it's genus name comes from a Greek word that means to cleanse or adorn. It can also symbolize admiration and a symbol of good luck. The Latin name of its genus means 'common' but I prefer it's Greek meaning."

"Well, Kevin, our daughter will be anything but common," Amber joked. "Anna Heather Renesmee," she said. "I think that's beautiful and it's certainly not common."

"I like it," Kevin said after thinking about it a moment. "It has both our mother's names, the name I wanted and it goes in ascending order of syllables."

"Odd thing to fixate on, that last thing, but so long as you're happy," Amber giggled and leaned down again to give Kevin a kiss.

"So to answer your question in more certain terms, yes. If you got pregnant, I'd marry you in a heartbeat. Assuming I still had one once your parents found out."

"Don't say that. I don't want to jinx us," Amber smiled.

"Alright, I'll stop," Kevin smiled back and hugged her tightly. "How about you get downstairs and I'll get ready and be down in a few minutes?"

"Actually," Amber said. "We still have a little time before they miss us." She sat up enough to pull off the covers so Amber was pressed against Kevin's naked body with no obstructions other than her clothes. "I was thinking maybe we could have some quality time." As emphasis, Amber started to unbutton her blouse as Kevin watched. Soon, he brought his hands up to her breasts to massage them.

"And what kind of quality time did you have in mind?" Kevin teased earning a smile from Amber before she leaned back down to give Kevin a kiss. Kevin reached between them to move aside Amber's panties and was delighted to find she was ready and waiting for him, so he slipped in without a second thought before placing his hands on her hips and guiding them up and down. It had to be a quick start to the morning, but it was still one hell of a way to get out of bed. Kevin rubbed Amber's clitoris to help her along until she reached orgasm mere minutes later. When it was Kevin's turn, he lifted her skirt enough so he could pull out last minute and not ruin her clothes as he reached his own orgasm.

"You get downstairs," Kevin said after a moment of deep breathing. "I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay," Amber smiled and sat up off the bed. Before she left, she bent down and gave Kevin a loving kiss and sauntered off with a proud smile.

Kevin got himself cleaned up and dressed appropriately then met everyone downstairs for breakfast just in time for the mushroom tarts to come out of the oven. Amber didn't speak much, just sitting at the table with a gentle smile and appearing to daydream. Kevin couldn't help a smile when he noticed but otherwise said nothing. Eventually Anna noticed Amber's chipper mood and rubbed Amber's shoulder.

"You're certainly in a pleasant mood this morning," Anna smiled. "Perhaps last night was exactly what you'd needed." Amber smiled and moved her lips together as if she was spreading lipstick.

"It certainly was," Amber said knowingly. Kevin resisted any additional comment or any acknowledgement that might be suspicious, but when he was sure Levi and Anna were not looking, if only for a moment, Kevin and Amber shared a look. Kevin winked at her and Amber bit her lip to avoid giggling.

Anna and Levi spoke to the two of them normally for the remainder of breakfast, neither the wiser of what happened, and Anna said goodbye to Levi for the day giving him his lunch and a kiss before he left and then got the shop ready to be open for the day.

Amber filled new orders and helped at the front of the shop while Kevin spent the day reading and observing. Amber had a little spring in her step and every time Amber passed him, he would smile. Sometimes, when she knew they could get away with it, Amber would saunter over and give Kevin a kiss before return to whatever task she'd previously been attending to. The following day, Amber was sent to buy more wax and soap, so Kevin tagged along. Amber insisted on the way back that she wanted to go to a moving picture so they could have a small date together. Happy to oblige, Kevin paid their admission and they saw the first few scenes of a little cartoon together. The theatre was packed sadly, so they kept all romantic interaction between their hands. Thankfully, they returned in enough time that Anna thought nothing about how long they were gone. That Friday after Levi returned home from work, they all got dressed nice to go to the cabaret together. This cabaret also had a piano that was occupied most of the night playing music while a singer was on stage dressed in the fashion of the time. When there was an opportunity, Amber begged Kevin to play the piano for them, so Kevin got the current pianist to step aside and let him play. He had the whole cabaret dancing as he played while Amber stared on from her seat at the table gazing at him as though she were falling in love all over again. Amber made a point to sneak into Kevin's room that night and after making love, they danced naked together with the moonlight shining into the room while Kevin hummed a little song for them.

The remainder of Kevin's time in Germany went by too fast. Tuesday evening before Kevin's train was due to leave for Le Havre, Amber sat in Kevin's room watching him get all his things packed as she always did. Much to her chagrin, the door to the guest room was also wide open as it always was when Kevin was packing.

"You'll come back again next year, right?" Amber asked.

"I'll make sure of it," Kevin smiled.

"In June or July?" Amber asked.

"Probably July," Kevin said. "Don't worry, Amber, I'll make it happen no matter what."

"Okay," Amber smiled weakly and batted her eyelashes. "I wish you could stay longer."

"I do too," Kevin answered.

Amber smiled back more hopefully and glanced down at her bracelet, rolling it around on her wrist. "2 more years. Just two more years and I'll be finished with my schooling at the University."

"That's about how long Kyle has. Alphonse and I will be able to start looking at opening our business after that." Kevin glanced towards the door to make sure they were still mostly alone. When he was sure, he leaned a little closer to whisper. "Once Alphonse and I have started our business, I'll speak with Levi. I'll make sure he sees how much I love you."

"I know you will," Amber smiled. "So we'll be moving directly to Washington?"

"That's the plan," Kevin said. "That way we can be with the family."

"Might I make a suggestion?" Amber said. "Would it be possible for our parents to meet? It would be the sensible thing to do and it would make our engagement all the easier to approve for daddy."

"I'll talk to my parents and see what we can arrange," Kevin said. "So long as Levi and Anna are still proficient in French, my mom can at least do all the talking. Otherwise I'll translate."

"Mom and daddy still speak French well," Amber said. "I'm the one that's out of practice." Amber looked nervous suddenly. "What if they don't like me?"

"Amber, don't be ridiculous. They'll adore you," Kevin smiled reassuringly and stole a kiss from Amber, pulling away to return to packing.

"Do you think so?"

"I know so," Kevin answered confidently. "Maybe next year they can tag along when I come to visit. I'll talk to them and see what I can work out."

"Okay," Amber smiled. Then they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They glanced over and saw Levi and Anna coming upstairs.

"Are you almost packed?" Levi asked.

"Nearly," Kevin answered. "And thanks again, Anna, for cleaning all my clothes."

"It's no trouble," Anna smiled. "One less thing for you to worry about when you return home. Amber, honey, why don't you get to bed? It's getting late."

"I was actually going to fill that candle order tonight."

"Absolutely not," Anna said. "You need to get to bed."

"If I don't finish it tonight, I'll have to scramble to get it done tomorrow and I'd rather have it done and not have to have us rush home again like we did last year. I want to be able to see Kevin off."

"Alright," Anna sighed, "but try to make it quick. You certainly can't see him off if you're half asleep."

"I will, mom," Amber said.

"Well, we'll see you in the morning, Kevin," Levi said. "I can't see you off, but I'll be able to say goodbye before I leave for work tomorrow."

"Good night, Levi," Kevin replied and Levi and Anna retreated to their room. When the door was closed, Amber stood from the edge of the bed.

"Those candles shouldn't take me more than an hour," Amber said.

"I'll wait for you then," Kevin answered.

"Actually," Amber said, walking over to Kevin so she was close. "Do you mind coming down later?"

"I'll meet you downstairs," Kevin agreed.

"Okay," Amber smiled. "I'll see you downstairs."

Amber stepped out of the guest room and went downstairs to start the order of candles. Kevin finished packing the last of his things, cleaning out the bathroom of his toiletries and rearranging Amber's things to the way she normally had them. She'd said the candles would take an hour, so Kevin didn't go downstairs right away. Instead, he decided he'd secret a letter to her. So he obtained the paper he'd brought to his room some time ago and began writing to her. Once the letter was written, he hid it somewhere so Amber wouldn't see it. He'd leave it on her pillow before he left. It was several pages of what, he hoped, Amber would find satiating until he was able to return. By the time he was done, it was nearing the half hour mark of that hour. Rather than wait any longer, Kevin snuck downstairs, closing the door to his room just in case, and found Amber finishing up a candle she'd been working on. She had already completed two candles and she was nearing the completion of the third. He quietly stepped into the candle room and Amber glanced at him and smiled.

"Perfect timing," Amber smiled. "I was just finishing the last one."

"It looks beautiful," Kevin praised.

"Thank you. I hope the bride thinks so." Amber finished the last curl and dipped the candle into the water to cool it. Then she brought it to the varnish, took off the candle that had been drying, and dipped the new candle in the varnish layer and hung it to dry.

She brought the dried candle to the table where the first one was already resting. Kevin walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her once she'd placed the candle down. He started kissing up and down her neck while Amber's hands placed themselves firmly on the table. When she was stable, Amber reached her right hand over her shoulder to rest on Kevin's head, lacing her fingers through his hair. Amber sighed longingly as his lips trailed their way down her neck to where it met her shoulder. But he stopped when he reached the collar of her blouse.

"So what did you want to meet down here for?" Kevin asked, kissing his way back up to her ear.

"I just wanted one last opportunity for us to be alone," Amber said. "And I must admit I've been wanting to be such in here."

"Why here?" Kevin asked, whispering his question into her ear.

"Because I like it in here," Amber said. "It's homier than the guest room. When you're not here, it's empty and largely ignored. This room I'm in every day and I want this kind of memory with you." Amber felt Kevin smile against her skin while his left hand began to trail down to touch her at her core. She licked her lips in anticipation and shivered with desire.

"You've become insatiable," Kevin teased and kissed her neck again.

"It's your fault," Amber giggled. "You've created this monster." In response, Kevin began lifting up Amber's skirt with his hand that had trailed down.

"I'd say you've made quite the monster of me too," Kevin whispered. Finally, Kevin lifted her skirt and immediately dipped his hand into her panties and began touching her. "How about we both be monsters?" After the suggestion, Kevin slipped two fingers inside her and made her sigh. Then she brought one hand between them and grabbed a firm hold of Kevin's erection through his pants.

"Who do you suppose is most vicious? A wolf or a vampire?" Amber asked as she rubbed his erection. Kevin thrust forward earning a small moan from her.

"There's only one way to find out," Kevin answered. He emphasized his answer with a curl of his fingers that caused Amber to moan again.

She started fumbling to unbutton Kevin's pants and when she finally did, she slipped her hand inside just as he was doing to her and began to stroke his erection in her hand. That simple touch was enough to make Kevin desperate for her and, rather suddenly, Kevin took his fingers from out of her, lifted her skirt that last bit, pulled her panties down just enough and finally slipped inside her all in the span of mere seconds. When he did, Amber fell over onto the table, fortunate that the candles were not directly in front of her. Kevin trailed his hands over her skin and up to her back. Then he reached around and lifted her up so she was against his chest. One hand returned to her hip while the other started unbuttoning her blouse until her chest was exposed to his touch. When it was, his hand grabbed a firm hold of her breast and he finally began to thrust.

Amber moaned and remained mindful not to be too loud. Yet as always the task proved to be rather troublesome. Each stroke inside her was a blissful feeling that continued to build within her. She kept a tight hold of the table as Kevin thrust from behind, but it wasn't long before she wanted to look at him. She turned her torso and brought her hand up to his neck so she could look up at him but that didn't last long. Instead, Kevin pulled out so he could turn her around completely and immediately closed the distance again, lifting her skirt back up, wrapping her leg around his hip and slipping inside her again. When he did, Amber jumped to wrap both her legs around Kevin's waist and he held her up for support, lifting her up and down on his erection while Amber wrapped her arms around him tightly.

To keep her moans quieted, Amber pressed her face into Kevin's shoulder and just enjoyed the feel of him inside her. Eventually he placed her on the table so he could press his thumb into her clitoris to help her along. When he did, Amber went completely limp and fell backwards on the table. She placed her hands on Kevin's arms as he took a firm hold of her hips and kept up his primal movements all the while continuing to touch the sensitive nub of flesh making Amber whimper and moan. Before long, Amber felt herself coming closer and closer to her release. She brought her hands to her mouth to stay quiet while Kevin made love to her. Then finally, when she couldn't take it anymore, she reached her highest point of pleasure and collapsed in spasms around Kevin. The hand still on her hip gripped her tightly as she crushed his erection, but he didn't allow himself to stop moving. Rather, he began to thrust harder, prolonging her orgasm while bringing himself to his own. When he was getting closer, he hurried to pull Amber's skirt further up and she assisted him with the task until her belly was completely bare and Kevin's free hand covered the remaining fabric. He didn't stop until he reached his own highest point. Then he pulled out of her last minute and released on her belly, making sure nothing got on her clothes or his. When they were both spent, they took a moment to mutually recover. Amber brought her hand to Kevin's face, which he accepted and kissed her palm.

"I love you," Kevin whispered as he kissed her palm.

"I love you too," Amber whispered back and brought his hand to her lips so she could kiss it.

With great reluctance, they cleaned up and finally went to bed for the night. They went to bed thinking of one another and trying to relive their moment in the candle room. The following morning, Kevin smelled bagels warming up from downstairs with coffee to accompany it. As per usual, Amber let herself into the guest room and went to the edge of Kevin's bed. This morning, however, she was sad and even looked as though she might cry. Kevin brought her to his lap, cuddling her in his arms, promising again he'd return next year. He'd make sure of it. He also reaffirmed that he would make arrangements for his parents to join him so they could meet Anna and Levi, making the inevitable blow of Kevin officially asking for Amber's hand in marriage less of a shock. Granted he'd already asked and already had Amber's answer, but until Levi gave his blessing, Kevin was left to pretend that wasn't the case.

Kevin got himself ready while Amber went downstairs and once Kevin was dressed and ready, he joined them for breakfast. Kevin and Levi talked a little more before he had to leave. Levi wished Kevin a safe trip home before going to the door and giving Anna a kiss goodbye. Another hour later, Kevin, Amber and Anna left to make the walk to the train station. Once they arrived, the train was due to leave in ten minutes, so they would have to be quick.

"Thank you again for having me, Anna," Kevin smiled.

"It's always a pleasure, Kevin," Anna replied. "You're always welcome."

"You'll be back next year?" Amber asked again, wanting that last reassurance.

"Yes, I'll make sure of it," Kevin promised. "Assuming that is acceptable, Anna."

"Absolutely," Anna said. "We'll miss you, Sergeant."

"I'll miss you all too," Kevin said and hugged both of them. Amber hugged Kevin tighter and practically dug her face into his shoulder. Kevin glanced at Anna and when he was sure they were safe, Kevin pressed his lips against Amber's head for a silent kiss. Then they released and Kevin smiled normally. "Until we meet again," Kevin said and got his things on the train.

Once he was seated, he looked out the window and watched Anna and Amber as they watched on. Kevin opened the window so he could poke his head out. Amber, perhaps rather foolishly, ran to the train where Kevin sat. Anna followed, so Kevin mentally warned Amber that Anna was right behind her.

"You'll write as soon as you get back?" Amber asked when she reached the train.

"Absolutely," Kevin nodded. "It'll be the first thing I do once I return home."

"I look forward to it," Amber said.

"We all look forward to hearing from you again, Kevin," Anna affirmed. Then the horn of the train sounded and the conductor announced for everyone to get on. "Come, Amber, we need to back away from the train."

"Okay," Amber answered reluctantly. As she backed away, she looked up at Kevin with longing, loving eyes, trying to silently tell him 'I love you' one last time. Kevin smiled back at her and pushed the sentiment into her mind.

I love you, Amber. Check under your pillow when you get home.

Amber smiled a little more, now eager to see what Kevin had left her, and the conductor made his last call. Finally, the train began to move and Amber walked along with it. When it had picked up speed, she started to jog until she reached the end of the platform. Once she had, she started waving goodbye to Kevin. He waved goodbye in return and did not return his head inside the train until Amber was out of sight. Once he returned to the inside of the train, he glanced forward but was confronted with something. There was a bible on the shelf for reading material, which wasn't strange. What was strange was beside the bible was a copy of Mein Kampf.

When the train was out of sight, Amber and Anna made the walk back to the shop. Every bone in her body wanted to bolt upstairs to read Kevin's letter, but she had to focus on work. The young man they'd hired had manned the place while they were gone and the bride who's order Amber had completed was expected that afternoon to see her candles. For Amber, the day went on like molasses. She missed Kevin terribly already and all day, she could only think of his hidden letter like a squirrel in the attack. After the shop was closed for the day, Amber insisted she was tired and wished to go upstairs for a while, promising that she would return for dinner. Finally able to escape, Amber bolted upstairs to her room and closed the door behind her. She rushed to her bed and checked under her pillow just as Kevin said and there was his letter with her name written on the envelope in graceful cursive. She laid in her bed with her head resting on her pillow and pulled out the pages, filled back to back, and swooned as she read, able to hear his voice in every word he wrote in graceful French.

My Dearest Amber,

I write to you now waiting patiently while you finish carving downstairs. It is heartbreaking that I write to you knowing that tomorrow I must leave. I began to fantasize evermore about what our life would be like now were I to have my way. You recall the conversation we'd had that morning? I pictured our son playing on the beaches of Connecticut while we held each other close looking upon the sunset. It is a pleasant and yet unbearable image because I know I must wait so long for that vision to finally come true. By the time it does, it will have shifted to the other side of the country. Our son playing on rocks black of hue and a horizon pale blue and grey from the overcast rather than a beach of white rocks and a blazing sunset. Perhaps that makes Washington sound so bleak, but I assure you the image for me is just as inviting. Do these thoughts ever cross your mind as they do mine? I fear with our newest shared activity these visions of us have only intensified. Yet I must be patient just as you have been for their fulfillment.

If I may be direct with regards to the aforementioned shared activity, I will attempt to find words for that pivotal moment. I've told you how I've desired you. How your soft, blonde hair would shame the angels. How your pale skin beneath my hands brought out desires in me normally reserved for a carnal beast. The delicate curves of your body were always outside of my full comprehension as they were hidden away by light cotton and satin of fine, tasteful garments. Even before, they were perverse desires that drove me mad. Upon learning of a more intimate, deeper part of you, that desperate need blazed even more. All the more because I still knew nothing of its beauty. I could only attempt to imagine as though a blind man trying to imagine God. But I could feel. The hot, moist inner recesses that became the very culprit of my most devilish and perverse thoughts. I could remember how you felt around my fingers. The way I could slip in effortlessly after kissing and touching you so you were brought to the precipice. A carnal pride would always envelope my senses as though I were no longer a reasonable man. The sound of your moans, your sighs and cries for me to continue, to bring you forward until you fell off the edge of reason. The mere memory gives me a wicked delight. And after each rise and fall, a desire to taste would come over me and I would bring those fingers that had given you so much pleasure to my lips in an effort to sample that sweet nectar as though you were a flower, myself a bee.

Yet this was all teasing. All a build up to something more intense. The feel of you around my fingers, the simple sampling of you was merely the beginning. In the very room you stand while I write to you, after we had danced alone together, we finally had that kiss I'd wanted when we were dancing at the jazz club. I don't know if you realize how tempting it was to just pull you aside and kiss you fiercely as though we were the only people in the world. When we were dancing, it had seemed so for just that moment. Of course, the applause that followed our performance was evidence to the contrary. With every spin and twirl around that dance floor, I swear I could taste your lips on mine. I grew hungry for it. Desperate in fact. Like Tantalus stuck in a pool of water, yet the quenching of his thirst ever fleeting from his lips or the delectable fruit too far to pick but dangling before his eyes, taunting him with its rich color and memories of its sweet flavor. You must know this is the effect you have on me. The power you have over my senses. Every kiss is like a drink of water when I've been dying of thirst, or a bite of a tart green apple when I've been starving.

A curfew was a convenient excuse to rush you home, but it was the least of my concerns at the time. When we were finally alone, the record playing while we danced in the living room, I wished with all my heart the moment wouldn't end. I wished we could dance all night together without a care in the world but one another. The subsequent kiss in the candle room, the feel of your warm flesh around my fingers as I pleasured you. It was all a moment from a dream that I never wished to awake from. I have mentioned to you in other letters about what might happen were I a weaker man. I always said were I a weaker man, I would have made love to you much sooner. But that night, I had succumb to that weakness. When I was taking you back to your room, you looked into my eyes and told me you were not tired and that you wanted to pleasure me as I'd pleasured you. That night, I realized if you were to attempt to do to me what I've done to you, it would simply be cruel. The feel of your hands would remind me of how I'd touched you. And if I dare to dream of it, those succulent pink lips pleasuring me would remind me of the lips I've touched many times and how warm they were. To speak plainly, I would want more because I'm not so strong as I always say. I would long for the embrace of those honey lips that would welcome me into the deepest part of you.

Yet when I admitted to you my weakness, you looked at me so sweetly and so sensually. You said to me that you shared the sentiment. That you didn't want me to stop. That you loved me despite that weakness and wanted to fall into the clutches of that fiery passion we would only know in each other's arms. It was that night that I finally saw every inch of the muse that haunted my dreams. The Goddess that I had worshipped and longed to pay homage to. And what a benevolent Goddess you are, Amber. So kind and giving to this poor fool that would be lost without you. That sweet nectar that I could only sample when I dipped my hand into the honey pot was finally free to me to partake and it was well worth the wait. I only hope it was the same for you. Those sweet cries you muffled behind your delicate hands only fanned the flames that erupted when I could worship at my fair Goddess's temple. With each succulent lick and nibble with my fingers deep inside you, I could feel every quiver, every quake of need to ascend to the heavens from whence you came. I admit to being proud to have brought you so high into the clouds with my simple prayers and am grateful to have been so deftly rewarded with the crushing force of your walls coming down onto my fingers and your cry of appreciation.

But there was still more to come. I had admired the temple and praised its beauty. It was time to come into that temple and be brought to the greatest heights of nirvana. You remember how I entered? So slowly so as not to harm a single inch of my Goddess's lavish gift? For this Goddess had opened the doors of her temple only to me, this lone disciple, had only permitted me to look upon its beauty that no man is worthy to see. You were so warm, so welcoming, so wet and enveloping. Once I had come in, I was lost in the moist heat that I'd dreamed of. I became a prisoner of my fair Goddess's temple and I shall never seek freedom as long as I live. My mind had gone blank with pleasure that matched nothing else in this world. Nothing will ever compare. And with each thrust, you brought me into a world too good for mortal man and even blessed me with your presence along the journey. That journey was over too soon. I wished to make love to you every moment of the night and did not wish to stop save for the inconvenience of sleep. An inconvenience to be sure to how wonderful you felt. The dreadful passage of time being yet another inconvenience. A cruel one at that. It is my deep sadness, necessary as it may be at the present time, to remove myself from you so abruptly. Yet what few gifts I can offer to my magnanimous earthly deity in return for all her love and generosity must be reserved for a day when such privilege has been earned.

And how I long for it as I mentioned before. To call you my wife, mother to my children. To hold you without a shred of concern towards discretion. It truly is very hard to pay respect to one's Goddess when he has to do so in secret. Perhaps my religious metaphor is a touch heavy handed, yet I can think of no other acceptable comparison. When we made love, it was truly the happiest moment of my life thus far. An event that will only be surpassed when I finally see you walking down the aisle to me and, someday, when you hold our children in your arms. Since that night, you have graced me with your love many times over. I fear I shall never have enough. For, as you know, I am weak. I do not wish to think of tomorrow or the pain of ending my pilgrimage, having to wait another year before I can come to my Goddess and worship again. Instead, I shall focus on my final visit. When you finish carving those candles, I will make love to you once more in a vain attempt to show just how much I desperately love you. When I am gone, will you imagine me? Will you remember the feel of my tongue against your sensitive flesh? Will your skin burn with longing and try to remember the feel of me inside you, hard and rough with each desperate thrust? Will you think about my hands upon you? Feeling your breasts and sampling your nipples? Pressing against you and holding you to me in a frenzied need to become one with you? I only hope I have given you reason to find me worthy of such consideration.

Until I return next summer, I shall dream of you, for they will be all I can take with me. In the meantime, I remain your obedient servant, your devoted worshipper, your eager lover, and your adoring fiancé.

I Give You All My Love with All My Heart,

Kevin

How Amber's cheeks burned with his graphic descriptions of their lovemaking. She realized after having read the letter than she was already remembering all he'd described. She remembered the feel of his fingers, the warmth of his mouth when he'd kissed her so intimately. She remembered his hard erection inside her and missed him all the more. Had she not known better, she would call this act of romanticism cruel. But in reality it was exactly what she needed. She sighed and held the letter close to her chest as if trying to hug Kevin. She gave the letter a quick kiss before placing it back in the envelope and bringing it to her little purple box, hiding it away with all her other letters.

Days later, Alphonse was sitting at his desk having arrived to work early. He was consumed with a case when he was suddenly startled by the loud thud of a book being slammed on his desk. "Read that!" Kevin yelled. "This man's a fucking monster!"

"Welcome back, Kevin," Alphonse said, taking the book and looking at its cover. "Mein Kampf?"

"That man that attempted to overthrow the Bavarian government. It's his little racist rants and ravings and it's slanderous garbage," Kevin said.

Alphonse looked at Kevin strangely a moment before opening up to a page and reading out loud, "'His unfailing instinct in such things scents the original soul in everyone, and his hostility is assured to anyone who is not spirit of his spirit. Since the Jew is not the attacked but the attacker, not only anyone who attacks passes as his enemy, but also anyone who resists him. But the means with which he seeks to break such reckless but upright souls is not honest warfare, but lies and slander.

"'Here he stops at nothing, and in his vileness he becomes so gigantic that no one need be surprised if among our people the personification of the devil as the symbol of all evil assumes the living shape of the Jew.' Well….that's a strong sentiment."

"It's not a 'strong sentiment', Alphonse. This man is insane!" Kevin grabbed the book and searched down for an additional portion that had offended all sense of what Kevin had thought was common human decency. "'With satanic joy in his face, the black-haired Jewish youth lurks in wait for the unsuspecting girl whom he defiles with his blood, thus stealing her from her people. With every means he tries to destroy the racial foundations of the people he has set out to subjugate. Just as he himself systematically ruins women and girls, he does not shrink back from pulling down the blood barriers for others, even on a large scale.

"'It was and it is Jews who bring the Negroes into the Rhineland, always with the same secret thought and clear aim of ruining the hated white race by the necessarily resulting bastardization, throwing it down from its cultural and political height, and himself rising to be its master.

"'For a racially pure people which is conscious of its blood can never be enslaved by the Jew. In this world he will forever be master over bastards and bastards alone.' This man is proposing Jews should be considered less than human and they're predators!"

"Sounds to me he's mostly upset with racial mixing period," Alphonse said. "I'm sorry to break this news to you, but that's a common sentiment. And frankly, after the war and Germany's economy going to shit, is it a wonder someone would think to accuse someone? It only makes sense to scapegoat the outsiders. Jews tend to be outsiders."

"He shouldn't be scapegoating anyone," Kevin said bitterly.

"Is this book popular?"

"From what I can tell, not very," Kevin finally said.

"Well then, calm down," Alphonse said. "This man is hardly the first man to write slanderous excerpts about Jews. It's a rather old tale. Hell, I remember when I was a boy, there was a mayor in the town our mansion was in who would get on a pedestal and tell the people that Jews were wolves not to be trusted. Do you know what happened? The stupid believed him and the indifferent and well to dos ignored him. I promise you the same thing will happen. A bigot will have his little rant, other bigots will stand before one another cocksure feeling less emasculated, and then this will die back down and you'll feel silly for reacting this way."

"I'm not so sure about that," Kevin said and turned to another page with an excerpt that had concerned him. "'In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan. As soon as you sacrifice this slogan and try to be many-sided, the effect will piddle away, for the crowd can neither digest nor retain the material offered. In this way the result is weakened and in the end entirely cancelled out.'" Kevin looked back at Alphonse. "He has very basic points. And he's right about one thing: humans can't focus on lots of things. His basic point is 'the Jew's to blame'. He's now repeating it over, and over, and over, and over again. Before you know it, enough people, maybe even sensible people, might start to believe him. Not just the stupid and uneducated. That's how monsters gain their power."

"And does this man have any power?"

"He runs the Nazi Party in Germany and he's made quite the little celebrity of himself in Munich," Kevin said. "According to the papers, most politicians are writing him off as a clown."

"Well, there you go. Nothing to worry about," Alphonse said. "And if that still doesn't convince you, then I'd recommend not going to Germany anymore seeing as their politics are beginning to offend you so. Though might I remind you that you live in the fine United States of America, home of the free, land of the brave so long as you're white, protestant and not a minority. America's in no position to wear little white hats and call themselves saints. In fact, I do believe those that do are murdering Negroes by the hundreds of thousands."

"Please don't remind me," Kevin groaned. "I can't not go back to Germany. Amber's there."

"For God's sake, Kevin, she's a little girl you rescued during the war. It's not as though she's your daughter or something."

"She's my fiancé," Kevin said. Alphonse stopped writing, looked up at Kevin, and then placed his pencil down.

"Pardon?"

"She's my fiancé," Kevin repeated. Alphonse appeared as though he were trying to do the math in his head. Granted it had been years, but he couldn't imagine she was of age. "She's attending university," Kevin said, answering the question just enough.

"Is she? I thought you said she was younger than that," Alphonse said.

"She's not," Kevin said.

"I'm no one to talk, I guess," Alphonse said. Kevin looked at him strangely, but Alphonse immediately changed the topic. "If she's your fiancé and you really think this little book is proof enough that she's in danger, than I'd suggest you get her out of Germany."

"You think I wouldn't have if it were that easy?" Kevin said. "Her father has them in Berlin and so far things are fine there. The man wouldn't up and move to America on my word alone."

"Why not? You're marrying his daughter."

"They….Levi's not aware we're engaged."

"Oh," Alphonse said and cleared his throat. "And why on earth wouldn't you tell her father you want to marry her?"

"Because us getting married means she's coming to America with me," Kevin answered bluntly. "I can offer to bring them with, but it'll be a tough sell. Amber and I have to handle this situation delicately and this son of a bitch isn't making this any easier."

"How delicately could you possibly need to handle this? She's a grown woman, no? Frankly, I should think they should be knocking down men's doors to marry their daughter. And here they have a man who has a career already, makes good money in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, has bigger plans to make more money, is offering her a home, a family. That's to say nothing of the fact that you're charming and handsome as they come. I'm shocked they've not handed her to you on a gold platter."

"Well, they're not and they certainly won't if we spring the engagement on them," Kevin said. "I can't risk anything compromising mine and Amber's relationship. I'll not ask for her hand until I'm positive Levi will agree."

"Sounds to me, then, that she'll be in Germany a while longer," Alphonse said. Kevin's face fell, seeming rather deflated. Alphonse stood from his desk and walked around to place his hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Don't worry yourself overly much about the mad ravings of one angry Austrian. Take it from another angry Austrian: the Germans don't usually give a shit what we have to say. I'm sure this will die down just like this always does and when the time is right, you can bring Amber to America, you two can get married, have kids and live the American Dream."

"Thanks, Alphonse," Kevin said, finally smiling a little.

"You're welcome. Now, my first recommendation of therapy is to burn this," Alphonse pointed at the book. "Clearly, it's nonsense anyway."

"I'll do just that," Kevin smiled.

After his talk with Alphonse, Kevin felt loads better than he had during his whole trip back. When he returned home, Kevin did just as Alphonse recommended and started a fire in the backyard in a little pit so he could burn the book. Watching it burn was the most gratifying thing he'd seen in a while. When Kyle returned home shortly thereafter and saw Kevin burning the book that had put him in such a mood, he just told Kevin 'good for you' and returned to his studies. When Kevin finally wrote his letter to Amber, he made no mention of that dreadful book or anything in it. Instead, he wrote that he'd returned home safe, missed her already, looked forward to seeing her again, and hoping she liked his love letter he'd left for her.

Eventually, the topic finally came up of everyone wanting to come to the east coast to visit. It gave Kevin a fantastic idea. He'd told Kyle long ago that their Grandpa Edward needed to take them to see Paris. If Edward could bring everyone to the east coast, he could make arrangements for everyone to join him to Europe next year. They could all spend a few days in Paris and then come to Berlin so they could meet Amber and her family. It was perfect! Granted Jacob had said he wasn't planning to come, but Kevin would convince the man otherwise. Once he knew Kevin's plan, Jacob would of course agree. Carlisle could act as the doctor for the tribe while they were gone. The Cullens always spent the summer in Washington anyway.

Kevin also received a letter from Jae. Kevin had not joined the pack for really any nights since he was usually working through the day. So rather than wait for him, Jae wrote his request and sent it through the mail requesting that Kevin assist him with finding a perfect garnet rock and sending it to him so he could proceed with Natalie's proposal bracelet. Kevin was requested, of course, to keep this entirely to himself so as to ensure that Natalie did not find out. By that time, the opal feather had been carved, polished and was plated into a silver plate of the same shape. Mr. Pence had helped Jae create little tiny ringlet plates that would hold smaller stones. Those he was determined would be garnet.

"I'd say that's a mighty fine bracelet as is, Mr. Dauer," Mr. Pence said to Jae.

"Yes, but it can be better," Jae insisted. "I wrote to Kevin asking he send me garnets, so I'm hoping I'll receive those by Christmas. Once I have those, I'll start carving them and pressing them into those little plates, and then it will finally be done."

"She'd best appreciate this little bracelet after all the work you're putting in," Mr. Pence said.

"Her brother teased that I could give her a lump of coal and she'd have said yes," Jae smiled. "But she deserves better than that."

"That's cute," Mr. Pence said. "You really love her don't you?"

"I've loved her my whole life," Jae answered honestly.

"Well, I'm sure you two will be very happy. Especially when she gets a load of that bracelet."

Jae and Mr. Pence chuckled and Jae collected the pieces, said goodbye for the day and returned to the General Store. Jae hid the pieces away so Natalie wouldn't see them and by the end of his shift, Natalie came to the General Store ready for their date once he'd closed up the store.

"Did you happen to hear from Kevin about us all coming out to see him next summer?"

"I wrote him a letter about it," Jae said. It wasn't entirely untrue. "I haven't heard back from him yet."

"I hope we hear back from him soon. He should've been back from Germany by now."

"He is," Jae said. "I know that for sure. Besides, he'll be here for Christmas, so worst case scenario, we can bring it up to him once he's home."

"Alright," Natalie sighed and then smiled when she remembered something. "Guess what Scarlet did today?"

"What did the little hell raiser do?" Jae chuckled.

"She rolled down a hill and landed in the water," Natalie said.

"Well, that's innocent enough."

"Perhaps, but Tomoeh threw a fit. You know how cold that water is and, of course, Scarlet wasn't wearing anything when she did it. She the poor thing was crying once she hit the water. Tomoeh took her right to mom's house so she wouldn't catch a cold."

"Just a typical Saturday in the life of Scarlet Willow Black," Jae chuckled. "Did she get into any other shenanigans today?"

"Nothing she doesn't do already," Natalie smiled. "How was your day? Anything interesting happen?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Jae said. "Yours?"

"Aside from helping Tomoeh with Scarlet, nothing out of the ordinary. I'm just looking forward to being alone. We see each other every day and yet it feels as though we see each other once or twice a week."

"I know," Jae smiled reassuringly and placed a hand on her cheek. "I can ask Hailey to let me leave sooner from now on so we can have dinner together every night."

"Wouldn't hurt to ask," Natalie smiled.

Jae finished up with the shop and then they finally left for the city to go dancing as they always did. Their usual group of friends were there dancing the night away and the two eagerly joined in the fun. They remained at the club together until closing time and said goodbye to their friends before running back to Forks and spending the night at the General Store as they always did.

A few weeks later, Jae finally received a reply from Kevin who confirmed he'd ensure to bring the best garnet from the beach he could find. He also said that, not only was he excited to have the family come and visit next summer, but he wanted them to join him to Europe as well. He explained that a full explanation would be written on a separate letter so Jae could hide away any evidence of a garnet being brought and what it was for. Jae promptly hid that letter away and continued reading the secondary 'safe' letter detailing exactly what he had in mind for the trip and to bring it to Jacob's attention. With that letter in hand, Jae returned home and sat beside Jacob during dinner with Natalie by his side.

"We finally got word back from Kevin about us visiting next year," Jae said to Jacob.

"He said he liked the idea I assume?" Jacob said.

"More than that," Jae said. "I'd mentioned you and Renesmee had not planned on joining, but he asked that you did. He wants us to visit him and Kyle in Connecticut and then he wants us to join in him Germany to meet Amber. He's suggesting we could all spend a few days in Paris and then meet him in Berlin."

"Really?" Jacob said, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose we probably should meet Amber."

"What about the tribe?" Renesmee asked.

"Kevin suggested that Carlisle be the doctor in your stead. I'm sure he could handle things while you're gone."

"That's true," Renesmee said, though she appeared hesitant. "Perhaps we could stay here until it's time to leave for Germany. That way we're only gone a week or so at longest. We can meet Amber, meet her parents, and get to know one another."

"We don't speak German," Jacob pointed out.

"I do," Jae said. "And so does Kevin. Besides, I'm pretty sure Amber and her parents speak French, so Renesmee you can speak with them."

"So who would be coming besides me and Renesmee? I assume you and Natalie want to go?"

"I'd love to," Natalie smiled eagerly. "I'm sure Tomoeh would be over the moon to go. Nathan would go too I'm sure. Kyle can go and obviously Kevin. That covers the immediate family."

"And would Scarlet go?" Jacob asked. "Is it really safe for her to be traveling like that at her age?"

"She'll be two by the time we go and Nathan and Tomoeh can keep an eye on her. They already do."

"Indeed," Jacob said, still a little hesitant. "I'll think about it. I'll make sure to talk to Kevin about it when he gets back."

Nathan, having later been made privy to that conversation, argued that since Scarlet would be joining them east, he saw no reason she couldn't join them in Europe. Nearly the whole family would be there, so Scarlet would be well taken care of. Tomoeh was in agreement, feeling that at two by the time of the trip, Scarlet would be perfectly alright to travel so long as they were all with her. When Christmas finally came, Kyle arrived home first as per usual. Kevin returned for the weekend and when he returned home, he requested Jae join him at Nathan's house. Jae and Nathan sat at the kitchen table while Kevin opened his travel bag and pulled out a huge, unaltered rock with red peaking through, but it was mostly brown. Kevin placed it on the table before Jae.

"How's this?" Kevin asked.

"It certainly looks like enough," Jae said. "Nathan, can we crack this in half and see what's inside?"

Nathan nodded and shifted to a vampire before cracking the rock clean in half. Once they looked in the middle, there were little specks of red, some too small to work with, some just barely big enough. But one segment was enormous by comparison and was the size of a baseball. The largest segment was a deep red, almost purple in hue but was dominantly red. He could make anything with this and Jae smiled.

"That should do it," Jae said.

"So when are you planning to propose?" Kevin asked.

"When the bracelet is done," Jae said. "Even then, I'd like to wait for the right time. I may even wait until the summer when we all come and visit. It needs to be a time when I can ask Jacob for his blessing without Natalie finding out before I can propose."

"Frankly, I think you're just trying to one up all of us," Nathan joked.

"He's doing a damn good job of it if he is," Kevin laughed.

"It's not about to one up anyone. It's about making Natalie something special."

"You mean something as special as her?" Nathan said.

"Exactly," Jae said. "I know you mean that to poke fun at her, but I actually mean it."

Nathan laughed, "She's just so ripe for teasing."

"Before I go talk to dad," Kevin began, changing the subject, "has he said anything about him and mom coming to Europe?"

"Not since I brought it up to him," Jae said. "Renesmee made it sound like they'd only stay a few days since they would want to get back home."

"That's fine so long as they get a chance to meet Amber. Our parents meeting can only help our case I would think."

"You don't think they'll find it a little odd that you're trying to introduce them to mom and dad?" Nathan asked. "I would think that would be a dead giveaway."

"Well, if it turns out to be, I'll spin it just right," Kevin said. "I don't want to, but I'm not above lying to make sure Amber and I can get married."

"Aside from her age being of some concern, I don't see why they wouldn't approve," Jae offered. "They certainly like you well enough and in their own words, given Amber's background, they aren't in much of a position to be picky."

"Just because they can't marry her to just anyone doesn't mean they'll hand her over to the first man to ask," Kevin said. "Besides, you know how it is. I bet you anything if I lived in Germany, there wouldn't be a problem at all. But I don't and therein lies what I imagine will be the biggest problem. And frankly, I'm not too keen on moving to Germany permanently."

"I wouldn't," Nathan said. "Frankly, I don't think Alphonse should be writing off what you showed him so flippantly. I mean, if this man can essentially get off nearly unpunished for treason, I have a hard time believing he can't create bigger problems."

"Exactly," Kevin said. "So far, as far as I'm aware, he's largely Munich's problem. I'm just hoping it stays that way."

"I wouldn't hold your breath on that, Kevin," Jae said cautiously.

"I say to hell with discretion and get Amber and her parents in America as soon as possible," Nathan agreed. "Just tell Levi you and Amber are in love, you're marrying her with or without their blessing and for the sake of their own safety they need to come with you and Amber to America."

"Are you insane?" Kevin said. "If I did that, Levi would never let me see Amber again."

"I get it, but Kevin, you might not have much longer to handle this 'delicately'," Nathan said. "You keep saying one day you'll hold your chest high and tell Levi you love Amber and want to marry her. I get you want to be positive he'll say yes, but you don't really have time for that."

"Maybe," Kevin said and rubbed his forehead. "Amber will be finished with school by '28. So will Kyle. Then we can move back, Alphonse will start that practice with me and by '29 we can start planning for Amber to live here with me."

"So 2 more years?" Nathan said.

"If I need to hurry things along, I will," Kevin said. "That anti-Semitic pig swine may have published a book, but it doesn't mean anything if so few people have read it and take him seriously. For now, that's all I need: for no one to take him seriously."

"Alright," Nathan said. "I just hope you're right. All I'm saying is there's no end to what pissed off people will do."

"Germany's recovering from the war," Kevin said. "It might be slow, but a Republic seems to be working for Germany. So long as that keeps working, Amber and her family will be alright, Adolf Hitler be damned. Besides, he's not a German citizen. So any political influence he could possibly have is severely limited. Unless he becomes a German citizen, he's just a foreign invader just like what he claims Jews are," Kevin said the last bit with intense bitterness.

"I'd thought Jews were just a religious group," Jae said.

"It is," Kevin said. "Amber being Jewish doesn't make her any less French than the rest of the people born in Chateau. She's no more a 'foreign invader' than any other Frenchman that lives in the Rhineland with a constantly changing border. For all we fucking know, her biological parents could still be of German decent. Regardless, it's completely irrelevant."

"Well, so long as he has no political standing or German citizenship, maybe it really is just hot air," Jae suggested.

"It had better be," Kevin said. "You have fun with the rock. I need to talk to dad."

Kevin left Nathan's home and walked back to the tribe to find Jacob. Once he'd found him, Kevin pulled Jacob aside to the medical room in the house so he could talk to them about meeting Amber. Renesmee had been able to speak with Carlisle about him looking after the tribe while she was gone and he confirmed that wouldn't be an issue at all. Knowing that made Renesmee more open to the trip and even Jacob had to admit that meeting Amber's parents would almost certainly help Kevin a great deal. After all, if all they had to do was spend two days in Germany, they could get back in a reasonable amount of time.

With an additional trip decided, Edward agreed he'd pay for that portion of the trip as well including Kevin's trip, making sure he wouldn't have to gamble for his fair. When Kevin had to leave and return to Connecticut, he left with renewed eagerness for his next trip to Germany. As had become mandated, once Kevin returned, he made plans with Alphonse to go to their firms annual New Year's party. They met at the venue as always, and this year, Ana did not join. Rather, when Kevin saw Alphonse waiting outside, he saw him holding Anastasia dressed in a little velvet red dress and a tiny white fur coat with curled brown hair and a big red bow in her hair.

"So who's your date for the night?" Kevin joked once he was close to Alphonse.

"Anastasia wanted to come," Alphonse said. "Her grandma got her this dress for Christmas and she really wanted to show it off."

"And no wonder," Kevin said. "She looks like a little Christmas present."

"Well, wasn't that nice of him to say?" Alphonse asked Anastasia. She giggled and reached out to Kevin for a hug, which he gladly gave.

"And how about your birthday? Did you get lots of present for that too?" Kevin asked.

"Daddy gave me lots of toys!" Anastasia announced proudly.

"Did he? And how old is Daddy's Executive Assistant now?"

"This many!" Anastasia said, but holding up five fingers. With a chuckle, Alphonse corrected the number and gently curled two of her fingers down so only three were up.

"She's three," Alphonse said.

"Don't worry, Anastasia," Kevin said. "You'll be five in another two years. Just don't rush to grow up, alright?" Anastasia shook her head while giggling.

"Alright, let's get inside. It's freezing out here," Alphonse said.

When they entered the banquet hall, anyone that glanced in their direction immediately noticed Anastasia and people began to swarm to see her. They said she was precious and looked very lady like and so lovely in her little dress and coat, though that was taken by an employee to hang with other coats. Alphonse explained it was his daughter and, when asked where her mother was, he explained she was in the Hamptons with his family at the moment. Really, she was just at home but Alphonse preferred to lie in this case. In no time, Anastasia was the bell of the ball and word spread about her position as Alphonse's 'Executive Assistant' and everyone had a good laugh. Mr. Huntington even boasted of giving little Anastasia a generous salary of candy.

Kevin and Alphonse only stayed late enough to count down with the rest of the party, welcoming 1927. By that point, Anastasia was asleep on Alphonse's shoulder and it was time to get her home to bed. For the remainder of the year, Kevin and Amber continued to write to each other. He let her know that his parents and siblings would be coming to visit so she could meet all of them. Kevin was still trying to convince Embry Jr. to come with, but he was hesitant. He had, after all, sworn he'd never get on a boat again as long as he lived. Kevin had suggested perhaps that Embry could fly. Embry and Kevin shared a good laugh and Embry confirmed he'd consider it.

In the meantime, Jae meticulously worked on Natalie's bracelet. He broke the deep red/purple garnet into smaller pieces and carved each small piece into little flowers. Specifically, he chose to carve tiny Black Dahlias. In retrospect, he would have preferred to carve a simpler flower, but he recalled when they all still shared a pack and Natalie got to see a memory of a Black Dahlia carved soap that Amber had made and Natalie fell madly in love with it. Jae worked on each teeny tiny piece of garnet during his lunch break at Mr. Pence's shop and with each completed piece, Mr. Pence was simultaneously amazed by the craftsmanship and full of pity for Jae that Natalie had not expressed an interest in something more reasonable like a daisy. Yet no matter how many tiny Dahlias he made and no matter how many tiny pieces of garnet Jae screwed up and had to start over, he worked on it diligently. It wasn't finished at long last until late spring, just before they were all planning to go east. When it was done thanks to a little assistance from Mr. Pence, he was nothing short of impressed.

"I'll tell you one thing, Mr. Dauer," Mr. Pence said, "for making jewelry this good, I may just have to hire you."

"Thank you for saying, sir, but I don't know if I can stand to do that again," Jae joked.

"I don't blame you," Mr. Pence chuckled. "She'd better love it, I'll give you that."

"I hope so," Jae smiled. He really was rather proud of it. An opal feather and small garnet black dahlias all secured in silver into a bracelet fit for a princess. "Thank you for all your help with this."

"Oh, don't thank me," Mr. Pence said. "I didn't do diddly squat. I just gave you some silver and let you use my tools."

"Still, I appreciate it," Jae smiled. "Do you happen to have a nice box I can put this in?"

"I sure do," Mr. Pence said and bent down to look on the shelves of his counter and pulled out a little black box he usually used for watches. "The box is on the house. You've gone through enough for that thing."

"Thank you," Jae chuckled.

"You let me know what your little lady friend says, you hear?" Mr. Pence said.

"I sure will, Mr. Pence," Jae said. "I'll even invite you to the wedding."

"You'd better," Mr. Pence replied and the two shared another laugh before Jae left the store with a spring in his step. He couldn't believe he was finally done. Now he just needed to keep it hidden away until it was time to propose.

It finally came to be the day before the planned trip. Embry, wanting to see Kevin more than anything, agreed he would come visit for the trip east for a weekend when he wouldn't be working. He'd fly there and spend the weekend before going back. As far as Europe, he said he'd pass. He'd seen enough of France and wasn't interested in seeing it again. Everyone that was taking the train east packed their things and had everything ready. Jae tucked the little pack box in the luggage the Cullens had provided him, making sure the bracelet was safe. Natalie went on patrol that night while Jae and a few others tried to get some sleep, but he couldn't seem to manage it. He heard his little brothers breathing soundly but he was too excited. He was nervous, excited, terrified Jacob might say no or, worse, Natalie might say no. He didn't get a wink of sleep that night, so it was easy to intercept Jacob once he returned from patrol. The siblings and Jae were all set to leave really early, but Jae still had time to talk to Jacob.

"Jacob?" Jae asked, sneaking in through the back and asking for Jacob when Natalie was out of site.

"Yes, Jae?" Jacob asked.

"Might I have a word with you in private?" Jae asked.

"Did you want to go to the woods?"

"I'd prefer it," Jae answered.

"Alright, let's go to the woods," Jacob said and they walked into the woods together. They bumped into Roxanne on their way, but she largely ignored them as she made her way back to Nathan's and Tomoeh's home. When they were alone, Jacob leaned against a tree relaxed with his arms crossed. "What's on your mind?"

"I had something I wanted to talk to you about," Jae started, suddenly getting nervous. "It's about Natalie."

"Oh," Jacob said and started smiling. "So that's what this is about," he continued and started to chuckle a little. "You want to ask Natalie to marry you?"

"Assuming I have your blessing to," Jae said.

"Stop acting so nervous, Jae. You know you have my blessing," Jacob said. "I'm a little surprised you're asking now. I'd thought you two were planning to wait a while."

"We can if Natalie prefers, but…..I guess it just felt right to do it now."

"Fair enough," Jacob smiled. "I assume you've already made a bracelet for her?"

"Yes, I finished it a few weeks ago. It took me a year to make."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "A year? What is it made out of?"

"An opal and lots of really tiny garnets," Jae answered.

"Do you have it?"

"Not on me," Jae said. "It's in my luggage right now."

"Do you mind showing me? If this took so long, I'm curious."

"I don't see why not," Jae said and the two of them ran back to Jae's house up to the room he shared with his brothers. He carefully opened the suitcase and pulled out the black box.

"Where'd you get this box?"

"From Mr. Pence. He helped me a little. He got me silver and let me use his tools."

Jacob looked at Jae strangely before finally opening the box. Then he just started gawking. "You made this?"

"Yes sir," Jae answered.

"Well…..fuck me then," Jacob said and gave it back to him. "Damn it, boy, you're making us all look bad."

"I just wanted to make Natalie something special," Jae said.

"I'd say you've done just that," Jacob said. "How did you do those little flowers?"

"A very steady hand, a good memory along with a little reference from that botany book your in-laws have and patience. Lots and lots of patience."

"No shit," Jacob chuckled a little. "So when are you asking?"

"During the trip," Jae said. "That's all I'm certain of."

"Well, try to calm down," Jacob said. "Try not to worry too much about asking her. I've been in that girl's head, Jae, and she loves you. The fact that I like you aside, you make her happy and I know you do. I tease you about the 'hanging tree' and what not but she loves you. I know you love her too."

"I really do," Jae said.

"Good. You guys enjoy the trip. We'll worry about a moon ceremony when you get back."

"Thank you, Jacob," Jae smiled.

"No, thank you," Jacob said before patting Jae on the back and walking out.

His chat with Jacob had given Jae a renewed confidence as he put the box back in his luggage to safely hide away. When he saw Natalie that day and she smiled at him, somehow it made the nerves even less so.

Renesmee and Jacob wouldn't be leaving for a while. They would remain until it was time to meet Amber so their trip wouldn't be so long. However, Tomoeh and Nathan were going with Scarlet and had three cases of things for the trip, Jae and Natalie would be going together, and Embry would be visiting for a weekend later on. Jae made sure to say goodbye to Hailey before he left and thanking Leah for taking over for him while he was gone. Then they went to Port Angeles together, courtesy of a loan from the Cullens, and were on the train for the east coast by the afternoon.

Within an hour of having gotten on the train, they all started wishing they had just run. The cars were a little cramped and they quickly learned they weren't going to receive much of a positive reception. After Natalie had asked for an alteration of a menu item, the look on the waiter's face was enough for her to know it was falling on deaf ears and, considering the only finger food on the train were peanuts, she was left with nothing to eat. Initially, Nathan had been less than sympathetic about the matter given that, save for their mutual aversion to dairy given the bout of illness it brings them, most of her aversion were of her own volition. Of course, when he was met with the same resistance from the waiter for a 'legitimate' concern, he learned he was stuck in a similar boat. Jae was able to learn that the bread was alright, so that's what they all ate for the remainder of the trip. In all frankness, their arrival in Connecticut couldn't have happened soon enough. They arrived in the middle of the day but, surprisingly, Kevin was the one that met them. When they got off the train, Kevin went up to them and greeted them all.

"We weren't expecting to see you until tonight," Nathan said after they said their hellos.

"I don't want you guys wandering around aimlessly just to be on the safe side and, sadly, Kyle's consumed with his finals. He'll be finished tomorrow, though. I had Olga check the train schedules so I could pick you up. Although, you'd best take that 'schedule' with a grain of salt. You were supposed to have arrived an hour ago. Regardless, how was your trip?"

"Awful," Natalie said. "We've been living on bread since we left. The waiters just refused to work with me."

"What were they supposed to do, Natalie? Give you lettuce?" Nathan mocked, his mood still rather irritable that he'd been put in the same position.

"Okay," Kevin smiled, "I get it. You all want real food. Don't tell me Tomoeh and Scarlet had to suffer."

"We didn't want to be rude," Tomoeh shrugged. "Besides, Jae was chivalrous enough to live off bread for the trip, so I don't see why I can't pay Nathan the same courtesy."

"Thanks, Tomoeh," Nathan finally smiled a little.

"Well, I have plenty of food at the house, so if you would like you're welcome to make something. I need to get back to work once I drop all of you off, but I'll be finished by six and get back home. Kyle should be home sooner than me. The beds are big enough that you guys can share. Kyle and I will sleep on the couches."

"Even the floor is better than the train," Jae said, hating to join the banter of complaints but could not contain a rather deep disdain for the laughable 'sleeping' arrangements in the train if they could even be called that.

"Well, you're getting better than the floor," Kevin joked and helped with some of the luggage while he led them to the house he and Kyle were sharing.

While their initial goal had been food, once they got there, everyone just wanted to sleep. Tomoeh stayed awake long enough to feed Scarlet so she could sleep before joining Nathan on what was usually Kevin's bed. Jae and Natalie shared Kyle's bed. No one woke up until the next morning from their much needed naps. The following day, since Kyle had completed his finals and had his free time, Kyle led them through town, showing them the sites and places of note.

"This is such a difference from the tribe," Tomoeh said as they walked along the boardwalk. "It's so sunny by comparison."

"It really is," Kyle agreed. "Nowhere near so rainy either," he pointed out.

"About as windy," Nathan said. Scarlet, who was wandering on the rocks of the beach playing with crabs, giggled and was enjoying herself as much as could be. Everyone joined Scarlet on the rocks to make sure she didn't get herself pinched by the little blue crabs she was playing with.

They all spent a few days in Connecticut, seeing Kevin whenever he was home. During the first weekend of their visit, they all went to the park together. As had been the case with the beach, Scarlet was running around difficult to contain as she enjoyed the flowers and even tried playing with people's dogs. Kevin mentioned once Scarlet was reprimanding from playing with a little lap dog at the park that New York had a much bigger park called Central Park. Scarlet innocently insisted she wanted to go. So they all made the run to New York with Scarlet and Tomoeh piggybacking on Nathan. Just as Kevin had promised, Central Park was enormous. They say all sorts of people and attractions from clowns to food cart workers to flower vendors and so on. When they came upon the florist, Jae noticed some black dahlias for sale. He couldn't resist buying a lone flower and giving it to Natalie for, to her, no reason except he loved her. He also bought Scarlet a little tulip as a late birthday present.

"This is such a pretty park," Natalie smiled as she looked around. She and Jae had drifted behind the group just a little but were still close enough not to lose them.

"It is," Jae smiled. "I'm glad we listened to Scarlet and made the trip today. Maybe we can even get some other site seeing done."

"Like visiting Lady Liberty," Natalie suggested. "Maybe we can go to a stage play," she offered eagerly.

Jae took a hold of Natalie's hand and walked just a little closer. "That sounds like a fun date," he said.

"Even with the company," Natalie joked, glancing at everyone walking ahead of them. Jae smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.

They all spent the rest of the day in New York taking in the sites. They went to see the Statue of Liberty, but they didn't go to the island for safety. They walked down the bridge, went to a Macys together and returned to Connecticut to make some dinner they could all eat. With how busy the previous day had been, they used that Sunday to relax. Natalie, Nathan and Jae played poker while Tomoeh focused her attention on Scarlet. Kyle studied and Kevin worked. The following day, Kevin returned to work while Kyle spent the day with everyone, taking them around town again. They all decided to go back to New York the day after that, wanting to visit Sleepy Hollow.

"I didn't realize this place was so close to the city," Jae said while they were walking around town, crossing the famous bridge from the short story.

"It's certainly more urbanized than I imagined," Nathan said as they walked around.

"Wasn't the story from the 17th century?" Tomoeh asked.

"Somewhere in that realm," Nathan answered. "I wonder what this place it like in October."

"What's in October?" Tomoeh asked.

"Halloween," Kyle answered. "A town like this with a horror story affiliated with them would go crazy during that time of year. I hear they lay out pumpkins with faces carved into them and the schools give out candy to the children."

"Well, that sounds like a lot of fun," Tomoeh smiled. "I almost wish we could have come in October."

"Indeed, but then I wouldn't be able to spend the day with everyone," Kyle smiled. He reached over to Tomoeh hoping to hold Scarlet. Tomoeh handed her over and then walked arm in arm with Nathan down the bridge following Natalie and Jae.

"This place isn't so scary as I imagined," Natalie said as they walked along the bridge together.

"Maybe we should have waited until night to go site seeing here," Jae suggested.

"Then we couldn't have brought Scarlet," Natalie smiled. "She'd either sleep through the whole thing or have been too scared."

"Nah-uh!" Scarlet said from behind and everyone giggled. Natalie looked over her should at her niece.

"Are you sure, honey? The woods are awfully scary at night. And with a Headless Horsemen around, it's even scarier."

"Stop it, Natalie," Nathan chuckled. "She'd face the night bravely as you or me. Isn't that right, Scarlet?"

"Yeah!" Scarlet cheered and they all shared a laugh.

Kyle and the others decided to spend the night in Massachusetts, obtaining a room for themselves. Kyle had a room to himself while Nathan, Tomoeh and Scarlet had one room and Natalie shared a room with Jae. As it turns out, they were in desperate need for the alone time. They'd been sharing a confined space with everyone since they left Washington and the room to themselves was greatly appreciated. All the while, through the remainder of the trip, Jae continued to wait for the perfect time to propose. He carried the bracelet he'd made everywhere they all went, but thus far the time had not been just right.

But finally, the moment came when it was approaching the last days in Connecticut before they would all leave for Europe. Everyone except Kevin were walking along the boardwalk enjoying the scenery. The sun was setting with the water ablaze with purples, pinks, reds and oranges. Scarlet was fast asleep in Nathan's arms while everyone talked. Jae glanced out on the beach and saw it was largely empty. He also noticed the rocks. He saw reds peaking through and he realized they were garnets. The scene, the location, everything was perfect. So he took the plunge.

"Hey, you guys go ahead. Natalie and I are going to walk on the beach," Jae said.

"That sounds nice," Kyle said. "How about we all go?"

"Actually," Nathan said on Jae's behalf, "Scarlet's out cold, so we should all get back. Tomoeh and I will at least." Nathan gave Kyle a knowing look then, to which Kyle briefly opened his mind.

"You're right," Kyle said knowingly. "We should get Scarlet back. You two have fun, alright?"

"Thanks," Jae smiled and led Natalie with him to the beach while everyone else made the trip back home. They had to maneuver around a few rocks, but once they did, they reached the sandy beach.

"This is so different from home," Natalie pointed out.

"It really is," Jae said. "I miss the evergreens if I'm being honest."

"Me too," Natalie said. "Are you excited about Paris?"

"I'm more excited about Berlin," Jae said. "I don't speak a word of French."

"Oh, yes you do," Natalie giggled. "Not as much as the rest of us, but you know a little French."

"I'd just rather speak German," Jae shrugged. "But I am excited about the trip. To think before this we've never been out of the state and now we visit the east coast and get a trip to Europe. I'd say that's pretty exciting."

"I'd say so," Natalie smiled. They walked along the beach hand in hand for a while, the bracelet now burning a hole in Jae's pocket. His heart was starting to race and he was getting nervous. "This is nice," Natalie said suddenly with a content sigh. "We've barely had time to ourselves this whole trip except when we spent the night in Salem."

"I wish we could have had more time alone," Jae agreed. "I actually wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Natalie asked. Before he answered, Jae took a moment to take a deep breath and then looked around for a secluded spot. He found one and finally led Natalie over.

"It's about us," Jae finally said when they were below a small bluff that kept them out of site of the boardwalk. He looked at Natalie who's expression had not changed. "I love you," he said.

Natalie smiled, "I love you too."

Jae smiled back and held her to him. "I've loved you my whole life. Even when we were kids, I'd always loved you." Jae chuckled a little to himself. "I remember when we were kids I would blush just talking to you."

"You certainly don't now," Natalie smiled.

Jae smiled and glanced down at their intertwined hands, "Maybe. Although I always wonder how I'd been so lucky to end up with you."

"I might say the same thing about you," Natalie said. Now Jae was blushing.

"Believe me, I'm the lucky one," Jae said and looked at Natalie again. "I really do love you."

"I love you too," Natalie said.

"I had a chance," Jae went on after a moment of silence, "to talk to your dad before we left." With that statement, Natalie seemed to instantly realize what was happening, but he made herself remain quiet and let him finish. "I told him how much I love you. I let him know that I had an important question for you and he gave me his blessings to ask it of you." Natalie was beginning to tremble while Jae reached into his pocket and at long last pulled out the black box. Jae and Natalie shared a look at he could see the nervous and excited look on her face as she waited. Then he finally opened the box to reveal the bracelet and Natalie went wide eyed and gawked at the bracelet.

"You made this?" Natalie asked, almost too hard to hear.

"Yes," Jae answered. "I've been working on it since last year. That's when I decided I wanted to ask you to marry me and started making a bracelet. But nothing traditional would do. I wanted to give you something as unique as you. Something that no one could copy because there never could be anyone like you." Natalie looked a little teary eyed as Jae took out the bracelet and gently took her left hand in his and got the bracelet on her wrist. "Will you marry me, Natalie?"

"Yes," Natalie said without a moment's hesitation as a tear fell. "Yes," she said again and threw her arms around Jae after he'd secured the bracelet around her wrist. "I love you, Jae," Natalie said through tears of joy.

"I love you too, Natalie," Jae said back, hugging her tight and swaying them back and forth. Natalie then took Jae completely by surprise and brought her lips to his in a passionate kiss that he was defenseless against. He returned the kiss with the same vigor and made love to her before the setting sun.