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.

101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Spring went by in a flash as it's known to do. Soon it was summer and it was time for Nathan and the family to retreat to Las Vegas to pick up Ivory and make their way to Brazil for the summer. They all left the tail end of spring, getting on a train together for Las Vegas. By now, Gabriel appeared five and closer to his older sister Ivory's age. Ariel was nearly giddy with the prospect of going to Brazil. It was a trip he'd been waiting to go on since he was little and Scarlet told him all the stories of her and Nathan going south and all their adventures. Ariel was six in years, but looking at him, one would assume he was approaching 18. He'd grown so much even just since Nathan returned home.

Through the whole train ride, Ariel asked Nathan to recount all those stories Scarlet told him when he was a kid as well as any that Nathan could add. A few days later, they reached Las Vegas and went from the train station right to Tamara's house. They arrived midday when they were both out, so Nathan let them all into the house to wait for them and get comfortable. Ada María and Scarlet worked on cleaning up a little and getting dinner prepared as a preemptive thank you for letting them all stay. A few short hours later, Tamara returned home with Ivory, but she was being scolded for something. Of course, Tamara stopped talking when she saw Nathan on the couch. Ivory saw him too once he stood and grinned.

"Daddy!" Ivory said and ran away from Tamara going right to Nathan. He kneeled down and lifted Ivory in his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Ivory," Nathan smiled. "I missed you so much. How've you been?"

"I was bad today," Ivory admitted.

"How so?" Nathan asked.

"She got in trouble with one of the teachers today," Tamara said.

"What happened?" Nathan asked Ivory.

"Mrs. Yates was being mean," Ivory said. "I told her so and she pointed the ruler at me and said at the end of this ruler is an idiot."

"Sounds like a bitch to me," Nathan said.

"Oh, your daughter's not done," Tamara grumbled. "Tell him what you said to your teacher."

"I asked her 'Which end'." Nathan started laughing and kissed Ivory's cheek again.

"That's my girl," Nathan said.

"Don't encourage her," Tamara muttered. "I had to smooth this over with her teacher and she was none too happy."

"Sounds like you need to get out of town," Nathan said with a chuckle to Ivory who cheered.

"She's lucky today was her last day of school," Tamara said and finally looked towards the kitchen. "Thank you for making dinner."

"Not at all," Scarlet smiled. She cleaned her hands and went to Tamara to hug her. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too. You get more beautiful every time I see you."

"Thank you, Tamara," Scarlet smiled. "Are you excited to have a summer to yourself?"

"Yes and no," Tamara said. "I think I may just get lonely."

"It'll be okay, I promise," Scarlet said. "You deserve a chance to relax a little."

"Indeed I do," Tamara readily agreed and went to the couch to relax a little. Nathan sat next to her with Ivory, Gabriel and Jaedynn all sitting on his lap while he and Tamara talked about the trip and went over any ground rules Tamara had.

Ivory was so excited about going to Brazil. She even showed Nathan all her packed luggage before they all sat down to dinner together. Ivory made a point to sit right next to Nathan during dinner and sat on his lap after dinner while they all drank coffee and talked. When it was time to leave, Ivory wore her favorite little sundress and waited patiently while Tamara cleaned her up and reminded her to NEVER leave Nathan's side and to be good and be careful. Tamara relayed the same point to Nathan who reassured Ivory would be alright and he'd make sure she had a great time and told Tamara to enjoy her summer to relax. They took a train to south so they could take a boat to South America and then take a train to Salvador.

Ivory, Ariel, Gabriel and Jaedynn watched intently the whole trip, enjoying the view from the boat and then the view from the train. Ivory was disappointed the train didn't go through the rainforest but Nathan reassured they'd go to the Amazon together once they were settled. They finally arrived in Salvador early in the morning and decided to walk from the train station to the little blue house up the hill. Ivory was turning her head every second so it seemed just taking in the scenery and asked to go to every place they passed, particularly the beach. When they reached the little blue house, Nathan got his key and let them in. No one was there, but it was definitely lived in.

"Glad to see your brother was looking after the place for us," Nathan joked, seeing clothes on the couch and coffee cups on the counter.

"Marcelo isn't much of a house keeper I'm afraid," Ada María said. She took a deep breath and sighed a little. "It smells like mother and father were here recently."

"Are they staying at your house?" Nathan asked.

"Likely," Ada María said and put down Jaedynn and Gabriel so they could wander around the house. Nathan put down Ivory so she could do the same.

"It's just as I remember it," Scarlet smiled, looking around the house. "You know, Ariel, whenever I'd fall asleep, I'd always leave my window open in my room so it would smell like the ocean."

"You mean like you already do?" Ariel poked fun and chuckled when Scarlet nudged him. "When do you think we'll meet Uncle Marcelo and Grandma and Grandpa?" Ariel asked Ada María.

"Later I imagine," Ada María said. "Unless you want to walk over to my house and see if they're there. The bar shouldn't be open yet."

"Oh, Daddy, can we?" Ivory smiled and ran to Nathan to jump up and down while holding his hand. "I want to go to the beach! We can all go!"

"Maybe not with Ada's parents, baby," Nathan patted Ivory's head. "But, I'll tell you what. We'll go check Ada's house to see if her parents and brother are there and once we've all met, we'll all go to the beach. You know what else? Scarlet will show how to make the perfect sand castle."

"Really?" Ivory grinned.

"I built a sand city once," Scarlet smiled. "I know what I'm doing. Jaedynn and Gabriel can watch too."

"I want to go to the beach," Jaedynn agreed as she wandered over to Nathan on wobbly legs and grabbing onto his leg.

Gabriel and Ariel agreed, so they got their luggage upstairs and left the house, locking up again, and walked down the hill around the road until they made it to Ada María's house. As they approached the house, Marcelo opened the door and stepped outside into the sun and smiled at Ada María.

"Você finalmente chegou em casa," (You finally came home) Marcelo smiled and hugged Ada María.

"É bom estar de volta," (It's good to be back) Ada María said. Marcelo let go of her and looked at all the kids.

"So which one's Ariel?" Marcelo smiled and the tallest of the kids smiled and took a step forward.

"That would be me," Ariel said.

"It's good to finally meet my nephew," Marcelo chuckled and walked over to hug Ariel. "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you sooner. Your mother's a bit of a slave driver; having me run her bar and everything."

"Well, this slave driver has a 2nd nephew for you to meet," Ada María said and held up Gabriel. Marcelo saw the boy and chuckled.

"Ah, yes, I remember you writing that you and Nathan were having another baby," Marcelo said and accepted Gabriel in his arms. "This one is post marriage right?" Marcelo teased.

"Yes, Gabriel is post marriage," Ada María said. "We've been married a year now."

"Has it really been that long?" Marcelo asked. "Well, all the same, Nathan, welcome to the family."

"Thanks Marcelo," Nathan smiled. Then, having grown impatient, Yaretzi exited the house and ran for them giving Ada María a quick hug and then going right to Ariel. She near forced Gabriel out of Marcelo's arms and cuddled the boy, winning his affections instantly. Once she'd fawned over her grandsons, she finally turned her attention to Nathan and smiled pleasantly.

"¿Su nombre es Nathan, sí?" (Your name is Nathan, yes) Yaretzi asked.

"Sí," Nathan smiled. "¿Tú es la madre de Ada María, sí?" (You're Ada María's mother?) Yaretzi nodded. "Es un placer finalmente conocerte." (It's a pleasure to finally meet you).

"Igualmente," (You too) Yaretzi smiled and went to Nathan to give him a quick hug. "Ada María habló tan cariñosamente de ti," (Ada María spoke so fondly of you). "Estoy feliz de conocer al hombre que ganó el corazón de mi hija," (I'm happy to finally meet the man that won my daughter's heart).

"Estoy feliz de conocer a su madre. Está atrasado," (I'm happy to finally meet her mother. It's overdue) Nathan said.

"Por verdad," Yaretzi agreed. "Y ahora puedes conocer el Padre del Ada María. Que Dios esté contigo," (And now you can meet Ada María's father. May God be with you). Nathan chuckled at Yaretzi's joke and followed her into the house to finally meet Raphael. Raphael was sitting at the tiny dining table and stood when everyone finally came inside.

"Venha aqui, Ariel," (Come here, Ariel) Raphael said when they came in and Ariel went over to say hello and greet his grandfather. "Você tem um irmãozinho agora, não é? Onde está?" (You have a little brother now, do you not? Where is he?). Ariel looked over his shoulder at Gabriel.

"Gabriel, come here to meet Grandpa," Ariel said. Yaretzi put Gabriel down to walk over, but Gabriel was instantly shy and nervous to meet his grandpa. He didn't appear in the best of spirits. Gabriel stepped behind Yaretzi.

"Miho, ve a conocer a tu abuelo," (Go meet your grandfather) Yaretzi said soothingly to Gabriel. He looked at his grandma first but eventually stepped forward to go meet his grandpa. Once he was close, Ariel kneeled down and picked up his little brother so Raphael could meet him. Raphael took Gabriel into his arms and looked the boy over and smiled just a little at him.

"Vocês dois favorecem sua mãe," (You both favor your mother) Raphael said in reference to their appearance. Gabriel's hair curled a little just as Ada María's did. Still holding Gabriel, Raphael finally turned his attention to Nathan. "So you're Nathan?"

"Yes, sir," Nathan smiled respectfully. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've been looking forward to it for a while."

"I'm sure," Raphael said a little flippantly. Raphael handed Gabriel over to Ariel. "How about you go outside with your uncle and the kids and play with those frogs your mother keeps. Silly things demand more attention then they're worth."

"Alright, Grandpa," Ariel said and went over to all the kids and went outside with Scarlet and Marcelo leaving Nathan alone with Ada María, Yaretzi and Raphael.

"Now that we can speak," Raphael said. "I'm to understand you have a daughter from a previous marriage and a daughter from an affair? Of course, there was a 3rd little girl that story leaves unaccounted for."

"My daughter Scarlet is from a previous marriage, yes," Nathan answered respectfully. "Ariel is mine and Ada María's son. My daughter Ivory was born shortly thereafter. Her mother is a good friend of mine that I met in Las Vegas. The 3rd girl you saw is my daughter Jaedynn. Her mother is a woman I met briefly in France during the war. I'd lost a dear friend of mine in the line of battle and it left me depressed and I drank heavily for it. The result was a woman pregnant with Jaedynn, so I sent her to America to have the baby and Ada and I have raised her together since her birth. After I returned, that's when we got married and Gabriel was born."

"I was under the impression you and my daughter were not on good terms?" Raphael said.

"Yes, Ada and I had fought before I left for war and when I returned, we did need to work through that. However, we did work through it and once we did, we got married. Shortly after that, Gabriel was born."

"I see," Raphael said. "And what is it that you do? What rank did you elevate to in the military?"

"I went up to the rank of Corporal before retiring and returning home," Nathan answered.

"I'm to understand that entitles you to a pension?"

"Yes, it does," Nathan said.

"And what is it that you do now that you're home? Surely my daughter doesn't work while you stay at home."

"Ada María works for an inn as a dancer," Nathan said. "I generally stay with the kids and would prefer to keep it as such until they're older. At least until Jaedynn can be in my mother's care during schooling."

"And what of the other girl? Ivory was her name?"

"She lives in Las Vegas with her mother," Nathan said. "I don't see her so often as I'd prefer, but I see her at least twice a year."

"Hm," Raphael appeared unimpressed but Nathan remained respectful. "What exactly is your relationship with Ivory's mother?"

"Friendship," Nathan answered. "Tamara and I are very close, so when I was upset with Ada and returning home to join the war effort, I confided in her and – long story short – Ivory was the result. Tamara and I have not been together in that manner since that night."

Raphael looked Nathan over a moment and then looked at Ada María. Eventually, he sighed and gently shook his head. "I suppose you'll do."

Nathan let the jab slide and did his best to remain respectful of Raphael until Nathan could finally get everyone to the beach, Yaretzi remaining behind with Raphael. Ivory cheered when they got to the beach and dragged Scarlet to the sand to show her and Gabriel and Jaedynn how to make a sand castle. Ariel followed and kept an eye on Gabriel so he wouldn't get swooped away by the water. Nathan, Ada María and Marcelo sat together under a tree and watched as the children played together. Jaedynn tripped and accidentally fell on the sand castle that Ivory and Scarlet had made, but Scarlet made sure they laughed it off saying that they just needed to rebuild it.

"How does it feel to be so domestic?" Marcelo asked Ada María and she smiled a little while Nathan chuckled.

"I prefer to consider myself a working mother," Ada María said. "How has Laura been?"

"She's alright," Marcelo said. "She visits me all the time but her heart's in Colombia."

"How has the bar been?"

"Flourishing," Marcelo said. "Things operate much the same way they did when you were running it. The men that went to war are back, so we have some of our patrons back. Everyone's having babies too."

"Same in America," Nathan said. "There were men from town that fought in the war and they were able to come home. Now they're all getting married and having babies. Even the tribe's had a bit of a baby boom and not a whole of the tribe's men went to fight. Just me, my brothers, Embry and his brothers. Jae had died in the line of action."

"So out of all of you, only one died? That's certainly lucky."

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," Nathan said. "But Jae was my best friend. When he died, it really hurt. I named my daughter Jaedynn after him. She was conceived shortly after his death and I wanted to honor him in whatever small way I could."

"He was the one married to your sister, no?"

"He was," Nathan nodded. "Natalie didn't take the loss well at all, but who can blame her? She's made improvements since working at the inn, but she still misses him. Sometimes, we'll catch her reading his letters to her in bed and she'll cry. She doesn't do it nearly so much as she used to though. We tried getting her to bring his pictures downstairs instead of in her room, but she refused."

"She's still healing," Ada María said. "I think a few more years she will continue to improve and eventually she'll be able to move on completely."

"I hope so," Nathan said. "I don't like seeing her this way."

"No one would," Marcelo said. "My sympathies for your loss. I can only say I'm relieved you did not suffer the same fate even if only for my sister's sake." Nathan didn't answer and returned his attention to watching the kids in the hopes he'd feel a little better. Ada María leaned her head against Nathan's shoulder and rubbed his arm gently and reassuringly.

Eventually, they returned to the blue house up the hill for the night. They spent the next few days going to Ada María's house to spend time with her parents so Gabriel especially could get to know his grandparents. After a week, Nathan finally fulfilled his promise to Ivory that they would go to the rainforest. He reviewed with her and the others what to ensure they avoided and reminded the younger children not to leave either his, Ada María's or Scarlet's sides to ensure they stayed away from anything they shouldn't touch. Ivory was disappointed to find out she couldn't touch the poison dart frogs after spending that whole week playing with Ada María's poison dart frogs. It took them a few hours to get to the rainforest, but when they arrived, it was a chore keeping Ivory close.

She was enthralled by all the greenery, all the trees and the waterfalls and rivers and flowers and birds. There were so many colors from animals, flowers and fruits. She found, fell in love with, and tried to play with a Toucan but the bird was swift to fly away. They found another one and, this time, they found a few mangos and Nathan cut them up so Ivory and Jaedynn and Gabriel could try to feed the Toucan. They tossed the fruit towards the bird and, once it smelled the sweet aroma of the mango, it caught the fruit into its beak. Each successful catch resulting in claps from the children. While they were enjoying the rainforest, Ariel suggested they go to Peru, wanting to see the Inca ruins. Ada María seconded the sentiment, not having been to Cusco or Machu Pichu in years. Nathan agreed that night they would return to Salvador and take a day or two to prepare for the trip and then they'd retreat to Cusco.

It was well into the night by the time they returned to Salvador and they slept in shamelessly having had a tiring trek through the rainforest. Once they'd awoken, they prepared for the trip to Peru. They got food and supplies together and, having debated it for a time, decided they would take all their things with them so they could spend as much time in Peru as possible before going back to Salvador, assuming they bothered to return since it would be easier to take a boat from western South America to the states. Their trip took them through the rainforest again and they made sure to take their time since the children thoroughly enjoyed being in the rainforest. When it was night, they would find some acceptably shaped trees and get some sleep. The younger kids took turns sleeping with Nathan and whenever they did, Nathan would tell them stories while staring into the stars.

Eventually they made it to Cusco. Ada María was quick to brag that the name meant Center of the World and told the kids all about the Inca Empire, their traditions, culture, religion, their acceptance of the religions of other tribes in their power, the myths and so on. All while walking up and down the ruins of the ancient city. His Quechua was rusty, but Ariel made an effort to speak it to anyone they encountered that lived near the ruins. The way they spoke was slightly different: an indicator of how much the language had evolved over the years since Ada María's grandfather, the one that had taught his children and grandchildren to speak Quechua, had been human. Gabriel and Jaedynn found a woman that was looking after some Llamas. Gabriel didn't speak enough Quechua. What little he knew wasn't enough to get by, so Ariel helped and convinced the woman to let Gabriel and Jaedynn play with the llamas. She was wooed into letting them play with one of the llamas that she assured was much nicer than most of the other llamas.

"Did you ever live among them?" Nathan asked Ada María while they stood back and watched as the kids amused themselves with the llamas and herders.

"Not the way you're thinking," Ada María said. "I've lived here in Cusco for a long time when I was younger but it was in the city and not among the tribe. I admit I prefer Salvador. It's closer to the water."

"This place isn't too far from the coast is it?" Nathan asked.

"No, but there's something special about having the window of your home open with the sound of the water and the smell of the ocean filling the room."

Nathan smiled, "That's true."

"Didn't you and Scarlet stay here a while?"

"For a bit, yes," Nathan nodded. "It was when we were trying to find El Dorado." Nathan chuckled a little at the memory. "All things considered, I would think Cusco would be the place to look for El Dorado. You guys certainly had gold."

"And the Spanish took it all," Ada María sighed. "So if we could be considered El Dorado, we lost all our gold."

"No wonder your grandpa didn't like your dad," Nathan said. "Of course, between you and me, your dad isn't exactly the easiest man to get along with either. So that doesn't help."

"No, I know," Ada María smiled. "But mom loves him. Father's not all bad and mom saw that."

"Well, I'm glad she did," Nathan said and took Ada María's hand in his.

She smiled and stayed close to Nathan while they continued to watch the kids. The woman that was letting Gabriel and Jaedynn play with the llama was kind enough to give the children some clothes made from llama wool that had once belonged to her children who'd long since grown. They wound up being invited to stay with this woman and her son, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren. With Ariel and sometimes Ada María helping to translate, Gabriel and Jaedynn were able to be friendly with the two youngest grandchildren who played with their dolls and let Gabriel and Jaedynn join them. Ivory played with them for a little while but when she got tired, she went straight to Nathan and just went to sleep on him.

They stayed in Cusco for a few days before saying their goodbyes to the kind woman that had allowed them to stay with her and went through the rainforest again taking several days to get through the rainforest back to Salvador, deciding it was better to end the trip there. Ivory had them all at the beach every day. Nathan, having brought his guitar, played for them while the children built sand castles and swam together. Scarlet managed to reconnect with a few kids she used to play soccer with when they'd lived in Salvador. They'd all grown up quite a bit and most of them were married with kids now.

The end of their trip came too soon. Despite spending over a month in South America, Ivory wasn't ready to go back. She packed all her things with Nathan helping her, but she pouted and frequently asked if they could stay just a little longer. Once all her things were packed, she was still in a sour mood, so Nathan sat on the edge of the bed, picked her up and sat her on his knee and hugged her.

"How about this," Nathan said to Ivory once she was on his knee. "We have this little blue house here in Salvador, but this is the first we've been here in years. Why don't we change that? I'll talk to your mom and maybe we can make this a yearly thing."

That grabbed Ivory's attention instantly. "Really?" she asked.

"Sure," Nathan smiled. "Every summer, we'll come here to Salvador as a family. We'll go through the Amazon together and see Peru again and come back here. How does that sound?" Ivory smiled and wrapped her little arms around Nathan's neck to hug him tight.

"You're the best, daddy," Ivory said and Nathan hugged her a little tighter.

"Do you mean that?" Nathan asked.

"Mhm," Ivory nodded. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, Ivory," Nathan said and kissed her head. She let go of him with that same smile, but then she looked a little sad and started playing with her fingers. "What's the matter, Ivory?"

"I know mommy said no about me going with you for Uncle Kyle's wedding," Ivory said and then looked up at Nathan with little pouty puppy dog eyes. "I really want to go."

"I know you do, Ivory," Nathan said. "But you know what your mother said: it conflicts with your schooling and you'd be gone too long. At minimum, you'd be gone for 3 weeks."

"But what if I made up for any work I missed?" Ivory pleaded.

"Do you really want to spend a long vacation in Italy doing school work?" Nathan asked.

"I don't mind," Ivory pleaded again with those pitiful eyes. Nathan thought about it a moment. Renesmee would be going with them. She could feasibly home school Ivory while they were gone. But then, that would assume she was alright with doing it. He knew Renesmee would gladly do so, but he felt bad making her work when they were supposed to be going to Kyle's wedding. Of course, it would keep Ivory occupied during the boring train rides and boat rides.

"I'll talk to your mom," Nathan said and Ivory cheered and hugged Nathan tight.

"Thank you daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Hey, I said I'd talk to her," Nathan said but there wasn't a hint of sternness in his voice at all. "I can't promise she'll agree."

"You're still the best, daddy," Ivory said.

"Yeah, yeah," Nathan smiled a little and patted Ivory's back.

Nathan looked up and saw Ada María smiling a little at him while holding Gabriel in her arms. They eventually left Salvador, saying goodbye to Marcelo and Ada María's parents. Ada María agreed to remain a silent partner while Marcelo effectively ran the bar for her. He enjoyed it a lot anyway. They took a boat to Florida and once they'd returned into the United States, they got onto a train on their way to Las Vegas. Ivory was sad to leave but with Nathan's promises to return every summer and a potential trip to Rome, she was excited all the same. They arrived in Las Vegas late, so Ivory and the younger kids were all sound asleep already. They walked from the station to Tamara's house and Nathan knocked and waited briefly for Tamara to answer the door and smile.

"I see she's tuckered out," Tamara smiled and took Ivory's sleeping body into her arms and stepped aside so they could come inside. "So how was the trip? Did Ivory have a good time?"

"She didn't want to leave," Ada María smiled. "In fact," she continued, "Nathan promised, if you were alright with it, we'd all go to Salvador every summer and take her with."

"You did, did you?" Tamara smiled at Nathan and looked at Ivory. "I suppose so long as she's good, I can send her to Brazil with you. It'll give her something to look forward to."

"Also, Tamara," Nathan said, figuring it was best to get it out of the way. "Can we get all the kids to bed and you and I can talk?"

"Sure. Is everything okay?" Tamara asked.

"Everything's fine, I just want to talk about something." Tamara nodded and took Ivory to her room to tuck her in. They got Jaedynn and Gabriel tucked in too. Ariel and Scarlet said goodnight and got themselves to bed in a spare room. Once they were alone, Tamara got out some mugs and poured some leftover coffee.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Tamara asked and handed Nathan his mug of coffee.

"It's about the trip we're taking to Rome for Kyle's wedding." When he said, Tamara appeared annoyed, put down the coffee pot and looked at Nathan.

"You fell for her pouting didn't you?" Tamara said.

"She said she really wanted to go so I told her I'd talk to you," Nathan said.

"You fell for the pouting," Tamara sighed and sipped her coffee. "Nathan, we've already been over this. She'd be gone too long and miss too much school."

"I know, but hear me out," Nathan said. "You know my mom home schools the kids in my tribe. I can just let mom know what she's studying in school and she'll make sure she stays up to speed. She'd just be home schooled until she gets back. Ivory even suggested she'd get any work her teacher has done and make sure to turn it in when she returns home."

"Seriously, Nathan? You think your mom really wants to work when she's supposed to be on vacation?"

"For her granddaughter, she'd happily do it," Nathan said. "And I can always help too."

"Nathan, if you take her with you to Rome, she's going to want to enjoy herself and understandably so. You really think when she's on a trip to Europe that she'd do any school work at all?"

"I'll make sure she does," Nathan promised. Tamara took a deep breath but Nathan persisted. "Come on, Tamara. I know it'll require a little extra work on our parts, but it would mean a lot to me if she could come with us. I know it would mean a lot to her too."

"I know it would mean a lot, but that's not what's in question. It's whether or not it's feasible."

"I'll make it feasible," Nathan insisted. "Please Tamara. I usually only get to see her twice a year. I know it's what we agreed to and it's the best we can do given our situation, but you know I don't like it. Even if just this once, I'd like to take her with to her Uncle's wedding just so we can spend more time together." Tamara took another deep breath and appeared to soften. She became thoughtful and looked at her coffee. Eventually, she closed her eyes momentarily and stood up a little straighter to appear firm.

"I'll tell you what," Tamara said. "You make sure your mother is alright with home schooling Ivory for the duration of the trip and if Ivory is good, then I'll let her go."

"I'll do that now," Nathan smiled with an admitted triumph as he went to Tamara's phone and dialed his parents' house number. A few rings later, Renesmee answered to phone. "Mom, it's Nathan. Can I ask you a favor?"

"What's that?" Renesmee asked.

"Ivory really wants to go with us for Kyle's wedding but if you recall, the reason we'd said no initially was because it would interrupt Ivory's schooling. Well, I talked it over with Tamara and she said if you're alright with home schooling Ivory for the duration of the trip and make sure she's up to speed with what she'd have learned at home that she'd be willing to let us take her."

"That's not a problem," Renesmee agreed eagerly. "Just let me know what the planned curriculum is for her during that time and we'll get that done and then some." Nathan glanced at Tamara with a proud smile and she laughed a little and rolled her eyes.

"Thanks mom. I really appreciate it."

"If it means Ivory gets to visit, I'm happy to do it," Renesmee answered. Nathan and Renesmee exchanged a few quick pleasantries before they disconnected and Nathan turned his attention to Tamara with that proud smile.

"Alright, hot shot, get over yourself," Tamara said but couldn't help a smile. "Ivory still needs to stay on her best behavior."

"You tell her it's required and she'll be a little angel," Nathan said. "More than she already is."

"Ah huh," Tamara said in an exasperated sigh. "She's about as much an angel as you are."

"That's not fair, Tamara," Nathan said and drank his coffee. "We'll tell her in the morning."

"Alright," Tamara said.

Eventually, they all went to bed and the next morning, Nathan and Tamara let Ivory know that, so long as she was on her best behavior, she would be going with Nathan to Rome come September for the wedding. They both nearly lost their hearing from the screech of excitement Ivory hollered and hugged Tamara and Nathan thanking them over and over again. They all stayed in Las Vegas until it was time for Ivory to start up school again and Nathan insisted on walking with Tamara and Ivory to the school, holding Ivory's left hand and Tamara holding Ivory's right hand. When they got to the school, Nathan and Tamara kissed one another on the cheek and she wished Nathan a good trip back. Before leaving, Nathan kneeled down so he and Ivory were at eye level.

"Have a good first day, Ivory," Nathan said and gave Ivory a hug.

"I'll miss you, daddy," Ivory said, feeling a little sad.

"I'll miss you too, Ivory. But just remember, if you're very, very good, we can take you with to Rome for your Uncle's wedding okay? Then after that you'll be coming to Washington for Christmas. Just promise to be a good girl, okay?"

"I promise," Ivory said. She went into Nathan's arms to hug him and he stood up a moment to sway her back and forth in a comforting manner. Then he gave her several kisses on her cheeks before putting her back down.

"I'll see you again in September, Ivory," Nathan smiled.

"Bye, daddy," Ivory said remorsefully. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ivory. Now get to school before you get yourself in trouble." Ivory nodded and started walking to the building. Before following, Tamara looked at Nathan and smiled warmly.

"It was nice seeing you, Nathan. Have a safe trip back."

"Thanks Tamara. It was nice seeing you too." They smiled at one another before Tamara went inside for the school day. Nathan finally left missing his daughter already.

Nathan and Ada María stayed long enough for all the kids to wake up and when they did, they went to the train station and got on the first train to Washington. Over the summer while Nathan and the family had been away, Alphonse and Ana came to an agreement of sorts over their living situation. Any and all discussion waited until after Anastasia had left for her honeymoon and any proceeding with such plans would wait until she'd been back home at least a month. Alphonse had been adamant about not allowing this to ruin Anastasia's wedding and honeymoon high. However, Alphonse and Ana agreed that there would be no divorce. Alphonse wasn't willing to lie about being abusive in order to obtain a divorce. Never mind that he refused to give her the satisfaction. A divorce would tarnish his professional reputation and he wasn't willing to take such a hit. Ana did, quite unwisely, say she would reveal Alphonse's 'lifestyle', as she worded it, if he didn't give her a divorce, to which Alphonse said, "You do that I might actually beat you. Better yet, I may kill you."

Kevin sat in at one point trying to be the voice of reason and trying to ensure the two of them stayed calm. After Ana's threat followed immediately by Alphonse's threat, the discussions had devolved into screaming, fighting, and nothing being agreed upon, hence why Kevin had agreed to step in. Predictably, Ana made a demand to be able to return to New York and, while they did discuss the possibility, it was ultimately decided against. Alphonse was convinced that Ana would try to make Anastasia convince Harold to move them to New York and so on and so forth. Alphonse wasn't willing to risk it. After several hours of arguing, more threats, more of Kevin calming them both down, even childishness from both parties, Kevin was able to get the two to finally agree to a reasonable arrangement. Alphonse and Ana would remain married. No one had to claim to be abusive and Alphonse didn't have to risk any professional backlash from a divorce. Ana agreed she'd keep her mouth shut about Alphonse's homosexuality reasoning that, if she did so, it would, once again, prevent professional backlash and that would mean more money for Ana. That shut her up instantly. Ana asked to remain in the giant house, claiming it was the only good thing about being in Washington, and for Alphonse to find alternate living arrangements. Initially, Alphonse refused stating, "I paid for the fucking thing, so I decide who does and does not live there!" Kevin got the two of them to agree to a compromise.

Obviously, that massive house was a waste for both of them. It was far too big and keeping it, Kevin reasoned, was unnecessary. Alphonse agreed they would sell the massive house and get two smaller homes, one for Alphonse, one for Ana. Ana wasn't happy and tried to argue the point, but eventually agreed to the arrangement. Afterwards was the time to discuss alimony. A 'discussion' that tried everyone's patience once again. Alphonse argued that, given he'd be paying for the house she was living in and any servants she'd insist on having, $400/month was more than ample payment. Ana resoundingly disagreed and argued she should get at least $600/month so as to not further compromise her quality of life. What followed was an hour of the two screaming at each other, throwing insults, threats and anything else they could think of. It was the only time Kevin wished he could just hide in a corner. He feared, were there a knife on the table, they'd engage in a fight to the death. Kevin attempted to barter, starting with $450/month, then working up to $500, but Alphonse refused to go any higher. Ana inevitably agreed to $500/month. After that, they agreed on who got what with whom Dianna would remain employed and so on. Upon Alphonse's insistence, everything they discussed was mapped out in a contract. Kevin overlooked the whole thing, Ana insisted her lawyer review it as well, and when all parties agreed, Ana and Alphonse signed and they parted ways content to never speak to one another ever again. They would have to speak occasionally unfortunately, but the less they did, the better. That Saturday after everything was signed and done, Kevin returned home to an empty house and went right upstairs to go straight to bed and fell asleep. He awake to the feel of someone's gentle hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw Amber.

"How'd things go with Mr. and Mrs. Heidelberg?" Amber asked with a gentle smile.

"The way one might imagine feral cats getting into a fight would be like," Kevin said with a yawn. "I've never been so uncomfortable in a room of people."

"What did they agree to?"

"Basically, Alphonse is selling the house, they'll live apart, Alphonse will support her and they'll avoid each other as much as possible," Kevin said.

"No divorce?"

"No divorce," Kevin said.

"Are they at least happier now that they've reached an agreement?"

"More or less," Kevin said. He took a deep breath, trying to relax a little, and then took a hold of Amber's wrist and gentle pulled on her, silently asking her to lay down with him. With a smile, Amber adjusted so she was lying beside Kevin and he planted his head on her chest ready to fall asleep there. "How long before your parents miss you?"

"I'd say a few minutes," Amber said. "We saw your car pass by coming back so I came to check on you. Mom wants to know if you're coming over for dinner."

"Not now," Kevin mumbled. "I'm too tired." Amber gave him a gentle smile and rubbed her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner. Kevin kept his face in Amber's chest, her breasts acting as the best pillow he'd ever slept on. Not wanting to leave or bother Kevin by moving from under him, Amber reached for the phone on his nightstand and dialed the number to her parents' house.

"It's Amber," Amber said quietly once Anna answered the phone. "Kevin's sound asleep right now. He had a really long day, so he isn't going to our house for dinner. I thought I'd stay here for a while and get some things cleaned up and make a quick dinner for him for when he wakes up."

"Perhaps I should come over and help," Anna suggested.

"No, I can do it," Amber said. "I'll be back home after I've cleaned up and made some dinner for him." There was a sigh on the other end of the line.

"Alright, but don't be too long, alright Amber? It's not appropriate for the two of you to be alone like that, even if he's sleeping," Anna said.

"Don't worry, mom, I'll be back home in two hours."

Reluctantly, Anna agreed and reminded Amber of the two hour mark before they disconnected. Once she put down the phone, she looked down at Kevin and heard him breathing evenly. He was already sound asleep. She waited another twenty minutes before getting out from under him as gently as possible so as not to wake him. She took a moment to remove his shoes and placed them neatly where all his other shoes were and quietly tidied up the room. Since she was there, Amber brought Kevin's dirty clothes downstairs and got the laundry started. Once the laundry was started, Amber dusted and put away some dishes from that morning Kevin had rinsed and laid out to dry. She didn't vacuum since that would be too loud but she could do that later. She'd started a stew but proceeded to make mushroom tarts figuring he needed the comfort. By the time she finished his laundry, she got his shirts ready for ironing before getting the tarts in the oven and letting the stew simmer. While Amber was ironing Kevin's freshly cleaned shirts, Anna let herself into the house seeing Amber working.

"Is Kevin still asleep?" Anna asked quietly and Amber nodded. Anna took a deep breath and smiled. "Dinner smells delicious."

"Thank you," Amber smiled. "I hope he likes it. I'm making him beef stew and those mushroom tarts. Once he's down here for dinner, I'll make him a glass of Brandy for good measure."

"You planning to rub his feet too?" Anna teased and Amber giggled.

"I hadn't planned on it," Amber smiled. "He's too ticklish for that anyway."

"Well, you seem to have gotten plenty done," Anna said. "Though I should mention your 2 hours are long since up."

"I'm sorry," Amber said. "I decided to get the laundry down since I was here and that took up a lot of time."

"I'm relieved that's all you're doing at least," Anna said. Amber blushed when the implication of what Anna assumed hit her, but otherwise said nothing and kept ironing Kevin's shirt. The little timer went off and Amber quickly turned it off and put the iron aside so she could run to the kitchen and get the tarts out of the oven. Anna took over ironing the shirt Amber had been working on and had it finished by the time Amber came back. "Have you and Kevin talked any further about setting a date?"

"No," Amber said and grabbed another shirt and got to work on it. "I'd like to talk to him about it soon."

"Really?" Anna smiled. "What are you thinking?"

"I haven't thought that far," Amber said, finishing up the shirt and turned off the iron and proceeded with folding all of Kevin's clothes.

"Maybe the spring?" Anna suggested. "Or maybe summer. Either way, we'll need to know when the wedding is supposed to be so we can started talking to our Rabi. He did say he'd consider allowing a ceremony if we gave him a date."

"I'll talk to Kevin and find out when he would like it," Amber said. "We'd need to have a moon ceremony anyway, so it'll depend what part of the lunar cycle we should marry."

"Oh, yes, we're having a Jewish and Quileute ceremony," Anna remembered. "I suppose we should wait until after that before we start talking to the Rabi."

"I'd say so," Amber nodded.

"Well, better to have a plan," Anna said. "How much longer do you think you'll be? Do you need any help?"

"I won't be much longer," Amber said. "Once I finish making dinner, I'll wake him so he can eat. Once he's done, I'll come home. Give me another 2 hours."

"Alright," Anna sighed. "I'll go home then. I'll pop over if you're not home in 2 hours."

"Yes, mom," Amber answered. Anna gave Amber a kiss on the cheek before leaving the house to return home.

Having finished folding Kevin's clothes, Amber checked on the stew. It still needed a little time to thicken, so she continued to let it simmer and brought his clothes upstairs and started putting them away. Kevin was still sound asleep when she came into his room and still asleep after she'd finished putting his clothes away. She returned downstairs and waited a little longer before checking on the stew. Satisfied the stew was done, Amber got out a bowl and filled it up with the stew, got a tiny plate ready and put a few tarts on it and brought that all to the dining table. She put down a soup spoon and got out a glass filling it with brandy and putting it on the table with the other food. Now that his dinner was on the table, Amber went upstairs seeing Kevin still in bed. She went to the edge of the bed and gently planted a hand on Kevin's shoulder. He breathed sharply, startled by the touch, and he opened his eyes but calmed immediately when he realized it was Amber.

"I'm sorry to wake you," Amber said. "I made you dinner."

"I can smell it," Kevin said, finally smiling, and rubbed his face while he rolled onto his back. "How long was I out?"

"A few hours," Amber said. "Do you want me to cover your dinner and you can eat it later?"

Kevin shook his head, "No, I'll eat it now. It smells too good." He took another deep breath, removed his hand from his face and looked at Amber. "Are those mushroom tarts I smell?"

"Mushroom tarts and beef stew with a glass of brandy," Amber smiled. "I cleaned up a bit and got your laundry done. Everything's been ironed and put away."

"You're too good for me," Kevin said and sat up. He rubbed his face a little more. "I'll be down in just a minute."

"Okay," Amber smiled and kissed Kevin's head before walking away to return downstairs. While she waited for Kevin, she worked on getting the soup cooled down to put in the icebox for leftovers. She brought the plate of mushroom tarts to the table figuring Kevin would swallow those down before the end of the night. Kevin got downstairs and sat at the dining table in front of the stew and tarts.

"Have I mentioned you're too good for me?" Kevin asked and started eating.

"I beg to differ, but I appreciate the compliment," Amber smiled and started cleaning the dishes. "Do you like it?"

"It's just what I needed," Kevin smiled and ate one of the tarts in one bite. "Better than I remember," he smiled.

"Mom's made them since you got home hasn't she?" Amber asked.

"You made these, so they're better," Kevin said.

"Don't ever let mom know you said that," Amber giggled. "She'd be quite sore with you."

"I won't say a word," Kevin smiled. He ate three more tarts before finally returning to the stew. By then, Amber finished cleaning the spoon and was letting the stew cool, so she went to the dining table and sat down next to him.

"I could swear I made fifteen of those," she said, looking at the plate of tarts.

"You did," Kevin smiled and Amber giggled.

"You're hopeless," Amber teased.

"I'll proudly admit it," Kevin said. To emphasis his point, Kevin took another tart and bit into it.

"Not sure why I bothered making the stew," Amber said.

"I'm glad you did," Kevin said. "Do Anna and Levi know you're here?"

"Mom came over while I was ironing your shirts. I let her know I'd come back once you had finished your dinner."

"You're not in trouble or anything are you?" Kevin asked.

"No, I'm not," Amber said. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you while we're alone."

"What about?" Kevin asked, polishing off the tart he'd grabbed only to take another.

"About setting a date," Amber said. Kevin didn't change his expression, but he felt his heart racing. He waited a moment for her to continue. "Not for this year of course, but maybe next year."

"Really?" Kevin asked hopefully. Amber smiled gently and nodded.

"Really," she answered.

"When would you want to get married?"

"It might be unrealistic," Amber started. "But maybe the same date as we'd met. Or the same month."

"Get married July 18th?" Kevin asked with a smile.

"Was that the calendar day?" Amber asked.

"Same day the Germans tried to invade Château Thierry. Embry and I found you after the battle hiding away in a closet," Kevin said.

"I remember that part," Amber said with a light smile but then she lost is as a thought crossed her mind.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked.

"Mother's dress," Amber mumbled and rubbed her eyes a little. "We'd brought it with us to Paris and kept it hidden away so you wouldn't see it until our wedding day. I'd made sure to pack it when we got on the boat. It was with us until we were captured." Amber stayed quiet a moment while she continued to rub her eyes trying not to cry. "I tried it on so many times. Even now, I remember it like I wore it yesterday. Every time I put it on, I cried a little because I'd imagine wearing it on our wedding day. Now it's gone."

Kevin brought his chair closer and also pulled her chair closer so he could lift Amber into his arms and cradle her. He kissed her head while she cried and he rubbed her back and leg all the while. Kevin didn't say anything. What could he say? He'd not seen the dress of course, but he knew how much it meant to Amber. It was a family heirloom. Her mother had worn it, her grandmother had worn it; supposedly even her great grandmother had worn it. Had it survived, their daughter would have worn it and so one until the dress disintegrated. There was no way to replace something so valuable. Knowing that made Kevin feel so defeated. He thought perhaps they could look for it, but where would they even start? For all they knew, it was destroyed. Kevin kissed Amber's head while he held her and rocked her back and forth to comfort her. It was the one thing he couldn't replace or give back to her.

"I'm sorry, Amber," Kevin said, unsure what else to say.

"It's not your fault," Amber said and lifted her head from Kevin's shirt to rub her eyes. "I feel so silly crying over a dress, but it was in our family for so long. I wanted so much to wear it." She took a deep breath and looked up at Kevin trying to smile. "I don't suppose I could request Alice to make my dress? She does such a lovely job. Perhaps she can make a duplicate at least."

"I'll talk to her," Kevin said and brushed a stray tear from her cheek.

"Can I make one more request?"

"Anything," Kevin said.

"I want you to wear your uniform. Just like what Kyle will do. And I want you to wear your medals."

"I can do that," Kevin smiled. "I'll even make my brothers wear their uniforms."

"I would like that," Amber smiled. "Let's wait until after Kyle's wedding before we announce anything. I don't want to steal their day."

"They'll appreciate that," Kevin said and leaned down to give Amber a kiss. It was brief but tender and when their lips parted, Kevin looked into her eyes and they smiled at one another. "You're sure you're ready to start planning?"

"No," Amber admitted. "But I wanted to try. We at least until after October to decide if we really want to move forward with this."

"Okay," Kevin said and kissed her one more time. "Do you think you could get away with staying with me until I finish dinner or do you need to get back?"

"I should probably get back," Amber smiled and kissed his nose. "I have all the dishes done, so just rinse off your bowl and everything and let it dry."

"Thank you again for dinner and cleaning the house," Kevin said.

"Do you think I'll make you a good wife?" Amber asked with humor.

"I never doubted it," Kevin answered. "I'll walk you home."

Kevin took a sip of his brandy before getting up from the dining table and taking Amber's hand at least until they got to the door. Once he opened the door, they released each other's hands and Kevin walked her home. When he got back home, he polished off all the remaining mushroom tarts before returning to the stew that had gone cold by then. He finished it and his brandy anyway after which he went straight to bed. The following day, Kevin made arrangements with his parents for the Cullen house to host dinner the following weekend so Kevin would have an excuse to bring Amber in so Alice might be able to start getting an idea what to do about a dress. Renesmee promised she'd take care of the details and just told Kevin to make sure he, Amber and her parents got to Forks by about 6 on Saturday.

Come Monday, Alphonse was still in a sour mood. He'd spoken with a realtor and he was trying to make arrangements to put the big house for sale and buy two smaller houses for him and for Ana. The realtor warned that, while he was confident they could find a buyer for the big house, it would be difficult to find a buyer for how much Alphonse had paid but that he'd make that the starting rate. If they needed to reduce the price, he'd let Alphonse know. Technically there was no rush, but Alphonse was eager to be rid of Ana in any small way he could be. They already had separate rooms – had for well over twenty years – but it wasn't enough. Hell, being in a different house wouldn't be enough but it was the best he'd get given he didn't want any risk of Ana taking Anastasia away, no matter how irrational at this point the fear might be.

Despite their conversation over the weekend, Amber and Kevin made sure to remain business as usual for the most part. However, she'd started a habit of walked into Kevin's office before she left to give him a kiss and tell him to return home soon. Kevin took Amber to a movie with her parents Friday night and they had dinner together too and then the following day, Kevin drove them to Forks going straight to his grandparents' house. Alice didn't end up talking to Amber about a dress but he did find Edward and Alice talking and he overheard them discussing a dress but they started thinking along the same lines that he had.

Amber was kept busy most of August completing an order for a pregnant woman at their synagogue that wanted carved white teddy bear soaps and white bunny soaps for decorations and to give out as gifts to her guests. Amber and her parents were among those invited to the baby shower. To their surprise, the grandmother-to-be insisted that Kevin come with Amber and her parents to the baby shower, so Kevin agreed. The shower was scheduled for just before they were set to leave for their own trip to New York. Kevin invited Amber's parents hoping they would turn down the invitation and let them be alone. He wasn't sure if Anna honestly wanted to go or had called his bluff so to speak, but she insisted she would love to go to New York with Kevin and Amber. Kevin smiled kindly upon her acceptance of the invitation and spent the remainder of the night kicking himself in the ass for his miscalculation. Though in truthfulness, Anna may very well have insisted on coming regardless of Kevin's invitation. The baby shower was held on a Sunday right after service and the mother-to-be had her shower in the kids play/school room towards the back with the door wide open so any kids that came could run outside and play.

"Good morning, Rabi," Kevin said to the Rabi after service was completed and those that were staying for the baby shower (effectively most of the congregation). "It's been a long time."

"Indeed it has," Rabi Kowalski answered politely. He still had the slightest Polish accent but after so many years in America it was hard to notice. "It's a pleasure to see you here. I hear you've been invited to Jane's baby shower?"

"Her mother's invitation took me by surprise, but I'm happy to be invited. I hope she likes the present I got her."

"And what was it you got her?"

"I bought the nursery she'd registered for," Kevin said. Rabi Kowalski looked at Kevin a moment.

"She'll be pleased with that indeed," Rabi Kowalski said.

"Since we're talking, I don't suppose I can plead my case for a Jewish wedding with Amber could I?"

"Have you decided on a date?" Rabi Kowalski asked.

"We haven't announced it for sure and we don't plan to until after my brother's wedding, but we're wanting July. The 18th if it's possible. That's the day we met."

"Romantic to be sure," Rabi Kowalski said. "Why the delay with the announcement?"

"We don't want to disrupt my brother's wedding in any way by stealing his and his bride's thunder. She also wants to weigh whether or not she's ready to move forward with getting married."

"Yes, she was shaken up from what happened," Rabi Kowalski said sympathetically. "I must commend you for all you've done for her. She really has continued to improve in strides since you returned home."

"She has come a long way," Kevin said. "Anna and Levi have also been doing well I'm happy to say."

"They speak glowingly of you," Rabi Kowalski said.

"I don't suppose it's glowingly enough for us to have a Jewish ceremony? Even if we don't get married next July, I would love nothing more than to give her the wedding of her dreams. That would include a Jewish ceremony."

"I'm aware," Rabi Kowalski said.

"I realize my being Catholic makes us having a Jewish ceremony unconventional but it would mean a lot to both of us to have a Jewish ceremony."

"Truly your persistence is to be envied, Mr. Black," Rabi Kowalski sighed.

"So long as it accomplishes the desired end goal," Kevin said. Rabi Kowalski didn't answer and instead finished putting things away and removed his robes so he was only in his suit. Kevin took a deep breath and followed after the man since he was heading for the school/playroom where the baby shower was being set up with any last minute set ups. Amber handed out the little gift bags of carved soaps she'd scented with lavender oil and while waiting for everyone to gather, they started smelling the soaps and praising how cute they were.

"So you're Kevin Black," one young woman said after accepting her gift bag and noticing Kevin as he walked in.

"Yes, I'm Kevin," he answered. "Forgive me, but I can't say I recognize you."

"I'm Maureen," the young woman said. "We hear so much about you but we never actually get to meet you."

"Well, I'm glad to finally meet everyone," Kevin said, starting to realize why he'd been invited in the first place. After Maureen had spoken to Kevin, a number of other guests followed suit and tried to talk to him until it was time for the mother to be to start unwrapping her gifts. Kevin's gift had not been shipped to her home yet, so he took a picture from the catalogue and put it in an envelope with a congratulations card and the mother-to-be was very happy to see she'd received her nursery.

After she opened all her presents the group played some small games like trying to guess the circumference of her belly and whoever guess the closest would get a prize. Kevin remained near Levi and a few mother men that had arrived in support of the father-to-be or because they were with the mother-to-be's guests. One of them turned out to be a lawyer for another law firm and he and Kevin talked about their specialties and so on. Kevin overheard Anna bragging about how Kevin was taking her and Amber to New York soon and there were strings of jealous sentiments and Kevin couldn't help but smile. It might not have turned out quite as he planned, but he had to admit him and Amber going alone wouldn't be appropriate.

Evalina and her family arrived at the beginning of September during which preparations were already being made for their traditional Quileute wedding. They pyre was being prepared when they arrived and Evalina went straight to what would soon be hers and Kyle's house to drop off a few things and then went to Renesmee's home where Kyle was so she could say hello to him. He greeted her with open arms and hugged her tight. He kissed her but was stopped when her family reached the house and Dante cleared his throat. Once they were all gathered, he took them for a walk so he could show them the patch of land that had officially been reserved for the hospital he'd be building and, when they went to the Cullen house, showed them all the permits they'd obtained for the construction project. Kyle was getting together a program in which he'd start training nurses and they would predominantly be people from the tribe. He was in the process of locating a few veteran nurses that already work at a hospital in Forks so they could offer proper and accurate training.

"I'm very proud of you," Evalina whispered to Kyle later in the night when everyone had enjoyed dinner and were now sitting around the fire outside. Some younger children were roasting marshmallows, Nesia, Jaedynn and Gabriel among them, while the adults talked and made sure the kids kept a safe distance from the fire.

"Not yet," Kyle said, smiling at Evalina. "We've only laid down the ground work. Now it's a matter of getting it built and training nurses. I should look into a second doctor. It's a small village so I may be alright on my own, but I think it would serve us well to have someone to help me."

"Is that not what the nurses are for?" Evalina asked.

"Nurses perform different tasks then doctors," Kyle sad. "Nurses typically take care of a patient's every day needs, administering fluids and medications, prepping for surgery and so on. Nurses do a lot of the leg work. Doctors swoop in and assess a patient's condition, diagnose, perform surgeries, prescribing medications; things like that."

"So nurses do all the hard work?" Evalina teased and Kyle chuckled.

"They do a lot of the hard work doctors don't do," Kyle said. Evalina snuggled up to Kyle on the lawn chair they were sharing and Kyle wrapped his arm around her. They stared into the fire until Evalina had a thought and looked up at Kyle.

"Kyle?" Evalina said.

"Yeah, Evie?"

"What if, when we returned, I took up training to be a nurse?" Kyle turned his head to look down at her face.

"Would you want to?"

"I would," Evalina smiled. "This is a lifelong dream of yours and you've worked hard to accomplish it. I would love nothing more than to help you work towards it and be a part of it. Nursing would be an excellent way to do so."

Kyle smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I think I'd like that."

Evalina returned the smile and returned her attention to the fire while still snuggled up to Kyle. It took a few days to get all of Evalina's things situated though one suitcase remained untouched as it was for the wedding. Then, finally, the day came when it was time for their wedding on the beach. It was just family as they wanted. The tribe was there, Kevin, Amber and her parents were there, and Jacob and Renesmee performed the ceremony. Typically, if the medicine man married, it was the chief that performed the rites. In this case, Renesmee wanted to be included in the ceremony and they followed the usual tradition. Once they'd completed the rites and the dance wishing them fertility was completed, Evalina and Kyle lit the bonfire, marking the beginning of their marriage. Kyle and Evalina remained among the party with their guests for as long as would be expected, receiving well wishes and hopes for many children. Kyle said nothing to the latter well wishes and Evalina giggled and patted Kyle's knee while thanking the well-wishers on their behalf. Eventually Kyle was able to whisk Evalina away and they went straight to their house – finally officially 'their' house – and Kyle carried her over the threshold and kicked the door closed, earning a light giggle from Evalina.

"Alone at last," Kyle said as he put Evalina on her feet and took her back in his arms. Evalina wrapped her arms around him and looked up at him, smiling in humor. "No more of your family hovering over us."

"It would be silly to hover over me when I'm with my husband," Evalina said. "We had better enjoy this, though. Once we get on the train and leave for Italy, we'll as good as unwed again."

"Well, in that case Mrs. Black," Kyle said, saying her new married name with just the smallest hint of defiance, and lifted her back into his arms. "Let's get upstairs and enjoy being married while it lasts."

Evalina giggled while Kyle carried her upstairs to their room, effectively cutting themselves off from the world for three days. Evalina's family followed Quileute tradition and allowed Kyle and Evalina their three days of privacy following the ceremony. Secretly they were hoping perhaps a grandchild would be on the horizon sooner than expected, but Kyle, as always, was cautious and made sure there would be no child just yet. After those three days, they all left for Italy right away and those that were coming did the same.

Around the time Kevin and Amber were getting ready to leave for New York, Nathan and the family retreated to Las Vegas to get Ivory for the trip to Rome. As she'd promised, Ivory had been a very good girl wanting to go on a trip with Nathan and the others. They remained in Las Vegas for a little while before catching their train to New York where they'd board for Italy. Kevin, Amber and Anna on the other hand went straight to New York. They took a train and shared a cab and when they arrived in New York, they found a hotel to stay at and Kevin arranged for Anna and Amber to have one room and Kevin got a room right beside them. They took some time to relax in the hotel before Kevin took them out to dinner somewhere near the hotel. The following day, Kevin, Amber and Anna took a train to Connecticut so he could show them the Yale campus and perhaps even the little house he and his little brother used to live in, though it almost certainly had new tenants by now. They went to the Yale Campus first and they were both speechless from its grand scale.

"This place is overwhelming," Amber said to Kevin when they started looking around.

"It certainly feels that way when you first come here," Kevin said. "Eventually I learned where everything was and it started to feel small."

"I can't imagine how," Anna said in a low voice while looking around herself.

"Do you think we could meet Handsome Dan?" Amber asked.

"If he's out visiting the students we probably could," Kevin said and then took Amber's hand in his. "Let's see if we can't find him."

Kevin led Amber and Anna around campus watching students walk through or studying in the grass in groups or just talking amongst one another. He took them to the library where he and Alphonse used to study and where Alphonse taught him German. He walked them through the buildings he used to frequent that still hosted the bulk of law oriented classes. He asked a few students about Handsome Dan and were told by a few students that he was sometimes walked around campus in the afternoons and it was generally in the quad. They all returned to the quad and sat on a bench together. While waiting for the famous bull dog to make an appearance, Anna asked Kevin to recount his time at Yale. As he spoke of it, he smiled, looking back on the time fondly. It had truly been a privilege he never thought he'd earn when he left for war. He'd wanted more, yes, but never in his wildest dreams had he thought he'd have earned a spot in one of the finest schools in the country. While Kevin looked back fondly, Amber would hold his hand and smile. Finally, later in the day when home students were done with their classes, a guide appeared with a bull dog in tow wearing a nice collar.

"Is that him?" Amber asked, seeing some students walk up to the dog to pet him and other students just waving.

"Yeah, that's him," Kevin said. "He wouldn't be the same bull dog that held the mantel while I was here, but he's still a Handsome Dan."

"Do you think we could pet him?"

"Sure you can," Kevin said and led Anna and Amber to the dog that had other adoring fans there and ready to greet him.

They were eventually able to get their turn but when the dog saw Kevin, for some reason, he took to Kevin right away and approached him quite readily. Once he had the dog comfortable, Kevin motioned for Amber and Anna to come over to pet and say hello to Handsome Dan. He sniffed Amber's hand and licked it and Amber pulled her hand away a little startled by how wet the lick was. All the more so when her hand felt sticky from the slobber. Kevin chuckled and the guide pulled out a handkerchief for Amber to use and Kevin kept petting the dog. Anna took her turn, scratching behind the dog's ears, but stopped when Handsome Dan shook his head a little like she was itching him. His ears flopped back and forth and Amber smiled at the dog. She tried to pet him again and was finally able to pet his head without getting her hand sticky with dog drool.

Having seen the school and finally having gotten to meet Handsome Dan, they left the campus and Kevin walked them around the neighborhood. He was able to locate the old house he used to stay in, but as he suspected, it now housed a new family. Having shown them everything he wanted to in New Haven, they got on the next train back to New York and arrived back extremely late and too tired to do anything more than say goodnight and straight to their rooms for bed. They were able to have one more day in New York together before Kevin and Amber needed to leave for Italy. Once they'd met up with Nathan and the others, they got Anna to the train so she could return to Washington while Kevin and the others got on a boat to sail for Italy.

They all stayed at the railing of the boat while passengers waved goodbye to those below on the docks. Ivory was beside herself, running up and down the ship looking for a place to look out on the ocean with Nathan following close behind so she wouldn't get lost. When the boat left the dock and began to sail, Ivory went to the very front and asked Nathan to hold her on his shoulders so she could look onto the ocean. Ada María, hers and Nathan's children, JJ, Salem, and Nesia went to the front with Nathan and Ivory since she was finally staying in one place for the first time since they got on the boat and watched out onto the ocean with her. Kevin and Amber remained off to the side so that it was just the two of them. Kevin looked down at Amber and noticed she appeared nervous.

"Are you alright?" Kevin asked.

"I'm alright," Amber said.

"Are you sure?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Amber smiled gently. Kevin returned the smile and took a hold of her hand.

"There's nothing to be worried about," Kevin reassured. "I'll be here the whole time."

"I know," Amber said. "That's why I'm sure."

That smile from Amber Kevin received was enough to make him melt. He squeezed her hand before releasing it only to wrap his arm around her waist to hold her close while they watched the water go by. The men were staying in one cabin while all the women stayed in another. Ivory was nearly the exception, spending the evening getting a bedtime story from Nathan until Ada María took the little girl away once she'd fallen asleep. Kevin and Amber stayed on deck however. They walked around the deck well into the night holding hands and talking, enjoying the alone time in the chilled air. They never went to their cabins and slept on two lawn chairs on deck and fell asleep next to one another until they were rudely disrupted by teeny tiny hands that belonged to a giggly Ivory waking Kevin upon Nathan's cruel instructions. The boat ride was two and a half days and they arrived at a dock nearest to Rome. They took a quick train ride into Rome and were met by Kyle who was waiting for them. Once they arrived, Kyle showed everyone around and it turned into another round of Ivory running around trying to see everything and Nathan running after her to make sure she didn't get to far or make sure she stayed in his sight.

"It's so beautiful," Amber said to Kevin after they'd walked around the city for a while and came across the coliseum.

"It is," Kevin said. "Did you want to see the inside of the coliseum? Maybe we can get Nathan to tell Ivory about gladiators. Indigenous Mexican and South American history aside, he was always fond of Roman and Greek history."

"I think Ivory would think you the best uncle ever if you suggested it," Amber smiled and Kevin did just that.

They were all able to get into the coliseum and see the scale of it while Nathan told her all about Gladiators and Roman history. She almost didn't believe Nathan when he told her the coliseum used to be flooded for navel battles and land battles would also be recreated all in the same week. The last stop was the Vatican where the ceremony was to be held. It was far more crowded than it had been last Kyle had been there. Of course, given the war was over, such was to be expected. Nathan made sure Ivory wasn't running around like she'd been when they were outside. She waved at a priest who smiled and waved right back at her before proceeding with what he'd been attending to. Amber found herself overwhelmed by the scale and wealth of the Vatican. There were so many elaborate paintings, breathtaking statues and gold everywhere.

"I've always wanted to go here," Kevin said to Amber, grabbing her attention suddenly from staring up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. "It was this place and Notre Dame. Now I can cross both off my bucket list."

"It's beautiful," Amber agreed.

"I'm glad you came with us," Kevin said. "I've always wanted to share this with you: going abroad and seeing sites like this."

"I recall this being one of the places you promised to take me," Amber said. "I think we also said we'd go to Greece."

"I'll gladly take you there too," Kevin said.

"Maybe later," Amber said.

"Our honeymoon perhaps?"

"I don't want to come to Europe for our honeymoon," Amber admitted. "I'd love to go somewhere warm and with a beach, but not Europe."

"I'll make it happen," Kevin smiled and kissed Amber's hand. She smiled back at him tenderly and walked a little closer to him. After the tour of the city, they all went to the hotel where Kyle was staying and where rooms had been reserved for the family. Renesmee, Jacob and the Cullens were already there except Carlisle. He'd remained behind to look after the tribe in Renesmee's and Kyle's absence.

They all sat together for dinner just them. Evalina was remaining with her family until the wedding day which was scheduled to take place in two days. Kyle would spend the next day resting and the day after, Kyle and the others would have to wake up bright an early, getting dressed in their uniforms so they could stand with Kyle at the altar and so everyone could be dressed and ready. The women would need to wear long sleeved, high neck dresses and Alice had already obtained dresses for everyone to wear. After trying on their dresses, Amber asked Kevin to take her about town just the two of them and he was more than happy to comply. They walked along the water watching tiny boats go by and going to shops along the water. Amber found a necklace she expressed fondness for and Kevin got it for her without question. She put it on after Kevin got it for her and wore it the remainder of the day. They were stayed out together until it was approaching sunset and despite wanting to remain out together, they returned before nightfall so they could sleep for the next day. The next morning, Kevin, Nathan and JJ were up bright and early to help Kyle get ready. JJ insisted he wanted to wear his father's uniform and they agreed that would be fine. Of course, seeing him dressed in his father's uniform was enough to nearly send them all into tears.

"You look so much like your father," Renesmee said to JJ when she saw him that morning in Jae's uniform wearing his medals and everything. She got a little teary eyed but she made herself not cry. "You look so handsome."

"Thanks, grandma," JJ said weakly and hugged Renesmee. After she hugged JJ, Renesmee went to Kyle and did actually start to cry a little.

"What's the matter, mom?" Kyle asked with a light chuckle.

"You all grew up on me so fast," Renesmee said. "I'm just happy you finally met a woman that makes you happy."

"Me too," Kyle said and hugged Renesmee.

"Now you just need to give me grandchildren," Renesmee teased and yet was being serious.

"Eventually, mom," Kyle said. "Eventually."

Finally, they all left the hotel and made their way to the Vatican and went to the chapel where the ceremony would be held. Evalina was nowhere to be found, but that was to avoid Kyle seeing her. She was there, hiding away, dressed in a pristine white dress covered head to toe in lace. She wore the first broach Kyle got her at her neck on the lace. She wore the bracelet he'd given her as the Quileute sign of their marriage and her diamond he'd given her as an engagement present. She wore sapphire earrings that belonged to Heidi that she'd had for decades, so it was burrowed and old. She wore a barrette that held her veil that was a gift from Chelsea and Afton that they'd obtained recently for the wedding. When it was approaching the time for the ceremony, she felt herself getting nervous and shaky.

"I shouldn't be so nervous," Evalina said to Dante when they were downstairs together waiting to go down the aisle, still hidden away so Kyle wouldn't see her. "This is our second wedding. I should be prepared."

"No disrespect to Kyle or his traditions, but this is special," Dante said. He rubbed his eye a little. "I knew I'd have to give you away someday. I just wish it wasn't so soon."

"Daddy, I'm 31," Evalina giggled. "Any other father would be annoyed it took so long."

"I'd gladly wait until you were 61," Dante said and Evalina giggled again and held his arm a little tighter. "I love you, Evalina. Always remember that."

"I love you too, daddy," Evalina smiled and started getting teary eyed.

"He may be your husband, but I'm still your father. Don't ever let him forget the privilege I'm awarding him in letting him marry you."

"I'll make sure to remind him every day," Evalina said. She squeezed Dante's hand perhaps more so to reassure him rather than her and they waited until a wedding march began in the chapel that was being sung by the choir.

"Alright," Dante said. "I can do this." Evalina giggled and lifted her veil just enough to give Dante a kiss on the cheek before they started the walk down the aisle together.

Evalina looked right at Kyle and felt her heart flutter. It was like the first time they'd seen one another. Kyle was in his nicest uniform wearing a medal he'd earned for his services with his brothers and nephew standing with him. From what she'd seen of the pictures of Jae, she swore she was looking at him when she saw JJ. He wore his father's uniform and his father's Purple Heart and Medal of Honor. He just didn't have his father's infectious smile. He did, however, smile gently while they all watched Evalina walking down the aisle. The other guests were standing and Lia, Amber and Ada María (all three of whom had been kind enough to stand as bridesmaids) stood at the altar waiting for her holding their bouquets of roses and the candle Amber had been kind enough to carve for her and Kyle to light for their Unity Candle was off to the side for now. She heard the lightest tweets from a bird, but she ignored it. It seemed to take forever to finally reach the altar, but when she did, Dante pulled her veil aside just enough so they could kiss each other's cheeks, replaced her veil so it was straight and then handed her over to Kyle. Kyle took Evalina's hand and then the two went the remainder of the way to the altar and the priest was finally able to proceed with the ceremony.

The priest was able to perform parts of the service in English that weren't already in Latin. The ceremony lasted all of an hour with prayers, drinking of wine, rites performed by the priest, Renesmee and Amadora lighting the small tapers and Kyle and Evalina lighting the Unity Candle together, a speech given by Dante as father of the bride and a speech from Amadora too. Passages from the Bible were read regarding marriage and how to have a happy marriage, devotion to God in their marriage and any additional passages of love and what it means to love. Finally upon the completion of the ceremony and the priest addressed them as husband and wife, Kyle lifted Evalina's veil and they kissed, albeit briefly since they were at the Vatican, and their family and friends applauded for them. The choir began to sing again while Kyle and Evalina walked out and they all met outside so they could take pictures together. There were a number of umbrellas in the pictures so the vampires in the family wouldn't be conspicuous in the sunlight, but the pictures, Alice said, would come out beautiful and look love above their fireplace. They all returned to the hotel for a little reception for everyone but Kyle and Evalina got into a car and proceeded to make the trip down to Naples, key in hand to the house she'd stayed in when they met. It took a while to get out of Rome, but once they were, they got onto the country roads and just enjoyed the near three hour drive to Naples.

"So, Mrs. Black," Kyle said and Evalina giggled a little at the name, "I am aloud to refer to you that way now right?"

"Yes," Evalina smiled.

"Good," Kyle chuckled and kissed her head. "So anyway, as I was saying, how long did you want to stay in Naples?"

"No less than two weeks," Evalina said.

"So demanding," Kyle teased. "How about tomorrow morning, we go to that little café where we had our first date? We'll tell them we just got married and maybe we could get free coffee."

Evalina smiled, "I would like that." She hugged Kyle's arm a little tighter and tried to snuggle closer. "You look so handsome in this uniform."

"Well, you look beautiful in that dress," Kyle said.

"I'd better," Evalina said. "For how tight and hot this dress is, it should offer something."

"I'll get you out of it soon enough," Kyle said. Evalina smiled again and stayed close while they drove.

Eventually they reached the house in Naples and they couldn't get into the house fast enough. The instant the car was at a stop, Evalina got out of the car and went to the door. Kyle managed to turn off and get out of the car by the time Evalina got the door open, her gentle laughter filling the air, and rushed in with Kyle following after her. He had the sense to shut the door but it was in a rush so the door closed with a loud slam just as Kyle started running after Evalina following her up the stairs until they reached what was her room in the house. She slowed once they entered and Kyle caught up, grabbing her in his arms from behind and lifting her and twirling her around while she laughed. He put her back down and let go of her only the start the daunting task of undoing all the buttons on the back of her dress. She shivered a little when he started but started helping by undoing the buttons towards the bottom of the dress.

"I take back all the nice things I said about this dress," Evalina grumbled when undoing the buttons continued to take too long.

"Do I have permission to ruin it then?" Kyle asked.

"Please do," Evalina said and, having her permission, Kyle just grabbed both sides and forced the fabric aside ripping away at the remaining buttons and Evalina tugged at the long lace sleeves so the dress fell off and she was in her slip, the panties, and a little garter.

With large portions of her skin finally exposed to him, Kyle started kissing her neck and held her close. Evalina leaned her head back on his shoulder so he could kiss her and her hands went to his, moving with them over her body. Kyle lifted her slip and Evalina released his hands so he could get the garment off. Once it was off and discarded, Kyle turned Evalina around to face him and wrapped his arm around her waist, lifted her so her feet were dangling above the floor and carried her to the bed and sat her down. Kyle kissed her lips and then started kissing down her neck to her bare chest. Evalina laced her fingers through Kyle's short hair and waited eagerly for Kyle to kiss where she wanted him most at the moment. Finally, Kyle took her right nipple in his mouth and made her moan. He swirled his tongue around and nipped and sucked until Evalina's head fell back in a whimper. Then he kissed across her chest to her left breast and gave it the same attention until Evalina fell back, taking him with her. Kyle was faced with her waist and started kissing down her midriff. He kissed her hips but ignored her panties at first, continuing to kiss down her leg until he reached the lacey garter and took it in his teeth, pulling it down until it fell off her leg. It caught on her toe and she flung her leg up to kick away the garter. She started to lower her leg but Kyle grabbed a hold of the inside of her knee so it stayed up. He started kissing her knee and working his way up her thigh causing her to shiver.

"I remember the last time we were here together," Kyle said as he kept kissing along the inside of her thigh. "It was New Year's Eve and we drank Prosecco together on the balcony."

"You spent the night with me and we took so long to say goodbye," Evalina said and whimpered a little the closer his kisses came to her core. Her right hand was the only one to remain in Kyle's hair and she rubbed his scalp tenderly. "Until we met, it didn't occur to me how lonely being with the Volturi Guard was. Once I realized it, I couldn't bear to let you go. A part of me was scared we'd never see each other again."

"I wouldn't let that happen," Kyle reassured before he finally reached her center. He took a hold of the panties and released her so he could pull them off. She complied and when she was naked for him, she sat up so she could unbutton Kyle's nice jacket and dress shirt. She pulled the dress shirt and wife beater tank from his belt secured pants. Kyle took over unbuttoning his shirt while Evalina undid his belt. "I remember feeling comforted when we entered Italy. I didn't know why at the time, but it was the best I'd felt since the war started. When I saw you sitting on the edge of the stairs staring out on the sea, I finally knew."

Evalina smiled and looked up at Kyle, their brown eyes meeting and a renewed spark passing between them. "When you'd first approached me, I was so irritated," she admitted. "You weren't the first American to hit on me and I'd grown tired of it by that time."

"I prefer to think I was trying to get to know you," Kyle said with a chuckle and pulled off his jacket and shirts so his chest was bare. "You didn't look terribly irritated anymore once we looked at one another."

"Because I know right away you were different," Evalina said and undid the button and zipper of his pants and pulled the last of his clothes off. Kyle pulled off his shoes and socks and, finally, took her back into his arms and laid in bed with her. Evalina wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her legs so she was cradling his hips. "I didn't realize that's what it was at the time, but I knew I loved you then. With just a look, I knew."

Kyle smiled at her and leaned down to give her a kiss. He slipped inside her and Evalina moaned and held him tighter. Kyle did the same and remained still momentarily while they kissed. Kyle brought his hands up to her face so her could rub his thumbs against her cheeks and then put his fingers into her hair to gently tug so he could start kissing her neck. He kissed up and down her neck several times, licking her skin along the way until he went to her ear.

"I love you, Evie," Kyle whispered in her ear. He licked the skin of her ear and made her tremble.

"I love you too," Evalina whimpered and lifted her head so she could nip his ear. "Make love to me Kyle," she nearly begged.

Finally, Kyle began to move. He started with a strong thrust and continued with a firm but gentle rhythm. They started to kiss each other again and Kyle started thrusting harder and harder. Kyle stopped suddenly and stood up enough so he could pick Evalina up so he could get them in a more comfortable position on the small bed, never leaving her body. Evalina held on and kissed up and down Kyle's neck once she could get her arms around him again and only let go when she could lay her head on her pillow. Kyle towered over her and returned to his previous rhythm. Kyle adjusted her legs so they rested on his shoulders and Kyle leaned forward while he thrust so he was hitting an especially pleasurable spot. Evalina whimpered and moaned with pleasure while she reached her hands above her head to grab the iron of the bed frame. With each utterance of pleasure that escaped Evalina's lips, Kyle became more forceful and faster.

When she was nearing the precipice, Kyle stopped and turned so he was on his back on the bed and Evalina was on top of him. Evalina took over and pressed her hands on Kyle's chest for balance so she could begin bouncing up and down. Kyle reached up to touch her breasts which consequently offered more balance. She brought her hands up to meet his and continued her movements atop him. Soon, she was being brought back to her highest point after the sensation being ended so suddenly. Kyle met her movements to intensify the pleasure and soon she fell forward, unable to stay up anymore. Kyle wrapped his arms around her to hold her close while Evalina laid on top of Kyle so they could kiss while he continued to thrust. Kyle brought one hand between her legs and rubbed his thumb against her clitoris until he felt her reach orgasm and felt her suck harder on Kyle's skin while she cried and moaned. Kyle didn't slow his pace and kept her orgasm going for as long as he could until he reached his own release, pulling out suddenly. He held her close once he was spent and held her close and kissed her head.

Back in Rome after Kyle and Evalina left, the family enjoyed a reception together. Since Nathan and the others needed to leave the following day to make sure Ivory got home by a reasonable date, Nathan took Ivory on a little trip around town just the two of them. They'd seen most of the city today so Nathan focused on taking her to parks to see more natural scenery.

"How'd you like being in Rome?" Nathan asked Ivory when they were walking away from the hotel together.

"It's pretty," Ivory said. "Aunt Evie looked so pretty in her wedding dress."

"She did," Nathan agreed. "And you look awfully cute in that dress Alice got for you." Ivory giggled and took her hand away so she could twirl around, making her long skirt fly with her and Nathan laughed with her. After she finished twirling, she went back to Nathan and took his hand.

"Can we find something to get mommy?"

"I'll bet we can find something for her," Nathan said.

"Oh," Ivory said, suddenly realizing something. "You don't speak Italian I just realized."

"No, but I speak Spanish," Nathan said. "I'll have to force them to talk slowly but we'll be okay."

"But Spanish and Italian are different languages."

"They are, but they're mutually intelligible," Nathan smiled and kneeled down so he could pick up Ivory and carry her. "Don't worry, Ivory. We'll find something nice for your mom." Nathan kissed her cheek and they continued along trying to find a shop where they could get something for Tamara.

"Can I ask you something?" Ivory asked suddenly.

"Sure you can," Nathan said.

"Why aren't you and mommy together? All the children I go to school with: their parents are together." Ivory asked. It was an innocent question, no accusatory tone or upset of any kind. But it still rendered Nathan surprised and momentarily unsure how to answer.

"That's a hard question to answer," Nathan said. "Do any of the kids at school give you a hard time about it or something?"

"No," Ivory said. "They like my mommy so they're nice to me. Grandpa complains about you sometimes, though."

"Yes, I know I'm not really your Grandpa's favorite person," Nathan said. "Your mother's and my relationship is complicated to say the least. Did you ever ask your mom this question?"

"I did," Ivory nodded. "She said it was because you love Ada María more."

Nathan nodded, "You know I become a wolf right?" Ivory nodded. "Well, Ivory, what happened is years ago, your mother and I met and we became really good friends. Your mother helped me through a hard time in my life when I came to Las Vegas for the first time. I'd just lost Scarlet's mother and I was depressed. Tamara made me start to feel normal again. After I left Las Vegas, we kept in touch. Even now, I write your mother at least once a month. But then I met Ada and I imprinted on her. It doesn't mean I don't still love your mother, but what I have with Ada is just different. When I returned to Las Vegas after Ada and I fought, your mother was the shoulder I cried on. That's how you came to be," Nathan chuckled a little at the last statement. "Even so, Ada is the one I love and when I returned, we reconciled. Ariel was part of it, sure, but it was because we love each other."

"Do you or mommy ever regret having me?" Ivory asked.

"No," Nathan answered without missing a beat. "Your mother adores you and so do I. Just because your mother and I aren't together doesn't mean we don't love you or regret having you. Neither of us would trade you for the world. My only regret is that I can't be there every day. I envy your mother that. She gets to be with you every day but I can only see you twice a year."

"Why can't you live with us in Las Vegas?" Ivory asked.

"I need to be in Washington with my family and the pack," Nathan answered. "I was away for too long after my first wife died and it was no better than me running away from my problems. I can't keep doing that. And your mother loves Las Vegas. That's where her friends and family are and I'd never force your mother to come to Washington. She wouldn't be happy."

"Would you not be happy in Nevada?" Ivory asked.

"I'd miss home," Nathan said. "I loved traveling and I got to see the world just like I always wanted. Seeing Europe certainly didn't go the way I would have lived, but I saw France and Germany before the war. I got to see England even if it was during the war. I got to see the American South west; I got to see Mexico, South America and everything in between. But all the while, deep down, I always missed home. The longer I was away, the more I missed it. I'm always happy when I get to see you, though." Nathan kissed Ivory's cheek again and she smiled and hugged Nathan tight around the neck.

"I'm I your favorite, daddy?" Ivory asked and Nathan had to fight not to laugh.

"You're my favorite little girl and I had with your mother," Nathan said.

"I'm the only one you had with my mommy," Ivory said.

"That's why you're my favorite child with her," Nathan said and kissed her again. "Now let's get back to looking for something nice for your mother. I'll bet you anything, she'll love anything you pick for her."

Nathan and Ivory continued through the city for a place to get a souvenir for Tamara and once they had something, they proceeded to a park and played with a toy Nathan bought Ivory at that same store. They left alone the two other toys he'd gotten for Jaedynn and for Gabriel. Renesmee, Jacob, and the Cullens were planning to remain in Rome a little longer although Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were planning to take a tour of Europe for a while since they were there. Kevin and Amber stayed at the hotel for the remainder of the day until Nathan returned with Ivory and several bags, giving Jaedynn and Gabriel their gifts. Kevin took Amber's hand and told Nathan he and Amber were leaving to do their own thing but they would return home soon. Nathan affirmed he'd let everyone know and Kevin and Amber left, hand in hand.

"Where shall we stay in Naples?" Amber asked.

"We'll figure it out when we get there," Kevin said and kissed her hand.

Rather than bother with a car, once they left the city limits they started running towards Naples together. They stopped running once they neared the limits of the city and walked together along the coast. It was nightfall by the time they arrived and the view of the sea, even at night, was breathtaking. It was chilly but the breeze offered a lovely, salty smell of the sea. They walked together going up stone steps and walking through the city near the coast until they reached a large villa on a hill that overlooked the sea. She saw the car that Kyle and Evalina had used to drive to Naples and when Amber realized it, she looked up at Kevin.

"We're staying with Kyle and Evalina?" Amber asked.

"No," Kevin said and approached the car, opened the back trunk and pulled out two large suitcases. "Kyle just did me a favor and brought our luggage here. Now we just need to find a hotel to stay at."

"They don't mind that we're here?" Amber asked.

"So long as we don't bother them, Kyle won't care. I don't anticipate we'll run into each other," Kevin said and even winked at Amber, making her blush. Kevin carried the suitcases and Amber followed close behind until they found a hotel in Naples that overlooked the sea. When they stepped inside, the young woman at the desk noticed Kevin's uniform and immediately left to retrieve a manager. Kevin feared there might be a problem until the manager, a middle aged man in a nice suit, stepped out and smiled politely.

"Good evening, sir," the man said.

"There isn't a problem is there?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, no, not at all," the man said. "Miss Dina here just doesn't speak English. She saw your uniform and assumed you were American so she came to get me."

"I fear I don't speak Italian, so I'm relieved. I do speak French if that helps," Kevin said.

"Just speak slowly and it'll help quite a bit," the manager said. "I assume you and your wife need a room?"

"Yes," Kevin said, preferring not to correct the man. "A room facing the water specifically."

"We can certainly arrange that, sir," the manager answered. "And how long will you be staying?"

"I think…" Kevin started and looked at Amber who was still blushing a little at having been addressed as 'wife'. "A week? Is that acceptable?" Amber only nodded. "A week it is." The manager nodded and said something to the young woman, Dina, and she ran off to fulfill what she was instructed to do while the manager looked through the openings.

"We have rooms with only windows and we have rooms with balconies. Which–"

"Balcony," Kevin said and the manager chuckled.

"Very good, sir," the manager said. He looked through the rooms again and Kevin could tell the man was trying to sell the most expensive room that was available. Kevin didn't mind, though. So long as Amber liked it. The manager located the room he deemed appropriate and retrieved two keys and handed them over to Kevin just as Dina returned with a young man that took a hold of the suitcases. "Room 14D. If it is not to your standards, please, instruct Giovanni to retrieve me immediately. Giovanni is the young man that will help you with your luggage. He speaks some English, but be patient and speak slowly."

"Thank you, sir," Kevin accepted the keys and took Amber's hand before walking to the elevators with Giovanni close behind with their luggage. Once they reached the elevators, Giovanni opened the gates and went in with Kevin and Amber following. He closed the gates of the elevator and turned the lever in the car to make the elevator ascend until they reached the 14th floor. They followed Giovanni down the hall until they reached 14D and using his skeleton key, Giovanni opened the door and stepped inside so he could bring in the suitcases, turned on the lights and Amber and Kevin walked in after him.

"Is the room acceptable?" Giovanni said in a heavy Italian accent.

"What do you think? Do you like it?" Kevin asked Amber as she was looking around. He may as well have asked her if she were blonde.

"It's stunning," Amber said quietly as she went further in to look around. There was a balcony directly across from the door. The room itself was beautiful, but the view was what made the room and held Amber's full attention.

"It's acceptable," Kevin said to Giovanni. "Let your manager know we said thank you." Kevin then pulled out a tip and handed it over to Giovanni which he accepted.

"Yes sir, and thank you," Giovanni bowed his head and left the room so Amber and Kevin could be alone. By the time he left, Amber was already standing out on the balcony looking at the water. The sound of the sea filled the room as Kevin approached her, leaving their luggage at the front of the room.

"How's the view?" Kevin asked as a joke when he was standing beside Amber.

"Better than the view from atop Notre Dame," Amber sighed.

Kevin grinned, "I remember that view. We didn't see it for very long, though."

"We were distracted," Amber said. A moment of silence passed with Amber looking out to the sea and Kevin looking at her, watching her wavy blonde hair dancing in the gentle breeze. It was her smile that had him mesmerized, though. It was relaxed and he eyes seemed as though she were miles away. It was the most relaxed and comfortable that she appeared since they left New York. Kevin went a little closer so he could rest his hand on Amber's and when she felt him, she looked up at him and smiled brighter. "Did you not correct the manager on purpose?"

"You mean about you being my wife?" Kevin asked. "It'll be best if they think we're married, but there was a sweet satisfaction in it for me."

"I admit it was satisfying for me too," Amber said and rested her head against Kevin's shoulder. They were silent a little longer. The moon was bright and shined on the deep blue water. Harbored boats swayed gently in the water with the tide and the sound was comforting. Kevin lifted his hand from Amber's and wrapped his arm around her waist so her head was against his chest. Now free, Amber reached her hand up and touched Kevin's cheek only for him to take that hand in his free one and kiss her palm. "I want a moon ceremony when we return home," Amber finally said. When Kevin didn't answer, Amber looked at him and saw he was smiling at her and she returned it. "I want a July wedding just like we talked about. I want an orchid bouquet and I want Rabi Kowalski to give us a Jewish wedding. And I want you and your brothers in your uniforms, medals and all. Then I want us to have a beach wedding with just family where we light the bonfire while we wear the wolf skins on our heads. And then I want us to run away, just the two of us, to somewhere with a coast where we can stare out at the water just like we are now." Kevin laced his fingers through hers and leaned down to give her a kiss. Amber accepted the kiss eagerly while Kevin's other hand spread his fingers over her belly so he could press her closer. She sighed with discontentment when he pulled his lips away and the two of them looked into each other's eyes.

"Really?" Kevin finally asked as though he were scared he was dreaming. Amber nodded.

"Really," Amber said. "I want to get married. I want to watch you sign the Ketubah and crush the glass under your foot after we're married and light the bonfire on the beach. I want to change my name to Amber Black and I want to start a family. Do you suppose our first child will be a boy?" Kevin chuckled and released her hand to reach into his pocket and pull out a coin. He determined what side was heads and what was tails and the flipped the coin. He caught it and opened his hand to see how it landed.

"A girl," Kevin said and put the coin back in his pocket.

"A girl," Amber smiled and leaned her head against his chest. "Anna Heather Renesmee," she said. "Ascending order and everything."

Kevin chuckled, "I'll always call her Heather. Just fair warning."

"I think my mother might too," Amber said. "I hope she looks like you. I hope she has your red tinted brown hair and green eyes."

"I want her to have your eyes," Kevin said. "And I want her to look like you."

"I suppose we'll find out," Amber smiled. Kevin leaned down and kissed her head to which Amber turned her head up to look at him again. "Do you think we could get married July next year?"

"We'd marry now if that's what you wanted," Kevin said and kissed her lips a moment before pulling away to look at her again. "We'll marry in July of 1949. I'll pester that Rabi until he says yes. Even if he doesn't, we'll step into that synagogue and won't leave until he marries us. You'll have an orchid bouquet and we'll light a unity candle together after we've lit the bonfire together. We'll light it every July for our Anniversary. By our first anniversary, we'll light the candle with our daughter in arm. Maybe by our second anniversary, we'll light the candle with our second child in tow."

Amber giggled, "Maybe not by our second. By our fourth or fifth most certainly. Perhaps we'll have our son then."

"First thing when we return home," Kevin started as he was kissing Amber's neck. She leaned her head aside so he could have easier access. "We'll have a moon ceremony and we'll make arrangements right away. We'll set a date, pick a reception venue for our guests that aren't going to the beach wedding, we'll have a big feast on the beach for the tribe and then run away together to be alone for no less than three days. Anything you want – anything at all – I'll make it happen. I'll make sure it's everything you want and more. I'll make sure it's the wedding of your dreams and the happiest day of your life."

"So long as I'm marrying you, it'll be the happiest day of my life no matter what," Amber sighed. She felt Kevin smile against her skin and he continued to kiss his way up her neck until he reached her ear.

"We've waited a long time for this," Kevin said. "I'll make sure it's perfect."

"I know," Amber said and smiled longingly at the thought.

Their wedding day no longer seeming like a distance event, Amber turned so she was facing Kevin and wrapped her arms around his neck. Kevin in turn held her close and kept kissing her neck. His hands didn't wander however. He just held her and kissed her gently. As he held her, Amber realized she wanted more. There was no music in the air, but they started to sway from one foot to the other while on that balcony. Kevin looked into the room and saw the record player. All the records were from operas from what he could tell. Kevin stopped and let go of Amber so he could go to the records to search through the Operas. Among the operas were La Traviata, Madam Butterfly and Aida. He wasn't familiar with the music of any of them, so he picked one at random, grabbing La Traviata and got that set up. It took a moment to set up the record, but once he had the volume at a non-disruptive level so it was quiet, he laid down the needle and the orchestral music filled the room. It wasn't a waltz, but it was a slow song that allowed for gentle swaying. Amber came into the room from the balcony while Kevin was working on the record and was there for him when he finished and turned to return to her. He held out his hand to her and Amber accepted it so he could pull her to him. He held her hand and rested a hand on the small of her back while she rested her hand on his shoulder and then they began to dance together. They followed no specific pattern except to go from side to side and turn together.

"This may seem silly," Amber said, "but do you suppose our first dance could be a waltz?"

"Consider it done," Kevin smiled. "Tchaikovsky's 2nd Waltz. That's what played when we danced together at the jazz club."

"I believe Wagner was played when you and I danced when we returned home," Amber said. "He has a bride's march that I'd love to walk down the aisle to."

"I'm sure a band can manage that," Kevin said. "Elsa's Procession you're referring to right?"

"Yes," Amber nodded. "It's such a romantic song."

"Indeed it is," Kevin agreed. He leaned down and gave Amber a quick kiss. After the kiss, Kevin and Amber remained close to one another staring into each other's eyes. "I love you," Kevin said. "I swear to you there will be no more 'after this' or 'when we do this' or anything of the like. No matter what, July next year, we'll get married."

"I love you too," Amber answered back. She stopped their dance to go on her toes so she could reach Kevin's lips to give him another kiss.

Kevin stopped moving and held her closer once Amber initiated the kiss. The music continued in the background and wasn't particularly romantic, but they had long since shut it out to focus on one another anyway. Kevin continued to hold her hand, but his other hand that rested on the small of her back trailed down further until his hand was resting on her butt. Amber's free hand trailed up from his chest until her fingers were laced through his short hair. The sound of the water outside splashing against the wood of the boats and against the shore added to the ambiance and romantic setting of the moment. Amber pressed her tongue against Kevin's lips to deepen the kiss and when he opened for her, the kiss became passionate. Amber gently dragged her nails against Kevin's scalp and he sighed in her mouth, but his hand never went further than where he'd planted it. He didn't try to press her against him more so than she already was despite Amber being able to feel his erection starting to press against her hip.

Amber trembled under the touch and from the feel of him against her. Her heart fluttered with nervousness and longing all into one fast beat. She'd forgotten for so long what it felt like to want him and to want to be loved by him. Since he rekindled those feelings, she felt like she had years ago when they first realized they were in love with one another. She felt giddy and eager for his touch in every way while still feeling a sense of unfamiliarity. While they kissed, Kevin started swaying them from side to side. Kevin lifted her up just enough to place her on his feet so they could dance. Not long after that was initiated, Amber let go of Kevin's hand so she could wrap her arms around his neck and lifted herself up so her feet were dangling above the ground. Kevin held onto her and straightened his back so he was standing upright again. Kevin stopped kissing her and rested his head against Amber's, smiling at her.

"How about we get to bed and tomorrow we'll go to the beach together and just bake in the sun?" Kevin asked and Amber nodded. She assumed he'd just carry her to the bed, but instead he put her back on her feet and released her so he could go grab their suitcases. He brought them to a low dresser in the room and put both suitcases down and opened his own and then Amber's. "Did you want to shower before bed?"

"I hadn't planned to," Amber said. Truly it was just like it had been before: she wanted to move forward with intimacy while Kevin seemed determined to be respectful and refrain.

"I'll take a shower now and you can shower in the morning then," Kevin said kindly and grabbed a smaller bag from his suitcase.

Once he had that out, he closed the suitcase and laid the smaller bag atop it so he could remove the coat of his uniform and start unbuttoning the dress shirt underneath. Once unbuttoned, he removed his dress shirt and immediately folded it. Then he pulled the tank he wore from under his belt and removed that, folding it and putting it on top of his dress shirt. Amber stared at him the whole time. She watched him as he removed his jacket and shirts and then watched him remove his shoes and socks until he was barefoot. Once those were removed, Kevin unbuckled his belt and pulled it through the loops and, once it was free, wrapped the belt around his hand so it was curled together. He removed some fresh boxers from his suitcase and grabbed the smaller bag before turning and finally looking at her.

"I'll take that shower, so feel free to turn off the lights and go to bed. I'll join you after, okay?" Amber nodded absently.

Kevin walked over and gave her a kiss before walking away and retreating to the bathroom. A few minutes passed until Amber heard the shower turn on. Amber swallowed a little as her heart continued to pound. She just stood where Kevin had placed her before she eventually reached behind her to unbutton the lace behind her neck, managing to remove the little tie to the zipper and pulling it down so she could remove the dress she'd worn for the wedding. She slipped out of the kitten heels and pulled on the lace sleeves of the dress so she could remove it until she was only in her bra, slip, nude stockings and her panties. She went to her suitcase and opened it so she could remove her own toiletry bag and her nightgown. She pulled off her slip and stockings, folded them neatly and put them in a section of the suitcase that she'd saved for dirty clothes. She removed her bra and put it with the others and grabbed her nightgown. However, she didn't put it on. Rather, she stood in front of her suitcase in just her panties for a moment.

She looked in the direction of the bathroom listening to the water from the shower and felt her heart racing again. She licked her lips, took a deep breath and tossed her nightgown on top of her suitcase. She slipped out of her panties and put them in her dirty clothes pocket in her suitcase and took her toiletry bag with her to the bathroom. She stood before the door a moment trying to work up the courage to knock or just let herself in. She blushed a little to herself and almost chickened out. But she stood up straight, took a deep breath and took a hold of the curvy handle of the bathroom door. She took one more deep breath and finally gently turned the knob to let herself in. When she stepped in, she could feel just being in the room how cold the water was. She didn't bother closing the door since it was just them and placed her bag on the long counter where his and hers sinks were. A large decorative mirror was hanging on the wall above the sinks and she looked at herself realizing her face was nearly beet red from blushing.

Kevin didn't poke his head out from behind the curtain of the shower. Amber figured he must have assumed she just wanted to wash her face and brush her teeth before bed and wasn't bothering her. Amber went ahead and brushed her teeth and quickly cleaned what little make up she was wearing. She undid the pins from her hair so what hair was up fell down in waves. She knew how Kevin loved her wavy hair. She fluffed her hair a little and licked her teeth to make sure they were clean. Once she felt confident her appearance was to her liking, she turned to face the shower and went to the curtain. She licked her lips again and finally grabbed the curtain and gently pulled it aside. Kevin was lathering a bar of soap over his arm when he looked at her. He appeared as though he might say something, but then he realized she was naked and that seemed to make whatever he was about to say get stuck in his throat.

"I think I'll have a shower tonight after all," Amber finally said when Kevin stayed silent. She located the knobs that controlled temperature for the shower and turned it in the other direction so the water was warm. "I don't care for cold showers," Amber said and tried smiling seductively. She wasn't sure if she accomplished the task since Kevin seemed to not react further than he already was.

Without another word, Amber stepped into the shower. Kevin stepped aside so she could join him. He didn't appear shocked anymore but he still didn't say anything. In a way, Amber was relieved about it. She didn't really know what to say either. She'd not planned much further than getting in the shower with him. Once she was inside, she looked up at him. Then she glanced at his shoulder still partially covered with soap suds. Amber then took the bar of soap from Kevin's hand and took over the task of lathering him with the soap. Her nails dragged gently over his skin and she felt him tremble. The sensation empowered her and she went lower with the soap, going down to his stomach to his hips and then up his back. The latter brought her chest closer to his while she washed his back. All the while, his erection returned near instantly. Amber felt her cheeks burn with blushing but she pushed forward and kept lathering his back.

Eventually, Amber returned her hands to his chest, rubbing the soap over the hard muscle. Kevin's hands went to her hips and Amber trembled at the touch. She looked up and trembled all the more from the look in his eyes. There was something carnal there. Yet he kept his hands on her hips, not moving them or doing anything but holding her. She realized that unless she initiated what she wanted, Kevin wouldn't do anything to her. So she put the soap on the lip of the tub, immediately returning her gaze to Kevin once the soap was somewhere out of the way. She placed her hands on his chest and licked her lips nervously as she looked up at him. Then she started rubbing her hands over Kevin's skin using the water to wash away the suds of soap from his body. All the while, neither of them said a word. But soon the silence was deafening and she was eager to either say something or proceed with her end goal.

"Do you mind if I get my soap?" Amber finally asked and Kevin nodded absently. Amber stepped to the side and opened the curtain so she could try to reach over to her bag and grab her lavender soap. Once she had it and was standing before Kevin like she'd been before, Amber looked up at Kevin and, with a fresh blush on her cheeks, held the soap out to Kevin. "I don't suppose you would wash me?" Amber asked.

Amber could hear Kevin's heart racing, but his face didn't betray anything. He just smiled kindly at her and took the soap from her. He guided her into the stream of warm water so it hit against her back. The water partially wetted her hair and Amber brushed her fingers through her hair so water wasn't in her face and it distributed the water through her hair. When her body was wet, Kevin pressed the soap to her body starting at her hip. He smoothed the soap over her skin to cause a lather to form and stayed at her belly going to her other hip to start. Amber shivered and placed her hands on Kevin's shoulders which made him stop and look at her.

"Are you alright?" Kevin asked.

"I'm fine," Amber nodded. "I've just missed you touching me."

The two of them stared into each other's eyes a moment. Amber licked her lips a little and eventually Kevin started moving the soap over Amber's body again, never taking his eyes off her. He lathered the soap over her midriff just under her breasts and then going around to her back. The water washing away the soap immediately after application, so Kevin just rubbed the soap over her without care. He lathered up to her shoulders and around her neck. Then he lathered the soap over her arms. He didn't touch her breasts and it left her feeling rather frustrated. Just as she planned to voice her complaints, Kevin took the soap in his hands and just lathered up it until he held soap and bubbles. He put her soap aside and placed his soapy hands on her shoulders to start. He massaged her shoulders while Amber's hands trailed to Kevin's waist. He kept massaging her shoulders and her neck but his hands wouldn't go where she wanted them. Having lost her patience, Amber grabbed Kevin's hands and guided them to her breasts so he was covering them. The impatient look of desire in Amber's eyes made Kevin smile in humor but he refused to laugh.

Kevin finally started to massage her breasts tenderly. Amber brought her hands back up to Kevin's shoulders for support while he touched her. She sighed and the sound made Kevin pinch her hardened nipples. The sensation made her whimper in place of her previous utterance and made her finally break eye contact to close her eyes and savor the feeling. She tilted her head back into the water a little and felt Kevin's hands trail up her neck to gather water. Once he started collecting water in his hands, he started rubbing it over her body to clean away all the soap until there were no more suds on her skin. When all the soap was washed away, Kevin lifted his hand and combed his fingers through Amber's now soaking wet hair. Her waves were weighed down by the water and appeared a pale brown but when she opened her eyes again to look at him, the ocean blue of them were filled with longing. The sight made something twist with pleasure in Kevin's gut and he wanted nothing more than to capture her lips and slip inside her. Amber touched Kevin's forearm while she looked up at him and she appeared nervous yet determined.

"Kevin," Amber breathed his name tenderly.

"Hm?" was all Kevin replied while he brushed his thumb over Amber's cheek. She realized then that she didn't know what to say. Instead of saying anything, Amber reached up and wrapped her arms around Kevin's neck. Kevin kept his fingers in her hair, holding her close, while Amber stepped gently onto Kevin's feet going onto her toes so she could kiss him.

Amber drove the kiss as far as she could. She started by parting her lips and pressing her tongue against Kevin's lips. He opened for her instantly and met her tongue with his so they could taste one another. Kevin's hands remained where they were in her hair, but Amber trailed one hand between them. She touched his face and chin before she trailed down to Kevin's chest. She reveled in the feel of his skin under her fingers. She came across his right nipple and brushed her thumb over it several times to make it peak further. Then her hand continued down over his stomach. She admired the muscle there just as with his chest. She went over each indentation and valley with a gentle brush of her finger tips, dragging her nails over his skin along the way. Kevin sucked in his stomach momentarily and groaned in her mouth when she trailed her nails over his skin and Amber smiled into their kiss.

She wanted him to touch her so badly but his hands remained in her hair. She stopped trailing downward just a moment, keeping that hand on his hip, while her other hand that had been on his shoulder reached into her hair to grab Kevin's hand and pulled it down to her breast to start. She sighed when she felt his hand on her and she kept holding him there while he brushed his thumb back and forth over her nipple. Amber's other hand finally returned to trailing down Kevin's him and over his thigh until she finally touched his erection. Kevin breathed sharply and she feared a moment she had hurt him, but was reassured of the contrary when the hand he'd had on her breast suddenly went down to her hip over her butt which he gripped firmly and pressed against him. Amber moaned with the sudden pressure and touching Kevin became more challenging. She pressed on however and closed her hand around his erection and gently stroked up and down. Kevin groaned this time and squeezed her butt before trailing his hand further down to her thigh so he could pull her leg up around his hip.

Amber trembled as he maneuvered her body closer to his. She kept holding his erection, stroking up and down, in hopes of pleasuring him more but soon she didn't have the room or range of motion to do it when he kept pressing her against him. Since she couldn't stoke his erection anymore, she pulled her hand from between them and wrapped her arms around his neck again while also tightening the hold her leg hand on him. She was ready for him; wet with need and desperate to feel him, but he only touched her. The kissed one another for a long time, dueling tongues and holding one another close until they noticed the water had gone cold. The moment Kevin noticed the unpleasant chill of the water showering down on them and Amber shivered, he reached for the knobs to turn off the shower, continuing to hold her and pulling his lips away so he could see.

"Seeing as we're clean and we used up all the hot water," Kevin said and then kissed her neck, "we'd better dry off and get to bed. We've had a long day."

"Kevin," Amber sighed his name as she held onto him. "I'm not tired just yet," she continued as he got the two of them out of the shower, placing her on the matt on the floor but she wouldn't let him go.

Kevin smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss. Then he started kissing her jaw down to her neck while his hand trailed down to her leg. Then his hand started coming closer to her center where she wanted him. She held onto him and sighed as her head fell against his, his lips still suckling at the skin where her neck and shoulder meet. Kevin's hand finally came between her legs and he started to rub his fingers back and forth over the folds of her entrance earning another sigh from Amber. Kevin felt her wetness on his fingers and breathed in her skin so Amber would moan. She did so and held him tighter around his neck. She started kissing the top of his head and laced her fingers through his hair to massage his scalp. Kevin groaned and finally slipped two fingers inside her and used his thumb to rub her clitoris.

Amber whimpered Kevin's name to which he responded to by sucking on her skin a little harder so that he left a little red spot. It healed nearly as quickly as it was put there, but Kevin remained unconcerned with that and continued to kiss her shoulders, her neck and down to her breasts. He continued to rub her clitoris and massage her inner walls with his fingers while his mouth trailed to her nipple to take it into his mouth. Another moan escaped Amber's lips and her breathing increased as Kevin pleasured her. He bit her nipple gently and swirled his tongue around, flicking it sharply to give her a subtle pleasure that made her head spin. She felt herself getting dizzy and lightheaded, so she held onto him tightly so she wouldn't fall or lose her balance. Kevin prevented both with his other hand on the back of her neck. Soon he moved on to her other breast, doing the same to it as he'd done to the other. All the while, Kevin's fingers and thumb became slightly more forceful and faster, bringing Amber closer and closer to her release. After Kevin finished suckling her breast, he helped Amber get firmly planted against the wall so he could kneel before her.

Once he was before her, he took away his thumb replacing it with his tongue causing Amber to nearly screech from the warm sensation it brought. His other hand went straight to his erection so he could stroke it while he pleasured her. Amber let her head fall back with a moan while Kevin's tongue moved over her clitoris while his two fingers massaged her and moved in and out of her in a firm but measured rhythm. Her mind went blank and she continued to feel dizzy with her hands laced into his hair being the only thing keeping her upright. The closer to her release she came, the more she moaned and whimpered. She even started to get louder than what she normally would, but Kevin never once reminded her to keep her voice down or to hold back her utterances of pleasure. When she realized she was starting to get a little loud, Amber bit her lip with a whimper.

"Not this time, Amber," Kevin whispered between licks from his tongue. "Tell me how it feels. It's just us now, Amber. No one to bother us or overhear us."

Amber sighed and stopped biting her lip. Then when Kevin returned his tongue to her clitoris, she moaned without any concern. Kevin continued until he felt Amber start to tighten around his fingers. When he felt that, he increased the speed at which his fingers thrust into her and his tongue pressed more firmly against her clitoris and swirled around with greater speed until Amber was nearly crying. She whimpered his name over and over as she came closer until Kevin curled his fingers inside her causing a sharp and sudden pleasure that led to her undoing. She shivered and moaned as her orgasm caused her walls to crush down around Kevin's still swiftly moving fingers and she felt as though a rubber band has snapped in her belly or a tightened coil had been released violently. She nearly fell over but Kevin helped her stay in place while he helped her through the last of her orgasm. All the while, Kevin continued to stroke his erection finding pleasure in her moans and affirmations that he was making her feel good. Eventually Amber realized that's what he was doing when he started kissing her hip.

"Kevin," Amber whimpered, but he didn't answer. He kept kissing her hip across her belly to the other while her fingers stayed in his hair. Using all her weight, she went to her knees with Kevin, but his fingers remained inside her. When she was on her knees, she made sure they were eye to eye and smiled at how pleased Kevin looked.

"You're so beautiful, Amber," Kevin finally said and leaned his head down so he could start kissing her neck.

Amber sighed his name and started nipping at his ear causing him to grown and move his fingers inside her again. For a moment, she forgot why she'd kneeled down to begin with, but she soon remembered and reached between them to take Kevin's erection in her hand against. He let go so she could take over and his now free hand trailed down to her breast. She tightened the hold her arm had on his neck so she could lift herself enough so she was right against Kevin's hips. His fingers remained inside her and, perhaps in a fit of frenzied desperation, she practically swatted his hand away from her so she could climb on him to straddle his hips. She pushed down on his until his back was to the tile floor of the bathroom and sat atop him. She sat right on his erection, rubbing against him and trembling with the feel of him. It was cruel teasing for both of them but Kevin groaned and rested his head against the tile while one hand remainder on her hip, the other on her breast. Hoping to surprise him, Amber moved forward just that slightest bit more so that when she went back down, Kevin slipped right inside her.

They both made surprised, pleasured moans when Amber took Kevin inside her and she was still for several seconds just savoring the feeling of being together. Amber had forgotten how this felt; how it felt to have Kevin inside her and be one with him. For a time she had forgotten how much she loved it and how whole it made her feel. It felt just as it had the first time he'd made love to her. She'd wanted this with him so badly but had been so nervous. While the reasoning was different now than it had been years before, the end result was the same: now that he was inside her and she could feel the pleasure it brought, she couldn't imagine being without it. Without him.

"Amber," Kevin said and Amber finally opened her eyes and looked down at him. "Are you alright?" he asked after they'd been still for so long.

"I'm better," Amber said. Then she leaned down so she was hovering above him, her elbows planted on either side of his head. "I'm better than alright. Make love to me, Kevin. Remind me how good you make me feel."

For emphasis, Amber leaned the remainder of the way down and kissed him. Once she was there, Kevin took over and turned over so he was on top of her, never taking his lips from hers. Once she was on her back, Kevin lifted her legs so they cradled his hips again and finally started moving. It was better than she remembered; everything he'd described in his letters and more. He was gentle at first with one hand planted on her hip to hold her in place while he thrust in and out of her setting a rhythm. The two of them were still damp. Kevin's hair was mostly dry, but Amber's hair took longer. Kevin lifted his head up and looked around just a moment until he found a towel that was close enough to grab and place under Amber's head to act as a pillow. When he had her comfortable, he returned to his previous movements but started to move a little faster. Before, it had felt nice, but when Kevin started moving faster it began to feel mind numbing. She felt herself coming back from the collapse of her previous orgasm preparing to fall off the metaphorical cliff all over again.

He filled her more than she thought possible and each thrust brought her more and more pleasure. She brought her hands up to his chest to touch him and feel his skin. His rough hand on her hip made her tremble and that elicited Kevin to move even faster. Her breathing became labored again as she sighed and high pitched little noises escaped her throat. While Kevin kept himself upright on one elbow, the hand on her hip moved up to her face so he could make her look at him. Their passion glazed eyes met for just a moment before Kevin pressed his lips to hers, crushing her lips beneath him while he thrust even harder. She started to whimper with each thrust and held onto Kevin tightly. He took his lips away and stared down at her, but Amber couldn't open her eyes. She kept them closed while she enjoyed each wave of pleasure that came with his forceful thrusts. Then he slowed his tempo just a little so she could relax a little and accept his kisses without losing her breath.

"Lock your ankles behind me, Amber," Kevin whispered against her lips after he stopped moving. Amber did as he said and once her ankles were secure, Kevin lifted her into his arms as he sat up from the floor onto his knees and then stood up on his feet.

Once he was upright, he gently started lifting Amber up and down on his erection, but only a little as he focused on getting them out of the bathroom and into the master suite of the hotel room. Kevin kissed her as he walked them to the bed. He stopped when his knees hit the edge of the bed and then he leaned down and got them on top of the bed above the large comforter. Once she was on the bed, Amber unlocked her ankles but kept her knees up so Kevin's hips were still cradled between her thighs. When they were comfortable again, Kevin returned to his previous movements but started off gently once again despite Amber's whimpers of protest.

"Amber?" Kevin said but when Amber opened her eyes to look at him, the carnal desire he saw in her eyes was enough to realize what she wanted and he moved faster again. Amber moaned with a brief smile as she laid her head back against the bed with her arms above her head.

She moaned and sighed as he thrust harder and faster until her mind went blank again. She reached up again to touch his chest and then wrapped her arms around his neck when he leaned down so he was right above her. He brought his lips to her ear while one hand went between them to touch her clitoris to give her more pleasure. Kevin bit, sucked on and licked her ear making her tremble while whispering affirmations into her ear telling her how he loved her and how beautiful she is and how good she felt all the while rubbing his clitoris so that every loving word he whispered to her rendered itself meaningless in her frenzied daze of passion. But with each time he nipped or sucked on her ear, Amber trembled all over and held onto Kevin as though she might actually fall into an abyss. He thrust harder and harder while he rubbed her clitoris until finally she couldn't take it anymore and her body felt as though it caved in on itself. Her orgasm overtook her as she cried into Kevin's shoulder holding him tightly and squeezing her thighs around his hips. He kept rubbing her clitoris, helping her along through the waves of her release as he worked up to his own.

When Amber had more control over herself, she pushed Kevin off her so he was on his back and remounted him, taking his erection back inside her and started bouncing up and down with her hands on his chest. Kevin's hands went right to her rounded hips helping her along with a rhythm that drove him mad. Being like this made her feel powerful and in control over his pleasure and there was something gratifying about that feeling. The new angle and movement penetrated a new part of her that left her feeling weak despite the power she felt with their new position over him. She took the pleasure of him inside her and kept moving. How Kevin could possibly know, Amber wasn't sure, but he knew the new position was reawakening her body preparing her for yet another orgasm. But Kevin knew he wouldn't last much longer. She felt too tight, too warm, and too good. So he brought one hand back between them and rubbed Amber's clitoris with a furry the nearly made her immobile, but she fought that weakness yet again and kept moving. It helped the pressure build within her once again and soon, Kevin took over, thrusting upward while she felt forward so she was laying on top of him and taking what he gave.

Soon she felt her climax coming once again with a vengeance and she kept whimpering in Kevin's ear, begging him to go harder and faster; that she was almost there. Kevin started suckling her ear and it sent a sharp wave of pleasure straight to her core, causing her to reach her final orgasm. She clutched onto him as she reached her peak and Kevin kept moving as he helped her through it. He nearly had forgotten, being so enveloped in her warmth and her scent and the mere fact that they'd been apart for so long. But he managed to remember and just before he reached his own release, Kevin pulled out of Amber suddenly and came over his stomach. Amber whimpered a little with the sudden disconnection and tried continuing to rub against him but his hand prevented her from taking him back inside her. While he released, Kevin's grip on Amber's hip became impossibly tighter where anyone else would have sustained a nasty bruise. Yet that moment of pain coupled with the feel of Kevin beneath her becoming impossibly harder as he achieved orgasm was enough to make her head spin. When there was nothing left, Kevin let go of himself and just held Amber close to him, never minding the mess that would result. He turned so they were on their sides and took her lips in his in a searing kiss that left her breathless. When he pulled away, their eyes were still glazed with passion as they stared at one another.

"I'm sorry," Kevin said. "For everything. I wasn't there when you needed me most–,"

"Shh," Amber shushed as she pressed two fingers against Kevin's lips to make him stop. Then she smiled up at him and removed those fingers. "Just say that you love me."

"I love you," Kevin answered easily, returning her smile.

"It doesn't matter anymore. What happened in the past," she continued. "What matters is that we're together now and will remain so."

"July," Kevin said with another smile and kissed her. "We'll be married in July. Not a second later."

Amber giggled, "I love you."

"I love you too," Kevin said and kissed her again.