As usual-more detail chapters on A03 ;P
France, it's been almost two years since she has been to France and after much debating they decided to go back and celebrate each other and see Paris again. Taking the train together once more, instead of driving for a holiday around the country, and of course a day or two in Paris. Una couldn't imagine just how much Alec had spent, but he told her to leave tickets and hotels to him, just have money to spend for herself.
A trip that was going to be filled with countryside villages and Inns with wine and baguettes and different sorts of cheeses. Churches of course for Una to wander about as Alec followed dutifully after her, taking photos for her and a visit to Monet Garden in Giverny, wandering the water lilies and the old house. Though the main trip was a train to Nice, overnight
"We need to figure out what's coming next," Alec says as he watches Una watch the scenery from the train car after spending the morning in the countryside at some quaint little church that Una roamed around and dutifully prayed in as she usually did now back in England.
"You're going to ruin a perfectly good holiday with an argument?" Una raises an eyebrow in the reflection of the glass. His ideas strangled her mind to the point she could not think straight and reconsidered everything she thought she had figured out later when he brought it up.
"It's not an argument, it's a discussion and one that needs to happen and soon Luv, it's already been over a year. If you want to stay we need to figure that out and fill out the proper paperwork and make sure our gooses are in a row," Alec reminds her gently.
The past year had been a whirlwind of back and forth, teaching piano, getting a job and a new license that was for a manual car. Her visa only gave her two years, and with a year to go it still felt like a long while to go, but at the same time, it wasn't.
Una sighs, because she doesn't know exactly what to do yet, she wants to stay with Alec of course, but she also misses her family. At the same time she knows that if she left the UK before making things permanent with Alec, it would be that easy to come back.
"I still don't even know what to do for a career," Una sighs. "And you're here talking about getting married."
"If we got married you could go to school as a resident and not international price," Alec reminds her sighing.
"Can we just enjoy our trip?" Una asks him. "I love you, I want our future to be together, you know that. I just need time to figure it out, Alec."
"All right," Alec says nodding his head. Not wanting to upset her obviously. "Shall we go find something sweet in the dining car then?"
Una nods her head, and after some cake and a drink of wine, her head is swimming as they walk back to find their compartment turned over to be beds.
They both brush their teeth and change into pyjamas, curling up on a bed. Kissing through the wine haze that flooded both of their minds. Hands and feet tangle, as skin flushes and tingles as she grinds into his leg. It was fine until the haze weaned from their veins when she realized how small the bunk was and how any slight movement was meant with something or another hitting a wall.
"Here I thought this would be romantic," Una laughs as her head bumps against the wall, without even truly moving. "Sex on a train, totally overrated."
"Never overrated," Alec says shaking his head. "Just takes a moment to perfect," he murmurs kissing down her neck.
"It's cramped," Una says teasing him.
"It's intimate and cozy," he shakes his head, moving her legs wider allowing him even more access between his own hips. "Look even little handles to hold onto," he says as she finds them above her pillow on the wall. She pulls him closer, kissing him deeply as the train rocked them, panties off, her nightshirt pushed up around her waist. His pants pushed down to his knees, they were on a train after all.
. How did never get old, the feeling the sensation? Maybe the days apart made it work, not always seeing each other every week, on occasion between work and other things they don't see each other for almost a month when they are busy. Like the last month, which had been filled with school groups and other vacations he had to cover, recitals that Una had to accompany people on, and then a round of antibiotics and colds that went on until they finally made it out the country and on a new package of pills it felt like they could breathe and come together once more.
"I need you," Una tells him, "I need all that you got."
Alec chuckles, doing his best to not hit his head on the bunk above them and keep them away from the edge of the narrow bed.
It's sensory overload and it takes little to nothing to send her crashing over the edge when he works quickly enough to slide home once more and back into the bunk, his thumb keeping the waves of her orgasm from dying as she feels her body twitch until it finally ebbs away, with him still hard as a rock inside of her.
He grins like Cheshire, proud of himself as she pants, Una reaching for him and keeping him steady as he threatens to pull them off to the floor. Pulling him closer to him, even if he crushes her slightly, but also to keep him from almost falling off the small bunk.
They hold each other afterwards until they both feel ready to let each other go.
"We're sticking to the hotels," Una tells him with a shake of her head as she uses the small sink to clean herself up. "And don't say where is the fun in that?"
Alec just laughs and shakes his head.
The train pulls in early in the morning and they leisurely take their bags and check them into the hotel for the day before they can check in.
They wander the next morning, wandering hand in hand as they browse shops and the main tourist areas, as well as the cathedrals and churches that Una longs for. Their hotel is small and old but filled with character and a small family restaurant below them provides them an easy dinner.
When they depart she knows she will miss the place, but onto the next, another train another city, another church of sorts and something for Alec as well of course. The highlight was Giverny on the way out of the country, one last stop before heading back to England.
Waterlilies in the garden that inspired the famous painter. Monet, she loved Monet, the blur and blends of colour.
"We talked about this place when we met, that if we had more time we would have come here," Una remembers, holding his hand, dodging other tourists as they wandered about.
"How far we have come," Alec says agreeing, raising their hands to kiss her wrist. "Now I just need you to tell me when you want to get married, so we can find an immigration lawyer to help with the process of allowing you to stay here."
"I know, know," Una says shaking her head, heart beating fast, but not necessarily in the way it should. "In good time, I promise," she adds on with a quick kiss, trying to have him believe that she wasn't entirely unsure about the whole thing.
"Good because there is a place I want to show you just outside of Bristol and I think you will love it," Alec says grinning.
"Let me guess some old church?" Una asks him.
"Possibly, you will see," Alec grins wider.
Una can only shake her head, focusing around her immersing herself back in the gardens and world of Monet. The blue tiles kitchen and the equally blue sitting room and pantry, the bright yellow dining room. The bedrooms above, and later the water lily studio where she chose her souvenirs for this day of the holiday.
When they finally make it back to England they are both exhausted. Amelia welcomes them both with open arms. "Welcome to Bristol my dear, bags go to your room Luv," she says to her son.
"I'm excited to be here," Una tells her looking around the modest home. Typical British, and she sees Alec's younger sister come out of the kitchen.
"Felicity," she says in greeting, and the teen looks up from her phone.
"Lissy, I plan on taking Una too Harescombe, do you want to join us?" Alec asks his sister and his mother looks at them both in a small surprise.
"Isn't that where…?" Lissy begins and looks to Amelia who nods her head after a moment.
"Where is what?" Una asks still confused."Harescombe is the place I married Alec's father," Amelia says after a moment. "It's out of Gloucester, we lived there in this small village for a while before we had Alec, his family is from the area." She explains.
"I'll let Alec show you," Lissy says shaking her head. "Mom and I planned to make trifle tomorrow anyway for dinner tomorrow."
"When do you go back to school?" Una asks knowing she was on break but unsure how her school differed from the kids she taught up at Weatherpointe.
"Go back for Monday," she says simply with a shrug.
"Well show her around luv, and how everything works. Laundry is open if you need to wash anything as well."
Alec nods and brings Una up the old stairs. She notes the photos of his school days and his parents, before stopping in his old room. It was small, but a bed was pushed against the wall with a blue duvet and pillows. There were still old posters on the wall and other childhood things but it was fairly cleaned out at this point.
"We share a wall, so if you can keep the grossness to a minimum that is great," Felicity says passing them.
"Ignore her," Alec whispers.
"I won't ignore her, she's right this is a small house, not a train or hotel," Una gives him a look. "Do you mind if I quickly call Faith before it gets too late?"
"Oh logo ahead, I'll go shower," Alec says shaking his head.
Una nods and reaches for her phone, and hits Faith's number. It's all pleasantries until Una tells her issues.
"Seriously Una, what is the problem? You love him, you practically spend half of your time up in the Lakes these days with him? What are you so worried about?"
"I don't know, I'm twenty-one, with a high school education at best, barely a year of university to my name."
"So, Jem and I were twenty-one talking about marriage?"Faith reminds her. "No one is going judge you, or think you're crazy for getting married. You can go to school any time you want, being married, being with anyone shouldn't or doesn't hinder your future."
"Except babies," Una tells her.
"Well, don't get pregnant," Faith says rolling her eyes. "I don't see Alec pushing it anyway." Faith adds on, looking away off-camera. "Harper no," she says as she almost drops the phone.
"What are you doing, who is Harper" Una asks confused.
"I'm babysitting," Faith says after a moment almost reluctantly.
"Oh," Una says. "You could have said, I could have called later."
"It's okay, just she's just scootering around these days." Faith says shrugging, but you saw the tell-a-tale wisps of dark hair in the camera, where Faith sat.
"Harper," Una says piecing it together. She managed to only hear about the child once or twice and never learned the name either last year. "I didn't realize you babysat for them."
"I do occasionally, I didn't want to upset you," Faith says quietly.
"It's fine, I mean she's your niece isn't she?" Una says after a moment. "Being engaged to Jem and all? Just because I never wanted to hear about her, doesn't mean you couldn't see her?"
"I know, but really it took a while to even see her being busy with school and whatnot, but since Alice dropped the baby on him, and took off…." Faith says even more hesitantly. "We've been trying to help him out."
"What, wait?" Una says shocked.
"Uhh, yeah, she didn't want to deal with being a mother and told him that she made a mistake?" Faith tells her. "Jem knows more, but yeah…"
"Oh!…" Una says trailing off.
"Either way, don't think of marriage as an end-all, plus if you do get married I can get Jem on an airplane finally. I swear he has some the weirdest fears." Faith tells her.
"That won't help me," Una tells her sighing. "Why is this so hard? I love him, I know I do and yet…"
"Is it because Mom isn't here?" Faith asks curiously.
"What?" Una asks confused.
"Mom was your age when she married Dad?"
"It's not about mom either Faith," Una tells her sister sighing.
"I can always mail her wedding dress to you," Faith reminds her.
"I just don't know Faith!" Una struggles to not shout and eventually just decided to hang up.
"Are you okay?" She hears next.
"Felicity," Una says with surprise. She was still weary of the teen, though she had matured since their first meeting, still, Alec preferred to keep them separate if possible. "Do you need something?" She asks curiously.
"Why won't you marry my brother?" She asks so bluntly it throws Una off.
"Pardon?"
"You heard me,"' she says eyes narrowing.
"I don't see how this is any of your business Felicity," Una tells her. Frankly, she was surprised the teen even cared.
"You move you here to be with him, you spend all your time together, so why not get married?"
"It's not that simple if it was only that simple. Getting married is a huge decision. "
"But you love him?"
"Of course, I love him Felicity, but love doesn't pay the bills or make me be able to stand on my own two feet if I need to one day?"Una tries to explain. Maybe this was some strange cultural thing she didn't know about.
"But arguing about it makes him sad," Felicity tells her. Which was the reason for her visit apparently, the siblings were close being just the two of them, "Or annoyed or angry depending on how you look at it?"
Una sighs. "It's complicated, Felicity I know being almost twenty-two must feel so old to you, but it is not."
"Why do you call me Felicity?" She asks turning things askew which confused Una even more.
"It's your name is it not?" Una says simply.
"Most call me Lissy though, or Flicka? Do you not like me is that why you don't want to marry Alec?"
"Oh my…," Una stammers. "Are you being serious? I don't know you Felicity, you never gave me a chance to even know you. The first time we met you embarrassed me in front of everyone I knew, you said horrible things, things that deeply hurt me."
"I guess, I wasn't very nice was I?" Felicity says quietly. "I am sorry."
Una sighs, "This hasn't exactly been easy on anyone Felicity. It's big life choices that are hard to do."
Felicity nods her head as they hear the shower turn off.
"I will call you Lissy if you want me to though. I just…I just didn't know if I was allowed to or not?"
"You can," the younger girl says quietly.
The next day they sleep in, relaxing in the morning light until one of their bladders complains to them to the point of hurting.
The morning is breakfast, before a short walk around the neighbourhood, and then he drives them out to where he was taking her.
Right a church.
Una's pulse quickened. She thought if they did get married it is at city hall or something not in a church. Quick and simple and easy, he didn't seem the type to want a church wedding and she didn't care.
Still, the drive was filled with songs from the radio and singing, though her stomach lurched with every turn of the road, every village church they passed until he stopped the car at one.
Harescombe, an old country church, parish? It was like a storybook, Jane Austen sort of thing is what came to her mind.
Part of her wants to explore it, the other…the other is terrified.
"I always thought, I would get married here," Alec tells her honestly and it makes sense if his parents were married it. The church was quaint and cute, it was perfect.
She can't answer him though, her vocal cords tied up in a knot. She does the only thing she can do is rush out of the church.
"What's wrong? Do you not like it?" Alec asks confused and probably hurt at her exit.
"Oh no it's bloody perfect if it was anyone else," Una practically cries sarcastically.
"What do you mean anyone else, you have a bloody photo album of churches you've been too and in. You have subcategories of which are prettier by the season?" Alec retorts, still confused as ever.
"I need time Alec, I need to think about things," Una stumbles over her words, gutting him as they gut her.
"Just tell me what's wrong? You were on board with the plan until you weren't and now suddenly the idea just makes you run away?" Alec says, a first touch of edge to his voice.
"I don't know Alec, and you acting like this doesn't make it any easier of a fucking decision!" Una snaps at him.
"Do you not want to marry me? If you don't just say it, Una. Don't play this game of chicken with us. You want to be together or not, there is no in-between this sort of thing?" Alec's voice raises. "What are you afraid of? The cost? You know you don't have to worry about that stuff?"
"My god, it's not always about money Alec!" She shouts at him for the first time.
"Then bloody explain this freak out to me?" Alec says stonily.
"I can't…I can't…," Una says tears threatening.
"You can, but you won't," Alec's eyes narrow. "You were fine with city hall back in the day, or something in a park….but I try and give you an actual church wedding. Something you should love and be over the moon about…and I get…what a freakout?"
"No one-no priest will look at me and my choices and say sure she deserves to be married Alec, they can veto anything. I…Walter….Walter he would always say that to be married in such a place, such a parish, you had to be the perfect candidate of a bride to have that ceremony and be…" Una stumbles over her words, barely making sense even to herself as it floods out of her for the first time.
"Let me get this straight, he said what? That you had to be a good little virginal bride one day when you were sixteen, while he was off fucking around with other girls. Then he got bored and requisitioned you into it as well when you were finally old enough for him? You cannot still be holding onto his ideals and ideas like they are the only way to life, Una!" Alec says roaring, wanting to punch the man that had tortured her for so long and apparently still has his claws in.
"He didn't say that!" Una shouts at him.
"But he implied it, didn't he? Save yourself for him, for one day and he'll be there?" Alec retorts sarcastically. "Seriously, how—how does he still have you wrapped around his twisted little finger Una?"
"I am not! I'm here, aren't I? I'm with you, I left everything, my home, my family for you!" Una cries. "Forgive me if I worry about things I cannot change I was taught to believe, that my faith is always part of me, the good and bad parts."
"No one will give a flying pig's fart enough to look into your history unless you tell them. No priest is going to bar you from getting married in the church that you want to get married in one day."
"You don't know that, you barely know anything about church," Una throws it in his face.
"No, but I know my best friend's wife was the biggest whore in college and they had a lovely church wedding," Alec drawls. "Because no one actually cares Una. Do I have to find us to some church official and prove it to you?"
"I don't think you need to find anyone," Someone says from behind them and they both look over.
"You'll marry us won't you?" Alec said jumping right in.
"Excuse me? These things take time and consideration of the party and relationships and what is available.
"See he won't. I told you!" Una exclaims knowing she was right.
"Actually, I meant…" The person says trying to get a word in edge-wise.
"I truly don't think he cares about anything Una, if both people are willingly asking to be married!"
"May I speak!" The voice looms and they both stop and look guilty "Thank you, if you try and explain the worries calmly I may be able to help you….if you are calm about it."
"Could confirm you wouldn't actually refuse to marry anyone in the church over something as minor as a teenage indiscretion? You know, for when we are ready, we aren't meaning to get married this moment," Alec says trying to explain.
"Of course, I wouldn't any competent priest wouldn't place teenage angst or indiscretions in the same realm of being ready for marriage. Blessing a union, a marriage should never have past factors impacting the future if they do not harm the couple. You only start interposing if you suspect abuse or something." He tells them. "Also It's not 1970, we're not vowing for purity. I mean great if you can, but really it's not our business and many of us these days prefer to have some sort of experience in being together to ensure compatibility in all aspects of life." He tells them.
"Trust me that is not the issue," Una says rolling her eyes.
"Look, unless you're catholic and only want a pretty church or possibly being forced into a marriage. We do not care how many people you have been with, and or if you had some sort of termination for your own greater good. We would not turn away a happy couple who wants to be joined in the hands/eyes of god. Is that what answers are you looking for?"
Alec looks at Una, who is still deep in thought, still trying to detangle the old threads that made up her old life and ways.
"Now I will pass this card along, and I do suggest if you do wish to be married within a church, I would suggest not having a full-out row in front of it next time." He says passing a card to Alec. "I hope you find the answer you are looking for though."
Actions