Authors Note: This is my first fanfic for WCTH, but also my first fanfic in almost 13 years. Wow.
This bends the rules of 1920s propriety a little bit. Just a bit...
Elizabeth was lying on top of her quilt with her eyes closed when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door.
"Elizabeth?" Nathan pushed the slightly opened door enough that he could see her. "I got Jack settled - he woke up a little when I went to put him down, but he's asleep now."
"That's good, we had a busy day. I barely got my own shoes off before I needed to lie down." She began to sit up, leaning on her elbow, "Let me get up and we can head downstairs."
Nathan stepped further into the room, "No, no. Stay there."
They both froze for a moment, recognizing the boundary being crossed at this moment. Then she laid her head back down on the pillow, her eyes never leaving his.
He gingerly stepped closer to her bed, asking quietly, "May I?" as he gestured to bed near her knees. She nodded, and shuffled toward the center of the bed to make room for him to sit.
He sat there for several long moments, his hand resting lightly on her knee over her skirt, as he took in her bedroom. "This is nice," he said quietly. "It's much nicer than my own bedroom - very utilitarian, but then I only really sleep in there," he chuckled.
She smiled, about to say something, but he continued, "Although this bed seems a little out of place in such a small room."
The bed really was too big for the room, making it so there was only a small path between the walls and the bed. And a little extravagant for a simple row house…
"It was a wedding present." Elizabeth started, but paused. "Well, actually it was supposed to be a wedding present." A small, sad smile formed on her face.
He didn't say anything, just looked at her the way he always did when she talked about Jack, expectantly, but with understanding and empathy in his eyes.
She sighed heavily, "Jack and I used to dream about building a house once we were married. He had a piece of land he had purchased up on the mountain, with a view of the valley. We spoke of raising chickens, and sitting on the porch watching the sunrise, filling it with children." She huffed out a small laugh. "Every time we talked about it, I would mention that I wanted a giant featherbed, and every time he would quip about us keeping each other warm in it." She pulled her eyes away from Nathan's, as a blush settled on her cheeks.
She took another deep breath and looked back up at him, noticing a little red on his cheeks as well. She smiled and continued, "My parents had given us some money as a wedding gift, so I thought I would surprise him. I ordered it the day I got back from Fort Clay." She looked away, toward a small table next to the door. A picture from her wedding day sat next to a small vase of dried flowers. "It was delivered a week before I found out he died." Her eyes found Nathan's again, as a single tear slipped down her cheek.
The hand that had been on her knee reached for her hand and he squeezed it a little. "That must have been really hard to deal with, after…" he trailed off.
She shrugged a little. "Oddly enough, it was kind of bittersweet, because this was never 'our' bed. Only I had ever slept in it. I gave 'our bed' away to a family that needed a bigger bed the same day this one was delivered." She paused. "This bed has always just been 'my' bed."
"Sometimes, I forget how strong you must have been to go through what you've been through." His thumb rubbed hers gently.
"I didn't feel strong. This bed has seen its fair share of tears," she said as another tear made its way down her cheek. "I'm sorry, today was such a good day, and now…I feel like I've been talking about Jack so much lately…" she trailed off.
He reached down to wipe the tear away, keeping his hand on her jaw, where it most often rested when he kissed her, his thumb brushing her cheek gently. "No. Jack is a part of our lives, and not just because of his son, but because he's the best of your past. I love watching you talk about him - there's a look of softness and wonder and love that you only get when you talk about him, or when you think of him, I assume, sometimes when you watch Jack ride."
She grinned and nodded, closing her eyes. She opened her eyes, and they locked with his own, so very close. She wanted to kiss him, but realized that maybe that wasn't the smartest idea for where they were. But feeling a little bold, she gestured her head to the side, her eyes questioning.
His crooked smile lit up his face, and she scooted further towards the center of the bed. He laid down next to her, and she curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder and her right arm gently resting on his chest.
The next morning, she awoke, alone. Confused, as she was still in her clothes from the night before, she looked around. Memories from the night before flooded her memory, and she smiled at the thought of just lying next to Nathan and falling asleep in his arms. Her eyes locked on a piece of paper on her nightstand with her name in his messy handwriting. She reached over, grabbed the paper and laid on her back, holding the note up towards the ceiling.
"I would have stayed all night if I could, but I thought it might not be the best to be here in the morning. I'll see you later today - I'll be the one at the end of the aisle, waiting for you. Love, N."
She laughed, and hearing Jack moving around in his room, pushed herself up out of bed. It was time to get ready - she was actually surprised Rosemary wasn't breaking down her door quite yet.
Today, they would be married.
And tonight…well, it would no longer be just "her" bed.