Jane was dressed and undressed into about six different dresses that were all hugely extravagant to her taste. She could hardly keep a straight face when she was placed into a rather pink one with large bows all around the skirt. When she was asked how she felt about it, she had to fight very hard to keep her voice even, and politely explain it was not to her personal style. The women helping Jane was getting more and more annoyed with Jane's refusal of every elaborate dress in the shop, but was soon gone to search for something more "plain".

Once she had left, Jane looked around the room for the first time in detail, noting the white walls with curtains all along them. Low candles burned all around the room so that it was illuminated enough to see the dresses. She assumed these changing rooms had no windows in case men were walking by outside and happened to see in. The thought made Jane shudder. Still, she made herself smile when she thought that the many candles burning around the room gave the odd, and very ironic feeling of her being in a church.

The dress Jane was currently in, a large and dark emerald one, dragged significantly on the ground as she tried to move about the room. Clearly it was meant for someone far taller than she was. When she looked up into the mirror, for a moment, she hardly knew who was looking back at her. The whole look was so bizarre, so foreign. Though she was the technical lady of a large house she in no way felt like one, nor did she wish to look like one. She was reminded of a conversation she had had with Edward a long time ago in which she told him not to adorn her in satin and lace, and not to put jewels around her neck, for then she would no longer be Jane Eyre, and he would not know her. Now here she stood, in a satin dress with jewels around the neck and she felt every bit foreign to herself as she knew she would have in those days. Still, marrying Edward as a man of status meant something to her. It meant that she could not always say no to balls, or walk around in a governesses plain black dress. To be his wife meant that she was part of him at all times, and when that included formal gatherings and the responsibilities of being the women of his house, she had to take part.

The amusing thing was, since their very first day of marriage, Edward had never pushed any of this onto her. He had never asked her to change who she was. He had never asked anything of her that was unfair, or she was unwilling to do. Jane wanted to be seen as his wife, she wanted to be the women of his household, she wanted to be the mother to his children and to be the partner at his side. If that meant wearing a formal dress to a ball what did that matter? His marriage gave her everything, a home, a child she adored, and more love than she even knew was possible. What of a dress when she had all of that?

The door opened and a younger girl walked in, her face concealed by a large bonnet and she began taking the dresses Jane had already tried on out of the room.

"I am sorry" Jane pleaded, "I did not mean to make such a mess trying on these dresses"

The young girl only smiled, "You would be surprised, miss. This is modest for some. Besides, you have been very kind, so I do not mind. If I do say so, some women are quite particular and quite difficult at times"

"Well seeing as I feel like a swallow in a peacocks jacket"

The young girl laughed but quickly bustled from the room when the other women had returned with a dress on her arm, looking resolved.

"I think this may work, Ms Rochester".

. . . . . .

"That was wonderful" Diana was saying on the carriage ride home, "I have never experienced service like that before".

"I quite agree" Anne said, "How very modern of them to have the dresses already made and they simply hem the bottom to your height"

"And Jane" Diana began, "You are not too angry then, with me?"

Jane shook her head smiling.

"Perhaps it was not the first activity I should think of for myself, but all in all it was nice!".

Anne clapped her hands together, "I think we are making a shopping lover out of you, Jane Rochester"

"I think I will have to see about that" she laughed, "Maybe very, very slowly I am getting there. How long were we there, do you suppose?"

"About three hours, I think" Diana said, glancing at a pocket watch she pulled from her dress.

"Good lord, it did not feel that long" Anne said, "I am excited now. Truly. The ball shall be great fun, and with any luck, Mary will come"

"I do know one way in which she will be sure to attend" Jane said, sharing a look with her companions.

"Father Andrew?"

A nod.

"But we cannot, Jane" Anne continued, "Not when her heart was broken when she left. If there is no chance of them being together what good would it do to bring them together?"

"I know" she said softly, "I just wish, in some other world, and in different circumstances, that a marriage could be realised. He loves her and she loves him, of that I am sure".

Diana shook her head.

"What a horrible state of affairs"

"Eshton was talking with both Captain Franklin and Mr Rochester about that horrible- well, man, who did such an unspeakable act to Mary. He is very illusive, it would seem. Even my husband cannot track him through connections in town. His wife, it would seem, does not know where he is. She apparently never took too keen an interest in his affairs. Eshton has been using lawyers but nothing yet"

"It is alright" Jane said, "In time we shall know and he will pay the consequences for what he has done".

"But that still does not help our Mary's heart right now"

"No" Diana said, "But in time, we will be able to know how to help her better. For now, she is lucky to have such wonderful friends and indescribable support. I am sure she realises that not every women would have stood by her after that happened to her. To some, it is always the woman's fault"

"Well" said Anne angrily, "Not to us. Never to us. We know far better, and know when men are like".

"Look what happened to you, Jane, with my own brother in law. Look what Captain Franklin's brother did to you. We are only exceptionally lucky nothing more happened".

Jane shuddered at the topic being brought up. She tried not to think about it often, but when it did come up it made her stomach knot so that a terrible sickening feeling flooded her veins.

"-frankly, I think we are lucky Mr Rochester did not kill him", Anne was saying.

Jane came back to the conversation and shook her head at her two friends.

"He was so angry...I am very lucky that Edward is not currently sitting in an English prison".

"Rightfully so" Diana said forcefully, "I had never seen the Captain so angry either".

"Who knows? He may come and attend your ball, Diana. He lives not far from here, clearly, and he seems to be a vain man. Perhaps he will come, or someone who does will learn something. The men are always on the lookout, and I am sure they will not miss anything".

. . . . .

As the carriage pulled down the lane towards the Franklin residence the conversation turned much more pleasant. When the carriage stopped there were a flurry of servants outside to greet them. Jane felt quite overwhelmed by all the attention, by the arms which helped her from the carriage or by the voices that asked her how her day was. When they entered the house, however, everyone left for different locations except Jane, who stood in the foyer with her hand on her waist. The house was oddly quiet for a moment, and Jane heard voices coming from a nearby room. To her great surprise, the voices were her husbands and Mary's.

"I know" Mary was saying, "It is very intimidating for me. And he has been good so far, for a baby".

"But in time you learn" Edward replied, "You learn overtime how to not be so worried about every move you make. Things will work out, Mary".

"Did you- well, I do not want to be presumptuous-"

"I am sure you will not be. Go on"

"Well...I guess then...did you ever worry that you would not be the father you wanted to be?"

"I did, and I still do everyday. I never had a father, or at least one that I could look up to and trust. I always wondered, if I had children, if I would be exactly like him. And then I married a person who is the most loving I have ever meet, and the most naturally generous person I have ever known. That made it so much harder for me not to worry. My child would have a absolutely perfect mother and a wretch of a father in contrast".

"But that is not the way Jane talks about you, not at all! She says quite the opposite, all of the time".

"Well, I have more love for them then I knew I could have and that, in ways, has made it easier. And Jane leads by example, she has softened me considerably. She reassures me too- makes me feel less worried".

"And yet, I do not have a partner like humans are supposed to have".

"That does not matter" Edward said quickly, "You love Daniel, and so you will always do what is best for him. You do not need a partner to be the sort of mother he will need".

Smiling, Jane stepped quietly away from the door and ascended to her room upstairs.

. . .

Jane took a few minutes to herself up in her room while Edward and Henry were still downstairs. The quiet she experienced was almost too disorientating to her in its rarity. She was always with someone now, either her husband, her son, or both. The silence which she momentarily resided in allowed a strange feeling to wash over her as she stood in front of the window. Looking down into unfamiliar grounds from a still unfamiliar room she felt the way she had when she first arrived at Thornfield. She had been so unsure then, but pleased at the prospect of great change in her life. How strange. The old feeling of insecurity felt like a rushing memory of a time long lost running momentarily through her.

And then it had gone as soon as it had come, and Jane was left with her reflective thoughts of how much life had changed for her in three years.

"You look rather thoughtful" a voice said, examining her from the doorway.

Jane did not turn to look, for she could have known that voice in any language, or in any world. She only smiled slightly.

"I am" she replied.

"What is it? Tell me"

Edward sat in the armchair that rested in front of the extensive, but largely stained glass, window. Jane turned and looked at him, and he motioned for her to come to him. Allowing herself to be pulled onto his lap, she tucked her feet into the corner of the chair and sighed.

"I was just thinking of how strange it was to have a moment of silence in my life where I was truly alone. For a moment I was reminded of who I was when I first came to Thornfield and did the same thing as I was just doing- I stood at my window in my new room, looking down at unfamiliar gardens. I did not know then how much my life would change. I was only hopeful for any amount of deliverance from the mundane and dark life I had previously lived. For a moment, a very small moment, the silence brought me back to that place".

Edward put his chin on Jane's shoulder and kissed her there lightly.

"Must have been a funny feeling, given how much of your life is different now"

"Exactly! It has changed astronomically. And all for the better".

"But not everything has changed" Edward said, love and affection flooding his eyes, "My Jane Eyre, the small and quiet and yet passionate governess that I fell deeply in love with is still you in every way, and is my heart in an equal amount of ways".

"And you" Jane began, wanting to tease him, but not being able to when she looked into his honest and adoring face. She sighed, running her hands through his curly black hair. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes as she kissed his temple.

"At one time I believed that the fundamental things with you would never change. How much I love you, how much I want you near me all the time, how I willingly entrust my heart and soul to you for safekeeping...but I was wrong. The fundamental things are constantly changing, I love you more and more every moment".

"Mmm" he said seriously, looking up into her face as he placed his hand on her waist and drew her in for a deep kiss.

Jane caressed her husbands cheek with her thumb. She moved over him, swinging one leg on either side of him so that she had easier access to him in the chair. She bend down to reach his mouth and sighed happily as he steadied her against him by putting two hands around her waist.

"Jane, love' he breathed as she reached for his pants. She knew he thought of her previous claim not to want to have sex while in someone else's house, but in this moment she did not care very much. She shook her head, pressing her forehead to his lightly.

"Tell me what you want"

Jane brought his lips to hers again, more gently this time, with less driving need.

"Well Jane Rochester, you will have to more specific than that. I would give you anything, if you asked for it".

"I want to be with you. I do wish to wait until we are home any longer".

Edward stood, taking Jane's hand and guiding her over to the bed. She stood before him and turned around, pulling her hair in front so that he had free access to the complicated corset at the back of her dress. As he undid the ribbon and pulled it out of place with each loop he kissed her exposed back right down to where the dress was opened, right above her bum.

Jane felt searing want flood her as his mouth moved down her spine. She was determined to wait, and be patient, but he made it extremely hard sometimes. He turned her around, letting the dress fall to the floor so that she was standing only in her slip.

Stilling his hands against his side, Jane reached up and began to unbutton his waistcoat. She freed him from the confines of his cravat before pulling his dress shirt out of his pants. He watched in perfect contentment as she worked, seeing her ease and her comfort as she stripped him down to nothing.

Jane ran her thumb over his lip pensively before wrapping her arms around his neck in a kiss. He lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist and laid her down softly on the bed beneath him. He rolled up Jane's slip until, with her help, it was brought over her head and discarded beside her. She smiled up at him, her face surely flushed, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

"Jane" he spoke softly, running his hand down her front until he reached her pulsing core. The contact of his hand on her was enough to make her whole body curl up in sensation. She closed her eyes, biting her lip ineffectively to hide the light moans that issued from her. His thumb circled her small nub with expert skill, the feeling building so rapidly that Jane felt the warmth instantly spread through her chest to her fingers and toes.

She opened her eyes lazily to find him above her, pressing a kiss to her jaw as she pushed her head back into the pillow.

"Agh" she gasped, looking back at him.

He found her softened, strained, slight sounds of desperation even more arousing then the loudest cry she could possibly issue. He pulled her chin down with his thumb and planted a kiss on her lips and felt the release of her moan into his mouth.

"Shh, shh" he soothed, kissing her into silence once more.

Suddenly the pressure of his hand was gone and Jane exhaled sharply, taken aback by the sudden lack of feeling when she was about to give way to him and his touch. Edward pressed a kiss to her forehead and then lips before he turned Jane so that she was laying with her head resting amongst the pillows. Climbing on the bottom of the bed, Edward separated Jane's legs gently by placing one over each of his shoulders and then ducked his head between her.

Jane slammed her palm into the headboard and bit down on her finger to stop from crying out. His tongue had entered her, and repeatedly ran over the place that made her head spin with sickening feeling. Jane felt for him and gripped his arm to steady herself. His mouth sucked her most sensitive spot and she inhaled sharply, her face contorting as she felt herself building and building to the place she so desperately wanted to reach. With one final pressure he would have done it, but he drew back and mounted himself before his wife.

He may have asked he something but she did not know, she only ran her hand over him stomach in wordless encouragement and within moments he was within her, pressing into her core with a force that was unique and entirely him.

"Eyes opened" Jane heard lowly from a long ways off. She looked upon her husband who kissed her lips, this time less steadily, his own pleasure mounting visibly within him to a point of tipping over.

"I want to watch you" he explained, thrusting into her deeper and causing her to breathe into the pillow beside her face. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer to her, and deeper within her.

"Mmm" he grunted, struggling to keep himself from releasing into Jane before she was ready. It would not be long now, her heart beat so fast with every thrust that robbed her of all her senses that she thought her brain may explode.

Three sharp and hard knocks on the door made Jane jump, but Edward's hand was already over her mouth, silencing her instantly. He slowed his rocking, but did not stop.

"Jane, are you in there? Have you seen Rochester? I cannot find him anywhere".

"Damn him" Edward grunted so quietly that only a person as close as Jane could have heard it.

Jane tried very hard to slow her breathing enough to respond but she was afraid her voice would give her present activity away. Kissing her forehead sweetly, and stilling himself within her for a moment, Edward spoke.

"I am here, Franklin. Me and Jane are discussing something important".

His voice was strangely calm compared to how he look, aroused, desperate and angry.

Jane rocked in frustration against him once, causing him to grab a bunch of the bed sheets beside him.

"Forgive me, I do not mean to interrupt. Mary was looking for you, but dinner is in half an hour at any rate".

"Thank you" Edward called, "I shall speak with her then".

When his footsteps were long gone on the corridor outside, Edward sent his wife a look before resuming his maddening pace and agility of before. Jane's slight smile was gone and instantly replaced with open mouthed breaths, desperate to slow the expanding tightness in her stomach and rapid beating of her heart which crushed her in a moment of blissful relief. Jane first, and then her husband a second later. She felt him release inside her, felt the air snatched from her lungs and the bed fall away beneath her. She could have been anywhere in that moment, for she did not know. All she knew was the familiar weight of her husband landing beside her, and the way she moved into his embrace, waiting for sensation to return to her.

"Edward" she said, very lowly after some time.

"What is it?"

Jane bit back a laugh, coming up on her elbow to look at Edward,

"My god, Franklin at the door-"

"I know, I am sorry Jane. We probably should have waited until night, at least".

"You are very serious. Do you think he heard us?"

"No, I don't. But I know that was exactly why you did not want to-"

"No, it's okay" she assured him before he could be too hard on himself, "It's okay. Besides, I cannot say that I regretted what we did".

Edward smiled as he brushed a strand of hair out of Jane's face.

"Mmm, I suppose not" he said, pulling her down to him for a deep kiss. Jane pressed her forehead to her husbands and then lay into him, her face pressed to his side.

"I am too tired to move"

"I hope you are, I have no desire to have you leave my arms".

Jane turned her face and put her chin on his chest. She was going to say something, words visible on her lips, but she only smiled and lay her head back down on his chest.

"No" he smiled, pulling her face back to his, "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing. Only that I am happy. Very, very happy".

A kiss on her temple.

"Well, that is not nothing. That is everything to me".

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you happy?"

"You know very well how happy I am. You are making me feel suspicious of how happy I am, in fact".

"You deserve it, every day for the rest of your life".

He chuckled,

"And somehow, by some miracle, I have been granted that fate when I was given you".

Jane sat up, stretching her self out automatically.

"Sweetheart, stop".

He brushed her hair away from her shoulder, revealing a scratch at the top of her back underneath her hair.

"What is this from?"

"I'm not sure" Jane answered, "Probably from trying on all of the different dresses today. A lot of hooks and buttons to get scratched on".

"And how did that go?" he asked, kissing her shoulder as she lay back down in his arms. She looked turned to her side to look at him.

"It was really...well, elaborate".

He chuckled, "I thought it may be for you".

"Well, we got there and some women were waiting outside. They would not even let them in, because they knew we were coming. I was brought into this change room where I was helped in and out of dress after dress, all of which you would have laughed at me for wearing. Yellow satin-"

He laughed harder,

"Yellow satin, Edward! I looked like an oversized bird"

"Now I am sad I missed it. Adorned in lace and bows and frills too, I hope?"

"Every last one".

"So, did you find one in the end? Or are you now determined to go in a paper bag?"

Jane frowned slightly.

"I know you are not going to care, and you are going to tell me that I never buy things for myself and so it does not matter. But I did find a dress, and it was the most expensive one there. I am really sorry, but the plain cream satin cost the most, and when I realised I said no thank you, but then Diana and Anne told me it would be silly to leave without one since then I would have nothing to wear to the ball and...I bought it".

"How much?"

"It cost five pounds"

"Five pounds Jane, how could you?"

"Edward, that is 1/6 of my governess wage for one dress".

"Jane, darling, you are a very bad head woman of the Rochester household. A five pound dress is what most women spend in a month conservatively"

"I never claimed to be a good head of the household. Only a good wife".

"Mmm" he said, smacking her bum lightly as he sat up, "I will not argue with that. Come on, dinner will be soon enough"

When Jane had redressed and was fixing her hair in front of the mirror Edward passed behind her laughing.

"Love, you will have to look a lot less guilty then you do right now if you do not want them to know what 'important business' we were discussing in here".

"Oh, right".

A kiss on the forehead, "Let's go".