Summer Vacation 2005: Jane Austen or Bust

[themidnightson]

It's seamlessly easy to arrange the trip itself.

A few clicks of a mouse. A phone call with Alice to get more on the weather and insider places fan's would go. One phone call each between Chief Swan and Carlisle and Esme, to comfort him that, of course, Bella would be well taken care of and that the four of them were going camping for a week. She'd never be more than half a day’s drive away from home, in case she changed her mind and wanted to come back.


Then to wait down one last week, before --







Edward brushed back the hair from Bella's cheek, leaning in to press his lips against her temple, saying softly so as not to rouse other sleeping passengers, only his, "You have about twenty minutes to landing now."

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[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

Bella had anticipated being too excited to sleep; on the other hand, she was used to plane rides (even if they were never this long) and habit had kicked in eventually.

She blinked away sleep almost immediately, excitement returning as soon as she realized that this was actually happening.

"Thanks for telling me. I don't want to miss my first glimpse of England from the air." She peered out the window, trying to see anything at all below.

[themidnightson]

Edward didn't expect anything alive, no less a person, to spend thirteen hours fully entertained or awake in a plane. Even he and Alice got bored in transatlantic flight frequently and they'd done this pretty much since they first could.

Taking Bella, watching her bounce suddenly from lightly sleeping toward the window at her other side, was new. And it would have been far too hard not to smile at it.

"I didn't think you would," he said, leaning his head back. "It's memorable."
The way he never forgot what it was like the first time he came -- on a steamer.

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

Bella was mesmerized even by what little she could see, the low light of early morning and the hazy cover of clouds below making it difficult to get the best of views.

"This is amazing. I don't even know how to say thank you enough," she sighed, sitting back at last.

[themidnightson]

Edward chuckled lightly, watching her. "If this how you are now, watching London appear through a small plastic foggy window, how will you ever have anything left to say when you get to see something up close."

Amusingly, he understood Carlisle of eight years ago better in that moment.

The slowly growing city of London was only the smallest cent of a whole world he would offer her if he was allowed. For nothing more than her smile, in gratitude for her being alive at all, being born, still being here after Phoenix and James.

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"I'm trying to get all my ridiculousness out of the way now so I can avoid looking like a dopey tourist when we land."

Like she's ever going to be able to contain herself once she's in a country she thought she'd at least have to wait until post-college to visit. And with the one person she wanted to be everywhere with, always.

[themidnightson]

Edward let him mouth form an 'o' shape, golden eyes teasingly bright, before saying, "You mean you think you won't be wearing a camera and some article of clothing with the London heraldry on it by the end of the morning?"

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

She did have a small disposable camera tucked into her bag, but that was totally reasonable!

"I have to be careful. Pictures and clothes are evidence, and I didn't even tell Renée where I was really going. She'd let it slip before the week was up."

She was just going to have to give the camera to Edward with instructions to keep the pictures until she was safely out of either parent's house for good.

[themidnightson]

"Reasonably careful," Edward corrected. "Alice and Jasper have been an 'awarded internship' in France for a while."

This comes with finger quotes, because it is a story for Carlisle more than any of them. Where his children end up when they aren't in town. Because no one in Forks would believe Carlisle let his daughter and son who look sixteen and seventeen, gallivant in Europe.

"You could logically have ended up with a few things shipped back to you from Alice through my family if she's taken a weekend vacation to check out England."

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

Bella shook her head in amazement.

"You really think of everything, don't you? Your whole family... I can't imagine being able to construct these air-tight stories and having them actually work every time."

She wasn't used to outright lying, even for the best of causes. This trip was a risk that was worth it, but she was still mentally planning how she'd avoid the inevitable eternal grounding should she get caught.

[themidnightson]

This is because Bella is bad at lying. It works to Edward's advantage being unable to hear anything from her. And it did make him wonder if Charlie would figure out what was happening, but then he hadn't figured them out for the months Bella knew either.

It was a precarious balancing between the two.

"We've been doing this for decades. It's the price of keeping ourselves and everyone around us safe without boring ourselves to death with small towns covered in clouds. We have to carefully maintain each piece of anything we tell them for our life if we want to live together in any sensible order."

Beat. "Milliways definitely makes some things easier."

And Bella, herself, but that was obvious, right?

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"I guess you don't really have the issue of forgetting any of the details," Bella mused. That had to make it easier.

Milliways, for her, made some things more complicated in that it was one more thing to keep track of and then keep secret. But she didn't have the practice.

"What does it make easier, specifically?"

[themidnightson]

"We can choose to conform or not to assumptions people make while looking at us, knowing our choices there aren't implicitly going to impact our life, as it is," Edward offered.

This was the way of baseball, and Prom, and Carlisle's working in the infirmary as much as it was passing on tea cups, and taking on the labyrinth.


He paused in the perfect spot just before the captain came on to tell them about the weather and the traffic to the flight carrying on from the landing, and others connecting. And wished them all a wonderful day.




Edward waited long enough for the overhead light to switch again, while taking her hand. And referencing a problem not his, because their problems were his in a manner of speaking. He heard them all.

"Among the best reasons for it for them: Jasper and Alice, Emmett and Rosalie don't have to worry about contesting the notion of being siblings, adopted or not. They can simply be themselves, together, somewhere that isn't only our house or on trips far away from their daily lives."

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"Doesn't that make it harder to go back to pretending?"

Bella couldn't imagine not just being herself, all the time. It was going to be something to think about if she could ever get Edward to consider changing her.

[themidnightson]

She didn't understand. But he didn't expect her, too.

He studied her deep brown eyes wondering how to make any of it apparent, wondering what her thoughts connected to it were, even her assumptions, whether they were right or wrong. He might not like Milliways, but he understood why the greater part of his family was gravitating to it.

"Not when the other side would be the not have those hours or days, with," there is hesitation, a pause, smaller than the millionth of a microsecond, where he almost says their mate, but certain things were best left maybe unsaid. "--the one they love, at all."

There were so few costs he wouldn't bear now simply to sit next to the precious creature at his side. It. She defied and clarified every question he'd ever had about their loyalties.

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"I appreciate the extra time it gives us, anyway. And the kitten incident; that was kind of awesome."

She wasn't going to mention her short-lived sparkly self; that had been embarrassing. Next time she was going to be sure to get clear details on any alterations Bar offered her.

And if it came to it, she appreciated the fact that Milliways might provide someone else to do the thing that would let them have all the time they wanted, ever. But Bella was wise enough (for the moment) not to say that one out loud.

[themidnightson]

Edward snorted and rolled his eyes, commenting back, "At least I can be grateful no one else saw that," as the plane touched down and continued to caddy down the runway.

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

Bella held her breath for a moment, until the plane definitely had lost enough momentum that they weren't going to crash into anything unfortunate. It was a tiny superstition of hers; she had to be paying attention when the plane landed.

When she drew her attention back to Edward a moment later, Milliways was all but forgotten.

"Your very first visit here, what was it like?"

[themidnightson]

"It was a long time ago. Shortly after I met Carlisle."

There isn't any hesitation in either part of the phrasing, and a year or two after being changed was still short in comparison to the number of decades post that time, as well. He stood up, holding out a hand for her even as he retrieved bags from the top compartment.

"Europe was different then, but I was enchanted with much it." In the repercussions of the war he'd missed as well as the ties to Carlisle's past. And his new way to cheat understanding.

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"I'm guessing you didn't come to see Jane Austen's house," Bella noted, slipping her hand into his and trying not to bounce. The line off the plane never moved fast enough.

"Will you take me to see a favorite place of yours? If we have time?"

[themidnightson]

He kept all the bags, neither asking or considering even. But he looked amused for the request, his lips, crookedly, curling at the very edges. "Your wish, my command."

Disembarking didn't take too long. Waiting for suitcases was even longer. But eventually they had everything, and he got them outside for a taxi. He gave off the name of the hotel and pulled out his phone, sending a message.

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

Bella did her best not to gawk around too obviously at everything yet, but she was still practically buzzing with excitement. She'd officially set foot in another country. Sure, it was looking like it might rain, since they'd had to choose a week when sunshine wasn't an option, but it was still far beyond and vacation she'd have planned on her own. She wouldn't even have said yes if she hadn't been too ecstatic at the idea and her rediscovered freedom to think of any answer but yes.

"Letting them know we arrived safely?" she asked, noticing the phone.

[themidnightson]

"Esme." Edward clarified. "She worries."

There was a fond smirk. "You'd think we all were still teenagers."

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"At least with me along she's not entirely wrong," Bella countered with a grin. She was both teenaged and likely to attract catastrophe.

"I'm actually kinda glad I told Charlie that there was no way my phone was getting any reception where we were going, otherwise he might've expected hourly updates."

[themidnightson]

She's adorable, even with her cheekiness to shake his head at. Even though the others worried about him, as well, and more so in someways. Because of her. The temptation, combine with being so far away from anyone else. What would happen if something did.

"You don't think he would have been sold on the squirrels talking foreign languages?"

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"I don't think I would've been able to keep the timezones straight enough to call at reasonable times."

She would either have to stay awake until stupid-o-clock or risk calling home way too early. If Bella was going to lie, that lie had to be foolproof without any actual interference from her.

[themidnightson]

"So much safer not to risk it," Edward agreed. Even though Charlie was such a smaller risk. And he was risking everything else. Still. For, among the my things, the hilariously at ease expression on her face even right this second.

Thankfully, their taxi pulled over, in front of a large hotel. Distracting him with the necessities for paying and getting her suitcase from the back.