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Post by Claire Weiss on May 28, 2009 13:28:10 GMT -5
She had always wanted huge bay windows looking out onto the hills or mountains. The garden below was an added plus. Claire didn't know how to describe her room. It was full with the simplicities that she liked. The room wasn't really fancy, just perfect. Frills were something she never cared for, and she was glad that he knew it.
At his words, Claire smiled again and kissed him quickly before moving over to the windows. She didn't bother opening them because she was only looking out. This was some kind of heaven.
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on May 30, 2009 16:18:13 GMT -5
He smiled at her expression. She seemed to really love the room, and this made him happy. He knew her better than she probably realized, and almost instinctively knew what she liked and needed.
Following her to the windows, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "On the other side of those hills is a muggle village. I'm sort of treated like royalty there; my family holds a lordship dating back to the middle ages. Did you know that I'm the last of my line? My parents and I are all that's left of a once large and powerful family."
The implication there was that he actually needed to marry and have children to continue the line. His parents were rather weak individuals and had always allowed Edmund to do whatever he pleased, but sooner or later, he was going to have to marry.
And Edmund had chosen his bride.
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Post by Claire Weiss on May 30, 2009 17:22:42 GMT -5
As his arms went around her waist, Claire easily leaned back against him. This was something from one of her far away daydreams that she would have from time to time. It couldn't be real, could it? She didn't really imagine that her stay here would have led to this, but then again she didn't quite remember what she really expected in the first place.
"A muggle village? What's it like over there?" Claire couldn't stop the questions from coming out. Her curiousity would always get the best of her. At his last words, Claire did understand what he was saying, but she didn't really apply it. She just comfortably pressed into him more as they were standing there. To her, it almost seemed like a scene from one of those muggle movies.
The idea of Edmund settling down would have been almost far fetched to her, if she really thought about it. Right now, she wasn't really thinking like she usually was. She just wanted to live in the moment for today, rather than think.
Claire turned to face him while she was still in his arms. "I know I said it earlier, but I do appreciate you letting me stay here."
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on Jun 27, 2009 1:10:17 GMT -5
Edmund smiled. He was feeling the same way, like he was caught in a fantasy of something that surely was just too good to be real. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, almost laughing at how much taller than her he was. Most of the time he didn't even realize just how tiny she really was, because her personality was always so bold and confident.
"Don't mention it, Claire. I couldn't very well leave you out there on the streets, even if it was for only a week. You're always welcome here. I mean that."
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Post by Claire Weiss on Jun 27, 2009 7:43:10 GMT -5
His words seemed to have tugged something in her. On some level he had to care about her to have not wanted her out on the streets, or to find somewhere else to say, or have her always welcomed in his home, right? Claire needed to push those thoughts out of her mind. Now wasn't the time to analyze something like that. She would think about it tomorrow when she was able to think clearly.
Claire wanted to fight the faint pink that helped color her face but she couldn't. "Thank you. That means a lot, really." She smiled. Her arms moved up around his neck. For a long moment, Claire stared up at him almost like she was searching for something. Her breathing slowly matched his and then she leaned up and kissed him gently.
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on Aug 7, 2009 16:38:26 GMT -5
If Edmund had his way, actually, she would be staying indefinitely. And although he wouldn't have admitted it at the time, that was his intention from the very beginning. He wanted her to stay, not for a few days or a week or a month... he wanted her to stay forever.
As her lips found his again, he kept the kiss gentle at first, then deepened it. He swept her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed, not even breaking the kiss as he lowered her down onto the bed.
"Claire, I--" he started to say, but the words came out garbled and unclear. He wanted to say that he loved her, but something held him back. Instead, he kissed her again, while his hands began to untie her robe.
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Post by Claire Weiss on Aug 7, 2009 17:37:22 GMT -5
Feeling his every touch seemed to make her senses heighten. It was almost as if she melted underneath his touch. Claire didn't push him away, she did the complete opposite. She pulled him to her, or rather herself to him. It was a sudden desire that her hands had to be on him and his hands on her.
This time seemed to be slower, like they were reacquainting themselves. Nothing seemed forced or rough and quite frankly Claire liked it. Never had she been touched like that.
Laying there next to him, she carefully ran her fingers across his jawline and kissed him lazily. She smiled gently and rested her head against him. Claire didn't feel like she needed to say anything, for the moment at least.
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on Aug 20, 2009 21:12:55 GMT -5
Edmund had known more than his fair share of women; this was no secret. But Claire... she was his equal. He had no doubt about that. He felt complete with her, like he finally made sense. He loved her. He knew it as surely as he knew his own name. So why was it so hard to say the words?
"Claire," he said softly, twisting a lock of her hair around his finger. "I want you to stay here with me. Permanently."
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Post by Claire Weiss on Aug 21, 2009 6:43:04 GMT -5
"Hm," she asked as she still laid there beside him. Claire wasn't that aware that she had been looking up at him almost adoringly. Whenever she let down her defenses, it wasn't that hard to read her.
At the word permanently, she looked at him questioningly. "Permanently? As in we wake up together, do whatever during the day, go to bed, and then wake up together the next morning and repeat?" His request was something that she had been waiting for a long time for him to say, but when he finally said it, Claire couldn't help but be surprised.
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on Oct 9, 2009 18:35:36 GMT -5
His lips spread into a slow, sleepy smile. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean," he said.
It wasn't a proposal, not yet. The idea of marriage was something he'd still have to get used to. It was really a shocking thought... Edmund Fairfax getting married. He couldn't begin to imagine the ridicule he'd probably face from Derek and Zachary... although, it was entirely possible that Zach would be pretty close behind him. Derek, however.... well, that was another story.
"Stay here with me," he said.
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Post by Claire Weiss on Oct 12, 2009 6:01:26 GMT -5
Part of her wondered if this was just some kind of twisted joke but she ruled that out. He wouldn't do anything like that to her, would he? Claire also wondered how long this was going to last. Edmund finally got what he had been after so would he just keep her around for whenever he felt the need, she was already there?
That last thought alone disturbed her. How was she going to know for sure that he just wasn't playing her? It was just an assurance that she needed, given Edmund's past.
The idea of leaving was still fresh in her mind but she wasn't going to mention anything. Claire turned so that she could rest her head on him and she was pressed up against him. She didn't say anything, hoping that the movement she had just made was a sufficient answer.
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on Jan 13, 2010 16:55:17 GMT -5
Of course that was what he wanted. Claire knew him well enough to know that he would never ask her something like that unless he meant it. And yet, she also knew him well enough to not trust it. How could he blame her, really? She had seen him chase women so many times. The ironic thing was that she was always the one he wanted to catch.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean, Claire. I would like for you to stay here. With me. You belong here.”
Maybe they could start that way, just living together, just enjoying being together. It didn’t have to mean that they would get married right away. Or at all.
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Post by Claire Weiss on Jan 16, 2010 22:16:45 GMT -5
Even though Claire knew that Edmund wouldn’t say anything he didn’t mean, she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen. She had seen him chase women many times and she had also seen him throw women away. She didn’t want to be thrown away. Sure, Claire had a few men as well but there came a time when she stopped because she really only wanted one. Even when she really realized it, she knew that that one was probably not going to ever settle down.
There was a funny feeling whenever Edmund said that she belonged there. That funny feeling was butterflies in her stomach and her face feel warm. Even though she felt those feelings and wanted to stay with him, part of her wondered what he would do if she left. Would he come after her or would he just let her go? Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought that maybe he would come after her because of the long fight that they had and he finally had her, but somewhere in the back of her mind she thought maybe he would just let her go. She didn’t want him to just let her go, but she had to find out for sure. Edmund was a player, that was for certain, but she wanted to know if she was the pawn in the game or if he really stopped his old ways for her.
Claire snuggled against him, then looked up and smiled at him softly before pressing a kiss to his jaw.
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on Feb 15, 2010 19:34:28 GMT -5
Could he really change his ways? He wanted to, for the first time in his life. But could people really change? He had been this way for a very long time, and had been chasing women since he was barely out of diapers. It was the one thing he had always been good at, flirting and teasing. He always knew the right things to say and the right things to do. He knew how to touch them to make them quiver, and how to kiss them just enough to leave them wanting more.
But Claire... for so long, she had eluded him, and it drove him mad. She played his game almost as well as he did, and now, after such a long battle, she was finally here, with him. If she decided to leave right now, he could not let her go. He would chase after her. He would always chase her.
Pressing a lazy kiss on her lips, he smiled softly. "Are you comfortable? I can send for some food, if you like."
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Post by Claire Weiss on Mar 7, 2010 20:24:29 GMT -5
That was exactly what she wanted. Claire wanted to know that Edmund would chase after her if she left. She wanted to know that she was wanted. Every girl, no matter who they were, wanted to feel wanted. Ever since France, that was all Claire wanted. At first, she thought that she was just going to be on her own for the rest of her life, picking up men here and there, never staying in one place for too terribly long. Then came that trip to France.
She was just there to have fun and do a little sightseeing. Never did Claire expect to run into anyone like Edmund. Even to this day she didn't understand what drew her in. There was just something there, it wasn't just his charm or looks. Claire knew that she couldn't let herself go when she first met him. That was the reason she left France. For some part of the trip she had let some of her guard down but then she realized what was happening and thats when she pulled up her defenses back up and ran. When they met again in England, it was a peculiar event to occur.
Once she had run into him again, Claire knew that she wasn't going to just leave the country again. She wanted to see where it could end up. So far, it ended up here but she wanted more. She wanted to know that he wasn't just playing her. Although, he wouldn't be playing her if their game had gone on this long, would he? She had known him long enough to have her doubts and for once, she hoped that her doubts were completely wrong.
"I'm perfectly comfortable," she said with a light smile. Her guard was down and there was no way she could really pull it back up quickly. He had torn through her guard. Claire reached up and started to play with some of his hair as they laid there beside each other. This was something that she wouldn't mind doing every day. Being content and lazy while laying beside him. "As for food, I believe I'm alright for the moment."
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on Mar 8, 2010 16:16:09 GMT -5
Whether Claire knew it or not, this moment was unique for Edmund. For the first time ever, he was perfectly content to just lie in bed with another person, holding her while the rest of the world went on without them. Most women were out the door as soon as the deed was done, unless of course, he left first.
But it felt good just to be here with Claire, just lying here with her and holding her.
“Good,” he replied, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. “I’m content to stay right where we are. I didn’t have any other plans today, other than showing you around the house. But that can wait for later. Much later. But for now, I want to know everything there is to know about you.”
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Post by Claire Weiss on Mar 8, 2010 20:06:23 GMT -5
The moment was actually unique for Claire as well. She never just stayed in bed laying next to someone, just talking, enjoying being there with each other. Claire didn't want to move from here. The world could be falling apart and she wouldn't care as long as she was where she was.
She loved the fact that he was playing with her hair. Having her hair played with was one of Claire's favorite things. It always soothed her. "Hm, that can wait until later," she agreed with a smile. "Everything there is to know about me?" That made Claire want to curl her toes under. She knew that he hadn't done this with any other girl and it made her pretty happy.
"I dunno where to start," she said willing to tell whatever he wanted to know. "You already know a lot about me. I was an only child and I wanted to get out on my own when I could. I wanted to travel, to cook, to do whatever I felt like doing without a care in the world. I wanted to see everything I could, which is what I was doing when we first met." There was still a light smile on her face as she mentioned when they first met. "I had already seen a lot of the world and I wanted to find a place where I could slow down just a little which is how I ended up in England. I wanted to be able to have a place I could call my own home and cook for myself all the time and that kind of thing."
Claire didn't go into to much detail about her life. She left out the details as to why she left France and she hoped that he didn't ask. She wasn't sure if she could lie about that at the moment.
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on May 11, 2010 11:20:50 GMT -5
It was sort of a strange thing that they had met in France, when they both had spent most of their lives in England. Edmund, for all of his money and prestige, didn't travel as much as he would have liked. He loved travel, of course, but the duties of his estate generally kept him close to home. The only reason he had been in France those years ago had been because of his family's smaller, but equally important estate in the south of France. His mother often referred to it as "their summer home," but his parents were currently staying there year-round.
But the fact that Edmund and Claire had met in France, instead of here, and then found each other again... it felt a little bit like fate.
"I hated it when you left," he commented. "I consoled myself as best as I could, of course... but I missed you."
It still wasn't the declaration of love that was in his heart, but it was still significant. He had never told anyone, not his parents or his friends or any other woman, that he missed them.
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Post by Claire Weiss on May 12, 2010 17:49:14 GMT -5
"You missed me," she said softly. This came as a surprise. Maybe it shouldn't have surprised her at all, considering where they were now and how they got there. Maybe it was just the fact that Edmund admitted that he did miss her that was surprising.
Claire ran her finger gently along his jaw. It was all odd that they ended up meeting again, that was for certain but she wasn't going to complain. It made her feel warm and different when he told her he missed her. That was a sign that he cared a lot about her. And it was those words that made her fall more.
"I missed you too," she replied meeting his eyes again. "I missed everything."
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Post by Edmund Fairfax on May 30, 2010 13:24:40 GMT -5
Back when he first met Claire, Edmund had always been about the chase. Wooing a woman, romancing her, making her fall... those were the things he almost enjoyed more than the inevitable sex. He had been in the middle of that game with Claire back in France, and he had been pretty sure he was winning. Until the day she disappeared. For the longest time, she had been the unfinished game... the one that got away. And even when they found each other again, she kept eluding him every time, until he was sure he would go mad from it. And somewhere in the middle of that, the game had changed. Without even realizing it, he was playing for keeps this time.
"Yes, I missed you," Edmund replied. "More than I even realized at the time. I thought it was just because we had unfinished business... But now I realize that I felt--I feel--more at home when I'm looking in your eyes than I feel anywhere else."
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