A New Place to Stay (Edmund)

[Claire Weiss]

Every bit of this felt like it was some sort of dream. Claire wondered if it really was and she was going to wake up from it and things would be back to the way they once where. This just had to be one of those 'what if' dreams, didn't it? In a way, this sort of scared Claire. It wasn't the commitment that she was afraid of. She was scared that this was some sort of thing Edmund was pulling, and she was just scared that she was just going to wake up from this dream and none of this really happened.

She knew he couldn't really be lying to her. Not even Edmund would go so far as to tell anyone that he felt at home with them, would he? That wasn't just something that he would just tell, she rationalized, because it would probably make the other person stay around longer, wouldn't it?

Thoughts shouldn't have been running through her head the way they were but it was something she couldn't help. She was unaware of the blush that rose to her cheeks and the automatic shy like smile that came as a response. Claire wasn't sure how to respond to that statement. He had just admitted more so that he cared for her, right? However, Claire didn't feel that it was the right time to tell him why she left France without so much as a note.

She moved a hand to his cheek and rubbed her thumb gently over it. "I care a lot about you, you know that right?" Claire wasn't sure where that came from but she wanted him to know at least that much.

[Edmund Fairfax]

Neither of them were particularly trusting people. This was because they were both dishonest people at heart; they were used to playing games. But this game between them had changed, and somehow they had gotten closer than they had ever intended. Claire knew more about him than any other person, even Derek and Zach. But it was because she knew him so well that it wouldn't be easy for her to completely trust him with her heart. And Edmund, for his part, kept wondering when she was going to slip out of his arms again, forcing him to chase her once again.

These things were going to take time. If Claire would let him, Edmund was prepared to spend the rest of his life proving to her that she could trust him. He had done a lot of bad things; he'd told a lot of lies and slept with a lot of women, but for Claire, he was willing to change. She fit into his arms better than any other woman ever had.

"I care about you, too," he told her, leaning in to kiss her.

[Claire Weiss]

She wanted to trust him completely, she really did but that was going to take a little bit more time. Everything was going to be taken one step at a time. Claire didn't just want to throw herself into something, only to get hurt. That was the one thing that was preventing her from just letting go completely. She was going to have to be careful, at least for now.

When he said that he cared about her too, Claire let herself go just a little more. There was that trust that was slowly being handed over to him, without her really realizing it. She closed her eyes as their lips touched. The run from France was extremely worth it. If she hadn't gone, she would have just been one of those other girls and this wouldn't have been happening. It had been purely concidental that they ran into each other back in England. Claire started to think that this didn't just happen by chance. It was supposed to happen, but she wasn't sure if she should just hand everything over. What if this was life playing some kind of trick on her and everything was going to end badly? No. She wasn't going to to allow herself to think that way, at least not now. Good things could happen and this was one of those good things. She could just let herself be happy for awhile.

Claire pulled away for just a moment. "Don't let me go, okay," she said very softly. It was just her way of making an assurance for herself that he wasn't just going to let go easily.

[Edmund Fairfax]

It was strange how, even though this should have felt strange and different to Edmund, it didn't. Somehow he felt as though this was something he had been waiting to happen for a very long time.... since before he ever even met Claire. By this point in most of his other relationships, he'd already be out the door. But he didn't want to go anywhere. He wanted to stay right here with her. It felt like he had found a home that he hadn't even realized existed.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her in a low voice, pressing another kiss on her lips. "Promise me you won't take off and go to America or something. Because if you do, I'm going to have to follow you."

[Claire Weiss]

Claire let out a small, quiet laugh. "I promise," she said with a smile. Knowing the fact that he was willing to chase after her again, that made her want to keep to that promise. If he left, she had a feeling that she would chase after him. Edmund wasn't going to be the type that she could just get over or let go easily. They had a long past and finally all the running and chasing had stopped because they finally caught up to each other. She wondered if since the chase had gone on for so long, and now it was pretty much over, if there would be any boredom after awhile. Claire didn't think she could get bored with him, but what about him? He wouldn't get bored of her would he?

"I'm quite happy to stay right here," she said leaning up on an elbow. "All of this has been a long time coming, and I'm glad that it finally happened."

[Edmund Fairfax]

Edmund was pretty sure he would never get bored with Claire. There were ways that they would be able to keep things fresh and new between them, and he knew Claire would never make things easy for him. And he wouldn't have it any other way. They were perfect for each other.

"I'm glad you're glad," he said, reaching over and tracing the lines of her lips with one finger. "And I'm glad that your apartment was damaged in the attack so that you had to come here and live with me. Who knows how much longer you would have continued to play hard-to-get with me? But you know what? I would have kept chasing you. As long as it took. I'm just glad you didn't make me wait until I was an old man."

[Claire Weiss]

Claire let out a soft laugh. "I wouldn't have kept you chasing until you were an old man," she said amusedly. "I would have given in to you sooner or later. You made it awfully hard many times to keep my distance." She thought at one point in time she would tell him of France, but this moment was not really the time.

There was a lot of relief that he would have kept chasing her. Claire had a feeling that he would continue to chase her but she was ready to rest for awhile for now. "Oddly enough, I'm pretty glad my apartment was damaged too. In fact, I'm glad that you offered me a place to stay even after everything I've put you through."

[Edmund Fairfax]

Edmund chuckled. Suddenly it all seemed funny, how they had fought each other, teased each other, tried to trick each other. It had been one heck of a game, and now that it was over, Edmund felt relieved. The longer the game between them had gone on, the more deeply he had fallen in love with her. Even he hadn't been sure until this very moment that he wouldn't get bored and want to move on after they finally reached this point. But now he was sure he could never let her go.

She fit in this house. He could see her in the future, hosting wild, lavish parties and running the household at his side. She matched him in ways that no other woman had ever done before, and he couldn't imagine anyone else being his partner in life.

"Honestly, love, do you really think I'd have chucked you out on the street? You might have gone away again, like you did in France. I couldn't possibly risk losing you again. Besides, I really wanted to show off my place to you. You know, we've barely even begun the tour. I bet I could take weeks showing you around... especially if we make love in every room...." He wiggled his eyebrows at this last part, then leaned in for a kiss.

"Oh... and I was wondering if you would like to meet my parents. They live on the outskirts of the property, in the lake house. They're currently on vacation in the South of France, but they'll be returning at the end of the week."

[Claire Weiss]

Today changed Claire's mind about a few things, although there was a small nagging in her mind. She didn't want to doubt anything so she forced herself to think nothing of the sort.

Edmund's comment about the tour of the house made her laugh and any previous thoughts about doubting anything vanished. "I believe we have two rooms we could mark of the list," she replied teasingly. "I wouldn't mind a tour around the house at some point." Claire winked.

He wanted her to meet his parents? He didn't exactly say plain out that he wanted her to, but he was implying it. Never had Claire met anyone's parents, except for maybe one of her friends that she had in school. She had to admit, it made her a little nervous. What if they didn't like her? What were they going to think of her? Usually, she didn't care about the answers to those questions, but for some reason, she wanted to make an extremely good impression.
"I-I would love to," she said making her voice sound more confident than it sounded when she first started speaking.

[Edmund Fairfax]

Edmund chuckled as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Yes, we will definitely need to finish that tour at some point. I know just the room I'd like to show you next... My private bathroom. It's quite luxurious, and I do believe you'll like it. In fact, it could take a while to show you all of it... I can see us spending a great deal of time in there," he added with a wink.

He knew her well enough by now that he could spot the uncertainty in her voice when he mentioned meeting his parents. But she needn't have worried. Edmund had his parents, like most everyone else in his life, wrapped around his finger. They adored him, and would be happy with anyone he brought home. Claire was lovely, with just the right air of innocence, mixed with a bold spirit, and Edmund was absolutely confident that his parents would love her. His father was half-deaf, anyway, and barely understood what was going on most of the time. His mother was the brains of the family, and although she was shrewd and cautious, she also wanted nothing more than her son's happiness.

"Not to worry, love," he assured her with a kiss. "They'll be captivated by you, I'm sure of it. Just be yourself."