Old times with old love

Gregory

The carriage pulled up outside the church a little early and I stepped down and then held my hand up to Catherine. She smiled and placed her fingers in my own but then, impulsively, I leaned forwards and scooped her from the carriage, spinning her around before placing her down.

"Gregory!" she laughed, "That's hardly proper in front of all these people!" I turned to them and, scooping my top hat from my head, gave a mock bow. There really weren't that many and most of them were known to my wife and I.

"This way, dear," I said softly, leading her inside. She paused at the entrance and raised a pale blue gloved hand to her throat.

"Oh, how beautiful," she murmured. I glanced around at the lovely decorations - the crisp, white tablecloth across the altar, the sugar paper confetti decorating the floor and the magnificant flowers.

"Not as beautiful as you," I replied.

After the wedding Elizabeth kept arm in arm with Thomas, she couldn't help it. She was his now, and she felt the need to flaunt it. She didn't realize when she picked up her second glass of wine how easily she was affected by it.

She talked and chatted, and of course danced with Thomas as much as she could manage. Reveling in the feeling of no longer being Elizabeth Bennet but Elizabeth Moore.

"I love you," he said as he leaned in to kiss her, she pulled her head back only long enough to manage a response.

"Not half as much as I love you."

Gregory

I tried not to show my distaste throughout the proceedings and even managed a rather civil congratulations, not that the couple were paying attention. They actually seemed to be genuinely happy together. So this was not revenge against myself? Perhaps she truly did love him...

"Oh Gregory, do let's have a drink and then do let's dance," Catherine urged, tiny pearls beginning to form in her eyes. She took out a handkerchief and I gently teased it from her fingers and dabbed at the corner of each iris.

"Of course, Catherine, we shall drink to the health of the happy couple." She smiled and squeezed my hand.

"Thank you. I know how much he's hurt you." I looked at her in surprise.

"How intuitive of you darling." She laughed lightly, the sound of water trickling over stones. How pretty, how peaceful.

"A toast to the happy couple and to us and our child." I paused with the wine half way to my mouth.

"Child?" I whispered. She nodded happily and I smiled and drained the glass. She took a single sip of hers before I took it from her grasp.

Hm...weren't we going to kill Abigals husband here? Oh well, we'll kill him later in a freak accident or something.

Time lapse!

Weeks went by and slowly Elizabeth was able to push all thoughts of Gregory out of her head. Cathrine was pregnant, and Elizabeth suspected that she was too. She hadn't said anythign to Thomas yet, and wouldn't until she was sure.

A nother two weeks passed and she became sure that she wasn't. But she was still quite moody and that caused a bit of tension between her and Thomas.

Gregory

"No, I forbid it!" I declared, beginning to get exasperated. Catherine placed her hands on her hips and pouted, pushing those plump, red lips together in a way that would have made me want to kiss her if she weren't being so irritable.

"But Gregory..." she whined and then suddenly she threw herself into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Steady, the baby..."

"Why can't we go? Just think, riding through the trees, under the big, blue sky." I felt my headache growing. My wife's mood swings were starting to affect my own temperament.

"I'm going out," I decided.

"But..."

"No questions Catherine, I'm going. Isabelle will be here soon for your amusement but I need a night to myself." I shut the door hard behind me. What a headache!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth ran along the streets of town, knowing if she avoided the bookstore Thomas would never know she was out. Tears blurred her vision and all she could think to do was to run as fast as she could and seak out Gregory's comfort.

She almost didn't see when she ran into him, and as soon as he embraced her in a comforting gesture she couldn't stop herself. She collappsed into his arms and sobbed.

Gregory

I did not realise who had run into my arms at first but then the lamp light fell across her face.

"Elizabeth?" I asked, patting her arm awkwardly as she clung to my clothes. Tears spilled from her eyes to be caught by the wind or dashed against my shirt. "What has he done? Did he hurt you?"

"No..." She shook her head.

"Come on, let's go somewhere, a hotel or something where you can get warm..." She didn't resist as I led her in that direction and in fact she remained close to me. What had I done to deserve such affection from her? From a woman who I had wished ill upon her wedding day?

Elizabeth was beyond enough rational thought to feel foolish. All she could do was think about her arguement earlier, Thomas seemed to be losing his mind, spending more and more time with Abigals husband. He hadn't raised a hand to her, yet. But the emotional sting he brought apon her hurt worse than anything else he could ever do.

She couldn't even calm herself down enough to explain to Gregory what had happened, and how close she could tell that Thomas was about to raise his hand to her.

"There there," he said still holding her close as if he could sense that she needed it. "What happened?"

Elizabeth sat up and away from him, and pressed the back of her hand to her eyes.

"Has he hurt you?" he asked again.

"No," She shook her head, "at least not yet. I fear he's very close to though. I haven't the faintest idea of what I could have done to displease him so."

Heather! Its your turn!

Gregory

"He's easily displeased," I replied with a grimace as I stood from the hotel bed and crossed the room to the window. I looked out across the moor and wondered how I had managed to stray so far from my previous ideals. "I tried to warn you of him. I should have tried harder. Tomas was a cruel child and he became a violent man."

"How can you determine so much from one incident, one accident?" Elizabeth asked. I turned to face her, shrouded in a ghostly light from the setting sun at my back.

"He hit his mother once, when he was a child. Most thought he could not know of the implications of his actions, for she was with child, but he did. He told me afterwards that he hoped she would lose the baby."

Elizabeth's heart studdered and she started sobbing harder.

"I wish I were dead," she muttered, half hoping that he would hear her and half hoping that he wouldn't.

"Don't think that," he said brushing hair back from her face.

Gregory

I brushed some stray strands of hair away from her face and then she looked up at me, her eyes glassy with tears.

"Gregory..." I placed a finger on her lips and leaned in to whisper h=in her ear.

"Shush. There's something I didn't tell you. That first day I met you, I knew you wasn't from around here. Something just didn't add up. Where are you from Elizabeth? Are you a witch?"

*hopefully a psyick moment! That is SO cheesy Heather! But I love it!*

Elizabeth shook her head, for in truth she had forgotten where she came from, the life she had left behind in the future. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you have bewitched me," he whispered and lowered his mouth to hers.

*I know. There wasn't really a way for the plan to work without it being cheesy and I thought if I was going to go for it, I might as well go all the way XD*

Gregory

Gregory kissed her long and deep as he leaned forward, pressing her body against the soft quilt of the bed. Elizabeth reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and Gregorytucked his own around her waist and across her back.

They pulled apart and for a moment, Gregory paused, his eyes filled not with regret but caution. Elizabeth undid the top button of his shirt and then the second and he reached behind her back to unfasten the ribbons and buttons there. He kissed her neck gently, moving across her collar bone as he bared her shoulders and then pulled back once more to remove the shirt that hung at his arms and to wriggle out of the trousers.

"Help me untie this," Elizabeth urged, indicating a thin, wired corset.

Elizabeth gasped as the garmet loosened and air rushed into her lungs. She loved the sensual feel of that. Still kissing they continued to undress each other.


*short I know*