Charles/Laura fic, chapter 17 'Through Time & Seasons'
Through Time & Seasons
By Missbevcrusher
Rated [M]
This story is the continuation, as I see it, of the movie For All Time.
Lost the thread? A condensed recap of the story can be found (here)
Previous chapters can be found in their entirety (here)
Thanks go out to tayryn for doing such a great job with the beta. I really appreciate it, girl.
Chapter 17 ~ The River Hollows
It started with a look, a lingering gaze thrown over her shoulder as Charles trailed a few steps behind. The visual connection was enticing, intense in how it made her feel. His blue-grey eyes seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, sometimes straying, unabashedly following the sway of her hips as her feet ferried her closer and closer to the river.
The way he was looking at her… Goodness, it made her feel desirable.
It might have been unseemly but frankly, right now, Laura didn’t care.
Anticipation was knotting her insides and her breaths were shallow. It was remarkable how easily he could evoke this particular response in her, how her knees would turn to water at the mere thought of being alone with him.
One more step, and then another. As her hand brushed tall blades of grass, Laura reluctantly severed eye contact and kept on going. If she was honest, she had to look away because she feared giving in before they got there.
They hadn’t spoken in a while, not since they had left the wagon behind the old Haines place. But even as words remained unspoken, their silence was anything but empty. The energy fairly crackled between them, a smoldering intensity born out of all that was good and maddening in their relationship.
As they reached the grove, tall grass yielded to a soft carpet of green. Their footfalls grew silent.
“Starry night,” Charles observed after a time, his voice low against the incessant chirping of crickets and the faint trickle of water in the distance.
Looking up, Laura had to agree. “It is.”
The moonlight was filtered here, the canopy of interweaving branches black and distinct against the star studded cerulean sky.
Continuing on her way, Laura noted how the terrain started to rise in a subtle slope beneath her feet. They were almost there. Several steps more and they would crest over the hill overlooking their secret refuge.
When the river hollows finally came into view, her breath actually fled.
As gorgeous as it was during the day, this place was even more beautiful at night.
A mirror to the heavens, the meandering river shimmered and sparkled as it hugged the countryside. From where she stood, Laura could feel a gentle breeze on her face, a perfect companion to the soft whisper of fluttering leaves overhead.
It was all so perfect.
As Charles went about tethering the horse to a nearby tree, she drew a cleansing breath, her hands rising to remove the pins holding her hat in place. Nimble fingers made easy work of it and soon the bonnet lay forgotten on the soft incline near the old weathered trees that so defined this place.
Unable to resist the enchanting shards of light dancing on the water, Laura came to stand near the river’s edge, her skin rising in goose flesh when her ears caught the grassy rustle of Charles’ approaching footsteps.
When, at last, he reached her-his arms snaking around her waist, his chin coming to rest on her shoulder-Laura shivered.
“Cold?” he asked, sensing her tremors and lightly kissing the rim of her ear.
Her eyes were closed, her voice near breathless when she answered, “No.” To be honest, her mind was swimming with thoughts of the other night, of the two of them stealing passionate kisses in the dark at the Gazette. “I’m just happy to be here… with you.”
With these words, she slowly spun around in his arms, her gaze flickering to his beautiful mouth and lingering. Had she not been so enraptured, Laura would have kissed him right then and there. But she was lost-lost to him and his proximity.
“Look at me.” Spoken on a murmur, these words were accompanied by a feather-light touch to the side of her face.
Yielding to his request, she lifted her chin and sought his eyes, how gentle were they.
Charles slowly leaned in, stopping just short of touching his lips to hers. “May I kiss you?”
Laura’s eyelids fell shut. “Yes.”
With the river as their witness, they started kissing, slowly at first, then more passionately. The wait had been long, interminable even. And as they reveled in the rare gift of being truly alone together, the two of them slowly dropped to their knees, the front of their thighs touching as hands roamed with tender possession, fingers curling every once in a while, fervently clutching fabric as if it were a lifeline.
Raining kisses on her face, Charles whispered things, beautiful things that both roused and moved her. Just the want in his voice, the reverence in his hooded gaze… Goodness. It stoked the fire burning within, making her feel like a woman who was loved and desired eagerly, with respect always at the fore.
Willing herself to breathe, Laura wondered if he knew, if he could possibly know how much she adored him. Rejoicing in the sweet sting of gathering tears, she suddenly brought her hands to his face and told him she loved him.
“I love you, too,” he breathed in return, sinking his hands in the coiled mass of her hair and pulling her into a kiss so lush it made her insides flutter.
For several thundering heartbeats, they remained enlaced, chests heaving as their bodies yearned for more.
More, more, more. The word had become an all-consuming litany in Laura’s consciousness, one that had her lower herself toward the grass, sighing gratefully when Charles followed, unceasing in the worshipping of her mouth.
When he finally settled his weight atop of her, she hummed low in her throat, unabashedly thrilling at the way his body responded to hers.
Whatever happened tonight, no matter where they would draw the line, there would be no guilt, no shame, for the love between them was unwavering and true.
As Laura reached for the opening of his jacket, parting the woolen fabric and guiding it down his shoulders, she met his questioning gaze and smiled a languorous smile. “Let’s make the most of this,” was all she said.
Hovering above, Charles watched her for a few moments, his lips curving into a kind smile when he shed his jacket and nodded, almost gently. “Alright.”
Neither of them spoke after this-at least not for a while.
As the breeze lessened and stilled, long contained desires surged like a rising tide, carrying them both as they laid entwined, much like that day, so long ago now.
Wanting and needing to feel the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips, Laura brought her hands to the front of his shirt. Then, with her gaze filtered through her lashes, she guided the first button through the opening in the fabric. It slipped free with delightful ease, then on she went, deftly releasing the second disk before moving on to the third.
Undressing him this way, even if only partially, was enough to make her ache in a way she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Half of the buttons were undone now and the shirt was hanging slack. As her fingers discovered the little hairs on his chest, Laura bit her bottom lip and blinked a slow blink.
Whether he was aware of it or not, this man was incredibly handsome, alluring and tempting beyond belief. Unable to take her eyes off of him, she placed the flat of her palm over his heart, sighing deeply when he covered her hand with his and held it there. “Feel that?” His breathing was jagged, his pulse as frantic as her own.
She nodded, her mouth curving in delight.
“That’s what you do to me.”
Breathless and blushing, Laura rose on her left elbow, sought his mouth and gently tugged on his lower lip.
A smile as her reward, she watched him watch her, a hum rising in her throat when he suddenly turned the tables and claimed her mouth. His kiss was pure hunger and she could only moan, reveling in the joys of being a woman as a quiver of arousal began low in her belly.
God, this was amazing, he was amazing, radiating a confidence that had her literally trembling with want.
And so she drifted, conscious thought ceding to the wonderful sensations coursing throughout her being. It had been so long since she had been touched, that the mere press of his body was enough to send maddening shivers down the length of her spine.
The warmth seeping through his shirt, the play of his back muscles beneath her fingertips, the way his hips seemed to mould perfectly to hers-she luxuriated in all of those things.
This moment was a gift, one they would remember for a very long time to come. As Laura tilted her head back, offering the column of her throat to his roving kisses, she soaked in the soothing attentions he lavished on her and wished it could be so every night.
By the time his fingers wandered to the front of her blouse, her breath actually fled and her heart said ‘yes’.
She wanted this-goodness how she wanted this-but Charles seemed to waver for a moment, his fingers lingering on the top button as it threatened to slip free.
Bless him. He was such a gentleman, even now, when his body was literally trembling with want of her.
As the stars moved steadily across the sky, Laura sought his fingers, and gave her consent in a way he was sure to understand.
Slowly, with a definite heaviness settling in her flesh, she helped him along, released the first three buttons under his darkening gaze. The moment was indescribably sensual and grew even more so when Charles traced a delicate line down the side of her neck, over the slope of her collar bone, and lower still. When, at last, he reached the opening in her blouse, the side of his hand grazing the swell of her breast through her chemise, she almost forgot to breathe.
His eyes were looking at her with such reverence and wonder. Laura couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this beautiful. Delving her fingers into his hair, she tilted her head sideways and whispered his name. Her eyelids fell heavily over unshed tears.
Sighs, hushed declarations, and slow winding caresses. The pace was unhurried, their hips rolling in fluid tandem.
It couldn’t have been any more perfect, and yet Laura ached for more, simply couldn’t help it. She had been starved for so long, would have loved to feel his fingers explore various places, pretty much anywhere he wanted to touch.
Turning the possibilities over in her mind, she twinned her fingers with his, and wondered what her answer would be if he asked to make love.
While a part of her wanted to wait, and save this most profound of moments for the day she would be able to welcome him into her home, into her bed, without having to hide it, another-rather considerable-part wanted to give in.
It was so very tempting.
In the end, it was his choice of words that had her stop to take a slight breather. “How far should we take this?” Charles inquired.
His breathing was slightly labored, his eyes shut as his brow came to rest against her temple.
Mulling over his query, Laura licked her lips and tried slow her rapidly beating heart. To say that she was torn would have been putting it mildly. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted.
The next few moments were spent in mutual indecision, the two of them remaining as they were.
Should they? Or shouldn’t they?
The answer was slow to form.
Giving in would be incredibly easy, she thought.
They both wanted this, and yet the idea of taking their time, of slowly discovering one another atop smooth sheets…
Laura cradled his face, sighed deeply.
Seconds turned into minutes. Neither spoke. Neither moved.
Little by little, their indecision faded to a quiet understanding-what they both recognized as being the right choice for them.
They would wait.
...
A blanket of calm gradually descended, leaving nothing but the constant trickle of water and the distant chirping of crickets.
Ardour had slowly given way to quietude, and formerly thundering heartbeats had slowed to a sleepy tempo.
In hindsight, it was better this way, for Laura was a phenomenal woman who deserved nothing less than to be appreciated fully.
Making love out here-while undoubtedly mind-blowing-would have robbed him of too many things, Charles realized. Privileges such as seeing her hair fanned out on a pillow, of slowly discovering the creamy plains of her body and kissing every inch he uncovered.
A hurried affair on the grass, with their clothing pushed just out of the way… Somehow it wasn’t enough.
If he was to have her, he wanted to savour her.
Lightly brushing his nose to her cheek, Charles inhaled deeply, filling his nostrils with a heady blend of earth and grass and the delicate lavender scent that was entirely Laura.
“Look at us.” Her voice was as soft as her laughter-this breathy sort of giggle that shook her frame and made him smile.
They must have made quite a sight, it was true-the two of them, enlaced as they were, with their clothing all askew, their hair mussed and disheveled like two people who had been doing, well, what they had been doing.
Embracing this lighter mood, Charles laughed softly and rolled off of her frame. Their hands linking between them, he shifted to get more comfortable, and stared up at the night sky. “I love it when you laugh like that.”
“Really?” The note of pride in her voice was endearing, and he could easily guess at the smile she wore-that adorable self-satisfied grin he loved so.
“Yeah,” he replied, his thumb grazing the inside of her hand.
For quite some time, they simply gazed at the stars. The sheer number of them was staggering, the absence of smog and bright city lights making them all the more visible. Awed, Charles shook his head, confessed, “The sky was never this clear back in St. Louis.”
At this, Laura said nothing, simply hummed.
He continued. “When conditions were right, we could see the major constellations, but never like this. See that one over there?” Charles pointed to a prominent formation high up in the east. “Leo. It was always my favourite.”
“The lion in the sky,” she finished for him, the words as soft as the trickling water beside them.
Looking at her sidelong, he caught the glimmer in her sea-green eyes and formed only one thought; this woman was loveliness personified.
He would have kissed her just then, but she beat him to it, her hand coming to rest on his cheek just as her mouth found his. In contrast to earlier, the kiss was tempered and decidedly sweeter, full of promise.
When it was over, Laura watched him for a second or two. Then, with a tiny smile splayed on her lips, she sat up and started buttoning her blouse.
Pillowing his head on his forearm, Charles felt content to watch her.
There was something about her in this light. He searched for the word. Exquisite. Yes, exquisite. Her profile was gentle, the rays of the moon making her skin seem all the more translucent. Even her hair seemed different, slightly darker than usual in the bluish glow of night. When her hands rose to fix the disheveled knot at the back of her head, a spark inexplicably kindled within him, and his pulse leapt anew.
Hair pins removed, Laura sought to finger-comb her hair, at first oblivious of the fact that he had risen on his elbows.
Like a moth to a flame, he felt drawn to her, his hand instinctively reaching for hers, gently halting her fingers midway through the act of coiling her hair.
“May I?” he asked, seeing her questioning gaze morph into one of flattered comprehension.
Laura’s assent came by way of a subtle nod, her cheeks turning soft pink beneath his gaze. Looking to his mouth, she lowered her arms, and the rich mass of her hair unfurled onto his waiting fingers.
Wow…
Seeing her like this… thick cascading locks draped over her right shoulder…
Charles swallowed and met her eyes. “You’re stunning, you know that?”
And just like that, they were kissing again, slowly, very deeply. It wasn’t long before a familiar, languorous heat reasserted itself.
Even now, after they had decided to wait, she tempted and roused him.
Their lips smacked softly, once, twice, and three times. Then, summoning every ounce of self-control he possessed, Charles managed to tear his mouth from hers. “Yeah. Okay. I um…” Clearing his throat, he chuckled softly and eased away-albeit reluctantly-then watched as an amused smirk came to curve her beautiful mouth.
Out of a need to put some physical distance between them, he rose and left her to her task. Buttoning his shirt, he neared the river’s edge and contemplated the glossy surface. Cold water, he thought, might do him some good-if only to shift his focus from the rousing thoughts that were running through his head.
Making easy work of his laces, he soon tossed his shoes and removed his socks. Then, once he had rolled the hem of his pants a few times, he took a few tentative steps into the shallows.
The water was cool, but not overly so. It was nice. On a cleansing breath, Charles sunk his hands into his pockets and looked up at the heavens, thinking.
As the water rushed past his ankles, he thought about Laura and how fate had brought them to where they were now.
It was a good place to be.
His heart awash with hope, he then pondered the future, certain of one thing; He wanted her to be in it.
When, at length, he heard the watery sounds of Laura’s footsteps, Charles glanced over his shoulder-though not far enough to see her face-and welcomed the lingering kiss she bestowed just above his shoulder-blade.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked, her arms slipping around his torso as her cheek came to rest on the back of his neck.
He covered her hands with his, admitted, “Lots of things.”
“Such as?” She nudged him playfully and he could feel the smile she wore.
Turning in her arms, he caught her eyes and encircled her waist.
“I was thinking of you and…” he trailed, not yet knowing where the words would lead him. “And how proud I was to have you on my arm tonight.”
“Charmer,” she said, warmth suffusing her features.
“There’s more.”
“Oh?”
“I was also thinking about us…” Reaching for the hand she had placed on his heart, Charles gingerly kissed the inside of her wrist. “And how you’ve brought meaning back into my life.”
His confession might have been overly romantic, perhaps even cliché, but the words moved her nonetheless. He could see it in the way her eyes misted over, in the way she swallowed and looked down for a heartbeat or two.
Laura touched the side of his face just then, her head tilting to the side when she asked, “What did I do to deserve you?”
“I should say the same thing.”
For several long moments, they shared a meaningful look, the visual connection holding until Laura narrowed the gap between them. Her arms snaking lovingly around his frame, she simply hugged him.
He never wanted to let go.
“I had a good time tonight.” Laura’s cheek was resting against his shoulder, her embrace warm and soothing. “Thank you.”
He would have mirrored her sentiment, but his thoughts were floating amid a myriad of possibilities.
Bestowing a lingering kiss to the top of her head, Charles closed his eyes, inhaled deeply. “Marry me,” he suddenly whispered, the words tumbling from his lips before he fully realized.
A part of him couldn’t believe he had proposed out of the blue this way. But he had.
What’s more, he didn’t regret it.
When she eased away and met his gaze, surprise was written on her features.
This was it. There was no turning back. Gathering her hands in his, Charles delved into the sparkling depths of her eyes, continued, “You’re my life, Laura. You and Mary.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek, leaving a glistening trail which she promptly swept with the inside of her palm before bringing her hand back to his.
“At night, I lie awake and I wonder about your hopes and dreams. And I can’t help wanting to be part of them, you know? It’s like…” Finding the right words was something of a struggle. There was so much he wanted to say.
But then she spoke-five little words to reach into the very heart of him. “I want you to be.” A second flitted past and a tiny, emotion-filled smile found its way to her mouth. “Very much.”
His heart filled to bursting, Charles gave an extended blink. “So then-”
“The answer’s yes,” she finished for him.
For some reason, he couldn’t quite believe it, felt the need to echo what she had just said. “Yes.”
She laughed, her eyes bright with tears. “Yes.”
While Charles had known happiness, this was joy in its truest form-the kind that steals the air right out of your lungs.
Laura was the love of his life, and she loved him.
Him!
And she had said yes.
With the river whispering around their feet, Charles pulled her closer and kissed her mouth, at once relieved and grateful for this new turn in their lives.