PS I Love You by Nashtheory

December 12, 1942 6 pm

“Every night while I‟m undressing,” he heard Rosalie‟s voice over the scratchy sounding field radio
one of his men set up. “Saying my prayers and lightly confessin‟, I can hear hot licks from a set
of drums upstairs.”

“What I wouldn‟t do to be in the room then,” Corporal Newton snorted as he looked over at the
radio. “Have you seen that girl? Damn but she‟s a good looking dame.”

“Who‟s that?” Private Crowley asked.

“Rosalie Swan, the blonde from the Forks Trio,” Emmett McCarty snorted. “Newton‟s got a thing
for her. Personally, I don‟t see it.”

“You don‟t see it?” Newton huffed. “Which part? The blonde hair, those Little Bo Peep eyes, or the
legs that go all the way up to those enormous,” Newton cupped his hands in front of his flak jacket
and jiggled them suggestively.

“You mean the enormous ego all those girl singers have?” Edward‟s Sergeant snorted.

“In Mikey‟s dreams she doesn‟t have an ego,” Crowley put in. “She thinks she‟s lucky to have
landed herself a podunk little shit from Mason County and can‟t wait to go live on the farm with
him.”

“Shut up,” Newton retorted. “It could happen.”

“Only when your eyes are closed,” Jasper Whitlock, the other Captain in Edward‟s company announced
as he came up to join them. “Then you still wake up here in delightful Club Algeria waiting for another
performance from our friend Herr Rommel and his airborne percussion section.

She does have a good set of gams though Newton, I‟ll give you that.”

“That‟s right,” Newton puffed his chest out slightly at the praise and then looked over at
Edward, who was busy keeping his eyes away from the radio. “What about you Cap?”

“What about me?”

“Which one of them do you fancy?”

“Who says I „fancy‟ any of them?” Edward snorted.

“Come on Cap there‟s got to be some dame you‟re sweet on!” Newton protested.

“Me,” Crowley broke in, “I got a thing for the brunette. She‟s one hot tamale.”

“Which one?” Jasper asked. “The Forks Trio has two brunettes.”

“Isabella,” Crowley licked his lips. “I saw them at the USO hotel in New York before I shipped out
and she just about bowled me over. I love gals with that innocent, wide eyed look. Fresh off the
farm my daddy used to call it.”

“Your daddy see many farms in Brooklyn?” Emmett snorted and Edward noticed Crowley blush. The
man tended to talk a lot but Edward noticed he rarely brought up home. He got the idea that

perhaps it wasn‟t somewhere Private Crowley wanted to think about ­­ he‟d have to mention to

Emmett to lay off later.

“I think the pixie looking one is pretty,” Jasper announced, relieving the tension. “What‟s
her name? Alice? It seems like she‟s always smiling and bouncing around when they give
radio interviews or when I see pictures. I bet that little gal is a good time to be around.”

“What about you Cap?” Newton persisted.

“Don‟t know,” Edward shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant. “I guess the little brunette
Crowley mentioned ­­ Isabella. If I‟ve got to fancy a broad to make you happy Newton then I‟ll go
with her.”

„After all,‟ Edward thought to himself with a smug smile, „she is my wife.‟

May 15, 1941

“Here‟s your key Lieutenant,” the perky blonde behind the desk announced as she fluttered her
eyelashes at him. “Enjoy your time before you ship out. Have you ever been to New York before?”

“Um, yes,” Edward tried to avoid her gaze as he signed the guest book and began to pick up
his bag. “I went to school in New Haven.”

“Oh,” the girl, Jessica, pouted. “I guess you won‟t need a tour guide then. Oh well.”

“Sorry,” Edward shrugged and silently breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was
shown around New York City by a floozy from the USO. He had other things on his mind and if that
wasn‟t enough his mother‟s matchmaking before he‟d left Chicago had been more than enough to
try his patience. Why she had tried matchmaking when he was leaving for the war was beyond
him but she‟d seemed determined to not only find him a girl but have him married and with a child
on the way before he shipped out.

“Bloody Hell!” He heard a sharp, female voice snap. “Is it really that hard to keep in time?”

A muffled response and then the sound of a foot stamping had Edward shifting his bag onto his
shoulder before he made his way to the small club next to the reception desk. “Well I don‟t care
if you think I have to put up with you,” the blonde seethed at the whey faced private sitting at
the piano. “I may not be able to have you restationed to somewhere cold but I can make sure
you‟re working as a porter and not a piano man here!”

Edward couldn‟t help but smirk as the blonde stormed off stage one way, past two other women,
and the piano player stormed off the other. “I‟m glad we‟re providing you with some comedy
soldier,” the tinier of the two women announced. “Don‟t worry, we‟re here all week.”

“Sorry,” Edward shrugged and sat his bag down. “It just seems like you‟re having some problems.
Can I help?”

“Unless you‟re a piano virtuoso,” the taller brunette replied and Edward felt his heart stutter as
he focused on her. “Probably not.”

„Yes!‟ Edward thought triumphantly. “Actually,” he smirked and hopped on stage. “My mother said I had
magic fingers.” With that he looked down at the music and began to pick out the melody to I‟m

Gonna Love You.

„Magic fingers,‟ Edward snorted. Magic piano playing fingers had gotten him on stage with the
Forks Trio for the entire two weeks of his stay and earned him room and board at the hotel. It had
also given him a chance to stare at Isabella like a love sick fool every time he thought she wasn‟t
watching. „Bella,‟ he sighed. He‟d spent three days fantasizing about that heart shaped face and
weaving his fingers into her mahogany hair before he worked up the nerve to speak to her.

May 18, 1941

“Edward?” Isabella peered down at him from her perch leaning over him at the piano bench.
“Edward?”

“Huh?” He shook his head and tried to focus on something other than her perfume. He sniffed
lightly and tried to determine what it was, something floral. He was dying to know what that
perfume was. It haunted his dreams for the past three days and if he could find somewhere that
sold it he‟d willingly buy a hundred bottles and drench his pillows in it every night so he could
keep dreaming about her.

“Could we work through the bridge to Stuff Like That There again? I really don‟t think I have it
down.” Bella asked shyly, breaking him from his reverie about her perfume.

“You have it down,” Edward replied. “But let‟s start from the second verse. Are you singing it
tonight?”

“Rosalie thinks I should. What do you think?”

“I think you‟ll bring down the place,” Edward answered. They‟d worked through the song then and
afterwards he persuaded her to rest her voice before the show. The song had a wide range and
he didn‟t want her to strain her angelic voice. Bella had just nodded and began to pack her things
as Edward arranged the music on his piano for the night.

“Oh Edward,” Bella called out as she left the stage.

“Hmm?”

“Meet me out front at seven. If you‟re going to stare at my legs all rehearsal long then at least
you can buy me dinner after!”

„Dinner had been amazing,‟ Edward reflected that night as he finished patrol and made his way
back toward the tent he, Jasper and Emmett called home. Nothing fancy like his mother would
expect for him to do on a first date with a girl, just a quick bite at the diner down the street before
they went on stage, but by the end of it Edward had been completely smitten.

He‟d always scoffed at the idea of love at first sight, especially for soldiers getting ready to ship out. It
was ludicrous he‟d once told his father ­­ after another failed matchmaking session by his mother. It
wasn‟t love that caused soldiers to jump into marriage with a woman they barely knew, it was lust and
the desire that having something to come back to would bring them back. Lust and superstition, he‟d
declared and his father had patted him encouragingly on the back. Lust could be taken care of without
strings in any place with a large amount of men and superstition didn‟t rule his life like some pauper ­­
he was a Cullen after all, from one of Chicago‟s best families.

He felt like a fool now but he couldn‟t say he cared because the minute he‟d watched Isabella Marie
Swan sip Coke out of a straw and then glance up at him with her big, chocolate brown eyes he‟d
fallen completely and totally in love with her. He was like the cartoon characters at the movies he‟d
gone to as a child -- wide eyed with hearts bugging out of them, floating along beside her -- he
was quite stupidly in love. The only problem was that he‟d only known her three days. Well, add on
that he was getting ready to board a ship to Algeria and the North African front in ten days and it
was quite possible he was never coming home again. You could also add on that she would be in
New York while he was in Algeria or the fact that there were hundreds of men there to romance
her and nothing to keep her tied to him. More importantly, he didn‟t even know if she liked him or
felt sorry for him with the dinner invitation, but surely she didn‟t love him. The biggest problem he
decided, as they walked down the street together that night to get ready for their show, was he
had no idea of how to propose to a woman after their very first date. Somehow he thought that
might take a little more finesse than he could usually manage.

Instead of proposing he‟d given her a soft kiss on the forehead before depositing her at her
dressing room door before the show. He‟d been taken off guard as she shifted slightly and
pressed her lips against his. It wasn‟t forceful or demanding but Edward still felt as if he‟d been
tackled at the feel of her lips on his.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” Bella whispered as she slipped into the dressing room.

“So did I,” he stuttered to the closed door. Thankfully he had a photographic memory when it
came to music because his head was in a fog for the rest of the night and he kept reaching up to
touch his lips between songs. „She‟d had a nice time‟, he mused, nice enough to kiss him at her
door. He wondered what size diamond would look best on her tiny hand. It might be best if he let
her pick it out herself, he couldn‟t stand the idea of disappointing her.

“Bella?” Edward shifted awkwardly the next afternoon as he knocked on the door to the small
dressing room she shared with her sisters. The flowers behind his back weren‟t anything
impressive, just a small bouquet he‟d found in Central Park, but the delicate pink blooms reminded
him of how pretty she was when she blushed.

“What?” Rosalie poked her head out of the door, hair up in rag rollers and her
face uncharacteristically bare. “Oh, Edward.”

“Rosalie,” he nodded politely. “Is Bella available?”

“She‟s not in yet,” Rosalie looked at him shrewdly. “She and Alice went to the market before
rehearsal. Come in.”

“Um,” Edward glanced around nervously. “I wouldn‟t want to be any trouble Rosalie.”

“Oh give me a break Cullen,” she snorted. “Anyone who even suggests that we‟re doing any
hanky panky is going to get a mike shoved up their ass.”

“So ladylike,” Edward snorted.

“I‟m learning,” she rolled her eyes and stepped aside so that Edward could step into their
room. “Besides, Aro is in here.”

“Oh,” Edward nodded toward the Forks Trio‟s manager, Aro. “Afternoon Mr. Volturi. How are
you today?”

“Just fine Edward,” Aro smiled benignly. “I hear you took our Bella out for dinner last night?”

“Yes sir,” Edward pulled the flowers out from behind his back sheepishly. “I just wanted to thank
her for a nice time.”

“Nice time,” Rosalie snorted. “Just make sure it stays a nice time with her feet on the floor.”

“I wouldn‟t dream,” Edward began to protest.

“Don‟t try to fool me, Sonny Jim,” Rosalie shook her finger at him. “I know how all you soldiers
are and you being a high falutin‟ officer don‟t change the fact you‟re still a man. There are plenty
of dumb chippies around for you to have a private going away party ­­ you leave Bella out of it.”

“I assure you,” Edward snapped. “I have nothing but the highest degree of respect for Bella
and have every intention of treating her like a lady!”

“I‟ll believe that ­­” Rosalie argued.

“Rosalie,” Aro stepped in. “I don‟t think Lieutenant Cullen has given us any reason to doubt that his
intentions with Bella are honorable. Do you? Has he ever been less than sincere?”

“No,” Rosalie shook her head sullenly. “But we‟ve only known him four days.”

“I promise you Rosalie; I‟ll step into court and swear on the Good Book if you want, I have nothing
but honorable intentions with Bella. I think very highly of her.”

“You better,” Rosalie growled. “She‟s my little sister and if you hurt her I will do horrible things
to you Lieutenant Cullen. I promise you that. If you hurt Bella in any way you will wish that the

Krauts got you by the time I‟m done. Are we clear?”

“Rosalie,” Edward stood up and stuck his hand out for her to shake. “If I hurt her, I will willingly
come to you and let you do your worst.”

“My worst will leave your beaten carcass in the Hudson,” Rosalie warned. “But you seem like a
good enough sort, for a soldier, so I guess you can date Bella.”

“Thank you Rosalie,” Edward sighed. He‟d never faced a father that terrified him as much as
Rosalie Swan had just then. Whatever man ended up with her would be in for a rough time. She
wasn‟t at all docile but Edward thought it might be nice to pit her against his mother. He‟d even
give Rosalie Swan even odds.

„Even odds,‟ he mentally berated himself as he slipped under his mosquito netting and then rubbed
his jaw at the memory. He should have never underestimated the Rosalie Swan temper, or her
right hook. The spitfire had actually cracked his jaw.

May 21, 1941

He didn‟t know whose idea it was to teach the girls how to play shots, Edward thought as he
rested his head on the bar table; the Major courting Rosalie slumped next to him snoring. It might
have been the Captain trying to catch little Alice‟s attention. Whoever it was, it wasn‟t Edward ­­
he had just been following the orders of his superior officers. One of which, he seriously thought,
needed to die a slow, brutal death at the hands of the Krauts.

“Edward?” Bella leaned against him and began to run her fingers through the remnants of
his bronze hair.

“Huh?”

“You‟re really swell,” Bella slurred. “I mean, really, really swell.”

“So are you,” Edward nodded and he could feel his head sloshing. “Which is why I love you.
Because you‟re so swell and you‟re pretty. You‟re just so pretty. No, nope, not pretty ­­”

“I‟m not pretty?” Bella pouted dramatically before she began to giggle.

“Nope,” Edward smiled stupidly at her. “You‟re so beautiful that pretty is an insult.”

“Do you mean it?”

“That you‟re beautiful?”

“Nope,” Bella shook her head and collapsed against him. “The other part.”

“The other part?”

“You said you loved me,” Bella burrowed her head into his shoulder and snuggled closer.

“Wasn‟t supposed to tell you that,” Edward mumbled. “Don‟t want to scare the best girl I‟ve
ever met away.”

“Best girl you‟ve ever met?”

“Absolutely,” Edward nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him,
peering down into her eyes with as much sincerity as he could muster while drunk.

“I love you too,” Bella burrowed closer and peered up at him owlishly.

“Huh?” Edward gaped at her. Had she just said that she loved him? Really? Edward felt the
fog clear from his head almost immediately. Bella had just said that she loved him!

“We should get married,” Bella said suddenly.

“What?” She wanted to marry him? Really?

“We should get married,” Bella repeated. “You love me, I love you, and people in love with each
other get married. So we should get married.”

“When?” Edward managed to croak out. How soon until the war was over so that he could home
and marry this girl?

“Could we do it tonight?” Bella giggled.

“Tonight?”

“If we got married tonight then we could go upstairs together.” Bella whispered into his ear.

“You want to go upstairs?”

“Right now,” Bella nodded and he could see her face flaming. “I‟ve never wanted to be with
someone like I want to be with you. I love you Edward.”

“I love you too,” Edward agreed as he looked around the table and noticed that the other four
people weren‟t paying them any attention. Pulling Bella out of the booth, he wrapped his arms
around her waist and began to lead her unsteadily upstairs. Bella giggled again and leaned back
to press a kiss against his neck, just above the collar of his shirt as she stumbled up the back
staircase.

Once they‟d reached his room, Edward pulled the key out and then swept Bella into his arms bridal
style before unlocking and opening the door. Leaning down he kissed the tip of her nose as she
blushed and stepped across the threshold. “Do you really want to marry me?”

“Yes,” Bella beamed up at him and leaned in for another kiss on his lips.

“Lay down,” Edward murmured as he laid her on the small bed. “I‟ll get you some water and an
aspirin.”

“What?” Bella looked at him, confused.

“Get some sleep my Bella.” Edward ran his fingers through her hair. “I‟m going to go talk to the
Rev and see what it will take to get us hitched once you‟ve slept the whisky off.”

“You‟re not going to stay with me?” Bella pouted.

“Not until we‟re married,” Edward said staunchly. “You‟re a lady and I‟m not going to treat you
like anything else. Now go to sleep while I go talk to the Rev.”

He‟d done just that, leaving the room and his drunken fiancée asleep on the bed ­­ fully clothed
except for her shoes. He‟d made arrangements with the man they all called the Rev, an ordained

Army chaplain who assured Edward that he was allowed to marry them and even knew someone at
City Hall who could get their marriage license processed by mid afternoon.

Edward rushed back to the room to tell Bella, planning to make his way downtown for the license and a
quick stop at Tiffany‟s before coming back to collect her so that they could meet with the Rev

before they needed to be on stage. When he got there he found Bella in nothing but her slip --
garters peeking out from underneath it‟s almost see through fabric ­­ and a very angry Rosalie
waiting for him.

“Rosalie,” Edward held his hands up in front of him, “nothing ­­”

Her fist connecting with his jaw stopped him short. Edward stumbled backwards, clutching his jaw.

“You promised me,” she seethed.

“Nothing happened,” Edward broke in quickly. “When I left she was fully dressed, asleep on
the bed. I promise nothing happened.”

“So you just left her passed out in your room?” Rosalie huffed after glancing appraisingly at Bella
and apparently deciding that her baby sister was in fact untouched.

“I went to talk to the Rev.”

“That‟s how you decided to resist?” Rosalie didn‟t bother to stifle her laughter. “You went to pray?”

“I‟m going to marry Bella,” Edward answered quietly.

“What?” Rosalie yelped.

“Bella says she wants to get married,” Edward replied. “So, I went and talked to the Rev and he
said he‟d marry us if I got the license. Once Bella‟s sobered up I‟m going to ask her if she really
meant it and if she does I‟ll have the license and the ring. Or I was until you hit me.”

“You‟re not going to marry my sister because I hit you?” Rosalie reached over to smack him on
the shoulder.

“I don‟t know if I‟m going to be able to say my vows with my jaw all swollen,” Edward snapped back
churlishly. He had every intention of marrying Bella if she‟d have him but he wanted to keep

Rosalie distracted from the idea that he and Bella were marrying after knowing each other less
than a full week.

“Don‟t be a sissy,” Rosalie retorted. “Besides you aren‟t getting married today. Your jaw will be
fine in time to say your vows”

“Excuse me?”

“You can wait to marry Bella,” Rosalie put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“How long?” Edward demanded.

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Rosalie replied firmly.

“And if she doesn‟t want to wait?”

“Then you‟ll have to make her,” Rosalie answered.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because it will take me that long to get us all a few days off of work and to find her a dress and
some flowers for her hair. Unless you want Bella getting married in her work dress?”

“Oh,” Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. “I didn‟t think of that.”

“Of course not, you‟re a man.”

There were a lot of things he hadn‟t thought about apparently, Edward decided as he shifted under his
blanket. Things that were important to girls that he‟d never considered before. After his Bella had
tearfully agreed to marry him he‟d rushed out for the marriage license and her ring and realized that it
wasn‟t as simple as just choosing the prettiest one from the case. He‟d chosen a small diamond solitaire
in a white gold setting and another white gold band for himself before rushing back to the hotel. Taking
the steps two at a time he found a note pinned to his door telling him that after tonight he and the Forks
Trio weren‟t required at the club downstairs again. With the note was a small envelope with $50 inside
and a note marked „pay ­ you‟ve earned it.‟ He opened the door and found that Bella was gone but
someone had been inside his room. It was clean, with fresh sheets of a higher quality than the USO
used, and candles on most of the flat surfaces. There was a note on the small bedside table ­­ „I‟ll be
back with flowers in the morning. Alice.‟ Flowers?

Why was she bringing him flowers?

Edward chuckled as he thought back to his naïveté. He‟d never even thought about putting flowers
and candles in the room. He‟d have never had a chilled bottle of wine waiting for them like Rosalie
had arranged. As smooth as he thought he was, Edward realized he knew absolutely nothing
about how to romance a girl like Bella. Luckily she‟d agreed to marry him anyway and her sisters
had thought of everything else.

May 22, 1941

Edward felt his jaw drop at the sight of the beautiful woman who‟d entered the room he‟d been
pacing for the past hour. The Rev quickly stubbed out his cigarette and cleared his throat. Edward
glanced over and the Rev jerked his head in Bella‟s direction ­­ apparently he‟d been staring.
“You look,” he managed to stutter out. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Huh?” Bella froze and looked at him.

“I mean you could do so much better than me Bella,” Edward blurted out.

“Least he‟s honest,” Rosalie snorted from the back of the room and he heard the soft thwap of
Alice hitting her arm.

“Edward,” Bella walked over and wrapped her arms around him. “I love you and I don‟t
want anyone else.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she smiled and Edward felt his entire world brighten. This girl, this woman wanted to marry
him. This angel actually thought he deserved her. “I love you.”

“I love you, Bella,” Edward breathed out and then kissed her cheek. Glancing down he took in the
casual white dress embroidered with blue flowers on the collar and the trim that she was wearing.
He noticed that the flowers on her dainty white hat matched those on the dress and the white,
wrist length gloves she was wearing matched as well. Rosalie had outdone herself and he glanced
back to look at the ice cool blonde standing behind them. Rosalie simply shrugged and then
looked at him pointedly.

She might act nonchalant but the message was clear as a bell to Edward. She had looked after
Bella their entire lives, taking over the role of parent when their own had died. She had been
seventeen -- Alice was fifteen and Bella fourteen -- when the accident occurred and had managed
to hold them together, get them signed with Aro Volturi, and took them on the road to earn a
living. She‟d loved and cared for her younger sisters like a parent and she was letting Edward take
her youngest sister. He was fully aware of the responsibility he faced and the trust Rosalie placed
in him. He also had a very clear idea of what would happen if he ever did anything to destroy that
trust.

“Well,” Rev cleared his throat again. “Are we ready to get started?”

“Uh,” Edward glanced over at Bella.

“Definitely,” she nodded.

“Good,” Rev smiled at her and then reached out to take her hand. “You, my dear, may be the
loveliest bride I‟ve ever had the pleasure to marry. Lieutenant Cullen is a very lucky man.”

“Thank you,” Bella blushed and ducked her head.

Smiling, the Rev opened his hands and beckoned Rosalie, Alice and Aro forward. “Dearly beloved,” he
began the words that would bind Edward to the beautiful woman by his side. Edward gazed lovingly at
Bella, unable to comprehend how someone as perfect as she was would ever want him.

“Er hmm,” he heard Rev cough and glanced up. “The ring?”

“Oh,” Edward patted his pocket before he reached for the light blue box and removed the ring box
inside. Taking out the diamond ring he handed the box to Rosalie. “It‟s not much,” he mumbled
as he slipped it on Bella‟s finger.

“Oh Edward!” She held the ring up and he saw tears forming in her eyes. “It‟s so beautiful!”

“Uh,” the Rev broke in, “those aren‟t the words exactly.”

“Oh right,” Edward felt himself blush. “With this ring I thee wed.”

He watched as Rosalie handed Bella the second ring and she repeated his words. “I now
pronounce you husband and wife,” the Rev declared and Edward couldn‟t wait any longer as he
wrapped his arms around his bride and lifted her to his lips for a long kiss.

“Yes, well,” Rev cleared his throat. “Obviously you should kiss your bride.”

The six of them had gone to dinner then, Mr. Volturi‟s treat, and in Edward‟s opinion it couldn‟t
pass quick enough. Toasts were drunk, congratulations from various people were accepted,
appetizers, dinner, dessert, and then thankfully they were outside and hailing a cab back to
the hotel.

“I‟m sorry,” Edward mumbled as they pulled up out front.

“For what?”

“I tried to get us a suite at a better hotel,” Edward explained. “They were all booked up though.”

“That‟s all right,” Bella smiled. “I don‟t care where we stay, as long as we‟re together.”

“I still wish it was something nicer.” Edward replied as he leaned down to kiss her again.
“Should we go upstairs Mrs. Cullen?”

When Bella nodded, he lifted her into his arms and walked through the lobby holding her. He felt
her bury her face in his shirt at the various catcalls and congratulations called out to them by the
other service men. He could feel himself blushing as well but bravely made his way through the
rowdy men and up the stairs to his -- their -- room. Once inside he set her gently on the bed and
knelt before her. “I love you so much Bella.”

“Oh Edward,” she sighed and wrapped her small arms around his neck. “I love you too.”

Leaning into her for a soft kiss, for the first time Edward licked her bottom lip and slipped his
tongue into her mouth when she gasped in surprise. Gently he coaxed her delicate, little tongue to
tangle with his own as his hands released her waist and moved up to tangle in her hair. “Oh

Edward,” she whimpered this time as he broke away from her mouth and began to plant kisses
along her jaw and down the side of her pale neck.

“Bella,” he murmured into her collar bone as he reached trembling fingers toward the buttons of
her dress. She only nodded in encouragement as he worked the tiny buttons free and began to
push the dress from her shoulders. Once it was off he pulled back to stare at his wife and tried to
stifle the small groan he felt in his chest. Why on Earth did women feel the need to have on so
many clothes? Reaching for the straps of her slip he pushed it off her shoulders and down over her
hips as she lifted them to help him. He struggled blindly with the stockings, garters and brassiere
as Bella leaned forward to attack his neck and tug urgently at his dress uniform. By the time she‟d
gotten his shirt and tie off he‟d hooked his fingers into the waistband of her silky panties and was
tugging them down her legs. Pressing her back onto the bed gently he pulled away and sucked in
a breath at the sight of the naked woman lying in his bed. The angel in his bed blushed and
Edward suddenly felt self conscious. Crawling on top of her, weight rested on his elbows, he
planted a soft kiss on her nose and then shifted so that he could slip out of his own trousers.

He felt Bella‟s tiny hand glide down his chest and hissed as it dipped lower, trailing delicately over
his erection. “Oh,” she breathed and he saw her cheeks flush delicately.

“Mm,” he groaned in approval and then dipped his head down so that his mouth could worship her
left breast. Bella let out a small gasp and her fingers instinctively flew up to card through his hair.
Moving slowly, Edward let his own fingers slip up the length of her creamy thighs and toward the
patch of coffee colored curls between them. He sucked lightly on her hardened nipple as he
dragged a finger through her curls, finding her center warm and wet ­­ waiting for him. “Oh
Bella,” he couldn‟t help but gasp against her breast as he found the tiny bundle of nerves between
her legs and felt her buck against him.

“Edward, please,” she began to squirm against his fingers urgently. “Please.”

“Oh Bella,” he pressed his thumb against the tiny bundle of nerves again and rubbed
tentatively. She responded instantly, grinding against his fingers and mewling like a kitten. “My
beautiful Bella.”

Moving slowly back up towards her mouth, he parted her legs with his hand before pressing the tip
of his erection against her opening. “I love you Bella,” he whispered against her mouth and slid
forward, pressing into her tight heat. He felt the thin membrane of her innocence and pulled slowly
back out of her.

“Please,” she whimpered, pressing her hips up and against his.

“I don‟t want to hurt you,” he managed to pant out as he felt himself sliding back inside of
her, betraying him with the movement of her hips.

“It‟s okay,” she leaned up to kiss him gently. “I love you.”

“I love you,” Edward panted against her mouth and looked in her eyes. “Stop me if it hurts too
much.”

“I love you,” Bella repeated and pressed her hips flush against his own, burying him inside of her and
he felt the barrier between them break. His beautiful Bella gasped and he shifted his hips to pull out
before she grabbed him forcefully. “Don‟t stop,” she moaned softly into his shoulder.

“Are you sure?” he managed to grind out through clenched teeth. She felt so amazing that he‟d barely
been able to stop himself from moving the moment he was inside of her and the way she was shifting
now was quickly putting him over the edge. A thrust of her hips and a searing kiss were the only answers
she gave him and Edward felt himself fall off the edge of the cliff he‟d been clinging to desperately. Gone
was civilized Lieutenant Edward Cullen, son of one of Chicago‟s most prominent families, who was
attempting to make love to his delicate, young bride and in his place was a barbarian -- a savage --
intent on marking the angel beneath him as his own. He groaned instinctively as Bella‟s legs wrapped
around him, deepening his thrusts and creating new sensations

as the angle he was using to penetrate her changed. Sliding his hands down her sides he lifted
her hips to give him better access and began to press against her more forcefully.

“Mine,” Edward heard himself growl as he pumped in and out of her.

“I love you,” Bella cried out in return, arching against him.

“All mine,” Edward panted as his vision tunneled and his hips began to thrust erratically. “Mine,
mine, mine, mine, mine.”

“Edward,” he heard her moan softly and then her walls clenched around him, milking his length. He
felt as if he‟d been electrocuted as a series of jolts raced up his spine and he buried himself inside
of her, orgasming into her warm depths.

“Mine,” he managed to pant out against her left collarbone and felt his eyes slip closed. “Love you,
love you so much, mine, never let anyone else touch you, babies, lots of babies.”

“What?” His angel giggled and he felt himself bounce slightly along with her vibrations.
Glancing down, he saw her left breast jiggling and couldn‟t resist leaning down to kiss it softly.

“Just telling you what‟s in my head,” Edward mumbled.

“Oh,” she giggled again.

“What‟s so funny Mrs. Cullen?”

“I didn‟t realize that you didn‟t think in complete sentences.”

“I usually do,” Edward laughed in reply. “But you, my lovely wife, reduce me to grunts and
stutters like a caveman.”

“So,” Bella laughed again, “babies?”

“Lots of babies,” Edward nodded and felt his own cheeks flame. “I want to have lots of babies with
you.”

“Oh,” Bella rubbed her cheek against his hair and let her fingers trail along the back of his
neck absently. “Well, gee.”

Edward raised his head and looked at her, concerned. “Do you not want babies?”

“I, um,” Bella blushed and he immediately felt panic seize him. Did she not want any babies or just
not a lot of babies? He had always wanted a house full of children but if she only wanted a few he
would be happy with that. What if she didn‟t want any children at all though?

“Bella?”

“I never thought about it is all,” she defended.

“Oh,” Edward felt his hopes falling.

“But I think I might want a lot of babies,” Bella said quietly.

“Really?” Edward felt the weight on his shoulders lifting again.

“Like I said,” Bella repeated. “I never thought about it before. My parents died when I was still a girl and
we‟ve been on the road almost ever since. I‟ve never been around babies before and I just

never thought about it. But now, I think I might like that. I just don‟t know how we‟re going to
handle them all on the road.”

“On the road?”

“Well,” Bella looked at him, confused. “Aren‟t we going back on the road with my sisters and
the band when you get home?”

“What would I do?” Edward tried to keep the smile out of his voice. Had she really planned on
working now that they were married? Sure, he‟d expected she‟d want to continue singing with her
sisters while he was overseas but once he was home? She couldn‟t really think that he expected
her to work?

“Play the piano?”

“Bella,” Edward kissed her neck gently and then pushed up to look at her. “I thought when I got
home we‟d move to Chicago. I‟ve deferred my admission to the medical school until the war was
over so I thought I‟d finish up my schooling and then join my father as a surgeon at the hospital.”

“What will I do?” Bella looked at him curiously.

“Keep house? Raise the kids? Have lunch with my mother?”

“Keep house?” Bella giggled. “Are we going to have a house?”

“Do you want a house?”

“I think so,” Bella whispered. “I just ­­”

“Just what Bella?”

“It‟s been five years since we lived in a house Edward. I don‟t know if I know how to keep house
anymore. Besides, what are you going to tell your parents about me?”

“That I married the most beautiful girl in the world?” Edward looked at her, now he was the
one who was confused.

“But Edward!” She sighed. “I‟m an orphaned singer with the USO and you‟re, you‟re ­­”

“I‟m?”

“Your father is a surgeon! Your mother lunches! There is no way they‟ll approve of their
son marrying a show girl!”

“Bella,” Edward laughed. “They‟ll love you because I love you. Really, I promise.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Edward confirmed. “Now, can we go back to talking about babies? I‟d really like to
know how many you want to have.”

“Do you really want to talk about babies right now?” Bella giggled at him seductively.

“What would you rather do?”

“Could we maybe try making one instead?”

“Oh,” Edward sighed dramatically and then leaned down to nibble at her breast again. “If
you insist.”

They‟d worked on making a baby for the rest of the week before he shipped out, barely leaving the
room. Alice had forced them to join Bella‟s sisters each night for dinner in town and breakfast the
morning he shipped out but other than that they‟d stayed locked in their room, making love and
talking the entire time.

He‟d worried unendingly on the boat. His Bella had been devastated the morning he‟d boarded the
boat for Britain. Was she miserable without him? Was she eating regularly? He knew that Bella
ignored her stomach far more than was healthy, especially when she was upset. She‟d barely
eaten at breakfast and she‟d been nauseous the night before.

Half way into the crossing another, irrational, fear seized him. Were there other men trying to
romance his Bella? What if she decided that she could do better than him? He didn‟t want to doubt
her but what if she was running around on him while he was away at war? No, he decided, Bella
would never run around on him. She wasn‟t that type of girl and he knew that Rosalie would never
allow some dandy to come around enough to tempt her. But what if some persistent bastard
started paying her too much attention? Too many men came through that hotel to not notice how
beautiful his Bella was. Surely someone was paying her too much attention.

He‟d spent the entire journey seasick, nervous and miserable as he thought about all the things
that could happen while he was away. Surprisingly, a letter from Bella had been waiting for him
when he docked. She‟d given it to Rosalie before he‟d even left New York so that it would be there
when he arrived.

Another letter had followed a few days later and he‟d received one every few days since. Most
were chatty, full of gossip about what was happening at the club, the trouble they were having
with Mr. Hope -- the stray cat Alice had found and decided to bring home -- and constant
reassurances of her love and adoration. A month after he‟d shipped out had come the cautiously
worded letter from his darling Bella telling him he‟d be a father and he‟d gotten Jasper and Emmett
-- the only two men in the entire Army who even knew he was married -- drunk in celebration. His
Bella was making him a father!

In late September 1941 her letters stopped coming and Edward was frantic. He could barely
concentrate, was short with his men and reckless in battle. Then a letter had arrived from Rosalie
in October, explaining that the baby had been lost and they‟d left New York to let Bella recuperate.
She‟d confessed that ­­ if possible ­­ they needed him to come home because she was worried that
Bella would do something drastic and hurt herself.

Jasper and Emmett had gotten him plastered again so that he didn‟t have to think anymore. Three
days later, once he‟d sobered up, Jasper helped him write a letter to Bella assuring her that he
loved her and urging her to care for herself. He promised her that they‟d try again as soon as he
came home. The letter managed to encompass everything he felt and wasn‟t able to express on his
own. He‟d always be grateful to the quiet Texan he shared his command with.

December 20, 1942

Edward slumped back towards his camp bed wearily. They hadn‟t advanced since the end of

November and his men were beginning to get antsy as they waited for action. Rommel and the
Luftwaffe had been pummeling them from the air but the Krauts continued to flee backwards at every
chance. According to the intelligence dispatches they‟d received the Afrika Corps was severely crippled,
supply routes were disrupted by the Allies, they were undermanned and Central

Command was certain they‟d have secured North Africa by the end of winter.

“Edward!” He heard Emmett‟s booming Tennessee twang. “Captain Cullen!”

“Huh?” He turned sleepily toward his Sergeant. What could have the man so energetic after
36 hours on patrol?

“Have you finished your paperwork yet? Jazz, I mean Captain Whitlock, wants to know if you‟ve
finished. He says it needs to go by courier to Command back at the base.”

“Shit,” Edward muttered. “No.”

“Need some help?”

“You‟re going to help me do paperwork?” Edward cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Sure,” Emmett shrugged. “Why not?”

He opened the flap to his tent and motioned the burly Sergeant inside. “Who am I to argue with
help?”

Emmett slumped into the tent, showing his own weariness for a moment, and then Edward
followed behind. Emmett reached for the stack of paperwork on his field desk and began to sort
through it. “Signature, signature, form I can fill out instead, report, signature, signature, report,
form for me, form for me, signature, signature, signature. Are you really recommending
Crowley for a promotion?”

Edward grunted in response and Emmett went back to sorting. “We should have this done in an hour
at the most,” Emmett announced. “Let‟s start with the things that just need signed and then I‟ll move
on to the forms while you write the report on last week‟s action and today‟s patrol.”

“Okay,” Edward sighed and took a seat at his camp chair as Emmett sat down on his cot.

“Here,” Emmett handed him some papers and Edward began to look through them.

“Don‟t worry about that,” Emmett broke in. “They‟re standard forms, requisitions, that sort
of thing. Don‟t read it, just sign. Unless you want to take the next three hours to do
paperwork instead of sleep.”

“Right,” Edward nodded as he began scribbling his name on various forms and setting them aside.

Afterwards, he scrawled out short reports -- recommending Newton for combat recognition and
Crowley for promotion ­­ pushed them into Emmett‟s waiting hands and then flopped wearily onto
his cot to sleep.

The next day his men seemed oddly enthusiastic and Edward‟s curiosity was peaked. They‟d been
in the field for over three months without a return to the main base and his men had been war
weary and morale had been low before now. Suddenly though, his men were acting as if they
were fresh on the front lines.

“What is going on?” Edward asked Newton as he and Crowley threw a baseball back and forth.

“Just excited to be going back behind the lines,” Newton whistled.

“Behind the lines?”

“Captain Whitlock announced it this morning. He got a radio call last night that we‟re being shipped
back for R&R. Bout time if you ask me. I‟m dying for a hot shower and a chance to get the sand
out of my skivvies.”

Edward couldn‟t help but laugh as he nodded and patted the corporal on the back. “Me too,” he
replied. If he was lucky perhaps he‟d get a chance to call Bella and wish her a Merry Christmas.
Maybe he‟d even get a chance to visit the bazaar near the base and buy her something nice as
a present.

“What I really can‟t wait for,” Newton started as he threw the baseball back to Crowley, “is
seeing the ­­”

“Erhmm,” Crowley coughed and looked meaningfully at Newton.

“The bazaar,” Newton said quickly. “I want to buy something for my girl back home from
the bazaar. Get her something nice from Algeria.”

“Something nice,” Edward nodded and then looked at the corporal skeptically. “Sure. Did Jasper
say when we were being relieved?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Crowley answered quickly. “We bug out tomorrow afternoon sir.”

“Right,” Edward nodded. “Let‟s hope they don‟t change their minds huh?”

“Yes sir,” the two men laughed as they continued to toss the ball back and forth.

Edward wandered back to his tent, meeting various members of his company as he went and
hearing what they had planned for their time on base. Once in his tent he sat down at the
camp desk and pulled out his latest batch of letters from Bella. He‟d been very disciplined and
only allowed himself to read one letter per day. Who knew how long it would be until he got
another batch? Maybe there would be some waiting for him at base? Either way, he was sure
he could make her Christmas by managing a phone call to let her know that he was safe for at
least the holidays.

He slept restlessly that night, pondering the meaning of her latest letter. Her mood had improved
slowly over the last fourteen months and her letters were starting to become naturally upbeat,
without the forced undertone it had before. This letter though was shorter than usual and he was
worried when she mentioned that Aro was in talks to get them on a USO tour. The letter was
dated four weeks ago and he hoped that Aro hadn‟t been successful ­­ it was much too dangerous
in the European theater for his wife and sister in laws. The Krauts were still putting up a fight in
Europe, unlike North Africa, and last Christmas they‟d actually attempted to shell bases during the
USO shows thinking that they could catch the most men possible completely unawares.

The next morning he took a field phone call from Central Command confirming their orders to
return to base that afternoon, once their replacements arrived. He packed his rucksack hurriedly,
finished the last of his field paperwork for delivery, and then began to pace anxiously as he waited
for their replacements from the 20th. His men were just as hyped and Emmett hurriedly organized
a baseball game between his own men and Jasper‟s to keep them occupied.

The men from the 20th arrived in the seventh inning and his men quickly grabbed packs and
made their way to the recently abandoned jeeps. “You boys are sure ready to haul ain‟t you?” The
driver of the front jeep asked as Edward, Emmett, Jasper and his staff Sergeant piled in hastily.

“You have no idea,” Edward groaned. “I would willingly sell McCarty‟s mother to the SS for
a chance at a hot shower.”

“Thanks Cap,” Emmett snorted. “What am I supposed to sell them then? Ain‟t no way they‟d
give me a hot shower in exchange for my sister.”

“Not much of a looker?” The driver asked.

“She‟s all right,” Emmett shrugged. “For my sister and all, but she‟s a bitch on wheels and
can‟t cook for anything. Least if you sell them my ma she can cook „em a warm meal. Man I
miss her biscuits.”

“McCarty,” the other Sergeant broke in, “after listening to you moan about them for the past three
months I miss your ma‟s biscuits. I‟m going back to wherever it is you‟re from when this war‟s over

and tell your ma how you talked them up till that woman does nothing but bake me biscuits for
a month. Your pa‟s going to have to chuck me out.”

“Nah,” Emmett snorted. “Show up about harvest time and pa will adopt you as his own.”

Jasper couldn‟t help but laugh then as he reached around to pat Emmett on the back. “Make you a
deal McCarty, once he gets done at your place send him on down to College Station and he can
help my old man out as well. We‟ll keep you‟re Yankee ass out in the fields till Gabriel‟s trump
sounds Yorkie.”

“So,” the driver broke in. “Which one is Captain Cullen? Heard his men have one hell of a ­­”

“He‟s Captain Cullen,” Emmett broke in suddenly and gave the driver a glare that Edward was sure
would have stopped a Panzer division from advancing.

“Oh,” the driver coughed and then nodded toward Edward. “Well, heard you‟re men have one
hell of a ton of respect for you sir.”

“Right,” he nodded in return. “Well, I‟ve got a helluva group of men. Anything good you hear is
a result of them, not me.”

What was going on with his squad? Now that the driver had made his weird comment Edward thought
about how strangely giddy they‟d all acted for the last few days, like they all knew something he didn‟t.
Was he up for a promotion? No, someone from Central Command would have mentioned it. Oh Lord,
could they be planning on giving him a Christmas present like he‟d seen gifted on one Captain while he
was in Britain? He‟d heard there were fewer of that sort of girl in

Algeria but they were still there. It was an inevitable fact of life -- where there was an army there
were whores to service their ranks. Dear God he hoped his men hadn‟t decided to get him a whore
for Christmas. Emmett and Jasper wouldn‟t have gone along with that, he thought desperately to
himself. They knew about Bella. Maybe he was just reading too much into it and his men were
acting high strung because it was the holidays and they were getting a respite from the front lines.

Edward pulled himself out of his thoughts as they reached the first barricade and the driver slowed.
Once they reached the guards the driver began to whistle and he saw the Private in front of them‟s
eyes widen. The young man waved them through quickly, barely glancing at their papers, and
when Edward turned around he noticed that the other Jeeps had been waved through as well.
None of them had bothered to stop for inspection. He sighed as he thought about how he would
have to report the Private for his breach of protocol but the other man simply couldn‟t risk their
defenses because he happened to know one driver on sight.

Once they reached the second, inner, barricade the driver began to whistle again but this time he
pulled to a complete stop. The Corporal nearest them smiled as he stepped forward and looked
around the Jeep. “Captain Cullen?”

“That‟s me,” Edward nodded briefly as the man saluted him smartly.

“Good to meet you Sir,” the Corporal nodded and then looked at the driver. “Amphitheater‟s on
the side of Building Four. Pull them around Three to park.”

“Amphitheater?” Edward asked. “Why are we going to the Amphitheater? Captain Whitlock and
I are required to report in at Command.”

“Edward,” Jasper reached out to clasp his shoulder and he turned to look at the identical,
shit eating grins on the other three men‟s faces.

“And when I get a certain feeling I confess it. There‟s really only one expression to express it,” a
familiar alto crooned as Edward stared blankly at the overly satisfied men with him.

“Merry Christmas,” Jasper shrugged.

“That‟s Bella,” Edward stuttered.

“Mr. Hope got hold of Central Command and they contacted me,” Jasper continued but Edward
barely heard him as he quickly scaled the side of the Jeep and rushed toward the mass of men
cluttered around what appeared to be a makeshift theater. At the front was a stage and on it, he
swallowed. On it was his Bella, singing her little heart out. “Bella!”

“I want some stuff like that there!” She sang loudly and he started waving his hands frantically.

“Bella!”

His beautiful bride glanced up and he saw her falter, missing the opening to the next verse.
“Bella! It‟s me!”

“Edward?” She managed to gasp out into the microphone and he watched as Rosalie, Alice and Mr.

Hope rushed back on stage and the bandleader quieted the band.

Mr. Hope took the microphone and wrapped an arm around his Bella‟s shoulders as Edward started
to push through the crowd of yelling men. “Well gents,” he drawled out in his trademark accent. “It
seems Christmas has come early for some of you this year.”

By the time Bob Hope had finished Edward had managed to press through the crowd and reached
the stage‟s side steps where Bella was waiting for him with open arms. “I‟d introduce you to
Captain Cullen of the 18th,” he heard Bob Hope continue as Bella showered his face in kisses. “But
it seems his wife isn‟t done devouring his face yet.”

Bella pulled her face away from his then and glanced over at the emcee. “They haven‟t seen each
other in 18 months boys so I think we can forgive her. Don‟t you?”

Edward vaguely registered the cheers coming from the crowd of men as Bella pulled him on
stage, still kissing him. He managed to wrap an arm around Rosalie and then Alice in greeting,
keeping one hand on Bella at all times. He couldn‟t believe she was actually here! What
wonderful, stupid, utterly reckless idea had she gotten into her head to come here?

When she broke away from him he looked down at her in wonder. “Uh, Captain?” Bob Hope
broke in.

“Huh? Edward had forgotten he was there.

“I said your men sure pulled a fast one on you didn‟t they Captain?” He watched the other
man lean down to kiss Bella on the cheek. “Merry Christmas Bella, sweetheart.”

“My men?” Edward managed to stutter and then looked out at the audience. The men of his squad
and Jasper‟s were at the back, cheering raucously and high fiving each other.

“Set it all up,” Bob confirmed.

“My men,” Edward repeated and noticed his voice was picked up by the microphone. “My men are
the best damn group in all of North Africa,” Edward said sincerely, “and I owe every one of them a
beer.”

He heard all the men cheer as he squeezed Bella tighter and watched Bob chuckle. Turning to
Bella the other man raised an eyebrow. “Why don‟t you sing him a song honey? I think he might
have earned it.”

Bella nodded and kissed him quickly on the cheek again before taking the microphone. Edward
noticed Rosalie say something to the chubby band leader and then he heard the trumpet begin to
play softly.

“Dear I thought I‟d drop a line to say,” Bella began to croon as she stroked his cheek. “The
weather‟s cool. The folks are fine. I‟m in bed each night by nine. PS I love you.”

Edward took in a shaky breath and remembered working through the song with her during their
last rehearsal in New York. “Yesterday we had some rain, but all in all I can‟t complain,” Bella
continued. “Was it dusty on the train? PS I love you.”

He saw her bite her lip and it took everything in his willpower not to lean down and kiss her again.

“Nothing else to tell you dear, except each day feels like a year. Every night I‟m dreaming of
you. PS I love you. PS I love you.”

As soon as the trumpet had released the last note Bella threw herself into his arms again as his
marveled about the fact that she was actually here, with him, in North Africa, instead of
somewhere safe like New York. “I love you,” he managed to stutter out and then looked up to see
that Jasper and Emmett had both reached the stage. The quiet Texan had his arms wrapped
lovingly around Alice as Emmett and Rosalie stared at each other dumbstruck. Edward shook his
head as he realized that if anyone could put up with Rosalie it would be Emmett McCarty.

“Oh Edward,” Bella breathed into his neck.

“Well,” Bob broke in. “I think that will be all for tonight Bella. What do you think boys?” Edward
heard the crowd roar in approval as Bella pulled him toward the makeshift backstage. “Merry

Christmas Captain Cullen!”

“Definitely,” Bella agreed softly as they rushed eagerly, hand in hand, toward her field tent.