Big Catch

 

A/N: Happy Birthday,InaBlueBathrobe! We hope you have a fantastic day.

As ever, we do not own Twilight - it owns us.

ooOoo

Again

I hate fighting.

Even as we're both shouting at each other, that thought flashes through my mind, and I stop. Rose keeps going, though, and I flinch as she yells at me how much she hates this.

Things have been rough for a while now, and it's killing me. The stress we've been under is getting the better of us, and I don't know what to do about it.

I love Rose, with all I am. I can't even imagine being without her.

My biggest fear is that she can.

When she sees I've stopped arguing, she glares at me.


Refuge

I wince at the sound of her craftroom door slamming. Both my hands go to my hair, and I pull hard, frustration getting the best of me.

I don’t know what to do.

I hate that.

I’m a fixer. I see what’s wrong and make it right. I just can’t with this, and it fucking kills me.

It kills me even more to know she thinks it’s her fault.

“Fucking… shit!” I growl, kicking at the couch. My foot connects with the wood, and I grab my toes, landing hard on the couch and throwing a pillow across the room.


Deflate

Silence reigns in the house.

Leaning my head back against the couch, I stare at the ceiling, feeling anger disappear completely. Instead, I feel empty. Cold. Alone.

Unable to handle the silence any longer, I turn on the TV to find a game to watch. I don't even care what sport; I just need the background noise. Settling on a ballgame – I don't have a clue who's playing – I close my eyes, thinking.

What the hell's happened to us?

Resisting the urge to grab a beer, I try to come up with a way to get back to us again.


Plan

Flowers and restaurants and jewelry – they all cross my mind. But they’re just band aids, just lame attempts at what I should do, not something that will mean anything.

I nearly decide to grab that beer after all when, finally, it hits me.

“Yes!” I whisper, hopping up off the couch and heading for the garage.

The place is a mess, storage containers still scattered everywhere despite the fact that we moved in months ago. But there, in the corner, is what I’m looking for.

I set both our fishing poles to the side and reach for the tackle box.


Meticulous

Checking all the lures and hooks, I close the tackle box and put it with the poles.

Next, I search for our picnic basket. It takes me awhile to find it, but when I do, I almost whoop out loud, barely restraining myself. I don't want to give anything away just yet.

Carrying it into the kitchen, I clean everything carefully before going through the fridge and pantry, putting together a nice picnic for two. I even grab a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.

That done, I add a couple of blankets, our fishing caps, and sunscreen.


Try

“Rosie?” I call softly, knocking on the door. I sigh when she doesn’t answer.

Mustering my courage, I open the door and peek in. She’s sitting at the sewing machine, but her hands are in her lap and her head’s down. My heart breaks seeing her that way – especially since it’s my fault.

I cross the room as quietly as I can, which isn’t easy with all the baskets of… who knows what she has everywhere. “Rosie?” I ask again as I kneel in front of her.

I see her jaw tighten, but her eyes are closed. She doesn’t answer.


Coax

“Baby, please, look at me?”

She turns her head away from me. I sigh.

“Sweetheart, I'm sorry. Really. I know things have been stressful beyond belief, and I'm so sorry if I've been taking it out on you. Can you forgive me? Please?”

My voice is low, pleading, but also hopeful. Finally, she turns to look at me, her eyes shimmering as she nods. Next thing I know, she flings her arms around my neck, almost strangling me as she hugs me.

I smile in relief, kissing her temple. “I love you, Rosie. So much.”

“Love you, too,” she hiccups.


Out

“Are you working on something?”

She looks confused at my question but then glances around. “Oh… no.” She shakes her head and gives me a half-smile. “I just…”

She shrugs, and I nod in understanding. It hurts to know she needed to get away from me, but it’s a harsh truth I need to face. It’s why I’m here, after all – to get us away from the patterns we’ve fallen into.

I smile at her, reaching up to cup her cheek. “Will you come out with me, my Rosalie?”

She relaxes at my touch. “What did you have in mind?”


Enthusiasm

I shift, raising myself up a little. “I was thinking we could go to our spot on the river and do some fishing, have a little picnic? We haven't done that in forever, and we used to love going, so I figured it'd be a good way to maybe get back to being… us again. What do you say?”

Her eyes search mine. I can feel her cheeks lift into a smile. “Sure you're up for being outdone again? You never were good at catching anything worthwhile.”

Leaning close, I whisper softly, “I caught you. Best catch I ever made.”


Blush

Her cheeks flame in a rare blush – it’s nearly impossible to catch her off guard enough to get that sort of reaction. The ruddy tone just makes her more beautiful, and I lean in, urging her closer. She meets me in the middle, her lips moving softly with mine. When we part, her smile is bright, and some sort of shadow has gone from her eyes.

I want to make sure it’s gone for good.

I stand and offer her my hand. She takes it and stands smoothly, surprising me by kissing my cheek. “Thank you,” she whispers, walking away.


Ready

I watch her, smiling, feeling much better than I did only an hour ago. Following her to our room, I take her lead and change into more appropriate clothes for our outing.

Rosalie's all smiles when she walks out of the bathroom, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. I can't help but grin. She's wearing her favorite jeans, a white tank top, and one of my old flannel shirts, which is massive on her.

“All set?” I ask, holding my hand out to her.

She nods and takes my hand, only letting go once we get to the kitchen.  


Drive

On the way to the lake, she pulls down the visor on the passenger side, muttering as she looks through the stash of old CDs I still keep in my truck.

“What’re you looking for, babe?” I ask, glancing over.

“You’ll see,” is her cryptic answer before she says, “A ha!”

She fiddles with the in-dash CD player, and I have to smile when the music finally starts playing. “Just got home from Illinois – lock the front door, oh boy!” we sing together.

My smile grows when Rosie rests her hand on my thigh as we continue our private concert.


Rushes

Parking in our old spot, we end up having to walk the last bit in order to get to our destination. I carry the brunt of the load, but Rose takes her share as always.

She's walking ahead of me and even from behind I can tell she's happier than she's been in a while. It makes me smile, knowing that I did the right thing by bringing her here.

She stops suddenly. Catching up to her, she stares at the rushes in the river and whispers, “I forgot how beautiful this place was. It's so clear out here. ”  


Settling

Rosalie hums under her breath as we sort out lines and lures. She ties mine for me, grinning as she mutters about my clumsy hands.

“You always said you liked them,” I tease.

“I do,” she breathes, leaning in to kiss my cheek, “on me.” Before I can respond, she sits up straight. “But they’re useless for tying knots.”

My body reacts strongly to her teasing, and she smiles knowingly.

“Catch a big one for me,” she says, “and maybe I’ll catch a big one, too.”

“Rosie,” I groan – both at the bad joke and the stirring in my jeans.


Sanctuary

We sit mostly in silence as we cast our lines, waiting for fish to bite. When we do talk, it's about good memories we have of times like this. The more we share, the better we both seem to be.

After an hour or so, Rose pulls in her line with her fifth catch while I'm still waiting for my first. I've had nibbles, but they've all gotten away. I grump playfully, suggesting they fell for her wily lures as usual.

It earns me a kiss and a ruffling of my hair before she saunters off to set out lunch.


Dessert

After a few more minutes of no bites, I give up. I reel in my line and lean my pole against a tree before heading off in search of Rosie.

When I round the big oak, she comes into view. She’s a few yards away, in the middle of the small clearing. The food I packed is spread out on our blanket, and she’s on her knees, pouring wine.

When I settle beside her, she puts the glasses to the side and presses me onto my back, straddling me. “How about some dessert first?” she murmurs with a wicked smile.


Excitement

My eyes widen in surprise, even as a grin spreads on my lips and my hands reach for her hips. My voice is lower than I anticipated when I say, “What did you have in mind, Rose?”

She leans forward, purposely rubbing over my hardening cock. When her face is inches from mine, she whispers, “That's for me to know, and you to find out.”

A quick kiss and a wink, and she's gone, scooting down my legs before I can attempt to stop her. Not that I would. It's been a long time, and Junior's definitely up for dessert.


Firm

She doesn’t play coy. She unbuttons my jeans, lowering the zipper before patting my thigh. I lift my hips at her silent command, and she bites her bottom lip as she pulls my pants to my ankles.

I reach down, intending to caress her cheek, but she smacks my hand away.

“Uh uh,” she admonishes. “Hands to yourself… for now.”

I grin in anticipation, putting my hands behind my head and lifting slightly to watch her instead. She meets my gaze, wetting her lips before she slowly lowers her head.

“Oh my god,” I groan when I feel wet heat.


Pleasure

I itch to touch her, to connect with her and let her know how much I love her. Every time I try, though, she smacks my ass hard and narrows her eyes at me, never breaking her stride.

Growling in frustration, I clasp my hands tightly behind my head in order to refrain from trying again.

Rose hums her approval, sending shivers of delight through me.

She teases me, taking me to the brink several times but always slowing down.

I moan, curse, even beg before she finally gives me what I desperately need and swallows everything I give her.


Deny

As soon as I recover, I sit up and kiss her hungrily. I fucking love the taste of myself on her lips, and she moans softly, tangling her fingers in my hair.

When I reach for her jeans, she pulls away. Her blue eyes are mischievous as she pops my hand again.

I know that look too fucking well.

“Rosie…” I’m not whining. Definitely not.

She smiles, all-powerful and all-knowing. “No.”

I’m not pouting, either.

She moves to her hands and knees, giving me a groan-inducing view of her cleavage as she puts one finger under my chin. “Later. Maybe.”


Reason

The mischief leaves her eyes and her face softens and her voice is quiet. “I just wanted to... thank you. For all of this.”

She tilts her head to the food and sits back on her heels, folding her hands in her lap as she looks at me.

“You were right,” she says, her lips quirking slightly. “And if you repeat it to anyone, I'll deny ever having said it.” She winks.

I laugh, shaking my head at my Rosie.

Her giggle pulls my attention back to her as she says, “I'm sure you can figure out ways to repay me... later. When we're home.”


Enjoy

I know when I’m beaten, so I don’t argue anymore. Instead, I turn part of my mind to all the things I can do to pleasure her.

The rest of my attention is focused on her – on us. We talk over lunch, appreciating each other for the first time in… I don’t know how long. It makes me sad that we’ve been growing so far apart, but today feels like a step in the right direction.

After the last of the sandwiches are gone, she reclines in my arms. I kiss her temple and pull her closer, murmuring, “Thank you.”


Catch

She hums, resting her head against my shoulder. We sit for a while, quietly talking about where we want to go from here.

Really talking. It feels good – right – and I smile. Rose's been as scared as me, worrying I was going to leave her. Now we both know where we stand and what we want, and it helps. A lot.

After a while, Rose looks at me. “Want to fish again? See if you can get them to bite this time?”

Kissing her lightly, I shake my head. “Told you, I've already got the best catch I ever made.”