‹ Prequel: The Bird and the Worm
Status: I'm not sure if I'll be able to update this story again, considering Jimmy was crucial in the story and it just doesn't feel right to write about him at the moment. Just an fyi for anyone that still takes a glance at it.

Beyond the Sun

seven; consent

I felt smooth lips on my forehead as I turned over beneath the blankets, and I peered tiredly up at Brian, his gaze connecting concernedly with mine. “What?” I asked groggily. “Did I say something while I was asleep?”

He kissed my forehead again, pulling me closer to his warm body. Immediately, the stink of sex filled my nostrils, and I wrinkled my nose as I moved my head to his chest. “You’ve been murmuring my name and cradling your stomach for about an hour.” He touched a couple of fingertips to my chin, tilting my head so that he could look into my eyes once more. “It was like you were in pain or something…are you okay?”

I nodded tiredly, nuzzling against him, kind of lying on top of him now.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded again. “Yeah…it’s probably being in a different country that’s doing this.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m serious. It’s happened before, okay?” He sighed, stroking my hair, and I sighed too. “Sorry I kept you awake,” I murmured, and I kissed his chest to try and make up for it.

“You didn’t keep me up. I was already awake. Not sleeping so well.” He half-smiled. “I mean, you’d think I’d be beat dead with all that we did, but…”

“Did you try listening to some music?” He shook his head. “Why not, love?”

He smiled impishly. “I didn’t want to get up, because then I would wake you up. You’ve been sleeping so lightly lately, and I don’t like disturbing you…” He sighed. “You sure you’re okay? I mean…you’re not…pregnant…or anything, right?”

I smiled softly at him, inching up so that I could gently kiss his lips. “No. I’m not pregnant. I had my period last week, remember?” He smiled a little, seemingly reassured. “Go back to sleep, okay?” He nodded, and I slid back down to where I had been, resting my head on his chest and draping my arm over his abs, closing my eyes.

“Will you tell me what you were dreaming about when we wake up?”

I kissed his chest. “Of course love.”

“Kay. Night, Heather.”

“Goodnight, Brian. I love you.”

He slid his arms around me, and we sort of nuzzled into each other, ignoring the fact that we were stark naked…we’d fallen asleep like this so many times that it didn’t really faze us anymore.

I don’t know how long we slept. I don’t even know if he slept at all. But I did. In fact, my sleep was deeper and more comforting than any sleep I’d had in a few months, and since I was nuzzled up into Brian’s side, it wasn’t very difficult to stay asleep. This was the one time I wasn’t sleeping lightly, and my body took full advantage of it. Of course I could feel the tenderness in certain areas every time I shifted, but this time, it wasn’t enough to wake me.

The bright Venice sun, however, was. It reflected from the water in the canals and beamed straight through the curtains, shining right on Brian and I, basically ordering us to get up. My eyes opened first, and when I felt him stirring beside me, I gave Brian’s chest a soft kiss before turning over and sitting up so that I could attempt to get out of bed.

My feet hurt a bit from the walking we’d done, and my thighs were a little tender, but it really wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to. I got up with a sigh, giving Brian a small smile as he woke up, and then I slipped out of bed, testing my balance before walking over to my suitcase and fishing out something comfortable to wear.

Brian turned on the television, turning the volume down, and waited for me to return to him. When I did, I was in a light nightgown that really only went to my mid thigh, and he’d pulled on a pair of boxers sometime during the night. I settled against him, and he slid an arm around me, holding me to his side.

“Do you want me to call room service?” he asked softly, kissing the side of my head.

I angled my head to look up at him. “The phone is on your side of the bed, love,” I pointed out, and he smiled down at me, touching my chin and claiming a kiss before reaching for the phone, dialing the front desk and waiting for a response.

“Yes, to room 1307…uh…to be honest, I really don’t know…could we have a…yes. One of those. Because neither of us really knows much Italian.” There was a small laugh on the other end of the line. The front desk attendants seemed to be a pro at recognizing tourists. “Okay, thank you.” He hung up and wrapped the other arm around me. “Five minutes,” he said, and I smiled in response before returning my head to its previous position.

I stared at the movie on the screen before us, and Brian occupied himself with playing with my hair.

“It really doesn’t take much,” he mused quietly.

“What doesn’t?” I asked, my eyes not moving from the screen.

He kissed the top of my head. “You know what.” His voice was so gentle- it gave me chills. “And I’m not worried about it. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” One of my hands found his, and he laced our fingers together, caressing the back of my hand with his thumb. “I’m not either.” I could feel his smile in my hair. “It’ll just be…weird, I guess. Having a kid with one of the most famous rock stars on the planet, I mean.” I tried a smile, despite the fact that he couldn’t see my face. “Whenever it happens, I’m ready.”

He brought our hands to his lips and kissed my knuckles. I hadn’t seen him this mellow in a while- maybe he had slept well. I could just feel the relaxed vibe that surrounded him, and it sort of placated me as well. “I hope our child has your beautiful eyes,” he said softly, and he kissed my hair again.

I looked up at him for this one. “The child that doesn’t even exist yet?” I questioned, grinning at him. He nodded. “So if this child gets my eyes, then what do you get out of the deal?”
He touched my face with the hand that had been at my back- I turned so that I was on my stomach so that I could have this conversation with him. He flashed a devilish smile and winked at me. “My impossibly good looks?” he tried, his voice making it sound like a question. “I mean, I could never wish my hair upon a child…”

I giggled, touching his hair, fluffing a few strands of it a bit. “Why not? I love your hair.”

He smiled. “I know you do, love,” he said softly, his hand at the side of my face, resting there. “I just think that yours is better.” I slid up the bed to kiss his lips, and he let our lips linger together for a few moments before there was a quiet knock on the door. He smiled. “I think their idea of five minutes is different than ours.”

I kissed him again, quickly locating a pair of underwear and pulling them on as I slipped out of bed. “Yes, well. Be happy it’s food. I wouldn’t mind the amount of time it took.” He gave me another smile as I walked to the door, and I sighed, running a hand over my hair, before I opened the door, greeted by a forty-something room serviceman.

I immediately wished that I knew Italian, because he looked at me expectantly.

“Er…menus for us?” I started, and he nodded, extending a couple toward me. I took them, nodding in thanks. He waited patiently in the doorway, gesturing toward the room and smiling, and I went back to Brian, who simply laughed softly at my awkwardness before helping me quickly choose something.

When I went back to the serviceman, he looked as though he had only just appeared, the warm smile still on his face as I pointed to what he wanted, and then he took the menus from me, tucking them under his arm, and went on his way down the hall.

Brian pulled me into his arms the minute I was back on the bed.

“That was the most awkward encounter I’ve ever had with room service,” I giggled, and he let me bury my head in his abs to contain my laughter.

“There’s still two weeks left,” he said, sounding highly amused. “Looks like we’re both going to need to learn basic Italian.” He laughed again, his hand touching the back of my head, his fingertips smoothly sliding through the strands of my hair, really barely pulling at it. “Unless that damned translation book proves itself useful.”

“You’re such a cheese.”

He wrinkled his nose. “I’m an aged dairy product? Aw. Thanks, honey. I love you too.” I could only imagine the look on his face. He was probably attempting a mix between offense, horror, and amusement all at once, and I peeked up at him to see it, only laughing harder when his gaze connected with mine. “What the hell is so funny?”

“You’re just…special.”

Both of his arms wrapped around me, and he pulled me up so that my face was right next to his. The look in his eyes was so serious that it caught me off guard, and I let out a soft sigh as his mouth found mine. His hands slid up my back, and I shivered against him- he had really won this time. “I love you,” he whispered, and he smiled at me, glancing into my eyes before looking back at my lips, kissing me again.

“Not fair,” I murmured into his kiss. He humph-ed in response. “You’re not supposed to be this smooth.”

He smiled against my lips, capturing my bottom lip between his teeth for a few seconds, letting go with a shit-eating grin. “Of course I am. Would I be Synyster Gates if I weren’t your super smooth rock star?”

I smiled at him, sliding my hand along his face. “Maybe. But since you added something in about being mine, I’ll let you win.”

He grinned, giving me a short kiss as a reward. “Mhm. Of course you will.” His voice was so soft…it was seductive, really. His chocolate eyes surveyed my face, searching out any kind of weakness he could use against me, but when he found none, he simply settled for pressing his lips to mine once more. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing myself to him. I wasn’t going to begin complaining.

Again and again he kissed me, and after a while, I began to forget that the awkwardly patient Italian man was going to come back to our room, knock on our door, and leave our food for us. My body was content with being pressed to Brian’s, and I was just fine with the way he was kissing me time and time again, his lips becoming a drug that I had to get more of.
I couldn’t stop the addiction.

He had to, though.

The awkwardly patient Italian man eventually returned, and Brian gave me a final kiss before sliding himself from beneath me, slipping out of bed and trudging over to the door, adjusting his boxers a little as he went. I simply sighed and fell back onto the bed, my eyes on Brian and my arms spread wide across the comforter, watching as he accepted the food and pulled the cart in, closing the door.

“Your aged dairy product has food for you, my love,” he said as he neared the bed.

I sat up, smiling and scratching my head a little. “Does he now,” I said, and he chuckled, leaning down and touching his hand to my face, kissing me softly. “Well I guess he does, then. Them damn aged dairy products sure do know how to treat a girl…”

“If being married to you for over a year hasn’t given me enough experience, then I don’t know what will.” He winked at me, settling onto the bed beside me, and then picked up the plates of food, handing me mine and setting his in his lap. I pouted at the idea of not being able to snuggle into his lap, but I got over it as I picked up my fork and nuzzled into his side, kissing his shoulder once he got the hint and slid his arm around me. “I love you, Heather,” he murmured, kissing my temple. “Now eat, love. There’s a zillion things to do today.”

“Uh-huh. Of course there are.” I smiled up at him, and then I let him return his attention to his food so that we could eat.

I felt smooth lips on my forehead as I turned over beneath the blankets, and I peered tiredly up at Brian, his gaze connecting concernedly with mine. “What?” I asked groggily. “Did I say something while I was asleep?”

He kissed my forehead again, pulling me closer to his warm body. Immediately, the stink of sex filled my nostrils, and I wrinkled my nose as I moved my head to his chest. “You’ve been murmuring my name and cradling your stomach for about an hour.” He touched a couple of fingertips to my chin, tilting my head so that he could look into my eyes once more. “It was like you were in pain or something…are you okay?”

I nodded tiredly, nuzzling against him, kind of lying on top of him now.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded again. “Yeah…it’s probably being in a different country that’s doing this.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m serious. It’s happened before, okay?” He sighed, stroking my hair, and I sighed too. “Sorry I kept you awake,” I murmured, and I kissed his chest to try and make up for it.

“You didn’t keep me up. I was already awake. Not sleeping so well.” He half-smiled. “I mean, you’d think I’d be beat dead with all that we did, but…”

“Did you try listening to some music?” He shook his head. “Why not, love?”

He smiled impishly. “I didn’t want to get up, because then I would wake you up. You’ve been sleeping so lightly lately, and I don’t like disturbing you…” He sighed. “You sure you’re okay? I mean…you’re not…pregnant…or anything, right?”

I smiled softly at him, inching up so that I could gently kiss his lips. “No. I’m not pregnant. I had my period last week, remember?” He smiled a little, seemingly reassured. “Go back to sleep, okay?” He nodded, and I slid back down to where I had been, resting my head on his chest and draping my arm over his abs, closing my eyes.

“Will you tell me what you were dreaming about when we wake up?”

I kissed his chest. “Of course love.”

“Kay. Night, Heather.”

“Goodnight, Brian. I love you.”

He slid his arms around me, and we sort of nuzzled into each other, ignoring the fact that we were stark naked…we’d fallen asleep like this so many times that it didn’t really faze us anymore.

I don’t know how long we slept. I don’t even know if he slept at all. But I did. In fact, my sleep was deeper and more comforting than any sleep I’d had in a few months, and since I was nuzzled up into Brian’s side, it wasn’t very difficult to stay asleep. This was the one time I wasn’t sleeping lightly, and my body took full advantage of it. Of course I could feel the tenderness in certain areas every time I shifted, but this time, it wasn’t enough to wake me.

The bright Venice sun, however, was. It reflected from the water in the canals and beamed straight through the curtains, shining right on Brian and I, basically ordering us to get up. My eyes opened first, and when I felt him stirring beside me, I gave Brian’s chest a soft kiss before turning over and sitting up so that I could attempt to get out of bed.

My feet hurt a bit from the walking we’d done, and my thighs were a little tender, but it really wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to. I got up with a sigh, giving Brian a small smile as he woke up, and then I slipped out of bed, testing my balance before walking over to my suitcase and fishing out something comfortable to wear.

Brian turned on the television, turning the volume down, and waited for me to return to him. When I did, I was in a light nightgown that really only went to my mid thigh, and he’d pulled on a pair of boxers sometime during the night. I settled against him, and he slid an arm around me, holding me to his side.

“Do you want me to call room service?” he asked softly, kissing the side of my head.

I angled my head to look up at him. “The phone is on your side of the bed, love,” I pointed out, and he smiled down at me, touching my chin and claiming a kiss before reaching for the phone, dialing the front desk and waiting for a response.

“Yes, to room 1307…uh…to be honest, I really don’t know…could we have a…yes. One of those. Because neither of us really knows much Italian.” There was a small laugh on the other end of the line. The front desk attendants seemed to be a pro at recognizing tourists. “Okay, thank you.” He hung up and wrapped the other arm around me. “Five minutes,” he said, and I smiled in response before returning my head to its previous position.

I stared at the movie on the screen before us, and Brian occupied himself with playing with my hair.

“It really doesn’t take much,” he mused quietly.

“What doesn’t?” I asked, my eyes not moving from the screen.

He kissed the top of my head. “You know what.” His voice was so gentle- it gave me chills. “And I’m not worried about it. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” One of my hands found his, and he laced our fingers together, caressing the back of my hand with his thumb. “I’m not either.” I could feel his smile in my hair. “It’ll just be…weird, I guess. Having a kid with one of the most famous rock stars on the planet, I mean.” I tried a smile, despite the fact that he couldn’t see my face. “Whenever it happens, I’m ready.”

He brought our hands to his lips and kissed my knuckles. I hadn’t seen him this mellow in a while- maybe he had slept well. I could just feel the relaxed vibe that surrounded him, and it sort of placated me as well. “I hope our child has your beautiful eyes,” he said softly, and he kissed my hair again.

I looked up at him for this one. “The child that doesn’t even exist yet?” I questioned, grinning at him. He nodded. “So if this child gets my eyes, then what do you get out of the deal?”

He touched my face with the hand that had been at my back- I turned so that I was on my stomach so that I could have this conversation with him. He flashed a devilish smile and winked at me. “My impossibly good looks?” he tried, his voice making it sound like a question. “I mean, I could never wish my hair upon a child…”

I giggled, touching his hair, fluffing a few strands of it a bit. “Why not? I love your hair.”
He smiled. “I know you do, love,” he said softly, his hand at the side of my face, resting there. “I just think that yours is better.” I slid up the bed to kiss his lips, and he let our lips linger together for a few moments before there was a quiet knock on the door. He smiled. “I think their idea of five minutes is different than ours.”

I kissed him again, quickly locating a pair of underwear and pulling them on as I slipped out of bed. “Yes, well. Be happy it’s food. I wouldn’t mind the amount of time it took.” He gave me another smile as I walked to the door, and I sighed, running a hand over my hair, before I opened the door, greeted by a forty-something room serviceman.

I immediately wished that I knew Italian, because he looked at me expectantly.

“Er…menus for us?” I started, and he nodded, extending a couple toward me. I took them, nodding in thanks. He waited patiently in the doorway, gesturing toward the room and smiling, and I went back to Brian, who simply laughed softly at my awkwardness before helping me quickly choose something.

When I went back to the serviceman, he looked as though he had only just appeared, the warm smile still on his face as I pointed to what he wanted, and then he took the menus from me, tucking them under his arm, and went on his way down the hall.

Brian pulled me into his arms the minute I was back on the bed.

“That was the most awkward encounter I’ve ever had with room service,” I giggled, and he let me bury my head in his abs to contain my laughter.

“There’s still two weeks left,” he said, sounding highly amused. “Looks like we’re both going to need to learn basic Italian.” He laughed again, his hand touching the back of my head, his fingertips smoothly sliding through the strands of my hair, really barely pulling at it. “Unless that damned translation book proves itself useful.”

“You’re such a cheese.”

He wrinkled his nose. “I’m an aged dairy product? Aw. Thanks, honey. I love you too.” I could only imagine the look on his face. He was probably attempting a mix between offense, horror, and amusement all at once, and I peeked up at him to see it, only laughing harder when his gaze connected with mine. “What the hell is so funny?”

“You’re just…special.”

Both of his arms wrapped around me, and he pulled me up so that my face was right next to his. The look in his eyes was so serious that it caught me off guard, and I let out a soft sigh as his mouth found mine. His hands slid up my back, and I shivered against him- he had really won this time. “I love you,” he whispered, and he smiled at me, glancing into my eyes before looking back at my lips, kissing me again.

“Not fair,” I murmured into his kiss. He humph-ed in response. “You’re not supposed to be this smooth.”

He smiled against my lips, capturing my bottom lip between his teeth for a few seconds, letting go with a shit-eating grin. “Of course I am. Would I be Synyster Gates if I weren’t your super smooth rock star?”

I smiled at him, sliding my hand along his face. “Maybe. But since you added something in about being mine, I’ll let you win.”

He grinned, giving me a short kiss as a reward. “Mhm. Of course you will.” His voice was so soft…it was seductive, really. His chocolate eyes surveyed my face, searching out any kind of weakness he could use against me, but when he found none, he simply settled for pressing his lips to mine once more. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing myself to him. I wasn’t going to begin complaining.

Again and again he kissed me, and after a while, I began to forget that the awkwardly patient Italian man was going to come back to our room, knock on our door, and leave our food for us. My body was content with being pressed to Brian’s, and I was just fine with the way he was kissing me time and time again, his lips becoming a drug that I had to get more of.
I couldn’t stop the addiction.

He had to, though.

The awkwardly patient Italian man eventually returned, and Brian gave me a final kiss before sliding himself from beneath me, slipping out of bed and trudging over to the door, adjusting his boxers a little as he went. I simply sighed and fell back onto the bed, my eyes on Brian and my arms spread wide across the comforter, watching as he accepted the food and pulled the cart in, closing the door.

“Your aged dairy product has food for you, my love,” he said as he neared the bed.

I sat up, smiling and scratching my head a little. “Does he now,” I said, and he chuckled, leaning down and touching his hand to my face, kissing me softly. “Well I guess he does, then. Them damn aged dairy products sure do know how to treat a girl…”

“If being married to you for over a year hasn’t given me enough experience, then I don’t know what will.” He winked at me, settling onto the bed beside me, and then picked up the plates of food, handing me mine and setting his in his lap. I pouted at the idea of not being able to snuggle into his lap, but I got over it as I picked up my fork and nuzzled into his side, kissing his shoulder once he got the hint and slid his arm around me. “I love you, Heather,” he murmured, kissing my temple. “Now eat, love. There’s a zillion things to do today.”

“Uh-huh. Of course there are.” I smiled up at him, and then I let him return his attention to his food so that we could eat.