Gears and Steam

Unfortunate Circumstances

Jules

Waking up with Edmund laying against my chest was probably one of the best feelings in the world. I couldn't sleepwalk with him on top of me, so I didn't wake up in some random part of the manor as I usually did. I knew I would be the first to wake up out of my family, so I had no problem sleeping like this.

Edmund woke up a few minutes later. His blue eyes blinked sleepily up at me, a small smile on his face. "Good morning, love," he yawned.

"Morning." I kissed the tip of his nose. "Sleep well?"

Edmund shrugged, which was rather hard with him laid against my chest. "You talk in your sleep, did you know that?"

"Actually, yes," I laughed. "Phoebe does it too. What did I say?"

Edmund's face went slightly pink. "Um, you cussed out your sister, rambled about lemons for an absurd amount of time, and said a few inappropriate things about me that I'd rather not repeat."

I removed my arms around Edmund to hide my red face in my hands. "Sorry, I have no control over what comes out of my mouth when I'm asleep."

Edmund grasped my wrists and tugged my hands away from my face. "It really wasn't...that bad."

"I can tell from your voice was it most definitely was 'that bad'," I sighed. "Once again, I'm sorry."

Edmund giggled sheepishly. "It's fine. What do we have planned for today?"

...

"The trees are pretty," Edmund commented, looking up the tree branches that tangled high above us like a spiderweb. The sun filtered down through gaps in the branches, washing Edmund and I in dappled golden light. It was a beautiful day for a walk through the woods.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I love it here."

"Where exactly are we going? Just for a walk through the woods?" Edmund linked his hand with mine. I liked being alone with him, it meant we could hold hands. Holding hands was an odd thing to get excited about.

"You'll see in a second," I assured. "There's a specific place I want you to see."

I was impatient to get to the special place. I walked a little faster, then started running, draggin Edmund along behind me.

"Julian Hayden Vincent!" Edmund yelled. "I'm not an athletic person!"

"Come on, I've seen you run faster than this!"

"Yes, when I'm in distress! I was enjoying our walk!"

I didn't slow down. "Shut up! We're almost there!"

I dragged Edmund, who was stumbling over tree roots and cursing at me, until we reached a clearing in the forest. A gigantic oak tree stood proudly in the center of the clearing. I didn't know why the oak had grown away from the other trees, but it made a nice spot to rest. I dropped Edmund's hand and sat down at the base of the tree.

"So, what do you think?" I asked, gesturing around the clearing.

"It's beautiful," Edmund breathed, spinning around. "We should climb the tree."

"What!?" I yelped, alarmed.

Edmund pulled himself up on the branch lowest to the ground. "Come on Jules, I won't let you fall."

"No, I have like, zero dexterity. I will fall to my death!"

Edmund rolled his eyes and grasped the branch above his head. "The tree isn't even that tall! The worst you'll do is break an arm!"