Title: Yesterday to Tomorrow: Chapter Fifty-two, Like a Red Rose
Rating: NC-17 [violence, swearing, nudity, sexual situations]

Summary: Chris gets to see the wedding book.

Previous Chapter A Little Party

Current Chapter Like a Red Rose

Next Chapter A Long Awaited Release

Groaning Alyssa turned over in bed. Her stomach felt as if she had swallowed a handful of tacks. Her head was all right, but her stomach wasn't. And her back. Her back was sore from all of the vomiting.

Which she found odd. She hadn't really drunk herself to the point of vomit in a very, very long time. Sure she had been drunk for weeks after her mother died, but not once did she vomit in that time, preferring a long steady drunk than a quick high. Though recovering from that hadn't been easy. She had more or less gone through alcohol withdrawal after that. Thank the stars Chris had been there for her.

Chris. Where in bloody name was he?

And then she smelled it. Food. Her stomach flipped over, but her nostrils needed it. So she slowly rolled back onto her back and sat up. Only when the blanket fell away in the motion did she realize she was nude, not that she really cared. Unless it was the kids bringing her food. But they weren't there, right?

A moment later a grecian figure appeared in the doorway. Okay, he wasn't a god, but in her mind at that very moment, Chris certainly was. He had pancakes.

"Oh, Chris. I think I love you," she muttered as he carried the tray towards the bed.

"Glad we got that cleared up before getting married," he grinned, flipping the legs down on the tray before settling it over her lap. "Now before you get any bright ideas, I had to call Brad to cook all of this. I'm definitely not a chef."

Her eyes looked down at the plate. Sure it wasn't presented all pretty, but it definitely looked edible. Which was a very good thing in her mind.

"Then I'll cancel Weird Al as your wedding gift and sign you up for cooking classes," she declared, reaching for the juice and pills first. "With three kids in the house, I'd rather have some time off from cooking."

"Nah. I'd rather have Weird Al," Chris claimed, reaching over to steal a strawberry from her plate.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, teeth snapping a piece of very crunchy bacon, "He doesn't fit the theme of our wedding."

"There's a theme?"

She stared at him blankly.

"What?"

"Go get the notebook, Chris," Alyssa instructed.

His eyes lit up, "I get to see the holy of holies?"

She nodded, tasting a bite of eggs, "And while you're at it, I could use some of the spice in the red shaker next to the stove."

"On it," Chris jumped up and hurried from the room.

Eating around the eggs, Alyssa found it oddly peculiar that the food was settling on her stomach so well. Maybe Chris had slipped something into her drinks the night before. Or maybe she wasn't as hungover as she thought. Or maybe she should marry the man for being so damn good to her.

Oh wait. She was.

Returning triumphantly with the red shaker and a velvet bound, ribbon tied red binder, Chris grinned, "I can't believe I'm allowed to touch this."

"Oh shove it, Cornell," she teased, reaching for the shaker.

"Babe?" he watched her movement.

"Yes?"

"Before we talk wedding, you think you could put on a shirt. It's very distracting seeing your beautifulness all bared," Chris stated.

"Then get me a shirt," she replied, shaking the spices over the eggs.

He instantly jumped up, not about to argue for an instant. Pulling the first shirt out of the dresser he found, not paying any attention to it, Chris tossed it onto the bed. Waiting for her to finish the eggs, focusing intently upon her face, he swept the tray away. Without a word, he hurried from the room, leaving Alyssa to dress herself while he started the dishes.

Everything taken care of, Chris plopped back on the bed, next to Alyssa, snuggling up next to her, the notebook in her lap. He reached over and pulled on the ribbon, releasing the bow so that he could flip it open. Her eyes on his hand, she watched him lift the cover, exposing the first page.

His green eyes flicked to it, seeing a picture of the two of them that he had never seen before, "What's this?"

She grinned, "That's the picture that was printed with the engagement announcements we sent to family."

"We sent out engagement announcements?"

"Yep," Alyssa nodded. "You put stamps on all of the envelopes, Chris."

"Oh," he reached and flipped the page.

Moving the opening page revealed a dozen colour-coded tabs. They were unlabelled, but certainly meant something to Alyssa. And it made complete sense why her 'notebook' had begun as a simple spiral notebook and progressed into a three-inch notebook. With everything from contracts to magazine photos to receipts, any wedding idea she had was in that book. Even the ones she later changed her mind were held in the notebook, filed behind the black tab.

"This looks like something you did in college," Chris commented.

"Yep," she nodded. "Some of my last design projects looked like this. At least until you spilled something on the pages."

"Hey!" he grinned, faking like he was offended. "So what's this theme you were talking about?"

"What's my favourite poem, Chris?"

His eyes widened, before dropping to the bed. She could tell by his body language that he was searching his mind for the answer, completely unsure. And maybe she was a bit of a sadist, but she loved how he was squirming.

"Um...."

"Just guess. I promise I won't hate you for not knowing," Alyssa proclaimed.

He sighed, "I don't know. Something about .... "

His eyes looked to the book, "....roses?"

She leaned over and kissed his forehead, "Very good."

Alyssa reached for the red tab and flipped that section open. Pointing at the page, she motioned for Chris to read it.

"O, my luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June
O, my luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune

As fair art thou, my bonie lass
So deep in luve am I
And I will luve thee still, my Dear
Till a' the seas gang dry

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear
And the rocks melt wi' the sun!
O I will luve thee still, my Dear
While the sands o' life shall run," he read.

She didn't say anything, letting the way he read it sink into her thoughts.

"I've heard that before," Chris claimed. "But I think I could write you something better."

Alyssa grinned, "Good."

"And this is the theme of the wedding?"

"Just the first line," she answered with a nod.

"Hmmmm," his brow crinkled in thought. "Definitely something to consider."

"For?"

"My vows."

Her eyes lit up, "I didn't want to ask you...."

"No need. I think vows should always be written, makes them more true," Chris stated, reaching for the book again. "Show me more of our wedding."