Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Fantaisie Sign ❯ My Darling, You Were Wonderful Tonight ( Chapter 10 )

DISCLAIMER: Cowboy Bebop and its characters are owned by the anime companies that made them, and not by me.

Author's Note: This fanfic is in the first-person style, with the POV being Edward's for all but a few chapters (and when the POV is different, I won't switch mid-chapter, the whole chapter will be like that). I've never even attempted doing something like this before, so bear with me.

French Note: For the few (non-generic) French language bits in this fic, I'll be using Babelfish. So pardon my French. ^_^

---

"Are you guys sure this dress looks nice on Edward?"

"Sure, I'm sure, Ed!" Sani said as I stood in front of the mirror in my dorm room. "It looks wonderful!"

"Sylvan is just gonna flip when he sees you, Ed!" Kirsten said, smiling.

It was the day after the incident with Stephanie. The time was 5:45, just fifteen minutes before Sylvan was supposed to come and pick me up for our date. I was getting ready with Asada, Kirsten, Piripi, Kimberly, and Sani, and they seemed to be having just as much fun as I was as they tried their best to make me look extra beautiful!

"How much was this white dress anyway, Ed?" Piripi asked. "I'd love to have something like this!"

"Piripi, it's rude to ask someone how much their stuff costs!" Kimberly said.

"But I'm curious!" Piripi whined.

"It was 140,000 wulongs!" I said.

"Holy cow, that's a lot of dough!" Kirsten said as she brushed my long, red hair. "Your dad must have given you a ton of money to spend here..."

"Yeah, Ed..." Asada said, kneeling down and adjusting some of the straps on my heeled shoes. "He sure makes an awful lot of money for a crater-chaser..."

"Actually, Ed got this money from Ed's friend Faye-Faye!" I said. "Ed told you guys about Faye-Faye yesterday, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I remember her," Kirsten said. "She sounds pretty cool..."

"You're a lot like Faye-Faye, Kirsten!" I told her. "I'm sure she'd love to meet all of you!"

Of course, I couldn't actually introduce them to Faye-Faye. Maybe I could call her up some time and have all of my new friends talk to her... I'd really love for them to meet her someday, though. And Jet-person too!

"Well, Ed," Asada said, standing up. "Shoes are ready!"

"And your hair is too," Kirsten said, putting the brush back on my desk. "Take a look!"

I gazed into the mirror and gasped. I'd never looked so beautiful! My hair was shimmering from something that Kirsten had sprayed into it, and the lights in the room shined on it, making it glow with an elegant radiance. My cheeks were rosy, even rosier than usual, and they gave my tanned face a warm, pinkish glow. My eyes were beautifully highlighted with eyeliner, and Piripi had groomed my lashes to make them absolutely dazzling! My lips were lined with red lipstick, and I wore the stunning white dress that I had bought back at the Neo-Eiffel Tower. I never knew how beautiful it looked until I actually put it on somewhere outside of a dressing room, as its elegant patterns and silky tone shined. My nails had been painted a beautiful shade of crimson, and I wore a pair of soft, clear pantyhose that also shimmered as the light shone on them. Finally, I wore a pair of soft white socks and beautiful, heeled white shoes. For the first time in my life, I felt like a goddess... an incredible vision of beauty. If only Faye-Faye and daddy could see Edward now!

"Oh, everyone... Ed is so beautiful!" I squealed, looking at myself in the mirror. The other five girls cheered gleefully. "Thank you thank you thank you soooo much!"

"Ed, like Kirsten said, Sylvan is just going to be absolutely giddy when he sees you!" Kimberly said. "He is gonna like, die!"

"Yeah, he won't know what to say!" Sani said. "Um, let's see..."

"Oh, Edward, mon petite le chere..." Kirsten said deeply in a badly-imitated French accent and badly imitated French. "I am... how you say... very very horny."

"Oh, Kirsten, stop!" Piripi said, giggling.

"I think Sylvan's more polite than that," Asada said. "And less perverted."

"Hee, I think Asada's right!" I laughed through stifled giggles. "But that was pretty close!"

"It's 5:55," Piripi said, looking at the clock on my desk. "Only five minutes until he gets here..."

"We'd better go outside to meet him!" Sani said. "Plus, I want to see his face when he sees you, Ed!"

"Edward shouldn't keep Sylvan waiting!" I said. "Let's go!"

The six of us rushed out of the room and ran down the stairs, then through the door and out into the parking lot to wait for Sylvan.

"So, Ed, where are you guys planning to go, anyway?" Kirsten asked.

"Well, probably to a restaurant, and then to a movie!" I said.

"Oooh, a romantic French movie!" Asada said. "No one makes romantic movies like the French!"

"Ooh la la, dinner and a movie," Kirsten said, again in a mock French accent. "And then a little snookie snookie afterwards?"

I giggled.

"You mean kissing?" I asked. "Well, we might kiss... Edward has never been kissed before, actually!"

Obviously, the time on the Bebop when Faye tackled me and pressed her lips against mine didn't count. I meant romantic kisses!

"I don't think Kirsten meant kissing," Piripi said.

"Of course I did! What did you think I meant? Get your mind outta the gutter!" Kirsten shouted. We began laughing again.

"Um, I knew she meant kissing!" Kimberly said.

"But Piripi didn't," Asada said, giggling.

"Of course I did!" Piripi replied. "I.... look, he's coming!"

We all turned around. Sure enough, Sylvan's car was just coming into the parking lot. Excitedly, I waved at him. Through the windshield, I could see him waving back, though the sun had already set. Sylvan pulled up next to me and smiled.

"Bonsuir, mi ami!" Sylvan said, lowering his window.

"What did he say?" Kirsten whispered to me.

"Good evening to you too, Sylvan!" I replied. "Ed is ready for a magical evening!"

"Ah, I see... my goodness, Ed, you're looking absolutely radiant tonight! You're dressed up and everything!" Sylvan said.

"So are you, silly!" I said, noticing that Sylvan was wearing a handsome black tuxedo with a black bowtie, and as I looked down at his feet I could see that he was also wearing neatly-shined black shoes. "You look so handsome!"

"That's him?" Sani said, pointing. "Ed, you're so lucky!"

"My boyfriend back home is more handsome," Kimberly said. "Well, a little... I miss him."

"And who might these ladies be?" Sylvan asked me, gesturing toward Kirsten, Asada, and the other girls.

"Those are Edward's new friends!" I said, smiling. "You already know Asada, and there's Kirsten, Piripi, Kimberly, and Sani!"

"I see!" Sylvan said. "Well, it's wonderful to meet you all!"

I waved goodbye to the girls, then walked over to the passenger side of Sylvan's car and climbed inside. I leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush.

"Wow, I didn't expect that!" Sylvan said, starting the car. "So, shall we?"

I nodded.

"Ed, you have to tell us everything when you get back, okay?" Kirsten shouted.

"Ed promises she will!" I said, smiling. "Bye bye!"

Sylvan pulled out of the parking lot and quickly drove off the campus, heading down the freeway toward downtown Paris.

"So, Sylvan... where are we going tonight?" I asked him.

"Well, is there anyplace in particular you'd like to go?" Sylvan asked me. "I pretty much had dinner and a movie planned, but if there's anywhere else..."

"Well, Edward still wants to go up to the top of the Neo-Eiffel Tower... it's fixed now, right? Maybe after the movie Sylvan and Ed could go up there!"

"Alright, we'll do that then!" Sylvan said happily. "It sounds incredibly romantic!"

"Ed agrees," I said.

---

Once we got the restaurant, a small, fancy little place that was pretty close to the Neo-Eiffel Tower (we had an excellent view of the first and third legs), we quickly went inside and sat down. Sylvan had already made reservations, and we were led to a small, decorated table close to a window. The table was round, and I sat across from Sylvan. A tiny candle was glowing at the center of the table.

"It's been a long time since I was last here," Sylvan said wistfully.

"You mean with your last date or something?" I asked him.

"No, much longer than that... I was here with my mom and dad... when my dad was still alive, anyway."

"That's more than ten years ago!" I said. "It's incredible that you can remember something like that..."

"I remember my dad quite a lot," Sylvan said, sighing. "He and my mother loved each other very much..."

"I remember my mom, too," I said, a slightly serious tone in my voice.

"I'm sure if she was still alive, she'd be ecstatic to see the beautiful, intelligent young woman you've become, Edward," Sylvan said. I smiled at his comment, and I couldn't help but feel a bit charmed. Sylvan couldn't be just pulling this comment out of nowhere... somehow, from the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes, I knew he was sincere.

"Sylvan, I... I don't know what to say," I said softly. Sylvan's face became a bit worried.

"Ed, did I say the wrong thing?" Sylvan said. "Maybe that was a bit too-"

"No, Sylvan," I said, putting my finger up to his lips. "That was... that was so sweet of you, I-"

"Monsieur, madmoiselle, I am ready to take your order," said a waiter in a thick French accent. Sylvan and I turned our heads toward him, and we relaxed back into our seats.

"Oh, okay," Sylvan said. "Well, let's see... how about... I'll start with the seasoned chicken on a plate of spiced vegetables, with lemon on the side."

"Excellent choice, sir... and for you, madmoiselle?" the waiter asked. I gazed at the menu for a few seconds, then made my appetizer selection.

"Breaded mozzarella slices on a glazed salmon, please!" I said, setting my menu down again.

"Your appetizers will be here shortly," the waiter said. "May I offer you a selection from our fine wine list?"

"No, not tonight," Sylvan said. "Just the appetizers for now, please."

"Ed will have a highly-carbonated cranberry soda... that is non-alcoholic, right?" I asked.

"That is correct, madmoiselle," the waiter said. "I will return."

After the waiter left, Sylvan and I began talking again.

"So, Ed... tomorrow's the big day, right? The tour of the campus and the interview with the Dean of Admissions?"

I nodded.

"Ed can't wait to find out if she's going to go to your college," I said excitedly. "I just hope I get to stay in the same dorm with you!"

"The same room?" Sylvan asked.

"No, no, no, no, just the same building, silly!" I said. "You know what Edward meant!"

"Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine tomorrow!" Sylvan said. "Monsieur Depardieu talked to me about you yesterday... he said that some of your test scores were astounding!"

"Did you tell him to put Ed in Dejoule Hall next year?" I asked.

"Well, I actually never mentioned it...." Sylvan said, slightly embarrassed. "Maybe I'll see him some other time, then I'll tell him."

"Okay!" I said. "So, Sylvan, you stayed with your mom all day?"

Sylvan nodded.

"She's still a bit traumatized over the whole French syndicate thing... some thugs came to get the first of the money today," Sylvan said. "I actually had to pay them with my money, since mom was almost out... uh oh."

"Uh oh what oh?" I said in a worried tone.

"Ed, I'm, um... out of money," Sylvan said. "This is not good."

"Oh, ye of little faith... Edward has plenty of money!" I said, happily. "Faye-Faye gave me lots and lots and Ed still has lots and lots left! Ed will pay for tonight, okay, Sylvy-person?"

"Wow, Ed... no, you don't have to... I promise I'll pay you back, okay?" Sylvan said, now really embarrassed.

"Sylvan only has to pay half the money... we're going Dutch, right?" I asked, smiling at him.

"I didn't plan it that way, but... okay, Ed, we'll each pay half, then."

"Crisis averted!" I said happily, just as the waiter reached our table with the appetizers.

"Here are your appetizers," the waiter said, setting several plates down on the table. "I'll be back to take your main course orders shortly."

The waiter left, and we began quickly eating our delicious appetizers.

---

The rest of the meal actually went rather quickly, as we finished our appetizers and main courses, all while talking at the same time.

"And then Kirsten just started punching her, over and over," I said, eating the last of my fluffy pink strawberry cake that I was having for dessert. I knew I probably shouldn't be talking about this kind of thing at a fancy restaurant, so I made sure to be extra-quiet.

"I'm just glad you're feeling okay, Ed..." Sylvan said. "I mean, you got punched right in the nose..."

"Ed's nose is just swookie!" I said, poking it gently with my finger.

"Well, just to make sure...."

Sylvan leaned over, and before I could say anything, gave me a quick little peck on the tip of my nose. As his lips touched my skin, I couldn't help but feel a slight tingling sensation going through my body... but I didn't tell him that. He sat back down in his chair, and I giggled slightly.

"Oh, Sylvan," I said, giggling. "It feels a whole lot better now... thank you!"

"Sorry if I was a bit forward," Sylvan said, blushing.

"Sylvan, you're sooooo romantic," I said, exaggerating a bit. I wasn't swooning for him, I was just playing around. Still, I'd never played around like that before with anyone... but I could tell it made him happy, which made me happy as well!

"Here's your bill," said the waiter, setting a small tray with our bill in it on the table. Geez, killjoy, you sure have a bad habit of interrupting Edward's swookie romantic moments...

"Let's see here... my gosh, 86,828 wulongs?" Sylvan said, stunned by the amount of the bill. "Geez..."

"Ed will handle it!" I said, taking out my cash card and handing it to the waiter. He scanned the card in a small, portable scanner attached to the tray, and handed it back to me. "Wait, here's a tip!"

I scanned the card in the scanner again, deducting 13,172 more wulongs for a total of an even 100,000 wulongs spent on the meal.

"Merci beaucoup, madmoiselle," the waiter said, walking away from the table.

"Well, that was a wonderful meal," Sylvan said.

"Thank you for bringing me here," I said, nodding in agreement. "Let's go to the movie now, okay?"

---

"Oh, I love you so much..."

"I love you too, more than anything..."

The man and the woman kissed. Suddenly, a large laser beam blasted a hole in the man's chest and causing him to fall dead. The woman turned to face another, larger man, standing behind them.

"He has been terminated," the larger man said.

After the dinner, Sylvan and I had gone to see Terminator 5: The Machines Strike Back, Special 60th Anniversary Edition. Neither of us really wanted to see a romantic movie, and Sylvan was an action movie fan, which surprised me... and delighted me, since I liked action movies too.

"Poor guy," Sylvan said regretfully.

"Oh, don't worry," I told him. "The lady... well, Ed doesn't want to spoil it for you!"

"I guess we should watch the rest of the movie," Sylvan whispered. I nodded back to him.

---

"Well, here we are," I said as Sylvan and I walked into the lobby of the Neo-Eiffel Tower for the second time in the last three days. "Edward just hopes we can go up to the top this time!"

"Yeah," Sylvan said. He walked over to a uniformed security guard. "Is the observation deck open today?"

"Sure is, it just opened up again this morning," the security guard said. "Are you planning to go up there? The view is beautiful."

Sylvan nodded and turned to me.

"I've been up there lots of times, but Ed's never been, so I'm taking her," Sylvan said.

"We're on our first date!" I said quickly.

"Well, have fun, kids," the security guard said politely. Sylvan and I walked over to one of the elevators and stepped inside. He pressed a blue button marked "Observation Deck" in both English and French, and soon, the elevator was quickly heading for the top of the Eiffel Tower.

"How beautiful is it, Sylvan?" I asked him.

"Oh, it's absolutely wonderful," Sylvan said. "You can see for over a hundred miles... the tower itself is 4,990 feet tall, but the observation deck is up 4,921 feet, almost a mile. It's the thirteenth tallest building in the Solar System and the tenth tallest on Mars... it's really, really high."

"Edward isn't scared of heights!" I said, gazing out the window and watching as the elevator went higher and higher, the buildings becoming smaller and smaller beneath us. "Wow... even the skyline's starting to look small..."

"We're almost there," Sylvan said. "This elevator goes pretty fast..."

Finally, the elevator stopped, and I could hear a quiet dinging noise. We stepped out of the elevator and went down a small hallway until we reached a large, wooden door with a gold plate above it that read "Observation Deck". Sylvan opened the door for me, and I stepped inside, Sylvan following close behind me.

"Wow..."

Sylvan was right... the view was absolutely beautiful. The observation deck was a large, round room, with transparent hyperlexan walls all around that allowed a beautiful view of the city. There were so many lights, and we were above all of them... I could even see a few of the very low clouds below us. Several other tourists were in the room, looking out at the city or viewing information about the city or the tower at various information stations located throughout the room. But I was fixated on the city...

"Sylvan, this is... it's so... it's incredible!" I stammered, barely able to find words. "Wow..."

"You like it, Ed?" Sylvan said, smiling warmly at me.

"Oh, Ed loves it!" I said. "When I'm at college next year, I'm coming here every single day!"

"Wow, not even I love it that much," Sylvan said. "It is beautiful, though... but... not as beautiful as you, Edward..."

"Oh, Sylvan..."

My heart fluttered. That look... he... no, it can't be, he...

"Sylvan, I... thank you for such a wonderful evening, Sylvan..."

"Thank you, Edward... I've only known you for a few days, and we've experienced so much together... you've been my friend, you saved my life..."

"Sylvan..."

I didn't know what to say anymore. As he took my hand in his, I squeezed it slightly, sweat beginning to run down my palm. My feet, my hands, and my lips trembled as he leaned in close to me. His eyes were so beautiful, and filled with affection... and as our lips met, I knew...

"He loves me," I thought. "Oh my god, he loves me..."

I wrapped my arms around his chest and pressed my lips to his. I closed my eyes and let the moment overtake me, and it seemed like there were a million specks of light circling around us as we continued the kiss for at least three or four more seconds. Finally, his face pulled away from mine, and slowly, we released each other, our arms falling to our sides.

"Edward, I... I love you," Sylvan said. "I don't know how to explain it, but I-"

"Don't, Sylvan..." I said, looking straight into his eyes. "Ed is pretty sure she loves you too... yes, very very pretty sure!"

---

"Well, Ed... it's been a wonderful, wonderful evening," Sylvan said to me as we stood outside my dorm room. "Thank you for everything."

I nodded back at Sylvan.

"Thank you, Sylvan," I said. "You're a very romantic person! And don't worry, Ed loves you too, really!"

Sylvan kissed me briefly on the lips.

"Bonne nuit, mi belle ange..." Sylvan said softly.

"Bonne nuit, mon beau prince..." I replied. He kissed me once more on the cheek, then walked back down the hall to his dorm room. What a wonderful evening...

As I stepped into my room, strong hands quickly grabbed me and pulled me over to my bed. Suddenly, my arms were pinned down, two sets of hands holding them in place. I started to scream, but then noticed Kirsten standing over me.

"Okay, Ed... tell us everything!" she said deviously. "Or we'll..."

"Tickle torture you!" Piripi said, holding up a feather duster. I began to giggle, noticing Asada and Sani holding me to the bed.

"Okay, okay!" I said, giggling as Piripi began to tickle me. "Ed will tell you, just let Ed catch her breath, okay?"

Sani and Asada moved away, and I sat up, smiling.

"Geez, you guys scared Edward to death!" I said, still giggling.

"Sorry, we probably shouldn't have been so rough..." Kimberly said. "So, what was Sylvan like?"

So, I began to tell them everything that had happened during the evening, while Kirsten, Asada, and the others listened patiently.

"You guys kissed?" Kirsten said. "Awesome! Was it a... French kiss?"

"Oooh, French kissed by a handsome French man, how romantic!" Piripi said.

"No, it was just a really long kiss!" I told them. "And then..."

"Then what happened?" Asada said eagerly. "Tell us tell us!"

"No, it's a secret!" I told them, not exactly ready to tell them that Sylvan loved me yet.

"Oh, c'mon, Ed..." Sani said, pressing me for more information. "Did you kiss again?"

"Did you guys do it?" Kirsten asked, semi-jokingly. Asada playfully slugged her on the arm.

"Kirsten, lay off the estrogen supplements, girl," Kimberly joked.

"Well, he.... he said... he said he was in looooooooooove with Edward!" I said, deciding not to make a serious deal out of it. That way, they wouldn't have to know he seriously did love me.

"Oh, he did, did he?" Kirsten asked.

"How romantic!" Asada said dreamily.

"To think, a love born in the city of lights.... it's too romantic to even think about without feeling all tingly!" Piripi said.

"We're happy for you, Ed... so, when are you guys going out again?" Kirsten asked.

"He didn't say," I told them. "Ed will talk to Sylvan again tomorrow, okay?"

"And kiss him again, right? Right?" Sani said. "You've gotta kiss him again!"

The girls and I continued talking, late into the night. They didn't leave until... I think it was something like three in the morning. This had definitely been one of the best days of my life! But I couldn't help wondering... Sylvan loved me. But did I love him as much? Did I love him at all? Of course I cared for him, but.... I guess I'd just have to sleep on that question. Though Edward probably won't sleep a wink tonight... thanks a lot, girls...

---

Hee, that's it for this chapter! Wasn't that romantic? Aren't Ed's friends awesome? Isn't Sylvan awesome? Isn't Ed awesome? Aren't I awesome? ^_^ Review away!