Melody and Harmony: Chapter 10

Amelia groaned as her alarm clock went off. She slammed her hand down on it and looked at the time: eight o' clock in the morning. Amelia sighed, slowly getting out of bed. She stretched and grinned at the Pin she got at her ceremony three days ago, sitting prettily on her dresser.

She had to stop herself from skipping over to the bathroom. She cleaned herself up and actually skipped out of her room. It felt amazing to be done with school. No more stress, no more tuition bills, no more tests. Amelia smiled, plopping herself down in front of her computer. She opened it up, getting on Skype. She texted Arthur, "Can you get on Skype?"

She bounced in her seat and drummed her fingers against the edge of the desk as she waited for an answer. He finally texted back, "Yes."

She quickly pressed the button and waited. His face appeared on the screen and her heart rate started to pick up. It started to do that whenever she saw him or talked to him now. She stopped herself from thinking about his "confession" to her.

"Hello Love."

She had to stop herself from beaming. It sounded so…right, to have him call her that. She held up a finger and sprinted to her room. She grabbed her Pin and raced back in.

"Look at what I got!"

Arthur inspected the Pin. He smiled. "Well done Love, you earned it."

Amelia didn't stop herself from beaming this time. She was happy to get the praise from him. She set the Pin aside and she leaned her arms on the desk. "So, how are you feeling?"

Arthur rolled up the sleeve on his left arm. "Well, this one is almost gone, and I'd show you the one on my chest but that's not proper," he said with a wink.

Amelia snickered. "When did you get so posh?" she asked, using a term she heard the British twins use many times.

Arthur's eyebrows furrowed, but there was a glint of humor in his eyes. "Do NOT put posh and I in the same sentence."

Amelia leaned back, putting her hands up. "Well excuuuuse me Princess."

He laughed, rolling his sleeve back down.  "Princess?"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Al made me watch an old '80s cartoon of The Legend of Zelda. Link said that a lot."

Arthur shook his head. "Of course Alfred had something to do with it."

Amelia shrugged. "I thought it was funny until he started doing that to me. I made him stop though."

"And how did you manage to do that? He usually never stops something if he knows it's irritating."

Amelia leaned back, crossing her arms with a smug look. "I socked him in the jaw. We were eight so I wasn't that strong, but I still surprised him."

Arthur covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hold in his snickers. He finally let his laughter out. Amelia beamed, glad that she was the reason he looked so happy. He looked defeated and weary when she saw him in London. Her heart sunk, realizing that she might be the cause of some of those feelings.

He finally stopped laughing, wiping his eyes. "I'll have to remind him about that. Good Lord that's rich."

Amelia smiled. "Keep my name out of it though. He might tell you some embarrassing things about me."

Arthur smirked.

Uh oh, Amelia thought, suspicious of the look.

"What if he already has? Believe it or not, I keep in touch with the git."

Amelia's heart leapt to her throat. "What has he told you?"

Arthur leaned back, looking up in thought. "Well," he mused, "there was this one story about a kiss in middle school…"

Amelia groaned and set her forehead on her desk. "He told you about that one?!"

She heard Arthur chuckle. "Unfortunately Love. You actually got your braces caught on the other bloke's braces?"

Amelia sat up and pointed her finger at the screen. "That was a big, fat accident. We didn't plan on that!"

Arthur chuckled and leaned forward. "We all have those moments Love. I got my shirt stuck in a bus door when I was kissing my ex-girlfriend once."

Amelia covered her mouth with her hand, trying to not giggle.

Arthur frowned. "Laugh already!"

Amelia laughed, leaning back in her chair. "How did you manage that?"

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Amelia bit her lip, wondering all of a sudden how soft his hair was.

"Well, I was trying to exit the bus, and she bloody wanted a kiss goodbye, and my shirt got stuck. Simple as that."

Amelia giggled and looked at the time. She puffed out her cheeks in irritation. Her dance lesson with her first student, Rachel, was going to start in about an hour, and she still had to get ready and get there.

Amelia pouted and looked back at the screen. "I have to go. Dance lessons are today."

Arthur smiled sadly, leaning back from the screen. "Bollocks, just when the conversation was taking a strange turn."

Amelia snickered and pushed her bangs out of her face. "It's a darn shame. Tell Henry I said 'Hi'."

Arthur grinned and looked down at the floor. He glanced at the screen. "Say his name again."

Amelia grinned. "Heeenrrrrry," she cooed.

The cat leaped up onto the desk, and he stuck his face in the screen, purring. Arthur grumbled something that sounded like, "Bloody cat acts like an angel for her."

Arthur finally shoved Henry to the side, leaning forward. "Have a good day, Love."

Amelia's heart fluttered and she smiled. "I will. And you have a good day off. Keep healing!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, grinning. "Right. Goodbye Love."

"Goodbye."

She clicked off the screen, ending the call. She sighed and leaned back in her chair. She thought about what he said to her when she was in England. He said he loves me, but he was out of it on pain medications. But I know he doesn't say stuff like that lightly, she mused.

She got up, headed toward her room. I like him too, a lot. But…I'm not sure if I love him.

She got in the shower and wondered about how she felt when she found out he got shot. She swallowed the lump in her throat, thanking the Good Lord that Arthur was okay. What was I feeling? Sure I was worried, but… I kind of felt lost.

She finished her shower and got out. She got ready and walked out into her room. She shivered, thinking that she had better turn the air conditioner down; it was only late May after all. She looked at her air conditioner sitting in the window. She turned it down and looked at the bookshelf she kept underneath it. She stopped from turning away when she saw her mom's notebook. Her father gave it to her shortly after the funeral. Martha had used it to remind herself of certain things to look out for in her patients.

Amelia pulled it out and stroked the cover lovingly. She turned to the impromptu Table of Contents her mom wrote on the inside of the front cover and turned to a certain section. She started to read her mom's clear handwriting.

Love is a hard thing to see in a person. Everyone loves others in his or her own special way. The key is seeing that.

Amelia stopped reading and looked up, pretending to see her mom looking down at her from the sky, Okay Mom, so how do I show love?

She looked at the notebook again. I've noticed a few generic things when people show affection. Touch, sound, and sight are the things to watch for when you need to see how someone cares about someone or something. Touch: when someone touches someone he or she cares about, it's gentle or protective. Watch muscles in hands. Sound: a person will inwardly glow when he or she hears a loved one talking. Note body language, especially leaning in or leaning out. Even if it's a family member. A person will light up and feel better. Sight: watch the eyes. Pupils dilate and a dreamy look comes in.

Amelia sighed and closed the notebook. I already knew about that stuff mom, what about the heart though? she asked, looking up again. She moved to put the notebook away when a notecard fell out. Amelia looked at it in bewilderment, and she picked it up. She looked at the date and she almost started to cry. The date was Christmas. Amelia started to read what her mom wrote:

My Amelia has been bit by the Love Bug. She perks up when she talks about him. Her pupils dilate when she thinks about him, and I watched her when she talked on the phone with him once. She glows, and she acts like how she was before I got sick. She deserves that. She deserves someone who makes her glow and feel happy. I hope George realizes that he can't be Amelia's Knight in Shining Armor forever. Wish I could see Arthur and her together again. I could see if he really likes her too…

Amelia looked at the three dots ending the sentence, and she realized that she was crying. She wiped her tears away and tucked the notecard back into the notebook. She quickly shelved it, grabbed her purse, and quickly walked out of her apartment.

Her heart raced the whole way to the dance studio.

---

Amelia was off through every one of her lessons. Her mom's words kept running through her brain. She was glad when Carey's lesson finally came. The little girl's dark curls bounced as she skipped in. "Miss Amelia!"

Amelia smiled and leaned down to receive a hug from her. "Hello Carey!"

Carey stepped back. "Look! I practiced like I told you to and I can pirouette now!"

Carey did a pirouette and she beamed up at Amelia. Amelia clapped her hands. "That was perfect! Like a real princess!"

Amelia glanced at Carey's mom, and they smiled at each other. Amelia guided Carey through the lesson, thinking about her mom's writing and her feelings about Arthur…and basically everything that has happened between them. The lesson was finally over, and she sighed in relief. Maybe Arthur could talk again, and she could finally tell him about what he said to her; it was the only way these feelings were going to go away.

"Miss Amelia?"

Amelia looked down at Carey, who was putting a t-shirt on over her leotard.

"What is it Carey?"

"You're a princess right? Because you can 'plier and all that stuff?"

Amelia shrugged. "I guess that does make me a princess."

Carey tilted her head as if she was in deep thought. She brought her small knuckles to her chin. Amelia and her mom exchanged amused glances.

"So, if you're a princess, you have a prince, right?"

Amelia's eyes widened. A prince?

"A…prince?" Amelia asked, bewildered. What is she getting at?

Carey hopped up and down. "Yes! You're a Princess. A beautiful princess! And everyone knows that beautiful princesses always have a prince that talks like this and says," she paused and cleared her throat before continuing in a British accent, "'Hello Love.' And he adores his princess, dreams about his princess, and he always saves her when she needs him too. And they always live happily ever after and love each other, even when they have to deal with witches and trolls and stuff."

Amelia's heart thudded in her chest, like it was a bird trying to escape its cage. She put a hand over her heart, trying to calm it. She gulped down a lump in her throat and she smiled, feeling tears form in her eyes. Funny, I was trying to find an answer, and I get it with a little girl's fairy tale, she thought in amazement.

She thought about how Arthur talked to her. How he came to her when her mom died. How he always asked if she was okay. How he said he dreamed about her. How he even looked at her sometimes. She let the tears fall warmly over her smile.

"Yes. I do have a prince, Carey. And he actually talks like that," she said, quickly wiping the tears away.

Carey eyes widened. "He really talks like that?"

Amelia nodded. "Yes. He talks like that. And he rescued me before."

She exchanged another amused glance with Carey's mom.

The little girl and her mom finally left and Amelia's heart was still thudding. She quickly grabbed her bag and locked up. Racing out to her car, she decided to calm herself first before starting it. She sat in her car and rested her head on the steering wheel for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and started the car. She pulled out, heading toward her dad's house.

When she finally got there, she was shaking as she got out. Dad isn't going to take this well, she thought in dismay.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and walked up to the door and walked in. Her dad was sitting on the couch, watching a baseball game. He looked at her in surprise. "Ame? Is something wrong?" he asked, setting his can of beer to the side, getting up.

Amelia took a deep breath. "I love Arthur."

George stopped mid-step and stood still.

Amelia could see the tension forming in his body. She took another deep breath, trying to not let tears fall out. "Dad, I love you…but I'm not a little girl anymore. I love Arthur, and I want to be with him."

She looked him in the eye, like her mom told her to when she wanted to make a point with him, and waited for his reply. George put his hands on his hips and he looked away. Amelia could see his jaw clench and unclench as he thought.

She kept staring at him. Say something! she pleaded in her mind.

He finally looked at her again. "Your mom said this would happen."

Amelia tried to gulp the lump in her throat down, unsuccessfully.

George sighed. "Why?"

Amelia stiffened. "What?"

"Why do you love him? This seems all of a sudden to me."

Amelia clasped her fingers together and bit her lip. "He's my friend. And he has a heart of gold. I don't care if Al and Rosa say he's a grump. I don't care if others say he's a stick in the mud, a bad cook, or anything else. He's a good person who is not afraid to do anything for the people he cares about, and that's why I love him."

She and George looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity. George scratched his head. "Well…I'll be darned."

Amelia looked at him in confusion. "What?"

George sat back down. "Your mom said to ask you that when you finally admitted it. I blew it off, thinking it would never happen, but here you are."

Amelia looked at him in shock, thinking about the notecard she found. She felt her tears trail down her cheeks. "She…knew I would say that?"

George sighed and rested his forearms on his knees, clasping his hands together. "She told me you liked him. She knew he was head-over-heels for you too, somehow. She told me to not stop you. She made me promise."

Amelia choked back a sob, sitting down beside him. She threw her arms around him. He hugged her back and kissed her head. "I just don't want you to go where I can't help you Baby," he said finally.

Amelia sniffed and tightened her hold on him. She pulled away, smiling sadly at him. "I know Daddy."

George wiped a tear away. "You really like him? Don't you?"

Amelia shook her head. "I love him."

George nodded and ran his fingers through his hair again. "Well, when are you going to head over there?"

Amelia bit her lip.

"I'm going to need someone else's help with that one."

---

Arthur grumbled as he walked through the station. It was his first day back, and everyone was looking at him and whispering. He walked up to Victoria, leaning over her desk. "Why is everyone acting like I'm a bloody ghost or something?"

Victoria straightened her horn-rimmed glasses. "Well Luv, you almost died. You might as well be a bleeding ghost. And Brown is retiring."

Arthur stiffened. "What?"

Victoria nodded. "Yes! And Bigham might have you take his job. Isn't that exciting, dear?"

Arthur stood up straight, walking toward his office. He walked in and sighed. Bigham's memo was sitting in the middle of his desk. He walked over and picked it up, reading it. He nodded and set it back down, making his way to the Commander's office.

Bigham looked up as Arthur walked in. He pushed some papers away and clasped his hands in front of him. "Hey One-Shot."

Arthur frowned at the nickname. He honestly hated it. "You wanted to talk to me, Sir?"

Bigham gestured to the chair in front of his desk, and Arthur sat down. The big man leaned back in his chair, making it creak. "You did good work with the heroin case, Kirkland. You worked overtime a lot. You caught a lot of dealers, not to mention you caught the bastard in charge. I'm promoting you. But, you're not getting this only for that reason."

Arthur waited patiently for what Victoria told him.

"Brown is 55 next month. He gets to retire. I need someone that I know will get the job done to take his place. He was your mentor, and you are both peas in a pod in how you work. You're the perfect person to take his place."

Arthur's heart thudded in his chest. He always dreamed about getting to this position, but he always imagined himself being much older when he finally got there.

"You can relax for a couple days, Kirkland. Brown will contact you and fill you in on what you get to do when you start this position." Bigham waved his hand. "You can go home. I know you still have a couple stitches in your chest. Just wait for Brown to call you."

Arthur nodded and got up, heading toward the door. He walked back to his office and shut the door. He slowly walked over to his chair and collapsed into it, chuckling. He ran a hand down his face. "Bloody hell," he muttered, smiling at his ceiling.

His door suddenly opened, and Brown stuck his head in. "Bigham just told me the news, Kirkland. Congrats!"

The older man walked in and shut the door. He sat in the chair in front of Arthur's desk and leaned forward. "How are you feeling, Kid?"

Arthur sighed and sat up straight. "I don't know. I don't think I'll be able to fill your shoes that well."

Brown rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Kid, you're a damn good officer. I told Bigham that I won't leave unless you take my spot. Trust me; he wants me out of his hair. I give him the most grief. You have to do that now, and don't be afraid to. As the Senior Detective, you need to give him your opinion, he'll consider it."

Arthur nodded and grinned, looking at the memo on his desk. Of course the codger would tell me that.

"Aren't you going to tell your girlfriend?"

Arthur jerked his head up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash for a second. "What?!"

Brown quirked an eyebrow. "That girl who sat next to your bed the day you got out of surgery. I recognized her from the photo on your desk."

Arthur looked at the said photo of him and Amelia and sighed. "She's not my girlfriend."

Brown frowned at him. "Seriously?"

Arthur frowned back, brows furrowing. "Yes, I'm serious. I'm afraid that'll never happen either."

Brown sat up straighter and leaned forward. "What's your situation with her anyway? Victoria picks on you about an American girl all the time. I hear her all the time when you walk in."

Arthur ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, we're really close. She's my best friend, but she lives in the States, and I can't tell her that I care about her like that."

Brown brought his knuckle to his chin. "And why's that?"

Arthur shrugged. "She has her whole family and all of her friends in the States, and she's close to all of them. I can't ask her to move away from that."

"How do you know she isn't willing? My wife is French, remember?"

Arthur's frown got bigger. "You only had the Channel separating you two. We have the whole bloody Atlantic!" Arthur sighed and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "Sorry Brown."

"Don't be. But it wouldn't hurt to tell her, right?"

Arthur looked at his mentor again. "I just can't. I don't want to get the answer I'm going to get."

Brown nodded and then shrugged. "Well, that's rotten luck, huh?"

Arthur nodded in agreement, and his gaze strayed to the picture of him and Amelia. He turned the frame face-down and stood up. "Well, do you want to show me the ropes now, or do you want to talk about this ninny stuff more?"

Brown chuckled and stood up. "I'll show you some of the ropes today. This is going to be a gradual process anyway."

Arthur nodded and moved to follow Brown to the door. His new phone started to ring. He pulled the blasted 'smart phone' out of his pocket, and he tried to unlock it to answer the call. Brown finally got sick of seeing him mess with it and opened it. Arthur took the phone back, bringing it to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hey Arthur. Where are you?"

Arthur spluttered and looked at the time. It was eight o'clock in the morning. Amelia shouldn't be calling him at the time zone she was in.

"Love, what are you doing? It's three in the bloody morning there!"

Arthur saw Brown walk out of the office, and he made some hand gestures to Victoria. Arthur rolled his eyes and started to walk toward the front door to the station. The last thing he wanted was Brown and Victoria listening in on his conversation.

"Actually, it's eight in the morning where I am."

Arthur got outside and he stood on the sidewalk. He processed what she just said in his head. "You're in Europe?"

"Yup. On a tiny island called the United Kingdom."

Arthur stiffened. "You're in the UK?"

"Yeah."

"What?"

He looked to see Brown's and Victoria's heads leaning out of the door at the front of the station. He looked to see many of his coworkers hanging around the door and windows. They all were watching him. "Hold on Love."

He pulled the phone away, and he covered the mouthpiece and held it away from his head. "What are you all doing?!"

Brown shrugged. "We all held a bet on whether she's your girlfriend or not."

Arthur rolled his eyes and he sighed in exasperation. He could yell at the entire squad later. He was shocked to even see Bigham standing behind Brown and Victoria. He put the phone back to his ear. "Love, where are you?"

"Turn around."

Arthur whipped around to see Amelia standing on the sidewalk about three meters away from him. She put her phone in her pocket and grinned at him. Arthur stared at his phone stupidly before he quickly tucked it into his pocket. "A-Amelia?"

Her grin got bigger. "Hey," she said breathlessly.

Arthur stepped closer to her. He stopped about one meter away. "What are you doing here?"

Amelia took a deep breath and bit her lip.

Arthur's heart started to race. She was here. She was standing in front of him. Why?

"I had to tell you something, and I can't tell you this over a phone call or Skype."

Arthur's heart started to flop around in his chest, and his stomach started to do somersaults. "And…what is that?" he asked, stepping a little closer to her.

He looked at the front of the station out of the corner of his eye and saw everyone leaning forward, trying to hear the conversation. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Why do I work with loonies?

He cleared his throat and stuck his hands in his pocket, focusing on her again. "What is it Love?"

She took another deep breath. "I love you."

Arthur stiffened, trying to register what she just said. I'm dreaming. A promotion and Amelia saying this in one day? I'm definitely dreaming. He pinched his leg through the fabric of his pants. Nope, he was awake. His breath got deeper and quicker. He felt lighter than a feather and his heart felt too big for his chest.

Amelia looked away, tears were starting to escape and flow down her cheeks. "I screwed things up, didn't I? I'm so sorry, Arthur," she said, turning to walk away.

Arthur stepped forward quickly and gently grabbed her elbow, spinning her around. She gasped in surprise. Arthur cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her, unashamedly and deeply. He closed his eyes, basking in the experience. Screw everything I just told Brown, I love her, he thought.

Her lips were softer than he ever imagined. Actually, nothing he imagined compared to this. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Arthur felt his heart soar at her response. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, spinning around before setting her down again. Arthur felt like his whole body was tingling as one kiss melted into another. Amelia was all he could focus on and feel. They finally parted for air, and he opened his eyes.

He smiled, trying to catch his breath. He rested his forehead against hers, and she looked into his eyes. He looked back, heart thundering so loud that he knew she could hear. "I love you too," he said breathlessly.

Amelia let out a laughing sob and tightened her hold around his neck. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him again. Arthur grabbed at the material of her jacket and pulled her closer, if possible.

"Yeah Kirkland!"

"Atta Kid."

"I told you she was his girlfriend. Smith! You owe me 20 pounds, you berk!"

"Whoo!"

"'Bout time Mate!"

Arthur whipped his head around to see everyone beaming and cheering in the station. Brown and Bigham were nodding, and Victoria was actually crying. He heard Amelia gasp and turned to see her bury her face in his chest. He could see the tips of her ears poking out from under her hair and they were bright red. He chuckled. "Sorry Love. I wasn't expecting an audience either."

Amelia looked up at him, and his heart swelled again. She smiled and buried her face in his chest again. He heard her mutter a muffled, "Crap."

He laughed and stepped away, keeping an arm wrapped around her waist and he waved everyone away. Brown winked and started to herd everyone away from the door and windows. He actually had to drag Victoria away.

Arthur looked back down at Amelia. She smiled shyly up at him. He shook his head in amazement.

Amelia bit her lip and looked away, blushing deeply. "I can't believe we just made out in front of everyone," she mumbled, pushing her bangs away from her face.

Arthur chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back. "Forget what everyone else thinks," he declared.

Amelia smiled and stood up on the tips of her toes. "Okay," she whispered before kissing him again.

Arthur tightened his hold around her and pulled her closer. He loved how perfectly she fit in his arms.

She was the melody to his life, and he was more than willing to be the harmony to hers.