Stella and Teddy walked contentedly in the French city of Paris, not regretting at all their decision to move to the city of love.

"Do you miss everyone at home, Teddy?" Stella asked him.

"Of course I do, Elle. They're our family." He replied. He knew how much she missed them, so he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

"Stella! Laurie!" They heard a yell.

"If that's Esmé, asking for me to set her up with-" Teddy began, and Stella laughed, starting to turn around.

"Stella! Laurie!"

Stella was tackled into a hug by an incredibly excited young woman.

"Amy! Dennis!" Laurie exclaimed, excited to see the couple.

"I've missed you!" Stella hugged her youngest sister, then hugging Dennis.

"How has Paris been treating you?" Stella asked, intertwining Teddy's fingers with her own.

"Trés bien!" Amy grinned, and Stella laughed, glad to see her sister back again.

"There's a party tonight, you should come!" Dennis suggested, and Teddy and Stella shared a glance.

"I mean... why not?" Stella concluded after they had a silent conversation.

"Great!" Amy exclaimed. "It's a ball and everyone will be there. Dress for festivities! Top hats and silks!"

"We will, Teddy will wear his best silk and I my nicest hat." Stella bowed jokingly.

She hugged her sister once more before walking their separate ways.

"I missed the Primrose's." Stella said to Teddy, her head against his chest as they walked, hand in hand.

"So did I. But now they're here. Back at it in France again. How capital!"

___________

The party began at eight o'clock, but unusually, Theodore Laurence was late.

"He should be here any second." Stella whispered to Amy. Teddy had left to get a bottle of champagne as a welcome present for the Primroses and hadn't got back yet. He left at six o'clock.

It was nine o'clock when he did show up.

"Teddy!" Stella whispered yelled, excited to see him, before realising he was drunk, and there were two women on his arm. Neither of them were her.

"Stella!" He marched over and kissed her cheek sloppily.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine and dandy, Elle."

"It's been three hours." She accused.

"I feel caught." He placed a hand on his heart.

Stella walked away, tearing her hand out of his grip. He was drunk.

"Stella, please." He grabbed her hand.

"Do you want to know what I honestly think of you right now?"

"What do you honestly think of me?"

"You're miserable. I don't know why and I've been trying to ignore it but for the past three months you've been nothing but lazy and faulty and miserable."

"Really? Tell me more." Laurie didn't seem interested in the slightest.

"Sometimes I wonder how you can be so blatantly stupid yet so beautiful."

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"We've been married years now, there's your hint. We've been together for years now and you're being incredibly insensitive. I can't believe you." She walked off, saying a quick goodbye to the Primroses before dashing out into the summer of Paris.

"Stella, wait!"

"What should I wait for? For you to stop acting like a fool? What is wrong with you?" Stella turned to face him again.

"Stella, wait, listen-"

"You're infuriating." Stella said, wiping the tears harshly from her cheeks.

"No, no, no, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Teddy took her hands in his with a heartbroken expression on his face.

"You should be." Stella muttered, grateful that they were nearly nine and nobody was outside due to the cold weather that night. "I don't understand why you're so annoyed when I should be mad at you! I don't want to sit around and look pretty! I want to sing! I want to teach, Teddy. But I can't because I'm not a genius!"

"What women are allowed into the club of geniuses anyway?" Laurie asked and Stella thought for a second, before answering.

"The Brontes!"

"That's it?" Laurie questioned incredulously.

"I think so..."

"And who always declares geniuses-"

"Men do." Stella butted in.

"They're cutting down the competition!" Laurie explained.

"That's a complicated argument to make me feel better."

"Do you? Feel better, I mean." Laurie took her hand.

"I think that male or female... I'm a middling talent." Stella concluded, taking her hand away.

"Middling talent? Then may I ask to be your last audience?" He asked as the couple reached their home.

"I suppose so." Stella sat down beside him and began singing an old french song that she heard a few days ago in Paris.

"That's it." She said when she'd finished.

"Now that you've given up all of your foolish hopes, what are you going to do with your life?" Laurie asked, breaking from the little trance that Stella had put him in with her voice.

"Polish up my other talents and become an ornament to society." Stella shrugged.

"How do you love me?" Laurie joked.

"I believe we have some power over who we love."

"I think the poets might disagree." He laughed.

"Well I'm not a poet. I'm just a woman. And as a woman I have no way to make money, not enough to earn a living and support a family." She drew in a deep breath and stood up, facing Laurie, before continuing.

"Even if I had my own money, which I don't, it would belong to you from the minute we were married. If we have children, they'll belong to you, even though I gave birth to them. They'll be your property. So don't sit there and tell me that marriage isn't a economic preposition, because it is. It may not be for you, but it most certainly is for me."

Laurie sat for a moment in silence.

Stella looked at him before trying to end the conversation. "I'm going to bed now-"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's stupid really. I'm just jealous. You've been spending so much time with Elliot and I just want you to be mine." By this stage, Laurie was a lot less drunk, and Stella was beginning to melt.

"No! Teddy, no! Elliot is with Darcy, didn't you know? It's okay. I'm with you. Teddy, I'm married to you, I doubt I can leave you this far in." Laurie looked at her. Really looked at her.

"You look beautiful." He said, and she smiled slightly. At this stage he was determined to make her crack a grin.

"I love you." He tried, and she grinned.

"I love you too."

"Good."

a/n we're back! also amy's speech is here instead of way further on to benefit the plot.