I just want to ask anyone reading this story to please review if possible and leave any advice on how to improve my writing. this would be very much appreciated. I also ask you to be somewhat understanding as this is my first ever fanfiction and i am just learning, so please dont be too brutal.

The Union of Two Lost Souls

"Do you take Isabella as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish till death do you part?" Phineas heard these words and looked over to Isabella. She stood there about a yard from him wearing a virgin white gown and her face covered by a thin white veil, so thin he could see her face through it and the small blush that now covered her cheeks. He looked at this woman, his best friend and dearest love and said two words. "I do". The priest then turned to Isabella and asked her the same question. As he spoke Isabella looked over at Phineas and let her senses absorb everything around them. The sound of the waves crashing against the cliff they stood upon, the smell of the saltwater in the air, and the sight of the man who stood before her, the love of her life. When the priest finished she said the words she had dreamed of saying for years. "I do"

"And so by the power invested in me I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Upon hearing these words Phineas leaned in, lifted her veil, and pulled Isabella into a kiss, their first kiss in their new life with the ocean as their backdrop. The friends and family of the couple broke into applause, awe's, and some into tears. All felt great joy at this union. All except a certain blond headed women in the back. A woman named Katie.

Katie watched the newlywed couple step down and immediately get swarmed by friends and family, congratulating them and wishing them the best of luck. In the crowd she saw Candace with her husband Jeremy and their four year old daughter Amanda who was holding her mother's leg and looking excitedly at her new aunt. In the crowd she saw her best friends, the former fireside girls. Each one of them wore a beautiful dress and stood next a man of their own. Ginger had Baljeet, a relationship whish was still standing strong after five years and multiple revocations of the "saw a cute boy" patch. Gretchen stood with Philip, a pale white man whose looks had intrigued her and whose immense intellect had ensnared her. Katie saw Ferb make his way through the crowd to congratulate the newlyweds and right next to him was his wife of two years and soon to be mother, Adyson Sweetwater. She watched as Ferb helped her through the crowd. Katie remembered their wedding. She felt much the same then as she did now. Everyone one remembered their wedding in particular since after the "I do's" Adyson pulled herself into a kiss with Ferb before he could make a move, a fact that their friends still ribbed him about.

Katie watched as the crowd began to disperse and head over to the nearby building where the reception would be held. Seeing her chance Katie got up and walked over to the newlyweds, managing to muster up a halfhearted smile as she congratulated them. They didn't notice. They had eyes only for the other.

After congratulating them, she followed the crowd into the building that would host the reception. The exterior of the building was a cold stone wall that had weathered over the years. The interior though had wooden walls that were both warm and inviting, wedding decorations hung on the walls, and the room had been filled with tables that either served the purpose of providing food or seating the guest. The one area that was left empty was where Katie assumed that the people would be dancing. Katie walked over to the corner of the room to sit down, grabbing a glass of champagne along the way. She sipped her champagne as she watched as the Phineas and Isabella prepared to cut the cake. She noticed Phineas take something of his out of his coat pocket, an invention of his she figured. Isabella leaned in and whispered in his ear. Whatever she said made him smile and put away the device. Katie watched as they cut the cake with a traditional knife, the whole time looking at each other as much as possible. As she watched this, Katie couldn't help but feel envious of her friends. She was happy that her friends were finally tying the knot, she really was. It's just that to her that this whole wedding just seemed like another cruel reminder that she had never experienced what they were feeling.

Love. True enduring love

Sure Katie had had a few brief flings, but they always ended before things got serious. She just couldn't seem to find the right man for her. With these thoughts, Katie grabbed herself another glass of champagne and watched as Phineas and Isabella did the usual wedding things. The cake, which was excellent, the newly wed dance, and finally the bouquet toss. Katie didn't even try to catch it and in the end the lucky recipient was Gretchen. Katie watched all this from her little corner of the room, all the while drinking glass after glass of champagne, its effects starting to show in subtle ways. She ignored it and kept drinking. She watched and drank until finally it was time for the happy couple to depart in their honey moon. The majority of the room left to wish them farewell. Katie decided to stay inside. She had seen enough of the newlyweds, seen enough of their happiness, enough of their love. She instead just sat there in her little corner downing her drinks. She continued to look around the room and noticed a few other people who had opted to stay inside. Most were couples taking advantage of this relative solitude to hold each other and kiss. Katie saw this and felt familiar emotions welling up. Envy, Discontent, and perhaps the most powerful of them all… loneliness. She watched this briefly before exchanging her now empty glass with a caterer for a full one. She took a sip and then hung her head. When will it be my turn? When will I meet someone I love? With these thoughts, she took another drink, faintly hearing a car engine outside the building. When the crowed surged back into the building she correctly assumed that the happy couple had departed on their honeymoon. The crowd came back in and resumed their previous actions. The music kept going and a good amount of people were dancing to it. Katie was so distracted watching the happy couples dance, wondering what it felt like to be in the arms of another, that she didn't notice a man walking up to her until he spoke awakening her from her trance.

"Excuse me" he said "if I may ask why is a lovely women like yourself sitting back here in the corner"

She shrugged. "I'm just sitting enjoying this reception and indulging in a drink or two."

"A drink or two" he said cocking his eye "that's your forth one since you sat down." With this he proceeded to sit down in the chair next to her.

She looked over at him, a slight scowl present on her face. "And why if I may sake" she said putting extra emphasis on her words "were you watching me from across the room?"

He just shrugged. "I saw you sitting here all alone and just figured that maybe you would care for some company, that's all"

"Well I don't want your company okay so please leave" she snapped.

"Okay, okay" he said holding up his hands defensively "my apology, I didn't mean to intrude". He turned and walked away. She watched him walk across the room and stand against the opposite wall and she started to feel a little guilt for what she said. He only came over here to talk and I bite his head off. Maybe this is why I can't keep a boyfriend. With these thoughts she set down her empty glass and examined the man from across the room. He had shot messy black hair, a lean body, and was wearing black pants, a blue under shirt with a black jacket. With a sigh she got up, a little unsteadily, and walked across the room to the solitary man. "What are you doing here alone" she asked.

"Same as you, just enjoying this fine wedding and having a drink." He said raising his glass slightly before taking a sip.

She looked at his glass filled with clear liquid a little confused. "That's not champagne"

"No its water"

Katie looked at him, the confusion now evident on her face "why would you drink water from a champagne glass?" she asked

"Because it would be rude to drink from a bottle at a friend's reception."

"No, no" she said "what I mean is why are you drinking water at a reception?"

He smiled and slightly shrugged "I had an incident not too long ago when I … over indulged in the sauce and things got ugly."

"Why? What happened?" Katie asked

The smile momentarily left his face "I'd rather not get into that". Before Katie could ask anything else the man's smile quickly returned. "So besides inquiring about my drinking habits, what might I ask brings you over her?"

"Oh right. I just wanted to… apologize for my outburst out there. There was no reason to react the way I did and I wanted to… uh … say I'm sorry"

His smile quickly returned. "Hey no problem, I've been yelled at before.

Katie returned a small smile "and also you never did give me your name."

"Well you didn't exactly give me a chance." He said straightening up and extending his hand "the name's Jeff Sinclair."

"Katie Asil" she said, taking his extended hand into her own and shaking it. As their hands separated she noticed on his left ring finger he wore a simple silver ring. The two continued to talk and Katie learned that Jeff knew Phineas from college and it was there that the two had become friends. They talked for a while, the music playing in the background, and Katie couldn't help but wonder where Jeff's wife was. Finally she could stand it no more. "So where's Mrs. Sinclair" she asked.

"Who"

"Mrs. Sinclair. Your wife."

"My what?" he asked. Then a look of comprehension washed onto his face, he looked at his silver ring, and then, to her complete surprise, started to chuckle. Slightly annoyed, Katie asked what was so funny. Jeff stopped chuckling and started to explain

"Nothing, nothing. It's just that I'm not married. I just like this ring."

"Why do you wear it on that finger?"

Jeff waited a moment, watching a nearby couple pass, before answering.

"I wear it on this finger for a few simple reasons. One, it's comfortable, two it's a good conversations starter, and three it helps deter women from flirting with me.

"Lots of girls flirt with you?" Katie asked with a small smile.

"No, not really." he confessed taking another drink.

The two continued to talk, leaning back against the wall, as the other people went along with their business. As they were talking, a waiter in a tux walked by carrying fresh glasses of champagne and as he passed, Katie grabbed another glass filled with the bubbly yellow liquid. They continued talking and Katie continued to sip her drink until her glass was empty. As soon as she finished and before she could grab another glass, Jeff muttered "fifth glass."

"Excuse me?"

"That's your fifth glass since you sat down over there" he said, indicating the glass.

"You're still counting?"

"You're still drinking" he replied.

"Yes and I will continue to drink as long as I want" she snapped back grabbing a glass and receiving a glance from the waiter.

Jeff held his hands up in defeat and continued to lean back against the wall. They both stood there, in silence, leaning against the wall and watched the other people at the party. Some were still dancing or at least attempting to, others were eating, and some were, like themselves, just talking. She could also see some couples who had retreated to the darker corners of the room, enjoying the privacy to kiss. She watched these things happen and beside her Jeff was silent. As she did all this she drank from her glass and just as she finished it, she heard Jeff start to speak. She beat him to it.

"You better not be saying Sixth drink" she said, the last part imitating his voice.

"No wasn't going to say that and if you would just listen to me…"

"No, I don't have to listen to you" she turned to him, the effects of the alcohol evident on both her face and in her voice "I don't have to listen to someone I just met criticize me on my drinking"

"I wasn't criticizing you."

"Really? You had me fooled."

He let out a sigh tilting his head back, now letting annoyance finally creeping onto his features, his patience clearly spent. "I didn't come to my friend's wedding just to get in a pointless argument with and intoxicated women so I'm going to leave now. Have a nice evening." With that he left, leaving her up against the wall holding her glass, feeling lonely once again. She started to walk over to a chair nearby, but had difficulty thanks to both the heels on her shoes and the Champaign she had consumed. She stopped briefly to take them off and walked the rest of the way and sat down. She sat there, continued to drink, and despite all the people around her, couldn't help but feel alone.