A/N: I wrote this a long time ago but never had the chance to finish it. A Tony/Jane fic. Beta'd by sockstar.
Jane Bingum was having a horrible day, but had no idea that it was about to get a whole lot worse.
2:55pm No doubt Tony was already at the church by now. He would be occasionally joking with the best-man, to show the rest of the party that he wasn't nervous. Although knowing Tony, he wouldn't be the slightest bit nervous, outwardly or inwardly.
He wouldn't be worried about a no-show from the bride either. His confidence was one of the things Jane had always loved about him. But she kept pondering if he would be all anxious about the significance of the ceremony itself. Perhaps he might be unsure about his decision to commit himself entirely to one woman for the rest of his life.
Jane swallowed hard as she stared out the window of the car. Her palms were sweaty, and she had to resist the urge to wipe them on her dress.
3:03pm Her heart was racing, thumping furiously against her chest. They were only minutes away from the church now, and for a brief second, she thought about telling the driver to turn the car round – to somewhere far away from all of this. But Jane knew she couldn't do that. Not when she'd come this far. Not now.
3:10pm They reached the church, and as the car approached, she saw the wedding guests gathered in differing groups outside the entrance, most of them chattering to one another whilst waiting for the arrival of the wedding car. Amongst them she spotted Tony's seventeen-year-old sister Jessica, dressed in a revealing black dress, talking to an older woman Jane didn't recognise. She raised an eyebrow; surprised that conservative Rosie Nicastro had allowed her precious daughter to wear clothes like that.
Then again, maybe Tony's mum had made allowances for the day, she sighed. There was no doubt in her mind that Jessica did indeed look stunning. Rosie must be inside already, dressed in her best clothing and looking smugly superior whilst waiting for the ceremony to begin. Jane suspected that the bride's late arrival would certainly not go down well with her future mother-in-law. As the car approached, the guests hurriedly piled into the church.
3:15pm; the scheduled start of the wedding.
"Here we are then," the driver turned, bringing the car to a halt.
Through her nervousness, Jane managed a warm smile.
"Thank you," she spoke, running a shaky hand through her freshly styled dark curls. Did she look all right? Was her make-up OK? With all the stress leading up to today, she'd dropped a few pounds, making the dress fit a little better.
Nevertheless it was especially important that she look her best today, of all days. She was almost tempted to ask the driver what he thought, but how stupid would that sound?
Taking a seemingly deep breath, Jane reached for the door handle, stepping out gingerly. As soon as she left the relative security of the car, her mind began to spin and her heart raced even faster. What the hell was she doing here?
But there was no more time to give a thought about it, as somewhere in the distance, Jane heard the organ start up, and the bridal march began.
Somehow, her unstable feet managed to carry her through the doorway and inside the church to where Tony stood waiting to pledge his marriage vows. She saw the guests turn and smile in the dreamy way that people did at brides, and wondered how much longer would she be able to last. At the top of the aisle, Jane's gaze rested on Tony's face, and little black spots danced before her eyes when she saw his expression. The happy smile and look of pure adoration etched into his as he watched his elegant bride approach was sufficient to shatter Jane's heart in two.
When the bride-to-be reached the top of the church, and took her place alongside Tony before the altar, Jane couldn't take it any longer.
Tears were streaming down her face as she quickly and quietly slipped through the side door of the church and outside to where she'd be transported back to safety.
3:27pm "Everything okay?" asked the driver when she was back in the car. "You weren't long." When he finally noticed his passenger's obvious distress, he added in a kind voice, "Weddings can really be emotional sometimes, eh?"
"Yes, they can," Jane answered, amazed that she could find her voice. She didn't have the strength to add 'especially when it's the wedding of the love of your life to another woman.'
Jane swallowed down a cry of despair, knowing that there was no point in thinking about that now.
Tony was married now, and no matter how much she'd hoped he might change his mind, she'd seen today with her own eyes that there was no going back.
No matter how long she'd loved him, nor how much she still did love him, Tony was lost to her forever.
All she could do now was try and forget him.