Chapter One: A Big Fat Billionaire Wedding
Here we are again, the sequel to "In the Line of Fire, Panic" if you haven't read that one of the sequel before it, "A Girl Named Panic" you should check those ones out before reading this, it's only a suggestion. Now this takes place a year after "In the Line of Fire, Panic" so some thing may be a tad different and I hope it's not to different. Be sure to comment on this and follow the series and let me know what you think's gonna happen now, read on.
All the movies in history display a couples wedding day as a hectic mess with caterers getting the wrong order or backing out at the last minute but that all seems to be a figment of television propaganda, not that I believe everything I see on TV anyways. It's been a year since the whole Ian Powell disaster and as shocking as it seems, Dad and I have gotten even closer now that he has all the pieces of me, he can read me and my emotion my emotions much clearer, which isn't always such a good thing. Pepper and I are really close too, but she knows I'll never be able to call her Mom because she's not but Pepper seems perfectly alright with that.
Pepper asked me to be her maid of honor at the wedding which took me by surprise, usually the maid of honor is a mother or sister, not the accidental daughter of the groom but I accepted, nonetheless. Seeing the wary expression on my face she'd explained, 'what better person to have as the head bridesmaid then the daughter of the man I'm set to marry, besides, you'll keep them all in line.'
Since Pepper couldn't go with Dad when picking a dress because it's bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding and he really had no interest in picking the church, the cake, the silverware, or even the food, I came to be her right hand man, helping her make all the arrangements. Currently I stood at the side of the alter in a uncomfortably short, bright red dress with now shoulder straps, only a not tied back around me neck, where Pepper stands to Dad's right in a long, beautiful white wedding dress.
The top of the dress crinkles slightly but reaching below the rib cage sparkling finely sown jewels glisten the light from the chandelier all throughout the room. The bottom half of the dress flows outwards in a slight pastry shape but not over done and is covered in a fine lacy fabric over the top of the pain white base. Pepper's strawberry blonde hair falls down in carefully crafted curls while her eye make up in definite but also subtle.
A tiara is pinned into her hair, supporting the clear white veil with roses curling around the veils bottom. The veil is placed in her face as she and Dad look at the Officiant, Pepper trying not to cry and smear her eyeliner. In her hand she hold the bouquet of red, pink, and white roses, for when she's supposed to throw them into the guests. Resisting the urge to tug at the hem of my dress to make it longer is really frustrating. I'm wearing red wedge heels.
The dress isn't that short, if I bend over you can see my underwear but I still don't like short dresses. Pepper has asked if I wouldn't mind to straighten my hair as she wanted hers curled and she said I'd draw attention away from her with my real, natural one so I obliged. Only now do I realize how long my hair really is, while when curled it usually hangs low on my waist but when straight, it hangs to my tailbone. I focus my attention back on the wedding Officiant.
"Do you Anthony Stark take Virginia Potts to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" the Officiant asks, looking to Dad who's dressed in an expensive black suit. Looking into Pepper's eyes he responds.
"I do."
The Officiant turns to Pepper. "And do you Virginia Potts take Anthony Stark to be your lawfully wedded husband, , to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I do."
"Then, by the power invested in me by New York City, I now pronounce you man and wife," he turns to Dad. "You may now kiss the bride."
"I will fully take you up on that offer," he said, stepping forward. Carefully lifting the veil up over her face and setting it back on her hair he cups her face and leans in placing his lips on her. His hands drop from her face and encircle her narrow waist. He tips her back like in a fairy tale, keeping and firm grip on her to prevent her falling backwards.
That would really put a huge dent in this beautiful event. Pulling back, her sets her upright. Pepper tries desperately, but failing terribly, to conceal the bright pink tint on blush inflaming her cheeks. After being dismissed from the center stage I dart towards the back table on the far side of the room. Plopping down in the seat, I breathe a sigh of relief to be away from everyone and all their judging eyes.
I know what they were all thinking, with a few exceptions of course, which was: 'why would she marry him, especially considering that she'll now be responsible for that bastard of his.'
However, their thoughts, judging stares and sneers don't bother me, no, not one bit because yeah, I'm a mistake, I wasn't planned, Dad hadn't wanted me, but nothing can change that. He's proved time and time again, substantially over the course of the last year, that he loves me and cares about me even if the means of my conception was a drunken one-night stand. Even after finding out that I was smacked around like a rag doll during which learning that's why I'm so emotionally guarded, when he found out I was afraid of him turning his back on me, he's still here.
He didn't have to. 'The Great Tony Stark' could have shipped me off to some boarding school in Siberia, or the United Kingdom, or Paris, France to get rid of me if he really wanted to. But he didn't he was still here and so was I, it took me awhile to realize the concept that he, one of the most famous celebrities in the world, wanted me and even though he's my father I still wouldn't believe he could want to keep me around.
There are two reason I want to sit back here, out of the lime light, is because one: this is Dad and Pepper's big day and I really don't want them thinking about me and taking care of me, and making sure I'm okay instead of focusing on each other and on their wedding, and their relationship. And two: my short dress is starting to make me feel uncomfortable and a little self-conscious but unfortunately I wasn't as invisible to people as I used to be because Dad's on his way over to me.
He plants himself in the seat beside me, brown eyes fixating on my own, the same eyes he has. One of the many traits I'd inherited from him.
"What's the matter kiddo? Why are you hanging back here instead of out there," he nods to the rest of the attendees. "Enjoying the fun? Oh, here."
He hands me a red plastic cup filled to the ring below the cups top with neon pink punch that I personally had to prepare. It was all to familiar to the last wedding I attended, Ian Powell, my abusive step-father, and my mother, the wonderful angel she was. Unlike that wedding though, I knew Dad wouldn't say those horrible things that Ian had said.
"Come on," Dad says, standing up, holding his hand out for me to take. Instead of taking it I stare at him, confused by his actions. Why does he want me to take his hand?
"What?" I ask, eyebrow raised.
"Just take my hand so I can help you up. You should be enjoying this as much as Pepper and I am and I won't rest until this injustice is corrected."
"This is your wedding, you should be focused on her, she's is your wife after all, I'm having a great time."
"Liar, but besides, there's no reason I can't check on my two favorite girls, and you seem uncomfortable, want to explain. After the whole Ian situation you promised to be honest with me, lying isn't a good quality—"
I cut him off. "I just don't have very fond wedding memories and besides, I think you should be dancing with you wife. This is your big night too."
"Panic," he said, a slight warning but all around kidding tone evident in his voice. "Just come on, this will be fun, I promise."
Sighing I finally give in and take his outreached hand.
He pulls me to my feet and lead me away from the safety of my hidden away table in the back of the church and onto what could be considered the dance floor.
Really?
A father-daughter dance at his wedding!? Isn't there a better time to do this? Like anytime that it's not his wedding day.
And preferably I would rather do this when I'm dressed in pants, not a dress that makes me feel like I'm working a stripper pole outside a local Hooters. Using my
free hand I tug at the hem of my skirt, an action not gone unnoticed by Dad.
"Now I get it, the dress, it's making you uncomfortable. Am I right, because you know I'm genius after all."
Rolling my eyes I reply. "A little but I wasn't going to make Pepper not choose the dresses her bridesmaids would wear on her wedding day so I just have to deal with it."
A slow song rang out from the speakers placed, not so subtlety, around the room. Long tables covered with white table cloths are absolutely covered with an obscene about of food, candy, snacks, and on the only round table is a three layered white wedding cake with beautiful flower scrolling scolded of white icing.
On top of the cake what the ceremonial bride and groom wedding cake topper. Red paper lanterns hang over head, being suspended by the strings I'd tied into them. Flowers rest all across every un-decorated surface.
Dad places my right arm on his shoulder while curling his arm around my mid back. Intertwining out fingers, he pulls my arm up, along with his own. It took me a minute to figure out what's going on but soon I figured it out.
"You should know," I smile. "I'm not a very good dancer, so you may end up fatally injured if you continue on this life endangering path."
He grins back. "Luckily I am, besides you're the only other woman I'd ever dance with so you should feel honored."
We sway to the music, a respectable distance apart which makes me feel less awkward, I've never been one for dances and back when I was in middle school and
they had Father-Daughter Dances, well, I didn't have a father and wouldn't have ever dared to ask Ian to one, God only knows what horrible things he would have done.
"So, how do you like all the decorations?"
Vaguely glancing around the room he gives a slight shrug. "It looks nice."
"Good, cause guess who hang to hang all that crap up. BINGO, so not shocking, I did. It was awful too, I was terrified that I'd fall off the latter and shit whip my neck into the side of the stage."
"Oh how poetic my daughter is on such a joyous day, you should be Robert Frost," he said, voice heavy with sarcasm. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both—" I cut him off.
"Unless you're in your Iron Man suit, so instead of picking one you'll use your repulser beams to fry the paths together, killing all the woodland creatures that so graciously helped Giselle from the movie Enchanted clean up her place."
He laughs as the song comes to an end and the clearing of a voice catches our attention. Releasing me, Dad turns to see Pepper standing there in her beautiful dress and lovely bright make-up.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to steal this dance Mr. Stark," she said, grinning. Giving a slight nod of the head I start to back away but Dad turns around, hands still on my wrist and pulls me close, placing a kiss on my hair line then releases me. I make my escape and stand on the outskirts of the dance floor.
"Anything for you Mrs. Stark," he replies, no his sole attention focused only on her. He wraps his arms tightly around her waist while she places her arms on his shoulders as a slow melody fills the air.
"I love you Pep," Dad said, whispering in her ear.
She smiles and looks at him. "I love you too."
Pepper leans forward, pressing her lips against his. Deep in my heart I feel like maybe, just maybe everything will be over and finally we'll have a happy ending but as much as I try to put my whole heart into the idea I just can't. A bad feeling has been looming over me for the last few days and I knew it wasn't the wedding behind it.
Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it in my bones but for now I put on a fake face, smile like I'm supposed to, and try to pretend that this heavy weight of darkness weighing over my head and shoulders. Please let this all be a figment of my imagination.