Under the clouds and the moon of the night sky, a wedding reception on an impressive estate is being held for a pair of star-crossed lovers. Niles, the groom, a butler of about 45 stands uncomfortably in the middle of the crowded outdoor party looking protectively at his wife. C.C., 36, is a successful musical theatre producer for Broadway that hails from a wealthy family with high-class contacts the world over. C.C. has soft, pale features and wears a flowing pale pink silky gown. She is focused on the bump around her middle and rubs her hand around it protectively. Much to her stubborn mother's chagrin she is five months pregnant with the butler's young. Niles strides over to C.C. and rests a hand on her waist while placing another hand on their unborn child.
C.C. looks up to meet her husband's eyes as he whispers to her,
"I'm still not sure why your mother insisted on throwing such an extravagant affair-we've been married for almost five months already, the secrets out, you married a servant." His eyes twinkled at her with a knowing grin.
"I'm worried, this is too high profile and much too dangerous for your whereabouts to be public right now."
C.C. places a hand on her husband's arm reassuringly and stresses that her mother claimed to have hired enough security for them not worry, and that she hasn't received any new threatening letters in a few weeks. He shakes his head but can never resist C.C.; he placed a light kiss on her nose and rested his head on her forehead, closing his eyes.
About 100 yards to the west of the event is a small concrete pond surrounded by quaint willow trees with small benches placed on either end. Faintly, the wind carries the sound of the wedding party and the jazz music playing. A man of about 40 sits tracing the outline of his pocketknife with his dirt-encrusted finger. He clothes are worn and tattered and he smells of smoke and whiskey. He rocks back and forth looking at his brutish reflection in the knife and then the pond. He manically laughs to himself and begins humming along to the sound of the nearby music. More clearly heard; are the crickets and locusts in the grass and trees. The man takes the knife and traces his short beard along his jaw-line.
Niles stands with a wine glass looking un-amused while some inhibited guests try to chat him up. He barely listens to the mindless chatter and incessantly looks around making sure his mother in law's guards are keeping close watch. Finally Niles spots C.C. standing with some of her former debutant friends whom he recalls she hates with a fiery passion. He finds he is able to let a giggle escape as she rolls her eyes and taps her impatient fingers across her belly as the other impossibly skinny women talk about ex-husbands and trips to Paris. Niles sees this moment as the perfect opportunity to save his wife and himself from unwanted conversation with undesirable people. Niles pardons himself from the group of men trying to keep his attention and makes his way to C.C. who instantly smiles and breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of her husband. He takes her hand and eloquently excuses his wife, taking her waist in his arm and with the most gentlemen-like charm lies.
"Ladies, while C.C. and I would love to stay and chat, I'm afraid I must steal her away-I have a cousin just dying to meet her." C.C. lowered her eyes and couldn't hide her smile at the precise way he was able to make the shameless women fawn and blush, she had to admit for a man of his age, he still had quite a bit to offer. They walk to a remote corner and quickly look at Niles's watch waiting for midnight to roll around so they could go home and cut the act for C.C.'s family and mother's friends.
Just as C.C. was about to playfully ask abut the mystery cousin, Bebe, C.C.'s impossibly stubborn and uptight mother charges toward the couple in a tight skirt and blazer with her hair perfectly held in place. Bebe had been infuriated with the news that her daughter had eloped with the butler of one of her business associates and was convinced he had married her daughter and purposely was making sure she bore him a child to have a financially secure future. However, seeing as though she could not talk her daughter into a quick annulment and trying to shield herself from the embarrassment that her daughter had introduced to the family she decided to throw this glitzy affair to keep up appearances and pretend that the marriage was planned with her blessing. Bebe had refused to listen when C.C. tried to veto her mother's decision for the party because of concerning letters and emails she had been receiving from a strange man threatening her and her unborn baby's lives. So far, the authorities claimed to have everything under control and nothing beyond the suspicious mail had occurred so as far as Bebe was concerned there was no reason not to publically announce her daughter's nuptials and publicize the details in the finest of upscale newsletters. She finally compromised when Niles had threatened to take his wife out of the country if Bebe did not hire enough security to take down the Taliban if need be.
Bebe proceeds to grab her daughter's wrist almost violently and turns her to face her and exclaims that they are being most rude and insensitive to everyone who came out to support the atrocity they called a marriage.
"You were always so ungrateful C.C., where would you be today if I hadn't insisted you associate with the right people of proper breeding…of course I suppose I could have pushed you a bit harder, maybe you wouldn't have ended up with a gold-digging janitor that knocked you up first chance he got." The evil look, in Bebe's eyes, was comparable to knives being thrown in Niles's direction.
"MOTHER, we agreed to this ridiculous affair to please you and you can't at least treat the father of your granddaughter civilly in public?" C.C.'s face reddened with anger and her heart pulsed; nothing could make her angrier than her mother's insensitive demeanor. Niles on the other hand stood unaffected and instead turned his attention to his wife, rubbing her back and reminding her not to get riled up over "the old coot."
"Bebe, please remember that while you full well knew that C.C. and the baby were in danger you still insisted to announce to all of New York's high society where we would be tonight, I don't believe C.C. owes you any explanation as to her rattled nerves and her unwillingness to enjoy this blasted event, but you most certainly will regret this if so much as C.C.'s heart rate increases on account of this idiocy."
C.C. stood back as her husband and mother had at it and decided that a breath of fresh air just a few feet away from everyone else couldn't hurt. C.C. blinks back the water forming in her eyes and talks to the night air; "Oh, baby, your daddy does indeed love you and your mommy, whatever my mother does at least we have him hmm?" She gently rests her hand on the largest section of her stomach.
C.C. breathes in the chilly air and wraps her shawl around her arms, she hears some water being unsettled by the wind and walks toward the sound. She stops and looks back deciding that she won't be too dangerously far from the wedding party. C.C. comes upon the small pond reflecting the half moon from behind the clouds in the sky and admires the leaves of the weeping willow trees surrounding her, swaying in the wind. Finally feeling a bit of solace and comfort she looks at her refection in the water and closes her eyes taking a deep breath. C.C. is about to take a seat on one of the nearby benches when her necklace suddenly slips of her neck and to the pebbled ground. She bends down to retrieve it and as soon as she straightens herself upright again feels a hot, calloused hand grab her face and covers her mouth from behind, instantly an arm grabs her under her chest and holds her dangerously close and smells whiskey and sweat. Tears begin to flow from her eyes as she realizes what is happening while she feels a knife pressed to her side where the arm is wrapped around her. She knows if she moves her baby is dead and most likely she is as well. Her heart races and her knees begin to buckle beneath her. She looks into the distance through her tears and can still see the light and hear the music from the party and can see a few of the useless guards her mother hired drunk and hitting the desperate women. She searches quickly for Niles but is quickly lifted off the ground further away from the party and into the deep woods nearby, her captor presses his prickly face against her cheek and in a raspy low voice instructs C.C.: "do as I say or I'll slice that kid right out of you." She whimpers against his dirty hand and her skin turns cold as she can feel her heart beat quicken, he releases her mouth for a few seconds and returns his hand with a wet cloth. She can barely take any breaths but soon things get dazed and she feels herself begin to slip out of consciousness.
The party had become lively as most guests became increasingly inebriated. Niles had finally escaped his mother in law and made his way over to the man table where bottles of wine sat, he poured himself a glass and almost instantly downed the whole glass of gold liquid to calm his nerves. Maxwell, his livelong friend comes over and raises his glass in Niles's direction. Niles smiles and they briefly talk about Bebe and how they hope she gets kidnapped by a stalker instead of C.C. and is never returned. The duo shares a hearty laugh and toast to the idea. Just then, Maxwell looks around for C.C. hoping to kiss the bride and wish her. Niles had been in the middle of a second glass of wine when Maxwell asked where C.C. had gone off. Niles froze and drops his glass when he realizes C.C. is nowhere to be seen. The men begin to call out for her nervously and the party comes to concerned halt. One of the burly security men approaches Niles and asks if there is something wrong. Angrily, Niles grabs the man's lapels pulling him down and screams "WHERE'S MY WIFE YOU IMBECILE?"
Out in the woods the strange man held the unconscious C.C. across his lap on the ground and roughly ran his fingers through her hair and across her face.
"At last, it's finally just you and me alone, I knew I would be able to convince you to come along with me."
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