Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, to be honest if I did the movie would've ended in pretty much the exact same way. Except I would've had Victor and Victoria kiss at the end...
Victor Van Dort was awkward. He didn't fit in, much to his mother's dismay, was hardly the model of the perfect son she'd pictured. Nor was he ever going to be a gifted businessman and take over the cannery like his father had hoped. He was quiet, shy and had a nasty habit of stuttering when he was under pressure. Not exactly quality husband material if you asked Nell Van Dort. Victor felt he had to agree, who would want to marry someone like him? He was too tall, too thin, too prone to getting lost in his music or art and had a nasty habit of putting his foot in his mouth whenever he opened it to say something. He wasn't charming and brimming with confidence like most boys his age seemed to be but also wasn't as gentlemanly as someone born into nobility. If you asked his parents he was rather a lost cause both socially and in every other way. The only thing he could possibly do for them at this point was get married off and boost their own social standing. Victor, while not entirely convinced by the idea of marriage had to admit he agreed with them. After all what else would he do?
Victoria Everglot was a girl. That alone seemed to be the root of all of her problems if you asked her. If you asked her parents however they would give you a no less than ten page list of reasons that their daughter was an utter disgrace. Too passionate was high up on that list according to her mother, swiftly followed by too inquisitive, too romantic and too quiet. Victoria often felt like pointing out that that last was hardly her fault, she'd always been forcibly reminded that women should be seen and not heard but there was no use in telling her mother that, she'd only be told to be quiet. Her father's issues with her were limited to the fact that she was a girl and what was the good of that? A girl couldn't be his heir, the mere idea was entirely preposterous! So he simply ignored her most of the time and tried to pretend he didn't have a child. Her mother on the other hand seemed incapable of indifference and took pleasure in pointing out Victoria's every flaw. Not that it mattered any more, she was to be married off flaws and all. Victoria felt she ought to be upset by this arrangement but the prospect of being married was terribly romantic.
~oOo~
The morning of the rehearsal however, Victor couldn't say he felt as certain. If his flaws were apparent to even his parents, then surely Miss Victoria would notice them too? But it seemed he need not worry about that, even amidst clumsy actions and unthinking words, Victoria Everglot seemed to like him. And he had to confess, when he looked at her he felt something rather a lot like love bursting through his chest. Her daring at approaching him unchaperoned, her quiet confession of wanting to play the piano, the tenderness she showed him all made him fall even deeper. Then the rehearsal fiasco happened, quickly followed by the Emily situation and he feared he'd lost her. But then he'd shown up at her window, she'd welcomed him warmly, clearly never doubting his loyalty for a moment and that alone sent a burst of warmth through him that dispelled even the chill of the Land of the Dead. How he'd felt like kissing her in that moment, would have so had he not promptly been dragged back to the underworld screaming for his fiancée all the way. If losing her once had hurt, losing her twice had felt like his heart was being ripped into small pieces. He could safely say that he'd never known heartbreak until he'd learnt of Victoria's marriage to Barkis, whether it was just in order to not waste the cake or not. So he gave in and very nearly ruined both of their lives in one fell swoop. In truth though he cared for Emily, he should never have agreed to the marriage after all his heart had never belonged to her and was secretly glad for the interruption of his untimely death. Seeing Victoria's expression as she walked up to him was one he'd never forget and holding her in his arms again was perfection, though it did not last. If heartbreak was Victoria marrying Barkis, fury was him hurting her. For one shining moment he got to be strong and fearless and every bit the man Victoria Everglot deserved to marry, even though his weapon of choice was a fork and he could barely wield it without falling over. Then everything was over, Barkis Bittern was dead, Emily passed on and he and Victoria were left standing at the top of the aisle, watching the sky and feeling completely at peace.
Terribly romantic was perhaps too strong a choice of words Victoria realised as the fated rehearsal day arrived. Until now she'd never even really thought of what her future husband would be like, what if he was older than her father? Or even younger than she was? What if he was unpleasant and callous? What if he didn't like her? Of course she happened to voice these thoughts in her parents hearing and was promptly told that her feelings towards her husband were not essential. Strangely this did nothing to reassure her. But a piano solo and a short conversation later found her entirely charmed by the compassionate, shy, rather good looking young man that was Victor Van Dort. It had been just like her stories, until he'd run off in fright and she'd been left alone with their parents for such a long time, worrying by the window, hoping he wasn't hurt. When she'd learnt he had run off with another woman she could scarcely believe it of him. He was too kind to do such an awful thing, surely. It turned out he was, because he came back for her and how her heart had leapt to see him in her room, improper though it was. She'd felt sure they were going to have their first kiss, had very much wanted it, when the strange dead woman had appeared and dragged him off again. Victoria had to selfishly admit to feeling a rush of relief upon hearing him call her name so frantically as they'd reached out for one another. Naturally, she tried to help. Going to see the pastor seemed a reasonable and slightly reckless thing to do and she found herself punished for it despite her good intentions. Learning she was to be married to Lord Barkis had felt like the poker she was holding in her hand had been thrust through her chest. But she knew she must; she couldn't let her parents rot in the poorhouse after all, that would be cruel. Still she did not enjoy it. It was the worst she'd ever felt. No, that was a lie, the worst she'd ever felt was watching from behind a pillar as the only man she'd ever love said his vows to another. But it all turned out wonderfully in the end. Frightening certainly, she'd feared Victor would die as he went up against Barkis with only a fork but he was so marvellously brave, just like a knight in a fairytale. And like a knight against a dragon he'd triumphed and rescued her, and nestled in his arms watching the last of Emily's butterflies she couldn't help but send a silent thanks to the bride, after all she'd given up everything for her. It was the least she could do.
~oOo~
Victor Van Dort was loved. More than that he had a wife who adored him, flaws and all and he loved her in return. Yes, he was still awkward and socially inept, had no head for business and had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth when he spoke but none of that mattered because Victoria liked him despite all of that. Liked him for that at times. His shyness she found incredibly endearing and she never begrudged him needing to spend time by himself. His music and drawings were praised rather than scorned and he'd even taken it upon himself to teach her how to do both, remembering her desire to learn to play. Unsurprisingly, he found she was an excellent student, if a little nervous but he found it just as sweet on her as she did on him. He found with her that it didn't matter if he was nothing like either of his parents had wanted him to be because Victoria Van Dort, his daring, sweet wife loved him. And he had to admit, he rather liked the feeling.
Victoria Van Dort was happy. She'd never believed she could ever be truly happy until she'd married Victor. Now every day was better than the last. True, she was and always would be a girl but what a wonderful thing it was to be the girl in Victor's life. He never seemed to find her too passionate or inquisitive, in fact he liked that about her. He liked the way she could curl up in a chair and read quietly for hours on end, loved every little thing she embroidered no matter how small it was. He didn't think her plain or uninteresting, quite the opposite really, whenever she spoke he would listen intently. And she didn't think she'd ever seen anyone look quite as proud of her as he had the first time she'd managed to play an entire melody on the piano without needing help. It really didn't seem to matter that she had never met up with her parents expectations because Victor Van Dort, her protective, caring husband loved her. It turned out that being married was terribly romantic after all.