Just Give Me A Reason

"Right from the start

You were a thief

You stole my heart

And I, your willing victim

I let you see the parts of me

That weren't pretty

And with every touch you fixed them"

Pink~ Just Give Me A Reason

Elsa sighed and deleted yet another paragraph of writing from the publishing program on her computer. She could never have anticipated that it would be this hard to write her vows. The wedding planner had told her that the trick was to think about what Jack meant to her and let that guide her. On the surface it had sounded simple, hence why she had put it off until the day before her wedding.

The reality, however, was proving to be harder than anticipated and she was left cursing her lack of preparation. She couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed of herself. After all, she'd spent the last five years of her life with Jack. Therefore, she reasoned, it should be easy for her to come up with her vows.

The vows were meant to be her chance to tell her and Jack's loved ones exactly what Jack meant to her. It was her chance to go over everything he made her feel and to express all the emotions he evoked from her before declaring her undying love for him. It was easy for her to think about what he meant to her, she just couldn't put those words onto paper without running the risk of sounding like a babbling mess.

Getting to her feet, she stretched her arms out in front of her and sighed. She was in desperate need of a break. The words weren't coming to her and she'd spent far too long cooped up in her childhood bedroom while staring at the bright computer screen. To continue to try and force them would run the risk of her coming up with something that sounded sloppy and she didn't want that. She owed it to Jack to make her vows as important and as perfect as he was. Sighing, she let herself out of her room and headed towards the one room that she knew would leave her feeling relaxed.

Silently she slipped inside the music room, closing the door behind her before she took her seat at the grand piano. Growing up, music had always been her greatest passion. She had taken lessons from a young age and had soon discovered that she had a natural talent for the instrument. As she'd gotten older she'd often found herself turning to the piano when the stress of life got her down. Somehow just a few minutes of playing could relieve her of all tension.

"Hello, old friend," she murmured. "You've never failed me in the past. Lets see if you can help me now."

Sitting up straight, Elsa let her fingers do the talking as they glided over the ivory keys. She lost herself in the moment as the familiar sound of 'Memory' from the musical 'Cats' came from the piano. The piece had been one of the first that she'd perfected as a child and she always found herself playing it when she sat down at the piano. She felt herself getting lost in her thoughts as her fingers pressed down and sounded out the last of the notes.

Memories of times spent around the piano with Jack came rushing back to her. She thought about how he loved to sneak up behind her and try to distract her by planting kisses along her neck. Then there were the times he'd just sit by her side and gaze lovingly at her as she lost herself in the music. There were many times when he'd felt inspired to learn to play and had asked Elsa to teach him. Of course, she had accepted and had tried to pass on her knowledge only to find that Jack lacked the patience and skills needed to succeed. He'd always let his frustration get the better of him when he misread a note or hit the wrong key and would get up from the stool leaving it vacant for Elsa to step in and show him how it was meant to sound.

That's not to say that Jack wasn't musical. Like Elsa, he shared a love of music and had a wide knowledge of musical artists. He just didn't have the patience needed to learn to play an instrument. Not that she minded, she loved Jack for so many reasons. Musical talent, or lack thereof, was not one of those reasons.

"Let me guess. You're stuck on your vows," a soft voice came from the doorway.

Turning her head, Elsa saw her mother leaning against the doorframe with a warm smile on her delicate face.

"You know me too well," Elsa confessed. "It's not as easy as I thought it would be."

The older Andersen woman smiled and entered the room to place a kiss on her eldest daughter's head. "I'm your mother. It's my job to know you," she said.

Elsa watched as her mother took a seat on a nearby stool before directing her attention back to the piano. Taking a deep breath, she let her fingers trail the keys once again. The sound of a familiar Pink song came from the piano as she played.

"Ooh, I like this song," her mother interrupted. "Anna was obsessed with it a few months ago. It's got such a nice sound to it."

Elsa nodded. "Just Give Me A Reason. I remember Jack singing this song in my ear at her last concert. He sung it off key and blamed his bad singing on the beer he'd had earlier," she chuckled.

Suddenly her eyes widened as a thought ran through her head. Speaking softly, she repeated the lyrics of the song. The opening verse in particular reminded her of how Jack had approached her in her first semester at university. She hadn't been looking for love at that point, but Jack had been persistent and had somehow managed to convince her to hand over her phone number and to go on a date with him. She had turned up for the date with no expectation, other than to share a meal and a chat. However, Jack had managed to charm her and she'd ended the date knowing that he was someone who she wanted to spend more time with.

From thereon in they had been inseparable. Their relationship had only grown stronger as they supported each other through university providing comfort and a pep talk when the stress of their courses got to be too much. They had been there to celebrate each others graduation and had somehow managed to stand tall through copious interviews until they had manage to land their first graduate jobs. No matter what life had thrown their way over the last five years, they had faced it together. Jack was her rock andthe best thing she had ever done was agree to go on that very first date.

Standing up, Elsa headed for the doorway. "Sorry, Mum. I've got to go. I'll explain later," she called, before running from the room.

Racing up the stairs, she burst into her room. Taking her seat at her desk, she pulled open her laptop and booted it up. She waited patiently for it to load before clicking to open the internet browser and typing in to find the lyrics to the Pink song 'Just Give Me A Reason.'

Less than ninety minutes later and with a quick edit she was ready.

The next day Elsa stood at the front of the church with her eyes locked on Jack.

She had barely managed to hold back the tears when he'd presented his vows to her. As always, Jack made it look so easy. His eyes had remained fixed on hers as he told her she was his world and he'd forever cherish her and seek to give her everything he felt she deserved.

She could feel the eyes of their friends and family as they watched her, waiting to hear her vows, but she didn't care. The only person who mattered was the handsome young man standing across from her.

Taking a deep breath, she began.

"I'm not going to lie. I had a lot of trouble writing my vows. Hell, I think I wrote and re-wrote it at least fifty times before I came upon something I liked. You see, they said to me to write down everything you mean to me, everything you represent and all that I want for you and for the rest of our lives together. The trouble is, if I were to list all that you mean to me and what I want for you then we'd be here for hours," she paused, watching as Jack gave her an encouraging smile.

"The simple fact is, that I can not properly convey all my emotions without sounding like a blubbering mess. So, I did what I always do. I turned to music and as always, it helped me. It got me thinking and reminiscing over the memories we have shared over the last five years and I finally found some lyrics which I believe truly convey our relationship," she continued.

She paused long enough to put the small cue card where she had written the lyrics down. Opening her mouth she recited the lyrics, watching as a small tear formed in the corner of Jack's eye.

"Right from the start

You were a thief

You stole my heart

And I, your willing victim

I let you see the parts of me

That weren't pretty

And with every touch you fixed them.

"Jack, I wasn't looking for, or expecting to find love the day that you came and decided I was lonely in the university cafeteria. I had no idea that by accepting to go out on a date with you that we'd be standing here five years later saying our vows. Over the years, you've been there for me. You've stood by my side, and helped me to see beauty in the parts of me which I find ugly. My entire life music has played a part in helping me cope with my emotions or the various challenges I've faced. When you walked into my life, you became another key in helping me deal with things. You became the lyrics to my life and I can't imagine anything better than being here today and becoming your wife," she finished.

Letting out a soft exhale, she watched as Jack mouthed 'I love you' to her.

The ceremony continued and rings were exchanged before they reached the moment that everyone was waiting for.

"With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the Priest stated.

Elsa blushed and stepped forward to press a soft kiss on her husband's lips.