"Ophelia what are you doing wearing that black veil?" Esmeralda taking the veil off Ophelia, "It was supposed to be used for your wedding day."
"Mother, most women wear black veils to funerals." Ophelia tried to explain.
"You're not most women child. You're going to be an Addams!" Esmeralda declared.
"So you have said a hundred times!" Ophelia was getting annoyed now, both her mother and her sister were acting as if the Addams were royalty.
"I do wish you would take this more seriously." Her mother was losing her patience with her eldest daughter, "Look at Morticia, she isn't the one getting married and she is taking this more seriously than you."
There it was Ophelia thought, her mother praising her favourite offspring. In Esmeralda's eyes Morticia could do no wrong. Well technically that wasn't true, Morticia would do wrong things all the time and be praised for it.
It didn't always bother Ophelia for she was her fathers' favourite. Her father liked her blond hair and good manners. He called her his daisy that's why she liked the flower so much. Morticia didn't know their father that well, she had been sent away to study in Paris with private tutors. Esmeralda didn't want her father corrupting her as he did Ophelia.
Ophelia didn't understand how her parents got together in the first place. They were so different but Morticia had a theory that their mother had seduced their father with witchcraft. When Morticia had told Ophelia her younger sister seemed so upset. When Ophelia asked why Morticia was upset she just said that any amateur can enslave a man with love potions but their mother was a powerful witch, to do such a thing seemed so beneath her. Ophelia tried to reassure Morticia by telling her that if mother had really used witchcraft to ensnare father he wouldn't have tried to run off with another woman. Morticia countered her argument with a passage from her spell book "If two souls are bound for all eternity, no man nor witch not even death can tear them asunder." It sounded like a fairy tale to Ophelia which was strange because she didn't think Morticia believed in fairy tales but Morticia had believed in it.
"Oh Morticia, look at you." Their mother beamed. "You have a waist."
Their mother hadn't seen Morticia in such tight black dress before but Ophelia had. That dress had caused many fights with jealous girlfriends and wives. Many times Ophelia had to break these fights up, not really to protect Morticia but protect whoever it was she was fighting. Ophelia blamed it on Morticia's French education.
When Morticia had returned from Paris she couldn't speak a word of English and she smoked like chimney. Esmeralda didn't mind so much until Ophelia had explained to her mother that if the cops who had decided to stakeout the house after their fathers' murder saw an eight year old smoking at their house, social services would come and take Morticia away. As much as Esmeralda would have liked for Morticia to further her studies at the orphanage, she had missed her daughter too much for her leave so soon. Morticia had to give up cigarettes cold turkey as there were no nicotine patches for children. Morticia had enjoyed the withdrawal symptoms and she had also enjoyed the new side effect of releasing smoke from her body.
They had arrived to the Addams mansion later that evening with the full moon high. The gate made the most unusual sound when they let them in as though it was alive and closed on Ophelia dress causing her to scream in shock. Esmeralda rolled her eyes at her daughters' foolishness whilst Morticia asked the gate nicely to release her sister. They made their way to front door where they greeted by the butler Lurch. Ophelia had to bite her lips to keep herself from screaming, she didn't want to anger her mother more than she had already. Lurch had led the women to the graveyard at the back of the mansion. Ophelia thought some of the grave designs seemed most unusual but Morticia thought they were works of art which wasn't surprising.
They were broken out of their musings when they heard laughter from across the graveyard.
"That must be Gomez." Esmeralda stated looking at the man smoking a cigar and laughing with what appeared to be a pile of hair. "I know that moustache anywhere."
"But mother you said you hadn't seen Gomez since he was a baby." As far as Ophelia knew babies didn't have moustaches but she was about to stand corrected when her mother answered.
"Oh he had that moustache even as a baby and he seems to be talking to his cousin Itt."
"What?" Ophelia asked confused.
"Not What child." Esmeralda said "Itt is his name!"
Morticia did not hear mother or her sister; she was completely mesmerized by that man. Though Itt was handsome too there was something about Gomez Addams that for first time in Morticia's life she felt completely warm.
Across graveyard Gomez was in deep in conversation with cousin Itt.
"I don't understand how Balthazar could have died like that old man." Gomez said smoking his cigar. "Fester and I play that game since we were children and no one ever died."
Itt shook his head. Balthazar was just another victim of Festers' absence. The first had been the families' pet vulture Myrtle who had starved himself to death in depression. Gomez's parents feared that their youngest would follow in the vultures' footsteps. That's why they had decided to arrange this marriage in the first place. They had thought with a new wife to distract Gomez he would finally be back to his old self again. Itt wasn't so sure, although Gomez seemed like his old carefree self, his eyes didn't have that same spark as they once did.
Then as if by magic the spark in Gomez eyes ignited, he was looking to his left at someone who would change his life, "Eres divina." He whispered in awe.
Itt looked to see what Gomez was staring at and noticed a woman with long dark hair and pale skin. She was most definitely a beauty. She noticed Gomez was looking at her and quickly looked away trying to avoid his gaze.
"Tell me Itt old man. You have officiated a lot of these ceremonies." As Gomez his eyes did not leave the dark haired beauty. "Have you seen this siren, this goddess, this vision before in your life?"
Itt can honestly say he had never seen this woman before in his life. He would have remembered if had but he had to remind Gomez that he was promised to another and nothing could ever happen with this new woman.
"Cousin how could you be so cruel?" Gomez groaned in defeat. "The spirits have sent this woman to torture me whilst I'm promised to another. Can I at least learn the name of my torment?"
Itt thought about it but advised against it. Gomez was supposed to meet his intended today and there was no point causing strife so early the relationship. That wasn't meant to happen until much later in the marriage.
Gomez relented but just because he could not introduce himself to her doesn't mean he couldn't admire her from afar. He sat across from her in front Balthazars' grave not taking his eyes off her. He didn't even notice his future bride sitting next to his obsession.
Morticia tried to compose herself but it was very difficult with him undressing her with his eyes. Usually she had more control than this but she felt the heat of his gaze consuming her body and soul. She didn't even realise that she was unconsciously releasing smoke from her body until her sister prodded her.
"Morticia what is wrong with you?" Ophelia asked. Morticia performance had drew a lot of attention to herself. Moticia noticing everyone's eyes upon her muttered an apology in French. Now Ophelia was more confused, Morticia only spoke French when she was nervous or overwhelmed with emotion which was very rare. Ophelia knew that Morticia had been excited about her first funeral. Could that have been the cause of her sisters' strange behaviour?
Gomez felt his heart could explode. They way her voice sounded when she spoke French was like music and her name Morticia was engraved upon his soul. He decided right then and there arranged marriage or no, Morticia will be his.