*Chapter 7*

"A certain something, he felt, had managed to work its way in through a tiny opening and was trying to fill a blank space inside him. The void was not one that she had made. It had always been there inside him. She had merely managed to shine a special light on it."

- Haruki Murakami

A foldup cane. A medical record. A picture of a little boy with beautiful brown eyes that were still able to see. A death certificate. I didn't look at the objects more than I had to. The answers were all there. Once again, Bellamy and I were taken apart. This time, in a way that broke my heart more than it already had been. It was hard to pull myself together after that.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the phone. My stomach lurched in a different way than before. How would Bellamy feel if he knew what had happened to us? We had been killed, separated, and plenty of others things I hadn't even seen yet. What if the box was sent to me and not Bellamy for a reason? And what kind of person would I be if I put him through that kind of pain. I suddenly hoped Bellamy wouldn't call back. At least, not until I'm ready.

I set down the third stack and dug back into the box. What I saw was something I didn't expect.

The wedding invitation was a surprise. Not because Clarke doubted Raven and Finn would eventually get married, but because she didn't think she would be invited. I mean, how many ex girlfriends get invited to weddings? Not to mention, they had only broken up six months ago. But, despite the oddness of it all, Clarke knew she had to attend. If not for Finn, at least for Raven, who she had gotten pretty close with over the years. Besides, there was always something to look forward to at weddings. Champagne, mini food, and of course hot guys.

Although, Clarke had a theory that guys were never themselves at weddings. It was like putting on a suit and watching two people promise forever made them a sudden ten. Either way, Clarke wasn't looking for a hookup. She was just attending for moral support and nothing more.

The wedding arrived in no time at all, leaving Clarke in a state of panic. Mostly because she forgot all about it, got stuck in heavy traffic, and pulled up to the church fifteen minutes late. Not to mention, seeing Finn for the first time since their break up wasn't something she was looking forward to. It was easy for Clarke to say that she was a complete disaster. When she pulled open the heavy front doors and slipped inside, she wasn't surprised to find that the main entrance was empty. With her luck, the ceremony was probably half way over by then. And the task of finding where the ceremony was taking place was daunting all by itself. Clarke had never been very good with finding her way around.

"This should be fun." she muttered to herself, before setting off to find the wedding.

The church was huge, with all kinds of twists and turns and rooms that all looked the same. The whole thing was made of stones that reminded Clarke of Hogwarts castle or something. Each step she took echoed off the walls, making her feel all the more rude for showing up late. She almost expected a priest to storm into the hall and yell at her for being too loud.

After walking into too many private rooms and taking too many wrong turns, Clarke was officially lost. She felt like she was going in circles, yet hadn't seen anything that looked even remotely familiar. She was about to go back the way she came and ask for directions when she heard something coming from one of the rooms. It sounded like... someone crying?

"Hello?" Clarke whispered, knocking lightly on the door. "Are you ok?" There was a loud sniffle and a little cough.

"I'm fine." a voice croaked. The voice sounded familiar. Of course, the mess Clarke was already in had to become bigger

."Raven? Is that you?" Clarke asked, a bit louder this time. "It's Clarke, let me in." There was another sniffle then silence. Clarke was about to try the doorknob when the door suddenly opened. And there was Raven. Apparently, Clarke wasn't the only one who was a disaster.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Clarke gasped, following Raven into what looked like a little bathroom. There were tissues scattered all over the floor, along with Raven's veil and her shoes.

Raven sank to floor and rubbed at her face, smearing her mascara even more. "I don't know what to do." she stuttered, wrapping her arms around her knees, which wasn't very easy with her poofy white dress in the way.

"Everything was going fine until I looked into the chapel. There were so many people and Finn was standing at the end of the aisle looking so happy and I-."

Why me, Clarke thought, before shutting the door behind her and sitting across from Raven. It wasn't that she didn't want to help her friend, she just didn't know how. Clarke had never been married before, let alone had a serious long-term relationship. She knew next to nothing about what Raven was going through. But of course, she was the only one around who could help.

"I'm scared, Clarke." Raven whispered, her voice cracking. She looked like a toddler who was convinced there was a monster under her bed, and somehow it almost seemed like the same thing. Her future was so unsure and Clarke had no idea how to make her feel better.

"You're just having second thoughts. Everyone does." Clarke said carefully, trying to keep her voice light. "You just have to- to go and get married. Then everything will be fine." Even through her tears, Raven still managed to roll her eyes.

"That was really lame." Clarke said, feeling deflated. There was no clock in this room but she knew people were going to start looking for the bride soon and it would be an even worse mess if they saw her like this.

"Listen, I'm not an expert on this stuff but I can tell you that you and Finn are meant to be together. The way you two look at each other is something that you couldn't fake. I know you're having second thoughts but you have to push that stuff away. Because you love Finn and he loves you and that's all that matters right now." Raven looked frightened for a minute, staring at Clarke like she had eight heads, before she began to smile and nod her head. Clarke suddenly felt like she could breath again.

"You're right." Raven said, taking a deep breath. "I do love Finn. And I'm going to marry you, Clarke. For everything."

It was hard to tell, but Clarke didn't think she was just talking about their conversation. I mean, she was the last ex girlfriend. But either way, she was just happy that Raven was happy.

It only took five minutes for Raven to compose herself. When she walked out of the bathroom, with her veil tucked into her hair and her head held high, Clarke almost felt proud. There was no trace of running mascara or sadness. Just joy. Clarke should give advice more often.

The ceremony started as soon as Raven and Clarke arrived outside the chapel doors. There was a lot of chaos and questions but somehow Raven kept her cool. Unlike Clarke, who really just wanted to sit down and have some champagne. But by the looks Raven sent her every so often, she wasn't allowed to leave just yet.

The organ began to play from behind the huge oak doors and Raven's bridesmaids began filing in. Raven turned to Clarke one last time, mouthed "thank you", then walked down the aisle. It was one the most wonderful things Clarke had ever seen.

There were no seats left in the pews, so Clarke stood in the back, leaning next to the doors. She finally felt like she could relax after all the crazy things she had been through and was surprisingly looking forward to the reception. At least then, she could eat.

Towards the end of the ceremony, the doors opened again. No one noticed except for Clarke, who at that point, felt like her legs were about to fall asleep. She turned to see a guy about her age slip inside. He glanced around quickly before sliding next to Clarke, obviously out of breath.

"What, did you run here?" Clarke whispered, looking the guy up and down. She had to admit he was pretty cute, especially in his suit which was crinkled and crooked. He glanced at her, looking only mildly annoyed.

"No. But apparently, I'm not the only one who's late." he said, gesturing at the full room. Clarke blushed. She hated being late.

"For your information, I've been here since the beginning. If it wasn't for me the bride probably wouldn't even be up there right now." Clarke replied. Raven looked totally confident now, staring at Finn with more love in her eyes than Clarke could handle.

"Oh, really?" the guy smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I guess I lose then."

Clarke smiled, watching as Raven and Finn said "I do." Maybe this mess of a day wouldn't turn out so bad after all. She convinced the bride to stay and met a cute guy and still had most of the night to make things better. I guess things weren't always as they seemed.

"You have to at least let me fix the tie." Clarke laughed as her and Bellamy followed the crowd to where the reception was being held. In the time it took for Raven and Finn to kiss and for everyone to applaud, Clarke had learned the name of the cute guy and had gotten into a playful conversation about weddings. Because that's what you talked about at weddings, right?

"Fine." Bellamy sighed, turning to Clarke and rolling his eyes. They were the last people out of the chapel, which meant they were the only people in the hallway as Clarke tugged at Bellamy's crooked tie and began to retie it.

"Is this the first time you've ever tied a tie?" Clarke joked, flipping up his shirt collar and wrapping the tie around his neck. Who knew tying a tie could be so flirty? At least that's what Clarke was thinking.

"I don't get out much." Bellamy grinned. Clarke was starting to rethink her theory on weddings. She had seen enough movies to know that at weddings, anything could happen. Strangers could become friends or something more. And usually the bride and groom weren't the only ones who ended up kissing at the end of the night. It just took a little bit of good timing and runaway brides to get Clarke to realize that.

After a full meal and some more flirting, Clarke and Bellamy were slightly drunk and looking to dance. Of course, that wasn't a problem considering where they were.

So, Bellamy grabbed Clarke's hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor. They moved easily and fit like puzzle pieces and it was like they had been doing this their whole lives. Each twirl, step, and move was perfect and Clarke felt like this was destiny. Funny, how easily people find love at weddings.

"I never asked who you were here for ." Clarke said suddenly after they had been dancing for what felt like eternity. By then, Clarke had her head on Bellamy's shoulder and they were barely moving at all.

"I went to school with Raven. We had a thing a while back, but i think she just needed more people to invite." Bellamy smiled. "What about you?"

"Finn's ex girlfriend. Sort of friends with Raven. I guess I'm an extra invite too." Clarke could feel Bellamy laugh.

"What are you talking about? Without you there would be no wedding." Bellamy countered.

Across the room, Clarke could see Raven and Finn. They had their arms around each other and were talking quietly. It was like they were on their own planet. Finn looked up suddenly, catching Clarke's gaze. Before she could look away he smiled, no hint of awkwardness in his face. He picked up his glass and raised it as if toasting Clarke. She beamed at him mouthing a quick "thank you".

"I don't know." Clarke said "I think they're too in love." Bellamy leaned back, looking into Clarke's eyes. She suddenly wondered how she had gotten there? When she first arrived she was lost and confused and now she was in the arms of a stranger who she suddenly thought she loved. Love at first sight had always seemed too childish for Clarke but in that moment it seemed all too real.

Without hesitation, Clarke leaned in and kissed Bellamy. It was a different kind of kiss then she had had before. It wasn't desperate or soft or sloppy. It was simple. Like they knew they didn't have time together but they didn't care because that one kiss was all they needed. It would last them forever.

"I think I love you. Is that crazy?" Bellamy murmured against Clarke's lips. It was like everyone around them had disappeared and it was just them with the candlelight and the champagne. They were in their own universe.

"Not at all." Clarke said, smiling softly. "I love you too." And then they kissed again. Just for the hell of it because they were at a wedding and why not?

Clarke's theory finally began to make sense. No one was as they seemed at weddings. But it wasn't because of the dresses or tuxedos or the proclamations of love. It was because for one night you could fall in love and fall out of it at the same time. Because that cute guy at the back of the church won't be there forever, so why not take the chance? For one night, fate wasn't dealing the cards. So, you stopped being you and became someone else.

A/N: Hello! I think I'm going to start doing author's notes more, mostly because I like talking to you guys, even though I'm not really. But anyway, I finished another chapter! Hooray! I don't really think I did very good on this chapter content wise but I really enjoyed writing the end and I hope you liked it too. Please write reviews and tell me what you think and what I could improve! Thanks for reading!

- Megan