Jude sat alone in his room waiting for Starr to finish getting ready, every fiber of his being twitching with nervous energy. It was the day before their wedding and Jude could barely contain his excitement. Roughly fifteen hours had passed since Jonesy had revealed his plan to throw Jude and Starr one last party and the level of anticipation amongst his friends had grown steadily in that time. Jude knew that the others were just as excited as he was even if they hadn't seemed to be when Jonesy had first revealed his plan. In fact, Jude hadn't been this excited since Jonesy and Nikki had gotten married and he couldn't wait to see what surprises Jonesy had in store for them all. The party was scheduled to begin in a little over an hour, but Jonesy had told Jude and Starr to get there early and Jude was beginning to wonder if they'd make it. Starr was taking longer than usual to get ready and Jude was getting worried that something had happened to change her mind.
"Starr?" he asked, nervously approaching the bathroom. "You ready babe?"
For a moment only silence greeted him and then Starr poked her head out. "Almost." she said, her tone strained. "Just give me another minute or two, okay?"
"You alright bra?" Jude asked, his tone now concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Starr answered. "I'm just having a little difficulty is all."
"Difficulty with what?" Jude asked, his tone still nervous and concerned.
"Getting my damn dress on." Starr snapped, the sudden shift in her tone making Jude jump.
"Your dress?" he asked, confused. "Are you wearing your wedding dress to the party?"
"No, of course not." Starr answered. "If I was I wouldn't be having this much trouble getting ready."
"Maybe I can help." Jude said, taking a step towards the bathroom as he spoke.
"No, don't come in-" Starr began, but her sentence was cut off by Jude's sudden appearance in the doorway. "Here." Starr finished with an irritated glance at her soon to be husband. Her irritation didn't last long however, as the look on Jude's face made her forget about all her problems.
Jude was looking at her with a mixture of affection, concern, and shock and Starr couldn't really blame him. She was standing in the middle of the bathroom, half concealed by a beautiful, flowing green dress that half hung from her shoulders, exposing one of her breasts. Her hair was a tangled, sweaty mess; strands plastered to her forehead by the moisture. And her jewelry was piled on the counter, looking like it had been unceremoniously dumped there in a moment of extreme annoyance. She glanced at Jude and gave him a sheepish smile. "Okay, so maybe I'm not quite ready." she said. "And I know, I look like hell."
"No, you look beautiful." Jude said, his tone soft and comforting. "You always look beautiful and nothing will ever change that."
"Yeah, well, unfortunately I can't go to the party looking like this." Starr muttered.
Jude nodded and pulled out his phone. "I'll call Cait and Jen and get them over here to help you out." he said while flipping through his contacts for Jen's number.
"Thank you." Starr whispered as Jude made the call, his endless kindness making her smile.
A short time later Caitlin and Jen arrived and helped Starr finish getting ready. Jude let them work, realizing that his presence would only slow them down. While he waited he thought about the wedding and how it would change everything. Not that the changes would be bad, just that they would be. It made him smile knowing that by this time tomorrow he and Starr would be married. They would be one for the rest of their lives, joined in a perfect union just like Jonesy and Nikki. It was something Jude had wanted for years now, but hadn't realized until after Jonesy and Nikki had gotten hitched. And now it was just hours away and Jude had never felt happier in his life.
At that moment Starr emerged from the bathroom, Jen and Caitlin following her. Jude felt his breath catch in his throat and for a moment he almost forgot to breath. Starr was stunning. He had never seen her so beautiful. The green of her dress was perfectly accented by her red hair and the brilliant blue pendent she wore around her neck made the blue of her eyes pop. She seemed to be radiating light, though Jude wasn't sure if that was real or just his imagination playing tricks on him. Either way he didn't care. All that mattered was Starr's beauty and if he'd be able to capture this vision of her and keep it in his memory forever.
"Wow." he whispered, his voice horse. "You...you look...stunning. Yeah, that's the word, stunning."
"Thank you Jude." Starr said with an embarrassed smile. "But I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without Caitlin and Jen's help."
"You give yourself too little credit." Caitlin said, smiling. "You'd have found a way to look stunning even if Jude hadn't called us."
"Still, I'm glad he did." Starr said. "Thank you, both of you."
"It was out pleasure." Jen said, grinning. "Now, let's get going or you two are going to be late. And we can't have that."
Starr nodded and seconds later she, Jude, Jen, and Caitlin were on their way to the party. The location was secret, but Jen had figured it out, so it was she who took the lead. They arrived a short time later to find Jonesy, Nikki, and Wyatt waiting for them, Jonesy looking more than a little annoyed.
"Where the hell have you guys been?" he demanded. "You were supposed to be here half an hour ago."
"Sorry, I had a little trouble with my wardrobe." Starr said, with an apologetic glance at Jonesy. "But we're here now, so let's do this thing."
Jonesy looked like he wanted to shout some more, but a stern glance from Nikki made him reconsider and he simply said, "Alright, let's head inside. Prepare to be amazed."
And amazed they were. Jonesy had chosen to hold the party at one of the most exclusive clubs in town and as soon as they entered, Jude and Starr knew that this was going to be a party like no other they had ever attended. The interior of the club was decorated with thousands of twinkling lights that made it seem like there were thousands of fireflies dancing in the air. The lights were accented by hundreds of brightly colored streamers and banners that hung from the ceiling, some dangling all the way down to the floor. At least six long tables had been arranged in the middle of the room and on each table sat large bowls that contained the most beautiful water lilies Starr had ever seen. And inside each lily was a scented candle, their tiny flames flickering amongst the twinkling lights. To one side of the room stood a stage stacked high with amps and instruments, including a drum kit that bore the logo of a band called Vanisher, a sight that made Jude's jaw drop. Beside the stage sat a massive air canon, though Starr could only imagine what it would be used for. And to top it all off the air was filled with the scent of the most delicious food any of them had ever seen or smelled.
"So, what do you guys think?" Jonesy asked, glancing at Jude and Starr. "Pretty cool huh?"
"Yeah, it's amazing." Starr said, her tone one of awe.
"How?" Jude asked. "How did you pull this all off dude?"
"I have my ways." Jonesy said, his tone cryptic.
"Did you really get Vanisher to play here tonight?" Jude asked, still in shock.
"Yep." Jonesy answered, grinning at his friend's utter loss of words. "I knew you'd like that little extra touch."
"Little extra touch?" Jude asked, dumbfounded. "Are you fucking kidding? Vanisher are only the best electro-punk band in the world. This isn't simply a little touch dude, this is huge and I will be thanking you for this for the rest of my life."
Jonesy just grinned again before leading Jude and Starr over to the tables, where Jen, Wyatt, Nikki, and Caitlin were already seated. It was then that Jude noticed they weren't the only ones there. Wayne, Ron, Coach Halder, Darth, Julie, Diego, Robbie, the Clones, Courtney, and their parents were all gathered at the tables as well. There were also some two hundred other people there, mostly people they knew from the mall, whom Jonesy must have invited just to make the party that much more extravagant.
Once Jude and Starr were seated Jonesy raised a glass in a toast and spoke, his voice echoing in the silent club. "Well, here we are." he said. "The joining of Jude and Starr is finally upon us. In less than twenty four hours Jude and Starr will cease to be two separate individuals and will become something that is so much better. I'm speaking from experience here. Marriage isn't the horrible prison that so many movies make it out to be. Marriage is a beautiful, wonderful thing and it makes me so happy to know that Jude and Starr are about to embark on that journey and join those of us who already have. Jude has been my best friend since forever and I knew from the moment he met Starr that they were meant to be together. So, before we get to partying I'd like you all to join me in a toast to their future, because they deserve it. To Jude and Starr, may they complete each other for the rest of eternity."
"To Jude and Starr." the crowed echoed, the thunderous chorus of voices bringing smiles to Jude and Starr's faces.
"Thank you, all of you." Jude said. "I have wanted this ever since I first laid eyes on this beautiful woman beside me and I am extremely grateful to be able to share this joyous moment with all of you who have helped make me who I am today."
"I too am grateful." Starr said. "This is what life is all about, love, happiness, and having fun and I can't think of anyone better to share it with than all of you."
With the speeches finished the first course of the dinner was served and for the next hour or so the entire group ate and talked, many of them sharing stories of Jude and Starr's relationship and the many crazy twists and turns it had taken over the years. Among these twists was the time Starr had gone goth, which had prompted Jude to follow suit so they could still be together, a story which Jonesy still found funny, much to Starr's annoyance.
Finally, after over an hour of eating Vanisher took the stage, their muscular, heavily tattooed singer Nate stepping up to the microphone with a grin on his face. "Hello people." he bellowed, his deep voice echoing throughout the club. "Can we get the happy couple out on the dance floor please?"
Grinning, Jude and Starr made their way onto the floor and Vanisher launched into the first song of their set, a slow dirge that allowed Jude and Starr to circle the dance floor in each others arms. And then the band kicked things into high gear, launching into one of their more well known songs, which got everyone else out onto the floor.
The next several hours were a blur of color and sound that swallowed Jude and Starr alive, along with everyone else, all of them moving to the driving beats of Vanisher's songs. Jude wouldn't remember much of the party later on, but in the moment he was intensely aware of just how happy he was. He was aware of Starr's body pressed up against his and the sound of the music. He was aware of Jonesy's drunken laughter and Jen's sequels of pleasure as she and Wyatt made out in the corner. And he was aware of a sudden sense of dread that had awoken within him sometime earlier in the night, though he had no idea where the feeling was coming from and he ultimately succeeded in ignoring it, all the other sensations pushing it from his mind. At some point he was also aware of the canon going off, a thunderous boom that showered them all with confetti, but this too became just another part of the magnificent blur that was this final party.
Hours later, as the party wound to a close, Jude stepped outside for some fresh air. A short time later the others joined him, all of them still flushed with the excitement and euphoria of the party. Jonesy glanced at Jude and grinned then, obviously still pleased with himself for pulling this party off.
"So, what now dude?" Jonesy asked, clapping Jude on the back as he spoke.
"Now we get ready for the wedding itself." Jude said, his tone serious.
"Does that mean we can't party anymore?" Jonesy asked, looking crestfallen at the prospect. "Cuz I still want to party."
"So do I babe." Starr said, glancing at Jude with a wicked grin as she stepped out into the street, oblivious to her surroundings.
It was at that moment that Jonesy noticed the car speeding towards them and realized that Starr was right in its path. "Starr, look out!" he shouted, his voice making her turn.
As she turned Starr saw the car, but it was too late. The car slammed into her with tremendous force sending her flying into the air. Starr bounced off the car's hood, her head smashing into the windshield with a sickening crack and then she hit the pavement, her body flopping like a rag doll. The car sped off before anyone could stop it and Jude rushed into the street, dropping to his knees beside Starr's broken body.
"Starr." he said, his voice strained. "Starr, speak to me babe, please." He could see the blood pooling beneath her and knew she was hurt badly, but he couldn't bare to look away. "Starr, please talk to me."
"Oh shit." Jonesy said, his voice distant to Jude's ears. "Someone call 911."
Jude didn't turn to see if anyone was making the call. All of his attention was focused on Starr and for a moment he felt the horrible sensation that the sense of dread he had felt earlier had been trying to warn him about this. At that moment Starr twitched and opened her eyes, drawing Jude's attention. "Starr, you're awake, thank God. Just stay with me baby, everything is going to be okay."
Jude's voice sounded strange to Starr's ears, distorted and fuzzy somehow, as though she was listening to him through layers of cotton balls or something. Her vision was fuzzy as well and everything seemed to swarm around her in indistinct blobs of color so she couldn't quite tell what she was seeing. She tried to speak, but the pain in her chest stopped her from forming words and only a bit of blood dribbled from her mouth. She tried again, this time succeeding. "Jude." she gasped, her voice ragged, and then the darkness took her shutting out all other sensations in a blanket of pitch black silence.
A/N: And so, the tragedy begins. Starr's life now hangs precariously by a thread and the future of her and Jude's relationship is unknown. This doesn't necessarily mean she's going to die, but it is a possibility. Also, I know the party seemed like a reception that should have come after the wedding, but I chose to make it that way because I'm not really good at writing that kind of stuff. Finally, Vanisher are a fictional band and any similarities between them and any real bands are purely coincidental. Electro-punk may be a real genera though, but I'm not positive about that.