I own nothing. blah blah blah.
The Day before the wedding/ Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner
"Now the music will play, Vicki will walk up, we'll all be in place, 'We are gathered here today... Do you," the minister asked Vicki.
"I do," she replied
"Do you?"
"Me too," Henry smiled.
"I know pronounce... you kiss, and that's pretty much it."
"Seems simple enough," Vicki joked. "Is it time for time for the rehearsal dinner yet?" she whispered to Henry conspiratorially.
"Yes, let's eat," Henry replied.
At this Mike chuckled. "Sorry," he said defensively at Henry and Vicki's glares.
Henry and Vicki led the way out of the church followed by Mike, Coreen, and Reva. Luckily for Vicki, there was a Chinese place a block down.
Within a few minutes, they were laughing about the ease of the 'rehearsal' over mu shu and general tso's chicken.
"Okay, okay, so I may have mentioned that my fiancé has a short attention span and he might speed things up from the normal rehearsal," Henry admitted sheepishly.
"That's why we're getting married, because he knows me so very well," Vicki said, kissing him on the cheek.
They continued to eat and talk like the dysfunctional family they were, for another two hours before the 'rehearsal dinner' dispersed.
Vicki was about to get in the car with Coreen, but glanced furtively at Henry getting into his BMW. She ran to him. "Henry, why did I agree to spend the night away from you?" she asked.
"Because, it will make tomorrow so much better. Anticipation, and all that," he growled lightly.
"Henry, it's not like we haven't already been together. This is kind of silly, don't you think?" she asked hopefully.
"No. Stop tempting me. You agreed, and it's tradition. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Dream of me, my love."
"I'll never get to sleep without you. Can I call you at least?"
"I'd be heartbroken if you didn't," he replied kissing her passionately.
She walked back to Coreen's car, glancing back to him before opening the door. She waved as they left the parking lot.
That night, she called to say goodnight, "I miss you," she said quietly.
"And I, you."
"This is all your fault," she grumbled.
"Yes it is love. Shall we talk until you fall asleep?" Henry asked tenderly.
"Yes, it's the very least you can do. Tell me about your life. Start after you and Christina had to separate, and don't leave anything exciting out."
"Well, you know why we had to part , but I'll start with my search for a new territory. I was young, and so full of my own power. I traveled Europe like a nomad, until I was seduced by the allure of the French court. So ostentatious. You would say wanton, but it was a vampire's dream. That's how I came to love art..." Henry continued to talk until her breathing slowed and became steady. "Je' taime, my love," he said, quietly hanging up.