A/N SVM Characters belong to Charlaine no infringement is intended.
Thank you for all of your reviews I do not respond to all o f them, but I read and cherish them. Well let's have us a Weddin' shall we?
Chapter Twenty Five
It's a Nice Night for Vamp Weddin'
"Right on time! That must be the gowns!" Pam clapped her hands I do not think I have ever seen her this jovial without the prospect of torturing someone, but that could change the evening was young.
Vera and her entourage came into the living room with Erzulie on their heels. LinMai and Amelia looked excited and I heard Thalia give an audible and totally unnecessary sigh. Pierre and Amelio situated a rack of covered gowns in the middle of the room while Sarah carried a large white garment bag by hand.
"I trust everything is finished Vera?" If I didn't know any better I'd think Pam sounded excited. "Of course, I think you will be very pleased." Vera said confidently giving a nod to Sarah.
"Ms. Stackhouse, if you like we can step into the other room and I will help you into your gown." Sarah smiled and stepped toward me.
"Oh sure, let's go into the office." I gestured toward the room and started toward it with Sarah the Daemon in tow. Sarah helped me into the dress and helped me keep my balance while I stepped into a pair of satin slippers with a small heel and then began to button the back of the gown. I turned to face her when she finished and she smiled. "You look lovely." I turned to look in the large mirror on the wall and I had to fight back a tear, this is it. I am getting married. I wish Gran were here. A knock at the door broke me out of my reverie. "Come in."
Pam, Amelia, LinMai, and Erzulie entered with Thalia in tow looking grumpy. With the exception of Erzulie they all wore strapless floor length gowns in a beautiful midnight blue, simple and elegant.
"Oh Sook, you look beautiful!" Amelia had her hand over her heart and smiled tenderly at me. "No leaking Broadway, we haven't time to fix your mascara," Pam hissed. "Well," Pam said cheerily, "I do believe my Master will be pleased. You look absolutely mouth watering." She gave me a fangy grin that would make a normal person cringe. "It appears you have some thing blue," she motioned to my necklace, "Eric is old, so he will have to do in that category." She paused with her perfectly manicured finger tapping her chin.
"What are you talking about?" LinMai looked like a confused child.
"Martha says that the bride must have 'something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue'. We have two of the four." Pam said this as if this was a very serious matter and I tried not to giggle at her attentiveness to the dictate of Martha Stewart.
"I have something you can borrow," Everyone turned to look at Thalia as if she had just sprouted horns and a tail, which actually would not surprise this crowed when I thought about it. Thalia reached down and lifted up the hem of her gown revealing a very shapely leg. She unhooked a leather strap from her thigh with a dagger attached to it. Pam stared at her for a moment and I just gawked. "Perfect!" Pam grabbed the weapon and grabbed the hem of my gown and fastened the dagger to my thigh.
"I am NOT wearing a knife under my wedding gown Pam."
"Are garters not a human tradition on one's wedding day?" Pam looked at me innocently.
"yes, but a dagger is usually NOT attached to it!"
"Oh Sookie, calm down. What harm can it do?" Amelia shrugged and LinMai smilled prettily. I just sighed and let Pam finish attaching the 'garter'.
"I have something new," Erzulie stepped foreward and handed me a little satin pouch, "they are a gift from your Great-Grandmother, she asked that I give them to you today."
"My WHAT?" I did not have time to process this, but I guess if Nial was still kicking about why wouldn't my Great-Grandmother? I wondered if she planned on paying me a visit and if it would bring me as much trouble as meeting my Fae Great-Grandfather had. I opened the pouch and it contained the most lovely pair of earrings I have ever seen. They were large tear drop diamonds with pearl posts assembled to look like a leaf. "She could not be here tonight," Erzulie began, "She asked that I give these to you." Erzulie smiled and helped me put them in, while I fought back tears.
"NO LEAKING!" Pam practically shouted. She cocked her head, "the car has arrived! Let's go."
Vera left after wishing me good luck and we headed out to the limo parked in front of the house when I noticed Erzulie was not following. "Erzulie, aren't you coming?"
"I will be there, don't worry." She smiled and shut the door as we climbed in and the limo sped off into the night. I looked out of the window thinking of everything that had happened in the last few years that led up to this moment. I had gooseflesh on my arms and my palms began to sweat. What am I doing? Eric and I have never even been on a real DATE! I felt my heart begin to pound and my breath quicken, I knew the Vamps in the car sensed it because they were all staring at me. I felt like I was about to have a panic attack, was it too late to say 'no, wait I need time to think about this some more?' arg, why did I let Pam talk me into t his? I'm not ready I need TIME!
"..Sookie. SOOKIE!"
"WHAT?" I jumped a little startled.
"Relax," Pam cooed, "Everything will be fine. There is no need for you to be nervous. While there will be some non-traditional aspects I think I have done a fabulous job of planning the perfect wedding. You will LOVE it." This did not soothe my nerves at all.
"I think I'm going to vomit." I really felt queasy.
"SOOKIE! Look at me!" I looked Pam in the eye and I could feel her pressing against my consciousness, was she trying to glamour me? "I swear before Dear Abby, Paula Deen and Martha if you soil THAT gown before the ceremony I will drain you." She had a little fang showing and I believed her. I heard Thalia chuckle, at least someone was enjoying themselves.
"Here honey have a sip of water." Amelia handed me a bottle of Evian as we pulled up in front Barnwell Memorial Garden and Art Center. I took a gulp of water under Pam's watchful gaze and handed the bottle back to Amelia. "Thanks."
The driver opened the door; Thalia, LinMai and Amelia stepped out of the car. Pam sat across from me and raised a perfectly arched brow, "Ready?"
"Yeah," I gave her a bonafide Crazy Sookie smile.
"After you, Mistress." She waved her hand toward the open door and gave me a half grin. I stepped out of the car and Pam was right on my heels. A short thin woman with mousy brown hair and a fitted suit approached us with a clipboard in hand looking frazzled. "Oh Thank God! Okay we need to get into position." She ushered us into t he dome shaped building, she did not introduce herself but I picked from her head that she is Ella Daniels the wedding planner and coordinator or in this case, 'Ms. Ravencrofts Bitch' her words not mine. Apparently, Pam had taken a very active role in the planning process and Ms. Daniels was a little put out by being reduced to Pam's 'Wedding Day Human', Pam's words not Ella's. I also gleaned that Ella was a little freaked out because some of the guests were 'peculiar' even for Vamps and she thought that Pam was 'crazy scary' and just wanted this to be over and she promised herself that is she made it through this unscathed never to do another Vamp function, no matter how much they paid. Yeah she was sweating bullets and I felt her pain. She led us to an alcove near the main conservatory and got us in line when she got to me she asked if I felt okay. 'Oh Jeepers H. Crackers! The Bride looked peked. If she tosses her cookies Pam is going to kill me, Omigod.'
"Can I get you anything sweety? It's just wedding day jitters, everything is perfect." Ella sputtered these words of encouragement while straightening my veil and handing me a bouquet of Gardenias, white Freesia, white tulips, and white roses, and a white version of that flower Eric gave me that looks like lady bits. I lifted it up to take a sniff and it smelled heavenly. Ella scurried off and returned in moments with a mildly disheveled Jason. "Hey Sook. How ya' feelin?" He leaned over and kissed my cheek and I got an unsavory image of him making out with one of the wait staff from the caterers in the back moments earlier. I rolled my eyes while he straightened himself up a bit. I heard stringed instruments begin to play and my palms started to sweat again.
"Okay, this is it. Sookie you and Jason will enter when after Thalia when you hear the music begin to play." With that the French doors swung open and Pam was off. I stood there debating making a break for it, am I doing the right thing? Can this really work? I was so deep in thought that I had not noticed that everyone was gone except Jason and I. The music had stopped and it was silent and then To Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan began to play on the Piano Jason gave my arm a little tug and we stepped into the doorway. We stood at the top of a staircase lined with garlands of Gardenias and white Freesia. It seemed like everything in the Conservatory was in bloom I saw everyone turn to look at me. Tara and JB smiled, Sam looked a little grim as did Bill. Alcide and the Shreveport Pack, Calvin Norris and a host of faces that I could tell were Vamps along with Felipe De Castro, Victor Madden and his second Sandy seated towards the front. I noticed Dr. Ludwig seated toward Felipe. Oh good God who are all these people? Vampire Politicos no doubt, Lord I should just turn and run. Looking through the crowd I felt myself begin to panic. Then I saw him. Eric looked gorgeous standing up in front of the crowed in a black tuxedo. Our eyes met and he smiled at me, and I felt a wave of love ,pride, happiness and tinge of lust through the bond. This is right. I felt all of my doubts melt away and I began to march toward my soon to be husband. I kept my eyes fixed on Eric's as I strolled down the isle when I got to the alter his cool hand took mine in his. He leaned in so that we were cheek to cheek, "Lover, you are a vision." We stood facing each other and I was only mildly aware of my surroundings, it was just he and I. I stared into his eyes and thought of everything we have been through together, every misadventure that lead to this moment in time. I could feel him sending Love through the bond and emotion that at one point I believed him incapable of, and now I was pledging myself to him before God and everybody and despite my fears and my reservations about how this would turn out in this moment all is right with my crazy life.
The room fell silent when the Ancient Pythoness began to speak breaking my reverie (I bought a new calendar what can I say). Apparently she was performing the ceremony I raised my eyebrows at Eric and he gave the most minute shrug.
"These two beings stand before you today acknowledging their bond in blood and spirit," She began in a heavily accented English, "is there any being here who objects to this union?" Thank God no one said anything. "Erikr the Norseman do you take this human as your own?"
"Yes." He locked eyes with me and smiled canceling out my thoughts of the lack of romanticism of being referred to as 'this human' during my wedding vows.
"Sookie Stackhouse famed Telepath, do you accept the Norseman as your mate?"
"Yes." I was fighting back tears and Eric squeezed my hand.
The Pythoness picked up a golden chalice and the knife I recognized from Rhodes off of the little table to her right.
"With the exchange of blood be ye bound let no being dispute this bond, the penalty being death finally." With that she held out the chalice and Eric presented his wrist which she cut his thick blood dripping into the chalice. Oh shit! Okay, NOT the ceremony I envisioned. I felt reassurance through the bond and I presented my wrist. I winced at the pain of the small cut as my blood flowed into the chalice mixing with Eric's. He leaned down and licked my wrist sealing the tiny wound, I tried to maintain my composure and fight my growing arousal. I became aware of the sound of fangs extending. The Pythoness handed Eric the chalice and he drank the mixture of out blood his fangs extended and his eyes dialated slightly. He handed it to me and I drank the rest, imagine my horror when MY fangs came down! I felt my face flush crimson as several gasps came from our audience. Eric leered at me and I felt my arousal begin to pool between my legs.
"It is done." The Pythoness spoke loudly and Eric pulled me into a heated kiss that made my knees weak.
A/N
The wedding portion of this chapter really took a lot out of me. I'm not feeling very romantic so it felt like the wedding took FOREVER to write. Sorry this chapter took so long hope it isn't a total disappointment. There will be a more action the next chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!