26. Arranging the wedding

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer or Charlaine Harris - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their Gods.

Alcide talked her into a pre birth wedding. The Shreveport wedding would be a high society affair. All the important status pack people had to be invited plus a few vampires, so it had to be held at night. People were getting more used to night time functions, so it wasn't as weird as it first seemed to her. Little girls never dreamed of their future weddings being held at night.

The most high class wedding shop in Shreveport was coincidently run by a Were. Verena Rose's Bridal and Formal Shop. If you had aspirations to class, this was where you came for your wedding gear and if you really had class it was where you went too.

Alcide's sister Janice Herveaux Phillips had come over from Jackson to help. She was going to be the only bridesmaid. She looked like Alcide's sister. She was tall, attractive, plain spoken and confident. And she loved Leah. She had two kids now. Jannalynn was many things but not really bridesmaid material and Leah knew her well enough now to know she would not appreciate being forced into a formal dress.

Verena insisted on doing Leah's dress herself. She was virtually retired after her daughter Adabelle had been killed in the witch wars [Dead to the world] but for Alcide she came out of retirement and she would do his wedding herself. Verena was an attractive woman in her late sixties. Her steel coloured hair was held in a neat roll on the back of her head. She wore a formal suit and sensible pumps. Leah had a hard time imaging her doing anything quite as undignified as turning into a wolf and running around a forest. But she could tell from her scent that she did just that.

She actually asked her permission before she placed a hand on Leah's swelling belly. She thought she heard her whisper a blessing for the babies. Alcide had told her that early miscarriages were common among the Weres and she was happy to take whatever blessings she could get. She placed her own hand over Verena's and smiled at her.

"He must be so pleased," the older woman commented.

"He's ecstatic. It's twins," she told her.

"Oh yes, he would be pleased with that. Did you want to hide it?"

Leah felt like a whale and she was astonished that the woman even thought it was possible. She shook her head. "Absolutely not. He likes me this way."

She tried on a few gowns and they both agreed on a plain simple Juliet gown that had no sleeves and a fitted band just under her breasts. It would allow her stomach to grow without major dress alterations. And it was simple enough to wear for the Quileute ceremony too. It was perfect. She knew it, the second she put it on.

She didn't like any of the function rooms on offer in Shreveport and most of them couldn't hold more than 300 people.

"Pfft. We could fit that many in the house," she commented as she sat with her feet across his lap on the sofa as he surfed on his laptop for appropriate places within the area.

He kissed her feet. "You are a genius. We'll do it here. You love the garden. It has to be at night for the deaders and we can just get in some caterers." He gave her another look. "And you would prefer that to a formal sit down dinner with toasts and everything."

"Yes. I would. But it's your wedding too."

"I don't care. Whatever makes you happy."

"You know what makes me happy," she growled at him.

"Oh yeah…" he agreed; shutting the laptop and placing it on the coffee table. He scooped her up and hauled her into his lap. "You want to do it here or upstairs in bed?" he asked.

"I vote for bed, and then I can stretch out later." She ran her hands through his tangly hair. "And I like talking to you afterwards."

"We do that, don't we? Talk after…"

"Started that the first weekend, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it did." He carried her up the stairs. "As long as we get to 'talk' every day, I don't mind."

He undressed her and she watched him as he stripped his own clothes off. She loved watching him naked. He drooped to his knees in front of her and kissed her all over. His beard brushing across her skin and making her wriggle. She tangled her fingers in his unruly hair and held him in to her body. She breathed out; a long slow satisfied breath. Having him naked and pressed against her made everything right in her world.

He was so careful with her; worried about the babies. He handled her as if she was made of spun glass and she might shatter. He even took it easy when his heated mouth closed around her nipples. She kind of missed the dominant Alcide, but she knew he was not far away. She hoped he would get over it after the babies were born and bounce her off the walls again.

Alcide stood behind her and ran his hands all over her body, tweaking and sliding his long fingers into everywhere. She loved the way he worshipped her body. That high bed came into great use now. While her stomach was big she could still lean down and put her chest on the mattress, with a pillow if she needed it. The bed smelt like them and she loved that too. That it was marked with their mingled scents.

She pushed herself back against him. She could feel him hard and eager at her back. He slid himself between her legs until she was mewling and begging him to enter her. When he slid home she cried out. "Oh, Jesus," she groaned. When they had both finished her lifted her carefully onto the bed.

She lay on her side with Alcide tucked in behind her. His big hands were still stroking over her stomach as it jumped and wriggled.

"Man," he commented. "They had better kick each other less when they get out."

"I wish they would kick less now," she whined. "They always go nuts after sex or when I lie down."

"No, you don't, chere," he commented. "You know they are alive and healthy."

"I suppose," she conceded. "It's kind of weird being able to hear their heartbeats." She chuckled. "You shouted at the football the other day and they both jumped."

"Good. Not deaf then."

"They know you. They know your voice." She fell silent.

He sat up to look at her face. "What's the matter? You know they're healthy Dr Ludwig told you that."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You and your second opinions… she wasn't happy to do that you know… she argued she wasn't taking on new clients. And what the heck is she anyway?"

"Nobody knows," he admitted. "But she's the best doctor for supes."

Dr. Amy Ludwig was the best doctor to supernatural beings. She stood around three feet tall with an oddly deep voice. She had a large nose and olive skin. Her hair was a coarse golden brown and very thick and wavy. Leah wondered if she was a hobbit. She had grumbled at Alcide who towered over her, that the girl was perfectly fine and him stressing and worrying probably did her the most damage. The babies were fine, she was fine, and to take her home and make sure she ate something.

"So what's the problem then?" he pressed. "I can tell you are worrying about something."

"Emily rang. The clinic found out she has no problems. Funnily enough, the issue was with Sam. The really high metabolism of the wolves left him with a vitamin deficiency. She said he had low vitamin E, C and B12. She laughed that he never did eat enough leafy greens. That should get his little swimmers going. They think that's what stopped her getting pregnant. So they are trying again."

"So you helped and they can fix it," he stated.

"Yes, I suppose they can. I really hope that is the solution. I want her to have a child; it's all she ever wanted."

Alcide's hands moved over her skin, calming her. "They're imprinted aren't they?"

"Yes."

"I thought it was supposed to be for breeding better wolves?" he checked.

"Once Jake imprinted on a vampire hybrid that proved that theory was a crock of shit." She thought of something. "You're not worried about me imprinting are you?" She tried to twist back to look at his face.

"Nope. You're mine," he growled at her.

"Tearing apart my imprint might make me sad," she pointed out to him.

"How did you guess my cunning plan?" he laughed.

"I know you," she stated.

"That you do, chere," he agreed. "And you said 'might'." He kissed her shoulder.

She laughed.

They were silent for a minute or so.

Until she asked, "How come the nearest wolf pack didn't know about us?"

"They did."

"Huh?"

"You guys are freakishly huge. They stayed away. They didn't know you were shifters and no one was game to find out. At least that is what I heard. I did check and asked around after I met you that first weekend."

"So where are they?"

"Montana. But I don't want you guys associating with them now. Now we have an agreement between our packs. Don't want them muscling in, now."

"True. I'm not sure we ever made it that far east… we nearly chased that freaky red headed vamp to Canada one night, round east of Seattle and up that way. Through the forest. I don't remember seeing signs of other wolves. But then we might not have recognised them." She grinned mischievously. "Too small and weak… probably thought they were real wolves."

"Watch it," he warned her.

"Oh honey," she teased. "You're not small and weak…"

"Damn right I'm not."

FF_2154210_ - 7/09/2011 06:58:00 PM