SQUEEE!!! THE WEDDING!!!

Kay, I'm done... Read on!

P.S. This chapter is dedicated to Northwoman, who always asked about Eric's books. Girl, you're finally getting your answer ;)


Chapter 29

A week later things had changed, a lot. Eric and I had our marriage license, and I found the perfect dress. My parents were home for the wedding, and Amelia and Jason were arriving the next day. Eric asked to invite his friend Clancy, and told me that he was the one that told him about the house. He said they mostly communicated through e-mail a lot and that Clancy was the closest he had to a best friend. I was completely okay with it, and Clancy and his wife Felicia were also arriving the next day.

Niall and Emma had returned from the hospital, and Emma in particular was feeling much better already. Fighting seemed to agree with her. Niall was feeling better too, and let's just say that after over twenty years of celibacy the two of them were getting very reacquainted, and Eric and I were both looking forward to them moving out.

Since Emma wanted to remain close to her children, Niall was looking at houses in town to rent until she was well enough to travel with him. They were more than welcome to stay with us until then, but had both expressed an interest in being on their own.

Pam had more or less moved in with Sam. I had lunch with them the day Pam and I found my wedding dress, and while she was in the bathroom he told me he was going to marry her. I've never seen him so serious. He was deeply in love, and I couldn't have been happier for him.

Eric was making strides with his next book, and said he was nearing the end. He still refused to tell me anything about the plot, but I could guess now that I had read his first three.

The day after his mother came home from the hospital, I asked him for copies of his books. He didn't say anything. He simply grinned widely and handed me three books from one of his shelves. I started in right away, and practically devoured them. The way he wrote just sucked me in. There was something special about knowing that this was Eric's heart and soul I was reading, and I refused to be bothered for two days until I completed them.

His books were a series about a man named Sven and the hardships he had in his family life, despite being a part of high-society. Woven into the story was a clever mystery with Sven ultimately solving it. The character of Sven felt familiar right away, and I quickly realized that he was Eric. The character went through many of the things that Eric had. I cried through the worst parts his life, knowing that Eric had endured those hardships, especially when Sven cut himself off from his family. As soon as I read that part, I went to Eric and hugged him until I wasn't sad anymore. He seemed to understand, and simply whispered to me over and over again that he was okay now. I had no idea how depressed he had actually been, and it scared the hell out of me. He had been very close to contemplating suicide, and the thought of him ever wanting to end it all… It was something I didn't want to think about ever again.

At the end of the third book, Sven was living in the country with his dog, and frequenting bars still. While it hurt to read about his sexual experiences with random women, I do believe it was good for me to see. I had promised him that his past wasn't an issue for me, and it really wasn't, but reading what it was actually like helped me accept that it was simply the past. His experiences with those women were completely unfeeling, and obviously an extremely temporary fix. He wanted to feel close to someone, to feel needed, but as soon as it was over, he couldn't bear to be around them. The intimacy was too fake.

Obviously, I was dying to read the next book. I wanted to know if Sven moved to another state, had dreams about a girl, and met her. I wanted to know if he was finally, truly happy.

I knew Eric was happy. I knew he was okay now, but reading it in book form was reassuring. It was almost like reading a diary, but way better because I got his impressions of other people as well. I was almost nervous for his impression of me. There was no point in dwelling on it though. The book wouldn't be out for another four months.

The day after I finished the books, Pam dragged me out of the house to find my wedding dress. Well, I shouldn't say dragged. I did go quite willingly. Finding your wedding dress is an exciting thing. We went to five different boutiques before I found it. I think I gasped when I saw it, because I could immediately see myself in it. The ivory dress was long and flowing with a plunging neckline, and an empire waist. There was just enough detail to make it elegant, but it was simple enough for the type of wedding we were having.

The best part was that it fit me perfectly. I wouldn't have to get it altered at all. Pam took one look at me in it and couldn't stop grinning.

"I'm so happy he found you," was all she said.

I bought the dress right away, and as soon as we got home with it Eric tried peeking. I gave him that whole speech about not seeing the dress before the wedding, and he rolled his eyes, but left it alone.

We managed to get our license without any issues, and the day that happened I sat Eric down to have a serious talk with him about the children issue.

"Hypothetically, if it is easy for me to get pregnant… how soon would you want to try having children?" I asked.

"I always thought I'd want to wait a few years before having any, but now I want them as soon as possible. I feel like I've wasted so much time. What are you suggesting?" he asked with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"I feel the same way, and if we both agree, I'd like to stop taking my birth control pills," I said, and he smiled broadly. I took his hand, and continued, "You have to understand that it will probably take a while for it to happen, if it even does, but I have to try to have my own. Our own. I've talked to my doctor at length about this before, and if I manage to become pregnant, there's only a high risk of miscarriage or premature birth. She said there's not a lot of risk to me if either should happen, but it's definitely something they would monitor."

"Are you sure you want to go through that?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I have to try. I'll never forgive myself if I don't. I just have to know that you won't come to hate me if it doesn't work."

"I could never hate you, and especially not for that. Like I've said before; Family is what you make it, and as much as I'd like a child of our flesh and blood, if we can't make one then it's not meant to happen."

I silently led him to the bathroom, and we ceremoniously flushed my pills. It was a little silly, but I think we both needed to see it happen. As soon as they were gone, Eric kissed me and thanked me for giving it a chance, and when we made love that night, it was obvious what was on his mind. It was on mine as well.

Niall was going to take pictures for us at the wedding, as he was the only photographer that we knew that could do it on such short notice. I felt a bit bad about him basically working during his son's wedding, but he was the one to suggest it, and honestly, having Niall Brigant take our wedding photos… well, that was something many, many people would be envious of.

Eric and I also sat down with Niall and Emma to discuss his last name. While Eric didn't want any connections to Marcus, he felt that the Northman name was a part of him, as though it helped make him who he is today. He felt like he could take the name and make it stand for something greater. Niall understood, as did Emma, and I was thankful for that, because Eric was more than his name.

After Eric and I returned from our honeymoon, we were all going to look into getting his mother divorced from Marcus. Niall wanted to marry her, and while they both said they would be happy simply being together, we could all tell that they wanted to be husband and wife. It had been a long time coming for them, and I truly hoped it would all work out.

It was two days before the wedding and I was not, surprisingly, very nervous. It felt right. I was going to make Eric my husband, and I would be his wife.

Eric and I were on our way to pick up Amelia and Jason when he asked me if I wanted a bachelorette party.

"Hell no," I said with a laugh. "I don't see the point. And I'd also like to forego the tradition of sleeping apart the night before. We're not exactly the most traditional couple."

He smiled. "I'm glad you said that, because I don't want to sleep alone the night before marrying you. I sleep better with you in my bed as a general rule, and if you're not there then I'll have a shitty night of sleep, which will make me grumpy and irritable, both things I do not want to be on my wedding day."

I laughed hard at that. "You really thought that out, didn't you?"

"I had to have an argument ready if you decided you wanted to be alone tonight," he reasoned.

"They are very excellent points, but you don't have to worry about it. I already told Amelia that there wouldn't be anything like that, so we don't have to worry about being separated by force either."

At my words, he squeezed my hand.

"I'll have to hurt anyone that tries to separate us, even your maid of honor," he said.

I flashed him a smile and squeezed his hand back. I finally understood the depth of my importance to him after reading his books. I was his light, just as he was mine, only he had been in a darker place than me. He'd die before anything or anyone separated us. As would I. Though, either of us dying would separate us, but that's not the point.

Jason and Amelia met us in the front of the airport, and we quickly loaded them into the car. Jason called shotgun and bugged Eric the whole way back about the car. He had always wanted an old muscle car. I didn't mind though. I sat in the back with Amelia, filling her in on what was going to happen the next couple of days.

The wedding was the next day, and so far everyone was staying with us except for Pam. Amelia was going to take her room, and Jason would sleep on the couch. He refused to stay with our parents. After the ceremony we were all going to have a meal together, and then Eric and I were going to fly off to Hawaii. It was a bit cliché, but it was the only thing we could really do on such short notice. He promised me that we'd take a real honeymoon when things had calmed down a bit. He wanted to take me to Sweden the following summer for our anniversary. Hawaii was simply going to be a nice hotel room with a beautiful view. We both knew we wouldn't get a whole lot of sightseeing done while we were there.

When we got back to the house, I showed Amelia to her room, and then showed her my dress. She squealed and ooh'd over it appropriately, and then I took her and Jason out to introduce them to Emma, Niall, and Pam. We all had a late lunch that Niall had made, and then Eric and I left again to pick up Clancy and Felicia.

Clancy was a really nice guy, and his wife Felicia was gorgeous, but a bitch. She seemed stuck up, like she was bothered to have to come to our wedding on such short notice. When I told her the ceremony was taking place in the field, she turned her nose up in disgust. She would ask me questions about the wedding, and then after every answer she'd bring it back to her wedding, and go on and on about the lavish ceremony, the five hundred-plus guests, the expensive food… On and on… The more she talked about herself and her wedding, the happier I was that Eric and I had chosen to have a low-key, intimate ceremony. I mean, really? Would ninety-five percent of those five hundred-plus guests be there for them when they needed it? Were they on her Christmas card list? Did she talk to them on the phone often? What was the point?

Clancy and Felicia were staying at the nicest motel in town, which was where we dropped them off. Jason was going to pick them up in the morning. After we unloaded their stuff and got back into the car, Eric pulled me to him for a huge hug. I smiled against his chest, and hugged him back.

"Thank you for not being like her," he said with a smile.

"He must love her," I said, "because I don't know how else he could put up with someone like that."

"He does love her. Clancy's a good guy, and I'm sure he spoils the heck out of her, but I don't think he'd hesitate in putting his foot down if she got too out of hand."

"Would you ever put your foot down with me?" I asked innocently.

He laughed, "No, because I'd never need to. You're not that self-important and spoiled, and it's part of why I love you."

I gave him a kiss for that one, and then we headed home. By the time we got back, it was getting late, so we fixed a little supper and then headed for bed. I told Eric that we weren't going to have sex the night before the wedding, and he knew I was serious, so he didn't try anything. It was a little silly, but I actually wanted to keep him frisky the day of the wedding. Eric is a lot of fun when he's feeling frisky, and that was sure to keep the whole day interesting.

We lay in our bed talking for probably an hour or more before we finally fell asleep. We talked about a lot of things, but kids mostly. Eric was excited; I could see it in his eyes, and I had to warn him to calm down. I was truly afraid that things wouldn't work out and he'd end up resenting me for not being able to give him children. When we finally got off that subject, Eric pulled me tightly to him and rubbed my back soothingly.

"This time tomorrow you'll be Mrs. Northman," he whispered.

"And you'll be a husband," I whispered back. "Are you ready?"

He pulled me a little tighter against him. "More than you know."

EPOV

I woke up the morning of my wedding with a hard-on. It was pressed against my wife-to-be's ass, who I was spooning. She stirred, and when she moved against me I groaned.

"Mmm, haven't woken up to that in a while," she said and then giggled.

"Maybe that's because we haven't gone a night without sex in a while. The poor guy's not used to it. He's hurting. Doesn't that make you feel bad?"

She turned around in my arms, kissed my neck, and ran her hand down my chest.

"Yes, I do feel a bit bad. I wanted you to wait until tonight, but I feel responsible for your condition," she said as her hand trailed even lower. My breathing sped up as her hand slipped into the waistband of my flannel pajama pants. She brushed her fingers lightly against the base of my erection, and I pulled her closer to me. Just as she tightly gripped me in her hand, there was a loud knock at the door, quickly followed by it being thrown open.

"Fuck," I yelled, and while Sookie did look a bit annoyed, she removed her hand with a laugh.

"Rise and shine, and separate you two," Amelia demanded.

"Good morning, Amelia," I grumbled.

"Oh hush, you'll see her soon," she said as she pulled Sookie out of the bed and dragged her out of the room. "Into the shower with you, we need to get your hair done ASAP."

Sookie pulled away from her quickly, and ran back to the bed. She wrapped her arms around me, and gave me a deep kiss before pulling away and saying, "Good morning. I'll see you later… you know, when we get married."

I grinned, "I'll be there."

She smiled back and then followed Amelia out of the room. When I heard the shower turn on I tried not to think of her in there. It wasn't helping my situation. Instead, I got up, willed my erection away, and went to the basement for a workout. I was supposed to stay in the basement until it was time to go outside.

I had just gotten on the treadmill when Dad came down the stairs. He was in workout clothes, and asked if he could join me.

"Yeah. Of course you can," I said, and he did.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Good. A little nervous, but I'll be fine."

"I should be able to tell you what your wedding day is like," he said.

"That's not your fault," I told him.

"I know, but it doesn't make it okay."

"Yes it does. I know that if you could go back, you'd do it differently. All that matters is that we're all together now. You got Mom to fight her cancer. You have no idea how hard it was to watch her give up. You're my hero."

I know it was cheesy as fuck, but he needed to hear it. He smiled and nodded, and then we finished working out together. I took a hot shower after that, and pulled on some pajama bottoms and an old shirt. I still had to eat, and Sookie would kill me if I got something on my suit.

Dad went upstairs to get me something to eat while I got on my laptop to check my e-mail. My editor had sent me a few things about the new book, and a message congratulating me on my marriage. I checked over his notes and was satisfied with what I read. I was feeling really great about the next book, and was really looking forward to Sookie getting to read it. It made me so happy when she read the first three, but also really nervous. I knew she would catch on to the fact that I was Sven, and I hoped she wouldn't judge me too harshly. She didn't. Sookie truly was amazing. She read about my depression, my selfishness, my man-whore days, and she took it all in and didn't judge me for it.

I checked out a few more things on the computer, and then Dad came back in with plate full of breakfast food. It was waffles with whipped cream and strawberries, scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Mom cooked my favorite breakfast. I devoured it quickly, and then began to get dressed.

I wore my Gucci suit, which was tailored to fit me, and the nicest thing I owned. Sookie said it was okay that I didn't wear a tie, so I left the top two buttons undone. I pulled my hair back, put on my shoes, and took one long look at myself in the mirror and knew this was the best thing I would ever do. I was marrying the girl of my dreams, literally, and I was ready.

A half an hour later of pacing later, Mom came down to tell me it was time to go outside. Her eyes watered when she saw me all dressed up, and she gave me a long hug.

"I never thought I'd see you marry the perfect woman," she said. "I'm so happy you found her."

"Me too," I said.

Dad and I met Clancy, Felicia, Sam, and Jason outside and we walked out to the spot in front of the pond where the ceremony would be. The man officiating was a friend of Sam's who was certified. While we waited for it to be time we all talked a bit. Felicia wanted to know why there weren't chairs because she was wearing heels. I wanted to roll my eyes, but restrained myself for Clancy's sake. She knew it was going to be in a field, she shouldn't have worn heels.

Luckily, Sookie's mother and Pam came down to us and told us to take our positions. Suddenly, my stomach filled with butterflies. This was it. I was getting married.

Everyone got into their positions, and then Amelia appeared at the top of the little hill that led to the pond. She slowly walked down the little makeshift path between the two groups of people, and gave me a wink when she got to the front. I took a deep breath, and then looked at the top of the hill once more.

My breathing hitched, and a huge grin slowly spread across my face. Sookie and her father were standing where Amelia had been, but I could only see Sookie. She looked like an angel. Her dress moved with the slight breeze and as it did I could make out her glorious curves. Her hair fell in soft curls over her shoulders, and the way the sun shone down on her made her seem to glow. I felt myself fall in love all over again. She held a bouquet of lilies in her hand, and had a grin matching mine on her face.

The whole world slowed down as she came closer, and when she finally reached me I breathed a sigh of relief. Her father gave her away, and she handed her flowers to Amelia before taking my hands. She squeezed them and smiled brightly at me.

The ceremony was pretty short and to the point, but we did want to say our own vows, and when it was time to do that I wasn't nervous anymore. I saw everything clearly.

"Sookie, when you came into my life I was a mess. I was lost in the dark, and you were the bright light that guided me out of it. Your warmth and your strength saved me, and I am honored that you chose me to be your husband. You've shown me what true, unconditional love is, and I promise you that I will always love you, honor you, and even worship you for the rest of our lives."

She teared up, and held my hands a little tighter before giving her vows.

"Eric, when you came into my life I thought I was doing great, but I knew something was missing. You showed me that I needed to let go and trust someone. You showed me what true love really is, and now that I've found it I don't ever want to lose it. I promise to love you, honor you, and worship you for the rest of our lives."

I smiled brightly as we put our wedding rings on each other's hands, and then after a few more words I was told I could kiss the bride. I pulled her tightly to my body and bent her backwards before kissing her deeply. Everyone erupted in cheers as we kissed, and when I finally released her lips we were announced man and wife.

For the first time in my entire life, I felt complete.


All together now! "Aaaawwwww!"

Feel Better? I do!

So... *ahem* Not many chapters left now *sniff*

I'm thinking about 4 or 5 maybe. That's totally subject to change though. I know what's left that needs to happen, but I don't have it outlined or anything. The next chapter is done and with my beta-love(r) FDM *giggles*

Links to Sookie's dress and Eric's suit are on my profile.

What did you think of the wedding? Is there anything you are looking forward to still happening?