Eric

Chapter XXIX

Mrs. Northman

I woke up on March 12th with a slight hangover. I felt like shit and didn't dare move for several minutes. It has been so long. Last night hadn't gone at all like I had thought it would. Pam had been screaming bachelor party the second I put a ring of Sookie's finger. It was why I had passed her up as my best man. I knew my sister. Her idea of a stag party was something I was sure I wanted no parts of. Strippers would have been the least of my worries if I let her take the reins. That little shit was persistent and conniving.

Refusing Pam was easy enough to do because Godric had offered an alternative as the best man it was his call. He had said we would do dinner and a movie. We could even go out to a bar. It sounded like a good enough compromise to me. Little did I know Pam had enlisted him in her efforts to see me totally wasted the night before I got married.

I kissed Sookie and Lilly goodnight as Pam came for Godric and I yesterday. My fiancé's last maiden night would be spent with all her cousin's. She too had no idea what was in store for her. I was certain I would fare better. And in the beginning of the night I did. Dinner was great. I thought it was all well and good because Pam had done an excellent job of acting put out over the lack of 'naked chicks'.

It should have made me suspicious that the movie I wanted to see was sold out for the rest of the night. In fact the entire theater was sold out leaving me with no alternatives. The bar was our next destination but it had been closed for a private function. It was how I found myself at Hooligans. It was a strip club in Monroe owned by the Crane triplet themselves. Upon entry there was a table reserved for my party.

Clearly I was set up. I looked at Godric with equal parts amusement and irritation. I just couldn't see him being in on anything that was so…lascivious in nature. Then again he rarely told Al no. Add Pam to it and I knew he would go along with their ploy and be happy to do it. While I was bemused to see my uncle looking so out of place in a strip club I was ready to sit and sulk. This scene no longer held appeal for me. I found myself wondering what Sookie was doing and if Lilly was asleep or of she was trying to out crawl Jenna Lynn again.

"We can leave if you want" Al said hitting me with the mother of sad faces. It looked a lot like Lilly's. It was the face she made right before she burst into tears. I knew Al wouldn't cry but the face was so effective Godric shot me a pleading look. They had obviously gone through a lot of trouble. I was already here. There was no sense ruining their fun even if I wasn't having any. Defeated, I loosened up. Godric congratulated me one more time and then went back home to Lilly. My uncle was still playing body guard plus she had him wrapped around her pinky.

I agreed to one drink of my little brother's choosing in my attempts of being a good sport. Al chose a 'Jäger bomb' it was served in the biggest fucking glass the club owned. I scowled and cursed my ownstupidity. After that I agreed to take three shots of tequila. Al said he would take that in place of Pam buying him the estate he wanted in Nogaro. I had been sorely tempted to leave my sister to buy him the ridiculous estate but she had done it for me. No matter what else I felt about her intervention I was happy to be marrying Sookie.

I took the shots back to back with salt and a bite of lime to chase. It burned and brought up memories. When we were in College in London Pam and I drank like this on a regular basis. Back then I could drink a fifth of vodka and walk tall. Excessive alcohol made me flagrantly arrogant and much too honest. It made Pam the polar opposite of her usual self. She was genial if one could ever picture such a thing. I have never gotten drunk with Al before but I found that he was somewhere in the middle. College was a while ago though. It had been a very long time since I downed this much alcohol. In no time at all I was drunk as a skunk and running off at the mouth.

"Eww…No thanks" I slurred scooting my knees further under the table. I was shaking my head emphatically and waving away a red headed stripper. Pam was laughing her ass off at my so called 'prudish behavior'. I had simply given her the finger. Other women really held no sort of appeal for me. I barely saw their faces anymore.

"We'll get a blonde" My sister said and she was waving a fist full of hundreds at the blondes on stage. There were quite a few. I groaned as a harem of them came to our booth.

"No, no and definitely not" I said pointing at the women to make my refusal more personal "Insulting" I said pointing to the last of the women. "C'mon Ravena" I slurred looking at Pam. "My wife is waaay hotter"I drunk dialed Sookie to tell her so. It seemed like a great idea at the time.

She picked up and I could hear she was in a place that had less deafening music and the definitive noise of bowling balls crashing into pins. I envied her that and I told her so. She laughed.

"I'm at a strip club" I remembered grumbling to her. I must have sounded as disgruntled as I felt because she laughed at me again.

"You poor baby" She said dryly.

"I want you" I told her whining but not caring. "I'll sneak off and meet you somewhere"

She chuckled. "Nope" She popped the 'P' on the word and I loved how she did that. I smiled and I told her how much I loved her and how I couldn't wait to marry her. Pam took my phone when I began gushing about how I couldn't make her a mom five times over. I didn't even know I wanted that many kids.

By the end of the night I had insulted all the strippers. I shooed them all away impatiently. It They had been paid but it left my siblings with nothing to do. That was when Al got on stage. I laughed uncontrollably. He didn't strip but my brother sang. Al actually had a nice voice but as he belted out a drunken "Rihanna" ballad no one could tell. The three of us stumbled out the club and into the limo with our arms each other singing an old Swedish sailor's song. It was totally random but I was with some of my favorite people in the world, so there was nothing better.

I saw why my brother and sister had insisted on this kind of outing. It had always been just us. Through the critical points of all the events that shaped who we were. It had been just the three Northman kids. We were gaining some one new. This wasn't an end to our tales but the excerpts that were written with just us three were over now. It was different than my having Lilly. Sookie was becoming a Northman by marriage. I chose her. I trusted her with all I held dare in this world. She was mine and that was worthy of a killer celebration.


The only people home with me this morning were Godric, Pam and Al and Lilly. Sookie was held overnight with her bridesmaids. The next time I saw she would be walking down the aisle. I was smiling at myself as I rolled out of bed. I was getting married in a few hours. The circumstances with the Green's were the reason for the hurried date. It didn't matter. I was looking at myself in a tux thinking I should be nervous, this should feel surreal but it didn't. It felt right.

"I'm so pissed at you" Al said barging into my room and my thoughts. I turned and found him fixing his lavender tie with a disgruntled look on his face. "I called this like what? six months ago. Give me some notice is all I ask but nooooo" He abandoned his struggles with the tie to throw his hands in the air. "'Don't go proposing to my woman for me' he says. Bah!" he let out a huge gust of air that sent his extra-long bangs up in a puff of ash blonde hair. "Dad" He called turning his head towards the still open door. "Honestly, this tie is turning into a fucking noose" He continued planting his hands on his hips.

I chuckled and went over to my brother before actually strangled himself. "Hold still" I said.

He complied but spared me dirty look. I rolled my eyes. He knew why the Sookie and I couldn't do a long engagement. That wasn't the reason for his fit. I had the ring for months and he knew it. He was the only other person that did. His argument lay in the fact that I should have long ago asked her to marry me, perfect timing be damned. That way he would be in custom made suit. Instead he was draped in an Armani three piece number. Heaven forbid it was not custom cut to suit his huge ego and inflated head. He and Pam were two birds of a feather where their style was concerned.

"You look good" I told Al stepping away from him. Al like Godric couldn't really harbor any ire. It was easy come easy go with that kid. At my compliment he smiled.

"Well no duh" He said. "But in this rack castoff it isn't easy" He was running his hands through his hair and fixing his bangs. It was sad that I placed him in the same class as Lilly. But every time I tried to see a grown man I couldn't stop seeing him as a blatantly honest little boy.

Once Al and I got downstairs I found Lilly was dressed and the limo was waiting.

"It's not too late" My sister said as we rode towards the church. Al and I shot her a hostile glance. Godric looked at her reproach. I was sure Lilly would have given her an unfriendly look but she was asleep "I'm just saying" Pam continued with a dismissive shrug. "Okay maybe you're screwed on the 'I do's' but not for a prenup" It was another thing that Pam had been going on about.

My sister felt a prenuptial agreement was the most practical thing to do. Despite the fact that I told her I wanted to marry Sookie regardless of the circumstances she didn't relent. It was just an eventuality she had said. I ignored her then and I did so now. Pam was one of those people that rarely ever made important decisions with their heart. It didn't mean she didn't have one. It just meant it was not used a lot. When she got on a crusade like this I typically just changed the station. I wasn't the only one to tune her out. My uncle and brother did as well. The idea hadn't crossed my mind and Pam speaking on the issue had not even made me want to consider it. If there was one thing I knew, it was that Sookie didn't care about my money. It was something that I had to practically force on her and even then she fought me. I trusted wholly with something as precious and irreplaceable as our daughter. Trusting her with worldly possessions was nothing compared to that.

The limo pulled in front of the church and my nerves descended with sudden force. I knew they were just butterflies but it didn't make them any less oppressing. I said nothing but my siblings and uncle all saw.

"Go" Al said gesturing towards the open door.

Godric gave me one more pensive stare and exited the cab with my sleeping daughter. Pam was right behind him. She looked apologetic as if her yammering was the cause. It wasn't. I just had the abrupt feeling that Sookie was doing something she would regret. Throughout our relationship I had always been careful to leave her in a position where she had control. I never wanted her to regret any parts of herself that she gave ne, especially if it was something she couldn't get back.

"I totally understand you not wanting to be seen in this suit but it's not so bad" Al said with a wry smile. I didn't respond. "What's up?" he asked more seriously.

"What if she doesn't want this?" I said to him. The words began spilling. I knew that wasn't the case but I couldn't force the words back. "What if it's just for Lilly" I went to run my hand through my hair but stopped. I didn't want to ruin my braid. I guess I still had hopes.

Before I finished my ranting Al was already shaking his head to disagree. "No. She loves you both. I see it every single second I'm around" He said scooting over to my side and taking my hand in his. "It's kind of disgusting for us single people to watch" He drew in a breath. "What you guys have is…once in a lifetime for those who are lucky" Again my kid brother was looking at with that abstract expression of an expert studying a rarity in his field. "No one else will ever be what you are to her and what she is to you"

I nodded letting his words affirm what my heart already knew. There was nothing and no one I wanted like Sookie. I would do my best to make her the happiest woman there was, every single day till the day I died. Al sat with me a few moments longer. When I gotten my act together and we left. The usual goofy smile I wore when I thought of Sookie was on my face as I walked down the aisle to await my wife.

The church was small and it suited our numbers. The wedding exclusively included family, close friends and some colleagues. I didn't really see any of them. My eyes were on Lilly as she curled sleeping in Adele's arms. We had a few minutes to get this over with otherwise she would be right up here with us. I was thinking about that when silence fell over the room and wedding party began to make their way to the altar. Al moved with all the confidence of a super model with Claudette on his arm. Godric was paired with Claudine. Pam walked with Hadley.

The Wagner March cued and I had a case of sudden tunnel vision. My eyes were glued to the doors. When they opened my breath caught and I forgot how to breathe. I have seen this woman many times but to see her in that dress was breathtaking -literally. The front half of her hair was swept from her face in an elegant knot with the back half spilling in curls down her back. Sitting comfortably in the hollow of her her throat was my wedding present. It was white gold necklace with a single princess cut diamond. She adorned the matching earrings. The dress like her was subtle in its sexiness. It was made just for her glosrious form. It drew me into her and captivated me. It was like seeing through clear eyes for the first time.

"Breathe" Godric said bumping me slightly to break the trance I was in. I drew in a shaky breath but my gaze didn't waver. I couldn't blink even if I wanted to. Sookie was beautiful, so beautiful. As I stared at her in awe I could see her looking back at me through the thin veil. She smiled at me and I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. She couldn't get up here fast enough. With every step that brought her closer to me I felt my heart leapt. It was beating in time with her strides. I was so ready to marry the hell out of her.

It felt like eternity before Jason was removing Sookie's veil. He kissed her head and hugged her before placing her hand in my eagerly waiting one. Jason gave me a one handed hug and returned to his seat.

"I missed you" I told Sookie as we turned to face the minister.

"Me too" She said squeezing my hand.

I was staring into Sookie's eyes the entire time. There was no other way to put it. I was in awe. She was mine. This loving, sexy, smart, fascinating creature was mine to keep. It felt I had gotten her through some mismanagement of fate or blind luck but it didn't matter how she came into my life. I had gotten her I would never let her go.

Like a reverent vow I repeated the lines read to me by the minister. I meant single word I said. I saw Sookie smile as tears ran down her face. I kissed her hand after I placed the ring on her finger. The need to pull her into my arms was killing me. Finally I was told I could kiss the bride and I did-I kissed my wife for all I was worth.

The reception was in full swing. I had had my first dance with Sookie as Mrs. Northman. It was not something I thought I would ever forget. Lilly was in my arms as her mom and I greeted our guests. When she saw Godric she ditched us. Sookie and I laughed as they danced. Lilly only had one dance move. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. She would clap her hands and stomp and jump around in a circle until she fell. When she got bored with that she played peek-a-boo with Pam from under her long gown.

I took my turn on the dance floor with Adele and the female portion of the Crane triplet. It wasn't that Claude didn't ask me. Sookie threatened to kill him if he didn't keep his hands off her husband. I watched Sookie and she looked completely blissed out. As she twirled on the dance floor with her brother her eyes followed as mine followed hers.

"Thanks a lot for marrying my brother"my baby brother said when he got up to make his toast. "We never thought we would see the day, really" ha ha I thought dryly but I was smiling right along with him. His eyes were full of his usual mirth as he continued "God bless you for taking such a hopeless case" I was rolling my eyes but I couldn't help but laugh. "He's your problem now!" Al declared raising his glass in the air. Sookie and I raised our glasses. I would drink to that.

Unfortunately Sookie and I were unsuccessful in keeping Jason from the microphone. "Sook, I remember the day you were born and I remember wanting you gone but you grew on me" Sookie was smiling at her brother "I love you Sook. You'll always be my baby sister. I would do anything for you from helping you reach the top shelves to hiding a body" We raised our glass to that. Some more reluctantly than others.

The wedding progressed with the usual ceremonies of the bride tossing her bouquet of flowers. With an impish smile at me Sookie tossed the bouquet directly into Pam's lap where she was seated. Al, Godric and I almost died from laughing at her horror filled expression. You would have thought Sookie threw a rattle snake at her.

We cut the cake and I fed Sookie a bite. I wasn't messy but I obscured my aim perfectly. I got just enough icing on the corners of her lips so I could lick it off. We both knew how talented my tongue really was. It made her the literal definition of a blushing bride. The celebrations continued well into the evening. It was a great big party. I was easily the happiest man alive today. Sookie and I danced. We had a danced that included Lilly. When guests managed to steal us away from one another we smiled and blew each other kisses from across the room.

I was a bit confused when I heard the opening lyrics of "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger. We went over the songs with the band and this was not one of them.

"Oh Lord" Sookie said shaking her head and leaning into me. "I sincerely apologize for what you are about to see" She looked somber but sounded amused. I was going to ask what was up when I saw Claudette slide from one the left side of the dance floor to the center. The movement was coordinated with Hadley who was entering in the same fashion of the right. As pregnant as she Claudine was right up there with them moving gracefully. The ladies were joined by Claude and Jason. This was going to be good.

I knew they didn't practice this for the wedding. The movements seemed to be ingrained in them. Claude hop, skipped and danced his way over to Sookie and me. He put his hand out to Sookie. She shook her head but she was laughing uncontrollably. I took Lilly from her and urged her up. She didn't need a lot of prodding. She gave me quick kiss and followed Claude. She found her way over to her female cousins and fell right in step with their movements. She kept her eyes on me and laughed easily as she moved. Their complete with Jason sliding across the dance floor on his knees while paying an invisible guitar as the song came to an end. The room erupted in applause.

"I'm dying to know the story behind that" I told Sookie when she returned to me.

She laughed and kissed me. "I'll do my best to make you forget"

The day began to wind down and I found myself just wanting to be with Sookie. Godric offered to take Lilly and crash at Pam's to give me and Sookie time alone. My daughter was happy to go so I let her. Today had been perfect and definitely one of the happiest of my life but I was exhausted. I knew Sookie was just as beat. On any other day the lack of the baby in the house would have meant marathon sex. When Sookie and I got home I shed all my clothes and helped her out of her dress. Once we were in bed I wrapped my arms around her ready to sleep.

"Good night, wife of mine" I murmured kissing her head.

"Good night hubby" She replied before a yawn over took her. She sighed and relaxed further into my embrace.


(dress URL) . http : / / www. dimitradesigns. com/justin- alexander-bridal- wedding- dress-8461. html (You have to remove the spaces!)

I have written another wedding scene for our favorite couple but I had someone ask for a link and I felt it wasn't a bad idea so here you are.