Chapter 35- White Weddings, Colliding and Blood
All too soon, the gang was flying back to Chicago, for Cara and Patrick's wedding. Leila wished she could have stayed longer, but with Cara calling every hour, asking if they had left yet, she decided it was best for her health not to piss Cara off under this much stress. So with a heavy heart, Leila gathered all her new gifts and said good bye to her family. She and Pete drove to pick up Casie and Andrew. They had to wait a while there, making sure they had gotten everything. Casie's mother kept coming up with reasons to put off the drive for another five minutes. Casie finally told her mother she had to go, and they trekked to the air port. After a long wait, they boarded the plain. Leila was getting better at this. She just held Pete's hand, while he rubbed circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. Leila could hear Casie and Andrew exchanging soft whispers behind them.
They finally touched down, and Leila called Cara, and they decided to head straight over to her townhouse. In the cab, Casie was telling Leila about the laptop Andrew had bought for her, and Leila showed Casie her locket Pete had given her. The boys just smiled and took the gratitude that they didn't think they deserved. At the townhouse, Joe, Danielle, Andy and Heather were already there. Casie noticed a sparkling ring on a certain finger of Heather.
"Um, Heather, do you have something to tell us?" Casie asked, eyeing the ring.
Heather blushed and Andy took her hand, "We're getting married!"
The group screamed and exchanged hugs. Heather explained that Andy had proposed on Christmas Eve. The girls "oo'd" and "ahh'd" at the right places. The boys clapped Andy on the back, congratulating them.
"We were going to wait to tell you," Heather said, throwing a playful glare in Casie's direction. "Till after the wedding, but I guess the cat's out of the bag."
"Oh no! I'm glad you told us!" Cara exclaimed.
Soon after, Leila and Pete had to excuse themselves to go to the doctor's office to get the cast and brace off Leila's arm and Pete's leg.
"So, Dani, do you know what you're having?" Casie asked, sitting down in the remaining chair left in the living room.
"A baby," she said with a laugh.
"Ha ha," Casie said.
"No, I'm having a girl," she beamed, squeezing Joe's hand.
Cara cooed. "Aw, that's so cute! But isn't that a little early to know? Aren't you only three months along?"
"Well, that's what the doctor thought, but when I went back for my second visit, he told me he was mistaken and I'm now closer to five months," Danielle explained. Then she laughed and gestured toward her ballooning stomach. "As you can tell."
"Have you thought of any names yet?" Patrick asked.
Danielle and Joe looked at each other. "Esme Marie Trohman," Joe said, smiling.
Everyone then began talking about other things, and Cara kept throwing furtive glances at the clock.
"Where are they? They should be back by now!"
"Calm down, it takes the doctor a while…" Patrick said, soothing her.
Just then, Pete and Leila opened the door. Pete ran in the room at full speed, showing that he no longer had his leg brace, and Leila was twisting her wrist in awaited freedom.
"Finally!" Leila exclaimed, "I thought it was never coming off!"
"Just in time for the wedding!" Pete added.
"Speaking of that," Cara began, "let's get this finished, okay?"
No one objected and got to hard work on the last touches of the wedding in three days. After three hours of planning who walks with who, and who eats what when, and where to stand and settled everything for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night, everyone left the bride and groom to be by their selves, to plan the pre-wedding parties. Cara looked to Patrick as the group left the house.
"Should we be afraid?" she asked, a small smile playing at her lips.
"Most definitely."
oo
"Leila, will you put that book down?" Pete fumed.
When the group left Patrick's place, they all went to a coffee shop and discussed the parties. After laughing and drinking several cups of coffee, they had everything planned. Then the couples went their own ways. Casie, Andrew, Pete and Leila all went back to the girls place. Casie and Andrew went straight to their rooms, and Leila went to living room to wait while Pete took a shower. While she was waiting, she ran across one of her favorite books. Twilight, best seller novel about vampires by Stephanie Meyer. Actually, it was both Leila and Casie that were in love with the series. Pete and Andrew and the rest got ear full over and over about the vampire clan, the Cullen's. Leila had read all the books, all four of them, but the first was still her favorite. Even though she could read it backwards by heart, she still chooses to read it often. The spine showed how much it was worn.
Leila was so engrossed by the fascinating vampires; she didn't even notice Pete's arrival. So she jumped when Pete called her name.
"Oh my gosh, Pete! You scared me!" she complained.
"Well, are you done reading that damn book? Because I'm tired."
Leila threw him a glare.
"Don't talk about Twilight that way! Twilight is like Harry Potter to me," Leila warned him. But she placed the book on the coffee table. She didn't bother to mark her place; she could find any place she wanted with ease.
"I don't see what's so great about that book anyways?" Pete murmured.
"You're just jealous of Edward Cullen," Leila retorted with a smirk.
"I am not! How can I be jealous of a fictional vampire?"
Leila raised one eyebrow. "Well, you are. Don't deny it. You hate that I love to read these books, because of Edward. Well, I guess all the Cullen boys," Leila smirked, "because Emmett Cullen is second runner up! But don't worry, just because Edward's a handsome, romantic, articulate, and a hot freakin' vampire and Emmett is… well, Emmett –another hot vampire, doesn't mean anything; I still love you."
"Well, I was once a vampire to, you know? I still even have the fangs," Pete remembered from one of Fall Out Boy's videos.
Leila stopped walking and looked to Pete. "You do?" When Pete just nodded, Leila said "Where are they?"
Pete turned to look at Leila with raised eyebrows. "You have got to be kidding me? Vampires are your… 'weakness'?"
Leila smiled impishly, a small blush creeping up her cheeks. Pete's jaw feel open a little, then chuckled.
"They're in a box at my moms. I'll get them tomorrow."
Leila's face fell ever so slightly, and Pete laughed harder at her.
oo
The days before the wedding flew by. Three days before the wedding was the rehearsal dinner, where all of Cara's family flew in and got settled for the big day. Cara drove around all day before the rehearsal dinner, greeting people, making sure they were settled and knew where everything was supposed to be, so they wouldn't get lost. Patrick was rushing around, making sure there was going to be enough food, and drinks. He had to order and extra two cases of Champaign just in case. There wasn't a huge fiasco, but the setting was all wrong and Cara nearly had an aneurism. It took hours to iron out the kinks, but with the help of the bride's maids, they got it all righted, calming Cara back down to a low stress level. The gift stack was piling up high, teetering dangerously. They didn't know it was going to hold up until the wedding night.
The day after that, the night before the wedding, were the parties. Pete and the boys took Patrick to a jazz lounge to start with. A few cocktails later, they migrated to a bar, where the real party was set up. Patrick blushed when his eyes found all the half naked girls that were stationed around the room, and then turned a glare to Pete. Pete just shrugged his shoulders, smiling. Patrick had a few gifts, but most were just bottles of liquor, and Pete had gotten him a brand new guitar. The high-light of the night was when Pete stripped down to a man-size thong and gave Patrick a lap dance. When Patrick thought he was safe, along came Joe, in a matching thong. Patrick was blood red and the bar was in tears before it was all over. When the guy's night was over, they called a cab, all too drunk to manage a car.
The girls started their evening with drinks at a club Leila and Casie had picked out. Shortly after arriving, a policeman came in asking for Cara. Cara had a bewildered expression when he went to handcuff her for indecent exposure, but then a pumping music started and police officer started to strip and dance in front of Cara. Cara was grasping her sides from her extreme laughter. Cara got a few lewd gifts from Casie and Leila, which they had bought at a local nightlife shop. After hours of drinking and dancing, they wandered around the well-lit street. It wasn't until Leila saw a tattoo parlor did the girls know what to do next. They ran in, promising to get a small one that won't be an eyesore for the wedding the next day. Casie got a small, dark blue Virgo sign on the inside of her right leg. Cara got a black Jesus fish on her ankle, thanking the Lord that she was wearing a floor-length dress. The only other one brave enough to get a tattoo was Leila. However, her being drunk, she forgot about her promise to Cara. On the top of her back, she got the letters "HP" in the Harry Potter font, with a flying snitch over the "P". It was 2" wide and 3" long, with shading. Cara had a shit fit, which wouldn't have been so bad if she wasn't drunk, and Leila flipped out and yelled back saying things along the lines of "It's my body, I'll do what I want". That was the end of the evening. Casie drug Leila home, and the others departed shortly after.
The next morning, it was New Year's Eve, and everyone had a hangover, accompanied with a massive headache. Three hours and multiple Tylenols later, they had all gathered at the church. Leila and Casie walked into their dressing room to see Cara, Tyler and Danielle flitting about the room, getting ready. Leila walked over to Cara.
"Cara, I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise. You know how I get when I'm drunk, and I'm sorry," Leila apologized, bowing her head.
Cara gazed at her with soft eyes. "It's okay. It is you're body and I really have no say about it. But I have to admit, it is a kick ass tattoo." She smiled.
Leila laughed. "Yeah, and at least my hair will be down today, so it won't be quite as visible."
Cara nodded and wrapped her arms around Leila. She winced as Cara grazed her tattoo.
"Sorry."
oo
The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. The church was decorated in all white flowers, with silver ribbons hanging from everything that stood still. A white carpet lead from the double doors to the alter. Patrick stood next to the preacher with Pete at his side, followed by Andy, Joe and his brother with a white flowered boutonnière. Across from preacher stood Tyler, Leila, Casie and Danielle; each holding a simple white flower. Patrick looked handsome in his Marc Jacobs ensemble. He had white paton shoes, white pants with white silk stripes running down the sides. His white jacket hung around his white shirt and white vest, with satin buttons. His white fedora sat crookedly on top of his head. Micah was dressed the same at the Groom's Men. He stood next to his father, giggling ever so often.
Everyone had stood up with the music began. Cara didn't walk down the aisle to the traditional music. The song was just an acoustic guitar playing a beautiful melody. Cara looked positively gorgeous walking down on her uncle's arm. Her dress was simple, but breathtaking. It was back-less, halter-topped, with pearls sewn in an elegant pattern. The bust was fitting to enhance her in beautiful ways, and the pearls continued down her bodice in a clustered pattern. At the waist, it fanned out in white silk, the pearls still flowing, but less and less clustered, till they ceased. Her hair was up in elaborate curls, with some hanging around her face, pearls stuck in scattered pattern in her dark brown hair. A rhinestone headpiece that attached the veil to her head.
They spoke vows they had written for each other. Patrick words touched Cara's heart. And Cara shocked Patrick by her elegant words. Cara felt a tear slip down her cheek. By the end of the ceremony, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Patrick kissed Cara tenderly, but Cara threw her arms around him, pulling him closer to her. To them, the kiss seemed to last forever. A moment in time that they wish they could have frozen. Patrick could feel the emotion building up in him. This woman was willing giving herself to me, forever and always. When they didn't break apart in the normal time, the crowd made noises of amusement and embarrassment. It wasn't until Pete cleared his throat did they pull apart. They joined hands and faced their families.
"I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Cara Stump," the preacher said in ringing tones. The crowd stood up and applauded. But Cara didn't move to walk with Patrick. She'd held back, handing her bouquet to Tyler and walking to her Aunt's seat. She rejoined Patrick with a set of papers and a pen. Using the podium to bear on, Cara signed the adoption papers, then she whispered something to the preacher and he smiled.
"And their son, Micah."
Cara walked to Micah, picking him up and grabbing Patrick's hand. Patrick had tears in his eyes, as they walked down the aisle as a family.
The reception went on for hours. It was well into the night when Cara and Patrick announced their departure. They all gathered around the exit, pelting confetti at them as they ran to the limo. The party dispersed after that, and everyone parted ways. Leila had her eyes on Casie and Andrew all evening, a knowing smile on her face. She grabbed Pete by the arm, whispering a giggled passage in his ear. Pete smirked and winked at Andrew, and he and Leila went home with his parent's. Casie blushed a deep crimson as Andrew led the way to the car.
oo
"Nannie… Where'd mommy and daddy go?" Micah asked, rolling over in his bed. Mrs. Stump had come in to check on him, not knowing he was awake.
"They went to Hawaii. To have some mommy and daddy time. They'll be back soon, sweetheart," Mrs. Stump whispered.
"But, why didn't I get to go?" Micah pouted. Mrs. Stump bit her lip.
"Well, baby, they just got married, and it's the rule for them to have two weeks without kids. Trust me, they really wanted you to be there."
Micah smiled and rolled back over and fell asleep. Mrs. Stump smiled at her grandson. She hated that she had missed so much of his childhood. He was like a little man to her. Missed his first step, first word, and first giggle. She sighed to herself, and left the room, taking one last glance at her world.
oo
Casie hurried to open the door, fumbling with her keys. It was hard to concentrate with Andrew's lips at her neck. Her skin felt like fire where Andrew's skin touched her. Finally she managed to get the door open, and Andrew had her in the house, her back pressed up against the closed door in an instant. Casie kicked off her shoes, and threw her purse across the room.
"Remind me to thank Leila when I see her," Andrew whispered huskily, also slipping out of his shoes.
Casie let out a breathless giggle, has Andrew's hands found the zipper of her dress. Before Andrew had time to slide the dress completely off, Casie stopped him.
"C'mon, let's get upstairs."
They chased each other up the stairs. Not bothering to close the bedroom door, Andrew slipped his hands over the hem of Casie's dress, slipping it all the off. Casie's hands raced down the buttons of Andrew's shirt, tossing it across the room. Andrew laid Casie down on the bed, hovering over her, layering her in kisses. Casie's hands found the buckle of his belt, a quickly unlooped it from his pants. Her fingers didn't hesitate to unfasten his pants, pulling the zipper down in the same second.
Casie couldn't believe that they had made it this far. She could still remember the first time she met him. She was drunk at Danielle's Bachlorette party. She was suffering from Parker, and Andrew flew into her life, picking her up. She didn't know what she had done to deserve him, but she wasn't going to argue. He was the best thing to ever happen to her, and she loved him. And he loved her back. That was the crazy thing to Casie. It still amazed her how much he loved her.
Andrew's hands roamed from her face to her neck, shoulders, collarbone and chest. Andrew let his hands follow the lines of the strapless bra, behind her back, and unhook the snaps. Casie took the liberty to throw it across the room, landing on a lampshade. Andrew's lips found Casie's chest and Casie let out a moan. Andrew's didn't slow until his fingers found the top of Casie's panties. He looked back up to meet Casie's eyes. Seeing the passion there so deep, he slipped them off.
That night, they became one. They fulfilled their love for one another. That night, they knew they were meant to be.
oo
Leila sat in the bathroom, door locked. It didn't feel like her heart had restarted. She was afraid of this for the past month. She shakily held her hand in front of her face. In her hand was her future. She could feel the tears sliding down her face. She couldn't even move, even though she had been sitting there for thirty minutes. Pete had been to the door three, asking what was up, but Leila's sent him away in a hurry. This time Pete wasn't giving up without an answer. He'd searched the house looking for the key to unlock the door. He slipped the key in the latch, turning the knob.
Leila jumped, causing what she was holding to clatter to the floor.
"Pete! I said I'd be out in a minute!" Leila all but screeched.
"Babe, what's wrong? You've been in here a whil-" Pete began and then noticed what was lying on the floor. Leila gasped and reached for it, but Pete was faster.
Pete fingered the white stick in his hand, looking at the little pink plus sign in one of the small windows. His breathe caught in his throat. He doesn't know how long he stood there, staring from Leila to his hands.
"You're… pregnant?" It was barely a whisper.
Leila whimpered, nodding slightly. Pete looked at her again, seeing the tears swimming in her eyes. He could almost hear her heart racing. Pete reached out to pull Leila in his arms. As soon as Leila was there, she collapsed into sobs, clinging to him. Pete was shocked that she was so scared. He held onto her, letting her cry. He used the time to think about what he just found out. He was going to be a father. The thought scared the shit out of him. He was just a kid himself. But he thought that he was nearly thirty years old, and he should grow up. The thought of growing up always seemed ridiculous to him. But know that he has something to grow up for. Someone is going to depend on him more than anyone ever has. His child. Child.
"Baby, shh…. It's okay. There's nothing to be scared of. We're going to be just fine. We can do everything, remember?" He soothed her, kissing her hair. "I love you, and that's all that matters."
oo
"Having fun?" Patrick asked, carrying a tray of breakfast; bacon, eggs, toast and jelly, and glass of milk for Cara, who was still in bed. Cara jumped up, pulling the sheets around her.
"Oh, Patrick, you didn't have too!" She exclaimed, a smile splitting her face. The previous night was bliss for them. They really didn't get much sleep for all the late night activities that were taking place. They had made love for the first time. Cara knew it sounded cliché, but it was a magical night. They fit together like puzzle pieces, waiting an eternity to find each other. It was the best night of her life. It was a night of bliss filled with whispered vows of love and ecstasy. The thought of last night, brought a smile to Cara's face, also a small blush.
"Really, after your performance last night, you're really going to blush Mrs. Stump?" Patrick said with a smirk.
Cara's mouth feel open for a split second before realizing how stupid she must look, and closed it quickly.
"Well, I didn't hear any complaints," she murmured. Patrick laughed out loud, setting the tray on the bedside table. He climbed up next to her slowly.
"No, I didn't," grazing his lips across her throat and his fingers crawling the lines of her collarbone. Cara shivered, and Patrick smiled wider.
Cara looked over to the tray, noticing the small amount of food, "Aren't you hungry too?"
"Yes."
Patrick pulled the covers back over their heads, with Cara giggling the whole time. After the food had gotten way beyond cold, and the sun was high in the sky, they emerged from the covers, gasping for air, Cara lying in Patrick's arms.
"Is this how we are going to spend our day?" Cara giggled. "Not that I'm complaining."
Patrick nuzzled her neck, but jumped when he heard his phone ring.
"Oh let it go," Cara moaned, as he moved to get it.
"It might be about Micah," he said flipping his phone open.
Cara watched as Patrick's eyes grew wide. "We're on our way!"
Cara had jumped up at the alarm in his voice.
"What's happened?!" Cara asked urgently, but Patrick couldn't answer, he just broke down in tears.
oo
Leila sat in the living room, with Mr. and Mrs. Wentz hovering over her, making sure that she didn't want for anything. They had told them. Well, they really didn't have a choice, with Leila's breakdown in the bathroom. Pete had gone to the store to pick up some dill pickle chips. With everyone babying her, making sure she wasn't cold or hot, or uncomfortable, she fell asleep.
She dreamed about being married to Pete. With a two-story house out in the woods somewhere in the south. Four kids with dark hair and ranging brown and green eyes where running around, making a mess of the house. She could here the faint sound of rock music, and smiled at her husband's band practicing downstairs. Leila's friends were all gathered in the living room, chatting about kids, cleaning and, as always, boys. She was jolted awake by slamming of the door.
Jerking up from the couch, Leila saw Pete fuming into the living room.
"What's the matter? What's wrong?" Leila asked, grabbing Pete's hand.
She didn't have to wait long. She heard a familiar scream coming from outside. She felt her jaw pop open in shock.
"Ashlee?" Pete just gave a jerky nod. "What does she want?"
"I don't know! I slammed the door in her face!"
"Well, she's not going away until she has her say, so let's just go hear her out," Leila reasoned.
Pete looked at her incredulously. "Are you serious?"
"C'mon!" she groaned, and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the door.
Leila led the way, stopping only to grab hers and Pete's coat. Shrugging her coat on, she pried the door open. Just as she thought, Ashlee had not left. Leila walked right off the porch and into the yard.
"What is it that you want, Simpson?" Leila sneered.
Ashlee strode right up to Leila and Pete, matching Leila's sneer.
"I came to talk to you, Leila, actually. I have something I want to say."
Leila feigned looking at her watch, being smart. "Well, get on with it."
Ashlee's upper lip was curling. She slipped her hand in her purse, hitching it back up on her shoulder. Pete looked down at her hand and gasped. Leila didn't know what happened next.
She felt Pete's hands on her shoulders, shoving her to the ground. It seemed to Leila that she fell very slowly. While she braced herself for the fall, she heard two loud cracks that hurt her ears. As Leila hit the ground, so did Pete. Leila looked up from her scrapped and bleeding hands, to see Ashlee running out of sight. Leila heard a gurgling sound, and looked to find it.
Her heart stopped.
Pete. Her Pete, was laying on the ground, surrounded by what looked sickeningly like a growing pool of blood. Her heart jumped a beat when she realized it was blood. She scrambled to his side as fast she could.
"Pete?! Pete, can you hear me?" she asked, feeling the tears swimming in her eyes. "Someone! Help, please! Call 911! HELP!"
She heard someone running out of the house, scream and run back in the house. Leila grabbed Pete's hand with one, and took his cheek with the other. Pete's eyes rolled, looking for Leila.
"L-Lei… Leila…" he spluttered.
"Yes, baby, I'm here. I'm getting help. You're going to be fine, just stay with me," Leila begged.
"Listen t-to me… I n-need to tell you s-something."
"I'm listening baby, what is it?"
"T-take care of our baby. Give it everything it wants. S-spoil it rotten. P-Promise it'll know who it's f-father is."
Leila was crying now. "Pete, don't talk that way. You're going to be fine!"
"J-just promise me. I w-want you to be happy. What ever t-that may be."
Leila could do nothing but nod. She was slowly getting soaked in blood. She was sobbing so hard that it felt like her throat was being ripped out.
"I love y-you, and I a-always will," Pete groaned, his voice getting softer.
"I love you too, Pete."
Leila bent down and kissed him, praying this wasn't going to be the last time. Tears mingled with the blood. Leila couldn't believe what was happening. So she kissed him again. And again. And again.
"Sing with me. Please," Pete gasped, when Leila sat back up.
"I'll do whatever you ask," Leila murmured.
"W-wear me like a locket, a-around your throat," he began, and Leila joined in. "I'll weigh you down and watch you choke."
Pete's hand went limp in hers.
"NO!! No, no no! No Pete, no! Come back to me! God, I can't do this without you! I love you, Pete, please… wake up!!" Leila flung herself across his chest, sobbing with everything she had. She was faintly aware of other screams. She thought it must be Pete's parents.
She couldn't think of anything else to, but sing. She laid down beside the body of the love of her life, and just sang and sang.
"K-keep quite, nothing comes as easy as y-you, can I lay in your b-bed all day? I'll be your best kept s-secret and your biggest m-mistake, hand behind this p-pen relives a f-failure everyday."
A/N
I cried… hard…