Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from "Sons of Anarchy." They are the property of Kurt Sutter and Fox Network. No money is changing hands in the writing, reading or distribution of this story.
Three Princes
A sequel to "Intended"
Chapter 54
"Just slash at it like it's a big…jabberwocky!" Joss insisted, standing on her living room coffee table fitted in the Swan Lake dress that was not giving up its fight for survival. Juice's Lauren knelt on the floor, trimming off some of the skirt length as best she could. They'd had to switch to a different cutting tool, scissors hadn't worked, they wouldn't cut through all the organza and tulle netting, and the handkerchief design made it impossible to get an even, straight hemline. But the butchering had to continue, Joss needed this stupid dress adapted to riding bitch!
But Lauren paused in her work, looking up at Joss and laughing a little at the mythical, monstrous beast reference Joss had associated with her own wedding gown, but Lauren's voice also held wisdom. "Do you really want me to just start hacking away with this razor blade so close to your legs?" She asked, and kind of sighed and shook her head a little, like she couldn't believe they were actually doing this, but if Joss wanted it, then yeah, Lauren was in.
Joss thought for a moment, Lauren had a point…yeah, she'd been a good choice as maid of honor! But this dress…this damn, day glow white, poofy, triangle shape making prom dress on steroids was still far too intact. She looked at Lauren with serious eyes. "It's worth the risk, go for it!"
Lauren laughed again and bent her head back over the insolent overskirt, "Snicker-snack!" She replied, and the razor blade sang a brief, dull, shredding note along the organza, another eight inch puffy panel of ballerina gown falling to the table top, slain.
"Yay!" Joss cheered, pumping her fist and rocking her hips in some over embellished cheer that made them both laugh again, but the lace covered loop of fabric that went from the top of the bodice around the back of her neck cut into her skin every time she moved. Once more Joss hooked her finger under it, trying to yank some give into it, but to no avail. "I wish we could do something with this stupid halter strap deal," she complained as Lauren returned to her hacking, "Not only is it uncomfortable, but it looks like I'm wearing boob suspenders!"
"Joss!" Lauren dropped the razor blade and then started to guffaw. "Don't make me laugh when I'm slashing! You could lose a toe!"
"Oh well," Joss laughed and sighed. "We can handle little messes like that, I've got piranhas." She smiled down at Lauren and the two girls laughed again.
It was good to have something to laugh at because Joss had another wedding bearing down on her in just two days…and there was still so much to be done. She'd been so dead set against everything that Gemma had wanted and planned, but now Joss was more than impressed with how well Gemma had held up under the stress and confusion of putting it all together. Wow, Joss had really screwed up…she'd had someone else to plan her whole wedding, someone who knew what it had to be, and now all Joss could do was guess…and wish that she could enlist Gemma's help. But no, she wouldn't do that, she wouldn't go crying to Gemma, or even look for the queen's approval. But it wasn't out of spite or scorn; Joss had to prove to Gemma that she not only understood why this wedding was important, but that she could also do it all by herself, too. Well, maybe not all by herself, Lauren had been helping a great deal of course, and even Happy's Lauren took time to make a few phone calls to caterers and florists while Samantha, Happy's new daughter, was down for a nap. Hap's new daughter…that thing in the freezer…
Footsteps coming down the hall distracted Joss before she was lost in the depths of something unfamiliar again, and there was Chucky coming out of the room where Joss's computer was, the bridal wear catalog tucked under his arm. "Got some bad news, Joss." He told her with an apologetic wince. "The dress you wanted for Lauren, the 'Melanthia,'" he specified because he didn't have enough fingers to hold open the catalog and point it out. "I just called and 'Charming Wedding' only has it in a size twelve."
Both girls groaned, looking at each other. "Damn it!" Joss sighed, "But that's the dress! It's perfect! Black satin, strapless with that cute little lace shrug and short enough to get on and off of Juice's bike in, but still be formal!"
Lauren was nodding her head, agreeing with every word. "Can they take it in?" She asked Chucky hopefully.
He sighed himself and pointed to the deconstruction they were under taking on the coffee table. "Why is it that you two are tackling those alterations by yourselves, again?" He asked and both Joss and Lauren groaned another time…there was no place in Charming that could have any of the tailoring done in less than five days. Just when it seemed Joss had something solved and locked in for this wedding, it managed to fall apart on her at what was ever becoming the last minute. She'd have to find Lauren another dress…but what now; Goodwill? She hoped not! This wedding wasn't as grand as the one Gemma was planning, but Joss wasn't about to let it have that second hand feel!
"Well, what about that other dress?" Lauren was asking, hope flickering over her features. "The one that we ruled out because it didn't come in black, but we both said we liked it?" Lauren had Joss's full attention, but they'd paged through so many dresses that morning Joss counted remember which ones had been in the top ten now, and she waved her hands for Lauren to please elaborate further…the wedding depended on it. "It was burgundy lace, sleeveless, A-line and tea length with a floaty, little ruffle of black lace around the hem?"
The picture that Joss's memory had grabbed hold of forever was finally flashing back now, and Chucky had shuffled the bridal catalog onto the end table by the couch, nimbly flipping the pages with one fingered grace. "Here it is!" He announced with a smile and tapped at the photo with his other finger. "The 'Toia!'" He read aloud. "Want me to call them back?"
"Yes!" Both Joss and Lauren answered in unison, then looked at one another and had time to laugh again, at least for a second.
"Alright, let's just stay positive here before we even find out that the only they have is a size twenty-four or something!" Said Joss, looking down at Lauren and over at Chucky. "If we think we can handle this atrocity I'm wearing right now, maybe we can handle your dress too if need be." It was a long shot, but Joss needed something to believe in right now, but she could tell by the way Lauren stalled in nodding her agreement that it wasn't really the most practical of suggestions. They had no idea what they were doing; Lauren had never sewn before, and Joss's experience with needle and thread was mostly limited to putting on or taking off various patches and badges. But she wouldn't let herself give up…she couldn't give up…this wedding was for the club!
"You know," Chucky hadn't left to go back and check the net and then call "Charming Wedding" yet and Joss was almost afraid to ask why, fearing that maybe he already knew something about the "Toia" that she and Lauren didn't. "My Bubbe was a seamstress," he began to relate to and Joss and Lauren who looked at him strangely; now was no time for fond remembrances, but Chucky continued. "I practically grew up in her shop, she used to let me work the foot pedal of her sewing machines while I watched her stitch straight seams, gussets and everything in between," he paused again and met the hopeful stares he'd provoked out of the two girls. "I'm not saying it'll be perfect, but maybe I cou—"
"You could?" Joss jerked like she might jump off of the coffee table, the biggest smile on her face. "Both dresses?" Chucky nodded and smiled broadly. "Oh Chucky! You're my hero!" and then she did jump off of the table, rushing over with ragged strips of tulle and organza flying behind her like kite streamers, and she threw her arms around Chucky.
"Aww, just consider it an earlier wedding present, Joss." Chucky bashfully smiled, returning Joss's hug with only one arm…likely due some confusion about what right here and what the blow back would be from Tig if Tig found out Chucky put his arms around Joss.
Joss straightened again, even Lauren on her feet now, both of them smiling in so much relief over at Chucky, who drank it all in like a little ham…a Jewish ham. Joss laughed. "Well this is a much better present than a fondue set!" She giggled, for a moment imagining Tig with fondue…that could be…yeah, they really didn't need a fondue set! She turned to Chucky again. "Thank you! I can't say it enough!"
"Hey," he smiled back, full of sentiment this time. "I'd do anything for Tig and you. I'm really happy for both of you, and I'm glad the club has you too!"
Oh…Joss felt herself struck by Chucky's words, if he only understood the strength he'd just given her. Someone believed in Tig and in her and their ability to show this club what they were. And they could too! Joss may have had only two days left to do it all in, but now she felt more empowered than ever. Yeah, this wedding was happening, and the club would have a new prince and princess to look to when it was over.
The noise of an engine cutting off outside drew everyone's attention, making Joss immediately look at the clock. It was just after five…Tig was home, and she'd been so busy she hadn't time to make dinner for him. Not that he wouldn't understand, he would what with all the wedding planning…but making dinner for her man was one of the "wife" things she was supposed to do, and she hadn't. No sex and now no dinner…she may have been making it through planning a wedding for the club, but she still felt like she was failing Tig as a wife…that thing in the freezer…
The screen door in the kitchen creaked open as Tig came in from the garage. "Hey, baby," he called to her before he could even see her, going directly to the fridge, glass clinking together as he grabbed himself his usual beer. He didn't sound overly happy or pissed off about anything; he was just his usual self. Good, hopefully that meant that there were no more deserters.
"Missed you! Out here!" Joss hollered, but before she'd even finished she could hear Tig's heavy boots rounding the corner into the living room as he twisted the cap off of the bottle in his hand.
"Hey," Tig offered vaguely to everyone present and made his way over to Joss, but stood beside her in some strange and awkward manner, almost like he was considering kissing her in front of everyone, but he must have thought better of it. "How's it going?" He asked, looking away from her now and burying his ungainliness in conversation with Chucky and Lauren.
"It's getting there," Lauren nodded at him, seconded by both Chucky and Joss. "The bigger things are handled, at least."
"Yeah," Joss said, turning to Tig, her eyes bearing her apology. "I've been a little busy today, but we were just about finished." She explained, hinting at the ETA of his food.
"Okay," Tig shrugged, completely ignoring the fact that Joss was standing there in a shredded wedding dress. He and looked towards Lauren and Chucky. "Hey, thanks for helping her out. I mean that." He said to both of them, his words genuine though he never broke a smile…typical Tig.
Lauren wasn't rebuffed though, neither was Chucky, and she also knew when to make an exit. "It's out pleasure," she smiled at Tig, then Joss. "We'll be back tomorrow, "she said to Joss and reached out to give Chucky's shoulder a little shove.
"Yeah!" Chucky agreed, also sensing that Joss needed Tig to have her to himself now. "And I'll find a sewing machine!" He promised as Lauren gathered her purse and keys, walking to the front door with him, because she had been his ride.
Joss smiled again, feeling Tig's arm slip around her, an affectionate gesture that surprised her until she remembered what she'd said to him about "opening this up, just a little." He was trying, touching her in some way that was more than just grabbing her ass in public to let everyone know he was fucking her. No, this was him testing out how to "open it up" to others, to show them that he loved Joss…that kiss that had evaporated into nothing; it was likely the same thing, only he'd lost his nerve that time. But he'd gone for it this time, holding Joss tightly and proudly to him, getting to used to this, using Lauren and Chucky as his "practice" audience so he could get accustomed to displaying his sentiment for Joss around the club…if he ever had to. Joss knew not to acknowledge it though, not now, it was only "practice" after all, but it still made her smile a little more brightly. "Great! Thanks so much again, to both of you!" She beamed and laughed a little to Lauren, "Don't forget the razor! The Jabberwocky meets its defeat tomorrow!"
"Yeah," Lauren laughed back as she opened the door, Chucky in tow. "'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe; all mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome graths outgrabe." She recited; both her and Joss laughing even harder now, at least until Tig pulled away from Joss, a look on his face like a dog having just heard a whistle pitched only to his ears. He looked first at Lauren then at Joss, then at Chucky and finally back at Joss.
What was up with him? It didn't seem to be anything major, but he he looked confused and even a little concerned too, like maybe he'd been stressing about this wedding too much. He nodded in Lauren's direction, but looked at everyone else. "Did we all just hear that, or just me?"
