Love is Worth Dieing For

Disclaimer: I don't own Corpse Bride. If I did, this ending would have been in the movie, or at least a V/E ending. I guess that's what fan fictions are for, eh?

Hey, there. I was thinking about the various Corpse Bride fics I have read, and believe me, it gladdens my heart to see so many Victor/Emily fans. Anyway, I noticed that one of the more popular themes was "What if Victoria didn't get to the church on time?" I really like that theme, and I snap up the stories with it like they're candy, but I decided to take it in a bit of a different direction. My first Corpse Bride fic, enjoy!

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The church was reverently still. The polished oak pews, filled with both the dead and the living, were as silent as the grave, no pun intended. All eyes were focused on the back of the church where the bride and groom stood before a white draped table.

Victor stood, tall and gangly, and looked into Emily's deep black eyes. It seemed funny to him now that he had been so frightened of her originally. The mere fact that she was dead had terrified him and blocked out the other things he had begun to feel about her. At least he had finally had some time to realize those feelings. In her eyes he saw an immeasurable happiness, but also fear, the fear that this was all a dream and, like a dream, it would fade away and be lost.

He smiled at her encouragingly, as Elder Gutknecht uncorked the jug of poison. He gave her hand a small squeeze. The decaying fabric of her glove was rough and spidery against his fingers, but her hand was firm and soft. He was rewarded with one of her oh so sweet smiles and a answering squeeze of her own.

"Living first," the elder said in his dry crackling voice, and motioned for Victor to continue with the ceremony.

Accordingly, Victor released Emily's hand and raised his own in the attitude of an oath taker.

"With this hand," he began, his voice calm and sure, "I will lift your sorrows." He reached out and picked the elegant goblet off the cloth covered table. He was slightly surprised at how calm he was, when he had been so nevus at the rehearsal. But what he was doing now felt so right. He felt as if he had been waiting all his life for this moment and he knew he could do it. For Emily. Turning back to his bride to be, he continued. "Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine."

"Now you," the elder turned to Emily. Victor gave her a small smile, just enough to show her he was there for her. To show her she would never be alone again.

"With this hand I will lift your sorrows," she said. Her voice was like birdsong on a fresh spring day and Victor was left quite breathless at the sound of it.

Picking up the bottle of poison, Emily turned gracefully and began pouring the frothing liquid into Victor's goblet. "Your cup will never empty," she recited. "For I will be..." but then she stopped suddenly, startled at something only she could see. She looked back at Victor, her eyes worried now and hesitant. "I will be..." she tried again, but once again she halted. Victor watched her face as she floundered in indecision, trying to ask her what the matter was by using only his eyes.

"Go on, my dear," the elder said kindly. Emily rallied herself and began once more.

"Your cup will never empty..." she paused, then went on. "For I will be..." but she seemed unable to complete her vow.

"For I will be your wine," Victor finished for her and raised the bronze goblet to his lips. But suddenly Emily came to a decision and covered the top of the goblet with her hand, her expression pained.

"She's having second thoughts," a skeleton in the forefront of the church murmured to his living companion. Emily turned to face Victor and the pain in her eyes made him want to take her in his arms and comfort her.

"I can't," she whispered wretchedly.

"What's wrong," Victor pleaded and began to turn in the direction she had been looking, but Emily took his chin in her hand and kept him facing her.

"This is wrong," she answered, miserable, but adamant. Crystal tears shimmered behind her long lashes and her voice was husky with pain. "I was a bride," she said. "My dreams were taken from me. Well now," and she looked away, as though she could not bare to meet his eyes. "Now I've stolen them from someone else." A single tear coursed down her cold blue cheek, glittering in the candle light. "I love you, Victor," she continued., "but you are not mine." She started to turn away, to further explain her revelation, but Victor caught her shoulders, staring earnestly into her face.

"Emily," he said softly, forming the word carefully, as if it were blown glass. The love packed into that single word sent a tremor down Emily's spine and she froze, unable to speak, as he continued. "This is not wrong," he insisted, gently but firmly. "How can it be wrong when it's the only thing I've done that ever felt so right?

"Now, listen to me. My life up until this point was as dull and bland as clotted oatmeal. Nothing goes on in this town but gossip and misery. Everyone is so afraid of their own shadow they never give you more than the time of day. I had an arranged marriage with a girl I had never met, which was intended to increase my parent's social status." He paused, and a quirky smile crept around his face like a beacon. "Then, I met you. And I was terrified." Victor chuckled softly, remembering his first reaction to his beloved. "I was married to a corpse, of course I was terrified.

"Then I began to get to know you and see that you were a person, too. I think I loved you even then, but I still felt as though I had to get away. To do the normal thing, the expected thing and return to the land of the living. I was a fool, Emily, a blind fool. And I had convinced myself that I loved Victoria, that I could be happy with her, even though had known her for only a few hours. I thought I loved her simply because I was supposed to and because I was searching for normality.

"You're a wonderful person, Emily. You're quick to laugh and you spread joy to everyone you meet. I've seen it. I had started to realize how much you meant to me, but I still felt as if what I was feeling was inappropriate. As if I wasn't allowed to feel for you and love you because you were dead. As if that mattered.

"And then something happened. When I heard you say to your friends that you couldn't ask me to stay with you, to die for you, I felt the last boundary give way. You were willing to put my happiness before your own, you still are. But what if they are one and the same?

"Emily, I love you with all my heart and soil. I love your lips and your eyes and your hair. Your laughter and tears. I love your selflessness and your forgiving nature. I can't begin to be good enough for you, to deserve you, but if you'll have me, then I promise, you will never be lonely again. And I'll strive to be the husband you've always dreamed of."

Emily was speechless, tears running freely down her cheeks like two shining waterfalls. She could think of nothing but the words Victor has spoken with such pure honestly, could see nothing except his earnest face. The occupants of the church, including one uninvited guest, the one who had unknowingly started this recitation, were paralyzed. Their collective eyes and eye sockets followed the lanky young man, as he once more picked up the goblet and held it in both hands. "People can claim that they have found things worth killing for," Victor stated, his eyes focused on Emily. "Well, I have found something worth dieing for." Then he lifted the goblet to his lips and drained it.

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There's the first chapter for you! This story kind of changed as I was writing it. I had originally planned to have more of Victoria in this chapter, and to have Victor's declaration of love be spoken while he knows she's in the room. Ah, well.

I know that is one heck of a long speech Victor gives out, but I think every word is important to get his point across. There will be lots of V/E fluff in future chapters, 'cause I love that, but there will also be action, so no worries. Plus, I promise I won't leave Victoria with Mr. robs-and-kills.

Sooooo... R&R please, I'd really like to see what you think.

Oh, I dunno how much I'll be able to update this story, because I have two other ones on the go right now. Please be patient and I'll update as soon as I can. ;)

PS. I will probably revamp this chapter later on, as I'm not completely satisfied with it.