The seconds were ticking by, each one feeling like eternity, for each person waiting in the drawing room of the illustrious Collinwood. But for all but one of the great room's occupants, it was dread. There was to be a wedding; usually the happiest day in someone's groom perhaps shared that opinion. But the family and friends of his bride-to-be saw it more as Armageddon.
The groom in question, Jason McGuire, had been pleased as punch all evening. Especially when the judge arrived. Everything had been falling into place with the pleasantries and perhaps not so pleasantries with the family. But he was starting to grow impatient, much like the rest of his guests.
Roger Collins kept pacing slowly up and down by the fireplace, eyes ever so often drifting towards the liquor cabinet. Usually sherry was the cure-all to all his ailments, but there would be no reprieve tonight. No healing tonic. He had failed. As a brother, as a member of the Collins family, as a friend. He had tried every which way to convince his older sister that marrying the scum of the Earth would bring nothing but heartache, that no matter what it was he was holding over her head they could handle it. But she wouldn't budge. There was a time he was his sister's confidant: the keeper of her secrets and her partner, no matter how much they would fight. And now? Now there was an Irish wall between them. He glanced over at Burke Devlin, who was looking extremely awkward and uncomfortable the more each second passed.
Burke and Roger were bitter enemies; would be until the sun stopped shining. And despite that, despite the hatred that Burke harbored not just for him but the rest of his family, he had spent a pretty penny into trying to figure out just what Jason's deal was. There was a sense of allyship now, as strange as it was. Burke knew his presence was just another victory for Jason, a way to prove someone else wrong. But how could he abandon Vicki during all of this?
Poor Vicki. She felt sick, she had all morning. She knew why this wedding was going to take place, and that secret weighed on her like a pit in her stomach. She had only known a few short days, she couldn't imagine living with it for over eighteen years. She also knew that the bride-to-be almost threw herself from the top of a cliff and if she hadn't been there to stop her, they'd be having a horrific funeral right now. She'd take this sham of a ceremony over losing someone she cared about forever any day. She had a pathetic sense of hope, that maybe after the wedding the mood would change. Maybe it would be better, maybe everything would go back to the way it was. Maybe the moon really was made of cream cheese. Shock among shocks was that Carolyn showed.
The girl was paler than usual, thinner than she was a few months ago when Jason arrived, but there was a fire in her blue eyes that had been missing for weeks. All the clashing with her mother, all the fighting and rebellion, everything would come to an end. Tonight.
If Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard would ever come downstairs.
Jason opened his mouth to once again ask Vicki if she was sure Elizabeth was all set and ready to go. When the figure of the mistress of Collinwood appeared in the doorway, dressed impeccably as usual in a white long sleeve dress that just went past her knees. The vision of elegance. Perhaps her family would have smiled at the sight of her, perhaps Roger would have made some comment about her cleaning up quite nicely, but all of them just stared stone faced-staring at the dead woman walking.
"I'm sorry if I kept you all waiting." Elizabeth's voice was oddly soft, but she still drew everyone's attention as she walked into the drawing room. But her eyes quickly locked onto her daughter.
Jason's eyes were bright and his smile slight, but it was still some sort of victorious smile as he moved towards her. "Nearly for 20 years, my dear," he said smoothly. "And it was worth every one of them," His smirk grew as he turned and leaned just so, towards the judge. " Don't you think so, judge?"
Judge Crathorne nodded, a knowing smile on his face. "I thought so for years,"
Elizabeth ignored them both, moving past them as if they didn't exist. Carolyn was here. Carolyn, despite everything, came . She stood before her daughter, wanting to say so much but unable to. Her eyes looked wet, close to bursting into tears. But she had them under control.
"Hello, mother…" Carolyn said gently, still gripping her purse tightly.
"I'm so glad you could be here," her mother responded, her voice wavering, just slightly. You wouldn't have noticed, but Carolyn certainly did.
Carolyn forced a smile. "I knew you would be."
For a brief second it seemed as if Liz was going to say something else, the words were on the tip of her tongue and so close to tumbling off her lips but no. No, she quickly turned away to greet the other surprise in the room.
"Burke," Liz's tone was even, but there was a hint of surprise on her face. "I see you decided to come."
Perhaps unsure of what to say, or even how to respond, Burke Devlin just said simply. "Yes," and awkwardly looked at Vicki for help.
Liz nodded and turned back towards the rest of the motley crew. "We may as well start,"
Jason quickly agreed. "Yes, I think we may as well. If you'll join me Elizabeth," he held out his arm, but Liz ignored it, opting to simply stand on his left. While the rest of the family sort of just shuffled together. "Eh, erm, Judge, where do you want us to stand?"
Crathorne sort of gestured in front of him. "Well, since this is an informal wedding, we will eliminate the preliminaries. If you two will stand in front of me?"
Jason, nodded. "Come, my dear." And he and Liz stood closer, right before the Judge. Roger meandered somewhere to Jason's right, ironically beside Burke, looking down at his shoes. Perhaps praying at the last minute a bomb would fall on the house and nothing would matter anymore. While Burke glanced over at Vicki, an uneasy look shared between them.
Liz, with a slight urgency in her tone. "Vicki come stand by me?"
Vicki quickly stood directly behind her, her hand moving forward to squeeze Liz's arm, it was all she could really do to show her support now. She would be there, no matter the outcome. She glanced over at Carolyn, who was staring directly at Jason, off to the side. If looks could kill, Jason would've been killed several times over by now.
Almost unaware of the strife, Crathorne continued as if nothing mattered. "I'll ask the usual questions and you'll give the usual answers. Then Jason you'll slip on the ring and in a few minutes it'll all be over."
Jason chuckled softly. "Ah no, it'll be the beginning! Of our happiness!"
"Happiness…" Liz echoed, though her voice was lacking any sort of happy tone whatsoever.
No one seemed to notice. Especially not the master of ceremonies. "If you'll just join hands," he instructed.
Jason proudly held out his hand for Liz to take. Smiling just as brightly as he had been all evening. Liz glanced down at her awaiting hand, then back up at the judge, and then back down Slowly, painfully slowly, she reached her own hand out. Her fingers were trembling as she slowly laid her palm down on Jason's. Quickly, Jason gently curled his fingers around hers, tightly.
Her hesitation wasn't unnoticed by those around her. Roger winced, and closed his eyes. He couldn't look. He could be there, he could try and bear this burden, but god if he had to behold this circus with his own eyes he was going to do something he'd regret. Vicki too, looked away, out the window where many a time she had found Liz gazing out of. Freedom beyond the glass panes.
"Do you Elizabeth Stoddard, take this man Jason McGuire, to be your lawful husband? To have and to hold from this day forward in sickness and in health until death do you part?" asked Crathorne
Liz's voice was a pained whisper. "Death?" But death did not answer. Jason did.
"Answer I do, dear." He said, still smiling at the Judge in a reassuring way.
"Answer?" her voice then cracked, this broken little sound. That finally drew Vicki's attention back to her and forced Roger to take a step forward.
"Say simply I do," the Judge once again repeated, his smile now vanished.
Liz's eyes darted between Jason and the Judge, frantic, like a caged animal."I-I-" her voice then gave out, as she took in a deep pained breath. Everyone else was deadly silent as they waited for the next word out of Elizabeth's mouth. So silent, that everyone heard a loud
k
Heads quickly swiveled towards the origin of the sound, only to see Carolyn staring wide eyed with a small caliber gun in her hand aiming square at Jason's back. For a brief second, no one moved, no one did anything but at the now shaking Carolyn Stoddard and the silver weapon now glimmering in the light. She drew it back, frantically, trying to fix the weapon when Burke Devlin quickly shoved Jason aside and leapt for the gun. Carolyn shrieked, and tried to dart away but it was too late, he had her by her wrist, her already broken wrist. She cried out and the gun quickly dropped from her grip. "No-No-Burke I-" she babbled, but Burke let go of her wrist and pulled her into a tight hug, kicking the gun away and out of sight.
"I know, I know," he muttered, as Carolyn soon fell into hysterics. The judge looked confused, as if he didn't quite understand what had just happened, and perhaps that was all for the better. Liz quickly pulled herself away from Jason and over to her daughter, but was stopped by Roger.
There was a silent exchange between the two siblings as the heaviness of what nearly just transpired hit them. "Take her upstairs," Roger ordered. And Burke quickly started herding the weeping Carolyn away. She didn't even resist, just allowing Burke to half carry her out of the drawing room and up to the landing and out of sight.
"What just-" Crathorne began but was quickly cut off by Vicki.
"She's just upset, I think we need to take a few moments, if you'll excuse us," she explained, shoving him out the drawing room and quickly shutting the doors in his face before he could protest.
"She tried to kill me." Jason exclaimed, almost amused. But it quickly soured and turned into a practical roar. "She tried to kill me!"
Roger grabbed the Irishman by his lapels and shoved him into the nearest wall. "Yes, and I'm only sorry the gun jammed!"
"Roger don't-" Vicki cried, and tried to pull him off, but he merely brushed her off.
"Oh, so were you all in on this little attempted murder?" Jason demanded, only to be pushed harder into the wall with a grunt.
"You listen here, McGuire-"
"No you listen, Collins!" Jason hissed. "This wedding is going to happen. Tonight. And maybe then, just maybe, I won't consider pressing charges against your niece."
"He's right." Elizabeth's voice caused the trio to turn in shock. "...I...I don't want Carolyn in trouble. She was just upset."
Roger's jaw fell open. "Elizabeth-"
"What else can I do, Roger?" she cried, collapsing into a nearby chair. "Let Carolyn go to jail? I can't!"
Jason, chucked, and shoved Roger away. "You always were the smartest Collins, Elizabeth. Glad to see we're on the same page. Shall I go fetch the judge, Roger? Or would you like to?"
Roger scowled, and turned away. But not before slamming Jason back into the wall with his shoulder before storming his way out of the room, the doors smacking against the walls with a loud crack.
Vicki quickly knelt beside Elizabeth. "You don't have to, Mrs. Stoddard. We could use this to our advantage."
Liz shook her head, looking down at her hands folded on her lap. "...No. I can't. I was-I was going to confess," she whispered. "I was. But-Carolyn-" she then laughed bitterly. "My daughter and I are too alike, aren't we? The murdering Collins women."
Vicki could feel her heart breaking. But all she could do was clasp the matriarch's trembling hand as Jason and Roger returned with the judge in tow, who was looking a bit frazzled.
"Erm, well, shall we?" he asked.
Liz tore her hands away from Vicki abruptly, and stood. "Yes, we shall." Her tone was steel, her gaze ice, her heart stone as she strode back towards Crathorne . She took her spot next to a now less-looking pleased Jason, and took his hand. He jolted a little, surprised by her tight grip. But she made no move to lessen her hold, or even look him in the eyes.
"Well, ah, simply say I do, Elizabeth," the Judge instructed.
"I do," she said, firmly almost with some kind of certainty. Resignment. Resentment.
"Jason McGuire, do you take this woman Elizabeth Stoddard, to be your lawful wife? To have and to hold from this day forward in sickness and in health until death do you part?"
"I do," Jason responded, his gaze now fully on Elizabeth. He fetched the ring she had rejected the day before from his pocket. Liz still refused to look at him, as he slid the ring onto her left hand, covering up the small white line that was the last remnants of Paul Stoddard's ghost.
"Then by the power vested in me by the state of Maine, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," Judge Crathorne said, with a wiry smile.
Only then, did Elizabeth turn. Green eyes glassy with tears but her expression till tinged with anger, that fierce stare she was forever known for. A tear slipped down her cheek as Jason placed his knuckle under her chin, lifting it upward. He had won. The kiss was brief, but hard, lasting only a second or two before Liz turned away, to look over at her forlorn witnesses.
And Roger Collins and Vicki Winters started back, watching as Elizabeth Stoddard died, and was reborn as Mrs. Jason McGuire.