Before you start, I just want to say for now that I AM SO SORRY!!!!!! Now go ahead, read!

Chapter 14

From the moment Susanna touched down in Venice, time went extremely fast. She was taken to the countryside manor where the wedding was to take place, fitted for her gown, taken for a tour by a harried Vivian, and then ordered to come back to try on her dress. The moment she finally got to stand still, she slumped onto her bed.

Weddings generally made her grumpy, but two in a relatively short amount of time made her even grumpier. Vivian, although rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off, was still ecstatically happy, and Tristan, the groom-to-be, followed her around like a love-sick puppy. They are far too happy together, Susanna thought resentfully.

Darcy, meanwhile, had been wandering the estate with an amazed look on her face. As terrible as it was, it felt rather wonderful to be away from life, aka Ryan, for a while. Venice was beautiful, and the wedding was sure to be gorgeous. There was to be a party the next night, and Vivian, the jovial bride-to-be, had told Darcy that she needn't worry about a dress; the wedding planners would take care of it.

Her mood, however, was always slightly dampened when she saw Miss Bennet. Her boss seemed rather irascible and unhappy around all the wedding-bliss. And anytime Darcy brought up Ryan, Miss Bennet would roll her eyes and grunt.

Darcy looked across the great lawn to see Miss Bennet walking toward her. She put a smile on her face as her boss approached.

Susanna walked toward Darcy with her head to the skies; the sky was darkening with heavy, gray clouds, but apparently nothing would stop Vivian's perpetual giddiness. She had decided to hang out with Darcy for awhile, who at the moment was the only other not-ceaselessly-happy person there. Everyone else was just as happy for the almost-newlyweds as the couple themselves.

"Not even a thunderstorm is going to stop this thing," Susanna said. "I think it's a bad sign."

Darcy chuckled. "They won't even cancel the party?"

Susanna shook her head. "Nah. Vivian insists the tents will be enough."

Darcy shrugged but didn't respond.

"You want to see something cool?" Susanna asked her suddenly.

Darcy looked at her in surprise. "Sure."

Susanna jerked her head, beckoning Darcy to follow. She led her across the vast estate, which was hilly and a bit of a hike. They finally emerged atop a hill, where Susanna stopped and surveyed the landscape.

An enormous stretch of land expanded out around them, filled with orchards. A lone, narrow highway snaked through the land, where an occasional car zoomed past.

"Wow," Darcy breathed. "It's beautiful."

Susanna smiled. "This is sort of what Telera looks like," she said. "You like it?"

"I love it," Darcy gushed.

They stayed there for a few minutes, but suddenly the sky cracked and rain came pouring down. Thunder crashed as they ran back to the manor, immediately soaked to the bone. They hurried inside, where the huge empty foyer echoed with every drop that fell off them.

She was shaking herself off when Susanna got a strange feeling. Wiping the hair out of her eyes, she slowly lifted her head.

What she saw made her involuntarily hit Darcy. The girl murmured, "What?" before following Susanna's gaze. She gasped, still panting from their run.

On the steps, beaming back at them, stood none other than Ryan and Keith. It took a few moments of stunned silence before anyone said anything.

"Keith?"

"Ryan?"

"Susanna!"

"Darcy!"

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Susanna blurted out, in her usual obstreperous manner.

"We came to surprise you!" Ryan said, jogging down the steps and giving Darcy a long kiss.

Keith followed him, but stopped awkwardly in front of Susanna.

"I really need to talk to you," he said.

She looked at him in shock, not quite comprehending what had happened just yet. She looked over at Darcy, who had now been enveloped in hug; she gave Susanna a panicked look.

There were some more moments of confused silence, but Susanna soon broke it.

"We should go shower before we get a cold," she said. Darcy eagerly agreed.

The two men nodded. "We'll see you soon," Keith said.

Susanna and Darcy both gave a small smile before hurrying up the stairs.

"What are they doing here?!" Darcy shrieked.

Susanna had a hand on her head. "I don't know…"

"I mean, is he now just going to follow me around? That's why I wanted to leave!" Darcy said.

"And why does Keith want to talk?" Susanna said. "He made it very clear that it was over."

They both sighed, but parted to go to their respective rooms. Susanna closed her door with a bit of a slam, leaning her head against it. Well, this was perfect. Just peachy. Not only does she have to be at a wedding, but now she was going to have to watch Ryan be head over heels in love with Darcy.

And Keith! What was he doing? She had pretty much gotten over him the second he had dumped her, and now he wants to talk?

She took a hot shower and changed into something for dinner. She was just finishing her hair when a knock came at the door.

She sighed heavily, but dragged herself over and opened it.

"Before you say anything, just let me talk," Keith began, walking into the room. He headed for the far side of the room, and then turned around. Susanna shut the door and braced herself.

"I made a mistake. A huge mistake. I don't know what I was thinking… you're beautiful and smart and funny, and I would be the luckiest man in the world to be with you. There is nothing more that I need, nothing more that I can seek. You are all I need, I don't know what I was thinking. Please forgive me, Susanna, please."

By the time he finished, Susanna's head was in her hands. She had heard this before from other men, and by now she had figured out exactly why they always said it. And she was sick of giving the same speech, but she took a deep breath and recited it one more time.

"Keith, you do need more than me. There is more that you can seek. I'm not what you want, trust me. I've done this before, and I've learned something about myself. I am better in hindsight. I may be beautiful and smart and funny but you're glazing over all of the others things that I am. I'm pessimistic, distrustful, and basically not good at relationships. Please do yourself a favor, Keith, and find someone who can give you what you want. You deserve it." She took a deep breath.

He sighed, his eyes sad, but she knew that he realized she was right. "You're right," he said. "But you deserve it, too, Susanna."

She laughed sarcastically. "I doubt it."

He shook his head and walked closer to her. "You do, and there's someone that'll make you want to trust. There has to be."

She smiled. "Thank you." She paused. "You can stay for the wedding, if you like."

He smiled back. "Maybe I will. Take care of yourself, Susanna."

She nodded. "You, too."

They hugged briefly, and then he left. Susanna laughed a little at herself, and then went back to getting ready.

Darcy had let Ryan come in while she got ready for dinner. He barely stopped talking, making comparisons like Susanna had of the Italian landscape to Telera. He continued to suggest that they visit Telera, and told her it would make him feel as if she was truly a part of his life. She agreed just to quiet him for a while.

She was about to put on her makeup when she noticed one of her bags was missing.

"Ryan?" she called out of the bathroom. "Be a dear and go ask Miss Bennet if she has my makeup bag?"

"Of course!" he said, jumping out of his chair and leaving the room. Once he closed the door, however, he let out a long breath. It was working; he had thought for a moment that Darcy thought he truly was just using her.

Where did that come from? he thought.

This was the wrong time to be thinking those thoughts… he was about to see Susanna, and those thoughts always led to trouble when he was around her. He had done a lot of thinking before he had come to Venice, and what he had discovered, he didn't especially like. Susanna saw right through him, and he knew it. She knew why he was really here, and it scared him to death. Being with Darcy was enough to shock the Telerans, but it wasn't enough to shock Susanna. It was as if she knew him better than anyone; he could tell somehow that she knew he really was just using Darcy. That was the only place where the excitement of his rebellion fell short.

But why did he have to care so much what Susanna thought? Why had he hated Keith so much? Why did he wish that he could be the one to make Susanna laugh? Why did he feel that he was the one? Those were things he hadn't discovered answers to quite yet.

His thoughts were cut short when he reached Susanna's door. After a few moments, he lifted his hand and knocked.

"It's open!" he heard her call. He took a deep breath, and then opened the door. The room seemed to be empty, but then he saw her standing out on the balcony, looking out on the rain that was steadily coming down.

"Susanna?" he said, walking toward her.

She looked back at him, and gave a small smile.

Darcy asked me to ask you if you happened to find a bag of hers," he said, somewhat awkwardly. He leaned on the door frame, trying not to ogle her bronzed body in a simple black dress.

"Oh," she said. "Yes, I did."

She left the balcony and walked into the room. She picked up a small purple bag off one of the end tables and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said, and turned for the door. Don't turn back, he told himself. You can fight it.

But his hand was hovering above the door knob when he turned back around to her. She had gone back out to the balcony.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

She looked at him, but just gave a small shrug. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Nothing anyone in love would understand," she said with a smile.

There it was again. That feeling in the pit of his stomach that she knew everything without even asking. He forced a chuckle.

"Do you love her?" she asked softly.

He paused, but since she didn't say who, he answered, "Yes."

"Are you going to marry her?"

That was a question he hadn't thought of before. "I don't know," he answered, surprised.

"Would you mind if I didn't come?" she asked, fingering a curl that rested on her neck.

"Why?" he asked, somehow panicked.

She shrugged. "I guess I don't do very well with weddings."

Wedding… the word rolled around in his mind. If Susanna wasn't there, his subconscious pestered, then he could marry Darcy without any of these pesky thoughts! His mother would be horrified, the kingdom would be in an uproar… and Susanna wouldn't be near to make him doubt himself.

"I wouldn't mind at all," he said, a little too confidently.

She looked at him, an incomprehensible look on her face. He gave a nod, and then turned to leave again. This time he made it to the door, and closed it behind him. His emotions in over-drive, he returned to Darcy's room.

While Ryan was off retrieving her bag, Darcy tried to decide what to do. One part of her argued that this wasn't true love… but the other part was screaming that he was a prince, so why not?

She was pacing the floor nervously when the door knocked. Confused, she went to go open it. Why would Ryan knock when he knows that…

But it was not Ryan on the other side of the door. Darcy's insides suddenly twisted when she saw her stepfamily glaring back at her.

Too stunned to say anything, her stepmother began to screech.

"How DARE you leave!" she screamed, leading her two daughters into the room. "You ungrateful, insolent, impudent wretch!"

Darcy stayed in shocked silence as her stepmother raged on and on. Her two daughters nodded here and there, cracking their chewing gum. The fog around her mind was beginning to thin when she heard the door begin to open. Panicked, she fled to it, slamming it shut and locking all the locks. She heard Ryan on the other side asking what was going on, but she didn't answer. Her stepfamily looked at her more oddly than usual, but it only took a second before they were at it again.

Darcy's heart dropped lower and lower as they yelled. Yet the part of her that was saying to stay with Ryan became stronger. Even if it was just to get away from her stepfamily, she decided that staying with Ryan was looking better and better.

The day of the pre-wedding party it rained, but it did nothing to dampen Darcy's fuming anger at her stepfamily's arrival. How dare they be here! Now it was only a matter of time before they found out about Ryan. The thought both panicked and excited her. How would they look when they found out that she was going out with a prince!

Yet Ryan was driving her crazy. After making up an elaborate story to explain her behavior, he had stuck to her side like glue. The party began at one; the guests were led to the tents under many umbrellas. Her stepfamily had insisted on coming; they were now adamant about keeping her under their watchful eye. She did not explain Ryan, and once the party started, they got swept up by the crowd and she managed to lose them.

Susanna reluctantly went to the party. With Vivian constantly preoccupied, she knew next to no one and was rather miserable anyways. She had been thinking nonstop ever since Keith had left the room yesterday, and she had come close to admitting the truth: that she may never have to make that speech again with Ryan. When he had come into her room yesterday, how could he have so instinctively known that something was wrong? And why had she been too cowardly to say the truth?

She stood in the corner with a glass of champagne, watching the merry partygoers. A feeling in her gut told her that what she had said to Ryan had only strengthened his determination. Why had she mentioned marriage? She didn't want them to get married… far from it, actually.

Angry with herself but tired of these thoughts, she filled up her champagne glass again and tried to mingle.

The party had gone on for little more than an hour before Darcy was plotting ways to get away from Ryan. It was terrible, she knew, but she had to get away soon.

In a few minutes she saw her chance. Ryan was busy talking to a group of people, and he had let go of Darcy's hand. She slipped away quietly, and was halfway across the covered way to the next tent when she heard Ryan call after her.

"Darcy!" he said. "What's wrong?"

Thinking quickly, Darcy said, "I'll tell you what's wrong," she began. "I'm sick and tired of waiting for you to do something with all this love you keep saying you have! You never show it! You've never proven it! And until you can, I don't want to be near you!" She gave a pretended huff and continued walking. But she groaned as she made it to the other tent; that was not the greatest lie she ever told. Now he would do nothing but prove his love.

She stepped under the tent, which was rather empty. Except for three people. Her stepfamily stood inside, their faces horribly cracked into smiles. Then, without warning, they burst into laughter. Terrible, vile, horrendous laughter that resounded throughout the empty tent.

"The prince!" her one stepsister got out. "And Cinder!"

"Oh yes!" the other said. "Princess Cinder! That's true love!"

Her stepfamily's laughter infuriated Darcy. They guffawed in glee, and the rain did nothing to diminish their great amusement. Darcy turned away, looking at Ryan with something that she hoped resembled encouragement. She was determined to show her stepfamily how wrong they were.

Ryan was clearly encouraged and began to run toward the tent.

"Darcy!" he said as he approached. "Darcy, what can I do to prove my love?" he asked desperately. Her stepfamily's laughter died down as they watched in anticipation.

"Oh, Ryan," Darcy began, but she didn't get to finish her thought. Ryan gasped, and a knowing look passed across his eyes. Before she knew it, he was down on one knee.

"Darcy Clevell," he said, smiling oddly, "will you marry me?"

Darcy's, and her stepfamily's, jaw dropped. Her heart began to beat faster, and her anger at her family erased any other thought from her mind. She looked over at them, and smiled at their bewildered amazement.

With a triumphant smile, Darcy clearly said, "Yes."

Ryan's eyes flashed with surprise. He stood, and said, "Truly?"

"Yes," she said, placing a kiss on his lips. They broke away, and she laughed a little. To Ryan, though, it sounded nervous.

"Mind if I go tell people?" she asked.

"Sure," he said with a shaky smile. She kissed him again and then hopped away, pausing to smile victoriously at the group of three women that stood near them. The three women had their jaws open, and their eyes bulged. They were quite a hideous sight, as their mascara began to drip in the rain's humidity.

Ryan had to take a moment to catch up with his thoughts. His whole world had just changed… he was engaged. To Darcy.

He looked up to the other tent, where Susanna stood, calmly looking back at him. His heart fell, but his eyes pleaded with her to understand. She sighed, and placing her champagne glass down, she turned and walked away.

Ryan felt a flood of panic run through him, and ran up the hill to follow her. He could barely see her at the other end of the tent, stepping out into the rain. He tried desperately to follow her, but people suddenly swarmed him, congratulating him left and right.

It took him a good hour to wrench himself away from the crowd, and he fled to the other side of the tent, pausing to wonder which way Susanna had gone. He bit his lip, but headed for the bridge that stood far away, hidden from the tent.

He ran until he could see the gray stone overpass, and through the sheet of rain he could just make out Susanna leaning over the side, drenching wet.

He walked a little more slowly to the bridge, and stopped at the edge, his heart beating fast as he looked at her.

"A marriage is forever, you know," she said, not looking at him.

He said nothing as he walked toward her. He hovered for a moment about a foot away from her, but then went to lean on the other side.

She straightened up and slowly turned to him. He lifted his eyes, and seemed to see his own feelings reflected in hers. Something between bewilderment and longing. She was soaking wet, but to him, it seemed she had never looked more beautiful.

"Forever," she repeated, and the word hung between them. "Darcy will be the last woman you can ever have," she went on, her voice raspy.

"I know," he said softly.

"The last one you can ever kiss… hell, the last one you can ever sleep with," she went on, her voice acquiring an edge. "The last one you'll wake up to see in the morning, and the last one you'll see at night. The last one you can ever touch, or… or love…"

As she spoke, Ryan's heart sank. What had he done? He didn't love Darcy… did he? Did he want all these things that Susanna was saying?

"She'll be your princess," Susanna said, her voice defeated.

He looked at her; at her dripping wet hair, her beautiful face, her quivering pink lips, her deep brown eyes.

Suddenly, overcome by her words, he straightened and took one step toward her. She looked up at him with a look of warning in her eyes, but he didn't heed it. He brought his lips down hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. She took a moment to respond, but she let him deepen the kiss, placing her hands on the back of his neck. He had never felt anything like it before; it was perfect. He felt as if this was it, this was the kiss he wanted for the rest of his life.

But it didn't last for the rest of his life. Susanna suddenly broke away, putting her fingers to his lips. He forced himself to open his eyes, not wanting to know what he would see. Her eyes were now more sorrowful than defeated.

"It's too late," she whispered. Without waiting for a response, she turned and left, disappearing in the heavy, gray rain.

It's too late… the words hung heavy in his mind. He buried his face in his hands; now that he knew what it was like to be with Susanna, how could he go back to Darcy? How, when that kiss had just proven all the doubts he had ever had?

But he had to go back Darcy, back to the way things had been. He knew Susanna would; something like this wouldn't get to her… would it? Had she felt what he had? Had she wanted that kiss to last forever and beyond?

But he had proposed to Darcy now, and it would more than difficult to take it back. Besides, he had gotten what he had wanted, right? He had rebelled… his mother would be furious. His brother would be appalled. The kingdom would be shocked. And Susanna… Susanna was disappointed.

Her disappointment made him disappointed in himself. He knew that for generations Teleran royalty had never married their true love, but for a fleeting moment he thought that made he could. But it was impossible. He had to marry Darcy now; the only thing to do was to forget about Susanna, and forget about that kiss.

With a heavy heart, he walked back to the party, where his bride-to-be joyfully awaited him.

I knew something like this would happen. He's only using her…

Susanna walked back into the abandoned manor, trying to suppress the millions of thoughts that were running through her mind. She wanted to be angry; hell, she wanted to be furious. She wanted to be enraged at Ryan for proposing to Darcy, for using her like a plaything. But she could only be angry that he didn't want to be with her.

That kiss… she had wanted to feel that way forever. Now she regretted it immensely, because now she would think of it anytime she was with another man, or anytime she was reminded of Ryan and Darcy. They had to get married now; the Telerans may not like it, but they would damn well make sure that wedding happened. It was too late, and she kicked herself because of it. Through all of her cynicism and pessimism, Susanna desperately wished that they had discovered this earlier. She wanted to be happy, but now she knew that she could only be happy with him.

Her wishful thinking was soon clouded over by her cynicism again, because why hadn't they discovered it before? Because Ryan had been too gung-ho about rebelling against his mother that he had been too blind to see it from the start! But now he was getting married, while Susanna was left holed up in her room, ready to grow old a spinster. The only thing to do was just forget about it, forget about it forever. Move on. Love wasn't worth it anyway… being happy was highly overrated. Besides, she didn't want to be a princess. Let Darcy be brainwashed into the royalty; Susanna was going to be just fine on her own, living the life she had always wanted.

Exhausted, Susanna fell asleep desperately trying to convince herself that that was true.

Author's Note: I know, I know, it's been awhile. School is out June 4… I am counting the days!!! AH! deep breath Sorry, momentary lapse of sanity. Well, ok, my whole life is a momentary lapse of sanity, but anyway. I don't know if anyone reads the little blurbs that I sometimes update on my bio page, but I've decided that once I have finished this story (tear) my next story will be based on Rumplestilskin. I hope you all will read it!

Everyone: I am finishing this story! I just wanted to make that clear, because sometimes when I don't update in awhile, people think I've stopped writing it completely. I haven't! It's that blasted institution of "learning" that prevents me from writing.