DISCLAIMER: "Corpse Bride" and all associated characters belong to Tim Burton and "Tonight Will Last Forever" belongs to Mest.
Tonight Will Last Forever
Victor Van Dort breathed a deep sigh as he stood on the bridge above the small creek in the little Victorian town in which he lived. It was a cold winter night, and the snow was steady falling. Victor saw each breath escape him into the cold air as he huddled up in a heavy, black coat. I really should have brought my gloves, was the only thing that went through his head, instead of thought of going home, and the fact that most people would not stand outside in the cold at that time of winter, much less, at that time of night.
Victor had no idea what was wrong with him. Lately, he noticed that something was…missing. He was not sure what it was, because things had been running so smoothly. He had married Victoria Everglot a month before, and the two had never been happier. They lived in a nice Victorian mansion located on a lonely street near the bridge leading to the forest, where they felt more comfortable and out of the limelight. They were not big on possession, but they owned a prized grand piano that was of great value to them. Victor had begun to teach his young wife how to play in the month that they had been married, and sometimes it reminded him of the time he had played alongside the corpse bride Emily in the Land of the Dead.
Things were great, indeed, but Victor still felt an empty hole in his heart. Was it because his in-laws thought so low of him? No, that can't be it, he thought. They still have to get adjusted with me. I'm sure in time they'll get used to me. Could it be that he was still getting used to marriage? No, I'm happy with Victoria. Things are going so well. Victor stood on the bridge and stared down at the frozen water below him. He saw a tall, thin man with dark hair and eyes, a pale complexion, and blood red lips that turned darker and darker as the night crew colder and colder. He shut his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. What is the matter? He asked himself as he opened his eyes. He looked back down on the frozen creek. He saw his reflection once again. My lips look solid frozen, he thought as he continued to stare. Then, suddenly, he saw a blue blur floating on his right.
"Emily?" he asked as he swung his head around, but only to see nothing but the dark night air. He looked back down on the creek. Nothing. That was rather odd, Victor thought to himself. Perhaps the cold is making me crazy, he thought. He folded his arms in attempt to keep warm as he walked off the bridge. His home was not far, so he could bare the short walk in the cold. Though the walk was short, his train of thought was purely the opposite. Why did I think I saw Emily? He asked himself. Why do I want to see Emily? He stopped in his tracks. Well she is a lovely woman…or, corpse. She set me free. She let me have Victoria. Why wouldn't I want to see her? I have yet to thank her, he continued to think. He then began walking again until he reached his Victorian home, where his living love was waiting.
"Victor, where have you been?" asked Victoria as Victor entered his home. He shut the heavy wooden door behind him as a butler rushed to take his coat.
"Just on the bridge," replied Victor. He walked over to the crimson red sofa and sat down next to Victoria.
"Are you alright?" asked Victoria as she stuck her sewing needle into a pin cushion and set her quilt aside. "You're frightfully pale."
"I was just outside," Victor replied shyly.
"You normally don't stand outside in the winter cold at night," stated Victoria. She put a small hand on his chin and looked at him. "Victor, something is not right." Victor took her hand in his and sighed.
"Victoria," he began, "I don't know what is wrong. I guess…" he paused, as if to think. "I guess I feel…empty. Like something is missing." Victoria looked at him sadly.
"Oh, Victor," was all she could say. She just looked into his sad, tired eyes as the silence built up in between them. "I don't know what to say," she finally spoke up, breaking that raging silence.
"I can't even tell you why I feel this way," Victor said sheepishly. "I don't even know myself."
"Is it…me?" asked Victoria hesitantly.
"No, no, of course not," answered Victor immediately. "I don't know what it is, but I do know it's not you."
"I hope not," said Victoria. "I couldn't bear bringing you any unhappiness."
"No, no, of course not," said Victor. "You make me happy." With that, Victoria smiled slightly, then picked up her quilt and continued her work. Victor watched her, noting the butterflies on the fabric. They reminded him of Emily…the night he had "set her free" and watched her turn into a mass of butterflies as she slowly vanished. Victor always wondered, Where did Emily go? Had she gone up to Heaven? Is she back in the Land of the Dead? And what exactly did she mean when she said he had "set her free"? Did he make her get over the pain that Lord Barkis Bitterin had brought upon her? Had she finally reached a peace within herself?
Victor yawned, breaking him from his thoughts. "I'm going to bed," he said to Victoria, who looked up from her quilt.
"Already? It's only 8:30," she replied.
"I'm tired," said Victor simply.
"You do look tired," said Victoria. "Well, Victor, go get some rest. I'll be there in a little bit."
"Goodnight," said Victor as he kissed Victoria and stood up.
'"Goodnight," said Victoria. She smiled at him as he headed towards their bedroom, until his figure was nowhere to be seen. She looked back down at her quilt. I think he misses Emily, she thought to herself as she began to work again.
"He has barely moved a muscle today," Victoria said the next night. She stood in the doorway of her and Victor's bedroom, looking in on her sleeping husband. Behind her stood a tall, old man with a thin face, a thick mustache, and a thick lock of white hair on top of his head. He had a small pair of spectacles on the tip of his nose and a stethoscope hanging around his neck. He wore a long, light brown coat over black pants and a fancy gray shirt, accessorized by a long black tie.
"Well I checked him over, and he seems healthy. His heartbeat is steady, his temperature is normal, and his pulse is fine. I can't think of any possible ailment except for grief," said the man.
"Grief…" said Victoria, biting her lip in thought. "Well, a friend of ours recently departed, but it was a month ago and he has not spoken of it."
"Maybe it took awhile for the grief to catch up with him," said the doctor. "But all I can tell you is to keep an eye on him, and call me if he doesn't feel better in a few days."
Meanwhile, Victor lay in bed, on his side with his back to the doorway, listening in on the conversation.
"Thank you, Doctor," he heard Victoria say. "I'll walk you out."
"Thank you, Mrs. Van Dort." The doctor's words hit Victor like a ton of bricks. Mrs. Van Dort, he thought to himself. Victoria Van Dort. And just to think, it was almost Victoria Bitterin and Emily Van Dort. Just then, a small smile pressed onto Victor's lips.
Emily Van Dort, he repeated in his head. Visions of her graceful dancing entered his mind. He remembered the night he told her they'd meet his parents. They had just entered the Land of the Living, and she told him, "I've been in the darkness for so long, I almost forgot how beautiful the moonlight was." With that, she started prancing joyfully around the forest underneath the winter sky. He just stood there in the cold, watching her, feeling frantic and eager to get back to his bride-to-be.
However, after only a day, he found himself growing more comfortable around Emily. Though he longed for Victoria and only planned to marry Emily after he found out from Mayhew that Victoria was to wed Lord Barkis, part of him welcomed the idea of being joined to Emily.
Wait! Victor's eyes grew wide as he stopped his train of thought. Could it be…no, it can't be! It just can't! He shook his head and closed his eyes. I can't be in love with Emily! I just can't! I love Victoria! Visions of their last night together returned to his head. Emily was in the kitchen, talking to Elder Gutknecht. He remembered hearing him tell her that in order for them to be married, he'd have to wed her in the Land of the Living and drink from a wine glass filled with poison. Emily sunk down to her knees and exclaimed, "I could never ask him to do that!" Victor remembered what Mayhew had told him, and well, he no longer had an alibi for not marrying Emily. And besides, they got along…perhaps in time he could grow to love her back.
Victor continued to lie in his bed, trying to put the pieces together. The Land of the Dead was so…lively. Emily had more life to her than anyone else in the whole town. Even…Victoria. She was so soft-spoken and shy. But Emily, she was so…vibrant and enthusiastic. Once again, Victor found himself smiling shyly when he thought of Emily. When he realized it, his eyes grew wide again and his smile dropped. Oh my goodness! He sat up in bed and his hands dropped to his sides. I think I'm in love with Emily! He shook his head. I need some fresh air, he thought. With that, he hoisted himself up out of bed and quickly dressed. He walked down the long corridor and down the stairs. He saw Victoria sitting on the couch, working on her quilt again. He walked over to her and planted a kiss on her head. She looked up at him and smiled excitedly.
"Victor! Are you alright?" she asked, putting her quilt down.
"I..." Victor began, "I don't know yet. I…I need some fresh air." Victoria smiled at him.
"I'll be here when you get back," she said. He smiled back at her and kissed her on the head once more.
"I won't be gone long," he said as he put on a heavy coat and opened the big, wooden door. Just then, a butler ran up.
"Oh, let me get that for you, Master Van Dort," he said.
"Thank you, but I've got it," he said shyly as he walked out the door. The butler shut it behind him. The cold air hit Victor instantly as he pulled his hood up over his head. He had never really thought about where he would go, but he knew, for his legs automatically took him over to the bridge where he had stood the night before. When he got there, he just stood there in thought as he leaned over the rail. Get over it, Victor, he told himself. Emily is dead and Victoria is a lovely wife. Don't mess things up. He looked down at the creek below him. After a moment, he saw the blue blur again floating next to him. He chuckled to himself. "I'm going insane," he said aloud. "There's nothing there!" Just then, he turned his head and his jaw dropped. There, right in front of him, stood Emily.
"Emily?" was all he could say. She walked towards him.
"Hello, Victor," she said.
"Emily, what are you doing here?" Victor asked her.
"Victor, I've come to talk," began Emily. Victor looked at her intently. "You're not happy," she continued.
"I am happy, Victoria is lovely--" he began, but was cut off.
"She is very lovely," interrupted Emily. "But I've been watching you for the past month. You're not happy. And I'm not free."
"What?" asked Victor.
"Victor, when I said I wanted someone to set me free, I could only be free if I made that someone happy. When I gave you up and let Victoria have you, I made you happy. That set me free. But now you're not happy."
"Well, I do feel empty," Victor said shyly. Just then, he heard a voice nearby.
"Victor?" said Victoria, who was walking towards him on the bridge. She looked at him, then at Emily. "Emily, thank you so much for what you did last month," she said. Emily smiled.
"You're more than welcome," replied Emily.
"How did you find me here?" Victor asked his wife. She smiled bashfully.
"I just figured you'd be here," she replied. Victor smiled.
"She is so lovely and caring, I can't understand why you feel something is missing," Emily said to Victor. Victoria smiled.
"I think he misses you," Victoria said to Emily. Emily looked over at Victor. Victor looked down sadly.
"I'm more confused than I've ever been in my life," he began. "Emily, I had a lot of time to think today, and I think I fell in love with you that day." He stopped and looked over at Victoria. "But Victoria, I love you more than life itself and I've enjoyed being with you this past month." Victoria smiled slightly.
"Victor, you can't choose who you fall in love with. And, I think..." she began, looking down at her feet, then looking back up at Victor. "I think you should go with Emily. You have been very down this past month and I can't help but think that we're growing apart, and I'm trying to avoid it by giving you too much attention."
"No, no," said Victor in quick retort. "I love you, Victoria," he said. Then he looked at Emily. He sighed and put his head down into his hands. "I'm so stupid," he said.
"No, no," said Emily, putting her skeletal hand on his back. "Victor, you can't control your feelings." She looked at Victoria, who now pulled Victor's hands off his face.
"Go with her," said Victoria. She looked at Emily and smiled.
"Oh no, I can't do that to you," said Emily. "Victoria, he's yours, and I want him to make you as happy as he made me."
"Emily," said Victoria. "I can sense his feelings for you. You two belong together."
"Victoria, don't do this," said Victor. "I promised you on our wedding day that I would stay with you until death do us part."
"Please, Victor," said Victoria. She smiled at him and took his hand. Then, she placed it into Emily's. Victor looked at her sadly, then looked at Emily. He smiled, feeling that calm comfort he had felt earlier that day whenever she came to mind. Victoria smiled, then walked away without saying a word.
"Victoria!" called Emily, taking her hand out of Victor's and going after her. She turned around, the smile still on her face.
"Yes?" asked Victoria shyly.
"Come live with us in the Land of the Dead. We couldn't be happy without you," she said. Victoria smiled wider.
"I'd love to," she replied, walking up to Victor and his corpse bride. With that, Emily put her arms around both Victor and Victoria as the three began to vanish into a mass of butterflies, departing into the Land of the Dead. There, they would make their arrangements and live happily together in death. Up in the Land of the Living, the mass of butterflies separated and flew up to the full moon as the skyline lit the night that would last forever.
Remembering the night again
So cold outside, the snow began
That winter storm cut like a knife
Your eyes were wide enough to fill
The mood so full, it should have spilled
Chicago's skyline lit the night
Cut my nose, spite my face
Tonight will last forever
Take my life with your hands
I laid with you until the end
Watching the breath crawl from your lungs
My alibi was lost that night
So take your last breath in tonight
Let the frozen sky surround your eyes
Chicago's skyline lit the night
Cut my nose, spite my face
Tonight will last forever
Take my life with your hands
--Mest