Disclaimer: I do not own any part of The Corpse Bride. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to do this chapter.
My muse died suddenly from a heart attack. I think I made her work too hard, writing the rest of this story so fast. I had to wait for her replacement to show up, which is really, supremely annoying as my muses seem to be invisible so it's hard to tell when they arrive!
Fly Beyond Your Dreams
Emily sobbed lightly against his lips, her mouth a firm line for a moment from shock until she melted in his embrace, bringing her arms up to encircle his neck as she leaned into his body.
Nothing mattered outside of this moment, he discovered.
Emily happy in his arms. The two of them together and happy, and utterly beyond his conniving parents' grasp.
Even though neither of them had to breath, they still broke the kiss after a longer-than-normal-but-not-too-long kiss. The mannerisms of the Victorian era were still in-ground too deeply in them for them to totally disregard.
"Is the marriage completed?" he asked the Elder, still holding Emily in his arms, as she made happy little sobs in the hollow of his neck.
"Yes, in spite of the interruptions. All of the requirements have been met," he replied. "I hope you not come to regret your decision my boy."
Victor looked at the shining face of his slowly-calming bride.
"Never," he smiled, tightening his arms around her slender waist, making her beam.
"Then I think you should be known as the Corpse Groom," Elder Gutknecht said off-handedly, re-corking the poisoned wine.
Victor gave a bark of a laugh.
The title suited him fine.
Who else would marry the Corpse Bride, but the Corpse Groom?
Smiling, he let his head drop into his Brides' sweet smelling hair, wondering idly how it could smell so nice when she had been dead for so long.
Like pressed flowers.
A shocked exclamation brought both their attentions back to the outside world, only to be faced with a surge of corpses rushing forward to congratulate them, Ms. Plum's announcement of "New Arrival!" somehow carrying over the sudden chatter.
"Welcome to the group, man!"
"Drinks on ze house!"
"What'd we miss?"
"Who's the other cutie?"
The voices lapped over each other, but for the moment Victor's attention was bound to the odd sacks the cooks seemed to be carrying. Sacks that seemed to be wriggling.
And one of them seemed to be emitting panicked muffled screams.
"Uh… it that…?" he began.
Ms. Plum rearranged her bag, throwing it over her shoulder for a better grip.
"Yup. I've been needing some new ingredients for my cooking," she grinned.
Victor blinked.
So there really was a fate worse than death.
At least Victor was accustomed to death before he voluntarily died.
He had no idea of Barkis' horror at suddenly dying and being dismembered, unwillingly and aware.
He might have felt sympathy for him if not for all the pain the man had caused others for his own monetary benefit.
And Emily…
He retightened his grip on his bride, wondering how she had existed after the heartbreak of her ruthless murder.
A sudden uneasy shuffle of a newer wedding dress caught his attention back to his brother and Victoria.
Vincent had drawn her away from the throng of dead people as they had rushed forward to his newly-deceased brother and he was watching them with wide eyes, standing protectively in front of the woman he loved.
"Vincent," he called, hearing the other corpses quiet down around him.
His younger brother met his gaze with slightly frightened eyes.
"Take care of her," Victor told his younger brother. "You're heir to Father's company now. Her parents won't be able to disapprove of you anymore."
"Why…why did you do it?" Vincent asked, his voice a little hoarse, eyes still wide.
Victor smiled, sad to see his brother afraid of him, but not regretting his action at all.
"Because I've had so very little happiness in my life," he responded, "And now that I found the one who'll make me happy to rest of my existence, I wasn't about to let her go over a little thing like death. And… I wanted to give her a reason to be happy herself. To be loved and cared for like she deserves."
Vincent was watching Emily now more than his brother, Vincent could tell.
"How will I explain this to Mother and Father?"
"Just tell them Barkis killed me to get the chance to marry Victoria. With his reputation they'll believe it," he smiled.
"Will… will I ever see you again?"
Victor looked at Elder Gutknecht for the answer, who readily replied, "I suppose one trip a year wouldn't be too unreasonable."
Victor smiled as he said, "We'll visit once a year, a week from today."
Vincent smiled uneasily, but still looked relieved.
Elder Gutknecht waved his hand vaguely to draw the corpse crowd's attention.
"Time to go," he informed them.
Slowly, after a few heartfelt goodbyes to loved ones, the dead began leaving the church, each disappearing as they stepped into the moonlight with a gathering and dispersal of blue smoke until only Victor and Emily were left to give their final farewells.
With the others gone, Vincent had come forward to face his brother directly.
Victor could feel his brother's intense gaze as he studied his blue toned skin carefully.
"I can't believe how adult you're acting," Vincent said at long last.
"You always did treat me like the younger brother," he said, smiling at the memory.
"You always acted like one," his brother retorted, before he sobered slightly. "I hope you'll be happy."
Victor smiled at his little brother, as he held Emily tightly to his side, stepping back the final step into the moonlight, feeling the magic begin to drift around him to take him back to the Underworld.
"I already am," he replied, as the magic finished curling itself about their forms as specks of light danced around them, letting his response linger even as the magic swallowed them completely in a sparkling light as they vanished under the moonlight.
THE END
A/N: It's finally DONE! does a happy dance
I purposely left it open for a sequel, since I've been thinking of doing a short after-story. If I don't, I leave it open for anyone to continue this plot/storyline in any venue they choose.
I've read so many stories that are abandoned that I just itch to finish that I always leave the option open for others to do so for my stories if they so wish.
I only ask to be informed of such so I can read it with the other Corpse Bride fans.
I love fanfics! They have to be one of the best things on the internet, letting everyday people launch their stories out into the world for others to read.
P.S. I kind of imagined Victor and Emily's exit to be like Emily's was in the movie, but without the butterflies.
I just really like that image of being surrounded by a circle of light, dissolving away into a magic that carries you elsewhere.
I thought it would be a perfect ending to the story, and it keeps it in parallel line with the movie, which I did throughout the rest of this story.
Like I said in the summery, this is a re-write of the Corpse Bride in which Victor and Emily end up together, so I kept the basic plot the same.
I hope you all enjoyed this fanfic as much as I certainly enjoyed writing it!
I wish I could leave a reply for all the people who have reviewed this story thus far – I may add another chapter to do just that in the near furure – but for now I will only reply to the last three reviews.
To Coriana Raposa: I hope I didn't make you wait too long for the ending! I also hope it met your expectations!
To sakura-light-angel: THANK YOU! I'm very happy to hear that you "loved this story"! I think all the authors on like to hear that others appreciate their work! And I whole-heartedly agree: VICTOR AND EMILY FOREVER!
To Miss Izzy: What did you know? I thought I did pretty good at keeping everything vague. I look forward to your next review for your answer!
Finally, to all my Reviewers, past and future, I hope you have all enjoyed this story.
Also, I ask you to remember that the limit of the world's possibilities is the limit of your dreams, so always remember to dream beyond what you think is possible.
And always, FLY IN YOUR DREAMS