Notes: Thanks to all who've reviewed and/or added the story to their alerts...it's quite amusing to see that...nice lil ego boost :)...anywho..i do hope y'all enjoy this latest chapter...it would have been longer, but my hockey team was playin' and they by far trump fanfic writing...Thanks again all!
Tosh woke up, feeling as though she were floating down the hallway. Bright lights burned her eyes as the sconces lit the corridor.
"I'm so glad you came back, Soo-Jin." a voice said. Looking up, she saw that Christopher Milner was carrying her.
"I'm not..." she tried to say, but found her mouth completely dry and barely able to form the words.
"Shh, don't worry, darling." Christopher said as he smiled down at her. "We'll be together forever soon enough."
"Help." she tried in vain to cry out.
"Your friends are all asleep." he said with a soft chuckle. "Where did you meet those people?" he asked. "Not at all the kind of company you kept before." he added as he stopped and rather awkwardly opened a door.
"You can lay her down here." she could hear Georgette say. Turning her head, she could see the old woman standing next to a large four poster bed. "Your father is waiting in your room to help you get ready."
"You said I'd never see her again, mother." he said as he put her down, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "Yet, here she is. She's finally come back."
"I know, sweetling, I should have listened to you." Georgette said as she fondly stroked her son's hair. "It doesn't matter now though." she added softly. "She's here and you'll have your wedding."
"Soo-Jin, you've made me so happy." Christopher said as he sat on the bed next to Tosh. "Thank you for coming home." he added before leaning down to kiss her. "I'm going to get ready, mother is going to help you." he explained as he stood back up and headed for the door. "I'll see you soon, my love." Before leaving, he blew a kiss to her and smiled.
"Can't believe he waited for you all these years." Georgette said as she began to remove Tosh's shoes.
"Please." Tosh said, trying to grasp the woman's hand.
"Be quiet." she hissed as she slapped her hand away. "He could have had any number of girls all these years." she said as she began to remove Tosh's skirt. "But no, he just had to have you." she went on, moving to her shirt. "Seventy years, and it's been nothing but Soo-Jin this and Soo-Jin that."
Seventy years?, Tosh thought.
"So many girls have come through in that time." Georgette continued as she sat on the edge of the bed. "There was the Bruckner girl, she was sweet and pretty, good strong figure, would have been perfect for giving Christopher plenty of healty children." she shook her head. "But no. He wouldn't hear of it."
"I'm not..." Tosh tried again to get the woman to listen, to understand.
"I think I was making progress, to get him to accept someone else, then you lot had to show up." she went on, completely ignoring Tosh's feeble attempts. "And I see you've adopted a modern fashion sense. Couldn't believe what I saw you and those other little hussies wearing."
"Please." Tosh cried.
"Such tight trousers and those low-cut blouses." Georgette went on. "And the one who paid, her skirt was a bit short, wasn't it?" she asked. "And those boots she was wearing..what do gentlemen think when they see her?"
She got to her feet and gathered the discarded clothing, tossing them into the corner in a ball. She opened a wardrobe and took out a wedding gown. A very old wedding gown. The lace around the neck and wrists was yellowed. Tosh could smell moth balls when Georgette brought the dress over and laid it out at the end of the bed.
"What shall we do with your hair?" Georgette asked. "Stay right where you are, and I'll be right back." she said as she went into the bathroom.
Tosh could hear her looking for something, opening and closing cupboards, opening drawers. She decided to use the moment alone to try to get up. She tried to move, but found her body unwilling to comply. She slowly rolled over, hoping to swing her feet over the edge and stand up. Instead, her legs crumpled beneath her and she fell, just avoiding hitting her head on the bedside table.
"What are you doing?" Georgette asked as she came out of the bathroom, curling iron in hand. "You stupid girl." she groaned when she saw Tosh lying on the floor, struggling to get on all fours.
"Please, just let me go." Tosh begged as the old woman, surprisingly strong, tossed her back onto the bed.
"Why?" she asked as she stood back. "So you can run away and break my little boy's heart all over again?" she pressed, her voice rising in anger. "You have a good thing going here, you ungrateful little bitch!" she screeched, backhanding Tosh and knocking her back.
"Please." Tosh sobbed as she held her face in her hand, a small trickle of blood flowing where Georgette's wedding band had made contact with her skin.
"You'll marry Christopher." Georgette said as she grabbed Tosh by the hair and raised her up. "You'll be nice to him, you'll make him happy, or so help me God, you will pay." she hissed as she leaned her against the post of the bed and lifted her legs and started putting the dress on her.
Once the dress was on, she forced Tosh to a chair at a small vanity and began to roughly brush her hair. Looking at her watch, she sighed.
"Don't have much time to do anything with this mess." she said. "The veil will cover most of it, lucky for you." she added as she brought out a musty, yellow veil.
"My friends.." Tosh cried as Georgette stuck the comb of the veil into her hair.
"You'll see them at the wedding, don't worry." she replied as she got Tosh to her feet.
A knock sounded at the door, and Stanley stuck his head in.
"Is the bride all ready?" he asked gleefully.
"Need to wash her face." his wife answered. "Come hold her up."
"What happened?" he asked as he put an arm around Tosh's waist and held her up.
"I hit her." she answered as she dabbed at her face with a wet cloth.
"Chris won't like that." Stanley said.
"He's so happy, I don't think he'll pay too much attention." Georgette said. "Are the others in place?"
"All dressed and ready to go." he said with a smile. "Christopher is about to ware a hole in the rug in his room, he's pacing so much."
"He's waited long enough." she said as she straightened the veil. "You're sure they're ready?"
"Absolutely." he nodded. "All happy as could be."
"Good." she said as she stood back and looked Tosh over. "I think it's time for a wedding." she said with a smile.
"It's about bloody time." Stanley said as he moved towards the door, Tosh being dragged beside him.
"Ooh, Stanley." Georgette cried as she shut the door, dabbing her eyes with a lace handkerchief. "Our little boy is getting married."
"Just think, soon we'll have little ones calling us Grandma and Grandpa." he beamed.
"I can hardly wait." she giggled. "Come on, let's get down to the chappel."