Chapter 9 – The One Where Three's A Crowd.

Part I of II.

"I'm getting married in the morning…" Steffi sang happily as she got out of bed the next morning. She made her way over to the open window and stuck her head out. Then she ran and had a shower, trying to cram everything in before the bridesmaids and the hairdresser came. At nine o'clock, when everyone was due to arrive, Steffi was still drying her thick locks. Suddenly, her bridesmaids came running in shrieking their congratulations, and Steffi was inundated with people trying to hug the bride. The only person who stood back away from the crowd was Steffi's maid of honour, her best friend Danielle. They had been friends since childhood, but then Steffi moved away and Danielle had been taken away by a demon, Barbas, and used as a slave. Only recently had she been released from captivity, and crowds still made her nervous. She smiled at Steffi over the throng, and Steffi grinned back.

"Dan! I haven't seen you since… forever!!" She ran over to Danielle and gave her the biggest bear hug humanly possible. Danielle shied away at first, but then relaxed and hugged her friend back.

"St-Cammy! It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Oh God, yeah! I was beginning to think… well, let's not go there. Okay everyone," she addressed the bridesmaids. "This is Danielle, my head bridesmaid lady. Everyone must listen to her, because she's the boss and I don't know where I would be without her. Dan, this is Katy my flatmate, that's Kirsten…"

Cole straightened out his tuxedo and tie carefully. He wanted to look his best for Steffi's wedding, even if he was going to effectively ruin it. He ran over the plan he and Tom had made in his head one more time. Nothing would go wrong, as long as he remembered the plan. Then, taking a deep breath, he glamoured into Marcus, Steffi's flatmate and her closest male friend. Good thing he was only an usher, and not the best man.

"Okay, the wedding's at half eleven, and it's now ten o'clock," Steffi said as Donna Karan herself began to do her hair. "So here's my little checklist. Cake?"

"Check! It's in the hotel foyer. Its soo totally gorgeous Carmella, wherever did you find the caterer?" Katy, a pretty Oriental girl and Steffi's flatmate, chirruped.

"It's a secret, Kat. Okay so cake; check. Dress?"

"Check," said Ms Karan. "It's hanging up on the side of your wardrobe. You know, I'm so glad Tom introduced us – have you ever considered modelling?" Steffi giggled and looked at her dress in the mirror. It was a beautiful silk sheath dress, with a tight bodice and a long, full, free-flowing skirt with a train. Her veil was attached to a beautiful diamond and silver tiara; a gift from Tom Carter.

"Cake and dress are checked. Bridesmaids dresses?" Steffi looked at Danielle out of the corner of her eye. She nodded and said,

"Check. They're on the bed. In fact, girls, go and get ready now, and then you can get your hair and make up done sooner." The bridesmaids trotted off to change, chattering away about their own weddings and what they would be like, and so it was just Steffi, Donna Karan and Danielle.

"Carmella, your hair is so beautiful! I wish I had left mine long…" Donna sighed.

"Well it's also a lot of freakin' hard work, so don't be so quick to envy me!" Steffi said with a grin.

An hour later, Steffi stood in front of the mirror in her room, fully dressed and made up. She looked beautiful, her hair up and adorned with silver clips and little pink flowers which matched those in her bouquet, which comprised of the little pink flowers and brilliant white roses. But something didn't feel quite right somehow. Steffi frowned slightly, and thought fleetingly that she shouldn't frown too long in case the make up shifted. Then, she realised what was wrong – she was marrying the wrong man.

Cole, in his usual appearance instead of his disguise as Marcus, looked around the empty church. It was decked out for a fairytale wedding, and he almost felt guilty for ruining it. But he knew he was doing the right thing, and that was enough for him. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he whirled round to see Marcus.

"You alright, mate?"

"God, you scared me Marcus!"

"Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, Tom Carter said you wanted to speak to me?"

"Yeah… look, is it alright if I glamour into you for the first part of the ceremony? Just so I can get into the wedding without getting kicked out."

"Sure. But why are you here if you weren't invited?"

"Well, I'm sort of going to get Steffi back. When the vicar says that bit about objecting, I'm going to stand up."

"As me?"

"No, as me you idiot," Cole smacked him lightly on the cheek and grinned. "Who's the best man?"

"Some guy from Phil's work, I dunno," shrugged Marcus, smiling back. "Bit up himself if you ask me though."

"Really? Well then, he's certainly not good enough for Steffi's wedding." Guests started to file in, and Cole pulled Marcus into a corner near the pew where he was sitting according to the plan. "Okay, you stay here. I'll come in with whoever the bridesmaid is you're accompanying, and then I'll let you sit down. I'll fade into a seat near the middle, and then no one will ever know."

"Sounds good to me. Good luck, Mr Turner." Marcus shook Cole's hand, and then went into hiding. Cole neatly glamoured into Marcus and stood by the door, awaiting his orders.

Cole took the arm of a pretty bridesmaid called Amanda and led her down the aisle. She whispered to him,

"Marcus, I know you had problems with Chelsea, but I'm nothing like her I promise. Take my number." She pushed a piece of paper into his pocket and sat down. As soon as Cole saw Marcus he passed him the paper.

"Good luck mate, she seems nice enough!" Then, he faded into a seat about ten pews back and made himself comfortable.

Steffi bit her lip, and heard the wedding march being played. She looked at Danielle, who smiled at her reassuringly. Somebody whispered to her to get moving, and she made her way slowly down to the altar.

As soon as Cole saw Steffi, he was struck by her appearance and gasped. She really was beautiful, walking down the aisle like that, her hair like that, her dress fitted like that… he could hardly wait until the vicar said those vital words. Tom, who was leading Steffi down the aisle, craned his neck around behind Steffi and winked at Cole, who nodded and glamoured back into himself, safe now that Steffi had passed him. Now for the service.

The service began, and dragged on for far too long in Steffi's opinion. She could've sworn it hadn't been this long during rehearsals… ah well, as soon as it was over, and she had become Mrs Carmella Gregory, then she could start all over again. She could forget about Cole, those thousands of wasted kisses, those wasted moments where she would just look at him and smile… she could forget about the time she would never get back.

"…If there is any person who knows of any lawful reason why these two may not be joined in holy matrimony, may he speak now or forever hold his peace," said the vicar. He took a breath, ready to carry on, but then his eyes widened as a man stood up and said clearly,

"I know of a reason. The bride doesn't love the groom; she loves me." Steffi didn't have to turn her head to look at the gasping congregation, and look at the man who had spoken. She knew he was looking at her. Phil muttered,

"Cammy? Who is it?"

"…It's Cole…"