The quote at the end of the first section is from The Night Has A Thousand Eyes by Francis William Bourdillon. You can also find it in A Series of Unfortunate Events: The End.

"Oh Vicki, it's beautiful..."

She watched herself in the mirror as Sheila cooed over her. They were at the first fitting for the wedding dress. Grad was only a week away, but Vicki wasn't planning on going. She had too many other things to try to focus on rather than one more event she'd planned on having Kenny with her for...

"Obviously getting gold-ivory was a better choice than white." Sharon said dryly. She didn't really approve of her getting married to Kyle. But no one really did besides his parents, and oddly enough, Carol. She'd even come for the appointment.

"I think no modern woman can honestly wear white on her weddin' day, Sharon. Not even you. And I know that my grandbaby is gonna be a lot better off than if Vicki had moved in with Karen and me. Even if Kevin's gone back to Denver."

He'd left as soon as the funeral had been over, knowing that Vicki would probably hunt him down with Kenny's revolver that was still tucked in the box under the bed in the tree house. She wasn't too adverse to blowing his brains out, whether it was his fault Kenny was dead or not. Kevin was scum of the earth, who'd had the nerve to ask his mom for another hundred dollars to pay the same guys who'd killed his brother.

"Anything to say about the dress, Vicki?" Sheila asked gently.

"It's perfect..." She couldn't think of anything more to say. It was perfect, but everything else was wrong. "It just feels more real now."

The three older women nodded in understanding. They knew she meant that Kyle's asking her to marry him felt real. She'd been used to the idea of getting married since March. "Moses knows what will happen, Vicki." Sheila began. "But Kyle will always be there for you, just like he promised Kenny he would be. And he'll always be there for Kylie—just like he promised you he'd be."

"Vicki felt the first smile since Kenny had died twitch her lips. "You know it's not Kylie anymore. I'm naming her Kennedy, after her dad."

In the reflection of the mirror, she could see Carol's eyes welling up with tears. "Kennedy... it's a beautiful name, Vicki. And if she's anythin' like her father, you're gonna have your hands full."

"I hope she's just like him."

Sharon cracked a bit of a smile. "Just wait until she's about ten years old—you'll take that back."

"Kenny was always a handful." Sheila added. "But he was a good boy. He grew up to be a good man."

Vicki nodded, properly taking in the site of her Grecian style dress flowing over the beginnings of a real baby bump. If she closed her eyes, she could picture herself walking down the aisle in this dress. Even if it was Gerald giving her away.

"He grew up to be the most amazing man I've ever known."

Turning the younger woman to face her, Sheila rested both hands on her shoulders. "Vicki, I know you know that his soul's in Heaven, or Hell, or whichever God put him in. But Kenny is also here with you—in spirit. And that's the part that loves you, and always will. That's the part that's forever."

She felt a lump in her throat, and tears pricking her eyes. It wasn't true—she knew—but it was touching of Sheila to try. This woman cared about her like a mother would—like her mother should. "Thanks Sheila."

"You're welcome, honey. I know it's been extra hard to not have your mother here, and even though nobody can make up for her failings, I like to think I can make it a little better."

"We're here for ya." Carol added. "Right, Shar?"

Sharon nodded. "I guess it's a mother's thing to support you, even if we don't like your choices. I'm having a hard enough time with the idea of Stanley going all the way to New York for university."

"He's going because Wendy's going. And they're not going to be separated any time soon." Vicki said quietly. "I always said they called the wrong couple The Golden Couple."

"I don't know, Vic. I think you really had something special." Sheila replied, smoothing out the shoulders of the dress absently. "I really think you had it."

"So then what is she doing now?"

"Life goes on, Sharon. We keep breathing, moving, growing...with or without our love."

"Not really, Sheila." She didn't know what it was really like. 'The mind has a thousand eyes, and the heart but one; Yet the light of a whole life dies when love is done.'

ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ I wish I could touch you again ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

Butters sat making centerpieces with Vicki in heavy silence. She didn't want to talk about Kenny, or Kyle, or the wedding, or the baby, or Grad. Which left talking about useless things like the weather that didn't mean anything, or not talking at all. And he wasn't going to be a part of this cover-up of hers that 'everything was okay'. Because obviously nothing was okay—nothing was right. But if Vicki wasn't going to talk about it, he wasn't going to push her.

Finally, she set down the vase she'd been filling with pale gold tulle, and properly looked at him. "I know you think I'm making a mistake—everyone does. But I don't need to hear it from any more people. Yes, I loved Kenny; yes, I'm getting into this fast; yes, I know that Kyle's misguided in this one last attempt to win my heart. But none of that changes that we're getting married."

"I wasn't plannin' on sayin' any of that, Vicki. I just wanted to tell you that no matter what you do, I'm gonna support you. After all, I know what it's like to be judged."

"Oh." She'd been expecting to be attacked, because so far, that was all anyone who wasn't a Broflovski or a McCormick had done. Even Stan.

"You know, they probably don't hate what you're doin' as much as you think." Butters added. "They're all just tryin' to cope with losin' Kenny, same as you, but they look to you to show them that things will be okay. Really okay—not just pretend."

"I'm just doing the 'fake it 'til you make it' thing. Because I don't have a clue what I'm supposed to do. But I know that I have to figure something out, for Kennedy's sake."

"You will. You're a lot stronger than this. You've been through this before."

"There's only so many times you can, though, Butters." She sighed. "It feels like you're heart's been ripped out of your chest and replaced by a big piece of stone—heavy and cold."

"But then Kennedy's gonna be born." He reminded her. "And if I know you, Vicki, you're gonna put all your love for Kenny into that little girl, and she's gonna make it okay."

Vicki said nothing, just went back to filling vases as he cut tulle to go inside. But he could see that she looked a little lighter—a little happier. "You know, it could be worse. At least you know the sex will be okay."

Vicki smiled—a proper smile. "Thank God for that. Otherwise I'd have to cheat on my husband with that dick, Craig."

"Well the way I see it, if a guy's called a dick all the time, he has to know how to use it at least."

"Should Jason be called a dick then?"

That was the Vicki they all knew and loved. "He's too sweet to be a dick. He just uses it."

"I think you've got a keeper. Someone to love you, both sides of you."

"...If I could split him in half, I'd share him."

She shook her head. "Remember that I had twelve guys vying for my heart? Mind, one of them was you, one was crazy, two are gay together, one's practically married to Wendy, and one is just hung up on me. And I'm marrying him."

And just like that, the old Vicki was gone, replaced with the shell of Vicki they'd been living with for the past month and a half. "I never thought it'd end up like this, Butters."

"Well Donnie Darko said 'Every living creature on this earth dies alone.' Whether it's true or not..."

"You do realize that's just even more depressing."

He shrugged, "It's the best I've got."

ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ I wish I could still call you friend ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

"Why the fuck are we still doing this?"

Stan looked up at Craig, who was framing walls—or had been before he'd thrown down his hammer in frustration and disillusionment. He'd been thinking the same thing. It was the day after grad, and they were out in the hot sun, working on the house Kenny'd planned to build Vicki. Not that any of them really felt like doing it anymore, since Vicki had agreed to marry Kyle. It didn't seem right that Kyle would live in the house Kenny had planned, and they had built. It was just wrong.

Token looked up from the plywood he was laying as the bare floor. "We're doing this 'cause it's Vicki, and Kenny would want us to."

"Kenny would want Kyle living here?"

"He would want Vicki to be as happy as she can be. Even if she's marrying her best friend."

Clyde snorted. "And how's she supposed to be happy when she wakes up next to a guy she doesn't love every morning?"

"What about—GAH!—fucking?" Tweek piped up. "OH MY GOD, WOULD THEY EVEN?"

Craig shook Tweek's shoulders a bit to calm him down. "Dude, She and Kyle did it once; fifty bucks says they do it again."

"There's no point to a bet where no one opposes you." Clyde pointed out.

"There's no point to building this house!"

"Then why the fuck are you here, Tucker?"

"Because I said I'd be, Black."

"You are such a dick—"

"TOO MUCH PRESSURE—!"

Stan couldn't take it anymore. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He hollered, climbing up into the bed of Jimbo's truck (which seemed to be with them more than Jimbo now) so he could be seen by the others. "You guys, this isn't about Kyle, or Vicki, or any of that shit! Maybe it was our wedding present before, but now it's something bigger. Let's make this house into our tribute to a fuckin' good friend. Let's finish what Kenny started."

They all nodded in agreement, and went back to work as Stan jumped down from the truck. He went back to laying floor with Token. "Stan, do you really believe a word of that shit?"

"Hell no. I just wanted you guys to shut up and get back to working on this, because I promised Kenny I would."

"...You are an ass hole sometimes."

"Gotta make up for not having Cartman anymore."

"Yeah..." Token smirked. "Bet if the fat ass was here right now, he'd be trying to direct this shit, fucking up the plans and sitting on his ass, telling us to 'respect his authori-tah'."

Stan couldn't hold back a laugh at that. "Dude, you missed out on the day he kept saying shit was hella-cool, or hella-lame, or hella-whatever. We totally wanted to send him to an evil parallel universe."

"...Is it fucked up to kinda miss him?"

"He was a crazy, racist, fucked up ass hole, but he was our friend since we were little kids. It's not fucked up to miss him."

ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ I'd give, anything... ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

Kyle couldn't help feeling awkward as he stood in front of Kenny's grave. It had only seemed right, when he'd first thought of it, to come and tell him about the wedding. But now that he was actually here...

"Hey dude. I'm still holding out on that promise I made you. I'm looking after Vicki as good as I can. She's not making it easy... I guess I can't really blame her. I don't know what I'd do if the person I'd been planning to spend the rest of my life loving died. I'd probably just give up—Vicki doesn't even get that option. She has the baby to think about too. And the one thing she is doing is making plans... like renaming the baby Kennedy, after you.

"And we're making some plans together, too. Because I promised you I'd take care of her, and I promised Vicki I'd help take care of the baby when I agreed to be her Godfather. So I'm doing it the best I can. You're probably not gonna like this, dude... but I asked Vicki to marry me, and she said yes. So we're going ahead with the wedding, just with a different groom."

He felt stupid, because the slab of granite in front of him couldn't hear him, and the mouldering corpse below him couldn't answer him. Kenny wasn't here—he was in Heaven, or Hell, or whichever. The point was he wasn't here, so talking to his grave was kinda pointless. And it wasn't making him feel any better about the situation either.

"I'm sorry man. It's not that I'm trying to take your place. I know what everyone's saying—that this is me just trying to guilt Vicki into loving me—but I swear it's not. I love Vicki—I'm always gonna love her in one way or another—but I know she's never going to love me as more than a close friend. In that way I've grown up, not that anyone sees it. But I'm not the only one in this—Vicki accepted. So it's not just me."

There were no answers for him here; the words on Kenny's new headstone weren't even meant for him. 'I Shall But Love Thee Better After Death' could only be for Vicki. The one he'd loved. The one who'd loved him. The one everyone was accusing him of stealing away, even though you couldn't steal a man's girl when he was six feet under—

"Came for a visit, Kyle?"

He whirled around, surprised to see Karen McCormick there. Well, not really surprised—she was Kenny's sister. But he still hadn't expected her there. "Thought I'd try it. But Kenny's not really here."

She shrugged, sitting down on the grass. "I don't think it matters if he's here. If you need ta talk ta him, you talk ta him."

"And what if you're looking for an answer?"

"Then you're better off prayin' in church, or wherever."

Praying? "Kar, didn't Kenny tell you praying doesn't work worth jackshit?"

"You think he knew everythin'? Just because a guy talks ta God, doesn't mean he knows everythin' God's up ta."

Huh, smart kid. Mind, she was thirteen by now—not exactly a kid anymore. "You believe he would hear me if I asked?"

"Don't matter what I believe; you've gotta believe."

"And if I don't?"

She shrugged, kneeling down in front of Kenny's grave like it wasn't a grave. "Then I feel pretty shitty for ya, Kyle. If ya don't believe in somethin', you've got nothin'."

I don't really know why Karen showed up at the end of this chapter. I guess because I liked writing her in Fall Of Coon and felt that Kyle wasn't feeling the 'talking to Kenny's grave' thing.