I'm so glad that everyone loved the last chapter, the response I got was phenomenal, keep up the awesome reviews, it shows the love!! Hope you enjoy, warning it is a lot different than the other chapters. But it just took over and this is what had to happen.
Lizzie parked the car and got out. She went in, holding the ring and note that Casey had given her. First she had to break it to her family then they would have to band together and figure out how to call off the wedding.
When she got inside, her mom practically pounced on her.
"Where's Casey?" she asked.
Lizzie took a deep breath.
"Yeah about that," Lizzie said as she entered the living room. "Casey won't be coming today."
There was a chorus of exclamations as the family exploded over this announcement.
"What do you mean she won't be coming?" Dennis asked, a frown on his face, sitting on the couch across from George.
Aunt Fiona looked stunned. "I would expect this of Vicki, but Casey?"
"Hey," protested Vicki.
Fiona gave her a pointed look and Vicki laughed.
Nora took a deep breath. "Actually I don't think I'm that surprised."
Vicki was sipping her tea and eating some toast. Kevin came to sit beside her.
"Has anyone seen Derek?" he asked.
Edwin and Marti were coming in from the kitchen at this point.
When Edwin heard Derek's name, he coughed.
George looked at him sharply. "Edwin?"
Edwin started gaping then turned back for the kitchen.
"Edwin!" George said sharply.
He laughed nervously as he looked at his dad.
"Edwin, where is Derek? It's bad enough that Lizzie took Casey so that she could run away from her wedding but where the heck is your brother?"
Nora groaned as she smacked her forehead and shook her head.
"Where are they going?" Nora turned to Lizzie.
Lizzie took a deep breath. "They've gone to Bali."
"Bali?"
Lizzie nodded. "I'm supposed to give this to Max," she said holding up the ring and the note.
Nora rolled her eyes upwards as she took them from Lizzie.
"Nora?" George said a little nervously.
"Georgie," Nora said sweetly. "It is exactly what it sounds like. They've run away together."
Dennis laughed. "Well, I'll be darned."
Nora exhaled as she took a seat next to George. "Alright, we somehow have to call off a wedding. What the heck are we going to do?"
Vicki laughed. "Maybe that's why Case suggested that I get married today."
Nora turned to look at her sharply.
Vicki's smile froze. "Sorry Aunt Nora, I'm just kidding."
"No," she said, shaking her head, "it might be a good idea."
Vicki laughed. "Right and where would I get a dress?"
Nora and Fiona looked at each other, and then smiled.
Vicki looked back and forth between her aunt and her mother. "What's going on? What are you two thinking?"
"Leave it to us. Somehow, we're going to pull of the impossible. You two can have a nice small family wedding—if you want."
Vicki looked at Kevin and they both grinned.
"I'm game," Kevin smiled.
"Now what do we do about the other thing?" Harry asked.
Nora rubbed her forehead then looked at her husband. "Oh Georgie, what do we do?"
"Well, Casey wanted Max to get the ring and note, so we should give it to him. We have six hours till the wedding. We can easily deal with the… okay; I'm not sure exactly how we are going to deal with this. Casey is the one that would be able to handle a situation like this."
Nora nodded her agreement. "Yes she would George, but as it is, we have to ban together as a family because they're our family and we need to protect them."
"I just wish we could go because I bet you anything that they're going to end up married while they're in Bali," Marti frowned.
"I thought you bet me that they wouldn't," Edwin said looking at her.
"Yeah Marti, you said they wouldn't," Lizzie frowned.
George rolled his eyes. "Guys, it would have been nice if you had warned us about all of this."
Dennis laughed then. "Casey was trying to warn us all that she wasn't happy. And I'm sure that we can all agree that Derek and Casey never got over each other."
There were murmurs of agreement.
"Now, let me go and talk to Max and his parents. Maybe we can grab his friends and get them to take him away just so he can nurse his ego over this situation. But it will all work out and Kevin, if you want to call your family then we'll help you two have your own little wedding."
Nora looked at Dennis gratefully. "Thank you."
"Well don't thank me yet," he said.
He took the note and engagement ring from Nora.
Lizzie looked at her father. "I want to go with you," she said.
He looked at her carefully, "alright."
Then a flurry of activity took place.
"Come on Vicki," her mother said, "there are a few choices for a wedding dress."
"Not Casey's though," Lizzie laughed from the doorway.
Nora took a deep breath. "Oh this was not how I planned on spending the day."
"Look on the bright side Mom," Lizzie said with a smile, "she's with Derek and she'll move back to the area."
Nora grinned at that. "I hadn't thought of that."
Dennis rolled his eyes. "You women, maybe we should find a way to arrange to fly out to Bali to watch them get married. I want to see my daughter's union to her soul mate."
George scoffed. "Well, let's take care of this today and then when they call us we'll make them tell us what their plans are and maybe we can see about that."
Nora practically beamed. "Good idea Georgie."
It was a flurry of activity after that.
Edwin and Marti started calling the family to let them know that the wedding was off but they were more than welcome to come to Vicki and Kevin's wedding that was going to take place that day.
Fiona and Harry went about trying to put together the quick details for Vicki. When the stylist came, she took over Vicki's hair, same for the make up artist when she came.
Meanwhile Lizzie and her dad arrived at the hotel where Max and his mates were staying.
Dennis knocked on the door.
Max's best man Jeff opened the door; he was holding a Molson Canadian.
"Mr. MacDonald," he said, looking up at him. Then he spotted Lizzie and frowned.
"Can I see Max," Dennis said.
"Um, Max is…" he looked at the other guys.
"Where is he?"
"He's not really feeling so well," Peter, another of Max's friends, said.
Dennis cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really, well I suggest that you get him out here right now if you know what's good for you. I have to talk to him."
They all looked really nervous, suddenly Max appeared, wiping his mouth, and looking like shit.
"Mr. Macdonald," Max said with wide eyes.
"Max, I was wondering if I could have a word with you."
He nodded and came into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He wreaked of… booze and puke.
Dennis frowned. "Have you been drinking?"
Max let out a belch and wobbled a little. "I was just a little nervous, you know, about getting married."
Dennis took a deep breath. "Are you sure you really want to get married there son?"
Max took a deep breath. "I think it's just a nerves thing sir."
Dennis looked at Lizzie with a look of relief.
"Casey wanted me to give this to you," Dennis said, handing him the note.
Max frowned as he started to read it.
Max, I'm sorry that I have to do this to you, but I can't marry you. I love you but I don't think that I love you in the way you deserve to be loved. I hope you can forgive me, I imagine that you will when you meet the right person for you. If you think about it, I'm sure you will agree with me when I say that the two of us are not meant to be married. I know you will probably be pretty mad, but we will deal with this later. Just send my stuff to my dad from your New York apartment. I just hope that one day; you'll forgive me for doing this to you. Right now as you are reading this, I will be gone and I will be doing what is best for me… and you. With all my love that you had, but not the kind worthy of you, Casey.
Max exhaled a deep breath then closed his eyes.
"Just like that," he said.
Dennis handed him the ring.
"She wanted to do it in person but felt like there was no right way to do this," Lizzie quietly said.
Max gave a nod. "Okay."
Dennis gave him a hard look. "I think you're relieved she's run."
Max shrugged then frowned. "She's run?"
Dennis shrugged. "She's long gone and I'm not at liberty to discuss it with you."
Max clenched his jaw. "But there I was declaring my love for her and prepared to get married for her and she's gone and left me jilted!"
Dennis patted him on the shoulder. "I can understand that this is hard for you. My suggestion for you would be to take off with your buddies for Vegas. I can't imagine what you're feeling but I do know that it would be hard to hang around on the day you were supposed to be getting married."
Max leaned against the door. "What about the honeymoon tickets?"
Dennis grabbed his blackberry and went through the phone files. "This is the number of my secretary, call her and she will help you change your tickets so then you and your buddies can terrorize the city of lights."
Max seemed to like the idea while he was absent-mindedly fiddling with the ring.
He then took the blackberry and let Dennis arrange with the secretary the changing of the New Zealand honeymoon to a penthouse suite in Vegas.
"I'm sorry it turned out this way," Dennis said, patting him on the arm again.
Max shrugged. "I guess this is just the way it is."
He went back into the suite to talk to the guys.
Lizzie looked at her dad. "That seemed almost too easy."
Dennis nodded. "It was, but I think that they both know that they would have made a mistake. It will take Max longer for him to realize it but he will. It will be rough when they have to send stuff back and forth and most likely when Casey appears in the trash magazines when news gets leaked out about Derek's big elopement scandal, but even then I think it won't even make a splash. Derek will take care of her."
"Now," he said, putting an arm around her. "Let's go see about Vicki's wedding then finding out about seeing your sister's wedding—whenever, however it may happen."
Lizzie grinned. "By the way, you owe me a hundred bucks."
Dennis laughed as they made their way to the elevator. "I guess I do."
Alright, so there was no Casey and Derek in this chapter, but I will get to Bali, don't you worry. Please review, I know this chapter was different than the others, but I felt like you all needed to know what happened back at home while Derek and Casey run to Bali.
