Author's Note: Cavity Inducing sweetness break with a small bit o' drama. Hope you enjoy the update. Thanks to Nichole, who read this over and nabbed a few of my errors while on Vacay, and Sherrie for prereading for me! Hope you enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 18
Things were weird for the next few days as we all tried to reconcile the reality that I was having a baby with everything else going on. I was only about five weeks or so along, so I wasn't even close to showing yet. Between early timing and the morning sickness, my gown still fit fine. I stood in front of the mirror in the changing room on the second floor of the historic society's building downtown, staring at myself in the mirror, my gloved hands trembling with nerves.
Wanting to be able to actually reach Damon to slow dance at our wedding reception, and sit down without major hoopskirt drama, I ended up opting for a more modern, less massive alternative to the four foot diameter hoop skirt that the dress was designed to be worn with, instead going with a much narrower skirt. It still gave the dress shape, but didn't make me look like a Thanksgiving Parade float. It also had the added benefit of giving me a little more length as I was a bit taller than Mrs. Salvatore had expected her daughter-in-law to be. The compromise ended up working out perfectly.
In addition to my gown, I was wearing matching satin gloves that reached nearly to my elbows and a long, cathedral length veil sewn with tiny little white pearls. While traditionally I should have worn my hair down, I opted instead to only wear the front part up, pinned back in a traditional orange blossom and crystal tiara, leaving the rest to trail down my back under the veil. I had worried it wasn't the right decision when I finally put the dress on, but when Jenna and Elena saw me and started tearing up, I decided that my instincts might have been correct after all.
A knock on the door told me it was time and with careful steps in my small, but perilous heels, I walked to the door. I expected to find Jenna and Elena telling me that it was time to get lined up, but instead I found my brother standing at the door with a stern expression on his face.
"Rebekah," he greeted in a cold, detached tone, bowing his head slightly toward me.
I swallowed and willed my heart to slow. "What do you want, John? You haven't bothered to seek me out before now, so why show up on my wedding day, minutes before I walk down the aisle."
John sighed, fixing his icy blue gaze upon me. "While there is no love lost between the two of us, I feel I must dissuade you from making this horrendous mistake. You are an affront to everything the name you bear stands for. I cannot believe, with all that you now know, that you would deign to marry one of those creatures!"
I took two deep breaths, my anger welling from my toes to the top of my head. I opened and closed my fists a few times before stepping up to stand nose to nose with the man with whom shared the tiniest bit of blood, but beyond that held no familial care for me.
"Let me make this abundantly clear, John, once and for all. You are not going to ruin this day for me. The Salvatore Brothers have been more like family to me than you ever did. We may share blood, but you are not my family. Damon is the other half of me and in a few short minutes I am going to walk down those stairs, join hands with him, and in front of God, this town, and the entire universe accept him as my eternal and everlasting husband and the father of my child."
My hand reached down in a protective gesture as John's eyes widened and blinked down at my abdomen before looking back at me in horror.
"Yes, John. I am pregnant with Damon Salvatore's child. Apparently, a benefit of being an anomaly is defying the natural order of things, even reproduction. This is happening and there is nothing you can do about it, so I suggest you leave before I call my soon-to-be husband to get rid of you."
I watched John's eyes flash with madness. My fear escalated as I felt the threat growing. I stepped back and he shadowed me, making my heart beat faster.
"It's an abomination. You must get rid of it!"
"You're an abomination, John. Twisted and manipulative, exercising great evil for what you think is the greater good. Well, I have news for you. Evil begets evil, not goodness, and sometimes what others perceive as evil is the greatest goodness others have ever known. You don't understand, can't see for your own blinding hate, what really resides below the surface of those you fight, those you persecute…those you label as abominations."
By this time, we had backed into the changing room and my hands scrambled behind my back to grasp something to defend myself when John reached over to punch a mirror on the wall, grabbing a large sharp length of glass and thrusting it in the direction of my stomach as I stumbled against the wall and screamed.
My eyes had closed on instinct, fearing that this was the end of my life and my baby. When the shock of a stabbing pain never came, I opened my eyes to see John standing with his hand outstretched; the blade only a few inches from my stomach, frozen in space. I glanced down to the diamond glinting above the gold band that rested atop my gloves with grateful appreciation. My relief was even greater as I saw Stefan moving in behind him, his face angry and blooming with the darkened mask of his vampire nature being exposed. In the blink of an eye, John was flying across the room to crash against the mirror he had broken in his pursuit of me before slumping to the ground in a heap.
Stefan was a black blur as he picked up John's limp body and disappeared through the doorway before Elena and Jenna ran in with panicked expressions, helping me to stand up again and straighten myself. Elena reached up with a folded tissue to blot under my eyes where my running tears had ruined my makeup before grabbing the compact to fix me back up while Jenna asked what happened. I didn't know what to tell her or even where to start, so I just told her that John was there to voice his disapproval and grew violent when I refused to end the ceremony. Thankfully, she bought it without further questioning, but I could see the look in her eye that spoke of her that she wasn't sure if she bought it completely.
A few minutes later, Stefan returned with a worried smile. He walked over and hugged me, asking if I was okay. I swallowed and nodded as he looked down at me with that trademark Salvatore smirk.
"I had to physically restrain Damon from killing John, which was difficult enough considering I wanted to do the same. Nobody touches my new sister and niece or nephew without facing the Salvatore fury, but that was nothing compared to the lengths I had to go through to keep Damon from coming up here to check on you. I'm certain that if we don't get this wedding underway immediately, he's going to tear the house down brick by brick to get to you. Are you ready, sweet Bekah?"
I smiled before taking a deep breath and nodding. "More than ever."
He smiled before kissing my forehead and gesturing to Elena who handed me the small bundle of white and red roses with a few small white orange blossoms interwoven amongst the elegant blooms. I took it and licked my lips before allowing Stefan to escort me to the edge of the wall that concealed me from being seen at the top of the balcony. He squeezed my hand gently before moving to stand beside Elena, offering her his arm. They moved to the top of the staircase and with their assuming the position to begin the processional, the string quartet began to play. They looked gorgeous descending the stairs, Elena in a powder blue lacy gown trimmed in royal blue satin. Stefan was a sight to behold in his suit.
I took slow shaky breaths as Jenna and Jeremy moved into position once Stefan and Elena reached the bottom of the staircase, dressed identically to Stefan and Elena. My heart was pounding as the music stopped once they reached the altar. The pause between songs seemed like forever but was probably just a few seconds and at the sound of the first note of the Wedding March, I ordered my feet to move, carrying me forward to stand at the top of the balcony and look down on the seating area full of guests.
All eyes were on me, but my eyes sought out the ones I needed most and didn't leave them once I found them. His eyes were glazed and looked awed as he stared up at me, his hand lifting to his chest to rest over his heart. After a few moments, the awe remained in his eyes but was joined by the slow smile and twinkle of joy and excitement I had grown to know and love. I smiled back at him for a moment before I realized that more than anything I wanted to stand next to him in front of that minister and make him mine officially.
Holding my bouquet in my left hand, I rested my right hand on the rail and took slow, steady steps down, being especially careful of my footing, but stealing glances every few steps at the man I was trying to reach. When I was just a few steps from the bottom, a hand appeared in front of my face. I looked up to see a beaming Damon waiting for me. I took his hand and let him assist me down the last few steps before leading me proudly down the aisle to the altar.
The next ten minutes after we were in place were a blur as the minister spoke briefly about the sanctity of marriage while we just smiled at each other like giddy teenagers. Then the time came for vows, which we had decided to write ourselves. I don't know what I expected, but I was completely unprepared for Damon's words to me. My hands were already trembling slightly as he held them between us, the smooth golden wedding band poised at the tip of my finger. His eyes were locked with mine as he spoke slowly, as if he really were speaking only for me to hear.
"My dearest Rebekah, I have walked the world for more years than I wish to count while bitter, angry, and alone. I buried all of the parts of me that I saw as weakness, caring, compassion, love…I'd hidden them all away under layers of arrogance, anger, and distrust."
He paused and smiled, his eyes shimmering slightly as a tear slipped from my own eyes. "And then I saw you and in a matter of mere minutes you blasted away every defense within me and brought forth those qualities that I now know are my biggest strength instead of my greatest weakness. I promise to love, honor, and protect you with every fiber of my being for all the rest of the days that we walk the face of this earth and far beyond into the depths of eternity."
He slid the golden band down the length of my finger over my gloves to sit delicately against the scrolled band of my engagement ring, lifting the coupled jewelry to his lips to kiss gently before caressing them with his thumb. "All I have, all I am, all I shall ever be is yours till the end of time and beyond. This I promise you…forever."
By the time he was done, I could barely see him through the river of tears. I lifted the tissue tucked in my right hand to blot at my eyes and swallowed past the lump in my throat, fearing I'd never find my voice to speak my own vows to him. I rasped out a whispered, "I love you," between attempts to staunch my tears. He just smiled at me and reached up to wipe away a few of my tears with his thumbs before waiting patiently for me to be ready. Meanwhile, I could hear sniffles all around the room from the other ladies in the audience touched by his words, including my once skeptical best friend behind me at the altar. I smiled and licked my lips before reaching to take his ring from Elena's outstretched hand and held it at the tip of his left ring finger.
"I have always been a free spirit, never believing that marriage and family were in the cards for me. I was content to live life on my own terms as the master of my own fate. Slowly that part of me unraveled to leave me confused and struggling for understanding in the world. I wandered lost for a long time before returning to my hometown only to find my true home waiting for me here…in your arms and in your heart. For the rest of my days I will always be home as long as I am at your side. You give me more love and faith in my future than anybody in my entire life and for as long as I live I will spend my days at your side, and when this life is over, I'll continue to love you forever. Thank you, Damon, for giving me a life worth living and a love I never believed was possible. I am yours forever, and this is my undying promise to you."
A few tears drifted over his sculpted cheekbones as I slid the ring onto his finger and as soon as it was home, he swept me up into his arms, holding me close and telling me that he loved me for always. I cried against his vintage suit coat and though we didn't have approval, his lips found mine as we pulled apart, making the sniffles in the room shift to giggles as the minister rushed through the ending of the ceremony and telling Damon to continue kissing his bride. We chuckled as we continued to kiss and when we finally broke apart we were both smiling like fools.
"And now I suppose it is safe to introduce you all to Mr. and Mrs. Damon Salvatore!"
Cheers rose from the crowd as they all stood and clapped, teary smiles on most of the faces as Damon held my hand and led me down the aisle and out the doorway into the gardens where the reception tents were erected for the next portion of the festivities. He swept me into his arms and spun me, with a loud whoop before capturing my lips again and again.
Eventually Stefan and Elena convinced us to let go of one another long enough to form the receiving line for the individuals already leaving the building to congratulate us on their way to the reception area. We begrudgingly released one another and attempted to muster the energy to thank the scores of people we didn't even want at our wedding for coming, both resenting the Mayor and the Historical Society for hijacking our day, but our resentments ended the second the line did and we got to enter the large white tents.
Our first order of business as husband and wife, according to Damon, was our first dance. If everyone was hungry then too damn bad because he wanted to dance with his wife and he was determined to do it. When the music started, I was surprised at Damon's choice, although I did marvel at the sweetness and the irony he tossed in considering that Sia's My Love had recently been featured in the Twilight Movies. Sparkly vampires were a bit of a grievance of his, so he poked fun at the series every chance he got, although he had softened to Edward slightly since finding me, according to Stefan and Elena.
We moved slowly, elegantly across the floor in a waltz like cadence as we stared into one another's eyes, and then I really got it. This was his testimony to me, the vows were just a beginning to what he was really confessing, promising, pledging as the second verse began.
My love, leave yourself behind
Beat inside me, leave you blind
My love, look what you can do
I am mending, I'll be with you
You took my hand added a plan
You gave me your heart
I asked you to dance with me
You gave honestly
Did What you could release.
AAahhh Oooo
I tipped up and captured his lips as the song ended sweetly, not wanting the moment to end, but knowing it had to. We went through the rest of the traditions, cutting the cake and sharing the champagne toast before beginning the big meal that the boys had coughed up the money to pay for. After all the obligatory reception hoopla, Damon and I spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, dancing and kissing the night away, oblivious to the hundred plus guests that surrounded us.
We left around ten that night in a shower of rice and cheering crowds, Damon dashing me off into the night to our nearby hideaway where we would be spending the next week wrapped in each other's arms and enjoying the benefits of married life. To my great surprise, Damon had rented us a cabin in the woods on the edge of a lake where privacy was the word of the day, and skinny dipping was one of the first things on our agenda, as well as making love in the moonlight. It was the most perfect night of my life and no matter what lie ahead of us, I would forever cherish the day Damon Salvatore became my husband.