1 day before the wedding (Saturday)
"Okay, we need to get this perfect." The wedding planner said to the group.
They were practicing the whole ceremony. Throughout the day, Karma seemed distracted, like she wasn't in the room.
"Shane, hand Liam the rings." Shane did as he was told. "Here's where you say your vows." The woman instructed them, "And then you guys share a kiss."
"I think I need the practice." Liam smirked and grabbed Karma by her waist and pulled her closer leaning in to kiss her. Karma didn't even react to the kiss. She hated when Liam seized the opportunity to get all grabby.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow the bride." Lauren spoke to the pair. Almost immediately Karma broke off Liam's hold.
"Sure, anything for my maid of honor." Karma and Lauren shared a glance. She thanked Lauren internally because she understood Lauren's purpose. Anytime Lauren had the chance to pull them apart with out making it to obvious she took it.
"I owe you for this." Karma said quiet enough so that Lauren would be the only one who heard it.
Few hours later
The rehearsal dinner had arrived and with it, all or the majority of the guests who were attending the wedding. Events like this brought people together, it served as an opportunity to connect with the people who hadn't seen each other in a long time.
The guests were sitting down at their tables. All of them were talking and narrating their stories of how they met Karma and Liam.
"I remember when I met these two, I'll admit I had my doubts at first, but look how far they've gotten." A close friend of the Booker family said, raising a glass, "To the happy couple." The man toasted. The entire table took a sip.
"Karma, I was meaning to ask you, where's the blonde friend of yours? What was her name?" A distant cousin of Karma asked.
Karma's heart dropped. She had been praying that nobody would ask her about Amy. "Amy?" Karma asked her pretending she didn't knew of whom she was referring to.
"Yeah, that's her. Where is she?" The cousin asked. Everyone around the table had a lost look in their eyes. None of Liam's family knew of her existence much less knew of their relationship.
Karma didn't know what to answer. She knew there was a possibility of something like this happening, but still she hadn't prepared for it. "Um, Amy couldn't make it. She…"
"She's pretty much tangled up at work; she barely has any time off." Farrah interjected Karma because she knew Karma looked she was about to choke.
"What a shame, you guys were inseparable since forever." The relative reminisced.
Liam saw the scene unfolding and quickly stood up. "I want to take this time to say how much my fiancé and I appreciate everyone who's here with us and will be joining us tomorrow to see us begin the rest of our lives together." Liam said speaking to the crowd as he finished he leaned in to give Karma a peck on the lips.
The rest of the evening went uneventful. Every now and then Molly would often catch Karma out of it. She could tell her daughter was miserable beyond belief. Not even in her worst days with Amy she had seen her like this and this was a huge thing to compare it to because Karma and Amy had their shares of ups and downs.
Sunday morning, wedding day had come. The entire wedding party were up and running at the crack of dawn. All the bridesmaids were located at one end of the hotel and the groomsmen at the other. While getting ready for the occasion, all of them were chatting excitedly.
"Now that you're going to be Mrs. Booker you'll be the envy amongst women." One bridesmaid said as Karma was about to get her dress fitted for the last time. Karma didn't even answer she just smiled.
"I really can't believe you were the one who was able to tie down our baby cousin." Another one chipped in.
Two women brought the dress to Karma. She backed away and shook her head. "Not yet, I need to get some air." Karma blurted out. She couldn't take it anymore. Hearing all of them talking about lucky she was and how they were all excited. Molly saw the scene and it all clicked. She exited the room and left.
Karma went outdoor to a garden the hotel had. There she sat in a bench. Tears were now making their way out of Karma's eyes. She felt like she was drowning. 4 years of being unhappy finally broke her. Eventually her tears ceased. "You can't back out. You've held on for this long. You've come a long way for you to pull the plug now." She reminded herself over and over again. She needed to do this for Amy. That it didn't matter if she was unhappy. Karma needed for Amy to be safe.
Molly was walking down the long hallway when she ran into her husband.
"Everything okay over there?" Lucas asked.
Molly nodded, "Yeah just her nerves acting up and down the place but you how she gets."
"Remember every talent show? It's such a shame Amy is not here, you know she was the only one who could calm her nerves." Lucas remembered.
Molly chuckled at the memory because Amy always had a way with her Karma, no matter what happened Amy would always know what to say or what to do when it came to Karma.
"I'll be right back I forgot something." Molly spoke as an idea came into her. Lucas nodded and watched her go."
Amy was sitting in her apartment downing a bottle of her finest scotch. She rarely drank, but she knew the only way to get through today was like this. She heard a continuous knocking coming from the door.
"Mrs. Ashcroft, what are yo—..?" Amy was surprised; she was supposed to be at the wedding.
"Am I doing here? I've been asking myself the same question the whole ride over. Can I have something to drink?"
"Of course. Water or tea?" Amy asked.
"Neither." She took Amy's glass and drank it all. "It's my daughter's wedding day, everything should be perfect, jeez everything is but it doesn't mean is right." Amy looked at Molly paying close attention. "When I married Patrick, I was so nervous I knew something wrong." Amy didn't know that Molly had remarried. "But when I married Lucas, the father of my children, I was very calm. It was like everything was falling into place." Molly looked at Amy. "I don't want my daughter to have to wait for a second chance to be happy. She should be happy the first time around." Molly finished.
"What are you saying?" Amy couldn't seem to grasp what was happening.
"All day I've had this feeling that I had forgotten something and then I realized what it was. You! So… are you coming to stop this thing or what?" Molly began walking towards the door and Amy was right behind her.
Abababababababab
Karma was walking from side to side getting more nervous by the minute. She saw her mother walk in.
"Mom where have you been? Everybody was looking for you." Karma asked her mother. She had been gone approximately an hour.
"Please don't be mad." Molly said apologetically she pointed to the door and Amy walked in. "I'll leave you two alone."
"What are you doing here?" Karma looked at Amy and her world just stopped.
"Trust me, the last thing I wanted to do was show up today but even your own mother seems to think we need to talk." Amy answered honestly.
"Well what I need is for you to…" Karma began to dismiss Amy.
"Don't marry him." There, Amy said it, what she had been holding up deep inside. She couldn't hold any longer.
"Amy." Karma looked at her, heartbroken. This was worst than when they were in New York.
"Don't marry him." Amy repeated closing the distance between them.
"All those people out there are waiting for me." Karma said lowly not being able to meet Amy's eyes.
"Yes they are. But they also want you to be happy, which you're not going to be if you go through with this. Tell me I'm wrong and I'll leave." Amy looked at her and Karma couldn't look Amy back. "You can't because it should be us out there, and you know it." Amy was trying to reason with her but it was not working.
"It isn't that simple." Karma told Amy. She has to get married in order to keep Amy safe.
"It's only that simple. You told me you loved me. I know it was true." Amy said convinced by the fact that Karma's feelings towards her were intact.
"It is! Of course I love you, Amy. I've always loved you. I love you more and more every day if it's even possible to love someone that much." Karma confessed. She was on the verge of tears.
"Let's get out of here with me right now. We can go anywhere just as long as we're together." Amy proposed. She was ready to drop everything and run away with her. Karma was all that mattered to her.
Karma shook her head. "I know you can't understand, and I don't expect you to. Just know that not living with you is the hardest thing I've ever done. You'll find someone who loves you too." Karma began to cry silently. She wished she could tell Amy the reason of this wedding.
"I have. She's standing right in front of me." Amy said as she gently wiped the tears coming out off Karma's eyes.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I really am doing this for you." It was the only thing Karma could really say to her.
Amy couldn't comprehend in what way Karma was doing this for her. Amy lowered her head in defeat accepting the fact Karma was going through with the wedding. Karma extended her hand to meet Amy's face, caressing her for the last time. The moment was interrupted when the bridesmaids came knocking at the closed doors. Karma didn't want this moment to end.
"Goodbye Karms." Amy said as she kissed gently her forehead and exited the room.
"Alright girls time for final touches." The planner said, ordering the makeup artist to do a touch up on Karma.
After a short while the bridesmaids were being organized. Lauren walked over to Karma.
"You know as maid of honor I'm prepared to make the run for it with you. Just say the words and I'll have the getaway car ready." Lauren told her, making sure Karma was ready for what was happening.
Karma sighed, "I made peace with my decision. This has to happen in order to keep Amy safe."
"But what about your happiness." Lauren questioned, "It has to matter for something."
"Knowing Amy will be safe from harm is my happiness, see everybody wins." Karma pointed out. "Can you tell everyone I'm ready to begin."
"We are gathered here today in the face of this company, to join together William Booker and Karma Ashcroft in holy matrimony; which is an honorable and solemn estate and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly." The priest said and with that the ceremony began. "If any one can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace." There was a silent after he finished speaking and Karma slowly glanced at the crowd accepting that this in fact was about to happen.
The celebrant took the silence as a sign of o opposition and looked over to Liam, "William Booker, do you take Karma Ashcroft to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish as long as you both shall live?"
Liam smiled. "I do."
The priest moved on to Karma. "Karma Ashcroft, do you take William Booker to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish as long as you both shall live?"
Karma took the deepest breath she had ever taken in her life. "I do."
"Please repeat after me." The celebrant said addressing the groom who does as he says, "I, William Booker take you Karma Ashcroft to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, until death do us part."
Then it was Karma's turn. "I, Karma Ashcroft take you William Booker to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, until death do us part."
The priest then asks Shane for the ring. "May this ring be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end." Liam placed the ring on Karma's finger and she did the same to him.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He looked at the couple, "You may now kiss the bride." Liam inched closer, making the distance between the smaller and leaned in to meet his lips with Karma's. He was startled because he tasted a hint of saltiness, it had been Karma's tears. This made him smile a little bit more because everyone though those were happy tears, except for him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Booker" The priest concluded.
And with that Karma had ensured the love of her life was safe forever.
A/N: Sorry that I took so long to update the story. I've been cramped up with work. Hope you like it. I'll try my best to update. Hope you guys don't hate me. Thank you for not giving up on the story.
PS: One of the conversations between Amy and Karma were taken from a Gossip Girl, just letting out there. I don't want the credit for something I didn't write.