Author's note: Thank you so much for the reviews. Again, sorry for the late update because, life's just hectic. I can't write, and inspiration rarely visits me.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.

Sorrowful Soul

"This is a dream, a nightmare. It can't be real. It just…it just can't be," Jacqueline cried. "Gil! I thought you were going to do something? I thought…I thought there was a chance…a small chance that the wedding could be stopped…What happened?"

Gil was pacing his room, his eyes bloodshot. He clumsily ran a hand through his hair and stopped pacing. "I don't know."

Jacqueline took her handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed her eyes with it. It did no good, however, because her handkerchief was already wet from when she dabbed her eyes earlier. "Fate's a cruel mistress, isn't she?"

Gil sighed. "Don't blame it on fate, or destiny for that matter. I refuse to believe that Sara's destiny is this. Blame it on luck, and the fact that I was a coward that I didn't stand up and stop the wedding like I wanted to."

Jacqueline smiled sadly, her eyes still watering. "We should probably get back to the party. Everyone must be looking for us."

Gil straightened his shirt and walked to the door. "We probably should." Just as he was going to open the door, the doorknob turned, and Princess Catherine came in.

"Oh Gil, I'm so sorry," Catherine muttered before hugging him.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault."

Princess Sofia and the others went inside the room, hugging Gil and Jacqueline, trying to comfort them even though they knew there was no possible chance of them undoing the marriage.

"Oh Jacque, you look awful," Princess Sofia said, dabbing Jacqueline's eyes with her own handkerchief. "I'm so sorry."

Jacqueline smiled sadly. "Let's just get back to the party."

Sara sat down stiffly on her seat, her eyes scanning the room, looking for the man she truly loved. She forced a smile on her face and looked at her husband, a man she hated, trying to look like she was in love so that the people wouldn't question the marriage. Gil's life was at stake, and she had to protect him even if he didn't know.

The music was lovely, the food exquisite. Sara couldn't help but wish that Gil was her husband instead of this man. She would have picked marrying Gil in a barn than marrying Vincent in a beautiful place, with delicious food and beautiful decorations. But of course, this was her own decision, and so, she only had herself to blame.

Sara's sadness was infectious. The people, instead of smiling and laughing and congratulating the couple merrily, were picking at their food, forcing smiles on their faces, and congratulating the couple as if they were forced to do so. The so called party was terrible. After all, they weren't celebrating. Not really. Perhaps Vincent was celebrating, but certainly not Sara. The party was an indication that she lost, and that Vincent won. In the middle of the celebration, Sara couldn't help but think that maybe she didn't really have a chance of winning in the first place. Perhaps it was always destined to be like this, to be married to a man she didn't love.

Fate was cruel, just like her luck.

She couldn't help but think that maybe she really was destined to be an orphan, that maybe it was really destined for her parents to die so early. Maybe she really was destined to be a maid, to meet her true love, and let him slip though her fingers. Maybe it was really supposed to happen, that she was to marry a man she didn't love. Maybe Fate really decided early on to make her miserable, to be so near to a man she loved, yet not really reaching him.

She wanted to scream, wanted to run, wanted to slap Vincent in the face and douse him with the wine in her goblet. But of course, cowardice had prevented her from doing so, perhaps with the help of the cruel mistress Fate.

Gil and the others entered the garden where they were supposed to be celebrating the marriage of Sara and Vincent. The place wasn't deathly silent, no it was actually the opposite of it. The place was filled with hushed voices and whispers you can only hear once you were up close with the person whispering. Forks and spoons scraped the plates, not really reaching the mouth of the person supposed to be eating.

"This is the happiest and most entertaining party I've been to," Greg deadpanned, obviously sarcastic.

Heather smirked. "It is most definitely the most entertaining party I've been to. I swear it's more entertaining than sleeping with Jim."

"I'm pretending I didn't hear that," Jim said from Gil's side.

Jacqueline daintily sat down at her table, and the others followed suit. The scraping of the chairs on the floor seemed so loud in the garden filled with hushed voices, Jacqueline couldn't help but wince.

Warrick sighed. "This party looks and sounds like we're in a funeral. There are the hushed voices, the whispers, and the people who aren't eating their food. Check, check, and check. We just need some tears and this would be complete."

Jacqueline looked longingly at Vincent who was looking at Sara with love in his eyes. A lone tear escaped her eye and slipped down her cheek.

Nick looked at her and sighed. "…Tears? Check."

"Oh honey," Sofia said and hugged her, trying to comfort her. "This will all be fine in the end."

Jacqueline couldn't help but think that what Sofia said wasn't true. It was already ending, and it wasn't fine.

She just couldn't agree because already, it was the beginning of the end.

Dorothy swallowed the remaining wine in her glass for liquid courage, but most unfortunately, it wasn't strong enough to make her drunk. She plucked up her courage, stood up, and hit her glass of wine with her fork daintily, indicating that she was going to make her speech.

"Hello, I'm Dorothy, maid of honour. I'm going to say my speech now," she paused and smiled her fake charming smile. "Sara is a good friend of mine. I took her under my wing when she came here, and I showed her how to do things here. I cared for her very deeply, and considered her as a little sister of mine. I've tried to protect her, and I've failed, so many times. I've failed to protect her so many times, I've lost count. Thank goodness Gil was there to protect her those times I wasn't able to." She paused, trying to regain her breath. "However, Gil can't be there by her side forever, and cannot protect her forever. Vincent came into the picture, and I can safely say that I can trust him to protect Sara from others."

"Love is a special, once in a lifetime event. People who are lucky enough to find theirs grab the opportunity to marry their loved one, so they would forever be together. And I just have to say that I'm glad that Vincent and Sara took the opportunity to marry. To the happy couple," Dorothy said, nodding and raising her glass in the direction of the couple, "congratulations, and may the Lord bless you."

People clapped, more out of politeness than out of happiness, and raised their glass.

Dorothy sat down shakily to her seat and asked one of the hired men to bring her another glass of wine. The words tasted like vile, and it hurt to say it, but nonetheless, she said it because she needed to.

Dorothy bowed her head, and she cried. She cried for her friend, a friend she considered a little sister. She cried for her other friend a prince who let his love slip away from his fingers two times, one when he was still young, and now. A tear slipped down her cheek, and went inside her cup of wine.

And later, when she would drink her cup of wine, she would swear it tasted perfect.

Because it was made with heartbreak of two people, people who lost each other two times because of Fate.

Gil shivered. It suddenly seemed so cold in the garden after Dorothy's speech.

"I'm going to the bar…do you need something?" he asked to the group.

The princesses, Warrick, Nick, and Greg shook their heads. Brass spoke up, "Do you need me to go with you?"

Gil shook his head, "No need." He then started walking away from the group, towards the bar which was located at the far corner of the garden. Vaguely, he saw a figure sitting down on a high stool, drinking brandy like it was water. Once he was there, he looked straight ahead, ordering a glass of brandy for himself. The bartender nodded, immediately giving him the glass of brandy he wanted.

"Hello fella! This night is such a fine, fine evening, isn't it?" a voice from Gil's right side slurred.

Gil looked to the drunken man, annoyed. He just wanted his peace, and he just wanted to drink his glass of brandy in silence. Once he saw the man however, he gasped.

"Aren't you the priest?" Gil exclaimed.

The man laughed drunkenly, managing to make himself fall from his stool in the process. "You're funny! You're hila—hila—damn, I forgot the word! Hilarion? Hilariod? Oh well, it doesn't matter!" He laughed.

Gil looked at the man, horrified. What kind of priest got drunk at parties? He glanced at the people at the party, trying to see if they heard the loud priest, and he was relieved to see that they didn't even notice the man.

"How many glasses of brandy did you give him?" Gil asked the bartender.

"I gave him about fourteen glasses. Listen, your majesty, please get him out of here. He's had too many drinks."

Gil ignored the bartender and talked to the man. He was curious because well, what kind of priest got drunk?

"Aren't you the priest?" Gil asked.

"Yep!" the man happily said. "Did I act my part right? I think I did, I mean, well, everybody believed me!"

Gil's eyebrow rose. "What did you mean, 'act my part right'?"

The man made a shushing motion with his index finger and beckoned Gil closer. "Don't tell anybody this, but I'm a fake priest! That Prince and the pretty princess aren't really married!" he whispered, and then when Gil sat up straight in his seat, the man giggled. "That Prince and the pretty princess aren't really married…hey! I made a rhyme!" he drunkenly said. Those were the last words he said before he fell to the ground, still laughing, rolling around in the dirt.

Gil paid no attention to him though, because only one thing was on his mind.

"Don't tell anybody, but I'm a fake priest! That Prince and the pretty princess aren't really married!"

Gil stood up suddenly, and ran towards the party.

Perhaps, Fate decided to smile upon them that moment.

Maybe Fate wasn't really that cruel a mistress after all.