By the end of the week, my father had lifted my punishment and allowed me to leave the house. I just couldn't go anywhere with Clawd or Clawdeen. On the night of the game, my father had insisted that I go to a family dinner, and had to text a quick apology to Clawdeen, asking her to apologize to Clawd as well. During the dinner, Samantha announced that I was to be one of her bridesmaids. She listed off a few other people, and my father looked slightly irritated but kept quiet at a few of the names.

The next day, I was getting measured for a bridesmaids dress. Everything seemed to be going by so fast. The other women were gushing over how everyone looked in their dresses, while I stood beside Clawdeen's mother, who somehow got roped into being one of the bridesmaids.

The dresses that Samantha had chosen for the wedding were elegant, I had to admit that. Though, I assumed that the colour was chosen by my father. They were a deep red colour. Samantha gushed at how adorable I looked in it. The clerk emphasised how we would look by putting my hair up in a bun, draping a necklace about my neck, and adding a bracelet.

The other girls tried on the dress and Samantha gushed at how they looked in them as well. She then went to get dressed up in her wedding dress. Mrs. Wolf pushed a loose curl behind her ear and sighed quietly.

She leaned over and barely moved her mouth to speak, "If it was my father marrying her, I would've torn up my house..."

I copied her and leaned towards her, speaking quietly, I kept a smile on my face so that no one knew we weren't very happy to be here. "Well, she is a human; I only have to put up with her for another forty years." Mrs Wolf laughed and shook her head. "When I got married there wasn't any of this frivolity," she sighed, "It was me and Clawrk, standing beneath a willow tree speaking to a priest whose religion we stopped believing in long ago."

"That sounds beautiful," I sighed, placing my hands over my heart, "and romantic! Did you wear a beautiful dress?"

"The best that we could afford at the time," she smiled down at me, "I still have it. Clawdeen wants to wear it when she gets married, but I'm sure she'll figure out a way to make it her own."

I could only dream of wearing a dress that my mother wore. I still had it back in my closet, shoved in a box to protect it from the elements. It was a simple, shapeless white tunic. Nothing like the dress Samantha picked out.

The dress was a huge ball gown dress, with so many details and glitter and bling that I couldn't find a single place to focus on. Yet her friends gushed over it and when they were finished she turned to us and smiled, waiting for something. I smiled falsely back at her.

"You look lovely," I answered knowing that was what she wanted to hear. She walked over to me in her dress and hugged me tightly.

"Thank you, Laura," she pulled away and smiled before walking back over to the mirror and looking at herself. The wedding was less than a month away, and I was dreading it. I had been to four of his weddings before and each was the same. I was always the Maid of Honour because my father made me be. I always had to pick out a present that I thought suited my new mother so I always gave them dresses. I always had to lavish my new stepmother in compliments and make sure everyone of importance knew of her.

Though I doubt that any of high vampire society would even think about going to a Vampire-Human wedding.

"Do you know who the groom's men are?" I asked Harriet, watching as she unconsciously scratched where the lace was meeting her skin.

"My husband, Clawd, Viktor, your uncle, and I think Cleo's dad was asked but the man said he didn't want to be involved with the wedding," she replied with a shrug, and then laughed, "Don't look so confused. My husband and your father get along fine, as long as they aren't talking about anything of importance."

"I was just surprised that my father hadn't asked anyone else to be his groomsmen," I replied and looked over at Samantha. Who was trying on different veils to see which one matched her dress the best.

"Can I get out of this dress now? I need to get back to the B and B before nightfall, Clawrk is taking me out to dinner," she tugged at the bracelet.

"Go, I doubt Samantha will even notice, she's too fond of herself right now to notice anything else. I'll cover for you, Mrs. Wolf," I grinned and waved as she thanked me and ducked into the dressing room.

When she came back out she squeezed my shoulder, "Call me Harriet."

I smiled and she headed over to pay. As she left, her name filtered through my mind. Harriet...Clawrk…

I turned around to ask her something, but she was already gone. I felt a tiny bit of hope build in my chest, but before I could get up and hurry out after her, Samantha pulled me towards the mirror, gushing about how cute I looked and began talking about how much fun we'd have as mother and daughter. This was her moment, and I didn't want to ruin it by saying I didn't think of her as a mother. Not while I was nearly sixteen hundred years older than her. I declined to stand in front of the mirror with her, telling her that it was her moment and she should take the time to enjoy herself.

Watching her, the thoughts of Harriet fled my mine. Next year this would be me, except I wouldn't be gushing over everything, and I wouldn't be happy and the people I want as my brides maids wouldn't be standing with me. I wouldn't be marrying someone who loves me as much as I love them either.

The optimist in me knew that eventually, I would end up finding happiness in my marriage. I would forget the fleeting friendship I had with the people here, and be able to enjoy my life back in Romania like I always wanted.

Right?

After the girls were done with their shopping, I was allowed to take off the dress. However, since I was the Maid of Honour, Samantha was demanding that I went around and help her pick out some final touches for the wedding. Flower arrangements and things like that. It took all day, and when we returned to the house I was exhausted, so much shopping, so many choices! Samantha had compared two nearly identical shades for nearly thirty minutes at one point, and both clashed with the colour arrangement she had picked out! If it wasn't for me, I knew that she wouldn't have seen the errors in her choice. My uncle helped me and Samantha store things away in an extra room since my father wasn't allowing himself to see anything that his soon-to-be-bride bought for the wedding. He told her that he wanted her to have complete control, and he was a control freak. Part of that was true, but I also knew that after having four other weddings, he just didn't care about the event anymore.

I headed over to the Wolf's house and rang the doorbell. Clawd opened it and smiled, "What's up?" he asked leaning against the doorframe.

"You know how my father's getting married and you guys are invited?" I asked, clasping my hands behind my back. I felt my face heating up, and averted my gaze.

"Are you here to tell me we don't have to go?" he asked, clenching his fists in excitement. I shook my head and he dropped his hands and sighed.

"You're a groomsman," I giggled, "You have to go."

"I know, I already tried to weasel my way out," he stepped out of the house. Shutting the door and motioning over to the porch swing. I sat down, and he plopped down beside me, making the swing jerk back. "I don't know why he would want me as a groomsman either."

"That's actually why I came over," I admitted, "I wanted to ask you if you knew why."

His eyebrows shot up, "I don't think anyone could know why Dracula does anything. I mean, why did he kill his father to secure the throne before the war? Why did he move here instead of moving Samantha to Romania? From what I've heard, she doesn't have as many connections here as you guys do in Romania?"

I fell silent, staring into the darkening street. He was right. Why didn't we stay in Romania? Transylvania was the hub for all Monsters in the world, and the seat of power for the vampires. My father could've changed Samantha into a vampire and easily introduced her to our world. My father had never changed his mind about where he wanted to live. He moved my mother and myself to Romania, then Dacia, instead of staying in Rome with us. With the other brides, even though they all came from different parts of the world, he stayed in Romania.

Suddenly, I remembered something. The other brides. Did they even know another woman was getting married to my father, what had he told them? If they didn't know, and found out they would come to America without my father's permission. When they figured out that he had moved for a woman he barely knew longer than a year, they would be furious, and –

"Draculaura?" he asked, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Oh, yes, sorry?"

"I asked you if any of your Romanian friends are coming for your dad's wedding," he asked, looking slightly amused. "Though, you totally zoned out for a second."

I felt my cheeks heating, "Sorry," I looked at the ground before continuing, "Yes, my friends, Gory, Bram, and Elizzabat, will be coming."

"What about…what's his name? Valentine?"

I played with the edge of my skirt, "Things are…complicated between us, and I'd rather he not come. I know my father has already invited him, and he's going to show up."I let out a sigh, and straightened, "but that's the way the bat hangs, I suppose."

"Why don't you break up with him then?" Clawd asked, "Cleo and I broke up because our relationship wasn't what either of us wanted it to be. If you don't love him anymore, break up with him."

I opened my mouth and then closed it. It was more complicated than that, but I didn't want to worry him. "My father will just push us together; ending a four or so hundred year relationship is nothing to sneeze at."

"What if you had a date to your father's wedding?" he asked, "I'm in the wedding party, you're in the wedding party. Let's just go together."

My cheeks flushed, "But –"

"But nothing, if you're worried about your father, I doubt he'll notice. You break up with Valentine, and I'll back you up at the wedding in case he bothers you. Unless, you really don't want to be seen with a werewolf," he added, looking away, "Or with a football jock. I mean vampire royalty is a lot better than that."

I touched his shoulder, and he looked over to me, "You're more than a jock, Clawd. I'd love to go to the wedding with you," I bit my lip, before standing up and brushed some invisible dirt off of my skirt. "Thanks for being so kind, and I'm sorry I missed your football game."

He stood up, rubbing his neck, "It was a pretty bad game anyways. Not our finest, kind of glad you didn't come to see our total annihilation," he laughed. I giggled, and stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

This time, I didn't leave right away, and saw the faint red tinge of his cheek. I swallowed thickly, "It's getting dark, and I should probably get back home. Thanks again, Clawd," I dipped my head and hurried quickly off the porch.

That was the second time I kissed Clawd's cheek. However, this time I didn't feel like I was cheating on Valentine. As I opened the door to my house, I made up my mind. I glanced back at the Wolf house, and saw Clawd watching me with a slight smile on his face.

I was going to break up with Valentine.

A/N: Woops! Sorry I didn't upload this yesterday, it totally slipped my mind.