I'm deciding to give this until chapter 10 for the interest to pick up, but if there are few R&R's still (reads and reviews) then it'll be discontinued. I just don't have the time or inclining to write when my work isn't A- garnering enough interest and B- having feedback left, it's pretty pointless. I'll leave it in your hands, guys, and thank you for those who've read so far.
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Eric's POV
"That one is beautiful, and it will match your engagement ring perfectly," I tell Tyra, as we sit opposite a young vampire sales representative of Timpson & Blyth fine jewellers named Melanie. She looks disturbingly similar to British actress Helena Bonham Carter, a more youthful version at least.
"You don't think it looks too much?" she replies, twirling the wedding ring decorated in tiny baguettes around her finger and then seeing how her engagement ring looks next to it.
"I think it is a perfect match, you'll just need to have it resized," I comment, noticing it is a little too big even with the hefty engagement ring providing a stopper on her finger.
"I hadn't planned on taking it off again after you put it on to be honest," she replies somewhat sadly.
"Then I feel it is a good job that I have this one in a smaller size. Try this, Miss Boden," the vampire Melanie says helpfully. She still has that cheer about her that makes me see loud and clear just how young in her vampirism she is. Probably only made a year or two ago. You hold onto a bit of humanity like that at the start still. Only in exceptional occasions do you regain it again.
"Perfect," Tyra announces after trying on the smaller sized ring, and then giving me a look. "Is that okay with you?" she asks, since I'm paying. I adore that about her. I have an almost limitless supply of money and she is courteous enough to ask if purchases are okay by me. She's one in a million. Any other woman would have tried to get her claws into my cash by now. Not her. That's why at every chance I get, I spoil her rotten. She deserves it all.
"Of course it is. Melanie, can you write me out an invoice so I may pay you?" I then ask, the young vampire nodding and pulling out an invoice book and a mobile credit card terminal. She writes down the total and I pay her the $8,000 she's due for our wedding rings and with that she leaves, passing Fabien as she head out and he enters. He does a spin on one foot when he sees her and almost heads back out of my door again.
"Fabien, control yourself," I call to him, watching him spin back around again and head over to us, grinning with mischief. At the rate he's going, he will have bedded more women than me at half my age.
"She works at Timpson & Blyth, right?" He asks, pointing back over his shoulder.
"Right," I confirm, a little agitated.
"A mental nose has been made," he mumbles quietly. "Anyway," he then announces in louder tones. "I have your marriage certificate; I just need you both to sign it so I can scan it and plant a copy of it in the Queensland registry office computers, and that's it. You're done."
"And this is going to be legal, completely legal?" I ask him.
"It's absolutely legal and valid, since I'm an ordained minister. The only thing illegal I've done is to procure the marriage certificate and then plant it back into their system. They won't be able to tell, since I've specifically marked out that the marriage did not take place in the halls themselves, so they'd have no record of a Northman/Boden wedding party anyway. Its fine Eric, even if it was found out to be placed there through hacking, your marriage would still be binding regardless. Nothing says my alias wasn't there in Australia marrying you either, not that they'd even bother checking," he explains lengthily.
"It's your head on the chopping block if it isn't, old friend," I tell him, watching him nod.
"I know, so rest assured you have nothing to worry about. If the king calls the office to check that at any point, there it will be in the files for whoever answers his call to tell him that yes; a marriage certificate was issued to Eric and Tyra Northman. Well, I suppose I'll leave you both to get ready as I take it we're doing this tonight?" he replies.
"Yes, Tyra's parents have been notified and are on their way here, so we will be ready shortly. I'll get Pam to fetch you when we are all present and correct." I tell him before he nods and leaves.
"So are bothering to dress any more nicely than this?" Tyra then asks me.
"Oh I do think so, yes. In fact, since we do not have time for me to call in a designer and have them create the wedding dress of your dreams, I did think there was something in particular you could wear. That is, if you're open to my suggestion?" I reply, watching her pull a curious face as she smiles.
"Of course I am. Now you're back to being considerate enough to ask if you may make suggestions," she replies, making me laugh. I have a feeling I'm going to be verbally punished with such comments by my soon to be wife for a time yet, for how I ordered her around like a mere employee. She isn't my employee any longer, since I begrudgingly let her do the Fangtasia accounts for free upon her insistence. Getting up off the couch I take her hand and lead her over to my large walk in wardrobe, entering and shuffling through her vast rack of dresses and pulling out the first one I ever brought for her.
"You did say you were going to wait for a special occasion to wear it," I tell her, watching as she walks in to join me.
"I see no other special occasion on the horizon either, certainly not one important enough to wear Gautier couture for," she replies, before stripping off and getting into it. I help her with the zip, and then stand back to look at her.
"Perfect," I tell her with a nod. I then turn and walk over to my own vast area within the wardrobe and begin to search through my own suits. I settle on a smart, all black single breast and button dress suit. I had this made for me on Savile Row while I was in London on business three years ago. I choose a black shirt to go with it and dress at speed before standing behind Tyra and looking at our reflection in the mirror. Yes, I do have one.
"We look like we're going to a fucking funeral," she says through a sudden snort of laughter, her face crumpling before she covers it with her hand and laughs more.
"We both look damn good all in black. We're pale blondes, we look transparent in light colours," I tell her, smiling when I make her laugh more. It has been something I have begun to enjoy, making her laugh. "Come on, let us go wait for your mom and pop." I then tell her before we leave the vicinity of the wardrobe and head upstairs to the virtually empty club.
"I told Ginger and Mai Ling to leave, I glamoured both of them so they wouldn't know about the wedding, so they'd think you were married already on vacation to match the story. Sorry Tyra, I know your feelings over frying up Ginger's head further but I had to. Rob went home too, and Fabien is off fetching the knife and some other items he needs." Pam tells us when we walk in. I can hardly believe what I'm about to do, that it'll be happening very soon. I'm entirely comfortable with it though.
After our blood bond, I felt closer to Tyra than I had anyone throughout my existence. Even my dear Ida, if I'm honest. Also because of the nature of said bond only death will part us, so shortly after the New Year I began to think that maybe we should marry. As I told Tyra, the word girlfriend was grating on me. Wife sounds more adult. Also as I've said, she deserves to be my wife. I love her immeasurably. Those are the all-important reasons I have for marrying her before anything else, but the most obvious at present is of course is to keep her safe. No vampire can take another's wife, and he will not take mine. You might think this an overzealous measure, but he could find out what she is all too easily.
If I hadn't have thrown him off by telling we were married, Matsukata would have tried to pursue her just a few hours ago. He was heavily interested in her. In fact the way he eyed her for a few moments made my stone cold blood boil. I wanted to do to him what I did to Nan Flanagan, rip him limb from limb, king or no king. I do not like anyone looking at Tyra in that way. Only I may do that. Apart from the above, of course lies the fact that no one will take what is mine again. No one, and she will be mine and I hers until the day she dies. Or perhaps beyond, if she chooses to be made that is. Anyway, I'm thinking way ahead of myself here so back to the present. Tyra's mother and father have just arrived.
"Honey I can't believe how sudden this is! I mean, your father told me you'd told him it was important for your safety, but even so this is the last thing I expected to be doing at a quarter to ten on a Wednesday!" her mother Joyce tells her. Joyce is a glamorous woman and youthful for her age. It's clear to see she influenced Tyra's immaculate appearance. I don't like her much though.
"Dad, you're grinning and not asking questions. And on the phone you didn't sound so shocked, so now I see the face that matches the tone, what gives?" she asks her father, as I walk over to her side and Albert catches my eye. "You knew, didn't you?" she then asks him incredulously, but with a big smile on her face.
"I did, yes," he replies, looking uncomfortable when his wife turns her head sharply to look at him.
"He did the decent thing and came and asked me for my daughter's hand in marriage a while back. Eric, Tyra, I'm glad of this," Albert informs us, with a genuine smile. "I know the lengths you go to in order to keep my daughter safe and I couldn't be happier that she's marrying you." He then tells me solely, patting my shoulder firmly. I nod and smile thinly in return (I don't like being touched by anyone, bar Tyra or Pam, but not in the sexual sense with the latter obviously), and then wrap an arm around my very soon to be wife. Very soon indeed, since Fabien just arrived.
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Tyra's POV
As soon as Fabien arrives and uses the tables set up earlier for the meeting as a makeshift altar, and sets out the items he brought back with him, it begins. The ceremony is comprised of the more human version of exchanges of vows and the exchange of rings. We wrote our own, and no I won't tell you what they were. That's between me and Eric. Then came the traditional vampire part, vows of similar meaning and then a cut to Eric's left palm and one to my right, our hands joining in a clasp together over a chalice we then drank our combined blood from. The wound on my hand was healed by the help of his blood shortly before we kissed for the first time as husband and wife. A short and sweet ceremony, just what I would have planned if I'd had the time to organise a wedding at more than last minute notice.
This brings me up to now, sitting on Eric's lap with a very large drink in my hand, secured in a roped off section of a now open to the public Fangtasia. There's also a large curtain draped across to the side of where we're sat, meaning most of the club cannot see us anyway. My mom looks a little scared of all the vampires around her right now. She's only just getting used to the fact she has a 1,000 plus year old Viking vampire for a son in law. Just like he will have to get used to her, since as you know from the past my mother and Eric did start on the wrong foot. She's trying hard though, and I'll give him his credit Eric is as well, especially when he doesn't much like her. He holds a grudge, my husband.
That felt strange in a nice way just then, to refer to Eric as my husband. I can still hardly believe that just over an hour ago we got married. What an absolutely crazy, crazy night. You know, I don't feel different at all for being married. I just feel the same, but the big difference is that earlier tonight the fear of being taken from my vampire set it again for a while. Now it has melted like a glacier being dropped into a volcano.
The only regret I have is that there just wasn't time to call my friends and ask them to attend too. Anna and Dmitri would have had to have tried to organise a last minute sitter, and I'm sure Lafayette is in at Merlotte's tonight, so he would have had to find last minute cover too. I will explain that to them when I see them, and apologise unreservedly for not being able to include them too.
"So then, will Tyra be joining you to live here at the club, or will you purchase a new home together?" My father asks Eric. I don't suppose he's even hat time to think of our living arrangements yet, but when he replies he takes me by surprise.
"I must admit my home here is comfortable enough for me, and convenient too since all I have to do to get to work is climb up a flight of stairs. I do however love the peacefulness of Tyra's home, so I had an idea to perhaps modify her place and live out there. I don't much care for Bon Temps or its people, but the peace is enjoyable out there by the lake," Eric replies, my father nodding.
"That sounds a great idea. I know plenty of vampires in the construction business too who specialise obviously in building homes fit for a vampire, with the electronic window blinds and all for example. I can get you some numbers if you'd like me to?" my dad replies.
"Yes, thank you Albert that would be wonderful. Although of course it is Tyra's home and I need to discuss all that with her first," Eric replies courteously. He probably knows people already who do this kind of work, but right then I knew he didn't want to be dismissive of my father's offer of help. He actually likes my dad, which I am glad of. My father does happen to be a staunch vampire sympathiser after all.
"I just had a thought! You will of course want some mementos from tonight, and since you probably didn't have time to organise a photographer, would you allow me to take some pictures of you both?" my dad suddenly asks us both. I turn to look at Eric, silently consulting him with facial expressions.
"You're right, and I would like some pictures to mark the occasion. As soon as you're ready, Albert, we'll head to a more private location." That location funnily enough ends up being on the shore of the lake outside my home, my dad taking some lovely pictures of us, using a lamp he drags out from my living room on an extension cable to provide enough light. It was fortunate he brought his nicest camera with him.
We then head inside since there's a few items I want to take back to Eric's place with me, and I brew some coffee for my tired looking parents. They drink a cup each before deciding to head home for the night. My poor father has to be up at 5am after all. After receiving a hug and kiss from them both, and laughing behind my hand discreetly when my mother gives the same to an unhappy looking Eric, we wave them goodbye and get back into Eric's car and head back to the club.
"She is trying you know, trying to make room for you in her affections," I tell him, as he still looks pissed off at being kissed by my mother.
"I'm sorry, but I don't like her. After her outburst when you told her we were first in a relationship I have been soured by her ever since. You know no matter whom they are, my tolerance for humans only stretches so far. On the other hand, I do think a lot of your father. He's a fine man, and he has been more than welcoming towards my kind," he replies, balancing his venom for my mother with praise for my father, who he genuinely does like. Well, as much as Eric can like a human, that is.
"I don't blame you for that but regardless of what she said then, she's trying to make amends with you now. I know if someone pisses you off from the get go you hold it against them, and I will not demand of you to make an allowance just because she's my mother. I would however, like you to try if you could," I reply diplomatically.
"For you, I shall try. It will not be easy though. I can still feel her faint tinges of dislike for me in the air underneath whatever face she puts on. She trusts me and believes I'll look after you, but if we broke up tomorrow she wouldn't be sad about it. She'll always prefer the idea of you being married to a human than being married to me," he tells me, just as we enter the outer city limits of Shreveport.
"I'm not expecting you to turn into the dutiful son in law, Eric. Just perhaps set yourself to defrost any time she speaks to you." I reply, actually managing to make him smile, a little burst of laughter escaping his nose. I then leave the subject of my mother there, because my thoughts have all so suddenly turned to my real one. I have no idea what her reaction to my relationship and now marriage with Eric would be. I was just six when she died. I hardly knew her, and if I'm honest I have very few memories of her too. More just like still frames in my mind. My father I never knew at all. I look so much like him though. I have his eyes, nose and chin, and the same smile. He was a huge man, as tall as Eric but with a chunkier build. In the photos I have of them they looked very much in love.
I can help but let my mind and my heart find them today, on my wedding day. I would have loved for them to have witnessed it, but then of course if they had both have lived, would I even have met Eric? I'd probably still be living in Sweden. Its swings and roundabouts I suppose. At this moment I put my past to rest, smiling fondly to myself as I picture mom and dad in my mind's eye before concentrating on my present and future. Who is of course gorgeous vampire currently driving us much further into Shreveport than I expected.
"Why did we miss the turn off for the club?" I ask him as we keep on cruising further up the road away from Fangtasia.
"You don't honestly think I'd allow you to spend your wedding night at home, do you?" he replies, turning to look at me as he increases the speed we're travelling at.
"I did actually," I tell him with surprise.
"How you underestimate me." He says. A little over fifteen minutes later we arrive at a huge new build vampire hotel down on the riverfront. We are greeted by vampire valet who looks terrifying he's so thin and mean looking, so pale and his hair so red. When he speaks though I'm met with such an efficient and courteous manner his startling appearance is easy to forget. A bellboy comes forward swiftly and takes a suitcase from the back of the car, and the scary looking valet guy takes Eric's newest car (a Mercedes McLaren, he really pushed the boat out) straight down into the underground parking lot.
"I had Pam pack you some essentials and a change of clothes while she was down getting ready earlier on." Eric informs me as he takes my hand with one hand, and switches his cell off with the other. We then head inside the Black Moon hotel, not to emerge from enjoying each other as husband and wife for the first time for many, many hours to follow.