Keep in mind, this is an AU of the main stuff, and in no way affects it. Nothing from the Main Storyline will make an appearance here, other than some characters.
I will be uploading two chapters per week [Tuesday/Thursday], since the chapters are so short.
Thank you for clicking this story, and I hope you enjoy!
Part Fifteen – The Wedding Singer
"That's where Ted lives," Trixie pointed out as they passed by a giant yellow mansion outside Atlanta, Georgia. "Roadie, we'll be going to the Country Club. It's another ten miles away."
"Ted's done pretty good for hisself!" Zeb exclaimed, looking out the window at the building.
"Why not borrow the $20,000 from him, Hen? Don't look like he'd miss it much," Fred laughed. Despite his annoyance with his brother, he was proud of how far he'd come, though it was odd... He'd not heard anything new from Ted in a while.
Trixie rolled her eyes. "You misunderstand. Ted boards a room there. That's Elton John's mansion."
"Ted boards a room?" Tennessee asked, shocked. "But he's Ted!"
"It's one of the guest houses!" Jewel exclaimed, jumping up on top of her father – earning a startled cry in response. "It has a garage, too, for his beat up truck! He sometimes polishes Mr. John's limo! "
The others glanced at each other in confusion, but shook their heads. They'd ask Ted when they saw him.
Henry glanced towards the back of the bus, where Beary had not yet moved. He was still sketching whatever it was he was sketching. Finally, Henry got up and moved to the back of the bus to sit with him. "What are you drawing, kiddo?"
Beary frowned. "Nothing. Just stupid stuff." He snapped the notebook close and forced it into his backpack.
"Hey, now, stop that. What's wrong?"
"How can you even ask that?" the cub questioned, turning away from him. "You rejected me, and you're asking me what's wrong?!"
Henry's ears flattened. "What? Now wait a minute. That's not what I did at all! I said I didn't want to get your hopes up!"
"If you were really my father, you'd know it! You wouldn't say you'd wait for a padernity test! You'd know right away! They all said that I am, and I heard you say it last night! I just want a family! A real family!" he growled.
Henry had to force himself to not laugh at Beary's mispronunciation of the word 'paternity', and frowned at the rest of the statement. "You heard me?"
"What do I have to do to be accepted?!"
"Oh, Beary, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was turning you away. What I meant was that I was afraid of the possibility that you might not be my son. No matter how much I believe it to be true, a paternity test will prove it once and for all, and then no one can contest or debate it. I'll be able to bring you back home with me and not get chased by the cops anymore. I may be sure you're my lost son, but society may say otherwise."
"Society sucks."
Henry laughed and pulled the cub into an awkward hug. "It does indeed. I, uh... Are you sure you want me to be your Dad? Wouldn't you want someone better?"
"Who'd be better than you? You're the manager of The Country Bears!"
Henry frowned. "That's the only reason?" He was hurt by that statement. Then again, he'd not been able to show Beary the kind of father he could be, either. They'd barely been together more than three days. In fact, it was only the middle of the third day! Friday, July 28th, 2002, one day before the first benefit concert.
"Well, no, but... I want a Dad who is goofy, fun-loving, playful, but smart and caring. Slow to anger, I guess, because I'm rather clumsy and tend to claw up the furniture. Uhm... I... You know? I don't get it. It's like I don't want another Dad... I already have one. He did raise me, right? I don't know what to do. I don't believe that they kidnapped me. Why would they? Jewel's uncle always said that kidnappers were bad people. They aren't bad. They're good! They didn't have to take me in and alter their entire lifestyle, right?"
Henry tilted his head, listening to his speech. 'Well, he's smart, despite how he seems to behave at times. He knows how to be a good son. Loyal, too.' He smiled thoughtfully. "If that's what you believe, then I won't take you from them. If you want to stay with them, then I will work something out, all right?"
Beary blinked. "I don't have to choose?"
Henry pulled him into a hug. "You were born into one family and stayed for a while, and then was found by another who raised you. You have two families, and neither mean you ill. I would never make you choose, little one."
The cub's eyes widened at the embrace. At first he felt rather awkward by it, but as the moments passed he began to smile and snuggle up against the older bear happily. "Does this mean I can go visit them when we're done here? Did I find my higher purpose, Henry? Oops, I mean, uh, Dad? Or, uh, something?"
Henry laughed. "You can call me Henry or Dad. You used to call me Papa, actually. Whichever makes you more comfortable. And yes, we'll go for a visit. Hey, how about we pick them up before the concert, huh?"
Beary nodded eagerly. "Yeah!"
"That settles it. Now, do you want to come up to the front with the rest of us?"
"Uhm... sure!"
"Guys, we're here," Roadie called back as he put on the turn signal.
Trixie suddenly gasped. "Wait, no, Roadie. We need to go somewhere else, first, since we got here a couple hours early. Keep driving straight. We'll be in Atlanta soon enough." Trixie turned to the others. "You all are nowhere near dressed nicely enough for a wedding!"
"Aw, Trixie, no!" Zeb exclaimed. "Not shopping! Anything but that!"
.~*~.
"I feel ridiculous," Zeb grumbled as he straightened his new green velvet vest and matching tie that brought out the red of his fur. "I look like Henry!" He looked over at the older bear, who was wearing a silver vest with his golden necktie.
"Nothing wrong with that!" Henry retorted. "I mean, I did practically raise you."
"Meh." Zeb shook his head and looked at the others in the group. Tennessee was wearing a black vest and white tie, and Fred was wearing a nicer pair of pants, and Trixie had made him wear a vest, too. Even Roadie was dressed up in a suit and tie, and his chicken had on a little bowtie; his hair was brushed and put back in a clean ponytail.
Beary was wearing a black pair of pants and a silver velvet vest like Henry, along with a golden necktie to match, while Jewel, like her mother, was wearing a red dress with sequined silver patterns. Jewel's dress, however, was shorter than her mother's. Jewel's hair was done up in a fancy braid with a few flowers woven it, and Trixie didn't have to worry about her hair since it was so short.
Once they reached the gate of the country club, Trixie showed her invitation to the guard and explained that those in the bus were her backup singers, as the paper also showed that her band was asked to perform as well.
Finally, they were allowed through the gates, and Roadie found a place to park in the back of the parking lot. As the bears disembarked the bus and stood side by side, looking at the venue, they did a few last second corrections on their outfits. Zeb snuck out his hat and tightened his ponytail; Tennessee combed his highlighted hair and stood next to Trixie and their daughter; Trixie fixed up Jewel's hair a bit better; and Henry turned to Beary and turned his untied necktie into a bowtie and combed his hair.
"You look very handsome, son. Your mother would be proud." Henry smiled at him.
"She'd be proud of you, too, Papa." Beary blushed a little, but grinned. "Maybe when this is over, I can meet her?"
Henry beamed and nodded, while Zeb let out a sarcastic "aaaaaawwwwwwwwww!", which earned him a smack from Trixie.
Jewel laughed and went over to her friend, putting an arm on his. "Are you going to be my date?"
"Date?!" Beary looked at her in shock.
"You take dates to weddings," Jewel explained. "Mama's taking Daddy, and Fred's taking Zeb-"
"I'm what?" Fred asked, surprised. "I may be bi, but Zeb is so not my type!"
"Aw, don't you like me, big guy?" Zeb asked, moving closer to him, puckering his lips.
Fred put his paw against Zeb's snout and pushed him away. "No."
Jewel laughed and Beary looked flabbergasted at the thought.
Henry shook his head in amusement and clapped his paws together. "Best behavior, everyone. We are not going to embarrass Ted or Trixie here, since they are being paid. No fighting with each other, either. I won't have you misbehaving in front of Beary and Jewel, understand?"
"Understood, Henry!" they all chorused.
Henry then turned to the cubs. "And you two behave as well, all right?"
"Okay!"
Trixie looked at all of them. "And try not to be spotted by Ted! I don't need him yelling at me. Last of all, Roadie, can I get out Slydesdale?"
The males glanced at each other questioningly as Roadie opened the compartment beneath the bus and pulled out the shiny guitar case. "You play guitar now?" Tennessee asked, surprised.
"Of course. Learned from Ted several years ago. I still play keyboards, too. Anyway, let's go!" Trixie took the lead, and Beary and Jewel followed eagerly behind her. The other members of the band followed, and Henry was at the end of the group.
Beary and Jewel looked around in amazement, and their noses began to twitch when they smelled the food. It didn't take them very long to locate the buffet and begin to drool, but both hesitated, unsure if they were allowed to eat.
Trixie frowned thoughtfully. Normally only the wedding guests were allowed to eat. "I will ask, all right?" She turned to the others. "Stay out of the main wedding food. There may be a staff buffet you can eat at, but do not touch the main buffet. Beary and Jewel are the only exception. I mean it, Fred. You and Zeb behave yourselves or so help me."
"Aw, come on, Trix!" Zeb laughed, wrapping an arm around his fellow tall bear's shoulders. "We'll be on our best behavior!"
"And no honey, mister!" Jewel accused, shaking a finger at him.
Zeb blinked several times and stared at her. "Great. Big Trix and Little Trix. Oh, joy. Both are going to be stubborn she-bears."
"Good!" Jewel responded, while Beary tried his hardest not to laugh at the indignant look upon the fiddler's face.
Trixie stood proudly. "Now then, Henry, you have them, right?"
"Of course I do. I'll make sure they behave." Henry looked at the adult bears.
Trixie smiled and led the cubs away through the crowd. Beary and Jewel stuck close to her as they weaved through the large party and waited while Trixie put her guitar case behind the stage and returned. "Ah, there he is."
Beary blinked and turned around, eyes widening in disbelief when he saw a black bear in a purple bowtie and shiny golden coat with a purple hem talking to the bride and groom. "Is that really Ted Bedderhead?"
Trixie nodded. "The one and only. Come along." She took both of their paws and led the nervous cubs up to the black bear.
"Uncle Teddy!" Jewel called when they got near enough.
Ted looked over at the trio in surprise. "Jewel? What are you doin' here? Trixie, you told me you weren't bringing her along. And who's that?" He gestured at Beary before looking back at the bride and groom. "Excuse me, please. I will be right back with you." He walked away, leading the three bears to a more isolated spot. "What in the world is going on?!"
"Well, uh, Ted... You know what? Let's sit down, all right?" Trixie smiled, trying to hide her nervousness. She didn't want him angry, but knew it would happen.
Beary looked up at him, and Ted stared.
"Is that Beary? What's he doing here? You didn't bring Henry and Helen, did you?!" Ted's eyes filled with rage. "I swear, if you did!"
"No, I did not bring Helen, as she's been in a coma for about seven years now," Trixie responded.
"What? Coma? What are you talking about?"
"You really don't know?"
"Mama was in a car crash," Beary explained. "I got thrown into a river and ended up on a beach place near woods and was found a month later by a different family. I've only recently met my birth father again."
Ted simply stared, startled. "I... wait, what?"
Trixie nodded. "That's what Henry believes happened, too. Beary only recently learned the truth."
"So why is he here and not with Henry?"
"Henry's here, too, Ted. We need to talk. Beary, Jewel, why don't you go fill up your plates at the staff buffet over there and get some food in you, all right? Be modest, but not birdish." Trixie waited until the cubs left, and sat down with Ted at an empty table out of the way and began to explain everything.
At the end, Ted sat thoughtfully, mulling over this information as Beary and Jewel quietly ate their food at a nearby table, being as behaved as a pair of cubs could be. "At this point, I can't really do any gigs without getting paid, Trix. I'm barely making it by as it is."
"Is money really all you care about? Ted, they're going to tear down the Hall! Henry and Helen's home! It was your home for decades! You can't tell me you don't want to help out!"
"But the band... You know they've not changed one damn bit. From what you've told me, Zeb's still drinking, Tennessee's still a psycho crybaby, and Fred's still... Fred. If we got back together, it'd just make false hope that we'll stay together. I don't want to go back to that. I meant it when I said I was finished."
Trixie frowned at her old friend, and studied the graying hair on his head. "You think you're too old to be in a band? To go on adventures again? Come back to the Hall. Henry tells me that all the cabins are there, and have been well kept up. You could live there again and setup your workshop. You don't have to pay rent. We can all be a family again, Theodore."
"No. The Bears were never a family. Not the way we all acted. We were young and stupid and bullheaded, not to mention the drinking and the pot and the therapy sessions... It was ridiculous, Trixie, and you know it!"
"You also gave me a home, Ted. All of you invited me with you, along with my little sister. Because of the Bears I was able to send her to medical school. She's a highly acclaimed doctor in Nashville, and I'm so proud of her. If it wasn't for all of you, I don't know what would have happened to us. I never would have met Tennessee, and my little girl wouldn't have been born." Trixie smiled as she looked over at her daughter, who was picking mashed potatoes out of Beary's hair after a drunk reception goer spilled his plate of food and the potatoes landed on Beary's head. "Heck, Beary might not have been born, either. You never know."
"That may be true, Trixie, but come on. Look at us. We're old. None of us can keep up with those young bands nowadays. It's impossible." Ted sighed and shook his head unhappily. "I don't want to see them. When we broke up, it was a mess. I don't want those old feelings back. Please."
"Ted Bedderhead saying 'please'? Wow, you have changed. But what about the concerts? This is the Taylors last chance. Think of Beary. He'll be homeless." She knew that wouldn't be true, as Henry and Beary could just move into another cabin, but she wanted Ted to think.
Ted frowned. "I'll think about it and give you my answer after the reception, all right? Let's not ruin this day for the happy couple with our squabbling, all right?"
Trixie nodded in agreement.
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