Chapter Ten

A Wedding Party Interrupted

Almost five months now. Lily breathed a sigh of relief when she removed her sparkling gray cardigan sweater to show her elbow-length white shirt and black leggings to accommodate her growing belly. It was only two days until the wedding, and her father and Dan's parents were coming tomorrow. Last month, Dan had moved out to live with Meg, leaving her with Herbert now that Jake was still in jail.

Last month, she had a call from the station, saying that Jake didn't seem...human anymore that he had to be transferred to the Sefton ward where she received routine calls that he got into violent fights with Elizabeth Chapham and two others in the same room, resulting in him being put in a straightjacket.

And one more thing, too, that made them suspicious: his bullet wounds were not healing.

Lily bit her lip while she was in one of the hospital rooms with Dan and Herbert, overseeing the care of a dying patient who was a cancerous seventy-year-old mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She reminded Lily of her late grandmother and how poor Elizabeth Chapham would have been if she'd been in a happier marriage. Had she'd known the old woman in her previous life, she would have known she was a sweet lady in a horrible marriage she couldn't escape. Would Lily have been like that if she hadn't escaped from Jake sooner?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Herbert questioned with a little smile while Dan looked over the old woman with a sad look on his face; he in turn watched her with his usual stoned expression, stating he didn't want her to die, either. Lately, Lily had been seeing him become more and more...human. Maybe that meeting with his ghastly creation in the tomb had caused him to soften up. As of late, in addition, he'd been more keen on studying life as continuing his work.

"She's got young ones in her life," Lily spoke softly. "You know how the littlest ones always look up to the older, funnier ones? I used to have a grandmother who was like that; she died too soon when I was seven."

"Hmm, I wish I had one to understand better," he said. Of course he'd say so. "But, Lily, I also think the littlest ones should have a permanent figure in their lives, which I believe is the same thing."

She looked up at him. "Herbert, what are you asking me?"

"Lily..." His voice was low, but Dan could still hear him since he was now looking at them. "...I think I'm in love with you."

She felt as though her heart had stopped dead in its tracks. The baby leaped inside her at the same time. "Herbert, you - you what?"

"I said I. Love. You." He repeated each word slowly and with punctuation. He looked up at Dan, whose jaw was slack with amazement before he managed to speak.

"Herbert, you love my cousin?" he repeated. "I don't know if I believe it."

"I know I do because of all this time I've spent with her," Herbert answered strongly. "And I'm telling her now because I want to even if she might not feel the same for me. Because of everything we've been through as a team." He took both of her hands into his. "And I saw everything you and Megan have, and it is all true. Because of anything I was willing to give up for her, such as the tinkering I shouldn't have done when the real thing is right in front of me. I'm willing to be there for her and protect her. I feel something that I have not felt in a long time for another, but there are no actual words to describe it."

He sounded like he was reciting something else he heard and passed it on as his own, and it made her laugh. Lily was so happy she couldn't explain it, only find it in herself to speak what she'd kept in herself all this time. "I love you too, Herbert," she said, taking his face in both hands and bringing him down for a kiss. His lips were warmer and softer than ever; all these weeks between them had been blossoming into something more whenever they were in the basement bringing back the dead, upstairs in the bedroom, sometimes in the treks to the cemetery. It had gotten only hotter and hotter to a point where Lily was sure she'd found love again and that Herbert could finally seek the happiness which he had long denied himself.

And Dan was right there, laughing and coming in between them. He took her in for a hug. "As much as I'm happy for you guys, we got some work to do and a wedding to think about."

Lily smiled before turning her face to see Herbert's while still resting against Dan's chest, seeing the grave expression he now had. She knew what he was thinking: she was coming for him in one final life-and-death struggle.

~o~

She couldn't believe that she was finally getting married. The original plan was to wait until they'd graduated school, but that had been when her father laid his strict rules, and Meg just couldn't break them because she was afraid of getting Dan into trouble; he would have lost his scholarship, then gotten kicked out of school and his life. Which almost happened because Herbert West came into the picture.

But now she was at her vanity, getting her hair and makeup done with help from Lily and a few of her friends from school. Her nerves were shaking, so she took in a few breaths and let them out slowly as she surveyed herself in the mirror. Her dress was made of lace, classic and sexy at the same time, filled with romance. The sleeves were short and the neckline plunging to show her proud breast curves; the skirt, upon her standing for the final result, was a mermaid cut with mild pearl appliques here and there. Meg's hair had no need for any more embellishments other than the veil, which was of vintage romance with the sheer tulle fabric elbow-length and beaded lace flowers on the edges. In her ears and around her neck was the sapphire and diamond halo set from Dan on her last birthday...she was getting MARRIED!

"Megan, you're beautiful!" Her maid of honor, Vanessa, gushed as she picked up Meg's bouquet of ivory roses and cascading ivy leaves and vines, handing it to her. She and all the bridesmaids wore charming icy pink chiffon dresses with V-necklines and a crystal accent at the waist, shawls in addition for warmth against the dropping temperature. Lily was among them, in the same dress opposite of what she'd originally picked for herself since she hadn't officially been asked to be among the bridal party before, and oh, she was pretty in pink. Also, seeing her ring duo from Jake gone, Meg saw that her new cousin-in-law was happier than she had ever been. She slightly frowned to herself before it dawned on her that Lily and Herbert West...

She'd long ago lost her detest on Herbert, but that did not mean she approved of his way of "creating life". She still worried for Lily's safety in all of this, and for the baby due in a few months. Nobody was ever safe with what West did, and especially not with that thing still out there...

"Ready?" Lily's voice broke her out of her reverie, and that was when one of the other maids, Janet, had opened the door for the bride to go out first. Now Meg's heart was racing again. This was it...the moment she and Dan had waited for all their lives. She picked up her skirt and led the way.

All of this time and waiting had been worth it because of the manner and everything she'd seen walking down the aisle to where the man she'd loved since day one in school - and who would now be her husband - stood smiling warmly and waiting for her. Dan's eyes were shining like the hanging lanterns from the trees of this breathtaking scenery around them and their witnesses. Their altar arch which she now stood under and before him was of draping white wisteria glowing with as much energy of the lights. The lush flowers drenched the air with their perfume, but Meg paid no attention to any of it but the man before her as they took their vows before God and their tearing guests.

"Meg, I've been alone all my life, never been with a girl because I thought I would never find someone as beautiful, smart, and funny as you, and who drives me crazy," he added, making her and everyone else laugh; she saw Herbert West as one of his groomsmen - a funny position - but even he was smiling. "But you don't take nonsense from anyone, and that is exactly why I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you."

She could barely control herself when she spoke hers in a slight warble. "Dan, I thought I wouldn't find anyone like you, either. I spent my whole life living as a daddy's girl who had to fold her hands in her lap and sit straight, do what I was told to do, afraid to be with anyone because I was scared it would end bad. But you're everything to me because you're willing to do anything for me. I love you more than anything in the world."

To finally have that ring around her finger was amazing and surreal; the feeling of it being placed sent a jolt through her nerves, but no more than when the minister said, "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Daniel, you may now kiss your bride." That kiss he gave her was so powerful a surge of electrical energy set her body afire that she couldn't wait for their alone time tonight after the party coming up was over; they'd made love before, so she wasn't a virgin, but it didn't matter because she was now officially married to the man she loved. The man who swept her off her feet and spun her around as he deepened that kiss before picking her up and carrying her down the aisle to head back to the house for a change of wardrobe and then to the destination where the fun would really begin.

~o~

Weddings and parties were not Herbert's cup of tea, but seeing his former housemate and good friend marry the woman he loved had Herbert suddenly thinking of him one day asking Lily to be his in this position sometime in the future. He'd known her for five months, but he felt like he'd known her forever.

He watched with everyone else as Daniel carried his new bride down the aisle until they vanished into the trees...and that was when he saw her.

She deliberately stood there for everyone to see, but how was it when Herbert saw her and no one else screamed to acknowledge? He needed to see her, because he knew the expiration date was up. Everyone was leaving, including Lily, but he stopped her and pulled her close to him, not missing Eve's sneer when he made sure Lily's back faced her, and leaned in to whisper to her. "She's here."

Her eyes widened. "Her? Where is she?"

"I can't let you in on this," Herbert said. "I won't let her kill you like she almost did, so I must go alone to finish this." He leaned further to gently brush his nose against her. "This experiment is over, I promise you, Lily."

"Herbert..." She clearly had no idea how to respond, but he didn't need a spoken reply. He had to kiss her, hoping it wouldn't be the last, but he swore that if something happened to him, she would bring him back even if he wasn't the same as she remembered him. And if anything happened to her, he would do the same for her and run away with her if the world didn't accept the first and only woman he ever loved, but that meant her unborn child's life would be in danger, so he would be forced to choose between them if that ever happened.

But in Herbert West's world, it was all or nothing.

"You shouldn't be here," he hissed as soon as he hid behind the tree to face the obsessed object he'd made and regretted. "That obese fool Chapham is on our trail, so you can't be here."

She snarled at him and reached down to grab him by his shirt collar, pulling him up to her. "I do not care, Herbert. I'll destroy anyone who comes between us. Now, we are going away to a place where it can be just you and I..."

~o~

The reception dress for Meg had been Lily's idea, really. It was a completely different direction from the sexy, vintage bridal look; it was short, high above the knees and enough to show what was best left to the imagination if she bent forward: silver and one-shouldered, bedecked with diamonds and pearls on the bodice. Which Meg tested out and left Lily and the other girls gasping and shrieking with laughter, prompting her to jolt back up straight and glower at them while at the same time trying not to laugh. "You guys, no way I am wearing this! My in-laws are there! And the school!"

"You're a married woman now," Lily said. "This is your big dance and fun time. It needs spicing up!" She laughed and gestured up and down the "spicy" dress. "So, come on, no more complaints and let's get you and Dan to the barn!"

Said barn was an abandoned structure outside town, perfect for a vintage romance themed reception, and it was hanging with glamorous chandeliers, joined by exquisite vintage birdcages and flowers for the centerpieces, and extravagant silk flower arrangements here and there in antique white porcelain vases. The cake itself was an adorable fairytale in its own way, with the pastel color palette and frosted flowers. All of this not overtly done and exactly as her new cousin-in-law had envisioned. Lily would have overall enjoyed the whole experience - from everyone savoring a sumptuous filet mignon while the bride and groom themselves made their appearances and had their first dance together before mingling with their guests - if not for the memory of Herbert abandoning the party for one final search for that Female still about.

And he hadn't even returned yet, which began to scare Lily. She didn't want to spoil Dan and Meg's perfect wedding, but she had to tell them soon.

She actually had fun for awhile, having turns with some nice guys she knew from the medical school and hospital, as well as once with her cousin. "How does it feel to be a married man?" Lily asked him, trying her hardest to keep her smile on her face.

He grinned down at her. "It feels great. And I'm never going to sink low if we decided to have a kid so soon. I have a great feeling about having a family soon."

"Speaking of family, guess what I just found out," Meg announced, coming up and wrapping her arms around Dan's waist, leaning up and whispering into his ear. His reaction was an even broader smile than before, and he spun around to gather her up into his arms and laughed happily with her.

"Okay, everybody stop for a second!" he yelled over the music, which paused as soon as everyone else did. "Meg and I have some wonderful news to share with you. We're going to have a baby!"

In response, the whole room burst into a succession of applause and laughter. Lily was over the moon; she knew what it was going to be and felt herself tear up in happiness. Meg was pregnant, and she couldn't be any more happier, watching as Dan whirled her around and kissed her before setting her down and doing the most embarrassing thing for the bride but still making her laugh: he grabbed her and bent them both over; well, he was over her, nibbling and kissing her neck against her protests. Even Lily laughed her ass off with everyone else, even Uncle John and Aunt Rose.

But as soon as her cousin and his new wife were enjoying their little fun moment, she glimpsed a certain person who had not been invited, and who, obviously enough, was not happy to see her, nor did he come to enjoy the newlyweds' celebration of the good news.

"What the hell are you doing at my cousin's wedding, Lt. Chapham?" Lily crossed over to him and folded her arms across her chest, trying to look as intimidating as possible, but it only made him laugh and shake his head. "I don't remember anyone inviting you."

"I wasn't, Dr. Stevens," he sneered, his face suddenly turning ugly.

"Then why are you here?"

"On business."

"And whatever would that involve?" Would he just get to the point already?

"Your husband, that 'monster girl' running around town that no one has seen or heard of in a while - but I know she's out there somewhere," he added, his voice lower and doing a hell of a great job at making her shiver. Even more was when his eyes glittered and his smile broadened.

"And your Dr. West."

Lily sucked in a breath. "What about them?"

"We've had your husband long enough, and his injuries have not healed. Not. At. All." Now her heart was on the verge of stopping, but she would not let her guard down. This bastard who had the nerve to show up at her cousin's perfect wedding of all places was going to get his tonight. "And further testing showed that the blood cells are deteriorated. He constantly cries out in pain like two of the others in the Sefton ward. Which means he must be...walking dead." His eyes hardened as they bore down into hers. "Which leads me to think one thing."

"If you're trying to scare me at such a wonderful time, Lieutenant," Lily said coldly, putting her hands on her hips, "you're sorely mistaken. Besides, you wouldn't really hit a pregnant woman, would you?" She winked and smirked at the same time; his whole body was shaking as he was also struggling to keep himself under control in the public.

"You can stop playing games with me, Dr. Stevens. I know your friend West has more to him than meets the eye. Since he, Cain and Halsey were the only ones to make it out alive the night the dean and Dr. Hill died."

"Halsey is Cain now." She whipped her head around to see Dan and Meg abandon their guests for the moment to help her handle this uninvited one. Meg's eyes were like blue fire as they settled on Chapham. "You have nerve to show up and ruin a perfect night," she snarled.

He laughed when his eyes landed on her. "Oh, well, congratulations, Mrs. Cain," he said sarcastically. "How is it to be the good doctor's wife now?"

"Leave my wife be," Dan defended, pulling her to his side. "What do you want?"

"All three of you know more about Dr. Herbert West and that demon wandering around Arkham. Which gives me the idea of a warrant for the arrest of all three of you IF I had physical evidence, but right now, I don't need any."

"You're conducting an illegal search against the books," Meg ground out. "And you are right: you don't know anything."

"Just that Stevens here and West," Chapham said, fixing his eyes on Lily, "did something to her husband the same way however he did to my wife."

"And what Herbert did was the right thing," Lily said furiously, taking a step up to stick her nose in his face. She nearly retched at his foul breath but still forced herself on. "Your wife didn't deserve to be dead, because those injuries on her skull were far too extensive for a fall down the stairs. Multiple contusions...multiple. I'd have reported it myself, but the fact I knew you would do the same to any competition you have."

"My wife's death was not my FAULT!" Chapham nearly raised his voice before he forced it to low as they began to get a few faces their way. "You misunderstood, Dr. Stevens."

"Not at all," she snapped. "A good doctor never makes mistakes. You tried covering it up, but Herbert and I knew."

He leaned his face down into hers once again, growling, "You and your cousins are going to take me to West and that she-devil right now if I have anything to say about it. And after that, all four of you are going to be in so much -"

He didn't get to finish his speech due to the sound of glass breaking and screams following.

~o~

Dan held Meg close to him as they, along with Lily and Chapham, spun around to see every one of their guests jumping out of their seats at the sound of the glass windows breaking by brute force, and figures coming out. "Oh, God, we got more party crashers!" Lily cried.

"Obviously!" Chapham said, grabbing his gun for ready.

The first of the four that intruded this peaceful place was in a tattered straightjacket, stained horrendously with blood and had it smearing a handsome face that once captured his cousin's heart before it betrayed her for another woman. The brown hair was all over the place and greasy; the bright blue eyes were bloodshot, maniacal and hell-bent on revenge. They scanned the room and the frightened guests who screamed and did the smart thing in running away with their lives, but only a couple guys stayed behind - two tough guys from one of his classes - being stupid enough to think they could help them fight these "guys" they had no idea were dead.

"There's the bitch who left me for that mad nerd!" The re-animated once known as Dr. Jake Stevens, Lily's ex-husband and the father of her child, let out a crazy laugh as he began to move for the small group, the lieutenant himself with his gun raised and firing a shot, hitting Jake square in the right shoulder and sending him back.

"Freeze!" Chapham shouted, his weapon now raised at all three of the others who still crouched and advanced on them. "Policeman with a gun! Don't come any closer to us!" He turned to Dan, Meg and Lily and hissed under his breath. "Get outside to my car now!" Dan glared at him for a moment before nodding for his wife and cousin to hurry out through the back from which they all knew he came, not bothering to wait for this man who might be on their side for the time being but whom they had to get out of the picture somehow.

Dan had seen the other three who had come with Jake: one was one of the bodies from the morgue he remembered - tall and skinny, bearded, suffered from some form of malnourishment before dying of starvation; another was African American, having gone through some malforming disease that rendered him constantly vomiting over himself in living death.

And the third and final...none other than Elizabeth Chapham, whose pitch-black eyes were on her abusive husband, and she was more than ready to kill him. Chapham saw her coming, losing his brave boy shell and screaming before running after them, getting past them all and into his car first, starting the engine and letting everyone else in after him before getting them all the hell out of there.

~o~

Herbert was sure that Eve did not intend to kill him; she had made that real clear in her body language and her sweetness for him, but one slip up meant she would strangle the life out of him. She'd carried him over her shoulder; it made him feel small and very silly, because she was a woman - an extremely tall, extremely strong woman - and he a man, smaller and shorter than she was. Herbert had been carried all this way in her arms as she walked on foot without being detected.

He was dropped onto the grass, the cool feel of earth beneath his hands as Herbert was released from her arms, looking back up at her once again. She was glowering at him murderously. "Y-YOU! You and that horrid girl! You dare insult me!"

Herbert laughed insolently. "You, insulted? Now that's a new word I first hear you use." Instead of a spoken response, he got grabbed by the shirt collar again and held this time high in the air to the sky.

"I thought you loved me! You made me!"

"I've said this before, and I'll say it again!" Herbert returned, his eyes burning into her own fire-filled orbs. "I did make you, and I DID love you! But it was all a mistake! Because you were exactly as I wanted a woman to be, until you viciously attacked Lily! I don't know you anymore, Eve! What more do you want from me?!" He squirmed in her grasp, to which she shook him furiously.

"What do I want from you?" she choked out, her face softening then and heartbroken. She lowered her arms to let him breathe briefly before taking him into her embrace with a loving attempt, but Herbert did not want her body. "I want you, Herbert! I want you to be MINE!"