Disclaimer: Don't own.

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Jade's thoughts had slowly been shifting, turning to escape. She tried to think clearly, to reason out how she was going to get out of this, only to be distracted by the hammering of her own heartbeat in her ears. Naked panic ate away at what control she had, until escape, in the most direct way possible, was all she could think of. Fight or flight. Glancing at the two huge men who were in the room, watching her, she did the only thing a sacrifice could do while waiting for them to be ready for her, she excused herself to the bathroom.

Once inside, she got busy looking for her escape. 'Window's too small. Who makes a window that small? I mean, it's not like they're keeping people out. We're what? Twenty stories up in the air? No way someone would be crazy enough to force open a window, scurry along a ledge, find some other window, and try entering there… Did we have a balcony…' Her mind sought some escape. Anything to ease the fear that now ruled her life.

Only, the room she'd been in had no balcony, only another small window, as well as a mirror should she wish to see how she'd been made up for this day. Her gown, of the purist while, now hung on her, hugging her curves while showing her supposed innocence, as well as her worthiness for this ritual. Jade hated it. She'd never liked the outfit, and felt the gown just sent the wrong message. 'I'm not some helpless girl just waiting for the priest to offer me away. No, I'm Jade fucking West, and I'm a warrior…'

Her resolve, more a defense against her fear than anything else, bolstered her enough to spur a quick search of the bathroom.

Someone had removed anything more menacing than the hand towels. Even the bath towels, which she'd used not an hour before, were now gone. Frantic, she continued her search, confident that, even in the Bahama's, they still kept such basic things as a hair dryer in the bathroom. 'Or scissors. Who would think of scissors as anything more than a tool…?' Her mind raced, remembering, briefly, about how they'd gotten her to surrender her scissors. 'Beck!'

He'd been the one to calmly get her to agree, getting her to surrender her only means of protection in this cold world, then convincing her to change into the dress. 'He kept saying how much it would hurt Cat if I didn't. How can anyone be so cruel as to hurt Cat? So I did, and then I realized, she's in on this. They all are. And here I am, unarmed, cause Cat snuck in and took my backup pair of scissors, as well as my lucky pair, and the pair I was wearing in my boots. Speaking of, where are my boots?'

Her blue eyes scanned the restroom, but found nothing. Her doc Martins had steel toes, would make decent enough weapons in a fight. Only, she wasn't wearing them. Any weapon had been denied her. 'I think those two guys won't be ready if I just got for it, fake a fight, and run out the door once I get the chance… Can't wait for the ceremony, too many people will be watching me. No, gonna have to fight my way free….'

Taking one last look out the window, at this so called paradise, a resort town in the Bahama's, Jade found her will to fight, and pushed the door open, ready to make these people understand Jade West was no simple sacrifice.

"You okay?" Trina seemed more relaxed than concerned. To the pale goth, that was as much an insult as anything. Jade didn't feel she needed much of an excuse to fight, and the older Latina was giving her plenty.

"I'm leaving." Jade tried to sound confident. Her head held high, projecting an aura of control and power, lease the two men do something. 'If they even speak English, cause I have no idea what some of the words they use are…'

"You're scared, I get that." Trina tried. "Okay, I don't, cause this, it feels so you. Hate to admit it, but this is actually the right thing for you, and us, and I was so worried you'd be making bad choices, again. Look at me, being right again." She smiled in her moment of glory.

"Jade, it's like I told you when you agreed to this, just hours ago, no one really wants this…" Beck started

"She did." Cat's voice came in from behind. "Just, who'd have thought she'd be a scardy-Jadey… Um, Jade, I kinda, sorta borrowed your scissors, on account of the fact that the hotel will charge us if we get blood on the attendants. More it it's theirs…"

"I'm not doing this." Jade stated, still trying to sound dangerous, but her voice was more desperate, as her fear was again turning to panic.

"Why not?" Trina asked. "You were the one who suggested it…"

"The Bahama location that is." Cat filled in. 'Thought, you also proposed, so I'm thinking you kinda wanted this, back before yous started thinking about how good things were with Tori, and how bad they can get once you give her any kind of commitment. Why is it people get so scared about a wedding? It's not the end of the world, just life as you know it…"

Jade, however, was beyond reason, and bolted for the open door. Beck had been expecting it, but not her chosen rout, so was bowled over as she plowed through him, knocking him into Trina, and out of her way. The attendants, both surprisingly aware of what was about to happen, didn't move. They understood that, either Jade would go through with it, or she wouldn't. Their job was to make sure she wasn't bothered by the hoards of press that would soon decent on the building when they find out Jade West was getting married. The pale girl had managed to make a name for herself, both as an actress, staring in more than one series, as well as a string of self produced movies, and as such her hoards of fans around the world would be wanting every little detail, like who made the dress she wore as she tore through the doorway and down the hall, stopped only by Cat's quick thinking.

"In Wrestling, this is called a drop toe hold, though it's not, cause I didn't grab your toes." Cat explained. Jade had been tripped, her legs trapped, and had fallen on the only soft thing Cat could see, Andre and Robbie. Both boys had been just outside in order to help out, and went down hard from the velocity Jade had been building in her mad dash. The impact had been so sudden they each barley had the wherewithal to grab Jade, being conscious of where, least Tori tear into them for touching the bride in a less than appropriate place.

Jade's fear based struggles were like holding a puma while trying to neither hurt it or yourself. Andre and Robbie held on for all they were worth, Robbie just grabbing the legs to avoid being kicked, while Andre tried to muscle his way through to holding her arms in place. For several long seconds, both boys worried that they'd lose her, all while they tried to avoid serious injury.

Beck had scrambled to his feet, rushing to help before Jade got loose and got away. Cat, for her part, had offered the wise counsel of "Don't you dare damage that dress…" It helped, in that no one knew who she was talking to. Only, Jade didn't much care, and would be shredding the gown if her arms weren't being pinned by Andre's desperate death grip on his own arm.

Beck managed to grab Jade, using his strength to add to the other boys, and finally, Jade was restrained. Holds taught to them by the school resource officer, for restraining berserk students without anyone getting hurt, now were employed. "Okay, we got her." Beck told the others. "Rob, let go of her legs. Carefully, carefully…" He and Andre lifted Jade to her feet, ready for her to run again.

"It's okay, you can let me go now." Jade tried to sound reasonable.

"It's a trick." Cat shot out. "I mean… Okay, looks like the dress made it without noticeable damage, so we're good. Just, don't trust her." The petite girl then slipped closer to her best friend in the world. "Jade, you in there?"

Jade had to take several deep breaths, to calm her pounding heartbeat down enough to fool these people here for her on this special day. "Y-yea, I'm here." She said, smiling a weak smile. "Kinda lost it there for a moment."

"Yea, you did." Cat agreed, her smile sweet. Only, that smile faded, and an irate Cat looked the pale girl right in the blue green eyes. "Only, and you mark this, I only get one shot to be the maid of honor. I went and made the dresses, cause I knew, you and Tori, you wanna, no need to be the center of attention, and if I didn't do something, me and Trina, and all the girls, we'd be wearing potato sacks. So I went and used colors, dark for us, white and light blue for you and Tori, to differentiate us, so you two can be beautiful, and we won't look like we spent a whole bunch of money on ugly dresses we'll only wear once. You got that?" She waited, just a moment, for some sign that she was being heard. "So, me and Trina, we're the maids of honor, cause no need for a best man where you don't have any men in the wedding. But, this is my one shot, one, to play that roll, and I'm gonna look cute and pretty while you look hot and glamorous, and I swear, you are not ruining this for me. Got it?"

Jade was trying to process the petite girls words, but for some reason, she couldn't get past how Cat was trying to intimidate her. It was, of course, failing. Even if she weren't Jade West, she'd be far beyond Cat's ability to intimidate. The fear that ate away at her, irrational fear of this ruining her life, of her never being happy, it made her beyond most levels of reason.

"Let her go." Trina's voice was quiet yet solid. The older girl walked up to where Cat was still threatening her friend. "Jade, you're a coward."

"Trina, we can only hold her so long, so…" Beck warned.

"And you'll have to let her go for the wedding." Trina replied. "So, she wins. No mater what, she wins, and can take the cowards way out, run. Orrrrrr…." A dark smile crossed her face. "Is Jade West, horror queen and self styled bitch, gonna let a little fear ruin this day, the day she worked towards. Years of making it, making yourself, proving to the world you were beyond those who tried to cancel you. Yet now, here you are, running from something you claim you want. My sister, the woman you convinced to abandon men for, is out there, waiting, and all you have to do is walk out and do one stupid ceremony I'm not even sure is still culturally relevant, and she's yours. So, is this what you want, the expensive, societal ritual that basically says you're now with her, an elaborate form of dibs that dates back to when men realized how babies were made? Cause my sister, way old fashion, and she's been dying for this day forever. Maybe you weren't the one she was thinking of, and anyone could be waiting in whatever nightmare of past fashion my sister wanted her man in, but this IS the wedding she wanted. You got to choose the location, she planned everything else. I know you, know how cruel you can be, but are you still that gank from high school, playing an elaborate prank on my sister. The woman you claim to love, and want to live with and have a family with? Now's the time to let us and the world know, are you that cowardly, or will Jade fucking West once again rise up and overcome the odds to walk down that aisle, and get fucking married?"

Trina's words hit hard. So hard that Jade was able, with only fifteen minutes time to stop and think, wrangle her emotions under control enough to be let go before she had to walk down the aisle, accompanied by her father. Mister West had agreed to an all expense paid vacation in the Bahama's, for the wedding, with the only thing he was required to do was spend the time it took to attend, and give his daughter away. He felt it was like a timeshare sales meeting, and accepted it as part of the expectations. Now, he was ready, his current wife sitting next to Jade's mother, and oddly he was the only member of her family present who really seemed to care about her getting married. It wasn't much, but it did elicit some response, where he told her "Good chose. I kinda like this one."

Beck and her other friends scampered to their places as they got ready, the wedding march now playing. the fear, still strong in her mind, was warring with other fears, like what the world would say if she ran now. Her father, never a comforting figure, somehow helped her nail down her resolve, and despite being grateful her antiperspirant was triple layered, Jade was feeling that maybe she might live through this day. 'At the very least, running will haunt me forever, cause there are camera's here. Who the fuck let in the press... No, that's just our photographer, and film crew, and god help me, i think the press is here...'

Jade, now more anchored, and determined to not be seen as a cowards in front of the press, her friends, her fans, swallowed a lot of fear, and standing as tall as she could, walked towards the official, barely feeling her legs. Will alone got her there, where she stood, in her white gown, and waited for Tori.

A brief scuffle at the back of the event space, a converted club of some sort twenty stories up, let her know something was off. However, despite everything, Trina and David Vega were able to keep Tori from running long enough to get her to the official, where the expectations of the crowd would hold her until she found her voice. "Just a touch of jitters…" Tori whispered to her brave bride to be as the ceremony started.

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Thoughts?