208. Doubts

Bridgeport, present day

It was a week since the incident in Appaloosa Plains. A week since the bodies of Joshua and Ellie Clarke were discovered by their parents in his apartment. It was a week since the smear campaign by Joshua’s parents against the Frosts began.

The Clarkes, more specifically Mrs. Clarke told anyone and everyone who would listen that the Frosts had commissioned the death of her kids. Of course the cops hadn't found any truth in her allegations just yet, there was nothing connecting the Frosts to the Clarke’s murder. But the newshounds were lapping up all the drama, giving Mrs. Clarke her two minutes.

And Eloise was exhausted from it all. She knew she didn’t look like a blushing bride as she sat by the window, watching the sun rise; she’d spent the whole night crying.

In a few hours, she was getting married. And she was so confused. A part of her really wanted to go through with the wedding, she wanted to marry Devon and make him the happiest man in the world. But another part couldn’t help but feel that maybe they were doomed. Maybe they were not supposed to get married. Horrible things kept happening right before they were supposed to tie the knot. It was too much, too many bad omens.

Her bedroom door creaking to life pulled her away from the window. She quickly brushed away her tears before she turned to her best friend. She was early.

 But it wasn’t Leigh. It was Devon.

“You know you can’t be here, Dev!” She admonished him weakly. She wasn’t an overly superstitious person, but with all the bad things they’d gone through lately she didn’t think it was a good idea that they saw each other before the wedding.

“I don’t believe in that stuff,” Devon gave her a lazy smile.

In a flash he’d crossed the room. “Look, I know you have your doubts, and you’re worried about Michaela and her parents. I am too. But we are getting married today; it’s too late to cancel.”

Eloise shook her head, “How can we be happy when Michaela is hurting? How can we get married with all this controversy surrounding Joshua’s death?”

Devon didn’t know what to say to her. He understood she was heartbroken, not just for the Frosts, but for the Clarkes too, after all they’d lost two children in one go, it was a loss no parent should have to go through. But Devon felt the Frosts had done the right thing, if they had indeed commissioned the hit. Neither J.D. nor Krimsyn were admitting to anything though.

“Look,” Devon tucked Eloise in his arms, and wiped the tear from the corner of her eye. “We’ve had our fair share of heartache. It’s our moment to be happy now. We deserve it.”

Eloise still didn’t look convinced.  She looked so scared and vulnerable, and if he could, Devon would have brought Joshua back from the dead just to kill him again. It wasn’t just Michaela’s life he’d tainted; they were all feeling the aftermath of his actions, in one way or another.

“I love you, Eloise.” Devon murmured as he slowly brought their lips together.

Their kiss, as beautiful as it was, filled with all their hopes and fears and all their dreams, terrified her.

Devon felt her shake in his arms, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her temple. “We’ll be alright. I promise.” 

“How can you be so sure?” Eloise asked as she watched her tears fall onto his chest.

“We both love each other very much.” He replied…

______

St. Stithians Chapel

Leigh looked radiant as she waltzed down the aisle. She reminded Devon of their mom, and for the millionth time that morning, he wished she was there with him. He wondered if she would have been proud of him. He’d done something with his life, raised Leigh, and gotten a decent job, but his biggest achievements, the things he treasured the most was the love he shared with Eloise and their son.

“She’s looks beautiful, Dev!” Leigh gave him a giant hug, pulling him out his daze.

Before he could quiz her about his future wife’s mental state, Cameron transitioned to Ave Maria, a timeless classic and one of Eloise’s favorites.

Devon could swear he was falling in love with her all over again as he watched her make her entrance with Krisis at her side.  She truly was his happy ending, and he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life loving her.

Eloise felt the same way too, and as soon as Krisis left her at the altar, before they could even move forward with the ceremony, she reached for her future husband and kissed him.

“Thank you,” she whispered, for his ears only. She knew if they hadn't had their talk earlier, they wouldn't be here right now.

The ceremony was short, but beautiful, and Eloise could not have asked for more, from the scriptures to Leigh’s reading, everything was just perfect.

At one point when Eloise turned to look at their friends and family, especially at Krimsyn and Michaela,  she burst into tears, feeling overwhelmed by their show of love and support when their own lives were falling apart.

Devon and Eloise both couldn’t hide their relief when the priest finally pronounced them husband and wife. They reached for each other, and shared their first kiss as a married couple.

“Hey, we made it,” Eloise cried, tears brimming in her eyes.

“I always knew we would,” Devon caressed her cheek…

_________

Hotel Dreams, Bridgeport

The reception was held at Hotel Dreams in one of the ballrooms. Everything was a beautiful as Jesse and Leigh had said it would be, after all they’d worked 24/7 with the hotel staff to ensure that the guests wined and dined in style.

Eloise though, as appreciative as she was of her friends’ hard work, was more impressed with the ring on her finger.

Krisis caught her on quite a few occasions staring admiringly at her hand. “Don’t stare so hard, it might just vanish.” He teased her with a smile.

“Not a chance, this ring is here to stay,” Eloise replied as she bumped him playfully on his shoulder. “Thank you, for walking me down the aisle today.” She added softly.

Krisis just gave her a lopsided grin before he walked away to find his wife, leaving Eloise staring after him. She couldn’t believe she was finally Mrs. Devon Starlington; she knew she couldn’t have done any of it without all their help.

For their first dance, they waltzed to Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. Eloise had picked the song; she insisted it was their ‘song’ since they’d danced to it the first time Devon took her out on a 'real' date.

Devon though wasn’t even aware that they had a ‘song’.  He didn’t even think it was important, he was just happy to be able to finally call her his wife considering all her doubts that morning.

The ladies hit the floor and showed off their dance moves as the evening wore on…

Krisis and Cameron stayed on the sidelines most of the evening, it was Devon’s night and they didn’t want to steal the spotlight from him.

The alone time gave Cameron a chance to ask his friend for advice about Michaela. Since Appaloosa Plains and Joshua’s death she’d been pushing him away and he had no idea how to reach out to her.

Krisis, having gone through a similar situation with Leigh when Vladimir assaulted her, understood Cameron’s worry and frustration. It was in their nature to swoop in and make everything okay for the people they adored, but this was one thing Cameron couldn’t fix. He had to give Michaela all the time and space she needed to work through her rage and grief on her own terms.

“But I want to be there for her, I want to help her,” Cameron insisted.

Krisis shook his head no. “You can’t. She’s very fragile right now; let her come to you when she’s ready.”

Before Cameron could argue his case, they were distracted by the squealing on the dance floor.

All the single ladies were rallying around Eloise, eager to catch the bouquet.

But it was Kim from O+ Records, who took the coveted prize. She was Katie’s plus one. Thornton had declined to be her date for the wedding, considering his history with Eloise.

Before the happy couple set off for Krisis’ château in Champs Les Sims for their honeymoon, the wedding party took a few photographs, forever capturing this blissful moment in their lives on film for everyone to see and remember.

As Eloise and Devon rushed to the waiting limo, Leigh couldn’t help but cry. But it was mostly tears of relief and joy. She was ecstatic for her brother and best friend, after everything they’d been through, from Tamsyn kidnapping Blake to Eloise being changed into a werewolf, they’d finally done it, they’d found their happily ever after…

_______

Special thanks to Strelitzia19 for her sim-self, it was great having her mingle with the Krisis cast.

And to Karima, for her awesome photo editing skills.

More wedding pics on my Tumblr for those interested.

Thanks for reading.