House of Jealous Lovers

"Would the bride and groom please make their way to the dance floor for their first dance?" we heard the DJ announce over the speaker system.

I watched Johnny as he waited patiently for his new bride on the dance floor, looking devastatingly handsome in his black tux. His hair had been dyed bleach blonde with black patches mixed in, lying neatly on top of his head. He actually almost looked like a normal person this way, which made me laugh because it was the one time he wasn't acting like a rock star.

Danni made her way to her husband, holding up the front of her dress as she walked so she didn't step on any material. She was seriously the most gorgeous bride I had seen in a lifetime. She had a very simple white, strapless, satin dress that clung to her curves beautifully. The bottom of the dress became a little fluffy, flowing out from her waist, but it wasn't to the point where she looked like a lemon meringue. It was perfect. Her black hair had been clipped up into a curly bun with the veil positioned right on top of her head, the mesh material flipped behind her and out of her shining face.

The two of them had these indescribable smiles on their faces, displaying utter joy at their union. It was amazing to think that some people could be this incredibly happy at something as silly as a wedding. I wouldn't have thought that it would be a big deal to actually have the wedding but after seeing the way Johnny and Danni were with each other, how happy they looked now that they were bonded together for all eternity, I've changed my perspective. I've become less cynical about love now that I've actually found it.

"Swing Life Away" started playing through the speakers as Johnny took Danni's hand, pulling her closer to him. He placed his hands on her hips while she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, the both of them sharing a small kiss before they began their dance. They swayed together slowly, both of them whispering into each other's ears, causing the other one's smile to grow larger. At one point, Johnny seemed to be mouthing along to the song quietly, his eyes never leaving hers for one moment. It was truly great to see that they finally got married after a long year of preparations.

"What's with that smile on your face babe?" I heard a voice whisper from beside me, snapping me out of my gaze on the happily married couple.

I glanced to the right of me, meeting Jimmy's bright blue eyes staring at me with curiosity. I bit my lower lip, unable to rid the smile from my face as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. I felt myself melt against him as he placed a kiss on my temple gingerly. It was amazing to me that after a year of being with him; my heart still sped up every time he touched me. He had a power over me that made me weak in the knees and I loved it.

"They just look so happy," I sighed contently, shifting my gaze to the dancing couple once again. "I guess I never really thought about weddings until now."

"So are you thinking of how to plan our wedding now?" he questioned with amusement in his voice.

I shook my head, "Not exactly. I'm just wondering if on my wedding day, I'll be as happy as Danni is on hers."

"You will be London. There's no doubt about that," he told me.

"I've just been so cynical for so long that I never dreamed of actually seeing happiness like this. It's all a very new experience for me, you know. I'm still getting used to the fact that you're willing to have me," I admitted honestly.

"Of course I am silly. I fucking love you," he said, tilting my head towards his.

He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my lips, sending electric shocks throughout my body. He pulled away after a moment, cupping my cheek, his thumb grazing the skin underneath his fingers, and smiled at me. I smiled back, staring into his loving eyes and letting the happiness I was getting from being at this wedding set in.

"I love you too Jimmy," I smiled, focusing on the couple as their dance came to an end.

The DJ started playing music that was supposed to engage everyone else to dance. I smiled a bit when I heard faster music to dance to. I stood up from my seat and turned to Jimmy, who was still sitting in his chair with a beer in hand. He glanced up at me when he noticed that I wasn't sitting next to him and sighed.

"We're dancing?" he asked.

"Yep and don't pretend that you hate it cuz I know that you actually really like dancing," I giggled.

"Alright, fine. I'll go and dance with you," he smiled, standing from his seat.

He led me out to the dance floor near the happy couple, the both of us dancing around to the upbeat music flowing from the speakers. It didn't take long before the rest of our friends to join us on the action. We danced for a few songs, having a great time before I decided it was time to get some kind of drink.

I walked towards the serving table where glass upon glass filled with champagne awaited me. I picked one up, taking a small sip and smiling appreciatively at the glass of bubbly liquid I held in my hands.

"I'm surprised you're not out there dancing up a storm with the rest of them," I heard a familiar voice say from behind me.

I turned around and met that pair of green eyes I had once been so in love with. Zacky looked good in his formal wear, standing before me in his neat, black tux and his messy black hair. It was strange to think that a year ago, I was head over heels in love with Zacky and now, we were just good friends. I guess it just goes to show, anything can happen.

"I would be out there dancing but I needed some kind of beverage to hydrate myself," I said, holding up my champagne glass.

"Ohh, you sounded like a smarty pants right then," he teased.

"Oh fuck you. You're just jealous cuz you can't understand large words," I laughed.

"I understand large words! I don't know what you're talking about," he pouted.

"Aww, poor Zacky," I said, patting his arm.

I glanced back out to the dance floor, seeing Jimmy dancing with Danni, both of them smiling and laughing the entire time. I couldn't help but smile at the two of them, seeing the people I love the most completely happy with one another.

"So, how're you and Jimmy doing?" he asked me.

"We're perfectly fine. You know, completely happy," I laughed. "It's good to know that there's something else in this world other than misery."

"I'm glad that my girl's grown up from her cynical view of the world," Zacky said, pinching my cheek.

"Bastard," I muttered, swatting his hand away from me. "So, how's the girlfriend treatin' you these days?" I asked, taking a sip of my champagne.

"Pretty good. She's still with me anyway so I guess that's a good sign," he shrugged with a smile.

I rolled my eyes, laughing at his statement. Not too long after the boys performed in Los Angeles, Zacky met Rachel, his current girlfriend when he was at Johnny's Bar. She was one of the only girls that wouldn't let him sleep with her right away, so she had become my favorite person right off the bat. She had long brown hair and a petite figure. She was the kind of girl that looked small and mousy but in reality, was sassy and tough. I actually liked her a lot. We had become fast friends early on in their relationship.

"Pft, I dunno why she's still with you," I scoffed. "Rachel's too awesome for you."

"Oh you think so?" Zacky asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course she does!" the little mousy brunette girl, Rachel, said with a smile, appearing by his side. "She loves me more than she loves you now."

"That's not true," Zacky replied, shaking his head.

"I'm afraid it is. She's much cooler than you are Baker," I told him.

"It's a conspiracy!" Zacky frowned.

"Oh get over it you big baby!" Rachel laughed.

"So, how're you doing tonight Rach?" I asked.

"Oh you know, pretty ok. I'm just glad I was invited to such a shin-dig, you know?" she smiled.

"Are you kidding? Danni loves you! In fact, we all do. You keep Zack's ass in check," I laughed.

"Hey! No one does shit! I keep my ass where I want!" Zacky whined.

"Shut your ass Vengeance," Danni laughed, wandering over to us. "You whine way too much."

"So Danni, how does it feel to be a married woman?" I asked her.

"It feels pretty damn incredible considering I've only been married for five hours or so. I wonder if this feeling will get old," she said.

"Probably. I mean, you did marry Johnny after all," I said, rolling my eyes.

"And what's that supposed to mean London?" Johnny asked in mock offense as he appeared at Danni's side.

"Nothing. I'm just mad at you cuz you took away my chance to get into her pants. Now that she's married, I won't be able to get any of that hot lesbian sex I've wanted from her," I sighed.

"You can totally get into her pants as long as I'm invited," Johnny winked.

"But that's no fun! The point is to get into her pants without you in the picture!" I laughed.

"You guys!" Danni said, her cheeks turning red from the embarrassment.

"What's all the ruckus going on over here?" Jimmy asked as he snaked his arms around my waist.

"Oh nothing at all," I smiled innocently.

"London was telling Johnny that she hates him cuz she's not allowed to get into Danni's pants anymore," Rachel explained.

"Oh, so you're bummed that you won't be able to get into another chick's pants when you've got me here?" Jimmy inquired with an eyebrow raised in my direction.

I shrugged, "Could be."

"Oh, that hurt's Pikachu. That really cuts me deep," he teased.

"Oh like you're offended. You know you'd wanna be right there next to Johnny, watching the entire thing happen," Zacky laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Well no shit. Wouldn't you?" Jimmy replied.

"Of course! Hot girls and sex. What more could a guy ask for?" Zacky laughed as Rachel smacked his chest. "Ouch," he muttered, rubbing the spot where she hit him.

"You're not allowed to watch anything involving other girls unless I'm involved," she told him.

"So you're telling me that I can watch you with another girl?" he smirked.

"If I invite you," she shrugged.

"Is the champagne table the place to meet up now or what?" Sas laughed as she and Brian walked up to the group.

"Hell yeah it is!" I nodded. "I mean, it's got booze galore. Hello," I scoffed knowingly, gesturing to the glasses.

"We just wanted to let you guys know that Jason's running around trying to make out with your mom Danni," Brian laughed.

"He isn't!" she gasped, whipping her head around and looking for any sign of Jason or her mom.

Sure enough, he was located near the bar, chatting up Danni's mother with that look in his eyes. We all knew that Jason was a little more than drunk so it was only inevitable until he tried to make out with her. I couldn't help but laugh as Danni took off in the direction of the bar to prevent Jason from doing anything at all. Johnny followed close behind, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

"God, we need to get Jason a girlfriend," I sighed.

"Oh we just need to stop feeding him alcohol," Jimmy suggested.

"Good idea," I laughed, finishing the rest of my champagne. "But here's an even better idea," I said, grabbing his wrist and leading him back out to the dance floor.

"Oh, so we're dancing again?" he questioned.

"You got a problem with that?" I asked.

"Not at all," he replied, shaking his head.

Hours passed and everyone with the exception of Jimmy and I were super drunk. Danni and Johnny had just taken off for their honeymoon in Hawaii, leaving the rest of the wedding guests behind to continue drinking and partying. Jimmy and I decided to head back home not too long after that, not really in the mood to drink anymore. He led me to the car and started the drive back to his house, which had become my house as well.

A year ago, things were a lot different than they were now. A year ago, I had my heart broken twice and had fallen for two of my good friends. I never thought I would be where I am today. I was in a good, stable relationship with Jimmy and perfectly content with the way my life was shaping up. I had finished with college and was now working as an assistant junior editor for a local music magazine, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was starting to get some semblance of a real life now and it was exciting.

I was actually surprised that Jimmy stuck around like he did. I never would've thought that I would be completely content with Jimmy Sullivan, especially since it took a while for the two of us to work out the kinks to our relationship but we were happy with what we had. I loved that nothing really changed between us even after everything that we went through. It was like we just picked up where we left off after that week of hell. Though we weren't perfect, it felt close enough for me.

We got to the house not too long after that, heading up to our bedroom to get ready for bed. It was still early for a Saturday night but with all the work the both of us had been doing these days, we were completely exhausted. I just wanted to get out of the dress and hop into bed.

"Hey Scarecrow, could you unzip me?" I asked.

"Gladly," he grinned, appearing behind me quickly.

"Ah, don't get any ideas," I laughed. "I'm too tired from wandering around in these damn heels all day long."

"I wasn't getting any ideas. I just enjoy seeing you minus the clothes," he told me, unzipping the dress for me and pushing the dress down my body. "Mmm, definitely my favorite thing," he said, snaking arms around my bare waist and kissing my neck.

"Such a typical guy," I giggled, smacking his arm.

"If I recall babe, you're the one that usually wants the sex more than I do," he told me.

"That's so not true! You're more than willing to go along with it," I argued.

"Yeah but what kind of idiot turns down hot sex with his girlfriend?" he laughed.

"I guess you have a point," I sighed, kissing his lips and pulling away from him.

I wandered into the bathroom; taking off the makeup I had one and unclipping my long black hair. It fell over my shoulders in waves as I ran hands through it to smooth it out. I walked back into the bedroom and took off the bra I had on, tossing it into the corner of the room while Jimmy walked in from the hallway, wearing a pair of basketball shorts and with his hands behind his back. He stopped abruptly when he saw me walking to the dresser topless, his eyes scanning my bare chest.

"You're staring at me funny Sullivan," I told him, grabbing a shirt from the drawer.

"How can I not when you're standing there practically naked in front of me?" he smirked.

"Whatcha got behind your back?" I asked, pulling the oversized shirt over my head.

"Well, if you would be so kind as to join me in bed, I'll show you," he smiled.

I smiled, quickly walking over to the bed and jumping in. Jimmy climbed on slowly, his hands still behind his back as I tried to look at what he was keeping. He blocked me with his body and took one of his hands out, shaking his index finger at me.

"Ah-ah-ah! No peeking," he told me.

"You know how much I hate gifts and surprises," I grumbled.

"I know but you're gonna like this one. I promise," he said, kissing my forehead. "Now shut your eyes," he told me quietly.

I just looked at him skeptically before complying with his request, shutting my eyes and waiting patiently. I felt movement on the bed before feeling Jimmy's lips on mine again, giving me a soft, passionate kiss.

"Ok, now you can open them," he whispered, pulling away from me slowly.

I opened my eyes and glanced down in front of me, seeing a medium sized stuffed Pikachu. I smiled a little, seeing a red heart sewn into its little hands as if he were holding it out to me. I picked up the fat, pushy animal and set it in my lap, smiling at him.

"So I'm assuming this is for me because I'm your Pikachu?" I laughed.

"I got you that cuz I wanted to prepare you for what we're gonna be seeing soon enough," he said.

"Seeing? Are we going somewhere that has many Pokemon running around cuz I hate to break it to you Jimmy, they're actually fictional creatures," I laughed, thinking he'd gone a little crazy.

"Oh you think so?" he asked. "Well then, I guess you don't want this then," he said, holding out an envelope for me.

I took the envelope, looking at it curiously before opening the flap. Peeking inside, I saw that there was a plane ticket for me. I glanced back up at Jimmy in shock as he nodded, telling me to go ahead and look. I pulled the plane ticket out and opened it up, seeing it was a ticket to Tokyo. My jaw dropped as I looked over the ticket, feeling completely overwhelmed by the gesture.

"Oh my God," I breathed.

"I told you that I would take you the next time I went. I just decided to push that date up six months or so," he laughed.

"This is amazing! Why are we going to Tokyo?" I asked, a huge smile on my face.

"Well, we both need a vacation so I talked to your boss and he agreed to let you have the time off so we could go. I figured I'd take you to the one place you want to go to most," he shrugged.

I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly, squeezing him close to my body as he chuckled. I felt his arms go around me as well, holding me against him.

"This is one of the best gifts I've ever gotten," I told him. "Thank you so much."

"Well, I'm pretty sure there's more to this gift than just a trip to Tokyo," he said.

I pulled away from him, looking at him questioningly, "What more could there be besides a trip to Japan?"

"That heart in Pikachu's hands has something inside of it that I think you'll like a lot better," he smiled.

I looked at him skeptically once again before examining the heart in the Pikachu's hands. It looked like it was a pocket holding something inside of it. I opened the pocket and reached in with my fingers, feeling nothing but the material of the little heart pocket. I reached down further to the bottom, feeling a metal circular object. I froze for a moment, staring down at the stuffed animal in shock before regaining my senses and pulling my hand out.

I held up the object in from of my face, looking at a beautiful sapphire ring that had come from the pocket. It was a silver band with a good sized, square cut, sapphire stone in between two square diamonds. It wasn't too flashy but it wasn't exactly plain either as I looked it over, trying to figure out what this ring was.

"Jimmy," I said very slowly. "Is this a ring for me being a badass?" I questioned seriously.

"If that's how you wanna look at it," he shrugged. "Others would call that an engagement ring," he said seriously.

"Oh my God, really?" I smiled, feeling myself become overwhelmed with happiness.

He took the ring from my fingers and took my hand in his, clearing his throat a bit. I watched him, his blue eyes shining as bright as the stone on my ring. I could feel his palms were a little sweaty and that he was shaking a bit in nervousness, which only made me smile more at how cute he was.

"London, I know I've done this before, you know, the whole buying a ring thing to propose and we both know how that turned out. I consider that moment the best thing to ever happen to me because it brought me here, to be with you. If I hadn't have gotten my heart broken then you and I wouldn't have come up with that stupid plan that made us fall for each other," he said as I laughed. "I know that it may be a little soon but I couldn't wait a minute longer without making you mine forever. We've been together for so long that I can't imagine being with anyone else but you. Will you marry me?" he asked, his voice slightly shaky from nerves.

I smiled, feeling a small tear running down my cheek and nodded furiously, "Of course I will silly! You didn't even have to ask!"

He smiled in relief, slipping the ring onto my finger as I pounced on top of him once again, this time, sending him flat against the mattress.

"I guess I'll have to ask you to marry me more often to get a reaction like that," he laughed.

"You're a dork," I laughed, leaning down to kiss him.

I felt his arms wrap around me tightly, holding me against his chest as our lips moved with each other expertly. I could feel that tingling sensation rushing through my body, causing my skin to heat up from the contact of his lips on mine. I pulled away after a moment and hovered over him, unable to stop myself from smiling.

"I love you Scarecrow," I whispered.

"I love you too Pikachu," he replied, giving me another kiss.

"Maybe you will be getting more than sleep tonight," I said suggestively, pulling away from him.

"That was all part of the plan," he laughed.

I just shook my head and lay back against him, resting my head on his bare chest. He kept his arms wrapped around my waist loosely, his fingers lightly rubbing my skin through the t-shirt I had on. Sighing contently, I couldn't help but think about how thankful I was for my stupidity in coming up with a plan to win back Zacky. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be lying here now in my fiancée's arms and feeling like the luckiest person in the world.

"Alright, go turn off the light and get back on top of me," he said quietly.

"You really are looking to get laid tonight," I laughed.

"Of course I am! Proposals come with mandatory acceptance sex. Didn't you know that?"

"I guess not since I haven't gotten many proposals in the past," I shrugged.

"Well, now you've gotten one," he grinned. "How does it feel?"

"Pretty damn amazing," I replied, leaning up to look at him again.

I leaned back down, meeting his lips again and realizing that this was the first of many to come in a lifetime of being with him. I would soon become London Sullivan, wife to the drummer of Avenged Sevenfold and that didn't bother me in the slightest. I actually looked forward to it.

We lay in bed for the next few minutes, both of us telling each other how glad we are that I said yes to the question asked of me in between gentle kisses. It was the beginning of a new chapter in both of our lives and so far, we were off to a good start.