Love Sucks

My mouth dropped open. “No way! Oh my God! OH MY GOD!!! Are you serious? But I could KILL-”

“We think that you might be the one exception to the rule,” said Mr. Carson gently. “And it would be nice for some of your family to see you one last time…”

“But here’s the thing,” I argued. “I WALKED OUT on my own mother! How can I possibly invite her to this when she doesn’t even know about Henry! And forget about the rest of the family! They all hate me; this will give them a reason to hate me more!”

“I am quite sure that your mother would love to be at her daughter’s wedding,” said Mr. Carson. “I know this will not be easy for you, but you must try your hardest to be able to change your looks. Now, I want you to try to change back into your human look Gia.”

I shut my eyes, and thought about what I used to look like. My curly brown hair, my pale skin… Wait a minute, what’s the freaking difference between me being human and vampire?

“Concentrate… you are starting to get there,” said Mr. Carson. “Now, once I tell you that you have been fully transformed, you must not get upset at anyone. You must keep your emotions under control, or else your entire family will become suspicious.”

“I understand,” I said, breathing heavily as I concentrated more on my former human body.

“Oh my God, I think you’ve done it!” cried Mr. Carson. I opened my eyes, and looked down at myself. I was my old self once more. I looked into a mirror, and noticed that my eyes were now back to their old brown shade, my hair was shiny and curly. My cheeks had an unusual flush to them, and I gasped in awe of it all.

“Now all I have to do is try to hold out for as long as I can,” I said with a small smile. “Wait till Henry sees me now…”

I ran out of the room before Mr. Carson could stop me, and thundered up the stairs to Henry’s bedroom. “Henry!” I shouted, jumping on top of him and kissing him passionately. “Look at me! I’m… human, almost, again!”

Henry’s eyes grew huge, and he swung me around the room, laughing along with me. He threw me down on his bed, and got on top of me, kissing all over my body. I moaned softly as his mouth brushed against my neck, remembering where he bit me to turn me into a vampire. His hands cupped my breasts, and I couldn’t help but smirk at his horniness. So much for waiting…

“Oh, Gia,” whispered Henry as he took off his shirt. I felt his hard stomach, and threw my arms around him, pulling him closer to me. “Gia… Gia… Gia…”

“Yes my love,” I whispered back as I took off my shirt. “Don’t stop now…”

Just as I had wrapped my legs around Henry’s waist, Rollo barged in. “ROLLO!” the two of us cried, hurriedly breaking apart, and by accident, putting on each other’s shirts. Henry groaned, and rummaged around in his closet for a fresh shirt.

“What is your problem?” asked Henry. “We are trying to have a little bit of privacy you know…”

“I know,” smirked Rollo. “It was fun to see your faces when I barged in. You should have seen the look on both of your faces! It was priceless!”

“What do you want?” I asked, trying hard to be polite.

“Well, if you haven’t realized it yet, your wedding is in a few weeks,” said Rollo with a smile. “Mom wants to know what kind of food you want served at the wedding, and what music you want, you know…”

“Okay, well for one thing,” I began. “You can read my mind, and you know that I want Italian food served at the wedding, and rock n’ roll/pop/ 80’s music played. Does that answer your question?”

“Quite,” snickered Rollo as he walked down the stairs.

“God, I will be SO very happy when this blasted wedding is over,” I said, rolling over on my side on Henry’s bed. “I don’t want to hear the word ‘wedding’ ever again after all of this! I’m just so tired of it all…”

“Me too,” said Henry. “But, I am glad it will be over soon, and that you and I will be together forever. And all of this will be but a crappy memory…”

I snorted. “You are too much, my husband-to-be,” I smirked, looking into his eyes.

“And you are my feisty bride-to-be,” said Henry as he kissed my forehead. “I love you Gia… I love you so much.”

“I love you, Henry,” I sighed as I closed my eyes, and fell straight to sleep.
* * *
“Okay! Take it from the top!” shouted Mrs. Carson. I walked down the stairs into the backyard with Mr. Carson as we practiced my entrance. Henry stood there by the makeshift altar, waiting for me. Rollo stood next to him, and was making faces at me. “Rollo Eric Carson! You will stand up straight and pretend this is the REAL wedding, and not the REHEARSAL!”

I laughed as Mrs. Carson swatted Rollo upside the head, and then Mr. Carson put my hand in Henry’s, and walked next to his wife and Rollo. “Okay, now the two of you will say your vows that you have written yourself, and the two of you will end the vows by saying My word is my bond, and so it shall be forever and ever, you and me. And then the two of you will kiss, and-”

“Then it’s party time!!” shouted Rollo. Mrs. Carson swatted him once more.

“Then it is time for the reception, yes,” said Mrs. Carson. “Oh this is so exciting! Tomorrow, the two of you will be married! And… and… Then the two of you will leave all of us!”

She began to sob hysterically, and I put my arm around her. “Please, mom, don’t cry,” I said, giving her a hug.

“You… you called me ‘mom,’” said Mrs. Carson, looking into my eyes. “Oh Gia! You sweet, dear girl! I am going to miss you so!”

I patted her on the back as she pulled me into a bone crushing hug. Rollo cleared his throat. “I think it is time for a BACHELOR PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I groaned with Mrs. Carson. Henry just grinned wildly, and Rollo yanked him out of the room, and out the door. “HEY! YOU BETTER NOT TAKE HIM TO A STRIP JOINT!” I hollered after them.

“Come, dear,” said Mrs. Carson. “Let’s have a little party of our own…”

She led me to her private room, and sat me down on a soft, fluffy couch. “Now, what would you like most right now for your wedding? I can feel there is something that we are missing, but it isn’t quite there.”

“I haven’t told a soul this, but I am looking for someone,” I whispered. “A beautiful Irish girl named Fionghuala. I want to invite her to the wedding…”

“But the invitations have already been sent!” cried Mrs. Carson. “That would be impossible!”

“I’ve had several private investigators look her up, but so far, they haven’t been able to find her yet. This would mean the world to me if someone could find her for me. She MUST be at my wedding!”

“Alright,” said Mrs. Carson. “But how do you know the girl is still alive?”

“A little bird told me that he thought she was dead, but then again, she couldn’t have been dead, not from the way he had told me the story. It’s a long story, and there is not much time… Is there any way that you can go to Ireland to look her up?”

“Actually, we have several cousins down there, the O’ Leary’s. I’m sure they would know of her. That’s a rare name to come by. Let me make some calls, and see what I can do…”

She whipped out her cell phone, and began to dial. “Sean? It’s Greta Frenski-Carson. Listen, I need you to do me a favor. You know everyone in Ireland right? All those who were born, those who moved, and those who died… Do you know of a beauty by the name of Fionghuala?”

There was a pause, and Mrs. Carson’s face lit up. “I see… Well, where does she live?” Another pause. “Ah, Belfast. Well, could you please tell her she is invited to a wedding in New Jersey, and she must come. Tell her that her airfare and boarding will be paid for by us… Thank you Sean, I do owe you so much. I will see you at the wedding. Take care, and have a safe flight.”

She shut her phone quickly, and let out a pleased squeal. “Oh my goodness! I’ve got her! She’s coming to the wedding!”

I jumped up and down for joy, happy and excited. “Gia, why do you want Fionghuala O’Malley at the wedding?” asked Mrs. Carson probingly.

“Well, I-I can’t tell you because it’s a surprise,” I said haltingly. “You will find out tomorrow. I promise you, there will be no heartache, but only joy of her coming…”

“Well, I do trust your judgment,” said Mrs. Carson. “Now, we can’t have you sleeping in Henry’s room! It’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other just before the wedding! Here, you can sleep in this room. I’ll drag Henry’s bed in here, and you will spend the night in this room. I’ll go and get your things ready so you won’t have to meet Henry. I’m sorry, but I will have to lock you in so he will not see you nor you see him. If you need anything at all, press this button, and I will come up for you. I will bring you something to eat when you wake. Sweet dreams, Gia.”

She left the room briefly, and came back with the bed. I laid down on it, and watched as Mrs. Carson locked me inside the room. I turned on the TV, trying to see if anything good was on, but as usual, it was hopeless.

There was a scuffling noise coming from downstairs, and there was a loud bang as if someone had been knocked sideways into a wall. I shut the TV off, and pressed my ear against the door. “Goodness, you went out and got him DRUNK!?” shouted Mrs. Carson.

“Well, better him than me,” said Henry as he laughed.

“I am the EGG MAN! They are the EGG MAN!!! I AM THE WALRUS!!!!!!” shouted a very drunken Rollo. “Goo goo ga joob!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Lord, he stinks of liquor,” said Mr. Carson. “Get him to bed straight away. He’s going to have to sleep that off. Thank God he’s a vampire or else he would have one hell of a hangover for the wedding!”

“Oh thank God, George!” said Mrs. Carson. “Come on now, that’s enough mischief for tonight! We have a wedding tomorrow, so let’s all get some sleep!”

“Mom, can I just-”

“No Henry, you cannot. You will see her tomorrow, and for the rest of your life. Not tonight…”

I heard Henry sigh, and his door slam shut. And then, I felt my cell phone buzz.

‘I just wanted 2 tell u that I luv u, and I will see u in the morning. Sweet dreams my luv.’

I sighed. I knew Mrs. Carson was trying to be nice, but I wished with all my soul that I could be with Henry, snuggled up against his muscular body, kissing his soft, tender lips… I then fell asleep, dreaming about Henry.

“Gia, what happened to you?” asked a voice within the mist. “I thought… I thought you were one of us!”

My throat was dry, making me unable to speak. I reached my hand through the mist, trying to reach the voice. “You are one of THEM now… I can’t believe you would do this to me! If it’s war you want, then it’s a war you shall get. There will be a war, and the Brethren WILL win!”

“No!” I cried, finally finding my voice. “Please, I don’t want this! Please, I don’t want warfare! Can’t I be left alone? Have a little happiness for ONCE in my life?”

“You could have been happy with me,” said Andrew Blood, his angry, terrifying face appearing now through the mists. He walked over to me and shook me violently. My head rolled back, and I thought he was going to snap me in half. “But now, you are nothing but a stinking, filthy BLOOD SUCKER! Why, why did you have to change? Do you know of all the damage you have done?”

He hit me, and shook me more violently. I began to see a light. I was dying… Dying…

But then again, I felt alive. Strange, I thought to myself. I opened my eyes, and realized that it was the sunlight breaking through my window that was ‘the light’ in my dream. It was only a dream. Thank God it was only a dream…

I stretched, and looked about the room. There was a glass full of blood awaiting for me on the dresser, and my wedding gown was hanging up on a hook by the closet. I smiled to myself. Screw the nightmares, I am getting married to the love of my life!

I drained the cup, and licked my lips. I then took a shower, washing my body with vanilla body wash. I toweled myself off, and then put on my beautiful wedding dress. Then, there was a knock at the door. “Are you decent, Gia?” said Mrs. Carson from through the door.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, twirling around in my dress. Mrs. Carson walked in, and sighed.

“My gosh, you look so beautiful,” she said as she looked at me. “I may never see a more prettier bride…”

I smiled, and she motioned for me to sit as she worked on my hair. “You are doing a great job at maintaining a human-like appearance,” she said as she kissed my cheek. “I’m so very proud of you. Your mother is going to be here any minute, along with some of your family and friends…”

What family and what friends is she talking about? I wondered to myself. I don’t have much of a family, and never had, and I don’t have that many friends. I looked back at her, and she lightly slapped my arm. “Don’t worry about a thing. It will all be perfect. Now stop fussing so I can do your hair!”

My dead heart would be beating at a zillion miles per hour if it could right now as I walked down the steps of the Carson house with Mr. Carson holding my hand. My hair, done beautifully by Mrs. Carson, was full of REAL diamond swirl clips placed distinctively in my curled hair. My veil was down, and I was trying to remain calm. Any strong emotion could reveal what I truly was, and some people at the wedding just weren’t ready for that; Not now, not ever.

“You’re doing fine,” chuckled Mr. Carson lightly as I walked slowly and carefully down the last few steps. “And you look absolutely stunning. I am glad you are marrying my son.”

I tried to remain calm, but a tear escaped from my eye, and I smiled back at Mr. Carson. “Now, don’t go ruining your makeup, or Greta will have a fit…”

I laughed as we now headed slowly towards the backyard, where an elaborate, romantic, candlelight altar stood, and next to it was Henry, looking more handsome than ever. Everyone stood up and gazed at me as I walked down the aisle. I caught a few familiar faces: my mom, my uncle John, my grandma, and my aunt Theresa, and smiled back at them. Surprisingly, mom wasn’t so upset with me at the wedding. I guess she figured that this was better than me living on the streets shooting heroin.

My eyes roamed for Fionghuala, wondering where she could be. I then looked for Rollo after giving up searching for her, and found that he was standing there, smiling. But I knew that deep down inside, he was hurting. God, where was that girl?

Mr. Carson and I finally made it to the altar, and he put my hands into Henry’s. “Both of you have my blessing upon your marriage…”

As soon as Mr. Carson had left to go sit next to his wife, everyone sat back down, and we started our vows after I had lifted my veil. “I, Henry Richard Carson, hereby vow to take-”

“Do NOT say my whole first name!” I cried, cringing at the thought of it being said.

“GIA Marie Giannattasio to be my wife. I vow to be by her side, never to stray to another, and to love her despite all odds. This woman is called forward to be my wife because she has accepted me for everything I am, loved me despite all odds, and wishes to be with me till the end of time. My word is my bond, and so it shall be: forever and ever, you and me.”

He slipped a cold, beautiful platinum ring on my finger, and I examined it more closely. I gasped as I read the inscription: Together forever, Henry and Gia.

Now it was my turn to say my part of the vows. My stomach churned, and I stammered and stuttered out my vows. “I, GIA Marie Giannattasio, hereby vow to take Henry Richard Carson to be my husband. I vow to never leave him, to belong only to him, and to love him despite all obstacles. This man is called forward to be my husband because he has loved me despite all my flaws and imperfections, loved me despite all odds, and wishes to be with me till the end of time. My word is my bond, and so it shall be forever and ever, you and me.”

I slipped Henry’s ring, which had the same engraving on it as mine, and let out a small sob. Henry and I laughed lightly as we joined hands, and a gust of rose petals rained down upon us, and circled around us(which was obviously Mrs. Carson’s doing). At last, it was time for us to kiss.

Henry, who had to be a goof, dipped me, and kissed me tenderly. There were a few whistles and cheers, and most of it was coming from Rollo. I smiled as Henry brought me back up, and the two of us walked back down the aisle to the tent where the reception was being held.

“Hey Gia!” called Rollo as he ran over in his stunningly handsome suit. He whispered in my ear, “Your honeymoon, although I don’t know where it is, is going to be great! Either the place or the sex is going to be amazing!”

“I was hoping for both,” I smirked as Rollo began to laugh. “And besides, BROTHER, don’t think I am leaving you without a going away present…”

“You know there is nothing you can give me that I would accept,” grinned Rollo.

“Oh really?” I said, eyebrow raised. “We shall see about that…”

If that bloody Irish girl gets her ass here FAST! I thought to myself.

I made my rounds with Henry, introducing him to my family first. Mom was actually happy, and said that Henry looked like a good man for me. She wasn’t all too excited that I was married at such a young age, but then again, what the hell does she know? Everyone else in my family loved Henry, and wished us all the best. Just as I had finished up being congratulated by my best friend Autumn, I turned around and saw-

“So this is where you have been for the past couple of months,” said a very quiet voice. I sighed, and held Henry’s hand tightly. I could feel Henry tense up, and I knew that if either of them would make a scene, everything would be ruined and exposed.

“Andrew Blood,” I sighed tiredly. “Please, I am begging you, do NOT make a scene here. And here’s a good question for you: WHO THE HELL INVITED YOU?!”

“Why, whoever invited me invited me,” smirked Andrew, speaking in riddles.

“Ugh, remind me to kill your mother for this,” I groaned to Henry. “Andrew, what is it that you want? If it was to ruin my life further, then you are in for a rough night…”

I lowered my voice to a deadly whisper. “If I have to… so GOD HELP ME if I have to, I will set Henry’s family on you if you pull anything. But in the end, I will have the satisfaction of killing your flea bitten ass if you try to ruin this for me. So what was it you came here for?”

Andrew looked around, and surveyed the reception area. He saw how vicious some of Henry’s family members looked, and started to put his hands up in defeat. “I’m not going to do anything TONIGHT,” he whispered. “But be warned: THIS IS NOT OVER YET. Not by a long shot. Congratulations…”

And Andrew Blood disappeared off into the crowd. “I think he’s gone,” said Henry turning to look at me. “Gia?”

I was fuming. I felt as if every part of my body was on fire. My blood was boiling like lava, and if I didn’t scream sometime soon, I was going to erupt and make a fool of myself at my own wedding and in front of everyone.

Thankfully, Henry dragged me inside the house, and into the bathroom. “Gia, look at yourself!”

I stared at myself in the mirror, and lo and behold, my skin was flaming red. My once curly and dark tendrils were now a perfect match to my complexion. “Thank God I got you out before you turned completely red!” said Henry as he sat me down on the closed lid of the toilet. “Do you have ANY idea what sort of a scene you were going to make-”

“I KNOW, HENRY!” I yelled, blazing more red than ever. I was panting, seething with uncontrollable anger. “I know… Goddamn it I know… I’m so weak! I’m such a fool to think I could pull this off…”

I began to sob, and I covered my face with my hands. “Oh Henry, please forgive me! I’m so sorry for yelling at you. It’s all my fault, everything!”

“Not really,” said Henry quietly. “Because I was the one who invited him…” I looked up from my hands, face tear stricken.

“I thought if he had seen you off, that he would let us be. But apparently, things turned out for the best because he at least gave us a warning this time. He could have just not said a single word, and then we wouldn’t know what would happen next. But now we KNOW they will attack us, and we will come up with a plan to save our behinds…”

I cocked my head, and glanced back at Henry. “Darling, are you ready to go back down the stairs?” asked Henry. “You are back to your normal color now. And besides, we have yet to meet my family…”

I fixed my makeup and hair as best I could, and darted out of the bathroom. “Ooh, is the happy couple having a quick pick-me-up in the bathroom?” said Rollo as he appeared suddenly.

“Oh shut your yap!” I said, elbowing him in the stomach. “Alright, show me your family…”

The Carsons sure had a ton of family and friends. There were relatives from Poland, Turkey, England, across the United States, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and even Transylvania! And, of course, the woman behind it all, Nausicaia was there too.

“Gia… my, my, my. We meet again,” said Nausicaia. “I am truly sorry to have predicted so wrongly of you my child, but it is a rarity. I am almost NEVER wrong. I can see judging by the smell of you, that you are now one of us, if you know what I mean…”

“Please keep it mum,” I whispered. “There are HUMANS about. MY human family to be exact!”

“But of course,” smiled Nausicaia. “I’m going to talk to Gregorvitch, the sexy Transylvanian. We haven’t spoken in ages…”

“Ah, Gia,” said a very dark and handsome man with a heavy Italian accent. “So nice to see you. Mmm, bellisima! Henry, you pick-a good raggazza, si?”

I blushed, and Henry beamed. “Si, Gia, I would like you to meet my uncle Salvatore Straniero who came here all the way from Italia. Don’t worry, he won’t bite.”

Salvatore guffawed heartily, and kissed my hand. “Such a bella if I ever saw one. You must be an angelo! Beauty like yours is so worshipped in my country…”

“Grazie, signore Straniero,” I said, testing out my old high school Italian. “My husband and I are glad you could make the trip.”

“Oh, anything for my favorite nephew,” smiled Salvatore. “Just don’t tell Rollo that. Ah! Marco Antonio! Che cosa fai andare?”

“Not very far, father,” said Marco Antonio. He had the same dark hair and complexion as his father, but his brown eyes were far more hypnotizing than his father’s; and judging by how he looked, he must have been no more than twenty five years old. “Che cosa il problema?”

“No going off seducing the humans!” scolded Salvatore. “Do you want to give us all away?”

Marco Antonio scowled. “She wasn’t human…”

My jaw dropped as he pointed to the ethereal beauty that he was ‘seducing.’ She had long beautiful blonde hair, perfect blue eyes, and porcelain skin. She looked uncomfortably back at Marco Antonio, and then walked over to me. “Are you Gia? The one who has strangely invited me to this wedding?” she asked, her Irish accent hypnotizing and beautiful.

“Y-yes,” I stammered, feeling very envious of her beauty. Henry looked at me, bewildered as to what I had done. “Fionghuala O’Malley, I would like to introduce you to my new husband, Henry Richard Carson.”

“Very nice to meet you,” said Fionghuala softly as Henry bowed his head gently. “It is funny really. Your last name… It sounds familiar to me…”

“Okay, Irish Princess, let me take you over here,” I said, gently pulling her over towards Rollo. He was standing by the liquor bar, and was pouring himself a drink, his back turned against us. “There is someone you must meet…”

I tapped on Rollo’s shoulder, and he spun around. His eyes met Fionghuala’s, and they both gasped at the same time. Rollo’s drink flew out of his hand, but thankfully Mrs. Carson worked quickly to right it before it had time to smash to the floor. “Fionghuala?” whispered Rollo. “But it can’t be! I thought you were dead! I thought… Oh God, Fionghuala!”

He wrapped his arms around her, and she began to cry and bury her face into his shoulder. “Enjoy my going away present to you,” I said, smiling back at the embraced couple. “Give me a call when you two get married. I’ll show up with a big fancy gift.”

Fionghuala and Rollo laughed. “Thank you Gia. You really are amazing…” said Rollo.

“I know, Henry tells me that often,” I smirked before kissing Rollo on the cheek, “And you are welcome. Go easy on her Rollo, she looks like she’s a porcelain doll…”

“Hey, I will have you know that us Irish girls can go a whole lot longer than you American girls,” said Fionghuala as Rollo wrapped his arms around her.

“That’s my girl,” said Rollo, and before they could start their heavy make-out session, Henry and I ran off and onto the dance floor.

The two of us danced and danced all night long, and I thought the night would never end. It was fun to see my mother lead the drunken conga line of humans and vampires up and down the backyard. But the best part of all was leaving the reception with Henry to go on our honeymoon, which I still hadn’t a clue where he was taking me!

Everyone shouted random drunken ramblings as Henry and I ran for the limo. “Don’t forget to use a rubber!” shouted a drunken Rollo. Everyone laughed because they were all too smashed to comprehend. Boy were the humans in for one NASTY bit of a hangover tomorrow…

As soon as I got in, the limo took off. I lay there across Henry’s lap, staring up into his beautiful brown eyes. “My feet are killing me from all that dancing,” I groaned as Henry laughed, playing with my curls. “I swear, they might just fall off, and then I’d be like… STUMPY THE VAMPIRESS! And I’d walk on my stumps, ’cause I don’t have any feet!”

Henry laughed, and kissed me. “Gia, I am so very proud of you. I mean, you’ve made more than one person very happy tonight. First and foremost, you’ve made me the happiest man… vampire ever by marrying me. And then, you make my brother happy by tracking down the girl of his dreams. You are one of a kind, and I love you more than anything and everything right now. I couldn’t picture life any more perfect than it is right now…”

The limo stopped, and we got out. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I saw what was waiting for us. A HUGE jumbo jet, looking ready for takeoff, was waiting for us. “I’ve had all your necessities packed, and mom helped me of course,” blushed Henry. “Come on, what are you waiting for?”

I stood there, rooted to the spot. “Henry darling, I-I want to go… But I’m afraid of planes and jets. I know I shouldn’t be, but after 9/11, I’ve been dreadfully scared of them… mostly because I’ve never been on one before.”

“Gia,” said Henry, getting down on one knee. “I promise you that this jet is safe. I swear I will protect you at all costs no matter what the price. Now, will you please join me?”

I took his hand in mine, and we walked up the gangway, and into the jet. The door was sealed shut, and Henry and I sat down on a comfy loveseat. “Some champagne, darling?” asked Henry. “It’ll calm your nerves…”

“Anything, my love,” I said as he poured champagne into two slim glasses. My right leg began to bounce up and down with nervousness, and when I reached for my glass of champagne, my hand shook.

“Beautiful, just go to sleep then,” whispered Henry soothingly. “I will wake you up when it is all over. We are a few hours away from our destination…”

I shut my eyes, and leaned against Henry’s chest. He hummed a lullaby for me, and sleep instantly had begun to wash over me.