One Heart

Nathalie's POV

“Oh God, you haven't even finished having your hair done yet?” Chloe gasped as she walked into the room. “You are meant to get married in half an hour!”

“Calm down Clo,” I replied, tilting my head slightly so that I could see her without disrupting the stylist working on my hair. “It's not like the wedding can happen without the bride. Plus it is my house, so it isn't like I have far to go.”

“Well you try telling that to all the guests waiting!” Chloe said, sounding extremely stressed.

“They are already here?”

She sighed. “Well it is customary for the guests to precede the bride.”

“All done Miss. Taylor.”

Finally finished, the stylist picked up a mirror from the side and held it up so I could see what she had done. She had done an amazing job; my hair had been swept up into a bun on the back of my head but had pulled out various curls to flow over it like a fountain, held in place my numerous silver clips, each decorated with an ornate butterfly. My eyes were also coated with faint silver, lined with eyeliner that flicked out from the corners and a touch of mascara. My cheeks had been brought out with a light blusher and any blemishes hidden by concealer. I didn't look like the sick girl I had been for the past week. I was a bride.

“It's fantast-”

“Yes, yes, it's great,” Chloe quickly interrupted, pulling me from the chair and beginning to drag me out of the room.

I only just managed to give her my thanks before I was shoved into the next room, attacked soon after until I was left in just my underwear. Moments later my wedding gown was being positioned on me until it sat perfectly where she then began to tug on the laces, tightening the corseted bodice to mould to my shape and keep the dress in place. She merely snapped at me when I complained she was rough, telling me to 'suck it up' and that 'it was my own fault for running late'.

After she was done she took a step back, a smile making its way through the stressful frown she had been wearing. “You look beautiful Nat. Really, you do.”

Even though it was shallow to admit, I damn sure did look good. The changes I had asked to be made to the dress made it original to me- instead of the beaded pattern across the hem of each tier I had it replaced by some Avenged Sevenfold lyrics, designed in such a way that until you looked up close, you would think that they were merely random swirls and lines. Also I had a deathbat designed to sit where the bottom of my bodice connected with the skirt, the wings dotted with crystals so that it mimicked the engagement ring which Brian had proposed to me with.

“Oh no...”

I couldn't marvel at myself in the mirror any longer as Chloe quickly grabbed my hand and took me downstairs where Matt Tuck was waiting. Since I had known him the longest I had asked him last night if he would be the one to give me away, since obviously my own father couldn't.

“If we weren’t friends, I would be having some inappropriate thoughts right now,” Matt said, eyeing me up and down, adding, “Too bad we’re both taken.”

“We wouldn’t have worked anyway,” I replied casually, taking a hold of his offered arm, “plus when do you ever not have inappropriate thoughts?”

He looked stumped. “Well... for one-“

“Now is not the time to talk!” Chloe said irritably, thrusting my wedding bouquet into my hand while holding hers in her other hand. “It’s going to start any minute!”

She began a series of last minute checks of her appearance in the mirror, fretting over one piece of hair that didn’t seem to want to be tucked behind her ear. As she battled with it, Matt gently nudged me, patting my fingers where I had curled it around his arm.

“You ready?”

Taking in a deep breath to compose myself, I looked out of the nearby window into the back garden, which had been adapted to seat a number of chairs either side of a long black carpet that ran from the door to where Brian was standing, talking to Zacky, his best man, and the minister.

“I’ve been ready for the last five years.”

--

Brian’s POV

Even though I held her hands in mine, gazed upon her shining blue eyes in front of a small group of friends and a minister, I couldn’t believe that this day had finally come. It had finally come; the day I wed the love of my life.

“And now for the wedding vows. The couple have decided upon their own and will now recite. Brian, if you may.”

Even though we had thought about doing traditional wedding vows we later decided it was best to do our own, especially when they contained items about ‘for better or for worse’ and ‘til death do us part’, which neither of us wanted to hear. It was meant to be a day to celebrate the marriage we should have had all those years ago,

“Nathalie.” She smiled, her eyes already glazed over with the beginnings of tears. “We weren’t the typical couple who fell in love at first sight, I wasn’t that guy sitting across the room and you weren’t that girl drinking a cup of coffee every morning in the cafe. In fact, I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone actually falling in love with the guy who could have prevented them from ever doing so. Yet somehow you did, and I still to this day wonder what I had done in my life to be so lucky. You are the love of my life, the mother of my child and the light in my darkest time. I love you.” I raised her hand to my lips, kissing them softly. “Forever.”

--

Nathalie’s POV

“Forever.”

Up until that point, I was determined not to cry. Tears meant sadness and I was far from that, but I couldn’t stop myself. Despite having a rehearsal dinner we decided not to recite our vows then, just so it made it more special on the day. To hear them for the first time.

“Nathalie?” The minister looked at me, smiling as he passed me a tissue. “Here.”

“I’ll be fine in a minute,” I chuckled as I dabbed my eyes, trying not to smear my makeup. “Where was I?”

“Your wedding vows,” the minister whispered in my ear, taking the tissue with a wink. He stood back. “Nathalie, if you may.”

“To anyone who knew me, they would say I have been love with you for nine years, ever since the release of Waking the Fallen. It was around that time I went to see you in concert with Luke, and also the first time I felt a broken bone. After that, I made sure to give as good as I got. We didn’t meet traditionally but I’m glad we didn’t- it makes everything seem much more personal to me. For that brief time when I knew you as only Brian, and not as the guitarist I screamed for at that concert, I felt myself falling. Falling into territories I didn’t know. I fell in love. And I have been in love with you for the six years that followed and for an eternity more after that. I’ll love you longer than death-” I felt my throat tighten, choking my next words. Brian squeezed my hand reassuringly, offering me a small smile, giving me the courage to go on. “-than death says I will. My love won’t die when I will; it will last forever. It’ll always be there.”

After a few moments to let our vows sink in the minister spoke again. “After those touching vows we now call upon the rings. Who presents them?”

At first no one came forward and eventually all heads began to turn to Zacky, who seemed to be completely oblivious until Brian nudged him. “Zack.”

He snapped out of it. “Yeah?”

“The rings?”

“Oh right.” He reached into his tuxedo pocket and pulled out the two white gold bands we had chosen a week ago, handing one to me and the other to Brian. “Sorry.”

“Now we have them-” Zacky shifted uncomfortably, looking guilty for holding everything up for a few brief moments. “- we can now exchange the rings. Brian, repeat after me. ‘I give you this ring to wear with love and joy’.”

“I give you this ring to wear with love and joy.”

“’As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you.”

“As a ring has no end, neither will my love for you.”

“’I choose you to be my wife this day and forevermore.’”

“I choose you to be my wife this day and forevermore,” Brian finished, slipping the ring onto my finger with a soft smile, adding with a whisper, “I love you.”

My vision blurred as my eyes filled with tears again, only just able to echo the words as Brian had done and slid the ring onto his finger, adding ‘I love you’ as I did so. I only just about heard ‘You may now kiss the bride’ as I felt my new husband’s lips against mine, pulling away to a lot of cheers and clapping.

Brian took my hand, rubbing his finger upon the wedding ring on my finger. “Ready, Mrs. Haner?”

I looked from him to the small group of friends and family that had gathered; my eyes soon locking onto Rae sitting next to Alex on the front row and smiling. “Let’s party.”

–

It was probably quite weird to have a raging party going on downstairs as we made our way through the wedding dinner, even though I couldn't eat much of it, but we couldn't have asked for anything else. We had considered having dinner at Cascadebefore moving onto Deviate for the party section but we decided not to bother and just took over the upper floor instead. Everyone had just finished dessert around ten minutes ago when the dance music suddenly quietened down, drawing everyone's attention to the DJ box.

It was here that Luke had taken over the role as DJ, a microphone in his hand as he addressed us. “As you know, it is a special day for one of my dearest friends, which just so happens to be the beauty in white up on the second floor. Why don't we shout up some congratulations to the happy couple?” A loud roar overcame the dance floor, some from actual celebrating our union and others merely joining in because others were and were too drunk to know what they were actually applauding. “We are slowing the music right down for the newlyweds' first dance, so if you could clear the floor that would be great.” The people slowly moved to the sides, leaving the middle completely deserted for us. “Nathalie, Brian, if you could come down and take your first dance.”

People cheered once again as rose from the seats, joined by the shouts and whistles from our own wedding party. Brian led me across the dance floor by my hand, helping me up the stairs on the side until we were on top of the podium right in the centre where everyone could look up at us. Faith Hill's There You'll Bebegun to play as Brian lifted my hand up to the side and rested his other around my waist, pulling me close to him. We swayed in time to the music, drifting slowly from side to side as the song drew on.

“In my dreams I'll see you soar above the sky,” Brian murmured in my ear, singing along to the music, “in my heart there will always be a place for you for all my life.”

Perhaps it was the music, perhaps it was Brian singing to me or the steady beat of his heart as I rested my head on his chest but I couldn't resist closing my eyes. My body just seemed to relax upon him and soon I could feel my mind disconnecting from reality, the closing words of the song being the last thing I heard.

And everywhere I am, there you'll be.
There you'll be.