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If only I knew what I know today I would hold you in my arms I would take the pain away Thank you for all you've done Forgive all your mistakes There's nothing I wouldn't do To hear your voice again Sometimes I wanna call you but I know you won't be there
Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit Sometimes I just wanna hide cause it's you I miss And it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this
A few weeks before Amber’s wedding to Lucius, Huck and Cora threw a bachelorette party. Fortunately, Cora insisted on a fairly tame location--the bowling alley--instead of Huck’s preference, a strip club, which Amber would not have enjoyed.
Huck still insisted on hiring a dancer, but she wasn’t happy with who the agency sent to meet her. “Look, I’m sure he’s a great dancer and all, but he’s sort of... scarred up? And smells like cinnamon? Which isn’t altogether unpleasant, but it’s a little weird. And he won’t stop glaring at everybody. Can you please just send somebody else? Oh, no, wait, hold that thought--I see somebody who will work. I’ll send your boy back to the agency. Thank you!”
After hanging up her phone, Huck attempted a pacifying smile at the now-fired stripper. “Sorry, Cinnamon, but it’s just not going to work out between us. It’s not me, it’s you. Maybe you can work on those people skills. Now shoo, so I can convince this random dude to take his clothes off.”
They’re either getting ready for a wedding, or they’ve formed a really well-dressed girl gang. You decide.
Jackson sat down beside Amber and quickly turned the charm on for Brigitte, who sat to his right.
“Well hello there,” he said to her. “I’m Jackson. Are you friends with the bride as well?”
Gyselle came up behind Amber and Cora, leaning forward to not-so-quietly ask, “What on earth is that young man doing? You, there, go away. You’re in my seat.”
Meanwhile, as the remaining guests played upstairs while they waited for their reserved bowling lanes to open up, a slightly confused Tyler did as Huck asked and danced for her party guests. Only Reggie seemed interested, but she tried to be encouraging.
Amber took a deep breath to steel herself. “I just... I’m marrying an immortal half-demon today. Me. That’s kind of crazy?”
Gyselle stepped back and took Amber’s hands in her own. “Is it Lucius’ past that troubles you, or your own?”
“Mine, or the lack thereof. I mean, he’s beautiful and powerful and freakin’ immortal and here I’m--”
“The thing he loves most in this world,” Gyselle finished for her. “I understand your concerns--in fact, originally I warned Lucius not to fall for you.”
She sighed and continued, “My brother strives so hard to be as human as possible--he even resists using the abilities he inherited from his father out of fear of becoming more demon-like, as Alaric and I are. He surrounds himself with human things--art and music and poetry--but he had nothing of his own. And now he has you, and your precious Xavier. Yes, you will grow old, and you will die when my brother will not, but he will always have your love, and Xavier’s, and Xavier’s children, and so on. You have given him a priceless gift, whether you know it or not. I may not understand my brother’s desire for this human lifestyle, but I do understand that you make my brother happier than I have ever seen him in over one hundred years. You are as worthy of him as he is of you.”
“Wow,” Cora whispered to Huck. “Thank the Llama she’s here. I would’ve just punched her in the shoulder and told her to buck up.”
Before Amber knew it, the big day had arrived. As she put the finishing touches on her appearance with her bridesmaids in the dressing room, a sudden bout of reality hit her. Gyselle noticed first.
“Amber, are you well?”
Amber covered her face with her hands. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just nervous I guess.”
“Come here.” The iron in Gyselle’s voice did not allow for disobedience. When Amber approached her, she brushed a strand of hair away from her face and softened her tone. “What troubles you?”
As the cinnamon-scented dancer walked away, Huck beckoned towards the good-looking young man approaching her.
“Well hey there, sailor. What are you up to?”
“Who me?” he asked, looking around. “Not much, I guess. Thought I’d play a few games. It’s my--”
“That’s nice. Say, has anybody ever told you that you’d look better without a shirt on?”
The young man stroked his chin thoughtfully. “All the time, actually. Why, do you want me to take it off now?”
“There’s the attitude I’m looking for! I need you to strip at my friend’s bachelorette party, which is starting in about 15 minutes. I’ll probably pay you. How’s that sound?”
Huck and Brigitte continued to bowl throughout Cora and Amber’s performance.
“Hey,” Cora leaned in to whisper to Amber, “Do you think that Brigitte likes Huck? I mean, y’know, likes Huck?”
“Let’s hope not. That would be the scariest couple I’ve ever seen. They would probably go around terrorizing people.”
