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Something's Gotta Give
Mei Queen
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Authoress' Note: The preacher is actually from a wedding I went to this weekend. He irritated me, and I felt the need to immortalize him in a fanfiction chapter. He kept us out in over 90-degree F heat in the blazing sun while he recited nearly the entire book of Genesis. I wanted to scream. Instead, I'll vent it here.
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Mood Music: "Whatever it Takes"- Lifehouse
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I'll do whatever it takes
to turn this around,
I know what's at stake,
I know that I've let you down.
And if you give me a chance,
believe that I can change,
I'll keep us together, whatever it takes…
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Chapter 14: Wedding Bell Blues (Part 1)
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"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to join Rebecca Attleby and James Edwards in the sacred bond of holy matrimony," announced the pastor, a dull-looking older man whose glasses kept slipping down the bridge of his nose. He peered down at his hymnal intently, glasses balancing precariously on the very tip of his nose. "In the book of Genesis, it states that Adam gave his rib to Eve."
Ginny rolled her eyes and looked down at her watch. She hated preachy weddings. She much preferred to go, hear the vows, and go straight to the reception, preferably one liberally flowing with champagne. Her stiletto-clad foot began to tap anxiously on the floor.
Draco Malfoy looked over at her from where he sat, a few aisles behind. His face lit up in obvious amusement. Someone's in a hurry to get to the reception, he noted giddily. To be honest, he was in a hurry to get to the reception, too. He had an ace up his sleeve, something he had secured with JimlikeshisPimms. Here's hoping Ginny will actually be happy about it, he thought dully, eyes going from the redhead back up to the prehistoric preacher.
"Did Adam give Eve his rib because he just felt like it? Of course not," the old man wheezed, one hand coming up to protectively rest on his slipping spectacles. "He gave Eve the rib so that she would always be more protected! Man putting woman first, just as you, James, should do in your future life with Rebecca."
Ginny wasn't the only impatient one now. She looked around, noting the restless expressions on faces and the constant movement of many guests. Her eyes went back up to the altar, but now to focus on the happy couple. Rebecca and Jim didn't appear to even hear the preacher's words-instead, they were staring into each other's eyes, smiling broadly.
Well, at least they're a couple that should definitely get married, Ginny reasoned, watching the way the brunette man eyed his future wife with adoration. Ginny could certainly see why-Rebecca was truly a vision. Her dress was strapless chiffon, delicate and understated. Her auburn hair came down in spiraling curls. She looked just how every bride should look on her wedding day- absolutely perfect.
The preacher wheezed a little, seemingly out of breath. The crowd looked up hopefully, fingers crossed that the vows would be coming soon. The preacher looked down to his hymnal again, clearing his throat. The crowd sighed, looking back down at their laps.
"Adam ate the fruit not because he didn't know what would happen. He knew he would be kicked out of Eden. He knew he would have to work, work very hard. No, Adam ate the fruit to be with Eve. He was willing to follow her out of the beautiful garden and into a world of hardship, just as you, James, should follow your Rebecca."
Ginny cocked her head to the side. That was a nice point to make, she conceded. The service itself, however, was seriously dragging. She had been to Catholic weddings (the kind with a full Mass) that had taken less time than this! She sighed, going back to absently scanning the other guests. She turned, hoping to see Draco without him seeing her.
No such luck.
His eyes were focused on her, as if he had been watching her long before she turned around. Her cheeks reddened. He smiled at her, sending her a little wave. Ginny raised her hand hesitantly, feeling her fingers tremble with nervousness. She waved slightly.
It was enough for Draco. I hope this wedding's almost over, he thought desperately. I need to talk to her.
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A unity candle, vows, and a seeming century later, Ginny began to rise from her seat to follow her row out to the main aisle, wincing slightly when her thighs stuck to the plastic chair. Ugh. Stupid preacher and his long, stupid monotonous speeches, she thought irritably, now walking down the aisle. The usher was dismissing them by rows, so Draco had not gotten to leave yet. He smiled and nodded to her as she passed his row. The redhead managed a weak smile.
The wedding was going from the lawn of the hotel back inside to the ballroom, so all the guests were just following each other straight inside. Ginny got inside the hotel doors and turned left to enter the ballroom. At the doors to the ballroom was an easel with, Ginny noticed with irritation, a seating chart. She hated seating charts. She much preferred to sit by whom she liked, not to be stuck with the great-grandmother of the groom or at a (the horror!) singles' table.
It was with much trepidation, then, that the redhead scanned the chart for her name.
She wasn't sure whether she was happy or disappointed with the result. According to the chart, she was seated directly next to Draco Malfoy at Table 17. In fact, they were the only table in the room with only four guests (most had eight).
She approached the table (and her spot for the rest of the night) with obvious nervousness apparent in every step. The seats across the table were still empty, but Draco was already seated in the seat to her immediate right. How had he gotten here before her?
The blond man shrugged at her, offering a sheepish smile. "Jim already told me what table I was sitting at," he said, by way of explanation.
She nodded meekly, pulling out her chair as much as it would go, not wanting to sit any closer to the Malfoy than necessary. It was then that it hit her-their table was in the furthest corner of the room, their seats actually in the corner. They had the most privacy out of all of the guests here. Something's going on, she thought suspiciously, eyeing Draco with curiosity. He ignored her fierce gaze, instead focusing on his empty wineglass.
"Champagne?" offered a waiter who was walking up to them, his tray full of glasses with the sparkling liquid.
Ginny nodded fervently, taking a glass off the tray and taking a quick gulp. She winced as the bubbles tickled her throat on the way down.
"Sip, Red," Draco scolded with amusement. "At this rate, maybe you should get another glass before our friend here goes away."
The waiter hesitated momentarily. Ginny looked at Draco as if she'd dearly like to tell him what he could do with another glass of champagne, but instead decided to concede his point. She grabbed another glass off the tray. Draco did the same.
"Do I make you nervous, Red?" he asked, his voice seemingly silkier than usual. Though her chair was far away from his, he leaned close to her to close the gap.
She could smell the sweet peppermint of his breath. Her palms began to sweat slightly. She felt her heartbeat escalate. A waiter came by with a cheese selection. Ginny and Draco shook their heads no; now was not the time for food.
She had just begun to formulate a "no" to Draco when their moment was interrupted again.
"If everyone could begin to head to their seats," the master of ceremonies, a middle-aged blond man with a slight paunch, said into his booming microphone, "I'll introduce the wedding party."
Everyone turned to the squat MC expectantly. He ran a hand over his loose toupee, announcing, "Here are the best man and the maid of honor, Evan Donaldson and Stephanie Ulrich!"
A tall man with curly red hair entered with a slim blonde on his arm. They smiled gracefully for the crowd and took their seats at the high table.
"And now," the MC continued, "the moment you've all been waiting for. May I present Mr. and Mrs. James Edwards!"
The crowd clapped and cheered. Rebecca walked in on Jim's arm, her cheeks slightly pink from the excitement. He was swaggering slowly, making animated waves and doing complicated handshakes with his mates. They made their way to the high table.
"Okay," the MC said. "It will just be a few more moments, and then I'll announce dinner. I'll dismiss you by table, so wait for me to call you before you head to the food table."
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Ginny sighed, two empty glasses of champagne in front of her now. She could tell Draco was looking at her-he had been for the better part of half an hour now, but she was determined not to turn and ask him what his problem was. Instead, the redhead looked across the table. The seats there were still empty. She and Draco Malfoy were the only occupants of Table 17.
The waiter came by with more champagne. Ginny took two glasses again. Draco did the same.
"What's going on?" she asked, momentarily forgetting that she was trying to ignore the blond man sitting next to her.
He turned to her, encouraged that she was speaking to him. "What's wrong?"
"Why are we the only ones at this table? Most people showed, it seems. Did we just get the only table not only with half the occupants, but with half of that half who didn't bother to show?"
Draco didn't quite meet her eye. "Yeah. Yeah, that must be what happened."
She looked him with irritation, the champagne making her slightly braver than she would have been otherwise. "Don't lie to me, ferret."
He chuckled softly. "I might have explained my situation to Jim. A little."
She turned fully toward him now. "What did you tell him?"
"The truth," the blond whispered scornfully. "That you won't give me a chance. That you won't answer my calls. Ginny, it's been two weeks since we talked online, but I haven't heard from you at all. You won't even let me take you on one date before you leave for a year to 'explore the world.'"
By the end of his speech, Draco's words had turned very bitter. His gaze left Ginny's-instead trying to focus on something that made him less emotional. He concentrated on the table linens, taking another enthusiastic gulp from one of his champagne glasses.
"Oh," she whispered, no longer sure of what to say. There was nothing she could say, it seemed.
"Table 17," the MC called into the microphone, "please go on over to the food table."
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"What I don't understand," Ginny began as she reached for the salad tongs, "is how you could have possibly made it so we were the only ones at our table. You could have asked for a less crowded table, yes, but you couldn't have possibly known that those guests wouldn't show up."
Again, Draco didn't meet her eye, instead focusing intently on the rolls. "Well…I had a fairly good idea that they wouldn't be here."
Ginny looked up from the chicken to meet his eye expectantly. "Oh really. And how is that, Mr. Malfoy, Omniscient Wizard of the Universe?"
He rolled his eyes at her, reaching around her to grab a piece of chicken. His arm brushed hers briefly, startling them both. "Jim said that only one couple didn't RSVP no or yes. Jim and Rebecca tried to get a hold of them, but it's his great-aunt and her husband. They're nearing ninety, probably couldn't hear the phone ringing, and they live pretty far from here. They couldn't drive here, either. Once Jim told me about them, I knew they were my best bet."
Ginny's fist clenched slightly from frustration. She had been set up. Everyone knew what was going on- Jim, Rebecca, Draco. Everyone except her, it seemed. "I should throw one of those rolls in your face."
Draco seemed amused. This Ginny he could deal with-spitfire Ginny. He was used to the outright hostility and challenging nature of spitfire Ginny. He was just glad the depressed and fatalistic Ginny of the past few weeks seemed to be taking her exit. "You could, but you might put a damper on the festivities," he replied with a broad grin.
"I know," she murmured petulantly. "That's why I won't do it. But you just wait, Malfoy, until one day when I'm alone with you…"
Draco wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Promises, promises, Red…"
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Dinner, toasts, a cake cutting, and several glasses of champagne later, Ginny yawned. Guests were milling around, clearly impatient for the dancing to begin. Ginny looked over at Draco. He was looking at her. Of course he was- he had been watching her nonstop for the past two hours.
"Would you please stop that?" she asked irritably. "It's starting to really creep me out."
"No. Not until you talk to me."
Ginny turned to him expectantly. "Oh, really? What did you want to talk about?"
His eyes clouded over with irritation. As if she didn't know what he wanted answered! He scooted his chair closer to hers. She could feel his warm breath close to her ear. "Why won't you return my calls, Gin? You won't even give me a chance to set things right. What am I supposed to do?"
She stared at the tablecloth intently. She could feel the tension crackling between them. There were so many things she wanted to say. I wanted to pick up the phone. I wanted to set things right. But…I couldn't. I couldn't get over what you did, or the possibility that it might happen again. What if you're just chasing after me as someone to pass the time? What if I'm only interesting because I never gave you a chance, and as soon as I do, you'll drop me like last year's stock reports?
But she couldn't say any of that. So, instead, she stared at the tablecloth, and murmured something that sounded like, "Mmph."
"Pardon?" he asked, hopeful that he was about to get some sort of answers.
She shook her head. The moment had passed. Draco sat back in his chair sadly, his eyes clouding over with disappointment.
It was then that the MC decided to take his cue.
"Can I please get all the single ladies out on the ballroom floor for the bouquet toss, please? All the single ladies!"
Ginny rolled her eyes. She hated bouquet tosses. It was humiliating, standing out in the middle of a ballroom floor with the eight year old flowergirl, when, by all rights, she had married Harry to get out of this exact scenario. Draco looked at her expectantly. "Are you going to go?"
Ginny looked from Draco to the ballroom floor, as if weighing the two evils. She walked out to the floor, one of perhaps three women her age there. They looked at each other with the immediate camaraderie of the extremely humiliated. Rolling her eyes, Ginny watched as Rebecca lifted the lilies skyward, over her head, over the flowergirls, and right…into Ginny's arms.
Huh. Well, that was unexpected, Ginny thought dumbly, looking at the lilies in her arms as if she had absolutely no idea how they had gotten there. She moved to the side, watching hypnotically as Jim began to slowly ease the garter off Rebecca's leg. The single men began to flock to the ballroom floor, Draco prominently in the middle. Ginny watched, speechless, as Jim slingshot the garter…right into Draco's hand.
"Of all the bloody luck," the redhead muttered, grasping the bouquet so tightly that a few petals began to fall off the smaller flowers.
The MC got on the mic again. He nodded his thanks to Rebecca as she handed him a card with names on it.
Peering down at the card, he boomed, "Now let's give them a hand, the woman who caught the bouquet, Miss Ginny Weasley, and the man who got the garter, Mr Draco Malfoy!"
The crowd cheered as Draco and Ginny clustered close to Jim and Rebecca for the obligatory picture.
Mercifully, music began to play.
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To be continued…
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Authoress' Note: Sorry I didn't finish the wedding. My laptop is overheating, and quite frankly, I've hit that spot in my morning where no more writing is really coming out. However, this will be continued. The second part of this chapter will include what happens during the dancing, as well as the after-reception. Stay tuned-I think it will be pretty fun, lol. Please review!