Rating: PG
Summary: Every wedding has its little hitches, right?
Type of fic: Vignette
Dedication: Ah, but who else? To my lil sis.
Author�s notes: *points to Scattia* It was all her fault. She mentioned it (�Hunter always breaks up marriages� or something like that), I loved the idea, and despite being desperately tired, having logged off, and being ready for bed, I stayed up a further half an hour to start this. I had no concrete plans while writing this, but it soon turned into a kind of �alternate universe� to All The Good Slips Away, as in what if Chris had never revealed what he found out at WrestleMania-X8.
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Untitled 50
The whole affair was magical. The cloudless indigo sky, the flower arrangements, the deep burgundy carpet from the horse-drawn carriage to the imposing cathedral, all the guests dressed in their best, the specially-fitted Armani-tuxedoed groom looking like the luckiest man in the world�and the bride.
No words could describe her. �Perfection� did her no justice, and �breathtakingly beautiful� was sorely an understatement. Dressed in a dazzling white-and-gold Vera Wang creation, her hair styled elegantly atop her head and wearing a diamond-encrusted tiara - she was truly the vision of a princess. A very happy princess gracefully gliding to meet her prince.
But he would have none of it, and in his tortured self-pity he did the only thing he could think of. He started towards the aisle, hoping to intercept her before she reached the altar, roughly shoving aside the people who were in his way. He felt someone grab his arm in an attempt to stop him, but he shook it off.
�Stephanie! Wait!� he called out, surprisingly even himself at the desperation in his tone.
The bride stopped, turning around to face him. He felt everyone staring, but he paid them no attention. He had eyes only for her.
She looked at him uncertainly, losing her brilliant smile. �Hunter?�
He offered her a nervous but hopeful smile. �I�I love you.�
Her eyes registered shock. He could hear the sudden murmurs and whispers of the crowd, but he ignored them. However, he couldn�t ignore the groom coming up to stand protectively beside his bride.
�Helmsley, what the hell do you think you�re doing?� the groom demanded, his voice low.
He swallowed hard, keeping his eyes on the stunned bride. �Steph, I�m so sorry about everything. The way I treated you, the way I ended things with you. But most of all, I�m sorry-�
�Helmsley, now isn�t the time,� the groom interrupted quietly. Angrily.
But he ignored the other man. �Most of all, I�m sorry I never told you before that I loved you.�
A look of sympathy crossed the bride�s eyes. �Now isn�t the time, Hunter,� she said softly.
He felt a sharp pain in his chest at her pity. Of him. �Can we talk?�
�Damnit, Helmsley, this is our wedding day,� the groom hissed, talking a menacing step forward.
�Honey, it�s okay.� Both he and the groom turned in surprise to look at the bride. She smiled at her fianc�. �I promise, it�ll be fine. Just give me five minutes, okay?�
�Are you sure about this?� the groom asked, sounding concerned.
She smiled softly, nodding. �No more than five minutes, and I�ll be right back.�
His heartbeat increased in hopeful anticipation. She had granted him his wish. Everything was going to be just fine.
�Uh, there�s been a slight hitch in our proceedings,� she announced loudly to the guests, �and we�ll be taking a five minute break.�
The loud mutterings started almost immediately, and he could feel the heated glares from everyone around him. Over the groom�s shoulders, he noticed several groomsmen hurrying towards them from the front.
�This way,� she said to him as she strode past, and he hurriedly followed her. She led him into a small room in the back of the cathedral, where he assumed she had gotten ready earlier, and firmly closed the door.
It was the first time the two of them were alone since the divorce a year and a half ago, and as he looked at her he couldn�t help noticing the changes. They were slight changes, almost imperceptible. Had he not known her as well as he did, he would not have been aware of them. No more hard lines around the mouth, no more dark circles, no more dejected frowns. The biggest change was in her eyes. No sadness, or anger, or pain. She was glowing. She was happy.
�Hunter, why are you doing this?� she asked quietly.
He gazed at her, amazed that someone could be so beautiful. �Because�because I was wrong. Because I love you.�
She shook her head. �In our two years of marriage you never once said those words to me, and it always made me feel as if I was never good enough for you. Now, of all the days for you to suddenly realise that it isn�t such a difficult thing to say, you pick my wedding day?�
�I know, and�and I�m sorry.�
�You�re certainly sorry about a lot of things today, aren�t you?�
�Steph-�
�What did you think I was going to say, Hunter? That I love you back? That I�m going to easily forget the way you treated me, the way you made me feel?�
He shook his head vehemently, feeling worse than he already did by the lack of anger and accusation in her voice. �No! I mean, of course I didn�t expect that. The way I treated you was unforgivable, but�but I was hurt. I mean, I thought I was going to be a father.�
She looked at him silently for a moment. �You were.�
He felt his stomach drop, unsure if he heard her correctly. �Wha�what?�
�You were going to be a father. I hadn�t lied to you. I had been pregnant, but I lost the baby.�
He didn�t want to believe what she was telling him, but there was a deep sorrow in her eyes as she spoke and he knew that she said was true.
�But�but your mother said�?�
�My mother was wrong, though I don�t blame you for having believed her.� She smiled humourlessly. �After all, she�s supposed to be the best out of the McMahons, and I was just a spoilt little princess, right? Despite me having been your wife.�
His guilt over his past actions increased even more, and he wondered how he could have been so wrong about so many things. His mind kept returning to her revelation about the miscarriage. �And�and the baby? Why didn�t you tell me?�
�You told me to stay away, remember? And what could you have done for me, Hunter? My baby was already gone.�
And mine, he thought silently. My baby, too.
�I�m sorry things turned out this way between us,� she continued when he said nothing. �I invited you today because I thought that maybe we could talk or something, but I guess I was wrong.� She walked towards the door.
He wanted to stop her, to speak up or reach out, but he did nothing. All he could think about was the myriad of possibilities his decisions would have taken him, had he only trusted the one person he had ever loved. He could have been happily married to a truly unique woman. He could have been a father to their child.
Instead, he had hurt and pushed away the one person who had accepted him for who he had been, and had still cared for him. He lost everything when he had lashed out blindly at the only person who mattered to him, and he hadn�t even known it until it was too late.
end.
Thanks for reading! *g* Hope you all liked, and to Becca, I AM sorry! But don't despair, I'm trying to motivate my Hunter and Steph's Hunter muses to get their butts into gear.
Anyhoo, just out of curiousity, who do you guys think the groom is?
R #01