Short Walk to Forever

Ev had noticed the Alpha's approach, having multiple senses that were particularly adept at keeping track of her surroundings. Her grinning expression turned serious as he tried to peek in through the opening and the girl backed up a bit to narrow it further.

"No. Only I'm allowed to see her," Ev responded decisively. There was a beat before she generously added, "Because I'm special."

The girl did start in surprise at the man's abruptly raised tone, curiously amber gaze trying - ineffectively - to catch a glimpse of whoever he was addressing. She blinked up at the woman as she arrived. 'Volchitsu?' she mouthed silently, nose scrunching up just a bit.

"Evelina Moffett," Ev responded with utmost solemnity, suddenly a bit shy. "I've seen you at the Pack House, but I didn't know you were Mr. Brock's girlfriend."

The little blonde glanced back over her shoulder, looking at the clock before whirling back to fix the guests outside the room with a stern look. "You need to find your places," she declared. "You'll see her when it's time."

She shut the door. After a moment, she reopened it to add, "Sorry. You really can't see her yet." Then, the door was shut once more.

A fond smile and a slight blush crept into her cheeks as she rested a hand against the door as if she could touch him through the wall, "Well isn't that the point of today, Rakas*? To prove that I am not going to leave?"

Irony would have it that no sooner had those words left her mouth, than did she hear the voice of the one who she did leave. The one who she loved, part of her still did love, but she had allowed herself to lose. The one who really did wake up one day and she wasn't there. At the time she had convinced herself he wouldn't care, age has only given her the knowledge of her mistakes.

"Do you doubt my OCD's ability to manage itself, Brock?" her voice bounced through the door lightly, a vague hint of laughter, forced teasing coming through it. Part of her, however, was thankful that one person was out there to check - someone the knew what would set her off, or at least what use to set her off. Some things had faded into less of a problem, others have become more so. The "Thank you" she murmured was lost as he raised his voice, and Kallie heard something she had wondered, thought she would never hear, almost dreaded she would.

Vera Parker.

A completely childish impulse came over her; she wished to open the door herself, peak out, see just who had caught her Pentu's eye, because that was what she could hear happening. The yell, Kallie had been yelled at in such a way so many times before, Volchitsu - no one understood the significance of nicknames, pet names, with the man on the other side of the door better than Kallie.

She had moved on, Kallie had to remind herself that it was better that Brock did too. That she was glad he had someone with him, to care for him. Do everything that she could not.

"Very special indeed," Kallie added lightly, a laugh despite everything dancing over her lips. She wasn't sure if she was glad or disappointed she had not allowed Brock in. Maybe a bit of both. "She is quite right; you best be in your spots before I come out there, or else. I abhor when things are late. OCD and all that."

Spoiler:

A shiver was sent up Eli's spine at the sound of Kallie just behind the door. Most days, having her close to him was nothing more than routine- a basic fact of life. But today was different. Today, just the thought of her being a couple inches away made him want to squirm with excitement.

Eli smirked at the sound of Brock approaching them, his words slowly fading in the distance as he stared at the door, trying his best to paint a mental picture of what lied behind it. He became so absorbed in the fleeting daydream that the sound of Brock yelling nearly made him jump out of his shoes. He turned around, and gave the girl a friendly smile, his instincts as a host kicking in, "Thanks for coming, Vera. It's nice to have at least a few people who aren't just here for work."

He turned around again to have the door shut in his face. The man sighed, "Whatever you say, girls." He leaned closer to the door, muttering into a crack in the worn wood, "If you need me, I'll be waiting for you at the altar." Eli began to walk away, once again scanning the crowd, "Now to see if Lainey managed to get here..."

(OOC: Resuming this charrie ONLY temporarily, and ONLY to attend Eli's wedding. Also... when is this wedding? May? Imma run with May...)


Lainey appeared outside the venue, holding her twelve-month-old tightly in one arm, a half-horrified expression on her face as a battered metal hair-pin - a portkey - dropped from her nerveless fingers.

"Eli..." she murmured slowly, wholly to herself. "Andrew... Patterson... I am going to kill you."

Tirion clapped her chubby hands cheerfully, a delighted grin across her adorable features. "Do 'gain!" she exclaimed. "Mama, do i' 'gain!"

"Sometimes, I hate magic," the woman muttered. Not quite recovered, yet, she continued to stand there, unmoving as others strolled past.

Letting out a soft laugh at Eli's words, she shook her head and mumbled at the door even though the man was long gone, "I think I can manage to find you there." Running a hand through her hair, she took one more glance at the mirror, nervous energy running through her. It was becoming an active effort not to fidget. She took one breath, and then another, before she was completely convinced that everyone from outside was where they should be, and everything else was in order.

This was the moment. She was getting married.

Slipping out of the door and into the dusk, the moments became a blur, managing to defy logic by both speeding up and slowing down. Each footstep that she took seemed to match the drumbeat of her heart. Music spread through the area and people stood to their feet. They were all there to see her, Kallie understood how weddings work. But none of that mattered.

Because that wasn't what she was there for. No, Kallie was there for one person, and one person only.

And that was the man standing at the other end of the isle. Brown eyes sparkling - it could almost be questioned whether there were not in fact slight tears of happiness glistening within them - her lips felt almost painful at the amount of grinning she was doing. For once in her life Kallie did not feel the need to hide any of her emotions. For once she didn't find them illogical, or impractical.

Meeting Eli, finally, at the podium in the middle, she could not stop herself from the slightest break of procedure. She wasn't following what she had said she needed to do, how it was supposed to go, and for once she didn't care at all. Before turning to the man who was to speak, she leaned forward and brushed her lips against Eli's cheek.

"I love you."

Eli stood near the end of the long path stretched out through the grass, surrounded on both sides by an army of chairs, whose inhabitants were chattering like birds before a storm. His eyes caught hold of his sister, and he gave her a quick grin, before being distracted by the sound of a door creaking open. The sound sent his head spinning, because he knew exactly what it meant.

It meant the entire mass of people got to their feet in awe, it meant a large stretch of ornate, delicate fabric clinging gracefully to the woman he loved, who was getting closer and closer. With every step she took, his heart beat a little faster, until he could feel her breath on his cheek, delivering words that spread a wide grin across his face.

In response, he took her hand, giving it a gentle but deliberate squeeze as they turned toward the altar. Eli felt his body as it shivered with electricity, and the words floating toward him lost their meaning before they could reach his ears. Eli was lost in the spiraling, golden curls framing Kallie's face, her sparkling brown eyes, the glowing clarity of her skin, and he couldn't wipe off that goofy grin on his face.

Everything about the scene around him, was as careful and as perfect as Kallie herself. He realized that the man in front of them was talking, and looked back at him, throwing a few sidelong glances at the stunning woman in white who was holding his hand.

Weddings were not practical; they were not logical. In this day and age, no woman needed a wedding to stay alive, to stay supported, to have a home. Kallie more so than possibly any other woman in the area right, knew that - was very independent, had been her whole life, was forced to be. There was nothing practical about a wedding, there was nothing practical about love, vows, anything else.

But there was nothing that the woman would rather do, no where she would rather be than right there. Irrationally clad in a ridiculously over priced, dress that she would never wear again. Irrationally standing in front of every person she had ever knew, most of whom she needed to respect her, to say nothing more than that she loved this man. A man that she couldn't describe why she loved him - it was a whole collection of things, as stupid and unimportant as the next, the light in his eyes, the curve of his lips, his laugh, his good kind, forgiving soul. Not a single one of them all that important on its own - some completely unnoticed by anyone else - but each a part of the big, great unexplainable emotion that had been growing within her the day she walked into his bar.

It was an irrational, foolish, and useless exhibit, action - something Kallie had once been sure that she would never have, or buy into. But at this moment there wasn't a single place on the entire universe that she wanted to be, than right where she was, beside Eli.

That's why, when asked the question that was asked at every wedding in existence, Kallie said the only thing there was to say, the only answer she could possibly ever want to give.

"I do."