Alec's POV
"Sam? Love, what's wrong?" I asked her. This was definitely not good. Sam is the kind of person who never ever panics. It's mainly because she's always prepared for every possible scenario. While we were staying at Emily's she'd always carry a huge bag with her and when I asked her what the heck was in it, she told me she kept a spare change of clothes for both of us and Damon too. Then she had sticks, bandages, sunglasses, and our hoodies in case it was sunny, crackers for Damon and... well you get the idea. By the rate she was panicking I'd say it was either the colliding of a meteor with the earth or perhaps an alien invasion. I mentally whacked myself. This was no time for joking.
"She... She's getting married next week!" she stuttered, her cheek twitching crazily.
"Who? Emily?"
"The queen of England." she snorted sarcastically. "Of course it's Emily! How the heck am I supposed to plan a wedding in a frikin' week?" she asked herself. She whipped out her phone and not more than five seconds later it started ringing. She answered it swiftly and put it to her ear. "HOW CAN YOU GET MARRIED NEXT WEEK WITHOUT TELLING ME BEFOREHAND?"
"Sam, h-how did you know?" Emily asked, surprise colouring her voice. "That's not important; in fact this conversation is not important! But before I hang up, can I please know why you changed the date so suddenly?" she asked as she started making calculations in the air. "Sam, I need to ask you a very important question." Emily said sounding quite solemn. "Shoot away but make it quick. We're in a hurry."
"Sam, will you be my midwife again?" Emily asked. Everybody around us remained speechless. I just stared at a wide-eyed Sam.
"You're pregnant?" Sam asked the obvious in a whisper. "Yeah, I'm in my first month of pregnancy. It wasn't planned, but we're all really excited." Emily said, her voice reflecting her mood.
"So, how did Damon take it?" Sam asked her quickly as a very worried Logan approached her.
"Well, let's just say he's not as thrilled as the rest of us. But he'll come around for sure." Emily said, sounding quite uncertain to me.
"Last important question. Why next week? I mean doesn't the baby take nine months to grow? Couldn't you have waited for at least two months or so?" Sam asked sounding fairly reasonable.
"Do you remember that villa we passed by and I told you that I wanted to have my wedding there? It's really hard to book a weekend but Jason's father managed to pull some strings but the only opening spot was for next Saturday."
Sam sighed. "I'll be there in eight hours or five minutes." she concluded. We heard Emily mumble something but Sam cut of the line before we could make any sense of it.
"Okay so if I leave in fifteen minutes I might make it in eight hours if I run really fast. Or... Maybe I can teleport!" she exclaimed. She put her fingers to her temples and concentrated hard.
"Sam, you're still here." Alex pointed out. "I know that, genius! I'm wasting time; I'll never get this teleporting thing right! I'm leaving." she said exasperatedly.
"Sam, wait! We have to catch a plane next Saturday! We can't miss it, a lot of work and money went into it!" Nessie insisted, but Sam was already upstairs packing a few necessities. I went upstairs using vampire speed and found her packing. The others joined us a few seconds afterwards. "Guys, I can't abandon Emily. I promised I'd plan her wedding and I always keep my word. And anyways the plane leaves at three in the morning the day after the wedding. I'll pack a few things for this week and Alec please pack the rest of my stuff."
Nessie snorted. "You're asking a guy whose wardrobe consists of black shirts and jeans only to pack for you? Do you want to kill all of Europe with laughter?"
"Oh come on! My fashion sense's not that bad." I defended myself.
"Whatever you say Alec." Bonnie and Danielle said at the same time which ended with a fit of laughter among them.
"Girls, girls! You're being sexists! No offence dude, but guys like you are the reason why girls stereotype us like that. But thankfully for all men on this planet there are guys like moi who actually know a thing or two. So don't worry, babe, I'll make sure he doesn't screw up. I assure you, I'm an expert, especially when it comes to the lingeri-" the brat-who-shall-not-be-killed-or-else-Sam-goes-crazy-on-me-yet-I-want-to-snap-his-neck-so-bad said. Daren , that's what's wrong with the world. Many problems would be solved if it wasn't for him. North and South Dakota would reunite, Dobby would resuscitate, world hunger would end, blood lust wouldn't bother vampires, our skin wouldn't sparkle, global warming would decrease- okay so maybe I was being just a tad bit overdramatic but many problems would end for me.
"Watch it." Sam warned.
"Guys, if you excuse us, Sam and I are going to make out for a while." I said. Then I turned to Daren. "Feel free to watch and learn, you know, you show me how to pack up for my mate, and I show you how a guy actually gets the beautiful girl, since you're obviously lacking in that department." I said. There were many ohhs and people coughing "Burn." Hell yeah, burn! Only this dude right here gets to make sexy innuendoes about Sam and get away with it. But of course, Sam would not allow me this brief moment of victory. She turned around and gave me a simple peck on the lips and slung a ginormous bag over her shoulders. "Okay, girls please pack for me. Daren if you touch my lingerie you're saying bye-bye to that video games convention and hello to endless hours of shopping. Then you'll have plenty of time to show your expertise in fashion." Sam said, looking terribly mind in air yet sounding clear as day. Logan, Alex and Jake started grumbling and begging the girls to spare them while I smiled smugly at the little brat.
"You guys know the way to Emily's. It would mean the world if you bring the luggage and come help me out. I'll need some extra help."
"Sure thing!" Bonnie said. "You can count on us, Sam. Anyone who tries to touch your lingerie will lose a finger." Danielle said, looking in ever man's eye in the room, daring us to try. W-w-wait us? "But I'm an exception, right?" I said feeling quite dumb.
"No not really, love." Sam said, patting me twice on the check, leaving me dumbstruck.
"I need to get going. Sam out. Peace!" and with that she jumped out of the window and disappeared from our sight in a fraction of a second. "Oh, c'mon Sam! Seriously! I've already seen everything beyond-"
"Let it go, she's already gone." Jake said as he petted me on the shoulder. Everybody went back to the living room except for me. I leaned back on the bed. Something was not right with Sam. She's changed since Italy. Don't get me wrong, she's still the same girl I love and treasure with all my heart but she barely allows me to touch her anymore. Then I realised it was well over a week since we made love. Her kisses feel distant, restricted. Once I thought I saw her shudder when I touched her. Could it be that she was still being affected by what Gaius did to her? The thought of him sent sparks of raw anger and hatred coursing through me. The thought of him torturing and having my little angel sent me berserk to no end. I knew there was nothing I could do but that didn't stop me from feeling guilty. Had I been there for her, that wouldn't have happened. Aro, it was his thirst for power that led to all this. I swore right there and then that I would face him. Tell him that I'll never be part of the Volturi again and that I'll regret all my life having spent almost three hundred years in his service. I wanted to look him in the eye and tell him that I pitied him, because he'll never know the true meaning of love, he'll never experience the joy and warmth true love brings. He may have a mate, but I am absolutely sure all they share is carnal pleasure. Nothing more than bodies.
I sighed and closed my eyes. Sam. I wanted to give her so much more. I wanted to give her a family but I could not. But there was something I could give her. I could make her my wife. I could propose to her in the most romantic city of the world. I would ask her to marry me in Paris.
Sam's POV
Finally after hours of vegetation I arrived. I knocked on the door fervently. After five long seconds Jason opened the door.
"Hey, Jason. Can you tell me where Emily is?" I asked him just to be polite. I could smell her and another scent I had never encountered before upstairs in their room. "She's upstairs with Mother trying on her wedding dress. Before you go Sam I need to talk to you."
"Jason, I- Oh who is this?" a man probably in his late sixties asked Jason. "Father this is Sam, the owner of the house, Sam this is –"
"Owner? She's barely seventeen! And why are you calling her 'Sam' if she's a lady. You know I don't like abbreviations. What's your proper name?" Jason's father asked me.
"I'm Dr. Samantha Hathaway and actually I'm twenty years old." I said, keeping true to the cover story and doing the math quickly in my mind.
"Yes and I'm the King of England. Did you steal money to buy this place?" he asked me bluntly. I looked at Jason who had a mortified look on his face.
"No, father she's very smart. She worked to earn her money." Jason defended me.
"Or perhaps she's spy. I've seen the likes of you. Looking young and naive while being a vicious traitor selling top secrets regarding the state." I had to blink twice. Did this guy just call me a threat to the nation?
"I apologize Sam. Father has an over active imagination ever since he saw 'The Godfather'. He used to be an agent in his better days." Jason explained. The conversation was getting more random by the second.
"I can assure you I'm not a spy. Now I really need to go see Emily." I said and hurried up the stairs with Jason's father yelling "You can run but you can't hide!" at me.
"Come on dear just a little more." I heard an old woman say. "It's useless it'll never fit. It's too big." Emily replied, her voice sounding exactly like mine did all those years back when we had first met and she made me wear short skirts. Ah, karma, still the same bitch!
I knocked on the door and entered. "Emily, do you know this girl?" the old woman who I guessed was Jason's mother asked her. She had a tall, round-ish figure and hair cut in a bob framing her face. "Oh, this is Sam; she's my best friend and the maid of honour." Emily said grinning at me.
"Oh, alright. Now back to the dress, don't you think it's utterly-"
"Horrifying!" I concluded for her though I would have bet my head she was going to say something positive. But I just couldn't lie to that extent. It looked as if Emily was playing dress up. The dress was at least three sizes bigger. The way it covered her torso looked like those baggy pants gangsters wear. It was almost comical. Almost.
"Excuse me? That was the dress I wore on my wedding day!" the woman informed me. "Come on, its way too big, she looks like a snowman!" I said and approached her. "She can't even move in it." I stated the obvious.
"Move around, Emily." The woman ordered. Emily obliged obviously having trouble with the out of proportion dress. Just as I predicted the corset slipped and exposed her bra. "See!" I all but shouted.
"Oh, it just needs some minor adjustments." She said trying to push down the over frilly puffy shoulders.
"Minor! Arranging every single part of the dress is minor? What would be a major problem for you? The dress coming to live in the middle of the night? We're wasting time, people! Come on Emily, we need to get a dress that actually fits."
"Excuse me, but I want my daughter in law to wear my dress!" the woman interjected, but I was already helping Emily to get out of the dress with her rushing me up.
"Thanks! I couldn't stand the look of that dress." She muttered as I tried to pry off the miles of cloth surrounding her body without tearing the dress to shreds. Finally she was in just her underwear. I gave her the orange sun dress lying on her bed and she slipped it on immediately. She put on her ballerina shoes and we rushed downstairs before the old blabbermouth could catch us. We piled up in her car, me at the steering wheel and once she closed the door I stepped on the gas pedal and we left, with a trail of dust behind us.
In the car she explained to me that Jason didn't want to invite his parents until the very last minute but she wanted to meet them so they ended up at their place for the next week. Jason's grandma, who I learnt her name was Shelia was driving her nuts. She wouldn't let her do anything because of her pregnancy.
"Oh, and about that, how come you forgot to put on some kind of protection, I thought you said Damon was the first and last for you." I asked her. She had informed me earlier that Damon was at a playhouse.
"Well, we got carried away and you know...anyway you didn't tell me, what happened with Alec? How did you guys reunite and... I didn't see him here.
"Let's just say I had a friend who also knew him and told him where I was. He came here all the way from Italy." I explained leaving off the part where Gaius enslaved me and then raped me. I had to take a deep breath. Every time I thought about it I felt enraged and vulnerable at the same time. The way his disgusting mouth look control over mine or the way his caress sent shivers rolling down my spine and felt as if it was dirtying me.
"Sam, are you okay?" I heard Emily ask me. I turned to her and tried to nod and give her my usual care free smile. Luckily my phone started ringing. I took it out of my bag and felt completely relieved when I saw the caller, Alec. I needed to hear his voice; it soothed me and calmed me down. I answered and put the phone to my ear.
"Hi, love."
"Sam, we're on our way, we'll probably be there in about a day and a half or so since we're using the cars." He informed me. "So, what are you doing?"
"We're on our way to buy the wedding dress? By any chance did you bring a tux with you?" I asked him, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, and I also brought my flying monkey." He answered me, being unusually sarcastic.
"Woah, somebody's feeling cranky, are you missing me too much already? We'll be together soon." I said to him, feeling sorry that I left so suddenly.
"For the love of all that's covered in cheese, would you just move on to your pathetic 'I love you's and hang up already." Daren's voice grumbled in the background.
"Was that enough of an answer for you?" Alec asked me bluntly, his voice on the edge of frustration.
"Alec please put the phone on the loudspeaker." I asked him. Whoever had the idea to put them together was clearly even nuttier than Jason's father!
Alec's POV
"Sure Sam." I said and put the phone on loudspeaker.
"Are you two alone in the car?" she asked us. "Yes." We both answered at the same time. We glared at each other and before we could start fighting, and may I add for the lucky thirteenth time since we left an hour ago, I looked straight at the road ahead of me.
"I want both of you guys to listen well to me, no fighting –physically, verbally or mentally-"she told us.
"Come on, baby, we're not six year olds, of course we won't fight." Daren said to Sam. "Would you please STOP referring to her as 'baby'?" I argued, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
"Hey, babe, your boyfriend apparently doesn't like the competition." he said, teasing me again. Oh that is it!
"There's no fuckin' competition!" I said through clenched teeth.
"Oh boy. Daren come on, please stop! I can only do as much as calm him! We've almost arrived at the mall so I can't prolong this conversation. So please Daren, be good, and I know it's hard, I sometimes find it hard myself but try not to kill him, Alec, he's actually cool when he's not being a jerk."
"What the hell is your problem? I'm trying hard not to rip you to shreds and all you do is make it hard for me. I promise that you'll be sorry if you make lose my temper." I said to him once Sam hung up.
"You so don't deserve her." he crossed his arms stubbornly on his chest and looked away out of his window.
"Maybe so. But I make her happy. You had a chance to woo her when I wasn't here. You didn't succeed so if you don't like me at least to a favour to Sam who saved your life and quit being a difficulty."
"Aren't you ashamed? She's three hundred years younger than you!" he said. I stared at him incredulously.
"Are you seriously that stupid? You're thinking like a human. I'd like to see you in the next eighty years or so when you find the girl you want to mate with or if you find a mate older than you. I bet my Jaguar you wouldn't think like that." I said to him. This proved how much human and naïve he still was.
"Bet whatever you want but it must affect you. Sam's a modern 21st century woman, and you're as old as dirt." I shook my head at him.
"You obviously don't know my Sam as well as I do. Though she's a modern woman, she's independent and most definitely hates any form of sexism, she loves history and she's not exactly the most modern girl around though she's everything anyone would ever want. She loves cars and technology, she has an awesome taste in music." I said the image of my Sam in my mind. She was truly the perfect mixture of sweetness with the perfect amount of badass-ness.
"Yeah, she the perfect package isn't she. She's smart yet she can actually kiss like a pro. I wonder if she's as good in bed as she is at kissing..." Daren said, breaking my train of thought. I scowled at him.
"Dude, I saw the vision where she kissed you and that's not even her best. I'll leave the rest to your imagination while I enjoy it in reality." I said smugly.
"Lucky ba$tard." he muttered under his breath. I grinned at him, his insult brushing off me as I had been called things way worst than that.
"Luckier than you, that's for sure." I checkmated him. He grunted and put on his headphones and started to listen to some heavy metal rock band.