Second Chance

Chapter 39

"Ladies, calm down. It's just dress shopping." I say to all of my friends in the car.
"Sarah, this is a big deal! You're getting married!" Wanda squeals.
"And finally wearing a dress." Natasha says and the car explodes with laughter.
"OK, maybe it is a big deal. I'm not sure how I feel about it though. Maybe I'm just not the wedding type."
"Sarah, shut up. You are going to fall in love with a dress and change what you just said." Jane says. We arrive at David's bridal, and we all walk into the store.
"Can I help you?" The lady at the counter asks. She looks up and then stands to shake my hand. "Sorry about that Miss Jones. Let's all go this way." She smiles. We follow her down a hallway, and appear at a room filled with other brides. Dresses going left and right, some women throwing fits, and the employees look super stressed.
"It looks like black Friday in here." I whisper to Jane and she giggles. The lady takes us to a couch on the far side wall, semi secluded, and says she will be right back.
"So what kind of dress are you thinking about Sarah?" Wanda asks.
"Uh, I'm not really sure. I know I want to steer clear of princess dresses. I don't think I can handle being that poofy." They all giggle when I say this.
"Alright, Sarah. My name is Tara. I'll be helping you today."
"Nice to meet you Tara. OK ladies, lets get this over with."
"She doesn't act like it, but she is excited to try on dresses." Wanda says.
"Ha. OK, do you have any preferences?" Tara asks me.
"Well, I was thinking I want it to be fitted, and no princess dresses. Maybe like a mermaid style? Ive been around dresses often with red carpet fashion, and it seems that Vera Wang or Marchesa or Pronovias are really gorgeous. Maybe something like that?"
"I like the way you think. Do you have a budget?"
"Just show me the price tag and if its too much I won't get my hopes up." I smile and she leaves.
"Uh, excuse me? Who are you and where have you taken Sarah?" Natasha asks.
"What? I have to know a little bit about fashion." I laugh.
"Seriously? Even some of your red carpet outfits aren't dresses." Wanda giggles.
"Look, I never really pick what I'm wearing. That's all-" and I'm cut off.
"Me!" Tasha appears out of the blue. Oh dear.
"Yes, that's all Tasha."
"Oh my, I have heard so much about all of you! Nice to finally meet you." She smiles as she shakes everyone's hand.
"Now Tasha, I'm cool with you being here, but I'm picking the dress today." I laugh.
"Oh I know sweety. It's your big day. I brought you a surprise!" She giggles.
"Well, what is it?" I ask.
"I can't show you until you pick your dress." She says waging her finger at me.
"Alright miss Sarah, I have a couple ready for you in the dressing room." Tara says coming up to me.
"You have to show us all of them." Kari says.
"Fine." I groan. I walk back with Tara and she pulls the first one out. It's fairly simple. Slim fitting. Mermaid style with beautiful embellishments. She helps me into the dress and clips the back up since its slightly big. We walk out of the room and back to the girls. They all gasp, seeing as it is one of the only times they have seen me in a dress.
"Sarah, you look stunning." Wanda smiles.
"How do you feel?" Tasha asks.
"I.. I don't know. Strange. The dress is really pretty but I don't think this is the one."
"Alright, moving on to the next one." Tara says. We go through this several more times until I look at myself, and find that I'm speechless. This is the one. It's a Galia lahav dress. It's slim fitting. Has beautiful flower shaped straps that come down to reveal the backless part of the dress. The embellishments are of lace and pearl design. And on the back of the dress, right at the start of my thighs, the dress comes out into this lovely spiral pattern full of glitter and lace. The tule material surrounds the bottom and finishes with a small handkerchief lace pattern at the bottom. She clips me in and helps me to the main room again, carrying my train. As I walk in I can already see Kari start to cry. She can feel it too.
"Oh my gosh.. Sarah." Jane says.
"I know, this is it. This is the one." I smile.
"So, are you saying yes to the dress?" Tara asks me.
"Yes!" I giggle. Tara rings the bell and everyone cheers. The girls come over and slightly hug me, afraid to even touch the gorgeous gown.
"Alright, time for my surprise." Tasha says. She grabs a box and brings it to me. It's a small white box with my name written on it in someone's really pretty handwriting. I open it and pull out the most amazing vail I have ever seen. I gently hand it to Tara and she attached it right above my bun. I look in the mirror and I can see the tears coming down. I have never seen myself this way.
"Tasha, where did you get this?" I smile.
"Well, kiddo it wasn't easy. That Vail, has been passed down through your family for generations. Your mother wore that on her wedding day. Whenever your grandmother passed away, she made me promise to keep it safe." I touch the fabric softly and start to cry even more.
"You did this for me?" I whisper.
"Of course, Sarah." I rush over to her and embrace her. "You look beautiful dear. Your mother would be proud. And your grandma would tell you to put more clothes on." And with that I cry and laugh all at once. I can't believe she did this for me. The girls snap pictures of me and I go back with Tara to make sure the dress stuff is in order.
"Alright sarah, you'll need to come back in two months for your fitting, but other than that you're good to go." Tara smiles and we all leave.
"I've got to say, I had so much fun today guys." I tell all of them in the car.
"It was a great experience." Jane says.
"Hopefully you're next!" Wanda giggles nudging Jane.
"Let's not jinx it please." She smiles.
"I'm just saying, I might be a little upset if you guys don't get married and let me watch your adorable children." I laugh and we all giggle the rest of the way back. We get back to my house and the guys are all sitting out front on the porch with Erika. Everyone starts to leave and I go up to Loki and kiss his forehead.
"How was your day, my love?" He asks.
"Great. These girls are insane."
"So, where is the dress?"
"You can't see it! Not until the day of the wedding." I smile and sit on his lap. Kari and Erika head inside and I just look at him.
"I do not understand. Is this one of your customs?"
"Yes, goof. You can't see the dress until I walk down the isle. So, did you want to just have one wedding?"
"What do you mean?" He says furrowing his brow.
"Well, your dad won't be here. And neither will your friends from Asgard. If you want, we can have another one up there?"
"You would do that for me?" He smiles.
"Of course. I mean we will have to start traveling between the realms again. It's about time Erika met her grandpa."
"How come you never stayed?"
"Well, all of it was overwhelming. I just wanted to be down here, with everyone. I thought if he knew I was pregnant, that he wouldn't be OK with me leaving, or with me bringing Kari. I'm sure he knows by now. Heimdall isnt very good at keeping secrets."
"You are right about that. I have thought about all of this, and if you wish to stay down here, I am happy with that."
"Honey, are you sure?"
"Of course. I have grown quite fond of our "Saturday" routine. And Erika loves it here."
"She does. I think she might love Tony more than me." I chuckle. He leans down and kisses me.
"She loves you dearly." He whispers. He kisses my forehead, and I snuggle into his lap.
"I could get used to this." I whisper.
"I could, also." He smiles. He wraps his arms around me and we just sit together in peace. He then picks me up and carries me upstairs. Kari and Erika are already asleep. He opens the door to our room and sets me on the bed before shutting the door. "You need sleep." He says throwing me an oversized shirt and a pair of shorts. I slip them on and crawl into bed. He climbs in next to me and pulls me up against him. He lays his head on my chest and curls up around me. Just when I thought he couldn't get any cuter. I run my hands through his hair and then the bedroom door opens. Erika walks in.
"Mommy, I can't sleep." She says.
"It's OK my love, let me come tuck you in." I smile. I wiggle out of Loki's embrace and he opens his eyes a little. I walk and pick her up. I gently lay her down in her bed, and I can see Loki come in behind me.
"Can you finish the story, mommy?" I tuck her in and kneel down on the floor.
"Well, we should start it over, so daddy can hear it this time. So, once upon a time, there was a wild and crazy man, and a woman who wanted to find her place in the world. She met the man, and tried to send him home, seeing that he really needed to calm down and not be a meanie head all the time. But once she got to know the man, she realized just how much she cared about him. Soon, he realized he cared for her too. She went to see the king of his world."
"Asgard!" She giggled.
"You always steal my words. But yes, Asgard. She talked to the king about how he was a changed man, and the king believed her. Later, the man told the woman that he loved her and gave her this beautiful ring." I show her the ring and she lights up, like all of the other times before. "The man asked her to marry him. She said yes and told him she loved him too. They lived in the palace and they were so happy. One day, the man and uncle Thor had to leave on a mission, to protect the palace. While on this mission, the man saved his team, but was captured by a bad guy. And around the same time, the woman realized she was carrying a precious little girl in her belly. She became very sad when her love never came home. Soon, her and aunt Kari left for earth, to try and not be sad. She gave birth to the most beautiful little girl in all of the realms. She tried her best to tell her about her father, and told her some day, he would come home for them. Then, on a very special day, the little girl and her mother were reunited with the man. Once he came home, the house was full of happiness and joy. And they all lived happily ever after..." I whisper the last line, seeing as she is asleep. I grab Loki's hand and quietly slip out of the room. I go back to our room and turn around to see him crying. "Honey, what's wrong?"
"I just.. That is the story... You kept me alive, for her?"
"I never doubted you were still alive. And I wanted her to know that she had a father that would do anything to come home to us. Something I never had. My goal, is to make sure she is happy. I want her to have everything I never had. So far, all of the boxes have been checked off. For now, I'll make a new list later." I chuckle as I pull him into bed with me. He kisses me sweetly, and I wipe the tears off of his cheek. "You know, you keep having all of these emotions, people will start thinking you're soft." I laugh. He smiles at me and goes back to sleep the same way he did earlier. I just love this. All of this. I'm happier than I have been in so long. I have the best family on the planet. I couldn't ask for more.
"I love you, Sarah Laufeyson." He whispers.
"I love you more, Loki Laufeyson."
"Not a chance." And with that, he passes out completely. His sweet little snores brings back some great memories. Even though he has been home for months now, its been a roller coaster lately. I have my jobs, planning the wedding, and taking care of my family. He has needed some help since coming home, with nightmares, and what not. There have been times I have to remind him that this isn't a dream. That he really is home. It kills me to see him suffer, and he still doesn't want to talk about it. I know that stuff takes time. I stroke his hair, and a smile forms on his sleepy face. I giggle slightly, and start to fall asleep myself. Looking down at him, looking so at peace, it reminds me of all of those nights we spent in ignorant and lovely bliss. How our love was impenetrable. And it still is. He's still my love, my life, my everything....