Emily, Please Don't Go Away

Thirteen

"Don't you think that it's a little too soon? I mean, Christmas is less than three months away, and you're wanting to do it before? That's insane, Gee!"

"Not really," he shrugged. "I mean, it's only going to be our closest friends and family. It's not like they are really going to need that much time to prepare. Hell, it gives Mikey more than enough time to request off, and they are strict about time off."

"What about the location, though? Don't they need at least-"

"Mom's already taking care of it. A friend of the family has a beautiful venue that she rents out for parties, weddings, reunions. It's a really nice place with two seperate buildings. It also has a rose garden and a huge pond. It's absolutely perfect."

"I guess I just don't see why we're rushing. I mean, I already said yes. So, what's the hurry?" I asked as I laid my head in his lap. He ran his hand through my hair gently, and I watched as his expression changed from excitement to worry.

"I didn't want to tell you yet, because I didn't want you to worry about it. Grandma's not doing well, and they said they don't know whether or not she's going to make it to the first of the year. So, I wanted her to be able to attend our wedding. While it is still a possibility that she won't make it til then, I also understand that it is really soon. I just tried to compromise, I guess..." He trailed off softly.

"Oh, Gee... I'm so sorry," I empathized, feeling guilty for giving him such a hard time. He smiled sadly.

"It's okay. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just didn't want you to be worried."

"Well, if we're soon to be married... That makes your family my family too. Of course, I'll worry, but honestly, I would've suggested we have the wedding earlier," I admitted with a smile. He returned the smile but shook his head.

"I think December is soon enough, and besides, we do need some time to plan. There is quite a bit that we need to figure out. For example, do you want to do a theme? I really like the idea of a Paris theme. We could use a tent and have it outdoors, use some twinkling lights, light the walkway with paper lanterns..." He trailed off as he got lost in his thoughts.

"I personally don't have a preference, but if it is outside, I do request that I get to wear something warm." He nodded in agreement.

"I would hate for you to get sick, especially before our honeymoon."

"Honeymoon?"

"Of course. My uncle has a cabin in the mountains. I figured, since you're still in school and can't take off for a long period of time, that it would be a nice little getaway. There's a hot tub and a fireplace. I always enjoyed visiting. I really think you'll love it."

"It does sound nice, and it would be nice to escape the city life for a few days," I agreed.

"Speaking of, did you let the super know that you're letting your lease go? I've been looking around for something bigger for us, but until we've found something, you can just stay with me," he said, casually shifting the conversation.

"I told him when I paid last month. He said he didn't really care, as long as he is still getting paid. He's already got the apartment ready to list."

"That's good. We can rent a storage unit for the furniture for now. I'm just so happy that this is happening. There's a lot to do and many things to get in order, but before long, it'll just be me and the stunning Mrs. Way," he grinned.

"Hmm, I like the sound of that," I smirked as I leaned forward to kiss him. "Mrs. Emily Way..."

* * * * *

"December?! Is he fucking insane? Why is he in such a hurry?" Sayra exclaimed.

"He wants to make sure his grandma will still be around to be there," I explained calmly.

"Okay, but still... You guys haven't even been together for a year. I mean, how well do you really know him? He is a grown ass man who draws cartoons for a living. He doesn't seem to have any other friends. He doesn't socialize. He just creeps me the fuck out. Something is off about him, Em. I don't know what, but something isn't right..." She rambled.

"Say, stop. I know how fast this is going, but when it's true love-"

"True love?!" She screeched. "I've watched the two of you. It seems more like a goddamn hostage situation. Does he threaten you? Do you feel like you have no choice but to stay?"

"No!" I cried. "Why would you even say that? I love him, okay? Despite his odd behaviors and lack of social interaction, I still love him."

"I really feel like you guys are rushing this... I mean, wasn't he already engaged once? Maybe there's a reason it didn't work out. I'll talk to my brother. Maybe he knows something... I just care about you and whether or not you're happy," she sighed in defeat.

"I am happy, Sayra. It may not be perfect all the time. We both have our issues, but I am happy with him," I tried to reassure her. "I got to go back over there. We have some more planning to do. Just don't worry so much, okay? I'm a big girl."

"I know. You can take care of yourself. However, as your best friend, it is my job to look out for you. So you go and take care of shit with your lover boy. I'm gonna see if I can't find the ex."

"Knock yourself out," I said as I rolled my eyes. "I'll see you later."

* * * * *

He gave me a goodnight kiss before heading into his apartment. I opened the door to my own and flicked on the light.

"Holy shit!" I cried out in surprise. "Why are you still here?" She looked over at me and patted the couch next to her frantically. I set my bag on the table and plopped down next to her.

"So, I've been doing some digging," she said as she gestured towards the laptop screen. "This whole thing has been one big rabbit hole. As it turns out, I was kind of right. There was a reason they never got married."

"Yeah, she cheated on him the night before. He told me about that already."

"Mmm... Nope. So, what I gathered from all these fucking dates... They were supposed to get married on December 20th back in 2000. Well, here's the kicker. She never showed up. So, her mom filed a missing persons report the next day on the 21st. No one has seen or even heard from her since the night before the wedding was supposed to happen."

"Oh, wow..."

"It gets weirder. Her mom and dad listed one Gerard Arthur Way as a person of interest, but after a brief investigation, the police declared that he wasn't involved with her disappearance. Her parents still disagree, but legally, there wasn't really anything that they could do."

"I just don't understand why he didn't tell me... If he wasn't involved, I don't see why-"

"Unless..."She cut me off. "He does have something to hide. I've been calling around, talking to some of her friends. I even found a few of his former classmates. Most of them think she ran off with someone else. There was this one girl, Addy, who also agrees with her parents."

"What do you mean?" I asked, pulling my knees to my chest. She took a drink from her bottle before continuing.

"Evidently, in the later months of their relationship, Vicki wanted out. He got to be too much for her to handle. He would rarely leave her side, and when he did, he would call or message her constantly. She started feeling smothered, and she told him that she couldn't do it anymore. Well, he tried to kill himself, which guilted her into staying." I felt the knots in my stomach tighten.

"Okay..." I said slowly, waiting for more information.

"Well, Addy thinks that Gerard may have caught her doing something that he didn't like... She said Vicki told her many times that he had issues with handling his emotions. Maybe he just snapped," she said with a shrug. "She also said that he always seemed super controlling, and if things didn't go according to his plan, he'd flip the fuck out. I mean, that doesn't sound too far off..."

"He'd tell me if something that big had happened. I mean, he had to know that I'd find out..."

"Unless he was counting on you not to."