A Light In The Darkness [Completed]

Wedding Bells

After finally making her decision, for real this time, Sol slept like a log for the first time in what felt like forever. In fact, she didn't even remember falling asleep until her mom was shaking her awake.

Grumbling under her breath, Sol dragged herself into the shower and got dressed. Mom was in full commando mode so she barely had enough time to swallow a piece of toast before they were on their way to the church.

And so began a long day of setting up chairs, putting out decorations, and panicking that the catering wouldn't arrive in time. Mom kept Sol so busy that she only saw Jacen in passing a couple times. He didn't look nervous, but she could tell he was freaking out a little. Finally, everything was ready and was given the seal of approval.

Since Solveigh wasn't actually part of the wedding party, she was able to keep her gussying up time to a minimum. Once she was deemed acceptable, Sol found an out of the way corner and sat down to catch her breath.

All the chaos hadn't given her much time to go over her conversation with Elias. She had been hoping to get it over with as soon as possible, but they would have only a few minutes, if that, before the ceremony started. It would have to be during the reception sometime. Sol didn't particularly look forward to having that waiting for her all day, but she didn't have much of a choice. Besides, she was determined to not let anything ruin this day.

It wasn't long before her dad came to fetch her, saying it was time for them to find their seats. The buzz of everyone trying to find their places at the same time was almost deafening, and it was starting to give Sol a headache. Despite that she picked out the sound of Elias's voice almost immediately.

The chair squeaked softly as he sat down beside her and she felt his arm slip around her shoulders. "Hey, Sol. You look beautiful today."

"I wish I could say the same for you," Sol returned, grinning widely.

Elias started to laugh, but quickly smothered it. "Good one, babe."

The banter continued in low tones until the announcement that everything was ready came. There was a final burst of noise as everyone settle down. A silence of anticipation filled the room. Moments later Sol heard the cream of the door as it opened and the music began to play softly.

Sol let Elias help her to her feet and make sure she was facing the right way. She could hear the rustle of the bridesmaids dresses as they walked by. There was a hushed gasp from the crowd as Aimee came through the door. Sol wished she could see her, but she was certain Aimee was absolutely radiant. No one that sweet could be anything but drop dead beautiful.

More than that, she wished she could see her brother's face. She refused to feel sorry for herself, though. She didn't have to look into Jacen's eyes to know he was happy; she could hear it in his voice every time he talked about Aimee. Sol could hear it right now as he said his vows. She knew from the bottom of her soul that they were perfect for each other.

Just like Trey and I. The revelation struck her straight in the heart. It all seemed so simple now. Like the blindfold had been torn away from her heart. It had taken losing him to realize that she was only half herself without Trey. And, somehow, she knew it was the same for him. Whether he had come to that realization yet she didn't know, but she was going to try.

Once the ceremony was over the wedding party and family, which included Sol this time, were whisked away for the photo shoot. When they finally made it to the reception hall, Elias was nowhere to be found, and Mom continued to need Solveigh's services. By the time she managed to extricate herself from that situation and track down Elias, the party was in full swing.

Sol, with the help of Cat, found Elias talking to some of Jacen's friends from school. Once he saw her, he excused himself and took her by the arm. Cat smoothly made her getaway, leaving them alone. Or as alone as they could get in a crowded room. Sol frowned to herself; she had been hoping for a little more privacy.

Elias must have noticed her expression because he asked, "Are you alright? You look upset."

Taking the opportunity, Sol said, "I'm okay, really. All the noise is just giving me a bit of a headache."

"Do you want me to take you somewhere quieter?" Elias asked, concern filling his voice.

"Yes, please."

Sol felt absolutely horrible right then, but she was determined to go through with this. She let Elias lead her out of the reception hall and into the parking lot. For a while they just stood there, leaning against the building in silence. Finally, Sol clasped her hands together and said, "I'm actually glad of this opportunity because there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about for a while."

"Lay it on me," Elias returned.