under the skin, part 3

August 2083 - Cameron Gibson is 32, Bella Bradshaw is 27, Micah and Mariah Buchanan are 25, James Porter is 26.

* soundtrack: "The Blower's Daughter," by Damien Rice. Warnings: unapologetic cheese? It's a wedding, I'm allowed ;) *

Bella Bradshaw and Cameron Gibson are married on a sweltering day in August, in a garden ceremony at Riley Hall, hot enough even the flowers seem to sweat. Their wedding is elaborate, but appropriate for a rising young film star and Lake City's prettiest playboy socialite. The guests are adorned in shades of silver and scarlet, as per Bella's fancy. Delilah and Naomi don't exactly understand all the fuss, but they're happy enough to be held and cooed over, while their parents make funny gestures and faces at each other.

Wedding rings are exchanged, and vows are made.

And after almost ten years, and two children together, Bella and Cameron finally get themselves hitched.

(*sigh* I wish Lila's eyes had been open in this one...)

After a quick picture session, Cameron and Lila sneak away. It's hot out there, and inside the hall, there's not only air-conditioning, but that's also where the food is... or in Lila's case, ice cold milk from her daddy.

The little girls wouldn't last long into the night. And having quickly guzzled down her milk, Lila takes some time to rock out on the dance floor, all on her own, while the other guests make their way to the dining hall. Grandpa Cody takes them back home after a couple hours.

Charlotte only managed to stay a few hours as well, since she's way too pregnant to be doing much of anything, but she and Paul do manage to show their faces for a bit.

There's music being played from the gazebo, and some of the guests stay outside to share a dance. Bryson shares a kiss with Madison, while simultaneously keeping an eye out as his daughter is accosted by her husband.

Well, we suppose somebody had to get their hands on her in that tiny little dress! Go Micah!

But it never takes much to make Mariah blush. "My dad saw that, you know," she says as they climb the stairs to the hall. Her dad saw it, her mom, even her ex-boyfriend who seems to be everywhere in these past couple of weeks.

"We're married," he says. "We have a kid. I think maybe he knows you're up to something."

"Very funny," she says.

"Are you hungry?"

"Sure," she says. "But I have to pee first."

Micah heads into the dining hall to get them a couple of plates, and Mariah heads for the restrooms.

She comes to a stop as she sees James come out of one of the stalls. She's frozen in place. "What are you doing in here?"

"Same thing you are, probably." He doesn't look at her, fully, except once, his eyes tracing the curves of this tiny satin dress, taking her in and then quickly looking away as if scorched. He starts off toward the sinks. "Unisex bathrooms," he adds.

"Oh my god," Mariah says. "What kind of idea is that?"

"I don't know," he says. "Your dad built it."

"Well, you need to get out," she says, crossing her arms, leaning hard on one hip.

"Geez, can I wash my hands first?" He takes his time, running his hands under the water. She remembers this about him, the careful attention to detail. "Like I haven't heard you pee before," he says.

She gasps, softly closing her gaping mouth and his memories fill her head. She didn't ask for these memories, but they come just the same. Their youth, their first years of college, her dorm room with tousled bedsheets, their skin mostly bare as they had nothing better to do but lay around in bed. There was nothing more fascinating then but those first shared intimacies of adulthood.

She can hardly believe it was her life, a segment of the very same life she's living now. Even the peeing, as she would leave him in bed, comfortable enough to pee with the bathroom door wide open, before coming back to him. They were close, before they found out how incompatible their lives would be.

She's tried so hard to push this all away. How dare he bring that back to her? "Fine, be an ass," she says. "I didn't have to go that bad anyway."

"I was kidding," he says as she turns, nearly out of the door already. "I was gonna leave."

But she doesn't stop, following closely behind Bella's mom. Before the door closes behind her, he says, "Nice dress."

She hurries to their table. Micah has a plate waiting for her, and he's busy entertaining Drew and Amelia with a story. They've barely even noticed her sit down except a brief smile and a nod. James doesn't look at her when he leaves the bathroom, but instead, looks as hard as he can away from her.

She heard him; of course she did. And damn this dress all to hell. She heard the edge in his voice as if saying, what gives her the right to act all wounded when this was her doing in the first place? What should she have said? How are you? What are you up to these days? When he just strolls out of that bathroom stall like it was nothing, like it hadn't actually been the first time in over two years that they'd seen each other.

And then it dawns on her that nobody here actually knows him.

Everyone she knows is packed into one room, and yet this epic symbol of her past strolls right by unnoticed. Micah only ever met him in passing. She'd never introduced him to her parents, not even once in two years of their dating. So nobody would know him.

Except maybe Bella, who comes up to their table then, a blissful smile on her face. "You guys having fun?"

They all nod. Mariah says to her, "Come to the bathroom with me."

"I thought you went," Micah says, but Mariah doesn't respond.

"Sure," Bella says. "You have to hold my dress up anyway."

Bella takes her up to the bridal suite. Mariah manages to finish her business rather quickly, having little fabric to move around. Then she gathers Bella's gown up in her hands to keep it off the floor.

"Don't pee on me," she says. As she bends, she's sure her whole backside is shining bright to the room behind her. Good thing they're alone. "What were you thinking with this dress? I can't even move in it without falling out. God, I'm like, naked."

"You are not," Bella says. "It's summertime. I didn't want you to be all covered up and sweaty, because this huge thing is freaking hot!"

Mariah's laugh is nervous. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I knew he'd be here."

Bella told her he'd be at that party too, but still she went into a panic at simply the sight of him walking away down the street.

"Do you ever think about Jeremiah anymore?"

"No," Bella says.

"Jason?"

"No."

"Never?"

"Nope, never."

Bella turns around. "I just got married," she says. "I've kind of got a whole lot of Cameron on my mind, if you know what I mean."

Mariah smiles. "Right, of course."

But Bella stares, somehow right into her, knowing exactly what she means. She's been there before, if anyone has, in this stage of confusion. "Just keep doing what you're doing," Bella says. "What else can you do?"

Mariah was scared to go back in that bathroom, but her family confirmed that her husband was actually in there. So she went. "Did you know my dad made these bathrooms unisex? What kind of idea is that?"

"It sounds like it could be fun," he says.

"You know what Amelia did in this bathroom?"

"I think I heard," he says.

"Romantic, huh? What is it about this bathroom?"

He scoops her into his hands. "I don't think it's the bathroom," he says. "I think it's the dress."

He dips her down deep, placing soft kisses on her chest. The door opens, a man walks in. Balding like her father, but it isn't him. They both laugh.

"Oh crap," he says. "I thought that was your dad."

When the man goes into a stall, Micah resumes his kisses.

"Micah," she says.

"Huh?"

"There's people in here."

"Right," he says. "Are you okay?"

She never wants to see him hurt. She's tried so hard, she's made the best choices she knew how, she's lead her life by the heart. But still he sees right through her. Whatever she feels, she knows he feels too. And when she's scared, she knows he feels her panic. When she looks into his eyes, she hopes he can feel her become grounded. "Never let me look away," she says.

His voice is unsure, but he says, "Okay."

"Can we go home now?"

He nods, and he takes her to the car.

Most of the guests begin to disperse, but some linger on. Drew seems to do much better on wedding wine than he does cheap keg beer, though he's still fighting off a nasty hangover headache. And maybe he and Amelia feel closer than ever lately. After all, it is a bonding experience, the first time you clean vomit off your boyfriend's clothing. He's indebted to her, he truly is.

Bella couldn't explain this calm if she tried. She certainly didn't ask for it, and she's not sure if she even deserves it. It just comes, when it's ready. When whatever missing nameless piece is found and put in place.

Her new husband carries her from the doorway of their bridal suite over to the bed. He lays her down, pulling her long gown onto the bed, taking a shoe off each foot and placing them on the floor. In his hands, she's never felt so adored.

Somewhere along the way, he gave her everything she never even knew she needed. It didn't happen all at once, but it started, and she fell for it. She kept falling, little by little, and steadily he filled in those missing nameless pieces she never even knew she was looking for. He filled her up.

When they started, they were barely skin deep, but he burrowed there, falling further under her skin, deeper than she knew she was capable of, further than she ever expected to fall.

*******

notes: Bella's gown is by Fashion Republic at MTS, Bella's jewelry is by kihaad at MTS, mother of the bride is wearing All About Style, and Mariah's dress is by Eliyana at MTS.

All the pictures I did get, and there were still even some that I missed. I wanted to get one of all the guests sat down, there were so many! And one of Bella's parents, since you never get to see them anymore, but my computer was trying to crash the whole time.

But anyway, I know this ended up being all about Mariah, but I enjoy letting other people have the drama on a wedding day, don't you? Let the happy couple be happy :)

A big fat post of outtakes and gameplay notes in the next update, as well as their honeymoon ;)