
So, I've basically decided there'll be no Rules sequel. Don't have the time, energy, or motivation.
***
“Until death do us part.”
The chapel was bright. The flowers were in perfect bloom, the room had a faint miasma of sweetness and Billy. Dom was miserable. His whole body felt wracked with some unknown type of parasite that was hell-bent on eating him from the inside out and was having a good time succeeding.
Dom folded his hands in his lap and looked up to see the smile spreading widely over Billy’s face. Dom did not react. He forced himself to remain blank, a quiet stream feeding out to an even calmer ocean. He does not scream, and he will not argue the priest’s statement that Billy “may now kiss the bride.” He inhaled deep and even breaths, checking the room to find that everyone else was smiling peacefully.
Viggo was content. Elijah was grinning. Orlando looked dazed.
And Dom wanted to scream.
But he sat there, ever the good best friend and watched as Billy lifted her veil, leaned forward, and stopped just that infinitesimal distance before his eyes crinkled into a smile. Dom read the words as they slowly tumbled off Billy’s lips.
“I love you.”
He was telling her those words. Dom was closer to screaming than ever now, and he had a feeling that if he opened his mouth, nothing would stop the scream from ending. Billy was about to press his lips to hers. Dom inhaled his breaths a little faster now, the room spinning in his view, and it seemed brighter than before.
Billy turned, his cheek brushing against hers as he looked straight at Dominic and gave a wicked little smirk. Dom couldn’t tear his eyes away and kept breathing out shakily, wishing he could close his eyes, wishing he could make the scene go away.
***
Dom wasn’t sure why he was there exactly. There had to be reasons somewhere inside his body, perhaps inside his brain that dictated why he was showing up at Billy’s favourite bar, in Billy’s favourite town, and clinging Billy’s favourite shirt to his chest like it was a security blanket. Nobody was going to force him to admit that he had spent five minutes in the car just pressing the shirt to his nose and inhaling, and so he figured he just had to walk into the bar, find Billy and leave.
He still wasn’t sure why he couldn’t just wait back at Billy’s flat.
He knew the reasons. He always knew the reasons.
His reason was Billy.
***
Next: The outline of the fic-that-would-have-been.