InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 6: Shameless ❯ Jillian's Wedding ( Chapter 37 )

~~Chapter 37~~

~Jillian's Wedding~

 

 

 

“Jillian, are you sure you're up to doing this?” Gin fretted as she fussed with Jillian's bangs.

 

“I'm sure, Mama,” she insisted, smiling sweetly despite the butterflies churning in her stomach. “I've never been more postive of anything in my life.”

 

“Everyone would understand if you wanted to postpone the wedding a week or so,” Gin pointed out gently.

 

Jillian shook her head. True, with the uproar generated by the abduction and aftermath, Gavin had offered to put off the wedding for a week or two more than once. Jillian, however, wanted to do it. She needed to do it. She needed to reclaim some semblance of normalcy in her life, and Gavin . . . he was and always would be the center of her world. In a time when everything seemed strange to her, when everything else frightened her, Gavin was the one constant, and if she married him today, she knew that everything would be okay in the end. “I want to marry him, Mama. It's all I've ever wanted.”

 

Gin's eyebrows drew together in a marked frown. “I know . . . It's just that, with everything else going on, I worry that you're not going to enjoy your wedding as you should.”

 

Jillian smiled, touched by her mother's concern but knowing very well that her mother had married Cain during a fairly stressful time, too. “Do you regret marrying Daddy when you did?” she countered.

 

Gin blinked and sighed. “Of course not,” she admitted.

 

“And I'll never regret marrying Gavin, either.”

 

Gin finally smiled. “I don't suppose you will.”

 

“It's about time, I say,” Madison commented dryly. “Are you sure you want to leave your hair down?” she asked, leaning to the side to grab the brush off the dressing table.

 

“I want a country wedding,” Jillian insisted. “What's more `country' than having my hair down?”

 

Madison giggled. “I suppose you're right.”

 

“Is Dan leaving you alone?” Jillian asked.

 

Madison laughed outright. Dan had been on the ranch a grand total of ten minutes when he'd spotted tall, blonde, gorgeous Madison and had been following her around trying to convince her that she ought to be a model, especially since Jillian had explained to him a few days ago that she wanted to slow down on the assignments so that she could devote all her time and energy on taking care of her new mate. Dan's wife, Helen finally had to grab her mate to remind him that they were there for a wedding, not scoping out the next new face. “Yes,” she stated with a shake of her head. “He's been very good since Helen slapped the leash on him.”

 

The last few days had passed in a bit of a haze for Jillian. With the mass-arrivals of the rest of the wedding guests, including Sesshoumaru and Kagura along with Aiko and her mate, Seiji and their son, Rinji, and Rin and Shippou—their daughters hadn't been able to make it on such short notice—the ranch had been in absolute chaos. They'd even had to open up the bunk house for guests—not a big deal since the only employee who actually lived on the ranch was Hank. Isabelle and Alexandra had flown in together. They'd arrived late last night, and Isabelle was leaving first thing in the morning since she'd only been able to get the weekend off work. Even the generals had made it in for the occasion. Cain had spent hours locked away in Ben's room with them, explaining everything that had happened.

 

Bas and Gunnar had gotten back early yesterday. They'd found a box of papers and notebooks in a hidden room in a defunct passage that had led from the house that used to stand beside the medical facility. Jillian hadn't wanted to hear the details. She trusted Gavin to take care of everything. It was easier not to think about it all, wasn't it? It was difficult enough to look at the picture that Bas had given her—a faded and dog-eared image of her biological parents. Dr. Avis was right: she did look like Liza Merriwether Carradine—exactly like her. Still, the faces in the picture were strangers to her, and while she wanted to feel something toward those people, she couldn't . . .

 

She sighed. That was a lie. She did. She was angry at them; furious . . . Try as she would, the questions still tormented her. Why would they allow something so dangerous to be injected into her? How could they do that? Cain and Gin—her mama and daddy—had always protected her, hadn't they? They'd always encouraged and supported her, and they never, ever would have done such a thing to her. It seemed unnatural to her, and the pain of that perceived betrayal was the worst feeling of all . . .

 

Drawing a deep breath, Jillian smiled at the reflection in the mirror. Sherry had brought over Jillian's dress a few days ago, and Jillian had been relieved to spend some time with someone who didn't know every single detail about the abduction. Glancing out the window in time to see Karis and Minnie sitting in chairs that had been set up for the wedding, Jillian's smile widened.

 

Marrying Gavin was a good thing, the best thing . . . the only thing she'd ever wanted . . .

 

A soft knock sounded on the door, and Gin gave her a quick squeeze before hurrying over to answer it. Stepping back to allow Kagome followed by Sydnie and Bellaniece into the room, Gin closed the door behind them.

 

“You look lovely!” Kagome said with a gentle smile and a quick hug, careful not to wrinkle Jillian's dress.

 

“I think Gavin's going to faint,” Sydnie said, wicked light dancing in her bright green eyes.

 

“I don't think the guys are helping that,” Belle giggled.

 

“Aww, my poor Gavvie!” Jillian said with a shake of her head.

 

“Are you ready, Jillian?” Kagome asked, giving Jillian's shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

 

“Yeah,” she said, letting out a deep breath. “I think so.”

 

Gin smiled. “Let me go get your father.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Gin hurried out of the room while Madison continued to fuss with Jillian's hair. “I can't believe you're getting married,” Bellaniece exclaimed with a shake of her head. “It seems like just yesterday that you were just a baby . . .”

 

“I remember you telling me that Gavin just needed to come around,” Sydnie chimed in. “It took him long enough.”

 

Jillian smiled, indeed recalling that moment in time. Just before Sydnie and Bassie's wedding, and she'd jokingly commented that she wished Gavin would jump out of a cake at the bachelorette party . . .

 

“Excuse me, ladies . . . I'd like a minute alone with the bride.”

 

All heads turned to see Cain standing in the doorway. Hands shoved deep in his pockets, he shuffled his feet almost nervously as the women hugged Jillian and slipped out of the room. Bellaniece spared a moment to kiss Cain's cheek before she left. Cain closed the door and leaned against it, his long bronze ponytail hanging over his shoulder. “You look nice, Daddy,” Jillian said with a smile.

 

Glancing down at the long sleeved white dress shirt and black slacks that made up his outfit, he shrugged. “Awfully funny that my model-daughter is having such a casual wedding,” he remarked.

 

“I thought you'd like it,” she teased.

 

“I can get dressed up every now and then . . . when it's for a good cause.”

 

Jillian giggled. “I love you, Daddy.”

 

“I love you, too, Jilli . . .” His smile faded, and he sighed, rubbing his forehead as he stared past her out the window. “Sweetie . . . you know, right? You're every bit my little girl . . . where you came from . . . it's never mattered to me.”

 

Blinking quickly to dispel the tears that gathered in her eyes, Jillian nodded. “I know,” she whispered. “You've always been my daddy.”

 

His smile was strained, almost sad; more bittersweet than unhappy. “Yeah . . . but . . . Gavin's always been your hero.”

 

“Can't a girl have more than one?”

 

He chuckled and pulled her into a gentle hug. “I suppose . . .”

 

“Oh, Daddy! Don't cry!” she exclaimed softly, leaning over to nab a couple tissues from the box on the table.

 

Cain laughed despite the haze of tears standing in his eyes. “I'm not crying,” he grouched as she dabbed at his eyes. “I . . .”

 

“Got something in your eye?” she supplied.

 

“Mm,” he grunted. “You're beautiful . . . and Gavin's a fine man.”

 

Using the tissues on her own eyes, she laughed shakily before kissing her father's cheek. “He makes me happy.”

 

“Yeah . . . he'd better.”

 

Offering her his elbow, Cain sighed softly as he pulled the door open. “You ready?”

 

Jillian nodded. Cain bent down and kissed her cheek. “Shall we do this?”

 

She laughed, pausing long enough to straighten Cain's tie. “Yes.”

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“Twenty bucks says she came to her senses and snuck out the window,” Hank muttered under his breath.

 

“Fifty bucks says she finally realized that Gavin's a fucking geek, and she's fainted,” Evan added.

 

“Shut up,” Gavin growled, wondering just how conspicuous it would be if he wiped the cold sweat off his hands on his slacks—or killed his groomsmen . . . both options sounded good at the moment . . .

 

He'd thought that the last of his worries was taken care of earlier when Moe had informed him that Mickey B. had been transported overnight back to New York City to face the stalking charges, thereby alleviating at least one of his concerns. He wasn't as anxious about the youkai since they were obviously contained very well. Unless they were mighty stupid, they wouldn't try to tangle with Deke Cartham, who was in Maine acting as interim warden until Cain got back there to deal with them. Avis had been escorted there right after Cain's talk with him, but the idea that there were no real threats left just wasn't something that Gavin could get used to right away, either.

 

Now, though, the main concern was the missing bride. The acoustic guitarist that they'd hired to play for the wedding was launching into the song Jillian had chosen to walk down the aisle for the second time.

 

He drew in a sharp breath as Cain led Jillian around the side of the house. Relief warred with nerves—a bad combination, all things considered. She smiled up at her father as her hair floated on the breeze. Cain whispered something to her, and she laughed as her eyes rose to lock with Gavin's. He tried to smile. The knot that kept pulling tighter and tighter in his stomach thwarted him. She wore only a hint of makeup—she didn't need the embellishment, anyway—and her dress, while simple, was so classic, so timeless, that she seemed entirely unreachable all over again. She didn't wear a veil, and the only adornment in her hair was a spray of tiny white wildflowers wired to a simple hair comb. Absently thinking that he was damn glad that he wasn't wearing a jacket because he'd be sweating like a pig if he had been, Gavin forced himself to meet Cain's steady gaze.

 

“You take damn good care of my daughter,” he murmured as they stopped beside Gavin.

 

Gavin nodded. “Yes, sir.”

 

Cain almost smiled as he kissed Jillian's knuckles and put her hand on Gavin's. “Love you, Jilli,” he murmured as he stepped back.

 

“I love you, too, Daddy,” she whispered.

 

“I thought maybe you'd decided to stand me up,” Gavin joked.

 

Jillian wrinkled her nose. “As if I'd do that.”

 

“Glad you didn't.”

 

She smiled.

 

“I love you, Jilli.”

 

“Good, then marry me, Gavvie.”

 

He laughed.

 

“You heard the lady,” Evan piped up. “Let's get a move on.”

 

The minister chuckled and opened the Bible in his hands.

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“It was a lovely ceremony, wasn't it?” Gin murmured, leaning against Cain's shoulder when he sat down beside her on the bench under the huge tree in the back yard.

 

“Yeah, it was,” Cain allowed with a wan smile.

 

“They don't stay babies long, do they?”

 

He chuckled, wrapping his arm around his mate. “No, they don't.”

 

“We could always have another,” she ventured.

 

“Bite your tongue, baby girl,” Cain complained. “Besides that, Evan's not married—not that I expect that'll happen any time soon, mind . . . and God forbid he passes on his genes . . .”

 

“Evan will make some lucky woman deliriously happy,” Gin chided. “He's just like you.”

 

That earned her a dark look. “Ha ha . . . no.”

 

“No, really! He's just like you . . .”

 

“You know, Gin, I've punished you for less,” he reminded her with a quirked eyebrow.

 

Gin blushed at the blatant reminder since Cain had a habit of `punishing' her by counting to five then chasing her down and doing . . . evil things to her wherever he happened to catch her. “You wouldn't do that here,” she breathed, not at all certain that he really wouldn't.

 

His grin was downright wicked as he leaned in to nuzzle her neck. “Wouldn't I?” he challenged.

 

The air caught somewhere between her lips and her lungs, her cheeks reddening a little more as she struggled to keep her eyes open. “You're . . . bad . . . Zelig-sensei . . .”

 

He chuckled. “You like me bad, baby girl.”

 

“I . . . yes,” she breathed.

 

Cain's chuckle escalated into a full-out laugh.

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“Keh! That's just wrong,” InuYasha grouched as he turned away from the spectacle that was his daughter and her mate.

 

Kagome rolled her eyes but giggled. “Who? Cain and Gin? They're happy,” she chided. “That's all.”

 

“Happy, huh?” InuYasha grumbled. “Their pup just got married.”

 

“All the more reason to be happy,” Kagome said patiently.

 

“He should act his age,” InuYasha growled.

 

“Hmm, maybe you should, too.”

 

“What's that supposed to mean, wench?”

 

Kagome laughed as she took InuYasha's hand and led him toward one of the tables further away from their daughter and her mate. “It means that you're younger than Cain. You could act younger.”

 

“Exactly!” InuYasha snapped, closing his eyes as the arrogant expression she knew so well filtered over his features. “He's older. He should fucking act older.”

 

Kagome giggled. “Aww . . .”

 

Ears twitching, InuYasha leveled a half-guarded, half-confused look at his mate. “What?” She tugged on his arm to turn him around. “What?” he repeated. “I don't see—”

 

“Ryomaru and Deirdre . . .” Kagome said, nodding at their son.

 

InuYasha stopped long enough to watch them for a moment. Ryomaru was sitting beside his mate with his arm around her shoulders, leaning down to whisper something that made his wife smile. InuYasha nodded slowly, his eyes bright as he took in the moment. He couldn't remember the last time Nezumi and Ryomaru had been that close. Well, maybe he could . . . they'd been that close before she'd miscarried the pup, hadn't they . . .? Seeing them together like that . . . it was good. “About time,” he grumbled, the barest hint of a smile lighting the depths of his gaze.

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“This seat taken?”

 

Nezumi blinked and glanced up into Ryomaru's eyes. He stood almost reluctantly, and she grimaced at the hesitance, the uncertainty in his gaze. “Yes,” she remarked as a wan smile surfaced. “It is.”

 

“It is?” he echoed, his ears flattening just a touch. “Yeah . . .”

 

“Wait,” she called as he turned to go. Catching his hand, she drew him back. “I was saving it for my baka husband . . . you seen him?”

 

Ryomaru's smile—endearingly cocky—was her reward as he flopped onto the bench swing beside her. Leaning forward, knees spread, fingertips tapping almost nervously, he cleared his throat and glanced around. “Everyone looks like they're enjoying themselves,” he remarked casually enough. “Reminds me of our wedding . . . the real one, at least.”

 

Nezumi smiled. “Hell . . . that one was kind of a disaster,” she mused with a shake of her head. Their second wedding—the one they'd had mostly for Nezumi's father's sake—really hadn't been the stuff dreams were made of, by any means. The Shinto ceremony had been more of a comedy of errors than anything else, topped by the best man—three year-old Morio—getting the ring literally embedded on the tip of his tiny claw. He'd cried for the longest time, thinking he'd ruined the wedding . . .

 

“Yeah . . . I think I liked the first wedding better.”

 

“Married by Elvis . . .”

 

He chuckled. “I just wanted to marry you,” he grumbled, cheeks pinking slightly as he thought back to that first wedding—the real wedding. “That was the one that mattered . . . `course, it was kind of interesting, having a best man who was a big baby.”

 

Idly toying with the diamond solitaire pendant suspended by a thin gold chain around her neck, Nezumi's smile widened. “He was not!” she argued with a laugh. “I thought he was a great best man!”

 

“He was,” Ryomaru agreed as his grin widened. “He didn't get why he couldn't sit up there with us, though.”

 

“He just wanted to see what was in those cups,” Nezumi remarked.

 

“Yeah . . . that would have been something . . . give him the sake, and he'd have been sloshed at his first wedding.”

 

Nezumi sighed, her smile fading as she stared at the grass under her feet. Everything had been so strained lately, so unnatural . . . all she'd wanted was to get back to living, and while she could understand Ryomaru's concern, she couldn't handle the constant vigil he kept over her as though he really thought she was going to break or something . . . Maybe he did . . . Losing the baby had been difficult, and yes, she was still sad about it, but being treated like she was going to crack and die if people treated her normally . . . well, that was worse, in her mind . . .

 

“Nez?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You . . . uh . . . you don't . . . regret marrying me, do you?”

 

Her face snapped to the side, and she stared at him. Staring at his hands, he looked casual enough. Only the nervous twitching of his ears gave him away, and she sighed. “Why would I regret that?” she asked quietly.

 

He shrugged. “I'm not really the ideal mate,” he pointed out with a shake of his head. “You know that, right?”

 

The corner of her lips twitched just a touch. “Yeah, I'm not really, either,” she admitted.

 

Ryomaru snorted. “Keh! You're better than I am,” he grumbled. “You've always been better than I am. You're my best friend, and, uh . . .” Trailing off with a frustrated sigh since he couldn't seem to find the words he wanted to say, he shook his head and sat up, digging into his pocket as Nezumi watched with acute interest. “Bought you something,” he said with a flash of the arrogant smile she knew so well. “Kind of stupid, I guess . . . but you know . . .”

 

She blinked and stared for a moment as he pulled a lurid yellow, lemon Ring Pop out of his pocket and tore off the wrapper. Unable to help the gales of laughter that rippled out of her as he carefully stuck the ring on her finger, she shook her head and leaned against him. “You bought this for me?” she demanded.

 

“Well, yeah,” he remarked as he pulled a hideous, electric blue, sour apple flavored Ring Pop out next. “We ate your other one.”

 

She shook her head as she took the blue Ring Pop and carefully opened the plastic, handing him the wrapper before jamming the ring as far onto his finger as she could, which wasn't far, not even to the first knuckle, actually. “You ate my first one,” she reminded him with a shake of her head.

 

He wrinkled his nose but grinned. “Way to quibble the incidentals, wench,” he grumbled.

 

She narrowed her eyes though her smile didn't falter. “You're going to eat this one, too, aren't you?”

 

Glancing at her out of the corners of his eyes, Ryomaru's lips twitched. “Keh! No . . . lemon?”

 

She rolled her eyes but held out her hand. He caught it and stuck the bulbous `jewel' into his mouth.

 

“I'd marry you all over again, Nez,” he mumbled before attacking the candy once more.

 

She sighed and leaned against him, letting him slip his arm around her shoulders and closing her eyes just for a moment, basking in the feeling that she'd missed for so long. “I'd marry you again, too.”

 

“Yeah?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow and sounding genuinely surprised.

 

Nezumi rolled her eyes again. “Yeah, I would, baka.”

 

Ryomaru grinned. “Good.”

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

Meara giggled wildly as Morio pulled her up from the low dip he'd done with her during their dance. “And you said I can't dance,” he chided.

 

Meara shook her head. “You can't. You have absolutely no rhythm at all. It's a wonder you can fight . . . you can, can't you? You weren't just lying about that . . .”

 

“I can fight,” he assured her. “I was a hunter for awhile, remember? And I don't lie . . .”

 

“Uh huh . . .”

 

He grinned. “I just stretch the truth.”

 

“Hopeless,” she said with a heavy sigh.

 

“Hopelessly in love,” he agreed.

 

Meara giggled, grabbing Morio's hand and dragging him away from the dancing couples.

 

“Can't take any more of my mad dancing skills?” he teased.

 

“Is that what they're calling it these days?” Meara asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Sure . . . I'll dance for you any day, baby.”

 

She laughed as he sat down and pulled her into his lap, locking his arms around her to prevent her escape. “You didn't get me a flower today,” she reminded him.

 

Morio made a face and leaned to the side, snagging a pale pink lily out of the center display on the table. “Here you go.”

 

“Haven't we had this discussion before about your penchant for stealing flowers?”

 

He grinned. “But I did get your flower.”

 

Twirling the stem between her fingers, she lifted the blossom to her nose. “So you did,” she allowed.

 

“Anyway, you have to hold up your end of the bargain,” he prompted.

 

Meara heaved an exaggerated sigh. “You're not really going to hold me to that, are you?”

 

He nodded slowly. “Hell, yes, I am. Let's hear it.”

 

She groaned, burying her face against his shoulder for a moment before heaving another sigh and leaning back so that she could look into his eyes. “You were right,” she said in a tone that expressed her absolute resignation to the idea that she'd have to admit that every day for the rest of her life. “I was wrong. You're the king, and I am but the simple wench who doubted your abilities, oh great and omniscient one. Good enough?”

 

Morio's grin widened. “That'll do for today. I think tomorrow's slice of humble pie should include something about the `Great Kami of the Hanyou Ears . . .'”

 

Meara rolled her eyes then groaned but giggled since she had been the one who had first admitted that Morio had been right when he'd maintained for years that he could make her happy if she'd just give him a chance. Of course, he'd decided that she would have to admit as much every day for at least as long as it had taken him to actually woo her, in the first place. She was pretty certain she'd made up for it by now. Morio, however, had other ideas, and he never ceased to make her admit it, either . . . “The Great Kami of the Hanyou Ears?” she repeated with a slow shake of her head.

 

He chuckled. “Yes. Yes, I like that . . .”

 

She reached up and tugged one of the Great Kami's hanyou ears. “You're pathetic.”

 

“Ow! Take it easy, Meara! You like those, remember?”

 

“I like them,” she allowed as her fingers went from tugging to caressing. “I like them just fine.”

 

Erupting in a low rumble of contentment, he closed his eyes as his smile turned dreamy and leaned into her touch. “I like you just fine, too,” he murmured.

 

“You know, Morio, I . . . Oh, will you look at that . . .”

 

Eyes snapping open, Morio was about to chastise her on her abandonment of his ears when he caught sight of the scene that had given Meara pause. Grinning as he watched his father sucking on a hideous neon yellow Ring Pop on his mother's finger, he wrapped his arms tighter around Meara and rested his chin on her shoulder with a soft chuckle. “Good.”

 

“Your father is so cute,” Meara remarked with a happy little sigh.

 

“Oi!”

 

“Well, he is!” she insisted. “I'm glad he and your mother are working things out.”

 

Morio sighed, too. “Yeah . . . me, too . . .”

 

“You get your cuteness from him, I think,” Meara teased.

 

“Yeah, well I did get you a real wedding ring,” he pointed out. “A big one—almost as big as my—”

 

She reached up and tugged on his ear again. “Morio . . .”

 

“—big, fat ass.”

 

She laughed. “You do have a rather well-rounded ass,” she agreed.

 

He looked like he was either going to laugh or grumble, and the conflicting emotions drew a soft giggle from Meara. “You like my fat, well-rounded ass,” he reminded her. “You like to grab onto it when we're—”

 

“Hush, you! There are children present!” she interrupted, nodding at the two little girls—the flower girls—who were dancing with two of Gavin's ranch hands.

 

Morio's reply was a husky chuckle that sent a shiver down Meara's spine as he leaned down to kiss the back of her neck. “Okay, you win . . . I'll just show you later . . .”

 

“Is that a promise?” she asked a little breathlessly.

 

“Absolutely, Meara my love . . . absolutely . . .”

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“That's just disgusting,” Gunnar fumed.

 

Bas glanced up from checking the messages on his cell phone. Following the direction of Gunnar's glower in time to see Morio ducking his head as he whispered something to his mate that made her giggle and blush, Bas hid his amusement. “What is?”

 

Gunnar nodded toward their cousin. “That.”

 

“You telling me you wouldn't cuddle with your mate in public?” Bas challenged.

 

That earned Bas a bored glare. “Hell, no. Why would I want some woman clinging to me all the time? It's unnatural.”

 

“Unnatural, is it?” Sydnie mused, wrapping her arms tighter around Bas' bicep before scanning the assembly to make sure that none of the females in attendance—family or otherwise—were eyeing her mate.

 

“Yes, kitten—completely unnatural. You're the exception but only because you're a cat.”

 

“What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?” Sydnie shot back with a raised eyebrow.

 

Gunnar chuckled. “Cats are affectionate.”

 

Sydnie rolled her eyes but giggled. “You're such a strange puppy . . . and I can't say I care for the . . . woman . . . you brought with you.”

 

“Tiffany? Why?”

 

“Was she born without a sense of humor or has she had a healthy dose of BOTOX lately?”

 

Gunnar grinned. “She's sophisticated—”

 

“Cold,” Sydnie supplied.

 

“—Self-assured—”

 

“Condescending.”

 

“—Motivated—”

 

“Manipulative.”

 

“—Confident—”

 

“Arrogant.”

 

“—And damn good in bed.”

 

“Hussy.”

 

Bas choked back a chuckle as Gunnar rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, kitten, I hear you. Trust me, I have no complaints,” Gunnar assured them both. “Besides, you just don't like her because she's a bird-youkai.”

 

“Yes, well, I think I'll go introduce myself to your ice queen,” Sydnie remarked before leaning up to kiss Bas' cheek. “I'll save the feathers for you, Gunsie.”

 

He watched her go with an amused smile before turning back to face Gunnar once more. “Or maybe you just haven't found your mate,” Bas suggested with a quirked brow.

 

Flipping a lock of jet black hair over his shoulder, Gunnar snorted. “Keh! That is not going to happen,” he insisted.

 

“Bet your parents are pleased to hear that load of shit,” Bas remarked.

 

Gunnar shrugged as his gaze lit on Tiffany. She was a model—he'd met her through Jillian—and she was everything he'd described to Sydnie. Talking to the bride at the moment, she turned and met Gunnar's gaze with the vaguest hint of a smile and a cordial nod. It was more than enough acknowledgement for the future Japanese tai-youkai. “Relax, Bas. I'll get married sometime. I just don't intend to let my mate rule me like my father does. Granted, I adore my mother—she's damn near a saint for putting up with my gaggle of sisters all these years—but true mates? Please . . . that notion is completely overrated. I'll have my heir, and I'll have a mate . . . that doesn't mean I have to . . . be her bitch.”

 

“You're unbelievable, Gunnar,” Bas said in a tone that suggested that he wasn't being complimentary.

 

Gunnar chuckled. “Say what you will, Bas, but believe me: I'll be the happier man since I won't care about trying to make someone else happy.”

 

“That has to be one of the most twisted things I've ever heard you say,” Gavin remarked as he stopped beside Bas with two glasses of champagne in his hands.

 

“See there?” Gunnar pointed out, nodding at the glasses. “Obvious bitch in training.”

 

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Because I want to make Jillian happy?”

 

“No, because all she does is bat her eyelashes at you and you nearly wet yourself trying to do her bidding.”

 

Gavin chuckled. “If you think so . . .”

 

“Tell me I'm wrong?”

 

Gavin shrugged. “You're wrong. Anyway, you'll see. One day you'll meet the girl, and when you do, you'll roll over and let her scratch your belly . . . see if you don't.”

 

“Like hell!” Gunnar scoffed, looking properly horrified at the very idea.

 

“Yeah, well, my mate's looking for me. I'll see you later.”

 

Gunnar snorted indignantly as he watched Gavin's retreating back. “You're all insane,” he grumbled.

 

Bas patted his shoulder. “Maybe. We're happy, though. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I want to catch my kitty . . .”

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“Weddings are overrated,” Evan remarked as his gaze roamed over the guests and he slowly shook his head.

 

“You think so?” Madison asked with an amused smile.

 

Evan nodded, shuffling through the slow dance to a cheesy, drippy country love song. “When I get married, I'll kill anyone who tries to play a fucking ballad; see if I don't . . .”

 

“You sing ballads,” Madison reminded him.

 

He made a face. “I sing raunchy ballads about sex and sweaty tits and sopping wet pussies and fucking those aforementioned pussies,” he corrected. “Huge difference.”

 

Madison rolled her eyes since she'd heard it all before. “So where were you last night?”

 

He grinned. “Waiting up for me, were you?”

 

She shook her head. “Nope . . . I had plans of my own . . . I just wondered since your room was empty when I went upstairs around three.”

 

“Gunnar said that I couldn't get into Tiffany's pants.”

 

Madison laughed. “So did you?”

 

“What do you think?”

 

“And Gunnar knows?”

 

“Sure . . . he doesn't care.”

 

Madison's smiled widened. “No, I don't suppose he does.”

 

“Gunnar's got it all right. He doesn't care who she's doing as long as he gets what he wants when he wants it. Not a big deal, right?” He chuckled. “Now `fess up . . . where were you last night?”

 

Madison shrugged casually. “I was talking to Dax.”

 

“Just talking?”

 

“Sure . . . Samantha was hanging out in the stable, too. I think she might have a crush on Dax.”

 

Evan laughed. Samantha was Bellaniece and Kichiro's youngest daughter, and at thirteen, she tended to be quite a handful. She claimed that she wanted to be a youkai-hunter one day, and she was training accordingly though from what Evan had heard, Kichiro had insisted that Samantha learn how to shoot a gun to supplement her training. She was an interesting girl: tough as nails one minute then squealing over a new dress the next . . . Samantha didn't draw a line between girl and hunter. Evan had always admired that about her . . .

 

“A crush on Dax?” Evan commented with a shake of his head. “Really . . .”

 

Madison nodded. “She was a little irritated when her mother dragged her inside around midnight.”

 

“And nothing happened between you and Dax.”

 

“I didn't say that,” Madison allowed. “It just didn't happen when Samantha was outside.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

She smiled.

 

“That's my Maddy . . . always doing what you can to boost morale, right?”

 

“You make me sound so noble.”

 

“Sure,” Evan agreed. “You've perfected the art of the pity fuck.”

 

“I don't think Dax needs a pity fuck,” she maintained with an impish grin.

 

“Better than me?”

 

Madison shrugged. “I'll never tell.”

 

Evan laughed. “Good answer . . .”

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

Kichiro pulled Isabelle close, dancing with her like he used to when she was just a little girl. “You sure you have to go back tomorrow?” he questioned.

 

She made a face then smiled. “Unfortunately . . . they're short-staffed at the hospital. Not surprising, is it?”

 

“Not really . . . hospitals are infamous for that . . . Still, I wish I got to visit with you a little longer.”

 

“Me, too, Papa.”

 

“I want in on this!”

 

Kichiro smiled as Alexandra ducked under Isabelle's arm to cut into the dance. Chuckling as his oldest daughters locked arms around one another, each one grabbing one of his hands to complete the circle, he danced with both girls like he had done when they were younger. “You having a good time, Lexi?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

 

“Of course! Just think . . . one day we'll get married, too, and then you get to be the one walking us down the aisle.”

 

Kichiro grimaced. “Yeah, I can wait for that.”

 

“You'll still have Sami,” Isabelle pointed out.

 

“Did you ever figure out what sort of research all that was?” Alexandra interrupted.

 

Kichiro shook his head. “Nope . . . it's written in some strange sort of language . . . we haven't figure out what it is, though.”

 

“I'd like to look at it,” Isabelle ventured.

 

“If you have time before you head back,” Kichiro agreed. “Anyway, we'll figure it out.”

 

“As much as I love that my daughters are doting on their father, I think I'd like to steal him away from you,” Bellaniece commented as she winked at her girls.

 

Isabelle grinned and kissed her mother's cheek before linking her arm through Alexandra's. They wandered toward the congregation of ranch hands, and Kichiro shook his head. “Think I should be worried?”

 

Bellaniece smiled as he slipped his arms around her. “No, but Samantha is awfully taken by that one young man, Dax.”

 

“She is, is she?” he drawled, eyebrow quirking again.

 

Bellaniece shrugged. “Well, either that or she just really likes the horses . . .”

 

Amber eyes roaming over his mate's beautiful face, Kichiro grinned lazily, reaching up to run the pad of his thumb over her smooth cheek. “You're just as gorgeous now as you were the day I married you,” he remarked.

 

“You think so?”

 

“I know so.”

 

She giggled. “What do you think of the idea of you and me sneaking off and finding somewhere secluded for awhile, lover?”

 

Kichiro chuckled. “Are you coming on to me, Belle-chan?”

 

She leaned up and nipped his chin playfully, tugging on his braid to draw him in closer. “Hmm . . . I think I am . . .”

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“You'd think they were still pups,” Toga remarked with a smile and a shake of his head as Kichiro and Bellaniece disappeared down the path that led into the forest.

 

Sierra looked up at him and blinked. “Because they want to be alone together?”

 

Toga shook his head. “Nope . . . because they're trying to irritate their respective fathers. Look.”

 

Sierra turned and covered her mouth with her hand. Cain was standing up, making no bones about watching the two abscond into the trees while InuYasha just shook his head. “You think that's the only reason they're doing that?”

 

Toga laughed. “No . . . no, I don't.”

 

“We could go . . . take a walk,” Sierra mused a little too casually.

 

Toga blushed but smiled. “You've been hanging out with Bellaniece a little too much, I think.”

 

She winked at him. “It's a shame Coral and Cassidy couldn't make it.”

 

“Yeah . . . short notice, though. Even then, I'm not so sure this place could hold many more people—at least not in the back yard . . .”

 

“Papa!”

 

Blinking as a blur of black hair darted toward him, Toga barely had time to lift his arms before one of the twins—Charity—threw herself against her father's chest. “You act like you haven't seen me in years,” he teased, hugging his daughter tight.

 

“I just love to see you,” she quipped, leaning on tiptoe to bestow a loud, wet kiss on his cheek.

 

Toga chuckled. “And I love to see you, too.”

 

Sierra grabbed Gunnar's arm as he started to walk past. “Dance with your mother, Gunnar,” she commanded.

 

Gunnar grinned and offered his elbow. “Well, if you insist . . .”

 

Sierra winked at Toga as Gunnar pulled her off to dance. Charity stepped back, smoothing her dress, and Toga raised his eyebrows at the single flower she held in her hand. “Where'd that come from?” he asked, inclining his head toward the blossom.

 

“What . . .? This? Oh . . . Ben gave it to me,” she explained.

 

“Ben gave you a flower?” Toga echoed.

 

“Not like that,” Ben mumbled as he held out his hand to Toga.

 

Toga shook it but couldn't help the calculated look he alternated between the youkai general and his daughter. “Oh? Then pray tell, what was it like?”

 

Ben smiled a little self-consciously but shrugged. “She said it was pretty, so I picked it for her. That's all.”

 

Toga nodded slowly. “I see . . .”

 

Suddenly turning around, Charity pinned Ben with a questioning look. “Have you seen Chelsea?”

 

“Chelsea?” Ben echoed. “Not since the wedding.”

 

“Chelsea's missing?” Toga asked.

 

Charity shook her head slowly. “Maybe she's off talking to Hank. She seems to like him well enough.”

 

Toga scowled. “Hank?”

 

Charity went on as though she didn't hear her father. “I mean, she spent a lot of time with him when Jillian was missing . . .”

 

“Hank?” Toga repeated louder.

 

Ben frowned then chuckled. “Oh, well . . . I'm sure she's fine, right? She's a big girl.”

 

Laying a hand on Charity's shoulder, Toga turned her around to face him once more. “Excuse me, Charity. Who is this `Hank'?”

 

Charity smiled. “He's the ranch foreman—one of Gavin's groomsmen.”

 

It took a moment for Toga to place the face with the name, and when he did, he frowned. For some reason, he just couldn't fathom Chelsea and this Hank fellow together. Sure he'd heard the adage that opposites attract, but that was stretching the bounds. Hank was as laid back, rancher as they came, and Chelsea? She was absolutely a city girl. She always had been.

 

“Do you want to dance, Charity?” Ben asked, cutting through Toga's musings with the finesse of a sledgehammer.

 

Charity slipped her hand into Ben's and spared a moment to smile back at her father.

 

Toga narrowed his eyes again, this time assessing his daughter than the general. `Maybe,' he thought wanly . . . `Maybe there really is something there . . .'

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“Did Mikio suspect anything?”

 

Stealing a glance out of the corner of his eye, Sesshoumaru met Kagura's steady gaze before looking away again. “I haven't a clue what you're implying, Kagura,” he insisted.

 

She smiled, her magenta eyes glowing softly. “I know very well that Mikio didn't need to stay behind in Tokyo,” she chastised.

 

Sesshoumaru nodded. “His balance issues . . . they're not normal.”

 

Kagura sighed. “No, they're not . . . and you're right,” she agreed with his unspoken assessment. “He'd have pushed himself too hard and ended up sick because of it had he forced himself to fly out here.”

 

“Yes, well, there's that. I needed those contracts finished.”

 

Kagura shook her head. Maybe he did need to contracts. She also knew that the real reason behind Sesshoumaru's actions wasn't the contracts, at all. It was a way to give Mikio a reason not to fly out when he'd be nothing but miserable for a week or more afterward. Sesshoumaru was saving Mikio's pride, in his own way. It was one of the things that Sesshoumaru did that others might not realize, but she did. For his cold exterior, he wasn't as aloof as he pretended to be, and that deep-seated caring was something that Kagura loved and respected in her mate.

 

“Maybe we should go on vacation,” she suggested with a little smile.

 

“Vacation? This Sesshoumaru needs no vacations,” he scoffed.

 

“Everyone needs a vacation,” Kagura insisted. “I could give you a lift on my feather . . .”

 

Sesshoumaru shot her a bored glance. “You want me to ride on your feather?”

 

She laughed.

 

“I think not.”

 

“You know, you're a control-freak,” she mused.

 

That earned her a blank stare.

 

Kagura relented with a laugh as she took his hand and pulled him toward the dancing area. “Come on, old man. Dance with me.”

 

“You think I dance?” he countered but didn't pull away from her.

 

“Don't make me get my fans out,” she threatened with one quirked eyebrow.

 

Sesshoumaru finally broke into the barest hint of a smile. “This Sesshoumaru fears not his mate.”

 

Kagura stepped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Maybe you should, Sesshoumaru. Maybe you should . . .”

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“Are you crazy? What the hell do you think you're doing?” Dax bellowed as he skirted the edge of the paddock, trying to find a way to get close enough to grab Waterspell's reigns but remaining far enough away to keep from spooking the angry horse.

 

High atop the creature's broad back, Samantha Izayoi laughed, throwing her head back, silver hair rippling behind her like a banner on the summer breeze. “It's fine, Dax!” she insisted, waving a jaunty hand as she hung onto Waterspell's mane with the other one. “He likes me!”

 

He grimaced, holding out his hand as he slowly approached the agitated animal. Pawning the earth, snorting loudly, Waterspell looked anything but amused.

 

“What the hell's going on?” Hank growled as he stomped around the side of the stable. His shirt was unbuttoned halfway down his chest, and he looked anything but amused about the interruption of whatever he'd been doing. Spotting the thirteen year old girl atop the horse, though, his eyes widened and with a muttered curse, he sprinted off toward the back yard where the wedding reception was going full-swing.

 

“Sam, can you jump down?” Dax demanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.

 

She opened her mouth to reply as Dax drew closer. The untucked end of his shirttail fluttered in the wind, though, and it spooked the horse. Rearing up—straight up—he pawed the air with a shrill cry and leapt forward, coming down in the first strides of an all-out gallop as Samantha held on for dear life. Speeding across the paddock and along the high fence, the horse didn't slow as he tore around the empty field.

 

“What the hell is she doing?” Gavin growled as he cleared the fence, landing just behind Dax.

 

Dax shook his head, casting Gavin an irritated scowl as the two sprinted after Waterspell. “I have no idea . . . she was out there petting Willow, and next thing I knew, she was hopping onto Waterspell . . . She's going to break her damn neck . . . or I might,” Dax growled.

 

Gavin sighed. The horse was fast, but he was more agile. Cutting Waterspell off wasn't exactly the problem, so far as he could tell. No, the real trouble was Samantha. If he spooked Waterspell, he'd probably throw the girl, and hanyou or not, that'd be one hell of a fall . . .

 

The horse turned just in time to avoid colliding with the rear fence. The longer he ran, the angrier he grew, and the fact that he hadn't managed to unseat Samantha seemed to be irritating him more than anything else ever had before.

 

Darting out of the way to keep from being trampled by the horse, Gavin lunged after him, trying to grasp the reigns but missing. Dax was closing in on the other side, and Samantha screamed as Waterspell bucked hard. How she managed to stay seated was something that Gavin couldn't quite grasp.

 

Waterspell circled back again, and again, Dax lurched for the reigns. Gavin vaulted over Waterspell, plucking Samantha off his back and twisting himself in mid-air, coming down hard, flat on his back with Samantha cuddled carefully against his chest. Waterspell galloped away, and Gavin got up as quickly as he could then hauled both Samantha and Dax to their feet to hustle them toward the other end of the paddock. “Move!” he growled.

 

Samantha tried to, but her legs were shaky from the ordeal. With a sigh, Gavin scooped her up and sprinted toward the stables, carefully avoiding the end of the paddock where Waterspell was throwing a fit the likes of which Gavin had never seen.

 

Kichiro dashed around the house and didn't slow his pace as he ran over to the fence. Hank shook his head from his perch atop the fifteen foot fence and grabbed Sam, lifting her over the railing and handing her down to her father.

 

“Kami, Samantha!” Kichiro growled though is tone had lost most of the irritation as he hugged his daughter tight. “You'll be the death of me, yet.”

 

Gavin crossed his arms and leaned against one of the rails at eye level, letting his forehead rest on his forearms as he willed his heart to slow down. Dax loped over with a curious mix of chagrin and embarrassment on his features. After a long moment, Gavin hauled himself up the fence and dropped to the ground on the other side. “She okay?” he asked Kichiro.

 

Kichiro nodded. “Yeah, she's fine . . . scared, but fine.”

 

“I'm sorry, Papa,” she whimpered, burying her face against his shoulder.

 

“It's okay,” he sighed, stroking her hair and closing his eyes. “It's okay . . . Thanks, Gavin.”

 

Jillian slipped her arms around Gavin's waist and kissed his cheek as he nodded, unable to summon words as he tried hard not to think about what could have happened. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

 

Gavin let out a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah,” he assured her, squeezing her shoulders gently. Hank and Dax headed toward the stable to settle the spooked animals inside.

 

Kichiro started back toward the house, met by Bellaniece and a few of the other guests.

 

“You're a hero,” she mused, a smile lighting the depths of her pale gaze.

 

“Don't know about that,” Gavin grumbled but managed a weak smile.

 

“No, you are . . . and I was thinking . . .”

 

“Yeah?”

 

She smiled. “No one would notice if we slipped away now,” she pointed out.

 

Gavin blinked and shook his head, unable to grasp the concept that Jillian could possibly be thinking of sex at the moment. She let her eyes sparkle mischievously, and he sighed as a smile surfaced on his face, too. Then again, she was Jillian, and Jillian didn't think like anyone else in the world . . .

 

“What do you think, cowboy? Want to get an early start on our wedding night?”

 

Gavin grinned and nodded, ignoring the tiny voice whispering that everyone was likely going to want his hide later. At the moment, though, staring into Jillian's eyes, he couldn't actually think of even one good reason not to do exactly what she wanted . . .

 

Scooping her into his arms, he kissed her gently before breaking into a sprint, heading into the forest. The house was way too overrun with guests, and Gavin . . . well, he'd rather have Jillian all to himself; at least for tonight . . . Jillian laughed softly, having a good idea where he was taking her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she settled herself against his shoulder and smiled as he sprinted through the trees . . .

 

 

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A/N:

 

Yes, BOTOX is capitalized … all in caps … as strange as it looks … well, look up the website, yourself … lol!

 

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Reviewers

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oblivion-bringr:

Okay I had a question about the previous chapter...I thought that at the end of Purity 5: Phantasm Bas and Sydnie had 2 children...Bailey and Olivia but in the chapter Cain spoke as if Bas didn't have any children yet. Can you clear that up for me? Anyways this was a good chapter, it was really sweet how the whole family was together. I enjoyed the interaction and reading your stories inspired me out of my writers block. So thanks for that. Update again soon; this Purity has a great plot.

 

Check the date of the epilogue of Phantasm. It's set well after Shameless, which is set in the summer of 2064(Jillian mentions in a previous chapter that her wedding date is Saturday, August 16, 2064). The PhantasmEpilogue is noted as happening October 18, 2072. Cain's right. They have no grandchildren as yet.

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MMorg

OROsan0677 ------ vvkimbo07 ------ leeksandmisosoup

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Forum Reviews

Chva the Mai-coh ------ stefikittie ------ OROsan0677 ------ cutechick18 ------ RogueDestiny

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Final Thought fromGavin:

Now to sneak Jilli out of here …

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Blanket disclaimer for this fanfic (will apply to this and all other chapters in Shameless): I do not claim any rights to InuYashaor the characters associated with the anime/manga. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi, et al. I do offer my thanks to her for creating such vivid characters for me to terrorize.

 

~Sue~