And If the Sun Would Lift Me Up...

Where was she?

Moving through the crowd, eyes searching faces, body language, double checking and triple checking, words that changed languages half way from his lips cluttering his air space.

Where was she?

Where was he?

"Brock." Spinning, he faced the way he come, sure he'd heard his name. Sure he'd seen a flash of blond hair, sure that he had been called. Sure that she'd called his name.

"Brock." From behind him once more. He turned, facing that way, brown eyes frantic as he searched. Where was... Where was-

"Veni!" The name was a snarl, spit from the lips of a man that didn't look familiar at all. "Veni you ruined everything! What were you thinking? Get lost!"

"Have you- have you seen-"

Pushing past him, soon the man was gone and Brock was back to searching the crowd. None of them looked familiar. None of them looked like his pack. Where was his pack? Searching as well, he was sure. He needed to- He needed to find-

"What are you doing?"

Turning sharply, he finally came face to face with someone definite. A bright smile split his face as his eyes fell on Zino. "Brother." Brock said, hands going to Zino's arms and holding. "There you are. I need your help- I need to find-"

"What are you looking for?" So lost was he in his search, that he completely missed the worried look Zino gave him, the thing that clued him in being the shuffling of Zino's feet as he shifted his feet. Pausing, he looked at Zino again, eyeing his clothes.

"Why are you so dressed up?" Tugging slightly on the tuxedo that his friend was wearing, Brock made a face. "What's with the get up? Going to a party or something?"

"Brock-"

"Anyway, Zino, go to your thing or whatever I have to find-" He made to move away, but was forced to stop. Frowning slightly, he looked down at his shoulder, confused to see Zino's hand there. "...Zino?"

The other man searched his eyes for some time, Brock staring blankly back before the other man sighed. "I was afraid this would happen."

"What would happen?"

"What day is it, Brock?"

Brock blinked, looking down at Zino with a frown. "Uh... I dunno. Saturday? Mayb- hey! Don't do that!" Halting in the sigh that had been halfway out of his mouth, Zino gave Brock another long look before glancing around him again. As if debating something. His eyes touched on the people, contemplating, before looking back at Brock again.

"What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Vol-" He paused, eyebrows furrowing. Something wasn't right with that idea. "Something... something important happens today. Volchonka. Something-" He frowned again, completely missing the look of alarm that quickly was erased from Zino's face.

"Yes." Zino said, clearing his throat as he straightened his tie, smoothing down his suit jacket. "You should go get changed, you know. She won't like it if you show up in that. She'd want you... dressed up."

Brock inclined his head slightly, confused as ever. "What is- Why would she want me dressed-?"

"Why are you looking for her?" Zino cut across his words, suddenly in a hurry, eyes sweeping his expression.

"I- I'm sure she want me- somewhere. She wants me somewhere. She needs- support. I support- I'm her strength sometimes. Not that she needs me. Kallie's strong on her own, but she- she likes to have some- backup." Nodding to himself, Brock offered a grin. If he knew anything, he knew his Volchonka.

More than he knew himself even.

"Brock-"

"Do you know where she is?" Brock's eyes brightened. He wouldn't have to search anymore. Not if Zino knew. They could just go- go after he changed of course.

"She's-" Zino cut himself off, looking at the crowd again for a short while before meeting Brock's eyes. He knew from the other man's expression that he was dead serious. That he was- He wasn't kidding around.

"Today's her wedding Brock. She's- She's marrying Eli."

No matter how much experience you got with it, running in heals never got any easier. Rolling her eyes and huffing after a moment, she gave up, took the shoes off and continued down the street. Happy, was not exactly how she'd say she felt about this moment. First of all, the situation in and off itself, was bad on its own, second of all, that Zino thought he could go off and deal with it without her.

"There you are," she huffed as if she was any girl looking for her date who had wandered off just for her own inconvenience. "I was worried I was going to have to leave without you."

Giving the other man a glance that stated exactly where he stood in her books at the moment, Vera slipped between the two, dress swishing around her knees as she gave the man a wide grin, running a hand along his shoulder, as if she felt there was nothing wrong with the way he was dress, "Leaving all of a sudden like that, though you didn't want to go with me any more." Her bright, painted red lips drew into an elaborate pout. "I would so hate to think that. Who's going to distract me from all the champagne I can't drink? You know that no one else can keep me in line." Her hand had run down his arm, and pressed his hand softly against the non existent bump - she was still barely over a month - below her dress.

"Wanna come get changed for me?"

Outfit

Brock blinked once. Twice.

H-How did he forget- He-

"Brock-" Vino tried softly, the alarm on his face mounting. "Brock I-"

Suddenly the world was gone, everything was gone, and it felt like nothing else mattered. He wanted to leave, he wanted to walk, he wanted to-

He wanted to forget.

Perhaps that's why he had.

He took a step away from Zino, expression lost, as he tried to make sense and- and-

"Brock listen we can-"

But suddenly Zino didn't matter anymore. His head fell forward, hair falling to hide his expression as his brain rewrapped itself around the fact that had plagued him since he recieved the wedding invitation. Eli wanted him as the best man. He wanted him to be the best man at his-

It was her voice he heard first, but really what else did he expect from his Vol- Volchitsu? Her touch prompted him to lift his head slightly, to glance up at her. His mouth opened, to explain that she wasn't the reason he didn't want to go, but closed when he realized that he did, in a sick way, want to go. It would be the only time he would be able to see her walk down the isle in a white dress, and at least with Eli's placing in the wedding, he could pretend, for that short moment, that she was walking toward him.

He told himself he would try to stop loving her, if only to survive the wedding until then, and then he would let her free.

He swallowed, eyes feeling suspiciously hot, before the distraction she had so smoothly placed before him was taken a bit too eagerly. His gaze dropped to thier hands, and a soft growl - though it sounded a lot more like a purr - rose in his throat.

"Vera." He murmured softly, before his voice rose to almost normal. "Vera, You know you can't drink."

He blinked confusededly, then looked down at himself. "Oh." He murmured, having already forgot that what he was wearing wasn't acceptable. "Yeah I- I mean-" He looked briefly lost again, but then focused back on her, using her as an anchor, his strength, as always. "Do I have a red tie? So we can match?"

This wedding was going to be painful for both of them. If there was some way to avoid this, to miss the look on his face when he saw her - the pain that Vera would undoubtedly know came from an affection, a love the he did not feel for herself - than she would take it in a heartbeat. But this night wasn't about her, and despite what all the other guest at the wedding thought, it wasn't for the minister of magic either. It was for him. He needed someone to be there for him, and god help her, if it wasn't going to be herself.

When it came right down to it, if Vera was given only one wish in the whole world, it wouldn't be for her to get Brock - it would be for him to be happy, in whatever way that it would be best for him. If he could only truly be happy without her, she'd give him up without a second thought. His happiness would always, always be more important that hers.

"See, now when you say that, it sounds reasonable," she said with a soft laugh, eyes bright hiding any sympathy she was feeling. He needed distractions, not reminders, "When anyone else says it, I just want to smack them. See why I need you?"

Stringing her arm through his, her shoes still dangling in her other hand, she began to stir him barefooted back the way they had come, "I'm sure if you don't, we can make one. Despite what everyone thinks, I did pass most of my OWLS and NEWTS with almost flying colours." She was average, actually, but average was still something, wasn't it?

He was trying his best not to think about- about anything that wasn't her. He took a small step after her, and then he was following, being lead as easily as any creature on a leash. "No drinking." He repeated, eyes dropping to their arms. His slipped out of hers almost on its own, taking her hand and carefully intertwining their fingers.

Suddenly he stopped, brown eyes searching light blue for- for-

He tugged her toward him, arms wrapping around her as he held her to him. He closed his eyes, tucking her shoulder beneath his chin and folding himself around her. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he filled his lungs with her scent, relaxing against the familiarity of her entire being. He gave a sigh that sounded suspiciously like her name, and curled into her further, hiding his face in her shoulder. He wanted to voice that she was his reason, that she always had been, that she was the only reason anything made sense right now.

But that idea in itself didn't make sense. She had been the first thing to make sense since he'd graduated from Durmstrang, she had been one of the only constants, and then she had gone and-

He'd missed her.

Vera had always been too amazing for his own good.

"You aren't wearing any shoes." He observed, pulling away slightly. "What if you step on something and hurt your foot?" He was being needlessly worried, but it was still a possibility, and her pain was not something he'd ever tolerated. Seeing as she had a growing person inside her, instead of throwing her over his shoulder - as was his usual - he swept her off her feet, carrying her bridal style as he moved back the way they'd come.

"If my tie changes color during the ceremony, it'll be your fault." He teased lightly, cuddling her close. Perhaps this wedding would go better than any of them expected.

For surely if he had Vera by his side, he could be strong.

Turning her head toward him with a frown as he stopped, she gave a tiny start as she was pulled into an unexpected embrace. Never one to miss an opportunity, Vera rested her head against his shoulder as she was pulled closer. What had brought on this sudden flow of affection, she was not sure; her brain always positive that she would always be second to him, believed that this was merely an extension of his pain and gratitude. It didn't really make a difference that it was her, just that it was someone.

The assumption that she heard her name cross his lips, might have contradicted that belief, but not willing to get too excited, the woman rationalized that she was merely hearing what she wanted to hear. It didn't stop it, however, from being nice to think she heard it.

"You know how I feel about shoes," she quipped easily, more than happy to get of walking, and have an excuse to keep contact with the man at the same time. "They are highly overrated." Vera rarely wore shoes if she felt she did not absolutely have to. Formal occasions were such that she did have to - but she was not at the wedding yet, was she?

Watching their surroundings morph back into the familiarity of the pack house, of home, she swung her legs lightly, completely content with where she was. She had even forgotten, for the time being why they were there, "Oh, right, blame the pregnant woman. I think there's something wrong in that."