Author's Note: Gasp! Is this a sign of the apocalypse - Authoress writing a Bloom/Sky fic?

Lol, okay, so maybe it's not that bad, but this is kind of a big thing, since - as most of you know - I am an avid Sparxshipper. And this doesn't mean anything - I'm certainly not going to stop writing Sparxshipping and start writing Bloom/Sky all the time. This is merely a one-off, brought on by too much listening to Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" (which just would not fit Sparxshipping no matter how hard I tried).

So yeah. It's a non-magic AU, although I don't think that really matters. Ending's a little sappy, but cut me some slack - I don't write for canon couples very much. Other than that, enjoy!

NOTE: I have actually had this finished for several days now, but haven't been able to post until now. :-P Damn you, fanfiction bug!

I am not the kind of girl

Who should be rudely barging in

On a white veil occasion

But you are not the kind of boy

Who should be marrying the wrong girl

It seemed like I had been standing here for an eternity, debating whether or not this was actually a good idea. My makeup was starting to melt in the heat, and my carefully curled hair deflating into limp waves. This is stupid. Why am I even here? It's not like I can change anything at this point. All it's doing is driving the stake in further.

But no matter how many times I reminded myself that there was nothing I could do about what was happening inside, I couldn't make myself leave. It was like I was rooted in place, with no choice in the matter. Like I had to see this thing through to the terrible, awful, bitter end. Only then could I maybe have a chance at starting to move on.

So, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I walked up the steps and into the church.

I sneak in and see your friends

And her snotty little family all dressed in pastel

And she is yelling at a bridesmaid

Somewhere back inside a room

Wearing a gown shaped like a pastry

"Bloom? What the hell are you doing here?" Stella exclaimed, bolting over the moment she spotted me come in through the double doors.

"Shhh! I'm not supposed to be here, remember?" I ducked behind a potted plant as an older-looking couple with the same blond hair and haughtily arrogant aristocratic features as Diaspro walked by. The pre-reception looked like a J. Crew catalog had exploded: nothing but pastel suits and tea-length dresses as far as the eye could see. Even Stella seemed to have gotten the dress code memo, although she had at least compromised a bit by going for a bright yellow halter-neck, her blond hair tied up in a high ponytail.

"Damn right you aren't," she said, snagging a champagne flute off a passing waiter's tray. "Do you have a death wish or something? Because you know that's how this is going to end if either of them figures out you're here."

"Which is exactly why nobody is going to know." I swiped the glass out of her hand and downed it all in one big gulp, wincing a little as the alcohol hit the back of my throat.

Stella glared at me for a moment, then deposited the empty glass on a side table and snagged two more passing drinks, handing one of them to me. This one I sipped, as did Stella, as she seemed to be mulling something over in her head.

"Wait until you see her dress. I swear, it's bigger than the wedding cake. And that's saying something. Was there an explosion of lace and ruffles at the dress factory?" I snickered, trying to imagine this monstrosity of a dress. It wasn't that hard to do.

"Where are the others?" I asked, mindful that almost everyone else had received an invite – except for yours truly, of course.

"Most of the girls bailed, as expected. I'm only here because Brandon's the best man – and there's a free open bar." I shot her a look. "What? It's true. I still can't understand why you're here. You of all people should be curled up at home with ice cream and chick flicks today."

"Thanks, Stel, just rub it in even further, why don't you?" I swallowed the last of my champagne, something feeling like it was piercing my chest and making it hard to breathe.

This is

Surely not what you thought it would be

I lose myself in a daydream

Where I stand and say

Don't say yes, run away now

I'll meet you when you're out

Of the church at the back door

Don't wait or say a single vow

You need to hear me out

And they said "speak now"

Her face softened. "I'm sorry, B. I just hate seeing you hurt. And this is the last place any of us should be right now, especially you."

"Don't I know it." I sighed. "But what can we do? I just want to see his face when he says "I do". He owes me that much, to help me move on."

"Well, I think you're crazy, but I can understand where you're coming from." Piano music started up from inside the chapel, and people started to file out of the waiting area and into the church itself. "I'll see you later. I'm taking you out after the reception, and we are going to get so drunk that you're not even going to remember his name tomorrow morning."

I laughed. "If only that were possible. But thanks, Stel. Now go find Brandon."

Fond gestures are exchanged

And the organ starts to play a song

That sounds like a death march

And I am hiding in the curtains

It seems that I was uninvited

By your lovely bride-to-be

"I can't believe you, Lisa! This is my big day. Mine, and no one else's! And you go and spoil it by making your 'big announcement' and we're all just supposed to be happy for you, on my big day! God, you make me sick! Get out of my face!"

I winced as Diaspro's harsh, screechy voice floated over my earlobes from down the hall. My 'genius plan' for getting in and out of the ceremony without anyone catching me was to slip in the back unnoticed right before the ceremony started, so I was hiding in the bathroom to pass time.

A petite brunette girl in a truly horrid poofy pink dress came running into the bathroom, tears streaming down a face streaked with way too much makeup. All melting into each other, she looked like a clown that'd escaped from the circus.

"Are you okay?" I couldn't help but ask, even though it was in direct violation of my first rule of survival: Don't speak to anyone (besides Stel and Brandon).

She looked up, big brown eyes silently pleading with me to get her out of here. "Yeah, I'm fine," she insisted, wiping off the smeared makeup, as her eyes told another story.

"You sure? You don't look it."

"I'm sure," she insisted harshly, throwing the makeup- and tear-streaked paper towels in the trash. "Shouldn't you be inside?"

"I'm not exactly… all that high on Diaspro's list of favorite people these days."

She snorted. "Nobody is. She doesn't even love the poor guy she's marrying. Whenever she talks about him, all she can say is that he's such a 'great catch' and that he'll 'do for the picture-taking' and how they'll have 'such beautiful children'. God only knows why he puts up with her."

I swallowed back a lump in my throat. "I've often wondered that myself."

"And you know why they had such a short engagement, right? Apparently, Mr. Perfect had another girlfriend, and she was worried that if she didn't get a ring on his finger soon, he might actually realize that she's a frigid bitch and dump her sorry ass." All I could do was nod, every word like someone was taking an ice pick to my heart.

She fluffed up her hair and changed tacks. "So if you're on such bad terms with Diaspro – and let's face it, that's not hard to do – then why are you here?" It was truly miraculous how she'd managed to transform her face while we were talking; it was back to looking flawless – or, at least, not tear-streaked (there was still far too much makeup for my tastes).

"Let's just say I had to see this thing through to the end, no matter how painful."

Her entire expression changed as something seemed to dawn on her. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but then changed her mind. "I hope you get whatever you came here for." She hiked up her skirts and headed back outside.

"Me too," I whispered to myself after she was gone, hugging my arms against my body and trying every trick in the book not to cry.

She floats down the aisle like a pageant queen

But I know

You wish it was me

You wish it was me (don't you?)

Don't say yes, run away now

I'll meet you when you're out

Of the church at the back door

Don't wait or say a single vow

Your time is running out

And they said "speak now"

After about five minutes, I peeked out the doorway, and, seeing it clear, slipped outside and into the back of the room. All the chairs were full, so I hid in between the white curtains.

The piano music started up again, and one by one a handful of girls headed down the aisle in the same poofy pink dress as the girl from the bathroom. I spotted her at the very end of the line, head held high, eyes bright, looking straight ahead confidently; not a trace of her earlier meltdown visible. If only I could be that lucky, I thought to myself, watching as she settled into her place at the front of the row of bridesmaids, in the spot reserved for the maid of honor, by the altar.

My breath caught in my throat as my eyes slid over to the right, landing on the one person I'd come here to see. He looked as handsome as ever in a black tux with a champagne-colored vest and tie and a pink rose boutonniere (undoubtedly chosen by Diaspro to match the rest of the color scheme), his normally floppy-looking blond hair gelled back into a preppy-looking coif that actually suited him (although I much preferred the natural look). It was his eyes that made me stop, though; they were scanning and rescanning the crowd, as if he were waiting for someone to arrive. Someone… like me.

I bit back a snort. Yeah right, Bloom. Wishful thinking is all that is. He's made his choice, and it's not you.

Almost on cue, Diaspro started floating down the aisle, in the gigantic lacy white dress Stella had warned me about. I tried not to laugh; it was every bit as hideous as she'd said. Her blond curls were pinned up in a manner that almost seemed to resemble a halo, topped with a small gold tiara, and her makeup had been expertly applied to make her skin glow, like an angel.

More like the devil in disguise.

I hear the preacher say

"Speak now or forever hold your peace"

There's a silence, there's my last chance

I stand up with shaking hands

All eyes on me

Horrified looks from everyone in the room

But I'm only looking at you

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony." The preacher started in on the typical "marriage" speech, which I more or less tuned out, too distracted by the ache in my chest that came from seeing Sky. He was still absently scanning the crowd, even as he was supposed to be focusing on Diaspro – which didn't go unnoticed by her.

My eyes had just about glazed over, and my left foot was seconds from falling asleep, when suddenly the preacher's words pricked at my earlobes. "If anyone in attendance can think of a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Speak now or forever hold your peace…

Okay, so if I was really being honest with myself, I hadn't come to watch Sky say "I do" and try to figure out how to move on. I had come for this. That magical moment where a marriage even this far along can still be broken up. But imagining this moment in my head and actually being here were two very, very different things, as I was fast realizing.

My hands trembled, and I wondered if I would have the strength to go through with it. Maybe it's for the best, a part of me thought. It's not like you're really going to change anything by objecting. He's too far gone. All that's gonna happen is you're going to make a fool of yourself.

Still, a deep-rooted stubborn part of me refused to give up the idea that had kept me alive for so many nights when I thought about losing Sky to Diaspro. So, hands still shaking, I parted the curtains and stepped forward. "I can," I said clearly, in a voice that sounded far more confident than I felt.

Countless pairs of eyes turned around and stared at me, horrified, as the entire room erupted into quiet whispers and gasps of surprise. I couldn't see her, but I knew Stella was out there somewhere, wondering if I wasn't at least a little bit insane. (Me too, Stel, I answered her in my mind.) Diaspro's eyes widened and her mouth dropped, her hands grabbing fistfuls of the enormous tulle skirt of her gown as if to restrain herself from leaping down the aisle and tackling me. But I ignored her – and everyone else – focusing intently on the one person who mattered.

Sky.

His expression was unreadable.

I am not the kind of girl

Who should be rudely barging in

On a white veil occasion

But you are not the kind of boy

Who should be marrying the wrong girl

Faltering slightly at Sky's lack of reaction, I considered just running out before anything more drastic happened. But it was too late for that now; I was in too deep. There was only one way out of this now.

"My name is Bloom Peters, and until a few months ago, I was Sky's girlfriend." More gasps from Diaspro's side of the church. "Maybe I was just supposed to be a dirty little secret; a dalliance, a mistake to be easily forgotten once vows were exchanged. And perhaps I was naïve for not figuring it out sooner, and for fooling myself into thinking that I had found one of the last truly good guys on the planet." I couldn't help shoot a dark look in Sky's direction as I said that, but his face was still unreadable. "But clearly no one else here today knows that this marriage is far from the perfect love match it appears to be. And I thought that should be corrected."

I paused, staring straight into Sky's deep blue eyes. "What we had… it wasn't nothing. It was tender, and deep, and real. And I know I'm not the only one who felt it." Still getting nothing from Sky, I turned and faced the rest of the audience as a whole. "So if you think this sham of a marriage should be allowed to continue, then that's your opinion. But that makes it your fault now."

Silence.

So don't say yes, run away now

I'll meet you when you're out

Of the church at the back door

Don't wait or say a single vow

You need to hear me out

And they said "speak now"

I don't know what I'd expected – Sky to run down the aisle, scoop me up into his arms, and declare that he'd made the biggest mistake of his life leaving me for Diaspro and vow to never again be so stupid? – but it definitely hadn't been this. I could feel my cheeks growing hotter with every second I stood there, no one daring to so much as breathe, and I almost wished the floor would just open up under my feet and swallow me whole.

After another tense, awkward moment, the preacher finally cleared his throat. "Diaspro Isis Chandler, do you take this man…" Every word felt like a punch in the stomach.

Most people returned to watch the ceremony in the front (the perfect little puppet show), but there were still quite a few pairs of eyes following me as I ran out the back of the church. Hot tears stung the corners of my eyes and dripped down my cheeks, blurring my sight. It was like my heart was imploding in my chest, radiating pain through every nerve ending in my body.

I ran and ran – luckily I didn't hit my head on anything, with the tears and drippy mascara clouding my vision – until finally I collapsed on the stairs leading up to the church. Not bothering to care about the blue dress I'd borrowed (okay, more like stolen…) from Stella, I hugged my knees to my chest and buried my face in my thighs, curling up into a ball and rocking back and forth like a baby. Then I just let the tears flow freely, not caring about anything anymore.

That was the most humiliating thing I have ever done. Why on Earth didn't I let Stella talk me out of coming?

"Bloom?"

I must be dreaming. Or hallucinating. Yes, that's it – I've cried so much that I've become dehydrated, and I'm hallucinating that I hear Sky's voice.

"Bloom, are you okay?"

I looked up, despite myself, blinking rapidly to free my eyelashes from the makeup-and-tear-goo sticking to them in thick clumps. And then I blinked some more, because I was obviously having visual hallucinations in addition to auditory, and for the love of God, I just wanted to be left in peace to cry my eyes out.

Silhouetted against the sun, the bright light reflecting off his blond hair, was Sky.

And you say, let's run away now

I'll meet you when I'm out

Of my tux at the back door

Baby, I didn't say my vows

So glad you were around

When they said "speak now"

I glared angrily up at the sky. "Whoever's up there must have a real twisted sense of humor. My God, why can't you just let me be already? Didn't I get enough punishment already today?"

"Bloom, who are you talking to?" Sky's voice floated over my earlobes, but I refused to believe that this was really him.

"Shut up. You're not even real. Just some figment of my imagination brought on by a lack of water from too much crying."

He laughed. "Bloom, I am very much real. Touch me, if you want."

Slowly, I stood up and reached out, cupping his cheek with my palm, then following the line of his jaw down to his upper body. He felt very warm and alive, muscles tensing underneath my fingertips, a steady thump-thump-thump resonating from his chest. My breathing hitched. "You're real!"

He looked like he was fighting the urge to laugh. Without thinking twice, I smacked him hard across the cheek. "Ow!" he yelped, wincing as my hand made contact. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for not saying anything back there!" I exclaimed, feeling my anger escalating rapidly. "I did a crazily stupid thing, putting myself out there like that, and all you do is stand there and say nothing? I should do worse to you right now!"

"I'm here now, aren't I?" he retorted.

"Yeah – now that the ceremony is over, I'm sure, and you're all legally bound to your precious little Diaspro," I sneered. "I'm surprised she let you off the leash long enough to come say goodbye to me. That is what you're doing, right – or did you come here to grind my heart even further into dust?"

"Bloom, I didn't marry her."

I didn't marry her.

The words repeated themselves over and over in my head, refusing to sink in. It was as if I couldn't allow myself to believe that they might be true.

"W-Why?" I stuttered finally, noticing for the first time that he had ditched the tie, vest, and suit jacket, standing before me in just his white collared shirt and black pants. Of course, he still looked ridiculously perfect; it was Sky, after all.

"Because I finally realized that I was with her for all the wrong reasons. That I never loved her, and will never love her, because she's a selfish, spoiled bitch with a heart of ice." I couldn't help smile at hearing him say those words – all completely true, of course. "And I am more sorry than you can possibly imagine that it took me this long to realize that, and to stand up to my family."

My mouth went dry as he reached for my hand. I was suddenly acutely aware of the havoc that the heat had wreaked on my hair, of my tear-streaked face, the wet black spots on the skirt of my dress. I thought back to seeing Diaspro enter the church in her puffy white dress, her hair pinned up and her skin practically radiating light. How could anyone ever choose someone like me over someone like her?

"Bloom, I understand if you hate my guts and would like to see me drawn and quartered on the lampposts right now. But please, I'm begging you here; give me another chance. Let me make things right." I took a deep, ragged breath, my abdomen shaking on the inhale from disbelief. Even though I'd verified that this was actually Sky, and not a hallucination, it still all felt too good to be true, like this was some cruel dream that I would wake up from all too soon.

"You screwed things up – insanely," I finally found the strength to reply. "How do I know I can trust you again?"

"You don't," he responded, and my heart stopped beating for a moment, until he continued. "I guess you'll just have to take me at my word. And I know that doesn't mean a lot to you right now, but it means everything to me. I swear, I won't ever hurt you again."

"As you just so astutely pointed out, your word's as good as crap to me right now," I spat acerbically, feeling the long-buried anger awakening within me.

"Do you have any idea how much I've sacrificed here too? I just ditched my fiancé at the altar, in front of both our families and countless other people who've known us both since we were in diapers."

"Sounds like a pretty stupid thing to do, when you put it that way. So why'd you do it?"

"Because the strangest thing happened before we went to say our vows. A girl appeared at the back of the church and told me not to marry her. And I was too much of a coward to do anything as this girl broke down crying and ran away, but then I realized that she was right, and left the church before I said 'I do'."

"What was so special about this girl, then, to make you change your mind?" I waited with bated breath to hear his answer.

Sky cupped my face in his hands, pulling me against his body. "I'm in love with her," he said simply, before crashing his lips onto mine.

The kiss was sweet, but more than that; it was a promise of things to come.

Recovering from this wouldn't be easy, but Sky and I would get through it, somehow – that much I knew. As we stood there and kissed outside the church, only footsteps away from Diaspro and a whole roomful of angry and confused wedding guests, a foreign feeling fluttered to life in my chest for the first time in months.

Hope.

And I knew that everything would be just fine.

Author's Note: So? Not bad for a Sparxshipper, eh?

Like I said, the ending was a little sappy, but I didn't know how else to end it at that point, and I just wanted it to be done already. It kind of spiraled off and took on a life of it's own, like all my one-shots seem prone to do lately (can't quite decide yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing... hmm...).

So... thoughts?

And again, I cannot stress this enough - THIS IS A ONE-OFF THING. No flamers, please - although I've got plenty of ammunition (this stupid rain... :-P)

Updates for my other fics should be out soon, along with another songfic (I just seem to be in that kind of mood lately). And for anyone who's never seen me around the fandom before, please don't hesitate to check out my other works! (Just be warned, you may not like the pairings...)

Ciao, my darlings!

- Authoress