literature

Storming the Wedding--For Cherryhobbit

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"Let me make myself perfectly clear, Dr. Hopper," Regina said coolly, her expression almost deadly in how calm it was.  "If you do anything to sabotage this marriage, you will find yourself stripped of your license to practice and thrown out on the streets.  Oh, don't look so self-righteous and indignant.  You know that I can do it.  I have information about you that would curl your precious Isleen's hair even more than it already is.  This is your last warning, Dr. Hopper. Don't make me repeat it."

It had been nearly three weeks, and yet the words of the mayor of Storybrooke still haunted Archie.  How could it not?  He had just stood aside and let Regina take the one woman that he loved away from him.  Maybe he really wasn't right for Isleen.  Heaven knew he'd thought that so many times before now.

Isleen Archflour had been the Storybrooke veterinarian for as long as Archie could remember, and he had been in love with her for nearly as long.  It was hard for him to not love her.  She was a kind soul, gentle but with an inner fire that he respected and admired.  Intelligent and able to laugh at herself and the world around her, and she was good with animals.  Not only that, but she was also beautiful.  Not only did she have wild red curls that Archie had spent countless hours admiring and wanting to run his fingers through, but she had kind pale eyes that always seemed to see right through his attempts at hiding his emotions.

In so many ways, Isleen was the perfect woman for Dr. Archie Hopper.  It had taken him so long to actually admit it to her…and she loved him in return.  He knew this, and yet he had still let Regina pull them apart.  It was…heartbreaking for Archie.  After so long wishing that she knew how she felt and only a few blissful weeks spent with one another as boyfriend and girlfriend, Archie had just…given her up.  Why?

Because Regina knew things.  She always knew things, as mayor.  But the secrets that she could reveal at this point were enough to completely destroy Archie's credibility as a psychiatrist.  

And so, here he was, sitting alone in his small house and waiting for news of Isleen's wedding.  She should be married to Leopold at anytime now.  Maybe that bottle of Scotch that was sitting under the counter would be a good idea right about now…at the very least it would help him forget the dull throbbing in his chest where his heart was.

Just as Archie was about to go to the liquor cabinet and get out the Scotch in question, there was a knock at the front door.  Sighing heavily, he made his way to the door and opened it slowly.  To his great surprise, Henry was standing there, dressed for the wedding in a suit, fiddling with a bow tie.  

Oh…that's right.  The wedding was today.

"Henry…what are--what are you doing here?" Archie asked quietly.

"Aren't you coming to the wedding?" Henry replied, as though he hadn't heard Archie's question.

Staring down at the small boy with a sigh, Archie shook his head.  "No, Henry, I'm not.  Why would I be going to the wedding?"

"To stop it, of course!"

For a moment, all Archie could do was stare at Henry in wonder.  Stop the wedding?  He couldn't even risk that right now.  No matter how much he might want to put a stop to the wedding--and the one thing he wanted more than anything was to be able to step into the church and put a stop to this farce--he simply couldn't.

"Henry…" he started to say slowly.  "I can't stop the wedding.  Leopold will…will take care of Isleen."

"No he won't!" Henry insisted.  "Don't you see?  You belong with Isleen!  Look…"

Henry pulled his storybook out of his backpack and hastily pushed past Archie to rest the book on top of the coffee table.  Tugging Archie over to look at the picture, he stabbed a finger at the page.

"Look!  It's Isleen, but back when she was Rose Red!  And that's you, Archie!"

Archie had to admit…the people in the picture did look a great deal like himself and Isleen.  But that wasn't possible.  It…it simply wasn't possible for the picture to be of them.  Leaning closer and adjusting his glasses to get a better look at the image, Archie frowned when he saw the names under the illustration.

"Henry…I thought you said that I was supposed to be Jiminy Cricket," he said slowly.  "The name here is Jim Fiddler."

"That's the name Jiminy had in his human shape," Henry retorted, as though this explained everything.  "But come on, Archie.  You love Izzy, and she loves you!  You can't let her marry Leopold!"

In his heart, Archie agreed with Henry.  He couldn't just stand by and let the woman he loved marry someone else, but he had no other choice.  Still…maybe…maybe he could…

Before he could stop to think about it and talk himself out of if, Archie grabbed his coat and umbrella.  "Let's go," he said in a tight voice.

The church wasn't very far from Archie's house, which he was thankful for.  If it were any farther away, he'd have turned right back around and convinced himself that it wasn't worth the attempt.  With Henry trotting along after him, Archie made his way to the door of the church, stealing himself for what would be inside.  After a few moments, he pushed the door open and let Henry run along ahead of him, book clutched to his chest.  The ceremony hadn't started yet, but Archie hadn't expected that it would have.  Slowly, he slipped into the church and took a seat in the back row, where he wouldn't be noticed right away.

After what felt like an eternity, the wedding party started to file in with the groom, his family taking their places.  The guests began to murmur in anticipation as the arrival of the bride drew nearer.  Finally, the bridesmaids and groomsmen began to make their way down the aisle, with Isleen following after.  There was no one with her to give her away, but Archie wasn't focused on that.

She looked stunning in her wedding gown, with her wild curls only somewhat contained under the veil.  The white of the dress only made her curls stand out even more.  It also made her face seem paler than it truly was, giving her an ethereal look.  Archie's lungs constricted at the sight as he watched her make her way to stand at the altar.

He couldn't hear most of what was being said, due to the sound of his heartbeat that seemed to throb in his ears.  All Archie could do was watch Isleen's face as she did her best to avoid looking at her husband-to-be.  Finally, the priest said the words that Archie was waiting for.

"If there be anyone here who has reason why these two should not be wed, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace."

Gathering up his courage, Archie stood up and stepped into the aisle.  A hush ran through the church at this, causing Isleen and Leopold to turn to see what was causing the sudden silence.  As soon as she saw him, Archie could see the blood drain from Isleen's face.  Standing tall, he kept his eyes on her face.

"I object," he said firmly.  "Izzy…I'm not letting you go."

"That's not your decision to make," the cold voice of Regina cut through the deafening silence as she stood as well, sneering at Archie.  "I thought I had made myself perfectly clear the last time we spoke, Dr. Hopper.  Now you've forced my hand."

"Wait."

Clearly Regina hadn't been expecting Isleen to speak up, as she turned sharply in shock to stare at the bride.  Isleen's eyes flashed with anger and comprehension as she made her way down the aisle towards Archie and Regina.

"Is that why Archie told me to go?  Because you threatened him?"

"I merely--"

"You merely did your best to keep too people who were happy together apart, you…you bitch!"

A collective gasp of shock ran through the church.  Against his better judgment, Archie found himself grinning slightly at Isleen.  Regina, on the other hand, simply reeled in shock for a moment before regaining her dignity.

"I only had the best interests of everyone at heart."

"You had your best interests at heart," Isleen retorted.  "I'm done letting you control my life, Regina.  And I'm done letting Leo control me too."

Reaching up, she tugged her veil off and threw it at Regina's feet, turning to look at Archie.  For a moment, Archie was certain that she would slap him across the face.  He wouldn't blame her if she did, of course.  He had told her to leave after professing his love to her, after all.  To his surprise, Isleen didn't slap him.  Instead, she came up to him and softly touched his cheeks.

"I'm still mad at you," she said in a low voice.

"I would be surprised if you weren't," Archie replied quietly, softly brushing one wild curl away from her eyes.  "I'm…so sorry, Izzy…"

"I know," Isleen murmured.  "Now shut up and kiss me."

Archie was more than happy to oblidge.
A little something for my good friend :iconcherryhobbit:

She and I have been doing a lovely Once Upon a Time RP focusing on Dr. Archie Hopper/Jiminy Cricket and :iconcherryhobbit: 's OC Rose Red/Isleen Archflour.

Basically the premise is this: Jiminy Cricket falls in love with Rose Red in Fairy Tale Land, but...he's kind of a cricket, making it a little hard to make a relationship work. In the real world, Archie Hopper's been pining for Isleen Archflour for as long as anyone can remember. They finally get the guts to admit their feelings for one another, only for Regina to step in like the Evil Queen she is.

The threat Regina made against Archie? You'll have to wait for another drabble to learn about that. Mwahahahahaha!

Archie Hopper, Henry Mills, Regina Mills, Storybrooke (C) ABC

Isleen Archflour/Rose Red (C) :iconcherryhobbit:
© 2012 - 2024 Aliora
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SilverGryphon8's avatar
Okay, awesome. I love this.