From: Brian (bbd127@aol.comikaze) Subject: [PW!F] Prelude to Matrimony Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000-12-03 17:51:47 PST (OOC: First PW!F story, yeah! :-D Anyway this is a new character so I'll be interested to see what the reactions are. And just to clear things up, Bellatrix and Corona are both mine; Ronan is not. Enjoy.) ************* Bellatrix Flare eyed Ronan uncertainly. His best friend had a look in his eyes that Bellatrix had become rather accustomed to in the years they'd known each other. "Ronan?" he asked cautiously. "You okay?" Ronan waved a hand at him carelessly. "Of course I'm okay. Now are you ready? Let's go." "Yeah, yeah, don't want to be late." They approached Ronan's car together and were about to enter when Bellatrix remembered something. "Did you remember the champagne?" "Er..." "C'mon, don't tell me you forgot!" "Not exactly. I *did* remember to buy it.." "That's it, I'm driving." He opened the door to Ronan's black Moltres and was about to sit down when he saw a small blue creature staring back at him. "Wooper!" "Hey, Ozzy," he said. "Woop?" "No, I didn't forget about you. I was going to take you." "Woop!" "Seriously! I was. Just hop in the back seat and we'll all go together." "Woop. Wooper wooper woop!" "No." "Woop!" "No. No way. Absolutely not." "What's he want?" asked Ronan. "He wants to drive!" Bellatrix said. Ronan laughed. "You should let him!" "You're no help. Ozzy, out of the way..." "Wooper?" "*Why* can't you drive? I'll tell you why! For one thing, Pokemon can't drive!" "Woop!" "Ok, so maybe they can. Well, number two, you're not sixteen yet." "Per wooper!" "Gah.. all right, maybe in Wooper years you are. But, look... I mean... you don't even have a driver's license!" Ozzy reached under the seat and pulled out a small piece of paper. He handed it to Bellatrix. "What the... how did you get a driver's license?!" he said. Then, upon closer examination, "Hey! This is MY driver's license! Why you little..." Ozzy roared with little high-pitched laughter and jumped into the back seat. Bellatrix growled and took his place at the wheel. As he started the car, he turned to Ronan, sitting next to him. "Next thing you know your Houndour is going to want to drive," he grumbled. His friend fingered a Pokeball. "Well, now that you mention it.." "NO." Ronan laughed. They drove to the church with few other incidents, and little conversation; Bellatrix was understandably rather apprehensive. He got out and took several deep breaths to calm the Butterfrees in his stomach, then opened the back door for Ozzy. "Woop!" "Keep that up, little guy, and you're going to be about as annoying as a certain yellow electric rodent I know." "Wooper..." "Sorry, I didn't mean it to be *that* insulting." He looked around. "Seems like most everyone's here already. I wonder where Corona is.." Suddenly his face lit up. "Corona!" He ran to meet her. She was a few inches shorter than him, with deep green eyes and hair the color of a Rapidash's mane. As she ran up to him, a smile lit up her face. "Bellatrix!" They fell into each other's arms, and he kissed her lightly on the lips. Then they separated, and he smiled at her. "Doing okay?" he asked. "Yeah, as well as ever I guess. Nervous?" He feigned a look of horror. "Marrying you?! Who wouldn't be?" She laughed. "Well, I'd better start getting ready. And unless you want to get married in blue jeans, I'd suggest you do the same." Bellatrix gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am!" She nodded, smiling. For just a second, neither of them said anything - then she turned toward the church and walked off. Bellatrix noticed Ronan next to him. "I thought you two weren't supposed to see each other before the wedding?" he said. "Yeah, and I thought you didn't believe in superstitions," said Bellatrix dryly. "What else is new?" "Hey, I don't! Just.. sometimes *they* believe in *me*." "Ah." Bellatrix looked at his watch. "Well, I need to be going. I'll see you in a few hours, then, I guess." "Sure!" "Got the ring?" "Um..." "If you forgot the..." He laughed. "Calm down, I've got it, I've got it." "All right then. Well..." He looked at the ground momentarily "Calm down! It's no big deal. You're only getting married." "Yeah." "Later, then." "Sure!" They both departed to begin preparations, Ronan with a gold wedding band in his pocket and Bellatrix followed by a confused-looking Wooper. It was going to be one heck of a day. TBC