I felt like hyperventilating. I stood outside the chapel doors by myself. I would walk down the aisle alone. I didn't feel right having anyone else escort me down the aisle so soon after my father died. I clasped my hands tightly together to stop myself from biting my finger nails, a habit I thought I had overcome but apparently in extreme situations old habits come out to play.

There were several guards just in the hall I was standing in. Joseph isn't very keen about the idea of being in a church again after what happened with the whole bomb and kidnapping thing at my fathers funeral. He only agreed to come back at my request on the condition that he could have as many of his men stationed wherever he wanted. I accepted his term not feeling right about being married anywhere else.

"Are you ready?" The guy standing at the door asked me. I nodded stiffly. This was it. He pulled the door open. I almost choked as I tried to suck in air. It felt like there were millions of eyes all trained on me. Looking at me, judging me. I trained my eyes on Joseph as I walked probably too quickly down the aisle. It was a miracle I didn't fall, I was practically running. He was the only person that mattered. I only needed to care about what he was thinking. That kept me sane until I reached his side. He met me at the bottom of the stairs and I breathed a sigh of relief when he wrapped an arm around me.



We climbed the stairs together. He kept his arm around me while I held my dress up to avoid tripping. There were only 3 steps to ascend to reach the priest. We faced each other and his eyes sparkled more than any diamond I had ever seen. More than the huge engagement ring he'd given me awhile back.

The priest started to speak. Going through all the ceremonial words he had to say before the "I do's" came. Soon enough that time came. He went first, I watched his lips move to say I do then curl up into the biggest smile. It was my turn now. I couldn't say no now that I'd gotten this far. Actually I couldn't say no even I wanted to.

I opened my mouth to say my part when for the second time the doors dramatically opened. Only this time it wasn't me on the other side, it was the three men that haunted my dreams flanked by their men.

"You're not serious." Joseph mumbled to himself. "I hate churches." He squeezed my hands that were held in his and then let them go. "Stay here Jessica. If something happens I want you to get out of here alright." He said looking into my eyes.

"Well isn't this a beautiful sight!" Romano said waltzing down the aisle I had come down minutes previously. "Although I do have to admit I was a bit surprised when I heard the news. I knew you had a thing for the girl, but I didn't know you cared enough to get hitched. Just going by your history with women I didn't think you'd ever get married. She's a special one though. I felt it too. So did my new associate Cameron. I believe you have all met." Romano finished his speech and motioned behind him to Cameron.

Cameron's eyes were dark his blonde hair was messily arranged on top his head. He looked like he was just dragged in from the street, so different from the way I had seen him when we were in school together. He was always so put together. Now here he stood completely wrecked.

"Romano what the hell are you doing here." Joseph was pissed off. You knew because he was practically growling.

"Well seeing as how I didn't get an invitation and practically everyone else in the world did I decided to just show up." Romano said taking a seat on a bench. "Please proceed with the ceremony. I didn't mean to interrupt." He pulled his ankle up to his knee getting comfortable.

"Get out Romano, and take all of your goons with you." I spoke up. Joseph tensed in front of me.

"Why miss Jessica. How rude of me I didn't even say hello." Romano stood up from his spot on the bench and made to advance to me.

"Don't you dare come near her." Joseph stood in front of him. Stopping him from being anywhere close to me. "You have some nerve coming here Romano. You're on my turf now. I hope you don't think you're going to get out of this alive." Joseph spat. The waves of hatred he felt for the man in front of him was almost tangible.

Romano's calm playful facade was gone now. "Well you escaped my compound alive I thought I'd try out my luck." Romano's already dark eyes seemed even darker. "Who are you going to stop me with Joseph. All of the guards you had stationed here are dead." Romano chuckled darkly. I had never seen him this dark before. Granted we had only really met three different times but this is what he must be really like under the playful and joking moods. I can only imagine what Josephs mother went through when she had to see him.

"You do realize that my house is only 10 minutes from here. You coming here was a stupid move Romano."

"They can't come here if you can't call them Joseph. The phones are all dead." Romano was looking smug standing there supposing that he had won. That he backed Joseph into a corner.

Joseph laughed out loud. "Romano do you really think that you've backed me into a corner that easily? You know that I cover myself that then some. You think I would leave the only way to contact all of my men to cell phones. You really are stupider than you look. I have people back at the house on surveillance of this whole place within a mile radius. They were on their way second you got here."

Romano was caught off guard, you could tell by his stunned silence. He always had something to say.

"Well." Romano said after awhile. "I guess I'll have to make this quick. I can't let you live Joseph." Romano pulled his gun out of it's hiding place underneath his jacket. Joseph pulled his out just as fast. Just like that every man in the building had their weapons unholstered and out at the ready. Even Josephs grandfather who was seated in the front row had a gun, which surprised me seeing as how he was a doctor.

"Don't do anything stupid Romano. You know that everyone here is on my side. You don't have enough men with you to win this fight." Joseph tried to reason with Romano knowing full well that if this did turn into a full blown shoot out that there would be a lot of innocent people killed.

We could hear the sound of Josephs men fighting with Romano's men in the distance. Everyone knew that the fight was approaching. "Maybe you're right. But I'm not going to leave until you're dead." With that he pulled his trigger.

"No!" I screamed. Joseph's gun went off seconds after Romano's did only Josephs bullet was sent straight into Romano's head. He hit the floor instantly. Joseph on the other hand was a little luckier. The bullet was lodged in his chest.

"Father!" I could hear Stefan in the background. By now bullets were flying freely. Women were cowering under benches with their children hoping to escape the horror around them.

I flew down the steps to him. Josephs earlier instructions were discarded in my mind. He had to have known I wouldn't leave him if something happened. I crouched down next to his body. I lifted his head into my lap. "Joseph?" I said and looked over his wound. His white shirt underneath his suit was nearly covered in blood. "Joseph what do you want me to do? What do I do Joseph you're bleeding a lot I don't know what to do!" I could hardly see him through my tears.

"Pressure. Try and put pressure on it until we can get it taken care of." Joseph grabbed my hand that wasn't pushed against the hole in his chest. I didn't know if it was for him or me. "Jessica what are you still doing here? I told you to run if something happened." He choked out. Speaking probably wasn't good right now. Who knows if the bullet did something to his lungs.

"Did you really think that I would listen? If there was something happening I would never leave your side." I squeezed his hand and tried to stop the waterfall of tears from falling out of my eyes. I needed to be strong for him right now. He was going to be ok, I needed to show him that.

"Joseph." I looked up from his face to see the face of his grandfather. "Joseph I need you to keep your eyes open alright son." He looked to me. "I'm a doctor."

"I know." I nodded. "What do you want me to do?" He looked down to my hand that was covering the hole trying but failing to keep the precious blood in his body.

"I don't think the bullet hit his heart just based on where the wound is but we'd have to get him to a hospital to be sure. He needs to get out of here as soon as possible." I nodded agreeing with. Internally I was thinking duh but I figured that he was just as freaked out about this whole situation as I was so I didn't say anything. "An ambulance and the police were called. Someone back at the house got the cell service back up and running. They should be here any minute."

I sighed in relief, but it was short lived. As of now he was still on the verge of death. "He's loosing a lot of blood. If they don't get here soon."

"They will Jessica." He put a hand on my shoulder. "they have to." he mumbled under his breath. I nodded and pressed harder on his chest. He would not die.

I leaned down and pressed my forehead against his. "Joseph you are not going to die today. We have been through too much for you to die on our wedding day." He laughed a little but it quickly turned into a cough. His face contorted in pain.

"Jessica I will never leave you." We locked eyes I could see the pain in them. He was trying to hide it for me.

"Jessica I need to lift him." I looked up and there was Trevor standing in the circle of Josephs men. They were standing shoulder to shoulder protecting us. My eyes welled up with tears again. "There's an ambulance waiting for him outside. There's a back door over there. We secured it and the parking lot is full of police. He should be safe if we can get him outside." Trevor said.

I nodded to him and kept my hand on his chest as he lifted him into his arms. Trevor was a big man, but Joseph was bigger and it was obvious he was struggling under his weight. We made our way to the door that apparently no one knew of. We stumbled out into the dark hallway. "The door should be just around that corner." Trevor breathed out. He was staggering and out of breath.

By the time we reached the door and were out in the sun again Trevor was about ready to drop Joseph. A gurney was rushed forward and Trevor dropped him onto it.

"Good lord that man is heavy." Trevor breathed out.

"Miss you can let go now." One of the paramedics said and pulled on my wrist. I pulled my hand away and winced when Joseph did. My hand was replaced with one of the men pushing the gurney. They lifted it onto the ambulance and closed the doors behind themselves. The truck rushed away before I could say a word.

Sirens, police cars, and dozens of ambulances were all around me and yet I couldn't see any of it. In fact I couldn't really see anything. That was the last thought I had before my body hit the pavement.