May 2016

The flight attendant smiled at Shannon as she passed him a bottle of water and tried to focus his attention back on the movie playing on his phone. They were four hours into the flight and he was already getting restless without his pills. His doctor had prescribed a few Valium to take the edge off, but he was saving them for a real emergency.

He didn't even know why he was going to the wedding in the first place. It wasn't like Belle was close with him or anything. But Ben insisted that he come, if for no other reason than keeping Callie and Belle from killing each other.

"Shannon, I'll be too busy with my Father-of-the-Bride duties. I can't keep an eye on Callie," Ben had told him over the phone. "Plus, I don't want Belle to have to worry about her at all. I don't know what exactly happened, but ever since Belle visited Callie in London a couple weeks ago, things have apparently been really rough between them."

But Shannon knew. Callie had called him at 4 AM Los Angeles time and spent the next two hours railing against her sister, complaining about everything from the bridesmaid dress she had to wear to the fact that Belle was serving fish at the reception. It was all he could do to stay awake as her voice drifted through the phone on the pillow next to him.

So here he was, sitting on a flight form LAX to Paris, repeatedly refusing each time a steward or stewardess asked if he wanted any wine. The last thing he needed was to rock up to Belle's wedding three sheets to the wind. He was excited and nervous more than anything.

He hadn't seen Callie for a couple months, since she was at Jared's house when he went over. He was hoping that they'd have some time alone, but with the wedding he doubted it would happen. From his limited experience, it seemed like everyone in the wedding party was always too busy to enjoy the actual event. But knowing how she felt about the wedding as a whole, he doubted Callie would be spending any more time on it than she needed to.

The flight continued and he tried to get some sleep. He was hoping he'd arrive at night so he could sleep and skip the jet lag, but the flight was delayed due to weather at JFK and now they were landing in the morning. The older he got, the harder flying became for him. Eventually, he managed to fall asleep.

A while later, they had landed and he was struggling to find he way around the airport, though most signs were in English as well and French.

I really should learn French, with the amount of time I spend with this family, he grumbled internally as he climbed into one of the waiting taxi cabs.

He'd gotten turned around three times between the gate, customs, and baggage claim. When he finally made it through customs and caught a cab, he was exhausted. He gave the driver the address from the wedding invitation and sat back to try to enjoy the Parisian views.

He'd been through Paris several times while touring. Once, he'd even managed to have a few days to himself while on a tour break. From what he could remember, it was a beautiful city. It was even more beautiful in the summer time. Flowers bloomed on trees along the roads, the parks were packed with couples holding hands and snuggling, and streets were lined with cafes full of people sitting at tables on the sidewalk.

The driver eventually dropped him off at the front door to the Ritz and he stood on the sidewalk in awe for a solid five minutes. The Colonne Vendome stood in the middle of a large square surrounded on all sides by different buildings and shops. He was positive if he went inside, they'd accuse him of theft or something. This was definitely not a place he belonged normally.

"Sir? Coming or going?" the doorman asked, coming toward him down a red carpeted steps.

"Oh - coming," Shannon answered, snapping out of his daze. He grabbed his bag and walked underneath the white awning and into the lobby.

"Checking in?" the doorman asked, his accent thick.

"Yes," Shannon replied, feeling self-conscious.

"The front desk is just there," the doorman said, pointing ton a reception area to Shannon's right.

The room was palatial but also intimate. Fine French furnishings covered every inch of the space. Exquisite marble decorated the floor in different eye-catching colors and luxurious wood paneling and molding covered the walls. Large oil paintings in gilt frames loomed over him, their inhabitants looking down at him as if to question why he was there. He walked up to the mahogany desk and attempted to swallow the nervous vomit that was welling up in his throat.

"Bonjour, Monsieur," the chipper receptionist said. "Checking in?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. "Er - oui." He fumbled for a second as his bag toppled over next to him. "It's, um, Leto?" he added.

The receptionist typed with her white-gloved fingers. "Ah, oui," she smiled. "With the Rutger wedding, non?"

"Uh - yeah. That sounds right," he nodded, though he wasn't sure of the name of Belle's fiancé.

"Excellent," she smiled again. Her teeth were obnoxiously white. "We have you in one of our Grand Deluxe rooms, overlooking the Grand Jardin. Could I see your passport please, Mr. Leto?"

He handed the booklet over and looked around the lobby. Plush chairs with velvet upholstery were set up in pairings along the edge of the room.

"We are all set," the woman replied. "Claude will help you find your room."

'Claude' appeared from around the corner in a crisp royal blue bellhop uniform. He took Shannon's suitcase before he could say anything and waited a few paces away.

"Thank you - merci," Shannon said, grabbing his documents and room key off the wood counter and walking toward Claude.

After passing through a labyrinth of passages decked out in ornate décor and up several staircases, Claude finally stopped in front of a door at the end of a long hallway.

"Here we are, sir," he said, gesturing a white-gloved hand to the golden doorknob.

Shannon fumbled with his key card for a second before managing to open the door. Claude allowed him to walk into the room first, rolling his suitcase in behind him. The room was bright and filled with more brocade than Shannon thought could ever exist in one space at once. Still, he could see the touches of luxury in the details of the furnishing and artwork on the walls.

"Will that be all, sir?" Claude asked.

"Uh - yeah. Thanks," Shannon said, turning back to the bellhop. "Here," he added, pulling a few Francs from his wallet.

Claude stopped him. "No need, sir," he said with a smile. At Shannon's embarrassed face, he continued. "The Rutger family has graciously added a large gratuity to their bill to ensure their guests get the best service possible. Please help yourself to anything from the room service menu as well. Please call the concierge if there is anything else you need." With that, Claude left, closing the door softly behind him.

Shannon's first order of business was getting a shower. The bathroom was all white marble and gold fixtures. If the whole hotel wasn't filthy with gold and ornate things, he'd have thought it very gaudy to have a golden duck faucet. Once he had a hot shower, he flung open the large windows in his room and took a deep breath. The garden below was being set up for the rehearsal the next night and the scent of fresh flowers drifted up to his room. Rows of fancy chairs with white fabric tied at their backs had been set up facing a large arch of soft pink roses on one end of the garden. On the other, bar-height tables had been set up near a temporary, but attractive wooden bar. A breeze blew the gauzy white curtains back and he suddenly felt very sleepy.

Coffee. You need coffee, he thought.

He looked around the room and located the room service menu in a thick folder with rich stock paper. There was a French and an English version. He was too tired to navigate a foreign language, so he stuck with the English side. After ordering a cafe au lait and several croissants, he settled in to watch some television on the flat screen across from his bed. No sooner had he sat down than a knock came at his door.

That's fast service, he thought as he got up and padded over to answer it.

Callie stood in the hallway in front of him. "About fucking time you got here," she said by way of greeting. She pushed past him into the room and looked around. "See, they put you in a sensible room."

"Hello to you too," he replied, shutting the door after her. "What do you mean?" he asked, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Not too big, decent view, appropriate," Callie said, looking out of his window. "The room," she added over her shoulder.

She looked as good as she always did, though she probably could have used a good night's rest. Her hair curled loosely and fell freely down her back. She had on a pale pink slip dress that fell just past her knees. The thin spaghetti straps revealed her delicate shoulders. The first thing he noticed was that she probably wasn't wearing a bra.

"Aren't you in a room like this?" he asked, walking over.

Callie turned from the window to face him. "No. They put me in one of the fancy-ass suites. The concierge called it the 'F. Scott Fitzgerald' suite or something like that." She sat on the end of his bed. "Gold brocade wallpaper. You could fit my entire first apartment in LA inside. Its insane."

"I don't see how that's a bad thing," he said in confusion.

"Its bad because it makes it much harder to hate my sister," she grumbled, flopping back onto the bed. The comforter poofed up around her shoulders, ruffling her hair. "By the way, you're expected at dinner tonight with my family. Dress nicely."

He stammered. "Uh...why?"

She looked over at him dully. "Because this is a fancy restaurant and you can't come to dinner there dressed in whatever the hell that is," she said, gesturing to his outfit.

He'd gone for comfort more than style and grabbed the first things he could find from his bag: a stretched-out tank top with the logo beginning to peel off and a pair of sweatpants that only came down to his calves.

"I don't have anything super nice besides the suit for the wedding," he said. "I don't know why I should come. Its dinner with your family," he reasoned.

"Because its dinner with my family," she intoned. "I'd rather scoop my own eyeball out and eat it." She sat up in a huff. "Belle is being a smug putain, my grandmother is waxing nostalgic over being back in France, Avril and Jonny are bickering because they have to share a suite, Lillia is obsessed over her exam results, et mon père devient un vieux connard sentimental!"

He wasn't sure what the last part was, but he knew she only lapsed into French when she was really stressed out. Before he could respond, another knock came at the door and a waitress was standing there with a wooden cart.

"Your coffe, sir," she said, lifting the silver dome off the platter to reveal a French press filled with coffee, a small pitcher of milk, and several croissants on a plate with a selection of jams and jellies. Fruit was arranged as an accent on the plate between each jam dish. "May I come in?" she asked.

"Yes, sorry," he answered, opening the door for her. "Just there is fine, thank you."

The waitress wheeled the cart in, flipped the brake, and left the room. He briefly considered offering Callie some coffee, but thought better of it when he realized caffeine would probably only amp her up even further. He poured himself some and sighed happily.

"Cal, I think you need to take a nice bath and relax," he said. "I know its a lot to deal with but being upset like this isn't going to help anything."

Her glare could have melted the ice caps. "Are you patronizing me, Leto?"

He took a step back. "N-no. I just don't see why you should be so upset. Your sister's the one getting married, not you. Her fiancé's family is covering all the costs. Why not just sit back and relax? Go to the spa."

She looked at him for a moment before getting to her feet. "Fine." She grabbed a croissant on her way to the door. "Tonight. 7 o'clock sharp. Be downstairs at the restaurant in a nice outfit. Go shopping if you have to."

The door snapped shut behind her. He groaned and took a long drag from his coffee. He was going to need the caffeine, for sure.

***

"Shannon! How nice to see you again!" Ben said, standing to greet him from the head of a large table at the back of the restaurant. The entire table looked over at him. "Please, come take a seat. There's one open next to Callie."

Shannon followed Ben's outstretched hand to the empty chair next to Callie and made his way around the table toward it.

"I don't believe you've met my parents, Bill and Carol," Ben said, pointing to an elderly couple on his end of the table. "And those are Keir's parents," he added.

"Oh - thank you so much for all of this," Shannon said quickly when he saw them. "It really is too kind of you."

Mr. Rutger nodded with a pleasant smile. "It is our pleasure. Keir has never been happier than he has been with Belle. We are glad to throw them such a memorable wedding."

Shannon settled into his seat and put his napkin across his lap. He noticed Callie was halfway through the glass of wine in her hand.

"So, are you Callie's boyfriend?" Carol asked.

"No!" Callie said adamantly.

He looked over at her in surprise. "Is that an insult?" he asked, making everyone chuckle.

"Shannon is a family friend," Ben interjected. "He's been helping me out a lot with my own projects and at the garage. He's indispensable."

Shannon heard Callie make a noise in her throat, but chose not to acknowledge it. When the waiter came around with a bottle of wine, he covered his glass politely. Something told him he should stay sober this weekend - at least until the reception the day after next. He saw the entire Morrison family around the table. Any outsiders he assumed were part of Keir's family. He was the only person that didn't belong to either group and he was instantly self-conscious about it.

They ordered food and he noticed how quiet Callie was being. She was staring down at her hands or into her wine glass for most of the meal.

"So Shannon, what is it that you do for work?" Bill asked.

"Oh - uh, I'm a musician," Shannon replied.

"Really? Oh how exciting!" Carol beamed.

"Not really," Callie said, bored. "He's just a drummer."

Shannon knew she was stressed out and unhappy because of the wedding, but it was hard not to take her comment as an insult.

"For a band or do you do studio work?" Bill asked.

"Uh - a band. I'm in a band with my brother," he answered. "We've put out four albums so far."

"That's impressive," Carol said with a smile. "You should be proud. It takes a lot of work to put out a music album."

Shannon was beginning to fall in love with Carol. "It does, yeah," he said, relief washing over him. "But Callie's right. I'm really just the drummer. MY brother does most of the work, writing the songs and working on the arrangements."

"Still, I'm sure you have a lot of work to do. You know, I read somewhere that the drummer - or was it the bassist? - is the most important person in a band?" she replied. "Because they're responsible for keeping time and without them, the band couldn't play a single note correctly. So really, you're very important."

He could have kissed her. "Thank you, Carol."

"Leto," Keir's father mused. "I've heard that name before. Are you by any chance related to a Constance Leto?" he asked.

Shannon tilted his head. "That's my mother," he answered. "How do you know her?"

"Oh, she's been very helpful to us in managing our property in Palm Springs," the other man replied. "Lovely woman. She never mentioned children, but then I guess that's because it never came up!"

Shannon made a mental note to call his mother when he got back to his room. He didn't know anything about her managing a property in Palm Springs, but then they never really spoke about work.

"Small world," he remarked.

"Small world, indeed," Keir's father said. "Well, if no one has any objections, I think its time we all retired for the night. We have a big day ahead tomorrow and an even bigger one after that."

After goodbyes were made, Shannon left the restaurant and headed back up to his room. Callie caught him in the hallway.

"Can you believe that?" she grumbled, leaning against the wall.

"Believe what?" he asked as he waited for the elevator (why Claude hadn't taken him up this way before was beyond him).

"Belle. She just ate up all that attention." Callie got in the elevator ahead of him.

"Its her wedding," he reasoned, pushing the button for his floor. "What else is she supposed to do?"

She shrugged and leaned against the mirrored wall. "I'll just be glad when its all over. No more wedding talk. No more shit about my mother. Just normal life."

"You know, Cal, you're kind of being a dick here," he said as the doors opened on his floor. "Its your sister's wedding. You're not being fair. She's allowed to be excited and happy. And you should be happy for her."

Callie stood on the elevator in surprise, but stopped the doors from closing when they started to move. "Why are you taking her side?"

He could tell she was angry, but didn't think the hallway was the best place to have an argument. Plus, he was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. "I'm not taking anyone's side. I'm just pointing out that she's been really nice to include you in everything. Keir's family is being really kind in paying for all of this. The least you could do is get out of your own way and be nice to them. You're acting like a toddler."

With that, he walked away and the elevator doors closed. And for the first time since he'd met Callie, he didn't give a damn what she thought.

***GOSSIP BOARD***

GUITARWIZARD90 POSTED: So the whole Morrison clan was in Paris this weekend. I think it was Belle's wedding. She married into the Rutger family. From the looks of it, it was a pretty fancy ceremony and reception.

JAREDSGURL1948 POSTED: I saw those pictures. But what I'm confused on is how and why Shannon and Keanu Reeves managed invites? Like, why were they there? Neither one of them is family.

FLAVIAPEARL POSTED: Aya was there with his girlfriend, so maybe some good friends were invited too? I'm not sure how Shannon got the invite, but I do know that Aya has spoken about spending time with Callie's family at Christmas and all that when they first started working together. And Callie has talked about how Keanu is a family friend, too.

GUITARWIZARD90 POSTED: The only reason Shannon would be there is that he's involved with Callie. I mean, I can understand Aya being on the guest list since he's spent so much time with the family. Its obvious Belle is close to him from her posts when she's with him. The pictures from their Greece trip made it clear. And I know Keanu is close with Ben and pretty much the whole family. At least, that's how Callie makes it seem. Shannon is the odd one out.

FLAVIAPEARL POSTED: Maybe he came as Callie's plus-one? Maybe they were there as friends?

JAREDSGURL1948 POSTED: I don't know...the photos don't look like they're friends. And really, she's been single for a while now. It wouldn't surprise me if they hooked up. I don't believe those rumors about Callie and Jared for five seconds. No way would Jared move in on her when she has such a long established relationship with Shannon.