CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
WHAT LOVE IS ALL ABOUT

In the year: 2003

"CARMILLA, do not bail on my wedding day," Thea grunts over the cell phone.

Carmilla sighs over the phone, "I've been enjoying my vacation in Mexico, thank you." She responded with sass.

"Well, now you're not because I'll be damned if you miss my big day!" Thea exclaims. Most of the time, Thea was pretty laid back but today is not one of those days.

The Cullens had traveled to Massachusetts for Thea and Alice to get married. Of course, the couple had gotten married before but now they could get married legally in the state of Massachusetts.

Tanya comes barging into Thea's hotel room in the middle of her phone call, "Where the hell is your wife, I've been looking all over for her?"

"Great," Thea huffs, "now my wife is missing on our wedding day."

"Who was that?" Carmilla asks curiously.

"Tanya." Thea answers before getting back to her point, "Now will you hurry up? It's starting in a few hours."

Carmilla got quiet suddenly. "...yeah, I'll be there." She states before three beeps followed. 

Thea flip down her phone, turning to Tanya. "When did you last see her?"

Tanya was about to speak but was interrupted by a familiar pixie's voice, "Tanya, I haven't finished your makeup! Oh, hi, honey." She smiles at her mate.

Tanya was quick to let her face fall in her palms.

"Why isn't your makeup done, yet?"

"I have to get the bridesmaid's makeup finished first." Alice shrugs, "I'm not getting married if everybody at our wedding isn't looking fabulous."

Thea was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed but she simply nodded, "Okay." she pushed Tanya out to get her makeup finished. She closes the door in their faces and leans against it.

Thea huffs, she is ready for the honeymoon. A knock is heard at her door and Thea takes a minute before opening it, putting on a smile for whoever it seems to be.

"Thea?" Rosalie walks right past Thea and further into the room, "where is your dress?"

"I thought you were sending them up?" Thea frowns.

"I requested housekeeping to send them up an hour ago." Rosalie goes over to the hotel phone and calls down to them. "A five-star hotel just for this."

If Thea could cry, she just might be doing that. Why couldn't anything just go smoothly, why couldn't things just go the way she wanted them to?

"Hi, this is Rosalie Hale. I called about an hour ago. Housekeeping should've been given wedding dresses to bring up here about an hour ago." Thea hears Rosalie speaking to the front desk.

Thea couldn't help but listen in on the conversation, she would later regret that.

"Ah yes. The two wedding dresses. I believe they have already been sent up." The man over the phone speaks as if he's almost...disgusted... by something.

Rosalie tilts her head, eyes squinted, "I believe you may have sent them to the wrong room because we don't have them."

Thea hears a ring go off on her phone. She looks down to see a message from Alice.

"I've got the dresses." It read.

Thea sighed, she would've liked Alice's first time seeing the dress be with her wearing it but this is fine. "Alice has the dresses." Thea shared the information before quickly heading to Alice's room.

There's still hope. Today is the day.

✸

"What the hell?!" Rosalie snaps to all the vampires around her as they all collectively stare at the bullshit in front of them, "What the hell happened?!"

Thea was silent and Alice knew it would be best to comfort her wife.

Two white wedding dresses were covered in coffee stains and coffee grounds.

"Why would they do this?" Esme shakes her head.

Carlisle picks up a piece of paper that is laid next to it. When he reads it, he physically cringes.

"Let me see." Thea holds out her hand.

Carlisle was hesitant, "Thea-"

"Give it to me." Thea snapped at him.

Carlisle gives her the note. "I think someone figured out Alice and Thea were getting married and..."

Thea couldn't take her eyes off the note. It read "All queers go to hell"

Emmett's eyes grow cold, "I'll kill them." He tries stepping out but is stopped by Carlisle.

Esme's eyes were soft, "Alice...Thea, what do you guys want to do."

Alice was quiet, she just wanted to comfort her wife, who looked like she was at the end of her rope.

The Cullens expected Thea to get aggressive. To respond with "Rip their throats out." Or "suck them completely dry."

But instead, she just shakes her head. "I just wanna go." She responded quietly and walked back to her hotel room.

✸

Thea had packed all her bags and locked herself in the bathroom. She was hurt and just wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.

One day. One day where it was about her and her mate and it was all ruined just because people can't accept love between the same gender.

Alice was on the outside of the bathroom door, trying her best to talk Thea into opening the door but she wouldn't budge.

"Desiring someone of the same sex goes against god, Thea Quarts!" Ethel Quart's hand smacks across fifteen-year-old Thea's face. Thea had just been caught kissing her female "friend" behind the church. "You don't tell this to anyone, do you understand? You will not disgrace god nor me!"

Thea covers her ears, her knees coming up to her chest. "I should've listened, I should've listened." She mumbled.

"Should've listened to what, Sweetheart?" Alice frowns.

Suddenly the hotel door busts open. In walked an angry therapist vampire. She sat down her bags and immediately questioned Alice, "Where is she?"

"In here." Alice points out, "She won't open the door."

Carmilla knocks aggressively on the door, causing Thea to flinch. "Open the door."

Silence.

"Thea, open this door or I will kick it down. You know I'm not kidding."

More silence.

Carmilla sighs, lifting her leg for an aggressive kick. Just as she was about to take the entire door down it opened and Thea stared blankly at her. "You should've stayed on your vacation because there's no longer a wedding happening."

Carmilla had her arms crossed, shaking her head.

Carmilla seemed to be one of the very few people who knew how to knock some sense into Thea. But unlike the Cullens, she wasn't as soft with her approach.

"So that's it?" Carmilla scoffs, "You're gonna let them win that easily?"

Thea rolls her eyes, finding Carmilla's words ridiculous. "What do you want me to do?! Kill them? Pour coffee on them?" She spoke sarcastically. "There's no point, it's ruined!"

"I want you to be strong, Thea!" Carmilla matches Thea's tone, "You have over ten vampires who love and support you. We got your back, Thea. You can still get your day, you just gotta fight."

Thea was at a loss for words, "What do I do?"

Carmilla grins, making Thea share a look with her wife.

That look couldn't be good.

✸

Carmilla Harrison is a fucking genius.

Thea's red heel clicked down the pavement of Massachusetts, Alice's hand in hers. Thea raised her head high as she walked in the direction of a church with Rosalie, Carmilla, Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Esme, Carlisle, Kate, Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar all following behind her and her wife.

Thea was strutting down the streets in a rainbow handkerchief dress and Alice had one to match.

Homophobic men and women spared them all disgusted stares and even called out homophobic slurs but none of the vampires gave a fuck.

Thea made it to the front of the church, being met with homophobic protestors.

Thea grinned, she was sick of it. Sick of having to feel like she had to live up to somebody else's standards. While grinning at the homophobic protesters, Thea turns to Alice and places a passionate kiss on her lips.

The protestors gasp.

Alice gladly returned the gesture, sending one of them a wink.

This was their way of saying "fuck you." And damn it felt good.

This would end up being one of the most memorable days of all the vampire's long lives.

This is what love is all about.

ragerwrites, OKAY, THIS WAS THE LAST CHAPTER OF PRE-TWILIGHT SO I HAVE QUESTIONS AND A FEW WORDS!

So I thought that this was the perfect way to end out Thea's pre-twilight story. Throughout the entire act, she's been struggling with her identity and who she is, so I felt like ending the act with Thea loving herself and who she is, was chefs kiss!

Now, as for questions:

1. How did the way you felt about Thea in the beginning differ from the end? Did you grow to love her over time? Or hate her over time?

2. What was your favorite scene/chapter from this act.

3. Now that you know Thea as a character, how do you believe she'll react to Bella Swan? (If you really know Thea, you already know the answer to this question. Lmfaooo!)

4. What would you like to see moving further into this book?

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