Kelly Capwell and Nick Hartley's wedding

The weddings of Santa Barbara
Kelly Capwell and Nick Hartley (1/2)

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Plunged in the middle of a crazy chase, Nick Hartley and Kelly Capwell escaped the men of the fake Jack Stanfield Lee. Although they tried to convince their entourage, no one seems to believe their story. On Kelly's side, there is only Nick who, out of love, has sworn to protect at the risk of his life the one for whom his heart suddenly began to beat. During their escape, they were caught by Dr. Renfro and his men. Their plan is simple : to kidnap Kelly, to erase her memory so that she forgets the true identity of the man who pretends to be Jack Lee, and to make sure that Nick is accused of the kidnapping.

But this plan did not include Nick's strength and determination to save Kelly. He manages to free her from Renfro's men, who has however had time to erase some of Kelly's memories. In their flight, helped by farmers, they find refuge in an abandoned town dating from the time of the gold rush. There they find some peace. Plunged into another reality, without any memory of who she really is, Kelly is forced to let herself be guided by her feelings. Because she does not know who Kelly Capwell really is, and she does not know who Nick Hartley really is. But in the simplicity of this abandoned town, in Nick's arms, she feels confident. She feels a real serenity in his arms, as if they could protect her from all storms.

Guided by her heart, Kelly eventually feels tender feelings for Nick. Feelings that she knows are shared. If Kelly is totally, madly willing to let go of her feelings, it is not the case of Nick who, for fear of tomorrow, categorically refuses to abuse the young woman's amnesia. Yet it is in front of a rabbit that Nick will let his shell break...

Costumes from another time, for a timeless wedding...

Searching the rooms of the saloon, Kelly finds an old abandoned trunk covered with dust and which, according to her, must contain some magnificent treasures. The fun and the desire to discover win Kelly's heart. With a hammer, Nick easily manages to break the lock that kept the trunk closed. He opens it and Kelly's eyes light up to discover the treasure...

Nick is the first to bring out an old black jacket with a tail. Kelly is quick to take in her hands a white dress from the last century, decorated with ribbons and lace. Immediately, she puts it on her figure as a wide smile lights up her face. As Nick confirms it, what she imagined when she saw it is the truth : it is a wedding dress.

Very quickly, in Kelly's simple mind, another reality takes hold. With an erased memory, Kelly finds her carefree little girl soul, the simple dreams she has in mind can become reality. So, she asks Nick to put on the black suit jacket. She insists that he be the first, because as tradition dictates it, the groom is not supposed to see the bride's dress before the ceremony. And the words she says are in the sense of the imaginary world that she is building : their wedding will be wonderful. Nick, who knows how fragile Kelly is after she was treated by Dr. Renfro's hell machine, knows that she is not herself. The young woman he has in front of him is not really Kelly Capwell : it is her without being her. Nick is especially afraid that the feelings that inhabit Kelly may vanish into smoke the day she will recover her memory... Feelings, if they are solid and sure for him, could only be ephemeral for her... Again, he feels a bite embracing his heart.

Kelly grabs her dress to get dressed, sure that their wedding will be a great moment. Nick tries to bring her back into the real world, explaining that they are not going to get married for real. But Kelly's world is not Nick's, who doesn't understand why they couldn't get married. They are alone in this town, nobody could prevent them from getting married or living happily ever after ! The part of girl that never ceased to exist in Kelly's soul and heart has taken control. This carefree girl, hungry for simple happiness, small pleasures, is reminiscent of the other little girl, the one who resurfaced with the death of Joe and the return of Sophia.

Nick watches Kelly go upstairs. A part of him is yearning to live this moment fully, out of all time. While another is afraid to live this moment because, precisely, it is out of time. He fears that once her memory is back, these moments will be in turn erased, lost in another reality, where he, Nick, will no longer have his place.

...With a rabbit for witness...

In the main room of the saloon, in front of the high mirror, Kelly looks at herself and admires her dress. Dressed in a white dress and wearing a large hat, Kelly details the ribbons, ruffles, lace, while talking to Brigitte, her rabbit. Kelly cannot help but think of the bride for whom this dress was made. Nick's arrival in costume makes her forget her thoughts.

Kelly's thoughts are fleeting and changing, as if in her brain, past and present collide at times. From one wedding dress to another, Kelly questions Nick about the dress she was wearing on her wedding day with Joe. Nick replies that he was not present. Lacking consistency in her memory, the remembrance of her wedding to Joe is dissolved in the dust of the saloon, carried away by the wind of the desert. Reality fades to make way for Kelly's imagination. Her gaze is more consistent on Nick, as she notices his costume : he has almost been transformed into a prince charming.

The stage is set : a bride, a handsome groom... It only remains to do as if they were in a church. The absurdity of the situation makes Nick panic. They cannot do that. Nick is scared. To avoid continuing this comedy, he tries to find excuses. And Kelly is not fooled. Nick's trouble is perfectly visible. Kelly misunderstands the origin of his disorder; if Nick is nervous, it is certainly in connection with the wedding, but it is above all that he is afraid to completely abandon himself to this fairy tale and to fill so much this Kelly, to end up being terribly hurt by the other Kelly.

Kelly then remembers pages read in a diary and recites the first words. First words that Nick completes. Brigitte, the rabbit, becomes the witness to the wedding between this man and this woman. Kelly is radiant. It is like a game for her. A game where everything will end well for once. Only Nick has doubts. Kelly does not feel any doubts or fears. Deep in her heart, this wedding is what she wants. So, to clarify the situation, especially for him, Nick explains that they are going to get married, but that it is only a game and that they will pretend. This wedding is not a real wedding ! Yet the feelings they share are true and very real.

Kelly remembers old words where she says that she takes Nick as her husband. Nick goes on to say that they must promise the one to the other, in joy and in sadness, to love and cherish one another for the rest of their lives. Kelly is impatient. Her new happiness lights up her face. Nick also makes her promise to obey him. In return, Nick promises to love and always protect her. Once the vows exchanged, Kelly knows that then comes the time of the kiss. She approaches her husband. This latter feels the ground open under his feet : desire and refusal fight for a moment, before Kelly lays her lips on his. For a newlywed kiss...

The music of the automatic piano fills the saloon as Nick and Kelly dance at their reception. Both are radiant, fulfilled in this world they created with their hands. As they dance, Kelly lets her heart speak and confesses her love for Nick. Uncertain of Kelly's feelings in view of her frailty, Nick cannot respond favorably. That is why he reminds her that it is a game. If Kelly agrees to this idea, her eyes and her heart do not believe a word of it : for them, this wedding was real ! Kelly is so happy that she asks Nick to make a baby.

After the reception, Kelly takes a moment to free Brigitte. She realized that she could not keep the rabbit in a cage just because she wanted to. As Nick congratulates her for this gesture, Kelly looks at him with real depth. She explains that she realizes that he is also in a cage and that she would like to give him his freedom. She sees that there is something holding him back, invisible bars that prevent him from being...

...Sleep for confident...

Tired from this day full of emotions, Kelly fell asleep on her husband's shoulder. Nick looks at her and, while she sleeps, he confesses his love to her. He confides in her that he fell in love with her from the first day, from the first second. Above all, he admits that he is in a cage, imprisoned because of his inability to take advantage of her innocence. And while he also falls asleep, he starts dreaming of another wedding... Another wedding in which he would marry for real, this time, Kelly Capwell... In her dream, she marries Nicholas Hartley... Two souls side by side. Two hearts side by side. Two spirits and one dream...

Suddenly, Kelly wakes up in a panic : Nick is no longer with her. She goes out to pick him up in the street of the abandoned town. Her eyes are watching the far away, but she cannot see his shadow or silhouette. Her face crisps under the fear that awakens in her when, suddenly, a bouquet of flowers appears next to her. It is Nick. First she hits him to release her fear, then she kisses him, happy to have found him.

The ghost town would almost surround itself with fog, trees to protect this love that is just beginning, a love of pure innocence. In Kelly's mind, the memory of Joe seems to be moving away to make room for this man who has been able to give light back to his face, who has been able to give back to his heart the desire to beat... Kelly is not the same. And yet she remains this young girl in love with freedom, with a simple heart, a strong soul when it comes to fighting for the man she loves.

And Kelly fights... She fights so hard and so well that Nick ends up breaking the bars that prevent him from loving freely. After he saved Kelly from poisonous berries, he lets himself be invaded by the force of his feelings, by Kelly's innocence, by the magic of their isolation. So he lets go and makes love with Kelly, certain that it is the only thing to do and no matter tomorrow... Kelly will not be able to forget these moments.

One day he makes an engagement ring and formally asks her to marry him. Kelly, who is in a bath, hastens to accept : her world and reality finally meet. And nothing can separate them. Again, they dress up in old costumes locked in the trunk. And, in this timeless setting, out of any control from the outside world, Nick promises to love Kelly, to protect her, to honor her until the end of his life. Their vows, uttered in the greatest intimacy, the eyes in the eyes, are the most beautiful, the strongest commitments to their eyes. They are husband and wife. United in the simplest and unique love, full of innocence and simplicity.

The love parenthesis between Nick and Kelly will last a few more days, protected by the ghost town. One day, they will return to Santa Barbara where more trials await them. In accordance with Nick's fears, Kelly will forget this beautiful parenthesis. It will then take time for her to let herself be given over to Nick's love... Another wedding project will be drawn to finally evaporate in smoke, the presence around the couple of Dylan Hartley (Nick's brother) preventing the magic of the ghost town from being rebuilt in Santa Barbara...

The ghost town offers a romantic parenthesis to the couple Kelly / Nick in a plot both rich in twists and turns and at the same time lacking credibility (with the machine to erase memories). The moments shared here allow Nick to sit down as a new hero (role now solely on Cruz Castillo's shoulders, with the disappearance of Joe Perkins), while his personality tries to forget darker hours to focus on the essential : the quest for happiness. The plot surrounding this wedding is almost a sketch of another wedding, with the discovery of costumes of old bride and groom belonging to a navy captain and a young woman...

Texte écrit pour ce site par Lilian