Wedding Crasher

Jim fiddled with his tie as he gave his figure a once over in the mirror. He was dressed to the nines in his Lieutenant garb; all decked in white from head to toe with gold buttons and hints of black stripes along the lining of the suit. He didn't know what was wrong with a couple of dress shirts and boots. He could hear his mother's tired voice in his head, pleading him to look nice for the occasion. She claimed she was only going to become a mother-in- law once and she wanted the moment to be perfect. There was a gentle knock on Jim's bedroom door, before it opened quietly. Sarah Hawkins was wearing a light sea green dress that fell to her ankles gently. She had brown sandals on her feet and he hair pulled down around her face. "Oh Jim." She cooed in a loving voice. "Don't you look handsome?" She came up behind her son and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. She rested her head against his and felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I didn't think this day would come." She laughed gently. "I mean, I knew you'd find someone, but I never thought you'd wear a suit for it." The young man's mother moved in front of her son and adjust his tie which was sitting crooked under his uniform jacket. "Can't you keep this silly thing strait for even an hour?"

"It was fine, mom." Jim looked down at his mother and smiled gently. There was another knock at the door and Sarah looked up and spoke to the man at the door.

"We're coming." She smiled and looked up at her boy. "Time to go, Jim." She smiled. The two of them intertwined arms and made their way out of the inn. They had set up a quaint array of tents near the gazebo in the front of the inn. Guests were sitting in their seats, talking in hushed tones. The front of the aisle was empty, but as the acoustic version of the song "Same Love" started playing gently, everyone quieted down. Standing to their feet, everyone watched as David slowly walked down the little aisle toward the gazebo. He smiled at the friends and family he saw attending his wedding. With a sheepish grin, he stepped up into the gazebo and folded his hands in front of him. Looking down over the scene before him he caught eyes with the one frowning face in the crowd. Not letting it phase him, David caught a much happier face moving toward the aisle.

Jim could see David standing in the gazebo at the end of the lawn. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, making him feel like he wanted to run down the lawn and into David's arms. His mother squeezed his arm as the two of them walked down the aisle together. As they stepped past the guests, they stopped at the bottom of the gazebo steps. The clergyman that was standing at the back of the gazebo smiled at Sarah and Jim. "Who gives their blessing for these two to be joined here today?"

"I do." Mrs. Hawkins let out a choked squeak. She beamed at Jim and kissed his cheek before turning around and going to find her seat.

Jim and David smiled at one another as they took each other's hands. Standing at attention before the clergyman they'd chosen, the two of them just smiled awkwardly at each other as he read through the practiced rites. David smiled down at his soon to be husband and felt his heart swell. He could barely hear the mumblings of the clergyman as he approached the time for him to say, "I do." He could hear himself recite the words, but in his mind, all he could think about was the skipping of his heart and excitement of starting a legitimate life with the person he loved most.

Jim was smiling a crooked smile as he said "Yeah" instead of "I do." Everyone got a good hearty laugh out of the younger man's embarrassment, and the clergyman took it in stride. Sprinting toward the end of the ceremony, they exchanged rings and listened to a passage David had chosen from a war movie.

"You may kiss."

Those three words had a wide grin stretch over David's mouth. He pulled Jim close by the waist and pulled up his chin with one hand to give him a small, gentle kiss. The clergyman motioned for the guests to rise as the two men broke apart and took each other's hands again. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, for the first time; Mr. David and James Mogtrevo!" Their friends and families clapped and whooped wildly as Jim and David stepped down onto the ground and walked down the aisle.

The reception was held inside the inn, with cheerful music and company surrounding the couple. Many well-wishers and giddy friends swarmed them with congratulations. Catching up with old friends from the academy, the men were overwhelmed with joy at the sight of them. As they moved through the crowd, arm in arm, they came face to face with one particularly unhappy guest.

An older man dressed in a slightly worn suit stood before them. David immediately straitened his back when they came face to face, and Jim saw that the man wore the medal of honor, which was pinned to his coat pocket. His frown lines were cut deep in his forehead and his mouth was drawn taunt in a tight frown. "Well," he growled quietly. "You've made this quite the display." He looked around the room in displeasure. "I would not have made the trip if I'd known it would be such a," he paused to sneer at the fellow guests. "spectacle."

"Thank you for coming, sir." David responded quietly. "I didn't think you would." He added.

"I almost didn't." The man replied sharply.

Jim squeezed David's arm gently to have his husband introduce them. David cleared his throat. "Jim, this is Admiral Gregory Mogtrevo…my father."

"A pleasure to meet you, sir." Jim smiled politely and put out his hand. Captain Mogtrevo just raised an eyebrow and grunted in acknowledgement. He glared at their intertwined arms and ring embellished hands. His displeasure hovered like a cloud; raining on anyone who approached him. Jim lowered his arm and stood there awkwardly.

David frowned and pulled his arm out of Jim's elbow so he could wrap it around his new husband's waist. "Well, I won't ask you to stay longer than you need to, sir. Feel free to leave if you wish."

"I think I will." Admiral Mogtrevo's face was contorted in anger, his mouth twitching to keep the words he wanted to say inside. "I don't want to stay in the company of those with such unsavory morals. I can find my ride presently."

"Then please do so." David growled low in his throat. Jim could feel the tension between them growing, and started to move to the side to pull David away. As he did so, his mother, unknowing of the situation, bounded over to the trio.

"Oh boys, isn't this great? Everyone is having a great time!" she clasped her hands together and smiled warmly at her surroundings. When he eyes met the Admiral's, her smile faltered. "Is there, something wrong?" she asked gently.

"Yes, there is." The Admiral answered. David lowered his eyes to stare at the floor, ready for the verbal assault his father was about to thrust upon him. "I seem to be the only one who can see sense in this room. Madam, you appear to be under the impression that this is a happy occasion. But I can see no joy in watching our sons legally bind themselves together in such a way. It is immoral, incompetent, and downright wrong for them to have done so, but far be it from me to give my son advice. He is my only child after all, wouldn't want to keep the family name from any tarnish, would we David? You continuously charge into rash decisions, fumbling your way through life like a blind child and leaving destruction in your wake for me to clean up. When will you realize that your actions affect the family?" he turned to look at Jim, who was glaring right back at the old soldier. "And you. I don't know much about you, but you can't be any less of a fool than my son if you're part of this. Marrying, at this time of life, with your careers racing forward, you're dead set for failure. And as far as whatever you two are, I don't know what you and David have done, but God help you if it goes on."

Mrs. Hawkins was stunned into silence; her mouth agape. She stared, unbelieving, at the grumpy old man putting down her new son. As the Admiral took a breath to continue, she clamped her mouth shut and began to scold him. "How dare you!" she snapped. Admiral Mogtrevo turned his head to look at her with a scowl.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, 'how dare you?'" She repeated. "This is your child, not your soldier. David is free to do whatever he wants, he is a grown man!" The Admiral opened his mouth to speak but she wiggled her finger at him. "And no one can call my Jim a fool! He is the smartest boy you'll ever meet, mister. And this is a wedding, not a place for opinions. If you can't be happy for our boys, you can just take that bad attitude you've got and take it somewhere else!" she pointed toward the door.

The Admiral huffed and turned to go; stomping off past the other guests. Jim pulled David close and pressed his palm gently against his husband's cheek. David held it there, but stared at the ground sadly. Mrs. Hawkins scoffed at the admiral's retreating figure, and patted David's shoulder gently. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

"I didn't think it would have gone differently. Thank you though," he smiled sadly. "I appreciate your kindness, Mrs. Hawkins." The older woman squeezed his shoulder.

"Oh please," she let out a light laugh. "It's mom now. I won't tolerate any other names." She moved away to talk to other guests, and to leave the couple alone.

"Babe, are you okay?" Jim asked his husband quietly once they had moved to a corner of the room together. David hid away his sadness, but it sat in his eyes like moss on a tree.

"Of course I am." He pulled Jim against him. "I'm with you, aren't I?" he leaned down and the two shared a kiss. Their guests cheered as they did so and clinked their glasses. As they pulled apart again to talk to more guests, two beaming faces approached them.

"Jim, this is quite the party!" Dr. Delbert Doppler held a glass of sweet wine in one hand and his daughter's hand in the other. "I must say that I couldn't be happier for the two of you. It's as if my own son was getting married, you know." He smiled sweetly at the young man he'd known since his birth. His wife, Captain Amelia, was standing with one arm around her waist comfortably and the other hand holding a glass.

"Indeed, my dear. Unorthodox, but quite a wonderful ceremony." She turned to smile at David. "Mr. Mogtrevo, congratulations on your nuptials. You've chosen quite the partner." She winked at Jim affectionately.

"Yes, I know." David pulled Jim closer and kissed the top of Jim's head. "Thank you for saying so."

"Thanks for being here guys. I know you don't have a lot of time on your hands. When do you sail out next, Captain?" Jim asked politely. Captain Amelia scrunched her nose and took a sip of her drink.

"I head out for the Lagoon Nebula in three days." She stated. "That barely leaves enough time to get the children organized and Delbert prepared for a couple of months without me." She turned to look at her husband, who was desperately trying to not spill his drink while holding on to his daughter's hand. The young cat-girl was squirming out of his grip to get away, but one look from her mother had her standing at attention quietly. Amelia turned to face the young men again. "He's too soft on them, you know."

"My dear," Delbert replied. "They are children, not soldiers." He smiled affectionately at his daughter, who smiled back sheepishly.

"Well, we will let you two get back to socializing." Amelia stated matter-of-factly. "I'm sure there are plenty of others who would also enjoy your company." The couple moved to go talk to Mrs. Hawkins at the other end of the room, leaving the newlyweds to make their rounds to other friends and family. Jim recognized many of the guests on his side as people he'd known as regulars at the inn or neighbors on Montressor. He met many of David's family members- he was from a rather large family who loved him very much. It was almost overwhelming for Jim, who'd only had his mother as his only legitimate family member that had attended the wedding. But, the more warm greetings and hugs he received, the more welcome he felt in the family. Plump, rosy cheeked, aunts and gangly limbed uncles came to shake his hand and learn more about his life story.

As the party dwindled down some, an unfamiliar face entered through the front door of the inn. A rather tall brunette with short hair and a trimmed beard scanned the occupants of the room. With a confident stare, he made his way past the guests standing by the door. His combat boots clunked heavily against the wood floor. His arms were tight at his sides, and his head was held high as he moved to the middle of the room. As he passed, his presence caught the eyes of guests like a foreigner in their midst. A handful of them recognized the gloomy figure, and were shocked into whispers and hushed tones.

Sarah was making herself busy, helping B.E.N pick up plates and other dishes from tables in the room and taking them to the back kitchen. The man was heading straight for her, but stopped when he ran into Jim; who was backing up to go talk to his mother. "Oh, sorry." Jim absentmindedly apologized and moved around the man. As he was pulled away into another conversation, the man continued to pursue Mrs. Hawkins, and stopped a few feet behind her. Taking a plate from her hand, the man spoke in a quiet voice.

"Looks as though you've done well with the place, Sarah."

Mrs. Hawkins' heart stopped dead in its tracks. Shaking it off as just a bad dream, she pulled away from the voice and grabbed more dishes from the table.

"This place is so different from how I remember it." The voice carried on. "Not the dim little shack we used to call home anymore, is it?"

Sarah took a deep breath- her heart was pounding wildly. She turned to face the man standing before her. He was a tall man with broad shoulders, a widow's peak hair line, and a graying beard. He had his black pants tucked into his combat boots, and was wearing a nice suit jacket. Sarah stared into two hazel eyes, ones she knew all too well.

"What are you doing here, Benjamin?" Her husband stood before her, looking the same as when he'd left, fifteen years ago. His hair was graying on the sides, and his laugh lines were more prominent; but he still had that look that told you he was a man who got what he wanted.

"I was in the neighborhood," came the reply, smooth as a snake's skin. "and heard our son's name in town while passing through." He brushed some dirt off his coat cuff. "Thought I'd come see what the fuss was about."

"You need to leave." Sarah tried to stand her ground, but she was visibly shaken. In the corner of her eye, she watched Jim and prayed he wouldn't come over to her. "You can't be here." Benjamin laughed in his throat.

"What are you talking about? This is my home." He walked forward and placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Now, let's not make a scene in front of James, alright?" Sarah wasn't paying attention; her gaze was now completely focused on Jim, who was making his way toward her with David. She pushed at Benjamin's arm and started backing him toward the door.

"You need to leave, right now." Even with all her might, she could only get Benjamin to take a few steps back. "I will not have you ruin this-"

"Mom?" Jim took a few cautious steps toward her, but stopped in his tracks. She in turn lowered her arms and took a deep breath. "Mom, what's-" Jim was trying to contemplate the impossible that was standing before him. "What's going on?" Jim furrowed his eyebrows and let go of David's hand to creep closer. He couldn't catch his breath fast enough to slow down his heart as he took in the sight of his father, standing in the middle of his home, on his wedding day.