"Well, if it isn't the bestselling author himself! Mr. Thom E. Gemcity has decided to grace us with his presence?"
Tim smiled broadly as he slipped off his coat and handed it over to the coat check girl in exchange for a ticket. "Hey, Nick," he greeted as he accepted a hug from his long time friend, Nick Ahrens. "You can't imagine how shocked I was when I got the wedding invitation. What poor woman did you dupe?"
Nick gave Tim a playful punch on the shoulder in response to the comment. "Her name's Leanne, and don't you dare tell her any embarrassing stories about when we were younger."
"Aw, not even about when you got bit by that spider and decided you were Spiderman?" Tim teased, recalling his friend running around in Spiderman pajamas, climbing the trees and shooting silly string at his mother chasing after him.
"Not a word," Nick said in as serious a tone as he could muster, but even as he spoke his lips were trembling to hold back the amused grin.
Tim and Nick had become quick friends when their fathers, both Naval Officers, had been stationed in Alameda. The seven-year-olds had both found they had a mutual interest in comic books, computers, and science and the friendship was forged. After school they would each be carted off to one or the others' house where they would trade comics, play computer and video games, and have the kinds of conversations that only seven-year-olds could consider serious, like debating who would win in a fight between Wolverine and Superman. In the summer, the boys would ride their bikes out to the public pool and stay out as late as their parents would allow. They'd even managed to convince their parents to let them camp out in Tim's backyard, a victory they then considered to be their most grown-up moment, despite the fact that Tim's mother cooked their hot dogs and his father had checked up on them throughout the evening.
The life of a Navy brat, though, was an ever changing one, as both boys knew. When they were twelve, Nick's father was sent to Charleston, South Carolina and the family left with him. There were tearful good-byes, but the boys didn't fight it. They'd continued to keep in touch through the years, sending birthday and Christmas cards along with pictures of their own adventures. With the dawning of the tech age, Tim and Nick sent e-mails back and forth and managed to squeeze in chats here and there. Nick was Tim's oldest friend and the person who probably knew him the best.
"How was your trip? I hope the weather didn't get too bad."
"It was fine," Tim assured him. Driving from D.C. to Ohio hadn't been ideal, but it was better than shelling out a wad of money for plane tickets. "There was a little rain, but I made it here in one piece. I'm checked in at the Marriot and ready for the weekend."
"NCIS was okay with you taking the time off? They're not going to be lost without their favorite computer geek?" Nick teased.
"I think they'll survive. When I left this morning, they were still knee-deep in cold cases and paperwork. If anyone does get killed or kidnapped while I'm gone, they'll just have to get things done the old fashioned way."
"You know, sometimes I envy your life," Nick said with more than a little awe. After reading Deep Six, he'd gotten the impression that his friend's life was a never-ending series of exciting adventures.
"Funny," Tim replied, "I could say the same thing about your life."
While Tim had been busy at MIT, Nick had been attending Penn State where he eventually earned his MBA. When Tim went off to FLETC, Nick started a small electronics company by the name of TechCore. By the time Tim had joined the MCRT, Nick's company had been booming. Now, he was a millionaire and had just been listed on the Forbes Top 100. He was proud of his friend, of course, but he sometimes wondered what might have happened if he'd chosen a different path.
"So I've got your tux all rented and the church is just two blocks from your hotel. All you have to do is show up tomorrow and give me the rings," Nick said as he led Tim into the banquet hall he had rented out for the combined engagement party and rehearsal dinner. The church in which the ceremony would take place was already booked that night, but the priest who would marry the couple had graciously agreed to hold the rehearsal there that evening. There were some two hundred guests already in attendance and tables had been set up in the center of the floor, each with an ice bucket and bottle of champagne in the middle. Surrounding them were buffet tables with lines of people slowly filling up their plates.
"I think I can handle that, Nick. Thanks again for asking me to be your Best Man. I'm honored, really."
"Of course you're my Best Man," Nick replied with a laugh. "Who else was I going to ask? Katharine?"
Three years their junior, Katharine had been the typical pesky younger sister who would follow Nick and Tim around whenever possible. When they went on their adventures, she'd be on her own bike in a flash, pedaling after them, begging them to let her tag along. With a roll of their eyes and the knowledge that their parents would scold them if they tried to blow her off, they begrudgingly allowed her to come along, though they did everything in their power to pretend like she wasn't there. Though he never would have admitted it, Tim secretly enjoyed having her pleading to be included. It made him feel like someone was looking up to him.
As Nick and Tim made their way toward one of the tables, Tim asked, "How is Katharine? Haven't seen her since…well, the funeral."
Five years prior, Nick and Katharine's parents had been killed in a car crash. Tim had attended the funeral and had offered both of them a strong shoulder to cry on. It felt awkward for him to bring it up, even now.
Thankfully, Nick took it in stride. "She's holding in there. I know she's around here somewhere. Got in just this morning."
"She's in, uh, the Peace Corps, right?" Tim said. He remembered hearing how shocked Nick had been when Katharine, after nine years spent studying to be a doctor, had decided to forgo a position at one of the hospitals offering her a job in favor of joining the Peace Corps and, in her words, using her abilities to help those who were truly in need.
Nick nodded as he grabbed two glasses of champagne and handed one over to Tim. "That's Katharine, all right. My sister's all heart. They sent her to Ethiopia and she seems content." He stopped and squinted, looking just past Tim. "Aha, there she is! Nice of you to join us, sis."
Tim turned to see a young woman approaching them. Her blonde hair was styled in a short pixie cut with spiky bangs hanging over her forehead. The body that had once been tall and gawky had now grown muscular and athletic, something that was very conspicuous when donning a sleeveless handkerchief dress.
"Timothy," Katharine squealed, pulling him in for a hug. "Or do you go by Thom or Mr. Gemcity now?"
"No, no, I'm still Tim to my friends," he said as he reciprocated the embrace. "How have you been, Kath?"
"Wonderful! And how is NCIS treating you?"
"I'm still alive. Even managed to sneak away for a couple of days to watch this schmuck get married," he said, punctuating the word with a gentle jab at Nick. "So where is the blushing bride?"
Katharine pointed toward the front of the banquet hall where a woman was standing with a glass of champagne in her hand, flanked on both sides by people who were admiring her ring. The woman was tall and slender with a light tan. Her brown hair had golden highlights and was pulled back into a simple French twist. She wore a gold gown that shimmered every time she moved and a gold chain hung around her neck, holding a cameo pendant.
"That would be Leanne," she said. Tim thought there was a slightly sour tone in her voice, but he didn't comment on it. Nick in the meantime had gone to save his fiancée from the crowd and bring her to meet Tim.
"Leanne, this is my best friend from childhood," he said as they neared Tim and Katharine. "I know I've talked about him non-stop."
Tim smiled and offered his hand. "Very nice to meet you, Leanne."
"Likewise," she replied, taking his hand in her own well-manicured hand. Tim noticed the large ring on her finger. It looked like it could weigh somebody down to the bottom of the ocean. "Nick has told me so much about you."
"Good stuff, I hope. If not, I know I could tell you a few tales about him."
"Ha, let's not go there," Nick intervened.
"You know, Leanne, it's not too late to turn back," Tim added playfully.
At that, Leanne threw her head back with a laugh, making Tim grimace slightly. Her laugh was the nasally kind that didn't so much bubble up as it did hit you over the head like a mallet. It just sounded forced and unnatural. "Oh, that is so funny," she droned. "Nick didn't tell me you had such a sense of humor."
Tim smiled, but exchanged a look with Katharine who looked similarly taken aback. "I have my moments, I guess."
Nick was unperturbed by Leanne's laugh. He slipped his arm through hers and pulled her against him. "She's a doll, isn't she?"
"Oh! Donny!" Leanne called out, waving a muscular man over to the group. "This is Donny, my brother. Donny, you know Nick. This is his friend Tim and his sister Katharine."
They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before Nick steered the group toward a free table near the back of the banquet hall. "So what do you do, Leanne?" Tim asked as he politely pulled out the chair for Katharine. Nick did the same for Leanne.
"Oh, I'm an actress. Well, aspiring, I guess you could say."
"Would I have seen you in anything?"
She rolled her eyes. "Not unless you saw the production of The Crucible in Cincinnati a year ago. Haven't done much else since then. Of course," she added, taking Nick's hand, "when you're in love, what more do you need?"
Tim raised an eyebrow, but remained silent at the overly-mushy display of affection. "So how'd you guys meet?"
"Oh, it was fate!" Leanne exclaimed as though God himself had somehow brought them together.
"My car was having engine problems, so I brought it to a mechanic one of my employers had recommended to me," Nick explained. "Turns out Donny was one of the guys working on my car. When I went to pick it up, I ran into Leanne."
"I was just dropping off some lunch for Donny and the other guys," she said with a blush, "but…oh, it was like love at first sight! So many of the guys I've known were just interested in my body, but Nicky was the first to really be interested in my mind." At that, she leaned in to Nick and gently nuzzled his neck with her nose. "I thought he'd never pop the question."
"And here I thought I was moving too fast," Nick replied jokingly. "Not many guys are so sure after dating for only four months."
"Four months?" Katharine repeated incredulously. She had spent longer than that training for the Peace Corps.
"Well, when you're sure, you're sure," Leanne shot back with a snide edge to it.
Tim sensed tension between the two women who had only known each other for less than a day. Their eyes locked in a steely gaze, their mouths sculpted into taut frowns. The exchange didn't go unnoticed by the silent Donny, but Nick seemed oblivious to the entire ordeal. His eyes were on his soon-to-be bride, and nothing else.
"I think I need another drink," Tim announced, for no other reason but to break the stifling silence. "Would anyone like to join me?"
"Yes," Katharine said quickly before downing her own glass of champagne. "I could use a refill as well."
"Well, I think we'd better make the rounds," Nick said, taking Leanne's hand in his own and helping her out of her chair. "Lots of people who still haven't met the future Mrs. Nick Ahrens." With a giggle, Leanne allowed him to lead her away toward another group of people. Donny remained in his seat, sipping his beer with a stone cold face.
"So that's Leanne," Tim commented once he and Katharine were out of ear shot. "She's…uh…different." To be quite frank, Leanne was the antithesis of the kind of woman he'd imagined his friend would marry. She was beautiful, of course, and she wasn't nasty or a bimbo. But there seemed something so forced about her, like she was just playing a part.
Katharine groaned slightly. "I swear, there is something so off about her. I know I'm probably just being an overprotective sister and all, but I've got a bad feeling about all of this."
Tim grabbed them each another glass from a passing waiter. "Well, you've been gone for a while, so you missed most of their courtship. Maybe if you'd gotten a chance to know her before all this you'd like her better."
"Possibly," she conceded. "But it all happened so quickly! I mean, four months of dating and then a one month engagement? Don't you think that's a bit rushed?"
He did think a longer dating or engagement period would have benefited them all, but it wasn't really his place to comment. Some times things just happened that quickly. "You know Nick. Once he's set on something, he doesn't often change his mind."
"Yeah, I guess he and I are alike in that respect."
"You and Leanne have just met and she probably feels awkward about it so she's trying really hard to be liked. She just needs time to get comfortable around you. Let's face it, you're an acquired taste. Took me five years just to tolerate you."
That brought a grin to Katharine's face and she retaliated with a gentle elbow to his side. "Hey! Forgive me for wanting to be included!"
He feebly held up a hand in defense. "All I'm saying is that you could be bratty when you wanted to be."
"And you guys could be jerks. Like stealing my Barbie and tying her onto that rocket you guys shot across the pond."
"That was all Nick's idea."
"Yeah, but you went along with it."
"And we paid for it," Tim said, recalling the stern talking to he and Nick had been given while a bawling Katharine stood nearby.
"I miss those days."
"What? You miss us stealing your dolls?"
"No, I just mean us being friends. Well, you and Nick being friends and me running after you guys, begging you to let me play. Before...well…" She trailed off awkwardly and Tim knew her mind was on her parents.
"Come here," he said softly, pulling her into a gentle hug with his free hand. "Things are always easier when you're a kid. No responsibilities."
They stood side by side, watching Nick and Leanne traverse the room, stopping at the different clumps of people to greet their guests. Each time they came to a new group, Nick would make the initial greeting while Leanne hung behind. Then he would present her and the guests would shake her hand, always admiring the ring.
"So other than Donny, who else is from Leanne's side of the family?"
"No one. Their father walked out when they were young and their mother was a junkie who ODed. There was no next of kin, so she and Donny went in and out of foster homes. Apparently they had to work hard to even keep in touch, but they managed."
"Oh, that must have been tough," Tim commented sympathetically.
Katharine nodded in agreement. "Makes me feel kind of bad for not liking her."
"Well, I propose a toast," he said, holding his glass out toward her.
"A toast to what?"
"To old friends and new acquaintances."
Her eyes fixated on her soon-to-be sister-in-law, her mouth pouting. "Very well," she agreed finally. "To old friends…and people who might be new acquaintances."
They clinked their glasses together.
AN: Hey, guys! Yes, it's another WIP, but I couldn't help myself! The plotbunny wouldn't leave me alone. Anywho, I don't see this being too long. Maybe 5-7 chapters. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!