Author's note: This story was inspired by a conversation with the lovely ladies of the Nicola Walker forum. A special thanks to LadyJ for telling me about the Ghost Bride legend, which I've incorporated into this story.
I don't own anything. If I did, Ruth and Harry would've married and lived happily ever after years ago.

Picture Perfect

Ruth let out a sigh of contentment. This was it: she had finally found the perfect place for their wedding. A small but beautiful 15th century church, situated in a picturesque village in the middle of Dartmoor. It had not been easy to find the perfect spot to finally exchange their vows after all this time. She had been given free reign over the preparations, so she was going to make sure everything would go exactly the way she wanted.

For a while she had considered to get married in Exeter, the city of her birth. And even though she had really liked the idea at first, it just did not feel right. She still loved going back there, and the small West Country city would always have a special place in her heart, but for some reason she did not exactly get wedding vibes from it. So she had driven around the area by herself, determined to find the place.

She had always loved Dartmoor. When she was a little girl her father always used to take her for long walks out on the Moors. And after he passed away she often went there alone; to allow herself some space to think, and to remember her father in the surroundings that he had loved most. Driving through the beautiful countryside and lovely villages helped her remember bygone times, and memories both good and bad.

She had come across the village by accident, as the hours of driving around and reminiscing had caused her to run out of petrol. The moment she had first laid eyes on the village church she had known that she had found the place she was looking for.

Having always had a passion for history, and of course her being an analyst made her want to find out everything there was to know about the church.

The site of the church is said to have been hallowed for centuries before its construction. It was dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel on 30th July 1261 by Bishop Branscombe. Although first constructed in the 13th century, the present building is mostly 15th century.

But Ruth's favourite part of its history was also the most important event in the history of the church.

The church is said to be haunted by the so-called 'ghost bride'. On 11 October 1641, one Mary Whiddon was shot by her ex-lover as she left the church on the day of her marriage. Oddly enough she is said to bring luck to all brides who get married in the church. Also, it is a village tradition to leave the bouquet on Mary's grave as a sign of respect. This story, which may or may not be true, was one of the inspirations behind R.D. Blackmore's novel, 'Lorna Doone'.

The idyllic setting alone had been enough to make it the perfect spot for the wedding, but the background story just added that little bit extra. Ruth loved all this extra information, especially the aspect of good luck. In their profession they could do with some of that.

Some days she can scarce believe that this is happening, that she is finally going to marry Harry Pearce. After all these years of waiting, longing, wanting. They have come a long way since Ruth stumbled into the meeting room for the first time all those years ago. At the time she had been very excited about her secondment to MI5, away from the dull and tedious job at GCHQ. Once her secondment had been turned into a permanent stay she knew her life would never be the same again. But she could never have envisaged the amount of change that she had to go through.

Some of the changes were good, others were not. But this was all in the past now. From now on she would be looking into the future, and for now it was looking very bright indeed. In a strange, unconventional, and in a slightly old-fashioned way, she had found a man she loved, and who loved her in return. And it was that love which she treasured more than anything, and very soon they would promise each other that love for all eternity.

Ruth smiled to herself as she looked at the church entrance. She could just picture herself and Harry leaving the church after having exchanged their vows in a beautiful but modest ceremony. She had already managed to find a dress the other day; a long, creamy white sleeveless dress with a matching jacket, which would be ideal for their spring wedding. She didn't know what Harry would be wearing, but she was sure he would look handsome as ever, no matter what kind of suit he wore. There was a little pub within walking distance from the church, which would be perfect for drinks afterwards. Ruth had already had a chat with the landlord, and had managed to book the backroom for the occasion. She had really planned everything to make sure their big day would be just perfect. And even though the big event was still 5 weeks away, she was already starting to get nervous.

She realised she had been standing in the churchyard, daydreaming, for quite some time now, and she still had a long drive back to London ahead of her. She allowed herself one last glimpse at the church before getting into her car and driving off.

She felt happier and more excited than she had about anything in a long time, now that she had found the ideal place for them to get married in. No matter how long and how hard the days at work would be sometimes, she could handle it, because now she had something to look forward to. They did not want to make a big thing out of their wedding, and had chosen to keep it simple but elegant. The village church definitely matched those criteria. She just hoped Harry would like it too.

The End

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