AN: I had oral surgery and online classes, and thus my motivation has been dwindling.

Disclaimer: Not you DD.

Title: And Many Happy Returns

Word Count: 770

Summary: Accidental marriage and wizardry goes hand in hand.

"This happens all the time," Carl tried to say soothingly. Nita and Kit were fidgeting on his couch, obviously distressed about the recent news.

"How am I supposed to tell my dad?" Nita moaned.

Kit turned his head so fast that he nearly got whiplashed. "Your dad," he said. "Neets, how about my dad? Oh, Powers," his shoulders sagged, "Mama's going blow a fuse, but Meela…" his voice trailed off, the horror growing in his eyes.

Nita nudged his shoulder with hers. "Or Dairine," she added.

They both shuddered.

Carl covered his face with his hands. "Guys—"

But neither were aware of the older wizard speaking. Nita turned to Kit. "What else did we do on that planet? First, we fixed the alloy problems in the soil, but the spell we used—"

"—wasn't a binding one," Kit finished. He rubbed his chin, thinking. "We had to talk to the soil directly so that we could get through the crust. But I don't think… Then I found you that cool rock when we were by the ocean…"

Carl was trying not to laugh. He had his knuckled in his mouth in an attempt to stop the sniggering.

"And then they served us that meal. Remember how you got that blue sauce stain on your shirt?" Nita laughed at Kit's expression.

Her partner wrinkled his nose. "I still can't get it out. Mama's been making me do all the laundry with magic because now everything's blue." He picked at the hem of his shirt that was the same shade of the aforementioned sauce.

"Nita, you were the one that gave him the sauce, right?" Carl asked, his tone light and amused.

It finally dawned on them.

Nita's lips made a perfectly shaped O, as Kit's mouth dropped, his bottom lip hanging out dramatically.

Carl pushed his opened manual toward them; the indicated page was faintly glowing a blue light. "This planet's marriage ritual is pretty straightforward. Someone gifts the other a rock, and then the other feeds them a sauce that promotes—" his mouth twitched "—certain activities for the rest of the rite, which last for about a week."

Nita, who was sitting fairly close to Kit (and her fingers unconsciously playing with his hand), quickly moved to the other end of the couch.

This didn't bother Kit, and it was because he was more fascinated by the bowl of fruit that was on the table. His face was steadily matching the color of the apple.

"Come on," said Carl. "This isn't the end of the world. Only ten other planets will recognize your marriage, and the divorce looks pretty simple. I'm sure that your short time as Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez won't have a lasting impact."

Nita and Kit jumped at being called this.

Carl smiled. "You got lucky, you know. Other planets have additions to these rites, like a stronger telepathic bond, or the two would literally be stuck to each other for a certain period time. Don't worry, this is more common than you think."

Nita glared at her mentor who was wearing a broad grin. She narrowed her eyes and huffed. "Fine," she said thinly. "Get it over with."

And Carl started laughing loudly just in time when Tom entered with the dogs and the groceries.

Annie leaped to join her owner on the couch, excitingly looking around. What's going on? she asked, wagging her tail. Are we having a party?

Setting the groceries down on the table with one hand, Tom lightly cuffed the back of his partner's head with the other. "Ass. How many times have we gotten married by accident?"

"I've lost count at five." Carl scratched the spot behind Annie's ear; the large sheepdog was sprawled over his lap. He was still sniggering. "Remember the one that had the side-effects with the…" He stopped and remembered that they had guests. "You know what, I'll save that story for when the kids are older."

Kit made a face. "Ew."

Nita continued glaring. "You told him?" She pointed an accusatory finger at Tom.

"Don't worry, I brought a gift," said Tom. He rubbed his hands together, a smile growing. He reached inside one of the bags and pulled out a blender. "We needed a new blender, but we think a certain new couple would like it more as a wedding present."

Having enough, Kit jumped to his feet. "Come on, Nita, let's go get that divorce."

Tom and Carl waved jovially as the younger wizards left the house muttering angry threats under their breaths.

"Have a nice honeymoon!" Carl said. "Don't forget to write!"