Disclaimer:
I don't own the characters of Peter, Sophie, etc… I'm not using this for money… Yatsa, yatsa, and yatsa.
Claimer:
I own Xan Aleeza & Nickolas Francisco.
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Wedding Bells
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December 25th, 2000
4:03 am
Peter looked across the campus. These were his last hours as a bachelor, and all he could think about was Sophie. His brother and some old friends had flown to Washington and then drove to Agnes, so they could throw him a bachelor party. However, Peter didn't want to go. The five disenchanted men ended up sitting on the floor or his office telling horror stories of the young, pre-drugs, pre-alcohol, Peter.
"Peter?" A voice called from the door. He knew who it was and he didn't have to look at her to know she was crying.
He turned around and walked over to her. Xan Aleeza Noellesen had to be one of the most destroyed teens in all of Horizon. Since telling about their father in July, the twins withdrew quietly from everyone except for Peter, Sophie, Shelby, Scott, and Kat. Nick would speak to them and only them, Xan would whisper and every night, she'd cry from the memories she'd been recovering – The ones she thought she'd forgotten. And almost every night, Xan would retreat to Peter's office (Whether he was there or not) to sit on the couch and stare at the ceiling until she was calm again, then she would return to the dorm.
Peter patted the spot on the couch that he'd just pushed his brother off of. Xan complied, her head on Peter's shoulder, and he began to rock her back and forth.
"Are you gonna leave after you get married?"
Peter looked down at Xan, "For a quick two week vacation and then we're coming right back."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Xan hugged Peter like he was leaving and never coming back, and then after a minute or so; she stood up and went back to her bed.
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Sophie watched Xan walk back into the dorm. The girls had managed to drag Sophie to their dorm for the night on the premise of an old tradition. They'd told her that the Groom isn't allowed to see the Bride for 24 hrs before the wedding. Peter had moaned and whined about it with Juliette and Kat for an hour the day before, but in the end Jules and Kat won.
"Where'd you go?" Sophie asked, stretched out on the bed next to Xan's.
"Peter's office."
Sophie nodded her head, and yawned, "So, can the Groom see me on the day of the wedding?"
"Yes, but not yet." She said, knowing that Sophie was going to take any leeway that the girls gave her to go see Peter, "I hope I get married one day."
"You will. And he'll be the perfect man for you. Understanding and sweet and kind." Sophie said.
"Sophie, you just described Peter."
"No, I didn't."
Xan nodded her head, "Whatever?" She crawled back into bed and shut her eyes.
Sophie on the other hand was nervous and a bit scared. She loved Peter and she trusted him, but she was still worried. However, it was probably the pre-wedding jitters – plus the fact that their groom's men and bride's maid were the Cliffhangers.
She flipped over and looked at the dress hanging on the bathroom door. It was long and gorgeous. She still didn't know if she'd been influenced by her mother (as Juliette had) to buy the dress, or if the dream she'd always had of being this beautiful bride with curls piled on top of her head and a long gown with a bouquet of white roses, was what made her buy the silk and gossamer dress. The dress hem stopped, in the front, at her toes, but in the back, it seemed to flow on and on stopping three feet behind her. The bodice was a white tube top with embroidery of small flowers on it; the top was sewn to the skirt with fabric flowers covering up the stitching. The veil had been the hardest part to pick. However, Xan had been the one to influence that by saying that she should get a tiara, instead of a long flowing veil, because anymore fabric and Sophie would've been lost beneath it all. Sophie had gotten a silver tiara with diamonds and blue stones. It was small and all the girls thought it was perfect.
Hanging from the mirrors in the bathroom, were the girls' dresses. Shelby, Juliette, Daisy, Xan, and Kat's (She'd returned from college during her Christmas Break for the wedding) were a gorgeous light blue with white around the edge of the top and the edge of the bottom, as well as a ribbon around the waist. Kat's was a shade darker then the others, as she was the maid of honor. Each girl had a silver and blue tiara to wear, with white shoes and a white silk scarf/shawl.
Sophie laughed, as she thought of how much the dresses cost – nothing. The accessories were all they paid for, as she and Peter were lucky enough to have a dress designer's son in the campus that year. He went home three months after his arrival, happier and healthier, and his mother was so happy she volunteered to make Sophie's dress. It had come just two days before. The woman had also made the girls' dresses by altering some old wedding gowns. The grand total had come to zero dollars and zero cents.
"Morning." Kat said while rising from the bed she was in. She stood up and walked into the bathroom – as had been her morning routine when she was a Horizon student. Xan, annoyed that Kat was about to wake her up, pulled a pillow over her head and waited for the college student to call everyone's names.
"If she calls any of us to get out of bed, I'm going to kill her." Daisy said, more tired then anyone else. She'd been up all night flying around the room in the dress, and practicing walking around in high heels. She wasn't as used to them – and since she'd be in them from eleven am until three pm, she wanted to spend a couple of hours getting them broken in.
"Me first." Xan replied.
"Not before me." Shelby added.
Sophie sat up, misty eyed, "God, this is so much like…"
"Like before Kat left and before Jess joined us and before I talked like a human." Xan finished.
Sophie smiled and nodded, as the girls all pulled themselves out of bed and dragged their feet to the bathroom for showers. "Has everyone decided how they're getting their hair done?" She asked, walking in.
Xan nodded, "We're all gonna get the same thing – curls."
Sophie smiled again, "Okay. Let's get moving." She said, as everyone moved about.
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The morning had gone nicely, with guests arriving on time and everyone being dressed and ready by ten. Now the time had come for the last minute preparations and things. The ceremony would be done in the lodge, while the reception would be done outdoors. Everyone on campus was welcome to come, and most were already trying to find more seats. Sophie and Peter had rooms of their own to get ready in – Peter in his office and Sophie in a spare classroom.
The men had crammed their selves into Peter's office rather uncomfortably, but since the groom's men needed more room, the others (Peter's brother included) left to get their seats. Auggie, Nick, Scott, Ezra, and David took the old men's places on the chairs and couch.
"Another hour and you're a married man, Peter." Scott said, with a smile. Scott and Ezra were Peter's best men, and both had been teasing him since the day they went to get their tux fittings.
"Yeah, Peter. Another hour and then you get the ole' ball and chain." Ezra teased.
Peter smiled at them; "Nothing you guys could say could make me unhappy or upset right now. I'm too happy."
The boys smiled evilly, "Not even if we said that, I don't know, the girls were smoking on the dock again?"
Peter smiled back, "No."
"David was doing marijuana… again."
"Nope."
"Geez, he is happy." Auggie said, looking at Peter happily, "I hope that me and Jules are this happy if we get married."
Peter nodded, "With the way you two are now, I'll say that you two would be very happy together and you two would probably have a nice long marriage with a bunch of children."
Auggie smiled at Peter's prediction, and looked at the door as it opened. Xan stood there, "Sophie wants to know if you want to start early."
Peter thought for a moment and then answered, "Tell her I said yes, as long as this means that the fast this is over the faster we can get to the plane."
Xan grinned, "Do all men think about is sex?" She asked, as she walked away. The plane Peter had mentioned was the one that he and Sophie were taking to Hawaii for their honeymoon.
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Sophie took a deep breath as she looked at the door separating her from Peter. She was minutes away from being married, and as the music started (Peter's brother was playing the Wedding March on the piano), Sophie took the white roses she held on both hands. The door opened and she walked in, Xan in the back of her, holding the train of the dress from touching the floor.
As the Bride walked in, flashes went off and Sophie was nearly blinded. But she kept walking, and when she reached the priest, she looked at Peter and was sure of everything at that moment. And as the priest began to say the vows, Sophie could image things to go with them.
"Do you, Sophie Lillian Becker, take this man…" Peter walking to her with flowers, Peter kissing her, talking to her…
"To have and to hold…" Peter holding her by the fire, climbing with her…
"In sickness and in health…" Peter in rehab with her…
"In good times and in bad…" Peter and all the kids he helped (and didn't)…
"Until death do you part?"
Sophie smiled, tears of happiness and joy coming down her face, "I do." Peter placed the ring on her finger, and looked back at the Priest.
"Do you, Peter Alexander Scarbrow, take this woman…" Holding Sophie, talking to her…
"To have and to hold…" Spending time with her…
"In sickness and in health…" Getting on his back about his bad knee, Rehab, The kids…
"In good times and bad…" Those his addictions destroyed, and the kids he helped.
"Until death do you part?"
Peter rubbed Sophie's hand, "I do." She put the ring on his finger.
"You may now kiss the bride."
The two moved closer, and then embraced, before their lips met and they kissed for what seemed to be forever.
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The End.
Cassie Jamie
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