Wedding Bells

Let Me In: 42

Ahmose Inarus

Written for the Wedding Bells Challenge on CCOAC

My assigned pairing and prompts: Spencer Reid & Aaron Hotchner; Wedding vows, wedding mishap, congratulatory wedding toast

Manassas, Virginia

Spencer Reid had no idea how he had gotten there. Well… he had an inkling. After all… Hotch had been determined to make a point. Apparently, after Christmas, Helen had called him twice, trying to "talk sense" into the man. When the wedding invitation came, the gears in Hotch's head started turning. And now, here they were… at the wedding of a Hotchner Family Friend's daughter… as a couple.

"Your mother will kill us…" Reid groaned as they headed for the church, their shoes crunching pleasantly in the fresh snow that was still falling.

"She won't make a scene." Hotch smirked, linking their arms. "Not in public." Reid sighed and rolled his eyes. They stepped inside, and were greeted by an usher. Hotch waved him off when he offered to show them to some seats saying "No thank you, I'll just find my family and sit with them." He said, took Reid's hand and tugged him into the church sanctuary. Reid looked around nervously, sticking closely to his lover. Hotch walked with purpose, clearly already seeing Helen.

"Mother?" He called. She turned and looked up at him.

"Aaron… How good of you to come!" She greeted, as if this were her own wedding. "Your brother couldn't be bothered to…" She trailed off, eyes widening when they fell upon Reid. Her lips were set in a thin line and she scowled. "What is he doing here?" She demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"Well…" Hotch said calmly. "The invitation was for me, plus one."

"And that had to be your plus one?!"

"Who else?" Hotch asked.

"How about a PROPER date?!" Helen hissed, and Hotch's eyes flashed dangerously.

"If I have a fiancé," the Unit Chief snarled, "then the only PROPER date is HIM. Now sit down before you make a scene everyone witnesses."

The thought of everyone discovering that the young man with her son was his DATE was enough for Helen to bite her tongue and sit down stiffly, glaring at the altar. Hotch rolled his eyes and guided Reid to sit down beside him on the pew. Helen folded her hands and her fingers slowly curled around one another, her knuckles turning white as she fought to ignore the fact that Hotch and Reid had just laced their fingers.

Several times, Helen looked like she were about to speak, but then thought better of it and remained silent. But finally, the murmuring crowd grew silent as the music struck up, "Trumpet Tune" by Henry Purcell and the procession began. Down the aisle came the father and mother of the groom, all smiles, and the grandmother followed. Then came the bride's grandfather, with his wife on one arm and his daughter, the mother of the bride, on the other. They took their seats on the front pews, and then came the groom, and the priest. And then, the bridesmaids and groomsmen began to walk down the aisle, arm in arm. There were five sets, the groomsmen in tasteful charcoal suits, the women in long, moss green dresses with silvery shawls and carrying bouquets of evergreen, pinecones, holly berries and white roses. Then the six year old ring bearer walked down the aisle, very solemn with his eyes glued to the rings on the pillow… he was obviously taking his duty very seriously….

"Henry for us?" Hotch whispered to Reid, and Reid grinned.

The Flower Girls came next, one seven, one three. The seven year old was obvious a bossy sister, and kept the three year old on a tight leash and kept hissing her instructions under her breath.

"We don't know any little girls." Hotch suddenly whispered to Reid, frowning.

"Do we really need a Flower Girl?" Reid asked with a slight smile.

"No, I guess not." Hotch admitted. His mother shot them both a glare.

The Flower Girls reached the end of the aisle and went to stand beside the last bridesmaid in the line, who took the older girl's hand, and she clutched tightly to her little sister's hand. For a moment, everything was silent. Then, the "The Prince of Denmark's March" began, and everyone turned, standing. The doors opened and the bride emerged, arms linked with her father. The man was beaming and tears glittered in his eyes. His daughter's bouquet quivered, betraying her excited trembling.

They made their way down the aisle, the groom looking more and more happy with each step his bride took towards him. He hurried to greet her, a bit earlier than he was supposed to, and ended up completely skipping a stair and falling forwards. The bride and her father lunged and managed to catch the groom before he went face first into the floor. The guests laughed and cheered, and the bright red groom straightened his suit; not once had he stopped grinning.

The priest asked the guests to be seated and began to speak. Reid had never attended a wedding in a church like this before, and he listened closely to every word in curiosity. Hotch let go of his hand and curled an arm around Reid, pulling him in closer when the priest asked who was giving away the bride to be married, and the bride's father said "Her mother and I" with such pride and joy in his voice… The utter elation on the groom's face when he took his bride's hand made Reid sigh and smile, resting his head on Hotch's shoulder.

"You think we'll look like that?" Reid whispered.

"I feel like that." Hotch murmured back, "every time I look at you."

Helen glared at them, but they ignored her. Finally, it came time for the couples to recite their vows. The groom's was deep, heartfelt, and even a bit cheesy. When it came time for the bride, she just grinned and said "We all know I'm not a traditional woman… We have a traditional ceremony, but I had to be non-traditional when it came to writing my vows…" Her groom's smile widened to a delighted grin. "You and I are far from similar people. It wasn't love at first sight. I wasn't even 100% sure you were the one until you proposed, asking me to take you as my husband, and the father of my fur-babies." The guests laughed softly. "That's when I really knew that you understood me, you were one of a kind, and I would regret it the rest of my life if I ever let you get away. I'm now prepared to spend the rest of my life with you, embracing our shared passions, and our differences and all the fights they will bring on… Be it XBOX vs Playstation, Hockey vs Baseball, Forests vs Beaches, Marvel vs DC, Star Wars vs Star Trek…" The guests were laughing again as she listed all the things that she and her soon-to-be-husband were known to whole-heartedly argue and debate over… "All we have to know is that we share two very important beliefs… Our faith in Christ… and "Twilight" sucks."

More laughter.

The grinning priest led them through the official vows, with the spitfire bride adlibbing from time to time ("Honor and… occasionally obey…") and bringing more laughter from the guests. But then, finally, the priest said "you may kiss the bride" and the little three year old Flower Girl announced loudly "Mommy, I tooted!" and everyone had to wait for the bride to stop laughing long enough to kiss her new husband. The priest presented the new Mr. & Mrs. Holubec, and the recession began.

Finally, Hotch and Reid left the church to head to the reception. Unfortunately, Hotch had previously offered to drive his mother… as soon as the doors were closed, she verbally pounced.

"I can NOT believe you brought HIM as your date!" Reid flinched and hunched down, but Hotch rolled his eyes.

"Mother, must we got through this again?"

"I am so HUMILIATED!"

"Would you be more humiliated if neither of your sons showed up?"

"What?"

"I wouldn't have come without him. And you may as well get used to it. I'm marrying him and he will be by my side from now on. Always."

Reid, who had scurried to the back seat to hide from Helen, smiled and wrapped his arms around his middle. Hotch saw the smile in the rearview mirror, and was unable to suppress one of his own. After a long moment, Helen spoke up again… and her question surprised them.

"So… you're really going to get married? With a ceremony and everything?"

"Well…" Hotch said slowly. "We won't be marrying LEGALLY…"

"Why not?" Helen asked, and then said derisively, "It's legal in DC."

"Yes… but our work may frown on it."

"I frown on it!" Helen snapped. "But you don't care about letting ME know!"

"Because I don't care WHAT you think!" Hotch exclaimed, laughter in his tone. "But yes. We will have a Commitment Ceremony."

"… Where and when."

"Why do you want to know?" Hotch asked.

"Because."

"Because WHY?"

"I'm your mother." Helen said simply, and Reid grinned at that, while Hotch rolled his eyes.

"In the spring. We haven't decided where."

"Formal?"

"Casual." Hotch said calmly. We'll be going barefoot."

"Barefoot?!"

"Spencer wanted to feel spring grass under his feet." Hotch said calmly. "So we will."

"Hmph." Helen snorted.

"We've been thinking about having the event in our back yard." Reid offered softly from the back seat.

"Back yard?!" Helen blurted. "Not at a proper venue?!"

"Mother, why would you care? According to you, it's not even a proper union!" Hotch pointed out, and Helen blustered angrily and did not speak again until they were at the reception. To her dismay, Hotch and Reid walked into the place hand in hand, and Hotch left Reid on a little lounger to go get him a cocktail… Helen sat beside him.

"… Why are you REALLY with my son?" She demanded to know. Reid inwardly groaned.

"Because I love him." He said softly. "It's not about money. Believe me, if I wanted money, I could get it. I am with your son because what I want is HIM. And even if he were unemployed, no savings, on the streets… I would still want him. And I would care for HIM. I'm NOT looking for a… sugar daddy, I believe is the term?" She gave him a glare, and he simply matched it with an innocent stare of his own.

"… What will it take to get you to break off this ludicrous engagement?!" She finally blurted.

Reid's jaw dropped.

"E-Excuse me?"

"What do you want in exchange for leaving my son?"

"I would NEVER leave him!" Reid cried, jumping to his feet. "Not for anything! You have no IDEA what we've been through together! What we've DONE for each other! What I've done for HIM! I would DIE for him! And I'll die before I leave him!" And Reid turned and fled into the crowd.

A moment later, Hotch returned. He blinked down at his lone mother, who smiled and said "Why thank you, Aaron," as she took the cocktail that he had brought back for Reid. Hotch blinked again, then frowned.

"Where's Spencer?" He asked, his tone stern.

"I have no idea. He really is a catty thing."

"What did you say to him?!"

"Nothing, dear!"

"Yeah, right." Hotch snorted and stormed away cursing himself for foolishly leaving Reid alone with his mother. He began to search for his fiancé…

Reid sighed as he leaned over the balustrade overlooking the garden of the luxury hotel hosting the reception. He shivered and watched his breath misting on the snow-thickened air.

"… Hi." Reid blinked and turned, finding a pretty young woman smiling at him.

"Hello." He mumbled awkwardly.

"You look a bit depressed…" The woman said, and Reid shrugged. She eyed him, then asked "Bride or groom?"

"Oh. Uh, neither. I'm here with a friend of the family."

"Ah." She said, smiling and nodding knowingly. "Bride or groom."

"Bride." Reid answered.

"Not your scene?"

"No, not really. I don't get out much and crowds make me nervous."

"I love this kind of scene." The woman announced. "When I'm in the mood. Not really feeling it right now. But of course, I'm here with a friend of the groom, so…" She trailed off and shrugged. "Where's your date?"

"I'm not sure. I was waiting for him to bring us drinks but I kind of got in an argument with his mother and…" Reid trailed off, noting the woman raising her eyebrows in mild surprise when Reid had referred to his date as a "him".

"… About your relationship?" She asked gently, and Reid nodded.

"That's tough." She said, sipping her own drink. "Not just for you but… him too. You always want mom's approval… it hurts when they don't approve of the one you love."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he doesn't give a damn." Reid said with a wry smile.

"Of course he does." The woman scoffed. "She's his MOTHER. His love for YOU may be stronger than how much he cares for her approval… He may PRETEND not to care, but he does…"

"You sure?"

"Yeah." She responded. "It was heartbreaking for me when my mom didn't approve of the man who proposed to me…" Reid turned to face her.

"What happened?" He asked

"She was furious that I was going to marry a "dirty wetback"… never mind the fact that not only was he born here in the US, so were both of his parents, and THEIR parents came here LEGALLY." She shrugged and sipped her drink again. "She did NOT want her daughter to be Mrs. Espinoza."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Are you?" Reid asked. She grinned at him over her cocktail and lifted her hand, showing off a glittering ring.

"In three months."

"Congratulations." Reid said with a sincere smile.

"Thanks!" She beamed. "So… how about you and YOUR man?" Reid flushed and held up his hand with a shy smile, allowing her to inspect the band he wore.

"… In three months." He echoed. She grinned.

"That's so GREAT!" She gushed. "So… how does YOUR mom feel about it?"

"She's just happy that I'm happy." Reid said, and the woman grinned when he tacked on "But she DID threaten him about KEEPING me happy."

"Oh, good mom!"

"So… what happened with your mom?" Reid asked.

"Well, she eventually came around. I think that after watching us for so long she couldn't really deny that he treats me the way she would want my future husband to treat me, and she sees how much we love each other."

"That's good." Reid nodded with a wistful smile. "I think Aaron's mother only cares about how WE would tarnish her reputation."

"Ah. One of THOSE."

"I guess." Reid shrugged. "I get the sense that Aaron doesn't like his mother much, I've known him for YEARS and he never talks about her… and she's been nothing but haughty and condescending to me…"

"Political, nature or religious objection?"

"Um… All three, I think. But mostly the latter…"

"Ah well… Either she comes around or she doesn't." The woman shrugged. "That's HER problem. And you can't let it bother you. It's between her and your Aaron."

"What about me?" They both turned when Hotch appeared, his eyes on Reid. "I've been looking all over for you." Reid smiled at him, and the woman by his side eyed Hotch appraisingly over the rim of her glass before her lips quirked up at the corners… then she glanced at her ring, glanced at Reid's and then looked at Hotch again with a wistful sigh. Hotch just smiled at Reid and handed him a cocktail.

"Thanks." Reid said.

"To Marrying the one we love, despite what our parents think." The woman announced, raising her glass. Reid blinked, then grinned and matched her toast. They clinked their glasses together and drank. Hotch watched them, curiously.

"It was nice talking to you." The woman said to Reid with a brilliant smile. "But now I think I need to find MY fiancé! Have a happy marriage, and may you live happily ever after!" And she disappeared into the crowd, Reid calling "You too!" after her.

"What was that about now?" Hotch asked, and Reid just sighed and leaned into the man, resting his head on the Unit Chief's shoulder and mumbled "I never asked her for her name…" But then he shook his head slightly as if to clear it, and looked up at Hotch. "Nothing." He smiled, and Hotch curled an arm around him and held him close. "… I love you."

"Love you too, baby." Hotch murmured, and as the cocktail hour ended, the pair headed into the reception hall, finding their table with their place cards and sitting down. Hotch ended up between Reid and his mother, who was shooting glares at Reid. But this time, it didn't bother him nearly as much. Things went by in a blur. The Wedding Party entered doing their own goofy little dances to their own goofy little songs, and finally the bride and groom entered, and had their first dance.

Helen chanced a glance at her son and his… date. The pair were snuggled together watching the couple on the dance floor, soft smiles on their faces. Hotch had an arm around Reid, holding him close, and his other hand was sandwiched between Reid's hands on Reid's lap. Reid's head was resting on his shoulder, and after a moment, the young man closed his eyes as he savored the closeness. When the dance was over the pair finally separated, leaning away from one another to sit straight in their seats. But Reid fixed a look upon Hotch that Helen could only describe as adoring. She pursed her lips and scowled, focusing her attention instead on the menu and wondering when the wine would be poured…

She didn't have to wait long and then the entrée orders were taken and soup was served, a creamy bisque, and the salad followed. Reid painstakingly picked out the spinach, and Hotch teased him lightly as he did it. The main course was served; guests got to choose between three items. Hotch got the steak, Reid got the chicken and Helen had the snapper fillet. She watched the pair chat quietly throughout the entire meal, lost in their own world while she herself had to make nice and converse with old friends around the table who had their critical eyes on her son and his date. She could hardly bare the humiliation; she didn't try to bring any attention onto her, which was generally completely against her nature…

Dinner ended and there was some time to relax and then the Father-Daughter Dance was announced and then came the cutting of the cake. The bride and groom both had messy faces at the end of it.

"You want a face full of—"

"NO." Reid said firmly, making Hotch grin. The cake was served and Hotch and Reid happily enjoyed their cake with coffee while Helen sat stiff beside them. The bouquet was thrown, and then the garter, and then the dancing commenced. This was when Helen finally bolted up from her seat.

"Well, it's getting late. I think we should head out now, Aaron." She blurted. Hotch turned and gave her a look. He knew perfectly well that she wanted to get the hell out before people witnessed her son on the dance floor with another man.

"Oh, go socialize, mother." He snorted, standing and taking Reid's hand. Reid looked like a deer in headlights, and Helen looked like the hunter ready to shoot the deer before a spectacle was made.

"Aaron?" The all turned when the voice broke through the tension. The bride was heading towards them, eyes wide in amazement. "Aaron Hotchner?! Oh my God it IS you!" And she let out an excited squeal and threw her arms around his neck. "I hardly recognized you! It's been what?! Twenty, twenty five years?! You were in Law School!"

"And you were in Junior High and had a crush on me." Hotch chuckled with a grin. She tilted her head to the side with a grimace and roll of the eyes.

"Guilty!" She admitted, then turned. "Mrs. Hotchner! I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Oh, of course Liz, I wouldn't miss it!" Helen gushed, embracing her. Then Liz turned to Reid.

"This is my fiancé, Spencer." Hotch announced, and Helen looked like she was going to keel over and die of embarrassment right then and there.

"… Really?!" Liz blurted, looking stunned. "Wow! Never would have guessed THAT! But whatever…" She shrugged and shook Reid's hand. "Thank you for coming. You know, you and I should talk! I grew up down the street from Aaron, I could tell you SO many things about him when he was a kid!"

"Uh, let's not." Hotch interjected quickly, and Reid grinned.

"Oh? Why?" He asked, giving his lover a shrewd look.

Liz looked delightedly amused and sashayed around behind Reid to move on to the next group of people, leaning over and murmuring into his ear, "Like I said, we should chat… congratulations! You're landing yourself a winner!" And with a sassy wink at the pair of them, she was gone.

"See, mother?" Hotch said, smirking at his mom. "We're not as scandalous as you think. Now sit down and have some coffee. I'm not leaving without a dance." And he pulled a protesting Reid out onto the dance floor.

"You know…" He murmured, pulling Reid up flush against his body. "We've been together for over a year… and we've never danced…" Reid blinked up at him, a blush painting his cheeks, and then a smile crossed his face. Hotch wrapped one arm around Reid, resting his hand in the small of his back, and guided Reid's arm around his shoulders before he took his other hand.

"I don't know how to dance…" Reid whispered in weak protest.

"All you have to do is move. With me." Hotch told him, and kissed him gently as they began to rock back and forth, shifting their weight from foot to foot, starting out slow and easy for the skittish young genius.

Off to the side of the dance floor, the future Mr. & Mrs. Espinoza watched.

"You think we look that sweet when we're dancing?" She asked, looking up at her handsome Latino fiancé. He smiled back at her.

"I think we look just as sweet… but I think you're more gorgeous than either one of them ever could be." And he leaned over and kissed her, but made a face when she hummed and said "I expect some very sexy moves from you if they play any Ricky Martin…"

"Enjoy it then, because there will be NO Ricky Martin when we get married…"

"Oh, that's debatable." She said, and caught Reid's eye when the young man was facing her. She grinned and winked and she and her fiancé raised their glasses in a silent toast. Reid grinned back, thankful that while his lover's mother hated their relationship, there were those who supported them, friends… family… and now even strangers. He sighed and closed his eyes, nuzzling close to the man he loved, knowing that everything would be okay.

Because they had each other…

No matter what.