The Wedding Of The Century
Author's Note: Tidying up my hard drive today, I came across this almost-finished fic, and decided to polish it up and share it with you. There are 6 chapters and I'll be posting one per day. It's a Mystery Romance fic where one of the partners isn't identified, and I invite you all to guess who it is in the comments.
This is NOT set in the same universe as any of my other stories, BTW, so don't think you can cheat!
DISCLAIMER: I own none of these characters and do not seek to make a profit from this work. Nor do I own responsibility for damage to sensitive electronic equipment when you figure out exactly what is going on in this fic. So put down that coffee before you snort it onto your keyboard…
Chapter 1 – The Bridal Party
"You look beautiful!" Maria complimented Pepper. "It'll be your turn next!"
"So do you!" Pepper squealed back. "And yeah – I can't wait!"
"Ugh," Natasha muttered, interrupting all the joy as she stabbed a last hairpin into her hair to restrain her curls.
"Oh, Natasha," Maria sighed sentimentally then. "That updo sure does suit your curly hair! But wait a minute, that's not the headband you were supposed to wear…"
"Maria," Natasha crossed her arms. "I will live with the pink dress. But if you think for one second I am putting pink right up against my hair, you've been in Bruce's lab sniffing test tubes again."
Maria sighed, took Natasha's wrists gently and uncrossed her arms. "All right, I've long since given up on trying to make you do things by the book."
Natasha smiled at the woman she'd long since come to look on as her closest female friend. Maria looked beautiful, her dark hair released from its usual tight knot and curled into soft waves about her face. She wore minimal makeup – her lovely porcelain skin didn't need it – and her blue eyes glowed with happiness. "You look amazing," Natasha said sincerely.
"Doesn't she?" Pepper wore an identical dress to Natasha's, but she carried off the flared pink gown, seamed stockings and skyscraper heels with a grace and aplomb the Russian didn't think she could ever match. Pepper stepped close to Maria now and gently nestled a tiara of tiny crystals and pearls into her dark hair. "There, the finishing touch."
"No veil?" Natasha asked curiously. "I thought they were traditional?"
"I'm not hiding anything," Maria said, glancing at herself in the mirror. "Least of all from him."
"I can see how that might be symbolically awkward!" Pepper laughed, checking Maria's dress one last time. The slender column of pure, unadorned ivory silk set off Maria's slim figure to perfection. A pair of pearl earrings that had belonged to Maria's mother studded her ears, and a diamond and pearl choker that was a gift from her fiancé graced her long, slender neck. She looked youthful, lovely and very fragile, somewhat like a virgin sacrifice to the man who awaited her at the altar.
Natasha and Pepper exchanged glances, and eventually it was Natasha who spoke. "You're sure about this, Maria?"
She laughed. "More than sure, Tasha, thank you very much. I know you've known him for a while now, but you truly don't know him like I do. When I thought we'd lost him – well, I guess that brought me to my senses. And it seemed almost dying made him realise a few things about me as well."
Natasha said nothing, but Pepper reached out and took Maria's hand. "Well, you are the one who knows him best. And obviously you've had a good effect on him, he's voluntarily wearing a colour other than black!"
"It might not be entirely voluntary," Maria said demurely as the other two women led her towards the door leading into the wedding chapel, and as a consequence all three of them were giggling when the door opened and the music began to play.
Who do you think Maria should marry? Guesses in the comments box…