Bride's Day
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"Is this weird for you?" Jennifer asked for what had to be the fifth time. "It's weird for you, isn't it."
John glanced in the mirror to make sure his tie was straightened and all the medals sat as they should. "No," he claimed.
In the privacy of his own mind, though, he couldn't deny there were some decidedly weird feelings attached to being in here with her. This day had turned out nothing like he had originally envisioned it.
He had always thought he'd find himself in Wisconsin, not a few miles away from Cheyenne Mountain. Instead of this mediocre hotel's changing room, he'd be waiting for Jennifer and her father inside some tasteful chapel of neutral denomination. He definitely hadn't believed he'd be behind closed doors with the bride. His place was supposed to be inside with Teyla's choir and a good third of the expedition. Next to Rodney.
Nothing about this was how he'd seen it in his nightmares. Nothing, except for how absolutely stunning the bride looked. And being in here with her might be… unusual, but she'd asked him to, and they were friends, so. He was fairly certain he'd be coping better if only she would stop asking.
Considering the lifelong commitment she was about to make, John supposed he couldn't blame her for being nervous.
"It's not weird," he lied, grabbing both of her hands. "It's your day, Doc. Didn't you hear Jeannie being a broken record about how this is your day?" At her anxious look, he felt compelled to add,
"I'm pretty sure that means nothing can possibly be described as "weird" unless it's something you don't want." John loosened his grip slightly, giving her the opportunity to pull away. He looked at her intently. "This iswhat you want, isn't it? Cause I thought it was, you said it was, but if it's not – If you – Everyone would probably assume it was somehow my fault, or worse, McKay's. That would suck, but if you don't – Jen, you gotta know you have every right to back out."
Jennifer did not pull away. Stepping closer and away from the mirror, she turned her palms around and held on. Once again, John gained first hand experience of the strength in her delicate surgeon hands. "This iswhat I want," she confirmed. "I wish Daddy had lived long enough to give me away," she swallowed, and John hoped there wouldn't be any tears, "but since that's no longer possible, this – " she gestured from John to herself to the door, "is how I want it."
John opened his mouth to reply… something, perhaps a completely suave "Well, then," but was interrupted by a knock. "Whenever you're ready, Doc," Major Teldy's voice called. The panicked look reappeared on Jennifer's face, but to John's relief, it no longer screamed I'm going to die if you make me go out there.John held her gaze as he freed his right hand and pushed open the door.
Jennifer took a deep breath. "Okay," she said, "okay." Turning, she gave Teldy a still scared but decisive nod.
The major waited until Jennifer had pulled down the veil over her face. Then she gave John a small salute, and walked away to signal Teyla and the other choir members.
Despite having been best man once before, John hadn't actually been to that many weddings. Remnants of a vision of Nancy and her father had made him believe he was supposed to link arms with Jennifer to escort her. She was still clinging to him, however, and so they stepped through the door hand in hand just as the choir's a capella version of the wedding march started up.
As they slowly made their way along the aisle, Jennifer gripped John's fingers hard enough he was afraid she'd break bones. He had to remind himself that he'd endured far worse pain than this and marched on, eyes fixed on Rodney.
Rodney, who was up front in his tux, standing there bracketed by Ronon and Kanaan and beaming at them.
Once upon a time, John had thought he'd have to watch this very procession from the other direction, had genuinely feared he wouldn't be able to fake a smile. He'd barely managed it on the day Rodney and Jennifer had told him about their engagement.
There was nothing fake about the grin he felt spreading over his face at the sight of Rodney now.
Every soldier in the room snapped to attention at their approach. Teyla beamed at them as they drew closer, voice soaring high.
Each step Jennifer took seemed more and more confident.
Every expedition member they walked past smiled at them. John didn't fool himself into thinking the salutes were aimed at him.
The two nurses Jennifer had brought with her had already begun crying.
Finally, their tiny procession came to a halt in front of the IOA-appointed Justice of Peace. John lifted a corner of Jennifer's veil and planted a kiss on her cheek. She squeezed his hand. With a final, now fearless and radiant smile, she let go.
Rodney stepped forward then and touched a hand to Jennifer's arm. He puffed up his chest in a way both Ronon and John had sworn to him looked genuinely intimidating. Facing the makeshift altar, his dark look was far more forbidding than John's would have been. She is mine. She is ours. If you ever hurt her, there will be no place in the universe you can hide from me.
Judging by the pallor of the recipient's face, the message had been more than understood. Stifling a smile and instead adding a threatening glare of his own, John clapped Jennifer's husband-to-be on the shoulder and dragged Rodney back to their seats in the front row.
Teyla's choir's last note hung in the room.
"Welcome," the Justice of Peace began.
Rubbing his sore fingers, John tried to pay attention. With his part over with, though, he allowed himself to be distracted by the man beside him muttering something about "sensitive nerves" and "blood flow". He lost track of the proceedings completely when Rodney reached over and took John's hand into his own. Calloused but nimble brilliant physicist's fingers pressed against his joints and slowly massaged the tension out of them.
Up front, Jennifer started speaking her vows.
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