M is for Marriage

By Dragon's Daughter 1980

(Written for the 2007 Summer Alphabet Challenge)

Disclaimer: Other than being a devoted fan, I have nothing to do with Numb3rs.

Author's Notes: This was written two days before the Season Four finale aired, but I think it's compatible with canon. If there is any confusion about the characters, I recommend you to read this story's sister piece R is Remembrance. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Sunshine streamed bright and happily into the solarium, which had been converted into a bridal waiting room for the event. Strategically-placed blackboards (thoroughly washed multiple times to a certain mathematician's protests) insured that even if the groom did get loose of his handlers, he would not see his bride until the ceremony started. (At times, his protests at his forced confinement by over-attentive groomsmen could be heard drifting up from the lower floor of the house.) Upstairs, the bridal attendants exchanged amused grins as they helped the lady of the day with the final touches of her appearance — pinning her veil in place, rearranging her hair, applying her makeup, and smoothing out any wrinkles in her gown. When they were done, they stepped back and surveyed their handiwork with satisfaction. Downstairs, they heard the groom being shepherded out to the front door by his honor guard as the guests began to arrive.

"Is this really necessary, Don—" The groom's bewildered protest drifted into the solarium, followed by a yelp of surprise before a babble of male voices broke out, overlapping each other. The bridesmaids all exchanged looks at the sudden outpouring of conversation and smothered their giggles as they listened to the confusion below.

"Charlie, what the—!"

"Charles, please be careful—!"

"Larry, how about we go out into the backyard?"

"Yeah, David, Colby, could you take him out back while I help Chuck with this?"

"Hey, don't call me Chuck!"

"I am perfectly capable— Is this absolutely necessary?! I am a grown man, and I must protest—" The conversions abruptly became muffled as a door closed somewhere downstairs.

"Well…hopefully Charlie and Don don't end up in the koi pond," remarked Amita, adjusting the veil ever so slightly. Liz handed the professor a few hairpins as she asked, "Should I go downstairs and make sure they don't do that?"

"I think Alan will make them behave," chuckled Megan, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"Especially today," added Robin primly, turning off and putting down the curling iron. She tapped the adolescent's shoulder, "There, Isabelle, you're done."

The young woman bounced to her feet, slipping the towel off of her shoulders, and went to look at her temporary hairstyle in the full-length mirror. She grinned at her honorary aunt, "Thanks. It looks great."

"You look beautiful," said Megan, coming over to stand by Isabelle's side with a rustle of cloth. She placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Just like your mother."

Isabelle looked at her, but before she could say anything, there was a loud crash from the backyard. Immediately Liz hurried over to peek from behind the blackboards while the others made sure that the bride didn't try to leave the room to investigate the situation herself. The FBI agent shook her head in exasperation, but turned around, "It's okay, some of the kids were rowdy and it looks like they pushed a few chairs into the koi pond."

"Are they all right?" the bride asked in concern from her seat, where she had been firmly escorted to a few moments before.

"Yeah, they're fine," responded Liz, "but I don't think they're going to be playing tag again today."

"Are the koi all right?" asked the only mathematician in the room, only half-in-jest. Liz blinked at the odd question, but replied, "I think so."

Ignoring the bizarre exchange, Robin glanced at the clock, "We've got ten minutes before the ceremony starts. Do you think they'll be able to rearrange the chairs in time?"

"Speaking of time," Megan cut in, addressing her question to the only non-adult in the room, "shouldn't your mother be here by now?"

Isabelle shrugged, raising one of her hands in a classic 'I don't know' gesture as she said, "Yeah…maybe she got lost or something."

"Or something," said a new voice, clearly amused. Isabelle's mother leaned against the open doorway with a smile, "Haven't you heard of L.A. traffic before? Oh, and guess who I found at the airport?" She gestured into the hallway as three voices chorused, "Surprise!"

The bride half-gasped, half-laughed at the sight and stood up from her seat. Her older sisters came in the room and the four of them exchanged embraces. The others in the room simply watched the reunion with smiles on their faces.

"I thought you said you couldn't make it," she told them, ignoring the threatening tears in her eyes. Caroline laughed, "And miss one of the biggest days of your life? No way!"

Maureen shook her head, "I can't believe you fell for it either."

"But, you told me that you'd be in London—"

"Ah, the marvels of technology," the older woman responded with a cheerful grin, "teleconferencing and coffee. Oh, and did I also mention the joys of seniority?"

"Besides, we had to be here," said Christina lovingly, wiping away a stray tear on her baby sister's cheek. "We're family and we want to see you happy."

"We wanted to tell you at first," added Maureen, "but Cecilia wanted it to be a surprise for you."

The bride laughed, "Well, this is a wonderful surprise."

Before the sisters could say anything more, there was another knock on the door and David stepped into the room with a smile. "All the guests are seated in the backyard and everyone's ready downstairs. Is the bride ready?"

The person in question smiled, "Yep."

"We'll just get ourselves seated then," said Caroline quickly. Without missing a beat, David offered to escort them to the backyard as the rest of the wedding procession fussed over last-minute details in the solarium, mainly to distract the bride from any sudden nerves. When the bustle had died down, the women all looked at the only person still seated in the room. From the backyard, they heard the orchestral trio begin to play, signaling the imminent start of the marriage ceremony.

"I'll be down in a moment," the bride said calmly, not rising from her seat in front of the vanity. Her attendants exchanged unreadable looks and Isabelle opened her mouth, but the women herded the adolescent out of the room before she could speak. They closed the door behind them.

The bride closed her eyes and tilted her head back, feeling the warm Californian sunshine fall on her face. She took a deep breath and reminded herself of all the reasons she was grateful for this day. With another breath, she let go of her pain that her parents weren't here, that her cousin wasn't here to walk her down the aisle himself. Today, she had the people who counted in her life around her; she had chosen her own family. As for her cousin, he was probably watching from somewhere, wishing her only the best on her wedding day. He would have approved of her choice, and welcomed her fiancé into the family without a second thought. She opened her eyes and smiled slightly at the thought of her quirky husband-to-be, the happiness that always bubbled up inside of her whenever she thought about him and of the life they would have together.

Another knock on the door broke her out of her reverie, and she stood up as the door opened. Alan peeked in with a proud smile on his face, as if she was his own daughter, "You look radiant."

She felt herself blush at the compliment, "Thank you."

"Are you ready?"

"Very ready, "she responded, brushing out one last wrinkle in her gown and picking up her bouquet. He walked over to her and offered his arm, "Then shall we, Ms. Reeves?"

Accepting his escort, she nodded with a brilliant smile, "Lead the way, Mr. Eppes."