The men of Team One rolled up to St. John's Church and stepped out of the limo, sharp and handsome in their dress uniforms. Joining them were former Team One members and still very good friends, Raf and Wordy, also in full dress. Looking up at the imposing stone structure and then back at the team, Ed took a breath and said, "Well? What are we waiting for? We got a wedding! Let's go! Groom, ya set?"
The only time Spike might have smiled wider was when Winnie said yes to his proposal, back on the Scarborough Bluffs, the same place where he told her he was in love with her. Despite their hard-ass, on the job exteriors, all of his teammates smiled just as broadly. Their friend, of all people, deserved this. "I was born ready for her, Ed," Spike admitted before he choked up, unable to say more. Wordy clapped Spike on the back and the men started towards the church. A beep from a vehicle turned Spike around in his tracks, and he saw Troy from Team Three lean out the back of an SRU truck and give him a thumbs-up sign. Spike returned the sign along with his smile, which he felt would be glued to his face the rest of the day.
Just outside the door, Sam stopped the group. "Guys. Until Sadie was born, the day Jules and I got married was the happiest day of my life, but one of the worst for our city. Today, Spike, is going to be your happiest day, too, but God willing, we're not going to let anything bad happen." He procured a flask from inside his uniform, engraved with the SRU logo of sword, wings and lightning bolts, unscrewed the cap and held it up. "To Spike and Winnie," he toasted solemnly, taking a small pull and passing it to Spike. Each one of them in turn echoed Sam's action and sentiment, except for Greg, who looked at Spike with words that didn't need to be said.
They were greeted by the pastor as they came in, who smiled at all of them, blessed Spike, and directed them to a room to relax and take care of any last-minute preparations that might come up between now and what Ed jokingly referred to as "Zero Hour." Once settled, Sam pulled out his cell phone, which was beeping with a picture text. He looked at it and grinned, then passed it to Spike. Spike's eyes got a little watery at the picture of Sadie, napping on a bench in the other prep room where the women were and looking like a little sprite in her flower girl dress. His heart then skipped a beat as he realized that Winnie was here, the love of his life and soon to be his bride, and when they walked out of St. John's today, they would be married.
At the knock on the door, Winnie looked up from the tabloid she was only half-reading but that kept her mind occupied just enough to keep the butterflies in her stomach at bay while getting her hair curled. "No, no, you sit," Sophie instructed, jumping up from her seat and putting down her champagne glass. "Maybe it's Michelina with my kids," she mused. Clark and Isabel had a special role in the day as ushers along with Dean and Winnie's cousin Avery, and Spike's mom, who had flown in from Italy two days prior, had happily fallen into the role of everyone's Nonna, and it was easy for all of the Team One children to love her immediately.
Sophie opened the door and whisper-squealed a "Hi!" and had a quiet conversation for a few seconds before poking her head back in the room, looking around, then turning back to lead their guest in. Greg walked in shyly, then melted when he saw Winnie dressed except for her veil and shoes. He was proud and honored to walk her down the aisle, giving her in marriage to the man he loved like he was his own son.
Shortly after they announced their engagement, Winnie had approached Greg about this. Her father had walked out on her family when she was a teenager, she explained, and endured an emotionally abusive relationship with her mother until finally for her own sanity, she had to estrange herself. With her uncle gone, Greg had become the father figure in her life, sharing all her joys and sorrows like a proper father would. Her beloved aunt, who was from her father's side by marriage, stood in the mother of the bride role, and was sitting with Sadie, reading a book with her while Jules sat in the makeup chair.
"Just stopped in to make sure you didn't have a horse saddled up and ready to run off on my guy," Greg teased. Winnie excused herself from the hair stylist to stand up and hug Greg tightly. "Never," she assured him, then turned to take the boutonniere Leah brought over with Shelley in tow. Winnie and her bridesmaids were thankful for the waterproof makeup they were all wearing as she pinned the special flowers, an dark blue iris set up against trimmed birds of paradise, one of the first flowers Spike gave Winnie all that time ago, to Greg's uniform. Stepping back, Winnie looked him over and smiled. "Perfect."
His own smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, he whispered, "You're perfect." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then regarded the whole room. "Well, ladies, I will see you out there." The door closed behind him as Shelley yelped, "Ahh! I don't know if I'm going to be able to stop crying! Winnie!" They all finished sniffling and started to smile and giggle as Winnie took her seat to finish having the ends of her hair curled, then the top half pulled back and secured.
"And now, my dear," the hairstylist announced. "Where is your veil?" Winnie's aunt, nicknamed Gigi, declared that the veil would go on last, as per fun superstition. Once it was on, Winnie would not be allowed to look in the mirror. "Okay, shoes, then," said Jules, who was finished what Sophie called "getting her face did." "Um. What are the odds I can have some of that first?" Winnie asked, pointing to Sophie's champagne glass. The ladies cheered and brought her a glass, all watching with eyes like hawks to ensure none of it spilled.
Winnie held up her glass. "This is for all of you. It's been a long time getting here, and I am so lucky to have had all of you cheering us on the whole way. I love you, so much," and the bridal party held up their glasses, told Winnie they loved her too, then they all clinked and drained their flutes. "Okay, okay," Winnie said, "before I totally lose it, I better do my shoes." "Wait, wait!" came a little voice from the corner, as Gigi sent Sadie running towards Winnie, clutching a tiny satin bag. "For your choo," the toddler offered proudly. "Auntie Gigi says iss for luck."
"Thank you, baby," she said, taking the bag from Sadie. Winnie swallowed, holding back more tears as she opened the bag to find the gift from her aunt, a sixpence she had ordered especially for today. She stood up to her full height and blew a kiss to her aunt, who touched her hand to her heart and spoke with her eyes to her niece, telling her that her uncle was watching over her today and she knew, truly, that she and Spike would live the life full of love that they had had as well.
Winnie placed the coin in her left shoe and stepped into it as Shelley walked up next to her. "Okay," she said, taking stock of the situation. Gesturing to Winnie's left foot, she said, "Something old," then to her dress, "something new, something borrowed ..." she looked around for Leah, who held up Winnie's full bouquet of red ginger and birds of paradise speckled with dark blue iris, the stems of which had been wrapped in a length of lace sent over on loan from Leah's grandmother in Haiti, with a note telling of its use and blessing Spike and Winnie on their day, "and something blue," Shelley finished, holding out a jewelry box to Winnie. She opened it to find a pair of sapphire earrings, matching the opalescent fabric of the bridesmaids' dresses, which were in turn selected to match the groomsmen's uniforms.
"You guys," she said to them, "thank god for all the celebrating we're going to be doing tonight, to totally counteract all this crying." "Hear, hear," piped up Sophie, taking one more sip out of her flute before another knock at the door announced Dean Parker. "They're all set out there," he said. "You all ready?" "Just about," Winnie answered, moving back to the hairstylist to have her veil put on. Dean let his dad know, who had accompanied him to the door, then moved to the entry at the back of the church to signal to the priest that it was go time. The bridal party became a quick flurry of last-minute checks until they each picked up their own bouquets, smaller versions of Winnie's wrapped in stems of lucky bamboo and sheer ribbon, and lined up in the order they would be walking down.
The priest motioned to Spike to step forward and take his place at the end of the aisle, followed by Sam, then Wordy. Troy leaned out from his spot in the first pew with a control box, and a whirring sound caught the congregation's attention. Babycakes, shiny and wearing a flower wreath on her "head" in honor of her favorite bomb tech's special day, made her way down the aisle, trailing the runner behind her that the rest of the wedding party would walk on. When she got to Spike, he patted her on the head, and Troy disconnected the runner, congratulated Spike, then directed Babycakes out the side door to go back with him to the barn. Smiling, Troy knew this was a first for the SRU and was grateful that the photographer had caught the moment.
To Bach's "Air on the G String," Raf made his way down with Michelina Scarlatti on his arm, followed by Ed with Aunt Gigi, both men then taking their places next to Wordy. Shelley, Sophie, then Jules walked down one by one. Wordy, Ed, and Sam's eyes shone at the sight of their beautiful wives. Leah was next as maid of honor. Spike and Winnie decided that without question, because even though he was already head over heels in love with Winnie, her gentle urging had brought Spike out of his denial years ago to ask Winnie out on a date. It failed, but gave him the courage to keep pursuing her till she gave in … and brought them all here today.
Flower girl Sadie followed them. With no boys young enough for the role, they opted out of a ring bearer, with Sam carrying the rings on his person ("World's oldest ring bearer," Ed had joked, with Raf chiming in, "And the ugliest," and Sam made them buy his beers the rest of that night at the Goose), and the spunky, fiery toddler was happy to make the trip solo, scattering blue hydrangea petals down the aisle.
Luckily, most of Sadie's job was done when she saw her father standing near her godfather, because she forgot everything she was supposed to do. Her little voice echoed through the church as she gleefully cried, "Hi, Daddy! Hi, Uncle Spike!" and ran towards them, to the affectionate laughs of the congregation. Sam stepped forward to catch her, gave her a hug, and everyone smiled as he whispered something in her ear, pointing to the first pew. The little girl happily skipped over and clambered up next to Michelina, loudly saying, "Hi, Nonna!"
At the priest's signal, the congregation rose and the organist changed to Wagner's Bridal Chorus as Winnie appeared at the back of the church on Greg's arm. Spike felt as if he was moving in slow motion as he turned his head to where Winnie and Greg stood. His heart began to pound in his ears as a smile spread across his lips. Winnie's eyes were locked with Spike's as Greg led her down the aisle, patting her hand halfway down. "You okay?" he murmured. She could only squeeze his arm in response, her bouquet trembling slightly.
When they reached the end of the aisle, Greg turned to Winnie and pulled her veil back. He kissed her cheek, his eyes brimming with tears, then turned to Spike, shook his hand and hugged him. He regarded the pastor with a smile and nod, then stood next to Aunt Gigi, the both of them smiling proudly at the couple they considered their own children.
Spike reached his hand out to Winnie, hoping she couldn't tell how nervous he was. She wasn't sure who he thought he was fooling, his hand was as sweaty and shaky as hers had been, but the second he squeezed her hand, everything was okay for her. She calmed right down, relaxed with Spike's hand in hers as they faced the pastor, continued to hold on to Spike as they sat down while Wordy stepped up for the first reading from the Song of Songs. Raf was next, his deep voice leading the congregation through the Responsorial Psalm, followed by Sophie reciting a passage from Hebrews for the second reading, about marriage being held in honor by all. Spike and Winnie felt that reading especially significant, surrounded by their family members and closest friends, who never stopped believing in them, their love, and their future.
The pastor stepped up for the Gospel reading from John, where Jesus commands His disciples to love one another as He loved them. He then delivered a brief homily before he called Spike and Winnie forward to perform the rite of marriage. Everyone they loved stood with them as they stated their intentions and then their wedding vows to each other, clearly and in voices sure and confident. There was not a dry eye in the church as Spike and Winnie promised to love and be true to each other through everything they would endure in life together, for the rest of their lives.
Ever his little girl, Sadie squealed out, "Daddy!" when Sam stepped forward with the rings to be blessed. Nonna Michelina pulled Sadie up onto her hip and gave her a cuddle, whispering calming words into her ear. The only departure from the traditional Catholic ceremony was during the exchange of rings, where they each declared to each other the sentiment engraved on their rings, spoken once in Italian and once in English: "Il mio coure è il tuo per sempre," my heart is yours forever. Michelina pressed her handkerchief to her lips to stifle a sob, her eyes very full. Dominic had repeated the same thing to her many times throughout their marriage.
Spike looked at Winnie's hand in his as they stood together at the front of the church and brushed his fingertips over the ring he just placed on her. He looked up at her from under his eyelashes, the way he knew melted her heart every single time, and gave her a small, private smile. "I love you," he whispered, then led his new wife back to their seats as the priest prepared for the Eucharistic presentation. Marina and Avery walked up with the Gifts. On their way back to their seats, Marina squeezed Greg's hand as she passed, walking behind her, Avery reached over and pressed his mother Gigi's shoulder. Their simple movements further exemplified that the love among everyone in the church that day was more than palpable.
The moment finally came when the pastor was pleased to present Mr. and Mrs. Michelangelo Scarlatti to the congregation, and invited Spike to kiss his bride. Accustomed to his joking, happy-go-lucky demeanor, all their friends were surprised and moved when he didn't plant a big smacking kiss on Winnie, instead he placed his hands gently on either side of her face as she touched his forearms, looked deeply into her eyes and gave her one of the softest, most loving kisses any of them had ever seen.
Leah handed Winnie her bouquet when the couple finally broke apart and prepared for the recessional, and the newly-wedded Scarlattis headed for the back of the church. They formed their receiving line with Greg, Aunt Gigi, and Michelina, hugging each guest in turn as they all made their way outside.
Sadie joined her parents and the rest of the wedding party in handing out small bottles of bubbles for when Spike and Winnie came outside. The flower girl didn't quite understand the concept of the bubbles, for the last wedding she'd seen was on some TV show where rice was showered on the newlyweds. "Like this?" she asked Jules, throwing the entire bottle, which didn't get much distance from her three year-old arm, much to a wincing Sam's relief. Allie Wordsworth picked up the bottle and brought it back to Sadie, holding the bottle while giving the younger girl the wand, and told her that when Uncle Spike and Aunt Winnie came outside, they had to blow the bubbles. Sadie smiled excitedly at her friend and began hopping from foot to foot, eager for the bubble show to commence.
Michelina and Winnie's "parents" came out from the church and announced that Spike and Winnie would be out shortly. The photographer immediately began to herd the wedding party along both sides of the doorway down the stairs, which was like trying to herd cats, really, and the guests in a loose semi-circle around the front of the church, trying fruitlessly to coordinate bubbles for his perfect shot. Ed's voice rang out over the din, "Hey buddy, we got this, we trust you."
When the Scarlattis appeared at the front doors of St. John's, they were greeted with cheers and a sea of bubbles as their teammates formed an arch for them to walk under as they made their way down the stairs. Once within the crowd, Winnie looked at Spike, eyes sparkling and a huge grin on her face. "We did it, baby! We're married!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him tighter than she ever had. Her face pressed against his neck, she whispered under all the hooting and yelling, "I love you so much, Michelangelo." He held her tightly to him, only letting go to kiss her, to the delight of their guests. Spike then turned to everyone, holding up his arms, right one joined with Winnie's left, and announced, "All right! Let's go celebrate!"