"Hey Wes, you don't have to go through with this you know," Hobbie said, expression as serious as ever.
Wes Janson turned to look at his wingmate incredously and grinned. "And let you win that bet about me staying a bachelor? No way!"
"Ooo, you better not let your bride-to-be hear that!" Wedge Antilles said with a laugh. "She might not be too happy about being married over a bet."
Wes put on an expression of mock terror. "No please, don't tell her! I'll do anything! Just please no! She can actually beat me up for that!"
Hobbie, Wedge, and Tycho Celchu, the final person at their table, laughed. He did have a point about that. The woman could beat him up pretty easily if she wanted to.
Wedge picked up his tankard of Whyrens Reserve and raised it towards Wes, the other two following his example. "May you never come running to one of us asking to sleep on the couch because your wife kicked you out!"
"I'll drink to that!" Wes said with a laugh, and the four clinked their tankards together before each taking a nice long sip from their tankards.
"So, are you nervous about tomorrow?" Tycho asked him, a broad smile on his face, probably because he already knew the answer.
"Why the hell do you think I'm out here with you four drinking?" he replied jokingly. "Of course I'm nervous, I mean just think about it. I'm going to be the cause of hospitals overflowing with young, hot females who suffer from broken hearts when they hear that Wes Janson is married and that they'll never have a chance with me."
Hobbie snorted with laughter and the other two just rolled their eyes. "Man, I was going to pretend to feel sorry for you, too."
"Feel sorry for me? Hey, I'm the one getting the married to the best woman in Intelligence!"
Wedge and Tycho both looked like they were about to vehemently disagree before Hobbie cut them off. "You might have some people who disagree with that, Wes. I on the other hand, married the best woman in Starfighter Command, and none of you can object to that!"
Wes turned towards the other two raised his hands in submission. "Okay, okay, don't hurt me, you two. I don't think Shalla would like to have a beat up fiancée. If I say that I have the best woman who's Starfighter turned Intelligence, will you two stop?"
The two pilots glanced at each other and pretended to think about it. "Hmmm, well I suppose that we can let it go then," Tycho said, expression mock-serious.
"Just don't ever try that again," Wedge agreed, expression also mock-serious.
"How about I just buy us all another drink?" Wes suggested with a grin.
Tycho glanced around and did a quick count of the number of empty tankards that occupied the table. "As tempting as it might be to empty your wallet, I don't think that Shalla will be too happy if we deliver her to you drunk on your wedding day."
"I don't think any of the women will be too happy about that," Hobbie said, looking mournfully at his near empty tankard.
"You can get drunk another time, Hobbie," Wedge said with a smile as he stood up put enough credits on the table to cover their bar tab for the night. "Right now, we need to get the groom-to-be back to his quarters and make sure that he doesn't run away, or else the women will murder us."
"I still don't get why you picked me," Kell Tainer said from the chair he was sprawled in just outside the room where Shalla was getting ready.
"Do we have to go over this again?" Shalla Nelprin asked, rolling her eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror one last time.
"Yes, because I still don't understand."
"Is he always like this?" she asked Tyria quietly.
"You have no idea," the blonde woman replied with a laugh.
"I asked you because I've known you longer than the anyone else who's still alive," she said, speaking more loudly so Kell could hear through the door.
"But what about Face? Isn't he supposed to be everyone's daddy as squadron leader?"
"Well Face is Face. Stop complaining, this just means I love you better, Kell," she said as she opened the door and smiled at him. "How do I look?"
"You look wonderful, Shalla. I don't think that Janson deserves you," Kell replied with a grin, as he tugged at the collar of his dress uniform.
She smiled, glad that he had stopped complaining that he didn't understand. "Thanks, Tainer. Is everyone almost ready?"
"We should probably get out there soon," Tyria replied, knowing that her husband knew next to nothing about weddings. "We don't want to be late, after all."
The three were met at the doors by Hobbie who was also wearing his dress uniform and looked decidedly uncomfortable in the thing. "You look beautiful, Shalla," he said with a smile that lit up his usually mournful expression.
"Thanks, Hobbie," she said, smiling in return. "Is he doing okay?"
"We did have to drag him out of the bar last night. Well, him and me, but that's beside the point."
Shalla laughed and rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised? I'm glad that you three didn't let him be entirely drunk, though."
"We didn't want to risk the wrath of you women," Hobbie replied with a straight face.
Hitting him lightly on the arm, she rolled her eyes again before turning towards Tyria who had just reappeared.
"They're almost ready," the Wraith reported, "just waiting for the best man to take his place on the opposite end of the aisle."
"Oops," Hobbie said, getting her hint. "I'd better get going then, don't want to delay this thing anymore than we have to. This dress uniform is going to be the death of me."
Kissing Shalla lightly on the cheek, he quickly disappeared through the side door, into the main hall.
"I'd better go to," Tyria told Kell. "Make sure she doesn't run off or start to panic, alright?"
Kell nodded and rolled his eyes. "Yes dear, I'll make sure she stays and doesn't try to run away from ewok man."
It was Tyria's turn to roll her eyes. "You're lucky that I love you, fly boy." Hugging Shalla lightly, she picked up her flower bouquet and moved to the doors and down the aisle.
Left alone with Kell, Shalla began to pace anxiously back and forth, struggling to keep her emotions under control.
"Is this the part where I'm supposed to offer to go kill the guy for you in case you want to back out now?" Kell asked. "Because if you're want me to, I will."
"Kell Tainer!" Shalla whirled around to face him angrily. "Don't even think about it!"
The tall man grinned and held up his hands. "Calm down, Nelprin, I was just joking." He paused. "I can kill him if you really want me to though."
Shalla rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm before turning away and resuming her pacing.
The sounds of the traditional wedding march began to drift towards their ears and he turned to face her. "Are you ready?"
Taking a deep breath, Shalla nodded and placed her arm lightly upon this. "Yes, I'm ready."
Wes Janson was a mess. One giant, childish, jittery mess.
He had never really thought that this day would come. To himself and the rest of his squadmates, he had always been the playboy who had a different girl every night. Marriage had been the last thing on his mind. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure that the word marriage had ever even entered his mind.
And yet here he was, waiting at the alter for the girl of his dreams to walk down that long aisle and for the two of them to say 'I do.'
Hobbie was at his side, and Tyria Sarkin-Tainer had just taken her place opposite Hobbie.
"Calm down, Wes," Hobbie muttered out of the side of his mouth. "It'll all be over with soon."
"Not soon enough!" Wes complained.
"You're getting married, Wes. Act your age for a bit."
Any reply that Janson might have made was cut off as the wedding march began to play and everyone rose to their feet. The double doors at the opposite end swung open to reveal Shalla and Kell standing in the exact center of the door way.
She was beautiful. Absolutely stunningly beautiful. That was the only thought that was running through his mind.
Moving at a stately pace, she and Kell began to walk down the aisle. When at last they reached the alter, Kell gently put Shalla's hand in Janson's.
"Take care of her, Janson, or else I'll have to hurt you," he muttered out of the side of his mouth.
"I will," Wes replied simply, not trusting himself to think up a more elaborate response.
"Friends, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Wes Janson and Shalla Nelprin in marriage," Admiral Ackbar, who was presiding over the ceremony, began.
Wes neither heard nor remembered much of the ceremony. Several times, Hobbie had to lightly kick him to get him to say things at the appropriate time.
"Wes Janson," Ackbar finally said, turning to face the pilot. "Do you take this woman, Shalla Nelprin, to be your wife though sickness and health, through good times and bad, and anything that this galaxy might bring your way?"
Gulping nervously, Wes nodded. "I do."
"And Shalla Nelprin, do you take this man, Wes Janson, to be your husband through sickness and health, through good times and bad, and anything that this galaxy might bring your way?"
Dimples appearing as she smiled, she too nodded. "I do."
Ackbar smiled at the couple. "Then by the power invested in me by the New Republic, I declare you husband and wife. Wes, you may kiss the bride."
A grin broke out across Wes's face as he pulled Shalla to him and then kissed her soundly, dipping her backwards in a true romantic style. He could hear laughter from some of the Rogues and the Wraiths, but he ignored it.
He was a married man and nothing could mess up this day for him.
"Alright, pay up, Celchu," Wedge said with grin, turning to face his XO, hand outstretched, as Wes and Shalla finally broke off their kiss.
Grumbling good naturedly, Tycho dug into his pocket and deposited the credits in Wedge's hand. "Sometimes, I think you know too much about your friends' love-lives."
"Admit it, Tycho, you're just jealous of my matchmaker radar."
"Ha! You wish, Antilles."
Wedge winked at him. "Maybe I do wish, but who's got your twenty credits?"
"So why Shalla, Wes?" Wedge asked curiously, hours later at the reception when he finally got a chance to talk to his friend alone for a moment or two.
Wes winked at him. "It's a rather silly reason, and you're actually all to blame for it, Wedge."
"Oh really? So what's this reason of yours for picking Shalla?"
The pilot grinned and then said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Because she liked my rear end."