A/N: I've been thinking about writing this story for several years (there will be companion pieces following Carol and the girls, as well as one for Alice), and now I've finally gotten it under way. Those who have read the stories I've posted under my MagicSwede1965 account will find that my chapters are shorter than usual; but the Brady Bunch was always pretty fast-paced, and the stories will get more in-depth as they go along. Many thanks to Woemcat for permission to use the names she created in her story "Welcome Aboard": Mike's parents, brother and sister, his future siblings-in-law, and of course Sue (to tell the truth, I always thought Mike's first wife looked like a Sue anyway, so it was a perfect coincidence). Enjoy!

THE WEDDING

"I hope you know what you're doing, son," said Thomas Brady, watching his firstborn child standing on the edge of the driveway staring anxiously down the street. "I mean, you still have another year of school to go before you can start looking for work."

Michael Brady squinted at his father over his shoulder. "Dad, I think we've discussed it before. Sue doesn't want to have this baby before we're married, and I totally agree with her. Anyway, I proposed to her before we found out she was pregnant, so this was our intention all along. Besides, she makes good money as a secretary, so we're not going to starve, and she knows how to get everything we need for the baby at a discount. We'll make it, Dad, don't worry so much."

Thomas sighed gently while his 23-year-old son resumed watching the street. This was the day Mike and his fiancée were to be married, in a small backyard ceremony with only their families and the bride and groom's closest friends in attendance. His wife, Agnes, had said good-naturedly that the bride was likely to be late; Sue was the most organized young woman she'd ever met, but the scatterbrained aunt with whom Sue had grown up would put paid to her efforts to get here on time.

"Geez, Dad, Mike, is she here yet?" demanded a voice, and this time both Thomas and Mike turned to see nineteen-year-old Richard Brady, called Rick, jogging down the driveway. He was closely followed by his twin sister Patricia. "This monkey suit makes me itch."

"Live with it," Mike advised curtly and went back to scanning the street. "I know I said three o'clock…"

"It'll be Aunt Charlotte's fault," Patricia said knowingly. "It's always Aunt Charlotte's fault. Everybody else is here and they're starting to get restless."

"Because of all these itchy monkey suits, I'll bet," Rick said. "Come on, Mike, you might as well come back with us. Sit down and think about all the trouble you're about to get into."

Mike shot him an impatient look, and Patricia slugged him in the arm. "You spoilsport. Mike, come on—it's like waiting for water to boil, she won't show up while you're standing out here watching for her."

"She's right, son," Thomas said, amused.

Mike sighed and gave up at last. "Oh, all right." And just as he started back up the driveway, they heard a horn beeping and all turned around to see a 1949 Studebaker just completing its turn into the street and approaching them. "Hallalujah!" Mike exclaimed.

"She didn't change her mind after all, huh?" Rick said wickedly, earning himself another sock in the arm from his sister. "Geez, sis, knock it off. You've got a mean arm for a girl."

"I was holding back," Patricia retorted spiritedly. "Just wait till I get really mad. Okay, Mike, quick, get to the backyard—you're not supposed to see Sue till she walks down the aisle, or it's gonna be bad luck."

But it was too late; Mike was beaming at Sue as she swung into the Brady driveway, and it was plain from where they stood that she was fully decked out in her wedding gown, even down to the veil. Thomas stepped forward and opened the driver's door for Sue, allowing the voluminous skirt of her gown to spill out before Sue could even swing her feet out. "Wow," Patricia breathed, entranced.

"You look fabulous, honey," Mike said, unable to stop staring at her.

Sue grinned at him. She was a pretty young woman, a year older than Mike, with glossy shoulder-length dark-brown hair held back from her face by the tiara to which her veil was attached, and big brown eyes that always lit up whenever she saw Mike. "Sorry we're late," she said breathlessly, taking Mike's hand and pulling herself out of the car. "Auntie Charlotte couldn't find a purse to match her dress."

Patricia grinned. "We figured as much. If we all run, the wedding can start right on time."

Thomas had gone around to the passenger side of the car to assist Sue's widowed aunt, somewhere in her late sixties, out of the car. "Gracious," Charlotte said, blinking myopically at Thomas and smiling a little vacuously. "I truly didn't mean to hold up the show, I just wanted to look right for my dear niece's wedding."

"Of course, Mrs. Gill, of course," Thomas chuckled. "No harm done, none at all. We saved you a seat right up front next to Gene." They all started toward the backyard, Mike insisting on accompanying Sue despite the dubious glances Patricia kept tossing over her shoulder.

"I tell you, it's bad luck," she insisted.

"That's only a superstition," Mike said dismissively. "Come on, Patty, be happy for us, okay? I need someone on my side when Rick starts ragging me again."

"He hasn't seen my dress before this," Sue chimed in. "It's right before the wedding, so it's only a matter of a few minutes. What's the harm? As long as Mike and I are married, that's all that counts."

"If you say so," Patricia murmured, but pasted a smile on her face. There was no point in ruining Mike and Sue's wedding day, and besides, her big brother was probably right. Other than her dad, there was nobody else Patricia knew who was more down-to-earth and dedicated to his family—both his parents and siblings, and now his wife-to-be and their unborn child. Another year of school and Mike could call himself a full-fledged architect, and by that time Patricia would be an aunt. She could hardly wait.

Sue's cousin Gene was waiting for them, and Mike winked at them both before he hurried ahead to where the minister waited patiently. Charlotte picked her way up front and settled herself into a chair beside Gene's empty seat; Agnes Brady, waiting nearby, lifted the needle of the record player and carefully set it into the proper track of the LP waiting on the turntable. And with that, the wedding march began, and Gene Gill escorted his beautiful young cousin down the aisle toward a deliriously grinning Mike Brady.

It was a small wedding, paid for by the bride and groom themselves with some assistance from the groom's parents and the bride's aunt and cousin, her only living relatives; but those attending all agreed that Michael Paul Brady and Susan Joanne Delaney had been married in grand style. Yet young Patricia Brady just couldn't shake the awful feeling that something was destined to go wrong. Maybe it didn't have so much to do with Mike seeing Sue in her wedding gown before she came down the aisle, but the thought of the old superstition stuck with her even though she knew she should know better. She glanced into the bright blue sky overhead and then hid her hand in the folds of her skirt before crossing her fingers.

Agnes and Thomas sat beside each other watching the ceremony, smiles on their faces. Agnes glanced at her husband and then at her son, comparing the two, realizing just how much alike they really were. They even shared a first name: Michael Thomas Brady, her husband, had been delighted when Agnes had suggested naming their firstborn child for him, though he'd asked that they give him a different middle name to avoid needless confusion in the future. So their son had been dubbed Michael Paul, though he went by Mike while his father simply used his middle name.

They shared more than that, though: a down-to-earth nature tempered by a real and honest love for the women in their lives; a determination to provide the best things they could for their loved ones; a belief in the value of sticking to a commitment once they made it; and a firm resolution to raise their children right. Mike had somehow managed to find a woman who shared all these attributes, and Agnes had no doubt that Mike and Sue were going to be among the best parents in the world. The grandchildren Mike and Sue gave them would be some of the luckiest kids ever.

She was still wreathed in these cheerful daydreams and hopes for the future post-wedding, while she, Patricia and several female friends and relatives were taking down the decorations and putting away the leftover wedding cake and the men were breaking down folding chairs and card tables to be stored away. But she came out of them suddenly when she saw Patricia's pensive face; her daughter seemed to be locked in her own thoughts, barely responding when someone addressed her.

Finally Agnes took her aside. "Now what's the story with that long face on such a happy day?"

Patricia bit her lip, scraping off the lipstick she had been allowed to wear specifically for this special day. "I keep thinking…" she began, lowering her gaze and turning pink. "I mean…" She hesitated, biting off yet more lipstick, then finally huffed out an impatient breath and looked pleadingly at Agnes. "Mom, do you believe in that superstition, about the groom not seeing the bride in her gown before the wedding?"

Agnes blinked once or twice, then laughed. "My goodness, Patricia, you know that's no more than a silly custom. You yourself just called it a superstition. Is that what's bothering you?"

Patricia shrugged a little. "Well, maybe not so much the superstition itself. It was more a feeling I kept having all the way through the wedding. Mom, I'm really afraid for Mike and Sue. Sue's such a great girl and I like her tons—she's going to be the greatest sister-in-law. And I don't want anything happening to her, because of that, and because I know it'd just kill Mike." She must have seen Agnes' confusion on her face, for she cleared her throat and concluded, "The point is, I have this feeling something terrible's going to happen to them. I remembered that superstition, Mike saw Sue in her gown before the ceremony started, and then I had that feeling. And I've still got it."

Agnes shook her head. "I'm sure that's just nerves, dear. After all, it's a big change, having Mike get married and then leave home to make a life with Sue. Your dad and I had butterflies all day long, but that's no reason to believe it's an omen." She smiled at Patricia and squeezed her around the shoulders. "Now put it out of your head, and concentrate on the happy things. Mike and Sue are married, you can tell they're going to be very happy together, and just wait till their baby gets here next spring. You'll get to have all the fun of being an aunt. Don't you worry about it, everything will be just fine."

Patricia managed a smile, but Agnes could see her daughter wasn't fully convinced. "If you say so, Mom. I just wish I knew where this awful feeling came from and why it won't go away."

"I'm sure it'll go away in time, dear, once we're all adjusted to Mike not living with us anymore and Sue being a part of the family now. There's no point in borrowing trouble," Agnes said firmly.

Patricia stood a moment and considered it, then made a face and nodded firmly once. "You're right, Mom. I guess it's pretty morbid of me to be thinking about that kind of stuff when Mike and Sue are just starting out. Anyway, I don't want to jinx them."

"Patricia Darlene…" Agnes warned.

Patricia grinned mischievously. "Just pulling your leg, Mom. Come on, let's see how much cake is left over, before all the cousins start slicing it up and taking pieces home with them."