A/N:
Hey hey! So I finally found my muse again and came up with this lovely, er, angsty gem. Although I don't really think this will happen at Monroe and Rosalee's wedding, I'm sure something big will go down, just in time for the season finale in true Grimm fashion.
LOTS of angst and whump to be found here. Sorry if you wanted a fluffy wedding story…but this just isn't it.
Happy ending? Probably… Although I just watched GoT's Red Wedding finally…and that destroyed me (Robb!). I'd say that it didn't have any influence on this story, but…
Anyways, enjoy! Please let me know if you wanna see some more!
~TheFictionalMe~
"C'mon, c'mon," Monroe growled as he stared into the mirror, his shaking fingers fumbling around the knot as he attempted to finish his bow tie. Funny, he'd done this a million times before, but today he just couldn't get the knot the way that he wanted it. He wound the black silk material around his fingers for the umpteenth time, pulling the looped fabric back together. He paused to steady himself, pulling through the final knot when a sudden knock at the door startled him, causing him to drop the ends of the tie.
Monroe sighed loudly, shaking his head, and walked slowly over to open the door. "Hey Nick."
Nick smiled broadly at him, stepping into the small room in the back of the church, with Hank right on his heels. Both men were dressed impeccably in matching suits, exactly like Monroe's, with the exception of the vest underneath and Monroe's bowtie.
"Hey man, how you holding up?" Nick clapped him on the shoulder as he entered the room.
"Getting cold feet yet?" Hank laughed, ignoring the dark look Monroe shot his way.
"Yea, yea, real funny," Monroe grumbled, turning back to the mirror. "I'd be great if I could get this damn bowtie finished." He took a deep breath and started over again, focusing firmly on the bowtie and not on his pre-wedding jitters.
"The church is packed already," Nick informed him, casually placing his hands in the pockets of his suit. "I thought you said that you and Rosalee wanted a small outdoor wedding?"
"We did." Monroe shrugged, eyes focused on the mirror as he continued to struggle with the tie. "But Rosalee's mom insisted that we get married in the same church that she and Rosalee's dad did," he gestured widely at the room with one hand as he finished the final knot, "and my parents just had to invite everyone they know to their only son's wedding."
"Well, there's not a seat left in the place," Hank added. "It's going to be one heck of a wedding."
"It had better be," Monroe shot back, as he straightened to examine his work, sighing in relief that the bowtie was finally finished to his satisfaction. A small smile instantly spread across his face. He turned back to Nick and Hank, who were watching him with looks of amusement clearly etched on their faces.
Monroe cleared his throat. "So," he held out his arms, the silk fabric of his suit shining in the late afternoon light streaming through the church windows, "how do I look?"
Nick and Hank smiled back at him. "Like you're ready to get married," Nick replied, as Hank nodded his head in agreement.
"You look almost as good as I did before all four of my weddings," Hank smirked. This elicited a short laugh from Monroe, and suddenly he felt all of the nerves melting away. Today was the day. After all of the drama and heartbreak over the past few months, he was finally going to marry Rosalee.
"I can't believe we're getting married," Monroe mused with a note of disbelief, shaking his head slightly. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin this day.
"Congratulations," Nick smiled warmly at him. "You guys both deserve this."
Monroe nodded, placing a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Thanks man. It means a lot to have you standing up there with me today. Both of you," he quickly added, looking meaningfully at Hank. "I don't think I could do this without you guys." Both Nick and Hank were groomsmen in the wedding, much to the chagrin of his family. If marrying a Fuchsbau wasn't bad enough, why not make a Grimm the best man?
"Nowhere we'd rather be," Hank replied, "and of course you could. It's Rosalee, man. You'd do anything for her."
"That's true," Monroe smiled knowingly at his friends. "But it's not her I'm worried about. It's them," he jerked his head in the direction of the pews where rows packed full of friends and family had gathered to witness him and Rosalee become man and wife.
"I thought your parents were cool with you guys getting married now?" Nick furrowed his brows in confusion.
"I wouldn't call it 'cool'," Monroe scoffed, "but more like grudging acceptance. Her family is about the same. Dude, if I'm being honest, they're more concerned about my friendship with you."
Monroe didn't miss the hurt look that crossed Nick's face, fleeting as it was, and he immediately regretted his words. Nick quickly recovered, shrugging it off casually. "Sorry man. Listen, if me being here is going to cause problems…"
"Nick, no," Monroe swiftly reassured him, taking a step closer to the Grimm. "One, you being anywhere is bound to cause problems." Hank chuckled quietly in agreement behind them. "Two, you're my friend, and if you hadn't noticed I did ask you to be the best man in my wedding. So to hell with 'em. I want you here, with me, today, when I marry the love of my life."
Nick broke into a wide grin at his words. "Alright then. I'll just try not to look anybody in the eye while we're up at the altar."
Monroe raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Yea, please don't. It's bad enough that we were required to use the new pastor here instead of the one we wanted…who is a Klaustriech I might add," he snorted in disgust, "but the deposit on this place? Ridiculous. So let's try to keep the violence at a minimum tonight, shall we?"
Nick held up his hands in mock protest. "Hey now, it won't be me who starts it."
"It never is," Hank grunted beside him, laughing when he saw the look Nick gave him.
"Funny," Nick grumbled, but there was no heat to his words. He glanced at his watch just then, before looking back up at Monroe. "Hey guys, it's time to go."
"Ok," Monroe glanced back at the mirror, checking his appearance once last time. "It's now or never." His stomach fluttered just thinking about how beautiful Rosalee was going to look. He turned back to Nick. "You got the rings?"
"Right here," Nick patted his left breast pocket firmly. "Not even a gang of Skalengecks could get these away from me."
"Hey now, don't jinx it," Monroe cautioned him. "Who knows who my parents invited to this thing."
"This is some church," Hank leaned in to whisper from his position behind Nick as they stood up at the altar behind Monroe, waiting for the ceremony to officially begin.
"Yea it is," Nick replied quietly in agreement, taking in the ornate carvings in the vaulted ceiling and the large stained glass windows lining both sides of the stone walls. The altar they were standing upon was huge, with a long set of stairs, each one wide enough for a person to lie down comfortably on. They were standing on the top three steps, off to the right side, in view of the entire congregation. The pastor was at the very top of the altar, with the ceremonial table laden with candles and flowers directly behind him. The reception area behind the church was almost as large and elegantly decorated as the main part of the church, lined with large stained glass windows that matched the ones in the main room. Besides the fact that it was a Wesen-friendly church and that it had special meaning, Nick could see why Rosalee's mother wanted them to get married here. It was beautiful.
Nick steered a careful glance across the packed pews, careful not to make lingering eye contact with anyone. He wasn't sure if everyone there knew he was a Grimm, and he wasn't about to be the reason that someone freaked out in the middle of his friends' wedding. There were several strong emotions in the church today, mostly happiness for the Monroe and Rosalee, but he could sense some resentment, judgment, and anger resonating from some family members near the front. When he noticed someone begin to woge in the third row, Nick quickly averted his gaze, glancing up at the large balcony that overhung the middle of the pews. Monroe had said earlier that no one was allowed up there during the wedding, but Nick narrowed his eyes when he noticed a shadow moving stealthily in the darkness above them. Tensing, he was about to motion to Hank when the wedding processional began, drawing his attention back to the aisle as the doors at the back of the church swung open. When he looked back up a moment later, there was no sign of any movement in the balcony. Nick shook his head, silently scolding himself for being paranoid, but the feeling of uneasiness didn't go away.
However, his worries were quickly pushed aside a moment later when he saw Juliette coming down the aisle, and his breath was taken away. She looked stunning in a pale green bridesmaid dress, her red hair curled elegantly and pinned up to one side. She and Rosalee's sister Deetta were bridesmaid and maid of honor, respectively.
As she came closer to them, holding a stunning bouquet of lilies and peering up over the top at him, Nick suddenly realized he wanted nothing more than to see Juliette in a wedding dress walking down the aisle towards him.
Maybe it's time I propose again, he thought to himself, and he couldn't help the stupid grin that crossed his face as Juliette climbed up the long steps and took her place across from Hank on the left side of the altar. She gave him a discreet wink, and she looked so beautiful and carefree and happy. Nick felt his heart skip a beat just looking at her.
Definitely time.
Next Deetta came down the aisle, looking lovely in her own pale green dress and surprisingly not bitter that this wedding was actually happening. Although, Nick recalled Monroe saying that Rosalee's family had taken the news of their relationship a little bit better than his own parents had.
A little.
Deetta carefully climbed the steps and reached her spot in front of Juliette. The music changed then to the wedding march, and everyone in the congregation slowly rose as the bride entered the room.
The look of pure happiness on Rosalee's face as she came down the aisle made her the most beautiful bride in the world. Her eyes were trained solely on Monroe as if they were the only two people in the room. Nick glanced up at Monroe and couldn't help but smile at the complete look of love and adoration on his friend's face as he watched his bride approach.
They were perfect for each other.
As Rosalee reached the bottom of the altar steps and paused, Nick leaned forward and gently nudged Monroe in the back, who seemed to be momentarily frozen in wonderment as he looked at her.
"Oh, right," Monroe said hastily under his breath, eliciting a chuckle from Nick. He rushed down to the steps to meet Rosalee, looping her arm through his. He carefully guided her back up the long steps, watching the layers of her simple but exquisite gown, and they stood to face the pastor at the very top.
"Please be seated," Pastor Johnson raised his hands, and the congregation sat at once.
Pastor Johnson opened with a well known verse about love, quoting First Corinthians, as well as a lesser-known poem that Nick now knew to be derived from Wesen history:
"Two such as you with such a master speed
Cannot be parted nor be swept away
From one another once you are agreed
That life is only life forevermore
Together wing to wing and oar to oar."
Monroe had stated there would be a few nods to Fuchsbau and Blutbad traditions (to try and appease their families somewhat about their marriage), but mostly they were doing the ceremony in their own unique way, interlaced with typical wedding traditions. Besides, there were human guests mixed among the audience as well, meaning that nothing too obvious could be worked into the ceremony…much to Monroe's relief.
Then came the vows, which they had chosen to keep as meaningful and simple as they were.
Rosalee's voice was quiet and steady as she took her vows first. "I, Rosalee, take you Monroe, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health…"
Nick was intently listening to the vows and stealing glances at Juliette across the altar when the sudden feeling of dread returned, more intense this time, running all the way up and down his spine. It made him shudder involuntarily, as every hair on the back of his neck stood up. The rapid shift in the air was palpable, almost suffocating, pushing down all around him. He scanned around in apprehension, daring a glance across the crowd as he tried to pinpoint what was suddenly setting off all of his Grimm senses at full alarm.
The wedding continued on, everyone else in the church oblivious to any danger lurking about. Monroe squeezed Rosalee's hands tightly, eyes focused solely on her, as he cleared his throat to start his own vows.
"I, Monroe, take you Rosalee…"
Nick tuned it out, focusing all of his energy on locating the source of the imminent threat. Finally out of the corner of his eye, he caught something shiny glinting above, caught in the final rays of the setting sun as it streamed in through the stained glass windows. He glanced quickly upwards, scanning the balcony overhead, and he felt his heart thud painfully to a stop when he realized what it was.
Peeking over the edge of the balcony, almost completely ensconced by the darkness, was the long, smooth barrel of a rifle…and it was aimed directly at Monroe.
"…until death do us part…"
There was no time to breathe or move or think. Nick reacted purely on instinct, fearing for his friend's life.
"Monroe!"
Nick lunged forwards without a second thought, hoping against hope that he wasn't too late. He crashed directly into Monroe's back, sending them both toppling headfirst in a tangle of limbs down the steep stairs of the altar.
At that exact moment, the deafening crack of a gunshot echoed throughout the church.
Poem snippet from "A Master Speed" by Robert Frost.
TBC...