Two
"You're gonna be fine, Lorne." A vicious stare hits Thomas Moore but the officer in question doesn't do more than just shrug and add, "Really, there's no need to be nervous."
Another vicious glare and, "Shut up."
A faint snort from the background and he turns around to try his glare magic on this trespasser as well but it doesn't really… work. Just you wait, Simmons, he thinks, just you wait. "Kid's got an eye on her, you know."
"I said shut up." This is really the moment where he starts to seriously contemplate exchanging Moore for someone else – and he would really take anyone right now – as his Best Man. Why was it that he decided for this guy? Oh right, because he's probably the oldest friend he has in Atlantis… and because Laura chose Maureen and he wanted to rile her up a little with choosing Maureen's fiancé of all people as his Best Man.
Then he hears another snort and he whips around to face the offender down. This time it's Meyers… who gets a whack on his arm and a scolding glance from his wife for not recognizing the situation his CO is in. Of course there is nothing to be nervous about but… it's still a very important day in his life and… "Well… we are a little behind on our schedule, Major."
What the…? And what is that… is that a smirk on Woolsey's face? Slowly he starts to suspect that someone may have replaced Mr. Woolsey with his evil twin or something. Yeah, that has to be it. Mr. Woolsey isn't really Mr. Woolsey and he will now radio Colonel Shep… Okay, maybe not since the door just opened and Maureen Reece slipped in, unable to fully hide an amused grin. Why is it that everyone seems to find this funny apart from himself?
Oh well, time to straighten the jacket one last time and… ah, yeah, there she is. Colonel Sheppard is leading her down between the two rows of chairs they put on the balcony and even though she's wearing her Class A's she looks radiant and just a teeny tiny bit nervous. Of course he'd have loved to see her in a dress but when Laura Cadman decides she wants to marry you in her Class A's you better not antagonize her.
They walk up to him and Sheppard says something to her that makes her roll her eyes but he doesn't really care about that because after that she turns to him and smiles at him, a little hesitantly. In this moment there's really only one person… in this whole city for him.
Well, until Mr. Woolsey clears his throat and says, "Dear friends, we are gathered here today to witness Captain Laura Beatrice Cadman and Major Evan Alexander Lorne being joined in marriage. As we all know, it was a long and winded journey that brought these two people here together. It were also the choices they made and not all of them were easy to make. They have overcome many obstacles in their way and it is a pleasure to see them both here on this joyful day." Huh. A pleasure? Really? And that from the man who didn't seem exactly happy when they told him they wanted to get married.
Before Woolsey continues, he manages to sneak Sheppard a look with a raised eyebrow and to his surprise Sheppard seems to have understood him without further ado as he discreetly points towards Teyla who's sitting beside him and pretending not notice the little exchange. But yeah… makes sense that Woolsey didn't write this speech on his own as he had suspected when hearing it. However… now there comes the hard part. "But I think it is best if they tell us what they mean to each other themselves. Captain, Major, please."
Why they had decided on making their individual vows rather than the traditional "Till death us do part" version is suddenly beyond him as he sees Laura's bouquet shaking just a little bit before she takes a deep breath and his own nervousness suddenly feels overwhelming despite everything he might have told their audience before. Why couldn't they just… "I believe we are doomed."
Right, okay, here it goes. He can't help clearing his throat before saying, "Doomed, madam?"
Thank God he even managed to raise his eyebrow a little and give the line just the right amount of ironic amusement. It makes her smile and sound a little less insecure when saying, "To be together. Until one of us dies."
She's a wonderful Buttercup, now that she found into her part of the ceremony and so his next line comes to him very easily, "I've done that already, and I haven't the slightest intention of ever doing it again."
"Don't we sort of have to sometime?" Now she gave the question a little playful undertone, as well as just a bit of Buttercup's trademark blissful ignorance and he's just this close to throwing the rest of the ceremony out of the window and kissing her right then and there.
But yeah, there are still lines missing so he does his part and says, "Not if we promise to outlive each other, and I make that promise now."
For a moment… she's quiet and he can see that her eyes become a little moist – if he ever gets up the courage to hint at this, she will most probably say it was the breeze that just rushed over the balcony – and that she's got a lump in her throat and this reaction goes straight to his heart… but much more so her final answer, a somehow choked up, "So do I." She swallows and then repeats with a voice much stronger and clearer, "So do I." And God, now it's his turn to get a little teary-eyed and chocked up and of course he will also tell her it was the wind that made his eyes shine wet if she ever asks about it.
They look at each other and for just another moment, the world seems to have stopped turning and there's not a care in the world for them but each other. Then Mr. Woolsey clears his throat and says, "Would you please step forward, Major Moore?" Moore does as he is told and opens the ring case. "Well then…" Another clearing of his throat, "Major Evan Alexander Lorne, do you take Captain Laura Beatrice Cadman as your wife and pledge to respect and faithfully love her from this day forward?"
He can't help but smile, takes the ring that's supposed to be Laura's and puts it on her finger while saying, "I do."
Huh, he thinks, that was easy… "Captain Laura Beatrice Cadman, do you take Major Evan Alexander Lorne as your husband and pledge to respect and faithfully love him from this day forward?" Even despite the wonderful vows, there's still this last bit of anxiety lingering in the dark deep recesses of his mind that she will not…
"I do," she says and puts the ring on his finger and… wow. This is it. They're married. They're really and for everyone to see…
"You may now kiss the bride." Oh. Right. Of course.
Meeting her halfway, he kisses her and it's so much better than that kiss they had shared in the "wedding" that had gotten him out of prison, even with their superiors and their subordinates present. He can feel her smile through the kiss and the contagious laughter that's just waiting to be set free but he just can't help reaching up and cupping her face with his hands.
Then their audience applauds and that makes them break the kiss. Now she smiles so brightly that for him it nearly outshines the sun and then she laughs and gives him another peck on the lips before she turns around to Maureen and gives her friend a bear hug and he finds himself giving one to Tom.
When they are done he looks at Tom and… just for a very short moment, there's a glimmer of pain in Tom's eyes that tells him that they both just thought back to one lazy evening when another Laura had promised him that one day even he would find a girl to ride into the sunset with. He's just this short of telling Tom that he as well wished Laura Greenspan would have been here to witness this but his friend beats him to it and simply says, "Me, too, Evan… me, too."
That's really all there needs to be said and so the only thing he does is shaking Tom's hand and giving him a clap on the shoulder before turning to Woolsey and thanking him for the ceremony and then be congratulated and hugged by the rest of the audience… and all the time he can't take his eyes off Laura… and she can't take her eyes off him… and God can't he wait to be alone with her tonight.
A/N: ...come on, say it. I overdid the fluff, didn't I? But they insisted on making their own vows and trust me, Laura with a detonator in her hand is a very scary sight. I really couldn't refuse her :S