"The Wedding" – part 4

Summary and notes in part 1.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Degrassi.


4-

Fiona frowned as she closed the door. Today had been one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. She had woken up earlier than usual because there was an important staff meeting. After she showered and returned to Adam's room, she noticed that she had left the shirt she picked out for the occasion at her condo. It took her twenty minutes to pick out an acceptable alternative. She ended up skipping breakfast to make up for lost time.

Once she finally got to Alexis Bardot Designs, she found out the meeting had been push back an hour. She was relieved to have some extra time and decided to head downstairs for a bagel. However, before she could one of the associates spotted her and assigned her the thankless job of organizing a box of recent memos. By the time she was done she only had ten minutes to spare. She grabbed coffee from the break room and rushed down the hall.

The staff meeting was torture. There were croissants but her boss put her on notation duty. She needed to write so eating wasn't an option. The conference dial in phone was plagued with issues. The call dropped several times, causing them to pause and wait for employees outside of the office to dial back in!

It was nearly 11:00am before she was able to get some food in her stomach and she felt slightly sick the rest of the day. She was happy to finally be home. She was looking forward to resting. Truth be told, she wasn't sure if she had enough energy to head over to Adam's tonight. She hoped that he would meet her here, but knowing how protective his mother could be that was unlikely.

"Serenity now," she muttered as she walked down the hall. The foyer was dark so she deduced her boyfriend wasn't here. She sighed, figuring it was just as well. She probably wasn't good company right now.

When she rounded the corner she furrowed her brows. It seemed like–

"Hey beautiful," Adam said softly. He had a wide grin on his face as he looked at her from the across the room. He was sitting at the kitchen table, which was covered with an elegant white embroidered table cloth. There were two places set with empty plates, forks, knives, and wine glasses. In the middle there was large pot, a bottle of sparkling cider, and a vase with fresh red roses.

Fiona looked at him stunned. "Adam, this is amazing," she told him. She walked over and kissed him. He brought his hands to her waist and promptly pulled her onto his lap as he eagerly returned the kiss.

"You like?" he asked in a teasing manner once they finally came up for air.

She nodded and raised an eyebrow. "What's the occasion?"

He deeply looked into her eyes. "I love you," he stated.

Fiona gently caressed his cheek. "I love you too." It never ceased to amaze her how Adam could instantly change her mood. She had a crappy day but one look from him and none it mattered.

"We should eat before the food gets cold," Adam told her, interrupting her reverie.

"Right." She reluctantly disentangled herself from his embrace. She walked over to the empty chair and to her surprise Adam was right behind her. He pulled out the chair and motioned for her to sit.

"Mademoiselle," he said in faux French accent.

She giggled. "Merci Monsieur!"

He grabbed some serving utensils from the kitchen counter before returning to the table. He opened the pot.

Fiona widened her eyes. Already her stomach was doing a happy dance. "Adam, this looks delicious!"

He grinned. "Only the best for my princess," he quipped as he began to fill her plate. Adam had made Fettuccine Alfredo with zucchini and chicken. It was one of her favorite dishes.

Fifteen minutes later, when they were settled and begun eating, he decided to ask. "Hey Fiona," he called to her.

Fiona softly laughed. "Hey Adam," she teased at his sudden greeting.

He smiled at her for moment, before his face took on a more serious expression. He was positive that Fiona would say yes, but part of him felt a little nervous. He agreed with Eli that meeting the rest of his family was a big deal. Sure, he had met a number of Fiona's relatives before. Last summer he was introduced to her grandmother and some of her cousins on separate occasions. But this was a huge gathering. Meeting everyone all at once could be overwhelming. Especially since they weren't sure what kind of reception they would receive.

She looked at him curiously. "Were you going to say something?"

Adam chuckled. He hadn't realized he zoned out. "Do you remember my cousin Gia?" he asked her. "I spoke to her yesterday."

"Of course I do. That's great Adam!" she encouraged. Adam had mentioned her in the past. Fiona knew that they had been close when they were younger. They fell out of touch once Adam transitioned and wasn't allowed to participate in family events as himself.

Adam told her that he and his mother almost moved to Buffalo after she separated from his biological father. They spent weeks there following the split. For the next two years they came there nearly every weekend. Audra had been close with her late brother Miguel. Adam and Gia shared a room whenever they stayed over. The two had formed a special bond even though Adam had more in common with Gia's brothers. With just two years between them, they had been the only female cousins around the same age in family. Once his mother met Drew's father their visits had become less frequent, but after the couple married the two families still came together quite a bit over the years.

"She got married last fall. Gia's husband is in the army and they're just having a wedding reception now," he informed her.

"Wow. She's a young bride, but that's great!" Fiona recovered.

Adam cracked a small smile at her commentary. Fiona and Gia were the same age. "Yeah, 19 is kind of young. But when you know, you know. Right?" he grinned at her.

Fiona softly laughed. "True," she agreed. She and Adam decided they wanted to get married someday back in November. At the time she was 18 and he was 16!

"So, she wants me to come to the wedding," he revealed. He studied her for a reaction.

Fiona paused. "As you, right?" She hoped that his cousin would be open and accepting of who he was. He shouldn't feel obligated to play 'Gracie' to make everyone else comfortable.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, as me."

Fiona grinned broadly. She reached for his hand. "How do you feel about that?" she asked.

He took a deep breath. "Happy. Relieved. A little nervous…"

She gave him a look.

"Okay, maybe more than a little nervous," he admitted. He looked into her eyes. "Will you be my date?"

Fiona snorted. "Let me think about it… Yes!" she laughed. She came from around the table and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Was it even a question?"

Adam grinned at her and pulled her closer. "I didn't think so. But I know this is kind of… well, it's a lot."

She took a moment to consider his words. "We'd have to meet someday. When is the reception?"

"Next weekend," he told her.

She smiled. "That gives me just enough time to find the perfect dress."

Adam laughed.

-oOo-

Their lovemaking that night had been slow and deliberate. They were in no rush to race to the finish line. Being alone in Fiona's apartment, there was no need to muffle the sounds of their enjoyment. They had been fully in the moment, enjoying each kiss, each touch, and every stroke.

Adam smiled as he lay beside the love of his life. He was truly happy. His life had taken a unique trajectory. It wasn't all that long ago he struggled to be comfortable in his own skin and lived in fear of people finding out the truth about him. While he knew dysphoria was something he would likely struggle with for the rest of his life, he felt so much better about who was and how he felt in his body. Transitioning had been one of the best things to happen to him. Words couldn't describe how good it felt for his outside to finally reflect the guy he had always been inside.

When he was outed by Bianca in his Sophomore year at Degrassi, he had been devastated. Now he found, in a way she had done him a favor. He was subjected to horrible bullying in the aftermath, but in the long term living his life openly was freeing. His immediate family knew. Everyone at school knew and over time accepted him as male – with the exception of one former classmate, who was rotting in jail.

The attack by Owen had been reported in the news. It was how his extended family learned he was transgendered. He didn't like the way they found out, but he was relieved that he no longer had to keep up pretenses. Four months later, he still wasn't sure what they thought about it and for this reason he was very nervous about attending Gia's wedding.

He sighed and turned to Fiona. To his surprise he found her awake and looking back at him with a small smile.

"You're awake," she stated.

Adam smiled. "I'm merely resting with my eyes open."

They laughed. After a moment he grew serious.

Adam looked deeply into her eyes. "I'm glad you're coming with me," he told her. He was going to a family event for the first time in years, and he was actually bringing the woman he loved as his date. He was over the moon.

Fiona softly laughed and grabbed his hand. She brought it to her lips and kissed his fingers. "Me too," she responded. After a moment she placed his hand on her right breast.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're ready for round two?" Adam was surprised that she had the energy.

She grinned at him. "The night is young."

Spending the night together at the condo was rare opportunity these days. He looked at her for a few seconds before quickly reaching for her. They were both laughing as he pulled her on top of him.

.

tbc


A/N: In the next part we'll get to the wedding.

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