This takes the sappy fluff to new levels. Why did I have their wedding before Jane and Bing's? No real reason; just because everybody does it the other way and I'm contrary. ;) One more chapter after this.
So the first wedding when they danced together willingly, not forced by tradition, was their own.
She had already learned that William's dancing ability was far better than their first awkward encounter made her believe, at least when he wasn't nervous and skittish and surrounded by strangers. But ability was pretty much irrelevant when they danced at their wedding. A newly-married couple, arms wrapped around each other and lost in their own world, didn't really need to dance well. They could have had four left feet and it wouldn't matter in the least.
Dimly, in the corner of her eye, Lizzie spied her mother sobbing effusively, clutching Mr. Bennet's arm for dear life. She had started crying early that morning when Lizzie emerged from her old bedroom in her wedding dress, and hadn't really stopped since. Lizzie hoped her father was supplying her with plenty of fluids. Jane and Bing had joined them on the dance floor, as well as Fitz and Brandon and a handful of other couples. Lydia hovered along the wall with her current boyfriend, biting her lip, then suddenly grabbed his arm and dragged him onto the floor.
Lizzie's eyes went watery. Lydia almost hadn't invited him to the wedding, saying they'd only been together a month and it was kind of jinxing things to take him to something as couple-y as a wedding – but here they were, dancing so enthusiastically people had to duck to avoid their flailing limbs.
"Are you all right?" William murmured in her ear.
Lizzie nodded, burying her face in his shoulder. "Very."
She wondered if he would point out that very all right didn't make grammatical sense, but instead he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. "Happy birthday," he murmured.
"Mm. Happy anniversary." She let out a sigh of contentment. "I really didn't think anything could top my birthday two years ago, but this might."
"I hope this doesn't mean you'll feel a letdown when other birthdays are somewhat more ordinary."
"No, I think it's for the best. Excessive happiness can be a little dangerous." She nodded toward Mrs. Bennet. "I think my mom's about to faint."
He let out a low rumble of a laugh that only she could hear.
There were a lot of toasts. Rather than single out any one sister or friend as maid of honor and best man, Lizzie and William let Jane and Lydia and Charlotte and Gigi and Bing and Fitz all form a sort of hydra-like wedding party, each taking on a different set of responsibilities – and everyone wanting to have a few words at the reception.
Jane went first. The rest of them insisted on it because otherwise she would have let everyone else go before her.
"I'm just so happy that my sister has found someone who makes her so happy," she began, after which Fitz and Gigi started a running tally of how many times she said happy. The count was up to eleven by the end of it.
Bing was next, and his favored word was amazing. At nine repetitions, he didn't quite match his fiancé, but they'd have a rematch at their own wedding.
Gigi started by declaring that if it weren't for her, they wouldn't even be here today, drawing out a lot of good-natured laughter. But then she segued into her heartfelt wishes, and mentioned their parents with a quavering voice, and by the end of it not many eyes were dry.
Charlotte knew how to be brief. "I had my doubts whether my best friend would ever find someone who was the right one for her, who respected her and challenged her while being someone she could respect and challenge. But here you are, setting the bar super-high for the rest of us. Congratulations. Oh, and just remember I saw it coming long before you did."
Lizzie stuck her tongue out at her, but she was laughing.
Fitz somehow managed to cram fifteen alliterations into his speech and had everyone practically rolling in the aisles.
Lydia just lifted her glass and said, "To the two biggest, nicest nerds in the world."
Toward the end, Mrs. Bennet's euphoria hit a snag when Lizzie categorically refused to throw her bouquet.
"But it's tradition!" she moaned. "We can't really call it official until you've tossed that pretty bunch of flowers."
"My marriage status is in no jeopardy," Lizzie retorted. "You're just hoping to get me to aim at Lydia."
"When I find something that works, I stick with it," her mother said, unabashed.
Lizzie stared at her. "You really did it, didn't you? You bribed Ellen Gibson into throwing her bouquet at me."
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Mrs. Bennet huffed.
"It probably would have worked a lot better if we hadn't been forced into that stupid dance together!"
"Lizzie," William said, tugging gently on her arm, "it's better not to drag this out. We have an early plane to catch in the morning, do we not?"
"True," she said, her anger dissolving for the most part. "You're lucky I learned this today, Mom. I'm in a forgiving mood."
Mrs. Bennet leaped forward, and Lizzie suddenly found herself in a suffocating embrace. "Oh, Lizzie! You're such a beautiful bride! This is the happiest day of my life!"
That statement had been uttered at least six times over the course of the last two years, and would probably crop up six more by the time Jane was married. But today Lizzie returned the hug and said, "Me too."