Gaaaah! I couldn't help myself. I'm procrastinating against working on rewriting my other stories…I love this too, especially since this version turned out better than the first. So…another chapter!
-Silver
As the months passed the café seemed to grow more and more hectic.
"Ichigo, have you seen Lettuce's guest list? I need to finish addressing envelopes!"
"Pudding, don't touch that! Those are for the reception!"
"Stop playing with that, Tart! That was expensive!"
Maeve and Lettuce stood on the sidelines most of the time and giggled at how riled up Ryou had gotten over the wedding. The aliens were completely speechless. Their customs were different from the Mews and they had absolutely no clue what the point of all the craziness was.
"Maeve, would you explain, once more, why humans have 'weddings'?" Kish and Pai asked.
"Well, weddings are gatherings of family and friends to celebrate the marriage of a couple. It can also be a religious ceremony. Weddings are sort of the way that a marriage is brought into the public. It shows a commitment and involves the community in the celebration of a new beginning," Maeve stated with a small smile.
"And, usually, people are worried about a bridezilla," Ichigo started, "but we have a groomzilla instead."
The Mews all laughed while the aliens looked confused and utterly lost. "A bridezilla is a bride that is completely obsessed with the wedding and wants everything to be exactly the way she envisioned it," Lettuce added patiently, "and they're making a play on words by turning it around and making the groom crazy instead."
"You do have to admit, Lettuce," Minto butted in, "that Ryou is being a groomzilla."
"Yes, I know," Lettuce sighed, "he just wants me to be happy. I don't think he's quite come around to the fact that I really don't care how the wedding goes, as long as we're together."
Ichigo patted Lettuce's shoulder, "Some day, maybe he will."
"We can only hope," Maeve mumbled.
---
Finally, the big day arrived in blankets of snow and overcast skies. The night before had covered the streets in ice and blocked off some roads with snow. Maeve shook her head and sighed when she looked out the window of the apartment that she now shared with Pai and pulled her robe tighter around herself.
"Bad weather?" He asked, coming up behind her with two mugs of green tea.
"In a sense," Maeve replied, "It looks absolutely gorgeous, but it's no weather to be driving in, that's for sure."
"Lucky for most of you, you live close or have a safe mode of transportation," Pai stated nonchalantly.
"Well," Maeve started with a hint of sweetness in her voice, "that is true. We are in walking distance."
"Not exactly where I was going with that," Pai whispered.
"I know," Maeve said and wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him.
---
Ryou grumbled and headed down the stairs to the main part of the café. As he wandered into the kitchen, he heard a humming. Ryou furrowed his brow and said, "How can you be so happy? The weather is nasty and we won't be able to go anywhere!"
"Because it's our wedding day," Lettuce replied with a grin, "And absolutely nothing can change that."
Ryou's features softened as he reached Lettuce's side. "I love you, have I told you that?"
"Just a few times," Lettuce stated with a sparkle in her eye.
Ryou kissed her sweetly and then said, "We can have it here, would that be alright with you?"
"Couldn't care less where it was, as long as I'm marrying you."
---
"Hello?" Ichigo said into the phone.
"Sorry if I woke you, Ichigo, but Ryou wanted me to get a few people together to help him decorate the inside of the café so that he and Lettuce can get married there, instead of going to the church. We already called the minister, and he's more than happy to come over," Maeve replied into the phone.
"Sounds like a plan. Meet you in 30?"
"Okay, see you then!" Maeve hung up and pulled her coat on over her jeans, cowl neck sweater, and leather jacket.
"Leaving already?" Pai asked.
"So are you, come on. There's been a slight change of plans. You'll have to teleport us back and forth so we can get everything done in time."
Ichigo, Kish, Maeve, Pai, Lettuce, and Ryou spent three hours cleaning, decorating, and cooking for the wedding. Finally, when they were done, and the hour of the wedding approached, Ichigo took charge. "Ryou, go to your room, do not pass go, do NOT collect 200 dollars. It's time for you to both to get ready! Lettuce, go shower and start with your hair while the rest of us change. Maeve and I will be in, in about 45 minutes."
"Yes, ma'am!" Lettuce replied with a smile and a salute.
"This is what I was talking about, Pai," Maeve whispered, "You have to get us home quick."
"Yes, ma'am," Pai said, imitating Lettuce.
Maeve giggled as he took hold of her waist and teleported away.
---
Maeve arrived back at the café with Pai long before Ichigo was back and they sat at one of the tables and talked. Ryou, looking very sharp in a black tuxedo with a spring green tie, came down when he heard voices. "I figured it was you," He said as Maeve stood up to give him a hug.
They hugged, but then Ryou held her at arm's length. "Kami, you're all grown up," He stated with a sigh of disbelief.
Maeve blushed as Ryou looked at her. Lettuce had chosen simple dresses of spring green. They were strapless, had a white sash that tied on the left hip and ended at the knee. Maeve had pulled her hair up into a simple twist with a few strands of hair curled around her face. She laughed nervously and waved him away with a hand. "Ryou, you flatter me, but I promise Lettuce will look a thousand times better than I do."
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Pai whispered in her ear, as he stood behind her.
Maeve developed goosebumps all up and down her arms, but was able to hide it with a shawl draped over her arms.
"I'm going to see if Lettuce is ready to be worked on, see you two later," And with that, Maeve left Pai and Ryou alone together.
---
Time seemed to fly by Lettuce as she sat in a chair in front of her vanity. Maeve and Ichigo had done marvels for her complexion, it did not turn blotchy when she blushed but allowed her skin to look like ivory and pink rose petals. Her hair was a cascade of green curls that surrounded her face. Ichigo had pulled up some of the curls and pinned them back with a comb covered in a large, white lily blossom. Lettuce sighed and Maeve paused, Lettuce's veil in hand. "Lettuce? Are you alright?" She whispered softly.
"Yes, I'm fine. I just can't believe time flew so fast. It seems like yesterday you were broken down because Pai was in so much danger with his assignment and the fuss over your feelings for each other," Lettuce replied as Maeve smiled.
"I know, but now isn't the time to think of those things. You have the rest of your life to look forward too. Now, hold very still, we don't want the crown to catch," Maeve smiled and began to arrange a small silver tiara in Lettuce's curls.
Soon enough, Maeve had the tiara safely secured and was attaching the veil. Minto stuck her head in, "Is she ready? Ryou looks like a nervous wreck; we might want to get this show on the road before he passes out."
"Nerves of steel, that one," Ichigo mumbled and the others started laughing.
"Well, Lettuce, you ready?" Maeve asked.
"Ready as anyone ever could be," She replied.
---
The ceremony went beautifully and the reception was spectacular, but soon it was late and time for the couple to depart for their honeymoon. "You'll take care of the café while I'm gone, won't you?" Ryou asked Maeve and Keiichiro.
"Ryou, stop worrying about the café and have a good time," Maeve chided and pushed the door to the limo closed.
The Mews and Aliens waved as the limo drove away. They departed for their apartments and soon, like most of Tokyo, were sound asleep.
---
Maeve jolted awake in the middle of the night and coughed; her throat felt scratchy and dry. She wandered into the bathroom and filled her glass with tap water and began to drink it when a wave of nausea overwhelmed her and she dropped the glass into the sink where it shattered. She gagged at the sight of blood on her fingers where some of the shards had cut her. Maeve barely made it to the toilet before the nausea overcame her and she began to cough up some of the food from the reception. Pai had woken up at the sound of glass shattering and bolted for the bathroom door. He saw Maeve headed for the toilet and when she became sick, held her hair off the back of her neck. When her stomach emptied itself and she stopped gagging on air, Pai helped her lean against the bath tub. He took her hand in his and used tweezers to take out the glass shards. "Pai, I…" Maeve began as Pai finished with the tweezers and began to help her up to the sink.
"What?" He asked, looking at her, "It was an accident. You must've eaten something at the reception that didn't sit well."
Maeve was silent as Pai finished cleaning her hand and putting band-aids on it. "I don't know; it didn't really bother me till just now. Don't you think it would've affected me earlier?"
"Not necessarily," Pai replied, "Has anything else bothered you that wouldn't normally?"
"Can't stand the smell of blood, which is unusual, never used to have that problem," Maeve stated as she ran her good hand through her messy hair.
"Humph," Pai grunted as they headed back into their bedroom.
"What, mister med student? Did I do something?" Maeve asked with a slight joking edge to her voice.
"Have you missed your period?"
"Way to ask an awkward question," Maeve grumbled, "and no hot shot, I haven't. At least, I don't think so. Hold on, let me think about it," Maeve replied.
She and Pai sat on the bed in silence for a few minutes as Maeve's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. "That can't be right," Maeve finally exclaimed, "there is no way I could be eighteen days late. I've never been this late before."
"Well there's your answer then," Pai replied and lay back against the headboard, his eyes dull.
"What are you talking about?" Maeve shouted, "Pai, am I missing something here? Unless…you don't think…oh….my….god…." Maeve's voice got softer and softer until her eyes were wide and she had turned to Pai.
"Yes, according to your symptoms, we're going to have a baby," Pai replied in a monotone.
"Oh, shit," Maeve said and fell back against her pillows.
Dun, dun, dunnnn….
Well, hope you liked it. :D
-Silver