"There's Garcia!" Prentiss said, nodding towards the door.
"Baby Girl, come have a drink with us!" Morgan called, waving her over.
"Oh, it was a beautiful wedding," Garcia said, hurrying over to where the others were standing. "It went off perfectly! Wasn't that the most perfect wedding you've ever been to? It was like a dream!"
"A dream?" JJ said. "Try telling that to my knees! I still can't believe I let that cat get away from me!"
"Oh, JJ," Prentiss laughed, "it was sweet! And hey- at least she didn't call you a stupid, incompetent bitch!"
"Christine would never say that," Morgan said with a chuckle.
Garcia put her wine glass down, "She would and she did!"
"To whom?"
"To me, Mocha Grande, right before she threw the shoes I bought her at my head!" Garcia exclaimed.
"No way! I mean, I can hear her saying it as a joke or something, but…"
"Seriously, Morgan," Prentiss said, "she used those exact words. I don't think anyone has ever called Garcia stupid, incompetent or a bitch ever. Penelope, believe me, I almost cried when she said that. I felt that bad!"
Garcia waved at the air. "I'm over it. She didn't mean it. I get where all that was coming from. She told me that morning she was upset because she didn't think she'd ever be able to be as good a wife as her grandma had been…"
JJ sighed. "Oh, that actually explains it, then. Because I was with Prentiss- I couldn't figure out how she could be so nasty to you…"
"She was just hurting," Garcia said, sipping her wine. "Seeing her grandpa without her grandma there, too? I totally get it."
"Hey guys," Joe said, butting in. "Just so you all know, we're getting together tomorrow at Chris' place. We're gonna have lunch and open presents."
"Presents?" Morgan said. "It said right in the invitation that they didn't want any presents! Did you guys get them presents?"
"I made a donation to the American Cancer Society," JJ said.
"Yeah, I gave to the National Alliance on Mental Illness," Prentiss said.
"I gave to St. Jude's," Garcia said. Then after a pause she added, "and I got them a present, too."
"Baby Girl! You're breaking the rules and making us look bad!"
"What! It's just a few things I made that I can't tell you about because they're a surprise. Okay, you twisted my arm, I'll tell you! I knitted them matching hats and scarves- blue for her, purple for him- and I made a batch of my mormor's pepparkakor. They're Swedish ginger cookies, you know, because, like, I'm Swedish, and she's a ginger…hey! I thought it was cute!"
"They'll love them, Penny," Joe said. "But you are precisely the reason why we're getting together tomorrow, because it was ridiculous of my sister to even suggest that my family not give her gifts. So, mom and the aunties will be making lunch. Bar's open at 11:00am. Be there, okay? My grandpa's coming in so I gotta go help him. Be there!"
"Gideon, you didn't get them a gift, did you?" Morgan asked.
"No, I did as they asked and made a charitable donation, which I thought was an excellent idea. It would have been ridiculous for them to get eight toasters and seven blenders they don't need."
"Speaking of ridiculous," Garcia said, "what did you guys think of those pictures we took?"
"Oh my God," JJ said, "I hope they make that last one their Christmas card. That is going to be awesome! 'Alright now, everybody,'" she continued, mimicking Christine, "'lean in and stare creepily at Spencer!' Did you see his face? He looked genuinely scared when we did that!"
"I just want a copy of the one we took with them and the team pretending like we were all holding guns," Prentiss added.
Garcia laughed. "Only Hotch wasn't pretending! He actually pulled out his own gun! Seriously, who brings a gun to a wedding?"
"Apparently you don't know Hotch as well as you think you do," Gideon said. "I'm just surprised that he was only carrying one."
"Did I hear someone using my name in vain?" Hotch said, as he walked up behind them.
"Hey, you made it!" Morgan said. "Can I buy you a drink? Haley- where's my little man Jack?"
"He is with my sister today," Haley replied.
"Aw, there's a lot of little kids here tonight," Garcia said. "Don't you think he'd like to play with them, or is he still too little for that?"
"He's still to little," Haley said, "and frankly, I just want to enjoy myself tonight instead of worrying about where he is. I have a feeling this is going to be the party of the century tonight!"
"Hey, can we all just stop for a minute," JJ said, "and appreciate what an amazing statement that was? I mean, think back to when we all first met Spence. Who among us ever imagined that he would ever even be getting married, let alone that we'd be fully expecting his reception to be the best one any of us have ever been too? Just let that sink in for a minute."
"I think when we first met Reid, none of us were even sure he liked girls, not to mention that his taste in women runs toward the crazy side," Morgan said.
"Oh, but they're just perfect together, aren't they?" Garcia said.
"That they are," Hotch said, lifting his glass. "To Spencer and Christine!"
After they all clinked glasses, Prentiss asked, "So, where are they now- does anyone know?"
"Mmmhmm," Garcia said as she set down her glass. "They went to the National Mall. Christine wanted to lay her bouquet at the Vietnam War Memorial. I guess she had an uncle who died. She wanted to go visit his grave up at Arlington, but then they decided that they didn't want to risk interrupting a burial there, so they went to the Mall instead."
"Well, that'll be nice, though," Prentiss said. "They'll be able to get some gorgeous pictures over there. I mean, they couldn't have asked for nicer weather for it, you know?"
"Wait," said JJ, "so if she's leaving her bouquet there, what are we supposed to catch later?"
"Why, did you have big plans for catching that?" Prentiss replied with a laugh. "Because if you did, you'd have had to fight me for it, anyway!"
"That is one fight I'd pay good money to see," Morgan said.
"Me too," Hotch added. "I know I wouldn't want to get in Emily's way!"
"I dunno," Morgan said. "I think JJ could take her…"
"Don't worry your pretty little heads, dearies," Garcia said. "The florist gave her a throw-away bouquet just for the toss. And besides, I'm getting it, so the two of you might as well just sit it out."
"What about Alex over there?" JJ said, nodding in her direction. "Looks like she's got some plans of her own with Anderson."
"So they're still a thing?" Prentiss asked. "I wasn't quite sure. Who's that lady they're talking to?"
"To answer your questions," Garcia said, "yes, they're still a thing, although I think they're taking it glacially slow at this point, and that is Alex's grandmother."
"Oooh," JJ said, "meetin' the grandma already, hmm?"
"Aw, isn't that nice?" Prentiss said. "I'll bet her nana just adores him…"
"Especially after the last guy she dated," Hotch said, taking a sip from his drink.
"You know about him?" Garcia asked. "What's his story?"
"His story," Hotch said, putting his glass down, "is that's he's currently doing time in Joliet Correctional for aggravated domestic battery. Against Alex."
The women all gasped. "Are you serious?" Garcia asked. "But why? What could Alex possibly have done to make someone hurt her?"
"Baby Girl, to these guys," Morgan said, "nothing is about what their partner did or didn't do. For them, it's all about their own sense of power and control. Alex could have done everything he ever demanded of her, and he still would have hurt her."
"Well, that explains the scars, now," JJ said grimly.
"I don't know anything about scars," Hotch replied.
"Yeah," Prentiss said, "but to get an aggravated charge stick there has to be permanent disfigurement or disability, correct?"
Hotch only nodded. They all fell silent until Haley said, "Hey, come on, guys. Enough shop talk. We're here for a wedding!"
"She's right, guys," Prentiss said. "Say, does anyone know who the blonde was in the first row?"
"That was Christine's oldest sister, Patsy," Garcia said, "and that was her husband, the balding one with glasses, next to her."
"Oh, I didn't know she had two. I thought Cori was her only sister. So, JJ, you had to deal with Cori- what's the deal with her?"
JJ put down her drink. "Well, she was nice enough to me, but clearly there's some kind of tension in that family. Did you notice the way she and Chris avoid one another?"
"Oh, I totally got that vibe," Garcia said. "Awkward! So what's the deal there?"
"You know, I'm not sure. The one time it got weird when I was talking to her was when I asked her, 'So where did you go to school?' And all she said was, 'I did two years at Elgin Community College.'"
"That explains a lot," Gideon said. "Think about what it must be like to be in that family. The parents are both health professionals, the oldest brother is a military officer married to a CPA, the other daughter has an MBA and is married to an aerospace engineer…"
"How do you know all this?" Garcia asked.
"I talk to people," he replied. "Joe studied software engineering and graphic design at MIT and he's married to another accountant, and then of course there's-"
"Spencer and Christine," Prentiss finished. "Yeah, that's gotta be some pressure to be under, especially if you're not particularly academic."
"One thing I can say," JJ said, "is that she is an incredible mother. I mean, I have never seen such well-behaved children in my life! Even the baby was a perfect angel! And that's with two of them being flaming red-heads. Let's be honest- Christine is kinda living the red-headed stereotype, right? But the little boy, he was just as quiet and polite as you could ask for, and did you see the hair on that baby? Oh my God, she is just the cutest little thing I've ever seen!
"Oh, isn't she just scrumptious looking?" Garcia said. "I wonder if the Reids' babies will get that gene. Did you guys hear that? The Reids! I can't believe it! There's officially two of them now!"
"Okay," Prentiss said, "now, I've just gotta say, there were two things that shocked me about this wedding. The first was that she had the pastor leave in the promise to obey him-"
"Yes!" Haley exclaimed. "I noticed that, too!"
"And second," Prentiss continued, "was that she had him introduce them as 'Dr. and Mrs. Spencer Reid.' So does anybody know what the deal was with that? She's not actually changing her name, is she?"
"Ooh!" Garcia said, "I know this one! Actually, yes, she's legally changing her name to Reid, believe it or not, but she'll continue to use Archangeli professionally."
"Really?" JJ said. "I'm surprised she's changing her name at all."
"It's not so surprising when you think about it," Gideon said. "I think Christine is insightful enough to recognize that, in many ways, she is the more dominant one in their relationship in terms of personality, emotional strength…even with their careers, her earning potential vastly outpaces his. But this whole wedding, for her, has been an attempt to show her deference and respect for him and his wishes. And I think we can all acknowledge that in their relationship, her support and edification of him has been invaluable. He's grown much more bold, confident, self-assured…that's no coincidence. That is, in large part, a direct result of their relationship and because she truly loves and supports him. And it's lucky for all of us that she does- can you imagine the weak, broken, shell of a man he'd be if she actually tried to dominate him? I know I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of an argument with her!"
"No, you wouldn't," Hotch said. "I've been there, and I can assure you it was not pleasant!"
"Oh, come on, Hotch," Morgan said. "When have you and Christine ever actually had a fight?"
"During the Fisher King case, when she insisted on bringing that ridiculous cat into the BAU. I thought she was just trying to get under my skin with that stunt. I didn't realize at that time that Alex was using it as a kind of service animal to deal with her emotional issues. I tell you, that woman backed me into the corner of my own office and gave me an absolutely brutal tongue lashing."
"Yeah, and she had Garcia in tears today!" Prentiss added.
"What did she say to you, Penelope?" Haley asked.
"She called me a stupid, incompetent bitch," Garcia said with a chuckle.
"What? No!"
"She didn't like the shoes I bought her. It's okay. She apologized. We're good now. Ooh! Joe's waving to me. I'd better go see what's going on!"
As Garcia hurried away, Haley said, "Well maybe as long as Spencer never tries to buy her shoes, they'll live a long, happy life together."
Soon after, Garcia came scurrying back. "Oh my God," she said breathlessly. "They're here. Their car just pulled up. Yay! It's finally party time!"
Moments later, guests near the entrance began to clap, and the members of the BAU craned their necks to see the happy couple. Amidst the well-wishing, Spencer led Christine by the hand to where they stood. "Hey guys," Spencer said, grinning, "how's it going? Is everyone enjoying themselves? Is anyone getting hungry?"
Beside him Christine raised her hand and jumped up and down. "Me! Me me me me me! I'm hungry!"
"Nobody eats till I've gotten a hug!" Garcia commanded, throwing her arms first around Spencer, then around his bride.
After the others- even Gideon- had gotten their hugs, Spencer turned to Christine and said, "Well, are you ready to see what we've done?"
"Lay it on me, Sparky!"
Spencer opened the door from the lounge to the banquet room and Christine gasped. "It's gorgeous. Oh no," she said dropping his hand and walking away. "I gotta check out this cake!"
After her initial inspection, she moved around to the back of it and rolled her eyes at Spencer. "You just had to have your dumb killer robot, didn't you?"
"You said I could!" he laughed.
She shook her head at him then suddenly stopped and pointed. "What's that?"
"What's what?"
"That table over there!"
"I dunno," he said. "Maybe you'd better go check it out."
On a long table to the side of the cake were huge platters of cookies and treats. "Snickerdoodles, peanut butter roundups, ice box lemon bars…Sparky, where did you get this idea?" Without waiting for him to answer, she picked up a snickerdoodle and shoved it in her mouth. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide and she turned to Spencer. "Oh my God," she said, her mouth still full. "What have you done?"
"Your aunt Melanie gave me your grandma's recipes and I found a baker who was willing to bake them for us- hey! Easy now! You're getting crumbs on me!" he laughingly chided as she threw her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest. "Shhh," he said, stroking her head. "I know you miss her. I thought maybe this way she could be here with us today."
Christine mumbled into his chest, "What did I ever do to deserve a man like you?" She sniffed and turned from him to face the wall. "Do you have a handkerchief on you? I think my mascara is gonna run."
He fished in his pocket and held it out to her. "Keep it," he said with a smile. "I don't have any mascara to worry about."
After she dried her eyes, she called to her cousins and siblings who had filed into the room with the other guests. "Come here," she said, "look what Sparky's done! They're Grandma's!"
As they began to reach for the table Spencer put his arms out. "No! Not until after dinner," he said. "You all will ruin your appetites!"
They were laughing and pleading with him when they heard a loud tapping coming the speakers around them. They looked to see Joe standing at the front of the room, holding a microphone. "Hello! I'm going to ask everyone to take their seats now. If you don't know where you're sitting, the table number is located on your place card. If you don't like the people you're seated with, then just try and pretend to get along until we get the champagne out here and you all become friends. Spencer, Chris, you two are up here. Now, most of you know me, and for that I apologize. For the rest of you, my name is Joe, and I'm Chris' brother. While you take your seats, I'd like to tell you a story. If you're old enough, you'll remember exactly where you were on February 22, 1980. Probably, you were crowded around a TV set, because the Winter Olympics were being played in Lake Placid, and on that night, the American hockey team played the USSR. Maybe you were at home or in a bar. Me, I watched that game in the waiting room of St. Joseph's Hospital. Of course, Team USA wasn't supposed to win that game. But they came from behind and at the end of the game, we all remember Al Michaels screaming, 'Five seconds left in the game! Do you believe in miracles? YES!' I was five years old, but I still remember how my brother, my sisters, all the nurses and I collectively lost our freaking minds. We won! And it was right then, right when we were all screaming and crying and cheering, that my father came in and told us we had a baby sister. We went to go see her, and I got to hold her first. And I'll always remember I looked at her and thought, 'Wow, you really are a miracle, aren't you?' She was so cute with her fuzzy orange hair and I was so happy we'd won that hockey game that I totally forgot to be angry that I didn't get the baby brother I wanted. Over the years, I've done my best to show her just how much I love her by teasing her, tormenting her and pulling every prank on her I could think of, just like any good brother would do. One time I even forced her against her will to go on a blind date. Now here they sit together and I finally have the chance to say this: Chris, you are still my miracle. Thank you for being the best little sister, the best friend, and best coworker I could ever ask for. And most of all, thank you for giving the one thing I wanted since the day you were born- a little brother. I love you both." After he had hugged both of them, Joe said, "Now my father has something he'd like to say."
Dr. Archangeli stepped up to the microphone and said, "My daughter just told me, 'No one gets to eat until you're done talking, so make it fast, old man!'" He paused and smiled shyly as a smattering of laughter rippled through the crowd of guests. "I'll try to be brief. Something happens to you when you become a father- and any man here who is one can tell you this is true. From the very first moment the nurse places that new little bundle in your arms and you look down into her sweet, innocent face, you start to dream. You dream dreams that go on for years, and in your dreams, you can see the future. You can see all the fascinating things she'll learn, the amazing places she'll go, the wonderful people she'll meet and the grand adventures she'll have along the way. Most of all, you can see her- you can see her so clearly it's as if with your waking eyes!- and you can see just how brilliant, beautiful, bold and talented she'll become. And you can see, too, that she'll be also good, kind, thoughtful and generous, someone of whom you can not only be proud, but also admire.
"And as time goes by, you hope that, when the time is right, she'll meet a young man. You hope that he'll be the sort of man who will treat her well, who will treasure her as you do, who will put her needs before his own and who will treat her with the respect she deserves. And you hope that someday, when the time is right, she'll ask you to walk her down the aisle to put her hand in his.
"And after all this dreaming and hoping, you pray- oh, God! How you pray!- that when you get to the end of that aisle, that the young man standing there is even half as fine a gentleman as the man to whom I gave my littlest treasure today.
"Spencer, I suppose now is the time when I'm supposed to welcome you to the family. But I cannot. The fact is, just like Christine, we've loved you from the moment we met you, and we've always considered you one of our own. I cannot tell you how happy we are that it's finally official, and that at last we can call you son. Diana," he said, raising his glass towards Spencer's mother, "thank you for raising this young man. You've done a helluva job. And to the happy couple, congratulations. May your days together be long and filled with peace, joy, love and many, many grandchildren for me! Cheers!"
After glasses had clinked and the toast had been drunk, the sound of knives tapping on glasses could be heard. Spencer leaned over to Christine and asked, "What are they doing?"
"That sound means they want us to kiss, silly! Haven't you ever been to a wedding before?"
"No, not that I can recall. Are you serious, or are you just teasing me now?" he asked as the sound grew louder.
"I'm as serious as a heart attack. But I suppose if you're not man enough…"
"What? Chris, I…" he stammered. "Are you sure?" He looked out at their laughing guests who, by this point, were making a tremendous racket. Finally he leaned in to Christine, but she leaned away, putting her hand on his chest to hold him at a distance and making a face.
"Stop it!" he whispered as their guests whooped and cheered. "If we're supposed to kiss, then let me kiss you!"
"I'm gonna make you work for it tonight, boy!"
He leaned in again, but again she pushed him away. Finally, in a fit of desperation, he stood, took her face in his hands, and planted a kiss firmly on her lips as she played at fighting him off. A roar of approval went up from their guests when he did so, and he said to her, "Woman, why can't you ever do anything easily?"
"Because there's no humor in easy! Haven't you learned anything from me?"
After their dinners had been served, Joe stepped back to the microphone. "Hey, is everybody enjoying their meal? Yeah? You know, y'all have Spencer to thank for that tonight; my sister's not much of a hostess, so she pushed that responsibility off on him. He did a helluva job, too! Thanks for the free food, brother! Anyway, it's that time of the night, the moment you've all been waiting for, so why don't you all put your hands together for the best man's speech. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Mr. Derek Morgan!"
"Thank you," Morgan said as he took the microphone. "I met Spencer Reid about four years ago when he was hired to join our team at the Behavioral Analysis Unit. If I had to choose one word to describe how I felt when I met him, it would be, 'unimpressed'. He was skinny, he was clumsy, he dressed like just stepped out of the 1940s and he most definitely did not have a way with women. This guy had so little game that we all started to wonder if he was even interested in women at all. I mean, come on, look at him- he's prettier than most women I know, and he carries a purse!"
"It's a messenger bag!" Spencer said.
"Listen man- I've got two sisters. Trust me, I know a purse when I see it. Then, to top it all off, I found out he couldn't shoot, he had zero self-defense skills, and he was the most annoying know-it-all I'd ever met. One time we got stuck in an elevator together and he freaked out so badly that he had to change his pants afterwards. Over the years, however, I came to know another side of him. He's brave, he's loyal, he's honest and he's the most trustworthy man I know. I not only learned to like him, but I came to respect him as well, and he became my best friend and the brother I never had.
"Then one day, while we were briefing a case, in walked this girl, and it became real obvious real fast that Spencer had been keeping a secret from us all- he had a girlfriend. And once more, I was unimpressed. I mean, sure, she was hot, but she dressed like a slob, cursed like a trucker, and she had this inability to shut her mouth! I had never met such a rude and obnoxious woman in my life. I thought there was no way this woman was good enough for my friend. But over the years, I've learned that she is also sweet, kind, generous, and despite what Joe said earlier, she's a very gracious hostess. Most of all, she shares with my friend- my brother- a kind of genuine, selfless love that I can only dream of finding some day. In all seriousness, Spencer, Christine, it is an honor to know the both of you, and there is no one here who could possibly be happier for you than I am right now. May you share a lifetime of love and laughter together, because you both deserve it. I love you guys. Cheers!"
As the guests drank a toast again, Morgan turned to hug Christine and Spencer. "Lemme guess," Christine laughed. "My brother helped you with that, didn't he?"
"How'd you know?"
"The bit about the man-purse was pure Joe."
"It's a messenger bag!" Spencer said.
"Baby, I love you," Christine said, "but it's totally a purse. No, don't be like that! If anyone's pretty enough to pull off that look, it's you!"
After they finished eating, Spencer and Christine got up to talk with their guests. Slowly they made their way to the table where the BAU had been seated. "Hey," Christine said, "so how'd Sparky do with the party planning, guys?"
"Fantastic," Prentiss answered. "Everything is absolutely delicious!"
"Did you get any of that smoked brisket?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm in heaven!" Morgan replied.
"Yes, Chris," JJ chimed in, "everything was just perfect! Those blue crabs were outstanding!"
"Yeah," she said, putting her arm though Spencer's and snuggling close to him. "My man did a good job. He knew I wanted to have a barbecue, and he gave it to me. Even the barbecue chicken was delicious, and they never do chicken right at banquets. But I'm with Derek- the brisket was the one to write home about. How about you, Penny- were the raviolis good?"
"I knew they would be, Garcia answered, "I went with Reid to all the tastings!"
"Great, and how are we doing on the champagne?" she asked, reaching over the table and lifting the bottle. "Ooh, looks like you need some more! I'll get you some…"
Before anyone could stop her, Christine walked off in search of a waiter. "So how are you hanging in there, Spencer?" Haley asked.
"Who, me? I'm doing great. So far, everything had gone wonderfully, and I couldn't have done it without Garcia. She's tonight's true hero," Spencer replied.
"Ohh," Garcia said, pushing up her glasses and blushing. "You're just saying that 'cause it's true!"
"Found it!" Christine cried, as she hoisted a bottle in the air. After uncorking it loudly, she commanded, "Glasses!" and proceeded to fill those offered. She set the bottle back on the table and hugged Spencer, smiling up at him.
Once more, Joe's voice came over the speakers. "Hello again! I hope everyone enjoyed dinner and saved a little room for dessert. We've got an amazing sweets table up here with some of my grandma's very own treats, so I'd like to invite you all to help yourselves in a minute. But first, I need the bride and groom to come over here so we can cut the cake!"
"Ooh, I'm gonna need pictures!" Garcia exclaimed.
"I'll come with you," JJ said, reaching in her purse for her own camera.
Spencer and Christine posed with the cake knife for a moment before cutting two slices. Christine fed Spencer a slice, after which he paused and listened. From their guests he thought he heard a few boos; one person even called out, "Boooring!"
"What's going on?" he asked Christine. "Did I do something wrong? What are they chanting about now?"
"They're trying to get you to rub the cake in my face"
"That's terrible! Why would I do that?"
"So they can see me get arrested for assaulting you tonight," Christine said. "Be smart about this now, Sparky. You don't wanna get hurt."
Spencer looked around the room, blinking for a moment before picking up the cake. After he'd let Christine take a bite, he smeared the rest upwards, getting frosting and raspberry filling all over her mouth and up her nose.
Their guests roared with approval, but Christine let out an angry howl. As she reached with an open hand to grab at the cake and exact her revenge, Joe leapt forward and quickly pinned her arms behind her back. "Calm down!" he said, laughing. "That man didn't do anything the rest of us haven't dreamed of doing for a long time now. Stop fighting! I'm not letting you go until you call down. I swear to God, Chris, if you go after him, I'm gonna make you wear that entire cake!"
Christine stopped struggling and was released into Garcia and Alex's custody to go find a damp cloth with which to clean her face. While she was gone, Spencer received congratulations from Christine's friends and family and helped pass out cake. After she returned, Joe stepped back to the microphone. "Let's have a round of applause for the groom, who had the guts to do what everyone in this room has dreamed of doing for years, shall we? Way to go, bro!" He glanced back at the couple and chuckled when he saw the bride holding up her middle finger down to her side. "Now that the cake is finally being passed out, it's time to really get this party started! To kick things off right, let's welcome the bride and groom to the floor tonight for their first dance. And to make the moment truly memorable, we're going to be having a special musical performance by none other that me!"
As Joe pulled out a guitar from behind the cake table, Spencer led Christine to the dance floor. "Oh no," she moaned. "What have the two of you cooked up now?"
"You'll see…"
As Joe began to strum the opening bars to the song, Spencer watched as Christine's eyes grew wide and tears began to well up in them. Joe sang, "Why are there so many songs about rainbows/and what's on the other side?/Rainbows are visions, but only illusions/and rainbows have nothing to hide…"
"How did you know?" Christine asked as they started to dance. "How did you know this was the song I wanted to hear?"
"Actually," Spencer said with a smile, "I just tried to find a song we could waltz to. But seriously, you sleep with a Kermit the Frog by the bed every night. I knew."
"Spencer, you really are my superhero, you know that?" she said. "You're my very own superhero." She put her head on his shoulder and murmured, "You couldn't have made this a more perfect day."
"Even in spite of the cake?"
"Even so. All is forgiven. Besides, it was funny."
He laughed. "Well, thank God I've married a woman with a sense of humor."
"Just don't ever try it again."
"Dually noted."
She lifted her face up, beaming at him, and sang along, "Have you been half asleep?/ And have you heard voices?/ I've heard them calling my name/ Is this the sweet sound/ That called the young sailors?/ The voice might be one in the same…"
He smiled back at her and sang along with her, "I've heard it too many times to ignore it/ It's something that I'm supposed to be/ Someday we'll find it/ The rainbow connection/ The lovers, the dreamers and me!"
As the music ended, she put her arms around him and said simply, "I love you, Spencer."
"I love you, too, Christine."

The door to their room had hardly shut behind them before he grabbed her about the waist and pushed her back, pinning her against the wall.
"Sparky," she giggled as he smothered her with kisses, "slow down!"
"Not tonight," he panted as his hand fumbled to find it's way under her skirt. "You've made me wait weeks for this, and I just spent the entire day staring at you in that dress, waiting for the moment I could get you out of it!"
"But Sparky, I…there's something I have to tell you!"
"You can tell me in bed," he replied, planting a kiss hard on her neck before carrying her the short distance to the bed.
He fairly tossed her, still giggling, on the bed and watched her as he began to unbutton his shirt. He pulled it off and threw it on the floor before running his hands up her legs and tugging at her panties.
"No, seriously," she said, "I need to tell you something!"
"What?" he asked, exasperated, as he pressed her body into the bed with his own.
She put an arm around his neck and whispered in his ear. Immediately, he stopped moving and sat back on his knees, looking at her.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Are…are you sure?"
She raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders.
A smile spread across his face. He held a hand out to help her sit up, cleared his throat and said, "Well then, I supposed we should do this properly then, shouldn't we? You do whatever you need to to get ready; I can wait."
"Well, good, because I have a new nightie and I didn't want it to go to waste."
"Oh, it's still going to go to waste," he joked. "Because I can guarantee you're not going to be wearing it long. Do you need any help?"
"Yeah, can you get the zipper on this thing for me?" she asked, turning her back to him.
"What about…do I just untie this bow, then?"
"No no," she said, "it's got a little hook over here. There you go; now you can get the zipper down."
After he had unzipped her all the way, he slipped his hands in under her bodice and ran them up her sides. He leaned down to bury his face in her fragrant hair as his hands reached forward to cup her breasts and draw her body back against his own. She closed her eyes, entranced by his touch, until he whispered, "Sorry. I'll let you change." She turned to kiss him, and he added with a mischievous grin, "but leave those stockings on, okay?"
He walked out of the bedroom of their hotel suite and paced as he stripped off his clothes and uncharacteristically left them to lay where they fell. He felt electricity coursing through his body as he anticipated the night to come. There she was, just in the other room, finally his bride and soon-
The sound of the door opening broke his reverie. "I'm ready," was all she said.
He stepped through the doorway, his excitement evident on his body. His hands fell on her hips as his lips found hers, and they shared a long, deep kiss. He stepped back and sat down on the bed before telling her, "Turn around. Slowly."
As she obliged, he studied her, filing away in his mind the memory of every bit of lace and silk, every luxurious curl flowing from her head, and every perfect, alabaster curve of her body. When at last she faced him again, he stood and sank his fingers into her hair and kissed her tenderly. Slowly he let a finger trace down the side of her face, over her neck, and down between her breasts to where a single bow held her negligee together. He pulled on it gently and pushed the nearly weightless garment back over her shoulders and let it float to the ground. He moved both hands to cup her breasts, his thumbs caressing her erect nipples. She moaned softly as he bent down to place kisses on each of them before moving around behind her. He slid his hands from her breasts to her hips and lowered himself to his knees. He pulled her panties down over her shapely bottom and legs, lightly kissing her curves as he did so. Finally, he stood, pulled the covers back from the bed and led her to it by the hand. He laid down beside her, pushed her legs apart, and knelt between them, gasping as she reached into his underpants and squeezed his erection. He quickly discarded his underwear and stretched out his body against hers. Grasping her leg and holding it tightly to his side, he thrust into her with all his might, reveling in the loud cry of delight he elicited from her lips.
He buried his face in her neck and groaned, "Oh, my wife! At last, my beautiful, wonderful wife!"

A/N

The song played at their wedding was, "Rainbow Connection," which was written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher and was first performed by Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson) in The Muppet Movie.