Chapter 11

Steve smirked when he pulled into the parking space right in front of Mark, who was pacing outside the double doors of the chapel. His hands were clasped behind his back, duster flapping with every movement. "I think he's worried you might've changed yer mind, darlin'." Steve softly informed his sister, who had her eyes locked on her future husband.

"He's a worry wart." She commented and slipped out of the truck, staring at him for a moment before finally walking over, gently calling his name. "Mark?" Her blue eyes were filled with tears of happiness. Tears of joy. And tears of disbelief that she was actually about to marry him. "I'm here, sweetie."

Mark pulled her up into his arms, burying his face in her hair, thanking god she'd shown up. "What took you so long?" He whispered, trying to calm his racing heart, closing his eyes tightly shut as he held her.

"I tried talkin' her out of it." Steve joked, clapping his friend on the back. "She's stubborn though, wouldn't listen to me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry." She whispered, tears falling down her face as she held her future husband close, and pulled back enough to stare into his eyes. "I love you. I wouldn't back out. I just had to talk to my brother before this happened." She rubbed his back through the duster and sighed when he held her even tighter. "I'm not backing out, I want to marry you more than anything, Mark." She assured him, knowing he was afraid she wouldn't show up.

Mark nodded, holding her at arm's length, his green eyes staring into her blue orbs, and reached up to brush her tears away with his thumb. "Let's go get married then, darlin'." He smiled down at her, leaning down to lightly brush his lips with hers.

Moaning softly against his lips, Chalice nodded as she walked away from him and over to the truck, grabbing her things out of it, and shut it as she walked back over to them. "See you in a few." She promised in a whisper, giving Mark a loving, longing gaze before disappearing into the chapel. She was getting ready to walk down the aisle and marry the man she'd never in a million years thought she'd be with.

"You ready for this, Calaway?" Steve chortled, slinging his arm around Mark's shoulders in a friendly manner, guiding him inside. When Mark nodded, he smiled. "Good…Now…If you EVER do anythin' to hurt her or the baby, I'm goin' to rip yer head off and ya really will be the Deadman, got it?"

"Got it."

"That's what I thought."

Chalice stared into the full length mirror, tears in her eyes, not believing how well the dress fit her, even with her pregnant frame. The dress was strapless and was a tulle A-line gown wit allover beaded embroidery on it. It was long and flowing, but didn't have a train and it was whitish silver. Her jewelry consisted of a pure diamond choker that went around her neck with matching earrings that dangled, but didn't outshine the dress. Her shoes were two inch open toed and actually shimmered along with the embroidery of the dress, causing her blue eyes to sparkle. Her hair cascaded down her back in curls, since she'd done it at the house, and pinned it up on either side of her head, causing it to flow over her bare shoulders delicately. She took a deep, shaky breath, closing her eyes, and knew this was it. It was do or tie. Sink or swim. She wasn't going to run from this because she truly loved Mark and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.

Steve knocked lightly on the door to the room she was changing in, poking his head in. His eyes widened when he seen her and couldn't believe it was the same Chalice who loved wearing blue jeans and t-shirts. "You look gorgeous, Challie." He whispered, stepping in, and closed the door behind him, walking over to take her hands. He was afraid to hug her incase he somehow ruined the dress. The masterpiece before him.

Letting out a shaky breath, Chalice smiled at her brother, squeezing his hands in hers, and felt the tears well in her eyes when she seen them in her brother's, making them look identical. "Please don't cry, Stevie. I really don't want to have to kick your ass for making me cry on my wedding day." She threatened half serious and pulled him in her arms, knowing he was scared to mess up her dress. "Don't worry, this is a sturdy dress and can handle your hugs." She assured him in a whisper and pulled back to stare at him. "You clean up nice." She complimented with a teary eyed wink.

"I know, all part of the Williams charm." He joked, still not able to get over how enchanting his sister looked. "Of course, it's only us with the charm, kinda makes ya feel bad for the rest of the world, don't it?" He cleared his throat, wiping away some tears from his eyes. "Let's go get ya hitched before I wind up bawlin'." He said gruffly, not ready for this. He wasn't ready to let her go.

Giggling softly, Chalice wiped a few of her own tears away and linked her arm through her brother's, not believing he was actually fine with this. After everything Mark and him had been through with Serena and now he was giving her away. His baby sister. To the man he used to despise most in this world. Chalice wouldn't have had it any other way as she walked with him down the hallway of the chapel, her dress flowing behind her, and stood outside the closed double doors. "Are you ready to give me away?" She asked him softly in a hopeful voice, but didn't look up at him. Her eyes were solely focused on the closed doors before her. Behind those doors was her present and future.

"No." Steve answered honestly, not about to lie to her on her wedding day. "Every time I look at you, I see the little girl who used to follow me all over the place with knobby knees and a long braid with dirt all over her face. Now look at ya, yer grown up, been grown up, and I didn't even realize it until just now." He cleared his throat again, bending down to lightly kiss her forehead. "Still my little Challie girl, even if ya will be an old married woman in a few minutes."

Chalice couldn't help it as a few tears slid down her cheeks, knowing her brother was having a hard time with this. Even though they were brother and sister, Steve acted more like her father than anything and actually helped raise her. She was always a tomboy. Always playing in the dirt, loving to get her hands dirty. That's one of the reasons why Steve and Chalice got along so well was because they had a lot in common and thought a lot of the same way. Some people even wondered if they were twins, but that wasn't possible with her being eight years younger than him.

She smiled as the doors suddenly opened, breaking her out of her thoughts, and tightened her grip on Steve's arm as she whispered, "I'll always be your Challie girl, Stevie." She then stepped forward, Mark's eyes locking with her own, and held his gaze.

Mark's breath caught in his throat when his eyes landed on Chalice, his eyes for her only. She looked positively enchanting. The most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. He had removed his duster, now standing at the alter in his tuxedo. His hair was brushed so it flowed down past his shoulders. He smiled tenderly at her, finally looking at her brother, who was obviously choked up and didn't blame the man. He was choked up too. "You look beautiful." He whispered when she was near enough to hear him.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She whispered softly back at him, smiling when her brother held onto her tighter, and knew he wasn't ready to give her away.

They finally arrived in front of the priest, who was smiling back at them, and nodded as he asked who presented this woman. Chalice closed her eyes as visions of her past flowed through her mind. Visions of her and Steve together, playing and having the time of their lives. Everything that had happened with their father. Him helping her through college. Living with him briefly. Meeting Mark. The unforgettable summer on the road. Finally, Chalice opened her eyes, waiting for her brother to speak.

Steve smiled, glancing at her before back at the priest and cleared his throat. "I do." He answered, clearing his throat yet again, brushing his eyes with his knuckles as he finally released her.

Chalice smiled and turned to face her brother, wearing a white veil that clipped to the top of her head, and felt him lift it, kissing her cheek. She kissed his cheek in return and then forehead as he whispered, "Thank you for everything. I love you, Stevie." Their identical mirrored eyes locked together and she sniffled when he started to cry, wiping his tear away, and then brought her veil back down. She then turned around to face her future husband and smiled back at him, taking a deep breath, and slipped her hand into his awaiting one.

Mark squeezed her hand gently, his eyes reluctantly moving away from her to the priest. He listened as the man went on about marriage, the secrecy of it, and went into the bible, reading a scripture from it. The entire time, Mark stroked Chalice's palm with his thumb, facing her again when they got to the wedding vows. The breath once more left his body as he took in his vision who was about to become his wife. Who was the mother of his unborn child.

Staring up into his emerald green eyes, Chalice smiled softly as she grabbed both of his hands in hers. "Ever since I laid eyes on you, I knew there was something beyond your image that you portrayed. I knew you had a heart even when no one else believed it and thought I was crazy. You proved that to me the night you brought me back to my brother on your own accord. That was also the night I fell in love with you. I knew right then and there that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Getting to know the real you, which I have. Our child with only further our bond together that will last for eternity, even after death. With my brother's blessing, I take you as my best friend, my companion, my lover, the father of my future children, and my husband for the rest of my life. For as long as you want me. Through the good and the bad. Through everything that life and fate throws our way." Tears were streaming down her face like two raging rivers, but she didn't care as she declared her love to her husband. Since they agreed to say their own vows to each other. It just meant more when doing it that way.

Clearing his throat, Mark never looked away from her as he began his declaration and vows. "I've never been much good with words. Especially when it comes to saying the things you ought to be told," He began slowly, his tone soft and loving. "You'll never know how much it means to me that you're taking this step with me. Making this journey with me. I might not tell you the things you want or need to hear, but I promise I'm going to try, with every fiber of my being, to show you. To make you feel loved. To feel special. You and our child will never go without the material needs and neither of you will ever, ever go without love because I'm going to give everything I am to you both. I take you as my best friend, my companion in life, my lover, the mother of my children, and my wife for the rest of my life." He inhaled deeply, squeezing her hands tenderly in his own. "I can only hope Chalice, that one day, I can give you even a fraction of the happiness you've given me."

"I love you, Mark." She whispered softly, wiping her tears away with her hand after slipping it out of his, but it immediately went back as soon as she finished. They then turned to the priest with only their heads, still staying in the same position, and exchanged rings. The rest of the ceremony went by in a blur as Chalice listened to the priest and finally came to the part she'd been dying to hear.

"From the great state of Texas and the city of Houston, by the powers invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride, sir." The priest announced with a smile on his face and closed the book as he stepped back.

Chalice's eyes locked on Mark's through the white veil, tears shining in her blue pools. Mark didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms, lifting her veil, and kissed her passionately, all his love pouring into it. "I love you, Chalice." He murmured against her lips, smiling slightly as he held her tightly. "Mrs. Calaway…"

"I love you too, Mr. Calaway." She replied softly, kissing him once more as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled apart after needing air. "We did it. We finally did it." She whispered and allowed a few more tears to shine in her eyes as their fingers entwined together before turning around to face her brother and Mark's new brother-in-law.

"Great, two Calaway's runnin' around the Fed. Soon to be three. Dairy Deadman and his family…" Steve teased, wet trails down his cheeks where he had been crying as he reached out to hug her tightly before wrapping Mark up into a brotherly embrace. "Now I can beat the ever lovin' Hell outta ya whenever cause yer family." He joked, clapping him on the back.

Chalice laughed softly at her brother and shook her head, knowing he couldn't resist, and smirked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Mark can get the better of you, Stevie. Remember that." She shook her finger warningly at him with sparkling blue eyes.

"But I won't. Consider it part of the being family thing." Mark clapped Steve on the back before looking at his bride. "You ready to go, darlin'? Have you decided where you want to have our honeymoon?"

"I have no idea. I was just worried about getting through the ceremony without fainting." She replied, only half joking, and took her veil off from her head, folding it so it didn't wrinkle. "Wherever you want to go is fine with me, dear husband of mine." She winked at him, causing Steve to snort.

"Anywhere is fine, as long as we don't have to bring your brother with us." Mark replied, smiling down at his brother-in-law.

"Well that ain't fair!"