Chapter 14- Promises
Delphine carefully watched her own hands adjust Charlotte's bow tie. She was seated on the bed and her daughter was already in her dress pants and short sleeved button up in front of her. The weather was cooperating. It was a warm spring day, warmer than most.
"Voilà ma petite. Tu est si mignonne. As-tu encore les anneaux? Voilà my little one. You are so cute. Do you still have the rings?" Delphine asked her daughter.
Charlotte smiled and nodded, pulling them out of her pocket to show Maman. She received a kiss on the cheek as Maman's hands covered her shoulders to turn her towards the mirror. Charlotte turned and smiled when she saw her reflection. She'd never liked how she looked before. This, she loved. She stood up a little taller and beamed a smile at Maman in the mirror.
"Today is your day too, Charlotte. Are you ready to make us an official family?" Delphine asked, rubbing the girl's arms.
Charlotte nodded "Tellement."
"Bon parce que je suis tellement prêt à être votre maman, selon la loi.Good because I am very ready to be your Maman, according to the law." Delphine answered, hugging her daughter to her.
Charlotte giggled and enjoyed the embrace until she saw the time on the clock "Maman, shouldn't you be getting in to your dress?" she asked.
"Give me another minute just to look at you. I want to remember every moment of today. It won't be long until you do not need help with your bow tie" Delphine noted, feeling the tears well up at the idea of time with her daughter flying by.
"Will you help me with it at my wedding, even if I don't need it?" Charlotte asked, looking up at the blonde woman.
Delphine smiled and nodded "Of course. But you are not allowed to grow up too fast."
"D'accord, Maman" the young girl agreed.
Annette burst in the door "Delphine! Pourquoi n'es tu pas prête? Où est ta robe? Delphine! Why aren't you ready? Where's your dress."
The younger blonde chuckled and gave her daughter one more kiss before she stood up and face her mother "Okay, okay. I am getting ready. How's Cosima? Did Helm change her tank?" Delphine asked, heading into the bathroom to start putting on her makeup.
Annette followed "She is fine. Ne t'inquètes pas d'elle, ma chérie. Don't worry about her, sweetie."
Charlotte bounded into the bathroom to sit on the edge of the tub and watch Maman get ready.
"She's going to be my wife, Maman. Of course I am going to worry about her" Delphine told her mom, turning to Charlotte "Do you want to try on some make up?" she asked.
Charlotte thought about it for a moment and nodded "But just a little" she told her.
Delphine chuckled and nodded, grabbing a couple things and going to work on her daughter, keeping everything light and natural. She smiled when she finished. "There. A different kind of dapper" the blonde noted to her daughter, looking in the mirror to put on her own eyeliner.
Charlotte giggled and stood up, checking out her face in the same mirror. "I like it. Merci, Maman"
Annette shook her head at the two, reminiscing about the days Delphine would follow her in to watch her get ready. Staring at the tall blonde woman in front of her now who was all strong confidence, it felt like a lifetime ago. Sometimes she forgot that her daughter now is the same person as the little girl who would ask her eight questions a minute and play doctor with her stuffed animals. And yet here stood that same little girl, about to be married to someone Annette could not imagine being anything less than the love of her daughter's life.
A knock on the bedroom door brought her out of her thoughts and the older french woman headed towards it, opening the slab of wood to reveal Cal, looking handsome in his suit. He was holding a bouquet.
"Is she ready?" the lumberjack asked "Sarah, Kira, and I just got here."
Annette huffed "Of course she is not ready. Come in though. You must be Cal. I have heard a lot about you."
The rugged man chuckled "Yeah, I'm hime. And you are Mrs. Cormier. You look just like your daughter."
"I like to think that she looks like me" Annette retorted.
Charlotte heard her uncle's voice and took off running for him "Uncle Cal!" she yelled, jumping into his arms.
He scooped her up with the arm not holding the flowers and kissed her forehead, giving her a hug "Hey Kiddo. You look really good. Don't forget, I get to do your hair" he told her.
She nodded and hugged his neck tightly "I haven't. Maman did my make up" she told him.
"Well she did a great job. You look so very handsome" the lumberjack told his niece, putting her down on her feet.
Charlotte looked up at her uncle and smiled "You look really nice too. Our bow ties match" she noted.
He laughed "Yeah, they do."
Delphine walked out of the bathroom, still in her tank top and a pair of Cosima's boxers. Her makeup was perfectly classic. She smiled at her best friend "You got them!" she noted, directing her eyes to the flowers as she put in an earring.
"Yeah. They were hell to find, but I got them. Want me to sneak them in now?" he asked.
She smiled and nodded, going to the nightstand and pulling out a tiny card she'd written ahead of time. She handed it to him "Tuck that in as well."
"Will do, captain" he told her, looking her up and down "You do realize that the ceremony starts in 15 minutes, right?" he asked.
Delphine chuckled "I'll be ready. Just get those to my bride before she walks down the aisle" she informed him.
"What are you getting to Cosima?" Annette asked.
"Just a surprise Maman" Delphine told her.
Cosima stared at her reflection. She could hear her Papa blubbering behind her already as Sarah helped Kira into her dress.
"You look beautiful, Mima"" Helm told her, wiping his eyes.
Today was so hard. Helm had spent hours upon hours speaking with his husband about what their daughter's wedding would be like. They both knew that there was a very real possibility that he would never get a chance to be there, but it hurt nonetheless. He reached into his pocket, feeling the disc in there and knowing that it was nearly time to reveal the surprise he'd been sitting on for so long.
But right now, his daughter smiled at him in the mirror.
"Thanks Papa" Cosima told him.
She took a deep breath. She'd woken up feeling the best that she'd felt in a long time. Whether it was the nature of the day or some force of nature that was going to allow her to fully experience it, she was grateful. She felt stronger and more present than she had in months. And now, looking at herself in the mirror, it was more real than ever. In an hour, she would be married to the most beautiful woman she'd ever met. Delphine would be her wife. On top of it all, Mrs. S. had gotten the final hurdle jumped for Charlotte's full legal adoption. Today, the Cormiers would become a family by law. They would sign their marriage license and immediately after, Charlotte's adoption papers.
She had not felt this happy in a long time. She turned around and hugged her father tightly.
Helm returned the embrace, but broke it after a moment and wiped his tears "Mima, I have a pre-wedding gift for you. Are you all ready?" he asked.
Cosima smiled and nodded, looking down at her dress "Yeah. What's this gift? Should we go get Delphine?" she asked.
Helm shook his head "She's got her own during the ceremony" he told her, going over to the TV. He put the DVD in and turned the TV on.
Cosima came over and stopped next to the bed, followed by Sarah and Kira.
"What's this, Cos?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know. Papa just told me about it" She told her sister.
Helm hit play and backed up, smiling immediately.
Cosima gasped as her parents' faces appeared on the screen. Both of them.
"It's my dad" She told her sister, thanking the stars for waterproof makeup as her smiling father on the screen brought on the water works.
Helm smiled and put a strong hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"Hi Mima" the man on the screen waved as a younger Helm smiled at him on screen. "I guess you are about to get married. I am so sorry that I could not be there in person, but I know you look beautiful. Papa and I wanted to make sure that you knew how much we love you and how very proud we are of who you have become. I have no doubt that my little girl has grown into a strong, beautiful woman. I only hope that you have chosen a partner who is worthy of you."
While the video played, Sarah took the moment to sneak into the hallway just as Cal was coming out of the master bedroom, flowers in hand "All god, yeah?" she asked.
He nodded and handed her the flowers, kissing her cheek "All good with Finny, how's Cos?" he asked.
"Bawling her eyes out over a video of her Dad, but she's really good today" she explained to her boyfriend.
"Good. Now get in there before she notices" the lumberjack instructed his partner.
Sarah shrugged "You look mighty fine in that suit, Mister. I might have to find a private room to get you out of it in" she told him.
Cal raised his eyebrows suggestively "I wouldn't mind. But later."
Sarah nodded and kissed him quickly before heading back into the room.
"And even though I may not be there to walk you down the aisle, I will be there with you. How could I miss my little Mima's wedding. So Mima, enjoy this day and do not be sad that I cannot enjoy it with you in person. I guarantee that I will enjoy it from your heart. So keep your heart full today and you will feel me. I love you so very much. And Helm, my big teddy bear. Make sure our little girl is well taken care of. I know we have talked about this day for so long and I want you to have fun. Our family is growing and it is no time to be sad."
"Why'd you have to do that? This isn't about me" The younger Helm on screen argued.
The smaller man smiled over at his partner "She is a part of us. Anything regarding her will always be about you. Besides, I know that you are watching this crying right now." he turned to face the camera again "Pull it together, man."
Helm laughed from his position next to his daughter as his husband blew kisses to the camera and the video ended. The large German man turned off the TV and sat down on the bed to hug his daughter as they cried together.
Sarah slipped the flowers into Cosima's bouquet.
"That was Auntie Cosima's Dad?" Kira asked.
"Yeah" Sarah answered.
Kira nodded "That was nice of him" she told her mother.
Cosima pulled away from her papa and he wiped her tears as she smiled "I miss him so much, Papa."
"I know, I do too. But like he said, he is here with us. He wouldn't miss today for anything in the world, Cosima" Helm reminded his daughter.
Cosima nodded and smiled, sobbing for a moment as she leaned into her papa's chest. He kissed her head and rubbed her back, remembering when she used to be even smaller in his arms. He smiled.
"It's so hard to believe sometimes that I used to be able to hold you in my palm" he told her "And now you're getting married. He was right, Cosima. I am so very proud of the woman you've become" he told her.
She smiled and nodded "Thank you. I really needed to hear that." she pulled back, wiping her eyes, reaching into her chair's pocket to pull out a hanky and blow her nose. She handed her spare to her father who took it and did the same.
The young scientist swallowed hard and took a deep breath, turning to her sister "So that was my Dad' she told her.
Sarah smiled "He seemed really cool, Cos."
Cosima nodded and scrunched her face "He was the coolest."
Helm chuckled "So very cool."
Sarah laughed and handed her the bouquet, now peppered with bright blue flowers.
"I didn't know you'd ordered delphiniums" Helm noticed.
"I didn't" Cosima responded, confused. A moment later a smile spread across her face as her heart warmed. "Delphine" she whispered.
Every face in the room smiled at the gesture. Cosima noticed the note card and pulled it out, opening it up to read:
Something blue, and to say that I am with you, every step of the way. -Delphine
Cosima smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt. She held the note to her chest for a moment, then reached into her bra, tucking it there. She smiled up at the room. "I'm getting married" she expressed in awe.
"Yeah, kind of the reason we're all here" Sarah told her.
Annette knocked on the door and Kira opened it.
"Are you all ready? Guests are all here and seated. Delphine, Cal, and Charlotte are downstairs" Annette let the room know.
Cosima's heart exploded inside of her chest in pure bliss. This was happening. Delphine was waiting for her. They were going to be married. She was late to a lot of things, but did not want her own wedding to be one of them. She looked to her bouquet and to her father.
"Are you ready, Mima?" he asked.
Cosima nodded emphatically "I have never been more ready for anything in my life."
Delphine adjusted Cal's bow tie and then crouched to pat down a strand of Charlotte's hair that Cal had slicked back like his own with a wet gel. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the wheels of Cosima's chair. A giggle burrowed up from the pits of her stomach to scatter through her chest and express itself out of her mouth. She felt like a kid.
As Delphine stood up, she felt her mother turn her head with a firm hand to face away from Cosima.
"Attendez, ma petite. Vous la verrez quand elle descend l'allée centrale. Wait, my little one. You will see her when she walks down the aisle" Annette told her daughter, linking their arms.
Cosima leaned sideways the moment she was in line, trying to see around the tall figures. She caught glimpses of white and a hand she knew was Delphine's. She was anxious to see her. She was anxious to touch her and to finally be married to her. She could hardly wait. Her father put a steadying hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.
"Relax, Mima. You'll see her soon enough" he assured.
The music started and Delphine and her mother walked down the aisle, followed by Cal and Sarah. The blonde saw Alison already in tears, snapping pictures. Scott held a video camera, capturing every moment. She smiled as she looked over the faces of her family and friends. The guest list might have been small, but everyone was here. Tony, Adele, and their dates had even flown in for the festivities and were staying with Alison and Sarah. It was so nice to have everyone together to celebrate.
When they finally got to the end of the aisle, Delphine smiled at Donnie and he winked at her as she took her place, turning to face the rest of the procession. She watched as Cal and Sarah walked arm in arm down the aisle, noting how sharp they looked together in black. She gave her best man a bump as he took his spot next to her. Sarah stood opposite them, waiting for Cosima.
Delphine's attention as then brought to her daughter and Kira walking down next to each other in their formal wear. Everything was perfect. The blonde was careful not to sneak a peek at Cosima at this point. She wanted the full effect and her full attention when seeing her partner for the first time in her dress. She watched her daughter instead, beaming with pride as Charlotte and Kira parted at the altar, the young girl breaking the script and hugging her waist when she got there.
"I am so happy, Maman" Charlotte whispered to her.
Delphine smiled and rubbed her back, returning the hug "Then you know how I feel" she whispered back.
Charlotte let go and Delphine straightened, taking a deep breath as her eyes fixed on her bride.
She felt all the breath leave her body and her eyes instantly welled up. Cosima was radiant. She could hardly believe that she could be so lucky as to have the chance to marry this wonderful woman. She barely registered Helm standing next to her as her entire world wrapped around the bubble of space that currently contained Cosima. The butterflies danced in her belly as the tears finally fell.
The moment her daughter was out from in front of her, Cosima caught sight of Delphine. If shed had any doubts about this, they were completely gone. "I get to marry her" she whispered to herself.
"Yes, you do" her father responded.
She let out a giggle of glee and rolled her lips over her teeth as a smile spread across her face. Delphine looked like a movie star. Her bright red lipstick the perfect contrast to the light blonde curls that were currently tucked into a sort of updo that she'd seen the blonde wear multiple times. When Delphine smiled at her, Cosima felt that security and warmth that only their relationship provided. She wheeled herself down the aisle with her father next to her.
Delphine's heart steadily grew in her chest with each foot Cosima got closer. No one else existed.
Finally, after the two minutes that felt like hours, they were facing each other. Delphine wiped her tears, reaching to do the same for Cosima's.
"Hi" Cosima whispered to her.
"Bonjour, mon Cosima" Delphine responded, doing her best to fight the urge to kiss Cosima here and now.
"You look gorgeous" the brunette told her blonde.
Delphine blushed and giggled "Merci. But look at you! You are the vision of perfection."
Cosima smiled wide, winking at her partner as they turned themselves perpendicular to Donnie and Delphine took a seat on the bench facing Cosima to bring them to the same eye level. She reached across and took the brunette's hands in her own.
The smaller woman's eyes fluttered up to meet those of her wife to be.
Charlotte watched this exchange, for the first time realizing the depth of her parents' connection. She knew they were in love, but this was something that she'd never quite taken the time to take in. But here, where all eyes and all attention was on her parents, she couldn't help but catch wave after wave of this unwavering ribbon of connection between them. Maman shone bright yellow, like the sun as Mummy's blue moon of a colour drank in the rays while embracing them in a shade of coolness until they mixed to a shade of green.
The small clone felt a tear fall and finally understood so much more in this world. But she had so many more questions. She felt Cal's hand on her shoulder and looked up at him, smiling. He winked at her.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to honour the love and commitment between Delphine and Cosima" Donnie started. "As per Cosima's request to, and I quote "Not make me wait too long with all the boring yada yada stuff because I'm just gonna wanna kiss my bleeping bride the moment I see her" we will keep this short."
Delphine chuckled and rubbed a thumb over the back of Cosima's hand as her partner shrugged and gave her a toothy grin.
"We will open with a word from Delphine's mother, Annette Cormier, followed by a brief reading from Helm Neihaus, Cosima's father. Before the vows are exchanged, Charlotte will grace us with a speech. Then vows, rings, and boom. Marriage!"
The group laughed as Annette walked up to the podium, Donnie stepping out of the way to allow it.
The older blonde looked to her daughter and smiled, wiping her tears "Delphine, my beautiful little baby girl. Welcome to the rest of your life. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly. Although it will be much different for you than it was for me. I wish I would have had the forethought to marry a woman" Annette admitted to a laugh from the guests and the wedding parties. Delphine put her head in her hands, shaking it as she laughed.
"But in all seriousness, I am very happy that you chose Cosima to bring into our family. She is everything I have ever wanted for you, ma belle. I can see how deeply happy she makes you and how light your heart is whenever she is around. Hold on to that. And Cosima, my beautiful new daughter. Thank you for always being so kind and open hearted. I am very excited to continue to learn more about you. I could not have picked a better partner for Delphine myself. And to you as a new couple, marriage may not be easy. You will fight and you will cry but you will love each other. And you will never be alone again. The kind of love you share is something that will continue to provide you happiness, even beyond death. So as you take your vows, remember that even though you exist as two people, this joining strengthens everything about each of you individually. You not only have my blessing, and my love, but every well wish I could ever imagine. Je t'aime tous les deux" the older french woman told them before bursting smiling and stepping down from the podium to let her tears fall.
Annette walked over to the couple and hugged each of them before taking her seat. Helm had already stepped up and waited for Annette to get settled.
"Umm...Hi...I'm Helm and I really hate speaking publically" the large German told the group. More laughter erupted. Cosima's father reached into his pocket to pull out a piece of paper and the stone his granddaughter had given him for luck before the ceremony. He clenched it in his fist as he unfolded the paper "I have a letter that Cosima's father and I wrote to her and Delphine a number of years ago. And although he cannot be here with us today in person, I would like to honour his presence and wishes by reading it to you all."
Cosima felt the tears spring to life again. They were followed by Delphine gripping her hands tightly in support. She returned the squeeze, smiling.
Helm's attention turned briefly to Felix who he saw was trying to figure out the meaning of those words in his head. He watched as the twink jumped to his feet and pointed.
"You're gay?" he yelled.
Helm put his hand on his stomach as he laughed, followed by the brides' own laughter. The wedding guests looked confused and shocked at the young gay man who was now standing.
"Yes, Felix" Helm told him.
"You were playing me, you jolly old wanker!" Felix yelled "All this time?"
Siobhan gave her foster son a look of anger and Felix responded by holding an open hand up to Helm "He let me make all the jokes about him being straight."
"Sit down, Felix" Siobhan scolded.
Felix sat down like a small child, crossing his arms.
Helm ceased his laughter "Yes, for all those in attendance who did not know, I am gay. Cosima was raised by myself and my late husband who left us a number of years ago. But, proceeding…" he started, looking down at the letter.
"To the person our daughter chooses to share her life with: You are special. You must be so very special for such a very special person to choose you above everyone else to share herself with. Do not ever forget that. Cosima is a very strong girl and can be stubborn. Do not let that harden your heart towards her. As stubborn and hard headed as she can be, she is soft, and she is loving. We have done our best to raise her to be constantly striving to grow as a person and we expect the same from you. So on this day when she promises to share herself completely with you, you must do the same for her. Never hold back. That is what marriage is: never holding back, but doing so in the most loving and kind way possible. If you are angry, express that to her. If you are scared, let her know. Expect the same from her."
Helm took a moment to drink from his bottle of water. In that moment, Delphine met Cosima's eyes and their gaze solidified.
Cosima's father started up again "And to our loving daughter, Mima. Never forget your roots. Never forget your strength. And above all, never forget your capacity for love. You have a tendency, little one to close yourself off when you are faced with great challenges. Overcome that. The person standing across from you is there because they are promising to always be your rock, your sounding board, your home. Remember how much you trust them. So when you feel your walls being built, remember these words. Never stop talking. We love you and wish you nothing but a life full of happiness and love. Always in your corner, Papa and Daddy."
Helm nodded to the quiet crowd and stepped off the podium to embrace both women at once. "I love you both."
"Us too, Helm" Delphine told him, knowing Cosima was crying too hard to respond right now.
Delphine knew that her partner needed a moment and made eye contact with Donnie, showing him five fingers. He nodded at her and took the podium again.
"Thank you, Mr. Neihaus. We will now take a short break. Tissues are available at the end of every aisle, along with a mid-ceremony light snack" Donnie told the room.
As people stood and stretched, Delphine pushed Cosima around the back of the large banner that had been erected as a backdrop. She kneeled in front of her wife's chair, pulling her into her arms.
Cosima cried into her partner, hugging her tightly.
"I am here, mon amour. We can stay here as long as you like" Delphine whispered to her, gently rubbing her back.
The brunette nodded and allowed herself to sob quietly in Delphine's embrace until finally, the tears slowed. She unstuck herself from Delphine and was handed a tissue that the blonde had pulled out of a pocket on her chair. She smiled and took it, wiping her tears.
"I didn't think I would spend most of today in tears" Cosima admitted.
Delphine chuckled "I did. It is a big day" she told her partner.
The brunette nodded and smiled "Yeah, I guess I should have seen that one coming."
"It does not matter, Cosima. You cry as much as you need. I will always be here to hold you" the blonde reassured her.
Cosima finished wiping her nose and tucked the used kleenex away "And I, you Delphine. What do you say we go stop being fiancees and start our lives as wives?" she asked.
Delphine beamed at her "Nothing sounds better than that."
Delphine kissed Cosima's forehead and lead them back to the proceedings, taking up her spot on the bench again and nodding to Donnie before accepting the water bottle that Cosima had reached down and grabbed for her. She took a swig and handed it back. Just as Cosima went to take a drink, Donnie knocked it out of her hands.
"No kissing until after the vows" he scolded.
Cosima laughed "We weren't kissing"
"Swapping spit, same dif" he insisted.
Cosima shook her head and reached down to grab the second bottle, taking a drink. Donnie walked back to the podium.
"Folks, we're ready if you want to take your seats…" he called out and everyone quieted down, sitting once again. "Charlotte?"
Charlotte left the circle of cousins and walked up to the podium which was much too tall for her. Cal chuckled and brought her a step stool. She thanked him and stepped up, clearing her throat. She had everyone's full attention.
After all the lovely words from their parents, the brides were eager to hear what their daughter had to say. They linked hands again and turned their full attention to the mini clone.
"My name is Charlotte. I am 8 years old and I have the best parents in the world. Today they are getting married. Today I am also getting adopted officially" she announced. The guests cheered and the small girl smiled a toothy grin exactly like her mummy's. She turned to her parents and smiled, linking her hands behind her back "You two are like celebrities today. I don't have the fancy speech skills of my grandparents, but I did want to say a few things that I have wanted to tell you but didn't know how before now" she told them.
Charlotte took a deep breath and looked at her list of things "We have a lot of fun. More fun than I have ever had before I became your daughter. Maman and Mummy, you teach me a lot. Like how kicking someone in the face isn't the best form of conflict management" she joked.
Oscar cheered for her before he was silenced by his mom. Delphine rolled her eyes and shook her head as Cosima chuckled at her side, patting her partner's hand.
"But in all seriousness, you taught me what it feels like to be loved. Mummy, you are always so honest with me. Honest in a way that grown ups aren't with kids. You make me feel like a real person and not some pesky little kid. When I speak, you listen. Maman, you are so warm and loving. You give the best hugs. Thank you for letting me be my own person and encouraging me to do so. That day at the salon was one of the best days of my life. Thank you for being so good at taking care of mummy and me. There are very few kids who get to see their parents get married, but I am very happy that I get to be one of them. I will never forget the moment when you two stood in front of each other for the first time today. I hope that one day I get to marry someone I love as much as you two love each other. I love being a family and I love you two very much" the small girl told her parents, folding her paper and putting it in the chest pocket of her dress shirt before she stepped down.
Delphine opened her arms to her daughter who ran over and hugged her fiercely "Very well done, Charlotte. Thank you for your kind words. Je t'aime de mon coeur, ma petite."
Charlotte kissed Maman's cheek and smiled, moving to hug Mummy who pulled her into a tight embrace.
"You did a great job, kiddo. We're so very proud of you" Cosima whispered to her kid, showering her face in kisses. "I love you, mini me" she finished.
Charlotte let go "We'll hug more later. Right now, you two should get married already."
Cosima nodded, making the OK sign with her fingers "Gotchya."
The small girl giggled and took her spot next to her uncle once more.
The brides' attention went back to Donnie.
"Alright. Well, time for vows. In true Delphine and Cosima fashion, wow that's a mouthful...let's just call them what I do in my head: in true Cophine fashion, the traditional heteronormative vows wouldn't cut it. They wrote their own. Delphine?"
The blonde turned to her daughter and took the ring that she was holding, curling her hand around it to warm it in her palm.
Delphine nodded and smiled, turning back to face Cosima. She spoke up, despite her want to just speak to her partner.
"Cosima, I am nothing short of completely in love with you. Every day I get to share with you feels like a blessing. I am… so very lucky that you are choosing me to commit to. As you know, I do not take my promises lightly. So today, I sit here and I make new promises to you that you know I will fulfill to the absolute best of my abilities. I promise that you will always have someone to run to. That no matter how bad it gets, I will be by your side. I promise to always do my best to fix your heart after life has torn it apart. I promise to always communicate with you, despite how terrible I think something is for you to hear. And as your father has asked, I promise to do so in the most kind and loving manner I possibly can. And above all, I promise to love you and our family all with an equally full heart. You are my stars, you are my sky, you are my heart. I love you, Cosima, and today, I make you my wife" Delphine spoke with a smile.
Cosima sniffled and smiled, taking the ring that her kid had put in her hand and warming it in her own palm.
"Wow. Umm, way to make me cry before I have to say words" Cosima joked, sniffling and wiping her eyes. Delphine reached out to help with a smile. Cosima cleared her throat, pleasantly surprised that the action was void of the usual tang of copper.
"Okay so, vows" the brunette bride reminded herself. "I mean, come on. You're Delphine. Do I even need to say how much I love you?" she asked.
The guests laughed and hollered. Delphine blushed.
"Well, I mean, I'm going to tell you anyways because that's what this part's all about. And I think you kind of want to her" Cosima continued.
The blonde nodded at the smaller woman, waiting expectantly.
"I may be your stars and sky, but you are my sun. You light up every corner of my life, Delphine. You are the one who makes my heart so full that it can never forget you. The time I spent away from you was the worst time of my life. I still cannot believe that after all of that pain and heartbreak, here we are. We found each other again. We will always find each other. And although our time together in this life may be much shorter than either of us wants, I have no doubt that I will find you lifetime after lifetime. No one has ever made me feel so safe and so warm and so alive. So today I promise to always fight for you. I swear that I will never stop finding my way back to you, finding my way back to me, finding my way back to us at our very best. No one knows me as completely as you do. And although I wish my Dad was here to share today with me, I am happy that it is you standing across from me. I choose you. I choose you every time. So today, I vow to surrender all of my thoughts and feelings to you freely in communication. I swear to do my best to never break your trust and to admit when I do. I swear to continue being my imperfect self and to always work on growing to be the person you see when you look at me. I promise to stand beside you, hand in hand, facing anything that comes our way over and over again. From this life until the next. As long as you'll have me" Cosima told her now, blushing and crying bride.
Delphine wiped her tears and kissed the ring her hand before looking up at Cosima "This ring contains all the promises I have made today and is a symbol of my neverending love for you. Will you do me the honours of wearing it and taking me as your wife?" Delphine asked.
"Of course I will" Cosima told her, holding out her hand. Delphine slipped the ring on her finger. Cosima felt the warmth in the metal that had been transferred from Delphine's hand and let it light her insides on fire. Everything about this was perfect. She smiled and lifted her own hand.
"And Delphine, I've poured the energy of my commitment to you into this ring. By taking it, do you promise to uphold your end of our partnership?" Cosima asked.
"Bien sûr, mon amour" Delphine purred, extending her hand to her partner and smiling at the warmed metal on her finger. She looked down and saw that she also had a piece of Jasper in her wedding band. She looked to her daughter and smiled. The sneaky romantic little bugger.
"Well, with the power invested in me, from I don't even remember where, I now pronounce you married. Go ahead and seal it with a kiss" Donnie told them.
Both women smiled wider than they had all day and met in the middle for a chaste kiss, marking the beginnings of their time as wives.
Cheers erupted as Gemma and Oscar each took over a bubble gun that had been hidden under their seats, showering the entire yard in a flurry of bubbles.
Delphine looked up and smiled, this time leaning in to give Cosima a passionate kiss filled with all the joy she currently held. They both laughed as their lips were pressed together.
They were broken apart by Donnie clearing his throat.
"Sorry to interrupt, but sign the license?" he asked, extending the papers and a pen to them.
Delphine took it eagerly and signed her name, passing to to Cosima before taking the second piece of paper that finalized Charlotte's adoption. She signed that as well and passed it over.
Cosima couldn't write her name fast enough. Both documents were completed and handed over to Donnie.
Charlotte ran over and hopped into her parents' arms "Is it finally here? Are we finally the Cormiers?" she asked.
Cosima chuckled and nodded, as both her and Delphine kissed their daughter's cheeks "Yes. It finally is" the brunette answered, hugging her now legal family.
Finally.
A/N: Happy FanFiction Writer's Appreciation day, folks! I know I say it all the time, but I wanted to thank all of the people out there who are consistently reading this fic. Thank you for all of the comments and reviews and kudos and messages. This chapter is dedicated to all of you. It took me nearly all weekend, but it is worth it for all the love you always send my way. I hope that you all enjoy this very special chapter. I cried the entire way through. For anyone who was expecting the reception and wedding night to be included, I am sorry but you will have to wait until the next chapter. I want to make sure that I can make it a nice, long night of fun and this chapter is already quite wordy. Have a great week and I will see you all in the comments and/or Thursday.