Disclaimer: I don't own Psych or any of its related characters. This is just for my own enjoyment and the potential enjoyment of other Psych-Os like me, and no monetary gain was expected or received.
Rating: T
Spoilers: Through season six finale
Chapter Fifteen: Stephanotis
"Yes, it was amazing. I can't believe how beautiful it was! And Sandy looked so pretty in her tartan and ghillies, with the wreath in her hair. You know, when Nana told me all about the 'traditional Scottish wedding' I'd have someday I was always so appalled at the thought of men in skirts and pipers playing, but I was really, really moved," Juliet said into her cell phone. Lassiter, chopping vegetables for dinner, wasn't exactly listening but couldn't help overhearing. Nearly two years after Juliet moved in with him he had at last pretty much come to the conclusion that it wasn't an hallucination, but there was still a little niggling doubt in the back of his mind. He'd heard of people whose psychotic episodes lasted longer.
The subject of her phone call, to her sister-in-law Janine, was the wedding of a cousin in Florida that they'd recently attended. "Well, you know me, always the rebellious one. But I have to confess, if I ever did get married I think I'd like a traditional one. What? Car -" Her eyes flicked to where he stood at the island counter over the chopping board. She stood up and went into the other room to carry on her conversation in a lower voice. He could still hear her, though.
"Our Chief keeps dropping not-too-subtle hints, you know, that it would be so much easier to keep the higher-ups happy if we were married, but you know I don't believe in marriage as a contractual obligation," she said. "But as a symbolic gesture, then yeah, I wouldn't mind a little ceremony, somewhere down the line. But you've met him, he's…skittish. Well, you know, he's had bad experiences, and then there's my ex-boyfriend to consider. Yeah, he's still making waves, every now and then. I don't think he still loves me, if he ever did, but he can't stand the idea that he lost to Carlton. Yeah, he's an asshole. No, it doesn't bother me, I'm perfectly happy with the way things are. If anything, he's probably still less comfortable with the fact that we're living together than I am, he's kind of an old-fashioned guy. Well, he hasn't asked, silly, that's why."
The knife slipped, and he cut his thumb. She came back into the kitchen, phoneless, as he was cleaning up the wound. "Oh, you hurt yourself." She hurried to his side and grabbed his hand. She took over the task of stopping the bleeding and bandaging the cut, then she kissed it. "There. All better."
"So how's Janine?" he asked.
"She's good. Nosy as ever - you know what she's like. She says hi, by the way."
"I was just thinking about Sandy's wedding. I don't think I told you how much I enjoyed it."
She laughed. "Really? Because I was under the impression that you were feeling like one out-of-place Irishman among all those kilts."
"I was. But it was a beautiful wedding."
She smiled. "Yeah, it was."
He studied her half-wistful expression and made his decision. The next day he begged off lunch and slipped out of the station to a nearby jewelry store. Juliet was somewhat peeved with him for the rest of the workday, but by the end of their shift her good mood was restored. "What do we want for dinner?" she asked.
"I was thinking maybe we go home, get cleaned up, and go out to dinner. I made a reservation for us."
"Really? Where?"
"Antonio's."
"Antonio's? Wow, that's a five-star restaurant. What's the occasion?"
"Just felt like treating you."
"Well, somebody's getting laid tonight."
He grinned. "That wasn't my aim, but a nice thing to hear nevertheless."
"This is great. I'll wear my little black dress and my zircon earrings. Will you wear that sharp blue shirt and tie my mother got you for your birthday last year?"
"Of course I will."
"Oh yeah. In the words of the Black-Eyed Peas, I've got a feeling that tonight's gonna be a good, good night."
"I certainly hope so."
Dressed and primped, they were at the restaurant in plenty of time for their seven o'clock reservation. A nice dinner, fine wine, and good conversation carried them through to the end of the meal, when the wine steward suddenly appeared with a bottle of champagne. "Madam," he said, and poured her a glass. "And Sir."
"What…?" Juliet began. Carlton pulled a jeweler's box out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the table in front of her. "What is this?"
"Open and see."
She picked it up. "Oo, it's heavy." She flipped open the black velvet lid and gasped. "Oh my God."
"Do you like them?"
"They're gorgeous," she breathed, and immediately swapped out her cubic zirconium earrings for the teardrop diamond chandeliers. "Oh my God, thank you."
"There was something else in the box," he pointed out. She pulled out the foam backing and found a silver dollar laying underneath.
"This is your 1850 silver dollar, isn't it?" she said in some confusion.
"Yes it is. I understand that by Scottish custom it's considered good luck for the bride to have a silver coin in her shoe on her wedding day, but Sandy only had a modern dime, which doesn't actually have any silver in it at all."
"Well, it's a beautiful sentiment, Carlton, but about a week too late. What's going on, here?"
"I just keep thinking about the wedding. Sandy was beautiful, wasn't she, with that wreath of white flowers in her hair?"
"Yes, she was. It was Stephanotis."
It was his turn to suffer a moment of confusion. "Isn't that the band that sang 'Magic Carpet Ride?'"
She smiled wryly. "Stephanotis, not Steppenwolf."
He shook his head briskly. "Whatever it was, it was very pretty. In fact, I can think of only one way to make it prettier."
"Really? How?"
He left his chair and dropped to one knee before her. He pulled the diamond engagement ring out of his pocket and held it up before her startled eyes, soon brimming with tears. "Put it in your hair instead of Sandy's. Juliet…will you please marry me?"
The time between his question and her answer was little more than the fraction of a second, but to him it stretched out nearly to infinity. Then the paralysis broke, she burst into sobs over her ear-to-ear smile, and launched herself at his neck. "Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yesyesyes."
The other restaurant patrons applauded. Neither of them noticed.
FIN