HERE WE ARE! YAYS! The moment we've been looking forward to since the relationship blossomed. I can't believe I'm here already. Wedding two out of my three, here we come! And don't fret; once I'm finished with Invincible Adversary, I'll go back to my other neglected fandoms. Ready? Roll film!
~Watford, the Hawkinson household~
Jeffrey finally tied his bowtie. For the fifth time. That day had finally come, and the groom was altogether extremely nervous but remained calm for the most part. His entire tuxedo seemed to come together swimmingly all except for that dratted tie.
"Need help?" Mildred asked, dressed in a short-sleeved silk sky blue dress. She had come over for the morning to help her younger siblings get ready while their parents arranged the last little things for the wedding.
"Yes." Jeffrey replied as Mildred adjusted the tie, kicking butt with her subtle dainty hands doing the job his shaking masculine hands couldn't do. Turns out, he wasn't that far from it being done right. "Your bridesmaid dress looks very lovely this morning."
"Thanks."
He lightly pecked a kiss on her blond brow. "And Amelia, how is she coming along?"
"She's still in her nightgown."
"Oh, goodness." Jeffrey held his face in his hand.
"'Am not!" They heard Amelia shoot back. Just then, Bridgett began crying from Amelia's room.
"Maybe if you take Bridgett out of her room, she'd be a bit more focused." Mildred fetched her little daughter with Amelia following behind, in an outfit matching her sister's with curling rods in her hair. The two older siblings held back a chuckle; with the curlers and glasses on, their little sister looked like an old lady.
"It's too bad you didn't bring Cee and Andy with you." Amelia pouted, seemingly of the mild humiliation.
"Oh, you'll see them plenty more today." Mildred lightly comforted as she patted her on the back. "They'll be coming in a few minutes, so I can get him ready." She dashed down the stairs at a car horn's beep to bring in her two sons. Amelia carefully took out the rods and separated the brunette curls.
"Righto, so how much longer 'til we have to be at the church?" Amelia asked.
"Only three hours, we have to be there earlier than usual wedding." He answered, raising an eyebrow at his reflection in the mirror. Meanwhile she slouched on a chair now that her brother's bed was gone and rested her chin in her hand, smugly smiling. "What?"
She gave a wicked muffled chuckle. "My mission is complete."
"What was-" He began. "Oh, yes. And why was that your mission?"
"I didn't want you and Mil to have the same fate I chose for myself. And number two: I want you both to be happy."
"You're a remarkable woman, Amelia." He bent over to kiss his sister's forehead.
"Nu-uh!" She backed away. "Save the slobber for the bride. What? Don't!" Still, he persisted and finally managed to give that final little peck.
~Bedford, the Weaver household~
"You'll be fine, darling, just relax," Her mother reassured her as Charlotte slipped into a white wedding gown. The top of the gown was a fine silk and had a collar with a horizontal oval shape that draped a little below her collarbone and stopped before her shoulders. The sleeves were somewhat sheer (to keep of mind for the cold weather), covered with thin lace and reached to her wrists. The silk and laced skirt reached the bottom and was lightly poofed. Her blonde hair spilled down her back in thick large curls rather than her traditional waves under a veil that reached her waist, and her lips had been covered in a light shade of red lipstick. Like her fiancée, the bride was nervous as can nervous could get.
Seventeen days beforehand, Jeffrey, Harold, and Allison awaited her arrival and were overjoyed to see her after six months of being apart. And so, ever since then, Charlotte had been staying at Harold and Allison's home, a little house in Bedford, finishing up the final of final details for this day. Happily, the twins seemed to remember their adopted auntie. Two weeks later, her parents flew in and were staying in a hotel nearby.
"Can he come in?" Mrs. Campbell asked her daughter. Charlotte nodded.
"Oh, my beautiful Lottie." Mr. Campbell beamed with pride after he opened the door. He pulled her into a hug and didn't want to let go. She savored the warm, secure feeling around her like she always had all her life. Her smile faded however.
"Do you think I'm letting you down?" Charlotte asked.
"What makes you say that, Charlotte?" Mrs. Campbell remarked as Mr. Campbell let go of their only child.
"Well, you'll be all alone. Joseph's dead for instance and I'll be thousands of miles away from you and New Hope. We won't be there with you. Who's gonna take care of you when you grow old?"
"Lottie," He pressed his index finger against her lips, absentmindedly getting the makeup on it. "You're all grown up; you're your own person now. We can't keep you forever. Now, we just want you to be happy."
"I want you to be happy too." She whispered.
"Sweetness," Mrs. Campbell said as the couple embraced their daughter. "We already are."
"Let's get you going, Lot." He winked at her and looked outside the window at the clouds and skies. "I don't know about the weather tonight, so we'd better get there before anything bad happens."
~Derby Road Baptist Church~
"So this is the place you two lovebirds picked out, eh?" Amelia asked, looking at the exterior of the church building. She whistled in exclamation. "Nice taste. Is Charlotte here yet?"
"No, not for a while." Mrs. Hawkinson answered as Mr. Hawkinson opened the door to let the family in. "But don't fret; after the bridal party makes their way through, nothing can start without her."
"Now you gotta remember," Amelia warned her big brother. "It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, so I'll censor things out."
"Leave that to us, young lady." Mr. Hawkinson stepped in and straightened his necktie. "You just keep your place as a bridesmaid."
Soon enough, the rest of the bridal party, the bridesmaids in a sky blue and the groomsmen in black tuxedos, made their way through the doors. They all gathered in little groups excited and chattering about what was going on.
"Well," Mr. Hawkinson chuckled a bit, looking at his wife and son. "I guess that's my cue." He bent over to give his wife a kiss. "Love you both." He turned to his son and shook his hand. "Good luck, Jeffrey." And with that, he entered into the sanctuary and formally walked to the front right pew where the Hawkinsons would sit.
"Alright," Mrs. Hawkinson looked at the seven members of the elegant troop. "You know your places in the order and you know our cue. We ready?"
The bridal party nodded or gave a quiet, "Yes, ma'am." At the first note of a stringed ensemble playing Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus", the doors flew open and landed gracefully along the sanctuary walls.
Jeffrey linked arms with his mother and took a deep breath before they took the first graceful steps down the aisle. He stared nervously down the aisle and tried hard not to make direct eye contact with the minister at the steps of the altar. Before he knew it, it was over as he escorted his mother to the pew where his father and Bridgett waited. He kissed her on the cheek and before he could pull away, she whispered into his ear, "I love you." Giving a last smile, he took a couple steps sideways and waited alongside the minister.
Next, his best man, Harold, walked down the aisle, trying to perform the same trek down the aisle as the groom. "Daddy." One of his daughters said aloud from her Grandma Weaver's arms, which made him smile. He stopped at the altar and stood a meter away from Jeffrey.
The three men at the altar noticed a few members of the bridal party turn around in excitement, whispered a hello or a wish of good luck. She's here. Jeffrey theorized.
Amelia and Cecil walked down the aisle, the aunt smiling proudly and the nephew tightly but with dignity to her hand. The two separated, and everyone was proud of the way the six-year-old carried himself at this formal occasion. Mildred and Nathan linked arms and followed the same steps as their sister and son. At the end, Mildred nodded and coaxed at a distance for Andrew, the little ring bearer, to come down to his mummy and wait for the signal from the minister. Allison, the matron of honor, played the grand finale to the melancholy yet beautiful song and stood to the right of the minister. A twinkle in her green eyes made an assurance that this was going to be a wonderful ceremony, no mistakes, no flaws.
The last diminuendo notes died as a middle-aged man sat down at the bench of an organ. The first seven notes of the traditional wedding march sounded from the prestigious instrument, and everyone rose from their pew, anticipating the site of a blond-haired, brown-eyed woman in a white dress. Calmly with a relaxed subtle smile, she linked arms with her father and began the life-changing journey down the aisle. As she drew closer to her life's greatest landmark, her brown eyes lit up but waited until soon to make contact with her love's blue eyes.
Charlotte stopped before the minister and stared, seemingly assured that everything would go smoothly. The minister smiled at the couple before looking at the people about him.
"To all present I say:" He began. "We are gathered here, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is! We do not create this marriage, because we cannot. We can and do, however, celebrate with Jeffrey and Charlotte the wondrous and joyful occurrence that has already taken place in their lives, and the commitment they make today. If anyone can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace." He paused and looked down the aisles. He nodded happily. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
"I do." Mr. Campbell muttered, trying hard not to cry as he unlocked his arm from his daughter's. Charlotte looked back and smiled at her dad, for the last time as her caregiver and guardian, before taking the steps to the altar.
"Jeffrey," The minister spoke up, looking at the young Brit sternly but gently. "Do you take Charlotte for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Jeffrey replied.
"Charlotte," The minister turned to the American. "Do you take Jeffrey for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Charlotte answered.
"Jeffrey, if it is your wish to be Charlotte's husband, then repeat after me."
Jeffrey turned to face Charlotte. "I, Jeffrey Hawkinson,…take thee, Charlotte Campbell,…to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward,…for better or worse,…for richer or poorer,…in sickness and in health,…to love, honor, and cherish,…'til death do us part," Charlotte beamed as he pronounced the vows; oh, how proud she was of him. "And thereto I plight thee my troth."
"Charlotte, if it is your wish to be Jeffrey's wife, then repeat after me."
"I, Charlotte Campbell,…take thee, Jeffrey Hawkinson,…to be my wedded husband," If Jeffrey were in his place as a mad scientist, he would've rubbed his hands together. But being unable to, he smiled brightly and nodded his head. "…To have and to hold from this day forward,…for better or worse,…for richer or poorer,…in sickness and in health,…to love, honor, and cherish,…'til death do us part,…and thereto I plight thee my troth."
"The rings, if you please." The minister looked at Andrew. The four-year-old boldly stepped up to the middle-aged man and lifted up the cushion. The minister smiled and lifted up Charlotte's ring. "May this ring be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end." He handed Jeffrey the antique heirloom.
"With this ring I thee wed." He said, looking at her before looking down at the ring to slip it on her left hand. "Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."
"May this ring be blessed so that she who gives it and he who wears it may abide in peace, and continues in love until life's end." The minister announced, giving her the ring.
"With this ring, I thee wed." She told Jeffrey as she slid the band onto his finger. "Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."
"Jeffrey and Charlotte, you have given and pledged your promises to each other and have declared your everlasting love by exchanging the rings." The minister prepared for his last part in the play. "Your vows may have been spoken in minutes, but your promises to each other will last until your last breath. By this, I now pronounce you are husband and wife."
Jeffrey and Charlotte beamed with joy. After years of waiting, it was official. She wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. As he wrapped his arms around back, her brown eyes shot open wide. Charlotte glanced between a window and her husband.
"You may now seal the promises you have made for each other with a kiss."
"Did I hurt you?" Jeffrey whispered.
She shook her head, smiling ecstatically. "It's snowing."
He looked outside the thin window past her shoulders to see small flakes falling. He smiled and looked back at his wife, saying, "First snow." The snow began to fall harder as the two embraced each other in a passionate, warm kiss.
When they pulled back, everything seemed brand new. They didn't have to wait for a January the First for a fresh slate to write on; they didn't have to be born all over again; nothing had to take place. A few minutes and a kiss were all it took. They could do this over and over again if they wanted to. "Ahem." They heard the minister clear his throat. The newlyweds gave an awkward chuckle; all of a sudden they forgot where they were. They straightened up to face the crowd of witnesses.
"Dearly beloved," The minister spoke up, closing the Bible in his hand. "May I present to you Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Hawkinson."
The audience sat still but gave a hearty enthusiastic applause. That was until an overly ecstatic Amelia shouted, "Whoop!", ripped the corsage out of her hair and tossed it in the air like a graduate with his mortarboard; then everyone stood up to watch the bride and groom walked down the aisle to the world awaiting them.
"Everyone, attention!" Mr. Campbell called out to the people crowded together either in the foyer or the sanctuary. "May we wish the best for Jeffrey and Charlotte. That through their marriage and life together that they would have the time of their life and have that time last as long as they live." He and the bridal party held up champagne flutes filled with the bubbly liquid. "To Jeffrey and Charlotte."
"To Jeffrey and Charlotte." The people repeated as they drank to the couple.
As the multitude behind applauded and cheered for them, Jeffrey and Charlotte stepped outside the church foyer. They looked at the outside world around them…white. Everywhere it persisted against the wet the rain left and stuck to the ground, streets, roofs, vehicles, everywhere. The rest of the bridal party followed the couple formally. Cecil and Andrew held their parents' hands but pointed and stared in awe at the while flakes falling and landing everywhere they looked.
"Who needs rice?" Amelia remarked. "God's throwing down one heck of a bowl." The two women and two men chuckled at the young feminist's wisecrack. "And boy is he throwing it hard."
Like Christmases and birthdays, their wedding day was close to being come and gone—for the first and last time. And now, it was time to say goodbye. Harold and Nathan gave Jeffrey a pat on the back and a one-armed hug. Mildred hugged her little brother tightly and kissed him on both cheeks. "Love you," She whispered.
"I love you too, Mildred." He whispered back. Smiling a farewell at her, he turned around only to be bombarded by Amelia in a boa constrictor-like grip. "Amelia…" He barely spoke. "I love you very much, but….oxygen, if you don't mind?"
"Fiddle sticks, Jeff." She smiled widely and squeezed even tighter, chuckling wickedly. "You're the best big brother ever." A kiss on her cheek played as the key to release his sister.
"Thank you, Amelia." He muttered, taking in a breath. "Your hair?"
"Hey! L'chaim!" She repeated the Hebrew exclamation with a devil-may-care air and ran a hand through her increasingly messy brunette mane.
"Listen, you can do that at your…" His sentence died as she shot him the evil eye. "Good-bye, Amelia." He turned to his parents.
"Well done, son." Mr. Hawkinson smiled proudly. "I wish you a happiness greater than the one your mother and I have shared for the past thirty years." He hugged his only son and turned him towards Mrs. Hawkinson. Now it was hard to say who was beaming the brightest, the groom's mother or the bride?
"She's wonderful for you, Jeffrey. I know she'll do the best for you. I love you so much." She stroked his face and kissed him again on the cheek.
Charlotte was sandwiched between her parents in a group hug, just like the one they gave Joseph the day he left for war. That day several years ago, the Campbells gave their first child away to his passion: his country's freedom. Today, they gave their last child away to her passion: the man of her dreams.
"I don't know what we would've done without you, Lot." Mr. Campbell told his daughter, trying hard not to cry yet tears streamed down his cheeks. "You've given us the time of our lives, now we're letting you have one of your own."
"And let it be a lifetime." Mrs. Campbell added, giving her only daughter a final goodbye kiss. "Go on."
"Love you both so much." Charlotte said under her breath before leaving them behind.
She looked over at Jeffrey. This man would be forever hers and hers alone. The stars in the night skies were hidden by thick white clouds and could not sparkle, but his blue eyes sparkled with delight, joy, and love brighter than any star that night. She knew up and down for sure that she would grow to love him more as the years to come would pass.
A snow-capped taxi drove up to where the couple waited. Jeffrey opened the door for Charlotte and lifted the train of the white dress as she waved and blew goodbye kisses before sliding inside. He waved farewell to the cheering and saying-goodbyes families and friends and sat inside the taxi and closed the door.
The white little flakes melting in his hair, Jeffrey could only stare at his love. His wife. She was so beautiful, even as she gazed at the snowfall with a child's gleam in those light brown eyes. The taxi switched from sitting alongside a sidewalk to driving away from the church, breaking part of her dreamlike focus on the winter wonderland. She turned around and smiled, slightly blushing. "Hey, you." She said under her breath.
"Hello." He greeted back quietly. After saying nothing for a few seconds, she started giggling. "What?" He asked.
"You're acting like you've never seen me before, like we just met." She replied, the befuddled smile still on her face.
"Really?" He cocked his head.
"Then again,…" She pondered, squinting her eyes in deep thought. "You've just met someone."
"Who?"
"Charlotte Hawkinson."
He chuckled back before saying, "Charlotte Hawkinson...hm…I like the sound of that."
"Me too." She nodded her head as he pulled her into another embraced kiss.
Man, what's wrong with me? When I started writing for FFN, getting to 1,000 words was a challenge. Now I'm flying through 2,000 words like no prob…yet even, I…wrote…a…wedding…I WROTE A WEDDING!