Chapter 28
"We are assembled here to celebrate the joining of Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill and Brigadier General Samantha Carter in the unity of marriage. This is a ceremony in which we all have a part. We are here both as witness to these vows and to celebrate their partnership. There are no obligations on earth or on any other planet fir that matter more sweet or tender than those you are about to assume.
In the final accounting, love is what life is all about. Love is many things. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Love is not rude, nor self-seeking. Love is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. The fulfillment of love in marriage symbolizes one of life's highest experiences.
As all those who know me are well aware I do appreciate a good quotation, especially in moments like this. So I have decided to quote a Sonnet that is well-known and that also happens to be the bride's favorite poem:
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! It is an ever-fix'd mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
There are no vows more solemn than those you are about to make. There is no human institution more sacred than that of the home you are about to form. It should be entered into reverently, thoughtfully, and with full understanding of its sacred nature. If you have anything to say to your partner you may say it now under the witness of all those you hold dear to you."
Sam started to open her mouth to explain that they hadn't prepared any vows when Jack talked looking into her eyes
"I know we said no vows but there are words inside me that I need to say:
I won't say I'll love you till the end of time
Coz we've been there more than anyone knows
I won't say I can't believe you're finally mine
Coz you've been mine forever like the whole multiverse shows
Am not gonna say it's impossible that I fall out of love with u
Coz we know that impossible is an non existent word
Am not gonna say our love is as visible as the wavelegth of blue
Coz even physics as we knew it has changed as I heard
Won't say as long as the sun rises from the east
Coz I know places where that too has changed
Won't say as long as my heart beats
Coz it has often stopped along the way as I aged
But I will say,
no matter where we are, in this reality or in any other,
no matter when it is, past present or future,
No matter how fast or slow time goes, if it even does at all,
No matter in what form you or I would be, invisible, liquid, robotized, ascended and all the other life forms out there,
No matter how extremeley old or young we become
No matter what messes around with our heads
I will be there for you
I will cherish you
I will give my life for you over and over again
And most importantly I will repeatedly fall in love with you, until every single photon, lepton and quarks if you will has been rendered inert, and even after that!"
Tears were glowing in his eyes and in hers by the end of his sweet little poem. Most of the guests had tears in their eyes, too; especially those who knew the Colonel with his military bravado.
Sam was glowing in red with tears burning in her eyes and with her breath taken by her lover, again.
"Wow… after that I don't know what to say.." she said looking at him as if there was no one else in the place but them. When she was looking in his eyes it was like the whole universe disappeared and only they were left.
"You don't have to say anything baby, just hold me in you arms and kiss me!"
"I think you'll have to hold your breath for a minute before kissing her, Jack, this is a wedding you know." General Landry said with a smile "Well if that's it I would…"
"No wait General, I have something to say to this enchanting man over there, though you'll all need to excuse my improvising, I'm not as poetic as Prince Charming." she said turning to the guests. And then she returned her glance to her almost husband and looked in so deep he felt she was seeing through to his soul and even beyond that.
"When I think about what I can say to you to describe my love, I find my mind struggling which is rare. Your love is one of the few mysteries I can't solve and even more it's the only mystery I don't wanna solve. Your love is precious just the way it is, I don't need to understand it, for once I am satisfied by only feeling it, cause feeling it is overwhelming enough.
As I stand here I don't know if I should talk about your eyes: those deep brown sparkling eyes with the smile hidden just around the corner behind them. Those eyes where I can see my reflection when I look at you. Those eyes that talk to me and let me know just what you want and what you're feeling. Your eyes that understand me and see though me like I'm an open book.
Or should I talk about your arms: Your strong arms that hold me whenever I need them and that have saved my life so many times. Your arms that you always use to help people and to guide them as the strong leader that you are.
Or should I talk about your words: your wise funny words. The words you say when you wanna ease a tough situation with a funny joke, even when it's not entirely appropriate. Your words that are so simple an yet are mostly the key to solving the most complicated problems. Your words that are always thought through even if you don't wanna let on to how well thought through they are. Your words that are always exactly what I need to hear.
Or should I talk about your heart: your safely kept deep precious heart. Your heart that doesn't open up easily but when it does it is capable of giving the whole world. Your heart that is so loving kind and strong that everybody loves it, especially me.
You are my home, your whole body is where I live. When I'm with you, standing close to you, like I am right now, I don't even find the need to talk cause I can feel you connected to me on a subatomic level. Jack O'Neill, you are all the man I need!"
With that Jack leaned over her and planted a passionate kiss on her lips before the General reminded him that he still had to wait.
"Sorry, I just had to.." he said with a smile
"I bet you did, son." the general said with a smile proud of the lovely couple in front of him
"So without further ado, because as you see our couple is running out of self control and patience I would like to commence with the ceremony:
Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill will you take Brigadier General Samantha Carter, choosing her alone to be your wedded wife? Will you live with her in the state of true matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor her at all times and be faithful to her?"
"I do!" Jack said without taking his eyes off his love.
"Brigadier General Samantha Carter, will you take Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill, choosing him alone to be your wedded husband? Will you live with him in the state of true matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor him at all times and be faithful to him? "
"I do!" she said not able to hide her ever growing grin and her redly burning face while she dreamingly looked at Jack.
"The exchange of rings symbolized the sacred bond that exists between you. As the circle of these rings knows no end, so may the love declared here today never end and forever be renewed.
Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill, place the ring on Brigadier General Samantha Carter's finger and repeat after me. I, Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill, take you Brigadier General Samantha Carter to be my wife, to love and to cherish from this day forward."
While putting the white golden with sapphires wedding band on Sam's fingers he repeated: "I, Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill, take you Brigadier General Samantha Carter to be my wife, to love and to cherish from this day forward." with a super flash colgate-commercial smile.
"Brigadier General Samantha Carter, place the ring on Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill's finger and repeat after me. I Brigadier General Samantha Carter, take you Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill to be my husband, to love and to cherish from this day forward."
While looking him in the eyes and placing the wedding band on his fingers and almost forgetting to take a breath that he had to mouth to her "Breathe" so that her smile grew even bigger and she let out a chuckle, she repeated: "I Brigadier General Samantha Carter, take you Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill to be my husband, to love and to cherish from this day forward."
"Today we witnessed the vows that Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill and Brigadier General Samantha Carter made, but the true union between these two is a private union in their hearts.
In as much as Lieutenant General Jonathan J. O'Neill and Brigadier General Samantha Carter have this day consented together in the state of matrimony and have pledged their faith to each other, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the United States Air Force, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jack, you may finally kiss the bride we know you are dying to."
With that the crowd watching broke into small laughs with the tears of joy lingering in their eyes.
Jack pulled Sam close to him and kissed her deeply and passionately on her lips, like no one was watching. The whole crowd started whooing and whistling but the newly-married couple couldn't be bothered. The kiss lasted almost forever. In between air gasps he'd tell her "I love you, wife!" and she'd reply "I love you, husband." and so on and so forth until he bent her down in the kind of kiss he'd only kiss her when he was stuck in the time loop and she'd never experienced. For her life couldn't get any better. This was heaven. This was how life was supposed to be.
After he helped her regain her posture her leaned down and kissed her stomach and she placed a loving hand on it and rubbed it. Yes, this was life. And when the baby comes their family would be complete.
And then the music for their first dance resounded in the air: "This moment in time" by Engelbert Humperdinck which was their favorite love song of all times.
As the music played and the birds, butterflies and fish accompanied the music the lovely wedded couple started swaying on the dance floor like no couple had ever danced before. And suddenly, as if they were in a fairytale cartoon or something, the whole place went dark except for where they were: a bright white and blue light was shining upon them and slowly they started floating above the ground and soaring in the air while dancing in each other's arms not noticing any of their surrounding.
It was a heavenly sight and all the guests were staring at the couple in awe admiring their love and the beautiful magical wedding.
The rest of the wedding reception was equally magical.
The wedding night that followed exceeded every magic and every fairytale and every love story that has ever been; it was a night that would go into love history; a night for eternity.
A night for love!
