Ch. 6

Given the small size of their group, there was no need to rent a big hall. Coulson had ended up finding a large back room of an upscale restaurant that was available for private parties. Skye had suggested just using an IPOD to serve as DJ, but Coulson decided to hire a local band.

Coulson knew he was going a bit overboard, but the truth of the matter was that at his age, he knew it was most likely his only opportunity to have a daughter get married. And while Loki might be her biological father, Coulson knew, better than anyone, that family ties were not dictated by blood, they were created by love. And in the short time Coulson had known Skye, he had developed a father's love for the young woman.

00000

Loki was silent during the majority of the meal. He was seated next to Thor at the end of the table. Agent May sat to his right, but spent the majority of the time facing away from him, talking to the two scientists on her team that were to her right. He had not desire to speak to Thor. At first, his adoptive brother peppered him with questions about Asgard, but at Loki's stony glare, he finally gave up and turned to speak with Jane.

Even given the small gathering, Loki hardly had a moment to talk with his daughter. He tried to curb his natural inclination to push in, to force attention on him. He reminded himself that this was Skye's day, that he had promised to not cause a scene.

Loki looked down at his plate. He supposed the food before him was adequate. It consisted of a small serving of overcooked dead cow and various roasted root vegetables. It was overly salted and would be considered peasants' food at best on Asgard. It was hardly fit for the wedding celebration of the crown princess of the realm. But, as Loki looked down the long table he was seated at, he seemed to be the only one not enthusiastically shoveling food in his face.

00000

Skye looked down the long table at Loki. He was looking dismissively at the entire group. She sighed. She knew that she shouldn't let his frosty demeanor put a damper on their big day. She knew that Grant hardly noticed. Given his chaotic upbringing, having a family member behave in haughty disregard for everyone else would be would be welcome change from screams and rage.

She nearly giggled as she saw Loki taste the dinner. He looked as though he were sucking on a lemon. She had to admit that little could compare to the exquisite food she'd eaten on Asgard, but she did feel he was behaving a bit like a petulant child with his dislike of everything being offered him evident on his face.

00000

"And now, we'll begin with the toasts," the lead singer of the band announced. She shifted uncomfortably after she made the announcement, not liking the role of master of ceremonies for the event. The band had done dozens of weddings, but this was the oddest by far. It was an incredibly tiny group, but the tension in the room was palpable. She was once at a wedding where the maid of honor slugged the bride, and that one still felt more relaxed than their present gig.

Coulson stood quickly. After the kerfluffle earlier with Loki, he wanted to claim his father of the bride duties as soon as possible. "It has been my genuine pleasure to get to know both Skye and Grant over the past few months. I am overjoyed to be a part of this celebration. Their love and devotion to one another has been an inspiration to us all. Please raise your glass as we toast the happy couple."

"Here, here," the rest of the group echoed, with even Loki taking part.

"Are there any other toasts?" the lead singer asked.

Loki popped up, glass in hand. He knew that Coulson had taken him unawares earlier, but he wasn't about to allow the man to best him.

"As Skye's father, I am, of course, more than pleased at this most joyous of occasions. Skye has proven to be an . . . unexpected blessing. Her compassion and caring for others is quite remarkable. I know that Grant will prove to be a loving and loyal husband," Loki said smoothly, although a hint of a threat lingered in the air.

"And now, for the first dance," the lead singer said quickly, trying to keep the party moving.

Grant took Skye by the hand and led her to the small makeshift dance floor while the group started to sing their song. He had to admit, if he had to choose a song for them, a Taylor Swift one certainly wouldn't have been his first pick, but since he was marrying an actual princess, he supposed that "Today was a Fairytale" was a good enough song to dance to. He nearly lost it when he heard the lyric about wearing a dark gray T-shirt. Skye had teased him mercilessly about his monochromatic wardrobe. The lines about magic being in the air and being transported to another planet were just icing on the cake.

00000

As Skye swayed to the music, secure in Grant's arms, she knew the meaning of bliss. She shut her eyes and for a moment, the universe narrowed down to the two of them, two hearts beating as one, two souls joined together forever. All their problems, doubts and fears just melted away when she felt him hold her.

Too soon, the music was over and the lead singer announced," And now for the father-daughter dance."

Skye stiffened. She had talked to Coulson when they found out that Loki had crashed the wedding and he agreed with her that it was probably best to just let Loki have the honor. Coulson had given in to the request, if only to keep the peace. Loki beamed as he walked towards Skye.

As she danced Michael Buble's "Daddy's Little Girl" with Loki, she let herself wonder how her life would have been different if Loki had taken her mother back with him to Asgard. What would her life have been like if she had grown up in the palace, having Thor as her uncle and Frigga and Odin as her grandparents? What would it had been like to have a somewhat normal life (as normal as growing up in a palace could be)? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She could drive herself crazy thinking about what might have been.

As soon as the song ended, Skye let go of Loki's hand and rushed to the stage, whispering in the lead singer's ear. "Yeah, we know it," she told Skye.

The lead singer smiled at the group. "And now for the second father-daughter song."

Skye walked over to Coulson and led him to the dance floor as the first few notes of "To Sir With Love" were being played.

"Do you remember, when I said that you valued me? That you were the first person to do that in a long time?" Skye asked.

"I sure do," Coulson said, his voice thick with emotion.

"I want to thank you. Thank you for everything. For getting me on the Bus. For believing in me when no one else did. For saving me. For being the father that I needed. For the wedding. For putting up with Loki," Skye said, her voice wavering, tears welling in her eyes.

"Well, he hasn't killed anyone yet, so I'm going to count it as a win," Coulson deadpanned and Skye fought to keep from laughing out loud.

00000

"And now the groom," the singer announced halfway through the father-daughter song.

That had been a bit trickier to figure out. There really couldn't be a mother-son part of the dance. Since Grant had no family at the wedding, there was no one for him to dance with. Normally, Grant ignored the fact that he really didn't have a family in any normal sense of the word. But, something like a wedding, which was so tied to the idea of family and relatives, really brought home to Grant how isolated he really was, how abandoned he had been by the people who should have loved him most.

Given Coulson acting as Skye's father, May would have been the natural stand-in for Grant. However, given his past relationship with her, Grant was sure that it would be out of the question. He was surprised when one day, out of the blue, May had offered to take his mother's place for the dance.

"Are you sure?" he had asked dubiously, still careful how he approached her after the end of their frenzied affair.

"Ward, despite everything, I still care about you. Not like a mother," she had said with a sardonic grin, "but we're part of a team. You need someone to dance with. In the end, family is about more than just who you're related to."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

And so, May deftly took Grant's hand as he smoothly led her onto the dance floor. As he looked down at her, he was a bit wistful, a part of him uneasy that he had allowed the desire for momentarily passion to overrule his better judgment. Although they were friendly once again, there was still a distance between them. He wondered how close they would have become if there weren't the sad wreckage of an empty liaison between them. Perhaps, given time, even those wounds would heal.

Author's Notes-

1. Over 350 reviews! You guys really make me want to cry. It is amazingly encouraging to know that what you are writing and posting is connecting with your readers. It really does spurn writers on to know that people liked what they wrote and are looking forward to more.

Please know that when you favorite, follow, or leave up-lifting, kind reviews for a story, you are, in a way, taking part in its creation. While some writers write an entire story before posting, many post as they go. When you encourage writers on this site, you are giving them an amazing gift and spurring them on to devote more time to creating more stories for you.

Once again, I want to thank you, dear readers for every single sweet, motivating review, follow and favorite. Your thoughtfulness has a direct effect on my writing and thank you seems like too small a word to repay you for your kindness.

2. I used a variation of one of my favorite Buffy quotes here, where Giles is accused of having "a father's love for the child". If you ever watched the series, there are a lot of fun parallels between the two relationships.

3. If you have a chance, give a listen to "To Sir, With Love" and think of Skye and Coulson. So sweet. And I wasn't kidding. Taylor Swift's song "Today was a Fairytale" does have a line in it about dark gray T-shirts, and if that doesn't make you think of Ward, you're lying.

4. There will be a bit more reception fun in the next chapter!