"I now pronounce you husband & wife. You may kiss the bride."
Marc put his arms around Laura & dipped her before planting a fiery kiss on her.
Their friends & family whooped & hollered. The priest smiled as the kiss went on & on. He cleared his throat. "You may face your family now & walk back down the aisle."
"Let her breathe, Twin!" Joey bumped Marc's back.
Marc let her go.
"& I bet he feels no regret." Mike quipped.
"Damn right." Marc smirked.
Laura shook her head with red cheeks & held out a hand. "Let's go, Mr. Taylor-Jones."
"Whatever you say, Mrs. Taylor-Jones." Marc took her hand & they walked down the aisle, waving to people.
Their wedding party followed behind as the cinematographer captured every moment.
W.W.W.
Mercedes watched her brother & sister dance their first dance. "Is it bad that I'm kinda looking forward to this now?"
Quinn wrinkled her nose. "I'm not saying I'm still not trying to get out of it but I think we should look over our wedding books."
"I don't even remember what's in mine."
"Me either. I just remember the flowers. My favorite."
"Yellow roses." Mercedes smiled.
"Yup." Quinn sat up straight. "& yours are daisies."
"Do you think we should get started planning? April will be here soon."
"Let's wait until after we can be sure we can't get out of this."
"Okay." It didn't make Mercedes any difference. "Want to grab some champagne?"
Quinn pushed her chair back. "Sure."
W.W.W.
Mal pulled Mickey from under the bed. "Where are you going?"
"To the beach. Jude & I are going to go surf." Marcy adjusted her swimsuit before snatching up her towel & bag. "What are you about to do?"
"Marc wanted to teach the twins how to swim but I don't like the way he taught us so Mike & I are."
Marcy knelt down & patted her knees. "Come give Mommy a kiss. I'll see you later."
Mally stood up from his place by the bed & ran to her. He wrapped his arms around her neck & kissed her cheek.
Mickey broke away from her father to do the same.
Marcy kissed her kids then stood up & left.
Mal climbed to his feet & grabbed towels & sunscreen before taking the twins to the hotel's pool, where Mike was waiting with a few family members.
"Hey." Mike swam to the edge of the pool & held his hands out for Mickey.
Mickey peered at him & the moving water. She clung to her father's hand nervously.
"It's okay, Mick." Mal picked her up & lowered her into Mike's hands.
Mickey started screaming.
Mike cuddled her to his chest. "It's okay, Mickey. You're not drowning. Everything's fine."
Mickey clutched his neck & cried.
Mike rocked with her. "It's okay."
Mal sat at the edge of the pool & stuck his feet in. Mally copied him although his feet barely reached the water. "She'll calm down."
"But I feel like a jerk in the meantime." Mike rubbed her back.
Mal grabbed the camera around his neck & took a picture of them. "She'll be embarrassed when she gets older."
Mally looked up at his dad. "Mickey crying."
"I know." Mal put his hand on his son's head. "Want to learn how to swim?"
Mally looked at his still crying though silently sister & nodded. "Swim."
Mal took the camera from around his neck & set it aside before slipping into the water. He held his hands out for Mally.
Mally leapt into his father's arms.
Mal held him in the water. "Can you kick your feet?"
Mally kicked his feet with a large grin.
Mal held him on his stomach. "Kick."
Mally kicked his feet quickly.
Mickey peeked over her uncle's shoulder at her brother. "Mally!"
Mike turned & set her high against his shoulder. "See, Mickey? It's not so scary."
Mickey twisted her face as she looked at the smile on her twin's face. He didn't seem to be in any distress. Maybe this wasn't so bad? In fact, it was kind of like the tub. & she liked bath-time, didn't she?
"Let's move to the shallow end." Mal plucked Mally up & sat him on the edge of the pool. "Walk to the end." He pointed.
"Here." Mike sat Mickey on the edge then lifted himself out of the water to sit beside her. "We can just sit here & watch bro & Daddy swim. Then you can see if you want to. Would you like that?"
Mickey nodded & leaned her head against Mike's side before slipping her thumb into her mouth.
Mike cuddled her close. "Alright."
W.W.W.
Marcy slid the cookies off the pan & onto a plate.
Quinn snatched one up & burned her fingers. "Ow! I don't know. I haven't gotten further than crying."
Joanna Fabray (Joey's twin sister) smirked. "Well you deserve it."
Quinn threw her a heated glare. They were discussing their predicament while baking on Christmas Eve. "Shut up! No one asked you anything!"
Joanna only lifted a brow.
"Stop it, Joanna." Mercedes sighed as she took a pie out of the oven. "We knew the risks but hoped we wouldn't get caught. We were & we should face the consequences."
"Do you want to get married?!" London was startled.
"Not really. In a way, yes." She frowned. "Ugh! I don't want to think about it!"
"You really should." China said. "This is happening unless a meteor strikes & you need to resolve your feelings before it happens."
"Well I think they deserve it & that Uncles Marcus, Russell & Michael should have made them get married now." Joanna sniped.
"Who are you fuckin?" Marcy snapped.
"Eve!" Violet Taylor-Capaldi gasped as she walked in.
"Sorry, Aunt Violet." Marcy lied.
"Don't talk like that. There are young cousins that look up to you. Don't you want them to emulate upstanding behavior?"
"I'm sorry. She just annoys me."
"Whenever someone annoys you, smile. It'll calm you down & confuse them." Violet smoothed her hair back from her face. "Now come into the main hall. It's time to pick out a present & open it."
Every Christmas Eve, the family joined together to open one Christmas gift before bed. They'd open the rest the following morning.
The girls in the kitchen walked out to the main hall & found their immediate families.
Quinn took Mercedes's hand as they followed Marcy to their branch. "Are you really not sure if you don't want to get married?"
Mercedes hunched her shoulders. "Let's take a walk later & I'll explain."
"Okay." They made it to their family & sat down.
Servants began calling out names on the packages & different family members went up to accept them.
Jude was surprised to hear his name. "Do you have a Jude Nixon in your family, brah?"
"Nope." Marcy shook her head. "It's for you."
Jude stood up & went to get his gift. He came back & sat down with it.
"Go on! Open it!" She bounced on her knees.
"Wait! Who's it from?!" Mercedes stopped him from opening it.
Jude read the tag. "Maddie."
Maddie beamed. "You're really going to like it!"
Jude ripped the paper off & smiled. "Thank you."
It was a sweatshirt that said Hang Tough!.
"That's a really good present, MadCap." Marcy tickled her.
Maddie giggled. "I know!"
Timothy Chang walked over. "Hey, guys. I have your presents. At least the girls."
"What about us?!" Marc teased.
"I don't like you."
"Tell us how you really feel!" Mal snapped.
The others laughed.
"Anyway." Timothy stressed. "I got something for Mickey, too but I got that here. I didn't want it to die."
"Die?" Marcy looked at him suspiciously.
Timothy waved his arm & workers walked in with cages. He pushed the biggest towards Marcy, a small one towards Quinn, handed a cage to Mercedes, pushed a medium sized one to Maddie & a small one towards Laura. The last was tiny & he presented it to Mickey.
"Cages?" Laura opened hers & screamed lowly. She pulled out a white fluffy bunny with bright blue eyes & a tiny pink nose. "He's so cute!"
"She. They're all girls except for Marcy's & Maddie's." Timothy corrected.
Mercedes opened her cage & her face lit up. "A nightingale!"
"A dog! He's so big!" Marcy gasped.
"He's just a puppy. He's going to get bigger." Timothy told her.
"How much bigger?" Marcus eyed the big black dog.
Timothy just grinned.
"A kitty!" Quinn had a white Persian kitten. She snuggled her to her face & spoke in a baby voice. "Hello, precious!"
Maddie screamed. "A turtle!" She had a blue Amazonian tortoise.
"What are you going to name him?" Timothy asked.
"Bubba!"
"Bubba?!" Michael looked at her askance.
She rubbed the tortoise's shell. "Bubba!"
"What about you guys?" Timothy turned to her sisters.
"Secret." Marcy rubbed her dog's head. "You like that, boy?"
Secret woofed.
"Yeah, you like that."
"I shall call you Harmony & you shall be mine." Mercedes used her index finger to pet her bird.
"Princess is a good name." Laura cooed.
Quinn squeezed her cat. "Fluffy. Because you're so fluffy!"
"If this was a contest, I think you'd win." Mike groused.
"I know." Timothy sighed with happiness.
"What'd you get Mickey?" Mal demanded.
"Help her open it."
"Here, Mickey." Marcy, who was sitting next to her, helped her open the present. "Oh, look! It's a fishy!"
It was indeed a fish. A tropical fish in a tiny tank with a black top.
"Fishy!" Mickey screeched.
"What are we gonna do with a fish?!" Mal snapped.
"Feed it & look at it." Timothy grinned.
"What about the cat? It'll try to eat it."
"She has a name, Jr.!" Quinn sniped.
"Whatever! That worm-!"
"Jr.!"
"Fluffy." He sneered. "What about when Fluffy gets hungry & decides she wants fish? How am I going to explain that to Mickey?"
"That's what the top's for, Cuz. You see the cat & dog getting along. They're all cool." Timothy waved a hand.
"What are you going to call Fishy?" Marcy asked Mickey.
The little girl's mouth worked before she spat out, "Puck!"
Mercedes blushed while her sisters & moms laughed. Mike's eyebrows raised & Mal scowled.
"Puck from Shakespeare?" Timothy was confused.
"Sure." Marcy brushed her daughter's curls back. "That's a nice name for Fishy."
"Finn." Mally pointed to Quinn, who burned.
She set her cat down & dragged him onto her lap. "No, Mally. I'm Tia Quinn."
"He knows who you are. He-" Mal flenched when Quinn threw him a dark glare. "He just thought up a backup name."
"Girls, what do we say to Timmy?" Judy led.
"Thank you, Tim!" They chorused.
"You're very welcome. I got to go. I got more to hand out." He bowed.
"You gave every girl an animal?" Laura asked.
"Almost all the cousins." He nodded.
"You win Christmas." Marcy said.
He grinned. "I know."
W.W.W.
Quinn sat at the edge of the pool & stuck her feet in. "Okay, talk. Do you want to marry me?"
Mercedes sat beside her & giggled. "It's not that simple."
"Why not?" Quinn bumped her arm.
"Because in a way, I do what to get married. I've been dreaming about it since Francis O'Conner married us in first grade."
Quinn smiled. "I remember that. It was the happiest day of my life."
"When you got fake married?!"
Quinn giggled. "It felt like it at the time!"
Mercedes chewed on her lips. "I do what to be married. There's so many advantages. I'll never have to be alone or feel unwanted or ugly. It'll be to my best friends in the whole world. We'll always have each others backs through anything."
"Don't we have each other's backs now?"
"It's not the same. Look at Marcy & Mal. They were always thick as thieves but now they're like the same person. They move in unison & it flows uninterrupted. It's beautiful. Even Marc & Laura are finding their rhythm & they've been married for nine days."
Quinn thought about it. "I don't know how Finn would take me being Lucy but you guys loved me & were there for me through all of that."
"See?"
"& it would be so easy. We already get along & know each other so well. We know how each other sleeps, eats, bathroom habits. We even speak in unison. Oh my goodness, you're right!"
Mercedes nodded. "So you see."
Quinn frowned. "But I still gotta try. I hate being told what to do."
"We can beg."
"We'll try it tomorrow. They'll be in a charitable mood. It's Christmas."
W.W.W.
"Sweetpea?" Marcus waved Marcy over from where the large family was tearing into their gifts Christmas morning.
"Yes, Daddy?" Marcy skipped over.
"I have a very special present for you."
Marcy's eyes lit up. "What is it?!"
"Your friend is going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future."
Marcy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I (& Russell & Michael) talked to Jude's parents & they're willing to let him live with us until graduation."
Marcy's eyes widened & she let out a piercing scream that tore through the room & made them all look at her. "Thank you, Daddy!"
He smiled. "You're very welcome. I figure your present is to tell him."
Marcy threw her arms around his neck & squeezed. "Thank you, Daddy!"
Marcus laughed. "I can't breathe!"
Marcy let him go & ran for Jude. She plod into him & wrapped her arms around his neck. "You can stay!"
"Stay?" Jude was confused.
"You get to stay with us until you graduate high school!"
Jude's blue eyes widened & he was afraid to hope. "Really?"
"Yes! You never have to see those horrible people again!"
Jude hugged her. "Thank you so much!"
Mal smiled & clapped a hand to his back. "Welcome to the family, dude."
W.W.W.
"Please, Daddy! I'll never do anything ever again!" Quinn begged.
"No, Quinn." Russell rolled his eyes.
"Please! You can take back my Christmas present!"
His lips twitched. "No."
"Please! Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please! Please!" She hung off his arm.
"Lucille!" He'd reached the end of his patience.
"Quinn, Daddy."
He rolled his eyes. "Lucille Quinn Fabray! Stop asking because I'm not budging! You're getting married & that is that!"
"But Daddy,-" Mercedes pouted.
"Hold strong, Marcus!"
Marcus, who was close to bending, snapped to. "I'd advise you to start planning this wedding or your mothers will do it all."
Mercedes started crying, Quinn right behind her. "But, Daddy!"
"No buts, Princess." He kissed her head before walking out, Russell on his heels.
"Well that didn't work." Quinn stomped a foot.
Mercedes pouted for real. "This blows!"
"That means Plan C!"
W.W.W.
"What are we doing, Mikey?" Mercedes asked as he pulled her chair out.
"We're having breakfast." Mike sat her then Quinn before sitting himself.
"We really should be packing to go home." Quinn said.
"We have time. We're not leaving until lunch time." He flagged down a waiter.
They put in their orders & the man left.
"So why are we having breakfast?" Mercedes was no fool.
"We gotta eat, don't we?" Mike grinned.
"Uh huh." Quinn wasn't stupid either.
His grin turned into a sheepish smile. "I heard that your begging didn't work."
"That's okay. We have another plan." She flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"Which is?"
"You'll see. When it works."
"Okay. Just in case it doesn't…" He reached into his pocket & pulled out two boxes.
"Are those-?" Mercedes gasped.
"Mikey, you didn't!" Quinn held her hand out.
Mike snorted before opening both boxes. One held an emerald cut diamond surrounded by small peridots & the other had nestled in its confines a pear shaped lavender diamond with ruby baguettes surrounding it. "I just thought that if you couldn't get out of it, you might want these."
"I'll totally take it!" Mercedes loved jewelry!
"I'm going to still try to get out of it but I want to wear my ring in the meantime." Quinn wiggled her fingers.
Mike slid the diamond with peridot ring onto her left ring finger. Then he slid the other one on Mercedes's. "If we get out of this, consider them Christmas presents."
"It's so beautiful!" Mercedes admired her hand in the natural light coming in from the windows.
"I love it!" Quinn kissed Mike's cheek. "Thank you, Mikey!"
Mercedes kissed his other cheek. "Thank you, Mikey!"
He blushed with a smile. "You're welcome."