"I can't believe all that idiot Clarence did to you and Maggie," James told Henry. "You should have mentioned it to me. I could've had it dealt with quickly so you didn't have to waste a month."
"I know you could have," Henry told him. "But in a way, I sort of felt that judge lady was right. I did sort of cross a line getting to be with Margaret, even if she was my happy ending. It was something I was glad to just get over with."
"And we're proud of you," Lenora told him. "You handled yourself well."
"You're lucky you were under a spell," his sister added. "If you'd really been cheating on Maggie, I would have punched you in your stupid, ungrateful face."
"Monster," James chided. "Be nice."
"Sorry, Daddy," Susanna replied. Then she looked sheepishly at her brother. "And sorry, Henry."
"Oh, it's okay," Henry replied. "A punch in the face would have been a lot more merciful than where Margaret would have punched me if not for the spell."
James chuckled. "You know, you're probably right," he said. "I can see her hitting you where it hurts."
"But that doesn't matter," Lenora replied. "The point is that all of this is fixed and over with now so we don't have to talk about it, and can, in fact, think of more cheerful things, like the wedding. There is gonna be a wedding, isn't there?"
"Well, yes!" Henry replied. "Of course. I didn't propose and then wait an entire year for nothing!"
"I figured as much," Lenora said. "Simmer down!"
"Well, all right," Henry replied. "I just wanted to make a point. So...where do we start with all the planning? Not that I want to do all of it myself, but do you think there's anything we could get knocked off the list now?"
"I could officiate," James volunteered.
"You?" Lenora asked. "Why? I mean, how are you qualified to marry people? Seems kind of odd."
"I was a captain on a ship once," James replied. "And they can marry people. It's a bit of an old tradition, but a real one, I swear. And having the ceremony on the boat would give it a bit of a unique flavor, right?"
"I can see that working," Henry replied. "So, if Margaret agrees, we already have an officiator and a venue...this is progress. And I bet Grandma will make the cake."
"Oh, I have no doubt she will," Lenora replied. "I bet all I'll have to do is call her and she'll whip up something really good."
"So..." Susanna ticked off on her fingers. "Venue, cake, officiator...anything else we can think of to get off the list?"
"Not at the moment," Henry replied. "I think I'll go call Maggie and tell her what we came up with. You know, just to see if she agrees." He went and called Margaret and came back awhile later. "Maggie says that all of that seems fine," he said. "She wants us to come up with whatever we can, cause she'll have to deal with the more difficult task of getting her father through this whole process in one piece."
Lenora smiled. "Poor girl, that's a tall order. Well, we won't let her down, will we?"
"No," James replied. "We might come up with something that's simpler than what she'd like, but I'm sure it'll all be fine as long as we tell her what we're thinking."
"Definitely," Lenora replied. "Sounds like a plan to me!"
"Lenora!" Selina cried in surprise when she opened the door and hugged her granddaughter. "I'm so glad to see you!"
"I'm glad too," Lenora replied. "But I will confess, though: I didn't just come to see you. I came to ask for a favor." She paused. "But you might already know it."
"You mean about my being the one who makes the cake for the wedding? Margaret already asked me, and given that the wedding will be on the boat with James officiating, here's what we came up with." Selina handed Lenora a sketch of a three layer white-frosted cake with blue trim. "Kind of a sea-theme," she said. "Would Henry be okay with that?"
"Of course he will, it's cake!" Lenora said, sitting down on the sofa and staring at the drawing. "I doubt he's gonna pay much attention to the design on it." She looked up. "Not that he won't appreciate your efforts, of course."
"I understand," Selina replied. "I'm not bothered at all. I remember when he was a little boy, and he came to visit me at the bakery. He ate an entire cake, I think it was, by himself, and it got him on the news. He was so happy that day."
"What do you think of the design for the cake?" Margaret asked Lenora as she came into the room. "You like it?"
"Oh, definitely," Lenora replied, then stared at the dress Margaret was wearing. It was a dress that made her resemble a medieval lady, with a long, wide white skirt, which had vertical alternating sections of lace and silk, a tight bodice, and lacy sleeves made of lace that hung down from her arms instead of fitting closely. "Is that your wedding dress?" She asked.
"Yeah, it is," Margaret replied. "I know it's kind of weird to have a medieval princess vibe for my dress when it's got kind of a sea theme going on, but...Susanna's been helping me with it, and when she zapped this up, I fell in love!"
"And that's not wrong!" Lenora replied. "No one is scolding you. I think it fits you very well. And don't worry, both Henry and James will be wearing clean, neat suits."
"Thank you for telling me that," Margaret said. "I was a bit worried."
"James acknowledged that once he agreed to officiate, he knew he had to look nice, and Henry knew it would make you happy, so he's cleaning up for the occasion," Lenora replied. "I almost don't recognize either of them." She paused. "Now the big question: how's Uncle Elijah handling all this?"
Selina sighed. "The poor guy! It's like Laura's wedding all over again. I've never seen him tear up so much." She gave Margaret a look. "If I have to take your father away from the ceremony cause he's too overcome with emotion, you'll understand, right?"
"Oh, yes," Margaret nodded. "Of course! You do what you have to do. I won't be offended." She paused. "Speaking of Laura, I need to call her and ask if she'll do my hair. Not that she'll refuse, of course, but it would be rude to assume that just because she does hair, and she's my sister that she'll automatically do it for me."
"Okay, come back!" Susanna called. "If the dress is the way you want it, you should probably take it off now. You don't want to ruin it before the big day!"
"Damn!" Margaret said sadly. "I don't want to take it off!" She looked at her mother. "You think I should go show Daddy before I change?"
"No, I think you should wait and let him see it on the wedding day," Selina told her. "He's holed up in his office for a reason: to keep all the wedding stuff out of his head. Even though I'm sure he's looking at baby pictures of you and trying not to cry, cause that's what he did with Laura."
"All right," Margaret said. "If you're sure!" She walked off as easily as she could in her dress, which was heavier than it looked, and Selina stared at Lenora. "You think we'll all get through this in one piece?" She asked.
"Oh, here's hoping," Lenora replied. "Here's hoping."
"So, how are you doing?" Selina asked Elijah on the day of the wedding. "Another daughter is getting married. Are you gonna be okay?"
"Yes," Elijah nodded. "Yes, I'm fine." But he gave a sniff and wiped his eye anyway.
"Oh, you poor man," Selina hugged him. "It's gonna be okay!"
"I know," Elijah replied and waited for her to tie his tie before going to knock on Margaret's bedroom door. She called for him to come in, and he got a good look at her in her dress. "It's just like before Laura got married all over again," he said, looking over Margaret's gown."You look so beautiful. Just like a princess."
Margaret smiled. "I wanted to show it to you earlier, but Mom thought I should wait," she said. She walked toward him and gave him a hug. "We're gonna get through this, all right?" She said. "And remember: just because I'm getting married doesn't mean I'm leaving forever."
"Oh, I know," Elijah replied. "It's just that I've been looking at baby pictures of you a lot longer than I should and it's made it hard for me to face that you're all grown up now, and marrying Henry."
"He'll take good care of me," Margaret assured her father. "He's a good man. All the cheating was not his fault."
"I remember," Elijah nodded. "You told me all this."
"What you need to do is find a way to distract yourself," Margaret told him. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of people that you can talk to at the wedding. Laura and Edward are coming and bringing Charlie. Alistair is coming, but Astrid had to work...of course you can hang out with Mom, too. I'm sure you'll find a way to have a good time!"
"Yes, I know," Elijah replied. "And I apologize for being such a wet blanket and causing you distress because I can't control my emotions, but...I have a feeling I won't be this worked up if Annaliese and Peter ever get married." He paused and his eyes widened. "Good lord, that thought is actually sort of terrifying, isn't it?"
"Not so much," Margaret replied. "Peter's not such a bad guy, remember?"
"It's a hard thing to remember sometimes," Elijah replied.
Just then, there was a knock on the door and when it opened, Elijah and Laura saw Selina all dressed up, and holding onto Ethan's hand. Ethan wore a classic tux to match his father's, but Elijah looked at Selina and winced. The skirt of her yellow dress was short, and the neckline was bordering on plunging. "You can't wear that to a wedding!" Elijah cried, horrified.
"Margaret, do you mind if I wear this to your wedding?" Selina asked.
"If it distracts Daddy, I'm all for it," Margaret replied. "And I'm ready to go, if you are."
"I'm ready," Elijah replied.
"Me too!" Ethan chimed in.
They got in the car and headed to Alistair and Astrid's, where a special portal had been set up to transport guests, since the wedding was taking place in Henry's home dimension. With that in place, there was no trouble going where they needed to go, and when they arrived at the castle, Max met up with them.
"Laura and Susanna are waiting for you in the boat," He told Margaret. She headed off while Elijah went to join Alistair at the bar, and Selina went to check on the cake, which she'd delivered the day before.
"It still looks good," Lenora said when Selina entered the kitchen where the cake was set out in case Selina wanted to make any last minute adjustments. "I don't think you have to change a thing!"
Selina looked around it. "Yep," she said, giving the white and blue frosted cake the eye. "I was kind of worried that it would fall apart, frankly, even though it's not a big cake at all."
"You were worried someone would eat it," Lenora replied. "Come on. You can say so."
Selina then dove behind the counter as Damon entered the kitchen with Lucy on his arm. "Jimmy needs a match," he said. "You got any around here?"
"Oh, he's smoking now?" Lenora scoffed. "Are you serious? I told him not to. And please, Damon...don't encourage him!"
"I tried to tell him that," Lucy said. "But what do I know?" With a roll of his eyes, Damon said, "All right, I'll Jimmy that he doesn't get any matches, but he won't be happy." He paused. "But he can just make them up himself, so I don't see the problem."
"Don't you go encouraging him," Lucy chided. "It could ruin everything!"
"Would you calm down, Cookie Monster?" Damon replied. "I won't let anything bad happen." They strode off and Lenora peered behind the counter. "They're gone," she told Selina. "You can stand up now.
"Sorry about that," Selina replied as she struggled to get to her feet. "It's just that with Elijah already so on edge, I don't want to add to his stress by having him catch me with Damon and get the wrong idea. And knowing my luck, that would totally happen."
"Well, if it will ease your mind any," Lenora told her, "Grandpa Klaus isn't here, so you won't have to hide from him. Amy came in his stead."
"Interesting," Selina replied. "I thought she would have wanted to stay home with Vivi."
"Margot is taking care of Vivi," Lenora replied. "Amy felt that if Grandpa Klaus wasn't in a fit state to come, and from what Grandpa Alistair said, he's not, someone should. I think you'll enjoy having her around. But there's two people you might not so much."
"Well, I know about Damon, and you said Klaus wasn't gonna be here...so who else would I not like being here?" Selina asked.
Just then, two more people strode into the kitchen and Selina got her answer. "Where do you keep the liquor?" Mikael asked Lenora. "I need a drink!"
"The bar will be open after the wedding," Selina replied. "Can't you wait?"
"If I have to watch my son cry just because his daughter is getting married, I think I deserve a drink," Mikael replied. "Or several
Selina cast Gwen a sympathetic glance, and then turned her attention back to Mikael. "You know, sometimes, when a man's significant other is pregnant, they forego alcohol as a way to support their partner who can't drink."
Mikael chuckled. "And you honestly think I'm gonna go through with that ridiculous tradition?" He asked. "Gwendolyn wouldn't ask me to do that. She understands I need my alcohol. Right, Gwendolyn?"
But instead of answering, Gwen, her face stoic, moved her hand and that slight motion made Mikael cry out in pain. "Oh dear," she replied. "We better get you to sit down. You're clearly not well. And I'm sure you'll be able to wait until the bar is open to get a drink, just like everyone else, right?"
Mikael didn't answer cause he was in too much pain, but Gwen grinned as she helped him from the kitchen.
"Remind me why those two decided to come?" Selina asked.
"I thought it would be a good idea since Margaret is his granddaughter, you know?" Lenora asked. "I didn't want him to feel slighted and pester you about it."
"Well, you're a brave soul," Selina replied.
"No, it was probably a more stupid decision than I realized," Lenora replied. "I'm gonna go check on James. He's probably gone through an entire pack of cigarettes by now. I hope not, though!" She ran out of the kitchen, and after making a last tiny adjustment on the cake, Selina went out and talked with Amy for a bit before sitting next to Elijah.
"How're you doing?" She asked. "Mikael was in the kitchen, and he seemed concerned."
"I'm trying," Elijah replied. "I am. But I don't think I'm gonna make it."
"Well, when the ceremony starts, I'll take you somewhere else, all right?" Selina said, taking his hand.
"We can't just leave!" Elijah replied. "That would be rude!"
"Well, making a distraction during the vows cause you're upset is rude also," Selina replied. "Think of the lesser of the two evils here."
"Fine," Elijah replied. "If I start to get...emotional, you can escort me out."
And despite Elijah's firm resolve to make it through the wedding, he barely got Margaret down the aisle before he had to turn and run back to Selina, who, after locking eyes with her daughter, quickly removed Elijah from the room and took him walking around the ship. "I wonder what's all behind these doors?" Selina asked.
"Well, don't go around looking in them," Elijah replied testily. "It's rude enough that we had to leave in the middle of the wedding. I don't want to add your snooping to our list of offenses as well."
"Oh, lighten up!" Selina replied, deciding impulsively to open a door. "Look!" She cried. "A bedroom!"
"Okay, you saw it," Elijah told her, trying to pull her away. "Now let's go!"
"Why?" Selina asked, going inside. "You need to be calmed down, and no one is using it."
"But someone could hear us!" Elijah replied. "And that would be a far worse interruption than anything else. I should have just stayed to watch the ceremony and cry!"
But he couldn't look away as Selina undressed, and then undressed him after they climbed into bed. Elijah was awkward at first, but then they really got into it, so much that they didn't hear the door open until the yell rang out. Then Elijah turned, his face going red as he met Adrian's horrified eyes.
"I-I'm sorry," he got out. "This wasn't my idea!"
Selina was less apologetic. "Didn't we teach you to knock before you entered a room with a closed door?" She asked irritably.
"Well, I didn't have any reason to suspect anyone would be in here!" Adrian defended himself. "Geez, I thought since you weren't with Dad anymore, I was done with shocks like this!"
"Never mind," Selina replied shortly. "Is the wedding over?"
"Yes," Adrian replied. "Henry and Margaret are married now."
"Good," Elijah replied. Then he said to Adrian, "would you mind averting your eyes while I dress?"
"Oh, there's no rush," Helene assured him as she tried to pull an outraged Adrian from the room. He'd forgotten why they'd even come in there, but he resisted leaving until they figured it out.
Eventually, Elijah and Selina emerged from the room and headed to the reception where Elijah, after calming himself, got through his father-daughter dance with Margaret.
After that was over, toasts were done (including very humorous ones by Peter, who was the best man, and Annaliese, who was the maid of honor), cake was eaten, and everyone sat around and talked.
At two in the morning, the party broke up and Henry and Margaret waved goodbye to their guests as they headed on their honeymoon (not to Klaus' island, but a tour of Italy, France, and Spain, which had, surprisingly, been paid for by Clarence's office, perhaps as an apology for what they'd put Henry through.)
"You wanna go home?" Selina asked Elijah once they were gone.
"Yes," Elijah nodded. "I think I do. Ethan's been home with Laura for a bit now. I think it's time we relieve her of duties so she can get some sleep."
"All right," Selina replied. "Just let me tell Lenora goodbye, and we'll go home."
The End
Coming up next: a sequel, Love Is A Battlefield
