"Women are silly creatures." - Bard
CHAPTER FIFTY ONE
ANOTHER WEDDING?
"Jonny, wake up."
Bard muttered something unintelligible under his breath and rolled over on his bed, pulling the covers messily along with him.
"C'mon, Jonny! We're gonna be late for the wedding!"
"Wedding?" Bard grumbled, still mostly asleep. "Our wedding was last night, Raven. Go back to sleep."
"Uh…I'm not Raven." A pause. "And you must have had a really weird dream last night."
"Wyrd? Hmm?" Bard rolled wearily over to his back, blindly found his glasses on his bedside table and looked up…and almost had a massive heart attack.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Amber asked, flicking her long black hair out of her face.
"Y-you're alive!" The cowboy couldn't believe his eyes.
Amber blinked those incredible light blue eyes of hers.
"Of course I am…" Her full lips pursed. "Oh, I get it. Slade blasted you with that mind gas stuff yesterday. It must not have cleared away entirely yet."
"He did?" It was Bard's turn to blink. "Oh…I r-reckon he did."
"Well, get up!" Amber patted him on the shoulder before giving him a quick peck on the lips. "You're supposed to give Starfire away, so we can't be late!"
Bard blinked…for the second time.
"I'm giving Starfire away?" A third blink. "Starfire's getting married?"
Concern flooded into Amber's eyes.
"Of course she is," she told him. "Are you feeling okay? If that mind stuff is still bothering you-"
"No," Bard disagreed, knowing what she was going to say. "I'll be okay. I'm just a little forgetful." He paused. "Starfire…she is getting married to Robin, isn't she?"
"Who else would she be getting married to?"
Bard decided not to answer that.
"C'mon," Amber urged him up. "I've already got your clothes picked out."
"Thanks, mommy." He grinned and winked at her as he stood up.
"Punk," Amber laughed and punched him in the shoulder.
"Ow!" Bard clutched his right arm as if he had been mortally wounded.
"Oh!" Amber immediately jumped comfortingly on him. "Did I hurt you?"
"'Course not." Bard grinned devilishly at her. "You couldn't hurt me if you wanted to!"
"You're mean," Amber pouted, but she nevertheless kissed him again. "Now hurry up and get dressed. I don't wanna be late. I'll wait for you in the main room."
When she was gone, Bard walked over to where she had laid some clothes out for him. But half way there, he caught a glimpse of himself in a tall mirror. He stopped and looked at his shirtless torso. He was in better shape than he had thought. Smooth, unblemished skin covered the lean, clearly defined muscles of his shoulders, stomach and chest. Unconsciously, (And a little egotistically as well, the cowboy admitted to himself), he lifted his arms over his head in pose. He laughed shortly and, shaking his head ruefully at himself, walked over and started getting dressed.
When he was finished, Bard was happy with the results. He wore a black cowboy hat over his tied back hair and his customary dark, round glasses. He wore a black, button up shirt, and a silver cross pendant was kept in place at the top of collar by a cowboy tie. Over that, he wore a dark brown, leather western style coat. The ensemble was finished off by tight blue jeans, black cowboy boots and a nice, silver buckle. The cowboy grinned at his reflection. He was in his element and he was loving every minute of it.
Humming an upbeat country tune under his breath, he headed out the door towards the main room. When he walked in and saw Amber, though, he stopped dead in his tracks and stared.
"What?" She asked, unconsciously fidgeting with her hair.
"You're…beautiful." He half stuttered.
She beamed at him.
"Aren't you a nice boy to say it?" She grinned outrageously at him. "You're not looking bad, either." She added with a wink.
But Bard was still staring at her. She wore a blue dress with ruffles at the bodice, and she looked like a sea goddess emerging from the waves. Her long black hair was soft and fluid and her light blue eyes glittered like stars. The pale, snow like skin of her face turned red under his gaze.
"C'mon!" She said through her blush. "We have to go!"
The cowboy let his angel lead him to the elevator and down the garage. Completely out of habit, he straddled his Harley and turned to offer his hand to her when they arrived down there.
"Uh…" She looked at his vehicle speculatively. "I don't think I'm dressed to be riding on a bike." She told him, looking pointedly down at her dress. "Anyway," she added. "Transportation's already been arranged."
Bard's eyebrow raised.
HONK! HONK!
"Right on cue," Amber smiled and winked at him. She took Bard's arm with her right hand and lead him outside.
"We're riding in that?" Bard asked incredulously as he looked over the long, white limousine with the black tinted windows.
"You don't see anyone else out here, do you?" She asked him as she opened and held the door for him.
Bard squinted at her from behind his glasses.
"I'm the one who's supposed to hold the door open." He objected.
"You're too polite sometimes." Amber noted. "Why don't you let me do something nice for a change?"
Bard shrugged, put a hand on his hat to keep in place and crawled into the limo. Amber gracefully followed him.
"…"
"…"
"Hey!" Bard exclaimed. "There's a TV in here!"
Bard felt like a movie star when he stepped out of the limo behind Amber. There was an carpeted pathway that led up to the front entrance of the huge cathedral, and a crowd of onlookers gathered around on either side of it, held back by low, iron barricades and a few off duty policemen.
"Bard!" A faceless, nameless voice of a woman yelled out longingly for him from the crowd.
Bard wrapped his arm around Amber's shoulders and smiled nervously, using his other hand to wave at the crowd half-heartedly. He knew the Teen Titans were fairly famous in this city, but he never knew he was…
Thankfully, he and Amber reached the door being held open by an usher and stepped inside without incident.
"Sure are a lot of people here." The cowboy commented.
"There are a lot of people who want to see Robin and Starfire married." Amber shrugged. "Now come on." And she lead him away again.
Before Bard knew it, he and Amber were in a small antechamber of the church…with Starfire.
"Bard!" Starfire turned to him. "I am elated to see you."
"Wow," Bard almost lost his breath as he looked at her. "You make a good looking bride."
"Don't make me jealous," Amber nudged him good naturedly.
Starfire was dressed in a traditional, long white wedding dress with a flowing train at its back. The gown was covered with tiny gold beads around Starfire's chest and torso. Her long red hair fell in delicate curls along her back and about her shoulders.
"Are you sure?" Starfire fretted cutely. "I am doubtful of my hair and the up of the make Terra painted on my face makes it itch so…"
"Uh…Terra?" Bard vaguely remembered Beast Boy mentioning her name some time before.
Starfire blinked her emerald green eyes at him.
"Forgive him, Star." Amber stepped in for him. Bard noticed that, for some strange reason, she used the same nickname for her that he and Robin used. "The mind gas Slade hit him with yesterday is still affecting him."
"Oh," Compassion immediately flooded into Starfire's eyes. "Are you terribly unwell? If-"
"I'm fine," Bard stressed to her. "I'm just…a little forgetful, I reckon."
Starfire opened her mouth to say something else, but an usher peeked his head in at that exact moment.
"Five minutes, Miss Starfire. The bridesmaids will be called out soon." He said respectfully before popping back out as quickly as he had popped in.
"Oh!" Starfire said worriedly, quickly turning to a mirror to make sure she looked all right.
"You look beautiful, Star." Amber told her, walking over. She took her chin firmly in her hand and made the alien look up into her face. She strategically positioned a few tendrils of her hair down one shoulder and she placed another dramatically down her cheekbone.
"There," she approved with a slight nod. "Now you're ready."
"Thank you," Starfire smiled. Then she turned to Bard. "And thank you as well. I hear it is a custom for a bride's father to give her away to her groom, but since mine…is not here, I am glad it is you who will deliver me up to Robin. You were, after all, quite instrumental in this coming to pass."
"It-it's my pleasure," Bard scratched the back of his hair under his hat a little nervously.
Soft piano music picked up in the main hall, and Amber's eyes lit up.
"It's time for the bridesmaids." Amber announced. She walked over to Bard and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. She turned to Starfire. "And you look great." She assured the Tamaranean before opening the door and walking out into the main hall.
"You really do look great." Bard repeated when he saw that Starfire's eyes were still nervous. "Trust me," he added. "Robin's eyes will fall out when he sees you."
"But I do not wish to injure Robin's eyes!"
Bard laughed heartily. Her most endearing traits were here innocence and her overwhelming compassion for anything that lived or breathed. It was those two traits, along with her beauty, of course, that had almost made him fall for her himself.
"No, Star." He explained. "When Robin sees you…he'll see the most beautiful woman in the world. That I promise."
Starfire's eyes half filled up with tears.
"Thank you, Jonny." She whispered, giving him a sisterly kiss on the cheek…while the cowboy blushed furiously.
Thankfully, the wedding march started up in the hall before Starfire could embarrass him anymore.
"I reckon that's our cue." Bard suggested, holding out his arm to her.
"But-"
"Everything will be fine, Star. Trust me."
Starfire looked up into his eyes for a moment, but then she nodded and took his arm.
"Then…let us proceed."
Bard opened the double doors leading into the main hall, and the two of them started their stately march down the aisle. The walk up to the altar seemed to take forever, and Bard took that opportunity to have a look around. Everyone and their brother seemed to be there, packed into row after row of red upholstered pews. Most of those in attendance seemed to be civilians, but there were a few that were obviously superheroes. One teen with long black hair, dark eyes and a blue and black jumpsuit caught Bard's eyes, and another teen with orange hair and an eye mask that looked almost identical to Robin's was sitting near him.
A trail of multicolored flower petals strewn along the aisle lead Bard's eyes up to the front of the hall. Robin was before the altar and, sure enough, his eyes were totally fixated upon Starfire's radiant face. Bard half grinned to himself when he realized the Boy Wonder probably wasn't even aware that he was beside her…or aware of the fact that anyone besides Starfire was in the huge hall. Cyborg hulked large behind him in a tuxedo, and beside him were Beast Boy and Superboy, all dressed in matching suits.
A cute little girl in a pale lavender dress and holding a small basket was standing near the altar, and Bard suddenly got the feeling that they had met before. He wracked his brains, trying to remember and…Bridget! It was the little girl he had met in the orphanage, just before his first fight with Tim. He smiled at her and she grinned right back.
On the other side stood the bridesmaids and, except for Amber, they were dressed in sleek, silky white dresses and matching heels that, to Bard, looked extremely uncomfortable. He immediately recognized Amber and Raven, but he had never seen the third girl before. She had a small, narrow frame, wispy blonde hair and large, blue eyes. She smiled across the altar at Beast Boy, and the changeling grinned and waved goofily. The girl giggled back at him.
He and Starfire finally reached the altar, and he lead Starfire up beside Robin before taking the ritualistic, respectful step back across from Amber. As the preacher started up, Bard tuned him out and concentrated on Robin and Starfire. Starfire's eyes were very wide, but her radiant face had a demure, contented cast to it. Robin, on the other hand, stared at her as if he had never seen her before. Her beauty seemed to sink through his eye mask into his eyes, and the Boy Wonder looked as if would die first before he would his eyes turned away from her.
When the preacher finally got to the 'I do' part, Bard noticed that Amber's eyes had teared up…along with Raven's and the blonde haired girl's as well.
'Women…'
"I do,"
"I do,"
The whole place seemed to freeze in place. That noiseless moment in time drug on and on and on…
"Yo, Robin!" The orange haired hero yelled out from the crowd. "You gonna kiss her, or what?"
The crowd let out a collective laugh.
Robin gave the teen a sheepish grin, dipped Starfire dramatically and pressed his lips against hers…
And the whole place exploded. Bard actually winced at the deafening roar of approval from the crowd in the hall, and the hundreds more outside.
Music picked up again, and Robin and Starfire walked back up the aisle. The bridesmaids and the groomsmen followed after them, hooking up with each other arm in arm. Bard hooked up with Amber, Raven was paired up with Superboy, Beast Boy walked down beside the blonde girl and Cyborg brought up the rear of the procession.
Before he knew it, Bard and the others were whisked back into the white limos outside.
"Where are we going?" Bard wanted to know.
"To the reception party." Amber answered him. "Enjoy it, this is the fun part."
When they pulled up to the large club that had been rented for the day, Amber and Bard stepped out.
"Dude!" Beast Boy was exclaiming from where he and the blonde bridesmaid had gotten out of their limousine. "There was a TV in there!"
"I said the exact same thing." Bard said to him as he and Amber walked up to them.
"Bard, what's up?" The changeling greeted him, but then his green face scrunched up. "Dude, why aren't you wearing a tux?"
The cowboy's eyebrow raised.
"Could you imagine me in a tuxedo?"
"Hmm," Beast Boy thought about it. "…guess not."
"Man!" Superboy burst out as soon as he got out of the limo he and Raven had rode up in. "I can't believe that sucker had a TV in it!"
"Yes," Raven droned sarcastically from behind him. "It's a miracle."
Amber looked at Superboy, then to Beast Boy, then up at Bard.
"Men," she muttered under her breath with a roll of her eyes.
"Heh," Bard sweat dropped. "Maybe…we ought to go in."
The only word Bard could find for the inside of the club was…lavish. Extremely lavish. There were a hundred lit candles in the pattern of large heart at the front of the dance hall and incredibly tall, flowing curtains that fell down from the ceiling. There was a small orchestra to one side of the room and there were balloons and streamers everywhere.
It was nice, Bard figured, but it was a little stuffy for his tastes. Raven stepped up behind him.
"A little overdone, I think." She commented. "I was praying they wouldn't go overboard, but I suppose God was looking the other way at the moment."
"My thoughts exactly." Bard agreed. He took a moment to really look at her. She wore the sleek, white bridesmaid dress and the golden chain and cross pendant around her neck. "You're looking good today." He complimented her.
Instead of thanking her brother, she turned to Amber instead.
"You trained him well." His sister told her.
"He wasn't that bad before I got my hands on him." Amber replied modestly.
Bard squinted at the two of them. He felt like he was outnumbered in a game he didn't know how to play…not to mention a game he wasn't even aware he was playing…
"We're only kidding." Amber assured him, seeing his look. But the cowboy noticed the sly look she shot at Raven.
He muttered about that under his breath.
"So where are Robin and Starfire at?" Beast Boy asked them.
"They haven't got here yet, B." Superboy answered him.
"Pssh! What's up with that?" Beast Boy demanded. "I've been to a couple of weddings, and it always takes the married couple a while to get to the party. What gives?"
"Uh…" Bard opened his mouth to explain, but after a quick glance at Amber, he decided to shut it again.
"What?" The changeling pushed. "What's the big secret?"
Smiling devilishly, the blonde girl leaned forward and whispered something in his ear.
"Terra!" Beast Boy exclaimed when she was finished, his normally green face bright red.
Everyone laughed good naturedly, but Terra's giggle sounded a bit wicked…Bard began to have his suspicions about her and Beast Boy at that point.
"Yo, Jon-boy!" A burly voice called out from across the hall. Bard tried to peek through the crowd to see who had called him, but that wasn't really necessary…seeing as how the person who had called him stood a good foot over just about everyone in the dance hall.
"Tim!" Bard stared. "But you're-"
"Stylin' and profilin'!" Tim finished for him, striking a muscular pose. The big man seemed a little out of place in his tuxedo…which Bard strongly suspected had to be specialty made.
Bard's old friend looked down appreciatively at Amber.
"You're a lucky dog, Jonny." Tim told him.
"Hmph," Bard said with a twinkle in his eye. "She's more trouble than she's worth, most of the time."
"Hey!" Amber socked him in the stomach.
"Oof!" He had actually felt that one…but he wasn't going to let down all manhood by admitting it.
"Are you okay?" Amber asked him.
"See what I mean?" Bard directed the question at Tim.
"Pssh!" Superboy cut in. "I'd like to see a girl hit me like that!"
"I'm a girl," Raven pointed out to the Boy of Steel. "And I've hit you like that."
"You have not!"
ZAP!
"Now I have," Raven smiled at he went flying back from her zap of black telekinesis.
Bard was grinning broadly at that when he felt Amber tugging on his sleeve.
"Hmm?" He asked her.
"Let's go mingle." She suggested.
Bard blinked.
"What for?"
"Because I want to show you off, that's why!" Amber grinned up at him. "I want to see all the other girls gnaw on their own livers when they realize you're taken."
Bard blinked again.
"I'm fairly sure I'll never understand that."
"No," Amber agreed. "Probably not. Now let's go!"
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Robin and Starfire arrived not long later, and their faces were flushed with pure happiness. Starfire wore that almost smug look that all brides seemed to have once everything was official, and Robin looked somewhere between hopelessly loss and marginally intoxicated.
Cyborg walked up to Bard and nudged him in the side.
"Shouldn't you be gettin' ready, man?" He suggested to him.
"Huh?"
"As soon as Star throws her bouquet, you're supposed to do the song for the first dance." Bard blinked. Cyborg had called her 'Star', too…
"But I didn't bring my guitar,"
"They got one for you on the stage, dawg. Go get ready!"
Bard walked hesitantly up to the stage. He was supposed to sing the song for Starfire's and Robin's first dance…but what song?
While he had stepped on the small stage and picked up the alien guitar, the girls were clamoring around Starfire. The bride had her back to them, and a multicolored bouquet was in her hands. The cowboy suddenly got nervous, though, when he spotted Amber right at the head of the crowd.
"Hyah!" Starfire yelled out happily as she flung the flowers blindly behind her. Bard let out a sigh of relief when the bouquet soared high over Amber's head…but it was headed right at Raven.
'Oh, no…'
ZAP!
Black telekinesis enveloped the flowers and sent them back forward…right into Amber's outstretched hands.
"Yes!" She exclaimed exuberantly before casting a smug look over at where Bard stood on the stage.
The cowboy sweat dropped and scratched his cheek sheepishly.
"All right!" Cyborg had snatched a microphone from somewhere. "Robin, Star, get your butts on the dance floor! It's time for the first dance! And providing the song is the one and only Jonny 'The Bard' Johnson! Boo-ya!"
'He said my real name…' Bard tried to think to himself, but the tremendous roar of approval from the crowd blotted it out.
The cowboy decided on a song at the last minute and started to pick at his guitar.
# It was no accident…Me finding you
Someone had a hand in it
Long before we ever knew
Now I just can't believe… You're in my life
Heaven's smiling down on me
When I look at you tonight…#
Bard smiled in the midst of his song at Robin and Starfire, slow dancing in the middle of the dance floor. The guests gave them lots of room and gathered around them in a wide circle. As they danced, the bride and groom absolutely refused to break eye contact with each other.
# I tip my hat… To the Keeper of the Stars…
He sure knew what he was doin'… When he joined these two hearts…
I hold everything… When I hold you in my arms…
I've got all I'll ever need… Thanks to the Keeper of the Stars…#
# Soft moonlight on your face… Oh how you shine
It takes my breath away… Just to look into your eyes
I know I don't deserve … a treasure like you
There really are no words… To show my gratitude#
Bard glanced over to where Amber stood off to one side, still holding the bouquet she had caught. Tears filled her eyes, but the cowboy wasn't sure if it was from watching Robin and Starfire, or if it was from the song he was singing. True, he was technically singing it for the newlyweds…but in a very real way, he was also singing for Amber.
# I tip my hat… To the Keeper of the Stars…
He sure knew what he was doin'… When he joined these two hearts…
I hold everything… When I hold you in my arms…
I've got all I'll ever need… Thanks to the Keeper of the Stars…#
#It was no accident… Me finding…you…#
Bard finished the song with a strum of the strings…and stared dumbfounded as the crowd gave him a long, drawn out, standing ovation. He grinned nervously to himself.
'I never knew I was that good…'
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Not long later, the orchestra struck up another slow tune and Bard found himself slow dancing with Amber. Bard was content with just holding her close in silence, but his love had other ideas.
"I caught the bouquet, you know…" She finally commented in an offhand way.
"I noticed that," Bard replied just as nonchalantly.
"You know what that means, right?"
"It's just some ole silly tradition, ain't it?" Bard asked, but he immediately saw the danger signs as the edges of Amber's eyes tightened.
"Silly?" She objected.
"I might've used the wrong word, I reckon.." Bard tried to cover up his mistake futilely.
"Silly!" She flared again.
"I meant to say, uh…well…"
"This would be a good time for us to get married." Amber told him. "We've finally found each other again, and your music career has taken off. And I don't have to worry about you getting hurt fighting those wackos in the city."
Bard blinked. He wasn't a Titan anymore? He blinked again. He had a music career?
"Speaking of which," Amber went on. "We need to get back to the Tower. You have a concert in Metropolis tomorrow night."
"Oh…right…"
An hour or so later, Amber and Bard were laying in his bed. They had said their goodbyes to their friends, wished Starfire and Robin good luck and left as unobtrusively as possible. But Bard had been surprised by how many people from the crowd outside had clamored around them.
"The wedding was beautiful, wasn't it, Jonny?" Amber asked him dreamily.
Bard groaned sarcastically.
"I knew it was a mistake to take you there."
Amber eyed him suspiciously.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Whenever a woman sees a wedding, she starts to imagine her own." Bard explained. "Women are silly creatures."
"There's that word again." Amber said it a little dangerously.
"You noticed that, didn't you?" Bard winked at her.
"You'll never change." She said affectionately before turning over and kissing him quite seriously.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
A few hours later, Bard was still holding Amber in his arms and he was somewhere between being half asleep and half awake. He was dreaming, but he was still very much aware of the warm body snuggled up next to his.
"I can't get close to anyone." Raven's voice echoed from somewhere. "Whether it be a lover or a family member."
"I don't want to talk about your mythical god."
"If you want me to treat you like a stranger, I will. I will always be your sister. Blood ties cannot be changed. But I cannot allow myself to be anymore than someone's friend. If you can't accept that, then maybe you shouldn't have become a Titan at all."
"You just don't understand…"
Bard's eyes fluttered beneath his closed eyelids.
"Have you told your super powered friends about all the things you've done? I'm sure they would understand."
It was Brother Blood's voice this time.
"It looks like you were wrong after all, Bard.. The sun did set, didn't it?"
Bard awoke suddenly, breathing hard.
Something was wrong…
