Disclaimer: See prologue chapter
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Chapter 54
Beginnings
As you would expect, considering that this was Connect 5, the reception was just as untraditional as the ceremony. At a normal ceremony, the bride normally has the first dance with her new husband but Mitchie spent it dancing first with her grandfather, then with Steve and then with her brother.
As Jason swung her round the floor in an exaggerated ballroom waltz, Mitchie giggling with every sweep and turn, he finally stopped and swirled her gently around so that they could actually speak. "You know that, if ever..." He finally said.
Mitchie reached up and cupped her brother's cheek, eyes glowing with happiness and all the love she felt for him. "Jake, we've finally found our happy ending; I really don't think that there is anything to worry about."
He took in a deep breath and then sighed, smile finally taking over his face. "My little sister's a married woman, how about that."
Mitchie wrinkled her nose at him and then made a sudden decision. She poked him in the side in his ticklish spot making him laugh and try to get away from her. "Haven't you got something extremely grown-up you need to tell everyone?"
"Mitchie..." He looked down at her sheepishly, even as he cast a quick eye over to where his wife was sitting with their grandmother.
"Jake..." She drawled out his name with another giggle.
"Right that's it; you have someone else you can tease permanently now." He swung her round straight into a waiting Shane's arms, "Your wife, Mr Grey."
"Thank you for your sister, Mr Richmond." Shane laughed as he tightened his arms around her small waist. He looked down into her glowing eyes and caressed her cheek with soft fingers. "Hello my wife." He said with an equally soft voice.
Mitchie looked up at him; reaching up to catch his hand and place a kiss against his fingers. "Hello, my husband."
"May I have this dance?" He murmured as a familiar song started to play in the background. It was Shania Twain's 'From this moment' (yes, they both knew that it was one of the cheesiest and most traditional wedding songs to be played at wedding reception but they also both knew that it was the most perfect song for them to have their first dance as a married couple to!).
"I would love to." She replied as she twisted her arms around his neck, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. She looked up into his dark eyes and sighed with just sheer joy. "This just feels exactly as it ought to feel."
He bent down and kissed her nose, making her and those around them watching laugh slightly. "It does, doesn't it," He twirled her around before bringing her back in close to his body, holding her tightly against him as she tightened her arms around his neck, "My wife, Mitchie Grey."
"Forever and for always," She replied as she pulled him down to kiss him. "But you know they still have to embarrass us with their speeches."
Shane groaned in mock-fear, making her laugh again.
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Alexander clipped the side of his glass before moving slightly into the room. "Alright, people, time for the moment the bride and groom dread the most. It's speech time."
From where they stood at the side of the room, arms around each other's waist, said bride and groom hid their faces against each other and promptly groaned, sending a ring of laughter up.
"Not too embarrassing please Pops." Mitchie begged as she looked up, eyes already watering. "I'm just glad my mascara water-proof."
"I don't think it's that water-proof, Mitch," Caitlyn quipped with a broad grin and earning herself a glare from her foster sister.
"Alright children, settle down." Alexander chuckled before growing serious. "Eight years ago I never thought that I would ever get to make this speech and now that it's time..." He broke off, turning his eyes to his granddaughter and her new husband. Took a deep breath and continued. "Mitchie, you were never one of those little girls who went around playing weddings, even then you would rather play your piano or guitar. In fact, I remember when you were about six at the time Jason tried to make you play with the younger sister of a girl he wanted to get to know but no, not our Mitch. You picked up the closest thing to hand, which at this time just happened to be a jug of lemonade and poured it all over him..."
"Hey! Pops!" Jason immediately objected as Mitchie blushed, hiding her face against a laughing Shane's side. "You're supposed to be embarrassing Mitch, not both of us!"
Alexander gently cuffed him around the back of his head and then continued. "Yes, well, Mitchie, Shane, you have already been through hard times that many couples have never seen and grown stronger because of them. Just remember to share your problems, no matter how small or large and never go to bed angry with each other. To Shane and Mitchie..."
He raised his glass and saluted them as did the others then grinned, "Steve, over to you."
"Oh help!" Mitchie groaned as she once again hid her face against Shane's side. "They're determined to turn my face permanently red."
"Now as Mitch is already glowing as bright as tonight's sunset," Steve began with a broad grin, earning himself a 'boo' from her. "I just want to keep what I want to say short and simple. Loving her has always been easy, seeing her in love as she is with Shane has been pure joy. I just want to say, Shane, I know you've already found this out but your wife is always right, no matter what she says."
That had hysterics from literally everyone as Mitchie simply reached up and patted Shane's cheek as if to emphasize her foster-father's point.
Trevor took that moment to step forward. "Alright, children, time for the father of the groom."
"Oh lord," Shane groaned as this time it was he who hid his face in his wife's hair. "This is not going to be good." Mitchie merely patted his stomach, smiling as she did so.
"There's not much more that I can add to what Alexander and Steve have said. Shane, somehow you have managed to find the one person in the world who loves you and adores you in a way every person wishes they could find. She's even able to put you in your place, something not many people have ever been able to do.. If ever there was a fairy tale come true, it's you and Mitchie, son."
He moved to their side and put his hand on Shane's shoulder. "But if you put a foot out of line, Shane, I just thought you should know we're keeping Mitchie."
Once again, laughter echoed through the hall as Trevor hugged his new daughter rather than his son.
Taking Caitlyn by the hand, Nate drew her over to stand next to the new wedded couple. "Now, traditionally, it should be Jase that goes next..."
"But the subtle pushes on our shoulders kind of change the order..." Caitlyn continued as she wrapped her arm around Nate's. "So we're up to bat."
"We just wanted to say, Mitch, Shane, that you are the soul of our family." Nate reached out for Mitchie's empty hand. "You brought us back together when we were falling apart and you keep us together with your every dream."
"You gave me the family I always wanted but never had. The home I want to come back to every time we're away." Caitlyn went on as she pulled Shane's hand to join them. "You've given me two brothers and two sisters."
"And we just want to say: our connection, husband, wife, father, son, mother, daughter, brother, sister is strengthened by your marriage and will only grow stronger as the years pass." Nate leant forward and kissed his faux-twin on the cheek.
"And we can't wait to see the outside world's face when they realised just how sneaky we've been with all this." Caitlyn finished with a mischievous grin.
Once again laughter rang out through the hall.
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Jason took a deep breath and caught hold of Deanna's hand, drawing her over to where the others still had their hands together. As one he reached in with their enjoined hands and joined them.
"Music brought us together, music keeps us and music sustains us." He said softly. "It is who we were, are and will always be: Connected."
Stepping back, he put his arm around his own wife's waist. "I had my reasons for wanting to be the last to speak. I knew that the parents would touch upon wedded advice in theirs and as for these two..." He subtly pushed Nate in the shoulder and grinned. "Well, do I need to say more?"
Jason sighed, looking into the eyes that were so like his own. "Mitch, from the moment that you were born there has always been a connection between us like no other I've seen between brother and sister -a connection that seemed to be strengthened because of the parents that we had and the love of music that we shared then and now."
"Even when we were parted from no fault of our own, you yourself said shortly after we found each other again, Mitch, that you could still feel us." He reached out and took her hand in his. "And I knew the first time that I saw Shane look at you, that he was in love with you and that you were in love with him."
He took a deep breath. "Shane, I'm passing my role to you now officially. You've been playing it for the last two years anyway. Be her shoulder to cry on and to lean on. Be the arms that protect her and shield her. Love her with everything that you have been, are and will be and Mitch, trust in that love and do the same for him. Be his shoulder and arms as you are already his heart."
He looked down at Deanna for a moment and caught her supporting smile. He then looked up at his sister, feeling her squeeze his hand at her silent encouragement. He took a deep breath and then turned slightly so that he could see the rest of their families and friends.
"I was going to wait until these two returned from their honeymoon but..." He looked at Mitchie for a moment and grinned as she made a 'Go on' at him. "And if I'm not going to be given a bridal boot up the backside, I better get on with what I'm going to say."
This time he laughed out loud as Mitchie actually hit him hard in the arm. "Alright, all right, I get the picture, I'll stop procrastinating."
"Jake!" Mitchie said warningly as she stepped forward, threatening to hit him again only for Shane to pull her back into his side.
"Deanna and I have a rather unusual wedding present to give to Shane and Mitchie that they are going to need six months to wait for." Jason looked down at his wife again and covered her stomach with his hand. "We're making them an uncle and aunt."
Cheers broke out around the hall and Brown was even heard to be saying. "I thought that they were never going to say anything."
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It took fifteen minutes before everyone had calmed down slightly from the announcement that Jason had sprung on them all. (It had to be said that not very many of them were actually surprised by the announcement, all having noticed just that one little thing that had them thinking it could be possible - just astonished that it had taken them so long to actually say anything on the subject).
Shane, after taking a look at his watch and noticing the time, finally took matters in to his own hand. He opened up the piano he and Mitchie were standing next to and slammed his fingers down on the keys, sending a note of discord around the room, silencing them.
"Thank you." He grinned at them as he pulled Mitchie in his arms. "I know we're not being traditional about all this but I am supposed to reply to all your pleasant speeches on my wife and my self's behalf."
"Shane..." Mitchie pinched him slightly. "Be nice."
"That's it, Mitch, start out right." Sandy called out from where he had been hiding in the back of the room. "Keep him under foot."
"Shut up Sandy!" She threw back at him, even as she blushed yet again before looking up at Shane over her shoulder. She reached back and touched his cheek for a moment, then lowered her hand again to rest on his arms. "Ignore the peanut gallery, if anyone else says anything, we'll get our revenge when we get back."
"That's my wife." He murmured as he bent down to press a quick kiss to her cheek. "As I was saying, my beautiful wife and I would just like to say thank you for all the wonderful things that have been said today. We will take everything that you have said into our hearts... and thanks dad, it's nice to know you appreciate my choice of wife so much."
He stuck his tongue out at his father, much to everyone's amusement.
"You're welcome son." Trevor grinned as he put his arm around his own wife's waist.
"My sympathies, Violet," Mitchie said sotto-voice with a grin. "I see where he gets it from now."
Shane rolled his eyes and then manfully continued speaking with the additional background of stifled chuckles. "Mitch and I would also like to thank you all for allowing us to have the wedding that we wanted. Be able to be married here in Camp Rock where we met and fell in love, where I asked Mitchie the honour of becoming her husband was something so important to us, it almost leaves me speechless."
"Please notice," Mitchie said with a smile as she leant her head against his shoulder so that she could look into his eyes better. "He did say almost speechless."
That had Shane laughing as he placed a kiss on her nose. "Yes, as my darling wife has just said almost speechless. Camp Rock has played such a part of our lives; I really doubt anyone outside of those present right now will ever really understand its importance to us."
"As I started out saying, I just want to thank you all for all the love that you have shown us and to say that we love you all in return but..." He took Mitchie by the hand and started to pull her to the doors. "If we are to get to our plane on time, we really need to be getting on our way."
"Shane!" Mitchie said through her giggles as she pulled him to a stop. "At least let us say later to everyone." That had him laughing himself as they found themselves engulfed by their families' embrace.
Half an hour later, they found themselves in the limousine that had been drawn up outside and on their way to the airport. Both had changed out of their wedding clothes into casual travelling clothes before leaving and were now curled up against each other in the back seat.
"Where are we going, Shane?" Mitchie asked as she ran her hand up and down his side.
"There's only one place we could go to start our married life, sweetheart." He murmured as he rested his head on her's, "Aloha Hawaii."
There was only one reaction that Mitchie could give to that. She raised her head and pulled his lips down to her's. "I love you Shane Grey, every day more than the day before." She murmured against them.
"I love you right back, Mitchie Grey." He responded as he pulled her onto his lap, allowing them to deepen the kiss. "Here's to our beginning."
"Here's to our eternal connection." She replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
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Please see the next chapter for my words of wisdom
Don't forget to review this one first ;op
