A/N: This fic has one more chapter, which will be posted soon. I emigrated to AO3, like, 3 years ago and only persistent people have reminded me that they still want this stuff. But I'm declaring 3T dead.

Absolutely no one involved with the Avengers was shocked to discover Nick Fury had the authority to perform marriages. If anything, it cut down on the red tape for Steve and Natasha's urgent wedding. The urgency hadn't actually occurred until Natasha had lost her blasé attitude about planning it the moment she'd started showing the slightest baby bump. Wanda smiled as she remembered hearing her on the phone with Clint, shouting, "I'm not wearing white like Steve wants when I'm bigger than the Hulk, so make it happen now!" Clint had gotten cold feet about hosting the ceremony at his farm if it meant letting too many people in on his secret retreat, but had promised to find an alternate venue. Wanda had it on good authority (Vision) that he had begged Stark for the use of one his properties and Stark had agreed with barely any fuss to host the ceremony at his estate in the Hamptons. Everybody was apparently in the wedding spirit.

Wanda checked her hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror before returning to the master bedroom suite where Natasha was making some last minute adjustments to the set of her veil and Maria, of all people, was freaking out. Almost on the point of hyperventilating, she demanded, "You're completely, absolutely sure Sam has the rings?"

"Uh huh," Natasha replied calmly, tucking an errant curl behind her ear. "What, you don't trust him?"

"Of course I do, but this is your wedding and if you don't have rings it's practically invalid so you'd better make sure he has them or…"

Natasha rose from her seat in a wave of gauzy white lace to grab her friend's face. "Maria, you stay calm managing operations that could result in us living or dying. I think you can manage a little decorum today."

Maria took a few deep breaths. "Right. Right. Of course Sam has the rings. I'm just going to check in with Nick and make sure he knows exactly what he's saying, okay?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

Wanda waited until Maria had left in a rush before she approached Natasha. "You are okay, aren't you?"

"Please. I'm marrying Steve in less than an hour. I'd be more worried about an issue if I were renewing my driver's license." She was smiling radiantly even now, so Wanda could only imagine what she was going to look like as she walked down the aisle to Steve. "I'm honestly more concerned Maria is going to have a stroke in the next ten minutes."

"Then you are not…"

"Relax, Gummi Bear. Growing up in the Red Room, I was never exactly picturing a fairytale ending. I would've done this in my catsuit at HQ if Steve wasn't set on an ideal wedding scenario, hence the white dress and the beach."

Wanda had to laugh. "And Nick Fury."

"Captain America doesn't discriminate against officiants with disabilities," Natasha deadpanned, leaning toward the mirror to touch up her lip liner.

Wanda suspected she was inwardly pleased about Fury's involvement, but didn't say anything. "Should I check in with Laura and the bridesmaid?"

"Maid of honor," Natasha corrected.

Lila had been promoted (as per her Auntie Nat's promise) when, in the interest of quick planning, the wedding party had been reduced to exclude bridesmaids and ushers. Wanda nodded. As Maria had graciously ceded her position to Lila, the only issue in the wedding party had arisen between Steve's choice of Sam over Bucky as Best Man. Steve had explained it as including someone they were both close to, while Natasha had been honest about her residual resentment over the occasions that Bucky had shot her. Bucky understood, of course, but he was still a little hurt that he wouldn't be Steve's best man. Wanda didn't mind that he could sit with her during the ceremony, but didn't mention it. It would likely be settled by the excitement of the actual wedding, and Stark had already declared the reception would be a night to remember.

Wanda closed the door of the bride's suite with a click as she left. Pepper Potts was standing in the hallway, looking only slightly calmer than Maria. "Is everything going okay? I only ask because all the guys…well, Tony, Clint and Sam, are freaking out that Natasha has secretly escaped through a window and won't show up, even though I told them it's fine, but then Maria ran past a minute ago with this look and…"

"She is currently fixing her lipstick," Wanda interrupted. "But I'm sure she won't mind if you go in."

"Thank you!" Pepper gave her a brief hug before disappearing through the doors.

Wanda knew the stress was unlikely to rub off on Natasha, so she knocked on the door just down the hall, the room designated for Lila's use. She called out, "Hello!"

Laura nearly bowled her over with a hug when the door opened. "Is it time?"

"Almost. I am just checking in to make sure everything is set here."

"Lila is…"

"I'm ready!" Lila declared, bustling into the room in her knee-length rose gown.

Wanda beamed. "You look beautiful!"

"Thanks, Wanda! Is Auntie Nat ready?"

"Mostly." Wanda went with her instinct as she continued, "I'm sure she could use a visit from her maid of honor before the ceremony, if you are ready."

"Yes!" Lila looked as if she were ready to burst with excitement, with Laura only a step behind her. Both went into Natasha's suite as Pepper left moments later.

"All systems go!" Pepper remarked as she passed Wanda. It seemed unnecessary for everyone to be so concerned. Steve and Natasha would have gotten married if the apocalypse were imminent, no matter what anyone thought.

Wanda made her way through Stark's Hamptons estate, nodding at people she knew. This was both the most significant and least exciting event she could have imagined. Steve and Natasha were made for each other. There was nothing surprising or unexpected about their marriage. They belonged together. She nudged Bucky when she walked up to him at the bar on the deck.

He raised his beer in salute. "Hey. Everything going okay?"

"Fine. I assume everything is okay with Steve since you are here?"

"I'm letting Sam hold him back from standing up front until the right time. I think he might escape because Maria is yelling at Sam about the rings or something."

"Sam didn't lose them, did he?"

"Nah, he's been checkin' his pocket every thirty seconds just to make sure. I can't wait until the behind the scenes drama when those two get married, because you know that's gonna be epic."

"Of course it is." Wanda accepted the unordered glass of white wine from the bartender. "But Steve is calm, yes?"

"A little eager maybe. God knows he doesn't have any doubts. Oh, look, there he goes." Steve, looking gorgeous in his vintage dress uniform, was practically running to take his place in front of the altar canopy even though the ceremony was still half an hour away and most of the guests were just milling around and conversing. Bucky just shook his head with a low chuckle. "Lucky punk."

"I suppose we are all making too much of this wedding, yes?"

"Eh, it makes for good pictures." He put his arm around her waist and turned when a photographer cheerfully commanded them to smile, though his actual expression was more wistful. After a few snaps, the photographer moved on and Bucky continued (without removing his arm, Wanda noted happily), "Steve's mom would have liked the whole rigmarole. We'd probably need a priest, though."

"I am sure Director Fury could have talked her into it."

"More like Sarah would have convinced him to get himself ordained." The man himself walked past, wearing a black suit, shirt and tie, having put aside his leather trench coat for the occasion. "He's already got the look. Just needs the little white collar."

Wanda laughed as Fury greeted Steve with a handshake, then started speaking to him seriously. She turned back toward Bucky. "What was Steve's mother like?"

"Sarah? Second in my heart only to my own Ma, ahead of my own sisters. That woman could charm eight-year-old hellions like me and Steve to wash up before dinner and sit still in church." He sighed and looked around at the crowd. "She'd've loved to've seen this. Maybe not the bride being knocked up part, but she'd probably be too excited about being a grandma to let even that bother her too much."

"I am sure she…" She turned toward a sudden chorus of 'aww's and saw that a suit clad Vision had just walked in with a similarly appareled Freckles, though he was only wearing the bow-tie and a shirt-front attached to his harness. He was straining against his leash to be petted by everyone in sight, likely influenced by the fact that he knew nearly everyone in attendance from HQ.

Before Wanda could go greet the dog, Fury clapped his hands loudly. "People! Since everyone's here and the two main targets are signaling that we are ready for a go, take your seats! Vision, don't let that dog jump on me until after the service!"

The small crowd of guests quickly filed into their seats, having been instructed earlier not to worry about whether they were sitting on the bride or groom's side. Wanda settled down beside Bucky in the second row on the left just as the string quartet began playing Canon in D. Steve pulled his uniform jacket down and straightened his tie, taking a noticeable deep breath as Maria and Laura slipped into their seats in the front. A moment later, Sam appeared at the end of the aisle and accepted Lila's arm through his elbow, keeping one hand on his breast pocket the entire walk down the aisle while Maria fixed an unblinking stare at him. Those rings were most assuredly safe.

Wanda was about to laugh when Clint led Natasha into view. Even in the midafternoon sun, she was providing the brightest glow. Wanda stood with the rest of the guests as Natasha walked slowly toward the altar, where Steve appeared to be doing his best not to explode with excitement. He tried to kiss her as soon as he took her hand from Clint's, only for Fury to clear his throat and interrupt, "Not yet."

The ceremony proceeded quickly from 'Dearly Beloved' to Cooper Barton reading 1 Corinthians 13 (though she didn't recognize the exact language, Wanda squeezed Bucky's hand at the part where love endured all things) to the vows. Although the couple had written the words themselves, there was no flowery language or overdone metaphors.

Steve simply too her hands and said, "Natasha, I never knew I would wake up in the modern world and meet my…well, you. There's nothing I can say beyond I love you and I know you'll always be there to remind me I'm an old man. I'm just glad you picked me to be your old man."

A ripple of laughter went through the guests before Fury asked Natasha to say her vows. "Steve, you may be the last person in the world I ever expect to fall in love with, but considering I never expected to fall in love…you prove to me everyday that impossible is nothing. But don't think that lets you off the hook, soldier."

Even Fury was smirking as he oversaw the exchange of rings (Sam didn't even pretend to have lost them, so Bucky lost $20 to Wanda), before saying, "By the power invested in me because I am Nicholas J. Fury, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now…you could at least wait for me to give the order!"

Steve and Natasha's kiss didn't end for a long, long time, even after Vision let go of Freckles' leash and he was free to share his doggy-joy with the happy couple.

The rest of the day and night were a blur in Wanda's mind as she danced, drank and dined into the wee hours of the morning. She wasn't even sure when Steve and Natasha had left the party, but she knew when she was watching the sun rise over the ocean, her toes buried in the chilly sand on the beach. Bucky was warm and solid as she leaned against him. "It's good being an Avenger."

"I think you may be right."