A/N: So. It's been a while.

Since I last posted, there's been two presidential elections, my family dog died, I got several tattoos, I bought a car, I adopted my first puppy that was mine and not a family pet, my favorite band got back together after breaking up, I started trauma therapy, a worldwide pandemic started, I lost my shitty day job, I realized I was on the asexual spectrum, I almost finished paying off the car loan, and... I guess I can speak a little more Spanish now? How do you end that list?

I never wanted to take so long between updates. I never wanted to just leave this story unfinished. In the years that it's been here, I was still trying to write, but often times it felt like I was pulling teeth to get words on the page. For a while, I was working on another fan fiction and I was just relieved to know that I could write at all again. And then I fell off of that, too.

I never stopped thinking about this story. I would write a few paragraphs here and there before hitting a wall again and leaving it alone. I didn't want to force anything that didn't feel right for the sake of updating. Even when I did manage to get a full chapter written down, I held back on posting because I didn't want to post once and then disappear for years again. I wanted to have a few chapters ready for a few updates. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

The pandemic has been weird for everyone and my mental health has been a roller coaster since way before I started writing Something Quite Peculiar. I'm in the middle of trying new medications again right now and my sleep schedule is currently a disaster. But, recently, it was past midnight and I was able to open my files and actually write again. I felt like the characters were ready to talk again and I was so happy to know that I was still capable of doing this and that it actually felt fun again.

I missed this so much, and in the years I wasn't updating, I would still sometimes get comments from people leaving kind words and hoping to see an update. I appreciate those words so much, and hope that anyone that was waiting gets the notification for this chapter. I know that it's been a long time and you might not actually remember where we left off (I had to keep re-reading my own chapters over and over when I would start and stop writing again), but I hope if you're still here that you enjoy what I have for you.

Merry Christmas.

She looked as though she belonged in a gallery, being admired by the masses and studied by those who would dedicate their lives to analyzing her design.

Chapter Sixteen: Walk The Line

"This ought to do it," Bunny said as Jack finished up the final details on one of the ice sculptures he'd volunteered to do for the wedding. Bunny was holding a small flower arrangement that he had made in his paws, a reference for the sculptures.

"They won't melt before the ceremony's through, will they?" Arachne asked, clipboard in hand. Her red hair was let down and curled, and a dark blue dress clung to her form.

"Nah, they'll be fine," Jack said, feeling his stomach turn a bit as he completed this task. He had been happy for the distraction that came with decorations, but he still had to get through the rest of this wedding.

"Good, good," Arachne said, reaching forward with two of her free hands to adjust the collar on Jack's shirt, much to his annoyance. He felt as though she had adjusted his outfit in particular at least five times.

He wore what the other groomsmen wore: a white dress shirt, gold waistcoat, gold bowtie, black jacket and black slacks.

There were a few slight variations among the group. Maris wore a black, form-fitting skirt over part of her tail rather than the slacks. Mr. Qwerty's suit had been fashioned into something like a book jacket and fit him rather nicely. The two of them, as well as Jack and Bunny, would all be skipping out on the black dress shoes.

Jack hadn't seen all of the Muses yet, but the few he had seen had all been fitted into gold dresses of different styles. Clio had rushed by earlier wearing some kind of modified hoop skirt. Thalia's dress had subtle checkers in the pattern made from different shades of gold. Euterpe's dress, unsurprisingly, featured gold studs, though her fauxhawk had been tamed into something a bit more formal.

"Perfect, don't mess with it," Arachne said after adjusting Jack's tie again. It was a clip-on and he wasn't sure how exactly he could manage to mess it up unless he outright tried to unravel it.

"I haven't," he sighed. Getting dressed that morning had been more depressing than he had anticipated. The only other times he had worn a suit, Rowan had been directly involved.

He was actively trying not to think of her, and from the moment he slid that silly tie on he had failed spectacularly.

From the moment he attempted to do just about anything, he had failed spectacularly.

"Do you have the time?" Jack asked Bunny as Arachne shuffled off to check on the bride.

Bunny dug through the pocket of his waistcoat and pulled out a gold pocket watch. It was not round, but rather, shaped like an egg and decorated with various jewels.

Jack was reminded of Alice in Wonderland, and managed to smile slightly.

"Guests should be showing up in about half an hour, Manny should already be here," Bunny said.

Jack's stomach turned again at the notion of thirty minutes of nothing but his thoughts, nothing but his hopeless attempts to keep Rowan off his mind. Thirty minutes, that was one thousand, eight hundred seconds.

That was too many.

And that wasn't even until the ceremony was set to start, it was just until guests started to arrive.

He was over three hundred years old. Thirty minutes should be the equivalent of a blink of an eye to him. But every minute of this day had dragged.

Jack couldn't be left to his thoughts for that long.

"Do you need any more help with the flower arrangements?" Jack said, gesturing to the bundle in Bunny's paw that wasn't cradling the pocket watch.

Bunny clicked the pocket watch shut. "Nope, everything's set up. This one's just an extra."

Jack nodded with a slight frown.

"You okay, Mate?" Bunny asked, eyeing Jack as he tucked the pocket watch back in place.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack lied. "I'm just, you know, trying to stay busy is all. I want to help out."

"Just take it easy for a bit, we've done our part until we have to walk," Bunny said, patting Jack on the shoulder. "It'll be over before you know it."

"Right," Jack nodded, unsure how exactly he'd find it in himself to "take it easy." He used to be great at that; it was something that he prided himself on.

Bunny's brow furrowed and he eyed Jack in such a way that the boy couldn't help but immediately try to avoid his gaze. It was concern. It seemed Bunny had been giving him more and more glances like that ever since he had gone to fetch Jack for his fitting.

Jack didn't want to worry the others like this. They had better things to worry about.

"C'mon," Bunny said suddenly. "Let's go see what the other groomsfolk are up to."

"Have we settled on 'groomsfolk'?" Jack asked as he followed Bunny to the staircases where the wedding party would enter later. There had been a couple of discussions about a gender-neutral term for Sandy's groomsmen, who were very much not exclusively men.

"I have," Bunny said. "It's better than North's suggestion."

Jack managed another small smile. "Yeah, 'Grooms-Comrades' is a bit of a mouthful."

"There's no flow to it."

"Is there a flow to anything North says?"

"Fair enough."

They reached the bottom of the staircase where several of the other groomsfolk were already situated and awaiting their cue to walk. Tooth was sitting on a chair formed from sand and giggling with Maris over something. North was a couple paces away, deep in conversation with Mr. Qwerty, who was perched on a sand pillar to properly talk to the large man.

It was only Cupid and Mother Nature that had yet to be seen. Perhaps they were with the Muses, or having their outfits fussed over by Arachne.

Bunny approached North and Mr. Qwerty. Jack walked along, hoping for anything else to focus on.

Though, truthfully, he wasn't sure why he kept trying.

"Ha-ha! Remember year Nightlight tried to paint portrait of Katherine for Christmas?" North was saying to Mr. Qwerty.

"And she said it was a lovely painting of a yeti," Mr. Qwerty smiled.

"Did he ever tell her that it wasn't supposed to be a yeti?" Bunny said with a grin, sliding into the conversation effortlessly.

"Do not think so," North chuckled. "She thought so highly of the supposed yeti!"

"He studied painting with you after that, didn't he?" Mr. Qwerty said to Bunny.

"For five straight years before he tried painting something for her again," Bunny nodded. "Best student I've ever had, quiet as can be."

"You also taught Katherine some things," North said. "I can't imagine she was a poor student."

"She already had a handle on it, didn't need my help," Bunny said with a scoff.

"Katherine said she learned so much from you!" Mr. Qwerty insisted.

Bunny smiled. "I learned more from her, I think."

"She liked to one-up us," North said. "Was always hard to say who was supposed to be the teacher after a while."

Jack stood among the others, forcing a faint smile as they spoke of people he never knew. He had no place in this conversation; his lack of contribution shouldn't be noticed.

He tried to focus on the words being said, the stories being shared. But it soon became nothing short of background noise. Another tale of lovers that had so much time together, and he couldn't bring himself to pay attention to another one of those.

Looking off to the side, he had a clear view of the golden beaches, not far off. The waves rolled in gently.

It was all too easy for his mind to wander off exactly where he didn't want it to go.

It wasn't the wedding march that played as they took their rehearsed steps. Jack wasn't sure the name of the tune, for he hadn't asked, but it was a cheerful one.

The cheer was something he merely noticed in passing. The music did nothing to break through the frown fixed to his face as he followed Tooth up the staircase. His stomach turned with every step. He swallowed, gripping his staff tighter as he went.

He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be involved in this. He had no place here.

But it was too late to turn back.

"Smile, you two," came Arachne's voice as Jack reached the top of the staircase.

Jack glanced Melpomene's way but briefly, just in time for her to pull her red-painted lips into a smile, her eyes still sad.

Her hair was pinned back with golden flowers. Her dress was black and gold, a similar checkered pattern to Thalia's, though Melpomene's featured a cinched waist and a long, flowing skirt. She held a small bouquet of golden flowers in one hand.

She was as lovely as she ever was.

Jack forced a grin as well and offered his free arm. She took it and they began their trek down the aisle.

Jack felt as though he'd be sick.

His cheeks felt strained and he wondered if he was pulling off the illusion of joy at all, as he passed rows upon rows of seats, filled with curious beings eyeing them. Several were whispering amongst themselves. Was it about this big display of a wedding? Or was it about him, the Guardian of Fun that couldn't even fake being happy at his friend's wedding?

I am happy for Sandy. This is fine.

No. No, I need to get out of here.

I am happy for Sandy! I can do this.

I can't do this, I can't do this.

I am happy for Sandy!

He felt his smile falter and forced it back.

"I don't want to be here either," Melpomene said, her tone soft and noticeably different with a smile on her face.

"I didn't say anything," Jack said through his own smile.

"You didn't have to," she said. "We love them. But we don't want to be here."

Jack didn't respond, instead breathing in deeply as he realized how much farther they had to walk.

Maman Brigitte, sitting with Baron Samedi's arm draped around her shoulders, winked as soon as she caught Jack's eye. The Baron was talking to some others in similar dress nearby and seemed uninterested in Jack for the time being.

Jack set his eyes forward again, the death spirits the least of his worries at the moment.

Surely there was a time when he would take note of and wonder more about the other guests here, many of which had also been at the ball a few months back. But for now, his biggest problems were keeping his smile convincing, walking in time with the music, and resisting the urge to fly away and/or vomit.

I am happy for Sandy.

I can do this, I am happy for Sandy.

I can do this.

Why is this aisle so goddamn long?!

Sandy was already at the altar, standing with Manny, the two of them beaming. Those in the wedding party that had already taken their places on either side of the altar looked cheerful as well. Why shouldn't they?

Jack and Melpomene passed the Headless Horseman, the flickering of the candle in his jack-o-lantern drawing Jack's eye.

He's lucky. His smile is carved right in. He doesn't have to fake a thing.

The Horseman was sitting with a lovely Latina woman with long black hair, who was clinging to one of his arms and dabbing at her tearful eyes with a handkerchief. Jack didn't know why she was crying, but was comforted, if briefly, to see someone else that seemed unhappy.

He didn't like that he took comfort in this.

A small chupacabra pup was curled up in the woman's lap, fast asleep. The quills on its pronounced spine had barely begun to grow in.

Rowan would be delighted at the pup.

Rowan had been delighted at the sight of the Horseman, particularly, at the ball.

("You're my responsibility, it's still after dark," Jack said.

"But there aren't any Shadow People here, Jack," Rowan said. "You're not my babysitter, go on."

Jack sighed, eyes darting between Rowan and Cupid for a moment before finally saying, "Fine, but be careful, okay? There's some shady creatures here. Don't make a deal with anyone, don't take money from the Leprechaun-"

"Don't eat the gingerbread house, don't trade the cow for magic beans, okay," Rowan said. She smiled softly, hoping to reassure him.

"This better be good," Jack said, returning his attention to Cupid. Across the dance floor, speaking to a woman in an elaborate, Victorian-inspired dress, was a man with a high collar, carrying a jack-o-lantern.

"The Horseman," Rowan whispered excitedly, leaning over to quickly peck Jack on the cheek before rushing over. The boy simply watched her go, puzzled, before following Cupid outside to the balcony.)

It felt like ages and ages ago. Jack recalled the doll Rowan had in her apartment that was made in the Horseman's image. Did her parents still have those unsettling dolls of hers? Had they sold or donated the toys she lovingly displayed, the toys that Jack had called creepy on multiple occasions, teasing the girl for her affection for them?

His eyes were watering.

No, no, not now. Not over the Horseman. Not over her dolls.

Jack felt his smile faltering again.

Don't think of her now. Stop.

Had he ever been able to stop?

I am happy for Sandy, he reminded himself again as they passed a couple of nymphs sitting with Dionysus on the bride's side of the aisle. His jaw was starting to strain, for he was clenching his teeth through his grin.

They were almost there. Had it taken this long during the rehearsal?

Tooth and Thalia were going their separate ways at the altar, just a few paces ahead.

There was no one blocking Jack from Manny and Sandy now. Jack did everything in his power to make his smile appear sincere. They didn't need to worry about him. He didn't want them to.

Melpomene released his arm so that they could take their places with the others. Jack had hoped that he would feel better, that his stomach might stop turning when she let go of him.

But he didn't.

He took his place beside Tooth and finally got a proper look at all the guests present. Yetis and massive egg sculptures filled the back of the room on Sandy's side, with elves perched upon many of them to see better. A few cyclopes and a large, three-headed dog sat in the back of Calliope's side and Jack wasn't sure how he missed them on the way in. Was he truly that distracted?

The groundhog was already tipsy, leaning heavily against an annoyed centaur.

Tooth's mini-fairies were perched upon different pillars throughout the area, as well as some of Jack's ice sculptures, constantly fluttering in and out above everyone's heads as they took turns gathering teeth.

Guests where whispering and pointing now, and Jack realized it was over Cupid, who was still walking Clio down the aisle. His face was visibly bruised, despite Erato's attempts to tone it down with makeup. Arachne had fashioned some golden accents to add to his wing's cast to make it a bit more festive and formal, but it didn't hide that his wing was broken.

It was immediately clear that Cupid was in bad shape. Jack was somewhat used to it by now, but this was obviously the first time a lot of the guests had seen the state of his face since Apollo had visited him.

And still Cupid managed to smile. His, too, seemed sincere.

The music changed in key as Cupid and Clio took their spots and those in attendance that could stand, did so in response to Manny's gesture. Jack could no longer see the aisle with the guests blocking the view, but knew by the change that it was Calliope's turn to finally walk down the aisle.

There were more whispers among the guests.

"She's Greek, isn't she? Why isn't she wearing a veil?"

"They really didn't invite Apollo, did they?"

"I'm guessing there will be no tribute to Artemis, either."

"Well, I think she looks lovely."

"But what about tradition?"

"Will she cut her hair?"

"That's to show she's a virgin and she's certainly not."

"You're all stuck in the past, it's the twenty-first century now."

"Right because a politically-motivated union is modern."

"Oh her bouquet is lovely, did the Rabbit do it?"

"I'm just looking forward to the reception, I hope the vows aren't long."

Jack suddenly turned to glance at Tooth when she shushed some of the guests nearby, finger to her lips. The fairy was more than annoyed at the gossip at the expense of her friend, it was clear.

Some of the guests settled down, though Jack could hear faint murmurs throughout the rest of the crowd, too far to have gotten Tooth's warning.

Jack chanced a glance toward Sandy, who didn't seem to notice the whispers at all, instead grinning widely as he watched his bride approach, even going so far as to float off the ground a few inches, seemingly involuntarily.

I am happy for Sandy, Jack thought again. It wasn't as though that statement he was constantly reminding himself of ever since the engagement was announced was a lie. He was happy to see his friend so elated.

He just wished that was all he felt. He wished he could be happy for Sandy without slipping into self-pity in the process. Sandy didn't deserve that. He deserved friends that could be happy for him without all the extra baggage.

But damn if it didn't hurt, hearing about and seeing these couples that managed to be together for centuries. Millennia, even.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had gotten even just one year?

He blinked back tears again. Not now. Not here.

Calliope finally fell into Jack's line of vision. Her hair was curled and adorned with golden flowers, just as the other Muses had styled theirs (with Urania wearing a headband due to her lack of hair). There were a few white flowers in Calliope's hair as well, small accents among the gold.

Her bouquet was made primarily of white flowers, with sparkling dream sand birds flying in close range of the petals, serving as moving embellishments.

Her gown was off-white, with golden accents on the hems and around her waist. The fabric was flowing and draped across her form elegantly, like so many carefully crafted sculptures and paintings of goddesses. There was a clear ancient Greek influence on the design.

She could easily fit in with so many great works of art. She looked as though she belonged in a gallery, being admired by the masses and studied by those who would dedicate their lives to analyzing her design.

And her smile, well, it was sincere.

Jack had never seen Calliope or Sandy that happy before.

It must be nice.

The guests took their seats once more.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and distinguished guests that fall in-between or beyond those qualifiers, thank you for joining us today to officially celebrate the love and partnership between Sanderson Mansnoozie and Calliope," Manny said, his voice carrying through the courtyard with ease. "Let it be known that no one gives this bride away, for she belongs to no one. No one gives this man away, for he belongs to no one. These spirits, these souls have chosen this companionship, have cherished this love, and committed to each other, always on their own terms and in their own way."

A quick glance to the guests showed several already tearing up. Couples were holding hands and casting each other soft smiles as Manny spoke. Even Maman Brigitte had laced her fingers with Baron Samedi's as he discreetly poured her a drink with their free hands.

Thalia, standing with the Muses, could be seen meeting Arachne's eyes, the latter having finally taken her seat near the front of the bride's side. Erato seemed to very purposely be focusing on Manny, though her gaze wandered to the groomsfolk every now and again.

Jack's eye caught Melpomene's. She had given up on smiling and he realized that he had too. Every utterance about love and commitment sat heavily on his chest and he blinked back tears yet again.

Not here, not now.

"It is a great privilege to be here today, to witness their union as husband and wife, after so many years of watching this love and understanding grow, evolve, and mature as they have. But there is only so much that I can say on the topic, being only a bystander. Sanderson, are you ready to officially enter this union?"

Sandy nodded, giving two thumbs up for emphasis.

"Calliope," Manny said. "Are you ready to officially enter this union?"

"I am," Calliope said. She handed her bouquet to Clio and Sandy floated a bit higher in order to properly take Calliope's hands in his.

"Words often fail when it comes to such abstract concepts such as love, but what beauty comes when we attempt to express something that moves us the way that love does. When we attempt to replicate the feeling, to share our dreams and our inspirations with the world. May these vows be a beautiful thing to look back upon, may they be reminders as you continue your journey together, about what it is that brought you here," Manny said. He gestured to Sandy, indicating that he should start.

Images flashed above Sandy's head and Calliope watched them intently, very used to deciphering them by now. Jack had gotten much better at following along with Sandy's sand language since becoming a Guardian, but missed a few things in the images' haste.

From what Jack could tell, Sandy spoke of their early time together, and how that evolved into what they had now. He spoke of trust, of truth. He spoke of hardships and tragedy. He spoke of the good and the bad and how they had remained undefeated through it all.

He spoke of never feeling lonely, even when she was on the other side of the world.

Jack found himself catching Melpomene's eye again, briefly.

The boy was well acquainted with lonely.

Several invited guests looked baffled as the images flashed above Sandy's head. Some smiled warmly, others teared up.

A couple of the nymphs sighed dreamily, mumbling amongst themselves about Sandy's way with words.

A few stray tears rolled down Calliope's face as Sandy finished his vows, smile still fixed to her face. Once he was through, Manny gestured to Calliope.

"There's nothing I can say that you don't already know. To say that you're my dearest friend wouldn't be a surprise. To say that you have always been there during my darkest times wouldn't be anything new. To tell you how much I love you, how much I care for you, how much I feel that you make my life better, well, you know all that too. But I hope that every day you remember, and that I never let you forget how much you are loved.

"Because you have never let me forget how much I am loved. Every star in the sky, every sweet dream is a reminder of what we have. I promise to make more memories with you, to create even more reminders as we move forward. I promise to keep growing with you as our story continues, and I promise to do everything in my power to make this story magnificent, no matter what obstacles we may face together. I promise that you will never forget that I love you."

More longing gazes among the couples in attendance.

Calliope's vows had been short, but hit Jack heavily all the same.

"We will now exchange rings," Manny said. Cupid and Clio each reached into a pocket before producing simple golden bands to pass over to Manny.

"Sandy," Manny said, handing one of the bands to the man. Sand images flashed above Sandy's head again. The image of the ring, of Calliope, of hearts, and stars. He slid the ring onto Calliope's finger.

"Calliope," Manny said, giving her the remaining ring.

"With this ring, I declare you, Sanderson, officially, as my partner in love and in life. The ring is but a symbol, a small way to keep my promise that you will never forget you are loved. When you see this ring, remember what it represents, and remember that just as the ring has no end, neither does my love for you," Calliope said, taking her turn to place Sandy's ring on his finger.

"Calliope, Sanderson," Manny said, his smile still fixed as he spoke, "Now that you have made your vows and joined together in this union, it is my honor to pronounce you, officially, husband and wife. You may now bring the ceremony to its end with a kiss."

Without hesitation, Sandy floated a bit higher in order to properly give Calliope a sweet kiss on the lips. The entire room erupted into polite applause, which grew more enthusiastic when, in one fluid motion, Sandy took Calliope in his arms and gracefully dipped her to give her a second kiss, which left the bride and several others snickering.

Music kicked up again, and the ever-cheerful couple made their way back up the aisle, hand-in-hand.

Jack was just glad that the focus was on the bride and groom as he attempted to subtly wipe at his eyes.