Chapter 37- Locke, Celes, and Baby Alex
"Hmmm...Gau think food is yummy!"
"Hey, Gau, Kupo, gimmie back that chicken leg!"
"Grandpa, can I try some wine?"
"NO RELM!"
Celes smiled to herself from the table she was sitting at as Strago frantically yanked a wine bottle out of Relm's hands. A gentle wind passed through the yard and whipped at some of the stray locks of hair that were falling from the two buns set on her head. She had been sitting all alone, merely observing, as everyone had made a frantic effort to beat Umaro to the food sitting out on the tables. She didn't mind though. She felt as if there was so much on her mind, but when she tried to recall any of it, it would disappear from her memory. There were mixed emotions of happiness, shock, and excitement stirring in her heart.
"Celes, arn't you going to eat anything?"
Celes looked up as Locke sat down beside her with a full plate in his hands. She smiled and shook her head.
"I'm too excited to eat right now. I'm afraid I might toss it all up later!"
"Well...just make sure you have something." Locke lectured in a mock stern voice, and then winked. "Cause you are going to need LOTS of energy later."
"Locke!" Celes blushed, and giggled as he grabbed her, lifting her right from her chair and pulling her into his lap. She tried not to laugh as he blowed gently on the back of her neck, making her tickle a bit. He then kissed her softly, and ran his hands down her sides, encircling them around her waist and pulling her back closer to his chest. Celes closed her eyes, only being able to concentrate on Locke's soft touch and gentle motions. As his lips continued up her neck to her ear, Celes' mind became totally eludicated. It was all anticipation...tonight, she would be alone with Locke, as his wife, and not just as...well, a girlfriend. She surprised herself by realizing she wasn't nervous though. This was what the both of them had been waiting for for what seemed like an eternity. The most powerful expression of love that two people could ever make...and soon she and Locke would....
"Hey you two!" Terra chirped cheerfully as she sat across from Celes. Locke gave Celes' ear a quick lick before popping up and giving Terra a cheerful hello. Celes widened her eyes and moaned a bit in disappointment, making Locke laugh and Terra get a confused look on her face. From what Terra could see, Locke had been whispering something to Celes. What was so bad about that? She decided she got in on things too late too often.
"Hi Terra." Celes said. "How is everything?"
"Perfect." Terra said. "I will be lucky if I can ever have a wedding as romantic as this one was!"
"What are you talking about?" Celes joked. "If you marry Edgar, he'll practically make everyone involved rehearse the wedding over and over until it is to his "Queen's" needs! You will be a spoiled bride, Terra! You'll get your romantic wedding!"
"Aha, but there is also something romantic and cozy about all this." Terra said, opening her arms to indicate the whole scene. "Just having our own little group...in a little place...makes me feel safe...and happy! Happy to be here to enjoy this beautiful day with all of you!" Celes smiled and reached across the table, grabbing Terra's hand.
"Terra, promise that you will come by more often to see me!" Celes begged. Terra smiled back.
"Of course. You know I won't be able to stay away from a cute place like this long." Terra giggled and stuck out her tongue. "It surprises me that Locke picked out such a nice little house."
"What!? Why?" Locke cried. "Are you saying I normally have bad taste?!" Celes and Terra gave each other knowing looks, and Locke pouted. "Well fine..." He muttered playfully, and stood up part-way, threatning to drop Celes from his lap.
"ACK!" Celes cried, and Terra laughed as Celes struggled to keep a hold of Locke.
"Are you sorry you made fun of me?" Locke asked.
"Soooooorrry!" Celes cried.
Locke plopped back down on the chair and cradled the shooken up Celes in his arms. "Aww, Celes, I love it when you give in. It's such a welcome change."
Celes raised her eyebrows and slipped her hand up Locke's arm, giving it a rather nasty pinch with her long nails. But her face instantly softened again when the cry of surprise and agony erupted from Locke's big mouth. Terra nearly fell off her own chair laughing as Locke pretended to sniffle.
"Awww, Locke, I love it when you scream like a girl." Celes said, and smiled evily. "It's such an amusing change."
"Getting beat on by her already?" Sabin asked from behind the group as he made his way over to an empty chair beside Terra. "Forget it Locke. You'll never survive long enough to have a first son. You should start writing out your will now."
"Ha-ha, very funny Sabin." Locke said, and stuck out his tongue. "But just for your information, the way I see it is, if she's nice and rough like this by nature, think about how it will be tonight when---"
"Oh my sweet Figaro!" Edgar squealed as he came running from the house. "It're here, it's here, my gift is here!"
"Oh, no, I forgot about that." Sabin said, and let out a small sigh. "Gooooooood luck."
"Oh, I want to see it." Celes said, and got up, deserting Locke and the others. Edgar took her by the hand and told her to wait by the backdoor of the house with her eyes closed. She did as she was told and felt someone's presence beside her a moment later.
Or was that someone..a something?
"KWWWEH!"
"Oh...my...God.." Celes murmured and opened her eyes. Infront of her was a very beautiful and full grown white chocobo. It's feathers were glossy and long, and its beak was a unique bright yellow, something Celes had not seen on many chocobos in her lifetime. But then again, the White Chocobo was also extremely rare. It was said that some were worth thousands and thousands of GP. Locke stepped up behind Celes and whistled.
"Whoa, look at that beaut." Locke said, and hesitently reached out to pet it. The chocobo made a happy noise and nuzzled its head against Locke's outstretched hand. "Well Celes, tonight, the chocobo and I get the bed, and you can have the couch, ok?" Locke joked.
"Oh, lovely." Celes said, and tried not to laugh when he smiled at her. She turned back to the chocobo, and shook her head. "Edgar, you shouldn't have."
"Yes, I needed to." Edgar said in reply, and shook his pointer finger. "It said so in the catalog....Chocobos make great gifts for special occasions and lovers. They say the White Chocobo has magical feathers that help bring two people closer together. I couldn't resist after I heard that one! So, there you go. Congratuations!"
"Aww...isn't she cute...?" Locke cooed, and petted the chocobo more.
"Actually, it's a he." Edgar said, and Celes smirked.
"Still want to sleep with him tonight, Locke?" She asked. Locke made a face, but continued to smile.
"Well, he's definately handsome." Locke said. "So, honey, what do you want to call him?"
By this time, the rest of the group had come over to see the new chocobo. Relm pulled out a sketchbook and began drawing excitedly. Umaro announced how 'yummy, grrrrrrr' the bird looked, and Gau wanted to try to leap it and learn its abilities.
"I don't know...what do you think a name like this bird deserves?" Celes asked.
".....Looks like a holy bird, kind of." Locke joked, and Celes widened her eyes.
"That's it, Locke!" She exclaimed. "We'll name it after the holy esper, Alexander! And..."
"We'll call him Alex for short!" Locke finished for her, and she laughed.
"Then his name is Alex." Edgar exclaimed proudly. "Sounds very regal!"
"Can I pet him too, Locke?" Mog asked excitedly.
"Me too!" Cyan said, like a little kid.
"Gauuu....too!"
For the rest of the afternoon, Alex was the star of the party. He was a proud bird, and smart too- he knew just what to do to get everyone to ohhh and awww over him and hand over food samples.
"He's a thief, like his adoptive daddy." Celes remarked, and Locke squeazed her waist a little, being that was where his hand was.
"That's treasure hunter!" He protested. "Besides, he likes to show off, like his adoptive mommy."
"I do not like to show off."
"Oh, then why did you do the opera, hmm? I bet you were just dying to dress up so I would look at you!"
"You forced me into it. Besides, Locke Cole, I caught you looking at me long before the opera even occured." Locke turned red and Celes smirked.
"I'm going to get you for that, Celes Cole." Locke threatened.
"I'm soooo scared!" Celes giggled, and all of a sudden, Locke tackled her playfully, pushing her to the ground.
"HEY!" Celes cried, and realized there wasn't much of a chance of her being able to fight back, being that she was in a tight dress and heals. "You CHEAT!"
"Come on, magitek knight." Locke taunted from above her.
"Errr, YOU!" Celes laughed, and grabbed his arms, pushing him away from her and rolling over quickly, pinning him to the ground. Locke laughed and stopped struggling against her tight grip.
"Alright, you win." He offered.
"Oh, my, God." Relm said, poking her head out from behind Strago. "A wrestling match! Kinky! Do they play this at all weddings, Grandpa?"
"Relm!" Strago cried.
"Oh, Celes, I think everyone can see up your dress." Locke said innocently. Celes gasped and let him go to tug down her gown, but Locke took the opportunity to catch her off guard and swing her to the ground again. Celes squealed when he held each of her wrists down and trapped her legs and hips between his own legs. "Oops, just kidding about the dress part!" Locke said, and burst out laughing.
"How humilating..." Celes moaned. "I fell for the oldest trick in the book. This is why I didn't wear a dress when I was in the army!"
"Hee-hee, that was funny. You two should be professionals." Setzer said. "I'll take you under my wing as your manager. You'll be stars!" Everyone began to laugh, even Gogo, who was chuckling softly.
"Kwweh?" Alex said in a confused tone, wondering why no one was fawning over him anymore.
The sun had begun to set, and the air had begun to take on its summer chilliness. Soon night would fall...
"Hmmm...Gau think food is yummy!"
"Hey, Gau, Kupo, gimmie back that chicken leg!"
"Grandpa, can I try some wine?"
"NO RELM!"
Celes smiled to herself from the table she was sitting at as Strago frantically yanked a wine bottle out of Relm's hands. A gentle wind passed through the yard and whipped at some of the stray locks of hair that were falling from the two buns set on her head. She had been sitting all alone, merely observing, as everyone had made a frantic effort to beat Umaro to the food sitting out on the tables. She didn't mind though. She felt as if there was so much on her mind, but when she tried to recall any of it, it would disappear from her memory. There were mixed emotions of happiness, shock, and excitement stirring in her heart.
"Celes, arn't you going to eat anything?"
Celes looked up as Locke sat down beside her with a full plate in his hands. She smiled and shook her head.
"I'm too excited to eat right now. I'm afraid I might toss it all up later!"
"Well...just make sure you have something." Locke lectured in a mock stern voice, and then winked. "Cause you are going to need LOTS of energy later."
"Locke!" Celes blushed, and giggled as he grabbed her, lifting her right from her chair and pulling her into his lap. She tried not to laugh as he blowed gently on the back of her neck, making her tickle a bit. He then kissed her softly, and ran his hands down her sides, encircling them around her waist and pulling her back closer to his chest. Celes closed her eyes, only being able to concentrate on Locke's soft touch and gentle motions. As his lips continued up her neck to her ear, Celes' mind became totally eludicated. It was all anticipation...tonight, she would be alone with Locke, as his wife, and not just as...well, a girlfriend. She surprised herself by realizing she wasn't nervous though. This was what the both of them had been waiting for for what seemed like an eternity. The most powerful expression of love that two people could ever make...and soon she and Locke would....
"Hey you two!" Terra chirped cheerfully as she sat across from Celes. Locke gave Celes' ear a quick lick before popping up and giving Terra a cheerful hello. Celes widened her eyes and moaned a bit in disappointment, making Locke laugh and Terra get a confused look on her face. From what Terra could see, Locke had been whispering something to Celes. What was so bad about that? She decided she got in on things too late too often.
"Hi Terra." Celes said. "How is everything?"
"Perfect." Terra said. "I will be lucky if I can ever have a wedding as romantic as this one was!"
"What are you talking about?" Celes joked. "If you marry Edgar, he'll practically make everyone involved rehearse the wedding over and over until it is to his "Queen's" needs! You will be a spoiled bride, Terra! You'll get your romantic wedding!"
"Aha, but there is also something romantic and cozy about all this." Terra said, opening her arms to indicate the whole scene. "Just having our own little group...in a little place...makes me feel safe...and happy! Happy to be here to enjoy this beautiful day with all of you!" Celes smiled and reached across the table, grabbing Terra's hand.
"Terra, promise that you will come by more often to see me!" Celes begged. Terra smiled back.
"Of course. You know I won't be able to stay away from a cute place like this long." Terra giggled and stuck out her tongue. "It surprises me that Locke picked out such a nice little house."
"What!? Why?" Locke cried. "Are you saying I normally have bad taste?!" Celes and Terra gave each other knowing looks, and Locke pouted. "Well fine..." He muttered playfully, and stood up part-way, threatning to drop Celes from his lap.
"ACK!" Celes cried, and Terra laughed as Celes struggled to keep a hold of Locke.
"Are you sorry you made fun of me?" Locke asked.
"Soooooorrry!" Celes cried.
Locke plopped back down on the chair and cradled the shooken up Celes in his arms. "Aww, Celes, I love it when you give in. It's such a welcome change."
Celes raised her eyebrows and slipped her hand up Locke's arm, giving it a rather nasty pinch with her long nails. But her face instantly softened again when the cry of surprise and agony erupted from Locke's big mouth. Terra nearly fell off her own chair laughing as Locke pretended to sniffle.
"Awww, Locke, I love it when you scream like a girl." Celes said, and smiled evily. "It's such an amusing change."
"Getting beat on by her already?" Sabin asked from behind the group as he made his way over to an empty chair beside Terra. "Forget it Locke. You'll never survive long enough to have a first son. You should start writing out your will now."
"Ha-ha, very funny Sabin." Locke said, and stuck out his tongue. "But just for your information, the way I see it is, if she's nice and rough like this by nature, think about how it will be tonight when---"
"Oh my sweet Figaro!" Edgar squealed as he came running from the house. "It're here, it's here, my gift is here!"
"Oh, no, I forgot about that." Sabin said, and let out a small sigh. "Gooooooood luck."
"Oh, I want to see it." Celes said, and got up, deserting Locke and the others. Edgar took her by the hand and told her to wait by the backdoor of the house with her eyes closed. She did as she was told and felt someone's presence beside her a moment later.
Or was that someone..a something?
"KWWWEH!"
"Oh...my...God.." Celes murmured and opened her eyes. Infront of her was a very beautiful and full grown white chocobo. It's feathers were glossy and long, and its beak was a unique bright yellow, something Celes had not seen on many chocobos in her lifetime. But then again, the White Chocobo was also extremely rare. It was said that some were worth thousands and thousands of GP. Locke stepped up behind Celes and whistled.
"Whoa, look at that beaut." Locke said, and hesitently reached out to pet it. The chocobo made a happy noise and nuzzled its head against Locke's outstretched hand. "Well Celes, tonight, the chocobo and I get the bed, and you can have the couch, ok?" Locke joked.
"Oh, lovely." Celes said, and tried not to laugh when he smiled at her. She turned back to the chocobo, and shook her head. "Edgar, you shouldn't have."
"Yes, I needed to." Edgar said in reply, and shook his pointer finger. "It said so in the catalog....Chocobos make great gifts for special occasions and lovers. They say the White Chocobo has magical feathers that help bring two people closer together. I couldn't resist after I heard that one! So, there you go. Congratuations!"
"Aww...isn't she cute...?" Locke cooed, and petted the chocobo more.
"Actually, it's a he." Edgar said, and Celes smirked.
"Still want to sleep with him tonight, Locke?" She asked. Locke made a face, but continued to smile.
"Well, he's definately handsome." Locke said. "So, honey, what do you want to call him?"
By this time, the rest of the group had come over to see the new chocobo. Relm pulled out a sketchbook and began drawing excitedly. Umaro announced how 'yummy, grrrrrrr' the bird looked, and Gau wanted to try to leap it and learn its abilities.
"I don't know...what do you think a name like this bird deserves?" Celes asked.
".....Looks like a holy bird, kind of." Locke joked, and Celes widened her eyes.
"That's it, Locke!" She exclaimed. "We'll name it after the holy esper, Alexander! And..."
"We'll call him Alex for short!" Locke finished for her, and she laughed.
"Then his name is Alex." Edgar exclaimed proudly. "Sounds very regal!"
"Can I pet him too, Locke?" Mog asked excitedly.
"Me too!" Cyan said, like a little kid.
"Gauuu....too!"
For the rest of the afternoon, Alex was the star of the party. He was a proud bird, and smart too- he knew just what to do to get everyone to ohhh and awww over him and hand over food samples.
"He's a thief, like his adoptive daddy." Celes remarked, and Locke squeazed her waist a little, being that was where his hand was.
"That's treasure hunter!" He protested. "Besides, he likes to show off, like his adoptive mommy."
"I do not like to show off."
"Oh, then why did you do the opera, hmm? I bet you were just dying to dress up so I would look at you!"
"You forced me into it. Besides, Locke Cole, I caught you looking at me long before the opera even occured." Locke turned red and Celes smirked.
"I'm going to get you for that, Celes Cole." Locke threatened.
"I'm soooo scared!" Celes giggled, and all of a sudden, Locke tackled her playfully, pushing her to the ground.
"HEY!" Celes cried, and realized there wasn't much of a chance of her being able to fight back, being that she was in a tight dress and heals. "You CHEAT!"
"Come on, magitek knight." Locke taunted from above her.
"Errr, YOU!" Celes laughed, and grabbed his arms, pushing him away from her and rolling over quickly, pinning him to the ground. Locke laughed and stopped struggling against her tight grip.
"Alright, you win." He offered.
"Oh, my, God." Relm said, poking her head out from behind Strago. "A wrestling match! Kinky! Do they play this at all weddings, Grandpa?"
"Relm!" Strago cried.
"Oh, Celes, I think everyone can see up your dress." Locke said innocently. Celes gasped and let him go to tug down her gown, but Locke took the opportunity to catch her off guard and swing her to the ground again. Celes squealed when he held each of her wrists down and trapped her legs and hips between his own legs. "Oops, just kidding about the dress part!" Locke said, and burst out laughing.
"How humilating..." Celes moaned. "I fell for the oldest trick in the book. This is why I didn't wear a dress when I was in the army!"
"Hee-hee, that was funny. You two should be professionals." Setzer said. "I'll take you under my wing as your manager. You'll be stars!" Everyone began to laugh, even Gogo, who was chuckling softly.
"Kwweh?" Alex said in a confused tone, wondering why no one was fawning over him anymore.
The sun had begun to set, and the air had begun to take on its summer chilliness. Soon night would fall...