Chapter Eighteen: Wedding Plans

*"And I insist you and Mina take the day off. Serena, your wedding is only a week away, and you don't even have a dress yet! And bridesmaid dresses, and caterers, and flowers, and of course you'll need musicians… When are you going to find time for all that if you don't do it now? You'll need to book it in advance anyway. Today is the perfect time!"

"But Relena…"

"I can get things done here on my own, no worries about that!"

"Relena…"

"Go Serena! Really, it's ok! Have fun!"

"Relena…"

"And don't forget-"

"Lena!" Serena finally screamed. "Ok, I'll take the day. On one condition."

"What?" The older blonde diplomat asked confused.

"You have to come with us! How else am I going to tailor the bridesmaid dress to you?" Serena smiled widely at Relena. "Ami can come as well. She's downstairs, probably getting into trouble with Mina."

"What a great idea Serena." Relena said after a moment. "I could use a break anyway. Quatre said…"

"And another thing. Where do you get off spending the night at Quatre Winner's house and not telling me?" Serena grinned even wider. She watched her boss and good friend blush uncharacteristically.

"I… How did you know about that?"

"I bugged Hiiro for the information of course!" Serena giggled. "Once in a while he's good for something."

"He isn't supposed to blab secrets though."

"I doubt that your love life secrets are included in his special 'top secret' secrets."

"Serena…" Relena shook her head. The blonde before her still mystified her somehow. Even after three years, Serena still said and did things that were forever surprising her. She had a quick wit, beautiful figure and face, and a large heart, but for some reason, Serena stayed single. Serena hardly ever really laughed, or really let loose and was just 'a girl'. Why, Relena had yet to figure out. Still, she was fun to be around. The mysteries could stay.

"So Relena? Are we going now?"

"Yes. Will you quickly cancel all of my…"

"Done. Let's go." Serena smiled.

"You knew I would say yes!" Relena grinned.

"I had a hunch. Come on!" Serena grabbed Relena's hand and laughing dragged her out of her office and through the main reception area.

Hiiro looked up from his desk to behold a most unusual sight. Relena was allowing herself to be drabbed by Serena, who was laughing and smiling the whole time. Rarely would Relena permit anyone to do such a thing, and Serena… well, her smiling in his presence happened once in a blue moon. Of course, Serena probably wasn't thinking about him watching her at the moment, it looked like she was busy with Relena. Still…

"Where are you going?" He asked. It was his job after all!

"Out shopping. Relax, Hiiro, I'll be fine. Serena, Mina and Ami will be with me, and they are all more than trustworthy."

"But can they protect you from…"

'She doesn't need protection today Hiiro. Her whole afternoon was lined up with so many meetings that if anyone wanted to kill her, they'll be at those meetings, not actually following her. She'll be safe." Hiiro nodded. She had a point.

"I'm coming." He stood.

"No." Serena replied roughly. "You stay. Women only."

"Sorry Hiiro, but I'm with her on this. I just need a day to myself for a while. Don't worry so much. And don't you dare try to follow us." Relena warned him. He sighed and sat.

"Not fair." He grumbled. The girls then decided to ignore him and continued on their way, out the door, down the hall, and towards the elevator.

"Ami, Mina, I have her, let's go!" Serena yelled, laughing. It felt so good to drop her strict act for a while and just… be. It felt normal, and releasing. It was funny. When she had been younger, she had never been this way.

Actually, Ami had been the stern one of their group of friends in college. It was only in graduate school that she and Mina had been able to bring Ami's fun side out, and when it came out, it stayed out. But she had sometime receded into herself during graduate school at the same time, and since then she had been the stern one and Ami the fun one. Mina hadn't changed at all. And Relena? Well, she could tell Relena had always been ruled by protocol, but had dropped it ever now and then to have an occasional moment of bliss, like she was at the moment.

"First thing is first. We need to do all the boring things, like arrange the church and whatnot. Serena, you said that you want the wedding on a Sunday? Come on, I know an old gothic style church that usually is empty." Relena smiled. Planning for things like this was something she had actually learned from Pagan as she was growing up. It was a specialty of hers.

"Sounds nice. I always dreamed of an old gothic church, with large stained glass windows and dozens of candles…" Serena sighed quietly. Her dream wedding. But did she really deserve this?

They drove to the church and as they stepped out of Mina's mustang convertible, they gaped in awe. It was an old stone building with an intricately carved circular window over the large wooden doors. When the entered, they were further amazed. A deep red carpet covered the floor up to the alter, where a large cross resided surrounded by white roses. Candles were lit on every column leading up to the alter, and two tiers of candelabras stood on either sides of the cross.

"Can I help you three women today?" A cheerful man dressed in all black smiled. "I'm Father Patrick, the pastor of this church."

"Yes sir." Serena breathed. "I would like to get married here."

Ten minutes later they were walking out of the church, clucking like hens. They had reserved the wedding for the day and time they had wanted easily, and everything was going well so far.

"What's next Relena?" Mina asked.

"Flowers or food, you decide."

"Food!" Ami yelled enthusiastically.

"Hey, that's my line!" Serena whined playfully.

"Tough." Ami told her, laughing. "Come on! Food!"

The caterer Relena suggested was one she had used dozens of times before. The man had begun his own company around the same time she had needed someone to carter a large party, and she had given him his first job. Since then she used him and only him, and he gave her wonderful food with prices to match.

"Jean? I think I'd like to have the chicken. Everyone seems to like chicken, and if they don't, salad will be enough. I want things simple."

"I can do chicken many ways though, Miss Serena. I can bake it, fry it, grill it…"

"Grill. With a rosemary and mustard marinade." Serena nodded decidedly. Everyone gave her an odd look. "What? I happen to know a little about cooking, I'm sorry. After all, food is and will always be my first passion!" She giggled. The others smiled.

"Very well Miss Serena. And the cake?"

"I don't know…I love all cakes!"

"Serena, you're drooling!" Mina laughed as she teased her friend.

"Maybe we should consider what Hiiro likes?" Ami interjected.

"Oh, I know for a fact that he likes chocolate cake, cheese cake, carrot cake, and most anything with sugar." Relena giggled. Serena looked somewhat interested.

"He does? But he never mentioned anything about that… he doesn't have any sweets in his fridge either…"

"He's not supposed to eat them. His 'Doctor' trained him to only eat healthy. But if he can get it, he'll eat it." Serena picked up the Doctor as in Doctor J, not a real doctor, and knew what Relena meant. That was sad, that Hiiro wasn't allowed to eat sweets. He missed out on a great deal.

"Alright then. Whatever we do, it will have to have chocolate."

"Why not try a chocolate cheesecake?" Jean suggested.

"For a wedding?" Mina asked wrinkling her nose.

"I can create a frosting of the cheese to look white, not yellow. It will look white, like a normal cake."

"I like the idea." Ami spoke up. "All in favor raise your hands." Everyone did so, and food was taken care of.

"Flowers next?" Mina asked cheerfully.

"I already know what I want. Roses. That will be expensive though. Maybe I should do… no, roses. I want roses, and this is my wedding, so roses it is!" Serena decided flatly. I want white roses, not red. Red is for passion. Hiiro and I, we have none of that. But innocence?" Serena left it there, but snorted lightly in completion. Neither of them had innocence any longer. It would be ironic to use the white roses. Good. She had always liked irony.

"Well." Relena coughed breaking the tense moment. "Now that that is taken care of, music?"
"DJ. Live music would ruin it." Mina told them gravely.

"Why?" Relena asked.

"Well, don't you always feel like you have to clap after a live band finishes a song? This takes away that pressure. It's a nice thing not to have to worry about it."

"If you say so."

"I do. In fact, I have a friend who works the turntables, I'm sure it would be no problem to get him to do it. He'll play whatever you request too."

"Sounds good." Serena nodded smiling blandly.

"Oh my gosh!" Ami gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" They all asked her. She groaned.

"Invitations! There's no wedding without guests!" They all looked horrorified except for Serena, who merely smiled and laughed a bit.

"I did those last month. Actually, my Mother… she… well, before, she had already picked out the invitations and written up a list of people to invite. I got list from Dr. Owen of who I should invite from Hiiro's side, and then I just sent them out. Don't worry. It's a small wedding, only twenty or so, mostly my friends and family. Hiiro apparently doesn't have one, and it's a touchy subject, so don't push it."

"Hiiro was raised as a soldier. He never knew anything else. The closest thing to a family he has is that old coot Doctor J- and even he isn't much of a father figure. It's better not to mention it and just let it be."

"Ok, well, at any rate, the invitations are done." Mina sighed awkwardly. Relena nodded.

"So what's next on the list Relena?" Ami coughed, clearing her throat.

"Well, we have church, guests, flowers, food, we can have the reception at your parent's house Serena, we have the music… the only thing I think we need are the dresses."

"Dresses? Oh! I always wanted to try on a wedding dress!" Mina squealed. Relena smiled.

"I always wanted to too."

"Me too!" Ami laughed.

"Don't forget me!" Serena chimed in.

"Then let's go! We're wasting valuable time!" Mina yelled, dragging Serena along. Serena laughed heartily and ran after her. Ami looked at Relena evilly.

"Don't even think about it!" Relena shook her finger at Ami.

"Why not? You need to cut loose every once in a while! I mean, look at Serena! Even she's laughing. Do you know often that happens? Never. Serena has a very stern sense of humor usually."

"Yes, I noticed. Was she always like this?"

"Oh no! In college, I was the one who was quiet. I hated practical jokes and loud music. But Serena and Mina- the two killer blondes- they did me in. I cracked and look at me! It's funny. As soon as I cracked, Serena just changed. It was a sudden thing too; she didn't change over time like I did. Oh well. She's happy now, and that's all that matters. Come on!" Ami laughed shrugging and grabbing Relena's hand. Relena laughed and allowed Ami to drag her off. Still. So odd…

They entered a small dress boutique on the street and looked around. It was a nicely furnished place, and the four winded women felt guilty that they had come in as such a messy group. Quickly they straightened up and wiped the giggles away. But their smiles remained.

"Hello ladies. May I help you find something today?" An older saleswoman looked at them like a hawk stalking her prey.

"Yes, actually. I'm looking for four bridesmaid dresses and a wedding dress." Serena told the woman. The older woman perked up at the mention that she had a potential customer, and she smiled.

"Wonderful. My name is Karen. Tell me, what were you looking for in a bridesmaid dress?"

"A pale blue, or maybe a deep lavender. The dress style really doesn't make too much of a difference right now, I'll have to see them to decide." The saleswoman, obviously unaccustomed to a customer who knew what they wanted, blinked. Then she smiled.

"Of course. The blue and lavender dresses are over here."

"You girls can pick amongst yourselves which one you like." Serena told the girls. "Just promise me they'll match?"

"Serena! Don't you want a say in this?" Mina asked shocked.

"Not really I get to pick my own dress, remember?"

"Oh girls, look at this one!" Ami breathed, holding up a dress. It was a deep violet, sleeveless with thin rhinestone straps crossing in the back. The bodice of the dress was form fittingly tight, but the skirt puffed out at the waist, dropping down to give it an elegant look. Tiny rhinestones littered the hems, and the color turned Ami's blue eyes a dark violet as she held it up to herself in the light.

"It's gorgeous!" Mina gasped.

"Lovely." Relena agreed.

"So you're all in agreement? That's the dress?"

"Without a doubt Serena." Relena nodded.

"Well, what are you standing around for, try it on!" Serena shooed them away with another salesgirl. While she waited, she began to thumb through the rack of white, cream colored, and off-white wedding dresses that lined the room.

Cream and off-white were out of the question. She wanted a white dress- traditional she supposed. But she didn't quite know what else she wanted the dress to look like. Maybe she wanted no sleeves. Or maybe she wanted long sleeves. Or puffy. And decoration? She wanted lots of lace and bows and pearls. No, she didn't. She wanted it to be plain. With a little decoration? She just didn't know.

Then her eye caught sight of a dress and she blinked. It was…beautiful. A long, white dress, with long, off the shoulder sleeves that ended angled. The bodice of the dress was low, cut straight across, but not so low that it would be inappropriate in a church. At the waist, the dress dropped straight down, the satin material dripping like it was a mile long to the floor. It was a very plain dress; the only decoration being a very soft, thin strip of silver that trimmed the top of the bodice, the angled edges of the sleeves, and the edge of the dress near the floor.

"Do you like that one?" Karen walked up behind her. "It seems to be a popular dress." Serena's heart fell. She wouldn't be an original…

"Popular?" She echoed Karen.

"Yes. But as many women that have tried it on, it never seems to fall quite right on them. It's the only one we have, and the only size we have. Well, would you like to try it on?"

"You say a lot of women try it on, but none of them has fit it?"

"Yes. But who knows, maybe you'll be the lucky bride."

"I'll try it." Serena told her. She followed her to the dressing room, and began to change into the dress. As she slipped the dress on, she held her breath for fear that she wouldn't even be able to get the dress on in the first place. But she managed to easily slip into the dress, and when she thought she had it just so, she took a deep breath. There were no mirrors in the tiny dressing, forcing her to unlock the door and step into the hall to find the full-length mirror to see herself.

The first thing she noticed were her three friends, standing and chatting in their bridesmaid dresses.

"You all look beautiful."

"Thanks Sere! They have the dress in Sally's size too, so we don't have to worry about finding her one. It's almost…" Mina trailed off.

"Oh Serena!" Ami gasped.

"My god…" Relena drew in a sharp breath.

"Oh, I know! It's the dress, isn't it?" Serena cried worriedly. "The saleswoman said it never looked good on anyone, but I insisted on trying it anyway. I'll go change, and then…"

"No!" Three loud voices cut her off.

"What is… oh my!" The saleswoman Karen had just joined them.

"Is the dress that bad?" Serena asked confused.

"On the contrary. That dress is wonderful on you! Why, it looks as if it grew upon you. It was made for you." Karen told her nodding, "It has never looked that well on anyone before, and I've seen them all. Yes… that dress was most definitely made for you."

"Made for me?"

"Haven't you seen it?" Ami asked.

"No, there was no mirror, and I came out to find one." Serena blushed.

"Well take a good, hard look at yourself, because it's gorgeous." Mina told her, dragging her over to the mirror. Serena looked at her reflection and gasped herself. She looked so elegant, so beautiful, so… she didn't deserve this. She didn't.

"Serena, it's perfect for you. You need to get it."

"I'm not so sure about this. Maybe I should look again…" She said, thinking that she should find the ugliest dress in the place and buy it instead.

"Nonsense. Change quickly, it's perfect."

"Well…"

"No. Come on Serena! Let's go! March young lady!" Mina giggled and pushed Serena back into her changing room. Serena stood a few moments longer, not moving. She could technically just not get this dress. But then Mina and Ami and Relena would worry over her mental health… she couldn't let them worry… let them… know. She didn't deserve it, but she was going to get it anyway.

Quickly she changed and met the girls in the other room. They were laughing and smiling, so she put on her smile and let her fears slip to the back of her mind, where they itched away at her brain and memory, eating at her sanity slowly without anyone seeing it. After paying for the dresses, the four women left the shop in high spirits. On their way back to the Government building, they stopped at a street vendor for ice cream, and just as they began to leave, a voice rang out.

"Serena!" She sighed. No… please, no… "Serena! Sere, wait up!"

"Serena? Who is that? He's gorgeous, and he's following us for you!" Ami giggled.

"That would be Darien Chiba Ami." She informed her friend uneasily.

"Oh." Was the collective answer.

"Serena! Stop! I have to ask you something!"

"It's over Darien, leave me alone."

"Are you really engaged? To someone you just met?" He asked, not paying attention to her friends or her request to be left alone.

"Yes, I am. And no, I did not just meet him."

"So you were in love with someone else while dating me?" Darien narrowed his eyes.

"I was not. I'm not in love with this man either. It's an arranged marriage I promised my Mother I would abide by while she was on her deathbed. And I always stay by my promises. Unlike some people. Leave Darien, you found out what you wanted to know."

"But I love you Serena!" He pleaded.

"Yes. You love me so much you were sleeping with that other woman the entire time we dated. You love me a lot, don't you Darien?" She sneered.

"Serena, I…"

"Made a mistake, lost me, and are paying for it. Now, leave. Get out of my sight you lying, cheating, slob!" Serena's voice rose as she spoke, until she finished in a yell and stalked off. Without giving him so much as another glance, the other women followed her in suit.

"Wow Serena! You never told me he cheated on you! I thought you left him because he was a soldier!" Mina blabbed.

"So did I." Relena added.

"I didn't know why you broke up to begin with." Ami chimed in.

"Well, now you all know, so please call the press and alert the media. He's a cheating man."

"How sad." Mina sniffed. "But don't worry Serena, you've always got Hiiro!"

"That's what I'm scared of." She whispered.

)(

Hiiro knocked on the door gently. It was his first time ever at Serena's apartment, and he wanted to make a good impression. He knew she and the girls had been out all day shopping, so now would be a good time for him to come over- she'd be too tired to argue.

"Hello Hiiro." He heard her sweet voice drift into hid ears. When had she cracked the door open? "Come on in." She whispered.

"Hnn." Then he remembered. "Thank you."

"Quatre teach you some manners did he?" She mocked. So much for her being too tired to put up much of a fight.

"You must be tired, so I'll make this visit short."

"Goodness, you thought ahead of someone other than yourself. You are improving." She smirked. He did as well. Hers dropped to a frown. She knew when he was mocking her- she had learned to read between the lines in his usually vacant eyes.

"Yes, well. The old saying, "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." Quatre told me about it. Said he gave you the first part of the rhyme, and I was to give you the second."

"You really don't have to." She frowned even deeper. What was he pulling?

"I do." He grinned this time. She was uncomfortable- this was getting amusing. "Something borrowed. Here." He thrust his first gift into her hands. He could tell she was appalled by the way he had given it to her, but intrigued as to what it was. Slowly she unwrapped the gift, only to let her jaw drop and let out a low sigh.

"A cross?"

"Mine. It is your borrowed item. And your blue…" *

~~~Ahh! Cliffy! And I know what it is, and you don't! Lol. Please REVIEW if you want to know what the blue is! Much love, Vixen~~~