Whenever I Say Your Name, Chapter 6
:::::Flashback: Atlantis (15 months after the engagement):::::
"I, John Alan Sheppard, take you, Elizabeth Anne Weir, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward…through Wraith attacks and peace treaties, food rationing and bountiful harvests, killer viruses and miraculous recoveries…to love and to cherish for as long as we both shall live - in this reality and the next."
"I, Elizabeth Anne Weir, take you, John Alan Sheppard, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward…through hostage situations and heroic saves, year long droughts and generous traders, life-sucking bugs and defibrillators…to love and to cherish for as long as we both shall live - in this dimension and the rest."
The light chuckling that starts during John's vows gets a little louder during Elizabeth's. Only a glare from the officiant, Dr. Carson Beckett, keeps the assembled crowd from breaking out into loud guffaws. Everyone in attendance understands the bride and groom's desire to keep the ceremony light, but they also know how important this day is to both of them. After all,it is their fourth try at a wedding.
The first attempt failed when Teyla found Elizabeth unconscious in her quarters the morning before the wedding. An hour later, half the city was down with what turned out to be a nasty strain of the flu. John and Elizabeth spent their wedding day in adjacent infirmary beds with high fevers. Strike one.
On their second attempt, lightning struck – literally. The jumper that Sheppard and his team were on was struck by lightning on their way back to the gate. They crash landed in an open field about 2 miles from the gate, but it was too dangerous for them to try and walk out in the middle of a lightning storm. The MALP that Dr. Weir sent through to attempt contact with Major Sheppard's team lasted less than 5 minutes before it too was struck by lightning. Both sides decided it was better to wait until the storm died out. Nobody expected it to last almost a week – two days past John and Elizabeth's wedding day. Strike two.
Sheppard still claims that try number three shouldn't count. John and Elizabeth stayed ensconced in Atlantis for the two weeks prior to their wedding date. Too bad Dr. Beckett didn't take the same advice. On a routine medical mission to vaccinate a trading partner, the doctor was taken hostage by a fanatic who thought medicine was unnatural. It took both Bates and Sheppard's teams several days to track and rescue the doctor. They returned the morning of the wedding, but Dr. Beckett was too dehydrated to be much use as an officiant. Neither Elizabeth or John were willing to replace the doctor. Strike three.
A full month went by after try three and there was no new wedding date announced. The inhabitants of Atlantis were starting to wonder if John and Elizabeth had decided not to have an official ceremony. Rumors started to fly that the two were already married or that they planned to sneak off to another world to elope or, the most unlikely scenario, that they had split up. Another month passed and none of the speculations came true.
It had been almost three months since the last failed wedding attempt and the Atlantis crew had moved on to other, juicier, gossip. They had almost forgotten that their two commanding officers were still not married. Atlantis was not expecting the announcement that went out very early this morning.
"All available Atlantis personnel, please report to the Gate Room. I repeat, all available personnel, report to the Gate Room."
The Atlantis team arrived in the Gate Room to find Major Sheppard standing in front of the Stargate with Dr. Beckett. Beckett was in his standard uniform and looked like he was still trying to wake up. In contrast to the doctor, John was in his dress blues with a smile big and bright enough to light up the whole room.
As the room started to fill, the Major sought out three key people. Rodney and Teyla were sent up to the conference room. The scientist seemed a little dazed (he had clearly fallen asleep in his lab)and had to be prodded up the stairs by the Athosian. Ford initially looked confused when Sheppard started to lead him toward the gate, but when understanding finally dawned, the young lieutenant's grin rivaled his CO's.
The conference room doors finally opened, signaling the start of the ceremony. Teyla came out first with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the mainland and the assembled crowd automatically created an aisle for her to pass. There was an audible gasp as Elizabeth walked out on McKay's arm. Most of Atlantis had only seen her in uniform – their fearless leader. No one was prepared for how radiant Elizabeth looked in a white silk gown whose beauty was only overshadowed by the woman wearing it.
John looked and felt like he'd been hit in the gut with a cannonball. The sight of Elizabeth walking down the aisle – to marry him of all things – literally took his breath away. Ford stepped closer in concern and Sheppard was forced to give him a reassuring, although shaky, smile. When he turned back to his bride, Elizabeth's eyes were twinkling with mirth. John didn't need to know that it had taken the whole way down the stairs to recover from seeing him in his dress blues.
The ceremony started in earnest, with Rodney giving the bride away on behalf of Atlantis, Teyla serving as the Maid of Honor, and Aiden as the Best Man. It was a very traditional ceremony…until the vows.
Carson should have known the two would pull something. Those close to Elizabeth know that her sense of humor, while mostly hidden, easily rivals that of the irrepressible John Sheppard. And as if to prove his point, Dr. Weir turns slightly to the audience and winks. That's enough to break the dam of composure and the room fills with laughter, exactly as the bride and groom intended. Laughter is too rare of an occurrence on Atlantis.
Dr. Beckett clears his throat, trying to maintain his composure through all the laughter.
"Sorry," mumbles both Elizabeth and John. Neither look overly guilty over causing the commotion.
The crowd quiets down and the doctor continues.
"Do you have the rings?"
Aiden and Teyla hand them matching platinum bands. John looks deeply into Elizabeth's eyes as he slips the ring on her finger.
"With this ring, I pledge to you all my love and devotion."
Elizabeth copies the motion without breaking eye contact.
"With this ring, I pledge to you all my love and devotion."
A single tear escapes and starts to roll down Elizabeth's cheek. John reaches up and brushes the tear away with his thumb. Once again, all the other people in the room are forgotten.
"I love you," says John softly.
"And I love you," whispers Elizabeth in return.
Carson clears his throat, partly to get their attention and partly to clear the lump forming in his throat. There are more than a few sniffles from the audience.
"By the power vested in me by the great country of Scotland," John and Elizabeth both smile. Nobody would have guessed that Carson was a Justice of the Peace. He had apparently presided over both of his younger sisters' weddings. "I now pronounce you Husband and Wife."
John sweeps Elizabeth into his arms, giving her a lingering kiss, and making Beckett's "You may now kiss the bride" a little unnecessary.
John's excitement overcomes him and he lets out a whoop of happiness, spinning them around in circles. All Elizabeth can do is hang on and laugh with absolute joy.
TBC…