For this chapter, I shamelessly borrowed from the comics -- mostly for Scott's and Jean's vows. As always, I'd like to thank my Beta-Readers, Amy and Jen, for making the story readable.

Standard disclaimer: I don't own them; I'm just borrowing them for our entertainment.

"Wedding Bells"

Part 3 – The Wedding

The day of the wedding finally arrived. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and everything was right with the world – except upstairs in the mansion where Scott was trying to finish getting dressed. Unfortunately for him, he had help.

"I don't know," his brother Alex, who was the best man, remarked with mock thoughtfulness. "It seems you have found a bigger threat than Magneto, Sabertooth, and Mystique combined ..."

"Oh for heaven's sake, Alex, it's a bow tie," Warren Worthington said impatiently. A member of one of New York's wealthiest families and CEO of an international conglomerate, Warren was no stranger to bow ties. He grabbed the offending article and proceeded to drape it around Scott's neck.

"Thank you, Warren," Scott breathed.

Warren tied it on the other man with practiced ease. "There," he said, turning Scott around to the mirror so he could see his handiwork. "Perfect."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Scott called out.

Lorna poked her head around the door. "I've been sent to get the curling wand," she announced.

"In the bathroom, under the sink," he replied, pointing the way.

"Didn't she get all that stuff earlier?" Alex asked.

Scott shrugged. True, Jean had carried a box of stuff out the door after lunch, but he had long ago given up trying to understand her when she was "getting ready".

In spite of their having lived together for years, Jean was making the most of custom. Scott had not seen her dress; it had been stored in Storm's loft. He hadn't seen much of Jean that day at all. She was getting ready in the game room, which was twice the size of their bedroom. Scott, who had seen her get ready for parties before, privately thought she'd need every square inch of it.

The entire mansion had been taken over by the wedding. Apart from Jean being in the game room, every guest room was in use, Jean's father was patiently waiting in Professor Xavier's study, the kitchen was invaded by caterers, the dining room and library were opened up together for the dinner, and the wedding itself would take place in the conservatory. Everywhere Scott looked were flowers and wedding bows. He felt relieved and guilty that they would be leaving on their honeymoon that night, spending the night in the city before flying out to a private island in the Caribbean (both the island and the private plane were courtesy of Warren). They wouldn't have to deal with the cleanup.

Hank then entered the room, beaming. "Gentlemen, the time has come. Any last words, Scott?"

Scott's last words were unrepeatable.

x X x

A small aisle had been created between the chairs in the conservatory and Scott and Alex quietly entered. The murmur from the assembled family, friends, and students created a pleasant buzz.

The string quartet playing in the corner easily segued to another tune. Storm came gliding down the aisle in her role as bridesmaid. True to her word, Jean had not chosen pink chiffon, but swirls of silk in grey and silver, with hints of sea green. The effect was stunning – it was as though an ocean wave had come to life. She reached the front of the room where the altar had been placed and moved gracefully to the side. Then Jean entered.

Beautiful at any time, today she was magnificent. Her dress was just as stunning -- the ivory silk and the plain strapless gown suited her well. Jean walked up the aisle with her father, smiling broadly at all. Her joy radiated out to everyone.

Logan, sitting beside Rogue with the students, watched her pass by and managed to suppress a groan. It was really going to happen. She was going to marry Scott and be lost to him forever.

Scott joined Jean for the last few steps before the alter. For a man who had been at death's door only a few short weeks ago, he looked remarkably strong. He had been waiting for this moment for years. A little thing like almost dying wasn't going to stop him now.

"If there is anyone who knows why this couple should not be lawfully joined, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace."

Logan felt several dozen eyes bore into him. He knew if he made any sign of opening his mouth, the kids would freeze, flambee, and electrocute him. All at once.

Wisely, he kept his mouth shut and listened to the service. Rogue slipped her gloved hand into his. He was grateful for the gesture. They had gotten to the vows.

Scott began. "There were times, I was lost, and you found me. Through it all, since the day when we first met, there was you for me and me for you. That hasn't changed. That will never change." He picked up her hand and placed the ring on her finger. "I, Scott, take thee, Jean, as my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward." He made no mention of parting. They had done a lot of that lately.

Jean's smile said it all and her response was just as heartfelt. "There were days which were heavy and you lightened my heart. Times have been good, and times have been bad, and still, our love has endured and triumphed." She placed his ring on his finger. "And I, Jean, take thee, Scott, as my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward."

Father Gregory beamed. "Now that Scott and Jean have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder."

More prayers followed before the final blessing of the couple and the traditional kiss. Applause greeted them as they returned back down the aisle together. Logan thought he saw two women high-five each other at the end of the service, but he wasn't sure. Smiles were on everyone's faces -- it was obvious that this was an event a long time in coming.

The guests were instructed to go to the terrace for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while the photographs were taken. Before long, they were all back in the mansion's dining room for the dinner. Everyone acknowledged the food was wonderful, although Jean's sister, Sara Bailey, was overheard to question whether the caterer was paid for by Jean and Scott or Professor Xavier.

After dinner, Alex rose from the table. "It's the privilege of the Best Man to offer the first toast ...," he began and the party portion commenced. Toast after toast followed, along with a hilarious description by Maggie and Nancy, two college friends of Scott's, of the first time Jean came to the college to see him, showing up in a red convertible and looking like a super-model ("I miss that convertible," Jean murmured.)

Before the cake was cut, Professor Xavier had an announcement. "The students have a presentation to make," he explained.

Rogue, Bobby, Jubilee, and Jamie all rose from their table and pulled a large box from under the gift table in the hall.

"This is a present from the students," Bobby explained as they took the lid off the box. "And we all had a hand in it – literally."

A murmur of appreciation grew as they unfolded what was within. It was a quilt. Both Scott and Jean rose, open mouthed. Jubilee spoke.

"This is called a Double-Ring pattern. Jamie's grandmother – by the way, we called Jamie's grandmother in Canada every night for four weeks, so that phone bill is going to be something – but anyway, Jamie's grandmother sent us the pattern and gave us all the technical help we needed."

It was lovely. The children had chosen a white background, with black and red as the primary colors. The double rings were interlocked, with black and red borders around the quilt.

"And ...," Jubilee said as they turned the quilt over with a flourish. All the students and teachers signed their names in fabric paint. Again, in black and red. At the top was written "Scott and Jean" and the date.

Scott and Jean were speechless.

"We all worked on it," Bobby offered. "Dani, Paige, and Sam were our quilting point-men -- no pun intended -- and taught us all how to sew. We got every quilting manual we could get our hands on. Storm even gave up her class time and we hid it in her room. We figured if a bunch of Amish women could make a quilt in a day, we could make one in a couple of weeks."

A flurry of hugs and kisses abounded as the assembled applauded the students efforts.

x X x

Finally came the cutting of the cake. Cameras flashed and videos whirred as Scott and Jean fed each other the requisite bite. After a while, Jean turned the knife over to Scott who was quite happy to serve the slices.

Logan approached the table and took a slice, staring hard. "Hurt her and I'll gut you."

Scott stared right back. "I won't," he replied. It was a promise he fully intended to keep.

Logan nodded and returned to his place with the students. That was that.

x X x

There were still more traditions to be observed before they could leave for the evening.

The ceremonial removal and throwing of the garter caused Jean and many of the girls to roll their eyes. From the wolf whistles of the boys you would have thought they had never seen their teacher's knee before. Scott sent it flying into the crowd of bachelors like a rubber band and it ricocheted off of several bodies before finally landing on a startled (and embarrassed) Sam Guthrie.

The throwing of the bouquet came next. Storm had already expressed her reservations with the custom ("these bouquets are heavy – you could knock someone out with it"), but gamely stood with the other single women and girls. As it was, the flowers landed neatly between Rogue and Storm. Each had dodged so the other could catch it, leaving them both staring at the bouquet on the floor in befuddlement. On the second attempt, Kitty caught the flowers.

Finally, Scott and Jean were able to escape to their room to change for their honeymoon.

"Alone at last," Scott sighed as he sagged onto the bed. "Tell me again why we're not spending the night here?"

"So we can avoid our friends and family for the evening," Jean explained with a kiss.

"Good point." He smiled slightly as he watched his wife – wonderful word – change clothes. "Any chance that 'undesirable excitement' might be allowed tonight? It's our wedding night, after all."

Jean grinned saucily in response. "Oh, I don't know," she responded slyly. "If there's an attending physician nearby ..."

x X x

Scott and Jean didn't take long to change and hoped to be able to sneak out of the mansion undetected. Of course, their family and friends had no desire to see that happen. They were all waiting on them and the couple still had to run the "send off" gauntlet. Scott personally felt they had enough birdseed thrown at them to feed the entire county's bird population for the winter. No one had dared tie anything to his car, however, and they eventually made it to safety. Scott was glad Jean was driving. The days events were starting to catch up to him.

With a wave of their hands, they were off, leaving the guests to enjoy the rest of the evening without them.

Scott leaned back in his seat and smiled. They were finally Mr. and Mrs. Scott Summers -- well, Mr. and Dr., but the concept was the same. At long last. And that wasn't the best. He turned to Jean who was humming as she drove. "When are we going to tell them?"

"Soon," she assured him. "When we get back from our honeymoon. It will be three months by then."

The End