A/N: Okay, i sent this off to my beta but ive made you guys wait way too long for this so if there are any major faults with it im sorry. when she sends it back if there are any major changes i'll repost this chapter for you guys. also, i took the wedding almost directly from my best friends' wedding from last fall. i changed a bit here and there, but it's mostly word for word w/ the names changed, and yes it was done in a church with a minister so i left all that in there. Pastor White is the real guy's name and he'd say the same things no matter what so yeah... hope you enjoy! And thanks for all the reviews so far!
Jack stood silently in the entrance to the sanctuary, watching as his mother and Sam's sister-in-law lit the small candles to the sides of their large pillar unity candle, while one of the SF's daughters played whatever Sam had picked out on the piano. He felt a sharp pang of loss as he watched someone else light Sam's candle. It was a ritual for mothers, and hers couldn't be there. He gave his mother a smile as she walked back towards them, Beatrice at her side.
Daniel took Eleanor by the arm and walked her up the aisle, escorting her to her seat. A few seconds later, Seamus followed with Beatrice on his arm, to lead her to her seat next to Mark. The two men made their way back and nodded to the pastor as they took their places next to the women they'd be leading to the front of the sanctuary.
Pastor White entered and walked to the front of the church, followed by closely by Jack, nervous as nervous could be. Though he wasn't Catholic, his family being Irish Protestant before immigration, Sara had insisted on appeasing her parents and getting married in the Catholic church. During the rehearsal for this wedding he hadn't had a clue what to do, though he was glad there wasn't as much formality, and that it wasn't as long.
He turned to face the back of the church, surveying the people who had gathered to watch him marry the most perfect woman in the world. The only people from the SGC that hadn't shown up to the wedding were those poor few who couldn't get out of guard duty.
Jack watched as Daniel walked up the aisle with Janet on his arm. As Best Man and Maid of Honor, they were the first to walk in. A few steps later Seamus and Cassie walked in. The young girl looked beautiful in the bride's maids dress. The deep blue matched perfectly with the O'Neill's dress blues and Daniel's tux.
Nick came marching up the aisle as the ring bearer with Stacy close on his heals in a powder blue dress that offset the dress blues just right, tossing the flowers as best she could. Jack smiled at the sight. It'd been a long time since his family had gotten together and he couldn't think of a better reason.
The music changed and Jack practically hummed with energy and excitement. This was the moment he'd been waiting for for nearly five years. The pastor winked at him before speaking into the microphone.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please rise in honor of the bride."
Jack knew at that moment that Sam and Jacob were standing behind the closed doors of the entrance to the sanctuary, waiting for their turn to enter. He couldn't keep the smile from breaking out across his face, and his heartbeat sped up immediately in anticipation of seeing his wonderful Sam approaching him.
The crowd gathered for the momentous occasion stood in anticipation as well. Money had been changing hands regularly since Sam had returned and all were just as eager for the couple to marry.
The music changed and the doors swung wide open, revealing the most beautiful sight Jack had ever seen. Sam was absolutely radiant in the white, tinted baby blue dress she wore, fitting beautifully with the blue tipped white roses of her bouquet. Jacob grinned at the sight Jack made staring at his daughter.
Sam and Jack's eyes stayed locked as she and Jacob made their way up the aisle to meet the groom. Daniel leaned into Jack, smiling and whispered into his ear, "Breathe, Jack."
Jack, never taking his eyes off Sam whispered back at his best friend. "Don't pinch me. If this is a dream, I'm not waking up."
Daniel snickered, happy that Jack had seemed to get over at least some of his nerves.
Jacob and Sam reached the end of the aisle and stood before the entire audience, facing Jack. He wanted to reach out for her, but knew that wasn't coming yet and restrained himself. He glanced down to where his sons rested. Or, as the quick grimace flashed over Sam's face revealed, beat the snot out of each other.
Jack could already see the tears forming in Sam's eyes as the pastor continued.
"You may be seated." This was the official start of the ceremony, and the two of them couldn't have been more excited or more nervous.
"Dearly beloved, we have come here today at the invitation of Jonathan O'Neill and Samantha Carter to share in the joy of their wedding. We are assembled here today in the presence of almighty God and before these witnesses to both rejoice and celebrate with them the love that has come into their hearts."
There were heads nodding all over the audience, including Jacob and General Hammond. Everybody knew of the love shared between the two. It was the fuel of the base grapevine for years and now that it was really happening, nobody could be upset with the outcome, not even Mark.
"There are no obligations on Earth, or elsewhere," he added with a smirk, "more precious than those they are about to recite. There are no vows more solemn than those they are about to make. And there is no human institution on Earth that is any more sacred than that of the home they are about to form."
Though the pastor didn't know about the SGC or what the people based out of Cheyenne Mountain did, he'd added the special line into the opening speech at the request of all involved.
"The marriage between a man and a woman is the holiest of all Earthly relationships, and it should be entered into reverently, thoughtfully, and with complete understanding to its sacred nature.
"The LORD Jesus reminds us that in the beginning, God our creator, made us male and female and said 'For this cause man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they too shall become one flesh.'
"Without question, God is the author of love, for the word of God teaches us that God is love, that love comes to us as a gift from our Heavenly Father. From the very beginning to the end, the Bible is a love story. Our Heavenly Father created each one of us to love and to be loved in return. When our life finds completion, we learn to love and be loved in return.
"Marriage is ordained of God, therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but rather soberly and deliberately, and in reverent fear before Almighty God. Into this holy union today, Jonathan and Samantha have now come.
"Jonathan, I ask you, will you of your own free will consent to have this woman to be your wife, to live together in the Holy Covenant of Marriage? Will you love her and comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health and forsaking all others be faithful to her and to her only for as long as you both shall live?"
Jack had not looked from Sam since she had approached and now the cocky grin so usual for the snazzy Colonel decided to make it's entrance. "I will."
"Samantha, I ask you, will you of your own free will consent to have this man to be your husband, to live together in the Holy Covenant of Marriage? Will you love him and comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health and forsaking all others be faithful to him and to him only for as long as you both shall live?"
The tears were now running full force down her cheeks as she barely croaked out, "I will."
Pastor White looked out over the audience before his eyes locked onto Jacob's. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
Before Jacob had a chance to answer, the entire SGC audience stood up and answered with him. "We do," rang throughout the church, much to the amusement of Pastor White and Sam's family.
Jacob led Sam up the few steps to where Jack was waiting for her and placed her hand in his. Lifting her veil, he kissed her on the cheek and whispered softly in her ear. "You mother would be so proud." Turning to Jack he stared him straight in the eye. "Take care of her and those boys." He gave them both a smile and walked back to sit next to Mark and his family.
The pastor continued, once Jacob was seated.
"Jonathan and Samantha, I would have you to consider today that to love is to remember and keep alive forever all the unique qualities that drew you to one another.
"To love is to make the most of every moment you share together and to find the meaning in the simple things of life. To love is to create an oasis of safety, a place where two hearts can find rest and draw strength to meet the challenges of life. To love is to look for the rainbow after the rain, to look for the morning after the night, to be able to laugh at yourselves and be willing to say, 'I'm sorry, I was wrong.' Just as equally important, to forgive and to forget. To love is to come together from the paths of our past and then move forward together hand in hand along the uncharted roads of our future, ready to risk, ready to dream, and ready to share, always believing in one another.
"I encourage you today to rediscover each and every day, the wonder and the beauty of the love that you feel in your hearts for each other right now. Your marriage must stand not by the authority of the state, nor by the power of tradition, but by the strength of your love and by the faith that you have in one another and above all by your faith in God."
Jack gave a somewhat skeptical look towards Sam at that point. Though he fully believed in God, he often wondered where the Big Guy had been when Charlie'd shot himself, or when so many people all over the universe had been captured and enslaved by the Goa'uld. He'd lost most of his belief, the limited amount there was, early on, and though he owned a Bible, a couple actually, he'd never fully read it. He'd gotten the faith that something "higher" controlled the universe when Daniel Jackson had come into his life and when Samantha Carter had walked into that briefing room.
"It is the divine will of God that you have a strong and lasting lifelong marriage full of passion, filled with happiness and I believe that you can have these things if you both always remember and recognize that God himself is the author of romance, He is the author of love, and the creator of affection. These are his gifts to us and we must never take them for granted.
"I encourage you today to build a strong and spiritual foundation. For with God as your leader you will have everything. Without Him, you will have nothing.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, at this time Jonathan and Samantha have some words that they would like to share with one another, and with you and I today. Jonathan."
Jack turned to face Sam full on, pulling a worried sheet of yellow legal paper out of his pocket. His nervous smile was contagious and a slight chuckle escaped his lips. Pastor White handed the microphone over to Jack so all could hear him.
"Sam," he started out. "When I first met you, I couldn't believe I was being stuck with a woman and a scientist I couldn't believe it. I figured you'd be off my team in a month, if not a week. I never expected you to grow on me the way you did. I fell in love with you when the time wasn't right, and it put us in situations we should never have ended up in. I love you, and our boys, and I'm so proud of everything you've done and how you handled all you went through. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me, but I promise that I will be here for you and our children no matter what. I love you."
"Samantha."
Sam turned back to Janet, holding out her hand. Janet smiled and pulled out of her purse some nicely printed up note cards tied together with a ribbon pulled through a single hole punched into the corner. She put the note cards into Sam's hand and the bride turned around to face her groom. Jack's eyes semi-bugged when he saw the careful preparation she'd put into what she was going to say.
"Hey, hers are prettier than mine."
The entire church erupted into little chuckles at Jack's words, but quickly quieted in anticipation of what Sam would say.
Tears were in her eyes, choking out her words. "Jack," she sniffed. "You were a pompous, sarcastic, hard ass, that I had to prove my worth as a soldier to. Over time, I found myself falling for you, and berating myself over and over for it. I couldn't have found a wonderful man like Daniel, or all those others that continually hit on me throughout the years. I had to go and fall for you, and I couldn't be happier. I love you Jack, and you've been so supportive through everything. Thank you so much and I am honored to become your wife."
Sam gave the microphone back to Pastor White, and the note cards back to Janet. The pastor nodded to her and smiled.
"The center candle that is behind me has been mad out of two separate colors of wax, each color representing their two lives up to this point.
"Jonathan and Samantha, your two separate lives with their individual memories, their individual desires, their hopes and dreams, shall merge into one. The two outside candles have been lit to represent their two separate lives up to this day. But from this time forward, may your thoughts be for each other, may your plans be mutual, may your joys and your sorrows be shared, may your commitment to one another be as that of Ruth when she spake to Naomi in the book of Ruth and said, 'Wherever thou goest, I will go. Wherever thou lodgest I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people and they God shall be my God.' As the center light cannot be divided, let not your lives be divided also.
"Jonathan, will you repeat these words after me…"
"I, Jonathan, take you, Samantha, to be my lawful wedded wife, to be my friend and my lover, and the mother of my children. I will be yours in times of plenty, and in times of woe, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of success. I promise to cherish and respect, to care and protect, to comfort and encourage and stay with you for all eternity, as God is my witness, I give you my promise."
"Samantha, will you repeat these words after me…"
"I, Samantha, take you, Jonathan, to be my lawful wedded husband, to be my friend and my lover, and the father of my children. I will be yours in times of plenty, and in times of woe, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of success. I promise to cherish and respect, to care and protect, to comfort and encourage and stay with you for all eternity, as God is my witness, I give you my promise."
The couple stared into each other's eyes, their love shining through for all to see.
"Though they are small in size, the rings are very large in significance. Made of precious metal, they remind us that love is not cheap, nor is it a common thing. Made in a circle their design tells us that love must never come to an end. From this day forward as you wear these rings whether you are together, or whether you are apart, may they be constant reminders of the glad promises you are making here today."
The pastor held out his pinky finger, their rings resting there for Jack to take Sam's.
"Jonathan, place it upon the third finger of the left hand, and repeat after me…"
Jack took Sam's ring and smiled as he placed it on her finger.
"With this ring I seal my promise to be your faithful, loving husband, as God is my witness."
"Samantha, place it upon the third finger of the left hand, and repeat after me…"
"With this ring I seal my promise to be your faithful, loving wife, as God is my witness."
The two kept their hands clasped as the pastor concluded the ceremony.
"Now that Jonathan and Samantha have given themselves to one another by the solemn vows that they have made before us in the presence of our LORD. By the power and the authority that is vested in me as a minister in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, and therefore, what God hath joined together let no man put asunder.
"Jonathan, you may now kiss your bride."
Jack regretfully pulled his hands out of Sam's and lifted her veil up over her head. He couldn't picture anyone looking anymore beautiful than she did right now, even if she did think she was fat and unbalanced. He thought she was radiant.
He leaned in to give her a kiss, but pulled back suddenly, winking at her. He turned back to Daniel who, grinning, pulled a small canister of Bannaca out of his jacket's inside pocket. The audience erupted into laughter as Daniel freshened Jack's breath for his first kiss with his wife.
Jack turned back to Sam, grinning from ear to ear. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. He gently brushed her cheekbones with his thumbs and pulled her to him, kissing her passionately as he could with everyone standing there.
Applause rang throughout the church as the "love birds of the SGC" finally got their act together. Hoots were emitted from the section the Marines had reserved for themselves, for even they liked the members of SG-1, even if Jack had put one of their own in prison.
When they pulled away, Jack grasped her hand in his, holding on for dear life. "I love you," he whispered in her ear. He noticed the approving eyes of both her father and brother when she smiled back at them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor and privilege to be the very first to introduce Colonel and Mrs. Jonathan O'Neill."
A/N: So what'd y'all think? please review! i hope you liked it and tell me if there are any major parts that you think i should fix, if you don't wanna put it in a review, you can email me anytime! thanks so much! and sorry it took so long!