Erik and Owen sat on the sofa in the rec room and watched as Tristan impatiently paced the floor.
"You've known him longer than I have," Erik whispered to Owen. "Does he spend a lot of time wearing grooves into the floor like this?"
"It's not common, he's usually pretty laid back, but when something he has no control over stresses him out, he'll pace for hours." Owen whispered back.
"How do we make it stop?"
"It won't until, in this case, Cady is back and away from his mother."
"But they're in town with Allura and Sky and her mother, they could be gone for hours."
"Then he'll pace for hours. You see, Erik, he's full of nervous energy and not sure what to do with it, so it's either pace the floor until he wears a groove into it or he, literally, explodes."
"But he has always seemed so calm, I'm not used to seeing him so full of nervous energy."
Owen nodded sagely. "You're right. It makes me wonder if…nah, it couldn't be."
Erik leaned closer. "What?"
"I wonder if, maybe, our dear friend here is full of another kind of…energy that he is having trouble burning off."
"You mean…"
"Yes, I do."
"Both of you, knock it off," Tristan said, stopping in front of the couch.
Erik spoke to Owen out of the corner of his mouth as he stared at Tristan. "He stopped moving."
"I noticed. I'm not quite sure what to do," Owen muttered back.
"I would appreciate it if you would stop talking about me like you're narrating a special about a lion on the Serengeti." Tristan snapped.
Owen snorted. "A lion?"
"More like a cute little bunny," Erik teased.
"Hey, I'm a lion."
Owen lowered his voice to a deep whisper. "Watch now as the adult male confronts his peers."
"Will he attempt to fight them or will he walk away with his tail between his legs as he has in the past?" Erik asked, mimicking Owen.
Tristan shook his head and raised his fist. "You're asking for it."
"For what?" His childhood friend asked innocently.
"All right man," Erik said, holding his hands up in defense and rising to his feet. "We're just kidding. Calm down."
"I know." Tristan sighed. "I guess I'm starting to stress a bit too."
Erik grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's all right, Tristan, you're allowed to get nervous, in a few days you're going to marry the Princess and heir to a very powerful throne. It can be rather nerve-racking."
"Not to mention the fact that there are going to be hundreds of people at the ceremony and reception," Owen added. "And press."
"And who knows what the twins have planned for the reception, I heard that they were working on a toast."
"Not funny," the groom-to-be mumbled.
The Polluxian Prince winked at Owen. "Don't worry, Sky will make sure Cady survives today and doesn't do anything stupid."
Blue's pilot sent him a sidelong glance. "You mean like getting a total makeover?"
"Hey, that's not fair. Sky was outnumbered then, this time she has Allura and Darcy to back her up."
"My mother is very persuasive."
"Cady knows what she wants for the wedding and she isn't about to let your mother change anything now."
Tristan check the watch he wore, it had been a gift from Cady when they got engaged. "They've been gone for nearly three hours. How long does it take to look at flowers?"
"For Cady? At least three and a half."
"Why didn't you just go along?" Owen asked.
"I offered, but let's be honest, I really didn't want to go."
"She told you not to come, didn't she?"
Tristan shrugged, but smiled. "Yeah. I went with her to pick out flowers, but she had it all decided before she even left, all roses. Pink and white with these little purple things that I would have thought were weeds."
"She doesn't ask you for help any more, does she?" Erik asked, crossing the room to flip through the movie disks.
"My plan worked."
"You're lucky you aren't wearing a pink tuxedo."
"I put my foot down on that one."
Erik raised an eyebrow in question.
Tristan shrugged. "Well, the twins backed me up on that one. She couldn't make the three of us wear pink. And besides, it was just going to be pink bow ties and cummerbunds."
"What color are they now?" Owen asked, not yet having seen the suit he would be wearing.
"They're a silvery grey color that matches the bridesmaids' dresses." Erik told him.
"Sounds sharp."
"It'll be a very nice looking ceremony," Tristan said. "She's been planning this for a long time."
"What about you?" Erik asked.
"What about me?"
"What do you want in the ceremony?"
Tristan shrugged. "As long as Cady shows up, that's all I need."
"Wow, man, you are one lucky S.O.B." Owen muttered.
"Yeah," Tristan fell back onto the couch beside his oldest friend. "I am."
"You guys want serious or stupid?" Erik asked, holding up two movie disks.
"Stupid."
"Stupid."
"That's what I thought." He turned and slipped a movie into the player.
"If I see one more rose, I am going to scream."
"That's quite an entrance," Erik said as Sky walked into the room.
"We're eloping." She told him, sitting on the loveseat.
"Sounds good to me, want to go now?"
"Serious estrogen overload today."
He wiggled his eyebrows and jumped onto the sofa beside her. "Are you saying you're in need of some testosterone?"
A look of confusion crossed her face. "Was that supposed to be creepy or hot?"
"I was trying for hot."
"You failed miserably. But thanks for trying, hon."
"Excuse me," Tristan interrupted. "Where's Cady?"
"She's talking with her mother and your mother. She'll be up when they're done."
"How'd it go?"
Sky rolled her eyes. "They're flowers, just flowers. They spent two hours discussing placement of roses in a centerpiece. Two hours! Be glad you weren't there. I love Cady, dearly, but there are times I just don't get her."
"Has she changed her looks any since she left?" Erik asked.
"What?"
"Tristan's been pacing and worrying about Cady and how she's getting along with his mother."
Sky turned to Tristan. "I wouldn't worry. They got along all right. Your mother can be…quite…vocal about things."
Tristan chuckled. "You're very diplomatic, Sky. I know my mother can be very opinionated."
"Good news," Cady announced as she swept into the room. "The Alexander family flower will be included in all the centerpieces."
"There's an Alexander family flower?" Tristan asked.
"Calla lilies."
"Calla lilies?"
She sank onto the sofa beside him. "Calla lilies. Apparently it represents magnificent beauty and has represented the Alexander family for generations. The florist is going to special order them tonight and if all goes well, there will be a calla lily on every table."
"I'm sorry about that. You didn't have to do that."
"I don't mind, they're lovely flowers and the florist assured she could get them in time."
"Where's my mother now."
"I don't know." The Princess tucked her legs under her and laid her head against his shoulder. "I need a break."
Owen laughed.
Cady gasped and lifted her head. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I love your mom, really I do. I just…." She trailed off.
"It's all right, sweetie, I know what you meant." Tristan kissed her forehead. "I love my mother dearly, but she can be a little overwhelming, especially when you spend several hours with her. You need to take a break. Are you done for the day?"
She shook her head and laid her head back down, closing her eyes. "I have to meet with the caterers for our rehearsal dinner and then I have another dress fitting."
"I can meet with the caterers and we still have a couple days, you can put off the dress fitting. Take the rest of the afternoon to relax." He whispered, wrapping his arm around her, loving the way she fit against him as she did.
"I'm fine. There really isn't that much left for me to do. I'll relax later."
Sky sat upright.
"What are you doing?" Erik asked.
She lowered her voice. "I have to go find Aunt Allura, I just had a great idea for Cady's party."
"I thought it was all planned."
"It's all changing now. I can't believe I didn't think of this before." Sky stood and quickly left the room, unnoticed by her best friend who had dozed off.
The next day, Tristan found himself wandering through the castle hallways alone. Cady was off with Sky doing who knows what, Owen was being fitted for his tux, and the rest of the team was out practicing. Keith had given him the week before the wedding off, at first he didn't know why, but he had to admit that with all that was going on, Tristan was glad he didn't have to worry about being on duty.
The evening before he had accompanied Cady to the caterer where they had gone over and finalized the menu for the rehearsal dinner. Tristan had no idea how much planning went into a dinner, it was something his mother had always done and it had always come out just fine. As he watched all Cady did to prepare, he had a newfound respect for his mother and all she had done over the years.
His wandering had brought him to Castle Control where, just outside the door, stood Nicky. The boy was leaning against the wall, bundled in his hat and coat, watching his puppy Speck tug at his leash.
"Hey, Nick, what's up?"
The younger boy shrugged and refused to meet his eyes.
"You taking Speck for a walk?"
Nicky nodded.
"Who are you waiting for?"
"Gid."
"Well, I don't have anything to do right now, why don't I go with you?"
Nicky shrugged again, bending over to untangle his puppy from its leash.
"I'll go get my coat and meet you back here, okay?"
He shrugged once again.
"I'll take that as a yes, I'll be right back." Tristan turned and jogged quickly back to his room. When he returned a few moments later, Nicky and Gideon were heading toward the back entrance. "Hey, where are you going?"
Gideon looked over his shoulder. "Nicky and I are taking Speck for a walk."
"I know. I told Nicky I would come too, I had to get my coat."
Gideon looked down at his younger brother who avoided his gaze. "Oh, uh, okay. It'll be a quick one, it's pretty cold out."
"Actually, I was hoping Nicky and I could go alone. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with him."
"Sure, if that's okay with you, Nicky."
The boy shrugged.
"Good luck man," Gideon whispered as he passed Tristan.
"Thanks." Tristan muttered, walking over to where Nicky stood, shuffling his feet. "Come on, buddy."
The bitter cold winter air washed over them as the walked out to the side yard. Speck yelped and pounced on a bug. Tristan zipped up his jacket and tucked his hands into his pockets.
"How're you doing, Nick?"
"Okay."
"We haven't talked much lately, have we?"
Nicky shrugged, watching as Speck started to dig into a mound of snow.
"You know, I never had any brothers or sisters of my own. Sometimes I would wish for a younger brother or sister because I wasn't lucky like you guys. My parents and I weren't very close, I spent a lot of times with nannies."
"We had Nanny," Nicky said.
"Yeah, you were lucky to have her, she cared very much for you. My nannies were just in it for the money. But then I became friends with Owen and he became like a brother to me and, at the same time, I saw what it was like for him and his brothers and I was glad to be an only child."
Nicky smiled.
"You know Cady loves you very much."
The smile fell from his lips and he shrugged again.
Tristan laid a hand on Nicky's shoulder. "Do you want to tell me why you're so angry with her?"
"I'm not."
"Then why won't you talk to her?"
"I am."
Tristan rubbed his chin and looked out over the snow that covered the beautiful countryside of Arus. He didn't have a lot experience with kids and wasn't quite sure how to proceed. All he knew was that Cady was upset about the way Nicky had been ignoring her and he wanted it taken care of. He decided to try a different tactic.
"Just because Cady and I are getting married doesn't mean her feelings for you are going to change, they aren't. She will always have time for you, you're very important to her. I know you weren't too happy to hear that we're moving out of the castle, but you'll always be welcome at our home and Cady will be up at the Castle all the time."
"She was my sister before she was your girlfriend."
"Look, Nick," Tristan crouched down in front of him. "I promise you, you are not losing your sister. What you and Cady have is special and it's forever, you can't break the bond between a brother and sister. I want to be your friend, we're going to be like brothers now and we both love Cady. Right now she is really stressed out and she needs our support. You know as well as I do that she is stubborn and she knows exactly what she wants for this wedding and she thinks she has to do it all herself to make it right. I am doing everything I can to help her."
"But she likes to be in charge," Nicky mumbled, staring at the ground.
Tristan grinned. "Yeah she does. And it may seem, right now, like she's too busy for us, believe me, I understand. But it isn't forever. Before long you'll have your sister back, I promise."
"But…but what if you have kids?"
"You'll be a great uncle."
Nicky chewed on his lower lip. "How come things hafta change?"
"Change will always happen, Nick, you can't stop it. But change isn't always a bad thing. I'm glad for this change. I love Cady more than anything in the world and I am so happy she agreed to marry me just as I am happy to be a part of your family. I never had any brothers and sisters, but now I feel like I do. I like being your brother."
"I just don't know why you guys have to move out of the castle, it's big enough for everyone."
Smiling, Tristan stood. "Some day, Nick, you will understand and when that day comes I'm going to remind you of this conversation."
"Maybe…maybe I could walk Speck down to your house."
"You could do that. Our door will always be open to you, buddy."
Tugging on Speck's leash, Nicky started back toward the castle. "I guess it won't be too bad having another brother."
"I think we should go inside and find Cady, it'll mean a lot to her to know you've forgiven us."
"I haven't said I've forgiven you."
"Come on, Nick, we need you to forgive us. We'll need your help building the house."
The boy's face lit up and he looked up at his about to be brother-in-law. "Really? I can help build your house?"
"Of course you can, we're going to need all the help we can get and with someone as strong as you helping us out, we'll have the house up before you know it."
"I can use a drill?"
"Uh, we'll see, we'll have to talk to your dad."
"You need to use a drill to build a house."
"Yes. And several other tools."
"This one time, Uncle Hunk, he let me help him and I got to use a screwdriver."
"That's pretty cool."
"Uh huh, and I helped my Dad put up a shelf in my Mom's office and I got to hit a nail with a hammer and he told me that this summer we could make a birdhouse. Oh! You know what! I bet making a birdhouse will help me learn how to help build your house!"
Tristan grinned, enjoying the return of the Nicky he knew. "That sounds great."
"Come in!" Tristan called when he heard a knock at his door. After his talk with Nicky, the boy had run off to find his father and ask him about building the birdhouse. Tristan had gone in search of Cady only to find out she was at a last dress fitting. So he retired to his room where he was on his computer going over the itinerary for their honeymoon.
The door slid open and Cady walked in. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a pair of snug jeans and a pale yellow sweater. "I don't know what you said to him, but I just spoke to Nicky and he is so excited about our new house."
"I told him he could help build it."
"That's brilliant. Look at you all sexy and smart. I picked myself a good man."
He stood and crossed over to where she stood in front of his closed door. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face pale. "Yes you did. You okay?"
"I'm great."
"You're tired."
"A little."
"You've been crying."
"No I haven't."
"Cady."
"When a girl sees herself in her dream wedding dress, she's allowed to get a little teary eyed."
Tristan smiled. "I can't wait to see you in it."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "And I can't wait to get you out of it."
"You only have one thing on your mind."
"Can you blame me? I mean, come on, you're gorgeous."
"Yes. Yes I am."
"And humble."
"That too."
Tristan kissed her gently. "Are you taking a break?"
"Yeah, I think we're almost ready."
"Good. You've been pushing yourself too hard."
Cady shrugged and laid her cheek against his shoulder. "I just want it to be perfect. You only get married once."
"If you're lucky."
She tilted her head back to look at him. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Just that you're very, very lucky to have me."
"I see my humbleness is matched only by yours."
"And that's why we're a perfect match."
Cady rolled her eyes. "Any way, I was thinking."
"Uh oh."
"Now you're behaving like the twins. I was thinking that Erik and Sky are going to be engaged again by the end of the month."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What makes you say that?"
"They're back to normal and have you noticed how they're talking a lot lately about weddings and getting married."
"Don't push anything, they have to work this out on their own."
"I know, I'm just excited for them."
"And you can't wait to help Sky plan her wedding."
"Its fun," she yawned.
"Nothing that stresses you out this much can be called fun."
"What do you know?"
"I know you're exhausted and stretched thin. Dinner isn't for a couple of hours, how about I help you relax?"
"What do you have in mind?"
He gently rubbed his hands over her back. "Maybe you could lie down and I'll give you a massage and, well, we'll see what happens from there."
"Nothing is going to happen from there."
"Just three more days."
She grinned. "Just three more days."
