Something Old, Something New
Chapter 12: The Wedding that Was
Mr. Clark Kent and Guest,
You are invited to the wedding of
Lex Luthor and Kate Finn
At 2:00 on the afternoon of May fifth;
The Zenith Hotel,
56 Odin Street, Metropolis.
We look forward to your company on our special day.
Clark smiled at the invitation one last time, and tucked it neatly into his inner jacket pocket. He opened the door to the 'groom's room', and let himself in quietly.
"Congratulations, Lex," he said with a grin.
"Thankyou, Clark." Lex looked up from adjusting his shirt collar in the mirror and smiled at his friend. "I'm glad you could make it."
Clark raised his eyebrows, "I'm the best man, Lex – I had to make it."
"Which makes me wonder," Pete spoke up from the other side of the room. "Why send us invitations if we're in the wedding party?"
Lex smiled as though the answer were obvious, "So you would have no excuse not to be here on time."
Pete rolled his eyes at Lex and turned his attention back to his tie. "I'll never get this damn thing right," he complained, eyeing the thin end of the tie which was protruding from underneath the thicker end. "Do you think anyone will notice?"
"Here, let me," Clark said, holding his hand out for the tie. He untied Pete's feeble attempt at a double Windsor knot and slipped the tie around his own neck, watching intently in the mirror as he tied it correctly.
"Ready for the big moment, Lex?" Pete asked as he put the tie back on and checked himself in the mirror.
Lex smiled calmly, "Absolutely."
Clark stole a look at his watch and checked his pocket for the rings one final time. "It's time, Lex."
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"I still can't believe he asked you to marry him," Lana enthused, helping Chloe with the zipper on her dress.
Kate raised her eyebrows and laughed, causing Lana to backtrack quickly.
"I didn't mean…" she started. "I mean, of course I can believe it, you're… I just…" She looked down at the floor and gave a rueful smile, "Sorry."
Kate smiled at her friend, "It's okay, I know what you meant. I can't believe it either, sometimes."
"But you're happy about it, right?" Chloe asked, looking at her dress in the mirror.
Kate smiled, "Happier than ever."
Chloe stepped back and the girls crowded nervously around the bride as she took a final look at her reflection.
"You look beautiful," Chloe smiled genuinely at Kate, trying to calm her friend's nerves a little.
Kate smiled her thanks. "Is everyone ready?" she asked brightly.
Lana lifted three bouquets in answer, and handed them to their appropriate owners. "Ready," she affirmed.
Chloe looked at Kate gently, "Are you ready?"
Kate smiled, enjoying the feeling of butterflies in her stomach, "Absolutely."
She looked up at the wall clock and pushed out a nervous breath, "I guess it's time."
As the women stepped into the elevator, Chloe produced a small box from behind her back. She took Kate's bouquet and handed her the box instead. "We got you something small for the wedding," she said excitedly.
Kate looked touched, "You guys didn't have to do that."
"Actually, traditionally we do," Lana corrected with a kind smile.
Kate pulled the lid off of the box and stared vaguely at its contents.
"It's the four wedding traditions," Lana explained. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue."
Kate smiled at the gesture and pulled the items out one by one. A rusted penny, cherry flavoured lip gloss, a hair clip with five white stones, and a pair of powder blue lacy underwear.
"The penny is old, the lip gloss is new," Lana went on with a grin. "The hair clip is borrowed from Chloe, and…"
"And the underwear is blue," Kate finished with a giggle. "This is wonderful, girls. Thankyou so much."
Chloe and Lana smiled proudly as Kate hugged them in thanks.
"I'll tell you what," Kate said quickly, watching the elevator numbers get closer to the lobby. "Put that hair clip into my hair now, and I'll save the underwear for later…"
"What about the rest?" Lana asked, ignoring the insinuation and sliding the clip into her friend's hair.
"You can hold onto it," Kate said softly. "I already have something old and something new."
"You do?" Chloe looked confused. "What?"
The numbers stopped moving and the elevator doors opened smoothly. Kate's eyes fell on the man who stood waiting for her at the end of the aisle. Lex smiled at the sight of her, and her heart swelled with happiness. She smiled back as she took her first step towards the man she had loved all her life.
She gave a knowing look to the girls that stood beside her, "The groom."