Dick pulled up to the massive circus tent, walking towards one of the smaller preparation tents behind it. His brown leather shoes were already getting dusty from the downtrodden, hard-packed earth, and he pulled the tent flap back as he stepped into the dark, his eyes adjusting to the dim light.
"Okay. Is everyone here?" he asked, surveying the room. Alfred was fixing Tim's tie for him, and Bruce was idly looking at the photographs stapled to the nylon tent fabric. Jason and Damian were sitting around in chairs while Will scrolled through his phone absentmindedly. Tim played with Haly quietly as Alfred fussed over him. Dick smiled and walked over to her, picking her up. "Hello Angel," he cooed. "Did you miss me?" She reached to grab his tie.
"I really did," Jason sighed. "Thanks for asking." He smirked up at Dick.
"I'll bet," Dick scowled back, and then smiled at Haly. He kissed her cheek and bounced her a bit. "What's left to do?"
"We're still waiting for that one dude who's going to walk Harley down the aisle. And the caterers."
"Okay, Joe and the caterers aren't here, that's okay…" Dick took a deep breath. "And the officiant?" he asked. Haly cooed and touched Dick's face.
"The what?"
"Don't joke around," Damian suggested.
"Yeah, okay but I forgot about him." Jason scratched the back of his neck and looked around. "He's not important is he?" he asked hopefully.
"Only if we want to legally get married," Dick said carefully. "Well?"
"Hey I'm not the best man!" Jason defended. "I don't know where the dude is; stop looking at me like that."
"Jason, you're now the best man," Dick nodded. He'd never actually picked one, anyway; he couldn't decide. "Now call the officiant."
"Hey!" Tim cried. "I can do that! Why does he get to be the best man?"
"Ha! Too late." Jason pulled his cell phone out.
"Cuz Jason's been keeping track of the most. Go figure, he's the responsible one for once."
Haly fussed in Dick's arms and he held her head, rocking her gently. He froze, his face going pale.
"What," Bruce looked at him, and Dick looked down at Haly, who'd spit up all over his suit coat and her little pink dress.
"Shit. Shit." Dick put her down in her carrier gently. "Shit shit shit."
"I don't know how to handle that." Jason stared at Dick, the ringing phone pressed against his ear.
"No no, it's fine, Haly has another dress in her diaper bag," he pulled his jacket off. "Tim, give me your vest. Everyone take off your vests."
"In this family, why didn't we bring extras?" Tim asked as he shrugged his vest off. Dick took it and put it on. He sighed.
"Okay, I'll wear the vest, and you guys roll up your sleeves, tighten the ties. Shirt and tie looks nice, right? Okay. Harley's gonna kill me, but okay— Tim! How can I be smaller than you?!"
"Hey, I've been working out," Tim defended.
"Yeah, but— Jesus, I knew Jason's wouldn't fit…" Jason stuck his tongue out at him as he walked away to listen to the phone.
"Face it," Will spoke up, "you're the scrawniest one here."
"What?! But—" Dick patted Will's chest desperately- "when did you get so cut?!"
"You've been so absorbed in your fiancée that you haven't noticed anyone else," Damian teased. Dick gasped dramatically.
"You're taller! And scrawnier than me. I'm standing with you."
"Uh, guys." Jason came back. "Priest dude quit."
"What?!" Dick cried, grabbing Jay's shoulders. "Don't joke with me."
"No, dude. He actually quit. The whole priesthood thing."
"What did you say to him, Jason?! Why?!" Dick ran his hands through his hair. "This can't be happening."
"Well apparently he's eloping."
"Oh God— who's gonna do it?! No officiant, no wedding; no wedding— no mommy speaking to me for two weeks—" Dick looked down at Haly. "Don't look at me like that." He looked up at Jay. "What do we do?"
"I'm new to this too okay!" he defended. "Just find someone else to officiate it." Dick bit his lip.
"Tim, you're the best man. Find me an officiant," he pointed at him. "Yellow Pages, Craig's List, the Rogues Gallery… Anything."
"Hey!" Jason cried as Tim grinned triumphantly.
"Sirs," Alfred sighed, "if I might suggest that—" He was cut out when Jason cried out. He held his phone up.
"The maid of honor is calling. What do I tell her? She's gonna kill me."
"I mean— tell her the truth, I guess?" Dick bit his lip again nervously. Jason answered and slowly lifted the phone to his ear.
"Hi honey." Jason listened for a second before wincing. "No I didn't call you honey because something's wrong. I just wanted to be nice." He listened again. "Yes something maybe went a little wrong." He held the phone away from his ear. "Don't yell at me, it's not my fault! It's the priest—" He rolled his eyes. "Yes I know they can't get married without a priest. We're working on it. So did you just call because you can sense when things go wrong or…" Jason's face went pale. "You wanted to make sure Joe's suit fit for when he walked Harley down the aisle." He stared at Dick with wide eyes. "No I'm not repeating what you just said because it surprised me. I gotta go. It fits him like a glove. Call you back in a bit." He hung up and glanced around. "Where the hell is Joe!?"
"I gotta go find him," Dick bit his lip again. "Harley wanted him in the wedding! She'll be so upset! Bruce— find some kind of priest— I don't care if it's Ra's Al Ghul. He can marry people, right?!"
"Yes," Damian said simply.
"I'm gonna go find Joe."
"Or you could at least try calling him first," Will suggested. "The wedding can't happen without you either."
"Good plan, good plan—" Dick pulled out his phone and dialed the number. It rang through to voicemail.
"Tim. What are you doing?" Jason asked as Dick redialed. Tim had pulled his laptop out.
"Using our, uh, resources to search his recent activity."
Jason grimaced. "Tim's version of best man is creepy. I vote you reinstate me." Tim ignored him, searching on the computer.
"Oh."
"What. What. What now," Dick snapped, and then took a deep breath.
"Well he's probably not answering because he was in a car crash on Grover."
"Hey, I drove past that accident!" Will interrupted.
"And he probably doesn't have his phone because he's currently at the hospital…" Tim studied the screen, "for a broken leg? Doesn't look like he's walking anyone anywhere. Oooo, they just uploaded x-rays."
"Not something to be excited about," Jason muttered. Dick stared straight through Tim.
"This can't be happening. I'm gonna have a panic attack. I'm having a panic attack," Dick gasped, sitting down.
"Not to make it worse, but Ivy texted and the girls are on their way." Jason set his phone back down after reading the text. "That woman is going to murder me as if this was my fault."
"Good," Dick coughed. "I need to see Harley."
"You will not see her before the ceremony," Alfred insisted. "You will figure this out without worrying her. I'm sure the ladies will be happy to help once they get here."
"Why can't I see her? Why do these stupid wedding traditions have to—?!" Dick cried. "They're stupid. Okay. Jason! Find me an officiant. Alfred, can you walk Harley down the aisle? She adores you." He looked at Alfred hopefully.
"I would be happy to Master Grayson. However, I feel the need to point out that not only would that leave you with an extra bridesmaid, but that I am a registered officiant and that seems like a more difficult role to fill." He straightened Dick's tie. "Of course it's your decision, Sir."
"Alfred why didn't you say that ten minutes ago!?" Dick sighed in relief. "Okay. You officiate, and someone… God, who can walk Harley down the aisle? Is it okay to just… walk?"
"You're going to tell Harley…" Jason spoke up, "that she's walking by herself down the aisle? Nuh uh, don't do it."
"Well what else? Ivy could do it! She'd love that! and then we'd just… shuffle the bridesmaids around. Right?" Dick pulled at his collar, loosening his tie again.
"There is no way I'm telling Ivy she doesn't get her one chance at being a 'maid of honor.' You'd have to do it," Jason warned him.
"I'll do it," Bruce said as he straightened his cuffs. Dick beamed.
"Really?" He grinned again, rushing toward Bruce; he tensed when Dick hugged him tight. "Thank you!"
"Ivy's definitely gonna kill him if he tells her," Jason offered.
"No you moron," Tim smacked his head, "he's going to walk her."
"Do not hit me again," Jason threatened.
"No black eyes," Dick glared at Jason. "If you have to hit him, aim somewhere no one will see the bruises."
"Deal." Jason glared at Tim.
"Now we're down two groomsmen," Will pointed out. "Any idea how to solve that one?"
"The girls can walk together," Dick waved a hand. "When are the girls getting here? We've got less than an hour." Ivy burst through the tent.
"They're taking Harley around back. What happened?" she demanded as she marched over.
"Why is your hair on fire?" Jason asked. He moved over by her to play with the lighter, bright orange tips.
"Yeah, what happened to you? You and Barbara?!" Dick gaped at her. Haly began to cry, and Dick took her from Alfred to quiet her.
"What's wrong with Barbara?!" Bruce demanded in surprise. Dick winced.
"She's less of a redhead and more of a blonde now…"
"Oh dear," Alfred sighed. Ivy swatted Jason's hands away.
"That's not important right now. What's going on? We're trying not to freak Harley out."
"What about me!?" Dick cried.
"You idiots probably did something to screw it up!" Ivy snapped, planting a hand on her hip.
Jason rolled his eyes behind her back.
"What's going on?" Selina ducked into the tent.
"Alfred's officiating, Bruce is walking Harley down the aisle, and Cassandra and you are walking together," Dick told her. "I think that's it."
"Aw," Selina's face fell, "I'm downgraded to surplus bridesmaid?"
"I'm sorry, Selina; the officiant quit, and Joe broke his leg in a car accident of all things. He's at Gotham Med and doing fine, but he won't be here. Break that news to Harley easily," Dick winced.
"Ha. 'Break'." Tim laughed.
"I've got this one for you, Bruce." Jason smacked the back of Tim's head. "Not the time, Tim," he scolded in mock seriousness.
"Okay. Okay, what do we do?! I wasn't paying attention at Selina's wedding— do we need to get lined up, or…?" Dick ran a hand through his hair, still trying to quiet Haly. He looked more stressed than Harley had.
"Calm down," Selina laughed. "Give me Haly, and you can head into the main tent. Chat it up on your way to get into place at the front. Who's officiating? Alfred? He can go with you."
"Oh. Okay. Okay…" Dick gave Haly to her and followed Alfred out. Bruce sighed.
"And lead us to our places, my dear." The groomsmen shuffled about a bit and Bruce placed a hand on Selina's back to guide her out of the tent. She flinched away from his hand, a sharp pain coming from her still raw tattoo, and he looked at her in concern. "Are you alright?"
"Fine. I'm fine."
"The flowers should be waiting for us," Ivy told them. She rolled her eyes as Jason walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Hopefully Harley's okay with everything that we had to change. She's been upset enough as it is this morning."
"Haly will cheer her right up though," Selina smiled down at the baby. "Yes you will! Mama missed you very much sweetie."
Haly cooed happily and held on to Selina's finger. Bruce watched her a bit sadly until she looked at him with a smile, and he smiled back. Ivy led them out of the tent and over to the side tent Harley and the rest of the bridesmaids were in. She paused before going in.
"Stephanie said I should remind you that there was a bachelorette party last night and they got really drunk and poor decisions were made." She went in, and everyone looked to Selina.
"It's a bit of a mad house."
"St-stephie?" Tim's jaw dropped when they walked in and he saw her purple ombre hair. Will laughed, and Bruce glared around the room at them until his eyes fell on Harley, and he actually stepped back in shock. He clearly didn't look happy, at any of them; Barbara's back was to them, and the tattoo on the back of her neck was quite visible. He leaned down to Selina.
"What the hell happened last night?!" he growled. "Tell me you didn't—"
"—I'll show you later," she interrupted him, with a sweet smile. He glared down at her.
"Harley, I think you have a little bubblegum in your hair," Tim choked.
"I know!" Harley hid her face in her hands. "Dick is gonna hate it."
"I love your hair by the way," Jason mumbled and kissed Ivy's cheek.
"You look positively breathtaking," Damian smiled, staring at Harley. The flowing skirt of her blush dress swept the floor, with a slit on the left side up to her thigh. A simple satin band cut across her waist, and the top was covered in a delicate pink lace.
"What's that?" Tim pointed at her chest. The top ended in a sweetheart neckline, but the lace continued up into a halter. Under the lace was a dark shape above her heart.
"It's… uh…." Harley was blushing bright red and took Haly from Selina. She buried her face in the baby's hair as she held her. "A tattoo."
"How many of you got tattoos?" Bruce demanded in exasperation, pacing. "Stephanie, you are not going out like that. How much did you have to drink!? I'm—" Bruce stopped himself before he could say 'so disappointed in you all'. "Forget it. This is… You look beautiful, Harley." He forcibly relaxed his shoulders.
"At least I didn't get a tattoo that says 'I am Batman,'" Steph muttered defiantly. Cassandra flexed her arm muscles to show off the tattoo. Ivy glanced at Jason and saw him looking her over.
"I didn't get a tattoo. Knock it off."
"Who got— never mind. I don't want to know," Bruce muttered, but he couldn't help eyeing Selina suspiciously. She smiled sweetly at him again and then leaned down to straighten Damian's collar for him. Damian patiently allowed her to, fixing his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"Wait, weren't you guys supposed to be in, like, vests and ties…?" Steph pointed at Tim and then looked around at the rest of the groomsmen; only wearing khakis and pale blue button downs undone at the collars and rolled up at the sleeves.
"Dick's wearing Tim's because Haly decided to share her breakfast with his suit jacket," Jason updated.
"And what about Joe?" Harley looked around. "Where is he? Where's Alfred?"
"Alfred is going to officiate," Tim said slowly. "The preacher quit. And Joe broke his leg in a car collision— he's totally fine, he's at the hospital. He's okay and we have it handled!" Tim smiled.
"He's… It's..." Harley stared at them with panicked eyes. "So I'm… walking by myself? Who's Cass walking with now? And you're sure he's okay!?" Haly reached up toward her pink hair, her hand grasping at air.
"He's okay," Bruce assured her, and he put a hand on her shoulder gently. "Cassandra will walk with Selina, and I'm walking you down the aisle."
"Really?" Harley perked up, and Haly stretched up to try and grab Bruce's fingers. "Are you two okay with that?" Harley turned to look at Selina and Cass.
"Anything for my step daughter," Selina grinned. Cass rolled her eyes but smiled.
"Okay… okay." Harley looked around at everyone. "And everything is else okay? Everyone else is here?"
"Everyone is here. Are you ready to get married?" Selina beamed.
"Yes." Harley kissed Haly's cheek. "I'm nervous, and I don't know why," she admitted. "I just keep worrying something's going to go wrong."
"Nothing's going to go wrong!" Barbara assured her. "Nothing more than what already has, anyway…" Cass smacked Barbara's arm and then knocked on the wooden tent pole beside her.
"You'll forget all your worries once we're lined up," Selina assured her as she took Cass's arm. Haly cooed and reached for Harley's pink hair, gurgling.
"Okay," Harley breathed. She brushed Haly's hair off her forehead.
"Damn it, I remember when I was making fun of Dick for visiting you in Arkham," Will huffed. He blinked his eyes and cleared his throat, and Molly shook her head in amusement. Tim laughed.
"Yeah well you should've heard the crap we gave him about it…" He grinned at Harley.
"Okay fine, make fun of me for my jester days, but at least make fun of Jason for the green diaper phase." She smirked as she bounced Haly.
"Hey! I inherited that outfit from your fiancé."
"It was his choice. Honestly, I couldn't change his mind," Bruce muttered.
"Let me guess, something about free range of motion?" Harley asked.
"Something like that. I was less worried about the outfit itself than the color. It was like having a little red, green and gold target running around with me."
"But I've seen pictures and he was so cute," Harley laughed. "Until he started getting older. Then it started getting a little creepy."
"Yeah, twelve probably should have been the limit," Jason muttered. "He wore it until he was damn near seventeen…" he smirked.
"Are we ignoring the bride's poor costume decisions?" Steph asked.
"Are we ignoring the fact that a wedding is supposed to be happening?" Ivy snapped back.
"Yeah, um… When, exactly?" Tim asked quietly. Ivy grabbed Jason's wrist to check his watch.
"It's time to start getting lined up."
"But Barry isn't here to take Haly yet!" Harley objected. She bounced the baby in her arms who was still trying to reach her hair.
"Barry? Your irresponsible, kinda trash person brother?" Steph asked.
"That'd be the one," Harley muttered. "I don't know what to do if he doesn't get here. I specifically threatened him several times about being late."
"Well he's getting pretty late. Dickie might come back here to see what's up," Steph played with her pink hair with a grin. "How do you think he'll react when he sees this?"
"Oh God, I'm trying not to think about that right now."
"We're supposed to be lining up," Ivy reminded everyone, dragging Jason to his feet.
"What's the order even now?" Tim asked.
"Who am I walking with?" Damian suddenly said, looking at Harley.
"I thought you were walking with Cass." She looked between Selina and him. Selina pursed her lips, counting the heads in the room.
"Okay," She sighed. "Okay… here. I'll walk Haly, and then Damian can walk with Cassie. That works, right?"
"Does it?" Harley asked. "I don't know. Everything keeps going wrong."
"It's okay," Selina smiled at her, a hand on her shoulder. "Take a deep breath, Harles. And let's get this show on the road." She reluctantly handed Haly over to her. Without Haly, she had nothing to hold on to. Nothing to calm her down. Bruce offered her his arm, and she gratefully took it.
Tim let out a halfhearted 'woo', more excited to be moving than anything. Everyone lined up in their order, and Harley and Bruce moved to the back of the line.
"Thank you for walking me," Harley whispered. Ivy checked Jason's watch ahead of them as the music began. Harley's head snapped toward the entrance at the sound; she'd somehow thought they'd had more time.
"It is my absolute honor," he said quietly, glancing down at her before he smiled a little.
"I'm nervous," Harley admitted. "I've been ready for this for so long, but now that it's here… I don't know why I'm so nervous."
"Because you dyed your hair pink the night before your wedding?" he guessed, and then smiled at her. "Relax." Bruce pushed a curl gently behind her ear. "You look beautiful, and he will think so too."
"Just so long as nothing else goes wrong," Harley breathed. She looked forward toward the front of the line of everyone gathered. Ivy glanced back at her and smiled encouragingly.
"Even if something else does go awry… you're marrying into quite possibly the only family in this entire city that can handle anything." Ahead of them, Ivy and Jason walked out to the music. It was Selina and Haly, and then Harley. Bruce looked down at her. "And I couldn't be happier that you are part of it now. I am truly, deeply grateful for how happy you make him, and from the bottom of my heart, Harley— thank you." She glanced up at him before facing forward again, her cheeks pinkening.
"Thank you." She was still nervous, but she couldn't help being proud of the fact that Batman had just given her his blessing. Selina flashed them a smile before she and Haly walked out.
Dick grinned, relaxing at the sight of Haly. He had to admit, Stephanie and Cassandra and Barbara's hair had thrown him, but he was recovering now. There didn't seem to be much harm done. Haly grabbed a fistful of flower petals and dumped them all on one spot, looking down as if it was the most work she'd ever concentrated on. Dick stifled a quiet laugh. His daughter. His daughter. She was a miracle. Haly grabbed another fistful and chucked it at an audience member, flowers raining over Harley's brother, who'd shown up late and taken a seat towards the front uneasily. Dick snorted, and Selina grabbed Haly's hand, smiling and whispering to her as they sat down in one of the front chairs.
The music changed and Dick's heart almost stopped.
Everyone around him stood, turning back to the entrance of the circus tent, light streaming in so bright that he could only see the silhouette of his fiancée— his wife— in the frame of the draped fabric. Above their heads, hundreds of round bulb lights glittered in the trapeze net; the acrobats had spent hours decorating for them. The ground was hard packed dirt, but scattered everywhere was a sweet scented flower, supposedly to bring them luck, the old fortune teller woman had said. Dick bit his lip, the music swelling as Bruce and Harley came down the aisle.
Bruce guided Harley forward, his hand resting gently on hers on his arm. Everyone's eyes were on her. She blushed as she met Dick's eyes, but she couldn't stop smiling. Everyone was lined up around him, but all she could register was that she was walking down the aisle to him. Ahead of them, Dick's face went white as he beamed, looking absolutely weak in the knees. Harley saw his lips part in a gasp before he smiled, and it only faltered for a moment when he saw her hair, his brows knit in confusion before he was grinning again. That stupid, selfless, beautiful grin that she fell in love with.
His eyes were fixed on her. What happened to her hair!? He thought, resisting the urge to laugh. Somehow it still looked stunning, though; as she walked down the aisle toward him, he could barely breathe. There wasn't anyone else who could have taken her place in that dress, walking to stand by his side. Harley glanced up at Bruce as they stopped just in front of Dick. She noticed he wasn't wearing his suit jacket, just a vest, but the more casual look suited him. Bruce turned her around to face him, kissing her forehead before handing her off to Dick. He squeezed her hand.
"Wow," he whispered breathlessly. Harley giggled a little before turning to face Alfred. He looked at them both to make sure they were ready.
"Friends, family, guests," Alfred began, "we are gathered here to celebrate the marriage of Richard John Grayson-Wayne and Harleen Frances Quinzel." Harley peeked over at Dick. He glanced at her with a smile. He still looked pale, but he was glad everything was finally underweigh so he could relax a little. Good thing, too, his head was spinning. Nothing else could go wrong at this point. "This ceremony is not only the beginning of their marriage with one another, but a marker in in the long journey the two of them have taken together to make it to this point." Bruce waited patiently behind Harley until Alfred faced him. "Who gives this bride?"
"I do." Alfred nodded to Bruce, and he went to sit beside Selina. Haly leaned over to him, grasping at his tie. Dick smiled at his daughter and closed his eyes. He was so nauseous, the nervousness filling his stomach. And he suddenly realized what the term 'cold feet' must mean; his limbs felt heavy and cold, but he smiled at Alfred happily. Alfred eyed him suspiciously before continuing on.
"To those gathered here today to watch this ceremony, you've come today to celebrate the union between Richard and Harley. Are there any among you who object to these two being joined in marriage? Speak now or forever hold your peace." Jason leaned over to Tim and whispered to him.
"They better hold their peace," he muttered. "We've waited long enough for this." Dick turned his head to glare at their whispering, but the room was suddenly dark.
Beside Harley, Dick crumpled forward to the floor in a heap.
"I object!" A voice cackled from the back of the room, and Dick whirled to see the Joker at the end of the aisle. People stood and someone screamed, and then a voice was whispering in his ear.
"Come on, Dick, you're ok. Shake it off, buddy," Jason smacked his face, and he was jerked back to reality, the lights of the tent fading back into his fuzzy vision, Jason's face above him. He looked up at Harley. "He's okay, just passed out—" Jason smacked his face again— "come on, man, you can't sleep through your wedding."
The small crowd still murmured in worry and Dick blinked slowly and looked down the aisle to make sure that the Joker had, in fact, been his imagination. There was no one there. "Harles?" he breathed, coughing a bit as he tried to sit up.
"Dick? Are you okay?" She knelt down beside him, brushing his hair back from his forehead. "What happened?"
"Just lightheaded," he chuckled, but he felt sick. It was beginning to ebb away. "I'm sorry, darling…" He coughed again, trying to dispel the nausea. His face was pale and his lips discolored, but he smiled, getting shakily to his feet. "I'm okay. Sorry, sorry…" Mai brought up a bottle of water for him.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Harley fussed over him. "Maybe you shouldn't be standing." Dick brushed off her worry and drank half the water bottle.
"I'm okay Harles. Sorry—" he turned and addressed the audience— "sorry everyone—" Dick smiled at Alfred again, looking more like his normal self, despite his shaking hands. "Sorry. We can continue. I'm okay." Harley's brow furrowed, but she turned to face Alfred again.
"I'm going to assume there are no objections or else they would've been made during that… incident." Alfred looked at Dick. "I didn't have time to prepare a speech or sermon, but if I've been told correctly, the bride and groom have prepared their own vows. Richard, if you will present yours please."
"Okay," Dick took a deep breath, still coming down off of his lightheadedness. He turned to Harley with a smile. "Harles. I…" he trailed off, staring at her beautiful face, her veil blurring her smile a little as she watched him. Dick exhaled sharply. "I never, in all my years, thought this day could be so incredibly perfect." He began, before taking another deep breath. "You are the most brilliant, most beautiful, and kindest woman I have ever known, and all you've ever wanted was for someone to love you. I promise to do just that, with all my heart." He looked down. "I promise to… Not forget to do something as important as writing vows when you tell me to do it," he laughed. "I promise to love you, and protect you. I will keep our family safe, and I will always come home to you; I promise to respect you, and support you, and trust you unconditionally. I will always laugh at your jokes. And… I'll never forget to put the toilet seat down," he laughed, looking down at their hands before he met her eyes again. "I will always, always be there for you. I'm in love all over again every time you smile at me, and I will never stop falling for you." He put a hand on her cheek. "My crazy, beautiful girl. Falling for you is just like flying." Harley giggled, sniffling a little.
"Miss Harley, your vows," Alfred prompted.
"Maybe I should've gone first," she admitted as she reached under her veil to wipe her eyes. "Of course you just made up your vows, and they're better than anything you could've written." She smiled at him. "Dick," she laughed, "I literally fell for you from the moment I met you, and you've never failed to catch me along the way. I fell in love with that stupid grin of yours, your completely idiotic jokes, and the absolute confidence you put into loving me. Loving you is so easy, I didn't even mean to do it. You found me at a time in my life when I needed to… rather forcibly be shown what love really is, and you did show me. And you constantly amaze me with how caring and forgiving you can be no matter how badly I mess up or hurt you. You're always there for me to run back to. And you gave me a family. When I look at our daughter and see you, I know I have everything in the world. So I promise to always be honest with you because I know how much easier it would've been for us along the way if we didn't have secrets from each other. And they were some… pretty big secrets. But no matter what, the more I learned about you, the more I knew I loved you. I also promise to worry too much about you every time you put yourself in danger, because I couldn't live without you. I love you more and more every single day. With every dog you bring home, and song you sing to our daughter, every stupid smile, and every time you tell me you love me I have to remind myself that this is real because it's too good to be true. And I know I told you no the first time you proposed to me... and the second… and maybe a few more times after that, but I've never wanted anything more than this. But I was scared of this moment and," she blushed, "really nervous because we've always said we wanted forever and here it is. And I never wanted this moment to come. Because once it does, we never get it again, but I realized today after pink hair and everything going wrong that could possibly go wrong, that it doesn't matter. We still have everything ahead of us and even if this wedding had been perfect or the tent had collapsed, it's still our wedding and just a small moment of the rest of our lives. And I get to spend all of it with you." Dick watched her happily, and then he blinked rapidly.
"You're getting me a little bit, too," he laughed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.
"If neither of you have anything more to say, then please join hands." Harley handed her bouquet over to Ivy before grabbing Dick's hands. She beamed at him through her veil. "Richard, do you take Harley as your cherished wife, in front of these witnesses, and promise to stay by her side through sickness and health, joy and sorrow, so long as you both shall live?"
"I do," he smiled down at her.
"And Harley, do you take—" Alfred was interrupted as Haly started squealing in Selina's arms. She tried to quiet her, but Haly just got louder and started wailing as a result. "Do you take Richard as your—" Haly refused to be quieted by Selina, screaming her lungs out.
"Is it bad luck to let go right now?" Harley whispered. Tears streamed down Haly's face as she kept crying. Harley let go of Dick's hands and went over to the front row. When Haly saw her, she reached her arms out to her. "It's okay." Harley took her from Selina, rocking her in her arms. "It's okay." Her crying faltered as she whimpered against Harley's shoulder. She talked quietly to her as she walked back up to Dick. Haly hiccuped as her little fist clutched the lace of Harley's dress. "Sorry. She gets grumpy when she's tired." Haly rested her cheek against Harley's chest as she took a few shaky breaths as she quieted; Harley bounced her gently.
"Well, I suppose…" Alfred cleared his throat. "If you would join your… hand again." Harley shifted Haly firmly over to one arm and used her free hand to take Dick's. He reached his other hand over and took Haly's little hand in his. "Now, do you Harley take Dick as your cherished husband, in front of these witnesses, and promise to stay by his side through sickness and health, joy and sorrow, so long as you both shall live?"
"I do," she breathed.
"Now we'll exchange rings as a symbol of the love between you two. The rings will serve as a constant reminder of the bond you two share." He looked to Dick. "If you will present the rings." Dick grinned and glanced over his shoulder at Mai, who let go of the circus monkey she was holding. He wore a little tuxedo, and he scampered up to Dick and Harley, chittering as he held up a little box with the rings in it. There were coos from the audience as Dick rubbed the monkey's head and took the rings, laughing to himself as he held Harley's ring. She hadn't seen it yet, a gold dipped piece of the safety net tied in a bow. "Richard as you place this ring on Harley's finger, repeat after me." Dick slipped it onto her finger with a smile. "With this ring…"
"With this ring," he breathed, holding it tight.
"I thee wed…"
"I thee wed," Dick smiled lovingly at her. Haly was sucking her thumb as her eyes fluttered sleepily.
"And offer it as a symbol…"
"And offer it as a symbol."
"Of my everlasting love."
"Of my everlasting love," he said quietly, squeezing her hand.
"Now Harley…" She reached out and carefully took the ring from the monkey. It was a blue and black titanium ring. Haly pulled her thumb out of her mouth to reach sleepily for it. "As you place this ring on Richard's finger, please repeat after me." Harley slowly slid the ring onto his finger while holding Haly steady with her other hand. "With this ring…"
"With this ring." Harley beamed at Dick, her hand still holding his.
"I thee wed…"
"I thee wed," she breathed. She was afraid her voice was going to crack or that she'd become so choked up she wouldn't be able to talk.
"And offer it as a symbol…"
"And offer it as a symbol."
"Of my everlasting love."
"Of my everlasting love," she promised with a smiled, her eyes watering. Dick bit his lip and grinned back at her.
"And now, with the power vested in me," Alfred declared, "I now pronounce you husband and wife."
"Finally," Steph giggled.
"You may kiss the bride."
Dick stepped forward and pulled her veil away, his hand stroking her cheek as he held her face and leaned down to kiss her passionately. Haly's head bobbed off of Harley's shoulder again and she gave Harley a sloppy kiss on the cheek, trying to get in on the kiss as well. Dick laughed and kissed her head gently. The audience applauded as he smiled down at her and then kissed her again, smiling against her lips.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Harley broke away with a giggle as Alfred spoke behind them. She glanced back at him before out at the crowd. "I am happy to present Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Harley Grayson!"