And it's crazy, but that doesn't stop them from driving into Ottawa the next morning after checkout, from using Google to locate city hall and paying far too much for parking. It only took about an hour, Delphine justified, and they'd certainly seen all Merrickville had to offer. Truth, she'd already wanted to marry Cosima, to ask her, but had convinced herself she had to delay after almost letting it slip out during Felix's art show. It was too early, she had told herself. Cosima needed more time, she had thought. Delphine had never been happier to be wrong.

It's not difficult, Delphine thinks producing her French passport and Ontario driver's license obediently for the application form and the marriage license.

It takes longer for Cosima to produce her documents, her American passport and driver's license eventually shoved onto the counter. She smiles at them, but a nervousness creeps n. What are they doing? Isn't this far too fast?

"Is there like a waiting period?" Cosima asks, as she's printing her name down onto the form. "Like, can we get hitched today justice of the peace style, or do we like have to wait a week or something?"

"No, you can sit in the waiting area, there's no waiting period. We can get this done for you ladies today." The young man smiles at them from behind the counter. "I will check and see how soon we can book you in - it can definitely be today though. You'll each need a witness."

"Great… let's do it." Cosima looks at her hopefully, and she nods.

Delphine nods assent. "Yes." This is what she wants, desperately, more than anything.

"Great." The young man clicks away at his keyboard. "There will be a short wait, but it will be today. And it's $156.51, in addition to the license fee, during business hours is cheaper."

Delphine pays, unthinkingly, just a thrill that runs through her. Why is this arousing her? Why is this what she wants? Why is having Cosima as a wife so appealing?

Cosima looks over at her, and she falters as they take a small card with their appointment time. "Are you okay?"

"What are we going to do about witnesses?" Delphine hisses in response, guiding Cosima back to the waiting area.

"No problem, we'll just ask people who are waiting for other documents." Cosima waves a hand around the large room with multiple waiting areas. And it was full, despite not being 10 am on a Monday morning.

And maybe it's not romantic enough. Perhaps she should insist that she and Cosima wait a month or two, plan out something small. Another romantic getaway, but she thinks back to the last three days, and doesn't want to change a thing.

They're not the only couple there, another, a man and a woman, both young and giggly, sit across from them.

"Do you want to sit here for two hours?" Cosima turns to her with her whole body, bracing her arm against the chair for balance.

"No, let's take a walk and come back." Delphine stands and reaches for Cosima's hand, wandering outside into the cool early spring day.

"This is… kind of awesome." Cosima giggles to her, keeping her pulled close by their joined hands. "And kind of crazy."

"Are you sure? Are you sure you want to do this now?" Delphine stops Cosima, stroking her cheek. They could wait longer, they could have their vacation and marry in Toronto this summer, quietly. Then again, this, to Delphine, still seemed perfect.

"Yes." The response is so confident, so sure, that she falters, and simply kisses her love instead. A few people walk by them, but no one interrupts, allowing them to stay lost in their own little world for a few blissful minutes.

"Mmm." Cosima hums happily, when she pulls back from the kiss. "We need to make today special.:

"We… we should go get rings." Delphine tells Cosima decisively, surely that is enough time to find a jewellery, even just to purchase plain gold bands.

They find a jewellry store a reasonable walk away and purchase two plain wedding bands, both yellow gold, even though the shopkeeper informs them platinum is more stylish and tries to upsell both of them.

"We'll have them engraved later." Delphine promises, tucking the ring box into her purse. "I needed to leave before he pestered me anymore about getting you a diamond." She could, of course, get Cosima one later if she wanted. There was no time limit on such things, at least as far as Delphine was aware.

Cosima shakes her head. "I don't care about that. I want you."

Another kiss follows, uncaring about the small groups of people milling about Sparks Street on the pedestrian walkway, or the construction workers who were most certainly staring. She has Cosima. Why should she care about anything else?


The wedding took a matter of minutes, it was simply a matter of vows and signing the certificate. Delphine hums as she signs her name in one of the spaces marked spouse. None of the form assuming anything about gender of spouses.

"My turn." Cosima takes the pen from her, signing, before handing it over to one of their impromptu witnesses. Who also signs for them. How Cosima had managed to find an older lesbian couple there to deal with their driver's licenses she'd never know. But the women were happy to sign for them.

"I declare you spouses for life." The justice of the peace declares calmly, once everyone has signed.

"So…?" Cosima prompts.

"You may kiss the bride." The justice of the peace supplies obediently with a small smirk.

Delphine doesn't have to be asked twice, she quickly gathers Cosima in her arms and hauls her in. She keeps the kiss lighter, considering their audience, but she's reluctant to let it end.

"And done," Cosima grins, after pulling back from their kiss.

"Yes." She agrees. A marriage must be consummated, Delphine notes to herself. But that can wait until later. It's not like she needs to haul Cosima off this second to have her way with her.

They thank their witnesses, offering to buy them both a cup of tea or coffee as a thank you, but are quickly brushed off and they leave city hall feeling somewhat unsure of what comes next.

"Do you want to get a room at the Château Laurier?" Delphine suggests, an image of wine and a fancy dinner there, perhaps room service breakfast, quickly forming in her mind. The perfect wedding night.

Cosima stops walking, closing her eyes briefly. "God… say it again."

"I am serious." Delphine insists. This was no time for joking.

"No… we can find something less expensive. I'm sure there are other hotels around. Why waste more money?" Cosima responds, reaching to take her hand as they make their way to the elevator to exit City Hall.

"We should at least get dinner." Delphine persuades. "We need to celebrate this… it...it won't ever happen again."

"Ooh what about that expensive vegetarian place I saw on Yelp… and we could get like the five course tasting menu." Cosima wonders aloud, reaching to check her phone for directions. "I can make a reservation."

"Yes." They need to celebrate this mark this occasion, even if it is just the two of them.

Their reservation made, they continue to explore around centre town, popping into shops, their fancy dinner reservation already made.

She insists on the Château Laurier, and Cosima relents, calling herself to book them a room. It's no honeymoon suite, but a room with a queen sized bed and a nice view of Ottawa is enough, for both of them. Plus the free parking, which they can use for the next three days.

When Cosima drags her into Wicked Wanda's Sex Emporium, she tries to object. Not again, Delphine thinks to herself. She doesn't want this, can't they just get a nice bottle of natural lube and go?

"Come on…" Cosima urges, "we'll get something fun."

Delphine tries to let her new wife down easy. "Cosima… I do not need toys."

But Cosima merely shushes her, dragging her to a wall past the front counters. Filled with dildos on display. Cosima grabs her by the shoulders and centres her in front of it. Delphine's first reaction is to laugh. A shelf of dismembered fake penises, she nods at it, looking briefly to the left noting the smaller display of non-realistic dildos.

"Pick one." Cosima tells her, whispering in her ear. "Pick one for me to fuck you with."

Delphine snorts. None are truly to her taste, all too… American for her preferences. Then again, how would one simulate that? Delphine wonders to herself for a couple moments. But it doesn't matter, she doesn't want it. She wants Cosima.

"Cosima, I do not want one." Delphine whispers quietly, again taking in the wall. Some of the dildos are ridiculously large, she can't recall ever seeing a man that large, erect or otherwise. Most seem to be above average in size.

"But you like dick." Cosima hisses at her mischievously. "Why not take mine? And you get to have it customized to your own specifications." Cosima picks up one particularly large ugly dildo in a case, giving it a wave near her face.

All she can suddenly imagine is the fake coronal ridge scraping her dry. Delphine winces and Cosima trades the dildo for another package, giving it a wiggle making the silicone bend slightly inside its packaging.

"I don't want any of them." Delphine tries again, "I am satisfied with you."

The cashier, a young woman with blue hair, glances over at them for a minute, before deciding to leave them to their own devices.

"Come on…" Cosima cajoles, holding up another, seemingly trying to tempt her with it.

This, Delphine thinks, is not what she wanted for her wedding night. Delphine lets out a sigh, realizing she's not going to get out of this store without allowing Cosima to purchase one.

"Why don't you just pick one?" Delphine sighs finally, glancing now to the unrealistic ones, rippled surfaces of blue and purple silicone. She gravitates in that direction, leaving Cosima to the wall of phalluses. She isn't really looking, mostly zoned out and wondering at the vast amount of sexual accoutrements sold from shops like this one every day. Delphine recalls some unsuccessful experimentation with a vibrator in her university days, and hasn't bothered much with shops like these beyond better lubes since.

She soon realizes Cosima has snuck up behind her when her lover's voice is right in her ear.

"You want nonrealistic? Really?" Cosima offers in surprise.

She contemplates answering, but simply hums in response. Delphine turns to face her lover, but finds only a harness and a small bottle of lube in Cosima's hands.

"This one?" Cosima picks up a mid-sized purple one straight in her line of vision. "Oh… this one and the big red one, then we can just use whatever works."

"Alright." Delphine agrees nodding, eager to get out of here and get on with their day. The red one is larger than she'd like, but she says nothing. At least it's not the hyper-realistic veined monster dong. She doesn't want to picture that attached to her beautiful Cosima, with a harness or otherwise.

Cosima pays, and her new purchases are packed discreetly in a bag.

"Nice choices…" The saleswoman comments. "Have a nice day."

"Thanks, you too." Cosima smiles, before cheerfully exiting the shop with Delphine in tow.

"I don't want to use it tonight." Delphine states clearly, just as they are making their way down Bank St, taking note of the rainbows in shop windows and rainbow crosswalks.

"Okay, not for the wedding night." Cosima nods her agreement. "We can just put them in the car, and save them for later on. Or whenever."

They eat a leisurely lunch, vegetarian again, this time at a Thai restaurant. Delphine studies her ring happily, enjoying the look of a matching one on Cosima's left hand.

She laughs and smiles, too much, but Cosima too is smiling like an idiot.

Perhaps this is what real happiness feels like, Delphine muses. Would she and Cosima look back on this day when they got old? And how could she make it more special?


"Are you sure we were supposed to turn left?" Delphine asks Cosima again, as she steers their rental car down a winding country road in Gatineau. They'd driven out here to try to go zip-lining of all things. Or trying to find some dratted waterfall for Cosima's requested 'wedding-selfie'.
And yet every time Cosima checked her phone for directions her idea seemed to change. She wanted to be frustrated. Wanted to tell Cosima to make up her mind what she wanted. At least they had checked into the hotel early, so that the car wasn't quite as full. The queen sized bed with the lovely view was awaiting them, Delphine had quietly asked the front desk to ensure that there was a good bottle of wine and flowers in the room when they returned. That much, she could do.

"Uhh not exactly." Cosima replies apologetically, wringing her hands. Her lover stares out the window, seemingly looking for something while ignoring the GPS supposedly running on her phone.

"Mon amour," Delphine begins diplomatically, "please decide where we are going. I don't want to waste our whole afternoon in the car. We have a dinner reservation at 6:30, and I don't want to be late for that." Or… Delphine adds silently to herself, too tired once they found themselves alone in their hotel room.

"Turn right." Cosima instructs, nearly too late causing her to turn sharply and jolt the car too quickly.

"Oh… I'm sorry." Delphine breathes, slowing down again, and looking for some sort of signage to where they were.

"Delphine…pull over." Cosima says suddenly, and she finds herself immediately concerned.
"Is something wrong?" Delphine signals, and pulls off to the side of the road, and putting the car quickly into park. "Are you having trouble breathing?"

Her answer instead is insistent lips, pressing and releasing against her own. Hands tangle in her hair, gripping perfectly as Cosima thoroughly reclaims her lips.

"I can't wait… can't wait." Cosima insists, kissing her again as she undoes her seatbelt, and then Delphine's, reaching down to haul her in by the ass.

She blinks in surprise. "Oh."

"Yeah." Cosima grins before tossing herself back into the backseat of the rental car.

"Are… are you serious?" Delphine reads the situation and begins to giggle. They have a dinner reservation, a near-perfect hotel room, and Cosima wants to screw out in the car.

But Cosima isn't laughing. "Make love to me, right here."

And she follows, climbing on top of Cosima, making out enthusiastically. It's not that she doesn't want her. Delphine knows she could never not want Cosima. It's just not her plan.

This isn't how it should be. This should have been back at the hotel or even at a B and B. This should have been with wine, toasting their marriage, or with truffles, or something special for the two of them. Instead, Cosima tries to wriggle out of her clothing in the small space, before working the closure of her pants, forcing them down her legs as much as possible, before starting on her shirt.

Slowly, she thrusts her fingers into Cosima, who is more than ready, who is beaming at her and kissing her. There isn't enough space to move around much, so she wedges herself above Cosima as best as she can, and focuses on providing pleasure, on at least drawing out this encounter so that years from now she can at least tell herself it was good.

"I love you…" Cosima coos into her ear, kissing and sucking at the lobe, trying to urge her on.

"Je t'aime." Delphine responds with a deep kiss, with another thrust, trying to give Cosima as much as possible given the constricted space. She couldn't refuse her, looking down at her lover's delighted face, listening to Cosima's giggles as they continue, obviously getting a thrill out of this.

It may not be the plan, Delphine reasons as she leaves a fresh lovebite on Cosima's neck. But she's pleased anyway. At least, enough for now.

After all, a marriage must be consummated.