"Talk dirty to me, Penelope."
She looked up at Erin in the mirror, giving her a wide smile on her lips. "Did you just get finished with Alex?" she asked as she beckoned her friend closer to her side. "I thought that doing my hair and makeup wouldn't take this long, but now I'm just being too much of a perfectionist, and I need someone to talk me down from the ledge."
Erin chuckled as she took a seat on the vanity, reaching out to cup Penelope's chin as she took a critical look at her face. "You look beautiful, my darling girl. And I don't think that Alex would mind it if you came to her in a potato sack with straggly hair and no makeup. She loves you for your heart, the rest is just a sweet bonus. Now, let me help you with your veil, and then we can head down and see about getting you married."
She nodded as she took one last look at her reflection, letting out a soft sound of satisfaction at the sight. Then she turned her gaze back to Erin, seeing that there was a look of such peace on her features. It had been three years since she had gone through her ordeal, and now it finally looked like they were further down the road to recovery. "Thank you for agreeing to be the person to walk me down the aisle. I still don't have a great relationship with my stepbrothers, and Rossi is officiating the service, so…"
"So I was your best choice?"
"Yes. I mean, it was hard to decide if I wanted you to stand up for me, or let you stand up for Alexandra, or what, but this way, you get to spend time with me and then go stand up for my soon to be wife, while Jayje stands up for me. Pinch me, Erin, this doesn't seem real."
The older woman reached out and pinched her ear lightly, and she had to blink back tears knowing that this was really and truly happening. "You can't start crying now, Penelope. You'll ruin all that hard work, and there will be time enough for crying later."
She nodded and grabbed her bouquet off the bed, nervously adjusting the skirt of her dress before allowing Erin to place the veil over her tiara, making it look perfect before she held out her elbow to Penelope. She slipped her hand into the crook of Erin's elbow, allowing her to guide her down the stairs of Rossi's house and out to the doors that led to the back yard. This was her first glimpse of how it had been decorated, since she had just given Erin a colour scheme, knowing that she would work magic for them. And indeed, she had, stringing up fairy lights and making it look like a magical grotto, just like Penelope had imagined in her head. It was a little scary just how well Erin knew her and Alex, because she could see touches of her in the decorations as well.
And then her attention was drawn to her soon to be wife, feeling every molecule of oxygen being sucked from her lungs when she saw what Alex was wearing. "She rented a fucking tuxedo?" she whispered, and Erin shook her head. "Then what?"
"She had a tuxedo made for her. You'll see when you see her skirt."
Penelope nodded as she listened to the music change. That was when Alex turned and looked at them, and there was such love in her eyes that it hurt a little to see that expression on her face. "This is where I start crying, isn't it?"
"Most likely, darling." Erin patted her hand lightly before they started down the aisle, and Penelope took a deep breath as she tried to control her tears. Alex was also blinking back her own tears by the time they reached her, and Penelope clung to her hands after she had thrust her bouquet into JJ's arms. Erin chuckled lightly, and she blushed, but still didn't let go of Alex, knowing that this moment had been building for so many months.
"You look so beautiful, Penny."
"Thank you," she whispered in response, listening to Dave lightly clear his throat. Blushing a little deeper, she turned to him at the same time Alex did, and he started the service. She knew that she should be paying attention to what he was saying, but all her focus was on Alex and how full her heart was in that moment.
"And now, before God and these witnesses, I pronounce the two of you married. Feel free to seal your new covenant with a kiss."
Nodding absently, she felt Alex push her veil away from her face before she leaned in close. "Talk dirty to me, darling," she breathed out before giving her an almost chaste kiss. Penelope sighed against her lips as she closed her arms around her waist, feeling overcome once more by just how much she loved the woman in her arms. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she replied as they looked at the friends who had gathered to celebrate with them that afternoon. "Thank you all for joining us today. If you'd like, please join us for our reception and party." Their guests nodded and Erin and Dave led them to their table, allowing them to take a seat while they guided the others to their seats. "This is more than I ever dreamed of, back when we first started searching for Erin. I never expected to fall so deeply in love with you, and I am so glad that you waited for me to be ready to commit to marriage. You know me so well, Alexandra."
"Just as you know me so well. Thank you for making my life complete." In the background, Penelope heard someone clink their fork against their glass, and she rolled her eyes a little as she leaned in and kissed Alex softly. There would be a time for the deeper, more passionate, kisses. For now, she had to content herself with building up an appetite for her wife. "How many times do you think that will happen tonight?"
"Knowing Erin and Dave? At least twenty. Good thing I have lip balm in my pocket. Though I have the feeling by the end of the night I am going to be aching to take that tuxedo off of you. My god, Alexandra, you look like sex on a stick! Did you do that on purpose?"
"Yes. I've noticed how you look at me when I'm in a suit, and how you always reblog that post on Tumblr of the hot women in suits, and thought that this would be a lovely gift to you on our wedding day." Again, there was a tinkling of glasses, and Alex grinned puckishly at her before cupping her face and leaning in for a long, lazy, kiss. "And I cannot wait to peel your dress from your body, and taste the delights hidden away from my gaze right now."
"Now who's the one talking dirty?" she teased before stealing another kiss, so thoroughly enamored with the beautiful woman who had agreed to share the rest of her life with her. And if they played their cards right, it would be a long life ahead of them.