AN: Hi All!

I'm super happy to finally be working on this story again!

I've recently been completing my in-progress stories in order of popularity (based on the results of my profile poll). I'm often surprised this on isn't more popular, because I love writing it, but maybe it will catch on eventually :D

Tremendous thanks to, catgrl, and twi nana, for reviewing last chapter!

Thanks to all who are reading, following, favouriting, and hopefully enjoying this story!

Ready for Charlie and Renée's wedding?

I know I sure am!

Chapter Nine: Gettin' Hitched

The rehearsal went smoothly after that. We all knew what we would need to do for the ceremony the following day. Frankly, it was all quite a lot of pomp and circumstance and I found myself feeling very grateful that Marie would not have a hand in planning our Blackswan wedding.

Don't mistake me, I was very happy to be marrying Renée, of course. But her family was proving to be even more crazy than I realized, so I was glad they would not be very involved in our lives once we were married.

After the rehearsal, there was a formal, catered meal at Marie's house in town.

Junie's parents were there, so after dinner, Harry decided it was a good time to speak to them. He asked Renée and I to be there as a buffer, in case they got mad. But it was just as Renée had anticipated, they didn't care about the age thing at all.

Junie pulled them into the parlor where Renée and I were waiting with Harry. He stood as they entered.

"Mr. and Mrs. Burke, I would like to speak with you, if that's alright." Harry smiled politely, introductions having been made already at dinner.

"Yes, of course, what can we do for you, Son?" Mr. Burke smiled as everyone moved to take a seat.

"Well, as I'm sure you would expect, our tribe has different customs and traditions than mainstream western culture. We believe very strongly in the concept of soulmates. That sometimes, two people are inexplicably drawn to one another, regardless of circumstance. When such a thing happens in our culture, we believe in honoring that connection," Harry began.

"Harry is my soulmate!" June interrupted.

Her father smirked and her mother rolled her eyes.

"Well, in that case, good luck to you, Harry! Juniper fancies herself as having a different soulmate nearly every week," her father stage whispers.

"Daddy! You make me sound like a total harlot!" Junie pouted.

"No, Sweetheart, not a total harlot," her father joked, ruffling her hair. He ventured to explain.

"We have raised Juniper to make her own choices. Her mother and I are both psychologists. And we know the statistics. Nowadays, about one-third of girls June's age are having sex. We decided it was more important to educate Juniper about safe sex practices than to harbor unrealistic expectations of abstinence. She takes the birth control pill and she knows how to use a condom. So if you wish to be intimate with her, you certainly don't need our permission, only her consent."

"Thank you, Mr. Burke, Sir. But I want to assure you, this isn't a mere dalliance, it's a commitment. There is a tribal ceremony for soulmates. Junie would be joining my family, Sir. The practice is somewhat different than western marriage but no less serious," Harry clarified.

"Ha! Good luck getting her to commit to that. I couldn't even get her to stick it out for six weeks of dance lessons. I seriously can't picture her being monogamous with one man in the long term. Maybe you'll prove me wrong, but I doubt it." He shrugged.

"Well, technically, in our tribe, when a man finds his soulmate in this manner, he is required to be what she needs, not the other way around. I have no desire to change Junie or make her into something she is not. So whether or not she wants monogamy, that's entirely up to her," Harry corrected.

"Could you even offer her monogamy, if that was what she wanted? You already have a wife, don't you?" June's mother asked, clearly more observant than her husband.

"I do have a wife. Her name is Sue and I love her very much, but the soulmate connection is not present in our relationship. Which means, by our custom, Junie's needs have to take priority for me. I can only continue my relationship with Sue if Junie allows it. But Junie is permitted to be with whomever she chooses," Harry told them.

"Harry...I love my daughter dearly, but trust me when I say you should think long and hard before giving her that kind of power." June's mother cautioned. "June is a free-spirit to the highest degree. There are times she doesn't come home for an entire week, and oftentimes, she doesn't even have the courtesy to call. We give her that freedom because we believe that the ability to make one's own decisions is the greatest form of empowerment.

"And we have taught her street-smarts and how to stay safe, but even still, I am often up at night worrying about her. If you decide to do this, I can tell you right now that you're probably going to get your heartbroken, one way or another." Mrs. Burke warned him.

"I'm right here, Sharon!" Junie grumbles, addressing her mother by her first name.

"Well, Darling, do you disagree? Can you honestly tell me that Harry has no cause for concern here?" Her mother challenged.

"No, but I can honestly tell you he's going to love me anyway. Harry isn't choosing this. Neither am I. It chose us. Look, he's already got a stable, loving, kind-hearted woman to give him babies and cook him meals. That isn't what I'm promising him. That isn't what I bring to the table, I know that and so does he. All I can offer him is an adventure. All I can guarantee is that even if the bad times are really bad...the fun times will be really fun!" Junie smiled glancing at Harry with a wink.

"Harry, is that enough for you? You know what you're getting with this one? Because if you plan on providing for her, it needs to be for better or worse. June doesn't come with a return policy. As long as she's under our roof, she's our responsibility. Once she's under yours...we would require that you assume full guardianship of her. Not only would that mean providing for her needs, but also ensuring she finishes her education. Is that a commitment you are willing to make?" Her father confirmed.

"Certainly." Harry nodded. "I want the best for Junie. Education is very important, especially for girls. Unfortunately, I probably can't afford to keep her in the private school she attends currently. But our school on the Rez has high standards for its educators, and the program is very liberal, so I think you'd likely approve of what they teach," Harry assured them.

"Very well then, as long as you are willing to make provisions for her education and take full legal responsibility of her, I see no reason for us to oppose this, do you, Sharon?"

"I mean, I do think we would be remiss if we didn't ask to tour your home first before we formally agree to anything. Staying at a friend or lover's house for a week here and there is a little different than living somewhere permanently. It would be wise to confirm that she will be safe and well looked after," Junie's mother recommended.

"That's certainly fair. Do you have plans later tonight? You could follow us there when we leave here. That way you can see the place the way it currently looks," Harry suggested. Junie's parents seemed pleased that he had nothing to hide.

"Sounds fine to me." Her father nodded.

"Thank you, Daddy," June cheered, hugging her father and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Mom." She smiled, hugging her mother tightly.

I was fairly certain Renée was incorrect in assuming June's parents didn't care about her. Their parenting approach was extremely unconventional, but they seemed to care a great deal about June's well-being and education.

Harry seemed relieved after talking to them. The Burkes excused themselves to go visit with their family after telling Harry to come find them when he wanted to leave.

Once they were gone from the room, he pulled June into a tight hug and kissed her passionately.

"Wow." She beamed. "You're a great kisser!"

"That's not all I'm good at." He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. June giggled and Renée and I took that as our cue that they didn't need us anymore, so we went to go find Sarah and Billy.

That night, when we got home, I went to bed with Sarah in the guest room after saying goodnight to Renée and she went to bed with Billy in the big bed. Renée was adamant that we couldn't see each other in the morning before the wedding, so that was the easiest solution.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Sarah asked me. "I was nervous about my wedding to Billy. Not because I had any doubts, I was just worried I would mess something up and embarrass myself," she confided.

"Really? You didn't need to be worried about that. I remember that day very vividly. You were so beautiful that I shed a tear when I watched you walk up that aisle. And you were so graceful. When we danced that evening I secretly wished I was the one marrying you," I confessed.

"You did? That's funny, actually. That dance that you and I shared gave me pause too. For that fleeting moment, I wondered if I had somehow made a mistake," she admitted. "Of course, I knew that was silly and that I would be perfectly happy with Billy. And I always have been. Probably always will be, I hope. But even before the imprint, I was drawn to you. I guess you could say I always had a little crush."

"Yeah, I did too. I was always really happy for Billy that he had found you. But I remember when he told me he was going to propose to you, I frowned and said, 'But Billy, what are the rest of us schmucks supposed to do if you go taking the perfect woman off the market?'." I chuckled at the recollection. "I remember, he pat me on the back and said, 'Aww, you'll find someone, Chuck.' and of course, I met Renée the very next day."

Sarah smiled happily, running her fingers through my hair. "I never knew that story. I'd say it all ended up working out exactly as it was supposed to. But Charlie, you didn't answer my question earlier. Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"A little. For the same reasons you said you had been. Afraid I might mess somethin' up. Like I might put the ring on the wrong finger, or trip over the floor runner, or say the wrong vows, or make a goofy smile in the pictures," I worried, suddenly picturing all the things that could go wrong.

"Oh Charlie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you anxious. It's just that you always seem so composed, I guess I was hoping maybe you had a bit of jitters like us mere mortals get," Sarah smiled, rubbing my shoulders as we undressed for bed.

"Sweetheart, please don't put me on any sort of pedestal. I'm a very flawed creature. If you start thinking like that, I'm bound to disappoint you. And I don't ever want to disappoint you," I pleaded.

"I don't think you could ever disappoint me. You or Billy for that matter. I'm too smitten with you both to get disappointed over little, unimportant things," she insisted.

"Well good then." I grinned happily. "So...how do you feel about making love to a man on the eve of his wedding to another woman?" I teased.

"Well, under most circumstances, I'd tell the man he was a cad for even asking. But, I'm pretty sure I know our Billy well enough to know what's happening on the other side of that wall. And so, I'd say, that if the bride and best-man are already going at it like rabbits, then the groom is well within his rights to do likewise with the maid-of-honor." Sarah giggled.

"They certainly are. I can hear them," I confirmed. "So, that's a yes, then?"

"That's a hell yes, Charlie." She beamed, pulling me in for a passionate kiss.

Sarah wore me out pretty thoroughly that night, which I think was her intention so that I'd sleep in. When I woke in the morning, there was a note saying she and Renée had already left to go get ready with the other gals at Marie's house. The note said Billy had been tasked with making sure I wasn't late getting to the church. Which is why I woke up to the bed dipping and squeaking as Billy started jumping on it.

"Get up, Charlie! Today is the day I get to shed a tear watching my beautiful Imprint glide up the aisle to you." He grinned widely.

"Oh. You heard that, huh?" I asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, I heard all that stuff." He shrugged. "But it doesn't bother me. I think I sort of always knew you harbored real feelings for Sarah that went beyond our typical joking. Just as you probably knew I did for Renée?"

I nodded thoughtfully. "I suspected, at least. I mean, you do have a habit of watching her walk away."

He smirked. "Can I help it if your bride has an amazing ass?"

"No, but you might want to be careful about staring at it too obviously today. Her whole family will be there and the only one who knows about the tribal law is Junie," I cautioned.

"I know how to keep my lust in check, Chuck." He frowned. "Besides, it won't be that long before we have our tribal wedding and I can stare at her ass as much as I want to on that day."

I laughed. "You certainly can!"

After we had a quick breakfast, we each showered and got all our grooming out of the way. As a side note, I found myself wondering if that's why they are called grooms because they get all nicely groomed for the occasion. Although a groom is also someone who takes care of a horse, and a bridal is something you put on a horse, so maybe it's more to do with that. In which case, I'm surprised no feminists have objected yet to those terms. Hey! Maybe that's why it's called getting hitched!

Soon, Harry showed up with his tux on a hanger so that we could get ready together.

"Hey, Buddy! How'd last night go?" Billy asked Harry. Renée and I had told him and Sarah on the car ride home about how Harry's conversation in the parlor with June's parents had gone. So they were as up-to-date as we were on all of that drama. Billy had confirmed that he'd heard most of it with his enhanced hearing but Sarah had been pleasantly surprised that it was off to a good start.

Harry beamed. "Pretty great, actually. Sue showed June and her parents around the place and they met Lee Lee, sort of, she stayed fast asleep in her crib the whole time, but they were pleased to see we had everything baby-proofed and that the crib and car seat were up to standard. They made a joke about how toddlers and teenagers were basically the same and that if we could handle having one in the house, we'd probably survive the other.

"They were very impressed with Sue's vegetable garden and knowing that we make Leah's baby food from scratch. And they were thrilled to see the freezer stocked full of meat. I explained that I enjoy hunting. So they verified that we keep our guns locked up and I showed them my gun safe. Overall they seemed pretty pleased. They also really liked the fact that we have a four-bedroom and would be giving June her own room.

"They said she would appreciate having her own space and that we would appreciate having some space from her temper when it gets out of hand. They also asked June if she had any concerns after seeing the place and she asked Sue how much housework she'd be expected to help with and whether she'd ever need to look after the baby.

"Sue assured her that as long as she cleans up after herself, she doesn't have to do anything extra if she doesn't want to and we explained that Sue's mother watches Lee Lee for free for us and that we have my mother as a backup so she won't really be expected to help with the childcare.

"Then June explained that she does love children, but tends to be better at keeping them entertained and not so good at remembering to feed and diaper them. So she said she'll be much better at keeping Lee Lee busy while Sue makes dinner or works in the garden, rather than watching her for long stretches of time. Sue seemed to think that was more than generous and was pleased that she had offered.

"Her parents also warned us that she has a bad habit of having guests over unannounced and that in the past, that has included lovers. So I explained to June that while I certainly don't expect monogamy, I would prefer to meet her sexual partners beforehand, to ensure that she is safe. And requested that she continue to be safe about STDs and birth control.

"I also asked that if she plans to be away overnight, she should phone so that I know whether to leave the door unlocked for her. I said that eventually, I will get a house key cut for her and she'll be able to come and go as she pleases, but that I'd prefer to wait a while on that until I get to know her friends a little because there was a story in the paper about a woman who was robbed after a friend of hers stole her house key out of her purse and had a copy made for her criminal boyfriend. I also stressed that with a baby in the house, we tend to be extra careful in regard to issues of safety and security.

"Junie seemed to think that all of that sounded pretty fair and I think she's mostly just excited about getting out of her parents' house. Apparently, the type of psychology her mother specializes in is sex therapy, so even though her parents are very liberal, she says they tend to ask a lot of embarrassing questions, like regularly asking her if she's getting enough orgasms or the time she brought a boyfriend to dinner and they asked him if he was 'finding the relationship to be sexually satisfying'. I had a good laugh at that one," Harry told us.

"Wow. Sounds like you really are in for quite the adventure, Man." I snickered.

"I certainly am. Oh, and June stayed over after her parents left. Sue drove her to Marie's this morning to get ready with the girls," he added.

"Oh wow, did you…?" Billy asked.

"Not yet. We made out a lot and there was some heavy petting but I asked if we could wait on having our first time. Mostly because we barely know each other and she's so young. But I just told her I wanted to be able to lounge in bed with her the morning after and not have to get up and go to a wedding. She seemed pleased by that, so I think I can put her off for a while until we get to know each other a bit better.

"And once we were in private, I also explained that because of the imprint, my wolf might have a harder time being laid back about some of the things we had talked about than I did as a man. But I told her if I ever get too possessive or controlling she can just call me on it and I'll try to rein it in. She said it would be hot if I got a little jealous or possessive and that she might be that way herself on occasion but she assured me she'll try to be respectful to Sue even if she does get a little territorial.

"I said I was sure Sue would appreciate the effort but that we certainly don't expect her to be perfect. I mean, she's a teenage girl coming into an established household. There's bound to be...hormones." Harry shrugged with a laugh.

"True." I nodded as we finished getting ready. "I'm impressed with how you're handling all this, Harry. I'd be going crazy if I was you. Then again, I can barely handle Renée's more immature moments sometimes and she's a lot older than Junie," I confessed.

"Really? I find it so freaking adorable when Renée pouts and stomps her feet." Billy beamed.

"Yeah, well, Renée's gonna do a lot more than pout and stomp her feet if we don't get you to the church on time. Gimme your keys, Chuck." Harry said, putting his hand out.

"Didn't you hear? It's Charlie now." Billy smirked even though he still forgets sometimes himself.

"Nope. Sarah and Renée might be able to boss you two around, but they aren't my Imprints. He's been Chuck to me since we were boys. I'm not calling him Charlie unless Junie herself orders me to," Harry protested.

"Well, you'd better not use it in front of the girls then, or else I'm sure they'll get her to do just that," Billy warned him.

"Oh yeah, good call!" he laughed as we headed out to the car. "I'd better get it out of my system while they aren't around. So, are you ready to get hitched, Chuck?"

"You bet, Harry. Ready as I'll ever be."

Once we got to the church, there was a whole lot of waiting as we took our places at the front of the sanctuary and stood there like statues while the guests all arrived as we waited for the girls to march in.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity had passed, they started the music. Renée had opted not to have a flower girl because Junie wanted to toss the rose petals since she'd never had the opportunity to do so as a child. She walked in first, decorating the aisle with the flowers. Then came Sarah looking like a fairytale princess and it was so hard for me to seem unaffected when she looked like that. I gave her a discreet wink though as she took her place on Renée's side of the arbor.

Next, the music changed and they started playing the Wedding March. Everyone stood. The double doors opened and I got my first glimpse of my bride. Her dress was gorgeous but I hardly noticed it. My eyes locked with Renée's as she began making her way down the aisle toward me.

You know the phrase 'Blushing Bride'? Well, she suited it to a T. The blushing was probably partly due to the ridiculous amount of guests Marie had invited to this shindig, who were all staring at Renée as she walked the aisle.

Once she was standing beside me, I took her hands in mine. "You look like an angel," I whispered as the minister began talking.

Not gonna lie, I mostly tuned him out except when it came to the important parts. I was far too content gazing at my beautiful bride to care much about what the pastor was saying. I'm sure it was really good stuff though because he seemed like a guy who would be good at his job. But we said the standard church vows just as Billy and Sarah had done at their wedding. We were each going to personalize the ones for our tribal ceremony, but Renée's mother was very traditional, so she didn't want anyone deviating from the standard script.

We said "I do" at the appropriate times and exchanged rings. He did the charge, which is basically the part where they give you a chance to back out, or fess up if you're already married, or are secretly siblings or whatever, although I'd seriously die of laughter if a minister ever came right out and asked any of those things. They always phrase it much more subtly.

Once we had all the maintenance out of the way, he pronounced us man and wife and said I could kiss my bride. And boy, did I!

After the applause died down, we did the part they never show on TV, where we sit at a table to sign the register. Sometimes people will do that part before or after the ceremony, but often it is included during, and Marie insisted we do it during so that the photographer could get pictures of us signing. After that, we walked down the aisle together as man and wife!

Next, the wedding party, along with Renée's family, all piled into limos to drive to a nearby botanical garden to do our outdoor photographs.

I was sad that my parents couldn't be there. They were supposed to come to the wedding, but the nursing home where they live was having a nasty viral outbreak, so they were on lockdown. And I'm sure the staff would have made an exception for something like this, but since they were going to be coming to our tribal wedding in a couple of months anyway and it was more important, we decided not to chance it.

The photoshoot went pretty well, even though the mosquitos were terrible and afterward the limos drove us to the reception. I was pretty nervous about the formal receiving line because I hadn't met very many of Renée's relatives. Marie's side had all come up from California and her father's family had come up from Texas.

His family had made their money in the Texas oil industry, so they were 'old money'. But when Renée's dad came of age, he had taken his trust fund and moved to California to make a name for himself. That was where he met Marie. They'd stayed there until Renée was twelve when he invested in the Washington lumber industry on a whim and moved his wife and daughter to Forks. Two years later, he was killed tragically in a lumber accident. But Marie liked the rainy climate, stating that it matched her sadness, so she stayed and Renée spent her high school years in Forks.

She was in her senior year when we met though. I'm four years older than she is, so we never went to school together or anything like that. But she and her friends crashed a party one of my friends was having and I was awestruck by her. I still am.

And somehow, I survived shaking hands with all her rich relatives at the reception. Most of them actually seemed pretty nice. I figured they might all be high-strung like Marie but they weren't.

We had a lovely dinner accompanied by a few heartfelt toasts and some amusing ones. After that, it was time for our first dance. We chose the song Take My Breath Away because the movie Top Gun had come out recently and it was all the rage.

Holding her in my arms, swaying to the music, felt so blissful. It was almost perfect. And then the MC invited the rest of the wedding party to join us on the dance floor. Once I saw Billy and Sarah dancing beside us, everything really was perfect. Billy and I had our girls and we had three healthy heartbeats in utero, waiting to join our beautiful little family.

We were happily settled into our family home. We had good friends and the support of our tribe and community. I was about to be chief of the tribe. There were no vampires in the area. Things were perfect and peaceful. Of course, I knew things could change at any moment. That was the nature of life. But for the time being, we were blissfully content.

AN: Okay, so next chapter will have the Blackswan wedding, finally! And maybe a timeskip so we can pop out some babies!

Please remember to press review. Fanfiction is a great learning venue for authors. It's really helpful to have feeback so we can provide better content for you, the readers :D