Nine o'clock the next morning and it was battle stations!

Tina was a miracle worker, making sure everything we hadn't got done yesterday was finished, and all too soon, it was time for me head inside and get prepped. There was one of those big old houses not too far away, and they hosted weddings sometimes, so we having most of it outside, but I needed to head inside the house to get ready.

All of the older Descendants were there, plus Pippa, Cupcake and mom, but it became very clear who was going to be in charge of all this.

Tina wielded the hairbrush like it was deadly weapon and the objects on the table looked more like instruments of torture instead of beauty. All I could think about was finding the nearest exit, all the while calculating the odds of getting past everyone else. It didn't look good.

"Is there no way I can-?"

"No."

"Can you at least look like you're not planning on trying to impale me with a hairbrush?"

Tina smiled, which didn't comfort me in the slightest. "You're in safe hands. Sit back and let us handle this. You might find that you like it."

"That'll be the day." I heard mom mutter under her breath, but all was ignored as the frenzy of brushes and powders began.

A few hours later (it felt like an eternity) I was in the dress, my hair out of its ponytail and not in its natural straightness, instead wavy down my back.

Thankfully they hadn't gone too far on the makeup, it didn't feel like I'd just had my face caked in cement, like I'd feared. It just made my eyes look a bit bigger, and my lips seemed to pop off my face they were that red.

"Done." announced Tina and she took a step back to admire her work. "Jackie, you've never looked better." she declared.

The dress was white(of course) with some pale blue highlights. It was slim and quite conservative, except for the arms, which had been left uncovered. The way the dress was, if it had long sleeves, it just wouldn't have gone over my arm muscles, which were a little beefier than most due to years of training.

There was also some glitter along the hems for a bit of extra decoration, it wasn't much, but when it caught the light the glitter, well, glittered.

"Okay, we need to get ready too." Said mom. "So sit tight, and dad will come and get you when it's time."

Sit tight. Like that was going to make the nerves stop. Butterflies had morphed into snakes in my belly.

They left and I sat down, smoothing down my skirt. It was going to be another hour before I had to show up, so all I could do was sit, and wait, and stew in worry.

Oh moon this is actually happening. When did this get so big? There's so many people on that guest list, and they all said yes!

I started tapping my knees with one finger, then two, then tapping a rhythm with all my fingers. I had to focus to stop frost from spreading on the dress.

I couldn't do this. Oh moon I couldn't do this. I couldn't just sit here, but the wedding... Oh moon the wedding...

I swallowed and stood up, starting to pace back and forth, hands twisting over themselves and seeming to be trying to chip off the electric blue nail varnish. Nail varnish! I'd never worn nail varnish in my life!

I started to take deep breaths to try and calm down, then looked at the clock.

Five minutes! Only five minutes had passed?! I was going to be a nervous wreck by the time an hour was up.

I settled into pacing back and forth, managing not to wring my hands this time. Instead they swirled to create small amounts of snow and dispersing them just as quickly as they appeared.

The clock ticked. Ten minutes. Fifteen, half an hour. Then it was quarter to, and the snakes in my belly became a lot more active.

Which is why I jumped out of my skin when someone knocked on the door.

"Hello? Jackie? It's me."

Oh moon Toothiana was outside the door. I hadn't forgotten that she'd said she'd come, but I wasn't sure she would help my nerves.

"Sometimes you have to talk to someone you don't know as well." Taboo sent her pearl of wisdom from her position behind the altar as it was her job to set off the confetti.

Thank you for that. I wasn't sure if I was being sarcastic or sincere.

"Can I come in?" I heard Toothiana ask through the wooden door.

"Yeah." I hated the shake in my voice.

The door opened without creaking and Toothiana fluttered in. She'd dressed up for the occasion, with a gold headdress and necklace.

"Taboo said something about you needing to talk." she prompted.

"The issue with sharing a head with another being..." I started, but surprisingly she finished.

"It's difficult to keep secrets or feelings to yourself."

"Yeah." I nodded, not too surprised. I knew her Mini Fairies were extensions of her.

Toothiana peered at my face, looking concerned. "Your face looks a bit paler than usual."

"Thanks."

I looked down at my hands, then back at Toothiana trying not to hover over my shoulder.

"Look at that, I'm shaking like a leaf" I could only just bring myself to chuckle, it sounded a bit insane. "I've fought Pitch for crying out loud, zombies, Boogeyman, Big Bad Wolf, Nightmares, shadow creatures, Descendants who want my head on a platter. Fine. A wedding?" another chuckle, slightly crazier than the first. "I'm terrified."

"It's a big day." yes, because that calmed my nerves. "Everyone out there just wants to see you happy."

"I haven't some of them in years. I haven't seen my UK aunt and uncle since before Danny died, and mom and her sister almost hate each other. I only invited her to be polite. And Jamie's family? Beyond his mom and Sophie, I've never met them."

"Don't concentrate on them." Toothiana flew a little closer, looking like she was about to put her hand on my shoulder, but re-thinking before she did. "You're here for one person."

"Jamie."

"Exactly. That's all that matters. Don't think about the guests, just focus on what's in front of you, okay?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling some of the tension flow out. "Thanks."

Toothiana just smiled, thankfully not her million watt one, gave me a thumbs up, and left to get to her seat.

I looked in the mirror and took another deep breath. It would be fine. All I had to do was walk in a straight line, say a few words, leave. What could wrong?

"Don't think that!"

And I thought I was the one freaking out today.

"Whatever, but you really should know better than to say 'what could go wrong?' Anything could happen!"

At this point? I think the worst thing that could happen would be...

"Don't say it! You'll jinx it!"

I did not have you down as superstitious.

"I just want this to go well too, okay? So, let's focus on the positives and not on the negatives."

Where were you a few minutes ago?

"You needed someone to talk sense into you, and I know that in those meetings Toothiana's been trying to talk to you. Thought she'd be ideal."

I raised my eyebrows and folded my arms, even though she couldn't see that.

You didn't manipulate her by any chance, did you?

"I did say you might be more open to talking if she did that."

Not too bad, nothing concrete.

"Also that you might try and visit a bit more."

It was very lucky that I hadn't been about to drink anything, as it would have been spat there and then.

Really?! You can't make promises like that!

"I just did. Anyway, your dad's on his way up."

Taboo...

"Seriously he's on his way up."

We're talking later. And you'll be apologising to Toothiana for that.

"That's if you remember, big day."

Before I could respond there was another knock on the door.

"Jackie?"

"Hey dad."

My dad opened the door, revealing his grey suit and greying hair, coming in at a little taller than me. His own glasses were perched on his nose, no prizes for guessing where my bad eyesight came from.

His square jaw had sagged a bit with age, and he had put on a bit weight. He wasn't the same man he was when I first joined HOG, but neither was I, a fact that seemed to occur to him as he saw me.

"When did you grow up?" he asked, coming in.

"Well, if you want mentally..."

"That's not what I meant."

He came over and held my hand, ignoring my instinctually stiffening, I don't think he noticed anymore. "You're not a little girl anymore."

"You're really going to do this speech?" I asked, tilting my head to one side.

"Come on, let me have my moment."

"Alright, but can I get a bucket first?"

"Never mind, you haven't grown up, you've regressed."

"Charming!"

We both laughing like idiots.

"So, who put the paint on your face?" he asked, eyeing the make up.

"Mainly Tina, mom may have had some input."

"So, how does it feel to have face encased in cement?"

"They didn't put that much on actually. Should be easy to get off later."

"You know." Dad elbowed me in the side. "I've seen a lot of small, rectangular shaped wedding gifts."

I couldn't stop the grin crossing my face. Books! More books! Probably also some games for Jamie, those tended to come in rectangular boxes too.

"Now." Dad hooked his arm around mine. "I believe it's time to start walking."

I glanced up at the clock, which read two o'clock.

"Yep, time to go." I looked up at my dad. "Thanks for putting up with me."

"It's in the job description." he grinned. "Along with telling bad jokes and embarrassing you in public, and I never got a chance to do the last one."

"Don't tell me you intend to start now." I asked as I collected the flowers from the table. I wasn't too keen on this one, as flowers tended to die pretty quickly around me, but we found some cold resistant ones. White crocuses, some blue and white starry flowers called chionodoxa and finally some Spanish bluebells.

"Not today, maybe in the future, but not today." He gave me a sidelong look up and down. "Still sure on sleeveless?"

"I'm not exactly dainty, I'd probably rip them by putting my arm up."

"Fair point, Jamie's a lucky man."

"You're my dad, you're supposed to say that."

"I know, but it's true. I'd also say something about him treating you right, but I think you'd have done something about that by now. Just try not to freeze him."

"Do my best. I've managed to resist the urge so far."

"Good, although we have an army of hairdryers just in case."

I snorted and doubled over laughing as the image of a group of anthropomorphic hairdryers in army fatigues all blowing as hard as they could on a block of ice passed through my mind.

Still giggling we walked out into the grounds of the house, where the marquee was set up and meeting with my bridesmaids. Alice, Sally, Rachel, Pippa, Cupcake and Mary, who looked as nervous as I felt.

Sophie was being the Maid of Honour, much to her delight. So while the other bridesmaids had royal or electric blue dresses, her dress was a little paler and with silver thread around the hems.

As it was winter the sun was starting to come down, and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground, with more falling in fat fluffy flakes from the sky. I caught one and smiled, I'd recognise Jack's work anywhere.

The marquee itself had a line of blinking fairy lights on the outside, and the flap was open for us to walk through. I could hear the music starting to swell, signifying when we were all supposed to enter.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"Yeah. I don't know why this has to be such a big deal. Some of these people don't know me."

"That doesn't matter and you know it. Now come on."

Something of a nod to the Meetings arc I guess. Jackie does Tooth now with sort of thing, if it was any of the other Guardians (excluding Jack) then she would have clammed up because they're still work related. Tooth is as well, but Jackie's more relaxed around her. Jackie would also clam up with Jack as well, because she doesn't like him worrying.

HOG/Mimpossible Mini Series Wedding Part 6