Chapter 4: The Wedding of Kate and Kurt

June 10

Howlett Manor Rose Garden

By the time the day of the wedding rolled around, almost everyone who had been living at the mansion during the war was back — along with their family members. There were a few victors — like Bobbi — who stayed at Groot's place, but for the most part, everyone had taken their old rooms. Even Coulson had come down, leaving AD Melinda May in charge of things for a while.

Kitty had offered the home that she and Peter Quill shared to Kate so she could get ready, and the group of them — Susan, Kitty, America, Natasha, and Amanda — were allowing Jubilee to fuss over them one last time before the big moment. In particular, Jubilee seemed to have fallen in love with little Katie Power, who was so excited to be the flower girl. She loved Jubilee's hair ("It's just like mine! See my ponytails?"), and she loved her purple dress, and she loved Kate's dress, and she loved her new big brother Kurt, which she told Amanda many, many times. ("He played with me and he helps me climb trees!") The other Katie in the room, barely over a year old, was following after Katie Power and copying her every move, enthusiastic laughter and "uh-huh!"s echoing everywhere she went.

The stylists had pulled off a spectacular job with Kate's dress and with the bridesmaids' looks…. Almost as if they'd been planning it for some time and were just waiting for the word 'go.' Kate was sure to tease Jubilee that this was some of "The Line's" best work, and Jubilee grinned brightly at that.

Kate's dress was a gorgeous shade of lilac, of course, and had a high waist and flowing skirt, with a high neck and no sleeves — simple, yet elegant. A black swath of material encircled the waistline, and the excess hung to the side. A silver pendant hung around Kate's neck, with matching earrings dangling from her ears. Her hair was pulled halfway up into a bun, and the rest was curled and hanging by her shoulders. A purple band the same shade as her dress held her hair in place, and a sheet of chiffon was attached to the band, draped over the back of her head.

Amanda's lap was full of little Katie, and with her daughter entertained, Susan had made her way over to fuss alongside Jubilee, plucking at the dress and strands of Kate's hair until Kate swatted at her good-naturedly.

"You two are ridiculous," Kate told them both.

Susan smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Kate. I just — I want it to be perfect for you!"

Kate just laughed. "If you're so worried, go fuss over America and make her stop messing up her dress." She threw a playful glare over her shoulder at America, who was lounging on the couch and tugging at the hem of her dress as if she hated it, but when she saw both Susan and Jubilee looking her way, she raised both hands.

"Woah, hey, no. I'm wearing the stupid thing. That's all you need from me, isn't it?" America looked in particular at Jubilee. "Stay away from me."

"Can't do it. I have a reputation to uphold," Jubilee said as she advanced on her with a brush and a suspicious-looking bottle.

America made a small noise of faked terror. "Are we sure I'm not allowed to hit anything today?"

Natasha smirked at America. "Are you saying you're scared of little Jubilee?"

America glared. "Just had enough of the Line to last me a lifetime is all."

"Like you could ever have enough," Jubilee teased brightly as she set to work taming America's hair — much like she'd done the first time they'd met.

The bridesmaids' dresses were a deep blue, with purple sashes, but each woman had chosen a style that was summery and fun and fit their personality. America's was short and fitted; Susan's was flowy with material sweeping over one shoulder; Amanda had chosen a knee-length tunic-style dress with long split sleeves; Kitty had a floaty, chiffon number; and Natasha had a long, simple dress with a low neckline.

"Hey, Miss Susan?" Katie Power called out suddenly. "How come you're crying?"

Kate turned to look at her sister and waggled a finger at her, biting her own lip. "No ... no. Don't you start. You'll set me off and ruin Jubes' hard work," she told her sister sternly. Then, with a smirk, she added, "And America won't cry, but she'll ruin Jubes' work just for fun."

"I miiiiight," America sang out.

"And I might pull your hair out by the roots; don't you dare," Jubilee warned.

"You wouldn't do that," America countered. "I gotta look good for the wedding."

"Oh, I absolutely would. After the wedding. But you mess up your makeup and I'm going to have to sit on you and fix it."

America grinned at Jubilee and murmured in a sickly sweet voice, "Promises, promises."

"You are a troublemaker," Jubilee said. "Don't make me come after you."

"She can't help it. It's like a twitch," Kate called out with a grin.

America glared at all of them in turn before she grinned at Jubilee. "I'll play nice if you save me a waltz."

"If it'll get you to waltz? I'll save you two," Jubilee promised with a growing smile. "Cross my heart."

"You know I'm gonna hold you to that."

"You better," Jubilee replied with a bit of sass in her tone. "I want a full dance card, and I'm not going to get it with just one dance partner. Especially when he's working the DJ table."

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of options," Kitty laughed.

"You could probably try to talk the best man into a dance or two. His wife has been sorta queasy lately, so…" Kate shrugged. "She's spending the morning not moving until she has to."

"Oh, for sure. Give Logan a few drinks and he probably won't fight it at all," Jubilee agreed. "He's pretty good for a dance or two if you liquor him up a little."

"I remember," Kate said, laughing. She then sighed and took a slow turn in her dress. "Well? Am I all finished?"

Jubilee left America — still partly stunned as she looked into the mirror at her new very slicked style — in favor of giving Kate the once-over. She fussed slightly, more or less just to rearrange a curl here or there and brush out wrinkles that simply didn't exist. "Yes. I think you're ready."

Over at the manor, similar preparations were taking place. Warren was putting finishing touches on Kurt's tuxedo, plucking at tiny threads and tugging at wrinkles. The tux was strikingly similar to the outfit Kurt had worn for the Reaping all those years ago: black pants, a red waistcoat, a black shirt, and a black coat. A dark blue rose was tucked in the lapel, and a red tie was around his neck. Clint was sprawled on a chair, and Margali was chastising him for the fact that he might be wrinkling his suit, but once Warren had finished nitpicking and moved away, Margali swooped in to mom-fuss over her son. She smoothed a dark curl into place and brushed a finger over the flower in his lapel.

"Oh, darling," she breathed out. "You look magnificent. There was a time when I was afraid I would never see this day, but now I can't believe it's here." She took his face in her hands. "What happened to my cute little baby Kurt?"

Kurt placed a hand over his mother's. "He grew up," he said simply.

"I mean, if what Kate says is anything to go off of, he's still cute," Clint called from the chair.

Margali laughed. "Of course he is. And please sit up, Clint dear; we can only iron your vest so many times." Clint obeyed, sitting upright and tugging at the black vest he wore. It caught the light coming through the window, and a ripple of dark blue flashed across it. Stefan entered the room, carrying a strip of dark blue fabric in his hand.

"Will someone…" He held up the fabric that was recognizable as a bow tie. "I don't know how…" Clint plucked the bow tie from Stefan's hand, and soon, a clean bow sat under Stefan's chin.

"I hope you're a little more willing to wear it today," Kurt joked.

Stefan grinned. "So long as I get to keep it this time."

The front door opened, and Logan peered in. "You guys ready?" He looked almost as groomed as the rest of them, except for his hair. Jubilee had made an "executive decision," as she called it, to leave it be after she got the quick reminder that he simply wasn't allowing anyone to touch his head. Kurt nodded, and Logan opened the door wider. "Then let's get this show on the road, Elf."

The men took their place near the altar. On the other side, the girls were lining up as well. Kurt stood near Father Lantom — who was getting on in years but was positively thrilled to be there. Matt had managed to find him, though Kurt didn't know how, and Matt wasn't telling except to say that it was a "wedding present."

Nearly the entirety of anyone related to Tahiti had come out, as well as a few others. Kate's friends were sitting in the front where family traditionally sat, and Teddy was already crying, even though the ceremony hadn't started. Billy was teasing him about this but looked like he was going to start doing the same, while Tommy teased them both and kept bouncing slightly and looking behind him like he couldn't wait for the main event to get going. Eli Bradley looked dapper in his new suit, and even Nate Richards, in red, was grinning ear to ear.

Once everyone was more or less arranged, Margali released her hold on her daughter, and little Katie Power took huge handfuls of purple pansies and rose petals and used all the might of her five-year-old aim to chuck them at partygoers with cheerful abandon.

For the most part, the guests were showered in petals from afar, though Bruce Banner took a handful right in the face, and Katie let out a gleeful giggle at his raised eyebrow expression while Jarella chuckled beside him. Once she had finished with what was in her basket, Katie abandoned the basket in the middle of the aisle and skipped happily to hug Kurt's legs before she went to stand by Amanda, who had thought ahead and had a handful of sweets behind her back to get Katie's attention again.

Next came none other than sweet little Josh Hudson, striding carefully down the aisle, clutching a silky pillow on which lay two thin, simple, golden rings with a look of intense concentration.

Finally, Kate came striding in, on Clint's arm, and Kurt's heart skipped a beat. She was beaming so brightly it was easy to see even behind the veil, and it was obvious that Clint was all but forcing her not to run down the aisle at top speed, if the grip he'd taken on her was any indication. As it was, she kept skipping slightly, as if she couldn't quite contain the excitement, and Clint looked like he was either going to burst out in laughter or tackle her to get her to stop trying to outpace him — one or the other.

When Clint placed her hands in Kurt's after he lifted the veil, he was chuckling as he whispered to Kurt, "I think she's excited."

Kurt grinned broadly as he stared at Kate. "I am too," he whispered.

Father Lantom stepped forward. "Friends. Family. Dearly beloved. We are gathered today to witness a union that I believe I speak for most of this assembly when I say has been a long time coming." There was a ripple of laughter across the crowd. Father Lantom nodded to Josh, who held up the cushion to Kurt and Kate. "If you would, my dear boy."

Kurt took a ring and a deep breath. "Kate Bishop," he began. "The day that I met you was in the middle of some of the worst days of my life. You were like a beacon of sunshine against the misery of the Games. You have only made my life better in the years that I've known you, and I couldn't be happier to bring you into our family." He took her hand and placed the ring onto her finger.

Kate was grinning so widely that she seemed to need a moment to remember that she was supposed to say something. She blinked, her grin widened, and she took the second ring. "Kurt Wagner," she said and couldn't stop the slight giggle. "You were just about the only thing that made sense when we were in the Capitol and the arena. And after that, you were the only thing that stayed that way. Every second with you was safe and grounded, and you keep me with my feet on the ground and my heart in the clouds." She bounced slightly as she seized his hand to put the ring on his finger. "Love you, Elf."

"Love you more, my Vögelchen," he murmured back.

Father Lantom smiled at them. "If there is anyone here who thinks these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." There was silence in the garden, apart from the rustling of grass and the chirping of birds. "Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may—" Kurt seized Kate around the waist and pulled her close, pressing a deep kiss to her lips. Kate reached up and looped her arms around his neck. Tommy whooped, and that sent the crowd into cheers and applause.

There was a flash of light — Peter had brought his camera, apparently — before the two of them broke apart, grinning. Kate looped her arm through his and allowed him to lead her back down the aisle, this time not nearly trying to outpace anybody as she practically floated alongside him in a grinning daze.

The two of them weren't aware of much else besides each other, and yet somehow, they found themselves seated at the tables the stylists had meticulously set up for them — and no one had to outright direct them on where to sit, though America looked like she was considering just picking them both up and sticking them where they were supposed to go.

There were plenty of guests around them, and someone had started up a game; they'd hit their spoons against their glasses as a signal for Kate and Kurt to kiss. It was a very fun game, though Tommy was banned from playing it after only two minutes.

Kate had just leaned over to kiss Kurt after a pointed look from Kitty and a light glass-tapping when she stopped and whispered, "Oh, I forgot to tell you... I talked to Coulson yesterday when he and Fitzsimmons came in."

"What about?" Kurt asked before another round of clinks brought their lips together again.

"About changing my name." She grinned brilliantly at him. "You know ... make being part of your family officially official. Can't get much better paperwork than the director of SHIELD himself. Expedited and all that."

Kurt's eyes lit up. "Really? You're serious?"

She was laughing delightedly as she nodded. "I thought long and hard about it," she said. "And… well, I like my name, but I think I like yours better." She leaned forward with a little spark of trouble in her eyes. "Besides, the world can only handle one Kate Bishop at a time."

Kitty gave a little cough and looked pointedly at the maid of honor, and Susan was already wiping madly at her eyes as she stood, looking over at Kate and Kurt with a trembling lower lip. "You two are just so perfect," she gushed before she started to really sniffle. "You just… Ever since Kate left home, I just knew she was safe when she was with you. And when she came back from the dead and you were there, I knew she'd be okay, even when it was really scary most of the time." She let out another loud sniffle before she added, "But you take care of my little sister. That's really all I can ask for. So just… keep doing that, please. You make her happy, and that's really all I wanted." Susan seemed to falter again; she probably had more to say, but she was crying very hard now, and she finally simply sat back down and started to dab harder at her eyes with her handkerchief.

Kate reached over to grasp her sister's arm and smile brightly, and there was a small pause before the small "ow" of someone kicking Clint under the table.

Clint stood carefully and tugged on his vest again, seemingly aware of the wrinkles in it now that there were people around. He gave a rueful grin to the assembled guests and nervously rubbed the back of his head, which only served to mess his hair up. "Well, I mean, gonna be honest ... you two've been together basically since I met you? There were a few days in there when we were being screwed with in the Games, but I don't count those, really. All I know is I woke up and I'd never seen Katie so happy, so once I was sure Kurt was a good guy, that was it, really."

He cleared his throat a bit. "Met him after the whole being dead thing, and he was real patient when I gave him a hard time. So… Anyway, kiddo, you got my blessing from pretty much day one, and I'm just glad you caught up to the rest of us, 'cause we've all just been sort of waiting around for you two to just tie the knot already. It was a sure shot — couldn't miss." He grinned at the two of them, a slow grin that just kept going, and then sat back down.

Kitty stood up next. "Kurt, we've been friends since before we could walk. I've watched you grow up with me, and I know you better than you know yourself sometimes. When I saw you two in the Games together, I could tell how much you cared for each other; and when I finally met Kate in person, I knew you were the right ones for one another. I don't know how much I believe in fate, but something was working hard to get you two in the same Games — and I'm so glad it did." She took her seat.

"Kurt here is the only person I ever met that didn't need to get to know me before he looked me in the eyes like a man and treated me like one. It didn't matter that we were completely different, and it didn't matter that we were bein' staged to kill each other from the get go. But I knew from the start that he was gonna end up bein' my best friend. He never once treated me like a damn animal — which is more'n what I can say for most folks I knew here." Logan took a breath and then smirked at the new couple. "And Kate … she really wasn't much different. Had a helluva lot more self preservation than the Elf did, but it was pretty clear from the word go that she was set to look at the brighter side and have faith that it would all work out." Logan took a deep breath and looked perfectly serious as he watched them for just a moment. It was obvious Kate was on the verge of crying — and Kurt's eyes were shining too. "The two of you always were the heart and soul of our little group, so it's only fitting that you both have finally gotten together and made it official. You deserve nothing but the best life has to give — and I think everyone here will agree with me when I say we're all lucky to know you and that we're all proud to count you as part of our family. Congratulations. Both of you."

There was a smattering of sniffles and slight applause and a lot of glasses clinking — and both Kate and Kurt were pretending that they weren't blinking more than the usual amount as the air hung heavy with emotion.

Kitty eventually directed them on where to go after that, taking her duties as unofficial organizer very seriously. She sent off the guests and made Kate and Kurt wait so that they could make a "proper entrance" once the reception got into full swing. Noh fussed a bit over Kate's makeup and tried to get her to sit up a bit straighter so that her veil would fall just right behind her, while Warren seemed content just to touch up Kurt's hair and try to flatten out his suit, especially the places where Kate kept grabbing him by the tie — which had come untied at her efforts — to kiss him dramatically. When they were both declared suitable for presentation, the two stylists finally set them loose... though not before Noh had kissed both of their cheeks.

They entered the completely re-decorated ballroom to loud applause and cheering, and both of them were blushing as it seemed an entire rebellion's worth of people were determined to wish them both good cheer. Jubilee had been sure to set up a little DJ station for Noh, who rushed off to get the dancing started.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Noh declared, "I give you Mr. and Mrs. Wagner!"

Kurt held Kate's hand high as they made their way to the center of the crowd, twirling her around. She laughed delightedly as he led her through the gentle steps of a dance, careful not to tread on her dress. While at first they swept across the floor in a dazzling waltz, as the song progressed, they slowed down, and Kate placed her arms around his shoulders and stepped in closer as their circles became gradually smaller until her head found his chest and they simply swayed to the final beats. When the song had finished, she looked up so he could kiss her, and everyone burst into applause again.

They walked to the edge of the dance floor, where Kurt relinquished Kate's hand and offered his to his mother before leading her out as Noh started another slow song.

Kate looked fondly on as Kurt took his mother out onto the dance floor and was surprised when there was someone at her shoulder. "May I have this dance?" Coulson asked, a twinkle in his eye, and Kate positively beamed at him.

He was a surprisingly good dancer, too. He led her out to dance with one hand and a smile that seemed too wide to possibly be a Coulson smile. Coulson didn't say much and simply led her through the dance, allowing her to just … try to remember what it felt like. Having a dad for just a few minutes. A real one.

Partway through the dance, Kate couldn't hold it in anymore and simply flung her arms around his neck and stopped dancing, just holding Coulson in a long hug, because she needed to hug him. That's what needed to happen. He tightened his hold on her into the best hug she'd ever had from a superior officer — which was what she'd tell people later — before he kissed the top of her head.

Kate was pretty sure Coulson's eyes were shining when the song ended and he escorted her over to where Kurt and Margali were to officially hand her off, but when Kurt took her hand, she decided it wasn't important to tease Coulson, because there was Kurt to dance with again, even as Noh, who was DJ-ing, invited anyone who wanted to come dance out to join them all. Kitty took the initiative and rushed out onto the dance floor as Noh switched to a fast-tempo song, pulling Peter Quill behind her.

Almost no one was surprised when Clint was the next one to take that invitation to heart, though they were likely surprised by his choice in dance partners when he all but seized Amanda around the waist and lifted her out with him before twirling her into a dance. Stefan looked very nervous at the huge smirk that Natasha got on her face when she looked his way after watching Clint spin Amanda, but she simply pulled him by the hand anyway until he was dancing with her — and it was clear that she was leading.

"They're playing a song for us, Jubilee," America whispered once a slow song started, a huge smirk on her face as she held her arm out for the stylist to take. "And you said I'd get a waltz."

Noh just waved them both off. "Go, have fun. I have plenty I need to do here, and you did promise her, after all."

America just grinned and led Jubilee out to dance near where Billy and Teddy were already joining the steadily growing crowd. America wasn't necessarily a graceful dancer, but she could pick Jubilee up by the waist to turn her and keep her from being stepped on when some of the more energetic dancers like Kate's friend Tommy got too close.

The song had hardly finished before Noh arrived, having set the playlist in motion and now wanting to join the dancers. "Might I borrow you, Jubilee?" he asked. "We simply must get more dancers out here."

She looked toward America for a moment. "I'll be back," she promised before she took Noh's hand.

At first, the two of them spun out into the dancing area like a normal set of dancers — though with far more polish and a few more lifts and twirls — but it was clear they were edging their way toward the outskirts, where several people were content to watch the goings on without participating. Which was, of course, unacceptable to the two of them.

The first to fall prey to their machinations was Peter, who was seized by both of them at once; they each took one arm. Gwen didn't need to be seized and simply followed along behind Peter as he protested being dragged out, but by the time they were in the center of the dancers, all Noh had to do was spin him around once so that he all but fell into Gwen's waiting arms, and Gwen took it from there.

"It seemed a shame to allow her to continue standing when there was dancing to be done," Noh informed Jubilee with a huge grin. "Who shall we liberate from their state of being a wallflower next?"

She looked around the room for a moment until she found their next mark. "Oooh. The spiderling and his sweet little marvel of a girl." Jubilee was already nodding to herself. "It must be done."

"If it must be done, then it shall be," Noh said, his tone solemn but his eyes twinkling.

This time, the participants were a little more unwilling, as neither of them wanted to get out and dance like Gwen had. Noh and Jubilee had resumed their quick dance across the floor, but they broke apart a few feet away from their intended targets as Jubilee grabbed Miles by both hands to try and drag him out, while Noh simply swept Kamala up into his arms and kept right on dancing with her without pausing.

"Miles!" Jubilee chastised. "Even Peter's dancing!" She yanked on him hard, and finally, he broke down and simply went with it. She gave him a quick how-to before she and Noh shared a look and made sure their sweeping paths crossed so they could spin the their partners together and rush off in search of other wallflowers to pick, leaving Miles and Kamala to very awkwardly dance together as only two teenagers who don't know how to dance could do.

"Sorry," Miles muttered as he tried to turn Kamala, but she just shook her head.

"You're doing great," she assured him and steadfastly ignored the huge grin on Peter's face when he and Gwen got closer to the dancing couple.

"Yeah, almost as good as your bigger spider brother," Pete said with a grin before he tipped his head Miles' way and mock whispered.. "Stay close and watch Gwen. She can show you how it's done."

The dancing and good cheer continued until the sky finally started to darken, and Noh called for the men in the group to come to the middle of the dance floor — anyone who wanted to play. Kate was brought into the middle of the circle of guys as Noh informed Kurt of the rules: he had to try and get his bride back, and the guys would keep dancing with Kate in the meantime until Kurt could win her back. With a few competitive Tahiti kids, this was definitely going to be a challenge.

Peter surprised everyone by getting to Kate first, and the two of them started up a hilarious sort of hop-skipping dance as Peter tried to get her further away from Kurt. He spun her into Tony, and to the surprise of a few people, the two of them fell easily into a waltz, well-practiced from the simply fact that they had both grown up a little higher-class than most of the others. Halfway through the waltz, the song turned more upbeat, which seemed to prompt Clint to step up and practically lift Kate in the air as he did.

Kate was a little purple blur as she was passed quickly around the dance floor, while Kurt did his level best to dart into the group of laughing guys. Tommy took her for a spin three times, but only for enough time to get her dizzy before he handed her off to the next person. Matt stepped in after Tommy's third spin, and he seemed almost to be guiding her on purpose in Kurt's direction before Sam stepped in to whisk her the other way. And once, Luke Cage saw Kurt getting dangerously close and simply picked Kate up and threw her in the air in a lift.

Kate was red-faced and giggling from all the spinning and dancing when Logan stepped in."You look like you could use a little break, Trickshot."

She beamed at him. "Well, then, it's good you're here to rescue me."

He just gave her a little smirk and kept her occupied, though he made sure to give her a chance to catch her breath. She giggled every time he swept her back away from Kurt, a little smirk on his face. He'd let them drift nearly to Kurt. almost close enough to touch, then whirl her away — getting more giggles from Kate and a broad grin from the Elf until Logan finally gave her a quick peck on the cheek and twirled her right to him.

Kate was well out of breath by then and simply kissed Kurt on the cheek, still grinning and giggling, and Kurt held her there for a second before very slowly spinning with her in a small circle for the rest of the song Noh was playing. When the game was finished, the two of them moved to sit down and catch their breath while the rest of the guests went back to dancing for a bit — while Jubilee and Honey rushed off to go get the cake.

With the war over and the districts able to trade supplies more freely now, the cake truly was something to behold. It was elegant, tall and white, and the best part was the little figurines on top — one with a three-pointed pirate hat and the other in a sweeping kind of dress that would have fit that era. Both had tiny little swords, and Kate giggled at the display.

They both took hold of the knife and carefully cut out a triangle of a small piece, and Kurt eased it into his hand. There was a lot of icing… He took one look at the cake in his hand and then dragged his index finger along the outside of it until there was a good buildup of white and blue and purple before he smeared it across Kate's cheeks and nose.

She looked surprised for only a second before she grinned at him and whispered, "It's on." He wasn't fast enough to keep her from snatching the rest of the piece from his hand, and she simply smashed the whole thing into the side of his cheek. They didn't actually get to taste their cake until they'd cut a third piece, as the second was similarly sacrificed.

The night was growing darker outside the window as Noh called for any young woman who was unmarried to please enter the floor. Kate grabbed her bouquet and took a look at the assembled girls behind her, taking careful note of who was where. After all, she had very good aim. She caught Bobbi's gaze as the far end of the group of girls, and even though it had been a long time since they'd hung out, when Bobbi smirked and tipped her head toward Kate's intended target, Kate barely kept from laughing. She turned, biting back the smirk, and tossed the bouquet with such precision that it would have been nearly impossible for Gwen not to catch it.

When she did, she looked up in surprise and then caught Peter's gaze — and Peter looked just as red as the tee shirts that he liked to wear as he just sort of shook his head, while all of the girls burst into giggles at the sight of it. It was, after all, no secret that the two spiders were almost-engaged anyway.

When the girls had settled down, someone got a chair for Kate, and the boys were quickly assembled as well for the garter toss. Kurt was already slightly pink as he knelt down, but he turned an even deeper shade when Clint called out, "Uh-uh. No hands!"

Kate, to her credit, was a pretty rosy shade as well but giggling madly as Kurt raised his eyebrows at her. She lifted her skirt a few inches in invitation, and Kurt took it, disappearing underneath and reappearing only a few moments later, the thin piece of lace in between his teeth and his face red as a cherry. Kate's cheeks were similarly fiery, but she was laughing now, too. Kurt closed his eyes and launched the garter like a rubber band into the small group of young men. He heard a whoop from Tony and opened his eyes to see him winking at Gwen, who did not look pleased.

Kitty was moving now, getting people organized in two little lines that made a space for Kate and Kurt to move through and handing out little spheres filled with glitter that Jubilee had made. The lines extended all the way to a jet that Clint had prepped for them with big, purple, chicken-scratch writing that, if you looked at it sideways, read, "FINALLY MARRIED."

Kate and Kurt were fairly well covered in glitter — and so were most of the guests — by the time they made it to their getaway jet, and even when the hatch closed behind them, they could still hear the hooting and hollering from outside.

Kate slid easily into the pilot's seat, though she had to work around her dress for a moment to get properly settled, and grinned over at Kurt. "Where to, oh husband of mine?" she asked.

"Set your course for the beach," he told her. "We were promised sand and surf — and high seas!"

Of course, the party hadn't stopped simply because Kate and Kurt were gone. Once the newlyweds were seen off, Noh started the music back up again with abandon, and the dancing resumed — though not quite as many people were out on the floor this time, as some of them had started to pair off and a few victors, like Bobbi and Peter Quill, were heading back to Quill's place for their own little reunion and celebration.

Clint and Natasha were still out dancing, Natasha's arms wrapped around his shoulders and Clint's around her waist as they moved in slow circles in a corner of the floor. They talked at low whispers that no one else could hear, Clint watching her lips carefully as she spoke.

The spiders had retreated back to being wallflowers without the threat of Noh and Jubilee forcing them to participate now that it was more of an after-party. Kamala and Miles had dragged a few chairs off to the side and were sitting together holding hands as Kamala rested her head on Miles' shoulder and looked like she was ready to fall asleep after all the excitement.

Gwen still had the bouquet and was grinning as she and Peter moved off to find somewhere quieter and more private. "It doesn't bother you, does it?" she teased him as she waved the bouquet around.

"Me? No," Peter said quickly and tried to pluck the flowers from her hands. "I knew you were a good catch."

"Oh, there's so many layers to that sentence," she teased.

"That's not what I — I mean yeah — but that's — I meant — you catch well."

She just laughed. "C'mere, Peter," she told him and kissed him so he'd stop talking.

The party at last started to wind down as a few people got to work cleaning up — though that only meant even more people were starting to break off to find some privacy. Logan and Skye had found themselves a nice corner somewhere and snuggled in. Jarella had even grabbed Bruce by the hand and led him onto the dance floor earlier in the night, and when Clint and Natasha were the last to leave as Noh packed up his things, the two of them saw Jarella leading him down the hall toward her room.

The transports were loading up, but Clint paused for a moment. He squeezed Natasha's hand in his and whispered, "Hold up. I gotta do something real fast," before he ran back toward the remaining partygoers. He was looking in particular for two blondes… Yep, there they were.

The twins were leaning with their backs against the wall, sitting on the floor and watching the last of the twinkle lights being taken away. Clint bounded over to them with a huge grin, and when they saw him, they couldn't help but match it.

"Hey, fellow blondes," he told them, offering a hand to each to pull them to their feet. "Welcome to the family ... sorta, tangentially. Your brother's stuck with my… whatever Katie is. So that makes you sorta kinda hawks."

Both of them laughed, and Stefan asked, "Does that mean you're teaching us how to shoot things?"

"Maybe." Clint said. He grinned at both of them. "Anyway, realized I couldn't let you both go without a hug, so c'mere." With that, he enveloped them both in his long arms and pulled them in by the shoulders. When they had both joined in the hug ... that's when he shook out all the purple glitter in his hair from Kate and Kurt's farewell, and both of the twins laughed as their faces were covered in the stuff.

"See ya 'round," he told the now-sparkling kids, giving them both a two-fingered salute before he scampered off back toward the transport.