Lucy couldn't but be a little nervous as she sat in the middle of her dining room, her hair already styled to perfection by Cancer in a simple up-do, with Evergreen and Lisanna fussing about her and trying to get her makeup perfect.

"Guys, can I just… Can I have a break for a second?" she asked quietly. "I don't feel the best right now…"

"Oh, you're not getting cold feet, are you?" Mira asked worriedly, bouncing Jax on her lap at the table. She'd only come by to help before she had to go back to the guild and start preparing some of the food.

"No no, nothing like that," Lucy said. Thankfully, Evergreen had stopped trying to cover up the slightest of blemishes on her face. Lucy had never thought she'd find the smell of concealer nauseating. She hadn't even known it had a smell at all. "I think I just need a little bit of air for a moment, that's all. Perhaps something to eat, too…" She hadn't eaten all morning anyway, not unless the red velvet cupcakes she'd scoffed at two in the morning counted.

"Oh. Of course." Mira got up and handed Jax to Lisanna before making her way across the room to the kitchen. "Anything in particular you'd like?" she asked.

"Um… Just a bacon sandwich, thank you," Lucy said, smiling nervously for a moment. "There should be some left in the fridge." She wrapped the satin robe back around herself as she got up, passing the kitchen to head out onto the small patio, taking a seat on the steps.

It was still only just summer, but the weather was perfect with autumn just around the corner. It had been cloudy for the last few days though, so for a moment, Lucy had worried about it raining. But that day, there wasn't a single cloud in the blue sky and Lucy couldn't have asked for anything better.

"Seriously, are you sure these aren't a craving?" Evergreen asked as she came to sit on the steps beside her, handing her the plate with the sandwich Mira had quickly made.

"Honestly, I'm not even sure anymore." She liked to think they weren't, but if it ended up being just a pregnancy craving, then Lucy would totally be down for eating nothing but bacon sandwiches for the next eight months.

Evergreen couldn't help but roll her eyes and let out a quiet sigh. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"There's a very real possibility I might throw up on Bickslow in the middle of my vows," Lucy mumbled.

"From nerves or from the morning sickness?"

"Both." She felt like her stomach had decided to become an acrobat of some sort, and it wasn't pleasant. Although for the most part, Lucy felt that was more to do with nerves.

Still, Lucy wasn't sure why she was nervous at all. She shouldn't be nervous, not when she'd been waiting for that day since Bickslow had taken her back to Cartervale after they'd been together for six months. But maybe it was because she'd been waiting so long for that day that she was nervous. Maybe it was because she'd accepted once upon a time that she'd never get to see that day. Lucy just wasn't sure.

But as nervous as she was, she was also excited. And while part of her hoped the day just went quickly just so she could get on with her life with Bickslow, she also wanted to enjoy it as much as she could.

"Bicks, come on. Get the fuck up," Laxus groaned. He refrained from kicking the man on the bathroom floor, as tempting as it was.

Bickslow shook his head. "No… I'm not moving… At all…" he mumbled.

"Dude, you remember you're getting married today, right? That requires you to move."

He shook his head again. "Call it off. Not happenin' today. Nuh-uh."

Laxus could only roll his eyes as Bickslow groaned into the tiles again before quickly sitting up so he threw up into the toilet and not all over the floor and himself. Of all the days for the man to have the hangover from hell, it had to be on his wedding day. Laxus wasn't even surprised though, not after seeing how much the man had drunk the night before.

Still, no weddings were going to be called off on his watch, partly because that would just be stupid, and partly because Laxus really didn't want Lucy to murder his best friend. He already had dibs on that.

"Freed!" Laxus shouted back into the Rune mage's apartment. Last he'd seen Freed, he'd been nursing a cup of tea and trying to stay awake. "You're the best man. Come and get this idiot up."

The green haired man appeared a few moments later, his hair still a mess with loose strands everywhere. He couldn't help but sigh as he joined the others in his small bathroom, looking down to the Seith mage still resting on the edge of the toilet. It was quite a pitiful sight, but Freed didn't really feel sorry for him. "Help me get him into the shower," Freed mumbled.

Bickslow groaned as Freed hook under one arm and Laxus the other. "I don't wanna get up… Stop it…"

"Bickslow, you are getting married today whether you like it or not. Now hurry up and move. Do not make me give you a sponge bath."

"Fine…" Bickslow mumbled, finally getting up with the assistance of Freed and Laxus and stumbling over to the shower cubicle. He couldn't think of anything worse than getting a sponge bath by his best friend. And thankfully, Freed couldn't think of anything worse than giving one.

Once Bickslow did make it into the shower, Laxus followed Freed back out into the kitchen where he started to get brunch ready for the three of them. "Fried or scrambled?" Freed asked as Laxus made himself a coffee.

"Fried. I'm pretty sure Bicks will just vomit if he sees scrambled eggs."

"I suppose that's true," Freed mumbled.

As Freed went about getting the food ready, Laxus sat down at one of the empty seats at the table and read over the short list that Evergreen had written for them. Make sure Bickslow is awake by nine. Make sure Bickslow didn't lose the rings. If he did, don't bother showing up. "He gave the rings to you already, right?" Laxus asked.

"Oh, yes, he did. I made a point of getting them from him before we got to the guild."

"Good." The rest of the list was much the same, just making sure that Bickslow remembered his vows and that he hadn't forgotten anything for his suit, and what time they needed to get him to the guild.

In a way though, Laxus found it all amusing. He'd known Bickslow since he'd been seventeen, but Laxus had never really expected Bickslow to end up where he was right then. He'd always just assumed that Bickslow would be the weird guy who would never stopped acting like a twenty-something-year-old, even when he was in his fifties or something. But now he was getting married and settling down, and Laxus had just never expected any of it.

"You know, I still can't really believe that Bicks is the first of us to get married."

"Well, you and Mirajane might as well be married by this point, so it's not like Bickslow is the first of us to do it," Freed pointed out as he cracked the eggs into the frypan.

"That's different, though," Laxus said.

"How so? You've been together for what, more than three years now? And you have a child together."

"Yeah, but… It's different," Laxus mumbled. "We were gonna break up before we had Jax."

"Wait, really?"

"It was kinda weird. It's still kinda weird." Laxus shook his head and sipped at his coffee. "Anyway, it's still just fuckin' weird that Bicks is actually getting married."

Freed cast a worried glance over his shoulder before he reached for the salt and pepper. He'd known Laxus long enough to know when he didn't want to walk about something, and even if he had, Freed knew it wasn't the time. "Well, I guess it is a little weird," he admitted with a sigh. "But he's happy, so that's all that matters."

"I guess. But, you know, I was thinking… I think Blondie actually knows him better than us."

"Well, I'd imagine that's the point. She's the one marrying him, not us."

"Yeah, but… I always thought I used to know everything there was to know about him. But then he started dating Lucy, and I just… I don't know. It's weird," Laxus muttered. He wasn't even sure why he was thinking about it at all because he knew it didn't really matter. But he'd always seen Bickslow as his best friend, just as he did Evergreen and Freed as well, and he'd always taken delight in knowing that he knew everything there was to know about his friends.

But, maybe he hadn't. Maybe there'd always been things that Bickslow had kept to himself until he'd started seeing Lucy. Laxus didn't know.

Either way though, he was kind of glad for it, whatever the case actually was. Bickslow was a far better person right then than he had been three years earlier, and Laxus truly was happy for the man.

At a little past one o'clock, Bickslow was all but waiting for everything to begin and for Lucy to arrive - or at least, he was waiting for her to come out of the guild and actually walk down the damn aisle, because he'd heard from Freed that she'd gotten to the guild just a few minutes earlier after a carriage trip that Evergreen had organised.

"You don't think she's going to change her mind, right?" he asked, tugging on his bowtie before he smoothed down the black lapel on his white jacket. He still wasn't entirely sure why he'd let Freed and Laxus talk him into wearing a black-and-white tux. Lucy had said she liked it once he'd shown her, but Bickslow still wasn't entirely sure of it.

"Why would she do that?" Freed sighed.

"Um, because I'm me? I wouldn't even marry myself."

"Then it's a good thing you can't," Laxus mumbled. "But for some fucking reason, Lucy wants to marry you, and if she hasn't realised what a dumbass you are by now, then she's never going to."

"I think she does know," Bickslow mumbled. "She just doesn't seem to care."

"Then consider yourself lucky."

Bickslow nodded and went back to walking in circles, going over his vows in his head and occasionally tugging on his bowtie to loosen it.

He hadn't been privy to the exact details of the decorations for their wedding, but once Bickslow had arrived at the guild and seen the large sheet-covered gazebo just behind the guild on the grass, he'd decided he was glad for it. He was glad that the guild had played such a huge part in organising all of it, too, because he certainly wouldn't have been able to come up with any of it, especially not on his own. Even then though, Bickslow knew that most of the decorations had been Lucy's ideas.

At one end of the gazebo was the altar set upon a wooden platform, with arrangements of white and blue lilies on the front of the steps, and vines wrapped around the posts of the archway. There was a cream carpet running all the way up the middle, with rows of chairs on either side and filling up the space under the gazebo. With the gentle breeze, the loose sheets hanging over the top and just over the sides just barely moved. Droy had wrapped vines around each of the supports on Laki's gazebo as well.

Just to the side of the gazebo, there was a space set up under the trees with tables and chairs and room for people to dance - which, was probably the only part of the day that Bickslow wasn't looking forward to. Purple and white lanterns were strung across the space from the trees, and matching ribbons were wrapped around the trunks.

When Makarov came out of the guild and took his place at the top of the altar, and once everyone else who had been loitering around took their seats or stood off to the side or the back once all the seats were taken, it all seemed to hit Bickslow. And, he did unfortunately remember his drunken speech from the night before, or at least he remembered most of it. But once he was standing up there on the podium after Freed and Laxus had dragged him up there, Bickslow found himself having a hard time keeping himself still. He had no hope in hell of keeping the grin off his face, either.

He was getting married, and any minute now, Lucy was going to walk out of the guild and down that aisle and agree to spending the rest of her life with him. He really hadn't thought that day would ever come, but he couldn't be more thankful that it had.

When Lyra began playing her harp just off to the side (which only made Bickslow all the more certain that Lucy was actually around), Bickslow smoothed down his lapels and fixed his bowtie once more as everyone quieted down. Juvia was the first to walk down and take her place on the opposite side of the altar, wearing the lilac halter neck gown. Next came Erza, followed by Evergreen. Layla was the next to walk down to Lyra's music, tossing the flower petals out of the basket with just a little too much energy, but it proved to amuse the guild and Bickslow couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself as she went to sit with her mother in the first row.

Finally, as everyone stood and turned to face the back, it was Lucy's turn, and Bickslow was almost convinced his heart stopped when he saw her and they locked eyes for a moment. He'd always liked the navy blue dress Lucy had worn on their first date, but he quickly had a new favourite.

When Lucy had finally managed to put on the dress earlier, she'd spent a good five minutes staring at herself in the mirror. She'd seen herself in her dress before, but that day, it had just become so much more real once she'd put the dress on.

Actually walking in it proved to be just a little difficult, with it fitting snugly all the way down to her knees before it flared out slightly, and the lace sleeves that didn't cover her shoulders were just a little itchy. Still, she knew it was the perfect dress and Bickslow looking at her right then almost made her knees week.

She reached the podium and she smiled up at Bickslow, just a little nervously as everyone took their seats again. She was still having a hard time believing that it was really happening.

"You look amazing," Bickslow whispered.

"So I should," Lucy whispered back. She'd spent long enough getting ready. Anything less than amazing just wasn't acceptable.

Makarov cleared his throat and Lucy tried not to laugh when she looked down and saw him scowl slightly. "Friends, family, thank you to all of those who have joined us today to celebrate this joyous occasion," he began, his voice travelling to reach the very back of the crowd that had gathered around the chairs. Lucy didn't realise how many people were actually there until she glanced over her shoulder quickly. She'd expected a big wedding just because it was a guild wedding, but she hadn't quite anticipated that many people to show up. "Today we celebrate the union of Bickslow and Lucy, who, as some of you may know, have gone through a great deal to reach this day. Today, they embark on a journey together that is built on trust, compassion, and respect."

Bickslow was sure his hands were sweating as Makarov spoke. Even then, all he could do was keep looking to Lucy before him and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her smile even if he'd tried. It almost felt like it was just the two of them. Everyone else was far away, including the master whose voice Bickslow wasn't really paying much attention to. He could just make out what Makarov was saying, but Bickslow was just entirely focused on something else.

"Marriage is the promise between two people who love each other, who trust that love, who honour that love, and wish to spend the rest of their lives honouring each other as individuals in togetherness," Makarov continued. "It is when two separate souls make a promise to share their desires, their dreams, their joys and their sorrows. It provides a safe haven for each person to become their best self." Makarov paused for a moment, looking past the bride and groom to the rest of the guild. "If anyone in attendance believes that the couple should not be joined in marriage today, please speak now."

Lucy made a vow to murder anyone who did object to it. Thankfully, no one did.

Makarov sighed quietly and gave a small nod. "Deep affection is the magical and compelling impulse that makes us seek each other's company, and is one of the greatest gifts. Bickslow and Lucy were fortunate enough to experience this, and it is why we are here celebrating today," he said. After another pause, Makarov looked up to Lucy. "Would you like to share your prepared vows, Lucy?"

Lucy nodded, and she had to take a steadying breath before she began. She'd memorised her vows perfectly, and now all she had to do was say them out loud to the person she'd written them for. "Bickslow, you have helped shape me into the woman I am today—"

"Woo, go girl!" Cana cheered. Levy shushed her quickly and Evergreen and Erza shot daggers at her.

"—and I couldn't be happier for that," Lucy finished, trying not to roll her eyes at Cana's comment. "With my whole heart, I take you as my husband, accepting all of your strengths and your faults, as you do mine. You are the love of my life, and you've made me happier than I ever could have imagined. On this day, I promise to be faithful and supportive of all of your crazy ideas. I promise to care for you, in sickness and in health. I promise to dream with you and walk by your side, wherever life takes us next, and I promise to always be your partner in crime whenever you need one. You made me promise once before to live a life full of joy and happiness, and I finally get to do that with the person I was always meant to do it with. And I see these all as privileges, not promises, because I cannot think of anything nicer than spending the rest of my life with you."

Bickslow definitely had to do his best to stop himself from just wrapping his arms around the woman and hugging her to death. She'd always had a way with words, and more than once she'd made him cry because of it, and her vows were no exception. Bickslow was sure if Lucy had said anything more, then he really would be in tears.

"And your vows, Bickslow?" Makarov said.

It was Bickslow's turn to nod, and after glancing down to Makarov quickly, he looked back to Lucy with a gentle smile. "Lucy, you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars. You know me better than anyone else in the world, and somehow, you still love me as much as I love you," he began softly. "Three years ago today we shared our first date, and for three years, you've been the love of my life, as you always will be. I feel like we've been through hell just to get here, but I know that the love I hold for you is stronger because of it. You have made me a better person, and I cannot be thankful enough for you loving me." He reached up to gently cup Lucy's cheek for a moment, catching the tear that rolled down onto his thumb. "I promise to encourage your compassion, the thing I love most about you. I promise to nurture your dreams, because through them your soul shines. I promise to be your partner in all things, and I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust, because one lifetime with you will never be enough."

That was what had Lucy bursting into tears, much to the amusement of herself and the rest of the guild. Evergreen quickly handed her a tissue (where she'd gotten it, Lucy had no idea), and she did her best to wipe away her tears without smudging her eye makeup.

"Okay, I think I'm good now," she laughed weakly.

"Bickslow and Lucy, please join hands," Makarov said. Lucy passed her calla lily bouquet to Evergreen so she could slip her hands into Bickslow's palms. "Bickslow, do you take Lucy to be your cherished wife, in front of your friends and family, and promise to honour her in love, to comfort her in difficulty, and put your full and complete trust in her, so long as you both shall live?"

"Hell fucking yes, I do," Bickslow said softly. He'd promised her a year earlier that that was what he'd say at their wedding, and he was so glad he could finally make good on it.

"Lucy, do you take Bickslow to be your cherished husband, in front of your friends and family, and promise to honour him in love, to comfort him in difficulty, and put your full and complete trust in him, so long as you both shall live?"

Lucy nodded. "I do."

"Let these rings you give to each other be a sign that your love has a past, a present, and a future. Lucy, please repeat after me as you place the ring on Bickslow's hand," Makarov said, giving Lucy a moment to turn and take the silver band from Evergreen. "I give you this ring…"

"I give you this ring," Lucy repeated, sliding it onto Bickslow's finger.

"…As a sign that I choose you…"

"As a sign that I choose you."

"…To be my husband, my partner, and my best friend…"

"To be my husband, my partner, and my best friend."

"To the end of days," Makarov finished.

"To the end of days," Lucy whispered.

Makarov turned to Bickslow then, just as he took the pave band with inlaid rubies from Freed. "Bickslow, please place the ring on Lucy's hand and repeat after me. I give you this ring…"

"I give you this ring," Bickslow murmured, looking up to her face once again once he slid the ring in place, still holding her hand in his.

"As a sign that I choose you…" Makarov continued.

"As a sign that I choose you.

"To be my wife, my partner, and my best friend."

"To be my wife, my partner, and my best friend."

"To the end of the days."

"To the end of days," he whispered.

Makarov couldn't help but smile as he looked back to the guild and let out a gentle sigh. "As guild master of Fairy Tail, it is my honour to declare you henceforth as husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Bickslow certainly wasted no time in doing so, crashing his lips down to Lucy's as one arm wrapped around her waist, and the other went up in the air with a raised fist. He really hadn't been able to help himself, though when he felt Freed pull his arm back down, he took the opportunity to hold his wife's face between his hands and kiss her again.

"Friends and family, may I now present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Bickslow and Lucy Alderwood."

Bickslow really didn't think anything could top that moment.

Lucy was sure her whole face was beet red as Bickslow led her onto the designated dance floor. Lyra was long gone and the small band made up of a few of the guild members had taken over, and honestly, Lucy thought they weren't half bad. She was almost painfully aware of everyone watching her and Bickslow right then, but she was trying not to worry about it. It was her day, anyway. They were supposed to be looking at her.

"Care to dance, my dear wife?" Bickslow asked, a smirk affixed to his lips as he dropped his other hand to her waist.

Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes as she moved her own free hand to his side, her fingers of her other entwined with Bickslow's. "Isn't that what we're doing?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to say it anyway."

The guild around them started clapping as the song finally changed and they began to slowly move and turn in time to the song. They'd danced together just a few times before, and Lucy had even gone so far as to insist they practice their first dance in their shoes just the week before because she'd known how much Bickslow hated dancing. Still, as they twirled and stepped in time to the slow music, Lucy realised that it hadn't even needed to be anything special anyway. Twirling and walking in slow circles was good enough for her, and she figured it was good enough for Bickslow, too.

She stepped closer just so she could rest her head against his shoulder for a moment. "Is it weird that I kind of wish my dad had still been here to see this?" she whispered, glancing up to Bickslow for a second. She hadn't really thought about it until a few days before the wedding, but after walking down the aisle by herself, and now having her first dance with Bickslow as a married couple, Lucy couldn't help but feel like her day could've been just that little bit better. They'd had their differences, but Lucy liked to think that her father would've come to give her away and have his father-daughter dance if he'd still been alive. "I mean, I know that you two would've hated each other, but I just… I really wish he'd been alive to see us get married."

"I don't think it's weird," Bickslow murmured. "He was still your dad, and… Well, you're you, so of course you'd want him to see you get married." If Jude had still been alive, Bickslow knew that Lucy would've done her best to fix things before the wedding, just so she'd be able to have her whole family there. He knew she would've loved to have her mother there that day, too, but some things just weren't possible. That didn't mean you couldn't wish for things to be different. "I would've loved to have my parents here as well, but… We still have the guild, and my sisters. I think they're enough."

"I suppose so," Lucy sighed.

"You know, though… I don't think anything could make this day better."

Lucy lifted her head from his shoulder. "Really? Nothing?"

"Nope." Or at least, there was nothing Bickslow could think of. "Today is hands down, the best day of my life, and I really don't think anything will ever beat today, either."

"Well, you never know…" Lucy murmured. "Something amazing might happen later on to make the day even better…"

"Cosplayer, nothing could make today more amazing than it already is."

If Lucy hadn't already decided that she'd tell him about the baby once they were home, then she'd probably be telling him right then. It was tempting, too, but she already had it planned out and she wasn't going to stray from her plan. "I think you might be right," she whispered anyway, craning her neck to kiss him softly. For the time being, Lucy just figured it was easier to agree, because for the most part, everything was perfect and exactly as she'd pictured it.

"Okay, okay, my turn!" Levy shouted over the rest of the guild. In the middle of the dance floor, Bickslow and Lucy sat with their backs to each other, each one holding one of Lucy's keys and one of Bickslow's totems. Everyone turned their attention to the Script mage with her two-month-old daughter on her lap as she thought of her question. "Who is more likely to be running late somewhere?" she finally asked.

Hesitantly, Lucy raised her hand holding the key up, and she couldn't help but grimace. She was definitely more likely to be running late, only because she had a tendency to other think things. Behind her, Bickslow raised his key as well, and the rest of the guild laughed as Lucy won (or, technically, lost) the round.

Cana decided to go next, finishing her drink and setting it down on the table behind her. "How about… Who starts the arguments?"

Bickslow's hand with the key shot up so quickly that he honestly felt guilty. "Sorry, Cosplayer," he mumbled, failing to lose his grin. With a sigh, Lucy raised her own key again, much to the amusement of the guild once again.

"Who's the first to say sorry, then?" someone asked.

Both of the totems went into the air, and Bickslow could only shrug. He was a compulsive apologiser.

"Who said I love you first?"

Lucy stared into space for a moment. She felt like she should know the answer to that, but it had been so long ago that she really couldn't remember. Hesitantly, she raised the totem in her hand. "Maybe…?" she said slowly. She felt like it would've been Bickslow, but really, she had no idea.

Behind her, Bickslow had the golden key raised, and at the burst of raucous laughter from the guild, they turned in their seats to see what they other had raised. "You said it first, Cosplayer," Bickslow chuckled.

"What? No I didn't. You said it in the guild. On Christmas."

"You said it when you were like half dead and half asleep."

"Oh… But that doesn't count," Lucy insisted. "You're the only one who remembers it! And I was asleep so it definitely doesn't count."

"Ah, they've been married for less than six hours and they're already arguing like an old married couple," Sara snickered as she continued to watch from her table.

Saskia nodded as she sipped from her wine glass. "True love, clearly," she agreed.

It was well after midnight by the time they got back home after a short carriage ride through Magnolia. Lucy didn't even get a chance to get her shoes off before Bickslow had his arms around her and was lifting her off the ground for a moment. "Bickslow!" she squealed, holding onto his arms just for some semblance of support. "Put me down!"

If he hadn't been just a little dizzy, then he probably would've just ignored her and found a way to awkwardly carry her all the way down to their bedroom. But the cure to his hangover had been way too much champagne, and he was just beginning to regret it. "Mm, fine," he mumbled, stopping on his seemingly short journey to lower Lucy back down to her feet, right before he walked them into the basement staircase railing. "I really love you," he murmured once Lucy had managed to turn around in his grasp. He ducked down to gently press his lips to hers for a moment, briefly smothering her giggling. "Like, super love you. And you just married me for some reason, so now you're stuck with me forever and ever."

"I can think of much worse ways to spend my time," she laughed. She managed to wriggle free from his arms and she took his hand instead, turning to pull him down the hall. "Come on, I have a kind of present for you."

"Huh? Really?"

"Mm-hmm." Well, it wasn't really, but she liked to think it was special enough to be her gift to him, because it would be a surprise and they made the best kinds of presents.

Bickslow vaguely registered the pile of actual presents piled in front of their fireplace and their coffee table - Freed and Evergreen had arranged for them to be moved from the guild earlier in the evening - and let his wife lead him down to their room. He had a pretty good idea as to what her present would be, since it was their wedding night after all, and that was the kind of present he couldn't say no to. Well, he probably wouldn't say no to it, assuming he found the energy.

He pulled off his white jacket and made a point of hanging it up on the door and not just dropping it to the floor. "Lay down here for me," Lucy said, patting the mattress as she undid the buckles on her shoes.

"Uh-huh, okay…"

Lucy rolled her eyes at him when he jumped onto the mattress and crossed his hands behind his head. "On your other side, you dork."

"Huh?"

"Roll over," she said. Confused as all hell, Bickslow turned onto his stomach, and he felt the mattress shift slightly as Lucy got up again. "And close your eyes."

"Uh… Alright…" he mumbled. He really didn't know what was going on, but he was going to assume that it would make sense at some point. Still, he couldn't help but be a little nervous, not knowing what the hell he was to expect.

Lucy ducked into the bathroom to open up one of her drawers and fetch one of the pregnancy tests she'd hidden at the back of it. She'd taken another one that morning just for the sake of it, and it had ended up as glaringly positive as the others, not that she'd been very surprised. She doubted Bickslow would even know what it was at first, but she'd already decided that she'd much rather show him than tell him straight up. She wanted to watch him put the pieces together on his own.

When she returned to the bedroom, Lucy realised she probably should've had Bickslow help her out of her dress first - because she certainly couldn't get out of it on her own, as she'd become all too aware when it had come time to visit the bathroom earlier in the day - because moving wasn't exactly the easiest task to do, but she figured she'd just have to make do.

"Do I need to be worried?" Bickslow asked, resting his chin on his arms as he listened to the quiet footsteps across the wooden floor.

"Nope."

Bickslow was hesitant to believe it. When the bed dipped again, he figured it was Lucy joining him again, but then he felt her weirdly climbing over him and he couldn't help but groan when her elbow dug into his spine. It had been a long time since she'd done that to him.

After some manoeuvring, Lucy managed to get herself lying almost directly atop Bickslow, her knees just barely sliding off to one side and her ankles crossed. She crossed her arms awkwardly over the back of his shoulders after setting the stick down just on top of the pillow in front of him, and she let out a quiet sigh as she inwardly told herself not to be nervous. "Do you remember that time all those years ago, where I laid on your back and joked about being pregnant?" she began softly.

"Mm-hmm," he hummed. He might've laughed had he actually been able to breathe properly.

"And, when you got your scar, and I said I wanted to do it for real one day?"

"Yeah…"

"And, well… We've been trying for a while now, but, you know, we both thought it'd take ages for it to actually happen…"

Bickslow had a feeling he knew where Lucy was going with it, but he still wasn't entirely sure. But he knew there was a point to it all somewhere. There had to be. "Right…" he drawled.

"You can open your eyes now," Lucy whispered.

He did, blinking as he tried to figure out why Lucy had wanted him to close his eyes in the first place. But then he noticed the white and pink object sitting in front of him, and he figured he was supposed to be looking at it since it hadn't been there before. Sitting up as best he could with the weight on his back, Bickslow reached for it and stared at it, turning it over in his hands. Something was going over his head though, because he had no idea what it was. "I don't… I don't get it?"

"Two lines means positive."

"Positive for what?" And then it occurred to Bickslow just what it was, and what it meant, and why Lucy was doing what she was doing. "Wait, you mean… Are you… Are you saying what I think and really fucking hope you're saying?"

"Yeah," she laughed, sliding off his back so she could stand up - she figured it'd be easier to get up then while she could, before she laid down. "I'm pregnant, Bicks."

And, getting up seemed to be the better idea anyway, since Bickslow sat up as soon as she was out of the way. "Are you serious?" he asked quickly. Lucy couldn't help but giggle as she nodded. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning and she didn't know if she'd ever seen Bickslow so excited. His eyes were shining and he was grinning ear-to-ear as he got up and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek before burying his face against her neck. "God, I love you so much. Are we really going to have a baby?"

"Well, assuming nothing goes wrong…"

He leant back quickly to take her face between his hands. "No. Don't do that," he said firmly. "Don't say things like that." And Bickslow knew that she was worried about it, but still, he couldn't just let that be her first thought when it came to being pregnant again.

Lucy knew Bickslow was right, so she could only give a small nod before he kissed her and wrapped his arms back around her again. She couldn't help but laugh when he slid down to his knees and he let his head rest against her stomach, his arms still around her hips. It felt so good to have him finally know, and if she'd had a little more energy, she might've been jumping around and doing her best to contain her excitement. But, she'd kind of already done that, and now all she cared about was seeing Bickslow's reaction.

"I never thought it'd happen… I didn't… I just didn't think we'd be lucky again…"

"I know," Lucy whispered, sifting her fingers through his hair. "But it did."

"God, I am so… I can't believe we're actually going to have a baby! I'm gonna be a dad!" He'd thought that there was nothing in the world that could make that day better than it already was, but hearing that they were going to have a baby was the best thing he'd ever heard in his entire life. Now there really was nothing that could make that day more amazing. Not even the burning in his eyes that continued to grow worse could ruin that moment, but he did have to sit back on his heels to dig his palms into his eyes. "Fuck, not now," he groaned.

"Eyes?"

Bickslow nodded. He wasn't even that surprised that it was happening, if he was honest. He was all over the fucking place. He was over the fucking moon that she was pregnant, and if he wasn't still struggling to stay awake, he'd probably be too excited to sleep for an entire week. And he'd just gotten married, so he was still just ecstatic about that. It had already been the best day of his life, but his wife had just given him the best news of all and he was still having a bit of a hard time believing it, because he really had started to lose hope.

"That's okay," Lucy sighed. She'd never really been afraid of it, and she didn't think she ever would be. The last time she'd seen Bickslow briefly lose control of his magic though was when she'd told him about the first baby. She tapped on his shoulder after a moment, sighing again. "Come on, I need you to help me out of my dress." It wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world, that was for sure.

"Right, yeah…" Bickslow sniffed and he rubbed at his eyes again before he moved to stand up. But something caught his attention first, and he could only stare at it with wide eyes as a smile tugged at his lips again. "Holy shit, it… I can see its soul, Lucy," he whispered.

"Wait, what? Are you serious?"

"Right… here." He pressed his hand gently against her abdomen. He hadn't even known he could do that, but there it was, tiny and faint, and Bickslow really didn't even care that it was making him cry. He finally got up quickly after resting his head against her stomach again and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I love you s-so much, I really do. You make me the happiest man alive, I swear," Bickslow stammered, somewhere between laughing and crying as he kissed Lucy again.

"I can't believe you're actually crying," Lucy laughed weakly. Seeing him cry had just made her cry, but she really hadn't thought Bickslow would be able to see the baby's soul. It might've been the best thing that had happened all day.

"Of course I'm fucking crying. I just saw my baby's soul!"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh again, lifting her hands to wipe under her eyes as she pulled herself away. She still felt guilty for waiting for so long to tell him, but knowing that he was as as excited as she was almost made up for it.

For the time being though, celebrating - or, more crying, or whatever - would have to wait, because she really wanted to get the hell out of her dress.

Can you tell I got really lazy with this chapter? I love this story to pieces but I really need to get it wrapped up. Anyway, I haven't been to a wedding and I didn't really know how to write it, so the vows and everything are from transcripts and examples I found online and all spliced together. I think it kinda works? Sort of. Who knows?

Anyway, for anyone interested, I made a discord server called Crackship Haven (hell). You can PM me on here or tumblr for a link, otherwise you can use this link:

discord-DOT-gg / yk4HB42

(Just replace the -DOT- and remove the spaces.)