LOVELIES! MY LOVELIES! I know... It's been such an unforgivable long time, but this was a hard chapter to write! It's the long awaited one! So i hope you enjoy!
Sadly I think Amber is almost nearing a close! BUT DON'T FRET! A sequel following the twins and future children of the Amis could be in the works! (interested? PM or review!)
So I hope you all enjoy this! It's been a long time coming :)
Warning: FLUFF!
Disclaimer: Nope...
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Chapter 34: Secret Ceremonies
And with an 'I love you' from her father, a man who was once again reflecting the man he was, there was nothing at the moment that could make her happier. "Combeferre!" Enjolras groaned, knocking on the door to the men's dressing room impatiently. "You've been in there for a half hour and your son has yet to be wrestled into his little suit! What the hell is taking you so long?"
Combeferre couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself at his friend's desperate words through the wooden door. Turning his attention from the pounding, he looked to the mirror once again and released a happy sigh. Checking himself in the mirror one last time, adjusting his pale opalesque colored bow tie (a color close to Éponine and the twin's birthstone and Courfeyac insisted that bow ties were cool.) he smiled, until the pounding came again.
"Combeferre, you're putting Enjolras into a nervous tizzy." Grantaire's less than impressed voice came through the wood. "It's not like it's your first wedding or anything."
Combeferre rolled his eyes and swung the door open which revealed the amis in various stages of dress and Gavroche laughing as Enjolras practically chased a speeding Ben as he crawled across the floor nothing but a bowtie. (How the boys managed to get that on him and not even a diaper, Combeferre will never know.)
"Grantaire," he sighed, bending to swoop Ben into his arms effortlessly (much to Enjolras's annoyance.). "To everyone else out there, Ép and I aren't married yet." Bahorel laughed.
"Would've saved a mint my friend."
"NO!" Jehan wailed, throwing his arms in the air. "First off Rel, everything was planned down to the very last detail,"
"Yes, yes, we understand darling." Courfeyac comforted his boyfriend who continued to rattle off everything he spent months planning.
"And, most importantly, my family and other important people in our lives weren't there. That day was for Ponine to have her wish." Combeferre said quietly, thinking back to that quiet summer day when they received the phone call.
Éponine was lying lazily on the couch, Sarah asleep on her chest, Ben playing with blocks on his blanket beside her. She was just beginning to doze off when the phone rang through the house.
"Ferre!" She yelled, startling Sarah slightly. "Can you get that?"
Breathing a sigh of relief at the silence of shrieking, she attempted to resume her state of calm, until Combeferre appeared in the living room, a look of despair staining his face. Éponine sat up so suddenly, she almost launched Sarah off of her chest.
"Ferre?" Her fiancé swallowed slowly. "Ép, that was the prison hospital, your father, he's, it's not good Ponine." S
he brought a hand to her mouth and stifled a loud cry, tears immediately springing to her eyes. "We need to get there Ferre!" She croaked in between sobs.
"He can't die alone." He only nodded, pulling her close to his chest, fighting his own tears as she shook his frame with his sobs. "He won't see us married." She sobbed, burying herself further into Combeferre's chest, the twins, now sensing the distress of the room, also began to fuss.
"Yes he will Ponine." Combeferre responded. She pulled herself from his chest and looked at him through teary eyes. "What? But you said." "Ponine, we can get married today." He proposed. Color drained from her face.
"But Ferre, the guests! The deposits, my dress, Jehan's feelings!"
Despite everything, he chuckled slightly. "Jehan's feelings won't get hurt because that wedding will still happen." She looked at him as if he'd grown a new head.
"We'll have a special wedding with just our friends present and your father can walk you down the aisle." "You'd do that for me?" She asked breathlessly. "For you Ponine," He paused, kissing her lips softly. "Anything."
And that was how, in three stress filled hours, their small group filled the prison chapel in their nicest clothing and waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle with her father. "They're lucky we love them so much." Joly whimpered, sticking very close to Bousset's side, eyeing the mysterious stains on the pews warily.
"They're blessed to have each other." Jehan sobbed into his large daisy handkerchief. They would've been all gathered in the chapel in two stress filled hours, but it took nearly forty-five minutes to console Jehan and tell him that the other wedding was not actually off. Behind the closed doors, Éponine tugged nervously at her dress. It wasn't her actual wedding dress that was still locked away in a Parisian boutique for alterations but this one, a simple sundress with a fairy like flare, was perfect. Cossette, Azelma, and Musichetta were chatting excitedly, looking through the crack in the door, and Éponine was about to join them before the presence beside her wheezed her name. Her father was dressed in his best suit, but he was confined to a wheel chair. His skin was deathly pale and he looked a ghost of his former self, but seeing his baby girl in a white dress, brought some flicker back to his dying eyes.
"Ponine my girl, I've something for you." She turned to hand Sarah off to a bridesmaid, but her father shook his head. "No, keep Sarah here, I've something for her too." She nodded slowly, kneeling to her father's eyesight. "Yes Papa?" He reached slowly in his pocket and shakily pulled out a little box, handing it to his daughter. She took it carefully, and (per his request.) placed Sarah on her grandfather's lap, before opening the lid to reveal the most beautiful silver locket, one that was heartwarmingly familiar.
"Mama's locket?" She whispered. "You kept it?" "She wore it everyday from the moment I gave it to her, even through everything and even after she found her true love. She made me swear I'd keep this for you despite everything. I thought I'd give it to you today to have a piece of your Mama here on your special day. Oh Ponina, she would've been so proud." Her father blubbered, bringing a shaking hand to her cheek.
"Thank you Papa." She whispered back, a tear escaping her eye. He held her cheek for a moment before turning his attention to Sarah, bringing the infant close to him, earning a chorus of giggles from the little girl. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a small envelope, three actually, with scratchy pen on the front. He pulled Éponine's hand forward and pushed the envelopes into her hand.
"What are these?" She questioned, turning them over to reveal the names of her children etched on the front, her children and one other.
"Somethin I penned for the twins, something to read when they're older, something that will tell them all about their history." He breathed, pulling Sarah closer to his chest.
"And this one?" Éponine asked once more, lifting the third envelope, one barring her brother's name. "Give that to the boy when he's older too. It's a bit of apology and more history for 'im." Thénardier confessed. "I know I was shit to the boy, but there were times I didn't completely resent him." Éponine simply nodded, holding the letters close to her chest.
"I will Papa." He returned her answer with a smile. "Thank you Éponina"
Azelma approached them slowly, bouncing Ben carefully in her arms. Looking up to see his younger daughter, the old crook smiled. "You look beautiful Zelly, those boys out there better treat you right." He sighed through his tears, reaching out to take Ben from her hands.
"They're beyond wonderful Papa, I wouldn't want anyone else." She replied happily, bending down to place a gentle kiss on her father's cheek. When she rose again, she took Éponine into her arms and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"You look beautiful, you'll knock Combeferre out of his socks." She whispered in her sister's hair, smiling when she felt Éponine's arms tighten around her.
"Speaking of the groom, I think he may pass out if you don't come out soon." Musichetta mused, moving from her watch at the door. "Right," Thénardier exclaimed, handing his grandchildren off to Musichetta and Cosette before gripping the sides of his wheel chair and making a move to rise.
"Let's get you married." "Papa? What are you doing?" Éponine asked nervously, jolting forward as he took a shaky step. "Walking my daughter down the aisles." He wheezed.
"But Papa, you can't, you'll wear yourself out." Éponine protested, but her father waved her off.
"These could be my last moments Éponina, I will spend them how I wish." He stated, hobbling forward and offering her his arm. She could faintly hear the music (compliments of Jehan's i-Phone.) kick up and the doors open briefly to allow Chetta and Cosette to start the walk down the aisles with the twins, soon followed by Zelma (not before she could wink to her sister.). In the final moments of solitude before beginning their walk, Rémy Thénardier turned to his daughter and smiled.
"I know forgiving me is hard, but I'm beyond happy to be able to see this moment ma princess."
"I'm glad I got my true Papa back." She whispered back, placing a sweet kiss on his cool cheek before turning back towards the door, the opening now revealing her beautiful fiancé.
Their walk was slow, but she didn't mind. Combeferre was waiting patiently at the other end of the altar, her father was by her side, and her friends, her family, were all smiling (and sobbing if you were Jehan, Joly or (though he only had 'tears') Bahorel.) along the pews. Once they reached the altar, she melted at the site of Combeferre's boyish smile. Returning it she turned towards her father and embraced him.
"Who gives this woman to this man?" The priest questioned, making his presence clear from behind Combeferre.
"I do, father, and I couldn't be prouder." He stated, reaching out a hand to shake firmly with Combeferre. He turned to return to his seat, but stumbling slightly on the step, his legs seeming to give out beneath him.
He would've fallen to the ground had not a strong pair of arms caught him and helped him into his seat. The old thief clutched his heart and wheezed breath looking towards his savior, his heart nearly giving out then. Roger Grantaire's son had just caught him and helped him back into his seat. The boy didn't exchange any words with the old man, simply nodded and returned to his own seat, looking forward to catch eyes with his blonde.
Thénardier gawked for a few more moments, wondering why the boy had even thought twice about helping him, but then smiled slightly, sending up a silent prayer of thanks to whoever led his girls to these boys. It wasn't long before the 'I do's' where reached and the couple exchanged their first kiss as man and wife.
Once their lips met, Thénardier closed his eyes in contentment and breathed out his last in the form of a happy sigh. Even after everything, his girls found happiness, and that's all he needed to know.
Combeferre blinked several times recalling his 'first wedding' and the cheers of his friends once they became Mr. and Mrs. Combeferre, but of course it was followed by less than happy tears when they realized the 'guest of honor' had finally gone to rest. They buried Thénardier in a the local cemetery with a simple stone that read his name, dates of birth and death and the carved words Loved Father, for in the end, that's what he was.
Now as he stood in the backroom of the church, Combeferre buzzed with energy, the wedding jitters that failed to completely consume him in the moments of his first wedding (so overwhelmed with his wife's beauty and then some more tragic events) finally conquering him. "Come Ferre," Courfeyac laughed, clapping him on the back, taking Ben from his arms.
"I'll have him dressed in a jiff, but we need to get you married, again!" The room laughed while Combeferre shook his head, they truly were children, his family, but he loved them and he wanted no one else to prepare him for his (second) big day.
And so he stood again, at the front of a church, not a half and hour later, waiting for his beloved to come down the aisles at the arm of her second father, M. Valjean. The music (an actual organ this time, Jehan insisted.) drolled to life and down the altar came Cossette, carrying flower girl Sarah, who was not tossing the petals she was given, so much as throwing her arms around and releasing whichever petals escape her chubby fingers. Next came Musichetta carrying Ben the (miraculously clothed) ring barer, who was already dozing off in his godmother's arms. Next came the maid of honor Azelma, walking slowly down the aisles and winking to Combeferre when she reached the front.
Finally the moment he'd waited for began to unfold; the doors opened to reveal his beautiful bride, glowing in an absolutely heavenly white dress, one that puffed out like a princess and hugged her waist beautifully. He'd seen many a beautiful thing in his life (everything revolving around Éponine and their children, their first wedding topping the list.), but never had he seen anything as radiant as she in that moment. Once again they reached the front of the altar, Valjean gave her away and Combeferre lifted her veil from her face, revealing yet another beautiful moment in his day.
"Hi Ferre." She whispered, looking directly into his watering blue eyes.
"Hello Mrs. Combeferre." He responded, bringing a light blush to her cheeks.
"Not yet." She quipped, winking, before turning her attention back to the priest. He didn't turn his attention back just as quickly. He spent a few more moments surveying his beautiful wife, smiling dumbly to himself, wondering how in the hell he managed to find enough luck and God bless in the world to earn a girl like her.
It was then that he realized something that he truly knew along, he'd marry this girl everyday for the rest of her life, no matter the circumstance, if it meant making her happy.
Enjolras nudged him slightly when the priest questioned something of him. Blinking, and practically laughing aloud at the collective held breath from the spectators behind him. As if he'd say anything but I do. And once she'd responded with the same enthusiasm, they shared their second kiss as husband and wife to yet another joyous tumult of applause.
Yes, Combeferre agreed once more with himself as their marital kiss reached it's 60th second, he'd marry his Éponine everyday if he could. If it meant seeing her at her happiest and getting to kiss her every day without friendly jeers to teasing, and the excuse to hold her tight all day. Yes, Combeferre would get married a third time if he had too. Anything to see his Éponine happy. Anything to spend moments of pure bliss with his family.
Finally releasing to smile out the crowd as 'officially' Mr. and Mrs. Combeferre, he let out a joyous whoop over Éponine ecstatic laughter. This was happiness he'd once feared he'd never know.
Later, at the reception, holding her close during their first dance and then laughing as he waltzed Sarah in his arms as Éponine did the same with Ben, he smiled to himself and sent a prayer to Thénardier, thanking him for the opportunity to marry his love twice.
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