I've been such a bad writer!!! Sorry for the ice-age long wait (and this isnt even that long!!). I had exams these past two weeks, and with my writing time dropping, so did my inspiration!! Sorry again.

Also, i realise that i am being pretty liberal with what spoilers and season 2 plotlines I am using in my are pretty obvious, i think... but some might not be till later. So if you have any questions, just leave me a message and ill clear things up for you with out ruining the story for you!! hehe

Hope you like!!

Something was wrong with his bowtie. He had been standing in front of the mirror for the last half an hour trying to tie it correctly. An act that had been drilled into him before he even started school. He knew how to do this. Still, that didn't stop his fingers from being limp and useless. On the other hand, maybe something was wrong with him.

His best man walked in, the usual knowing smirk on his face. "Well, Nathaniel, today's the big day. Are you ready?"

He shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be." No, definitely not.

"Now, now, where's the enthusiasm? " Chuck watched him struggle with his bow tie once more, before putting his hand on his shoulders and spinning him around. "You know you can always pull out, right?"

"Yeah right..."He muttered, avoiding Chuck's gaze. "I – Yeah I'm ready. Let's do this."

Chuck's eyes softened, but he kept them on the bowtie he was tying. "Seriously man, do you need to think about this?"

A final tug and there it was. Tied to perfection, just like the rest of his life.

He narrowed his eyes, "What are you trying to say, Chuck?" Though he knew exactly what his friend was trying to say. He was giving him the perfect out. Because if anyone could make this work, it was Chuck.

"I'm saying –", Chuck turned around and made his way to the bar. "- that I've never seen a man look so depressed on his wedding day."

Nate sighed in frustration and picked up his jacket from the chair. "Look, I'm fine and I'm sure. I'm just hung over from last night and really want to be done with all this planning and get on with my life."

Chuck poured two glasses of something way too strong for a Saturday morning and looked at him.

"With Claire?"

"Yes. With Claire."Nate nodded pointedly. This was his decision. A decision he was happy with; a life he was happy to start.

Chuck smiled and handed him a glass. "I'm sure if you're sure Archibald."

He smiled. He was sure. He just wasn't sure he was happy to leave his old one behind.

"Congratulations, my friend. You're getting married." The two men raised their glasses to Nate's new future.

And then Nate drained his in one gulp.

Dan stared around at the Cathedral decor. This was what he didn't get. The extravagance, the glamour. For what, exactly?

"This wedding probably cost more than my apartment."

Jenny laughed, "Probably. Oh My God – Did you see that dress? I think that's Louis Vuitton!" She pointed excitedly to a lady who couldn't have been older than herself. And it was at times like these that he was glad his sister didn't have the Archibald's budget. Who would she have become if Gucci was her wardrobe staple?

"And you're surprised?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Right."She grinned, "What was I thinking?" She glanced back at the Louis Vuitton lady and pouted.

"Relax. Your dress is gorgeous." He put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

A smile spread across her face."Thanks, I didn't think you even noticed." She toyed with the hem of her dress, the one she stayed up 3 nights in a row to get perfect. Nothing less than perfect was allowed for Nate's wedding.

"So, is my little sister going to have her own ceremony anytime soon?"Dan asked his hand gesturing to the front of the altar. He shuddered momentarily at the thought; his little sister getting married. Something wasn't okay with that picture. But he forced a smile onto his face before she noticed anything was wrong.

She laughed, "You're the older one. I'm waiting for you!"

She looked away quickly, but not before he saw something escape through her eyes. Something like regret and sadness. A powerful cocktail if there ever was one.

Lily looked around, taking everything in. It all brought back some very strong memories: good and bad, "Everything looks so beautiful."

"I think it's a little over the top." Eric grimaced and nodded to the huge bouquets of flowers at the end of each row. It must be hell for anyone with hay fever.

"Well, maybe they did go a little over board with the flowers." Lily grinned at her son, who was not looking at her, but at his sister.

"Serena?"He nudged her gently. Serena was far, far away it seemed. Zoned out of everything around her, and Lily wondered if maybe she was doing it on purpose.

But Eric's voice brought her back to Earth, she shook her head, blonde curls flying around her shoulders. "Oh, yeah definitely." She smiled, without any idea what they were talking about.

She didn't blame her, coming back from her trip and landing on Judgement Day on the Upper-East Side. She'd want to blur everything out as well. But still, Serena was taking things a little seriously since she came back.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her arm stroking her daughter's shoulder.

A nod. "It just feels weird, like I don't belong here. I guess I just got so used to being away."

Lily squeezed her shoulder and looked around at the crowd. She wanted to tell her daughter that sometimes that feeling never went away. But as her gaze skimmed across heads of styled hair, it stopped suddenly when she recognised someone. Someone she had never expected to see there. She stared, it was rude, but she was past caring. There he was, sitting with his sister, probably commenting on the extravagance of it all. There were some things he would never understand. And she envied him for that.

"Mom?"

"Mom?"

Her children, if you could still call them that, shook her from her surprise. "Yes, sorry, I just, I thought I recognised someone. Don't worry. " She smiled and felt a hand on her shoulder. She froze for a second, not breathing. But then looked up and saw Bart.

"Sorry I'm late, I couldn't get out of the office." He said, matter-of-factly. There were no apologies form Bart, not really. She nodded, and wondered if he knew.

But then, it was Bart, "Of course" she said. Of course he knew. Of course.

She had picked out the rings when she was thirteen, and by then she already knew the venue, the dress and the flowers. She had been humming the wedding march since she was seven. She watched Claire walk down the aisle, following bridesmaids and best men and the flower-girl. She caught Chuck's eye when he walked past, but looked away quickly. It was her secret, and he could read her too well to keep anything from him. She had imagined this for a long time. This was her fantasy, it was all perfect. Except, every time she imagined it, it was her in the white dress.

She didn't love Nate. Now, when she was older and hopefully wiser, she doubted she ever loved Nate. She loved him, of course, as a friend, as a brother. But she was in love with the tradition, the fairytale. She was in love with the ring his mother wanted her to have, with a designer wedding gown.

She looked up, finally, to see them holding hands . They were both smiling, although her's was wider than his. She wondered is he was having doubts, if he was hesistating. But she knew that even if he was, there was nothing he could do. The curse of the Upper-East side. You make your bed, and you lie in it, no excuses. Unless, or course, the maid hasn't ironed the sheets yet.

The minister asked if there were any objections. She shook her head internally. She had no objections. It was Nate's turn, she'd have hers soon.

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