A/N: Thank you Crazy Muffin Assassin, for proofreading and editing, and thank you Cometflight525, for being the kick in the pants I needed to finish writing this chapter. Can you believe it's been a little over a year since I started this story? At any rate, I'll be writing one more chapter after this one to conclude my story. I would sincerely like to thank each and every one of my fans and readers. I don't own the song Any Time At All.
Silver's POV
…Two days later…
Today started at a bit of a low note in that I woke up to find that Blaze wasn't there. Things immediately looked up when I recalled the reason why she wasn't with me right now.
I thought about Blaze while I was getting ready. I'm just so anxious to see her. I buttoned the first button of my tuxedo jacket and headed for the beach.
The weather was beautiful. As far as I could see there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The trees in the forest by the beach were sturdy and the leaves were lush and green. It made everything seem vital and full of life. The grass and trees ended abruptly, yielding to white sand and clear blue water.
The rest of the guys were already at the beach. As soon as I walked over, people stated talking to me, wishing me well and such.
"How does the tux fit, mate?" Joseph asked.
"Fits fine," I said.
"Nervous?"
"Kinda, I just want it to hurry up and happen."
"Don't worry; you'll be in Ireland before ya know it." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a few of the girls arriving.
"So, Silver, ready to get married?" my sister asked jokingly. I just nodded. Ok, so maybe I lied. Maybe I'm very nervous. What if something else goes wrong today? What then? Maybe the first time not working was a bad omen.
"Silver, are you feeling alright?" Sky asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
"Well, you don't look fine to me. Maybe you should lie down."
"I said I'm fine!" I snapped. Sky cringed.
"Calm down, mate. Yer bein' paranoid."
I took a deep breath, several actually, but they didn't help much. Why can't I calm down? God, if Blaze could see me now…
Blaze's POV
"Blaze, dear, what's wrong?" my mother asked.
"Nothing," I said. "Just nervous, I guess." Unfortunately, my mother's smart enough to know when something's bothering me and when I'm lying.
Just as I thought, my mother picked up on my lie. "Blaze, if something's bothering you, leaving it alone most certainly won't help."
"Ok," I sighed. "It's Silver."
"Has Silver been mistreating you? Because if he isn't good to you, you should-"
"No, mom, it's just he hasn't been himself the last couple of days. Like last night. See, his feet always get cold, so I put mine on top of them to keep them warm and he pulled away. He never does that."
"Perhaps he's just nervous for today?" the older cat suggested.
"I hope that's it," I said, looking down.
My mom's hand brushed against my cheek and she put on a hopeful smile. "It doesn't suit you to look so sad; today's your wedding day after all."
It took a lot of effort, but I managed to smile too.
Silver's POV
"Silver, I think I know how ta help ya," Joseph proclaimed. "Lie down."
"What?" I asked. I figured lying down on the sand wouldn't do much good for the tuxedo, so I resisted. "Here?"
"No, mate, in Timbuktu. Of course here!" Reluctantly, I got down and lay on my back.
"Now close yer eyes," the fox instructed. "This werked wonders when we were on the verge of insanity durin' tours." Suddenly, Joseph's method didn't seem very legitimate.
"What seems to be yer problem?" Joseph asked, restating the obvious question.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Or, at least, I was. I felt a swift kick, from a size eight high top shoe right under my ribs.
"What t-the hell was th-that for?" I sputtered, in an attempt to get my breath back.
"That was fer lyin', mate. Now what's yer problem?" I hesitated a little before answering; I wasn't sure if I was going to get kicked again.
"I-I'm just nervous, I guess," I said finally. I tensed up just in case Joseph was going to kick me again.
"An' why're ya nervous? Is it about Blaze, or getting' married in general?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "I just feel terrible."
"Silver, I think I know what yer problem is. D'you want the good news or the bad news?"
"The bad news," I said on impulse.
"The bad news is yer in love. Up ta yer neck in it."
That confused me. How is that bad news? "What's the good news?"
"Blaze loves ya just as much as ya love her. Ya don't have anythin' to worry about."
"Yes, but what if something else goes wrong? What if-"
"Mate, don't worry about it. If anythin' goes wrong, it's cause ya worried about it. Trust me, I've been through all 'a this,"
"I suppose you're right," I sighed.
Joseph wiped his glasses on the corner of his shirt. "I usually am. Now let's get ya married."
That was about when I found myself standing at the alter. Angus was playing the wedding march and all the people in the wedding were already around the alter too. Blaze's father walked my soon-to-be wife up the aisle.
The preacher cleared his throat. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here on this fine day to join these two lovers, Silver and Blaze, in the eternal light of holy matrimony. If anyone has a just reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."
Once again, no one said a word. The only audible sounds were the waves of the ocean lapping on the beach and my heart beating.
"Silver," the preacher prompted. "Do you take Blaze to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I, Silver, take you, Blaze, to be my wife, my partner in life, and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, I give my life to keep, so help me God," I took her left hand and slipped the wedding band on her finger.
The preacher turned to Blaze. "Blaze, do you take Silver to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I, Blaze, take you, Silver, to be my husband, my partner in life, and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, I give my life to keep, so help me God," Blaze delicately grasped my hand put the matching wedding band on my left ring finger.
The preacher turned back to me. "You may now kiss the bride."
Tentatively, I lifted the veil and tucked it behind her ear. Her golden eyes were full of love. Slowly, I leaned in to kiss her. The closer we became, the heavier my eyelids seemed to become. Blaze's hand brushed up against the side of my face and our lips finally met. The feeling of her lips on mine was pure heaven. People cheered. Someone whistled. We broke away and turned to the crowd. Blaze's mom was crying, as were a few other people.
"I-I promised myself I w-wasn't gonna cry, mate!" Angus sobbed. Joseph had tears rolling down from under his sunglasses. Even Shadow cracked a smile.
Blaze turned, putting her back to the crowd, and threw the bouquet over her shoulder. All the girls sprang up in a desperate attempt to catch the flowers. Instead, the flowers landed in an absent-minded Shadow's lap.
Everyone stopped and stared at Shadow, as they all knew the superstition behind catching the bride's bouquet. "Mate, yer next!" Joseph exclaimed. Shadow dropped the bouquet as though it was on fire.
"So, how 'bout that dance, guys?" Joseph asked. The band got up and walked over to the amps and drum kit. Joseph took off his leather jacket and tossed it back to his seat.
Blaze grasped my left hand in her right and moved my right hand to her waist. A shiver ran up my spine.
The music started to play. The song we picked was one of our favorites and just one of those songs that can appeal to anyone. It started with a beautiful three-part harmony from Scratch, Joseph and Paul. "Any time at all. Any time at all. Any time at all, all ya gotta do is call and I'll be there,"
We started dancing; a fast waltz. I had so many thoughts racing around my head that Blaze had to lead. Hopefully no one will notice.
Joseph started singing gently, his voice full of emotion and benevolence. "If ya need somebody to love, just look into my eyes. I'll be there to make ya feel right. If yer feeling sorry and sad, I'd really sympathize. Don't be sad just call me tonight."
We swayed back and forth, not really focusing on dancing; we were much more interested in each other's eyes. Everything around us blurred into a single frame. All that mattered was that we were finally married.
"Any time at all. Any time at all. Any time at all, all ya gotta do is call, and I'll be there. If the sun has faded away, I'll try to make it shine; there is nothing I won't do. If you need a shoulder ta cry on, I hope it will be mine. Call me tonight, and I'll come to you."
Blaze pressed her body up against mine. Her head rested on my shoulder. I could feel her breath on my neck. I started to squirm a bit. Her touch was making me crazy.
Finally, the song ended. Everyone clapped and cheered. Blaze's arms found their way around my neck and her lips found their way to mine.
I picked up Blaze, bridal style and carried her down the beach. The others subsequently got up and followed us back to our house. I stopped when we came to the front door.
"This is it," I whispered to Blaze. "Are you ready?" Blaze nodded. I opened the door and stepped over the threshold. Now it's official. We've taken our first steps into our home as a married couple.
I carried her up the stairs to our room. We got the luggage out from the closet and started packing for our honeymoon in Ireland.
Later, in Ireland…
"This looks like the place," I said to Blaze. We stood in front of a large brick building. "The Bellbridge House Hotel." I held the door open for her and carried our suitcases in after. We walked through the lobby and over to the counter.
"Good evening. How may I help you?" said the person at the check-in desk.
"Yes. We're here to check in."
"Ok, what name is the reservation under?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Silver the Hedgehog." The attendant reached under the counter and pulled out an old-fashioned hotel room key.
"Here's your key. Room thirty-seven, second to last room on the left." The room was immaculate. There were rose petals on the bed and a bottle of wine on the nightstand. We had our hands all over each other before we made through the door. Blaze gave me a fairly rough shove and pushed me onto the bed. She closed the door behind her and locked it, grinning slyly.
She climbed on top of me like a predator capturing its prey and began unbuttoning my shirt. Her hands ran up and down my body as she kissed my neck. I was helpless. There wasn't a thing I could do to protest what she was doing. I bit my lip as her hands caressed my body.
Blaze drew back and started undressing herself. She tucked her thumb under her bra-strap and slowly pulled it down her shoulder. "Like what you see, Silver?" Blazed unzipped my pants and tugged them down. She started kissing me again. The room started to heat up. I could feel her heartbeat on my chest.
Blaze stopped kissing and put her mouth by my ear. "Silver, I love you," Blaze whispered.
"I love you too, Blaze."
A/N: There you have it. All that's left to write is the epilogue.