AN: This chapter is a necessary evil. I can't write a story about Jason's life and exclude his wedding, right? But I really hate wedding fics! They are really happy sappy and there are only so many things you can do in them, especially since I just wrote a wedding fic for Lois and Clark for the last 12 days challenge. So I hope you don't find it too sappy or anti-climactic.

Lots of thanks to htbthomas and Hellish Red devil for their fantastic beta reading skills. They did double duty for me this week since I sent them TWO fics to read. You will see that second fic in a day or so. It will be the dreaded "reveal" fic where Clark spills the beans and will posted separate from this fic over at the 12days live journal community.

Age 22 part one – United

Nervousness was never something I dealt with very well. The feeling usually came in various manageable levels: .Being nervous before a test was expected. Being nervous before a concert was something I'd come to rely on and use to better my performance. So why was it that when it came to dealing with anything important regarding the opposite sex, I always fell apart?

I awoke on the morning of June twenty-fifth and habitually reached over to my left, seeking the soft, warm skin of the woman who usually shared my bed only to find empty space. The sheets were cold and there was no sign that anyone had even touched her side of the bed last night. I sighed and buried my face in her pillow, inhaling the lingering scent of her shampoo and missing her deeply. A quick glance at the clock softened the ache I felt, for it would only be a few hours until I would see her again. After that, she would be with me forever.

Not that it had been that long since I had seen her. For all intents and purposes, everyone who mattered would assume that Kate and I hadn't seen each other since around two o'clock yesterday afternoon when we were each sent off to our respective locations to hide out for the next twenty-four hours until the wedding. Kate wanted a traditional wedding, and that meant going by the rules of the bride and groom spending the evening before their big day with their respective friends at some sort of ritualistic prenuptial party. I had come to understand that things worked best when the bride was happy, and so I went along with the plan and spent the night trying to keep my friends from forcing too much alcohol down my throat as well as keeping my mind off the fact that the only place I really wanted to be was wherever Kate was.

"You aren't being much fun," Lance complained early on in the evening. "It's your last night of freedom! Live it up! Enjoy it!"

What he didn't understand was that for me, the best way to enjoy my night was to be next to Kate. I didn't look at getting married as losing my freedom at all. It was what I wanted – what I needed to be happy.

I called an end to my bachelor party around eleven, feigning the need for some sleep so I wouldn't look hung over at the wedding, and headed home. Within moments of flopping down on my bed my phone rang. To my pleasant surprise, it was Kate.

"Hi there," she said softly.

"Hi yourself. I didn't think you'd call. Isn't this against the rules?"

"There isn't anything against the bride and groom talking to each other. Where are you anyway?"

"Home."

"Already? What about your party?"

"It's still going on, but I left."

"Oh," she sighed. "Where did you go?"

"To a couple of bars. You know Lance, he was trying to get me as many free drinks as possible."

"That sounds like him. Did you do anything else?"

I knew what she was trying to ask, and I was going to make her dig for it. "You know, it was all the typical bachelor stuff."

"All the typical stuff?" She sounded concerned.

I chuckled. "Mostly."

"Meaning…?"

"What exactly do you want to know, Kate?"

I heard her exhale. "Did you go to a strip club? Mallory said Lance was planning on taking you to a strip club."

I grinned. "We went to one, yes."

"Oh." Even in one small sound I could hear the heavy disappointment.

"But we didn't go in," I added.

"You didn't?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because I told Lance that I didn't need to pay money to see some trashy women take their clothes off."

"Really?" I could hear the smile in her voice.

I went on, wanting to make her smile even more. "If I wanted to see a beautiful naked woman, I would have just stayed home with you tonight. In fact, I told him that was one of the perks to getting married. I can see you naked whenever I want to."

"Jason! You didn't!" she whined.

"What?"

"You can't talk to Lance about me being naked!"

"Why not? He knows we've made love. He knows I've seen you naked."

"Jason!"

"What?"

"You don't have to be so obvious about it!"

I laughed out loud, knowing that she was probably blushing bright red about now.

"You're awful, you know that?" she scolded with a small chuckle.

"I'm awful? I turn down free entrance to a strip club because the only woman I ever want to see naked again isn't going to be there, and you think that's awful?"

"No, I think that's wonderful, but you didn't need to talk about me naked."

"I like you naked."

"Well, I like you naked."

"Good."

"Good."

The conversation came to a standstill as various images of Kate filled my mind. I hoped that she was thinking of me in the same way. I tried to ignore the way my body responded to the very idea of it all and focused on her gentle breathing.

"So, what did you do tonight?" I asked after a long pause.

"Oh, you know, typical bachelorette party stuff."

I hummed thoughtfully. "Let me guess, you sat around drinking champagne and watching chick flicks all night until the male stripper showed up."

My teasing comment was met with silence, which did not bode well.

"Kate? Tell me that isn't what happened."

"Not exactly. We had champagne, but we didn't watch chick flicks."

"And the male stripper?"

"Well…"

I did not like the way she said that. "Kate?"

"Mallory said that since Lance was taking you out that I should have my fun, too."

I groaned in anger and frustration. I knew there wasn't any cause for concern, but the idea of any man but me being with Kate in that way, even in jest, really made me furious.

"That's why I called you," she continued. "I got really upset with Mallory for doing that. I told her that I didn't think it was right and that I didn't want to be a part of it. But since he was paid for his services , if the rest of them wanted to have their fun, I wouldn't stop them. Then I came up here and called you."

I sat up straight on the bed. "Hang on a sec – you mean the stripper is there now?"

"Yes."

"And you aren't with your friends?"

"No."

"Are they all busy watching the stripper?"

"Yes."

"And you are alone?"

"Yes." From the way she pulled out the vowel sound, I had a feeling she understood what I was going to suggest.

"Where are you?"

"I'm up here in the boxes."

"The boxes" was how she had come to refer to her room at her former apartment. Danielle and Taylor, her roommates, hadn't yet found a replacement to take her room. It was all good and fine for Kate, though, since it meant that she didn't have to rush to move her things out to make way for a new girl. Slowly, day-by-day since graduation, Kate would fill up a box and bring it over to the new apartment. By now, all that was left was the bed, a nearly empty dresser, and the rest of the boxes she had yet to transport to our place.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked.

"I'm thinking that you could be over here in ten minutes," she answered.

"Five," I corrected.

She giggled, "Okay, but you can't stay long."

"No problem."

I hung up the phone and was out the door and down the street before anyone could even take notice of me. When I reached Kate's apartment, I stole a glance at the party going on in the living room, just to make sure everyone was thoroughly distracted. Satisfied that no one would notice me, I used the emergency fire escape to get up to Kate's room without being seen by her roommates. A moment later, Kate was in my arms.

"We really shouldn't be doing this," she mumbled against my mouth.

"Yes, we should." I discarded my shirt and resumed my kisses.

"We have to be quiet," she said as she pulled off her own tank top.

"I can be very quiet."

"And you have to leave in twenty minutes."

I pulled back to look down at her. "Why?"

"Because then it will be midnight and you can't see me on the day of our wedding."

I huffed and nodded. "Okay then. Twenty minutes." And I kissed her again.

Regrettably she held me to the midnight rule and I was sent back home to my lonely apartment exactly twenty minutes later. I was certain that everything would be just perfect and easygoing come morning that I slept very peacefully, feeling secure in my decisions and the future.

But that was last night. Daylight changes things. Time changes things. Maybe it was the actual date that got me all worked up. I was fine last night, especially when I was with Kate. I even felt pretty good this morning. However, as the morning progressed into the late morning and early afternoon, I grew more and more nervous.

I hated it. More than that, I hated that I couldn't place why I felt this way. I loved Kate with all my heart. I knew we were doing the right thing. It was what I wanted – what I needed. Yet here I was pacing back and forth in one of the larger classrooms at the church where I would be getting married in less than an hour. And I was nervous as hell. Lance had been about as helpful as he could be, trying to reassure me and offering me something to drink to help ease my jitters.

I couldn't stand still. I couldn't sit down. I couldn't calm down. I nearly wore out the carpet pacing back and forth over the same path, unsure of why I was feeling the way I was. Mom fussed over me, pinning and readjusting my boutonniere and fixing my tie, which only made things worse. Luckily Dad took pity on me and sent her off to see that everything was in place and that the ceremony would start on schedule. Once we were alone, Dad had me sit down and take a few deep breaths.

"You're going to be fine," he assured me.

I only shook my head in disagreement. "Why am I feeling like this?"

"You mean, why are you feeling nervous?"

"Yeah, exactly. I don't want to be nervous. I wasn't nervous at all until a few hours ago. I don't have any good reason to be nervous. This is what I want. I want to be here. I want to marry her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her, so why the hell do I feel like I'm about to come out of my skin?"

Dad smiled back at me. "Because you love her."

"What?"

"You feel nervous because you love her and you want things to go well."

I grimaced. "That doesn't make any sense."

He chuckled and sat down next to me. "Emotions rarely make sense, especially when those emotions are tied to a woman."

I looked over at him expectantly, as if he hadn't finished everything he needed to say.

"Everybody's nervous on their wedding day, Jason," he explained. "It's practically a fact of life. It doesn't have anything to do with being worried about the future or second-guessing your decision to be together. All it means is that you want everything to go well, the way you planned it – the way she planned it. Most women dream about their wedding days from the time they are just little girls until the day itself. So when the actual day arrives, it's a real dream come true for them. The fact that you are nervous just means that you understand that and you want the day to be the most special day ever for the woman you love. And you know that us guys generally mess things up. So, you just put one foot in front of the other and get through it as best as you can. Then when it's all said and done a couple hours from now, you'll wonder why you were nervous at all."

I sighed. "A couple hours from now, huh?"

"Well, give or take."

"What does that mean?"

"Are you nervous about the reception?"

"Not really."

He frowned and looked away from me. "You're not nervous about… tonight… are you?"

I blinked. "No!"

"'Cause if you needed to talk—"

"No, I don't!"

"I figured you'd already—"

"DAD!" I exclaimed, stopping him from going any further.

"Okay, I was just checking."

I covered my face with my hands, sure that I turned five shades of red. "I can't believe you sometimes."

He was still chuckling. "Why?"

"You pick the damndest times to get personal."

"Hey, it took your mind off your nerves, didn't it?"

I opened my mouth to reply and found that I didn't have a snappy comeback for him. I resorted to shaking my head and slumping back against my chair.

The clock chimed quarter 'till, breaking the mood completely.

"Let me go check and see if they are ready for you up front."

I nodded and stood up to brush out any wrinkles in preparation for my walk to the front of the church. A few seconds after Dad left, a knock came from the door at the other side of the room. I squinted my eyes to find Clark standing there looking almost as nervous as I felt. I opened the door and let him in.

"I hope I'm not intruding," he said as he entered the room timidly.

"No. Of course not."

"I saw Richard leave."

"He went to see if they were ready for me yet."

"Oh. Right. Well, I just wanted to see you."

"Mom wondered if you would show up. I mean, not Clark, but… you know."

He smiled. "I know. You can tell her I came by. As if I could miss my own son's wedding."

I smiled sheepishly and looked down at the floor. There was an uncomfortable pause as neither of us could find the right words to say next. To my utter relief, it was Clark that broke the silence.

"I'm very happy for you, Jason."

I met his eyes. "Thank you."

"And I'm so proud of you," he said in all sincerity.

I could only smile awkwardly. He'd only said that to me a handful of times. Each time I believed him more and more, but my stomach still did a little flip-flop of excitement in hearing him acknowledge it.

"Kate is a beautiful, intelligent woman, and I couldn't be happier for you that you have her to share your life with."

"Thanks," I said with a silly grin on my face. "I'm pretty happy about it, too."

He laughed softly, and then that uncomfortable silence filled the air between us once again. He shifted his weight nervously and I saw his hands open and close in a fist. He swallowed hard and took a step closer to me, hesitantly lifting one hand as if he wanted to touch me. The hand dropped and I noticed that his heart rate picked up speed.

Realizing what he wanted, I took a step forward, closing most of the distance between us. I opened my arms slightly and very softly said, "Thanks, Dad."

His arms wrapped around me gently as he hugged me. A soothing pat on my shoulder was followed by a quiet, "I love you, Jason. I really do."

The temptation to say it back to him for the first time was there, but I just wasn't ready. Besides, I didn't want him to think I was saying it because of the special circumstances of the day. Instead of repeating the sentiment, I said, "I know."

He pulled away from me and smiled brightly. Suddenly, his gaze flickered over to the wall in that way that told me he was seeing or hearing something outside of the room. "Richard's coming back," he explained.

I listened closely, and sure enough, Dad was telling one of the ushers that we were about ready to start.

"I have to go," Clark said.

"I hate this," I said, my smile fading completely. "That you can't be more involved in this day."

"Jason, I swear to you that I will be here all day. I'm not going to miss a moment."

"But as a friend of the family rather than my father."

His gaze drifted back over to where Dad was still talking out in the hallway. "But Richard—"

"Is my Dad too. Lots of people have two sets of parents, you know, when they get divorced and remarried."

"Jason," he sighed, "I will talk to Lois very soon. You have my word on that."

I knew he would follow through with his promise, but it still wouldn't change the fact that for today he couldn't be my father. Before I had the chance to complain any further, he vanished from sight out the back door just as Dad knocked on the opposite door.

They were ready for me.

The knot inside my gut tightened.

Dad clapped me on the shoulder and pulled me into an easy hug. "Don't worry," he reassured. "Just take a deep breath and know that you are making the right decision." He leaned back and smiled. "In spite of what you may think, your mom and I are really happy for you."

My eyebrows went up. "Thanks."

"Now… if I don't get you out there Kate will begin to think you are standing her up!"

I followed Dad out into the hall where we met up with Lance and my friend Marcus from high school. I'd also asked one of Kate's male cousins, Aaron, to be a groomsman since Kate had three bridesmaids. My friends kidded with me for a moment, trying to get me to relax a bit before we entered the sanctuary. Somehow I managed to follow them to the front of the room without falling down. The minister took his place and signaled to the back of the church just as the music changed.

One by one, the bridesmaids made their way down the aisle in their royal blue dresses. I laughed to myself remembering the argument Kate and I had over that particular color. She knew it wasn't my favorite, but she'd insisted on using a color that her friends might wear again someday. Kate had sworn that they would all look beautiful in blue, but I hardly noticed. I only had eyes for one woman, and she had just appeared in the doorway.

Looking as regal and as beautiful as any fairytale princess, Kate walked towards me with her arm draped over her father's. I had to blink to make sure I wasn't imagining things. There she was, looking only at me – smiling only at me – about to become my wife. She would no longer be my girlfriend or my fiancée, but my wife. She was so beautiful I couldn't take my eyes off of her for an instant. I couldn't imagine that any bride could ever be more beautiful than Kate was at this very moment.

Her father kissed her cheek and shook my hand before placing Kate's hand in mine. I stared at her all through the minister's speech, my mind racing through all the moments that had brought us to this one. The first time I saw her… our first kiss… asking her to marry me… holding her in my arms last night. She must have sensed what I was thinking about for she blushed and smiled and momentarily looked away from me.

Before I knew it, I was repeating the words the minister directed me to say. Kate did the same, only her voice sounded so much softer and more musical than mine ever could. Next I was slipping a ring on her delicate finger and holding my own hand out for her to do the same for me. I was holding my breath when a moment later the announcement came.

"You may now kiss your bride."

Kate smiled brightly, and I knew I was grinning like a fool, but I didn't care. I leaned down and met her lips in a slow, purposeful kiss that I hoped was as tasteful as it was passionate.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I be the first to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Jason White."

The guests applauded and Marcus and Lance both whooped and whistled at us. Kate chuckled against my lips as I kissed her once more.

"I love you," she murmured.

"Feeling's mutual."

It took far too long, in my opinion, to shake hands with everyone so that we could get into the limo that would take us to the reception. Once we were safely out of view of prying eyes, I took the liberty to kiss her deeply and fully. Though she made sure to warn me not to mess up the dress or her hair.

"Where's the fun in that?" I complained.

"You can mess up my hair all you want later on tonight," she teased.

"I'm going to hold you to that promise."

"I hope you do."

I laughed and kissed her again.

The reception went as well as any reception could. We ate expensive food that looked better than it tasted, cut the oversized cake and fed each other, did the traditional wrap-your-arms-around-each-other-and-try-to-drink-champagne toast, and tossed the bouquet and garter. Kate had wanted to do everything like she'd always imagined it and I had no desire to keep her from the wedding of her dreams. But I had to put my own touch on it. After all, it was my wedding, too, and I had a surprise for my new wife.

"Come on," she tugged on my arm. "It's time for our first dance."

"Not yet," I smiled. "I have something for you."

She looked puzzled when I kissed her hand and walked up to the microphone. "What are you up to?"

We had compromised on the music. I wanted live music and Kate wanted a DJ. I thought having a DJ was the easy way out and she thought I was being a music snob. So we ended up having both. I hired some musicians that I had known in school to play for the reception while everyone ate. Kate hired a DJ to play secular music when it came time to dance. In reality, I didn't care if we had live music or not. I just needed an excuse to have a piano in the reception hall without Kate suspecting that I was up to something.

Taking the mic from the musicians, I asked for everyone's attention and the room quieted down. "I was informed a few months back that I would be expected to present my beautiful new wife with a gift today. Knowing that Kate has done everything to make sure today is perfect, I didn't want to spoil it by failing to have something really memorable to offer her. Being a musician and one who only recently finished school, I'm not a really wealthy man. I've recently been called a music snob—"

Kate laughed.

"— which isn't exactly true. I do know my way around popular music. Elton John in particular is a favorite of mine, and not just because he plays piano. In thinking of what I wanted to say today, a certain lyric of his came to mind. So Kate…" I looked directly at her. "My gift is my song, and this one's for you."

I sat at the keyboard and started playing the simple piece I had once played for Kate. I heard her gasp in surprise, which made my heart swell. When I had played it for her a few years ago, it had been very basic and rather short, but I had spent years developing it and building it into a piece of music worth being dedicated to someone as special as Kate. When I finished, she hurried to my side and kissed me thoroughly. There were tears in her eyes.

"I hope those are happy tears," I said softly.

She nodded and hugged me close to her. Not wanting to lose the moment, the DJ announced that we would then share our first dance. I wasn't a very good dancer, but with Kate in my arms looking the way she did, I was certain no one would notice me. We swayed back and forth to the music, kissing every now and then, completely lost in each other.

Other dances followed. Kate danced with her father and I danced with my mother. Then the wedding party danced and soon enough the floor was open to whomever cared to participate. It was going well and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Most importantly for me, Kate was happy with the way things turned out.

A few hours into the party, while I took the chance to get in another dance with Kate, I looked across the floor to see Clark leading my mother to the dance floor. My feet stilled and my body froze completely at the sight of them together. It wasn't every day that I saw my parents – my biological parents – in each other's arms. Yet every time I did see it, I felt slightly dazed by it.

Following my line of sight, Kate gasped when she saw what I was looking at. Mom seemed a bit uncomfortable, and rightly so in my opinion, for Clark was looking at her in a most intimate way. It was a look I'd seen him give my mother many times, but he was usually dressed as Superman when it would happen.

"Did he tell her?" Kate asked quietly.

"I don't think so."

"Do you think he's going to tell her now?"

"I hope not," I said honestly. "Mom will probably make a scene if he does."

Kate gave me a little tug and we started dancing again. "Let's just enjoy the evening. I don't think he would tell her now and risk spoiling things."

She was right, but it still didn't make me feel any more at ease about it. I didn't have a long time to dwell on it though, for the reception was drawing to a close. Kate and I made our exit through a crowed of family and friends surrounded by bubbles. I had expected the traditional rice-throwing, but apparently that was forbidden these days. Kate hugged her parents one last time, and I hugged mine.

Mom held me tight and whispered very softly for only me to hear, "I'm sorry your father wasn't here."

I smiled brightly at her. "Don't worry. We talked before the wedding and I know for a fact that he saw everything."

She looked started for a moment, but then smiled and kissed my cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

"And you," she said, turning to Kate. "Take care of him. Don't let him boss you around."

Kate laughed. "He won't, if he knows what's good for him."

I opened the door to the limo and let Kate climb in. Her father clapped me on the back and said, "That's my little girl, you know."

I nodded solemnly. "I'll take care of her, sir."

"Just make sure she's happy."

"I'll be happy if we could get some privacy!" Kate teased from her place in the vehicle.

An awkward handshake followed by the last round of traditional well wishes and we were finally blissfully alone behind the closed doors of the automobile. We stared at each other for a long time before the kissing started. What happened after that…well, I didn't much care so long as she was with me and we would be left alone.