Ch. 14
The wedding was put together in less than five hours. If you ever need to get married in a hurry, have S.H.I.E.L.D. agents set it up for you. Anyone who can plan a major raid in thirty minutes can easily throw together a wedding in a few hours.
Agent Hand wanted to be in attendance, mainly, I think, to make sure we actually went through with it before she signed off on any paperwork. We cleared out the hanger and Jemma and May helped decorate it as best they could, white Christmas tree lights hanging down everywhere, twinkling on and off. Leo rented a few dozen chairs for the rest of the rescue crew who had stayed around for the free food and alcohol. As father of the bride, Coulson ordered food in from a local restaurant and bakery.
Grant and my dad already had tuxes from various undercover assignments and my mother lent me a lovely beaded white dress she had for cocktail parties. Leo, wearing a dark suit was Grant's best man, having picked up a couple of wedding rings while rounding up the rest of the party supplies. Jemma was my maid of honor, looking adorable in a blue party dress. My mother, looked on with a grin on her face, despite the bruises she sported. She had fought dozens of supersoldiers in her attempt to save us, sending at least ten to the hospital. She had hugged me fiercely when we told her the good news earlier that day and whispered, "Good for you," in my ear.
I stood next to my dad at one end of the hanger with Grant, Leo and Jemma at the other end. We had asked around and found out that Sam, one of the operatives that had acted as backup during the rescue, had gotten ordained so he could perform a friend's wedding a couple of years ago, so he was our officiant, still dressed in black standard issue fatigues.
Grant looked so handsome in his suit, my eyes began to water from staring at him so much. "You look beautiful, Skye," my dad whispered in my ear as he stood next to me.
Leo picked up his violin and began playing "Here Comes the Bride". I walked down the makeshift aisle, between rows of chairs. I clutched a bouquet of red roses as I walked arm in arm with my father. The rescue crew all smiled at me as I walked past them, glad I bet, that the rescue that they were assigned had such a happy ending. One of the female agents even gave me a thumbs up as I passed.
00000
"Do you, Grant Ward, take Skye . . . wait, what's your last name?" Sam asked as he turned to me.
"Coulson," I said, winking at my dad.
" . . . . take Skye Coulson as your lawfully wedded wife?" Sam asked.
"I do," Ward said, squeezing my hand.
"Do you, Skye Coulson, take Grant Ward as your lawfully wedded husband?" Sam asked.
"I do," I said, hardly believing this day had come.
00000
My dad had found a nearby Italian restaurant that catered, so we had huge pans of lasagna, chicken Marsala, homemade white truffle ravioli, salad, and bread laid out, buffet-style. I'm glad that we ordered twice as much as the recommended amount as the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were ravenous. Within a few minutes, the buffet looked like a bunch of piranhas had gotten a hold of a cow. Afterwards, there were only a few wilted pieces of lettuce left. So much for leftovers.
Leo stood up first to give his best man speech. He looked down at his notes nervously and then looked up at everyone holding their champagne expectantly. "Sorry, sorry; we spent so much time getting this together that I really didn't have time to prepare anything. But, please raise a glass to Grant and Skye Ward. We are privileged to have them as part of our team and part of our family."
There was a clinking of glasses and I smiled over at Leo when he sat down next to Jemma. She stood up and smiled at all of us. "I didn't have much time, either, I'm afraid. But, what I wanted to say, is that I am so very, very happy for the both of you. From you, I have learned the true meaning of courage and commitment, of devotion and duty, of friendship. Knowing you two has been a blessing in our lives."
I had to look away after the toast to wipe away my tears, so glad that I had thought ahead and worn waterproof mascara. Then, my dad stood. I took a deep, shaky breath. My dad. Just the thought that my father was giving a speech at my wedding was overwhelming.
He smiled at everyone in attendance. "I'm not one for speeches, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Agent Grant Ward. There was a reason that I wanted you on my team. I knew that you were an exemplary agent. What I didn't know, is the reason that you are so dedicated and so focused is that you want nothing more than to protect people. Shield them, if you will, from the bullies of this world. One of the reasons that I am so pleased at having you as a son-in-law is I know that you'll do everything in your power to protect and love my little girl." At that, Coulson paused and took a deep breath as he looked at me.
"Skye, you have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. In the time that I've known you, you have fought time and time again on other people's behaves. You care so very, very much. I am more than proud to be called your father. I am overjoyed. Sometimes life gives you a gift so amazing, you don't even have words to express it. I love you, my daughter."
As he sat down, my mom stood up. "I have just one thing to say. Grant, if you ever hurt my daughter . . ."
With that, my dad tugged on her sleeve and whispered in her ear.
"Alright, I guess that message has already been sent. In that case, everyone please raise a glass to Grant and my beautiful daughter, Skye. Always know that we are here for you and that we love you," she said.
000000
Jemma and Leo had cleared the hanger and one of the operatives was playing DJ with an IPOD and makeshift speakers. My parents were dancing together and they both looked so happy together. Whatever tension between them seemed to have melted after the rescue. They stared so intently into each other's eyes, I hoped that Agent Hand wasn't looking.
"Do you regret . . . I don't know, this shotgun-type wedding?" I asked Grant sheepishly, waving around at the ad hoc decorations that filled the hanger.
"Not at all. I meant what I said. I don't want to spend another moment apart from you. And now I won't have to. I'm only sorry that I couldn't give you the wedding of your dreams. Don't all women want the big, fancy dress, the beautiful chapel and the huge ballroom?" he asked.
I looked around the hanger. "I have my parents, my two best friends that are like a brother and sister to me and the man that I love. There's no way to make this a more perfect wedding."
"Well, I still plan to make it up to you," Grant said with a wink.
"Really? How?" I asked, suspiciously.
"Honeymoon. So, you've never been to Paris or Rome?" he asked.
"No. I've always wanted to, though," I said excitedly.
"I thought so. Simmons mentioned it to me. I booked the flights and the hotels as soon as you said yes. First class tickets. Two weeks in the best hotels, eating the best food, seeing the sights."
"Wow. How did you get us two weeks off?" I asked. Coulson was usually a bit stingy with time off.
He chuckled. "I married the boss's daughter."
"Smooth move," I said.
"I thought so. Oh, and we are definitely not spending our wedding night on the Bus."
"We're not?" I asked.
"Our first night together will not be in a twin bed thirty feet from your parents' rooms. We've got the penthouse suite at the Plaza," he grinned down at me, waggling his eyebrows for comic effect.
"How did you get that?" I asked dubiously.
"Coulson called Director Fury to tell him the news and he arranged it for us as a wedding present," Grant said.
"This day keeps on getting better and better," I said.
"Oh, honey, you have no idea," he said with a wink as he grabbed my hand and kissed the inside of my wrist.
000000
"I still can't believe May and Coulson are my in-laws," Ward said later on as he dove into his enormous slice of the wedding cake.
"Yeah, imagine my shock when I figured out I was their kid," I said, lightly.
"You know, they do love you. Very, very much," he said as he wrapped his arms around me, entirely forgetting his cake.
"I know," I said as he bent down to kiss me. And I did. I had wanted to find my family. I didn't know that I was going to find the love of my life, too.
Author's Note- First off, thank you for all of the favorites, follows and reviews. Big shoutout to the reviewers, because, in all honesty, I posted this as 100 word drabble, marked it complete and thought I was done. But the incredibly sweet, kind reviewers helped to morph this story from 100 words to over 10,000. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Please realize the power that you have to encourage writers to create new adventures for you with your wonderful reviews!
I hope you've enjoyed this story. I've written a few more Agents of Shield stories you might enjoy until my next Agents of Shield story is posted.
If you like Agents of Shield with action and plenty of snark, you can try the series that starts with "Vlad the Impaler", continues with "Coulson's Christmas Gift" and ends with "Ivan the Terrible".
If you like Agents of Shield mixed with humor, you can try "The Suspect".
If you like more Family/Comfort with your Agents of Shield, there's "Mama Bear".
If you want a little angsty Fitzsimmons, there's "The Darkness in Him".
And finally, if you like Avengers (with some Agents of Shield crossover) and a little romance/mystery, there's "The Captain's Bride".
Thanks again for everything. Every single review has been a cherished gift and it has been my absolute privilege to write this for you, dear readers.
Please, have a marvelous day!