Disclaimer: I do not own Human Target and intend no copyright infringement.
Ilsa's limousine.
Ilsa had offered to fly her in, but Nelly's aunt had insisted on using her own jet.
"I told Francesca she could get married everywhere, but she insisted on this location."
In the distance, the farm's premises slowly became visible.
The way Estelle Hamilton said "this location" didn't leave much room for interpretation.
"It's a very picturesque place", Ilsa replied.
She was nervous.
Clarence, who was in charge today, had suggested a little collective outing to lure at least a couple of the farm's occupants away.
It would be hard enough to sell Estelle on what location exactly Nelly had in mind for the wedding ceremony without a clairvoyant, a Jedi, a Wicca and God knows who else running around…
… … …
California Institution for Men, minimum security level.
"So you came here to collect Eddie, hm…" The prison guard studied the papers that granted Harry's brother three days of furlough to attend the wedding. Winston allowed himself a relaxed smile. For once they didn't have to rely on Guerrero's forgery skills or Chance's prison break abilities – Ilsa's influence had gotten them real documents without any hassle. Well, Eddie was only in for a year anyway, small time offender, some kind of clumsy credit card fraud.
Mishaps seemed to be running in the family.
The guard approved of the documents with a nod and told one of his colleagues to get Eddie.
Winston's smile grew broader. For once things were running smoothly.
Uh-oh, Winston, don't…
The prison guard returned.
Without Eddie.
Here we go…
… … …
A monastery in the Hamptons.
"I really think I should do the talking this time", Ames repeated for the umpteenth time.
Just to make her shut up, Guerrero finally decided to dignify her with an answer. "I've got a plan."
"If it involves your tackle box, it's not a good plan." The whole Daisy ordeal had really helped to boost her self-confidence in dealing with him.
"How can anything that involves the tackle box not be a good plan?" He raised an eyebrow.
"We're going to visit the Hamilton family priest. The eighty years old Hamilton family priest who baptized Nelly's mother. We can't torture him into marrying Nelly and Harry on the farm, under the – um – special circumstances there. We just can't!" Ames looked horrified at the mere thought.
"I promise I'll be gentle." As Guerrero grinned, his incisor teeth became visible. He knocked on the priest's door.
… … …
California Institution for Men, Eddie's cell.
The guard shook his head in disbelief. "I really don't understand this – we notified him that he would get to attend the wedding!"
"Let's all calm down", Winston said. "It's not that the Green River Killer broke out, is it? Maybe we find a way to iron this out without an internal investigation and all that hassle…"
Very good point. An investigation was the last thing any of the prison's personnel needed.
Winston looked at Eddie's cell mate. "Anything you'd like to share with us?"
The pale, scrawny man shrugged. "Depends on what I get in return."
Winston thought about Ilsa's deep pockets and hoped she'd understand.
"Spit it out."
"Six months more in here."
Just when you think you've heard it all.
… … …
The farm.
When Ilsa and Estelle arrived at the farm, Nicole awaited them. Ilsa let out a sigh of relief. Anarchist or not, Nicole at least passed as normal. Ilsa's relief didn't last long, however.
Nicole led them to the vast kitchen. The kitchen's huge panorama windows allowed a view of the farm's private graveyard, where the deceased members of the community found their final rest. The second she crossed the threshold Nicole froze, stared outside, turned around and tried to usher them out of the room again, but it was too late. Estelle had keen eyes.
"What are these people doing on that graveyard?"
Moira, in a flowing green dress, barefooted, was walking among the headstones, swinging something that looked like a flexible iron rod with a huge crystal on its tip. A man in a white lab coat – this had to be the newest addition to the community, Nelly had referred to him as "a scientist" – holding antennas in both hands, apparently followed her instructions, moved here and there, back and forth. Every now and then they planted something that looked like silver knitting needles into the ground.
"They're adjusting the energy field for the wedding", Nicole explained. Ilsa made hectic gestures for her to shut up, but it was too late.
"Why out there?", Estelle asked, very warily.
"Because Frelly wants to get married on the graveyard", Nicole said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Estelle almost did a backflip.
… … …
California Institution for Men, Eddie's cell.
The prison guard reluctantly nodded in agreement. "That should be doable. Now where is Eddie?"
"Eddie didn't think that he would be allowed to attend his brother's wedding, so he figured out a way to get there anyway… he hired Hard Rock Hogger to break him out of here. When he found out that he would get a furlough, he tried to cancel the whole thing. Hard Rock didn't take kindly to that… he came to Eddie and told him he'd break out whether he wanted to or not. Then he knocked him unconscious and dragged him off…"
"And you didn't inform us?" The guard couldn't believe it."That should definitely do for six more months in here…"
"Six months less of sleeping on the street", the scrawny man replied.
… … …
The monastery.
A shiver was running down Ames' spine. She could neither believe her eyes nor her ears.
"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Guerrero finished reciting and looked the old priest directly in the eyes.
"If love is that flexible, do you really think the wedding ceremony, that celebrates the love of two people, would be tarnished if a couple of Wicca, Jedi, atheist and other practices are built in?"
… … …
California Institution for Men.
They found Eddie tied up in a huge laundry bag.
"You've got to believe me, I really didn't…"
"I believe you." Winston couldn't help but laugh. "You are Harry's brother. I definitely believe you."
… … …
The farm.
"So many people start their marriage in a church and it ends in disaster. Nelly has already been through disaster, numerous times, first with her parents being unable to take care of her, then with their killing, then with discovering that the man she saw as her father wasn't her father but her parents' murderer. She thinks maybe if she begins her marriage in the presence of disaster, right by the grave of the killer who is responsible for her parents' death, things will get better from there."
Ilsa's words were well chosen and probably would have touched Estelle's heart. If not, well, if not, at this very moment, the bus with the other members of the community had arrived. One by one out they came: The Jedi, the Wicca… you know the drill…
They were singing. At the top of their lungs. Apparently the song was the result of a democratic voting with inconclusive result: The text was from White Army, Black Baron, except for the refrain, that was from some church song. The melody was from the Last Unicorn.
Believe me, you don't even want to know how that sounded…
Out on the graveyard, the scientist and Moira were setting up some kind of pyramid construction.
"I don't think I should attend this wedding after all", Estelle told Ilsa. "This is not the Francesca anymore that I knew as a small child. She has moved on and as happy as I am that she's still alive, maybe it's better for all of us if I accept that and move on, too."
Ilsa took a deep breath. "Well, in that case..."