Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter Two

It was Wednesday 29th August, and today was the day Rebecca Clarkson would become Rebecca Rimmer. She felt like it was certainly about time, and as she sat down in the living room of her home, she felt like this was absolutely right.

They'd decided to have a small wedding, because all they needed were each other, not a big fancy wedding.

It was to be held at the local registry office, and Becky had decided that despite having a mall wedding, she still wanted her beloved brother to give her away, and she still wanted Maxine as a bridesmaid.

The wedding guests had started out as immediate family - Tom, of course, giving Becky away, then Davina was invited as Tom's girlfriend. Chlo and Mika were of course invited, as Becky's step-nieces, and Donte, as Becky's godson. They'd also invited Brett since it was only fair Mika got a guest, since both Tom and Chlo would have someone.

From Jack's family, his parents, brother and two sisters were coming.

They'd chosen not to invite anyone from the school - after all, if they'd invited one person, they'd have had to start inviting everyone.

Jack's mother and father were both retired, and while his father was a nice enough man, he kept himself to himself and rarely participated in conversation. His mother however, was very fond of Becky, and always fussed over her whenever they met.

Jack wasn't that close to some of the rest of his family but loved them nonetheless. He was closest to his brother, who was two years older than him, and worked as a lawyer, as did his wife. They had two daughters, aged 4 and 8. Becky had always quite liked John and Alice Rimmer.

His younger sister was four years younger, Becky found her to be boring, dull and tedious. Becky tried to avoid getting into conversations with her and was not suprised that his sister - Gemma - was single.

His other younger sister was Becky's age - nine years younger than Jack - and was quite a different matter. She was loud, arrogant and self absorbed, and Becky was often surprised that Jennifer Rimmer could possibly be related to Jack.

Of all Jack's siblings, his brother and sister in law were the least offensive to Becky, and she supposed eldest younger sister was harmless, even if she was the most boring person Becky had ever met.

But she supposed they were still family now.

Right at that moment in time, Becky was sitting down on a stool in the living room, with Davina behind her, carefully putting pins into her hair with a dedicated hand.

Also in the room was Maxine, who was acting as bridesmaid, and James.

Maxine was currently sitting on the edge of the coffee table, being careful not to crease the lovely purple dress Becky had bought for her. She was holding a dressed up James on her knee - she had bonded with her baby brother very well since his birth, and felt like a real big sister.

Davina was dressed in a simple pale blue dress, and she smiled as she helped her friend.

" You can relax, you know," she said, noticing the way Becky's shoulders were a little tense.

Becky giggled a little as she let out a sigh of relief, " I just can't help it. I'm so nervous. "

" What's there to be nervous about? " Maxine laughed, shaking her head in amusement as she glanced over to Davina, " you've been together for years - you live together - you've got a kid. It's not like he won't turn up. "

" She's right, you know," Davina added, carefully putting another pin into Becky's dark hair, which had been curled especially for the most important day of her life, " Jack's absolutely head over heels in love with you - any fool can see that. "

Becky nodded - she couldn't explain the nerves that were shooting through her body, because she knew they were completely irrational. Sitting right here right now was proof that she and Jack had something very special - she was sitting in the house they shared, opposite their baby and foster daughter.

" Well, I am lucky," she agreed, " Jack's the best, isn't he? "

Maxine smiled happily at the dreamy smile on Becky's face, and after another few moments, Davina's hands were removed from Becky's hair.

" There," she said proudly, " all done - you look fab. No-one would guess you've given birth under 3 months ago, and have spent all the time since then up all hours with a screaming baby. "

Becky grinned, and as she stood up slowly, she felt elegant and ladylike and felt more beautiful than she ever had in her life. She went to look in the mirror than hung over the fireplace and could barely believe the sight she was met with - the woman looking back at her had a glow to her skin, all lit up from a radiant smile, and she looked simply but elegant - her dark curly hair framing a pretty face, with a few urls pinned back and a pearly silver fascinator pinned in the side.

" Oh, Davina thank you," she said, " it's perfect. "

Becky then heard the front door open, and Tom called out, " I'm back! "

Tom had been tasked with driving the car to the registry office, and had just been to drop Chlo and Mika off, before coming back for the bride, Maxine, James and Davina.

Jack had been forced out of the house by Becky last night, worrying about back luck, and had been sent to stay with his brother. Jack's family all lived in Leeds, and had come over the night before, to stay in a travel-lodge on the other side of town.

Tom came into the living room, and he stopped in the doorway as soon as he saw his sister standing in the middle of the room - he hadn't seen her at all that morning, and all he could do was stare.

Becky smiled a little in amusement, and as Tom looked her up and down and words still failed him, Becky finally asked, " Everything alright? "

" Alright? " he echoed, " alright? You look ... well, absolutely ... gorgeous. "

Becky felt her cheeks heat up a little, " Well," she mumbled, " I guess that's a good thing then. "

Tom sighed, and he looked a little overwhelmed, so Davina cleared her throat. " Maxine," she said, " shall we go out to the car? "

Maxine took the hint and stood up, holding James carefully in her arms.

" You really do look stunning," Maxine nodded as she came to stand beside Becky.

Becky smiled and reached out to hug Maxine warmly, " Thanks sweetie," she said, hugging her carefully, with James being inbetween them. She then reached out to take her son from Maxine's arms, and held him to her gently.

" Hey sweetie," she cooed, smiling as James seemed to gurgle happily in his mother's arms, " you look gorgeous don't you? Yes you do, sweetie, you look very sweet. And now you're going to see Mummy and Daddy getting married, baby. "

She giggled and leaned in to plant a kiss on her baby's pudgy little cheek. She was about to hand him to Maxine again, when Tom cleared his throat.

Becky rolled her eyes in amusement - Tom was absolutely devoted to his little nephew and was doing a very good job of being a doting uncle. He bought the little boy presents at every possible moment, and always wanted to steal a kiss and a cuddle.

" Hey mate," he mumbled, picking James up, " are you looking forward to seeing silly Mummy and Daddy finally get themselves sorted out? Nah, you just want to get to the after party don't you, in the hopes that there'll be more attention on you, like there usually is. "

James gurgled at his uncle, and Tom nodded wisely, " Knew you'd agree, mate. "

He handed James back over to Maxine, and once she, James and Davina had left the room, Becky looked up at Tom.

He was wearing a smart black suit with a crisp white shirt and dark purple tie and flower. Becky thought he looked more handsome than he ever had before - and she knew her brother had never been short of female admirers - and she could tell he'd made an effort.

" So," she started," this is it. "

Tom nodded and his sister thought he rather looked like he might cry - something she rarely saw him do.

" Look at you," he said, shaking his head, " you're so ... grown up. I think it's just hit me, that there's nothing little about my little sister anymore. "

Becky giggled, " Tommy, I've been grown up for a long time. But I'll still always be your little sister. "

Tom nodded, and he moved forward and was pulling her into a hug before she could quite see it coming. She felt his hands resting on her back, against the luxurious material of her simple cream dress.

She sighed happily and wrapped her arms around him - there was always something so safe and secure about her big brother, and he hugged her to him for a long moment, before letting go of her and holding her at arms length.

" Becky," he said, " you look absolutely beautiful, and I know you're going to be happy with Jack. But you've got to know that I'm still always here for you. "

Becky nodded, looking into the face of her caring big brother, " I'm not changing," she said, " I'm still going to be me, and I'm sure I'm still going to need you, and I'm still going to want to be your friend, you know. But thank you. "

She leaned forwards and pressed a kiss against his cheek, and he sighed heavily when they both straightened up.

" Mum and Dad would be so proud, you know," he said after a few seconds, looking as though he was trying to compose himself, " they'd be so proud of you, for everything you've achieved. "

Becky swallowed hard, and she nodded, " Thank you. You're the best brother ever - you know that, don't you? "

Tom shook his head, looking incredibly modest, " Don't be daft - what about Ian? "

Becky shook her head, " I think I can't quite compare Ian to you in terms of the amount of times you've been there for me. Thanks, Tommy. "

Tom simply smiled, and he cleared his throat, " Right," he said, " how about we get going? Don't want to be late, do you? "

Becky grinned, and as Tom offered his arm out to her with a big grin on his face too. She stepped forwards and accepted his arm, and he raised his eyebrows, " I hope Jack knows just how lucky he is to be getting a Clarkson in the family. "

" I think he does," she assured him.

When they went outside, Becky felt more and more excited, and she got into the passenger seat of the car, whilst Tom got into the drivers seat. Becky felt unbelieveably excited as they drove towards the registry office, and once they got there, they walked into the hallway.

Davina went ahead into the room where the wedding would be held, and they were met in the hallway by Jack's youngest sister - who looked like she'd tried to do her best by wearing a short, tight dress.

" Oh Rebecca, there you are," Jennifer Rimmer said, " you look lovely, of course. " Turning to Tom with a glint in her eye, she said, " you must be Rebecca's brother. I see good looks run in the family - maybe we could ... chat later? "

Tom looked a bit taken aback and he stammered, " Erm ... yeah. "

Jennifer nodded, " Great. I'd better tell them that you're all ready. " Noticing the other two, she smiled a little, though it didn't quite meet her eyes, " oh, doesn't James look sweet. Oh, hello Melanie. "

She walked away, and into the room where the small wedding was taking place, and Maxine frowned, " She knows my name. "

Tom raised his eyebrows, " Well she's ... "

He couldn't seem to find the right word, and Becky nodded, " Jennifer loves Jennifer, and getting her own way - unfortunately that means the only people she pays proper attention to are men she thinks she's got a shot with. The rest of us ... well, just put up with it. "

" A charming sister in law," Tom mumbled, thinking of how little attention she'd actually paid to the bride and how forced her comment on Becky's looks seemed.

" Who cares about her," Becky shrugged, " I want to go get married. "

Tom offered out his arm once again, and Becky sighed happily. She took a deep breath in and turned to hug Maxine, before kissing James' forehead, and then turning back to Tom. She slipped her hand through his arm and rested it on the sleeve of his smart black suit.

" Ready? " asked Tom.

Becky nodded, " More than," she replied.

Then, before she knew it, she was going into her own wedding. She was vaugely aware of someone opening the doors, and a little bit of music playing, but as she looked down the short aisle, with Jack and his brother standing at the end in front of the registrar, all she could think about was getting to him.

Her heart hammered against her chest, and the smile on her face just grew and grew.

Jack looked completely stunned as he saw her, and she thought that this could only be a good thing. She knew that in her beautiful yet modest cream dress, she knew she looked far better than she had in weeks and weeks - for once, there were no big bags under her eyes, no bits of spit up or spilled milk down her clothes, and no clothes that were wrinkled where she hadn't had time to iron them.

She knew she looked good, but from the look on Jack's face, she looked more than good.

She wasn't even aware of the others around her looking in her direction - the only thing she saw was Jack. Somehow, Jack looked far more handsome than he ever had before, she thought and by the time she and Tom got to the end of the aisle, the only thing she could think about was she and Jack.

" Good luck," Tom mumbled with a grin, as Becky let go of his arm.

She smiled at him, and as she came to stand beside Jack, he grinned and whispered, " You look incredible, love. "

Becky smiled, her smile so wide that she thought she'd never stop being happy again.

It was a short ceremony, but it was perfect. Becky and Jack held hands throughout, and as the registrar spoke to they and their guests, they couldn't stop smiling at each other.

Becky didn't think she'd ever felt more in love with him, and when the time came to say their vows and he slid the wedding ring onto her finger, she felt like it was the last perfect piece of her life.

When they were pronounced man and wife, Jack wasted no time in reaching out and cupping her cheek with one hand as he pressed his lips to hers, in a short, sweet kiss.

They broke apart to their cheers and applause of their friends, and Becky giggled, feeling Jack's strong arm wrap around her waist as they walked out of the room, their guests following.

Once they were outside the registry office, Becky grinned and Tom took a camera from Davina, who had been storing it in her purse for him.

He waved it in the air and told them they definitley needed some pictures of this.

Becky wasn't about to argue, and around them was a buzz of excitement as their friends and family congratulated them. As Tom held the camera up and shouted at everyone, Becky reached out for Jack.

He grinned and wrapped his arm around her again and Becky looked around and saw Maxine, still holding James. She reached out for Maxine and pulled her over to them by her arm. She leaned down and kissed her foster daughter's cheek and also her son's forehead, before wrapping an arm around the teenage girl.

They all smiled for the camera - though Becky knew she wouldn't stop smiling all day anyway - and when the picture was taken, Maxine hugged both Becky and Jack as tightly as she could, given that James was balanced on her hip.

" Come here little man," Jack grinned, reaching out for his son.

Maxine passed him over, and Jack beamed with pride once he had hold of his son. James reached out to try and grab hold of his father's face, and Jack chuckled, sticking his tounge out at the little boy.

" Well, this is how it's meant to be now, isn't it? " Jack cooed to his son, bouncing him up and down, " and doesn't Mummy look really really pretty? " When James did nothing more than gurgle, Jack nodded wisely, " I knew you'd agree mate. "

Becky grinned and she reached out to take hold of James' pudgy little hand, which he was waving around furiously, " What about Daddy, ey? Doesn't Daddy look simply brilliant? "

Jack grinned and he looked up at Becky.

" I'm so happy I've got you," he said.

Becky grinned, " Me too. Finally feels like everything's in place, doesn't it? "

" Indeed it does, Mrs Rimmer," Jack nodded, shifting his baby a little so he could hold him in one arm and use the other to reach out and take his wife's hand. He lifted the hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it, " and god how I love you, Mrs Rimmer. "

Becky grinned, " Mr Rimmer, the feelings are entirely mutual. "