Chapter 15: Wedding
"It's going to be a beautiful day!"
Shana bounced enthusiastically on the end of the bed while Snake Eyes grinned indulgently at her. She looked like she had before the incident; glowing with health, gaining back the body fat she'd had and was now slowly turning it back into muscle. He was still taking it easy on her in workouts, but less than he had formerly and she was now pushing herself a little more than before.
But today they were going to forget they were soldiers and just be human beings. It was something of a holiday, this first Joe wedding, and aside from some skeleton crew (who were going to rotate so everyone could get a bit of the fun) they were all off-duty.
Over the last week the base had developed mysterious stashes of beer. Not much, because everyone knew how Hawk felt about drunk and disorderly conduct, and anyone who drank enough to do something stupid had been warned they would find themselves cleaning bathrooms for a week. There would be a few new recruits who would break that rule, but that was okay; they'd find out the hard way that Hawk wasn't bluffing, and the toilets would get a scrubbing they didn't get often.
The day was perfect; the weather reports said it was going to be a fine spring morning, for St Paddy's Day; while March could sometimes be rainy and unpredictable, all the weather reports said today was going to be a beautiful, warm spring day with just a hint of breeze. The guys had been told to wear whatever they felt comfortable in; whether they wanted to wear their dress uniforms or Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops, it didn't matter to Charlie, who was going to wear traditional Navajo garments.
But since the heavy leather garments chafed Cam's still-healing skin, a dress wouldn't be quite as bad. In the week since the trial had wrapped and Kennedy had died, she'd made remarkable strides in her recovery; enough that she could now walk a mile around the base, and was concentrating on doing it in a time limit, adjusting that time limit shorter and shorter to push her endurance. Shana and Doc were also structuring light physical exercises designed to carefully stretch the scar tissue to give her more joint mobility and make the uneven tilt of her shoulders much less noticeable, and it seemed to be working; she was able to carry her own tray in the mess hall, and in between Charlie had been busy bringing in burgers and hot dogs and all sorts of carryout items from various takeout places all over New York to tempt her appetite. She was filling out, looking healthier, her face and body weren't as thin, and she had regained some of the sparkle in her eyes and happiness in her face.
It seemed The Girls had decided they wanted to dress for Their Guys. Snake Eyes had decided to wear his class B's for the occasion—it was simpler, not to have to go through the horrific chore of actually shopping for something to wear, but Shana was bouncing around in a satiny white slip that pushed her breasts up to an almost distracting degree, and Snake Eyes was having a hard time thinking of anything but what lay under that white slip, and when she stopped in front of him to help button his jacket, it took all of his self-control not to grab her, strip off that slip, and make love to her. What kept him from following through on the impulse was the knowledge that in the past weeks since they'd resumed lovemaking, she'd seemed to want to be the one on top, controlling the action. Which was fine, he understood that being out of control had given her some issues and if he had to be on the bottom for a while, well…watching the underside of her breasts bouncing while she rode him was a sight he'd never get tired of seeing.
So when Allie and Courtney and Cam walked into his and Shana's quarters carrying clothes hangers with dresses shrouded in long white clothing bags, he was only too happy to make his escape. The feminine giggles that followed him out of the room told him that his discomfort (the fact that his pants felt a few sizes too tight) had been noticed, but among those giggles had been Shana's and he really didn't mind her laughing at him. It was wonderful just to hear her laugh.
They'd decided to have the wedding in the shadow of the old Verrazano Narrows lighthouse, on the edge of the grounds of the chaplains' school. There was a small open-air park, with an arched patio/gazebo that would be perfect for the occasion, and they brought blankets instead of having to bring chairs up through the motorpool (whose entrance wasn't that far from the gazebo, so if anyone wanted to slip away and find a nice convenient Hummer backseat (Courtney!) they could do so). Snake Eyes wasn't discounting the option of doing that himself at some point in the afternoon, though it wouldn't be the backseat of one of the Joe vehicles he'd be choosing to do it in!
He met Charlie leaving the room he shared with Cam, dressed in his Native American leathers. They both headed in companionable silence down the halls toward the motorpool, and only when they were about halfway there did Charlie say, "I would have gone, my friend."
Snake Eyes looked at him in surprise.
"I would have gone to jail for you. I know you did it. I don't know how, and I don't want to know how, but I would have gone to jail for you. It would have been worth it to see the bastard dead."
Snake Eyes nodded his understanding. In the week since the trial wrapped and Kennedy had died, the media had run wild with rumors. As the FBI had proved conclusively that it had not been Snake Eyes or Charlie who had killed Kennedy, newspapers had run the gamut from another prisoner to a guard who despised what Kennedy had done, to a government cover up. But the prison had seemed disinclined to actively investigate, hadn't even confiscated the base's security camera footage, though this was something Clayton had been bracing for and had made plans to try and prevent. Although he hadn't said anything—and likely wouldn't—Shana, Snake Eyes, Cam and Charlie all knew he knew who had killed Kennedy, and was prepared to take a stand on the side of justice rather than allow one of his soldiers to go to prison for this. Although the law said it was wrong, his heart had said it was right, and in this case it seemed that the law agreed with him because the official story put out four days after Kennedy's death said that another prisoner at Riker's had killed him.
Cam needs you. Snake Eyes wouldn't confirm Charlie's guess that he'd killed Kennedy; better that the big Native American not know. If another inquiry was started later, Charlie would not be lying when he said he didn't know.
"Cam's been sleeping better since he died. She won't say it, but she's glad he's dead, and so am I. And, I believe, so is Shana."
Snake Eyes couldn't argue with that; he knew it was true. With their rooms adjacent, he and Shana knew when Cam woke with nightmares; Cam and Charlie knew when Shana woke with nightmares. It was inevitable. Snake Eyes could only wonder what Charlie and Cam thought about the sounds of pleasure that came from his and Shana's room. He knew Cam probably felt bad, that she wasn't healed enough to be a wife to Charlie, but Snake Eyes was equally sure that her lack of performing 'wifely duties' wasn't bothering Charlie one bit.
Looking forward to getting married?
"This is only a formality, my friend. We're already married, if not in the eyes of the law, then in the eyes of the People of the tribes we're in, and the eyes of the people who matter most to us—the people here."
He looked at Snake Eyes with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. "You are the one who should be looking forward to getting married. You and Shana have been committed to each other, and yet not committed, for a very long time. Cam was secretly hoping this would be a double wedding, that she could share this day with Shana, but she understands Shana would like to have this done with her real family so she hasn't pushed."
You wouldn't mind? Cam wouldn't mind?
Charlie simply shook his head; they'd reached the gazebo by this time, and people were already gathered; some sitting on the blankets on the grass and talking, some standing by the tables that held the food, nursing beers; and the chaplain was standing under the white-painted archway of the gazebo smiling and waiting for the bride and groom. Charlie approached the gazebo to tell the chaplain the girls were on their way when the crowd of Joes suddenly hushed. Charlie turned, Snake Eyes standing next to him.
Cam was wearing a lovely white (okay, Shana called it eggshell but Snake Eyes couldn't see the difference between eggshell and white) dress that covered her scars and somehow made the unequal shoulder tilt unnoticeable. She was beautiful, for the first time since Snake Eyes had known her…but then he looked past her and saw the red-haired goddess standing behind Cam and forgot everything else.
Shana looked radiant on a warm spring morning on St. Patrick's Day, half her hair caught in an elaborate web of Celtic braids, the other half spilling loose and free down her back. Her dress was simple, shamrock green satin hugging her torso and flaring out to a simple bell shape from her waist. Courtney's pale-blue dress was all ruffles and flounces, and Allie's was a simple rose-colored sheath, and although all the women looked beautiful, Snake Eyes could only see Shana.
Cam and Charlie had prepared vows; they all quieted to hear them. "Cameron Arlington. When I first saw you on a makeshift stretcher being carried by the other members of your SERE training class, I had no idea I was meeting the woman who would hold my heart for the rest of my life. We haven't known each other very long, but I knew I liked you after the first day we spent together, and after the end of the first week I knew you were the only woman I would ever love for the rest of my life. I was the happiest man on earth when you said you wanted to marry me, and marrying you is the best decision I've ever made. I don't need to promise you I'll be faithful, because you already know that; you know that I will love, cherish and protect you for the rest of your life, and I will never, ever hurt you deliberately or cause you pain, and if I can help it, no one else ever will either. This I swear by the Ancestors."
Cam spoke, her voice clear and steady. "I love you, Charlie Ironknife. I never, ever thought I'd find someone to share the rest of my life with, someone who loved me for who I was, who didn't mind the scars or the emotional baggage. When I first came here, everyone was so kind, especially you, and I kept wondering what you wanted from me that you were this nice. It didn't take me long to understand that you wanted me, wanted who I was rather than for anything you thought I could do for you. It's a rare quality, and it's one I was completely unfamiliar with. And even though in our hearts and in the eyes of our tribes, we are already married, I want to make this official and make it official to everyone that we are married, that I will never love anyone the way I love you."
Charlie slipped a simple thin gold band around her finger—the ring he'd already given her when they got married in front of the tribe several months ago but had decided to exchange again just for this ceremony. She, in turn, slipped his back on—and started to kiss before the chaplain even said "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Cheers, hoots and wolf whistles followed the end of this pronouncement, and the fervency of the kiss left no doubt in anyone's mind of their commitment…or their passion.
Snake Eyes found Shana nursing a bottle of Killian's and joking with Duke and Stalker; at the sight of him, however, she excused herself and came toward him. Her hips swayed enticingly in the lovely green dress as she strolled over the grass toward him, and for a moment he could almost imagine he was seeing an Irish goddess coming toward him. Then the moment passed, and she was something infinitely more precious than a goddess; she was Shana, his Shana, his goddess.
She planted a kiss that tasted faintly of alcohol on his lips and grinned. "It was a lovely ceremony. I'm glad we were here to watch it." They were scheduled to leave in two days for Shana's parents' in Atlanta, to look at the new property Shana now owned, and likely to endure her mother's endless suggestions on how their wedding should go. "And I hope, when we eventually get married, our wedding is as happy as this. I know my Mom will take the chance to turn it into a huge fancy production with half of Atlanta there to see us get married, but really, I'd be happier if the ceremony were like this—good friends, good beer, and a good day." She tossed back the last of the bottle she was holding. "In fact, if we hadn't been so wrapped up in the trial that I forgot to go look at wedding rings, I'd say we just have it here, now, with everyone who means the most to us. A big wedding at home would mean only a few of our real friends would be able to attend, and Mom and Siobhan and her husband would just look at it as a chance to turn it into a business mixer, and I'm positive Dad and my brothers would understand." She saw his face. "What? You look like I just hit you in the face with a board."
Snake Eyes dug the two small velvet boxes out of his pocket and held them in his hand. Shana's eyes widened, and she froze, staring at them. Snake Eyes signed rapidly, I saw these and loved them immediately. The maker just sent them to me yesterday after engraving them. I brought them here to see if they fit.
"I hoped this would be a double wedding," came Cam's voice behind Shana.
Shana spun, staring at her friend standing next to Charlie. "Seriously, Cam? You don't mind sharing your wedding day with us?"
"Of course not. Why would I? If not for you I wouldn't be here. You saved my life."
"And you saved mine. But I thought…maybe you might not like…"
"Shana. Charlie and I got married over Thanksgiving. This is a formality. And…I would never object to sharing anything with you. You and Charlie are the only true friends I've ever had."
"What am I, chopped liver?" came a new voice, and all three of them looked up, to see Clayton coming toward them, Liv right behind carrying a gurgling, cooing bundle of baby. But Clayton's warm smile belied his voice, and as he looked at Shana, Cam, Charlie, and Snake Eyes, there was humor and laughter in his eyes. "It's okay, I'm joking. So can I assume from the presence of those rings Snake Eyes just pulled out that I should catch that chaplain before he leaves?"
"He's leaving?" Shana stared at them, then said, "Cam if you really don't mind—"
"I don't," Cam shook her head firmly.
"And since you have the rings—"
Snake Eyes interrupted. I don't even know if you like them or not. They aren't…traditional.
"Since when have I ever minded something that wasn't 'traditional?" Shana reached out with one hand, caressed the side of his face. "You picked them out, which means you like them. And if you like them, that means you'll be happy with them. That's all I need to know." And she was gone in a twitch of flaming curls and green satin, running after the dark-clad chaplain. Heads turned, watched her speak to the man, and the assembled Joes started to drift back to the gazebo as the man headed back to the archway.
Shana came back, grabbed Snake Eyes' arm, and hauled him up in front of the archway. Without a word Cam handed Shana the small bouquet of lilies and roses she held, and moments later Shana and Snake Eyes were standing in front of the chaplain.
It had all happened so fast Snake Eyes barely had time to think, and before he knew it the opening pleasantries were gone through and he was expected to utter vows. He was nonplussed for a moment, wondering what on earth he was going to say, and Stalker quietly plucked the two little velvet ring boxes out of his hands so he could speak.
He turned to Shana, and at the sight of her green eyes, glowing the same color as her dress, and the braids in her long red hair creating a halo around her head, he completely forgot his nervousness, his uncertainty, his awkwardness. All he could think of was her, and all the things he'd ever wanted to say to her but never had, and how for the long weeks when she was missing he'd wondered bleakly if he would ever have a chance to say all the things he'd ever wanted to say. And when he raised his hands to speak, he barely heard Allie's soft voice translating his sign language for the benefit of those who couldn't read his hands; for this one moment, he and Shana were the only two people in the world.
I love you, Shana O'Hara. It took me by surprise because I'd never expected to fall in love. There were others but no one I was serious with before you. You were a complete surprise, I never dreamed I could fall so in love with someone so completely opposite from who I was. You are the sun to my shadow, the song in my silence. You are the strength in my steel, my reason for living, the star in my night, the other half—the better half—of my soul. You have given me more than friendship, more than love, more than life. We've been through some rough times, and I know there were times when I pushed you away, but you stayed by me, knowing I needed you even when I didn't know I did. I have been selfish, and because of that you've lost out on things that you wanted to do. I can't give you that back, but I swear from this moment that no matter what else happens around us, your happiness comes first and foremost with me. I love you, Shana O'Hara.