I'm posting a short ficlet which is another (after "A Real Beauty") response to the prompts given to me by the lovely The Yankee Countess. It's the one about S/T holding their vows' renewal at Downton.
There are some references to the wedding chapter of my multi-chapter story, "Lives", but they do not make the reading of the ficlet any harder.
Second Time
Sybil Branson opens her eyes as soon as the first sun rays shine through the windows at Downton Abbey. It's just as then, she muses briefly, recalling their wedding day at Dublin. Back then, she woke up even before dawn because she was so impatient to marry Tom. And Tom was similarly restless when she met him walking in front of Mrs. Branson's house just as the sun was about to rise.
Sybil yawns loudly and looks at the pillow next to her. Just as she expected – Tom's eyes are wide open. She cuddles herself close to him and kisses him gently on the cheek. "Good morning, I see that you're excited for today."
Tom gives her a huge smile and embraces her tightly, "I am, just as I was when we did it for the first time."
"As an old married man, do you regret that you wed me?"
"Would I be marrying you again if I regretted it?"
Sybil giggles. Yes, his answer is just too obvious. She lays her head on his chest and sighs contentedly. Yes, life with Tom has been good. Actually – very good.
"Do you know that Mary and Edith proposed that we should do everything in the right order once more and that we should sleep separately this night?" she informs her husband.
Tom raises his eyebrows. "They're quite fastidious, aren't they?"
Both Mr. and Mrs. Branson giggle joyfully.
Everyone gathers in Downton's drawing room. There are only members of the closest family present. The Earl, the Countess, the Dowager Countess and Isobel Crawley; Mary and Matthew with their three children: George, Violet and Robbie; and Edith and Anthony with their daughters Amelia and Catherine. Not only the family are present, though. Sybil and Tom insisted to invite a few servants who are their friends or are like family to them: Mrs. Hughes, Mr. Carson, Anna, Bates, Daisy and Mrs. Patmore. The most important guests, of course, are the happy couple's three children: Saoirse and Patricia dressed in white bridesmaids' dresses and little Michael sleeping peacefully on his Granny Cora's lap. The girls are especially excited about witnessing their parents' renewal of vows; both can't stay still in one place.
It's nearly a miracle that they are allowed to hold a Catholic ceremony at Downton, but they attribute it all to the Dowager's powers of persuasion – the old lady "had a talk" with a Catholic priest from the closest church. Actually, it's the same priest who previously christened Saoirse.
The door opens and the bride and the groom finally enter. Sybil wears the same simple dress that she wore ten years ago. She didn't want a more luxurious or adorned one for the Downton wedding; she merely requested to have the old one adjusted.
Both Sybil and Tom look radiant as if it was their first time, both look so young! They walk hand in hand and can't take their eyes off each other even though they've been already married for ten years.
Ultimately, Sybil looks around the room and feels that her eyes well up with tears – they're all here. Her whole family are here to see her getting married to the only man she could ever love. It took 10 years for that to happen, but it is eventually happening, and that is the most important thing.
Just as the ceremony begins, a loud cry fills the room. It's Michael Branson demanding his parents' attention. Cora and Isobel immediately try to calm the infant, but to no avail. To everyone's surprise, the boy's mother suddenly approaches the Countess, takes Michael into her arms and then returns to the altar with the baby in her arms. Would the Bransons still be the Bransons if they didn't surprise everyone at their own wedding?
Michael calms down instinctively when his parents begin exchanging their vows. He is the closest witness to the renewal of all the promises that they first made ten years ago. They're both aware that they've fulfiled those vows up to this point, but they're oh-more-than-willing to continue fulfilling them. That's the main reason why they're here today.
After the ceremony, they hold a small wedding reception for the guests. Sybil is once more moved - she can have Mrs. Patmore's cakes at her own wedding! What moves her most, though, is yet about to come.
They also have some dancing. Sybil's first dance is of course with her husband, but she is surprised when her father asks her for the second one.
She is even more surprised when he says during dancing, "I still don't understand your choices, but I see that they've made you happy. You definitely have a happy marriage."
Sybil waited ten years to hear those words, and she finally hears them. This day is definitely one of the best days of her life – along with her wedding in Dublin and the births of all her three children.
At one point during the reception, Tom and Sybil sneak to one of the adjacent rooms to have some privacy – just as they did during their wedding in Dublin.
"Nothing's changed, hasn't it?," Sybil teases as her husband leans to kiss her.
"No, I'm as crazy about you as I was ten years ago," murmurs Tom between the kisses.
When they finally break apart, he draws something out of his pocket "Today is also our tenth anniversary. I've got something for you."
"I've got something for you too, but I left it in our room," Sybil panics.
"Hush darling, you'll give it to me this evening. Our celebrations will carry on, after all," he winks at her, "go on, open it!"
Sybil quickly unwraps the package; inside there is a golden locket with four photos put into it. She recognizes all of them – one was taken at their wedding in Dublin and the remaining three after the birth of their children.
"I thought… all of our happiest and most important moments… if you wish you can also add a photograph from today… if you feel that second time's still the charm," Tom proposes.
Sybil smiles broadly and kisses him joyously on the cheek. "Getting married to you? Even tenth time would be quite a charm!"
They both laugh merrily, and Tom extends his hand to Sybil, "So, it's time to go and take some photographs with your whole family."
For the uptenth time this day, Sybil's eyes well up with happy tears.
