Ward stood up amid a round of applause. The room fell silent. So Ward inhaled deeply and began his speech.
"Thank you Phil. Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen - First, I'd like to inform you that my bride has vetted this speech, so if you consider any of the material inappropriate, it's her fault! As most of you in this room are aware, I am known to be an emotionless robot. I am also not one for making speeches, so here I go.
Some people judge their success on how much money they have in the bank and others on how they look in the mirror. If there was a preferred way for Skye and me to do it, then it would have to be by looking at the friends and family that surround us now. If you're here with us today it's because you are important to us and we say this earnestly. When I look around the room I'm in total awe of how lucky and successful Skye and I really are.
This seems to me to be an appropriate moment to thank my neighbours, Sue and Rob for being such splendid surrogate parents to me. I only hope that Skye and I make as good a job of our married life as they have of theirs."
Ward was trying to rush through his speech, to a point where he sounded like he was rambling. He may be a confident person, but he absolutely hated public speaking, he would rather tear through a room of people than stand in front of them and do this. Skye reached up and took his hand, hoping it would calm him down. He smiled weakly at her.
"I would also like to give a big thank you to Skye's bridesmaids, Jemma and my little sister Tilly, you both look beautiful today and being good friends I know Skye relies on you for support and advice. How you coped with her this morning and are still smiling is beyond me, I know waking her up in the morning well! And Tilly, I will get you back for that tie wrap."
The top of Tilly's ears turned beetroot red, which made Romanov laugh at her.
"Now onto my best man Leo, thank you for doing the bare minimum since you accepted the role! I'm only kidding. You are one of the best friends I have and thank you for agreeing to be my best man.
I honestly didn't realise how big of a task it was to be someone's best man: drinking whiskey, that weird pub crawl thing in Edinburgh and making sure I made it to alter, which I think I may have scared him a little by informing him if I didn't turn up he would have to marry Skye.… I really don't know how you've done it. On a serious note though thank you for looking after me on my Bachelor, or as you put it Stag Hag and making sure I wasn't abused in any way " he looked at Fitz curiously before continuing "I only came back with a concussion."
There was a ripple of muted laughter throughout the room, as most people started wondering how he had received a concussion on his 'Stag Hag'.
"So, onto my Bride. Firstly, thank you for all your efforts on making our big day happen – your creativity, organisation and hard work has resulted in a huge success and a wonderful day for us both. I'd also like to say thank you for agreeing to spend the rest of your life with me, I feel completely honoured to have married someone so beautiful, funny, and intelligent and – what does that say I can't quite read your writing…!" He said, bending down to pretend to ask Skye something.
"Seriously though, I wasn't prepared for just how stunning you look today and when I saw you walk down the aisle I was completely overwhelmed. I love you more with each day that passes and am a very VERY proud man today.
Some of you might be wondering how today came to be? Well as you are all aware, Skye is a very competent hacker, and Phil and I first met her as she hacked her way onto our secure system. We used our own methods to track her down, fully intending to prosecute her, but we ended up recruiting her instead.
When we met, Skye and I didn't really see eye to eye, but then I was made her supervisor so getting to know each other was sort of mandatory.
I first realised I was falling for Skye when she beat me at Battleship. That had never happened before and not only did she manage to coax a smile out of me, but she managed to get a compliment too."
To most people's amusement Skye burst into a fit of giggles as she remembered that occasion very, very well.
"The rest is history and now were husband and wife; I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you.
I would also like to thank Anabelle, who despite our absence, made sense of Skye's rambling notes and translated them into everything you see around you.
So Ladies and Gentlemen, please be upstanding, for the most important toast I'm ever likely to make, TO MY WIFE - Skye." Ward said, holding his glass in the air.
A chorus of "Skye" swept the room and everyone held their glasses in the air.
"I am going to pass you onto my Best Man, Leo. I feel I should make you aware that although he may not realise it, unfortunately he suffers from a rare medical condition that makes him prone to exaggeration. It also makes him believe that fanciful events in his head actually really did occur, however I can assure you they did not. As I said earlier, he is a good friend, so if you could bear with, even perhaps join with his journeys of make believe, I'd really appreciate it – cheers." Ward concluded, as Skye got up from her chair and kissed him.
They both took their seats and Fitz stood up. It was more difficult to silence the crowd as Ward's speech had proved to be as popular as Skye kissing him at the end of it.