Here's that wedding fic I promised! In my mind, they get married on 9/17/2011 so, happy 12 anniversary, Carol and Taylor!
I was workshopping the fic with my best friend and I hit a natural stopping point a little early, so this is actually going to be the first two chapter Carol and Taylor fic (I should really come up with a ship name for them), and the rest of the story will come out hopefully sometime soon!
For now, enjoy!
Taylor would never admit it, but when she'd been a little girl she had daydreamed about the fairytale wedding she was going to have one day. She never would have pictured that it would end up like this.
For one thing, Taylor had thought she would be the one to wear the dress.
Carol hadn't had any problems with both of them wearing wedding dresses, but when the time came to choose Taylor decided she wanted to wear a suit. She couldn't explain why, it just felt right.
Of course, when she was little she had never imagined that one day she would marry a woman at all. But when she'd met Carol freshman year it didn't take long before she was all in. And when Carol had come out as transgender junior year, Taylor knew she couldn't throw away their love because of plans she'd made as a child.
And now, in less than four hours, Carol was going to be her wife.
It was all so much better than Taylor ever could have planned.
In fact, Taylor hadn't planned much of it at all. Her family and her fiance knew her too well, and they wanted to avoid Taylor becoming obsessive with her plans and itineraries. The last thing they wanted was for Taylor to forget to enjoy the best day of her life because she was busy making sure everyone else was having a good time.
"This is your wedding, not your summer job," Her sister Erin had reminded her before Taylor could start a checklist.
Her parents had taken over the reception, promising it would be fabulous, and Carol had sorted out all the details of their private courthouse ceremony.
"All you've got to do is show up looking stunning," Carol had teased.
Taylor had gotten some say in it, like pruning any bad apples from the guest list and making sure the wedding DJ played more than just Carol's favorite metal albums. She'd also made her wishes for the cake and the catering clear. And then she'd allowed herself to trust her loved ones and just enjoy the wedding.
At the courthouse, all they needed was two witnesses and their marriage license. Taylor's sister had talked her way into being witness number one. Carol had called her friend Ray, another med student who hadn't abandoned her when she came out. It was a low bar and one that Ray had far exceeded since he'd helped Carol the past year as she'd transitioned and always had her back when anyone gave her a dirty look. Taylor couldn't have asked for a better wedding party.
Taylor had always imagined walking down the aisle and seeing her Prince Charming waiting for her. Now, Carol and Taylor walked into the courthouse together, arm in arm.
"Are you ready?" Carol whispered.
"I'm ready."
The actual getting married part was short and straightforward. They were saving all the sappy stuff for the reception. But even though it wasn't the overly romantic "I Do's" Taylor had pictured, it was perfect, because they were married.
They weren't allowed to linger in the excitement of it all, as soon as the marriage was legal Erin and Ray rushed them off to the reception. And that was when Taylor's fairytale began to look a bit more familiar.
Her parents had done an amazing job on the reception. It was decked out in yellow and green, sunflowers and yellow roses as far as the eye could see, as well as archways covered in beautiful, vibrant leaves.
Taylor beamed and hugged her mom and dad. "Guys! This is beautiful!"
"We wanted to make things perfect for you and Carol," Margot McKessie said, holding her daughter tightly before moving to hug her daughter-in-law.
Carol hugged Margot back, finding it hard to believe that a year ago she had been afraid to come out to Taylor's parents, had thought that if telling Steve and Margot went wrong she would never get a future with Taylor. But now her in-laws were invaluable parts of that future.
"Thank you for everything," She whispered to Margot.
"No, Carol, thank you. All we've ever wanted for Taylor was her to be happy and to find her place in the world, and she found it with you."
"She's gonna rule the world someday," Carol said proudly.
"She is. And I know that you'll be right there by her side, cheering her on."
"And," Steve said, interjecting himself into the conversation, "Saving lives."
Steve was very proud that his daughter had married a brain surgeon, or at least, a future brain surgeon.
Carol beamed. "We're gonna be unstoppable, aren't we?"
Taylor had been talking to some guests but she overheard that part and reached over to take her wife's hand. "We are. Now, what's on the itinerary? I think I've been in suspense long enough."
They all laughed at that.
"Well, first we eat dinner, and then speeches, Carol said you had those prepared. And then you can mingle and take pictures with your guests, and then we'll do cake," Margot said.
"Sounds perfect to me."
Taylor was starving. No one ever tells you how hungry getting married makes you. All Taylor wanted to do right now was sit next to her wife and eat the delicious food her parents had picked out for them. And then, in front of all their guests, declare how deeply and madly in love they were.
Which is exactly what they did.
"Okay guys, usually the best man and maid of honor make the speeches but this is not a typical wedding. So Carol and I would like to say the vows we didn't say at the courthouse. And we'd be honored if you guys would be our witnesses." Taylor had never had any trouble making speeches.
Someone started clapping, and that was enough to urge Taylor forward.
"Carol, I met you at freshman orientation and I knew right then that I would fall in love with you, and I am rarely ever wrong. The light inside you drew me in. I fell in love with the way you cared, not just about me but about everyone. You came here because you wanted to help people, despite the fact that people haven't always treated you kindly. I fell in love with you and your big heart and the way you have never given up on anyone. And I want you to know that I will never, ever give up on you. I love you, I need you, and I know that together our future is bright."
Carol beamed and took Taylor's hands for a moment before turning and addressing the crowd.
"First, I want to thank everyone for being here." The guest list hadn't been huge, but there were more than enough people here.
"The fact that so many people support Taylor and I means the world to us both. But I know that even without your support we would have found our way here. And I know Taylor means it when she says she won't give up on me because when I first came out to her she had every opportunity to leave and she stayed. Taylor, I love you for staying. I love you for being the first person who stayed, the first person who loved me as I am. I fell in love with you at freshman orientation too, before I was even able to love myself. And now I stand before you and I really truly mean it when I say I love who both of us have become."
Taylor blinked back tears, wasting no time pulling Carol into her arms.
"I love who we've become too. It's better than I ever could have imagined."
The crowd cheered, and the cheer grew even louder as Taylor and Carol's embrace turned into a fairytale kiss. The perfect start to the wonderful life that lay ahead of them.