"Marry me," Aaron asked Penny.
"I'll be happy to," Penelope said excitedly flinging herself into her new fiancé's arms. "I was wondering if you were ever going to ask me."
"We've only been dating a couple of months," Aaron explained. "I knew I loved you, but normally, humans date for at least six months or so, though not always, I know. I didn't want you to believe that our courtship was too fast."
"Not likely," Penelope said. "Witches are somewhat different in that regard and while we are human and everything..."
"Sometimes you just know when you have found the right person," Aaron quoted, as this was something he had heard from Alex several times.
"The fact that my sister liked you and had known you for awhile only helped," Penelope said. "That told me you were a good person, which means I didn't have to be careful until I got to know you."
"I understand," Aaron said. "That's one reason that Dave and I never mated, as we knew we hadn't met the right people yet. So many people don't believe in magic or the mystical today that it's getting harder and harder to find someone for people like us."
"That is definitely so true," Penelope giggled, as she kissed Aaron passionately.
"Here, I made this for you," Aaron offered her a wrapped package.
Penelope took it and opened it eagerly already knowing what was inside. Indeed, once she had the paper undone inside the wrapping was a beautiful bracelet, made up of several different colors of coral and several semi precious stones, agate and topaz. Both the stones you could probably find on the bottom of the ocean. They could've come from a piece of jewelry for instance that had been lost overboard or it might've been part of some treasure chest, though that wasn't likely because it's not like it was diamonds or pearls, which were far more valuable.
"It's beautiful," Penelope said wrapping it around her wrist.
"I'm glad you like it," Aaron said relaxing. "I wasn't sure if you'd like it or not."
"Of course I do, it came from you," Penelope said smiling.
"So how do you feel about a double wedding?" Aaron asked.
"You want to get married at the same time as Dave and Alex," Penelope realized.
"It would just be more convenient," Aaron said. "I'm sure neither will mind."
"No, they won't," Penelope said with confidence. "I don't mind that at all actually, as it will get it out of the way."
"What you don't want a big wedding?" Aaron teased her.
"Maybe at one time when my parents were still alive," Penelope said. "But not anymore. The number of people that Dave and Alex have coming is just about perfect."
"We're going to have a small reception when we come back mostly for JJ, Alex's female friend," Aaron explained. "We couldn't invite her to the wedding for obvious reasons, no matter how much Alex wanted to."
"I know JJ, I've met her a couple times," Penelope said. "I like her a lot."
"Which is another reason that you and Alex don't want to move elsewhere," Aaron guessed.
"She's only one reason," Penelope agreed. "The rest we have already discussed."
Aaron nodded, as he understood. "I'll talk to Dave in the morning he'll have no problem with it."
The two of them got undressed and turned down the bed, which was just to double, but it was certainly big enough for what he intended to do before he and Penny went to sleep and that was make love to his beautiful fiancée.
~~~Criminal Minds~~~
Refuge
"Well this is a rather unusual request at this late stage," Sedgwick told Aaron and Penny. "However, I don't see why you need to can't get married at the same time, so long as you're sure you don't want any different arrangements."
"Of course not, dad. Aaron and I would never change the arrangements that mom made, not since the wedding is tomorrow," Penelope said. "We just don't want to have to do it twice. It's just easier to get it all done at the same time. Aaron proposed to me just last night and I immediately said yes."
"I figured I might as well," Aaron shrugged. "If I didn't think she was ready to get married I wouldn't have forced it."
"If you're sure this is what you want then is fine with me," Sedgwick said. "Your mother might not have enough food prepared however."
"Well, since Aaron and Penny are not inviting anymore people, I don't see why what mom has prepared won't be enough," Alex said. "We are planning on having a small reception when we get back, mostly for the teachers at the college and a good friend of mine who works at the news station."
"We didn't want JJ to feel left out," Dave explained.
"Her name is Jennifer Jareau," Alex told her father. "She's just a genuinely nice person and I couldn't invite her to the wedding for obvious reasons. I would've liked to, but thanks to us having it here in Refuge that just wasn't possible."
"Yes, that certainly would have limited the amount of guests," Sedgwick said gravely. "Holding the small reception when you get back sounds like the way to go."
"It definitely is in this case," Dave said. "Also, it's kind of a good thing we're holding the wedding here."
"Why's that son?" Sedgwick asked Dave.
"We've been having trouble with a group of women," Aaron explained. "They have been chasing Dave and I for years. They've asked us out at every possible opportunity and we've always turned them down every time."
"It went from just an annoyance to more than that when they cornered Alex and told her she had better quit dating me. It was just a few weeks after she started teaching her classes."
"You weren't hurt were you?" Sedgwick asked his daughter immediately who shook her head.
"No, I wasn't. It wasn't a physical confrontation," Alex assured her father. "I simply pointed out a few home truths to them and that was they'd had the last six years to date either Aaron or Dave and hadn't succeeded because both of them have better taste. They didn't like the little facts I pointed out, but that doesn't make them any less true."
"They had absolutely no right to tell Alex to stop dating me, something I've pointed out to them when they tried to tell me I couldn't marry her, that I couldn't possibly love her. She was the newcomer and apparently that meant she wasn't good enough for me. I'll decide who is good enough for me thank you very much and nobody's going to tell me who I should and should not date," Dave said firmly with a grim expression. "Or marry."
"Something I agree with. 100 percent," Aaron added, when Dave paused. "No one is going to tell me who I can or cannot date or marry for that matter. I would never have gone with any of those women, because they're too shallow and persistent. All they did was annoy Dave and me, but after they cornered Alex, neither one of us would've touched any of them with a 10 foot pole. Not that we had anything to do with them before that event, but I'm sure you understand what I mean."
Sedgwick nodded because he did understand what Aaron meant.
"Dave actually yelled at them, something he's never done, as he's always been polite, but them cornering Alex was the last straw as far as he was concerned," Aaron added.
"Do you know why they were chasing you for so long?" Sedgwick asked.
"Dave developed this theory," Penelope told her father.
"I never could understand why they kept chasing me and Aaron for so long, until after I found out that magicals had not been completely knocked off centuries ago. It made sense once I thought about it and both Alex and Penny agree with me or at least believe it's possible," Dave said.
"The theory that Dave came up with was the perhaps those three ladies had just a touch of magic, from some witch or warlock far back in their family tree, possibly even more than one," Alex explained and Sedgwick nodded.
"That's certainly possible," Sedgwick agreed. "They likely don't have enough to do actual spells, but it's quite possible that they have just enough to sense the otherworldliness of you gentlemen, which is what might have attracted them in the first place."
"That was Dave's theory alright," Penelope told her father with a smile.
"Well, I'll tell you one thing if they don't lay off after we're married then their in for a shock if they try anything," Aaron said firmly.
"What they did when they confronted Alex was incredibly stupid, but I'm not surprised they didn't realize that I wouldn't have touched them after that. I would never have anything to do with them actually, as they only annoy me, but that just made them more determined," Dave said.
"That's the truth," Aaron immediately agreed. "They couldn't be trusted to keep a secret for one thing."
"We don't share the same ethics and morals or at least not enough for either one of us to consider dating them at least," Dave added.
"They are piranhas," Alex told her father. "They considered both Dave and Aaron their property, even though they were single when we met and neither had ever dated any of them."
"So what are you going to do if they continue being a pain?" Sedgwick asked the pair.
"Aaron and I are filing a suit for harassment on Monday, something we should've done several years ago," Dave said.
"It never even occurred to either one of us until the dean suggested it to Dave," Aaron added. "We felt certain they'd give up eventually."
"But after six years it became obvious that they weren't about to give up, they might not even leave us alone once we marry our fiancées tomorrow," Dave said. "We can take them to the cleaners with the harassment suit and get a large settlement. There are plenty of witnesses to how many times they've annoyed us over the years."
"I recorded our conversation," Alex explained.
"That tape recorder you always carry with you, right?" Sedgwick asked smiling.
"You know I always have it on me to record my thoughts if I'm working on a book," Alex said smiling. "It certainly came in handy that day."
"Unfortunately, it doesn't mention any names, as I've listened to it," Penelope put in.
"We all have," Aaron said.
"With all the other evidence, I don't think it's going to matter," Dave said. "I'm sure we can get some of the teachers to come forward if it comes to actually going to court. We're actually hoping that the threat of the suit will be enough to get them to leave us alone."
"I'm sure we can find us a lawyer if we absolutely have to have one," Aaron said.
"So what are your plans if this doesn't work?" Sedgwick asked the four them.
"Well, we've already discussed this a little," Alex said.
"We haven't made any definite decisions but here's what we talked about," Penelope said and explained the entire conversation.
"We have a good setup at where we are now," Dave said. "We have readymade childcare in a colony of selkies. They've already agreed to babysit so that the four of us can work. There are no young ones in our colony, so some of the older females were delighted to get a chance to look after ours. They were going to take shifts, switch off everyday."
"We really don't want to give up that arrangement, as it's perfect," Aaron said. "I doubt that we'll find another college that has three positions open."
"Much less a colony of selkies that're willing and eager to look after our kids," Penelope added.
"I understand," Sedgwick said. "The only other place that you know of where you could get selkies to look after your kids is here in Refuge."
"We discussed that option too," Penelope told her father. "It wouldn't be my first choice. I love my family and I've been happy with you guys, ever since you took in me and my brother, but no offense..."
"Not enough stimulation," Sedgwick suggested with a smile. "We just don't compare to the big cities or the entertainment in them. We have several restaurants, shops and things, but I know that's not enough for some younger people, especially those that have been to the outside world. It is hard to resist the allure of that."
"I'm glad you understand," Penelope told her father, smiling a little. "I don't mind coming home for visits, but I don't think I'd be happy living here for the rest of my life. I have made no close friends and I know you are aware if why."
"Yes, I am," Sedgwick sighed. "The adults are too concerned about blood, they really are and their children follow their parents lead. I know what you and your brother have had to endure and I'm truly sorry about that Penny."
"It's not your fault dad. You and mom loved us and that was more than enough for Dade and me. It is one reason I don't want to live here permanently though. Besides, the fact is, that there are so many more options in the regular world. To be completely honest I need an Internet connection."
"You and your Internet," Sedgwick chuckled shaking his head in amusement. "Still, I do understand the lure of technology."
"I was thinking about starting my own computer firm," Penelope said. "I would need the capital for that and I was thinking you could invest in it or perhaps I can get a loan from a bank."
"You don't want to do that," Alex told her sister. "It's better to let friends and families invest and that way you don't have to pay it back in a certain amount of time. Banks can be brutal in what they demand in order to get a loan and the interest would likely be very high. That's only if you can get one in the first place."
"I could always bring up gold from the sea and have Sedgwick turn it into good paper money," Aaron suggested.
"I know just the man to do that for me," Sedgwick said. "He's a coin dealer and he knows just how to dispose of that kind of capital. He won't let the government know either, he'll do it under the table. He could even sell it at auction and probably get more than they'd be worth otherwise."
"That's good," Alex told her father. "I know it's rather dishonest..."
"Sometimes you have to be daughter," Sedgwick said firmly. "We have an unusual situation here. Technically, none of us are registered with the appropriate governmental department, well, except for Penny and her brother since they were born in Los Angeles, but it would be like they disappeared after the death of their parents."
"I could probably take care of that," Penelope said. "I've learned how to hack and I'm sure I could figure out how to get all of you, except me Social Security numbers. We have birth certificates or at least Dade and I do."
"If you can do that, that would be really nice," Sedgwick said. "If you could it sure would make it easier to operate in the normal world."
"Aaron and I bought a beachhouse and I had a reputable coin dealer turn the gold that was brought up from the sea into good paper money. We could go to him if we had to, as he got us a good return on those coins. We simply told him that we found some in the ocean and they they were more likely part of a larger treasure ship that had been sunk."
"I can certainly understand why he believed you, you had the coins as proof after all," said Sedgwick.
"If only the government wouldn't be likely to prosecute us, we could live in society if we wanted and could have all the things that make life easier," Dave said.
"An impossible dream boys," Sedgwick said.
"We know," Aaron said.
"Why don't you go tell your mother about the changing plans," Sedgwick suggested to his daughters.
"I'll do that," Alex told her sister who nodded. "It's not like she's going to have to make anymore arrangements."
"You are a brave woman," Penelope ginned at her sister.
"Probably," Alex shrugged.
~~~Criminal Minds~~~