Gentle Reader,
I wanted to thank you all for the kind words and support I've gotten since posting the last chapter. It felt good to anonymously get that stuff off my chest, and the support I got really made me feel better and less alone. I especially want to thank kj336581, whose email may have been blown up when fanfiction gave me an error...because they thought I would blow up their email.
Thanks for reading. Bless.
RobinDesBois
"Welcome, friends and family. We are gathered here today to witness the joining of this man and this woman in matrimony.
"When I asked William and Elizabeth how they met, I got very different answers. William reminisced about a friend's wedding where he saw the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and how nervous and yet excited he had been when he caught the garter and was expected to dance with her. He admitted that he wasn't fond of dancing, but had been trying to work up the nerve to ask this woman, and here was a perfect excuse. He also remembered being extremely tired and music so loud he was having trouble organizing his thoughts–something I assume we won't be hearing later today. He told me he had more opportunities to spend time with this young woman, and he found himself falling for her.
"When asked about their first meeting, Elizabeth laughed and said, and I quote, 'The most awkward dance ever.' She told me about the wedding of a neighbor where her sister met a young man, and she was insulted by one. She remembered catching a bouquet and dancing with that same man. She told me she had made up her mind very decidedly that he was the last man in the world she could ever fall in love with. She then told me that by the next March, she was sure she would never fall in love with anyone else.
"It was a long and complex road for these two, but I think we can all agree they're stronger for it, and their marriage will be built on a solid foundation of love, respect, empathy, and communication.
William and Elizabeth have chosen some readings they would like to share with you all at this time."
Mary walked to the microphone at the front of the room and cleared her throat. "Darcy and Lizzie have chosen some quotes from the beloved series of novels 'Anne of Green Gables' by L. M. Montgomery.
"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.
"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as true love, but they are rarer than a blue moon.
"They belonged to each other; and, no matter what, life might hold for them, it could never alter that. Their happiness was in each other's keeping, and both were unafraid." Mary smiled at Darcy and Lizzie as she returned to her seat. Fitz's boyfriend, Brandon, came up next.
"For the second reading, Liz and Darce have chosen some passages from Wuthering Heights.
'If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn into a mighty stranger.'
He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.'"
Brandon smiled at the couple, winked at Fitz, and returned to his seat.
The officiant resumed, "William and Elizabeth, the vows you take today have many iterations and interpretations throughout the world. A variation of them has been shared by couples world wide and throughout history. These vows indicate your commitment to each other, to become family forever to one another. They are not to be entered into lightly, and they are not to be abandoned readily.
"William, do you take Elizabeth to be your wedded wife, to be her friend and companion to share your life and your love, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live?"
"I do," Darcy's small smile turned into a tremendous grin.
"Elizabeth, do you take William to be your lawfully wedded husband, to be his friend and companion to share your life and your love, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live?"
"I do," Elizabeth replied.
"William, please place this ring on Elizabeth's finger as a symbol of your love and commitment." Darcy took a deep breath to control his excited shaking as he slid the ring onto Lizzie's left hand.
"Elizabeth, please place this ring on William's finger as a symbol of your love and commitment." Lizzie bit her lip – partially from her own excitement, and partially because she knew exactly how attractive Darcy found it – as she slid his ring into place.
"By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss."
Darcy leaned down and wrapped his arms around Lizzie's waist, picked her up, and kissed her until he could clearly hear wolf whistles coming from their guests.