A/N: In the Paying it Forward universe, Celes provides an idea to Lightning and Fang for their wedding ceremony after the Fangrai pair are stuck for ideas. How will they take the idea, and will Fang's parents chime in with an idea of their own? A bit more serious than the others thus far but no angst! Serah, Hope and Vanille are featured here. Pairings: Celes/Locke (married) plus Lightning/Fang (engaged)
Don't Underestimate Celes, Lightning
"These debates sis and Fang are having with the wedding planning are giving me nothing but headaches these days, Van. Food for thought on this...?:" Serah asks the redhead while having lunch at a popular cafe near the Villiers home, knowing the younger Oerban is just as frustrated as the younger Farron on the matter. It broke their hearts that the engaged pair couldn't decide on just about anything for their wedding ever since they got engaged. In short, it made life interesting for the Villiers as Snow made sure to avoid the older Farron at any cost if he wanted to keep both his head and a certain piece of equipment. Hope, Vanille's boyfriend, ever the wise one, just kept to himself whenever he saw Lightning at the Guardian Corps HQ. In a move that is very un-Vanille-like, the redhead made a call to provide some help in the situation without a second guess (how Serah, Fang and Sazh {who recently moved into the area with his sone Dajh} see Vanille like this) which got Serah's attention as fast as Lightning's namesake. "Who the fuck are you calling, Van?!" Serah asked Vanille, who displayed a "you'll thank me later" type of smile before replying with a least likely answer: Celes Cole. The only person Vanille knew was capable of sorting stuff like this out. With the Vector native, Celes Cole was the type that finds a method to solve any issue she's given.
Vanille and Serah take turns talking to Celes, who saw the duo as sisters she wished she had in Vector growing up. Upon hearing what they had to say over the phone, Celes' heart broke. Wedding planning shouldn't be this difficult... I get that Lightning and Fang have two COMPLETELY different types of wedding ceremonies since Fang is from Gran Pulse, but it shouldn't be THIS hard... the Vector native mused to herself while being in deep thought of the matter, which bordered on sadness as Lightning and Fang are her closest mates since moving to Neo Oerba from Vector with Locke. The phone call ended on a positive note in the form of Vanille and Serah meeting up with Celes in a few days, as the redhead recalled that Celes went to Gran Pulse with Locke to help get the engagement rings made with the blood free Oerban diamonds and Serah makes sure EVERYONE at least respects Celes' allergy to alcohol. If anyone can brainstorm to help the Fangrai pair it is Vanille, Serah and Celes. A while later saw the younger sisters FINALLY finish their lunch (they had Strawberry Dr. Mog as their beverage of choice which Celes was thanked for introducing them to the beverage), Serah paying the bill and providing the tip since it was Vanille's birthday lunch of all occasions, and the duo going their separate ways to their respective line of work.
Vanille manages to get a call in with Hope (her boyfriend) to let him in on her plan after her shift at work later that day. "Having an outsider helping out actually is an idea worth them looking into. I forgot who it was at the GC, but I overheard them saying that an outsider's ideas help them finalise their wedding planning and they're still very happily married to this day because of that. Celes helped them get engaged and is a HUGE cheerleader for them and their relationship. I'll ask Light this when I see her Van... and you be safe getting home, babe. I love you, Van..." Hope said before the call ended. Vanille, who couldn't stop smiling now, had a safe drive the rest of her way home. Once at home she sent a text to Serah saying that Hope will ask Lightning if Celes should get involved as soon as possible, with a line of smiley faces being the only thing that the redhead gets as a reply, with that being a clear indication that Snow shared very similar sentiments with Serah about this. When Serah brought up the event that saw Lightning leave really early which pissed off both Fang and Celes it was a few days after that Celes was told quite a bit about the older Farron by Fang, and Celes wasn't a fan of Rachel and Jihl as a result. This time around will test Celes' nickname, to see if it will still hold true.
Lightning is about to find out.
XXX
Celes, knowing that things at the GC are getting annoying due to a certain pinkette's wedding plans getting infuriating, remembers that she has a direct way to contact Fang's parents to get some insight on the matter. Knowing how stubborn the pair are, the Vector native takes the situation into her own hands and was beyond grateful that one Oerba Dia Vanille and Serah Villiers reached out to her about the matter on their own accord. A few days after the phone call with Vanille and Serah - both of whom were nervous about the conversation Hope had with Lightning at the GC - Celes was given the okay by Vanille to call her and Fang's parents, as the blonde had a feeling that Lucien and Enya would want the Fangrai pair to have two ceremonies: one in Neo Oerba to honour the way people like Serah and Lightning would get married, followed by another in Gran Pulse to honour how those in the Yun and Dia clans say I Do. It took all of five minutes for Celes to make up her mind and give Enya and Lucien a call to talk about the matter. It was the third ring - and a careful look at the Caller ID - that Enya picked up the phone at the home she shares with Lucien in Oerba on Gran Pulse. "Hello Celes, it's been a while! How is everything...?" Enya starts the call, only to hear the heavy breathing from Celes, who Enya could clearly tell was on the verge of crying. Something isn't right... Enya sadly mused to herself for a while, which prompted Lucien to further help in this situation.
"It's Lightning and Fang. They can't make up their minds on their wedding..." was all Celes had to say, as one could hear Lucien mumbling something in a language the Vector native did not understand, yet the lightbulb went off in Enya's head, very much confirming Celes' suspicions.
"Why don't they have two ceremonies? One in Neo Oerba to honour Claire's way to get married first, then one here in Oerba later to honour the way Lucien and I got married? How do those two make it so damn difficult?!"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Enya. It really is."
"Lucien says that it shouldn't be, and I fully agree with him on that Celes. Even better, we'll fully pay for both ceremonies and whatever else they want for their Big Day. Van was crying about it yesterday in our phone call. I'm not sure how you and Locke got married in Vector but if you want to renew your vows, just know that you two can do that here in Oerba too per our blessing. You treat our Snaggletooth... er, Fang and Vanille as if they're your sisters. Anyone who treats them well is a honourary member of the clans here in Oerba."
"I was about to suggest the dual ceremonies, one in each location to honour each other's ways. Locke and I read up on that before we moved to Neo Oerba, and I'm about to suggest this to Claire when I see her tomorrow. I'm beyond grateful that you beat me to suggesting it. Also, we'll take that offer as Locke made a suggestion on that the other day. We'll keep you posted with updates when they're available."
"I can't thank you enough for reaching out to us. Vanille and Serah are more grateful about this than you think. Sorry to cut this short but it's close to dinner time here in Oerba and we need to eat. Will talk again soon. Bye!" Enya finishes the phone conversation with the Vector native, who let out a huge sigh of relief.
Locke's reassuring smile was all Celes needed to see post phone call: it was a sign, which Locke heard what was said but chose to not say anything, that more people wanted Lightning and Fang to have two ceremonies to honour each other's ways of living. Later on, in the Neo Oerba side of the planet, the Coles, plus baby, had a quiet dinner, at peace with the knowledge that Lightning and Fang having two ceremonies is really the best idea to have. With additional knowledge of Fang's parents fully paying for BOTH ceremonies, it would put significantly less financial pressure on the Fangrai couple as the older Yun couple was giving them a helping hand in this.
Ensuring Celes keeps her nickname.
XXX
Fang was enjoying a self-cooked meal in the living room while Lightning was heating up leftovers from the GC when the doorbell rang. Neither of them was expecting anyone to visit them, and the engaged pair agreed to take a break from just the wedding planning as it was stressing them out to no end. The Fangrai pair are still together and engaged but felt that any further attempts at wedding planning would likely destroy them. When Fang answered the door, the brunette was shocked to no end when Celes Cole was the visitor on the other side of the door. Complete with a 12-pack of Strawberry Dr. Mog. I'm fucking in deep shit now. Celes and that fucking Strawberry Dr. Mog supply... Fang mused to herself in embarrassment on the matter, knowing that Celes is about to get her way - again - and there's just about nothing she or Lightning can do about it. As for Lightning - after Celes was welcomed in by Fang - had to push the pause button on the microwave out of respect for the Vector native upon finding out that Celes is making a surprise visit. The very first thing that was done was Celes taking out three cans of the beloved soda pop so that the trio can enjoy something while having a very serious conversation (and to get the ball rolling on wedding plans). As quick as Lightning's namesake, the blonde wasted no time in getting to what she was visiting for.
The Fangrai couple was nothing less than a total nervous wreck while Celes lectured them about how they've been doing with their wedding plans thus far, and that a few people came to her for either help on the situation (Vanille and Serah, plus Hope by extension) or collaborated on a plan (Fang's parents). In no time, both Fang and Lightning hung their heads in the air in complete shame for what they've done, the potential damage to their families. During this conversation, Celes brings to light that Fang's parents - and Celes herself - fully support them having two ceremonies, to honour each other's ways of getting married. Fang had a laugh a few minutes later when it was brought up that Celes and Locke are planning on renewing their vows in Oerba on Gran Pulse in the future, since they were given Lucien and Enya's blessings on the matter. By Etro's miracle, this was enough to convince Lightning to take on the idea of having two ceremonies on two different dates, with the newfound knowledge that Fang's parents are fully paying for it ('I will NOT allow Claire to pay for the Cocoonian version of their ceremony. She works hard enough to maintain that gorgeous home she and Fang live. It's the least we can do to give them a helping hand.' Lucien told Celes in that fated phone call).
A few minutes after agreeing to the idea Celes brought up - with help from Lucien and Enya (who have Serah, Hope and Vanille's support) - Lightning and Fang resumed the wedding planning, with the Vector native gleefully providing ideas where she could. During this renewed planning, the older Farron brought to light that her chat with Hope on the matter was quite similar although he chose not to lecture her on the matter - in a way, he felt bad for them considering that money was a surprisingly key issue in what happened, which played a role in Celes reaching out to Fang's parents to help. After Celes left for the night - she left the remainder of the 12-pack of Strawberry Dr. Mog behind - Fang chose to cook something for Lightning and herself, so that the pinkette can have something to hold her over until they go grocery shopping the following evening. The dinner was Lightning's particular favourite: lemon pepper chicken, mixed vegetables and baked macaroni and cheese, complete with the Strawberry Dr. Mog. Dessert was Key Lime Pie, the older Farron's favourite dessert. The engaged couple ate their food with content and in peace, knowing that Celes somehow saved the wedding planning for Fang and Lightning, and in a way their relationship from falling apart.
Needless to say, the ceremony in Neo Oerba, which was held in the open yard of the Yun-Farron household - Lucien and Enya made it to Neo Oerba - was one where those who attended from Oerba alongside Fang's parents had the best time, and all complimented Lightning for ensuring the visitors from Gran Pulse were announced to all attendees as guests of honour - the way Lightning's parents viewed every Gran Pulsian citizen when they were alive and a major reason why Fang is still deeply in love with Lightning to this day. "I want to keep that tradition my family had alive" was all Lightning said on that matter, because they were guests of honour. It brought back a memory for Fang's parents, for they recalled this sentiment years ago when Lightning's parents made a visit to Oerba on Gran Pulse while Lightning's mother was pregnant with her. She remembered the promise well, you two. I hope you know Claire treats Fang like a queen. You'd be proud of the lass Claire has become... Lucien and Enya happily mused to themselves while looking at the cloud free blue sky, thanking Etro and Lady Luck for their intervention on a matter like this. In other words, the ceremony in Neo Oerba was a huge success. With the cuisine being a mix of Cocoonian and Gran Pulsian fare - this was VERY SPECIFICALLY suggested by Celes, of all people - and no alcohol due to varying other factors outside Celes' allergy - plus all the laughing and dancing, everyone had a great time.
A few months later, there was the other ceremony in Oerba on Gran Pulse (thank you clever planning, and Amodar nearly demanding that Lightning take time off to have a honeymoon of sorts) which honoured the customs of the Yun and Dia clans. Those who were in attendance from the other ceremony treated the older Farron as if she was Etro herself, as her kindness towards them ("they're human just like me, who am I to judge" Lightning was quoted as saying when she first met Lucien and Enya) paid off. The gifts she was given, which had to be transported to Neo Oerba somehow after the fact, were ones that made her home much more complete than before. Before anyone asks, Locke and Celes Cole were in attendance at both ceremonies. It was the ceremony in Oerba that Fang and Lightning were introduced to one who would become a key figure in their life for years to come: Terra Branford, who came as a 'date' for one from the Dia clan. There was something about this that saw Lightning flash a very rare smile to Celes for all she's done - a smile that is only meant for those who are the closest to the older Farron (even Fang's parents), one filled with joy and gratitude because Lightning is more grateful for the Vector native's efforts than ever, which would be the best thing to happen to her yet.
Lightning's lesson? Don't underestimate Celes Cole, for the Vector native got more resourceful than the pinkette.
After all, Celes has her reputation to maintain.
FIN
A/N#2: Per a review on this collection - and this is GOOD news - I'm in the midst of planning a standalone Fangrai tale that I was requested to do. It's a standalone for a couple of reasons: 1) There will be a few sad moments in what I have planned, including a near death of one major character and a death of another major character, and 2) It's a crossover (XIII and XIV) based on two endgame pairings I have in mind. Note with some info on it should be coming soon!
A/N #3: Next tale will be in the Paying it Forward universe which is the detailed version of what Fang was talking about regarding Lightning and Lasswell in 'The Cuddlebugs'.
