Day 22

"Hold still." Moffitt adjusted the ribbons that held Anah's flowery hat in place. "There we go. And—" He placed a pale gray shawl around her, tying that in place with ribbons as well. "Final touch. You look nice."

"So do you, dear." Anah smiled up at him. "Twenty years. Can you believe it?"

"It's hard to, sometimes." Moffitt stood straight and faced the mirror to adjust his cardigan. "This is far more comfortable than the suit I had to wear, yet it doesn't look sloppy."

"No, of course not." Anah looked down at the nightstand. "Dear, could I… change something?"

"What is it?"

"I was thinking… I know back then I was very upset about not being able to be with you, but that was when I was struggling to comprehend what was happening. I was still afraid of abandonment. Now… I think I will be alright if I am with someone else during the ceremony."

"Are you sure?" Moffitt gave her a confused look. "I don't want you to feel left out like you did before."

"I am sure. This is about you and Vanora. I have nothing to do with this."

"I still want you to feel like you have a part in this."

"I do have a part. I made all the food."

"Beyond that. You're still a part of this family." Moffitt held out his arm for the cobra to climb, then tapped her snout and gave her a kiss on her left cheek. "You can ride my shoulders while we're renewing our vows." He gave himself a last look over before opening the bedroom door, seeing Dietrich and Troy standing in the kitchen.

"You look a lot happier compared to twenty years ago," Troy said with a grin.

"Thank you," Moffitt replied. "Well, I'm still a bit nervous."

"When are you not?"

"Very funny." Moffitt turned to Dietrich. "The minister looks much happier, too."

Dietrich sighed. "I will admit, you are right. I am not looking forward to doing this in front of a crowd of people, but at least I know you."

"You'll know everyone there, unlike last time."

"Good." Dietrich picked up his notes and his Bible, then looked at his watch. "We should head out. Is there anything else you need, Moffitt?"

"No. I guess… just keeping myself together," Moffitt murmured.

"Relax. This is just a renewal, not another wedding. You already know Vanora loves you."

Moffitt nodded.

Dietrich raised an eyebrow. "You really have no reason to be nervous."

"I can take Anah if you guys need a moment to talk," Troy said.

"I was about to ask," Anah replied.

"W-We really should go—" Moffitt stammered.

"If something is bothering you, we need to discuss it. It would be best if you did not throw up or pass out in your parents' home," Dietrich said. He waited until Troy and Anah headed outside, then turned back to Moffitt. "Alright. Talk. We are not leaving until you do."

"It's just… I wanted to make this like the wedding we both wished we could've had. I'm worried about something going wrong."

Dietrich shook his head. "This time, you had all of us helping plan everything. I know things got a little rough when Liesel tried helping Vanora find a dress, but at least that has been sorted. Anah made all the food. Your parents were kind enough to let us use the manor for your ceremony. It will be perfectly fine, and it will be perfect for you and Vanora." Dietrich grinned. "I think you will like how the decorations turned out, and, ah—" He paused, flushing red, "Tully and I composed a little something for you and your wife to dance to after the ceremony. We have spent the last few days practicing."

"I look forward to hearing it, then. You didn't have to do that."

"We insist. Please."

Moffitt drew in a breath, then nodded. "Alright. I think I'm ready."

Dietrich patted his shoulder, then nudged him toward the door. They drove out to Moffitt's parents, where the dining hall reserved for holiday dinners had been reconfigured to fit the guests, the flowers, and the small stage that Dietrich would be ministering the renewal on. The guests consisted of the Rats and their families, Dietrich's family, Moffitt's parents, and Dr. Millington, who had come with his boa constrictor, Severo, draped around his shoulders. Of course, Livna was there, wearing a hat and bow similar to Anah's.

"Well, this is already shaping up to be a good day." Moffitt patted the top of Severo's head.

"Of course, I couldn't bring any of your personal favorites from the laboratory," Millington said. "I'm not sure Zeresh would behave herself here."

"Oh, naturally, she wouldn't."

They turned when Hitch's twelve-year-old daughter, Carolyn, walked over. "Your boa's so pretty, Doc Millington! Can I hold it?"

"Perhaps a bit later," Millington said. "Severo is on the heavy side."

Moffitt saw Vanora and Jules approaching in the corner of his eye. Vanora looked down at the floor first, then up at her husband. Her gray skirt ended just above her ankles, and the white turtleneck sweater under her own black cardigan looked quite cozy on a cold autumn day like that one. Jules was in a dark-gray sweater and a pair of khaki trousers, looking not too dissimilar to his father as a younger man. In some ways, he resembled his late uncle. Moffitt did his best to not show on his face that he was thinking of Michael, and pulled his wife and son in for a hug. Anah slithered off his shoulders in order to wrap around Vanora and Jules's in a hug only a snake could give.

"You okay, Dad?" Jules asked.

"Yes, I'm alright," Moffitt replied. "I'm just happy that all of you are in my life." He looked at Vanora. "When we're up there, I have something special I'd like to say to you."

Vanora smiled at him before kissing his cheek. "I have a few special things I'd like to say to you as well."

They were interrupted by Troy's booming voice from the stage. "Hey! Can we have everyone's attention, please? Will the couple getting their vows renewed please go stand by the doorway so we can begin the ceremony, please? Thank you. Everyone else, take your seats, enjoy the show. There'll be food and dancing afterward."

"Can I sit with Antheia?" Jules asked.

"Of course! You don't have to ask permission for that," Moffitt said.

"I know, but, just to be polite."

"Yes. Go on. Sit with your girlfriend."

"I will go with him, dear," Anah said.

"I ask again, are you sure?" Moffitt asked.

"I am positive, dear."

"Alright." Moffitt waited until Anah was securely around Jules's shoulders before walking over to the doorway. Vanora looped her arm in Moffitt's, and the entire room went silent. Moffitt drew in a breath. "I know everyone here, but this is still a bit nerve-wracking, darling."

"It's fine, love, just don't chunder all over Dietrich when we get up there. Walk slow. Take deep breaths. It'll be alright."

"I'll try."

Moffitt's mother, Adeline, turned on a record player set up for the occasion. A slow, sweet instrumental played for about a minute before Moffitt and Vanora began heading down the aisle. Moffitt did his best to not look anxious or walk fast, thought there was quite a bit of nervousness knotting his stomach.

"Hey, you're going to be fine," Troy whispered when they reached the stage. "Relax."

"I'm trying," Moffitt said.

"Troy, go sit," Dietrich said.

"Okay, okay." Troy headed toward his seat. "Father Dietrich."

"Shut up." Dietrich cleared his throat, and waited until Troy was actually seated before speaking. "We are gathered here today to witness the reaffirmation of vows between Jack and Vanora Moffitt, on the twentieth anniversary of their marriage. In the span of twenty years, you have both faced challenges of varying degrees of difficulty, but in the end, you remained loyal to one another, and stayed by the other's side. The saying of your original vows twenty years ago clearly meant something to you both. No matter what life threw at you, whether it was raising your wonderful son, Jules, or facing serious illness, as was the case back in the winter of 1960 when Jack battled pneumonia, or dealing with the ultimate challenge of the magpie prophecy two years ago, which threatened to tear all of us apart…" Dietrich paused, then added under his breath, "—and which also involved the biggest test to anyone's sanity, that being Troy barging into the house every morning before anyone had their tea or coffee."

There were soft giggles from the guests. Troy sighed and rolled his eyes.

"We still care about you, Troy." Dietrich smirked, then turned back to Moffitt and Vanora. "Through everything I have just mentioned, you held tight to each other, and you will continue to do so, another twenty years from now." He gestured to the couple. "Face each other, please. Now, have either of you prepared vows or statements for each other?"

"We both did," Moffitt said.

"Alright. You may go first."

"Oh. Oh, okay. Um…" Moffitt flushed red. "I… I-I haven't really rehearsed any of this, but… I'm going to try. Vanora—" Moffitt squeezed his wife's hands, "There was once a time when I didn't think I deserved love like this, much less love from someone like you. I was afraid that when I met you at that party, it wouldn't go anywhere. It would be a fun night out and that would be it. When it led to so much more, I… I still wasn't sure it would last. I was afraid you wouldn't be alright with Anah. I was afraid you wouldn't be alright with my abilities with snakes and all the things that come with it. I was afraid you wouldn't be alright with my passion for my work. There was a lot of me being afraid, but I still gave you a chance. I still opened my heart to you, despite it being a bit bruised and banged up from people in the past mistreating it, and I'm so glad I did. You're the kindest person I've ever met, and I have not once gotten tired of the conversations we have at night about all the interesting things we've worked with at the university. I'll never get tired of saying to you that after all these years, I'm still madly in love with you. We've been through a lot together, and at no point did I ever think my life would be better without you. It wouldn't. I will treasure you today, tomorrow, and every day after that. You deserve the best that life can offer, and I hope I've been delivering on that all these years." His grip on her hands tightened as his vision blurred with tears. He then released his breath and pulled her in for a hug. "I love you so much."

They stayed in that hug for a long moment before slowly pulling apart. Vanora smiled up at her husband. "Jack, when I first saw you at the presentation at Cambridge, I was first captivated by how handsome you are. You seemed like you had many stories to tell. It's still funny to think about how we were both scared about things going wrong when we met a few days later. I think it's safe to say that our fears were unwarranted. Twenty years later, I have woken up by you every morning, and it's one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. I wondered what you were really like, beyond what I saw at that presentation, and learned that you are an incredible, kind, and loving person. You being handsome is a bonus. You had some things that took some getting used to, but if anyone ever asked me if I would rather have something normal, I would say 'no.'" Vanora touched Moffitt's face. "I don't want normal. I want you. No one else is as good a listener as you. No one else is as romantic as you. No one else is as passionate about the things that fascinate you. No one else is as good at comforting someone who needs it as you. For heaven's sake, Jack, I used to think I was boring! Then I met you, and suddenly things became much more interesting. You haven't looked down on me for being timid and not having a lot of confidence. You've done your best to help me find my confidence. As long as you're here, I feel we can do anything together."

"Each day I have with you is a blessing," Moffitt said softly.

"Same. I love you, Jack." Vanora stood on her toes to kiss Moffitt full on his lips. He hugged her, keeping the kiss going as the guests applauded them.

"Shall I still ask if you continue to accept each other as your lawfully wedded husband and wife?" Dietrich said.

Moffitt briefly paused the kiss. "I still do!"

"I still do, too!" Vanora said.

"Alright, that is good enough for me," Dietrich said. "Happy anniversary."

The guests left their seats to mingle for a bit while Hitch, Tully, Markus, and Anselm worked together to move the chairs out of the way to turn the room into a dance floor. Troy and Dietrich approached Moffitt after their long kiss ended, and Adeline had called Vanora over to talk.

Dietrich grinned at his two friends. "It was nice to be surrounded by people we all know and love this time."

"Yep. Very different to the original wedding, where we all had to be stiff and proper." Troy put his hands in his pockets.

"I do not feel obliged to go get some air and have a smoke," Dietrich said.

"Aw, come on. That's basically a tradition for us at weddings." Troy playfully elbowed him.

Dietrich sighed. "Alright. We can go do that at some point." He turned to Moffitt. "You did it without vomiting out of sheer anxiety."

"Yes. Thank goodness for that," Moffitt replied with a somewhat nervous laugh.

Troy squeezed his shoulder. "Now, it's time to have fun. Go have something to eat."

"I'll hold off for a bit."

"Since this is a very informal setting, may I cut the first piece of cake?" Dietrich asked.

"Of course, go ahead."

"Thank you." Dietrich made a beeline for the long table holding the cold food and desserts, including the huge, three-tiered marble cake, topped with a beautifully carved European badger standing by an east African forest cobra.

Troy smirked. "Esther's not going to be happy with him if she wants to dance later and he's having a good time with the desserts."

"I think he'll stop for her," Moffitt said.

"Wanna bet on that? Shauna did make cinnamon rolls."

"You know what? Yes. If I'm right, you have to drink a cup of tea. A whole cup. I'll even make it for you so you can see what a proper cup of tea should taste like."

"Oh, if that's how it's going to be… If I'm right, you have to drink a bottle of soda. A whole bottle."

"Deal, but if I do somehow lose and I have to drink that horrible liquid, I want to do it somewhere private."

"Why? You don't want to be known for 'the belch heard 'round Cambridge?'"

"No, I don't. I'm still embarrassed over what happened in Sicily."

"Fine. I'll play fair." Troy looked over at where Dietrich had cut a rather large piece of cake for himself. "At least he looks happy."

"Agreed. He wouldn't have done that twenty years ago."

"Nope. We were still working on him then."

"He learned to enjoy food eventually, and life in general." Moffitt grinned at Troy. "That's right—you celebrate twenty years with Shauna next year. Have you thought of doing anything special?"

"No, not yet. I'll try, though."

Moffitt sighed. "Troy, twenty years is an impressive milestone. I think you should do something special."

"Like I said, I'll try. Maybe I'll take her to Greece and have her meet Vasilakis and my cousins. At least we won't have to worry about crazy vampire owls."

"That's true."

The hot food was brought out a few minutes later, and Anah was insistent on everyone taking what they wanted—in an organized fashion. Hot and cold drinks were available, and Adeline had made the mistake of introducing Anah to a juice press, as now the cobra wanted one.

"Maybe if you're good, Father Christmas will leave you a juice press under the tree," Moffitt said.

"But I am always good," Anah said. "Please, dear, I could make some wonderful drinks with it. I am sure Jules would enjoy homemade raspberry juice."

"We will think about it."

The party continued on with a greater liveliness than what had been present at Moffitt and Vanora's original wedding twenty years ago. The highlight was the music that Dietrich and Tully had composed for the couple's first dance of the night. It was truly beautiful, romantic, and Moffitt planned on approaching them afterward to get the music pressed to a record so they could enjoy it whenever they wanted. For now, he enjoyed the fact that the floor was his and Vanora's alone, and gazed into her eyes the whole time. His nervousness from earlier had finally faded, and he leaned in to nuzzle Vanora's forehead. "This was the wedding I really wanted," he whispered.

"Same here," Vanora whispered back. She kissed Moffitt's cheek. "Would it be clichéd to say I found true love?"

"Do you feel it to be true?"

"Yes."

"Then I guess it's true love." The music came to a gradual stop, and as the last notes of the piano and guitar echoed through the room, Moffitt paused his dance to pull Vanora into another lengthy kiss. Yes, indeed, it was true love for both of them.