Author's Note: Not very well developed plot bunny. I have a couple more chapters half written I hope to post before the finale tomorrow that explain a little better. PIKE fluff, because let's face it, there has been so little of it this season.

He could look anywhere except her face. Instead his eyes drift down. She's wearing a simple white dress. The contrast to her tan skin made her glow like an angel. He always loved her in white. Too many times that pure white had been stained with red because of him. He bites the inside of his cheek until he tastes the iron. He won't let that happen again.

He's always going to feel protective of her, whether she wants him to or not. After years of fighting him, this one time she's actually letting him protect her, or at least that's what he tells himself he's doing.

This is wrong. He feels so guilty. He'd won. This is what he'd been chasing, wanting, for so long, but not like this. This is a hollow victory, because he doesn't deserve this. He cheated. He's worse than Briggs with the way he manipulated her to get her here. He'd told her it was the only way. He told himself that too, but he knows it's a lie. He just didn't want to see another way.

He feels her hand squeeze his, and he looks up to see her giving him a look that says he should pay attention. He looks over at the expectant look on the face of the judge.

Mike looks back and forth between the judge and Paige and knows this is it. His last chance to stop this craziness he put into motion and take a different path. The path they're on can only lead to disaster. Mike clears his throat to voice his objections but instead finds himself repeating back the words of the judge.

"I, Michael, take you, Paige, to be my wife." Mike's voice shakes as he says the words aloud, repeating the judge's words, but not really hearing them.

"With this ring, I offer you my love." He slides the slender white gold band onto her finger. There is no engagement ring it's joining. They didn't plan this. Not really.

"I offer you my strength." He stares at how foreign it looks there on her slim finger, like a silk ribbon on a wild horse.

"I offer you my weaknesses." Mike murmurs the words as he stares at their hands linked together. Their hands had always fit together so well, but he feels farther away from her than ever.

"I offer you my support." Her hands are cold in his, and it's the only outward sign that she's terrified.

Her eyes are staring at him, he can feel their weight on his skin. He forces himself to look up and he sees her putting on a brave face. He loves her for that. For so many things. The most he can offer her is a small half smile, like everything will be ok, even though it won't. The memory of seeing her at Sulla's the first time that bag was pulled off his head flashes through his mind for some reason. Seeing her there scared. Wanting to protect her, but being unable to truly show her how he feels.

"I offer you my loyalty." Mike almost chokes on the word, because what he's doing here today isn't loyal. It's selfishness parading as loyalty.

"I pledge my love and life to you today and forever." Mike finishes the words quickly, dropping both her hands once he's done.

She then reaches out and accepts the ring that will go on his finger, from the judge, and takes his hand again. Mike braces himself to get through it. This is so much more awkward and worse than he expected. She looks like a scared trapped animal. He always knew he would cry on his wedding day, but he thought they would be tears of joy, not of regret because he felt like he was tricking his bride into a coerced union.

He stares over her shoulder at the wall for most of her vows, barely hearing them. When she finally slips the ring on his finger they both turn to look expectantly at the judge who is staring at them both confused. There is obviously a different vibe in the small county court room than normal during these ceremonies. Mike tries to force a confident smile. Tries to act like he's proud of this.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." The judge says, like he's half expecting the two to flee the courthouse without completing the ceremony.

You may kiss the bride. Mike had completely forgotten about this part. Somehow in all his considerations of how they would pull off this marriage, the kissing aspect had completely slipped his mind. He turns to her, wanting to mouth 'I'm sorry', but she's already closed her eyes and is leaning in close. Mike takes a deep breath and stiffly presses his lips to Paige's for the first time since they broke up almost a year ago.

He means for it to be quick and perfunctory but as his lips brush hers, everything comes rushing back at once. Every memory, every feeling he's ever had for her. He can taste her, smell her, hear her, feel her beneath him. He didn't realize until just this moment how much he's forgotten. Because he thought he remembered what kissing her was like, but it was a pale memory compared to the reality of how soft her lips are against his.

His lips linger longer than he planned as they softly press chastely against hers. She kisses him back just as gently, one of her hands coming up to brush gently against the back of his neck, pulling him in closer, just for a second. It brings him back to their very first kiss, and he pulls her even closer, the world slipping away until theirs nothing but the two of them and every kiss they've ever shared.

After forever, or just a second, she pulls away gently, her hand remaining on the back of his neck. He stares down into her eyes with confusion, wondering if she felt half of what he did in that moment. Wondering if they are too close to pull this off. Wondering how, after all this time she still effects him so. He begins to tell himself it was just because it was the first kiss that caught him off guard. If he were to do it again, it couldn't be nearly so potent. He licks his lips and leans back in to test that theory, but the cough from the judge shatters the moment.

"Ok. That will be a $40 filing fee you can give to the clerk at the counter along with these papers." The judge says, breaking the strange moment. Paige shyly looks to the ground, and Mike takes the papers that are shoved into his hand. "Congratulations."