Author: Summer

Title: For Now You Feel No Rain

Rating: PG

Pairing: Pffft, read it to find out.

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When she was a little girl, she'd imagined puffy white dresses of lace and beads with long, detailed trains. She'd imagined both a tiara and a veil, and the jewelry to match. The flower arrangements had been equally elaborate, filling the room with reds and pinks and whites.

She'd imagined having to move the ceremony outdoors because the room was just bursting with guests, too many to fit in the cathedral. Even the guests wore color coordinated outfits to offset the flowers, and to make sure no one upstaged the bride.

Granted, it was the Barney theme song she'd imagined playing as she walked down the aisle, but she'd been a child.

The reality, though, was nearly the exact opposite.

Her gown was gorgeous, but it was a simple silk that reached just below her knees. She loved the way the fabric felt against her body, flowing against her in the gentle breeze.

She'd foregone both the veil and the tiara, her hair falling over her shoulders in simple waves, and even her feet were barefoot as she walked along the white sands of the beach, her smile widening as she approached the white whicker arch. It was decorated with flowers- not the vibrant reds and pinks of her childhood fantasies, but understated peaches and whites.

After a lot of talk, they'd decided on a tropical theme, and she couldn't be happier with the results. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw him there, standing under the wedding arch in his black tux. It had been the one thing she couldn't eliminate from the planning; all of her dreams had included kissing her groom with her friends looking on, the white of her gown contrasting with the black of his tux.

She gulped as she looked at him, her smile spreading over her face. She'd heard a lot of brides were nervous in these moments before their wedding; even Haley had said so. But that was such a foreign idea to her. She couldn't imagine anything would make her happier than being Mrs. Lucas Scott, not for a moment. She couldn't imagine having second thoughts.

Her gaze met his as she reached the wedding arch, and they were the only two people in the world. She barely registered the justice of the peace speaking, unable to tear her focus from him.

She'd imagined this moment a million times, but nothing had truly prepared her for its magic.

"Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other."

She grew serious as the justice of the peace started talking, reciting the traditional blessing of the Apaches they'd both fallen in love with the first time they'd heard it.

"Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other."

Her gaze dropped to his lips as she processed the slight curve in the corners, and she could see the smile reached his eyes. It had been a long time coming for them, and nothing could ruin this moment for either.

"Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other."

She returned her gaze to his eyes, taking a deep breath as she searched them. It had certainly taken them long enough to get here, but in that moment she knew she wouldn't have traded a single day, a single fight or obstacle in their path.

"Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you."

It was the first time she fully registered the justice of the peace's presence, the words ringing so true. She couldn't be happier to spend every day for the rest of her life with Lucas, to know that every decision she made would be his, too, and vice versa. She couldn't wait for their new life together.

"May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years."

Her gaze flickered over his face, knowing the justice of the peace's part was drawing to a close. Soon, it really would be just them in this moment, just them making an eternal bond.

"May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth."

They'd gone through so much tragedy even though they were fairly young, and that last line rang particularly true with her. They'd talked about it a lot, about living every moment to the fullest and never going to bed upset since you never knew when the end would come.

She heard him clearing his throat and gave him a comforting smile as he started to speak.

"From this day forward I promise you these things.

I will laugh with you in times of joy and comfort you in times of sorrow.

I will share in your dreams, and support you as you strive to achieve your goals.

I will listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement.

I will help you when you need it, and step aside when you don't.

I will remain faithful to you for better or worse, in times of sickness and health.

I will give you the best of myself and asks of you no more than you can give.

I will accept you the way you are.

I will respect you as a person with your own interests, needs, and desires.

I will keep myself open to you, and make sure you can be open with me.

I will grow along with you, and be willing to face change as we both change.

I will love you in good times and bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside.

I will always rescue you, for without you there is no me."

She was sure her smile spread from ear to ear by the time he finished, her hand shaking as he took it in his and slipped the ring onto her finger.

When it was her turn to speak, she knew there was no way she'd make it through without tears.

"You're my best friend and my lover, my knight in white armor and my confidante.

You challenge me in a way no one else does, you make me a better person.

You gave me the world, and if I promise to return it to you.

Because of you, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again.

I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you.

I look forward to caring for you, to nurturing you, to being there for you.

I vow to be true and faithful to you."

She paused, her gaze searching his as she continued.

"A long time ago, you completed me.

You gave me a reason to live, a reason to believe in myself.

You looked me in the eyes and told me I was worthy of your love,

You told me I was worthy of my dreams.

I promise to always be myself, to always be different.

I promise to always give a rat's ass about you.

I promise to let you in, to let you complete me.

And I promise to do the same for you."

A tear slipped down her cheek as she lifted his hand, slipping the ring onto his finger. "I love you, Lucas Eugene Scott."

He smiled, reaching over and wiping away her tear and brushing a strand of hair from her face, and in that moment she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

He beckoned her closer, his hand still on her cheek, and laid a soft kiss on her lips, the kind of kiss that holds more promises than you can identify. "I love you, too, Brooke Penelope Scott," he murmured as he pulled her into his arms.