"Exactly who had the half baked idea of a wedding in the middle of the night?"
The grumbled complaint was cut short, replaced by a low grunt of pain prompted by a sharp elbow to the ribs.
"Give it a rest Wufei," Sally hissed, grinning at her partners' dark glare, "It's beautiful… and you know it."
Wufei rolled his eyes, rubbing his side as he continued to mutter mutinously. Sally was, of course, right. It was beautiful. Set in a secluded glade, lit by a scattering of fairy lights and watched over by a million stars and a magnificent full moon, the setting had an almost ethereal atmosphere.
The gathering was small, involving only a very select group of close friends and acquaintances. The Best Man stood calmly beside a Groom that was literally set to explode with nervous tension. He hopped from one foot to the other, fidgeted with his collar and methodically cracked his knuckles. Heero shot him a pained look.
"What?"
"You do that one more time, and I'll make sure you don't have any knuckles left to crack."
Duo grimaced at his friends idle threat, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and missing completely Heero's sympathetic grin. Any display of ill humour, however, was all but forgotten, with the arrival of his bride. He almost forgot to breath, as he was spellbound by the vision before him.
The elegant, antique lace dress fell just above her knees, softly complimenting her slim figure. As she stepped closer, he could see the delicate petals of her bouquet tremble in her unsteady grasp. He controlled the urge to touch her, as she came to a halt beside him, instead studying the tiny white flowers that had been woven through her ebony locks.
Taking her slender hand in his, he felt the shiver that seemed to travel through her entire body as she stared timidly up at him. He squeezed her fingers gently, expressing his love to her without words. She returned the gesture, her smile deepening, as any hint of apprehension dissolving at his touch. He captured her with his gaze, neither of them wishing to secede, as the celebrant began the service.
Relena sighed softy as she watched the display of affection from her place behind Hilde. Glancing to her right, she smiled softly as she noticed Heero's apparent air of nonchalance. A closer look at his eyes betrayed the intensity of his gaze. As if feeling the weight of her stare, he glanced across at her, the corner of his mouth tipping up in a soft smile.
Duo required little prompting from the celebrant when it came to kissing his new wife, and the embrace was passionate and possessive.
"Are you ready babe?" he whispered into her hair.
"For what?" was Hilde's breathless reply. Duo grinned down at her, his fingers gripping hers tightly.
"For the rest of our lives sweetheart. For the rest of our lives."
******
Relena gave a martyred sigh, as she flopped down into Heero's lap, glaring at the floral arrangement in her grasp with mock severity.
"They had to have rigged it."
Heero grinned into Relena's shoulder as he pulled her against him, pressing the prized garter into her hand.
"You make it sound like a conspiracy."
Relena pouted playfully, as she swatted the bridal bouquet at him.
"And it wasn't? I swear all the other girls ran in the other direction when Hilde threw this. And the guys weren't exactly tackling each other for that garter either."
Heero tutted in her ear, laughing softly. The sound sent shivers down her spine, warming her. She snuggled closer, pressing her face against his neck and breathing in his goodness. Her fingers stroked the lapel of his jacket, almost absently.
"Has anyone told you just how cute you are in that tux?"
"Oh yeah," came his reply, his voice droll, "the guys were pretty impressed. I'm hoping if I get really lucky, I'll manage to score tonight. What do you reckon? I hear the Matron of Honour is a sure thing."
Relena raised her eyebrow at him, her expression sceptical.
"Why, who ever told you that? I have it on good authority that she's of a most chaste disposition and very unlikely to be swayed by a suave devil like yourself."
Heero grinned, as he blew softly against her ear and ran his hand along her thigh, under the hem of her dress, causing her to shiver.
"Oh course," she sighed, "If you keep that up, she may just change her mind."
He laughed again, low and relaxed. The sound thrilled her, and she thought briefly of how much she loved to hear it, before he dropped his lips to hers and turned her attention to other things. A deep cough, followed by a clearing of the throat, brought them back to Earth with a start.
"Geez, I hope we weren't interrupting anything." Duo laughed, watching as Relena flushed deeply, tugging her skirt down and straightening her hair. Heero merely shot him a dark look. Hilde smiled apologetically at them.
"We were going to head off soon, but we wanted to see you before we went."
Relena gave a small gasp of exclamation, as she jumped up to embrace her friend. Heero stood behind her, taking Duo's offered hand in a firm handshake. The American's gaze was intense, as he appeared to struggle to express his gratitude. Heero merely nodded in return, signalling his understanding.
Hilde looked at the couple, reaching to take each of their hands in hers. She glanced at the ground for a moment, attempting to control her emotions. Upon looking back up, there was no mistaking the sheen of tears that glistened in her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered, "I don't know what we could have ever done to deserve such good friends. We're blessed."
Relena smiled back at her, before glancing nervously at Heero, who nodded slightly. Reaching into her purse, she drew out a small card, which she pressed into Hilde's hand.
"It's not something you need to think about yet… or even at all… if you don't want to. But… well… medical advancements are being made everyday and… well… he is the best…" Her normal gift for words deserted her, as she fumbled over her explanation. Heero interrupted her, his discourse level, matter-of-fact.
"You shouldn't give up hope. When you're ready, go see him. He may be able to help."
Heero stood shocked for a moment, as Hilde threw her arms around his neck with a sob. Recovering quickly, he returned her embrace with an almost brotherly squeeze. After a few moments, the two couples broke apart, as the Bride and Groom's transport announced it's arrival with a beeping of the horn and the crunch of gravel.
Turning towards the driveway, and the waiting party of well wishers, Duo stopped in his tracks at Heero's parting words.
"Take care of her."
His expression was serious, and his voice certain as he replied,
"I will. I'm never letting her go."
******
A/N – And there we have it… the end at last. *faints* That just took a hell of a lot longer than I had intended. Note to self – finish fics BEFORE the busy season at work starts… *sighs*
Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and particularly those who took those extra few moments to review. Your kind words, encouragement and enthusiasm have meant so much to me. This fic had a special place in my heart, and it touches me to know that it has had the same effect on others.
I have a few other fics to continue in this arc… but first I'm going to attempt some unchartered realms with a new fic I'm working on, a Roman AU fic. Let's just say I'm both excited and nervous about that one.
So once again, thank you… and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy my future offerings.
Love Melodrama