[OTA] We Are Gathered Here | The Fox-Kattalakis Wedding

[headfollowheart]

A few things had gone wrong, honestly. There had been some confusion in the morning when they’d arrived to decorate the church - a few bouquets on the altar, some green and blue ribbons twined around a few of the posts - and it’d been locked. She’d managed to leave Spade Castle with her dress, veil, the coin from his mother strung on a thin leather thong, the emerald silk sash and Victor’s ring - but of all things, she’d managed to leave her shoes in their box in the closet, and Chives had had to go back for that. Hadyn looked a little green from his adventure shanghaiing Victor with Ben and Elisha, her cousin Sara had in usual Sara fashion managed to break the heel on her left shoe. Nerves finally hit as Chives was braiding her hair, and by the time the veil was settled over the smooth curls, her nails had left indents in her palms.

In the end, though, it was pretty much perfect. Two of her closest friends preceded her down the aisle in soft blue dresses with forget-me-nots in their braided hair and small posies in their hands. She’d walked towards her fiance on her brother’s arm with her hands full of spring flowers, and after the words were said and Victor lifted the veil, they were married. It only felt a little different than before, Zoe thought as their brief kiss ended. But it was different; she was Zoe Fox.

Zoe Fox knew, of course, that Victor Fox would have preferred them to just slip back to their apartment - no big party, no flowing wine and hors d'oeuvres - but she’d wanted something. And he’d given her carte blanche in the end, really; she’d chosen the small reception room that opened out into the Castle gardens, she’d picked the combination of hyacinths, hydragea, and lily of the valley for the table arrangements, the Greek-flavored menu of spanakopita, wild green and strawberry salad, linguine primavera and herb-encrusted lamb. She’d pored over cake designs until she finally picked a vanilla bean cake with strawberry puree filling, decorated in vanilla buttercream. She’d pruned the list of friends, family and acquaintances who might be expected to be invited to the wedding reception until they numbered barely fifty.

Under the strict supervision of Chives, of course the reception looked perfect, she thought as they arrived, and she smiled as she slipped her hand into Victor’s arm and the full skirt of her dress swirled against both of their legs. Perfect, though perfect didn’t matter quite so much to her right now.

Comments

[piqued]

Right. Back to Work. His fingers give one last brush over Michael's shoulders for all the last bits of invisible Dust before he steps back to give the Jack a final once-over.

"...of course, sir. She's--" His lips have to shut tight briefly. "...she's quite special."

[bluntforces]

"--soon? No." Which gets the faintest look of consideration crossing his face as he reaches to pull her back into less disruptive dancing. "Maybe in... a few years, but... not soon. Got too much livin' t' do first. Both of us."

[onlytolerable]

"Sometimes not even in spouses," she murmurs, thinking of the Berthier alliance that had saddled her with Irene's Peter. "But even within those parameters, one has discretion. Weddings are always important to those involved, be they Twos or Royals."

She spreads her hands. "Please forgive me. It's none of my business. I recognized that bride-to-be glaze in Annie's eyes this weekend--Zoe had the same look from time to time." Probably wanted everything to go off perfectly, particularly since she was marrying into an old family that expected nothing less. Wedding discussions with someone soon to be married had seemed a safe enough topic.

[unsungheart]

By the end, it could probably be heard halfway to Heart Castle, and Dillon was cackling between words before he finally gave up the ghost and leaned back, laughing.

"You think this is what Mr. and Mrs. Fox had in mind for the reception?" No. The real question was whether either of them cared at this point.

Probably also no, really.

[intotherough]

He tilted his head in the direction Victor was looking - at where his wife was dancing with her more buttoned up uncle, and his lips curled some. "Aye, that they don't," he said. "Back home, the wedding would've gone wild by now." Of course, there would have been less wine and cocktails and more kegs and whiskey, but nonetheless.

"Should show them how it's done then, don't you think?"

[headfollowheart]

"We were in Italy for Easter Week; it was pretty insane." She'd always planned to go to Greece some day for Holy Week, but there was little point now. There was still a pang about leaving the church, really, but a slighter one than she might have expected.

It had been the right decision, even if there hadn't been much choice.

"I don't speak Spanish at all. Maybe that's why I keep going to Paris; French, I've got down. Hadyn and I grew up practicing on each other."

[headfollowheart]

"Next?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she met his eyes. Despite her conversation with Michael earlier - he hadn't been the only one to bring it up, only the most recent - a honeymoon wasn't much more than a vague daydream. It'd be nice, but she didn't expect it; she definitely didn't expect Victor to think of it, and she gave him a questioning look as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "What do you mean?"

[cipherspeak]

He and Hadyn weren't really calm people. Not like Victor, whose Irish temper had calmed over the years Elisha had known him, and not like Zoe - who could, and had on occasion, freeze you with a look, but rarely was set off into a tantrum. They snarled and fought, though less so recently.

Maybe Elisha's own temper was cooling.

"It's a good wedding," he tells Victor, his lips quirking up. "I don't think most of the guests knew what they were getting into, putting you and Ben in the same room." In kilts. With whiskey. "But I did attend last night's sendoff, so I think I was prepared."

[piqued]

It is, really, a Safe topic. Thinking about Annie--and in Particular, thinking about the fact Annie would soon be his own Bride--absolutely Softens the corners of his lips.

"We've still quite some time, Miss Eight."

[somuchheart]

“Maybe a little more fabulous than just ‘sorta’, yeah?” She laughs up at him. “No, you’re right. They’re all lovely in their own ways.”

[somuchheart]

“Yeah, a little glad. I’m... happy I was a part of it, but I’m also happy it’s done.” She smiles softly to herself. “Zoe really deserves this.”

[heartvestment]

“Well, your brother is a bit... hmm.” She twists her lips, then doesn’t finish her thought, suppressing a grin instead. “Anyway. Why wouldn’t he cast you? You’d make a lovely fairy queen.”

[heartvestment]

So beautiful. She’s so proud of her fashion-conscious baby cousin. “Fine,” she relents, giggling ridiculously as she stumbles into him. “Okay, what are we gonna sing?”

[heartvestment]

“The rules are you poke awful fun at the bridesmaids. You pinch the cheeks of the flower girl. And I’m pretty sure there’s a rule that you have sex with the chick who played the bride down the aisle.”

[standlikestone]

She kisses him happily, leaning heavily into him. “It... you think so? I really hope so. I’d like it to be great.”

[standlikestone]

“That’s true. No one doesn’t like a party. And no one parties like Riley James.” She grins, running a hand through her hair.

[eucre]

“Yes, Brother.” She nods obligingly before taking another small nibble of cake, because eating daintily is a must in the midst of such fanciness.

[denythyfather]

“What else are Jacks meant to do?” he asks, just a little distracted by her eyes and her fingers in his hair.

... not that it’s a big deal or anything.

[sans_coeur]

“Don’t—you know nothing of—“ Her protests just prove him right. Yet she keeps on trying. “What wasted experiences? I’m perfectly- perfectly happy with my life, and it's presumptuous for you to-- assume otherwise."

[bluntforces]

Oh, snort, madam. "Don't knock 'sorta,' girly. It's a pretty rockin' degree."

[bluntforces]

"What's t' hope, huh?" How could anything be less than exactly right if they were together? Even the hard, even the stupid, even the difficult.

[hamelinic]

"And Mr Riley James?" See? He's a quick one. "Does he party?"

[somuchheart]

"Sorta is like... okay. Okay fabulous isn't okay. Fantastically fabulous is a lot better. It even alliterates."

[standlikestone]

"I just..." She presses her forehead to his. "Fine. It's gonna be really great. Cause it's you."

[standlikestone]

"He's the greatest partier. Not as, uh, drink-y... but dance-y to make up for it."