[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

[unsungheart]

"Too many romance novels." With moody, charming vampires as heroes, at that. It was probably sending an entire generation of girl Hearts into the arms of the sharp Suits and their high-ranked men.

He sighs, though. "No, she knows. It's been...brought up." Okay, he brought it up. Okay. He asked her if she'd lost her ever-lovin' mind. It probably hadn't been his finest moment. "He reminds me a little of Uncle Georgios." Which, again, probably hadn't exactly helped with Zoe being sane about it.

[sirforawhile]

Is Dillon knocking romance novels? He sounds like he's knocking romance novels. Huff huff.

"Sounds like you had better luck with her than I did with him. I don't remember Zoe's dad, but... I don't think we want that comparison out in he open, either."

[unsungheart]

Only a little, tiny bit. Maybe only the ones with suave vampires and werewolves. Or werefoxes. Were those a thing?

"...You asked Victor Fox his intentions?" And lived to tell the tale? Iggy might be rising to semi-legendary status here. "We probably don't," he agrees. Georgios Kattalakis had been larger than life to a teenager, and that's mostly how he remembered him. "Hadyn twitches if he hears the name."

[sirforawhile]

"Don't get any ideas, I could barely walk out of Spade Castle when we were done. Didn't lay a finger on me but I was still scared shitless." He looks toward the happy couple again, both eyebrows as high as they can go. "Long as he never turns that on her I'd be glad."

[unsungheart]

"Dude, I basically barely manage disapproving in his presence. No way in hell." Besides, by the time he'd come to dinner - and the rest of the family had met him - the ring had been on her finger. It'd metaphorically been there for months, really; Zoe was head over heels but good.

"...Yeah," he says softly, pulling a face as he watched them. Not much to be done if Victor did. Dillon sure as hell couldn't best him in a fight.

[sirforawhile]

Maybe some day in the very, very distant future, they'd all come around to the idea of Victor being Zoe's husband. In the very, very far future, perhaps. After a baby or two.

For now, it's still nebulous.

"Hey- we both know she'd speak up if he did, right?" Right?

[unsungheart]

The pause is probably not reassuring. But then, Dillon's one of the few who know how bad things sometimes got with Charlotte; he remembers in particular the weekend when he'd come back on-Deck to move Zoe out of that apartment and into the one he used to occupy in Heart Castle. And he knows she never said a word.

But this is different, probably. She's different; more grown up and more confident.

"She'd say something," he said. "To Hadyn, even if not to anyone else."

[sirforawhile]

"And Hadyn'd..." Probably try to take it up with Victor by himself. Iggy isn't sure about those odds. Though Hadyn's boyfriend would likely be able to talk sense into Victor. "...he'd be sensible."

[unsungheart]

Not great, really. King Elisha's got better odds - he'd been around when he challenged for King, so he saw the counter - but really. It's a position he hopes no one's in.

"Of course," he said, sighing. "Come on, Iggy. It's a wedding. We should toast the bride."