vdistinctive | At the docks, then out to sea, Sunday

The colors from the previous days were still holding, if maybe slightly more muted, Fandom's magic slowly fading but still managing to hang on for another day.

Seemed like a good omen as any for a wedding that Eliot still couldn't quite believe was happening.

Eliot's boat wasn't big enough for all their guests so they had "rented" (long story) a well-appointed yacht for the day. It was docked in the Port of Fandom, waiting for all the guests to board. Once the last person had crossed the gangplank, it sailed almost to the edge of the island, where blue water lapped with gray. Eliot's boat was already there, anchor down, Hardison in a tux, playing around with a sound system.

A few minutes to futz with mics and the speakers set up discreetly around the yacht came to life. "Testin'...Testin'..." Hardison murmured. Good. Everybody would be able to hear the ceremony on the second ship.

Looks like it was time to begin.

[TIME FOR A WEDDING! If you think you were invited, you were. Some OCD coming]

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Parker bumped his shoulder, because it wasn't time for The Kissing yet, and beamed at him. She just couldn't stop smiling. It was that kinda day.

"Time! Exactly on time." She waved to the people in the crowd, then leaned into Hardison. "You look like a President. Way better than a President. Everything's ready, right?"

She waved to Pastor Carter too. She was just in that kind of mood.

"Well. I'll at least make them stick around long enough for me to say hi to Nana," she said. "And . . . maybe one toast."

"You deserve it," she said. "This and all the love and happiness in the whole world."

"Darlin'," Eliot greeted, shifting his weight to bump shoulders with her. "You make a hell of a bride."

"Hey," she said, looking him over. "Look who got all dolled up. Trying to outshine me, huh?"

Look, she knew Dante's preferences for dress and appreciated the effort he'd put in for this, dammit.

"Good. Worst thing I've had to fight lately are the squirrels trying to steal from Misfit's bird feeder," Raven said with a fond smile. "Might have to swing by for a visit just to make sure I don't get rusty."

"You make an amazing groom. Bridegroom. You're the bridegroom, Hardison's the groom," Parker decided, and then leaned against him, feeling lit up and buzzed. "And it's even better because you don't have a white horse or anything." She looked around the yacht, and sighed happily. "This is perfect."

Speaking of weird friends, Kathy was beelining over to them just as soon as she finished lacing up her corset, going to throw her hands around Raven and pull her in for a tight hug. "Missed you, bestie," she said.

"Trying to compliment you," Dante retorted, grinning brightly. "You're one of the, like, not-them stars around here."

"You should," Dante said lightly. "She misses you."

"Right, sorry," Cassie shrugged with a little blush. "I'm Cassie. Ellie's the one over there, with the world's straightest boyfriend." Ellie and her boyfriend did in fact exude a certain heterosexual energy where they stood by the bar, her in a floral sun dress, him in a casual suit. By contrast, Cassie was in a tailored waistcoat over a lacy strapless dress, tattooed and muscled arms on full display -- along with the rainbow labrys around her neck. "I think he's even wearing boat shoes." She shook her head. "Anyway. I've, uh. Heard a lot about you. Wanted to come say 'hi'."

"Ain't sure there's that much of a distinction between the two," Eliot said, but otherwise didn't argue.

Now he kind of wished he'd gotten to ride in on a horse, though.

"Anything would be perfect," he said instead. "So long as it's the three of us."

"You know what's funny?" Eliot asked. "I even kinda believe that."

He had come a long way, the last few years.

"Why didn't we do this forever ago?" Parker wondered out loud. She bumped Hardison's shoulder, then Eliot's, then tried to stand up straight and look serious. It was totally ruined by her smile.

Anders wasn't as snazzy a dresser as his better halves (better two-thirds?), but he thought he had cleaned up all right in a simple dark suit and tie. He snagged whatever food came his way and kept an eye out for the newlyweds.

Raven clung back, beaming. "You too. You look amazing!" She pulled back and tugged Misfit closer. "Misfit, this is Kathy. She's . . . my other Person."

Misfit offered Kathy an awkward smile and a hand. "Nice to meet you. I've heard . . . stories."

Weird, creepy stories with far too much detail. It was a good thing that Misfit enjoyed horror.

"Mostly because I'm a fool."

"Nooooo." Parker leaned into him hard, and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He looked so happy, even calling himself names. "I mean, I didn't even think to propose, what's that make me? You and Hardison were way more on the ball. Even if we had to work to get you with us."

"So," Anders said lightly, sipping from a champagne flute of his own, "does this count as getting two new stepparents for you?"

"Pace yourself," Anders laughed. "You don't want to be the embarrassing drunk in their wedding stories."

"I'm glad you did," Nana said, brushing right by Cassie's embarrassment. No reason to be embarrassed in front of family, honey. "I think of y'all as my great-nieces, too. If that's all right with y'all. But you family now."

And she had a notion that they were missing out on some grandma love, knowing what she did about Eliot's mom's passing.

"And now that you're here, you can help me make up stories 'bout all the different folks here."

"Yeah, you know, I still say you could have just asked me." Eliot shook his head with a fond laugh. "Wouldn't be as fun a story to tell that way, though."

"Oh god," Kathy groaned. "Do I even want to know?" She gave Raven a pout, "I wanted them to like me," she said in a stage-whisper.

And then chuckled, and took Misfit's hand. Awkward smiles, she understood, as well as feeling like the odd person out at an event. "Thanks for coming," she said. "I'm really glad to finally get to meet you."

Parker was going to remember that Prom Night, and tumbling into the rickshaw with her guys, and the fond look on Eliot's face as he told them they could have asked, the first time, for the rest of her life. Just like she was going to remember this day for the rest of her life.

"So, we were all kinda idiots. We figured it out." It felt like there was a balloon under her rib cage, all big and warm, lifting her up on her toes. "It seemed like a good plan at the time. And it worked! Here we are."

Cassie teared up just a little at that instant adoption from an older generation, even having already known ahead of time that Nana wasn't the sort to reject people. She blinked it back with a smile and moved to sit next to Nana, happy for the change of subject. "People watching is my favorite," she said. "How about . . ." She pointed to the guy dressed all in black and red leather. "Them."

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At the docks, then out to sea, Sunday

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