NOTE:If you never had the misfortune of watching Glee, a lot of this chapter probably won't make sense. If you did happen to be a Gleek, I'm also sorry.
Chapter Nineteen
“Jeez bro, straighten your tie. You’re getting
married.”
JJ turned away from the mirror to face Robyn’s holo.
“Just because you think you look so hot in your tux.”
Robyn’s flickering image slicked her hair back and she adjusted her dickie bow.
“I do. And do you know how freakin’ hard it is to get a tuxedo in a woman’s cut delivered to the middle of the rainforest?! The first three drone delivery bots got speared down!”
“You could have just come home,” JJ mumbled as he fixed his tie.
Robyn sighed; clear regret in her eyes.
“Believe me, I tried but if I left now I wouldn’t be able to offset my carbon footprint in time to—” she paused as an unholy screech suddenly ripped through the room, “…is there a wild animal in your room?”
JJ rolled his eyes.
“Momma’s crying in the bathroom.”
Robyn’s face scrunched.
“Why?”
“MY BABY BOY IS GETTING MARRIED!” Willow’s voice suddenly wailed loud enough to ring throughout the whole hotel room.
“Oh boy,” Robyn grimaced, “Now I’m glad I couldn’t get there early.”
JJ presented his tie back to Robyn, who closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Bro, no.”
JJ looked down at his neck and frowned.
“Hey have you told them—”
Suddenly the bathroom door opened and Tara strode out, looking frazzled. She smiled, pained.
“Do you think your wife-to-be would mind lending us her make-up artist for a few minutes? Your mother needs a… a…touch-up.”
“She can probably hear the screeching from down the hall and would be glad to make it stop,” JJ murmured right as Kayden walked back in the room carrying a boutonnière.
Tara cupped his cheek and smiled between him and JJ.
“My boys look so handsome.”
“Thanks for the inclusivity, Mom!” Robyn called sarcastically as Tara slipped out of the room, “Kayden, please do me a solid and fix our brother’s tie. My non-corporeal fingers are twitching.”
Tara made her way down the hall to the hotel room where Cleo was getting ready with her moms and grandmothers. An older woman let her in, whom Tara had already been introduced to as Santana’s grandmother, Alma. She looked old and fierce.
The make-up artist was finished with Cleo but Santana was checking over her work. Brittany was looking out the window and smiling.
“The sun is responding to the anti-rain dance I did on the roof.”
“I’m glad, Mom,” Cleo called over, “I know you were worried when the hotel manager asked you to stop before you were finished.”
She paused.
“And made you put your clothes back on.”
“Nice day, nice venue,” Santana clicked her tongue, “We had to get married in a barn in rural North-East Indiana because gay marriage was illegal in Ohio but legal in Indiana.”
She arched an eyebrow
“You, my girl, are privileged.”
“It was a high-end barn wedding,” Brittany added proudly, “I was born in that barn.”
“I thought I was pooping,” Brittany’s mother, whom Tara was pretty sure she was introduced to as ‘Whitney’’ said in a low drawl, “Pooped out my little miracle.”
Whitney reached out and pinched Brittany’s cheek, who blushed and smiled.
Alma made the sign of the cross on her head and body.
“I’m just glad this one is marrying a boy.”
“Abuela, please,” Santana called over, then suddenly turned ramrod straight when someone’s phone went off, “Do I hear a chicken? I specifically stated there were to be no chickens at this wedding!”
“It’s a ringtone, Mami, jeez,” Cleo responded, her fake eyelashes flicking quickly.
“I didn’t even kill that chicken,” Brittany said in a quiet voice.
Sensing there would never be an appropriate time to slip into the conversation, Tara made her move.
“Hi. Can we borrow Hayley for a few minutes?” she paused and swallowed when nobody really paid any attention to her, “Willow has a…smudged mascara situation going on.”
“Weak,” Santana scoffed.
Brittany stood up helpfully.
“Does she want to go over the seating chart with me? I made it going by the Dewy Decimal system.”
Tara’s eyes creased gratefully.
“I actually think she’d really like that.”
Brittany linked arms with Tara and they walked out of the room with Hayley behind them. Brittany leaned over conspiringly.
“I’m glad your family is Jewish. The broken glass is extra good luck.”
Tara frowned unsurely.
“Thanks?”
Once Santana approved of Cleo’s make-up, she leaned back with her hands on her hips.
“You know that weddings bring out the Godfather in me,” she said with two arched eyebrows, “And it is my daughter’s wedding day. What can I do for you?”
Cleo stood and put her hands on Santana’s shoulders.
“My whole life, you’ve given me anything I’ve ever wished for and cut any bitch who got in my way,” she said with an affectionate smile, “Today, I just want you to enjoy all of this.”
Santana took each of Cleo’s hands and kissed her palm.
“Mi corazoncita,” she said and smirked, “I’m singing a song at your entrance.”
Cleo let out a low chuckle.
“Knew that was coming,” she said and walked over to her grandmother Maribel, who was Santana's mother, who gave her a folded sheet from her pocket, “Here’s a pre-approved list of songs.”
Santana cast a cursory glance over the list, then hugged Cleo.
“My girl,” she said with her eyes closed, “
You are not a work in progress. That boy better know he is getting the best Pierez there is and that I will personally hunt him down and stab his junk off with my pointy-toed heels if he ever hurts you.”
Cleo nodded quickly.
“Yes, he remembers you telling him that at Thanksgiving, don’t worry.”
In JJ’s hotel room, Willow was calmer as her make-up was reapplied and she and Brittany discussed the Fibonacci sequence in nature.
JJ was still standing at the mirror, this time psyching himself up by throwing and dodging punches.
“Dude you’ll sweat through your suit,” Robyn scoffed, then her image flickered as she made a sudden movement, “Hey! If I was really there, you would have hit me!”
“Break it up,” Kayden stood between JJ and the holo, “You want a whiskey, Jake?”
“No, he doesn’t,” Tara came over with an arched eyebrow, “JJ, are you okay?”
“Peachy,” JJ replied, his shoulders tense.
Tara curled her finger and beckoned JJ over to sit with her on the bed.
“Sweetie, are you having cold feet? That’s completely normal.”
JJ gulped as he gazed down at the floor, his feet tapping against the ugly carpet.
“Is it?”
“Yes,” Tara reassured emphatically, “This is a very big step, a big change in your life. Being nervous doesn’t mean you’re not also excited. Remember all those basketball finals, college applications, interviews? You wanted them but you were still nervous. Not just of messing up but the uncertainty of what it would mean if you were successful.”
JJ slowly looked up to Tara and smiled.
“Those things all worked out great.”
“Because you knew in your heart it was right,” Tara poked JJ above his boutonnière, “That girl loves you. I’ve watched you grow together as a couple and I couldn’t be more proud of the husband I know you’re going to be.”
JJ swallowed softly and wrapped his arms around Tara.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Tara fixed JJ’s tie one last time.
“Are you ready to go get married?”
JJ smiled and jumped up, full of energy.
“Let’s go get married!”
Willow burst into fresh tears, which Hayley expertly dabbed away.
“Don’t forget me!” Robyn called and Kayden doubled back to bring the phone with him.
Across the street in the little private park that held JJ and Cleo’s apartment building behind it, Lily and Emily were directing guests to their seats in their matching dusty rose, floor-length chiffon dresses. The maid of honor was running point for Cleo, getting her whatever she needed or wanted whilst getting ready, so this job solely fell to the twins.
In the New York summer heat, it was all getting a bit much for Emily.
“Fatah goo I akai,” Lily said to her in their twin speak which roughly translated to ‘sit down, idiot’.
Emily cast an annoyed furtive glance in her sister’s direction but did sit on one of the white foldable chairs they’d spent the morning setting up.
At the top of the grass aisle, Xander was setting up a chuppah, in the same style as the one he’d built for Willow and Tara’s vow renewal. Brittany’s father was helping him, though ‘help’ was a strong word given he’d initially tried to set it up upside down.
“Ahn!” Xander called out, grateful for the reason to stop for a moment when he saw his wife and kids arrive.
“I love this city! So much shopping! So much wealth!” Anya exclaimed excitedly, “Xander, we should buy a place here.”
“Sure, hun,” Xander forced a smile, “Next time we win the lottery, okay?”
He fist-bumped Alex and wrapped his arms around Pixie.
“You got here! I’ve missed you. This John Hopskins fellow sees you more than I do.”
“It’s Johns Hopkins, Dad,” Pixie rolled her eyes and swished her pink hair, “I only left a couple of months ago. I’m not like Alex who just wanted to sit around your basement all summer during college.”
“Hey, sometimes I stood,” Alex defended himself, “Once I even did a sit-up.”
“It’s a long-established Harris tradition to lounge around your parents’ basement,” Xander nodded seriously.
“Mr. Sander?” Pierce, Brittany’s father, called over politely, “That wasn’t a water gun, was it?”
Xander looked over and his eyes popped when he saw Pierce’s head glued to a wooden column.
Slowly the park started to fill up with guests from both sides of the family. Jesse arrived with Alice and Ella, who was thrilled to see Pixie and they went off to take selfies together. Becky and Brian found good seats in the corner where they could giggle at the other guests if the whim arose.
Buffy arrived with Liam, who was awkwardly adjusting his tie every few seconds.
“Stop fidgeting, slayer.”
“It’s so tight, Mom,” Liam complained, “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s coming in the back entrance with the trees,” Buffy explained, “You know he likes the shade.”
Finally on the Rosenberg-Maclay side, Michelle and Rose clutched each other as they slowly made their way into the park. Rose, a bit more affected with arthritis and the slower of the two, took a seat next to Emily. She patted Emily’s leg.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
“Hot,” Emily admitted.
Rose looked into her bag and produced a reusable water bottle. Emily took it gratefully.
“Thanks, Nana,” she said as she took a long glug.
“You can’t take as many pills as I have to and not carry water,” Rose chuckled.
Emily wiped her mouth and handed the bottle back before casting a quick look around nervously.
“Um, where’s Zayde?”
“Gone up to give one of his requisite ‘man’ speeches to the groom,” Rose smiled wryly.
“Oh,” Emily nodded evenly, “That’s going to take a while…”
Santana and Brittany left their daughter with her grandmothers to do the final preening so that they could make sure their stage was set for their duet.
Suddenly, they both felt a shiver on the backs of their necks and spun around to see Sue Sylvester standing there as if she’d corporealized from nowhere.
Sue nodded at each of them once.
“Sandbags. Tweedle Dumb. How nice of you not to invite me.”
Santana’s eyes narrowed.
“How did you even hear about this?”
“Friends in low places,” Sue’s voice boomed around them like the waves from a bomb, “Places you haven’t even heard of. Places you don’t have the clearance to even hear about. Places—”
“We told her,” a higher-toned male voice cut in, “Ran into each other at Whole Foods.”
“Their avocado ice-cream is the dairy-free delight I never knew I needed,” Sue said with the kind of conviction usually only reserved for declarations of love or war.
“Kurt,” Santana made an effort to kiss his cheek and then did the same to the man standing beside him, “Blaine. It’s not even a fifth year. I have Klaine overload already.”
“We missed you too, Santana,” Kurt replied with a sarcastic crease of his eyes.
The boys kissed Brittany hello and gave the requisite congratulations.
“How’s the kid?” Santana asked, tipping her chin at the other couple and motioned up and down with her hand, “Did she survive the cluster-crap of parenting that is this?”
“Following in her father’s footsteps, actually,” Kurt replied haughtily and smiled proudly at Blaine.
“Having appropriately lady lips?” Santa asked with her eyebrows high on her brow.
“Leading the a Capella group at NYU,” Kurt clarified, his eyes twitching to withhold a role, “I’m so sorry Burt couldn’t be here. He and Carole are vacationing in Europe.”
Brittany blinked twice.
“I’m sorry, who?”
Kurt’s jaw tensed.
“Burt Hummel.”
Brittany glanced at Santana and back at Kurt.
“Who is that?”
“My father,” Kurt all but stamped his foot, “He married us…”
His eyes widened.
“And held our joint twentieth wedding anniversary party for us? Sent us all on that cruise?”
Recognition sparked in Brittany’s eyes.
“Oh, was he the guy with the hat?”
“That’s the ship captain,” Blaine explained and put his hand on Kurt’s arm to calm him down, “Is Rachel coming?”
Santana rolled her eyes.
“The Yentl Hobbit couldn’t make it. Probably accepting another Tony award or something.”
“We just saw her—” Blaine started to say before Kurt promptly stomped on his foot and they both limped away to find seats.
Santana turned back to Sue, who had been observing all of this in silence.
“I hope you’re loaded with another month-long, all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas.”
Sue held up a lofty hand with an envelope between her fingers.
“Like fine wine, I only get better with age,” she said as she thrust the envelope at them, “Two months.”
Santana threw her arms around Sue and Brittany followed.
“We always loved you, Sue, even when we hated you,” Santana said with glee.
Sue puffed her chest out and rose a whole inch in her stature.
“Well, Faberry was a total bust so I guess now I’ll get my ship fodder from Cleo and…what’s the kid’s name?”
“Caleb,” Brittany answered with a quick nod.
“It’s actually Jacob,” Santa added, “But he has to earn being called by his real name.”
Sue looked off importantly for a moment.
“Jacoo,” she settled on, finally, “And I j'accuse them of making me run behind time. I have a very important golden knob I’ve planned to shine this afternoon. Jeb never even noticed his was replaced with brass.”
She walked off, chuckling and Brittany turned to Santana with wide eyes.
“Santana, they can’t go on vacation for two months, they’re moving next week.”
“And that’s why we don’t even have to tell them about it,” Santana smirked and stuffed the envelope down her chest, “Hawaii is out, this year we do Christmas on Paradise Island.”
Brittany’s face lit up and she leaned in to press a kiss to Santana’s lips.
“I’m standing on my Paradise Island right now, here with you.”
Santana swallowed and offered a rare shred of true emotion. She offered her pinky, which Brittany duly curled her own pinky around.
“I love you, Britt-Britt.”
She kissed Brittany’s cheek and they went back to their task.
The groom’s party was the first to arrive when Xander had thankfully unattached Pierce from the chuppah. Robyn bossed Kayden around to find the best spot for her to project from while JJ started doing some stretches and was uncomfortably teased by Jesse that he was preparing for the wedding night.
Finally, there was a murmur in the crowd that the bride had arrived and everyone started to settle into their places. Tara gave JJ a final once over, kissed his cheek, and winked before taking her seat with a teary-eyed Willow.
Next to the chuppah, Santana produced a microphone and then Blaine came up with a guitar and nobody really questioned where these instruments came from.
Santana started to sing, low and evocative.
“I've got sunshine on a cloudy day,” she drawled seductively, “When it's cold outside I've got the month of May.”
Brittany joined Santana on their grassy stage and their shoulders bopped in time.
“I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way? My girl.”
Santana smiled sweetly at Brittany and then they both looked out at their daughter walking down the aisle.
“My girl, my girl,” Brittany sang behind her.
“Talkin' 'bout my girl,” Santana said with shining eyes.
“My girl,” Brittany swooped in on Santana’s other side.
In the front row, in pride of place, Willow clutched Tara’s arm and leaned over to whisper in her ear.
“You sang this to me on my 20th birthday.”
“I remember,” Tara whispered back, and together they listened and watched the young girl they’d grown to love over the years taking her final steps to become their daughter.
“As long as I can talk about my girl…” Santana and Brittany finished together softly and came over to kiss Cleo’s cheeks.
“I love you so much,” Cleo whispered to them and similar sentiments were quietly exchanged throughout all of the families looking on.
JJ’s grin split his face as he watched Cleo walk up in her figure-hugging lacy white dress and he felt that twitch in his legs that made him want to run but only with complete and utter joy.
When she got to the chuppah, Pierce started touching Brittany’s face and gently pulled at her forehead.
“Pap-Pap, I’m not wearing a veil,” Cleo whispered and Pierce nodded slowly, then stepped aside.
Cleo stepped up by JJ’s side and smiled at him. JJ’s heart fluttered and he rose up on the tip of his toes. As he landed back down, he glanced over his shoulder and swallowed deeply.
“Uh, babe?” he asked quietly, “Why is the former President at our wedding?”
Cleo gave the same glance back and leaned over to JJ.
“She coached my Moms at cheerleading in high school.”
“Cool, cool,” JJ nodded quickly with sweat breaking out on his brow, “Cool, cool, cool, cool.”
Cleo patted JJ’s arm and frowned at the nearest wooden column to her.
“Is that hair?”
Ira cleared his throat and stepped up onto the chuppah.
“You may be wondering why there’s no officiant here today,” he said with a mischievous twitch of his mustache, “Well, there is. Me.”
He closed his hands together and swung them humbly in front of him.
“Jacob and Cleo asked me to perform their ceremony and I feel the greatest honor to do so. To introduce myself, I am Jacob’s grandfather—” he paused as Pierce smiled at him disarmingly and crawled into the spot beside him, “Oh. Hi.”
JJ leaned in to whisper.
“Kinda had to ask both grandfathers, Gramps.”
“Oh,” Ira replied, startled, “Oh, well. Of course. Would you like to say something, Mr. Pierce?”
The short, Chinese man bumped Ira’s elbow as he tried to step forward with a big grin on his face.
“Hello. My name's Pierce Pierce. And I'm Cleo's grandfather,” he announced before he ducked down and picked something up from behind him, “This time I brought the toaster.”
Holding the appliance between both arms, he continued to speak.
“I thought the happiest day of my life was the day my Brittany married her Santana.”
In the front row, Brittany and Santana’s pinkies linked and Brittany leaned her head onto Santana’s shoulder.
His brow sweating from the weight of the toaster, Pierce’s grin became somewhat strained.
“But then Cleo was born. And the hospital had tater tots that day. And they were the greatest tater tots I’ve ever had.”
A tear left Pierce’s eye and Cleo touched his shoulder.
“Put the toaster down, Pap-Pap.”
Pierce dropped with a heavy grunt, then jumped back up again, rosy-cheeked. He smiled at Cleo.
“You were smart to do this outside. Can have all the candles you want,” his eyes softened, “I’m glad you got that from your Mom.”
Cleo rubbed Pierce’s arm and mouthed ‘I love you’.
“To close,” Pierce continued with a serious nod of his head, “Candles aren’t the only concern. Also, beware of falcons.”
He bowed and held up his hands to wave.
“Thank you.”
There was an uncertain clap amongst the crowd and Ira’s eyes skirted from side to side as he retook his place.
“Yes, well, that was…quite lovely. Thank you, Pierce.”
He cleared his throat and looked back at JJ and Cleo.
“The day my grandson came into my life, a new kind of love shone in my eye. A love I’d never known. I saw my legacy in this small boy and I’ve watched him grown into his own. And what a fine job of it he’s making.”
He patted JJ’s back, who looked pleased as punch. Ira looked back at Cleo.
“Cleo, the day you walked into my grandson’s life, a new love shone in his eye. And it has never been replaced. And I know that it will never be replaced. As a man who found his true love late in life, I am overjoyed that you found yours so young. May you enjoy every day you spend walking this earth together and may your legacy be that of love.”
Cleo beamed and Ira cleared his throat.
“I believe Jacob would like to say his vows first.”
JJ turned to Cleo and cleared his throat in the exact same manner.
“I write for a living but don’t know how I can put ‘offside’ or ‘technical foul’ into my vows, so this was harder than I thought,” he admitted to a small chuckle from the crowd as he pulled out a piece of paper from his breast pocket, “I promise to love you always and to cherish you forever. I promise to respect you, to be honest with you. To support any and all of your goals and to be with you always. I promise to confide in you and to listen when you want to confide in me and to grow with you throughout our marriage. I give you my mind, body, and soul on this and every other day for the rest of our lives.”
He nodded once with a smile, pleased he pulled it off.
Tara arched an eyebrow and looked over to Willow, who was already giving her the same look back.
Cleo held JJ’s gaze and swallowed softly.
“Jacob James — your two names that mean the same thing, as you like to tell everyone at every party we ever go to.”
JJ blushed but was grinning from ear-to-ear.
“We were in a rush!” Willow whispered aggressively to Tara, who waved her off.
Cleo took JJ’s hands.
“We met on a beach in Hawaii and fell in love in the various parts of New York state we ran off to, to see each other—oof, sorry to all the moms involved for that period of our relationship.”
There was another chuckle and knowing looks between all four moms.
“We grew from being kids right here in this city and now we’re going off to be adults and own a home and maybe a new dog if you get your way. Which you probably will, because those dimples, boy…”
JJ showed them off, just for her.
“We’re both lucky to have had amazing families. And now we — we get to be our own family. And that to me is the most amazing adventure. And if it was a choose-your-own, I’d choose you, every time. ‘Cause you’re my guy. You always will be. And now I get to call you my husband too.”
She squeezed JJ’s hands, whose toes turned inward with delight.
“May I have the rings?” Ira asked and Cleo’s best friend and maid-of-honor produced the box and gave it to Ira, before falling back in line with Lily and Emily.
Cleo took the bigger of the rings and slid it onto JJ’s finger, smirking as she surprised him with more words.
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is better than wine.”
Ira’s eyes lit up excitedly and he all but clapped like a little girl. JJ laughed loudly.
“You think you’re the only one who can quote the Torah? I went to temple…sometimes,” he said, puffing his chest but meaning every word as he slid the second, “Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life.”
“Oh, well yes,” Ira balked a little but didn’t let it deter him, “It is my honor to pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss and seal your union.”
JJ took Cleo’s face in his hands and landed a kiss right on her lips. He pulled back with a smile, then raised his foot and smashed some glass hidden a cloth at the foot of the chuppah.
“Mazal Tov!” came from the crowd.
“Shalom!” Buffy shouted, followed by the sound of a long groan, “Every. Frickin’. Time.”
“Mommy you said a bad word!” Liam’s giggly voice followed through the park and started a chain reaction of laughter.
Everyone stood and cheered and Kayden stepped over Robyn’s holograph projector to cut her off when she started complaining about the environmental impact of the confetti.
JJ and Cleo walked arm-in-arm back down their grass aisle with matching grins. Cleo bumped JJ’s shoulder.
“Babe, your vows were amazing! You had me thinking you were going to read out the Burger King menu!”
JJ waved to all of the people patting him on the back and spoke to Cleo out of the corner of his mouth.
“I cheated and watched my parents wedding video last night.”
Cleo’s eyes grew incredulously wide.
“You stole your vows from your parents?”
She tapped his chest with her bouquet. JJ held up a hand defensively.
“Be lucky I stole them from my Mom…if I’d taken them from my Momma there would have been nothing at
all!”
Cleo could only smile. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Thanks for letting my Pap-Pap speak.”
JJ smiled adoringly.
“It’s really cute that you call him Pap-Pap.”
Cleo blushed.
“Yeah, there was a pronunciation issue with Pop-Pop.”
“You couldn’t say it?” JJ asked, his nose scrunching affectionately.
Cleo shook his head.
“No, he couldn’t.”
Suddenly there was the sound of whirring motors and a massive gust of wind as a helicopter flew low overhead.
A black ladder was thrown down and a girl with Down’s Syndrome looked over, her blonde hair falling into the front of her red-rimmed glasses.
“Sue get your butt up here right now. We’re late!”
Sue casually grabbed hold of the ladder and she started to be rolled back up.
“Not my damn fault the Lo-Pierce’s could never keep time.”
Willow shielded herself from the gust of air produced by the departing helicopter and shouted over to Tara.
“I’m high, right?” she asked, her eyes narrowing, “They used some funky mascara and now I’m high?”
Santana stood up on the chuppah again to address everybody.
“Now that Sue has made herself the center of every important moment in our lives—”
“She delivered me,” Cleo supplied helpfully.
“—everybody can make their way to the hotel,” Santana continued, “The bride and groom will join us after photos.”
She adjusted her hair.
“Can somebody hold my razor blades?”
The two families hung back to do the photoshoot while everyone else headed onto the champagne reception.
Before Alma went off, she caught Cleo’s hand.
“You’ll get really married with a priest, yes?”
“Sure, Abuela,” Cleo just smiled. She could worry about that another time.
Alma arched a harsh eyebrow.
“And wait for your covenant to be sealed before engaging in the pleasures of marriage?”
Cleo opened her mouth and closed it again.
“Okay,” she nodded quickly.
There was a priest who hung around Times Square who’d give them a blessing for five bucks.
He’d taken over from the cowboy and only wore underwear, but Alma didn’t need to know that.
There was a rotation of family members to get pictures amongst the trees and other greenery until finally just Cleo and JJ were needed under the chuppah.
Brittany walked past, holding her phone.
“Lord Tubbington The Third is Facetiming me.”
“Aww, what happened to the second?” Willow asked sadly and arched an eyebrow, “And the first for that matter?”
Brittany had already gone off to make kissy faces at her phone but thankfully Cleo was still close enough to supply an answer.
“Chronic chonk and developed a dairy allergy that didn’t fit in with his lifestyle or career. And number two gave birth to the third.”
“So she’s Lady Tubbington?” Willow quipped.
Cleo shook her head.
“She started out that way but they preferred not to label themselves. They told my Mom in a dream.”
“Babe,” JJ called and Cleo lifted her dress to hurry over.
“Monarchical hierarchies are cool but gender definition is out of the question,” Willow muttered sarcastically.
Tara smirked.
“Surely Willow you understand given the community we inhabit that anyone can be a Queen.”
Willow held her hands up.
“Anyone can be whoever they want.”
“It’s not about being who they want,” Tara reasoned softly, “It’s about being who they are.”
Willow folded her arms on her chest.
“You know we’re talking about a cat, right?”
“Oh I know all about you and the pussies,” Tara replied, reaching down to tickle the back of Willow’s knee.
“Quit it,” Willow giggled and twisted herself away, then winked, “At least until later.”
Tara offered her hand.
“Let’s go toast to our new daughter.”
Willow nodded slowly.
“I need some champagne too — what did we just marry into?”
“Behave,” Tara warned.
“I thought you didn’t like it when I did that,” Willow said, then leaned in to press a soft kiss on Tara’s cheek.
Tara nuzzled gently and lowered her voice so just Willow could hear her.
“Talkin’ bout my girl…”
Willow rubbed Tara’s knee and they shared a quiet moment amongst the bananas things going on around them.
The hotel banquet room was laid out in soft purples and whites and when Willow and Tara arrived, champagne was offered immediately. They found their table and looked across the room where a lot of the bride’s family were gathered with tambourines and guitars as they tried to out-harmonize each other.
As far as Willow was aware, Cleo couldn’t even sing so she had no idea how she came from these people.
“Where are they? They should have finished photos ages ago.”
“Probably doing what we were doing after our photos,” Tara mused with a soft grin.
Willow pursed her lips and gently bumped Tara’s shoulder.
“Hopefully not for too long. I can only handle one grandchild at a time.”
Tara was pretty sure that was the first time she heard Willow acknowledge the baby as her grandchild. She squeezed Willow’s hand gently.
“Are you okay now?”
Willow slowly nodded.
“I think so. I’m so proud of him. Even if he did steal your vows.”
“He did, didn’t he?” Tara rolled her eyes and smiled, “That boy.”
“Our boy,” Willow finished softly.
Their heads leaned into each other.
Eventually, JJ and Cleo appeared to applause and they basked in it as they walked to the top table. Tara rubbed JJ’s arm as they passed and he stopped to pull her into a split second hug before they continued.
Tara heard a sniffle and wrapped her arm around Willow before she had a chance to burst into full-blown tears.
Dinner was family-style just as it had always been for both of the newly-married couple growing up and contained their favorites; tacos, fried chicken, breadsticks, fondue, and for some reason there was a Slushee machine.
When the meal was finished and the thankfully short-but-witty speeches were made by Cleo’s maid-of-honor and Kayden and Robyn pulling off a double act spoken word bit, the MC announced it was time for the first dance and started to play John Legend’s ‘All Of Me.’
He handed the microphone over to JJ, who cleared his throat and caused some feedback that everyone winced at.
“Sorry. Uh, we’re both so thankful for the parents we’ve had and want to honor how they always put us first,” he said and smiled across the room, “So we’d like our moms to take our first dance with us.”
Tara put her hand on her heart and then smiled at Willow and held it out to her.
Willow smiled, took it and they walked to the dancefloor to flank JJ and Cleo with Brittany and Santana on the other side.
Willow closed her eyes and it could have been her own wedding again, but for that song wasn’t out yet.
But Tara still felt the same and smelled the same and had the same lightness in her step.
Willow opened her eyes and realized Tara was even more beautiful now than she was on that day.
Years had only added to her allure.
Tara was looking back at Willow with the same adoration and the same thoughts.
Together they floated around the dancefloor with their son and his new wife and knew that
their legacy was already that of love.