A Vineyard Wedding

The officiate began to speak and Robin had to force himself to listen to the man's even tone and predictable words. While none of the sentiments he shared could be called inappropriate or untrue, they did a great job of reminding Robin exactly what ceremony he was taking part in now. Suddenly he couldn't help but wish they had chosen to have a smaller ceremony or maybe just run away and elope like Della had with her new bride. Robin had never been a man to be nervous around crowds but the same could not be said for his wedding. He wanted to celebrate but he couldn't help and wish that the official would stop speaking so he could say his piece and get the vows off his chest.

The red ribbon was draped across their hands and once again Robin had to force his focus off of the woman standing by him and back to what was being said. The ribbon dissolved and finally the impatient mans attentions could be focused where he wanted. As Avery spoke his grin waxed and waned, though never disappearing. Suddenly his own vows that he had scratched down on the train ride yesterday were paled by comparison and he doubted his ability to say anything that would mark up. She brushed his cheek and Robin smiled at her, their eyes never quite breaking contact. It was surprisingly easy for him to forget about their audience as Avery spoke and he got lost in her pretty promises.

But in what felt like no time at all she had finished and the officiate turned to Robin with the instructions to give his vows. When the couple had agreed they would rather write their own he had felt confident but now that the time had arrived Robin felt surprisingly exposed. It would be easy to say some nice (but dishonest) things, smile and nod, and get the ceremony over with. But after hearing Avery's words he knew he couldn't leave her without sharing his own feelings at their wedding. Because, oddly enough, there were feelings.

"Avery," Robin began, giving her another warm smile "to say the least you were not in my plans. I went out to see my best friend and met a girl, I went out with a girl and found a friend, and all the sudden a friend is about to become my wife." He took a breath, his words calmly spoken and evenly spaced. The words had been rehearsed under his breath as he paced the dressing room and pondered over as he sat alone in his apartment. There seemed to be no right combination of words to describe Avery with justification and every time he went over his thoughts they warped and changed, becoming a new piece every time.

"It might seem like coincidence that we met but I can't believe I didn't know you years ago. Not only to we have a mind-boggling number of mutual friends -" Robin glanced up to where Mira stood and offered her a little grin before turning back to Avery "- but you're exactly the sort of girl I make a point of being introduced to. You're stubborn, call me names, and I'm sure you would have been a special person in my life, even if the situation had been a little different."

"Avery, I promise to always be there to make you smile, even if it means almost getting you fired. I'll be there to kiss you goodnight and make you pancakes in the morning. I promise that Greece will only be the first stamp in the passport and that I will try and make our life together an adventure, as long as we remember to take some lazy days at home too. And hopefully one day, I'll work to learn your trust in all things, because even though the marriage is coming a little bit soon -" Robin chuckled lightly "- I'm just looking forward to taking you on all the dates that would normally come before the wedding."

"Most of all I promise to remember and show you how much I care because, honestly, it's more than you would ever know." Robin finished and squeezed Avery's hand lightly, keeping them clasped tightly together. The worst of it was over.

The officiate gave them another sad smile before continuing, "Do you, Robin, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, until death do you part?" One last look at Avery and then calmly and clearly Robin spoke. "I do." Without ceremony he repeated the phrase, this time for the woman standing beside him. She spoke her agreement and the officiate closed the ceremony with; "By the power invested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

For the first time since Avery's arrival at the alter he released her hand in order to slide his own around her waist and pull her closer. He flashed her one last toothy grin before leaning down and kissing his wife. Her lips were already familiar but the kiss was somehow new. Maybe it was the crowd of people behind them or their best friends around him or maybe it was just the fact that he was now kissing Avery Ivanov. But for whatever the reason the kiss felt like a beginning.

Claire had been asked to attend any of the weddings she could have. Seeing as she knew absolutely no one in this country, she had to rely on her gossipy personal assistant Roberta to give her the 'down-low' on any weddings taking place. Apparently there was one going on - she checked her watch - well, right now. She was hurrying along, feeling horrible for being late, but to be fair, it wasn't her fault. Her date was being... unreasonably.

"Fur boots and a dress do not match, Elsie," Claire hissed as they approached the location.

"Oh, poo!" Elsie responded. "You're just jealous that I am going to be warm, and you're going to freeze your tits off."

"Elsie!"

The girls were definitely cut from different cloths. Their outfits were proof enough of that. Nevertheless, Claire was infinitely grateful that Elsie had been able to apparate from New York to spend the day with her. These weddings were surely going to be a pain in her ass, and she wanted to make sure she survived them with a smile on her face. These were going to be her business meetings, unfortunately. British society was being dominated by these pairings, and she had to do what she had to do to get her face and name out into society if she wanted to do her job well.

"Remember Elsie-"

"No getting drunk, no screwing the best man, no screwing the groom, no making out with the bride or her bridal court, no locking the deejay in a closet and taking over the music, no taking off my clothes, no asking sexual favors of any of the Minister's staff - I got it, Claire."

Claire glanced at Elsie as they approached the venue. "It worries me that I have to tell you not to do any of that."

"Well," Elsie said, her voice dropping as they hurried to seats in the back. "We missed most of the ceremony, it looks like. Hey, Claire, sit down... Claire?"

Claire hadn't been told who the happy couple was. She had assumed she wouldn't know them. But as she looked at the happily embracing couple, she realized she was wrong.

"Claire..." Elsie looked up to the front. "Oh! SON OF A BIT-"

Claire immediately clapped hands over her best friends mouth and dropped into her seat, her face burning red. She leaned towards Elsie and hissed, "Shut the hell up! As soon as there's a chance, we're getting the hell out of here. Just lay low. Can I let you go now?"

Elsie nodded and Claire released her. Elsie sucked in some breath, waited a moment, and then hissed, "When the f*ck did they become a thing?"

Claire ignored her. She was just thinking the same thing...

Avery had a feeling that if he hadn't been standing there with that grin, and with his hands holding hers, she wouldn't have finished her embarrassingly telling speech. Once he started speaking, though, she realized that her words weren't going to make her feel soft-hearted or anything like that. His, though, clearly could. Although most people on their wedding day would probably be disappointed if their near-husband said she was their friend, Avery could practically feel the tenderness coming off of him.

She very nearly pointed out why they hadn't been friends years ago, before realizing that they weren't alone. That she couldn't just start talking when he seemed to want to share with her, even in front of so many people. If only they felt able to talk like this when they were alone. Sure, they could have a heart-to-heart if they wanted to, but somehow Avery felt like most of their conversations either turned into something playful, or into a mock argument. Somehow, they just didn't want to do the serious thing. She wondered for a moment if that was because they knew the wedding was both inevitable and scary.

In the end, she found herself wishing she could just be at that point. Where a wedding made perfect sense. What she and Robin had may not have been quite at that point, but even as he turned to answer the officiate's question – which Avery heard, but didn't hear – she couldn't look away. He glanced at her before replying, and Avery was sure that he, along with anyone looking at her (of which there were surely many), must have wondered what she was thinking about so seriously. In that moment, it was more of Avery's thoughts running in every direction, hardly allowing her to catch the officiate repeating the question.

“I do.” Avery nodded, voice rather quiet and probably too low for some of the folks sitting behind them to hear. For someone who didn't like to over-think things, or be dramatic, Avery felt she could probably slip for this one day and get away with it.

The first thing that hit her was that her name was different. And that Keiran was right, she did think it wounded rather perfect – somehow, it was like this wasn't the mistake some people might think it was. The second thing to hit her was his wide grin as his hand left hers. With an audible laugh at his tugging her towards him, Avery lifted the hand he'd released and reached for the lapels of his jacket as he leaned down to kiss her. She would claim it was unintentional later, but in an attempt to both ignore those around them and to keep him close to her, she leaned back slightly, pulling him with her and grinning against his lips.

Once Keiran started cracking up behind them, though, she had to laugh again herself, pulling away. She made a mental note to call Keiran all sorts of names later, but where she met Bridget's eyes she realized they still had to head back down the aisle. As much as Avery truly adored her dress, she was itching to change into something a little more suited to sitting, dancing, and especially for eating.

Keiran's eyes scanned the seats and quite nearly gestured in Gavin's direction. Avery was right – Claire had shown up. From the similar facial features as well as the descriptions Avery had given him – Keiran thought he had seen a picture once, too – he didn't think it could be anyone else. His eyes flicked from Gavin to the back of the crowd and back again, before looking to see if Avery or Robin had noticed. By that point they were stepping off of the podium. The girl next to Claire was saying something, but with everyone distracted, Keiran's parents (among others) clapping and the like in an attempt to provide some solidarity, he wasn't sure the two people most likely to react had noticed.

Avery's eyes were flashing back and forth between those seated around them as she and Robin passed and she was certain she must have imagined the flash of blonde hair that so nearly matched her own.

Keiran felt strange staring at Avery and Robin as they went through their vows. The things they said made Keiran wonder if the couple had even discussed anything regarding their feelings in the past. Avery was always so careful that he was almost certain they hadn't done anything too crazy yet. Even talks about one's feelings could get a little intense for someone like Avery who didn't often allow herself to think about such things or chat about them easily.

The most bizarre thing, though, was that Keiran had stood right where Robin was when he spoke to Millie. It had nearly felt like no one else was around because he was concentrating so hard on getting the words to come out right. Now, Keiran's eyes were trained on Avery's face as she took in her fiancee's – her almost-husband's – vows. At one point, he thought she was about to interrupt him, so Keiran had to repress a chuckle.

It wasn't until those around him started laughing that Keiran let himself laugh aloud, apparently causing Avery to realize that it was about time to start heading back towards the house. Keiran glanced around the chairs placed in front of him, his eyes scanning those in attendance. His laughter died quickly as his eyes floated past, then returned to, a blonde in the back of the tent-covered area. He quickly turned to stare at Avery, to see if she noticed, but while his friend looked in her sister's direction, the connection wasn't made. Or if it was, there was no stopping her leaving, because she continued to make her way into the house.

“Gavin,” Keiran said hurriedly, turning to the man in question once people starting filing into the house. “She showed up. She got Avery's invite and actually showed up.” He gestured as subtly as he could towards the back, in the direction of the blonde in question. The woman didn't look pleased, and if he was right, her friend was quite put out as well. “This could be really bad.”

Catching Mira's arm gently, he motioned for her to join them. “So here's the thing. Avery is going to want to talk to her, but I don't think she knows any of us. I've never met her – just seen a picture in Avery's flat.” She had a photo album from long ago stuffed up in a closet but had once shown it to him as she explained what had happened. “I feel like we have to get her to stay, but we also have to be careful about it. I'm not sure if Claire will want to.”