Chapter Ten - The Wedding Dana Scully smoothed the heart-shaped neckline of her pale pink wedding gown. It dipped low to give a brief glimpse of her cleavage before rising again to cover her shoulders. Strange to be wearing such a formal dress, she thought wryly. Scully was unaccustomed to such finery. Nervously she fingered the string of pearls around her neck and glanced, again, in the mirror. Her hair glowed in russet waves around her face. It fell to her shoulders, longer than she'd worn it since first being partnered with Mulder. Small plastic combs attached to the diadem of pearls kept the crown from sliding off. There was nothing to do but wait. Her makeup was perfect, her jewelry reverently set into her hair, at her throat, and in her ears. She resigned herself to the few minutes remaining to her. A sudden rustling and the scrape of the door caught her attention. She turned, expecting to see her bridesmaids returning, but instead a tall dark figure greeted her. Mulder rushed to her, caught her in his arms and kissed her. Scully wanted to scold him for being there, but his reverent gentleness dissolved the rebuke from her tongue. They drew strength from each other after all. "I feel like the guy in that video Will likes so much," Mulder confided. "I'm finally getting married, we're finally getting married, they're finally getting married!" He sang in a silly voice to make her laugh. He looked so good in his grey pinstriped suit. She had sent Leyla, as maid of honor, to pin his buccaneer to him, but he had obviously eluded her. He kissed her again. A sudden giggling erupted, and Katherine Ananda skipped from the corner where she'd been hiding. "Aha! Spying, are you, little boo?" Her father scooped her up in his arms, then suddenly stiffened as he examined her apparel. "Where's your birth ring, Ananda?" Solemnly she pulled the tiny baby ring on a fragile gold chain from under and behind her hair where it was hiding. Mulder looked at the tiny twinkling emerald, and relaxed. He had gifted the ring to her on her birth day, and her name was inscribed inside in the tiniest imaginable script. He carefully smoothed her curly dark locks and admired her dress, a miniature version of Dana's. "Go find your brother and the other ladies, Ananda. We're just about ready to get started." Before she could get very far however, the wee girl was carried back into the room on a tidal wave of excited people. Leyla Harrison, Kimberly Skinner, Monica Reyes, Will Mulder and Margaret Scully all tried to speak at once. Leyla went to Mulder, and shyly helped him with the stargazer lily. The flower was pure white outside, with pale pink streaks inside, and occasional flecks of red. Will took charge of his little sister, making sure she didn't tip her basket of chrysanthemum petals prematurely. Kim and Monica made last minute adjustments to the mums in their hair, while Maggie assured her daughter that all her guests were comfortable. Yes, Bill Jr. was behaving himself. No, Father McCue was not offended at all that he was a guest instead of an official. "Well Mulder? Do you know your vows?" Scully asked Mulder breathlessly. They were going to mix their own promises with the traditional vows. "Me? Of course Scully. Don't worry about a thing," he replied smoothly. Scully cocked an eyebrow at him, and he smiled winningly. The argument over what the vows would be was nothing compared to the one over the music. Each felt fairly comfortable with the compromise that had eventually been reached. "Okay then. Let's get married." Doggett arrived just then to escort Maggie to her seat, while Walter Skinner, beaming fit to blind them all, took Scully's arm. There was no sight of the Lone Gunmen, William, or the Justice of the Peace. Mulder had a momentary stab of jitters. He couldn't remember if Will had the rings or not! Then he recalled with relief that Frohike had taken care of that little detail. He hoped. They stood in the doorway of the Navel Academy chapel, and everyone's eyes were on them. When the wedding date was announced, half the Bureau's agents announced their intention to attend. Now, as the last strains of "Love Me Tender" died away, every family member and fellow agent rose in a standing ovation. Mulder, Scully, and Skinner paused in shock. Tears glistened in three pairs of eyes as the battle weary soldiers recognized the unexpected support of their peers. Skinner turned now to Mulder. In full view of everyone, not quite all the way in the chapel, Skinner took Scullly's hand and purposefully placed it in Mulder's. Another smothered cheer arose as Walter gave the bride away. Both had agreed that since their partnership and romance had been unconventional, so should this formal binding be. Thus, many of the traditional conventions of a wedding were cast aside in favor of a more...Mulder/Scully flavoring. The lovers gently shooed Will and Ananda ahead of them, and walked down the aisle to the beat of Pat Benatar's "We Belong." Many there who knew them would agree that it was a fitting song. Dana was openly weeping now, and Mulder's jaw worked as he struggled with his composure. His eyes were bright and his chest heaved rapidly. The smiling Justice doubled, then trebled, in his vision, yet his step did not falter once. ------------------- They reached the front of the chapel. William turned to stand with the Gunmen, all decked out in suits. Mulder found the sight of them almost unbearably odd. Frohike was grinning so widely that his back teeth threatened to fall out. Ananda skipped happily up to her "auntie Leyla" and found the task of standing still for the ceremony a daunting task. Justice Peter Broadus led them briskly through the legalities. It was only moments before Fox Mulder and Dana Scully turned to each other, ready to promise love and devotion, this time in the sight of all assembled. Truly, the promise itself had been made years before, in the silence of a hospital and the shadow of a fearsome illness. "I, Dana Katherine, take you, Fox William, as my husband. Forsaking the trust of all others, I will believe in you for all time. No monster, no sickness, no conspiracy shall ever take me from your side. No death shall break our bond. At the end of our lives, I will lay beside you in the grave." Mulder sniffled, struggling not to cry. He wanted to be able to get through the ceremony, and crying always made him talk funny. Scully turned to Frohike and William. Will had already given the rings to Melvin and Leyla when he arrived at the head of the aisle, and Leyla was ready to hand Mulder's ring to Scully. "This ring is a symbol of the joining of our souls. Never ending," she declared solemnly as she slipped the gold band on his finger. His was inscribed with My Constant, while hers bore the words My Touchstone. Mulder had to pause for long moments and wipe his eyes several times before he was able to speak. "I, Fox William, take you, Dana Katherine, as my wife. Forsaking all others, for in you I have found my Truth." His voice broke as he said this, but he managed to go on without making a fool of himself. "I will trust no other, love no other, believe in no other. When my last breath leaves me, even you will not. I am complete only with you." He turned blindly towards the Gunmen. Melvin extended the ring without a word. "With this ring, I prove to you," Scully made a small sound of some unnamed emotion, "that my devotion will always be and has always been neverending." He slipped it with shaking hands onto her tiny finger. "By the power vested in me by the state of Maryland, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Justice Peter announced briskly. A huge cheer rose from everyone present as Mulder grabbed his bride in his eagerness and gave her her first married kiss. When they parted, they turned to the assembled crowd and made a huge sweeping bow in unison. Mulder and Scully could not contain what could only be described as shit eating grins as they made their way out of the chapel. Followed by their attendants, they formed a well-wishing line outside. Maggie was the first to reach them. "You're my son now," she whispered into Mulder's ear as she hugged him. "Take care of her," drawing back and looking searchingly into his eyes. "And take care of my grandchildren." "I will ma'am," Mulder replied, reminded again of where Scully got her uncanny sense of intuition. Doggett was next, having elbowed Skinner out of the way. "Congratulations!" Scully didn't think he could smile any wider...at Leyla. Walter jabbed him in the back to move him along. "'Bout time you two got married," the usually stern A.D. said to them. "If we had done it any earlier, we wouldn't have Katie here to be our flowergirl," Scully wisecracked. "Well Spooky, you done good," Tom Colton admiringly, if a little grudgingly, shook Mulder's hand. On and on the well wishers came, not wanting to spoil the happy day with any gossip. Tomorrow would be time enough for the secretarial pool to talk about how sexy Mulder looked in his suit. Tomorrow was time enough to compare accounts of how radiant Scully had looked. For now, everyone was truly happy for the Bureau's most talked about couple. "So...off to your honeymoon?" Monica asked an hour later, when the last guests disappeared. There was no reception, the wedding had been party enough. "Uh huh. We're going to Cancoun for the weekend. Our plane leaves shortly." Scully was watching Will wrap his arms and legs around his grandma in a huge bear hug as she spoke. "The children are staying with my mother, with Doggett and Skinner looking in on them for safety's sake." "Well." Mulder clapped his hands briskly and rubbed them together. "Let's get going Scully." She smirked slightly and rolled her eyes at the women who had stood with her. They all giggled at how anxious Mulder was to start his honeymoon. "Lucky woman," drawled Kim suggestively. Leyla blushed even as she nodded vigorous agreement. The newly wed parents said tender goodbye to their children, kissed the generous mother who took them, and waved cheerfully to the last of their friends who remained. Off in the rented limo they went, a gay "Just Married" sign firmly affixed to the bumper. Mulder honked a few times just for good measure.