“That should do it.” Blair stepped back, admiring her handiwork as much as the woman who wore it.
Miranda turned to look into the full length mirror and took a deep breath, standing a bit straighter, holding her shoulder's back, slightly elongating her neck. “Indeed.” The strapless, sleeveless dress fit her like a second skin and had been intentionally chosen to show off what was, in Miranda's opinion, one of her best features. That Andrea commented on her neck and shoulders almost constantly helped that opinion considerably. The amount of time Andrea concentrated on the expanse of skin during their lovemaking only gave the young woman's words the credibility mere spoken platitudes lacked. Now though, the area seemed perhaps too much. She frowned as she tried to think of a quick solution.
Tilting her head, Blair nodded at Miranda's frown and agreed. “Yeah...” The ankle length dress itself was silvery white, matching Miranda's hair perfectly. There were thousands of shimmering nearly clear disks that covered the breast and torso section. Miranda had began calling them her “scales” almost instantly during the first fitting. It was the perfect dress for Miranda and also, not quite right. Anyone attending the festivities would be in awe of the older woman in this dress. It outlined her body and showed off the smooth skin that many people much younger than Miranda would kill for, but that was really for Andy today. The dress needed a half jacket, or, something. “Ah...” Blair clicked her teeth together and looked around the room. “I see now... hold on.” Blair pulled a half-jacket and a diaphanous white scarf . Miranda was about to reach for the half-jacket when the door opened.
Emily and Serena entered the room, Serena nearly slamming into Emily as the shorter woman stopped suddenly at the sight of Miranda. The soft “Bloody Hell” her girlfriend uttered made Serena smile. She pushed Emily forward, encouraging the redhead, “Go on...”
With a deep breath, Emily approached Miranda and held out a thin, flat box. “Miranda, this... is for you.” She handed over the item.
“I was certain the invitations specified no gifts...” Miranda accepted the box. “Did they not?”
“Yes, Miranda.” Emily smiled. “They did, but this isn't so much a gift as it is, a tradition.” She gestured for Miranda to open it.
Lifting the lid from the container, Miranda smiled. “Ah.” Gently, she liberated the silk Hermes scarf from its resting place, then named the color. “Cerulean blue?”
Emily nodded. “Yes.” She shrugged. “I know how much you wanted the collection for Andrea's last birthday, and she indicated that it had some sentimental value for her when she picked it as one of her colors... so I thought...”
“It's perfect,” Miranda stepped forward and gave Emily a brief hug. Turning her attention to Blair, Miranda asked, “Don't you agree?”
Nodding at that Blair set aside the items in her hands and took the scarf, draping it over Miranda's shoulders. “Yes... now we just need...” She stopped speaking as Miranda picked a brooch up off the dresser. “Oh, yes, that's perfect.” Attaching the scarf together with the brooch just below the hollow of Miranda's throat, Blair nodded, “Excellent.” Leaning closer, Blair whispered. “You know what this is going to do to Andy, right?” The twinkle in Miranda's eye answered that question quite nicely and Blair chuckled. “You're so bad.”
With a wink, Miranda turned to Emily. “Thank you. You were correct, the color does have meaning for both Andrea and myself. Speaking of which,” She pulled a small wrapped package from the dresser drawer and handed it to Serena. “Would you please deliver this to Andrea?”
“Of course, Miranda.” Serena took the package and with a nod and smile to Emily went to carry out her errand.
Miranda looked into the mirror again. Her fingertips brushed the scarf, then grazed the brooch. “Now I have something blue, and something old...”
“And something new,” Cassidy handed her mother a tiny red shoe on a key ring. “It's a flash drive with a message for you from Ro and me, for later.”
Miranda smiled at the tiny representation of a Prada shoe and nodded, “Thank you, Bobbsey.” She attached the bauble to her bouquet then picked a plain flashdrive up off of the dresser, “Would you please give this to the DJ?”
“Sure.” Cassidy took the drive and hugged her mom quickly. She murmured, “I love you, Mom...” When she pulled back she smiled at the rest of the assembled people, “The guests are arriving, so it's time for me and Ro to go do our thing.” She looked at Emily. “When it's time for them to walk down the aisle, we'll play the bridesmaids down, then a few measures of “Here Comes the Bride.” After that we'll do the less traditional version I came up with and meet them on the stage once they're in place.”
Emily nodded. “Yes, good.”
“Unless...” Cassidy grinned, “You want us to play the Imperial March instead...”
Miranda watched as Emily's eyes widened considerably, when the redhead realized that the song Cassidy was talking about was from Star Wars and always accompanied Darth Vader's scenes. Laughing loudly at her troublemaking daughter, Miranda waved off the suggestion. “As... appropriate as that piece may be, no changes to the ceremony will be required.”
“Okay then...” Cassidy gave them all a jaunty salute and made her escape. It was time to get this show on the road.
Emily left a few moments later to make sure everything was being handled correctly.
###
The murmur of the guests became louder as their numbers grew but soon the girls would begin playing. The music would soothe the guests while they waited and set the mood for the ceremony. Emily glared at the ushers but had to admit they were doing a fine job.
Chad smiled at the couple who had just entered. “May I see your invitations please?” The requested items were handed over, one with a name imprinted on it, and one with the same name and the word guest next to it. Chad nodded. “If you will notice the color coding on the floor under the seats, please sit anywhere you wish in the white zone.” He handed the cards back to them and smiled again. “Thank you for being here, Mr. Thakoon.” He kept one eye on them as they dutifully found seats in the correct area, then turned all his attention to the man now entering. “May I see your invitation please?”
“Oh... sure...” He made a show of patting his pockets for a moment then produced the item. “Here ya go.”
Chad looked at the folded card and frowned, “Um... hold on, just a moment.” This was a situation Emily had warned them about. The gesture he used to tell the man to wait a moment was enough to bring Doug to his side, and Emily to have a hitch in her breath. That was all she had time to do, however, before two security guards, who had also seen Chad's holding gesture, were on either side of the man, escorting him out. Emily watched them go and knew he would be held until she could deal with him personally. The next man walking into the venue barely raised an eyebrow at the man being escorted away.
Doug smiled and patted Chad on the back, then returned to his side of the door, directing people to their correct color zone as smoothly as Chad was doing.
Chad pocketed the counterfeit invitation then put the thought of the gatecrasher out of his mind and got back to business, looking at the man next in line, “May I see your invitation please?”
“Certainly.” He produced the card.
“Okay...” Chad smiled. “If you would notice the color coding under the seating. You may sit anywhere you like in the blue section.” He handed the invitation back. “Thank you for being here, Mr. Holt.” He watched the man for a second as he moved on up the aisle, then turned his attention to the next set of guests.
###
Doug smiled and handed the invitation back to the man in front of him, hoping his hands weren't shaking too much. “Thank you for being here, Mr. Lagerfeld.” He let out a long slow breath as the man moved on down the rows of chairs to the blue section. Turning his attention to the next couple in line he smiled at the elderly woman and her escort. “Well hello.”
Tante Louise smiled at the boy. “You're doing a good job, young man.”
“Thanks.” He waved off the attempt to pass their invitations to him, “I know who you are...” He grinned. “You can sit anywhere you like up front, in the non-color coded sections on either side.”
Natalie nodded and re-linked her elbow with Tante. “Shall we?”
Emily nodded to herself and breathed a sigh of relief. This part was going as smoothly as could be expected. She resisted the urge to go take care of the gate crasher right now. The ceremony was too close to beginning. She had to be here for that. She watched as several more designers along with some of the titans of the publishing industry arrived. She also saw that Miranda's ex-husband, James, had settled into his seat with the large St. Bernard sitting quietly next to him. She had thought it was insanity when Andy had insisted that the dog be present, but the soft look Miranda had gotten when the suggestion had been made convinced her. Luckily the hotel was pet-friendly and James was familiar with the animal, or more accurately, Patricia was familiar with James.
The space was filling up fast, but Emily stepped outside for a moment to make a few phone calls. There were some last minute details she wanted to double check, again.
###
Andy looked at the item Serena had just handed her. “What is it?”
“She did not say.” Serena smiled. “but I very much got the impression that you were to open it now.”
“Mmm...” With only a bit of trepidation, Andy unwrapped the package and laughed, then her eyes narrowed and she began laughing again. She showed everyone present the scrap. “It's my “something blue”.” It was, in fact, a scrap of the very first something blue that Miranda had ever seen her in. Chuckling to herself, an almost wistful thought crossed Andy's mind. I'm going to miss that sweater.
Caroline grinned. “And here is your “something new”.”
Andy looked at the small book-shaped flash drive the girl had just passed to her.
“It's a message, from me and Cass.” Caroline smiled, “It's for later, just watch it sometime next week...” Laughing at the expression on Andy's face, Ro shook her head. “For now just use it for your, something new.”
There was a soft knock at the door then Cassidy slipped into the room. “C'mon, Ro... it's time to play.”
Nodding, Caroline gave Andy a final hug. “See ya out there.”
Andy nodded and watched the girls leave. Her hands were shaking so hard she could barely wrap the Cerulean blue fabric around the base of her bouquet. She laughed at herself, nervously. “Now I just need something old.”
Lily spoke up, “I got ya covered girlfriend.” She handed over a small photo. “Remember this?”
“Oh my god...” Andy laughed at the picture. “How old were we here? Six?”
“Five I think.” Lily smiled. “I know that I've been a jerk sometimes...”
“Sometimes?” Andy grinned.
Lily rolled her eyes. “But you're my best friend...”
Andy nodded and tucked the photo into the heart of her bouquet. “You will always be a dear friend to me Lily.”
They all heard the piano music begin. Andy swallowed hard. “Jesus, this is about to happen isn't it...” She began to tremble harder.
Jo stepped forward. “I have something for you too... but it's not really something you can carry.” She pulled out her phone and dialed a number only waiting two rings before the connection was made. “Yeah.. Sheri.. it's me. You in position?” She nodded and glanced at Andy. “Good... let's see it then.” Pulling her phone away from her ear, Jo looked at the screen and nodded when an image came through. She turned it for Andy to see. “I thought this might set your mind, somewhat, at ease.”
“What is that?”
“That,” Jo winked, “is Judy. Safely tucked in her cell, a thousand miles away.”
Taking a deep ragged breath, Andy nodded. “Wow... thanks.”
“No problem.” Jo put the phone back to her ear. “Thanks Sheri... that's all we need.” She slipped her phone back into her pocket then found herself surrounded by Andy's long arms. “Hey...you're welcome...”
“You don't know what a relief it is, knowing she's not going to be here...” Andy sighed. “The letters finally stopped. They said her mail privileges were revoked, but with all the stuff going on, with the pictures and...”
“Yeah.” Jo smiled at her friend, “I figured you'd want a little reassurance.”
Nodding, Andy pulled away and took a deep breath. “It is nice to know for sure.”
###
Slipping back into Miranda's changing space, Serena reported. “Andy loved her something blue.”
Miranda nodded. “Thank you.”
Serena took advantage of their solitude, making a few touch ups to Miranda's mascara.
Miranda heard the music begin and was surprised to see her hand shaking. Serena's calm voice, broke through her nervous daze.
“Miranda, perhaps you should sit alone for a moment?”
Automatically grabbing the hands that had gently been applying her makeup, Miranda looked up into Serena's eyes. “Thank you, Serena.”
“Of course.” Serena kneeled next to the chair, the slits in her dress exposing most of her legs in the process. “I should give you a moment.”
“Don't go.” Retaining hold of Serena's hands for a moment of silence, Miranda suddenly chuckled, squeezing the hands in hers lightly. “You're breaking the unspoken rule.”
Nodding somberly, Serena spoke quietly. “You are an awesome woman, Miranda Priestly, but you are not untouchable as some often claim.”
Licking her lips, Miranda grinned. “So, my reputation falters... and I am not even married yet.”
“I shall tremble appropriately when in the halls of Runway.” Serena hesitated then continued quietly, “There is another rule that I wish to break...”
“Oh?” Miranda's eyebrows raised. “You enjoy pushing your luck?”
“It is luck that I wish to gather.” Serena explained as she took a delicate silver chain off her wrist. “I would... ask, that you carry this with you, during the ceremony.” She smiled as Miranda took the jewelry. “I feel that when you return it to me, afterward, a small amount of the love you and Andy share will be infused into it... to help me in my own romantic endeavors.”
Miranda smiled softly and nodded. “Of course.” Miranda looked at the chain and then held out her wrist. “Help me...”
“Oh!” Serena let out a happy sigh of relief. “I didn't realize you would actually wear it!” She wrapped the chain around Miranda's wrist and clicked the clasp. “Thank you...”
Miranda laughed and reached out, tapping Serena's smile dimpled cheek. “I could always just order Emily to marry you.”
Laughing at that, Serena winked as she rose gracefully from her kneeling position. “I am holding that option, in reserve.”
Chuckling at that, Miranda nodded again, “Very well...” With a wry grin, Miranda looked down at her left hand and rolled her eyes. She spoke quietly to Serena. “I, too, have a request.”
“Oh?”
“Mmmm...” Miranda studied the tiny dragon that rested on her finger then slowly slid the ring off of her finger. “I should give this to Emily to hold...”
“Oh!” Serena nodded and took the piece of jewelry Miranda was holding out. “I will see that she gets it...”
“Thank you, Serena.” Closing her eyes, Miranda tried to relax for a moment. She tracked the sounds of Serena moving around the space until the sound of the door opening caught her attention.
“Miranda...”
A sudden calm washed over Miranda as Emily spoke quietly.
“It's time.”
###
Andy examined her shoes and smiled. Miranda would barely classify what she was wearing as “shoes”. They were really nothing more than a sole-shaped pieces of wood with leather straps attached at various places. The long strips of leather had been, painstakingly if you asked Lily, woven and wrapped around her calf to hold the sole in place. It matched what she'd come to think of as her “high priestess” gown to perfection. The leather was already beginning to cut into her calf but, oddly, they weren't the most uncomfortable things she'd ever worn in her life. She wiggled her toes and grinned at the feel of the silver sixpence taped to the wood under her left foot.
With her outfit complete, Andy's thoughts turned, again, to her vows. The ceremony was going to begin, soon, and she still hadn't solidified the words she wanted to say to Miranda. Thinking about that, about the emotions she felt toward Miranda and the girls, something her mom had said drifted through her mind. Don't make her choose... don't make her choose between her past and her future... Her father's voice floated through her head next... After all she's done, you're still choosing her?
“Of course I choose her, Daddy...” Andy whispered to herself, “Miranda and the girls are my family... my future.” The words that had been swirling around in her head every time she'd tried to write her vows suddenly calmed down and coalesced into coherent thoughts. She heard the door open and a wave of calm washed over her as Lily's voice broke through her thoughts.
“Andy, it's time.”
Grinning at her friend, even though her hand shook as she held her bouquet, Andy nodded. “You bet it is.”
Lily cleared her throat and held out her hand. “Hand it over.”
With a deep resigned breath, Andy looked down at her left hand. She did not want to take off her engagement ring but realized that, in this one instance, it was necessary. It only caused a twinge in her heart as she slid the ring off her finger and handed it to Lily.
“I'll give it back as soon as I can.” Lily slid the band around her thumb, the only place it fit with any sort of security and smiled. “I won't lose it.”
Andy nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat, and wiggled her now bare fingers, anxious to begin.
###
Serena smiled and encouraged Miranda with a jaunty tilt of her head as she brushed past the waiting bride to stop for a moment next to the almost as nervous bridesmaid. She rested her hand at the small of Emily's back and whispered quietly, “You will be fine.”
Emily smiled softly. “Thank you.”
Smiling at the woman she loved more than anything, Serena held out Miranda's ring. “You need to hold this for her...”
“Oh!” Emily blinked as she took the ring, reverently. “Yes, of course...”
Nodding, Serena move on out of the dressing area, leaving the door open behind her. She gave Lily, who was standing in the doorway to Andy's dressing room, a wave then moved on into the main tent to find her seat. As Andy's friend and a close acquaintance of Miranda's, Serena's seat was up near the front in the non-color coded area. She managed not to grin at the jealous looks she was receiving as she walked, runway style, to the empty seat between Miranda's sister-in-law and ex-husband. Smiling, she reached down to ruffle the fur on the back of Patricia's neck before settling fully in her seat.
When the anxious murmurs of the crowd began to die down, Serena looked at Cassidy and nodded.
Cassidy grinned and caught Caroline's eye. In a small burst of their twin bond, they both smiled and fading off on the song they'd been performing, began to play the classical song they'd agreed would accompany the bridesmaids down the aisle.
Almost simultaneously, the entire crowd turned to watch the door and waited breathlessly for the couple to appear.
###
Miranda looked around Emily, but all she could see across the tent was Lily standing in the door of Andrea's dressing space. It was odd, this feeling of anticipation. She had not experienced it in either of her previous marriages. Emily began to walk forward and Miranda also moved up to stand where Emily had been. She looked across the space to see Lily moving toward her, then Andrea's bridesmaid turned to walk into the main tent and Andrea appeared in the doorway where Lily had stood. Miranda felt her jaw drop slightly even as her stomach flipped and her heart jumped into her throat. Her hands trembled and she wondered if her knees would hold out as she moved toward Andrea.
Andy took a deep breath and watched Lily walk forward before she moved to stand in the doorway. Across the way, Miranda stood in the doorway and Andy swallowed convulsively. Her stomach flipped and she felt her hands trembling around the bouquet she held. Without even knowing she moved, Andy was walking toward Miranda, her eyes drawn to the scarf covering what she knew was flawless skin on Miranda's shoulders. Her fingers twitched to remove the soft blue covering.
They met in the middle and whispered simultaneously. “You're a goddess.” “You're beautiful.” They heard the music and linking elbows, moved down the aisle, together. Walking through the doors to the main tent, they both smiled as the entire crowd gasped. Tightening their grips on each other's hands and also their bouquets, they moved forward, in step with each other and the music that Cassidy was playing.
Before the last row of chairs, just inside the door, Andy saw Chad standing there and gave him a puzzled look. He just smiled at her, winked and tilted his head for her to go ahead. She realized that he was staying near the door, just in case their father returned. Mouthing the words thank you to him, Andy continued up the aisle with Miranda.
Dorothy wiped a tear from her eye as she watched Andrea walking up the aisle. She looked at the happiness on her daughter's face and sighed. This really was what she had always wanted for Andrea; for her to be happy. Her vision blurred with even more tears as her own happiness at witnessing this moment overwhelmed her. It was only slightly diminished by her husband's attitude and absence. She returned Andrea's smile and tracked the couple as they stepped up onto the makeshift stage.
The music stopped and the girls took their places in the wedding party. They grinned at each other as the bouquets were handed off to their older counterparts and then they exchanged smiles with their mom and Andy.
Nigel cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses as all eyes focused on him. He smiled at his old friend and boss, then at his new friend and former co-worker. “We are all born into families, and we don't have much choice in the matter. But as we grow, our family does too. The people we meet, the friendships we make, extend our family beyond blood boundaries. And for those lucky few, as Miranda and Andrea have discovered, love can bind two people together closer than blood ever could. We come together today, to celebrate the union of Miranda and Andrea and to witness the beginning of a new family, a family bonded by love.”
“Now for a bit of business...” Looking over the top of his glasses, Nigel asked, “Does anyone here know of any reason why we may not legally continue with this ceremony?” After a few moments of complete silence in the tent he nodded. Looking out over the crowd, he continued with his rehearsed lines. “Miranda and Andrea have written their own vows to signify what this union means to them and how they feel about each other.” Grinning at the couple, he gestured to Miranda. “You first.”
With her heart thundering in her chest and the blood pumping through her veins so fast it was nearly all she could hear, Miranda nodded and turned to face Andrea. It took a moment to swallow the lump in her throat as she looked into Andrea's large, liquid-brown eyes, “When you brought up the notion of writing our own wedding vows, I informed you in no uncertain terms that, of the two of us, you were the writer. And that was… is... true. You are the one who can pull words out of the air, bending them, shaping them to your will. I am not a writer, as much as I am an editor. I take words that others have written and shape them into something acceptable, if they aren’t already. Therefore, I decided to do some research, find vows that have already been written and bend them for my own use.”
She smiled when Andrea did and continued, “I found many flowery declarations of love and fidelity, but I began to wonder about the very definitions of the words being used. Naturally, I decided to look them up for myself. What I found was quite disturbing. For example, when I looked up ‘amazing’ the definition was there: adjective : causing amazement, great wonder, or surprise but there was something…missing. I realized that for the definition to be complete there should be an addition : see also, Andrea Sachs. As I continued searching for words to use, intelligent, faithful, loving, beautiful, they all came up missing the same annotation :see also, Andrea Sachs. It’s quite an oversight on Merriam-Webster’s part.” She glared into the crowd at the publisher of that particular book, then continued her thoughts. “Word after word, incredible, fantastic, brilliant… all missing the one part of their definition that would make them complete :see also, Andrea Sachs.”
“Many of the people here do not know, as you do, that I no longer believe in the religion I was raised in. At this point in my life there are very few things I do believe in. I don’t know if there is an afterlife of some kind, a Heaven, or if there is a guardian at the gates with a book holding all our names and a summary of our lives. I do know, if that is the case, the entry for me will say; Miranda Priestly – woman, mother, wife, editor… and a few other things I’m sure shouldn’t be repeated with children present.” She paused to let the wave of chuckles pass through the audience, and to let her children finish their eyerolls. Miranda locked her gaze with Andrea's and continued seriously. “But, I also know, that the definition of me will not be complete without the addition of you. See also, Andrea Sachs.”
The tears in Andrea's eyes nearly caused her to stop. Knowing they were happy tears allowed her to push through, continuing in the same serious tone she had taken. “The traditional vows require that couples exchange promises to each other, in front of the people present, and their God, to love each other until death parts them. I will take that vow, but it is not right, not enough to express how I feel toward you. So right now I pledge to you, in front of all our friends and family, and any Deities that may be paying attention. You, Andrea, are a part of my soul. I will share with you all the good things that our life together will bring, and nothing will stop me from loving you, not rumors and innuendo, not poverty, not illness, not death.” She smiled and wiped an escaped tear from her own cheek. “I will love you forever, my Andrea, my heart, always.” Licking her lips, Miranda smiled again then whispered quietly, “That’s all.”
Andy lost herself in Miranda's eyes until Nigel softly saying her name pulled her back to the immediate task at hand. She cleared her throat and reached out to take Miranda's hands. “I've been trying to find the words to describe how I feel toward you. And, as you discovered, none of them seemed adequate, none of them were enough to describe the depth or intensity of my feelings for you and nothing could possibly describe the connection I feel when I'm with you, and when I'm not. You're there,” Andy smiled and placed her free hand over her heart. “You're here, with me, always.” She looked into Miranda's vivid blue eyes and continued, “I know we have had many naysayers. Many of them are strangers, some of them aren't, but none of them know, how this,” She tapped her heart again, “feels. There have been many questions I've had to answer during my relationship with you, most are easy to answer, but there is one that is practically impossible to respond to, because of the lack of words available.” Licking her lips, Andy spoke the question. “Why choose her?”
Shaking her head, Andy gave the impression of shrugging, “I can't answer that, because I can't tell them in words how much I love you, how much a part of me you are.”
“It basically all comes down to choices. We have many choices in our lives. From the day we are born the choices that are made for us begin to shape us, and as we grow the choices we make for ourselves mold us into the adults we become. As adults, we use that model for even more important choices, some of them are hard, so hard that it seems as if they aren't a choice at all. Some are easy, obvious, but all of them steer our lives to places we want to be, and places we never imagined.” She took a breath and continued. “The question, why choose her, is wrong. When it comes to you, Miranda, I have no choice. Because to not choose you, would mean taking my life off its true path, to a place I do not want to be, ever. So now, to all the naysayers who've asked, I say to them,” She squeezed the fingers in hers and smiled, “for better or worse, I choose you. For richer or poorer, I choose you. In sickness and in health, I choose you. Forsaking all others, I will always choose you.”
With a deep breath, Andy smiled, “You... are mine, Miranda. You are a part of me, a part of my soul, and I will be with you, forever, because I want to be, because I need to be, because I... choose to be. Nothing anyone says or does will change that. Ever.”
Swallowing against the lump in her throat, Andy managed to push the last words she wanted to say past her lips, “I love you.”
Nigel smiled and let a moment of silence pass before he cleared his throat and continued with the ceremony. “I don't see what else needs to be said, but there are traditional aspects of this ceremony that need to be performed.” He took the rings off his pinkie finger, where he'd been holding them. “The unbroken circle is a symbol of the unending love you have both professed.” He handed one of the rings to Miranda. “Miranda Louise Priestly, do you, take Andrea to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Miranda took the ring, barely able to control the tremors in her hand, and nodded. “I do.”
He grinned and handed the other ring to Andy. “And do you, Andrea Renee Sachs, take Miranda to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Andy swallowed hard as she took the ring with shaking fingers, nodded and managed to whisper, “I do.”
Nodding, Nigel gestured to his boss. “Miranda...”
Miranda took Andrea's left hand and couldn't help noticing that Andrea was shaking just as much as she was. She spoke quietly as she slipped the ring onto Andrea's bare finger. “I give you this ring as a token of my love and a promise. I swear to do anything and everything in my power to secure your happiness. I will make every effort possible to ensure that any tears you shed from this day forward are joyous ones. I have no wish to experience even one day without the brightness of your smile.”
Andy smiled and wiggled her fingers, feeling the weight of the new ring settling into place.
Nigel leveled a look on his young friend. “Andy, your turn.”
Taking Miranda's left hand, Andy lifted it and kissed the bare skin on Miranda's ring finger, her lips brushing lightly across the one tiny bit of Miranda that she hoped would never be bare again. She didn't know how, but she managed to speak as she slid the ring into place. “I give you this ring, as a token of my love and a promise. With all that I have, all that I am, and all that I will ever be, from this day forward, all my smiles are for you.” Andy loosened her hold slightly to allow Miranda to wiggle her fingers, settling the ring into place. Her trademarked million watt smile appeared and she spoke one last promise. “I love you, always.”
Grinning at that, Nigel nodded once and spoke to the couple and the audience. “Although I am officiating here today, it is not truly within my power to sanctify, legitimize or bless this relationship in any way. Miranda and Andrea have already done that in their hearts. However, there are legalities that I can perform with some amount of confidence.” He grinned at the couple. “Therefore, insomuch as Miranda and Andrea have exchanged vows and rings, and have stated their love for one another in front of all the witnesses here, by the authority vested in me, in accordance with the law in Massachusetts, it is my great and distinct honor to now pronounce Miranda and Andrea... married.” He tilted his head at the couple and gestured for them to close the gap between them as he spoke to them both. “You may kiss your bride.”
Twice before Miranda had heard those words, or a similar phrase, but neither of those instances had caused her to tremor as she was now. Moving the half step forward it took to step into Andrea's arms, Miranda thought the entire room could surely hear her heart thundering in her chest, even though her own ears were filled with the sound of blood rushing through them. Lost in Andrea's eyes, her arms slid around the young woman's waist of their own accord and then, nothing else mattered. Andrea's arms wrapped around her shoulders, long fingers threading through her hair, pressing them closer until their lips met for an eternal, perfect, moment.
Andy could feel her hands shaking as they brushed past the silk surrounding Miranda's shoulders, seeking out bare skin. She felt Miranda's hands on her waist pulling her closer and suppressed a groan as their lips met, softly at first, then gently moving against each other as she threaded her fingers into Miranda's hair, holding the woman, her wife, exactly where she wanted her to be.
The sound of applause, and Nigel clearing his throat, finally drew Andy out of the kiss. She pulled away, reluctantly and knew from the look in those lovely blue eyes that Miranda didn't want to stop this particular part of the ceremony either. Smiling her megawatt smile, Andy took a deep breath and almost didn't believe it when Nigel spoke to the crowd.
“Ladies and Gentlemen my I present... Mrs. Andrea Sachs-Priestly and Mrs. Miranda Priestly-Sachs.”
The entire crowd stood, almost as one entity, and the applause again filled the space as Miranda and Andy faced their audience, hand in hand. Andy's gaze didn't get any farther than the first row. Her mom was there, using a tissue to dab at the tears leaking from her eyes. Andy glanced at Miranda and smiled at her wife. My wife! Music began to play and Andy realized that the girls had returned to the pianos. A gentle squeeze of Miranda's hand let Andy know it was time to start walking.
To Andy it felt like they were walking in slow motion, or maybe more like a dream when the place you're going keeps getting farther away no matter how many steps are taken, but Andy continued to put one foot in front of the other, somehow. She smiled and nodded, as Miranda was doing, to acknowledge the grins and well wishes being directed at them as they walked. When she passed her brother, still standing at the back of the room, he gave her a thumbs up. Then, suddenly, they were entering Miranda's dressing area.
Unable to let go of Miranda's hand, and unable to look away from Miranda's beautiful face. Andy had no idea how long she had simply stood there staring into loving blue eyes. My wife! She vaguely heard Lily's voice saying her name, but ignored it. She also ignored the jostling motion at her elbow. It was Miranda, shifting her attention for a split second, who finally broke the rapport and Andy blinked when her wife's beautiful voice spoke softly.
“You might want this back.”
Looking down, Andy saw Miranda's elegant hands sliding the ring Lily had handed her into place next to the wedding band Miranda had placed there moments ago. The familiar band warmed against her skin and Andy snapped out of her post-ceremony haze. She smiled at Miranda, then turned and pinned Emily with a questioning look.
Emily handed Miranda's dragon ring over to Andy.
As she returned the tiny dragon to its proper place on Miranda's finger, Andy grinned. “Now we're both correctly accessorized.”
“Indeed.” Miranda wiggled her fingers, settling her rings in place, the band of her wedding ring tucking under the dragon's wing perfectly. Moving forward she wrapped her arms around Andrea's waist holding her tightly for a long moment. “Indeed we are.”
Caroline entered the room and grimaced at the embrace but didn't say anything. They had just gotten married after all. Instead of talking to her parents, Caroline reported to Emily. “The guests are leaving with instructions from Nigel to refresh themselves and then meet in the main ball room to mingle a bit before dinner is served.”
“Good.” Emily nodded. “That should give the photographer plenty of time for pictures, and then we can all be there for the reception line.” She actually smiled at the girl. “Thank you Caroline... could you perhaps go and watch to see when the guests have cleared out? And please make sure Patricia doesn't jump up on anyone or bite them.”
“Sure, Emily.” With a grin, Caroline gave her a little salute and left the room with a little bounce in her step.
There wasn't too much of a wait before the other family members joined Miranda and Andy for some private congratulations.
Andy smiled and laughed even as fresh tears flowed when Dorothy arrived and made a bee-line for her.
“You were wonderful, Sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Ma.” Andy smiled over her mother's shoulder at Gram. “Thank you so much, for everything.” She released her mother and opened her arms wide for her oldest relative, “Gram!”
“You did good, Darlin'...”
“Thanks, Gram.” Andy looked past the woman, “Where's Mary?”
“Caroline intercepted her, said something about playing the piano...” Pava grinned. “I'm sure she'll be along shortly.”
Nodding at that, Andy kept her arm around Pava as even more people arrived. She smiled as Natalie and her brothers converged on their sibling.