Aisle be Seeing You

Posted on Mon Oct 21, 2019 @ 8:14am by Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings

1,907 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Nibiru
Location: Kansas
Timeline: Concurrent with The Hangover

At 10:34 am, local Kansas time, Cassandra opened her eyes. She sat up in her old four-poster bed in the farmhouse she’d grown up in, her head pounding slightly, and stretched. She reached over to her nightstand and picked up the glass of water she typically kept there, but there was nothing. She looked around, confused, then down at herself. She wasn’t in her usual pajamas. Nor, in fact, was she in pajamas at all. She was wearing one of her better dresses and jewelry. Memory came flooding back, and she realized they had put her to bed passed out from her bachelorette party, which meant….

“Oh my God, I’m getting married,” she said to herself. She threw the covers back and stood up on shaky legs. As soon as she did, her bedroom door opened, Amber and Tiffany walking in.

“All right, first thing’s first,” Amber said, bringing a hypospray to Cassandra’s neck. As it hissed, she felt her hangover melt blissfully away. She sighed. “Thank you,” she said. “I hope yours wasn’t any worse.”

“Given how she looked when I woke her,” Tiffany said, nodding at Amber, “she had a hangover that could have killed your horse.”

Amber threw her a dirty look and then reached up to smooth down Cassandra’s bed head. “All right, get showered. We’ll lay out your things, and then we’ll get some breakfast.”

Cass’ head wasn’t reeling from the hangover anymore, but it was still spinning from what was about to happen. She barely registered her shower, but by the time she finished brunch, she was a bit more inside her own head.

“Are you all right?” Tiffany said, watching her and Amber eat.

“I...think so,” she said, then smiled. “It’s been a long journey to get here. I’m just overwhelmed that it’s all finally coming to an end.”

“Well, as I understand it, humans don’t consider weddings an ending, but rather a beginning,” Tiffany said, diplomatically.

“We do,” Cassandra said. “But I’ve known I was going to marry Richard since before I met him. It’s just overwhelming to realize that day has finally arrived.”

“That’s sweet,” Amber said, then paused. “Wait...before?”

“Remember the Yorktown?” Cassandra said. “When we found that area where the barrier between realities was being dismantled?”

“And you met that lotus-eating version of yourself who had to sacrifice herself,” Amber said, nodding. “And there was a version of you that was already married, pregnant and back on Earth.”

“Married to a Richard Kennings, from the Questor Group,” Cassandra said. “I put it out of my head when I met Alan, but after I left the League and joined the Questors..” she shrugged. “It was my first day, and into my office walks this adorably nervous man who introduces himself as the one name that could get my attention. I was terrified I’d fall into things too quickly and scare him off.”

“Is that why you kept putting him on hold?” Amber said.

Cass nodded. “I wanted to make sure I was ready, he was ready, and he was the right man.”

“Well I hope you’re sure by now,” Tiffany said.

Cassandra smiled. “Relatively sure,” she said. She looked at the clock, noting it was almost noon. “Still, leaving my old life is not easy.”

“You’re going to miss the adventure of space travel,” Amber warned.

“I’m about to get married, start a family and try to actually raise another life form from birth,” Cassandra said. “I’m going to be drowning in adventure.” She put her fork down and sat back. “Still, it’s hard to balance future wants with current wants. I worry about all of you being out there without me. I worry about those on the Victory. Most of them acted like they didn’t need me, but still, I was responsible for their care, and now they’re going out alone.”

“They have each other,” Amber said. “That’s all we’ve ever had.”

“True,” Cassandra said. “And hopefully they can continue to rely on each other. Nonetheless, I can’t help but worry.”

There was little time to worry, however, as they only had two hours before they had to be at the church. She cleared the dishes away and then turned and looked around, realizing what was bothering her. “Where are the others?”

Amber and Tiffany exchanged a glance. “We aren’t exactly sure,” Amber said. “We lost track of them after we took you home.”

Cassandra blushed, memories of dancing, drinking and shamelessly flirting entering her mind. She shook off the last of the cobwebs and sighed. “I’ll find them,” she said.

She went upstairs to her room, found her handbag and pulled out her gold compact. A handy gift given to her by a being from Megas-Tu, it showed her a reflection if she desired, or it could show her the object of her desire. At that moment, it showed her bridesmaids in a heap in someone’s bed. From the surfing decor, she assumed Penny’s room. Her eyebrows shot up as she took in the details and she quickly closed the compact, blushing hard. “I guess they’re doing fine on their own after all,” she said to herself. They’d need to beam them over soon.

She informed Amber and Tiffany of the situation and they spent the next hour in a whirlwind of preparation. Cassandra’s parents came in shortly after they began, rushing her to make ready. Her father was a tall, barrel-chested, congenial man, but he looked stern and focused as he continually called out the time. Her mother was somewhat more level headed, but even she felt the need to say “almost time!” every fifteen minutes.

Her hair and makeup done an hour later, Mirana had arrived with a large container. Cassandra was thrilled to find out it contained her dress. She was beginning to worry she’d be walking down the aisle half naked and told Amber as much.

“As much as Richard would love that...” Amber said, grinning. She waited a moment for dramatic effect, and then pulled the release on the box, letting the sides fall away.

Cass’ breath caught in her throat. The dress was gold filigree on the inside and woven around it were dozens upon dozens of Betazoid chameleon roses. They were almost clear, since they weren’t being touched by a life form, but she knew in a moment, they were going to be radiating color.

Amber and Mirana helped Cassandra into it carefully and zipped her up. She saw herself in the mirror, the wave of emotion that swept through her caused a ripple in the colors of the roses, and she smiled.

The trip to the church was a bit awkward, since she couldn’t sit, but their transport had room to stand. She was escorted inside, wishing she could see how handsome Richard looked in his suit, but Mirana reminded her she’d see that soon enough.

She was ready to line up, but she was starting to worry as her bridal party was still half missing.

“We’ll get them,” Amber sighed. She nodded to Tiffany and the two beamed away, leaving Mirana and Cassandra alone, the former watching the latter pace.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared,” Cassandra said. “Were you this scared when you married Duncan?”

“Ten times as scared,” Mirana said, smiling. “And he was already bonded to me.”

“He could change his mind,” Cass said.

“He won’t,” Mirana assured her.

“Am I being irrational?”

“Deeply,” Mirana said, standing up and taking Cassandra’s hands. The jewel in Cass’ headband glowed and she calmed considerably. “Thank you,” she said.

Mirana smiled and looked around as a group of transporter beams materialized.

“They were real?” Nicole screamed, then saw Cass. The room was suddenly filled with declarations of apology, embarrassment, squeals of delight over her dress, then panic when they realized they almost blew it.

“It’s all right,” Cass said, smiling at them. “We made it.”

They beamed at her and the Mirana snapped her fingers for attention. “It’s time to line up,” she said.

They walked quickly to their positions, finding the groomsmen already in place. Trevor and Megara turned and waved at Cassandra, oohing and ahhing over her dress until she finally silenced them. Mirana handed out the bouquets and took her place in line just as the music started. The doors opened and Amber took the arm of Richard’s best man, and started walking.

Cass watched each couple move and wondered what sadist thought that ratcheting up the suspense like this was a good idea for a person. Finally the twins were at the doorway. They smiled at her and walked through into the chapel and Cassandra took her place behind them.

She looked up at saw Richard looking past everyone and directly at her. Their eyes met and she smiled, and when she blinked, he was right in front of her. She had to blink again to realize she wasn’t dreaming. She’d missed the entire procession, having stared at him the whole time and let everything else pass by in a blur. She hoped it looked beautiful. She’d have to watch the recording later.

She looked into Richard’s eyes and was relieved to see the same hopes, fears and excitement. Both of them were nervous, excited, hopeful. Soon they’d have a daughter, a house of their own, maybe a dog by the fire. She’d always liked dogs. And they’d have years together. She’d stay on Earth and enjoy their adventure together just as much as she enjoyed exploring the galaxy, or her name wasn’t--

“--Cassandra Sanders,” the minister said, snapping her out of her thoughts, “take this man, Richard Oliver Kennings, to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love, honor, and cherish, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, till death do you part?”

Cassandra looked at him. “I do,” she said.

“And do you, Richard Oliver Kennings, take this woman, Cassandra Sanders, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love, honor, and cherish, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, till death do you part?”

Richard smiled and said, “I do.”

Amber did her best not to sigh with relief.

“Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

When Cassandra was young, her father had read her a book that ended with a kiss that, according to the story, surpassed the “five great kisses in the history of the world.” Cassandra was relatively sure that as their lips met, Richard’s kiss put that one to shame.

The organ played and they held each other’s hand as the minister announced the new Mister and Missus Kennings, and they walked down the aisle happily. As they went, Cassandra caught a flash of an ocular implant and a smiling face, but when she turned to look, the face was gone. She looked at the rest of her family and friends and smiled to herself as they left for holos to be taken, and the celebration to begin.

 

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