Age of Aquarius

by Tawdra Kandle

  “It sounds perfect and beautiful.” I gathered her close, my head already trying to figure out how we could make this happen. We had one more day together —one more night after tonight—before I left with Seamus, Veronica, Lucas and Sionnach . . . and Joss. Which begged the question . . .

  “Nell, I want to marry you. You know I’ve wanted this for a long time. But I have to ask you, does this have anything to do with the fact that I’m going back to 1967 with Joss, who will be solid again? Because I hope you know that it doesn’t matter to me. We’re friends, and we’re always going to be friends, but it’s you I love. It’s you I want to live with for the rest of my days.”

  “I know.” Nell skimmed her hands down my sides, her touch light as she avoided the spots that still ached. “I’m not insecure about Joss. She and I have become truly good friends over these last months, and even if that hadn’t happened, I trust you, Rafe. You’ve never given me any reason to think otherwise. Since we’ve been together, you’ve always made me feel . . . cherished. Treasured. I don’t doubt your love for me, and I never have.” She pressed her lips together. “Do you remember back when Cathryn asked Jackie and Lucas to sign on as official agents for Carruthers? She mentioned that although she knew that she already had their loyalty, making it more official had value. It had worth. And maybe that’s along the lines of what I’m thinking now. Our love isn’t in question, but I want that stupid piece of paper I’ve been making fun of for so long. I want to know that no matter what, for all eternity, my name is linked with yours.”

  I looked into her face, glowing with certainty and love, and I thought my heart might burst. “Then that’s what you’ll have. I’ll make this happen. By the end of tomorrow, we’ll be married.” I kissed her again, this time with more intention. “And we’ll be linked not only for eternity, but far beyond.”

  “I’m sorry. What?” Cathryn stared at me as though I’d grown a second head.

  “You heard me, boss lady. Nell and I are getting married. Today. Tonight. Whatever, it’s happening before midnight.”

  She blinked once, slowly. “Rafe. We’re on the cusp of going into the battle of our lifetime, possibly on the edge of the end of the world, and you want to plan a wedding?”

  “Yup. I already talked to Seth, and he said he can do the actual ceremony. Veronica is working out the license and stuff—she knows someone, apparently, big surprise, and can get all the crap waived. Now all we need is your blessing—or your permission, I guess—and we’ll make it happen tonight. I’m thinking having a big blow-out party on the eve of our fight for the world’s survival is a really good idea, actually.”

  Seamus had come into the room and overheard my last statement. He stuck his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and grinned. “Darlin’, I think the man has a point. And regardless, if he and Nell want to marry, at this point in time, who are we to stand in the way? I think it shows our firm belief that the world is going to keep turning. A wedding is all about hope, isn’t it? It’s a damned fine idea, Rafe. What can we do to help?”

  I knew I liked this Irishman. “Uh, well, maybe talk to Henry about food? Can he and Jackie put together a wedding feast on short notice?”

  Cathryn stood up, and the smile on her face was something I saw far too rarely. “I don’t think that will be a problem. I’ll speak to Henry myself. And we’ll do some kind of decorations . . . maybe Tasmyn could help with the flowers, as I know she has an affinity for plants.” She pursed her lips, thinking. “The great room will work, yes? And then the party on the front porch. The evenings are so pleasant now. What do you think?”

  I scooped her up into a tight hug. “I think I love you, boss lady. If I had to choose a big sister, you’d be her.”

  She pushed me away, but I saw the faint blush on her cheeks. “Let me go, you big lug. If you want a wedding to happen tonight, I need to get moving.” She paused. “Does Nell have something to wear? I don’t think it’s safe for her to go anywhere to shop. Not at this point, with her mother somewhere nearby.”

  I shrugged. “She said she had an idea, so I guess she’s set. I don’t have a suit here—I figured the apocalypse was going to be a more casual affair, so I didn’t pack my formalwear. But Nell says it doesn’t matter to her.”

  “All right then.” Cathryn grinned at me. “Let’s have a wedding.”

  I got a pass on the more physical training that day. I wasn’t sure if it was because Cillian felt I was prepared or if he didn’t want to beat me up on my wedding day. Either way, I wasn’t complaining.

  I didn’t ignore the preparations for the coming fight entirely, though. Seamus and I went over some details of the trip, and Sionnach consulted with us on how we planned to approach the 1967 Hive. I was uncharacteristically jittery about the entire mission, and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the idea of time travel: while I’d had no problem manipulating other people’s perception of time, the thought of actually existing over twenty years prior to my own birth was a little bit mind-bending. Sionnach confided that she was having the same misgivings.

  But I managed to push the worries aside as the afternoon wore on. The wedding had been set for seven o’clock, and I’d been banned from my own room all day so that I didn’t see the bride too early. Although I’d pointed out that I’d woken up with her this morning, in the same bed, all those logical comments were ignored.

  “You can get dressed in my room, with Lucas,” Jackie announced. “I’ll have your clothes sent down.”

  “I don’t want you pawing through my unmentionables,” I teased her. “It might set up unreasonable expectations for you with Lucas.”

  “Don’t worry.” Jackie stuck out her tongue at me. “I’ll have Nell pick out everything so that your virtue isn’t compromised.”

  Nell and I had asked Jackie and Lucas to stand up as our attendants. They were our closest friends, and I couldn’t imagine having anyone else. Veronica and Zoe had announced that they were taking the roles of mothers of the bride and groom, and Seamus had offered to walk Nell down the aisle. For a thrown-together, rushed wedding, everything was coming together remarkably well.

  At fifteen minutes before seven, Lucas and I walked down to the great room. Cathryn and Seamus were at the bottom of the steps, and she was fussing with a flower in his lapel.

  “Stand still, won’t you? I’m going to stick you or myself, and if it’s me, I won’t be very happy.” The tip of her tongue stuck out as she concentrated. “There you are. Very nice. Very handsome.”

  “Thanks, love.” He kissed her absently. “I never saw myself as taking the father of the bride role at my age. I’m feeling a bit ancient.”

  “Nell’s only a few years younger than you, man.” I clapped him on the back. “Look at yourself as older brother of the bride, if it makes you feel better.”

  “Didn’t Tasmyn outdo herself?” Cathryn pointed to the front of the room, where the makeshift altar stood. “She came up with all these flowers herself, coaxing some of them out of the ground. Everything’s so lovely.”

  “It wasn’t that big deal.” Tasmyn smiled at me as she rounded the newel post, joining us. “And it gave me something good to think about.” She patted my arm. “I’m so happy for you and Nell, Rafe.”

  I saw the worry under her smile, the shadows beneath her eyes. “Nothing new on Michael?”

  “No.” She shook her head, swallowing. “He’s still in the coma, and Cillian says some of the tissues aren’t healing. They’re not getting worse, but they’re not quite knitting together. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Every hour that he stays . . . asleep, I feel like I’m losing him a little more.”

  “Michael is still unconscious?” Seth’s brow knit together. “I knew he had been hurt . . .” He cocked his head, studying Tasmyn. “I think I have an idea. Try not to worry.”

  The rest of the team trickled in and took their seats. Cillian, we’d learned today, played a mean fiddle, and somehow Veronica had procured one for him. He supplied us w
ith haunting Irish melodies that I couldn’t help thinking sounded more like dirges than like wedding music, but hey, what did I know? And beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  Finally, Lucas and I took our places at the front of the room, alongside Seth, our officiant. Veronica and Zoe walked down the small aisle together, arm in arm, beaming left and right as if they truly were proud and doting mamas. They took seats in the first row on either side of the aisle, just as Jackie made her way down the stairs. She did the typical step-pause-step that any other maid of honor might undertake. She was wearing some kind of strappy blue dress, and she looked gorgeous.

  I caught Lucas’s eye, and he waggled his brows at me, clearly thinking the same thing. I wondered idly if those two would ever consider tying the knot. They were clearly in love, and I’d never seen two people so devoted to each other.

  The music changed from the slower, somber tunes to an elegant and yet joyous song, something that sounded vaguely familiar to me, as though maybe I’d heard it at other weddings. I had a minute to wonder what the piece was called before Zoe rose to her feet, followed by everyone else, as Nell and Seamus appeared at the top of the staircase.

  My girl was not usually comfortable with being the center of attention, but standing there, pausing so that she could be seen and admired before descending the stairs, she looked every bit the powerful woman I knew her to be. Her chin was lifted, her eyes were bright, and her smile was steady. I hoped she knew how absolutely fucking gorgeous she was. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  She wore a dress of simple blue cotton that swirled around her ankles. The color complemented her eyes and her hair so perfectly that I would have sworn she’d had it made specially for her. The top of it hugged her slender curves, leaving her arms and shoulders bare. The bunch of flowers that she held in one hand was riot of different shades of blue, with accents of yellow.

  Nell and Seamus floated down the steps, both of them regal. I heard the quiet awws as they made their way to me. At the end of the aisle, Seamus bent and kissed Nell’s cheek before taking her hand from his arm and placing it within mine.

  “She’s yours now. You belong to each other. Mind that you take very good care of her.”

  Although Seamus wasn’t any relation to either of us, and although we’d only known him a short period of time, I felt a lump rise in my throat, and I nodded my understanding, closing my fingers with care over Nell’s smaller ones.

  Seth cleared his throat and began to speak.

  “From the most ancient of times to this very day, souls have sought out the one other in existence whose being completes its own. When that happens, there is rejoicing in all the realms of Light, because the joining creates new light to shine into the world, and light and love are always causes for celebration.

  “When the joining of two souls transcends the physical and the emotional to embrace the spiritual, it is right and good thing for a ceremony to mark that occasion. That’s why we are all gathered here today, as friends and loved ones of this man and this woman. We are here to support their decision to bind themselves to one another for all of eternity. We are here to witness their commitment to one another. And we are here to share in the light cast by their love.”

  The words he spoke were not the traditional welcome to any marriage ceremony I’d ever heard, but they were perfect for us and for this situation. Not for the first time today, I felt a twinge of guilt that my grandparents weren’t with us. They would have loved to have been part of our day. I comforted myself with the thought that we could have another celebration later, after the world was once again safe.

  “Rafe and Nell, we begin by requiring that you both state your intentions toward one another regarding your decision to enter into marriage together. Be warned that you should not come into these vows lightly; they have weight and power, and they are binding for this life and forever after.”

  He turned to face me more fully. “Rafe, do you intend to love, cherish and respect Nell all of the days of your life together? Will you promise to always hold her needs as important as your own? And will you keep your body and heart only for her enjoyment and pleasure?”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  After Nell had repeated the same promises, Seth directed us to join our hands. “Because this is a union of equals, and because we do not view marriage as a way to subjugate one person to another, but rather as a way to raise both parties to new heights, I would ask you to repeat your vows in unison, while looking into each other’s eyes. Begin by saying, I, Nell or I, Rafe.”

  Obediently, we spoke the words, and then, with ours gazes locked on each other, we made our sacred vows.

  “I, Rafe, take you, Nell, as my partner in every nuance of life. I promise to love you, to honor you, and to worship you with my body. I will share laughter, love, dreams, hopes, tears, sorrow, burdens and grief from this day forevermore. If I hurt you or burden you, it is not my intention, and I ask your forgiveness and grace for when that happens. My vow will remain unbreakable for all of eternity.”

  Seth smiled gently at us and then lifted his eyes to the rest of the group. “You who are gathered here today are also committing to support this couple in their vows and their intention to enter into this sacred union. Will you promise to hold them up, to offer sage counsel and continuously remind them of their joining together?”

  “We will.” Our friends spoke in unison, and I felt it deep within my heart. Cathryn, sitting between Veronica and Seamus, wiped at her eyes discreetly. Behind her, Tasmyn, sitting next to Joss, gave me an almost imperceptible nod, while Joss herself was grinning broadly. It was a good thing to have the approval of the ex-girlfriend squad, I decided.

  “Then by the power that be, the power of light and of love and of eternity, I bind you together, now and for all days. What has been joined in the light, let no darkness tear asunder.” Seth paused for dramatic effect before adding, “Rafe, you may now kiss your wife.”

  I lifted both hands to Nell’s face, and for a moment, I simply stared down in wonder at this gift that had been given to me. And then, with gentleness that belied the surge of passion between us, I sealed my lips to hers, consecrating the vows that we had just made to each other.

  “I love you,” she murmured against my mouth, and I realized with a start that this was the first time she’d ever said these words first, instead of in response to my own declaration.

  “Forever, and then for one more eternity,” I agreed. “And that’s only the beginning.”

  And if we should die tonight

  Then we should all die together

  Raise a glass of wine for the last time.

  “I See Fire” Lyrics by Ed Sheeran

  Nell

  And then, we partied.

  Even when I’d been younger, I’d never been one to celebrate with friends. I’d attended some school dances, and I’d been present at a few other gatherings, but even then, I’d been detached. Removed. I’d never felt a reason to be happy, to let go and abandon my inhibitions, either with or without alcohol.

  But tonight of all nights, we celebrated and we abandoned and we embraced every form of pleasure possible. And it was exactly as it was meant to be.

  Veronica and Zoe had decorated the wide front porch, and Tasmyn had added her floral accents. The music was recorded—wedding playlist courtesy of Sionnach—but it was still good for dancing, which we all did, even me. I threw my head back and boogied with my girlfriends, even while part of me marveled at the fact that I, Nell Massler, had girlfriends. When the tempo slowed, I sought out my groom—my husband—and we swayed together slowly, staring into each other’s eyes and feeling that no one existed but the two of us.

  Henry and Jackie had created a smorgasbord of delightful food. There was a huge pot of his famous gumbo, a nod to Rafe’s favorite city, and trays of sushi, which was one of my weaknesses. Other finger food covered one large table, and Henry had even created a simple but beautiful wedding cake, which Rafe and I had cut togethe
r in the traditional style, feeding each other the first bite.

  At about ten o’clock, Cathryn stood up and clinked her knife against a glass. Someone turned down the music, and everyone quieted, watching her expectantly.

  Our fearless leader was wearing one of her signature skirt and jacket combos, with gorgeous calfskin beige pumps that extended her legs, giving her height. Her hair was down around her shoulders, and her face was a little flushed. I’d seen her earlier, dancing close to Seamus, and I’d remembered that tonight was their last night together before the battle, too. On the other side of the porch, Jackie stood within Lucas’ embrace. They would also be separated in the morning, as would Daeglan and Sionnach. None of us were really getting out of this without at least some angst.

  “When Rafe came to me this morning—was it only this morning?—and told me that he and Nell wanted to get married tonight, my first reaction was that this was a bump in the road that I didn’t need. It was one more problem to solve. One more aggravation to think about.”

  There were few snorts from the crowd, and Cathryn smiled.

  “But then someone very wise reminded me that this—love and commitment and faith and above all, hope—this is what we’re fighting for now. And if we didn’t take the time to celebrate it tonight, we’d be missing an amazing opportunity. I realized that he was right. Moreover, I also immediately felt guilty for not agreeing right away, because these two people, Rafe and Nell . . . they are very special to me.”

  Rafe tightened his arms around me and leaned to whisper in my ear. “Uh oh. Boss lady’s about to get all mushy.”

  “When I took over Carruthers’ agent operations, Rafe was among my first recruits. I wasn’t sure he was going to work out; he was a loose cannon, liable to go off the reservation at the least provocation, and he was cocky. Full of himself. Plus, he had the annoying habit of calling me ‘boss lady’ and treating me like his big sister.”