notsocommon | [Wedding] - timed to 26 November

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[Wedding] - timed to 26 November

Even Helen Magnus, for all she'd seen and done, had wedding fantasies as a little girl. They'd been simpler then, pretty blue dresses and spring bouquets and she'd even had a face to put on them once: John Druitt. But that wedding had never come to pass and had gone so horribly awry that after a certain point, she didn't dream of weddings anymore.

And now it had come the time to actually have a wedding and the man by her side was someone who'd only been with her but a mere fraction of her long life and yet, knew her in ways she'd never anticipated. Helen had wanted to keep it simple and sweet, so she'd dressed casually and expected that the others would follow her lead (and, in the case of Will and likely Kate, be grateful for it).

It was just a matter of exchanging quick vows, modern ones, and signing a register while Sookie officiated - simple, yes, but perfect.

Once things were done, Helen wasn't terribly quick to run off. It might not be a big wedding but it was still a wedding and she wanted to have a moment to speak to the few she'd chosen to witness it along with Will.

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From what Sookie had seen of weddings on the island, whey were about as close to perfect as she could ever have imagined. With just about anyone capable of officiating, weddings only included the close, the familiar, no need for a stony face or anyone else to judge. For all that Sookie had wanted to tell Magnus, I told you so, she refrained in favor of shrieks and hugs and whirling around the happy couple with far too much excitement for one person to contain. (Whirling was the right word for it. The rest of the proceedings had been just that, after all, too fast for one's eyes to truly follow.)

And as soon as it'd started, it was over. Though really, it was just a beginning, one that Sookie was all too happy to watch from the side, the sundress bright and polka-dotted, with little more to mark the occasion than a pink blossom nestled in her hair.

"Now, tell me, were you privy to any information I didn't have beforehand about engagements and weddings and things of this sort?"

Helen was somewhat amused at Sookie's reaction to the whole thing and while her English upbringing made her a bit more reserved, it was all she could do not to have the absolute same reaction and she likely would once everyone was gone except Will.

"Because something tells me you can sit on secrets if you must."

"You mean to say that you weren't fooled by the way I totally squealed your ears off when you first told me?" Sookie laughed, shaking her head as she held her arms out for another hug, one of dozens that she'd already given Helen since she'd first heard the news. Her cheeks properly lit up with slight sheepishness and giddiness alike as she thought of how quickly everything had passed, and how strangely apt their conversation had been, those few weeks ago. Wrinkling her nose, Sookie shook her head quickly as she pulled back, waving her hand dismissively.

"But no, no, seriously, I had absolutely no clue that Will was as close as he apparently was to asking your hand. None at all. Aside from, you know, just watching the two of you and how you looked at one another, which would honestly have anyone begging the question of when y'all were going to tie the knot."

"Well, I haven't been surprised all that often in my life, certainly not recently, but this was one of the most pleasant surprises I could ever imagine. It was perfect, really, and I'm so glad you were a part of it. I know it doesn't actually need a Council member to make it official but I'm glad I could ask you to officiate anyway."

It just felt right, one of the friends she and Will shared officiating over something so special. It just worked out that Sookie was a Council member in her own right and could do so.

"Certainly not how I ever expected to get married, if I ever expected it."

"It was my absolute pleasure," Sookie grinned, chin raising a touch from the slight burgeoning of pride in her chest. The task itself was simple, of course, even more so the second time around, but that she would still come to Helen's mind as someone to tie the official knot for them made her feel emboldened in a different way, as a friend, and cherished to no end. "Seriously though, I'm just glad that I was invited to this, it's... it's perfect. I don't know if any of us were expecting for it to happen so soon, but personally, I think it's all the better for just being a whirlwind. No time for hesitation. No time for doubt."

She sighed, content, before wrapping her arm around Helen's waist and resting her head on the brunette's shoulder.

"So, do the two of you have honeymoon plans? Disappear on us all for a week or two?"

"More like two days, if that. If I don't have every available hour scheduled, it makes me go mad."

Workaholic, yes, but Helen thought she'd gotten somewhat better a that since coming to the island. Will had helped immensely with that both as friend and, well, husband now.

"Will is going to want a short break, though, so I'm inclined to give it to him."

"Oh come on, what kind of excuse is that?" Shaking her head, Sookie stifled a disbelieving laugh. Of course, if anyone would have cut her honeymoon short for a reason like that, it would have been Helen, but that didn't make it any the easier for Sookie to understand. Nor did it completely erase her belief that they needed a bit of that unguarded time to celebrate such a momentous occasion. (But... who knew, really? Maybe if she ever got married, herself, Sookie would find the process so natural that hardly any extra celebration was needed at all. She'd never been proposed to. She couldn't say.)

"You could totally plan out every hour of a vacation, if you wanted. It's easy, see: hour one, sleep in. Hour two, sleep in some more. Hours three through seven, lay on the beach, have a meal exactly ninety minutes in. Maybe you'd be pampering yourself, instead of the island's animals and your students, but that's still worth something, isn't it?"

"You bring up a compelling argument," Helen said, laughing lightly. "I wouldn't want you and Will tag-teaming me to get me to take a holiday. Truthfully, though, before I came here, the most holiday I ever took was a long weekend every seven years."

In a villa in Italy, certainly, but the point still held that she simply didn't have time or inclination to get away from her life's work for anything, even resting and recharging herself.

"Not something that I share with you," Sookie said again, goodnaturedly. "At all, really. I mean, there were plenty of months when Sam pulled in enough favors that I found myself working for three weeks straight or something, usually back in the day when Dawn used to be the most unreliable. But I always took the first long vacation I could afford to." She sighed, the expression on her face nostalgic. "Granted, I probably could've afforded a few less of those to pad my bank account. But lord, you got to a certain point where you just didn't want to see any more tables or deal with utensils, and I'd just end up heating Hot Pockets in the microwave just so that I wouldn't have to wash anything after."

She reached out to squeeze Helen's shoulder. "Anyway, my point is that you should learn to kick back a little now and again. Now that you've got a husband to fill up that time."

"It's a delightful concept, isn't it? Having a husband?" Helen couldn't help but be a little giddy about it even if it annoyed everyone else in the general vicinity because, well, she'd never had one in a hundred and sixty years of life. It meant something.

"Obviously, I'm biased, but I think I have one of the better ones on the island. He's a psychiatrist, after all. Can't help but make me happy."

Pressing her hand quickly to her lips, Sookie shook her head in pure amazement before letting out a laugh, sparkling and delighted in turn, because she wasn't sure that she'd ever seen Helen half as happy as the woman seemed in those few moments, the spousal endearment slipping far too easily from her lips. "Oh, gosh," Sookie breathed, trying to subtly gasp for air. "Helen, you have been so bitten by the love bug, it's... it's nuts. I mean, I love you for it, and I love you and Will together, but if I had a camcorder right now to document all of this, trust me, you wouldn't be able to keep from looking back and laughing at yourself too. Just way, way too adorable."

Crossing her arms lightly, Sookie shook her head. "Now you just have to hope that you don't ever tick him off enough that he doesn't let you come to him for help, that's all."

"Even when Will and I quarrel, we always help one another. It's necessary, in our work, and we don't fight often and when we do, we try to make up quickly. It's been a long time since a fight with Will spanned more than a few hours."

It was a good thing, in a way, because it meant that they would never go to bed angry with one another.

"Because the both of you are better people than I could ever be," Sookie concluded with a sure nod. She'd always believed that it was the best of people with the greatest amount of patience. Her gran had been just about the kindest person Sookie had ever known, her voice soft and patient even when people called the house only to curse at her, to swear that she was going to fall to the deepest depths of hell. For her part, Sookie had never managed to take after her gran quite so much, and sometimes she wondered if she should give it a more sincere effort again.

Other times, she wondered if it was alright to be a bit selfish. More of a survivor than an altruist.

"And that's how the two of you are just gonna end up being the cutest married couple of all time," she concluded with a nod.

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Kate's been watching this blonde bubblehead since she finished officiating, on and off, trying to figure out, seriously, what the heck it is about her that draws Magnus and Will to her. Well, Will she gets. Will likes cheerful happy people, people who make him laugh. Like Abby, but there's a subject she'll never be mentioning again.

Magnus, though, there's got to be something more about 'Sookie Stackhouse' (seriously, what the hell kind of name is that? Kate bets she has to be fictional) than just the smiles and sunshines. Aidan likes her, too, and that's a recommendation of a different kind.

Curiosity finally gets the best of her. She leans up to press a kiss to Declan's jaw and whisper a slightly lewd suggestion for later, and then takes off across the room to the girl. Kate even manages to control her snark long enough to say, "You look happier than they do." It's weird, the thought that hits her then, but she lifts her chin to jerk it toward Magnus and Will and adds, "Thanks. For doing this for them," like she has a right or something.

Maybe she does.

Edited 2011-11-27 20:37 (UTC)

Turning around with a broad grin for the brunette (Kate, if Sookie's careful ears serve her right), Sookie shakes her head, cheeks blooming in a blush. "Oh, no, I'm not half as happy as they are, I promise you— I mean, I'm glad, but... you know those two, this has got to be the day of their lives. I'm just twice as obnoxious when it comes to showing how excited I am for them," Sookie argues with a soft sigh, glancing over at the happy couple with a content expression, wondering if the two might just steal off at some point in the evening and leave the rest of them blinking in the wake of it all. "Also, officiating? Totally an honor. It's not like they really needed a Council member to do it, anyway, but they're both so sweet and great friends, so I guess they figured, why not. I'm the one lucking out, though. We all are."

Her eyes narrow with a sly look. "I mean, it's not every day you get to see something like that. Almost makes me think we need a dentist on the island."

Part of Kate wants to say and thank god for that but she keeps that little bit of bitchtastic snark to herself. She is happy for them. She just doesn't do so sweet it hurts.

"It's actually kind of weird there isn't one. A dentist." Which isn't really the point, but it kind of catches her interest. It's also better than talking too deep about Magnus and Will with someone she doesn't know. It'd be a little fucking obvious to leave it at that though, so she shrugs and lets her gaze linger on Will with that dopey-ass grin on his face and in no time, she's grinning too. "Between you, me, and the wall, they're actually pretty cute, the little lovebirds. It's good to see them happy. They deserve it."

...which is probably the most seriously normal thing Kate Freelander has ever said to another woman.

"Oh, I don't know," Sookie ponders aloud, nose wrinkling at the thought. "I mean, not that I've got anything against dentists, but really, who would want to look in people's mouths all day unless they were getting paid for it? You don't get the satisfaction of saving someone's life or saving them from any pain that they haven't probably caused themselves. I think I could understand. Although—" She raises a brow wryly. "Then again, on the island, I've decided to keep waitressin' even though I used to call it the most thankless job in the world, so there's that."

Her eyes flicker over to the other woman, lips curved in a slight grin. "Anyway, back to the matter of the happy couple? You're right. It's real good to see them happy, and I can't think of two people more deserving, off the top of my head. I mean, I know a lot of people I wish would find a love like that, but aside from maybe my grandparents, I don't think I've ever seen two fit together that well."

"Yeah, but it is a job. Dentistry, waitressing. Might be bullshit and thankless, but it's better than climbing the walls." Better than being a thief and a hired gun, not just a broken toy but a useless one. She shrugs that thought off because it's not sitting well with feeling less important to her family today than yesterday which is just making her feel like shit for being selfish.

"Better than getting married, too," Kate suggests, a little bit sly in the cock of her head. She knows damned well Will and Magnus aren't getting married because they're bored. "But if you're going to do it, this is the way."

"Guess I don't have a lot of experience climbin' the walls just yet. I've always had stuff to do here, and... y'know, our family had to fight to make ends meet sometimes back home," Sookie answers frankly, shrugging her shoulder hopelessly. "And then here, it just seemed better to have something as an excuse to meet people, you know? Thankless or not, at least you get to learn a few names and pick the gems out of the rest. Not that it's very hard to do, here."

Resting her chin on the back of her hand, Sookie grins. "Not sure I can agree with you on getting married, though. I used to dream of it when I was girl— white dress, throw the bouquet, have the cans dragged behind the car and everything. I always thought the way it look in movies was so romantic. But I guess I'm a bit less of an idealist now."

Kate lets all that roll around in her head together, painting a picture for her of who Sookie Stackhouse is. Put it with the accent and she's getting backwoods Southern, worked for everything she ever got, maybe never had anything worth fighting for but family. Good people, salt of the Earth kinda like Declan's. Not like her, city rat, daughter of a safecracker and an Indian who came looking for a better life and found worse. Someone who made good choices where Kate made bad, someone Kate wouldn't ever have conned, but maybe could have because she'd have seen the best in her.

Hell of it is, Kate's not sure whether to like her for it or hate it. It's like she said to Sawyer, too many good people, but Sookie's kind of hard not to like and Magnus and Will both love her, so that's really all that matters in the end.

It takes her a little longer than you usually let go by in polite conversation, but Kate eventually quirks a true grin at her. "See but you're born to wear that white wedding dress for the guy who makes you feel like a fairy tale princess. You and Magnus both. Will, too. Me, I'd spend the rest of my life lifting up the corners of the rugs looking for what got swept under it. It's nice seeing other people get their brass ring though." Especially people she loves as much as Magnus and Will.

Edited 2011-12-02 05:33 (UTC)

Sookie glances over briefly, quirking a brow and allowing herself a soft sigh. It wouldn't be the first time someone was convinced of her being the type to live in a whirlwind romance. She realizes that she has the look for it, all sweet and soft and blonde, always wearing a flowing skirt and curls framing her face— and perhaps more importantly, it's all honest, her choice in fashion and her choice to keep her language clean, all of it. It's attracted a fair number of men over the years, almost all of them with the intention of either corrupting or protecting her in full, neither of which she really wanted. Rather than being seen as some type of stereotype, some Southern beauty meant to be treated in a specific way, Sookie's only ever wanted for someone to see her in full, someone keen on learning what fell under the surface.

"I don't know about that," she says, eyes narrowing in doubt. "I love the idea of it, a fairy tale ending and all that comes with it, but I'd be the last person to expect it." With a small shrug and a tilt of her head, the smile on her face still aimed at the happy couple, she shakes her head.

"I used to be a telepath. You get tired of men real quick when you're able to tell when they're really thinking romance and when it's just words."

"Huh." That's for the telepath part. Kate's really not keen on people knowing what goes on in her head. Even if she's always reading a million little cues to try to figure what's going on in theirs. Not always like Will. She doesn't have to do it. Only when she's trying to decide how to play something.

Sookie's not the kind of person she's feeling the need to play. Whatever she says about herself, Kate still gets the feeling she's genuinely just a nice person. Not something Kate's ever gonna be.

She nods, though, because what Sookie's saying rings true. "Mostly you don't need telepathy for that. It's in how they act and look at you when they don't think you're looking." She slides her gaze over to Declan and he's busy talking to Will. She keeps trying, but she knows she's never going to catch him being untrue. He loves her and he means that. It's kind of new. "But I hear you." Her smile turns sharp, slightly wicked. "That's not exclusive to men though. Chicks are pretty much the same."

"Oh, believe me," Sookie replies in turn with a wry raise of her brow, thinking again to Arlene, to Dawn, to Tara— everyone from Bon Temps, all of whom she still misses sorely today. "I know that it falls on both sides. Just so happens that that most of the women I'm around would rather wonder when exactly I plan on sleeping with my boss, or what I happened to see in the guy I was dating. Even my best friend would get totally lost in just pining after my brother. I guess I had an easier time of making friends with women than I did with men— and you get to know people for a while, you start wondering beyond the whole blonde hair and nice rack."

Her nose wrinkles. "And, I mean, yeah, you can totally read it on some people's faces, but there's still something extra bothersome about hearing about all of it in full detail. Or sometimes I'd get images, sounds, smells— just, trust me, you're way better off when it's only guesswork."

"Yeah. I hear that." She's never thought about telepathy that way before, but she's pretty damned sure there's a lot of heads she wouldn't want to explore in that kind of detail. Then again, it'd be a good trade to be able to know what kind of shit they were about to sling at you.

"Probably takes a lot of the fun out of it, too." Not knowing what's coming during sex, for example, one of Kate's favorite things. She slides a hand through her hair, pushing it back at the soft flush of heat over her skin at just the thought. Makes her really glad Sookie can't read her mind right now. "You don't miss it?"

"The fun?" She blinks, tilting her head. Surprises have never proven to be so much fun in Sookie's experience; even surprises during her birthday or Christmas just leave her heart leaping out of her chest, and so Sookie always tries to pick around for a bit of forewarning. But not all people are like her, she knows, and the first impression that she's had of Kate so far is that she's a woman more daring than Sookie chooses to be, and a woman who probably seeks thrills on a regular basis.

(Sometimes, Sookie can almost understand. Sometimes, Sookie goes after it too, weaves through forests at night, but it all ends in blood, and her interest dies.)

"But uh, yeah," she goes on, arching a brow. "Of course I miss it sometimes. There was so much that was made easier by my being able to pick through people's heads. I'll always miss it, I think, but there's a whole lot that I can do now that I couldn't have before, so... you just learn to look on the bright side."

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