notsocommon | [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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"I suspect my husband wants nothing to do with body shots unless I'm the body and he's taking the shots," Helen said wryly. "Or perhaps the other way around but I doubt highly he'd be too keen on you licking me."

She laughed, though, and touched Kate's shoulder lightly. "That said, had I done the whole Hen Party thing, I would have let you lead me into debauchery."

"Kinda glad you didn't." Do the whole 'Hen Party' thing. But she doesn't brush Magnus's hand off or anything. Her eyes are bright and playful when she says, "I suck at that whole chick thing. I'd be the worst bridesmaid ever. And if you'd made me make dresses for everyone, then I'd just have had to kill you."

"Perish the thought," Helen said, faking aghast for a moment. "I would never, ever make you hand-stitch my bridesmaids gowns. Honestly, I dressed up a little bit, but I'd never ask anyone else to. It's not a formal thing, I don't think, getting married. Not for me. It just seems like a natural step."

Kate gets a secretive little Mona Lisa smile and gestures with her hand toward Declan. "Should ask Declan about the dress I made for his birthday." The one that hasn't seen the light of day except behind her hut yet.

Heat flashes over her at the memory and she thinks, yeah, maybe it might be close to time to go. They're not the newlyweds but she's more than happy to act like they are.

She shuts that down though to talk to Magnus a little longer. "I wouldn't know, about getting married. I don't think I've ever wanted to. But you look beautiful."

"Something tells me asking Declan means he'll turn an interesting shade of purple," Helen said, eyeing him for a moment before looking back at Kate.

"Thank you, Kate. As silly as it sounds, I wanted to look beautiful for Will more than I wanted to for me. I'm sure he'd laugh at that and think I was a bit silly for saying it but it's true."

Kate laughs and decides to show Magnus the dress sometime. Someone needs to know and she can't go wearing it around Will. She reaches for Magnus's hand and squeezes it gently. "It's no sillier than me making a dress for Declan's birthday or Will asking you to marry him in the first place. Sometimes it's a lot easier to show how you feel than say it."

Since when is she an expert?

"That's very true. Taking the plunge often results in brilliant things happening even if one is frightened."

Helen said it as if she were some expert and perhaps in doing experimental drugs or flying airplanes, it was true but not in love. She was always cautious in love, until now.

Kate can't help but glance across the room to Declan again. She shivers, like that old saying, someone walking over her grave. "Yeah," she says quietly, not unconvinced, just not ready to say it out loud again, not until she tells Declan.

"Anyway, congratulations, boss. No one deserves to be happy more than you guys."

Declan's not exactly a people-reader in the manner that Will Zimmerman is, no, but he can read Kate and she looks like she wants desperately to get away. Not that she doesn't love Magnus, they all do, but maybe it's just the wedding business that has her nervous.

"Congratulations, Helen," Declan says, tipping his head toward the bride before looking at Kate. "Had enough of witness duty for the day?"

It's instinctive, the move toward Declan, the shift into the space beside him, what would be the curve of his arm. She's been doing it without thinking for weeks now, but she stops herself today. Stops, smiles, tilts her chin up to him. "Just thinking the bridge and groom might want some alone time."

She flashes a wicked little smile at Magnus. "You can always ask, you know, if you run out of inspiration."

Declan's not sure what that's about, exactly, but Magnus seems amused and Declan's more bemused than anything else but Kate's in his arms and he's not going to overthink it.

"Ready to head out, then? Let them have some time alone? I'm game."

"As long as it's all right with Magnus." Kate does let herself step into the curve of his arm finally. She hates how good it feels, but she's getting to the point where fighting that is just stupid.

"You cool, boss? I don't want to jet on you on your big day, but I figure Will's who you ought to be spending it with. Not me. And someone's got to keep an eye out for Defanged."

"I'm fine, Kate. Go enjoy yourself with Declan, all right? I think Will is going to have me occupied soon enough," Helen said, beaming.

"And you won't see me for a few days, don't worry."

Kate wrinkles her nose before tilting her head up to look at Declan. They're both taller than her and this close, it's kind of awkward. "Looks like we're spending the next few days distracting Tesla," she tells Declan. Even though she's not planning to do anything of the sort. If they do anything, he'll know something's up. If they leave him alone, ten to one, he'll spend the next few days in the lab with his super-secret death ray or whatever it is and with Alcuin when he's not with them.

"C'mon, babe. Let's jet and leave the lovebirds to their cooing." She winks at Magnus. "Enjoy the honeymoon, Magnus."

[Wedding] - timed to 26 November

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