N+C fanfic: Years Later

5. I Do

Charlie's POV

I can see the crowd through the doors. The femme people have dressed up in dresses, while masculine and androgynous members are wearing suits. I see the Paris Squad in the front, and Tori is apparently the wedding photographer. Around the middle of the crowd, I see mine and Nick's families, and on the sides, people from Higgs and Truham have gathered in groups. Mum was not invited to our wedding.

I see Nick waiting on the stage and wave to him. He grins and waves back.

The guests have stopped coming, and the Avengers theme song plays from the speaker. Everyone looks around in confusion and I step out from the shadows in my blue suit. Once someone sees me, everyone else turns to the entrance and happy tears gather in their eyes, including Dad and Tori. I slowly walk down the aisle, and when I pass the Paris Squad, they all shout and cheer for me.

I see Nick's friends beside the Paris Squad, and Christian shoots me a thumbs-up. Sai and Otis are looking at me with friendly grins on their faces. Harry is absent.

I reach the stage as the music builds to a climax.

"Hi," I say to Nick when I'm on the stage.

He quickly looks me up and down. "Hi," he whispers quickly.

Mr. Ajayi, the marriage officiant, is on the plane behind us on the stage. He's wearing his trademark jeans and flannel with the gay pride pin on his shirt.

"We gather here today to celebrate the marriage of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring," Mr. Ajayi begins. "When they leave, they will be blessed by a progressive god of the church-"

He is cut off by a cheering audience.

"And now, the vows. I promise to comfort you when your favorite rugby team loses.. Again."

I fight back a smile, looking Nick in the eyes. "I do."

"I promise to make you a bacon sandwich whenever you're hungover."

Nick, however, isn't fighting his laughter. "I do."

"I promise to take out the trash."

I think. "Occasionally, yes, I do."

The audience lets out a chuckle.

Mr. Ajayi takes a breath. "I promise never to drink your drinks, even though I am thirsty and yours is literally right there."

"I do," Nick says.

"I promise not to hit you too hard when you snore in the middle of the night, or steal the covers unless you are hogging them."

"I do," I say.

Suddenly, a bald man runs in through the entrance. "So, I married an ax murderer," he yells, waving papers in his hand. He's wearing a red hoodie and denim jeans.

Mr. Ajayi looks colossally confused. A moment of silence passes before he announces, "Does anyone know this person?" as he looks around the crowd.

Darcy Olsson stands up. "I'm so sorry," she says. "That's my uncle."

Darcy's uncle's face lights up. "Oh, my little Darcy niece! Come here!" He then proceeds to run toward where Darcy sits with the Paris Squad, and sits down on the ground in front of her.

Mr. Ajayi shakes his head and laughs, looking back down at the transcript. "Give me your worst: your bad hair days, long commutes, burnt coffee, and your lost keys and receipts."

"I do," Nick says, somehow keeping a straight face.

"Give me your worst: your splashed shoes, annoying coworkers, broken copiers, and most importantly, your everyday love."

"I do," I say.

"There's an old Irish saying that goes, Cramagorrah Rowe Egonhah." A dramatic pause. He squints at the paper, and then continues, looking out to the audience. "Wait a minute, I might have just cursed you both. I'm so sorry, you may kiss your groom."

Nick laughs and pulls me in for a kiss, and cheering erupts from the crowd.

"My precious, here is your ring," he says when we pull apart, putting one of the rings on my finger.

"You are my precious." I put the other ring on his finger.

The butler opens the venue doors, and a large group of cats runs in, along with a big flock of parakeets.

When we're all gathering for lunch, Nick and I are with the Paris Squad.

"So how far along are you?" Elle asks.

"Um, maybe five months now? My due date is September twentieth."

"Do you have pictures yet?" Darcy asks.

"No, but I think we'll get them soon."

Tara squeals. "I'm so excited!" she exclaims.

+   +   +

August comes around in the blink of an eye. I feel the contractions at around two in the morning. I'm in so much pain I'm struggling to figure out what day it is.

I groan in the dark, and Nick turns on the lamp.

"Char, are you okay?" he asks, concern written all over his face.

I shake my head.

"Do you want some tea?"

I shake my head again, clutching my stomach.

His eyes grow wide, and he immediately gets out of bed and gets dressed, dialing a number on his phone. "Hi, my name is Nick Nelson. I think my husband is going into labor." His voice is calm. He pauses for the voice on the other end. "We're both nineteen." He rolls off our address and then pauses again. "Thank you, I'll see you in a bit." He hangs up.

"Alright, Char, the ambulance is coming. Why don't we go downstairs?"

I nod, still in pain. He leads me downstairs as the ambulance pulls in the driveway.