Star Dust (A Paladin Adventure)

The wedding

We flew to the site in two quinjets, arriving so that it was late afternoon by the time we went to pick up the wedding license. It went off without a hitch; the clerk's eyes were huge when he recognized Steve, but he was discreet--at least while we were there. On the way to the site, I asked him one last time. "Are you ready for this? Because this is for the rest of our lives." He took his eyes off the road just long enough to smile at me.

"I feel like I've been waiting for this my whole life. I've never been more ready for anything."

At the site, we separated to different parts of the house to get ready. Clint swooped in to do my make up, and a very artful job he did. Then he retreated as I got dressed and Natasha did my hair. I put in my earrings, got approval from Clint and my bridal party, then Clint hopped out the window, slid down the shingles to the edge of the roof, dropped to the ground, and strolled off to take his seat with his family. I laughed as Natasha efficiently put the screen back in the window, Con blotted my face, and I picked up my bouquet, a simple thing with white and watercolor blue flowers. We went downstairs, Wanda holding the slight train for me, then they arranged everything before leaving me to walk down the aisle. I followed them and had the very distinct pleasure of seeing Steve waiting for me at the end, looking handsome and nervous in a dark gray suit with blue silk tie. His face lit up when he saw me, and Bucky muttered something to him that made him grin. When I got to the end of the aisle, he put out his hand. I took it and handed Natasha my flowers.

Tony smirked at us. I ran through my checklist. I'd seen the paperwork that allowed him to officiate, so there wouldn't be a question about the legality of it all. He'd promised to keep it pretty clean; Clint and Laura's kids were here in addition to Peter. What else? Well, there was nothing I could do about it now. Sigurd and Torburn, off to the side at the front and wearing new collars for the occasion, woofed.

"I'd like to welcome everybody to Emma and Steve's wedding," he began, like he was the ringmaster and this his personal circus. Well, maybe. "You're their nearest and dearest, and the day wouldn't be complete without you here to celebrate with us.

"I've known Rogers since he was thawed, Emma more recently. But I can honestly say that my life has not been the same since Cap came out of the ice. I've suffered through an alien invasion, an encounter with a homicidal AI that I might have been responsible for, a period of estrangement over principles, and ultimately we got the band back together again. That's all pretty much public record. Since I've met Emma, she has turned my life upside down just as thoroughly, although in a more private and irritating way. Since many of those incidents ended up in shouting or me with inappropriate facial hair, I'm going to just gloss over that and state that she is always challenging me and encouraging me. Both of them have pushed me to be a better person, which is occasionally an enormous pain in the ass, but overall, I'm grateful that they care enough to try.

"When Steve met Emma, he was apparently caught in a booby trap and dangling from a tree. Although I wasn't there to see it, it's an image that I treasure. He was kind of responsible for getting her kicked out of two different countries, so you have to kind of wonder why she kept coming back for more, but I think we're all grateful for her possible brain damage. In ways both large and small, she's become indispensable to all of us, not just Steve. She's the heart of our group and she's made it her mission to bring out the best in all of us as well as providing us with us with the metal goods literally of our dreams. Cap is our moral compass. There are a lot of reasons why he's a legend, but his unfailing dedication to doing the right thing and helping others sets a powerful example that you can't help but want to live up to.

"You might think that the two of them together would be rather unbearably sanctimonious, but together, they're even more powerful than they are separate. She tells it like she sees it, but her heart is kind and she always gives a spoonful of sugar with the medicine. She will give you everything she has to those in need. Forget the shirt off her back, she'd give you years of life. She makes him laugh and gives him something to look forward to and a home. He doesn't talk as much, but his dedication and devotion are as much a part of him as his shield, which is not just  a defensive weapon but a life philosophy. He gives her understanding, an unbreakable shelter, and a life companion as steadfast as she is. It's been...awe-inspiring to see their love grow.