•••
The night before the big wedding the men took over Charles's apartment, letting the women have the house to themselves.
FP was sitting at the table with a couple of pictures set in front of him. He had been admiring the many memories he had with his soon to be wife and their family. It was an early wedding gift courtesy of his best man, his eldest son.
FP had been so entranced by the sight of his sons getting along in the living room that he didn't notice Archie come up to him. "Is that my dad, Mr. Jones?" Archie had noticed an old photograph of them from when they were younger.
FP looked down at what he was talking about. "Yeah, this was us after we finished working on the Shaggin' Wagon we told you boys about." He let out a chuckle at the thought.
"I remember fixing up the old jalopy in the garage with him before he passed," Archie frowned. He truly missed his father.
"You remind me so much of him, Red."
"I do?"
"Yeah, from your guitar playing skills, which if I may, are way better than his ever were," FP tried to lighten up the mood, but he meant what he was saying. "To the caring and hardworking man he was. That's why I'm happy to have you be a part of my wedding. Having you there in his honor is like not having lost my best friend."
Archie smiled, "I hope I can live up to his legacy."
"You've made your old man very proud. You could never disappoint him."
Archie glanced back at the photographs. He saw the one of him and Alice. "So what made you decide you wanted to marry her?"
"Alice?" FP smiled saying her name. "I love her so much. How could I not?"
"Did you always think you were going to? You know, since you both did end up marrying other people."
"I think I have always thought about it happening one day. Things were complicated between us, but when things started to go our way I knew. I just knew I couldn't let her slip away again." FP shut the photo album to give him his full attention. "With everything that has happened the past two years it made me realize what I wanted. It's so easy to lose someone you love. Take the whole situation with my son," FP referred to Jughead's Stonewall Prep catastrophe. "Both of them actually." The thought of having lost a son before they had even met hurt too.
"Or the many times I could have actually lost her." FP didn't like to think about that, but he had. If he didn't hurt her one too many times she wouldn't have gone to him. The man who caused her so much pain. From practically forcing her to give up their son to nearly killing her himself. Betty told her about the night the Black Hood revealed himself and nearly strangled her to death. Alice didn't like talking about it, so when Betty mentioned it in part of her blessing for him to marry her mother he was heartbroken. It also made him realize that the night he watched her talk to him up on that stage he could have prevented the possibility of her getting hurt. If he had just listened to her simple request he would have been at that performance, not him. He wouldn't have left upon seeing them if he had been there in the first place.
"Remember the night I got shot at the diner?"
Archie nodded, "Yeah, I'm so sorry about that. It was like reliving a nightmare." When he saw the blood seeping through his shirt he thought of what had happened to his own father.
"It wasn't your fault, okay?" FP reassured him before getting to his point. "It wasn't my first time getting shot at Pop's, but in that very moment I was beyond terrified. To think of everything I could have lost in that very moment. I finally had everything I ever wanted again. The love of my life, all of my children, everything." FP reflected on the miracle that was surviving. "I think Alice would have killed me for scaring her half to death if the bullet didn't kill me itself." He lightly joked.
Archie's ears got hot red thinking about it. "That's why I was afraid to call her."
"Anyway, it's easy to have loved and lost as they say. That's why I want nothing more than to marry Alice. Then we could officially live as a happy married couple with the many children we can pester with our love and affection."
"That's pretty sweet, sir. Again congrats." Archie told him before going to join Jughead and Charles in their groomsmen shenanigans.
***
"You look really pretty, Alice." Jellybean poked into her and her father's bedroom. Betty was helping her mother with her dress. She zipped it up for her just before Alice turned away from the mirror to look at Jellybean. "Thank you, darling. You look so adorable in your dress." She was ecstatic to have her and her daughters as her beautiful bridesmaids. "You girls look lovely in green. I can only imagine how handsome the boys look in their tuxedos."
"Dagwood!" Polly yelled from outside the room. The boy came into the room in nothing but his underwear. His mother followed him in with his suit in her hands. "He won't stay still."
Betty picked up Dagwood and laughed. "Dag, don't you want to look handsome like the other boys?"
"No pants," The two year old chanted.
"I've got him, Polly. Just worry about Juniper."
"She was an angel about it. She's ready." As if on cue the little girl came in with her basket full of petals. She threw a handful into the air. "Honey, not until the ceremony." Polly knelt down to pick up the petals.
"She seems more excited about being the flower girl than he is about being the ring bearer." Jellybean compared the twins' excitement.
Alice felt the happy tears threatening to fall. "Oh, mom. Don't cry. They'll be ready." Polly assured her.
"No, it's not that. I'm just so happy about today. I have my grandkids here. My amazing girls," She considered Jellybean as one of her own. "The boys and..." She choked on her words trying to say FP. "And the man I'm lucky to get to marry today."
"Save the tears, mom. We can cry after the ceremony." Betty put a hand on her shoulder. "Right, Dagwood? Give grandma a kiss." The boy leaned over and pecked a kiss on her cheek.
Alice smiled and pinched his cheeks. "Awe, I love you too, baby. Can you put your pants on now?"
"How do you think my dad and the guys are doing?" Jellybean asked.
"Hopefully better," Polly answered.
The men had their own issues in the apartment. FP was in the bathroom fixing his hair to be picture perfect when he was interrupted by his son. "Dad, I think my suit is kinda big on me."
"What?" FP swerved to look at him. They were all fitted for their suits. How could this be an issue?
"You're wearing Archie's suit, dumbass." Charles came down the hall to yank him towards his bedroom. "Go switch with him. It's tight." Charles turned to their father. "Sorry, you don't need to stress right now."
"You have the rings right?" FP asked a very important question.
"Yes, they're in my pocket. You can actually trust me."
"Hey," Jughead grumbled. Charles shoved him into his room.
FP took one last look into the mirror and smiled. He tugged on his jacket and fixed anything else he saw misplaced. "Time to get married, Jones." He told himself before walking out. He went to go check on the boys. He knocked on the door and checked his watch. "You boys ready? We have to get down to the church in the next twenty minutes." He opened the door to see the boys switching pants.
"Give them about two minutes," Charles answered.
"I'm going to go start the car. Will you get them down immediately?"
"Aye, aye, captain." He saluted him. "The keys are on the counter."
"Got it," FP nodded. He walked down to the kitchen to collect the keys. "I expect you all down and in the car soon!" He yelled before stepping out. He walked down the flight of stairs to get to the parking lot.
***
Charles saw his mother and smiled. "There's the lovely bride." He hugged her. "You look beautiful, mom. You might make dad cry the second he looks at you in there."
"Thank you, baby." She kissed his cheek. It felt right to do this with their son here for it.
"I believe I have the honor of walking you down the aisle today." Charles hooked his arm with hers.
Betty walked over to Jughead. "And to think we might get to do this some day."
"Maybe let's not think about that at our parents' wedding." Jughead smiled and hooked his arm with hers. They stood in front of their brother and the special bride. Archie got paired with both Polly and Jellybean. They got to stand before the other pairs, but behind the cute twins in the very front of the line.
With the ceremony beginning, Dagwood held the pillow with the rings in front of him. Juniper threw the flower petals happily down the aisle. The older kids followed behind. On the altar, FP watched in awe. The twins took their seats next to Mary and her girlfriend in the front row as they were told. The groomsmen and bridesmaids took their places beside the bride and groom.
"Wow," FP smiled but the tears were in his eyes. "I really love you, Alice."
"I love you too, FP."
The priest had everyone take their seats so he could begin. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and woman in holy matrimony."
FP felt everything drown out besides Alice. He was truly mesmerized by her beauty.
"FP, do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in holy matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you shall live?"
He was taken out of his daze when the priest spoke directly to him. "Sir? FP?"
"Huh, sorry." He apologized.
"Well do you?"
"You bet I do," FP registered what he had been asked. He smiled brightly at her.
"Alice, do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in holy matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you shall live?"
"I do," Alice reciprocated the same glorious smile.
"Wonderful," The priest applauded them. "Now I'm going to need you to repeat after me," He looked at FP. "So listen very closely."
"I will," FP blushed.
"I've had to deal with that too," Alice teased. "But I still love this goofball."
"I, FP, take you, Alice, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
FP cheekily smiled, "I, FP, take you, Alice Susanna, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish-" What happened after the next line would come to stun everyone. As the words fell out of his mouth a ringing took over his ears. "-till death do us part."
A bullet flew through one of the church's windows, aiming right at FP. Alice's eyes widened as his white button down began to slowly turn red. FP's smile dropped as he looked down to see what had happened to him. He stumbled back for Charles to end up catching him.
"FP!" Alice screamed at the top of her lungs. Betty and Polly held her back the best they could. Charles put him down and added pressure to his wound.
"Dad!" Jellybean yelled and tried getting to him. Archie stopped her and looked towards the broken window, hoping to see who did this.
"Somebody call an ambulance!" Jughead knelt down next to Charles and their bleeding father. "Now!"
All the yelling was fazed out for FP. He could just see the craze around him. Their guests all ducked down into their seats.
"Hang tight, dad. Don't move. We're getting help." Charles kept his hand on him, but used the other to dig into his pocket for his phone. He quickly dialed authorities.
As they tried to keep their cool, the family thought about who could have possibly done this to him on his wedding day. FP had made enemies in his past, but to determine who was bold enough to ruin the magical day was the heinous mystery left to be solved.