Chapter 17

“Going to help out this morning?” Cassidy asked as she passed by the room from the bathroom.

“Why the hell should I?”

“It would be the sisterly thing to do.”

“It’s not really the sisterly thing to do to abandon your younger sister and brother, is it?” Grace retorted.

“Just figured I’d ask. You *are* expected to be present. Seeing as you’re the maid of honor.”

Grace stopped. “I’m *what*?”

“You’re the maid of honor. Deal with it. Your dress is in the closet, I have to get ready.”

“I hope you die.” Grace replied. “I hope the two of you wind up *just* like our family.”

“Might work, if he had raped me. Fuck off. Go get dressed.”

Grace went into her room and opened the closet. The dress was yellow. The most disgusting yellow she’d ever seen. Some may call it gold, but it was yellow. Grace sat on her bed. She wondered how long it’d take for someone to realize she wasn’t there…

“You in there?” Gavin asked from the doorway. He was already dressed up, save for the tie he held in his hand. “You really ought to start getting ready.”

Grace opened the door. “I don’t want to go.”

“I don’t either,” he said grimly. “But if we don’t and Garrett *does* get the organization, I don’t think that would bode well for either of us.”

“It’s yellow. The damned dress is yellow. She could’ve picked any other color and she had to pick that one.”

“It’s more a gold, really. So it doesn’t look like crap with her hair. My mother helped her pick it.”

“Green would’ve looked fine! She knows I hate yellow.”

“She didn’t pick it with you in mind. You should have seen the pair of them, it was sick.”

“Then why isn’t your mother the maid of honor? She actually *wants* to go.”

“That was also her doing. Apparently it’d be just precious if Gavin were the best man and little Grace were the maid of honor.”

Grace sighed. “I don’t want to go to the reception…if I’m being forced to go to the wedding.”

“The reception’s the best part. There’s booze. Open bar, actually, because only the finest will do for such an occasion. I don’t care what the occasion is, I figure if I get plastered relatively quickly they’ll let me come home.”

“It’s not going to be fun if you leave me there because you’ve decided to get drunk.” Grace said, taking the tie from his hand and tying it around his neck for him.

“Well that makes me feel good… thanks. Either we can both get plastered or we’ll endure together, we can decide later.”

Grace rolled her eyes and pulled the dress off its hanger. “Fine.”

He kissed her cheek. “Thanks.”

“You owe me big time.” She said, going into the bathroom and fixing her hair, once the dress was on. She came out a few minutes later. “It’s yellow.”

“Doesn’t matter, you still look hot. Let’s go.”

“Flattery won’t get you far.”

He shrugged. “I’ll pay the bill later.”

“You better…” She kissed his cheek.

“Come on, let’s get this stupid thing over with.”

~*~*~*~

Cassidy sighed and with a last careful pin, managed to get her hair in.

“Don’t touch it, it’s beautiful,” Holly instructed as she entered the room. “Let’s finish getting you ready, shall we?”

Cassidy got up. “Thanks for hiding the dress. He’d have found it somewhere otherwise.”

“It’s my pleasure, dear. It really is a beautiful dress. You look stunning.” Holly said. “Let me help you with the veil.”

“Thank you… the last thing I need to do is mess around with it again. Something’ll get ruined.” The white dress was floor length, of course, with a slight train in the back. It was strapless, the top of the bodice intricately embroidered with the pattern going all the way down the back on either side of the many, many buttons.

“You look perfect.” Holly said, squeezing her soon to be daughter-in-law’s arms slightly.

“I just hope he likes it. The dress, I mean.”

“He will. Don’t worry.”

Cassidy smiled a little bit, glancing at herself in the mirror. She wondered for a moment if anyone had helped her mother get ready… ‘Take that, you bitch. He loves me, even if you never did.’

Holly looked her over. “Wait something’s missing…something’s not right…” Holly went into her bag, looking for something.

“What’s missing?”

“This.” Holly opened a small jewelry box and handed it to Cassidy. “This has been in the Spencer family for seven generations. Nathan’s mother gave it to me on our wedding day…now it’s time to be passed on.”

Cassidy gently lifted the bracelet, as if she was afraid to touch it. “It’s beautiful…”

“Put it on.”

“Help me latch it?” Cassidy requested.

“Of course.” Holly secured the clasp on the bracelet. “Perfect.”

“Then… let’s get me married.” Cassidy picked up her bouquet with a white gloved hand.

“We should be getting out there.” Holly opened the door and let Cassidy through first.

Cassidy went through, letting Holly usher her to a secluded area where she could wait without being seen. Suddenly she saw Grace. “Half didn’t expect you to come.”

Grace was ready to reply with a snide remark, but when she saw her sister…she was shocked. “You…Cassidy…you look so pretty.”

“Thanks. Mrs. Spencer helped… Garrett and Gavin’s mother, I mean.”

Grace nodded. “You guys did a good job…I got you something.”

Cassidy blinked, wondering for a moment what had happened to Grace, but accepted the white-wrapped parcel. “Thank you…” She opened it to find a stuffed teddy bear and an old photograph of Grace and Cassidy from the long-ago day at the beach. Cassidy set them down and gave her sister a hug. “You’re still my little sister, you know, even if everything *does* seem to have gone to hell in a hand basket on you.”

Grace shrugged and hugged her back. “It’s not the teddy bear that we had…I couldn’t find that…but I thought you might like something to remind you of one of the nicer times when we were younger.”

“We did okay. We’re both here, after all, and they’re both gone. We made it.” Cassidy squeezed her sister gently. “Come on, we better go.”

“Don’t want you to get all teary-eyed and ruin your make up or anything.” Grace said, giving her sister a smile.

“I’m more worried that he’ll think we’ve run away. You get to march on down the aisle now. Go on.”

Grace nodded and marched down the aisle.

Garrett stood nervously at the end of the long church aisle. His palms were sweating and he couldn’t remember ever being this nervous about anything. By the time Grace had taken her sweet time walking down the aisle and taking her place on the side, he was starting to get fidgety.

Then Cassidy appeared in the doorway, standing next to Nathan, for she had asked him to give her away in lieu of anyone in her own family.

Garrett’s fidgeting stopped when he saw Cass. Garrett glanced around the room and realized what was happening. He was getting married. It was terrifying, considering he never thought himself to be the first to get married. Garrett’s gaze returned to Cass’s face and he smiled. Why hadn’t he done this sooner? He asked himself as she walked up to him.

Cassidy was trying to focus on her feet and the heels that were on them. Left, right, careful or you’ll wind up flat on your ass… she dared to look up at Garrett, who was grinning widely at her. She smiled back at him. It was like something out of a storybook, or at least a dream. She was suddenly standing beside him, not quite certain how she’d got there, and he took her hand.

An hour later they were running as what had to be several hundred people threw rice at them. Gavin in particular was hurling it as hard as he could manage at Cassidy.

Garrett pushed Cassidy in front of him so she could get into the limo first. It wasn’t until they’d pulled away from the curb that they actually talked. Garrett squeezed her hand. “How are you holding up in there?” He asked, lifting her veil off her head.

“So far so good,” she replied, looking up at him almost shyly.

He kissed her forehead. “You really look amazing.”

“Thank you… you’re a very handsome man yourself.” She said with a slight smile. “I think I could be quite happy spending the rest of my life with you.”

“Well it’s my very intention to make you happy, Mrs. Spencer. What’s in the box?”

“Mrs. Spencer…” she smiled brightly at that, kissing him firmly. “I’m Mrs. Spencer now…” She glanced at the box. “Oh, wedding present from Grace.”

Garrett raised an eyebrow. “Nothing explosive, I hope.”

She laughed a bit. “No, nothing.” She lifted the teddy bear and the framed picture from the box. “See?”

“Cute…this stuff has some kind of underlying meaning, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah… the only birthday present I ever got was a teddy bear from my father, and I gave it to her on her birthday because she needed it more. And the photo’s from probably my only fond childhood memory.”

“Nice.” He kissed her forehead. “We’ll be making plenty happy memories together.”

“I don’t doubt that,” she said with a slightly mischievous grin.

“Hey now…I don’t think the driver is paying for a strip show.”

At that, she laughed. “Definitely not.” She curled up alongside him. “Where are we going? After the reception, I mean. Your mother packed my stuff and you never told me.”

“You’ll just have to wait until we get to the airport. But I promise you’ll love it.” He kissed her.

She sighed. “And I suppose I have to wait for my present until we get there too, right? This infamous present you keep hinting at every chance you get.”

“Yup.” He replied with a grin. “It’s a good present, and I’m proud to say I thought of it all by myself.”

“You have no idea how hard you are to shop for.”

“What, you mean you couldn’t find anything for me?”

“I found something but it’s not as personal and romantic and all that as I would have liked. You’ll just have to get the personal and romantic stuff later this evening.”

“Something tells me I’ll be wanting to get the personal stuff before I get my present, but you’re planning on making me wait until you get yours.”

“Oh yes, I am.” She smiled mischievously once more. “But you’re going to be a very happy married man, Garrett Spencer.”

The limo pulled up to the reception hall and the door was opened. Garrett got out first, helping Cass out. “We don’t have to stay do we?” He asked, kissing her neck. “I mean…just a quick appearance and all.”

“Usually it’s frowned upon when the newlyweds take off, no matter how horny the groom happens to be,” she told him with a grin.

“How long do we have to stay?” He asked as they walked in.

“Until your mother lets us leave.” She kissed his cheek as the double doors opened and their arrival was announced.

The music started to play, and as people filed out onto the dance floor, Grace approached Cassidy. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Cassidy was still smiling widely, holding her new husband’s hand.

“Congratulations.” Grace said. She paused. “I wanted to tell you something before, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Then once the ceremony started, I realized what it was.”

“What was it?” She asked.

“I realized how much you look like mom.”

Cassidy stared blankly. “Right… I….”

Gavin arrived at that moment, fairly dragging Grace away. “Come on, come dance with me.”

“Hold on.” Grace said to Gavin. She walked back to her sister and gave her a hug. “You look like her, but you aren’t her.” Grace gave her sister a kiss on the cheek before going back to Gavin.

Cassidy had stopped squeezing Garrett’s hand and was simply staring at the spot where Grace had been.

Gavin guided her out onto the dance floor. “You look great.”

“Thanks, I know.” Grace replied, smiling.

”Cass?” Garrett asked, noticing the change in her demeanor. “What did she say?”

“Good. As long as it’s not because other guys are telling you.”

“She… she said I look like our mother.” Cassidy bit her lip. Crying on her wedding day would not do.

Garrett wrapped his arms around her. “Why would she say something like that today, of all days? Why would she say something to hurt you?”

“You’re the only one I’d listen to anyways.” Grace replied.

“Good.” Gavin kissed her.

“I don’t think she meant to hurt me… but… I don’t want anything to *do* with our mother, I don’t want to look like her, I used to wish I hadn’t been born because of how she hated me.”

“Baby…I know you don’t want anything to do with her…but try and forget about what she said for a little while, don’t let her ruin this day for you.” Garrett told her.

Grace smiled. “How much have you been drinking?”

Cassidy suddenly flung her arms around his waist. “Thank you…” She rested her head on his shoulder.

“Only one glass of scotch, honest to God.”

“For what?” Garrett asked, placing his arms around her.

Grace raised her eyebrow. “How many glasses of other things did you have?”

“’Bout three.”

“Just… being you.” She kissed him softly. “Can we dance?”

“Of course.” Garrett said, nodding to the conductor, who announced their first dance as husband and wife. Garrett led Cass out onto the dance floor and pulled her close.

It was at that moment that all hell broke loose.

Aidan Callahan, an uninvited but very present guest, nodded to someone, and the signal went around the room. Suddenly Aidan pulled a gun, firing not to kill Grace, but at least to disable her for now. He grabbed her from behind. “You try any shit and we’ll kill him,” he hissed.

Grace bit back her tears from the searing pain in her shoulder and resisted the urge to jam her spike heels into his groin and scream for Gavin.

For the Spencers, the single shot was enough to start things off. Gavin fired at one agent, who had been standing behind his father; Nathan had picked off three who were standing near the dance floor.

Instinctively, Garrett pulled his gun and as he fired at IMF agents, he kept his new wife low to the ground and put her under the head table. “Stay here.” He told her before leaving her.

Cassidy considered only a moment. She’d stay, all right… she lifted the tablecloth and pulled her compact pistol from her purse, firing at Aidan and his cronies just the same.

Something hit Aidan’s knee. “Fuck!” He bellowed, dropping Grace.

Grace cried out in pain as Aidan dropped her on her bad side. “What the hell did you do that for?” She screamed, kicking him in the knee. “Shooting me isn’t harm enough?”

“One of your in-laws hit me, now shut the hell up.” Again as if on cue, the IMF team headed for the doors, Aidan half carrying and half dragging Grace.

Garrett in the meantime had gotten into a fistfight with one of the agents before the agent got angry and pulled a gun. Leaving the man dead on the floor, he headed for the table. “Nice shot, you got that bastard right in the knee, but next time I tell you to stay put, I don’t mean open fire.” He helped her out and looked around as Nathan Spencer ordered a team of agents after the IMF team and a total lockdown of the reception hall.

“It worked,” Cassidy said, then looked at him. “You started a fistfight?” She asked, gently touching a cut that ran down the side of his face.

He shrugged. “I didn’t know if I had any bullets left.”

“Did you?”

“One.”

She softly kissed the cut. “You’re gonna have a black eye in the morning. People are going to wonder what the hell I did to you.”

“Let them wonder.” He smirked.

Gavin looked around, checking the survivors and the bodies both. “Grace is gone,” he told his father. “They got her.”

“Well it seems it was only a matter of time. There didn’t appear to be a struggle between her and her half brother.” Nathan responded, helping Holly up off the ground.

Gavin blinked. They didn’t believe she could have possibly… “No, she didn’t set this up! How the hell could she have, she hasn’t been in contact with them!”

“You ruined my wedding reception because you couldn’t keep your pants on and stay away from that bitch! If it weren’t for you, she’d still be up in that room, or better, she’d be dead!” Garrett shouted at his brother.

“You’re one to talk about not being able to keep your pants on,” Gavin snapped, though he didn’t really feel like getting into it. “If you hadn’t met *that* bitch-“ here he pointed at Cassidy, “*none* of this would have happened! And if you hadn’t gone and gotten her knocked up there wouldn’t have been a wedding, now would there have been??”

Garrett was furious. He pulled out his gun and jammed it against Gavin’s forehead. “Apologize.”

“For the truth?” He snapped. “Go on, kill me. Show everyone in the room what you’re *really* like. Your little wife know you’ve killed in cold blood before?”

Garrett stopped. Lowering his gun, he raised his fist and punched Gavin square in the jaw. “What happens between me and my family is none of your damned business. Get out of my wedding before I *do* kill you.”

“Delighted,” Gavin said coolly, getting up and walking to the door.

Holly called out “Gavin!” as he left, but he didn’t respond save for slamming the door behind him.

Nathan stood up with a sigh. “You two kids go on. You’ve got a plane to catch…”

“No we don’t, it’s *our* plane – “ Garrett began.

Nathan stopped him with a look. “Go. You and Cassidy go start your lives together wherever it is you’re going. I’ll keep you posted but you’re not spending your wedding day working. Shoo.”

Garrett hesitated. “Come on, Cass.” He said, taking her hand. “We’d better go.”

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