[AU] A Bubble Wedding

Posted on Mon Jun 22nd, 2020 @ 6:09am by Cailus Griffin & Captain Nycolas Temple & Lieutenant Kalin Brennan-Griffin PhD
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 4:56pm

Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Captain’s Ready Room
Timeline: Shortly after “Yes! YES! YES!!!!!!!”

A Mission Post by Lieutenant Cailus Griffin & Captain Nycolas Temple & Lieutenant Kalin 'Shae' Brennan PhD
Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Captain’s Ready Room
Timeline: Shortly after “Yes! YES! YES!!!!!!!”

It was official: after several months (and four horribly tedious weeks in the Bubble), Cailus Griffin and Kalin Brennan were engaged. After a less-than-traditional proposal the distinctive silver claddagh ring was snug on Shae’s left hand, and for the first time since they’d been thrown into the Bubble, both Cailus and Shae were deliriously happy, unable to stop smiling.

Thus, even while waiting for Shae to get ready in the bathroom, Cailus had an unmistakable ‘come-punch-me’ smug smile at complete odds with his typical serious mien as he stood in the main room. It had taken him mere moments to dress himself in a comfortable white buttoned-up shirt and black pants, not bothering to do anything else, but strangely Shae was taking much longer to arrange herself and get dressed.

After a full twenty minutes of waiting, during which time he restored their quarters’ layout from the previous day, Cailus rolled his eyes at the ceiling, although it was more from amusement than impatience. “Shae, if you’re going to spend this much time getting ready, we might as well do an actual ceremony,” he said wryly.

"Don't rush me!" Shae replied through the bathroom door, the smile on her face evident in her tone. She didn't fuss over her appearance all that often, but if they were going to do this, even if it was only them and the Captain, she at least wanted her appearance to be picture worthy so she would have something to send back to her family on Earth once they got out of the Bubble. When she finally exited the bathroom, she was dressed in a simple knee-length tunic dress of pale blue; it was the closest thing she had to white, and quite coincidentally the dress was also one of her favorites to wear when off duty. Her hair had been swept to the side and fell over her shoulder with the hairpin that Cailus had given her for Christmas holding the style in place. She decided to forgo any makeup as she didn't really care for wearing it in the first place, plus she didn't want to waste the water having to wash it off later. "Okay, I'm ready, let's do this!"

When Shae finally emerged from the bathroom, Cailus’ smile grew into a wide grin as he saw her, his eyes bright. “You look beautiful,” he said with deep sincerity, walking over to Shae and stroking her cheek lightly, although a bizarre thought stopped Cailus short. “Not that you don’t always, of course, because you do, but you look especially beautiful now.” Cutting himself off before he started rambling, Cailus raised his eyebrow as he looked deep into Shae’s exotic eyes. “Ready to get married?”

"Ready as I'll ever be," Shae replied, her smile radiating to so much joy that she thought she might burst. It wasn't ideal, and it certainly wasn't how either of them would have planned this outside the Bubble, but that would not stop them enjoying this moment to its fullest! lacing her fingers with his, Shae walked hand in hand with Cailus, parting only when they had to climb the lift shaft to get to the Bridge. Shae and Cailus had a tendency to be quite professional around one another when publicly together, even off duty; it was hardly a secret that they were together, but public displays of affection were not easy for either of them, although that didn't stop Shae from reclaiming Cailus' hand once on the Bridge, not caring in the slightest who saw them.

Naturally, the two crewmen on duty on the Bridge looked askance at Cailus and Shae as they emerged from the turbolift shaft. Even setting aside that the two lieutenants were dressed unusually, there was something faintly bizarre about how unreservedly content they both were, not to mention how they were so casually holding hands. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve merely been odd, but in the Bubble, it was downright unsettling, albeit in a pleasant way. Who’d have thought that Brennan would be the one to pull that colossal stick out of Griffin’s ass?

Still, neither crewman said anything as Cailus and Shae moved to the Captain’s ready room. With only a moment’s delay to glance down at Shae again, taking in the sight of her in that moment, Cailus raised his hand and knocked firmly on the ready room door.

The doors opened automatically and the pair were greeted with a darkened room, and Nyx standing at the opposite end with his face lit only by the light of a PADD. As the two approached, he tapped the PADD and suddenly four light beacons turned on. Without much resources or time to prepare, Nyx had hastily grabbed some decorations to make the occasion a little more special than just looking like his usual office. The beacons were lining a pathway across the floor, each one draped in a colourful scarf and giving the room a soft array of pink, red, orange, and purple. He had also dragged two of the tall artificial ferns from the diplomatic guest suite and placed them behind him as a sort-of archway, as well as lined the path with the petals of a lilac plant. Nyx had used the last of his day's power rations to find a recording of Bach's "Air on G" on violin and cello, and to have it playing gently in the background.

The Captain was fairly pleased with himself, given the short time from Cailus' message to prepare, but he stood before the couple with a boastful smile. "Welcome, Lieutenants."

A gasp was caught in Shae throat as she held a hand to her heart in surprise, her eyes aglow and shimmering with tears, and the smile that followed said all that needed to be said in her gratitude to have Nyx as a friend. "This is... amazing," she said in awe, truly touched by this gesture. "How?" she asked, then cast her gaze to Cailus questioningly.

“Don’t look at me, this is all Nyx,” Cailus muttered in an awestruck tone, just as astonished as Shae. Serenaded by violins, he thus led Shae by the hand slowly up the tiny path that the captain had arranged, and as the doors to the Bridge closed, the room was reduced to just the light of beacons. The shaded coloured lights set a mystical, powerfully atmospheric mood, the violet petals looking bright on the deck along with the makeshift green archway, with Shae’s modest cyan dress seeming to somehow shine amidst it all.

Upon reaching Nyx, Cailus favoured the captain with a warm, genuine smile. “I’ve no idea how you pulled this off with twenty minutes’ notice, but thank you, Captain,” he said quietly. “This means a great deal to us. More than we can say.”

"Thank you so much, Captain," Shae said softly, her heart racing with excitement; she couldn't believe they were really going to do this!

“Well, it’s not every day your closests friends get married.” Nyx replied with a shrug. “Well, if we’re ready to begin?”

Still holding Shae’s hand, Cailus glanced at her, still smiling. “Yes, Captain. We are.”

Nyx cleared his throat, "We are gathered here today to celebrate the love and union between Lieutenant Kalin Brennan and Lieutenant Cailus Griffin. It is with great honour that we bear witness to this next stage in your lives together. You have both been tested, by circumstance and your service to the Federation, but it has become so obviously apparent that your love for each other is stronger than any challenge life may throw at you. May you continue to support, guide, and better each other for the rest of your lives."

Shae held both of Cailus' hands in her own as she gazed into his eyes lovingly; they had been through so much together, and maybe this wasn't the ideal way either of them had imagine for them to get married, but Shae had no regrets, and with Nyx's imaginative help it was no less memorable!

"Marriage is not entered into lightly. We are concerned with more than just romance. It is something quite different from temporary relationships, which reach a peak quickly, then just as quickly subside. Marriage should be entered into reverently, with all heart and effort humanly possible, with humility and honesty, with commitment to each other through flaws and failings, or it is no marriage at all." Nyx added, then dipped his head down to the side and said with a half-smile. "Believe me, I know." He straightened up again. "Each marriage is unique and the relationships of the partners differ according to individual needs. But in any marriage, each of the individuals should find new strengths and capacities in your union. Shae and Cailus, today you have resolved that you will come closer to the fulfillment of your journey through life by a marriage to each other. This ceremony will not unite you in marriage; only the two of you can do that."

The Captain smiled, "With that in mind, have you prepared vows for each other?"

"Oh, no, we didn't," Shae said with a blush. "This was so last minute, I didn't even think about vows!"

Chuckling under his breath, Cailus rubbed Shae’s hands comfortingly. “We don’t need vows, Captain. We’ve said everything to each other that needs to be said.”

Nyx smiled, "Of course. In that case, having considered alone and together this marriage, I now ask you, Lieutenant Kalin Brennan, do you take this man to be your husband? Do you promise to love him and to comfort him, to honor him, and keep him in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, as long as you both shall live?"

Shae disliked the line 'for as long as you both shall live', so much so it almost made her flinch, but instead she smiled and decided to 'correct' Nyx using a phrase that Cailus had said when he proposed to her.

"'For as much time as we are permitted'," Shae said softly, smiling at Cailus with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Aye, I do," she affirmed.

Nyx nodded. "Oh, good. And I ask you Lieutenant Cailus Griffin, do you take this woman to be your wife? Do you promise to love her and comfort her, to honor her, and keep her in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, as long as you both shall live?"

“‘For as much as time as we are permitted’,” Cailus repeated quietly, speaking with more heartfelt intensity than ever before. “I do.”

“Then, with the power invested in me as Captain of the USS Pandora, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Nyx concluded, trying but failing to stop himself from laughing out of pure joy.

Anytime Shae had seen a wedding, at this point the officiate would say 'You may now kiss the bride'; if Nyx intended to say this, Shae wasn't going to wait, and she rose up on her toes to kiss Cailus happily. For so long, she had given up on happiness and the chance to have a family, and yet here she was getting married; it wasn't how either of them thought this would happen and they were still missing the other important little person in their life, but for the moment Shae was choosing happiness rather than wallowing in her sorrow. Cailus, her love, her mate, her husband; it was a beautiful thought that made her heart sing, and she couldn't wait to start this new adventure with him, together.

Even though it wasn’t Cailus’ first wedding, he was still caught offguard by Shae’s passionate initiative as she hopped up to kiss him. Surprised for a moment, Cailus nevertheless laughed against her lips as he kissed Shae right back, their new reality washing over him in a . Being husband and wife didn’t change anything, not truly; it was merely a joyous celebration of what he and Shae had forged, a recognition that they were together for the long haul, for as much time as they were permitted, but it felt wondrous all the same.

They had stumbled upon each other in the worst of circumstances. Cailus, broken and grieving, and Shae, enslaved and forced to murder, had been foes for a brief time, their second meeting happening in the Brig with Shae about to be charged with awful crimes. Friendship in the following months, offered by Cailus only to ease Shae’s reconciliation of the crew of the Tornado, had quietly grown stronger and more intense entirely without their notice. They had fumbled, had faced obstacles, and would face more still as they fought to escape the Bubble and be reunited with Aoife, the extraordinary little girl for whom Shae had sacrificied so much, the precocious vulpine child who loved Cailus as a father as much as he had come to love her as a second daughter.

Even so, as Cailus looked down into his bride’s brilliant blue eyes, her black slit pupils, he knew one thing without question. Whatever challenges came next, he and Shae would face them together.

Always.

OFF