[February 4th, 2007] You're All I Have...

[no_russianbride]

It took a lot to put one past Major James Anthony Riley. It was a fact that Addie had not only gotten used to, but pretty much used as a guideline to her daily routine. He knew when she had done laundry because her hair would smell of a dryer sheet, he knew if she had lunch with Ronon because her tone would be a bit more surly than usual. Jim had

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[no_russianbride]

Addie listened to the sound of her own name, almost foreign to her in that moment. If ever there was a moment when she felt a bit beside herself this was it. This was... a lot, it was everything. Her knee was shaking a bit and she tried to will it to stop but ending up locking it instead, which got it to stop, but she was sure Jim felt the jarring motion of her arm. She was sure though, he didn't have to worry about her running off to become a nun.

Swallowing first then taking a breath she nodded to Elizabeth and turned to face Jim. She took his hands in hers and paused because she had the words, they were there somewhere she just needed to find them again. She smiled briefly almost a moment away from laughter just waiting for him to make a face or break her concentration, but instead he just looked at her... and he looked happy, happier than she had seen him before.

Even if she still had a bit of doubt before... it didn't matter now because standing there holding his hands she knew without a single moment of doubt that she was going to spend the rest of her life with him.

"James," it sounded almost odd to say his first name so formally, without adding the rest on the end to make him know she was upset with him. "For a while now I've lived my life not knowing if anyone was going to notice any of it. Growing up I was just counted on, rather than accounted for. I didn't put any thought into someone being there for me, because I was too busy being there for everyone else. I faded into the background, because there wasn't anyone to pick me out of it all and tell me 'I notice you'."

Addie could feel her knee start to shake again and her hands a bit too. She kept her eyes focused on Jim's though as she tried to push herself through the rest of it because she didn't want to just do it halfway and mumble through the rest of it, "Jim, you noticed me, and not even just that but you knew me. It didn't take you long and I blame that huge intellect of yours, and the ego as well... but I know that now someone is making my life count for something. I'm here in another galaxy, knowing full well that there are too many people in this universe and the next... too many people to stand there and say that they're all important, but they're important to someone. One person out there just to make sure that you're known..."

She drew in a deep breath her eyes starting to tear just a bit because she meant it all, "The small fleeting moments, the ordinary seconds, the good, the bad... all of it. Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. I will be your witness, I will be there for it all, even the things you think you should protect me from."

Her smile turned up a bit at the last remark, because she knew he would always fight that instinct to protect her, and she would always let him. "I love you, always will." She was still tearing up a bit more now and she sighed slightly now that the hard part was over. She wanted to kiss him, but she held onto her urge for a bit longer.

[irish_sherlock]

Jim hardly knew what to say...he didn't have anything he'd prepared, and traditional words were so trite...so *lacking.*

So he gathered her hands securely in his and shut his eyes for a moment...and for the first time in his life, didn't try to hide behind crass words, quick jokes, or street slang.

He let her have everything he was, and spoke straight from the heart.

"Aedeline...getting married's a big thing. First you gotta find somebody, then you gotta fall in love, and then you gotta decide if they're a person you can live with. *Really* live with...forever and a day. Lots of people find that...but it's something rare when you find a person that is more than someone you can live with, but someone who teaches you to live."

He paused, holding her gaze as a smile spread across his face. "My life has been filled with a lot of crap, but it's also been marked by one stroke of blind, dumb luck after another. Having a twin, getting my life turned around...landing a *sweet* gig like Atlantis. And that streak culminates with the day I happened to check you out when you were walkin' across this very gate room."

Moving a little closer, Jim released one of her hands to reach out and touch her cheek, brushing a tendril of hair away from her face. "Someone in a really bad movie once said 'What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? Only love.' Men have sold their souls for women like you. Poets have written sonnets about your smile, artists have lived and died trying to capture beauty like yours in oils and canvas. Your love...it's worth more than life or death. It's everything."

For a moment he hesitated, swallowing hard past the lump suddenly in his throat...struck breathless by just looking at her, so happy he could hardly stand it...

"We all got guardian angels...and today? I'm marrying mine."

[dr_weir]

Elizabeth listened first to Addie and then to Jim as they spoke their love from their heart and smiled softly.

When they were finished, she took a deep breath and said, "Now that everyone here is as touched as I am by your love, let's continue."

Reaching out, she waited while McKay fumbled for a moment before handing her a flat surface that had the traditional solemnization of vows from Earth on them. Turning to Addie first, she spoke gently, smiling at her.

"Addie," she said firmly, "Do you take Jim to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, to love and honor, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

[no_russianbride]

If she hadn't been near tears during her own profession Jim's words would have done her in. She couldn't help the smile on her face, nor the tears that were trying their best to not fall across her cheeks. The words that Elizabeth was saying seemed so less important all of a sudden, despite the fact that this was the actual part that made it all official. Her mind raced to all the times she had seen The Princess Bride and Westley would ask if she had said 'I do' and that if she hadn't then she hadn't married him.

Aedeline made sure that she was looking Jim in the eyes, baring her soul, her heart and showing him all the love she had within her at that moment when she replied, "I do."

[dr_weir]

Elizabeth was beyond touched and, turning to Jim, repeated the phrase... tweaked for him, of course.

"Jim," she said firmly, "Do you take Addie to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, to love and honor, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both shall live?

[irish_sherlock]

I do...man, that sounded good. He heard the words for him, but only just. He was too busy staring...the smile, the barely leashed tears of joy, and those dimples that made him freaking insane...

No question...if angels walked among men, they were Russian blondes with deep-dish dimples.

Grinning, Jim barely stole a glance at Weir before his eyes were locked with Aedeline's again, shining with pure love and a giddy joy he could barely contain. "Hell-freakin'-yeah, I do."

[dr_weir]

Refraining from telling Major Riley that a simple 'I do' would have done, she tethered her huge grin for the moment and eyed them both.

"I'm guessing you have rings?"

[no_russianbride]

Addie was beaming, and her smile even though it was pretty wide, was all reflected in her eyes as she looked at Jim. When Elizabeth asked about rings she watched Jim for a moment, because it was on the spot, and while it wouldn't have shocked her a bit if he had it in his pocket twenty-four hours a day seven days a week, she was pretty sure he didn't have a thing on him. Well actually she knew he had ways of being 'creative' which would have been entirely romantic, but she already had it covered.

When David and her had been to the old house in Watertown she had looked everywhere for her mothers wedding band, but come up empty. She had her found her fathers a while ago, but her mothers had just vanished. She wanted to have it, but figured it was just something her dad had gotten rid of a while ago. David however found it, just after Christmas going through a box of things that Anton had sent over. It was mostly junk that Anton hadn't any idea what to do with anymore, but in a small baby food jar was her mothers wedding band. David sent both rings to her when she told him about the plan to surprise Jim.

Addie smiled shaking her head to Jim, her hands rested on his chest for a moment, "Hey don't start pulling pins out of grenades for me here, I got it covered."

Addie pulled out the small box and grinned, "Resized because I'm sneaky, but I know there were good intentions when my parents put these on, and I know that they loved each other..." Addie was fumbling for words, because it wasn't like she didn't know her parents fell out of love eventually... but she just wanted to make it sound better than it was.

"I thought my dad got rid of it... my mom's that is, but he didn't. I have to believe that whatever this ring... what these rings meant to him I can make it worth all his effort. He kept his, and hers..." Addie was trying and felt like she was failing at it all of a sudden, swallowing hard she exhaled a nervous breath, "I had the vows all set in my head... this though?"

Her free hand clenched for a moment as she let out a bit of nervous laughter, and turned to Elizabeth, "Yes. I have rings. See? That was easy."

[irish_sherlock]

Chuckling at Aedeline's nerves, Jim reached out to rub her shoulders soothingly, holding her gaze. "You're upstaging me with the sweeping romantic gestures, and being cuter than me. Stop it. That's cheating." He quipped, watching as the laugh and blush he got for his trouble eased some of the tension in her body.

Reaching out to run a finger over one of the bands in the box, he nodded approvingly, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Sneaky? Understatement of the year, Princess...remind me never to trust you with state secrets." he teased. "Baby, these are fuckin' awesome. Honest."

[dr_weir]

Elizabeth watched as they exchanged rings and pledged their trothes. After it was done, she raised her voice and turned.

"I now pronounce you man and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Riley." She grinned. "You may kiss the bride."

She'd been waiting to say it for a very long time.

[irish_sherlock]

Picking up one of the rings, Jim grinned as he took Aedeline's hand and slid it on her finger, giving her hand a light squeeze when he was done before she did the same to him. The ring felt good going on...really good. The old ball and chain...yeah, if ever there was a willing prisoner, he was it.

"I now pronounce you man and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Riley. You may kiss the bride."

When Elizabeth finally finished speaking, Jim couldn't bite back the whoop of joy that escaped him as he pumped a triumphant fist into the air and reached for Aedeline, swinging her up into his arms and spinning around.

When he finally set her on her feet again, Jim reached out to cradle her face between his hands. "C'mere, Mrs. Riley..."

Grinning, he drew her in and kissed her with all he had, releasing her face to wrap his arms around his new wife...ohhhh yeah. That sounded *really* goddamn good.

[no_russianbride]

The rings, the vows, the words... and all of it had become this nice warm fuzzy blur of events, because she already said that she did, and the small gesture to reassure her had done so much more for her, it grounded her in the moment and from that point on it was just washing over her. When Elizabeth finally said the words she felt her whole body tingle with the anticipation of Jim doing something... anything, which of course he did.

Once she was back on her feet and actually steady on her own she could barely feel her own breathing in her lungs as he drew her close and kissed her. His arms surrounded her and she let the rest of the room dull into a quiet murmur even though she was pretty certain everyone was cheering and clapping their hands.

When he pulled away she actually blushed, biting her bottom lip a bit, before she leaned up and whispered into his ear, "Oh, I pulled this on over you *so* good... I *married* you. I win."

[irish_sherlock]

Jim laughed at her wisecrack, drawing away to rest his forehead against hers. Flying...he felt like he was flying. "Woman, you gotta be fuckin' with me...you don't win, I do. You *married* me...I win at *life*, baby. You can't beat me at jack SQUAT ever again 'cause I *win at life*, hear me?"

He paused, then wickedly turned to face the crowd, throwing his arms up in the air victoriously as he threw his head back and shouted. "You HEAR that, Atlantis?!? I WIN! Because Addie Sorokin MARRIED MY ASS!!!"

Reaching for her, he allowed her to hide her mortification against him for only a moment before he was carrying on again, only more quietly, only letting those within earshot hear him. "I love this woman...I *love* this woman! The old ball and chain...I like it. Feels good...does it come with a matching bangle?..."

[no_russianbride]

She was mortified for a few moments after he shouted to the ceilings and then some. She tried to hide her face against him, which he allowed but not long enough for Addie. It actually took a lot to get her to be that embarrassed and he was a pro at it all.

He didn't stop either, the volume was lessened but he kept carrying on, and really she knew the only way to get him to stop was to just kiss him again. So she did just that, turning him toward her a bit forcefully and kissed him. It worked to get him to stop talking, and she figured she'd take advantage of the moment as well, and return the passion of the kiss he had given her once the actual announcement had been made.

When she pulled away she sighed lightly her hands hanging loose behind his neck as her arms rested atop shoulders. "I'm not an old ball and chain, I'm your wife."