Parenting Seminars (3/?): Establish a Support System
Parenting Seminars
Author: AllVowels
Chapter: Establish a Support System
Spoilers: Season 3, just in case
Rating: T (for past chapters, nothing really racy in this one.)
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Annie was cuddled into Jeff’s side as they sat on the couch. She held her arm out in front of her and gazed at her shiny new ring.
“It’s so pretty.”
“I thought you’d like it.”
“Did you have any help picking it out?”
“I will have you know I have excellent taste, and picked that out myself.”
“So no one in the group knows that you were planning this?”
“No, they cannot be trusted with this sort of classified information. Do we tell them all at once or one by one?”
Instead of answering Annie leaned forward and grabbed her phone. She took a quick a picture and sent it out. 5 seconds later Annie’s phone was buzzing and when she answered Jeff heard a feminine squeal erupt from the phone.
“Is that what I thinking it is? This is so exciting!” Jeff looked at Annie and mouthed ‘Troy?’ to which Annie nodded in affirmation. “Oh em gee, when? Where? How did he ask? Did he kneel? I bet he kneeled. It must’ve been so romantic.”
“Troy, is that Annie? Put it on speaker phone.” Annie giggled as she heard Shirley’s voice in the background.
“Yes! Jeff proposed!” If Jeff thought Troy’s squeal was loud, it was nothing compared to Shirley’s.
“THANK YOU BABY JESUS! I can stop worrying so much about your souls, living in sin the way you are. Now I just need to get Annie to accept Jesus as her lord and savior. We will be there in a little bit.”
Jeff heard Shirley and grabbed the phone, “Actually we were planning to spend… She hung up. How does she know where we are? Maybe we can pretend we are out.”
“Jeff, they are our friends and they are excited for us.”
“I know but I wanted to be alone with my fiancée.”
Annie kissed him, “I promise we can be alone later.”
“I will hold you to that verbal contract.”
Within an hour and a half Troy, Shirley, Abed, Britta and Pierce arrived at their tiny apartment. There were murmurs of congratulations and Shirley passed around brownies. Shirley nudged Jeff off the couch so she could admire Annie’s new ring, and inquire about wedding plans.
Jeff entered the kitchen to get a drink and Britta followed him in.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Pouring myself a drink. Do you want one?”
“No, I thought you were never getting married. Just nut up and die alone, remember that?”
“I do, but things changed. I changed.” He shrugged as if that explained everything.
“And what happens to that poor girl when you decide ten years down the road that you want someone younger who won’t pressure you to have a family?”
“I think I’m more worried about Annie deciding to leave me for someone younger.”
“What about when she wants kids?”
“Maybe I’m not so terrified of that anymore.” With that he grabbed a second glass of water and headed to the living room, leaving Britta alone in the kitchen. She sighed and when she looked down she saw a sheet of paper on the kitchen counter. On closer inspection it seemed to be a receipt from a doctor’s visit.
“Annie?” She called out as she walked into the living room paper, “What is this?”
Annie paled when she saw the sheet of paper. She rushed off the couch, “Oh that’s nothing. I just had a little cold.”
“It says prenatal care.” Annie froze. This was not how she wanted their friends to find out about the bun in her oven. She looked at Jeff helplessly, but he didn’t seem to have a better grasp on the situation than she did. Abed sat in a chair in the corner, his gaze moved from group member to group member. Everyone seemed to be in a state of shock at the news.
Out loud he said, “I need help reacting to this. None of you are giving your normal social cues. Should I react in mock disappointment or jump up and down at the fact Jeff and Annie have committed to each other and are about to start a family?”
Abed’s question broke the silence, and everyone started to talk at once. Surprisingly it was Shirley who was able to quiet everyone down.
“QUIET!” Once all eyes were on her she looked at Annie, “Annie you don’t want to have this child out of wedlock.”
“I don’t?” Annie echoed in confusion.
“No, just imagine what some people will say about him or her. A bastard. You don’t want people to call your child that.”
“I don’t.”
“Well that’s settled!”
Jeff broke in, “What’s settled?”
“You two will get married before the baby is born of course! Annie will want to get married before she starts to show, so I think next weekend sounds good.”
“Wait a minute. We can’t get married in one week.”
“Oh yes you can. It will just be a small ceremony. Troy and I will make the cake, Abed will film it and Britta can decorate like she did for my wedding.”
“I will?” At Shirley’s sharp glare she amended her statement, “I mean I WILL! Yay…”
“What will I do?” Pierce asked.
“You can get the wedding present. Now let’s go everyone. Scoot we have a wedding to plan. You two don’t worry about a thing.” With that statement everyone hustled out the door, leaving Jeff and Annie alone.
“What the hell just happened?”
“I think we are getting married sooner than expected… But I wanted to plan my wedding. I have that book and everything!”
Jeff sighed, “Well there is no stopping them now. We can always have a big ceremony after the baby is born if that’s what you want, and you can break out that ridiculously large book. Until then, you can focus on the baby and how you want to decorate a nursery.”
Annie’s eyes brightened. “I did start a baby book the last time but... I couldn’t look at it again. But now I can add to it!”
“You can add to it tomorrow. Right now it is time for us to be alone.”
Annie leaned into Jeff and pressed her lips to his, “Well I think that sounds fabulous my dear fiancé.”
With that, Jeff swept her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
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Shirley and Abed showed up at their apartment early Sunday morning. Shirley hustled Annie into the bathroom to get her ready for their big day.
Jeff looked at Abed, “What are we supposed to do?”
“We are having a bachelor’s party. You are supposed to grab a suit, and come with me.” Sighing Jeff grabbed one of his nicest suits and followed Abed out the door.
“Where are we going?”
“All of the traditional bachelor party locales are not open this early on a Sunday morning. So we are going to breakfast.”
“Denny’s?”
“No, Troy and I were thrown out of Denny’s after an incident.”
“What did the manager say?”
“That To Kill a Mockingbird was overrated propaganda. He then said some racist things that Troy took offense to.”
“Well then, to Village Inn we go.”
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It was around noon that Abed and Jeff arrived at Greendale Community College.
“I’m not getting married here.”
“But this is where it all started. The epic love story that is Jeff and Annie came to fruition here. And it was free.”
Jeff got out of the car, “Where are we going?”
“We are in front of the library.” As Jeff followed Abed, he was impressed by all of his friends' work. There was a pergola set up at the exact place where Annie kissed him for the first time in front of the library. It was simple in structure and had fabric draped around the top two beams. There were two rows of chairs set up, with 3 chairs on each side of the aisle. Flower arrangements lined the aisle on pedestals. Mason jars filled with colored sand and candles hung from various trees and other standing objects in the courtyard area.
“Shirley wasn’t kidding about this being a small affair.”
“Well, we weren’t sure if you told your mother, and I am under strict instructions not to contact Annie’s parents unless something dire happens. So we didn’t invite them. We also couldn’t decide who would be your best man and Annie’s bridesmaid. We drew straws, played rock paper scissors, and one game of operation trying to decide. Ultimately it was decided that no one would stand up with you to preserve our friendships and that way all the focus in on the two of you.”
“Ah, Troy wanted to be a bridesmaid and it pissed Shirley off?”
“Yep. And Pierce was fighting Britta for best man.”
“You didn’t want to stand up with us?”
“I’m filming and taking pictures. And while I think a POV piece from the best man would be interesting, I don’t think Annie would appreciate it.”
“She was pretty upset by the fact everyone else was planning her wedding. She kept taking pictures with her phone from that book of hers and sending them to Shirley.”
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An hour later, after using the study room to change into his suit, Jeff entered the courtyard again. Troy was setting up the cake on a small table along with a bowl of punch. Britta was making last minute touch ups on flower arrangements and lighting candles. Abed was taking close up pictures of random things.
“Where is Pierce? Please tell me he isn’t officiating this.”
Shirley breezed in at that moment, “No, he is picking Annie up in a fancy limousine. He wanted her to feel like a princess on her big day. Isn’t that nice? I had to pick up Andre and the boys. Ben is the ring bearer and I had to get him in his little suit.”
“Oh. “ Jeff watched as Andre corralled his three children into the courtyard. “Who is the Officiant then?”
“Happy wed-DEAN day Jeffrey! I’m so glad I could be part of this wonderful day.”
“No. No I refuse to be a part of this! I could take that my wedding day was chosen for me by my group of meddlesome friends. I could even appreciate it a little, because I wouldn’t have to deal with the bridezilla Annie would turn in to. But this… this is crossing a line.”
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Annie sat perfectly still on the couch, not wanting to wrinkle her dress or ruin her hair and make up. Shirley had found a beautiful eggshell colored dress with an empire waist and a sweetheart neckline. It's cut was simple and it was made of satin that puddle to the floor behind her. Small pearls sewed in to embellish the waistline.
“Because you can’t wear pure white of course and the waistline will hide that little belly you are getting!” She had chimed. Shirley curled her hair into large ringlets and applied her make-up. “You look gorgeous!”
She had left, with teary eyes, explaining she had to go get the boys. A knock on the door, brought Annie out of her revery. Opening the door she found Pierce standing there in a suit with a small box in his hand.
“Annie you look… beautiful.”
Annie beamed up at him, “You look pretty dapper yourself.”
“Thank you. I wore this to my last sexual harassment lawsuit. It still fits.” He shifted from one foot to the other before offering up the box in his hand to her. “This is for you. I know you didn’t want it before, but I thought it would look nice on your wedding day.”
Annie opened the box to find the same tiara he had offered her the day he had been hospitalized.
“I’d be happy to wear it today.” Turning towards the nearest mirror, Annie careful unclipped the veil from her hair and placed the tiara on her head. Once she clipped the veil back into her hair she turned and looked at Pierce, “How does it look?”
“Fine.” Pierce grabbed a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes, “Damn fluorescent lighting. Bothering my cataracts.”
Annie just smiled at the older man, “Are we ready to go?”
“Your chariot awaits!” With that he held out his arm and escorted her down to the limousine.
On the drive to Greendale, Annie had a pensive look on her face.
“Cold feet? I understand, considering your fiancé is still in the closet.”
“No it’s not that…” Annie trailed off as she gathered her thoughts. “I just always thought that my father would walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. But we still aren’t talking.”
Annie sighed.
“Well, it is his loss and he and your mother are damn fools for letting you go. If you were my daughter I’d never let that happen. You are a wonderful woman and I am very proud of you. Even if you are marrying Jeff.”
“Pierce, would you do me the honor of walking me down the aisle?”
The limo had to pull over at a small rest stop to allow the two to compose themselves, before continuing on to Greendale. Annie had to fix the smudge marks her tears had caused, and Pierce had to grab a handful of tissue since his handkerchief was currently useless because it was soaked with tears and snot.
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“Jeff, come out here right now!”
“No!” Jeff shouted through the bathroom door.
Shirley glared at the door, “If you don’t get your skinny white a…”
Britta interrupted Shirley, “Why don’t you go check on the cake? I’ll get him out.”
Shirley sighed, and let Britta take care of the Jeff situation.
“Jeff, come out Shirley is gone.”
“NO! Why him? I would have taken Leonard over him. The only one I want molesting me today is Annie. I thought I was finally free of him.”
“He promised to behave, and he is actually wearing a nice suit. Besides he said he’d call the cops and accuse us of trespassing if we didn’t let him participate. Normally I’m all about rebelling but I’m so close to graduating.”
Jeff refused to answer her. If Annie found out that he locked himself in the school’s bathroom to pout on their wedding day, she’d be furious but he didn’t care at the moment. He was entitled to a small freak out today. He was getting married, he was having a baby and he was going to have to suffer the dean’s presence for the rest of the day. Anyone else in his shoes would be freaking out too.
“Jeff? Are you upset because of the dean or are you having cold feet?”
“Why would I have cold feet? I am marrying a beautiful woman, and we are about to have a baby. I am the luckiest guy in the world, unless you consider the fact that I have no idea what I’m doing, and I tend to screw things up. It might not be today or tomorrow, but someday down the road I’m going to do something, and I’ll lose it all.”
Britta sighed, “If you tell anyone I said this, I’ll lie through my teeth, but you and Annie are good for each other. You aren’t such a narcissistic douchebag when she is around, and she isn’t so tightly wound. And all children blame their parents for their problems, so it doesn’t matter if you mess them up. I doubt you’ll have a psychopath for a baby.”
“Thanks Britta. That’s very reassuring.”
Ignoring his sarcasm, Britta continued,“Good. Now come out so you can sell your soul to the outdated institution of marriage which was created so men could trade livestock for their daughters.”
Jeff opened the door to look at Britta, “One day, you will be in this situation, and I will offer you the same reassurances.”
Britta frowned, “Never! I will never tie myself down to a man! Or woman!”
“Got it, you are going to be alone for the rest of your life, besides your crazy one eyed cats. Now please escort me to my outdated institutional ceremony.”
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Jeff was standing in front of the pergola, trying to ignore Dean Pelton when the limousine pulled into the courtyard. Troy was sitting next to Britta, Shirley was sitting with her family, and for some reason Leonard and Garrett were there. Abed was filming from the back of the aisle when Pierce stepped out and offered his hand to the other passenger.
When Annie exited the vehicle, Jeff’s breath left him. She was stunning. Any doubts and niggling feelings he had about bolting disappeared when she came into view. He couldn’t see her face through the veil, but he could imagine her beautiful eyes. Music filled the air and their friends stood as Pierce escorted Annie down the aisle. Before passing her off to Jeff, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead through her veil and smiled.
He looked at Jeff and whispered, “I still have that 20 grand,” before joining the others.
Jeff lifted her veil and the two gazed into each other’s eyes smiling sappily.
“They are sickening.” Britta tried to whisper, but in a crowd that small everyone heard her.
Annie turned from Jeff and hissed, “Britta!”
“Sorry! Continue!”
The dean cleared his throat, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Jeffrey Winger and Annie Edison in matrimony. If there is anyone here, who has reason for these two to not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace. Anyone? Anyone have a reason for these two not to be wed? Such as a groom’s undying love for his former dean?”
At the glare he received from the groom, Dean Pelton continued, “I guess not. Now Jeff, repeat after me: I, Jeff Winger.”
“I, Jeff Winger,”
“Take you, Craig Pelton…. Oops Freudian slip! Take you, Annie Edison, to be my wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse,"
“Take you, Annie Edison, to be my wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse,"
"For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”
"For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”
“Annie please repeat after me, I, Annie Edison, take you Jeff Winger, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. And if death does part us, I endorse a relationship with a former dean.”
Annie ignored the last sentence when repeating the traditional vows. The dean frowned at having his addendum ignored, but decided to continue on.
“May we get the rings?” Shirley set Ben down, handed him a pillow and pushed him forward. When he reached Jeff he held his the pillow up.
“Jeff, place the ring on Annie’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
Placing the ring on Annie’s finger, he smiled and repeated, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“Annie, place the ring on Jeff’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
Annie’s cheeks hurt from smiling as she looked at Jeff and placed the ring on his finger. She never thought she could be this happy, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“Now we the power invested in me by the state of Colorado, I pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride. Or the dean.”
Rolling their eyes the bride and groom moved in towards each other and shared a earth shattering kiss. Britta tossed a small bouquet at them trying to break them up.
“Britta!” Troy gasped.
“What? They need to breathe.” Looking at Troy she asked, “Are you crying?”
“YES! It was beautiful!”
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After the ceremony, Abed passed the camera over to Garrett to take photos of the reception.
Jeff and Annie refused to shove cake in the other’s face. Jeff was worried about his suit, and Annie was more interested in eating the cake, since she barely had anything for breakfast and skipped lunch not wanting to get her dress dirty. They allowed Troy and Abed the privilege of rubbing cake on the other’s face for the purpose of tradition.
As the sun started to set, the candles cast a romantic glow throughout the schoolyard, and Annie and Jeff shared their first dance as husband and wife.
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AN: I really struggled with this chapter, so I hope you liked it. I'm not the type of girl who has a large wedding book and gets excited for weddings, so I felt like I was floundering.
Next Chapter will be about the rest of the pregnancy and birth, which I am more excited about.
Author: AllVowels
Chapter: Establish a Support System
Spoilers: Season 3, just in case
Rating: T (for past chapters, nothing really racy in this one.)
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Annie was cuddled into Jeff’s side as they sat on the couch. She held her arm out in front of her and gazed at her shiny new ring.
“It’s so pretty.”
“I thought you’d like it.”
“Did you have any help picking it out?”
“I will have you know I have excellent taste, and picked that out myself.”
“So no one in the group knows that you were planning this?”
“No, they cannot be trusted with this sort of classified information. Do we tell them all at once or one by one?”
Instead of answering Annie leaned forward and grabbed her phone. She took a quick a picture and sent it out. 5 seconds later Annie’s phone was buzzing and when she answered Jeff heard a feminine squeal erupt from the phone.
“Is that what I thinking it is? This is so exciting!” Jeff looked at Annie and mouthed ‘Troy?’ to which Annie nodded in affirmation. “Oh em gee, when? Where? How did he ask? Did he kneel? I bet he kneeled. It must’ve been so romantic.”
“Troy, is that Annie? Put it on speaker phone.” Annie giggled as she heard Shirley’s voice in the background.
“Yes! Jeff proposed!” If Jeff thought Troy’s squeal was loud, it was nothing compared to Shirley’s.
“THANK YOU BABY JESUS! I can stop worrying so much about your souls, living in sin the way you are. Now I just need to get Annie to accept Jesus as her lord and savior. We will be there in a little bit.”
Jeff heard Shirley and grabbed the phone, “Actually we were planning to spend… She hung up. How does she know where we are? Maybe we can pretend we are out.”
“Jeff, they are our friends and they are excited for us.”
“I know but I wanted to be alone with my fiancée.”
Annie kissed him, “I promise we can be alone later.”
“I will hold you to that verbal contract.”
Within an hour and a half Troy, Shirley, Abed, Britta and Pierce arrived at their tiny apartment. There were murmurs of congratulations and Shirley passed around brownies. Shirley nudged Jeff off the couch so she could admire Annie’s new ring, and inquire about wedding plans.
Jeff entered the kitchen to get a drink and Britta followed him in.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Pouring myself a drink. Do you want one?”
“No, I thought you were never getting married. Just nut up and die alone, remember that?”
“I do, but things changed. I changed.” He shrugged as if that explained everything.
“And what happens to that poor girl when you decide ten years down the road that you want someone younger who won’t pressure you to have a family?”
“I think I’m more worried about Annie deciding to leave me for someone younger.”
“What about when she wants kids?”
“Maybe I’m not so terrified of that anymore.” With that he grabbed a second glass of water and headed to the living room, leaving Britta alone in the kitchen. She sighed and when she looked down she saw a sheet of paper on the kitchen counter. On closer inspection it seemed to be a receipt from a doctor’s visit.
“Annie?” She called out as she walked into the living room paper, “What is this?”
Annie paled when she saw the sheet of paper. She rushed off the couch, “Oh that’s nothing. I just had a little cold.”
“It says prenatal care.” Annie froze. This was not how she wanted their friends to find out about the bun in her oven. She looked at Jeff helplessly, but he didn’t seem to have a better grasp on the situation than she did. Abed sat in a chair in the corner, his gaze moved from group member to group member. Everyone seemed to be in a state of shock at the news.
Out loud he said, “I need help reacting to this. None of you are giving your normal social cues. Should I react in mock disappointment or jump up and down at the fact Jeff and Annie have committed to each other and are about to start a family?”
Abed’s question broke the silence, and everyone started to talk at once. Surprisingly it was Shirley who was able to quiet everyone down.
“QUIET!” Once all eyes were on her she looked at Annie, “Annie you don’t want to have this child out of wedlock.”
“I don’t?” Annie echoed in confusion.
“No, just imagine what some people will say about him or her. A bastard. You don’t want people to call your child that.”
“I don’t.”
“Well that’s settled!”
Jeff broke in, “What’s settled?”
“You two will get married before the baby is born of course! Annie will want to get married before she starts to show, so I think next weekend sounds good.”
“Wait a minute. We can’t get married in one week.”
“Oh yes you can. It will just be a small ceremony. Troy and I will make the cake, Abed will film it and Britta can decorate like she did for my wedding.”
“I will?” At Shirley’s sharp glare she amended her statement, “I mean I WILL! Yay…”
“What will I do?” Pierce asked.
“You can get the wedding present. Now let’s go everyone. Scoot we have a wedding to plan. You two don’t worry about a thing.” With that statement everyone hustled out the door, leaving Jeff and Annie alone.
“What the hell just happened?”
“I think we are getting married sooner than expected… But I wanted to plan my wedding. I have that book and everything!”
Jeff sighed, “Well there is no stopping them now. We can always have a big ceremony after the baby is born if that’s what you want, and you can break out that ridiculously large book. Until then, you can focus on the baby and how you want to decorate a nursery.”
Annie’s eyes brightened. “I did start a baby book the last time but... I couldn’t look at it again. But now I can add to it!”
“You can add to it tomorrow. Right now it is time for us to be alone.”
Annie leaned into Jeff and pressed her lips to his, “Well I think that sounds fabulous my dear fiancé.”
With that, Jeff swept her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
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Shirley and Abed showed up at their apartment early Sunday morning. Shirley hustled Annie into the bathroom to get her ready for their big day.
Jeff looked at Abed, “What are we supposed to do?”
“We are having a bachelor’s party. You are supposed to grab a suit, and come with me.” Sighing Jeff grabbed one of his nicest suits and followed Abed out the door.
“Where are we going?”
“All of the traditional bachelor party locales are not open this early on a Sunday morning. So we are going to breakfast.”
“Denny’s?”
“No, Troy and I were thrown out of Denny’s after an incident.”
“What did the manager say?”
“That To Kill a Mockingbird was overrated propaganda. He then said some racist things that Troy took offense to.”
“Well then, to Village Inn we go.”
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It was around noon that Abed and Jeff arrived at Greendale Community College.
“I’m not getting married here.”
“But this is where it all started. The epic love story that is Jeff and Annie came to fruition here. And it was free.”
Jeff got out of the car, “Where are we going?”
“We are in front of the library.” As Jeff followed Abed, he was impressed by all of his friends' work. There was a pergola set up at the exact place where Annie kissed him for the first time in front of the library. It was simple in structure and had fabric draped around the top two beams. There were two rows of chairs set up, with 3 chairs on each side of the aisle. Flower arrangements lined the aisle on pedestals. Mason jars filled with colored sand and candles hung from various trees and other standing objects in the courtyard area.
“Shirley wasn’t kidding about this being a small affair.”
“Well, we weren’t sure if you told your mother, and I am under strict instructions not to contact Annie’s parents unless something dire happens. So we didn’t invite them. We also couldn’t decide who would be your best man and Annie’s bridesmaid. We drew straws, played rock paper scissors, and one game of operation trying to decide. Ultimately it was decided that no one would stand up with you to preserve our friendships and that way all the focus in on the two of you.”
“Ah, Troy wanted to be a bridesmaid and it pissed Shirley off?”
“Yep. And Pierce was fighting Britta for best man.”
“You didn’t want to stand up with us?”
“I’m filming and taking pictures. And while I think a POV piece from the best man would be interesting, I don’t think Annie would appreciate it.”
“She was pretty upset by the fact everyone else was planning her wedding. She kept taking pictures with her phone from that book of hers and sending them to Shirley.”
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An hour later, after using the study room to change into his suit, Jeff entered the courtyard again. Troy was setting up the cake on a small table along with a bowl of punch. Britta was making last minute touch ups on flower arrangements and lighting candles. Abed was taking close up pictures of random things.
“Where is Pierce? Please tell me he isn’t officiating this.”
Shirley breezed in at that moment, “No, he is picking Annie up in a fancy limousine. He wanted her to feel like a princess on her big day. Isn’t that nice? I had to pick up Andre and the boys. Ben is the ring bearer and I had to get him in his little suit.”
“Oh. “ Jeff watched as Andre corralled his three children into the courtyard. “Who is the Officiant then?”
“Happy wed-DEAN day Jeffrey! I’m so glad I could be part of this wonderful day.”
“No. No I refuse to be a part of this! I could take that my wedding day was chosen for me by my group of meddlesome friends. I could even appreciate it a little, because I wouldn’t have to deal with the bridezilla Annie would turn in to. But this… this is crossing a line.”
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Annie sat perfectly still on the couch, not wanting to wrinkle her dress or ruin her hair and make up. Shirley had found a beautiful eggshell colored dress with an empire waist and a sweetheart neckline. It's cut was simple and it was made of satin that puddle to the floor behind her. Small pearls sewed in to embellish the waistline.
“Because you can’t wear pure white of course and the waistline will hide that little belly you are getting!” She had chimed. Shirley curled her hair into large ringlets and applied her make-up. “You look gorgeous!”
She had left, with teary eyes, explaining she had to go get the boys. A knock on the door, brought Annie out of her revery. Opening the door she found Pierce standing there in a suit with a small box in his hand.
“Annie you look… beautiful.”
Annie beamed up at him, “You look pretty dapper yourself.”
“Thank you. I wore this to my last sexual harassment lawsuit. It still fits.” He shifted from one foot to the other before offering up the box in his hand to her. “This is for you. I know you didn’t want it before, but I thought it would look nice on your wedding day.”
Annie opened the box to find the same tiara he had offered her the day he had been hospitalized.
“I’d be happy to wear it today.” Turning towards the nearest mirror, Annie careful unclipped the veil from her hair and placed the tiara on her head. Once she clipped the veil back into her hair she turned and looked at Pierce, “How does it look?”
“Fine.” Pierce grabbed a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes, “Damn fluorescent lighting. Bothering my cataracts.”
Annie just smiled at the older man, “Are we ready to go?”
“Your chariot awaits!” With that he held out his arm and escorted her down to the limousine.
On the drive to Greendale, Annie had a pensive look on her face.
“Cold feet? I understand, considering your fiancé is still in the closet.”
“No it’s not that…” Annie trailed off as she gathered her thoughts. “I just always thought that my father would walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. But we still aren’t talking.”
Annie sighed.
“Well, it is his loss and he and your mother are damn fools for letting you go. If you were my daughter I’d never let that happen. You are a wonderful woman and I am very proud of you. Even if you are marrying Jeff.”
“Pierce, would you do me the honor of walking me down the aisle?”
The limo had to pull over at a small rest stop to allow the two to compose themselves, before continuing on to Greendale. Annie had to fix the smudge marks her tears had caused, and Pierce had to grab a handful of tissue since his handkerchief was currently useless because it was soaked with tears and snot.
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“Jeff, come out here right now!”
“No!” Jeff shouted through the bathroom door.
Shirley glared at the door, “If you don’t get your skinny white a…”
Britta interrupted Shirley, “Why don’t you go check on the cake? I’ll get him out.”
Shirley sighed, and let Britta take care of the Jeff situation.
“Jeff, come out Shirley is gone.”
“NO! Why him? I would have taken Leonard over him. The only one I want molesting me today is Annie. I thought I was finally free of him.”
“He promised to behave, and he is actually wearing a nice suit. Besides he said he’d call the cops and accuse us of trespassing if we didn’t let him participate. Normally I’m all about rebelling but I’m so close to graduating.”
Jeff refused to answer her. If Annie found out that he locked himself in the school’s bathroom to pout on their wedding day, she’d be furious but he didn’t care at the moment. He was entitled to a small freak out today. He was getting married, he was having a baby and he was going to have to suffer the dean’s presence for the rest of the day. Anyone else in his shoes would be freaking out too.
“Jeff? Are you upset because of the dean or are you having cold feet?”
“Why would I have cold feet? I am marrying a beautiful woman, and we are about to have a baby. I am the luckiest guy in the world, unless you consider the fact that I have no idea what I’m doing, and I tend to screw things up. It might not be today or tomorrow, but someday down the road I’m going to do something, and I’ll lose it all.”
Britta sighed, “If you tell anyone I said this, I’ll lie through my teeth, but you and Annie are good for each other. You aren’t such a narcissistic douchebag when she is around, and she isn’t so tightly wound. And all children blame their parents for their problems, so it doesn’t matter if you mess them up. I doubt you’ll have a psychopath for a baby.”
“Thanks Britta. That’s very reassuring.”
Ignoring his sarcasm, Britta continued,“Good. Now come out so you can sell your soul to the outdated institution of marriage which was created so men could trade livestock for their daughters.”
Jeff opened the door to look at Britta, “One day, you will be in this situation, and I will offer you the same reassurances.”
Britta frowned, “Never! I will never tie myself down to a man! Or woman!”
“Got it, you are going to be alone for the rest of your life, besides your crazy one eyed cats. Now please escort me to my outdated institutional ceremony.”
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Jeff was standing in front of the pergola, trying to ignore Dean Pelton when the limousine pulled into the courtyard. Troy was sitting next to Britta, Shirley was sitting with her family, and for some reason Leonard and Garrett were there. Abed was filming from the back of the aisle when Pierce stepped out and offered his hand to the other passenger.
When Annie exited the vehicle, Jeff’s breath left him. She was stunning. Any doubts and niggling feelings he had about bolting disappeared when she came into view. He couldn’t see her face through the veil, but he could imagine her beautiful eyes. Music filled the air and their friends stood as Pierce escorted Annie down the aisle. Before passing her off to Jeff, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead through her veil and smiled.
He looked at Jeff and whispered, “I still have that 20 grand,” before joining the others.
Jeff lifted her veil and the two gazed into each other’s eyes smiling sappily.
“They are sickening.” Britta tried to whisper, but in a crowd that small everyone heard her.
Annie turned from Jeff and hissed, “Britta!”
“Sorry! Continue!”
The dean cleared his throat, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Jeffrey Winger and Annie Edison in matrimony. If there is anyone here, who has reason for these two to not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace. Anyone? Anyone have a reason for these two not to be wed? Such as a groom’s undying love for his former dean?”
At the glare he received from the groom, Dean Pelton continued, “I guess not. Now Jeff, repeat after me: I, Jeff Winger.”
“I, Jeff Winger,”
“Take you, Craig Pelton…. Oops Freudian slip! Take you, Annie Edison, to be my wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse,"
“Take you, Annie Edison, to be my wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse,"
"For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”
"For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”
“Annie please repeat after me, I, Annie Edison, take you Jeff Winger, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. And if death does part us, I endorse a relationship with a former dean.”
Annie ignored the last sentence when repeating the traditional vows. The dean frowned at having his addendum ignored, but decided to continue on.
“May we get the rings?” Shirley set Ben down, handed him a pillow and pushed him forward. When he reached Jeff he held his the pillow up.
“Jeff, place the ring on Annie’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
Placing the ring on Annie’s finger, he smiled and repeated, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“Annie, place the ring on Jeff’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
Annie’s cheeks hurt from smiling as she looked at Jeff and placed the ring on his finger. She never thought she could be this happy, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“Now we the power invested in me by the state of Colorado, I pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride. Or the dean.”
Rolling their eyes the bride and groom moved in towards each other and shared a earth shattering kiss. Britta tossed a small bouquet at them trying to break them up.
“Britta!” Troy gasped.
“What? They need to breathe.” Looking at Troy she asked, “Are you crying?”
“YES! It was beautiful!”
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After the ceremony, Abed passed the camera over to Garrett to take photos of the reception.
Jeff and Annie refused to shove cake in the other’s face. Jeff was worried about his suit, and Annie was more interested in eating the cake, since she barely had anything for breakfast and skipped lunch not wanting to get her dress dirty. They allowed Troy and Abed the privilege of rubbing cake on the other’s face for the purpose of tradition.
As the sun started to set, the candles cast a romantic glow throughout the schoolyard, and Annie and Jeff shared their first dance as husband and wife.
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AN: I really struggled with this chapter, so I hope you liked it. I'm not the type of girl who has a large wedding book and gets excited for weddings, so I felt like I was floundering.
Next Chapter will be about the rest of the pregnancy and birth, which I am more excited about.