Ali & Andrew's Wedding | Reception & Halloween Party!
The wedding reception was off to more than a perfect start, and not one of the guests had failed in jumping right into both the wedding and Halloween spirit. In every sense of it, it was a wedding reception, with the decor matching the church for the ceremony and a huge chocolate wedding cake standing proudly off to the side, which would be served with ever possible flavour of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream on offer as a side dish. Beside that, there was a large chocolate fountain in operation with every sort of fruit and sweets to select from for people to go back and forth all night if they wished. The meal had been lovely, the food proper soul food and none of the fancy shit with one carrot and drip of sauce on top of it. It anyone wasn’t already in a brilliant mood, the food certainly would have put them in it. The only people who hadn’t changed into fancy dress were the bride and groom who had mischievously decided to go to the party as a bride and groom because said bride refused to not get maximum benefit out of her designer wedding dress, already joking that Andrew was going to have to shag her in it while they consummated the marriage.
Once the ceremony was over, all the guests had moved on to The Bondi in Soho while the wedding party went to Central Park to get more photos taken. It was only then that Ali made another surprise about-turn, telling James, Izzy, Tab, and Max that they could head on to the reception and they would meet them there really soon. This time, no one knew what she was up, except maybe the limo driver, and she handed over a generous cheque to the photographer to pay him for an additional location for shots, which he happily agreed to (of course). Andrew, Luke and Leila tried to repeatedly question her once they were back in the limo, clearing deducing it was something to do with the three cousins, but she was tight-lipped until they reached their destination. A certain private hospital in the city that currently housed a certain wounded soldier.
Luckily she was armed with tissues, because when Ali finally explained they were bringing the wedding to Rob, holding up a small camera on which one of her uncles had recorded the whole ceremony, Leila burst into tears. Again, Ali had been prepared well in advanced and had asked the make up artist (Andrew’s new AA sponsor) no less than six times that waterproof mascara be used on all the girls. Even when they got out of the limo, the driver handed over a small basket tied neatly with a bow and Ali explained it contained some of the more non-perishable food from the reception and Rob’s own personal wedding cupcake, a wedding favour and place-card with his name on it. The day before, Ali had covertly come to the hospital to arrange for this with the staff because it was going to be out of visitors hours in Rob’s ward. And by ‘arranged’, it actually meant she had a heated argument with them, threatening to sue them on some grounds they didn’t seem to understand and finally agreed when Ali explained how much it would mean to her, her husband-to-be and Rob’s wife.
When they arrived in his room, he looked stunned, but exhausted. He probably looked much like he was feeling, pale, sore, covered in cuts and bruises. Even Ali had noticed how much weight he had lost, but Andrew had told he had been stuck out there injured without even any water for days. He shouldn’t be alive. But he was, and Ali wanted him to have Leila for a short time that day as thanks to him for understanding how important it was to them to have Leila part of their wedding. At first, he seemed to struggle to get in the happy mood, even though he was making an effort to smile and congratulate them. It was only when Ali explained her deviant plans and why that he started to cheer up, his eyes getting a bit more shine in them as he sat holding Leila’s hand while they watched the wedding video. Then Ali made Andrew and Luke hang around in the hospital corridor, still in their wedding garb, for about twenty minutes while Leila had some time with Rob. As they left, Rob gave Ali a weak hug as best he could and told her he couldn’t thank her enough for making him feel part of the family. Of course, Ali started bawling and again had to worship Rachel and her waterproof mascara, and Kleenex for making pink tissues that matched her dress.
Now that the meal was over, the party had kicked in to full swing and Ali stood at the chocolate fountain, unceremoniously shoving four marshmallows covered in warm, runny Belgian chocolate into her mouth and closing her eyes in pleasure. “Better than sex, eh, Sullivan?”
Ali opened her eyes and found Kenneth Pierce standing there smirking at her. Izzy and James’ FBI boss, and one-time boss of Ali herself before she transferred to Forensic Analysis after her kidnapping. She chewed on the marshmallows, making him wait while she finished them and swallowed, licking some drops of chocolate off her lips as she finally smirked back at him. “So you think. I ordered this so I can pour it all over him and lick it off tonight. This is better than foreplay,” she explained.
Peirce gave a huff of a laugh, watching her in amusement. “You look top notch, Sullivan. Congrats. Even if it’s a tragedy for the single male world at large,” he commented. “Or is it Connor now?”
“Or unhappily married male world at large?” Ali asked, quirking an eyebrow at him and them smiling back fondly. “But cheers. I know compliments aren’t usually your forte. And I’ll get back to you on that. I haven’t decided if I want to be a feminist or not yet. My daughter, though, is definitely becoming a Connor once we get back from our honeymoon.”
Pierce nodded, not surprised to hear she might be hanging on to her maiden name. She always did things just that little bit differently to everyone else. “Gorgeous kid, shame about the paternal genes,” he joked, looking over at James who was talking to his brother. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Don’t be a stranger, kiddo. Marriage only sucks if you let it. Good bloke you have there. I’ll keep him in mind if I ever have a heart attack and need to trust someone to give me CPR and not top me. Save me a dance for later, missus.” He winked at her again, popping a strawberry into his mouth as he shoved hid hands into his pockets and disappeared into the crowd.
Ali just smiled to herself again, amused. She knew she and Pierce would always have a soft spot for each other. It was now just part of that history she was ready to close the book on. Right now, chocolate, she decided, shoving even more marshmallows and a red frog onto a skewer and sticking it under the chocolate waterfall.
Once the ceremony was over, all the guests had moved on to The Bondi in Soho while the wedding party went to Central Park to get more photos taken. It was only then that Ali made another surprise about-turn, telling James, Izzy, Tab, and Max that they could head on to the reception and they would meet them there really soon. This time, no one knew what she was up, except maybe the limo driver, and she handed over a generous cheque to the photographer to pay him for an additional location for shots, which he happily agreed to (of course). Andrew, Luke and Leila tried to repeatedly question her once they were back in the limo, clearing deducing it was something to do with the three cousins, but she was tight-lipped until they reached their destination. A certain private hospital in the city that currently housed a certain wounded soldier.
Luckily she was armed with tissues, because when Ali finally explained they were bringing the wedding to Rob, holding up a small camera on which one of her uncles had recorded the whole ceremony, Leila burst into tears. Again, Ali had been prepared well in advanced and had asked the make up artist (Andrew’s new AA sponsor) no less than six times that waterproof mascara be used on all the girls. Even when they got out of the limo, the driver handed over a small basket tied neatly with a bow and Ali explained it contained some of the more non-perishable food from the reception and Rob’s own personal wedding cupcake, a wedding favour and place-card with his name on it. The day before, Ali had covertly come to the hospital to arrange for this with the staff because it was going to be out of visitors hours in Rob’s ward. And by ‘arranged’, it actually meant she had a heated argument with them, threatening to sue them on some grounds they didn’t seem to understand and finally agreed when Ali explained how much it would mean to her, her husband-to-be and Rob’s wife.
When they arrived in his room, he looked stunned, but exhausted. He probably looked much like he was feeling, pale, sore, covered in cuts and bruises. Even Ali had noticed how much weight he had lost, but Andrew had told he had been stuck out there injured without even any water for days. He shouldn’t be alive. But he was, and Ali wanted him to have Leila for a short time that day as thanks to him for understanding how important it was to them to have Leila part of their wedding. At first, he seemed to struggle to get in the happy mood, even though he was making an effort to smile and congratulate them. It was only when Ali explained her deviant plans and why that he started to cheer up, his eyes getting a bit more shine in them as he sat holding Leila’s hand while they watched the wedding video. Then Ali made Andrew and Luke hang around in the hospital corridor, still in their wedding garb, for about twenty minutes while Leila had some time with Rob. As they left, Rob gave Ali a weak hug as best he could and told her he couldn’t thank her enough for making him feel part of the family. Of course, Ali started bawling and again had to worship Rachel and her waterproof mascara, and Kleenex for making pink tissues that matched her dress.
Now that the meal was over, the party had kicked in to full swing and Ali stood at the chocolate fountain, unceremoniously shoving four marshmallows covered in warm, runny Belgian chocolate into her mouth and closing her eyes in pleasure. “Better than sex, eh, Sullivan?”
Ali opened her eyes and found Kenneth Pierce standing there smirking at her. Izzy and James’ FBI boss, and one-time boss of Ali herself before she transferred to Forensic Analysis after her kidnapping. She chewed on the marshmallows, making him wait while she finished them and swallowed, licking some drops of chocolate off her lips as she finally smirked back at him. “So you think. I ordered this so I can pour it all over him and lick it off tonight. This is better than foreplay,” she explained.
Peirce gave a huff of a laugh, watching her in amusement. “You look top notch, Sullivan. Congrats. Even if it’s a tragedy for the single male world at large,” he commented. “Or is it Connor now?”
“Or unhappily married male world at large?” Ali asked, quirking an eyebrow at him and them smiling back fondly. “But cheers. I know compliments aren’t usually your forte. And I’ll get back to you on that. I haven’t decided if I want to be a feminist or not yet. My daughter, though, is definitely becoming a Connor once we get back from our honeymoon.”
Pierce nodded, not surprised to hear she might be hanging on to her maiden name. She always did things just that little bit differently to everyone else. “Gorgeous kid, shame about the paternal genes,” he joked, looking over at James who was talking to his brother. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Don’t be a stranger, kiddo. Marriage only sucks if you let it. Good bloke you have there. I’ll keep him in mind if I ever have a heart attack and need to trust someone to give me CPR and not top me. Save me a dance for later, missus.” He winked at her again, popping a strawberry into his mouth as he shoved hid hands into his pockets and disappeared into the crowd.
Ali just smiled to herself again, amused. She knew she and Pierce would always have a soft spot for each other. It was now just part of that history she was ready to close the book on. Right now, chocolate, she decided, shoving even more marshmallows and a red frog onto a skewer and sticking it under the chocolate waterfall.