I awoke to shrieking. The Sarah tripped over a body, and nearly landed on me, shaking me violently until I sat up and swatted her awake. Monique, Arcee and Elita-1 were all scrambling over each-other trying to get somewhere, and I idly wondered what the rush was. My head ached, and my stomach was doing flips, and both only intensified when I realized that today was to be my wedding day.
"We slept in!" Sarah cried, maneuvering her way across the trashed living room once again, "COME ON, WE'VE GOT TO GET READY!" and suddenly I was on my feet, running up the stairs to get a shower.
The upstairs bathroom was already occupied by Arcee, who was hurriedly applying make-up to her face and finagling with her purple hair to make it curl correctly down her back. She was wearing only her undergarments and a slip, but modesty be damned. She'd already seen me nearly naked in the search for a wedding dress, so what was the point, anyway? I stumbled into the shower, rushing everything but not half-assing any part of it. I double-washed my hair, shaved everything that could be shaved, and scrubbed my skin 'til it was pink.
"What time is it, Arcee?" I said, over the sound of the water falling in the shower.
"Eleven," she responded, much too calmly. We were very, very late. We'd intended to wake up around eight-thirty. It was far, far past eight-thirty. I calmed my panic and quickly dried myself off, rushing to the room we'd set up for wedding preparation. Sarah, Monique and Elita-1 were all already in this room, all three dressed and Sarah and Monique in the process of doing their hair. I noticed briefly that Arcee was also already dressed-and otherwise completely ready, for that matter.
I was the one that was lagging behind, here.
I hurriedly put on all of my undergarments, including which was just my special wedding-bra and panties, and then was promptly pushed into the chair of doom, where I was to be prepared for my appearance at the altar. My hair was brushed, dried, brushed, straightened, brushed, and then intricately braided down my back, leaving some parts down in subtle yet stunning curled wisps.
This was all done by Arcee and Elita-1, while Sarah and Monique did a collaboration work on my make up-which ended up with me as pale as a china-doll, my lips a light pink and my eyes shadowed with subtle silvers and golds. The four women made a deal of pulling my dress over my head, just as a light knocking came at the bedroom door.
"Good morning, ladies," came Will's voice as he stepped into the room. We all paused for a moment, like scared rabbits, before immediately resuming what we'd been doing before. The dress was pulled over my head, and I was placed in front of the mirror to marvel at myself before I would be whisked off to the altar by my friends and family.
I barely recognized myself. The dress was even more prefect than it had been in the store. It had a sweetheart neckline, with a halter top made of sheer fabric-the rest of the dress had a sheer white cloth over the thin satin, as well. There was delicate silver beading just below the bust, and the dress went to just below my knees. The bottom had varying lengths, and there were several points tiered around the bottom that swept delicately around my legs.
"You look stunning," Will said, coming up next to me and putting his arms around my shoulders, "'Hide won't know what hit 'im." I smiled at the man I'd come to know as my father.
"Thanks, Will," I said, quietly.
"'Course, Ramona. There's uh...there's someone here to see you," he said, and we both looked into the reflection of the mirror, at the door.
There was a woman standing there-a woman that I couldn't remember ever meeting. But I recognized her immediately. She looked to be in her sixties, she had long, dark hair pulled back into a braid much like mine. Her skin was russet, and her dark eyes spoke of wisdom.
"I'll leave you," he said, and suddenly the familiar woman and I were the
only two people in the room.
"Ramona?" she asked, quietly. I nodded.
"You're...Penelope Greywing, aren't you? You're my grandmother?" I whispered. She nodded. "I...thank you, for coming." I said.
"Thank you for inviting me," she said, smiling weakly.
"I-I have something for you. A wedding present, of sorts," she said, stepping further into the room. It was only then that I recognized the box in her hands. It was a clothing box, the generic kind that you buy for when you give clothing as a present. It had a silver bow tied delicately around it.
"You don't have to use them," she said, "I just thought...well, I'd offer." She opened the box before me, and I was stunned. The first thing I noticed was the necklace. The chain was made entirely of turquoise beads, and it must have been at least two feet long. The pendant that was on it was two opposing bear claws, set into silver, along with coral and turquoise as well.
"It was my grandmother's," she said, "I thought...if you didn't have something old or blue, you could wear it today." I took it gently from her hands.
"You mean it?" I whispered, and she nodded, I hurried to pull it gently over my head. It rested just on my breast, long enough to not fall into the top of my dress, "Thank you," I insisted.
"Not yet," she denied, then pulled something else out of the box, that had been wrapped in tissue paper. This was a feather piece. It had several different kinds of feathers overlapping one another, and the natural browns and beiges set against each other beautifully.
"This is something I made, when I got your invitation," she told me, "It's a hair piece. You put it, almost like a visor, so it's just over your forehead, like this," she demonstrated on her own head.
"Can you help me put it on?" I asked. She smiled, then nodded.
"This can be your something new," she whispered. And the feather piece was situated on my head, just as she'd done on her own. It was held in by a clip and some leather thongs.
"Thank you," I said, genuinely, "This is beautiful."
"You look beautiful," she said, placing her hand on my shoulder and looking into the mirror along-side me. I smiled at our reflection. I truly did look like her.
"Alright, are you ready, Ramona?" asked Will, popping back into the room, as if que.
"Yeah," I grinned.
So we were ushered down the stairs, and forced to take pictures on the porch. The pictures themselves took at least a half-hour. After pictures were done, we were pushed into the Limo we had rented and swept off to the little patch of forest 'Hide and I had picked to have the ceremony. There was a wall of tents that the wedding party and I were to exit out of, and we went in to finalize the last few preparations that we could make. Sarah, Monique, Elita-1, Arcee and my Grandmother all fawned over me, telling me how beautiful I looked and giving me congratulations and good luck wishes before the ceremony was set to start.
My heart was in my mouth when it came time to exit the tent and descend the isle to where my husband-to-be was waiting for me. I was so nervous-though I knew I had no reason to be. The wedding party had all left the tent before me-Monique with her own husband, Sarah with Bumblebee's holoform, Elita-1 with Ratchet, and Arcee with Optimus, and now it was only Will and I left, waiting for our que. My arm was already wrapped around his, and the stiff tuxedo was rough against my skin, and I knew this was a memory that would last my entire lifetime.
"Are you ready to become Mrs. Ironhide, AKA Mrs. Ron Smith?" Will asked, poking fun at the alias I would have to go by. I smiled.
"I am, Will," I said, honestly, smiling up at him.
"And he makes you happy?" he asked, one final time.
"He really, really does," I agreed. His smile softened.
"Then let's get you married," he said. And then the tent flaps were pulled open, and the guests stood. I could see Ironhide at the end of the aisle, and I felt like my whole life fell into place, in that very second.
DON'T HESITATE TO MESSAGE ME! XD
Hope you enjoy this one.
~Dev
