Checkmate

The Wedding part 1

"Your majesty" I hear and glance around the room as everyone bows but I can't focus on them now.

My eyes find Alessandro's and they never leave. I was surprised to see tears in his eyes. When I reach him his smile is blinding.

"So? What do you think?" I gesture to my wedding dress. It was a beautiful cape gown with a a low-cut lace front and a lace train that went on for miles.

He tries to formulate words but it just turns into a fustration mumble. "You like it?"

He nods and pulls me to him, kissing my cheek. "I love you" He whispers in my ear making me laugh.

"The couple have prepared their own vows." My eyes go wide, I didn't prepare anything.

Alessandro Goes first "Madeline, You cheated and read my vows already" We hear chuckles echo throughout the room "But I figured out what I wanted to say. I found love again, in my heart, only because you decided to appear in my life and point a gun at me. I admit our relationship was a rocky one but now there is nothing I want to do more than be with you. Madeline, my love, my life to have you with me here today means the world to me, there isn't any other person I would let punch me in the face" More giggles, even I was laughing aside from my tears.

He takes a breathe "There is no other person I would stand by through the apocalypse with, no one I would let break my heart and there is no one I could ever love more than I love you" He smiles and wipes away my tears. "You are my life now, Madeline, and I will spend the rest of it loving you, cherishing you, and protecting you. I promise. I love you, Madeline" I sniff and try to wipe away my tears, awes and sniffing filling the room.

"Wow" Laughter "How can I follow that?"

He smiles "You can't" we laugh

"Alessandro, You're right, loving me is hard..I am ruthless and temperamental. Irrational and a bit erratic. But you have accepted me for who I am no matter what, and I will forever be grateful for that." I start to cry again "You have always been there, through everything...everything" I take a deep breathe "Alessandro there is no one else I could ever imagine loving like I love you and I have felt so loved in these last months with you, more-so than I have in my entire life. Love, Acceptance, Loyalty. You've given it all to me and more and I will spend the rest of my life proving to you how grateful I am for it all." I look away trying to stop my tears "These last few days have been incredibly hard for us, with the planning and everything else" He stares at me tears in his eyes "But I will never forget how you sat with me, talked to me, and protected me. You are the sunshine in my tunnel of darkness and there is no one I would rather sit in the dark with, I love you Alessandro"

He smiles and grabs my waist pulling my body towards his. His lips find mine, our kiss is magical. The rest of the world falls away, silence glossing over the noise of claps and cheers. I didn't hear any of it, only the sound of my heart beating, my lips still on Alessandro's.

After what seemed like countless hours I pull away slowly, "I love you" I whisper letting him hold me close to his chest, my face buried in his shoulder.

I feel him laugh "I love you too, my wife"

A shudder runs down my spine, the words impacted me more than I thought they would.

"Come on, there is food waiting" he whispers running his fingers along my arms "if you're not hungry then something is definitely wrong here"

I laugh and watch our guests slowly file into the next room, "I'm sorry about the baby" I whisper in his ear "I feel empty Alessandro"

He wipes my tears "I know love but you deserve to be happy right now..we deserve to be happy"

I nod "there's a problem..we didn't chose the caterer!"