code_blue | the wedding

General Ross arrives in full uniform, pushing his way past the wedding planner staff and into the gaggle of guests in the clearing. He has no invitation. In fact, he hasn't spoken to the bride in years but there is no denying the fact that he will be attending the proceedings today.

It's his right as her father and more than that, it paves a way for them to make amends. Though he can't say that he fully approves in her choice of a match, he's taking it as a sign that she's finally moving on.

He surveys the crowd, spotting the said groom near the front of the altar. He moves towards him purposefully and unapologetically. "Samson. Where is she?"

"It's good to see you too, General."

Leo is having far too good a day to let little surprises like this upset him. In front of his family and closest friends, he's not going to make a scene and risk spooking Betty from the idea of following through with the wedding altogether.

"I think she's still getting ready. You're going to have to wait." In the meantime, he'll take a few steps away from altar and give his attention to his future father-in-law. "Would you like a drink?"

Natasha Romanoff didn't get an invitation, strictly speaking. Though she was something of an acquaintance of the bride. Her interest in being at the wedding was mostly that of an observer of events.

She remembered the first mission order that Fury had ever given her regarding Banner and his alter ego. It had put the fear of something into her, and she'd been stunned to see some lone academic women hold her own in the middle of military chaos and unnatural destruction.

One could say that Natasha found a little bit of respect for Dr. Ross that day.

It was probably why, long afterward, she was the one that had slipped Banner's new contact number to Betty.

Another relative wedding crasher, Clint blended in with the crowd well, chatting easily with people here and there as he moved about the yard, his watchful eyes scanning every guest and the surrounding area. So far, no show, but he had a gut feeling that wasn’t going to hold up for long.

Spotting Natasha alone among the guest, he approached her casually. Really, everything about his look, from his clothes to his stance, screamed casual; it was only his eyes that gave him away.

“Agent Romanoff, looking good. You know you’re not supposed to show up the bride on her wedding day, right?” he teased. In all honesty, she did look gorgeous, but then when didn’t she?

"I'm pretty sure the rule is, you're not supposed to wear white." And Natasha had no trouble following that social custom. She enjoyed the opportunity to wear red and not actually be actively trying to court someone's attention.

If she just so happened to get a few glances anyway, well, that was her life story.

"Barton." She raised a glass to her occasional partner. Natasha was curious to find out if his presence had been prompted by Fury, or if, like her, Clint was only here on a rare off duty event.

"You're looking for someone."

“Oh, well, close enough,” Clint said with a shrug. He certainly wasn’t going to argue, but with Natasha dressed in red from head to toe she certainly did pose a very eye-catching and distracting sight. He was sure there were plenty of eyes pointed in their direction right now and he was also sure that none of them were looking at him.

“Aren’t I always?” he replied with a lopsided grin. “Fury’s got a bit of a vested interest in this wedding, or, well... let’s just say he keeps tabs on all his ‘assets’ at all times. Though I’m guessing he didn’t know that you would already be here?”

As far as Clint knew Natasha wasn’t here on assignment, so either she got wind of the same information, that Banner was in town, or she had gotten friendly enough with his ex to warrant an invitation of her own. He was better on the former.

If she has any sort of objection to Fury's decision to keep eyes on the wedding, she doesn't mention it. It's the smart move, really.

"No, this was.. a personal interest." That is a pretty large admission on Natasha's part, but she's trying to give Clint a little more these days.

"You really think he's going to show?"

She would have bet money on not. Then again, Natasha didn't exactly understand romance the same way that others did. She cut her losses and didn't look back, but maybe it wasn't possible for Banner to do the same? "So, you're the official Hulk wrangler today then?"

At least it wasn't Hill. She could be thankful for that much.

Clint cocked his head at her reply, his curiosity definitely peaked. “I didn’t know you knew the happy couple that well,” he replied, clearly fishing but not asking outright. If she didn’t want to elaborate he wouldn’t push her but he did make it clear that he was curious. It was just how they worked, speaking in riddles only they understood.

“I dunno, but going with my gut? I’d say yeah,” he said. “I mean, it’s not like they even really broke up. It’s just... complicated.” Shrugging his shoulders he glanced quickly at Natasha before scanning their surroundings again.

Chuckling at her question he nodded slowly. “Well, long distance to Asgard threatened to break the budget so they settled for me."

"I don't."

She gives him a moment to ponder whether or not he'll get anything else from her. Just because it's fun to tease Clint when she can, and get away with it. But she continues because it's technically her day off and the only other options for conversation are with a bunch of people she doesn't know, who's highlights seem to be the weather, sports, or shrink talk. There were a lot of Samsons here.

"Fury sent me here a few years ago." Right about the time that General Ross and his wonder crew tore up the campus. "I'm here to see how it all pans out."

His observations about Ross and Banner are interesting, she's tempted to push it further. Though that would seem to be an impolite topic, considering the occasion. "Don't worry, I've got your back, but I really doubt he'll show. I mean- would you?"

For a long moment Clint thought that that was all he was going to get out of her, no explanation whatsoever, and while it just made him want to know even more he was determined not to give her the satisfaction of asking. Luckily he didn’t have to as she decided to continue after all.

“Oh, right. That was about the same time I got sent off to New Mexico, yeah?” he replied. And right in the middle of their long stretch of being sent on separate missions. Not really a time Clint was fond of, to be honest. New Mexico had been more than a little boring until... it wasn’t anymore.

He grinned when Natasha claimed to have his back. When she was around she always did, just like he would always have hers. Her question gave him pause, though, and he took a moment to actually think about it. “I dunno... would be kinda hard to stay away, you know?”

It was difficult to try to put himself in Bruce’s shoes, or maybe merely something he wasn’t prepared to do. Rubbing the back of his neck, Clint gave a shrug. “I would probably go somewhere and drink until I passed out,” he said. “I don’t think I’d show at the wedding unless I intended to crash and make off with the bride.”

It was said in a joking tone, though it was probably true. He didn’t think he’d have the strength to stand back and watch the woman he loved marry someone else, even if it meant her happiness. There was a big difference between letting it happen and actually watching it happen.

"Now there's an idea."

Natasha looked around as if contemplating the Hulk showing up to make off with Dr. Ross. For some reason, in the middle of all the nicely dressed people, and the white decorations, she thought of how easily this could all turn into a horror story.

Not that Banner hadn't proven that he could exert some kind of direction with his inner demons, but Natasha knew better than most, just exactly what it was like to be facing that out of control nightmare.

"Let's hope he's staying true to his zen side then." Her eyes linger along the tree line for a moment, but other than instinct, there's nothing there to catch her attention.

Clint would be lying if he said that wasn’t half what he was expecting. He wasn’t able to walk in, armed, but his bow and arrows were stowed in his car and he had a tracking bug on him that he just had to slip onto the bride as soon as he got the chance. If everything went to hell he was prepared, and he got enough fancy arrows to try that he was confident that at least one of them would work to take down the Hulk if need be.

“Here’s hoping,” Clint replied, following Natasha’s line of sight as she seemed to fix her gaze on the trees. “Or that he’s too heartbroken to get angry.”

Scanning the trees again he suddenly froze when he saw a distinct flash of white. Taking a few steps away from Natasha without a word he got a slightly better view and positively identified the bride. She was still partially hidden by a tree along with whomever she was talking to. Clint had a feeling he knew who it was.

“Or maybe we’re gonna get a runaway bride all on her own...”

Leave it to 'Hawkeye' to find the smallest hint in the distance. Natasha took an instinctive step towards the trees, but stopped on second thought.

"Well. Maybe we should let them get away."

So long as the Hulk was kept away, she really didn't see how it was any of their business what happened. A smaller part of Natasha actually wanted to see them run off together. No offense to Dr Samson, but the happy ending she preferred was Banner's own.

It was like a fairy tale, of a kind. Natasha surprised herself at the sentimentalism that came from working with the 'Avengers' as Tony was so fond of labeling them.

Clint raised an eyebrow in surprised at Natasha’s comment. It could be that she was just looking to stay out of all of it, but then why was she really here at all? No, he was pretty sure there was more to it than just letting what would happen happen.

“Why Nat, I do believe you might be a hopeless romantic at heart,” Clint teased her, but there was obvious affection in his words, like he had just discovered something wonderful about her. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna interfere if I don’t have to. I’m not here for Bruce, I’m only here in case he let’s the other guy out.”

Turning his attention back to the trees, he kept a close eye on the bride. “Maybe we should let Tony know he’s here, though. The two have a kind of rapport. Might not be bad to have him on Bruce duty depending on how things go here.”

Jane Foster had meet both Leonard and Betty through her research partner, Eric Selvig. Even though she didn't exactly work in the same field, there was an understanding between herself and Betty that accounted for an unusual friendship. They both knew what it was like to be the one left behind.

Maybe Jane hadn't been able to move forward yet, but she was certainly happy for Betty.

Jane hadn't been able to move forward yet, which was why Darcy had invited herself along in this little adventure as her plus one. That and the fact that she thought Dr. Ross was one of the coolest people she'd ever met and she wanted to see what kind of a hunk she'd roped herself.

There was also the fact that she was making it her personal mission to make sure that Jane got laid. She was way overdue and if Darcy hadn't been able to engineer an opportunity, especially at the bachelorette party, she took this wedding as a personal challenge.

She appeared at Jane's elbow and forced a drink into her hand. "Drink up, we're wasting daylight."

Edited 2013-06-30 11:28 (UTC)

Without actually questioning Darcy's motivations, Jane obediently downs almost a full glass of champagne. She's no big drinker, even at the best of times, but Jane is often swayed by the company she keeps.

"We've still got some time." Everyone here is pretty excited, and with good reason. Dr Ross was well respected in this university, and they were all happy to see her finally get a big day.

"...I barely know anyone here, Darcy." Some of Jane's problem with getting laid was that she wasn't the best in social situations. Hiding away and burying herself in her work was a great defense against the need for human companionship.

Hell, the last time she'd ever even kissed someone, it was work related.

Edited 2013-06-30 12:42 (UTC)

Darcy grins when Jane obediently takes a sip, though her eyes widen when she doesn't actually stop until the glass is almost empty. She gives a small sigh of amusement and admiration before taking a large drink of her own glass to catch up.

"Keep chugging like that and we won't need much," Darcy says, reaching down to adjust her dress. The cleavage is ample, but tasteful - at least in Darcy's opinion - but the dress has an annoying habit of shifting on her.

She glances up at Jane looking over the crowd and takes a step closer, her shoulder brushing hers. "Sure you do," Darcy says. "These people are your people." She glances around the crowd, narrowing in on a good looking doctorate looking type. "There. That guy."

She pushes Jane towards him. "Go talk theorems. Work your way up to the Big Bang."

He shouldn’t be here. He knew with complete certainty that he shouldn’t be here, that no good could come of it, but yet here he was, lurking in the shadows of the large trees that surrounded he property and trying to catch a glimpse of the bride while making sure that nobody caught a glimpse of him.

It was a rather impossible task, really, and Bruce knew it was only a matter of time before someone caught sight of the creep in the ill-fitting suit who was hiding in the woods. Just as long as they didn’t tell the bride.

Why was he here? He had told Betty he wouldn’t come, he had told himself the same thing, but when he had stumbled across the wedding announcement in the newspaper that had been casually left around the tower on his last visit all his resolve had flown out the window. He wasn’t sure yet why he was here, all he knew was that he hadn’t been able to stay away.

She just needs a moment to herself. That's why she's taking a few steps away from the center of everyone. Ten minutes until the start of the processional, and Betty wonders if she can make it for another ten whole minutes or if she's going to fly off the handle at some little problem.

Maybe it would have helped it there was a problem to get angry about. For all her confession to Pepper that she's been a bridezilla, things have gone remarkably smoothly. A little too much so.

Betty holds a hand to her white clad stomach and breathes shallowly, dressed up in her gown, it's only a short walk from these trees out into the clearing that is set up like some picturesque ideal of what a wedding should be. She doesn't even see the man lurking until she's a few feet away, and she's obviously shocked when she realized who that man is.

"Bruce, what are you doing here?"

He should have seen her coming, he was supposed to be watching or her after all, but Bruce had caught sight of Natasha among the guests and had been momentarily distracted. Maybe he wasn’t sure why he had even come here, but what did Natasha have to do with any of this? He wasn’t aware that she even knew Betty, let alone well enough to be invited to her wedding.

So it was that he had been trying to make sure he was concealed from Natasha’s line of vision that Betty manage to sneak up on him completely. Her voice cut through him, straight to his heart, sounding so clear in person rather than over the phone. 

“Betty, I...” he started to say, but when he turned quickly to look at her the words died on his lips. She was stunning, breathtaking, and absolutely heartstoppingly beautiful. His eyes traveled over her taking in every detail from her elaborate hairstyle to the gown to her make-up and jewellery. “You’re beautiful,” he said softly, forgetting completely what he had started to say before, and even what she had asked him.

Her expression is torn between impossibly glad to see him, and absolutely horrified that he's here. Today.

"You can't-" In spite of herself, Betty's entire body warms to his clear appreciation. His opinion has always been important to her, and she's never felt more beautiful than when he's the one who's said it.

"You told me that you weren't going to come, and... we didn't order a setting for you." Betty finished the excuse lamely. That wasn't the reason that it was difficult for him to be here, they both knew it. The truth was, as much as she loved Leo, as much as she was committed to this wedding. Betty would always still be in love with Bruce.

It should have been their wedding.

Bruce shook himself out of his stupor and tried to meet her eyes. He tried to speak but his mouth had gone dry so he swallowed; the noise sounded embarrassingly loud to his ears.

“I know, I said that, and I wasn’t going to come,” he agreed. He should have stuck with it, he shouldn’t be here. If he had never seen that article he wouldn’t have come; he wouldn’t have known where or when the wedding was taking place, but once he knew he couldn’t stay away. “I didn’t plan... I’m sorry, I’ll go. I should go.”

He was just making this whole thing harder for them both. She didn’t want him here, she had been relieve when he had told her he wouldn’t be, and now here he was anyway, upsetting her on her wedding day.

He couldn’t help but think, somewhere in the back of his mind, that it should be his wedding day too.

Betty steps forward and sets a hand lightly on his arm. She's mad and confused. "No, wait."

But she's also afraid that if he leaves, it will be the last time she sees him. It can't end like this.

"I want you to stay. Please."

There is a moment when even she can't believe that she's walking this line. Betty had told herself that enough was enough, it was time to move forward. How would she take the next biggest step in her life without him though? "Bruce, this isn't the way I thought it would be. I love him, do you know that? I really love him."

Her eyes threaten to tear up again, but she remembers what Pepper said to her earlier. It's too early for tears Those can come later.

"Give me a kiss, for good luck?"

Edited 2013-07-01 00:20 (UTC)

Bruce looked over at the hand on his arm and resisted every urge inside that was screaming at him to take it, to pull her to him and just hold her tight.

He didn’t know why she wanted him to stay now, but before he could answer her, before he could insist that he should leave, she was talking again, talking about Leonard and how much she loved him and Bruce could feel his heart drop into his stomach. It shouldn’t be a surprise, she was marrying the man after all, but it hurt to hear it, it hurts so bad to hear that she could love someone else when his heart still belonged to her, entirely and unwaveringly.

Isn’t that what you wanted? For her to move on? To be happy? Don’t take that from her now.

He had a hard time forming words, the lump in his throat hard to speak around, but he finally managed it. “Good luck, Betty,” he said, unable to meet her eyes as he spoke. Leaning in, he pressed his lips lightly to her cheek. “I wish you all the happiness in the world.” These words he whispered practically against her skin.

It's the look on his face that hurts the most.

"That's hardly what I meant, Bruce."

Forget for the moment that she's going to be facing another man in just a few minutes, pledging her life and loyalty to someone that has been nothing but patient and good to her. Betty smiles in the softest way possible, she turns her head before he can pull away. Meeting his lips with hers.

Her breath catches and it's all Betty can do not to take his hand and run. Just run away from the entire thing and hide. Hide wherever he wants to, because she imagined that life a hundred times and more since he left her in New York City.

He thought he could walk away. He thought he could just kiss her goodbye, wish her luck, and walk away, but the second her lips touched his he knew he had been lying to himself. The moment she kissed him he was lost.

It as meant to be something chaste, brief, but his arms wrapped around her almost of their own accord and he pulled her against him as he kissed her back. It had been far too long since he had held her, since he had tasted her, and the sensation was so familiar, so right...

This was so wrong but he couldn’t bring himself to stop because the second he did she would run away and he would lose her forever.

That was what made this all so hard, the thing he hadn’t said to her, that he had been keeping to himself. After what had happened in New York he had actually let himself start to hope. When he had transformed into the Hulk then, of his own accord, he’d been able to keep some semblance of control, been able to follow orders and work as part of a team. He still needed a lot of work, when the transformations were triggered he was still out of control, but it was better than it had been, and if he could learn to control it...

Then Betty had called him and told him about the wedding. He couldn’t ask her to wait for him, to put her life on hold for him. He didn’t know how long it would take, or if he would ever gain full control, but for the first time it had felt like a possibility. Now even that hope seemed bleak.

In some ways it didn't matter. She'd felt the same five years after he vanished the first time, she felt the same now, and he'd done it again. Her heart couldn't tell the difference.

Just for the moment, Betty gives in. All of her love and all of her frustration is poured into a kiss that has to end. It has to be the last time she'll ever kiss him, because if it isn't, her heart won't take the waiting any longer. It would just give up.

When she pulls back enough to look into his eyes, there is a silent apology. "If you asked me right now. The answer would be yes." The answer was always 'yes' to Bruce.

"...don't make me choose again." Raising herself to her toes, Betty presses her lips to his forehead.

"I love you, Bruce. I hope- I want you to find happiness too."

She had to be the one to finally break the kiss because he didn’t have the strength to do so. She had to be the one to pull away, to say the words that needed saying. In their relationship she had always been the strong one. She was the one that had kept them together for so long, she was the one who had fought for them when Bruce only wanted to give up, and now she would be the one to finally end things so she could do what was best for her. It had to be her, because he simply couldn’t do it.

He wanted to ask her, he wanted to say the words and run away from all this, but he couldn’t. Taking a shuddering breath he kept his head lowered and tried to say something, anything. “Some people... just don’t get to be happy,” he finally said. He forced himself to look at her, to meet those beautiful eyes that still haunted his dreams. “But you do, and you will be, Betty. Nobody deserves it as much as you.”

He wanted to say that he loved her too, that he always had and he always would, but he couldn’t quite form the words so he kept them close to his heart instead.

Seeing as Tony has no concept of punctuality, Pepper takes it upon herself to get into the driver's seat and get them to the wedding before the ceremony begins (honestly, if left up to Tony, they wouldn't get there until the start of the reception - which would have been his plan all along). Things being as they are, she's able to get them there just in time to shoo Tony off in the direction of the other guests while she managed to slip her way behind the scenes in search of Betty. While there's no reason for her to be jittery - it's not as if she's the one getting married - there's an underlying rush of nerves and excitement that comes from seeing Betty reach the alter after all this time.

Of course, she hasn't gotten there yet. And the last thing Pepper wants to do is jinx her friend.

Case in point, she holds the handle of the small gift bag tightly between her fingers as she weaves her way between bridesmaids, groomsmen and other guests of importance. She has to get her present to Betty before the ceremony begins. Pepper may not really be a stickler for tradition, but she's nothing if not one to keep her promises - especially when it comes to something like this.

She stops at a door that's a little too decorated to be just another room and figures this is where she needs to go. There's no telling what commotion is taking place on the other side (their previous talk of bridezillas come to mind), but Pepper knocks anyway, and braces herself for whatever's about to come.

Actually all of the noise and fuss seems to be regulated to the workings of the catering team and the various family members who are smiling and exchanging stories after long absences.

Leo's family, that was. There was a notable lack of blood relatives on Betty's side, though it wasn't because her father hadn't wanted to come.

Tucked away, Betty is staring at herself in a mirror and debating if her hair actually looks right or not. Elaborate twists and a hair pin count of some astronomical number, she's actually quite glad for the distraction and opens the door a crack to see who it is.

"Oh, Pepper!" Seeing her friend vanishes any trace of self consciousness and she motioned for Pepper to come in to her little world away from the world. "It's getting close to that time. I'm so nervous."

Maybe it's because her hormones are out of whack (definitely not due to what she once thought it may have been, thank goodness), but Pepper can already feel a lump forming in her throat just at the sight of Betty.

"Betty, look at you! Aw..." She pulls the bride in for a warm, congratulatory and consoling hug. "I'm nervous for you, but you're going to be fine. Everyone and everything is absolutely beautiful, you especially."

She steps back to hold Betty at arm's length, then beams excitedly as she holds out her gift. "I know I was supposed to get you something blue at the bachelorette party, but I wanted to make sure I picked out the right thing. I saw these and they just looked like you."

(Thank goodness indeed. They can celebrate with champagne now.)

The hug is a welcomed gesture and Betty's eyes are already a bit misty, then when she opens her present, a few tears actually slip out. Expressing herself in tone more than the actual words, Betty feels truly touched at Pepper's choice of gift. "These are so beautiful, thank you."

She has to put them on, of course. "Can you help me?" Between the hair, and the dress, and being easily flustered at this moment, Betty's hands tremble too much to be of use.

"I'm so glad you're here. You have no idea how many relatives he has." In fact, the majority of the bridal party is made up of Leo's cousins. "I feel so outnumbered."

But it's good to have her own friends here for her.

Pepper nearly gets teary herself as she leans in to affix the jewelry to Betty's ears. "I think I have a good idea, if the crowd outside this door is anything to go by." Although, it really does drive home the fact that, before Pepper came in, Betty had been sitting in here alone. From weddings Pepper has been to in the past, the bride always had a gaggle of ladies swarming around her, fussing over one thing or another clear up until the moment the bride took her place at the foot of the aisle. Perhaps Pepper had missed out on that portion of Betty's pre-wedding activity? Or maybe the bridezilla shooed everyone away for some peace of mind?

She smiles as she encloses the post of the last earring and takes a small step back.

"Things may be a bit heavy on the groom's side, but for what it's worth, you've got me...and Tony, who is the equivalent of at least twenty party guests." Then, because Pepper is attuned to these sort of things, she pulls a tissue from her clutch and holds it out to her friend. "Also, it's too early for tears, Pretty Lady. You'll mess up your makeup."

"They're all very nice." Betty defends them, not really to Pepper, but more to herself.

"It's just that they're all... very nice. I'm not really comfortable with his parents." Sheepish, but honest. She smiles softly, her face kept forward so that Pepper can do that wonderful thing she does, and make all the details fit together cleanly.

"Thank you."

Everything always feels more manageable when Potts is around. Which should just be the Stark Industries logo, if you thought about it.

"In fact, I think they really don't know what to make of me. I just told his mother that I wasn't expecting the General to show up today." Since she hadn't invited him.

"You wouldn't be the first bride whose father didn't show up to her wedding." Pepper doesn't know the details behind Betty's relationship with her father, but she knows enough to know that it's hardly roses and butterflies. Far from, in fact. And honestly, that's all she needs to know, especially when the particulars really don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

"All they need to know is that Leo hit the jackpot when he met you," she replies in full confidence. "He couldn't be marrying a sweeter, more intelligent, more beautiful woman. The General's absence doesn't change that."

That said, she can relate to not feeling at ease around overly nice people. Years of working in the confines of Stark Industries has left Pepper so weathered around the edges that she doesn't even trust extreme kindness. "When you say 'very nice', do you mean too nice?"

Blushing now, Betty has to wave her hand lightly. "Oh, stop. You're going to make me shy."

The words have done the trick though, any tension that she's been carrying is released in favor of simply enjoying this moment. Betty's eyes shine brightly, sharing the excitement of the day with Pepper. "They're like some kind of model photo family. I'm serious, I don't think I've ever heard them argue."

Like pod people.

"At least Leo turned out well. I can't believe this is actually happening."

Betty runs her hands down her dress, flattening out imaginary wrinkles. "His father offered to escort me down the aisle, but I'm avoiding answering him."

Before she can catch herself, Pepper's wrinkling her nose at the thought of Betty being indoctrinated into some sort of Stepford Hallmark family. "I can't say I blame you. I would gladly walk you down the aisle, but then they really wouldn't know what to think. But just know that, this time next year, if I find that you've given up margarita night for scrabble and church bake sales, I'm going to have to stage an intervention. Just letting you know now."

Of course, the more Pepper thinks about it, the more she begins to feel what very well could be the beginning of the loss of her best friend. And it's silly; Betty isn't going anywhere, obviously, but this is always how it happens. Marriage, then babies, then in a blink it's getting together for lunch every now and again, when husbands, babies, jobs, and so on permit. As the thought begins to settle in her mind, her vision begins to blur with impending tears.

Selfish, Potts. Selfish...

She dabs quickly at the corners of her eyes and shakes her head. This is Betty's big day, and despite how it may look, Pepper is happy for her. Extremely so. Given all she's been through, no one deserves Happily Ever After more than her.

"Okay, okay. Let me get out of here so you can gather your thoughts, say a prayer, smoke a cigarette, or anything else you may need to do." She holds her arms out for a hug. "Don't be afraid of your father-in-law. Seriously. Just think of it as a quaint way welcoming you to the family."

Almost as if Betty were reading her thoughts, she counters with, "I was going to ask you actually, but Leonard's mother would have a heart attack, I'm sure."

Then, as if she's absentmindedly sharing a secret, Betty grins conspiratorially at Pepper and adds; "So then I thought of the next best thing, I asked Tony if he would give me away. That should shock them well enough."

If Tony agrees, which, hadn't actually been ironed out. Though even if he's not comfortable with that, Betty is going to be proud to walk down the aisle with or without anyone at her arm. There would be no cookie cutter family expectations that kept Betty from having things the way she wanted them.

"And for the record, margarita night is sacred." She knows exactly how Pepper is feeling right now. Though they'd only known each other a relatively short amount of time, the women had become incredibly close. Odds were, that if the wedding plans had started when Betty actually knew Pepper this well, she would have asked her to be the maid of honor. As it was, that duty fell to an old high school friend. Someone that Betty had asked more out of sentimentalism.

"Make sure you get a seat up close, okay?" Betty hugged her friend tightly before letting her go.

The clock was counting down now.

the wedding - open rp post

or for those that want to congratulate the groom

now complete with his own journal

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