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The church was full, there were at least two hundred guests seated in the large auditorium. Two tents were also mounted outside for those who couldn't get a seat within. In attendance was Rose's white Anglican family, whose pink themed dress code perfectly complimented the white petals used to decorate the church surroundings. Then there was the Stevens, who it must be said, seemed to carry the day. Their exotic and partially bordering on outrageous outfits made the concept of "sunday best" feel just that bit easier to understand. And the dark skinned Stevens far outnumbered their white counterparts.

Still, all of these paled before the bride and groom. Today Rose looked no different from an angel, if an angel were to take human form. Her white laced wedding gown was as majestic as it was tender. She was both Queen, and princess at the same time. One look at her, and the single guests were dreaming of love and marriage.

And Andrew didn't disappoint either. His dark grey fitted suit made his well built frame to stand out. Plus he also had an aura about him today, one of a man who was sure of himself. He was taking a big step in life, and to the ordinary observer, he looked ready; perfectly capable of shouldering the attendant responsibilities...

But Pete Nicholas was no ordinary observer...

He was brother to the bride and best friend to the groom. Indeed, it was he who established first contact between these two. He was the foundation, the forerunner to this love story. And he knew, if anyone did, the true reason why Andrew was marrying Rose.

The priest's voice echoed through the auditorium...

"Nicholas Rose, do you take Steven Andrew to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and to honor him all the days of your life?"

"I do."

Pete concentrated, he didn't want to miss the moment. Even if it pained him so that he seemed powerless in the decisions being taken today, he knew he was a big, no, a major part of them. He knew Rose was a romantic, a hopeless one. She would exalt Andrew and do her duty by him until he ceased to be the hero in her eyes. And knowing his sister, that would be a long time away.

"Steven Andrew, do you take Nicholas Rose to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and to honor her all the days of your life?"

As for Andrew, he was in love and he couldn't help it. Maybe if society was a bit more elastic on such matters he would have biden his time. But this was the only way to satisfy his love without raising unwanted questions. And so Andrew had decided to marry Rose...

"I do."

So as to get to Pete...

THE END

#SladenSpeaks

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So I woke up this morning to the news that my older brother had fixed a date for his church wedding. Of course accompanying that news was a tacit invitation to attend (as I had somehow missed the traditional one). Since then I could only think of wedding bells and all its attendant trappings.

So á lá Sladen, I decided to let my muae run away with my thoughts, and here's the result. Hope someone did have fun reading.

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