Epilogue

"Do not look so nervous," Harry smirked.

"Who said I am?" Charles asked, shifting where he stood because the energy that flowed through him made standing still impossible.

"It is not what you have said," Harry noted, his smirk growing. "It is that look you have about you."

"And what look is that?"

"Like you are about to wet your pants."

Charles scowled at his best friend. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"A little too much," Harry chuckled again. "Far more than you."

"Perhaps I am merely concentrating on the matter at hand?" Charles said, doing all he could to not look so nervous, for he knew that Harry was not exaggerating. "I suggest you do the same."

"Oh, it is much more fun to make light of you," Harry shrugged. "Besides, it kills the time better also."

Charles' scowl deepened. "You know, if it wasn't your wedding day, I might hit you right now."

"And if it wasn't your wedding day, I might expect it. Although if you did try such a thing, I would have no choice but to embarrass you in front of all of our friends and family."

"Is that what you think would happen?"

"You do remember the last time we fought?" Harry raised his eyebrow at Charles.

"Over ten years ago now," Charles reminded him. "And if memory serves, you were bigger than me, which was probably why you let whatever we were arguing about come to blows. But now..." He fixed Harry with a smirk of his own. "You don't have that same advantage."

"Which would make my victory all the sweeter."

Charles could not help but laugh, feeling grateful that his friend was helping to distract him because the truth of the matter was that he needed it. "I suppose it is lucky that it is my wedding day then."

"Same here." Harry reached out, rested a hand on Charles' shoulder, and gave it a squeeze. "Same here."

They stood alone by the front of the altar. Turned to face the nave of the church as they waited patiently for the ceremony to begin. Although ‘patiently' was more wishful thinking, as Charles was a ball of nervous energy that he could do little about, feeling it grow inside of him with each passing second.

Seated in the nave across the many pews that lined the church were dozens of friends and family members, here to witness what was a most special day. All dressed in their finest, most sat silently as they waited, while a few had already succumbed to tears. Charles swept his eyes over them, caught the congratulatory looks on their faces, and was forced to look away. Seeing how excited they were only made it worse.

"I do wish we could get on with it," Charles muttered.

"Easy there," Harry chuckled. "What is the rush?"

"No rush," Charles assured him, body still shaking from nerves. "I just never was a big fan of weddings, is all."

"It is different when it's your own though, right? Standing up here, rather than sitting among the plebs?" He indicated the onlookers with a coy smile.

"More pressure, you mean?"

"What pressure?" Harry laughed. "What? Worried she might take one look at you and say no?"

"Stranger things have happened." Charles said. Harry raised an eyebrow at Charles, who grinned. "But no, not even a little bit. The truth of it?"

"Tell me."

Charles could not help but smile. "All this..." He indicated the church, the people, and the general pomp of the ceremony. "It doesn't mean anything."

"What --"

"Do not get me wrong," Charles hurried to explain. "I see the point behind it. I do. But at the end of the day..." He shrugged. "What matters is what comes after, no? Where we go from here. The rest of our lives, I mean."

"For which you aren't worried?" Harry frowned. "For most, this is the easy part. The rest is where the difficulty begins?"

"Is that right?" Charles matched his frown. "I suppose I never saw it that way."

"All right..." Harry looked at Charles, his expression one of deep concern. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

To this, Charles could only laugh. Still feeling nervous, speaking of such things as this, the after, the tomorrow, what lay beyond, helped calm him slightly. Where he had no doubt that many groomsmen might feel panic about married life and spending the rest of their lives with the one person, that simply wasn't a concern that he shared in.

"Thank you, by the way," Charles said with complete sincerity.

"For?"

"For this..." He indicated the church. "Agreeing to a double ceremony."

"Oh." Harry chuckled. "It is not me you should thank. My wife-to-be was rather insistent on it."

"As was mine," Charles laughed. "And I figured it made sense to say yes, start this whole marriage thing off on the right foot."

"My thoughts exactly. Besides..." Harry grimaced. "Do not let my cool sense of composure fool you. I am an absolute wreck right now. If you could see how much I am sweating under this suit..."

"You hide it well," Charles joked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Better than you, I suppose. But also..." He gave Charles' shoulder another squeeze. "Thank you. If there was anyone who I could do this with, it would be you."

"Do not let your bride hear you say that."

"Oh, she knows," he winked. "Ever since I saved your life..."

Charles' face dropped. "You know, seeing as it is your wedding day, I will let you have that little story. Even if it is entirely made up."

"Ha! Again, I must ask, who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

Charles was a changed man. A rake no longer. A bachelor to the end, now a laughable concept that made him cringe to consider. Now, he was a man in love. A man who could not imagine a life spent alone. A man who knew that he would do anything for the woman whom he waited upon while knowing that she would do the same for him.

He might have been nervous, but that did not mean he wasn't excited for what was about to happen. Standing at the altar with his best friend, awaiting their blushing brides, today would be a good day. Maybe the best of his life so far. The only thing that made it better was knowing that from here on out, every day would be even better than this.

It was just then that a hush rang over the crowd of onlookers.

Sensing the moment, Charles folded his hands before him as he turned to face the end of the aisle. He was already smiling to himself, but when he saw Lady Felicity-- his Felicity -- appear at its end... the smile he wore grew to such lengths that it hurt.

How to describe her? Words did her no justice. She might have been walking arm in arm with her sister, but to Charles, she walked alone. She seemed to float as she spotted him; her aura glowing such that he nearly covered his eyes. Her brown hair in curls. Her hazel eyes sparkling. Her porcelain skin glimmering in the light. Her dark green dress both elegant and sexy in the way it scooped down her front and clung tightly to her hips. Why, it was all Charles could do to keep his mouth from hanging open.

"Careful there, Charles..." Harry spoke out the side of his mouth. "We are in a church."

"I was going to say the same to you."

The two best friends shared a glance. A recognition that their lives were about to change for the better. Then they looked away, eyes now only for their brides who started down the aisle toward them.

Charles did not know what would come after this. Where his and Felicity's lives would take them. But he also knew it did not matter. He was in love with the woman he was set to marry. She was in love with him. And so long as she was by his side, and he was by hers, nothing could break them.

A life spent alone and finally Charles had someone to spend the rest of it with. This, he knew, was a happiness that would never fade.

The End?