LVI

By the time I was dressed I was ready to get things started. I smoothed out the front of my dress and glanced over at Garcia who looked like she was holding back tears. The second I noticed I swallowed hard and looked at the other two women in the room and flashed them a sheepish smile. They smiled back warmly and moved forward, opening their arms to envelope me into a tight group hug that Garcia immediately joined in on. "Oh, my god I can't believe this is finally happening," Garcia mumbled. She pressed the side of her face against mine and let out a sigh, prompting me to giggle uncomfortably. The amount of physical love I'd been receiving since arriving was starting to become annoying, but considering the circumstances I remained silent; knowing it'd come across as ruder than intended.


When we all pulled away I took a deep breath and looked at myself in the mirror. A sense of surprise took over as I scanned the length of my body, wondering how in just a few short months I'd managed to both get pregnant and basically married. The whole idea felt so surreal, yet right at the same time, because even though it took a while to realize, the truth was that this was meant to happen. Like Reid once said, when you meet your soulmate, remember the act to bring you together was 500 years in the making.


When the initial shock of everything began to settle in I let out a heavy sigh and moved towards the window. From where we were located I could see almost everyone; all of them standing around in groups just chatting away. I smiled at the sight and focused on various bodies. It seemed like Reid really thought of everything, because the longer I stared, the more it dawned on me how everyone I ever thought to invite was down there.


"Did everyone know, but me?" I questioned, still looking down.


JJ let out a soft chuckle. "At first, no. When Reid first proposed the idea it was just the team that knew."


"And Issac," Garcia interjected.


I turned to face them, opening my mouth in surprise, because Issac had the biggest mouth on the planet. His ability to keep secrets was almost nonexistent, especially big ones, so the fact that he'd managed to pull this off was alarming.


"Apparently Issac helped out a lot," JJ added.


"That asshole." I shook my head, holding back a smile as I glanced back out the window to find him. As if on cue his dark mop of hair flew through my frame of vision as he ran across the yard to Maggie's side, grabbing hold of her torso. I snorted, watching as he lifted her into the air and carried her back across the grass, both of them laughing maniacally. "I can't believe he didn't tell me."


"He wanted to," JJ said with a shrug. "Spence almost had to resort to bribery to get him to stop."


"How am I not surprised?" I stepped away from the window and nervously pulled at the fabric of my sleeves, while everyone else shared a quick look before staring back at me.


"Ready to go?" Prentiss asked, raising her brow.


I mentally asked myself the same question, suddenly feeling the pressure. Your wedding day was supposed to be the most important day of your life; a day that everyone in attendance would remember for the rest of their lives and smile back on. The intensity of that made me wary for the moments to come, because in all honesty I wasn't sure we'd be able to pull that kind of impact off. Reid and I were just two people in love, coming together to show our commitment.


When I looked at it that way the whole concept felt somewhat mundane, which sort of made me laugh, because here we were making a big deal out of something a good portion of people did. Marriage wasn't special. In fact, according to Reid, as of 2006, 55.7% of Americans over the age of eighteen were married.


"Why are you laughing?" Prentiss asked, laughing herself.


I pressed my lips together after I realized how stupid I looked. I felt like my thoughts were a little too off-putting to share so I opted to shrug in response and move towards the door. At this point, all the nerves I felt flowing through my body had dissipated into nothing, because at the end of the day Reid and I were just a couple, sharing our love to our friends and family.


Without another word I opened the door and started moving towards the stairs. Quickly, the three others followed me, excitedly talking amongst themselves as we slowly moved towards the main floor. I gripped the bannister tightly and stared out of one of the windows of the front room. When I made it to the bottom step I let out a sigh and glanced behind me, watching as Prentiss snuck around and planted herself in front of me. She placed her hands on either of my shoulders and flashed me a grin. "I'll go get your dad."


"Dad?" I scrunched up my face in confusion, causing the three of them to laugh.


"So he can walk you down the aisle."


I blinked, keeping my vision directly at Prentiss who shook her head in what looked like embarrassment and wandered outside. Once gone, I turned to JJ and Garcia who at some point moved in front of me too and bit my lip.


"You're going to do great," JJ assured.


Garcia nodded in agreement before looking towards the door. She furrowed her brow and shook her head, swatting her hand.


I narrowed my eyes and followed it. Once I saw Morgan wedged in between the half open door, grinning from ear to ear, I smiled back and waved him over, causing Garcia to groan in response. "He should've waited. It would've been much more dramatic." She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted in his direction as he snuck over and pulled me in for a hug.


"You look good, kid," he said simply.


When I pulled away I placed my hands on his arms and gave him a quick once over, nodding in approval. "Hopefully Spencer managed to invite some eligible bachelorettes for you to choose from," I replied with a wink.


He snorted and glanced over at Garcia who continued to shake her head, unimpressed at his sudden appearance. "I only got eyes for Ms. Thang over there," he said, pointing towards her. The second he did she practically melted on the spot. Her once angered expression softening immediately only to be replaced by a flirtatious grin.


"You spoil me, sir."


He let out laugh before saying goodbye and wandering off. As he left, I watched Garcia and JJ follow; both of them claiming they needed to get out there before things started up. I waved them all off, feeling weirdly okay with the sudden amount of privacy.


Unfortunately the moment was short lived, because not long after dad quietly pushed his way through the door. He cleared his throat on the way in and when I looked over and saw his tear stained face I almost started crying. "You're not allowed to do that," I stated sassily, pointing to his face.


He held back a smile and wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "I know, ugh, your mother's the crier. Not me." He shook his head in disgust and forced out a laugh as he walked over and offered his arm. When I took it he sniffed loudly and let out a breath. "I like the red. It's fitting," he said, motioning to my dress.


"What's that supposed to mean?" As I spoke we moved towards the doorway, slowly walking to the inevitable ceremony that awaited outside.


"You know exactly what it means," he responded with a smirk.


"Remember when I said you were a mean father for condoning bullying?"


"Nope, not at all."


"Well, I standby that statement," I retorted, while rolling my eyes. "Most father's would be like, oh, my god, sweetie you look amazing I'm so proud of you, you're going to make a beautiful bride."


"And you do," he retorted simply, "but wearing white during a wedding is a symbol of purity; something of which you are not and I figure I would tell you."


"You're lucky I inherited your sense of humour otherwise this conversation wouldn't be going as well."


He chuckled softly and pushed open the door as he continued to ramble. As he did, I zoned out, listening to his words as we walked across the deck. Once we hit the grass I realized what was happening and snapped out of my dissociative state, swallowing hard as I scanned all the faces staring back at me. Everyone was sitting on chairs (the same ones from JJ's wedding) and smiling up at us. I attempted to smile back, awkwardly tightening my jaw as I flashed everyone my teeth. The second I did, dad let out a quiet laugh and nudged me. "You look like a shark."


I nudged him back and lessened my smile, immediately feeling self-conscious. "Shut up."


When we got to the halfway point of the aisle I looked up to see Reid. At that moment my entire body tensed up with anticipation and my once uncomfortable smile turned into a real one. As I looked at him from head to toe, I realized how strange it was that even though I spent the majority of my time with him, that during this moment he seemed almost imaginary. His tall frame looked substantially larger, towering over me like a freshly built skyscraper, while the angles of his face seemed much more defined; only further showcasing his beauty.


After I hugged dad goodbye and he went to sit down I moved to stand across from him, pressing my lips together tightly to hold back a sob.


"You look..." Reid opened his mouth to say something else, but obviously couldn't. Thanks to the excitement, neither of us were in the position to speak, so instead we opted to just reach out and hold each other. We laced our fingers together in front of us, smiling from ear to ear as Garcia stood behind us and cleared her throat. 


I looked over at her curiously, noting the booklet in her hand. I pointed to it and raised my brow, watching as she leaned in towards us, cupping her hand over her mouth. "I got an officiation license," she whispered with a laugh.


"Ohhhh," I replied quietly, while nodding my head.


Reid let out a laugh. "I figured she'd have the most fun with it."


"Somehow that makes me nervous," I whispered back with a laugh of my own.


Garcia rolled her eyes and waved her hand in the air nonchalantly. "Don't worry. Reid made me promise to make it short and sweet."


I let out a sigh of relief before mouthing him a quick thank-you. He laughed in response, which immediately prompted Garcia to shush him and narrow her eyes. At that point it was obvious everyone was just waiting for things to start, so both Reid and I offered her a pair of apologetic looks before glancing at each other and holding back laughter.


"Hello everyone, how's it going?" Garcia glanced around the yard, offering everyone her signature I'm so excited I'm about to explode smile before clearing her throat and glancing down at the notebook in front of her. "First off, I'd just like to thank each and every one of you for coming today. It's no accident that you're here, as each of you were carefully hand selected by your's truly, as well as Spencer to join us in the marriage of him and Isla."


I couldn't help, but let out a snort, which Reid rolled his eyes at.


"Both of these individuals mean a great deal to me and before I begin the important stuff I'd like to tell you a little bit about how they came together."


I closed my eyes, feeling a rush of embarrassment. I wasn't sure how I'd managed to, but I'd somehow forgotten the fact that ceremonies were all about storytelling. People loved to know the intimate details of who they were watching, which made the truth behind our relationship that much more apparent in this moment.


"Isla joined us at the BAU sometime last year," Garcia began, "for those of you who are unaware, the Behavioural Analysis Unit is a department of individuals who use psychology and the study of human behaviour to assist in criminal investigations." She paused to look at Hotch for approval of her explanation. Almost immediately he nodded his head, giving her a subtle thumbs up.


"When Isla first joined it was obvious to me, and much of the team, that her and Spencer had an interesting relationship." She glanced between the two of us, holding back a smirk. At that moment I wanted to die, which I'm sure Reid could tell, because I felt his grip on my hands tighten.


"There'd be days where the two would be friendly with one another. They'd laugh and hang out and do what we did best at the BAU, which was communicate," she continued. "Other days though, they'd be at each other's throats. Arguing with such an intense passion that even I, a well known bystander, couldn't ignore." She smirked at the last comment, which caused me to roll my eyes, because anyone from work would know she was the queen of meddling.


"Despite all that though, it was apparent they worked well together. During our casework, their minds were like clockwork, moving so beautifully in unison that even the scummiest of killers had a hard time hiding away."


"Yeah we did," I said quietly. I pulled away my my hand for a high five, causing Reid to laugh to give in.


Garcia, even though I'm sure she wanted to, held back her urge to scold us as she continued her speech. "Basically what I'm getting at — to keep things short and sweet, is that even from the beginning I'm pretty sure that these two were meant to be. Fate smiled upon them and said that those two federal agents with their sexual tension and complicated friendship would end up together; no matter the circumstances."


"Oh, my god." This time I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, which I immediately regretted, because they all started laughing, even Garcia.


"And because of fate, we're here today to celebrate both of you; two amazing, fantastic, and straight-up boss individuals who I have the delightful pleasure of calling my friends."


Jokingly, I flipped my hair and flashed her a smug smile. She returned the gesture by rolling her eyes, while Reid merely smiled, because he was just happy to be here.


"Now, Spencer specifically asked me to keep the rest of my speech as classy as possible, so instead of further diving into the details of their not so conventional relationship I figure I can just skip all the usual wedding speech requirements and go straight into the vow portion, because honestly why else are we all sitting here?"


That caused the small crowd to erupt in laughter.


I looked over at Reid with wide eyes and yanked him towards me. "You didn't tell me to write my vows," I snapped quietly.


"That's because I didn't write mine," he retorted. His face at this point was bright red and sweating, which even though I knew was a sign of nervousness, settled my own.


Before I could respond, Garcia said my name; signalling me to start. Instead of dwelling on the fact that I had literally nothing prepared I gave her a nod and turned towards Reid who flashed me a tight-lipped smile and adjusted his stance.


"Okay, well, uh, I'm sure all of you know that this whole wedding thing was a big surprise and I knew nothing about it, so vow wise I'm just gonna wing it and hope for the best." I let out a nervous laugh and felt Reid tighten his grip, offering reassurance.


"Spencer, the moment we met I hated how smart you were. In fact, I still do," I paused to shake my head, watching as he gave me a confused look. "Your ability to pin point every single little micro expression I convey is astounding and even though I like to argue and show off my stubborn side, deep down you always know what's best for me." I tightened my grip on his hands and ran my thumb along his skin, watching his expression transition into a sheepish smile, the reds of his cheeks increasing in heat.


"From the very beginning you always knew exactly what to do to make me feel like I was on top of the world, whether it was grabbing me coffee when I was tired or simply just being there for support. You always knew exactly what I needed, even before I did, which is exactly the reason I'm marrying you." I pulled him in closer so that our arms were now touching. "And because you got me pregnant."


He rolled his eyes and nudged me away jokingly, causing us both to giggle.


"Because I can't think of anything else you haven't already heard before I'll just say that I love you. I love you more than I ever thought possible and I can't wait to spend the rest of my stupid life with you and our weird kids who I'm sure will grow up to be as smart as you and give me a run for my money."


Even though I'm sure I could've produced a better set of vows if I had the opportunity to write them, part of me was kind of happy that I didn't. The lack of structure somehow felt more real, which as I looked out to everyone in their seats, became more apparent, because everyone looked like they were on the verge of tears.


I bit my lip and glanced at Garcia who unsurprisingly was already a sobbing mess. I reached for her shoulder and gave it a quick rub, laughing slightly as she just pointed to Reid, motioning him to start. He nodded his head and licked his lips, staring at Garcia for a couple of moments before eventually turning to me and releasing a sigh. "Well, since it's my turn, I guess I should start off by saying I also didn't prepare anything, because I figured I'd be nice and level out the playing field a bit."


"Thanks for that, by the way," I interjected.


"You're welcome," he retorted absentmindedly, flashing me smirk. Rhythmically he tapped his fingers against mine and blinked, his mind working through the obstacle of what he'd say next.


As I stared at him longingly, I felt a rush of familiarity as he began to speak, his hands twitching against my grasp as he instinctually went to move them in front of him. "Although love has long been a topic for philosophers and poets, there's also an actual science to it," he began. "Being in love is affected by huge, measurable changes in the biochemistry of the brain. Science has identified three basic parts, each driven by a unique blend of brain chemicals."


If I wasn't already so dulled by his innate nature to bring science into everything he did, I would've rolled my eyes at his introduction.


"Lust, which is governed by both estrogen and testosterone. Attraction, which is driven by adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin. And long-term attachment, which is slightly different and is run by both oxytocin and vasopressin; both of which encourage bonding." He swallowed hard and furrowed his brows, which I knew meant he was trying to find a connection between his words and his feelings. When it was just the two of us the act to do so was a lot simpler, but with the amount of pressure he was currently under the pause between his points was understandable.


"Thanks to these chemicals, science has been able to discover that the process of falling in love can, in some cases, be hurried along," he eventually said, flashing me a smile. "In fact, during one small scale study, subjects who talked deeply to a perfect stranger for thirty minutes, then stared into each other's eyes for four, claimed to have felt a deep and lasting attachment."


At that point both of us looked around the yard, curiously wondering what they were thinking. It was hard to tell with the smile's on their faces if they truly understood what Reid was saying. He had a tendency to fall off the map when it came to explanations, which I'm guessing based on the guest list most people knew. Regardless, none of that really mattered, because the moment he looked back at me and continued I felt my heart flutter in my chest.


"Isla, I fell in love with you after our first conversation," he looked down at his feet and held back a laugh, which caused my eyes to well up with tears. "Even though that same conversation resulted in you insulting my intelligence, something inside me knew that I needed to keep you around. To be honest, I don't know what that thing was, maybe it was fate or something more likely, like hormones." Both of us laughed even harder, attempting to quickly recover so he could continue. "Whatever it was, I'm so glad I listened, because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I love you."


I closed my eyes and carefully wiped them, hoping the mascara I applied just hours before wasn't running. As I did, I heard Garcia let out a quiet sob as she reached out to touch my shoulder. "You guys are going to be the death of my poor little heart," she joked. I glanced at her, still wiping my eyes as she pulled us both in for a hug and let out a sigh. "Okay, now that we probably don't have a dry eye in the house we'll move onto the fun part." She pushed away as she glanced between the two of us, her gaze eventually falling on me. "Isla, do you wanna marry Spencer?" She hooked her thumb in his direction and offered me a grin.


I snorted at the bluntness of the question and nodded. "Obviously."


She chuckled and looked over at Spencer. "How about you, genius?"


"Obviously," he responded mockingly. Out of habit I nudged him and shook my head, holding back the urge to make some snide comment I knew nobody needed to hear.


"Okay, well, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you doctor and doctor, because both of you are way to smart to be referred to as Mr. and Mrs." She rolled her eyes and closed the notebook in front of her before widening her arms and bowing her head dramatically. "You may now kiss to your heart's content."


Before I could even comprehend what was happening, Reid moved his hands to my face and pulled me in. The aggression behind his movements caused me to grunt and widen my eyes, prompting me to basically lose my breath. Despite that though, I wrapped my arms around him and continued the gesture, running my tongue lightly across his lower lip before we both pulled away anxiously, knowing that if we continued we probably wouldn't stop.


Suddenly I felt like the most famous person on the planet, because almost everyone started cheering. The sounds of hands clapping together and whistles flowing through the air made my stomach twist anxiously. I hid my face in Reid's chest and nervously laughed, feeling his hand run along the base of my spine. Slowly, he leaned into me and pressed his lips to my ear. "Nice dress, by the way. Can't wait to take it off later."


"I like your tie," I replied with a snort as I looked up at him and shook my head. "Can't wait to tie you up with it."


He scoffed in response and pulled me back in, hiding his face in the crook of my neck as the rest of the people in attendance continued to yell, unaware of how just in love with each other we actually were. 

Comment