Missed Chapter 28?

Author’s Note:

This chapter is for fun and entertainment. It is not needed to understand the rest of the story. The only important information is that Analina and Dean are married. Part of meeting Analina’s family before the wedding will pop up in the second book but isn’t necessary to understand it. Because I didn’t cut anything out of the other chapters, I plan to give this one in full, as well. It is very long so I separated it into 5 parts.

Free Supernatural Fanfiction – Chapter Summary:

A couple plans a small October wedding while juggling travel, family, and the looming apocalypse, determined to claim one normal moment.

Rating: PG
Contains:  Mature themes like apocalypse stakes and adult humor, but nothing graphic

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE (part 1 of 5):  
Wedding

WITH THE APOCALYPSE SO NEAR, it seemed crazy to have a wedding in the middle of it. So many things could go wrong. We could be facing Death for the last ring—or even Lucifer. We could be dead by the time October came around.

But Dean and I talked about it at length. Then we talked to Sam, Bobby, and Cas before we told anyone else—my family—about the engagement. Sam, Bobby, and Cas were completely supportive. We decided to keep the wedding small and started to plan. The wedding would only be one day, but we hoped to squeeze in a few days to celebrate with my family. Eventually, we set a date and agreed to work toward it. If we had to move it, we’d move it. For once, we were going to take control of our lives outside the supernatural.

GETTING A GOWN while traveling had its difficulties. The biggest challenge was making multiple visits for fittings. If a wedding gown was going to fit properly, you couldn’t just walk into a store, buy it, and wear it. Well, you could—but it wouldn’t fit as well, and that might be a problem depending on the design and cut.

What I ended up doing was finding a chain wedding dress store with locations across various states. When I called the retailer, I explained that I traveled a lot for my job (ha!) and would probably order the dress from one store but get my fittings done at another. They’d then have to ship the dress back to my parents’ home, where it would be ready for the wedding. No pressure, indeed! Surprisingly, this ended up being easier than I thought—and nothing, thankfully, went wrong.

I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted in terms of design. I knew what I didn’t want, so I stayed open to different options. My price range wasn’t too bad—my parents helped a lot with the reception. Dean spent several evenings in high-stakes poker games to supplement the rest. Even though we planned the wedding and reception as nontraditional, I really did want a real, honest-to-goodness wedding dress.

My gown was a ball gown—although fairly slim, in my opinion, for a ball gown. It had a sweetheart neckline and embellished straps, thinner where they connected to the bodice. The straps were thicker at the shoulder and, from a distance, were barely visible. The material was tulle and taffeta. It had a curved Basque waist with a ruched sash. The back of the bodice was open, with crisscrossed taffeta and a medallion lace-up.

For those un-savvy with these terms (like me): it meant that a sash crisscrossed in the front and was held by a jeweled brooch-like item in the center, with crystals, beads, and rhinestones above and below. The back looked like a corset. 

Swarovski crystals detailed the gown, along with Schiffli lace, gems, rhinestones, and bugle beads. The skirt had some detail—not as much as the bodice—and the Schiffli lace was mostly concentrated at the bottom. The color was “ivory.” At least that much I understood without explanation.

I didn’t want a veil or train. However, I had a small hairpiece that matched the embellishments of the gown, in case I decided to wear my hair up.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE was organizing everything while on the road. I gave my parents full control over the invitations. I asked them to keep it as small as possible and include the few acquaintances Sam and Dean wanted to invite. I knew my side of the family would outnumber theirs—probably in immediate family alone. My parents didn’t do too badly. They branched out a little farther than I would’ve liked, but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. I didn’t actually see the invitations until we got to my house for the wedding! They did give me a rough estimate of the RSVPs, which we needed to order food and such.

I researched venues online and emailed my parents about possible locations and requirements. They physically visited the sites and reported back to me, including pictures. I think they actually enjoyed it. It probably made them feel more connected to me—or to us—since I’d left.

October was an iffy month. It could be chilly and rainy or warm and sunny. So the reception was booked at a nearby hotel, which would help with out-of-town guests and serve as our honeymoon spot for the night. (Speaking of the honeymoon, I honestly didn’t expect anything extravagant with the end of the world looming. Besides, we traveled all the time, and Dean didn’t like to fly. Staying in one place for a while and getting home-cooked meals was a nice vacation for us.)

The venue offered decoration services, which was fine. We weren’t particular about decor. We were particular about the food, though—which led to a few chuckles when we arranged the menu. (More on that later.)

Our wedding bands came from a pawn shop in Colorado. They didn’t match each other, but they matched our personalities.

I got a yellow gold band in a chevron shape so it would fit well with the heart-shaped diamond of my engagement ring. Small diamonds went halfway around the band. Mine was more expensive.

Dean’s band was titanium, with a subtle Celtic knot engraving around the outside. He thought that since anam cara was Scottish, he’d tie that into our wedding. If I had to guess, he just liked the design—he didn’t know it was Celtic until the shop owner mentioned it.

I managed a few things myself while on the road. The little surprises we planned for the wedding were easy enough to handle with help from the guys. I also got my shoes and a few other small items ready, and they traveled with us in the Impala.

I was thankful that my two cousins—one with more photography experience than the other—would be my paparazzi. We didn’t have to hire photographers. Flowers were kept to a minimum, and they were fake. I didn’t want to carry a bouquet down the aisle, so we just needed a few arrangements to brighten up the venue and church. Because it was a fall wedding, we used colorful leaves instead of actual flowers.

We decided to have just a matron of honor and best man for the wedding party. They would be our “two witnesses,” and we wanted to keep things simple and intimate. Sam was, obviously, the best man. My best friend, Katie, was my matron of honor.

With all the planning, our emails had increased dramatically over the past few months. Katie had married a few years prior and moved away, so we didn’t see each other as much—even before I met Sam and Dean. Still, we always kept in touch. Even though she was my best friend, I kept the whole apocalypse from her. It seemed safer that way. Unlike most of my family, she probably wouldn’t do too well with the knowledge that certain things existed out there.

She and my parents were a giant help with the preparations.

The wedding would take place at my church. I had to explain our circumstances—non-apocalypse circumstances—to Father Joseph, the pastor. We weren’t able to attend the pre-marriage classes required for Catholic weddings, so we did online classes instead. Because Dean was technically a non-Catholic, we also had to get special permission to marry. All permissions granted and “classes” completed, we were ready to be married in the church.

ONE OF THE THINGS we had to do in the pre-marriage classes was an online survey. We each had to complete our own without showing the other. Dean, of course, played a joke on me. He completed his survey—but also created a second version with answers that we definitely could not show the priest. That’s the one he showed me.

Here’s what it said:

A. How did the two of you meet?

• My future wife eavesdropped on a potential possession case my brother and I were working. She eventually became an integral part of our job.

B. How long have you known each other?

• Since May of 2010.

C. How long have you been dating? Are you formally engaged?

• Depends if you count the unofficial miniature golf date or not. Don’t ask. I guess technically our first real date was April 30, 2011. I proposed May 13th… Friday the 13th. Hmm, never really stopped to think about that…

D. How and why did you decide that you should get married?

• The anam cara gave a strong indication that the marriage should work out. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine my life without her. I know we could be together without being married, but we have this standing joke about being normal. I wanted to take part in something normal for once—and give that to her and her family. Not all of them know what we do, so being “normal” would be good for them. And for us.

E. When do you plan to get married? Where? By whom?

• She wants an October wedding. I don’t see why not. We settled on October 7th, assuming the apocalypse doesn’t get in the way. You can never be too sure when things will fuck mess you up. (Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t curse in front of a priest, even if it’s on paper.)

F. Why do you want to get married?

• Isn’t this basically the same thing as question D?

G. Why do you want to have Pre-Marriage counseling?

• Because apparently we need to do this if we want a church service.

H. Is it your desire to have a Christian ceremony and Christian wedding? To the best of your knowledge, what is a Christian marriage? How is a Christian service and marriage different from other marriages?

• She said we’re doing a service, not a ceremony, because I’m not Christian. I mean, I know angels exist. Hell, I know the Devil exists. And God is out there somewhere hiding. I guess we all have deadbeat dads, right? But I’m not Christian. Not really. And she’s okay with that. Obviously, people get married without being in the same religion, right? Why not us?

I. How do your friends and family (including children) feel about your engagement?

• My brother thinks it’s good for me. That she brings out the best qualities in me. I get that. Bobby’s the same way. I think her family is happy for her, too. She told them she was never going to get married, so I think they’re excited she changed her mind. That she found someone to love—and who loves her back. They seem to like me, so that’s good. Plus, I hear her mom makes some great pie.

J. Have any expressed concerns? If so, what are they?

• I’m sure her parents are a little concerned about what we do—more than the marriage itself. I mean, in our line of work, you can die at any moment. Hell, I’ve died before. Okay, more than once. But it didn’t stick.

K. Have either of you been married before?

• Nope.

L. Have either of you been “in love” before? How many times? How long ago was the last time? What is there about your present relationship that makes it different from those past instances which did not last?

• I don’t think she has. Not really. For me, I thought I was in love before, but this is something way different. The closer we get, the stronger we get. Again, the anam cara is involved. But she’s right when she explained it to me—although I didn’t get it at the time. There’s nothing weird about it. Not like you see on TV or something. We work well together. We talk. And that’s something I don’t usually do with other people.

M. Describe the spiritual dimension of your relationship up to this time. How do you want your spiritual relationship to improve?

• How much more spiritual can you get than the anam cara?

N. Describe both the strengths and the weaknesses of your mate. What is it about your mate that attracted you? What potential problems do you anticipate in your marriage?

• She is awesome. She’s a very sweet, kind-hearted person. But she’s strong. She stands up for herself and others when she feels it’s necessary. She keeps me grounded. She has more hope than I ever think I would have. She never gives up and never puts anyone down. Her weaknesses? Sometimes on the job, she can be too nice. She forgives quickly, but never really forgets what happened. Not that that’s a bad thing. She could also work on her hand-to-hand combat. Sometimes she relies too much on her gift. Humans can be just as dangerous—and her powers don’t work on them. Potential problems? I’d imagine death or the end of the world would put a real damper on our marriage. But we’re trying to avoid that.

O. Have you been involved in pornography in the past or are you at present?

• What’s wrong with porn?

P. How do you describe what you are committed to being for the other because of being married?

• Growing up, I didn’t have the experience of seeing my parents married. My mother died when I was four. I don’t know what a successful marriage looks like up close. All I know is that I love her and would do anything for her. I want us to be there for each other no matter what happens. To have trust and… faith that no matter how bad things get, we can always count on each other for support. The world is going to crap, and I want to make it a better place for her. I want her to feel safe. I’d do anything to give that to her.

Q. Of all the people in your life that you’ve met and could have married, why are you choosing your partner?

• She brings out the best in me. She makes me happy. She makes me feel loved no matter what stupid thing I do or crazy idea I have. She’s always there for me. She can make me smile. She grounds me like no one else has ever done. She knows when I need something—even if I don’t. I think I make her feel the same way. We share more with each other than anyone else we know.

R. What attracted you to your partner initially?

• I always notice beautiful women, but she’s more than that. She’s brave. When I first met her, she showed that—even though she doesn’t think so. And that impressed me.

Your Lifelong Goals

A. What do you hope to achieve in the near and distant future in terms of your career?

• I hope to stop the apocalypse without killing millions of people. If I fail, I won’t have a distant future to worry about.

B. How do you plan to care for your community alone or together?

• There’s a small group of us helping people, hunting things… It’s the family business.

C. Do you hope to leave a legacy after you die?

• I’ve considered this before. All I own of any worth is my car. I want to leave more, and this marriage might help me do that.

D. What do you expect of a marital partner in terms of emotional support during exciting times, depressed times, periods of illness, and job loss?

• Exactly what we have now. We might not be able to solve problems, but we try our hardest. I can always count on her to be there for me, and I’ll always be there for her. We’re stronger together.

E. Is it important to set aside one night just to be together, catch up, and have fun?

• Yeah, I think taking a break now and then is great. Sometimes, with saving the world, we don’t get a lot of time for that—but we managed it about twice in the last year and a half.

F. What size house is important, and in what kind of neighborhood do you hope to live now and in the future?

• Currently, we’re living in motels, the Impala, and sometimes abandoned houses. It comes with the job. So basically, any house or neighborhood would be an improvement.

G. Are you both clear on how much alone time the other needs?

• It’s hard to get alone time with what we do. But we respect some “me time.”

H. How much time does your partner need to spend with friends separately and together?

• We don’t have friends in this job. Not really. They tend to die.

I. Do you agree on how much time is appropriate to give to work?

• We have to agree. Otherwise, we’d be dead. Literally.

J. Do you both expect to support the family financially, and will that change if kids arrive?

• She doesn’t believe she can have kids after Cas—that’s an angel—healed her. But I’d imagine finances would stay the same. Credit card fraud and hustling pool/poker are our main sources of income. I think she’ll keep her book blogging a while longer, but that money mostly goes to her parents.

K. Are you both comfortable with the salary differential between you?

• I haven’t heard a complaint yet.

L. How will you deal with midlife career changes or life shifts?

• I honestly wish we’d experience this. It would mean we no longer have to hunt evil sons of bitches every day. But we both believe it probably won’t happen. The best we could do is cut back on the jobs.

M. How do you plan to live together?

• Is this a trick question?

N. Where will you live after the arrival of children?

• Again, this shouldn’t be a problem.

O. How do you determine if a new career path or job is reason enough to move?

• We move for each job. It kind of goes with the territory.

P. Do you hope to live in the same house or area for a long time?

• I wish we could live in a house for a long time. It kind of makes hunting hard, though.

Q. Will you need to be close to your parents now or as they get older?

• My parents are dead.

R. Will you have children, and if so, how many?

• Didn’t I answer this already? I’m skipping this…

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Ready for Chapter 29 (part 2)?